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CHARMY DEVLIN
SCENE:
New Oasis Arc 3: Scene 3 [Silence for the Damned]
LOCATION:
Dilapidated Clinic, North District
PARTICIPANTS:
Dagger, Guinevere, Jack
SILENCE FOR THE DAMNED
Charmy might have offered playful venom in response had the charade not been so violently interrupted.

It had been some time since her eyes had fluttered open without the slightest bit of intent. Though the shock did not spread further beyond before they cautiously returned to a close. A whiff of bad luck in such a desolate location would only spell misfortune for all parties. Cracks in cinder blocks shifting ever so appropriately to cave the place in would bring no delight to anyone.

Though it would be a lie to say the assistance from the others didn’t bring her the slightest bit of displeasure. Or at least she assumed it to be assistance. The exact purpose of the wolves’ presence was lost on her, seen only as a meager intrusion and insult to her person. She had already taken her small blade in hand, but the fingers that grasped it went limp.

The peppy blabbering of the other woman took priority.

“Hardly.” She replied, deciding to leave the undead to the ever-violent pair. “Though I propose you make your intent unmistakable.”

She planted her hand on Guin's shoulder, towards the base of her neck.

A simple ultimatum.
NAVIGATE
 
¡Mucho Pablícimo!
SCENE:
Tigers Arc 3: Scene 3 [The Faceless Fox]
LOCATION:
Bolt Transport
PARTICIPANTS:
| Pablo | Welsha |
The Faceless Fox

It took a good amount of self control to maintain a face fully lax of concern, to bury every urge inside him to shove the same balance of money from his own pocket into the man’s hands. Though he knew, even if he did, the man was more infuriated by the gesture of yielding to a criminal force like themselves than the mere dollar expense. Down below Pablo hoped he wouldn’t have too many orders of this nature— the male’s distraught expression that brimmed with hatred was, alone, enough to form a small knot in his stomach.

Nonetheless, beneath the facade of a haughty scoff and a taut grin after their client’s oh-so-cordial departure, a wrist encompassed in polished watches of gold, platinum, and lapiz, dove into his pocket to retrieve yet another watch gilded in brass. ”Mhm, well that took no time at all.. Say we vamanos, grab a bite in the meantime, miss lady? He amiably mused to Welsha, promptly beginning a stride back to his ride out back. The lone notion of food seemed to put Pit in spirit as he quickly trotted forward, tail swaying from heel to heel. The display surfaced a chuckle from Pablo, “aye, you’ll eat when we get back to the mansion, Pit… Chucho codicioso..” Muttering the last sentence to himself as he fished his phone from his jacket. “I’ll call Akira real quick, tell him the job’s done.”

By then, it seemed to be smooth sailing from thereafter, though fortunately for him, his loyal pooch saw beyond him. Noticing the stagger in his trot first before the ripple of his maw hinted a slight of concern. Pablo halted as soon as a bark in warning shot from the pitbull’s frilled jaws, not daring to underestimate Pit’s senses, better yet, within enemy territory. Though the second he whirled to turn toward Pit’s attention, the projectile was already spiraling toward him at hot speed, and the only thing the millionaire thought to do in crisis.... Was to pull every limb toward his chest as a 9 year old girl’s scream cracked out the barracks of his own lungs.

“….”

It took a long moment for him to realize he had in fact, not been just shot in the chest from above. As he blinked once, twice, thrice, before slowly unhitching each of his limbs from his protective stance to see Pit just a few feet before them, gnawing and slobbering all over a circular object between his paws. Clearing his throat as if to play off the previous occasion of utter cowardice as if it never occurred, Pablo tilted his chin upward to spy an oddly splayed mechanism upon the edge of the building acquainted by two flickering emerald hues. Failing to hide his dumbfounded stare, a reluctant greeting came to voice as he subtly slipped the envelope into his coat pocket. Not exactly knowing what to make of the situation as he began to backstep to get a better sight of the individual.

“.. uhh....ey yo?”
 
NPC Post - Lydia Trope
SCENE:
New Oasis Arc 3: Scene 1 [PASSERI PARK'S ULTRA PASSIONATE MELODY ONSLAUGHT]
LOCATION:
Central District
PARTICIPANTS:
Florence, Pascal, Gavril, Milo, Dimitri, Jackson
THE IRIS
What a shame.

Lydia had no words to spare for Milo's show of pacifism. A resigned huffed escaped her as she stood from her stool, returned the key to her pocket, and then swept her foot through the legs of Milo's stool in one quick, clean kick.

"Sorry!" The stool was swept out from beneath Milo, sending him plummeting ass-first onto the floor. "We really gotta sell this, you know? Or else Miles is just gonna magic up some wild goose chase for your to go on until he's satisfied. This is for your own good!" Her words were as chipper as ever, striking a sharp dissonance with the razor-edge precision of her movements. One moment her posture was casual and relaxed, and the next she'd dropped into a combat stance; Arms forward, head back, and feet ready to dance.

"Let's say we do a quick back and forth?" She swung her fists a few times, her hands almost turning to blurs as they struck the air with all the deadly precision of a trained boxer. "I'll throw for you, don't worry! You've just gotta made it look good, okay? Land at least one good one, preferably on the face, or this is never gonna work!"

"Understand?" She gave Milo a pointed look, and extended him a hand. "You said your friend was in trouble, right? The longer you spend farting around trying to play nice, the harder it's gonna be to save Private Ryan, you know? Put some spring in your step, soldier!"
 
Passeri Park
SCENE:
Tigers Arc 3: Scene 1 [Where Giants Sleep]
LOCATION:
Heavenly Beast Plaza, Lower Central District
PARTICIPANTS:
Wren, Elias, Kenji, Passeri, Isobel, Ezra
Where Giants Sleep
The seams of Passeri's vision knitted themselves back together, and her blood cooled as the restorative effects of the young Knight's potential swept through her. Her awareness returned too, the blur of panic that had clouded her senses growing thinner, but not quite leaving her altogether. She'd been saved, and Isobel had huddled over her like she was a frightened child. She felt a pang of something had hadn't in years, and a mirthless chuckle escaped her.

What a joke. Her heart was still hammering in her chest, pumping that foul, intoxicating poison through her veins. For all the ploys she made to establish roots within the city, she still couldn't ground herself during moments like these.

"I-It's fine." She stammered out, brushing the Knight-boy's decidedly out-of-character comments aside. Whatever was going on with him, she didn't have the capacity to think about it. Even if she'd recovered for the moment, she could already feel those hot, chemical fangs starting to nibble at her again. Whatever that dart had dosed her with was nothing to joke about, and it was taking more of her attention than she liked to admit to not descend into a hyperventilating mess. Between that and the cultists, she didn't have any mental room left to spend wondering about the Knight's mysterious shift in temperament.

She scrunched her eyes as the Jack and Knight's conversation turned to conflict. Every fiber of her body was telling her to leave, that the right move today was to retreat, pull back, and try again another day, but how much of that was her, and how much was the scared little girl that was trying to surface? Passeri shook her head. She couldn't tell anymore. Introspection was off the table too. Wordlessly, her Potential flashed, manifesting two razor-edged scythes over her shoulders. For once today, she'd follow the Jack's lead.

"Do me a favour..." Passeri strained to keep her voice steady, and kept her words plain. "...Keep close, okay? I don't think that Potential of yours purge the poison. I can..." A rivulet of anxiety ran through her chest. "...I can already feel it kicking in again. I'm gonna need you nearby if you want me to be any help."

She eyed Ezra seriously. Whatever had come over him to have him cracking jokes in this situation, she hoped he still had enough sense to know when it wasn't time to fuck around.

"A-and w-" She started, before her voice caught in her throat. She was worried about Wren, but even through the fog shrouding her usual sense of sensibility, she was able to catch self before she slipped up. The cultists didn't know there were two more of them. Wren and her partner and crime might've been the edge they needed.

"W-watch my back." She diverted herself. She was getting carried away. Thinking too much. Getting distracted. The blades above her started to spin, were joined by two and then two more of themselves, and they arced through the air. One half careened towards the Priestess, and the other towards the corvid-eyed man, leaving twirling trails of light in their wake.

She was hardly a fan of violence, but she'd be damned if she let herself die like this.
 
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Ottilie James
SCENE:
Dragons Arc 3: Scene 3 [Ripples of Stardust]
LOCATION:
Zhànzhēng Resort, East District
PARTICIPANTS:
Hifumi, Hiram, Kazue, Omar, Ottilie
Ripples of Stardust
Ottilie squatted beside the freshly-healed man, careful to avoid the puddle of vomit and blood, and rested her chin on her knees. For once, her mind did not immediately focus on the wonder of potentiality she had just witnessed from the Dragon veteran although she had definitely taken note and stored it safely away in her memory cortex to revisit later. Instead, she quietly considered both the man's and Hifumi's words before finally speaking. "I'm sorry you feel the way you do." Her voice was soft and empathetic. To some, it might have even sounded like she was reflecting the anguish and sorrow of the radical before them. "I think we're all trying our best, but maybe what we think is best isn't always necessarily the best for everyone." It was hard to tell at this point if she was talking about the Ouroboros or the Azure Dragons.

She reached out and gently rested a hand on his chest almost as if to comfort him. Then she spoke. "Unfortunately, if you have indeed planted explosives in this building then what you are doing is definitely not for the best." Her fingers twitched slightly as she felt the familiar tingles of her potential activating. "My potentiality gives me the ability to manipulate the speed at which atoms move and I have it currently attuned to your heart. While I would like very much to discuss the science behind it all with you, we are a little short on time. So, simply put, I can literally make your heart explode. It won't be quick. First, your heart rate will start to increase rapidly. Oddly, you'll feel it in more in your throat than your chest. Your chest will start to tighten though and pain will slowly spread to your shoulders, arms, back, neck, jaw, and even your teeth." Unlike before, Ottilie's voice now revealed no hint of emotion. It was monotonous as if she were reading a scientific paper rather than threatening someone's life. "It'll get harder and harder to breathe and you'll hear the blood rushing in your ears. Only after all that will your heart eventually pop." She pressed her lips together and then quickly exhaled through her mouth to make a popping sound. "Like a balloon. All in all, it's an extremely unpleasant experience."

In a class she had taken in her first year at NOCU on human psychology, Ottilie learned that it was often easier to accept death when you knew it was going to be quick. However, when faced with the prospect of a dragged-out death filled with pain, more often than not self-preservation kicks in. She hoped self-preservation would kick in now.

 
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Welsha Audax Reaper
SCENE:
Tigers Arc 3: Scene 3 [The Faceless Fox]
LOCATION:
East District
PARTICIPANTS:
The Faceless Fox

Welsha winced when her Request by the man to see the boss was quickly shut down, but she didn't push further on it seeing that she clearly riled him up again just by making the Request. Welsha shrunk down a bit more, but listened as the man explained that he wasn't here, giving him a apologetic bow then saying "S-Sorry, I didn't know, thank you for your time though." she doubted he would care much for it at this point since he already riled up, and she couldn't help but whence when he slammed the door in front of their faces. That seemed to be a disaster, but they supposed they did do Akiras job for them, rifling around their pockets Welsha felt the papers Akira gave them was still safely secure on her. Letting out a sigh she turned her eyes towards Pablo, her signature smile returning to her face, as he talked about leaving to go grab some food, though in all honesty, Welsha really just wanted to complete the job and go back to her regular work. She nodded when Pablo said that he would call Akira, thankful that she wouldn't have to talk the creepy bastered herself, she didn't expect much of a fuss with the NP worker, though she should of expected that judging from what Akiras files said. She couldn't help but wonder how the other two folks were doing with the missions, she honestly had no idea why Akira would waste them on missions as small as a simple retrieval, but she supposed it really didn't matter.

She turned around to move back to Pablos car, when she heard a load boom go off in the distance, out of pure instincts Welsha ducked down and dived forward putting herself on the ground. After a moment of not hearing another sound Welsha pounced up back on her feet, as if nothing had happened, she looked towards Pablo seeing that he was in once piece and that his dog somehow had managed to catch the projectile? It was strange to them but New Oasis in general was a strange place anyhow. Either way matters had gotten more complicated and Welshas eyes followed Pablos to see where the projectile came from. Welsha didn't know what to make of it at first, but figured that it wasn't something good, so putting her left hand in her pocket, she allowed her toxicity level to rist from normal to it's low level. Her hand glowing in her pocket as she began charging her hand, in order to let out a burst of hot smoke if needed, she then looked towards Pablo and told him. " I think it would be best if you ran on over and got the car started." It was a fair warning to Pablo, since she was sure she could get out of this situation alive. Her parents have trained her in many things, survival being one of the main ones, but instead she decided to play along with whatever game this person was playing with them. So with a wave of their hand they turned their attention to the stranger standing above them a gave a smile and a wave towards them "HI! Uhm, Sir? or Ma'am? It seems you almost hit my uhm, partner over there, uhm, was that a accident or on purpose." She had said that a bit more nervously than intended, but she figured it was more likely to be that later, but getting confirmation and playing dumb was something that was part of her current character, which was something she had to live up to when in front of her co worker.
[/justify]
 
MARKUS WEISS
SCENE:
Serpents Arc 3: Scene 2 [Hunks in the City]
LOCATION:
Central District
PARTICIPANTS:
Markus, Tri, Nikolai, Celeste, Jozef
HUNKS IN THE CITY
In the meantime, as the rest of Tri's Serpents slithered into view, Markus removed his mask, crumpling it up and dropping it where he stood, before throwing his cap to the wind. There wasn't any point in wearing them anymore, anyhow. The gathering crowd pissed him off. He didn't know if they recognized him for who he was or not—if they had, and were smart, they'd have cleared out by now. Not that anybody who willingly chose to live in this city had any right to claim sense anyway. Still, he didn't like to have an audience.

“Fuck off,” he snarled at the masses, shoulders hunched and jaw clenched. With a quick, violent gesture Markus threw a flurry of snowflakes at the rubberneckers. Though ultimately harmless, the display of power—paltry though it may have been—proved more than sufficient to scatter the roaches that had come to feast their eyes on the latest oddity that this city had to offer. Not today. he thought. He wasn't interested in playing the part of a street sideshow for a bunch of nobody NPs. Besides, he still didn't have the answers he sought. And so while the crowd around them began to disperse, Markus turned his attentions back to Tri, who had just suggested that the lot of them... Take a walk?

His disbelief, and irritation, wore plainly on his face, then. Markus could feel a fresh headache coming on, from talking to Tri. He didn't want to think about how the Serpent King's mind worked, to actually suggest something so ridiculous. His lips parted, ready to tell Tri to, Fuck off like he'd done the NPs, ready to throw up his hands and go home, even if he hadn't gotten the answers he'd sought, even if this whole thing had been a waste of time from the get. “F—” The first syllable had already passed his lips when,

“PSST!”

Markus flinched from the sheer volume of the Tiger's whisper in his ear. Apparently, the little creature thought he was being discreet. He went on, "whispering" to Markus as if the Serpents couldn't hear him, even though Markus was more or less positive that they could... If they could see him, that is. Come to think, no wonder he was bad at subterfuge. Markus wondered what Tri was thinking... Before remembering from before that that was probably a dangerous thing to wonder about.

“We oughtta stick around... These bozos may look dumb, but maybe they know somet'in..!”

Groaning internally, Markus relented and with a nod... And extreme displeasure... Allowed Tri to lead their little group forward on... A... Walk. Fuck me.


They hadn't gotten far, though already far enough for Markus' liking, when the atmosphere began to change. It was an indescribable shift. A sense of unease. A calm before the storm. It began with the hairs standing up on the back of Markus' neck. What followed was the sound of a succession of crashes in the far distance, growing closer, accompanied by shouts and screams, and the screeching of tires. A mob of civilians appeared on the horizon, fleeing toward the Tiger and the Serpents... Fleeing away from some as of yet unseen threat. Markus' eyes narrowed.

He grumbled under his breath. Fuck me, what now?”

In the next moment, a blue sedan swerved out of the way of a pedestrian who fled into the street. The car went careening off the road and slammed into a stationary lamp-post, its hood crumpling. The driver, frantic and in a daze, struggled to free himself from the vehicle as the engine started to smoke. Markus didn't pay him any mind though. His eyes were glued to the horizon, as Tiger's giddy voice squeaked in his ear.

“Oooh, hoo! Oh, boy! Here dey come! Oi, Bluey. Y' betta' win..! Tiger. Don't. Lose!”

It was suddenly chaos everywhere he looked. It felt like the end of the world.


 
KENJI & WREN
SCENE:
Tigers Arc 3: Scene 1 [Where Giants Sleep]
LOCATION:
Heavenly Beast Plaza, Lower Central District
PARTICIPANTS:
Ezra, Elias, Isobel, Kenji, Passeri, Wren
WHERE GIANTS SLEEP
It just had to be damn cultists.

As Kenji reluctantly raised his water leadend body from the ground, the complaint resonated in his mind alongside a slowly developing headache. Likely a result of his sudden dip into cold water which had flushed his sinuses clear. It was just as likely that it was manifesting from the series of events up to that point.

He couldn't help but smile to himself, upon hearing everything above. It was a twisted, dark humored smile at the aspect that the "gang" was all back together at this point. It was poetic really, how fate had managed to separate them, only to join them again at such an opportune moment. It was also funny how coincidences were always in abundance when it came to doing favors for Wren. They had stumbled into that deadfall trap with its foreboding evidence, only to press on towards the hallway of cells.

Anyone with half a brain would realize those rooms before weren't some high class hotel that you would commonly find in West District. They were cages, locked rooms, holding cells for people that couldn't be trusted to not try and escape. Kenji had taken a few spare moments to inspect them, and had noticed scratch marks around the bars as vain attempts to get free. Though, he hadn't said anything as it seemed his company hadn't picked up on that fact, and were still all too caught up in spelunking.

He had hoped they would merely stumble upon a hidden slave trade, operating in the remnants of an abandoned, now secret, mining shaft system. Though, he knew in a way that it would be a little too convenient. Once he had seen the statue of the old man in religious clothing however, he developed a rancid gut feeling about what they were about to discover. Only to be dropped into the thick of it now as the earth shook beneath him.

Despite the rhythmic pounding against his skull that grew by the minute, Kenji could easily recognize at a distance the familiar gurgle of a person's throat being cut. With it, he could guess that they had conveniently managed to arrive at the exact moment that some sort of ritual sacrifice was beginning.

___________________________________________________________________________​

Well, I hope you're happy.

He thought bitterly, but without bothering to direct his gaze and ire towards his partner. In place of doing so, Kenji began to shed his waterlogged layers. Beginning with his long black overcoat, it dropped to the earth with an audibly wet "flop". As it sagged, water imperceptibly leaking from its woven strands, he then began to unbutton his black jacket. Shedding the layer in much the same fashion as the previous. It joined his overcoat below, with an audible "slap", as his white undershirt soon became the last layer to be removed.

Undoing the buttons of the clinging fabric, they revealed a somewhat muscular, yet primarily lean frame beneath. Marred by a series of unorganized, clean cut scars, at varying points along Kenji's torso. More eye-catching than these was the sleeve tattoo that ran the length of Kenji's right arm, up to his shoulder and ended at his right pec. A masterful piece of inking imprinted on skin canvas, the lifelike image of an azure dragon stared calmly at anyone facing him.

Taking the white undershirt in his hands, Kenji wringed the water from it several times, before laying it over his shoulder. Getting to work on his footwear, he ditched his water soaked socks and merely laced his boots back up. He had paused for a moment to consider removing his pants as well, but decided against it to save himself the hassle of future harassment. Walking around for a moment, before eventually turning to head toward Wren and Ezra. He got a feel for the new weight around his legs for when it came time to fight.

While it seemed their group hadn't been included on the guest list, Kenji wasn't going to bet on the fact that the large bird circling the mound above them hadn't spotted them all earlier, after they had finished enjoying their lovely evening dip. Kenji's gut told him the time to fight would arrive, as that's just how things went, and he intended on being prepared. Leaving his remaining clothes behind, likely to be swallowed up by a rising tide, he also had a feeling he wouldn't be coming back to retrieve them anytime soon.

___________________________________________________________________________​

After easing Ezra up from the flowing river, Wren examined him curiously when he all but spun around so quickly that she wondered if he desired tumbling back into the maws of the lashing waters that sloshed into the many jutting rocks below. She shifted to the side to try and make out the expression on his face but could only see an intrusively prominent blush attacking his cheeks. Had Ezra hit his head or was the Knight boy flustered?

Before any inquiries could become known with the use of her hands, Wren’s face turned upwards as if leisurely star gazing when she heard voices above. Both hands hovered midair, caught in the beginning of a sentence before they dropped unceremoniously to her sides. They’d been caught in a worse predicament if that were even possible. The one they’d just literally swam out of didn’t hold a candle to a group of lunatics. Wonderful. Just wonderful. This had turned into such a lovely stroll in the park for the group.

Those eyes eased themselves into an annoyed roll as they lowered to gaze towards the other two Tigers. She noted Ezra's safe and secure position against the pillar and then let those hues slide over to Kenji who had surprisingly appeared. She would’ve bet money that he’d preferred to let the strong currents take him anywhere but here. She watched him become even less clothed than she was and found herself tracing the beautifully done lines of his tattoo with her eyes. It wasn’t the first time that she’d seen it but it was still something she found herself admiring whenever it was visible. Whoever had put that piece of art on his body was an extremely talented artist.

Ezra’s voice pulled her attention rather hastily away and she watched him with an unamused look. It didn’t waver or change even as he disappeared after telling them the plan. Well, the part of the plan that he was to enact. That left the two of them without a clear view of the actual situation above. Something that would need to be remedied and probably quite quickly. Being blind or out of sight would do absolutely no favors for Wren.

___________________________________________________________________________​

“ Come on. “ She spoke softly, already having shouldered past Kenji and making sure to keep her eyes steady and forward. Catching him within her peripherals and accidentally activating her potential on him would just work against her in the grand scheme of things. Sure, Kenji wouldn’t mind, but the more she used it in tandem and she had a feeling she’d be using it quite a bit, the more it would just hurt her.

With a turn of her head, she cast a glance over her shoulder at Kenji to make sure he was actually paying attention to her. And for a moment, she had Kenji's undivided attention as he blankly stared at her, but yet remained rigidly in place. It wasn't that he hadn't heard her, but more so that his eyes were focused elsewhere.

Tracing the faded, yet still visible scars around her neck with his gaze. He casually, and in one fluid motion, reached for the undershirt resting on his shoulder, and sent it flying in her direction. Wordlessly, the semi-clean cotton cloth was the only thing to break the awkward silence between them as it smacked Wren's face and wrapped fully around it. The gesture in itself was enough to signify his response without the need of words.

Wren shook once and then again before reaching a trembling hand up to reclaim the culprit that was blocking out her view of her assailant. Those fingers curled up, balling the wet material within a grasp that seemed both hesitant and aggressive at the same time. Dangerously narrowed eyes peered out as she peeled the shirt off her face, those vibrant azures dancing with deadly intent. Pushing him back into the deep watery depths behind them seemed like a good form of retribution. If she didn’t currently have use for him and his potential in this pesky situation she may have done just that.

Instead, her chest heaved noticeably and she turned away from him as she flicked the shirt out like one trying to straighten out a blanket. “ I suppose you would find it distracting. “ She muttered under her breath in a slightly mocking tone, one that she knew would easily reach his ears. There was a hint of gratitude there for the shirt itself but it was probably overridden by the sarcasm tainting each word.

Her next movements seemed eerily calm as she went through the motions of slipping into the uncomfortably damp top. Her nose wrinkled up in distaste of it not being dry but she didn’t voice it. The shirt itself still complimented her even though it was clearly wrung out and vaguely wrinkled. Wren found it odd that it even fit her so well but she wasn’t about to stop and compare measurement notes between the two. The only thing she additionally offered him was a look that foreshadowed he’d have something fun to look forward to in the future. When they were far, far, away from here.

___________________________________________________________________________​

Silently a hand rose, finger jutting out to point towards a hidden staircase that looked carved into the stone. They wouldn’t be taking the same scenic route as Ezra. The stairs appeared to have been there a long time. Moss covered the steps, winding its way along the cobblestone that snaked its way upwards.

Wren took great care not to slip, those steps slow and attentive to where each groove was so she could keep her footing. Being quiet wasn’t exactly her priority with Kenji there but she wasn’t sure if relying on that safety net was always the best thing. One day it could be the very thing that made for a more sloppy job if she became too accustomed to having Kenji’s potential to deafen her presence from others.

To brace herself, her fingertips ran along the side of the stairway while being coated in the moisture from the forest colored moss that was once thick but starting to thin out the higher they ascended. Her steps came to an abrupt halt and she motioned with her free hand towards Kenji. Those strikingly vivid blue eyes of hers peered over the ledge, face lifted to see over the stone just the slightest. Just enough to view the area and get an idea of where everyone was located.

That previous expression of being miffed broke as she watched Passeri and Isobel going flying towards Ezra’s location. Though she couldn’t see their current state as they whizzed by, she could at least find solace in knowing they were alive.

___________________________________________________________________________​

Elias wasn’t in sight which concerned her the slightest but right now felt like an every tiger for themselves type moment with blood sacrifices and rituals being on the table. Despite his potential lacking in the physical manner, the savvy man was good at charming or some would say, bullshitting, his way through things so any weariness she had was minuscule. He was smart and adaptive. Though with his absence that freed up the entire open space where the cultists were gathered as long as Wren kept her back to the trio by the door she could only assume was locked.

Wren continued to watch, trying to see if this was going to be a peaceful situation where everyone remained pacified or if it would take a nastier turn. It usually did the latter so Wren didn’t hold a shred of misguided hope too close.

“ Kill them. “

There it was. There wasn’t much time to gather much of an opinion on everything going on. The goal of the cultists and how the city would be involved. None of it had time to become a thought she could give attention to. Wren cared little for that at this moment.

Currently the only thing taking precedence was getting out alive. If they all died down here it would all be for naught. The little reconnaissance mission. Anything they’d found out would die down here with them. Wren pinched the bridge of her nose with visual disdain and took those last few steps up the stairs, fully bringing her frame into view.

___________________________________________________________________________​

There were so many commands tickling the forefront of her mind, so many that wanted to spill past her lips, but with each step Wren took towards their newly gained enemies she had locked and loaded one in particular.

“ Blast away. “ She began to command all the cultists within sight, speaking in such confidence, knowing that Kenji would carry her voice outwards like he typically did without needing a cue or signal. Yelling wasn’t a necessity with the other Tiger around. Even watching her back didn’t feel as necessary with Kenji around. Despite their eccentric behavior or reactions towards one another, like rivaling siblings, Kenji was someone she valued and trusted. It was a strange companionship but Wren would hold onto it for dear life if it were ever threatened.

Hopefully the command would send them flying straight over the platform and into the surrounding cavern walls so they could drop like flies into the water below.


 
Elias Yumin
SCENE:
Tigers Arc 3: Scene 1 [Where Giants Sleep]
LOCATION:
Heavenly Beast Plaza, Lower Central(Beneath Dragon Statue)
PARTICIPANTS:
Wren, Elias, Kenji, Passeri, Isobel, Ezra
Where Giants Sleep

Elias blinked as a pair of knives sailed towards Beatrice Grant only to stop in midair as the blades reversed themselves upon the original thrower. Following the airborne metals to Isobel Pham’s determined expression, Elias released a sigh. As expected, the ritual came to a halt and the high priestess demanded their deaths. He glanced at Araminta Grant.

“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to disobey your mother, would you?”

As if in answer, the masked Minister of Finance stepped forward to block his path. Elias sighed again before reaching into coat.

Bugs around them.

Worshippers.

Cultists–likely members of Ignatius Grant’s party.

Knowing what he did of Mouse’s personality, it didn’t surprise Elias that the Jack of the Albino Tiger gang disliked, or even wanted to put a stop to, the current proceedings. However, he didn’t expect the mute girl to have acted so impulsively. They didn’t know anything about the ‘Sleeper’, let alone what it would do once it awakened, though Isobel seemed to have drawn her own conclusions. Number-wise, they were clearly at a disadvantage. The door Z and the others stopped at appeared to be locked as well. They didn’t know where it led. Physical strength might break it open. Physical strength might also cause a cave-in, trapping them all underground…

Elias drew a handgun, undoing the safety with practiced--or rather memorized--ease as his eyes flitted between the two cultists. Perhaps he should’ve let Z pull him to the others, but it was too late to do anything about it now. The amicable smile remained stretched across his face as chaos exploded below them.

“I still prefer the less violent approach when settling our differences, but if we must fight, let’s get this over with…” He aimed his gun at ‘Bishop’, though his eyes and smile were directed at ‘Wither’; Names he'd acquired while browsing through Araminta's memories . “How about this? If I win, you’ll answer all my questions. If I lose…well…I’d be dead…but I’ll be sure not to haunt either of you in that case.”



The One Eyed Bandit The One Eyed Bandit Lucem Lucem @ Saturn_moon Saturn_moon Kyuubey Kyuubey Stros Stros
 
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Mirage
SCENE:
Tigers Arc 3: Scene 1 [Where Giants Sleep]
LOCATION:
???
PARTICIPANTS:
Elias, Ezra, Isobel, Kenji, Passeri, Wren
Where Giants Sleep
The words slipped through Wren's lips with conviction and confidence. A simple command that would tip the scales in their favor. Or so she thought. As her words were amplified with the help of Kenji, her view of the cultists warped like reflections on a rippled body of water. When it stilled again, she found a familiar pair of vibrant blue eyes staring back at her. Her own. Surrounding the pair were infinite reflections of themselves projecting out in all directions.

There was a brief moment of quiet before an immense invisible force struck down upon them like a bolt of lightning, violently ejecting Wren and Kenji through the wall of mirrors that had appeared around them. Her potentiality after all affected all those she could see. From the balcony, a figure stepped up onto the railing and lept down to the platform with all the grace of a dancer.

Snapping his fingers, a new set of mirrors materialized around the two Tigers who had quite literally been tossed to the side. Fading away, he reappeared in front of Wren as a single reflection, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh, this will be very interesting." He purred just loud enough for the woman to hear. Raising a hand, he appeared to flaunt his nails which gave off a metallic sheen and had been filed to razor-sharp points. Passing his hand through the glass, he quickly swiped at Wren's face before retreating. The reflection disappeared and then reappeared in the mirror behind.

"Let's have a little fun, shall we?"
 
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Rebecca #2
SCENE:
Serpents Arc 3: Scene 3 [Filth In The Gutter]
LOCATION:
Lab Icarus, North District
PARTICIPANTS:
Gerda, Darius, Mimi, Reese, Rutheless, Sang-Cheol, Yuna, Yuto, Ruriko, and Silva
Filth In The Gutter

Rebecca watched as the zombie blockade was mowed them with exceptional ease. There were not allowed to get away. Though, she couldn't leave Rutheless unattended either. The solution was she just had to be at both places at once.

The water gushing out of the pipes stilled before flowing back into them. Like a chain connecting to her watery form, Rebecca pumped the water into herself in a constant stream. This didn't offer much back in return, but it did allow her to open up her options.

As Silva was checking on Ruriko, the pipes nearest to them cracked. Water gushed out of the pipe, and Rebecca's watery figure also manifested to where Ruriko and Silva were. There were now two. Though the figure shimmered and contorted, becoming nearly unrecognizable before a multitude of watery arms and stringy hands came out of it.

Ice cold and ready to grab, they came down upon Ruriko and Silva.

 
Ryoma Matsuno
SCENE:
Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 1 [Follow the Lightning]
LOCATION:
South District
PARTICIPANTS:
Sajeem, Noa
FOLLOW THE LIGHTNING
"Midnight huh..."

With a time attached to Hitoshi's arrival, the man's mysterious visit to the Shellac could be confidently placed a few hours before heading to the Hyperstar. That left roughly three hours where Hitoshi's whereabouts were still unknown, but it was more information than they had to begin with. Following Sajeem as they casually entered the rear halls of his establishment, Ryoma eyed the place with idle interest.

"It doesn't come cheap."

Were his words in response to the man's comment on loyalty. Though, their sentiments were akin, the depth of their statements might as well have been world's apart considering some of the things that Ryoma knew Phoenixes did in order to gain sponsorship. Nevertheless, in either case there were clear examples of cowardice on both sides that no one could dispute.

Upon viewing the moments of the past half hour, with an expression of outward indifference, Ryoma was genuinely stumped as to the identity of Hitoshi's pursuers. He had a general idea of the minor gangs that roamed South District, but the white suits and strange accent were both new to him. Thinking of who he could possibly call to ask about the unknown figures, they shortly there after saved him the trouble. Turning to Sajeem as he answered his phone and then shortly handed it to them, Ryoma couldn't help but to grin.

"Like you did with Mr. Sajeem?... Why not come chat with us? A friend of a friend. You can tell me what this is all about... I'll buy you a drink."

As Ryoma spoke, he looked over at Sajeem before casually inspecting the room, in search of a camera of some sort. When he eventually didn't spot one, he edged towards the door in order to peek down the hall they had come from earlier. From the way the man talked, it didn't seem like he was directly watching them. Chances were they had stationed someone outside the place, in the event Hitoshi came back. That or someone had tipped the goons off to their arrival moments ago. In either case, Ryoma aimed to keep the man on the line and to at least squeeze some information from him. Whatever hints that could be gathered would help lead them to finding Hitoshi, hopefully before his pursuers did.


Sajeem(@joshuadim), Noa( Peckinou Peckinou )
 
HIRAM ABAYAN
SCENE:
Azure Dragons Arc 3: Scene 3 [Ripples of Stardust]
LOCATION:
Zhànzhēng Resort, East District
PARTICIPANTS:
Hifumi, Hiram, Kairong, Kazue, Omar, Ottilie
Ripples of Stardust
Watching Kazue work her potential on the wounded man reminded Hiram why the woman held the rank of Veteran, and admonished him regarding his earlier, unflattering thoughts of spilled ice creams and misplaced priorities. More wondrous was the way her healing neutralized the cyanide the man no doubt cracked from a cavity in his tooth. This extremist – for those willing to go to such lengths should be called so – wasn’t going to reveal much-needed information so easily.

That was what Hiram thought, up until Ottilie crouched next to the man and… for a lack of a better term, threatened him. The clinical way in which she described the man’s demise was chilling, especially since it felt like he was looking at Ottilie looking at a mere specimen on the dissecting table. Despite himself, he felt some sympathy for the man.

“I would tell her what she needs to know,” Hiram said, arms folded and expression a little unnerved. “She can do worse than everything she said just now. Trust me, I know.”

There was one thing nagging at him. Groups like these tended not to stop at simple explosions. Even the way the man spoke told him of some grand purpose driving his actions. Perhaps there was something else they needed to look out for. Hiram turned to Hifumi and asked, “Is there anything we need to worry about besides the explosives?”

Interactions: Saturn_moon Saturn_moon BluEndings BluEndings azenva azenva

 
NPC POST - LARS ALBRECHT
SCENE:
Securing the Future
LOCATION:
East District, Tech Expo, Meeting Room
PARTICIPANTS:
Lars (NPC), Chikage
Securing the Future
Lars sat unnervingly still for Chikage's blatant response. A matter-of-fact compared to Lars' passion-fueled spiel; cutting out the excess and leaving only the heart of the matter. The chief's words repeated after every sentence he spoke. He was not like the average starry-eyed commonfolk the tech giant was used to.

There it was: cold rejection, served like a teacher's reprimand to the inferior student. 'Sorry means nothing if the attitude doesn't change.'

That pissed Lars right off. More so the fact Chikage was right. His mind yelled; clawed and screamed and punched. He was not the dunce pushed to the corner; he was not the laughing stock for passersby to throw tomatoes at. I am better than this

A crackle breached the silence, and the white-haired man finally looked to his glass. Lars softened his grip, as he did his face.

"Fine. Wait, then. Wait and see." Lars gently placed the cup down, sweeping a few crumbs of glass of the table. "You want the Dragons to change, first. Fair. I will make things your way. I will make the undesirables the forgotten. The lies into truths. Our clients into enforcers." He stood after Chikage, moving to open the door out of courtesy—not that it showed anywhere else. "And when Albrecht Industries—Guardian—lights up the world... perhaps then you will see the star that burns brightest."

He twisted the knob. "If this is your choice, you are free to go, Chief. But I need you to consider something on your way out. There is no peace in free will, but to take away free will is just cruelty. Peace and free will cannot co-exist, so what do you choose? Let there be free will, and use power to exert a sense of peace? Or enforce an era of peace, where no man can commit evil—which is a broad, broad term?"

Doctor Llamabean Doctor Llamabean
 
NPC POST - VASYA
SCENE:
Securing the Future
LOCATION:
East District, Tech Expo, Delegate/Press Lounge
PARTICIPANTS:
Sophia
Securing the Future

"Ah. Vasya. Nikolaev, was it? Please, come with me. I must discuss something...unfortunate, with you."

Vasya’s breath stiffened. There it was. Forcing a smile, he turned to face Sophia. “Right, of course, of course…” He’d been expecting it. Without a moment’s hesitation, he let the butler continue.

There was nowhere for either of them. Nowhere to hide the talk, no way to escape it.

Sophie chose to open the interrogation with an indirect question. “So, your company. How involved are you in the production process? What are your medicines typically derived from?” The butler continued to stare down at Vasya, gauging his body language.

He breathed a little calmer at the first question. “Personally? Not at all. I inherited everything from my father, and since I replaced all the labor workers with Albrecht tech, I haven’t had the need to involve myself.” Then in a hushed voice, he continued. “Though I can tell you all our medicines are plant-based to be as natural as possible.” Vasya’s gaze fell downward, solemn. “Esperanza helped set us up with our supplier…”

Plant-based. Likely important information. Sophie made sure to report that on her check-in as she weighed a next question.

No use beating around the bush.

“Well, your usage of our machinery certainly is paying dividends. Enough to get you early access to the expo.”

A beat of silence. Sophie had been guiding Vasya towards nowhere in particular, simply moving him away from the early crowds. Now, she stopped.

“Tell me, what did you do with it? Everything you did with it.”

Vasya hadn’t expected a question like that; it took him a few moments to shift his mind into the business side. “Expanding our markets? Putting more funding into bigger varieties and high quality ingredients for our pharmaceutics and whatnot. Since production became automatic and more reliable, we no longer needed to constrain ourselves. I split the earnings with my family, and… really, I enjoyed the high life… got in over my head at times… I’ve felt like I don’t deserve it…” Vasya bit his lip, his gaze staring ahead of Sophia—lost in thought.

“Sorry.” He snapped back as if nothing had happened. “I’m weird. I get like that, sometimes.” Vasya put his hands in his pockets, pacing his breath.

Cute. Evasive. Sure, he was lost in thought. Sophie again pinched the bridge of her nose, like an annoyed tutor trying to explain a concept to a suffering pupil.

“The clearance. You know what happened. Why don’t you tell me what you did here?”

Vasya recoiled slightly back, his gaze dropping to the floor. The very subject he was trying to keep his mind off of… Though it wasn’t like he was guilty in any manner, surely? Besides… someone needed to know, at this rate. The boy reached into the pocket he kept fidgeting with the contents of, retrieving one full vial of Ariadne’s poison. “I found out something was happening behind my back. And I bought this.”

He reached for another thing in his pocket, being a neatly folded letter. He forced a smile, blinking tears from his eyes. “The poison… was for myself. Because I’m weak. Because I’m dumb. Because the woman I thought I loved was not the kind of person I thought she was. Reyner, one of your masters, thought it funny to whisk her away, and I guess she thought the same. So I was going to send a message… let them know exactly what they’ve done.”

Vasya held the two objects out. “Do with me what you will… She’s dead now. I have no purpose for any of this half-assed plan of mine, nor have I considered what comes after…”

Suddenly, Sophia would have received a notification—one singular text message from Jesper. It read:
URGENT!!! REGROUP AT MURDER SCENE ASAP!! WE KNOW THE KILLER

azenva azenva angel doe angel doe FabulousTrash FabulousTrash
 
Callista Reinhart
SCENE:
Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 2 [Tactical Mayhem]
LOCATION:
2nd Floor, CDPD-HQ, Upper Central
PARTICIPANTS:
Ashley, Boltius, Eric, Gideon, Inigo, Roza, Tatsuya
Tactical Mayhem
Men and their audacity. It was a good thing that this man, in particular, was not an eyesore. “You can’t point a gun at a woman’s head and ask her if she’s upset, you know? Let me guess, you’re a virgin.” Callista raised an eyebrow, her irritation turning into sympathy. A man this clueless about a woman's plight couldn’t possibly be sleeping with any. It must be so difficult to be unwanted, but she couldn’t relate to the problems of the average people. All she could do was shrug her shoulders and give him a look of pity that seemed to say, 'It's okay, there is still hope for you.'

As the two made their way up the stairs, she watched as the battle between Red Riot and the officers grew intense. A red butterfly watched the scenes unfold from a safe distance, waiting for an opportunity to present itself. If danger was a moth, Ashley was the flame. But...he looked good this way. His bright red hair was ruffled, his eyes held a dangerous glint that looked tantalizing, and his arms —

"Where’s ya think yer goin’, anyways? You gotta destination in mind, or you just like the sound of them pretty heels on the floor?”

Bandy’s voice broke Callista’s train of thought, the images in her mind shattering like glass. With so many butterflies dispersed throughout the property, it required all of her focus to conjure an image and retain it for long. She furrowed her eyebrows. “Well, I can’t hear my heels over the sound of you asking too many questions. But yes, I do have a place in mind,” chimed Callista, a smirk playing on her lips.

When Bandy blocked her path with his arm, she only looked at it impatiently. She could see what awaited them up ahead, but she decided to let him play the hero. As she took her first step into the second-floor hall, she quickly overtook him, a wide grin plastered on her face.

“So, wanna go snoop? I know an interesting place. ~"



 
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Zachariah C. Locke
SCENE:
Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 3 [Whole World Blind]
LOCATION:
Vantaggio Tower, West District
PARTICIPANTS:
Charlie, Hector, Hide, Raquel, Yukito, Zachariah, Mizuya
Alicia, Dante
Whole World Blind

“Keep me updated on Gourmet and Spellbinder’s positions, but we should be good to press on with our own goals regardless. Make sure we don’t scare the kitties off too soon.”


“The most loving couple have entered the building and are headed upstairs to dine with a sharply dressed staff worker~Or, at least, Gourmet looks ready to dine~ They are headed into an elevator as we speak.”


Unless the two Phoenixes swapped the earpieces he’d given them to listening device mode, so that the installed microphones could take in sounds from their surroundings, it was impossible for Zach to hear either Gourmet and Spellbinder’s conversations without lip-reading. Therefore, he had only managed to pick up bits and pieces–enough to deduce what was going on at least. Zooming in on individual lips while focusing his attention on four different areas at the same time was a bit much even for his omniscient gaze.

No, five different areas; Lyric’s fight with Shen was too interesting to miss.

Removing his sunglasses, Zach rubbed his eyes, giving them a moment to rest, before putting back on the glasses and reactivating his potential.

“Too many people on the first floor. Any way to isolate our lady a bit?”

“Is that permission to start shooting?”
Zach chuckled, slipping his phone back into his pocket as he once more focussed his attention on Alice and Dante. “If you wish to clear the floor, the easiest way would be to pull the fire alarm. I can guarantee people will be scrambling out the door if a couple of shots don’t rouse their flight instinct~”

He finished his snack and stroked the mounted rifle lovingly before continuing, hand to his earpiece. “If you wanna do this stealthily though, turning out the lights is a viable option. The circuit breaker room for the first floor isn’t far and I can guide you through the darkness. Otherwise, just lure her away with your usual charm~ The target is across the floor, dancing fifteen feet in the air, so most eyes are on her and she’s clinging tightly to her partner~ Stealing her away without being spotted won’t be easy. Disguises are the easiest way to approach without suspicion and a quick trip to the bathroom with a waiter is all it takes to get one. You can make use of the Cutie next to you to get closer to the target as well. They are a Tiger she seems to trust, after all~”

Zach removed the rifle from its mount. “From my position, a bullet through the breaker box, a bullet through the sprinklers, and a bullet through the gentlemen holding up the platform are all possible. I’ve even got a grenade launcher loaded with sleeping gas, but again, it’s your call Pharoah Dear~. Let me know when and where you want me to shoot.” As chaotic as he could be at times, Zach was a good soldier/gangster. Mayhem would only start on the Queen’s order. This was a good chance to test the new Queen's decision-making capabilities as well. “You can also just wait for the dance to finish and isolate her then.”

Of course, there was also the possibility that his bullets could be stopped. They were dealing with HPs, after all, and Zach could count on one guy with a shield potential. The moment he fired was the moment the enemy was aware of the threat. Therefore he wanted to make sure all his allies were in position to respond. As a sniper and assassin for the Phoenix gang, Zach was well aware that every shot counted. One hit one kill was something that had been drilled into him ever since he first picked up a rifle. That said, dealing with fellow HPs always required a bit of flexibility. Guns of low caliber didn’t do much so striking their environment did more than striking them directly. Hitmen like him knew how to make use of a crowd as well.

Perhaps it was time he did just that.



Roda the Red Roda the Red WhiskeyMarten WhiskeyMarten Caffeine_Obsessed Caffeine_Obsessed Misuteeku Misuteeku AriAriAbabwa AriAriAbabwa The Regal Rper The Regal Rper @weatheringwings
 
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TAKAONNA
SCENE:
Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]
LOCATION:
Mysterious Black Site, North District
PARTICIPANTS:
Shinko, Kisara, August, Peyton, Julian, others
Thicker Than Water
As the chaos died down, and the Serpents were called into the hallway, the Takaonna was last to arrive. She had been toying with the Raven's detached arm like a dog would a stick—then deposed of it as soon as her interest was demanded elsewhere. The sound of pulling flesh reverberated as her limbs shortened. Her arms dragged themselves across the floor. And when they finally stopped, still bent along the floor, stretched from shoulder past the feet, the Takaonna moved. Her fingers elongated into thin, bony worms; they felt and swept the area in front of her as she walked, feeling every little object in the way.

Her head twitched at the sound of the distant altercation between her allies and another individual. He (Julian) did not sound hostile like the previous threats; a neutral assessment.

Another twitch, this time from Kisara's persistent march forward, fueled by anger. The Takaonna smelled blood from her—not just from the foes.

As she trudged forward, each footstep landing with a wet 'slosh,' the path brought her near the remaining allies. She passed August and Peyton, already familiar with their presence. But her finger touched Julian's foot as her hand shot wide around. In the next instant, his foot was in her palm, and now her other hand grabbed his hip. Then his shoulder. Then his neck. The other, his face. It wasn't a tight grip, but the Takaonna's cold hand and fingers slathered his face like a big spider. Like a curious creature investigating the unknown.

"Am... bush..." The Takaonna dragged on the last syllable, at that point, only exhaling a stream of breath—the scent akin to the parade of death outside the hallway. After several extended breaths, she spoke again. "They die."

The Takaonna's hands left Julian, and she was heading down the hallway once again. Her footsteps picked up in pace, and soon her hands splayed further around like a flattened insect. She lifted herself off the ground, moving forward now with haste like an ape. She followed behind Kisara.

Doctor Llamabean Doctor Llamabean simj26 simj26 Coyote Hart Coyote Hart Sei Shonagon Sei Shonagon
 
Noa Bakoria Aquanaut
SCENE:
Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 1 [Follow the Lightning]
LOCATION:
South District
PARTICIPANTS:
Follow the Lightning

Noa watched the video in silence as their bodyguard stood behind them, scanning the room for anything else, she wasn't exactly sure what to expect but she didn't expect their leader to speak in another language. Noa thought that perhaps they came from a smaller gang within New Oasis or perhaps they were tigers, though she couldn't come up to a full conclusion until they could actually get into contact with them. And from the time gap between the videos, they seemed to be in a better position to find the men in suits than they did in finding Hitoshi. Though their hopes to get into contact with them, seemed to have come into fruition, as the bar owner seemed to have received yet another phone call, but instead of it being one of his typical contacts, it turned out to be the men that were after Hitoshi.

Ryoma was the first to speak to them, and Noa couldn't help but smirk when he spoke about meeting them, figuring that he was giving a actual threat. But Noa went on to add to it a bit "I can agree with that, we should definitely have a Chat, after all it seems that we are both after the same person after all, and maybe you could even enlighten us on what business you have with our little friend that you are after." The smirk on Noas face made it clear that she found this entire situation amusing somewhat. With the information gotten from the conversation, it meant the Hitoshis pursuers haven't gotten him, and that his pursuers didn't want to be followed by them, or just didn't want to be dealing with the Phoenixs.
 
Wither
SCENE:
Tigers Arc 3: Scene 1 [Where Giants Sleep]
LOCATION:
???
PARTICIPANTS:
Elias, Ezra, Isobel, Kenji, Passeri, Wren
Where Giants Sleep
A chill ran through Wither's blood at the mention of her mother. How could he have known? She'd been warned about his potential and been careful to keep her distance. Sure, there was that brief moment when he'd tripped and skins touched, but how much could he possibly have pried in those few seconds?

It was too late for these questions.

"You talk too much, Yumin." She replied, emphasizing the use of his actual name. It wasn't as if this was the first time they were crossing paths. Families like theirs tended to show up at all the same events and someone who looked as he did was hard to miss. While Elias had conveniently utilized his potentiality to erase any unwanted traces of his presence, Wither had simply chosen to stay out of sight, observing from the sidelines. An easy thing to do when the rest of your family always stole the spotlight.

"You think you know me. You do not. I will act as I choose. Not because my mother says so and definitely not because of a challenge posed by the likes of you."

Closing her eyes, she sent out a silent order with her potentiality. The kids in school used to think she was lonely. What they didn't know was, she was never truly alone.

"Mothermothermothermother..." The cacophony of tiny voices grew louder and louder along with the sounds of clicking and skittering. "Shecallsusssssssssssss..." All around, from every crevice and corner, emerged hundreds upon hundreds of insects. They swarmed around Wither, crawling up a lithe frame.

"I always liked your family." it was the Bishop who spoke this time. "A pity we'll need to take down their heir." Bracing the scythes in front of him like a shield, the Bishop charged forward with the aim of tackling Elias over the rails.

 
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Nakazajo Chikage (Raging Ogre)
SCENE:
Dragons Arc 3: Scene # [Securing the Future]
LOCATION:
Driving, East District
PARTICIPANTS:
Chikage, Jesper, Kasumi, Amari, Sophia (NPC)
SECURING THE FUTURE
Traveling along the highway, through the deep ravines of the East’s architectural orchestrate, Chikage drove in hushed contemplation; reflected on the conclusive words spoken by Lars Albrecht.

The road stretched on for straight miles, cars in front and more behind him, two lanes separated by a dotted white line, a total of four divided by a great spine of dual-yellows and indicative of opposing flows of traffic.

Chikage weaved idly through the congestion, in no particular hurry.

Lars had stopped him before he left, with a question… “I need you to consider something on your way out. There is no peace in free will, but to take away free will is just cruelty. Peace and free will cannot co-exist, so what do you choose? Let there be free will, and use power to exert a sense of peace? Or enforce an era of peace, where no man can commit evil—which is a broad, broad term?”

The Captain’s brow furrowed.

An era where no man can commit evil… At the absence of free-will? He had left without response—and would be lying if he said he wasn’t trying to be an asshole, because he was. He didn’t like Lars from the first words out of his mouth. But the last ones stuck… And he played with them, Chikage. Turned them up, twisted them, and repeated them aloud, trying to unravel the mystery of Lars’ intentions.

Just what are you planning?

Chikage could have asked, and he didn’t doubt Lars would have responded genuinely… but he didn’t… because he was annoyed. The ego was a hard thing to understand and, at times, he let it get the better of him. So, now all he could do was carefully consider the question. Until next time.

Taking the wheel with his left hand, Chikage reached for his phone. It was mounted to the nearest of two vents. And he found the number to HQ, clicked it, and started a call.

It rang twice before ending on its own.

He thought nothing of it, red eyes glancing back and forth between the phone and the road, and tried again. This time it rang once before the screen’s image distorted and flickered. The numbers became a jumbled mess, then a high-pitched mechanical screeching broke through the tiny speaker. “Fucking-” Chikage ripped the phone off its mount, holding it now.

Something was wrong…

He turned the phone off and threw it into the passenger floor, took out his emergency light and slapped it to the roof of his Jeep. When it came on, it didn’t take long for traffic to ease out of his way, clearing a path like does the sea for the occasional vintner, and Chikage sped on.

Next stop, CDPD HQ.
CHIKAGE/POST NOTES​
— —The majority of the front, right half of Chikage's body is badly scarred from burns, stopping halfway up his neck. For this reason, he wears a black, leather glove always covering his right hand, and usually wears long-sleeved, concealing clothes. Reference (X)

— —What he's wearing: (Click) Formal suit with a red overcoat + Watch on his left wrist; Only the right hand is gloved

— —Chikage's Jeep: (Click)

— —POST RECAP: Chikage is on his way to CDPD HQ.

(Interacting w/ no one)
(Mentioned Lars)
AriAriAbabwa AriAriAbabwa
 





Filth In the Gutter
Collabers: Jiak & Bash: Nobody Special Nobody Special & Regal​



He dodged, dipped down, weaving under the strike to Bash’s opposite side. And then with his fist glowing a sickly pale green, he struck Bash’s swinging bicep-- the force of kinetic energy building in his palm made the punch act like a savage high jump kick. All that force on the tricep should have sent him spinning backwards- opening for another attack-- but Bash was crafty.

The bastard had always been crafty and quick on the field.

It stung like hell, but it would take a lot more to take the enraged Taipan down. He did indeed spin back from the force of the attack– but he lowered himself to the ground as he did so to avoid any unwanted follow-ups.

Not afraid ‘ta hit me, huh, you fuck…?

He pushed himself off of the ground with his hands, before swiftly pulling his gray sweater over his head and tossing it aside on the ground. Now shirtless, he slammed his fists together with an annoyed grunt before raising his guard once again.

Hit me now, you fuckin’ traitor.” He growled, shooting forward for another frontal assault. This time, he aimed for a takedown, crouching low and opening his arms to try and sweep Jiak’s legs and force him onto the ground.

I beat ‘yer shitty Queen, and I’m damn sure gonna beat YOU!

The response to that was a digging his foot through the floor, Jiak waited for the right time and then just as Bash was a good couple feet away, he slammed his foot in-- and immediately, like a swing going up, the ground underneath his foot tilted upwards, with the part where Bash stood, rising upwards with him and shifting his balance completely. Jiak didn’t waste time as the pillar of ground lurched upwards with Bash, he slammed his open glowing palm into it and veins of sickly green arced upwards towards Bash’s position-- shooting off bits and pieces of the floor in Bash’s direction like badly aimed bullets that at best might have only caused minor scratches or hit him here and there where the majority missed but that was all part of the plan.

Mother–

Bash quickly pulled his arms in to form a cross-arm defense from the hailing debris that shot forward at him. With his upper body now completely exposed to all damage, what should have been nothing serious now felt like dozens of needles quickly prickling his skin over and over again. It stung, but it was more annoying than unbearable.

Bash’s growing frustration thanks to his inability to make direct contact with his opponent caused the announcement that blasted throughout the lab to completely slip his mind as he leapt off of the elevated structure that Jiak had created. Because of this, when he landed back on level ground, the feeling of a hand gripping the back of his ankle caught him completely off guard.

What… He thought to himself, his head snapping back to get a closer look at the seemingly dead but somehow alive man latched to his leg.

The fuck is this…?

Without putting another second of thought into it, his leg launched forward, sending the corpse flying in Jiak’s direction.

The Jiak didn't even bother he side-stepped the flung body and at the last second, with reflex and precison, spun, caught the thing by a stray limb and on his 360 turn all around, flinged it right back towards Bash before he slammed both his fits into the ground, manipulating the force of his attack to create a wave that sent the whole place shaking.

With the blaring alarms announcement not entirely ignored- he began considering the option of retreating- unless of course Bash handled the attack better than he thought.


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VULKEN BECKMAN
SCENE:
New Oasis Arc 3: Scene 2 [The Dragon and the Phoenix]
LOCATION:
Central District
PARTICIPANTS:
Helva, Hou, Isaiah, Kaede, Kanna, Maho, Meirin, Ra, Rin, Shen, Soren, Vulken, Varoslav, Yong-Yut
CURRENT STAGE:
2 (Current Temp: 1,500°F / 815.6°C)
THE DRAGON AND THE PHOENIX

It seemed that Helva had decided to partially obey his enraged demands. The assault she called had come to a stop, but his vision was still heavily impaired by the darkness surrounding them all. Oh, well. He’d have to deal with the dark veil over his eyes for now.

As she sat there, suspended in the air by Vulken’s arm, Helva began to ramble on and on about things like loyalty, family, and of course, his inter-gang relationships– all in an annoyingly calm voice.

The frustrated glare in Vulken’s eyes was thankfully masked by the unyielding darkness. He had never been able to fully grasp it, much to Helva’s disappointment. If someone hadn’t done anything to you, what was wrong with being their friend– even if they were from another gang? All his life, Vulken had typically seen other people as, well, just that. People. Their backgrounds or gang ties virtually never mattered to him, and that was half the reason why he’d been able to make it this far without having too many knives to his throat. He was passive, indifferent until he was wronged.

That was exactly why he was able to hold back, even in the face of a fight as massive as this one. No one in this room had brought him any harm– and because Helva technically started this mess, he had no reason to harm them. He had his blazing crosshairs fixed onto the faces of only two Dragons at the moment, and one of them could be within his reach right now.

If only he could explain that to her.

If only he could see.

I ain’t choosin’ any of those options.” He declared, trying his best to stay calm and not lash out on the woman. She was right– he really did see her as a younger sister, and he was always gentle with his sisters.

None of this is necessary, Hellie. It’ll do more bad than good. You just can’t see it yet. I don’t need any members of my family getting hurt here, but if you keep us in this darkness any longer, that’s exactly what’s gonna happen.

Though it wasn’t visible, Vulken’s hardened expression heavily emphasized how uncharacteristically serious he was in this moment. Right now– one way or another– Helva was in his way. And while he had no plans of changing her mind with violence, it didn’t seem like the worst idea to knock some sense into his stubborn junior’s head.

Look. I don’t wanna hold you here for the rest of the day. As a matter of fact, I got somethin’ I wanna do myself. But I can’t allow this bullshit fight, Hellie. S’not what Lyric wants. So, turn the damn lights back on so we can figure out what’s goin’ on as a team.

He sighed.

If my hunch is wrong, then trust me,” While he spoke, he raised his free hand– holding it over the heads of all of the remaining Dragons in the room like a deadly guillotine being armed.

I’ll burn everything to the ground right by your side.


Peckinou Peckinou
 
CAMILA GASPARI
SCENE:
Tigers Arc 3: Scene 2 [The Heist]
LOCATION:
Central District
PARTICIPANTS:
Camila, Ryutaro, Maria, Jennifer, Sylvie, Samira
THE HEIST
The monochrome-haired tiger took the initiative into the armory right after Samira, the soles of her loafers clacking loudly against the cold, hard floor of the room. The brand of the firearms spoken by the Ace flew over Camila's head for the most part, but it didn't take a gun nut to realize that they were rare and not supposed to be here to begin with, and at the end of the day, what mattered was to simply take some of them. By the sound of it, these could potentially fetch a generous amount if sold in the black marker...Perhaps she could sneak one in and make an extra profit out of it?

Well, that's what she would've thought if she was a dumb rookie with no agency on long-term gain. No need to risk her neck like that. And so she filled her bag with the most compact weapons available, make sure to keep all the good space for the really important stuff.

As she was done doing her part, she rejoined with the Queen at the vault, just in time to see him open the door to the vault. The veteran grinned wickedly as she walked inside the vault, randomly selecting one of the lockers within. She lowered her bag and reached for one of the items she brought in herself. Even with their superpowered bodies, an average-level HP probably wouldn't be able to rip one of these open, and it just so happened that raw power wasn't part of Camila's set of talents. Thus, she started to work her way through the security measure with a set of rudimentary yet trusty lockpicks, her many years of practice and natural sleight of hand allowed her to slide through the pins effortlessly. In a matter of seconds, the familiar clicking sound of success rang through her eardrums, it simply never got old. She opened the locker, there was only a modest wad of cash and a fancy pocket watch, either a family heirloom or a collector's item, now reduced into nothing but a part of the tiger's bounty. Not the best haul, but it was only the first of many.

"Almost makes me wish I had memorized the lockers of a few big fish, oh well." She kept working her way through lockers, stuffing her bag further with a combination of cash and valuable items. She took a short moment to look at her peers.

"You heard the boss, don't hold back and take as much as you can, we may not have an opportunity like this for a while." It may have seemed like a general, targetless comment, but truthfully, it was mainly directed towards her junior. She couldn't allow his distraught state to get in the way of their objective. While she had no plans of admitting it anytime soon, one of her biggest drives today was also to finally have Sylvie get rid of that debt of his. She would make sure that it happened...I mean, a debtless partner was far easier to work with, of course...


@joshuadim @Uasal @Shoya WhiskeyMarten WhiskeyMarten
 
SCENE:
Serpents Arc 3: Scene 3 [The Filth in The Gutter]
LOCATION:
Lab Icarus, North District
PARTICIPANTS:
Darius, Orion, Rutheless, Sang-Cheol, Yuto
Filth In The Gutter

The lab's ground floor was already crumbling by the amount of unrestrained violence both gangs were unleashing. When Jiak sent out a shockwave, it rushed throughout the warehouse. Multiple shelves shook and toppled over by the sudden shake and spilled their contents out. The floor creaked, and the walls cracked. However, this was fortunate for a third party that was nearby.

Immediately from the wall, Ahri broke through the wall. Her clothes were on fire, and her skin was burnt. Though her vacant expression persisted, yet seemed even duller than before.

Her eyes laid on both Bash and the enemy dragon, who had caused the shockwave in the first place. A decision was quickly made in the span of a millisecond. Her chest opened, and a cavity filled with spikes was found inside. Her orders were to eliminate everyone in the lab. The orders were vague enough to also include the Serpent Jack in that list of people.

Fortunately for Bash, she could only fit one person inside her. Maximizing her chances to attack, Ahri manifested numerous chains straight forward at Jiak. Sailing the air at a fast speed, they shot forward like arrows.
 
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