Futuristic [Archived] VOIB_ARC1_PART3

[Elucid]

Imperial Security Directorate

Gladiolus

Kane Albright

CULLANES STARPORT, CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

It seemed Kane's ploy to get the young lord to stop his philosophical musings had not had its intended effect. In fact, at agent Aria's prompting, the man had doubled down, taking the sort of tone a headmaster might while speaking to an erring pupil. While it could've been entertaining if the 'Blackbird' had taken the bait, Kane reasoned that the snub might net at least a degree of peace in all their future correspondence. If nothing else, he'd expected that the agent wouldn't air his opinions so freely in his presence. It was perhaps an unlikely thing to wish for, but a man can hope.

As the van they were all tightly packed into continued towards its destination, Kane tried to drown out the tiring conversation with thoughts of home. He sorely missed the peace and quiet of his study; what wouldn't he give to be hunched over that ancient tome on the reign of Waldstein Zure he'd just borrowed from the provincial library. Thankfully Kane had the foresight to stash a bottle of Hyzurian brandy in his new accommodations at Seraphiel, so he could be sure that mission debrief wouldn't be as taxing. Of course, this was on the assumption that they make it through whatever the Yakuza throws at them.

He was brought back into the real world by the screeching of the van's tires to a halt. It seemed they had reached their destination. "Welcome to the D&D Ice Cream Parlor!" exclaimed Dorten as his fellow agents filed out of the van. It wasn't a bad cover; although Kane didn't envy the people working here, having to actually serve ice cream while trying to bring down a crime syndicate seemed like an additional chore thrust upon already stressed-out operatives. To be fair, though, these characters seemed rather cheery about it.

They even had actual customers, which was a surprise. The last time Kane had been involved in an operation like this, the department set up a Taxi company owned by various shell corporations. All they had to do was take the cars out for a spin once in a while, keep the meter running and have someone cook the books at the earliest opportune moment. This all seemed like a lot more work. Eventually, the gang was ushered into a breakroom for what seemed like another briefing. Kane took his place next to agent Erebus, easing into the chair.

Mentions: Panther (Dortmund) | saxon (Grimhex) | WinterFestivity (Quinlong) | Purity (Aria) | voided (Erebus) | OverconfidentMagi (Malo)

Code by Serobliss

 

[Arkangel]

Forsaken Vanquisher

Yaksha

Kyouka Yamaken

CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

What an unreasonable demand. To have the nerve to order me around like this, especially when our relationship was nothing but contractual—that blond philanderer! To be humiliated like this by ordering me around to scoop some ice cream for the customers... I will fill every inch of my stomach with the most expensive variety of chocolate ice cream by the end of this contract as revenge!

“Kyouka! Break room in 2!”

The gall! Have some respect and attach an honorific to my name at the very least, you insolent brat!

An internally enraged Kyouka furiously dumped the last of the containers into the metal buckets, finalizing the last of her duties by churning the ice cream to avoid it from hardening too fast. A skill that she was previously oblivious of and now a professional at thanks only to the one who taught her the very basics of dessert shop management. To Kyouka, this was considered mortifying. After everything she has been through—the countless years of hunting devils as a vanquisher, only to become the face of a restaurant that she didn't even own. Those imperial agent bastards and their pockets full of cash! We'll see who gets the last laugh, Dorten de Jager!

The last to get on her nerves was the uniformed Demonoid, cheerfully promenading across the restaurant like she was the manager of the place. To add on, she dared to request for a specific combination of scoops. Kyouka merely scoffed and shook her head, "Only a privileged Empyrian would request for something so peculiar. If only this shop had such diversifying tastes. Go get it yourself!"

With the last bucket full, the blue-haired devil sighed and hung her apron on the coathanger inside the employee's room, and made her way to the break room where she saw Dorten gather several new faces. Fresh recruits from the homeworld? It wasn't like Kyouka cared, as if anything, they were most likely being sent to become an additional meat shield. Pitiful bunch, she thought. But she wasn't the type to judge too quickly based on faces, so she wouldn't complain. Or at least not to Dortmund or Dorten themselves, anyway.

A familiar scent invaded her senses when she stepped foot into the break room, as she scanned the group thoroughly from left to right—only to locate where the suspicion was coming from.

"Bold of you to enlist bodies from the source of the problem, Lord Jager." Kyouka scoffed, "The Sishens have moles in every corner of the world. What inspired you to take the chances and hire three agents born on Zhenran soil?" she proceeded to call out the three agents specifically hailing from Zhenra, by eyeing each of them for a second to analyze them.

"And a Katsuragi girl. A rarity in itself, but no matter. As long as they are capable, it's fine. So... what's the plan? Finally decided to ditch this roach-infested shop, I hope?"

Interactions: Panther (Dortmund/Dorten), Khocolatte (Eina), saxon (Grimhex), WinterFestivity (Qinglong), Elucid (Gladiolus), Purity (Aria), voided (Erebus), OverconfidentMagi (Malo)

Code by Serobliss

 

[Purity]

Imperial Security Directorate

Aria

Isolde Caen

D&D, CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

If she weren’t always so determined to ensure her cards were never seen, Isolde’s grin would’ve rendered her face in two halves. Her goal had been to elicit any kind of response from Blackbird, and the most disappointing of those responses would’ve been the lack thereof. Instead, he had graced her with the courtesy of bringing his own pieces to the board.

Her knowledge of her own house was limited, to say the best. Perhaps it was partly by choice, as she was sure if she scoured the decrepit slums of Zhenra long enough, she would likely be able to come up with a lead. Instead, she’d simply locked that part of herself away, amidst all the little strongboxes of the bank that was her mind. Strengths were always meant to be a sword, a way to test the waters and move in for the kill if need be, but weaknesses were a shield. For the fool, the improperly trained, it hardly blocked anything at all or worse yet simply shattered, but in the hands of an adept it was a true fortress. She didn’t consider herself an adept. After all, there was a slight twinge of annoyance that Blackbird even knew anything about her. But it was all part of the game. Her collapsed house meant as little to her as the masses did to Gladiolus.

She crafted her reply carefully, this time considering the venom of obliviousness, but Dorty interrupted them with his own. That did bring a small frown to her face. She was just beginning to enjoy herself. But faces were faces and uniforms were uniforms, and she would play her part as long as need be. Besides, she’d managed to glean something about peoples’ characters today, and that was fine enough. Malo, it seemed, was one of those completely stuck-up noble brats that nevertheless at least had been laid across the anvil of war, but not actually struck with the hammer yet to recognize how little any lives mattered, noble or otherwise.

Even if the nobles had some important role to play, it hardly mattered in a world of unimportance. None of their lives mattered in the end.

But for now, she decided that she might have some purpose for Malo after all.

“Perhaps. I do appreciate your condolences, and I would like to apologize. It seems I have underestimated you.” -r worth.

Their arrival at an… ice cream parlor was certainly not what she’d been expecting, which did give her reason to write something in her little notebook. Ice cream. As if she’d had the spare coin or time to spend on such an extravagance. She supposed it was something that might be common in some of the other districts, but she never even had a scoop growing up. It almost did make her childishly tempted to ask for a scoop, but perhaps that was best saved for another time.

For now, she followed them to the breakroom, but not before appraising the rather incongruous worker with a glance as swift and sharp as she might’ve drawn a dagger across the air. Her homework had only prepared her for so many tests, and this was outside what meager information she’d managed to get her hands on. If she remembered correctly, something was unique about Yaksha’s exousiarch, but she could only remember so many dossiers and the full details hadn’t been available to her anyway. She definitely seemed quite annoyed, so maybe she would be another fun piece to play around with.

Isolde took a seat at the table alongside everyone else.

Interactions: Arkangel (Tianshu) ⟡ Panther (Dortmund) ⟡ WinterFestivity (Qinglong) ⟡ Elucid (Gladiolus) ⟡ voided (Erebus) ⟡ OverconfidentMagi (Malo)

Code by Serobliss

 

[Panther]

Imperial Security Directorate

Dortmund de Jager

The Ice Cream Man

D&D Ice Cream Parlor, Cullan City, Cullanes, Empyria

As soon as everyone took their seats, Dortmund wasted no time closing and locking the doors to the break room. He turns to Kyouka, reassuring her, “The Director chose these people, Kyouka. You’d do well to not question her decisions.” Concurrently, the sound of a flushing toilet was heard followed by a running faucet then a brief silence before a door opening. Looks like Dorten’s done with his business in the bathroom and came out with his hands dried. The latter remembered that he had to pull a wheeled revolving blackboard into the break room for all to look at from the corridor leading to the bathroom which he does while Dortmund makes final checks.

The blackboard initially showed an organization chart for the ice cream parlor before Dortmund finally flipped it to show a map of the entirety of Cullan City complete with pins of important locations, accompanying post-it notes, and pictures. The red pins are inferred to be the locations of Sishen assets, blue pins for ISD assets, and yellow pins for Hand of Agartha assets, the latter of which will be explained. Those with sharp eyes can immediately ascertain that not everyone in the chart is present, including a designated chief financial officer, or CFO, that had no picture on the chart.

Dortmund remained standing by the revolving blackboard, starting them off with introducing the newcomers to their present covers for future mindfulness, “Once again, welcome to D&D Ice Cream Parlor, one of the forward operations bases of the Imperial Security Directorate here in Cullanes. I’m your field commander for this op and the CEO of this business.”

He gestures to the others, first to his twin brother, “Dorten over there’s the number two and the COO of the business.”

Then to Eina, “Eina Irscheide, one of our tactical coordinators and a shift manager for the parlor.”

And finally, to Kyouka, “Kyouka Yamaken, codename ‘Yaksha,’ is an independent private investigator and information broker that we contracted with the Director’s consent. She’s an individual with special interests. For now, our interests align. The contract is terminated once the operation is over or she gets what she wants. Until then, she’ll be a member of this squad and an employee of the parlor. Also a consecutive holder of the “Employee of the Month” award, and… blows her financial incentives like Dorten does.” He facepalms, sighing, “On finances, you’ll be expected to be capable of managing your own.”

“Speaking of finances, the CFO of the business would’ve been here since that should've been another ISD agent's job. But uhm… HQ’s pulled almost all available accountants to some global operation about a big money trail that puts the Sishen Yakuza to shame and the ones that are left aren’t eligible for this operation. So we took the liberty of contracting a foreigner and informed the Director about it. A certified accountant who only comes here when payrolls are being issued or if he’s called. If things go south enough, he’ll have to be involved with us. As if he isn’t a target of the Sishen already because of his knowledge of the business’s books. But don’t worry too much about it, Dorten and I made sure that we contracted someone more than capable of taking care of himself. More importantly, someone that we can trust.”

He continues, lowering his hand, “Anyway, on ‘incentives,’ do not think for a second that the ice cream here will be free for you to consume. You’ll pay as if you’re ordinary customers. I don’t want any unnecessary gaps in the books and the inventory. It’s cheap, for the most part, almost everything’s either less than 5 Crowns or less than 10 Crowns. If you’re buying a tub and emptying it, we can refill but you’re still paying. If this operation succeeds, then you can have as much ice cream as you want, it’ll be on my tab.”

He then gets to the more important bits with accompanying appropriate gesticulation, “On operations, I ought to warn you that this base is under constant threat, not just from the Yakuza, but also the common petty criminals. It’s not unlikely that armed people will come on over here and do their usual things, whether they’re Sishen-affiliated or not will be up to further investigation. Thankfully, we haven’t had any incidents just yet.”

“Furthermore, stealth is optional in this operation but appreciated, if anything, we threw it away the moment we asked for help from HQ or when you people arrived. This isn’t a permanent arrangement anyway so we’re risking this ice cream parlor if it ever comes down to it. Time will become the new concern as we’ll be operating to as much as around the clock since the enemy’s likely already long-alert of their situation here. Whoever makes the first move beyond this point will depend on each side’s decision-making.”

“But that doesn’t change the general plan of everyone in this room raiding these ports that I’ve marked on the map here. We’ve already gathered as much information as we can for our first hit tomorrow afternoon. The combat plans for that are still being drafted and should be handed to us before closing time. Dorten, hand them their folders.” Dorten does so upon being requested while Dortmund continues. Each folder contains detailed information on the targeted ports, an obvious disclaimer is typewritten where it is indicated that this is the intelligence available as of earlier today, “We’ll only have a few squad cars worth of ISD field operatives for every hit so we have to be very careful not to get into any dicey situations. The loss of one man will significantly hurt. The loss of a group of them will be catastrophic. Backup is available in the form of the local police and Imperial Army garrison but as I’ve implied beforehand, their reliability is questionable at best.”

He then looks at the yellow pins on the map, the assets of the Hand of Agartha, a paramilitary and volunteer organization founded and led by the Symbol of Divinity, “If you’re wondering what the Hand of Agartha has to do with this operation, they volunteered to help the moment they knew that the ISD is seriously operating here. The Pontifex has long since established that the Hand ought to maintain a high presence in Empyria’s outer territories, Sectors Nine and Twelve in particular, on humanitarian grounds as per the Aeterna Imperium. They’re doing their own thing to our advantage in some parts of the city and in all the Rythen refugee settlements. An example is stifling Sishen logistics with humanitarian programs and their independent paramilitary operations against the Sishen within their areas of responsibility, both of which have been ongoing for several years. In the process, disrupting a portion of their human trafficking operations that have already put a dent in the Sishen’s portfolio, but not big enough. They can’t cover all of Cullanes with the manpower they currently have and be able to counter Sishen adaptation at the same time which is where the ISD comes in, especially this squad.”

He slams his hand against the blackboard, “Remember, extermination is not our goal. But rather, serious disruption. After we’ve done our duties here, the Hand will take over and clean up the debilitated wreck of the Yakuza’s operations here. And… well, it’s not going to be pretty for the goons here once they come face to face with Agartha’s templar knights and inquisitors.” He clears his throat, a sign of some fatigue for talking almost nonstop, “Before I get to your lodgings in the upper floors, does anyone have questions about this whole operation?”

Interactions: Arkangel (Zhao, Kyouka) Khocolatte (Eina) saxon (Grimhex) WinterFestivity (Qinglong) Elucid (Gladiolus) Purity (Aria) voided (Erebus) OverconfidentMagi (Blackbird)

Code by Serobliss

 

[OverconfidentMagi]

IMPERIAL SECURITY DIRECTORATE

Malo Salas Vesta

Neon Blackbird

D&D ICE CREAM PARLOR, CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

“Perhaps. I do appreciate your condolences, and I would like to apologize. It seems I have underestimated you.”

The ease at which the noblewoman-by-technicality conceded the round disappointed Malo. He was accustomed to dealing with nobles - and women - of a more stubborn mindset. If one poke was all it took to drive this one off, well he wouldn't be able to have much fun with her then. "And I" overestimated "you," he politely responded with a smile, but his eyes were overcast when he returned to looking at the passing sights outside the van's window. He probably would have begun thinking about something unnecessary like the Lady Caen's family circumstances, but instead he noticed Lady Fukui was miming shooting him in the head from the back seat, which was so unexpected that Malo found himself smothering down an amused smile. Perhaps he should go out of his way to provoke that one next. It seemed she may prove to be more opinionated, if less outspoken, than the Lady Caen.

The van ride through Sector Twelve came to an end with Dorten's announcement. “We’re here!” Malo hadn't held any particular assumptions about wherever it was they'd been driving to, but a fully-operational ice cream parlor would not have been among his first hundred guesses. He supposed that did track with the basic idea of the ISD having a front behind which they could operate. If he wasn't able to see through the disguise, it was unlikely the common folk that made up the bulk of this particular criminal group ever would. Before there was an obviously-suspicious influx of ISD agents into the shoppe at least. That is, before just now. Even upon entering he was unable to see any obvious signs that this place was not simply a shoppe for commoners to gather and enjoy chilled desserts. While Malo didn't have much of a sweet tooth generally, he did enjoy ice cream quite a bit. Once upon a time he'd even come up with a special flavor of his own creation, dubbed the Mercury Meltdown by... well whatever, he just hoped this shoppe held the ingredients involved.

Since Malo had been paying slightly more attention to Agent Erebus, he happened to eavesdrop on her efforts at conversation with Agent Qinglong. He applauded her effort, as wasteful as it seemed to him. And in listening in he overheard a statement far more depressing that Lady Caen's poor dead family that came from Agent Qinglong: "Unfortunately, I have never tried nor sought to try the substance and as such, am incapable of having a… 'Favorite Flavor.'" Oh now that just would not stand. Malo decided then that he would be funding an every-flavor ice cream tasting session for the poor woman that had never enjoyed what he considered the ideal form of dessert. That would have to be saved for after the briefing however, as Dortmund ushered the group into what he called a break room but would act as their meeting room. Malo took the closest available seat to the door, per his usual.

When Dortmund finished his brief explanation of where things stood currently - the majority of his speech simply being his personal list of grievances against his coworkers - and asked the room for any questions, Malo raised two fingers and spoke up. Whatever the ISD plan to deal with this situation involved, it didn't particularly matter to Malo. Now that he knew the locations of the problem he felt that simply dealing with them one by one, himself personally showing up at each and burning it to the ground, would be an effective enough message to all involved. The actual operation was the easy part.

"When you say disruption, I assume that includes the physical destruction of these locations? If so, to that degree are you willing to sign off on, and will the ISD require any evidence gathered from these locations to convict the ringleaders?" Malo's question, combined with his admission of having 'a reasonable amount of skill with pyromancy', implied that he planned on burning the marked locations to the ground and a general lack of control over the fires he obviously planned on starting. This was not the case. Malo had such fine control over flames that he could burn the surface of paper without burning through the page, so keeping evidence intact in the middle of an inferno was not unreasonable. What he was actually asking was if he saw something at these locations he found unpleasant, would it be allowable if his flames simply made the offense in question disappear?

"Oh, and one more thing." Malo shook the dust off something he hadn't needed to reach for in a few years now and forced his Phantasma Affinity to react. A chalk stub below the board lifted and launched itself towards the oversized head of one Agent Gladiolus. For most in the room this all happened painfully slow, with Malo telegraphing every motion in his 'invisible' attack, but to those unable to see it Malo wouldn't have moved a muscle. A rather harmless example of the problem he was highlighting. "It would not be ideal for those without the ability to see to be thrust into a situation they may have to deal with invisible attacks from an Exousiarch holder. Unless the ISD is supplying the tools to cover that glaring weakness, do take it into account. After bonding with Agent Gladis on the ride here it would be a pity to lose him so soon."


Interactions: Arkangel (Tianshu) △ Panther (Dorten) ▽ saxon (Grimhex) △ WinterFestivity (Qinglong) ▽ Elucid (Gladiolus) △ voided (Erebus) ▽ Purity (Aria)

Code by Serobliss

 

[Panther]

Imperial Security Directorate

Dortmund de Jager

The Ice Cream Man

D&D Ice Cream Parlor, Cullan City, Cullanes, Empyria

Dortmund turned to look at the scion of House Vesta. A skilled pilot with a history so unorthodox compared to the others, Dortmund was disappointed that more assets that can make use of his flight skills can’t be deployed. But from Blackbird’s dossier, Dortmund assumed that being in a cockpit is likely one of the last things he’d ever want to do. He then poses to answer the colorful gentleman’s questions.

"When you say disruption, I assume that includes the physical destruction of these locations? If so, to that degree are you willing to sign off on, and will the ISD require any evidence gathered from these locations to convict the ringleaders?"

“Yes, it will include the physical destruction of the targeted locations, but the extent of such will be controlled. The container yards or warehouses of each targeted port that are not designated in combat plans are to be left alone unless ordered otherwise. We need some merchandise to further incriminate and verify beyond any doubt other than the evidence we already have which are in the folders we gave you. What’s more is that we don’t want to harm any potential people that are being trafficked by the Yakuza. For all we know, during the hit, the Yakuza could be doing spontaneous small-scale trafficking operations outside of ones that are done routinely such as regular shipping of their merchandise by the bulk. Live or not. Whether we hit them on the day or night that they’re operating doesn’t matter. What matters is that we leave them bereft of their important bases.”

“Onto destruction on a more personal level, I’ll be clear. If you feel that you are endangered by any individual of insignificant standing from the enemy camp, you are free to kill the individual. To make things short, we have a ‘shoot-to-kill’ order that is effective for all Yakuza grunts. Ringleaders or officers are to be left alone unless you have to act in self-defense. Pictures are on the board and in your folders. But if you see other people of value that weren’t explicitly indicated, it’s ultimately your discretion because whether they’re actually officers of the Yakuza or not will only be known in retrospect. Unless you know something, in which case you must tell the squad about it.”

He then raises an eyebrow, why would they be allowed to destroy sections of entire locations with some impunity? Why the ‘shoot-to-kill’ order? To these, he answers, “Why we’re given this much freedom? The Hand and the ISD have come to a consensus that the imperial government, by and large, doesn’t care about this place. The loss of some meager ports isn’t going to dent the economy too much if at all. The starports will just need to adjust, which is easy since they were designed with handling passenger and cargo traffic to begin with. It’s only going to dent the Sishen Yakuza. Killing as many underlings of the Sishen Yakuza is also a goal set by the ISD on the tactical level, but it is secondary to arresting just as many of them. If someone from the Yakuza surrenders, then detain.”

“Furthermore, Cullanes isn’t known for exports anyway. It’s a rocky world where we can do a lot of mining and quarrying but the rest of the Sectors and even Agartha exist for that. The Hand will take over the administration and recovery of the supply chains for the Sector until the imperial government actually does something about this backwater. Definitely not going to be in this Queen’s reign.”

Now, onto the more interesting matter. Indeed, most of the squad is composed of those of noble descent. The disparity in power between nobles and commoners is huge, a disparity that is only recently being bridged with science and technologies fused with the arcane.

"Oh, and one more thing. It would not be ideal for those without the ability to see to be thrust into a situation they may have to deal with invisible attacks from an Exousiarch holder. Unless the ISD is supplying the tools to cover that glaring weakness, do take it into account. After bonding with Agent Gladis on the ride here it would be a pity to lose him so soon."

“We’re not expected to encounter Exousiarch wielders until we get to the biggest ringleader that’s in charge of the Yakuza’s entire operation here in the Sector.” Qinglong might see the familiar face of a woman on some photos that Dortmund points at, “We don’t know her ID, but we’re certain that she’s the head honcho or what we call a ‘Mountain Master’ for this part of the Yakuza. In the event we do encounter Exousiarch wielders, we have the equipment to detect their Phantasma such as special incarce-tech optics. We also have a good number of nobles in this squad so should the equipment not be available, we commoners will have to primarily rely on you noble lot for detection. Either way, we have to be prepared for anything. Their operations here give them a substantial supply for their human experiments, it's easier to get a desperate or gullible Rythen refugee here in an underdeveloped backwater than a Demonoid of similar potential in Agartha. They're not going to let go of that advantage easily.”

He crosses his arms, “Should that be sufficient, you need not raise a follow-up. Anyone else?”

Interactions: Arkangel (Zhao, Kyouka) Khocolatte (Eina) saxon (Grimhex) WinterFestivity (Qinglong) Elucid (Gladiolus) Purity (Aria) voided (Erebus) OverconfidentMagi (Blackbird)

Code by Serobliss

 

[voided]

Imperial Security Directorate

EREBUS

HIKARU FUKUI

CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

As Jiayi stared back at Hikaru, the woman raised an eyebrow at the woman. What she heard next made Hikaru surprised. Brow still raised, Hikaru flashed the horned woman her usual crooked grin, letting out a scoff. She couldn’t believe what she heard. Never sought to try the substance? Now, Hikaru had to change that. It was a crime to not have ice cream. Jiayi seemed to be Hikaru’s age, right? This means what, 20 years without ice cream? This was horrible.

“Y’know what, I like Neapolitan; it’s like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry all mixed together in an organized manner. Can’t say why I like it, never dwelled on that topic too much. I guess it just tastes good. Hits all the right spots. As for how often, not too much. I just get the craving occasionally. We got a good amount of ice cream in Katsuragi, there’s a shop I love to head to whenever I had the time back then. If we ever get stationed in Katsuragi and we get free time, I’m definitely taking you there.”

She replied to Jiayi’s questions, working with the curious—yet awkward—barrage thrown at her. Hikaru noticed Jiayi’s odd social behaviour, she didn’t seem the type to talk much, but was willing to put in the effort if made to. Hikaru liked that. She could handle talking to someone like this. Hikaru was the social one here, all she had to do was put in the effort and boom. A conversation would go places.

Now, she was curious, has Jiayi been robbed of having other sweets? She could handle Jiayi not having ice cream, but god forbid that this girl never had cheesecake.

Before she could ask, another woman came into the room, this one much less easygoing compared to the two De Jager twins. Pointing out Hikaru’s ethnicity, the Katsuragi girl in question crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Kyouka. Why was her place of birth always being called out by the higher-ups? Was being from Katsuragi a rarity? Questions, but no answers. Yet.

Using her index finger to play with the ring on her thumb, Hikaru quietly listened as Dortmund began explaining the details. She noted the lack of a CFO on the chart, and in the room. Seems like that was answered soon enough. With a quiet thanks, Hikaru took the folder handed to her and looked through it, making note of what information was given to them.

She let out a slight chuckle at Malo’s theatrics and gave Agent Gladiolus beside her a reassuring and playful pat on the arm. Seems like the fire-boy here wasn’t letting up on his passive aggressive attacks. She was sure that Gladiolus would have been fine. He was one of the folks here with experience after all.

“I’m sure Gladdy Boy here will be fine. He’s working with us for a reason. Like Tianshu said on the ship, Miss Director wouldn’t have sent someone who would have died that easily. Have some faith in Gladiolus, my giant neon sign.” She moved her hand off of Gladiolus' arm, turning her attention to Dortmund. “I have a question, although I think it may be better answered once we’re actually on the field, but it doesn’t hurt to drop it right now. I am a ranged combatant and prefer working with guns. Are there any specific vantage points you prefer me to station up at? Or would it be best if I go in with guns that are made for close to medium range to support the team directly?”

Interactions: Arkangel (Zhao, Kyouka) / Panther (Dorten, Dortmund) / Khocolatte (Eina) / saxon (Grimhex) / WinterFestivity (Qinglong) / Elucid (Gladiolus) / Purity (Aria) / OverconfidentMagi (Malo)

Code by Serobliss

 

[Panther]

Imperial Security Directorate

Dortmund de Jager

The Ice Cream Man

D&D Ice Cream Parlor, Cullan City, Cullanes, Empyria

First the “giant neon sign” as per Erebus’s words, and now Erebus herself. The resemblance that she has to the current Queen of Empyria was something difficult to ignore for some people here. All she needed was a bit of work in the height and body department and finally, a wig. Dortmund took note of that while Dorten was probably already thinking of some ways to poke at her.

Dorten was trying to hold a bit of a laugh stemming from the exchange earlier while Dortmund turned to Erebus and then went on to address her question.

“I have a question, although I think it may be better answered once we’re actually on the field, but it doesn’t hurt to drop it right now. I am a ranged combatant and prefer working with guns. Are there any specific vantage points you prefer me to station up at? Or would it be best if I go in with guns that are made for close to medium range to support the team directly?”

“The port’s cranes are good vantage points other than the roofs of some buildings and the tops of cargo container stacks. But there isn’t exactly much of an advantage to being on a vantage point because of how a port is usually designed. Tall container stacks in the container yard and the buildings in the port will be blocking your line of sight and fire. Unless we put you on a helicopter that circles around the port and you shoot people from above. It will require some additional paperwork and manpower but I don’t think they’ll make it in time for tomorrow’s raid due to resource constraints. And from the looks of it, you’re not a certified helicopter sniper so that’s off the deal. But I could try pulling some strings to get you on a helicopter for the job for the second port we’ll raid later in the operation to see the quality of your training as per your dossier.”

He then fixes his glasses, “Now to actually answer your question, tomorrow’s hit will mainly be close quarters combat inside and outside so I advise that you take weapons designed for CQC. Since you work with guns, you’ll enjoy a relative advantage since typical Yakuza grunts are along the lines of those using alloy blades and shields, maybe with a mix of vibroblades and blades heated with incarce enchantments. But we will still encounter grunts with small arms such as pistols, pistol-caliber carbines, rifle-caliber carbines, assault rifles, and the like so I must remind everyone to be careful because a gun can and will still kill you.”

“I wouldn’t expect high-end enemy equipment unless we get closer and closer to the main ringleader or we provoke a reciprocal response. But we’re expecting increased security from the get-go since the Hand has already made its move as I stated earlier. Maybe even Yakuza-affiliated or Yakuza-allied pirate groups are being brought in to defend their joint ventures, information yet to be confirmed beyond reasonable doubt but is an instance we're prepared for to a degree. We’re not merciless nor mindless enough to send newbies straight off to a part of the operation that they likely cannot handle without proper training and experience. We’ll go after relatively simpler and less secure ports first.”

He once again explicitly ends this part of the question and answer portion, now moving the ball into the squad’s court again for anyone who still had questions, “Anyone else?” He is then seen taking another folder labeled “Accommodations,” getting ready for the matter of their lodgings here.

Interactions: Arkangel (Zhao, Kyouka) Khocolatte (Eina) saxon (Grimhex) WinterFestivity (Qinglong) Elucid (Gladiolus) Purity (Aria) voided (Erebus) OverconfidentMagi (Blackbird)

Code by Serobliss

 

[WinterFestivity]

Imperial Security Directorate

Qinglong

Jiayi Yu

CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

“Y’know what, I like Neapolitan; it’s like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry all mixed together in an organized manner. Can’t say why I like it, never dwelled on that topic too much. I guess it just tastes good. Hits all the right spots. As for how often, not too much. I just get the craving occasionally. We got a good amount of ice cream in Katsuragi, there’s a shop I love to head to whenever I had the time back then. If we ever get stationed in Katsuragi and we get free time, I’m definitely taking you there.”

All she had said was the truth, and yet Erebus had seen it fit to scoff? Confusing, to say the very least, she didn’t understand what there was there to have such a reaction to. The internal confusion was never expressed, however, as her mind would soon be overtaken with her potential response. While those flavors were unfamiliar to her outside of the broadstrokes, thanks to hearing of them from many of those she had spent time near, the proposition was intriguing, but its viability was lacking, unfortunately.

“I… See. I suppose I shall “hope” that such circumstances arise, though, it may be quite a long time until then, I am at your mercy when such a time comes upon us.”

Once more a fair bit of awkward wording from Jiayi, but it was clear that her attention was being almost ripped away by the presence of Kyouka, who immediately spiked her self-preservation instincts once more as she’d briefly returned the glare, analyzing her in turn. If she were to attack, it would be disadvantageous to do so in such a public area, especially when this one wasn’t associated with the Directorate, not officially.

And so, Jiayi would once more simply dismiss the potential threat, instead turning her attention back over towards Dortmund who was far more relevant to her purposes for being a part of this organization in the first place. It was odd how ice cream kept popping up, but, well, it was a parlor for such things, so, it wasn’t entirely out of place. Either way, though, she’d listen very intently as he went over the details of the operation, her eyebrow raised ever-so-slightly at the awareness that this was mere disruption rather than pure obliteration.

Those seated next to Jiayi, or paying particular attention to her, would notice her physically shift, slightly, but it was still there, as the ringleader had been pointed out, while they might not be familiar with her, she certainly was. She hadn’t expected to be placed into direct conflict with that one for some time yet, but, it seems that other things were planned for her presence, no matter, for if it came to it, Jiayi wouldn’t hesitate against her.

At the end of this all, she was left with a question, which unlike her earlier conversation with Erebus, she would speak out loudly, and concisely, combat operations and questions relating to them were far more familiar to her, after all.

“This is expected to be an operation primarily involving CQC, yes? What will the distribution of our currently mustered manpower be, will those present in this room be mostly grouped up in one solid unit, or will we end up split up into squads or single-man units? Or are such arrangements going to need to wait until… Our prowess is properly assessed by you and yours?”

She’d then go quiet, her arms crossed as she looked out over at Dortmund, for those still paying attention to her, they’d see the faintest smile appear as she finished her questioning. Working in a team was something mostly unfamiliar to her, but the questions one might ask associated with them for the sake of combat efficiency were not.


Interactions: ♥ Khocolatte (Eina) ♥ Arkangel (Zhao, Kyouka) ♥ Panther (De Jagers) ♥ voided (Fukui) ♥ Elucid (Kane) ♥ Purity (Isolde) ♥ OverconfidentMagi (Malo) ♥

Code by Serobliss

 

[Panther]

Imperial Security Directorate

Dortmund de Jager

The Ice Cream Man

D&D Ice Cream Parlor, Cullan City, Cullanes, Empyria

Now here comes what is arguably the most interesting person in the squad. Kyouka’s concern wasn’t baseless given that Qinglong has almost no information about herself with an inked dossier other than the fact that she’s a ‘highly combat-trained Exousiarch wielder from Zhenra’ and Dortmund doesn’t have the required security clearance to learn more about her. If anything, he will have to defer to Tianshu for more information on this operative. Asking any further about her may even warrant an audience with or a letter addressed to the Director. He has his suspicions about her but he does understand that this series of missions is supposed to test something in her if the Director is deploying someone with an almost completely whitewashed dossier.

He then lays the accommodations folder on the table, opening it before looking at Qinglong.

“This is expected to be an operation primarily involving CQC, yes? What will the distribution of our currently mustered manpower be, will those present in this room be mostly grouped up in one solid unit, or will we end up split up into squads or single-man units? Or are such arrangements going to need to wait until… Our prowess is properly assessed by you and yours?”

“Yes, it will mainly be close quarters. We can form two separate fireteams out of everyone here, but given the considerations that some of us are not combat-oriented, although generally combat-trained, we will be lumping everyone into a single squad for any and all hits. But I trust that the squad will be able to split itself into two different teams and act accordingly when circumstances call for it. We’re mainly playing it safe because this entire squad has mostly never met and worked with each other before and that being divided tends to make you easier targets. Or inadvertently mess up the operation.”

He looks at Dorten, “Tomorrow’s your day-off. You’ll be joining them for their first hit but make sure to cover yourself up completely so you aren’t identified.”

Dorten nods, giving a thumbs up, “Got it, bro. Also, you forgot the part where we’re lumping everyone together because we’ll mainly use oblique order tactics to sledgehammer some parts of the Yakuza’s defenses.”

Dortmund realizes, eyes slightly widening before giving an audible ‘Ah’ before continuing, “Right, oblique order tactics for breakthroughs. Anyway, one or both of us de Jagers will join you in the hits to assess your performance as individuals and as a team with emphasis on the latter, another reason you’ll be made into a single squad. Eina, or Agent Celandine, will be your primary tactical coordinator and one of your field assessors. Each of you will be carrying a personal recording device for assessment purposes, information-gathering, and because it’s a requirement as per the law regarding ISD operations. Policemen who do raids without a working camera on them are red flags. Don’t worry about breaking them, the recordings are wirelessly transmitted to the command vehicle we have and a backup storage device that you’ll also be bringing for redundancy. We’ll just cross-reference or talk about things in a debriefing if the devices break at any point in the mission.”

He then looks at the only three people who haven’t asked a question: Aria, Gladiolus, and Tianshu. Kyouka would’ve been the 4th but she already raised a manpower concern earlier before the briefing even started, and because she likely doesn’t care too much given her contractual standing and divergent interests. Dortmund decides to preemptively answer a key question that Kyouka may raise: if she will be joining the squad, “If you want to join the hits, Kyouka, I won’t stop you but you’ll have to submit to regulations. Ice cream and financial incentives are… very negotiable.”

Interactions: Arkangel (Zhao, Kyouka) Khocolatte (Eina) WinterFestivity (Qinglong) Elucid (Gladiolus) Purity (Aria) voided (Erebus) OverconfidentMagi (Blackbird)

Code by Serobliss

 

[Arkangel]

Forsaken Vanquisher

Yaksha

Kyouka Yamaken

CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

This was not the first time Kyouka was briefef about the upcoming events. She shook her head in response to Dortmund's comment, "It would not be so wise for me to cooperate with the attack group directly, as Yuxiong is aware of my existence in this sector. I already have eyes and ears installed in the corners of the ports, and that's the furthest I'll go with cooperations outside of allocations of new information."

Even supposing that Kyouka was capable of combat, it was far too dangerous for her to engage directly with the Sishens. Outside of the point that she had made to Dortmund, one other particular reason existed that forced her to remain in the back. And it was all because of her main objective, a goal that no one here should ever be involved with, for both her and their sake.

"Our next discussion will be about my paycheck. I don't plan on extending the longevity of our contract, so I will pray for your convenient success. The faster we end our liaison, the better for the both of us. Until then, I will do what is expected of my caliber." Kyouka sighed and extended her arm forward, a spark of incarce engulfing the edge of her index finger as she drew a large rectangle mid-air, casting some kind of a strange magic that didn't fall in the usual Hexennacht system.

Once the rectangle connected, visuals appeared in the middle, almost as if it was a makeshift television. Within the visuals presented a woman with a sharp look, with dark navy hair cut into downwards sliding bangs, partially covering her right emerald eye. "Intel suggests that this woman, who goes by the name Yuxiong, is the authority behind all Sishen activities in Sector Twelve. A battle-hardened veteran who was active in the War on Raignork, back when she used an alias to infiltrate into the Imperial Army for sinister gains. This particular information is yet to be confirmed, but I have suspicions that she is the one who smuggles the Rythen immigrants into Empyria. What they're doing with them is beyond my knowledge. What I do know, however, is that she must not be allowed to leave the sector, no matter the cost."

For many, Yuxiong would be a new face that they would have to burn into their memories. However, outside of the de Jager brothers and Kyouka, one stood with even more knowledge about her than the rest, as she was a close relative. Jiayi would most likely have noticed her.

Interactions: Panther (Dortmund/Dorten), Khocolatte (Eina), WinterFestivity (Qinglong), Elucid (Gladiolus), Purity (Aria), voided (Erebus), OverconfidentMagi (Malo)

Code by Serobliss

 

[Panther]

Imperial Security Directorate

Dortmund de Jager

The Ice Cream Man

D&D Ice Cream Parlor, Cullan City, Cullanes, Empyria

Dortmund nodded at Kyouka, “You got it. I’ll make sure that your last paycheck is better than the previous ones.” He didn’t have to overtly thank her, she was just doing her job. Better to express gratitude by doing something that actually makes use of what she’s given.

To this day, he still colors himself impressed at the abilities shown. He then looks at the projections, adding onto Kyouka’s statements, “I suppose I never needed to tell you lot this but I’ll say it anyway. We’ve frozen any and all assets connected to this ‘Yuxiong’ that we can find and already put out a BOLO for her to the local authorities, the Hand, the ISD, and the Imperial Army garrison. We also asked for tighter orbital patrols from the Imperial Navy because the Directorate has insufficient manpower and materiel on this side of Empyria as of now because of different priorities and by the time any of these are granted, she may as well have already left the system. Going by the book here will do nothing if I’m to be asked because the ones supposed to enact the necessary processes aren’t to be trusted as I stated earlier. They might even be the ones that will get her out of here and Agartha forbid that we have to deal with rogue Imperial Army personnel with the backing of higher officials.”

“Combat-wise, we’re looking at the worst possible scenario where she is an Exousiarch wielder that can take on all of us. The problem however is that we don’t even know what this Exousiarch exactly is. If she even used it during her time in the military, it’s either no one saw it or didn’t bother to report it for any number of reasons. Those who know are obviously out of our reach. How exactly we’ll draw her into the open and deal with her together will remain to be seen but surely enough, she shouldn’t ignore the hits we’ll be making otherwise an important Sishen supply chain goes up in smoke.” He looks at Tianshu and Qinglong, they probably know something which he’ll likely ask later.

He sighs, “Any specific questions regarding her likely won’t exactly be getting a clear answer so we’ll need to get better information. We suspect her base of operations to be here in Cullan City, but where exactly remains a mystery. How she operates is also a mystery for the most part. We’ll leave the matters of information on that regard to Kyouka. But as far as we’re concerned, we have sufficient information to make adequate presumptions. I don’t have to tell you to be prepared for anything.”

Dorten interjects casually, “You just did.”

Dortmund glares at him in response, but nonetheless, the twin was right. He then asks, seeing if the man actually had something useful to say, “You prepared their rooms, yes?” Albeit the question has a foregone answer because he’s asking his twin brother, the man he knows better than anyone else.

Dorten nodded, “Yeah. Everything’s done as of last night while you worked your ass off and never bothered checking. I even turned on the airconditioning for them before I left for the starport. All the beds, furniture, and fixtures are tidied. We even made sure there’s no bugs, literal and technological. I have to warn everyone that you won’t be sleeping alone in a room, I say ‘warn’ because you lot looked like you were about to turn the van into a gladiator arena. The three rooms spared for you lot have two beds, basic amenities, and a small living and dining area each. No kitchens, we got the one here in the break room. Woulda been single bed rooms for some if we didn’t use up some of the rooms upstairs for our Directorate jobs. And because two women in this parlor wanted their own rooms…” He gives a funny look at Kyouka and Eina before dismissively looking back at the rest, “Eeeehhh, doesn’t matter. Enough rooms for everyone, shared or not.”

Dortmund sighed, “As expected of you.” He looks at everyone else, “If you have nothing left to ask, I suppose you lot can agree on which rooms you’ll be sharing. And I suggest you be mindful of who else will ask about the operation. By the way, all the rooms look similar, if not the same, so no point being picky.” He lays down the floor plan of the building’s second floor where everybody would be living, spread out amongst 4 rooms with accompanying pictures of what Dorten described. One of the four is Kyouka’s which is marked. The third floor already houses the de Jagers, Eina, all of their apparatus, and a storage room for the commercial building.

Interactions: Arkangel (Zhao, Kyouka) Khocolatte (Eina) WinterFestivity (Qinglong) Elucid (Gladiolus) Purity (Aria) voided (Erebus) OverconfidentMagi (Blackbird)

Code by Serobliss

 

[Elucid]

Imperial Security Directorate

Gladiolus

Kane Albright

CULLANES STARPORT, CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

Kane was never a very boisterous person, but even still, it was rare for him to go far too long in silence. Except, of course, when work was involved. Kane loved his job; he was perhaps the only agent in the department that liked doing the paperwork. Financial crimes was especially prone to forcing their agents to sort through reams of income statements, MOUs and certificates of incorporation. Turning most of its manpower into empty, soulless husks at the end of the exceptionally long weeks. While Kane wasn't nearly an accountant, he exhibited no lack in follow through. Perched in his smoky corner office, he would chase leads planet-wide, jumping from one shady corporation to the next, trying to find linkages buried deep within the fine print. It had been a while since he'd seen some actual action, at least in operations that were not air-tight, with contingencies in place for any slip-up. This was a wholly different ball game. It seemed that the ISD was expecting this group to be their miracle workers. While he did not doubt the abilities of Dortmund and his merry band of ice-cream salesmen, it was painfully evident that they were limited by a severe lack of resources.

Before the beginning of the little question and answer session, Kane had been taking down short notes on an electronic display. The map of the city was of particular interest, displaying the assets of the various movers and shakers at play. He had crudely reproduced the same on his display with an ace of spades next to the possessions of the Hand of Agartha. During these silent musings, a rogue piece of chalk made a beeline for the man's face. As the chalk found its mark, Kane unsheathed a silk handkerchief and dabbed at his now powdery forehead. It did not take long to figure out who did it; agent Blackbird seemed fond of announcing their presence. But despite the crudeness of this display, he couldn't help but agree with the point. The mismatch in strength between group members was evident and would likely pose a problem in the future. The moment passed without comment from Kane; he did not want to give the "giant neon sign" the satisfaction of a response. Although, Erebus' apparent confidence in Kane, while perhaps misplaced, was appreciated. Eventually, the conversation shifted to a discussion about living arrangements, and Kane found that this would be his final chance to make his apprehensions known before having to 'forever hold his peace'.

"If you have nothing left to ask, I suppose you lot can agree on which rooms you'll be sharing. And I suggest you be mindful of who else will ask about the operation. By the way, all the rooms look similar, if not the same, so no point being picky." Kane clears his throat to gather Dortmund's attention before proceeding, "I apologize for the interjection agent de Jager, but I cannot fail but mention some of the glaring disadvantages of this group that in my opinion makes this operation anything but smooth-sailing." He shifts towards agent Blackbird with a distinct look of derision. "Trust me, it pains me to no end to say this, but agent Malo is right. The abilities of each individual in this grouping are severely mismatched, which would be fine if we were playing to our strengths, but even here we seem to be handicapped." He looks to agent Erebus to make his point. "In the same vein, me and agent Aria seem to have on first glance, a similar skillset which can be both a blessing and a curse." Kane relaxes back into his chair with a sigh, "If we're considering the compatibility of each agent as well, we wouldn't rank very high either. Agent Qinglong seems to be much of a lone wolf, although her attempt at small-talk is well received. Agent Yaksha seems like she knows much more that she's letting on, and agent Blackbird apparently has the unparalleled ability to rub everyone he meets, the wrong way."

"Now, perhaps you've considered all of this already, and this digression has been completely unfruitful. I had hoped to make my apprehensions known to you in private, but in the interest of full-disclosure I decided otherwise. Considering that I suspect there is much that's being kept from us, and you for that matter. Anyways, I suppose I better bunk with agent Malo here, he already seems quite fond of me, and I'm sure sharing space together will make us fast friends."

Mentions: Panther (Dortmund) | WinterFestivity (Quinlong) | Purity (Aria) | voided (Erebus) | OverconfidentMagi (Malo)

Code by Serobliss

 

[voided]

Imperial Security Directorate

EREBUS

HIKARU FUKUI

D&D ICE CREAM PARLOR, CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

Hikaru gave a defeated grin towards Jiayi. The woman’s choice of words were amusing to say the least. At Hikaru’s mercy once they head to a place in Katsuragi? Please, she was already at Hikaru’s mercy. They were already in an ice cream shop. Once there would be some free time, Hikaru would be grabbing Qinglong to taste test some ice cream. Surely the ice cream here tasted just as good.

For now, her attention went back to Dortmund who answered her question. She nodded along to his words. CQC? She can work with that. Sniping from a helicopter seemed exciting, but Dortmund was right. She was not certified to do so.

“Being a helicopter sniper sounds like an idea I'd love to entertain, but as you said, I am not certified nor do I have any training. Thank you for your offer, but I think it would be best to stick with the team in the second port rather than risking anything. I don't want either of us to get into any potential trouble by having an uncertified helicopter sniper.”

Hikaru might have enjoyed the thrill of potentially being a sniper in that fashion, but she wasn’t stupid. Every conflict had a risk, and that risk only grew if someone decided to be over in their head just because they wanted to come off as some sort of deft person. If anything, they'd be daft. Someone who Hikaru was not planning to be so.

After that was settled, Hikaru stayed fairly quiet and paid attention to whatever was said by Dortmund. The De Jagers joining the squad on the field was expected. This was a job. Well, it came off as more of an assessment. But in this line of work, isn't everything technically an assessment? How wearisome.

Hearing the other Katsuragi woman speak of Yuxiong, Hikaru glanced at the incarce-made television. Active in the war of Raignork, huh? Well, not like that meant anything to Hikaru. On the bright side, Yuxiong had a peculiar haircut, a type that Hikaru didn't see often. Was it a Zhenra thing to cover one eye? Agent Aria did so as well. Nevertheless, that means Yuxiong would stand out, in Hikaru's eyes at the very least.

Regardless, then came the fun part. Making bunk buddies. However, Gladiolus spoke up. Oh, come on. Surely everything would be fine! The Director had faith in them after all. As Gladiolus looked over at her, she simply pointed at herself while meeting his gaze with a puzzled one of her own. Was she handicapped? No way. She could absolutely handle herself in a fight. Hikaru backs Gladiolus up and this is what she gets in return?

Wait. Was her handicap being short? She can't control her height, damn it.

Was she misunderstanding? Potentially. For now, she simply just sighed in response and crossed her arms. Surely the higher-ups took this all into consideration. That's why they were being assessed, right?

Maybe she was being a little too faithful.

For now, a more pressing issue was at hand. Bunking with someone. Seems like Gladiolus laid claim to bunking with Malo, so Hikaru only had two choices; Jiayi or Aria. The former seemed amusing to bug, but Hikaru was quite curious about the latter.

"Well, I don't think I got to know Agent Aria too well yet, so I think it'll be fun to bunk with her." She motioned over to the woman, flashing Aria her usual crooked grin.

Interactions: Arkangel (Zhao, Kyouka) / Panther (Dorten, Dortmund) / Khocolatte (Eina) / WinterFestivity (Qinglong) / Elucid (Gladiolus) / Purity (Aria) / OverconfidentMagi (Malo)

Code by Serobliss

 

[Panther]

Imperial Security Directorate

Dortmund de Jager

The Ice Cream Man

D&D Ice Cream Parlor, Cullan City, Cullanes, Empyria

As he left everyone to their devices, he heard the opinions of a man. The man that Dortmund thought is the most reasonable man out of this fruit basket of a squad. The concerns were valid and legitimate, prompting a nod from Dortmund, first thanking him for choosing immediately with discipline to set an example followed by Erebus’s remarks which were just as disciplined, “Thank you, Agent Gladiolus, Agent Erebus. Now, for your concern, Agent Gladiolus, I was legitimately baffled myself when I received the dossiers from the Director’s office. None of it made sense.”

He sighs, saying bluntly, “If I were to be asked, I would’ve taken a full squad of tactical troopers. But all the tac squads, good and bad, are reportedly busy making a series of hits back on Agartha that I don’t have the security clearance to know about. In your defense, a tactical squad would’ve been too predictable and disadvantageous against an enemy that capitalizes on predictability, they didn’t evade or defeat law enforcement for years for nothing. This squad composed of mostly greenhorns with great disparities in skills between each other is something the enemy likely isn’t expecting and should throw their command structure off guard because now they have to take all of your gimmicks, blessings, or curses into account, which they know little of. The Director chose you lot for a reason, and she's rarely ever wrong.”

He then warns, reiterating Gladiolus’s statement, “But the exact nature of this squad can work against it. Whether that comes to pass is up to you. Part of the reason we’re having you lot bunk in pairs is to form relationships that might come to be crucial for this entire operation. We’ll be sitting together again here in this break room tonight to discuss the combat plans that will be delivered later in the day. Once you choose your rooms and get your luggage matters settled, you lot are free to have a look around Cullan City for any who want to go sightseeing. You can even go to the port we’re targeting and familiarize yourself with its perimeter. However, no one goes alone and I expect you lot back before nightfall. And I’d suggest covering your faces and maybe a change of clothes.”

Interactions: Arkangel (Zhao, Kyouka) Khocolatte (Eina) WinterFestivity (Qinglong) Elucid (Gladiolus) Purity (Aria) voided (Erebus) OverconfidentMagi (Blackbird)

Code by Serobliss

 

[Panther]

Imperial Security Directorate

The Parlor Manager

Dorten de Jager

Cullan City, Cullanes, Empyria

Dortmund fixes his glasses, looking over at everyone and from the looks of it, they’ve already selected their rooms followed by his final reminders being said. He decides to call it here for now, “I guess that’s that. Alright, you lot are dismissed. Dorten, help them to their rooms and with their luggage. Everyone, remember what I said about going out. Do not go alone, cover your faces and maybe change your clothes, and finally, be back before nightfall!” Dorten nodded upon the command and led the way back to the garage to fetch the bags.

He looks at Zhao as everybody went back to the garage, “Tianshu. Third floor, we’ll talk in the office.” He unlocks the door that led to the upper floors, motioning for Zhao to follow along.

After they disappeared to the third floor, Dorten and the rest came walking back in with everyone else. The team’s luggage on their persons as they made their way up to the second floor. Dorten plopped whatever bags he was carrying down on the floor and produced the keys to the rooms from his pocket, giving each pair a corresponding pair of keys, except for Tianshu who was called upstairs which meant Qinglong would get both keys, instinctively saying, “Don’t lose these. If you do, just give us a holler and we’ll make another duplicate of the master keys we got.” The rooms were already open, now all everyone had to do was make themselves at home. Dorten gestured to Eina and Kyouka as he started to walk towards the stairs, “Just ask Eina or Kyouka for help if you need anything. I need to go back downstairs to watch the register and tend to the customers. Can’t leave just one employee there. Oh and if you want to go out, gotta tell us!”

Dorten then saw himself out of the scene, giving the guys and girls a wave before leaving almost the whole team, Eina, and Kyouka to their devices as the sounds of footsteps on the stairs were heard, each step growing ever distant before eventually quieting down.

The three rooms would host the following pairs: Tianshu and Qinglong, Aria and Erebus, and then Blackbird and Gladiolus. After everyone sets themselves up, they’re free to go and do whatever they want for the remainder of the day as promised.

Interactions: Arkangel (Zhao, Kyouka) Khocolatte (Eina) WinterFestivity (Qinglong) Elucid (Gladiolus) Purity (Aria) voided (Erebus) OverconfidentMagi (Blackbird)

Code by Serobliss

 

[WinterFestivity]

Imperial Security Directorate

Qinglong

Jiayi Yu

CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

And so, Jiayi was left with something curious - Time to do whatever she so pleased, still, truth be told she really didn’t know what she ought to be doing with that time, so, instead, once she was handed the keys she would stand there quietly before finally moving to pick up both her and Tianshu’s luggage. He would be indisposed for the time being, after all, perhaps he’d appreciate the gesture, though it wasn’t much of an additional workload seeing as her own luggage only comprised of a handful of essential items, toiletries, and the like. She’d pause there for a moment as she looked at the others, a little awkwardly, before ultimately taking her leave to head to the room that would house her for the near future…

…Jiayi wasn’t sure what she expected from the room that awaited her, she was never subjected to many luxuries if any at all when it came to sleeping arrangements, that being said, she didn’t particularly care about sharing a room with someone else either, it was at least the one that she knew was least likely actually to take any sort of action against her.

Once she was done observing the room, she’d gently toss Tianshu’s luggage onto his bed, before going to her own, gently placing hers on it as she’d opt to sit down, this was the first amount of privacy she’d received in… Well, ever. She had nothing better to do, so she would simply look out the window, her mind wandering onto the subject of Yuxiong - Her Aunt - and the upcoming confrontation. Would this motley group even begin to stand a chance against her? Her family was no pushover, even against unforeseen tactics like... Whatever would result from this "team".

She'd sigh outwardly, the only indication of the debate raging on within her head.

Interactions: ♥ Khocolatte (Eina) ♥ Arkangel (Zhao, Kyouka) ♥ Panther (De Jagers) ♥ voided (Fukui) ♥ Elucid (Kane) ♥ Purity (Isolde) ♥

Code by Serobliss

 

[Arkangel]

Forsaken Vanquisher

Yaksha

Kyouka Yamaken

CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

The closure of the meeting meant that Kyouka was now free to operate on her own, a much preferrable change of events considering she feared for the worst that one of the de Jagers would reinstate her position back to the front desk. It would've been a time waster if that were to be the case. After all, some priorities stood among others. Such as her suspicions when it came to some members of the newly introduced agents from the ISD. After exchanging a quick word with Dorten before his departure, more specifically a permission to briefly interrogate a few agents, Kyouka silently pursued Qinglong's movement and knocked on the door, before letting herself in like she owned the building and its rooms.

Perhaps it was because the door was left unlocked as a small opening between the cracks revealed the interior of the rather cramped room.

"Greetings," she bowed lightly in respect to their first interaction, "I hope you do not mind company for the time being. You may refer to me as Kyouka, instead of the code name that I normally use - Yaksha. We won't know each other for long, but while this team remains active on Cullanes, it'd be best for us to get to know each other a bit better."

A forced smile appeared before Kyouka's face, and anyone with half a brain would notice that she had no intentions on being friendly with the other party. Nonetheless, her hospitality should be noted. It was clear that she had no ill intentions either.

"Call me an observant devil, but you should do something about that scent of yours. Not that expensive cologne you're wearing to filter the contamined air of Sector Twelve's corruption. I am talking about your blatantly exposed aura that reeks of unnatural incarce. The ordinary person may not be able to detect the contamination inside your circuits, but it'd be in your best interest to at least attempt to hide it." Kyouka scoffed, finding herself a seat and crossing her legs next to the small kitchen before closing the door behind her.

Interactions: WinterFestivity (Qinglong)
Mentions: Panther (Dorten)

Code by Serobliss

 

[WinterFestivity]

Imperial Security Directorate

Qinglong

Jiayi Yu

CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

The knock would be what snapped her out of her silent reverie, as she’d rapidly shift her attention over towards the door and the woman who had come through it, it was that one, Jiayi would just stare at her as the woman behaved as if this was entirely her own room, much to her chagrin.

But where the true irritant lay was with her words, at first merely seeming to be an unnecessary distraction that she didn’t particularly care for, but after her forced smile is when the problem really made itself evident, it was clear that this one may prove to be far more of a problem to deal with, she was far more aware of the nature of Jiayi’s incarce than she would’ve preferred. Her first instinct, the first reaction from the core of her being was to silence her before anything could spread to the others, but… She’d bite, there was nothing stopping her from doing so if it came to it, but the actions that her brethren would’ve done without a single hesitation were below her, as of current, anyway.

She would remain quiet for a long moment, her gaze fixated on Kyouka, as she herself didn’t move from her seat at all for the duration, until she closed her eyes and stood up, speaking out in her usual nigh-robotic fashion.

“Whether I mind or not doesn't matter, given that you are already present and have... More perception than most, It would do your argument well to elaborate, I wasn’t aware that someone capable of detecting such things would be present, so, I saw no reason to try to conceal it.” She’d open her eyes as she continued to stare at Kyouka. “I can tell that you have no ill will here, as of the moment, but what is your… “Game”, as it does seem to be fairly evident that you seek to get something out of this discussion, rather than being content to observe me from a distance to find your answer.”

She’d then glance towards the door. “...And, did you speak of this to any of our “comrades” before approaching me?”

If she had, that'd prove to be... Problematic for her stay here, she'd rather not have her personal history become public knowledge, and Kyouka was very much the biggest threat to that desire currently present. For now, she chose to exercise self-restraint and simply listen to Kyouka's response.

Interactions: ♥ Arkangel (Kyouka) ♥

Code by Serobliss

 

[Arkangel]

Forsaken Vanquisher

Yaksha

Kyouka Yamaken

CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

Kyouka's feigned smile soon turned into that of her usual deadpan expression, with a slight frown and a pair of shrewd eyes that seemed to glare at Jiayi with somewhat of an interest. From an outside perspective, by visuals alone, Jiayi Yu shouldn't be anyone that Kyouka should take any interest in, regardless of her status as an ISD agent sent for this particular work. To Kyouka, practicality of the person came with their aura and perseverance, in which the former could be felt upon the first meeting, while the second must be proved. So far, it was difficult for Kyouka to confirm the former. Much to her annoyance, it was clear that she wasn't the type to hold conversations with a cup of tea on the table.

Kyouka clicked her teeth, "Relax, your secret is safe with me. I gain no benefits from spreading confidential information. My previous remark was more for your own good. The Sishen Yakuza aren't the only group of eccentrics you'll be dealing with in your time here. However, that is for another time. You're not one for conversations, are you? A shame, there are no better ways to make allies than exchanging of words."

Having noticed the low-quality tea packets on the counter for the guests, Kyouka took the initiative and did the honors of brewing the two a cup of warm tea, using basic pyromantic spells to boil some water and lay the packet hanging on the edge of the teacup. During this rather dull process she spoke, "Dishonesty spawns long-lasting issues that'll be problematic in the long run. I am certain, as a graduate of the Imperial Security Director's five-stage exams, you're aware of this, yes? Then let us play a little game of truths."

Kyouka gently lifted the heated teacup and placed it on top of a plate in front of Jiayi, gesturing her to take a sip to refresh herself. No tricks were at play and the tea remained pure, free of toxins or dangerous chemicals that could've spelt trouble for Jiayi. It was also unreasonable, and Kyouka was not interested in forcing out the truth with some kind of magical drug. "The game is simple. You tell me something about yourself, and I will do the same. Depending on the level of severity of your truth, I shall mirror with an answer equally as great. And if you feel this is an invasion of your precious privacy, than I suppose we could form a contract."

Kyouka reached into her dress pockets and revealed a talisman with ancient scriptures on one side, and Hexennacht language on the other. Assuming that she was not aware of this form of contract, Kyouka explained further, "This is a form of binding vow created by the Symbol of Revelation hundreds of years ago to negotiate with the Beasts of the Apocalypse. Digressing to the history of this piece of rather boring paper would be a waste of time, so I shall skip the details and go to the point. How it works is rather simple. We set the rules of our game, and once it's over, this talisman will burn and cast a spell onto your vocal cords. And depending on the custom rules of our game, we must abide to the vow for the next 5 years. Naturally, there are no other ways to break this spell other than to wait for its dissipating timer or by using some kind of an anti-magic spell. I wouldn't entertain that idea, however. You'll need an Archmage if you don't want to lose your vocal cords."

Kyouka scoffed, "Anywho. The rules will be simple. Any words spoken for the next 15 minutes will be between us. Once the timer is up, we will be unable to share the information we've gathered to anyone but to each other. Of course, for the sake of our friendship, we'll exchange answers like how I stated before. No asking questions twice in a row unless the other party allows it. A sound deal, would you not agree?"

Interactions: WinterFestivity (Qinglong)

Code by Serobliss

 

[WinterFestivity]

Imperial Security Directorate

Qinglong

Jiayi Yu

CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

Jiayi would return Kyouka's deadpan expression as she continued to observe and evaluate her current counterpart, she didn't have any advanced means of detecting anything about her other than her own intuition. While she certainly was a threat to the integrity of the false identity that she had been granted, she also seemed to be reasonably confident in this encounter not escalating into one of violence, something that Jiayi didn't want to disprove quite yet, as she was certain that if it came to that point that she was more than capable.

She wouldn't respond to anything up until the very end of Kyouka's statement. "You're not one for conversations, are you? A shame, there are no better ways to make allies than exchanging of words."

This would be worth its own response from Jiayi, who'd dead-pan state. "You're correct to surmise such things, it is something that is rather difficult to account for, even with an active attempt. I don't believe it's something that is difficult to parse and that is why I confirm it."

She'd then quietly stare at Kyouka as she went about the process of making the terrible quality tea, observing her usage of pyromancy, then her doing incredibly, nothing else to it as she spoke more. She did have a point in the form of dishonesty only inspiring further problems with her ideal goals... Whatever they were, truthfully, she was still trying to figure out what exactly she wanted to do, obviously, she wanted to enact some form of, well, she didn't know what to call it yet, punishment? On those that she would call "family."

No matter, for she had Kyouka to focus upon with her most intriguing proposition, a game of truths bound to never leave this room in any form for the foreseeable future. A game that would grant her incredible insight into this woman with an uncanny ability to determine things about people, it seemed.

Approaching this from her most intimate perspective, that of combat, one doesn't gain the upper hand over those matching your strength without taking some degree of a gamble... And so, Jiayi would opt to take the gamble here, disclosing her own past on the whims of Kyouka, in exchange for gaining whatever information she desired from her in return.

She would quietly take the opposing seat to Kyouka, all while gently taking the tea into her hand, locking eyes with Kyouka.

"Very well, I think you've made your case to my satisfaction, you needn't elaborate any further - I accept your terms, I'll play this game of truths with you and accept the rules of the contract you have presented. In the interest of what I believe is termed Courtesy, I shall leave it in your hands to initiate this quaint game, what is it that you wish to ask of me first... Kyouka?"

She'd then take a gentle sip of the subpar tea, waiting for it to begin.

Interactions: ♥ Arkangel (Kyouka) ♥

Code by Serobliss

 

[Purity]

Imperial Security Directorate

Aria

Isolde Caen

D&D, CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

Dorty and Dorky. Oh boy.

With great reluctance that extraordinarily she made an effort to not show, she listened to the entire explanation of the storm that she’d landed herself in. The Sishen, Yuxiong, the Hand, the Imperial Army, the whole scenario seemed like something straight out of one of her very many books. Which, of course, were all extremely mundane and boring. Perhaps if she were being fully honest with herself, she hadn’t fully expected something of this scale for her first major operation, but she had her doubts of it being because of her many nonexistent accolades or other indescribably imaginary achievements.

The direction that each person chose for their line of questions to ask Dortmund was quite interesting, though, because at the very least it broke up the drone of his voice if it didn’t give her some other things to think about. Especially the kill order. That was interesting. It would be one of the first times for her anyhow that she would be legally allowed to end someone else’s life virtually without repercussions, though the priority taken to surrender soured that idea a bit. She wondered if she even really needed valid evidence to show that whoever ended up at the other end of her magic was a member of the Yakuza, and how they would even go about proving such evidence. Oh well. At least there wouldn’t be any harm in tormenting those that they ended up arresting.

For her anyway.

Isolde gave a small shrug when Dortmund looked her way. Really, she’d only tried to pay attention to the important points of what he’d said, which meant that if she tried to ask questions about anything it was possible it would become very evident she hadn’t been as attentive as she let on. If anything, everyone else’s questions were giving her more answers than what she could come up. He’d said that they’d start with a smaller port and work their way up over the course of the operation, and that had been good enough for her. This definitely seemed to be something that they would work into the groove of as time went by.

Gladiolus – she certainly needed to approach him later at some point, he seemed to have the proper mindset for certain matters – did raise a valid point through his line of questioning, but that one she’d already thought about. This seemed to be a suicide squad in pretty much all but name. If it didn’t work out, not too much would be lost. At worst, it would cost several lives, maybe anger a couple of noble families, but that could even work to the operation’s advantage. But if it did work out… It might be the break that she’d been looking for.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have much time to revel in that particular thought and the gears that were already turning to try and maximize her impact on the operation as she heard her name, and the word bunk, in the same sentence, from someone whose name began with an ‘H’ and ended with “obnoxiously noisy and nosy”. Her first instinct had been to try and use this opportunity to bunk with Gladiolus, finally have a meaningful conversation after everything that had made her ears bleed, but it appeared that he had other ideas and she had other ideas.

She would have to change this into an opportunity.

Erebus’ skillset involved ranged weaponry and shadowmancy. Gladiolus had already pointed out there was some overlap in the skillsets of some of the members of the team, so it would only make sense to further break up the team into ways that laid the strengths across any weaknesses. Perhaps Erebus was less one-dimensional, and heavens forbid, actually bearable. A two-man squad with herself as the eyes and Erebus as the trigger would be mutually beneficial. Erebus would cover for her own lack of firepower, while she would ensure that Erebus would never miss. No, more than that. Their enemies would think that Erebus could read their thoughts with how accurately she’d pinpoint their locations.

Hmm. That certainly sounded fun. And they were the same age, after all. In polite society, interactions with others that were of similar age was supposedly a norm to adhere to, particularly when bunking. She returned the grin with a smile of her own, not minding that there was a bit of authenticity leaking into it. She’d managed to get herself excited to see what Erebus was capable of.

“Likewise. I’m sure we’ll get along swimmingly.”

Isolde grabbed all of her stuff and motioned for Erebus to lead the way. A gesture of goodwill.

Interactions: ⟡ voided (Erebus) ⟡

Code by Serobliss

 

[voided]

Imperial Security Directorate

EREBUS

HIKARU FUKUI

D&D ICE CREAM PARLOR, CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

Hikaru half-expected Aria to decline or flat out ignore her to ask Qinglong, after all, she did kind of come in between the two on the ship to Cullanes. She wasn’t that foolish, it was obvious that Aria wanted to get to know Qinglong a little. For why? That was unknown. Hikaru was observant, but not all-knowing. Although, she wishes she could be the latter. It would make certain things in life much, much easier, albeit also quite boring. Life was fun when you had a lot of things to be curious about, after all.

Responding to Aria with a hum, Hikaru picked up her own duffle bag before walking down the hall towards their room. For the most part, Hikaru was quiet. Mostly because she was trying to find the room they were bunking in. She didn’t want to accidentally wander into another room and realize it was already taken. Or worse, wander into a room that was obviously not meant for her to be in.

She didn’t want to come off as stupid after all.

Finding the empty room in question, Hikaru lazily plopped her bag onto one of the beds, silently stating that this bed was hers, before she turned her head to glance over at Aria “Now, since we’re finally able to get to know each other, shall we do so in this room? Or head out into town? I am fine with either or. After all, I am able to work along with almost anyone I talk to.” She spoke, still keeping up her shit-eating grin. "Although, I am down to begin the question game we're about to start, so I will start with something simple to match the theme of our current situation. What is your favourite ice cream colour?"

A hand still wrapped around the bag’s shoulder strap just in case Aria decided to head out. There wasn’t much of a reason to unpack, at least not yet. There wasn’t much in Hikaru’s bag after all; just a few changes of clothes, toiletries, and other essential items Hikaru brought along. So if the other woman wanted to take a gander at the city, then Hikaru would get prepared.

Interactions: Purity (Aria)

Code by Serobliss

 

[OverconfidentMagi]

IMPERIAL SECURITY DIRECTORATE

Malo Salas Vesta

Neon Blackbird

D&D ICE CREAM PARLOR, CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

"... I better bunk with agent Malo here, he already seems quite fond of me, and I'm sure sharing space together will make us fast friends."

Malo raised a brow at the unexpected proposition, but, "I have no qualms about the room arrangements," was all he said before walking away to inspect the room for himself. He pushed open the door a crack and looked through. One bed visible. He pushed the door open the rest of the way. "I'll take that bed." If someone entered the room with a weapon, they would see his bed first. Malo was overconfident in his chances of surviving a bullet or stabbing enough to wake up and retaliate. He did not put as much stake in the common man's durability. Malo stripped his bed, inspected it for bugs of both kind - simply out of curiosity, as if his superior chose to eavesdrop on him he would do nothing more than choose his words with slightly more care - and remade it reoriented so his head was closer to the door. Most people subconsciously slept with their head furthest from the door, but this way gave him a better view should someone unwanted poke their head in. He couldn't retaliate against someone he couldn't see after all, that was a good way to accidentally burn... people he shouldn't. Malo caught his paranoia beginning to spiral and stopped himself.

"Whatever will happen will happen. And when it does, deal with it then." Malo closed his eyes and muttered a reminder to himself. Things happen. It's not my job to prepare for everything bad that might happen. It's not my fault if they do. He let out a deep sigh. Being in an unfamiliar place made the intrusive thoughts harder to ignore. He sat on the bed and held a hand out in front of his face, a neon flame in his palm. He crushed it. Violet-green-pink flames erupted violently from between his clenched fingers. The heat started to affect the room before the flames suddenly died down. Malo unclenched his fist, revealing a rainbow crystal that he'd seemingly created. He casually tossed this to Agent Gladiolus. "I think you're just smart enough to recognize that this mission is as unprofessional a shitshow as they come. The odds of things going sideways are not in our favor. Like I said before, I don't really want this mission blowing up in my face. So if you stick your nose into something you can't deal with, the first thing you should do is request the assistance of those on the team more capable than yourself. But if that isn't possible, throw that in the direction of the problem, hard. I give no guarantees of effectiveness, but if nothing else it'll let out a pop and provide a distraction for you to run away."

Malo was severely underselling the potency of what he'd just handed Gladiolus. The amount of neon fire held within that palm-sized gem was enough to melt all of the ice cream across every offered flavor held within this building, as well as the building itself and all of its other contents besides the ice cream. He also failed to mention that it would only remain stable for a few days, or what would happen should Gladiolus accidentally drop the thing in water. Actually, that one was important. "Oh, and try not to let it get wet." That should be a sufficient warning. If possible, he would have armed every member of this... each of the agents working this mission in parallel with him, with all of the firepower he could give, but Malo's power was inherently unstable, too difficult to keep from quickly self-destructing. Just keeping a single crystal in solid form indefinitely was all he could manage without exerting himself. Though it wasn't entirely intentional on his part, Malo did think of Agent Gladiolus as the weakest member of this group, the most at risk, which might have been part of why he felt the need to give him something. Or maybe he was repaying the gratitude for someone having picked him.

Interactions: Elucid (Gladiolus)

Code by Serobliss

 

[Arkangel]

Forsaken Vanquisher

Yaksha

Kyouka Yamaken

CULLAN CITY, CULLANES, EMPYRIA

Kyouka expressed delight after Jiayi agreed to the terms, enabling the vanquisher to trigger the talisman between her fingertips. Flames quickly burned the piece of enchanted paper as its rune symbols appeared on the back of Kyouka’s right hand, as the same occurred to Jiayi. A slight sting was all it took for the rune symbol to be activated, giving the duo the green light to begin their confined conversation.

As requested by the other party, Kyouka was the first to ask the question. She cleared her throat and began her intended segment, “Ahem. Having noted the time limit, I shall do us the favor of skipping to the main course.” Kyouka took a sip from the mediocre tea, slightly off the mood due to the poor texture. Nevertheless, she continued shortly afterward, “Your refined Exousiarch. Naturally, it is uncommon for one to have its potential unlocked. May I ask how you were able to unravel the dormant ability hidden within your blood? For simpler terms, I wish to know what methods you used to develop it. Surely, the Symbols didn’t offer a hand to keep you working for the Directorate.”

Kyouka's aim in the short 15 minutes was simple: to validate her suspicions about the Zhenra girl and use them to her advantage against the Sishens operating on Sector Twelve. For what reason she was so obsessed with the Sishens would be unknown to the de Jager brothers, but that was a gamble that she was willing to play. After all, the Sishens were merely a step to her final mission.

Interactions: WinterFestivity (Qinglong)

Code by Serobliss