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

[joshuadim]

Hitoshi Yamakawa

CS Link

SCENE:

Ballin'

TIME:

Pre-Arc 3: March 29th, 2022 -- Evening

LOCATION:

Old Basketball Court, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Boltius, Milo, Roza, Rin, Yong-Yut, Hector, Ashley, Libla

Ballin'

A few reactions here and there, some out of tension but others out of hilarity, made Hitoshi laugh aloud as he stepped out of the vehicle while the Messinan cook fired up everything, grumbling under his breath as he did so. Likely out of annoyance of Hitoshi's driving on the way here and now immediately being put to work. The equipment inside hissed to life as things heated up, and Hitoshi could practically taste a hot dog in his near future. It made his mouth salivate a bit as he prepared to step out of the vehicle, but Yong-Yut had made it first there to make an order. The cook understood well enough to put two of the sausages onto the grill and started toasting buns, and Hitoshi had a question leveled to him.

"Hm? Oh, no! This is a young man's game and I," Hitoshi then said to Yong-Yut as he stepped out into the outside, stretching his arms and legs as he did so, "I am not a young man. Not for a long time." He added with a chuckle at the end. "Nah, I'll just be sitting and watching. Always fun to cheer on the sidelines after all." He crossed his arms and began to observe the game unfold before quickly ordering a hot dog for himself, with ketchup and mustard, and sighed. He saw how Rin outmaneuvered Boltius in such a fluid manner and laughed aloud with a few strong claps. "C'mon Boltius! You can do better than that!" Hitoshi cheered out from the edge of the court.

gxxberkit (Yong-Yut) @Peckinou (Libla) Lucem (Ashley) WhiskeyMarten (Hector) Elenion Aura (Milo) RedArmyShogun (Roza) Doctor Llamabean (Bolt) EmperorsChosen (Rin)

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Meirin Azuza

CS Link

SCENE:

Just Another Training Day

LOCATION:

Wuyang Temple, East District

LOCATION:

January 8th, 2022 || Pre-Arc 3

PARTICIPANTS:

Meirin, Laura, Peyton, Schroeder, Jesper, Isaiah,
Ra, Dyne, any dragons that want to join

Just Another Training Day

“Only if you let me call you, Monkey Boy~”

Meirin wrapped the towel around her neck as she watched Hou and Xuefeng rush for the food, devouring it despite having just played tag for 5 hours on district wide course; An impressive feat for a kid. His guardian too, of course, but then, she’d expected differences in ability when it came to running. Hou looked like he could use a tougher course to challenge him and drain him of the excess energy. In contrast, it looked to be a good distance for Laura who seemed to be suitably exhausted, but managed to finish the run. Meirin nodded. The goal wasn’t to start off the same, but to catch everyone up to “roughly” the same level of fitness…and they at least did the run, unlike a certain box-living hermit. Mr. Wildschwein had almost–understandably–shot at Guardian’s arrogant operator, but, fortunately, did not and opted to take his aggression out on the training dummies instead.

Good aim.

“The big dogs, hm? Those are big words~” She removed a rice-grain from Xuefeng’s cheek and lifted the child in her arms as Hou drew a circle on the ground, calling for challengers. A few answered the dare, though most still seemed to be eating or resting after the exhausting all-morning run. Hou was simply fast–definitely a standout among the new Azure Dragon recruits. His kid too. The fact that a child could consume so much (four times in the morning?) and so quickly could be due to a healthy appetite…but it might also be signs of a deprived childhood. Didn’t Ruri say they’d found him being chased around by some shady folks? Either way, she didn’t dislike Hou’s initiative.

Monkey boy seemed like the sort that knew what he wanted.

“If you want to move onto big things you start small, and, sadly most of our best fighters aren’t here–,” Shen was the first one to come to mind when it came to the ‘big dog’ fighters in the Azure Dragon gang. Kairong, Ruri, and Kanna were up there as well, along with Isaiah and his tricky fighting style, but… “Oh, I know! How about our first place winner? He still looks like he has a lot of energy to spare! I'll fight you if you can beat him up!”

Smirking, Meirin stepped over to the box Jesper hid in and gave it a good kick–not hard enough to send it flying, but enough to draw the rich kid’s attention from his phone–before taking the “snacks” and handing them to Xuefeng. “The food is for the people that actually did some training.”

And didn’t have an excuse of a bad hip. Frankly, Meirin didn’t mind that Jespie wanted to show off his potential, but even she couldn’t find it pleasant that he seemed to be making a mockery of those who took the run seriously. Either they were here to train, help with training, or watch the training, she couldn’t stand those who skirted the line between. Or those who cheat. Jesper seemed like he was the sort that would need a personal trainer to keep them focused on training. Pei too, but unlike ENP’s waiter, who had recently earned Veteran status in the gang, Jesper clearly needed it a lot more. HP or not, the boy was the definition of unhealthy.

Even Xuefeng ran more.


“Soooo I’ll give you a choice. Either run 20 more laps around the temple, where Izzy and I can see you, or get in line to spar with Hou~” They were both still rookies in the gang after all. Not all those invited into Azure Dragon gang were invited for the same reason, but it wouldn’t hurt for the boy to learn a little hand to hand combat in the event that someone pulled the plug on his potential. If Hou could train Jesper, that would take some of the work off her shoulders. Merin lifted the basement dweller out of his box–with one hand–and set him down where he could see the sun. She slapped Jesper on the back for motivation. “Oh, and no using Guardian, else I’ll let everyone that pushed you here,” Mainly Kasumi. “Know about how you decided to avoid training for today.”

Turning, the Warden of Eternal Night Palace joined Laura on the floor of the temple, legs crossed and Xuefeng on her lap. The doors of Wuyang Temple were open so she had a clear view of Hou sparing with some of the gang’s less than able rookies while she ate.

“You can join them if you want. Show that challenger what the girls of Eternal Night Palace are made of~”

She reached for a rice ball on the many trays set out. Given monks were mostly vegetarian, and the kids living in the temple were by no means culinary geniuses, the lunch mainly consisted of rice balls, pickled vegetables, and tofu…but it was the thought that counted…and some rice balls seemed to contain a sweet filling. Meirin gave Xuefeng another one before taking a bite of her own.

“I might join in after going over some Shaolin kung fu basics for those that want to learn…”

Assuming Jesper chose to fight Hou that is. Technically, she could demonstrate shaolin kung fu while sparing with Hou, so might do so anyway...after watching Jesper run to make sure he didn't cheat. She didn’t know where Peyton was either and would have to find him if he didn’t manage to return to the temple. What if he passed out somewhere? Or got hurt? Meirin sighed. In some ways, training in a group was much harder than training by oneself…especially when doing so with a chaotic group of gangsters. Was there a way to drive the chaos out of them? Did she even want to? Her teacher had always told her that balance was best.

“And Mr. Wildschwein seems to have taken over shooting practice. With four arms, that’s four guns you can hold~”

Four armed combat actually had a lot of potential. Meirin herself didn’t know many techniques in that regard, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t help the younger girl develop some. Either way, there was still plenty of daylight left and four Veterans–including Peyton–to learn from. Life as an Azure Dragon gang member didn’t get any easier. If anything, with the looming animosities between gangs, it only got harder. Strength would be needed to protect the peace and order of the East District, whether it be physical or mental. She didn't know a wit about what Omar was up to either, but it clearly got Schroeder worked up...which was enough reason to attend the mysterious invitation. "What sort of training are you looking forward to?"

AriAriAbabwa RedArmyShogun Coyote Hart Lucem Damafaud The Prophet
SilverFlight (I gave u some npc fodder so feel free to show off at your leisure)

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Laura Weissman

CS Link

SCENE:

Just Another Training Day [Pre-Arc 3]

LOCATION:

Wuyang Temple, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Meirin, Laura, Peyton, Hou, Fade, Schroeder, Dyne and others.

Just Another Training Day

January 8th, 2022 - 12:30PM​

With the run over and herself still recovering a bit, Laura watched the events unfold around them, it seemed some were barely tired, be it as they did not run at all or that they were used to such, with one man screaming out challenges, the old man shooting the hell out of a target she was fairly sure was meant for punching, and was that a child she seen running around? Yes, and she would soon get a good look at them as Meirin said her own piece to the boisterous challenger before sitting down with the young one in her lap. As she started to think about asking some questions to this effect, Meirin was quick to unleash a few remarks and one question of her own, still, she would ask.

"Ah, who might this little one be?" It was then she thought over the remarks and chuckled a bit; "Hmm, I could do that, see how I hold up, but I'm afraid all I have is instinct and physical power, more than a lot of HP's in the later regard, but I'm not all that confident I'll come out on top. And kung-fu huh, interesting. And ah, so the old man can shoot in here then, I was a bit worried."

It was the question however that she paused on, taking time to carefully consider it. "In truth, I don't know what I look forward to. I mean I've gotta wing whatever I'm taught. I'm good at physical abilities, don't have any depth perception unless I replace this eye or find someone to heal it so if I did learn to shoot it would have to be close range. But honestly, I spent most of my life acting like my HP was weaker than it was so people would leave me and my family alone. Then all that happened and that woke up something in me..."

She says in regard to why her face was burned before continuing on. "We only have a few hours left, but maybe I'll do a bit of the basics to everything the veterans are offering, see what sticks, or maybe I'll learn a bit of them all, though if I were to learn shooting, I think I would want to stick to two guns, then I can reload them easy with my two other arms pretty constant. Imagine just having to put aside and reloading four guns one by one, sounds like a lot of trouble, well short of like a sudden short engagement, then that might work? Haha. Listen to me, as if I even know what I'm talking about."

With that said, she smiles and tilts her head before smiling and giving a shrug. "Any pointers you have would be welcomed, otherwise I'm just going to go around giving a few minutes or an hour here and there. And eh, I could fight that guy, just he seems to be a fighter, all I can do is swing away till one of us stops moving or calls it quits. Your call boss, I don't mind showing him we ladies aren't just for show, but I won't promise to win."

Coyote Hart QuirkyAngel AriAriAbabwa SilverFlight Lucem @Vahn Damafaud

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Rin Chiyase

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Pre-Arc 3: The Enduring Hurrah

TIME:

Pre-Arc 3: Evening of May 27th, 2022

LOCATION:

Red West Bar, a Phoenix hub in the South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hitoshi, Hide, Charlie, Corvo, Milo, Rin, Boltius, Ashley,
Gideon, Dimitri, Hector, Roza

The Enduring Hurrah

"Mm, a loner then? I thought you were kinda shy given how tense you were at the basketball game, so I thought I'd bug ya' for a bit," The horned woman stated before circling around the table and plopping down in the seat with a smile. "Eh... I mean, I wouldn't turn down arm wrestling, but as far as the booze... guilty~."

Chuckling a bit at that, Rin crossed her arms on the table and leaned into them a bit. She didn't seem dissuaded from interacted with the smaller woman despite her demeanor. Typically, Rin was the dense type to shrug off a cold shoulder or stoic personality, short of them telling her to get lost, that is.

"I ain't much worried about you bitin'. Go ahead and give it a shot if you like, but you also don't seem to be that interested in rough-housing like me, haha!" With that said, Rin glanced at the burgers briefly with a hum. "Ah, so your potential affects your metabolism too? I never much had to worry about what I eat either, or how much."

From what Rin knew, she was a speed-type, so it kind of made sense.

Hearing her name called, Rin turned her head a bit before perking up instantly.

"Charlie! You kidding? I think it's more wild inside. Already a few people who're shitfaced," She said with a triumphant grin, being responsible for at least one of them. "Where've you been? I need my brawler-buddy!"
RedArmyShogun (Roza) Roda the Red (Charlie)

 

[joshuadim]

Hitoshi Yamakawa

CS Link

SCENE:

The Enduring Hurrah

TIME:

Pre-Arc 3, Evening of May 27th, 2022

LOCATION:

Red West Bar, a Phoenix hub in the South District

PARTICIPANTS:

A lot of phoenixes

The Enduring Hurrah

Tonight was a special night for the Phoenixes given what the circumstances were now and what were going to be soon. It wasn't just the bar, but the street outside of it as well that had been taken over by the gang for its own activities for tonight. A celebration put on by Hector but also a reminder of what they had to reclaim. However lively the meeting was, Hitoshi was in a different state of mind. Unlike his usual happy and carefree style of thinking, he felt rather solemn tonight and more withdrawn; he didn't feel like partying. A surprise considering his usual desire to have a good time, but something felt *off*. At least in his own mind regardless. He felt off balance, disoriented... lost, even.

It had started ever since the mall when he practically caved that White Rabbit's face in out of pure rage, and it had been just a steady spiral downwards since then in his mindset. He couldn't help but think about what kind of person he was as a result. He held a glass of whisky on the rocks in his hand as he sat at the bar counter, lost in his thoughts as people went about their business around him.

"Ah, fuck it." Hitoshi muttered to himself as he downed his drink, allowing the amber relief to wash down his throat. He didn't want to soil the night for anyone else with his own problems. And so he put on a smile and continued on his way. He stood up and walked about, passing by groups of phoenixes celebrating and talking amongst themselves until coming across Hector who was talking to Gideon. He didn't know the latter particularly well all things considered, not as well as he should probably, but now probably was the best time to right that wrong.

"Hey, Hector-san. Gideon-san." Hitoshi spoke to announce his arrival as he approached the two, giving a small bow to both before returning his attention fully to the former. "Hell of a speech you made. Getting the troops riled up, eh?"

Interacting: Hector WhiskeyMarten , Gideon Coyote Hart

 

[BluEndings]

"NAOMI BLECHER" (MIMI)

CS Link

SCENE:

[Tin and Matchstick]

TIME:

Pre-Arc 3, September 29th 2021

LOCATION:

Lab Icarus, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Mimi

TIN AND MATCHSTICK

“Sure, sure.”

She may as well have literally waved off his concern, but her eyes were more honest than her words. Considering everything that had been said already, enough of this information was quite sensitive. Hearing it would put her in just as much danger as him. Maybe not entirely, but a marginal level of difference was irrelevant when it came to this level of risk.

The idea of ‘soul’ was not the kind of thing she expected a ‘science guy’ to bring up. Her body didn’t react. In fact, it was a good thing Sang-Cheol hadn’t asked for her opinion. Her motionless form had become an excuse for a mental deep dive. Emotions, memories, and things much more abstract. Sensations that clawed right at the back of concepts that didn’t belong. They were always there, but it was something difficult to interact with. Not too dissimilar to grasping at clouds.

“... You and I both fall into this category.”

She trembled back to reality, the feelings dissolving into nothing more than a hazy dream. The words were comforting as much as they were revolting, but the meaning behind them was what mattered. It was all very philosophical—except it wasn't, not really. Apparently it was a very real set of considerations, and all roads lead in wild directions. Dangerous, but not failing to entice.

The nature of Potentials.

The ability to dull them.
The ability to enhance them.
The ability to give them.
The ability to evolve them.

Or destroy them.

“Tri…”

Admittedly, Mimi didn’t know a whole lot when it came to the Jack. She had heard he was a bit of an eccentric. A hedonist, not unlike the majority of Sable Serpents—in that regard, most certainly comparable to the King prior. It wasn’t surprising in the least to hear about possible dissatisfaction with a new ruling power. She couldn’t care less if the Lab Heads, or anyone else, chose to tear into one another. So long as someone strong enough to hold the title appeared in the end, it was irrelevant.

“Why try to evolve Potentials?” Her usual critical tone returned. “Recognition? Money? Power?”

The next few moments were filled with her words extending, and retracting a few times over.

“Just… pure curiosity?”

NAVIGATE

 

[Misuteeku]

Sang-Cheol Man

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

Tin and Matchstick

LOCATION:

North District, Lab Icarus

TIME:

Pre Arc-3 | September 29th 2021

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Mimi

Tin and Matchstick

Mimi seemed to have received his input more or less casually. Whether she took it seriously or not was up to her, but Sang-Cheol had faith that Mimi wouldn't go around to tell the entire world of his plans. However, he did note that some of his words reached her heart, given by the movement of her eyes.

"Why?" Sang-Cheol repeated Mimi's question. There was a momentary silence that elapsed in the room. The rhetorical question, along with the provided answers, was given to him by Mimi. He had talked earnestly to Mimi, so he figured it was safe to do so again. Mimi's responses to her supposed question on 'why he wanted to evolve potentials' were puzzling at best. It didn't even cross Sang-Cheol's mind if he did it specifically for those reasons.

"Recognition? Who would I need recognition from?" There was no more need for recognition. The Professor, Snake, his lab workers, and Mimi herself, to an extent, of them gave him the attention he needed to wake up. They dragged him out of the lonely daze he had slept in for many years. No one else could replace them in his mind. Well, maybe aside from Boltius and Iso- The thought was immediately erased. "It'd be a hassle to get attention from anyone else. Whether it be the government or else."

"Money? What would I use the money for?" Money was good. To those who said money didn't mean everything in the world, they were all liars. Have they ever tried starving for weeks on end? Have they ever tried to wring little cash left to maintain a broken-down house? Have they ever felt so desperate to resort to killing and robbery? Sang-Cheol was disgusted by those who disvalued money above all else. But he didn't need any more money. He was satisfied with his situation. All he wanted was a 'home' he could belong in. That was all that mattered to him.

"Power? Why would I need more power?" The strong ruled the weak; that was the general rule of the old world. Even then, it only changed form and persisted. Strength to Money. Leadership to Connections. Power meant more security, but he had enough power already to protect himself. His lab, his workers, the gang (which was debatable), and himself made him strong. Sang-Cheol, himself, wasn't the ambitious type. If anything, the only reason why he would seize more power for himself was if it was convenient. If not, he'd let the opportunity slide.

"Curiosity? Well, I am admittedly curious about the subject." However, curiosity was far from the reason why. A brief look of calmness washed over Sang-Cheol's face. He stared at the ceiling for a minute.

"While all your answers have substance, Mimi, they're ultimately not the reason I'm pursuing this idea." Closing his eyes and looking back down, he faced Mimi. "It was because I was told to do so. Do I need any more reason other than that?" It was the weakest reason in the world. Depending on the speaker, its strength varied, but for Sang-Cheol, it diminished all value it had. He said words with such sincerity, purity, and innocence that it would make anyone who knew Sang-Cheol well stocked. An innocent look adorned Sang-Cheol's face as he gave Mimi a look that was reminiscent of a child looking up to their hero in life. Though it wasn't directed at her. "I won't rest until I finish this project. I promised after all."

He followed his hyung in robbing a store.
He allowed his Professor to recruit him into the Sable Serpents.
He listened to Mimi's advice and continued to live.
He executed Snake's orders and became the Head of Lab Icarus.
He played along with his worker's jokes and met with Boltius.
He reluctantly accompanied Raphael to find the former Serpents.
And now Sang-Cheol was following the last directive given to him.

After all, it was just an innocent request. Anyone could do it, so why not?

"Did that answer your question?"

Spoiler: Tags

BluEndings

 

[Elenion Aura]

LAURENT

CS Link

SCENE:

Gangs' Grocery Games

LOCATION:

Pre-Arc 3 — January 5th, 2022

LOCATION:

Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Pascal, Chikage, Laurent, Tenebrosity

GANGS' GROCERY GAMES

He was just stepping out to grab a few things... On his way out he avoided noticing his eye-bags in the mirror. They were baggier than usual... A side-effect of flying.

He was just stepping out to grab a few things. They needed... Well, it felt like everything. He had a list. He was bad at writing shopping lists, so it was a very bad list.

He was just stepping out to grab a few things. It was crowded. Why was it so crowded? He had grabbed a shopping cart. It was the last in the queue. An old woman had glared at him like he'd just killed her firstborn child.

He frowned at her, but she couldn't have seen that. Behind his sunglasses that hid his eyes, a cloth mask that hid his mouth, and a heroic baseball cap that fought valiantly to hide his manic, misshapen mane of zebra-patterned hair, he was wholly unrecognizable as LAURENT, former frontman. Former superstar. Former person. He should've died at twenty-seven. That's when all the Greats go out. What was he supposed to do now?

He was just stepping out to grab a few things.

Spoiler: Tags

Anne Boolean
Doctor Llamabean
gxxberkit

 

[Roda the Red]

ERIC EVENSEN

CS Link

SCENE:

Behind the Scenes

LOCATION:

Passeri's Penthouse, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Eric

BEHIND THE SCENES

"So there was an altercation."

Something about her answers felt somewhat off, normally, in a situation like this, the person being questioned would try to give as much information as possible, whether it be to make the answer more valuable and complete or be it that they just want the questions to finish quickly, yet the way Park was anwering felt like little tidbits, only given if necessary, all the while accompanied by fluff and honeyed words.

"Again, Miss Park, I understand you want to avoid this turning into some unnecessary drama, you have plenty to do around the city and I have no intent of delaying your good philantrophic work, but this is a serious crime, and any possible extra piece of information you can give us is vital."

He took a moment to add more to the notes, then, he reached for the sealed bag with the dried blog and gently placed it back in his bag.

"The blood was about as much as you'd see in a street fist fight. Not exactly a tiny amount, but nothing that could make you fear for anyone's life, so I highly doubt it was too serious."

Eric stared to the side, watching the view of the city's nighttime, staring at the ocean of lights while contemplating what had been laid out so far, before turning his face to the woman once again.

"I don't know whose blood is this right now, but the folks at the lab will probably be able to give me an answer in a few days. If it doesn't turn out to be from anyone from the security team, we will proceed to search and get this person into custody. Is there anything else you might want tell me, Miss Park? I insist that anything can be vital, don't skimp on any detail, I will personally make sure that this case personally inconveniences you as little as possible"

Despite his voice being mostly monotone as before, there was a feeling of warmth and sincerity to his last words, and that is because he was speaking with nothing but honesty.

The One Eyed Bandit

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Roza Grigorievna

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Pre-Arc 3: The Enduring Hurrah

LOCATION:

Red West Bar, a Phoenix hub in the South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hitoshi, Hide, Charlie, Corvo, Milo, Rin, Boltius, Ashley,
Gideon, Dimitri, Hector, Roza, Ryoma

The Enduring Hurrah

Evening of May 27th, 2022​

As the girl made her intentions known and commented to one effect or the other on what she had said, Roza nodded her head in turn at the loner bit. "I guess you could say that. I've always been the quieter one in the crowd." At the remark of her potential, or rather the question, the girl shakes her head a bit. "I only fight where there is coin or cause, getting banged up isn't my idea of fun. As to that.. not persee. I just do a lot of cqc and parkour, so that naturally uses up more calories plus my training."

This one was rather talkative, wasn't she? Well, she seemed friendly enough, who knows, might have to work with her at some point or another and it might be good to have at least one more person that wouldn't kill you immediately. Then another came over, blue hair... She looked rather pretty but something was a bit off, staring at the neck she suddenly realized as the other spoke, while softer in tone she had little doubts about that. How interesting that someone seemingly so kind and soft looking would be in a group of bruisers like this.

Cutting her eyes back to Rin the pair seemed acquainted. HP's were truly dangerous things, if that oni knew him it was likely through her side hobby of wanting a good tumble, which meant much like herself the ability he had was likely not so easily read. However, his bearing and subtle hints here and there with the stiffness of his clothes in parts and posture hinted at the man being in good physical form, it was something you learned from conflict, chiefly to judge which bodyguards would be the most trouble or who needed to die first. Her eyes remained fixed on him for a bit, before she gives a nod of her head and motions with her left hand for him to take a seat if he wished it. They were not enemies, and she was actually wondering if that promise made to her could be real, a place to belong where they were loyal and could survive...

"Charlie is it? Temperer as a codename I assume. Roza Grigorievna or you may call me Red Rabbit or just Rabbit. Codename of course." While her face looked as tired and hostile as always, she was at least trying to talk to them, hinting that it may just be how she looks or streaming from some long-term trauma rather than malice.

Interactions
EmperorsChosen (Rin) Roda the Red (Charlie)

 

[Anne Boolean]

Pascal Corbin

CS Link

SCENE:

Love at Yumin Cuisine

LOCATION:

West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Elias, Zach, Sabrina, Meirin, Samira, Minato, Camila, Passeri, Alice, Pascal

Love At Yumin Cafe

That was surprising. It almost seemed like Alice was down. It was something Pascal had almost never seen from the blonde. Thankfully, the sight of her many desserts seemed to cheer her right up. Ironically, when she thanked him, it didn't seem like Alice recognized Pascal. He had obviously cleaned up for this job, although it was mostly just wearing nicer clothes. His hair was slicked back. Perhaps being able to see one's forehead and eyes unobstructed really left a different impression on a person.

Thankfully, the appearance of Minato continued heightening Alice's spirits. Pascal wanted to talk to her and see if she was okay, but he did still have a job to do. It had been awhile since they had last talked though, so hopefully they would have some time after this.

For now, though, he had a drink request, quite an amusing one at that. He let out a chuckle. A tropical drink didn't seem like it would be served here based on theme alone, but perhaps with some more details, he could get something close enough. He had opened his mouth to respond, but before any words could come out, Elias gave an alternative.

"House cocktail with an umbrella," he responded as he wrote it down. "Sounds good." Before he could dash away just yet though, two more people arrived, one being a celebrity. Pascal could feel the smile on his face widening. He looked to Alice as she made her request to Iroi and couldn't help but find himself a little jealous. A chance to talk with someone who was prominent in the entertainment industry. Now that would be a real treat. He didn't often question his morals and the choices he had made, but the question of what it would be like to be in one of those chairs instead of his current position did pass through his mind. He didn't dwell on it for too long though and instead went on to pull up more chairs as Elias had requested.

Pascal made sure to take any drink or food orders that the newcomers may have before stepping away. He did catch a bit of the chatter as he left though, overhearing Elias congratulate one of the women for apparently making moves in their "affiliation". His blue eyes glanced over his shoulder to catch sight of Samira. It came as a bit of a surprise that the wine tycoon was part of the Tigers, but maybe it shouldn't have. As he turned away, Passeri popped into his mind. Was she...? ... No way. She had just recently come back to New Oasis, after all. It wasn't unrealistic that her elite connections were affiliated though, Pascal mused, which would explain why she was here. Besides, he would have seen her around when he made his rounds if she was.

Interactions: Alice AriAriAbabwa , Elias QuirkyAngel , Passeri The One Eyed Bandit , Samira Beann , Minato Elenion Aura ,

 

[Uasal]

Jennifer Weber

https://www.rpnation.com/threads/four-heavenly-kings-cs-thread.503332/page-4#post-11438680

CS Link

SCENE:

One, Two, Three, Four, I Declare a Nerf War

LOCATION:

A Park, Lower Central

PARTICIPANTS:

Gideon, Kiwi, Jesper, Minato, Jozef, Dagger, Bolt, Pascal, Maria, Jennifer

One, Two, Three, Four, I Declare a Nerf War

Jennifer had been looking forward to this event for quite some time now, it wasn’t every day such a large event was held with the intent of involving both those potentially gifted and those not so much so. Indeed, even when such events were held, very often did they tend to be on the more boring side for safety reasons. An understandable situation but a regrettable one none the less, after all Jennifer often times had to attend regardless of her enthusiasm as a result of her position in the family and to let it be known the Weber Family hadn’t forgotten it’s roots and origins. So a paint-based Nerf war? It was practically signed and slotted into her agenda the second the paper suggesting she take part was placed upon her desk.



With the nerf war declared and the event finally underway Jennifer was in her element. Carrying semi-automatic pistols in both hands Jennifer was running this event Akimbo and with all the stress she had been dealing with lately following a certain someone and their blatant lack of awareness at a specific ‘dinner’ it was safe to say - hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. And Jennifer, well she was currently embodying that phrase.



When the first shot rang out Jennifer wasted no time in acting, swinging her pistols from their holsters to her hands in one quick and fluid motion the woman raised and pressed them to the head of those stood on either side of her. With just a click of a trigger action, both men were struck simultaneously and both men quite quickly recoiled at the sudden point blank attack. One even managed to fumble for his own rifle but before he could Jennifer finished him and the other off, rapidly pressing her triggers multiple times more, leaving each with five splotches of paint in their hair and on their face. Her eyes focused forward the whole time, offering neither the time of day nor the courtesy of acknowledgement at all.



With a cold expression, the young heiress pressed forward, taking out anyone unlucky enough to cross her field of vision mercilessly. Head shot after headshot she pressed on, only opting to shoot children anywhere else as a mercy. Eventually she stood among a garden of those playing dead, her cold and glowing eyes turning only when she felt herself being watched from a distance. Gazing back in that direction Jennifer locked eyes with Minato’s sniper clone, her eyes piercing his scope as he peered at her from across the park. Like a tiger staring down it’s prey Jennifer held her gaze for several seconds, almost taunting the close into action before striking all of sudden without any warning. Raising a pistol Jennifer fired two shots back to back, the first hitting the scope and coating it in thick paint, the second smacking directly into the forehead of the Minato in question.


Moving from her place with a single pistol raised and poised for attack, Jennifer began to slowly walk toward the encampment. Her eyes glowing as she scanned ahead, ready to attack any Minato brave enough to poke their head up for even a split second.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Roza Grigorievna

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes - Ballin'

LOCATION:

South District... Old basketball court in the middle of nowhere...

PARTICIPANTS:

Boltius, Milo, Roza, Rin, Yong-Yut, Hector, Ashley, Libla

Ballin'

March 29th, 2022 -- Evening​

Huffing a bit at the play of the Oni, she was also very chilled by the touch of Blitz and soon found her attention on her own body, that was more than cold, it was more than freezing. If she were an NP she would already be going into shock, frostbitten or dead. Even as an HP that touch hit hard as did her brief brush with him, just as quickly as she faced the coldest temperatures, she ever experienced he was suddenly away with the cold air receding to what she was more comfortable with. Was his potential based solely on the cold and if so, why was he unaffected? Was there more going on? Still this only reinforced her earlier thought.

That being here on this flat field she was totally at a disadvantage, least she wanted to start running on people, with the exception of him. "Tch." Clicking her tongue at that, she heaved a bit, letting warm, or at least warmer air enter her lungs to combat the subzero temperatures. How did she combat this and what were the other players waiting for? Still there was a rule she would make use of here and now. This game was to show off one's potential, and the only think she could show off here would be her world class speed and agility, she could not make use of her steps here least features in the terrain were made or she could step off of another. For now, there was no point in continuing the game.

Rubbing the frosted over material of her vest, Roza sees herself out of the match while she watched to see if an opening was to be had, or some sort of chance to compete at a level to challenge Blitz and Rin. Walking over to the hotdog truck and the others, she had no interest in the food that was being offered, least he had some bratwurst. Speaking of, from where and how did he even have this truck? Slumping up against the side, she keeps her eyes peeled on the other players to see if they had anything to showcase or some form of play to make in this chiefly alien sport.

gxxberkit (Yong-Yut) @Peckinou (Libla) Lucem (Ashley) WhiskeyMarten (Hector) Elenion Aura (Milo) Doctor Llamabean (Blitz) EmperorsChosen (Rin) joshuadim (Hitoshi)

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Passeri Park

CS Link

SCENE:

Behind The Scenes

TIME:

October 6th, 2021 | Pre Arc 3

LOCATION:

Passeri's Penthouse, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Eric

Behind The Scenes

Relent. An eye for an eye. She had to. And hers had to come out first.

"Well..." Passeri's posture slackened, and she huffed a gasp of defeat. Hesitation riddled her voice. "There... There is something, but-"

Passeri's voice stopped short, and she gave Eric a cursory look. Resolve tinged her eyes, and she swung back around her chair, dropping into it. She was tense, now, tense and serious.

Her eyes locked with Eric's, blazing in their sockets.

"Promise me something? Don't press charges unless you have to." Her gaze bored into him. She needed to know what he was thinking. "One of my... One of my former bandmates. She got a little bit, um, how to say, jealous? It um- Was um, a bad moment for her."

Passeri sighed- she was doing a lot of that today- and gave Eric a strained look.

"It was um- She and me, me and her, we started in the same place and yet here-" Passeri made a gesture at her surroundings. "I am. And well, here she isn't."

Every time she said it, the woman's motive only sounded more ridiculous.

"So, and here's hearsay, she decides she wants to ruin my homecoming to, I think, get back at me? Really..." Her tension, her strain started to turn to something else. Dulled shock. Sadness. "We were friends, you know? But I guess times change. A-anyway. She um- More hearsay- She and some of her friends tried to turn things topsy turvy. I think. That's why the power went out, is what the sec told me. And it took them a bit to get everything back online. And um-"

Her eyes washed over Eric again.

"-Um. S-sorry. For not telling you right away. It's just-" She stopped her words where they were, and shimmied her chair closer to his. "It's just, she's still um- Still a friend, you know? Even if she um- Even if she doesn't feel the same. I don't want her arrested. And nobody was hurt!"

She remembered the baggie of blood.

"M-mostly. Seriously. Nobody except her. I think."

Roda the Red​

 

[weatheringwings]

Mizuya Yukito

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Pre-Arc 3: The Enduring Hurrah

LOCATION:

Red West Bar, a Phoenix hub in the South District

PARTICIPANTS:

All the Phoenixes; Gideon & Hector directly

THE ENDURING HURRAH, 27 May, 2022

A party bright and loud as any flame could be seen for miles inside the town. The Red West Bar and the Vagrant's Deck coalescing as they tended to their patrons, decorations; red, gold, and more accentuating the celebration. The food on the grill reminded him how hungry he was where before he had yet to realize. Last night had wrested sleep from him, from tossing and turning to staring uselessly at the ceiling. Only morning had he fallen from his exhaustion, having his grandparents believe he had stayed up all night after prom playing video games. That same man that he met last night seemed to rally all in attendance to exclaim in fervor, kudos to jobs well done, worth, and the premier to a new golden age. Yukito had not joined in the uplifted roaring, just watched what he could in the undulating sea of people. Often he was being accused as a child, and this bustling celebration was no different.

“Listen kid, this party is for the Scarlet Phoenixes, and there's no way you're old enough to even be tested for Phoenix potential. We're trying to have fun, not have kidnapping added to our rep. That's a Snake thing.” In her defense, and the handful of onlookers, he had never appeared to anyone as an adult. He had always been questioned and hassled over his height and age. His true feelings, he questioned whether or not he wanted to be here in the first place. He did, and he didn't. It was much more wild than any high school party he had heard or seen in his short life. The mass of it bothered him, so many people colorful and willing to be the spark of the night, he had just wanted to blend in, pressed to participate by his sponsor. It was his first day officially as a Phoenix, and to avoid this was something he equated to missing the first day of your new job. It wouldn't be acceptable. To get to know other Phoenixes, it should happen, but so many at once, it was hard to choose who to approach, if anyone at all. It wasn't the same or as easy a task as tailing his sponsor and elevating a private party to a murder mania.

"Hold on, his dad or mother might be here." It was possible this voice meant well, but it provoked as much fun as it may have sincerity.

"I am a Phoenix, I was just accepted last night." His words were as plain as his face. Scoffs of disbelief meandered among the crescent of the crowd loosely gatekeeping him.

"Yeah, by who?"

"Whichever name you know him by. The Pharaoh. The Queen. Hector." There was a hint of an edge this time, it was annoying to say the least even if it was expected. Seeing as these Phoenixes were still skeptical and would continue to either poke fun or make it hard just to move beyond them, he changed lanes. On the soles of his shoes, crystals of snow form and fashion as clawed feet. A small pair of wings and tail grow simultaneously. No longer paying heed to their concerns, he climbs up one of the taller people and kicks off their shoulder. Leaping from shoulder to shoulder he makes his way to the bar where his mentor is sharing conversation with Gideon. Hitoshi also there, looking lively like many of the other participants to this festivity. Instead of one of the bar stools, Yukito chose to remain on the bar top. He should probably say something, a boring but manageable "hello" would have done. But nothing was coming out in that moment, he succeeded getting in, but the desire to talk was amiss. "..... ....... Hi"

Spoiler: tags

joshuadim
Caffeine_Obsessed
Roda the Red
AriAriAbabwa
WhiskeyMarten
EmperorsChosen
RedArmyShogun
Doctor Llamabean
Lucem
Coyote Hart
The Prophet
Elenion Aura
Corvus Corax

 

[Anne Boolean]

Pascal Corbin

CS Link

SCENE:

One, Two, Three, Four, I Declare A Nerf War

LOCATION:

A Park, Lower Central

PARTICIPANTS:

Gideon, Kiwi, Jesper, Minato, Jozef, Dagger, Bolt, Pascal, Maria, Jennifer

One, Two, Three, Four, I Declare A Nerf War

Pascal didn't just come for the free food. ... okay, maybe he had, but he was also going to put his all into this nerf war bit. He had been among the crowd gathered before Bailey as she gave a rundown of the rules. The mention of food from the woman once again got his mind wandering. Hopefully by the time he ended up getting out, which he assumed would be inevitable with the event-issued gun he was using when compared to his peers who had custom weapons prepared for this event, they would once again have hot dog buns. More lemonade would be nice as well. Then again, he could just go all-protein and eat the franks naked. But perhaps that would be inappropriate. There were children at this-

His attention returned to the present when the sound of a paintball splattering was heard. What happened to the ten minute grace period?! The blond didn't have time to ponder, lest he end up someone's next mark. Like the others, he tried his best to scatter in the pandemonium. He attempted to not catch anyone's attention as he moved, as unfortunately, his Potential wouldn't work too well in this situation. If only he had the ability to create water instead of simply shift into it.

He didn't have long to ponder what-ifs, though. Although he had mostly made it out of the crowd, there were still people around, too close for comfort. His eyes fell on a nearby child, laying facedown on the ground. A concerned expression appeared on the blond's face as he slowly approached. The chaos continued on around them, everyone seemingly unaware of the little fallen soldier. Their weapon was strewn to the side not too far.

"Are... are you okay...?" he asked. His blue eyes scanned for any crimson on the child's frame, or at least any crimson that wasn't from paint. The little girl started to stir, causing the man to let out a relieved sigh. This was supposed to be a day of fun. Hopefully she didn't end up too hurt from whatever had downed her. As she started to roll over, Pascal asked, "where are your pa-"

His blue eyes widened as she revealed another small gun from below her. It happened too soon, and he was unable to step away before her finger could pull the trigger.

The orange-haired girl let out a chuckle. "Sucker!" she said as she got back to her feet. Pascal found himself still dumbfounded as she made her escape. Her body changed to that of someone older, assumably in her twenties, although she maintained her complexion. Her hair, while now at waist-length, was still orange. The clothes she was wearing, which looked like a loose, full-length shirt and pants, was now a tight-fitting croptop and shorts. She... she got him good...

Pascal quickly turned as he saw another paintball rapidly approaching from the corner of his eye. It barely whizzed past his nose. Assuming more were soon to follow, the blond continued his own escape as well. As he ran, he looked down at the dark blue spatter on his chest. It stood out strikingly against his red jacket. He had considered ditching his signature outwear for the day, but the Internet had assured him that paintball paint washed out easily. After all, people wouldn't lie on the internet, would they?

A familiar from nearby caught his ears. The dramatic tone and the sound of a conversation seemingly with oneself brought a smile of realization to his face. "Mino!" he called out, slowly approaching the foxhole. "It's Pascal. I come in peace." With his potential, he assumed Minato was finding this competition to be quite a breeze. A clone was not only extra firepower, but a viable shield as well. "How about we team up for a bit? Or at least call a temporary truce? I'll make it worth your while with a funny story."

Interactions: Minato ( Elenion Aura )
In scene: Gideon ( Coyote Hart ), Jesper ( AriAriAbabwa ), Kiwi ( gxxberkit ), Jozef ( WhiskeyMarten ), Dagger ( simj26 ), Bolt ( Doctor Llamabean ), Maria ( Shoya ), Jennifer ( Uasal )

 

[Roda the Red]

ERIC EVENSEN

CS Link

SCENE:

Behind the Scenes

LOCATION:

Passeri's Penthouse, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Eric

BEHIND THE SCENES

...

SIGH

Eric, who had adamantly remained cold, stoic and unwavering until now, finally released his inner tension with a long and deep sigh, he lowered his shoulders and moved his free hand to his neck, cracking it to the left and then to the right, then, he looked at the food sitting on the table in front of him, and reached for a single green olive which rested atop a small container, and popped it into his mouth, he took a small moment to enjoy the salty, bitter and sour mixture of the fruit.

"So that's how it is, huh? On hindsight, that does explain a lot"

He really wanted to continue being stern, but even he had a breaking point. It really seemed like she was being honest (for the most part, at least), and she seemed to be legitimately worried about her former partner.

"It is true that no one got hurt, but there was still an attempt. You want me to swipe everything under the rug, do you have any idea in how much trouble I could get in if they found out?"

The true killer for him, however, were those damn, beautiful eyes. Normally he had an easy time not letting emotions get the better of him, but right now, her stare was digging up old and forgotten memories... And perhaps, even some feelings. He softly clicked his tongue with his mouth closed, subtlely enough as to not be noticed by her.

"Is that really all there is to it, Miss Park? you're willing to go so far as to protect the very person that tried to put your safety in jeopardy, is it because you think she was justified in her actions, or perhaps you don't want your schedule to be interrupted given how big of a wave you've been riding as of late... Or perhaps is there something else?"

The One Eyed Bandit

 

[Caffeine_Obsessed]

Yuto Nishimura

CS Link

SCENE:

Sir, This is a Hospital

TIME:

Tuesday, September 28th, 2021 || Post Arc 2

LOCATION:

Correspondance Hospital, Lower Central

PARTICIPANTS:

Peyton, Yuto

Sir, This is a Hospital

Yuto could barely even acknowledge anything going on around him, his mind too ablaze with a buzzing sensation- consuming his every thought. A primal growl tore its way through his throat, the feeling of the past few days of emptiness making his guts cramp, being finally sated.

He licked his lips of the warm substance, his eyes snapping to where another living being was holding on to HIS meal. How dare they try and steal what was his?! Couldn't they see that Yuto had already claimed this prey?! With an outraged snarl, the ravenette lunged forwards, sinking his teeth and latching onto the intruder's forearm, before pulling back and tearing out whatever lay between his jaws.

Furrowing his brows, he spit it back out, suddenly feeling a very odd and uncomfortable buzzing feeling encasing his mouth. He spat repeatedly at the floor, quickly shuffling away from the previous snack he had been munching on. What was happening?! He could feel his mouth becoming numb, his drool trailing onto the floor.

Then came the clarity.

Yuto was still on the floor, his chest heaving with fast, overwhelmed pants. The nurse who was unfortunate enough to walk In lay on the floor, while Taffy- oh no... He just... bit Taffy. All three of his eyes widened in shock, the adrenaline that was all consuming quickly fading away with the grotesque realization. "I-.. I-...." He could barely make out words, drool still dribbling off of him from the numbness, as well as the horror he felt. He just bit his friend!

Spoiler: Tags

Coyote Hart

 

[simj26]

Dagger

CS Link

SCENE:

One, Two, Three, Four, I Declare a Nerf War

LOCATION:

A Park, Lower Central

PARTICIPANTS:

Gideon, Kiwi, Jesper, Minato, Jozef, Minato, Bolt, Pascal, Maria

One, Two, Three, Four, I Declare a Nerf War

The paint darts were painfully poor in terms of flight patterns and travel time. She had tweaked every possible part possible on the handguns she had bought, increasing their trigger response, loading time, even the reloading process itself, and yet they performed nothing close to a real gun. It wasn't just the thrill of smelling the carbon in the air that was missing, or the deafening retorts from the barrel. It just felt wrong. She was disgusted. ‘Feeling alive’ were not the choice words she would use to describe what she felt in the midst of a battlefield. It was more like, it felt as if she belonged there, amidst the death, the destruction, the desperation.

There was none of that here. All these people gathered here, they were not here for the carnage of war. Civvies, one and all. Even the gang members that joined the crowd. She actually felt kind of out of place, with the tac vest over her torso, and a utility belt around her waist. She scratched her eyepatch irritably. How annoying.

She stopped. The lady that had been explaining the rules was still speaking, but she felt the electric energy running through the crowd. Holsters unclipping, guns drawn, fingers on the trigger, blood running straight to the head. She had smelled this energy before, too many times from those who wanted a headstart on the killing. She slowly unholstered her own, and tensed up, ready. Anticipate, counter, run. She was like a cornered stray dog in this crowd. People would disperse after the first few shots, seeking cover, high ground, whatever it was they could get to get an advantage. The lucky ones would get out with a few eliminations under their belt.

Before the official had even finished his preamble, firearms went off around her. She moved at the same second, ducking under, narrowly dodging a stray shot, emptying her own gun at the aggressor. Three hits- he was out. She closed in, grabbing him by the collar. His protests fell on deaf ears as she spun him around as if she was in a dance, pressing his back against her chest, allowing him to catch the shots directed at her. Her gun peeked out from her shield’s side, returning fire at any who remained to challenge her. Three shots, another one down. She pulled her shield away, positioning him behind her as he caught a few more in her stead. She spun around, slid him back to her, and returned fire. Two. She turned, pivoting the poor man around as another aggressor blasted at her, recognising the threat, each paintball that struck her meat shield punctuated by a pained yelp. She placed another three shots. That made three down. One round in the chamber. With a practiced switch, she holstered her handgun, and brought her rifle up.

"Sorry," she muttered to her paint-coated human shield. He didn't deserve this, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Before he could respond, she released her grip on his collar, and kicked him in the back, sending him careening straight into the scattering crowd, knocking over two others. She followed up, placing three shots each on them. "Sorry," she apologised again as she dove forwards, rolling away from another hail of paint darts. She scrambled towards a car, seeking cover from the retreating crowd. “Gunnolf!” she stretched out her hand, summoning one of her wolves. The wolf bit down on her sleeve, and with a swing, flung her onto the hood of the car. Using the impact to bounce off the hood, she fell behind the car. The wolf vanished, brought back into…wherever they hung out when they weren’t around. She scrambled up behind the car, parking herself behind it, letting the rain of paintballs ping off the metal and glass. Didn't need to care about being shot through the metal. No matter what they were packing, there was no innate penetrative power to the guns. She let her rifle fall to rest as she unholstered her handgun again. She removed the empty magazine, slipping it into an empty mag holder, and slid a fresh one into the gun. 11 rounds. 97 in her rifle. 4 more mags for the handgun. 2 for the rifle. A canister’s worth of refill in the pouch behind her.

Another competitor popped around the car's hood, a foam sword in her hand. Her body moved into auto-pilot- she placed three shots straight to the woman's torso, and fell away from her swing, the sword splattering paint across the asphalt. With her free hand, she grabbed her attacker's face, twisted around, and, with a fierce grimace, sped up her fall towards the ground.

And came to a halt, right before her head made contact with the ground.

She blinked, then let go of her head, letting her fall an inch away from the floor. The woman scrambled away, leaving the one-eyed one to slump back onto the side of the car, scratching away at her eyepatch. She had to control herself. This wasn't the battlefield any more. She had thought this was a good place to practice, to get her heart beating again. She didn't, however, need to turn this into a bloodbath.

Spoiler: tags

gxxberkit
AriAriAbabwa
Coyote Hart
WhiskeyMarten
Elenion Aura
Doctor Llamabean
Anne Boolean
Shoya

 

[Coyote Hart]

Gideon Gray

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Pre-Arc 3: The Enduring Hurrah

LOCATION:

Red West Bar

TIME:

Evening of May 27th, 2022

PARTICIPANTS:

Scarlett Phoenixes (int. Yukito, Hitoshi, Hector, Gideon)

The Enduring Hurrah

Who knew that Hector's gaze could be so scary? Or that the tension could be so evident in the tendons of his hands? Gideon didn't miss either of these, and he was slow to respond, thinking carefully as to his next words.

"Of course the raid will go well. I'm not going to assume that we've lost even before the battle's come," Gideon scowled. Even if he had the suspicion that the raid wouldn't be a success, it wasn't like he could say it aloud. "I just wonder if I'll see the bright..."

Gideon trailed off his sentence, his pride stopping him from finishing his thought. Even though he was here with the rest of the 'pigs,' he wasn't ready to die. He didn't want this joyous occasion to be the last time they saw each other. He didn't want to wonder whether he'd see the bright future that Hector spoke of.

Rather than finish his thought, Gideon instead moved toward the other side of the bar. He grabbed, without asking the bartender, some bottles off of the shelf. There was a tiny espresso machine in the corner, likely for the rare few coffee-based cocktails, and Gideon took advantage of this and fired up some espresso. Then, he turned his attention to the shaker. Half a shot of cinnamon syrup. Half a shot of coffee liquor. A shot of vodka. And finally, half a shot of the espresso that the machine spat out. After a few cubes of ice and a bit of unpracticed shaking of all the ingredients, Gideon strained it into a martini glass and pushed it over to Hector. It all took at most a minute.

"Take it. An espresso martini. Don't remember as the guy who never did you anything," Gideon said. If he didn't make it through the raid, then the martini would serve as something to remember him by. He turned his attention away from Hector as he realized that two other people had joined them.

"Mister Hitoshi, good evening," Gideon said cordially to Hitoshi. Realizing that he was still standing behind the bar, he hastily said, "Don't order anything from me. I'm not a bartender."

He didn't want to be the one to further muck Hitoshi's disheveled appearance. With that thought, he stepped away from the back of the bar and returned to the seat that Hector had offered. He took a moment to stare at Yukito, an unamused stare on his face. His eyes darted from the short-statured man to the red sign that said 'no minors allowed at any time of the day' and then back at Yukito. Oh well. Gideon wasn't supposed to be here either.

"......Hi." Gideon echoed Yukito's introduction. He let the silence stretch and get awkward before he followed the question up in a slightly forceful tone, "Who are you?"

WhiskeyMarten weatheringwings joshuadim
Also the rest of the Phoenixes in the scene. I don't want to tag all of y'all though

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

Alicia Morel

CS Link

SCENE:

Checking In

LOCATION:

Lucky Rabbit Casino; Alice's penthouse

PARTICIPANTS:

Alice, Dante, Lucem

Checking In

Ezra Knight. Alice wasn't supposed to remember his face, nor his name. She wondered if he recognized from when she exclaimed his name—that her supposedly lost memory of him returned. Yet, she felt at ease as he spoke with gentle cadence. She looked up at him quietly, running her hand across her slashed eye when he brought up the option... But Alice only grimaced. "No. I don't want to have these things taken from me, anymore..." she said sheepishly. Alice was scared; she'd never felt so frustrated, so trapped by what was once the comforts of her home.

She turned to Dante, quietly listening to what he had to say, absorbing all his words like an obedient child. Alice bit her lip as he got to discussing how exactly they could sneak her out. The surrounding eyes indeed grew relentless after the mall incident; she'd noticed it in her daily routine. Before everything, she would've marked them off as "loyal friends..."

So, as Dante said, it was up to her to figure out a solution. "I-I don't know... If only the guards were gone..." Then an idea flashed across her mind, widening the eye for just a moment before she put more thought into it. She almost chose not to bring it up, but there wasn't anything else, it seemed. "If I... used my Potential on them... maybe we could sneak through?" The idea of knowingly using her powers deceitfully had disgusted her... but she couldn't think of another option.

"You asked me to describe what I know of my Potential... well... I don't know. It came out when I was... scared." Alice began recollecting her memories for the sake of information, but at the same cost started blanching. "I noticed it when I thought I-I would die... and I realized I c-could push my fingers i-in through my cheek... and t-the blood." Her grimace twisted into one of muffled distress...

Then, a small white rabbit hopped across the room on a strip of grass that grew out of nowhere. In a short radius around Alice, the Wonderland returned; completely on accident. Though she kept her eye trained on the ground, trying not to let herself cry, there was a light comfort as she felt warm sunlight and a serene wind bristling through her hair. She knew it was part of the illusion—the line between it and reality was right in front of her, after all.

Alice looked up at the two men in her bedroom, finally smiling—though a small tear ran down her cheek. "I... I did it again."

@The Regal Rper Lucem

 

[Doctor Llamabean]

BLITZ (Boltius Beckman)

CS Link

SCENE:

The Enduring Hurrah

TIME:

Pre-Arc 3 — May 27th, 2022 — Evening

LOCATION:

South District... Red West Bar...

PARTICIPANTS:

A lot of Phoenixes...

THE ENDURING HURRAH

Boltius stared down into his glass and watched the ice shift.

Normally, he’d be in the bar up to his neck in booze, but, tonight, something felt off… Brows pinched in rumination—try as he might, he could not place what it was, but he managed to settle on edgy nerves for the upcoming raid. A dissatisfying conclusion, but he wanted to dwell no longer.

That’s when he felt the nudge from behind, accompanied by a familiar voice that, these days, still took him by surprise to hear, and he turned to face the source. Milo.

“Oh, yo, what’s up-” Boltius looked his friend up and down before examining his face. Giving an amused scoff, he then asked, “You enjoyin’ yerself?”

Surreal. That was the word to describe the feeling that became of him when he saw Milo… The face of a friend he’d long taught himself to forget standing, now, before him under the wing of the great Phoenix.

Eight months had passed and he still rubbed his eyes thinking it wasn’t real. As if he would wake one morning and the name Milo would be, once again, unheard of amongst the ranks. Hector would still be Jack, Reika the Queen, and Boltius just another Veteran striving to reach the top…

“...You… A Phoenix,” Boltius spoke aloud without thinking, but he owned it and followed up as his glass reached his lips, “It’s still weird.” He took a sip.

Milo’s being here made him feel… strange at times. Confused. Like he didn’t know himself…

He went from being the scrawny boy on his knees, sobbing and snotting as he told Milo the story of his first kill—the terrible accident that stole his sleep at night when he was fifteen—to the Ace of the Scarlet Phoenixes, severing ties to life without hesitation.

Around Matsuda, who hardly knew of the path he now walked, Boltius could, at least, pretend he was still the same…

Just then, Boltius elbowed his friend in the arm and smiled, “But, hey, yer puttin’ in the work. Good on you, dawg, keep it up. Make’em think—Rookie wants to be King~ Maybe that ain’t so far fetched.” With that said, he clicked his tongue and gave a playful wink.
(Interacting With: Milo Elenion Aura ) WhiskeyMarten joshuadim Caffeine_Obsessed Roda the Red AriAriAbabwa EmperorsChosen RedArmyShogun Lucem Coyote Hart The Prophet QuirkyAngel

BOLTIUS NOTES​

— —What he's wearing: (Click: X) Orange hoodie over a white undershirt; Black sweatpants; White shoes + All of his usual jewelry and bling and a headband

— —Tattoo Reference (X)

— —Physique Reference, since his face-claim art doesn't always accurately depict it (X) (X)

— —POST RECAP: Boltius was approached by Milo. The two are now talking~

 

[Misuteeku]

Sang-Cheol Man

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

Accidental Rumble

LOCATION:

North District, In a car

TIME:

Pre Arc-2 | September 17th 2021

PARTICIPANTS:

Yuto, Sang-Cheol, Tri

Accidental Rumble

"I'd appreciate it if you'd shut up as well. This car is a piece of shit, and my fingers are fucked right now, so please shut up." Sang-Cheol snarled back at Yuto, unknowingly sharing similar thoughts with the arachnid rookie. The overtime at the lab and the fight at the docks made the nerves in his fingers absolute. It was good that he had a diploma in the car driving. Sang-Cheol was essentially trying to steer a half-broken vehicle with only his palms. It was as if trying to canoe upstream.

The desire to return to the lab had never been so enticing. It didn't matter if he had to deal with Aristotle's horrible singing, Gerda's dopey face, Timothy's introverted, Rebecca's... Whatever she does. Even coping with Hubert would be much more relaxing than just fucking happened.

However, Sang-Cheol's were interrupted by a pair of invasive hands. Yuto's nails scratched at his face. "Hey, what the fuck are you doing!" A roar bellowed out from the scientist. In his moment of distraction, he could feel some thuds coming from the front of the car, but Sang-Cheol ignored that. The spider fucker was trying to give him rabies or whatever shit spiders give. "Bug off, will you!" Anger started to pulse through his veins. By some miracle, he was still somehow steering the car without dumping into something.

"I swear when I've parked this car, I'll fucking incinerate your ass-" One of Yuto's swipes knocked off his sunglasses. Sang-Cheol winced, but he felt something go down his temple before he could make another angry retort. His eyes darted to identify the object. It was wet, left a trail, and red... Red. Red. Red. RED. RED. RED. RED. RED.

In that instance, combined with stress, Sang-Cheol fainted.

VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-

It careened and rammed into groups of people in its now directionless movement. It crashed into the nearest broken-down building and drove through the doors. It crashed into the interior before meeting its stop in the brick wall. Sang-Cheol was knocked unconscious and slowly slid down the driver seat.

Spoiler: Tags

Caffeine_Obsessed Damafaud

 

[Elenion Aura]

MILO NAGISA

CS Link

SCENE:

Park-Time Recreation

LOCATION:

Pre-Arc 1—2015, June 20th (Saturday)—1:00 PM

LOCATION:

Upper Central, Central Park...

PARTICIPANTS:

Boltius, Milo, Matsuda, Nanami (NPC)

PARK-TIME RECREATION

Milo looked up when Matsu nudged him; he too took in Boltius'... Interesting wardrobe choices. He'd long since come to accept that Boltius was, well... Boltius. Words could not describe. They didn't do him justice.

"I think he's trying to make a statement. Maybe he thinks girls will find it charming." He added softly, but with a fair bit of smarm. They were all, by this point, well accustomed to a bit of goodnatured ribbing from time to time. Milo didn't always partake, mostly because he didn't want to accidentally offend. But also because his mind didn't always work that way. He tended to accept people as they were, without question. He was grateful to have found people who accepted him in return. Matsu, Boltius, and Nanami. They were his clan. His people. His tribe. He was, at all times, well aware of how lucky he was to have them in his life.

As the topic of conversation took a more serious turn, Milo retreated within himself. He had thought about the future. And what was more, he had made plans, and was well on his way toward executing on those plans. He knew what he wanted: to go to art school. He knew how to do it: develop his skill and begin fleshing out his portfolio. But.

He might've been spacing out, but the words that passed between the four boys rang in his ear as though they'd been shouted. He smiled weakly at Nanami—the same Nanami as always; the bright-eyed, foxsmiling youth that he'd always known—even as his heart sunk at the thought of him joining up with a gang full of thugs and murderers.

Milo didn't want to ruin the moment. He didn't want to be the downer that he always was. And so he kept his mouth shut. Nanami had heard his piece before. A thousand times by now. The boy only ever laughed and smiled and clapped Milo on the shoulders like he'd just told the funniest joke.

When Nanami got going on Bolt, about how great of a gangster he'd be, Milo watched Bolt's eyes as they went far away. He wondered what his friend was thinking about, though he was pretty sure he already knew.

"I think you could definitely make a career out of your dancing, Bolt..." Milo offered meekly. After a half-awkward pause, Nanami chimed in.

“... As a stripper, maybe—" Milo laughed in spite of himself, as an image of a scantily-clad Bolt bodyrolling across a darkened stage suddenly invaded his thoughts. That was classic Nanami. The boy had always had such an easy way about him. He was quicker and cleverer than anyone his age had a right to be. Before Milo had a chance to retort, and as Bolt continued to stare off into space, Nanami turned his sights on Milo, adding, “And you!”

Then it was Milo's turn. Nanami talked about talent, and all the places it could take him. And Milo wanted to retort, so let me take you all with me. But he didn't. Milo opened his mouth to respond, even as a blush pricked at the back of his neck—he'd never been great at accepting compliments—but he was caught off guard when Bolt suddenly pointed out that Milo had had paint on his face the entire time.

"... Eh?!" Fishing out his cell-phone to use the screen as a mirror, Milo stared in mounting embarrassment at the blue smudges that marred his cheeks. Why didn't anyone say something... Mortified at the thought of all the strangers he'd passed on his bike who'd seen him covered in paint—they must've thought I was some kind of psycho—he tuned out Bolt and Nanami as they started to shout at one another. Then somehow Matsuda got in the middle of it all.

Milo was busy rubbing a thumb over the paint smears that were now spreading out over his cheek. Sighing in defeat, he sat back as Nanami took a spot beside him. The pair sat in easy silence as they watched Matsuda and Boltius tussle in the grass. Nanami, wordlessly, picked up and passed the bottle to Milo.

There was a moment's hesitation, but then the blonde boy took the bottle and downed a respectable swig of the harsh, bitter liquid before exhaling in mild disgust and passing it back to his oldest friend.

“Atta boy! Easy." He patted Milo on his shuddering shoulder before he leaned back let his eyes, forever half-lidded, peer up into the sky. Without looking back at him, Nanami spoke up, saying, “Ah... These're th' days, huh... Enjoy 'im! Yer gonna remember this fer a long time, ya know?"

For a moment, Milo only looked at him. But then the truth of his words sunk in. It was a privilege to know that these were the good days, while he was still in them. A child wishes for his youth to last forever. It is often, only the purview of adults to recognize how fleeting youth really is.

Nanami, you're really something special.

MILO'S NOTES​

— —What he's wearing (X) + His satchel

— —Milo has been working on an art piece for an upcoming competition. He's been focusing a lot on his art over the summer.

— —Milo rides his bike around the city a lot of the time. He hitched it to a bike rack at the entrance to the park.

— —SCENE DESCRIPTION: It's a warm Summer day and the boys, Matsuda, Milo, Boltius, and Nanami have decided to meet up at Central Park in the Central District. A very casual, slice-of-life event

Spoiler: Tags

Doctor Llamabean
Caffeine_Obsessed

.

 

[Nobody Special]

VULKEN BECKMAN

CS Link

SCENE:

White Wolf

LOCATION:

404 Ark Royal Apartments

TIME:

Unkown

PARTICIPANTS:

Dagger, Yong-Yut, Corvo

CURRENT STAGE:

0 (Current Temp: Regular Body Temperature)

White Wolf

Exhausted.

Eyelids fought to fully rise, like the arms of a bodybuilder training to failure on what would be his last rep. Vision came to him in brief lapses, only for his world to go black seconds later as he struggled to regain consciousness. The only thing he was capable of at the moment was feeling, and boy, did he feel tired.

Finally, after countless minutes of fighting, Vulken’s orange irises were freed, and he could see. He was in a bed– god knows where, but it was comfortable. Much better than wherever the hell he had been lying at before his consciousness faded and he woke up here. He could barely remember what had gone down prior to now, but someone had to have taken him here. His only concern now was whether or not they were friend or foe.

“Fuck me…” he grunted, slowly regaining his will to move by stretching his arms and legs out in all directions. Every single fiber screamed with soreness as he did so, prompting grunts and groans one would normally expect to hear out of a 50-year-old man’s mouth when he sat down in his chair.

He needed to get a better grasp of his surroundings. He lifted his head off the bed slightly to look around, and his eyes quickly locked onto the figure hunched over on the chair near him, gun in hand. His brows rose in confusion, and his arm immediately shot up– only for there to be no resistance. He wasn’t tied up.

Baffled, he slowly lifted himself up even more, but failed to fully transition from laying down to being in a seated position.

“The hell’s… goin’ on here…? You robbin' me?”

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