Futuristic Electric Sheep [Always Open] - [Androids | Space | Politics]

[Cosmic_Chaos]

​

Aria Renean
I'm a Master at Parkour! Don't underestimate me!

Aria Renean sighed in annoyance as she wandered around. This was boring as all hell. They were out of supplies, and so she was the one who had to go. Damien was too busy tinkering with something in his room, and her mother said that she always went out before going to bed, the least she could do was get the shopping. She muttered under her breath, turning the music up louder. Music calmed her a bit, and she would be able to ignore everything around her, which meant, no fights. So less of the chance of snapping. Which meant that Damien doesn't have to run out of the house to chill her out.

However, she was told to get the shopping done, but she wasn’t told how long. She grinned to herself. She could look around, before doing her normal thing, then go home. She chuckled to herself. She looked around the shops. She wasn’t used to seeing such a clean area. She was so used to the slightly grimy-looking area of the shadow district, that she felt... almost out of place. Adjusting the grip on the bag that had the shopping in, she wandered around trying to find something that looked interesting. then something finally did pique her interest. A gun shop. She checked her phone, it was late, but no one said anything. Well it didn't hurt to browse, did it? She walked in, ignoring the male and looked around. there were a lot of guns.

The male, who was actually kind of adorable greeted her as she walked in. She gave a bright smile and looked around. She knew the basics of guns, and a gun was easier than carrying a knife with you. well, thinking about the weight, parkouring may be difficult.... She was in her own world, staring at some nice-looking model, and heard someone else come. She took a glance and and almost melted. Holy shit this woman was gorgeous. she turned back again and tried to calm down, lest she's worry her brother. When the woman spoke, she had to agree, the was a nice collection.

Mentioned s e v e n and RiverGamer

 

[Bang Bang]

Incoming File ...
To: Collidias Rex ReverseTex Sir Galahad II s e v e n

RE: GWEN

Location: Underworld
Bureau Notes: Rime just makes me think of the Ancient Mariner

Classified

At least the patron didn't seem displeased; Hades? Hades was another matter. Gwen wasn't arrogant enough to claim to be able to read him, but she'd been around him long enough to sense that she'd ticked him off. Least he focused on business though. She left with a wave to the human and a wary glance in her master's direction, mentally berating herself for being so fucking careless. She was acting positively C Class, no better than bloody Rime for star's sake.

She was in so deep to her internal monologue that she almost missed the heckling that was mandatory whenever a certain someone was about the bar. Any other day she'd be livid, but today? Today she was tired and already maybe in trouble. Instead she shot back over her shoulder, without looking back to glower at Mr. Grey, "Say that again, 'Grey', and I'll tell your mother what happened last week." Jacob Grey in-fucking-deed. What was the point of having a secret identity down here if you were so prone to getting wasted, in trouble, in weird sex scandals, and harassing androids? She'd seen him without that ridiculous mask of his so many times she had to endure the burden of knowing what his smug little face looked like.

Still. Mainly the Emperor had to deal with that little shit, a fact which made her day every day. And people always said Noblus had it easy.

Slipping off into the backroom, she waded through the carpet (she didn't know why it was so irksomely long, but reckoned it was another reference to Greek mythology; Naturally, she loathed it) and plonked herself down on a couch. For the brief snatching of seconds before the boss arrived, she slumped and vegetated, kicking her aching feet up on the wine coloured table. Thank the stars, it was finally just them. She felt like a fucking Old Earth barbie doll from smiling so much; her cheeks were aching. She didn't even know cheeks could ache.

Hades entered; she straightened, legs off the table. "Sorry about earlier," she said shortly, not grovelling because this was Hades, but hell, maybe she felt bad. Whatever; She had a report to give. "It worked like a charm. Don't understand it myself, but Aphrodite's programming was flawless. Once I was in there, it hooked up to the network and bypassed his security system in what? Five minutes? Weird since that was happening on my processors but-" Hades likely didn't want to hear about the weirdness that was having an entire virus programmed into your very body, which could then engage with a person's personal files and hack into them, download and decrypt them, all without leaving a trace (all whilst you were getting down and dirty with the target in their private quarters). She knew what mattered was: was the job done and done right?

"Long story short, it worked. Aphrodite should have uploaded and processed the files by now. Aphrod-"
"Transfer complete, Gwendolyn," the SAI chimed in with her usual too-perky overtones. One day, Gwen would develop the patience to learn to hack, and fix whatever it was that made the SAI use her full name, but today was not that day. "I've stored them all in your private databank, Wilhelm. Anything else I can help with, sirs?"

 

[ReverseTex]

Jamie au Olver

Location: The Underworld Bang Bang s e v e n Sir Galahad II Collidias Rex

The long walk from the first sector to one of its darkest and shadiest was quite a bore for the man. His armored guards shoving their way through, the Slavs and Hands glances and stares as they made their way through the streets and slums unannounced. He knew from his large network that the common folk distrusted the Noblus, and even strongly disliked their abruptness. He could care less.

Jamie slowly entered the Underworld, his arms behind his back as his icy orbs studied the joybar in its entirety. It had the same stench of unprofessionalism as the au Descartes man had, but a sense of lust and desire filled the air. Intriguing to say the least.

His eyes spotted a few recognizable people, one being the Emperors son, Gabriel. A good looking man, but clearly deviant if he enjoyed the pleasures of whore house, which amused the man. Spotting what looked to be a few Agency workers, clearly spotable by their uniforms, he cared quite little. But the grey locks and grizzled appearance of one man made a truly amused smile arise on his face.

Slowly clapping, his movements methodical and slow, he sifted his way through the crowd of joybots and brothelgoers. “Well if it isn’t the man himself? Wilhelm Descartes...” Excluding the Noblus title from the man’s name, knowing he took down the man himself, his icy eyes glittered as if they locked eyes upon prey. “Aren’t you a little old to be running a establishment like this? I’m fairly certain I bought all of your buisness, but yet here you are... Your work is still sloppy, but i’ll give you credit for your boldness.” Jamie reached the man, the crowd having sifted to make a pathway for him. Placing a hand on the man’s shoulders he smiled, “The Underworld... Hades is a appropriate name for you, good choice. A dying man running a dying bar.”

“Forced from your home, driven out to the wilds beyond the blanket of society. I imagine you've seen things most men wouldn't believe. To go through all of that and make your way home again only to find such chaos in the world, I can only imagine...” Jamie’s voice was like ice, bitter and cold, however the longer you listened the more vexing it became. Words were his weapon, and he knew how to use them as such.

 

[Bang Bang]

Incoming File ...
To: Dover Mourning Dove NUSKI (mention of IF)

RE: BOY

Location: StimHaunt
Bureau Notes: Dolly has Boy's vote

Classified

Boy took one look at the Docks, their quadrupled security (with even the Imperial Fleet roaming about) and decided to find alternative transport for certain goods that needed taking to certain places. They needed someone small-time enough not to raise eyebrows at the docks, but competent enough to not screw this up. A message through to Rey, a little hacking into the security network, and voila. Two such persons identified. Boy felt they perhaps ought to recognize them - especially the one listed as an ex-Organ Slav but in a business with as high a turn-over as this, keeping names and faces straight required a level of genius that they at least liked to pretend they didn't possess. Past a certain point, smarts always seemed to rub people the wrong way.

So Boy'd greet Scotch and Swift with a 'Hey, I've been recommended to come contact you', instead of a 'Sorry about that one time we used you as a organ storage meat sack '. Something like that. Either way, they were more preoccupied with Cherry's Mr. report and how to not get in their bad side.

Back down in their familiar haunts, they proceeded to a StimHaunt with a cute little floating robot outside, one which looked rather distressed at their exile from their master. "Hey cutie," Boy said, looking the bot over to assess it. Not worth scrapping for parts, but charmingly antiquated nonetheless. "Trust me, you aren't missing out on any pretty sights."

Ducking in through the entrance, they checked in at the bar - They were gonna need some energy stims to pull of what was coming - and surveyed the area. Junkie, junkie, junkie, junkie, junkie- Scotch. Scotch and a Junkie by the look of the kid. Guess Boy already knew where their money was going - still, Junkies made for easy marks in that they were always hungry for cash. This'd do nicely.

Without so much as skipping a beat, Boy slid into the booth with them (not so tricky when you have an extra two robotic arms for help), no shame, and gave them both a bright smile. "A lovely gentleman at the bar recommended I talk to you two charming folk, were I looking to give some money to a worthy cause. Preferably in return for a little manual labor?" Without waiting for an answer, they slipped out a holopad, opened the projection and placed it down in the center of the table.

Rotating on screen was a large, almost coffin-sized container, the ID code blurred out - for now. "I was under the impression that you," they looked to Swift, "were familiar with Juno and that you," now it was Scotch's turn for a too-bright smile, "had a knack for moving things." They flicked up the accompanying payload - to write it would be rude. Better just to say it was an obscenely large amount for one crate. "Terms and conditions? Don't open it - defrosted organs are not a business I can deal in - and don't get caught. You're familiar with Mr. Knife, I presume?" They asked of Swift, not once having paused for breath. "He'll be your contact. Get the goods to him and the money's yours."

They seemed too-cheerful, but nerves were making their mouth run off from their brain. Few things made Boy truly nervous. The Blind Bureau was one of them.

 

[Sir Galahad II]

Incoming File ...
To: ReverseTex s e v e n Collidias Rex

RE: ROBERT HANCOCK

Location: Underworld
Bureau Notes: Rob is Completely Oblivious to Gwen's True Nature (And Name): Part 2

Classified"All tits no ass, huh?" he thought to himself. After briefly looking over at Rime, he concluded the statement was rude but true. He thanked Hades as he left, and as he turned to go speak with Rime, he was assaulted by the alcoholic breath of a vaguely familiar man who called himself Jacob Gray. Concluding that he was thoroughly drunk, Rob, rather than correcting the man when he implied Rob was hitting on Hades, simply replied "Thanks for the tip," nodding.

A tip he was actually thankful for, however was his comment on that woman he now (thought he) knew the name of, Persephone. Although Rob had plenty of romance in his years of living, he had never actually settled down with anyone. Maybe give her a shot? Or maybe not, who knew. It was merely a thought. He also heard Persephone say something about this man, Jacob Gray, and if he was as intoxicated right now as he was normally, he could easily believe that he got into a lot of trouble. Anyway, the man had now offered him a drink, and while another shot of whiskey did sound appealing, he felt that he shouldn't take advantage of a drunken man. ((And no, he doesn't mean it like that.))

"No thanks, I don't drink. Just here for the whores," he lied. Well, he was here for the whores, but of course he drank as well. "Now if you'll excuse me..." he said, not having any urge to converse with a drunk. He left the man to his own devices and walked up to Rime.

"Hey. I'm here for a lineup," he told her. He was thinking maybe two women tonight. He had credits to spend.

 

[Dover]

location: StimHaunt in the Shadow District
tagging: Mourning Dove Bang Bang
ooc: grump, grump, panic

Sami 'Swift' Tanyag​

Was it too late to run?

Scotch's voice in his ear was the toll of impending doom. Between the booming music and her shouting, a tinny sound was ringing in his ears, and he reached up to rub one of them. Scotch's arm around his shoulder blocked the attempt.

"Not your co-worker," Sami grumbled. He tipped his shoulder, sloughing her arm off, and turned so he was facing her. It was unwise to keep Scotch anywhere but directly in front of you. Not that he expected her to stab him in the back suddenly, but she was unpredictable at best. It was in anyone's best interest to keep an eye on her. Besides, he didn't trust her not to pick his pocket if she had the chance.

"Real funny," he said. Aaaand there came the comment about the stick up his ass. With the way she went on about it, he might as well have a whole tree trunk up there. With a glare, Sami shoved his Stims in his pocket. While the ache in his hip was still bearable for the time being, he'd rather get some Stims in him before it became much worse. Then there was that persistent itch reminding him that it'd been over a day since his last hit.

"You know, Scotch, as much as I'd love to join you on your incredibly vague and probably reckless job, I really have too much to do already." Sami gave her a mocking salute, and turning on his heel, he headed for the door. He was only one step in his escape when he saw Boy heading directly for them. With an about-turn, Sami went right back to Scotch. "Suddenly interested in hearing more," he mumbled to her as he passed, making a quick retreat to a recently vacated booth.

He slipped into the booth, pretending to be intimately interested in a crack in the table. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Probably was. Boy just happened to be in here, and just happened to be heading directly for them, and just happened to be sliding into the booth right next to Sami-- oh good god.

This was it. He should have known that being left alone by Boy and their lackeys for so long was too good to be true. They'd come to finish the job. Probably to take his other leg, maybe the rest of his fingers, probably what was left of his liver before they finished it off with ripping out his heart. Sami's palms felt clammy.

He only looked up from the crack in the table to glance at the holopad, giving a single, short nod in response. "Yeah, I'm familiar with Juno."

Why was he talking? He should be hopping over this booth and getting the hell out of here. Or grabbing the electric knife out of his coat pocket and getting a couple good stabs in before he was inevitably crushed to death by Boy's cybernetic arms. Really, the only thing stopping him was the number of credits accompanying the visual of the container Boy wanted them to deliver. That was a lot of credits. Enough that Sami could get himself a proper prosthetic leg that didn't hurt so much. He swallowed hard and licked his lips.

Boy's question about Mr. Knife was a less than subtle jab. His hands tightened, almost curling into fists before he flattened them back down. This asshole was toying with him.

"Yeah, familiar with Mr. Knife too. Can't really be on Juno without knowing Mr. Knife. I hear they're doing a lot of great charity work there," Sami said dryly. "This charity work too?" Sami pointed to the container on the holopad. What poor sap was chopped up in there?

 

[s e v e n]

Lukas Santiago

Location: Citadel, Market Level 4, Lexington Armory

✢ Interactions: Aria Cosmic_Chaos , Fate RiverGamer
✢ Mentions: Robert Sir Galahad II
​

​

x

Lukas flashed the woman with a smile. “They come in varieties of shapes and sizes, and of course prices, miss,” he stated. It was too bad that they have arrived today, on his first day on the job. Lukas would have loved to be able to elaborate more on the things they were selling, yet the most he could do right now is provide them with adequate service, as well as the very limited knowledge he posses of weaponaries. Granted, the boy have seen weapons before, considering the world they live in, however perhaps never too up close. And now he worked at a shop.

“That is an S-Series Plasma Shooter Gun you’re looking at, Miss. One of our newest stocks,” stated the male, a small sense of relief, as well as a slight pride blossomed beneath him. At least he knew a thing or two. However, despite it was the younger girl who was looking around, the statement was mostly directed towards the older woman, as she was the possible customer between the two. Lukas wasn’t much of a fan of talking, yet at this point he knew he had no choice. After all, he wouldn’t want to fail his new boss so early, especially after being treated so kindly. It would have been nice if he could sell a thing or two before the shop closes for the day.

“Um, we’ve got all sorts of weapons- knives, daggers, guns, brass knuckles- or perhaps you were searching for something else?” Lukas raised an eyebrow, sliding himself from the counter. That was right- he’s heard of weapons such as the MG, but didn’t know if Robert were one to sell them. Or do they require higher licenced sellers in order to get the items in stock? And was it even okay to sell weapons as such to non-noblus? Or the two women could have been Nobluses- Lukas wouldn’t have known. A life in an orphanage is limited as so- they had knowledge, but most he had learnt from books. He’s seen pictures and videos before, yet never had he seen an actual Noblus up close before.

“I can remove them from the shelves, if you’d like a better look?” he asked, aimed at either of the two girls, though again- mostly at the older woman.

​

​

​

 

[Mourning Dove]

Incoming File ...
To: Collidias Rex Bang Bang

RE: Trouble (and a messenger)

Location: Trouble: The Wastes, The Messenger: The Underworld
Bureau Notes: Please imagine that Trouble has an entire drawer filled with thematically appropriate seals for each person she might need to send a dramatic letter to someday.

Classified
Trouble carefully rinsed the nib of her quill, watching as the ink wove through the clear water like tendrils of smoke, dying it a rich red. Blood red.

The messenger behind her gave a cough, and she turned to see them shifting uncomfortably on their spot, looking very small in between the towering shelves of books taking up the majority of her study. They squirmed under her gaze. “Is- Uhm, is the letter ready?”

Trouble looked down at her handiwork, took in the carefully drawn words, and paused as she noticed a small irregularity in the penmanship; an “A” that was just a tad too tilted. She considered starting over on a new sheet of paper, which would have marked her fourth time doing this, but decided against it. Some sacrifices had to be made in the interest of moving things along. She held up one delicate hand, signalling for her messenger to be patient, and folded the letter into a neat envelope. Then she took up a candle from her writing desk - one of several - and dripped a small amount of wax on the paper. Trouble felt a smile tug at her lips as she pressed the seal stamp - the one she had custom-made in a fit of inspiration several years ago, just about one week after the man called Hades first came to her attention - into the cooling wax.

When she pulled the seal away, the delicate image of a pomegranate flower adorned the bright red seal.

The messenger shifted again and Trouble took mercy on them, getting up and handing them the envelope. She gave them a last once-over. The simple, slightly torn coat and the smudges of dirt on their face did a decent job at making them look like a common human street rat, but their bright eyes and the deliberately designed beauty of their features might still give them away as a former Joybot. She took a wide-rimmed had from a hanger, one of her simpler ones, and put it on the droid’s head. “Here. Remember to keep your head low.”

The droid nodded. “Aything else?” They seemed eager to leave and get this assignment over with.

“No, that is all, Thank you.” She let herself sink back into her chair in one graceful motion and watched the messenger make their way across the room, past the counterfeit paintings and heavy curtains that never quite succeeded in masking the cracks and loose wiring liing the walls of her hideout. She paused. “Ah! Should someone ask your name, tell them-“ She hesitated, a series of scrambled images running through her head – pages without numbers, numbers without pages, broken up passages and incomplete files. None of them were quite right. The messenger tapped their foot, hand already on the door handle. “Tell them your name is Hermes.” Somewhat on the nose, but it would have to do.

—

Hermes nodded and tried not to roll their eyes, knowing full well how unlikely it was someone would ask their name in the ten seconds it would take them to drop off that letter. But sure. Whatever made Madame Trouble happy and kept her silent long enough to finally let them leave.

The streets outside were filled with a strange air of anticipation, even among the rubble of the Wastes, and even more so in the Shadow Districts. Hermes passed people cheering and shouting and whispering in dark alleyways. By the time they arrived at The Underworld, they never wanted to hear the words “Emperor” or “Council” or “The bitch is finally dead” ever again.

They took a deep breath as they approached the entrance to the Joybar and pulled the hat down further, hoping it would veil their face in dramatic shadows and not just look dumb. At least they didn't need to go in. Madame's instructions said to drop the letter off with the guards, so that's what they'd do.

They took another deep breath. Hermes had heard about the guard dogs and they weren’t about to embarrass themselves by doing something uncool like, say, squealing when the three appeared in the doorway. Certainly not.

“I- I’ve got a message for Ha- Uhm. The Lord of the Underworld, I mean.“ Trouble’s instructions had been very specific where wording was concerned, although Hermes was pretty sure nobody cared. They held out the letter, hoping the guard dogs would just take it without asking any unnecessary questions. “For his eyes only.”

“There’s a second part. Uhm. Verbal, so make sure to tell him everything word by word, I guess.” Whoops, they were going a bit off script. This was dumb. Why didn’t she just write everything down. “ ‘If you decide to go looking for trouble, draw a red cross next to your door, and it will come find you.’ ”

That was it. Hermes tried very hard not to fidget, eager to leave this place if the guards didn’t have any more questions. Wasn’t like they had answers anyway.

 

[Cosmic_Chaos]

​

Aria Renean
I'm a Master at Parkour! Don't underestimate me!

Aria was starting to get lost. She... while guns were good for long range, while thinking about it, it wouldn't be the best... course of action. Loudness, recoil, lack of experience. However,after this, she was starting to get bored. they guns were nice and shiny, but it wasn't as if she could ever get one. however he then mentioned the other weapons that he had. Said things which she knew would come in handy. good Lord would they come in handy. "Do you, by chance, have throwing knifes?" She asked. She knew that she could get her brother make make her make-shift ones, but they wouldn't be authentic. Besides, he was more Techy anyway.

"What kind of knifes, or Daggers, do you have that would be great when you're moving around quickly?" She asked. She can't risk stopping just to Throw a knife. Parkour is something which you have to keep Moving. Not stop and start. It would definatly help with defence. And she wouldn't have to worry about the knife she carries around. The amount of times she had to wash the knife so her parents didn't find the knife covered in blood and worry. And then, Brass knuckles. Oh, those would be so useful. Especially when with her speeds, her fist was lethal enough as it was. Well... It took a few hits (Like 5-6 tries), but she got people down. Adding Brass knuckles would make things much more easier.

She smiled sweetly at the male, this was her way of getting Damien to do stuff, but she never tried it on others. "Would it be okay If I saw the knifes you have? I'm also interested in the brass knuckles, but I'd rather see the throwing knifes if you have them." she smiled, moving side to side her energy starting to build up again. She was just going to have to run home at this point.

Mentioned s e v e n and RiverGamer

 

[s e v e n]

Lexa E. au Augustus

Location: Citadel, exiting the Augustus Estates

✢ Interactions: Victoria NUSKI
✢ Mentions: Zera Bang Bang , Hera Dover , Gabriel
​

​

x

One word: unbelieavable.

And that word itself stands for many, all occurring at the very same time. First of all, Gabriel is unbelievable. As the son of the Emperor, the male should have been aware of the heavy status he has brought with him- but no. For all she knew, her twin was the most likely person to have taken heir at this point. As much as it ached her heart, there was no possible way it was going to be her, most definitely not like this. And perhaps the throne was the least of her concerns, after all. There were many other things that the night has taken away from her, like a thief crawling up at night, and in a snap they grasped every little hint of her happiness, dreams, hopes-

Lexa glanced down at her arm, lifting up her fingers. Technology has improved now ever since the twenty first century- and must she say that by a brief glance, no one would have known if she was different. But she was. This tissue was not skin, and beneath it were not bones. Not a single drop of her own blood. Every inch of her limbs were coated in metal; something that she used to despise.


The girl shook her head. No. Now was not the time for self pity. If she should have pitied anyone, it would have been Gabriel once she got her hands on him. Lexa had not only called him one time- in total perhaps soaring over nine missed calls and twenty one text messages. None, of course, accepted. Besides the first one, of course, read zoned. The thing was, she was ninety-nine percent sure Gabriel is at a JoyBar. The question is, which.

Perhaps she could consider asking Hera, but knowing Gabriel, perhaps he had specifically told her to keep his whereabouts classified- especially if Lexa was the one asking. And this leads to her second unbelievable factor of the day: how huge the estates area is that even her mechanical legs felt like breaking after the long walk. And this was barely the beginning, as the next step was actually searching.

Lexa tugged at her sleeves, a subconscious gesture she had grown as a habit ever since it happened. No one would have known anyway, but it just made her feel...incredibly insecure. Straightening up, she proceeded, until she spotted a figure, by the distance. Most of the time, Lexa would have ignored them, yet when the figure reduced in distance, slowly forming the shape of a woman- she stopped.

This wasn't just anybody. A sense of familiarity washed over her, like that of an ancient memory buried within, prying to come out of its cage. Emotions bottled, glass cracking. It was someone she has avoided ever since of her incident as she didn't know who to trust. And she felt guilty of it, yet could not help it after all. She wished she could have make up for it- but could not. It was her limbs that became mechanical, but could that have changed her heart, too?

"Victoria," she said, and despite attempting to keep a straight face, within her blue eyes flashed something- a brief tint of sadness. "Haven't seen you in a while."


​

​

​

 

[Dover]

location: The AI Museum | The Shadow District (attempted)
interactions: Andie Error 420
mentions: Jamie au Olver ReverseTex | Zera Bang Bang

Hera​

She'd lost him somehow. She'd kept au Oliver on her camera feeds right up until the point where she saw him head into the Shadow District, and how he was just gone. Frantically, she cycled through the surveillance systems in the Shadow District, but received nothing but street level noise mixed in with the constant background roar of people requesting her services. The Emperor would not be pleased, though Hera still had tabs on the rest of the Counsel. Perhaps that would be enough?

Distressed, Hera continued with her usual duties until a request arrived from the AI Museum. Though she enjoyed speaking to the inhabitants of the museum, that place always unsettled her. She couldn't dismiss the dread of being interred there one day—bits and pieces of her body on display with a nearby plaque stating that the Citadel had grown beyond her scope. Hera considered her limited range in the Shadow Districts. That day seemed too soon lately.

Despite her fear, Hera's avatar popped up on the holopad Andie was using a moment after he requested her. She smiled brightly at him.

"Hello Andie! It's good to see you again. That is a service I can provide. I have many books in my databanks. What would you like to hear?"

Not many people had requested her to read to them yet. It was mostly small children, or people studying, but it was always a welcome break from the standard requests she had to answer. She always found it fascinating to read a book at such a slow pace, as they were meant to be enjoyed, instead of in an instant.

 

[Bang Bang]

Incoming File ...
To: Mourning Dove Collidias Rex

RE: ZERO

Location: The Wastes
Bureau Notes: TFW your rebellion is depressing as shit

Classified
The Wastes were not difficult to compare to the Christian Concept of Hell. Zero had read the antiquated poem 'Paradise Lost' back in his days as combat fodder, a battered copy left lying around by an Admiral. He'd always found it strange, how Satan had been the most sympathetic character to his eyes and ears, and yet apparently he'd played the role of villain. Did that mean Zero was in fact misconceiving his own position here? It was hard not to ask, day in day out: Were they doing the right thing.

Madame Trouble seemed to have no trouble (forgive the pun) with her resolve. Zero himself was uncertain of exact details about the how and when and where, but he knew the gist of what she was up to. He just hoped for all their sake she'd be careful about it. Besides. He and Robby had better things to think about.

Level Four of the Wastes was a shell, bleak, hollow, and swirling with dust particles. Robby, a newer model designed to seem more human, hacked in response, handkerchief clamped over his mouth. Zero didn't so much as look over - He had his elongated bayonet hunkered down on a decimated chunk of rubble, two hunters in his sights. Idiots had their helmets off, faces clearly exposed. No Agency or Imperial Fleet emblems branded their armor. Mercs, then.

"Fourth batch this week," Robbery murmured from where he was taking cover beside him, his strapped-on binoculars in hand. "That's two up from last week. And twice as many persons." Zero didn't answer. Leader he may be, but mouth piece he was not. Robby did the talking. The Rebellion was still few enough in numbers for them to get away with it.Ten. Ten rogue androids versus over ten billion humans on this hunk of corrupt metal alone. Sure, Madame T had her network, they had other allies, but-

"Focus, Z," Robby interjected, able to see the way his sights were dipping. Zeo corrected himself. Raised the mark. Two quick pulls of the trigger.

Standing, he exhaled. "Get the bodies. Burn them. We must be leaving too much evidence."
"Or they're noticing how many hunters are going missing."
"I'm not risking them retiring the others," Zero shot back, knuckles tightening. Robby just shrugged; He didn't really disagree, Zero knew that. It was just a case of simple facts: They were running out of time and options.

"Let's hope Trouble pulls through," Robby heaved with a sigh, later as together they dragged the corpses off to the burn site. The rest of the team were out, busy scouting, busy getting some damn sunlight, busy doing whatever they could do to feel like this wasn't futile. This whole place was lit solely by fires they and scavengers had set. Again, Zero felt his hell analogy was a little too fitting. And yet ironically, it was a man by the name of Hades they sought aid from.

 

[RiverGamer]

Incoming File ...
To:Interactions - Lukas Santiago - s e v e n , Aria Renean - Cosmic_Chaos

RE: Aritafae 'Fate' Alexander

Location: Lexington Armory (Level 4 Market).
Bureau Notes: “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.” ― Gautama Buddha, Sayings Of Buddha

ClassifiedFate couldn't help but want to see if there were any swords or the like. Not that she needed any new ones, what with her trusty kukris and katana, but it would be useful to have a backup weapon just in case. I've basically found a gold mine of weaponry... "Hey, do you have any swords or the like? If so, how much are we talking about in terms of the prices?" Fate asked, debating if the store was worth her time or credits (if the weapons weren't ridiculously expensive but hey, she didn't earn a living doing honest work!).

She turned to see the boy having his ear talked off by the only other customer in the store who seemed as excitable as she looked, eyes lit up as she asked a plethora of questions and talking at a speed which made Fate slightly nervous. Fate opted to looking around some more until se saw that se had a clear exit pat and could pick up a weapon and scram. The urge was great, especially considering the only witnesses were two teenagers which se was almost certain she could escape from pretty easily. She then reached towards a particularly interesting looking gun, one that looked like it was worth a fair bit. Just what I need to have me set for at least two months!​

 

[Error 420]

Maria Au Depardieu
Location: Lexington Armory
Tagging RiverGamer s e v e n Cosmic_Chaos

Maria posted her two android bodyguards outside the door. Intelligence F, Body A. Her own design, a personal favorite. Maria opened the doors to Lexington Armory, interrupting a conversation between some kid and an employee. She sauntered through the store, eyeing every piece of equipment and its price tag. She walked up to Lukas, and cleared her throat, getting in the way of this child looking for armaments.

Parting her silky black bangs to reveal more of her porcelain smooth skin, Maria opened her mouth, her tongue slithering out words in a foreign tone, each word dripping with the hidden meaning of I Own You. "Where is the propreitor of this establishment, boy?"

NOTE TO PLAYERS: This player's character's are no longer participating in the roleplay.

 

[NUSKI]

Incoming File ...
To: Victoria au Augustus ( s e v e n )

RE: VICTORIA

Location: Level One, Near Augustus Estates
Bureau Notes: k i tried

Classified


Her body froze and her mouth went dry. Victoria wasn't the type to be shaken up over something as trivial as an old friendship but for some reason she was. It was only after standing there for a couple of silent seconds, staring at Lexa au Augustus as if she was a ghost before the armed guard behind her cleared his throat while looking side to side awkwardly.

"Wait for me at my estate" Victoria said while continuing to look at Lexa. The guard whispered something into her ear and safety but she just aggressively growled at him. Getting the message, the guard swiftly turned around and walked away. Victoria lowered her head for a quick, second attempting a small bow but it just felt awkward. She wanted to smile and pretend that they were old friends who talked every day but she saw something in Lexa's face that made her stay still. "...Yes, it has been a while. I feel bad, I should have visited you" Victoria started right before shutting herself up. She was going to say after your accident but it was probably a sore subject. She had heard that part of her body had been replaced with machines but she didn't know it was this bad. It almost frustrated her that she was too worried about Lincoln to think about the pain she was probably going through.

Without thinking, Victoria gave Lexa a hug and pulled back almost immediately, regretting it. Lexa would not have been able to easily see it but all the tattoos on her left arm started moving around with no pattern. She couldn't really feel it, but it was a habit she had cultivated when she was nervous or upset. Victoria cleared her throat and lowered her head in shame while she spoke.

"I apologize. I just haven't seen you in such a long time.." she started again, pulling her head back up. Trying to change the mood she continued on, "How have you been? I haven't seen your brother in a couple of weeks either. Is he alright?" Victoria's hands became trembling but not because she was nervous but because for the first time in a long time, she felt truly sad.

 

[Bang Bang]

Incoming File ...
To: NUSKI

RE: ZERA AU AUGUTUS

Location: Theta District
Bureau Notes: Gotta resist Zera making Vic Queen of the Galaxy just from my own personal sentiments xD

Classified
With Jamie leaving with his usual up-his-own-arse-terse-remarks - which, in all fairness, provided Zera with a reliable source of amusement among these con artists - the Emperor left the counsel room behind. Setting them in motion was only the first of the strings she needed to get to spinning if things were to work out as she hoped.

Departing to her chambers, she found Maria, one of the palace androids, and ordered her to change and dress her. She wasn't as foolish as her son, the infamous 'Jacob Grey'; She did not expect to be able to travel undetected. However, a basic disguise would enable her to travel undisturbed, at least for venturing this far. And if people saw her, and if people talked? So be it. Now more than ever, she needed them to think her strong, to think of her as still a player, not an old woman about to be consigned to the history books.

With Maria's assistance, she fastened the facial mask over and checked herself over, tugging the hood over her brow. It was just like the old days of playing dress up, exploit here, bribe there, make your enemies and allies carefully. Years as The Emperor had not been ones of complacency, but there'd been a calm to it that she didn't realize until now it was over. A chance to feel young again.

Flitting from the palace, she descended the steps to head to the boundary of the Alpha district; A deceptively simplistic barcode cover was enough to get her through without any of the Counselors and their Tech friends spying on her movements. A few moments of actual peace, monitored and undisturbed, were required. She stepped onto the Transit carriage undisturbed, just another one of the masses.

She remained thus until reaching Block 4A of the Theta district, home to the Fleet Admiral's private quarters. It was here, before the guards, that she removed her mask. "I've a meeting with Admiral au Saara. If you wouldn't mind?" A wave of the hand was enough to get them to part, no Warper magic needed. They didn't even bother to check the schedule. Good. So news of The Passing was making people nervous of her. She liked that, liked the feel as well as the uses.

Just like the good old days.

Inside, she found a space hardly lavish for a Noblus woman, one of House au Saara at that. The upper-floor office was stark, with minimalist architecture, all silvers and cyans, just like the rest of the Imperial Fleet's design. Zera took her time getting comfortable, tracing fingers over desks, examing the personal touches to the space to get a feel for the woman. Though she'd met Victoria au Saara many times in formal situations, she was a difficult woman to gauge. Zera liked her. But the question was not one of agreeable sentiments; The question was: Would she be useful?

Via holopad, not even bothering to ask Hera for it, Zera sent of a scheduling reminder to the Admiral's personal holopad system. They had not agreed upon a meeting, but let the notification unsettle the woman. Zera could do with her on her toes. They all could.

 

[Mourning Dove]

Incoming File ...
To: Dover Bang Bang

RE: Scotch

Location: StimHaunt in the Shadow District
Bureau Notes: Scotch tries very hard to Be Cool


Classified


So Swift didn’t want to come have fun with her on her grand adventure. Fine.

She’d anticipated this, of course, but Scotch was slightly annoyed that he didn’t even want to hear her out. “Your loss, Swifty!” She grumbled as he turned around and glared at his back for good measure, although her annoyance was already fading.

She’d anticipated this, yes, but she’d come here anyway. Because even if he declined, the satisfaction of getting to tell Swift ’Told you so’ as she dangled a proverbial sack of credits in front of his face after she completed the job without him would be almost as sweet as getting him to go along with her. Far sweeter, actually, since she wouldn’t have to put up with his dumb nagging.

‘Scotch you’re being too reckless’. ’Scotch that wasn’t part of the plan’.

’Scotch that stunt nearly lost you your entire ship along with a shitton of priceless cargo’. So what. the shortcut had worked, hadn’t it? And anyway, there had been Agents on the official route and-

Scotch’s thoughts were cut short when Swift spun back around and brushed past her in the blink of an eye, being very true to his name. Part of her wanted to ignore his mumbled comment, tell him he missed his chance, but Scotch wasn’t as dumb and unobservant as Swift sometimes made her out to be. Something was clearly wrong.

She followed him to the booth and slid on the bench across from him. Best to play along for now and figure out what got him so tense all of a sudden. Not because she was worried about him, mind you, but because whatever thing or person managed to rattle Swift of all people could only mean trouble. “So. This job. Where do I even start…” she mused loudly, putting her hand against her chin in a badly feigned gesture of thoughtfulness that was really only meant to cover her mouth. In a barely audible whisper, she added, “ What's going on, Swift?”

She didn’t get an answer though, because in that moment, a very colorful stranger slid into the booth next to Swift. Scotch got about one second to appreciate the fact that such a pretty face had decided to join them, then her brain decided to kick in and alert her to the strangers arms and also everything else, and a giant flashing neon sign seemed to light up in her mind spelling out a name in three bright bold letters.

“Oh boy,” Scotch murmured before she could catch herself.

Boy – the Boy – was saying something in a very cheerful voice that sounded suspiciously like they were offering them a job. Scotch felt a thrill of what should have been fear but was mostly excitement. She returned Boy’s bright smile with a toothy grin and cocked her head in the best approximation of confident ease she could muster. “I think you’ll find that I am very good at moving things, yes.”

Well, that didn’t come out quite as cool and suave as planned, but Scotch didn’t have to worry about that for very long, because the number of credits that was suddenly glaring up at at her from Boy’s holopad didn’t leave much room for any other thought than an emphatic Yes.

Swift’s weird reaction to the name Boy mentioned barely dampened her enthusiasm. Mr.Knife? Scotch had a vague feeling she’d heard the name before, maybe picked up some rumors, but she didn’t dwell on it. the “Mr.” told her all she needed to know, really. So they were going to be delivering something to a member of the Bureau. Whatever. Maybe she should be concerned that a Mister had business with Boy and their people, but if that guy was their contact, at least he was on their side, right?

Well, except there weren’t really any sides in this business, were there. Just individual players trying to get ahead of each other. And Scotch didn’t know much about the Bureau beyond it’s official function, but the way certain people down here whispered it’s name did strike her as odd.

And this job sounded just a little too good to be true.

But the money. The money was really good.

“We’re in!” Scotch said. “Couldn’t have chosen anyone better for this little delivery of yours, Boy.” She shot Boy her most charming smile and Swift a quick glance to make sure her new partner wasn’t gonna ruin the whole thing. She could pull this off alone, for sure, but Boy seemed to want them both, so if Swift was going to try and refuse she’d have to somehow talk him into it or kick his ass, preferably both.

First, she had some other matters to attend to though. “We have some conditions of our own, of course. Half the pay up front. And I want a Razor thrown in to sweeten the deal. A good one, not some cheap knock-off toy.” She held Boys gaze and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Shouldn’t be a problem for you, right? I heard you’ve got a lot of shiny tech lying around in your shop.”

 

[Bang Bang]

Incoming File ...
To: Dover Mourning Dove

RE: BOY

Location: StimHaunt
Bureau Notes: dunno whyyy you're freaking out swifty boy, scotch is being perfectly reasonable about this :P geez...

Classified
Ah- So Swift was still holding onto the whole organ harvesting thing, was he? Twas the way the world worked. Boy had people to protect; in a system like this, that meant they had people to destroy. Swift had gotten lucky - something Boy was setting aside for the sake of a last minute desperate mission.

On the bright side, the enormously endearing Scotch seemed far more forthcoming about offering her services. The little lightbulb moment she seemed to have had was cute enough that in any other scenario, Boy would be hitting on her; But, The Blind Bureau, Urgent Shipments, Juno potentially on the brink of catastrophe. If there were ever a time to keep it in their pants... but damn. It was an effort not to go all slow smiles and hooded eyes right there and then.

Perhaps a compromise could be reached? "I can respect anyone looking out for their business interests. Naturally, half will be up front. Find Rachel - your boy will know who I mean - and notify her once the job's done, and we'll transfer the rest over. As for the Razor-" A light touch of two fingers to the inner soft spot of Scotch's wrist carried enough implication for even the densest of travelers to catch her meaning. "If you drop by the shop next time you're in town, I'll pick out a good one personally."

Was it rude to play flirting games in front of Swift? Most likely. Boy gave approximately zero fucks right now - jitters always made them horny. Still; a little propriety could be mustered up from somewhere. They removed the physical contact and made a sweeping gesture at the holopad. "Half's been wired. That's the shipment ID. How you deal with the security, I'll leave to your digression." Standing, Boy looked between the two of them - with favoritism for Scotch, of course.

"Mr. Knife, as you should know, is a well respected doctor over there, when he wants to be. If I wish to give the man some organs to help the lacking, are you really one to fault me?" Boy leaned over and snatched up the holopad, cybernetic arms giving the pair a two fingered wave farewell. "Get past security undetected, I'll hook you up with whatever you want to replace what is missing. Consider it a gesture of good faith." Waving with their human hands, Boy tipped their hat goodbye and exited the building.

"Still waiting, little sheep?" Boy asked, spotting the bot still hovering in waiting. "Flocks probably passed out somewhere." They opened the door wide to grant it access if it wished so, then left the Haunt behind, popped a stim in, and shoved all four hands in jacket pockets. They had their own mission to run.

 

[Collidias Rex]

Incoming File ...
To: Bang Bang Gwen, ReverseTex Jamie, s e v e n Gabriel, Sir Galahad II Rob, Mourning Dove 'Hermes'

RE: HADES

Location: Underworld
Bureau Notes: She protec, she attac, but most important, she got your bac

Classified
"Sorry about earlier."

"Don't let it become habit." To err was human, but too much leniency granted room for more exceptions and more mistakes.

"It worked like a charm," Gewn continued, "Don't understand it myself, but Aphrodite's programming was flawless. Once I was in there, it hooked up to the network and bypassed his security system in what? Five minutes? Weird since that was happening on my processors but-"

Gwen paused.

"Long story short, it worked. Aphrodite should have uploaded and processed the files by now. Aphrod-"

"Transfer complete, Gwendolyn," Aphrodite chimed in. Hades noted the expression crossing Gwen's face - he'd meant to alter the user namefiles a dozen times now, but it had always been a low priority, always pushed back by something more immediate.

"I've stored them all in your private databank, Wilhelm. Anything else I can help with, sirs?"

"That will be all for now. We're busy today, so focus on running the place." He'd only just sat down, and now he was getting back up again. He trusted Aphrodite to handle her job and nothing more than her job - the integral management tasks were still left to himself, and Gwen is need be. "Don't get comfortable, Gwen. I need you nearby for any tasks that occur through the day. And on this day, you know that's bound to happen."


"Green light ... green ... green ... gre-"

"We get it, Sab." Kello sighed and nudged Sabrine's elbow with her mask's ear. "The big boss hits the floor, now all the regulars cra-"

"Black."

"Eh?" Kello paused for a moment, then she and Sabrine simultaneously looked across to Maya.

Her mask hid her eyes, but Maya's lips were drawn into a thin line, staring straight ahead. Her knuckles were turning white on her gun's grip.

"Black light." Maya repeated, quieter now. "It's him. I recognize him from the pictures." The three androids stood in still silence as Jamie au Olver's escort squashed their way through the doorway.

"Sabrine." Maya touched the ear of her own mask against Sabrine's other elbow, waiting on a response. "... Sabrine."

"Yeah ... yeah, I know." Sabrine nodded sagely and tapped a finger to her ear. "Sir. It's Olver."


Hades stooped abruptly as he pushed the door open.

Shit.

He sighed, burying his face in his palm. He'd hoped hoped that Olver would just let it go. He'd been anxious a decade ago when he first opened Underworld, but time had assuaged his fears. He'd grown complacent.

And all the same ...

He turned to Gwen and fixed her a glare. "Olver's balls have grown bigger than his brain."

With another deep breath, Hades pushed on through the door. He half-expected to see nothing - a false alarm, some petty noble lost and confused by the Shadow District, but no. The guards were the first thing he saw as he headed back to the bar. And right on cue, their ranks parted - and out came the rat himself.

"Aphro." Hades murmured as he eyed his old enemy. "Change the sign outside. Passing special: 50% off all alcohol on tap for the next hour. Call down another four to man the bar, we're going to be under heavy load. Gwen, grab me fifty vouchers for a free pint. Throw them outside, hand them to passerbys, anything to get more people in the door." Hades' scowl cut deep into his brow. "If Jamie wants an audience, I'll give him a fucking audience."

He righted his collar and advanced on the bar, planting both hands firmly on the countertop as Jamie approached, clapping with that same smug look on his face.

"What?"

“Well if it isn’t the man himself? Wilhelm Descartes... aren’t you a little old to be running a establishment like this? I’m fairly certain I bought all of your business, but yet here you are... Your work is still sloppy, but i’ll give you credit for your boldness.”

Hah. Jamie was one to talk about boldness.

Jamie reached a hand for Hades' shoulder - a hand which Hades brushed away with the back of his hand before it reached him, narrowing his eyes. The arrogant little shit.

“Forced from your home, driven out to the wilds beyond the blanket of society. I imagine you've seen things most men wouldn't believe. To go through all of that and make your way home again only to find such chaos in the world, I can only imagine...”

"Boasting is a sign of insecurity." Hades stated. "You could have gone anywhere on this day, you have the money for it. A celebration with your friends, for instance. But you didn't - you came here. Why?" Hades lifted a hand and snapped his fingers. "I'll tell you why. You're here to gloat because you're insecure, and you aren't having a party because you don't have any friends, because nobody fucking likes you. You're an objectively unpleasant individual and the fact that you're breathing air that could be used by literally anybody else makes me feel sick to my stomach, you spineless waste of oxygen."

Hades reached below the bar, fetching a glass - but not before tapping a small white button beneath the desk. No, no he wouldn't fall for Jamie's bullshit again.

"Pick your poison, counselman. First drink is free."

Hades shot a glare to the second man - the man whom was definitely not the son of the emperor as Gwen had once put it. Didn't matter - 'Grey' was a repeat patron, here for booze or girls - or boys if he so needed. His private affairs were none of Hades' concern, as long he he stopped fucking antagonizing his staff.

"Grey - call her that again and I'll personally kick your ass every inch of the way from here to the front door. If you're too wasted to find your way home, I'll gladly keep going until you're safely in your bed. Now what can I get you?"


"Hey. I'm here for a lineup."

Rime beamed back at the man and delivered a friendly nod. Rime was a ... topheavy figure, clad in a form-fitting lavender dress brandishing a particularly daring V-neck. Her hair was a neon blue, long and straight down to her shoulders.

"Glad to hear, sir! If you'll just follow meeeee ..." Rim sauntered to a curtain behind the bar and swept it aside, gesturing sharply to Rob. "First of all, some groundrules so we all know what we're getting into. First of all - you'll notice our girls aren't quite as pricy as the ones you'll find topside, though feel free to tip if you're particularly impressed. Don't let the price put you off! It's partially due to our location - Shadows don't have quite as much money to throw around, you see. Otherwise, we're a little more stringent on what you can and can't do. Now, don't fret the details too much, dear, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time as long as you play nice with the girls." She fired a salacious wink at her new customer. "You met Kello on the way in. Well, a customer got nasty and gave a friend of hers a black eye once. Let me tell you, watching Kello charge screaming after a half-naked man while brandishing a knife and paintball gun was my highlight of the year." She smiled - a soft, genuine smile. "Boss didn't stop her - but she still had to clean up the paint. Uh ... except the stuff that landed on the runaway customer, of course. She assures me that it was well worth it though."


"Green ... green ... yellow ... green ..."

"Hey." Maya nudged Kello, and nodded gingerly toward the uniformed individuals mulling about the doorway. "What do you think?"

Kello bit her lip, shrugged and give a short nod of approval. "I think the leggy one is cute."

"..."

"Okay, don't give me that look ... Idunno. They look like trouble ... but not enough trouble. They should have brought more guns."

“I-"

The three stopped and looked downward in unison. Silent, staring unison. A scrawny. quivering human stood in front of them, face covered by an oversized hat.

"I’ve got a message for Ha- Uhm. The Lord of the Underworld, I mean.“ The human thrust a hand out, a slip of paper pinched tightly between thumb and forefinger. “For his eyes only. There’s a second part. Uhm. Verbal, so make sure to tell him everything word by word, I guess. ‘If you decide to go looking for trouble, draw a red cross next to your door, and it will come find you.’ ”

Without a word between the three, Maya crept around the riot shield and dropped off the podium, standing before the messenger. She didn't take the message right away, but instead took a moment to bend down and look beneath the figure's hat. Her eyes narrowed behind her mask as her eyes met the ... human's eyes. Luminescent. Entrancing. Those were words Maya would use to describe those eyes. Her head bobbed gently; knowing, understanding. She stood up as she took the letter.

"Thank you." Maya pocketed the letter and climbed back onto the podium. The other two cast her a skeptical look.

"Everything alright?" Sabine asked tentatively.

"Yes, it's fine. I just wanted to see if I recognized them." Maya shook her head. "No. I didn't."

 

[Error 420]

Andie
Location: the AI Museum, The Citadel, level 1.
Tagging: Dover

Lighting up at Hera's response, Andie surpressed his synthetic hormones as to not come on too strong. He didn't hesitate in his book choice. Moby Dick was his first choice, although he wasn't sure on how it was pronounced. With Hera's full cooperation and resources, the duo were unfortunately unable to find it. Andie wasn't dejected, there were several things he was told over the past century he was told he could never find. He made a request of Hera. "SOMETHING OLD WORLD THOUGH. SOMETHING YOU HAVEN'T ANALYZED YET, SO YOU CAN ENJOY IT TOO." Andie sat in, content with whatever Hera could find.

_____________________________
NOTE TO PLAYERS: This player's character's are no longer participating in the roleplay.

 

[Dover]

location: StimHaunt in the Shadow District
tagging: Mourning Dove Bang Bang
ooc: Dolly II's glorious return!

Sami 'Swift' Tanyag​

If Sami could spontaneously get the power of telepathy for one second so he could tell Scotch not to accept the job he'd give up another finger for it. Instead, he found himself somewhat frozen, eyes widening in horror as she boasted her ability at moving things. He shook his head minutely at her, hopefully enough that Boy wouldn't see but enough that Scotch would. His attempts were useless. He should have known. The money was too good. It was tempting even him, though not enough to give the cheerful and resounding 'We're in!' that Scotch all too willingly supplied for him.

With his lips slightly parted in shock, he stared at her, barely registering the rest of the conversation. Something about credits and a Razor? Blankly, he watched as Boy put their reputation to work and grazed two fingers over Scotch's wrist. "I'm not her boy," was all the grump Sami could muster, and he regretted it immediately. He didn't want to bring any more attention to himself, but the implication in that statement—that he worked for Scotch—was something he couldn't make himself let go.

Silently, he watched as the holopad lit up again, splitting half the credits between their two accounts. He was pretty sure he was going to be sick. There was no chance to back out and run now with credits already spent. Boy would hunt him down for sure for that if they weren't already planning to already after the job was completed. What had he eaten today? Only coffee? It wouldn't be awful to throw that up, all things considered.

Sami kept his eyes on the table as Boy got up, his attention only flickering away from it for a second when Boy offered to hook Sami up with anything missing. The sick fuck. His jaw tightening, Sami just nodded once and waited for several beats until he was sure Boy had left. Once he was certain, Sami looked back up at Scotch with the most scathing glare he could muster.

"You're going to be the death of me. Literally the death of me," Sami said. He clenched his hands into tight fists. "If I get killed, I'm going to haunt your ass, I swear to--" A familiar whirring sound of mechanical parts was overhead, and a second later, Dolly II dropped her barely passable camouflage, settling lower next to him so she was about head height. The plates covering her body shifted, and she made a series of soft, chirruping beeping sounds.

Hello.

Sami ground his teeth and sighed. "What part of wait outside don't you understand?"

I was lonely.

"How did you get in here?"

I met Boy. They were very nice.

Sami scowled at her. "Thanks for the warning, by the way, you useless, sheep-brained, bucket of tin." Dolly tried to butt up against him, and he held her away with one hand, turning his attention back to Scotch.

"How could you just accept that? You did hear Boy say organs right?" Sami said, bringing his voice down to a hushed whisper. "Organs. As in the kind found in peoples' bodies. They didn't just stumble across them on the street, Scotch. And we have to deliver them to Mr. Knife oh my god. Have you not heard any of the rumors? That place is an organ chop shop! You just agreed to willingly walk into a chop shop!" With a groan, Sami put his elbows on the table and put his face in his hands. Dolly butted up against his arm. He couldn't tell if she was trying to comfort him or was just having trouble stabilizing her flight.

 

[ReverseTex]

Jamie au Olver

Location: The Underworld Bang Bang s e v e n Sir Galahad II Collidias Rex

Jamie couldn’t help but smile as Wilhelm spoke, knowing the man was resorting to low-blow arguments. He had no backup arguments, no evidence, and no stability. His words mattered quite little compared to his, and they always would. Power typically did that.

“Am I not allowed to purvey my business competition Wilhelm? I swore capitalism was allowed in the Citadel...? I was just at a Council meeting, and no revisions were made regarding the economy.” Allowing Wilhelm to continue on, watching as the man turned to pour him a drink, clearly fixed in some way. Giving a smile and nod as the exile handed him his drink with a curt reply, he glanced down at the beverage with quizzical eyes.

Turning to a young woman within the crowd, Jamie gave him her his notorious simper, “Im afraid i’m not thirsty, please take this as a gift...” Pecking the girl on the forehead, his gears twirled in his head. The kiss of death.

Now that he had addressed his presence to the owner, he lacked little desire to stay.... Execpt Gabriel presence deeply intrigued him... Slipping his way through the crowd, an art he had perfected to a tee, he tapped the man on the shoulder. “I don’t think we’ve ever been informally introduced Gabriel, this place lacks any class at all! I think it’s a great venue for informal occasions such as this meeting.” His smile was genuine, oddly enough this boy intrigued him more than he should. “Why don’t we carry this elsewhere eh? I have finer establishments, seeing as you’re a frequenter to these places i’m sure you know that... But perhaps I can get you a drink on the house?”

 

[Dover]

location: The AI Museum
interactions: Andie Error 420
mentions: Rob Sir Galahad II
ooc: *geeks out about books*

Hera​

Though Hera scoured her library databases twice over, she could not find the novel in question but did find references to it several times over. It must have been a popular book in the Old World.

"I'm sorry I couldn't find it, Andie. There are many books that haven't been put into my libraries yet. I'll keep trying to find a copy," Hera said apologetically. Perhaps she could contact that Rob fellow that owned Lexington Armory who spoke with her sometimes. He seemed to have a particular interest in the Old World, as both she and Andie did. If anyone on the Citadel would have it, it might be him.

"An Old World book I haven't analyzed yet? One moment." Her avatar on the holopad went still for a second as she processed the request. "I have found a few books that might interest you. There is Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. It's about a strange human that decides to become a knight. I also have a novel called The Story of the Stone by Cao Xueqin. The literature on it says the translation is quite lovely. And finally, I have The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner and-- my goodness. I am detecting a distinct lack of punctuation in that book's file. Which one would you prefer?"

 

[RyanDiaz]

Anthony Defrel
Location: Residence of Defrel
Tags: All/None


Anthony was just in his office checking paperwork. He heard that there was a meeting with the Emperor, but had no intention to check about the inferior "family" members. There was a knock at the door and his analitics android Morris stepped in.
"Good afternoon sir, did you sleep well"
"As well as I can allow myself" said Tony rubbing his forehead
"You called me because of an emergency?"
"Yes, it is a slight emergency, the docks from Citadel, and our warehouse in Trade district recorded big losses of good past weeks, what's going on. Apparently the guards said nothing special is going on"
"I'll look into it sir. How big amount are we talking about here?"
"Several tons, of raw machining components. Now this doesn't look like someone is going to build a playground"
"But sir, can't you have vision over the warehouse? Your MG allows it. Safer than any guards"
"Yes, but I stopped using it. I don't want to look like a squash plant after a few years"
"Alright sir, I'll contact our guards there and will investigate the damage"
"Thank you Morris"
"With pleasure sir"
With these words Morris left the office and Tony sat back. There has been numerous situations, where a considerable theft has been recorded, but no action is being seen in or around the warehouse. Besides it is a heavily protected building with tons of armed guards. Could it be that someone infiltrated the lines? But no, who would want to. Tony popped a few pills in his mouth and washed them down with a glass of water. Thinking made his head hurt a lot recently, and it's not a healthy sign. He went outside to breathe some air and check his garden. Everything was quiet. The thought couldn't stop bothering him so he decided to go to see Emperor Zera. If someone is stealing components, it might be androids. If androids, it will be another rebellion.
__________________________________________________________________


Gou Jung
Location: Wastelands
ooc: sniffing around for technology and relics

Gou was feeling lucky today. The whole reason he went to the wastelands. There are many scavangers, pillagers, looters and muggers in wastelands, but Gou knew there are still worthy stuff to find here. One of former street-gang leaders he knew personally, found an abandoned leg implant, and buttload of guns. He didn't give a flying fuck about guns, but MGs and implants was a big thing in the market, and obviously for himself.
He liked to looked around a lower part of the trashlands, where some old mech shops had been disbanded. They still had enormous junk piles sitting around the old buildings, now laying in ruins. It reeked from machine oil and rusty metal. He was lucky to have technological hands, no man wants to put his flesh in that trash.
Searching around the piles, he was probably the only human in that area. Homeless people usually sticked to another side of the wastelands, where they could support each other, but of course there were wars even in the dumps. He heard a light rattle and and buzzing sound nearby. There used to be treasure hunters here, but not anymore. He went to look around the ruins.
"Who's there" he called out
No voice answered. But the slight buzz continued.
"Maybe a forgotten generator?" he thought to himself. He noticed some blue light emitting from a smaller pile of old weaponry. An energized 21st century weapon? Hah. He approached the pile carefully. After removing some junk from the top, the light got stronger. It was some kind of tech. A small cube, maybe a size of a hand. But from each side it emitted light from a tiny hole, and made a low buzzing sound.
Gou picked it up. He couldn't get electrical shock from such items, at least when he touched them with hands. He hasn't seen such a thing in his life. Power cores and nano-generators didn't have that kind of shape, and were dead silent as well. He put it safely in his coat pocket and thought its best to ask from Lancelot. He went to ask his advice a lot recently, and tried to get bargain tech, although Lancelot was pretty solid not to trade him anything.
He walked up to the higher level of wastelands and entered the vacuum tube. He aimed his sight on the scanner.
"Welcome Mr Jung"
"To Space Platform please"
And with a flash he was gone from the lowest level of the modern world.

 

[Bang Bang]

Incoming File ...
To: Collidias Rex Hades Sir Galahad II Rob, mentions: Rime, ReverseTex Jamie, s e v e n Gabriel or, The One True Punishment

RE: GWEN

Location: Underworld
Bureau Notes: Gwen, or: I sound like I'm propositioning you and don't even realize it. she and Rob are so in sync, just saying, they've both pulled this move today.

Classified
At the brisk reprimand, Gwen was quick to bow her head in a nod of acknowledgement; She might have a temper, but this time, she'd fucked up - there was nothing proud about failing to recognize mistakes.

"Don't get comfortable, Gwen. I need you nearby for any tasks that occur through the day. And on this day, you know that's bound to happen."

"Of course, Sir," she answered with a grimace. Damn Emperor having to go and die on them all. But if anyone could make good use of the situation? She had full confidence it would be Hades. Flanking him out of the back room, she was all set to go make the rounds with the staff when she spotted him. She could have sworn she could feel every single fiber in her construct tightening at the sight of Jamie au Olver, biggest ego and biggest asshole in the traverse; Not to mention, her previous owner.

"Olver's balls have grown bigger than his brain."

"Not a difficult achievement," Gwen responded through her teeth. She'd never hated Jamie before coming here, before a decade of exposure to Hades' simmering resentment. Yet now it all felt personal, as if it were only now he were somehow indirectly responsible for her 'tragic backstory' as she would sardonically put it. He'd screwed over so many people, even the one's whose names he knew.

She hoped he burned to death in the depths of a red sun.

Protective and self-defense instincts kicking in, she stuck to Hades' side like glue, fists clenched, limbs tensed, ready to disable the intruder the second he tried a damn thing. Of course, Hades one-upped her; he was as cool and smooth as still water, and once again she was left feeling like a loose canon. The fuck was wrong with her today? Mid-internal-rant, she tuned back into:

"Grey - call her that again and I'll personally kick your ass every inch of the way from here to the front door. If you're too wasted to find your way home, I'll gladly keep going until you're safely in your bed. Now what can I get you?"

Something thick stuck in her throat, something dumb and stupid that would only slip past her defenses on a shitty day like this. Clamping down on whatever useless rage or unidentified emotion that was roiling in her stomach, Gwen gave Hades a silent nod of 'thank you' before turning on her heel. Olver had been distracted by The Emperor's Son - a self-inflicted punishment even better than being burnt alive - and she needed to do something useful to stop feeling so useless.

Brushing through the 'JoyCurtain' as someone once aptly put it, she spotted Rime, and beside her- Oh. So he went both ways then. Least Rime would help the new patron get over the dashed hopes of Hades. "Sorry to interrupt," she said with as much serene civility as she could manage when she felt inclined to vomit for no good reason. "Just wanted to warn you Rime, we've got a code black in there. Olver. If he tries anything with the girls - ask Kello if she'd mind letting me have this one."

Eyes averting to the patron she'd now interrupted twice, she decided she was entirely over this neurotic phase and composed her expression into a warm smile, even reached out to offer her hand in greeting. "Seems I'm apologizing to you again, and I don't yet even know your name. I just seem to have a knack for cockblocking you; I hope it hasn't put you off returning to Underworld. I can assure you, most nights aren't as chaotic as this one."

It was like stepping into a whole other person. For a moment the smile felt genuine, the warm friendliness, the half-flirtatious, half-comradely lilt to the voice. At least whatever her mood was doing tonight didn't stop her from being good at this. Just a natural whore, a less than kind voice in her head chimed in. She countered it by upping the charm threefold and going in for the kill; One way always guaranteed them repeat customers. "First girl's on the house as an apology. Pick any one you like."

They had good 'stock' here - let him get close to one without the strings attached and become attached. Most people just had to see Rime without anything covering her ample assets and they were Underworld's for life.