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

[Misuteeku]

Sang-Cheol Man

CS Link

SCENE:

The Woodsman and The Duckling

LOCATION:

North District, Backstreets

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1 |

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Mimi

The Woodsman and The Duckling

The man could hear the footsteps coming closer to his location. Was he followed? Before he escaped from the East, he made sure that all traces of him were burnt into cinders. Though not that it mattered anymore. If they came to kill him, so be it. He wouldn't offer any resistance if they decided to attack him.

Yet, there was no sound nor intention that the man could detect from the newcomer.

Curiosity overcame him despite his situation. While tired, he decided that if he was going to die in this alleyway, he would like someone other than the dead body right next to him. Tilting his head up, he tried to identify the figure. A wave of dizziness and nausea hit him as he did; the blood loss was getting to him. Despite this, he still caught sight of the person in front of him.

Despite the darkness and rain, the man could almost see the figure in front of him. It was as if he was seeing clear as day. The person in front of him was a woman. Shorter than him but has fair skin. Black hair like his own and quiet demeanor. Each body trait lit up a memory inside his head and slowly widened with the passing second. Was it truly who he thought she was?

"Wait! Please! Don't leave me behind!" The man abruptly got up from the wall that was damp with his blood. Pain jolted through his body, but his mind didn't care. This was more important than his well-being. Staggering onto his feet, the man dragged himself towards the woman. "Don't leave me behind! Please! Not again!" He cried out. For the first time, he held onto hope that this time something would go his way. A dream that had finally thawed and become true.

Before she could disappear, before she leave his life again, the man grabbed the woman's sleeve.

Spoiler: Tags

@BluEndings

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Passeri Park

CS Link

SCENE:

North Says No!

TIME:

February 5th, 2022

LOCATION:

Redwater High, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri Park, Eric Evensen

North Says No!

"Thanks~" Passeri plucked the can from Eric's fingers, and laid it neatly beside her. She'd never been much for coffee, and when she did partake it was usually iced, but she didn't suppose she could blame him for not knowing that.

"First impressions, hm~?" That wasn't too surprising to hear. She operated a lot of her events on the same basis. That was exactly the problem, though. Given her status, making too much of a scene here would've just turned the day into a celebrity meet and greet.

"I was hoping to keep things a little more low-key, you know? The way I had this thought out was closer to one of those PSAs that they used to play in class. Did you ever see any of those?" That wasn't entirely true. Those things never worked, but she'd been hoping that having an actual dialogue with the kids, rather than just preaching at them through a staticky VCR, would've had more of an effect. She just hadn't considered how hard it'd be to have them stick around long enough to listen. It'd been a long time since she'd had an audience that wasn't wrapped around her finger.

"Maybe we could break into song and dance? Dunno if you have much practice with either, but I'm sure one of the kids would wanna record it for their ZigZag at least." She joked, and smiled mirthlessly. She'd almost written the day off as a total bust already, but even if she'd been expecting it, the determined part of her couldn't let it go without giving it at least one more try. Eric himself had just mentioned impressions, after all, and the whole point of the day was for her to make the right one.

"Or-" She began, but was interrupted as bells rang around the school, releasing children by the dozens from their educational prisons for their lunch break.

"Oh! Perfect timing! Hey hey, everyone!" She stood up from her seat, and called out into the outpouring crowd. There probably wouldn't be a better time for a last shot than this. "Hey hey, everyone! "Do you guys have a moment to chat? My buddy and I wanna talk to you all about the effects of drug use on your community!"

The crowd stirred a bit, especially the gaggles of young girls gossiping between each other, but the moment she mentioned the subject matter, a tide of derisive giggles rolled across the crowd. Clearly, they weren't the first ones to try this approach.

"Well." Passeri gave Eric a resigned-looking smile. "Can't say I wasn't expecting that. Got any ideas in your head on how to catch them? Maybe if I offer an autograph to everyone that listens for a few minutes?"

Roda the Red​

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Passeri Park

CS Link

SCENE:

Sunday Roast

TIME:

October 21st, 2021 || Pre-Arc 3

LOCATION:

Passeri's Penthouse, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri Park & Markus Weiss

Sunday Roast

Passeri's expression relaxed, her painted smile melting away through a morose sigh. She took another bite of her meal, and regarded Markus with a look that was half resigned, and half pitying. Not a penny to spare for pleasantries, did the Tiger King have to spare.

"You know you really should eat. I never ask Louis to prepare meals like this. He'll be so crushed if he finds out you didn't even touch yours." Between her words, Passeri's cutlery clinked against her plate. Maybe he could learn through an example. She chewed thoughtfully at a brussel sprout, and then went on. "You've really got a funny definition of ending well, you know that? The police are looking into that incident if you didn't realize. I hardly think they'll find anything, but I think it would've been better for everybody's business if there had never been anything for them to investigate in the first place."

Just a pair of weeks prior, in fact, an officer had sat not far from where had was now, though she kept that much to herself. Somehow, she doubted that the paranoid King would much appreciate that piece of information.

"Honestly, I really wanted to come down harder about this." That was the truth. Her return show had almost been spoiled entirely, and though she doubted Markus cared much for the sentimentality of it, he should've at least been able to understand how bad for business that would've been. "But I suppose I'm not entirely without blame myself. I knew I'd left behind some loose ends here, but I never expected them to unravel things quite so... Violently."

There was regret in her voice. That business with Ariel had surprised her, and had hurt more than she liked to admit. After everything that had happened between them, she was hardly expecting her to support her with all her spirit, but...

She steeled herself and pushed those thoughts down. This wasn't the time. At the very least, the incident had brought her past to the front of her mind. She'd make sure things with Liz went better.

"And more importantly, everything gone and gotten turned on its head these last couple of weeks, haven't they? Lucy really went and left a bomb on your doorstep on her way out." And hers, as far as she was concerned. She knew next to nothing about the new Queen, nor his Ace. Having unknown factors on the board was not something she was excited about.

"A new Queen, Ace, and Jack all in the space of what, a month? I can hardly imagine what kind of picture that's going to paint of the state of things." That wasn't even mentioning whatever it was that had turned the top floor of Markus's apartment building a part of the roof. She considered it a small miracle that none of the other gangs had struck them yet. Perhaps they had their own fires to deal with.

"And, to ice the cake, I think we both know you're not exactly winning any popularity contests at the moment, either! I wouldn't be surprised if somebody gets it in their head that it was high time to replace the whole suit, if you catch my meaning."

Passeri sliced neatly through her cut of roast, and chewed it patiently, leaving the both of them a moment to mull things over.

"So. Would you like a hand?" A light smile returned to her lips. Her eyes fixed back onto Markus's. "I'm hardly comfortable with how things are going myself, but I need to know we're both on the same page." She chose her words carefully. As ambitious as she might've been, she still knew her station within the Tigers. Unlike the stage, this world did not belong to her. There was only so much that she could push.

"Are we?"

Elenion Aura

 

[Lucem]

Aaron Hayes

CS LINK

SCENE:

Aftermath

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1: 2019

LOCATION:

Alleyways, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Aaron, Aristotle, Rebecca, Timothy

AFTERMATH

Once again, he was staring down the barrel of a gun. His barely open eyes widened for a moment as the fatigue left him, briefly forgotten when the sight of a weapon provided him with a flash of clarity. As soon as he saw bright sparks and the growing shadow overhead, he felt what little adrenaline he had left course through his body, urging him to move.

Still leaning on the wall that kept him from collapsing, Aaron pressed his palm against the cold concrete. Almost instantly, his pale, blood-soaked skin faded away, now dyed a dark gray. It even mimicked the nearby surface's texture, looking far more rough and sturdy.

He hadn't put much thought into it when he activated his Potential. It was his body acting on its own, doing its best to survive by relying on the instincts that had been developed over years of constant fighting. If he had been a second slower, he would've paid the price.

A volley of buzzing bullets slammed against his stone-like body. Each of the intense lights seemed to scatter for a moment before they shrank, dimming until they vanished completely. He was unharmed, but there was no room for celebration, as a heavy fist soon collided with his face.

Gritting his teeth, he held his ground, still standing despite taking the attack head-on. Even though he was wounded and exhausted, he found the strength to keep his eyes from closing. While that was partially due to his constitution, his perseverance could largely be attributed to the rush of emotions that prevented him from accepting a sudden, unsatisfying end to his journey.

All he wanted to do was move forward. That's all he and his crew ever wanted, but there was always someone or something trying to stop them. He already lost so much today, but even all that suffering wasn't enough for life to decide he finally earned a break. He just wanted to make good on his word and take care of the only thing he had left, but he couldn't even have that. Something always went wrong. It felt like he was being punished for just trying to live.

"Fuck...that..."

He was so sick of it. Sick of himself and all the bullshit that kept getting thrown his way. If life was just going to keep trying to fuck him over, then so be it. He'd just keep going, giving the same energy back to this terrible city and all the assholes who lived in it, including these pricks who thought they could get the jump on him. That was how he and his friends did things.

It had been a long time since he fought without someone else by his side. Realizing that he'd never have those familiar faces with him again, he was overcome with another wave of grief and sorrow, but it quickly turned to anger. And there was finally someone he could take it out on.

Clenching his fist, Aaron let out a deep breath. A buzzing sound followed, and soon, the small distance between him and the fat man was covered in a bright light. Electricity violently crackled around his hand, growing louder and brighter until the redhead threw a punch, unleashing the stored energy.

Whenever someone gave him crap, he always made sure to give it right back.

Spoiler: Tags

Misuteeku

 

[Misuteeku]

Goon Squad

CS Link

SCENE:

Aftermath

LOCATION:

Alleyways, District

TIME:

Pre Arc-1 | 2019

PARTICIPANTS:

Aaron, Aristotle, Gerda, Timothy, and Rebecca

Aftermath

Lightning rippled through the hallway in a flash of white. The bullet assailed the intruder and struck their shots true. However, the attack failed to do anything meaningful as all the bullets did jack all. Timothy stared in surprise, but he still trained his gun on the opponent. "How did that do nothing?!" HPs weren't resistant to electricity. Did this man have an HP that made him resistant to such attacks?

Though the attacks didn't stop there, Aristotle soon came down and struck down at Aaron. His attack was just as true as Timothy's but had a different result. "Urgh! What in thy name." Aristotle winced as his punch slid off the young man's face. What was this man made out of? Concrete? It was only when Aristotle took a closer look at the man that he noticed that the man's skin had changed. From a nice peach to an earthy gray. Was this the man's potential? On second thought, perhaps he shouldn't worry about that. Aristotle saw the electrified fist illuminating around them, and it slammed him in the sternum.

"Guh!" Aristotle was sent flying back and crashed against the wall. The durable wall cracked as the composer collided with it.

"Aristotle!" Timothy yelled in concern at the older man; his eyes, however, didn't leave Aaron. This was no time for concern. Not only was this now a one-on-one situation, but his attack did nothing but tickle the red-haired man. Aristotle was incapacitated, but he still had one ally left. "REBECCA! GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THE CAR!" Timothy screamed at the top of his lungs. Out of five of them, Rebecca had the most potential in combat. With her potentiality, "Hydragnea Flow," she was able to assault enemies by merging with large bodies of water.

The only problem was there was no water nearby. In that case, Rebecca was completely useless. However, Timothy had faith in Rebecca's skills. Rebecca had at least a fourth of a brain, so she was able to do some clever shit. However, that wasn't the problem right now.

Rebecca did not respond.

"GODDAMIT, REBECCA!" Without hesitation, Timothy shot another round of electricity at Aaron with his gun. Even with all this commotion, that girl was still sleeping as if she was dead. While not too wrong, this wasn't the time to take a goddamn nap. Keeping up his assault, Timothy moved slightly forward and strafed a little to the right. He needed to keep up the pressure. Both for him and Aristotle, as well as for her.

Brown hair danced in the air as a woman came up from behind Aaron. Gerda had recently come back with another body in tow. As she was nearing the alleyway where Aristotle, Timothy, and Rebecca had hidden the truck, Gerda saw a flash of light. The only person who could manifest light was Timothy in that situation, and he wouldn't unnecessarily expend his potentiality like that. There was one other answer to this question. An intruder.

Then she went behind a wall and waited for an opportunity. She caught Timothy's eye and followed up on his attack.

The sounds of gunfire slightly muddled her footsteps and her hand full of pointy needles. Drawing them up, Gerda thrust them forward, aiming for Aaron's spine. "Hiya!" She yelled out loud. As long as she inserted the needles into his spine, Gerda would be able to disable their attacker.

Spoiler: Tags

Lucem

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

CORVO CORDESCO

CS Link

SCENE:

White Wolf

LOCATION:

404 Ark Royal Apartments

PARTICIPANTS:

Dagger, Vulken, Yong-Yut, Corvo

White Wolf

There was much to consider from the ominous text YY received. What kind of trap was this? Likely not a ransom. Some scheme to lure more Phoenixes? For what? Perhaps it was part of a larger web, and kidnapping the former Jack was the beginning of something bigger... Or in the off chance, a completely normal text which meant what it meant? The only way to find out was to head there.

Not that she told Yong-Yut she'd be coming here first. If anything, if it was some destructive trap laid, Corvo had her power to get her out. And save YY from a face full of destruction.

The apartments weren't far; she could at least take comfort in that it was in the same district. The dilapidation of the building did not help, though—then again, what wasn't rundown in the North, at this point?

After chatting with the receptionist and pinpointing the room, Corvo was on her way, captive bolt pistol in hands.

Some walking later, '404 Royal Ark Apartments' was before her. She had plenty of options: call in a food delivery guy to the address while watching from afar to assess the tenant; take this seriously and go a floor above to attempting breaching through the windows; or ring the doorbell and take what comes. Maybe possibly put Vulken's life at risk, if the text was to be believed. Corvo chose the last option.

Ding dong~

simj26 Nobody Special gxxberkit

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

TAKAONNA

CS Link

SCENE:

Only Human

LOCATION:

Alleyway, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Takaonna, Jozef

Only Human

The sudden voice sent a jolt through Takaonna's whole body, showing in a wave-like movement that rippled across her limbs. She threw her bloodied hand up the roof, disregarding the pain and quiet to throw herself upward. Her legs looped around, latching onto the rooftop and leaving cracks in its material. The rest of her body followed suit like a spring, faced down with the source of the voice...

Though her instinct told her to relinquish the one who spotted her... part of her felt it was okay. Perhaps it was how soothing the voice was, compared to the more aggressive ones she knew. He even spoke something familiar. "Help...?" She knew that word. Kiwi said it before; that's what she did when she freed Taka.

But she did not know him. She would not be deceived. Not again. Not while she needed rest.

Whether he meant well or not, she did not know. What she did know was that if someone took this opportunity... she would be the prey.

With a low growl, she threw her free arm down at where she heard Jozef, slamming into the rooftop

@FangS31

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

ALICE

CS Link

SCENE:

Silver Lining

LOCATION:

Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Alice

Silver Lining

Natural blue hair! It didn't surprise Alice as much as she'd made herself out to be—perhaps her energy for today was rubbing off? She listened to Charlie explain his day, despite its admitted vagueness... and that was enough to make it apparent to her. He'd had a rough day, just like the many people who attend her tea parties! She couldn't help but smile sympathetically.

Though when he reflected the question at her, Alice was more than happy to talk, evident by the now-beaming smile. "To be honest, it's the first time I've enjoyed myself freely like this! Where I live, every day is like a party! There's people I have to meet and host, a schedule to follow, and a limited list of places I get to go when I do have 'free time'! It's been that way for..." Alice counted her fingers one by one, "a long, long time!"

She then twirled onto her feet, using a seemingly endless supply of bubbliness as fuel. "But enough about me! The day isn't over, yet! And that means, neither are your plans!" There wasn't the room or time to start a tea party, but she didn't think she needed to. "I still have lots of time before I have to go back! If you don't mind, maybe my wonderful day can overpower your unpleasant day! And if it still turns out bad, at least you won't be alone in the experience, right?"

Eager sparkles dotted her eyes.

Roda the Red

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

JESPER ALBRECHT

CS Link

SCENE:

Meeting 101

LOCATION:

Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Jesper, Milo

Meeting 101

Jesper was on the verge of screaming for help—their words were nothing more than muffled garble to the poor boy, who now curled miserably on the grass.

It was one key word that broke through.

"Draw...?" The excess noise from the boy stopped suddenly, as he looked towards Milo. That was a familiar word. He remembered watching his dad work; he did stuff like that... Maybe they weren't so bad, if they did similar things? "My dad draws too, when he works..."

Jesper looked down at the box when Milo pointed the 'thing' out. It had a name... Wordless, Jesper slowly unboxed the drone again. He laid the packaging aside on the grass, and soon held the spherical drone out with all his might. "This... is a Prototype G Guardian XVI 0.eov 1000w Test Model. It's really cool..." he proclaimed with an apparent glimmer to his eyes. "My dad drew this, and then a bunch of people from his work built it. But he draws on a computer."

His voice was still quiet, but a definite improvement from earlier. "Can... Can I see your drawing...?"

Elenion Aura

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

JESPER ALBRECHT

CS Link

SCENE:

White Noise

LOCATION:

Central District, Paradise Gardens

PARTICIPANTS:

Jesper, Milo

White Noise

It was annoying how his mom and the mansion staff reacted when Jesper told them he wanted to go out on his own. They acted as if aliens descended from the heavens! It wasn't like he was that much of a shut-in... right? Regardless, after much hassle and learning the nature of the little venture, he gained his freedom. One of the staff drove him in a normal-looking car with some spare Guardian drones in the back. Nobody would know the heir of Albrecht Industries was out.

The venue and its garden hadn't changed one bit. That might've been partly because there wasn't much else outside that Jesper cared to remember. Before they had phones, he and Milo always ran into each other when Jesper had to go out for whatever reason. It was something for him to look forward to all those years ago.

Now, though? Neither of them had phones; neither of them even thought they'd lose contact for the next years. Jesper became a shut-in, and Milo simply disappeared. They moved on with their lives.

It was through sheer luck they found each other again.

Standing in the same place he first spoke with Milo, Jesper couldn't loosen the knot twisting his stomach. Sure, he grew to despise real life interactions, but this one was different. They agreed to meet up here, and it wasn't just a friendly catchup.

Nanami was dead. Killed in the Hurricane that struck the South so long ago. The one his very father outright celebrated. Jesper knew just enough of Milo's own family situation to know this: he was alone, and Jesper was stuck in his basement, probably playing video games while all this happened. If he had even bothered to stay connected... The heir sighed, twiddling his fingers with nothing else to do. He agreed to come out here to meet for a reason, but as for any semblance of a plan?

Friendships were so stressful...

Elenion Aura

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

TAKAONNA

CS Link

SCENE:

Pest Control

LOCATION:

East District, Brothel

PARTICIPANTS:

Takaonna, Jackson

Pest Control

This was unfamiliar territory for the Takaonna. The very trip to get over here was long and arduous—no sewer lines existed between this land and Central, and the only connecting piece was a lengthy piece of land. It was an unfit hunting ground, but she might as well take whatever she found...

It was the dead of night when the Takaonna slithered up the walls and roof of a brothel. She was familiar with the architecture of New Oasis; there was always an entrance, and this building was no different. Everyone usually slept right now, so ideally, this would be an easy and clean scavenging.

She burst through an exterior vent grate, squeezing her body through the narrow ventilation like slime. She felt every nook and cranny of the shaft, sending her arms out and out, longer and longer. Eventually, she hit another grate, and easily tore through it. The rest of the Takaonna poured out steadily, reforming on her limbs. Now came the searching part.

Feeling around the halls, she eventually heard a familiar hum. A "cold box" as she knew it. There was always food in the cold box. Opening it up, she found dinner at last. Not that she knew what exactly it was, but it was sustenance.

Things would have ended there if someone's footsteps did not interrupt the feast. The Takaonna scrambled outward. There was a scream—go for the throat. She threw her arm out, missing the neck just barely, instead feeling the insides of someone's mouth. Taking what she got, the Takaonna threw her other arm at the woman's head, pinning her to a wall. Her first hand clutched harder on the woman's bottom jaw, and pulled. The screams stopped, replaced by morbid gurgles and the dropping of a body.

She was still hungry. The Takaonna returned to the cold box, scooping up what food fell on the ground...

BriiAngelic

 

[Misuteeku]

Sang-Cheol Man

CS Link

SCENE:

Test Trial

LOCATION:

North District, Backstreets

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Lily

Test Trial

Another day, another trial.

Sang-Cheol looked down at his clipboard. Everything seemed to be going according to today's agenda. The drugs were being produced at a reasonable rate, and the synthesis for the following brand should be done at the deadline. However, there was one thing left to do for today to be finished.

Testing the new drug strands.

Standing in the lobby, his new test subject should be walking in now. Her name was Lily Lavinia. However, he didn't care to remember anything beyond her name. For all that cared, she was just another face entering his lab.

He had met her out of chance and suggested she become a test subject at his lab. Of course, he would pay for her participation, but that was if she survived the trial. Few rarely do and end up dying from it.

It wasn't his business, however. All Sang-Cheol needed to do was produce results and move the next shipment of drugs out.

Checking on the time, his new test subject should be arriving any second now.

Spoiler: Tags

ATurei

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Brandy Baker

CS Link

SCENE:

Captives of The System

TIME:

~2004, Pre-Arc 1

LOCATION:

North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Brandy Baker & Caio Santana Coelho

Captives of The System

Even though they'd already been parted from the package, Brandy's hands still felt heavy. Her parents had never been stalwart examples of their roles as caregivers, and this was not her first time making a delivery for their sake, but there was a painful awareness that clung to her with each package she delivered. Nobody had even bothered to try to dress things up in flowery words or gentle obfuscations; she was delivering drugs, and they were hurting people.

She was hurting people. That man, her parents, and everybody else who she'd delivered those tightly-bundled caches of white powder to. The dealer had tried to convince her otherwise before, and she'd even believed it for a time, but she wasn't naive enough to buy into that for long. The way her parents' eyes lit up when they took a hit only bleakly contrasted how dull and glassy they turned when the inevitable fall came.

And then there was the screaming. Flecks of the nights when her parents' stash ran empty dripped through her thoughts, yelling, hurried phone calls, and then the inevitable stomping down the hall. The click of her door and-

"H-huh?" Caio's emergence broke Brandy from her static imaginings like a rock through glass. Her heart lept up into her throat, beating at a mile per minute, and her eyes locked with his for a moment, before quickly retreating to look anywhere else. If she'd looked suspicious before, then she might as well have just pleaded guilty.

"S-sorry..." The need to apologise was almost an instinct. As spooked as she was, she still managed to pick up on at least one word: Pops. Anybody could've figured out was going on here from there.

Despite herself, Brandy's eyes couldn't help but flick back and forth between the boy. She'd been confronted before, but it was usually by somebody that wanted to steal her package, and they'd never been her age before, either. She didn't get much of a chance to talk to kids her age in general. Her feet felt like they'd been bolted to the ground, but she couldn't tell if it was out of fear or curiosity.

"Umm... I dunno." She offered after more than a few moments of long, uncomfortable silence. "T-they just tell me where to go and who to meet... It's my first time meeting your dad..." It wasn't her first time delivering to his type, though. She figured that the ones with families were less likely to try and start things, even if their pusher was a tiny little girl like her. The few times she'd delivered to younger, bigger clients, they'd just tried to scare it out of her. She grasped at her arm at the memory.

"...What do you mean scaring off?" Her voice steadied, and finally, her eyes settled on somewhere to look. That somewhere was his shoes, but she figured that was better than not looking at him at all. "Did you... Do something to them? That sounds dangerous." She spoke from experience. Most of her supplier's runners were NPs, from what she'd gathered, but the man himself wasn't. "You might get in t-trouble if you keep doing that."

Her voice was soft, and without edges. She wasn't even sure was she was using it. By this point, she normally would've run away, taking advantage of her tiny frame to vanish into the North's twisting alleyways. But still, she stood, bolted to the spot.

BriiAngelic​

 

[ATurei]

Lily Lavinia

CS Link

SCENE:

Test Trial

LOCATION:

North District, Backstreets

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Lily

Test Trial

In even footsteps past a populated somewhere in a city so crowded it was hard to breathe, so foully infested by the lowest of beings it disgusted one’s soles, Lily trod with her haughty downcast gaze on the asphalt. The light that had been green turned red as she crossed between the islands of buildings. Prompted and eager, the stampede of steel sprang with a desire for her soft flesh under their trampling wheels. So be it, her dark gaze implied as twin headlights blared at her. But they swerved in the last moment, falling short of delivering its promise of violent death, leaving a barrage of insipid, uncreative insults in their wake.

She sneezed. Her seeming cold had painted a pathetic red upon the tip of her tiny nose. The idea of public transportation intrigued her for a moment. Even the idea of her small frame being crushed out of breath and organs by the commuting crowds sounded not so tiresome as it did cozy. But alas! she has no cash! Not a dime on her being! Not even to feed herself the trashiest of vendor foods in this trashiest of towns. In the end, though, she could always resort to literal garbage. Now that’s an idea. And when she thought about it, the cats sometimes would scorn the meals she had prepared for the shit they found in the bins, so the question, then, was reduced to the whys and why nots. And though she ultimately decided against it, the willingness was becoming a reality in her listless mind. In the end, the only reason she chose not to go to the tempting bin in that dark alley just beyond the crossroad and instead go through with the day’s task was because of a native unwillingness, an averse to breaking a laid out plan. It takes energy to change the course of a moving object. Thus is one of the laws of the universe. She was a victim of entropy – the sole living, walking specimen of a heat death, only possibly spurred now by hunger and the landlord’s threats.

Incidentally, she also despises physics. There are days she blames it for most of her problems. Though few things ever escaped her condemning fits in the first place.

At length, she halted before a building complex. She spared not even a glance to observe it as is customary for one at a new workplace, even if just for a day, but checked only the address before confidently easing the door slowly open, and timidly scanning around, wishing for a familiar face.
There she found it, and was at once reminded of her distaste for it.

She strode to him without turning her head sideways even once. She held no curiosity for this dull place, only the cash it might provide. When she halted before the man, she made a point to thrust her both hands in her jacket pockets, lest he offer her a dirty handshake. She did not even want to touch him or anything in this building unless for purposes directly contributed to her pay. Instinctively she found everything here dirty, though a lab it might be. She: the one who just now had earnestly considered digging through a trash can for food.

Spoiler: Tags

Misuteeku

 

[Misuteeku]

Sang-Cheol Man

CS Link

SCENE:

Test Trial

LOCATION:

North District, Backstreets

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Lily

Test Trial

Sang-Cheol looked up from his clipboard when he heard someone coming from the doors. Out emerged a short woman with short black hair. The woman in front of him must be Lily Lavina. Or that's what he would like to assume as the woman walked straight up at him and waved her hands. "Do you need something?" Sang-Cheol frowned. Was this person Lily, or was she not? All the woman to confirm whether or not that was the case, and he'd allow her into the rooms.

Though at the end of the day, did it really matter? Whether this woman was Lily or not, the woman in front of him was a willing test subject. Sang-Cheol didn't necessarily care as long as the quota was met. Looking at the woman one last time, Sang-Cheol shrugged but still maintained his unfriendly demeanor. "Whatever, come this way." With that, he opened one of the doors that led to a hallway of rooms.

Entering one of the rooms, Sang-Cheol headed towards the cabinets. "Take a seat over there if you would," He said without turning his head. Normally, he'd perform a small check-up on his test subject's health and vitals. Though he wanted to get this over with this now. Timothy had the singular fucking brightest idea of deciding a maintenance schedule during the middle of the day. Knowing Timothy, he'd short-circuit the goddamn lab in seconds.

"Alright. Assuming that you are, Ms. Lily Lavinia." Sang-Cheol grabbed a syringe and an alcohol pad. "I'm sure you're aware that I'll be testing some drugs on you right now." Filling the syringe with an unknown substance, the scientist walked straight to Lily. "After this trial is done, I'll send the promise of five grand into your account. Are you ready? If so, then please relax against the chair. I don't need unnecessary struggling."

Spoiler: Tags

ATurei

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Passeri Park

CS Link

SCENE:

Midnight Reminder

TIME:

October 21st, 2016

LOCATION:

Passeri's Apartment, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri Park, Eun Ji-Young

Midnight Reminder

"Ah..." Passeri's eyes met with Ji-Young's, and her expression faltered for a moment. While not tonight in particular, she'd been expecting this eventually. She'd spent close to a year playing an incredibly delicate game of Jenga in which her debtors were the blocks, it was only a matter of time before one of them threatened to bring the rest down on her.

"Well! I can't say I'm surprised. Come in, come in! We'll work this out." The chain jingled lightly and it fell loose, and then Passeri ushered the other woman through the door. Her apartment wasn't much to speak of, a living and dining room divided only by a countertop, and a bedroom which had room for little more than her bed and wardrobe. Her dinner, half-eaten and steadily chilling, sat atop a coffee table, and a kettle of just-boiled water sat next to the stove.

"Do you drink tea? I've got..." She took a moment to thumb through a small, isolated drawer. "Berry Cherry, Sleepytime, Lemon Honey, Pom-Pom Star and... Pine Needle?" Her brow furrowed, and she held the final packet up to the light. "I don't remember buying this one."

Her hands busy with setting the table, or rather, countertop, with a set of cups and saucers, Passeri urged Ji-Young to take a seat, and make herself comfortable. She hid it well, but she was nervous. This wasn't the first time that somebody had come to collect, but it was the first time in a while. Most of her earlier would-be debt collectors had come in the earliest months of her destitution, before she'd wrapped the ones who had sent them around her finger. The fact that another was showing up now meant that one of them had gotten fed up. Their patience had run out.

"Well... Let's not beat around the bush." She dropped a teabag, of the Pom-Pom Star variety, into her cup, and leaned into the countertop. "Who's feeling impatient? Maximillian? Gennady? Liliane? I bet it was Max, right?" He'd never been good with patience. She'd only gotten him off of her back in the first place because of the collateral she'd promised him. "What's he playing for? Payment? I'd really prefer to be speaking to him, if that's the case. I'm sure I can talk some sense into him if he gives me the chance."

Passeri studied Ji-Young as she spoke. She was being honest. If she was able to get Maximillian, or any of her debtors to sit down with her, she was confident she'd be able to stall them out for just a bit longer. Maybe her realized that. This woman was a wild card, and perhaps that was why he'd played her.

"Or I don't suppose we can work anything out, can we?" She stirred her tea, swirling strands of deep purple-red throughout the cup, but kept her eyes fixed on the other woman. How she responded to this was important. "Could you put me on the line with him? Maybe give me a ride back to his place? I'll make sure you get paid either way. Don't worry."

YumenoTsukishiro​

 

[Roda the Red]

ERIC EVENSEN

CS Link

SCENE:

North Says No!

LOCATION:

Redwater High, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Eric, Passeri

NORTH SAYS NO!

"Sorry, unfortunately I left my dancing shoes back home, you'd be floored by my squat dance, though" Eric's sarcastic remarks always came off somewhat strange, as they always shared the same monotone tone from his regular manner of speech. In fact, he can't even remember when was the last time he actually raised his voice... two, maybe three years? Hard to keep track of something so trivial.

He understood Passeri's worries and desire for something a bit more grounded, not have them here to watch the famous musician, but to listen to two people give their words about the dangers of the unspeakable substances that plagued the humongous dristrict. Perhaps, then, he had to be the one to shine, just this once.

As the now dozens of students walking around the place started to take Passeri's words so lightly, the detective sigh, crushing the empty coffee hand in his grip. He stood up, approaching his partner, irritation over his next move creeping up in his mind.

"Okay, let me try something" He said as he placed a hand on her shoulder, then taking a few steps forward.

Eric closed his eyes and clapped his hands together, a bright orb of light manifesting around them, which immediately caught the attention of a handful of students. Then, the orb split in two, the now two separate entities started to fly around, traveling through the multitude of teenagers as they left trails of luminescence behind. After perfoming a few laps around the student body, the orbs returned to Eric, spinning around him at increasing velocity as they slowly rose above him, coming closer to each other. Finally, the two orbs clashed while at a dozen feet away from the ground, exploding into an spectacle of light particles scattering around. The lights died down after a few seconds, but now the majority of the students. The detective opened his eyes, now staring at the group.

"Hey, let me get real for a moment. My name is Eric Evensen, from the CDPD, and I know you've heard this crap about a hundred times now, but i've seen seen plenty of things in my career, and people having their lives ruined by drugs is something I've seen time and time again . Got some stories to tell, so if you don't mind, would you listen to me and my lovely friend for a few? I'll try to keep it simple"

The One Eyed Bandit

 

[Roda the Red]

Camila Gaspari

http://www.google.com

CS Link

SCENE:

[A Valentine Emergency]

LOCATION:

Weber Estate, Main House, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Jennifer, Yi-Joung, Camila

A VALENTINE EMERGENCY

It wasn't rare for Camila to have to change her schedule at a moment's notice. Be it because of a change of plans, a better opportunity presenting itself out of nowhere, or even finding out that her parents were celebrating their birthday. But the last thing she expected to having to make some free time for...was making chocolate.

Camila knew Jennifer Weber well, they had worked together in the past, and the two even collaborated in order to have a small side gig going, involving the extension of the Webber arms trade into the black market. She was a diligent, smart and above all, ambitious woman who knew how to handle things. Which made it only the more surprising to see her making an emergency call for help...to make chocolate. Regardless, it was improper to turn her back on her recurring associate, and even better, Camila could end today with the powerful business woman owing her a favor. She'd be an idiot not to take this opportunity.

She calmly drove on her brand new car, cruising through the highway as she listened to the radio. While admitedly she sort of missed her old ride, this one was superior in pretty much every single way, be it acceleration, handling or even comfort in her seat. She was happy to be able to nonchalantly afford such a luxury vehicle, all thanks to the sudden wave of successful business endeavers she'd been riding on for the last few months.

Eventually, she reached the main gates of the Webber estate, parking nearby. She picked up her purse and left the vehicle, she whistled at the sight of the enormous property as she rested her arm , truly a place beffiting a billion-dollar empire. As she walked towards the comms, she noticed a surprise person waiting against the wall.

"Oh, hi, I guess you're Jennifer's friend? Did you also drag you into this?"

As she waited for a replay from the mysterious woman, Camila made sure to let security know they were here. They were lead into the main house, just as impressive as the rest of the residence. Finally, they were escorted into the kitchen, quite the luxurious one, unsurprisingly. Camila laughed internally by expectating a Jennifer quite different to the once she usually metm a nervous mess of a girl with a messy apron, how adorable of her.

"Yeah, hello to you too, Jen" Said Camila as she left her purse on a nearby counter, her hands now resting atop the kitchen island. "So, first off, I need you to calm down a bit, and secondly, I need you to tell me what you're aiming for exactly, we need to start somewhere if you want this to work"

YumenoTsukishiro Uasal

 

[Roda the Red]

CHARLIE HUGHES

CS Link

SCENE:

[The New Oasis Way]

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1, August 20th 2021

LOCATION:

Streets of South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Sang-Cheol

THE NEW OASIS WAY

Breathe in...Breath out...Breath in...Breath out...

Within the small, claustrophobic confines of the armored van, Charlie lied atop one of the parallel seats within the cargo compartment of the vehicle. His legs were shating and his hands were fidgetting non-stop with each other as his heart beat at an alarming rate. Everytime the vehicle would make a slight jump do to a speed bump, his body would tense up instantly, his mind running at all cyliders at the prospect of incoming danger.

"Temperer, relax already, I need you to stay sharp" Charlie flinched as the relative silence was broken by the sudden words of the previously silent man who sat on the opposite end of the storage area.

"S-Sorry, Sir...I'm just a bit worried we might get attacked"

"It most likely will happen, and that's exactly why we're here, I know you're new but you better get used to how things work"

A chill went down Charlie's spine as the man supported his fears, not caring to give a single reassuring word to compensate. The rookie gulped as he could feel his neck getting somewhat damp from the mixture of anxiety and lack of ventilation.

"Y-Yes Sir, I won't disappoint you"

The man removed his glasses, cleaning the lenses with a handkerchief he took out from his pocket. He combed his hair slightly with his hand after putting on his glasses once again, a gentle smile curling up on his face.

"I trust you won't, Helva wouldn't just blindly sponsor any random person off the street, also, no need to be so humble, just call me by my alias"

"U-Understood, Seer!" Replied Charlie, right before leaning against the wall of the van.

It was the rookie's very first mission as part of the Scarlet Phoenixes, and a surprisingly important job to boot. By suggestion of his sponsor, Helva Linxal, Charlie was part of a seven-man operation. The job was simple: The armored van contained within it a large sum of money, which was a cumulative donation from several influential people from the city, and they had to make sure it traveled safely all the way to the opposite end of the district, where it would be managed and distributed to further progress on the rebuilding projects to restore South District, after the unbelievable collateral damage caused by the hurricane.

The formation was as such: The armored Van had a single phoenix driving it, with two other members, Temperer and and Seer making sure that no strange individual with special abilities sneaked inside the van, where the money was located. Seer was especially crucial for the job, as his ability. Ajna, allowed him to see through solid objects, making him able to detect any incoming dangers, Temperer was there to assist him as raw brawn if necessary. Then, there was two cars escorting the van, one in front and one on the back, each having a phoenix pilot and co-pilot.

While things were currently going well enough, Seer's seasoned intuition was all too right, as word of the transport had reach the ear of certain individuals, and thus, danger awaited them right around the corner.

Spoiler: NPC: Seer

Appareance
Name: Ulysses Druckmann
Alias: Seer
Description: Veteran of the Scarlet Phoenixes, a man of much experience and talent. He's been serving ever since the early days of Surya's reign and his loyalty towards the phoenixes is among the highest within the gang. He's a wise and composed man, surprisingly kind to his allies. But he's also a cold-hearted murderer with a complete lack of empathy for his foes, an enemy of the Scarlet Phoenixes is his own enemy as well.
Potential: Ajna - Ulysses possesses a supernatural sight, which gives him a vision span of around 300°, as well as being able to see through solid objects at will. Living beings also irradiate an inner light that he can detect, as well as being able to see this light concentrated where pressure points are located once he's close enough to his target.

Misuteeku

 

[Misuteeku]

Sang-Cheol Man

CS Link

SCENE:

The New Oasis Way

LOCATION:

Streets of South District

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1, August 20th 2021

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Charlie

The New Oasis Way

On the streets, ahead of the van, stood a lone man. Well within range of Seer's HP, the man had one hand in his pocket and the other holding a cigarette. "What a drag this is," Sang-Cheol muttered to himself. After hearing about the hurricane that hit the Phoenix, Yuudai sent him along with a few other groups to sabotage. Initially, Sang-Cheol didn't want to do this. He had quotas to meet and a lab to run. Why couldn't someone from the other labs or Tri, for fucks sake, do this errand? However, it wasn't like he wouldn't gain anything.

After all, his target was here.

Taking one last drag out of his cigarette, the scientist tossed it off to the side and reached into his pocket. "Everyone in position?" He radioed in. It would have been suicidal to go in this alone after all, and detrimental for the lab in the long run. The last thing Sang-Cheol needed was someone like Rebecca managing the lab. In the last week, she had accidentally burned down the lab a total of five times.

"Yes, sir!"

"Hai!"

"I'm ready to pounce them, owo."

Sang-Cheol mentally cringed at that last response. There were a total of forty-seven disposals, along with three workers he had brought from the lab. They would be far more than enough to take on an armored van. "You know the signal. Get your asses ready." With that, he took a stick of dynamite from his pocket. Normally a stick of dynamite wouldn't be enough to topple an armored van. Gangs would usually reinforce their pile of junk so that they would survive a gang fight. However, this wasn't the case at all.

As if it was an instantaneous movement, the dynamite was lit and thrown in under a second toward the direction of the van. Sang-Cheol's potential, 'Hopeful Flame Under A Snowy Night,' allowed him to produce unique flames from his fingertips. The flames sped up the chemical processes, which allowed Lab Icarus to produce more drugs at a faster rate than the others. An additional feature was that it enhanced the properties of the objects being affected.

In other words...

The dynamite detonated prematurely over the armored vehicle. With the force of ten dynamites, a loud explosion rang through the area. Nearby structures cracked, caught fire, and were partially destroyed by the blast. Debris flew everywhere and passed by Sang-Cheol. Now it was time to make sure the Phoenixes were snuffed.

Raising his arm, Sang-Cheol thrust it forward, "Now! Serpents, attack!" From behind Sang-Cheol, a multitude of people emerged from their hiding places. They roared as they charged into the new hellscape.

Spoiler: Tags

Roda the Red

 

[Roda the Red]

ERIC EVENSEN

CS Link

SCENE:

Cleaning Duty

TIME:

Nighttime, February 19th 2022, Post-Arc 2

LOCATION:

Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Inigo, Eric

CLEANING DUTY

There it was again, Inigo's bloodthirst was on full display, his efforts to conceal it being equal to that of a clear glass door. Eric couldn't help but worry about the tendencies of his partner, on the bright side, it really made him one of the most motivated and efficient officers on the field, but on the other hand...The detective feared deep inside that Inigo might be going down a path he may end up regretting in the future, his methods of ultra-violence against criminals were efficient, but at what cost? Perhaps that's why Chikage paired them much two years ago, the boss was smart enough to know that the Detective's far mellower behavior could serve as Inigo's anchor, keeping him from doing something he might later regret, and Eric, despite his lack of initiative, was determined to help out his co-worker- nay, his friend.

As Inigo busted Whirlpool's entrance open, he was suddenly assaulted by the loud, intense sound of club music, as well as the aggressive neon lights that bounced around the place.



The place was empty for the most part, all of the customers in the place were long gone, the only people remaining at the place being about a dozen of young adults scattered around the place, either singing and dancing, drinking or just messing up the place, adding to the already flipped or broken chairs and tables, or the shattered bottles of alcohol on the ground, puddles of liquor causing the place to reek of ethanol. There was also a pair of worker, but both were on their knees, being held at gunpoint by two particularly mean-looking youths wielding handguns.

"Fuck's this, Pigs? Don't tell me someone ratted us out already!" Said one of the youngsters, he had very short blonde hair and sat on top of the bar's counter, one hand holding a bottle of whiskey, the other pulling out a gun from his pants at the sight of the cops entering.

"Shit, man, we barely had any fun yet!" Said another youth, who wore long dreadlocks partially hidden by a reversed baseball cap, smashing one of the tables with his aluminum bat.

"Get fucking lost already!" Said a woman with a black pixie cut "We're just having some fun here" She looked to her side, sniggering lightly at the sight of the workers being terrified for their lives as she twirled her knife between her fingers.

"She's right" Said the blonde man, hopping off from the counter, his chains and jewelry clanging comically as he landed on the floor. He raised his gun sideways as he approached the officers, stopping about just a few meters away from them. "Me 'n my friends are just having a bit of fun here, alright? Who doesn't want to own their own night club for a night? Are you guys really going to be as shitty as to ruin my little dream" He grinned, he was clearly enjoyed what he believed to be a clear power imbalance.

"If you pigs turn your tail and run by the count of 5, we'll let ya go, otherwise we'll just have to get rid of ya."

Eric squinted his eyes as he scanned the area, they were outnumbered by a six-to-one ratio, although most likely only a few of them were HPs. However, what was the biggest priority for the detective at the moment was to secure the safety of the workers. He leaned to his side towards Inigo, whispering to him just low enough for his words to be drowned by the music for the criminals.

"Ini, if you give me an opening by distracting them, I'll be able to disarm the hostage takers"

Spoiler: IMPORTANT POST NOTE

-The five specified troublemakers in the post are HPs, the rest are NPs, and only two of those HPs have actual useful abilities that are currently unspecified

simj26

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Passeri Park

CS Link

SCENE:

Stranger's Gold

TIME:

29th January 2022, Pre-Arc 3

LOCATION:

Starstreak Arena, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri Park, Hector Moses

Stranger's Gold

"You could say that!" There was a soft, relaxed mirth in Passeri's smile. It was the face that she often wore when she wanted to turn on her charms, the face of the celebrity, Iroi, not the Albino Tiger that lurked beneath.

"I like to keep my finger on the pulse of the community, you know? I think it's important when it comes to keeping in touch. There's a lot of perspectives you can get from people who don't think you'll ever hear what they have to say!" Her posture, much the same, was relaxed. This wasn't her first time inviting a guest for a special meet and greet like this, though it was the first time it had involved one of the other gang's royal suit.

"And you've been up to quite a bit!" So she'd been told. If she was being honest, he'd almost flown under her radar completely. If it hadn't been for one of her interns accidentally filing through one of Hector's photos on a drunken bender, their meeting tonight probably would've never happened. "I'm not much for the site myself, but as I understand it, there's a lot that goes into managing those sub-forums, right? And with that many people? I don't know how I'd have time for anything else!" She did, but that was beside the point. "So here we are! I don't know if it's vain to think of this sort of thing as a reward, but it was the best I could figure out!"

She took a moment to retrieve herself from her seat, and then move behind a small bar that filled the back of the room. Glasses clinked, and a small rush of cold air intruded into the room as she retrieved a few things from the fridge, and laid them across the bartop.

"Nevermind that though, I'm sure the email already explained everything." She flicked on an electric kettle, busying herself as she spoke. "Can I get you anything to drink? We do have alcohol if you're interested, but it'll just be tea for me for now. Despite what you'd think, your throat never quite gets used to singing at the top of your voice for two hours."

@FangS31

 

[BriiAngelic]

CAIO SANTANA COELHO

CS Link

SCENE MUSIC:

Carry On Wayward Son [Neoni Remix]

LOCATION:

North District

TIME:

~2004, Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri ( The One Eyed Bandit ) Caio

Captives of The System

"You might get in t-trouble if you keep doing that."

Ha, a mousy little girl like her was going to try to scare him off? It’d be cute if it wasn’t in the context of her being the damn one who should be getting scared off. Still, it was one thing to beat on some scumbags and another thing entirely to hit another kid. Especially if they were an NP.


He let out a sigh as he stepped closer to her pulling his hands out of his pockets. He figured the blade in his pocket better damn well stay hidden if he didn’t want to spook her away.

“Listen kid. One, thanks for the concern though you definitely should be saving it on yourself-Not that I mean from me specifically but this is certainly not a business you wanna be in. You a street kid? Can’t be tangled up in serps, my pops would know better than that I hope.”

His hands itched and he desired to throw them back in his pockets as he felt his own nerves shake. He took another glance up and down the alley making sure there wasn’t anyone waiting in the wings to jump either of them.

“Hey how about we get outta this damn alley and into somewhere that doesn’t stink like swamp? I’m Caio. Who the hell are you? Please tell me you’re at least an HP and not some kiddy NP with a death wish.”

 

[BriiAngelic]

Jackson Reese Alessi

CS Link

SCENE MUSIC:

Falling

LOCATION:

East District, Brothel

TIME:

???

PARTICIPANTS:

Jackson, Takaonna ( AriAriAbabwa )

Pest Control

The sound of his phone going off made him jump as he realized the time. He hadn’t meant to crash at Millie’s but he wasn’t working ENP today and staying home didn’t seem all that appealing tonight. He didn’t feel much like dealing with the resistance he’d receive if he tried to crash at his “friend’s” houses either. He didn’t need the reminder of how much no one wanted him around right now.

At least at Millie’s, he’d be able to chat up some cuties… plus he could use some support. Shit. He didn’t want to but he was stuck thinking of days long gone. He shouldn’t be missing the hellhole that was the north, and even less so missing the idiot who joined those fuckers. His phone buzzed once more and he reached down off the sofa to grab it.

Mom.

Fucking dammit.

He swore she was asleep when he left. The pain must of woken her up. He texted her back a quick lie about being called into work late. He should be grateful she was satisfied enough with the lie that he’d been picking up bartending gigs. Especially with the off the books pay.

Realistically if he were a better son he’d be rushing back to check on her, but he was tired. He was tired of a lot recently. Just a night out and he’d get a pick me up. Once Millie was done he’d bother her till she laughed at him again and told him off for being a kid playing in an adult’s profession. As if it wasn’t her fault for showing him the ropes.

The sound of panting and bed creaking reminded him of how thin the walls of Millie’s office actually were. He pushed himself off the sofa and decided if he was going to be waiting up for a while he might as well go grab a bite. He’d get scolded later for acting as welcome as an employee but who fucking cared.

He strolled down the semi-confusing but semi-familiar halls until he heard the faint sound of a scream coming from the twisting hallways. He ran trying to find its source before getting turned around a few times only barely managing to find it.

If it weren't for the blood pooling at the mangled body at his feet he wouldn’t have even assumed he got it right. It was Shiki. Her build, her long blonde hair, and even her clothing style were familiar. He’d slept with her once, he’d talked to her even more. She was an NP who hadn’t even needed the cash she slept with people for the fun.

And now she was dead, and she wasn’t ever going to get to again.

He grabbed the nearest thing that could be used as a weapon then took a deep breath in before shouting at the top of his lungs.

“MILLIE GET EVERYONE OUT OF HERE.”

With that, he took a lunge at the murderer aiming to swing down at the head of the murderer still covered in Shiki’s fucking blood.

 

[Lucem]

Aaron Hayes

CS LINK

SCENE:

Aftermath

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1: 2019

LOCATION:

Alleyways, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Aaron, Aristotle, Rebecca, Timothy

AFTERMATH

Each time the bright sparks danced across Aaron's chest, their violent light was quickly snuffed out. The electricity was drawn into him, his stone-like body acting as a battery that stored raw power. Just like the wall at his side, he stood tall, strong and unmoving. However, it was not entirely his own choice.

Still trying to scrape up what was left of his strength, finding an opportunity to charge in and take out the gunman was difficult. The buzzing bullets also added to the struggle. While they had no effect on his concrete body, the harsh light still blocked his already blurry vision. The loud crackles of the weaponized currents also made it difficult to hear.

With his degrading senses and hazy mind, it was impossible for him to notice the silent approach of the attacker behind him. He could not hear or see her, but he could feel the sharp pain of the needles that pierced through his thick skin and tore into his insides. In response, he stiffened, clenching his teeth and tightening his muscles.

As the sharp metal slowly dug deep into his back, he acted on pure reflex, arching his back in an attempt to escape the pain. He then let out a roar, but not one of anguish. He yelled to power through it all. It was also a precursor to what came next.

At that moment, he released everything he had taken from the blond man. Blinding flashes of light shot out of his body, emerging with a mighty boom as a sphere of electricity enveloped him before expanding. The shockwave filled the entire alley, attacking everything indiscriminately as each jolt hunted for a target.

His breathing became deep and animalistic, a result of his exhaustion and the adrenaline coursing through him. More attackers kept sprouting from nowhere, and he still didn't know the reason for this ambush, but he didn't care. He was just focused on getting through it by putting all of them in the dirt. Sure, it would be a hellish process, but the thought of bragging to Ash that he still came out on top after getting jumped by three people was a good motivator. He was looking forward to seeing the look on his face.

Spoiler: Tags

Misuteeku