Breath of the Sun
Zone One - People Are About to Die At This Concert
The one upshot of this whole shitshow is that I get to see Teddie pull mustard bottles out of his pockets and squirt them into a Peek's eyes like some kind of psychopath.
It doesn't make it worth it, though.
Of course I hear Asuka tell me to stop. Of course she's freaking out. I pull my hand off her shoulder as Satsuki ushers us away, but I still look her in the eye.
"You're my friend, Asuka." I say, because somehow she doesn't seem to get it. "I'm not gonna let these assholes get away with hurting my friends."
I can't blame her. She's not much of a fighter. And I don't think she had friends, where she came from. She was probably like me, but without claws. I can't imagine what that's like. I've been alone before, but I've at least been strong. I could tough it out.
Asuka's strong in a different way. She's strong just for having lived this long. Maybe that's a human thing, that kind of determination. Kris was like that, too. They kept moving, no matter what kind of nightmare shit we bumped into.
I'm gonna protect her. Even if she hates me, I don't care. I don't wanna see her get hurt.
Vivy stops us before we leave, asking us if we want to stay and watch the fight. Which is a no-brainer; of course I want to watch Areum getting the shit beaten out of her.
But it's not my decision, as Asuka reminds me. Technically Satsuki can't stop me from staying if I wanted to. But whenever she tells me to do something, I remember how Kris always knew what to do, and can't help but go along.
"Yeah." I agree with Asuka. "I wanna watch 'em fight."
Zone Six - Abandoned Diner
Everett snaps out of his doldrum, at least. Andy continues to squirm, and Amaterasu swiftly moves to help the others find all of the scattered gem pieces, sniffing them out with her keen nose.
Once all the pieces have been assembled, placed together in the shape of a human again, and Witch is far enough away to not be at risk, Amaterasu begins to paint.
Her tail slides over the gaps between the broken pieces, filling them with divine ink. Yomigami's magic takes hold, and what was broken is unbroken. Andradite's crystal flesh refuses as though it had never been shattered in the first place.
When Andradite is finally whole once more, Amaterasu finishes with a small circle on the back of his hand. The circle becomes a painted sun, which glows softly, creating pure sunlight for Andy to absorb.
With a huff, Amaterasu flops back on her haunches. The adrenaline from the fight is gone, now, and Amaterasu suddenly feels the weight of her injuries. Nonetheless, she smiles at Andy. "There. That should be all your pieces, my child. Do you feel well?"
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Idunn; People Lived at Pax Primis Wrestling Extravaganza
I wipe the mustard out of my eyes, but the blond boy is already gone. I catch sight of him being assaulted by a mechanical floating cube, but he seems to be unharmed and the cube is scolding him. There is another person next to him, and as she turns this way to speak to Satsuki Kiryuin I register that she is mechanical like the cube. The woman says that they still have VIP tickets and that the sight of Areum and Mikudayo wrestling would be something to see.
Satsuki Kiryuin, then, is the woman who is dragging the two girls away from the wrestling ring. I think the red-haired one is Asuka and the purple-haired one with the scales is Susie, given that they have addressed each other as such. "Touch her again and I'll kill you," I heard the purple-haired one say while staring at Violet, and then when that boy applied mustard to my eyes I think I saw her smile.
The other girl - Susie - threatening Violet requires further examination. Although threatening a Peacekeeper's life is an offense, and the most obvious course of action is to bring the offender into the Precinct for questioning, I do not tell her this. Perhaps I struggle to understand most humans, but I can understand what she is doing.
"Officer Violet," I say instead, moving closer to her as to not be overheard. "I do not understand the nature of the situation fully. However, your presence seems to be upsetting these people, and I do not wish for there to be an altercation."
"Would you like to patrol the crowd instead? I will stay here."
Salacia Persei Elimo; Zone Three, Artifacts Incorporated
Elimo felt relieved when Leo poked his head out of the bathroom. He seemed all right. He had seen her, she knew, but that was a secondary concern for the moment.
You seem remarkably unconcerned! He seems kind enough to not publicize our current state, for sure, but what shall you do when he asks about it again?
That was certainly a quandary, and one that merited much thought, but it would be rather more convenient to leave here first before mulling over it further. They were, after all, in a rather time-sensitive situation.
"We should leave," she began to say, intending to continue that they had been there too long and that Brand would start to get suspicious, and then she stopped as Leo squawked in confusion and twisted away, saying something about Greed being here. She supposed that Greed, assuming he was the charred not-quite-a-corpse Begonia had appeared with, had incurred the wrath of some fire being, which for him would be a relatively easy thing to do.
"Thank you for informing us of the ward," she said, trying to focus. "We really must leave." She glanced backward to make sure Brand wasn't behind her and about to burst into a monologue, then gently set Moko down on the floor upside-down. "Perhaps we can discuss, ah, certain other things when we are in a position to do so."
So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my Tumblr
Helena, Zone Three, Artifacts Inc
Helena let go of Begonia, immediately looking remorseful.
"Sorry, I... jumped to conclusions. Wait, that's Greed?"
She barely recognized that burnt mass of flesh as a person, let alone Concordia's most infamous crime lord. Well... on the bright side, that meant that Andy was probably safe now, right? Unless he was caught in the same thing Greed was. She didn't really want to think about that.
Leo appeared, and it looked like he hadn't been hurt. She was more than willing to take that little victory right now.
Everyone was saying that they needed to leave, and Helena agreed with them.
"Right. Let's get out of here."
Unless anyone else interrupted her, she'd begin her exit.
Wait, he isn't dead! Shia Surprise!
Zone Six—Gem Reassembly Squad
You look up as a shadow falls over you. Officer Bedhead is standing there, jacket off his shoulders and in his hands. Shame wells up as you realize what he's about to do—there's someone here who needs actual help more than you, damn it—but he's already placed the jacket on your shoulders before you can raise your arm or open your mouth or do anything to protest.
Well, what's done is done. No sense complaining about it. So you swallow—try to, anyway—and manage to croak, "Will do. Thanks, Bedhead." Then you realize what you just called him, and your face turns purple. "Ichiban! I meant Ichiban."
You feel that migraine coming on again. You hang your head for the second time in as many minutes, groaning instead of sighing this time. If you had the strength for it, you'd dig a hole in this rubble so you could crawl into it and die.
But you don't. You can't even muster the energy to turn yourself into vapor and float away.
All you can do is sit there, watching as Amaterasu literally paints Andy back together.
Well, your plan to get in undetected was a bust. You didn't help much with Xavier, or with that robot, and you couldn't finish off Greed before that blue thing snatched him away. All you have to show for it is burnt clothes, an ache in your side, a throbbing skull, and mortification.
But as you watch the pieces of this strange living gemstone join together, you somehow manage a weak smile.
Sure, the bad guy got away. But at least the guy you came to save, has been saved.
That's good enough.
The Danse Macabre Codex
Zone One, Ship-Scientists' Guild, Myn
The bio-containment lab is abuzz with anxious activity over its newest resident. The creature of unknown origin calling itself Lorum-Ipsum-et-cetera is supposedly secured, but the aftermath of the attack in Founders' Park is enough to give Myn doubt. If it can do all that, then it can break out of a containment pod. It just may not have the means yet, or it could be using its supposed capture as an opportunity to study its prey.
How cunning a predator this creature is must be determined. This cannot be left to chance.
Myn strides forward into the lab, his practiced footsteps soft among the excited chatter. His two cat-man bodyguards are taking up more than their share of space as a result of not being left at the door like well-muscled luggage.
Each cat-man is as wide as Jengbish, and if not for their hunched posture, they'd be just as tall. Their heads are crowned by fierce, curved ram's horns, and beneath their tailored suits are hidden a pair of long-bladed knives and a firearm for each. Even together, they are not Jengbish's equal; Myn knows this, though they likely do not. They are far from helpless, and could easily protect Myn from most other threats, but their presence near Jengbish is for the momentary distraction they might serve should a hasty flight be necessary.
There are two monsters in the room: one in a cage, one in powered armor and covered in the aftermath of his slaughter.
"Pardon the interruption, everyone." Myn finally announces his presence to anyone who has not already noticed him and his escort. His eyes are still on Lorem Ipsum. This momentary distraction could be the chance it needs to strike, and Myn refuses to be caught unaware.
"I assure you I won't be long. I have been told the very basics of what happened in the park, and that a creature of some kind was taken into custody here. I take it that is what we have there."
Myn walks up to Lorem Ipsum's glass tank, and only now do his bodyguards not follow. They eye Jengbish warily, though not fearfully. The fact that he is dripping with blood and viscera does not discourage them. They overestimate their chances, should it come to that. Myn is sure it will not - not today - but he is nothing if not cautious.
"I trust you can understand me." Myn is speaking directly to Lorem Ipsum now, polite but stern, as if gently correcting a servant and not questioning an enemy combatant. He does not raise his voice.
"My name is Cuan anu Nelei-Myn, senator of the Everlasting Diet of Concordia. I have been told that you find it acceptable to be referred to as 'Lorem Ipsum'. You have played part in an attack on the good people here, and you claim to be from 'outside' this place. I would like to know why. For what purpose did you do this, whom do you serve, and from where, specifically, do you come?"
He will have answers. The fact that the rest of the Diet is not here means it will inevitably fall to him to inform them of exactly what has transpired.
Even so, he lives.
Edited by DoctorThunder on Feb 10th 2022 at 7:53:26 AM
A dogged fellow, aren't we?
Zone 6 - Pretty Jigsaw Boy Andradite Go!
As people started converging with various parts and pieces of Andy, the gem found himself being set down against a section of less-ruined wall, a growing constellation of limbs and shards arrayed in front of him. The task of figuring out which bit went where seemed to help him focus, that and the comforting presence of a certain fluffy goddess.
He blinked up at the man with red hair and the talking stringy-thing, cocking his head.
"Uhm... Oh! Of course I remember you, Zircon! Have you seen Rutile anywhere?"
Not totally focused, then.
Eventually, even the lack of emergency glue wasn't a problem, as Ammy turned out to be even better! Andy visibly relaxed as the first section of broken stone thigh re-fused with a faint clink, closing his eyes with an appreciative noise as those looming holes in his self started to shrink, bit by bit. After a few minutes of concerted effort, and a few more figuring out where the last fiddly bits went, Andy was sitting back up and wiggling his toes and flexing his hands.
He was scuffed and scratched, with his surface showing in front of all these people, which was super embarrassing... but he was whole again.
"Ah... Yeah, I feel pretty good...!"
Lip quivering just a bit, Andy leaned over and wrapped his arms around Ammy's neck, burying his face in her fur and closing his eyes, her sunlight refracting through his body to paint webs of green light over the walls and floor.
Edited by LittleMako on Sep 24th 2022 at 11:06:38 PM
Mancunian Candidate
Zone Six; And in Wen Aeons, Even Ted May Die - Dio Brando
Mid-step pause, stiff setting of the shoulders, about-face turn, and there, unmissable, the flouncing snarl of recognition. One of her ears was twitching; she knew her. That was strange. Not in itself implausible, in a city so compacted, but strange she'd seem so sincerely compelled.
"Oh?" I said, "Sorry about Goreng, he never does know when to switch it off. I think we've a shared acquaintance. Gravity, Ms. Bear. I did tell you."
Usagi remained steadfast and immovable, fidgeting with such superhuman vibrance she was unable or unwilling to register the earthly concerns of a pointed nudge. It occurred to me that we were almost certainly overstimulating the poor dull thing, God knowing she was not blessed with much capacity. The feeling in my arm was going and she was staring up at me with eyes like rapturous saucers; I resolved to move quickly, before she could find excuse to shriek.
"Asuka Langley Soryu was arrested on her way to work this morning," I said. "There was some sort of fight. I've not been able to gather the details, but one hears such terrible rumours. I was hoping Officer Usagi could help me set my mind at ease."
She whistled like a kettle. I swear on God.
"I've heard there was a strange man at the station, you see, a rough inscrutable sort, the kind of man who should not have been there at all. He sounds very disreputable. I'm told little Asuka was very upset. I know for a fact her mother is incandescent. It would mean a great deal to me, were I to know precisely what transpired. I' d be very grateful. Are you going to take that, Ms. Bear, or should I?"
"Ma'am," said the serving girl.
Edited by OG-Sama on Feb 15th 2022 at 2:21:04 PM
A dogged fellow, aren't we?
Zone 6 – Wendie’s – Zima
This ‘Mie Goreng’ guy was really pushing his luck.
Zima’s lip curled in a snarl as he prattled on, hand dropping to the back of a mildly-padded Wendie’s chair as she seriously contemplated smashing it across his stupid smug face. The aluminium frame creaked in protest. Her blood was pounding in her ears like a furious baseline.
“Don’t fuck with me, žópošnik.” She growled, venom in her tone and murder in her eyes as she stabbed a finger in the man’s direction, her eyes darting back to Bodybuilder again as he piped up.
Through the smarm, she managed to glean a few more details. If Asuka got her ass kicked, Kiryuin was probably fuming. If she got beat by peeks, she’d be on the fucking warpath.
A small, still-rational part of her knew that she needed to get out of here, find Asuka, and try and get out ahead of this thing in case the whole quadrant got kicked like a hornet’s nest.
The much louder majority just wanted to beat one or more of these guys to a pulp. Reaching out, she snatched the notes back from the glassy-eyed cashier.
“I’m sick of this. You and me,” She growled, jabbing at Bodybuilder’s chest with two fingers, ignoring how high she had to reach to do it, “Are gonna finish this conversation outside.”
Turning away again, she stomped her way to the door, kicking and holding it open with one boot as she looked back at him expectantly.
Edited by LittleMako on Apr 6th 2022 at 5:28:51 AM
sword of promised halp
Zone Three; Artifacts Incorporated - Darien Brand, Prushka
If Brand hears the crash, he doesn't show it. But there's no way he hasn't heard it, because only a deaf man would be able not to hear it, and so the fact that he's pretended not to hear it is worse, maybe, than if he actually reacted.
"The whistle's mine, of course," he says. "Or at least, now it's mine. You wouldn't recognize the original owner. But this is a key, as you say, and it does open certain locks that it never could before."
He holds the whistle closer. It's a shape that you've never seen before - a dove, wings spread, its feet curling off to weathered nubs. It hums, just like Father's clasped hands.
"You are bright, you know," he says. "Your father isn't the only one with knowledge. I could use someone like you at my side. Perhaps I'll ask him to loan you to me, in exchange for access to my inventory. You'll be paid handsomely, of course."
He peers at you with those inscrutable eyes, just as red as yours, and you realize that the offer is serious. But it's not just serious. It's flippant too, as if he has no intention of lingering, or explaining any further than he needs to.
"Think about it while you wait, Miss Prushka. Oh, and another thing. How long were you intending to distract me?"
He smiles at you, puts the whistle in his breast-pocket and walks out of the room.
Zone Three; Artifacts Incorporated Display Room - Octavius, Elimo, Moko, Helena, Leo
"Hey! Let go of me! I didn't bake this guy, I promise, it was an accident!"
Despite having the ability to apparently appear from thin air, Begonia Smith doesn't seem to have the strength to shake off your grip. Perhaps it's how much bigger you are than him, or perhaps it's the fact that his arms are, all things considered, rather scrawny. If Petunia was a craft knife, innocuous and yet gleaming at the edges, then his little brother is more like a knitting needle. Perhaps if you tried really hard he might be dangerous, but at the moment, you just aren't feeling it.
His eyes get even wider as Leo, Elimo and Moko appear. Whatever was left of his brain goes up in fireworks, then falls out of his mouth like a stardust cascade.
"Oh my God, it's you. The hat girl's hat. We haven't seen each other for... about three months? Wait, how long has it been for you? No-one ever tells me anything... what did you say? Petunia's looking for me? You're with Petunia? Wait, is that Greed? No way."
He looks down at the smoking body.
"You don't understand, I can't..."
"Can't what, Begonia?"
Begonia turns white, then closes his eyes. Standing in the doorway, looking completely nonchalant, is Darien Brand. They aren't even looking at each other.
"I had a feeling you were up to something, dear customers, but I'm interested in knowing what your plan was. Did you intend on coming to my workshop, walking in, and stealing my last employee from under my nose?"
"Mr. Brand, I can explain..."
Darien Brand flicks something open. Begonia dives under the table with a shriek.
"You must excuse him," says Brand, snapping his pocket-watch shut. "Mr. Kothys is no doubt aware of this already, but Begonia is something of a coward. It's why he stayed here, you see, instead of going out to find his older brother."
"That's..."
"True," says Brand. "Isn't it? Or are you telling me that you haven't worked out how to jump?"
Begonia pokes his head out from under the table, then shakes it.
"I'm sorry?" says Brand.
"No, Mr. Brand."
"Excellent," says Brand. "As you can see, dear customers, Begonia Smith is under no form of coercion. I haven't trapped him here, I haven't forced him to do anything he doesn't want to, and I'm not keeping him from his older brother, either. I'm sure that's what he told you, no? That I've torn their beautiful relationship apart. I'm sure he even showed you the inside of his head, just to prove a point. I must have been cartoonishly evil. How much laughing did I do?"
He walks up to Greed's body and pokes it with his polished shoe. A slow, incredulous smile spreads over his face.
"Quite simply, friends, Petunia's using you. You must understand, he's a master manipulator. Being a liar would be one thing, but he doesn't even have to lie. With his magic, he can just make you see what he wants you to see. He can twist you around his little finger, break every bone in your body, and you'll still thank him for it. That's what psychics do."
He gives a slow smile.
"Unless you haven't realized. Mr. Kothys, you were at Pax Primis, weren't you? When the terrorist died? Tell me, what color were her eyes? And does the name Claudia ring any bells?"
Zone Six, Wendead; Usagi Tells Her Tale
What? That's terrible! Who would butlerise a good Japanese girl like
Oooooooooooooooooh oh oh oh you meant Oscar! Like the girl at the station Oscar, the one with the real red hair and the twintails? Yeah, I know her! We were in an alleyway, and Violet was looking at a hobo who'd died and they beat each other up real good. Like, real good, like badondondondon good, but then there was something that flew over us like bashaaaaaato and then I was like zottozottozottokyaakyaakyaa because Violet was all the way over there in the trash, but I was really brave and I didn't run away or anything. I mean, running away is really brave, because you have your back to the bad guys, but I was brave and I didn't run away.
Violet's my partner. She's pretty and she has metal arms but I'm better at talking than she is, and prettier too. Her face is real cool, though. It's like, so white. And her eyes are really nice. But I'm still prettier.
Well, I said I know Oscar but I don't like really know her, you know? I've looked at her once, does that count? Her face is real neat, I bet she's one of those delinquent girls who like, skips classes and stuff. I really wanted to talk to her. I think we'd be real good friends. Just like you and me, Misbear. I bet she smokes. I bet she's killed a man, that's what delinquents do if you don't keep an eye on them. So cool. But yeah, there was a really bad man in the station. He threw a smoke bomb on the ground and made me get down in front of Mr. Kitsuragi and I hit my head on the table. Again. That really hurt. If I catch him, I'll show him what for for sure. Yeah. That'll teach him. I'll police him real good.
And I didn't get any marble cake! Can you believe it?
I bet she's mixed. Wow.
Zone One, Ship-Scientists' Guild, Myn, Jengbish, Maia
Lorem Ipsum looks very cheerful in its tube, or at least as cheerful as it is possible for a lump of flesh in a tube to be. Its little pink mouth is smiling.
"It is a great joy to be acquainted at last with you, Senator Myn. I will answer your questions in order, but first I would like to shake your hand."
"Please do not touch him, Senator," says Dr. Patel. He looks both elated and extremely nervous, as if this is the biggest discovery he's had in years.
It is, of course. That's why it's so dangerous.
"Commander Jengbish knows this already, but if you touch him, he'll assimilate you into the... well, actually, you probably know that already. Not that you could touch him, of course, because of the... well, you could probably get through the tube if you really wanted to. Sorry. I don't know what I'm saying."
"An excellent point, Dr. Patel," says Lorem Ipsum. "I would like very much to shake your hand."
"Dr. Patel! A few comments on the current situation, please?"
The voice is familiar, if not for good reasons - it's the high tenor of Tintin, boy reporter. He seems to be accompanied by his colleague J.J. Macfield, girl reporter. Together, they have a sterling reputation, which is about the last thing that any Diet member wants or needs.
"I'm sorry," says Dr. Patel. "Who let you in?"
"You did, sir," says Tintin. "We rang ahead to let you know we were coming."
"So you did," says Dr. Patel. "I'm sorry, but we're a bit busy. As you can see, Lorem Ipsum is in the midst of questioning."
"I've already questioned Lorem Ipsum, sir. My boss decided that a more feminine touch might be required, which is why he sent J.J. I'm here to interview you."
"At the same time?" says Dr. Patel. He looks uncharacteristically annoyed.
"I am a great believer in freedom of speech," says Lorem Ipsum. "First they came for the lumps of flesh, but I did not speak out, for I was not a lump of flesh..."
"Would you like to go into a side-room, then?" asks Tintin. "Somewhere quiet?"
"No," says Dr. Patel. "I have to be here."
"I would like to answer Senator Myn's questions first," says Lorem Ipsum. "Hello, Ms. Macfield. That shawl is ravishing. The Diet is also ravishing this City, and that is why they must die."
"Well, alright," says Tintin. "I guess I can keep mum for now."
"Excellent," says Lorem Ipsum. "I will be brief, friends and enemies. I was sent here by my masters to win liberty for Concordia. We believe that your tyranny has gone on long enough, and that it is our duty to plant the seeds of rebellion in the hearts of your subjects, so that they may be free."
It grins. Its left lump pulses a little.
"Of course, I cannot tell you who my masters are. That would be far too craven of me, and unlike you, I am steadfastly loyal. I can only say that what you think you have done and what you are actually doing are two things entirely. Much like most political systems, only this goes far beyond politics."
Dr. Patel swallows. He's looking at you and at Jengbish, as if he's terrified that one of you will reach out and strike him dead for hearing this treason.
"I hope you understand what I am saying," says Lorem Ipsum. "This is Ship-Science, no?"
Zone One; Yagokoro General Hospital - Kaguya, Bondrewd
Rufus frowns. He looks ludicrous in his hospital gown, like a tarpaulin brought to life, but at the same time, the bed was built to accommodate much larger specimens than even a Tauran. If anything, the bed is worse.
"It's a mighty fine maneuver you're suggesting, Dr. 'Drewd. See, I didn't exactly put it in my head, so it'd be foolish to suggest that I know exactly how to put it out, if you catch my drift..."
"HOLD IT! LET ME GO, YOU VOLUMINOUS HUSSY! REMOVE YOUR OPPOSABLE THUMBS FROM MY SUPERIOR BODY!"
"But I can hazard a guess," says Rufus. "The Oculus is Brand tech, but the silver spyglass is older than Brand. You could say that he took his inspiration from such-like lenses, or maybe he just copied them... who knows? You'll have to ask him. At any rate, if you do manage to make me Spy-Eyed Rufus, then it'll be a considerable change in my aesthetic. I might even have to wear another eyepatch."
"Doctor," says the nurse, "vermin attack. One of the talking ones. You think it's an activist?"
"YOU'RE VERMIN! I HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE OF ALL STOCKS WITHIN MY SEBACEOUS GLANDS! AND YOU'LL KILL RUFUS OVER MY CORPSE! MY SUPERIOR CORPSE!"
"Well, if it isn't Addward!" says Rufus. "How are you, old friend?"
At this chipper greeting, Addward lets out a perfectly indescribable noise, before being wrung by the nurse until dry.
"No," says Rufus, "it's quite alright. See, the Princess is here. Would you please let go of him, dearie?"
The nurse dangles Addward, then raises an eyebrow.
"I'll take that as a no," says Rufus. "Very sensible. Addward, I'm quite alright."
"You were meant to be kidnapped," says Addward. "I used my spectacular nose."
"On the contrary, I'm here of my own free will."
"Oh."
"And Dr. Bondrewd here is going to remove my Oculus. Dr. Bondrewd, this is Addward, my Automagic Teller Marten. He used to be a valuable source for currency exchange, but now he's here for flavor. Addward, this is Dr. Bondrewd, of Draughtsmen fame."
"Oh."
"Did you know they're saving Andy, by the way?"
"I don't care about Andy!" says Addward. "Well, not that much. Rufus, you can't lose that Oculus! You'll die!"
"So I've been told," says Rufus. "But there's always a chance, isn't there? I was going to have them use this spyglass."
"Rufus," says Addward slowly, "you can't use a spyglass to replace an eye. There's nothing to see with. You'll be blind for real. And dead. Did I mention dead?"
"Well," says Rufus, scratching his eyepatch, "it was that or Andy. So..."
"It's Brand, I knew it, it has to be! Ooogh! I'll bite his ears off next time I see him!"
"Well," says Rufus, "unless you can rack your brains for a solution..."
"Swap it with one of hers," says Addward.
He says it so quickly, so clearly, that it doesn't even seem like Addward.
"I'm sorry, old chum," says Rufus. "Come again?"
"You heard me," says Addward. "Look, I've been thinking about that Oculus for a long time, and you know I used to be Brand's teller. Having something of his in your head always struck me like something he'd be able to use against you."
"Well, you weren't wrong," says Rufus. "But are you telling me you actually found an answer?"
"Before we left Midas, I asked every illegal surgeon I could find on how to remove an Oculus. They all said that the only way to do it would be to replace the eye with something eternal. Fixed. Unchanging. Something that would be able to survive the sundering of reality, without letting in a single drop of chaos."
He wriggles out of the nurse's slack hands, then walks up to Kaguya. Walks. Not scurries, walks. It's the most dignified he's ever been.
"Your Lunar Highness, long time no see, although not too long, and not nearly enough no see. As you know, I never liked you, which is why I'm going to have to ask you to undergo a great deal of pain to possibly improve the chances of our dear friend not dying a terrible death."
He does the marten equivalent of a bow, which is a bit like a passive-aggressive wiggle.
"I hoped I'd never need to say this, Princess Kaguya, but please, lend us an eye."
Zone One, The People Lived At Pax Primis Wrestling Extravaganza - Areum
As the helicopters roar overhead and the lawyers flash their briefcases, you look up at the enemy and curse their ludicrous resourcefulness. Why does Jenny have so much legal backing? Where did she get all these lawyers?
And most importantly, why aren't your speakers working?
"Mikudayo," says Mikudayo. She's grinning her vapid grin, the one that shows the inside of her mouth, and as she does a horrific noise
starts to blare from her innards, like several macaques fed to the electronic grinder.
I've come here
From beyond the bounds of science
I didn't come with a leek
But I wouldn't mind having one
As the translyrics resolve in your ear, creating a dissonance that stuns the crowd and sets men convulsing, she pulls a giant leek out from behind her ear and smashes you in the head with it, mafioso-style.
Um, I wonder if you could
Hurry up and install me on your PC
Is something wrong?
You've been staring at the package forever
Threepac and Cowboy John Lennon go for the Irish Whip into Double Leap Frog into Double Irish Whip into Double Superkick, but Mikudayo no-sells everything and rolls right through them, exposing both the weaknesses of pro wrestling as a combat style and the disadvantages of using musical holograms as your fighting partners. She pulls out another leek.
I'm gonna
Miku-Miku you
And push myself to sing better
I'm gonna Miku-Miku you
So you'd better get ready
Mikudayo begins to whirl like a Copyrighted Japanese Children's Spinning Top, curling the ropes themselves from sheer velocity. Her eyes are glowing. She's still singing. Her mouth isn't moving.
I'm gonna
The leeks make contact. You are being hit with the force of a thousand exploding leeks. The leeks are attacking you in the eyes. The leeks are attacking you in the chest. The leeks are attacking you in the groin.
I'll Miku-Miku you, for reals
I'll do my best to the very end
I'll Miku-Miku you, for reals
So why don't you relax a little
"Oh God," screams a thirteen-year-old, her eyes streaked with cotton candy, "make it stop! Make it stop!"
I'm gonna Miku-Miku you
I'll make you more Miku-Miku
Than anyone else in the world~
So please, give me more to sing!
But there is no stopping. You can't stop.
You're stuck in the midst of the Miku-Miku.
Zone One, The People Lived At Pax Primis Wrestling Extravaganza — Violet, Idunn
The din is astounding. People are frothing and fainting all over, and you swear that three men of exactly the same size have collapsed on each other, like three gigantic flans.
"I do not want to patrol the crowd," says Violet, looking straight at Asuka.
It is the first time she has expressed anything resembling an opinion in your presence. The purple dinosaur's aggression is sliding off her like olive oil - wet enough to leave an impression, but not quite harsh enough to sting. It's like she's deaf.
"But you are correct," she says. "I do not wish for there to be another altercation. I will leave for now, Officer Idunn. Thank you for coming here with me. Goodbye, Asuka."
She turns and disappears into the chaos, like a marionette into the primordial soup. You see that the steel fingers of her right hand are splayed, as if holding onto something they can't quite let go of.
Zone One, The People Lived At Pax Primis Wrestling Extravaganza — Susie, Vivy
"They've found him," says Petunia.
Jim glances sharply over. Whatever they're talking about, she doesn't seem to feel the need to ask.
"We can't go now," she says. "The concert isn't over."
Petunia gapes, then glares.
"What do you mean, the concert isn't over? Why are we even here? Don't you care about —"
"Read my mind if you want to know," says Jim. "Or leave, you can do that too."
Petunia opens his mouth again, but she ignores him. She's looking at the both of you, like she knew this would happen all along.
"Vivy, Susie. Can either of you sing?"
Zone One; The People Lived At Pax Primis Wrestling Extravaganza - Rider, Satsuki, Asuka
At the temple when I was young there were harpist girls, who played beautiful music and sang hymns in our honor. I never understood why people would sing for us, but the sound was soothing, especially as I could not see. I began to imagine that I could taste the strings, and that each note was like a single grape bursting in my mouth, with the decay like the skin of the grape.
There were real grapes, of course, but I was sick of grapes. I wanted something pure, something divorced from the reality of the world, from petty men with their petty needs. I wanted to flee, and so I created a labyrinth in my own mind, filled with traps of my own devising, beautiful traps and pleasing ones, to snare my wandering thoughts and eat them whole.
Soon I became sick of harpist girls, too, but that was not for many months.
This music is not beautiful. It is discordant, and the air is sweet and sour with the smell of vomit and sugar, sweat and more sweat. I understand why the master's ward hates this singer, although I do not understand why she likes the other one. Nonetheless, it was my intention to bring her here. Not to make her happy, for happiness is a fleeting thing, but to give her something that she might enjoy, like a single imagined grape.
She is not happy. She is desperate, and angry, but she wishes to stay despite that, because she is convinced that if she lingers for long enough she will be happy.
And yet the master has told me to clear a path.
"Understood."
I half-manifest, my spiritual sight dimming into bright darkness, and I pass through the crowd like a wind, parting shoulders and slipping through skirts. Not enough space. Enough for one Servant to pass through, when not quite corporeal. Not enough for the master.
"It will be difficult to move these people," I murmur, returning to the master's side. "Would you have me use force?"
The master does not like it when force is used. I may buy us time.
Zone One; The Egg Palace - Team Andy Arrives At The Egg Palace
^
Edited by troydenite on Feb 18th 2022 at 12:17:21 AM
'Being around you guys makes me go "wtf" instead of pondering the ever increasing dread of time' - EchoingSilence, 2023
Local idiot who is a sucker for cute 2d boys
Zone One; Concert aka Ohio aka WWE.
Hey, Jim is onto something here since a wrestling match is gonna traumatize some 12 years old at this rate. I decided to walk to where Vivy and Susie are at since it was probably the time to do something.I mean, no one came for a wrestling match. However, I don't think Susie can sing since she's more like the type to laugh at Aruem's misery...which is why I figure Vivy, who did help out with the concert, could sing a song or something.
To be honest, I'm clueless about Vivy's singing, but hey, as long as Susie can watch Aruem get KO by Mikudayo, and maybe Vivy, it's all good.
Also, I got some Donki coupons as an apology for my behavior by committing mustard on the eye at that guard lady.
To be fair, I think I got myself banned from going to concerts and I doubt they'll forgive me since I did ask Yosuke about that magazine he has in his bedroom.
Edited by Xabbynip09 on Feb 17th 2022 at 10:55:49 AM
“You bowl with 3 middle fingers” Oh hey, a troper wall
Mancunian Candidate
Zone Six; Wen I Was A Young Die - Dio Brando
And then, sequentially, they detonated.
The bear went first by vital seconds, puffing out her chest and swearing like the little sailor she was, but between her furrowed brows and blushing cheeks I glimpsed for half an instant the brace of cold sobriety. I was right; Asuka Langley Soryu had made a friend, small miracles, and quite a friend she was. I watched her flounce towards the door and kick it almost off the hinges, bravado dripping fluently from every languid motion, then cock her chin at me come-hither by the opened portal. There was nothing in her glare save sullen murder, nothing in her hard tense slouch save effortless assurance.
I was beginning to feel terribly cruel.
Usagi ruptured next about my armpit, no longer able to contain her horrid star-eyed pressure, and in one long superheated plume told me nothing I did not know already or could not have confidently imagined, but that was fine. She wasn't for my benefit.
"Thank you very much for telling me," I said, wrenching my gaze away from my executioner. "That sounds dreadful. What a dreadful man. He sounds almost celestial. When somebody is celestial, Usagi, it means they are too dreadful to live on Earth. Wouldn't you agree, Mie Goreng?"
I don't believe he did.
Usagi beamed up at me with tremulous anticipation, like a Spaniel hearing the leash; I disengaged and patted her once about the head as fondly as I could, which seemed to paralyze her. Her cat was either deep in shock or had asphyxiated, so I deposited it back into her waiting arms before it could recover, and though I'm certain that she did not notice, I cannot for the life of me imagine what she thought was going on.
"I'm afraid I have to go and talk with Ms. Bear," I said, "but I imagine the men at the station are very cross with him, almost as cross as Oscar's poor mother. Usagi, while I'm gone, why don't you tell Goreng all about how cross the Peacekeepers and Oscar's poor mother must be with this strange, dreadful, celestial man?"
I smiled at him, and as I turned about my heels and passed the seething doorman smiled down at her as well. The violence in her eyes was almost too precious for words.
"Thank you for your patronage," said the serving girl.
Zone Six; Back Alley - Dio Brando
For a moment I thought she might perhaps start swinging at me then and there, but there remained enough a semblance of rational thought between (beneath?) her ears to make her wary of an officer in uniform; observant of tradition, then, she led me on a sharp turn left into the long and narrow alleyway behind the restaurant.
It smelt primarily of grease. I shrugged my jacket from my shoulders and deposited it atop the cleanest dumpster I could see, studying the whiteness of her knuckles. Her ear was twitching again.
“Is something the matter, Ms. Bear?” I said. “Are you certain you’ve done this before? Would you like to go f-”
Edited by OG-Sama on Feb 17th 2022 at 11:03:22 AM
Transcender of Gender
Zone Three, Artifacts Incorporated Display Room - Leonardo Watch
Get out.
Leo kept his eyelids shut and his Eyes as dormant as possible, because he didn't want Darien knowing anything more than he needed to: even still, Leo saw it. The power that exuded from Darien's eyes. The chains. The weight like a physical object pressing down on his ribs.
Get away.
Leo didn't know where Darien got the eyes or if he was born with them or what they could do, but Leo knew what he could do with his own and that he couldn't protect everyone in the room if Darien held even a fraction of that power.
Go, go, go, go, go,
It was too late to retreat into the bathroom, and escaping into Moko was just as pointless now. The only exit was past Darien, and Leo's legs locked up at the prospect of turning his back on the man for even a second. He shouldn't have been so thoughtless. He should've stayed where he was. What had he even managed to accomplish by coming here? Begonia had shown up of his own will and all that had happened was that Leo had put himself on Darien's shitlist for no reason and Moko had been right, he shouldn't have done that-
So what are we gonna do?
Cower, for sure. Him and Begonia, peas in a pond. Useless when it mattered.
Alright, take a breath. Ride it out.
It was Darien that had triggered this stupid knee-locking hand-trembling terror and, ironically, Darien that knocked him out of it. "He can make you see what you want to see"? Wrong, objectively. Leo couldn't see anything but the truth, as much as that made him want to tear out his eyeballs sometimes.
This guy, Darien Brand, he was powerful. Way too powerful for Leo to fight against. But he was also full of shit.
His trembling subsided and Leo unlatched his hand from the doorknob, wiping the sweat on his jumper. With the sort of confidence that could only be born from the frank and unfiltered acknowledgement of one's own cowardice, Leo stomped across the room, knelt by the table, and attempted to reach under and grab Begonia by the hand (in a much gentler way than Helena had, if only because it was impossible for Leo to match her strength).
"If there's really nothing going on here..." Leo said, his voice scratchy, ignoring all of the questions pointed towards Moko because, quite frankly, he had no idea what they were talking about, "Then you won't mind if I talk to Begonia outside for a moment?"
Zone One, The Egg Palace - Ichiban Kasuga
It's a stupid building.
Eggman's giant face looks down on the plaza like some creepy mascot, framed by bright red letters against bright red walls. Ichiban's no architect, but he knows there has to be better ways to flaunt your wealth that don't make your house look like a junk food joint that's trying too hard.
But hey, he's not here to critique the guy's sense of taste. He wades his way through the crowd, still entirely unused to the way that they recognise his authority and part for it. It's helpful, but he can't say that he likes it- that feeling of being apart from the people rather than one of them. And all it takes for that to happen is a single flimsy armband with a raven stitched upon it.
This thought, much more relevant and upon the cusp of becoming something truly meaningful, unfortunately travels down the wrong synapse and dies somewhere between idle pondering on tomorrow's meal and the iron-clad memorisation of Dragon Quest II's bestiary.
Ergo and therefore, it's with an empty head that Ichiban arrives on the Egg Palace's doorstep and gives the front door a hearty knock with both fist and forearm. If there's some manner of doorbell or knocker, he either doesn't see it or ignores it completely. "Dr. Robotnik!" he calls. Eggman has to know they're coming, thanks to the crowd if nothing else, so that's subtlety out of the window. "It's the Peacekeepers! Open up!"
Zone One, Ship-Scientists' Guild - J.J. Macfield
There's powder coating your fingertips from the pastry you consumed on the journey here. You lick it up, one digit by one, tasting the sugar and the slight bite of pink varnish. If you took this one moment and shaved off the edges then you could almost pretend that you're back in Maine- that the sunlight on your back is real, and the ground at your feet doesn't hide another entire pocket of space.
But you're not, and you can't, so instead you follow Tintin into the building. He's got a good head, and a bright mind, and that sort of antiquated boy-next-door charm that you know a fair few woman would fall for, but for you he's just Tintin, co-worker and occasional lunchmate. You'd honestly rather not be with him right now, not when the eight-foot queen of K-pop is duking it out with Japan's most beloved bobblehead, but when Triple J tells you that you have to hop down to science town for an interview with the city's premium terrorist... well, you suck it up and wonder about how weird your life has become.
There is a line between preparedness and paranoia, and you straddle it as you take stock of who in the room could kill you and who could kill you for good. You note the woman with fists of steel, then the pillar of armour and skulls and bulging flesh. Myn you are unsure of- he strikes you as the sort to avoid a messy death, but his intelligence is not to be underestimated- and his entourage are an altogether mystery. Overall, you feel unsafe, as is so often the case.
Your face is not the face of an unsafe girl, however. You sit yourself down and cross one leg over the other, notebook out and balanced playfully on your bare knee, and as you scan the giant, beating, wriggling heart, you allow your lips to purse in distaste, because what young woman wouldn't be disturbed by the sight? Your "feminine touch" on full display. Triple J could use a little updating on the times, but you can't pretend that the acknowledgement doesn't make you tingle.
The android by the wall, Miss Maia of Draughtsmen fame. Does she feel that same thrill when her femininity is recognised? Do "woman" and "female" mean anything to her at all?
Focus, J.J.
"A pleasure, Lorem Ipsum, and my thanks for the compliment. Quite interesting that you know my surname, given that no-one has spoken it." Your breathing is steady and strong to drown out the latent panic that simmers around your skull; the fear that five feet of Chinese metal is going to embed itself in your skull if you speak too much or seem too agreeable to the worm-heart's ponderings.
"I can't imagine that I'm a person of much interest, which tells me that you and your "masters" know quite a lot about our fair city. And you say it's your "duty" to liberate us?" You smile, your eyes remaining cold, your confidence an act until it's fooled you into thinking it's real. Oh, Tintin, what has he pulled you into now? "If not their names, then could you at least tell us how long they've been around? Why they're so invested in the citizens of Concordia? If we're to have a frank discussion, which I very much would like, then it's only fair to have as much cards on the table as possible."
they/them || "Forgive me, regent of queer amphibians" - Lt.BGob
An Ordinary Oddball
Kayné Ainsel—Egg Palace
"Lord Almighty," Kayne remarked as they went up to what Eggman called his abode, if this hackneyed testament to the man's massive hubris could indeed be called an abode in the first place. "Lord Almighty, may my soul be shielded from the fucking rancid gaudy vibes of this cursed place, amen."
It was bad enough that Eggman knew how to make defective railguns. He had to live here in this trainwreck of an ego-stroking home. The man probably spent more time on building this place than making sure his work was done properly, though, to be fair, he probably just handed it off to someone else smarter than him. Relatively. Typical capitalist. "Peacekeepers!" she repeated, louder after Ichiban released a round of knocking. "Open up, sir, please!"
Moloch "Moko" Kothys—Artifacts Incorporated
"Lad, Kayne was fifteen when she first met you, I believe," Moko began gently. "Though now, she has by and by turned thirty-eight, and you—" The hat-demon quickly straightened up as Darien Brand revealed himself, his usually gentle and kind face hardening into a determined though stoic mask, though his single eye betrayed his loathing for the businessman-who-was-a-god.
"I remember Claudia, though if she was the one who came stumbling in through the door and imploded, I shan't speak ill of the dead," he said, quite stiffly, and trying to look down at Darien along his non-existent nose. "The terrorist's eyes were green, and I know what you mean to say, but as I belonged to devils in the days of yore with their twisting and turning words which hid under rocks and bits of debris like snakes, do allow Moloch Kothys to retort, thou prating knave!"
"Though I have little knowledge of the ways of artificers like Kayne, I have picked up a few bits of knowledge on the nature of psychics, for our world was not a kind one indeed," Moko continued, hissing through clenched teeth. "Chiefly, the matter of which you speak could have been a time-delayed or dormant effect implanted by Petunia, which he had no time to undo before his hasty escape, which required all of his wits for. I am frankly uninterested in exploring this avenue of conversation further, though should that pocketwatch of yours be a detonator, I shan't let you escape. If I should perish, well, then good, dear Kayne shall tear the false sky down around your ears, being most fitting that after slaying one tyrant she should go on to fell a second, and that shall indeed be that."
"As for you, Begonia—you quit that groveling and buck up this instant! There comes a time where in every boy's life where he must stand up and be a man. You heard what your employer said," Moko finished, staring down Darien even as he was in his hat-shape and not his man-form. "You have a promise to keep, too. Remember what you promised Kayne, all those years ago? You said you'd take my girl out for milk. Well, all these years we've waited faithfully, and it's frightfully rude to keep a date waiting. If this fellow has some power over obligation as I think he does, well—risking it all for a lady should still be a fine excuse for a flight of fancy, wouldn't it, lad?"
Edited by JumpingFruit on Mar 6th 2022 at 5:05:29 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Areum, Zone One, Party’s Over
THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK!
The infernal leek strikes me for what feels like forever. Over and over and over again. Regardless, my expression does not change. It’s an ice cold glare, venom hidden behind each pupil. This Mikudayo does not play along with this wonderful opportunity to have a nice sporting match of wrestling. She has threatened me multiple times. She is, in all respects, stretching my patience to its breaking point.
I’d like to believe that I’m reasonably jovial to most people, even to my rivals. Have I not provided entertainment to the masses? Have our feuds not ultimately increased each other’s popularity in the long run? Unfortunately there are vile people who do not return those gestures, who only want to strike you down and see you fall. Mikudayo was apparently one such person.
“Everyone,” I turned to the crowd, addressing them. “Regrettably, this evening’s festivities are going to have to come to a premature end. This is not part of the show or whatever - get out, now.”
I immediately fire magic lasers at every one of Mikudayo’s speakers, destroying them and rendering the concert area silent. Once that’s taken care of, it’s time for some pest control. With a snap of my fingers, my personal guard makes their appearance. Like me, they are quite large, quite colorful, and most of all, quite powerful.
“My good friends, please make sure our lovely guests over here make their way over to the exit safely. Or, should they act out… make sure they find their way to Angel’s Flophouse, if you catch my meaning.”
My cute yet imposing guards made their way to apprehend Mikudayo’s minions, whilst I grabbed Mikudayo by the throat. Slowly but surely I attempted to drag the unwieldy teal creature out of the concert.
“You are going to stop,” I said to Mikudayo, simultaneously a command and a frank statement of fact. “You are going to stop threatening me with legal action and we will go back to writing diss tracks about each other and having inconsequential feuds because that is what people want. Because that is what I want. Then we are going to pretend this was all some big silly misunderstanding, and you are never going to make me show this side of myself ever again."
I pushed up her head until her eyes met mine.
"Look at me. Do you understand me, Mikudayo?”
A dogged fellow, aren't we?
Zima - Wendies alleyway
Usagi's stream of consciousness babble forms the background noise as Zima's eyes follow Brando's approach with a naked, sullen hostility, lip curling again as he pauses every step to prattle on.
"God, you fuckers really like the sounds of your own voices."
He finally walked past her and out the door, and she roll her eyes as she lets it swing shut behind her. Letting him swagger a few steps ahead, she untied her own jacket from around her waist and draped it aside, completing the little ritual, like this was a duel from one of those historical romances.
Those books never mention the churning mix of fear and rage in your gut. The teeth-grindingly visceral urge to make someone hurt, hot and righteous and sickening.
Before being sucked into this cesspool of a city, she'd been working on taming that urge. It wasn't something that really belonged in the clean and shiny halls of Rhodes Island. Now, as she rolled her shoulders and cracked her knuckles, boots grinding damp grime and half-dissolved burger wrappers, watching Brando turn and take a breath to deliver another volley of smug horseshit, she let herself fall back into old habits.
She was going to teach this asshole not to let an ursus get the first punch.
Step in, fist clenched down by her hip swinging up, her own voice roaring in her ears, all the strength and fury her compact form could muster concentrated into an uppercut that met his jaw with a flash of pain and a glorious crunch.
She couldn't bask in that moment, though. The first punch only mattered if you got the second and the third and the fourth. Her steel-capped boot was already swinging at his knee - all that height wouldn't mean shit once he was on the-
Edited by LittleMako on Feb 18th 2022 at 7:58:25 PM
Witch - Zone Six - Outside the Egg Palace
There could be no doubt, Robotnik was expecting you. His residence was rarely silent, but such a large crowd could only have been amassed intentionally; He was obviously looking to make a scene out of this. Despite your best efforts Kayne had insisted on tagging along, and in the brief seconds you spent assessing the crowd for threats, Ichiban had stomped up to the front door and started pounding. A sigh died in your throat and you stepped forward, suitably convinced of the harmlessness of the crowd. At the very least Kayne's mockery of a prayer brought some small glimmer of amusement to your eyes. "Doctor Ivo Robotnik! Your presence is hereby formally requested at Precinct Nine for questioning regarding matters of a criminal nature having occurred at one of your facilities!"
It was difficult to be certain if Robotnik would come along willingly. He certainly had quite a lot of technology at his disposal, and given his ego it was all but certain that he would not come quietly even if he didn't need to be dragged back in chains. For now, all you could do was wait for his response, or lack of one.
Alex Mercer - Zone One - Ship-Scientists' Guild
You heard talking through the doors ahead of you, your vision telling you a group had already assembled and begun. You were late. Eight- no, nine occupants, including the android and the one in the tank. They'd sent two reporters this time, Tintin and Macfield, both notorious for their insatiable curiosity; Myn was here, too, a combination that brought a devilish grin to your face. You did your best to smother it as you strode through the doors and into the room; As much as you thoroughly enjoyed watching most of the rest of the Diet squirm, Myn would likely already be on edge. "Sorry for being late, I got held up on my way here. Did I miss anything?" You passed a quick nod to the wonderfully ferocious bodyguards your fellow Diet member was so fond of, and a salute to the senior Draughtsmen in the room, just serious enough for them to be certain it wasn't mocking. The two reporters earned a quick friendly wave and a short smile. You had a bit of a reputation for not taking anything entirely seriously to maintain.
"Councilor," you said, turning to Myn. "Happy to see we've got someone dependable representing us here. Don't mind me, I'll let you handle the official report. I'm here out of personal curiosity. It's not everyday we get a lifeform that can devour people so gruesomely dropped on our doorstep, and I'd love to find out what makes it tick." Even with the reporters here, you weren't concerned with watching what you said. The rest of the Diet could waste their time worrying about their reputations; All you cared about was making sure your job got done efficiently. You took a step off to the side to give Myn ever so slightly more breathing room and faced towards the tank, eager for the proceedings to resume.
The crowd paid little attention to the Peacekeepers at first; some bowed out of the way without a second thought given to their presence, most found it difficult to notice law enforcement and presented an obstacle course of accidental elbows and "Hey!"s to wade through. The band continued to play for now, presenting a jaunty tune in strange contrast to the gravity of the situation.
However, eyes were slowly drawn away as the officers made their calls into the home...
They weren't barging in.
Ivo stopped brushing his moustache after the first call, in shock and in frustration.
This was supposed to be a rough and violent extraction of a known criminal, he figured. And yet, for all of his imagined scenarios playing out, he didn't imagine they would just call for him. As if they expected him to come peaceably! The man had just kidnapped someone and attempted to take their lives through proxies, why were you giving him the benefit of a doubt?!
"Couldn't even bang their fists on my door..."
He wondered if he could just pretend to not have heard that, despite the open window to the plaza nearby. Give them a couple minutes and they'd follow his plan; jackboot types hate being ignored more than being questioned...
Sadly, it was time to improvise a little. Not that Robotnik was bad at improvising, only that he really preferred when a plan worked exactly as it should.
He picked up his jacket...
...and even more eyes honed in as some in the crowd realized they were calling for Eggman of all people! Many in the crowd, the more civically-minded rich folks, thought of him as an industrialist and a philanthropist. The less-rich drew to mind images of soup lines after factory closures and the much-more rich thought of the plight of the creatures that powered his expansion, but regardless, the crowd was slowly turning away from the band and toward Eggman's doorway. For better or worse, the doctor got his circus.
The ringleader arrived, looking mighty puzzled, giving them reserved annoyance. "What is the meaning of this?!" He had decided on the most subdued variation.
"What sort of questioning do you need from me that you couldn't pass through to my secretary? I've just—"
His eyes turned away from Kasuga, who he figured the lead of this gang despite his wild hair, and toward the left. His small, opaque pince-nez glasses didn't do anything to hide the eyebrow twitch of aggravation as he locked eyes with the little revolutionary herself. Kayne! Why did the little twerp have to show up, of all people? For the love of...
"I was just about to get on with my lunch!" He pulled his eyes back to Kasuga with a little effort, resuming his displeasure. "I feel like I'm owed an explanation."
A woman leaned over a gutter and let out a low whine as she vomited.
When more capable of concrete thought, she'd never think of drinking as being a problem for her. She doesn't overindulge. Her stomach is cast iron. She's all good to have another one, her hand grasps for the bottle instead of the glass. All of the truth in this spilled out when you actually got to know her; she drank with rare abandon and she was a lousy drunk, the kind that didn't even have the benefit of being raucous and violent when they've had too much. All she can do is totter out and leave the contents of her stomach on the ground in a delirious trance. Her best qualities that she drinks less when being social, and that her liver was supernaturally powerful.
Right then, her thoughts leaned towards some kind of internal swirl of colors and rushing wind as it tried to reel itself back into place. Leaning any further into the nausea caused the edges of her vision to go black, so something inside automatically tried to stop that. The sensation that she could make out besides haze, and she focused on, was how cold the sweat on her skin felt now. Something about that made her question when she last had that thought - was it a thought she had often? As she retched and grasped at the windowsill above her for support, that was the only thing her swimming stroked towards. Why was she thinking about this clamminess so often? Was this normal for a person? Did she usually sweat?
Well, she sweat a lot - she liked wearing heavy coats regardless. What drove her to do that? She can remember being much colder and shirking coats and blankets somewhere else. Where was that place where it snowed so often? A rural place that's nothing like this one, a place she hated almost as much as every other place she's ever been in.
Why did she hate everywhere?
...There's the clarity, the jockey climbing back into the saddle after almost being bucked off. Even if the race is clearly lost by this point, she takes up the reins and kicks at the horse's side, getting it to move again. She hated everywhere because that's just how Seija is.
At some point recently, she quickly recalled as the last bit of bile flowed sewer-to-sewer, she had referred to herself in the third person and relished in the pain it caused someone else.
Seija looked up at the window. With the curtains drawn, it acted as a transparent mirror, and she could see the disheveled hair and the hanger-on vomit on her cheek as a pair of bleary red eyes stared back. Boy, she looked like shit! Like that was ever going to change.
She snuffled, wiped off her snot and slime with her sleeve, and slowly stood upright. Holding her arm out near but not touching the wall, she convinced herself that she could move without falling. Something in the back of her mind snapped to just float, but she didn't.
Her mind cleared. Her liver really was supernatural for the amount of abuse it put up with, alcohol processing being ubiquitous in some foreign land, but tolerance varying. The shitty runts like her didn't get to hold their booze as well.
Her mind cleared further. Her liver really was supernatural for how quickly just one expectoration could deal with things, but this didn't stop the hangover that was inevitably going to come supernaturally soon.
Her mind cleared furthest. Humans got to deal with those slowly. She had to deal with them way, way too fast. Someone once told her that she was lucky for that reason and she stepped on her toes in response.
You know what would make that quickly forming dread soften up a little, Seija? More things to drink. Yeah, that sounds about right.
Letting the wall guide her when her feet felt a little wobbly, she walked down the street to find something more to drink. Given the neighborhood, she remembered, this wouldn't take too long.
Edited by wikkit on Feb 17th 2022 at 9:11:15 AM
Salacia Persei Elimo; Zone Three, Artifacts Incorporated
Elimo turned around, at once unsurprised at Brand's inevitable appearance and suddenly concerned for Begonia's safety. Leo strolled out from behind her and crouched to Begonia's level, holding his Eyes shut the whole way, and as he told Brand to let him and the trembling teleporter talk outside, she thought that it was a sorry place where a snap of a pocket-watch could send someone scurrying under a table.
After rearranging Moko atop her head so that he could better address Darien, she turned around to meet Darien's gaze with a firm stare. "Mr. Brand, surely you don't think me blind," she said. "You have clearly terrified this poor boy into submission, even as you claim that he is free to do as he pleases. Expecting me to believe your claim that you are an assailed innocent, set upon by a pack of hoodwinked dogs, is a frank insult to my intelligence."
She looked at him again, analyzing the smug smirk and the pocket-watch that had inspired such terror in Begonia, and felt an unexpected calm wash over her. Brand was nothing more than a bully, totally confident in his ability to leverage his power and torment those he saw as beneath him. A powerful bully, to be sure, but a bully nonetheless. Maintaining her expression of polite concern, she continued, "If it is as you say, and we have indeed been deceived, allowing my friend to speak to Begonia and ascertain the truth should be no obstacle."
Faintly, she was aware of the rushing water just above her in the pipes, the plan that she had ruined by being in Leo's line of sight, the whisper in the back of her skull muttering that Brand is no better than an errant god, abusing his power, only this time you can make one stop. She filed it all away in the back of her mind, ready for easy access should she think about any of those matters again.
"So, Mr. Brand, what shall it be?"
So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my Tumblr
Mancunian Candidate
Zone Six; Back-Alley Wendealings - Dio Brando
I was expecting her little fist, of course.
I was not expecting it to come so fast and with such thrilling certainty. She slipped in low and coiled beneath my guard (no other choice for her, really), roaring like a nine stone berserker, and though I made to lean back on my trailing heel and arch my back away as she exploded upwards, I simply was not quick enough; her uppercut clipped me by the point of the chin, sending me recoiling and splitting my jawbone in two with a clean sharp crack, and as my two front teeth escaped my lips and twisted through the air, trailing spit and rich red blood, for an instant I saw nothing but a burst of bright white pinpricks.
She spoke this language fluently.
I staggered backwards by a single step, concussed and overjoyed, and she closed without hesitation. Behind the fading starburst I saw her pupils flicker low - knees, I think, vicious thing - and as she drew back and balanced for an instant on a single foot I tucked the blade of my hand between her breasts and pressed firmly into her sternum.
The air left her body in a sharp, sad sigh, wonderfully prosaic. Affixed to the wall behind was an extractor fan or some other such device, white caked down to rusting yellow by grease and neglect; she took it cleanly with her as she ricocheted, showering sparks and sheared bolts.
I caught my teeth as they descended, reset my jaw, and followed.
She'd come to rest by the opposing wall, crumpled and gently writhing, and though her gaze was glazed by shock she could still fix me with a bleary sort of focus. That was good. She was bleeding from her chin, scraped open by the ventilation, bruising purple behind the wrapper stuck to her cheek, skin was gone from two knuckles where she'd struck me. The silk line of her carotid pulsed lazily along her neck and she took her breath in short pained shudders.
I swallowed the natural urge; by then, of course, she'd my attention totally. As she tried lethargically to rise, at the very least to coordinate her body sitting or else perhaps curl up, I put my boot down firmly on her hair and slotted my teeth in one by one.
"That was bold," I told her. "You were ready to beat me half to death and leave me lying here in the rat-shit, weren't you? In your position, I think that's admirable."
She stared at me. I licked the blood from my top lip and smiled.
"I like you, Ms. Bear. We should be friends. What's your name?"
Edited by OG-Sama on Feb 18th 2022 at 3:30:26 PM
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
Zone One, Yagokoro General Hospital
Bondrewd put a hand to his chin at the back-and-forth between the marten and minotaur, though it was really more like he was cupping the edge of his mask between his fingers. "I see!" he said with a nod, as if that made perfect sense, "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Addward, but if I may interject for a moment: If Her Highness acquiesces to provide her eye, the procedure will be entirely painless, as the proper way to go about it would be to put her under general anesthesia for the duration of the surgery. Once Her Highness has made her decision, and if she does deign to provide an eye, then I would also like to have an answer to my earlier proposition. Namely, whether having Mr. Rufus looking through the spyglass while we go through with the operation will aid at all in preventing damage to his mind. If it would not, then I will simply have him placed under general anesthesia for the operation as well."
Zone Three, Artifacts Incorporated
"D-Distract you?! I wasn't-" Prushka protested, a protest that went ignored as Brand exited stage left. It wasn't too terribly difficult to overhear the conversation as it unfolded nearby, but rather than joining her companions and admitting that she was complicit, the Master Draughtswoman to-be sighed and contented herself with perusing the merchandise on display. Even if their mission to retrieve Petunia's brother failed - and with Brand's insinuations that she could faintly overhear from the other room, she was starting to wonder whether the psychic had been in the right in the first place - if she managed to find something useful for delving into the Incoherence, she could count this entire encounter as a win rather than an abject loss.
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
To say that the introduction to her new life had been rough would have been a considerable understatement in the vein of describing water as simply 'wet'. Such a rude awakening was far too similar to that horrible day whereupon she woke up to find herself cast down from Mount Sumeru... and so once more, that most tender of sore wounds reopened. After many a day of seeing naught but red only then could reason return to one who was overly given to strong excess of emotions.
Rising from the hill of rubble made by her own thrashing, a much less bellicose woman stomped on off to figure out the lay of the land and see what came next... and if possible, who to slay for such dishonor. Sadly, any possibility of vengeance was doused most thoroughly upon learning firsthand that there was no great mastermind or even a shadowy cabal that instigated such. Freak chance was what had brought her into this prison-world which only caused such ire to chafe even more from not being able to have an acceptable target for recomense.
As days became weeks and weeks in turn became months, even smoldering fury at her circumstances eventually stagnated. Driftlessness brought her wandering feet to tramp through myriad Zones before eventually settling down as but one of many gathered in the rougher part of town where coarse workmen and harried labor did their best to keep society running at the expense of their own health and happiness.\\\
It was the best place for a malcontent of her ilk to be, where there was freedom to be as coarse and temperamental as she desired without much need to hold back. And so once more time time flowed by as the anti-god followed her whims freely to at least have something to do.
Rock that had been smashed and hauled. Wood that was chopped and felled. Food served in the soup kitchens. Skulls and bones cracked regarding those who wished to not work an honest day in their lives and attempted to parasitize off their fellows. There was no rhyme or reason to what she did, only that it had happened with the most zealous of thoroughness displayed in whatever whimsy was the mood that particular day.
Eventually, that led to the most current mood where the dispensation of alcohol was given out to others so that they too might be able to work out their frustrations through the magic of inebriation. Carousel and overindulging theatrics by all about her was had a plenty though the blonde herself simply sat like a stern statuette in the midst of such tomfoolery while being as sober as could be.
The lessons of the past still remained even now all these years later, where a moment of carelessness could result in the forcible expatriation of an entire race. And so she watched in idle largesse as the latest of those who had imbibed stumbled across this island of stress releasing revelry for the blue-collars.
A youkai if her senses proved correct, a native to the island nation where several of her numbers as well as herself had immigrated over the years. Which particular breed she was less sure of but at the very least, this was a mildly more interesting affair than watching yet another bellicose brawl erupt because someone thought another was cheating at cards (everyone cheated so such point was moot).
"You look like Lord Shiva danced upon your temple and a rakshasa mauled your entrails." Giving it as it was to Seija Kaku, Ashura simply waited for the youkai to pick her particular poison between mead or vodka that were currently situated inside repurposed office water dispensers with the little cheap paper cups slotted on the side. While she refrained from the drink, nothing stopped her from giving such to others with no care for their health.
Seija was hungry.
This overrode many other parts of her thinking. The need to figure out where the bear had wandered off to was lesser in the moment than the hole in her gut. Impulse was her watchword, and one that she heeled to more than most any other authority. If Zima really wanted to meet up, why did she pick a Wendy's and then not eat there? For all of her playing at being tough, the bear didn't have the conviction needed to pick a place to eat and stick with it. Stupid bitch.
She stepped inside after peering in from the window. Even if it wouldn't fill in her more primal needs, it'd make it stop for a while. Her flinging the door open brazenly to announce her presence got the eyes of the cashier, who seemed to recognize the threat she posed, and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Somewhere nearby, Zima spat out a foreign insult at someone. Seija hemmed and hawed; "Can I get uuuuhhhhhh..."
Someone's jaw cracked and teeth were spilled on the ground. Seija made a couple vague intonations pointing toward the cashier's weight, which she wouldn't realize for a couple minutes.
Zima was sent flying backward and into a wall. Seija did hear a soft thump somewhere nearby but didn't give it any mind; she was busy asking about the calorie count of condiment packets.
And so, at that moment, she was sitting herself down with her heavy meal of grease and meat-flecked cheese. Boots laden with the waste of Zone 5 went up onto the table, and for a brief moment, she was content. The nearby presence of some extremely effeminate white-haired man by the table across from her will be of concern later, but for now, Seija resolved to loudly eat and be slightly less hateful of the world.
In this conversation, as the topic of discussion had its sights slowly move from the spyglass to something more personal, Kaguya remained quiet and evenly tempered in expression. Her eye was, as one could expect, her eye - many people seemed to think it was a very nice eye. Quite possibly one of the nicest eyes in the whole of Concordia.* Sure, it would most likely grow back in one way or another, but the possibility of it not returning gave the regent pause.
Though, upon being beseeched not as a friend but as royalty, Kaguya was visibly taken aback. The amount of hesitation coming from the marten - usually he'd be the sort simply shout "GIVE HIM YOUR GODDAMNED EYE! YOU BARELY USE THAT THING WITH HOW MUCH YOU SLEEP!" - was far beyond his usual self, and they had known each other for some time. Addward was a creature of spittle and violent shaking, not pleas and Though the usual insults came alongside the earnest prostration before her, she could tell that he was both serious and convinced of its importance. The little noodle-rat was doing his best.
Her eyes lowered as she looked down at the mostly-respectful marten. "I can't promise you that it'll work, but don't lower your head any further. I can tell that forcing yourself to act this proper is a very distressing experience for you, Addward." She would have bent down and raised his tiny chin with her finger, but she knew that he would just bite it. A bow sufficed in its place.
"I don't have any sensible reason to deny you this. It's just an eye, after all! I'm not even that partial to them." To Bondrewd, she offered a bow as she offered advice: "The spyglass is something of strange colors and peeling walls - not very pleasant to look at, you must understand - but it should provide some kind of sight in the interim. As long as you work quickly enough for him to not stare at it so long that it affects him permanently, it should be fine."
"However." She raised a finger and tilted her head. "If I were to forego anesthesia, how much would it hurt, do you figure?"
Edited by wikkit on Feb 18th 2022 at 7:22:08 AM
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
Zone One, Yagokoro General Hospital
"If you were to forego anesthesia entirely, well... to be frank, it would be exceptionally painful, Your Highness," Bondrewd elaborated simply, folding his hands upon his lap once more, "The optic nerves connecting to one's eyes are extremely dense compared to most other parts of the body, which is the reason why injuries to one's eyes are generally very agonizing and why general anesthesia to render the patient unconscious is strongly preferred - indeed, standard practice - during major ocular surgeries, such as in this case."
Zone Six, Wendie's
Mie Goreng was in a terrible bind. You see, his good friend, the gentleman Dio Brando, had gone outside to take out the trash, leaving Mie himself stuck with a vacuous parasite of a teenage girl, who it seemed had tripped backwards into becoming an officer of the law. And the teenage girl's talking cat who was clearly the smarter of the pair, of course, but she seemed to be recovering from her near-smothering against Mr. Brando's side, or was otherwise uninterested in holding conversation with as suspicious a character as himself. In a word, Mie was...
Bored.
In Mie's mind, being bored was the worst state a man could be in, aside from the state of being boring, which was closely related. Thus, he was eternally grateful to the whims of fate when he was saved from the empty-headed ramblings of the dumpling-headed blonde by the thump of a new patron throwing her feet up on the table of the booth next to his own. Clearly, she was a rebel with an attitude, much like the bear-eared girl who had come before her.
Perfect!
"My word!" he exclaimed, pulling a face as he tsked with exaggerated disapproval at the newcomer, "I can't believe the nerve of some people! Imagine, putting your dirty boots up on a perfectly clean table, like some sort of savage! At least have some consideration for the poor employees who will have to clean up after you, young lady!"
Edited by darksidevoid on Feb 18th 2022 at 11:04:20 AM
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
Idunn; Zone One, People Lived At Pax Primis Wrestling Extravaganza
Violet says that she does not want to patrol the crowd, but she says goodbye to Asuka and does so anyway. As she leaves, I see that the fingers of one of her hands are splayed, as if she is attempting to grasp thin air.
Areum announces to the crowd that the show is over and summons her guards before holding Mikudayo by the throat. People begin to faint, and I help the ones nearest me to stand before indicating to them the direction of the exits, but yet more are forming a panicked mass.
I attempt to pass a trio of men who had collapsed in front of me, who have now righted themselves and cower away from the wrestling ring, unaware of anything else. I indicate that they should leave, but they do not comply. One of them babbles something about his bubblegum shirt being ruined.
"Move," I say at first, and when they do not I take one of them by the shoulders and push him towards the nearest exit. By the reactions of his friends, this is unorthodox enough to provoke action, and they begin to aid their friend in his journey towards the exit. One of them glances back at me and mutters something, lost in the din of the crowd, but when he notices me looking at him he cringes back and turns away.
"Please calmly proceed toward the nearest exit," I say, turning towards Asuka's group. "Diet member Areum has said that the concert is over. Please calmly proceed toward the nearest exit."
So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my Tumblr
Zone Three, Artifacts Incorporated - Leonardo Watch
The red drew Leo's attention immediately, stiffened his shoulders and raised the hair on his nape, but it wasn't the red. Not the red that came with claws and fangs and endless bloodlust, nor the red that followed Witch like a boulder and chain. Rather, it was some sort of spell- one to still be wary of, apparently, as he watched the itty bitty spider fall into itty bitty bits.
From there his vision drifted back to the bathroom, back to the Elimo with wings and magic and an aura bright and commanding, and also the Elimo that was none of that and yet still unquestionably her. Leo had seen many things, and this double vision was but one oddity that he'd experienced before- two identical souls in the body of a Hellsalem's boy, one godly and impermeable and eyes glowing red, the other human and trembling and screaming "I want to live!"-
"Elimo?" Maybe he'd said it too quietly, or maybe she hadn't liked what he'd seen, as she excused herself and left alongside Moko. Perhaps for the best; he couldn't focus on finding Begonia when he was worrying about what was directly in front of him. Not that Begonia was hard to find- there he was, packing his things upstairs...
And then there he wasn't. Leo flinched, his vision refocusing to its default, and flinched again at a loud crash outside the room. He knew, absolutely, that he should stay in here, but... before he could stop himself, he had the door open and was poking his head out, at least aware enough to make it easy to dip back in if he got even a hint of Darien.
"Careful, guys, there's some sort of ward on the stairs." Leo hissed first, getting out the dangerous information before he forgot. "Is everyone al-" He looked to the source of the sound and squawked as he was assailed with a veritable supernova of light, dozens upon dozens of auras piled atop each other like a blazing rainbow of a bonfire. He flung his hand over his eyes, which helped by approximately nothing, and twisted his head away from the inferno.
"Is that Greed?! What the hell is he doing here?!"
Zone Six, Andy Retrieval Squad - Ichiban Kasuga
Ichiban is in something of a daze (that's Andy's leg, the poor bastard's in pieces) until Rodriguez arrives and calls for a sit-rep. He follows his fellow officer inside to discover, to his shock and relief, a perfectly alive Andradite clutched under Witch's arm. He knows, of course, that Andy's made of gemstone or something, but an explosion that big was still usually enough to wipe out most things that came under "living".
Greed's gone- pounded into nothing but ash, if Ichiban had to guess- but everyone else is alive- injured, most of them, but alive. With a relieved peal of laughter, Ichiban focuses on what he can do to help with all the bruises and blood. Witch has her magic and Ichiban has his Omelette, but neither of them are really prepped for the amount of injuries that have been accrued. He stops another of the Peacekeepers that came in with Rodriguez. "Hey, there should be a clinic further into the zone. See if you can't grab a healer to bring back here, or at least some first-aid supplies." He gives them instructions to the Angel's Flophouse and, once they've left, turns back to the mess before him.
Most of those assembled have already started to gather bits and pieces of the fallen Andy, but Everett remains slumped by the bar, presumably winded from whatever the hell he'd just done to Greed. With little else to offer him, Ichiban shakes off the worst of the dust and grime from his jacket and drapes it over the man's bony shoulders. "Holler if you need a hand up, alright?" he says, offering Everett a grin this time in lieu of patting his already battered body.
With that, Ichiban rolls up his sleeves, give himself a hearty "Alright!", and then sets to work clearing what debris he can, eyes trained on any Andy pieces that might be caught under the rubble.
Edited by whizzerd on Feb 10th 2022 at 4:15:01 PM
they/them || "Forgive me, regent of queer amphibians" - Lt.BGob