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

[AriAriAbabwa]

Jesper Albrecht

CS Link

SCENE:

Rain on the Mountaintop

TIME:

Post-Arc 3, Timeskip 1 | June 28th

LOCATION:

Borgo Orecchiette, Fusilli

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Jackson, Jesper, Pascal, Milo, Gav

Rain on the Mountaintop

Jesper awakened from his trance only thanks to Jackson. He was blindly following with the group after Passeri Park, glossing over the entire banquet in her stunning beauty. When Jackson launched a flurry of words at him, his ears finally kicked back into action. "Serpent? Bomber?" Dazed, Jesper parroted after him. "Bathroom?!" What in the world was he on about?

Actually... when did they come into this room? What happened to him?

Jesper felt a shiver down his spine—that wasn't good! He almost lost control!

Fortunately, there was the entire array of food to focus on instead. Compared Jackson and the other lively guest he overheard, the feast didn't stir much of a reaction out of him. It was the same old, same old; a lot of it was going to be thrown out anyway. Truthfully, he would have preferred fast food and soda.

Taking a plate, he automatically went for the things he knew appealed to his taste buds. Jesper's real thoughts remained on Passeri Park... such an enchanting aura up close. It was as if she cast a spell that gripped all his attention; he felt it at her concerts, but it was a different beast within arm's length.

"Hey Passeri, why don’t you come join us? My friend here’s been your long-time fan, he has some questions on your songs.”

"Wh-What are you doing?" he snapped in a whisper. "Not while we're eating! We'll look like—"

Her voice brought Jesper to his feet, akin to a drill sergeant and his trainees. Like an angel descended from the clouds, Passeri Park stood closer to him than he ever could have dreamed.

My name... She said my name. She said my name! SHE SAID MY NAME! Was I recording? I wasn't recording! IWASN'TRECORDING! Outwardly, Jesper deflated from a monumentous joy to grieving misery in moments. He stared at his partner. Stupid Jackson! It was his fault he wasn't paying attention and couldn't hit the voice recorder...

But that wasn't the major concern! The whole pretense Jackson called her over was that Jesper had a question! And he didn't! He'd have to make up one on the spot and avoid utter embarrassment! "Whabba can uh huh buh boo buh ben to the, the stars?"

Mentally, he blanked out.

Countenance melting into a pitiful plead, he asked, "Can I shake your hand...?"

She obliged in her usual, idol fashion. Jesper forgot what reason and rationality were. All his mind lingered on was her touch—not in a creepy perverted way, but as if God himself personally blessed the boy and freed him of alls in. Sandwiching her hand with both of his, his eyes sparkled with newfound energy.

"I own 326 total items from your entire merchandise line!" he said, glimmering as if that would impress her.

The One Eyed Bandit BriiAngelic

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

CORVO CORDESCO

CS Link

SCENE:

Fell And Cruel Hounds

LOCATION:

Actaeon's Rest

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Dagger, Corvo, Musai, Zach, Yushui

Fell And Cruel Hounds

Corvo would have liked more ample prep time, but life rarely provided such a luxury. Today was one such case, as the client's hunters intruded in a spectacular fashion.

When he called out the sniper, she said, "Sounds like your fight, Crow."

But even in the fast-paced attempt Elise made to curb their relentlessness... it appeared all for naught.

Corvo followed her with Crow and watched her drop to the floor. An empty feeling followed, making her look away from the supposed cadaver. Just when she thought she was getting to know the mysterious woman better...

But now was no time to linger on death, an HP's durability, and if seeing was really believing.

Corvo ran after her Phoenix ally, getting out of range as the elevator unleashed a horde of soldiers making swiss cheese out of the penthouse. They'd left Lily and the others behind at Elise's behest, and now they could only fend for themselves.

She stared out at the dreadful sight as Zach suggested his own ideas. If their client was dead, there was no point in sticking around. Yet... part of Corvo wanted to see this through. Call it honor, but she didn't wish to let the murderers of an acquaintance get away again. "They don't want us to leave alive. It's a matter of survival now, and that Lily is burning them naked just for us. I'd hate to let her efforts go in vain."

The first objective seemed pretty clear. "We need to clear those soldiers out." As if on cue, Zach activated one of his smoke bombs. The entire room filled with blinding gas, and to Corvo, it was perfect. "I'm going behind them. You pick off the stragglers—whoever wanders from the group into your smoke."

She recalled the layout of the room; the overhang above the elevator entrance, and the walkway to the side. Corvo left him there, disappearing into the fog with only her senses other than sight to go by...

And as the soldiers became more cautious when their vision failed (and they realized their exposed nature), the one at the far back went silent. He hadn't a chance to scream as a knife plunged in the side of his neck, forcing him flat on the ground. Corvo pulled the knife out and went to the next one; she struck him in the same spot, this time holding him against her by his head—a human shield.

Clutching his uzi before it hit the ground, she took aim at the other soldiers as the smoke steadily dissipated, and fired.

@simj26 The One Eyed Bandit @QuirkyAngel ATurei

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

JOZEF DAALMAN

CS Link

SCENE:

The Trials of Belial

LOCATION:

Dorm room, New Oasis Central University

PARTICIPANTS:

Gideon, Jozef

THE TRIALS OF BELIAL

It took effort for Jozef to fight the instinct to laugh at himself playing the great demon “Bechámel”, but he managed it, face only quivering slightly. It would be easier if he could see Gideon, Jozef thought to himself, and so he allowed one eye to open just a bit, just enough to see his friend stand in front of him as he made his requests. The most terrifying villain in New Oasis? Sure, buddy. Gideon was as predictable as ever. But then, Jozef couldn’t help but smile a bit hearing his name. He was so sweet, he’d make sure to show his gratitude when he was himself again.

For now, his smile dissipated as he let a deep “HA!” out. Taking a step forward, he grabbed the collar of his roommate's shirt with a stiff, but strong movement, bringing him closer. He couldn’t stop playing the part now.

“YOUR FRIEND, “JOZEF”, HE IS A FOOL.” He choked the words out as though he were fighting a force in his throat to push them through. “GIVING UP HIS BODY SO EASILY. AND WHAT A FINE, YOUNG, HEALTHY BODY IT IS.” Is that what demons valued? No clue!

“BUT BRINGING ME HERE… I MUST MAKE YOUR DEAL, BUT YOU MUST GIVE SOMETHING UP IN RETURN” Jozef snarled and snorted. Were those demonic noises?

“MAKE YOUR OFFER, AND MAKE IT WISELY.” He would’ve loved to give Gideon all that he asked for and be done with it, but he knew the villain wasn’t stupid. If Jozef knew anything about demons, he knew they were no pushovers. Gideon wouldn’t get his desires so easily.

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

DARIUS KENNEDY

CS Link

SCENE:

Blurred Borders

LOCATION:

Hartswan Terrace, North District

TIME:

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

PARTICIPANTS:

Darius, Celestine

BLURRED BORDERS

Darius continued to feel warm blood drip onto his body as he stabbed the woman, now desperate to be done with it, but some solace came when a hand hovered over his eyes. He instinctively recoiled from the hand, shutting his eyes, but it was not there to harm him, but rather to shield him as Celeste finished the job. Darius winced upon hearing the sickening crunch of bone and only opened his eyes again when he could no longer feel the weight of the armoured woman against him. While Celeste recomposed herself, Darius lay in shock, before kicking away and backing himself into a corner.

“Oh God… They’re all…” Even being a rookie who was new to this particular kind of job, Darius was no stranger to death and knew already this was a likely outcome of their mission, but he couldn’t look away from the shocking scene in front of him. “It’s not your fault, it’s part of the job, isn’t it.” His voice wavered and he couldn’t stop himself from loudly sobbing, placing his aching, shaking hands up to his face.

“I- We need to-” Overcome with more sobs, Darius paused for a moment, before choking out his best attempt at regaining control of the situation. “We need to bring them back, r-right?”

This wasn’t who he was meant to be. He was lost. And he knew that.

 

[Saturn_moon]

Isobel Pham

SCENE:

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

LOCATION:

Paragon's Hall, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Markus, Roland, Isobel

The concrete that breaks our fall

Icy stalagmites emerged from the ground, swallowing Roland whole like the maw of a great unknown beast. There was a long pause, almost uncomfortably so. The audience had gone quiet as they watched in anticipation with the exception of a few curious and confused murmurs.

"He's been in there a while..."

"Is that it?"

"Did Markus w-"

A boom echoed through the stadium as thousands of tiny ice shards burst out in every direction from the prison Markus had made. They struck the walls of the arena with such force it formed cracks in the glass causing the audience in the first row to instinctively step back in concern. Isobel who had been caught in the ocean of people was now properly suffocating as the crowd pushed in tighter, crushing her like an empty drink can. In a panic, she began to force her way through the barricade of human bodies, her homo potentialis abilities giving her just enough strength to complete the feat.

When she emerged, Isobel found herself at the front of it all and able to see what was happening for the first time this entire fight. Where Roland had been trapped before, there was only a smoking crater left in it's wake. Roland himself had somehow materialized on the other end of the arena behind his opponent, looking like a picture of calm even with frost coating the ends of his hair and eyelashes.

She saw his lips move but couldn't hear the words. The next thing she knew, he was raining a flurry of rapid punches and kicks down on the boy with the blue streak in his hair.

What Isobel and no one in the audience heard Roland say was "I'm sorry I had to be your enemy." But Markus certainly heard it.

Elenion Aura

 

[Haze-]

Dante Aguilar

CS Link

SCENE:

If Something Tastes Funny, Try It Again

TIME:

May 6th, 2022 || Pre-Arc 3

LOCATION:

Central District

INTERACTIONS:

Nao ( tityanya ), Tak ( thebigfella ), Dante

If Something Tastes Funny, Try It Again

‘She’s a bit of a freak,’ was definitely up there in the list of things you wouldn’t want to hear when arriving at a party.

Dante listened to Tak speaking almost longingly about his time with this woman, ears strained as they were with the over-head lights burning a silhouette into his eyes. He pressed a hand to his forehead, shutting an eye; yet his lips eventually ended turning up to a half-grin that he beamed at the back of Tak’s head.

He sounded like he trusted her— no, like he truly trusted her. And words of trust from someone as genuine as Tak were enough for him to trust her too. He’d be looking out for something bubbling at the bottom of his drink, but he’d trust her nonetheless.

The suddenness of every flash that came with every step felt like someone had been tightening a steel band around his temple. His eyes flared with a waning tic of golden yellow, a low half-shudder of pain racked him; he was holding back a hiss.

“My choice to drink it? Ha. Ha. Ha.” — He felt his jaw tighten, to a grimace, Dante gave him his infamous ‘death stare.’ — “You’re so fuckin’ funny, man, ‘s anyone ever told you that?”

He was disappointed in himself, really. Thinking that Tak would take full responsibility for whatever happened to the friend he'd invited. Such foolishness…

“That’d be one hell of a sign to go sober, though…” — He was already used to that numb high, that feeling of being so shoot up with drugs that the whole of your body stops functioning. That complete suffocation of the senses, that feeling of not feeling a damn thing.

Not because he’d been stupid enough to take a drink from strangers; he always felt that way after bringing out all three of the wolves.

He started thinking, as intrusive as the thought was— how would he end up feeling that way tonight? It rang sharp in his mind as he walked, turning his gaze vacant and thoughtless. It came with a frisson of nerve, a dazzling feeling, it was. Tingling under the skin like pins and needles, a mindless buzz that dragged itself across.

His hand tensed up, forming a fist with animalistic startle, the ringing was slowly fading into screams. The same ones he’d heard last night.

Then his sides heaved with a pain, from his bandaged-up wounds that stretched as he walked. He finally let out that hiss he’d been holding onto, rubbing his eyes, reminding himself that he wasn’t at work today— he was with a friend. No wolves. No screams. No bloody hands.

Not tonight.

He sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose.

Once they eventually got to the front-end of the line, Dante handed out his ID at the walking suit guarding the door. His eyes went somewhere else as the guard checked it, like the walls’d been looking mighty intriguing that night in particular. He side-eyed the bulky man after a beat, realizing that this wasn’t supposed to be taking a beat at all. The man was looking at him with suspicion crinkling his already stern face.

Dante clicked his tongue, a quick nod and an ‘Oh,’ as he remembered he’d taken the photo shown on the ID with his hair tied back. The tattooed man slicked the mop of dark hair back, showing his clear, pale factions to the bouncer.

With that, the man’s face softened and he chuckled, gesturing him in — “Aye, boss…”

Stepping in, Dante couldn’t help but look back at the imposing figure of the man’s turned back as he came back to his post. Not a mention of his wounds, no nothing.

It was eyebrow raising, to say the least.

Not that he stopped to think about it anymore than that, maybe they were just letting anyone in to fill in the place as much as possible. A good party was a full party, after all.

Dante looked on at the moving sea of bodies claiming the dance floor. Each of them wore their party animal tonight, loud on them like a weathered billboard jutting out of the highway.

A broad frame of light smoke cowled the strobing lights and a tingle of alcohol sweetened on his nose, he was starting to feel it now, the rumble of the music— he was acclimating to it. Nudging elbows, weaving bodies, dodging drinks; he made his way to Tak’s side.

“You’d be surprised with how much shit goes down at a rando’s basement in the ‘low-life’ parts of Central.”— He commented, raising his voice, loud enough so that it wouldn’t get drowned out — “Hell, you’re a tiger— you shouldn’t be too surprised by now.”

As Dante had begun to mindlessly bump his head ever-so-slightly to the beat, Tak spoke out. He snapped his head towards him, allowing a beat of thought-silence to settle in, turning his head to the side almost like a dog.

He figured the place was dark. Dark enough for Tak to not make anyone out of the mass of bodies. In Dante’s eyes, he could see them all clear as day.

Finally, he replied— “Don’t you have her numb—“— Immediately jumping, the words fell out of his mouth.

Boo, here she was. Apparently.

Dante’s lips tilted, half-annoyed-half-observant. He gave her a good look with those golden eyes of his, a quick once-over to her vibrant red dress and up to the drink in her hand. That look immediately faded as he beared down on himself, pulling at the plain sweater he wore with a frown, a groan rumbling on his chest — “Man, you should’ve told me everybody was gonna be dressing all fancy— I would’ve busted out the suit…”

Sighing, he looked over to the woman clinging to Tak, giving her the usual amiable first smile. He was still working on polishing that one

“Yo,”— He raised the one and only good hand out of his pocket — “I’m Dante. Tak’s friend.”

For a second his eyes glazed over hers, then over her shoulder. Over to the event horizon, to the nonstop, skin to skin thrashing at the dance floor. He’d heard coke fiending, he’d heard drug money, and he’d heard holding orphans for ransom. So far, at least. Dante was on the lookout for any signs, anything that screamed trouble about her.

Drug fiends had a noticeable tick to them, they were restless. He knew that.

“You’re, uhh…Nao…? Right?”— He asked, raising a brow.

“Sorry for being a crasher and all, but this dumbass just invited me out of the blue and I couldn’t just leave him on his own at a place like this.”

“You’re no organ harvester, are you?”

The question was equal parts serious and equal parts jest.

 

[Ramjammer]

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.)

---

"I want to not be weak anymore."

A simple desire. One common to people stuck at the bottom of the social order. Few could, however, dredge up the self-awareness to blame themselves for their failings. No, it was far easier to blame everyone that stood above you on the food chain, although Lorette knew how often people at the top rigged the game in their favor.

It was a cycle as old as life itself. The weak became strong, and they, in turn, attacked those still too weak to fight back. Surely the girl in front of her knew that. Knew what shedding her weakness would entail. Hiachi seemed ready to fight for power, but Lorette wondered if she knew that she'd have to constantly feed it too.

Still, she understood the younger woman's desire. Loath as she was to recall it, Lorette had been weak once. And bitter as she might have been to consider it, soon enough time would render her weak once more. But she chose to ignore that until the day she'd go kicking and screaming into obsolescence. Hiachi was still young and provided that she didn't do anything too stupid, she still had plenty of time left.

A hum rumbled in her throat as she took stock of the girl. Small, pale, and near burning with fury. There was in Hiachi much of herself; Lorette could see it. Different as they were, she, too, had once been frustrated at the notion of living in a world that made no room for her. So much so, she'd clawed a spot out for herself and guarded it jealously ever since. Lorette closed her eyes and huffed lowly through her nose. Yes, Hiachi was the same. Some might call her cursed to be anything like the older Tiger. But Lorette, in some small way, found it endearing.

She reached out a hand, setting it atop Hiachi's head, and smiled just a little. "That can be arranged then. As long as you're with me, I'll make sure that you earn your stripes. You have my word."

miki

 

[Coyote Hart]

PEYTON XIONG

CS Link

SCENE:

Confidental Motivations

LOCATION:

Taka's Apartment, North District

TIME:

Post-Arc 3 || July 1st, 2022

PARTICIPANTS:

Peyton, Takahiro

CONFIDENTAL MOTIVATIONS

Peyton took a gulp of his beer, clearing the remnants of the bitter coke taste out of his mouth. So Takahiro was already on Cloud Nine, huh? That explained his excited behavior.

Perhaps to his old self, before he was afflicted with his new Potential, he would've been bothered by Takahiro's jubilant energy. But these days, Peyton felt the impulse to move forward until his social battery was thoroughly exhausted, and thus, he didn't mind Taka's friendliness in the slightest.

But Peyton did mind the topic that Takahiro chose. A dance with his usual partner? Usual partner? Peyton knew that the phrase could be mentioning nobody but Raph. For some reason, Peyton's mind today was sharper than usual, catching on to the smallest of language implications. Perhaps it came from Peyton's jealousy. He wanted to have Raph all to himself, all of the hate, the lusty moments, the happy ones too. He wanted to be able to rebuild his friendship with Raphael so that they could enjoy outings like they did when they were teenagers. And he didn't want to share that with Takahiro. He couldn't bear imagining Raph with someone else. Having fun on a night out, being mean to someone else... getting freaky underneath the sheets with someone else.

As Peyton decided what to do and how to reconcile with his feelings, he absentmindedly partook in the conversation, "My birthday is in a week. I've been thinking about inviting people to a party. You seem to know your parties well, wanna join?"

But those words lacked the perky excitement that Peyton usually had. Instead, it was marred by the jealousy that bubbled and boiled beneath Peyton's surface. And Peyton could tell that his behavior was a bit off. Rather abruptly, Peyton realized that he couldn't take it anymore.

Suddenly, Peyton sprung into action, swinging around on the couch until he was straddling Takahiro's waist on the couch as his tiny body loomed over Takahiro. He pouted and kabedoned Takahiro against the couch. At least, he tried to, the soft cushions muffled the noise of Peyton's hand slamming above Taka's shoulder. It didn't stop Peyton from speaking though, "Dancing partner? You mean Raphie..? Careful, Taka. If you don't stay away from him, I might do something to you! Raph is mine, after all!"

Slav

 

[BriiAngelic]

Jackson Reese Alessi

CS Link

SCENE MUSIC:

Fantasy

LOCATION:

North District

DATE:

Janurary 31st, 2014 || Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Jackson, Kisara (@simj26)

A Pledge to Tender Moments

He chuckled as the girl got even further into the bit. This was the one getting into detentions left and right? She was just a grand old theater kid, wasn’t she? Maybe it was just because she genuinely seemed good at fighting that people took her at face value. He looked back to the path holding the knocked-out fools. Yeah, that must be it.

It wasn’t too bad to indulge was it? It wasn’t like this place was all that great anyways.

“I the great Jackson Reese Alessi sincerely pledge to follow you as far as you will go! Please accept my power to shape the world in your image Madam Kisara.”

Okay, that felt kinda dumb. He needed a better part in this whole little play if he was going to continue on. He sure as heck wasn’t going to be relegated to the supporting henchmen who got three minutes of screen time before dying off-screen. He laughed as he thought of where he’d fit best, the Dragon. Bash could be their muscle, Minato could be their heart… probably.

“Please allow me to be your most trusted Dragon. I will fulfill your wishes and bring even more into the fold for you alone, Captain.”

 

[BriiAngelic]

Artemis Mac Naught

CS Link

SCENE MUSIC:

Literary Nonsense

TIME:

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

LOCATION:

Argentium Stadium, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Missy, Vissa ( Slav )

ABCs of Sportsball

The sound of a familiar voice sounded out and she twirled on the ledge turning to face the other waving her hands out for balance. She was taller up here wasn’t she? She brought a smirk to her face before tiptoeing even further on the ledge with both hands on her hips.

“Well why wouldn’t I huh? It’s nice having people look up to you for once. Maybe I’ll go get the tallest platform boots I can find after this. Imagine how intimidating it’ll be with another six inches… Yeah wait no that’s still not alot is that.”

She leaped down beside Vissa slipping a little at the landing before throwing her weight to follow through without injuring her ankle. Without much thought she turned to shoot him a peace sign showing she was fine even with the tumble. It wasn’t like she was much more than a dealer who just happened to chill with him at times but she was so used to reassuring others she could manage on her own it was almost instinctual.

“All good! It’s not a mistake if I am one.”

Wait no she wasn’t supposed to agree to being a hooligan. But she basically was? Eh, it wasn’t like people needed to know that though.

“‘Sides It’s not exactly a big deal to be the house. What’s the saying again? A fool and his money are soon parted? Honestly, if it was that much of a hardship I wouldn’t be in the business. Anyone can call numbers, but it takes skill to cut a deck.”

She looked around the stadium glancing for any sign of what sport this even was. Unfortunately she was coming up short with ideas.

“I’m sure its the same for… foot hockey? What are we here to see again?”

 

[BriiAngelic]

CAIO SANTANA COELHO

CS Link

SCENE MUSIC:

Freaks

LOCATION:

North District

TIME:

~2004, Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri ( The One Eyed Bandit ) Caio

Captives of The System

“Hehe scared? No way they should be scared shitless of me. You don’t get to go around and do whatever it is you want without having the guts to back it up!”

He gave her a wide smile as she agreed to the deal. She was really innocent for someone going around and carrying. She reminded him of what Ruy was always going on about he guessed. Siblings were little puppies who would hang off your every word but it was still funny. At least he imagined this is what Ruy meant.

He took some of the cash and slipped it into her hand. It wasn’t like he’d particularly need to keep hold of it and if it made her more at ease to think he wouldn’t go back oon their deal then sure so be it. He couldn’t help laughing at her immediate first thoughts though.

“A tv isn’t going to do anything without you paying an arm and leg to turn it on with cable. ‘Least that’s what Ruy said when it stop working at our place. I like your idea of the chicken though. Dead or alive? If it’s alive we gotta go for the egg layers.”

He threw himself on the couch to ponder her question a bit. What did people spend it on? Other than food he usually just stored it up until Ruy needed money to keep the house in order. If he didn’t have it then both of them were screwed. His mom only cared about her normal sons after all…

“Eh, who cares what people spend it on. What do you want. It ain’t like they’re gonna be spending it worth while since they buy some shit that makes their brains leak out from their heads.”

 

[BriiAngelic]

Jackson Reese Alessi

CS Link

SCENE MUSIC:

Falling

LOCATION:

Peyton's Old Apartment, East District

DATE:

Post-Arc 3 || Two Weeks Later

PARTICIPANTS:

Jackson, Peyton ( Coyote Hart )

Crash and Burn

The tone was enough to put him off guard. A moment to question if he was the insane one, if he’d just really heard complete misinformation at Pei’s disappearance and sudden ties to the serpents. Instead of snarling at him for it, he took the moment to be surprised letting the other continue on in a way he didn’t come here expecting to do.

He took a step forward almost able to delude himself into thinking nothing had changed at all. Like it was just some other day he’d got off from work and found his feet taking him back here. But the second he walked further in and saw the signs of packing he was brought back to reality stopping halfway into the room and staring at the state of disarray.

“Seriously? You think I wanna just… what join you for some otter pops and wish you well while you book it for the north? Or what you thought no one would notice that you just conveniently decided to stop showing up?”

He found his nails biting into his palm as his hands balled into a fist nearly shaking from the pure unease of it all. Just what game was he playing here? The whole of the east was under surveillance. Nothing escaped Jesper’s view for long. He may have given the nerd crap for it but he was damn good at keeping them all safe with it.

“What is it drugs? Did you get hooked or something? Money? ENP pays well enough so it couldn’t be that. Did you piss someone off and now you’re running? For fucks sake just give me a reason. Anything.”

The desperation was certainly leaking into his voice but he didn’t think he could handle learning he had simply misjudged another person so completely. Pey liked to fuck with people but he’d never seemed like a bad person. He couldn’t imagine why the other was crawling into a hole with serpents of all people.

 

[BriiAngelic]

CAIO SANTANA COELHO

CS Link

SCENE Music:

Bad Habits

LOCATION:

Copper's Bar, North District

TIME:

2019, Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Darius ( WhiskeyMarten ), Caio

TEST DRIVE

Lips are sealed? Yeah no shit it was clear he was getting worried, which is right where he wanted him. The little act he was putting on was at least something. But he was starting to get bored with these non-answers he was getting. Well, answers that just led them to dead ends anyways. It just made him want to push even more and turn the tables a little bit. Throw him off his guard.

It was a horrible idea that went bubbling up in his brain one that was certainly affected by the addling of the alcohol even though he was only passed buzzed and not quite in a blackout state yet. Despite this every alarm bell that should have been triggered from the other explaining that his power hurt, every alarm that should have gone off for the coverups and wounds was conveniently silent.

He watched a strip of skin being exposed from the other’s neck and lunged out with his right hand aiming to push just a pinch more of power into the other. The second the hand connected he felt the corrosion of skin and painful blistering as it seemed to only be going deeper into the muscles.

He let go of the other with an unholy scream from the pain only intensified from his own power being used. His hand was bloody and raw as he examined the damage done from the period of time he held on letting the alcohol cloud his sense of reaction time.

“Holy fuck you really are a freaky little dude aren’t you?”

 

[Coyote Hart]

Gideon Gray

CS Link

SCENE:

Loose Exhibition

LOCATION:

Premier Motors, South District

TIME:

April 1st, 2022 | Post Arc 2

PARTICIPANTS:

Gideon, Zulin

Loose Exhibition

"A villain has to be ready for anything," Gideon said in response to Zulin's question about the nerf guns, once again offering a rare smile to the gremlin. That wasn't the truth though. He had nerf guns in his bag because he had a pretty bad idea a few weeks ago for pranking Helva before he realized that no, pranking her with a nerf gun was asking for trouble. And then Gideon simply forgot to unpack the nerf gun. But Zulin didn't need to know that, especially since he was one of Helva's shadows.

After Zulin's impressive performance with the nerf guns, he vanished into the office once more, leaving Gideon alone. This time, Gideon didn't need to wonder long before Zulin returned to the car, encouraging him to start the vehicle up whilst waiting for people to clear out. Clear out...? What did Zulin do in the back that would cause people to need to clear out?

Gideon's answer was supplied in mere moments. The fire alarm began to blare, sending a jolt of surprise through Gideon. Incessant and constant, it blared as the sprinklers also began to fire. The remaining occupants of the building that Gideon hadn't been able to coax out began to flee the building.

"What did you do, Zulin?" Gideon asked, his face stricken with panic. The hell? This was Zulin's method? Granted, it was better than anything Gideon could cook up, but it still shocked him. All the property damage! All the noise! How the hell were they going to get away with this? How was Gideon going to get a fake license plate? It certainly was Zulin's style though, destructive and fun. And there was only one thing that Gideon could do at that moment.

After throwing the car into drive, Gideon slammed on the gas pedal. The wheels squealed against the shiny dealership floor before it threw the car forward with a lurch of the seat. Gideon's knuckles went white against the steering wheel and adrenaline pumped through his veins as the car slammed through the large glass window that also served as the dealership's wall. The glass crumbled like glimmering bits of snow, showering the car as they escaped.

Someone vaguely attempted to jump into the front of the car's trajectory to stop them, but Gideon, his senses pumped to the max from the rush of adrenaline, easily swerved around him. Moments later, they were on the road, the dealership behind them as Gideon did his best to blend in with the rest of the afternoon traffic.

"Whoo! Yeah!" Gideon pumped his fist, breaking out of his stoic villain facade for a moment. But the excitement of the situation wasn't going to last long. He looked to his passenger, Zulin, making sure the guy was still alright. "Do you think they'll come after us?"

Peckinou

 

[BriiAngelic]

Caio Santana Coelho

CS Link

SCENE Music:

Gato de Noche

LOCATION:

Caio's Bedroom, North District

TIME:

Post-Arc 1/Pre-Arc 2 | September 18th(???), 2021, 03:10 AM

PARTICIPANTS:

Tri, Caio

Top and Top

Like good boys? He snorted at the idea. Like either of them could be considered good with the skeletons in their closet. Some more literal then not with the HQ. He didn’t even get a chance to react as Tri went and lept back into bed. Well task failed successfully? At least he didn’t have to deal with the damn cold anymore as he walked back in closing up the sliding balcony door.

He wasn’t much a fan of being a damn toy to tug around as Tri wished but he was already getting used to the ups and down of their… relationship? He figured there was probably something to be said about the fact that he’d probably lose to a dead woman but it wasn’t like Tri was out hooking up with others. Instead he took the small oddies in stride like he always did.

He reached out lightly pushing Tri over so he could drag him into a more comfortable position where Tri could continue his cat shit and Caio could drag him into a cuddle. He waved off whatever it was Tri was doing with the damn glow instead focusing on the comfort he got from cradling the other.

“You’re a pain in the ass babe. You could at least take the blanket with you next time so you don’t come back a fucking isicle. What did you have a boring day or something?”

Tags: @Damafaud

 

[BriiAngelic]

Jackson Reese Alessi

SCENE:

Post-Arc 3 [Rain on the Mountaintop]

LOCATION:

Borgo Orecchiette, Fusilli

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Jackson, Jesper, Pascal, Milo, Gav, Bolt

Rain on the Mountaintop

Oh, she already knew him? That made things a little more boring. He was really banking on her ether knowing nothing or at least not recognizing which Albrecht. But then she wouldn’t be as ideal an idol if she wasn’t keeping tabs on the guests and their histories now would she? At least Jesper seemed just as flustered from the attempt even if he actually was being recognized instead of being called a nobody.

He would have zoned out after hearing more on her speal if not for the fact that he was genuinely curious. Lyric meanings? Did she write her own songs then? He’d love to ask more questions if not for the utter STUPIDITY that came out of Jesper’s mouth. Without a second thought or bit of hesitation his hand went straight to trying to strike Jesper in the head as he aimed a chop over the top of his head.

“Don’t be a fucking creep.”

He turned back to the Idol hoping to midgate the damage to both their reputations Jesper had likely just done. He was wearing an expression of shame that could only scream, I’m so embarrassed to be associated with him.

“I’m so sorry about him. It’s hard enough to drag him out of his hermit hole, but he’s just passed kindergarten social skills like last week. He is genuinely a fan of the music. It’s on all the time when I come to bother him.”

At least he thinks it was. The voice sounded familiar. It’d probably be the best thing to undig his hole anyways. Either way it was time for his powers of redirection.

“So lyrics meaning? Do you write your own songs then? Do you have a favorite?”

@Anne Boolean The One Eyed Bandit Elenion Aura @The Regal Rper AriAriAbabwa @Doctor Llamabean

 

[thebigfella]

Shishido Takakazu

CS Link

SCENE:

If Something Tastes Funny, Try It Again

LOCATION:

Central District

DATE:

May 6th, 2022 || Pre-Arc 3

PARTICIPANTS:

Takakazu, Dante ( Haze- ), Nao ( tityanya )

If Something Tastes Funny, Try It Again

Blank eyes scanned across the raucous surroundings, the dark grayish blue of Tak’s eyes reflecting the numerous streams of color spectrum that hit his corneas, as his search for the woman who all so graciously invited him required him to absorb the surroundings and all its overstimulated glory.

The club was packed full, the vinyl floors were swarmed by masses of feet, and people mingled and mixed. Colorful drinks were dispersed through the ground, held in between fingers in thin fragile glasses, the density of spirits only grew more prominent the closer his gaze drifted towards the stairs that led up to the second floor, he could barely make out the shape of a bar sat in the middle of the second floor, clean marble countertops had yet to be dirtied for what was sure to be a chaotic night. The bright overhead lights above the bar entirely contrasted the darkened surroundings, an oasis in the middle of the sprawl, promising aromatics and bitters.

Still, he had yet to spot any familiar telltale signs of Nao. She could be anywhere in this club, he was at least hoping he could spot her away from the mass of people on the main floor, it’d be a sensible place to wait while waiting for someone, the thought of waiting by the door never occurred to him, neither did the natural thought process of placing a simple call.

Well, in all honesty, Tak just wanted a drink, and if he happened to run into Nao on the way, then it would be a win, he was gonna figure the rest out later. But just as he got ready to brave the wilds of the crowd, he suddenly found something clutched around his arm, a familiar cheery voice peaking through the loud bass and drums of the music. He immediately knew who it was, the scent of a woman’s well-maintained hygiene tickling his nostrils as he glanced over out of the corner of his eye at the woman who had decided to invade his personal space.

“Oh, there you are. Yo.” He responded bluntly and flatly, a reaction that was more fitting to seeing a familiar stray cat walk across your sidewalk than meeting with a friend. Tak didn’t spend much time taking in her appearance. In any other scenario, he should have been ecstatic about this situation, a beautiful, well-dressed woman with an amazing figure was locked to his side, almost like he was some high-rolling aristocrat.

But, instead of feeling the wonderment of the popular high-rolling life that he naturally correlated with female attention, he blinked at Nao with complete neutrality. It wasn’t just any pretty lady hanging to him, it was Nao.

With that thought, Tak snatched his arm free from Nao’s grasp, like he always did whenever the woman got too touchy. The last thing he wanted was for her to get another chance to strike him in the nuts, especially with all the shit he liked to talk about.

“Suit?” Tak scoffed in response to Dante’s statement, looking over to him as he pointed at Nao with a finger, not even hiding who he was directing his words toward. “Oi, don’t let the lady in red here make you think this is some fancy luncheon! It’s a fuckin’ nightclub not a social club! Anyone who comes dressin’ nice gotta be an idiot! You’re askin’ for your shit to get covered in liquids and juices, especially after you get sloshed! You probably only got one suit in that small ass closet of yours anyway!” Tak ranted against the idea, the voice of informally dressed people everywhere as he dropped his hands back to his side, turning his upper body to look at Nao again, “Chicks like her can afford to get a bit dirty, she probably got like hundreds of better dresses. We’d be fighting a losing battle trying to match her! We’d be spending all our life savings in quarters at the laundromat!”

Tak continued to preach, reaching the point that it seemed like he had a serious vendetta against Dante’s harmless suggestion. Did he hate formal dressing that much? Or was it that he was envious that he didn’t own anything but a couple of shirts and the clothes he was currently on his back?

Probably a bit of both. But, luckily the music was too loud for his insane ramblings to get any weird looks, it had simply melted and molded into the constant throbs of peaking volumes.

At this point, the pair were so used to Tak’s mad ravings that it didn’t take long for things to come around to proper introductions.

Well, at least they would be proper, in an alternate dimension. Organ harvesting queries aside, Tak’s expression soured as Dante spoke.

“If you’re an organ harvester,” Tak began, raising a hand to poke it on the side of Dante’s skull, with enough force to jerk the man’s head slightly, “Don’t bother with his brain. It’s all useless mush, it ain’t even good for fertilizer,” He jeered, shaking his head in disbelief, “Talkin’ like he’s my babysitter! I was the one who brought him along so he wouldn’t be stuck stayin’ at home twiddling his stick as he was waiting for his injuries to heal! The ever benevolent Tak!”

Immediately, after talking about his kindheartedness and good nature, he swirled to look at Dante right in the eyes with a glare.

“Y’know what! even if you had decided to wear a suit…” Tak suddenly spoke up again, the aggravation he held in his eyes and devotion to informal attire from earlier had completely disappeared as he carefreely stuck a pinkie into his nose, twisting it around as he gave Dante an evasive side-eye.

“I woulda barfed all over it to give ya a life lesson.”

Such a ridiculous threat that seemed more like a joke than an actual promise was standard for the pair at this point.

“I ain’t jokin’ either, I can really vomit on command!”

But, Tak reassured Dante that this wasn’t a joke, tilting his head up slightly as if he was proud of what he just said, boasting about his skill. He wasn’t about to even let Dante try to call his bluff either!

“All I gotta do is think of that time my grandma--”

As soon as Tak began to explain the requirements to his wonderful talent, his cheeks instantly puffed up as his eyes went bloodshot, face quickly shifting from pale to green as his hand moved down from his nose to cover his mouth and shield his puckered lips as his body keeled over, the visible twitches in his muscular frame as he held back his sudden rise of bile, the sounds of throat flexing around chunks of his earlier meal drowned out by the rest of the noise.

He held that pose for a solid few seconds before a strong swallow allowed his cheeks to return to normal, the color of his face returning to its normal dark color as his hand moved away from his face to limply fall to his side.

“Bleaugh…” The sounds of disgust left Tak’s mouth as a visible bags had now formed under his eyes, his whole stance now looking weak and feeble as he shakily turned his head up to look at Dante with an uneven smirk.

“Told you so…”

Nobody had even called his bluff in the first place.


“Damn! That shit was disgusting!” Tak abruptly perked back to life again, standing up straight and suddenly leaning over to grab at Nao’s hand, specifically the one holding the daiquiri she had been enjoying until now. “Gimme some of that! I gotta get this taste outta my mouth!” He demanded, and without even waiting for consent brought his lips to the rim of the glass, tipping it down to allow the alcohol to spill into his mouth, a bit of it falling down his chin.

Having got what he wanted, he let go of Nao and took a small step back, smacking his lips as he ruminated over the flavor, but the scrunched look he gave Nao already showed he wasn’t too much of a fan of what he just drank. “You drink stuff this fruity? What are you, 5?” He griped about her tastes, unsurprisingly not about the fact he had just taken a sip from her drink on his own.


At least he got that drink he wanted.

 

[Slav]

Takahiro Sugita

CS Link

SCENE:

Post Arc-3|| Confidential Motivations

LOCATION:

North District, Taka's Apartment

DATE:

July 1st, 2022

PARTICIPANTS:

Takahiro, Peyton ( Coyote Hart )

Confidential Motivations

Taka's eyes lit up when Peyton mentioned his birthday, excited that he gets to help throw a party. "I would love to go! Birthdays are meant to be special, so it would have to be a big party.." His voice trailed off, noticing the changes in Peyton's mood and demeanor. Peyton's quick change in mood perplexed Taka since he didn't know the source of it. He knew that he didn't say anything offensive, they were just talking about parties. Maybe he wasn't satisfied with his answer? Whatever it was, he wanted to get to the bottom of it. "Are you okay Peyton? Is something-"

Before Taka could finish his sentence, he quickly found himself under Peyton, wondering where the aggressiveness was coming from. Peyton's source of frustration quickly became apparent as he spoke of Raph. Taka didn't know what to make of it, surprised by the threat Peyton was making. His blue gaze scanned Peyton's form, his cheeks turning to a tint of red. Despite being threatened, he couldn't take Peyton seriously in this position. He found this side of Peyton quite sexy. Taka had almost forgotten what they were talking about, rushing out an answer. "I can't leave Raph alone, he's just too darn cute." Taka had no interest in fighting, if Peyton wanted to attack him, he wouldn't even try and fight back.

Many thoughts were brewing inside his head, one of them taking precedence over the others. "What are you going to do Peyton? I'm not going to fight back, so if you want to do something to me, just do it." Even though Peyton may have been threatening Taka, his voice didn't hide his flirtatious tone. He was turned on for the same reason Raph turns him on. Assertive men made his mind go wild and at this moment, it was going into overdrive after being thrust into this position while being under the influence of drugs.

A smirk grew on his face as he continued to toy with Peyton. "Besides, it's not like you are a good fit for Raph anyways. You're a bit too small for his liking anyways." He said, teasing him about his size and stature. If it was this easy to get Peyton worked up, he wondered what else he could do. "I mean, just look at this waist! Barely any meat on it." Taka grabbed Peyton's waist with his hands, firmly grabbing it. His mind was a bit cloudy but that didn't stop him from toying around with the agitated Peyton. If anything, that made Taka more relentless.

 

[tityanya]

𝑵𝒂𝒐𝒎𝒊 𝑺𝒂𝒕𝒐
​

𝒜𝓈: 𝒩𝒶𝑜

Scene: If Something Tastes Funny, Try It Again
Time: May 6th, 2022 || Pre-Arc 3
I am here: Central District Club
With: Tak and Dante​

"When everybody loves you, you can never be lonely"

╔════════════════════╗

Tak was so nonchalant. If she had grabbed onto any other man's arm like that, they would have been beside themself and all over her. But Tak just looked at her like she was some stray cat that had wandered into his path. Ah, there's that cat again! In the beginning, it had really gotten under her skin and annoyed her. How was he immune to any of her charms? But after a year of deadpan greetings, Nao was used to it. This was even a rather friendly greeting for Tak, even. "Yo!" she called back, a beaming smile on her face. Even if he was a deadpan guy, that didn't mean she had to be.

He ripped his arm away from her grasp, and she gave him a little pouty face. She was about to tease him for being so mean when the injured man spoke up, saying that he should have told him to dress all fancy. Huh? And Tak replied, scoffing the word suit.

Huh?!?!

Did Tak...invite a friend? There was someone else that could stand him long enough for the ride into central? Naomi looked over at the guy again, sizing him up properly this time. Lean build, dark floppy hair. Under the bruises his facial structure was pleasing, very handsome. But as Naomi met his shrewd grey eyes, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Tak was, to put it nicely, stupid. She could act however she wanted in front of him, and he wouldn't think too deeply on it and figure out that she was an HP. But this guy, he didn't give off that same aura of air-headedness. She was going to have to be careful around him...dammit, Tak.

Her face didn't betray her inner thoughts. Instead, she donned a huge smile as she turned her direction towards him. Dante, huh? "Oh my, hi! Tak didn't tell me he was bringing a friend!" she said, giving the aforementioned man an annoyed look. "The more the better for a party though, honestly! Nice to meet you!" she said, extending a delicate hand towards his good arm. Hopefully he didn't leave her hanging. She was already starting to process the words he had said--he wanted to dress nicer? How convenient! The perfect excuse!

Her dreams were then immediately dashed by a trademarked Tak Rant™. Her shoulders dropped as he pointed a finger at her, realizing that getting him into nicer clothes was going to be harder than she thought. "Some would argue that a nightclub is a social club!" she interjected, unable to argue against his other points of clothes getting messy. With Tak, that was, uh...a given. She still remembered the first time they had met, when she had went down in an alleyway. Completely destroyed her adorable white top. She had been bitter about that one for a little while. "I've told you before I can afford clothes because of my budget! If a ruin this dress I won't be able to get another one like it for another six months!" she complained, knowing that Tak was right about her having a hundred nicer dresses anyways, but still resenting that he brought it up anyways.

She turned her attention to Dante, knowing that if she got into it with Tak, she would never claw her way out of it. Dante was a new person--she didn't care what Tak thought of her, but she did care about Dante. Spending the whole night arguing with Tak was not going to be a favorable first impression. Even if it was super easy and exciting to fight with him. She already felt more energized by this little exchange. She could almost ignore the painful throbbing in her head from the drug withdrawal. Maybe she should drink some alcohol, it would take the buzz off...no! She had to have a clear mind. It would all be worth it when she found this "new miracle." "Yeah, I'm Nao! And don't listen to Captain Dumpster over here, I have some of my brother's extra clothes in the car if you want to change into something nicer! I might have something for you both," Nao said, raising her eyebrow suggestively at Tak. She didn't think he would take her up on the offer. "You don't even have to spend your own coins at the laundromat for it," she added as a joke.

Dante then apologized for crashing the party. Couldn't trust Tak on his own, huh? Naomi...understood that. She wouldn't leave Tak alone in a place like this, either. His ability to cause chaos and mischief was unmatched, which was why she loved him at parties. But she had to keep an eye on him to make sure the chaos and mischief didn't get so far as to get them kicked out. That was no fun. She only had so much money for fake IDs. Dante's next question left her flabbergasted, blinking at him with a blank face. Organ harvester...? What was Tak saying about her!

She turned her rage towards the only reason Dante would even ask her that. The unabashed man poked Dante in the head, hard enough to jerk it, saying that she shouldn't take his brain. But she couldn't stay mad at Tak for long. His words about Dante's brain not even being good for fertilizer and twiddling his stick made her blow air out of her mouth in amusement. But the comment about him being ever benevolent made her full on laugh. "Oh yes, so benevolent to drag an injured man out to a party," Nao scoffed, wincing a little as bright lights shone directly into her eyes. For half a second, her eyes dropped to her chest where the little baggy of cocaine resided. Cocaine highs didn't last very long, maybe she could just excuse herself for a moment...Bah! she was so weak. She shook her head at herself, grabbing at her slightly trembling hand in-between the daquiri glass. She needed to get her shit together. Maybe she should have asked Tri to do a cleanse on her, after all...at least that would have taken away the physical element of withdrawals.

Her attention was drawn away from her own personal suffering towards Tak. He could...barf on command? Uh, strange flex but okay. Naomi wasn't going to ask him to prove it--a life of partying meant a lot of puke. She was used to it, but that didn't mean that she wanted to face it unnecessarily. But Tak rose to the unspoken, and quite frankly unwanted, challenge. His face grew green and his cheeks puffed up. Oh my God, was he actually going to puke? "Tak, stop! You don't need to prove it!" Naomi begged as the man retched, bent towards the floor. Not for the first time, and certainly not the last, Naomi wondered what was wrong with him.

He weakly stood up, his voice wavering as he told Dante told you so. "I think I can speak for both of us when I say that we didn't need you to demonstrate," Naomi said, before taking a surprised step back as Tak popped up, perfectly fine. Was he...acting? No, no actor could achieve that shade of green without actually being about to vomit. His hand grabbed at Naomi's, and she felt her heart stop for a second. But she knew Tak better than that. No way was he flirting or something. And she was right--his real goal was the daquiri. “Gimme some of that!," he said, pulling the daquiri towards his mouth. "Hey!" Naomi protested, but she didn't put up a real fight. That risked spilling the daquiri, and Naomi paid good money for that. She still held onto the glass as he tipped it messily into his mouth.

He let Naomi go, and she took a step back and away, closer to Dante. She was going to have to protect her daquiri! Her eyes narrowed as he asked her if she was 5, though. "What are you, allergic to flavor? And I think the toddler here is the one spilling a drink all over themselves," she said, risking taking a step forward to wipe the daquiri off his chin with her thumb, his chin cupped in her hand. She didn't care that a five year old wasn't technically a toddler. She stepped back, tilting the cup into her mouth and downing the drink in one go. No more forced sharing for her! She just had to try her best to ignore the minor brain freeze the frozen strawberries gave her, compounding onto her headache.

╚════════════════════╝​

((ooc: ))
((Outfit: Red Dress with red high heels))
((Die in the Disco))

Haze- thebigfella

 

[Peckinou]

Zulin

CS Link

SCENE:

Loose Exhibition

LOCATION:

Premier Motors, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Zulin, Gideon

Loose Exhibition

Zulin figured there was probably more to the story when at Gideons response to their question but opted to not question him about it more intent on doing what they wanted. After they had set a bit of fire to the office and fled back to the car, it would only take a few moments before chaos would ensue, what Gideon failed to do with his potential, Zulin had done in pretty easily and quickly, enough. Zulin had to hold himself back from laughing as the watched people scramble out, and the look on Gideons face was almost just as golden, his question brought Zulin to deliver and sly smirk in his direction "Well I cleared out the place that is for sure, see no more people!" he then laughed a bit before going on to give a actual answer "I just got a matched burned a few things, threw it in the trash and then maybe accidentally tipped the trash can, Whoops." . It was clear that it wasn't exactly a accident but still Zulin smiled and feigned a innocence look towards them.

As Gideon focused back to the task at hand he put the car in drive and drove right on out, ramming through the dealership windows, Zullin watched as a man tried to jump in front of the car to stop them, causing Zulin to smirk, as they wouldn't really mind hitting them. Though that would probably damage the windshield, replacing it would be far less of a cost than buying the entire car. Though Gideon in a slightly impressive display of driving, was able to swerve around the man and get on the road without hitting him, something that caused Zulin to shrug as they leaned back into their seat.
As Gideon questioned if the dealership would come for them Zulin let out a chuckle and said, "In New Oasis? Pshhh doubt it, the dealership will probably just report it stolen and collect insurance claims and the police likely have a lot on their plate already. Though I don't think they would look for you, if you do happen to just fall into their lap they might just decide to, ya know. Still I think it would be best to get a few things changed out before going on to keep it, so know any car or tech experienced Phoenixes who could probably change the key system of the car, cause I'm pretty sure that the dealership had a spare key, could probably change a few things too to make it not look exactly the same, though if don't we could just go to Helva she is bound to know someone who can make the car inconspicuous."

Coyote Hart

 

[Slav]

Vissarion Argyris

CS Link

SCENE:

ABCs of Sportsball

TIME:

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

LOCATION:

Argentium Stadium, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Missy( BriiAngelic ), Vissa

ABCs of Sportsball

Vissa smiled brightly, watching her to make sure she didn't do anything to hurt herself as she jumped down. "Maybe if you paid someone to carry you on their shoulders you could be tall all the time." He said, glancing at his watch to make sure that they weren't late to the game. They still had plenty of time, which meant that he didn't have to rush his pregame ritual. His golden gaze shifted upwards back towards Missy, his smile turning into a smirk. "Even though I gamble all the time I still end up losing money. You're lucky I do it for fun or I'd be one of those bums begging you for money after losing out." He turned his attention to the crowd around them, noting that this game had brought in a bigger crowd then intended. His attention was quickly brought back to Missy, trying to hold back his laugh as he didn't want to seem rude. "We're watching football or soccer if you're that type of person. Foot hockey sounds like it would hurt." He couldn't imagine kicking a hockey puck. You'd be hurting your foot every time.

While Vissa enjoyed standing around, he didn't intend to stay any longer than he had to in the crowd. He gently grabbed Missy by the wrist, beginning to lead her through the crowd. "Let's find something to drink. It'll get us away from the crowds too." He made sure to keep Missy close to him. He knew how overwhelming crowds could be and he wanted to make sure they reached their destination without any issues. As they continued their walk, the masses of people were dying down, making things much more breathable. They eventually reached the concessions, Vissa letting go once he felt it was safe for them.

He glanced around for a certain vendor in particular, spotting it after a few moments. "I'll be right back, I'm gonna go grab a beer. Can't watch a game without a beer in my hand." Vissa said, scurrying off to grab himself his drink. Vissa was quick about it, choosing a pilsner to enjoy. Once he received and paid for it, he took a sip from the foam on the top, his eyes lighting up. "That hits the spot." He said to himself, returning to Missy. Now that he had his drink, he wanted to make sure Missy wasn't left out. "Do you want anything Missy? You can get whatever you want, I'm paying so you don't have to worry about money." With how much money Vissa had, it would be rude not to offer to pay for it.

 

[miki]

Hiachi Ito

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers B-side: Learning Your Stripes

LOCATION:

West District, Shooting Range

DATE:

April 10th, 2022 | Daytime

PARTICIPANTS:

Hiachi, Lorette

Learning Your Stripes

Hiachi had to admit: she felt really ridiculous when Lorette looked down at her upon hearing her answer. She was shorter, obviously weaker and obviously upset about it. Lorette had said she wanted the truth, but what the hell kind of answer was that!? She could have guessed it if she had seen Hiachi in passing, probably.

Lorette’s light sigh made her tense up. That ambiguous action had dug into her neck, where it normally tightened before tears. But Hiachi wasn’t about to cry, and she wasn’t even upset. She didn’t do anything, and yet there was a tension in her throat. Bated breath for the response she would have to her answer.

The hand that reached towards her resembled a claw—yet, Hiachi had a suspicion that it wouldn’t scratch. Lorette’s hand rested on the top of her head before she cracked her a small, yet resonant smile.

In truth, Hiachi was shocked. That probably wasn’t difficult to tell either. Her eyes moved up at Lorette, not necessarily suspicious but certainly unsure.

And that was that. She had won Lorette over—somehow—and now she had her word. That as long as she stuck with her, she would find a way to never be weak again

That was a heavy promise. It wasn’t hard to guess what Lorette specialized in, especially considering that bringing her to a gun range was reasonable to her. Hiachi wasn’t just physically weak—her heart was weak. The fervor with which she loaded bullets into the targets wasn’t guaranteed for a live target.

But that wasn’t set in stone. Lorette saw something in her. And that was enough, at least for the time being.

Hiachi’s eyes opened up again. Lorette knew she was grateful already, so she didn’t have to say it again. But she did have one last question.

“Um. What do I do with the burner phone?”

fin.​

​

Spoiler

Ramjammer

​

 

[miki]

Hiachi Ito

CS Link

SCENE:

The House Always Wins

LOCATION:

West District, The White Tiger

DATE:

April 1, 2022

PARTICIPANTS:

Hiachi, Camila, Ryutaro, Jennifer, Alice

The House Always Wins

Hiachi was never one to draw so much attention. Even as she dominated the tables, her despondent exterior veered people away from trying to talk to her. In most cases, that is. That truth had dissolved in the face of these opulent strangers.

If she had been able to really think about it, she would have known something was wrong.

There are rich fools, and then rich people. People who have always known how to maintain their wealth because it’s their identity. People who would not be in such a casino; people who acted precisely like the pair across the table from her. Acted like they were a step ahead, but in actuality were already running circles around her.

If she had turned her shoulder, she would have noticed that she didn’t recognize the server. The stark white and streaks of black belonged to no staff member that she knew, so it would make no sense that her movements had been so familiar.

She hadn’t liked how close she got—the breath on her ear was pins and needles on her shoulders. She had instinctively jumped at the sound and intended to ignore her, but the words crept into her subconscious. Make them pay.

She accepted the drink because she had no reason not to. Alcohol would have brought her off focus, but tea sounded nice (even if it didn’t belong in a casino).

Hiachi’s poker was a game of focus, not of luck. She hadn’t turned her attention to details she thought insignificant—instead she thought about how she was going to play. Most other people employed a different strategy when it came to poker: play to not lose. Hiachi played to win, and that is what she intended to do.

He betted to raise 100 again. The cold man sent her a cold gaze and she stared back into the reflection of his pupils. His hand wasn’t good—worse than hers, actually. She had no doubt that he was hoping she’d fold at the scary number.

It was the woman’s turn to speak now. Talking about something, trying to rile her up with big words about her win streak and fear of losing. She shot Hiachi a cattish grin as she wildly stared at her. Whatever drugs she was hopped up on, Hiachi didn’t want them.

But it was odd. They were playing at something, and she couldn’t tell what.

She drank from her cup. She could feel the warmth of the liquid coating her throat and stomach. Hiachi was leveled. That server had been right, right? Herbal tea is calming. Her nerves had melted like wax off of her back beneath a white-hot flame.

And all of the sudden, through the nerves in her hands and legs, she felt exhilaration. Her tainted blood felt cleansed; pumping with life. What kind of tea was she drinking?

She was distracted for the moment that she whipped her head around, looking for the server that had served her the tea. She couldn’t see her, not in the seconds before she realized she was supposed to be focusing. She turned back to the table with a subtle cough.

Without a second thought, she bought herself into the bet.

Spoiler

Roda the Red joshuadim

​

 

[Haze-]

Dante Aguilar

CS Link

SCENE:

If Something Tastes Funny, Try It Again

TIME:

May 6th, 2022 || Pre-Arc 3

LOCATION:

Central District

INTERACTIONS:

Nao ( tityanya ), Tak ( thebigfella ), Dante

If Something Tastes Funny, Try It Again

As he heard the woman speak, for whatever odd reason, Dante’s face lacked its permeating indifference and callousness. It was wholly unreadable, unnaturally still— his eyes were bright, wide and gold behind the black curtains of hair that came down on them. Glaring, watchful— like they didn’t know how to pace themselves, like they took every miniscule move of hers without moderation. It was easy to pick up on body language when you could see as clear as he did in the dark.

He’d been aiming for the neutral approach since the moment he opened his mouth to speak to her, calm and nonchalant in his tone, trying to draw himself away from the conversation and really size up her character; analyze her. Tak’s mad ranting just so happened to be the perfect opportunity to do so.

You usually throw something at a lake and a fish turns up to the ripples it makes, tips to it— this one in particular didn’t even consider it; didn’t even acknowledge it.

First suspicions impressions be damned, she seemed… Normal. No drugs on his drink tonight. Or at least a low chance of there being none.

“Hm…” — He scoffed; he could live with those odds.

Dante smiled; and awful honest look for him. Maybe it was in the way the moonlight danced and faded on the streets tonight, something in the tight, crammed atmosphere of the club, maybe; but he’d let his guard down for the sake of a couple of drinks.

Hell, when was the last time he’d gone out to drink with friends? This was supposed to be fun, wasn’t it?

Just as he was about to open his mouth to retake intros, he felt a light push at the side of his head— “Ow…” — He hissed a complaint, sucking in a breath through clenched teeth and making a face.

“You sure got a fucking mouth on ya for being such a kind, charitable soul and all that.” — Dante ran that same weary hand across his tightened jaw, sardonic bemuse writ on a smile, spite dripping like venom on the bared fang of a snake, a vein of anger showing.

It was hard to keep his cool, level-headed attempt at a first impression going when Tak was there to ruin it all. Hell, it was hard to keep anything going with Tak being there in the same room with him.

He should’ve known better.

He sighed, whisked the evil spirits away from the mental lagoons, mumbling something about beating someone’s ass under his breath; Dante shrugged and sputtered the rest on a low-mutter — “Least I have a suit, y’know…” — He added a quick sprinkle of salt on whatever wound Tak might’ve had, he seemed a little too pressed about the suit for it to not be personal.

Maybe a suit killed his parents, maybe a suit forced him to rock that hair as proud as he did—who knows, really.

He narrowed his eyes at Tak’s bold threat of infringing his defining character design, pursing his lips in utter disgust.

There was almost a feel of awe underlying his confusion as he watched him puff up like a frog. He heard Nao’s pleas falling on deaf ears, they both watched the grunt tensed up and his back arched, a hand covering his mouth. One of Dante’s eyes twitched, his face froze in a mix of terror and revulsion, one corner of his mouth turned up.

“Told you so…”

“Proud of yourself, aren’t you?” — Dante watched as the man snatched the drink out of Nao’s hand, taking a quick, messy pull out of it before it promptly returned to its owner. Fruity, apparently.

He shook his head with a tire rumbling beneath his throat— scratching at it— having to really crank the skull both ways to get the dazzle of the situation out of his head.

Tak had this innate quality, this hidden talent, he could turn your brain off just by being near you. Dante felt as if he’d never get used to it by this point, it still made him feel dizzy when things like these happened— weren’t they supposed to be introducing themselves?

Nao went to wipe the glossy string of alcohol coming down Tak’s chin, cupping his face on a hand. Dante didn’t know how to react, didn’t know how to feel about whatever the hell he’d just witnessed.

He sighed — “Let’s go get you a manly drink then, get some hair on your chest. Reckon there’s a bar somewhere around here, isn’t it?” — He moved his good hand over to his aching shoulder, minding the cast, giving it a light elbow-roll to loosen up — “I can’t be hanging around with you this late at night while sober…”

“You’re cool, though.” — He glanced at Nao, giving her an almost apologetic smile — “I think I might just take you up on that suit.”

He then turned to Tak, a not so apologetic look crossing his face — “Hell, we could even match and barf on each other since you’re so into that. I can vomit on command too.”

 

[Coyote Hart]

PEYTON XIONG

CS Link

SCENE:

Crash and Burn

LOCATION:

Peyton's Old Apartment, East District

TIME:

Post-Arc 3 || Two Weeks Later

PARTICIPANTS:

Peyton, Jackson

CRASH AND BURN

Peyton walked over to the fridge, opening the door to reveal a few frozen meals and a few frozen delicacies, all terribly freezer burned but edible. Knowing what Jackson liked, Peyton took out a blue otter pop, tossing it effortlessly toward Jackson. Only after he got an otter pop for himself, a delicious cherry flavor, did Peyton respond to Jackson. He wasn't surprised that Jackson knew that he was leaving. Word travels fast in the Dragons, after all.

"I'd hope you wouldn't wish me well!" Peyton chirped, "We're still going to keep in touch! You could stop by my place, or we could meet in Central to hang out!"

When he left the Serpents, he made the mistake of drifting apart with some of his former friends. And now he reaped the consequences, with some Serpents outright trying to kill him for leaving. He was determined to not make the same mistake this time around with his Dragon friends.

Peyton pushed the frozen part of the otter pop up to the surface of the liquid, sucking on it before biting it off. Unfortunately, the newly reminted Serpent didn't notice how Jackson shook and didn't grasp the gravity of his words. But he still did his best to answer Jackson's words honestly, even if there was some parts of his story that were self-inflicted.

"Back when I was a Serp, I met this guy. He was really mean and super fun!" Peyton explained, "A while back, he got kidnapped by some guys, and the Queen found him in this weird warehouse! I wanted to help save him, but that meant that I couldn't be a Dragon anymore!"

To further explain that leap of logic, Peyton widened his arms as if showing off his own flesh and blood, "The guy can control blood! And he put a little of it in me! So if I try to leave the Serpents again, he'll just kill me!"

This was close to the truth. Although Peyton knew that he would find himself in trouble when he went to assist the Serpents, it didn't mean that he had to submit to their will. He could've just run away after saving Raphael. But no, the reason why Peyton didn't run away was because... well... he doubted that he was a better Dragon than he was a Serpent. All the chaos, all the bloodlust, it felt good. And that meant that he wasn't a good Dragon, enough so that he was willing to even leave the ENP, despite the good pay.

Despite the fact that his life was now perpetually in danger, Peyton was completely relaxed, acting as if that fact didn't exist. He was happy as ever. After all, another benefit of returning to the Serpents was getting to spend time with Yuto and catch up with August.

"But hey, I'll miss you when I'm in the North!" Peyton said, "It was fun working with you!"

BriiAngelic