Breath of the Sun
Zone 7, The Edge
The white wolf stands at the edge of light and faces the shadow.
It has been long since she ventured out of the city's boundaries. After she was forbidden from cleansing the darkness, her ideals deemed incompatible with Rassilon's numbers, she found herself joining the Draughtsmen less and less.
Another one of her failings. Another thing she would correct. She would stand against whatever force threatened her children. And if need be, destroy it. But secretly, she hoped that the creatures out in the beyond were not demons, but merely children of a different kind. Even now, on the verge of war, the sun goddess prayed for peace.
Bondrewd had not yet lit the incense for his pre-mission ritual. Apparently her metal child was to explain the meaning of their incursion today.
Amaterasu turned to face Maia and silently awaited instruction.
Zone 7, Nameless Chapel
Swain was pleased to spot the war banners as he arrived at the rendezvous point. They indicated that the Arborwatch was serious about recent events.
The old general was out of place, amongst the hunters. He'd thrown on his armor and tied a saber to his side, giving him the look of an imperial veteran rather than a warrior of the wilds.
Nonetheless, he entered with confidence. Beatrice perched on his shoulders as always, and a sizable flock awaited outside the chapel, conversing with their brethren of Zone 7.
The eyes were upon him the moment he entered. Lamb sat in a corner, while Wolf poked his snout out of her shadow. Her clay tag dangled from her neck, inscribed with the Mark of the Kindred, and split in jagged halves. She toyed with it as she met his eyes. A reminder of what Kayne meant to them.
Swain approached the war table, casually ignoring the man with two souls, and glancing only briefly at the cavewoman. He gave Kayne a small smile in greeting. "A war upon beasts is still a war, my dear."
"Life is always a war." Lamb murmured. Her voice was quiet, yet carried unnaturally.
"War is fun!" Wolf grinned. His voice was much louder. "I always get so much to eat!"
"Yes, quite." Swain agreed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Hello, Kayne. Glad to see you are well prepared. My flock stands ready for this hunt."
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
Zone Six, Industrial Atelier
The man Pax Primis has sent to aid you on short notice is a tall, pale individual with short, dark hair, dressed in a sharp black suit, a blue button-down, and dark slacks and shoes. He carries a pistol on the inside of his suit-jacket, though its presence isn't apparent simply from looking at him. He wears a small golden band on his left ring finger, set with a small diamond. If asked, he will briefly explain that it was from his long-lost fiance, looking pained. The paperwork checks out, filled with all the right signatures and stamps, and the paperwork says that he graduated from some university called Oxford and that he's a genius criminal profiler, able to get inside the mind of virtually any person as simply as a man might crack an egg. The paperwork also says that he had extensive work history on supernatural and superhuman phenomena back in his home universe, where he worked as a Special Agent for something called the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.
If you or any of the others gathered had the means to detect the nature of enchantments on objects, you might have figured out that the diamond ring is actually being used to flawlessly disguise his scent and any other outward attributes you might use to identify him as not who he says he is, such as the signature of magic surrounding his head. If you or your subordinates had requested and read his psychological profile, you would know that he's supposed to have trauma related to fire, and that he never smokes.
Neither you nor your subordinates read his psychological profile, because you don't have time. You need to find Greed.
The man who never smokes shimmies a Marlboroid cigarette out of a box he's retrieved from his pocket alongside a basic metal lighter, lights it, and takes a long drag, then exhales a cloud of smoke. His entire person smells like smoke, really; it's quite something, almost as if he isn't standing there at all and his entire body is just a vortex of fumes that's taken on the shape of a person. Then he pulls back and holds his paper cancer stick between his index and middle fingers, and whistles a tune
as he squints and cranes his neck at the building you're before.
He speaks up after a few beats, turning to you as he says, "Well, Boss? Could you remind me how you want to approach this? Do we go waltzing in through the front? Do we sneak in a side entrance, or back door, or loading bay...? Anything works for me, for the record. If I have the measure of the good Mr. Brand, he'll have prepared for us heading down any of those paths, so it just depends on what sort of measures you want to deal with."
Mulder, Fox Mulder, he said his name was.
Edited by darksidevoid on Apr 3rd 2023 at 10:17:22 AM
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
Areum, Zone Four, Pedea Island Room
I’m wearing a uh… I don’t think scandalous is really the right word, but it certainly is some kind of hot pink bikini. When you look like this, it's hard not to look slightly provocative.
I lay on my chair, feeling… upset. Uncomfortable. You know, I haven’t played anything that could even be considered in the realm of ‘pop’ music in weeks, because it just doesn’t feel right or natural anymore. My songs as of late have had harder sounds, with more angsty lyrics, talking about blood and guts and hate and loneliness and other themes that would’ve been incredibly out of place with my output just a month ago. It may be assumed by some people that this is some sort of phase I’m going through, but it’s not. I don’t know if I’m ever going back to my old music at this point.
Yukari comes over with a bottle of water, which I accepted without saying much in return.
“Thanks…”
I take a drink of my water, and notice Fluffy playing in the sand next to Chen.
“Areum,” he says. “Do you want to play with Chen?”
I feel something. I don’t know exactly what it is, to be honest. Maybe it’s regret at how the last 150 years have gone and my part in it, maybe it’s anger at the fact that I’m an increasingly irrelevant figure in the Diet itself as Kaguya and Myn swallow up every morsel of power like hungry vultures. Maybe it’s rage at the fact that I can’t so much as sing a fucking note without that evil bitch Mikudayo coming around and ruining everything for me. Maybe I’m just completely collapsing under the stress of living here in general. I don’t know.
“Um,” I say uncomfortably. “I don’t really…”
Oh boy, this is not great...
“...What’s going on? Are you ok?”
Suddenly I feel a surge of magic flow through me in an inexplicable way. My hands turn into huge claws. My eyes start to glow. My hair lengthens and becomes much wilder. My teeth sharpen into some incredibly vicious looking canines. My height sprouts up from 8 to around 12 feet, a magical pink aura spreading out around me. I end up rolling off the chair, face first into the sand.
“I… um…”
“...”
Uh… well, this is definitely a weird one, even for a person whose entire existence can be accurately called ‘a weird one’. I remember when I was fighting off the incoherence during the founding of Concordia, I would often take a sort of ‘feral’ state, where I’d rip though monsters like a tornado of claws and magic and death. I know it has something to do with my giant ancestry, because we’re real fucking weird. Or to put it in more… explanatory terms, sometimes we tap into some sort of primal might that boosts our power when it’s time for battle. And sometimes we do it without really meaning too if we’re particularly stressed, upset, or generally just not-great. It’s like uh… what was that movie called? The Amazing Bulk? Yes, that’s the one.
What a fucking terrible movie. God, I’m facefirst in the sand, thinking about the fucking Bulk of all things. I get up and gulp down a Blue Hawaiian, and I feel as though the tropical flavors revive me from my stupor.
“Sorry, that was uh… weird. I must’ve been more stressed out than I was willing to admit if I did... whatever you call that.”
Damn, an incredible way with words as usual. I notice Chen and Ran working on a sand sculpture.
“So... what’re you guys making there?”
Zone 7, Nameless Chapel
Quiet as undisturbed grass, a stranger passes through the chapel doors. A tall, thin man of perhaps fifty summers, greying blonde hair in a ponytail under a wide-brimmed hat, and a moustache and beard trimmed close to his face.
His eyes are kind and alert, and he's dressed like one of the ranchers any resident of Zone 7 could pick out of a crowd: Wool shirt, denim jeans, tough leather boots and gloves, and a heavy duster. If he's carrying a weapon, it's not obvious. He looks like anyone else one might find out here at the edge of consensual reality; that's why no one had paid him any mind as he trudged through the district on his way to the chapel. No one had afforded him a second glance as he went to meet the master Draughtswoman who had called for a hunt. If he was answering Kayne Ainsel's call, he must have belonged there. He certainly walks like he belongs there.
With light footsteps, the stranger approaches the assembled hunters. He regards each of them with a courteous nod and an avuncular smile before he finally addresses Kayne.
"Miss Ainsel, I'll be joinin' you folks on your hunt, if I'm not imposin'. Y'all don't have to worry about me slowin' the group down." he says in the relaxed drawl of accented ship-speak.
From his voice, he sounds as if he's not originally from Concordia, or at least not from Zone 7, but has enough traits of the Concordian accent to obviously have spent a great deal of his life here.
"Jeremiah Finch. Pleasure to make your acquaintances." the stranger adds, still smiling warmly.
Just then, his smile changes; only slightly, and very slowly, for just two of the assembled hunters.
The man has positioned himself so only the Draughtswoman and Peacekeeper General can see his face. Upon careful inspection, their natural perceptiveness, and a bit of personal knowledge, they begin to see it: His hair is synthetic, his duster hides the exact shape of his body and conceals his weapons without looking unnatural, even his ears are likely pinned so that the absence of his hat would not immediately give him away.
A man of his station cannot easily explain his presence here, especially when his capacity to inflict violence is strictly on a need-to-know basis. Swain needed to know before, and Kayne needs to know now. She's never seen him exercise violence, but Swain's tacit endorsement should hopefully be enough to convince her. She knows who he is, at the very least, and she's smart enough to know when questions would be unproductive.
Now that they recognize him, his smile warms again. His silent message is clear: He's coming along, and he would prefer the others not be told who is among them. He has told them because he believes they can be trusted to keep a secret.
Edited by DoctorThunder on Apr 3rd 2023 at 10:10:37 AM
Mad Scientist
Zone 6, The Egress Eternal; Alexi Vult
Here he comes.
A few days back, Grey left his place in Zone 6, and I stole Junko's journal from him.
Which he probably noticed by now, if he has any sense.
Although he probably doesn't have much of it.
Time to get some answers.
Of course, I should remember that he's a fucking lunatic.
Zone 6, The Egress Eternal; Nathan Grey
There she is.
A few days back, I relocated my stuff from Zone 6 to Zone 4 in preparation for my plans. But as it turns out, I left something behind. Junko's Journal.
Which Vult seems to have taken for herself, which isn't exactly good. I mean, I may have used it to track down the despairists, she may draw other conclusions.
Especially if she notices my notes on... that place.
Best not to dwell on that, though. As long as I can make sure she isn't intending on leaking it's contents to anyone, it should be fine.
But I doubt I'm that lucky, since I never seem to be.
Still, I'll probably be getting some questions.
I should remember to avoid coming off as some kind of lunatic, though.
Alexi Vult
Grey sat down in front of me and stares at me.
I'll let him make the first move and see where it goes from there.
Nathan Grey
She's just staring at me.
Best let her speak up first. Get my bearings together.
Later, but not too later...
Alexi Vult
Why the fuck isn't he saying anything?
Fuck, he was expecting me to say something, isn't he.
Ah fuck. Now it feels too awkward for me to say anything. Fuck.
Look for an out, look for an out.
Wait, looks like the waiter is coming by.
Nathan Grey
Oh no, why isn't she saying something?
She's expecting me to speak? I didn't expect this at all.
She's supposed to be the one asking questions, not me.
Alright, think, think. Uhhhh...
Wait, is someone coming?
Edited by Mindris on Apr 3rd 2023 at 10:26:32 AM
Irvine; Zone 6, Egress Eternal
Concordia is a funny place, Irvine thinks, but more in the absurdist vein. It was absurd that, apparently, Susie and some other miscreant had tried to assassinate Theophilius and failed, which had led to Theophilius getting booted from his position and the currently ongoing corruption investigation of Zone 5's Peacekeepers by Zone 6's Guardian. Stuff like that. Very snowball-y, for lack of a better term.
Anyway, he thinks, he's thankfully still free to go out during off-hours (as opposed to Susie, who had received a rather exacting punishment for actually being involved in the attempt). The Egress is a bubble of people and food and laughter, and he allows himself a little bit of hope - if he gets home, if, he'd be able to see this sort of happiness any time he wanted. A world free of people like him and roaming superweapons and witches who wanted to recreate the universe in their own image. Somewhere where he could live instead of fight.
He almost sits down at a table for two, ready to tell whoever else asks that, yes, they can take the chair, he's not using it, when he sees Hiroki enter. "Hey," he calls to the swordsman, "didn't expect to see you here. Want to chat?"
So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my Tumblr
Local idiot who is a sucker for cute 2d boys
Zone 6, The Egress Eternal ~ Kiel
I feel like I have done something wrong from a month ago in terms of...what happened to be exact. First, that black coak thing that revealed itself along with that jazz, secondly I...might have lost it at the library, and finally, the former Liberian told me that I need a break, which explains why I'm here in egress eternal...kind of. You see, whenever I have the time to go here, I usually buy food and drinks. Sure, it cost extra, but I do want to help as much as I can. As I walk, I notice two people that pique my interest; a wolf lady and... wait, is that? Yeah, it's the same doc I met when the black cloak person show up! I wasn't able to get his name, but maybe now's my chance. Besides, it looks like I can talk to them, so I waltz over towards them, hoping I wasn't interrupting something important."Hello, doc! How's your leg doing for the past one months? No broken bones or anything like that?"
Okay, that was a weird way to come in and interact. No one would walk into a family home and say something like that. Might as well try to make it less weird. Oh, right, introductions; after all, I haven't told him nor his friend my name. "Um, sorry for not introducing myself sooner, but my name is Kiel. Do you mind telling me your name? If not, that's completely fine, but it would be weird if I call you the doc, you know."
Edited by Xabbynip09 on Apr 3rd 2023 at 2:07:06 PM
“You bowl with 3 middle fingers” Oh hey, a troper wall
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
Zone Four, Pedea Island Room
"Don't worry about it, dear!" Yukari replied, giggling at the K-Pop dictator's unfortunate faceplant, "Getting all that out is the whole reason we're on vacation, after all!"
"Oh!" Chen perked up, so engrossed in her sculpting attempts that she seemed to have forgotten all about Areum until the (much, muuuuuuch) taller lady decided to ask. Nevertheless, she turned to the bubblegum-haired pop sensation with a beaming, catlike smile. "This is Reimu!" she proclaimed proudly, planting her hands on her hips.
It wasn't entirely clear who or what Reimu was, besides probably a girl in a dress with long sleeves, so Yukari helpfully filled in some gaps: "Hakurei Reimu is an important miko back in Gensokyo. Her clan is tasked with keeping the balance within Gensokyo and helping to maintain the Great Hakurei Barrier, which is what allows Gensokyo to exist in the first place. In practice, that meant that she often went and beat up any youkai who got out of line and tried to disrupt the balance between the residents of Gensokyo when they did things like blot out the sun with mist, try to feed all life in Gensokyo to a parasitic, youkai sakura tree, not to mention that time a nuclear hell raven tried to eradicate all life on the surface, the Lunarians invading... you get the picture! Heck, she even beat me up a few times - with fair Spell Card rules and danmaku battles, of course! But sooner or later, we would all get over our animosity and go over to Reimu's for regular tea parties and festivals... even if it was less like we were invited and more like we just decided to impose on her hospitality, heehee!"
"Harrumph," Ran harrumphed. "I don't see what we needed that boorish, money-grubbing miko for, anyway. I was doing a perfectly fine job of maintaining the Great Barrier without her help, wasn't I?"
"Oho~!" Yukari smiled slyly into her hand as she brought her fingers to her mouth. "Then you're certain you could have handled all those incidents yourself, even with all your duties, Ran?"
"Of course, Lady Yukari. With your power flowing through me, nothing is impossible!"
"Araaaa~! Then surely you could defeat Reimu in battle, if you can do anything and you're the superior balance guardian!"
"That's..." Ran whined, ears pinning against her head. "That miko is a cheater! She uses dirty tricks to win! How am I expected to defeat an opponent that can phase in and out of reality on a whim?!"
"Come now, Ran, let go of your prideful grudge, already!" Yukari snorted. "How long has it been since you last saw her? Nearly a century and a half, not counting the part where we couldn't tell time out in the Incoherence?"
"Well... I suppose you do have a point, Lady Yukari," Ran admitted reluctantly, bowing deeply. "I will try to improve my attitude towards others. ...Even if they are annoying, rude, violent brats."
"Very good!" Yukari chuckled, having moved over to retrieve something from her bag. She returned to Areum's side and offered her a digital camera, with a certain video pulled up on it. "Here. This is what Reimu looks like, and what Chen is trying to make. Or at least, this is what her highly popular and marketable plushie looks like, heh!"
"Did you have someone like that back home, Areum?" the Gap Youkai asked with a gentle, kindly smile, perching on the edge of her chair and tilting her head at the now 12-foot giant woman. "Someone you clashed with often, but couldn't do without, and ultimately got along with?"
Meanwhile, Chen had returned intently to her attempt to create a sand Fumo Reimu, but the way her ears twitched and swiveled betrayed that she was paying close enough attention to what was being said.
Edited by darksidevoid on Apr 3rd 2023 at 2:00:42 PM
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
Mad Scientist
Zone 6, The Egress Eternal; Alexi Vult
Not a waiter, then.
So who is this, then? How do they know Grey?
Grey responds to them, "Oh uh, hello... you. My leg has been fine since then, thank you."
Huh. Grey doesn't know or can't remember the other guy's name. Interesting.
Nathan Grey
Oh, its one of those people from that weirdness with that guy turning into a big spiky thing and that mysterious cloaked figure. Over 1 month ago, or a quarter of a quadrum.
Has it really been that long? Shocking how fast time goes. Enough time that I seem to have forgotten his name.
Wait, they're saying something. Turns out they never actually told me their name, which is Kiel.
Okay, hopefully they don't comment on my screwup. Where was I?
Hope that stormy fellow... Everend or whatever his name was, doesn't turn up. Personally, I'd prefer not to meet such a preachy sort like him again.
The sort who back home would harshly judge what goes on on Rimworlds without bothering to understand why such things even happen in the first place. Judgemental pricks.
Where was I? Right, need to say my name or whatever.
"I go by Doctor Grey, but I'm fine with being called Doc if you wish."
Vult suddenly spoke after me, "And I tell people to call me Vult, not that you asked, whoever you are."
After a brief glance in her direction, I turned back to Kiel. "...Right. So why are you here then, Kiel?"
Edited by Mindris on Apr 4th 2023 at 7:13:48 AM
Transcender of Gender
Zone Six, Egress Eternal - Ichiban Kasuga
There's something intimately familiar about the greasy, airless warmth of the Eternal, even if everything else about it is foreign to him. If Ichiban lets his mind wander, as it's wont to do, then it can eventually meander its way back to any number of memories: the soapland backrooms of perfumed musk and child-unfriendly gossip; the dust motes catching in the sweltering summer heat of the office; dingy back-alleys lined start to finish with claustrophobic bars.
As the City has brought itself closer and closer to collapse, Ichiban has invariably found himself drifting back to better days for longer periods of time.
But not now; not when he has company. He drops his fork so he no longer has an excuse to march his food across his plate, and instead takes a slice of toast into hand. Fortune had favoured him this week, so Jakub and Rodriguez were being treated to breakfast as thanks for footing his tab some few weeks ago.
"So, yeah," he says, continuing from where he'd drifted off, "steady employment ain't come my way yet, but I've been getting by. That gang business got within a few blocks of my place, so I've been helping them patch up when I can. As for the rest..."
Substory 172
Dude, Where's My House?
"So, like, we dropped into the old factory, and it was totally empty, and my stupid klutz ass tripped over this doodad on the ground, but omigod, would you believe it, it was a quantum destabilizer?! Totally amazeballs! So I was like "Omigod, guys, we should totally use this to molecularize Dustin's apartment, that'll teach that bitch to flake on the tab.""
"That's illegal ma'am."
Substory 173
Big Trouble in Little Konohana
"Ohhh, if only there was a strapping young huma who could search the park for my eighty-seven lost kwirklings!"
(I'd be an asshole not to help someone find their lost kids... And it's not like I have anything better to do with the time.)
Substory 174
Miku Miku Mania
"I understand now... even if someone from Zone 6 does something like take the last Limited Edition Chibidayo Plushie from the shelf, that doesn't justify my crusade of brutal, widespread classism. Thanks for violently beating that into me with your baseball bat, Mr. Kasuga."
"No problem, man. Now off to the precinct with you."
"Well, I've gotten pretty good at sniffing out odd jobs. Not like I'm changing anyone's life, but..." Feel like I'm doing a damn sight better than I ever managed with the Peeks. It's not that Ichiban thinks Jakub will take him to court over it - hell, he'd probably agree - but it's too early, and his stomach is too empty, to muster up the energy for a good bitching. He dips his bread into the egg and takes a hearty bite, previous reservations bursting alongside the flavour across his tongue. He doesn't know what squewlbing is, but he has to admit, it makes it pretty damn tasty.
"Enough about my sorry ass, though." He crowds forward in his seat, sporting a smile that isn't his first of the morning, but feels a few leagues more genuine. "How have you guys been? Witch better be keeping you on your toes."
At some point, during the tail-end of the ensuing conversation, Ichiban's attention would be caught by the caterwauling behind the counter. With one ear still on his own table, Ichiban would hike his arm up on the red leather backing, turn his head, and yell "Hey, Andy, Rufus, you guys good over there?!"
Edited by whizzerd on Apr 4th 2023 at 1:40:15 PM
they/them || "Forgive me, regent of queer amphibians" - Lt.BGob
Areum, Zone Four, Pedea Island Room
I listened as the Yakumos talked about Reimu. I knew about the various things they were talking about - the spell card, danmaku battles, etc - from being around them for long enough, but I was once again reminded of how different our worlds were. Spell card battles ensured a level of peace that Earth had never really seen before, as Korea’s wartorn history unfortunately reminded me. Gensokyo sounded downright utopic in that sense - though actually, the Yakumos are youkai. From what they’ve told me about their home over the years, being an ordinary human in Gensokyo sounds a lot less nice, considering they can easily get eaten if they trek outside the human village.
"That’s very cute," I smiled at Chen. She hasn’t changed much at all in 150 years, which is honestly kind of strange and maybe even concerning. Do youkai mature a lot slower than other species? Are there people in Gensokyo who are well over a century old that still act like children?
"Reimu sounds like someone who has her work cut out for her," I noted. "I’ve been in that same sort of role for my homeland in trying to protect people from such strange occurrences, and it can be quite difficult to maintain order when you have so many unusual beings everywhere."
It’s been a while since I’ve been asked anything about my homelife. I have to take a moment to get myself out of the mindset of just talking about the Diet or my music all the time.
"I do," I nodded to Yukari. "Jang-Mi is a gumiho - that’s our equivalent of kitsune - who often causes trouble for other people. Playing pranks, seducing men, and stealing their possessions. But in spite of her less than exemplary behavior, she proved invaluable in protecting Korea from various threats over the years. She always put everything else aside when it came to what was best for the country and its people, and the two of us grew to respect each other more as we got to know each other better. It turned out the two of us were both musicians, and that was something we would often talk about. She was from - what we at least called at the time - South Korea, and their music was more… western-influenced, I guess you could say."
"I found it very interesting, and I wanted to try to combine the southern music with the more northern sounds I grew up with. Even when I was just making music and had no political aspirations yet, I always thought it was stupid that there was this line we couldn’t cross, where we couldn’t have cultural exchange, where we couldn’t talk to each other… so being a big pop star, I just kind of ignored the barrier. Wouldn’t have met Jang-Mi, or a lot of people, if I didn’t."
"Anyways - as much as I would chastise her at times over her antics, she was - no, is a good friend. Someday I’ll see her again, I know it."
"You definitely will," Fluffy says affirmatively.
"Thanks, Fluffy."
Then I started making a little gumiho in the sand next to the Fumo Reimu.
Hiroki and Viktoria, Zone 6, Egress Eternal
Hiroki declined to really say anything about the incident with Theo when it happened. It’s not that he didn’t have anything to say, but he figured Susie had already gotten a stern talking to by many people at this point already, and saw little reason to add salt to the wound. And Seija… truthfully, he did have very nasty things he very much wanted to say to her. ‘You don’t contribute to the militia at all, you’re useless, all you do is start shit and cause problems, why the fuck do we keep a youkai around anyways’ - but none of this would’ve helped anything, so he held his tongue. He hoped Satsuki would have the good sense to give her the boot if things got really out of hand.
But that was a month ago, and he hadn’t really thought about that in weeks. Now he was heading to the Egress to relax a bit - and he wasn’t alone. He was with a woman
who was not exactly known outside of the Mantle, where she was yet another frighteningly competent ex-military personnel. That, and her relationship with Hiroki, was the extent of what most people really knew about Viktoria.
And like Hiroki, she was very tall. Is there anything more important you can know about a person, really?
The two of them entered the bar, Hiroki immediately noticing Irvine calling out to him from the crowd and taking a seat next to him.
“Oh hey,” he cordially greets his fellow militia member. “Didn’t know you were coming here. How’ve you been, man?”
Viktoria, meanwhile, notices Luis Rodriguez and takes a seat near him.
“Hello Luis,” she nods to him. “You want a drink?”
Edited by HilarityEnsues on Apr 4th 2023 at 10:47:49 AM
Local idiot who is a sucker for cute 2d boys
Zone 6, The Egress Eternal ~ Kiel
I see, his leg is doing fine. That's good to hear. He is called Doctor Grey, but he doesn't mind me calling him Doc while the wolf lady is called Vult. "Well, it's nice to meet you as well, Doc and Vult." At least I got to know their names, otherwise, it would be a bit awkward to call someone you. "Oh, I've been buying a lot of food not only to make sure I have something to eat but to also help people that don't get anything to eat. So, whenever I have a day off from work, I usually go here and buy food."Egress Eternal is, in my opinion, the best place you can hang out and have fun while eating. But, I usually buy groceries from Donki, so I don't understand why I went here instead of my go-to place to buy groceries. Regardless, at least Grey is okay from that month ago. "So, what are you two been doing here? Having a date or something? Regardless of your reason, if you need any help of sorts, please let me know and I'll help. I'm not the smartest of all peacekeepers, but I do want to make the place better than it is currently."
Okay, I'll admit, mentioning the peacekeeper sounds dumb, but if I didn't know any better, maybe there is something I can do without the whole work at the librarian for the day. Besides, just standing around at my home makes me feel not only useless but also restless when I think about it. Who knows if they have a problem, but even if they don't, that's completely fine. Besides, I honestly doubt they have one.
“You bowl with 3 middle fingers” Oh hey, a troper wall
Alex Mercer - Zone Four - Pedea Island Room
Something resembling a chuckle rumbled from your throat as the giantess rolled out of her chair and onto the sand, control of her magic seemingly escaping her. "Letting the stress get to you, huh?" you said, taking a cup from the tray you were carrying and offering it to Areum. "Let your guard down too much and you might miss the knife hidden behind a smile." You grinned, a masterful shit-eating grin if there ever was one.
Out of the corner of your eye, you could see something moving in the water. The spines of Areum's pet protruded from below the surface as he swam, clearly enjoying himself. You'd heard some of the researchers say he was amphibious.
Your expression straightened, settling into something a bit more warm and relaxed. "I'm fucking with you, if that wasn't obvious." That much needed to be said, at least. You were a shapeshifter who'd tagged along to a private beach party of other Diet members. You didn't look like Alex Mercer right now. Your skin was much more tan and you were wearing sunglasses, a loose-fitting red Hawaiian shirt and blue swim trunks.
The room you inhabited was undocumented, and kept under careful watch by one Yukari Yakumo. Yukari wasn't one to fuck with, even if she ostensibly seemed to do nothing but fuck with others. This wasn't the first such place you'd entered; By all accounts the City was full of them, but most people didn't know where to look. But, oddly enough, you were here to have fun, not perform espionage. Present company were interesting enough, far more so than most of your Diet peers, and removed enough from the petty politics that you might partake of interesting conversation.
"Sounds like you guys know some fun people back home." After passing a drink to Yukari, you set the tray down on a nearby stool and reclined into a chair of your own. "Me, I'm a fucking asshole. Can't say I was much fun at parties in college. My sister's the only one I talked to regularly. Hopefully she's doing alright. Moved on, got someone in her life that's not a sketchy flake like me, y'know."
She was smart, and the Blacklight outbreak was starting to be contained. She'd do fine, as long as Blackwatch didn't track her down. Both of you had been careful. Or, rather, she had been careful, and you'd murdered enough of the right people that they'd never be able to pick up her trail. She'd be fine.
Probably.
That doubt was just enough to make you worry, just a little bit. Not like you could do anything about it from here. But your sister meant you had something to care about back home, as much as you publicly pretended that you had nothing to care about aside from your 'job'.
The water at the shoreline surged and broke, carried inland by the sudden arrival of the giant lizard, who shook himself off before pacing over towards the two girls playing in the sand. Eyeing their creation, he snorted in something resembling approval and laid down on the ground nearby, nestling his chin into the soft sand and watching them work.
Rebecca - Zone Seven - Welcoming Guild
The moment she'd heard about the job she'd grilled her friend for as many details as she was able to get.
"What's it like out there?"
"When are you leaving?"
"Can I come?"
"How long will you be gone?"
She'd grown up with the wastelands surrounding Night City on all sides. Nobody lived out there except the Nomads, who were just crazy enough to strike out on their own. Their life wasn't anymore stable than life in Night City. Concordia wasn't much different, except nobody really lived out in the Incoherence.
In the end, all her friend told her was when they were leaving, and that they would meet up at the Welcoming Guild before departing. And so, she'd struck out early to make sure she'd have a chance to say goodbye before she left. Not that there was any doubt in Rebecca's mind that she'd come back. She knew what she could do.
She'd dented the Bepis machine when it got stuck dispensing the drink she paid for, just as her friend had shown up. She almost crushed the can in excitement. The android had remembered the secret handshake they came up with; It took just long enough that anyone unaware within earshot might mistake the exchange for a violent conflict. That was part of the fun, really, the clashing of metal on metal. She already knew how to high-five, so clearly fistbumping was next.
Eventually, though, the reunion drew to a close. Rebecca gave her friend a hug before she broke off to rejoin the rest of the Draughtsmen. She was learning, although the cyborg wasn't entirely sure if she'd realized her request for a souvenier was a joke. Not that it mattered either way. Either she was getting more fun or Rebecca would get something fun brought back when she returned. It was a win-win.
Rebecca - Zone Seven - The Nameless Chapel
The chapel Kayne had mentioned was already busy with activity by the time she arrived. Wooden wagons were spread out here and there, tables and chairs and stoves and plates accompanying them. She could smell the food before she saw it. "Shit, we got chow time before we get to blastin? Nova!"
Inside the chapel there was a table set up with papers and such strewn about. She didn't recognize most of the faces, although a few of them stood out. She threw a mock salute towards Kayne as she entered. She was unsurprisingly rather underdressed compared to the rest of the gathered figures, but she'd dragged along all her guns for this show. Nobody would be able to doubt she meant business.
"Yo, chrome dome," she said to V. "How far'd ya hafta dive into the dump to find those shades? Fuckin' retro, choom." The man strutted like he had enough swagger to cover for everyone else present. Gonks like him were a dime a dozen in Night City.
Eventually she noticed the armored figure among them, and a creeping look of recognition and disbelief graced her face. "Wait, I've seen your mug before. You the big man with the badge, ain'tcha? Don't tell me you got off your cushy seat in the clouds to come slum it with us plebs?"
Edited by lynkzero13 on Apr 12th 2023 at 10:01:31 AM
Johnny blinked behind his aviators and looked down at Rebecca, even lowering his shades as he stared at her. Now she had to be some kind of Joy Toy, a Mox probably judging by the Tattoo work.
"Play nice," Vincent warned, Johnny brushed him off.
"Picked em up from an old friend," Johnny admitted. "Rogue Amendiares, maybe you've heard of her?"
The way he spoke about Rogue, Vincent noticed, was different. Instead of his usual swagger and dismissive sarcasm, he sounded fond. "The only woman who could bust your balls as hard as Alt makes you act like this?
Johnny took the sunglasses off and shook them a bit in hand as he continued to evaluate Rebecca. "Nice iron, packing a lot of heat huh? Me?"
He put the glasses on, gripped onto the Malorian in his thigh holster and with a bit of flourish, spun it around his finger as he drew it. "I prefer this, can drop a cyberpsycho at 100 paces with a single shot, no matter how metaled up he is."
Guys' Brunch - Zone Six - Egress Eternal
"You bet she is," answered Jakub, ever weary, before setting down his coffee cup. He was scowling, one of his two observed facial expressions. He had the remarkable ability to perpetually look as though he'd been fished out of the gutter without ever smelling like it. Really, the only thing he ever smelled of was booze or gunpowder, if not both. "Though lately it's been the Lieutenant busting my chops, boss bein' busy cleanin' up after that Houraisan brat in Zone Five an' all."
"Yeah, I've been seeing a lot more of her," Rodriguez chimed in, half-finished bagel in hand. "Except she doesn't give me orders anymore. Mantle keeps me busy, puts food on the table. Sounds like you got what you were looking for, though, eh Ichiban? Work that doesn't keep you up at night? Get to help people, and not feel like you're being paid to ignore problems? No offense Jakub."
"Bah!" the most surly of the three scoffed. "I ain't in this for the money. I'd've holed up somewhere and drank myself to death by now if I cared about that job. I'm tagging along with boss and the Lieutenant. They seem like they got some sorta plan. Not that I'd mind if that plan involved leveling the Diet building..."
Jakub had never said how he'd ended up joining the Peacekeepers, or why. Nobody knew why he stuck around or hadn't been fired yet, either. He was belligerent and sarcastic, and only took orders from people he liked unless it was at gunpoint. There were by his own admission very few people he liked. But he seemed to like Guardian Witch and Lieutenant Kitsuragi, and they seemed to like the work he did, when he actually did any.
"You gotta be careful where you joke about that kinda thing, man."
Jakub smirked, the other of his two observed facial expressions. "Who said I was joking?"
Rodriguez turned in his seat at the greeting from a familiar voice.
"Vikki! What's up?!" he replied, excited to see another Mantle member outside of work.
A drink?
"Oh, uh, I guess I could use a refill? Gonna meet up with Nick in a bit and get to work, so no bottle for me yet. What about you?"
With Rodriguez distracted, Jakub leaned over in his seat towards Ichiban and glanced towards the bar counter, where the flamboyant gem attempted to pry free his bull-man friend. "How'd a big fella like him even get in there?"
Irvine; Zone 6, Egress Eternal
"I've been all right. Good as can be, given the circumstances." He shrugs. "Wasn't too close to them, so I guess I got lucky."
Thinking back, he's almost impressed how completely out of control the circumstances had been. For some unknowable reason, Asuka had been in the same room as Seija - yes, that was her name - and hadn't volunteered for the assassination attempt. Maybe she had thought that she had nothing to contribute, or maybe a more reasonable head had prevailed. It's not like he could ask her.
"Anyway, glad to see you have some other company." He nods in Viktoria's direction. He doesn't know much about her, he thinks, except that she was ex-military and she seemed to be from the same world as Hiroki, based on how familiar they acted the few times he'd seen them together. Must be nice, he thinks, though the constant reminder of home had to be weighed against it. Then again, the way Hiroki dodged questions about his past, maybe home wasn't so great. "How are you doing? Haven't seen you in a while."
So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my Tumblr
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
Zone Six, Egress Eternal
In the rear of the mess, a fiery-haired man clad in elaborate crimson robes sits slightly apart from the cup of steaming green tea on the table beside himself, one leg folded perpendicular over the other as he used the silver picks on the fingers of his right hand to pluck at the red and gold pipa held in his left, an instrument which had on its far end the carving of a fierce-looking, almost demonic head. In spite of its being a mere pipa, the sound emanating from the lute was somehow that of a Spanish guitar. The color of the minstrel's eyes wasn't immediately clear, closed as they were as he drifted soulfully through the act of making music. As Grey finally began talking, however, they snapped open, revealing emerald irises that were at once sharp, penetrating, and honest - and burning with fury as he seethed wordlessly and glared so intensely at the back of the object of his ire that if the heat of his gaze hadn't been figurative, the Doctor might have combusted on the spot.
By the time Kiel offered his help, the venue's live entertainment had quaffed his matcha, set the cup back down, and risen to his feet. The only warning that Grey would have that someone was approaching, unless his conversation partners decided to warn him, would be that the music in the Egress swiftly got louder from his perspective, until the musician was standing directly behind him like a doomful omen and glowering down at the back of his head. The one who spoke up to express his displeasure wasn't the bard himself, however, but rather the head on his instrument, whose bottom jaw moved up and down to match the nasal words loud enough to carry across the diner that somehow emerged:
"Well, well, well, look who it is! I'd have thought they'd keep you locked up for at least longer than six measly weeks for stealing the limb of a kidnapping victim and assaulting so many Peacekeepers and causing so much damned chaos, but I guess not, eh, Doc?"
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
Mad Scientist
Zone 6, The Egress Eternal; Alexi Vult
Does he seriously think that we're-
"No! Why does everyone keep assuming whenever I have a meeting with someone who happens to be female that it's a date? I mean," Grey pauses, taking a breath, "I've been on meetings with males and occasionally with females as a female after a lab accident, but no one asks if those meetings are dates? Seriously, what the hell? I'm just here to meet with Vult regarding what she sto-"
-Okay, time to interrupt. "Grey, maybe don't go off full mast on the Peacekeeper."
Grey promptly reacted to that in shock. Strange.
He turned to Kiel and said, "You're a Peek?" Huh. Didn't know he used that word.
Nathan Grey
Is this a set-up!? Have I been betrayed!?
No, no it can't be. Witch dropped the charges, right? They have nothing on me. I'm fine.
Wait, who's this guy?
Fuck, he does not like me. Looks familiar too.
Aw fuck, this is another one of these vigilante execution attempts, isn't it?
Well, typical method, I guess. Let them talk while you quietly grab your gun. Hope I have a good one on me this time.
I stayed silent, simply staring at the bard. Waiting for a opportunity to sneakily grab a gun out from my coat.
Alexi Vult
Who the fuck is that guy- wait, isn't he from when Grey was arrested?
Wow, if he's that upset at the idea he was only in jail for 6 weeks, I wonder how he'll react when he finds out it wasn't even a day.
Edited by Mindris on Apr 7th 2023 at 4:19:42 AM
Local idiot who is a sucker for cute 2d boys
Zone 6, The Egress Eternal ~ Kiel
Wait, he doesn't know I'm apart of the Peacekeepers? Well, to be fair, I didn't know he appeared during the whole black cloak crisis a month ago, so yeah. "Yes, I'm a apart of the Peacekeepers, so I understand the shocked. However, I can't arrest people willy-nilly you know. It goes against the rulebook for Peacekeepers. " Honestly, that part is true; yes, you can investigate someone, but you can't arrest them unless you have edivinces to proves their crime. Sure, I have heard about the whole gem kidnapping stuff, but that's pretty much it.
However, some bard came towards us...and the bard's lute begin to speak. Strange, but I'll be a hypocrite since from where I live is that we have Ventuswill, the one who guards Selphia and can talk. Oh, it turns out that he was arrested for six weeks? Huh, I was too occupied on something else during that time, but hey, as long as Grey hasn't done anything criminal related, then he should be fine.
"Um, excuse me sir," I begin to speak, "while I do appreciate that you know him in one way or form, but it's pretty rude to interrupt an conversation. Also, if you're going to cause some trouble here, I ask that you shouldn't try to. After all, not only you get a fine, but you also get your license to play live music is revoked."
Yes, I get it, it's very naive of me to say it. File your complaints to Peacekeepers whenever you have the time and I won't read them.
Edited by Xabbynip09 on Apr 7th 2023 at 9:22:31 AM
“You bowl with 3 middle fingers” Oh hey, a troper wall
Transcender of Gender
Zone Five, Smith, Smith, and Smith
You were the group project kid. Not the sympathetic kind, let's get that out of the way; not the sort that posted about it online and had thousands swarm to echo your frustrations at being the smartest, most perfect, most load-bearing student. No, you did all the work because you didn't trust anyone else with it. If little Dahlia had forgotten to cross a single "t" then you would've taken the 98% to the grave and beyond.
The redhead explains that she doesn't know anything and has no reason to be here. You blow air into synthetic rubber (the packaging is in a language you don't understand; it tastes vaguely like kiwi) and slowly allow the bubble to deflate as the other two women provide information of a significantly higher calibre. Red and blue are a music group, or something of the sort. J-Pop's never been your thing, but they've put out folksier tunes that caught your attention. That's when you dug deeper than the skin into idol culture, and lay awake for nights on end with thoughts of "purity" crowding you like maggots.
It's not been a great week, but then, what's new?
"If I may?" You tuck the gum beneath your tongue and rise from your seat. Your handbag is kept to your side (it's the talking cube, he gives you nosy vibes) as you move over to the closest whiteboard. A dingy orange marker is plucked from the tray; with it, you write UF in bold, centred and circled. From it you draw two lines, two more circles, Weaponry in one and Serum in the other. Both of those, in turn, are linked to circle number four, this one with Brand? inside.
"That incident with Mercer," you say, head turning slightly in Margaret's direction, "that was at the protest, correct? An eyewitness account put Brand there around the same time as the UF member- though, from what I understand, he claims it a coincidence."
"Eyewitness" is a slight exaggeration. After having taken two whole laps around Zone 2, you had finally bit the bullet and knocked on the door to Prushka's home.
"Aside from Brand, there was another important figure at the protest." Another line from UF into another circle: Addward. "The very same marten connected to the second murder weapon. On top of that, I managed to dig out a report from two months ago. Apparently, the little guy had nearly been kidnapped from his place of work by a figure in a dark hood."
Rufus had been kind enough to confirm this for you. You had left him and his emeraldine waiter a few extra marks after you had finished with your coffee and muffin.
In case the significance of your descriptor is lost, you add dark hoods, black cloaks, scary to the UF circle. With your back turned to the group, they don't see how your tongue slightly protrudes as you write. "Whoever - whatever - Addward is, they seem to have wanted him for a while. But back to the attacks on Councillor Areum."
UF circle to line to new circle. "Before she set most of Pax Primis ablaze, the attacker's eyes glowed green. This peculiar symptom was seen again the very next day."
And inside that circle goes Concordanites, orange marker swapped out just long enough to write green eyes underneath it. Thanks for the info, Kayné. "If you don't remember, a group of them swarmed the public address at Founders Park. Mr. Green Eyes lost control of himself, and from his corpse emerged..."
You swoop down from Concordanites into Lorem Ipsum. This one you remain silent on, which is perhaps more damning than if you had fired a pithy remark. You retreat back up and tap your marker against green eyes. "We saw this again about a month and change ago; another Concordanite over in Zone 2, this one purified by the collected deities before he could transform."
Amaterasu's white coating had been almost blinding under the eternal sunshine of Konohana Park. And yet, in spite of it, her fur had been gentle, her smile approachable. You had had to fight the urge to pet her; much like you had fought against the bile that rose as the topic turned to religion.
"You could confirm this for me, Margaret, but the boy injected with the serum did not appear to show the same symptoms as the afflicted Concordanites." It's for this reason that you don't draw another line between their circle and Serum. Instead, you doodle FK getting a knife stabbed through his head.
why thoooo ;-;
"So, for what I know... that about sums it up." You cap the marker, a satisfactory click, and turn to face the rest, tapping the pen against the chin. Your smile is blithe and your eyes are unreadable as they come to rest on the Smiths, no longer an excuse to look anywhere else. Petunia, Begonia, Jim. Petunia, Begonia, Jim. Hear that, J.J.? It's the sound of your mother clutching her pearls.
"It's just not right," she says, pityingly. "Forcing those sort of deviant ideas on your own children."
In an easier world, this is where the laugh track would play.
"J.J. Macfield, by the way." The tap, tapping ends as you tuck your arms together. "Reporter for the Concordance. Charmed."
they/them || "Forgive me, regent of queer amphibians" - Lt.BGob
Hiroki and Viktoria, Zone Six, Egress Eternal
“Sure thing,” Vikki said as she ordered another round of Luis’ drink. “And well, whatever their strongest lager is would be fine.”
“I getcha,” Hiroki nodded in understanding. “Well, I didn’t even hear about that whole business with Seija and Susie until well after it happened. Glad you didn’t get caught up in that mess.”
Then again, it was hard for Hiroki to imagine someone like Irvine not just dragging Susie away from Theo, should he have been present.
“I’ve been doing… Well, I’ve had my good days and my bad. But I’ve got people that make the bad days easier. That’s the important thing. Things are at least better than they used to be.”
It was a bit of a stretch to say he could see Witch get her head cut off by a demonic blade, have a complete freakout in front of Amaterasu, witness the gradual societal decay of a city abandoned by its so-called leaders in real time, and still claim he’s been doing ‘great’. Though compared to what life had been like before he arrived here, things were much simpler here. There was no war, after all. The horrors of Concordia were so muted by comparison he could hardly call them horrors at all, at least by his standards.
He had remembered, during one of his patrols in Korea, a woman spitting on him, crying out things like ‘go home invader’. He was younger, and at the time he didn’t understand why he was being treated this way. He wasn’t trying to hurt anyone, he was there to help keep the peace. To his protests, soldiers took the woman away, and he never saw her again. He would later learn that she had been made into a ‘comfort woman’, an insidiously vague term that referred to forced prostitution. Slavery by any other name. They would be kept captive in conditions that were not fit for animals, let alone humans, where they were beaten and attacked with knives for the slightest act of rebellion. If these women got out of it at all, they re-entered society as entirely different people, sometimes rendered unable to so much as speak from the trauma. He never saw this woman again, but he had assumed the worst.
‘Don’t forget.’
That was what he etched his dog tags with a knife once he ended up in Concordia. Hiroki had to remember atrocities like this, and the massacre at Manila that he had witnessed directly, because Japan was probably never going to own up to them.
And he wouldn’t forget that he was part of the war machine, and that anyone could be enticed into doing or believing what their governments wanted them to with the right propaganda. The same way a lot of Concordians believed the bullshit the Diet served them. It was also for this reason that he would always view the militia with a decent deal of skepticism, even as a member.
Perhaps he shouldn't be thinking about this right this second. There was a time and a place for this sort of thing.
“And well, Vikki and I were looking for a place to go for a date. Kothys apparently closed down, and then we ended up here. It’s uh… got an interesting atmosphere.”
Hiroki glanced at the rocky person assisting the beleaguered bull man as he said this.
Vikki then notices Irvine glancing at her, and nods at him
“Good to formally meet you Irvine,” she greets him. “Hiroki’s said some good things about you.”
They then notice the weird bard and an also probably weird doctor (law of averages in this city on people being weird, really) get into what could very well be the prelude to a violent confrontation. A peacekeeper is trying their best to defuse the situation, but the couple can’t help but notice that he looks like he’s 12 years old. How has this dude not gotten broken in half like a twig?
For now, they stay out of it. There’s a good chunk of people here who could kick both their asses. They’ll de-escalate or at least take this outside if they aren’t stupid.
Edited by HilarityEnsues on Apr 13th 2023 at 9:16:01 AM
Idunn; Zone 5, Twenty-Ninth Street
I am standing around a table. I am thinking about the explanation that the girl who seems to be called Jim has given. She said that the assassination attempts on Councilor Areum are connected to the same group, a "United Front". Another girl, whose name is Margaret according to the preliminary report, talks about the Front having a serum that turns those injected into "big, hulking monstrosities". I do not like this description, but she also talks about how Councilor Mercer was shot, so I listen. A robot girl encourages another, less confident girl, and then hits her small boxy robot friend when he brags of his intelligence.
I wonder if this is 'displaying initiative'. Guardian Witch encouraged me to do so after a particularly strange conversation one day, so I am doing my best. Another girl stands up and draws on a whiteboard, walking her listeners through her train of thought. She says her name is J. J. Macfield, the reporter for the Concordia Concordance. She is smiling, but in that way humans do when they do not really feel happy. I do not ask.
"The conclusion that Brand is supplying the United Front makes sense only if he stands to gain," I say. "Perhaps he means to create uncertainty to profit off later. I do not understand why he cooperates with the Concordanites, however. Perhaps he means to shake the Charter itself, and change the city so it bends to his whims."
Silence. Perhaps this was not one of those natural lulls in the conversation that people speak to fill.
Salacia Persei Elimo; Zone 7, The Edge
The yawning distance stood as an abyss, deep and dark and utterly forbidding. Elimo glanced over to this 'Maia', who would apparently be explaining the purpose of their journey.
The facts were these. The strange collective tree-being that had appeared in Founders' Square was apparently connected with the similar being seen during the incident in Zone Two. Elimo had by some strange stroke of fate been present for both, and a few days ago had been discreetly approached for this mission, which would plumb the depths of the Incoherence for more signs of life from outside the city. All top-secret classified, as they were currently being reminded.
What a time to be away, she thought. She had put up a sign directing all prospective callers to Helena's, but the unrest in Zone Five was only growing, and she felt a twinge of guilt for abandoning those she had so long thought of as her wards. Then again, perhaps that was infantilizing - to reduce so many beings, and claim that their most important feature was their connection to herself.
Amaterasu had been looking out into the Incoherence with a strange expression. Perhaps she hoped for peace, or at least a mutual understanding. Her own thoughts were rather more cynical - these creatures clearly desired assimilation, and had the powers and inclination to force such. Their communication had revealed no tendency to ally or treat. Sometimes force could only be met with force, she thought.
A dark untouched by sun and tide, and still you go, a voice whispers, and for what? This city is crumbling. Whatever knowledge you find will only break it further.
Maybe. Maybe she was only going on this expedition to be able to say that she had done something big, something material. To make up for all of the sitting around while everything fell to pieces. Wasn't she?
She sighed internally and steeled herself for the briefing that was to come. Surely at least Maia would put a nice spin on things.
Irvine; Zone 6, Egress Eternal
"It's good that you've found people," Irvine says, really meaning it, and then lets the other two talk. He dodges the topic of the assassination - it's practically old news, and not germane to discuss with Viktoria here besides. Hiroki looked awfully contemplative for supposedly doing "better" - though maybe that was harsh. Stuff like therapy took a while, especially in Concordia, where your therapist was liable to be battling mind-shattering monsters with the rest of the Draughtsmen on every day except the ones you worked.
"Good to meet you, too," he replies to Viktoria. "Nice to know I'm pre-recommended. Though it is a shame that we've lost the music so quickly." He glances over at the brewing confrontation, then back, to make his point. "So, assuming we get food sometime today, how are we splitting things? I'd be happy to treat, but I don't want to ruin your date."
It's almost funny that this sort of thing is common. Picking up the check, he thinks it's called. People got into huge fights over it almost every day he was here. What a silly thing to fight over - but then again, for most people silly things were all they did fight over. Picking up the check and getting the wrong groceries and breaking the plumbing. Little things. Life.
The instrument shouts louder, and he blows a strand of hair out of his face like he's exasperated by that instead.
So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my Tumblr
First of Secondmonth; Accord 143
Robert Cross nee Alex Mercer- Zone Five - Abandoned Apartment Basement
"Speak our name and we'll come to your aid, huh?" You snorted. "Sure took a lot more work than that."
They'd said it after first showing their face, after assaulting you and scooping up that ferret. If you desire freedom, speak our name. We will surely come to your aid. So you'd sought them out. You doubted they could be reasoned with, but it would make your life much more difficult if anyone else got word that Councilor Alex Mercer could even entertain the idea of humoring a group professed towards the downfall of the Diet. Some questions needed to be asked where nobody else could hear them.
But after such a bold proclamation as coming to the aid of the people, you hadn't expected it would take so much effort to draw their attention privately. It'd taken more than a day of digging around in the underbelly of the City to get the information you needed, but finally, you had found it. The shadows started to swirl, and a figure appeared. The same figure that had assaulted you, that you had accosted later in the alley with the gods and the witch and that wayward child.
The figure smiled. "You seek an audience? Have you come to accept the justice of the United Front?"
"I came to ask you some questions," you said. "I'm not big on trusting shadowy organizations that easily, thanks. You can blame the fucks who tried to nuke my city back home for that."
"Is that so?"
"I doubt we're going to reach an agreement, but maybe we can reach something resembling an understanding."
"That would be in your best interests. We do not need to be your enemies."
You sighed, rubbing your temples. "That's... Fine. Questions. First. How long have you been waiting to make a move? Anyone with their ear to the ground could tell things have been getting worse for a long time, but nobody's done anything this dramatic yet. Why now? Or have you only recently arrived here and already leaped into action?"
"The spirit that animates us has always been here. Why do you think that the time of arrival has anything to do with it? The problem is the Diet."
You should've known better than to expect a reasonable answer out of this goofball. Its grand showing just a few days ago should've been enough to tell you that. You still couldn't help but be surprised.
"Uh huh. And why not strike on your own? Why drag civilians into this? For that matter, how many civilian corpses are you planning to line the gutters with to achieve your 'justice'?"
"The people of this City are not blind. They know that the Diet must perish for this city to be free, and they give themselves willingly. Each martyr displays in his body the righteousness of our cause. We do not line the gutters with corpses, but with lives spent in eternal glory."
"Martyrs. The gears of revolution are lubricated with the blood of martyrs. The promise that blood spent will lead to a better future for those you saved. So what's your end goal? Say you remove the Diet, what then? What assurances could you possibly give that you won't install something worse to take their place?"
"A man with a tumor undergoes treatment. He does not delay over the possibility of a second one."
A remarkably brutal answer. Nobody could possibly believe this shit halfheartedly. The United Front was going to be a problem, if not for you, then eventually for someone who might not deserve it. The vast majority of the Diet certainly would, though. Assuming they weren't just a smokescreen, a high-profile distraction.
"Don't suppose you're going to tell me who you're really working for?"
"We serve the interests of Concordia. Is it so hard to understand that patriots must exist? Or are you that cynical, Mr. Cross, to imagine that everyone must simply accept the current situation?"
"Cynical? Probably. Accept? No. But I've seen what happens when people believe in the survival of a nation over the survival of its people. They give rise to groups that consider lives a resource, a statistic." Ironic, really. You weren't much different, once. Correction, he wasn't much different. Alex Mercer was dead; You just wore his face when it was convenient. His sister- your sister- didn't fear you like she did him.
You rolled your shoulders and sighed. "Alright, one more question. Do you know anything about Lorem Ipsum? I'm told one of your own had glowing green eyes before she exploded, the same glowing green eyes that were witnessed on the Concordanite who transformed into the creature."
"The secrets of the invader are not known to us. But if Lorem Ipsum really seeks the death of the Diet, as he says, then he is a friend and ally, and whoever sent him can only be helpful to us. If even the alien sees what is wrong with our society, then surely you must see the depth of the problem."
You frowned. Our society, it said. This wasn't the first time it had referenced being part of Concordia. Was it genuine, or merely an insistence to further drive a wedge among the people? Patriots, it had said. It liked words that spoke to righteousness, as mortals so often sought. Anything to dehumanize their neighbors when it's convenient, to justify violence when it's demanded.
"Fine," you said. "Go play your little guerilla war. I'll be watching. You should probably pick some more efficient targets, though. Plenty of brainless idiots out there."
Something occurred to you as you turned to leave, something you hadn't considered before.
"I lied, one more question. Why the marten? The report from a couple weeks ago said a swift figure in a dark cloak snatched him. That's not a coincidence, is it? The other day, you focused on him, calmed him down."
The figure opened its mouth and laughed for the first time. Its voice was like bells in the rain.
"Nothing is a coincidence, Councilor Mercer. Everything happens as justice demands. The wheel of history is turning, and sometimes it has fur and little white teeth. Farewell, and good luck to you."
It vanished into the shadows just as it had arrived. After pausing to think for a brief moment, you did the same.
Three Weeks Ago
Witch - Zone Six - Precinct Nine- Interrogation Room
She really was just a young girl. Kim had said she should still be in school, but that was a concept you were unprepared to process. Education was a luxury afforded to few, from the experiences of your past life. You wouldn't wish your upbringing on just anyone, but you couldn't deny the idea that knowledge should be shared more freely. Peasants rarely had time for such things, so demanding was the mere act of daily survival, but modern technology had seen to that. It no longer took a small army to plant and harvest the food required to sustain an entire city, and that free time afforded new opportunities.
When you'd first been made aware of her existence, she struck you as simple, undisciplined. Unfettered from the shackles of responsibility, and wholly unfit for the mantle of anything resembling such.
The scene before you had done nothing to dispel that notion. It did, however, serve as a potent reminder that many were far more innocent than yourself, than most of those you chose to associate with. Innocence was not a flower you could protect or nurture. Eventually, it withered, whether on its own or by outside force.
She did not understand. This, too, you knew. That was for the best. With luck she would discover on her own how dangerous she was before anyone else did and sought to control her through her ignorance. Kim had given you a look when you told him, at first, but now he, too, understood. If someone more powerful than the young girl sitting across the table from you existed in Concordia, you were not aware of them. Desperately, you hoped you were the first to reach this realization.
"That is why you are here, Miss Tsukino," you said. Your expression and intonation were calm, even. She knew something was wrong. She was not, strictly speaking, 'in trouble,' but she did not understand. You could not force her to, but you owed it to yourself to do your best to guide her down that path.
"In accordance with regulations and operational procedure, you performed your duty admirably. A threat was identified, your commanding officer dispensed orders, and by your aid the threat was neutralized. By all accounts the operation was a resounding success. The circumstances of your suspension are functionally irrelevant given the direct oversight of Commander Jengbish, as it is well within his purview to make use of any and all available resources in pursuit of stability for Concordia."
You set down the manila folder containing the report of the event. "Both the report and eyewitness accounts indicate the target made use of a devastating energy weapon of an unknown source. Eyewitness accounts also indicate that you, Miss Tsukino, destroyed the target in a similar fashion, and did so readily once you recognized the target as a threat." This information had, of course, been scrubbed from the official report. You couldn't allow anyone to realize the true reality.
It's to protect her, you told yourself. In truth, it was to protect everyone else. She must be made to reject the authority of the Peacekeepers, to reject authority in general. Perhaps then she might be more resistant to being manipulated.
Mancunian Candidate
Zone Five; Alleyway - Dio Brando
28th of Firstmonth, CT.143
This is important, tremendously important, so I'll explain this carefully. This whole affair from its inception was transparently premeditated. The offer came late, but with exhaustive brief and a suite of strict conditions.
First I was not to damage the eyes - and as their value was by that account incalculable, this seemed appropriate, regardless that they might decide to detonate and take the city with them. Second, Leo and his sweetheart were not to come to mortal harm. Lo, the most humane of organ thefts; I have my suspicions, but all this meant in practice was that I not be seen. So, no skin off my nose.
Finally, most crucially, I was to steel myself for the likely consequences of this gentle little mutilation. This one had my full attention. However it was the boy had come into possession of the things, they'd in the process been intimately paired to him, made his alone. Beyond mere occupation of his skull, I mean. This was emphatic. The bond was nothing not amenable to force, of course, but it was clear there were tremendous energies involved at every scale. It was inevitable that violent severance would yield violent results.
In the end, I simply went in through the sides and plucked them out by the root. It seemed the most honest approach - and at the instant that they left his skull, I saw everything that Leonardo Watch once had and never would again. I saw the naked truth of our fair city.
For an instant, it was simply blinding. Then, blinking, staring at the eyeless sockets beneath me, I came intuitively to make the sense of it. I saw in him the abstract markers of his age, of the incessant pull of gravity beneath him, of every vessel severed in his skull. I saw the rigging of the moon and stars reflected in his blood. I glimpsed the colour of his soul.
It would be gone before the moment registered. I knew precisely how it was I could not waste this.
Time juddered to a halt at thoughtless instinct, ratchets catching fast on nothing, integers gone to nil. I saw that too. And from that imposition I glimpsed a gossamer strand of reference stretched to breaking, something fluttering in implication, and snapped to follow it through the architectures governing that false sky above. I peered past the stars and cleanly through the moon.
And there, in that scant moment before the trespass was corrected, I saw the glitter of the Charter at its true coordinates.
Not the ones it would impose, that is to say, but the naked position of the thing, up in the layers it dissolved. I was somewhere deep beneath Zone One, breaking illusions in the cellar of their domain. It was so distant as to be all but indiscernible, and yet I knew with total certainty that it could be no other object. There was such a wondrous sense of motion to the thing, of operation and activity, complexities too intricate to be dissolved, the glimmering mass of every thread and every law that gave this place its proper shape. It was beautiful, you understand, but only in the utter transparency of its artifice. In the way of a suspension bridge, or the fine rigging of a model ship. Something put together in miniature and left up on a shelf, as though the slightest breeze might topple it.
And then it was gone. The flow of time resumed, shooting down invisible wires, and I stared again at that false moon. I had the presence of mind to kneel, at least, to set to closing little Leo's blossomed face before the poor boy bled to death. That I laughed was beyond my control.
Knuckle-deep in Leo, I simply could not repress it. I felt giddy. I'd half a mind to keep the things and leave this mystery client of ours to stew, but the truth of it was that I'd gotten the only thing from them I could have wanted.
The Charter was real. Not some mere legal document, not some unbound vaguery of stately magics or product of divinity. I'd glimpsed the sense of vellum and ink. Real and solid, real and holdable; it was real, and it was being held. Somewhere in Zone One, they had the thing tucked away under lock and key and god alone knew what else.
They knew that they might lose it. Satsuki Kiryuin could win in a single stroke.
A Telegram Sent Shortly Thereafter From That Most Charming of Grey Crescent Corner Clubs, the Slave's Head
29th of Firstmonth, CT.143
01:31
HAVE ACQUIRED ITEMS. WILL ARRANGE DELIVERY SLASH TAKE PAYMENT THROUGH USUAL CHANNELS. EXPECT HANDOVER BEFORE NOON.
OTHER MATTER PROCEEDED AS EXPECTED. MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY. DETAILS LATER. BUT CAN CONFIRM IN TOTALITY.
WHAT YOU INTEND IS POSSIBLE.
Zone Six; Industrial Atelier - Dio Brando
4th of Thirdmonth, CT.143
Infiltration was simple enough. At one time in some deep recession of financial history this building had been a workhouse of some kind, perhaps a mill, a tall brick narrow thing with windows permitted only in a thin line directly beneath the slope of the roof. No sane man would bother to lock them, for the same reason no sane thief carried a twenty foot ladder.
As such, one of them had been left open; I simply jumped on in. Inside there was confetti hanging from the rafters (a grand opening), rows of full-stocked shelving (self-explanatory), and a couple of what might have somewhere been forklift trucks (distractingly literal). The inventory here was all hardwood crates and tight-nailed barrels, magic swords and sweet elixirs, so on and so forth. A palette of leather-belted books tried half-heartedly to bite my heels as I landed, but found themselves weighed down too heavily by the All-Age Alchemical Starter Sets stacked on top of them. It was all very rustic.
What there were not were any cameras, at least that I could see. I don't believe Brand especially believes in them. I was sure that in their stead I'd interrupted half a dozen leylines and badly startled some poor charlatan up in the guilds with a divining rod, violated guestright and summoned Satan himself into the basement, but there were no temporal alarms to sound. I was not being scried, subjected to spirit photography or knucklebones. Of that, I was quite certain. I have a sense for these things.
No, this was a simple operation. Whatever he had on this place, whatever he had on the wares, it was intended to catch thieves. I was merely a murderer.
Amidst the sawdust and the unguents, something in the air smelt faintly burnt, and I knew precisely who it had to be. Treading softly, I padded past the forklift at the end of my alcove (running my fingers fondly across the handle, I'm certain it was sterling silver) and out into the warehouse at large.
Edited by OG-Sama on Apr 16th 2023 at 8:26:39 PM
Zone Seven, The Edge
Bondrewd had already set the sticks of incense out by this point, but hadn't lit them or said his traditional prayers yet. Instead, he turned around to face the rest of the expeditionary force, and in particular, his daughter, Maia.
"Before we begin our respective rites, I would like to ask something of you, Maia," he said, extending a hand and beckoning to the magitech gynoid for her to stand in front of him facing the rest of the group as well. "Please repeat for us one last time what our mission is, and what we currently know about the situation based on the Lorem Ipsum incidents and your recollections. I would also like to remind everyone that what you are about to hear is classified at the highest levels, as is everything we do and witness on this expedition."
Hanging in the air were the words he'd said privately to his adopted offspring some time prior, when she had gone over the same with him in private:
As your father, of course my preference is on hearing everything and knowing as much about my precious daughter as I can, even the parts that may be painful to recall, but you need only share as much as you are comfortable with sharing. I will listen to anything you have to say with all my heart, Maia. It will be our secret.
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs