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

[Saturn_moon]

Ottilie James

SCENE:

Post-Arc 3 [Walkies ("Dog" Walkers Needed)]

LOCATION:

Silva Residence, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Nero, Hiachi, Silva, Nicole, Renjiro, Ottilie

Walkies (“Dog” Walkers Needed)

Following her first official mission at Zhànzhēng Resort, Ottilie had returned to Central only to find everything in utter shambles. An earthquake, she had been told. Highly improbable, she had tried to argue. Geographically, New Oasis didn't sit on any fault lines making the chances of a natural earthquake occurring close to zero. Not to mention, had it been an actual earthquake, one of such magnitude would have carried on far beyond the borders of Central, yet they felt nothing while at the resort.

It didn't matter though. Not right now. The city had been laid to waste all the same and the people were too busy trying to pick up what little pieces of their lives remained than concern themselves with the why. So, Ottilie bit her tongue and returned home to her worried-stricken parents. Her lab was gone and all classes at NOCU were temporarily canceled. While she had been savvy enough to keep a backup sample of cells in her personal laboratory at home, she lacked much of the equipment she would need to carry out the necessary tests for her research.

With little she could do, Ottilie was suddenly left quite lost. It was a strange feeling. One she had never really felt before. For most of her young life she had always known what she wanted to do and be able to do it.

"Maybe you could volunteer with some of the relief efforts around the city or check in with your friends?" Her mother had encouraged. "Help others in ways beyond your research." Coincidentally, an opportunity had come up by way of her old friend, Javi. She hadn't seen Javi much since she started at NOCU. That had been mostly her fault. Between classes and her research there really hadn't been much time left for anything else.

Approaching the front door of the Silva household, she noticed it had been left wide open. “Javi? Are you here? It’s Otter.” Her voice floated through slightly muffled as if she was speaking through a bag. Stepping into view of everyone in the living room, the reason quickly became evident. From head to toe, the girl was covered in bright yellow PVC. The only exception was her face which peeked through a gas mask attached to the front.

“You said to dress appropriately but I didn't know what that meant so I brought my Hazmat suit.”

Elenion Aura Doctor Llamabean miki (I don't know who the other two characters belong to. I'M SORRY)

 

[Lucem]

Ezra Knight

CS Link

SCENE:

Clad in Golden Dreams

TIME:

Post-Arc 3, Timeskip 1 | June 16th, 2022

LOCATION:

West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Ezra, Elias, Hiachi, Jesper, Jessamine, Markus, Passeri, Tak, Vissarion

CLAD IN GOLDEN DREAMS

Pulling a half-empty glass away from his lips, Ezra tuned out the sounds of the surrounding chatter and focused on the conversation between the two Tigers he shared a table with. Ordinarily, his thoughts may have been corrupted by a touch of paranoia, competing with the worry that someone would use tonight's event as a cover for mischief and mayhem. However, that type of concern was quelled with the knowledge that any attempt at tampering with his drink could be foiled with a flick of his tongue and the effects of his Potential.

With his mind somewhat at ease, he was free to focus on the citrus taste in his mouth and the words in his ears. Passeri didn't waste much time, quick to discuss the city's current predicament and the funds needed to deal with it. Ezra could understand why. Setting aside how much destruction the recent tragedy had caused, there was also the unnerving sense that they were all on a timer. That could be attributed to the recently revealed masterminds who previously lurked in the shadows.

Catching Vissarion's gaze, Ezra nodded at the blond's words. it was a gesture to show acknowledgement and understanding rather than agreement. None of the Knight Corporation's wealth went into his pockets, so he had no say in how it was spent. However, he was still aware of how the people with actual power thought. He could predict their actions and motivations with some confidence.

"I don't think you'll have to worry too much about KnightCorp's part in this." Looking at Passeri with tired eyes, Ezra addressed the woman's proposition. "The CEO won't miss out on an opportunity to help the city."

Ezra spoke truthfully, but he was well-aware that his father's motivations were anything but altruistic. While the man did have sympathy for the city, the opportunity the earthquake presented was of greater importance. The more money Silas Knight put into rebuilding New Oasis, the more influence he'd obtain. He'd also look much better in the eyes of the public. It was just paying for power, same as always. However, considering everything Ezra and Passeri learned in the mines, the rookie wondered just how much authority the Grants and their fellow cultists would allow someone else to grab.

Slav The One Eyed Bandit

 

[Elenion Aura]

MUGEN

CS Link

SCENE:

A Lion's Pride

TIME:

Post-Arc 3

LOCATION:

The Tiger's Lair, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Mugen, Camila, Tak, Ryutaro, Welsha, Passeri, Dagger, Hiachi, Eustass

A LION'S PRIDE

Early one morning, a young lion arrived to stake his claim.

A black storm loomed on the horizon, as four men piled out of a vehicle. Businessmen were coming up from the subway and hurrying to their offices. Students were going up to the business college. The Boulevard was busy with trams and people going to work.

In the distance, thunder cracked.

The tall buildings cast their long shadows down the avenues. The air was filled with noise, car horns and sirens, the rhythmic beat of footsteps, and the murmur of countless conversations. The city breathed, exhaled, and shivered.

Lightning forked across the sky.

He stepped into the lobby. Inside was like outside, only fewer cars. Pencil-pushers, their briefcases clutched tightly in their hands, hurried past him like ants in a frenzied colony.

He passed by the receptionist who glanced up at him briefly, then looked away. He didn't pause, continuing towards the elevators. The doors slid open, and he stepped inside, disappearing behind them as they shut.

He didn't blink as the floor number ticked up.

Outside, the rain had started.

The elevator came to a stop. The doors slid open. He stepped into the gilded lair of the Albino Tigers. The space inside was vast, with high ceilings and sumptuous furnishings. The air was filled with the scent of sandalwood and spice. Somewhere within, a fire crackled.

Raindrops ran like tears down the tall windows.

The walls were adorned with tapestries, depictions of white tigers stalking their prey or basking in the sun, their colors vibrant and alive. Statues and figurines of the animals were placed throughout the penthouse, their forms fluid and lifelike, as if they might spring to life at any moment.

But as Mugen looked ahead at the collection of faces, cataloguing each one in his mind, he did not see Tigers.

Only fat, frightened cats.

 

[simj26]

Dagger

CS Link

SCENE:

A Lion's Pride

TIME:

Post-Arc 3

LOCATION:

The Tiger's Lair, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Mugen, Camila, Tak, Ryutaro, Welsha, Passeri, Dagger, Hiachi, Eustass

A LION'S PRIDE

She wasn’t in the habit of welcoming people. Just a grunt, a nod, that was it for her. Even now, as the other Tigers milled about, chatting about business or whatever it was that they conversed about, she was leaning against the wall, far away from the rest of them. Compared to them, she was but a ragged, mottled wolf just lurking in the shadows. Shirt half-tucked, one hand fiddling irritably with a lighter, just wishing that she was gone from this place, just lounging about in either blood or a sofa.

But she had to know. She had to learn who this new entry was. It was part of the job. Even now, she couldn’t trust any single one of the Tigers to take care of themselves, or to take care of Weiss. They were more likely to kill him on sight if they could have their way. She couldn’t have that. He was her hunt, and no one else’s.

The elevator dinged, and she slunk back into the shadows beside the doors. With a snap, she returned the lighter into her pocket, and watched. A dark-haired man stepped out, and surveyed his surroundings. She couldn’t see his eyes, but his mannerisms and body language suggested…tenseness. Not one of anxiety or nervousness. No- it was the same kind of tense that she was much more used to. The mannerisms of someone who wanted everyone in the room dead.

With a smooth motion, the gun behind her had removed itself from its holster and its barrel was now directed straight at his head. “Name.” It was less of an inquiry, and more of a demand.

 

[Sei Shonagon]

Kaede Shimokōbe

CS Link

SCENE:

Acrophobia

LOCATION:

Alleyway in the east district

TIME:

2009

PARTICIPANTS:

Hanji Fumikage, Kaede Shimokōbe

Acrophobia

Shit, she should have killed him when she had the chance. Shit, what a dumb ass situation she had gotten herself into. Shit- His figure flitted out of the moonlight and into obscurity. Her breath hitched. The brown eyes darted increasingly skittish over the spot where he had once been and her muscles tensed in breathless anticipation. A voice- Kaede pulled the trigger to limbs that were locked and loaded at the sudden chime. The latter fired off and she whipped around just in time to witness a hand emerge from the darkness. Unfamiliar digits wrapped themselves around the knife in the impression of a muzzle and she stumbled backwards from the recoil. He was fast, too fast in fact.

Damnit. Like a scared cat whose first instinct was to scratch, Kaede lashed out. The blade shimmered silver through the air and then red as it crossed his palm. Her breath took another bump and the crinkled brows snapped out of their furrows. For a second she was completely unwinded and touched only by surprise. Then the wide eyes quickly paled as the realisation started to sink in. Well, if she hadn’t antagonised him before she definitely had now.

Shit.

The knife clattered as it hit the ground. The man under her grip seized the moment and kicked back at her shin. Pain flared up her leg and drew focus from her hands that loosened. That brief moment of reprieve from her iron fingers was all that he needed. The man followed up with a lunge and then an elbow that knocked the air out of her chest. “Guh-!” She folded, cramping stomach and all, and the man sprinted without as much as a second glance.

Fuck. Her vocabulary to describe the mess was shrinking by the second. All of that running and vaulting, it was slipping away from her one pounding step at a time. Pounding, like her heart that leapt up into her throat when her hand shot out. “You-” Now it was her time to wrap around the collar of his tracksuit. Her pulse thrummed through the digits that curled into the fabric, skin and bone no longer enough to contain the anger that seeped out from downturned mouth corners.

If she was not herself, if she had his powers- Her gaze dipped to his bloody palm on a hollowing exhale. It sucked out all of her resentment, external and internal with a single conflicted look. “Tch.” Kaede shrank back from the boy and pushed the scowl back to a manageable frown. “You better be sorry. If you knew even a fraction of the trouble you just caused me…” Angry muttering received the brunt of her frustration instead.

Kaede released the boy’s collar and replaced it with her neck. “Your hand.” She scratched her nape and fished out a handkerchief from her pocket. The brunette motioned the piece of cloth towards him and huffed with a gruff voice “You’re making a mess. At least cover it”. You this, you that. It was better to keep him in the dark and at an arm’s length. That arm's length was all that she had left to claim ignorance with after all.

Outfit- imagine denim shorts with a black tank top and a leather jacket.

@The Crimson King

 

[simj26]

Dagger/Liza Murray

CS Link

SCENE:

12th Bi-Annual Motor Competition!

TIME:

April 22nd, 2022 || Pre-Arc 3

LOCATION:

Lower Central

PARTICIPANTS:

Tak, YY, Corvo, Hiachi, Kanna, Dagger, Maria

12th Bi-Annual Motor Competition!

There were so many bikes. She felt a certain feeling that she hadn’t experienced in a long while creep up on her. The only time she had felt like this was when she was with Simone on a shooting range. She prided herself over her skills with a gun, and that woman had shown her up in every single thing possible. The worst part was, she never looked the part either. She was bubbly, cheerful, and she knew everything that Elise Cutter was thinking about, every dark thought, every angry outburst, every part of her body that she wanted to see and feel.

Dagger scratched at her cheek, trying to be rid of her runaway thoughts of her. Inadequacy. That was it. She was good on a bike, and she could probably fit in as an amateur mechanic when it came to maintaining her Kawasaki, but here, amongst all these people, she was completely out of her game.

Maybe she should just go back home.

But…


Elise Cutter had never been one to smile or beam. The only times her scowl left her face were when she was with her family, or with her wolves. She had never been the type to show her emotions outwardly, even when she was introduced to new firearms by Weber, or when Simone ‘surprised’ her. She may bristle, her face may harden into a stony frown, and a motion of acceptance in the form of her grunt may escape her lips, but it was all a concentrated effort to silence the girlish glee within her when she was faced with something she was in love with.

And now, she was bristling, her face was hardening into a stony frown, and she was making a sound that resembled a begrudging grunt. The bikes were, for the lack of a better word in her limited vocabulary, so cool.

She wanted to leave, but she wanted to watch. It was just tearing her apart. She sighed, and rubbed her temples. Her headache only spearheaded upwards as a piercing shout shot into her eardrums.

“THE FIRST PLACE PRIZE IS MINE!”

“Fuck!” She spun around towards the owner of the voice, turning to see a disheveled man. He looked like he belonged in her group of…less fortunate company. When did he get here? When did she wander in here? Was he…participating? With that scooter? She grimaced, masking a snort of a chuckle at his immense amounts of confidence.

“First place, huh?” she echoed, composing herself. She was impressed, even if she wasn’t about to say it. It took balls to enter into a competition with what amounted to a Vespa. “What’s her name?” She nodded towards the scooter. All good craftsmen should have a name for their tools, especially the ones they loved. With that amount of confidence, he probably had one for her. She braced herself. She knew where this was going. It was either a stupid answer, or a stupid answer.

gxxberkit miki AriAriAbabwa FabulousTrash Shoya thebigfella

 

[miki]

Hiachi Ito

CS Link

SCENE:

The House Always Wins

LOCATION:

West District, The White Tiger

DATE:

April 1, 2022

PARTICIPANTS:

Hiachi, Camila, Ryutaro, Jennifer, Alice

The House Always Wins

The group was dealt their cards, so Hiachi took a moment to survey her hand. All she had was a pair of threes. She rewinded in her mind—the other players had the other two three cards. She would have to wait until someone forfeited their cards to produce a three or four of a kind.

Now it was time to do her sweep. She started with the man furthest to her right, looking at his eyes.

She would fill in the blanks as she went along.

The blond man had a pair of sixes, and the silver-haired woman had a pair of eights. The man in question betted before she could do anything. 100 Amestriyen. Annoying, but not the end.

Now that Hiachi was watching these new people bet, she was really able to spin some stories about them. Raising the bet to one hundred was either the move of someone so rich that money no longer had as much value to them, or someone so insecure that they were desperate to prove themselves with a ridiculously high bet. He proved himself to be the former with his next comment.

Haughty and confident. Like this was a game with no stakes whatsoever.

When several backhanded fingers pointed at Hiachi, she met the man’s gaze. His aura was a familiar one—rich people, Hiachi found, often had this air of ignorance that surrounded them. It was easy to double cross them if you caught them out of their element. Like they knew everything, and there was nothing Hiachi could do to prove them wrong.

That wasn’t true. It would be easy to read the man’s cards and assume what he’d play. No matter what he pulled, she had him caught.

The woman with the blue eyes was different. The look in her eyes was cold and uncaring. Maybe she was trying to intimidate her, because when Hiachi gave people that look it sent shivers down some spines. Just what was she trying to compensate for?

Assumptions weren’t kind. But Hiachi didn’t really care.

She didn’t respond to either of them. She kept herself in her little bubble, the cogs in her head turning already. The man had bought himself a large amount of chips. Typical of someone rich. His companion also had a decent number of chips. All that was on Hiachi’s mind as she stared at them was how many chips can I get out of them before they quit?

Hiachi folded her hand without a second thought. There wasn’t anything in her hand currently that would trump what everyone else had.

​

 

[miki]

Hiachi Ito

CS Link

SCENE:

8 Dollar Jackpot

LOCATION:

Principality Coffee, outside New Oasis

PARTICIPANTS:

Hiachi, Sylvie

8 DOLLAR JACKPOT

Hiachi waited for the punchline of his joke, but it never came. It was just so hard to wrap her head around—Hiachi had witnessed firsthand what debt in the tigers was like, and this man was a part of that? His car was worth a year’s worth of indebted services. Just how much debt was he in?

He mentioned having heard about her debt, which Hiachi supposed she shouldn’t be surprised about. The only interesting thing about her was her circumstances of joining the tigers, and for some reason, a lot of people were intrigued by the tale. Hiachi really couldn’t blame them—through the eyes of a bystander, a useless girl who ended up in a gang by accident was an entertaining concept.

But then he changed his pace. He was excited instead of solemn. The casinos outside of New Oasis? The thought had occurred to her before, but her track record with gambling had left a sour taste in her mouth. Plus, spending money on anything felt exasperating anyways.

But if he was buying her in, that changed everything. Hiachi doubted that the tigers would have a problem with her practically stealing from everyone else.

If Sylvie also gambled his way into the tigers, then Hiachi was willing to bet that he had skills too. Together, they could take decent amounts off of their debts.

This was actually kind of promising. Not that it was visible on her face, but Hiachi felt excited. She set down her drink and looked at Sylvie with intent.

“What casino are we going to then? I’m only good with poker, but I can get pretty far with that.”

Spoiler

WhiskeyMarten

 

[Peckinou]

Zulin

CS Link

SCENE:

Loose Exhibition

LOCATION:

Premier Motors, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Zulin, Gideon

Loose Exhibition

Zulin was a bit disappointed that Gideon wasn't able to clear the entire place of people, but they supposed they could make do with what they got, looking at the people still left it wasn't too bad they supposed. Though they didn't mind killing people it seemed that Gideon was a bit hesitant on the matter, judging from the sound of their voice. Zulin looked around the area for a moment before addressing Gideon "Killing them would be easy, but I'm sure I can make do with what I got, anyways! I'll be back in a jippy!" With that Zulin exited the Vehicle and went away for a moment.

They walked calmly and methodically, walked into one of the empty offices typically meant for staff, and left open likely out of laziness, very typical of most people. Zulin went on to rifle through the drawers but failed to find what they were looking for, so they went on to sneak off into another office, luckily the next one they went into did have what they wanted, a lighter. There was also a pack of cigars next to the lighter but that wasn't Zulins main concern, instead Zulin took a piece of paper which was of more use to them and they soon left the room in order to look for Gideon, tucking the lighter in his pocket while keeping hold onto the piece of paper in his hand. The devious smirk he gave to Gideon gave him a bit of a hint he was up to no good, but instead Zulin simply asked Gideon "So where do you think the Camera room is hm? Let's see if you can figure out where it is hm? If we can take out the cameras it would make things so much more subtle. Maybe." Zulin couldn't help but chuckle a bit as they said the last part, cause their plan was going to be quite noticeable.

Coyote Hart

 

[tityanya]

𝑵𝒂𝒐𝒎𝒊 𝑺𝒂𝒕𝒐
​

𝒜𝓈: 𝒩𝒶𝑜

I am here: Streets of the Northern District
With: Tak
Scene: Getting Bigger Means You Get Worse At Hiding Small Things
Time: Pre Arc 1 || 2021​

"When everybody loves you, you can never be lonely"

╔════════════════════╗

Naomi's tunnel vision didn't let her see the man's face turn from anger to bewilderment. She barely even noticed his "Wait, you're what?" in response to her being high on cocaine. Man, she was going to regret this whole interaction later. But at the moment, all she could focus on was putting as much of her power and rage into her knee as possible. Her aim struck true, nailing the man in the crotch. The red began to fade as she watched his eyes bulge out of his head, his ass pointed backwards. Naomi couldn't help the giggle that came out of her mouth. His reactions to things were so fun. Like watching a real-life cartoon.

Naomi watched him process the amount of pain he was in, trying her best not to burst out in complete laughter. That failed when he opened his mouth and let out the wispiest of screams, his eyes rolling back in his head as he fell to the floor. Naomi laughed for real then, watching the quivering man on the floor. She was about to apologize for the laughter when that word came out of his mouth. Bitch. It wasn't the first time Naomi had been called a bitch, and definitely wouldn't be the last time. He continued the insults, calling her a chimp. She was struck with the violent impulse to beat him more while he was down. Instead, she closed her eyes and focused on taking several deep breaths. I am Nao not Omi. I am Nao not Omi. she thought over and over, trying to calm herself down. Her hair color returned to its original black, and her eyes to gray, by the time she opened her eyes again.

The man wobbled his way back to his feet, and Naomi could see that all the anger he had held before was gone. Good. Some men wouldn't be put down permanently by something like that. In fact, it would make them even angrier. God, that was a stupid move. She let out a scoff as he told her that clearly hitting men in the nuts would work, as though he had let her do that on purpose. "What a strange way to teach a lesson to a lady, letting yourself get hurt. Oh sorry, I guess what a strange way to teach a chimp," Naomi said, her voice deadpan. Bitch she could take, she was one. Chimp was an insult of the highest order to her.

But the man simply turned around and started walking away, telling her to stay in school and don't do drugs. Her face flushed red as he realized it was a little bit too late for that advice. God, she had done so many stupid things! She placed her hands in her face as he walked away, determined to never see him again.

But wait.

Shit.

She had forgotten the reason she had even stopped him to begin with. He was some kind of outsider! She needed to figure out what he was doing, if he was a threat. She couldn't just let him go. "Hey, wait! Do you even know where you're going?" she called after him, chasing to walk by his side. "And how old do you think I am, 'stay in school?' I'm not a kid."

╚════════════════════╝​

((ooc: ))
((outfit))
((Mr. Jones))

talk think

thebigfella

 

[Doctor Llamabean]

Eustass "Purge" Finnegan

CS Link

SCENE:

Trouble in Transit

LOCATION:

West District; Within proximity of Tiger HQ...

PARTICIPANTS:

Eustass, Samira

TROUBLE IN TRANSIT

According to investigation, Amundi Frasheri had ceased all contact with friends, family, and business associates five days ago. When paid a visit to his home in High Whisker, there were no signs of him having left the city—no bags packed in a hurry, no travel necessities gone. However, Frasheri’s office was missing a laptop where a mouse and mousepad suggested there should have been one.

Using their resources, the Tigers assigned to the investigation eventually tracked him down, keeping their distance, and followed him to gain some more insight.

Under the Tigers’ watch, Frasheri sank to the seclusions of the great alleyways and made a call. During this call, Frasheri spoke of the New Oasis Municipal Bullet Train, claiming that he bought two tickets—one for the other person, and another for himself. Concluding the call, Frasheri proceeded to destroy the phone, evidently a burner, and he left the spare ticket in a city locker.

The investigating Tigers later relayed this information to the one who had delegated them their task, the Ace, and were relieved of any further duty.

— — —​

People.

People, people, and more people.

New Oasis had proven to be something out of Eustass Finnegan’s worst nightmares…

Oh, but the shadows weren’t so bad. And that’s where he lurked; piercing golds peering out from where the sun couldn’t reach between skyscrapers and superstructures, watching as the population blurred by, waiting for a break in the endless flow so that he could dart through to the next alley and go about his way.

It had been six days since he- since they- arrived. Together, the four of them: Mugen, Daiki, Ryoji, and Eustass.

But this was Eustass’ first time, in this great city, being truly alone.

With four fingers, he held tight to his crowbar, letting its saw-attachment prick the ground, and he stuck his head out into the open, looking both ways. Wrinkled noses, eyebrows pinched in concern—he drew the attention of passers-by.

A grapefruit-haired, shirtless boy with no shoes and a nasty glare, blatantly carrying around an unusual weapon—their reactions to the sight of him were justified.

A woman screamed when he darted, several gasps accompanying. Across the sidewalk, into the street; he was close to the casinos… he thought…

Eustass had a poor sense of direction. A poor understanding of city conduct, too.

Car horns erupted in a scattered, frantic symphony, tires squealing across hot, black pavement to avoid hitting the boy as he sprinted past. Heart pounding, sweat dripping down the back of his neck. He reached the other side—a civilian stepped within his bubble of comfort, so Eustass shoved them hard, a kick to their shin for good measure—then threw himself to the alleys once more.

He wanted to find Mugen… Daiki or Ryoji.

EUSTASS NOTES​

— —POST RECAP: Eustass darts through traffic and almost gets hit.

— —WEARING: No shirt, no shoes. Has on a pair of loose, black pants. (CLICK HERE)

— —WEAPON: Crowbar Saw (CLICK HERE)

(Interacting w/ no one)
(Mentioned Mugen, Ryoji, Daiki)
Beann ​

 

[Roda the Red]

CAMILA GASPARI

CS Link

SCENE:

A Lion's Pride

TIME:

Post Arc 3, June 3rd 2022

LOCATION:

The Tiger's Lair, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Mugen, Camila, Tak, Ryutaro, Welsha, Passeri, Dagger, Hiachi, Eustass

A Lion's Pride

"As I was saying, my contact had no reservations about the delivery, but Hiachi, I need you to still deliver the feedback document, and don't forget to check the interest fees I sent you the other day, oh and the template is a few months old also so you'll also have to adjust for inflation" Said Camila as she delivered the paperwork to the girl on her right, her forearm lazily moving while the rest was still pivoted on the railings of the second floor, her other hand holding a glass of whiskey. Then, she switched her attention to the other girl on her left.

"As for you, Welsha, I need you to write me down all the details you got from the private conference I sent you to the other day, the one from F&G, remember? I still believe we can blackmail the CEO if we play our hand right"

Heavy bandaging on the veteran's left shoulder was evidence that she wasn't exactly in the best of conditions to once again on the workflow. But either way, she had no plans of stopping, injuries be damned, sleeping be damned, you don't build an empire without sweating a little blood.

What one would've thought to be a regular day of the usual Albino Tiger scheming turned upside down, as a new presence in the room changed the atmosphere almost entirely. Camila's attention changed right away towards the new person. She couldn't recognize the imposing figure. The corner of her mouth curved upwards as the self-proclaimed "Part timer" spoke, whether this person was good or bad news, Camila's interest was certainly piqued. The girl took a small sip of her drink, enjoying the smokey flavor, her eyes still locked onto the newcomers.

Spoiler: Mentions

Elenion Aura miki simj26 Doctor Llamabean joshuadim Peckinou The One Eyed Bandit thebigfella

 

[Beann]

SAMIRA CALRISSIAN

CS Link

SCENE:

Trouble in Transit

LOCATION:

West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Eustass & Samira

TROUBLE IN TRANSIT

Walking through the main lobby of the Tiger headquarters, the clicking of heels echoed against the pristine floor. In one hand, Samira held a plain manilla file close to her chest; the tab labeled: ‘Purge’. Inside the file contained basic information concerning a fresh rookie she was tasked with evaluating. The photos paperclipped to the documents showcased an ill-mannered, young boy with vibrant hair. In her other hand, she held up her smartphone and used the facial recognition feature to unlock it. With a few swipes and taps of her thumb, she double checked her organized calendar, and then the current time.

“He’s late,” she hummed to herself. While her face didn’t show any hint of annoyance, she certainly did not like her valuable time to be wasted waiting around. Samira navigated to her contacts, scrolling down to search for ‘Mugen’ to inquire about his absent disciple. Before she could hit the call button though, her attention was torn away from her phone as she heard a woman scream outside. Her golden eyes flickered to the nearest window, catching a glimpse of a half-naked hooligan with a familiar hair color.

She watched the entire scene unfold, from the several cars screeching to an immediate halt to the cry of pain from the innocent bystander that was shoved to the ground. “Oh dear,” she sighed softly as she slipped her phone into her pocket and made her way over to the front doors. Two Tiger rookies posted at the entrance held open the doors for their ace to walk out into the busy district. “Thank you, gentlemen.” Samira offered one of them a flirtatious smile as she followed the path that her escapee haphazardly took.

The civilian that was shoved and kicked cradled their leg in the middle of the sidewalk, a few witnesses stopping by to contact the police to make a report. Samira offered the casualty an amused glance before sidestepping around and continuing with her search. Despite the streets being so busy during this time of day, Samira’s presence created a clear path as pedestrians parted to the side to give her ample space to strut. As she rounded the end of the large, headquarter building, she stopped in place and turned her head. Her eyes gave off a faint glow as she focused on the alleyway between the two buildings.

Hurried footsteps. Heavy breathing. Erratic heartbeat. A frightened cub.

With her signature smile, she turned her body and began to walk down the alleyway, the shadows dimming her gold accents. Halfway through the alleyway, her voice bounced off the tall walls on either side of her.

“Eustass. Camrette. Finnegan.”

“Running off before a mission does not look good on you.”

Doctor Llamabean

 

[Beann]

RENJIRO IKEDA

CS Link

SCENE:

Walkies ("Dog" Walkers Needed)

LOCATION:

Silva Residence, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Nero, Hiachi, Silva, Nicole, Renjiro, Ottilie

WALKIES ("DOG" WALKERS NEEDED)

Today was Renjiro’s off day! From the flower shop. It was not his off day from gang related activities though! As a fresh rookie, he was extremely enthusiastic to become more involved in the Azure Dragons. After pestering his older sister for any missions he could join in on, she dropped him off at the Silva household, saying one of the brothers needed help with something. He only knew of one Silva though, the one with the goggles who always seemed very happy to be around Ruriko. The one he sat in front of though, was not him. This must be the other brother!

Renjiro sat perfectly still with a content smile as he watched the back and forth conversation between ‘mama Silva’ and ‘other brother Silva’. When they were done, he watched ‘mama Silva’ disappear before turning his attention back to Nero. “I can start today. What will —”

A new voice echoed throughout the house and a bright yellow caught his attention. Turning his head, Renjiro blinked with a confused smile at the young woman who entered. She donned a hazmat suit with a full kitted gasmask — impressive!

The young Ikeda looked back at Nero and rubbed the back of his neck. “It would seem that I came unprepared!”

Elenion Aura Saturn_moon Doctor Llamabean miki

 

[Roda the Red]

ERIC EVENSEN

CS Link

SCENE:

I Would Like to See Your Permit

TIME:

Nighttime, December 2021, Post-Arc 2

LOCATION:

Lower Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Lorette, Eric

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOUR PERMIT

Well, this was pretty stupid.

It had been a while since Eric had noticed any sort of degradation on his shape, the regular department-encouraged workout used to be quite enough for the Detective to stay in tip-top condition. But it was last night where he noticed...That his belly started to chub a little. Now, the reality was that Eric was a man far from what you could call vain, and part of him simply wanted to use this moment to nap. But, he knew deep inside, that he needed to retain his good shape in order to survive whatever the gangs had hidden under their sleeves, that the innocent lives in the city in constant danger needed their protectors to be at their very best at every single moment, and most importantly, he would never the end of it from Katya if he got overweight. Thus, much to his dismay, with a hoodie and sweatpants on, he took on the streets of lower central for a nice jog.

Eric wasn't a stranger to jogging, in fact, it was arguably one of his favorite pastimes back during the early days of his career. Not only was it good for both the body and the mind, but it also allowed him to explore more of the district he was commanded to protect, he'd see the smiles of the people, their habits, their worries, their lives as a whole, Eric loved to take it all in, and to believe in a better future for them. "Loved" being the key word here, a sentiment turned into nothing but lukewarm ashes now, a husk of a man that barely acted beyond mere human instinct. But still, he moved forward, both literally and figuratively.

As he advanced on a steady pace, taking in on the lamentable sights of lower central, his attention was caught by the nearby park. Eric had been there before, a place of peace and prayer often used by the nearby locals, a sort of safe haven from the chaos of the city. Perhaps a little visit wouldn't hurt. The Detective shrugged mentally, steering his direction towards the park, it's not like he would come across anything suspicious within it anyways, right?

Ramjammer

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Sabrina Felton

CS Link

SCENE:

The Meaning of Music

LOCATION:

North District, Lab Icarus

TIME:

Pre Arc-3 | March 16th, 2022

PARTICIPANTS:

Sang-Cheol, Sabrina

The Meaning of Music

Lab Icarus.

Despite being in the Sable Serpent gang for roughly 2 years now, Sabrina couldn’t say she ever really stepped foot into the establishment that served as one of the forefronts for the gang’s drug production lines. She never really had a reason to. Valerie had been the one to give her the drug sample that gave Sabrina her current potential and Valerie was the one that performed her regular checkups in the lab beneath Blue Hill Orphanage, giving the required reports to the upper echelons of the gang as necessary; Sabrina trusted no one else.

And yet, if she were to remain a part of the Sable Serpents, that would have to change at some point.

Valerie agreed. No matter the freedom the gang promised, there were still rules to abide by. Rules that rookies like her had to follow if they wished to remain in the fold...apparently.

Fishing out another cigarette from the pack she carried, Sabrina quickly lit the nicotine stick and breathed in the produced smoke before exhaling. A necessary ritual in order to calm her nerves. She had no idea why Sang-Choel Man, a veteran Serpent of Lab Icarus, wanted a sample of her blood so bad, but Sabrina couldn’t say she was comfortable with the idea of giving it away to some stranger. Who knew what they could do with it? Her DNA, that is. Sabrina wouldn’t even pretend to understand the sorts of things the lab coats of the Sable Serpents were researching…or the sorts of insanity produced by shady underworld science guys…but, did it matter?

For an NP turned HP like her, it was just another doctor’s visit.

Repeating the mantra in her mind, red nails drummed against long, crossed denim-clad legs in steady, rhythmic beat as she waited for Sang-Choel to arrive. The common room for Lab Icarus was surprisingly normal. Table. Chairs. A small, potted plant. A bit like a physician’s waiting room in fact, with even a couple of magazines strewn about to keep visitors occupied. Pity she had no desire to peruse.

Man was late.

Gray eyes, that had been studying a nonsensical painting on the opposite wall while her mind worked up lyric inspirations, flashed to the doorway when Sang-Choel Man finally appeared…looking like he’d just gotten out bed. Disheveled. Out of breath. Eyebrow raised as she studied the rumpled-looking scientist, Sabrina flicked off the burning part before stuffing the cigarette back in her pocket for later. “About time. Let’s just get this over with.”

Though the Serpent rookie hadn’t said it aloud, Sang’s shabby appearance, which showed him to be a flawed human like her, had eased her nerves some.

Misuteeku

 

[ATurei]

Lily Lavinia

CS Link

SCENE:

Fell and Cruel Hounds

LOCATION:

Actaeon's Rest, Central District

TIME:

Post-Arc 3, Timeskip 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Dagger, Corvo, Lily, Musai, Zach, Yushui

Fell and Cruel Hounds

Actually, there was nothing very funny about all this. Lily was not about to let slip a giggle or anything. She wasn’t even in a gigglish mood. In fact, it would have been a nervous one if she did laugh, but she did not, even held it better than usual, that her face was as blank a canvas as though wiped clean by a lack of sleep. Still, she could not take this situation all that seriously. And her mind kept turning back to the jacuzzi on the second floor.

It did not suit her, be it the jacuzzi pool, or the ugly as sins faces in her surroundings, or the guns (who needs so many guns, rather, who needs guns? Aren’t we all supernaturally thick skinned overachieved apes here?). She had counted two so far of disfigured appearance. But not even pirate movies with liberated usages of makeup could afford so many disfigured or partly concealed faces! There had to be somewhat of a logic behind this selection, to wit: the correlation between ugliness and villainy – incidentally the only sort of villainy she knew well – or somewhat else that should be obvious to most but certainly not her. Not that she herself was a pretty face, just plain – maybe wasn’t even that. When was the last time she cared to look in a mirror again?

At any rate, the situation not only did not suit her, but seemed grave beyond what quick and easy money she had expected. Or these people were just in the habit of playing it grave. Even with that scarred woman (there seemed to have been once a beauty in that ravaged face, but now it was an exceeding eyesore!), oh well, that woman indeed, her lighthearted tone at first, to be sure, was fake, evident in how it had shifted to a cruelty of one hunger for blood and flesh, as readily and fluid as a wolf springs from the dark of his lair. Her everything belied a hardened nerve, an assured scorn for life and death, immense hatred for fate and gods! Within her head, Lily screamed, pupils dilated. Such a warped mind to fit so damaged a face. And that way she smiled, it could not be for any gentle designs!

And the man too, who had been spying, studying from behind his sunglasses – she knew, oh she knew well the likes of him, though she saw not in truth the way his lecherous eyes moved behind the glasses, but no doubt he was one of those disgusting creeps who think their beaming handsome faces could conceal the gross urge beneath! He called himself Crow for an alias, but his real name she knew to be Vulture, or Hyena, or somewhat else that is in equal measure vile and revolting!

Now, she was not their like. When she picked up a handgun it was with halting movements, knowing not if the safety was on, or even if the chamber was loaded – a stark contrast to how fluidly Crow had handled his arm of choice, (She hated him silently for it). What was she to do? What apt phrase to utter among these battle-hardened men and women they seemed to be?

They had laid her no odds. They surely had not. A great conspiracy was underway. Just as how her fridge’s always empty on the days she is hungriest and most dreads her ability’s usage. Or how the cats scorn the foods she bought them in lieu of her own, how they ignore the funny tv-shaped bed she had dragged from the trash and with great pains scrubbed clean for their sake, but go instead for the boxes of cartons. Oh, as well might someone be pulling the strings of her misery all this time. If they found this funny she did not.

At length she stared at the killing tool in her hand, thinking, hating, knowing not what to do with it. Should she resign to her fate of playing the bumbling fool here, being the butt of the great joke?
She stole glances, with shame, and then glared, with hate, at each one in the room. They had good reason to look down on her, sure. Didn’t mean they should. In hate she gained an understanding of why their client had called for the usage of aliases. The people in this house were each other’s enemy as much as ally. There was no place for trust among them. No ally, but enemies – cursed them, who fancied themselves her betters!

So with the self-flamed rage of a thousand suns she stared down at the gun in her hand. Fiery tongues of no heat but the purest white sprouted from her clasp, enwrapping the killing tool. Her voice rose near to a shriek, “Oh hell! See if I care! Guns!? I have no need for some gun! I burn, that’s all! You hear? I’m Lily, stay out of my way!” And as she spoke, molten steel spilled from her hand and dropped to the floor with a dull thud, where it lay as misshapen solid ore. She had said her name, but only a name to which she held as much attachment as she did her life.

Spoiler: Tags

simj26 QuirkyAngel Kameron Esters- Elenion Aura AriAriAbabwa Seaquill The One Eyed Bandit

 

[Damafaud]

Paris Alison, the Son of Tri

CS Link

SCENE:

Beginner's Guide to Housekeeping

LOCATION:

Near the North-Central Major Bridge, Upper Central

TIME:

August, 2019 | Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Yuto, Sang-Cheol, Paris, Kaiga, Musai

Beginner's Guide to Housekeeping

"FUCK!"

The tires skidded to a halt as Paris slammed the brake. The airbag ballooned out muffling further profanities from the Pestilence. Accursed HP strength; he gripped the handle too hard and almost crushed the steering wheel. He extricated himself through the door, lowering his mask for deep breath.

Fuck.

His gaze burnt as he inspected the condition of his new car. The fucking airbag had to be replaced. He hit the roadblock; scratches, at the very least. On his fucking new car.

"Are you blind or just too fucking stupid to use them?!" He scowled at the figure atop of a car. He recognized that figure from the North, even if he didn't know her name. Serpents' fighting prowess could never be underestimated, but their brain sometimes left him wanting to scratch his off.

His gaze narrowed at the presence of two so called 'peacekeepers'. Fucking Phoenix. Great. Just great. Paris glared at the pair. They were blocking the street as well.

"Fight off the street, bloodsuckers. Stop blocking the way." He stared at the longsword in disdain. What good mood he had had been ruined. He could leave discreetly, but he had some anger and he didn't climb this height by holding back. He just wanted to go home, but inevitably, he ran into these stupid motherfuckers. Just his luck, running into idiots everywhere.

Paris had no weapons on him, but he wasn't afraid. His mask was down. His breath exhaled an ominous gray.

Tags: WhiskeyMarten @Astrylan

 

[Doctor Llamabean]

Eustass "Purge" Finnegan ft. (NPCs) Ryoji Kurotsuchi and Daiki Nishikaze

CS Link

SCENE:

A Lion's Pride

LOCATION:

West District; Tigers' Lair

PARTICIPANTS:

Eustass, Mugen, Camila, Tak, Ryutaro, Welsha, Passeri, Dagger, Hiachi, (NPCs) Daiki and Ryoji

A LION'S PRIDE

He hung at the back, a twitchy thing like a flea-ridden wild cat, tripping up the stairs to the Tiger’s Lair in a most ungraceful manner.

Eyes frantic, flitting about, expression tight in a ceaseless glare; he walked backwards periodically and watched as the gray bodies shifted and milled around him. How reminding their lifelessness was of the bleak film that would coat his father’s eyes during office hours at home.

Monotony was a vitality-draining drug, indeed.

The elevator doors eased shut, the green number on the digital pad ticking up… up… up… Then when the doors opened, he was the last one out. It had to be that way. He couldn’t think straight with someone behind him.

Mugen at the front. Ryoji on one side. Daiki on the other.

The space into which they entered was massive, filled with more bodies. Gray all over. Could use some red.

“Name.”

Eustass looked up and saw the gun, brows knitting ferociously. Fingers flexing, he reached with haste to take the barrel. Ryoji was faster—“Insolent-”—and drew his sword, gleaming steel blossoming halfway from its sheath before stopping when Daiki intervened, stepping in the way of all four lines of fire.

Not his target- Eustass promptly withdrew the hand, a dissatisfied grunt.

“Heeey there!” Daiki smiled wearily at the lady with the eyepatch, hands up to show her his palms, “You ask questions… good. We like that around here, don’t we Mugen?” He threw the Lion a glance over the shoulder, swallowing, meeting eyes with Ryoji—Ryoji who, stern of expression, scoffed.

Must I always be the mediator?

A nervous chuckle, “Aha~... So… Maybe we weren’t all raised to be-... to be polite gentlemen right off, but we- Um, us,” Daiki gestured to the three of Ryoji, the scarred-face character; Mugen, the Lion; and Eustass, the shirtless mongrel hiding in the back, “We’re here on business. So, let’s be professional, right?” His voice held an edge of deadened enthusiasm, toneless but smoky. Easy on the ears.

“I'm Daiki. That one with the sword goes by Ryoji. And... this little guy we picked up along the way, he's Eustass.” Lidded hues lingered on Mugen for a quiet stretch. “Then this guy is Mugen, and we're his Merry Men.”

“It would do you well not to irk him.” A harsh utterance off a tongue of ice, Ryoji threw his gaze across the room, still gripping the handle of his sword.

EUSTASS NOTES​

— —POST RECAP: Daiki introduces the crew.

— —WEARING: No shirt, no shoes. Has on a pair of loose, black pants. (CLICK HERE)

— —WEAPON: He doesn't have it on him. Crowbar Saw (CLICK HERE)

(Interacting w/ specifically Dagger; Mugen, Camila, Tak, Ryutaro, Welsha, Passeri, Hiachi)
(Mentioned no one)
Elenion Aura simj26 Roda the Red thebigfella joshuadim Peckinou The One Eyed Bandit miki ​

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Elias Yumin

CS Link

SCENE:

St. Steinburg's Maiden Voyage

TIME:

July 1st, 2022 | Post Arc 3, TimeSkip 1

LOCATION:

Port, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Elias, Zach, Taka, Yushui, Kairong(?), Hiachi, Tak, Sebastian

St. Steinburg's Maiden Voyage

A normally quiet port in the North District found itself bustling with activity as citizens from New Oasis–nay all of Amestria–gathered around a newly built luxury cruise ship currently docked in its waters. Citizens that could afford a ticket aboard the sleek, yet grandiose boat that is. And ship/dock workers. And reporters. And the occasional passing pedestrian. Elias wouldn’t claim to know all those who’d join him on the Saint Steinburg’s maiden voyage, after all, but he knew all 3000 tickets were sold mostly due to Yumin Entertainment’s involvement in the media.

And the connections of his fellow investors.

Standing atop one of Saint Steinburg’s upper decks as he watched her passengers board, the heir of Yumin Entertainment and rookie of the Albino Tiger gang glanced behind him when one of the ship’s major investors approached. “Is everything ready?”

Valerie Steinburg, who Elias had whimsically named their new boat after, placed a hand on her hip. “All of the cargo is loaded and secured. We should depart at exactly 17:00 hours.”

Former lieutenant of the Amestrian army, now director of Blue Hill orphanage, owner of several North District businesses, and Chessmistress of the Sable Serpent gang–the latter of which isn’t as widely known–the hardened blonde had lived a difficult life quite different from his own. Yet that was probably what drew Elias to assist her. From debt ridden Tiger rookies to criminals with a complicated background, those with entertaining memories were usually the ones that drew the young Yumin’s attention. That, and the deal they’d struck. “Are you worried?”

“About what?”

Elias smirked teasingly. “The rumors, of course. The walking dead. The monsters that lurk in the shadows of the North District, crawling out at night. I’ve heard a couple of sailors gossiping about it and can’t help wondering if that’s the reason you desire a timely departure from port.”

“Don’t be stupid, Yumin.” Valerie rolled her eyes. “Even if those things did cause problems, I have both my pieces and my children aboard.”

“You didn’t deny it…”

This time it was Valerie’s turn to smirk. “Why deny the truth? The North District is a hostile place. I’m more concerned about thieves getting into the cargo. You’ve invited your own helpers, haven’t you?”

“Of course,”

“Then we’ve done all we can. Whether or not this business venture succeeds or not will depend on the seas.”

“Shall we toast to the St. Steinburg’s first successful trip, Mrs. Steinberg?”

“Ms. Steinberg. He’s dead and you can drink by yourself.”

Elias watched the Serpent retreat back to one of the cruise ship cabins before returning his eyes to the boarding passengers. Summer. Salt. Sea. Wealth afforded many things, including fancy vacations out in the open ocean. Maybe he’d give Araminta a call. Getting her to join him on the luxury cruise was probably pushing it, but he could at least tell her he’d be gone for 10 days. That’s what friends did, after all.

miki AriAriAbabwa Seaquill simj26 Coyote Hart thebigfella

(mentioned: Saturn_moon )

 

[BriiAngelic]

Jackson Reese Alessi

SCENE:

Post-Arc 3 [Rain on the Mountaintop]

LOCATION:

Borgo Orecchiette, Fusilli

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Jackson, Jesper, Pascal, Milo, Gav

Rain on the Mountaintop

The overly flashy estate they were “invited” to only served to remind him just how low on any totem he fell. He’d really only joined the game show for more funds and even then so long as billed got paid he didn’t care that much… until he saw shit like this. Goddamn rich people… which only reminded him, even more, how ridiculous his plus-one choice was.

Still, Jesper had the funds and access to have everyone drop fuck all that they were doing to send a private driver out with them to some idol’s summer home or whatever this damn place was meant to be. Oh yeah, and there was the fun fact that he got to lord over having an in with an idol he was drooly about. That was always fun.

“Don’t make a fool of us, Jespie. I’m counting on the social skills you claim to have.”

He gave the other a smirk as he heard the anticipated idol come down the stairs. He turned quickly wiping the smirk off his face and shifting into a more pleasant smile. He heard the idol immediately ask about potential lunch and gave a shrug at the thought. It wasn’t like he was particularly fond of rich people food it was always unfulfilling, weird-textured, and odd looking at best compared to his usual palate.

He looked up as he heard a familiar-sounding voice and saw the same glimpse of a person he’d seen before as the flashbang went off. He went to call out as he realized he actually had no idea what this man’s name was. Instead, he came up behind the dude and gave him a clap to the back of his shoulder.

“Hey dude, glad to see you in one piece. You are in one piece right?”

Anne Boolean The One Eyed Bandit Elenion Aura The Regal Rper AriAriAbabwa Doctor Llamabean (?)

 

[Haze-]

Dante Aguilar

CS Link

SCENE:

Returning Back Something You Don’t Own Is Basically Childbirth

TIME:

April 3rd, 2022

LOCATION:

Dante's Apartment, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Shishido Takakazu ( thebigfella ), Dante Aguilar

Returning Back Something You Don’t Own Is Basically Childbirth

Once he was done serving, he made his way to the back of the couch, slouched against the long stretch of smooth fabric. Bored.

Once again, like he were reliving a past trauma, he heard droplets of water tap and patter against ceramic floor. A loud, crunchy, post-edited, high-pitched shriek traveling out of a woman’s chest— drowned by the roar of a chainsaw. Then droplets of blood tip-tapped on ceramic, swirling to a death spiral, clogging the shower drain.

Hands went up with a restlessness to them, running through his dark hair as he felt his head sink into a Dante-shaped, silky crevice. Then, resigned, yellow eyes went up just to see that they were lifetimes ahead of that scene already. Maybe the true horror would be getting that shower scene unstuck from his head after all of this.

How the mighty have fallen.

“Amen,” — He held a not-so-enthusiastic fist up-high in agreement to Tak's statement, head still bored into the couch. At least they’d both split up the rent cost, he could sleep soundly tonight knowing that this hell Tak had put him through would end up in a half-half.

Both of them had lost time and a will to live on this shit. Maybe Dante more so than Tak.

He squinted some at the gleam of light from the TV, head falling as he began to fully slump into the couch. One last, passive, quiet acquiescence. That’s all he’d give. They were almost there. He could practically feel the blood pumping and gathering at Tak’s head, coming to his mother wit, neurons flaring up and telling him how much of a pain in the ass this movie was to sit through.

Once he heard the case racket in Tak’s hand, t’was the night of the living dead. His head immediately veered up to look at the man throwing the plastic case around, fidgeting with it. His eyes fell on it, then prowled the sight of him, cast in half-a-shadow, half-a-light. Dante watched the nonchalance flicker over Tak’s face, relenting, as if the rumble of thunder had struck mere inches behind him. First time he’d seen him get so pale — “Huh?”

“…What day is it…?” — He echoed, catching the beat by a long, speculative pause. His intuition was telling him something, in muttered, hushed tones. Something that sent pinpricks up his spine. He was starting to feel tense, like he had a latch at his throat.

Snapping out of it, he reached into his pockets to pull out his phone, catching a few whispers of a dimmer blue light to the face— intensified still by the light of the television.

He had to force the eyes wide to get the jumbled mess of letters together. After a while, he met the stark-white letters, they read — “It’s—” — His mouth parted agape to mutter something else, but he stammered into silence. A moment of introspection, a bit of panic.

A muted thump startled him back to life, the phone slipped right out of his hand. He watched it jump as it hit the bottom of the seat, eyes going up to glance at Tak, landing on his hands clammed up on the piece of plastic. Through the slits, he could half-see something scribbled in perma-marker. Didn’t take too much brain power to make out the words.

April 3rd.

“You’re fucking with me.” — He was never renting shit with Tak after this.

He gave a small chuckle of almost denial as he threw his head down, his voice cracking when he tried to pull off his usual grunt. The room tilted as he leaned back and rose from the uncomfortable position, stumbling back into the shadows, you could only see the yellow glow of his eyes peering through the dark veil.

Not wasting any more time, Dante placed two fingers in his mouth and gave a three-tone, low whistle. Turning in timbre, rising to a higher, faster pitch— the type you’d hear at a park from someone calling on their dog. And calling a dog he was.

There wasn’t really that much patience left in him. Not enough to guide Tak through the dark parts of his house and have him stumble over everything, not while they were in a hurry.

There was a loud swish of empty air where Dante stood, the sight of his yellow eyes in the dark stretched and distorted, until eventually they’d banish. Replaced by a dozen more, glowing red eyes staring down Tak. A growl, then a buff of fogged breath hung in the air, the wolf leaned on the couch, the dim light of the television burning at its vantablack pelt.

On her hind legs, stooping lower, the couch groaned at her weight. The wolf’s arm snapped and bent in angles no limbs should, in futile efforts to wave at Tak — “Y’ain’t makin’ me princess-carry this ugly fuck, are ya’, Dante?” — He heard Cerb’s voice resounding in his mind, she scratched at her snout in a lazy motion.

“He can walk, stop being weird.” — Dante spoke out behind Tak, the front door wide open with moonlight marking a clear path for him to follow — “Hey, let’s bounce. Rent’s due today, you dumb fuck.”

He was already putting on his jacket, one foot into the outer patio. Down the hall and out, moonlight basked the enclosed area in an eerie, calm glow. Awfully still. Dante winced as the cool air started to come in through the large windows, rattling the panoply of potted plants hung up on chains. It was a hard shift from the warm air inside the house.

He huffed, made a face — “Take the DVD out, we can still return it if we hurry it up.” — Once he got both arms inside his jacket, he made his way out to the parking space. As he went down the steps, there was only one thought burning at the back of his mind: I’m not paying for that fucking movie.

Alas, the Coupe DeVille he’d stolen from his foster parents was, as is custom to him nowadays, strewn with bullet holes at dad’s used-to-be garage.

He had an arrangement set with the current owner of the repair shop. An old man he’d met back in the North, wore the same orange-tinged sunglasses as him to hide his lazy eye. Said he looked thirty. Sounded thirty too. And maybe — if you closed your eyes and assumed he’d smoked a pack of marlboro every day since birth— he really was thirty.

Wasn't really that much of a turn off for him. He couldn’t have cared less about the possible 50-year gap between them if he managed to keep his mouth from running over to someone’s ear. He’d allow him to be thirty then.

The only thing that wasn’t necessarily thirty about him was the speed of his craft. He took his time fixing up Dante’s car. He had a level of detail he’d otherwise appreciate in some cases. In this case, however, that old man had fucked him over.

Catastrophically so.

“Shit.” — He clicked his teeth, starting to break a sweat.

“You came in with a car, right? Could’ve sworn I heard a—” — He slammed the breaks mid-sentence, freezing to a halt as his eyes fell on Tak’s ride. The moonlight spotlighting the scooter, that same cool wind turning sharp, slapping him across the face as though the world itself were making fun of him.

Slowly, Dante cranked his head back to look at Tak. Not a shred of hope left in those eyes.

 

[miki]

Hiachi Ito

CS Link

SCENE:

A Lion’s Pride

LOCATION:

West District; Tigers' Lair

DATE:

June 3, 2022 | Daytime

PARTICIPANTS:

Hiachi, Eustass, Mugen, Camila, Tak, Ryutaro, Welsha, Passeri, Dagger, (NPCs) Daiki and Ryoji

A Lion's Pride

Hiachi nodded as she grabbed the papers from Camila, nodding off in the process. Not only was she running on less sleep than she would have liked, but the idea of mulling over the papers, transferring them over to a computer, and then calculating the inflation changes within the time change wasn’t going to be fun. But it was easy, and it would give that economics A.A. that she was trying to earn a purpose.

With another nod, Hiachi turned away and got ready to leave. She didn’t want to loiter in Welsha’s business, and she especially didn’t want to hang around the tiger headquarters. It was gilded and hollow, much like the people who populated the room. Knowing the kinds of people she was being watched by was torturous.

But just before she was in front of the elevator, there was a shift in the room. The chatter fell to hushed tones scattered few and far between. At the center where a crowd parted was two things of note: a man with three lackeys behind him who no one had seen before, and Dagger’s gun pointed in his face.

The group of four men that accrued the room’s attention probably did so because of how unfitting they looked in their surroundings. In a sea of white collar criminals, their roughed up looks were grimaced at. They were scarred, scruffy, even shirtless. Like little beasts. They didn’t look like they belonged in the room. Well—all except for their alleged leader.

She looked at him. Studying him. He towered over everyone around him. His hair stood straight up, like static, and his posture was like that too. He had an air of intimidation and deep annoyance. He silently glared at the collective as his lackeys tried to ease whatever feathers they had ruffled. He dressed the part, too. Oxford shirt and slacks. Nothing special, but better than the one who crouched like a feral cat on his bare feet.

Not that Hiachi was invested in the fate of this posse. What she really cared about was getting the hell out before something happened. Are there any stairs I can take around here?

​

 

[Coyote Hart]

SEBASTIAN SE

CS Link

SCENE:

Fireflies for Glass Bottle Hearts

LOCATION:

North District

TIME:

December 18th, 2021 | Post-Arc 2

PARTICIPANTS:

Sebastian Se, Julian Midgley

FIREFLIES FOR GLASS BOTTLE HEARTS

Sebastian's muscles tensed up when he felt the breath of hot air run down his spine. Julian's breath was gentle and soft, but it still made Sebastian's baby hairs stand up and shiver. Sebastian reached down to grab onto Julian's legs to prevent him from falling as he carried the man. Despite the fact that he didn't know this man well, he was quite nervous about their close proximity.

Julian... what a delightful name. It was a powerful name, one that echoed in the pantheons of history. And it was quite coincidental that both Sebastian's and Julian's names both had the same origin.

The walk over to the food carts was a short one, and Sebastian used the time to think about Julian's question. He didn't know what a tip was? On one hand, it felt shocking, but on the other hand, Sebastian doubted that the average homeless person had the money to take cabbies or go out to eat.

"A tip... is a reward for someone doing a good job with a service," Sebastian described. He looked back at Julian, an evil glint in his eye, "Don't worry, the sight of you squirming was enough of a tip for me."

Sebastian carried Julian over to a food cart selling hot chocolate and hot dogs, buying a cup and a dog for each of them. The person running the stand had a carefully blank expression on their face, as if not trying to judge the two people entangled by their limbs. After taking both of their food, Sebastian set Julian down on a nearby park bench, wiping away the layer of snow that covered the wood seat before doing so. He passed one of the paper cups of liquid and a hotdog to Julian before taking a sip.

"Ahhh, that hits the spot," Sebastian said. Although he wasn't as cold as Julian, the drink still provided a warm and creamy reprieve from the biting cold that the braziers weren't able to penetrate. Not to mention, with his sweet tooth, Sebastian quite enjoyed the sweetness of the whipped cream, peppermint, and marshmallows. He turned his attention next to the hotdog in the paper boat. Sebastian knocked the end of his hotdog with Julian's before declaring, "Cheers. Don't eat too fast, or you'll get a stomachache."

Processed pork, catsup, mustard, and grilled onions filled Sebastian's mouth as he bit down on his hotdog. He put his thoughts into question for the man named Julian. Sebastian was quite curious about the blond haired man's behavior.

"So, Julian," Sebastian said, the man's name rolling off his tongue like honey, "Why weren't you scared of me?"

Sei Shonagon

 

[BriiAngelic]

CAIO SANTANA COELHO

CS Link

SCENE MUSIC:

A Million Voices

LOCATION:

North District

TIME:

~2004, Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri ( The One Eyed Bandit ) Caio

Captives of The System

"I don't know much about the um- The Serps. My mum and dad said that they're trouble, s-so the only buy from... Someone else."

He didn’t know where to start with this one. Her parents were telling her to buy? What type of fucking parents were they? Even his shitty addict of a pops managed to encourage his kids to stay as far away from shit that would destroy their futures. It was saying something already that she was out here but to know it was condoned by her parents? Yeah, he was starting to get real pissed again.

“What type of fucking pa-”

He was quick to follow as she continued speaking while she lead the way. He hummed low to himself as he tried to remember that showing anger to her wasn’t going to do shit trying to remember his elder brother Ruy’s words on how to keep calm.

"A-are you an HP, too? I've never met another one my age, so..."

He started nodding before playing back what she said in his head. Her age? In comparison to what? He looked her up and down unable to get a solid grasp on just what age she was other than a child. She looked pretty scrawny even for a kid from the north. He strolled a little faster doing his best to keep up as she walked haphazardly around.

“Yeah, I am-How old are you? And why do you live like this then? I doubt the average what six year old? Should need to know a safe place to hide out. You mentioned parents so you aren’t an orphan. They’re just shit then? Do ya’ got siblings or other family that could be looking out for you?”

He continued following the girl even as she led them up this admittedly questionable building. He wasn’t about to leave until he had some decent answers to the questions that were making root in his mind.

“Seems pretty lonely living this way, besides the obvious danger. So why do you go listening to them then?”