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

[WhiskeyMarten]

DARIUS KENNEDY

CS Link

SCENE:

It's The Thought That Counts

LOCATION:

Darius's Apartment, North District

TIME:

September 17 2021, Post-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Darius, Ten gxxberkit

IT'S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS

What's the problem? What's the problem? It would be easier at this point to ask Darius what isn't the problem. Darius tried hard to concentrate on the situation at hand, to try and articulate something reasonable. He wanted to solve this rationally, but every sentence Ten spoke threw him further away from that goal. He hated the way he spoke to Ten already, and yet he only felt angrier at them.

The way Ten spoke so eagerly about the whole thing, seemingly failing to understand how it could possibly be a bad idea. Darius just needed to explain why this couldn't happen, even though their mind already seemed to be made up. He tried to speak, he had to say something, to stop Ten before they got too carried away. No words came out, their throat felt tight. Maybe those tears were going to arrive after all.

He felt Ten pull themself up beside him, but he couldn't bear to look. Everything was going to shit. Try again, Darius. You need to explain things to them right now. As he was about to give speaking another go, Ten went right ahead and broke his heart.

"keep each other s- safe and stuff!"

This isn't how things are meant to be. In Darius's mind, he was the protector. He was the responsible one. He was the violent one who could fight for them. Ten was his love, his world, his everything. They didn't kill people, they weren't in a gang. They didn't protect him. Darius was stuck in this mindset, despite the fact that Ten had looked after him in the past, he couldn't accept that. Ten couldn't keep him safe, Darius had to keep them safe. But with them in cahoots with the likes of Caio, how could Darius ever ensure his safety now.

He still needed a lot more time to process things, but with Ten stepping in his line of sight, his composure fully broke. Though he placed one hand over his mouth, he couldn't stifle the loud cry that came out.

"Ten. You don't get it. You can't join. I can't be there." He choked the words out between sobs, and walked away from Ten, away from the light. He didn't want Ten to see him like this. "I can't do this anymore... I've fucked up so badly." He regretted wandering away from Ten, he felt cold and alone. He just wanted everything to be over.

 

[Lucem]

Ezra Knight

CS Link

SCENE:

Midnight Breather

TIME:

September 18th, 2021, 1:10 AM

LOCATION:

West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Ezra, Isobel, August

MIDNIGHT BREATHER

After Isobel declined his offer, Ezra nodded and decided against prying for details on her hobby. "Ah, I understand. Sorry." He figured she kept a collection of broken items for sentimental reasons, but he didn't want to miss an opportunity just because of an assumption. Not like it mattered in the end. All that resulted from this was him unintentionally calling her keepsakes a pile of junk. He really hoped she didn't take it that way. Otherwise, it would've canceled out any goodwill he earned from helping her friend. Of course I'd screw up at the end...

When his superior made an offer of her own, Ezra felt conflicted. He was tired, but he wasn't sure if crashing on Isobel's couch was better than enduring the long drive home. He didn't know either of these people very well, and he assumed the white-haired man was also involved with the Tigers. Ordinarily, he didn't even touch people without being sure there were no risks involved, so sleeping under the same roof as two gangsters was a lot more nerve-wracking. One of them could easily slit his throat while he was passed out. If he wanted to ensure he survived to see the sun again, his best bet was to head home. However, his father's orders made him hesitant to walk out the door.

The longer he was here, the more chances he had to better his reputation. Well, assuming he didn't mess up again. He also had to consider what kind of message it would send to the Jack if he declined her offer. First he calls her a garbage hoarder and then he says she's untrustworthy? Nope, can't do that. He was definitely overthinking things, but when he could possibly lose a kidney or two from taking a nap in the wrong spot, overthinking seemed appropriate.

Compared to some of the other Tigers, Isobel and the alarm clock guy seemed friendly enough. Still, that wasn't enough for him to completely trust them not to put his bits and pieces on the black market. To lessen his worries, he had to think about his role in the upcoming mission. Markus told him to help get back whatever was stolen, so they probably wouldn't do anything bad to him when he was needed, right? Right?

Scratching the back of his head, Ezra offered the host a weak smile. "I think I'll take you up on that. Thank you." The exhaustion was affecting his thought process a little, but he came to the conclusion that it'd be safe to stay here for the night. Neither of the people here gave off the bad vibes he easily picked up from liars and maniacs. He spent enough time with people like that to recognize when he was in real danger. It was a sensible decision. Although, when he removed all the complicated justifications, his reason for sticking around was very simple. He just really wanted to sleep.

Removing his tie, Ezra walked over to the couch and tried not to wake the other guest as he settled in. As he laid his back against one of the cushions, he reached into his jacket and withdrew what appeared to be a hilt that was missing its blade. With a tight grip on the handle, he held it close to his chest and closed his eyes. Even if he did trust these people not to kill him in his sleep, anything could happen. If one of the attackers from the casino came back for revenge, he had to be prepared.

With a weapon guarding his heart and his ears listening for the slightest hint of chaos, he was reminded of the months he spent sleeping in shrapnel-filled trenches and freezing fields of snow. Just like he did back then, he tried to remain as alert as possible until his consciousness eventually faded. Finally, after a hellish day that seemed like it would never end, he fell asleep.

Spoiler: Tags

Saturn_moon Doctor Llamabean

 

[Damafaud]

TRI

CS Link

SCENE:

Snake Suit and Despair

LOCATION:

Freddier Bar, Zone 2, North District

TIME:

Sunday, May 30th, 2021 || Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Tri, Kisara, Bash, Darius, Anna, Raph, Others

Snake Suit and Despair

The madness unfold. Tri thought on what he should do to cheer up a woman crying over a burgundy suit. Someone called him amidst the chaos.

"Tri! Hey! It's me, Darius!"

Oh. He knew the guy. Necrotic touch. Tri nodded and raised a hand in greeting. There was a crashing sound that sounded expensive from the other side of the bar. Gora curled into a ball and had a mental breakdown. Tri considered Darius' question. Did he know the guy enough to recognise him?

...

"Sure." Not really but it would be a pain to say otherwise.

The bar got destroyed. Like Gora, financially.

Tags: @simj26 @Nobody Special WhiskeyMarten Elenion Aura @The One Eyed Bandit

 

[Lucem]

Fade (Isaiah Spade)

CS Link

SCENE:

Happy Birthday to You

LOCATION:

Albrecht Manor

TIME:

Sunday, April 18th, 2021 || Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Isaiah, Jackson, Jesper, Lorrin, Kasumi, Omar, Ruriko

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

Slowly driving up the hill that led to the Albrecht manor, Isaiah checked the rear-view mirror one last time. Instead of seeing violet eyes staring back at him, he saw livid, confirming that he was wearing the proper face for the occasion. Not everyone who was attending the party knew who he really was behind the Fade mask, so it was best to come as the person they were all familiar with. That's what he was assuming, at least. He didn't know who all was on the guest list, so it was hard to say if keeping up the disguise was necessary. It was a result of being short on time.

Joining the celebration was a last-minute decision. Until a short while ago, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to attend, so he never gave a definitive reply to the invitation. He'd been a lot busier ever since he became the Ace and took on the responsibilities that came with the position. It was a very recent change, so he was still trying to adjust to his unexpected promotion to leadership. When he thought about it, this would probably be the first time he'd seen some of the Dragons since it happened. Hopefully, his new status wouldn't have a negative impact on the relationships he formed in the gang.

Despite not having much time on his hands, he did manage to prepare a gift for Jesper's birthday. Thinking of what to get for the wealthy young man wasn't easy, but he eventually settled on baking a cake, along with a few smaller desserts. It wasn't expensive or flashy, but it was something Jesper could get some use out of. Although, that was only if he liked the taste.

When he finally pulled up to the gates, Isaiah spotted a familiar car, along with plenty of Dragons. Not wanting to fall behind, he turned off the engine and grabbed a large container from the passenger seat. Sweets in hand, he exited the vehicle and approached the group that looked ready to head inside. "Looks like I made it just in time."

Spoiler: Tags

AriAriAbabwa Beann BriiAngelic FabulousTrash Pik Vahn

 

[Saturn_moon]

ISOBEL PHAM​

Scene: Midnight Breather
Location: West District
Time: 18 September 2021, 8:20AM | Post-Arc 1
Participants: Doctor Llamabean (August), Lucem (Ezra)

Checking her cupboards and fridge, Isobel found few ingredients in her kitchen. Living alone, there wasn't much that she needed day-to-day but she still had her basic staples. Placing a large pot on the stove, she filled it with homemade chicken stock, a cup of rice that she had quickly rinsed under the tap, a crushed knob of ginger, and a large chicken thigh. As it bubbled gently away above the fire, letting time work it's magic, she set about to prepare the rest of the toppings; sliced green scallions, crushed roasted peanuts, and soft boiled eggs steeped in a soy marinade. If she had been making the dish for herself she would have added a century egg instead but she didn't think her guests would appreciate the sight of black preserved eggs in their meal first thing in the morning.

Going through the motions of cooking, she felt a calm fall over her. Congee was something she had made numerous times over the years and it never failed to bring her comfort when she needed it the most. It reminded her of home... and her mother. When the rice had absorbed most of the liquid and broken down into a smooth, thick gruel, she carefully removed the chicken thigh and pulled the fork tender meat from the bone before adding it back into the pot. Lastly, was a teaspoon of salt, a dash of fish sauce, a drizzle of sesame oil, and a sprinkling of white pepper. Ladling the finished congee into two large bowls, the scent of warm rice and ginger wafted through the air and filled the space.

In the cramped living room her guests were still deep in their slumber. August on the floor having barely moved an inch, and Ezra on the couch with what looked to be a knife hilt held close to his heart. She took no offense with this having probably done the same if she were in his position. Stretched out on the window sill just above Ezra was Aristotle, basking in the warm morning light streaming in. It was now just past nine which was quite early considering the night they all had but there was food to be had and congee was always best eaten when piping hot.

With little resistance, Isobel scooped Aristotle up into her arms and shifted him over to August's lap. No surprise, the cat immediately curled up in his new spot, rubbing the top of his head against August's chest. Then, she simply stood back and waited for the dominos to fall.

 

[Doctor Llamabean]

TAZZ (August August)

CS Link

SCENE:

Unlikely Encounter

TIME:

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

LOCATION:

Geronimos, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Raphael ( Elenion Aura )

UNLIKELY ENCOUNTER

It really wasn’t his intention to slap that drink the way he did… Call it a panicked response in trying to divert the conversation from the topic of Albino Tigers, as he didn’t want to be recognized.

But now… Maybe he’d made it worse.

Now his unmasked face could be accounted as an enemy of the Tigers, not that his offense was much worthy of supreme vengeance, but you never knew with these people. Pride went a long way sometimes.

Bounding over a tabletop, where a man quickly ducked, scrambled to grab his wife, then began carefully escorting her toward the exit, August spoke to his pursuers. “Uh- how- how’s about me buyin’ ya a new- a new suit, ay?” But the two men dignified him no response.

There weren’t many patrons inside to begin with, but now there were even less, and the manager was doing what he could to get things under control… To no avail.

“Please- Please, sirs, just-”

One of August's pursuers picked up and threw a table in his direction, but August dodged it by propelling himself upward with a short-lived tornado of wind, and so the table crashed with several others, creating a pile-up at the end of a clean strip down the dining area.

“Mate, it wos a simple mistake.” His tone that of apprehensive enjoyment.

Meanwhile, on Raphael’s end, things were also heating up.

The girl, fingers sprawled in some sort of grasping-fashion—she curled one corner of her mouth into a crooked smile when the Serpent hit her back with her own question. Her partner behind her did the same, scoffing his amusement.

“Cute!” she purred. Then as Raphael ran the jagged end of a broken bottle down his arm, they both tilted their heads before jumping into action as enlivened red sprung forth from the open flesh. The girl, lunging toward him as her hands transformed into larger ones—black in color and webbed with sharp claws. Scales, too, folded down her arms, stopping at her elbows where large, blade-like horns jutted.

The man; he moved around the Serpent, hoisting himself over the bar counter, and he reached for the wall-high shelf of glasses and bottles from a distance. One by one, the bottles were plucked from their place by an unseen force, and they exploded into crystalline shards as they whizzed toward the man, reshaping into a colorful kaleidoscope axe in his hand that was describable as nothing less than beautiful.

The two Tigers were on Raphael together at once—as one—with the woman abruptly swiping and slashing, and the man bringing his conveniently crafted weapon down fast for Raph’s head.

August was pinned between his two offenders now, one on his left and the other on his right, each of them adopting a ready fighting stance; though, August’s more defensive than anything.

“Ye ain’t gotta make’is hard, bud,” said the shorter one’s partner.

The short one rolled his shoulders and bounced on his toes. “Nah, I’m gonna teach this pretty bastard a lesson. You don’t fuck with Tigers.” August knew that.

Yeah, he knew that well.

He stood with wide-spread legs. Held each hand up in a half-halting gesture, and his eyes darted back and forth between the two men, awaiting the slightest twitch of attack.

“Or… an’ hea’ me out…” A short pause. “‘S not really ‘at big a deal, yeh?... Just let it go, ah’ll buy ya a new suit- Maybe two- an’ we’ve-... you’ve nevah gotta see me agin.”

“I ‘on’t know ‘bout dat, bud. I mean… I would like a new suit. Sounds like a pretty kind offer, but…” The taller one peered past August at his comrade. “Wudda you think, bud?”

“I’m thinking…” The shorter one eyed Raphael a moment, a suspicious squint, before returning his attention back to August. “That these guys’re Serpents… Which means we’ve got more of an obligation to stick’em in the dirt than over a silly spilt drink.”

August sighed. So now ah'm a Suhpent...

It was time to think this through... All of the sudden, he let his guard down and took on a contemplative demeanor, straining as he did to pluck reason from the fog that was his ever-existing headache. Any harder and you'd think steam about to burst from his ears.

The two Tigers appeared confused, both of them relaxing in their own stances as well. They shared a few looks with one another, their expressions a conversation of its own. What the hell is this guy doing? Is he stalling? Is this a ruse?
Clothes Reference

 

[Doctor Llamabean]

BLITZ (Boltius Beckman)

CS Link

SCENE:

Lost on Bourbon

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1, 10:00 PM on a Friday

LOCATION:

Lower Central, The A-Club

PARTICIPANTS:

Boltius, Hector

LOST ON BOURBON

Boltius stared blankly at the back of Hector’s head as the Ace unsteadily navigated them through the crowd.

A delayed realization set in. Oh, shit, I found him. And he reached up to grab Hector by the shoulder, “Dawg, I’ve been lookin’ everywhere for you, bro,” but missed, before it hit him that the other was speaking.

“—so you don't fuck it up.”

Everything Hector had said up to that point had been but a smothered hum beneath the pounding excitement of the club’s music and the inharmonious whooping and conversation of the bustling patronage.

Boltius decided on a drunken whim, despite not really knowing, that he understood the mission. Then, before they met up with Antares and Hector’s lady-friend, he spouted with poor articulation while swatting lightly at the back of the Ace’s hair, grazing it with just the tip of his fingers, “Right. Got it… I’ll fuck you up.”

When they made it back to their original spot by the bar, a tall woman stood, impatiently waiting, and she stared at them as they approached. Her eyes shifted from Hector to Boltius, and Boltius matched her with an unwavering, lidded gaze, as if heavy from the alcohol.

Then upon reaching a distance enough that a regular volume wouldn’t be drowned by the noisy environment, Boltius stuck a finger in her face and asked, “Who’re you waitin’ on? This is my spot. If you’re meetin’ someone, waddle on that way-” He pointed aimlessly. “-somewhere, or call your date and tell’em to fuck off, and you can be mine for the night.”

After that, he threw his head around to find Hector—who was never lost—at the price of a little balance, stumbled, bumped the Ace, then stuck up his fists, “WHO!?” However, the sudden spike in temperament was forgotten the moment Hector’s new boyfriend showed up with a round of drinks for everyone.

 

[Roda the Red]

Charlie Hughes

CS Link

SCENE:

Late-Night Chase

TIME:

Nighttime, post-arc 1

LOCATION:

Aksher Co. offices, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Minato

Late-Night Chase

[Thursday, September 23, 11:45 PM]

Charlie could've sworn the chair he was sitting on was quite more comfortable just an hour ago, what was at some point a nice and cushioned piece of office furniture now felt like a hunk of stone under his rear, although it was probably his body just getting too stiff after staying static for so long. He stood up and stretched his arms upwards, bending his body slightly backwards in the process. He was wearing a formal black suit, black pants and freshly-polished black shoes, paired with some dark shades and even wearing a pair of thin black leather gloves to complete the professional surveillance look. He walked towards a nearby vending machine whose light stood out within the otherwise dark place, his eyes shifted between the large array of unhealthy snacks neatly packed behind the glass, his mind meanwhile reflecting back on how he got into this situation.

[Monday, September 20, 2:00PM]

With sweat trailing down his face, Charlie sat down on a bench in the middle of the training facilities at Phoenix HQ, satisfied with a pretty intense workout session, he checked his phone which had, amongst the silly messages from his friends, a notification of utmost importance.

Hey Hey, little Char! How's my adorable boy of steel doing, eh? :>

Hey Jas! Nothing much, just finished working out for today, since you messaged me out of nothing then I guess...

Yuuuup! I got a new gig for you

And this is a pretty good one

Pay's quite sweet >u<

Despite what the relaxed way of writing and use of emotes may convey, Charlie wasn't chatting with some nobody. Typing from the other end was Jasmine Ortega, alias Cotorra, info broker and intermediary extraordinaire. Despite her lack of a potential or combat prowess, she's earned the respect of her gangmates through charisma and information. If you wanted to get a job, you'd go and ask her. Charlie had met her through Helva just a month after joining the phoenixes, and they've had a very healthy working relationship ever since. She's the reason he's managed to avoid having to take some of the more...ruthless jobs that the usual Scarlet Phoenix would perform, and even with that aside, she was just a good and caring friend.

So, you in? already put a good word in for you with them

Don't leave me hanging U_U

Alright! I didn't get any jobs this week yet, but you probably already know that

Fuck yeah boy

I'll send you the deets in later

And make sure to wear a suit cuz it's a fancy place

Jas out ;P

The job was simple and seemingly pretty easy: Aksher Co., A pretty well known insurance company located in South District, was having issues with a rival company from west, Sanders Safety, after a disagreement on territorial service management, the rising tension between the two companies quickly turned into a back and forth of shady deals, culminating into David Aksher, owner of the company, bribing SS employers to gather information for a difamation strike. The move was somewhat successful and SS had its reputation tarnished. But Aksher knew that they would not lie down and take it. Sanders Safety was going to retaliate, and something told him that they were going for a more...direct approach.
This is where Charlie lied in this whole debacle. He had signed a contract to guard the Aksher offices for a total of three night, and not let any intruder get their hands on any incriminatory files, which Aksher was certainly not lacking of.

Back to the present, Charlie took a big bite off his white chocolate-covered granola bar as he stared into the dark main hall of the first floor of the offices. Claiming ownership of the fifth, sixth and seventh floors of the building, Aksher Co. Offices were a bit too large for a single person to guard. Fortunately though, both the second and third had two other guards assigned each, they were all HPs with unremarkable abilities, but with a quick press of their walkie-talkies, they could inform Charlie of whatever possible trouble they may come accross.

This was the third and final night of the gig, the first one was peaceful and completely uneventful, one could almost say that it felt like the calm before the storm. The second night was a different situation, with a trio of HPs hired by Sanders Safety attempted to sneak into the offices, they were quickly dealt with, and even thought they didn't manage to get them to admit their connection to SS, they were going to spend a couple months in jail for tresspassing. After 5 AM Charlie would officially be free from his contract and get paid in full. And at this rate, things were going to go just swimmingly...Right?

 

[gxxberkit]

YONG-YUT SOMSRI

CS Link

SCENE:

Penguin Socks

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1— Early Spring 2002, ~4:00am

LOCATION:

YY's House > Car, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Yong-Yut, Markus Elenion Aura

Penguin Socks

The plan today is as follows:
-Wake up, perform morning routine
-Wait for cousins and Markus to arrive
-Go for 4 hour drive out of town (probably pass out on the way)
-Stop for breakfast in the middle of said drive for about an hour
-Get to zoo, spend day in zoo
-Get food again
-Go home
-Hang out until Markus has to leave
-Force cousins out of the house

Two of these things were already done!

The cold floor of the hallway made Yong-Yut shiver as she put on her socks and slip-on shoes. She sat there for a second, yawning. It was way too early for an 8 year old to wake up, but it didn’t matter. It was a good day to get up early. Though, she didn't understand why the zoo they were going to was so far out of town. Four hours away seemed like an eternity. Maybe she'd die of old age before they got there. She clumsily stood up, lifting her arms to her chest once she got to her feet. She shuffled her feet to make sure her shoes were on right, and then turned to her black-and-blue haired friend, who had just arrived.

She hopped a little in excitement, though her face was emotionless. She’d been eagerly waiting for the zoo trip since she overheard their moms talk about it. They didn’t notice her eavesdropping, which enabled her to ruin the fact that it was a surprise by immediately telling Markus about it. Well, by telling Markus about it, I mean she just said “zoo” excitedly at him until he understood, which, fortunately, didn’t take too long. Markus, along with her cousins, tended to understand her when she had issues communicating. It was something she was thankful for.

Now, day-of, she was only waiting for her mother to get ready and bring them all out to the car.

She made her way out of the hallway to the living room, where her cousins were waiting, occasionally looking back at Markus to make sure he was following. The older one, Decha, was leaning over the younger cousin, Chet, watching Chet play on a hand-held game console.

“YY!” Decha greeted.
“‘N Mark,” Chet added. “Excited?” The two shuffled around on the couch, making space for Yong-Yut and Markus, had they decided to sit down. Yong-Yut, instead, chose to sit on the carpeted floor, giving Chet a nod in response. “Yeah? That’s good. You, Mark?”

The jingle of keys from another room signified Chailai’s —Yong-Yut’s mom’s— readiness. She came into the living room, made sure she had everything in her purse, and then turned to the four children she had to take care of today. So many children. “Is everyone ready?” she asked them. She already sounded absolutely done with them, even though they hadn’t done anything yet. But, that was just the way she always sounded, and the sun wasn't even up yet. Yong-Yut gave a nod in response and stood back up off the ground.

Not waiting for confirmation from the others, Yong-Yut began speed walking out of the house, making the other four follow after her. She made her way to the car and impatiently waited at the door until her mom unlocked it, allowing her to quickly shuffle into the middle seat. After a brief argument outside the car, Decha sat shotgun, and Chet made his way into the seat to Yong-Yut’s left. She looked back at Markus and waited for him to get in the car with them. Once he did, she'd buckle herself in, and ball her skirt up in her hands.

 

[Elenion Aura]

RAPHAEL SHAW

CS Link

SCENE:

Unlikely Encounter

TIME:

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

LOCATION:

Geronimos, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Raphael, August ( Doctor Llamabean )

UNLIKELY ENCOUNTER

Raph found himself wondering after what had gone through August's head as he swatted the drink out of his fellow Tiger's hand. Raph had thought they'd been playing the same game. He thought he'd figured out the rules, and was just putting his own spin on what August, himself, had taught him... Raph had never been one for showmanship, no matter how it may seem. Most of the time he was just trying to survive, and the rest of the time he was too angry to care about whether or not anyone else in his life was entertained by his presence. He didn't care if he was liked. He didn't care if people thought he were clever, or funny, or handsome. He did care that those who knew him knew the consequences of crossing him. But these Tigers... They had no idea who he was, or what he was capable of... Perhaps it was high time they were educated?

These were the thoughts that swirled around Raph's head as he took a beat to admire the destruction of the once-pristine restaurant and bar. To think, all this over a bit of spilled wine? Not that Raph was complaining. He needed a good clean, fight. One without all the baggage, and the screaming, and the tears. Heaven bless Tigers and their wafer-thin egos. They were just what he needed.

“Ha!”

In response to her opening move, tendrils of scarlet ichor surged to meet the charging female Tiger, flowing from Raph's open wound like a river of blood. It didn't hurt, much. Not anymore. One of the many advantages of Raph's Potentiality was that it forced him to develop a rather robust resistance to pain. The adrenaline that was currently coursing through his veins didn't hurt, either. With a flex of his fingers, Raph willed the undulating tide of red to crash inward upon itself, enwebbing the female Tiger in a net of flowing crimson.

Struggle though she might, it was immediately evident that the female Tiger would be unable to free herself from Raph's grasp of her own power. She knew it. And as she looked into Raph's eyes, with a mixture of panic and indignation swirling in her gaze, he knew it, too.

“URGH! GET THIS SHIT OFFA ME!”

Raph felt it as his lips began to quirk and curl upward into a smug, lopsided smirk. He found that he enjoyed the look of her, trapped there, and the feeling of power it gave him to trap another living creature—an HP no less—under the weight of his own ability. This was the truth. No matter who tried to convince him otherwise. Bash, Darius, Anna, Kisara, Tri, August... He saw their faces in his mind's eye—anyone, and everyone, who'd ever thought to look down on him—and reflected in the female Tiger's eyes as he lorded his "victory" over her. Raph was so taken by the thrill of it all that he barely registered the swing of the iridescent axe as it descended toward his exposed neck.

As he felt the axe-blade slicing through the air above his ear, Raph's expression faltered, his facade of control shattering into smithereens as all the old, familiar feelings came rushing back: surprise, panic, fear, resolve. He half-turned to face this new-threat, half-recoiled away on instinct. It was fight or flight. Literally. But to flee was to die. Raph had always known that much. Besides, if he was going to be killed one day, it wasn't going to be at the hands of this lowly nobody.

You don't deserve my blood!

With a hair's breadth separating the bladed axe from the pale skin of his neck, Raph used his free, as-of-yet-unblemished forearm to intercept the blow. With a heavy, wet-sounding thunk! the axe-head embedded itself into the meat of Raph's arm. Raph hissed, clenching his jaw tightly shut so as not to cry out as the glass-axe shifted slightly in the male Tiger's grip, further aggravating the newly opened wound. His vision blurred from the pain of it, but his eyes soon refocused, finding in their sights the male Tiger who'd struck at him from atop the bar, and they spoke of cold-blooded fury.

After a short, pregnant pause, the blood that dripped from his fresh gash in his forearm exploded violently outwards, blasting the male Tiger back and crashing into the wall above the bar. Liquor bottles—those that remained, anyway—crashed to the floor in droves from the impact. A thin rivulet of blood remained in tact, extending from Raph's bloody forearm to the body of the Tiger on the wall, holding him in place in much the same manner as his associate.

Raph took a shaky breath. His heart was aflutter in his chest. It threatened to break itself free if he did not get himself under control soon. He alternated his gaze from one Tiger to the other.

Well..? Is that all..?

 

[Elenion Aura]

MASKED BANDIT "M"

CS Link

SCENE:

Late-Night Chase

LOCATION:

Nighttime, post-arc 1

LOCATION:

Aksher Co. offices, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Minato Masked Bandit "M"

LATE-NIGHT CHASE

WRONG!

Tigers... Tigers, Tigers, Tigers, TIGERS!

When you want a job done right? Done good? Done proper? Well, you had a few options, T.B.F. Though! In the instance where one of said options was hired by the competition, well... Y'know what they say about beggars bein' choosers, riiight? ~

Unfortunately for Mister Colonel Sanders—or whoever it was sitting on the pinnacle of Sanders Safety; MinatoImeanMaskedBanditM hadn't bothered to get overly anal with the specifics of it all—he'd made the wrong choice two-out-of-three times. And as everybody knows, in baseball, it's two strikes and 'yer out! Luckily for Sandy, this ain't baseball, and third time's the charm.

Breaking into an office building on the fifth floor of a high-rise in South District, New Oasis wasn't exactly easy, which was why Masked Bandit M had decided to break in on the seventh floor. Since the client—classic Sandy—was really doubling down here on the whole, potentially damning evidence criminal activity thing, here—what, with allying themselves, albeit indirectly, with a gang like the Tigers to handle their dirty work—no expense had been spared in order to ensure that this job went down like clockwork. Buuuuut, unfortunately for Miss Sandy Cheeks, the firm's coiffers weren't exactly overflowing, what with all the cheddar they'd had to cough over for the legal fees alone... Let's just say, they weren't exactly rolling in dough. If they had been, they might've been able to afford the Albino Tiger's Premium Package, which would've all but ensured that the outcome would fall in their favor*. instead of settling for the rental of a lone, veteran Tiger, the cost of which was still no small sum... Though, if you asked Mi—asked Bandit M—he was worth every penny.

As he plop, plop, plorped his way up the side of the sheer face of the building, as the night air cooled the exposed skin around his eyes, the Masked Bandit M hummed a jolly little tune to himself.

”Hey!~ Hm, hm, hm hm. ~
Hm, hm, hm, cra-zy ~”

As he passed the fifth floor, Masked Bandit M peaked his head around a banister to peer into one of the many floor-to-ceiling windows that he'd gone to great lengths, thus far, to avoid. He had it on good authority that the Aksher Company had forked over a boatload of cash to ensure that the documents of interest remained under high guard, even going as far as to hire a Scarlet Phoenix. As Masked Bandit M watched the little girl in the suit fish around in the vending machine for a widdle snacky-wacky, he found himself wondering if this was the Phoenix in question. He hoped so.

A bit more plop, plop, plorping later, and...

”Hm, hm, my number!~ Hm, hm, hm may-be. ~
...
Hup!”

Masked Bandit M slipped his right hand out of the suction-cuppy things he'd been loaned to lubricate his ascent, and reached into the napsack slung across his shoulders and fished around for the doohickey that made the good round holes in thick glass window thingamajig. If his counting was correct, then there ought to be a short window in which he could slip into the seventh floor and maybe catch one of the other mooks by surprise—here's hoping he didn't run into the Phoenix on the first go around; ideally, he'd save them for last, if he had to encounter them at all—which ought to give him the time and space he needed to get in, poke around, find some incriminating shit, and bust the heck outta here. ~

Pop!

Just as Masked Bandit M completed his internal monologue-slash-gameplan, a vaguely-human-sized circular chunk of glass window popped itself free of its moorings. WIth a little nudge, it fell inward with a muted thunk!—thank fuck the floors were carpeted—allowing Mina—Masked Mina—Minamas—FUCK IT. It's Minato. You all knew it. This bit is stale, anyway. Leave me alone.

... Allowing Minato to slip inside, landing beside empty cubicles amidst the sound of an idling air conditioning system. He readjusted the napsack across his back, reaching inside and producing a crowbar from its depths. As he did, a man in a black-and-white suit rounded a nearby corner, nearly running smack-dab into Minato in the process.

He was greeted with a jovial smile and a crowbar to the side of the temple repeatedly until he was asleep, left slumped over on the floor where he'd fallen.

It was time to—as the kids say—make the quesadillas.




*this is not a guarantee of success; no refunds will be awarded for failed jobs
P.S. it was probably your fault anyway
Love,
Markus

>>> To The Next Post

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

HECTOR MOSES

CS Link

SCENE:

Lost on Bourbon

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1, 10:00PM, Friday

LOCATION:

The A-Club, Lower Central

PARTICIPANTS:

Hector, Boltius Doctor Llamabean

LOST ON BOURBON

"You wanna fuck me? Not now, another time. Not when you're drunk."

Not only did Hector fail to understand Boltius's response, but failed to see the irony in what he said in return as the pair returned to the woman. He wandered around them, peering over at the bar to see if Antares was near.

Hector was only half listening to Boltius's drunken rant against the lady but was growing quite irritated with him. Does he want a date or not? Maybe he ought to just take her back for himself. Nah, he made a promise to help him out. He was just about to correct his friend's comments when Boltius bumped into him. If his reflexes weren't impaired, it would've been inconsequential, but Hector didn't have time to respond before he too was knocked off balance. He grabbed Boltius's arm to keep them both upright and gave him a light shove back in the direction of the woman.

Felicity, the woman in question, found the duo quite amusing, though her patience was wearing thin. She had started scanning the room to see if she could slip away before either of them realised, but the arrival of Antares convinced her to stay put just a bit longer. None of them had much of a chance with her at this point, but she graciously relieved Antares of one of the glasses he was holding and watched their antics.

"That ain't how you talk to a woman, Bolt. Is why you never score any." As a glass neared Hector's direction courtesy of his new man, he grabbed it absent-mindedly. As he gestured erratically towards Felicity, some of the contents sloshed out onto the floor, but he didn't notice. A glass was passed to Boltius as well.
"Last time I do shit for you, I swear to God..." He paused for a moment, shaking his head in exasperation.

Just as he opened his mouth to spout some more wisdom, a soft voice in his ear lulled him into silence. Ah, Antares is back. "Shhh, it's ok. Chill out..." A hand fell over Hector's shoulder from behind, onto his chest. His train of thought departed as he rested his head on the arm, still glaring at Boltius but without any purpose. "I got you a drink, my love. Why don't you introduce me to your friend?"

Hector looked down at the drink in his hand, finally registering its existence, and took a big sip from it. "Oh him? That's Boltius, you met him before?" Before he got an answer, Hector continued, "He's cool."

Felicity had sensed that pursuing either of these men was completely hopeless, and even just being near them had lost its charm. She opened her phone and started texting someone as she walked away with an awkward wave. Better luck next time, boys. Hector watched her leave, flipping her off with his free hand after she had already turned away.

"Don't need her anyway." Hector mumbled incoherently. He reached an arm out towards Bolt, to try and drag him closer, while Antares released his grip over the Ace and sauntered between his two new friends. "Night's still young anyway."

 

[Doctor Llamabean]

TAZZ (August August)

CS Link

SCENE:

Midnight Breather

TIME:

Post-Arc 1: September 18th, 2021: 8:10 AM

LOCATION:

Isobel's Apartment

PARTICIPANTS:

Isobel, Ezra ( Saturn_moon Lucem )

MIDNIGHT BREATHER

August slept through the night like a statue; unmoving and utterly vulnerable. He dreamt of Mach Sling, but not quite the disaster it faced. Rather, Isobel was there, plucking crumbs from the dirty floor to add to her collections. A stranger, too, with the wings of an angel, who embraced him warmly.

Within the dream, August thought to himself that the stranger was rather plain looking for an angel, but he didn’t voice this so as not to offend him.

Following the short, intimate episode, August proceeded to bowl. However, it was not a bowling ball that rolled down the lane with devastating speed, but a wad of fur that folded like jello around the center pin and bounced back, still intact. And it gravitated unsteadily upward—toward him—like a drone being operated by a first-time-flier.

And then he woke up. That was all.

He didn’t know what woke him, exactly, but when his eyes squinted open—a slit so small one might contend that they were still closed—and he blinked a few times to let them adjust to the light—and his surroundings focused, he noticed the cat in his lap, nuzzling against his chest.

“Mmmhmhm,” he hummed happily; groggily. Then a tickle danced in his nose, and he sneezed so abruptly that the cat stiffened in his lap and stared up at him with a start.

“Sorry, lil’ kit-kit. Ah won’t let it ‘appen agaaahaaeughchoo!!” Another sneeze, but this time Aristotle decided to scoot, much to August’s unspoken dismay as he began scratching long strokes up and down his neck with both hands.

That’s when he remembered his injury.

“Wait-” August shifted, got his feet under himself, and used the couch behind him to lift himself up. As he did, his muscles groaned like heavy metal swaying under pressure; sore. Then he noticed the sleeping Ezra, whose face—while that of the angel’s from his dream—brought with it the memories of last night.

A few seconds passed, during which August simply stared at Ezra, internally scratching his chin, before he finally looked at Isobel. Another brief staring episode as he zoned out, swaying slightly, before directing his interest to the kitchen per a pleasant aroma enfolding him wholly.

He was still tired, but for the moment his head was clear. No tightness or brain fog. No throbbing pain or pulsing ache. It was simply... at ease.

 

[Doctor Llamabean]

BLITZ (Boltius Beckman)

CS Link

SCENE:

Lost on Bourbon

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1, 10:00 PM on a Friday

LOCATION:

Lower Central, The A-Club

PARTICIPANTS:

Boltius, Hector

LOST ON BOURBON

Hector gave Boltius a light shove towards Felicity—Boltius of which, stumbling, bounced his eyebrows at Felicity with an attemptedly seductive smile. ‘Attemptedly’ because it looked more like he was plotting her untimely death, or hinting that something unpleasant resided between the lines, what with how he peered up at her with just his eyes, a downward tilt of his head.

“That ain't how you talk to a woman, Bolt,” said Hector as Antares handed him a drink, prompting Boltius to whirl around, his face becoming that of annoyed doubt, as if Hector, of all people, knew anything about scoring a woman.

Then again...

“Yo, why does everyone tell me that?” A glass just like Hector’s seemingly materialized in Bolt’s hand, with him not knowing how it got there nor caring as its liquid splashed into his stomach per a brief guzzling session, during which he glared at Hector over the rim.

He paid no mind to the Ace and Antares’ intimacy, not really uncomfortable with public displays of affection. In fact, one could say he didn’t even notice it. Setting his glass down with an aggressive arm, he continued with his previous dialogue while Hector and Antares talked.

“What-” He hiccuped, burped, and went on. “—Does that even mean, bro? ‘That’s not how you talk to a woman’? Why is there-...” Boltius stopped talking. His hands came down and began slapping his pockets in search of his cell phone. Fortunately, it was still there, then he proceeded. “Why’s there even-...” Another hiccup. “Even a specific way to talk to any one specific motherfucker? Why can’t I just call everyone a bitch?”

Felicity was gone by now, and Boltius oblivious to her absence. She wasn’t that cute anyway, he’d say.

“Maybe I wanna call her a bitch,” he pointed to a random woman in the crowd who was failing miserably at shaking her ass. The sight of it made Boltius cringe before he shook his head and pointed at someone else, “Maybe he’s a bitch, too. I bet he watches porn in public restrooms... We're all bitches... bro.” A short pause as his thoughts wandered. “I’m a bitch… You’re a bitch… My old math teacher, Mr. Gore, yeah, he’s a bitch.” A distant look glazed his lidded eyes, an indication of his reflecting on the past.

Then in an abrupt change of attitude, Boltius began snapping finger-guns at Hector and the skyscraper of yet another of his boyfriends. “Ay, yo, I heard there was a party bus outside. You guys- hup- wanna load up on that bitch and see where it takes us?” He forgot what he was saying.

 

[Doctor Llamabean]

TAZZ (August August)

CS Link

SCENE:

Unlikely Encounter

TIME:

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

LOCATION:

Geronimos, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Raphael ( Elenion Aura )

UNLIKELY ENCOUNTER

“Ay, bud, what’re you doin’?” The taller of the two Tigers inched closer to August. “D’ you think this’s a game, bud?”

The shorter one did the same, ever so slowly. “You really think you can plot something out right in front of us before we get our hands on you?”

August puckered his bottom lip thoughtfully and bounced a finger at the shorter one, bobbing, also, his head as if acknowledging how perceptive the other was—but not really. August was all about feigning faces.

“Yoh roight…” Dejectedly, August hung and shook his head. “Ah must be an idiot.”

“Sounds about right for a Serpent.”

August stopped him there. “Actu’lly… not a Suhpent. See, ah’m not really from around he’ah… Y’know… the accent an’ all. All this animal kingdom jargon’s a bit confusin’ but… ‘At’s t’ be expected, ah guess… bein’ in a new city an’ wot all. So, if you mates could cut me some slack, ah’d really appreciate it.”

The short Tiger glared. He felt that August wasn’t taking him seriously. His partner, on the other hand, relaxed and rubbed the back of his neck, eating the story up with an empathetic smile. “D’aw, bud, I kinda understand. I’m not really from ‘round here either. Came in with my maw and paw. They own a kettle corn business and shiet… Like big name shiet. Y’know, Wurther’s Kettle Corn? Ya heard of it?”

August had never heard of it.

“Yeh, mate. Absolutely.”

Suddenly, the shorter Tiger exclaimed, “FUCK!” And August and the taller one looked his way before following the direction of his gaze.

There, the female Tiger and her partner were entangled and subdued, and the shorter one darted off to their aid while August and the taller, slow-spoken Tiger stayed put. They made eye-contact, and August shrugged, lips pursed.

“HEY!” The short Tiger sprung from tabletop to tabletop, leaped from the last one, and landed behind Raphael in a defensive stance. “Let’em go.” His gaze shifted to the woman, then back at Raph. “Let’em go… It was a misunderstanding… I thought your buddy was lookin’ for a fight. Seems he’s just a little confused. We don’t want any trouble.” Again, he checked on the woman. Something in his eyes spoke of affection, or perhaps amity. Whatever it was, it was clear that he held her in higher regard than he did the others, and by the crimson net in which she was tangled, he chose his words carefully.

“I’m sorry about all this…” Back at Raphael, his eyes sharpened—shadowed with hostility by the suspicion that Raphael was, no doubt, a Sable Serpent. That hair… The ability… He’d heard of him a few times in the last few years. “Let them go and we’ll be out of your hair.”

The woman struggled against her restraints. “Luca, what the fuck-”

“Shut up, Claire.”

Meanwhile, August held in his hand, now, a small business card that read Wurther’s Kettle Corn. It was a cheaply made little thing… But something about that made it charming, so he slipped it into his wallet with exaggerated care and nodded affirmatively at the slow-spoken Tiger.

“Thanks, bud.”

August began walking, the other following his lead, matching his stride. “‘S no problem, mate.”

“And wut’d you say yer company was called again?”

August clicked his tongue, “Yes. ‘Ts called Cup. Of. Joe. Wroite it down.”

“I ain’t got a pen.”

“No biggie.”

“So, is yer name, like, Joe?”

August paused shortly. “...Mhm.”

They neared Raphael and the others—and as they did, the slow-spoken Tiger squinted at August with newfound suspicion, and he rubbed his chin. “Y’know, you sound like someone I’ve met…”
Clothes Reference

 

[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

The relatively quiet and dry thumping of steel impacting with bone echoed through the third floor of the offices. Despite technically being trained professionals from a private security company, the guards positioned to protect the place left much to be desired, with their less than stellar combat prowess and abilities as useful as a bucket full of holes. The other guard on the third floor, who was on the opposite end, took notice ever so slightly of the sound. She took out her flashlight and grabbed her walkie talkie with her off-hand.

"Will, heard a noice on your end, are you alright? Going over to check, over" She said as she proceeded to slowly and carefully inspect her partner's assigned area of vigilance.

the message, of course, was carried over to all the devices, included Charlie's and the now unconcious Will's. The moment the ocean-haired boy heard the message, he took no second to spare in reaching for his pipe which was lying against the wall next to his chair. With weapon in hand and flashlight on the other, he proceeded to do his usual patrol, starting by checking the outside hall before the office's entrance, no soul was spotted by the light from the hall. Then lastly he started to quickly perform a full check on the entirety of the first room. The reason he didn't just rush in to the third floor was that, by simple logic, if three people had infiltrated yesterday, then naturally they would come tonight in greater numbers, and mostly likely approach from multiple points.

"Tristan here, Alphonse and I haven't seen anything on the second floor, over"

"Not seeing anything on first floor either, what about you Jess? Over."

If they were in fact here, Charle could only imagine the dozens that Sanders had hired.

 

[Lucem]

Ezra Knight

CS Link

SCENE:

Midnight Breather

TIME:

September 18th, 2021, 12:30 AM

LOCATION:

West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Ezra, Isobel, August

MIDNIGHT BREATHER

Ezra didn't dream that night. He slept until the sun rose, still clutching the bladeless hilt as he was roused by the morning light. Demanding a longer rest, his body remained motionless and his eyes refused to open. However, the smell of ginger and rice kept his consciousness from fading once again. That's when he remembered that he wasn't alone.

Listening to the sounds coming from the kitchen, he guessed that Isobel was making breakfast. With his eyes being closed, he couldn't be certain, but he doubted the white-haired Tiger would be cooking someone else's food in their home. Then again, he still didn't know either of them very well. That's why he'd been concerned about staying the night.

So far, it seemed like nothing awful had happened while he was passed out. He didn't know how to count kidneys, but it felt like everything was still there. No pain, no odd sensations, and no restraints tying him down to the couch. Aside from a bit of soreness, the only thing he felt was a need for more sleep. Now that he had a little less reason to worry about being so vulnerable around Isobel and her friend, he was tempted to keep his eyes shut and drift off again. However, a loud sneeze gave him a jolt and took away all his exhaustion.

Before he could open his eyes to check on the situation, he felt the stranger push down on the couch as he spoke. Now, he still wasn't looking, but he was certain the man was staring at him again. He spent years being overly conscious of other people's gazes, so he usually knew when he was getting unwanted attention. This was definitely one of those times.

Several seconds passed, but Ezra could still feel the man standing over him, watching. On the outside, he hadn't moved a muscle, but he was screaming on the inside, begging Isobel's friend to look away already. This happened last night too, and he still didn't understand it. Why was he still looking? Did he really get on this guy's bad side? Was he going to start talking about alarm clocks again? Was it kidney harvesting time?

Eventually, he heard the shuffling of feet. Thankfully, the man turned away without doing anything, leaving Ezra free to keep his eyes closed and get some more rest. Unfortunately, there was no going back to sleep after that. He was wide awake now.

Finally opening his eyes, Ezra raised his back and placed his feet on the floor. As he returned his weapon to its proper resting place inside of his jacket, he turned to the two Tigers with a weak smile, trying to forget about the nerve-wracking experience from a moment ago. "Good morning."

Spoiler: Tags

Saturn_moon Doctor Llamabean

 

[Elenion Aura]

MARKUS WEISS

CS Link

SCENE:

Penguin Socks

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1— Early Spring 2002, ~4:00am

LOCATION:

YY's House > Car, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Yong-Yut gxxberkit , Markus

Penguin Socks

In order to get to YY's house in time for him to hang out a little before it was time to go, Markus had to wake up extra early. He'd planned to go to bed early the night before so he'd be well-rested and not over-tired. He wasn't worried about over-sleeping, since he could usually force himself to wake up despite his tiredness. To save time, he'd picked out his outfit for the day the night before, laying it out on his dresser for easy access. It was a dark blue tee shirt, with light blue trim and sleeves, a pair of athletic mesh shorts, his basketball shoes, and his gold chain. The tee-shirt was too big for him, but the fit of it didn't bother him anymore. He used to wonder why his mom couldn't buy him the right-fitting clothes, but he was older now—going on 9 years old. He knew more about how the world worked, now. He knew his mom did her best, and loved him very much. He also knew that clothes could be expensive. Especially new, trendy clothes that some of the kids at school wore. He used to think those kids were cool. He used to feel jealous, and wonder why he couldn't wear cool stuff, why he couldn't be like them. But he doesn't feel that way anymore. Not really. Not all the time...

Markus woke up. He pulled the cover off himself and got dressed in the dark. He didn't want to turn on the light until he was finished. He didn't want to wake Mama before he had to. She had worked a double last night. And she'd agreed to drive him to YY's house early this morning on her way to work. She deserved to sleep for as long as she could. Finally, he pulled his chain over his head. The feel of its weighty metal links against the bare skin of his neck was a comfort. He spent a minute fussing with the mess of black hair—stupid bedhead; one cowlick in particular just wouldn't stay down—before giving up. It was good enough. He eased his bedroom door open as gently as he could. Their old apartment was creaky as it is, and he had to remember too, Mark, you're stronger than most other people. That was what Mama had said the last time he'd gotten into a fight, but it applied here too, he thought...

Markus slipped through the tiniest crack in the doorway that he could manage, padding out into the one other room in their apartment. He had to use the bathroom, but the bathroom was across from his room, on the other side of their living room, and kitchen, and his mom's room... The kitchen light was already on. His mom was sitting at their fold-out dining room table, a mug of coffee clutched between her thin, pretty fingers. "... Oh." She smiled at him. He smiled back.

Later, they were in the car. Markus looked out the window as YY's house pulled into view. Markus' mom stopped the car, put it in park, and turned his way. He pretended he was still looking out the window. He hated leaving her. He hated that she was already wearing her uniform. The uniform she'd come home in last night after it was already dark out. He—

"Sweetie?"

"... Yah?"

"Have fun today."

"... I will."

"I love you."

"... Love you too."

Markus heard the click of her seat-belt unbuckling. He turned as his mother reached across the center console of their beat-up loaner and hugged tightly him around his shoulders. She was warm. She smelled good. He stayed still for a little, long enough to hear a short sob catch in his mom's throat. Then she kissed him on the top of his head, as she too tried in vain to tame the cowlick that refused to stay put. Markus unbuckled and pushed his way out of the car. He didn't look back as he went, though he knew she was still there. He knew she'd watch him until he was inside. Sometimes she'd stay there for a few minutes after he'd gone. He was worried that one of these days she'd be late for her shift if she waited too long. Anyway...


When asked if he was excited for the zoo, Markus gave a noncommittal shrug. He didn't really care about the zoo. It was just a bunch of dumb animals in cages, right? What was so fun about that? Still, YY seemed excited—even if it didn't show on her face—and maybe that was enough. When YY's cousins made room for him on the couch, like YY herself, Markus declined to take a seat. He remained standing, hands shoved into his shorts' pockets until YY's mom came out and asked if they were all ready. From there, it was a simple matter of following YY to the car, and then following her inside it. He clambered in after her and buckled his seat-belt.

Why does a zoo have to be 4 hours away..? Why not just bring the animals closer..?

 

[gxxberkit]

YONG-YUT SOMSRI

CS Link

SCENE:

Penguin Socks

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1— Early Spring 2002, ~4:00 > ~5:30am

LOCATION:

Car, Just Out of Town

PARTICIPANTS:

Yong-Yut, Markus Elenion Aura

Penguin Socks

The first few minutes of the car ride were spent in silence.

That was until Decha spoke up, and began talking to Yong-Yut’s mom in another language no one ever bothered to teach Yong-Yut. Occasionally, Chet would hop into the conversation in Amestrian, providing the ever faintest bit of context to Yong-Yut and Markus, but ultimately not enough to allow either of them to contribute. This was okay, though, because Yong-Yut didn’t really care for their conversations, anyway. The ones in Amestrian were always about judging someone, or politics, or the state of the city, or judging someone, or the economy, or the newest video game, or “exciting” projects, or… did I say judging someone? It’s probably safe to assume the ones in the other language would be the same. Of course, I’d be lying if Yong-Yut wasn’t a little curious as to what they were hiding from her. After years of this, she was starting to feel as if they were speaking in code to keep conversations secret. Maybe that was why they never taught her.

After a while of the back and forth between her family, Yong-Yut brought her feet up to the bottom of the seat and wrapped one of her arms around her legs. Her other hand rose to Markus’ shirt sleeve, balling it up in her little fist and pulling lightly on it —her own little way of showing silent affection. It was comforting to hold onto. She liked that all of his shirts were way too big for him, it just meant she had more fabric to grasp. She was simple like that.

She turned her head to her friend, blinking at him. She sat up and reached over with the hand that was previously wrapped around her legs and tried her own hand in fixing his hair. When she accidentally made it worse, she just stared at him with amusement. “S.. sorry…” she managed out after a moment. She let go of his sleeve and turned away, slumping down in the seat and staring up at the ceiling of the car. She gently closed her eyes and yawned. Maybe they’d get there faster if she was asleep.

​

“Hey! What do you two want for breakfast?” Decha interrupted her nap. It was about an hour and a half later now, the sky outside noticeably lighter. She'd fallen asleep faster than expected. Yong-Yut blinked her eyes open, sitting up in the seat, and taking a solid 10 seconds to process the question before looking to Markus for his answer. She figured she’d find something she liked anywhere they went, since most places sell some variation of fries and nuggets.

 

[Damafaud]

TRI

CS Link

SCENE:

Top and Top

LOCATION:

Caio's Bedroom, North District

TIME:

Post-Arc 1/Pre-Arc 2 | September 17th, 2021, 03:10

PARTICIPANTS:

Tri, Caio

Top and Top

Tri sometimes wondered what his wife would do if she see him now. Probably worrying more about his injuries than the police or his test subjects. Nadine Ashton was a saint, but she was also a madwoman who would do anything for love. Well, only mad people could be saints. And people had to be a little unhinged to fall in love with him.

He exhaled smoke into the crack of the balcony door. A small draft blew some right back to his face, but Tri didn't care. Nicotine had no effect on him, like any other drugs. He only smoked for coolness. Certain moments, idle in passing, evoked a sense of cool when filled with smoking. Like now.

A cold draft blew. He shivered. His unbuttoned shirt and khaki provided little against it. He didn't care about the smoke, but he still got cold. It was worse since his stomach wasn't dry. Feeling wet made coldness worse. Still, Tri inhaled another lungful of smokes and glanced at the bed. He couldn't move until the huddle at the bed noticed him there, looking cold and detached from the world as he planned for the larger picture while slowly ruining his body with nicotine.

Caio better noticed him fast. Tri was very much cold and not detached from it. The cigarette in his hand trembled as he rested his arms against the arm rest, sending his blank stare to the ceiling... or something cool and elaborate only he could see.

>>Next Post

Tags: BriiAngelic

 

[Elenion Aura]

RAPHAEL SHAW

CS Link

SCENE:

Unlikely Encounter

TIME:

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

LOCATION:

Geronimos, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Raphael, August ( Doctor Llamabean )

UNLIKELY ENCOUNTER

Raph's breath heaved in his chest. He was snarling, baring his teeth like some kind of animal at the suspended figure of the now-unconscious man pinned to the wall by a thin, meandering tendril of Raph's own blood. For the most part the woman was ignored. Raph was busy contemplating how he should pay back this poor sod for the mess he'd made of Raph's forearm. A fresh wave of pain rolled up his spine. He glanced down the length of his bicep at the jagged, crescent-shaped gash through his skin that exposed the meat beneath it. Luckily he wasn't squeamish, or else he might've made himself sick. Instead, looking at the fresh wound only made him angry.

It was, perhaps, fortunate that the male Tiger had bumped his head and lost consciousness. Any sort of provocation on his end would've ended in tragedy. Though, as it stood, things were still not looking great. Raph's composure was balanced on the edge of a blade. Right then, in that moment, it would not have taken much of a push at all for him to make a mess of things... Well, more than they all already had, anyway.

The sound of the third Tiger shouting,“HEY!” as he bounded over table-tops to reach his friends was nearly enough to send him over the edge. Just nearly. His fracturing attention clocked the Tiger over his shoulder as he landed right on the edge of his peripheral vision. If Raph caught the glance the man cast in the direction of Raph's female prisoner, or if he recognized the meaning behind his gaze, he did not make it known. Raph did manage to catch most of what he was saying to him, however, the content of which nearly doubled the Serpent Veteran over with laughter. And just when Raph thought that his little speech was over, the sheer hypocrisy of it all just kept coming...

And then, the pièce de résistance! He was sorry. Raph was truly mystified by the fact that this man had actually just said that to him. He was equally bewildered by the fact that the man actually thought it would work.

“Ha..!” Raph let out a shaky breath, the air rattling in his throat. He gave the man pinned to the ceiling one last look, as though making sure he was truly out and not faking it, before he retracted the bloody threads from around his limp body and let him fall, limply, to the floor behind the bar. With his bloodied arm now free, Raph wheeled on the short Tiger and his damsel-in-distress, more than ready to play the role of dragon guarding his hoard.

“That’s such a Tiger thing to do. You’re dealt one bad hand and already you're prepared to fold!" Raph's shoulders shuddered with a laugh that never came. He took a step forward, toward the short Tiger, all the while keeping a tight hold of his little girlfriend's tether.

“Maybe this is news to you, but... Life isn’t a poker table darling. You can’t always walk away when the chips are down." He stopped short, raising his free hand as the blood that still flowed from his gaping wound formed a dripping blade that extended beyond his fingertips.

 

[Elenion Aura]

MASKED BANDIT "M"

CS Link

SCENE:

Late-Night Chase

TIME:

Nighttime, post-arc 1

LOCATION:

Aksher Co. offices, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Minato Masked Bandit "M"

LATE-NIGHT CHASE

”Hm hm, hm, hm, hm hm, my life. ~
Hm, hm, hm, so-bad ~”

Minato hummed beside the prone figure of the security guard he'd incapacitated, having first felt around his neck for a pulse before dragging him into a small conference room where he wouldn't trip up—and tip off—the other guards who were no doubt circling the premises.

While Minato fiddled with the walkie-talkie that had beeped to life with the sound of a woman's voice emerging from the speaker, Minato spread out the office's three floor floor-plan that he'd lifted from the city planner's office earlier that evening, having marked up in red marker a few key places of interest where important documents were likely being housed. At the same time, Minato was fishing around in the unconscious security guard—sorry, Will—'s pockets before producing a tattered leather wallet. He flipped it open, nonchalantly discarded the picture of an ugly wife and uglier kids, and rifled through the cash, counting it at a glance with a practiced eye before stuffing it in his jacket pocket.

After a moment's consideration, the first Minato pressed down on the button on the side of the walkie and spoke into the receiver. Taking a glance at his new buddy Will, Minato instantly made up a completely fabricated backstory for him in order to get into character, before saying, ”Eyup. Ah heard it, too. I'll meet'cha ova' dere. Ten-Four, my good buddy.”

Minato let go of the button and stood up, making a bee-line for the conference room door. He knew one other security guard was on their way, here. That means he'd know where they'd be going next. And that meant that Will wouldn't be lonely for much longer. As he slipped out of the conference room and banked a left in the direction he'd come from, a second Minato split off from the first and hung a hard right. Based on the schematics and his own intuition, Mina had a hunch that one location of interest, of the many that he'd marked, was around here, somewhere...

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

ALICE

CS Link

SCENE:

Ribbon Bookmarks and Tassel Charms

LOCATION:

Pasadena Park, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Yong-Yut, Alice

RIBBON BOOKMARKS AND TASSEL CHARMS

Alice had disappeared under a veil of people and merriment. It had happened right after her first organized garden party out in Pasadena Park (Like the singer, Passeri Park? She found it funny how similar the two names were). It was a spur of the moment thing; as soon as the guests began to disperse, a quick "I think I saw a rabbit! I'm going to take a closer look at it!" was enough to lower the caretaker's guard for her to run off.

It wouldn't have worked on Janay—he always saw right through her. Fortunately for today, he was on leave to visit his older sister, and so the lesser-dedicated substitute was here in his stead.

And now, she ran. Across the grass and through the pristine pavements paths. Alice rarely ever had the chance to wander out by herself... come to think it, she never had a chance to. It was always "Too late" or "Too dangerous" for little Alice, and she never questioned why; there were enough problems with perverts and ooglers within the buildings she attended, anyway, and it was always her friends in the Tigers who took care of them. The recently turned 18-year-old knew full well it wouldn't be long before her friends came looking for her, and she'd have to return home eventually. But... it shouldn't hurt to experience beyond what she already knew. Just a little bit.

Walking alone, there was an odd sense in the air, entirely new to Alice as she walked. A strange silence that she was not used to; the garden party was already far behind her. The street lamps made an electric buzz—she didn't even know they did buzz.

As Alice went along the pavement, led by nothing but curiosity and intrigue, her eyes found a bench at the side in the distance.

There was only one person on the bench: long, long haired and fading to red near the bottom; bizarre pink attire befitting of an almost barbaric sense of fashion (almost like Camila in that regard); the total opposite of Alice, appearance-wise. Exactly the type of person that Janay would direct her away from... So therefore, the best person to get to know in this period of independence!

Humming to herself, Alice scurried over to the bench and threw herself seated on the other side. She spent some time dangling her feet, watching the other girl in anticipation of a conversation... not that it seemed to come any time soon (being half a minute). No matter; Alice loved to talk, and starting conversation was her specialty. Almost sparkling, she remarked, "Lovely day today, is it not?"

gxxberkit

 

[gxxberkit]

YONG-YUT SOMSRI

CS Link

SCENE:

Ribbon Bookmarks and Tassle Charms

LOCATION:

Pasadena Park, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Yong-Yut, Alice

RIBBON BOOKMARKS AND TASSLE CHARMS

It was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming. On days like these, people like Yong-Yut… were admiring the scenery on a beautifully made park bench.

Yong-Yut frequently went to parks all around New Oasis, just to get a walk in, or to feel the breeze. Today, however, was their first time in this particular park. They didn’t typically go over to this side of the city, in avoidance of a certain person she didn’t really want to see again... not after everything she was told about them. But today was different.

She was actually in the West because she’d heard a new fabric store was opening somewhere around here, and she wanted to check it out. The park just so happened to be on her way there. It was a nice afternoon, so they figured it’d be fine to stop for a moment and enjoy it. Some streetlights were already turning on, too, so the chances of someone, especially a Tiger, popping in for a conversation was low.

Of course, that chance was never 0.

A few minutes after Yong-Yut had sat down, a younger girl —over 15, but couldn’t be older than 20— with blonde hair and a business casual style made her way over to them and sat down. They paid no mind to the girl at first, though to avoid eye contact and accidentally starting a conversation, they moved their gaze to the blades of grass on the other side of the pathway the bench was sat beside. It was a little unnerving, though. She could feel the girl’s eyes on her. Was she watching them for something? Were they missing a cue?

After about 30 seconds of silence, the girl spoke up.

“Lovely day today, is it not?”

“Uh... Uh-huh.” They gave a simple reply in hopes that the girl would take the hint. They would have rather not responded to the girl at all, but that would’ve been rude, and with the way the girl was dressed, she didn’t want to offend her. Short and sweet responses will have to do.

AriAriAbabwa

 

[gxxberkit]

TENEBROSITY

CS Link

SCENE:

It's The Thought That Counts

LOCATION:

Darius' Apartment, North District

TIME:

September 17 2021, Post-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Darius, Ten

IT'S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS

He can’t do this anymore? What does he mean, he can’t do this anymore? Was… was he breaking up with Ten? It sounded like it…

No... no. Of course not! Why would he? Yes, this is fine. He’s just emotional, and Ten’s just getting carried away in their thoughts again.

They watched as Darius tried wandering away from them, but they just followed him anyway. Ironically, they were able to see him better now. The darkness the two had wandered into was great for their eyes. “O- of co-ourse you can b- be there, Dairy! That’s.. That.. that- that’s- that- that’s the- the entire point! So we can… So we can b-e th- there for each other! I wan-… I wanna beeee there for- for you!!”

They placed their hand on Darius’ shoulder. Ten was starting to understand that their current approach clearly wasn’t getting to Darius, despite what they had hoped in preparation for this. Maybe it’d be good to switch it up. Get more feel-y. He’d understand then, right? “You.. you could nev-er f-fuck up! I love- I love you, Dairy! But, you know…” they paused, “it’s like.. It’s.. it.. It’s like.. It- it- it- it—” They made an annoyed grunt at their stutter. The stress of all this seemed to be making it worse. Of all times!!!

“You.. you could die, and.. And I- I- I- I-.. I wouldn’t b—e there! And.. I’d wa.. n-nna be there! For— you! If.. if I didn’t join, then— then what if you- you- you died and.. And no one ever told me!! Wouldn’t.. That- that would hurt, Dairy!!” Ten removed the hoodie’s paw from his shoulder and instead wrapped their arms around him from behind. “So.. so it’d be good! It’d be good for me to join! Don't.. don't you understand? I thought you’d-.. I-... I thought- I thought you’d understand! It makes sense!”

WhiskeyMarten