Elimo; ???, Nursery

At seeing the inhabitants of this place, she felt a pang of homesickness, colored with nostalgia. Concordia had a wide spectrum of inhabitants, to be sure, but there was something too familiar about seeing trees walk about. Their fear dampens the impression somewhat, but it is at least understandable. Bondrewd's attempt to ease it rung as insincere - perhaps he was simply verbose, but his easy declaration that only he would be the one to offer Concordia's friendship rubbed her the wrong way. Amaterasu made a show, of course, and the fact that it was unintentional was all the more irritating.

"My name is Elimo," she began, seeking to fill the silence that hung over them all like dark clouds. "I, too, am a goddess." The words hung stark in the air before she spoke again.

"I cannot offer more than apologies for Theca's death, and I do not expect that they will be accepted. I shall give you my aid as well," she continued, "but I suspect it will be of little consequence, comparatively. ...If you would have someone to speak to of your troubles, I would be honored to receive them."

---

Irvine; Zone Six, Alleyway -> Warehouse

Oh, boy, he thinks, this is great. If Satsuki finds out about all this, she'll probably kill him twice. Maybe a bonus third time, even.

He's a little relieved by Ichiban suggesting they play defense, but only a little. "Sure, I'll bite," he says, "as long as I don't get booked for it later." Before either of them can say anything else, Ichiban yells about summoning and shoots lightning from his cell phone. As the latter loudly progresses about the warehouse, he darts out from behind this pallet and takes up residence behind a slightly farther one that seems to consist entirely of strangely-colored melons. He's briefly interested at the sight of what is at a glance a whole other person on a motorcycle, then switches that interest off and takes aim with his rifle, leading his shot slightly before firing.

---

Idunn; Zone Six, Industrial Atelier (DAY EDITION)

J.J. startles, just for a moment, like a bird that rustles its wings to fly before deciding otherwise. I do not think she knows I saw her. And why would I? What am I to her, really, outside of a presence that is... I cast about for the word. Environmental. Yes. But she is strange enough to have drawn my attention, and so I see her eyes widen before she pulls herself together, rebinding her strings as surely as she pulls her hair up. I see them sparkle, too, at Lora's mention of ice cream and pancakes. I cannot profess to knowing her, but even when she is pleased she seems not to be.

I turn to match her gaze. It is Guardian Witch and Lieutenant Kitsuragi. I meet her gaze and cannot bear his, which is the way that things are. I suspect he would disagree with such a state, but he seeks to understand in a way she does not, and that I cannot abide - yet, I would like to tell myself.

The girls are more puzzling. Few could not claim to know of Satsuki's daughter, and she carries herself against the world like they are two bundles of swords. The other one I do not know, although the way she slouches not-too-close to Asuka suggests they know each other.

I suppose that it would not be a bad idea to acquiesce to Lora's suggestions and attempt to stay in whatever remains of her favor. "...Temporarily adjourning seems wise."

So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my Tumblr

Zone 6, Super Smash Warehouse ~ Kiel

Not even before anyone could answer, someone crash into the place and I don't think that person is safe from Weaver. As for the critter, well, it's better as hands off for the critter since we don't know what it can do. I nodded at Ichiban, since I also need to watch out as well. "Don't worry, Ichiban, I got this!" Before I could even utter an magic spell, some green mask superhero, was driving crazy with the motercycle and other things I couldn't understand since we don't have that back at Selphia.

Well, it's better than nothing I suppose. Now, since Violet has to be with me for obvious reasons, I cast light barrier on her just to be extra safe in case Weaver have something else in his sleeve that could lead Violet to her death...and she does remind of my sister, which makes things a bit worse for me...I think. "The light barrier should protect you from any danger. However, like Ichiban said, in case you feel you're in danger, it's okay to book it. No need to die trying to protect everyone." Now, then, time to focus on the battling and making sure that no one else is hurt. I take a deep breath before casting Earth Spike.

“You bowl with 3 middle fingers” Oh hey, a troper wall

Kayné Ainsel & Moloch "Moko" Kothys—Zone 7, Flashmarket

"That's exactly the kind of mentality that the Diet wants to encourage," Kayne agreed, steepling her fingers after wiping her face with her sleeve. "Right now, the nebulous existence of the Charter is what's keeping Concordia together right now. But for all intents and purposes, I'm referring to its metaphorical power as well as the powers that it is alleged to have."

"The Charter grants the Diet legitimacy. Aside from that, what else do you give a man who purports to have everything? It is the only item of worth I can think of, with enough magnitude, that Brand might covet. If all Hell breaks loose, everyone will also be after the Charter, because it is one of the only ways to ensure survival," she reasoned, making a wise gesture towards the direction of the Incoherence. "If I were a greedy rat bastard like Brand, I'd steal it for myself first, and sell the tech or magic or technomagic to whoever has the best offer. The collapse of reality may even be worse than the societal failure that is sure to result."

"So we need to find a way to secure 'legitimacy' of our own, whether by copying the Charter, or something else, like divinity," Kayne finished, looking down at her hands. "If only as a last resort, because if there is a place for those who are cast out to go, where they know reality is anchored, where they know they can survive irrespective of the ruling party's dominion over their reality, it will be a pressure valve for those who hold power. They lose a little steam, we go on, however long we can. There might not be an end to our troubles, but as long as there is some kind of remembrance of freedom, there is hope. Amaterasu cannot do her duty alone, and the other gods of this city, though powerful in their own right, do not have the same level of worship as her."

"Seeing as the Charter might not even exist, we have as much chance of winning as rats belling a cat. But divinity is also rare, and we are running out of time. So, I think it would be worth it to consider all avenues, no matter how outlandish they may be. We can try to comprehend the Charter after we have some visual on what it actually is."

"Old gods dead and living help us all."

Edited by JumpingFruit on Dec 10th 2023 at 1:57:18 AM

I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.

Zone Seven, Flashmarket

"Oh, the Charter does exist! I have confirmation on that point!" Xue Ya assured, looking supremely smug about it. "You see, considering the same central importance of the Charter, and the fact that every faction seeking to control the city is likely to be after it, I'm actually in the middle of a plan to steal it myself! Nothing that I would need your help with, though, unless things take a strange turn indeed. That said, I'd be happy to share its contents with you after I've stolen it~ — as long as you agree to let someone else have custody of it!"

---

Zone Four, Mount Fuji Hotsprings Inn, Mixed Bath

"Thankyou, myfriend..." Yukari muttered, burying her face in the taller woman's shoulder. She let out a few more hiccups and sniffles before taking a deep breath and letting it out slow. Apparently, all the alcohol left her system at that moment as she crossed the ｢Boundary｣ that separated ｢Drunk｣ from ｢Sober｣, because when she pulled back and spoke up again, it was without any slurring:

"Why, Areum, my dear, it sounds almost like you're endorsing the idea of representative democracy! Heehee! Well, it's not a bad idea, per se, but we'd have to depose and neuter the power of anyone who opposed the notion, and there are a lot of powerful people who aren't interested in it. That said, I don't see why immortals like us should be disenfranchised in such a system such that we couldn't run for office. If we have term limits, the problem should solve itself, and those are important for any kind of democracy that doesn't just have sham elections returning the same person to power over and over again. And Heaven knows a properly constructed representative democracy has infighting of its own that should keep people too preoccupied to go after me! To tell you the truth — this is another secret, don't go sharing it — I'm actually from modern Earth in the latter half of the 21st Century, so it's not an unfamiliar thing to me at all! I just ended up traveling thousands of years back in time after I transformed from a human into a Youkai, fufu!" letting out a breathy chuckle, the Yorimshi held her fingers up to her mouth as if she was being shy about it, though her wide smile said otherwise.

"Democratic elections are an avenue worth pursuing, I think!" she opined with a nod. "If things shake out the right way after the war we all know is coming, they would be the best way to proceed. I don't know that leaving the Diet is a good idea for me just yet, not until a certain plan of mine bears fruit, at least. I guarantee you'll be reading about that one in the news if I succeed! The Diet will probably try to cover it up, but I'll leak it to the press myself, if I have to... fufufufufu..."

"Anyway!" she continued after that ominous note, "As for Gensokyo, I was one of its Great Sages. I helped with the creation and maintenance of an important boundary called the Great Hakurei Barrier, which is what allows Gensokyo to do what it does in the first place. You see, Gensokyo is a sort of gathering place for forgotten beings and creatures that are sustained by things like belief and fear, like Gods and Youkai. When they reach a certain decline in belief in the Outside World, what you and I might call modern-day Earth, they are able to take shelter in Gensokyo, where their existences are sustained by another central facet of the land, the Human Village. The Human Village, as the name suggests, is a sizable village of mortal humans located at approximately the center of Gensokyo.

"There are always enough humans expressing faith or fear towards the supernatural elements to sustain those of us who require such things, but there are always more of us than there are of them, so they're never able to go and lynch us, for example, and we have a symbiotic relationship with them. I help maintain the barrier that allows Gensokyo to exist — or rather, Ran does, since I usually delegate my duties to her — and the Gods provide protection and things like bountiful harvests to the humans, and everything works out in the end! There are occasional Incidents where a Youkai or God or two gets too big for their britches, and when that happens, it's the job of the Hakurei miko, currently Reimu, to go over and beat them and their lackeys up until they relent. There's something called the Spellcard System that ensures any battles between the more powerful people like Reimu or myself are non-lethal, as well.

"As for why that worked for me, I suppose it mostly worked because I was a weird old hermit who people knew was also a powerful Youkai, and that was enough to keep them fearing me and staying away from me... I couldn't really engage with most of the human society in Gensokyo for that reason, lest they lose their fear of me, but that suited me just fine in a sealed-off world full of immortal, supernatural beings whose fear I didn't need, especially since I'm a bit of a recluse anyway. If I ever needed something from the Human Village, I would just send Ran to get it while disguising herself, which is something we still do even here in Concordia when she goes shopping for me...

"You know," Yukari mused pensively after several beats of silence, putting a thoughtful hand to her chin, "if there were a faction that endorsed and pushed for a transition to democracy but did so non-violently, I might be willing to lend them some covert, if not overt, support and protection. But as things stand, I don't believe any such faction exists, and if it did, it would probably be crushed or assimilated by one of the other factions. I couldn't lead such a group myself, considering that I need to be feared. That said, you're quite strong as well, so if you led such a movement, you might be able to shield them from harm, and I'd be able to help you from behind-the-scenes. What do you think of that idea, Areum, dear?"

Edited by darksidevoid on Dec 3rd 2023 at 7:39:50 AM

GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs

Areum, Zone Four, Mount Fuji Hotsprings Inn, Mixed Bath

"You do have a point about term limits," I admit. "I can't help but wonder if the current state of the Diet could've been avoided had we established from the beginning a timetable to complete our objectives, after which we'd need to pass the reins to someone else. And I must admit, you being from the 21st century is surprising. Though I've lived through many eras of history, I do feel a great connection to modernity - though you could probably tell that given the way I generally present myself to the public. It's a welcome surprise, though. If I were to express my feelings to anyone else in the Diet, I have little doubt that they'd dismiss them as some crazy utopian ideals. Even if I'm sure we don't agree on everything, it's good to have someone who has some common point of reference there."

"Hm... being a youkai is complicated, isn't it? You need fear, but if you just go around killing people or something, the human population is probably just going to start leaving and you'll have less of them to sustain you. In addition to that just being wrong, of course... but if you go too far the other way and befriend them, then the fear is gone. I don't know how I'd deal with that, to be honest. I'd like to make suggestions, but uh, hm... I guess most people find peacekeepers and judges pretty scary?"

I chuckle.

"I don't even know what I'm saying, honestly. That... probably wouldn't even be something you're interested in, I'm just kind of saying whatever comes to my mind at this point."

"And well," Areum thought aloud pensively. "Trying to transition to democracy... I mean, yeah, that would be a big improvement over the Diet, and I'd support it. Though I'm going to be honest, there's no real chance that such a transition could happen nonviolently. None at all. Ask yourself this - how is Kaguya, who clearly thinks she's better than everyone else, going to respond to such an idea? How receptive do you think she'd be the prospect of the people being allowed to choose their rulers? Not well, I'd wager. She would oppose me, and I have little doubt she would do so with violence because I'm not going to let her argue me into complicity with her dictatorship."

"So what am I to do? I'm being entirely truthful when I say that if she and her collaborators were to step down and not seek power again, I wouldn't make a move to harm them. But they're not going to do that. And if I stand against them, it will lead to a conflict that will not only put my life in danger, but the lives of everyone I care about. And that's not even getting into the issue of Satsuki. She wishes to see the Diet fall, and we're on the same page there, but what does she want to replace it with? Does she want to become a dictator as well, just like Kaguya? Because I'm not going to stand for that, either."

"What I'm getting at here is I'm conflicted. I do not want to just keep shedding blood until the people of Concordia are granted some form of actual freedom. But this is clearly not going to be solved over a tea party. Once I decide that I'm going to fight against Kaguya... people are going to die. People who don't even want to get involved with this are going to die, even. That's just the nature of war and its brutality, especially in a city like this. I mean, you know how small and densely populated Concordia is. I can't make any sort of guarantees that anyone will be safe once things get into high gear. And look, I know that even if I don't do anything, something's probably going to give regardless. Satsuki and Kaguya coming to blows seems pretty likely, and I have no idea what Swain and Brand are going to do. But even so... I'll have to take responsibility for the bloodshed that ensues if I fight for my ideals. Still... maybe that's exactly what I'll have to do."

Blair and Maggie, Zone 7, Flashmarket

Blair had no idea if Lin Xue Ya was being truthful about having proof of the Charter's existence, nor did she care all that much.

"I do not take the mere word of anyone as proof of the Charter's existence," Blair told Xue Ya. "But for the sake of not grinding things to a halt and devolving into an argument, I will assume from this point that it's real. What the Charter's existence doesn't prove, however, is that it can be controlled by any of us, the Diet included. It could very well be that the Charter actually operates autonomously, which would be bad for the Diet's claim to legitimacy, since it'd mean they're unneeded for its continued existence... but the same would apply to us and anyone else trying to use it to form their own competing polity."

After a moment, Blair sighs.

"But I suppose that until someone gets some approximation of the Charter in their grasp and demonstrates mastery over it, I can make no definitive statements one way or the other. I'd like to see if its power can be used, and indeed used outside this small area that the Diet has designated as our living space."

"The Diet will not like it if we prove that people can live without their rein," Maggie said. "And I fear the kinds of violent actions they may undertake to try to secure their authority should you present a genuine challenge to them. Brand is already bad enough, but they are another beast entirely. But I understand why you're doing this, and I'll support you. Perhaps our magic could help stabilize some small pocket of reality that you and others could live in, outside their sphere of influence. Or maybe it could be used to copy the charter somehow... I'm not sure. I don't really know if that's possible, but it's something I'm willing to try."

Areum, Zone Four, Mount Fuji Hotsprings Inn, Mixed Bath

"So you're resolved to fight, eh...?" Looking tired and resigned, Yukari leaned back and stared up at the ceiling, or rather the drifting red eyes that dotted the void the ceiling had been replaced by. She let out another deep sigh, and after gathering her resolve in the silence broken only by the lapping of water and the Doink! of the shishi-odoshi, she continued quietly:

"When I was young and my powers were still developing - when I was still in college - I had a very dear friend. We made a club dedicated to looking into the occult. It was kind of pathetic to call it a club when it was just the two of us, but it suited us just fine. I majored in Relative Psychology and was of the opinion that reality either didn't exist or was determined by subjective observation; she majored in Super Unified Physics and maintained that reality was objective and could be objectively measured. We respected each other's opinions and didn't really argue about it, even though our fundamental views of the world clashed so directly.

"She was incredible! She could give you exact geographic coordinates and time of night just by looking at the stars and the Moon! And she was always there to support me, no matter what. In the early days of my powers manifesting, I started worrying that I couldn't tell the difference between dream and wakefulness, and wondering whether the dream or the reality I was experiencing while awake was the real thing. I told her about how I'd traveled in my dreams to strange, otherworldly lands and a place called Gensokyo. But rather than dismissing my experiences as nonsense, she believed every word. She told me:"

"Let's wake up! Dreams are things to be made into reality. The world of dreams can be made into reality!"

"Eventually, I figured out how to take her along with me, and we went on all kinds of adventures through my gaps and otherwise. We would travel all around Japan to look for evidence of the supernatural, just the two of us. We usually went by train, and those train rides were some of the happiest times of my life. We'd sit together and talk about anything, everything, and nothing, or just watch the beautiful landscapes roll by in silence. That's why I'm so enamored of trains, if you're wondering. She was...

"She was the most precious person in my life. I loved her, I think. Even as I became more and more powerful, she grounded me, made me feel human. So when she died young, unfairly and for no good reason, I gave up on being human. I discarded my humanity, erased the boundary between my life and my death, and became a Youkai. Ever since we first discovered them, we had always wanted there to be a place where the supernatural could co-exist in peace alongside humans, a gentle place where gods and demons and the children of men could be at home and live in happiness. So I created Gensokyo, and did my best to defend her from any and all threats that might destroy or destabilize her. And I succeeded at that, at least until I ended up in this Ship. You know the rest.

"I don't know what I'm going to do next. I think part of the reason I'm so afraid of choosing is... I just don't want to lose anyone else precious to me. Not ever again. If I can't think of anything by the time the war breaks out, then maybe I'll just hole up and remain as neutral as I can, like some kind of Switzerland. But Areum..."

Yukari finally looked down and returned her gaze to her bubblegum-aqua-haired friend, then reached out and gripped the giantess' arm lightly.

"Whatever you do, just don't go dying on me, alright...?"

Edited by darksidevoid on Dec 10th 2023 at 12:19:04 PM

GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs

Kayné Ainsel & Moloch "Moko" Kothys—Zone 7, Flashmarket

"I largely concur, if you would allow me," Kayne said, dipping her head in acknowledgement of what the other two witches said. "I have nothing to add of my own, except for my reservations about your own goals in doing this, Lin Xue Ya, and what I'm supposed to tell my other allies when I have to pay the piper."

"Let's assume, for a moment, that the Charter exists," she continued, rubbing her chin, echoing Blair from earlier. "But it may exist in the sense that a beam of sunlight or a dying man's last breath exists. Do you have a receptacle that can hold such an intangible object? Can you steal something that is undefined, yet takes up space? I think I know now why you are revealing yourself to us—you think we're desperate enough for any edge that we have to work with you. But why should we trust you, even given your desperado status, seeing as associating with you would be seen as suspect at best and a betrayal of Witch's and Satsuki's trust on my end?"

Edited by JumpingFruit on Jan 6th 2024 at 11:32:17 AM

I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.

Zone Six; Industrial Atelier - Asuka Langley Soryu

I don't know what an atelier is. I didn't think to ask Satsuki before I left and I can't ask Zima because we're in front of both of her cops and, worse, she might actually know already, so this is the future I have to live in; whatever an atelier is, from the inside it looks a hell of a lot like a warehouse.

We go in through a loading bay, so there's big crates of whatever up on the shelves, just above the worst forklift I think I've ever seen, and then above them a little row of display models with big stupid feathers hanging off them. I know Rider's around here somewhere orbiting my hair (she wouldn't tell me what an atelier was either, and when I asked she just bit me on the ear), and I hope she knows to keep her distance, because the last time she went near a dreamcatcher she got herself stuck in it for half a week. Satsuki had to call her medium and everything. I still find beads in the drain sometimes.

Katsuragi looks like he knows why we're here and what he's doing, at least, or at least he's good at pretending. I don't look at Witch. Mostly I just look at Zima, shuffling at her five o'clock like the world's shittiest breaching team. Mostly I just look at what she's looking at.

There's a thing here, and it goes like this; Satsuki has hard eyes. I do too, I think, which I think is why we find it so easy to wind up staring each other down, but the way it works for her is you can look at her and you can know that it's not you she's talking to, not really, it's numbers and logistics and territory, and they're more urgent company. Like back at the apartment, before I did what I was told and ate my soup while it was hot. She barely realizes she's doing it. Like a reflex, or an instinct, something cold and hardwired. I'm starting to get it, I think.

And right now Zima's are the same. Whatever company's urgent to her, I mean. I catch her checking exits and sightlines and she catches me digging my nails in above my elbow, and we stare hard-eyed at each other for a second behind Witch's back, like the sternest secret language. And then we get caught.

There's a lizard called Lora with a clipboard, like Susie but kinda shiny, so like Susie after she tried to fight the floor buffer that one time, and there's some reporter in a shawl called Macfield with a notepad and the best skin I've ever seen, like she ate the sun and now she's glowing with it. They must be dipping into the skincare section, I guess. Scalecare. Whatever.

They don't really matter, because there's another peak there too, tall lady with a hood and a chin like Rider's, and I just barely have the time to move myself behind Witch and her big stupid shoulders before I hear Idunn and realize she's the one Susie tried to get herself arrested by at the Areum concert, and then I have to clench my jaw to keep from screaming. Zima looks at me like I'm being weird, so I scowl and look at her like she is too, which I think just barely gets me away with it.

There's ice cream and pancakes in the cafeteria, apparently, while I'm taking cover, like we just pulled up somewhere with a ball pit. Lora's having trouble with her mammals, I think, like the first time I met Susie and she thought I was thirteen, which fucking sucks, because as much as I'd like to be anywhere but in this room smelling Witch's nasty cologne Zima is literally watching me.

"I'm not hungry, actually," I say, through the back of Witch's chest. I know she can't see me rolling my eyes, but I'm pretty sure it's implicit. "I already ate."

If I'm lucky, Idunn doesn't recognise my voice. If I'm luckier, she forgot all about me completely after the mustard.

Edited by OG-Sama on Dec 15th 2023 at 4:33:08 PM

Zima - Zone Six; Industrial Atelier

Zima did not, would not, work for the cops.

She told herself this as she climbed out of Kitsuragi's cop car and spotted Witch, her boss who was a cop (but not her boss in a cop way) (also kind of her boss in a second, secret but also not-cop way) (who was very much operating in cop capacity today).

Yeah, it was getting increasingly difficult to say it with a straight face.

Witch's greeting earned her a grunt, and a low mutter as she stuffed her hands into her pockets and looked around. "Yeah, well. Not here for you, am I?"

That's right, she wasn’t here for the investigation, she was here because Asuka hadn’t told them where to shove it, and there was no way Zima was leaving her alone with the peeks. Not even Witch and Kitsuragi.

So she fell in with the district’s politest little raid, keeping close to Asuka’s side, and tried to ignore the itch in her axe-hand as they wandered into the Industrial Atelier. It’s just a fancy name for a factory, and Zima’s been in a few of those in her time. This one’s… odd. Not in the set-up, you’ve seen one warehouse you’ve seen’em all. It was something else…

The ursus glanced around as she walked, watching people’s faces as they spotted the little group, watching the exits, picking out the supervisors from the workers. Narrowing her eyes. Everyone was too cheerful, and she couldn’t tell if it was genuine or company-mandated.

Everyone in the outer zones had heard Brand’s promises by now. Honest work, reasonable hours, good pay. A fowlbeast in every cookpot. Zima knows it's all horseshit, that the other shoe just hasn’t dropped yet, but she’s got a cushy job babysitting drunks now. She hasn’t had to cut herself to ribbons working a canning machine for, what, almost a year? If she hadn’t been scooped up by the Backdoor… if she’d gone from almost starving on an Eggman payslip to actually starving after his self-destructive tantrum… maybe she’d be more willing to take Brand at his word.

She figured Asuka had to have noticed it too. She glanced over at the other girl, and paused for a moment. Asuka was visibly tense, and she was staring back already. What the hell was that look for? She was just being careful…

Asuka’s fingernails were leaving bright red crescents in the skin of her arm. Had she really made her that nervous? Maybe she had dipped back into old habits a little too much. Shit.

Before she could figure out how to get Asuka to chill, they were met by a frazzled-looking lizard with a clipboard - one of Brand’s clerks or something - and she wasn’t alone.

Zima lifted an eyebrow and glanced up at Witch and Kitsuragi as they all realised that their little party weren’t even the first people raiding the Atelier this morning. She’d gotten the impression this investigation was supposed to be on the quiet side, but here the press had gotten in first. Zima was pretty sure she recognised the leggy one’s name, Macfield, from a byline or two. The hooded woman was a peek, she could have figured that one out just by looking at her, but what-

What the fuck was Asuka doing?

Zima shot her friend a Look as she ducked behind Witch like she was taking cover, practically vibrating with tension no matter how many times she scowled and rolled her eyes back at her. What, was she afraid of lizards now? Or was it the hooded Peek? One of the ones she’d had a run-in with, maybe? Hm.

She pulled her hands out of her pockets and folded her arms, turning away from Asuka to fix the group ahead with a flat, unimpressed stare.

“Tch, you got a playpen back there too? Let’s just get this over with.”

Industrial Atelier; Day Edition - Investigation Squad

Lora bobs, because standing is not the word for it when you have a giant blue tail. She peers at her clipboard, then scribbles a few notes on it, looking remarkably composed. She seems to be directing her attention to a point past the redhead's left ear.

"Well," she says, "since we're all on the same team here, I think we should go for a tour of the premises. We'll just need someone to get our young ladies to the back... Higashiyama!"

"Uh!" says Higashiyama.

"Take these two girls to the cafeteria. Get them whatever they want."

Higashiyama looks around.

"Buh," she says, very eloquently.

"No buts," says Lora, with snake-like patience. "Please, make yourself useful for once."

Higashiyama knots her hands in her apron.

"P-puh-please f-follow me," she says, before scraping away with the elegance of a cheese grater. Every so often she throws a glance back at you, as if begging to be eaten. She doesn't even wait to see if the teens are with her.

Lora waits until she's gone.

"Odd girl," she says. "She used to work for Eggman. Terrible conditions. I understand she had a run-in with a hamburger once."

The lamia sashays across the floor, taking you away at a right angle. Her tail is so smooth and muscular that you expect some kind of sparkle to start coming off the end, but the only shine is from the concrete. Before you know it, you're in a completely different part of the factory. Here, instead of the clanking and clinking of the line, there's a room with a row of long benches. The workers are wearing the same uniform as everyone else, apron and overalls, but they seem much quieter and more engrossed in their work. Each is chipping away at what looks like a little round lens.

"You may know us as a new enterprise, but our roots outside are much deeper. Our founder, Mr. Brand, started his career as a humble artificer. Forced to adventure out of financial necessity, he braved the dungeons of the multiverse in search of trinkets that he could sell or pawn. Often he only made enough to eat."

There doesn't seem to be much tragedy in her voice - rather, she sounds excited, as if Darien Brand was fated to claw his way from magic rags to magic riches.

"But Mr. Brand saw a hole in the market."

Lora pulls out a little vial from her pocket. When she uncorks it, the room fills with the delicious scent of sun-swept lavender. The walls brighten, and the workers smile.

"Lavender with a hint of old times," she says. "Simple olfactory glamor, everyone makes it. But here's the thing."

She takes another vial and uncorks that. The smell is the same, almost. It's less bright, and slightly too cloying, and it doesn't have any sort of charm to it. Then she opens another, and another. The smell is different every time.

"No consistency. Every single artificer, every single wizard, they all have a different formula. A different spell. You have no idea what you're getting when you go to them. Rings of strength that break your fingers, healing potions that don't heal, scrolls that blow up when you look at them wrong. Hell, it could even be the right spell, you might just be the wrong person. The only constant is change itself."

She looks somber, then grins.

"And Artifacts Inc's rigorous quality control procedure," she says. "After twenty years of extensive R&D, Mr. Brand launched our Founder Line, a series of completely standardized products with safe and predictable outcomes across all the known planes. When you buy Artifacts Inc, you know exactly what you're going to get. Your wand does exactly what it says it'll do, on time, every time. No more cursed items, no more turning into a cow by mistake, and no more unintended casualties. We do it the best, we beat all the rest, and we have more cryptcoin than everyone except Cold Hard Cash XXXII."

She picks up one of the lenses and squints through it, basking in the light of her sales pitch. Her eye refracts at you through bright star-blue.

"There's other things too," she says. "I knew a guy who put pickled mercury in his healing potions, because he swore that the vinegar helped the mercury. I wouldn't mind the mercury, but vinegar? That's a step too far."

'Being around you guys makes me go "wtf" instead of pondering the ever increasing dread of time' - EchoingSilence, 2023

Witch - Zone Six - Industrial Atelier

The Atelier was... was vibrant the right word? Bustling? The scene before you was entirely too cheerful for a crew of factory workers. You'd seen enough of Robotnik's facilities before his downfall to know what factory work was like. And yet here, inexplicably, the workers appeared... happy? Grateful for the opportunity? A small part of you hoped it could be genuine, that perhaps Brand was a kind enough master to legitimately fulfill his workers.

But it was entirely too convenient, too suspicious to be true. Nothing you'd heard or been told about Brand mattered here. What you saw unfolding before you felt wrong.

As you cast your gaze to and fro, surveying the building, you were greeted rather more promptly than you would've anticipated. This was not entirely unexpected, but nonetheless a surprise; You had, after all, provided advance notice of the planned inspection, so as to increase the apparent legitimacy of the operation. Recent events had cast further doubts upon the Diet's rule, and Councilor Myn would not have anything further spread unnecessary fear.

Not that his best efforts could ever hope to stop it.

As the greeter approached, you noticed the women in her company, and you realized you'd gotten your days mixed up. Whoops. Oh well, no point in crying over spilled milk. You'd just have to be certain to avoid further scrutiny or disturbances. And, especially, avoid betraying any special familiarity with present company.

You raised a hand in polite dismissal and said "We appreciate you accommodating us, Lora, ma'am, but that won't be necessary. We're not hear to disrupt your employer's operations or, Ms. Macfield, your investigation, just a simple inspection."

You glanced over to Idunn and gave her a short nod. You hadn't known she would be here, but you knew why she was here. It was continually heartening to see her make decisions of her own beyond merely for practical purposes.

There was a tension in the air, palpable even if you'd lacked the ability to smell it. The young girls behind you were on edge. From Zima, you'd come to expect this from experience, especially in the presence of Peacekeepers. From Asuka, it made more and more of the intel you'd received fall into place. They weren't just nervous, they were expecting trouble. They were conditioned to expect trouble.

It would be unreasonable, perhaps even foolish to assume malice or deceit on behalf of the lamia in regards to removing the young girls from the scene. It was certainly high on your list of priorities to keep them both, Asuka especially, within reach, and thus ideally safe. Further mishaps and misunderstandings would be... inconvenient. Fortunately, as the poor wretch of an assistant came and left, both girls made the rebuttal easier for you, and forced you to repress a small grin.

"I think it would be best if we simply began the inspection, ma'am." You had no preconceptions of what you might find, but you would rather not waste time.

As she led the group onward, it was hard not to notice the scintillating reflections of light off her scales. Lora evidently put a great deal of work into her appearance. She was... gorgeous? Resplendent? Far too many scales and two fewer legs than your preference, but still worthy of praise.

The rags to riches tale and resulting sales pitch rolled over you without incident or remark. You knew your father, knew his rivals, enemies and allies. You knew the Diet. Regardless of claims otherwise, it was your experience that nobody climbed that high from nothing on their own. They always had help, help that conveniently went unmentioned when credit was due.

There was one thing Lora mentioned that caught your attention, however.

"Is mercury not toxic to you as it is humans? Interesting."

Zone Three; Outside Jenny's Office Building

"Hey!" yells Petunia. "Wait, no, come back! Ow! You don't understand!"

Unfortunately for him, Teto appears to be surprisingly good at pummelling, and Mikudayo hasn't stopped either. The air shimmers behind you, some kind of psychic brain-blast, but it has about as much effect on you as a light breeze. A passing jogger keels over and begins to froth.

Jenny is clearly in no state to insist on anything. She's still breathing, and her vital signs are normal, but her eyes are completely dead. It's like she's been stuffed and mounted.

And then, right on cue, a blue cloak materializes right above you. Begonia lands on the pavement, bounces, then rolls over in an attempt to look cool. Jim is with him, too, although she's standing.

"Alright," says Jim. "You got Jenny. Did you grill her? What did she say? Where's Teto?"

"Never mind Teto," says Begonia. "Ow. Where's Petunia?"

---

Zone Four, Weaver's Warehouse

There is a certain utility to having a random doctor fall through the rafters. Despite what most wide-eyed fanatics will tell you, there is always a pocket in the human mind that holds enough empty space to be distracted.

Weaver turns and squints, and so he doesn't stop Taka.

The slug vanishes in a crunch of squealing steel and hot rubber, as things hit by spiritual motorcycles are wont to do. Taka revs his engine and yells some unintelligible nonsense, bearing down on the silver glob with the full weight of his machismo.

"What?" says Weaver, and then Irvine's bullet goes straight through his shoulder. "Agh!"

Violet vaults over the pumpkin, having clearly decided to attack with Kiel. She slides, leaps, and then brings her secretarial heel straight at Weaver's right ear, spinning twice. He ducks, but she grabs his mantle and throws him like a wet kitten, flipping him onto the floor. She rams her knee into his throat and bears down.

"I have restrained the target," says Violet, and then a white flash eats her. The next thing you know, she's bouncing off the pillar next to you. She rolls for about two seconds, then clambers slowly to her feet.

"I could not restrain the target," coughs Violet. "I will try again."

It is about as urgent as you have ever heard her. Her fringe is red, and little green rind-ribbons trail from her left hand. You see that she has lost a tooth.

Weaver gets up, clutching his right arm. His face, twisted and handsome at the same time, is back to its former composure. Half of his mouth is up in a horrid snarl, but his eyes are calm above the warts.

"You can't beat us," says Weaver. "Our cause is just. We have the will of Concordia behind us, the will of the people. The United Front is the city's justice."

He gestures at Taka, closing his long fingers. The slug splays out from underneath the flaming bike, blanketing it in silver, then squeezes its occupant to approximately nothing. You smell the tragic scent of deleted camaraderie, and also hair gel.

"Even if you kill me, a thousand will rise to take my place. But the way things are going, I don't think that'll be a problem."

Weaver walks towards you. The slug slides up his leg and across his face, covering it with a silver half-mask, swathing his left arm in floating motes of metal. He flicks his hand and the flick turns into a shower of needles, streaking towards you and Grey and Violet.

"Mr. Ichiban!" says Violet. "Get down!"

She stands in front of you with arms out, which is hilarious because she comes up to about your breast pocket, but also not hilarious because it is raining needles.

Black cloaks are running in from all around. You're surrounded.

---

Nameless Desert; Nursery

"Words mean nothing!" says a great oak. "They are gone, gone, before the seasons change!"

"They act as beasts do!" says an olive. "They do not drink as we do in the grafted place, they do not contemplate. Their mouths are full of death."

"The Eater seeks to use them! They are the Eater's spies!"

"No!" says Pith, raising Theca's head. "You will hear me!"

He does not speak loudly, but his voice rings like a clarion, and one by one the Bloom go silent. Pith stands on the raised dais, his gaunt young face filled with fire.

"If Mother Root will not hear them, and if you will not hear them, then I will speak. I will tell them the tale of the Eater, and for the sake of my sister you will suffer me."

"You are a fool, Pith," says Mother Root, but no more.

Pith shakes his head. He sits down in front of you, his long legs hanging down over the platform, and in the light of the palms he begins to speak.

---

In the time before the last growth, when the whole earth was green, the world belonged to the Great Tree. And the beasts milled about the Great Tree and ate of his fruit, and because the Great Tree loved the beasts, he suffered them. And each beast was given his share of fruit, so that he would eat his fill, and not want for the morrow.

"Only be content," said the Great Tree, "and thou shalt live forever."

Now the monkey was the most foolish of animals, and full of greed, and each day he would steal from the other beasts, save from the great elephant, whom he feared. And he saw that the great elephant had two boughs, and himself only two bunches, and he became wroth. And he came to the Great Tree.

"Why is it, O Great Tree, that the elephant hath more than mine own most noble self?"

"The elephant is large, and thou art small," said the Great Tree. "Is that not reason enough?"

"Nay," said the monkey, "but I hunger." (For in those days the meat-eaters had not yet come.)

"If thou dost hunger," said the Great Tree, "then I shall grant thee three bunches. But with this thou must be content, or else thou shalt bring thyself to ruin."

"The Great Tree is most generous," said the monkey, but his soul was black within him. And he took his three bunches, and he continued to steal from his fellow beasts, taking as he pleased. But the great elephant caught him by the tail and shook him all about, and the monkey ran screeching to a cave, where he hid and nursed his wounds, cursing bitterly.

And the Eater came to the monkey. Now the Eater was in those days but a single mouth, for he had no souls to feed on, and yet he spoke sweet words. He is of old.

"Why are you sad?" said the Eater.

"The Great Tree does not favor me," said the monkey. "He gives to the great elephant, and to the sheep and to the ox, but he gives not to me. Would you not be sad in my place?"

"The munchies, huh?" said the Eater. "Ain't that a kick in the teeth. Well, furry-boy, you're in luck. I have a plan for you."

And the Eater hid himself within the monkey's last bunch, and bade the monkey give it to the elephant, as a peace offering. And when the elephant ate of the fruit, the Eater ate of him, and he perished in agony.

"Alas," said the monkey. "Why has this happened?"

"You wanted more fruit," said the Eater, smiling from his two mouths. "Come here, let me kiss it better."

But the monkey fled from him, and towards the Great Tree. And he came howling into the bower of the Great Tree.

"The elephant has returned to me," said the Great Tree. "Why have you come also?"

"I was wrong," said the monkey. "I was a great fool, and I should never have listened to the Eater."

The Great Tree pondered this for an age.

"You should have not come," he said. "Now you must be cast out."

And the Great Tree bid all the other beasts come to him, and he folded his branches over them, so that the Eater would not devour them. But the monkey he cast into the dead wastes, where nothing grows.

And the Eater came upon the monkey, and caught his tail between his jaws, but the monkey tore it off to escape. And he ran from the Eater day and night, night and day, all across the earth, and his fur fell off from the fright and he became naked, until one day he became Man. And the Eater laughed.

"Why, isn't that a treat? I'll be back soon. Just you wait. Grow fruitful and multiply for me, alright? That's a good boy."

And the Eater mixed his spit with the mud, and from that mud he made Woman. And he gave Woman to Man, so that Man might desire her, and he placed his spores within the Woman, so that they might enter Man. And of that pair came all the evils of the world.

And that is why Man runs day and night, and eats even if he is sated, and destroys the beasts and all trees of the ground, for the spores of the Eater are within him. He runs always, remembering the monkey that he once was, and in his heart is greed and hatred mingled, for Woman and the beasts and all trees of the ground. For he knows that he could have once lived forever, if he had only been content.

---

Pith shifts, then hops off the dais, giving Theca's head to Mother Root. The trees gather around him, solemnly, as if holding themselves apart from you.

"This is one of our stories," says Pith. "There are many, all different. For many ages we did not know what Man was, until we came here and heard of the grafted place. Then we knew that we were truly in the dead wastes, and that the Eater reigns over here, as he wanted to."

"The Eater is hungry, as he has always been," says Mother Root. "His hunger has no purpose, no end. It is simply what he is. His fortress is not far from here. You must go there now, before he decides to retrieve you."

"Can they not stay?" says Pith.

"Now," says Mother Root.

Pith nods, then smiles sheepishly.

"You do not have to worry," he says to you. "If you were tainted with his seed, we would never have let you in. It is fortunate that there were only five of you..."

"Oh!" says Est the xpiqerjnsadlfj, appearing suddenly in his pink, fourth-dimensional triangle form. "You have no idea how long I was looking for you! I was in this horrid place, and it was all dark, and I couldn't see anything. But I kept my wits and folded myself through space a few times, and here I am! Isn't it great that I can track you?"

Pith stares, his mouth agape. Your heuronaut is coated with little dots of scab-red dust.

Edited by troydenite on Jan 3rd 2024 at 1:19:51 AM

'Being around you guys makes me go "wtf" instead of pondering the ever increasing dread of time' - EchoingSilence, 2023

Alex Mercer - Zonetrotting Adventure

The instant you'd left that alley after scooping up Greed, a itch presented itself in the back of your mind, demanding to be scratched. It felt familiar, even though you had no idea what it was. Subconsciously you must've figured out there was something you could do, something that needed doing, but what it was hadn't registered yet. Your little stowaway refused to help, but at least he kept quiet for most of the walk.

You weren't sure where your feet were taking you until you "arrived". You couldn't even call it a destination, really, more like a compulsion. And then suddenly, it all made sense.

Suddenly, you got an idea. A dangerous, fascinating idea.

This hovel was- to the best of your knowledge- the hiding place of a very interesting man. One of Greed's best and brightest minds behind his former drug ring.

You could tell there were two other people inside with him. The first impression was going to be important. You hadn't managed to tease out from Greed how he did that thing with his skin, and thus hoped your own armored shell would be convincing enough. You armored up your forearms and sent your foot in where you were pretty sure the door was barred, then stepped inside.

"Afternoon, folks," Cross said, and you raised an arm to catch the blade that was swung at you. "I believe," pulling the blade and the man holding it closer, "We have some business to discuss." The other man leveled a pistol at you, and you quickly armored your chest before he fired, turning your body to soak the hit, then pulling the first man in for a headlock.

"Who the fuck are you?!" the still-armed man asked as you approached him, effortlessly dragging his friend behind you.

"Your new employer, if you play your cards right." Your hand shot out to latch onto the pistol in his hands as the other man squirmed helplessly in your grip. "I know he's here, I know you worked for Greed. Now, are you gonna be a good boy and put that away, or are we gonna have a problem?"

His grip relaxed, and you half-smiled, then released the gun. "You can't kill me with that anyway." The other man gasped as you let him go, bringing a hand to his throat as he stood up. You briefly glanced back at him, then raised your voice and said "Come on out, Walter. I'm not gonna hurt you, but you try to run and I'm gonna make this more unpleasant for you. Work for me, and I'll pay you better than Greed ever did. That's a promise."

His heart was racing, you could tell. He shuffled quietly in place the next room over, most likely debating whether he should confront you or try to make a break for it.

Eventually, Walter White broke the silence and walked into the room.

"Is that why you came here? To hire me?" Walt's voice is a interrogative deadpan. He speaks as if each of his words is feeling out your intentions. "I'm certainly not against it. I think you and I have a lot in common. We're both cautious. We're both willing to get our hands dirty when necessary. I think we could do well together; assuming, of course, that your terms are agreeable. You know what value I brought to Greed's enterprise, and what I can bring to yours. And if you know that, you also probably know that Greed paid me very well; well enough to retire comfortably in one of the inner Zones with my family well cared for. Now, I'm not going to say no to doubling that, of course, but I think you're smart enough to know that more money only goes so far if it invites more danger."

Walt pauses for a coughing fit. For all his even-tempered bravado, he's as medically-compromised as you'd heard. You could break him in half, and yet he speaks with such confidence. You know a sales pitch when you hear one. Walter White wants to make damn sure you think of him as the cornerstone to whatever new empire he thinks you're building. He wants security for himself and his job; and for his family, of course. He thinks you can provide those things, but he's keeping his cards close to his metaphorically puffed-out chest.

"So, Mr. Cross..." Walt smiles softly. He thinks he's doing well. "We've established what you know I can do for you, and how much money I'm worth. All that's still in question is what else you can do for me."

You chuckled. His defiance was charming, and heavily inflated. The rumors lived up to expectation, all bark and no bite.

A twinge of rage bubbled up as your grip loosened and Greed threatened to boil out through the cracks. He wanted to scream, loud enough the whole block could hear him.

"You can get on your knees and swear loyalty to me, or you can watch me drag your spleen out of that thing you call your stupid human body!"

You shuddered ever so slightly. "Not much for subtlety, are you buddy?"

"Shut your fuckin' face, and quit gettin' in my way!"

Your expression, Cross' expression, shifted to a serious neutrality as you regained your composure.

"I can keep you from having to watch your back all the time. You're gonna have to keep your heads down for a while with all the extra attention lately, sure, but I can guarantee we won't be contending with Satsuki or any of the other gangs for very long. I'm here to pick up the pieces. Get people their lives back."

"So what'll it be? Keep cowering in this little fucking shack, waiting for someone to finally get the drop on you, or come work for me and be strong again?"

Alex Mercer - Zone Seven - Flashmarket

Your wanderings took you outside the city in search of contacts, in search of help. Zone Seven didn't have anything in the way of appreciable resources, not enough to share freely anyway, but it had some creative minds. Rebellious minds. The types of minds that might be able to help one figure out a way to reliably produce quality medicine out of a meth lab. You didn't have much to work with, but you needed to make it work.

One Kayné Ainsel was known to frequent the various pop-ups that migrated around the fringe of Concordia, and she had as good a chance as any of being able to help you get results with substandard equipment. You'd seen enough of the guild recipes to know it wouldn't be difficult for someone of her caliber.

Eventually after asking around, you managed to find her in unexpected company. The Nightshades, along with a catlike woman you weren't familiar with. They were all standing in front of a stall, at which sat a peculiar-looking white-haired man. They seemed to be deep in concentration. None of them were speaking.

"Afternoon, ladies. I hope I'm not interrupting anything," you said as you got closer. Diet Member Alex Mercer's usual confidence and bravado were gone, replaced by the polite, calm distance of Scientist Alex Mercer, although tinged with something new. You needed something, something you weren't interested in taking by force. Alex Mercer the man had never asked for favors, never relied on others. But Alex Mercer the man had never had to contend with immortal witches or dimension-hopping industrialists.

And, crucially, Alex Mercer the man had never suffered as miserable of a headache as you were dealing with right now.

That was certain to be a fun story for the whole family.

Zone 3; Idk, some blue cloak cover me and Petunia? ~ Teto

As I was plumming Petunia, and won't stop plumming, it appeared that some blue cloak covered me and Petunia. Before he could utter a sound, I covered his mouth with a piece of my shirt so he wouldn't yelp for help. I held him very tight so he wouldn't try to struggle.

"Say, Petunia," I begin to whisper to his ears, "You have a lot of explaining to do. Besides, I know you want some information about Jenny. I do have info about her and also your past. But I'm smart enough to know that you will tattle tail about said info to Jim and your younger brother and try to frame me as some sort of a villain, when in reality, you're just getting rid of people who have some kind of link to you, at least that's what I'm getting at. Besides, if you tell them any of this..."

My hair drills aim towards Petunia, ready to drill on him should he try and get help. "You'll be meeting the hair drills first before meeting my chimera claws."

Zone 4; Weaver's Warehouse? More like Weaver's We've Surrounded You house! ~ Kiel

Well, not only Weaver manage to dodge my spell, which I wasn't expecting, but Violet kind of failed in restraining him, which is kind of expected knowing how Weaver is. Surely, it won't become that bad- just kidding, it did the moment that we got surrounded by the black cloaks.

I hold my nose bridge, trying to think how to get myself and everyone involved out of this sticky situation. Well, it's not sticky, but hey, it IS a figure-of-speech for being stuck in a bad situation! I got an idea of how to get out of it. So, I took a deep breath and said, "...You think that you could surround us with your black cloaks, Weaver?"

Wait...what exactly did that come out of my mouth? I mean, it's my voice and I was surprised that I could say such a thing. I did a little bonk on my head just to double-check and make sure I wasn't spouting anything weird. Don't want Violet, Irvine, and Ichiban to worry about me...

I try to clear my throat, but for whatever reason, I just coldly stare at the black cloaks and then looking at Weaver, I don't know if he's doing the so-called "Jojo" walk, but that walk looks pretty bad. "It's true that if we kill you, thousands will take your place. However, there's a problem with your statement."

W-why am I saying such things?! If anything, I'm more concerned that I'm walking out of my hiding spot as I'm grinning, as if I've gone mad!

"Here, allow me to show what statement has a problem, Weaver."

No, do NOT show exactly what you're showing! But, no matter how much I want this to stop, I cast Dark Ball, an darkness spell that emits a dark light ball that travels slowly and destroys everything in its way.

It doesn't sound that bad cause it's a small dark ball, which is what probably everyone assumes when they see it before they know it! This is going to destroy the Black Cloaks, Weaver maybe, and whatever items that Weaver uses against us.

I would never cast that, and yet, I did...Is this what happens whenever everything goes dark and I come back to the unwanted mess I don't remember I made? If this is the case, then how come this me is...not me?

Edited by Xabbynip09 on Jan 1st 2024 at 7:26:01 AM

“You bowl with 3 middle fingers” Oh hey, a troper wall

Idunn; Zone Six, Industrial Atelier, DAY EDITION

Asuka seems very upset by my presence, as indicated by the way she is shaking. Violet and I are similar in our bearings, and being reminded of an occasion where she was wounded is no doubt unpleasant. Perhaps she also worries that I am displeased with her specifically, since her other friend issued several actionable threats to my person at the concert. I am not, but she believes so anyway. If the opportunity arises, I decide, I will speak to her of it.

Lora's tour sounds very rehearsed, but of course I do not say so. Guardian Witch seems similarly unimpressed, and as she asks whether mercury is not toxic to Lora I wonder why she has chosen to inspect the facilities today. Perhaps it is coincidence.

Then there is J.J. The Peacekeeper presence seems to have shaken her badly. I wonder if I should ask if she is okay, but she would probably not appreciate that in the middle of an investigation, so I do not. Perhaps I will do so later.

---

Renda-Rae; Zone Seven, Flashmarket

"...I can't say that I understand all this," the ranger said at last, "but I must agree with Kayne. What exactly do you mean when you say 'someone else' would ultimately end up possessing the Charter? Who would that be, and why do you think them entitled to hold it?"

---

Elimo; Nameless Desert, Nursery

No sooner had Pith finished expounding on the evil of the spores than Est had reappeared, apparently covered in the same. She fought the instinct to sternly reprimand him for showing up late and in such a condition. She knew that it probably would not help. These ones will die, too, she felt more than heard her other self think, and it was true that they could, but she gently laid the thought aside. There was yet more to do, and they would mourn later.

She lifted her hand, and Est was encased in a sphere of water, its rapid currents shining. "Est, do not move. You are carrying a contagion. I will try and cure it." Her voice was almost firm. She supposed that there was a not-insignificant chance that Jengbish would try to pulverize Est instead, which at this point seemed a reasonable expectation. "Amaterasu," she continued, "aid me, if you please."

Edited by Altris on Jan 2nd 2024 at 11:04:14 AM

So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my Tumblr

Zone Three, Outside Jenny's Office

5...

Begonia materializes directly above me, as predicted, so I step to the side and let him land on the pavement.

4...

Jim observes that I have Jenny and asks if I grilled her, what she said if so, and where Teto is.

3...

2...

Begonia asks where his brother is.

1...

I leap up to land seamlessly astride Matsumoto's hoverbike form on its way down, rotating Jenny off my shoulder so that she slumps seated against the front of the bike like a ragdoll, with me behind her. A spare cube pops off the tail of the bike, which I wirelessly transmit my voice through as I gun the accelerator and soar away, turning at the nearest opportunity to put something between us and the siblings' line of sight:

"Teto and Petunia are still inside. There is somewhere Jenny and I need to be, so I will let Matsumoto explain in my absence. Matsumoto, if you would."

"Aye-aye, Cap'n!" he agrees, beaming an eye-smile at Jim and Begonia. "You know, rather than a boring summary, why don't I just replay the audio for you as it happened? Much easier to understand that way, and less work on my part!"

---

"Hello?" says Jenny. "They did what to the [BLEEP]? Oh, God."

SLAM!

"What are - I mean, why are you two here? I didn't call you. Look, I have something I need to attend to. I can't talk now."

The sounds of the party of three making it clear they won't give in.

"Alright. What is it?"

"Sooo, Vivy and I been hearing about this so call United Front and we both figure that we want to for that group. So, since you're important to us, we want your input and see if you want us to make music for the United Front."

"What Teto means to say is that she and I think that we could stand to covertly cooperate with the United Front in the case of making anti-Diet programming and music. Consider: we already have a number of protest and anti-authoritarian songs released from the two of us and Mikudayo, and our new album is selling very well, so I believe that if we lean into that element, our next album or single will sell even better!

Of course, if you would rather not get involved with the United Front, I completely understand. I think this sort of venture could be good for our business and Concordia as a whole, but we will not pursue it without your say-so, Jenny. We value your opinion as our manager, and as our friend."

"Shut up. Shut up, shut up. Don't even say that name."

SLAM! Click!

"How could you even mention them? You think the Diet doesn't have us bugged? The birds are probably working for them. The Peeks have ravens, you think the Diet doesn't have birds?"

"Mikudayo."

"No! They're just being stupid! Anyway, I have to get to [BLEEP]! [BLEEEEEP], whatever it's called!"

Ding!

"This is a setup. You're trying to get me. You're working with someone. I've spent ten years going up against Areum and the entire industry, I know a plant when I see one. That's fine. You can tell me what's going on now, or I step out of this lift and it's over between us. I don't owe you two anything."

"...Jenny, a few people has suspected that you are involved with the united front and ask, nay, force me and Vivy to check and see if you were apart of them or not. Hell, I didn't even want to do this cause I don't know jack shit about what happened and who the hell are the united front. I can't even say no to them over doing something I'm against! I'm sorry...I'm so sorry that I failed..." The sound of Teto sobbing.

"A team of private investigators, the Smiths, approached us, claiming that you are part of the UF. I do not fully trust them, especially not their assessment of you, but I owe them a debt for restoring my ability to fulfill my mission of making everyone happy with my singing, so I agreed to broach the subject with you. It did not occur to me that anyone might have motive to bug or monitor your office, however.

Also, I have heard from a reliable source that almost all the UF members and Concordanites responsible for recent attacks shared green eyes, an unlikely common trait, and one of the Smiths waiting outside the first floor is a green-eyed telepath, a coincidence too great to ignore. I am concerned that he may attempt to plant evidence in your mind or brainwash you. Therefore, Matsumoto will lure them to wait at the back door while we escape via the roof on Matsumoto's hover-cycle form.

You are not just my manager, but my friend, Jenny. It was wrong of me to even consider doubting you, and for that, I am sorry. As an apology, I will take you wherever you need to go in Zone Six as quickly as possible. But now that we are being fully honest with you, I would like for you to be the same with us. What was it that had you so worked up that you were on the verge of panic before we even walked in today? I want to help you with it, whatever it is."

"Get up. I didn't sign you to blubber on me. You're not five. You're with the Smiths? Both of you?

Fine. I am with the Front. And so is Petunia Smith. You're right on both counts. But we're not working together. I don't know what his goal is, I don't know why he's with them. That stuff with Lorem Ipsum is nothing to do with me. I wanted to change the music industry. I didn't think they'd start killing people. You know what he can do. The moment those doors open, I'm gone. He'll have his fingers in my head. But you three, you're not human. He can't get to you in the same way. So you get me away from him, and we run, and then [BLEEEEEEEEEEEEP]. You have to understand, I'm a safer bet than he is. I can't read minds, I can't control people, I can't melt brains. Please."

Ding!

"Good job, girls- YEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!" Bzzzzzzzzzt!

"Get him! Now!"

"Mikudayo!"

"I said… I said get off!

What the hell was that? Why didn't you stop her? And what was that about a back entrance?"

"Why didn't YOU tell us that you were a part of the United Front as well, you sick bitch!"

BAP! POW! WHAMMO!

"Oh, you know, the back door you didn't know about that totally exists!"

"Sorry, Teto! Keep him busy!"

"Alright. You got Jenny. Did you grill her? What did she say? Where's Teto?"

"Never mind Teto. Ow. Where's Petunia?"

Edited by darksidevoid on Jan 4th 2024 at 4:06:42 AM

GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs

Nursery

Bondrewd folded his hands at his back as he listened intently to Pith having his say, then turned to eye (or seemed to turn to eye; it was difficult to tell with the mask on) the sudden encroachment of Est as the youthful plant-person concluded his explanation.

"Hm."

As Elimo enveloped the fourth-dimensional being in a sphere of water, the scientist crossed one arm over his chest, rested his elbow against it, and casually laid his index finger at the bottom of the slit in the center of his mask.

"I know that we have been told to remove them with fire, but as I recall, you and Amaterasu do have experience cleansing the hosts using your own methods," he observed with the calm, clinical interest of a man peering at an object of study through a microscope. "I trust that you can manage the situation, but if you find yourself in need of my tools for burning, please do not hesitate to ask."

"That was a story with a good moral, as any ought to have," he intoned, turning slightly to address first Pith and then the community at large "But I would be remiss not to note that every kind of people from throughout all reality has their own story of origin, and there as many stories of man's origin as there are worlds which man inhabits. We cannot say for sure whether any one of them is correct. Or, perhaps they are each correct with respect to the people of their particular world, but differ between different worlds. The population of what you call the 'grafted place' is not merely made up of man descended from the monkey, but rather many varied kinds of thinking and feeling beings from throughout all possible worlds. That is part of why I believe the people of Nursery would be welcome there."

"That said, our friendly deities' removal of the spores should be made much easier if we lend them our faith. So, let us pray to Elimo and Amaterasu, that they may deliver Nursery from the Eater's taint," he finished, shifting to bring his other hand up to his head and interweaving his fingers as he bowed his head and wished sincerely for the goddesses' success, attempting to project his confidence in their abilities through his spirit.

GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs

Zone Seven, Flashmarket

"Well, I would think that— Oh!" Lin Xue Ya paused, looking at something over the top of Kayne's head and suddenly making a show of transforming his pipe to all those other things he'd claimed it could transform into. "And here comes some rather awkward company! I think that's my cue to leave~! See you ladies later~!"

"No, no, not interrupting!" he assured the oncoming Alex Mercer with a charming smile, switching seamlessly from inducing an auditory illusion for the conspiring trio to speaking aloud. "I'm just giving them a little demonstration of my wares, but... as you can see, they're not terribly impressed, haha! I've gotten no bites all this time, too, so I suppose this is my sign to pack up and head out! Pleasure meeting you, ladies!"

As he talked, he pulled out a sack and began unceremoniously raking the assorted pipes on the table into it.

GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs

Nameless Desert, Nursery

The Bloom rejected them. It is sad, but there is not much they can do.

Pith told them a story. In her humble opinion, it was not a very good story. Greed and hatred were not the nature of Man. Mud and poison spores were not the nature of Woman. She had known, from the moment she first saw a hairless ape, that they held the power to destroy, but she had also seen the power to create, and she knew which would win.

Man and Woman and all between would love each other and all the plants and creatures of the world, if only they were allowed to.

Nonetheless, Amaterasu nodded, pondering the mysticism in the brief moments before Est appeared covered in bloody dust.

Elimo swiftly covered him in water, and even as she requested aid, Amaterasu was already adding her own magic to the barrier, swirling the waters and infusing them and Est with purifying light and love. Her coat briefly glimmered in response to Bondrewd's prayer - for all his eccentricities, he was at least genuine in his faith.

"Do not be afraid, my child." She soothed Est. "We will cleanse this infection, and then we shall go to the source and purge it from this world."

What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?

Blair and Maggie, Zone Seven, Flashmarket

Blair's mood changed the moment that she heard Mercer's voice. His innocuous greeting was met with a cold response.

"You are interrupting actually," she said, still not looking at him. "Mercer, I thought you understood where I stood on you at this point."

She turns to him, nary an expression on her face.

"You and your colleague squandered whatever goodwill I was willing to extend to you very quickly the last time we met. Do you actually think we're on good terms now? Then I will remove all ambiguity and say directly that we're not. Now leave, and stay out of my life."

Maggie looked somewhat conflicted, deciding to speak after thinking things over for a moment.

"Wait," Maggie said, sounding somewhat reluctant to come to Mercer's defense. "I understand that you don't have a positive opinion of this man, and I'm not asking you to change your mind about him. But I think it fair that we should at least listen to what he has to say first."

Blair gives Maggie a curious glance.

"You don't actually trust him, do you?"

Maggie shakes her head.

"I don't," she replies bluntly. "Especially given the organization that he's a part of. Under normal circumstances, my response would be no different from yours. But I'm presuming he is here at Kayne's behest, and I'm willing to set aside my apprehension long enough to at least hear him out for her sake."

Blair wasn't particularly enthused about Mercer's appearance, but did not continue to protest or show anger. Perhaps this would devolve into an argument and give her due cause to cut him out of her life for good, or perhaps he would prove useful in some way this time. Either outcome was acceptable to her.

"Alright," she turned back to Mercer. "I will listen. What is it you have to say?"

Kayné Ainsel & Moloch "Moko" Kothys—Zone 7, Flashmarket

The thief's silence on the topic was telling, that much was true, Kayne thought to herself as she turned away to deal with the matter of Mercer. "I actually didn't invite him," she interjected, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear and licking her lips nervously as she looked between all the different parties. But she gathered her wits and put a hand on her hip. "It's rare to see anybody on the Diet come down to Zone 7, if they deign to think of it at all, so I assume it's related to the health implications of the recent hunt, or something else that's similarly urgent."

"I hope the herders have not come under sanctions," she added as an attempt to continue talking about business and break the burgeoning tension between Blair and Mercer. "Though coming from you, Mercer, I find it hard to believe you'd have a sudden problem with our operations now, of all times. Why are you here?"

Edited by JumpingFruit on Feb 25th 2024 at 1:48:59 AM

I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.

Areum, Zone Four, Mount Fuji Hotsprings Inn, Mixed Bath

I went quiet after listening to Yukari speak about her late friend. I couldn't help but think about the people I had also lost through the centuries, whether through age or otherwise.

"It never gets easier," I noted with a look of solemnity. "Does it? I've honestly lost track of how many people I've known have passed at this point. And I understand why you'd be worried about me, given what I want to do and what I'd be up against."

"To be honest, even now, I wouldn't say I'm certain about this course of action. I mean, of course I have to deal with the United Front - they're giving me no choice in the matter. But the Diet? As much as I would like to see it dissolved, I have doubts about my competence and ability to do so at this point. The decision to join them was one that undoubtedly closed many doors for me. It has lost me support from the very coalition of people I'd need to court in order to get anywhere with my anti-Diet crusade. Bluntly, I do not have credibility amongst those who would seek rebellion, and I don't know if I can get it back."

"There are going to be many who think I've made this change in my stance simply because I felt wronged by them and wanted revenge. And the thing is they're not even entirely wrong. Now I am of course motivated primarily by the want to see the people of this city be able to live fulfilled lives not marked by needless struggle, a genuine want for the freedom from the bondage that the lower classes experience day to day. But I cannot deny that, in part, I think my own anger at this group that I never felt truly accepted in is a real factor as well. And that is not something anyone is going to have sympathy for, nor should they. Why should anyone care that I was snubbed by Kaguya or Myn when their problems are orders of magnitude greater? And this is something I expect Kaguya, Mikudayo, Jenny, the United Front, all of my many enemies will use to destroy me. They will have a very easy time making me look like a selfish bitch who cares more about my own personal grievances than anything else."

"All this is to say, I'm uncertain if I'm the right person for the job. And if I'm being honest? Lately, I've been struggling to even function mentally. So it's hard to imagine doing... a lot of things right now, let alone face the Diet. But I may very well have to. I can at least say this much, though - I'm not going to die. And those who wish to see me killed will be met with violence and fury unlike what they've ever seen. I will vaporize them, crush their heads like grapes if that is what I must do."

Renda-Rae; Zone 7, Flashmarket

"I wouldn't say it was an interruption," Renda-Rae said carefully. "Is there some issue of health that you now see fit to address? To my knowledge there is none, but perhaps you know better than I."

So, let's hang an anchor from the sun... also my Tumblr

Areum, Zone Four, Mount Fuji Hotsprings Inn, Mixed Bath

Yukari watched Areum's analysis of her own condition with a small but growing smile; by the end of the spiel, the gap hag was all the way back to her usual look of total confidence.

"Now, now, don't worry too much," she warned, beaming an eye-smile up at the giantess. "In the end, the things you don't know are the things you don't know, but at least you do know that you don't know them, heehee! Looking at you, I've never felt more sure that when there's a will, there's a way!"

"Now..." she paused, working out a crick in her neck with a relaxed sigh. "Hmmmmmg! I think that's enough onsen for me! What do you say to a change in scenery, my dear, titanic friend?"

Harnessing her innate power of flight, Yukari hovered up and out of the water, onto the stone surrounding the spring, then wiggled a finger and opened a vertical gap which she stepped through, coming out of it on the opposite side of the boundary between wet and dry, as well as the opposite side of naked and clothed.

"Feel free to use that if you want to get ready faster, dear," she added to Areum, stepping over to the wall of the room so that the bubblegum-haired diva was out of line of sight of the next gap she opened, just for modesty's sake.

"Yoohoo~!" she called through the portal in space to Leo, Prushka, Ran, and Chen where they were sitting and snacking. "Areum and I are going out someplace for drinks! In disguise, of course~! Would you four care to join us, hm~?"

---

The Barovian Backdoor Special

With a sound like reality being unzipped, an eye-shaped portal opened on the interior side of the Barovian's main door, and from a small and cozy but rather upscale-looking dining area — lots of greenery there, if the glimpse to the other side was any indication — stepped through a woman of surpassing beauty◊ sporting a purple cheongsam and sandal-clad feet and striding with unshakeable poise, along with her apparent posse:

• Another blonde, who seemed quite motherly and was dressed in a blue cheongsam and sandals, but who had no obvious non-human features aside from her eyes, which were golden and fox-like;
• A young teen girl with chestnut hair and eyes and no obvious non-human features, wearing a solid orange kimono along with pants and sandals;
• Areum, who, depending on how well she'd disguised herself, the staff might recognize from her prior visit;
• And poor Leonardo Watch and Prushka, who had no idea where they were headed, the latter freezing like a deer in headlights as she realized exactly where she was, but ultimately putting on a supremely awkward smile and following the purple-clad woman to the bar.

"Remember, when I'm in disguise like this, call me 'Murasaki', dearies!" the youkai's earlier warning reverberated through Prushka's head, and she shivered nervously at an imagined "Or else!"

"Hello there, darling!" the violet one greeted the bartender on shift with a great big grin. "If I was looking for something legal but purple to drink, what would you recommend?"

Edited by darksidevoid on Jan 15th 2024 at 9:13:00 AM

GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs

Zone 4, Weaver's Warehouse; Alexi Vult

Fuck me, that's a lot of fuckers.

Grey got hit by those needles, too. He's bleeding.

He'll keep. He's survived worse, to the point of excessiveness.

Time to clear 'em out, though.

I grabbed my trusted blade and jumped into the crowd, making sure to get a good ways away of whatever blondie just threw out.

I began to cut down as many of them as I could.

Glorious.