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

[Coyote Hart]

PEYTON XIONG

CS Link

SCENE:

The Dead and The Deathless

LOCATION:

Vandalized Lot, North District

TIME:

Post-Arc 3 || Circa June 2022

PARTICIPANTS:

Peyton, Deirest

THE DEAD AND THE DEATHLESS

"Hey come on, I'm here to help!" Peyton said. He was so fixiated with this strange woman that he didn't notice how his rifle was slowly sinking deeper and deeper into her flesh, "The point of order is to help people out, and I'm the spitting image of law and order!"

Amusement suddenly turned to surprise as he felt and heard the butt of the rifle tear through Deirest, and in an instant, it squished through the strange woman's body. The sudden impact was like cracking all the knuckles in a hand, and with a similar wet sound. Peyton could only blink in surprise as Deirest tore apart the annoying Serpent in front of them. The woman's skin was surprisingly fragile, and she was surprisingly resilient against pain.

Once Peyton got his bearings, the strange woman was already facing him, the beheaded Serpent's noggin in her grasp. There was a flame burning in her campfire orange eyes, one that spoke of tearing Peyton apart just like the unfortunate Serpent. It was rather intoxicating. Peyton's moral compass compelled him to answer violence with violence, so he aimed the rifle right at her chest. But before he fired, he couldn't help but comment, "That was super cool! I wish I was as good at killing as you!"

And that's when the woman lunged. Unfortunately, at that moment, the gun, its end slick with blood, slipped against Peyton's hoodie, making his aim go off. He fired regardless, having no other choice, and the bullet careened past Deirest's ear harmlessly.

Moments later, the feral lady's attack made contact with flesh. Peyton whimpered in pain as nails tore through Peyton's soft hoodie, gouging into the skin underneath. In retaliation, Peyton hooked a foot underneath the woman's legs, sending both of them tumbling to the ground.

With their close proximity, it was impossible to properly wield his gun. Peyton was like a declawed cat: his Potential worked best with sharp objects. But Peyton's fingernails were mundanely ordinary. He was left with only one form of retaliation.

Peyton bit down hard on the woman's shoulder until the taste of blood permeated Peyton's mouth. It was an addicting taste, one that Peyton had to stop himself from enjoying. Meanwhile, Peyton did his best to kick at the woman in order to try to get some distance so that he could properly fight, despite ironically biting onto her and not letting go.

The One Eyed Bandit

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Passeri Park

CS Link

SCENE:

Sweet Talkin' Woman

TIME:

December 22nd, 2021 | Pre Arc 3

LOCATION:

The Dollhouse, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Dagger

Sweet Talkin' Woman

"...Are you dumb?" Passeri stared at the mop of drenched clothes dripping pure, liquid sad, into the apartment's, until then, untarnished carpet. "You know, I just said we've got spare clothes, right? I'm sure we can find something that fits."

The sound of the shower still drummed on, behind the bathroom door. Somewhere in there, a pile of plain, white clothes lay in a neat pile. They weren't much, they weren't even supposed to be, all they were supposed to do, was do, and they'd do just as well for Dagger as they would for her or Lisette.

"Come here-" A dresser, previously rifled through by Lisette, stood against one of the far walls. Passeri's fingers were already deep into it, the couch still warm from her brief lounging. "-There's some t-shirts, sweat pants, a couple of..." A pause. Passeri's eyes narrowed, and with some effort, she yanked a mustard-brown hoodie from the dresser's most shameful depths. "...God, did I really buy this?"

She knew the M.O. was supposed to be Norman Normal, but, really? She gave it another look, as if to inspect it for some forgotten insight, and then tossed it over her shoulder. A crumpled, fast-food-stain-colored pile manifested atop the bed, which rested a meter or so away.

"You can ignore that one. Hold on a minute for me." A merry delight was worming its way into Passeri's fingers. A pile of clothes started to form on either side of her, one of rejects, though none of them quite so shameful as the hoodie, and the other of those worthy garments that had made the cut.

"Okay, here!" Passeri scooped the smaller pile up in her arms, and dropped it beside Dagger's sad-soaked hanger of rags. "Put those on! They should fit, I think." She was fairly certain she'd gotten her sizes right. It was a skill she'd picked up during her school years. "I've hung around more people in their underwear than you probably think, but, like, I don't think that's proper dress code for a movie night." She was at least eighty percent sure. It'd been a long time since she'd watched a movie.

While she waited for Dagger to change, she knelt beside a small box of DVDs and VCRs, that sat next to the TV. A forest of unfamiliar titles stared up at her, ranging from The Moon Battle Anthology, all the way to Fugly Netty, a cavalcade of half-familiar names that she was sure she'd seen posted around the city countless years ago.

"Any of these catch your eye? I'm not really an expert." She ran her thumb along the forest of plastic spines. "Who even names a movie Extraterrestrial, anyway? Isn't that kind of basic?"

simj26

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

HECTOR MOSES

CS Link

SCENE:

Blank Canvas

TIME:

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

LOCATION:

On the road, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hector, Milo Elenion Aura

BLANK CANVAS

“I’m glad you realise that now.”

Hector made a quick turn down a side road, and the ride became bumpier as they trundled over unevenly spread gravel. He seemed to ignore the rest of what Milo said.

”We’re early.” Rolling the window back down, a breeze blew through his hair as he leaned his head out the window and looked around. He nodded in satisfaction. ”Gonna meet the manager soon, but they should be happy.”

The car came to a halt at the side of a building. Tire tracks weaved their way around the area, but at the moment, the place seemed vacant. A sign, clearly new from how clean it was, indicated that it was a club, and the scarlet background behind the lettering made their affiliations clear. ”Getting ready to open the place back up, was pretty popular before the hurricane. Management has been worried about break-ins, though. No security yet.”

Hector swiveled around to turn to Milo, holding a hand out for a shake. ”If you want to help people, this is the right move. Don’t disappoint me, Milo.” Quickly afterward, he exited the vehicle, indicating for Milo to do the same. He walked through the dark, to the front of the building, where he waited against the wall.

”You’re not a bad fighter. You practice a lot?”

 

[Roda the Red]

CAMILA GASPARI

CS Link

SCENE:

Not Thinking Twice

TIME:

Post-Arc 3, July 6 2022

LOCATION:

Nighttime, Streets of Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Camila, Inigo

Not Thinking Twice

This was good, great, even! Absolutely fucking splendid! Camila's entire day hadn't been the best so to speak already, overcooked her meal, her hair was incredibly rebellious this morning, and not to speak about the ugly arguments she found herself in with some of her contacts later that day, but her car malfunctioning in the middle of Central District in the dead of night was the LAST thing she needed, but it happened. Cursing to her heart's content, the Veteran made her way through the streets of Central, her tail wildly swaying from side to side like that of an extremely peeved cat. She simply wanted to find a cab that would let her get back home and simply forget about her problems of today for the time being (Ignoring the fact that her car being left in Central was admitedly very worrisome, but that was a problem for the tow truck, not her). She stopped for a moment, taking a look on her phone to check for the time and her current location, then looked up to the cloudless night sky, the serene feeling that the ocean of stars and and bright round moon gave off served to only annoy her further. Fucks wrong with the cosmos huh? Thinking it's better than me or something. Well fuck off, no celestial bodies will make fun of me. As to why she decided to see things that way, well that was probably a mystery even bigger than the unobservable universe itself.

Well, at least things should theoretically go uphill from this point onwards, correct? Well, that was what she thought, a belief propmtly debunked as an unexpected hand grabbed a hold of her wrist, yanking her back towards an alley. Camila screeched by the unforseen movement, and grunted as another hand grabbed her by the neck, slamming her against the concrete wall. "Hold her in place, Seth!" From shadows emerged a woman of with tattooed arms and punkish clothing, A large knife brandished on her hand. "Aye, Ameril, she ain't going nowhere" Said the large, bulky man that kept Camila slammed against the wall. "Bitch looks pretty loaded, think we got outselves a jackpot tonight" Said Ameril, brandishing her knife close to her own face, the index finger of he other hand playing with the tip of the blade.

"Get your f-fucking hands off me!" Said a struggling Camila as she struggled, her hands attempt to break free from Seth's grip. But her efforts were fruitless, the difference in strength between the two was far too large to make him budge. She needed to act and she needed to do it fast, the veteran knew what they were after and she had no intention of humoring their goals. From behind her, a silver tail emerged, lodging itself into the man's neck. "OW FUCK" He reacted, feeling the sharp tip digging into his flesh, however, unfortunately for Camila, the outcome was far from the desired one, as Seth lifted her up, and then slammed her hard on the ground, her genuine scream of pain emptying her lungs as her body made contact with the ground. Sett grabbed the tail tip and pulled it out, visibly disturbed by the lingering pain cause by her venom "I'm gonna beat the shit out of you if necessary, you hear me?"

"Now now, Seth, no need to be so barbaric" Said Ameril as she stepped on Camila's head, the weight pushing the thick boot sole down keeping her once again from escaping. Leaning towards the woman under her, she brandished her knife closer to her victime's cheek, a sadistic grin making her intentions clear. "We don't need to throw punches to have fun, you know?"

Camila grited her teeth as the blade came into her view, it didn't seem like this day was going to improve after all.

simj26

 

[miki]

Little Red

CS Link

scene:

Clipped Wings Cannot Rebirth

location:

South District

date:

June 20th, 2022 (Post-Arc 3)

participants:

Pei, Charlie, Hiyma, Corvo, Eleanore

Clipped Wings Cannot Rebirth

Red’s phone, most of the time, is not used. If she needs to talk to someone, she can just find them in person. Easily. She hates the semantics of cradling the little machine like a baby. Because the last time she dropped it it shattered into a million pieces (she was going 100 mph, but she digressed), and now she has to be careful with it. It’s always ‘dead’, even though she lets it charge every night, and on top of that, she’s discovered that she needs to pay a hefty bill in order to even use it. She bought the damn thing already, why does she need to keep paying!? She may be partial to online solitaire, but other than that, the phone remains off.

She hardly looks at her phone if she’s not already on it. Good for everyone else though, she doesn’t know how to turn the ringer off. She’ll answer if she’s called; she was raised in a polite upstanding.

Why the hell does that matter? Because in this particular scenario, all of that goes out the window.

Brrring. Brrring. Brrring.

Off went the incessant ringtone of her phone, of which she rarely heard. Of which was ringing at a very, very inopportune time. She swiftly declined, but it was too late.

The man before her scrunched his eyebrows. His face fell into the wrinkles of inquisition with ease, likely something he had developed after his soon-to-be short-lived career as the youngest ethics professor at New Oasis University. Yes, he was as insufferable as that title suggested. He kept waxing poetic about morality, and schools of thought, and wills to power and lists of rules. Maybe he got a kick out of the thought that Red didn’t understand a word of what he said. But now he was looking annoyed. “Who was that?”

“My… Uhm, it was just my father—”

Her face scrunched up like she just bit into a lemon. She paled a bit as she watched the man before her do the same. Because in this scenario, this man had no clue about any sort of parental figure, and surely he’d be scared off by the threat of a father calling his daughter in the middle of their conversation. Her once pristine excuse was proving to be a hindrance now.

Red cleared her throat as a bit of color returned to her face. “...What’s wrong?”

“You… have a father! Haha…” He laughed to weakly shield the dread settling down on him.

“There’s no need to be scared!” She patted his upper arm with a light hand motion. “My Papa is the least scary person alive.”

Her father was the least scary person alive, and he most likely was the least scary person dead.

Well, this was bad. He was scared, and now he would back out.

Or. Maybe this could streamline things, given she played her cards correctly.

She tilted her head like a frightening doll, elastic joints weakening in the neck and letting the weight of her hair drag her down. “Why’re you scared?”

“I mean… You should really get back to your f-father, if he’s—”

“Ah.” Red cut him off. “What was it you said about the school of thought that occupies the Will to Power? That morality shouldn’t exist, as it is purely used to assert control via mass manipulation covered by a thin veil of righteousness? And that everyone should act in their best interest? And as long as you act for the improvement of oneself, and that you don’t get caught in the act, that it is ‘fine’?” She clicked her tongue in a rhythm of threes. “If that’s so true, then what’s stopping you? Or me? We are simply acting in our best interest. All we have to do is not get caught.”

Maybe he was shocked by her skillful retention of what he told her, or maybe he was overwhelmed, but whatever disgusting desire that sat in the crevices of his chest was trying to overpower it. In other words, his hands shook and his face was nearly as red as the blood he was about to spill.

“Hmm, so? Will you assert your will to power with me?”

What this pathetic creature wasn’t privy to was the fact that she was talking about two entirely different things. Preying on girls was his will to power, and killing predators was her will to power. Maybe that philosopher was onto something. Regardless, nothing was gonna prepare him for what would come next.

“Let’s count down. Three, two, one—!”

Shink!

He’s fucking dead.

Head cut clean off, as she had been growing fond of as of late. She read somewhere once that the brain is still active for a few minutes, even after being cut off. Gave them plenty of time to think about how awful they had been, and how cruelly they’d be punished in the afterlife.

The head rolled onto the linoleum tiles of the kitchenette floor. The rest of his body went limp, and fell to the ground with it, crumpling into itself. Disposing of him would be as easy as sending him down the garbage chute.

Well! That went far better than she was expecting. Maybe she could be grateful to her mystery caller.

She looked at her phone to review the missed call, pressing the screen with her ring finger (of which had the least blood on it, but with it found a notification for a text message. All from the same unknown messenger. Her expression instantly fell as she read.

(928)-853-6642

them

Run, run, as quick as you can, The shadows dark, they swiftly span

them

A violent specter haunts the terrain, Art thou innocent, guilty, or one in the same?

them

Mourning winds creep through the boards, The restless flock gathers for one accord

them

Here lies the tales of lives once lived, Their stories told, their hearts now sieved.

them

Where I go, you will follow. Where am I?

Red was the queen of riddles when she was younger, being the bright young lady she had been. But the blank caller ID and the on the nose phrasing made the words turn sour. It felt more like a threat than a playful mental activity.

It was obvious what the message was alluding to. Well, sort of. The half end was clear, and the first lines were clear. But that second stanza… murders. Wasn’t this the phoenixes!? Murders were the lifeblood of the gang. She didn’t see why it should take up two lines of the puzzle.

Still, she was being summoned directly. It would be foolish to ignore the call.

Within ten seconds, she was already at her destination. Her shoes skidded on the floor of the Roost, billowing dirt and incense smoke behind her. She waved her hand rapidly to clear her vision.

Red knew two people here. Miss Eleanore, the shady woman whom she knew very little about. Though, from what she knew, she quite liked, since she related to that unwavering work ethic. And Helva’s shadow friend, Hiyma, who she liked less than Helva. No real fault of hers, since Helva was one of the only people who respected and even encouraged her work in the Phoenixes.

And then there were two strangers. A young… man, perhaps, with very long blue hair, and a woman with a red braid that trailed along her back.

And they were gathered together in a very intentional way. So the natural conclusion was Red wasn’t the only one called there, and something was about to happen. Concerning powerful and less-than-powerful figures in the Phoenixes alike.

Did she want to be a part of it? Not at all. But she had made herself quite seen, and it would be hard to back out without looking incredibly rash. The next best thing would be to properly introduce herself and ask some questions to deduce more about the situation.

So she did just that!

She grabbed the fabric of her dress and tucked one leg behind the other. “Hello! Nice meeting you all here.”

Hopefully, they wouldn’t be unnerved by the fact that she was covered head to toe by messy splatters of blood.

Spoiler

Roda the Red Peckinou AriAriAbabwa mechanicalmania thebigfella

 

[Slav]

Vissarion Argyris

CS Link

SCENE:

Stymied

TIME:

Pre-Arc 3 | January, 2020

LOCATION:

West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Sebastian( Coyote Hart ), Vissa

Stymied

Sebastian's attempts of flirting bounced off Vissa like a rock bouncing off of a wall. Despite his attempts having little effect, he appreciated Sebastian's straightforwardness. Most people were too afraid to approach, let alone dare to even complement him. "I'm not all that worried about the situation. I'm just worried that they might lose me some money." The blonde wasn't afraid of legal consequences. There wasn't a police officer brave enough to bring charges against him. He was just worried these accusations could hurt his bottom line.

The bartender rested the wine glass on the counter, Vissa taking a sip from his wine. He may have been taking the situation more serious than he should have but he was just the type of person to take all accusations seriously. Last thing he wanted was something to catch him by surprise. "Well... this pretty face has a lot to deal with. I don't have any things to take my frustrations out on." He said, alluding to Sebastian's rather unsavory past time. Luckily for Sebastian, Vissa's empathy towards others has run out a long time ago. He took the cherry off the toothpick, plopping it into his mouth. A cherry always made his taste buds happy.

He took another sip, his golden gaze shifting to a pair of suited men across the room. "There they are. They are your usual business types. Nothing we can't handle." He shifted his gaze back to Sebastian, visually bothered. "We could be having fun right now but we have to talk to dumb and dumber soon." He glanced at his watch, noting that it was almost time to meet up. He instinctively gave his wine glass a gentle swirl, a sign that his mind was rapidly thinking.

"Despite being here, how are you feeling? Too classy?" Vissarion was conscious enough to know that the focus was centered around him. It wasn't polite to constantly talk about your own woes, especially when you didn't know the woes of your companion. His golden gaze lingered on Sebastian's face, a small smile creeping on his face. "I keep forgetting that we are almost the same age. You definitely look younger than you are." He was hoping to get a small reaction out of him. He wanted to play around before he dived into some dirty business.

 

[Roda the Red]

CHARLIE HUGHES

CS Link

SCENE:

To Live in the Shadows

TIME:

Afternoon, Pre-Arc 1, June 11th 2020

LOCATION:

Nameless Warehouse, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Helva

To Live in the Shadows

Being called naive by the girl in front of him felt like flying daggers stabbing his stomach, and her subsequent words were no help to placate the anxiety, if anything, they only made danger sirens to begin ringing loudly within his mind, after all, she was basically hitting the mark with her assumptions.

"Revenant...? Oh! Is that her name? No no, wait...That's right" He said, his fist gently slamming down against his open palm. "Those from the great four gangs use aliases, right? I guess that's hers, I should've asked her that back then too" He rubbed the back of his head, slightly embarassed over his small oversight. "Actually, yeah, since she told me to come here, I took my chances and considered that maybe you might know her, kinda like how you expect a worker from a factory to know of the place's owner, I guess?" He had absolutely no idea if that comment was disrespectful or not, but if it was, then it clearly wasn't the intent.

Puzzled by the first of her new questions, he responded. "Oh, well, I guess? I mean I just don't wanna seem suspicious, also, yeah! I'm here for that, I'm grateful for the opportunity she gave me, also..." He raised his arm forward, bending his forearm upwards and flexed, his bicep inflating an unimpressive amount, his other hand moved across, placing it over the muscle. "I know I'm a bit short and scrawny, but I guarantee I can handle myself" His big, toothy grin changed as he stared at her for a moment. "Your hair is really nice too! It has a really nice sheen to it! Mine can be a bit of a pain to maintain sometimes but I like it, planning to grow it a bit more if I can" He responded to her last comment, not giving too much attention to the comment about being cute, something he was somewhat used to at this point, but hey! At least she didn't mistake him for a girl, so that was already a win on his book.

While it was true that a part of him considered that maybe it was better to withold information, the girls confirmation about knowing the woman was enough for him, he also just generally couldn't avoid his social butterfly tendencies.

Peckinou

 

[thebigfella]

Zentsupa Pei

CS Link

SCENE:

Clipped Wings Cannot Rebirth

LOCATION:

South District: The Roost

TIME:

Post Arc 3 || June 20th, 2022

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Helva, Red, Corvo, Eleanore, Pei

Clipped Wings Cannot Rebirth

They clicked and clacked, the sounds of black and white stones rubbing together in disjointed synchronicity. They had the same weight, made from the same substance, but the colors they had been dyed made all the difference.

In the featureless surroundings, a wooden board shone brightly, adorned with countless meticulously etched lines that divided the space into distinct areas and quadrants. This unassuming board was the stage for the intricate and captivating game of Go.

Piece by piece, those of the white color began to be placed on the board, separate quadrants, but united in goal. But the black had not yet been placed, leaving the whites focusless without an opponent, with no target for the goal of “success.”

The black pieces clacked in his hand as he tossed them up and down in the air, landing back in his palm in a disorganized pile in his palm. He considered, briefly, not how to place them, but when he should. The game only started when both pieces were on the board, the whites unable to move until the blacks had made their first move, that was how the game works.

It would only be acceptable if it was Okigo. Then suddenly, white was free to move as freely as it wanted without black intervention. For a brief moment, he pondered, a mischievous smile spreading across his face, revealing a row of sharp, gleaming teeth that contrasted against the pitch-black void surrounding the rest of his visage.

If all that was needed to kick things off early was a handicap, then he had already made his choice of his next move. He clutched the whites in one hand, while his other leaned over to grab more black stones, five more in fact, and placed them directly on the board.

Finally it began to come together, his fingers moved quickly to place each white stone into position, until his hand was finally empty. He looked upon his full board with a simper.

“Everything is in place.”

He stood up from the board, his entire body nearly immersed in shadow; it was only when he moved did a stream of light cast across the side of his face, revealing the joyous look on his eyes paired with his twisted grin.

“Parallel fuseki, huh? It will have to do. Kekekekek.” He cackled as he walked into the growing darkness, his steps echoing through the hallowed grounds, his laughter slowly fading into a muted atmosphere.

---

They were there, the ones who had made it. Was this everyone? Or just a few? None of them knew, they could only assume, make feeble guesses on what pitiful information they had. Lost and feeble they had to follow the loud shouting of the knowing unknown to find answers. Could they have eventually figured it out on their own? A pointless question, they were already there, it was too late.

It was clear, just from how they had acted, that no one present was responsible for the strange way of contact. They didn’t have the style, the lack of tact to incorporate such a non-euclidean way of communication in such a serious issue. Certainly not Eleanore or Corvo, probably not Helva and Hiyma, and definitely not Blue Head and Red Girl. The face of this congregation had not made themselves known yet.

The lack of clear answers permeated through the whole scenario. Questions that needed answers left hanging open in the air, thriving on the uncertain to grow wildly and tangle like terrible vines with irritating hairs. Your who’s, what’s and where could all come in the same flavors, but it was the why’s that seemed to hold the most pungent after taste.

“Why the disappearances?”

“Why this place?”

“Why them?”

A select few may have been thought by all of them, or none of them. Nevertheless, the questions still remained prominent as those that needed answers. The question was not if they would be answered, but when.




















It was now.

“KEKEKEKEKEKEKEKAHAHAHA!”

A laugh that bore none of the sweetened floral notes of a laugh from the heart resounded through the area. It was a distinctive one, a laugh if you’ve heard it once before you’ve undoubtedly heard it a million times, a laugh when you hear it your expression shifts from annoyance to amusement and very few in betweens. Those who knew, knew, and those who didn’t, would.

A chilling breeze permeated the atmosphere, as the confined staircase leading to the underground cemetery amplified its strength, releasing a formidable gust with enough power to extinguish burning incense and extinguish the radiant flames that kept the deceased within The Roost, warmed by the ethereal fire of the Phoenix. The surroundings were swallowed by darkness, but it was so short you could have confused it for a blink, before the flames reignited. The once vibrant orange embers flickering at the end of the wicks had now transformed into brooding dark-colored flames, burning with an intense ferocity that seemed to drip with hostility. They were so consumed by their own intensity that they selfishly held back their light, casting The Roost into a foreboding atmosphere.

Nothing else shifted for a moment, not even the sounds of approaching footsteps came down the stairs, as if the display was for nothing but just the sake of it. Then came the sound of scratching underground, digging. Something was coming to the surface, freeing itself from its submerged spot underground. It didn’t make any sense, after all Hiyma’s infrared didn’t detect the heat of anything living that should have not been. It should have been impossible. Was this the beginning of a zombie invasion? No, that’d be ridiculous.

Just a few steps away from where everyone had gathered, a crease in the ground began to open up. The sound of the earth yielding drew everyone's attention, until finally a wide hole emerged, revealing a dark void. Although nothing emerged from it, the presence of that empty pocket filled with darkness commanded a prolonged and eerie pause.

“Pi-pi-po!” Suddenly, with the force of a malfunctioning whack-a-mole toy, a figure emerged from the hole. Its square body soared into the air, while its stubby robotic arms extended towards the sky, barely reaching beyond its enormous square-shaped head. "Behold, the magnificent SUPER Q-BOT! HERE FOR HIS DYNAMIC ENTRANCE!” The tiny robot shouted his introduction, flying through the air from the force of his leap. It was a short-lived ascension before he came flying back towards the ground, and with a loud clatter like a hollow tin can, he landed on the ground head first, leaving him stuck pathetically upside down.

“...Eh?’

Q-Bot braced his hands against the floor, trying to push on it, as if it would budge. “When did the ceiling get so low?” He questioned in his shrill synthesized voice, blinking as he swung his legs, trying to shift his weight around. “H-Hey, what happened to the floor!? Did I jump too high!?”

While the robot persistently struggled to regain its balance, there were far more pressing matters that demanded attention, leaving no room to merely observe its clumsy attempts. Finally, footsteps came down the stairway, but unlike before where it was only one pair, it was two. One sounded particularly more squeaky and soft than the other, but they certainly were footsteps. The reason behind this weird phenomenon was quickly revealed as a blue cat creature, dressed up in samurai armor, entered the scene.

His slitted eyes glared upwards towards each Phoenix in the room, a fluffy hand placed prepared on the grip of his katana. He stepped to the side, and out of the way, crossing his arms and plopping himself down on the ground, clearly not too interested in being here.

“Kekekekek.” As he moved forward with each step, his tall legs glided down the wooden staircase, the darkness of the stairwell gradually fading away. The closer he got to The Roost, the more he could feel the radiant glow drawing him in. He stood there, a perfect personification of mischief, his blond hair tousled, his pointy ears alert, and his narrow eyes piercing. Add to that a impish grin, and the result was a vivid portrayal of his unmistakable aura of trouble. And if those features didn’t seal the deal…

The rocket launcher that he had hoisted over his shoulder certainly should have.

“YOU USELESS PIECE OF SCRAP SHIIIIIIT!” Fueled by rage, Pei unleashed a deafening roar as he hoisted his rocket launcher high. With a fierce grip, he braced it against his head, positioning his eye perfectly in line with the crosshairs of the weapon, zeroing in on Q-Bot.

Q-Bot’s eyes shot open, nearly bulging out of his head as he saw himself suddenly at the other end of his master’s explosive wrath, “W-WHAAAAAT!?” He sputtered out, and with a sharp spin of his whole body he knocked himself over and quickly scrambled back up to his feet.

Pei wasted no time and unleashed the power of the launcher, causing a fiery explosion as the red-tipped rocket soared through the atmosphere, leaving behind a mesmerizing trail of smoke from its departure through the barrel.

“EEEIYAAAAHHH!” Q-Bot screamed out in terror, as he turned and tried to run away from the rocket, but it was already too late.

The explosive shock caused the entire room to vibrate. The wind force caused by the impact blew the candles out in the room once more, before they ignited back into their previously regular orange. The air filled with smoke, which soon vanished, revealing Q-Bot twitching on the ground amidst the aftermath. Its exterior was marked with scuffs and patches of ash, giving the scene a touch of humor as he lay motionless.

“Tch! He can never do anything right!” Pei snarled as he let go of the rocket launcher, tossing it to the ground with a second thought as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Without acknowledging anyone in the room, he strode forward in silence, his gaze fixed on the other side. Finally, when he arrived, he slammed his foot on Q-Bot's head, treating it as a stepping stone. Supported by Q-Bot, he rested his arm on his knee and turned to face the individuals he had summoned, displaying a wide and triumphant grin.

The man, infamous for doing whatever he pleased, taking advantage of every opportunity available, seeking righteousness in the most wrong places, was always at the center of countless rumors.

This was Zentsupa Pei.

“Yo ladies!” He shouted, not even bothering to correct himself for the one man present in the room besides him, “Glad to see you made it! Kekekekekek! Looks like you fuckheads can solve a basic riddle!” He ‘congratulated’ them on coming this far in the most brash manner possible, his gaze narrowing as he leaned forward slightly. He showed no interest in explaining his motives behind his actions or his selection of the current individuals present. Instead, he swiftly delved into the core of the matter.

“I guess I can give you the answer you want then! It’s only fair!” He exclaimed, before sharply raising both of his hands to display numbers on both sets of fingers, two on the left hand and four on his right, “In the past two months, 24 members of our gang have disappeared, mysteriously and inexplicably! Not just no-name rookies either; every person has been a reputable veteran!” With an air of authority, Pei explained the situation, standing tall and crossing his arms.

“A lot of fucking idiots have been going around claiming stuff about mass desertion! Some others have worried about assassination! Ya even got motherfuckers saying its kidnapping by our enemies!” Pei rattled off the various different whispers that had been going around the gang recently, before definitely swiping his hand through the air as he denounced it all, “Crocks of shit! All of it! I’ll tell you what the cause really is! So listen up you bastards!”

As the time came for him to finally divulge why he had brought everyone here under such pretenses, and in such an obtuse way, the acoustic bravado he displayed suddenly dissipated, his head dropping as he motioned away from his loud stances to drop his voice to a much more restrained volume. His eyes scanned the room, giving each person in front of him good luck before he finally opened his mouth, the words oozing out of his mouth and slamming against the ground with large mass and pronounced gravity.

“It’s treason. We have a traitor.”

miki mechanicalmania Elenion Aura AriAriAbabwa Roda the Red Peckinou

 

[First Rose]

Rutheless Julio Hernandez

CS Link

SCENE:

Swords and Snakes[Pre-Arc 1, January 23, 2020]

LOCATION:

North District

PARTICIPANTS:

WhiskeyMarten | Hector | Rutheless |

Swords & Snakes

Far too quickly than he could fathom did Hector find the smooth surface of olive skin of Ruthe’s to be nuzzled against his ear. The slip of grin musing a cooed phrase as her arm soothed across his chest to grab the edge of his seat belt. “You should know better, Hector, safety first..” Her perfect accent slithered along every word as her breath poured against his nostrils. Allowing a sweet fragrance of vibrant mint with the slight sting of alcohol. For it only lasted but the fabric of a moment however, as she had lounged herself against the car door with a leg crossed over the other as a glass was raised to mocca lips, but merely after a brief toast to their outing. “Mhmm...” A shrug followed. “Could be anywhere... that lil culebra could be in a street race this very moment, or in another bar across the district. Underground even?” She gave a shake of her head in irritation. "If he took my bike, he could be in three different places, niño.." Her brows furrowing at the thought

It was a forever-lasting moment of silence after his last phrase pierced the air. Instead of responding, a distilled stare was pinned toward the road ahead, his inquiry was not forgotten, though she did not answer. The only hint of recognition was the sight of the quiet whine of glass, before suddenly, an ear-splitting crack cleaved their silence in two. Much to her displeasure, Rutheless watched the fracture of shards clatter to the floor as she shook the remnants from her skin. Oddly enough, all that was ushered was a disgruntled sigh amidst a meager frown that was tossed his way. Droplets of blood and alcohol seeped down her wrist as an eyebrow arched in a node of annoyance… it seemed best not to raise the notion once more..

“ugh.. Hector darling, look what you had me do.” Her empty words phrased, though an answer finally came after she plucked a few extra bits of glass from her palm; callously flicking them from her skin. “I wouldn't, you’re right, darling; but unfortunately, for him, his foolish actions will shortly reap him foolish rewards.”

Under a spontaneous moment of curiosity, Rutheless extended a hand to open the glove compartment. Expecting nothing of substance, but to her surprise, her jaw tipped with an enticed incline as something caught her eye. “Oh..? What do we have here…?”

Stretching across the edge of her lip was a sly grin as her claws retrieved a few pouches of various colored powder. That-. was just the tip of her interest, however, as she pulled an arm back to open the center console. Pleased to find even more pockets of contents she had yet to define.

“Have a lighter on you, niño..?” And the face he gave her was all the confirmation she needed before the fun began.

__________________​

Truth be told, they may have split on a tangent in regards to their adjective- but should Ruthe have been asked, her defense would involve the waste of a perfect opportunity for a good time. Parked in a dreary alleyway between two old vacant buildings, the two were found conducting anything other than their search.

A cloudy laugh mused from her lips as her hazy gaze centered on the ceiling of the car. “Hector, dearest, can’t imagine how tedious and boring this night would have been if not for your company~” She giggled. Allowing a plume of smog to seep through her nose with an exhale. Not that she recalled exactly what they were out here doing at this very moment, but surely, it was better than wandering these streets by her lonesome. "Speaking of which, how much do we have left? We couldn't have gone through everything that fast.."

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

HECTOR MOSES

CS Link

SCENE:

Get(ting) Help

TIME:

Post Arc-3

LOCATION:

Jiro's Dojo, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hector, Hitoshi, Ashley, Charlie, Gideon and Kaede

GET(TING) HELP

Hector raised his armored fists as he waited to see who was up for a fight, eyeing the two boys that had already begun. As mad as he wanted to be at Charlie right now, he was glad he had his fighting spirit intact, and had chosen a great match for his skills. He didn't pay attention for long though, not being here to simply watch a fight, and it looked like Gideon was the same. Was just a shame that his condition was what it was.

"Gideon, you're more likely to break a window than hurt one of us pointing that thing around. We have no use for guns here."

Hector walked up to him, ignoring the weapon facing him, and lifted a foot onto one wheel of Gideon's chair. Extending his leg out caused the chair to wheel back from him, though he stopped it from going far.

"Even an NP could defeat you in this state. You aren't goin' back on a mission, or sparring, till you're out of that thing. And then you're gonna make sure nothing can put you back in a wheelchair again. Got it?"

Though he asked, he didn't care for Gideon's answer. It hurt Hector just to see him like that, and so he turned away rather abruptly to address Hitoshi.

"Nah, no killing eachother. But we gotta keep prepared for those who want to."

From Hector's arm, metal started to protrude. His go-to has always been blades, but this time his weapon was a baton. As long as he made sure not to shatter any bones, it would be a fine challenge.

"So, you an' me then? Don't hold back, okay?"

Hector stepped back, to give Hitoshi space to prepare should he accept. He grinned, eager to see if the changes in Hitoshi's life extended to his fighting form.

 

[joshuadim]

HITOSHI YAMAKAWA

CS Link

SCENE:

Get(ting) Help

TIME:

Post Arc-3; 2 1/2 weeks later

LOCATION:

The Old Dojo, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hitoshi, Charlie, Ashley, Gideon, Hector, Kaede

GET(TING) HELP

Hitoshi gave Hector a nod: "I'll do my best. I'll have you know I haven't practiced properly in years... so I'll definitely be out of form." he said with a chuckle, before walking over to the collection of training equipment nearby to select his weapon of choice. He waved a hand over a few of the choices available before settling on a reinforced bamboo bō staff. PIcking it up in his hands, it felt just as he remembered it: light and comfortable. Easy to manuever. But his technique was something to be desired as he slowly rotated it in his hands to try to recover muscle memory that had been ingrained in him from Jiro's lessons.

It was like a muscle that had atrophied greatly, but certain things still remained such as proper holding position. One hand gripped closer to its end while the other was at the center, providing a proper weight distribution and centre of gravity. "Just like old times..." Hitoshi muttered, "Let's see if I can recover any of that stardust."

​

"Hold nothing back... well then, here I go!" Hitoshi said with a grin as he charged Hector, twirling around with an upper strike towards the man's upper body!

WhiskeyMarten

 

[Peckinou]

Hiyma

CS Link

SCENE:

Clipped Wings Cannot Rebirth

LOCATION:

South District: The Roost

PARTICIPANTS:

Red thebigfella , Charlie Roda the Red , Corvo AriAriAbabwa , Pei thebigfella , Elenion Aura

Clipped Wings Cannot Rebirth

Hiyma was a bit busy working, she really wasn't expecting, additional people to join in until she started to hear a all too familiar voice, turning around she found the Blue Haired Sponseree of Helvas. Something that she was defiantly not expecting, she looked towards Charlie for a moment as if trying to read his soul before groaning out loud, and sending a Telepathic message to Helva saying Your Blue Haired boy is here, am I going to be stuck babysitting for this one now? seconds later she got her reply Yep, take good care of him for me. Hiyma took a deep breath in and out before speaking "Yeah Charlie it's me, I got the dam message." Soon after she spoke though Hiyma spotted the Red Haired girl, Vulkens Sponseree in the Shadows slowly making her way out of it. Hiyma wasn't surprised in the least, though she knew she wasn't Hiding nearby for very long, she would of clearly noticed any sorta intrusion like that, and she wasn't there when she first entered the place. Hiyma could help but roll her eyes as the woman made her way to join the group, and then another one Elenore, a Woman that was on Helvas watch list for sure, who kept their distance from the Group Hiyma eyed her with Suspicion for a moment, but was later joined in by the Speed Devil Red who was covered in Blood, Hiyma could already make a Guess as to why that is. With a annoyed groan and a deep breath in and out she looked towards Red saying, "I'm guessing you just came off of work then? Cause you still have blood on you, you could of at least took a quick shower before coming here." With those words said Hiyma went back to scanning the ground with their Phone, her phone not really detecting anything of note.

But her phone scan was soon disrupted by a annoying laugh that instantly annoyed Hiyma, she already knew that this mission was going to turn from a chore to a headache, with the atmosphere changing Hiyma grew more annoyed as the cold set in. Though as the darkness set in Hiyma couldn't help but notice the comfort of the shadows beckoning them and giving them strength, while others try to use the darkness to hide themselves from the light, Hiymas active ally was the darkness and each time she entered the darkness it felt like she was being welcomed back home. Unfortunately, though as quick as the darkness came, the fires reignited bringing back a small amount of light that was enough to make them wince from it's reemergence. But then a hole opened up from the ground and while Hiymas infrared sensors didn't detect a thing, when Hiyma peaked into the Abyss, she was able to see through the vail of darkness, and find one of Peis robot toy allies, standing around in it. Hiyma let out a tsk before saying "Well that just about confirms it." she then took a step back in order to give the robot room to get out. She didn't bother to telepathically communicate with Helva yet, instead she just took out her phone and started to scroll through her background files on the group of people that were here to see if anything needed updating. It wasn't until Pei himself made a entrance that Hiyma took her attention away from her phone, one of her eye brows shooting up as she saw Pei had a Rocket Launcher hoisted his shoulders and fired it at his robot, the explosion shook the room, and Pei took that opportunity to head on over to land his foot on his compatriots head. They didn't know if that thing would be ok or not, but what she did know was that Helva would of threw a fit if she saw him do that in here of all places, though once he was done he finally began to acknowledge them and explain the reason they were here.

He gave them a run down on some information that Hiyma had already known about, it was a boring run down, that was until he mentioned traitors, Hiymas eyes instantly darkened as she heard that phrase get said out loud. She looked back towards her phone and started to record this conversation with it, before she began to speak up "Alright first of all, congrats on the entrance if Revenant was here she would of smacked you across the head and threw you down, the hole your robot friend made for using a rocket launcher at a Phoenix Graveyard. Second of all, I hope you plan to do something about that hole your little friend made, Third you do know what type of accusation your making right? It's a very bold one, so tell me, who exactly are you accusing of treason and what evidence do you have so far? " While it wasn't the first time Hiyma or Helva had to deal with traitors within the gang before, they typically always gained lots of evidence before accusing them, and bringing them in towards Lyric. But now with Lyric no longer able to decide the fates of traitors things would be a bit more complicated, while Hiyma was more than capable of dealing with something like this on her own, she figured Helva might be needed for this and decided to telepathically tell her word. Reserve und seine sie vorbereitet

 

[Roda the Red]

CHARLIE HUGHES

CS Link

SCENE:

Hot and Bothered

TIME:

Daytime, Post-Arc 2, January 11th, 2022

LOCATION:

Phoenix HQ, training grounds, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Boltius

Hot and Bothered

The boy scratched his arm awkwardly as he once again waited for Boltius to continue speaking, as he had once again started rambling. Truthfully, he already knew all that about Vulken, they HAD been on the job together a few times, but he didn't have the heart to suddenly invalidate his explanation. If there was one thing that both brothers sure loved to do, was to talk to great lengths about the other, and sometimes it was hard to tell if it came from a place of love, envy or plain competitive nature. Regardless of the real reason, it would be a lie if Charlie said he wasn't a bit envious of having a sibling.

Come to think of it, had he not been raised as a single child, he might've not even be standing here, he could still be living in west, doing whatever would've made his mother the most satisfied. In any case, Bolt agreed to the favor, reeling Charlie back to his previous thoughts. "Well, you see, back when I just an initiate to the gang, I got tangled into a very messy escort mission right away, and it was a reall mess" He looked down, his hands resting on his lap balled with resentment and frustration. "Among other things, I fought this one guy with a fire potential...And I lost, some of our allies died that night, and I wasn't strong enough to stop it"

He stood up, his eyes now making direct contact with his friend, his eyes filled with determination. "I don't want to lose to that guy again, I don't want to lose to anyone again" He put his hands together, fist slamming against palm. "I wanna get better at facing fire abilities, right here and now"

@Doctor Llamabean

 

[Peckinou]

Hiyma

CS Link

SCENE:

To live in the shadows

LOCATION:

Warehouse, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Helva, Hiyma, Charlie Roda the Red

To live in the shadows

Hiyma calmly watched as the boy, began to explain himself, Hiyma couldn't help but smirk deeply amused when he mentioned that he should of asked for her name back then, even though he neglected to ask for her name right now. She took another sip from her Coffee mug in a attempt to hide her amusement, as she listened to the boy explain himself, it probably was true that he decided to take the chance, probably wasn't what she did know was that he was defiantly anxious, and people are more likely to lie when anxious. But as he continued on she noticed that he was defiantly the talkative sorts, and she couldn't help but burst out laughing when he started flexing and giving her a big toothy grin, it was defiantly cute and amusing to say the least. Still though she didn't have much time to run a complete background on him, so she would probably have to do that after the 2nd stage of his trial, if he can survive that stage then she would be able turn a bit of her attention towards the boy. The final compliment he gave her made her chuckle a bit though the fact that he planned to grow it even farther out was something she also found amusing.

"You really like long hair don't ya." Taking another sip from her mug she added "Alright Mr. Tough Guy, Just a word of advice, it would probably be in your best interest to be honest, the more you lie, the harder you will make things for yourself, me and Reverent have been in this game for about 8 years now, so while I do love deciphering things and figuring out between what's fiction and non fiction, I'd rather keep things simple for now. So now that we got that out of the way, let us begin shall we? Follow me 272." she let out a smirk towards the last part, something that he wouldn't understand unless he asked, though maybe he would, she hadn't given him much information about what was going to happen, who she was and what this trial was about on purpose. Instead she simply walked towards the building she had came out of, finishing the rest of her coffee as she walked back, the inside was dark, non of the lights were on and the curtains were down, it would be the same in her office. Still though she figured that enough light came through the blinds to give the blue haired boy enough light to make his way through the area.

[/justi

[/b

 

[Roda the Red]

CHARLIE HUGHES

CS Link

SCENE:

To Live in the Shadows

TIME:

Afternoon, Pre-Arc 1, June 11th 2020

LOCATION:

Nameless Warehouse, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Helva

To Live in the Shadows

"Y-Yes ma'am!" He responded vigorously as he saluted, straightening his back in the process. Charlie felt no worry after being told to be honest, being honest was in his DNA! He was an open book, willing to speak with sincerity about anything, he wasn't above showing weakness or embarassment (Unless he was asked about his mother, in which case a little white lie wouldn't hurt)

"Two-Seven what? O-Oh okay, I'm right behind you!" He was a little lost on what she last said, was that spme kind of military lingo? But to him, it was more important to get the ball rolling, once again, good first impressions were invaluable. Stepping inside, the boy squinted his eyes as the light around him faded, the inside of the building was strikingly dark, to the point he was barely able to see around. Was the girl here working or something? And if she was, why was her workplace so dark? To any regular person this would be a very inconvenient level of darkness.

"So...Any clue on what we're doing? I was told it was a trial, but I really have no idea what it is about" Thinking about the possibilities, he realized his lack of own introduction. "Oh, I completely forgot, that's so rude of me! I'm Charlie, could you tell me your name? Or do you also have to go with by an alias?" He thought that most likely there was no issue with saying his name, the girl seemed friendly and easygoing for the most part, in fact, that is probably the first thing an employer would ask during an interview. Impressions, Charlie! Never forget just how vital they are!

Peckinou

 

[Peckinou]

Hiyma

CS Link

SCENE:

To live in the shadows

LOCATION:

Warehouse, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Helva, Hiyma, Charlie Roda the Red

To live in the shadows

Hiyma was a bit smug when she noticed how confused he was when she mentioned the number 272, she doubted he was going to ask about it since he felt like playing nice and polite. But she was more than likely to tell him at the end of her stage of the trial anyways, or during the interview if she felt like she needed to put him on edge or make him worry, just in case. Though it didn't take long for them to finally reach her office area, it was during their walk to her office that the blue-haired boy finally decided to ask a few questions and introduce himself. Hiyma couldn't help but sigh in relief and place her coffee mug on her desk, before adding "About dang time you started to ask questions, I almost felt like I should have timed you on how long it would take for you to ask something, ugh, like seriously you don't need permission to ask questions unless it's a really bad time to ask them." she said the last part almost in a bit of an annoyed tone. "Anyways, yeah, as of right now I will only be giving you my alias, though if you manage to pass Revenants trial then yeah you will be able to get our real names, now as for trials, so while giving information on how the Phoenix operate isn't something I usually do until you become an official Pheonix, this information is basic enough, though i must say I'm pretty surprised you don't know it, I'm guessing you didn't do much research into how joining the Phoenixes work." she smirked a bit as she said that last part, now having more insight into his personality, more than likely, he was impulsive. Hiyma the went on to go and take a seat at her desk turning their computer on, making it so that the only light in the room now came from her computer screen, before continuing on from where she left off, while simultaneously typing on their computer in order to make a proper profile on him as she started to explain.

"Now in order to get into the Phoenixes you need to be sponsored, there are two ways to get sponsored into the Pheonixs, one you are born into Pheonixs or have some friend or family member in that is willing to take you in, which I highly doubt is a pathway you can take, and then there's the second option, the trials, now each Veteran has a different sorta trial they hand out to potential rookies, Revenants trials are way more complicated than the average Vets and they get harder with each year, but one thing stays the same, I am the first stage towards her trails." Hiyma gave a small pause as she let those words sink in before turning her attention from her screen back to Charlie as she now had everything ready and the information she gathered so far about him put in, and then a sly smirk appeared on Hiymas face as she then added "Now go ahead and take a seat, this first part should be pretty easy for you it's just like a simple interview where I ask you questions, the first few being your First, Middle and Last name, your age, date of birth and the last digits of your social security." She said the last part was more so as a test than to retrieve information about his social, though if he actually decided to give her that information she wouldn't really mind it either way.

[/justi

 

[Roda the Red]

CHARLIE HUGHES

CS Link

SCENE:

To Live in the Shadows

TIME:

Afternoon, Pre-Arc 1, June 11th 2020

LOCATION:

Nameless Warehouse, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Helva

To Live in the Shadows

Charlie felt a little embarassed by the woman's response, OF COURSE he did, but his naturally mild attitude made it hard for the boy to demand or question things much, could also blame his overly trusting tendencies. "U-Understood! And I'll admit I'm not all that well-versed on how the Phoenixes work" He also didn't have the heart to tell her that his decision to join was quite literally an overnight whim.

The boy followed closeby as the girl made her way through the dim maze of halls and offices. While by now his vision got far more used to the darkness around them, it still surprised him how easy she was able to move around such a dark interior. Either she was used to this place to the point traversing it was second nature to her, OR her ability to see in the dark was far above a regular person's.

They finally reached a desk that was dimly lit by the radiation of the screen. She took a seat, quickly getting to work, dexterous fingertips tapping away at the keyboard, the choir of clacks breaking through the silence of the otherwise ghostly location. Charlie nodded repeatedly as she explained the way Phoenixes made new members, her explanation made total sense, either you were one of them from day 1, or you earn your place among the ranks, that was what a Trial was all about. She also mentioned that Revenant's trials were notoriously strict and difficult. The news made him undeniably nervous; He had no plans for the future, no job, no friends, no place to belong to. The phoenixes might well be the solution to all his desires, so it was only natural to break a sweat upon hearing that...However, in a way, it was also exciting. He had no idea what awaited him, but whatever it was, the idea that he was going to overcome one of the hardest trials among the Phoenixes, how could one not get a little bit giddy about such a prospect?

As commanded, he took a seat in front of the desk from across her, wiggling his rear as to find a position he was comfortable with, light creaks from the old piece of furniture as he moved. His hands rested atop his knees, leaning his shoulders forward. "My name is Charles Liam Hughes, twenty-one years old, born May Fifteenth, Nineteen-Ninety-Nine and I believe I don't have to tell you the last part" He smirked, already accustomed to the playful trickeries of interviewers.

Peckinou

 

[Peckinou]

Hiyma

CS Link

SCENE:

To live in the shadows

LOCATION:

Warehouse, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Helva, Hiyma, Charlie Roda the Red

To live in the shadows

Hiyma smirked as she began typing down the information he gave on her keyboard, and neglected to give them their final answer "Ah, so your not completely naive after all." Though Hiyma could of pushed the question to see if he would crack under pressure, she really didn't feel like doing that, at the moment, so instead she continued on with her next set of questions "Now where were you born? Are you from the South, some other district, some other city, or out of the country altogether? I know you're an HP, so what exactly is your potential? Revenant said that you were able to take on two enemies for her and knock one of them out, perhaps it had something to do with strength? Either way, I do want details on your potential and how it works, also while I do know about the little Skirmish down at the restaurant, I also need to know what sorta fighting experience you have or if you have any training."

As Hiyma gave her next torrent of questions she got a reply from Helva saying En route a small signal to say that she was not completely on her way, Hiyma knew that she would have enough time to finish this interview stage before Helva arrived. Besides the blue-haired boy was pretty easy to read, she honestly thought this would be more of a nuisance than originally expected but his open-book personality was something Hiyma liked more so cause it made her job easier. Though still she couldn't ignore the possibility that he could be faking this entire persona, but she was sure that he would be able to find a clue to if he was if it turns out he is faking it.

[/justi

 

[Coyote Hart]

PEYTON XIONG

CS Link

SCENE:

Meet and Grit

LOCATION:

The Third Eye, Central District

TIME:

Post-Arc 3 || Morning of July 8th

PARTICIPANTS:

Peyton, Keith

MEET AND GRIT

A mouse-like squeak left Peyton's mouth as he got practically lifted in the air by a suddenly aggressive Keith. The sudden change in vibes surprised him, and he flinched because of it. But afterward, the grin slowly returned to Peyton's face. Oh, so this was how Keith treated Serpents! The anger in his eyes, the dominating way he tried to intimidate Peyton... It was so delightful!

"Yup! I'm a bonafide snake!" Peyton said cheerily as if someone wasn't threatening him, "But don't worry! I haven't done anything to hurt you, I swear! We can still be friends!"

Peyton knew that Keith was displeased and that if Peyton wanted to stop their friendship from falling apart before it even formed, he was going to need to say something calming. But the potential to see a more malicious and mean side of Keith was too tempting. He leaned forward until he bumped foreheads with Keith. Typically such a thing could be considered a challenge, but Peyton only wanted to send the message that he wasn't going to back down. No, he was starting to enjoy this sudden change in pace.

"You seem so much less awkward talking to me now that you know I'm a Serpent! I should've said so sooner then!" Peyton said. Smugly, Peyton added, "But be careful not to rough me up too much! It would be really bad if you had to give up getting your book signed cause you killed me!"

Roda the Red

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

HECTOR MOSES

CS Link

SCENE:

DOUBLE TAKE

LOCATION:

Shady's Motel, Phoenix HQ, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hector, Zane

DOUBLE TAKE

"Without my clearance, you're not making it outta this building." His expression was dead serious, his stare unwavering. "Do you think just because Lyric's missing-" missing emphasized- "That you can just walk in here and start talking a load of shit."

There were a few light, hesitant knocks at the door, a delicate face peering in. Hector waved her away, frustration showing, and the staff member quickly ducked away out of view.

"Until she's back, I'm at the helm. Nobody else. So tell me why I should let you back in here. Don't forget you're the one that left us. That ain't so easily forgiven."

It would've been easy to get rid of this guy, Hector thought. A couple phone calls and the place would be swarming, if Hector couldn't finish the job himself. His shit-eating grin was reason enough. But he didn't do that, because Zane was right. Things hadn't been going their way, and talent was dropping left and right. Even if he was an asshole, he wasn't all talk.

"You only gonna run your mouth, or are you here to help? Help us, not just bolster your ego."

He doubted Zane wanted anyone to benefit but himself, but Hector had kept others on what he thought to be a tight leash before. The cannibal. the artist. Is Zane the one who will cause the most trouble?

 

[BluEndings]

ZANE RIDDLE

CS Link

SCENE:

[DOUBLE TAKE]

TIME:

Post-Arc 3

LOCATION:

Shady's Motel | Phoenix HQ, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hector, Zane

DOUBLE TAKE

Zane tossed his arms in the air.

“‘Lax ‘lax.” He gleamed. “I’d rather not get chewn up by a bunch of hungry chicklets. I’m talking shit, but I’m not talking out of my ass. You’re in a goddamn hospital bed.” He waved his arm around for emphasis. “No doubt your adjacents have plenty faith, but that doesn’t apply to every scarlet. With the seat open, and the current state of things, not even blood is enough to keep some deviants from itch'n.”

“You think some deadbloods didn’t holler, and try to get me to spoof on ya’ll as well?” He was practically pacing in place. “It’s not just the excommunicated either. You got flakes in your ranks as well. Maybe they’re curled in their shells for the moment, but they’re just waiting till their odds look better.”

With each bobbing movement and trounced word, his passion grew and grew. There was no spice to his voice rather an impatient shining. A mounting excitement that failed to shadow from danger, nor the possible knick of what he was saying. It continued to ripen and curl into a deepened lack of vigilance—

Then it all came to a hush.

“Left?” His voice dropped to a sour, and his mass careened over.

He was quick to realize his fresh proximity, and shifted before a physical altercation transpired, but there was a gap between his next set of words.

“No way am I looking to clean my slate with anyone. This is just a benefit of my golden heart.” He clasped his fist in his palm. “You know my gig: Put a bit of pressure on the restless lil’ fowl who fly a pinch too close to the sun. Haze the soft-boiled who think playing house is going to cut it. And of course, teach any blithering idiots what it means to mess with scarlet.”

“You want me to drag the effing moon out of the sky? I’ll do it.”

NAVIGATE

 

[thebigfella]

Pei & Eleanore

Collab Post

SCENE:

Doused Flames Bring Lost Ashes

TIME:

2019 || Pre-Arc 1

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Pei, Eleanore ( mechanicalmania )

Doused Flames Bring Lost Ashes

Eleanore was not the type to snarl, but something about the situation, this part of the world was quickly attempting to make her one. What were these? Children? If she cared about her ego like plenty of the others here, she’d have punted the both of them sky high. But none of that mattered, because it was obvious the important one was Pei, and Pei was quick to handle the insolence coming from them. She took a step back, not out of fear, but mostly to ensure that if the plug popped out of this… robot, if physics tried to bludgeon her it’d need a lucky shot.

She watched everything he did, packing everything up, holding his laptop, ready to go. Good. Some sense in his head. Not much, since he didn’t simply turn around and go, instead approaching her again. Coming to a stop, as if he hadn’t learnt a thing. No, he hadn’t. He had some intent, some idea of the world, and by god, he thought he was important, so he was going to shove that intent on everyone else until it’s fully their problem to oblige. It’d be understandable in some idiot who stood around as some high ranking official ordering workers around for the past twenty years and knew adversity like it was a distant cousin who barely even came over for thanksgiving, but from a gangless idiot like this?

And then he laughed in her face. Despite the insult the voice carried, it did not feel to Eleanore that he was laughing at her. More that he was laughing at the situation that the two had found themselves in at his willing. Maybe that was just her brain trying to justify why she didn’t lay him out then and there.

Regardless, he turned, he walked away, his charade of a party following him as the night swallowed the intruder. And that was that.







Of course it wasn’t. You’d be an idiot to think it was over. Eleanore was not an idiot. After Pei left her vision, and not caring if he had left hearing range, she turned, managing to charge back up to HQ steps without seemingly changing her pace in the slightest. It was fast enough to set the guards on alert despite having their eyes on the scene the entire time.

”Watch the fucking beavers.”

”Uh- We’re already-”

”If anything happens, if a single strange object gets tucked into a wall and none of you catch it, I will not be happy.”

That is a given. Breaths seem to be in short supply in this part of the world, eyes flicking as someone who feels like they should be bursting with rage instead stood with a certain level of casualness that was much worse than spittle flying and fingers being pushed accusingly into the chests of others.

”Someone walks up, no one knows him, and we just let him do what he wants with HQ. If he’s been lulling everyone into thinking he’s just some harmless prick, he could be doing anything under our great noses.”

Obviously, his potential had *some* control, being able to… what, create? Summon, autonomous creatures, of any amount. He had to be with the beavers, to her horror. HQ was being repaired by someone who had no allegiance and no threat to be leveraged against them. She’d have to research him. She’d have to decide on how to deal with him, and then deal with him.

Why does he want her sponsorship. Does he somehow know who she was, and think that he can pretend to be so important that he could get her to consider it? He could bring down the force of the sun and he’d have roughly the same amount of luck on that front. Eleanore blinked, pulling herself out of her racing mind and back to reality. Interesting. Shock and anger has pushed her out of her normal control. She’s sure that’s some sort of victory for Pei, even if she doesn’t know his name yet.

”Don’t make me deal with him again.”

As she turned to leave, finally walking out of HQ with full intent to leave and no obstructions in her way this time, she knew that was going to be the impossible order. He seemed intent on making sure she had to deal with him, that he’d try to worm into her mind successfully. Hopefully next time he comes around, he finds someone else to try to latch onto and leech off a sponsorship from. She’s busy. That’s not going to change.

---

“KEKEKEKEKEKEK!”


Eleanore was right. The order she placed seemed utterly unrealistic. An entirely simple, completely plausible demand that found itself utterly futile in the presence of the cackling brat. She didn’t even need to see him to know he had invited himself back to squat in front of headquarters, but when she did it only made the situation all the more worse.


Eleanore had become no less preoccupied, the demands of her usual tasks only increased tenfold from the hurricane’s destruction. However, the obstruction that sat in her way from doing those tasks as flawlessly as she had always done once again stood in front of the HQ. He had laughed heartily as he had yesterday, maybe even more so. It’s almost as if the command from Eleanore had fallen completely on deaf ears as Pei stood as proud as he did the day before, head held up higher than the sun that had barely risen.


Two guards stood to the side, their sullen expressions revealing hints of despair. Slouching in posture, they watched intently, awaiting a sight yet to be revealed. Meanwhile, they humbly offered their apologies to Eleanore.


“Sorry, we tried to stop him, but…”


No.

“DAMNIT! ONE MORE TIME!”


The aggravated screeching of a familiar brutish woman brought attention to only one small part of the chaos currently going on the Phoenixes' front lawn. A makeshift arm wrestling arena had been set up with a large wooden spool for construction wiring acting as the table, a few stacks of cinder blocks acting as the chairs. The massive woman had her hands up, clutching at her hair in fury as her teeth ground against each other, steam visibly pouring off her as was consumed in a fury of rage.

A confident and cocky attitude was displayed by her diminutive adversary, positioned on the other side of the table. Its colossal arm flexed, making it abundantly clear who had come out victorious in their previous encounters. The difference in the size from his arm to the rest of his body showed where all his strength went.


A gathering of construction beavers had assembled, delighting in the complimentary spectacle. They sat in orderly rows, their beady eyes fixed attentively upon the scene.


“I’M GONNA WIN THIS TIME, DAMNIT!” The large woman shouted, dropping back down to sit, slamming her elbow on the table as she prepared to go for another round. The small Playmate only grinned in response, turning to face her again, slapping it hand to lock into hers as they prepared to go at it again.


No, no.


Had the ridiculousness stopped here, there might have been a possibility to resolve this situation. However, it wasn't only her who had been unwillingly pulled into the chaos of dealing with Pei's minions.

“L-Like this?”


Only a few steps away, another one of the supposedly trustworthy Phoenixes who were supposed to be protecting headquarters from invaders was much more occupied with standing still in a silly pose, nervously having her arms raised in front of her, stance wide like a superhero.

“CLOSE! BUT YOU HAVE TO DO IT WITH MOXIE!” Her trainer's valiant voice encouraged her, despite his minuscule size. Standing in front of her, he barely reached her knee, and yet his booming voice made him larger than life. “Now, watch me!” He ordered, spreading his arms out as he prepared to take his iconic heroic pose. In one quick motion and a twist of his hips, his arms were positioned and ready for battle, a tiny explosion going off behind him as he posed. “MOXIE!”


The introverted girl eagerly nodded before attempting to imitate his stance with all her might. However, her effort fell short, lacking the awe-inspiring aspect of explosive flair. “M-Moxie!?”


“Hmm! That sounded more like you were asking a question than saying it proudly! You must say it with gusto if you want to be a hero!” The tiny action figure lectured her, “Now, let’s try it again!”


God, no.


Idiots after idiots, everywhere. Just who else was falling for this farce?

”So fluffy….”


A hushed whisper, as if he was afraid of anyone hearing him, he had completely forgotten his task, completely enamored in something much more important, pushing his fingers through the soft, gentle fur of the itty bitty creature in front of him. He knelt down, both of his gloved hands holding it by its cheeks as he scritched under its ears.

”Ohhhh! Right there! That’s the spot right there!” The furry Playmate enjoyed the pampering caress, eyes closed as he egged the man on, tail slapping against the ground like a cat. It was only for a minute he let this carry on, before his eyes suddenly shot-open, brow scrunching.


“WAIT A MINUTE! I’M A FULL GROWN MAN! I CAN’T BE STANDING AROUND GETTING PETTED AND STUFF! GET THE HELL OFFA--”


“Goochie goochie goo.” With a swift movement, the man redirected his focus from the Playmate's ears to target her stomach. In an instant, all signs of anger vanished from the creature's body. With its eyes gently closing, and its mouth curved into a contented smile, the creature began to purr like a cat. As the man's touch caressed its body, it surrendered peacefully, completely relaxed and limp.


What is this mess?


Eleanore couldn't take her eyes off the scene, the once esteemed members of her gang were reduced to mere ineffectual fools in the presence of Pei's ridiculous power. The spikey-haired blonde in question turned around, as if he could sense her coming. He looked at her with the same toothy grin as always.


“Yo, old lady. Ready to hand me that sponsor yet?”


It’s still him. Bringing an army of… of toys to the front door of the Phoenixes for his own purposes. Eleanore took a breath, purging the thoughts from her mind. This thug was obviously, overtly, trying to convince her, in specific, and he was doing so by quite effectively making the rest of her beloved family look like idiots in comparison to him. And it wouldn’t be helpful to harbor any short term spite against her siblings here. They were still in shambles, and while Eleanore got her stress relief from cracking skulls and keeping connections nice and tight, the door guards and those who had come out from inside to watch and join the show were… getting theirs in another way, like a bunch of schoolchildren on recess. That is a problem of discipline for well after HQ was the least of the Phoenixes’ worries.

It explains why he was so addicted to being right. Why he thought that he was capable of doing anything at all. If you can just make a handful of these machines and supposed living things, Eleanore’s certain your ego would increase tenfold. Not many people could lay claim to playing any kind of god and actually be able to back it up. And that made it all the more annoying that he had devoted himself, apparently at full force, to wanting her sponsorship, rather than any of the idiots he had eating out of his hand right now. Be someone else’s problem. Never interact with her until you run your mouth in the wrong corner to the wrong person and suddenly need to have sense knocked into you. But that’d be too simple, and it wouldn’t work for this guy. He wanted the sponsor to be Eleanore. Was it because she was the only person he’d met so far who doesn’t care about him?
”No.”

Obviously. There was no delay in her response, not a moment of hesitation. Nothing was going to change there, she’s certain of that. But he is going to keep needling, and making a fool out of everyone but her, until he is dealt with. An overconfident idiot with too much faith in his potential needs to be taken down several pegs, and all this has been doing is driving up his ego. Another sharp no is going to be as effective as a throwing dart against a tank to him.

”What’s your name.”

Eleanore looked down at Pei, just looking tired with his antics. What a clown. Not even deserving of her spite, yet. But he’s won enough that she does, in fact, have to recognize him if she wants any chance of driving him away.

“Kekekekek. Finally admitting that you can’t brush me off anymore.” Pei responded to Eleanore’s question not with an answer, but with his own confirmation that she had given him his desired reaction. He was an eyesore, a leech that refused to peel off, and he knew it. He knew that Eleanore wanted nothing less than him to be entirely subjugated, to crumble under the weight of his own ego and hubris. She was a resourceful woman, she was just waiting for a chance, an opening to find a way to drive him away with a punishment that would show him to never think lightly of the gang life ever again. Any ammunition given to her she could use against him, and a name was a powerful bullet.

“Zentsupa Pei.”

With a smile on his face, he disclosed his identity with no hesitation, his twisted smile ever present on his face as he chuckled under his breath, sliding his hands into his pockets as his lanky frame leaned forward, looking up at the taller woman with a sly leer. He hadn’t been dejected by her clear refusal of his request at all, his interest in her only seemed to grow more,

“Nice to meet ya, old hag.”

”You’re a local?”

Eleanore carried on, dodging both bait and fake niceties. She had no intention to introduce herself to Pei, and Pei knew that, since he hadn’t bothered trying to ask her in return. It’d make sense if he wasn’t a local, someone who came into town with some puffed up chest, half a passing knowledge of who really runs New Oasis, and goes “Ah, I see the Phoenixes are in a bit of a pinch, aren’t they? It’ll be smooth sailing to make my way in and personally make Eleanore’s life just a bit worse, and that’s the ticket of the matter!” or whatever prickish thoughts had to be going through his head for him to still be trying this. Possible that he wasn’t, though. Possibly that he knows exactly what’s going on here, and he’s doing it anyway. Because he’s just that invested.

“Yeah, I lived in the South my whole life.” Pei responded back, matching Eleanore’s pace as soon as the ball came rolling back into his court, “Never cared much for the gang until now. but with that hurricane you need some help.” He didn’t mince words, throwing his intentions all across the table for Eleanore to pick through its pieces. He had no intention of hiding his reasoning, after all, what was the point? He didn’t come here attempting to pull the wool over anyone's eyes. No, a simple spy or obnoxious idiot who had come to join with devious intentions would have made things far too easy, and Pei seemed intent on making Eleanore’s job as difficult as possible, a rusty nail in her foot.

But, his intention wasn’t to waste her time. He didn’t bother her with inane addendums to her questions. He didn’t even laugh. He gave her what he wanted, as simple and clean as she desired everything. Sadly, it was probably in talking like this that she would get anything easy out of him.

”Then you should know that the Phoenixes are serious about this.”

Eleanore had, in an effort that equaled gods, managed to ignore the scene Pei had caused behind him, saying that sentence with a fully straight face.

”You do not walk up and demand sponsorship. Not because you think you can offer help. Not even if you could bring down a second hurricane twice the strength of this one. We do not judge on your potential, but your devotion. Your character.”

Eleanore also managed to say that with an even straighter face, as if she was informing Pei of a law of nature and he hadn’t at some point today been offered five sponsorship deals. But it could be assumed to be as good a law as physics or gravity to Eleanore, at least. She spoke of it like it had been drilled into her head and then cauterized to keep it from healing in any other way.

”I don’t see any character worth sponsoring in you.”

Eleanore kept a straight face there as well, although she was unsure there. She could see someone else sponsoring him in her shoes. They’d have to learn more, but he was certainly skilled. He knew what to do, he could choose how he’d talk, he was determined. Anyone who could cause the Phoenixes to fall into disarray without any of them going to walk away from this swearing revenge was worth considering, and he was determined to have things go his way. Determination to get what you want was a valuable skill that not enough people had. But that would be someone else. His determination had put him solidly in the path of Eleanore, and Eleanore was not going to stop for him and give him what he wanted. And if that meant driving away someone who would, admittedly, be a valuable asset if he accepted someone else’s sponsorship, then she would do so without hesitation.

Even as Eleanore told him right to his face the reasons why she had no interest in giving him her sponsorship, She denounced his character and approach, telling him right to his face why he didn’t stand a chance in the world at getting what he wanted.

What would be the response to such a thing? You could only defend your stance. He could claim that she was wrong, making early assumptions, and assure her that her opinions would change, cockily claim that it was only a matter of time she had no choice but accept that she was false about her assumptions.

“Kekekekek. Good! We’re on the same page then.” Pei did no such thing, instead he agreed with everything she said, a slight nod of his head to signify he was thinking the exact same things. He knew his character was awful, he knew that sponsorship wouldn’t be given by anyone who simply demanded it from her. He knew that this was nothing to joke about, and no laughing matter.

And that’s exactly why he did it, chuckling and laughing all the while as he did. The most difficult route before him, he walked the path of barbs with a smile on his face, assured that he would face opposition. He knew it was coming, the unfaltering denial, so he just met it with a smile every time.

She wishes she could be surprised by it. She would love to have been surprised that he knew all that and didn’t care. That she could say there was no chance in hell that he was getting what he’d want, and that she’d be shocked to see him set up a beach chair to enjoy the weather. But she wasn’t. Because of course this is what he’d say. He wouldn’t take any no as a final answer.

”We aren’t on the same page. The only reason I’m not killing you is because you are a civilian who hasn't done anything that I can construe as aggressive.”

She finally pointed at the scene over Pei’s shoulder. Unless you’re willing to shoot someone in the head over a round of arm wrestling, you had to admit there isn’t anything worth murdering over here. Other people might’ve done it anyway, cleaned the world a bit, but of course Eleanore wouldn’t. Eleanore cared about that sort of thing.

”You can do your work on HQ alongside others. You’re allowed to do that, so I won’t stop you here, yet. But if you actually want a sponsor, find someone stupid enough to give their word to you.”

She kept explaining things, but Pei just continued to look at her like she was pointing out the obvious, as if he had already understood it all and had figured it out ten times over before she had realized it herself. Yet, that fact didn’t ruin the feeling of satisfaction he seemed to get hearing from her lips.

She had a reason why she wouldn’t kill him?

“What a fuckin’ sham.” He sneered internally, chuckling under his breath, “The only reason you didn’t do it is not because you wouldn’t but because you COULDN’T! Dumbass! You lost the option when you chose to toss me instead of killing me then and there!”

He didn’t attempt to hide the conceit in his gaze as he looked upon her, the table had been set and she hadn’t even realized that she had already sat down and moved the first piece. She was already locked in, and the only end to this would be his tedomari.

“Kekekekek! KEKEKEKEKEKEK!” Pei couldn’t hold back anymore, this was not the same cackle he gave to everything else, he was not aimlessly laughing at the world at large, the current situation, or the ridiculousness of life. He was laughing at her.

And then, like he never was laughing in the first place he stopped, his large toothed smirk placed right back on his face as he looked at Eleanore with the same defiance as always.

“Don’t worry! I already found someone who fits the bill!”

That was an actual insult. The rest of his idle chat just seemed to be his way of life, but that was pointed at her. The rest of it could be ignored, taken away, but he is truly just looking down on her right now. One small part of her was confused. What? Why’s this asshole think he’s somehow gotten the upper hand? He has nothing. He knows nothing. He’s a pointless, meaningless twig in her life.The rest of her was completely, utterly, holding back her impulse to destroy him now. It could be seen, her getting a bit more tense. For a very, very, quick half of a second, even Pei would have reason to second guess if he had read her right, that he hadn’t just made a terrible mistake. But of course, he was right. She talked herself down, she brought in reason and her thoughts to fight against the primal urge for blood, and logic won against smashing Pei’s face against the roadway.

She stopped herself from responding to Pei vocally. If she did, he’d respond in a way that’d make it impossible to stop what’d come next. If she responded physically, she was not going to stop herself. Preying on the fact that Pei was safe entirely because of how unsafe he was being, Eleanore had to take a step around him, walking back to HQ underneath the hope that there was something much more worthy of giving her a reason to excise her violent urges here and now. That was the advantage Pei had, here, one that Eleanore couldn’t think of. Pei was playing a game, chess mastering the pieces and letting them fall into perfect positions, and Eleanore thought herself so above him that she could not imagine that she was playing a game at all.

Pei did not attempt to get in Eleanore’s way as he did last time. He said nothing to her as she passed. Even as she held her stoicism, he could feel the vitriol and ire that bubbled under the surface.


He didn’t bother to watch her leave, after all they both knew where she was going. As she walked past him her body casted a shadow over him, one that departed with her, but left part of it on his face to hide his expression. He listened to her walk away, she carved through the disjointed madness that surrounded her, the guards distracted by playmates and their ridiculous antics, the toy beavers that waddled across the ground and drove their tiny machines, she wouldn’t give any of it the time of day.

“Kekekekek…” There was only a short time where he wasn’t smirking, and just like that it had become no more, the bright glow of his teeth piercing through the darkness as he turned his head towards the doors, a gleam going over his pupils as his mouth opened into a giant smile.

“It’s gonna be a long fuckin’ month! KEKEKEKEKEKKE!”

His statement wasn’t just directed at her, but at every Phoenix in the area, and himself.

It was about to be a long fucking month.

 

[angel doe]

celestine renee cadieux

CS Link

SCENE:

blurred borders

LOCATION:

hartswan terrace, north district

TIME:

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

PARTICIPANTS:

darius, celestine

blurred borders

The dull throbbing of Celeste's burnt fingertips told her that it would have hurt a hell of a lot more if she didn't have such a ridiculously high pain tolerance. Still, her attention quickly returned to Darius when he responded. She was relieved to hear he was doing alright and even more relieved that the memory adjustment had gone smoothly.

"Good... That is good, I am glad you are okay." It was all Celestine could manage, meeting his gaze and offering a gentle smile. She nodded at his next comment in agreeance, her entire body relaxing, "Yes, it is about time we head back." She started towards the van, keeping her hands clasped together to hide the injuries to her fingertips.

At least she wouldn't have to worry about fingerprints anymore.

"I am glad to have been able to work with you, as well, Darius," Celestine seemed to brighten as she turned to look back at her companion, "And I do agree, we must meet up when we are not doing something like this."

She scribbled something on a piece of paper that she ripped from one of her journals and tucked it carefully into Darius' pocket, "My phone number. Text me and I will message you when I am available- I would love nothing more than to spend more time together."

Was she being too forward? Celeste couldn't tell, she was just happy he actually wanted to spend time with her. A voice in the back of her mind told her yet again that making friends was a terrible idea, and again Celestine chose to ignore it. She would worry about all that later.

"Anyway, let us return. It has been a long night and I am ready to take a nap~" Getting into the driver's side, Celestine started the vehicle, waiting as Darius got situated in the passenger seat. Once both of them were settled, she drove off.

Finally, it was over.


WhiskeyMarten

 

[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

If Something Tastes Funny, Try It Again

“Yeah, some fresh air sounds nice…” — He craned the neck, stretched, lips hitching to a yawn. Golden eyes went inky under the blaring, dancing disco lightshow above their heads, flickering back on once they’d passed.

Dante wasn’t lying either. His throat was pinched with this heavy, annoying feel crawling at the seams. It was crowded. Throttle you to death type of crowded. He was up for a breather…

Nao moved to wrap her arm around his, and she’d almost tugged the air straight out of his lungs. He caught the ghoul of a shaky, windy-cool huff of breath on a snap of the teeth— by the tail of it. Warm; painful. She wasn’t mindful of the bruise. And not that he’d warned her—so it was a him problem then— had to swallow a boulder and play it off like it didn’t hurt.

She was handsy, though, a bit too handsy — “Kya…~” — He whimpered, brought his hand up to his temple like a damsel in distress. Being a dumbass was a hell of a good tell to mask that aching numbness running laps around his limbs.

Nao pulled; Dante followed. Out of inertia, like a leaf on foreign wind. All the way to the door where the bouncer stood.

“Uh, yeah. But be quick, we're almost at capacity.“ — The guy told her chest, getting an almost guttural reaction from Dante; one eye narrowed down at him, ticked. Maybe Tak had been right all along— this was just like prom night.

What was the square root of ten again?

Whatever.

He felt the thump of the waving mass of bodies and the boom of the music draw further away, traded that warm, sweaty sensation built up under for a nice breeze that drafted inside his clothes, pecked the cuts and bruises. It wasn’t cold necessarily, but cool enough to feel refreshing.

Free from Nao’s pull, he walked absentmindedly, close behind. Kicking a stray pebble down the gravelly path, hearing cars whooshing by far away, squinting up at the scattering strip of buildings covering the sky. Empty space in his mind, as always.

It was only when Nao mentioned something about her car that he finally came back down to look at her.

“Hm?” — He quirked a brow at her, a hint of emotion as he processed it. One that faded as fast as it came — “I mean, if y’say so. I’m not too big about cars…”

He was the son of an auto mechanic, after all. He'd been holed up in dad's repair shop for a good chunk of his life; since he had memory and further ways ahead— he'd known faulty transmissions, dead alternators, car jolts, greasy hands and assholes parking their heaps with one wheel up on their curb.

After all those years helping his dad work around the friction of a hundred-so beaters, figuring out the innards of them like he could see the bare-bones outlining on an x-ray, just at a glance; Dante realized— he fucking hated cars.

He never understood if that petty sense of disgust came from the memory of his dad or for the metal beasts themselves.

But there was nothing to get excited about when it came down to them, not anymore. They were all the same to him. Some got you to where you had to go faster, others just drained your pockets before you even got there.

This one, though, this thing was no beat-up from his dad's garage. Wasn't the most expensive thing with wheels either, but it was well up there.

"Oh. Shit." — His reaction came straight from the soul, his jaw hung open.

It stood out on the parking lot, outshining the nondescripts and forgettable dupes lining the space. The hoarders, the ones that didn’t deserve the moonlight. Not as much as this one did— "Pfft…! You weren't lying! She's pretty. Pretty damn expensive too…this is the type of shit Jason Benson would drive." — There was a knowing glimmer in his eye as he went to examine the car, the surface of the metal trailed ice on his fingertips as he slid a quick hand through the rear of the car.

Hell, he didn’t even notice the entire candy shop in Nao’s trunk as she went to pop open the trunk. He tore off from the car, finally eyeing the contents inside the trunk once Nao brought him back to earth with a mention of her sharing the cost between her siblings.

"Hm,”— An approving hum — “I get that. Wouldn’t be able to afford paying this thing even if I sold my right lung…"

Dante glanced at the white powder. Neatly packed, stood out like a sore thumb — “Damn,”— He started — “You’re really a party animal, aren’t you?” — That was more or less the only time he’d address the elephant in the room, he was already half-expecting something like this from everything he’d heard from Tak.

He heard the zipper come down and his eyes were immediately drawn to the revealing slits on the bodysuit, like it were silk labored into semi-elaborate latticework. A silly smile bloomed on his factions. Again, straight from the pit of his soul — “Think your brother and I would get along real well.”

He was seriously considering it. He’d always been drawn to the more extravagant side of fashion since he was a wee church orphan; being told what to wear and what not to wear all those years had flipped a switch in his brain now that he was older.

You could see it clear on all the piercings and countless tats adorning his body— and ever since he’d had abs to show, he’d always wanted to try something a bit more on the airy side of things just for the hell of it.

At Nao’s following words, Dante puffed out a chuckle, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth knowing full well that the snort-laugh that’d haunted him since he was a kid was prone to rear its ugly head. Right before he felt that laughter right on the ribs, where the black-blue patches still stung. Jabbing; pinching; tight— but he still had a smile

“So, you take me away from my friend at the club, wait for when we’re all alone— and now you want me to pop my top off? Daring.”— He flashed a brow at her — “I’m fine though, thanks.”

Without the slightest hint of hesitation, he arched forward, peeling off his hoodie— groaning and hissing out of it— leaving only a black v-neck for show. No sleeves to pull on, not much to the imagination, everything was on full display. Neatly wrapped on flat sheets of gauze, chaste white tinged red on dry blood. They'd snake down to the washboard abs and up to the arms, slits on the sloppy bandage-work showing the lower edge of giant bruises, the chisel of aching muscle tightened on it.

He'd normally wear that same outfit to work, the one he'd moonlight into right after tiger business, it was meant to show how inked up the sleeves he was. Now all those tigers stripes; along with the wolves, the butterflies, the cob-webs; all of them faded and went colorless on the countless scars strewn over him.

'Dead man walking', he'd heard some of the hard-asses in the Tigers call him that every once in a while.

He didn't really know how to feel about it anymore. Alas, he was too grown now to be feeling insecure about his looks.

“Man… I’ve been in a lot of car crashes lately.”— He sucked in a breath, smiled awkwardly — “Clumsy fuckin’ driver…”

He didn’t ask about the drugs; he could only hope that she didn’t ask about the scars either.

“That’d be world record for how fast someone’s gotten me to undress at a party…” —He turned to the contents of the trunk, taking both the dress shirt and the bodysuit and bringing them up to his face with a pondering look.

“Would I be crazy for wanting to match these two together or what?”

Nina Aguilar

SCENE:

If Something Tastes Funny, Try It Again

TIME:

May 6th, 2022 || Pre-Arc 3

LOCATION:

Central District

INTERACTIONS:

Tak

LIMIT BREAK RANK:

F

If Something Tastes Funny, Try It Again

She watched the man weave the crowd and come down on the bar stool, fetch up on the counter. There was a note of intrigue and fixation drawn across her face as she only watched him across the other end of the bar.

Upclose, he stood out like an ostrich on a groundhog exhibit. He earned all the adjectives in the book.

Looked like trouble. The type of trouble her brother would tell her to stay far away from.

Trouble with a face fuzz, five o’ clock shadow and a wig that looked like something he’d pulled out of her grandma’s attic; she wanted to thwack the spiders out of it. Not the trouble she was looking for, maybe, but maybe he knew trouble. That, for her, might’ve been enough of a hunch to excuse pestering him a little.

A row of busted knuckle held up her chin, her gaze was keen and nailed on the guy— then attentiveness turned to surprise, shock, a bit of horror; some would even say, disgust— her mouth hung taut for a long while as she processed whatever the hell she’d just heard.

“You can just change the menu like that…?” — Nina exchanged glances with both the barman and the disheveled looking man, stiff on her chair.

The moment of stunned silence that followed then was only disrupted by the sight of the guy pointing his finger at her. Tipped at her nose, angled a bit to the left; he was shooting daggers at her special eye. She cocked her head on a wrung hand, a light hum, and an even lighter, easy smile spreading over her face. Of course he was.

“Y’mean this thingy? I turn people into stone with this eye, like, from that one movie with the snake lady. Y’wanna see?” — She flicked the eyepatch up to her forehead, bangs pressed down on it as it latched into place — "I’ve got a stye, stupid!” — She returned an almost accusatory finger at him, defiant — “Y’don’t gotta be all rude pointing it out like that, ‘mkay? The hell did’ya think it was?”

“Doctors said I gotta wear this thing until I…ughh…” — She immediately fiddled with the eyepatch once again, cupping the socket of her eye on one hand as her face scrunched up like she’d swallowed a couple dozen lemons — “Stop. Feeling. The need to claw my damn eye out.” — One finger teased at the lower lid of her eye, rubbed at it impatiently.

Either she'd just gotten something stuck in her eye mid-speech or her acting was really on point tonight.

“The pencil thing sounds pretty hardcore, though! Woulda been a cool battle scar…”

Nina leaned on the counter, flipping the eyepatch back down and turning an eye to the barman, a moment of thought before she opened her mouth — “Mm—eh…” — She drawled, narrowing an eye at the fancy menu — “How ‘bout I pay for both our drinks instead? Just give me your cheapest, ‘kay?” — She tapped on the counter, clicking her teeth together before she flashed him a toothy smile.

She spun on the stool once the plain and simple order had rolled off her tongue, Nina went oddly stiff as she looked back at the man beside her.

“So uhhhh………” — She started — “Ya’ know anything about the—ehhh… The thing. The stuff.” — She went through a handful of gestures to put some heft behind her words. Somehow going from downing an invisible glass, and snorting air particles, to waving her hand like a flimsy plane right before Tak’s eyes — “I’ve, um, heard some rumors ‘bout it, but that’s pretty much it. What’s it all about?”

“You look like y’would know something.” — She trailed off, looking back at the crowd. Ever-so growing in size — “Shit, you look like you distribute some of the stuff yourself…”

“I’m…uhh…not a cop or anythin’ by the way.”

Real smooth, Nina. As always.

thebigfella tityanya

 

[thebigfella]

Shishido Takakazu

CS Link

SCENE:

Dogs and Wolves See Themselves In Each Other, Especially When It's Time To Lick Their Balls

LOCATION:

West District

TIME:

June 22, 2022 | | Post-Arc 3

PARTCIPANTS:

Dagger, Tak

Dogs and Wolves See Themselves In Each Other, Especially When It's Time To Lick Their Balls

Gray smoke wafted from the end of a cigarette, the orange embers crackling to life as air was breathed through it, fueling the heat. A bronze-skinned hand reached up, clasping its fingers around the butt-end of it, removing from his lips and breathing out a cloud of smoke. His face was hidden from the bright lights above; the fedora he wore cast a shadow across his face, hiding everything but the stilled gaze of his right eye, a shimmer across his gray iris.

The cigarette left his mouth, placed into the ridges of the metal ashtray that sat upon the green baize that adorned the wooden table. The focus on the ashes dropping from its still lit end only left the others who sat around the table to live within a blur. Their features were unclear, but the bright reds of the backs of the cards they held in their hands.

The man’s hand moved away from the ashtray to rest in front of him, placing it down next to the cards plopped onto the table in front of him, face down in defeat. A small amount of multicolored chips stacked neatly beside him, today clearly wasn’t his night.

“...Damn.” He mumbled under his breath, reaching up to rub his temple, face scrunching in annoyance.

“What’s wrong, you ain’t gettin’ cold feet now, are ya?” A different voice was heard. It was one of the other players at the table, he wore a lavish black pinstripe suit and red tie, he was more focused on the cards in his hands than anyone else, still involved in this game's hand. “Never took you for a sore loser.”

“That ain’t it,” The fedora-wearing man retorted, his hand moving away from his face back to the table, “I got a job from an important client going on soon. Everything was in order, ready to go. Then I get a call from one of my mercs sayin’ he can’t make it. His wife went into labor ‘n shit.” He gruffly complained, picking back up his cigarette as he spoke, “Major pain in the ass.”

“Sounds rough, boss,” Another one of the men at the table chimed in, his state of wear a lot more casual than the others, a simple tank top that showed the tattoos that went up from his arm to his face. “Think you can just get someone else to come in on short notice?”

“Not possible,” the idea was immediately shot down as the man brought his cigarette to his mouth for another hit of tobacco, “Any other job sure. But the fucker backin’ this would have my balls if this gets fucked up. I can’t let any Joe Schmoe take part, I gotta have someone I know got some muscle. And people like that don’t just fall outta the sky.”

Everyone else didn’t have anything to say, after all, he was right. Trying to get someone to provide muscle to a high importance client out of thin air was a tough thing to ask for. They sure didn’t come out of thin air.

“OORAAAAAHHHHH!”

With astonishing speed, a clenched fist tore through the air, creating a mesmerizing ripple effect as it collided against a chin. The sheer force of the impact caused the victim's head to snap back, teeth clashing together while their eyes rolled back, exposing the bloodshot whites.

“GRRAUUAAAHHHH!”

The man screamed in pain, the momentum catching up after the moment of impact stuck, launching him through the air like a ragdoll towards a row of slot machines. The people who were using them turned back just in time to see the human projectile coming their way, hopping out of the stools to get out of the way.

With a loud crash that caught everyone’s attention, a plume of dust shot up in the air. When it finally settled, a single man laid in the pile of toppled slot machines unconscious; his dirty and thrifty appearance made him look homeless.

And the one who had delivered him such a blow?

“Watch where the hell you’re walkin’ next time!”

He didn’t look much better. With his unkempt hair, a haphazardly shaved face, and clothes filled with wrinkles, it was apparent that he was just one step away from being homeless, as each imperfection told a tale of neglected grooming and wardrobe care.

Anyone who met him before knew him well, a hard one to forget, the ever constant nuisance. Takakazu Shishido. His fist still steamed from his recent punch, brows furrowed in anger as he stood there, oblivious to all the people currently staring at him for causing a nuisance in the casino.

“Hm?” As his fury dissipated, something captivated his gaze, causing him to look upwards just in the nick of time and extend his hand to intercept the descending red purse. With curiosity, he raised the purse to inspect it. “Where the hell did this come from?”

“You took care of that purse snatcher! My hero!”

Tak blinked, head tilting to look off in the direction of the voice that seemed to be directed at him. Rushing towards him was a portly woman, the bright red dress she wore made her look like a tomato, her heels loudly clicked as she ran at a speed that was surprising for her size, her curly hair bouncing up and down.

Tak stared at her blankly, and as she reached to grab at him he simply pushed out his elbow to keep her at a distance, holding her purse in the other hand.

“I always heard stories of rugged heroes coming to save damsels in distress, but I never thought it would be true! My poor little heart is ready to burst!” She droned on, continuing to try and grasp at Tak.

“Oi, the only reason I hit that guy was because he bumped into me,” Tak tried to clarify that he hadn’t done this for her, continuing to keep her at a distance as her giant red lips puckered up and tried to plant kisses on his cheek. Tak only seemed to be getting more annoyed as time went on and his continued, eyebrow twitching.

“Heh, you’re pretty damn good. Got some muscle to ya, huh?”

A new voice stopped him just as he was about to rag on the innocent lady. He approached with the soft steps of his polished slacks, hand placed on the rim of his fedora, tilting it upwards to reveal the scars that decorated his face.

“Say, interested in making some quick cash?”

Tak stared at him silently, his neutral expression gradually transforming into rigid seriousness the longer he stared…

---

A metal shuttered door rolled up, the clicking of chains lifting it up and letting the light seep in. An armored cargo van, sleek and black, woken up by the touch of sunlight, burst into motion. The dazzling difference in brightness momentarily blinded the eyes as it rolled out, its tinted windows safeguarded by multiple layers of sturdy metal.

When clarity returned, the van stopped in place, men stood at both sides, adorned in the same sets of kevlar and tactical gear. Sunglasses hid their eyes, their hair kept tight under black claps, and mouths hidden under bandanas wrapped around their mouths. They all sat with their arms folded behind their backs in a display of readied discipline.

All except for one…

“Man, this stuff is really cool…” A familiar hushed voice spoke over the silence of all the other mercenaries. He had his hand stuck into his utility belt, pulling out the combat knife and examining it. “I can’t imagine how much this stuff costs...” He said, before turning to the guy next to him, “You guys dress like this every time you do one of these? I’m jealous. I just get to wear my same rags every job I do.” He complained, twirling the knife up and down in the air, before he tossed it up too high. His head turned upward to see where it would land, but just never came back down. “Oops.”

“Who the hell is this joker?” One of the mercs whispered to another, their movement of their lips visible behind their bandana.

“No clue, seems like they just picked him up off the street. Must have been hurtin’ for someone to fill a position.” Another replied, just watching as the newbie fiddled with everything he could get his hands on.

The gossip was cut short as the back of the van opened, and out stepped the fedora-wearing man, a pair of mercs held the door open above their head behind him. The contractor's gaze fell upon his workers, striding confidently amidst the resounding echoes of chains and handcuffs. Bound to his wrist, a symbol of both restraint and purpose, a metallic briefcase was tightly grasped beneath his shoulder.


“Listen up you lot! I’m only gonna say this once!” He shouted, demanding their attention. He lifted up his arm to let the briefcase dangle from his wrist, “I have one job! To transport this cargo through the district to a drop-off point! From there it will be taken care of!”

With that, he turned around, slamming a fist against the side of the van, letting its metal clatter.

“And you all also have one job! Make sure this thing and I get there safely! You will be forming a barrier with armored cars and be on the lookout for anything suspicious and ready to act at a moment’s notice! If something happens, the last thing you’ll be fearing for is your life! You got that!?”

“LOUD AND CLEAR!” A resounding response came from the hired hands. The one in the mix who didn’t say anything only looked around, his posture slightly slouched.

"What the hell is this? The army?” He kept his comments to himself though, simply scratching the itch he was feeling on his left ass cheek.

“Well if you get that! It’s time to roll out! We have 40 before the hand-off happens!” He announced, before turning back and jumping back into the van, the door slamming shut and leaving the mercs to their own devices.

They all quickly knew what to do, moving towards the black armored cars that surrounded the perimeter, moving in groups of four.

Everyone except for one guy, the same rookie who had been lost this whole time. He just sat there, looking around as everyone else walked off, leaving him alone.

“Newbie! You're with us! Hurry up!” Someone finally directed him, making him perk up slightly. “Alright, I’m comin’. Don’t bust my balls.” He responded, making his way over.

---

It wasn’t long until things were underway, the van drove through the streets, joined by a swarm of black cars that surrounded it from all angles, some hung ahead, while others grouped behind. Those who caught view of the incoming transport preemptively moved out of the way, not getting involved.

Everything was going smoothly, but no one was aware of how quickly things were going to turn.


















“Fuck! Harder! Harder! Do it harder daddy!”

“Hey, rookie.” A hand reached up to turn the rearview mirror, looking back at the guy in the backseat who had the glow of his phone screen reflecting off his sunglasses. “Do us a favor and don’t watch porn on the job.”

“Oh, sorry.” The newbie responded, quickly flashing the phone screen off.

simj26