Fantasy New Oasis: Four Heavenly Kings — The B-Sides

[BluEndings]

CHARMY DEVLIN

CS Link

SCENE:

[The Punchline]

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1, February 12th, 2016

LOCATION:

The Precipice, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri Park, Charmy Devlin

THE PUNCHLINE

A chuckle followed by a lively, but short, laughter.

“That’s no good.” Charmy tittered and leaned deeper into the sofa. “This is my ‘domain’. Naturally it’s endorsed by certain benefactors, but there remains but a single rule above all: fulfillment.”

Her brazen expression was put on pause, as she cast her attention to her side. Eyes dulled, and fingers slipped a phone into her palm before hastefully assembling a solution to the interruption. After a moment, she pressed the device to her ear. The other side must have picked up promptly, because her words immediately came tumbling out.

“I don’t care how you handle it.” There was a new contour to her voice, heavier and less chic. “Take care of it. If you make a mess, clean it. The deadline is coming up.”

The call ended at the same time her words did.

“I must apologize.” Charmy sighed. “It turns out success is far more of a bore than I anticipated—but enough about that.” She straightened out. “Like I was saying, the whole point of this establishment is fulfillment. As you’ve experienced, once such thing people crave is violence—”

The security she had spoken to earlier appeared again, breaking from the crowd. They walked to Charmy’s side and handed her two things. The first was a metal suitcase, it shone even in the desaturated lighting. The second was a handgun. Its barrel was unusually broad.

“Much appreciated.” Charmy’s viridescent eyes matched with Passeri’s. “So, tell me, 'Mysteria'. Why are you here? What do you want? What are you lacking?”

NAVIGATE

 

[BluEndings]

"NAOMI BLECHER" (MIMI)

CS Link

SCENE:

[Hair and Memories]

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1, March 9th 2021

LOCATION:

SPLENDIFEROUS, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Mimi

HAIR AND MEMORIES

Though maybe not visible to him, Mimi’s eyes sharpened.

“Oh it’s nothing special really!” In contrast, her voice lightened. “A good wash, and some Seamstress’ products is the most of it. Particularly the shininess ones, because it gets it looking a bit livelier.” Her movements lost some of the previous tension. “Getting the proper amount of curls at the end is probably the most tedious part... but yeah, Seamstress' stuff seems to work well.”

It was typical hair banter. By all means it was a bland topic considering how often it would come up, but at the same time it was her passion. Maybe that shone in her voice. Maybe it was negated by her continued distaste in her free time being uprooted. It didn’t really matter. The customer was one of the better ones, and the fact that their own hair wasn’t already in shambles made the entire process easier and far less revolting. Being able to work on good hair was good in and of itself.

“I totally get you with the budget brands though.” She really did. “I imagine you’re comfortably past that?”

It may have been a roundabout way of trying to pry, but it wouldn’t bother her.

NAVIGATE

 

[gxxberkit]

YONG-YUT SOMSRI

CS Link

SCENE:

Dealing With A Squid's Mistakes

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1— Late Summer 2015, Afternoon

LOCATION:

Kanna's Garage, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Yong-Yut, Kanna FabulousTrash

Dealing With a Squid's Mistakes

Yong-Yut gave a brief nod to Kanna’s note on Vulken. They definitely knew about that. Their eyes followed Kanna around the room until she pushed a chair towards them, their foot quickly going up to catch it. “Okay,” they said, taking their foot off the chair and sitting down the wrong way. They pushed off the ground and scooted out of Kanna’s way —or what they assumed was Kanna’s way, which was really way too much space— before their gaze trailed down to the chair they sat on.

Stuck to the seat was a well-known Trucks character, specifically Pater stickers from the second movie. It captured Yong-Yut’s full attention with the bright red and yellow details plastered on the truck.

As the moment of silence between Yong-Yut and Kanna went on, Yong began silently picking at the sticker. It was in vain, however, as the sticker seemed to be planted firmly on the seat. She took a moment to look at her fingernails, bitten to ruins, before going back at it with her longest nail.

She kept at it until Kanna’s introduction startled her, regaining her attention. “I— wha- Oh… Oh, uh… it's no problem, Kanna… uh, I’m Yong-Yut. Somsri. Yong-Yut Somsri. Feel free to… call me whatever nickname.

“…

“So, this vehicle stuff… You’ve been doing it a while?”

 

[Misuteeku]

Sang-Cheol Man

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

Tin and Matchstick

LOCATION:

North District, Lab Icarus

TIME:

Pre Arc-3 | September 29th 2021

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Mimi

Tin and Matchstick

"Eh? What about that f- I mean, what about Raphael?" A curse almost escaped Sang-Cheol's mouth. Considering that Mimi was a little 'worried,' he'd have to respond to this gently. That or she was testing them, but that didn't seem to be the case. "If anything, I thought of it as a good thing. Raphael had it coming." Because that meant he wouldn't have to deal with Raphael's malicious teases. Raphael was Snake's responsibility, so Sang-Cheol wasn't affected much by it.

"Personal feelings aside, I understand why you would be worried." Raphael was probably the strongest out of the group that went to raid that former Serpent- No, that secret government base. The only one who would be on par in strength would most likely have been Kyoden. "Though I'd say for sure that the only ones at risk would be Kyoden, Pigeon Brain, and me. Whoever got involved saw our faces, but you, on the other hand, were outside. I doubt they would chase after you." That fucking necrophiliac was the only person he saw, and he saw running his ass away from the building.

"Though, if you're implying Raphael is dead, that's a whole different story." Turning back around, he busied himself washing his hands in the only functioning sink. "The both of us weren't there to confirm Raphael's apparent death and the only one that could be Schrodinger's Amnesiac. I already confronted him about it, but he said he 'forgot.'" Which Sang-Cheol found to be absolute bullshit. The way that Kyoden answered was a mixed bag with answers such as "I don't know" and "I don't remember," but why would he say, "everything happened so fast?" That would have implied that Kyoden did something but refused to talk about it.

"If he were just a normal Serpent, I would have taken the risk and dragged his ass back to my lab to have Gerda pickle through his brain, but by my calculations, I would have lost Rebecca, Aristotle, and Timothy if Kyoden chose to fight back." That was a risk that Sang-Cheol would have never taken. The five of them, even though they were morons, were precious to him. If anything were to happen to them, Sang-Cheol would have made sure that whoever caused it would burn. "That aside, Raphael's situation is like a Schrodinger's Cat. We would have to open the box to confirm whether or not Raphael perished under the rubble or somehow lived. Though it's not like we can confirm it since I already burned down the house." That was ultimately regrettable. If Pigeon Brain didn't fuck everything up, Sang-Cheol would have gotten more information.

"However, I think I may have evidence that Raphael may still be alive." Turning off the sink, Sang-Cheol wiped his hands on his lab coat and moved to grab a manila folder. It had 'Classified' written over it onto the word 'Ziggurat.' "Here, this is what I've found in the lab before it burnt down. While not conclusive evidence, it gives me the feeling that Raphael is alive. Whether he is okay or not is an entirely different story."

Spoiler: Tags

BluEndings

 

[Elenion Aura]

MILO NAGISA

CS Link

SCENE:

Ballin'

LOCATION:

Pre-Arc 3: March 29th, 2022 -- Evening

LOCATION:

South District... Old basketball court in the middle of nowhere...

PARTICIPANTS:

Boltius, Milo, Roza, Rin, Yong-Yut, Hector, Ashley, Libla

BALLIN'

"Oof," Milo said quite unintentionally as the ball Boltius had thrown hit him square in the stomach before he wrapped his arms around it. He tried to catch Boltius' eye—wondering if he should read further into that than he probably needed to—but the flame-headed Phoenix was already on the move, explaining the intricacies, or perhaps lack thereof, that existed in the sport they were about to play.

Milo was a little surprised when Bolt started to introduce himself, but it took only a cursory glance at the group he'd gathered to understand why... And Milo thought his was a fresh face. One can only be the new guy for so long, he figured. One of those fresh faces spoke next, a tall, striking woman—and not just for her horns—who introduced herself as Rin.

Next came a more... Familiar face. Milo and Hector had come a long way from where they'd been those months ago. Which was to say, Milo didn't think about trying to kill him every time he saw him. Not every time. Since then, Hector had moved up in the world. Whether his reign would be an improvement over what came before or not remained to be seen. After one last look, Milo tore his gaze away from the Queen and found himself curious about something. He'd always been able to point out the girls that Boltius would flirt with back when they were in school. He wondered...

Milo's gaze bounced from Rin to Boltius and back again, trying to gauge his friend's reaction, his interest level. If his suspicions were correct...

The sound of four wheels barreling towards them all tore Milo's attention away from his friend. He craned his neck to watch, and wince, as the hotdog truck careened toward them all. Milo took a hesitant half-step back, in case the driver intended to run them down. When the worst didn't come to pass and Hitoshi's friendly face popped out of the window, Milo relaxed and let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. It was hard not to laugh at the older Phoenix's antics... And he could go for a hotdog.

But before he could say as much, the last and by far the quietest of their squad thus far spoke up, giving her name. She struck Milo as... Terse. She felt to him more like a soldier than a gangster. But, then again, he probably didn't cut the figure of a gangster in her eyes, either. Realizing he ought to introduce himself at last, Milo awkwardly cleared his throat. Memories of college orientation flooded his mind. He hated ice-breakers.

"Uh, I'm Milo..! My alias is, uh... Virtuoso. It's kinda lame, I guess."

By way of ending his sentence, Milo reached up and shot the basketball toward the hoop. It bounced off the backboard and teetered on the rim before it dipped inward, swooshing the threaded net as it fell back to earth.

"Woo!"

Spoiler: Tags

gxxberkit
Peckinou
Lucem
WhiskeyMarten
Doctor Llamabean
RedArmyShogun
EmperorsChosen

 

[Elenion Aura]

MARKUS WEISS

CS Link

SCENE:

Catch a Tiger by the Tail

TIME:

Past Midnight, October 9, 2021 | Between Arc 2 and Arc 3

LOCATION:

Markus' Penthouse, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Markus, Tiger

CATCH A TIGER BY THE TAIL

Markus hadn't been sleeping well these past few nights, flitting between dreams and nightmares, the sleeping and the waking worlds. It didn't help that his new roommate was a light sleeper. Hell, Markus wasn't sure if he—it—even had to sleep at all.

Thump!

Something had jumped from the floor to the bed.

Markus' eyes fluttered open. He felt something tickling his face. Brushing away a fluffy, feline tail the Tiger King grumbled, "fuck off," sleepily before turning over onto his side... Only to be greeted with a pair of paws kneading the back of his scalp like he were a mishapen ball of dough.

Markus squeezed his eyes tighter. He didn't want to open them. Didn't want to see what time it was. He had a long fuckin' day tomorrow—it was today, now.

Fuck.

With one fluid motion, Markus twisted around and flung his covers, sending his fuzzy interloper caterwauling through the air before landing on the floor of his bedroom with a disgruntled, “HARUMPH!”

Satisfied when he finally heard the little cat-shaped gremlin settle into a heap on the floor, Markus relaxed his head upon his pillow and felt his mind begin to drift once more into sleep... For as long as he could.

Spoiler: Tags

Doctor Llamabean

 

[gxxberkit]

YONG-YUT SOMSRI

CS Link

SCENE:

Part-Time Pandemonium

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1— May 2020, almost 11:00pm

LOCATION:

Burger Knight, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Yong-Yut, Chikage Doctor Llamabean

Part-Time Pandemonium

The great thing about wiping down tables was that it was a repetitive task, one that Yong-Yut could simultaneously focus on and not worry about. Yong stared blankly at the tables, idly cleaning over and over all over the tables, counting out the circles per table. She wanted each table to be clean in 20 swipes, no more, no less.

The noise of ice and walking behind her seemed to fade away. It was quiet, except for the soft sound that came from wiping down the tables. They had managed to make their way through the entire dining area, only realizing when Luke returned and asked her about it.

“Uh… yeah”

John Johnson spoke into the phone, talking to the worker they were going to deal to. He turned onto the same street Burger Knight was on, shifty eyes surveying the road. He gave quiet hums in agreement or disapproval to the other line before putting his phone away. As the phone call ended, there was a short beep…

...in Yong-Yut’s ear from the headset she was now wearing that caused her to wince. The semi-pleasant mood she was in previously from wiping the tables was all but gone. They grumbled a “yes” into the microphone and listened —or tried to— to what the customer ordered. Unfortunately, all Yong-Yut could understand was mumbling, her finger hovering over the buttons on the register. “Wh.. what did you say?”

John Johnson finally pulled into the rendezvous point —the alleyway the coworker was standing in— and rolled down the window. Said coworker walked up to the window and they silently began the exchange, money to John’s hand, drugs in the worker’s Burger Knight bag.

 

[Doctor Llamabean]

TAZZ (August August)

CS Link

SCENE:

Unlikely Encounter

TIME:

Pre-Arc 2 — September 19th, 2021: 12:55 PM

LOCATION:

Driving, Crossing into the North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Raphael ( Elenion Aura )

UNLIKELY ENCOUNTER

When Raphael started, August expressed his interest with a quirk of his brow and listened, but he kept his eyes mostly on the road—the long stretch of blackness that seemed would never end. Perhaps a result of the lack of destination.

“We could always… get to know each other better…”

. . .

August glanced at the Serpent—a fleeting gesture. It wasn’t what he expected, but he could get behind it. “Oh, yeh?” he asked, ignorant of the implication, and gave a contemplating tilt of the head. “...Guess we could,” he shrugged, both hands on the wheel.

“Get a little closer. ~”

He furrowed his brows and nodded. “Yeh, yeh. No, fuh shore. If ya got hobbies, ah’m all ears.”

“Oh, for fuck's—... Sex, darling.”

All of the sudden, an abrupt and unexpected heat exploded throughout the Tiger’s chest, taking his breath away with the tiniest of a gasp.

. . .

. . .

August was frozen.

As he stared forward, still as a mannequin, the car seemed to accelerate, picking up speed with audible exertion from the engine.

A series of images flashed before his very eyes just then, bringing forth a rosy redness to the tops of his ears that couldn’t be seen in the darkness that blanketed them so. What to do with those images, August did not know, nor could he find a response in all his expansive stockpile of material to otherwise give.

This… was new.

He’d been flirted with before, but never in such a straightforward way. But, also, was this… even flirting?

Still, August was frozen. The car drifted off course, inching ever closer to the right and nearing the curb.

His heart was racing.

Then, with a crunch of the front bumper, the right wheel went up over the sidewalk, sending a jolt throughout the car and shocking August back to responsiveness. Before the back-right wheel could follow suit, he yanked the steering-wheel to the left and the car obeyed like a wild stallion being pulled at the reins. The vehicle fishtailed at the hind-end before regaining control per August’s correction, then, once again, everything fell silent.

Teal eyes were agape with alarm—heart pounding even faster now; harder, too.

“S-Sorry.” The car would be okay.

Finally, he managed to look at Raphael. Call it a curiosity, as he sub-consciously sought the other’s reaction to his driving blunder. However, the second their eyes met, his face went hot, and he quickly tore his gaze away, causing the car to wobble slightly from the abrupt motion.

“A bit-... Bit straightforwud, yeh?”

AUGUST NOTES​

— —What he's wearing (X) + Covered in red, wine stains

— —His car (2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (X))

— —SCENE DESCRIPTION: August almost wrecks the car over Raphael's flirtatious advances.

 

[gxxberkit]

YONG-YUT SOMSRI

CS Link

SCENE:

Mutualistic Symbiosis

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1— July 2021

LOCATION:

WacDonald's, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Yong-Yut, Darius WhiskeyMarten

Mutualistic Symbiosis

Yong-Yut nodded in response to Darius’ affirmations as she continued stuffing her mouth with fries. It felt nice to have confirmation that worrying was normal, and that her confidant was still okay with discussing old topics. She could only extend the same grace to him in return.

Her gaze went from her fries to Darius’ mutilated hand. She felt a sort of pity for him, for his potential. An unlucky one, for sure. It’s a wonder how he lived so long, especially with his circumstances. She glanced back up at him as he continued, giving him another nod. She stared at him as he went silent, not registering that he wasn’t going to continue.

After a moment, she realized. “Oh— Yes, I understand,” she said between fries, her voice lowered to his volume, “I feel like that’s a universal feeling. You know, for people in our line of work.”

Sitting up and looking out the window, she paused. “Like you’re stuck, or… things out of your control are holding you down? Yes. But the thing is,” she looked back at him, “it’s not unchangeable. You just might need to risk a little death or betrayal to do it.

“It’s not an easy choice. So it feels impossible.”

Another pause, now fixated on the red of her fry carton. Her expression turned to one of soft sorrow.

“Sorry if that was dismissive. It’s just hard to see people struggling to make that choice so desperately. My friend… best friend, I think he’s felt that way for a while. I have, too, as I said, but… not to his level. And he won’t talk to me about it. Are… is your friend doing okay? Have you been checking up on them?”

 

[Doctor Llamabean]

MISS HONESTY (Amicia Van'solan)

CS Link

SCENE:

Burning Bridges

TIME:

Pre-Arc 3: March 24th, 2022 -- Evening

LOCATION:

North District, Serpent HQ...

PARTICIPANTS:

Amicia, Darius, Tenebrosity

BURNING BRIDGES

Activation successful.

Amicia closed her eyes in a look of utter glee. “My~ How silly that you’ve already gone and forgotten! You agreed to assist me on a personal errand when last we encountered one another.”

Finishing that thought, her potential ceased, and she leaned forward for a closer look at the boy’s eyes—a pretty tilt of her head. “Surely you don’t plan to leave me hanging?”

She straightened again, backing away, and directed her gaze elsewhere. Nowhere in particular.

“I cannot do it alone.” WhiskeyMarten (Darius) gxxberkit (Ten)

AMICIA'S NOTES​

— —What she's wearing: (Click: X)

— —POST RECAP: Amicia convinces Darius that he agreed to help her with an unexplained errand.

 

[Damafaud]

DYNE ENJYRE

CS Link

SCENE:

Nightlife Tryst

TIME:

Post-Arc 1/Pre-Arc 2—2021, September 19th—9:10 PM

LOCATION:

South District's Nightlife District, East-side

PARTICIPANTS:

Boltius, Dyne Doctor Llamabean

Nightlife Tryst

<< Previous Post

“I think you know what I think.”

Dyne laughed. That was an answer enough. "Take your time, darling."

When Boltius left for what preparation he would make, she too, took some steps. Of utmost important was mint to clear the breath of alcohol, or mask it enough to be pleasant. She didn't bring makeup (a terrible mistake), but she could clean her eyeliners that started to run from sweat.

Oh, how she rushed before, but the wait that followed tantalized like a roaring engine before it started. She finished her drink, hoping for it to help, but it only sent her aflutter with a smile. She caught her reflection on her phone; dazzling with glistening eyes, but that giggly smile betrayed her excitement. She looked forward to Boltius, just as he did her.

Soon Boltius returned, pulling her hand with energy that she did not dislike. She wondered what he had in store—and he did not disappoint.

“Do you dance?” he asked, keeping hold.

The music changed. Dyne responded with an incredulous laugh, singing from ear to ear.

"You can show me all you have, Boltius." His name, for the first time, came electric on her lips. "Now... and later."

She guided his arm to her back, his legs to the dance floor.

They shall dance. Now... and later.

>>Next Post

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

DARIUS KENNEDY

CS Link

SCENE:

Burning Bridges

LOCATION:

Serpent HQ, North District

TIME:

Pre-Arc 3: March 24th, 2022 -- Evening

PARTICIPANTS:

Darius, Ten, Amicia

BURNING BRIDGES

And just like that, it all made sense. Of course she wanted to talk to him, he must've agree to help her after all. And he was not about to break a promise to a Serpent, not while she was so close to him anyway.

"Oh, right!" Darius rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, he met her gaze with apologetic eyes. "I'm so sorry- I must've forgotten. Of course I wouldn't leave you hanging but..."

Darius remembered Ten, still in the bathroom. That complicated things somewhat, helping Amicia with her errand wasn't on their to-do list, but it was his own fault for forgetting, right? It was on him to balance his jobs.

"Do you need my help right now? Or could it wait?"

He didn't even know what he'd agreed to do.

 

[First Rose]

Rutheless Julio Hernandez

CS Link

SCENE:

Swords and Snakes[Pre-Arc 1, January 23, 2020]

LOCATION:

North District

PARTICIPANTS:

| Hector | Rutheless |

Swords & Snakes

A silent storm swept across the north district in what appeared like moments. Flashing in every corner with no kind intent as each and every individual up north had endured a speck of her wrath. Some.. worse than others. It didn’t matter who they were, whether it was an acquaintance, stranger, or even a friend, the tempest spared none who knew her name. She had spoken to everyone in the North, if it was not by phone then the flash of thunder would mark a silhouette at the foot of their bedside. The woman’s fury was as cunning as it was spiteful, and in what seemed a fortnight, Rutheless had received no information worth more than dust. She was all too close to pulling something brash, though that’s to say if she hadn’t already. Frankly, it had been a while since she had been this irritated, an understatement at best taking the fact she was only inches away from filleting Darius's face into bloody wedges just for answering with an indecisive answer. Now, as delightful as it was to spend an early morning holding an in-depth discussion regarding the whereabouts of her bike, that still left her main inquiry unbeknownst to her. Though she had yet to move her interrogation to the other gangs, having ignored a rather obvious lead that stood out above all else.

Hector.

~ FLEET HIGH BREW, LATE EVENING ~

Slit eyes had been narrowed upon him ever since his arrival in the district, he was lucky she hadn’t already taken up confrontation. Seeing as it would be nothing pleasant after having just spent the day searching for him in the south, only to find he’d left the precinct just hours prior. Nonetheless, the shadows hid the woman away as she lurked just right under his perception. Jeweled steel glinting off the dim moonlight from poised talons, and the quiet burning simmer of a rolled cannabis. ‘What was he doing here…’ Truth be told, it provided no evidence that he had taken her bike, , though it didn’t exactly refute the notion either. What struck as more interesting..? He was looking for her- very.. interesting. Perhaps this went deeper, if he- apparently didn’t take her bike, and instead appeared to be raving a tantrum several streets out of his own district. Slit pupils wading within abyssal seas of her eyes narrowed to an acute stare.

“SAW YOUR DAMN MAN ON YOUR DAMN BIKE.”

Quite promptly, serene clicks of heels echoed from the entrance at his flank, “...you out of anyone should know I allow no one's rear end on my bike, niño..” A rolling voice of charred coals cooed. With a deadly grace, she walked up to his side, her choice in tall ebony footwear allotting a descending glare of no kind will into the pit of his own hues as if to assess his very soul. It was awfully apparent Rutheless was, rightfully, furious; and with a lion’s stalk for all her stride was worth, Ruthe turned to approach a nearby table. Her long black locks tipped in hot pink waving coolly behind her; appearing as ordinary threads- at least for the moment. At first it seemed Ruthe would simply pass by the table with three conversating occupants, though the thought stood null and void as soon as a serrated talon struck the polished bark just inches away from one of the male’s hands. Prompting the instant halt of their conversation as a belligerent sneer was seen split between Ruthe’s cheeks at an all too eerie closeness to his face. As if the silent notion was the politest she could make the gesture.

Wise enough to quickly leave their former perch, the trio scampered to another table, allowing Ruthe to slide into a chair as gleaming claws rose the ignited hemp to her lips. She was uncannily vacant in demeanor, all things considered, not even a hug had been gifted to him upon his arrival.

“Come Hector, chat with me..” The blissful singe of smoke coiled around her throat before seeping through her nostrils as her heels kicked up to lounge upon the table’s surface. “There is much to discuss~”

 

[BluEndings]

"NAOMI BLECHER" (MIMI)

CS Link

SCENE:

[Tin and Matchstick]

TIME:

Pre-Arc 3, September 29th 2021

LOCATION:

Lab Icarus, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Mimi

TIN AND MATCHSTICK

“I’m not exactly shedding tears for the guy, but his disappearance isn’t thrilling either.”

As Sang-Cheol continued to talk, Mimi’s nervous movements only continued to amplify. The sporadic tapping of her heel, the hissing of air between lips, and the fluctuating movements of her fingers. Words began to crumple into buzzing and her head bobbed. The entire situation surrounding Raphael just begged more and more questions and worries. It was mounting into something beyond her initial fears.

“Raphael being alive might be worse.” Her shoulders dropped. “What if he blames us for what happened?”

Most of her questions were just verbalized fears. Thus far Sang-Cheol had provided reasonable enough responses, but she didn’t expect any true solution to be realized. He was smart and capable, but protection was not exactly one of the outstanding benefits. In fact, she would expect him to turn tail and run should anything truly dangerous come to be. It wasn’t intended as an insult, but she had to remain mindful.

“Evidence?” Mimi circled around to get a better view of the material.

She kept quiet as Sang-Cheol explained his reasoning further. It seemed like a lot of hypotheticals, but the information in the folder only seemed to escalate. What had started as mild unease twisted into distress and then agitation. The truth of things weighed far more than Mimi’s ability to remain calm and both of her hands found their way forcefully against one of the lab counters.

The effort behind it amounted to little, but the places of impact splintered and bent. Nubs on the surface sprouted forth intertwining before two stubby points each pushed outward. The miniature appendages poised against the material below and hoisted their finger-long bodies free. Two tiny golems paced around her balled fists, and even started knocking their heads against her knuckles.

By this point, her breathing had become an audible bother. Her mouth pulled from side to side as it tried to form words, but offered a multitude of grinding before anything comprehensible.

“How”—her voice shattered its previously demure pitch. ”How much of this research is documented?” Her hands reached towards the papers, but pulled back. “Can you—is it—”

The floor at her feet crackled, and the resin contorted into a much more sizable arm. It reached aimless at her leg until she knocked it over with a soft kick. Instead of getting back up it crumbled in place.

She took a deep breath.

“Have you told anyone else about this?”

NAVIGATE

 

[BluEndings]

CHARMY DEVLIN

CS Link

SCENE:

[Thawtless Dial]

TIME:

Pre-Arc 3, December 24th, 2021

LOCATION:

Devlin Residence, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charmy Devlin, Kazue Kaneko?

THAWTLESS DIAL

Wealth was not something Charmy Devlin, a veteran member of the Albino Tigers, was short on.

It was certainly a valid doubt, however, given the state of the woman’s living quarters. It was a modest building, but take a step or two inside and the shabbling conditions would become apparent. The room that currently housed the woman was littered with clothes and garbage strewn about. A broken tv, a snapped table, and what looked like the remains of a ceiling fan. Stains and burns on the walls and flooring. There wasn’t a single aspect of the room that was untouched.

Charmy herself was lying amuck the wreckage nigh indistinguishable from the surrounding trash. She was wearing what was once a likely beautiful and expensive dress. Now it was little more than tarnished tatters. Red was pooled around her. One part wine, and another part blood from the few glass shards in her leg. She was on her third glass. The two prior had shattered amidst her drunken shambling. It was little in comparison to the amount of alcohol consumed though. That would more accurately be counted in bottles.

Her eyes would dance open on occasion. The lights would flicker in response, but had fried out entirely by this point. There was no guarantee all of the spontaneous fires had been put out. In her shape though, it was of no consequence. She was beyond being able to recognize her own consciousness. Light. Dark. Open. Closed. The only thing that seemed to resonate was the glass against the lips, and even then it had resulted in a gag or three.

It was during this chaotic self-indulgence that gave way to an insistent ringing. An accidental dial, and yet too deliberate to be mere chance. Ms. Fortune as she was, her potential had played no part.

Whether it was luck or misfortune was yet to be seen.

NAVIGATE

 

[Lucem]

Fade (Isaiah Spade)

CS Link

SCENE:

Just Another Training Day

LOCATION:

Wuyang Temple, East District

TIME:

January 8th, 2022 - 7:00AM || Pre-Arc 3

PARTICIPANTS:

Isaiah, Meirin, Laura, Peyton, Jesper, Hou

JUST ANOTHER TRAINING DAY

Although most of his missions were carried out at night, Isaiah was no stranger to waking up at the crack of dawn. Rising with the sun was the standard during the years he lived with Kairong, and many of the mornings spent with his father were the same. He couldn't help but remember those days as he stood in the center of the temple grounds, surrounded by several of the Dragons who'd been invited to train alongside the monks. However, unlike back then, he wasn't participating as a student.

Isaiah had come to help by serving as a mentor, having already spent most of his life learning how to fight. He was forced to learn martial arts at the age of ten, and he never slacked off when it came to his training. With a Potential that wasn't particularly suited for combat, he'd spent years trying to close the gap between him and more powerful HPs by turning his body into a weapon. He still believed that there was always more to learn, no matter how skilled he was, but taking up the attention of the instructors would have been a detriment to the progress of those who needed it more.

He didn't have complete confidence in his teaching ability, but he would have regretted it if he didn't at least try to help the less experienced Dragons learn self-defense. Tensions with the other gangs were rising with each day, and they'd lost many members to the resulting conflicts. Sadly, Reveler was one of those victims. She still had her life, but she was comatose, remaining unresponsive for months. There wasn't a single day he didn't think about it, but if he let it consume him, he wouldn't be able to stop similar events from happening in the future. Of course, he knew trying to prevent tragedy during a war was next to impossible, but he'd do everything he could, even if it only slightly raised a single person's chances of survival. He was tired of seeing people die.

Tugging on the collar of his shirt, he listened as Meirin cheerfully greeted everyone. He was glad to see that she could still act like her usual self after everything that happened. Her positive energy would have a great effect on the others as they prepared for a long day of training. However, her idea of a basic warm-up may have filled some of them with regret.

As soon as Meirin took off, Isaiah did the same. Keeping pace with the Sleeping Giant, he stayed at the head of the pack, but made sure not to stray too far from those who followed. In the event that any of them passed out because of the early morning marathon, he'd stay behind to check up on them.

Spoiler: Tags

QuirkyAngel RedArmyShogun Coyote Hart AriAriAbabwa SilverFlight

 

[Elenion Aura]

RAPHAEL SHAW

CS Link

SCENE:

In The Blood

TIME:

Post Arc 1/Pre Arc 2 — September 17th, 2021

LOCATION:

Catmosphere Kitty Cafe, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Raphael, Bash

IN THE BLOOD

Raph slept. Fitfully.

... Where was he?

His whole body ached. A nightmare racked his mind like a fever.

Blood. Blood... Why was there so much blood?

... What was the last thing he remembered?

Slowly Raph began to stir. He was slumped in the corner of a wooden booth, his head resting against the cool paneled walls. His eyes fluttered open, catching glimpses. A table before him. A counter beyond. The smells and sounds of roasting coffee somewhere in the distance, and something else. He tried to hold onto the sensation but it slipped like water between his fingers and he fell once more into unconsciousness.

Time passed. Raph opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the darkness outside of a nearby window. What time was it? How long had he been here? Where was here?

Something moved across his periphery. He turned in time to feel the soft fur of a cat's tail swishing against his face. Startled, he waved the creature away. The standoffish tabby flicked its tail in disapproval before it sauntered to the edge of the table and hopped down to join the others. Other... Cats? Many of them. They milled about on the tiled floors, hopping up and down from stools and tabletops. It was some kind of... Cat Restaurant? Raph wondered if he was still dreaming.

But then he saw him. Sitting across from Raph in their booth, nursing a steaming hot mug of something aromatic-smelling as a second cat nuzzled against his hand. If this was a dream, it had quickly become a nightmare.

Raph's eyes blazed with fury as the memories flooded back. You...

He pulled himself up, peeling his face away from the wall that had left its mark imprinted upon his cheek. He gnashed his teeth as his hands gripped hard into the wood of the table

“You..—"

Raph lurched forward, only for the severity of his own condition to hobble his efforts. Weakened and drained, Raph slumped back down into the booth. Weakly, he glared at his enemy, a wounded animal. His brow knit together in confusion, as his brain started to put the pieces of the previous day back together, only to find itself confused by the result.

“You... Saved me?"

RAPH NOTES​

— —What he's wearing (X) + his jacket has come off & his t-shirt sleeves are rolled up past his shoulders

— —SCENE DESCRIPTION: After the fight that leveled Mach Sling, Raph finds himself awakening in a peculiar, unfamiliar locale.

Spoiler: Tags

Nobody Special

 

[Roda the Red]

CHARLIE HUGHES

CS Link

SCENE:

[Late-Night Chase]

TIME:

Nighttime, Post Arc 1

LOCATION:

Aksher Co. Offices, Sound District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Minato

Late-Night Chase

Charlie continued to rush through the offices of the third floor, obliterating a couple of the distracted Masked Bandits who tried to siphon data from nearby computes, their monitor lights standing out from the dimly lit area, a quick hit on both of them followed by crushing the drives. Two more were found in that same floor, attempting to ransack items of value, those were hastily taken care of with a pair of clean swings with his pipe. It seemed like all activity in that floor had ceased...But the tippy-tappy sound of rummaging could be heard ever so slightly, coming from the floor below.

Charlie kicked the door leading to the staircase, shattering it on impact, as his movements were now careless and hurried, not even bothering to run down the stairs, and jumping down from the side instead.

Once on the second floor, he was caught off guard by a sudden ambush, two clones grabbed him by the arms, and a third one swiftly landed a strike at Charlie's head with a crowbar.

*CLANG*

Steel connected with hardened skin and bone, a loud metallic sound coming out of the impact and echoing throughout the entirety of the floor...Luckily, though, it seems like whoever this person was, really could use some more time at the gym, his brawn and power behind the swing leaving much to be desired. Charlie slowly turned his head as he toughened up the stinging pain from the blow, simmering ire written all over his face.

He kicked one of the grappling bandits, causing him to release his graps. Then he lifted his other arm, with the second bandit still holding onto it, using the clone as a club to hit the other. His attention then turned to the armed one, blocking a second desperate attack with his forearm. He grabbed the crowbar during the third swing, yanking it away. Charlie smiled wickedly as he calmy bent the tool until it took a shape that was simply beyond salvation. After a few evaded punches, Charlie finally managed to land a clean hit on the third bandit, taking care of him.

This wasn't enough, who knew how many were scattering around this floor and the one below, each second was precious, as it would all be over as soon as a single one of them ran away with the specific incriminatory data. But then he remembered that...he wasn't alone. He grabbed his walkie-talkie from his belt and turned it on, then inhaled deeply.

"ARE YOU GUYS DEAF OR SOMETHING? HELP ME OUT ALREADY YOU NUMB NUTS!"

The night wasn't over yet.

Elenion Aura

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

DARIUS KENNEDY

CS Link

SCENE:

Dissonant Ichors

LOCATION:

Alleyway, East District

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1: December 21, 2020 -- Dusk

PARTICIPANTS:

Darius, Shen, Raph

DISSONANT ICHORS

“JUST TELL ME WHERE HE IS.”

Darius stood over the shaking woman, her cries offering no help to him. He kicked her again, and she doubled over in pain, falling from a sitting position onto the blanket of snow beneath her. An NP judging by her reaction. Tragic, but better than the alternative. It meant a faster kill, should it come to that. He really hoped it wouldn’t.

It’s not like she didn’t know who he was talking about. Caio had all sorts of information linking her to the rat that had almost destroyed part of their drug operation a month prior. A girlfriend, now hiding him under the watchful eye of the East District.

It’s her own fault. It’s her own fault. You’re doing what you have to do.

“I really don’t want to hurt you, but I need to know where he is. Just tell me, Goddammit.”

He gave her a moment to let the words sink in. Tears continued to fall down the woman’s cheeks, and she looked up at him. First with helplessness and sorrow, then with hatred.

“I’m not telling you anything. Go ahead and kill me.”

Darius felt his stomach churn. Of course it had to come to this. It was why Caio wanted him to take the mission on after all. Anyone can kill, but a clean kill doesn’t send nearly as strong a message as the sight of necrotic innards does. And his potential was far too convenient not to utilize. He should’ve done a better job keeping it secret.

He had tortured someone like this before, but he wasn’t a monster, he refused to let himself become a monster. The bat in his hand had remained unused until now, and he raised it up to calculate a quick strike to the woman’s head. Unconsciousness was the only mercy he could grant her before he had to carry out the Serpents’ will.

“...Fine then.”

Darius prepared to strike as she sat there, staring straight forward.

 

[Caffeine_Obsessed]

Yuto Nishimura

CS Link

SCENE:

Sir, This is a Hospital

TIME:

Tuesday, September 28th, 2021 || Post Arc 2

LOCATION:

Correspondance Hospital, Lower Central

PARTICIPANTS:

Peyton, Yuto

Sir, This is a Hospital

Yuto snickered to himself. Was he seriously offering himself up? Though Taffy didn't hurt him, the ravenette was nearly tempted to take it anyway. Yuto hummed, "Blood doesn't help heal my injuries... but thanks for the offer! hmhm~" Who did Peyton think he was? A vampire? How could someone possibly heal from just a little drink of blood other than those creatures? Yuto felt almost offended.

Once the cuffs were cut off, Yuto rubbed at his wrists. It didn't hurt all that much since Yuto was quite complacent having them on. Though they did still leave a trace of a mark, a barely seen light pinkish tint differing from the pale skin on his wrists. Yuto eyed the shears in Peyton's hand. Now that Yuto was free... was he gonna attack him with those flimsy shears of all things?

The three eyed boy blinked in surprise. oh... He wasn't going to hurt him... Odd. Unexpected.. though Yuto couldn't let his guard down. Yuto tilted his head, curious. "You... want to help me hunt?" His brows furrowed. "Usually people wouldn't be so... accommodating of that... "He snorted at Peyton's taunt. Crouching down, Yuto leapt up onto Peyton's back, arms bracing himself on the other boy's shoulders. "That's probably because kissing someone to do it isn't usually my style.. " His fingers tapped the side of Peyton's neck, over his pulse point. "I usually go here, but well... I was thinking on my feet!" He giggled.

"But fine." He sighed over-dramatically, acting as if this were a chore. "I guess I'll indulge you." He tugged Peyton's head back by the hair, placing a quick kiss and a nip to the man's lips. Giggling, Yuto wrapped his arms around Peyton's neck, kicking his side slightly like a horse. "Yah Yah! Onward royal steed!"

Spoiler: Tags

Coyote Hart

 

[gxxberkit]

YONG-YUT SOMSRI

CS Link

SCENE:

Ballin'

TIME:

Pre-Arc 3— March 29th, 2022 -- Evening

LOCATION:

Distant + Old Basketball Court, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Boltius, Milo, Roza, Rin, Hector, Ashley, Libla, Hitoshi

BALLIN'

Right.

Left.

Right.

Left-left.

Right, left, right-right

Left.

Yong-Yut swiped her fingers on the tablet every which way, eyes focused on the screen, playing Metro Mania, a mobile game that she had recently become very invested in. She sat in Boltius’ trunk with her legs crossed, facing out towards the court, though she couldn’t care less what was happening. She was only here because Boltius begged her and her sponsee into coming. She opted to sit out, but of course pushed Roza into playing with them. It’s good to show a little team spirit, she supposed. Though, she didn’t seem to be doing that herself, with their full attention on their tablet. She was just about to beat her high score, only a few moments off of 1,960,214, before—

"You're just watching?"

The character she was controlling ran straight into an obstacle, flinging the character to the screen and making Yong-Yut wince. She let Hector continue on before responding, “...Yeah. Me neither.”

Just then, a hotdog truck came to an alarming halt just before the basketball court, with a man —Hitoshi, as Yong-Yut recognized— popping his head out of the window and offering hot dogs. She glanced between Hitoshi and Hector before asking the latter, “do you want any?”

"One. Only ketchup, nothing else. Thank you Yong-Yut."

“Mhm.” She nodded and walked towards the truck, catching the end of someone’s introduction, Milo’s, on the way. They stopped walking and looked towards the group on the court. They’re introducing themselves? Yong-Yut took a step forward with a little wave in an attempt to garner attention. “Hello. Yong-Yut, Velvet. I’m just watching.” They promptly turned around and continued to the truck, grasping one of their hands in the other.

Once they reached the service window they gave another wave, this time to the Messinan, and held up two fingers. “Yeah, uh… two, please. Just ketchup on both," she asked them, before turning to Hitoshi. "Are you going to play?”

Doctor Llamabean WhiskeyMarten joshuadim Lucem Elenion Aura RedArmyShogun Peckinou EmperorsChosen

 

[Doctor Llamabean]

MISS HONESTY (Amicia Van'solan)

CS Link

SCENE:

Burning Bridges

TIME:

Pre-Arc 3: March 24th, 2022 -- Evening

LOCATION:

North District, Serpent HQ...

PARTICIPANTS:

Amicia, Darius, Tenebrosity

BURNING BRIDGES

“Oh! Splendid!” Amicia’s hands rose in front of her and clasped together. “It will be a truly wonderful undertaking! You’ll love it, I’m sure!”

Her smile was bright and genuine, the expression of pure gratefulness.

Then, at the question—potential activated but quickly stifled—she offered a gentle nod to the boy and said, “Whenever you’re ready! Take all the time you’d like.”

Following that, Amicia stood herself beside him and faced as he was facing. Once again, her hands interlocked over her stomach, posture straight with poise.

A moment passed before she spoke again.

“My name is Amicia Vaughn Van’solan. Beautiful, isn’t it?” She looked at him. “Your turn~ What are you called?... Are you waiting for someone?” WhiskeyMarten (Darius) gxxberkit (Ten)

AMICIA'S NOTES​

— —What she's wearing: (Click: X)

— —POST RECAP: Amicia introduces herself and asks Darius for his name.

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Passeri Park

CS Link

SCENE:

Building Bridges

TIME:

December 12th, 2021 || Pre Arc 3

LOCATION:

West-South Bridge

PARTICIPANTS:

Dante, Charlie, Milo, YY, Jozef, Gideon, Corvo, Vulk, Dagger

Building Bridges

Passeri's expression brightened as Vulken and his charge approached. There was an iota, a glimmer of duplicitousness that flashed through her teeth, and then was promptly buried by a bright, practised smile. She recognised this one.

"Mm~✧*" Passeri leaned forward, out of her chair and into the unlikely pair. "I can do you one better!" She sidled alongside the girl, and held her phone high above the both of them, flashing a photogenic grin, and then snapping a photo with a bright, sunny, "Say cheese!". The phone's camera flashed with a mechanical snap, and a sloppily framed picture of Passeri and the starstruck girl popped onto the screen. With a few quick swipes, she plastered it with her signature and then showed it off to both the girl and her guardian.

"How's that?~" She chirped, withdrawing from the pair just in time to avoid the incoming Doberman-shaped mass of muscle and slobber. She flinched, even if the hulking creature hadn't been directed at her, and then fixed her attention on its owner.

"Nice to meet you too!" She didn't recognise this one. "That's a shame to hear! Did he grow out of it? I know a lot of boys get embarrassed about listening to music like mine."

"Thanks to both of you for coming today, too! I honestly wasn't sure if anyone would show with how things are between the districts, but the turnout's been surprising." She offered her hand to the pair. "Feel free to just call me Passeri. Stage names and last names are like sooo not the vibe I'm looking for today."

"Oh! Before I forget- Do you think I could grab a number to send that photo to? No good to have it just sitting on my phone, yeah?"

Spoiler: Tags

Interacted: Nobody Special AriAriAbabwa
General: @The Regal Rper Roda the Red Elenion Aura WhiskeyMarten gxxberkit Coyote Hart

 

[Chaos Gallant]

Jack

CS Link

SCENE:

Rumble at the Railroad Casino

TIME:

October 1, 2021

LOCATION:

Railroad Casino, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Jack, Ruriko, Kisara, Minato

Rumble at the Railroad Casino

The loneliness of their apartment was agonizing without Jess there, Jack thought to himself. No one to play the fiddle, the records didn’t even sound the same without ‘em around. He slouched lazily on the couch blowing a strand of hair out of his face.

Jessi was supposed to be gone all weekend to settle a deal with a leather supplier for the new line of boots and belts they’d been planning. She’d convinced him it’d be a boring trip and that he'd be better off relaxing here in New Oasis instead. Boy was that ever wrong.

Jack stood up and paced around the room before grabbing a chair at the bar. He shot a glance at the clock, it read just past 9. “Too late to take Henry out to the farmhouse too. I knew wasting my time with those goons up on main was gonna bite me in the ass.” His gaze fell down to the neatly organized glass bottles on the shelf behind the bar. It only took him a few moments contemplating the drinks before he walked over to them, grabbing a small glass from underneath the counter. He hovered his hand over the bottles before taking his pick, “Little bit of Jack for little ol’ Jack…” he muttered to himself. He poured the whiskey just a tad over an inch before capping and putting the bottle back. Taking his seat back at the bar, Jack held the glass up to his lips, sipping just a bit before putting it back down.

A few moments passed before he let out a big sigh, “Tastes better when Jess pours it too.” He stared back at the clock as he sipped at his drink. Barely 2 minutes had passed. Only a few seconds more had passed before he stood up and walked towards his room. “Ain’t much use sittin’ ‘round here I ‘spose…” he muttered. He rifled through his closet, pushing the hangars aside until his white and gold suit came into view. “Oooooh yeah. That’ll do just fine,” he said, pulling the suit out and getting changed. He walked over to his boot rack, picking out the suit’s matching boots and sliding them on, before turning his attention to the rows of hats he had hanging on the wall. The decision was quick as he flicked the hat off of the wall, tossing it perfectly onto his head.

---

Jack left his car at a parking garage just a few blocks away from Railroad. It wasn’t as big as some of the super casinos in the west were home to, but it certainly didn’t hide itself. The neon sign flashed with the image of a train car on its tracks, and a number of patrons could be seen coming and going out the main entrance. Jack’s spurs jingled as he made his way towards the entrance, and directly towards the bar once he was inside. The décor made the casino feel more like an old fashioned saloon than a casino actually. The wood of the bar counter, while well maintained, appeared as though it had been faded by time. A pianist played a number of ragtime toons in the center of the main room. Jack pulled up a chair at the bar, taking a seat. He waved his hand over to the bartender. “Lemme’ get uh… Strawberry margarita, and don’t go easy on the tequila,” Jack slapped a fresh hundred dollar bill onto the counter, giving her a smile.

He downed the drink quickly and moved towards the black jack tables. Luck did not appear to be on his side however, spending over an hour at one of the tables without a single dollar of winning. It certainly didn’t sour his mood though, his face becoming flushed from the dozens of margarita’s he’d had brought to him throughout the games.
Jack looked down as the dealer revealed yet another winning hand. “Aaaaah shucks! Ya’ know, if’n I wun’t ‘ny wiser I’d call ya’ cheater!”

“Mister Montaña I assure you I play as fairly as the cards let me,” the dealer replied without skipping a beat. He was quite used to Jack’s tomfoolery at the casino by now, seeing as he came here quite often. “Will Miss Tremul be joining you this evening?” The man inquired.

“Bah, she’s outta town, gots’ bid’ness,” Jack blew the hair out of his face, leaning away from the table and pushing the chair back onto its two hind legs. He leaned forward, the chair’s legs smacking loudly onto the floor.

“Another round then Mister Montaña?” The dealer offered.

Jack stood up, pushing his chair in, “Nah, I’ma gonna have some fun down ‘er. You… have a g’night Jimmy.”

The dealer sighed, “It’s Timothy, Mister Montaña.”

Jack didn’t seem to pay him much mind however and walked over to the back of the casino’s main gambling room and down the hall leading towards the restrooms. He turned right at the end of the hall towards a sturdy looking metal door with a slit at eye-level. Nearing the door, the sound of a dull bass thumping could be heard coming from the other side. Jack knocked once on the door without much restraint, making a loud bang. The slit opened.

“Geez, whaddya’- Oh hey Jack.” The slit closed and the sound of heavy locks being undone could be heard. The door swung upon a moment later, Jack barely moving out of the way, leaning backwards and almost falling flat on his butt.

“Hey hey, easy there pardner’,” Jack laughed, regaining his balance as he walked in, trying to punch the bouncer’s arm. The bouncer dodged the blow, the sound of its impact hitting the wall just barely audible over the bass of the music.

“Easy there, yourself. See you got a bit boozed already, save it for the corral will ya’.”

“Yeah yeah,” Jack said dismissively, and made his way down the stairs.

Spoiler: Tags

Beann Elenion Aura simj26

 

[Misuteeku]

Sang-Cheol Man

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

Tin and Matchstick

LOCATION:

North District, Lab Icarus

TIME:

Pre Arc-3 | September 29th 2021

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Mimi

Tin and Matchstick

"If he does appear... I guess I would have to fight back." Sang-Cheol's voice didn't sound too reassuring. The amount of revisited trauma Raphael brought upon him made Sang-Cheol wretch inside, but this it wasn't his fault. Raphael made his decision to go down into the basement of that lab and got subsequently captured by them. While Sang-Cheol was a scaredy cat when it came to dealing with blood, he was prideful to know when to fight back.

"Either way, whether or not Raph is dead or not-" He stopped when he heard something getting crushed under force. Turning back around, Mimi was in incredible distress. That's when it hit him. "Shit, Mimi, I-" His anger at Raphael had clouded his judgement. There was much more than just details that may have been referencing to Raphael. Details that shouldn't be revealed to anyone out of carelessness. Consideration was one of Sang-Cheol's weaknesses and he regretted not having it.

Sang-Cheol stayed quick until Mimi got control of herself. That was the best he could do, otherwise he might set her off again. "I'm unsure. This was the only file I managed to uncover from the lab." In an unnatural calm voice, Sang-Cheol replied. "I haven't fully analyzed it either, so who knows what else might be inside." Though what he did read was slightly interesting. There were some parts that he didn't care about, but others...

"For now it's just you and me. I haven't told Snake this since Boss- Yuudai got arrested. Currently, I don't have plans to tell anyone else," Sang-Cheol wasn't sure if he was even going to tell Snake this either. While they had a close relationship, some secrets had to be kept. Plus, the hierarchy was unstable right now. The last thing Snake needed was another surprise waiting in the report. "As for whether they were successful or not... The nurse that Pigeon Brain and I fought was clearly zombie-like. I'd wager they're still working on it." Though for how long? The file said that Ziggurat was almost complete.

"Take a seat Mimi, take a suppressant, and relax." Getting out a chair for Mimi, he dragged it over towards her. His potentiality could relieve stress, even if it made the intaker addicted, so it would be able to help Mimi clear her thoughts. He also held out a bottle of water that he brought out from the drawer.

Spoiler: Tags

BluEndings