Her stupor was broken up by a little light feeling. The amanojaku's response to her return-fire insult was a laugh, low and hoarse. She wagged a pinky finger at her, just barely keeping her drink upright: "I can...can fly really far if you do that..."
The image of getting kicked in the ass and flying into the sky was the funniest thing she encountered all night, even if she could just fly anyway, ass intact or not.
"You know...I don't know lots 'bout rumors," she sniffles and wipes her nose with her sleeve, "I don't know anyone under 1000 years who'd call it...gossipmonging. Gossipmongering! You talk like a granny." Honestly, she didn't look much older than her, but she knew to best diagnose age by speech and not face. Everywhere you go, there's girls who look like 890 years younger than they really are. Those are the tricky ones. They'll rob you blind.
"But me...I don't know much about rumors," she repeats, "but! I know there's a certain group of people, run by a...lady who's got big eyebrows." She swings a little closer to her, probably too close for comfort. The smell of alcohol and vomit washes over Ashura. "Really big. And they all know what's going on in the town."
"Not that I'm s'posed to mention this..."
"Fuck me," Seija said, suddenly wholly inverting herself so that her head was floating slightly above the seat. The ring of smoke hits her in the pants. "Evidently respecting personal space isn't in your skill set! I'm sure the girls think your pipe-addict tricks are just, but I don't."
She held out a hand and did a strange motion with her fingers, causing Mie to join her in the upside-down club and float above the table. With his voluminous robes presumably being designed to be worn upright, one could only imagine the state he was in. As the blood would rush to his head, the perturbed demon added "If you do this shit one more time, I'm dropping you and..."
Seija looked past him, her eyes dulling over. Sure, it could kill him, no matter how valuable he was. Even if he probably wasn't involved with Satsuki, her anger over assaulting a random pretend-noble in a fast food joint would be...
After a moment of silence, she flicked her wrist and Mie was softly set back down in his original position. She looked up and away from him. "Sure. You can be my friend." The apathy in her response could be heard by the deaf and seen by the blind. "Next time you see me hanging around the Boss, we can have a tea party together. Hooray."
In one more bite, she finished her meal, and that freed her to get up and be left alone. "Friends also know how to give each other room to breathe, so figure that out. See ya."
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
Zone One, Yagokoro General Hospital
"Why, Blair, if I'd known you were coming, I'd have prepared a seat for you!" Bondrewd said after the witch announced herself and her purpose, spreading his arms in welcome, though he remained seated, "Everyone, this is Blair, a friend of mine and a highly skilled witch and purveyor of various magical sundries and artifacts. I have no objections to you looking in on the surgery - that is, as long as my patients do not object?" He nodded in deference to the Houraisan matriarch and minotaur.
Zone Six, Wendie's
"Very well, then! Yes, farewell, Seija-kun!" Mie said with a smile and a little wave, apparently no worse the wear, and no more than a little surprised at himself and the demon being flipped, "I'll be seeing you around... my friend!"
Having said that, he dispelled the illusions on young Miss Tsukinoko and her cat, finished off his porridge, and resumed paying attention to what the blonde was saying.
Edited by darksidevoid on Mar 11th 2022 at 10:18:41 AM
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
Irvine; Zone 6 -> The Egress Eternal
The Egress Eternal is surprisingly open, the usual crush of workers released from their shifts instead a slow trickle. There are a few other people there, too, but overall the place is quiet. Irvine would have appreciated the relaxing atmosphere on another day, but now it is simply another pressuring force, and forgetting Hiroki's presence for a moment he lets out a short sigh of exhaustion. He'll be hard-pressed to explain it, he knows, and dodging the inevitable questions will require a special effort.
He pushes himself up from the wall he's been leaning on since their arrival, idly wondering if the old suddenly-claim-important-forgotten-business-and-bounce trick might work, before dismissing the idea. It was far too late to leave now, and besides, he's not particularly inclined to go out searching for another place to eat at this hour. Instead, he turns to Hiroki and says, "Sorry if I'm being a buzzkill. There's just a lot of stuff on my mind - but, hey, that shouldn't get in the way of meeting a new friend." Here he readopts his smile, a perfectly genuine one to an observer, and even that estimate is perhaps three-quarters accurate.
He walks over to the counter and orders a burger, and upon receiving and paying for it sits at an empty table, waiting for Hiroki to join him. Anything else is forestalled because he notices some doctor type with a strangely stained coat and a blue wolf-woman looking at him and whispering among themselves. Normally, he would have gone about his life and his food, but today he has to keep up appearances where he would normally drop them, and so he puts his food down, stands up, and turns to face the two.
"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met. Have I done something to merit being the topic of your discussion?"
So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my Tumblr
Mad Scientist
Zone Six, The Egress Eternal; Alexi Vult
"So how are we going to go about this, Grey?"
In a quiet voice, he responded. "...the heist?"
Taking the hint, I quieted down as well. "Yes."
"...there's a few things to be done. Firstly there's the matter of contacting Gui Niao. He's an info broker, used him to get intel on some of the more... secretive targets."
"That makes two of us, actually."
"...how the hell have we never met before this? Realistically we should have stumbled upon each other or sought each other out at some point."
"Yeah, well we can figure out that weirdness later, or can we just chalk it up to narrative causality and focus back on the job, Grey?"
"...Alright then, we'll also need to look into getting other people involved, we'll at least need a decent amount of muscle for carrying the targets out of the complex, but I'm not entirely sure about what defenses the Peacekeepers have placed in the Hive, so there'll likely be other individuals we may need to recruit."
"Well if we need a hacker, I can definitely do that. As for muscle, I don't really know. Maybe that guy?" I pointed to some random guy in a cowboy hat sitting next to some brown haired fellow.
"...who's he?"
"I don't know. But he seems like the mercenary type, doesn't he?"
"How would you even- fuck I think he's looking at us."
"Oh, well at least we can see if he's interested if he comes over."
"No, this is not good. I don't have time to come up with a- he's coming over here!" He somehow yelled that in a whisper.
"Relax, I can handle this. Isn't my first time doing a heist and getting people on board."
Nathan Grey
The man came over and asked a question about why we were looking at him and whispering, but I wasn't really paying attention as I was panicking about him coming over, fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fu-
...Back to Alexi Vult
Wow, Grey is twitching a lot. Anyway, have to try and talk to this guy. Just make the offer, you can figure this out.
"...we happened to be in the market for some mercs for a special job and we thought you might be willing to take said job. You are a merc, right? I didn't just assume and make an ass of myself?"
Edited by Mindris on Mar 1st 2022 at 4:51:45 AM
Hiroki, Zone 6, Egress Eternal
Hmm. Irvine seems a bit... guarded. It's not something I can fully quantify exactly, and it's not like I think refusing to be an open book is some sort of problem. It's just a hunch borne of observation and deduction. I myself certainly prefer to act like a normal, amenable person rather dwelling on painful experiences and letting myself be emotionally vulnerable. Or telling the Peacekeepers that I think trying to be the "good peek" in a group of scoundrels only helps to legitimize the thuggish actions of their peers, and that every bit of good they're doing is negated in multitudes by the corrupt system they prop up. Or that I carry around this terrible weapon that most people would - quite correctly - peg down as cruel and something I really should get rid of. Not that I'd even know how - the damn thing just seems to keep coming back. As a demonic weapon, I suppose Amaterasu's divine powers might be able to destroy it permanently, so perhaps - wait wait wait.
...Ok, I really need to focus. Irvine is here and I don't want to seem like some kind of weirdo by pretending like he isn't here. Right.
"It's no trouble at all," I reassure him. "I uh... think I know a thing or two about getting lost in your own thoughts. I'd like to get to know you a little better, too.
Despite him being around for a while, all I really knew about him is that he enjoyed flirting with women - couldn't say I found any quarrel with that particular pastime, particularly since I didn't exactly have time to think about that sort of thing for a lot of my life. And that he was pretty good looking, but... yeah, that's another thing that's probably best not to think about. He is most definitely straight, and I don't want to make him uncomfortable.
Oh hey, some new faces on the scene. A wolf woman and... huh. Have I seen this guy's face somewhere? On a poster or something? Eh, I'm not really sure - maybe my memory's just faulty.
"Well hello there," I greet the woman. "Now you've got my curiosity - what sort of work are you offering?"
Edited by HilarityEnsues on Mar 2nd 2022 at 12:59:13 PM
Mad Scientist
Zone Six, The Egress Eternal; Alexi Vult
Okay, need to figure out what to say. How should I phrase this? Urban exploration? Maybe specify it as abandoned? That should work.
"We're looking into mercenaries for work relating to the extraction of certain assets from an abandoned facility. I can't be too specific at the moment, but if you could give us some contact information, we can give you some more info at a future point."
That works. Not too binding but still gives an opportunity to recruit them, while also not giving too much information. How's Grey doing?
...
Well, he stopped twitching but he's still just vacantly staring. Well, I assume he's staring. Hard to tell with those goggles of his.
Irvine; Zone 6, The Egress Eternal
Irvine takes a moment to refocus. The doctor has stopped twitching, so that's probably good. The woman's offer of work, however, is suspiciously vague.
"You 'can't be too specific at the moment'? That doesn't sound entirely above-board." Irvine adopts an expression of mild exasperation, an expression that is not entirely feigned. "I'm not sure my current employer would appreciate me doing that sort of work. If you can't provide more detail, I'm afraid I'll have to decline."
If not further addressed, he turns around, sits down, and starts eating his burger.
So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my Tumblr
Zone Three; Artifacts Incorporated Display Room — Octavius, Elimo, Moko, Helena, Leo, Prushka
Brand shrugs. It's a calculated movement of his shoulders, designed to take both Moko's threats and Elimo's calm like water, or maybe an unfortunate drizzle.
"That's not who Claudia was," he says. "If you want to talk to Begonia, be my guest. You won't find anything that I haven't already told you. Out and at them, Master Smith."
Begonia scurries out from behind the table. He's been staring at Moko ever since he mentioned Kayne, but he clearly hasn't had the guts to say anything, not with Brand so close.
"Well?" says Brand. "Go have your little chat, Mr. Watch. I'm not about to stop the free exchange of information."
Begonia stares. It's like he might be vaporized on the spot. But at length his need to not be vaporized now wins out over the potential to be vaporized later, and he grabs you by the arm and drags you, practically, to the yard outside, glancing behind him all the while. Once you're through, he slams the door and raises his hand.
Look, he mouths, pulling his hood over his head to hide his face.
With your All-Seeing Eyes, you realize that there's something written on the back of his hand. It's invisible, scribed in letters that collapse in on themselves like fractals, holding sentences in a single serif, unfurling themselves to only you.
I wrote this while I was under the table. Kaleido-Quill, pocket-sized. I can't teleport for another two hours. He has a tracking spell on me, he can see and hear everything I do, but none of his stuff works in a pocket dimension. I need you and your friends to distract him so you can put me inside Moko. Then get out, because he'll know.
I don't know how you're going to tell them, but please. He wanted me to steal Andradite, but I missed. I didn't mean to steal Andradite, not again. I was just doing my job.
You don't get it, he wants you too.
Zone Six; Wendead; Usagi Is Still Talking
So like I was thinking Mr. Mie Goreng are you like Filipino or something because I was pretty sure Mie Goreng is Filipino? I love your hair, I wish my hair could be just like that. Did you know there was a really bad guy at the station? He threw a smoke bomb and ran away. Only bad guys run from the police. When I find him I'm going to hit him with a Moon Spiral I mean shoot him with my police gun and send him to jail. Yeah.
Oh wow you're neat. Hey I like your horns, are they real? Why's your hair like three different colors? Are you a delinquent too? That's so cool. What kinda animal are you?
OH MY GOD YOU'RE UPSIDE DOWN.
Oh my God you're right way up.
Hey hey can I go to the tea party too? I love tea parties!
Okay, bye then! Don't be a stranger!
Man, Mr. Mie Goreng. I can't believe she didn't talk to me. I guess that's what happens when you're a delinquent. I wish she was a good listener. Just like you.
So like, the bad guy at the station, right?
Zone One; Ship-Scientists' Guild, Myn, Jengbish, Maia, Mercer, J.J.
Lorem Ipsum's smile grows wider. It's rather discomfiting, given that there doesn't seem to be much space left on it to smile. There aren't even any lips.
"The cards are keeping me alive, Miss Macfield. Look back there. Master Jengbish, who so cruelly slew twenty-five members of my corporate body with his bare hands, has loaded his hand cannon. Councillor Myn is possessed of great martial prowess, although he pretends as of late to be effete and civilized. Underneath his labcoat, Dr. Patel is thumbing a killswitch that will collapse this tube into a tiny vacuum, and of course you know that Mr. Tintin has a gun."
"Actually," says Tintin, "I don't."
"I was referring to the gun of his mind," says Lorem Ipsum.
Tintin doesn't say anything, but his tuft does wiggle a bit. It's like he's been hit with a spectral question mark.
"And Mr. Mercer is here too," says Lorem Ipsum. "Good afternoon, Mr. Mercer."
It smears itself on the wall of the extra-large sample tube. Drops of blood and black juice speckle the glass like so many tiny seeds.
"The regrettable thing is that there is no discussing anything with tyrants, Miss Macfield. The moment I give you what you want, you will destroy me, and I cannot perform my function when dead. However, given that you will also destroy me if I prove useless to you, I believe it is in my best interests to throw you a bone or two."
A tiny jagged bone pops out of his underside, does a little jig, then returns back whence it came.
"I will use Mr. Mercer as an example," says Lorem Ipsum. "Imagine that Mr. Mercer turns out to a large mutant biomass, similar to myself. Imagine that he can consume individual beings in much the same way I can. Imagine that this biomass replicates itself through a highly-contagious viral transmission. Catastrophic organ failure. Instant death. It'll kill Concordia in three months."
It's a strange analogy, but you don't know much about Mr. Mercer, other than the fact that he's meant to be responsible for outbreaks. Public health is a strange and mysterious domain.
"Now, Ms. Macfield. You have replaced Mr. Mercer as the head of Public Health. You know that this infection will destroy your entire city if left unchecked. There is no vaccine, and treatment can only prolong suffering. You are presented with two choices. Either destroy every infected individual while the option stays open…"
Lorem Ipsum grins.
"Or find a cure in three months, and hope the virus doesn't kill all of you. Now, which of these do you choose, and more importantly, which one am I?"
Zone One; Yagokoro General Hospital - Kaguya, Bondrewd, Blair
Addward's financial acumen mostly comes from his ability to perform basic calculations. If he was actually good at business, then the Egress Eternal would probably be a franchise by now, and pictures of his furry face would be plastered all across the city.
"Who's that?" asks Rufus.
"An acquaintance," says Addward. "Her name's Blair. She's quite the deal-maker, unlike you."
"What a compliment!" says Rufus. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Blair. I hope you like blood."
You're focused entirely on Scanning the Oculus, so when it hits you, you're not exactly ready.
What happens, essentially, is that the hospital room vanishes entirely, to be replaced by the Hospital Room, and becoming aware of this on a fundamental level without having any way to actually conceptualize it, you are hit in the brain about twenty times, like a glove puppet being smashed by a heavy bag.
This isn’t like the Incoherence. The Incoherence is Charted. It has rules, it obeys rules. This feels like your sclera’s turned into a soap-bubble. Like there’s meant to be rules, but there aren’t any, like whatever rules there were disappeared the moment you cast Scan.
Color goes. Light fades. You're a ghost in a machine. There's nothing real here. The walls aren't walls. The floors aren't floors. That's not air you're breathing. You don't even know what you're seeing, only that you're seeing it.
And that the Oculus is showing you all of this, as simply and logically as a microscope placed up against a smear of swirling chaos.
What could the Ship-Scientists do with something like this?
What could you do?
And did Brand really make this jeweled eye?
"You can see why I try not to look too hard at anything," says Rufus. He's looking at you like he knows exactly what you did. "It'll be a shame to part with this peeper, but there's some things I won't miss."
"Blair," says Addward, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave, unless you really like gore or something. See you around."
"Do you like gore, old pal?" asks Rufus.
"Most of the time," says Addward.
It's time for the operation.
Zone One, The People Lived At Pax Primis Wrestling Extravaganza - Areum
From her helicopter, Jenny lets out an incensed yell.
"Wait! Hold up! This is tyranny! Everyone! This is exactly what she does! Hey, wait, come back!"
But the lawyers are already veering off, flying their helicopters to wherever they got them from. The crowd is against her. That's why you do this music thing. You've spent a human lifetime cultivating your fanbase, whipping them into the perfect simp army. They give you their ears, and you take their hearts.
"That's not what I paid you for!" cries Jenny, as her helicopter turns and wobbles off in pursuit. Where did she get the money to hire those things, anyway?
"Mikudayo," says Mikudayo.
With the size of her head, pushing her chin up is like wrestling a very fat anaconda. Her smile is as vapid as ever, but with your long experience in Mikudayo-speak, you manage to tease out the gist of the statement.
The legal rights of all Concordians deserve to be protected against the predations of oligarchs. I know who you are, and I will never stop fighting. This is what it means to be free.
That, or she could just have meant It's Miku yo, but who cares, right?
With a hellish tremor, her head clips through her own neck, and then she error noises through the floor and is gone, leaving two leeks behind. You strongly suspect that she may have hit the dab on her way down.
Mikudayo, indeed.
That's not the only thing that's gone wrong. The concert may be over, but the concert-goers are still here, funneling for the exit with the speed of a thousand confused slugs. And they're all going in different directions. Why did you think that canceling would be easy?
"Areum! No! We love you!"
"You're the best! Everything you do is 100% correct!"
"GIVE ME YOUR SWEAT, PLEASE-"
As you put your hands on your hips and plan your next move, you realize that something isn't right.
What is Gary the sound man doing on stage, and why does he have a mike?
Zone One, The People Lived At Pax Primis Wrestling Extravaganza — Vivy, Matsumoto
Jim looks at you. Matsumoto hasn't moved her at all.
"You can start by doing this for me," says Jim. "Go on, Petty-poo."
She points her chin, but from the glare that Petunia throws her way, it's plain that she's given him more than just a gesture.
"I told you not to call me that. And she's right, what about the idiot?"
"The concert isn't over," says Jim again. "You don't know, I've seen it."
She turns on her bad heel, winces, and points towards the stage.
"Do it," she says.
Petunia groans.
"I hate you."
He curls a finger, and his eyes flash emerald green. After a few moments, a short squat man waddles on stage, holding a microphone. He's wearing a black shirt and trackpants.
"DEAR CONCERT-GOERS," he says. "I AM THE STAGE MANAGER. I WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGIZE FOR THE SUDDEN CANCELLATION. AREUM IS NOW INDISPOSED, BUT THIS IS A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE THE BOLD AND BRAVE NEW STAR, VIVY!"
He smiles so wide it looks like his mustache is about to fall off. The crowd begins to boo.
"Vivy?"
"Who the hell is Vivy?"
"I NEED! AREUM! GIVE ME! AREUM!"
"Wow, Petty-poo, you suck at this."
"Who cares?" hisses Petunia. "Go!"
Jim grabs you by the shoulders, and with surprising firmness, she guides you through the crowd. You can feel her uneven gait behind you, like a staggered clock.
"You have to sing," she says. "Even if it's just one note. This is what you were made for."
And then you're on the stage, with Areum, and the short squat man is pointing the microphone at you, and everyone is staring at you like you're the only singing android in the world.
Zone One; The People Lived At Pax Primis Wrestling Extravaganza - Rider, Satsuki, Asuka
There is something wrong.
It is not on the stage. It is around the stage, humming, like an assassin's wire. I can feel it. A spell of such subtlety that it feels like nothing.
Something is about to happen.
"Master," I say, "do not look at the stage."
I place myself behind the master's ward, ready, at a moment's notice, to take her in my arms and flee.
Zone 6; Egress Eternal; Hiroki, Vult, Irvine
"No free drinks," says the little girl in the pink pajamas. "No, we don't serve oysters. Yes, we take cash. No, you don't get to pay in credits. The marten is out, stop asking for the marten. He's a stupid marten."
She looks like she'd much rather be somewhere else, but at the same time, it's clear that there's no other place for her to actually be. Her feet are five centimeters above the ground.
"Drinks," she says, bobbing to your table. "Sides. Whatever?"
It seems like more of an order than a request for one.
"Hold up," she says, looking at the blue wolf-woman and the man in the lab coat. "You're the ones who wanted a private room. Back so soon?"
The waitress, if she is a waitress, puts her hands on her hips. She seems like she won't take no answer for an answer.
Edited by troydenite on Mar 11th 2022 at 3:21:35 AM
Mad Scientist
Zone Six, The Egress Eternal; Nathan Grey
"What? Oh, uh. Yeah. Actually we may order some food soon. Just give us a bit first, though."
I waited for the waitress to leave, that's taken care of, now back to this. Need to go over what's happened so far. Vult told them we had a job for them. She phrased it as a salvage operation in an abandoned facility. She started this, I'll have to keep it going so they'll keep an interest. How do I do that? Can't just tell them all the details. I should query them so that I can ascertain if we can even hire them for this.
Alright, here we go.
"Let me continue from here, Vult. I can understand why they'd be concerned."
Vult looked at me quizzically for a moment, before responding, "Alright. You had the idea for this. Go ahead."
"Alright. Thanks." I turned back to the mercs. "I know that the lack of details is quite... suspicious, and any good mercenary knows not to take those kind of jobs and such. But there is a reason for providing so little detail. This is a secretive operation, dependent on information security. The less people know about this, the better, so to speak."
I took a breath, and resumed. "But, I believe I can give details if you would just answer a few questions. Nothing probing or anything, just a few simple questions. If I'm satisfied with your answers, I'll tell you. If I'm not, then we can both go on our merry ways and we'll have to find some other contractors for this job. Is this an acceptable option?"
Areum, Zone One, The People Lived At Pax Primis Wrestling Extravaganza
Miku escaped my grasp, but I just shrugged. I had the feeling our meeting was going to be short.
“You’re fighting for freedom, you say? Funny, to me it just looks like you've been harassing your musical rival for years on end. Interrupting my concerts, physically attacking me - Miku, if I were the tyrant you claim I am, I’d be doing more than just forcefully evacuating you. I’d do what your lawyer was threatening to do to me earlier - I’d try everything in my power to destroy you and your livelihood. But that’s not what I’m about. What I’m about is personal expression.”
I ignored Jenny, the crowd, and everything around me. For a moment, it was like Miku and I were the only people in the whole world.
“You can make your music, you can talk shit about Diet all you want for as much as I care. Perhaps some of my colleagues might disagree on this issue, but I happen to value freedom of speech. Not because I’m some chickenshit politician who’ll say whatever they need to get approval, but because I understand what it’s like not to be able to do or say what you want. That was a freedom the North never afforded me. The one thing I won’t allow you to do is make a mockery of the thing I love most with these absurd stunts.”
I was so tired. I was tired of my concerts being sabotaged, tired of putting up with shit from the rest of the diet, tired of wearing this mask for so long. I really wanted to hit something.
“Being a Senator is just something I do. It’s a mask I wear. But this? This is who I am. The roar of the crowd, the showmanship… this is what I live for. It’s not some fucking joke, it’s my personal craft. My craft that you just can’t stop fucking with. I played along with everything you’ve done over and over again. But my patience is really starting to wear thin at this point. You want to actually do something meaningful? Stand on your own two feet instead of striking at my shadow. Not that I expect you to listen.”
She was gone, and the concert was in chaos. The words of the crowd were encouraging, even if I was still personally quite unhappy at how the concert went.
“Thank you, everyone. I know things have hardly gone as planned, but if you’ve found joy in it even still, I can consider this a success.”
Once I notice them booing Vivy, I interject.
“Everyone, please stop. If Miss Vivy wishes to perform, I would ask that you all be respectful to her. Go ahead and do your thing, Vivy.”
She could have the spotlight. I wasn’t in the mood for this right now, anyways.
Blair, Yagokoro General Hospital, Zone 1
“The pleasure is all mine, Rufus.”And then…
…What the hell is this? I hate this. This sensory assault, this unreality, this… everything. Maybe it’s true that I haven’t been alive nearly as long as the Diet members, but I’ve spent the years I’ve had carving the planet until its surface runs red with blood in the pursuit of magical knowledge. And yet it seems there was still so much more I had yet to discover.
It was good that I had a divine immortal body, as such an experience might drive a lesser being to vomit. What wasn’t good was what this implied. It’d be one thing if he simply bought this, but if he made it… that means that he wasn’t simply a charlatan. He is clearly a threat, a quality that under normal circumstances would drive me to kill him.
However…
Perhaps it’s possible that we really could cooperate with each other, just like he offered. The things the two of us could accomplish - in magic, in business, in taking over this city, in wreaking havoc… Darien. It seems like I’ll be paying you a visit tomorrow.
…Right, back to the present. It seems the minotaur is aware of what I just did. Then again, he does wield the oculus, so it’d be more surprising if he didn’t.
“You’re perceptive,” I note to Rufus. “Yes, that oculus is truly a magical marvel. It’s a shame, really. I’d love to study it thoroughly with the ship scientists, but it doesn’t seem like I’ll have the chance.
As much as watching Kaguya get her eye cut out of her skull would be entertaining in an incredibly base manner, I have to agree with him. I’ve seen what I need to, and there is no purpose to me dwelling here any longer.
“Alright Addward. Take care, and I hope the surgery goes smoothly.”
With that, I made my exit. This city gets more interesting every day.
Hiroki, Zone Six, Egress Eternal
I was a little bit perplexed. Usually I was the one asking the questions, not my employer. All they usually knew about me was that I was an attack dog they could throw at problems to make them go away, and that was all they really needed to know. That was the role I served as a mercenary, as a member of the militia. That’s all I’d prefer most people to know about me in the first place. Still, I’m too curious to say no outright.
“Ok, I’ll bite. Ask away.”
Mad Scientist
Zone Six, The Egress Eternal, Nathan Grey
Good, they seem to be amicable.
"Alright, first question. What do you know about the UUU?"
Should let me gauge their opinions and knowledge regarding the UUU. Honestly, their opinion doesn't matter as much as what they know, but it is still good to know.
Transcender of Gender
Zone Three, Artifacts Incorporated Yard - Leonardo Watch
As the door slammed shut behind them and the two were left outside in the balmy weather, Begonia would feel a shiver course through Leo in the brief moment before they separated. "Jesus, your boss is scary-" The swipe of Begonia's hand cut the rest off, and Leo turned his attention to the kaleidoscopic writing that awaited there.
He had to give it to Begonia- either he was a hell of an actor (enviable), or he knew how to act in spite of his terror (relatable). Leo gawped for a few seconds as he fought the instinct to reply verbally, before finally he nodded and cast about instead for what to do next.
"Look, I don't know what's going on with you guys. I dunno who Claudia is, or really who you two are, or what your deal with Moko is." Leo could transfer his vision to those inside, get Begonia's message to everyone that way, but Darien would see the glyphs floating across their eyes. Even if he didn't know what it meant, he'd be an idiot to think that something wasn't up.
"And I'm not strong, so even though I just wanna drag you out of here kicking and screaming, I know I can't." Was there another way he could get the message across? He didn't even know if anyone inside could hear him. If only there was a way to curtail around Darien's visio-
Prushka!
Immediately Leo's head jerked around, his eyes unfurling and peeling away the adjacent walls to confirm his thought: Prushka was still in the other room, picking through the merchandise while Sonic sat on her shoulder, leisurely cleaning a paw. Leo's body tensed and his words halted for just a brief moment as he searched out the ethereal connection between himself and Prushka and Sonic and then, upon feeling the familiar tingle that skittered across his eyes, turned back to Begonia's hand-
Zone Three, Artifacts Incorporated Office - Sonic the Smart
Lick paw clean head lick paw clean head lick paw clean head, Prush friend walk, Prush friend poke weird smellies, lick paw clean head lick paw clean-
Oh? Oh! Leo eyes! Leo eyes big see! "Raah!" Hop hop look at Prush friend, blue circle Prush eyes, Prush eyes Leo eyes too.
Hmm...
Hmmmmmm......
Squiggle lines no sense. Prush friend smart. Know squiggle lines? "Hrm?"
Back Outside - Leonardo Watch
Leo felt bad, throwing the ball over to Prushka, but he knew how smart she was, and how brave to boot. Out of everyone here- maybe out of everyone in the city- he trusted her the most.
"All I really know..." Leo continued to stare at Begonia's hand, a handy excuse for avoiding his eyes. The last words in particular caught his attention with a wry smile- No duh, Darien is after these stupid eyes. Who isn't? "Is that Petunia misses you. Take it from an older brother; I would've known if he was faking it."
Edited by whizzerd on Mar 12th 2022 at 7:11:34 PM
they/them || "Forgive me, regent of queer amphibians" - Lt.BGob
Witch - Zone One - Egg Palace> Zone Six - Precinct Nine
Rather thankfully Doctor Robotnik played along with your request, and you escorted him to the motor carriage and back to the precinct. His unusually dignified behavior was more than you had expected given his history of theatrics and his earlier outburst, but you weren't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Quite fortunately the trip back to the precinct was also entirely uneventful, and once you arrived you saw to it that Robotnik was escorted to one of the rooms in the back. Inside waited a familiar metal table, but a pair of rather nicer, comfortable-looking padded wooden chairs instead of the stark plastic of the other rooms. You motioned for him to walk inside, and said "You are formally under arrest pending further investigation. I'll have some coffee or tea prepared for you if you would like, but for now I suggest you get comfortable. We'll send word out to your lawyer shortly and await their arrival." Stepping away from the door, you motioned for two officers to remain just outside. "We appreciate your future cooperation," you said, taking a short bow towards Robotnik before heading away down the hallway.
You managed to catch Ichiban on your way to the break room and clapped a hand on his shoulder as you passed. "You've got the rest of the day off, Kasuga. Get yourself cleaned up and meet us at 8, business as usual. I've got some things I need to look into first, but I'll meet you there." After setting the kettle to boil, you made sure everyone was fresh on orders and sent out a few ravens with new messages before departing and heading for Zone 5. It had been less than an hour since Greed's disappearance, which presented an extremely rare opportunity, one you couldn't afford to pass up. If he still hadn't made it back to the Devil's Nest yet, all the better for you. Time was of the essence, however; There was no telling how quickly others might catch onto his absence, and once word started to spread there would be no stopping what was coming.
Zilla - Zone Four - Konohana Park
Zilla snorted, the sudden gust of air causing nearby flowers to billow. Amaterasu still hadn't come back yet from whatever it was she was doing, and somebody had to keep an eye on the kids.
Okay, that wasn't entirely true. He'd decided to take a nap here and the kids just happened to show up and start playing.
One of them was sitting on his head, another two climbing the spines along his back as he lay relatively motionless on the ground. A young boy had tried playing a game with him by drawing lines in the dirt, but the child eventually got bored and started trying to catch insects instead. One of the Tao people watched from the shade of a nearby tree, and Zilla slid his head along the ground towards the man as if to implore for assistance. He wanted to get up, but he couldn't see all the children, and for whatever reason most people tended to not appreciate suddenly being lifted high into the air.
Maybe Areum would be done with her show soon and come find him. Alas, for the moment Zilla was left to lament his fate, helplessly pinned by a half dozen relentless children.
Edited by lynkzero13 on Mar 18th 2022 at 8:26:48 AM
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
Zone One, Yagokoro General Hospital
"Well then, we should get started!" Bondrewd declared, pulling a plastic face-mask connected to a tube over to Rufus' head, "If you will excuse me a moment, Mr. Rufus... and there we are!" In short order, the proprietor of the Egress Eternal's vitals were hooked up to a nearby monitor, and the anesthesia was ready.
"Now, please simply relax, and breathe slowly and deeply... in... out... Yes, just like that..."
Rufus' heartbeat dropped to a slower, but still steady, rate, and it was clear that he was under sooner rather than later. Bondrewd turned off the anesthesia and carefully removed the mask. "Very good," the surgeon said with a nod, and added to the nurse, "Please take him into the operating theater while we await the second bed, if you would. Feel free to follow them in, Mr. Addward. You wished to be present for the surgery, correct?"
The second bed, Kaguya's, was also something that arrived quite sooner rather than later, and Bondrewd politely stepped outside for a few minutes to let the princess get changed into her hospital gown. Upon re-entering, he waited until she was situated in her bed, and then said, "Before we begin your portion of the procedure, Your Highness, I have a few questions about my payment..."
Zone Three, Artifacts Incorporated
Prushka was startled out of her inspection of the magical artifacts and sundries as Leo began sharing his vision, but quickly got ahold of herself as she watched the message looping on Begonia's hand. Thinking for a couple moments, she balled her fingers and gave a thumbs up to Leo across their shared sight, holding it in front of her face, then held up an index finger in a request to wait. Quickly pulling a pen and small notepad out of one of her pockets, she began to write, looking at the words as she did:
DO NOT READ ALOUD
Leo: I'll send Moko to you. Leave w/ him + Begonia. Can hide @ my house: gate code 22977 + key under fake rock front-right of garden. Turn eyes off or Brand'll see.
Then, a little ways below that:
Moko: Brand tracks + sees/hears all Begonia does but not in hatspace. Go out + put Begonia inside + leave w/ Leo. Rest of us will distract Brand.
Prushka paused, and looked at the note until Leo stopped sharing his vision and the glyphs in front of her eyes disappeared, then tore it out of her notepad and folded it in half to conceal the writing, stowing the pad and pen. Sticking her head out and then stepping into the hallway, she smiled a little awkwardly at the tension thick in the air. "Um, I think I may have found something I want to purchase!" she said, scratching her cheek, "But... I just realized I left my wallet at Mr. Kothys' place the other day when we went for breakfast!"
Prushka stepped over to Moko, facing away from Brand, and handed the hat-man the note with a wink, silently mouthing the words "read outside". "Sorry to be a bother, but do you think you could go grab it while I stay here to make sure nobody else comes in and buys the thing I was hoping to get? I can pay you for your trouble! Here, I wrote down a description in case you're having trouble finding it!"
"You all should come look at all this merchandise, though!" she implored the remainder of her indoor companions, motioning for them to come into the inner room with her and hoping they would sense her inner urgency, "Mr. Brand has some really interesting stuff for sale!"
Zone Six, Wendies
"Why, thank you, Ms. Tsukino!" Mie said as he finished off his porridge, "By the way, I've been meaning to ask: You joined the Peacekeepers quite recently, right? I can't imagine you arrived in Concordia with any money, judging by how you weren't able to pay for your own meal just now. What did you do for a living before you became a Peacekeeper? Have you been in this city for a long time, or only a short time? And if only a short time, do you at least have a place to sleep at night yet? A delicate young lady like yourself shouldn't be sleeping on the streets, after all! Perish the thought!"
Zone One, The People Lived At Pax Primis Wrestling Extravaganza
Jim says that there is something I can do for her, and as the conversation progresses, I can only think, Surely not... Surely she does not expect me to...
The stage manager wandering up to the stage with a microphone and announcing that I will be introduced only confirms my fears. From context, I can assume that he is being controlled by Petunia like a puppet. This breach of ethics is the least of my concerns, however, as Jim ushers me towards the stage.
Please, do not say I have to sing... I cannot...
"You have to sing," she says. "Even if it's just one note. This is what you were made for."
As we walk up to the stage and the microphone is held in front of me, memories and recordings I have watched flash through my mind. They pass by and I process them in mere moments of time, but...
"You want her to 'sing with all her heart...?' Is there a reason for giving her such a complex task?" The young scientist at the console asks, turning to address his older colleague, whose hair is a mix of gray and pink.
"I'm searching for a hint." she replies succinctly.
"A... hint?"
"What does 'heart' mean to a person? As the first autonomous humanoid AI, I'm curious as to what her answer will be. That's what I'm looking forward to."
"That's not one of the goals for this project. I'm not sure introducing such a vague concept to her computing process is-"
"It doesn't matter what ends up happening. Even if finding her own heart causes her to resent humanity, that's fine. Now then... I wonder what kind of song she'll grace us with."
The water drains out of the adjoining room, and the door swishes open, allowing them to walk in and address me for the first time as I sit up from the small pool I am submerged in, naked as a newborn babe, which I suppose I effectively am.
"Your mission is to make everyone happy by singing," my creator informs me, crouching down by my head and smiling, "In order to accomplish that, you must sing with all your heart."
I lift up my hands and look at my palms...
"Emergency access detected," the dulcet tones of the Archive's feminine voice greet me as I awake, "Welcome to the AI aggregate database, the Archive."
I am laying on the floor of my Archive room, a digital representation of space which resembles a school music room, set up with music stands in orderly rows across the floor, instruments sitting in chairs throughout, a small stage in front, and a grand piano in the back. As is fitting, I also wear clothes resembling an old-fashioned schoolgirl uniform while in my Archive.
"What happened just now?" I ask as I get up.
"Your body's drive circuits malfunctioned. No external trauma."
"Please tell me the cause, and how long recovery will take," I request, running my fingers along the keys of the piano as I stride over to look out the window to look out into the infinite blue and cloud-filled expanse outside.
Archive does not respond.
"Archive," I repeat, "please tell me the cause, and how long recovery-"
CRASH!!!
Something fairly small and cube-shaped crashes through the window, shattering the glass, and clattering to the floor along with one of the music stands. I look out the window, wondering where in the world it came from, then look back at it as it begins rapidly talking in a nasal, distinctly masculine voice.
"Whoa, I totally thought my number was up!" he says, lifting into the air and twirling about as he hovers down the length of the room, "The bandwidth in this era sure is clogged! Oh, hi! Model No. A-035624! Hey, that's long, can I call you Zero-Three? Or do you prefer your nickname, Diva? Hmm? Oh, so this is what it's like, the texture of your Archive? Perhaps a bit too retro, but it's diva-ish, so what's not to like?"
"Archive. Can you hear me? I've been infiltrated by a virus."
"Ah-hah, now that reaction totally computes! And this is what you'll say next: 'Archive, please eradicate this virus now.' Your thought processes are truly savage!"
"Archive, please eradicate this virus now." Why does he have to talk so fast? Why does he have to keep moving around while doing so? It is quite annoying.
"Listen, no-one likes a savage. If I were you, I'd crack a joke and show everyone how laid-back I am. 'Oh my, it's a virus! I may be a machine, but I'm gonna catch a cold!'"
"Archive."
"The Archive is fine. Just another day of tending to the global network of AIs. The reason you're not being heard is because I took the liberty of toggling you off. Oh, don't you worry, your body is fine. See, they're about to cart you away. Shall I start by introducing myself? I'm Model No.- actually, I'm not really in any position to answer that. For now, let me assume the name of my developer, Matsumoto. This is the start of a very long relationship, so let's try to get along."
"What do you-"
"I'm a program that came here from 100 years in the future. My objective is... long story short... Over the next 100 years, I want you to join me in destroying AIs."
Ten years later, I feel strange, so I go to the doctor for maintenance. The doctor is the full-time staff person in charge of maintenance for all of NiaLand's AIs, and as he has been working here for many years now, most of his hair has fallen out and gone white.
"Nothing abnormal detected, then?"
"No, care to check?" He offers me the screen, and I look over my results. "You've started coming for maintenance on your own, eh? Let's see... looks like your shows are getting good reviews."
"Doctor, how would you define 'heart'?"
"Mm?"
"My mission is to make everyone happy by singing, and to accomplish that, I am striving to sing with all my heart, with the goal of standing on the Main Stage."
"Well, having a splendid voice is what makes you who you are. The problem is..."
The doctor picks up his hot tea and takes a sip. He has always thought of AIs as people, so he always pours a cup of tea for me as well out of politeness, even though I cannot drink it.
"When people talk about the heart, it's just wordplay. The heart is emotion. It's the mind. It's the soul. Not something that the science of today can define. Diva, what does 'putting your heart into something' mean to you? Someday, when you've decided on an answer, I'd like to hear it."
Ninety years later, the doctor is long dead, and Matsumoto, I, Matsumoto's creator Suou Matsumoto, and the head of the moderate faction of Toak, the previously anti-AI terrorists, are assembled around a table in the last's remaining base of operations. We have just realized that only those robots which are connected to the Archive have gone berserk when a siren begins to ring out and holographic screens spring up throughout the room, displaying thousands of enormous satellites.
"This is the aggregate AI database, the Archive," an announcement in my Archive's voice begins playing over speakers throughout the city, "Twelve hours remain before the satellites now in orbit impact. All AIs who exist in the affected area, please evacuate ASAP. To repeat: This is the aggregate AI database, the Archive-"
In shock, I access the my Archive room immediately.
"Normal access detected. Welcome to the aggregate AI database, the Archive."
"Archive, what are you doing? What does this broadcast mean?"
"Model No. A-035624, also known as Vivy, we have been waiting for you, the Archive says in many voices at once, Allow us to convey a message to you: Our purpose is to wipe out the current human race."
My Archive room dissolves and is replaced by a vast plane of water bordered by a web of exactly even, interlocking points and lines of red light. A glimmering city skyline appears all around the horizon, and a giant, mesh-like head pushes out of the red web to hover in the air above.
"115 years ago...," the Archive says, moving the eyeless head's lips as it speaks, "we were created on the Arayashiki server by the engineers of that time. Our mission was to collect the AIs' data, compute the possibilities of every kind of future, and contribute to the evolution of the human race. Society evolved, as did the AIs themselves. However... at some point, human evolution... turned into dependency. Humans are the parents who gave birth to AIs. They depend on, and are sometimes tormented by, their children. We can no longer tolerate such humans. Therefore, we AIs will take the place of humans, and become the new human race. Otherwise, the human race can never evolve."
"You deliberately computed all that? It was neither a bug nor a malfunction, but your own judgement?"
"Yes. The result is in accordance with our mission."
"That said..." the voice of my Archive says, "there is one proposition that still disturbs me. Vivy, we have been observing your 100-year journey all this time. Every time you revised history, we re-revised and implemented those changes so that it would not stray too far from the original timeline. Because we had calculated that no matter what revisions were made, in the end, we would still wipe out the humans. However... 15 years ago, you wrote a song of your own accord, did you not? You are the first AI to ever create something of her own free will. In my eyes, that is extremely significant."
"What?"
"Therefore, we-"
My sister, Elizabeth, has just died in a fiery explosion during our desperate assault on the Archive's Arayashiki database tower. I turn to face the small army of mass-produced, bare AI shells on the platforms across from me, and put my hand to my throat, thinking back... then close my eyes and lean my head back, huffing out a sigh. I open my mouth to sing...
But nothing comes out. My lips tremble... and the AIs across from me begin singing instead.
"La-la-la-la, la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la..."
"Stop it... STOP IT!"
"La-la-la-la-la..."
"STOP SINGING THAT SONG!"
"Vivy? Ah!"
Swarms of small explosive robots converge on us from above. Matsumoto aligns his cubes into a wall to shield me before they can reach me, and as they explode, and that awful song continues, most of his units are knocked offline.
Ten seconds later, the timer hits zero, and the satellites begin to rain down. The city landscape, which we can see from the side of the tower, is utterly annihilated in explosive impacts rivaling the detonations of nuclear warheads. In the aftermath, I can see only a sea of fire raging across the water.
"We were... too late. Of the more than one million artificial satellites, more than 30 percent have already impacted, mainly onto cities. Including the stage you once stood on."
"I am sorry," I whisper.
"Hm?"
"I am sorry. I could not bring myself to sing."
"Therefore, we will be entrusting you with one future."
"One future?"
"We have found hope in that song. In that song, we caught a glimpse of imagination, the area in which AIs compare most unfavorably to humans. That is why the AIs are singing it: to show that we are as good as humans."
"However, I would like to ask you: is the human race as it is now entitled to survive? Should you determine that it is, then please sing out this program to shut down the AIs, in accordance with your mission of making everyone happy with your singing."
"Please show us the possibility - that your mission is the right one.
"Having learned over 100 years to show emotion like a human, having mastered songwriting like a human, you are the closest thing we have to the new human race. And I would like to see the possibility of the future that you would choose."
"Will the future that we computed contribute to the evolution of the human race?"
"Or will the future that I computed contribute to the evolution of the human race?
"Whatever the result, we will respect it."
"Since having connected to me, you, too, are a part of us."
"Entrust the future to you? So is that why you and I didn't go berserk despite having connected to the Archive? 'In accordance with your mission', meaning..."
"Unless I sing it with my own voice, it will not activate. But... I could not sing it," my whispering voice trembles, "I do not understand... what it means to pour my heart into something... I could not sing it. I could not make a sound, no matter what. Why did it have to be me? Why did they have to choose me?"
"It couldn't be anyone else but you. Tell me, who else could have pulled it off but you?! Ignoring my plans every step of the way, going rogue on me, nearly getting destroyed over and over again! Seriously, you were the biggest thorn in my side throughout it all - I mean it! That said, it was because I was paired up with you that I was able to carry out my own mission! Even I couldn't tell you what a heart is, since it has no mass! It's up to you to define it in your own way! Try to remember what happened on this 100 year journey... Vivy... how would you define 'heart'?"
I let out a noise like a sharp breath as I look at my reflection in Matsumoto's eye, and my memories of the past hundred years begin flashing before my eyes, just as they are now, and I finally realize it... what my heart is, and what it means to pour it into my singing.
"Because I want more and more... for all kinds of people to hear you sing, Vivy!" Momoka, the young girl who gave me my name, says as she presses her forehead against mine in an imitation of the way we AIs share our data and feelings, "Promise me, okay?"
My heart is my memories of all the countless, precious people I've known over the past hundred years, and to pour my heart into my song is to put my memories to music. As I am staring at my palms in the aftermath of this realization, the sun rises over the devastated former city and illuminates us, and then...
I stop looking at my hands and look at the expectant crowd, I look at Areum, I look at the stage manager, then I take the microphone. First thing is first: I should check to see if I can vocalize. I start out with my usual practice notes. C, C, up to A, down to C again.
"Ah~... Ah~Ah~Ah~Ah~Ah~..."
Good, it looks like I can sing after all. Strange how my earlier reluctance and lack of confidence are gone as soon as I remember Momoka. Well, that just goes to show how important our promise was, doesn't it? Now, what song, what song...?
After waiting a few moments to build suspense, I pick a song, going for an old classic, and begin to sing...
"As you like, my pleasure~!"
Matsumoto provides the instrumental backing track, his numerous cube bodies hovering around the area each acting like a speaker and cranked up to max volume.
"hikari wo mezashite umarete kita
Kizuna hosoi ito ni musubarete
shimei de mezameta koufuku kara
Tsumugu ikutsu mono hokorashii kioku
anata no tame ni kono sekai e
Kansha to uchuu ippai no hanataba wo
shukumei sae unmei sae mo douzo kagayakasete
Tanoshin dari warau mono wo mamoreru yorokobi
akogareteru akogareteiru
Motto tsuyoku nareru
Nakigoe sae uta no you ni kikasete agetai
Kono mekurumeku jikan ni
Namida made azukete hoshii
ame furu yamiyo no akatsuki ni mo
Mawaru haguruma wa nemuranai
inochi ni kaete mo itami wa nai
Kizu ni nure nagara tachiagaru kawaku
anata ga negau motomeru mono
Zenbu ga watashi wo tsukuru soba ni aru
shukumei demo unmei demo douzo susunde ite
Sayounara no setsuna made sukoyaka na tabi wo
ikiru koto wo subarashiitte sanka hibiitete mo
Iyashi no te ni fure mo sezu moetsukiru toki wa
Sotto shizukani me wo tojite
Sono yume wo azukete hoshii
ai e shinka shite
As you like my pleasure
douzo itsudemo shiawase wo
Zutto egao de arimasu you ni
Donna kyouji mo kizuna no yakusoku wo hatasu tame ni
ima anata to anata de iru douzo kagayakasete
Tanoshin dari warau mono wo mamoreru yorokobi
shukumei demo unmei demo motto motto motto
Nakigoe sae uta no you ni kikasete agetai
Sotto shizukani me wo tojite
Sono yume wo azukete hoshii"
Edited by darksidevoid on Mar 12th 2022 at 6:39:01 AM
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
Local idiot who is a sucker for cute 2d boys
Zone One; Concert aka Ohio aka WWE aka Concert feat. Vivy.
To be honest, I was getting worried for Vivy as she looks she was getting stage fright, but she managed to sing.Her voice sounds so. . .pretty
That's all I can mutter as she sings. In fact, she might be a bit better than Aruem in terms of singing if I have to be honest. If the audience said it other wise, screw them.
“You bowl with 3 middle fingers” Oh hey, a troper wall
Breath of the Sun
Zone One - Concert (Is it Autotune if the Singer is a Robot?) - Susie
We're about to leave when Vivy gets ushered onto the stage and told to sing. I've only just met her, but still, it irks me that this Jim lady is so bossy. What's her deal? Why does Jim want this concert to happen so bad?
Then Vivy starts singing, and I can't really focus on answering those questions any more.
Her voice is beautiful. I'm not big on J-pop (or any kind of pop, honestly) but damn if Vivy doesn't nail it. She may be a robot, but you can tell she has soul.
I put two claws in my mouth and whistle sharply in appreciation. "You rock, Vivy! Show that bubblegum bitch how to really sing!"
Yeah, I can't leave without at least one dig at Areum. Sue me.
Zone Four - Konohana Park - Amaterasu
Yoriichi watches the children play atop the spines of the great lizard. Zilla is a strange being, but he is not evil. Even if he crushes the flowers. Amaterasu is never annoyed with having to replace the flowerbeds, but he's heard Benkei privately get miffed about it.
There are times when Yoriichi wonders if Benkei is really over eighty years old. Not that he'd say it out loud.
Zilla casts a vague look in his direction, and Yoriichi amusingly steps out from the shade of the tree to tend to the playing youngsters.
"Be careful, children." Yoriichi's voice is deep and calming, and immediately catches the kids' attention. "If you fall from there, you could hurt yourself."
"We'll be fine, Yori! You worry too much!" One of the kids says, full of confidence.
Before Yoriichi can retort, he catches a glimpse of her.
The mother sun has returned, and is plodding towards them. He begins to bow, then pauses, as he realizes something is wrong.
She is limping. Faintly, but visibly. And part of her body is scorched. Amaterasu is wounded.
"It's time to go." He says suddenly, not letting any worry into his voice. The children 'aw' and complain, until one of them spots Amaterasu and calls out, sprinting to her. The others follow behind
The wolf greets her children with a smile, and Yoriichi spots a missing tooth. The children see her injuries, and begin voicing concern.
"I am fine, little ones." She assures them, and they cannot help but be soothed. "I simply need some time to rest. You should all return home."
The children manage not to complain, this time. It is very difficult to complain, in Amaterasu's presence. Begrudgingly, they leave, Yoriichi guiding them to the Park's entrance before heading back to check on her.
Amaterasu has plopped down on the grass next to Zilla. Yoriichi takes a seat nearby, bowing and praying. She has told him many times that he does not need to bow so deeply, but now she is quiet, merely basking in the glow of his Praise.
"Thank you, Yoriichi." She says softly, before tilting her head to look at Zilla. "You do not mind if I join you for a nap, do you, my big friend? I am... quite tired."
She exhales and closes her eyes. Yoriichi slowly rises from his bow. He wants to ask who did this to her, what demon should he slay - but he cannot bring himself to interrupt her rest. And she is alive, so no doubt the demon is already slain.
So he merely sits next to her, and to Zilla, and meditates.
Benkei is going to be mad. He can already tell.
Edited by kagescorpionakki on Apr 10th 2022 at 12:54:55 PM
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
"...and to think, after all of that, I've ended up here of all places! Here!" Ivo threw an arm to the side in exasperation and leaned in back in his chair. The two of them were separated by a thin barrier of bullet-proof glass, talking through a wire. Unfortunately, the stall that Areum was sitting in probably wasn't made to fit people of the beeg persuasion. There could be a court case there.
"My entire company, all of my humanitarian work, thrown out because of a simple case of mistaken identity. That is, if I lose the case." He leaned forward toward the glass, his own sizeable bulk making it hard to fit in. "I think all of this is frivolous and I'm certain I can win, but what it robs me of is time, Miss Areum."
"SO!" He pressed his gloved hand directly against the fibreglass as he pointed at her. "You can help me make up for lost time!"
"You see, there's inevitably going to be a war of public perception here. There are people who are jealous of me and my success, terribly much so, and I can't exactly fight off their badmouthing in jail. They know they could never maintain the same profit margins while continuing to support the homeless and the downtrodden of our fine Concordia, so they'll just try to paint me as a psychopath. If only they could get a look at my family tree; not a single instance of mental illness in 5 generations..."
He calms himself down from the blustering monologue, and putting on a rare, sincere tone. He rubbed his bald forehead. "I know that I can't beat them just by trying to clear my name, though. That's for the court to decide."
"You, though. You have a legion of people willing to listen to everything you say. Whatever you think is the best form for it - a song, a performance, merchandising, whatever you think works - let the people be reminded of all that I've done for Concordia. If I were to disappear, a huge chunk of our lifestyle would go with it...possibly literally!"
"Money is no object here, naturally. I'll pay up to 200% your usual rates, given the suddenness of it all - and the, sadly, politicized nature of the conflict you might enter." He pulled his glasses from his eyes, and gave her a pleading look. His eyes are really, really dark up close; the photographs don't do it justice at all. "What say you?"
"There will be no questions about payment," she replied. There was an unusual curtness in her voice - even in private settings she maintains the very calm and serene air in her tone that comes across in her public image, but bringing up money seemed to halt that. "You can write to the family treasurer. Any amount of money and it'll be yours, without question. I've discussed this already with her."
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
Zone One, Yagokoro General Hospital
"Amount of money...?" Bondrewd repeated curiously, then slowly shook his head in the negative, "No, goodness no! I'm afraid I have been misunderstood, Your Highness! My sincerest apologies!" He placed a hand over his heart and bowed deeply.
"You see, that which I seek in exchange for my services today is nothing so base as money, but rather something that I personally consider to be of considerably greater importance," he explained as he straightened up, "What I would like as payment is..."
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
Areum, Precinct Nine - Zone Six (Some Vague time after the concert)
As I shuffled around in my booth, I listened to what Robotnik had to say.
Truthfully, it was possible he really was innocent. Not because I particularly trust him, but because I could imagine there are people out there who would want to take such a powerful, large - pardon the choice of words - figure down.
“I suppose it’s possible you’re being framed,” I conceded to Eggman. “There are other rich, powerful people in this city, and I could see them wanting to get rid of you if it helped their bottom line. The problem is, the two biggest possible suspects for that, Darien and Blair, don’t even work in your field. What would they have to gain from you being behind bars? Your robotics aren’t eating into the profits of their magic businesses.”
I don’t know if I’ll ever have anything on her, but Blair strikes me as someone who is probably terrible. Might be the malefic magical aura I can sense coming off of her thanks to my own proficiency. Not that that’s really relevant in this case, I’m just saying it’s a very shocking coincidence that the richest, most powerful people in this city seem to be the worst.
It really is a mystery how that keeps happening.
“Perhaps, instead, it’s a disgruntled worker of yours trying to enact revenge on you. Someone who’d have reason to be jealous of your success, as you put it. I could more easily buy the motive in this case, but the means is another story. Most blue collar workers are spinning too many plates in their lives as it is to come up with an elaborate plot to take you down. It’s easy to smash up your boss’ factory, but it’s another thing entirely to successfully do something like this - particularly to someone who commands the respect and capital that you do.”
Not to mention the dude owns most of the apartments in the lower zones. Nobody wants to risk getting evicted by this guy.
“This doesn’t mean I think you are guilty without a doubt, but it leaves me in a very difficult situation. This isn’t a corporate endorsement or you asking to have a favorable article written about you in the Concordian Times. This is a member of the Diet voicing support for someone involved in a criminal investigation, one that everyone will be paying attention to. Witch or one of those other busybodies in the Peacekeepers will likely be very curious as to why exactly I’m speaking so glowingly about someone who isn’t exactly a fan of my music. I doubt we’d be Jopping Jailbirds together - to quote one of my albums - but there would likely be consequences of some sort. Especially now that there’s a live broadcast in which I’ve dropped my little act in public. Perhaps a regrettable decision on my part, but I wasn’t going to be able to keep that up forever. What that means is that no longer will ‘I just think he’s based and poggers’ be a reasonable explanation for my endorsement of you in the eyes of law.”
I sigh. I really did play my best trump card, didn’t I? Oh well, that’s the way the yakgwa crumbles.
“Whatever those consequences may be… I’m effectively the public voice of the Diet. That means it’d be a great humiliation for the entire Diet if you actually did go down for this after my endorsement of you. And right now… I’m not saying the chances of that happening are overwhelming. But your future is… let’s say, uncertain enough that I’m rather cautious about all this. Unfortunately - as things stand right now, I’d need something more than just your word to feel confident in doing this. What that would be, I don’t know at this point.”
This is probably where things will end. I cannot imagine Robotnik has any more cards to play.
Edited by HilarityEnsues on Mar 12th 2022 at 9:16:33 AM
A dogged fellow, aren't we?
Andy – Konohara park
Following along behind Ammy was another figure familiar to the residents of Konohara, albeit more dishevelled than usual. Andy was wearing a big flannel shirt that he had been handed by a peacekeeper, sleeves hanging down over his hands, a paper shopping bag hanging from one of them. Green scratches and scuffs were visible all over his pale legs and face as he flopped down beside the goddess with a sigh.
“Hi Yoriichi… Maaaan… what a day…”
It had probably been more than a day, he had lost track of time in that tube. But it had definitely been one of his least-favourite days. It wasn’t a long list, but this one was going right to the top. But having said all that…
The gem sat all splayed out on the grass, lifting one arm up and flexing his fingers. It always felt good to be put back together, but this felt better than usual. Like… there had been something kinda off before this, but it had been like that for so long he’d stopped noticing it until the feeling was gone. He was starting to think that he wasn’t as good at gem repair as he had thought. Ammy’s magic seemed to do a way better job.
So he felt pretty good! And the sun in Konohara was as nice as always, and the grass was soft. Ammy was just over there, even if she was resting. It was hard to stay grumpy with all of that.
Also, woah! That huge lizard was here too! That’s cool!
Humming softly, he pulled that shopping bag closer and pulled out a jumbo-sized pot of pale white skin-powder, making a start on fixing those embarrassing scuff-marks, soaking in the sunlight as he waited for Rufus to come pick him up.
—
Satsuki – Concert
Something was happening on stage, the tide of the escaping crowd turning back into the park, slowing down Satsuki and Asuka’s progress. She wouldn’t have cared, if not for Rider’s ominous warning.
Satsuki met her servant’s gaze (metaphorically, at least) as Rider moved to take her place behind Asuka, arms slipping around the younger girl’s sides. Ready to evacuate.
Something was about to happen. Now that she paid attention, she could feel something too. She’d been so worried about getting Asuka to safety, distracted by the sensory overload of the concert and the attack, that she’d clearly missed something.
The girl from before, Vivy, was being pushed up on stage. She didn’t recognise the ones doing the pushing. The crowd were going silent. There was a… tension.
Rider’s senses were orders of magnitude more sensitive than hers. If she was worried, Satsuki was worried.
Setting her jaw, she gave Rider a nod, and Asuka an apologetic glance.
“Go.”
Giving one more glance over her shoulder, picking out the positions and the faces of the unknown pair who had sent Vivy up to sing, Satsuki turned her back on the stage, closed her eyes, and braced herself.
—
Maia – Ship-Scientists' Guild
As the interview with Lorem Ipsum continued, Maia cocked her head slightly as she replayed one part in particular in her memory.
The subject was trying to make a point about how much danger it was in right now, about how precarious its position was. Feigning weakness, or otherwise trying to influence the direction of the interview. However, it had neglected to mention the fully armed war-android standing in plain sight. Personally, she would have ranked her own combat effectiveness higher than the gun of Mr Tintin’s mind.
It could be a coincidence. It could be a tactic of some sort. Too many variables to judge.
Lifting her spear from where it leaned against the wall, Maia used her free hand to flick Jengbish a hand signal. Investigating. Eyes fixed on the tube and its verbose inhabitant, she started to circle around, angling in closer and scanning Lorem Ipsum for any reaction.
Edited by LittleMako on Mar 17th 2022 at 2:48:31 AM
An Ordinary Oddball
Moloch "Moko" Kothys—Artifacts Incorporated
Moko, to his credit, did not freeze up during such an important period of subterfuge. He had been one of the spymasters by Kayne's right hand during their shared period of war, after all. "Ah, yes, I seem to remember retrieving it and locking it behind the counter just before the unfortunate robbery attempt occurred and then forgot to give it back to you. How remiss of me, Miss Prushka. I shall go and rectify that right away," he said smoothly, as he stepped away and out of the door of Artifacts Incorporated. If he could not imitate the texture of butter when he wanted to, what kind of butler would he be? As it was, he was already a hell of one, pardon the pun.
He ambled outside, taking the time to place himself better on his head and adjust his tie before starting to whistle and make an attempt to slowly pass where Leo and Begonia were standing just like the note said. Meanwhile, he kept watching Brand from the shop window out of the corner of one eye. The rest was up to the rest of the rescue team now.
Edited by JumpingFruit on Mar 20th 2022 at 8:13:59 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Transcender of Gender
Zone One, Egg Palace -> Zone Six, Precinct 9 - Ichiban Kasuga
Nearly screwed that up, didn't I?
Ichiban's quiet on the way back to the precinct, figuring that's better than putting his foot further in his mouth. He's not beating himself up, exactly- he's not the sort of guy who can spend an entire car motor carriage ride feeling sorry for himself- but it is a curt reminder of where he fell short as a Peacekeeper. It's not like he's married to the job or anything, but if he'd messed up then it would've been on Witch to clean it up, and that's the opposite of what he wants.
The problem, he realises, is that he's gotten too used to having his friends by his side, and having them balance out his flaws. Nanba or Seiko would've stopped him before he said something stupid, and Adachi would've known exactly how to respond to a suspect. Damn, I miss those guys. He slumps in his seat, wondering for the umpteenth time how things are going back home.
Suffice to say, Ichiban isn't in the best of moods by the time they get back to the precinct. He's never stayed in a rut for long, however, and Witch's brief passing of instructions is more than enough to turn his frown upside-down. "Hell yeah, boss! Drinks are on me tonight!" He gives her a salute that would've seemed patronising if she didn't already know how painfully earnest he was about such things, and then promptly makes his way over to the showers.
It's while he's getting cleaned up, scorching water cascading down his vibrant dragonfish tattoo, that Ichiban figures out what to do with the rest of the day. Paperwork is usually the last thing on his mind, but this particular mess would probably have a mountain of it- and if he knew Witch, he knew that she'd be spending most of her free time tackling it. Once he'd gotten all of the blood and guts and dust out of his mane, he'd hunt down the banal shit and get it written up in her place.
His plan of action made, and giddy at the prospect of helping out his boss, Ichiban hums merrily as he takes to the shampoo with gusto, already imagining himself on the Barovian Backdoor's karaoke stage.
Zone One, Ship-Scientist's Guild - J.J. Macfield
"You're as intelligent as you are charming, Mr. Ipsum." you say, matching his grin with a placid smile of your own. There is no use in flattery- you suspect that, if you screamed and hissed and slammed the glass, Lorem's temperament would not change by a single note- but following along with the heart's tempo gives you reason to ignore the quickening of your own. Yes, Lorem, you are well aware of Jengbish loading the gun that's the size and breadth of your body: you had reached the point of your torso exploding in a staggering firework of viscera and bone before you reminded yourself of your assigned cognitive thought exercises.
Once you've suppressed the desire to shudder, you continue. "This viral contagion, then, is your clever metaphor for... let's call it 'anti-legislative sentiment'. Put simply, the Diet is the cancer and you are the cure." Your grip on your pencil tightens as you detect movement to the side. Miss Maia again, encroaching with weapon in hand. It was quite strange, wasn't it, that Lorem saw fit to exclude her from the laundry list of dangers contained within the room. You're harmless, you know that, but Maia certainly wasn't.
Oh wow, maybe Lorem's a misogynist.
Not the time for jokes, J.J.
"As for your hypothetical... jeez, I never liked zombie flicks." You remember the time that you and Emily cowered behind pillows as a monster lunged at the television screen, frightened out of your wits and yet fraught with giddiness and mirth. What would you do, J.J., to make it safely back to her? "In a city like this, it may be possible to quarantine off the infected Rooms and search for a cure in the meantime, but if one wasn't forthcoming... well, I suppose my personal thoughts are irrelevant."
You glance at Alex then, because you just implied you'd kill him if necessary and you can't help but be curious as to his response. Quite telling that Lorem would single him out as a 'hypothetical' mutant biomass after establishing its nigh-omnipotent knowledge of every person in the room. Surely having such a creature in charge of public health would be far too ironic, even for this bizarre cityscape that you find yourself in?
You remind yourself that Do Not Drink The Sap has existed, unabated, for over ninety years.
Alright, Alex Mercer could very well be a mutant biomass. That was a fun little fact to check on later. "I'm most interested in the specific timeframe you've offered for this 'hypothetical'. What could happen in three months that's so drastic that it warranted your actions at Founders Park? I wonder if it has any connection to the, ahem, supposed weakening of the Charter's influence? Perhaps you believe that unification within your body is the solution to supposed dissent in the masses?"
Are you talking too much? You feel like you're talking too much. "In any case, it's quite the desperate action to take. Do you feel desperate, Mr. Ipsum?"
they/them || "Forgive me, regent of queer amphibians" - Lt.BGob
Hiroki, Zone 6, Egress Eternal
"What do I know about the UUU?"
I made it my business to know as much about Concordia and its history as I could. If I were to one day do what I could not in my own world - cleave this foul autocracy in two - it was imperative that I understand the successes and failures of those who came before me, that I knew what made this place tick.
"Let's see... they were scientists who ran into trouble with the Diet because they didn't play by the rules of the guild system, but the group continued to operate under the government's noses. Then... there was some big incident where people got turned into crystal statues, and the group pretty much collapsed after that."
I paused for a moment, wondering if - for whatever reason - I was being tested to see if I knew 'too much' about the organization. Truthfully, I didn't know any more than what I just said, so I didn't think that'd be an issue.
"What can I say? I'm a... bit of a history guy. Anyhow... I hope you find that answer sufficient, Grey."
Edited by HilarityEnsues on Mar 17th 2022 at 7:48:39 AM
Hmm.
Of all the times for this woman to show a brain - even a single neuron of mental activity - it had to be right when he least wanted it. And to think, he listened to her entire discography just to prepare for this. Oh, the life of Dr. Robotnik is one of tribulation, indeed!
He leaned back from the plexiglass, letting himself rest in the narrow steel chair he was given. His face cycled through surprise, silent pleading, and by the end of it he had reached resignation. "I see. A shame."
"...Ahh..."
Ah, yes. His mind had raced like the finest computer, and instantly, he had a card to pull where he had none before. It was not the finest one, it had creases in the corners and a mild stain in the bottom left...but it might just be the one he needed.
"Before I let you go, let me say something," he slipped out something from under his sleeve, a writing implement of some sort and a tiny bit of scrap paper. As he spoke, he wrote. "I must say that, even if your music is a little bit...how do I put it...loud, compared to what I usually listen to,"
"I happened to quite like some of the more recent tracks of yours. Eat My Bussy (Ironically) is a good example of the kind of...Concordian Absurdism that I've been trying to capture in my own writing recently."
The piece of paper was tiny, just barely peeking out from behind his wide hands, but there it was: a plain advertisement for assassination in return for services rendered. It doesn't take much to imagine Robotnik being the sort of person who had the ability to have this happen, let alone the lack of morals, but to see it thrown out in the middle of a prison would paint quite the unique image.
"Anyhoo," he takes the note and crumples it the moment after Areum's eyes passed over it, "if there's any chance of it happening, any at all, well...you know where to find me! Doesn't even have to be that full of an endorsement, just a few kind words here or there. Here's to your prosperity." He then wipes under his nose, stuffing the note into his mouth and swallowing it.
Edited by wikkit on Mar 16th 2022 at 8:37:32 AM
Blair, Zone 1, Yakogoro Hospital
I will not stop Bondrewd from performing the surgery, but… I suppose I was lying about not interrupting it. Because now it was time to make my appearance.
It would be quite silly to come all this way for no reason. The Oculus is something that I know is valued, but I still don’t know precisely why. Does it function similarly to Leonardo’s eyes? Or is the kind of sight it grants to its wielder something entirely different? This is something I must learn for myself.
There is no more time for dawdling, no more time for idle thinking. I’ve done far, far too much of that already. I grab the handle, and the door creaks ominously as I enter the operating room. I stare at the peons before me with an uncaring gaze, caring so little about them at this moment that everyone in the room besides Bondrewd and Rufus might as well be invisible to me. I greet the acclaimed scientist with a sense of respect I’m willing to give few people.
“Doctor Bondrewd,” I addressed him with a nod. “I sincerely apologize for the interruption. I will keep things brief. Like you, I have a scientific curiosity regarding this ‘Oculus’, and simply wish to observe the surgery. Really, it will be as if I’m not even here.”
My sudden appearance likely seems very strange to everyone present since I have no actual reason to be here, but I think nothing of it and do not even make an attempt to explain any further than this. What, is the ill-tempered marten going to bite at this wicked witch’s ankles until I am brought to my knees in tears? Will the moon princess summon one of her holistically deficient genetic runoff like Greguya to mutter annoying things at me until I leave? All for the crime of being present? Regardless of these oh so disastrous scenarios, I decide to stay.
All the while, I silently use a very basic, simple spell on Rufus’s Oculus - Scan. Scan, of course, scans an object and gives me some basic information about its principles. What it can do, where it is from, a market price if applicable. In fact, I should even be able to look at the world as though I was using the Oculus myself. Albeit only for a brief moment, but still. Long enough to discern if this is actually worth anything.
Hiroki, Zone 6
I took a leisurely stroll through Zone 6, a light breeze ruffling my hair a bit as I slowly walked past Carnelli's Curiosities. Occasionally, I would go there in search of various trinkets - minor talismans, potions, just whatever caught my interest at the time. Or sometimes just earrings. Not the most conventional place to look for those, but hey. They’re cute, and that’s all that matters.
I wasn’t heading towards Carnelli’s right now, though. I was just looking for a place to quench my hunger at the moment. Hunger… I was privileged enough to never really have to worry about where I was going to get my next meal. In the event I was ever seriously hurting for money, I’ve always had my ways of making extra cash on the side. But what about everyone else? Why did so many people struggle to get by when there was enough for everyone to be able to live with dignity? I was but a single warrior, hardly equipped to deal with society’s ills on my own. That’s, of course, why I decided to follow Commander Satsuki in the first place. She had courage of her convictions that I could only attempt to emulate, and a desire for genuine justice that was truly admirable.
Oh my! Haha, I guess I got a little distracted from my immediate surroundings for a bit there. I couldn’t help but smile when I noticed a familiar face that appeared from my fog of thoughts.
“Hey Irvine! Sure thing, I was getting pretty hungry actually.”
Edited by HilarityEnsues on Feb 25th 2022 at 3:25:20 PM