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

SCENE:

The Trials of Belial

LOCATION:

Gideon and Jozef's Dorm Room, New Oasis Central University

TIME:

January 11th, 2022 | Post Arc 2

PARTICIPANTS:

Gideon, Jozef

The Trials of Belial

"Mogu mogu mogu," Gideon said as he munched on the chocolate, a mirthful noise rising from his throat. Jozef's exaggerated words of enjoyment were enough to make Gideon drop his evil facade for a moment and add some exaggeration of his own. He set down the gravy boat of cranberry sauce. Although he would agree with Jozef that eating some of the cranberry sauce would be gluttonous, the only occasion that Gideon could think of that cranberry sauce was ever used was for Thanksgiving. And that was over two months ago. The cranberry sauce would likely be spoiled at this point.

Gideon finished his side of the ritual circle, a few strong scrapes of the chalk finishing the intricate patterns that formed the circle artwork. He looked over at Jozef's side, giving an approving nod while his lower lip jutted upward in satisfaction. For his first time drawing the chalk circle, Jozef did excellently, even if they were a bit wobbly. And as for his idea of using some fun symbols, Gideon was quite supportive, "We're here to have fun, so nothing wrong with adding some smiley faces. I wonder what type of demon we would summon if we added some more friendly sigils."

Demonic sigils were made with trial and error in the past as far as Gideon was aware. However, if whatever person whose Potential or magic powered the demonic rituals had a sense of humor, then smiley faces would've definitely had a place in their rituals.

Gideon stood up and stepped into the summoning circle. It was now time for the ritual to commence. Vaguely, Gideon was worried about Jozef and hoped that the summoning and possession wouldn't hurt the man.

"Ready?" Gideon asked. And with that, he began his incantation

"O being from the darkest depths of humanity
I call upon thee to beseech my humble request
To bestow us with your presence
And to accept our offer our flesh and blood"

With that, an unusual coolness enveloped Gideon, almost as if his sweatshirt was billowing from some sort of virtual wind. He pointed his finger, not accusingly, but assertively, at Jozef. He felt a bit guilty doing this, as Gideon was sure Jozef didn't know the full repercussions of the ritual, but it was far too late.

"Belial!"

However, unfortunately for the two of them, Gideon unknowingly mispronounced the name terribly. If the ritual were to be successful, the demon summoned would've not been Belial.

WhiskeyMarten

simj26 · Apr 16, 2023

Jessamine Darkness

SCENE:

The Yeye Home

LOCATION:

The Yeye Home, East District (LittleLeaf zone)

LOCATION:

June 5th, 2022 || Post-Arc 3, Timeskip 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Meirin, Dyne, Isaiah, Devin, Sabrina, Ruriko, Jess, Ottilie

The Yeye Home

Children. She hated children. Ugh. Just look at them just fucking running around without a care in the world. To tell the truth, she couldn’t remember the days when she was still a child. The better parts of her life started when she was shoving faces into the granite. She couldn’t be bothered to remember the boring days. And, to tell the truth, right now, where she was, she still looked like a child.

She brushed her hair back with a flippant motion. Her youthful looks were nothing to be worried about. To look this young, at her age, let her stand out, almost ironically. She clasped her hands in front of her, and walked past the chirping children. She had been much more fortunate in terms of the orphanage that she had been put into. She couldn’t remember the faces of her original parents- only the woman who raised her as a babe, and then put her in the hands of her current parents. She followed behind the whore, Meirin, quietly, and listened in to their conversation.

She greeted the matron of the orphanage politely, but in familiar tones. She hailed from here, did she? It looked as if the children here were not bound for greater things. How disappointing. Luck of the draw, that was all there is. Sometimes, you win some, sometimes you lose some. And for some people, they lost in life itself. But, curse her bleeding heart, it hurt to see them suffer from the lack of attention and funds. The rich and powerful were, indeed, engrossed with their own businesses to see the larger picture and the smaller people, her parents included. She must do her best to alleviate the pains of the downtrodden. She will start with this one.

“Madame,” she gave a practiced curtsy to the orphanage’s mistress, and straightened up. Time to put on the face again. “My name is Jessamine Darkness. I was once a child of an orphanage myself. I understand your plight. If it would help, I am…acquaintances with a family of some influence. I can– no, I will beseech them to make donations for your orphanage.” She gave a wan smile, and placed a hand on her chest, an affected gesture to show her sincerity. “Your condition hurts my heart, truly, and I wish to alleviate your problems the best I can. If monetary assistance is my one and only ability to contribute in, I will do so. Now, allow these hands to help here as much as I can. I might not look it, but I dare say I am stronger than the rest of these--" she avoided saying 'fucking idiots', in spite of herself, "my colleagues put together, and I could say that I’m at least halfway proficient at quite a few things.”

She turned to Meirin. “You. You know the place well, I assume. Lead me forth, I will do my best to clean, cook, and whatever else you need me to.” She clapped her hands together, and drew near to the taller woman, her voice lowered to a hushed hiss. “Come on now. No time to waste. Or are we just going to stand here the whole fucking day and look at those morons perform parlor tricks that deadbeat magicians would be ashamed to perform, even in a child’s birthday party?”

@Damafaud @Beann @Lucem @Saturn_moon

Misuteeku

Ramjammer · Apr 16, 2023

Learning your stripes.

Lorette Lècuyer CS LINK

Scene: Tigers B-side. Learning your stripes.

Time: April 10th, 10:00 AM.

Location: West District. The Silver Spoon.

Participants: Lorette,Hiachi.

Lorette smiled knowingly. Of course, she would agree. With the promise of strength and all it entailed dangled so enticingly in front of her, what choice did the girl have? Lorette reclined back into her seat, seeming in no real hurry to begin.

"First, finish your meal. Second, have you ever shot someone before?"

Silence had no place inside a shooting range. Any quiet that settled in the building was rapidly torn apart in a hail of bullets and soon forgotten. Yet, despite the near-constant cacophony that filled the range at all hours, Lorette found peace within it. There came with shooting, a serenity she'd long ago discovered. The almost mechanical process of loading, aiming, and firing a gun was soothing in its repetition and so developed a welcome familiarity. There were no questions between herself and her targets. No mysteries. Inanimate or very much living, once Lorette had taken aim, both parties knew that it was a foregone conclusion.

The taking of lives was a heavy thing, and serenity should be the last thing filling the bloody void of someone's existence. Yet, Lorette found it. The finality of death granted her assurance. Assurance of a job done. Of a debt repaid. Promises fulfilled, and vengeance taken. All things that could be had with but the pull of a trigger. Countless possibilities that were made real the second the muzzle flashed.

Hiachi would most likely beg to differ. The girl had most likely never fired a gun, much less taken a life. Lorette did not want to ask such a thing of the younger woman just yet. There'd be plenty of time for her to rack up bodies later. Hiachi first needed to become comfortable with handling a gun. Before even that, however, Lorette wanted to conduct a small experiment.

She glanced at the girl before gesturing to a standard .45 pistol resting innocently on the counter in their booth. They were, but two of the many Tigers present hoping to perfect their aim, so Lorette had to shout somewhat to be heard over the constant noise of gunfire.

"This is just a .45. You'll probably see one of these more than most other guns, and since they're easy to conceal, it's what you'll be carrying." Lorette began before launching into an extended lecture about gun safety, maintenance, loading, and, most importantly, proper trigger discipline. A crime syndicate couldn't become successful if all of its members kept accidentally shooting themselves and each other. Lorette, especially, did not fuck around with gun safety because she had a reputation to maintain. If anyone took a bullet in her presence, it was only because she wanted it to happen.

Once she'd finished explaining the ins and outs of literally not shooting oneself in the foot so an undoubtedly bored Hiachi, Lorette decided to demonstrate the proper technique to her. The woman did not walk the girl through each step in the process as she performed them. Instead, Lorette scooped up both mag and pistol, loaded the gun, and fired, striking the target situated some meters away in one fluid motion. To a regular onlooker, she was moving far too fast for a novice to track. But Lorette was not dealing with a 'normal' person.

If, indeed, Hiachi could see as well as she claimed and could process what she'd seen quickly enough to decide her next move, then it stood to reason she'd be a quick learner. Far quicker than most. Of course, Lorette understood that the girl was also very, very nervous and had zero experience with firearms. The woman was equally prepared to spend most of the day teaching her how to shoot properly.

Releasing the gun mag, Lorette set both gun and magazine back onto the low counter before regarding Hiachi seriously through her safety glasses.

"Okay. You ready to give it a try?"

miki

simj26 · Apr 16, 2023

Dagger

@The One Eyed Bandit @Uasal @Lucem

SCENE:

In The Tiger's Web

TIME:

Post-Arc 3, Timeskip 1 | June 3rd

LOCATION:

Nameless Storefront, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Jennifer, Ezra, Elias, Dagger

In The Tiger's Web

Huh? For once, Dagger was taken aback. Was Park insinuating that they should get away from this hellhole? Start a shop together? Was she interested in her like that? Was she really hitting on her? A mangy hunting hound with a prima donna was not a relationship that would work outside of a work of fiction. There was no way that Park was thinking that way. She thought that, but Justicar had said almost the same thing, word for word, once. Wouldn’t it be nice to open a little bookstore in Revo? Just the two of us, in a little cozy store. We could even set it up next to a shooting range, if you’d like! she had said. She rubbed her temples, and waved to Gunnolf to follow after Park. He looked at her, almost playfully, before running up to Park, tail wagging happily.

Damn it. She was really going crazy. First, it was Weiss, now it was Park. At least she knew there was nothing there with Weiss. Park was a different thing altogether. She gripped her gun tightly, before stalking into the shadowsbehind her wolf and Park, her heavy footsteps slowly fading into silence as she masked her approach. That woman wasn’t Justicar, far from it. Under a mask of the idol, she was a strategist and a proficient businesswoman. Justicar wore no mask, she was both a cheerful, bright woman, with the aim and thirst for blood of a hunter. Both of them were dangerous.

Maybe that was what she was attracted to. She rubbed her neck. There was no way, right? She was just thinking too much. That was it. She was thinking. She wasn’t paid to think, outside of how to end someone’s life. She readied her gun as Park opened the door. She gave them the same treatment, glaring into the darkness behind them, up until Park shut the door behind the two men. She nodded to her old student, but offered no same kindness to the Yumin man.

She fell into silence. This was Park’s stage, as it always was. She had no right to speak here. She stood on one side of the door leading to their guest’s quarters, and leaned against the wall. Her hands will do the talking when they were needed. Gunnolf trotted along with Park, following at her heels happily.

QuirkyAngel @Saturn_moon

Elenion Aura

Misuteeku · Apr 16, 2023

Sang-Cheol Man

SCENE:

The Meaning of Music

LOCATION:

North District, Lab Icarus

TIME:

Pre Arc-3 | March 16th, 2022

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Sabrina

The Meaning of Music

"Because I don't understand the purpose of music." A wave of relief washed over Sang-Cheol as he realized that Sabrina wasn't about to raise her voice against him, while to his mind, at least. He hadn't slept well in a few days, and the times he did only lasted for two hours before he returned back to work. The research that would be the culmination of his life's work was going to be uncovered, and he wanted nothing more than to find it. Though admittedly, a small detour during his research might be best at this point.

Straightening his posture, Sang-Cheol turned to look back at the rookie. He had a thoughtful look as he considered his next words. "To me, music is only a mixture of sounds and words. I find it frivolously no matter what angle I look at it." Whenever he listened to the old songs that he played when he was younger, no emotions were evoked in him. Sang-Cheol felt nothing, not even the feeling of emptiness that came along with disappointment.

"When I was younger, I was able to understand it. But I guessed I lost the meaning of it at some point." Fresh Blood. Frozen Hell. Failed Expectations. At that point, he lost a lot of things that he had enjoyed in his life. It was a distant memory that could not be dug up, no matter how hard he tried to excavate it. The only thing that remained was the faint memory of awe as he listened, starstruck, to the T.V.

"That being said, I find you to be truly an enigma, Sabrina." His hands finally found the blood drawing machine, but he didn't opt to pick it up. He wanted to talk a little bit more. Sang-Cheol's eyes lingered for a while before returning to look back into the drawer. "And your answers only leave me more at a loss." An edge of a frown formed on the scientist's face. "Hope? Solace? Having those sorts of expectations will only lead to blood and tears in this hellhole." Personal experience and watching others taking the fall convinced Sang-Cheol that it was an inevitable outcome. Though Sabrina probably knew it firsthand as well.

After a few moments of silence, Sang-Cheol closed his eyes and opened them to look at the ceiling. "Though I guess if you weren't born in the North District, perhaps you could make it big." It was for rare talent, outside of crime, to be born and fostered. Perhaps if Sabrina's circumstances were better, she would be a big name in the music industry. Awkwardness filled Sang-Cheol he shook his head. What was he thinking? Sabrina didn't want his empty compliments. A sigh left his mouth. "I apologize. Forget what I said. I suppose my initial question was needless." To think he'd confess his inner thoughts, how embarrassing.

BriiAngelic · Apr 16, 2023

Jackson Reese Alessi

SCENE:

Double Displacement

LOCATION:

High School To Be Named, East District

LOCATION:

August 2018 || Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Jackson, Hiachi, NPCs a la

miki and Brii

Double Displacement

It just kept becoming a bigger and bigger problem situation. He should be over the need to jump at every fucking colorful flame or disgustingly molten liquid-like substance but he could barely find it in him to even enter the chemistry lab. Months of meditation hadn’t done crap, and it wasn’t like he was going to be the pansy to admit that therapy might help. Not that he could afford it with the bills piling up. His mom’s savings were all that kept them afloat and she only got so much help with her medical insurance.

He’d only ever learned she had it after she’d been hospitalized anyways and fuck if he understood how she had a cops insurance. He’d only been gathering more and more questions it seemed and she still wasn’t lucid enough often enough to get a really story out of her. He could feel his throat closing up as he stood waiting at the door of the lab. He couldn’t get his damn feet to move.

“C’mon you piece of shit this shouldn’t be so damn hard…”

Yeah, even he felt like laughing at himself. He wished he still had someone around that would give him a good kick in the ass.

BriiAngelic · Apr 16, 2023

Jackson Reese Alessi

SCENE:

LOCATION:

ENP, East District

LOCATION:

??? || Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Jackson, Devin (

What

Another night another idiot to suck the cash out of. At least that’s what it should be. He felt his irritation spike as he heard the next “customer” lined up for his night. He looked the receptionist dead in the eye as he spoke.

“Run that back again.”

“Rose room, newbie. Clearly never did this before. Give him a good time make sure he comes back.”

Yeah that’s what he thought he heard. He hated newbies, they didn’t know what they wanted and drew out the process in an annoying way rather than a pleasurable way. He tried to look around the desk seeing if he could see any other rooms with waiting patrons, but got quickly swatted on the head.

“Song…”

“This has got to be a punishment. Are you even sure if he’s into dudes? Get one of the girls to service ‘em.”

The glare he received reminding him not to fuck with the one who dealt out clients. He started to rub the back of his head hoping that she wouldn’t decide he needed to be servicing only new customers for awhile to make up for it. He gave a half hearted smile before speaking again.

“Sorry sorry I know. I’ll make it good okay. Rose room, going.”

Wasn’t like it was her fault newbies got attracted to ENP. Meirin just ran the place that well. He figured it wasn’t going to be any less of a hassle if he prolonged appearing, especially since a newbie meant that he may have to walk the dude through prep. Welp, moneys money after all just had to bleed ‘em dry.

He took a few steps into the room quickly sizing up exactly how new this John was. Thank god he went with just the suit, this dude might have expired on the spot if he started with roleplay. Okay time to get the feel for this dude’s kinks. He hit a switch in the room that let out some of the scent of rose oil throughout the room.

“Hey there pretty boy, relax a bit and stay awhile why don’t you.”

He took a few steps forward reaching his hand out to trail it over his shoulders.

miki · Apr 16, 2023

Hiachi Ito

SCENE:

Drunk Walk Home

LOCATION:

Central, Alleyway

DATE:

Post Arc 3 | 1:05 AM

PARTICIPANTS:

Hiachi, Teddie

DRUNK WALK HOME

Hiachi tried to fight the fog in her consciousness as she heard a noise. Like the sound of someone drowning, but she wasn’t near the water. At least, not as far as she knew. Where am I again?

And yet it sent a chill through her body. A sense of wrongness seized her entirety, and she froze. An instinct that promised her that if she didn’t move, whatever the hell that sound was wouldn’t find her. An outdated instinct. Hiachi’s silhouette was visible because of the lights from the street. Her blood was shaking.

She couldn’t bring herself to look over her shoulder. She didn’t know what to do. She had made a mistake. She mistook her emptiness as something that needed to be fixed. She fixed nothing by drinking. She drank until she was drunk, and now where was she?

When she was asked for her name, she didn’t answer. Why should she? If a scary stranger asks for your name, you don’t give it to them. Her throat was dry.

But then there was something else. Warmth was blasted onto the side of her body facing the stranger. Like the sun coming out finally after a long, cloudy winter, or when she stuck her hands into the radiator one time after playing outside on the snow for hours. But that was a misplaced comfort.

“And what’s going on at this time, you’re all alone?”

Good question.

She was back on the carnival ride. Spinning, spinning. Stuck to the wall. The gravity stolen beneath her.

“All alone. All alone.”

It returned to drag her to the ground as she was kicked heavily in the back. She yelped in shock. Her knees and hands scraped the asphalt.

Deer are strong and nimble. In the family of Cervidae, where the creatures were known to be able to punt humans into oblivion. But in the headlights, there is nothing to stop a deer from being mangled by a man-made engine.

Something was on her bare arm. When she realized how hot it was, she screamed. Blood curdling scream—whatever the hell that meant. Whoever came up with that term was right, though. She felt bloody and curdled. Weak and an octave higher as she screamed and was ignored by the people beyond the alley.

She couldn’t help it, either. It hurt in a way that erupted from her chest and kept blaring through her nerves. Hiachi’s arm buckled under her weight and now she was only half-held up.

She seethed through her teeth. She wasn’t sobering up quick enough to do anything, think anything. You idiot, this is how girls your age die.

The warmth that was on her back was now at her side, crouched down and inspecting her. She couldn’t look up again. Something pressed up against her scalp. The indent of the muzzle of a pistol found its way into Hiachi’s head and her adrenaline spiked like it never had. Her mind raced with everything and was blank with nothing all at once.

“Talk to me.”

Speak up. Say something, or else. Do you want your last words to be screaming?[/color][/b]

“D-d-d…” She swallowed hard before hyperventilating. “...DON’T hurt me,” was all Hiachi could muster. The second words got out of her mouth, more came tumbling forward as the fortification of her thoughts fell. “I don’t have any-thing other than change, I… You don’t want me, I’m weak and I’m not pretty and—”

She paused.

“—Please don’t kill me.”

She didn’t know what she was talking about anymore. She was half awake and panicking. She couldn’t see past the vignette of drunken vision she had.

Roda the Red · Apr 16, 2023

ERIC EVENSEN

SCENE:

Ice Breakers

LOCATION:

New Oasis Police Department Floor 2 Break Room, Central District

TIME:

Post Arc 3 || June 25th, 2022

PARTICIPANTS:

Sebastian, Chikage, Kyoden, Jean, Tatsuo, Yelena, Inigo, Eric

ICE BREAKERS

Things hadn't been the best in the CDPD as of late to say the least. the losses they took that day, Eric still felt a little bit of guilt over it, thinking that perhaps, had he been a little more active, a little faster, he could have done more, even if it was only saving one more life, it would've been worth the effort a hundred times over. But there was no point in dwelling in the past, what was done, was done. To be fair, Eric had little interest in showing up at the department for any more time than it was necessary, had always been that way, to be honest, but now the feeling was stronger than ever. However, due to the endless pestering of a certain prosecutor, it looked like joining this supposed "Ice breaker" event was an inevitability.

Now, if he was going to face this unfortunate fate, he was not about to do it alone, others would help him shoulder the the harsh, agonizing torture known as putting in the effort. Eric dragged Jean with him to the meeting, after all, he liked the kid. She was a bright spirit, a good rookie with impeccable work ethic, initiative and an anwavering sense of duty and justice, the Detective could seriously see his young rookie self in her, the same passionate spirit to save the people and to turn this city into something other than a hellhole, he sincerely hoped that unlike him, her flame would never die out.

Eric entered the breakroom, relieved to see his usual partners sharing this horrible fate as well. Or perhaps, this wasn't so bad after all, as he saw the pizzas placed atop the countertop

"A man after my own heart, I see, but I prefer my dates to be more of a one-on-one thing, you know?" He gave Seb a small nod in order to return the warm welcome, getting comfortable on a nearby seat as he reached for a pen and a small paper. Something embarassing? This sprung forth one small issue, that Eric's sense of shame is nearly non-existant, what could he have possibly done in the past that he could consider embarassing? What most people consider embarassing, Eric tends to just see it as something sincerely hilarious. Oh, wait, there was that one time...Yeah, that could works. He placed the written paper into the magic hat, then serving himself a slice of pizza in each hand, his expression tensing up a little bit as his colleagues brought up the more serious topic.

"We will recover from this, one step at a time, for now let's just take a breather, shall we?

@Doctor Llamabean @Beann @Sei Shonagon

BriiAngelic · Apr 16, 2023

Jackson Reese Alessi

A Pledge to Tender Moments

SCENE:

LOCATION:

North District

LOCATION:

Janurary 31st, 2014 || Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Jackson, Kisara (

simj26 )

A Pledge to Tender Moments

His face stung from the punches that had landed. He didn’t even know why he stepped in when he saw her fighting. All he knew is that she and Bash were horrible influences on each other, not that he figured it would be much better if they hadn’t met… Still, he couldn’t stand by and watch her get jumped by a bunch of clearly older kids.

She did better than him though… Maybe he’d only really gotten in her way. He took solace in the fact that he at least took some of them down. He stared at her before realizing how awkward he was probably being. He felt his face start to heat up when he realized and turned back around suddenly not wanting to be facing her.

“You- You’re kinda dumb aren’tcha? Why didn’t you run? You were clearly outnumbered.”

He turned back around when the embarrassment was beaten back down and quickly recognized she must have taken a few hits herself that weren’t immediately recognizable with the pigment of her skin. He rushed forwards trying to get a closer look at her injuries.

“When the hell? Shit, you gotta get that looked at. Are you okay?”

He looked around at the pile of bodies still knocked out cold. Probably wouldn’t do well to be at a hospital if they got brought in after, not that he was going to help them there after the shit they pulled. Which really only left taking her to the best medic he knew, his mom.

“Listen, let’s getcha patched up. My mom knows a frightening amount of first aid, she’s a good as a doctor and won’t be charging so we can just head to my place.”

QuirkyAngel · Apr 16, 2023

Sabrina Felton

SCENE:

The Meaning of Music

LOCATION:

North District, Lab Icarus

TIME:

Pre Arc-3 | March 16th, 2022

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Sabrina

The Meaning of Music

Sabrina listened quietly to Sang-Cheol’s response, appraising the scientist who claimed to not understand music with consideration; It was no surprise really. Music had a different purpose for everyone. For some, it was just passing sounds on a radio. For others, it was a lifelong passion. She didn’t expect someone in a lab coat, who let logic and numbers rule their decisions, understand the things that touched her soul. Even within the pompous music industry, there were plenty that didn’t care for the music itself as much as what is popular and what would net them the most money.

The agency she’d signed a contract with was one of them.

“So…you want to get to know me, huh?” At least, that was what she got from his claiming her to be an “enigma”. Gray eyes flickered to the file he had of her on the counter. The way he’d complimented her made it sound like he’d already heard her sing. As if he knew what she wanted.

Scoffing, Sabrina jumped down from the stool, making her way to where the innocent file lay. She picked it up then promptly ripped it half, scattering pages to the wind. “Fine. Then listen closely.”

She had no instruments. No music backing her up. No stage lights. But none of that could stop her from using her voice to express herself if she wanted. Tapping her foot to the music in her head, Sabrina held an invisible microphone as her eyes flashed dangerously to Sang-Cheol. Then her lips parted, lyrics full of intent sounding throughout the room and beyond, demonstrating her strong vocals. The intensity of the songs she liked. The rawness of her emotions with every scream.

When she finally finished, Sabrina exhaled, running her red-nailed fingers through short, black tresses. If not for the alcohol, drugs, etc she would’ve gotten through that with much more ease…at a louder volume to boot.

“Being born in the North District has nothing to do with it. I just didn’t have the personality, or patience, to let others tell me how I should sing.” Or put up with a perky, spoiled princess. “As for expectations, I don’t have any–not anymore. I sing for myself, to get my message across, and don’t give a damn about what anyone else thinks of it. Music is how I express myself. My rage, my joys, my sorrows, my everything." Even after all her dreams failed, it was the one thing she couldn't let go. "Understand? Are we done here?”

Misuteeku

Misuteeku · Apr 16, 2023

Devin Cena

SCENE:

What

LOCATION:

ENP, East District

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Devin, Jackson

What

"Eh?" The light suddenly went out. Was there a power outage in the building? The faint smell of rise tickled Devin's nose, which made him even more confused. Suddenly, a voice talked from behind him. The tone was confident and flirtatious. Yet that wasn't what sent a shiver down his spine. It was the content of the words that were said. Devin always thought himself to be unappealing. Short in height, shy in personality, and average in looks. Those descriptors didn't describe attractive at all.

A hand brushed his shoulder. "EEEP!" He whipped around to find a well-dress, blonde hair, handsome young man standing right behind him. Everything, aside from height, that wasn't him. Devin was slightly stunned for a moment. His face flushed as everything started to reel in. This was a brothel. Not a hotel. A brothel. The attractive, well-dressed man in front of him was a prostitute, coming at him with the intention of initiating sex.

George's vine rustled on his back, but Devin quickly controlled him to fall back to sleep. The last thing he wanted was for George to cause a ruckus right now.

If Devin had been literally anyone else, maybe they would have gone along with that. Devin, being the rat he was, immediately backed away from the prostitute. Words failed to come out of Devin. What was he supposed to say to get out of this situation? 'Sorry, there was a mistake. I don't want to have sex.' On second thought, he probably should say that to de-escalate the situation. Okay, here goes.

"I-I, um," Devin said as he continued to back away from the prostitute. Words were hard to muster, but he had to do to save himself. "L-L-Look. There was a mistake- I." Before he could finish his sentence, he bumped into something. Taking a look down at his feet, he noticed that he had bumped onto the edge of the bed. The edge of the bed.

Misuteeku · Apr 16, 2023

Sang-Cheol Man

SCENE:

The Meaning of Music

LOCATION:

North District, Lab Icarus

TIME:

Pre Arc-3 | March 16th, 2022

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Sabrina

The Meaning of Music

Sang-Cheol's perked up when he heard Sabrina speak up. "Get to know you?" Sang-Cheol whispered to himself. What did she exactly mean by that? That question, however, was soon answered by a harmonized tone. Now Sang-Cheol was meeting Sabrina's eyes. She was singing. Sang-Cheol didn't know why, but he always assumed that Sabrina would have rebuffed and gone through with the blood withdrawal.

Sabrina's words... were powerful. Spoken with raw emotion, Sang-Cheol could feel it through his ears. A feeling of rebellion along with the pride of a lion. It was hard to tell if Sabrina was talking to him or was talking to someone else. "You think you know me?" and "But you don't get me," spoke as if directed at Sang-Cheol and that phantom person. However, there was a definite answer found within the lyrics. Sabrina was her own master. She wouldn't bow down, nor will she let go of that pride.

After a long time, Sang-Cheol felt something. Was it because he was the one in the front row of this imaginary concert? Was it because Sabrina's song managed to evoke something out of this cold shell of a body? Or... Perhaps he never lost this feeling, to begin with. As if finding that lost feeling was in his pocket all along. The silence was all Sang-Cheol could give before he turned off to the side.

"Yeah. You may go. I think I'm unable to properly withdraw blood right now." That was all he said. Sabrina was truly a Serpent in every sense of the word. Unrelentingly selfish and embracing the freedom that came along with it. After all, what was the point of being a musician, if they were going to be played like a doll on television? At least, Sang-Cheol finally understood to some extent, the enigma known as Sabrina. He may not know the entire story, but he understood that Sabrina loved music. That was pretty much all he was required to know.

Whether her words would age like wine or milk had yet to be seen. Though, he'd at least look forward to listening in if he could.

Before she would leave, Sang-Cheol spoke up. "Your music... It wasn't bad." That was a lie. Sang-Cheol actually liked it quite a lot. Even if it hurt his brain, the scientist enjoyed listening to the song.

BriiAngelic · Apr 16, 2023

Jackson Reese Alessi

SCENE:

LOCATION:

ENP, East District

DATE:

??? || Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Jackson, Devin (

What

A nervous one huh? Ha, he could have fun with this one. He followed like a cat toying with it’s prey approaching slowly to not spook his little visitor. He managed to make it to the edge of the bed and Jackson reached out his hand to lightly push the smaller dude onto the bed.

“Shushhh, calm down sweetie no need to get flustered. Mistakes can be pretty fun too right? This your first time with a guy?”

He climbed onto the bed with one knee pressing into the upper thigh of his customer and another resting on the bed below them both. With one hand he yanked the other by the tie loosening it off the other while still using it more like a collar and leash for the other. He leaned in close whispering in the other’s ear.

“Just tell me what you want and it’ll be a grand night, but if you have any hard nos you’re gonna need to speak up now sweetie. Or we could just go slowly if you’re not sure.”

The lingering smell of rose wasn’t doing enough to mask the sulfury smell of death coming off him. He found his nose wrinkling even as he tried to keep his expression even. Its a good thing this room had baths for prep because he was going to drown this customer in the damn body wash. What the hell had he come from?

Ramjammer · Apr 16, 2023

I Would Like to See Your Permit

Lorette LècuyerCS LINK

Scene:I Would Like to see your Permit.

Time:December 2021, Night.

Location:Lower Central, Public Square.

Participants:Eric, Lorette.

The sudden chill creeping up her neck could not be attributed to the cold. Not when she had a scarf wound so tightly around it. Something warranted Lorette's notice. That was never a good thing.

Lorette had always been perceptive, but it was not a skill she'd ever attributed to her own talent. No, a feral paranoia came bundled with the Beast shackled to her existence. The woman had always viewed it as something apart from her when she wasn't wearing its skin. Whatever it was, it did not speak, but neither did it rest. She would never call it a blessing or a gift. That was far too gracious a title for something so utterly inhuman. The nameless thing lurking just under Lorette's skin was both Demon and a curse. Though one, she always made sure to turn outwards.

A surreptitious glance around the square didn't reveal anything to her, but that did not mean she was in any way safe. Few were the things brave enough to call her prey. But those few things were exceedingly dangerous. Whenever the Beast rattled its chains, Lorette listened. And it was telling her it was time to go.

A shame that she had to be pulled away so soon, but it was best not to linger for very long. Loud and insistent children surrounded her, but not without the shadow of their guardians looming over them. Lorette had taken special care to focus mainly on the adults during the conversation. If not to avoid any suspicion, then because a woman in her fifties chatting up a group of kids was creepy as hell.

The questions posed by the very scruffy and somewhat exhausted-looking men and women hadn't amused Lorette as much as those of the children. They knew the stakes and understood well what the risk of trusting her might entail. Their young charges were still innocent to the world's horrid state at large. It was best if they could be sheltered by it for a while longer.

At another time, Lorette would have mollified them with a string of well-crafted lies. They didn't have to believe her. To think her trustworthy. They demanded something tangible, and Lorette would offer results. However, they would come years down the line. It was fair that they didn't want to wait around for whatever Lorette promised; she couldn't entirely blame them for their wariness.

The sensation needling at the back of her neck had only grown in intensity, and Lorette pushed down the urge to bolt then and there. Sprinting out of the square would be a hell of a way to garner suspicion about herself, so the woman steeled her nerves and started passing out business cards. She promised to send people down to survey the area and speak with the locals before flashing a wan smile at the children and making her exit. Lorette doubted that anyone she'd spoken to would remember her. She felt that it was better that way.

There was only one exit resting in the direction that Lorette was heading in, and in complete defiance of her need to get the fuck out of there, it was packed with bodies flowing in and out of the square. The chill down her spine grew more intense, and something clawed beneath her skin. It was becoming more irate, and so Lorette quickened her pace. The sooner she got out of the square, the sooner it would settle down and return to sleep.

Roda the Red

Misuteeku · Apr 16, 2023

Devin Cena

SCENE:

What

LOCATION:

ENP, East District

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Devin, Jackson

What

Devin let out a squeal as he was pushed onto the bed. He opened his amber eyes to meet crystal clear blue eyes. The prostitute's face was so close to him right now. Maybe, he imagined it, but he could feel the hot breath tickling his cheeks. Now, Devin was in a state of emergency. His mind was a jumble as it tried to calculate the right solution to this complex problem.

A tug on his tie and a knee on his thigh. Devin felt something strange below, but for the sake of what little dignity was left, he opted to ignore it. His mind had come back to him with an answer. ERROR. He needed more room to think! Devin turned his head away from blonde hair man's face as the prostitute leaned closer to whisper. It was a vain attempt to create distance, but he also didn't want to look at the face.

He was given an opportunity. An escape from this situation. Perhaps that prostitute had realized how uncomfortable he was. Whatever the case, he was considering becoming religious because this was a miracle he needed right now. "About that, can I have some distance-" Devin moved to push against the prostitute, but one of his hands landed in the wrong place. His left hand managed to grasp the prostitute's shoulder. His right hand...

Landed straight onto the man's chest. He could feel the prostitute's heartbeat beneath all the cloth bumping against his hand.

"Ah..." All thought processes ceased to exist in Devin's head. A fierce blush ran down his cheeks, and Devin closed his eyes. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH." In the next second, the prostitute met face-to-face with George. The plant was not as timid nor gentle as Devin. With a sound similar to the rustling leaves escaping the plant's mouth, a multitude of vines left Devin's back.

They wrapped around the prostitute's wrists, legs, and throat. When Devin opened his eyes again, he found he and the prostitute had changed positions. Now he was the one on top while the prostitute was on the bottom. Devin was completely speechless. Somehow his hands were still holding onto the prostitute. When his leg grazed against the prostitute's thigh, it snapped Devin out of his thoughts. "G-George! What are you doing!?" He screamed at the plant. If this was a cartoon, steam would have erupted from the plant host's ears.

Unfortunately, George didn't understand the situation at all. For what it knew, the prostitute was 'attacking' its host. Finding its host ungrateful for its assistance, the plant growled back at him.

BriiAngelic · Apr 16, 2023

CAIO SANTANA COELHO

SCENE:

Test Drive

LOCATION:

Copper's Bar, North District

TIME:

2019, Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Darius (

WhiskeyMarten ), Caio

TEST DRIVE

He took the offered long island and immediately downed it showing just how much of a night he was already having. With a grin that was just a little too wide, showing off the fact that he was already buzzed at the least, he brought his empty glass to clank against Darius’s still full one.

“C’mmon drink up. Can’t be more sober than your queen can ya.”

He wasn’t completely gone of course and would never leave himself vulnerable like that, especially against someone who could if the rumors were true decay flesh with a touch. He knew how to play up how drunk he actually was, even if he wasn’t apparently smart enough to actually avoid becoming buzzed when waiting on the elusive other.

“What’s your name kid. Honest name, none of this Contanimated shit. See cause a little birdie told me quite a bit of information on you. All of which I find quite interesting.”

He threw his arm around the other aiming to get a hold of Darius to stop him from any attempts he may make to escape. He’d been visiting this little dive too often for his liking and now he was too buzzed to confidently say he’d win a race.

BriiAngelic · Apr 16, 2023

Jackson Reese Alessi

SCENE:

LOCATION:

ENP, East District

DATE:

??? || Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Jackson, Devin (

What

He was ready to ease up as the other asked for distance and let his hand drop the tie it’d been gripping. He was ready to shift his weight back and give the other some room to breathe and process the obviously new feelings he was experiencing. Couldn’t fault the dude for having his awakening he’d gone and walked a few through it and he was certainly one of the best at it. But for a man wanting less contact his body sure disagreed.

“You’ll need to let go then-”

He’d barely got through the sentence before he heard the other start screaming. This was a punishment, this was divine punishment. He figured it wasn’t going to be an easy time. Without missing a beat he soon found his limbs entangled in some form of vine before being shoved back onto the bed.

Ah fuck he was an HP.

He considered screaming out knowing each room was well equipped with cameras and protections. It wouldn’t take much at all to call for the staff to get the dude off him. Heck being assaulted by a patron usually meant a cool day off as well for the full-timers. Still, it didn’t seem the other wanted this or even expected it from the way he seemed to be talking to his own vines.

A chimeric perhaps?

“Hey sweetie, if you wanted to change positions all you had to do was ask. Still, you know this place has cameras right? You’re gonna need to calm down and let me go so we can establish limits or the staff is going to be very quick to come knocking this place in. I guarantee you’re not gonna want to deal with that, okay? ‘Nd next time disclose that you’re an HP. It's not a problem, I am too, but some of our girls are a lil more frail. No pulling this shit out as a surprise.”

miki · Apr 16, 2023

Hiachi Ito

SCENE:

Double Displacement

LOCATION:

Unnamed High School, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hiachi, Jackson, NPCs

Double Displacement

Hiachi was beginning to think that high school was not nearly as bad as her brothers had made it out to be. She remembered the argument they had when he had come to visit during summer break—It started with them teasing her about the bullies and cliques, tormenting her with cliched examples of high school culture, and it ended with Hiachi screaming and kicking her legs while Kenki hoisted her up in the air and laughed at her.

But it wasn’t like that at all. Everyone looked the same—aside from gaining some height, or changing clothes a little bit. They acted the same, too. Sure, some people were trying to act more ‘mature’ or ‘cool’, but it all felt the same.

This news was excellent for Hiachi. She just needed to get through high school as uneventfully as possible, and then it was finally over. She would move out of her parent’s house, go to college, and finally be freed from her mother’s petty comments wearing down her shoulders.

The first week of school had gone pretty smoothly. Jang-Mi wasn’t in any of her classes except for English, but Hiachi didn’t feel the need to try and make more friends. Why disturb what was already going well?

All she had to do was get through high school. Easy peasy.

She walked down the hall, chemistry textbook in hand and on the verge of running late. She had lost track of time at her locker, but everything would be fine as long as nothing was in her way. So it was only natural that something would be in her way.

There was a boy at the entrance of the classroom. Hiachi could only see his back, but she could see he had a blond undercut and piercings. She had seen him before, but he definitely hadn't gone to the middle school. He wasn’t moving; instead, he was mumbling to himself.

Hiachi didn’t want to annoy him, but she really didn’t want to be late to her class. The best option, she figured, was to not talk to him at all and just try to squeeze past him. So she tried her best to move past him, her shoulder brushing his arm in the process. She hadn't meant to be aggressive, but she cared a lot more about getting in the class than being polite. Surely, whoever this boy was would understand.

Misuteeku · Apr 16, 2023

Devin Cena

SCENE:

What

LOCATION:

ENP, East District

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Devin, Jackson

What

"Huh. Oh, y-yea." In an instant, the plant host made an effort to control George. George was awfully compliant; the vines released their hold on the prostitute and moved back into Devin's spine. Before following the vines, George headbutted Devin, hissed at the prostitute, and then returned back into hiding in Devin's spine. There was a hole in Devin's shirt where George burst out from. Now it was just the two of them.

Immediately, Devin went to get off the prostitute. "I-I'm so sorry." Kneeling down on both legs, Devin apologized profusely to the prostitute. He didn't know anything about brothels or the ENP at all! How was he supposed to know all the procedures of a brothel? He didn't know he had to inform a prostitute whether he was an HP or not. Back in the North, someone would sometimes go for a mug unprompted.

No amount of excuses would save him. It wasn't weird for an establishment such as a brothel to have cameras in their rooms, but currently, as things stand, he was the one who technically assaulted the prostitute. Devin was sweating bullets as he thought of the repercussions of his mistakes. Was he going to get exiled from the Dragons? Was Isaiah going to personally hunt him down? Would he pay for his life? Was he going to die?

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." That was all Devin said for the past few seconds. It was starting to get hard to breathe right now. A surge of pain from his spine, though, calmed him down. The plant, George, that lived inside his nervous system, controlled most of his bodily functions. Thanks to that, Devin looked back at the prostitute. It may sound redundant, but he might as well ask.

"Are you hurt?" Devin didn't move to check out of fear of hurting the prostitute again. He could still see line marks where George had grabbed the prostitute roughly. It shouldn't leave a lasting mark, but it was uncomfortable to see the result of his mistake right in front of him.

BriiAngelic · Apr 16, 2023

Jackson Reese Alessi

SCENE:

LOCATION:

ENP, East District

DATE:

??? || Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Jackson, Devin (

What

He let out a sigh as he was released from the vine bondage. He was quick to make a quick sign to the cameras of everything being green. The retraction of the vines made it clear that there was some form of chimeric situation going on with this one. The other flew off him immediately and he could hear the quick apologies being thrown around.

So not a kink then, and definitely an accident?

He rubbed at lines left as indents in his skin. Yeah, that was going to be a bother for a while. Still, he was less concerned about that and more concerned that his customer didn’t seem to be breathing properly. He wondered if an anxiety attack was worse or better than generalized gay panic mid-session.

“Calm down, breathe Sweetheart. A little roughing up isn’t an issue with proper consent. Now let's bring it back a bit and relax.”

He came to the sudden realization that that thing was likely what was the cause of the smell, especially as it was much more potent when it was up in his face. He sighed from his revelation and pushed off the bed. With the realization that this may take a while, he made his way to the mini fridge in the room and grabbed himself and his customer a water bottle each. After strolling back he offered one to the other.

“Here, relax. Drink some water and breathe for me. Let’s do a little check-in. First, especially since we're pausing how about you tell me what you want to be called? Secondly, that was clearly an accident, but was it an accident you like and want to repeat or was it something you didn’t like and now you want to stop?”

miki · Apr 16, 2023

Hiachi Ito

SCENE:

St. Steinburg's Maiden Voyage

LOCATION:

Port, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Elias, Zach, Taka, Yushui, Kairong, Hiachi, Tak, Sebastian

St. Steinburg's Maiden Voyage

”What is wrong with him?”

You know, Hiachi asked herself that question a lot. What the hell is wrong with Tak? She hadn’t deciphered it yet. She had watched him launch himself to impassioned delusions and speeches more times than she could count.

But this woman didn’t know that—she had made the comment as an off-hand insult akin to small talk. And mentioning any connection to him would probably end with her snatching her heavy bag and walking away, not wanting to let such freaks handle her stuff. If there were tips to be won, Hiachi wanted them.

Hiachi folded her hands behind her back and grimaced at Tak before tilting her head towards the blonde. “Um, I’m not sure—maybe he’s an asylum escapee,” She rambled, unaware that her specificity made her look even more suspicious. “Do you need help with your bag? I’m sure you would like to get on the boat as soon as possible.”

As she offered the woman her hand, Hiachi was careful to not let her see the indent of the gun holsted on the back side of her shirt. It was an awkward motion, but she had started to get used to it. It had almost been a little over a month since she started carrying it around.

She kept her face neutral as she faced the sneering blonde. It took a lot of effort to keep herself from defaulting to her own glare, but she needed that friendly disposition if she wanted to be paid. No matter how unsettled this woman’s judgements and comments made her, she would just remain neutral.

tityanya

angel doe · Apr 16, 2023

amari

SCENE:

ain't that a kick

TIME:

vague shrug

LOCATION:

garden, east district

PARTICIPANTS:

devin, amari

ain't that a kick

Amari's expression went completely deadpan as the plant burst from the ground, towering over her, “Ain't no way this plant tryin' ta fight me."

This was the last thing Amari wanted to deal with, especially on her day off. She was supposed to be having a relaxing day out and this was far from relaxing. She really needed to get out of there but was given very little time to think of anything as the plant charged at her, smashing its massive head into the floor. Amari leaped back like a startled cat, a long list of expletives spilling from her mouth as she scrambled away.

And damn, was Amari glad they had moved when they did, watching as the plant swept around and swung at the spot they had been standing moments ago. Amari was completely silent, lips pressed together as they considered their next move, "I don't got time fer this," a low growl rumbled at the back of their throat, “Oh FUCK this, there ain't no goddamn way I'm dealin' with ya right now."

Amari scanned the area for where she had entered and, realizing it was on the other side of this large plant creature, devised a quick plan- sort of. The plan was to run. Her arms and legs morphed into something much more wolf-like and without a second thought, Amari sprinted at breakneck speed past the plant and its host. She kept an eye out for any vines that might potentially come her way, ready to lash out and deflect if needed.

Misuteeku

Misuteeku · Apr 16, 2023

Devin Cena

SCENE:

What

LOCATION:

ENP, East District

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Devin, Jackson

What

Devin just stayed silent as he looked down guiltily at the bed. Following the prostitute's advice, he took counted deep breaths. Usually, when he underwent extreme stress, George would inflict pain throughout his body to calm him down. However, this was by his request. Devin had read before that pain would help calm the mind by making it the direct focus. That being said, it seemed unnecessary at the moment. Slowly, he calmed down, and the rustling of his heart started to fade.

"Ah." A water bottle sound found itself in his hands as the prostitute handed him one. It was a refreshing cold compared to his heated skin. Taking off the cap, he immediately chugged down the water bottle as if he was a raging alcoholic. After finishing the entire bottle of water, Devin took a deep breath. Despite drinking the entire bottle, he still felt parched. Devin looked back at the prostitute. Only to immediately look away as he didn't have the courage to look the man he almost killed in the eyes.

"M-My name? I-It's Devin." Devin said quickly. The way casually the prostitute casually talked to him as if he wasn't almost murdered made the chimeric flustered. Though when the prostitute asks him a second time, Devin was about to agree to the latter but stopped midway.

It... It wasn't too bad.

Now that he thought about it, other than George surprising him midway, Devin didn't find the idea too horribly bad. In fact, some part of him kind of liked it. It felt surprisingly refreshing to have some sort of power in his life. Most of the time, he got bullied around by other people, so it was definitely a new experience. Though upon exploring this train of thought, Devin realized he was going down a rabbit hole. His cheeks flushed once more at the apparent degeneracy he was delving into.

"I-I- I don't know." Devin finally said. What the hell was he thinking? Only a freak would think of this kind of stuff. "A-anyways. I'm really sorry. I really am." Biting his lip, Devin got up from the bed. "I-I'm probably going to be banned from this establishment. S-Sorry for the trouble."

Misuteeku · Apr 16, 2023

Devin Cena