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

[QuirkyAngel]

Meirin Azuza

CS Link

SCENE:

Happiness & Prosperity

LOCATION:

白春花茶莊, East District

LOCATION:

February 1st, 2022 || Pre-Arc 3

PARTICIPANTS:

Isaiah, Jesper, Kairong, Karin, Meirin, Ottilie, Amari, Silva

Happiness & Prosperity

Flushing red at being called out for what she wore, Meirin lifted her head away in a ‘hmph’. “No way! The dress wouldn’t suit you at all, Idiot.”

Or maybe it would. Peeking back at the masked figure of Silva, it was hard to tell without seeing his face. Maybe if she could find one the right size…

Shaking her head, Meirin sighed before assessing Pixel with a clearer, more serious mind. It’d been a while since she’d seen him, after all. He hadn’t changed at all. Only 3 months ago he’d woken from his year long coma. That was probably a miracle in and of itself.

Rev died. Silva came back to life…probably only losing a few more brain cells along the way.

The year had truly been filled with ups and downs.

Walking over to the doorway, like she was about to pummel him, the Sleeping Giant pulled Silva into a quick hug. “Good to see you’re still kickin’, Pixel.”

Stepping back, Meirin popped some earbuds in her ear, listening to the radio play some old New Year songs. It didn’t matter to her whether they partied by lighting firecrackers to scare away evil spirits or drank until their faces were red. The important part of any gathering was the people. So long as they showed up, regardless of the venue or culture, it was a party.

So long as they were alive to welcome the new year.

“If you’re bored, go find some firecrackers or something~”

Since Izzy didn’t need her help in the kitchen, Merin simply took a plate and started to fill it with food, her hips swaying to the music she heard.

​

Lucem @angel doe AriAriAbabwa @Saturn_moon simj26 Doctor Llamabean

 

[Misuteeku]

???

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

Blood Stained Girl

LOCATION:

Alleyway, South District

Time:

Pre-Arc 1 | ???

PARTICIPANTS:

Raquel, Hector

Blood Stained Girl

The girl was shocked to see the man she had just killed stand in from her. The flesh and bones she had feasted upon were real, weren't they? There was no way that the taste couldn't have been faked, and neither was the fact that she felt revolted. Regardless, it just meant that she just had to kill the man. "In that case, I go always go for seconds." In a frustrated growl, the girl said. Even more, blood had started dripping from her clothes, no thanks to her messy dining.

Following Hector's advance, she, too, chased after the man. The girl was intoxicated by the taste of blood, and it showed. Confidence brimmed in her body as each step she took was strong as the last. A small object was tossed at them. It took a moment for her to process that object was, in fact, a grenade. A first lucid thought that didn't involve eating made through the girl's head. Suppose the man was going to throw a grenade at them.

"Hup!" Diving down into a slide, the hard floor scratched against her skin. "Heads up!" Grabbing the grenade, she threw it far, far ahead of the man. In a game of hot potato, the grenade soon landed in front of the man. Though, unlike hot potato, the potato in question was about to detonate right in front of him.

WhiskeyMarten

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Passeri Park

CS Link

SCENE:

A Murder Under Starlight

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1, 2013

LOCATION:

West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri Park, Corvo Cordesco

A Murder Under Starlight

A lone silhouette was illuminated within the dim light cast from the studio's entrance. The building was quiet, long emptied of its inhabitants, and eerily still. Only moments ago, music had filled the halls, spilling out of the dance studio of which Passeri had been the lone inhabitant, but now there was only the chill silence of the night. Up until recently, it had never bothered her. As a daughter of the North, there wasn't much that the luxurious West could throw at her, wreathed in the blackness of night or not.

Or at least, so she'd thought.

It'd been a long time since she'd felt this uncomfortable. Nervous. Afraid. The hours before a show were nerve-wracking, sure, but there was a certain level of comfort that Passeri's status as an HP had afforded her, but now she felt like the rug had been pulled out from under her. The shadows of the night swum suspiciously, and she could swear that out of the corner of her eye, she could see someone, or something stalking after her.

Passeri eyed her phone. Paced on the spot. Fiddled with her hair. Spoke to herself under her breath. Anything to keep her mind off of things. She'd finished up too early tonight, urged on by the budding sense of danger in her stomach, and had been waiting here for minutes now because of it.

Are you almost here?

She quickly sent off a text, typed out in rhythm with the hammering of her heart. Usually, she would've just waited. She hated to rush people like this. But tonight... She had an especially bad feeling dwelling within her gut. Her friends, her teachers, even her bandmates had just told her that she needed to relax. That there was no way something was going to happen twice. That everything was going to be okay. It made sense, to some degree. She wasn't that famous, not yet, so who was she to assume that there was something lurking in the night? Waiting for her with malice in their heart? If anything, it was just her ego playing tricks on her.

She checked her phone again, stark white light illuminating her face as she flicked through her messages. Checked the time. Paced on the spot. Fiddled with her hair.

"I hope she gets here soon..." Thin, white fog spilt from Passeri's lips. It was cold tonight.

AriAriAbabwa

 

[Misuteeku]

Sang-Cheol Man

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

DeadBEAT Comedy

LOCATION:

???

TIME:

???

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Raquel, Devin

DeadBEAT Comedy

"So, what I am saying is... I'm our writer's favorite." Sang-Cheol said. Looking across from him, his eyes glared at the other two to see if they had an opposition. Sitting around a table were two others aside from him. Raquel Filo and Devin Cena. Raquel was busily filoing her nails while Devin sat there, tucking his legs close to his chest.

"Ha! That's hilarious because I'm the writer's favorite!" A hideous laughter escaped from the cannibal as she finished her nails. Putting down the nail filoer, she leaned forward and sat her head on top of her hands. "Anybody could tell that around could tell you that!"

Sang-Cheol's entire focus was now directed at the cannibal. "The fuck you say? You're not even that interesting!" Slamming his fist onto the table, he, too, leaned forward to rebuke Raquel's claims. "Your entire gimmick in this fucking roleplay is, "Haha, I eat people. I'm so quirky," and, "Hector OWO, let me kiss the floor you walk on," let me tell you, that's hardly fucking interesting." That had gotten the Phoenix's skin as she seemed peeved at the slander of character.

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Hypocrite? All you do is yell, "Fuck," and "Goddamit!" A smug look appeared on the girl's face as she saw the scientist grow mad red. "You're literally a textbook, cliche hothead. Doesn't that mean you're even less interesting than me? The cannibal market is a lot more free and interesting than the dropping stocks of the hothead market."

"Fuck off!"

"See? All you can say is fuck." Reclining back into her chair, Raquel basked in the sweet feeling of victory. Good thing that Sang-Cheol's intelligence was smaller than a peanut. It was wondering how the Serpents even managed to have a lab with a guy like him-

"A-actually... Don't you technically classify as the insane woman archetype? A-as far as I know that-"

"Shut it, rat." Immediately, Raquel whipped her head around and glared at Devin, who decided to speak up. The Dragon shrunk down into his seat and tried to hide from Raquel's intimidating glare.

Though with Raquel's loss of focus was an opportunity for Sang-Cheol to strike back. "At least my backstory is a lot more complex and deep than yours. Oh, you accidentally became a hobo and started eating people because of your shitty potential? Big deal, nobody even fucking knows why you're like that!" That was true. As of this day, the reasons why Raquel became a cannibalistic hobo in the backstory are unknown to the populace. "As far as they're concerned, you're a goddamn lunatic that just eats people for the fun of it!"

The argument was getting intense. This time it was Raquel's turn to throw the ball. "My backstory isn't as complex, if not more complex than yours? Drop dead." Raquel's end of the table was starting to crack due to the force she used to grab it. "Nobody even fucking reads the backstory of the characters in this roleplay! Do you think they're that interested in remembering even an iota of history from your essay's long tragic backstory? No, that's what!" Her backstory was slightly a touchy topic. It was supposed to be explored more in a b-side, but it got canceled. That day, Raquel curled up in a fetal position and had to be fed meat marshmallows.

"And at least I'm not being NTR'd by a childhood friend!" When Raquel said that, flames started to burn from Sang-Cheol's side of the table. "She has a young, rich, Tiger man that works out and cares about her! He has more than you and your fucking diluted-chipped brain yours! Oh, what's that?" Leaning closer, she held her ear out and mocked the scientist even further. "Your other friend turned into a mound of dirt and said "mimimimimimi?" and the person you look up to got kidnapped? At least I have friends and Hector!"

"A-Actually, Raquel... About that... Our writer-"

Devin let out a loud eep as a part of a chair was stabbed right onto his side of the table. George emerged for a second to snarl at the woman before burying himself back into Devin's back.

"You bitch." Sang-Cheol growled out. "That's just fucking character development! Our writer knows what he's fucking doing with me! What about you? Your entire purpose in Arc 3 was to follow around Hector, and prior to that arc, you didn't even fucking exist! What kind of development are you going to make in the fucking one-year hiatus."

"Ohhh. We have an OG elitist over here. I'm so scared." Feigning fear, Raquel's anger surged back into the forefront. "I cannot believe I actually have to argue that an endless cycle of suffering isn't plot development! And-" pointing the finger at Sang-Cheol, she jabbed it forward a few times. "I could have been in Arc 2 if it wasn't going to end soon! Even then, what's the point of bringing previous arcs? You literally did nothing in them! And even when you did get the journal, you only told two people, and look where they are now! One's kidnapped, and the other is a pile of dirt!"

"S-She has a point... Sang-Cheol... You didn't do much-"

Devin squeaked as he ducked underneath the table, as fire barely grazed over his hair. The small man had to drop down onto the floor and roll around to put the fire out.

"Well, in that case, what about B-sides? I have the most B-side posts in this entire roleplay! It displays a variety of facets of my character! Many more than you, you one-note maniac." It was true. As of this day, he had the most posts. Much more than the blue-haired fuck and Ghostius. It could also be argued that his writer loved him so much that he wrote more posts for the scientist than any of his characters.

"Oh, please. Don't even bring that argument up." Pinching the bridge of her nose, Raquel frowned at the weakest point. "Just because you have a lot of b-side posts doesn't mean you're top of the chain! Nobody even reads b-sides! Let alone read your b-sides, four eyes!" Time for a sensitive strike. "And if you search 'Sang-Cheol' on discord, you'll only get under 800 results. Charlie has-"

A flaming piece of debris hit Raquel square in the face, which sent her falling down onto the floor. Unfortunately for Sang-Cheol, her smirk wasn't destroyed along with her face as it regenerated back.

"That..." Taking a deep breath, Sang-Cheol straightened his posture. "Doesn't change the fact that others know my story. In fact, I could even say that writing b-sides alone helps tell my story!" Slamming his fist onto the already destroyed table, a smirk of his own appeared on his face. "And I actually single-handily develop my own gang's lore thanks to it! Now they're seven labs in the Sable Serpents! What have your b-sides done other than drop your fellow gang member's respect for you?"

Raquel gritted her teeth. As much as she hated to admit it, Sang-Cheol was right. He was a crucial bone in the system of the Sable Serpents. Compared to her, Sang-Cheol was-

"But... Sang-Cheol. Nobody knows the lab lore-"

"Shut it, pipsqueak, or else I turn you into ash and make your sister inhale it."

That made Devin shut up almost immediately.

It was time to finish this. The final showdown. They could have discussed a multitude of other things. Win rate, relationships, quirks, storks, vegans, and more. But this subject was the pinnacle of subjects. One that Raquel was going to be forced to be used.

"Well, at least I'm not going to die in the future." Placing her hands around her hips, she mocked Sang-Cheol by blowing a raspberry at him for such a mundane, childish action that aggravated Sang-Cheol to not end.

"Die? That's rich! The future is never certain." Heating up to the opposition, Sang-Cheol made his counterattack. "If I, the writer's favorite, is going to die, then you're going to do as well! I'm ensured that I'll make it to Arc 7. What about you? Last time I checked, the writer hardly talks about you and your future!"

'That's not true. Our writer doesn't talk about me,' was left unsaid because Devin was too fearful for his life to enter in the crossfire.

"Me? How am I going to die?" A scoff escaped from Raquel. "I literally have regen and life hacks. Plus, as you said before, I'm too quirky to die! Our writer has more fun writing for me rather than for you. Additionally, who said you were the favorite? I am! At least there's a chance of me surviving; you're guaranteed to die in Arc 7, you fucking-"

They both went back in forth. Hurling curses and insults at each other. One could hardly call it an argument. In the midst of it all, Devin was hiding under the table, fearing for his life.

"I can't wait to get a few b-sides... I need a few friends right now." He sniffled to himself. The only b-side he had was the Amari B-Side which revolved around the fact that she stepped on his head during. His own writer hated him. Though thanks to this, Devin ended up seeing his writer's notes on what he was planning to do with them. Suppose you could even call them notes anyways. His writer didn't even write it down on a piece of paper or type it up on a document. The major take that Devin got from it was this.

They were all going to die.

"I cannot believe this." Devin whispered to himself.

 

[Sei Shonagon]

Kaede Shimokōbe

CS Link

SCENE:

Jingle Bells, Jingle Hell

LOCATION:

The Metropolitan Museum, Central district (?)

TIME:

December 26th 2013

PARTICIPANTS:

Hector Moses, Kaede Shimokōbe

Jingle Bells, Jingle Hell.

Her patience was a thin line growing even thinner as brows knitted together until it looked like they were about to snap. Mouthy. He was so incredibly mouthy. Every single word that left his mouth tugged at the line and threatened to set the glare below off. Even just holding herself back from retorting was a precarious dance performed in stillness between aimed sights.

There was no laughter or dumb comments to stave off the tension this time. Neither did they have the advantage of the slight lull of alcohol that had begun to spread through the crowd. Only- “Yes.” She bit off at the youngster and the frown which verged on a scowl. Kaede released the reins on angry lines and squeezed it all flat onto pursed lips. “Better yet, you should try hiding under the table cloth yourself.” She was older, more mature. She couldn’t afford to show the same unbridled emotions that he did.

Her gaze surveyed the reactions of their surroundings, none of which seemed to have caught onto their little dispute. “I’ll be the one to seek you out if I need you. Otherwise, just stay put. I wonder what part of ‘only the table for refreshments’ could’ve possibly confused you, but I’ll repeat it if needed-” The brunette closed in on her partner, a move that turned the head of no one in the climate of couples, and grabbed Hector by his leash- his tie.

The yank came out sharper than she had intended, urged on by the frustration that hammered adrenaline into steeled fingertips. “Don’t talk-” Her expression was frigid, but her breath fanned hot over the steep landscape of his jaw. “Don’t think- ” It would’ve hit him then, the unassuming scent of freshly washed linen that matched the appearance of her white dress and pervaded moving lips. Soft and round and simple. Everything that her words were not.

“-And don’t move, unless I tell you to.” Kaede released him and secured her distance with an additional dismissive push. Why couldn’t he just listen? If opposites were all he understood then- “Listen to your seniors. Or be my guest and have yourself thrown out if you want to prove me and the King right”. She spun around and barred any further discourse with the wall of fur that was wrapped around her neck.

She didn’t need another repeat of that day. Not now and not ever. Kaede disappeared into the ocean of bodies without hearing his response.

Outfit x
WhiskeyMarten

 

[tityanya]

𝑵𝒂𝒐𝒎𝒊 𝑺𝒂𝒕𝒐
𝔸𝕤: 𝕆𝕞𝕚​

I am here: Parking Lot
With: Tri, Driver
Scene: Coolness as a Rule
Time: Wednesday, November 3rd, 2021 || Post Arc-2

"You know once I start, I cannot help myself"

≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎

Naomi could see gears whirring in Tri's head, but she had no idea what exactly those gears were doing. Instead he nodded, a businessman-like smile on his face as he told Naomi she was correct. Excellent! She was going to turn this thing around, yet! Be spontaneous. Go along with Tri. Do what you wanted and what felt right. She would definitely get an A+ in this scenario, which was something normal to want and possible to achieve. If only she had known about the evil machinations in Tri's brain, ready to cause drama by revealing to Paris what she had said.

Naomi's attention turned towards the driver's anime, and she asked Tri about it. His answer was quick, with the name and the synopsis. "Oh, wow! That sounds really interesting, actually. Is it played like a comedy or more like a horror?" Naomi was genuinely interested. Was the main character just a dorky imbecile too stupid to understand that the world was ending around him? Or were the girls really evil geniuses keeping him locked inside where he couldn't realize what was happening? "There's gotta be at least one yandere character, right? I can't imagine an anime more appropriate for a yandere to be in. 'How dare you allude to senpai that something is going wrong? I'll kill you!'" Naomi said, doing her best impression of a high-pitched anime character. Which was honestly spot-on, because her vocal chords subconsciously shifted to allow her to do it.

When Tri suddenly made eye-contact with Naomi, she froze for a second. Had she done something wrong? He looked so serious. Was something wrong outside? She forced her body language to relax, meeting Tri with an equally steely gaze. Did she...like fan service? The weed took over, and Naomi began laughing hysterically. The knock on the window caused her to jump, but once she saw that it was the driver with their tacos, she started laughing even more."You--you looked so serious!" she said in-between guffaws. "I thought someone outside was about to rob us!" She laughed a little more, before taking deep breaths to calm herself down. "Yeah, I like fan-service, but not in the 'Oooh panty shot~ Ooh boobies~' kinda way. I think it's really funny, like in high school of the dead when the girl's boobs flopped two separate directions so fast they avoided a speeding bullet. I laughed so hard watching that that I had to pause the show!" She started chuckling even now at the memory.

"Thanks for the tacos, bud," Naomi said to their driver, taking the plate from him and placing it down on the seat in-between her and Tri. "Does it look like an even split? Which ones would you want two of?" Naomi asked, eyeing the chorizo taco hungrily.​

((ooc: I've never actually seen high school of the dead))
((outfit))
((Discipline))

@Damafaud

 

[Doctor Llamabean]

Nakazajo "ROCCHI" Chikage

CS Link

SCENE:

Chasedown

TIME:

Pre-Arc 3 — April 4th, 2022

LOCATION:

North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Chikage, Sang-Cheol

CHASEDOWN

The pole crippled and crunched like aluminum foil when Chikage brought it down against the sidewalk in his attempt to obliterate Sang-Cheol, Sang-Cheol who screamed his miserable inquiry for all to hear. A desperate countenance as he turned to meet the Police Captain’s eyes.

Crimson hues that, though open, expressed lacking awareness, as if they weren’t… truly seeing the Serpent.

“What did I do to deserve this?”

The Captain didn’t hear the question, his gaze drifting toward the North District sky as he hummed, letting the splintered remains of the pole clatter to the ground. “Hmmmmm?...”

Where am I?

Had he snapped already?...

“I did nothing wrong... I did nothing wrong... I DID NOTHING WRONG.”

“Huh?” Chikage looked at Sang-Cheol—the molotov airborne—and he blinked.

The shattering of glass. The explosive gust of rushing heat.

And the world around them took to flame.

Chunks and shards of concrete blasted outward in all directions, only a crater left where the Police Captain once stood, then the black silhouette of a man appeared carved in the sun above, growing larger as it descended upon the Serpent.

Chikage landed behind Sang-Cheol, their backs facing each other.

Up, his hand went—the Captain spared no glance at the one behind him—and hooked onto the back of Sang-Cheol’s shirt collar.

Then they were off.

Chikage sprinted, lost to himself, and barreled through everything in his path. Brick walls gave way to his bull-rush, civilians screaming as he charged through with full disregard for their safety.

Where was he going?

What was the goal?

There was an audible snap! within the Captain’s brain. And Chikage abruptly hit the brakes, skidding to a halt in the middle of a two-lane street where the cacophony of car horns blaring and driver’s cursing out their windows quickly surfaced. Several cars swerved around the Captain, one clipping him enough to send him twisting and rolling.

A moment’s pause stretched for several seconds… Civilians stepped out of their vehicles and began to crowd the prone Captain.

He was still.

As for Sang-Cheol, Chikage had released him a ways back, leaving the Serpent to tumble and flop across hard pavement, carried by the momentum of their charge.

Just then, following a twitch of the hand, the Captain moved.

He rolled over, getting on all fours, then to a kneel as both of his hands came up to clutch handfuls of black hair as he tried to physically shake away the hold that his rage had over him; to cast off the reins and set himself free.

Twisting and writhing like a mutt in the muzzle, he snarled. The surrounding civilians began backing away.

CHIKAGE NOTES​

— —The majority of the front, right half of Chikage's body is badly scarred from burns, stopping halfway up his neck, covering his arm's entirety, ending at his shin. For this reason, he wears a black, leather glove always covering his right hand, and usually wears long-sleeved, concealing clothes. Reference (X)

— —What he's wearing: (Click: X) Long-sleeved, white sweater; Grey trousers w/ belt; White shoes; Wrist-watch and Glove on his right hand

— —POST RECAP: Chikage dodges Sang-Cheol's molotov then take Sang-Cheol for a ride. The two of them barrel through buildings together before Chikage comes to a halt in the middle of oncoming traffic and gets clipped by a car. Chikage fades in and out of 'Rampage'.

(Interacting w/ Sang-Cheol)
(Mentioned no one)
Misuteeku ​

 

[thebigfella]

Shishido Takakazu

CS Link

SCENE:

Returning Back Something You Don’t Own Is Basically Childbirth

LOCATION:

West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Shishido Takakazu, Dante Aguilar (@Haze-)

Returning Back Something You Don’t Own Is Basically Childbirth

With no regret, Tak enjoyed seeing Dante’s reaction to his impromptu flashbang on his senses. It was only a matter of time until the brute took advantage of the man’s weakness over something petty; it just so happened that it would be now.

He was only able to stick on this high horse for so long until Dante decided to counter his mocking with a jab at his mother, any confidence Tak had immediately was tossed aside as a large crease appeared between his brow as a visible vein of anger appeared above his cheek. In this one instance, Tak didn’t have any way to respond. It was well known among everyone that there was minimal way to come back from a ‘your mom’ jab in a way that didn’t involve knocking the lights out of the one who dared to say it.

His hands clenched at his side as, for a long moment, he shared the same hostility Dante held when Tak had decided to dazzle him with modern technology just so he wouldn’t get the idea he ‘won’ in this scenario.

But, in a rare moment of lucidity for the rowdy, even he knew that this wasn’t no place to start fighting. He had to do many more important things than scuffle with a fellow gang member, especially since he wasn’t even operating on a full stomach.

For many different reasons, both of their aggression left them simultaneously, Tak only smirking as he felt the bump against his shoulder, his stance only shifting slightly in response as his clenched fists relaxed.

“You might start thinkin’ I fucked with more than just your eyes if you keep talkin’ like that, asshole,” He nonchalantly responded to Dante’s comment, sliding his hands into his pockets. Compared to Dante, Tak didn’t have such deep thoughts about their relationship, like childhood memories.

To him, Dante was just one other person who could keep up with him and was willing to put up with the type of shit he pulled and not just take it sitting down. And that fact made him worthwhile enough to keep putting up with.

While Dante walked toward the kitchen, not without piercing Tak with one additional jab at his sex life, Tak only clicked his teeth in response as he turned back to the T.V., having already explained himself how it was the culture around the nipple, but the nipple itself, and felt no need to go over it again.

Yet, after the discussion, he couldn’t deny his interest in nailing it down had waned. So instead of rewinding the scene, he promptly fell back into the couch, letting the satin morph around him as his back sank inside, only to keep sliding down until he found himself sitting on the carpet again, using the sofa as a backrest.

“Keep screaming like that, and you’re gonna change what the H means in Honest Abe!”

“S-Stay away from me, you psycho!”

The audio of the corny movie continued to play through the room as the bright screen reflected off Tak’s spiritless eyes; a tiny droplet of sweat had formed on the side of his head, but as he sat there longer watching it the amount of perspiration only grew more and more as he came to a startling realization.

“This movie...........…SUCKS ASS!”

As soon as he was forced to look at the movie for what it was, his hands were raised to his head as he looked towards the ground in distress.

“Why the hell did I rent this out?! Why did I watch it so many times!? I want my time and money back, damnit!”

Like the Buddha had enlightened him, Tak questioned the triviality of all his actions to this point, reflecting on how he could have been so stupid.

That was until a smell hit his sinuses. It was salty, sweet, and buttery all at the same time. The crisp scent of freshly popped kernels was muddied by a volley of aromas that caused all his sensors as a gourmand to light off.

With an undeserved dramatism, Tak turned his head over his shoulder, repeated delayed afterimages bringing prominence to his motion as his wide-open eyes and gaped mouth went to confirm what he had smelt.

And much to his satisfaction, he was correct, looking up at Dante as he held three large bowls of popcorn.

As soon as the snack was placed onto the carpet, Dane’s ask for a truce was completely extraneous, as like a ravenous beast, Tak began to grab handfuls from each bowl, shoving it into his mouth as he chomped down, crumbs falling all across his chest and lap and onto the carpet, completely forgetting about the movie as he ate.

He would have continued like this if it wasn’t for the fact Dante had said something he deemed worth replying to.

“Yeah,” Tak started, just to immediately pause just to swallow the last bits of popcorn in his mouth, then proceeding to use his finger to pick at the kernels in between his teeth. “There ain’t much I’m willin’ to pay for, and this definitely isn’t one of ’em,” he agreed.

In that same vein of thought, Tak glanced over toward the television, not to subject himself to the movie but instead to lean over and snatch the DVD’s case between his hands, tossing it up in the air to catch it once more and flip it over to the back, bring it up to his face to scan it.

“Good thing we have until—”

Tak’s words instantly froze in his mouth as if they had physically bumped against his teeth and fallen back into his throat. The grip on the case intensified, his nails digging into the case and crunching the cheap plastic as his body vibrated. The white space around his cornea was invaded by red networks of veins as he slowly moved the DVD case downward away from his face, meeting Dante with his crazed expression as his pupils worriedly darted around within his eyes, perspiration pooling down his whole as deeper shadows clearly defined his caved in cheekbones.

He had one question for Dante, the only person in the room who could think straight now.

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Passeri Park

CS Link

SCENE:

Clad in Golden Dreams

TIME:

Post-Arc 3, Timeskip 1 | June 16th, 2022

LOCATION:

West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Ezra, Viss, Mark, Jess, Hiachi, Tak, Elias, Jesper

Clad in Golden Dreams

The gentle chitter of banter and simmering champagne set the stage for the sort of night this was cut out to be. Fine suits and dazzling dresses decorated the dining hall, milling about one another with smiles painted onto their faces, and light, meaningless pleasantries plastered to their lips.

Of all of the spoils that fame and fortune offered, this was probably the kind that Passeri liked the least. The guests tonight were beasts more terrible than most Tigers could ever hope to be. Old money. Children of the Oasis elite, born with silver suppositories and the world in the palm of their hands. They were not her kind of people, but they didn't need to be. All they needed to be was milked for everything they were worth.

Which, admittedly, wasn't much.

"I'm glad we've finally got a chance to chat!" If there was anything to betray that Passeri would've rather been elsewhere, it wasn't obvious. A cool smile, a beautiful dress, and glimmering adornments. That was all she needed to charm her way through most of the night, but she was after no ordinary prey today. Her eyes gleamed with an opportunistic light as she evaluated the blonde with whom she shared the table. This one was big game.

"I've been following your work for a bit now, and I'm quite the fan. There aren't many members of our social circle that are willing to spend quite so much on anything but themselves, you know." And didn't she know it. Convincing their illusive King to just spend his time here tonight had been like squeezing blood from a stone. "But I guess that cat has to stay fat somehow, right?"

Passeri took a sip of her drink. She wasn't alone in her venture tonight. As famous as she was, she was not a monolith. Every artist needed a patron, and tonight hers was the Knights. A shock of brown her flanked her at the table, the family's chosen representative for the event. She didn't to guess why.

"So if you'll excuse me for being forward, I'd like for us to work together. This earthquake... It's going to need a lot of work, and I think both of us know that the city isn't going to do it in a hurry. I mean, they're still milking the cyclone for everything it's worth." This, even, was setting aside the fact that the mayoral family themselves had been responsible for this, but that wasn't a secret that she could share lightly.

"People are going to need all the help that they can get, and we can offer a lot more of that together." That went for both of the men present. Vissarion was her main target, but the Knights were a whole beast of their own. Even winning their least valuable scion over to her side would be a boon.

Slav Lucem Elenion Aura miki thebigfella simj26 QuirkyAngel AriAriAbabwa

 

[Misuteeku]

Sang-Cheol Man

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

Chasedown

LOCATION:

North District, Streets

TIME:

Pre Arc-3 | April 4th, 2022

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Chikage, Rebecca [NPC]

Chasedown

The fire roared as the Molotov combusted in front of him. Instinctively, Sang-Cheol covered his face as cinders and debris flew past him. The fear and confusion still palpable in his heart only intensified as his mind processed information. The broken pole and cracked ground soon disappeared from his line of sight. Something tugged on Sang-Cheol's shirt, and as if he had been sucked into a wind tunnel, Sang-Cheol's vision blurred.

Buildings and cars alike seemingly flew past him. The air rustled his hair and blew past his ears. Gone from the fire and the alleyway and to somewhere on the street. Sang-Cheol couldn't tell as midway, he started free-falling. His body suddenly tumbled and made crashed into a mailbox. A groan escaped from Sang-Cheol's mouth as he tried to get up. "Shit, why me? Why does this happen to me?" It was cold. Why was it cold? The feeling of hopelessness in the face of the cruel world known as reality.

"It's... cold," Sang-Cheol muttered to himself. His heavily battered body was still able to move. The police captain didn't seem too interested in him. If anything, he seemed more animal than human at this point. Then his eyes landed on the civilians. Judging by the situation, they would be most likely ruthlessly mauled by the animalistic police chief. It would give him enough time to escape, but his body felt stiff. "What's even the point?" If he did manage to escape, he would just go back to lying to himself and pretending to be someone he wasn't.

"Everyone leaves me. Nobody cares about me. The only people I can properly talk to aren't even alive." Even Caio, too, will eventually abandon him like everyone else. There was no spot for a person known as 'Sang-Cheol' in their world. He should just die, perish, and rot. Maybe his death would make people care for him even if he wasn't present. Perhaps, he could meet Rebecca and everyone else. That way, he could atone and apologize for the sins that he committed in exchange for companionship.

"But isn't it presumptuous to presume what people would want from you?"

A buzzing sound screamed through Sang-Cheol's mind. His mind felt like it was splitting. Sang-Cheol grabbed his head in pain and began to bash his head against the mailbox. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts. Yet between these pangs, he felt two small arms laced around his neck. Soft skin grazed his neck and, despite lashing out around him, didn't seem to fade away.

"Didn't you want to be a good person at one point? If you leave now, those civilians will die." Why should he care? HPs, NPs, animals? They were all the same to him anyways. Nobody would bother helping him back then, and nobody would help him now. Why would should he sacrifice himself when they'd do nothing in return? Charity? Patience? Kindness? All selfish forms of satisfaction were gained from a moral standpoint. He refused to indulge himself in such pedantic ideology.

"Perhaps that's the wrong way to putting things." The voice echoed inside his head. It started to sound familiar to Sang-Cheol. Where did he hear it before? Though when Sang-Cheol was about to realize what it was, the boyish spoke out. "Let me rephrase this, if not for yourself don't you want to be a good person for Isobel?" The name alone made Sang-Cheol freeze. He could feel the smile gracing the voice's lips. "For whatever good she saw in you, you should at least do it for her. If there was one thing she wouldn't want..."

"She wouldn't want people to die..."

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT

The syringe pierced through Sang-Cheol's neck as the contents injected themselves into the bloodstream. A surge of strength crashed through his body as the HP Steroid kicked into effect. That's right. Even though he had nothing in this world, he still wanted to see Isobel one last time. He still had something to say to her. Words of anger? Perhaps fear? Maybe even love? Sang-Cheol didn't know what exactly he wanted to say, but when the next time he meet her, he had a feeling that words would come themselves.

That meeting would have to wait. In went another drug into his system, Green Man. His injuries started to recover from the drug, which allowed him to stand right back up. The fire from the molotov burned in the background, calming down his nerves and gathering his bearing. It didn't stop the ironic train of thought that a Serpent was going to stop a Cop from hurting the civilians.

There was no way he'd be able to defeat Nakazjo Chikage. Strength, skill, speed, and more. Even with the HP Steroid, he would still struggle to challenge the man in a contest of strength. However...

Digging into his pockets, Sang-Cheol found the syringe that contained the custom-made HP suppressor that he had created for Mimi. While his schedule was wrecked, he always made sure to create a new strand every week for the golemancer. The scientist would have to find an opportunity to inject the suppressor into the man.

Drawing out his gun, he aimed it at the police officer. "Last time I checked, I'm your target. Not them." With three clicks of his handgun, several bullets shot forward at the Police Chief. "As for the peanut gallery over there, FUCK OFF AND RUN!" This was about to get messy.

Spoiler: Tags

Doctor Llamabean

 

[Coyote Hart]

Peyton Xiong

CS Link

SCENE:

Sir, This is a Hospital

TIME:

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

LOCATION:

Correspondance Hospital, Lower Central

PARTICIPANTS:

Peyton, Yuto

Sir, This is a Hospital

Peyton almost pouted when Yuto pulled himself up from their embrace. The man nicknamed Taffy wanted to have more fun with Yuto, and he quite enjoyed the weight that Yuto's torso exerted on him. If Peyton had known that Yuto was worried about getting addicted to Peyton's kisses, then Peyton would've undoubtedly pulled Yuto back down. Peyton wanted Yuto to get addicted to him. He wanted to be addicted to Yuto too. Perhaps it was infatuation, but Peyton doubted it.

"Sounds like I'm a tasty, stretchy piece of Taffy then!" Peyton said. He liked Yuto's description of him though, and Peyton was satisfied to hear that Yuto wanted to come over. It wasn't often that Peyton had guests over, and his house was definitely not prepared for it, but he most definitely wanted Yuto over.

Feeling exhausted from craning his head up to talk to Yuto, Peyton also stood up. He liked Yuto's idea of washing up. Even though Peyton was able to change back into his usual out-of-job hoodie, he was still covered in blood, both from holding down the nurse as Yuto ate and from the blood that seeped from his arm. And there would be no way for them to escape from the hospital if they were covered in gore. "Shower time? Sounds fun!" Immediately, Peyton began pulling off his shoes and socks, doing the same for Yuto after he was done.

There was a shower in the bathroom for nurses who needed to rinse off before going home. It remarkably had the appearance of a cross between an individual gym shower and a hotel shower. Taking Yuto's hand, Peyton twirled the barefooted two of them into the shower, devilishly turning on the water despite the two of them still being fully clothed. Peyton jolted for a moment as the cold water hit him, but he quickly relaxed as it warmed up. Thankfully, the bandage that Yuto wrapped around Peyton's arm was thoroughly waterproof. Brimming with mischief, Peyton tugged at his soaked hoodie and said, "We're not going to need these clothes later, right? So why not mess around while we can?"

With eyes twinkling under flattened hair and glistening features, Peyton pumped the shampoo dispenser attached to the wall, reaching up to ruffle Yuto's soft dark hair and lather in the shampoo. Soft locks of hair ran through his fingers, soothing and therapeutic. Peyton was almost a bit shy to help Yuto wash other parts of him, his heart beating so fast that he thought he was going to have a heart attack.

Caffeine_Obsessed

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Passeri Park

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

It always struck Passeri just how still the world beyond the borders of New Oasis felt. Away from gossiping mouths, away from prying eyes, and even away from the ploying claws of the Tigers, the world felt at rest.

Despite what stirred.

It wasn't much, this little consolation prize that she'd arranged, at least not in light of the circumstances. A weekend away from the stresses of the city, all expenses paid. The Borgo Orecchiette was a luxurious affair, equipped to the nines with every luxury that the mind could imagine, but that wasn't why she'd picked it. If all she'd wanted was to dazzle, then any of the luxury hotels within New Oasis would have sufficed. No, what she was in the market for was privacy. The kind that only isolation offered, at least for somebody of her status.

Beyond the grassy borders of the estate, empty plains stretched into the horizon. Grazing paddocks and private estates where there was nowhere to skulk, not without cutting a stark silhouette against the horizon.

"Your guests should be arriving soon, Miss." A member of the estate's staff informed her, whilst in the distance, a bus began to wind up the long, gravel road that led to the grounds. "Everything in the main hall is prepared to greet them, when you're prepared."

"Thanks," Passeri answered plainly, and rose from the wicker seat she'd been lounging in. "I'll be there in a moment."

~~~
​

Upon arrival, the contestants of that fateful game show would find themselves swiftly intercepted by the estate's staff, and shepherded into the hall that lay at the heart of the grounds. For anyone born and raised within the concrete jungle of New Oasis, it would've been like an alien world. They were old buildings, the ones that made up the estate, made up of delicate brickwork which predated even the original Grant's discovery of the mines that would become Oasis's beating heart. Back when the world had been a bit less fantastical.

They'd have plenty of time to explore, to peruse the dusty bookshelves and delve through ancient cellars, but now was not it. The doors to the main hall lay open wide, framing fine draperies and opulent decor, inviting them within.

​

"I'm so glad all of you could make it!" Passeri beamed, descending the staircase. They were alone now, the estate staff vanished into unseen hallways, set off to do the final preparations for the Amestrian gaggle's weekend stay. "Sorry that this was so sudden, but it really wasn't in the cards until... Well, I'm sure you know." Passeri wasn't sure if the apologetic look she put on was genuine or not. She was more at fault for what had happened that day than any of them knew.

"At the very least, I'm sure all of us could use a getaway right now." The last step fell from beneath Passeri's feet, and then she was on even footing with the group. Her eyes met each of theirs, one after the other, and she smiled warmly in greeting. "You guys must be hungry after the trip. What do you say to a quick lunch? The staff told me they're doing ham today."

Anne Boolean BriiAngelic Elenion Aura The Regal Rper AriAriAbabwa

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Passeri Park

CS Link

SCENE:

In The Tigers' Web

TIME:

Post-Arc 3, Timeskip 1 | June 3rd

LOCATION:

Nameless Storefront, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Jennifer, Ezra, Elias, Dagger

In The Tigers' Web

If you went far enough, even the corporate opulence of the West would give way to destitution. Barren storefronts lined a strip mall which had once bubbled with life, emptied of everything that their former proprietors could have sold off, and left only with whatever valueless clutter remained. The odd shopper still milled about, visiting the scant few remaining stores for some esoteric odd or end, but they were of a dying breed.

Luckily, that meant that Passeri's purchase had come cheap. It was under another name, of course, but for all intents and purposes, one of these dilapidated old stores was hers. Two stories and one basement filled to the brim with perfect anonymity, something that she'd been in dire need of as of late. Especially today.

A thick, metal door swung wide as Passeri entered the basement. What had once been a set of storerooms had been converted into something more livable, freshly furnished with practical furniture that could endure the subterranean dampness, and a fair share of wanton abuse. Another door, just as egregiously bulky, sat in the opposite corner of the room, keeping her 'guest' under strict lock and key. She would've been lying if this wasn't part of what she'd had in mind when she'd had it installed, though she'd never imagined that it would play host to such an illustrious patron.

"It's me." Passeri spoke with a flatness, a lack of airs that was reserved for one woman in particular. "How's he taken to things? I tried to make this place a least a bit hospitable, but I doubt it's what somebody of his stature is used to."

Not that she cared.

"Thanks for doing this on such short notice, too. Things have been... Hectic ever since the earthquake." That was understating it. Between her change of office, the ruination of the game show's finale, and the bloodthirsty buzzing of the press, Passeri had barely had time to sleep. She hadn't felt this exhausted since her days in the Heartstoppers.

"I've asked a few of the other Tigers here. Knight, Yumin..." She hesitated for a moment, already able to see the quirk of the snowy woman's brow at what she was about to say. "...And his daughter." She sighed. Just saying it out loud made her feel like an idiot. "I don't know. Maybe his own blood will be able to pry his lips open without us having to resort to..." Conventional methods. She felt like Dagger was bright enough for her to leave that unsaid.

"But if it does come to that, like I said, Knight will be here." Another implication that she trusted her to pick up on. "I'd rather we leave Yumin's help as a last resort."

A clock in the room's corner ticked, and the hour hit twelve. Passeri sighed, and reclined into one of the wooden seats that furnished the room. She'd been on her feet for most of the day, so she was glad that she'd decided to arrive a bit before she'd asked the other Tigers to be here. She needed a moment to realign herself.

"They should be here in fifteen. I locked the door behind me, so we're going to have to greet them." She gave Dagger a smile, her face changing to its usual sunny demeanour, though not entirely. "Wouldn't have done to have some curious shopper stumble in, would it? This is probably one of the only places that the Tigers own that doesn't have anything to sell them."

simj26 @Uasal Lucem QuirkyAngel @Saturn_moon (Or Elenion Aura idk which of you is Papa Weber tonight)

 

[gxxberkit]

YONG-YUT SOMSRI

CS Link

SCENE:

White Wolf

LOCATION:

404 Ark Royal Apartments

PARTICIPANTS:

Dagger, Vulken, Yong-Yut, Corvo

White Wolf

The phone was barely scanned when the message popped up; she’d already fallen out of bed and onto her feet after reading the first line. Not putting shoes on, not changing her clothes, only leaving a note where her cousin’s keys were before she ran outside and hopped in his truck. Swerving out of the parking spot with no concern for the car nor buildings nearby, she itched to get to the apartment as fast as possible.

She put no thought into her actions down the road. Her brow only furrowed with worry.



After what was too long of a drive, she parked in front of the apartment building. Her eyes caught onto a familiar car— was that Corvo’s?

Her arm reached over to the glove compartment, smacking around wildly until she grasped onto a ribbon. She held it over her hair and it snaked down the locks, tying itself into a neat bow near the bottom. The door was kicked open, and slammed shut almost immediately.

She tsked at herself. What tact.

As she stood outside of the decayed apartments, her mind was beginning to override the worry with anxiety. This could be bad. Very bad. Was it worth the risk? They said he was fine. They could be lying… What was Corvo doing here? Should she wait outside? Was Corvo in trouble, too? She crouched down beside the vehicle, staring at the ground. Coming here unprepared was a dumb move. Will more Phoenixes be coming? Why didn’t she put shoes on? The road was hurting her feet. Maybe she should just get moving. Wasting time, Yong-Yut, you’re wasting time!

She stood up with a deep breath. Maybe.. She should go for the window.

Inside the building, she talked to the receptionist. Getting a better idea of where they are, she simply told the woman that she’d be right back, and went outside again. Was that a bad move? She shrugged to herself.

She went around the building until she found the window of the one she was looking for. Hoisting herself upwards, she found a lack of… curtains. Did they not have curtains in the North? Eyes of silver peered through the glass. She settled on Vulken, who looked, just like the text said, rather safe. Beat up, sure, but safe. The person who she assumed sent the text seemed to be right beside him. With a gun. They were talking, but the stranger seemed on edge. Hm.

…Where was Corvo?

Yong-Yut let herself fall to the side, just out of the view of the window. This was a bad idea.

She went back down to the ground.

simj26 AriAriAbabwa Nobody Special

 

[miki]

Hiachi Ito

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers B-side: Learning Your Stripes

LOCATION:

West District, The Silver Spoon

PARTICIPANTS:

Hiachi, Lorette

Learning Your Stripes

Lorette’s genuine shock in response to her answers made Hiachi uncomfortable. She wasn’t that special. It was really easy to guess someone’s play in poker if you knew their cards—it was just basic human logic, right? Even in the event that she was wrong, it was normally because the player made a shitty, illogical decision.

Hiachi could only shrug in response. She felt like even the slightest vocal tic would topple over Lorette’s impressions and crash down on her.

When she asked Lorette if she knew her, the woman paused. After dancing around the revelation, she replied: "There were a lot of kids running around the East District. But none quite like you Hiachi; I'm not even sure how I could forget a stare like yours. Maybe it just shows how old I'm getting."

So she did remember her, but did Hiachi remember Lorette? The young woman couldn’t imagine a scenario in which she would have crossed paths with a tiger, considering she lived in the East District. Before she could try to think about it, another question was shot her way.

She wanted to know how she got in the Albino Tigers. The story of how Hiachi ended up in a gang wasn’t a proud one. However, she got the sense that she couldn’t get away with vagueness this time. The earnestness in Lorette’s tone assured her that getting it off her chest would be a good move.

“I…” Hiachi cleared her throat before continuing. “A group of tigers caught me cheating at a casino. They were higher ups, I think. Instead of just kicking me out, I was tricked into a two million amestriyen debt. So… here I am.”

Hiachi chewed at the dry skin on her lips. She wouldn’t know how Lorette would react, but she was hoping she’d be shown some sympathy for her stupidity.

Spoiler

@Ramjammer

 

[gxxberkit]

YONG-YUT SOMSRI

CS Link

SCENE:

Penguin Socks

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1— Early Spring 2002, ~4:00am

LOCATION:

Tales and Tails

PARTICIPANTS:

Yong-Yut, Markus

Penguin Socks

Silver irises shifted from the messily-colored paper to the messily-styled hair on Markus’ head. A subtle nod was given in return to his request. On the edge of the menu, she began drawing a stick figure that accurately reflected her own age.

Unfortunately, the menu was then covered with a plate of nuggets and fries.

Yong-Yut looked up to her mom, who’d handed the plate over. The only thing she got in response was a smile. The same patronizing smile she always used.

With saddened eyes, she turned to Markus and his plate of blueberry pancakes that were suddenly in front of him. She herself didn’t really like blueberries, and didn’t know why anyone else would. Honestly, she didn’t like most fruit. They were strange, and they changed a lot, and they were never the same any two times you ate them. But blueberries were blue, like Markus. She wondered if that was why he liked them. Markus wasn’t anything like blueberries, though.

He was more like chicken nuggets, she thought. Like the ones she’d started eating while she thought about blueberries. She liked chicken nuggets. They were never strange, you could count on them to be the same every time. They were familiar.

With the nugget she was holding, she pointed at him. “Like you.”

Elenion Aura

 

[joshuadim]

HITOSHI YAMAKAWA

http://www.google.com

CS Link

SCENE:

Get(ting) Help

TIME:

Post Arc-3; 2 1/2 weeks later

LOCATION:

Kiki's Eatery, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hitoshi, Charlie, Ashley, Gideon, Hector, Kaede

GET(TING) HELP

Although many buildings suffered damage from the earthquake that had rocked Central just two and a half weeks ago, even those as far down as the South, the building that housed Bar Shellac was practically untouched. Despite its unassuming appearance, it was structurally sounder than most of the other buildings it was crammed in between; the cubed, almost brutalist architecture of brick and concrete served it well enough that it escaped with only a few cracks in the walls. Something that could easily be fixed in the near future when Anya got around to it.

For the lone owner, she sat at the counter to lazily count and calculate bills and expenses for that month. A small stack of papers littered the wood surface in front of her as she read them over: heating, plumbing, electricity, liquor shipments. All of these amounted to a hefty amount, but fortunately for her she *did* have a source of steady, reliable income even if he absolved himself to go clean. Hitoshi still made sure the lights came on, for which Anya was eternally grateful for.

It was enough that she could even hire the would-be burglar that had broken into Hitoshi’s place and gave her a fright. Jackie, the reptilian scaled intruder from before, now wore a clean shirt and pants as he wiped some glasses clean with a rag. He had been given work by Anya as part of repayment for the trouble he caused, though he didn’t mind; in his mind, he felt that it was only requisite as an apology to her. Besides, being spooked by the *Phoenixes* the way he had been made him think twice about his prospects.

A soft thudding of footsteps sounded from above and went down the stairs which caught both the attention of Anya and Jackie as they watched Hitoshi appear. “Whoa, I’ve never seen you with long hair like that.” Anya commented as she observed how… *clean* Hitoshi looked. He had finally not just taken a shower, but also cleaned out his suit and clothes. And that was not to mention the ponytail behind Hitoshi’s head and the two locks of hair that flowed along his temples downward. Gone was the frizzy, weirdly permed hairstyle.

“Hm? Oh… yeah. I figured, y’know. New me, new hair. Try something new.” Hitoshi replied with a soft smile, “…is it bad?”

“No! Nothing like that, it’s just… strange. For how long I’ve known you.”

“Looks great on you Mr. Yamakawa!” Jackie then blurted out, which brought out an annoyed glare from Anya as she narrowed her eyes at him. The reptilian quickly shirked back and laughed nervously, “Ahem, well… I’ll just shut up I guess.”

Hitoshi chuckled as he ran a hand atop his head before realizing something else had changed too: “Wait, where’s your cigarettes?” he asked Anya.

“Oh, that.” She shrugged in response, “I figured if you’re quitting on all that shit, then I guess I should quit too. Wouldn’t be good for me to keep smoking around you.”

Hitoshi gave Anya an appreciative nod before she spoke up again: “So… what are you up to today?”

“I’m meeting up with some of my friends. We’ll go around and have a good time. Charlie said he’d coming!”

“Oh, say hi to Charlie for me. Been a while since I’ve seen him.”

Hitoshi gave a two-finger salute of acknowledgement to her request and walked towards the front door. However, he did eye the bottles of liquor just behind Jackie as he continue to clean glasses. The temptation hit him as though he had been dehydrated for days and had not drank any water. But thankfully, he left the establishment before he felt the urge to act on it. Stepping out into the small alleyway, Hitoshi looked up at the sunny sky above and took a deep breath.

Today was the first day of the rest of his life.

​

In this new age of sobriety, even the streets he knew like the back of his hand felt like uncharted territory. As he paced himself through the South District towards his first destination, he saw the many familiar shops and vistas that he had only seen when completely plastered out of his mind. Everything seemed so much more *real* as a result, and more interconnected to him than he had taken for granted. In his maroon suit, he stood out like a sore thumb compared to the regular inhabitants of the area who went about either working to recover from the earthquake’s effects or gone about their daily routines and jobs.

He was not a resident anymore in this part of town. He was a stranger in a familiar form. The old Hitoshi knew everything there was to know, but he was no longer that person. He needed to learn the city again: to carry its breath in the wind, to see its hundred-thousand luminous arms shining at night, and to shiver at its history of place and people.

Hitoshi shuddered as he felt a tic pass through his body in that moment, passing by the noodle shop that had once been owned by Wang. Now it was a derelict, boarded up has-been. It had been so many years since he left for other parts unknown… was that old bastard even alive? Despite its appearance, Hitoshi could still see its dirty windows and neon signs like they were yesterday. And if he could step inside, he would probably smell the noodles that were once cooked every day.

So much time that had come and gone, and it hit Hitoshi that he was on the wrong side of 30, almost 40 basically, and had wasted much of his youth. Not that there was anything wrong with being 40… right? Oh god, am I having a mid-life crisis already? Hitoshi wondered to himself as he looked at the closed noodle shop and sighed before moving on.

So many places he had the faintest memories of had either moved on or been killed by the relentless march of capital. Shops he once knew disappeared and were replaced with over-commoditized, frivolous bullshit or remained as empty husks as a constant reminder of the abandonment that the old age had in this new era. But at least the old dojo stood as a testament to time’s immutable passage, despite Master Jiro having passed so long ago. He’d need to dust off the place, sure, but everything was exactly the way he remembered when last he checked a few days back. A good place to spend time and get back into the groove of things.

After some time walking, Hitoshi made it to one of the main streets of the district and towards a breakfast-lunch place he had texted his fellows about for today as their starting point. ‘Kiki’s’, as it was called, was just the average Amestrian eatery as he took a seat a larger table outside, ordered an orange juice to start, and waited patiently with a smile.

Roda the Red WhiskeyMarten Coyote Hart Sei Shonagon Lucem

 

[Anne Boolean]

Pascal Corbin

CS Link

SCENE:

Rain on the Mountaintop

LOCATION:

Borgo Orecchiette, Fusilli

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Jackson, Jesper, Pascal, Milo, Gav

Rain on the Mountaintop

The game show had certainly gone off the rails. While some of the more heartless participants who survived might have considered this a best outcome situation, since they would all get to meet their idol, Pascal's mind was on the possible deaths that occurred. There was one he was sure about, but the other... as people got up and sat down during the trip, he kept his eyes peeled for a familiar head of blond hair. Once the bus started moving though, his blue eyes shifted outside the window, and he watched the environment change from a cityscape to something more rural.

This would be his first time out of New Oasis. He always dreamed about going out and seeing the world, maybe going on vacation to some exotic locations. It had mostly just been dreams he had, as the money for it never seemed to be quite in reach. Yet, here he was today. Although it wasn't a beach resort or anything, it was still something. The cost seemed more exorbitant than any amount of Amesterian dollars he couldn't afford though.

Once the bus stopped and the passengers piled out, they were picked up by the staff at the estate. Many old buildings passed them by as they were escorted to what seemed to be the center of it all. Upon stepping into the hall, Pascal's blue eyes widened at the foyer that stood before him. It was similar to the ones in the houses his parents used to work at when he was a child, but perhaps this one was even bigger. How much would be needed for this, he wondered. Could the average Tiger higher up even afford it?

It wasn't long after that the woman of the hour appeared to greet them. It... was strange seeing someone famous in person. He wasn't anywhere close to a super fan, and yet, it was still an experience that brought up dissonance. This person who was depicted as larger than life was here, right in front of him. Maybe if he could recognize the brands of the clothing she wore she would still have an air of grandeur, but right now, she looked like just an average woman to the blond. When their eyes met and she smiled at him, he simply smiled back, a mundane action he had taken with many passersby throughout his life. Only after she looked away to the next guest did he blink and realize who the interaction was actually with.

He nodded at the idea of food among the vocalized agreements of the other contestants. Whatever a place this fancy had to serve would surely be delicious. As the group started chattering and mingling, his eyes scanned the crowd. He gave a small smile to anyone he had made eye contact with that he recognized during Miles's announcement segments, but no familiar head of blond hair.

His eyes did fall upon a set of familiar taped up glasses though. The man blinked. Was it...? It couldn't be... He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. When the person was still standing there in the distance, he quickly approached them.

"Thelma...?"

Spoiler: Tags

BriiAngelic The One Eyed Bandit AriAriAbabwa The Regal Rper Elenion Aura

 

[The Regal Rper]

(OG) Dante |North | Celeste's Apartment

It was like sitting in a steam room.

There was the sensation of heat, and the feeling of incredible warmth along the skin. Except this was discomforting. Like standing in front of an open furnace, belching out heat that washed over and threatened to singe the hair on the brows and head. The look on her face, from the revelation, made the guilt feel like Dante was being cooked. The discomfort he felt, was not a joke at the sense of what he perceived to be, betrayal she washed away.

And the follow up question she asked, made him sadder, than he had been for awhile. Sadder than he had been, when he'd played a part in the Machine alley's collapse that caused more than a dozen casualties.

"No." He told her quite firmly when she tried to dismiss it, and his eyes hardened. "Don't do that." He chastised her. Ironic considering he was the one at fault.

That reprimanding glare he used to give others back in high school hadn't changed. And it was turned on her for dismissing it as if it was nothing. Alice had essentially done the same thing. He expected some kind of punishment, even if a part of him was relieved for having gotten off scot free- he knew Celeste, knew her well enough to know that even if she said 'it's fine', it most certainly was not.

His hard expression, melted immediately as he rested his face in both palms. Ran his fingers over his eyes and then onto his temples.

Dante rose off the seat and stood a distance in front of her.

"I wasn't expecting you there." He told her. "It's not your fault obviously" he quickly added, because he realized a second too late how the first thing he said, might have sounded like he was turning this around to blame her. "There's no excuse for what I did to you, or what I do to others when I know it's wrong. I know that. I just thought if I could get you to back out, it would avoid the other Dragons trying to attack you. That's why when we fought, I was so insistent on keeping you from going after your allies."

At the same time, if she'd treated him like an actual threat- he wouldn't have had any memory of anything that had happened that day either. Perhaps even for the rest of his life.

Was this what he had really become? The risks did not always justify the means but sometimes, he threw caution to the wind entirely and did it anyway. He did it so often, it had simply become a part of the process. A part of the act. Even saying it as he did, Dante knew it would never make up for what he'd actually done.

He wouldn't blame her for asking him to leave and if they never spoke again. It was, quite frankly, what he deserved- if their relationship were normal. But it wasn't normal- was it?

She was glued to these damned Serpents, and he had sold himself off to the Tigers.

Dante's gaze shifted.

There was Badrick's shadow, just off to the side, a specter watching him. They were now two entirely different people. He was Dante- and then there was that part of him that lingered, Badrick. The piece of him committed to their duty.

Dante was the manifestation of what he needed to be in this city to survive. He couldn't take the same path Grandpa had.

Badrick however, would never have forced themselves on anyone in a fight. In a sense it was almost comically foolish that he'd done it at all, even in the way he had done it. The form he'd fought Celeste with could have easily breathed out gas to knock her out if he truly wanted-- so why had he chosen the path of kissing?

Why had he done it to Alice too?

It fell along the exact lines of the personalities for each form he'd created- but to act it out in reality, now occurred to him to be almost a bit too jarring.

Maybe I really do get a bit too carried away sometimes when I'm in my forms.

Just like those times he had with Helva. The hunt- the chase-- the extinguishing of a target that deserved the punishment. Even if they hadn't hunted the same target all the times and their works differed- those times with Helva were...exciting when he'd been Lancer. He'd felt like he was in his own little group of vigilante heroes-- but now, with everything going on these days, sometimes dawning the mask of Lancer became a chore.

He'd been silent a few seconds too long. A hand ran through his snow white hair and his face was scrunched in a sense of internal frustration. There were angry worms doing barrel rolls in his stomach- and the discomfort, had magnified.

"I haven't been avoiding you." He added, finally answering her question. Trying to push back some of the thoughts. "I've just been busy." It was said almost petulantly. Like he was offended she'd even thought of it. There was guilt yes, but to avoid her-- he hated the idea of it. Dodging responsibility for what was deserved, disgusted him. He had to keep that standard, else he really would be no better than the lowest of the four gang's members.

"I've been organizing things, like the raid Lancer performed on some of the Serpents drug trafficking lines last week." He stated, as if to jog her memory- if she'd even heard of the attacks he and the Rubies had performed the other time almost two weeks ago.

Mentions: N/A
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[gxxberkit]

YONG-YUT SOMSRI

CS Link

SCENE:

H-Eye

TIME:

Post Arc-2

LOCATION:

Red West, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hector

H-Eye

The door pushed open, the silhouette of long pigtails standing in the doorway. After a moment of silence, she greeted,

“Hi.”

Extra emphasis on the ‘i’.

Another pause, and then she stepped into the dim room, holding out a paper bag. “It’s just me. I brought you some food from Burger Knight.” She placed it down on the nearest surface.

She observed the bedroom. It was worse than expected, knowing that Hector lived in it. Was he really doing that badly? Her arms crossed across her chest as she looked over to the nearest window. “Do you not have working light bulbs?”

Stepping over everything that was on the floor, she neared Hector. She had a lot of things she could chastise, criticize him for right now. But, she decided that she should get into those things later.

“You’re not doing very well,” she stated. If it was a question, Hector would deny it. So, instead, she told him. Not like it made a difference.

WhiskeyMarten

 

[miki]

Hiachi Ito

CS Link

SCENE:

Return To Sender

LOCATION:

Hotel Gaul, West District

DATE:

Post Arc 2 | Night

PARTICIPANTS:

Hiachi Ito, Passeri Park

Return To Sender

The establishments that the tigers chose to host their mission never failed to take Hiachi by surprise. Hotel Gaul was on the baroque side of interior design, with furnishings trying to replicate the styles of overseas countries. The feeling of discomfort as she sat in a place she felt she didn’t belong in had almost become a comfort in itself.

But more shocking than her surroundings was the person in front of her. Iroi, the pop idol sensation, also known as Passeri Park. Apparently, the woman who had charmed the globe with her musical talent and scintillating personality also happened to be a part of the Albino Tigers. A pop star with a double life as a gangster was the type of trope that Hiachi would have expected out of a movie, but being present as it played out in reality was viciously fascinating.

The lesson to be learned here was even celebrities had their secrets. Of which would reveal the reason why someone like her would hire someone like Hiachi. Was her reputation really worth so much that Passeri Park was willing to reveal she was an Albino Tiger? It certainly didn’t feel like it, but Hiachi wasn’t in the spot to ask her questions outside of the current mission.

Hiachi listened tentatively, perfectly content to absorb the information as it came in. She mentally noted her goal: Take anything physical, stuff that can’t be saved online. So that would count older tech or physical papers. Watch out for security cameras, and keep your eyes peeled. Easy for me, I suppose.

Hiachi lifted her dead eyes from the map to look at Passeri, narrowly avoiding eye contact. “How do you want me to get up there? And how should I avoid security cameras, considering they exist?”

After having her questions answered, Hiachi nodded her head. “Alright. I’ll bring a bag with me and bring back anything I can.” Hiachi hoped the false sense of assurance she injected in her voice would reach her boss.

​

 

[gxxberkit]

Kiwi Dior Bonheur

CS Link

SCENE:

Add Image

LOCATION:

Eminence, West District

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1, August 1st 2021, Evening

PARTICIPANTS:

Sylvie

Add Image

Today was going to be a good day. Kiwi could feel it as she drove herself down the road. Kiwi herself had a complicated relationship with her finances. She didn’t have full control over them, and so she wasn’t always sure what their status was or going to be.

But, tomorrow, she’d make sure that the person she was meeting today wouldn’t have a doubt about where his money will be going.

In the pockets of the Tigers.

It’s not like she wasn’t going to feel bad for the guy. She hated the Tigers for what they do. But, you know, it’s hard to tell who’s worse. She heard from people who’d talked to the guy’s parents. Voodoo, if she recalled correctly. Hurting and messing with the fighters. Not that different from some people she knew in the gang.

Today, however. Today, she was just helping out with a little task. Something Kiwi could get done easily, but she needed to get a handshake in. Shouldn’t be too hard.

The illustrious tower came into view, much to Kiwi’s awe. From what she knew about it, it was like a… vertical mall. What a weird concept.

She parked wherever she could and made her way to the building. Outside stood the dashing young man that looked like he was searching for someone— most likely Kiwi. So this must be Sylvie.

“Ay! Ayyyy! Yooo, you’re the guy? What’s ya name again?” She waved. Even if she knew fully this person was who she was aiming for, something in the back of her mind said to keep back. When you use a rideshare app, you don’t ask if they’re who you’re looking for, you ask who they’re looking for. Shaking hands with a stranger you don’t mean to could also lead you to getting thrown into a wall.

Covering her smile with her hand, she looked him over. “Man, I didn’t know it was all fancy in there. Shoulda brought a nice dress.”

WhiskeyMarten

 

[Sei Shonagon]

Kaede Shimokōbe

CS Link

SCENE:

Get(ting) Help

LOCATION:

South District

TIME:

Post Arc-3; 2 1/2 weeks later

PARTICIPANTS:

Hector, Hitoshi, Ashley, Charlie, Gideon and Kaede

Get(ting) Help

Southside. Raised out of concrete and back to concrete the buildings would be razed into again. The towering housing of red brick, the balconies of shoebox apartments and the quirky shops that set the precedent for ‘suburb’ overlooked brown eyes. And brown eyes stared straight back at the past. The familiarity that had once littered the streets had dwindled to nothing more than snapshots of memories; phantomish figures that were spun from the underside of a hovering sole and danced to the tune of a time long gone. An alley brawl there, a drunken night on the porch there and a walking chain of laughter and bumping shoulders ahead on the pavement that she walked. The ghosts intermingled with the surroundings that no longer matched the description in her memories and dissipated at the next clack of heels. Kaede had wondered how long it would take for the asphalt cracks to be filled in, and the answer was bittersweet:

Not long.

For what had felt like a bat of lashes to her, had turned into six years of reconstruction, rebranding and integration. The first time she noticed this after her return was when she tried to go to her usual convenience store for cigarettes. A quaint family-owned shop that greeted her flatter and emptier as well than she remembered it to be. It had, in short, been turned into a parking lot. No notice of its existence and no dust to pick up the trail on. Forget the two weeks of awkward tension and generally feeling out of place with the Phoenixes. The discovery that she had to walk 500 meters extra to get cigarettes in her neighbourhood was the real deal breaker here.

Then there were some things that hadn’t changed, like the man that she was set to meet in 15 minutes. Or well, changed ‘yet’ was a more accurate adverb for the matter. It wasn’t a business that had been concluded, but had instead just started. So maybe even ‘was changing’ could be considered. Grammar aside, though, for thoughts that trailed between the plastic bag flung over her shoulder and the box inside it that bumped to and fro- she saw the eatery.

A glance at her inner wrist confirmed her punctuality. There were 10 minutes left before the actual meeting was bound to take place. Kaede stopped at the light that glared red overhead and peered over the makeshift bridge of the striped pedestrian crossing that led right up to him. His beaming features were infectious even from the safety of a road apart. Homely, even, as memory and current day overlapped to create the harmonious picture of a man that she recognised and would not be whisked away by her next step.

The traffic light turned green and she marched forward.

“This must be the earliest time on the day I’ve hung out with you.” Her voice prefaced the shadow that blotted into view. Trailing down its length, one would eventually encounter a pair of worn-out converse shoes, blue jeans and a red plaid shirt. All of it, just leading up and converging in the gentle curl that she wore on her lips. Kaede smiled “-It’s a refreshing change of pace”.

There were still things that she had to explain on her end regarding her absence, but for now, she felt as if she didn’t need to mind her future. Kaede took a seat in the chair across from him and put the opaque plastic bag on the ground. It was nice, to relish a little in the past. “So, I’m first. Who do you think will be coming next?” Not Hector for sure.

WhiskeyMarten Lucem Roda the Red Coyote Hart joshuadim

 

[Sei Shonagon]

Yura Heo feat. snippet of Kiwi

CS Link

SCENE:

Puss Gets the Boot

TIME:

Post arc 3; 14th June 2022

LOCATION:

West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Matsuda, Tak, Kiwi, Hiachi, Yura

Puss gets the Boot

“Why shud I hafta pay double to a gang of city-slickers, eh?! I didn’t sign up fo’ somethin’ like tha’.” A bellowing voice rose over the carton that was hurled into the air. The missile of dairy cut above the store shelving and spun a wave of milk the youngsters' way. SPLAT. It hit the floor between dodging feet and sprayed the checkerboard tiles with lactic hostility through the crumpled exterior.

On one end of the store was the shopkeeper, arms stocked with ammunition of dairy products, and on the other end were the Tigers that had come to collect his tax. It was a normal occurrence for the entrepreneurs who wanted to set up business in the popular district to pay their respects to the Tiger overheads. Yura, who had overseen his shop for longer than the current King’s reign, had somehow escaped this responsibility though. Whether it was due to the shop’s reclusive location, situated on the outskirts of the more well-traveled luxury area, or just a mere mistake on the rosters was unknown.

It had, regardless, allowed him to go by unremarked for the last couple of years. That was until they had turned up at his doorstep the previous month. Imagine his surprise when they suddenly shoved a paper in his face that disclosed a debt bigger than his earnings. Paying it wasn’t even an option, so he had let the man gleefully dangle it in front of his face until a fist suddenly emerged on the other side of the paper blind. Rough knuckles had imprinted inked numbers onto the back of the man’s grin and smashed in nose then. The rest was shredded history.

Until, for the third time, today and the current standoff. So how did it all come to this? Well, for that we have to rewind the tape-

-SzzrTCh

Location: Kiwi’s office.

4 hours earlier.​

A well-naturally-lit office sat near the top of a high-rise building. A bookshelf of files was to the left of the entrance, and to the right was a sitting area that was reminiscent of a living room. Large windows lined the back wall, behind a z-shaped table that typically sat two. Lately, however, it only sat one.

One who's back faced the door, waiting expectantly for a group of rookies to arrive.

gxxberkit thebigfella miki Caffeine_Obsessed

 

[Caffeine_Obsessed]

HIDE ISHIDA

CS Link

SCENE:

The Hellion Charge

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1, May 2021

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hide, Charlie

The Hellion Charge

Hide sucked his teeth, leaning back with a roll of his eyes. Details details. Why should any of that matter? The only thing he needed to know was how to keep this person alive. Hell- he'd shove the damn target in a box till the contract was over if he had to.

Despite his grumblings, he listened closely, lips thinned in annoyance. He couldn't help but chuckle at their names. G G and G? Their family must think themselves so clever. Who was her mom? Gwendelyne? It started with a G as well, and he was sure a family as cheesy as that would definitely name their daughter a shortened version of the mother's name. He inwardly rolled his eyes at the pathetic-ness of it all.

The golden eyed man leant forward to inspect the paper more closely.

Wait. Surely he didn't hear that correctly. He blankly blinked at Charlie, his eyes having snapped up from the paper once he heard the amount. His mouth felt suddenly dry as it dropped open. He licked his lips before attempting to speak again. "Eight... eight gr..." A small disbelieving twitch of his lips. "Did you just say... Eight. Grand?" Before he could allow the other to say another word, Hide barked out a laugh. "EIGHT FUCKING GRAND? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" He fell back in his chair laughing. There was no way he was serious! Eight grand for watching over a puny girl for a single day? He might as well prepare to rent this whole island out!

With a sigh, he wiped his eye of an imaginary tear, a smile still stuck on his face. Hide slammed his hand on the table, the glasses clinking in disturbance. He answered, a wicked glint in his eye. "I'm in."

Spoiler: Tags

Roda the Red

Spoiler: Previously on Hellion Charge

Hide's Post
Charlie's Post