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

[RedArmyShogun]

Roza Grigorievna

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes - Ballin'

LOCATION:

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

PARTICIPANTS:

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

Ballin'

March 29th, 2022 -- Evening​

A couple more arrived with half of the number seemingly intent or at least content with just watching, not that she minded much. Less people playing meant less threats, soon she found Bolt asking for a show of hands on who all was playing, which it seemed he was doing the same as well. The Ace himself was playing in anything goes huh? Sighing a bit at that she rolls her shoulders. Roza knew this would be a troublesome day and there was likely no point in bringing the gun even if she could. Feeling the sudden rush of cold air, she was a bit surprised that it seemed to be originating from the ace as he went ahead making the first attempt at the goal and hitting nothing but air.

"Heh." Sizing up the rest in the instances before, as an HP her physical abilities and durability were nothing to laugh at, it had saved her from shrapnel, bullets and other things aside, however among HP's her physical abilities would leave her wanting against the rest, minus in two areas she had hone to levels that would make an Olympian green with envy. She had only once chance to win this with her speed, small frame and dexterity. Hunching forward and lowering her center of mass the Rabbit was off boosting off one leg forward her speed was something to be seen though her ability played little part or would play little part on a flat field. She was sure she was going to lose, but it would not be for lack of trying and truthfully, she found the bitter biting cold to be comforting in a manner. The harsh winters of her homeland, eventually it would be too cold for her maybe, but that time was not now.

She had the ball... Now what? It also seemed Blitz had made a lunge for her. Thinking fast she darts off to go around the lunge as best as she was able with a hop and skip sailing up into the sky with a running jump, as she throws the ball towards the goal, having made it a bit closer than Boltius had previously.

The ball was now airborne once more.

gxxberkit (Yong-Yut) Peckinou (Libla) Lucem (Ashley) WhiskeyMarten (Hector) Elenion Aura (Milo) Doctor Llamabean (Blitz) EmperorsChosen (Rin) joshuadim (Hitoshi)

 

[Coyote Hart]

Peyton Xiong

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

And there was the sneak attack. Peyton braced for the worst, but oddly enough, Yuto hadn't lunged at him. No, instead, it seemed from the way that he leaped onto Peyton's back that he wanted a piggyback ride. After giving Ten so many piggyback rides, Peyton instinctively adjusted his arms so that he could grab onto Yuto's legs and give him a more stable riding experience. In his mind, piggyback rides had always seemed like something exclusively for Ten, but well... it couldn't hurt to indulge Yuto a bit.

But as he was about to comment on it, he felt his head be pulled back, giving him a view of Yuto's long, slender neck. Then he once again felt Yuto's lips meet his, causing his eyes to widen. It was one thing for them to kiss during battle, it was something else for it to be without a fight. Although it was only a peck and a nibble, it felt so intimate. He could feel the plushness of Yuto's lips. A scarlet blush spread across Peyton's cheeks, reaching as far as the tips of his ears and his neck. With Yuto on his back, it was impossible for Peyton to hide his reaction.

"I-- I... I think," Peyton said, stumbling over his words. He collected himself and tried again, conceding, "You're the better kisser here."

Peyton licked his lips as he recollected himself. It was nice that Yuto was one for physical affection. It fit well with Peyton's love language-- physical touch. He leaned his head back to meet Yuto's eyes as he joked nervously, "Thanks, that was just the fix I needed."

At Yuto's playful request, Peyton galloped out of the hospital room, giggling as to Yuto's antic as he did so. As they went down the hallway, a few people cast curious glances at the shear-wielding zombie boy giving the significantly taller, three-eyed spider boy a piggyback ride, but Peyton didn't mind them. They could stop the two of them if they dared.

"I may not be a good Dragon and whatever by helping you, but I just don't care. I still got a little Serpent in me," Peyton said to Yuto as he walked, "Besides, you were going to eat that woman back on the rooftop in the Pleasure District, weren't you? I got in the way of that, so this is my way of making it up to you! It's the right thing to do!"

Part of Peyton knew that helping someone cannibalize another person was weird. But Peyton had been with his fair share of weird people-- a tentacle monster who was his earliest advocate of senseless destruction, a sadistic massacring blood demon, a gal with a symbiote growing on her, and a father-son duo whose roles were reversed. Sure, Yuto was an odd guy, but if he could help someone commit mass murder for a Serpent mission, then he could help someone cannibalize a nurse.

Upon seeing one of those big, spacious gender neutral restrooms, Peyton opened the door and slid in. He let the door shut behind them but notably didn't lock it. He gently let Yuto down.

"We can lie in wait here like until someone decides to walk in," Peyton smirked at Yuto. He rolled his shoulders and stretched his back. It was surprisingly strenuous giving Yuto a piggyback ride. He was significantly heavier than Ten. "Just how much muscle are you hiding underneath that slim body of yours?"

"Wait, no, I'm not asking to feel you up," Peyton hastily added on, a pink blush spreading across his face. He wasn't trying to slyly ask for something like he had inadvertently done with the kiss situation.

Caffeine_Obsessed

 

[Vahn]

Schroeder Wildschwein

Fantasy - Four Heavenly Kings: CS Thread

CS Link

SCENE:

Just Another Training Day

LOCATION:

Wuyang Temple, East District

TIME:

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

PARTICIPANTS:

Meirin, Laura, Peyton, Hou, Fade, Schroeder and others.

Just Another Training Day

7:00 AM The Wuyang Temple a gathering of Azure Dragons were visible for everyone to see. This was the so called training that Meirin Azuza suggested and that Schroeder Wildschwein decided to check it out. Schroeder Wildschwein was staring at all who were present before returning his gaze back to the letter in his hand. Not even bothering to read it as he had already read it so many times after Omar finished his meeting with the current Azure Dragon King and came to the junkyard with this letter. The contents were ominous to say the least but Schroeder Wildschwein struggled to decide what to do with it and what to do with Omar secret plan. Schroeder Wildschwein muttered out loud to himself "What are you planning Omar?"

Schroeder Wildschwein would gently fold the letter before placing it into his jackets interior pocket just above his holstered gun. Schroeder Wildschwein would look at Meirin Azuza and wonder if Omar shared his plans with the Warden of Eternal Night Palace as Omar had either convinced, bribed or struck some sort of deal with Madam Chouchou of the Eternal Night Palace to facilitate the secret meeting. While Schroeder Wildschwein could have just visited the Eternal Night Palace, he wasn't sure if he could get any information from Madam Chouchou.

Schroeder Wildschwein has been delaying to meet Omar as he needed more time to gather his own information but since Meirin Azuza is here then maybe Schroeder Wildschwein can get some information form her directly. However Meirin Azuza decided it was good idea to run twenty laps around the district and this is after Schroeder Wildschwein had a hip replacement if he could object, he would have but Meirin Azuza had already ran out the temple while the rest of the Azure Dragons started to follow her lead.

However Schroeder Wildschwein thought that running in his condition would have been a bad idea but he had a secret weapon. Schroeder Wildschwein had brought with him a special modified mobility scooter courtesy of his special ability and some elbow work from Omar. The mobility scooter had a very comfortable arm chair replacing the standard seat, an enhanced electric battery system fully charged for operation, extra horsepower added to the engine for speed, four off terrain wheels replacing the standard wheels, modified control for easy steering and some additional hidden weapons just in cause.

Schroeder Wildschwein hobbled to his special modified mobility scooter with the help of his cane and once he close to it would he board his special modified mobility scooter, get comfortable in the arm chair and started the ignition. Schroeder Wildschwein thought to himself if Jesper saw him now maybe Jesper would say Schroeder Wildschwein was cheating, maybe throw a fit, complain or something. Schroeder Wildschwein would wipe that thought away as he started chasing after Meirin Azuza. Everyone could see the speeding Schroeder Wildschwein on his mobility scooter as he shouted at the rookies as he passed them. "OUT OF THE WAY SLOWPOKES!!! I NEED TO SPEAK WITH THE LEADER OF THIS RUNNING PACK!!! CONTINUE RUNNING AND MOVE OUT OF THE WAY OF THE OLD MAN!! "

Spoiler: Tag

QuirkyAngel
AriAriAbabwa
RedArmyShogun
Coyote Hart
SilverFlight .

 

[Lucem]

Ezra Knight

CS Link

SCENE:

Making Amends

LOCATION:

Post Arc 2: Ezra's Apartment, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Ezra, Isobel

MAKING AMENDS

He'd been staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours, his half-closed gaze fixated on the motionless fan. No matter how many times he tried to fall asleep, he always ended up opening his eyes. He just kept remembering how hectic his life had gotten. Ordinarily, he would've been too distracted by all the chaos to think about his current predicament, but now that he finally had a day off, the thoughts buried in the depths of his mind kept rising to the surface. Most of them were memories of last month's mission and the resulting fallout.

Grabbing a nearby pillow, Ezra buried his face in the soft material and let out a muffled groan. Why did things have to end up like that? Not only did he manage to get on the King's bad side, but he also got scolded by his father. He never intended to pull Markus out of that fight, but an excuse like that wouldn't be enough to clear things up. The leader of the gang was upset with him, and that's all Silas Knight cared about. So, despite successfully retrieving the claw from Phoenix territory, he received little praise from either of his bosses.

All things considered, Ezra got off easy. The King could've put him on ice if he really wanted to, especially when he had him pinned against the car back then. Just thinking back to that moment made him shiver. He had no idea how he was able to survive that. He didn't even know how he stayed so calm when it happened. Now that he thought about it, he didn't know how a lot of things happened during that mission. That was part of what got him into that mess. There was never an end to the surprises.

Rolling onto his stomach, Ezra pushed his face deeper into the cushion, hoping the sandman would come and knock him over the head so he could forget about everything for a few hours. Even if he had to clock back into Hell in the morning, he at least wanted to make the most of this rare opportunity. He wanted just one day with no work, no gangsters, and no surprises.

At the exact moment his eyelids started to feel heavy, the sound of his phone's ringtone denied him the sweet comfort of unconsciousness. Without even bothering to lift his head, he felt around for the stress-inducing device, grabbing at white sheets until he eventually found it. Letting out a deep breath, he brought the phone to his ear.

Before he could open his mouth to ask who was on the other end, he heard the familiar voice of one of the building's security guards. All he could make out were the words "visitor" and "woman", so his first thought was that either his mother or sister had come to visit. The chances of both were rather low, considering that his mother never visited him and Eliza was Eliza, but those were the only options that made sense. It's not like he had any friends, and he no longer had any contact with his former trainers.

For a second, he thought he must've misheard the security guard because of his exhaustion, and he considered nodding off while still on the call. However, when he heard the word "Jack", all the fatigue left his body, being replaced by panic. He really couldn't escape surprises.

Tossing his phone to the side, Ezra immediately jumped out of bed and began pacing around the room. Why was the Jack coming here? Did this have to do with the retrieval mission? Was she going to deliver his punishment? Was he getting kicked out of the Tigers?

Too many questions were going through his head, and none of them had any answers. Even if he wasn't getting the boot or a knife in his back, he still had to worry about other things. He wasn't prepared to meet with anyone right now, especially someone who was supposed to be a future King. He wasn't even dressed properly. He needed his suit. Where was his suit?!

Before he could dash to his closet, he heard the dreaded sound of the doorbell. Freezing like a deer in the headlights, he weighed his options. Answering right now would be bad. Keeping her waiting would be worse. Not opening the door at all would be fatal.

Left with no other choice, Ezra sighed and walked to the door. Looking through the peephole, he confirmed that the person on the other side was Isobel. At the very least, she didn't seem to have any weapons, but he couldn't be too sure. There was no telling what she had in that box.

After flicking several latches and turning off the smart locks, he finally opened the door. Still in his loungewear, he stood slightly behind the frame. "Um, hi. Did you need something?"

Saturn_moon

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

DARIUS KENNEDY

CS Link

SCENE:

Blurred Borders

LOCATION:

Hartswan Terrace, North District

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1: October 25, 2019 -- Night

PARTICIPANTS:

Darius, Celestine

BLURRED BORDERS

Like much of the North, Hartswan Terrace was in a severe state of decay. It was a shame really that most of the houses were boarded up, given that they were all large enough to house a family with plenty of room to spare. They were old buildings though, and the swampy nature of the District had crept into all of them, so even if one wanted to live there it would require far more than just the keys to the front door to make them habitable.

Of course, though, the Serpents cared not for the plant life growing through the broken windows, the carpets black with mould that made a squelching noise at every step, or the rodents that scurried in and out of holes in the walls. Just being able to conduct business with a roof over your head, as leaky as it may be, is luxurious enough of an opportunity. Through the rotting planks over the windows of one home on the street was a dim light, and on the next street over was a parked van, from which two figures emerged under the cover of night.

“I guess that’s the house…” Darius had been quiet for the whole ride up, already feeling a sense of dread. He peered over a low wall on the opposite side of the street, but it was impossible to gain any intel from the outside that wasn’t just ‘here’s a light’.

If the information they’d been given was correct, there should be four people inside, some HPs, and some NPs. All of them traitors to the Serpent’s cause, with the audacity to continue meeting so brazenly here. The sound of a quiet radio filled the air around the house with pop music.

“What now? Just walk through the door?” He eyed the door with uncertainty, standing up straight. They hadn’t been given any instructions pertaining to the execution, leaving it up to them. All they needed were bodies to bring back to HQ, be they dead or alive.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Laura Weissman

CS Link

SCENE:

Just Another Training Day [Pre-Arc 3]

LOCATION:

Wuyang Temple, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Meirin, Laura, Peyton, Hou, Fade, Schroeder and others.

Just Another Training Day

January 8th, 2022 - 7:00AM​

As the group moved out things got stranger and stranger, as two boys passed her in a mad dash into a nearby storefront, she was a bit curious what they were up to, but she did not have a habit of being a stalker to just chase after them and ask. She would see that soon enough as she was passed yet again by... "What? Wow, surprising even a boss came." That was Isaiah Spade, wasn't it? And then came and even stranger sight as she moved to the side when an old man in a supped-up mobility scooter screaming to the top of his lungs; "OUT OF THE WAY SLOWPOKES!!! I NEED TO SPEAK WITH THE LEADER OF THIS RUNNING PACK!!! CONTINUE RUNNING AND MOVE OUT OF THE WAY OF THE OLD MAN!! "

"Be careful old man! Before you hit a streetlamp!"

With a shout Laura does as instructed she also finally reached the area that at least two of them peeled off, an antique store? No, it was clocks. "Huh." Mechanical clocks at that. A curious and rare item that digital clocks had all but replaced them over the years. Only collectors or the really old fashioned got them. Might be worth taking a look in later on Laura thought. Turning her attention back ahead she decides to continue the run, but that was not her sole focus, she wanted to see just what she was fighting for now. After the incident that costed her an eye and portion of her beautiful skin she had changed more than a bit, now using her HP to the fullest extent, she remembered her concept of justice rather than revenge in and of itself and via the gang which sworn her to extend that protection, that justice to most of these people too.

Smiling as she ran she would lift up one or two of her hands to wave at what few were taking a break from day to day living to look at the Dragon relay, most did not seem to hold any hostility for them, and she would give them cause to continue doing so... If possible, in any case. Picking up the pace she wanted to at least close the distance with the allies she had still in the run. She wanted to prove she was capable, though an HP she had spent much of her life suppressing the full extent of what she was.

Now was the time to set it free and attempt this insane relay.

Coyote Hart QuirkyAngel AriAriAbabwa SilverFlight Lucem Vahn

 

[Anne Boolean]

Pascal Corbin

CS Link

SCENE:

Gangs' Grocery Games

LOCATION:

Central

PARTICIPANTS:

Pascal, Chikage, Laurent, Tenebrosity

Gangs' Grocery Games

Shop Smart opened at 6 in the morning, but people were already lining up at the doors around 5. The buses didn't start running until 7, so Pascal ended up being there a few hours late. Thankfully, nothing had sold out yet, and no videos of people fighting over the last toster or something had ended up on social media. Shop Smart had prepared extra stock this year it seemed, under the assumption that the slashing prices to half of what they are on Black Friday would bring about double the customers.

The blond had gotten a shopping cart and already mostly filled it up. The three boxes of instant noodles were the ones which the largest volumes, but with each cup inside being just pennies after the price drop, how could Pascal resist? He found himself whether it would be a better option to stack items or to just get another cart. The store was the size of a warehouse, and he had only covered a portion of it at this point.

If getting another cart was the move, would it be safe to just leave his current cart here? It would be quicker for Pascal to get another one if he wasn't pushing the one he already had, but then someone may think it was abandoned and take the things he had picked out. The extra time it would take to push the cart he currently had to the extrance and pick up another one may just be enough for things to start selling out. What a conundrum.

The blue-eyed man blinked. What a gift it was for such an average, everyday issue to be what plagued him most at this moment. If only everyday was like that.

He pulled out his phone to check the time and see if there were any updates from his friend. Seemed there wasn't anything yet, but he didn't expect Chikage to flake out with no word. That's when an idea hit him. Pascal pulled up the text conversation between himself and the other.

Hey when you arrive, can you grab an extra cart? Mine ended up filling up pretty quickly lol

gxxberkit Doctor Llamabean Elenion Aura

 

[Roda the Red]

CHARLIE HUGHES

CS Link

SCENE:

[The Hellion Charge]

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1, May 2021

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hide, Charlie

The Hellion Charge

Hide had resorted to "your mom" jokes during his response, so fortunately that meant that he was most likely in a great mood today! That was sure to help having him cooperate.

"Well...Remember last time we saw each other, you were whi- MENTIONING how you were a bit short on money?"

Charlie attempted to put it as nicely as possible, he didn't understand how Hide could be so adamant against getting any work done within the gang, there was so much he could do, specially with an ability like the one he had! He added an extra spoonful of sugar into his coffee, it definitely wasn't sweet enough, and tried it again, a triumphant smile forming on his face, the coffee in this place was his favorite in all of South.

He leaned back on his chair and cracked his knuckles, smirking as to fake confidence (that's how you lure them in).

"Well, you probably know Jasmine, right? She's one of the most well known work providers in the phoenixes, and I happen to work with her all the time...And she just offered me a job with the best pay I've seen so far out of any bodyguard gig" He took one more quick sip of his coffee, as to let Hide taking in the information.

"Thing is...This job demands two people, and I thought you could join me!"

Caffeine_Obsessed

 

[Roda the Red]

CHARLIE HUGHES

CS Link

SCENE:

[Hair and Memories]

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1, March 9th 2021

LOCATION:

SPLENDIFEROUS, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Mimi

Hair and Memories

"Oh, I can imagine! Uh, someone I used to live with also struggled a lot with that, I would sometimes help her with the flat iron, Even! but that was years ago, I probably wouldn't be able to use one of those properly nowadays even if my life depended on it" He let out a random, peppy giggle.

It was probably because of the relaxing scalp massage and the warm water, but Charlie was feeling unusually calm even if he was talking to what was essentially a total stranger, enough that his mind just felt like giving away little nuggets of his private pre-South history that he would normally keep to himself. Perhaps the fact this girl was so similar to Angelica was cathartic in a way, almost as if he was able to have one more casual, cheerful conversation with her.

He stopped that thought immediately as he realized how creepy it was.

"Oh? O-Oh yeah, thankfully that's all in the past, a few months ago I met someone who basically turned my life upside down... In a good way, mind you! I was able to join the Sc-

Alright, easy there, buddy, I know you're relaxed and comfy but that's going a bit too far, giving away that you're a member of organized crime at a random salon in a foreign district may not be the best idea.

"T-The Scary world of finances! I'm an accountant, a lot better than the part time jobs I used to take..."

Well, Charlie may not have any degree on economics and that may not be his job whatsoever...But he DID study to become an accountant back in Highschool, so this should probably only count as a half-lie... Right?

BluEndings

 

[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 slept for heaven knows how long before he was once more dragged into half-wakefulness by the sound of that annoying little voice in his ear. It felt like minutes since the last interruption. Markus was quickly learning that it was always something with this guy. He was hungry. He was thirsty. He was bored. Markus didn’t want kids. So.

How tha’ hell did he end up with one in spite of it?

For fuck’s sake.

He could tune it out. He could do it. Just ignore the little cretin. He’s probably not real, anyway. Just some fucked-up side-effect of too much stress. It’d go away—wear off or whatever—after a few days… Or at least, it fuckin’ better. He didn’t have the time, or the patience, to deal with the non-stop ramblings of some fuckin’ ghost tiger (that nobody else could even see, let alone hear) yammerin’ in his ear.

He turned over and pulled a pillow over his head as he felt the soft pitter-patter of frantic paws draw nearer and nearer. Shut up… Shut up, shut up, shut up.

”Wake up… Wake up… WAKE UP!”

Markus couldn’t fucking believe this. Muttering poison under his breath he threw the pillow off of his face and the covers off of his bed. His eyes scanned the darkened room, searching for the telltale sign of Heavenly Tiger. Where are ya, you little shit? He was going to find out if ghosts could be killed again. He turned his eyes upward and he froze. He was still dreaming. He had to be.

There was a man on his ceiling. Markus squinted and cocked his head to one side as he waited for the apparition to fade. Only it didn’t fade. The man on his ceiling brandished a piece of glinting steel and fell toward him with a quickness that shocked his freshly-woken brain. Heavenly Tiger’s voice rang in his head, ”LOOK OUT!”

Markus’ hand moved to protect his face unconsciously. He heard the wet shlick of a blade cutting through flesh. Blinking, Markus looked from the man straddling him on the bed, to the four-inch blade protruding through the back of his hand.

On instinct, Markus’ unmarred hand caught the man—his would-be assassin—by the throat. Frost coated his fingertips as he began to squeeze. Rage kept the pain from bubbling over from the wound through his hand.

Then, suddenly, the man was gone… Swept away into a fine mist—his presence erased—but the weapon still there.

"What the… Fuck?” Markus breathed, bewildered. He looked down at the knife that pierced his hand, then back up at the ceiling where the gasman had been. Who could be anywhere, now.

He sprung out of bed and crept toward the door. He was quiet, listening. When all of a sudden the frost that he’d summoned began to sputter and melt. Markus’ eyes widened in alarm as he tried to will more cold into the air, but found that his well of power was running dry. His eyes flicked to the dagger as his mind put together the pieces.

He silently mouthed the word, Shit, before he pushed his bedroom door open with his unscathed hand and padded silently out into the hall. It appeared empty… Until the familiar form the Heavenly Tiger popped like a bubble into being before his very eyes.

”I TOLD’S YA!!! SLEEPYHEAD, STUPID KING!”

Markus grunted and shoved past him, coming upon his kitchen.

Empty. Silent as the grave… Save for the winds howling outside.



From the rooftop of the sky-scraping tower, Augustus gazed peacefully up at the stars, cigar between his lips as the wind threw his hair in knots.

The wind. . .

In his hand at his side, a phone’s screen went dark—the last thing on display, a message to his son that he would set things right.


With footsteps as silent as a thought, a man approached him from behind but said nothing; he was tall but not taller, and his face heavily scarred.

And for a while, the two of them were quiet. . .

Then the wind howled, and it blew harder. And steadily, it drew laps around the penthouse, rounding up the clouds overhead into a circulating umbrella that eerily shadowed everything below and darkened the night tenfold.


Inside, the building’s walls groaned in opposition to the brewing storm’s passionate rage.


Meanwhile, the invisible threat from before lingered at a distance… Watching… Waiting… Hungering for the next opportunity to strike. Wonder how the first attempt had failed.

Spoiler: Tags

Doctor Llamabean

 

[Saturn_moon]

Ottilie James

SCENE:

1 February 2022: [Happiness & Prosperity]

LOCATION:

白春花茶莊, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Isaiah, Jesper, Kairong, Karin, Meirin, Ottilie

Happiness & Prosperity

Peak hour. Cars inched slowly across the Central-East bridge in monotonous ennui, skirting around the heavy construction work taking place. Efforts to repair the bridge’s connection to the South have been ongoing since the devastating incident with the gangs only five months ago. Yet, for many it already exists as a faded memory, shelved in the back of their minds. It was funny how fast the people of New Oasis were able to move on. Heads down, feet forward. Perhaps that’s just how it was when mayhem and disorder was more or less a part of everyday life.

“Honey, did you hear me?”

Ottilie pulled her eyes away from the window and turned to her mother in the driver’s seat. “Huh? Sorry. What did you say?”

Clarice let out a small sigh, but made no comments. She was accustomed to her daughter’s frequent absentmindedness. Most parents hoped their child would do well academically, but Ottilie might have done a little too well. There was never a time the girl didn’t have her mind on school or her research, so much so it had become a cause for concern. When Ottilie told her that she was going to a party, Clarice was absolutely ecstatic. It wasn’t quite a university dorm party but any reason to get her daughter out of school and socializing with people was a plus in her books.

“I said it was very nice of Karin to invite you to this party. How is she doing? You haven’t mentioned her in awhile. You should invite her to our place for dinner sometime.”

A crinkle formed between Ottilie’s brow as she pondered on her mother’s question. “I’m not sure. I’ve been busy in the lab, but yes, I should talk to her more.” Nodding, she took out her phone and opened the notes application to enter a new entry into her extended list of tasks:

□ Invite Karin to dinner​

Eventually, the silver sedan pulled to a stop in front of a small tea house with a signboard bearing the name 白春花茶莊 mounted above. Pasted on the side were couplets made from red paper bearing well wishes for the new year written in beautiful calligraphy. Along the street, garlands of red lanterns had been strung up, washing the street in a bright festive glow.

“Do you remember what you should say when you see Mr Lin?”

“... Mhmm.”

“And what you have to do?”

“... Mhmm.”

“Good.” Clarice smiled brightly at her daughter. “Have fun. Give me a call when you want to be picked up.” The recent uptick in gang activity made Clarice nervous and she’d rather Ottilie didn’t take public transportation home late at night.

“Thank you. I will.” Ottilie unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned across the center console to give her mother a peck on the cheek. She smelled of cinnamon and roses. “Love you.”

“Love you too, honey.”

Standing on the sidewalk, Ottilie waved goodbye to the car as her mother drove away. Smoothing out the red, floral-printed, dress she had borrowed from her mother for the occasion, she pushed open the door and stepped into the warmly lit interior.

If Ottilie thought the exterior of the shop was beautiful, the inside was even more stunning. Elaborate bouquets of blooming peonies had been placed in the center of every table and intricate paper cuttings adorned the walls next to more lanterns. Large red parasols embroidered with tiny pink and white flowers hung from the ceiling so they looked like they had been suspended mid-air. Delicious smells of food cooking wafted out from what she assumed was the kitchen behind and joyous tunes played through the speakers, intermingled with sounds of chatter and laughter coming from the number of people already present.

“Ottilie!” From the crowd, a familiar white-haired girl emerged holding an empty tray. “You made it! Come, let me introduce you to Master Kairong.” Pulling Ottilie by the hand, Karin led them through the shop until they came face to face with a man in his seventies with short gray hair, dressed in a traditional tang suit.

“Master Kairong, this is Ottilie. My friend and the new Dragon rookie I was telling you about.”

Remembering her mother’s instructions, Ottilie quickly fished out the two oranges she’d brought along with her and offered them to Master Kairong with a slight bow. “Xin Nian Kuai Le, Master Lin.” She said in accented Mandarin. “Gong Xi Fa Cai.”

Spoiler: Tags

simj26 AriAriAbabwa QuirkyAngel Lucem angel doe

 

[Lucem]

DAMIAN

CS Link

SCENE:

Rock and a Hard Place

LOCATION:

North District, Lab Icarus

TIME:

Pre Arc-3 | September 30th, 2021

PARTICIPANTS:

Damian, Sang-Cheol

ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

Despite spending years as an unwilling test subject in a similar setting, Damian didn't feel any sort of discomfort when walking into Lab Icarus. In fact, he rather enjoyed taking a stroll through the complex, developing an interest in the work that went on behind closed doors. The individual in charge of the operation was also rather fascinating.

He'd been curious about Matchstick ever since the notoriously angry man joined the Sable Serpents. It was hard not to be, given that Sang-Cheol had a hand in the gang's main trade. With such a small team working in the lab, it was tricky getting information from anywhere but the source, but that wasn't a problem. He preferred going to people directly, and this was no exception. Some may have been a bit wary about diving into this territory on account of Sang-Cheol's infamous outbursts of rage, but Damian was never bothered.

While most of his prior visits were often on a whim and done without advanced warning, today was different. He'd been contacted with a request for a job, the details of which would be given by Sang-Cheol himself. Damian was certainly intrigued, wondering what kind of mission would require his assistance, but that was only secondary to his main interest. More than anything, he was looking forward to what he'd be offered as compensation.

As he thought of the requests he planned to make, he finally spotted the person who summoned him. Without wasting any time, he approached Sang-Cheol and sat down in the nearest available seat. As expected, the bespectacled man didn't look very happy, but that didn't have any effect on Damian.

Wearing a smile that seemed to be permanently stuck to his face, he leaned in a bit closer. "So, you had a job for me?" Skipping all the pleasantries, he got straight to business.

Misuteeku

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Meirin Azuza

CS Link

SCENE:

Just Another Training Day

LOCATION:

Wuyang Temple, East District

TIME:

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

PARTICIPANTS:

Meirin, Laura, Peyton, Hou, Isaiah, Schroeder, Jesper, any Dragon that feels like joining really...

Just Another Training Day

Running cleared Meirin’s head.

There was no other way to describe it. Perhaps it was the endorphins pumped into her bloodstream. Perhaps it was the habit she’d cultivated from training with monks in her youth; She’d been taught to use running as a form of meditation to achieve oneness with herself and her surroundings. To release any aggression she felt through (safe) physical exertion.

When she ran, Meirin only focused on her breathing and the proper movement of her body. She could feel the asphalt beneath her feet and her heartbeat quicken to match the pace of the exercise. From the corner of her eye, she could see one of the Dragon rookies, Hou, atop a low roof with a child–one Ruri and some other Dragons seemed to have adopted–on his shoulder. Why? Who knows? Meirin didn’t know anything about the young child some of her comrades seemed to have found wandering the streets of the East District, but that didn’t matter.

Better with Ruri than on the streets or in an orphanage.

Glancing at Isaiah, who kept pace with her, Meirin smiled at fellow Dragon Veteran before returning her gaze forward. To be honest, she almost hadn’t noticed Izzy among the motley group that had joined her at Wuyang temple, but that was no surprise either. The Ace of the Azure Dragon gang was hard to see when he didn’t want to be seen. Before he’d gained his position, even before she’d been invited into the gang, she’d known him as Haley, a “girl” who occasionally frequented Eternal Night Palace.

His illusions were top notch. His calmness and level-headedness, both in and out of combat, were probably the reason why the new Queen selected him for a leadership position. Though, Meirin knew him as the good sort of gangster that actually cared about brothel workers working in their brothels. That cares about everyone in the gang really. She was glad he’d shown up to help with the training; Having a member of the gang’s leadership show up made the unofficial gathering she’d set up feel more official.

He could even take over the training/practice session if wanted. While she did earn her black belt in Shaolin Kung Fu, and did have experience teaching kids the martial arts she practiced, she didn’t have much experience training with other gang members–besides the Night Lord and Isaiah (who often frequented the Temple she went to in addition to training with the Dragon Fist). Not all of them were martial artists. Not all of them might even want to learn a conventional martial art, like Laura who had four arms. She didn’t even know what half of their potentials were, let alone teach them how to use it in combat.

What Meirin did know was that one’s potential grew stronger with one’s body. She couldn’t deny she’d designed the current regimen based on what happened with Rev either. Lack of air had been what ultimately left the blonde Dragon in her current state; Rev couldn’t hold her breath long enough for Mei to save her. If the fighting between gangs continued, these gangsters would be facing HPs with even tougher potential than ‘melty’ Velvet Meadow. If they encountered the Taipan of the Sable Serpents, they might not even get to use their potential. What tools could she give them that would allow them to defend against such opponents? Meirin didn’t know. She could only teach the things she knew, after all. And, despite her best efforts, she could only improve their odds of survival, not guarantee their safety.

There were no guarantees when it came to fights between HPs.

But even so, some improvement was better than none. It wasn’t as if she had expected all them to be able to keep up with her. They were barely a couple of minutes in and some of the less healthy backliners were already huffing and puffing themselves to a brief stop. Meirin wanted to see how far they could run, whether they were able to complete 20 laps around the district or not. Everybody had to start somewhere. If they were willing to keep at it, if they were dedicated, they would see themselves improve over time. That was how training worked.

Maybe she’d ask Izzy to spar with her later.

Laura was still doing well.

No idea where Peyton was.

“Come on, you guys~! One, two~! One, two~! Should we start a chant to keep ya’ll motivated?”

Not even a quarter of a district into the run, Meirin had only just passed the South-East Bridge, having hit her stride, when she heard the roaring sound of an engine come up from behind her.

"OUT OF THE WAY SLOWPOKES!!! I NEED TO SPEAK WITH THE LEADER OF THIS RUNNING PACK!!! CONTINUE RUNNING AND MOVE OUT OF THE WAY OF THE OLD MAN!! "

Blinking as a mobility scooter caught up to her, Meirin waved to the driver as wind whipped her hair. “Mr. Wildschwein! Whassup?”

Like her, Schroeder Wildschwein was an Azure Dragon veteran, but unlike her he’d been in the gang for much, much longer. He worked in the junkyard, fixing and improving vehicles for the gang. Someone Kanna, the current Jack of the Azure Dragons, would like, given her hobbies. Meirin had gotten her driving permit at 16, so she knew how to not crash a vehicle, but seeing as she didn’t possess a car and generally liked to travel by foot to her destinations, never had much reason to visit him except for customary New Year greetings. Jun and Long sometimes did though…and it was always nice to have an option in the case that she ever decided she needed a car.

She passed another street lamp. “Did you come to train too?”

For Vacancy, Dyne's bar, should be coming in sight soon.

Lucem RedArmyShogun AriAriAbabwa Coyote Hart SilverFlight Vahn

(mentioned: Damafaud )

 

[Elenion Aura]

MILO NAGISA

CS Link

SCENE:

Blank Canvas

LOCATION:

Pre-Arc 3: September 30th, 2021 - Just before 11pm

LOCATION:

Outside Red West, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Milo, Hector

BLANK CANVAS

Milo opened the passenger's side door and slid into the seat. He said without looking over at Hector, "I won't kill anyone."

Milo had been watching the car for awhile now. He'd arrived well ahead of their scheduled rendezvous and had been waiting ever since, having become accustomed to this kind of thing in the long months since he'd left school to return home and right so many wrongs.

How had things gone so sideways...

Milo knew a lot about Hector Moses. He knew just about everything he could know of the man who would be Queen, thanks in no small part to the faceless fox of the West. He knew that Red West was one of Hector's main haunts. In fact, Milo had considered it as a possible location for his... Confrontation with the then-Ace of the Phoenixes before he'd settled on the discreet, sleepy Southern road that was now in tatters thanks to Hector... And Milo, too.

Things had changed since then. His plans had changed. But he still had a plan. And what's more, he still had his soul. He wouldn't throw it away for a man like Hector Moses, even if it meant...

Milo at last turned to look his sponsor in the eye, defiant.

Spoiler: Tags

WhiskeyMarten

 

[simj26]

Dagger

CS Link

SCENE:

White Wolf

LOCATION:

404 Ark Royal Apartments

PARTICIPANTS:

???, ???, ???

White Wolf

Still trying to play the hero.

Her eye snapped open and swiped at the voice, snarling. Nothing, as usual. The lack of sleep was beginning to get to her. Sleep, however, terrified her more than her growing loss of grasp on reality. She slipped her knife back into its holster, then looked down on the redheaded man on the mattress. The Doc had patched him up as best as he could, as much as the favours he owed her would allow him to. He was no longer bleeding all over the place, and his fever had died down a little bit, but he was still out of commission. The Doc had said it wasn't a concussion, rather, he was just tired. A little rest would put him back on his feet, as long as he didn't tear the sutures. She had found the man in a still smoking crater, and dragged him away from his remaining pursuers. No one paid any attention to her after that. There were perks of being one of those who roamed at the rock bottom. Invisible, just another piece of trash in the wind.

That was what she was, as far as the rest of the world was concerned.

She reached into the man's pockets, and dug around in them, before fishing out what she supposed was his phone. She held the phone in between her thumb and her finger, dangling it in front of her as she studied it with some curiosity. The rest of the squad had these, including her father. She was more partial to the simple 9-key ones, to tell the truth. She remembered the first time she was given one with a QWERTY keyboard. A Blueberry, if she wasn't mistaken. It was terrifying for her comrades to see her attempt to operate one, and her father switched her back to one of the clamshell phones after several attempts to help her use one. Ever since then, phones have evolved into flat, thin, black blocks.

So much more fragile, and so little security. She picked up the redheaded man's left hand and pressed his thumb on the screen. The phone vibrated, and the screen remained dark. She made a sound of exasperation, lay his hand lightly back down on his chest, then tried with the other hand. This time, the phone gave a little click, and the screen lit up. A few bars popped up from the top of the screen. Several missed calls, a few messages, and a notification that reminded its user that its battery was at 20%. The redheaded man grunted beside her as she slumped down on a chair next to him, the rotting wood creaking under her. She tapped around, locating the messages. The names were wholly unfamiliar to her, as expected. A couple of them were probably nicknames too. She couldn't understand why people used nicknames on contact lists. If you needed an emergency contact, it probably wouldn't help to have them listed as something like "honey baby poo ". Hauteclere had her number listed as "Ellie", for instance. She never experienced it, but she had no wish to be called that if someone picked up his phone and dialled her number. She winced, then forced the memory out of her head.

She supposed she ought to start with the more recent messages. She ignored the group chats entirely, going for the personal messages. 'YY' seemed the most popular. She hit that one, and scrolled up a little. It was mostly nothings. Not even sweet nothings, just nothings. Plain, everyday "hey"s and "how are you"s and a bunch of brain-melting messages between friends. Her squadmates had learned early on that she was not the type for small talk on the phone. 'Just see each other and talk like normal people' was her disgruntled comment when they asked her why she 'left them on read', whatever that meant. She would go with this 'YY' person.

Now came the hard part. She traced her finger over the 26 keys on the touch screen, inadvertently causing a 'H' to pop up when she lifted her hand. "Dammit," she muttered, as she deleted the mistake. Even that was a chore for her. She tried again, this time carefully. It was after the second word that she attempted to type that she realised that the phone would automatically fix the mistakes. Certain words, however, would be fixed without her permission, and that made her wrestle with the phone a lot more than she thought she would have to after the prior discovery.

After what felt like half an hour had passed, she managed to create a readable sentence.

I have your friend
Come 2 this address
404 Royal Ark Apartments
He is safe

She sent the message, locked the phone, then shoved it back into the redhead's pocket. She drew her gun, and slouched back onto the chair, tapping a soft rhythm upon the wood.

Nobody Special gxxberkit AriAriAbabwa

 

[Misuteeku]

Sang-Cheol Man

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

Rock and A Hard Place

LOCATION:

North District, Lab Icarus

TIME:

Pre Arc-3 | September 30th 2021

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Damien

Rock and A Hard Place

Sang-Cheol turned to face the man of the hour. There was a brief awkward silence from the scientist as he examined the octopus man. Looking him up and down and then looking back up, even though Damien was technically leaning forward because of how tall Damien was, Sang-Cheol's face soured. "Have you considered shrinking a few inches before?" The amount of annoyance was palpable. Though before Damien could respond to that comment, Sang-Cheol waved his hand, "Forget what I said." Tall, handsome, and 'soft' face people made Sang-Cheol irritated.

"You're direct as usual. If that's the case, I'll get straight to the point, Damien." Leaning back and sitting straight so that he could feel a little taller, Sang-Cheol looked Damien directly in the eye. No matter how hard Sang-Cheol tried, he could never try to guess what Damien was thinking behind his pitch-black eyes. Some say that the eyes were the windows of the soul. Sang-Cheol didn't know the truth of such a statement. People like Hubert, Gerda, and Timothy always seemed bright despite working under him. Then there was Damien. Nothing can be seen beyond the dark void behind his eyes. Could light even reach to end of Damien's retina?

"I need you to raid and investigate a couple of buildings for me," Sang-Cheol said to the raven-haired man. Producing a manila folder from the lab coat, he put it on the table and slid it over to Damien's side. "This is a list of addresses of where the buildings are located. As for why I'm asking you to do this." Sang-Cheol contemplated for a moment before shaking his head. The fewer people that knew about it, the better. "You don't need to know why. What I need you to collect, however, are details on a project called 'Project Ziggurat.' It's a project that has been circulating from rumors, and I need more information regarding it." Sang-Cheol lied about the last part, but Damien didn't need to know about it.

"As for your payment, I'll give you anything within my power." A few thoughts filtered through his head on what to offer to the tesserapus man. "I can make a custom drug and provide it for a year; I'll give you money, I can teach you how to make your drugs, anything of the sort. Or..." A bright flame appeared on one fingertip. An attractive, alluring light that would make people throw themselves in as if they were moths to a flame.

"I can send you to dreamland if you'd like."

Spoiler: Tags

Lucem

 

[angel doe]

celestine renee cadieux

CS Link

SCENE:

blurred borders

LOCATION:

hartswan terrace, north district

TIME:

pre-arc 1 || october 25th, 2019 - night

PARTICIPANTS:

darius, celestine

blurred borders

celestine stared blankly at the house they had been told about, not seeming to register what darius said, head tilting slightly to one side as she considered what their next move could be. she had never been one to take assignments like this, but she wasn't going to disobey orders. besides, the people they were going after had betrayed the serpents and were putting them at risk, which meant they were putting her friends at risk; anyone who put her friends at risk deserved to be dragged through hell.

humming quietly, celeste stood and tightened the sheath around her thigh that held some of her knives. she had decided against bringing her polearm, there was no need for it, and considering they would be in a less open setting once they entered the house, it seemed foolish. she hoped it wouldn't come to violence, but knowing the serpents that could very well be asking too much. even so, celeste didn't want to immediately resort to it if she didn't have to.

"i suppose we walk through the door," she glanced briefly at darius before making her way towards the house, "they did not give us explicit instruction on how we should do this, and i have not seen a better way of entering."

at the door, celeste peered into a window to see what they would be dealing with. she counted four people, two men, and two women, sitting at what looked like a wooden dining table. straightening herself up, she looked back at darius and made a 'come here' motion with one hand as she placed her other on the doorknob and tried to turn it.

"locked..." celeste frowned slightly, gripping the doorknob tightly and forcing it open, ripping it off of its hinges. the four serpents sitting at the table turned to look at her as she let go of the door and let it drop with a loud thud. lifting her hand, she gave them a small wave, "good evening."

WhiskeyMarten

 

[Coyote Hart]

Gideon Gray

CS Link

SCENE:

Building Bridges

LOCATION:

West-South Bridge

TIME:

December 12th, 2021 || Post Arc 2

PARTICIPANTS:

Milo, Gideon, Charlie, a big list of other people

Building Bridges

It seemed that Gideon had arrived at just the right time. When he first saw the drawing of the workers, he had the misassumption that it was an artwork commemorating the repairing of the bridge. In fact, with one particular sketched figure, Gideon swore he saw a bit of resemblance to himself. But no, turns out Milo was going to use his Potential to bring them to life. It was still a sight to behold though.

"The pen is truly mightier than the sword," Gideon commented. He stared right at the miceman who he thought looked like him, unable to get the impression out of his mind. It was very odd watching a chibi of yourself doing clean-up duty.

He pulled his attention away from Milo's creation when a shorter, androgynous figure went up and started to talk to Milo. With their long, knee length hair, Gideon almost mistook the guy for a gal, if not for he appeared to have an adam's apple.

"Fell asleep, huh?" Gideon said, "Well, you made it just in time for lunch."

There wasn't any judgment in his voice. He'd oversleep and come over at the brink of time to just claim some free lunch any day of the week if he didn't have sins to repay.

Gideon expression was still very much grumpy, but it softened when he talked with Charlie. He didn't want to give off too bad of an initial impression. After all, if he was Milo's friend, Gideon would need to get along with the man. Besides, who knew, maybe Charlie would become a valuable asset. He needed people in his plans to reform the city after all.

"The name's Gideon," Gideon introduced himself, his voice losing some of his usual coldness, "I'm a bad guy. And Milo's... acquaintance?"

Gideon looked over to Milo with an uncertain look. He didn't know what the artist wanted their relationship to be. They didn't feel like friends. But they definitely knew each other more than acquaintances and tolerated each other more than that. Dare he say, Gideon felt that he even respected Milo. But with their differing ideals, it was impossible for them to be friends.

Turning around and only looking back once to make sure that he wasn't abandoning anyone, Gideon went to fill a plate with food. The thick paper plate quickly became laden with bratwurst hotdogs and baked beans. He also tried to pour himself a cup of lemonade, but in the balancing act of holding both the heavy plate and the lemonade, he dropped it on the ground. With a frustrated sigh, he left it there and returned to Milo and Charlie. Only after he left the scene did he realize that his littering habit had stuck again. Oh well. A little rudeness came a long way to being an antagonistic villain.

There wasn't anywhere else to sit, so the only option was to hope and pray that the grass wasn't wet. As he found a dry patch and invited Milo and Charlie to join him, he commented, "That's a big crowd over there."

His eyes were looking at the group of people surrounding Passeri Park. He was a bit jealous of them for being able to get autographs from the famous singer. He wanted one too. But with only the things on his body, there were few places he could get a signature. But his phone case... hm. Maybe he could get a signature there.

"I've seen artists carry those golden Sharpies," Gideon said to Milo, "Do you by chance have one?"

Roda the Red (Charlie) Elenion Aura (Milo)
Nobody Special (Vulken) gxxberkit (YY) AriAriAbabwa (Corvo) The One Eyed Bandit (Passeri) WhiskeyMarten (Jozef) Doctor Llamabean (Bolt)

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Rin Chiyase

CS Link

SCENE:

Ballin'

TIME:

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

LOCATION:

Old Basketball Court, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

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

Ballin'

The woman's smile dropped to a more neutral, curious expression as one of the others greeted her introduction, commenting on her being able to bite. With a slight tilt of her head, Rin watched Hector walk off.

That certainly was... Godfather-y. Then again they were gangsters. Still, she thought this was supposed to be more of a wacky, casual thing, a thought exacerbated by the appearance of another, Hitoshi, in a hot dog truck. The vehicle drifted onto the scene, parking in a perfect, like a glove, fit, before the driver shouted out the announcement of his arrival.

Rin stood stunned for a second before bursting out laughing.

"Yep, definitely made a good choice."

She glanced over to the smaller, tense rookie named Roza. Girl needed to loosen up. Hopefully this little excursion would do the trick. Following that was Libla's intro, a pretty girl with an air of playfulness and smugness. Presumably, another vet as well. Rin smirked a bit, sure the injury bit was just a joke. This was just a little basketball and they were all HPs, weren't they?

"Eh, what's the worst that could happen?" She asked, rolling her shoulders a bit in preparation.

Next was the guy who took the ball to the chest from Bolt. He seemed more soft-spoken, a rookie as well? Then again, this event was supposed to mostly have rookies, so odds leaned that way. She watched as rather skillfully tossed the ball up and through the hoop with ease. Too bad it was a free for all.

After Milo, Rin glanced briefly in the direction of the girl who was more observed in her phone until the food arrived. She briefly greeted everyone as Yong-Yut before heading for the truck. Another vet, given how she knew a lot of the people here.

Then there Ash, a cheeky-looking guy with red streaks in his hair and piercings. He wasn't unfriendly though, and seemed to know Milo. Rin supposed even if they were rookies, he was likely in the gang for longer than her as he seemed to know most of the guys around.

The ball was back with Bolt and, when prompted, Rin raised her hand. Seemed to be five in the game so far and the oni planned to screw around for a bit before taking advantage of the free food. The Ace gave her a remark, eliciting a competitive grin from her.

"Heh?" She hummed, before chills ran across her from the man's Potential. It really was no rules, then. Though, Rin didn't think it would be a good idea to ogre-up in this situation.

She watched him dribble and show off a bit, but ultimately miss and joke about it, causing Rin to laugh a bit. "Eh, A for effort. I'll still let you buy me that drink later Blitzy."

Smirking at that, Rin was caught off guard by none other than the rigid rabbit taking a crack at the ball next. She could tell from her movements, she was a agility type. Quick, nimble--Well, she was called fucking rabbit. Rin didn't know what she was expecting. Still it was good that the girl seemed a bit more lax than before, her smirk softening into a smile.

Then, the oni's smile widened again as she saw an opportunity. As the ball ricocheted off the basket from Roza's shot, Rin took off in a run before pushing off the ground in an extended leap. Her hand reached out to scoop the airborne ball and, in the same jump, she raised it up and slammed it through the center of the rim in a dunk. The ball crashed against the ground, bouncing it in a large arc back towards the middle of the court as Rin's footing returned to the ground.

"Hell yeah!"

gxxberkit (Yong-Yut) Peckinou (Libla) Lucem (Ashley) WhiskeyMarten (Hector) Elenion Aura (Milo) RedArmyShogun (Roza) Doctor Llamabean (Bolt)

 

[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 was becoming.... Suspicious of Taffy. It was one thing for him to offer Yuto his own blood, but to willingly suggest they go find someone to kill in order to satiate Yuto's hunger?... Yuto couldn't quite understand why he was helping him. Of course Yuto understood that others took to killing people for some reason was morally wrong. Did Peyton want something from him? Was it all just a trick? If a nurse walked In now, would the ruse be over and would Taffy attempt to kill Yuto while he was feeding? His eyes narrowed.

As fun as it had been so far, Yuto was sure he couldn't trust this man just as far as he could throw him... Which- okay, was honestly pretty far- BUT STILL! He had to be wary.

An amused hum vibrated low in Yuto's throat, a brow raising. Looking down at himself, his brows furrowed in confusion. In all honesty, Yuto didn't pay all that much attention to his body. Unless of course- it was for injuries. Was he really that heavy? Looking back at Peyton, he hummed once again, bending down so they were eye level. "hmm... Maybe it's because you're so small?" He tilted his head. It wasn't his intention, but Yuto realized that may have came off as a tad condescending.. Mean. Yuto wasn't mean. Straightening back up, he shook his head, his hands waving in front of him in a flurry. "No no I mean! You're probably right! I didn't mean to say..." He cut himself off, looking off to the side in deep concentration. Well crap.. how could he make this right?

Huffing, he lifted his shirt up. His nostrils flared, unwillingly taking in his own scent. His nose scrunched up, displeased. He hadn't changed his clothes since the fight, the smell of sweat, dirt, blood and musk still clinging onto him. At least the nurses were gracious enough to wipe up the worst of the blood that stained his skin and patched him up while he was unconscious.

Yuto patted his smooth, toned stomach, flexing slightly just to prove a point. "See? Must be all the muscle I have that weighed you down.~" He tilted his chin up, playfully flexing his bicep before letting go of his shirt. Giggling, he leaned closer to Peyton, once again bending down to eye level. He tilted his head, his voice a sercretive whisper, "Also, I'm sure we felt each other plenty enough with our duel hm?~"

He chuckled, before the growl in his belly reminded him why they were in a bathroom in the first place! He clicked his tongue, tapping his chin as he inspected the area. It was surely bound to get messy... Unlike those bathrooms with stalls- this was more enclosed- meaning a bit less room to work with. That was fine!~ Going from one side of the door, Yuto placed the tip of his finger on the nearest wall, a string of web trailing after it. He then connected it to the other side of the door's wall, repeating the processes as fast as he could, a joyful pep to his step, making a makeshift webbed hammock above the door.

Nodding in satisfaction, Yuto leapt up, laying down comfortably on the slightly swaying bed of webs. With a smile, He stuck his palm down lazily, offering Taffy to come up with him while they wait.

Spoiler: Tags

Coyote Hart

 

[Coyote Hart]

PEYTON XIONG

CS Link

SCENE:

I Won't Become a Monster!!

LOCATION:

Fog Grove, North District

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1 || February 19th, 2015

PARTICIPANTS:

Damian, Peyton

I WON'T BECOME A MONSTER!!

Peyton wasn't sure what he expected. Maybe advice on how to ignore the urges? Maybe reassurance? "That's the experiments getting to you. Don't listen to them." Maybe something like that. Seeing Damian's unsmiling face with those abyssal eyes and the dark way he encouraged Peyton to give in to his feelings... it felt like Peyton had stepped into a nightmare.

A chill went down Peyton's spine as Damian stared back into Peyton's eyes. Even though he knew it wasn't the case, Peyton felt like Damian's dark stare was locking him in, preventing him from breaking contact. The tentacles that sprung from Damian's back likened Damian to an eldritch monster, coaxing Peyton to fall to the dark side. When Damian took a step toward Peyton, Peyton instinctively took half a step back. Fear rose in Peyton's throat, like bile he couldn't keep down when he heard Damian's philosophy on destruction. This wasn't just some lab rat. This was a demon.

"I don't think that's..." he flinched when Damian patted Peyton on the shoulder. Moments later, the tall monster of a man he had befriended pretended nothing had happened. But no, it was not back to normal. Peyton could feel his heartbeat racing as his mind tried to catch up with the situation. He didn't want to see Damian in that mindset again though, so Peyton refrained from commenting on it.

"Y-yeah," Peyton said unsteadily, "I'm looking forward to after our job! We can even go to a casino and let you see me in action!"

There were few casinos that hadn't banned Peyton from playing, but it was theoretically possible to find one that hadn't. And if there were any casinos in the North, they would obviously be oblivious to Peyton's Potential and the debt he had wracked up.

As they walked, the snow crispy beneath Peyton's heels, he thought about Damian's words. There was some truth to what he said. Wait, no. No no. Damian had basically said it was okay to kill people to get what you wanted. That wasn't okay. Peyton couldn't take that sort of advice. He knew that he could never live with himself if he became a monster that relished in other's destruction. He couldn't be like Damian. But in a gentler light, Damian's words had merit. It felt like he was saying that Peyton shouldn't let anyone get in the way of his personal ambitions. Yes, that was it! Never mind how much of Damian's other words served to counteract this lens of looking at things. Peyton was very much trying his best to reason his way out of what was a terrifying situation.

After a few more minutes of walking, Peyton stopped at one of the houses. "This is it."

Peyton wasn't absolutely sure of it though. The nearest street sign had been uprooted and missing. The house was one of the more well-maintained ones in the area. The whitewashed walls were stained with weather and time. An incline in the dirt revealed a basement window. Peyton climbed up the steps to the front door and rapped his knuckles against the door.

"Enter," a gruff voice said ominously from within the house. There was a click as the front door was unlocked and a scurrying of boots as whoever opened the door retreated into the recesses of the house. The noise and the voice made Peyton flinch. It was at this point that Peyton realized that he was almost vibrating with nerves.

"I don't know if I can do this, Damian," Peyton confessed, a wavering look on his face, "Can you lead the way?"

Moments ago, Peyton had found Damian terrifying. But Peyton knew Damian never meant any harm to him. These strangers might. And as such, Peyton felt safer by the side of the eldritch monster. In fact, it was just the protectorate he needed.

 

[Caffeine_Obsessed]

HIDE ISHIDA

CS Link

SCENE:

The Hellion Charge

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1, May 2021

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hide, Charlie

The Hellion Charge

His eyebrow rose... Jasmine? Sure Hide took up jobs sometimes- but like hell he'd bother remembering the person's name giving him the job. But if Charlie says its Jasmine- its Jasmine.

Well... Hide was always short on money. Look- it wasn't his fault okay! So what if he splurged his money right after he gets it- its needed stuff! Like his glasses (which for some reason frequently break), hair dye, bleach, food, clothes- the list could go on! ... Hide really needed to stop doing that. Though he didn't necessarily need the money- he could always steal- but it was nice to not be watching his back for pigs 24/7.

He slammed his drink down on the table between them, splashes of lemonade landing on his wrist and the hard surface. He looked bored. Sighing, he brought his hand to his face, licking a stripe from his wrist, to his palm. A bout of laughter erupted from the golden eyed boy, doubling over and clutching his stomach. The laughter abruptly stops, Hide leaning back and crossing his legs, calm as ever. Hide nodded, his lifted leg bouncing. "Alright, fine. I'll bite." A sharp smile creeped onto his face as he leaned forward, elbows resting on the table (one of them in the lemonade puddle).

With a tilt of his head, he clicked his tongue. "The pay better be good though, aint no way I'd be wasting my time babysitting some rich shithead who can't even protect themselves. Ive got better shit to do..." He... really didn't. Hide had a lot more free time than he'd care to admit, but the statement still held true. He'd rather be watching his movies, or roaming around the city than be stuck watching over someone if the pay was bad.

He didn't necessarily know what Charlie considered the best pay, so he had to be sure.

Spoiler: Tags

Roda the Red

 

[Lucem]

Fade (Isaiah Spade)

CS Link

SCENE:

Happiness & Prosperity

LOCATION:

白春花茶莊, East District

TIME:

February 1st, 2022 || Pre-Arc 3

PARTICIPANTS:

Isaiah, Amari, Jesper, Kairong, Meirin, Ottilie

HAPPINESS & PROSPERITY

Leaning against the kitchen counter, Isaiah let out a deep breath. He tugged at the collar of his shirt, trying to cool down after spending hours over the stove. Despite using all of his free time to prepare for the celebration, he was still working up until the last minute, putting the finishing touches on today's dishes.

Not knowing how many people to expect, he decided to be safe and cook a feast for dozens, leaving plenty for Dragons and customers who decided to stop by and participate in the festivities. It was still too early to set out the main courses, so he'd left out a variety of sweet treats and savory snacks for the moment. A mix of prawn crackers, persimmon cakes, and tangyuan were available for all to enjoy, but that was far from the last of the appetizers.

Isaiah checked over one of the large, filled trays, making sure everything was in order. First, there was a platter of crispy, pork-stuffed lotus root sharing a corner with fried spring rolls that resembled golden bars. There were also several lines of dumplings, each separated by the fillings used. While they varied in taste, all of them had been wrapped to form the same oval shape, decorated with a number of pleats. Mushroom shumai and braised kao fu were used to close up the rest of the empty spaces, leaving the bottom of the metal sheet almost impossible to see.

Isaiah tried to give people as many options as possible, preparing a wide selection of cakes, rolls, and rice. Hopefully, most of the visitors would find something they liked. He had the same hope for the tea, having recently brewed a mixture of monk fruit and chrysanthemum.

Looking at all of it now, he may have gotten a bit carried away. There was all this, along with the main and side dishes that had yet to be served. Even if this was meant to be a large celebration, it was still a lot of food. Maybe he'd been too caught up in old memories.

It had been a long time since he worked in this kitchen. Six years since he last called the tea shop his home. He looked back on that time fondly, spending days with the closest thing he had to a family. Sadly, most of the people he spent that time with were gone now. Mrs. Lin passed away before he set out on his own, and Reveler was still in a deep sleep. There was only Kairong now.

He tried not to dwell on melancholic thoughts. Even if there was one less plate to fill this year, it was better to focus on those he could still spend time with. If he could pull himself out of his work station, he'd do just that, starting with his mentor. He'd be sure to save the longest noodle from today's meal for Kairong, praying the elder would have many years left.

Grabbing the trays, Isaiah emerged from behind the partition and stepped out into the open. Dodging the people surrounding the nearby tables, he set the food down with the rest of the spread in the center, taking care not to ruin the decorations. Unlike when he served customers as a boy, he wore the face of the Azure Dragon's Ace for this occasion. Because there was a chance of others from the gang paying a visit, he decided it was best to keep his identity concealed with his illusions.

Spoiler: Tags

angel doe AriAriAbabwa QuirkyAngel Saturn_moon simj26

 

[Saturn_moon]

Roland Dreyer

SCENE:

16 January 2010: [The concrete that breaks our fall]

LOCATION:

Paragon's Hall, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Markus, Roland, Isobel

The concrete that breaks our fall

Roland slammed his heels into the ground beneath him and came to a screeching halt as the cone of ice erupted from Markus and rushed towards him at great velocity. Interesting. He mused, mildly impressed by Markus' tactics. Glancing up at the ceiling high above, Roland pressed a hand to himself once more and whispered a single word under his breath like a benediction. As the first prickles of biting cold hit him, he jumped. An audible gasp could be heard as the audience watched Roland soar into the air above like an astronaut on the moon, avoiding Markus' blast of ice by a hair's width. Tucking in his legs, he somersaulted himself forward, landing on one knee several feet behind the boy.

The crowd cheered wildly, clearly entertained by the dramatics. Roland couldn't care less about what they wanted to see but he was smart enough to know he needed them on his side.

"We don't have to do this." Roland said just loud enough for Markus to hear. "This is all just a show for Magnus. Stand down and I promise I won't hurt you." That said, his fingers still twitched in anticipation by his side, readying to act should there be a need.

Elenion Aura

 

[Elenion Aura]

MINATO MAEDA

CS Link

SCENE:

Love at Yu Min Cuisine

TIME:

February 14th, 2022 | Pre Arc 3

LOCATION:

West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Elias, Zach, Sabrina, Meirin, Samira, Minato, Camila, Passeri, Alice, Gideon

LOVE AT YU MIN CUISINE

Minato knew how to work a room. He also knew how to fill a room. Right now, he was doing a little of both. A little over here... A little over here... He could wine, and dine, and dance the night away! But at least one of him had to keep up his end of the deal.

As Minatos listened to music, chatted up pretty ladies in expensive-looking gowns, and indulged in a row of exotic and utterly overpriced New Oasian fare, Minato—our Minato, anyway—was keeping his eyes peeled. Dressed in his best, Minato watched from his table by the bar as the guests of honor rolled on in, one after another, after another.

Seeing his chance to make an entrance, Minato slipped out of his seat and danced a little number en route to the table where the man of the hour sat.

”Hey, yo! Great party,” the Tiger said to his fellows, an easy smile playing across his lips.

Without waiting for an invitation, Minato flopped down beside Elias into the seat recently-vacated by a pink-haired prettyboy whose name he'd failed to catch. He leaned forward to wink at the girl seated opposite him.

”Hey princess! I—”

But before he could say more, Minato was interrupted by the arrival of their waiter. It took him a second of scrunched-nose wondering, but he eventually recognized the blond, ruddy gent as Pascal, another Tiger. Though he didn't question why the older man was serving and not being served, partially because he didn't think it was his business. Partially, because he didn't care.

Minato cut in when it was proper, adding, ”Yo! Could I get one of those, uhm... The drinks with the little umbrellas? With a little extra somethin', somethin', if ya' got it! Thanks, my man!”

What that somethin', somethin' even was was anyone's guess. With his order placed, Minato turned his attention back to the task at hand.

”So! Whatcha guys talkin' about?”

Spoiler: Tags

@Beann
QuirkyAngel
Roda the Red
The One Eyed Bandit
AriAriAbabwa
Coyote Hart