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

[Jexon Whells]

Lloyd Sorvocah

CS Link

TIME:

2022, July 20th: Post- Outbreak

SCENE:

Phantom of Euphoric Memories

LOCATION:

Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Free for All

Phantom of Euphoric Memories

For reasons of his own, Lloyd finds himself roaming the central district while the moon is out. Usually he loves the night, but here in the big rich Central district he mainly sees things that disgust him. Drunks, drug addicts, people whose life revolves around partying, attention, and making mistakes. But he knows that it is a perfect mantle to hide opportunities here. However, tonight it seems that at least one thing will not be hidden under the usual scene, in the darkness of the night.

While the lackluster streets did not grab is attention, the groans, grunts, and other strange noises that bounced of the walls of the many buildings certainly did.
'What the bloody hell is that?' he thinks as he stands still, keeping a sharp ear to his surroundings, unpolluted by his own footsteps.
The faint sound of maniacal laughter now reaches his ears as well. While Lloyd may not be so familiar with the night life of the Central District, this was definitely trigger some warnings inside him. Warnings which make him curious to investigate.

Slowly, and as silently as he could, he walks in the direction of the strange noises, letting them lead him to source.
'Are we hunting?' the voice in his head asks curiously.
'I am investigating, not hunting,' Lloyd responds in thought.
The voice in his makes a slight growling noise, 'I do not sense a difference. You sneak and stalk, just like a hunter tracking prey. And I wish to hunt.'
'If you want to call it hunting, fine. Be my guest. Ignore the difference. But you are not getting in my way again and fucking things up!' Lloyd thinks to the voice.
'I guess we'll see about that,' the voice responds gruffly.

 

[thebigfella]

Shishido Takakazu

CS Link

SCENE:

The Guy Who Wrote “Art Is In The Eye Of The Beholder” Probably Did It On The Toilet

LOCATION:

South District

DATE:

May 3rd, 2022 || Pre-Arc 3

PARTICIPANTS:

Tak, Milo ( Elenion Aura )

The Guy Who Wrote “Art Is In The Eye Of The Beholder” Probably Did It On The Toilet

Milo’s promulgation garnered a reaction of reticence from all around. Barker stroked his chin, eyes closed, ruminating, pondering. A faint hum came from behind his lips as he let those words reach him and then dig deeper.

His fellow understudies looked at him with their own gazes of reaction. Tak, unsurprisingly, seemed uninterested in his answer. A pinkie stuck in his nose as he dug around, his eyes focused elsewhere, directly on Barker’s maids. He wasn’t being very discreet about it.

The unknown girl had begun to poke herself in the cheek mindlessly. Her eyes were unfocused, and she was clearly not paying attention. It seemed like she wasn’t even on the same planet as everyone else, her slouched posture barely keeping her upright.

Kehiro occupied himself by combing his hair, keeping the perfect ratio of his bangs, a simper across his lips. “Everything, huh?” he reiterated under his breath, sliding his comb back into its holster like a blade. “I guess that isn’t far off from the truth.”

Kelsey had gone quiet ever since Barker entered the scene. A palpable feeling of distress wafted around him, his scrunched-up figure and nervous shallow breaths; starstruck wasn’t apt; star-crushing felt more like the pressure he was feeling. The walk here felt like a dream, but now he was in reality, and it was as daunting as he feared. Insecurity gnawed at ankles and made them weak, facing all the splendor and success that seemed so out of reach. Why was he here? Would studying under Barker truly even get him one step closer to such a plateau?

He wasn’t like him; he was shy and anxious, and every step along his life was wrought with worries. He couldn’t hope to come close.

Yet, just as he considered dropping his head, leaving, and going home to avoid feeling the sting of failure, Milo’s words reached him. And behind them, the sounds of the sea.

A cape on the setting sun that disappeared down the horizon, orange hue painting the sea's surface, the smell of salt in the air. Foghorns roared in the distance, conjoined with the cries of gulls, a lightower still and unmoving, coated with vines and moss at the cape’s ridge.

He felt the brush between his fingers, and he remembered how light it was and how effortlessly it moved in his hands. The feeling of air below each stroke also came back to him.

“I…agree!”

Kelsey stepped forward, a hand on his chest as life returned to his eyes. He looked Barker in the face, meeting the man’s dull eyes with his own full of vibrance.

“My name is Kelsey Robbins! Life is beautiful to me, and so that means life is art! Everything around us is its own painting!”

He did not let himself shy away from his declaration, instead turning back to Milo, giving him a smile and a thumbs up. It was thanks to him that he could muster some courage.

“It’s great to get such spirit from the youth. I can teach you many things, but I cannot teach you passion,” Barker finally said, giving a confirming nod to both young artists. "So long as you keep that perspective, I’m sure life will guide you along to give you the skill to replicate a level of craftsmanship mastered by nature itself.”

Kelsey gave an enthusiastic nod, stepping back into place and straightening up as if he were at boot camp, allowing Barker to turn his attention to the other three.

“Now, what about you three? What is art to you?”

“It’s all about ratios,” Kehiro was the first to take the plate, using his fingers like a frame as he raised it in front of his eye, moving it around the room like a scope.

“Life is made up of the golden ratio! 8 into 4! Whatever follows that formula is art in its purest form!” The samurai-looking man gushed, “Anything else can’t be considered nothing but subpar.”

“That’s Kehiro Kassaki, sir,” Tisha whispered to Barker from the sidelines as everyone listened to Kehiro ramble on about ratios and equations. It wasn’t until Barker finally raised his hand that he stopped.

“Thank you, Mr. Kassaki. Your analysis was very enlightening. I’m excited to see what you will show me with your skills,” he calmly talked him down, seeming to satisfy Kehiro as he stepped out of the way, allowing Barker to walk up to the last two, who had yet to introduce themselves.

“And what about you, young lady?”

The girl who had spent all this time staring off into space finally brought herself back to the surface, beady red eyes peering up at Barker as she wore a lopsided smile, her long sleeves stretching over her hands as she raised them to hang underneath her chin.

“I’m Mina, and, umm. I like using pretty colors. Eheheh.~” She giggled almost like she was half-asleep, blinking like a frog as her head tilted to the side.

“Ah,” Barker replied. It seemed he had finally been caught off guard as he went silent, idly stroking his goatee, “I see.” Surely, she had to be the strangest of the bunch.

“And last but not least…” Barker began, quick to move on and meet the final trainee, but as he turned his head, he was gone.

“Name’s Tak. I got one question for you, Barker.”

When he disappeared from his position with the rest of the group, he reappeared and leaned against the wall, leg propped up. His arms were closed, and he rose to glare at the artist through his thick and wiry bangs. An ominous silence traveled through them both as everyone else looked on in a mix of tension and confusion.

“...Will there be any nude modeling?”

And the pressure was gone; a deadpan look came across Kelsey, twitches of the corner of his lips as a hollow wind blew by him, “It’s almost impressive how blatant he is,” his thoughts echoed in his mind.

Barker pondered the idea momentarily, closing his eyes and going mum before giving an approving nod, “Sure, I don’t see why not.” His going along with it turned Kelsey from a blank look to a full-on topple. He lost his balance as he fell backward onto the ground, everyone looking over him, indifferent to his overreactions.

“Are you going to go along with his whims, Mr. Barker!? …Sir!” Kelsey questioned, pointing to Tak, who was busy on his knees praying for the first time as holy angels floated above him, basking in the godly glow, though the words he was rambling made it clear he had no idea how to do any proper prayer or chant.

“If you have a specific interest, I can help guide you, and I shall do it. The human body is one of the best sculptures you can ever examine. It shall be a good practice,” Barker ensured before turning and stepping away, his maids following right behind, “Now, all of you, come. I have one more thing prepared to allow us to get introduced.”

Wordlessly, the other understudies followed behind their mentor. Tak finally pulled himself up from the ground; his complete disinterest up to now had been replaced with a giddy step as he jogged up to join everyone else, a cheery smile and rosy cheeks and large-shimmering eyes that looked revolting on his rugged appearance as he strolled along.

“Barker banzai!” He repeatedly threw his hands up in the air as he chanted, jumping up and down.

Of course, his idiocy couldn’t be self-contained; his over-exuberant joy disappeared as he shifted gears to place his hands on Milo and Kelsey’s shoulders, shoving himself between them as he leaned forward.

“Everything is art, huh? I can’t say I agree with that. I wouldn’t call catchin’ a homeless gun running around with his saggy balls hanging out art. But I’ll give you one thing. Everything on a woman’s body is a canvas. Keep that in mind, cherry boys.” He said, giving them a firm pat on the back as if he were some kind of supportive big brother.

There wasn’t any doubt he was the strangest of the bunch.

 

[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

The words from Charlie, as well as Hector's departure, barely registered with Hitoshi as he still felt the drumming of his heart drown the world around him. But as he continued to count down in intervals provided by Gideon, he slowly began to get his hands back in the driver's seat. His fists clenched, hard enough to turn his knuckles white, as he breathed in deeply; the tides of panic receded and he soon got a sense of the world around him again. Pairs of eyes looked down at where he sat, with worry laced in their gazes that signalled what had just happened. It was a strange experience, to be knocked out of control of one's body inadvertently, and ever stranger to be in the view of others when it happened.

His eyes darted around for a moment, making sure that he wasn't reliving the past still, before letting out a sigh of relief. Sweat trickled from his brow from the intense panic and anxiety he had been overwhelmed with. He blinked twice, leaning his head back onto the beam he was lying back against. "Ah... ahem..." he managed to get out, clearing his throat. He wondered what he should actually say, but what would make sense? Could he simply lie? He didn't want them to worry, but it was already beyond that point given what they had just witnessed. There was also the embarrassment of having been reduced to a blubbering mess that motivated the idea, but - as before - nothing would have sufficed to lessen that blow to his pride.

And then there was also the need to apologize, given the worry he had just caused to those he considered friends. The weight of being a burden still carried in his mind as he shook his head. "Sorry..."

He thumped his head softly against the wood behind him: "I'm sorry... you guys need someone better... someone's who's capable. And isn't a mess." He waved his arms to himself, "And instead, you've got me. I dunno what I'm supposed to do with that, let alone you guys."

Cupping his face with his hands, he couldn't bear to look at them in this sorry state and struggled to hold back tears. "I just... I don't know what I'm even doing here anymore."

Roda the Red Lucem Coyote Hart WhiskeyMarten

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

Jesper Albrecht

CS Link

SCENE:

Reparations

TIME:

Post-Arc 3

LOCATION:

Ruined Bridge, North/East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Lots

REPARATIONS

Following behind the Dragons like a swarm of buzzing locust were the metal drones that policed their district. Two protected turbines, carbon fiber material, and enough horsepower to carry two loaded buckets of ammunition. Their dual barrels hung to the side, ready to fire at a moment's notice. The four drones flew wide, flanking from each direction.

They flew underneath the bridge when a voice echoed around the bridge. "As a wise man once said, the difference between a villain and a super one is..."

Gunfire roared beneath, and asphalt gave way in the center of the already damaged road. Purple light emanated from the hole, and a head of white hair emerged. Standing on the four drones, cross-armed and hovering above all to give himself a domineering air, Guardian appeared.

"PRESENTATION!"

He clapped, and the drones parted to the side. Guardian hovered closer to the ground, grinning arrogantly at the Serpents. If he had noticed Kanna's gesture, he clearly wasn't abiding by her. At the very least, he had the tact to refrain from saying any more. The same couldn't be said for the way he and his drones levitated around, their armaments aimed.

 

[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

Peyton flinched when Keith moved to loom over him. He half expected their foreheads to bump in a show of animosity, but instead, Keith stopped just short of that in an intimidating stare. The Serpent's lemon yellow eyes widened in delight over Keith's hateful expression, and a Cheshire grin split Peyton's face from cheek to cheek. "Aww, you'd enjoy getting your gloves back more than killing me? I'm almost hurt!"

When Keith stepped back, Peyton giggled a little to himself, and to make Victoria more confused, Peyton piped up, "Well, like I said, you're always welcome over when you wanna! No need to tell me ahead of time!"

As the three of them pulled up to the signing table, Peyton decided on a whim to explain a bit of what was happening to Victoria.

"Don't worry about me and Keith! This is just how Serpents are treated!" Peyton winked at Victoria with a playful grin. Bystanders, and even Keith would be forgiven for thinking that Peyton had said this on purpose to make Nora panic, in truth Peyton had simply forgotten about it in the moment. After all, he was much less concerned than Keith was.

But it wasn't as though Peyton was totally clueless. When Victoria's eyes widened in shock and the guards next to Nora stirred, Peyton hastily leaped to hug Keith. Due to their significant height difference, Peyton was only able to wrap his arms around Keith's lower torso as he said rather unconvincingly, "But we're all friends! No violence here! So don't worry! Right, Keith?"

Peyton was completely okay with tormenting Keith to make him act meaner to Peyton, but to potentially scare off Nora? That absolutely was not on his agenda today. After all, he spent several hours in the hot sun too!

Roda the Red

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

ALICE

CS Link

SCENE:

Lessons in Power

LOCATION:

Abandoned Auto Plant, Outskirts of New Oasis

PARTICIPANTS:

Alice, Ryutaro

LESSONS IN POWER

She has been to better meeting places; Alice could admit that much. And for an invitation from the Tiger Queen, an abandoned auto plant seemed far below his—or any Tiger's, for that matter—caliber. For Alice, by now used to evil lurking behind every curtain, this meant one of two things. Either something bad was about to happen to her, or something bad was about to happen to something else.

So as the building reared into view, and Alice was left to her lonesome, she took a breath and remembered Dante's defense techniques. She remembered what she had to feel to make her powers act up, and how to gain a semblance of control over them. Then, clutching her hands together, she entered the abyss.

Thankfully, Ryutaro wasn't trying to make himself hidden. That gave her some comfort. Alice managed a smile at him and approached.

"Ryutaro?" she began. "Please forgive my... hesitation. I'm not used to these kinds of distant 'events'." Alice was before him now, keeping her hands close to her lap. "So, what did you wish to discuss all the way out here?"

joshuadim

 

[Elenion Aura]

MARKUS WEISS

CS Link

SCENE:

Sunday Roast

TIME:

October 21st, 2021 || Pre-Arc 3

LOCATION:

Passeri's Penthouse, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri Park & Markus Weiss

SUNDAY ROAST

He'd had enough. Enough of her little smiles. Of her choreographed graces, like hooks under his skin. He'd had enough of her giving him chapter-and-verse on what kind of King he was, what kind of man he was... And more importantly, what kind he wasn't. Nobody spoke to him this way. Nobody dared.

This was it.

The final straw.

No more.

Markus rose so fast he shook the table. His chair toppled away from him, clattering to the floor with a violence that shattered his fragile façade of civility. As time as he perceived it seemed to slow, the words of an old man reciting a piece of advice to him rattled in his mind. 'Let no one forget who, and what, you are.' The time had come for one smirking songstress to be reminded.

Frost accumulated along the edges of his frame and crept between his whitening knuckles as they gripped down on the table's edge. He expelled a breath of fleeting mist and allowed the weight of silence to press down upon both of them. He hunched forward, hackles raised.

'Who the fuck do you think you're talkin' to?' He'd wanted to ask, but didn't. Rage throttled the words in his throat. He couldn't speak through clenched teeth, anyhow. And so he simply leered, his eyes fixed on her, burning with a challenge, a silent accusation that she had overstepped, miscalculated in her brazen confidence.

And as he stared at her mutely, Markus came to a sudden realization... She really thought she knew. She really thought she had all the answers. Thought that she could sit there and tell him his business? Tell him himself? And of course, to her everythin' was all so fuckin' obvious! And that smug, smug look on her face, as though she were doing him a favor. Markus' thoughts turned impossibly dark.

Though, in a sudden fit of clarity—or perhaps madness—Markus came to a realization. He was going to let her try.

Markus let his shoulders relax. He released the table, but left the imprint of his grip behind. Something to remember him by.

He was halfway to the door when he turned back and said,

"Then get the fuck to work."

The door slammed shut behind him.

 

[Roda the Red]

ERIC EVENSEN

CS Link

SCENE:

I Would Like to See Your Permit

TIME:

Nighttime, December 2021, Post-Arc 2

LOCATION:

Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Lorette, Eric

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOUR PERMIT

Protocol and training alike, both deeply etched into his mind through the years, screamed at Eric to move out of the way from the beast's slow approach. But it was his detective-slash-gamer instinct that told him to stay still, that this assumed person had no intention of hurting him. At the end of the day, the latter has always done the better job at keeping his head on his shoulders

He didn't even flinch as the large paw gently hit his head, his relaxed stare shifting between staring at the huge paw pad and the hollow, boney eyesockets. He remained unbothered as his ferocious enemy kept making a mess of his damp manbun "All's well, just don't switch to using me as a scratching pole."

He continued to humor her nonsensical behavior. It wasn't everyday that he got to fight a giant cat, and it was even rarer for a criminal to not try to try paint the walls red with his guts. Most would be terrified should they be in Eric's position, but the detective? At this point in his life he had forgotten the last time he was actually scared. Calling him 'brave' would be a big misinterpretation, however, it was most likely that such part of his brain had stopped functioning properly for a while now.

As the freaky feline retreated, the golden glow from one of Eric's hands was extinguished, his now free appendage digging into his pocket, a clanging sound all too familiar to any experienced criminal erupting as his fingers rummaged within. Getting his hand back out, the jogging detective was pinching at a metallic ring, the pair of handcuffs soon finding themselves spinning around his wagging index finger.

"Look, I know this ain't gonna work, but we can still do this the nice way." He grabbed onto the capturing tool, his wrist flicking forward in tandem to his words. "If you comply now it's definitely gonna be better for ya later." He then clasped his hands together, tilting his head to the side as his cheek leaned against the back of his hand. "You'd also be doing poor old me a huge favor, so would you just come quietly, please?" No amount of emotion could've ever made such visage even the least convincing.

But convincing her wasn't the point, the detective didn't really need to get the pot-pusher to cooperate. Simply keeping her distracted long enough for his backup to arrive was more than enough. Should she by some miracle actually go along with it, he'd certainly wouldn't object.

@Ramjammer

 

[joshuadim]

RYUTARO HASHIMOTO

CS Link

SCENE:

Lessons in Power

LOCATION:

Abandoned Auto Plant, Outskirts of New Oasis

PARTICIPANTS:

Ryutaro, Alice

Lessons in Power

Ryu gave off a smile as he looked around to their surroundings: "Indeed. Distant both in our material world and in time itself. I figured we would need the privacy for what I wanted to talk about." He picked up a small pebble, no larger than his thumb and twirled it about in between his fingers. He studied its rough edges for a moment before turning his gaze to Alice: "You."

The Queen gently tossed the pebble aside and placed his palms onto where he was sitting and looked at the young woman with a much softer gaze than what she had seen previously. "The way you spoke at the restaurant helped to... enlighten me on certain aspects of those in the lower echelons of our organization. And when you made those plants grow," he said with a stoic expression, "It only made me all the more curious as to who you are."

He then motioned a hand to her briefly, letting it hang in the air for the moment before putting it back to his side. "And so, here we are. I figured you wouldn't want to air your story to undeserving ears. And thus, we have the comfort of privacy." Ryu tilted his head ever so slightly as he continued to speak, "So tell me, as much as you are comfortable giving, why do you feel the way you do?"

AriAriAbabwa

 

[King Crimson]

AKAMOZU JUN

CS Link

SCENE:

Next Aisle Down

LOCATION:

8th Street Plaza, South District

PARTICIPANTS: Pei ( thebigfella ), Rutger ( Slav )

Next Aisle Down

Eighth Street Plaza; a large, magnificent shopping mall, filled to the brim with a variety of stores to cater to every walk of life, offering a variety of both indoor and outdoor amusements, attractions, and activities.
The mall had only just finally reached something close to it's former status, having been leveled to a pile of rubble in the wake of the storm that had torn South District asunder.
And it wasn't since those days before the storm, that the mall had been in such a state of untold chaos, as news of pandemonium within the central district rocked the airwaves of New Oasis.
The air was electric, thick with the scent of panic, confusion, and freshly baked, homemade schnitzel.

But for Akamozu Jun, the fresh-faced recruit of the Scarlet Phoenixes, it was the first fresh breath of freedom, after several months of hard labor and being locked away inside of a bare, empty hotel room, as punishment for causing just a little bit of collateral damage during his last mission.
And what better way to celebrate that freedom, than by picking up his newly forged Singing Machine from Mall Ninja, some premium food from Let's Taco Bout It, and of course, a trip to the arcade!
Best of all, he'd be spending it with friends! Peipei having gone out of his way to invite him out the day Jun was finally allowed to walk free again.
How nice of him! He really did have a heart of gold, even if he was ugly as sin.
Now, if only he could figure out where his sweet, hideous mug was amongst the bustling crowd!

Unfortunately, no matter how much Jun shaded his eyes with his hand to peer out amongst the crowd, he just couldn't seem to spot his gangmate's familiar, demonic façade.
Fortunately, it didn't take long for Pei to make his presence known, as was his style.
In these kinds of places, Jun usually kept his earbuds outside noise-cancelling effects up at full blast, lest the dense amalgamation of surrounding sound would overwhelm his poor, sensitive ears.
But even through the dense wall of simulated cacophony flooding his ears, Jun could still hear the chaos Pei's presence created, and in the moment, it had only one sound;
“IROI-SAMAAAAA! I'M COMINNNNNNNNG!”
He could have heard the desperate battlecry a mile away, seen the stream of innocent bystanders being knocked aside like ragdolls, and at the epicenter of it all, he could recognize the familiar figure of one of Pei's...familiars, charging in his direction.
Unlike the unwitting, hapless men and women who were battered aside by the small cat's furious charge, however, Jun simply turned on the ball of his feet, stepping just out of the cat shogun's path.
And then, in the same turn, he clamped his other foot down cruely on the cat's vulnerable tail, pinning him in place, and halting his stalwart charge.
Jun's head cocked to the side in amusement at the little creature, his eyes, ecstatic, unblinking, like a hawk that had just captured a nice, fat vole between it's talons.
A wide, toothed smile opening on his face like a twisted wound, as he chuckled in childish bemusement,
"Aww~ Lookie what I found! A lost little kitty~!" before reaching down to pluck the little shogun up by it's tail, holding him upside down like a child's toy, forcing it to look him in the eyes.
"Is your owner around here, I wonder~?" Jun hummed, scanning around to see if maybe he'd see that familiar face nearby.
"Oh! Maybe he abandoned you, and I get to keep you all to myself~! Finders', Keepers, riiight~?"
Both options seemed tantalizing to the young boy, either a day out with his old friend, or a day out with his new one!
Before he could get to thinking about all the ways he'd spoil his new little pet, however, he finally managed to spot that familiar face amongst the crowd, still wearing that evil grin that seemed permanently affixed to his skull.
"Oh~! Peipei, heeey~!" Jun cheerfully hollered, tossing his newfound 'pet' away like a sack of trash, forgotten the moment it had left his hand.
With a hop, a skip, and a jump, he rushed to the maniacal man's side, amicably draping an arm across his back in a one-armed embrace, as if they were life-long friends.
It was then that he caught a whiff of the other, slightly less familiar face that had joined them, and Jun's usual enthusiasm drained out of his face, and out of his body like water off of an umbrella.

Jun didn't hate anyone.
Not even the people he killed.
And he didn't hate the boy before him.
But between him and Rutger, there was a simple issue of a lack of compatibility.
Jun didn't care for his froufrou, outdated fashion sense. (Seriously, Black and Red? Red and Black was where it's at!)
Nor did he care for the constant whining about how Jun shouldn't do things like 'rooting through the target's pockets in the middle of a job' or 'using security cameras to take selfies' or 'killing everyone in the building just because they're potential witnesses!'
But, most of all, he didn't like that special part of Rutger.
The way he could sap all the joy of killing with just a simple gesture.
Even if he had his sword now, and chose to cut the boy down, he knew that there would be no pleasure in it.
Rutger was one of the only few that could see to that.
Jun didn't hate anyone.
But he couldn't stand the sound of silence that only he could create.

"Oh. Hey Rutger." Jun greeted the boy with uncharacteristic stiffness, his nose scrunching from the stink of his 'fancy' perfume.

 

[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

Despite Charlie's valiant attempt to make some breathing room for himself, Revenant proved herself to be fast and relentless, not only recovering from the last attack with jarring briefness, but also closed their gap in but a second. The longer the fight went on, the more terrifying the shadowy silhouette looked, branding itself into the boy's mind as a visage of indomitable ferocity. The longer the fight went on, the more the combat arena felt like a cage instead, and the more he felt like a prey.

Revenant's attack was nothing short of brutal, the floor cracking and caving in slightly below his back as the shadowy weapon brought him down in sheer brutality. He bounced backwards a few feet as the momentum flung him back up. He rolled away unceremoniously, his hand holding onto his chest once he finally became stationary. His breathing had now become erratic, gravity's pull on his body faintly waned as the effect of his Hypercharge began to weaken.

Sweat ran down his brow, his neck craning upwards to meet with the white hollow eyes of his oppnent. He needed to turn the tide of battle somehow or he'd be done fore. "I'm still...not done!" Tenacity cut through the fatigue, pulling his body up from the cold, grainy floor, tackling right through a large nearby crate, splinters flying wildly as a man-shaped hole was left in his wake. Sounds of frantic rummaging could be heard within.

He rushed out, bursting through another wall of the crate with a front kick, the wooden container crumbling away behind him as two of its supports were destroyed. Hold a misshapen object into his hands, Charlie tackled Revenant head on, knocking her off feet. While the damage of his attack was most likely minimal, the stagger was enough for him to throw what he was holding at her. It spread far and wide, a spiderweb of hard linen threads draping over her body. He went on the offensive once more, holding onto the net and quickly applying a fresh coat of tempering on it.

He pulled onto it, hoping to fling Revenant and smash her against any nearby hard surfaces.

Peckinou

 

[angel doe]

celestine renee cadieux

CS Link

SCENE:

reparations

LOCATION:

ruined bridge, north/east district

TIME:

post-outbreak, july 21st, 2022

PARTICIPANTS:

bash, shen, kisara, kanna, sang-cheol, celestine, sabrina, peyton, raphael, ruriko, lloyd, jesper [guardian], sylvaine

Reparations

Celestine had been drinking tea at a cafe near her home when she received the text from Bash and sent a short message without hesitation.

Understood, I will be there shortly.

Celeste sent another message after that to a different friend, Yara, asking if she could get a ride to the bridge that Bash had mentioned. The response was swift, a simple 'Yes', and 10 minutes later a luxury car pulled up outside the cafe. She paid for her drink and ducked into the car, adjusting the seat so her legs weren't bent uncomfortably. Yara's hand rested gently on Celeste's knee as she drove, a comforting gesture and something that calmed her racing heart.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the destination and Yara put the car in park so she could turn and look at Celestine, "You still haven't thought about it, then?" The question made Celeste grimace, biting her lip and lowering her gaze to her lap, "I cannot leave, I cannot abandon them. I am sorry, Yara."

"You don't have to apologize to me, you know that. I understand," Yara leaned over and pulled Celestine into a warm embrace, "Stay safe, dove. I'll message you later."

"Thank you for the ride, I will talk to you later." Celestine exited the car and waved goodbye as Yara pulled away and sped off. Turning on her heels, she approached the group of serpents that had already gathered. Bash was smoking, Celeste's nose scrunched up slightly at the smell, and it seemed she got there just in time for what he had to say. She listened quietly as he gave them their orders, all Celestine could do was nod. She couldn't remember exactly why she was a part of this, her memory was rather fuzzy, but if it involved Bash she could only assume it was to support him.

Once that was settled Bash led them toward the Dragons. Celestine towered over most of the group, offering small waves in greeting at anyone she made eye contact with- whether it be purposeful or accidental. She recognized most of the serpents there, but the dragons were another matter. Had she met any of them before? Celeste couldn't be sure, staring at them with a rather vacant expression as she tried to rack her brain for where she may have seen them.

No matter how hard Celestine tried to remember, she couldn't place any of them. She felt around for her journal- that would have the information she needed- but froze when she couldn't find it, her hands starting to shake ever-so-slightly. Celeste had probably dropped it in Yara's car or accidentally left it at home. No need to stress over it, though; it was more likely she had never met any of them before, anyway.

 

[tityanya]

𝑵𝒂𝒐𝒎𝒊 𝑺𝒂𝒕𝒐

CS Link

SCENE:

They Tell You Not To Mix Chemicals Because You Can Make Mustard Gas, But Nobody Tells You How Mixing People Makes Something More Deadly

LOCATION:

North District Rental

TIME:

May 6th, 2022 || Post-Outbreak

PARTICIPANTS:

Tak

They Tell You Not To Mix Chemicals Because You Can Make Mustard Gas, But Nobody Tells You How Mixing People Makes Something More Deadly

This party was the result of months of planning. Coordination between the party committee to obtain a location, drinks, drugs, and lights. Naomi had been put in charge of the rental--one of the most popular rental houses in the North. It was usually booked months in advance. It was one of the nicer places, compared to the mostly roach-infested housing of the rest of the Northern district. It kept itself nice by being strict with banning anyone who dared not keep the rental in pristine condition.

As Naomi wandered the halls, someone passed a joint to her. She took it, taking a long drag, savoring the flavor and how it made her head swim. She was on...a mix of things. Weed, shrooms, alcohol. She was desperately avoiding the piles of cocaine that adorned some of the tables. The physical craving might have been removed, but the mental one? Naomi desperately missed the cocaine. She had been so good at keeping her apartment clean when she was on it. She had been so efficient at all her multiple jobs when she had been on cocaine. The productivity slump...it was such a battle. Risk being strung out while on the job pretending to be somebody who couldn't get strung out, or be unable to juggle a million things at once? Naomi still wasn't sure if she had made the right decision.

Someone grabbed at her hand. Naomi laughed and let them lead her away, through one of the side doors of the kitchen. The person just stared at the puddle of vomit on the floor. Naomi stared too, unaware for a moment that they expected her to do something. "Oh shit, just uh, throw some paper towels on it," she suggested, pointing at the roll on the counter. She had come prepared, a giant pack of paper towels and plenty of cleaning supplies loaded under the sink. This wasn't exactly the fun time she had expected when someone grabbed her hand to lead her away.

Speaking of fun time, where was he? That ultimate source of entertainment, Tak. She had invited him with plenty of time for him to get here. And she knew that free food was his siren call. That man would do anything for food. Naomi meandered out of the kitchen, satisfied that the vomit would be cleaned up. She wound up in the living room, staring at the TV alongside everyone else. That little DVD icon was bouncing around. Naomi joined the laughter watching it, and the whole room erupted into raucous cheers as it bounced neatly into the corner. Naomi's arms raised as she cheered, taking a shot of...something that was handed to her. She couldn't really taste the alcohol anymore.

She made her way out of the living room, towards the dining room. There had to be some food in there that wouldn't be tainted by the smell of vomit, right? So Naomi wandered into there. Hmm, there was some pizza boxes on the table...she made her way, flipped it open. Empty. Same with the next one. "Ugh," she sneered, stacking the pizza boxes on top of each other in disgust. Maybe she would have to go back to the kitchen after all...Oh! As Naomi's eyes plotted a path through the crowd back to the kitchen, she spotted him, hugging close to the wall. "Tak!" Naomi shouted, raising her hand so he could see her through the crowd. "Let me through, passing through," she commanded the people, pushing through those that were too stoned to notice her.

Soon she was in front of him, beaming a charming smile that never seemed to work on him. His shirt was somehow already stained--probably had even come like that. But she was just glad he was here. "Have you gotten some food? The pizza boxes were empty and I'm hungry," she lamented, looking at him with little puppy-dog eyes. She wasn't sure what she was begging him for--maybe for him to be hungry too and want to eat with her?

POST NOTES​

((ooc: I like to imagine it as a series of just missing each other.))
((Outfit: grey dress and sweater))
((Tonight))

thebigfella

 

[Slav]

Rutger Vos

CS Link

SCENE:

In the Swing of Things

LOCATION:

Bistro Voltaire, Central District

TIME:

Post-Outbreak || July 20th, 2022

PARTICIPANTS:

Rutger, Madra ( Pumpkin Spice Cyanide )

In the Swing of Things

Rutger watched the steam rise from his tea, patiently waiting for it to cool off before taking another sip. He enjoyed tea, but he hated burning his mouth and this establishment made their tea hotter than he usually liked it. The atmosphere made up for this mildly disappointing beverage. The clientele had a bit more class than he was used to and he was fond of it. The South district was a dump... but he called it home. It felt good to get away from the stenches that culminated in the air there.

The passage of time finally allowed him to sip on his tea, pouring a hint of honey to get the sweetness he wanted. While his attention was originally on his tea, he switched it over to the center of the room. The sound of swing jazz reverberated off the walls, filling the space. The way they danced intrigued Rutger. He wasn't much of a dancer, in fact, he would struggle if he tried as well. Just because he was graceful in his movements didn't mean that he was graceful at every task. It was best to sit out and watch, maybe he could pick up a few things by observing.

These observations led to nothing... maybe it was best for him to get back to his tea. While Rutger was usually good at staying cool headed, he was struggling to fight back the feeling of sticking out. Appearing confident was quite different than feeling confident. Taking a few more sips of his tea allowed his body to relax, allowing him to focus on nicer thoughts. Those thoughts being the presence of pretty women around him and the wonderful aroma of cigar smoke wafting around. He had a great view from his table, peering over his tea cup to observe room.

His gaze was slow and methodical, like a lion watching over a herd of gazelles. The variety of dresses, suits, and other luxury ware made him almost feel like he was in an expensive department store. "I may have to go shopping again. My budget won't be able to take more of these spending sprees..." He mumbled to himself, a sip of tea following his words. Shopping always sounded like a great idea until the bill came. His gaze continued it's shift around the room until it landed on an interesting figure.

Initially, Rutger almost thought that a clown had made it's way into the establishment but after a longer assessment, he determined that the lady was wearing mime makeup. He hadn't interacted much with mimes, in fact, he hasn't even seen one in person before. The South district would have eaten up someone dressed like that. Knowing some of his fellow gang members, they would have made it a sport to hunt them down. Rutger didn't have any bad intentions, he was captivated by the fact that someone had the bravery to wear something of that nature in a public space.

After finishing his tea, Rutger had come to a decision. He was going to talk to this mime... if they were willing to talk. Why sit and drink tea alone when you could talk to a mime? Rutger was confident that something productive would come out of this, so he began to put his plan in to motion. He navigated around the dancers, avoiding them as to not make an accident. The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass himself. He almost felt giddy, the prospect of introducing himself to a mime was an interesting one.

Appearing in front of Madra with grace, Rutger was quick to make his presence known. "Hey there! Sorry if I'm interrupting you but I couldn't help but introduce myself. It's not every day that I get to see someone clad in clothes like you." His words were light but his confidence was palpable. He wasn't all that concerned with how the interaction would go. There were more important things in life to fret over. "I'm Rutger, it's a pleasure to be in your presence." He held a small smile on his face but it never grew larger. He didn't want to come off as a creep, toning down his friendliness so he wasn't overbearing. Despite what he thought of himself, he was a lot friendlier than who he viewed himself as in his head. It was hard to shake off misconceptions.

 

[Pumpkin Spice Cyanide]

Madra

CS Link

SCENE:

In the Swing of Things

TIME:

July 20th, 2022 | Post Arc 3

LOCATION:

Bistro Voltaire, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Rutger, Madra

In the Swing of Things

Bistro Voltaire exudes an ambiance of vintage charm and lively energy, with its conservatively lit interior adorned with the soft glow of antique lamps. The walls are adorned with posters of classic swing bands and iconic performers from the golden era of jazz. The hardwood dance floor gleams under the warm light, inviting patrons to sway and twirl to the infectious rhythm of the music.

Tables are scattered throughout the space, each illuminated by flickering candles, creating cozy nooks for intimate conversations and shared laughter. The air is filled with the tantalizing aroma of rich coffee and an expertly curated menu, mingling with the sweet notes of cocktails being flamboyantly crafted by the bartenders behind the sleek mahogany bar.

Madra, with her hair of white and eyes of black, takes to the dance floor of Bistro Voltaire with an aura of playful confidence. Her circus background inbues her movements with a unique blend of grace and athleticism.

Spoiler: Song

As the upbeat swing music fills the air, Madra whirls and twirls, captivating the attention of a few willing male patrons who eagerly join in. She's spun, flipped and passed between her partners, skillfully transitioning between and into their lead, using her potential here and there as flair or support.

The energy in the room surges with the music, laughs and hollers adding to the rhythm.
Madra is spun away by her last partner and coasts solo during a less energtic portion of the song. [1:30]

That's when she's approached by Rutger.
"Pleasure's yers!" she responds, not breaking an improvised lindy hop step. She eyes him expectantly before realizing there's no lead to follow. He's just standing there.
Her expression sours instantaneously and she comes to a standstill as well.
"Sorry's right." she concluds aloud. "Do us one, aye?......Dryshite."

With her momentum ruined, Madra rolls backwards into a handspring and continues the tumble to the stage where she does impose herself. Though the band seems glad to see her, the regular she was.
As the song ups the tempo again she mimes out a trumpet and plunger mute, joining in as temporary lead.
[1:50]
With comedically exaggerated movements and expressions, Madra and the band move through a duet of trumpets.
She finishes the portion leaned against 2nd trumpet and tags 1st trumpet back in before rolling off the stage and onto the dance floor, back on the lash.
[2:35]

 

[Elenion Aura]

RAPHAEL SHAW

CS Link

SCENE:

Unlikely Encounter

TIME:

Pre-Arc 2 — September 20th, 2021; 1:00 AM

LOCATION:

North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Raphael, August

UNLIKELY ENCOUNTER

"I suppose it is," Raph said, sliding out of the open door and into the open arms of the night. He watched August fix his hair.

"Probably not. ~" He agreed, masking his disappointment with a crooked smile. Standing there between August and the open door, he toyed with the idea of doing something reckless... Which was a little novel. Raph rarely thought twice about taking risks. But here he hesitated. Usually he didn't care about the consequences of his actions. But tonight, of all nights, was different. Strange.

His eyes flicked from the outstretched hand to the keys dangling before him. So formal, he thought to himself. After a pause he took the man's hand and shook it, a little awkwardly. "Nice to meet you too, August." The name tasted sweet on his tongue, but left a bitter aftertaste. "You were a perfect gentleman. Annoyingly so. ~"

Without another word he released his grip and sidled around to let August close the car door behind him... Before a family of intrepid North District raccoons had a chance to make a nest in it. Snatching the keys from August's other hand, Raph started to make his way toward Hel. The night felt good on his skin. With each step, he felt his heart pump fresh life through his veins, reaching every inch of him.

His chest felt tight and his head swam.

He felt he was dying.

He felt strangely alive.

Casting a glance over his shoulder, he made sure August was still looking his way, then took a hard left, avoiding the fog-stained doors of Hel altogether. Balling the room keys up, he took a lunging step and threw them as hard as he could into the dark. Gazing back a final time, Raph gave the boy a smile and a wink before he turned away at last.

Satisfied, he sauntered off toward the heart of the North, where he knew the real pulse of the city thrummed.

The night was young! And so was he. He didn't look back again.

 

[thebigfella]

Shishido Takakazu

CS Link

SCENE:

They Tell You Not To Mix Chemicals Because You Can Make Mustard Gas, But Nobody Tells You How Mixing People Makes Something More Deadly

LOCATION:

North District

DATE:

July 18th, 2022 | | Post-Outbreak

PARTICIPANTS:

Nao tityanya , Takakazu

They Tell You Not To Mix Chemicals Because You Can Make Mustard Gas, But Nobody Tells You How Mixing People Makes Something More Deadly

Think of the devil, and instead, you’ll get the appearance of a familiar face. Tak wondered where the woman, who had the gall to disrupt him from staying at home and watching late-night television sprawled out on his couch, was in all of this mess.

“Couldn’t have kept it small, huh? She’s probably one of those girls who had everyone come to their sweet sixteen,” He remarked internally, mindlessly chewing on his lip. He pushed himself off the wall, not sure what he was going to do next, maybe go to the basement and see if anyone was playing anything on the T.V. downstairs, but before Tak could get far, Nao, who he was half convinced at this point had already gone somewhere and forgotten all about him, appeared in front of him.

“Shit, I was starting to worry someone had already pulled your ass away into a closet and was fuckin' the daylights outta ya,” Tak greeted her, unsurprisingly without much fanfare or filter of his thoughts, stepping closer to her so they could communicate over the sounds of music and voices.

Her remark about the food immediately caused his expression to sour, his hand coming to roughly slap his stomach, “What are you lookin’ at me for! I thought you were the one who ordered the food! I should be the one cryin’! How’s a man supposed to survive with a couple slices of pizza and cheese curls!?” He blurted out, dramatically raising his hands in front of his face as he expressed his anguish. Of course, he had left out the part where he had tackled a whole extra-large pizza himself, but that wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy him, considering all Tak had been eating was whatever he could scrounge up the past few days.

“Seriously, inviting me out here for just this?” Tak huffed, lips frowning as he crossed his arms, looking at Nao with knitted brows, “I don’t know why everyone always feels like wastin’ my time. Like I got nothin’ better to do. I got a life, too, damnit! I got some soap opera reruns callin’ my name back home, y’know!?” He continued to yammer on before finally letting out a sigh, his gaze narrowing as he glared at Nao; she was the reason he was stuck here.

“You gotta make this right,” Tak declared, raising a finger as his gaze narrowed, tone dropping, “Get me a whole bucket of some fried chicken, and we’ll call it even. Oh yeah, gravy and mac and cheese as well.”

Luckily, his forgiveness was quickly earned with a simple meal.

“Wait,” realization dried out Tak’s expression, sunken eyes of defeat as his posture slouched and head dropped, “It’s too late; there’s no way they’re open!” He shouted in disbelief, falling to his knees as his clenched fists grasped the carpet.

“This ain’t fair, damnit! I was expectin’ to come here and get real food! Crab legs or shrimp cocktail or something! I'd even have taken some BBQ ribs!” He slammed his fist against the ground in despair, his ridiculous expectations for party food thoroughly shattered.

And in the depths of desperation, something caught his eye. Immediately, his head snapped upward, and his eyes widened like saucers. His vision weaved through the crowd, bobbing through feet to focus in on it.

A bag of pita bread hanging loosely between someone’s dangling fingers. A man in a chair, the various drugs and alcohol brewing in his system had left him unconscious, leaving the half-eaten pita inside limply in his grasp.

Tak hopped back up to his feet, and abruptly, his aura had changed. He was menacing, surrounded by a dense gravitas of determination. He strode through the party without telling Nao where he was going, leaving her no choice but to witness the madness about to play out.

His hand reached outward as he came out on the other side of the crowd, fingers hooked right into the plastic wrap of the pita, and pulled it in his direction.

“Got it,” a smirk of success across his face as he tugged the half-eaten pita towards him.

But it didn’t budge. It was still stuck in the unconscious man’s grip.

“What the hell?” Tak questioned and gave another tug, which did nothing but cause the man’s shoulder to jut forward. With a grunt, Tak pulled harder, using two hands, twisting to do it over his shoulder, and even braced his legs against the ground and tried to tug backward, "Let go already ya fuckin' junkie!"

Sweat began to form around his brow, his neck muscles bulged, and his eyes were starting to poke out of his sockets.

“Give….me….that….PITAAAA!” Tak roared in his ferocious hunger. A growing number of eyes began to look at him in bewilderment.

Someone should stop him before he hurts himself.

 

[Slav]

Rutger Vos

CS Link

SCENE:

In the Swing of Things

LOCATION:

Bistro Voltaire, Central District

TIME:

Post-Outbreak || July 20th, 2022

PARTICIPANTS:

Rutger, Madra ( Pumpkin Spice Cyanide )

In the Swing of Things

The introduction was short and it certainly wasn't sweet. Rutger never intended to dance and the girl obviously didn't like that Rutger had no desire to do so. His small smile never faltered, getting larger as he became increasingly giddy. This person didn't like his presence, something that always kept him going. Messing with someone was just as interesting as talking with someone. "I hope you are having fun!" He yelled out, preparing to do something that was going to crash this dance party.

It wasn't often that Rutger used his abilities. He tended to steer away, only using them as the situation warranted it. In a loud, rambunctious environment like this, his power could change the dynamics of the room and that was what he intended to do. He didn't make it noticeable at first. His aura was small and all the people immediately around him could no longer hear anything. The people didn't notice at first, that was until his aura started getting larger.

Rutger usually kept his aura small but in a case like this, it required him to use it at it's full capacity. Within seconds, the whole room was encompassed in silence, causing the dancing to stop. The band no longer played and people couldn't figure out what was occurring. Just as quickly as Rutger had used his ability, he let the aura subside, moving away from the center of the room and towards the bar. With the mass confusion, the lively party that once was no longer existed. He took a seat at the bar, satisfied with what he did. Maybe that would get the ladies attention, his non-existent dancing surely wouldn't of.

While Rutger didn't like the taste or smell of alcohol, he thought that a mixed drink was in order. "Gin and tonic please!" One of the only drinks that his taste buds could deal with, he was going to allow himself this treat. He usually steered away from any alcoholic drinks, his experience with it and with others overusing it put a bad taste in his mouth. Despite that, he occasionally gave in but it was rare for him to do so. He was sure that the mime was enjoying it just as much as himself. Trying to find rhythm in silence certainly wasn't an easy feat.

 

[Peckinou]

Welsha Reaper

CS Link

SCENE:

What's the Tea

LOCATION:

Moonflower Cafe, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Yona Kowloong @CasualTea , Welsha Reaper

What's the Tea

Welsha frowned a bit as she listened to Yona express her disagreement, while she perhaps did have better circumstances when it comes to their parents their philosophy of thinking was more so a greater picture of things. If Yona actually ever met their parents she might consider them a bit cruel with their survival method of parenting though perhaps maybe not considering she herself didn't come from a peachy family. Still she didn't exactly refute her statement simply managing to speak out "Perhaps they do, in their own way." she recalled all the times her parents put her in a situation that could of ended with her being killed if she wasn't smart, charismatic or strong enough to survive it, but those thoughts were put to the back of her head as they went on to a new topic.

Welsha narrowed her eyes a bit when she mentioned that some of her efforts to obtain money weren't clean, she knew that it meant that she probably did a few criminal acts back then. She pondered on weather or not to ask her about it, until Yona began to ask her about her music taste, Welsha paused for a brief moment as if pondering on the question, before shaking her head. "Sorry I really don't listen to much music, unless you could count snoring as music." she chuckled a bit at the last part as her smile returned once again. "You can play whatever you want I won't mind too much."

 

[Peckinou]

Helva Linxal

CS Link

SCENE:

A Fledglings Indoctrination

LOCATION:

Umbras Nest, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Helva, Eliot Woffy , Skadi, Syrup, Charlie Roda the Red

A Fledglings Indoctrination

Helva was at a place she liked to call Umbras Nest, a place the rested around the South side of Central, it was a place that all of her Sponsorees knew about and they were able to come here any time they wished. It was sorta like a hangout spot for her and her Sponsorees though you could also call it a base of operations as well since it also doubling as a place for making plans when it came to Phoenix business. The place was certainly big enough to serve Multiple functions with the house being three stories tall and around five to six thousand square feet in width, it was pretty much the size of a small mansion. It had just most things one could want as well, a game room, music room, a gym though the place did lack a pool though but she could always upgrade the place or get a new one if she needs to. Though she would have to talk to Charlie and Skadi about it since this place was suppose to serve as a second home for them if they ever needed, and in Helvas eyes it was owned by her and her Sponsorees even if she was the one paying for just about everything here. Each of her Sponsorees were typically gifted their own bedroom here once they completed her trials and her newest one wasn't going to be a exception, she had one of the guest rooms refurnished yesterday and now it's just about completely ready. The only next step was for Eliot to claim it and decorate it as he saw fit, and to do that they needed to get here first.

Helva was already waiting outside the place she texted the address of the place to Eliot a while ago, she also texted Charlie and Skadi to meet her here, though Skadi had already arrived and was inside the house with Syrup. Helva had opted to stay outside sitting on top of the hood of her car while she waited for Charlie and Eliot to arrive, she figured it would be best to greet him as soon as he got here, just so that she could also show him how to get inside the house as well. She knew it was going to be a interesting day to say the least, but this was going to a day of celebration and a way to get Eliot properly introduced to her other Sponsorees, the people she wanted him to trust the most when it came to gang affairs and maybe even personal ones as well.

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Passeri Park

SCENE:

Calling Amestria

TIME:

July 4th, 2022

LOCATION:

North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Dagger

Calling Amestria

The sun was low now, clung close to the horizon. The afternoon heat had begun to bleed away, and the endless blue of the unblemished sky had faded. In its place, now, was that scenic gradient of warm, gentle orange that told of the coming sunset. Held just over her shoulder Passeri felt that same warmth, transient as it was. Caught within the same orange-yellow hue of the eye that had seemed so cold, so empty and drained dry of life less than a year's worth of months ago.

Passeri wondered, for a moment, what could spur embers so long deprived of life to glow. A trick of the light. That's what she may have called it if not for the oh-so-subtle, oh-so-fleeting, curl of the taller woman's lips. She knew smiles. Better than any other woman in all of the city. She'd seen hundreds- no, thousands- in the mirror. Practiced and calculated. Picture perfect. Tricks. The one across Elise's lips, wan and fleeting as it was, she knew well was no trick.

"Well, I can hardly say no to that!" Or maybe she was just seeing what she wanted to see. "You can drive too, since you're feeling so generous. That's one favor for each sword. You'll be all paid up!"

~~~​

It had been a short trip. Even during rush hour, the traffic in this largely defunct wing of the West was light, and the faded linoleum of the diner's floor now squeaked beneath Passeri's feet. It was familiar. That was her first thought. It had that same smell of dust and week-old fry oil that all of these places had. The same air of grease-stained tranquility. She took a deep breath, and let a sense of oily nostalgia fill her lungs.

She was suddenly terribly, terribly glad that this was the restaurant that Elise had picked.

"Here it is!" The diner was almost as empty as the streets had been. Only a few other patrons stirred within, all too taken with their dinners and smartphones to pay much heed to the two women's arrival. It was a straightforward establishment. A counter ran around the middle of the restaurant, while booths lined the outside wall, both already furnished with condiment bottles and years-old laminated menus, hardly ever washed and coated thick with greasy fingerprints and stains. Personally, Passeri thought that it gave them a lot more personality than the perfectly manicured and typesetted menus present at the sort of restaurants that she was now forced to frequent.

"I've always liked places like this." Passeri offered a neat wave to one of the waitresses as she slid into the booth furthest to the back. "They're so, like, homey, you know? And the menus are always like being able to order a home-cooked meal. The freezer burn on the meat adds so much character, don't you think?"

Homey didn't do it justice. In reality, avoiding home was a good part of the reason she'd frequented places like this. So long as she'd a plate in front of her, filled or not, she'd be allowed to stay for as long as she wanted, chatting with Caio as if her home didn't even exist. And certainly helped that for so many years the greasy, but honest food at their local diner had been the closest approximation of a home-cooked meal that she'd been able to grasp. Whatever culinary skills her parents' had possessed had been sparsely employed, and even when they were they had only ever been so for them, not the whining, inconvenient thing left to her own devices in the next room over.

"Do you have anything in mind? These menus are always kinda huge." And this place was no exception. Crammed onto the single piece of laminated A4 paper were dozens of different dishes, although half of it probably amounted to burgers with different toppings and breakfasts with more or less bacon and eggs.

"Steak with potatoes, steak with eggs, steak with onions... Steak with steak..." Passeri read the menu aloud as her finger skimmed down the list. Though none of these variations of meat on meat were particularly to her tastes, at the recollection of how many times she'd caught Elise squinting at her phone as if it were a college paper she figured it'd be best for her to be thorough. Heaps of breakfasts, lunches, and desserts passed her by, and it was only once she arrived at the neatly segregated burger section of the menu that her voice brightened, and her attention was caught.

"Mmm..." Passeri ruminated, her lips pursed. "You know- I came to a place like this when I was younger... They had this... Big Brunch Burger, I think it was called? With eggs and bacon and ham a hash brown and so much sauce that it looked like I was wearing gloves by the time I was done with it. These places always have something fun like that."

It was part of why she'd always been so fascinated with them. That, and the fact that these were really the only sort of places she'd been able to afford with the scrounged pittances she'd been able to lift out of sidewalk cracks and the depths of her parents' sweat-and-piss-stained sofa.

"My money's on the Goodnight Burger, here. Anything with a name that ominous has to be good right? With a cream soda." When was the last time she'd had a cream soda? "Aaaannddd... Onion Rings!" Her dietician would've had a heart attack if she'd heard even a tenth of the syllables that'd just left her mouth. "What about you? Anything caught your ear?"

simj26​

 

[thebigfella]

Areith Rozárie

CS Link

SCENE:

What Is Left With The Ashes?

LOCATION:

North District, Abandoned Church

TIME:

July 19th, 2022 | | Post Outbreak

PARTICIPANTS:

Klara Pumpkin Spice Cyanide

What Is Left With The Ashes?

You walk upon soiled Earth.

The North was your home, with its abandoned buildings and littered streets, bodies in alleys, and needles in dumpsters. All such things used to be familiar to you, and the way things were, the madness of all, shaped you.

That was until you had been basked in His vibrance, and everything changed.

Your heels clicked against the ground, your hands clasped together and held tight to your chest, feeling the beatings of our hearts underneath our flesh as your eyes looked at the surroundings. The filth and grime seemed to coat everything, and the air was thick with unknown stenches.

It was only a few weeks ago that you would wander through wastelands within a world that was left behind after He had delivered his judgment. Compared to the demolished crust ruined from quakes and droughts, toppled foundations, piles of cement, bent metal, and shattered glass, and the dead flora that had all withered within the dry atmosphere and lack of rainfall, the North was only a slight improvement.

People were lost; that’s what they were here. They wandered through life surrounded by detritus, felt abandoned, and found their hope in carnal pleasures rather than faith. You had promised to leave that life behind, and your presence here was to do just as you had done years ago and guide harrowed souls back onto the path within His grace.

You wandered through the streets to remind yourself how vast your task is and how dedicated you must be to making a change. The way to salvation is not easy, for those who had never known the love of others would find it hard to feel the love of He above, but it must be done. To save everyone from the cataclysm, the destruction of everything she knew, she would have to guide them, the shepherd of the flock. That was her goal.

“Oh god,” you prayed, closing your eyes, "You hath given me a trial that I am unsure that I can complete. I am nothing but one of your humble servants,” you whispered, your bangs drifting over your face as your head dropped, your chin hooking into your neck as your fingers tightened.

“Please, lord. Give me a sign so I may best fulfill your wishes and heal this wasting world.”

You looked to the sky with your plea, awaiting his guidance. The stars sparkled in the distance, the moon high above. The celestial bodies did not respond; the skies did not point you ahead. You stood in patient silence, waiting for him to tell you what to do.

And then came the sound—the boom of an explosion, the tremble in the ground. A plume of smoke rose in the air in front of your vision, the crumble of cement against the ground echoed through the alleys, a raccoon scurrying out from the darkness, running away from the sound.

Immediately, you knew what this was; it was His guidance. Tears began to form in the corner of your eyes. His boundless kindness, to give you direction in your darkest hour, for His understanding was bountiful.

“I shall do it, my lord,” you promised, and then you quickly began to move, as fast as you could in your heels. Through side streets and back alleys, avoiding piles of trash and disposed unknowns to reach the source of the smoke that rose high into the air. Until you finally reached scorched Earth.

Burnt flesh, the smell hit your nose. At your feet was scorched Earth. Remnants of flame still hugged upon scraps of wood and exposed insulation from what formerly was a building. Corpses, their skin and flesh signed black, melted off their bone, revealing their off-white and stained innards, disfigured beyond recognition. In their last moments, they had turned to run or had reached out in an attempt to stop whatever happened, their hand still propped up by what little tissue had not been disintegrated.

Ash floated through the atmosphere. You stepped through a destroyed wall, bending your massive form down to squeeze through. Loose rubble fell behind you as you strolled through the building that could topple at any moment.

You observed what was left of furniture, wooden chairs toppled and scorched with burns, only protected by their melted laminate. Sofas left with gouges in their cushions, originally from knife marks and nails, had been burst open by a flash of heat and fire.

And then your eyes moved down and then stopped. A widen in your pupils.

There it was at your feet, amongst everything sullied in soot was one thing unharmed, unconscious upon the floor, the carpet around burned to cinders. Compared to everything else, charred black, her skin covered in wounds and marks was almost pristine. It was clear this explosion was her cause, and she had claimed lives with it.

You never humored that thought. To you, it meant nothing. You had been given a sign, a goal, and you would complete it. He had guided you here for a reason, and it was to help her—that was what you had decided. He had plans for this woman far beyond your understanding.

And so, you reached down and gently scooped her up within your arms. Looking upon her unconscious form with a smile.

“Fret not; salvation has come for you.”

And with that, you turned away from the destruction, stepping back out into the cold night with another lost lamb to take care of.

---

A dimly lit room, illuminated only by candlelight. The smell of mildew was strong, and water stains upon the rotting wallpaper. Wooden furniture that had already had its veneer cracked, marks and stains across its ruined sheen.

Dirtied and dusty carpet covered the floor, intricate tapestry weaving with colors that had faded and been bleached in spots from the sun based on the trajectory towards the stained glass window.

Wooden banding went up the curved walls, and the dome-shaped roof; rusty, hanging torches, unlit and wickless, screeched as they danced above within the somber silence, a lack of sound within the room.

A piano in the corner sat untouched, covered in a thick layer of dust, with carves of words and shapes from vandals across its sides.

And in the center of it all was a bed. Its metal frame had begun to go uneven; the mattress was yellowed, visible underneath the tattered sheets, and bulging springs started tearing out. Large white covers that had gotten stains of brown draped over a sleeping figure, in pillows that had burst at the seams, their fluff coming out from the edges.


It was not perfect, but beggars could not be choosers. One could only hope it would offer enough for the rest to begin to heal the woman’s soul. Time was waiting for her to wake up.

A clock above the bed was broken; its hands did not move.

 

[joshuadim]

RYUTARO HASHIMOTO

CS Link

SCENE:

Call to Arms

LOCATION:

Ryutaro's Rooftop Garden, Imperial Gardens Condominiums, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Ryutaro, Camila

Call to Arms

July 23, 2022


​

It was a particularly lovely summer day, as the forecast showed a gentle breeze and cooler temperatures due to a pressure system making its way through the area. It was the perfect mix of delightfully sunny with a perfect ambient temperature. Though for the Tiger Queen it made no difference as the rooftop garden was protected by the extensive greenhouse it was located within. Some repairs had to be made after the earthquake due to damaged glass panels, but aside from that it remained as vibrant is it had been. Aside from the various greens and flowering plants that he had imported from oversease, there was also a selection of fresh grown vegetables.

Tomato plants with their vines running along bamboo stilts, as well as carrots and potatoes growing in an enclosed soil area of the vast enclave. There was also a few strawberry bushes, and even an orange tree that was blossoming still. Small green pearls grew along its branches, indicating that its bounties were still in development. But the clear pride of it all was a large bonsai tree situated at the very centre of the greenhouse. There, tapping his feet along to the tune that played on the radio, he carefully and methodically trimmed and took care of it. It was a plant that required much dedication and patience to its care.

Many of the Sankai masters dedicated their lives to tending to such ageless and remarkable flora, and Ryu found a sense of calm away from the happenings of the outside world. Hearing the door to the establishment open, he didn't bother to turn as he took a small pair of shears and gently trimmed a withering leaf off its pristine canopy. "I trust the travels up weren't inconvenient, Ms. Gaspari?" the Queen asked as he kept his eyes affixed to the plant, scanning for any other imperfections.

Roda the Red

 

[Beann]

SAMIRA CALRISSIAN

CS Link

SCENE:

A Summer Breeze Scatters Blossoms

LOCATION:

Katōre, Sankai

PARTICIPANTS:

Ryutaro, Samira

A Summer Breeze Scatters Blossoms

Listening to Megumi’s distaste for the gangs caused her expression to falter slightly. The likelihood of the gunman being a gang member was certainly high but not a guarantee. Then again, if Ryutaro’s father was a well-known political figure it wouldn’t be a surprise for any of the gangs to act out for their benefit. Despite New Oasis having their own authoritative and political structure, it more or less seemed like the four gangs were in control of the city and all the rest could do was damage control.

Samira nodded quietly in response to the old woman’s words, not entirely sure what else she could say to provide comfort. Luckily for her, she wouldn’t have to sit in silence for much longer as Ryutaro finally joined the two of them.

“Mmm–” She hummed softly, taking another sip of her tea as she reminisced about her early days in New Oasis. “I remember that evening. Although, I think the guests were more intimidated by my beauty than the foreign wine.” Samira chuckled softly, definitely recalling a few watchful eyes during that party. “Your grandson has good taste though. I did pack a bottle with my luggage just for you, Megumi.”

joshuadim

 

[simj26]

Dagger

CS Link

SCENE:

The Amestrian Job

TIME:

July 29th, 2022 | Post Arc 3

LOCATION:

King's Ransom Casino and Bar, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Dagger, Oliver, Jacques, Hiachi, Tak, Dante, Shen(?)

The Amestrian Job

She had done something similar to this before. Even now, rumors and hushed whispers of a vengeful ghost who slaughtered every last participating member of that fateful day continued to be murmured amongst fresh recruits and veterans alike. After all, what else could slip through security unseen, undetected, undiscovered but a revenant come to exact its vengeance against those who perpetrated its death? What human could kill a HP alone?

To that very ghost, who now stared out the window of the bar, deaf and blind to whatever noise was being issued forth from within the establishment, a bank heist was nothing more than child's play, and in her case, she meant this almost literally. She may have had no confidence in herself as a woman, a lover, or even a person, but she at least trusted in her skills. What hunter would she be, if she did not know her prey?

On an average, police response times took, at best, 7 minutes. However, given that the bank itself was Dragon property, she'd hazard that their response time could be anywhere between 3 to 5 minutes. Furthermore, while the police operated on keeping a structure intact as much as possible, the actual owners of the bank may not have the same priority. Breaking a sword you bought for yourself hurt significantly less than breaking a knife that someone gave you, after all. The conclusion: their priority here was to shut down the panic alarm as quickly as possible before it was triggered, buy them time, grab what they wanted from the vault, then leave immediately. Speed was the most vital part here. Hit hard, hit fast, can't play it slow and steady.

She turned the phone over in her hand. The preparations were complete on her end. If she were the hoping type, she would have hoped that there wouldn't be any snags in this operation. She was, unfortunately, more of the expecting type, and she expected that this op would go south, quick. As such, she had prepared a few contingencies, just in case southbound was the direction they were heading.

Up until her expectations came true, she had made up her mind that she was not going to lift a finger or a tongue to advise the motley crew. She was paid to be the muscle, not the brain. More than that, she wasn't about to reveal her hand just yet, not even to today’s packmates.


She crossed her arms on her table, rested her chin on them, and yawned, replicating a perfect image of Alpha when he was in a mood. Maybe just one helping paw would do. For now.

“Cameras. Silent alarms. Other security measures. We know what they are?” She aimed her question at her employer.