Fantasy New Oasis: Four Heavenly Kings

[BriiAngelic]

Lyric Ashton Crianza

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 1: Scene 1 [From The Ashes]

LOCATION:

Nightlife District, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Ziz ( OverconfidentMagi ), Yong-Yut ( gxxberkit ), Fixer ( GrieveWriter ), Charlie ( Roda the Red )

From The Ashes

She couldn’t have asked for a better team. She would say it was mainly due to how natural they looked, but that came near entirely due to their actually putting work in. Even Ziz… for all that Ziz was doing, was doing her best.

She heard the trucks come rumbling in signaling the arrival of Fixer.

She turned to Yong who’d wondered if they would be wrapping up soon. Technically they could… they certainly could with how much gains they had made. There would be plenty more eyes in the others of the gang. Several other groups had made their way into the rotation just as she had made them.

The gains they had made on the lesser-used buildings would be enough once they could finish this part of the district. The rebuilt nightclubs would be reopening soon which meant they could all kick back and enjoy some damn drinks while others took a turn.

“Soon… we should finish off where we can before we start heading back to HQ to get a goddamn shower.”

She let her eyes follow Bernardo’s view, sighing as Ziz had spread out the rubble pile she had once again. It was her saving grace that one of their better newbies came running up with more beams. She let out a small and rare genuine smile.

“Fixer, don’t worry too much. Rebuilding is a multistep process. For now, we’ll clean up the rubble and start the foundation of the new building.”

She let her hammer drop once she lightened its weight to the amount of a feather letting it land without a sound or real impact to it... Once it landed on the ground she released her manipulation of it. She turned to the newbie before continuing.

“Feel free to knock yourself out. It may be easier for me to just get this done quickly though.”

Once she answered him she turned back to the rubble pile lightening each piece of debris before yeeting them into the trucks. Only once they were in did she release the hold making light work of the clean-up.

“Once this is done… join us for a round of drinks. Temperer?”

She said so with a question in her voice. She may have been directly introduced to each sponsor and sponsee but hell if she could remember each and every one. Still family was family and the kid was already proving his willingness to help if he thought she of all people needed the help.

She looked up glaring at the setting sun. Well if nothing else they’d managed to repair a few more businesses today. Civilians would start to thicken soon, both immediately with nightclubs opening soon and in the future as they built their jewel back up twice as beautiful.

“...Just remember. We’re building it up twice as grand.”

>>> To The Next Post

 

[Nobody Special]

BASH HIRABAYASHI

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 1: Scene 1 [Friends in Low Places]

LOCATION:

North Side, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Anna, Darius, Raphael

✕ POTENTIALS BANNED:

Blood For Blood [Raphael Shaw]

Friends in Low Places

<<< Remember

Kill him... Kill him! KILL HIM!!

Those were the words rushing through Bash's mind as he tightly gripped the back of his victim's head, ready to break Raph's skull open with it as he channeled every ounce of his momentum into his swing. Who the hell did this motherfucker think he was?! He was the fucking Ace now, and he didn't care how upset this bloody-bastard was about it. He'd be sure to drill that fact into his thick fucking skull, right here, right now. Whether he survived Bash's little lesson or not would be completely up to him.

Golden eyes flickered onto the candy-red ichor that his opponent's hands had become submerged within. The boy blinked, but was not at all hesitant to continue his assault. Sure, he had no defense aside from the slightly-heavyset high schooler in his hand, but he could care less about what came next. His inner pride roared to him that victory was imminent-- as it always was-- and adrenaline violently pumped throughout his veins at lightning-fast speeds. He'd been up against much, much worse. He wouldn't back down from something as 'harmless' as blood-- something that was flowing through Bash's body as much as it was Raph's.

Of course, going up against those with potentials that far surpassed his own in terms of functionality and power was a severe risk, but it was one that he'd always been willing to take. After all, behind the explosions, razor-sharp claws, and countless spikes made of blood, there was nothing but a man. And that was nothing for him to be scared of. He'd survived hell as a child, and these sons of bitches expected him to fear them? Just the thought of falling back, of hesitating and turning away made Bash's blood boil even more. He'd cut his own fucking stomach open before doing some pussy-ass-shit like that.

The time for thinking was over, and it was finally time to strike. Raph seemed to plan on stabbing through the 'Prowler' to get to him, but he'd use Embargo on him before that dream even came close to becoming reality-- he was sure of it. As the spikes closed in on the torso of the boy, Bash used his free hand to reach forward, quickly closing it into a tight fist and aiming a punch directly at his enemies' face. He'd get him square in the jaw, but hopefully his punch wouldn't be hard enough to knock the fucker out cold. He wanted to savor this ass-whooping--

But, before either of the two black-haired boys could connect, Bash felt a hard impact knock the head of his meat-shield out of his hand. While most would normally direct their attention to the flying body of the unconscious boy, Bash's head instead twisted violently to lay eyes on the motherfucker who'd interrupted his hunt. First, a shoe, then some jeans, then a white dress shirt...

And, the last article of clothing was so mesmerizing to Bash that his narrowed eyes softened for a moment, before quickly and viciously furrowing, his pupils dilating as his thoughts stoked the flames of rage inside of him until it was a blazing inferno of hot-blooded wrath.

That stupid. Fucking. GORILLA. MASK.

I'll kill you, He thought, looking Anna directly in her eyes through her mask. His stone-cold glare was like that of an enraged beast staring down its prey before pouncing. In fact, he was lucky Raph had paused his attack as well, because he'd have been a Bash-kebab if he hadn't. All of his focus was now on Deluge. She'd interrupted his fight. What would he do to her? Put her sad life to an end now, or wait until later so that he could enjoy watching her release all of the fear of her impending death she'd have built up by the time the day was over? Her apology completely missed his ears as he stared her down. The only thing that saved her at that moment was the blonde haired, fucked-up-skinned figure that entered his field of vision. Somehow, seeing Darius managed to snap Bash out of his murderous trance, and allowed him to actually use his head for a second.

Wait... was she...

...Trying to save him...

...So that we didn't lose a seller...?

He blinked. Maybe these fucking idiots weren't as... fucking idiotic as he thought they were! He felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest, but now had nowhere to direct his anger. He didn't even want to fight Raph at that moment anymore. They'd settle it later. For now, it was time to get back to work--

The blood-spikes suddenly shot out of Raph's hands again. At first, Bash raised his hand to guard himself-- but when he realized who the attack was truly meant for, he shot his hand forward and grabbed Raph's wrist. In an instant, the hardened, crimson red spikes halted in their tracks, before returning to their liquid form and littering the ground with quiet splatters, almost as if it were raining.

Nevermind. They'd settle it now.

"Go ahead and try it." He growled, holding his wrist so tightly that he'd have broken it if he went any further. Brass and steel eyes met and clashed like the blades of warriors. "That's mine. I'll fuckin' handle 'er. Now FOCUS, bitch!"

It was time for a good old fashioned fist fight. Bash immediately let go of Raph's wrist and sent a left uppercut careening straight for his ribcage, roaring wildly as his fist came shooting upwards with the rest of his body.

>>> To The Next Post

Elenion Aura WhiskeyMarten The One Eyed Bandit

 

[Lucem]

Ezra Knight

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 1: Scene 2 [Money Talks]

LOCATION:

The White Tiger Casino, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Alice AriAriAbabwa , Cassidy Fenris , Charmy BluEndings

MONEY TALKS

When Charmy announced that she would be sitting out for the first round, Ezra felt his stomach sink. The feeling worsened when Cassidy and Alice decided to do the same, stepping away from the table to get drinks. While he was sure the women had their reasons for doing so, he couldn't help but feel anxious. For the moment, he was fighting alone, putting more pressure on him.

Locked in a one-on-one with the biggest winner of the night, he could feel the heat of the spotlight. He and his game partner were the center of attention, attracting the patrons who had been whispering about him since he walked into the casino. The stares from earlier were back, and they were much harder to ignore than before. Although, they weren't as worrying as Titus' wandering eyes.

While Titus' lecherous looks at Alice were concerning, Ezra could only think about the moment the large man turned his gaze away from the deck. He had been watching him closely during his explanation, so he was certain of what he saw. It only lasted a moment and probably meant nothing, but the young Knight couldn't help but feel a little paranoid. Did Charmy see it? Was it even worth fretting about?

Like Titus, he'd yet to turn over his card. He already knew the value, so it wasn't necessary to check. However, to avoid making his opponent suspicious, he decided to look. While the card laid flat on the table, he pulled at the edge, revealing as little as possible. He couldn't throw out the possibility that Titus had been cheating as well, and he didn't want to risk giving him an advantage.

For now, he'd do his best to maintain his composure and stay focused on the game. It was up to him to make the first move, and he had to be quick. He'd done some research about gambling, but he still wasn't sure what would be good for a starting bet. If he went too low, Titus could lose interest and give up on the game before it even started. If he went too high, the socialite might not want to take the risk. There were a lot of factors to consider.

Still wearing a polite smile, Ezra tapped his card and thought back to the words Cassidy left the table with. "I wouldn't want to disappoint the kind women who went to get drinks for us. I'll wager one hundred thousand to start." He was surprised he could say that without stuttering.

Despite coming from a wealthy family, he was nervous about spending so much money. Still, he had to remember that the most important thing was winning back all of Titus' chips as quickly as possible. He knew it was normal to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a single bet in high stakes games, so he didn't think the amount he proposed was outrageous. Titus also had the option of raising if he felt it wasn't enough. What happened next was up to the man who surprisingly remembered his name.

>>> To The Next Post

 

[The Prophet]

DIMITRI BELLARI

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 1: Scene 3 [Training Day]

LOCATION:

North-Eastern Bridge, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Reika, Vulken

Training Day

"Nope~"

Dimitri watched as it happened; a sudden twisting movement as Reika moved to attack him the moment Vulken appeared. Thinking back, he probably should have expected this when today was marked as a 'Training Day'. Light grey irises followed the kick, as Dimitri wondered if he could get his arm up in time to defend against her and to counterattack. The answer was a resounding no, as her calf connected with his face and caused the redhead to stumble a few steps back, the crunch of stone being ground against his shoes as Dimitri regained his position. "Whoa, alri-!" Suddenly his hand shot up to the top of his head, finding thick locks of hair but not the familiar feeling of metal frames. Looking down, his sunglasses had been caught on the handle of his rapier, wedged between dark leather and his thumb. "Glad I caught it, it was a gift. One second." Slipping them in his pocket, Dimitri fitted on the black gauntlets under his arm while she talked to Vulken. When they fit closely up to his elbow, he tested the claws' points before drawing his weapon with a small flourish and holding it in front of him loosely. "So we're just going to fight right away? Sounds like fun! A Queen, a former Jack, and a month old rookie. It's just perfect~!" Smiling just enough to expose the white fangs hidden behind a practiced grin, Dimitri considered his options for a very brief moment. When he found his solution, he rolled his shoulders in a small stretch.

the fencing stance he'd kept changed slightly; keeping the rapier in his left as an armored hand disappeared from view behind his back. "My worst? Well before that..." Leaning forward just slightly Dimitri flitted forward, coat left to fall on the floor as he turned on a heel to slam his calf into Reika's face like she had done to him just prior. "Now we're even~"

wasting no time after it connected, Dimitri twisted in a fluid pirouette, tucking his sword arm in before flashing out in an attempt to stab her. With any luck, it would stab clean through her stomach and he could pierce her several more times in succession. She could handle it.

>>> To The Next Post

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Meirin Azuza

CS Link

SCENE:

Dragons Arc 1: Scene 1 [Rogue of the Night]

LOCATION:

Pleasure District, East District District

PARTICIPANTS:

Isaiah, Kairong, Reveler, Meirin, Robin

Rouge of the Night

Pocketing her phone, which didn’t seem to be turning on anyway, Meirin studied the illusionary replicas of Paradise Forever workers Isaiah claimed to know—more than she did at least. Silver was the only one she really recognized as fellow managers of their respective brothels…but, even then, it wasn’t really on a personal level. Not enough to know his real name at any rate. Perhaps Atsuki Azuza might’ve known since he had worked in the Pleasure District for a lot longer, but Meirin’s adoptive father, the previous owner of Eternal Night Palace, had already passed and wasn’t likely to be telling any tales from the grave. Head tilted as Isaiah hid her presence, then altered his own appearance, Meirin watched their Ace enter Paradise Forever before following suit. A charming place. Nothing compared to Eternal Night Palace (at least in Meirin’s biased opinions), but the décor was lovely enough.

Unlike Isaiah (and Kairong and Adonis should they follow), no heads turned her way as they passed through brothel doors. It wasn’t like they all needed to be asking the questions. The more ‘dragons’ showed up, the more intimidated the workers were likely to be…especially given the subject of their inquiries. Meirin had never really been the subtle sort when it came to words. Who murdered the dragon, Eli Azar? Why did they murder the dragon? What were the names of the women last seen interacting with him? Perhaps it was a good thing Robin (in the form of Silver) waited outside since the entire scenario was oddly reminiscent with the events of the rookie’s own trial (in which a man was murdered in a brothel) and that might drag up some painful memories.

Meirin wanted to believe that if one of the brothel workers was involved in killing a dragon, they did it for good a reason. Not all dragons were good dragons, after all…and Meirin certainly didn’t know every dragon. However, just because she tended to feel empathetic towards those similar to her sister, who shared in their line of work, who were dealt a hard hand in life, didn’t mean she was blind to the truth: Regardless of their occupation, people would always be people. There were good people and there were bad people. At the very least, the dragons kept the bad people in check. They were a gang that refrained from violence if they could help it. Ruled their territory with a noble fist, maintaining peace and order for its citizens by whatever means necessary. Was it right? Was it wrong? Meirin didn’t know. She wasn’t someone smart enough to decide how a district—a city—ought be run…or by who…but she knew good from evil. Murder was still murder…and an eye for an eye was how the dragons did things. She also knew that it was only thanks to the Dragons that orphans like herself and her sis, who had nothing to their names, got where they were today.

Therefore, as she passed Isaiah, who spoke to Silver, she whispered in his ear so that only the Ace could hear. “I’m going to see if I can find out where the murder took place.”

Most likely one of the bedrooms. It wasn’t an easy thing, cleaning up blood and all, so there might’ve been some clues missed. “Remember what I said about the women Azaz had been last seen with. They're the ones that are likely to know what he was up to the night he'd been killed.” Depending on how close the employees were with each other, names might be a difficult thing to extract. Or it might be easy. Eternal Night Palace, and the workers there, were like family to Meirin (except the ones sent there by force), but that didn’t necessarily apply to all brothels—the one Robin had been sold to for example. Meirin wasn’t going to pretend that the work they did, selling love and fantasies, was a perfectly clean one. However, she’d do what she could to weed out the wicked.

Enforce the brothel reforms spearheaded by one Queen Isabel Capitani, who she greatly admired.

Keeping her ears peeled for any conversations that involved ‘Eli Azar’, ‘dragon’, or ‘murder’, Meirin refrained from touching any staff or brothel workers as she ducked under a silk curtain and made her way to what looked like one of the private suites. So long as she was careful about bumping into someone, she trusted Isaiah’s illusions would keep her from being seen. Or heard. Still, a door opening on its own would be awkward, so she waited until all eyes were turned away before turning the knob.

Locked. To be expected really.

Body shrinking to the size of an ant, Meirin walked through the tiny crack between the door and the floor. Sneaky wasn’t Meirin’s favorite way of doing things, but it wasn’t as if she hadn’t done investigative tasks for the Dragons before. The Ace being present with his illusions made things easier. Reveler was good at asking questions (she knew that fact firsthand), old man Kairong was a powerhouse fighter who trained both Reveler and the current Ace, and Robin…was a smart boy who could look like anyone he wanted. Meirin was confident he would come up with something while in Silver's body. For now, she had to focus on her task at hand…and the spider sitting in the corner of the room that was looking her way.

Meirin glared at it, daring it to attack.

>>> To The Next Post

Lucem simj26 Mqueserasera Anne Boolean

 

[Caffeine_Obsessed]

HIDE ISHIDA

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 1: Scene 2 [A Gathering Storm]

LOCATION:

Restaurant, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Alex, Akane, Helva, Nina, Hector

A Gathering Storm

To his surprise- and discontent- Hector was the last to show up, bringing his own meal to the restaurant. How much more idiotic could that be?! Hide was once again reminded of why he was so hostile to everyone around him. They all were halfwits.

As Alex started briefing them of some sort of plan and pairing, it admittedly took a while for what was actually happening to click in Hide's mind. After staring blankly at Alex, a dumb expression on his face, he clicked his tongue, nodding. So they were going after someone. Right. Hide had forgotten there were even threats, his memory too clogged up with the past few weeks of cleaning duty. He rolled his eyes as Alex pumped his fists in the air. Despite being in a higher position, Alex could be such a cringey dumbass. With the pairings announced, and being utterly weirded out by the glance Alex gave him, he stood up from his seat. He quickly knocked back the rest of his lemonade, some of it spilling from the corners of his mouth, and rushed his glasses back on, clumsily following after his superior.

Before he could make his way out however, a certain mullet wearing moron intercepted him. His annoyance was swiftly replaced by mischievous curiosity at the prospect of a challenge. An impish grin swept over Hide's face, voice low and conspiring in response, " You've got a deal, Pharaoh.." Hide honestly thought using their aliases with one another was really fucking stupid, but he played along. As Hide reached his hand out to shake Hector's, his palm was met with air.

'Did he just.... Psyche me?... that bastard!!' A scowl formed on Hide's face as he glared daggers into Hector's retreating back. Hide was gonna get him back for that. No one fakes him out!

He grumbled under his breath as he made his way out, adjusting his glasses as he finally caught up with Alex. Shaking his shoulders out, he gave a sigh and let a quirk of a grin edge onto his lips. Adjusting the earpiece into his ear, he questioned Alex in a bored tone, " So, where to? did the mighty Greed not think things through beforehand?" Hide made a teasing drawl at the end of his words. Once it was on, he clapped Alex on the back, tilting his head down a tad so he could be eye level with him. "What poor sap will be on our radar today hm?" A wicked shine glinted off os Hide's glasses. If it meant anything other than cleaning, Hide was sure to have a fun time. Especially if it meant some kind of chase!

>>> To the Next Post

Tobi Naefaerne Anne Boolean Peckinou Mook-LandStrider WhiskeyMarten​

 

[Fenris]

Cassidy Harlow

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 1: Scene 2 [Money Talks]

LOCATION:

The White Tiger Casino, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Alice ( AriAriAbabwa ), Charmy ( BluEndings ), Ezra ( Lucem )

MONEY TALKS

Well so the iced drink idea was a non starter but after having witnessed their mark and where his lecherous gaze tended to wander probably meant they needn't worry too much about Latken's opinion on tea or how it wasn't a common sight in most casino's. “Well that's very considerate of you, I'm sure it'll do him some good. Just remember to be polite.” Cassidy said, then waved down a waitress she recognized as a rookie member of the Tigers.

Before the waitress arrived Alicia attention had veered back to the table and showdown between the Knight heir and the 'man of the hour'. Cassidy took a moment to reply to her question, “Hmm, I can't see why not, just because its a job doesn't mean we can't have fun. Though you should really offer Mr. Latken some tea first, after all we did promise to get drinks. Did you want to draw the cards and leave the betting to Charmy? Or do all of it yourself?”

After swapping a few quiet words with the waitress Cassidy strolled back to the table in the wake of a more excited Alice; carrying and expensive bottle of bourbon. “Figured something with a sweet note would go well following Alice's choice of refreshment.” She announced their return before offering the bottle to Charmy, “Glasses are on the way. Did things heat up sufficiently for us to join in next round or do the gentlemen need a bit longer?”

By the looks of it Ezra had made his move and was awaiting Latken's call. Would his trick work on the experienced gambler? She hadn't figured out what the young man was hiding yet, but that only meant there was something more intriguing than money to be gained from this game.

>>> To The Next Post

 

[BriiAngelic]

RedRiding

CS Link

SCENE:

Dragons Arc 1: Scene 2 [Placidity]

LOCATION:

Outside Dragons HQ, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Lorrin ( @Pik ) Caomei ( @qingwa ) Omar ( @Vahn )

Placidity

<<< Remember

They near laughed at the man’s pathetic attempt at a threat. A handgun? Truly? It would be insulting if not for the fact that he had plausible deniability to believe they were an NP. Granted any NP walking around cloaked and sneaky would be an idiot waiting to be offed by the powers that be of this city. Instead, they walked closer to the edge of the building.

“Surrender? No. Just shoot me.”

Her voice though giving away no inflection one could pull from clearly was feminine. The words were said like facts. Merely acknowledging she would not be choosing to do this the easy way despite only being called for questioning.

“Can you? Would you dare? You’re Dragons aren’t you?”

She spit the word dragons like it was some dirty word. Her hands were held out parallel as if she were mere moments from taking off like a bird.

As the other male began to spit out a monologue she lowered her arms her stance becoming rougher than before.

“Show boarding? Please do enough for both of us. I rather hate when I am forced to be so common, it's below a woman of my status.”

Yes. It was better they ran themselves in circles. Dumb, Dumb, and dumber could let their emotions rule and cause them their own stresses.

>>> To The Next Post

 

[BriiAngelic]

PHOENIX'S

Scene Introduction

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 1: Scene 2 [A Gathering Storm]

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hide, Alex, Hector, Nina, Helva, Akane

A GATHERING STORM

South District.
The nightlife. The former rulers. The contracted killers. The taming hand of the family.

So many things described the district. Like a true phoenix, the south could not be kept down long and as the clubs went back up the city flooded with people returning. The rubble in the distance didn’t matter as the nightclubs just came back better and even more glamorous than before.

The inner city subway platform has people pouring out as the sun goes down. Glitzy glam girls, punks, jocks, party animals. Didn’t matter so long as you were going to live the life. Even the docks started to fill up as some of the more high class brought their yachts and party boats. The ferry brought those in from the lower south where the city met the city limits.

A young woman with pink hair came rushing to the front of the boat with a megaphone in hand as she shouted into it filling the area of the docks. A male stood behind her looking much closer to the average boy next door than someone who really belonged on the boat to begin with though from the gaggle of people around him he was just as popular.

“IS EVERYONE READY TO PARTY NYLUND STYLE?”

A roar ran through the crowd that shocked away the seagulls and other birds that were littering the area causing them to go flying off. People started to disperse either onto the pink-haired female’s boat or to one of the many nightclubs of the area.

Techno beats could be heard coming from the boat clearly a disturbance to the other cargo boats in the area as nearby a group of the crew was complaining about the boat. The loudest of them was an older male who looked to be a grandfather himself.

--------

“Night’s falling. Crowds are getting thicker. Just remember to blend in.”

>>> Follow Alex & Hide [GS Party Life]
>>> Follow Hector & Akane [GS Lowlife]
>>> Follow Helva [High Tide]

 

[Taigakitt]

Yo "Kiyohime" Saiwa
CS Link
Location: Dragon Headquarters, Surveillance Room
Interaction: Kasumi ( FabulousTrash ) | Jesper ( AriAriAbabwa )
​

Eye of Providence​

The text to Shen ( Elenion Aura ) read:

“Information compromised. Where are you?”

Yo wanted to write more in the text, but she worried about anything more getting picked up in any digital conversations. If her phone was later discovered to be an issue, she would just toss it and get a new one. Then again, she might do that regardless due to the mass broadcast. ‘Could we afford new phones for all of the Dragons after this?'

A private line would be amazing, but just as hackable regardless. Though, it could be made to be more difficult.

As Jesper and Kasumi worked the digital landscape, something out of Yo’s scope, Yo kept her eyes glued to her phone, ready to answer any and all questions or phone calls.

More and more, Yo was feeling like the Dragon they sent to investigate these “Cobalt Wolves” truly did leak information to them. Was finding him dead a coincidence? An unfortunate accident? … A ruse? Was the dead Dragon even Eli to begin with? So many questions floated in her head, bearing down on her. There was a reason they sent the DNA to be tested, but results weren’t immediate. After all, they just discovered Eli this morning.

After several minutes had passed, she heard Kasumi speak up, though she sounded exhausted. Yo lifted her gaze to see how exhausted the girl looked. Yo nibbled on her lower lip briefly. East and Central? This worried her, as well as a few other new questions that came to mind.

A notification banner flew across her screen that read: Lab Results Completed.

But Yo didn’t read it. Instead, she pocketed her device when she noticed Kasumi stumble backwards. She wasn’t quick enough before Kasumi hit the floor.

Yo crouched down, grabbing Kasumi’s glasses and setting them on the table. She sat on the floor next to her, lifting Kasumi’s head to put on her lap, running her hand through the other’s hair, also to get a feel for the girl’s forehead. She wasn’t privy to the extent of Kasumi’s ability and Yo worried about the girl’s well-being.

Looking up at Jesper, her brain flitted between calling him his actual name, or his program’s name. In the end, she settled on what made more sense in the current situation, “Jesper, I’m counting on you to get the rest cleaned up. I’ll stay with Cipher until she wakes.” In the end, she chose his actual name instead of “Guardian,” mostly because he wasn’t dressed as the program at the moment.

The alert Jesper sent out to all of East’s phones buzzed in her pocket. She slipped her phone back out, “Status report please? How many cameras are down?”

>>> To The Next Post

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

Alicia Morel

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 1: Scene 2 [Money Talks]

LOCATION:

The White Tiger Casino, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Alice, Cassidy ( Fenris ), Charmy ( BluEndings ), Ezra ( Lucem )

Money Talks

"Draw cards? Betting?" Alice tilted her head at Cassidy with a clueless smile. She then waved her pointer finger up at the woman. "That's not how cards work! Don't you know the rules of playing The Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot? My mom and I play it all the time!" With the proud stance she took, one could see a passionate shine in her gaze. "One person gets all the red cards, and the other gets all the black. Then—" Alice stopped, remembering the reason they went out. She rubbed the back of her head, smirking. "It'll take too long for me to explain; we shouldn't keep everyone waiting!"

Alice put the empty tea cup in her pocket, fluttering over to a nearby table. With a short, jovial exchange with the person there, she took an empty chair and hefted it with her. The chair hid most of her body and wobbled Alice as she walked, but she beamed while returning to the table. She laid the chair adjacent to Titus', almost nuzzling against him. Despite his notable odor and demeanor, she couldn't have cared less. She made eye contact with Ezra, extending the brightest smile of her own to his cautious countenance.

Alice retrieved the tea cup, followed by a materializing tea pot after she laid it down at the table. "We can get yummy stuff right now! It's not as big as a party that I'm used to, but I'm happy either way!" After eyeing Ezra again, she pulled yet another tea cup from her pocket. Then, humming about, she poured a each cup to full.

"I've only two cups for now, but the taste gets better with each..." Alice's smile faltered a moment. Dante's words bounced back into mind, as if sprinting a marathon from the months prior it occurred up to now. Understand your own powers better, and think about how they have you using them. Why did she remember that now? Nevertheless, it was a mere moment, and she quickly resumed to normal. "The taste gets better with each refill!"

The smell of the tea itself was warming to the soul; enticing, even. And though she was only supposed to serve the special guest beside her, she felt bad that the younger boy would have been left out, hence the second cup. Once Alice gently pushed the drinks to each side, she buried her chin into her arms on the table, squishing her cheeks like a chipmunk. "When you guys finish a round, can I join, too?"

>>> To The Next Post

​

 

[Mqueserasera]

REVELER

CS Link

SCENE:

Dragons Arc 1: Scene 1 [Rogue of the Night]

LOCATION:

Pleasure District, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Isaiah, Meirin, Kairong, Reveler

ROGUE OF THE NIGHT

Paradise Forever – the stage! Adonis appeared to take in everything at once of the brothel’s interior from the entrance. The backdrop: some attempts at a tactful, inviting experience from the owner. The furnishing, the decorations all served as a stage for carnal acts, to relax the nerves and propel one to new passions. Passion—now that’s a curious word. Adonis smiled at his surroundings, the whole lobby and the people, the tension in the air, and the hope and the dread in the eyes of the workers. As if those creatures of fakeness could ever bring out a fraction of his highest emotions! Loveless gazes, fleshy speech—fancily dressed women employing the tools of their trade to appeal to the lowest common denominator. There was nothing to be noted in their methods. They seek to evoke passion in their patrons, yet they themselves make golden cages of their hearts. Too noble to let loose, too precious to have tainted. These were not lovers of the night, but mere merchants of pleasure. Nothing more, nothing less. And though those facts were plain, Adonis, in the role of the prey he had assumed, felt a peculiar pity for his hunters. Hunters out of obligations, of duty for the immediate wealth in their prey. No love existed there, no hate, no fear, no ambition. And worse, his appearance as a Dragon would only serve to drive them to rigid prudence. They should be on guard now, mind hardened, steeled. The more they could emulate an automaton the better. One could see plainly the impression they wished to present: oh so harmless diligent workers who mind their own business, shut their ears, and seal their mouths; doe eyes opened wide dumb and clueless. Playing with such creatures is not fun. Not at all.

Unless.

Unless he could somehow put pride in their heart, so they're convinced of themselves being great, opportunistic predators, and he the fat, delicious prey for the hunting. Wouldn’t it be nice to see them reveal their talons in competing for a big prize? He would like to see those emotions hidden beneath these cosmetics layers.

When Isaiah went to the manager, he did not look, did not care. In fact, he swept his eyes languidly, proudly about the lobby, but seemingly looking at no one at all. On each person present, he did not stop for long, but went on, without faltering until the whole lobby and its residents were studied. Then when his gaze retraced its steps he landed it solely on three women, tellingly in their manner of dress being the brothel’s moneymakers. Fixating his attention on the pretty faces gathered together, he approached with sure steps and a relaxed smile.

“Ladies,” he began, the smile never left his lips, “I do think you've guessed my purpose for being here. Well, you guessed wrong. Even I do not know.” He threw a quick glance at Kairong, sighed, before quickly returning to the subject matter, “I’m not one to complain about the company of young women though. Much better than a grumpy old man. Ahhhh, questioning, questioning, that’s what I’m supposed to be doing—though there’s little meaning in that, if you ask me. Well then…”

He appeared to study the women thoroughly, in their entirety, lingering his brazen gaze where it mattered. “A more private setting would be preferable I say. But with who? The most charming one, perhaps?” He looked gently into gorgeous green eyes, and took her hand in his. “But best if I can have all of you to myself. Do you three want me? Or would you prefer the old man over there? Tell you what, come with me and you may earn a long-lasting relationship.” He finished it off with a wink, passing a look to each of the three.

>>> To the Next Post

simj26 Lucem QuirkyAngel Anne Boolean

 

[mewmilk]

YEONA HAN

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 1: Scene 3 [We’ll Do It Live]

LOCATION:

Housing Zone 4, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Delynne, Kisara, Tri, Yuudai

WE'LL DO IT LIVE

Yeona couldn’t help but let out an impressed whistle when one of the rookies blacked out an entire house. It was always fun to see other people’s abilities, provided that they weren’t directed at her. The horned one’s rowdy complaints reminded her to check her phone’s status, which was Dead. Oh well, a phone’s a phone. She could always get another one. She gave a leisure salute and a quick ‘yes, sir,’ to the king’s directives. Renovate the house by cutting out some extra large mouse holes. The orders were simple and easy, she liked that.

Yeona entered the house last, behind Kisara and Yuudai. She couldn’t help but notice that the king looked very fluffy, reminiscent of her childhood toy, Mr Snuggles. But not nearly as cute. Still, if not for Live Wire’s shocking first move, she might’ve snapped a few pictures in secret, for personal use. She didn’t let her mind wander for long, quickly moving away from her companions to do her task.

Things could get messy in tight quarters like these, given her potential’s indiscriminate nature. Sticking close to the walls to minimize her potential’s range, she released her aura at regular intervals throughout the house. By the time she was done, the house had a number of extra entry points and a lot of sawdust. She hadn’t encountered any mice during her little tour. However, the gunshots told her the residents were already preoccupied, something she was glad for. As harmless as they were to an HP like her, bullets still stung and bruised.

Having done her part, she reached for her cigs while ignoring the ruckus. She was just about to light it, when she heard someone sneeze behind her. Turning around, she found herself face to face with a wide eyed young man, armed with a pistol. The man - or rather, boy - was the very image of a delinquent, with tattoos and all. He was the hardier sort, the type she was accustomed to seeing up here in the north. Well muscled too, though that wouldn’t help him any.

The instant he raised his weapon, she activated her aura for a brief second, shredding the gun to pieces and removing a handful of fingers. Now that he was disarmed, she moved in and delivered a quick blow to his chin to knock him out. Although she’d absolutely despised her mother’s brutal training, she had to admit that it proved useful at times.

Dragging the boy with one hand, Yeona retraced her steps and, upon finding Delynn again, tossed over her most recent catch. "Yo, rookie. Hold onto this rat for me, will ya? And don’t drop it, it’s fragile goods." Being the kind senior she was, she couldn’t just leave the new girl twiddling her thumbs. By dumping extra work on her giving her something to do, she’d ensured the newbie wouldn’t be bored on the job. She already did as she was told, and then some. It was time to just sit back and watch the show. Now, where was that fuzzy bear?

>>> To The Next Post

Damafaud Mook-LandStrider simj26 Taigakitt

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

ANNA GARDENER

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 1: Scene 1 [Friends In Low Places]

LOCATION:

North Side, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Bash ( Nobody Special ), Darius ( WhiskeyMarten ), Raphael ( Elenion Aura )

FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES

<<< Remember

Raphael wasn't the only one whose blood was jumping out of their veins, or at least, that's what it felt like. Anna, at this point, considered herself as somewhat of a professional. A reluctant professional, but a professional nonetheless. But, despite her rampant professionalism and good manner, having her life threatened was something she had never gotten used to. Maybe it was a sign she was just in the wrong line of work. Maybe it was a sign that she needed to toughen up. Or, maybe it was a sign that she just needed to keep better company.

Either which way, this was not the first time she'd had her life threatened by another Serpent, nor, she was sure, would it be the last. Peering through the chestnut-shaped slits in her mask, Anna's eyes locked with Raphael's. His Potential was flashy, bold, and even intimidating, but an inch of calm seeped back into her body as she realized that Raphael did not seem to be a very clever angry person.

"Well..." Anna started, making an attempt to consider her words a bit more carefully than she had a moment ago. And then she stopped. Stopped in her tracks, even. Anna, in her years of working alone, had gotten used to a lot of things, but having somebody help her unbidden was not one of those things. When Bash swept in and nullified Raphael's Potential, she had to take a moment to process it, and her eyebrows rose in disbelief from within their rubbery prison.

Before she knew it, both of her 'Seniors' were exchanging hands. Anna exchanged a look with Darius, wondered if she was being blessed or cursed, and then realized that both the Growler-boy and Raphael's blood were now covering her clothes. So much for subtlety.

"Well... I hope you don't mind if we leave you two to it?..." Anna shuffled away from the pair, and towards Darius. "The two of us will get to um... Pulling our weight. We'll go recruit the uh, Western Central Zingers, or s-something. Right Darius?" She shot the young boy a look that she hoped said, 'Roll with it!'.

"We'll meet back up with you guys here in an hour. A-alright?" Internally, she hoped that Bash was as good at listening while beating the shit out of someone as he was at talking while beating the shit out of someone. She didn't fancy the idea of pissing off her Ace just because Raphael's blood had clogged up his ears.

>>> To The Next Post

 

[FabulousTrash]

Kasumi Katsura - Azure Dragons - Veteran [CS LINK]
Scene - Dragons Arc 1 | Scene 3: Eye of Providence
Location - Surveillance Room, Dragon HQ, East District
Mentions/Interactions - Yo Saiwa ( Taigakitt ), Jesper Albrecht ( AriAriAbabwa )

All she could see was darkness.

It felt like Kasumi was in limbo. She couldn't do anything but wait for what was to come next. Though, the feeling left just as quickly as it had came and soon, Kasumi was aware of her surroundings. She could feel her body, but it was still exhausted. Her eyes squeezed shut before blinking open, allowing the light of the room to begin filling in. Everything was blurry. Where were her glasses?

Above her, Kasumi could make out the blurry shape of....Yo? It looked like her, and the colors of the clothing looked similar.

The next feeling that came to Kasumi was that her head was propped up by something. She could only guess that Yo was supporting her head after she fell.

With some effort, Kasumi began to sit up, pushing herself up a little with her hands against the floor. She reached up, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear before looking around, patting the floor and mumbling a little.

"My glasses...."

Kasumi eventually stopped, assuming that they got moved somewhere. By now, the fog in her mind was clearing and Kasumi remembered what she was doing before blacking out.

Thats right, the cyber-attack...and the leak...

She looked around, her eyes managing to identify another blurry shape in the general direction of where the desk was. She was pretty sure it was Jesper. Kasumi cleared her throat before speaking up.

"Did it work...?"

>>> To The Next Post

 

[Taigakitt]

Rogue of the Night
In Scene: Isaiah ( Lucem ) | Kairong ( simj26 ) | Meirin ( QuirkyAngel ) | Reveler ( Mqueserasera ) | Robin ( Anne Boolean )

​

Paradise Forever was quiet, for a brothel anyway. The air was solemn. It felt like someone died with the expressions and tenseness that filled the building. Oh wait, someone did.

The building had several entrances and exits, a low-to-the-ground wooden deck surrounded the outside. Lanterns were hung up to light the way with the sun quickly going down.

There was a main entrance, more flourished and noted the name of the building with signage. Two beautiful, pink-flowering trees stood like guardians on either side of the path that led up the deck and to the entrance.

Once inside, there was a lobby and a little side room to the left. It kind of looked like an office. Standing right at the door of the office, adjusting some flowers on a side table, was a man with long, silvery hair. His expression… was unreadable. Next to the flowers sat a phone, screen facing up.

The rest of the lobby was circular, the edges held large booths with fluffy seating. Some of the tables were occupied. In the middle of the room was a statue of a tree that had glowing lanterns hanging from the branches. Those branches extended across the ceiling and lit the pathways with its lanterns. Below the tree were some benches and tables.

Outside of the circular lobby, there were three long hallways that all circled around and eventually met up at some point or another. Those hallways held rooms. Some rooms were just covered by curtains, others by a door. It depended on the privacy that was wanted, in all honesty. Those hallway ceilings saw the same tree’s branches with lanterns to light the way.

The crowd wasn’t as large as it normally was, but with a murder in the house, of course they wouldn’t be hosting as big a crowd as normal. Some of the workers probably chose to not work that night. Anyone else must either be in their private rooms in the building or at their own home.

In one of the fluffy tables past the large tree statue sat a woman in a classy green dress, her long blonde hair falling down in waves. At the table, she was energetically playing with a phone in her hand. Sat across from her, near the edge of the bench-piece was a woman in a sheer, short, black dress and a black lace choker. They were quietly brushing their long, pale pink hair. Pink eyes didn’t seem to focus on anything in particular, zoned out on the grain of the table. In the back of the curved table was a woman with piercing red eyes and long black, straight hair.

It seemed as if the trio had just finished a conversation and now they had nothing else to say to each other.

~*~ Silver ~*~​

At the sound of the familiar voice, Silver looked up from the table, his fingers trailing off the flower he was adjusting in it’s vase. He grabbed his phone, his fingers rapidly moved across the screen for a second, and then pocketed it. “Little Isa,” Silver replied gently, a slight bow given in return. Raven from the tables looked briefly in that direction, red eyes staring hard seemingly towards Isaiah.

At the mention of work, Silver’s jaw feathered imperceptibly, and probably not a statement he’d be answering, at least, not out in the lobby. The following sentence had Silver curious.

“I cannot go far. There’s a lot going on right now.” He stepped beside his door, opening it to the office, holding a hand out for Isaiah to step inside. “I hope you don’t mind coming in here for the discussion.”

“Did you see the alert that was sent out?” His voice softened, more for himself than Isaiah, “I wonder if it’s all related.”

~*~ The Girls ~*~​

A huff came from the blonde woman, Angel, as she let her phone hit the tabletop. “The most busy day, and yet here we are.”

A flinch came from the woman with pink hair, Black Currant, “Angel, maybe-”

“-No maybe. I’m tired and annoyed. He was supposed to stay with me.”

“Do we really need to be in charac-” the black-haired woman, Raven, who moved her eyes from Isaiah back to the girls, quickly quieted when she spotted Adonis (Reveler) approaching the table, her expression instantly re-hardening as her hands escaped under the table.

Angel noted Raven’s swift adjustment and followed suit. She turned on the bench so her legs were swept out instead of under the table. She set her elbow on the table as she let her hand angle towards her chin. “Oh~ A pretty boy?”

Black Currant followed Adonis’ gaze, finding the older man. They put their hairbrush down gently.

Ahh, questioning, questioning seemed to grab the full attention of the girls now.

As they seemed to then be getting appraised, Raven rounded her shoulders out, becoming taller in her seat. Black Currant ran their fingers across their collarbone, though the movement seemed more reflexive than intended, their pink eyes studying Adonis as if looking for the proper words.

The most charming one, perhaps? caused Black Currant to look away. Maybe they didn’t like to fight for affections. Raven stayed stone-faced.

Angel on the other hand… Once her hand was taken into his, she snatched it away and stood up to her full high-heeled height of 5’9” tall.

Raven shrugged her shoulders, “There she goes.”

A fire seemed to set off in Angel’s eyes, going into a full-blown explanation of her rules, “You must be new here. Unless you intend to pay for my time, you do not touch me. Do not waste my time. Also- I don’t share. As soon as I find out you’re cheating, I will cut your balls off. A second time? Your dick.”

Angel smiled sweetly, “If you would rather a sweet, little, obedient thing, Black Currant here is your better bet. They can be any-” she vaguely gestured from chest to hips, “-you prefer. Now, unless you are going to pay for wasting my time with dribble nonsense such as ‘who do I choose?’ or ‘can I have all three?’ then I’m going elsewhere. If you need three to fill your fantasies, find Jay.” Angel turned on her heel and waited a second to see if any words would be said to keep her in the area. Otherwise, she looked intent on leaving, or maybe she looked like she was going to approach Kairong?

~*~ The Spider’s Web ~*~​

The spider cleaned it’s fangs as it sat upon its web, its eyes seemingly glistening with any lighting the room could offer with the few lanterns lit up here and there.

It went to move towards Meirin.

“Ah!” There was a man in this room, who was currently shirtless, and his multi-colored gaze was fixed on Meirin the spider near her. As if instinctually, he covered his chest with his arms.

He stared hard for a minute before smiling, running a hand through his white, fluffy hair with a soft laugh. “Here I thought I was being watched. You’re just a spider.”

He reached down and went to pick the 8-legged creature up, though his eyes seemed to flicker over to the side. The spider, urged to crawl onto his hand, was taken from its corner as he brought it up closer, though his eyes seemed to look past his hand if anyone paid attention, “Ya know, if you hang out here, someone will squish you. You’re lucky it’s me that found you instead.”

Jay walked to a window in the room and cracked it open, moving the curtain aside and let the spider crawl away.

Once it was gone, he wiped his hands in a dusting manner and then turned around and looked at the floor. He sighed, his eyes softening sadly as he sat on the edge of the bed. After a minute, he spoke up, “I don't know how you got to the size of a bug... Or how you're invisible."

>>> To The Next Post

 

[Nobody Special]

VULKEN BECKMAN

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 1: Scene 3 [Training Day]

LOCATION:

Northeastern Bridge, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Reika, Dimitri

CURRENT STAGE:

1

TRAINING DAY

Vulken's eyes lazily trailed onto the horned Queen of the Phoenixes. When you know someone long enough, it gets to a point where just one glance is enough to tell what they're up to. One glance at Reika told Vulken all he needed to know. She's planning some bullshit.

And, right on cue, the tall woman's leg violently slammed into the poor rookie's face. What a surprise. He closed his eyes for a moment and let out a loud, drawn out exhale, further accentuated by the cloud of cigarette smoke that escaped his mouth along with it. He had expected something simpler. Something along the lines of some push ups, sit ups, maybe a squat or two-- simple things that he'd be able to slack his way through. He should have known better, considering it was Reika they would be 'training' with, but hey, now wasn't the time for internal finger-pointing and self-blaming. He'd have to finish this as quickly as possible, and, most importantly of all, not let that succubus touch--

His eyes shot open as the familiar scent of perfume invaded his airflow. It had only been a few seconds, and he was now face-to-face with imminent danger. As she closed the distance between their faces, Vulken couldn't help but shoot her a sly but obviously nervous grin that screamed 'don't you fuckin' dare.' It proved worthless, unfortunately, as her hand gently stroked his face. It would have been a calming, appreciated gesture at literally any other time, but the sad truth quickly sank in as he felt the sting of pain that meant she used her potential on him. He could only stand there and watch as some of the bruises on the woman disappeared from her body, and grew onto his own.

Vulken's face twisted into an annoyed smirk as she pushed herself away from him before he could even react. In no time, Dimitri was on the offensive, and he had even gotten a hit in against her. Nice. He watched as he continued his assault with regretful eyes. Vulken would have loved to sponsor the kid, but his red-haired, horned partner in crime had somehow managed to snag him first. Maybe showing off a little bit would change the kid's mind, and bring him over to the better side.

"Not bad, new guy!" He called out, passively walking past the two without getting involved in their little scuffle. As he passed them, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his lighter, this time holding the open flame directly under his hand. In a matter of seconds, the flame was gone, unable to ignite anymore as there was no more fuel to burn through. He'd have to buy more lighter fluid once he was through with this.

That should be enough. He thought to himself, cautiously moseying behind the occupied Queen with his hands shoved in his pockets. Even walking was enough to hurt with his newfound bruises, every step causing a raw feeling of pain to course throughout his body. The air surrounding him was... warmer. Warmer than anywhere else on the bridge. At a glance, one could see scalding but stagnant waves of heat radiating off of him, colored by flecks on crimson tinge to further emphasize the dangers that came with getting too close.

A flank. Or, at least, a good attempt at one. After all, she'd be backed into what came next if she wasn't cautious. And what came next was bad.

Immediately, a burst of extreme heat exploded off of Vulken, spreading out in all directions in a 5-foot radius. He was close enough for it to hit Reika, but Dimitri was unfortunately also in harm's way. However, due to his current annoyance and inability to come to terms with the fact that he'd actually have to work, he didn't bother to warn either of them.

>>> To The Next Post

Taigakitt The Prophet

 

[Anne Boolean]

Robin Dior​

As the others of his group stepped into the building, Robin hung back and found a place to stay out of sight while still being able to see inside. Paradise Forever was certainly much more lavish than his former pleasure house. The lanterns, trees, and statues inside made it seem classy yet still whimsical and welcoming. Meanwhile, he remembered clearly that the House of Boys looked like a run down love hotel.

The rookie's attention when from the décor to his colleagues as they approached their marks. Isaiah took the real Silver away into the man's office while Reveler had gotten the attentions of the three girls who had him in their fields of vision. He would have looked around to see what Meirin was doing as well, but sadly he had lost track of her moments after Isaiah made her invisible. Regardless, this was an optimal time for him to sneak in.

Even after entering the building, he stayed to the side. He had gotten a briefing from Isaiah about Silver's personality, but not any of the three women who Reveler was talking to. He found himself somewhat surprised by the way the blonde addressed his colleague. There were certainly boys at his old job to appeal to those who wanted to be dominated, Robin himself having taken the role numerous times, but the aggression wasn't shown until the customer specifically requested it. Until then, even the most bratty or brutish of his coworkers maintained a polite smile and tone that was fit for customer service. It seemed he didn't know much about even how other brothels run.

An unfinished statement from Raven caught his ear. According to her, this was just a character Angel played, and she wasn't truly this way.

"Come now, Angel," he said, channeling some of the aforementioned "dom energy" as he approached. "I admire your drive, especially after recent events, but we both saw the alert. Perhaps right now it would be best to just answer the man's questions. After all, a long-lasting relationship surely would not be as enjoyable with terrorists running about. Especially if we are suspected to be among their ranks." He assumed Reveler's words of disinterest in questioning were meant to put the workers at ease. Hopefully some encouraging words from their "boss" would help them open up as well.

>>> To The Next Post

Interactions: Angel, Black Currant, Raven ( Taigakitt ), Reveler ( Mqueserasera )
Nearby: Kairong ( simj26 ), Isaiah ( Lucem ), Meirin ( QuirkyAngel )

 

[BluEndings]

CHARMY DEVLIN

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 1: Scene 2 [Money Talks]

LOCATION:

The White Tiger Casino, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Alice, Cassidy, Ezra

MONEY TALKS

Charmy remained quiet for a time, preoccupied with lightly tapping the table with her index finger. ‘Titus Latken’ was hardly someone she was unfamiliar with, but the events of today seemed so out of line with everything she had heard about him. Supposedly he was a poor gambler. Yet he seemed to be doing more than well for himself. Too well even. A miracle lucky streak wasn’t unheard of, but the timing was too convenient. If rumors were to be believed, the man had made some poor financial decisions in recent times. He may be an oaf, but no self-respecting rich jerk wouldn’t genuinely try to recoup losses. But what was being displayed in the casino wasn’t desperation. It was arrogance.

Truthfully Charmy didn’t really care if Ezra managed to pull a win. She planned on using this opening game as bait. Either the rookie lost, and allowed Titus to believe there was ample money to be won, or Ezra would claim victory, and Titus would hopefully get sloppy. Whichever outcome occurred, if there was something to be seen it would have to show up eventually.

It was a shame, as a possible lead had already flown completely under Charmy’s radar. She was plenty composed, but didn’t want to risk opening her eyes so early in. Should the unexpected happen, she didn’t want to accidentally upset the delicate balance required to maintain normality.

"Did things heat up sufficiently for us to join in next round or do the gentlemen need a bit longer?"

“Wagers are going up,” Charmy replied, taking the bottle from Cassidy. “Unless Mr. Latken is opposed, I see no qualms with the two of you joining in on the next round.”

She spun the bottle on its ridge.

“And you know me,” She chuckled. “Monetary bets don’t excite me.”

While mostly true, she primarily wanted to see things play out a bit longer. The last thing they needed was all four of them falling victim to some unseen ploy. The exact nature of their opponent had yet to be fully assessed, and she didn’t plan on being constrained to a table. In fact, with Cassidy once again present to witness the first round, Charmy could afford to stretch her legs a bit.

“I think I’ll have a gander at one of the other tables,” She stood up, taking much more time than necessary. “I’ll drop by again once things here are a bit more—” Her head tilted. “—worthwhile.”

She picked her words carefully. There was nothing fundamentally wrong with the direction Ezra had been taking things. He was setting things up well, in fact. It was all plenty satisfactory. She simply wanted to continue to sow seemingly nuanced words upon Latken’s ears. The way people chose to read these sort of comments were invaluable to her.

Without turning back, she gave a light wave with each of her fingers as she teetered off. There didn’t appear to be a specific destination at first, as she weaved from table to table, until she eventually came to a preemptive stop. The answer was simple really. Charmy had sought out Titus’ previous opponents. If she were lucky, they may just have something interesting to say.

"I reckon you lot have had quite the bad day."

>>> To The Next Post

 

[Tobi Naefaerne]

Alexander S. Hidalgo

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 1: Scene 2 [A Gathering Storm]

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hide, Hector, Nina, Helva, Akane

A GATHERING STORM

Alex already had a plan in mind for himself and Hide, and outside of Helva’s whining about if her overpriced toy got damaged, everything was falling into place. At Hector’s words, Alex had given a wink and a thumbs-up. And as Hide questioned him, Alex simply pointed upwards with a smug look upon his face “As for a plan: We go up, we have two ground teams and a single in the sky! So we take the in-between, obviously! And as for what poor sap? Well, they’re bankrupt on luck tonight, so especially poor.” Confidence oozed from Alex’s words as he let out a chuckle like he had heard a joke. After that, he turned to the closest and exercised the fact that like all HPs, Alex was superhuman, and so he leaped into the air then grabbed the first handhold he could find, scaling up to the roof effortlessly. Once to the top, Alex peeked over the side of the building, smirking down at Hide.

“C’mon! You can’t be a shut-in without money, time to get that bread, my man!” Teasing Hide was always a highlight these days, with all the rebuilding jobs, rarely did Alex get the chance during the past year and a half. Especially since Hide would refuse financial help from Alex. But, it was work time, and as Hide would make his way up, Alex would start to the next roof, look around, then the next roof. For buildings too far apart for Hide’s liking, Alex would manifest a ladder or staircase for convenience’s sake. After all, it would be quicker and easier than arguing with the slightly broken boy, well, actually he was old enough to be a man, but Alex still viewed him as a kid brother. So to Alex, Hide was still a boy. Even so, They continued on towards the docks, since those were going to be rather active and a choice place for gatherings.

After taking his rooftop route as far as Alex could, mostly staying silent except to convey info to Hide, Alex keyed his radio, he spoke in a slightly more serious voice, but his usual lighthearted tones still ebbed into his voice “This is Greed to Firebirds, if possible, take anyone alive that could know more. After all, physical persuasion can take time~” Finishing the transmission, Alex took a deep breath and let out a satisfied sigh before looking to Hide with a smile “Okay, Spellbinder. Ya ready to put them magic hands to the test again? Big crowds out tonight, lots of potential puppets for you to choose from!” With that, Alex conjured two pairs of binoculars, handing one off to Hide before looking to the docks. Focusing on parties that gang types could blend into, Alex’s attention got hooked on a girl in almost all Pink and a rather average boy near her. The fact that he could hear her helped. What was Nylund Style anyways? Doesn’t matter, Alex was going to take a chance, that boat was where he was going. He motioned his partner in crime to observe the boat.

“Hide, look there. See the girl in Pink? I’m going to chance her knowing something. We need to get on that boat. I’m trusting you to make distractions. Also, bonus points in you can get the boy with her~” With that Alex made a coil of chain with a grappling hook on it, hooked in on the roof, then flung the chain over the edge. “See you down there!” With that, Alex used the chain to descend from the roof.

>>> To The Next Post

Caffeine_Obsessed Anne Boolean WhiskeyMarten Mook-LandStrider Peckinou
BriiAngelic​

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Meirin Azuza

CS Link

SCENE:

Dragons Arc 1: Scene 1 [Rogue of the Night]

LOCATION:

Pleasure District, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Isaiah, Kairong, Reveler, Robin, Meirin

Rouge of the Night

Body turned to the side, legs spread, and palms raised, Meirin stepped into a swallow stance, eyes locked on the large predator that came after her. If the bug wanted a fight, then it would get one. Meirin was prepared to smash the creature to the ground...as soon as it drew close enough …only for her opponent to be suddenly scooped up by an even larger hand. Blinking, Meirin straightened, tilting her head as her gaze followed the shirtless man who brought the spider to a window and released it outside. Skin-tone and hair color-wise, the Paradise Forever worker reminded her somewhat of Robin…though that was about all their similarities amounted to. Jay, whom Isaiah had shown them an image of before entering the brothel, seemed slightly more well-built than the boy living in Eternal Night Palace…though that could easily be attributed to the fact Meirin was being exposed to quite a bit of muscle at the moment. His multi-colored eyes contrasted with Robin’s hazel orbs as well.

At first, it seemed like Jay had been speaking to the spider. However, as he continued to talk—even after removing the spider from the room—it became obvious he’d been speaking to her. How? Had Isaiah’s illusions failed? Was he okay? Clicking her tongue, Meirin glanced worriedly back at the door for a moment, before shaking her head. No. No one else seemed to see her until now. Jumping to conclusions before fully understanding the situation wasn’t the smartest move during a mission. Even if the illusion had failed, normal people didn’t zero in on spiders or ant-sized creatures crawling in their room so quickly.

Meirin concluded that the male on the bed was simply highly perceptive.

Training? Potential? Who can say? However, she didn’t hate insightful people…and he didn’t seem to have any desire to squish her if his words were anything to go by. She was the one caught intruding in someone else’s room anyway. “Teehee, I don’t know how you are able to see me either, so I guess we’re even~”

Her body grew back to its normal size as she approached the bed Jay sat on. There were some things that could only be seen when one was small and others that could only be seen when one was big. Meirin had no idea if she was still ‘invisible’ or not…though… if his eyes followed her movements, then she’d know he could ‘see’ her. If his eyes didn’t, then he didn’t. Regardless, Jay seemed to be aware that there was another presence in the room besides himself. Meirin’s eyes swept the room. It looked…ordinary. No signs of blood or struggle. The likelihood that this was the room she was looking for—the scene of the crime—was slim.

Still…that didn’t mean there wasn’t anything in the room worth looking at.

Eyes returning to Jay, Meirin joined him on the bed, the movement creating a slight indent on the mattress beside him as the ‘invisible’ woman studied the brothel worker—mainly his multi-colored eyes—with unabashed curiosity. Was it rude of her to suddenly sit herself on someone else’s bed? Certainly. But she’d already put a crack in lines of etiquette by sneaking into someone else’s room without permission so she saw little point in pretending to be polite now. “What gave me away? Did I make too much noise?”

Jay’s reaction to an intruder was unusual as well. No screams. No indignant response. No calling of security. No questions…though the questions may still yet come. Meirin wasn’t a very good liar. However, she had no intention of spilling secrets or ratting out allies either. It really depended on how much the Paradise Forever employee knew regarding the subject of their investigation…and gut instincts told her he was the sort that knew more than he let on.

>>> To The Next Post

Taigakitt Lucem Mqueserasera Anne Boolean simj26

 

[simj26]

Lin Kairong

CS Link

SCENE:

Dragons Arc 1: Scene 1 [Rogue of the Night]

LOCATION:

Pleasure District, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Reveler, Isaiah, Meirin, Robin

Dragons Arc 1: Scene 1 [Rogue of the Night]

He despised these places. Even when he was younger, he found no pleasure roaming amongst harlots. His Queen had dragged him through these places before, once upon a time, and though she had given him the clear to do as he wanted, pick whomever he wanted, he had only the expression of disgust every time one of the working ladies approached him. That was a time before he realised that not all of them had a choice in the matter. It was either to sell their bodies to the degenerate, or to die starving in the streets. He still had no interest in them. Once, his heart belonged to battle. Then, it belonged to only one. Now, it still belonged to her, even if her spirit had long departed the mortal plane. At least it was quiet today.

He followed behind his disguised youngers, his attention drawn towards the interior design more than anything else. It was, certainly, a beautiful place. It was not excessively decadent, and the stench of the vices of man did not clog his senses. Had he not been informed of its purpose beforehand, he would have assumed this place to be a grandiose restaurant. Isaiah broke off from the group, heading towards the office, presumably to have a chat with the real Silver to keep potential problems from being raised.

His face scrunched up into an impenetrable scowl when Reveler-as-Adonis directed the ladies’ attention towards him. He gave a grumpy “Hmph,” but said nothing else. He will leave this in Reveler’s hands. He was no actor, he was not made for espionage. He had no charm or charisma. Though he was said to be better looking in his younger years, his attitude and behaviour was not much better than he was now. He pushed his spectacles up, and, though the glass was nigh-opaque, the glare that he shot down at the trio of ladies was tangible enough to be cut with a knife. As the blonde one with the green eyes ‘explained’ the system of how things functioned, Kairong’s own eyes flared up. As she made to move, he closed the distance with a silent step towards her direction, appearing almost to reappear right in front of her.

“Enough with your masks.” Kairong snapped irritably at her. “I do not care for your ‘character’ or whatever it is that you wear over your wicked, reprehensible tongue.” He unfolded his hands from behind his back. “If I must pay to ‘waste your time’, then I will do just that.” Money was of no object to him, and if he must pay to wrest answers out of at least one person here, he will do just that.

>>> To The Next Post

Taigakitt Lucem Mqueserasera Anne Boolean QuirkyAngel

 

[Taigakitt]

Reckoning
In Scene: Kanna ( FabulousTrash ) | Ruriko ( Beann )​

It's a little startling to punch yourself in the face.

It seemed Ruriko had just enough of a recovery to open up a couple of portals. The two of these girls together were proving to be an interesting combo.

His own punch had him staggering back as he adjusted his jaw and waved his hand off in the air as if he punched something hard. Well, he did. The next punch, again to his face, came from Kanna, which put a bit more distance between the two.

Despite two punches to the face and being cornered in the alley still yet, that hadn’t wiped the smile from his face.

Pink eyes watched as Kanna pulled out her Bo staff. He knew Ruriko was still at the other exit.

He stretched his neck as he swiftly took out, from a different pocket, a piece of some kind of food. It was definitely raw and pink, thin. He stuffed the whole thing in his mouth and chewed, crunching through what might be bone.

Crouching down, he leapt quickly, picking up the piece of meat that was thrown on the ground, folding his fist around in and then jumping up to the top of the building. This was not like he was flying this time. Oh no, there was some power in his legs.

“Sorry, can't have you guys keeping me here!”

An alert came to everyone’s phones, the message that Jesper in Eye of Providence released to those in the East.

Eyes darted between the two women before he took another large leap to another rooftop, eyes scanning the ground as if searching for something, not dawdling as he started to jump to the next roof.

>>> To The Next Post

 

[Taigakitt]

Reckoning
In Scene: Kanna ( FabulousTrash ) | Ruriko ( Beann )
Collab with: BriiAngelic​

A very soft, almost imperceptible chirping noise could be heard only by the two walking hand-in-hand away from the Pleasure District in the direction of the bridge that connected to Central.

Some cameras nearby were seen scattered, broken on the ground and the smile the woman had was gone.

Smoke filled the air.

In place of her wide smile was a more deadpan expression, her lips barely turned upward. Her hair was dark, tipped with purple color. It was tied up, pinned with a cute butterfly piece. She wore a gorgeous, flowing outfit that was purple. The sleeves were large and the end of the droop and up the hems were white butterflies. She looked like an employee of one of the brothels.

The man at her side wore an expression of neutrality even as the smoke thickened. His double-breasted pea coat and clearly formal button down shirt beneath screamed a man more formal than the average john. He wrapped his arm around hers as he worked to bring her closer to his side as the smoke began to thicken surrounding the two.

She checked her phone, and as she spoke, her tone was monotonous, hard to read any expression, “Oh. We’re supposed to take shelter.”

The man took a deep breath in as if he were enjoying the smoke. “Understandable. If the smoke is too much for you… well we’ll be out of it soon.”

Up ahead, a white-haired man was spotted hopping up onto the rooftops.

“I’m afraid we need to get moving then. I’m afraid…” she trailed off there, not bothering to finish her sentence.

“Do you think death awaits us?”

He let out a rumbling sort of snort as he pressed a kiss into her hair.

“Now that would be an interesting way to go out.”

She gripped the other’s hand tighter and they took off running down the path. Her steps were light and airy, with barely a noise to follow. The smoke got heavier and followed them.

Soon, they passed the alley that the white-haired man hopped out of. The heavy smoke fanned out, reaching as high as the rooftops.

The man led the woman as he made varying tsk sounds turning them just before another obstacle was in their way, be it person or some structure of the district.

“Careful now darling.”

>>> To The Next Post

 

[Mqueserasera]

REVELER

CS Link

SCENE:

Dragons Arc 1: Scene 1 [Rogue of the Night]

LOCATION:

Pleasure District, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Isaiah, Meirin, Kairong, Reveler, Robin

ROGUE OF THE NIGHT

Adonis was taken aback by Angel’s fiery words, and could barely contain a giggle afterward. He had expected nothing more in return than some manufactured smile and meek servitude of a good little whore. Certainly not a display of uncalled-for aggression towards a man far above her station. And yet it sprouted in him a keen interest. Her boiling attitude might have been nothing more than an act, something not unheard of among the services brothel workers do provide, but in his opinion nonetheless, it really takes a certain type to act the part. A rare gem perhaps to be found here. How much of that haughtiness was a play and how much was her true feelings, Adonis wondered. He intended to find out.

As Kairong snapped at the woman, Adonis watched in amusement. He himself wasn’t a stranger to the old veteran’s sternness, having been on the receiving end during his training under the man. And though time and own resilience had desensitized him to it, he considered the veteran’s treatment of the oblivious woman to be a bit harsh. She was simply out of her depth, and deserved, nothing more, if any, than gentle schooling. The rough lashes of the veteran might have quieted the better parts of her character had he not timely intervened.

“You must forgive her, Kairong” Adonis made a swift approach and positioned himself beside Angel, “It was I who irritated her so. I tried her patience and wounded her pride. My inconsideration was a shameful act, while it is well within a woman’s right, I daresay, to expect an admirer to hold her not altogether with the others of her kind, but above all as his own goddess and treasured prize.”

Now he turned to Robin, “You must be the manager then?” he asked. “I see you know our purpose for being here. But I shall correct you one thing: I hate to pressure these lovely women into uncomfortableness. If I must have their company, then I prefer that they are willing. Now, I have the money, fair and square. Is it not in the spirit of your business to pay for your desire? I don’t at all mind spending for a quality time, questioning or otherwise. And to further please Angel here, I’ll only ask for her company but no one else. Her rules I shall oblige. It is but a little thing to make amends for my shamelessness from before.”

“What do you say, Angel?” He beamed at the woman, “Would you put aside our misunderstandings and give our relationship a fresh start?”

>>> To The Next Post

simj26 Lucem QuirkyAngel Anne Boolean