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

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Passeri Park

SCENE:

Lady Madonna

TIME:

June 24th, 2022 | Post Arc 3, Timeskip 1

LOCATION:

Our ✰ Dream Soup Kitchen, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Eric

Lady Madonna

"Oh." Passeri had been so rapt up in Eric and the strange customer's comedy routine, that she'd almost forgotten herself. "Right. Well. I think this is Potato and Cabbage?"

That was what the label said, at least.

If she recalled correctly this was Katsura's specialty, the bespeckled accountant whose constant levels of stress managed to surprise even her. They'd never interacted much, but she'd never known her to be anything short of completely competent at whatever she set her mind to.

She didn't care much about the soup right now, though.

Her ladle plunged into the swirling, creamy broth, and scooped a hearty serving into the fanged menace's bowl. There was a tic, stuff in her head. A thought that she couldn't quite banish. That was what had captivated her so completely that she'd stood by and played audience to the pair's nonsense back and forth. A spark of innovation wriggled in her brain, fueled by her acumen as a businesswoman and nose for talent as a performer.

"Do you do standup?" Passeri blurted out as she dropped the soup into their bowl. "You know, like that straight-man funny-man kind." She hadn't laughed, but the pair's exchange had been funny. She thought. A little. "You two should give it a shot! There's a good bit of money in it, if you hit it big."

And she presumed that anyone eating at a soup kitchen could have done with whatever extra change they could get.

"Hey, Eric, are you listening? You guys should exchange numbers." She returned the ladle to the pot with a flourish, as if that made the idea any less dreadful. "Worst that could happen is it not working out, right?"

Roda the Red gxxberkit​

 

[Damafaud]

Tri

CS Link

SCENE:

Top and Top

LOCATION:

Caio's Bedroom, North District

TIME:

Post-Arc 1/Pre-Arc 2 | September 18th(???), 2021, 03:10 AM

PARTICIPANTS:

Tri, Caio

Top and Top

No anime could have prepared him for this.

Tri stared in paused disbelief as Caio pushed him away and stuck a pillow between them. He should have watched more movies. Dramas. They would tell him how to act now if he had watched some, but he hadn't. Instead, what present was a bubbling dissatisfaction and a pout and 3 AM on a weekday. Tri begrudgingly let Caio hugged him over. He let his eyes slowly closed. Unfortunately, they weren't anime characters. They had responsibilities and things to do in the morning.

So, Tri decided to spike their coffee in the morning. He deserved an hour of Caio's time, as a treat.

Well, maybe two.

Tags: BriiAngelic

 

[joshuadim]

DAIGO ASANUMA

CS Link

SCENE:

Anger Management

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1; August 1, 2019

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Daigo

ANGER MANAGEMENT

​

Tourism season was in full swing for New Oasis' southern district, drawing crowds with its various establishments and activities despite the constant chaos that consumed this metropolis. This also meant easy pickings for the likes of scammers, street performers, and all manner of petty livings that scraped by in the modern day. It was the natural environment for a street kid like Daigo, as he walked past the bustling crowds with a hoodie covering his head so as to remain inconspicuous. He was on the hunt as his steely blue eyes scanned his surroundings. Visiting faces all around with joy and laughter, having as good of a time as one can afford to spend on frivoloities, drinks, and who knows what else.

During their stay, they would be spending - collectively - millions so they feel better about themselves. Whats a few lost bills in that margin? Especially when it can be put to a much better use. The young man did have responsibilities to tend to, after all. The fields were ripe for plucking, all that remained was for him to choose his mark and use his underhanded skills to get what he wanted from them. Usually, that was their wallets. But sometimes, certain valaubles worked too: purses, phones, other materials one would store in their pockets. He was pretty good at it to after years of practice from necessity.

All things considered, he hoped that Jamie at the pawnshop would give him a fair price on whatever he managed to lift. But that grimy motherfucker was often times hardassed to even give an extra dollar when an original pricing was set. Yet, he was the only low level fencer who would deal with petty stolen goods in this part of town. The cost of doing "business", unforunately.

Daigo kept walking, slinking past the crowds with ease as he avoided bumping into others who walked by on the bustling streets. There were just too many options to pick from right now. What mattered was choosing the option that would get him the least in potential trouble. If he lifted from a bigwig, there was a high likelihood they'd sic some bodyguards or even the police on him. If it was from some average joe schmoe... then there was no way they'd catch him. Not in this town. Not where every pathway was engraved in his head like carvings in marble. It was then that he saw some long, blue-haired shmuck nearby, causing Daigo to smirk. An easy picking. He'd only need to do the standard routine.

And so, the young man made his way over to where his mark was and "bumped" into them on "accident".

Feigning annoynace, Daigo turned around with a glare: "Tch. Watch where you're going man."

Roda the Red

 

[Roda the Red]

CHARLIE HUGHES

CS Link

SCENE:

TOWER OF POWER

TIME:

Evening, Pre-Arc 1, August 2nd 2021

LOCATION:

Maelstrom Tower, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Musai, Sable

TOWER OF POWER

Charlie was still stunned by the offered sum, his mind drifting away at all the possibilities opening up for him. Thirty-Three grand meant he would not have to worry about rent for a very long time...Maybe, he could even entertain the idea of getting his own place, should he add it to his existing savings and work for a long time...To become a home owner, a far-fetched dream for the aveage large city dweller.

With fearless determination, Sable took on the initiative, spearheading the hunt with no need for words. "A-Ah! Wait for me you guys!" Charlie quickly followed behind his more seasoned allies. It was easy for him to follow through with the offer now, knowing that they weren't allowed to take the lives of the disciples was a reassuring detail that eased his heart.

"Well, I guess that settles it, then!" W.L. turned around to face the backs of the brave trio. "I'll wait for you three here, puny me has no business in a tower of champions" As the distance between him and the phoenixes grew, his smile disappeared, the NP's gaze turning more melancolic "That was never really my place..."

The trio then reached the tower's main door, a pair of four-meter-tall slabs of hard oak with intrincate patterns of golden decoration. Taking a step forward, Charlie marveled at the imposing masterpiece of both carpentry and metallurgy. Turning to the others, Charlie offered the pair a weak smile. "Okay uhmm..." The boy hesitated for a moment, unsure if his incoming words could really work with his allies present. "Sounds like this could be tough so uhm, how about a little cheer? It's important to keep the morale high, you know?" Chirped, offering his hand forward for the others to place atop.

It might seem like a harmless rallying action on the surface, but the rookie had a slightly ulterior motive behind his short intervention. He wanted to, even if small, build some amount of rapport with his fellow mission-takers, so then, should the time arrive, he might be able to convince them to face Regulus with non-lethal methods.

Kameron Esters- Shugo

 

[Kameron Esters-]

Musai

CS Link

SCENE:

TOWER OF POWER

LOCATION:

Maelstrom Tower, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Musai, Sable

TOWER OF POWER

Musai grinned at Charlie's attempt to boost morale. The idea of a little pre-mission camaraderie seemed to sit well with him. He casually slapped his hand on top of Charlie's, creating a makeshift huddle.

"Hell yeah, Temperature! Let's show this Regulus what the Scarlet Phoenixes are made of!" Musai's tone was enthusiastic, and there was a genuine spark of excitement in his eyes. It seemed he was ready for the challenge and the potential thrills that awaited them in Maelstrom Tower.

Roda the Red Shugo

 

[Roda the Red]

CHARLIE HUGHES

CS Link

SCENE:

Anger Management

TIME:

Daytime, Pre-Arc 1, August 1st 2019

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Daigo

Anger Management

Alarm clocks, ever the questionable and untrustworthy allies of the heavy sleepers, proved themselves to betray during the moments of need. The streets of South District, ever so bustling with energy and activity from the people around, welcomed a hurried Charlie who harstily walked over the tiled sidewalk, long strides to compensate for a tardy
depart.

He might end up arriving about ten to fifteen minutes late to his current job, cashier and organizer at a nearby convenience store. It was far from an ideal job, it wasn't rare for the occasional moody customer to lash out unreasonably, or for some irritable fellow incapable of simple addition and extraction to assume incorrectly about the prices, causing them to also lash out. The payment, too, was a far cry from what a regular person call 'good'. But beggars can't be choosers, and Charlie prefered to avoid literally turning into the former.

In his hurried state, tunnel vision was common cause for making mistakes in a bustling street. Thus it was but a natural conclusion to end up accidentally bumping against someone, this time around, it was just some teenager who happened to be passing by, now noticeable irritated by the inconvenience.

"O-Oh no! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you" The boy bowed repeatedly "Did you get hurt? I really didn't mean to" because of the boy's potential giving him a noticeably denser body, it was often a common worry of his to accidentally hurting people without noticing much. He had become very accustomed to the particular qualities of his body, but that didn't make him immune to lesser accidents from time to time.

Knocking out one of the maids at his childhood home with a hardened stalk of celery is STILL seared into his mind...He hated celery ever since that day.

joshuadim

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

DARIUS KENNEDY

CS Link

SCENE:

Test Drive

LOCATION:

Copper's Bar, North District

TIME:

2019, Pre-Arc 1

PARTICIPANTS:

Darius, Caio BriiAngelic

TEST DRIVE

Darius studied Caio’s expression, unable to muster up a smile in response. He had a blank stare as though his soul had just been ripped out of his body. Did he trust Caio? Would an animal caught in a beartrap trust someone to free them? No, but consider the alternative. He didn’t answer, but he didn’t protest. There were never any willing test subjects in the Serpents, even he knew that.

“Yeah, I’ve heard of Lab Icarus. I… know Sang.”

Darius wished he didn’t, it would’ve been easier to meet him under Caio’s guidance. Their initial meeting had been less than pleasant, and his “friends” were less than pleasant as well. There was no HR to run crying to if there was trouble at the lab, but surely they could all favour their scientific goals over petty squabbles, probably more than most Serpents.

“It all sounds interesting. When do you do these trials?”


Caio had gone from degrading him to playing nice-ish quick. It still seemed predatory, but for as long as Caio was content toying with his food rather than eating it, Darius still had a chance to run when he needed to.

 

[thebigfella]

Shishido Takakazu

CS Link

SCENE:

Blinkers Were Invented To Help With Traffic, And To Let You Know Who The Bad Drivers Are

LOCATION:

Central District

DATE:

2022 || Post-Arc 2

PARTICIPANTS:

Tak, Bolt Doctor Llamabean

Blinkers Were Invented To Help With Traffic, And To Let You Know Who The Bad Drivers Are

A chortling engine, choking and sputtering as it continued to cling to its haphazard life. Chipped paint and rusted edges, crooked mirrors, and a dimming headlight. An old scooter that had long since its best days paired with a rider who mirrored the exact same sentiment.

A simple helmet with only a racing stripe across its dome contained fuzzy, unkempt black hair under it. A bill overtop shadowed lifeless eyes from the street lights above.

Today was another typical night in Central, except for the fact he was here, which made anything immediately turn the opposite from ordinary, even if he never realized it.

“Damn, I drank too much…” A barely audible complaint came from Tak as he drove down the street; bags were clear under his eyes as he leaned forward, a heavy blink as Tak teetered on the edge of falling asleep at the wheel as he cruised. His hands tightened on the handles as he absentmindedly turned up the gas, his engine sputtering smoke from the exhaust as it roared to life, rubber peeling off his tires as he sped along.

Cars lined the road ahead of him, and an incoming intersection stood in his way; alcohol and sleep deprivation overpowered what minimal common sense he had. He didn’t bother to slow down. Instead, he threaded the needle right through the cars in his way, swerving and turning to the front where everyone was stopped at a red light, and soared his way without a care.

Headlights shone across him as a car quickly came to a halt and loudly beeped its horn; Tak, being entirely in the wrong, didn’t hesitate to turn and glare at the car as he slowed down just to shout in response.

“SHUT UP WILL YA!? PEOPLE ARE TRYIN’ TO SLEEP AT THIS HOUR!” He shouted, long enough that some nearby lights flickered on in houses. “The nerve of some people…” he slurred before quickly speeding off again.

“I gotta get back home soon…don’t wanna miss my soaps. Mia is gonna finally confess her love to Joshua!” Tak recited the upcoming plot with unsettling sobriety despite everything else going on. All that was in his mind was just getting back home to his sofa and watching the new episode where he definitely would not fall asleep in the first five minutes.

“I’ve been waiting 2 seasons for this shit to finally happen! I’m not gonna miss it now!” he shouted.

He was so focused on not missing his show that he didn’t even pay attention to the stop sign he just missed.

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

HECTOR MOSES

CS Link

SCENE:

New Royals

LOCATION:

Kaspian's Club, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hector, Tri

NEW ROYALS

The drink was a courtesy he wouldn’t have expected from any of the rival leadership, let alone the Serpent. Maybe they were actually going to be civil. Hector smiled back condescendingly, grabbing the drink from a tray but not drinking from it immediately.

“Oh.”

So his suspicions were right. This guy was looking to start shit, and Hector was his excuse. No way this freak was just gonna sit here all night sipping champagne. Well, Hector tried to be nice and give him an opportunity to explain himself, but he’d better gear up for a fight now.

As the coin flipped, Hector figured a couple of things. He assumed that it was rigged, this guy wanted to jump to action. Even so, Hector also thought Tri might just be crazy enough to abide by its results. Controlling the result was out of his control, but he saw an opportunity to fuck with the Serp. As the coin neared his foot, Hector stomped, pushing the coin into the ground with enough speed that it was impossible to determine which side his foot caught, and there it stayed, under his foot. Hector looked up at Tri, his smile gone.

”Well, you gonna go get it or not?”

Hector hoped he would, ready to strike if his guard went down.

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

HECTOR MOSES

CS Link

SCENE:

Open Your Eyes

LOCATION:

Street, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hector, Hide

OPEN YOUR EYES

“You seem ungrateful, Hide.” Hector weaved around strewn trash as he circled Hide, his hands shook as he shoved them into his pockets, before taking them out again as he realised he needed to gesture as he spoke. ”The Queen’s coming to talk to you and you’re acting like you don’t want me here. Would you rather talk to Reika, or Alex, or Lyric. Sorry that you’re stuck with me. I don’t have the LUXURY of letting people do my job for me.” Hector lunged towards him in one stride. ”Why wouldn’t I be showing my face though? Did something happen, Hide? What could I have possibly done wrong? You think I’m to blame for something? No, it’s you who shouldn’t be showing your face right now. But here you are, taunting me. Like I’m the fucking failure here. Did you do your fucking job at the casino?”

There was barely a pause between words, his face reddening as he was forced to stop to breathe. Long, loud breathes. He covered his mouth, pricking the skin with little metal claws. He didn’t break eye contact with Hide. His eye was bloodshot. He brought his hand away after a few deep breaths, glancing briefly at the little blood he drew. Then he went to grab his shirt.

You’re not going to leave me as well.

 

[Coyote Hart]

SEBASTIAN SE

CS Link

SCENE:

Caught Backhanded

LOCATION:

Abandoned House, West District

TIME:

September 14th | Pre-Arc 3

PARTICIPANTS:

Sebastian, Matsuda

CAUGHT BACKHANDED

Oh that was a good expression. The shock that someone could be as depraved as Sebastian was. And the realization that he could be next. Sebastian recognized that the peeping tom standing in front of him was likely going through that in his head. The act of murdering and butchering was the most thrilling, but the reactions of bystanders were quite satisfying themselves.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" Sebastian's voice darkened in his second sentence as he grinned cruelly and mockingly at Matsuda. The serial killer instinctively stepped forward as the heterochromatic-eyed man moved to grab his weapon, but he froze in tandem with him. Was that another person coming in? That would be problematic. Three made a party, and that meant a more messy cleanup. And that wasn't good.

And of course it had to be a police officer. If the officer left the house alive, then Sebastian could say goodbye to his day job. So even though Sebastian shared a profession with this new eavesdropper, Sebastian had no qualms about killing him too.

But why was this guy just as panicked as Sebastian? Shouldn't this peeping tom have been relieved that a police officer was here to save him? Sebastian awkwardly stepped aside so that he didn't end up smearing blood on Matsuda when he locked himself into the same room as Sebastian. Then Sebastian took a look at the duffel bag that the man had dropped. Oh. So he was just as guilty as Sebastian was. How fun~

"What's your plan now, cupcake?" Sebastian had to lean up to whisper into the taller man's ear. He wiped his left hand on a clean part of his clothes so that he could steady himself by leaning on his shoulder. Despite the situation, Sebastian just couldn't help but tease this newcomer a bit. He delighted at the thought that it must've been unnerving to have a murderer stand so close.

As the footsteps of the cop neared, Sebastian braced himself, ready to jump out when the door was opened. The door creaked, and an officer, his gun raised, stood right in front of them.

Sebastian immediately leaped into action. He stabbed with his knife, eliciting a howl of pain as it pierced into the officer's arm. But the officer countered by kicking Sebastian in the leg, sending him stumbling backward. It seemed that this fight was not going to be completely easy-- the officer was an HP, but not the ones with any special powers.

However, all of a sudden, Sebastian realized he wasn't as nervous as he thought. The fashionably dressed newcomer was on Sebastian's side. Besides, it would be boring if the victim didn't struggle at least a little bit. With that in mind, Sebastian stood back up tall and stared down at the cop, bloodlust in his eyes.

Caffeine_Obsessed

 

[thebigfella]

Shishido Takakazu

CS Link

SCENE:

The Only Difference Between Cream and Custard Filling Is One Is Better Than The Other

LOCATION:

West District

DATE:

June 2nd, 2022 || Post-Arc 3

PARTICIPANTS:

Tak, Lazlo WhiskeyMarten

The Only Difference Between Cream and Custard Filling Is One Is Better Than The Other

It all started 3 generations ago. Great-great-grandfather came to Amesteria with bright, big dreams; he wanted to give his family a new life away from war. The famine of his homeland made him have a connection with food, one that manifested in his love for baking. He felt no better joy than providing his family with cakes and pastries, cheap, inexpensive, and tasty. That sentiment passed onto his great-grandmother, who first opened her own bakery; that’s when people in New Oasis started to know the Lewis name. It grew larger and larger as time went on, and when it finally ended up in his mom’s hands, it became an enterprise. Multiple chains in different locations, spreading across the area, selling those delicious cream puffs and special-ordered wedding cakes.

He remembered watching his mom work with such awe, seeing what she was capable of; she was always meant to be a baker; it was ingrained in her blood, just like her mother and grandfather. He wanted to be like her, but unfortunately, he never had the same blood running through him. When she passed, he found himself leading the company and showed it to the ground. It wasn’t just his fault; it’s not as if everything was perfect when his mom was in charge. Miranda Lewis had her own problems just as he did, but it doesn’t look good when someone who can’t bake runs a baking company. The image of home-baked “just like Grandma used to make” falls apart when you can’t make it like how Grandma used to make it.

He quickly found himself in bankruptcy and promptly found himself in debt. He still would be hiding in an apartment from loan sharks if it wasn’t for him getting his tail extended to pull him out of the quicksand. It wasn’t as malevolent as he wanted; he couldn’t choose. One thing was clear: if he wanted to ever get out of this, he needed to make some money. So, he turned back to where it all began, baking. Even if he could never be as good as his mom, a woman who could make petit four at breakneck speeds, the skill to an empire-sized cake in a day, he had one thing he could do damn well.

Donuts. They were always his passion, so simple and easy to enjoy. It was cheap but offered lots of options. He was happy to bake and bake; he’d come into the store before the sun rose daily to get started with a smile. He took a picture to encapsulate it, a bright-eyed smile of better times, a man who had turned his life around for the better, back to doing what he loved as his family would have wanted.

That was, what? 6? 7 years ago? He lost track. Tired eyes had replaced those optimistic ones, dragged down by backs, red blood vessels clearly visible in the whites. He had gotten fatter, rolls forming around his neck, covered in a 5 o’clock shadow. His apron was covered in stains, no longer pristine, and his posture slouched. He looked onward silently and lifelessly. He wished he could say it was just business regular, but it wasn’t. Instead of his usual dull days of struggling to keep his donut shop open, today was special.


“There ain’t no better donut than a cake donut! The hell you need all that extra sugar for, tubby!?”

The perspective shifted over to reveal that the shop had two customers, though it was more appropriate to call them nuisances. The first one had a donut (that he hadn’t even paid for yet) tightly gripped in his hand; it was starting to flake and crumble underneath his grip as he waved it around like a toy to emphasize his point to the guy he was talking to.


“These things are already full of sugar; you add too much, and you can’t even taste the donut anymore!” The messy-haired brute shouted; he was getting so into the argument that his eyes were starting to go bloodshot, an annoyed smirk on the corner of his lips as he continued, “You’d be better off dipping your hand into a tub of icing and just licking that off at that point!”


Lou Lewis leaned forward on the glass counter, resting his hands in his propped-up palms as he had been stuck listening to this argument for the past 10 minutes, despite how many times he had tried to urge them to order what they wanted and leave, it only continued on.

“Can’t you both just agree to disagree?” He uncaringly asked.

“SHUT UP!” The tracksuit-wearing thug glared at him with a point, “Mind your business, old man! This is between me and him!”

Lou simply sighed, glancing at the other man participating in this whole thing, hoping he’d have some more sense.

“Don’t you two have a job to do or something? It’s 8 am in the morning, for Pete’s sake….”

 

[thebigfella]

Shishido Takakazu

CS Link

SCENE:

Something Costing An Arm & A Leg Is Pretty Cheap Compared To Something That Costs Both Your Buttcheeks

LOCATION:

West District

DATE:

June 8th, 2022 || Post-Arc 3

PARTICIPANTS:

Tak, Missy BriiAngelic

Something Costing An Arm & A Leg Is Pretty Cheap Compared To Something That Costs Both Your Buttcheeks

“Damnit! This can’t be happening!”

Anyone who knew him reasonably could assure that it should be happening.

Hands clutched at his unkempt hair, eyes opened wide in shock as he looked down at the table, the cards splayed out for all to see. The time had come for the showdown, and among the other three players taking part, Tak wasn’t even close to matching any of their hands.

“T-This isn’t fair! I was feeling lucky today! The morning news horoscope said Virgos should expect good things!” he continued to whine, head dropping down as he stared down at his cards, sweat dripping off his brow and dripping down onto them like rain as his pupils quaked in despair. He only raised his head when he heard the sounds of the chips being shifted across the table, watching as his small bundle of colorful chips was dragged into the ever-growing piles that weren't his.

“W-Wait!” His hand reached towards them as they got farther away from him, “I need a recount! Someone tell the referee to look at the replay again! Foul!” He continued shouting hopeless prayers that something could turn the game around in his favor, only earning a chuckle from the other men at the table.

“Just give it up already.” a portly man with a cigar in his mouth said in between a chuckle, the smoke wafting from his mouth as he leaned down to organize his chips, “There hasn’t been a single time you’ve left here with anything more than a couple chips.”


“Yeah, I’m not even sure why you’re still tryin’.” Another voice chimed in from the other end of a table, a much younger man with a beard and sunglasses wearing a wrinkled pinstripe suit. He tapped his fingers on the felt of the table before sliding his cards over toward the dealer, “Your poker face is damn terrible.”

“Huh!?” Tak glanced at him as his messy hair grew more out of place from increasing stress, “Everyone tells me I have a great poker face! You tellin’ me they were lyin’!?”

“Yeah.” Every other player said in unison, looking at him with a shared deadpan stare, the dealer joining in as well, “You’re an open book.”

Tak stared back at them all with an emotionless blink; the sound of his soul breaking and shattering like glass echoed around the table before his posture slouched, a depressed air wafting over him as he sat there.

“This whole time…!” He choked out, memories rushing back of all the times he had played at tables and left with nothing or barely anything. His sadness only lasted briefly before it turned to rage; his head snapped back up, fire in his eyes as he grasped at the edges of the table hand enough that it began to creak, “Those fucks! If I ever see them again, I’mma pull their fuckin’ underpants so far over their head their gooch is gonna turn into a damn cooch!” He flung a slurry of obscenities in his rage before shooting up from the table and shoving his hands into his pockets, walking off while mumbling like a madman.

The other players were only left watching him leave off-screen in silence, blinking in disbelief.

“Somethin’s wrong with that guy.”


“Shit,” Tak absentmindedly cursed as he weaved through the aisles of slots and strolled past tables of blackjack and roulettes, “No, can’t do that….not that one either…” he marked off each game he had already played and lost at as Tak continued to move past, as his list went on it became all the more clear he had some gambling problem, and one that didn’t even give him any winnings.

Tak had circled around the whole casino floor once, then twice, all the games blurring together as he tried to find something he could see that was made for him, that he could do and get some money from like he deserved, where lady luck was on his side.


On the fifth time around, he realized no such game existed. He crumbled, falling to his knees and then his hands as he became overcome with despair; his anguish welled up in his lungs and rose up through his throat as he tilted his head back to scream toward the sky.

“IS THERE ANYWHERE IN THIS PLACE WHERE I CAN ACTUALLY MAKE SOME DAMN MONEYYYYYY!?”

His shout reverberated off the walls, overpowering the sounds of slot machines and the chatter at the nearby bar, as everyone’s heads turned to look at the man, causing a scene with different looks.

Most of them had apathy and quickly returned to what they were doing without a second thought.

So, there Tak sat on his knees, questions unanswered, his posture slouched, his eyes sullen as he looked down at the red carpet below.

“Back to plain rice with ice cubes again this week…”

 

[joshuadim]

DAIGO ASANUMA

CS Link

SCENE:

Anger Management

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1; August 1, 2019

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Daigo

ANGER MANAGEMENT

Daigo was taken aback by the blue-haired man's concern, with the surprise quickly taken place by anger. The fucking GALL on this asshole! Asking if he's okay!? One of those self-righteous adults who made themselves out to be sooooo good. So righteous, so moral. He was a fraud like the rest of them. They all were. And he wasn't going to let this blue-haired puppy-dog eyed mastercraft manipulator get his way. Screw the wallet he just lifted from this sucker, as Daigo now took this personally. He felt an angry heat rise in his chest and neck as he strode over towards Charlie with rageful intent. "Why, cause I'm just a kid is that it!?" Daigo then shouted, attracting curious looks from onlookers nearby.

The youthful hothead grabbed the collar of Charlie's jacket and pulled him in with a strong jerk. "Think you're BETTER than me!? Just cause you act so high and mighty!? You care SOOOO much! All you adults are the same." Daigo said through gritted teeth. He so very badly wanted to punch that innocent look off this guy's face. The confusion, the concern, the apologia. It was all fake. They're all fake. Why would anyone bother to show him any kindness? Or anyone from his little family? They were no better than gutter trash to the most of society, simply because of circumstances out of their control.

If any adult showed kindness, it was so that they could hurt them later on.

But what stopped him is when both when he realized that the commotion had drawn an audience from those nearby. People had created an unofficial arena around the two as murmurs filled the air. Curious eyes trailed between the two of them, with a few phones joining the fray to record a potential violent encounter. But what had also stopped Daigo in his tracks from continuing further were the words of his closest friend. She had, time and time again, tried to remind him to keep an even head. To not get in trouble. And this was the opposite of that.

Let it go.

Daigo took a deep breath and released his grip on Charlie's jacket, a weight being visibly released off his shoulders as he reeled himself back to the ground. He took a few steps back with hands raised to indicate that he was done. For now.

Roda the Red

 

[Roda the Red]

CHARLIE HUGHES

CS Link

SCENE:

Anger Management

TIME:

Daytime, Pre-Arc 1, August 1st 2019

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Daigo

Anger Management

"E-Eh?"

Charlie was visibly confused as the youth grabbed him by the collar, forcing him to look at the aggressor in the eyes, his eyes went wide and blinked a couple times as he listened to the teen lashing out. The boy was not scared about the aggressive approach, he may not be a violent person, but he also had a hard-to-notice level of of confidence about his powers. Should the youngster go on the offensive, Charlie would only need to restrain him, if anything it would just be a bother because of the lost time, he was already late for work!

Whispers and footsteps alike could be heard around them, a little congregation gathered to behold the next move from the duo. The ocean-haired boy started to get a little bit flustered by the commotion, he never did well with crowds...

Fortunately, however, it seemed like the golden youngster saw reason in the end, letting Charlie go peacefully. "Uh, thanks" Was all he could come up with saying, should he be grateful? Probably not, but it felt like the right thing to do at the time.

"Hey, hmmmm...Oh!" He reached for the front pocket of his jacket, his fingers firmly clasping on a blue pen and a small piece of paper, a handy pair he learned to bring with him everyday at work to help him sort out the inventory. He went at it with the small piece, holding it on his left palm as his dominant hand wrote a series of numbers. Then, he handed it at the teen with a smile. "I'm in a bit of a hurry right now but, I feel like there's probably some stuff weighing you down" He extended the piece of paper even further, insisting on the other to grab it. "If you need someone to talk to, just send me a message or a call, I'll try to hear you out, okay?"

joshuadim

 

[thebigfella]

Zentsupa Pei

CS Link

SCENE:

Overcast, in Saline

LOCATION:

Clemency Private Hospital, Central District

TIME:

July 7th, 2022 (Evening) || Post-Arc 3

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Eric, Pei, Dagger, Kiwi, Dante

Overcast, in Saline

A stagnant moment hung in the air. The music had stopped, and words had already been said. What was left to fill the space?

“Kekekekekek…”

Laughter.

“Kekekekekekekekek!”

Lots and lots of laughter.

Laugh until you turn blue into the face, laugh until your lungs give out, and your respiratory system begins to revolt against your brain. That’s the only thing someone could do in that situation. Where did the laughter come from? Skimmed off the surface of surprise? A small patch of pity? The barest strands of admiration?

All of them or none of them, the meaning did not matter. The show would continue whether he was laughing at her, with or against her. Tragedy and comedy were all the same, depending on whether you viewed them from upside down or right-side up.

What mask did she wear? He didn’t know yet.

He knew everything else, and one of them was:

There was no tragedy without comedy.

“KEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEK!”

Pei knelt down, reaching his slender hand underneath Passeri’s wheelchair to grab his unconscious slave, quickly standing back up as he held the tiny robot from its flimsy leg. In the next moment, he had a taser in his hand, the end sparking and crackling with blue light that flashed across his face as he smirked manically, “Time to wake up, shitbot!”

Jabbing the high voltage into the robot’s side, its whole body was engulfed in bright electricity, quickly stiffening up as its body flashed in and out of blackness as it screamed in pain.

“EEYAAAAIIIIIIHHHHHHHH!”

With a look of satisfaction, Pei pulled the taser back, leaving Q-Bot to pour steam out of its mouth and non-existent ears as it hung in Pei’s grasp limp; batteries appeared in its eyes, replacing its pupils as they filled block by block until they were full.

“Recharged! Pi-pi-po!♪” The robot chirped before Pei promptly let it go as it clattered against the elevator floor, eyes popping out of its head before it flopped over flat.

“Go ahead and pick up that wheelchair,” was Pei's only order before turning himself away and walking out of the elevator first, shoving his hands in his pockets as he blew another bubble between his lips.

“Pi-po-po-po!♪ Leave it to me!” Q-Bot raised an affirmative fist before quickly returning to Passeri’s wheelchair and bringing his fists together.

“Transforming! Transforming!” It blared out before its form flattened against the ground, breaking apart in segments like an unfolding piece of paper, and then split in half before latching itself onto the wheels, interconnecting like tank treads.

“Formation No. 87! Treads!” There was a confirming shout from parts unknown, and then the wheelchair was moving; it had reached the stairs and traversed them with no problem. Passeri went up the weaving staircase in silence, with only the echoes of Q-Bot’s singing as it brought her along.

“The unbeatable suuuuper he~ro! The super robot of justiice~! He’s gonna burst into sparks~! Super Robot Q-Bot! He will ignite your soul!~ Pi-pi-po!”

Passeri should give him some singing lessons.

Eventually, they reached the top of the stairs, a single door between them and the outside. Quickly, Q-Bot unlatched the tires, reformed them like nothing, and walked over to open them for her.

A gust of crisp afternoon air blew across her face; it threaded through her air. The last time she breathed fresh air, it was contaminated by the stench of iron underneath the pollution of cement that flowed through the sky.

The sun stood at the end of the cloudless horizon, swabs of blue and orange melded together white to paint the skyline. The orange glow basked over all things; it shimmered across the oceans and caused the rivers to sparkle.

The rays glossed over the destruction of Central; they peaked through the rubble of half-toppled buildings, reflected off the glass of broken windows, and were mirrored across the windshields of broken-down cars. Shadows cast across the city, deeper voids sunk into the unknowns of lower Central, people stepped out of the shade into the sun as they dug around the rubble, innocent civilians walked along with emergency services as their efforts continued to save as many people as possible.

Glows from the sun reached across the city line to the West, high above the massive skyscrapers and corporate offices. It cast its warmth down to the South as neon lights flickered to life as they prepared to embrace the night. The light illuminated the streets of the East, weaving through alleys and sneaking around corners.

And upon the north, it bathed all its deformity, every malformation. It soaked into walls covered in graffiti, peered through closed windows, and even let discarded syringes sparkle underneath its all-seeing gaze.


Pei stood underneath it, the sun high above him as he didn’t bother to look towards it. Instead, he leaned back against the railing, the only defense keeping anyone from toppling off the building. His head bent backward, and a bubble of gum blew out of the lips of his mouth.

With Passeri’s entrance, he only spared a glance. The mouth that never shut up now didn’t have anything to say. He stared at her with a neutral gaze; it betrayed no emotion.

He had done nothing but bring her out for some air.

“Professor! Professor!” Q-Bot excitedly shouted towards Pei as it ran over to him like an excited child, “Look! I brought her all by myself!”

“You should at least be capable of that, ya piece of pissjunk,” Pei cursed, promptly raising his foot to stop Q-Bot in place as its tiny arms reached out to try and grasp at him, clearly looking for some form of physical validation.

He turned away from Q-Bot before giving one final look towards Passeri.

He didn’t give a knowing smirk or some snark remark. Instead, his gum bubble popped upon his lips, leaving him to pull his sharpened fingers up to pull it off, tossing it to the side before turning around to look over the roof's edge.

“...Heh.”

He reached down to scoop up Q-Bot, placing the robot underneath his shoulder like an object rather than a person as he hopped up onto the edge of the railing, the metal clinging slightly underneath his feet. He straightened his posture, standing tall over the edge.


“Hey, bimbo.”












“You’re a bit too old to be afraid of ghosts.”



Pei raised Q-Bot above his head and pressed a button against the side of his treadmill-lined feet, causing the robot’s head to pop open, a propeller shooting out, and quickly beginning to spin around. Pei’s hair fluttered as it picked up speed until his feet were lifted off the ground, and he was pulled into the air.

“KekekekekekeKEKEKEKEKEKEKEKEK!”

He laughed into the horizon as he soared off into the distance, his silhouette slowly disappearing into a tiny blip until his presence disappeared.


Passeri was left alone, just her once again.

But she was no longer in that room.

She had gotten some air.




The door slammed open, and what came with it was the wheezing, coughing, and sputtering of someone clearly out of shape. A large man dressed as security bent down to hold onto his knees as support as he tried to catch his breath, sweat pooling down into his collar.

“Miss Park! Are you alright!?”

The One Eyed Bandit

 

[joshuadim]

DAIGO ASANUMA

CS Link

SCENE:

Anger Management

TIME:

Pre-Arc 1; August 1, 2019

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Daigo

ANGER MANAGEMENT

Daigo was visibly dumbfounded when Charlie extended not anger or hesitation, but full-fledged willingness to try to resolve the situation in this... way. What was this this guy? What was his problem? For him, he couldn't fathom that - perhaps - someone was just kind enough to be this way. He rationalized it being some other act or ploy to get the upper hand on him. But instead of responding to the slip of paper offered, the hothead simply glared at Charlie. His intense gaze was more from trying to discern any ulterior motives rather than intimidation, which led to him scoffing again.

"Tch. Right." Daigo said, turning around towards the crowds and began to slink away. His visage melted away with the canvas of pedestrians, him slinking away to stew in his own thoughts. It was an easy score, but he was thoroughly annoyed by this exchange. As he moved past the corner, he let out a glance back towards where the commotion had now died down. In the distance, he couldn't help but smirk as he twirled a phone in his hand. He had lifted the extra contents when he was up close and personal as a bit of additional payback. The fraudulent Samaritan deserved it, after all.

And he just couldn't help but give a wave towards the clueless young man as a taunt over his victory.

Roda the Red

 

[Peckinou]

Helva Linxal

CS Link

SCENE:

To live in the shadows

LOCATION:

Warehouse, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Helva, Zulin, Charlie Roda the Red

To live in the shadows

An annoyed sigh escaped Helva while she was expecting a sneak attack against the kid she was hoping that it didn't involve a forward stabbing towards him, but that was what she gets for trusting Zulin. He was always a pain to work as she could pretty much slightly feel a pain in her chest as Zulin got pushed back , though the trial must go on and luckily it didn't pierce too far into his him, and it became apparent that he was quite durable as well. Even going on as to being able to push Zulin back, despite just being stabbed in the back, though the boy clearly wasn't thrilled about it especially since the fight was now tipped into being a two vs one now, even going as far as to express his disapproval as he prepared to get into a defensive.

Helva let out a low laugh before speaking "Well you don't survive as long as you do, without playing a bit dirty, but I suppose fighting two bodies may be a bit overkill. " she then began to muse over things a bit as she began to circle around Charlie. His stance was a bit shabby but he managed to last this long at the very least, it was enough to earn a devious smirk from her. She was definitely gonna play around with this guy now "Heh, two vurses one not your style huh. Well then I suppose we can even things up a bit just for you." cracking her knuckles Helva charged forward her fist winding up in preparation to attack the boy.

She charged forward and made side-stepped last minute in order to try to run past the boy, the charging attack now being noted as a bluff, as she went on to let a hearty laugh. She now planned to retreat into the darkness of the warehouse once again in order to escape his sights, she didn't plan to fuse with Zulin with the boy right in front of them. She didn't like too much information being known about them and how their potential works, only if he passed of became a Pheonix would she want them to know, are as of now he was still just a Trial taker to her.

Zulin

CS Link

SCENE:

To live in the shadows

LOCATION:

Warehouse, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Helva, Zulin, Charlie Roda the Red

To live in the shadows

Zulin had to admit, that the boy was more durable than he thought, though he was already advised about the boys strength, being on the receiving end of it was another matter. Zulin couldn't help but flinch a bit as he got pushed back and knocked onto the ground, though he was quick to recover and his graze followed back up to the two. The disapproving gaze Helva gave was clear as night, enough so that it gained a small chuckle from Zulin, knowing he was more than likely gonna get scolded for that later on. But that was a later on problem, right now he had just lost his poor little knife and now they had to rely on the shadows and their powers, he was prepared to go in and attack the boy but it seemed Helva had a different plan as a message was telepathically sent to him Let's hunt. he knew exactly what she wanted. "Oh no need to play the blame game, I would never wish to miss the opportunity to crush a poor saps dreams." He then charged forward at the same time Helva charged forward, stopping about 5 feet in front of the blue-haired boy before stopping and back peddling away before turning to make his retreat into the darkness with Helva, but instead of following Helva, he was to take a different route and meet up with Helva for a fusion later.

 

[thebigfella]

Shishido Takakazu

CS Link

SCENE:

Three Most Scariest Things To Wake Up To: Someone In Your Bed, A Missed Call From Mom, And In A Coffin

LOCATION:

East District, Taiyōkō Shrine

DATE:

May 29th, 2022 || Pre-Arc 3

PARTICIPANTS:

Tak, Hifumi BluEndings

Three Most Scariest Things To Wake Up To: Someone In Your Bed, A Missed Call From Mom, And In A Coffin

“Where the hell did the music go!?” An enraged shout, slurred, filled with the stench of alcohol and followed by a hiccup. Legs severed, uneven walking bashed into walls, bouncing off them only to slam off a window.

“I need some fuckin’....I need some babes to come over here and clap it for me, damnit!” He continued to ramble on, his arm bracing against some type of red beam to keep himself supported as he brought a bottle to his lips; he tilted his head back as he sucked on the opening like a baby would a bottle, but despite his intense suction, nothing came out, as he had already drunk the rest half an hour earlier.

He moved the bottle away with the sloppy sound of the vacuum seal releasing from his lips, blinking as he shook the bottle around in front of his face, a brow raised in confusion, “Where the…fuck…” realization caused the drunkard to click his teeth, before slamming the bottle against the ground, the glass shattering and splattering everywhere.

“Whereeee am I?” He finally questioned, looking around through his blurry and distorted vision. He couldn’t make out anything familiar. Small flames glowed in his eyes, causing him to rub the back of his neck as he stumbled forward. “AM IIIII in hell or somethin’? I’m hot as shit….” He continued to prattle on as his feet stepped across the cobblestone; he only got a few steps forward before something more critical appeared in his mind.

“Damn, I needa piss…” he mumbled, hand reaching down to grab the hem of his pants, pulling downward, shortly followed was the sounds of liquid splattering loudly against the ground, reminiscent of frying chicken as he the man silently looked downwards, sniffing. A crack of a branch caused him to straighten up, and he immediately turned around to see what it was as his stream streaked across the pathway, drizzling a nearby statue.

“Whas that?!” He sputtered out, eyes narrowing, before he realized he couldn’t see anything, but that still didn’t keep him from trying again as the last bits of his liquid emptied from the tank. He looked back down, jumping up and down to jostle it a bit and get the last drops out before slipping his pants back up.

“Yo….” He spoke back up, head darting between the statues placed around, “Any of you guys think you could call me a cab…I ain’t feelin’ so good…” He mumbled, tripping over his feet until he slammed into a nearby statue.

“Watch where you’re goin’, motherfuckerrr!” Tak sputtered out, head snapping to look up at the statue, and without a second thought, sent a fist hurling to the stone; it cracked underneath his knuckles, splitting and splitting as it crumbled into rubble, falling into the ground.

“Serves you right, sunnova--” Amid his taunt, bile raised up his throat, and in the next second, he was keeled over, the contents of his stomach spilling out as a mess of mosaics and green plus chunks.

When he was finally done, a little bit still hung from the corner of his lips, which he promptly wiped away with his sleeve.

“Fuck…I need a minute…a mint…” He continued to ramble on, once again stumbling through the shrine. The shot slowly panned upwards to the moon, every so often the perspective shaking at the sound of a loud slam, or something crashing, the cry of a cat and the bark of a dog, or the scream of a moose happening until the sun and morning glow slowly faded in.


Loud snoring interrupted the chirping of the birds; his mouth hung open as drool drizzled out from the corner of his lips. He continued to snore for a good while before his eyes slowly blinked open, his eyes adjusting to the morning light.

“Morning already…?” He complained, using his arm to wipe the gunk out of his eyes as he sat upright; his back was incredibly stiff, stiffer than back when he slept on an air mattress. “Where the hell am I--”

Tak’s eyes immediately shot open as his jaw hung low, horror causing his pupils to slowly dilate. In front of him was something that could only be described as utter chaos. Statues were broken, and trees had been toppled over.

One unfortunate statue has wetness dripping down from its face as if it had been baptized.

Various piles of vomit decorated the ground in disgusting mosaics, while a small pile of brown had flies swarming around it.

“That wasn’t me, right!? That was an animal, right!? I didn’t do that right!?”

A small black arrow appeared above the pile of brown matter:

Tak turned away from the horror to look around more; articles of clothing were tossed around, socks hung from the gates, shoes shoved into a drain, pants hanging from a tree, and a jacket fluttered from the top of the temple like a flag.

It was at this moment that Tak realized that he was naked. He slowly raised to his feet, feeling the wind tickle his body as he was frozen.

“W….W….W…..”

“WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED LAST NIGHHHHHHHHHHHHHT!?”

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Passeri Park

SCENE:

Calling Amestria

TIME:

Post-Arc 3, Timeskip 1 | July 4th, 2022

LOCATION:

Not-So-Abandoned Storefront, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Dagger

Calling Amestria

Twice. That marked twice today she'd seen Elise's face today turn into something other than her usual dour frown. She didn't say anything about it, but she was glad. Glad that she was capable, and glad that she'd been there to see it.

Passeri nodded along as Elise explained her side of the world. Passeri supposed she empathized. She didn't like to linger on it, but she'd started her life in a dreg heap of her own. It might've been a heap of syringes and fine, white powders, rather than the one of bullets and smoke that Elise spoke of, but she still knew that fear well. She could still recall the eggshells she'd tread on, terrified to invoke the furious boot of those who tread above.

"O-oh" She almost choked on Elise's bottle, which at some point had made its way from the floor to her mouth, at her sudden guffaw. "It's a dumb story, really. Back when I first started getting involved with the Tigers, I got this idea in my head that I should learn how to defend myself... And for some reason, I decided that this, like, underground club was the place to do it."

Instead of self-defense classes or anything else reasonable. Not that she could've afforded them at the time, anyway.

"All in the past, now! I'm, like, older and wiser now. I think I handled myself alright back at Acateon's Rest, right?" She continued to chitter on, only sparsely aware of Elise's internal strife as she followed her to the table. She detected something- a wrinkle of doubt in the pause between her words- but she didn't dwell on it. She had no eagerness to spoil a lovely afternoon with aimless prying.

"Sounds good! I'm pretty sure this is the last of the heavy stuff, anyway." What remained were goods and trinkets. The various flowery trifles that whatever store clerks she hired would be selling to any prospective customers. Even if she wasn't expecting many, she'd still done her best to stock the place with as much variety as she could. Half-assing things just wasn't in her nature.

"Alright, same as last time. One, two, three...!"

~~~

By the time they'd moved everything into the store, noon and come and gone. The sun still hung in the air, but the city's shadows had grown long. Along distant, busier streets, rush hour had begun. Fast food places bustled with nine to five workers itching for a quick snack, and evening insects had started to fill the air.

She really hadn't been meaning for this to take so long.

"Man... Christ... I really don't remember buying all of that..." Even if they'd taken care of everything heavy at the start of the day, the constant back and forth had still exhausted Passeri. Her sweater- which she still stubbornly refused to remove- was damp with sweat, and her complexion was flushed red.

The chair she'd been perched atop earlier creaked as she fell back on top of it, reclining into it in a messy heap. The once-empty store was now flush with all of the, frankly, random bullshit that she'd decided to stock the place with. None of the pots matched one another, and all of the tables and displays which had looked so neat and tidy on their own all clashed, forming rows of mismatched heights and random lengths. The nicest thing she could have called it was eclectic, and even that was being generous.

She decided not to worry about it. It wasn't like this store even needed to see a single customer, anyway. She could funnel as much money into it as she needed to. What mattered was what was above and below. The flower shop itself was just there for cover.

"Thanks... A million..." She ushered for Elise to join her and rest, still fighting to recollect her stamina. A dance routine was one thing, but hauling things around like this was a different beast entirely. At least when she was on stage, she knew exactly how long she needed to last. Where to breathe, where to give her all... Today, it had been like there was no end to it all.

"Mmm..." Passeri took a sip from her nth bottle of water, and righted her slovenly posture. Amongst all of the clutter, she'd taken care to leave the set of boxes from the start of the day somewhere that she could remember. Now bathed in the early evening sun, they lay patiently atop one of the store's less atrocious-looking displays.

"You remember those packages from earlier? The last ones out of the truck?" Passeri tried, and failed, to keep a coy smile from forming on her lips. "You mind opening those up for me? There's, um, one of the finishing touches in there."

That was probably one of the most suspicious things she'd said in her life, but she shrugged it off. She was excited. It wasn't often that she got to give gifts.

@simj26​

 

[miki]

Hiachi Ito

CS Link

SCENE:

Lyrical Misery

LOCATION:

The Serenity, South District

DATE:

Pre-Arc 3 | Nov 11, 2021

PARTICIPANTS:

Hiachi, Hitoshi

LYRICAL MISERY

Charlatan…

Hiachi stared at the wall, shocked by what she had fully expected to come. He didn’t answer her question, but he did start rambling about something perpendicular.

This guy was older than her, which didn’t make him old but did make him wiser. Or maybe it didn’t, because he downed three drinks in frightening succession. A skill only gained through practice.

It felt only necessary that she mirror him—it would be the polite thing to do.

She snapped her blank expression and downed her own bottle, before clumsily placing it down and requesting another. It was bitter and watery, but it was making things better.

Good timing too—because the silence enhanced the singing sound.

『빛을 등져도 돼 넌 빛나는 태양도 잠식시켜 my star
슬픈 눈빛 속에 세상을 다가진 완벽한 피사체 』​

Hiachi mumbled the notes out of habit. A favorite of her ex-friend’s mother, and yet she hardly knew the lyrics. She knew the sound; A song she learned out of repetition instead of enjoyment. It looped on and on and on and she loathed this part too. Performance, singing. They were part of that reason. The ropes and reins she had wrestled free from. Or at least, she had. The numbness of being drunk stole her anxieties away. They were hardly whispers beneath the haze.

“...I HATE karaoke… why am I here…?” She leaned forward on the counter, crossing her arms to support her head on them.

“I’m not betting. You can’t make me.” After that distraction, the memory of what he had said faded. Only slightly, but enough to confuse her. She tried her best to connect the dots in her head. “My cousin’s named Hitoshi….”

Spoiler

joshuadim

 

[Coyote Hart]

Gideon Gray

CS Link

SCENE:

Get(ting) Help

LOCATION:

Jiro's Dojo, South District

TIME:

Post Arc 3

PARTICIPANTS:

Hector, Hitoshi, Ashley, Charlie, Gideon and Kaede

GET(TING) HELP

Charlie and Ashley painted a starkly different picture from Hector and Hitoshi's fight. Hector and Hitoshi were veterans, and their fight showcased more battle strategy rather than Potential use. Meanwhile, Ashley and Charlie's vigorous fighting was the gung-ho-ness that came from being new blood. Ashley had no qualms against using his Potential-- which made Gideon cringe in discomfort. How was it that Ashley was able to endure the pain? Gideon had practically suppressed his memories of how he even got his injuries. They were that painful.

So in conclusion, from what Gideon could observe in his mechanical throne, Ashley and Charlie were more instinctual and focused on honing their potential as a new veteran and a rookie whilst Hitoshi and Hector, established veterans, focused more on fighting technique. Which was interesting, but Gideon didn't know what that meant. And he wasn't quite sure of his analysis. Gideon himself, after all, had only been in the gang for a year longer than Ashley and two years longer than Charlie.

Hitoshi and Hector took his attention back, and Gideon practically rolled his wheelchair a few steps back when Hector's hand landed on his shoulder. He didn't like the pressure that Hector applied. It felt like a threat. A threat that was doing its job of making Gideon scared. Gideon replied, rather unsure of himself, "Y-yeah. It'd be good to spar with you, Hitoshi-san. I'll definitely need the help. I don't think I have much experience after all."

Then in an instant, Gideon's earlier analysis fell apart. The dojo practically rumbled with Charlie's attack, and Hector's attack was scary enough that Gideon's previous slight movement of the wheelchair became an electric whirr as he fled backward. HP training was intense, almost too intense in fact. Gideon wasn't confident of his steering skills or the 0-60 time of his wheelchair if the dojo fell down on him.

"Isn't this still going to damage aniki's dojo though?" Gideon projected onto Charlie as he found a place away from the action to spectate. He didn't like using his Potential on his gang-mates. It felt like a form of manipulation, hence his open-ended projections. He wouldn't have used it if not for the fact that he was terrified, and if not for the fact that he was too terrified to speak up. Gideon's gaze flickered to Ashley and the Ashley-shaped dent in the wall, "Ain't it no fun if Blue holds back tho?"

Gideon sneezed then with a frown realized that some drywall had fallen on him. He frowned, and from the back of his wheelchair, he produced an umbrella, which he opened to provide a canopy for himself.

"Doesn't this feel like it's going too far?" the question to Hitoshi was logical in Gideon's mind. Meanwhile, he struggled to think of what even went on in Hector's mind, and rather than try to persuade him, Gideon just gave him the thought, "I'm definitely scaring Gideon right now."

The villain-in-training would've been lying if he said he wasn't curious as to what Hector's response would be. Did the Queen enjoy terrifying Gideon?

joshuadim WhiskeyMarten Lucem Roda the Red

 

[Roda the Red]

CHARLIE HUGHES

CS Link

SCENE:

Anger Management

TIME:

Daytime, Pre-Arc 1, August 1st 2019

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Daigo

Anger Management

It was a little disheartening, to see the young man react in such a way towards Charlie's attempt to reach out to him. He was aggressive and clearly didn't want to open up one whatever burdened him. The blue boy could understand and sympathize, however, for how long did he bottle the distress over his isolation? Sometimes life doesn't accommodate one's issues in a manner that can be easily conveyed to others, didn't help that Charlie was ultimately nothing but a stranger to the boy!

While feeling a little defeated, Charlie simply nodded, aknowledging the other leaving the scene. He held no ill will towards the hotheaded youth, for we all deserve to be a little angry from time to time. With no intentions of litering, Charlie kept the written piece of paper in his surprisingly spacious lower pockets, making sure it remained there safely until he found some recycling bin.


...


...


Why was his pocket so spacious, exactly?

His wallet and cellphone should be there...They WERE there just a moment ago. In a light panic, Charlie began to gently press his palm against the outside of his numerous pockets, all of them responding with a lack of any protuberance, only the smooth frame of his body, instead.

His eyes, darting around, then caught glimpse of the teen from before, now at a considerable distance, and waving at him. Blood began flowing into one of his head veins as he noticed the phone held in the youngster's hand, only a couple seconds required for the dots to connect.

"You...Youuuuuu..." Charlie bent his knees, his body going lower and lower as he kept burying his face into his own chest, leg muscles contracting and hardening as strength was applied to them. Then, he leapt, high enough to go over all of the passerbys, and long enough to considerably close the distance between the two, in the process grabbing the attention of theose around once more.

"YOU THIEEEEEEEEEEEFFFF!" He shouted, heavy steps rumbling atop the sidewalk as Charlie began to give chase to the teenager.

joshuadim

 

[Shugo]

SABLE MELLIVORA

CS Link

SCENE:

TOWER OF POWER

LOCATION:

Maelstrom Tower, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Charlie, Musai, Sable

TOWER OF POWER

Something stirred within the depths of Sable's heart; a fire that burnished with such subtle intensity, the man couldn't help but feel pins and needles crawl up the length of his back and forearms. Badger would have never admitted out loud to anybody, but the calm before the storm was always what he enjoyed immersing himself in the most. The atmosphere danced with so much energy in the air that it felt as though any step out of place would have lead towards being struck down by a bolt of lightning. Taking in a quiet breath as he strode forward towards the building, Sable allowed his own chest to swelter with oxygen, before he exhaled slowly, pushing the spent air through one corner of his mouth to help steady his own nerves. Perhaps another cigarette would help too...

Sounds like this could be tough so uhm, how about a little cheer?

While Charlie brought up the idea of performing a quick little hurrah before barging into the belly of the beast, Sable reached into the inner folds of his overcoat to snag another smoke. Pinching the butt between his lips, Badger brought a single digit up, and with a spark that erupted from seemingly thin air, a small painted flame erupted to life at the tip of his finger, igniting the cigarette immediately. Eyes glowered down at his peer's hands that awaited his own, and Sable thought for just a moment. Cheer & pep wasn't exactly his forte, and he didn't see the point in waiting around when there was work to be done, but...

Hesitantly, Sable extended his own arm to plant his hand atop the stack, while smoke bellowed from his nostrils. Perhaps the positivity that Musai & Charlie possessed had already grown on Badger in some fashion. If they were about to wade through countless floors together, the least Sable could do was avoid bringing the mood down. Shifting his cigarette between his lips so that it sat right in the corner of his mouth, he waited patiently for Charlie or Musai to speak their pieces. Sable personally felt as though he had nothing to really contribute asides his own presence for now.

We're all Phoenixes here. The least I can do is watch their backs, and have faith that they'll watch mine too.

Roda the Red Kameron Esters-

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Passeri Park

SCENE:

Sunday Roast

TIME:

October 21st, 2021 | Pre-Arc 3

LOCATION:

Passeri's Penthouse, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Markus

Sunday Roast

Passeri broke away from Markus's icy glower, unphased and unbothered. His challenge went uncontested, and she struggled not to roll her eyes. Posturing was a game played by animals and children and she, at least, had been honest when she'd said that she didn't play games.

"Lots of things. You're not the only one that's invested in the status quo, you know?" While she might have had her reservations about Markus's rule it was, for now, stable. Markus Weiss, for all of his glacial posturing, was still a known factor. A greedy man, but a reasonable one. The Tigers who still stalked the dark corners of the thicket, licking their teeth and waiting to see blood? They were a different story entirely.

She far preferred the devil she knew to the devil she did not.

"See, what I care the most about is stability. For all that's sour about the Tigers as they are, it certainly beats seeing our ranks in ruins. I suppose it's more about what I have to lose, rather than gain, understand? If things go to shit... If just one, desperate little Rookie finds out something that they shouldn't, theeeen..." She let her fork fall to her plate. The brief clatter of steel on porcelain emphasized her woes.

"Poof! 'Passeri Park, Violent Gangster', 'Iroi, Fraternising with the Underworld!?', 'Local Idol Involved In Pyramid Scheme!', and so on and so forth." Passeri's voice ticked an octave up as she listed off the set of theoretical disaster articles. It was a chipper tone that she spoke in, but her concern was genuine. She'd laid out countermeasures for such a set of events, of course, but there was really only so much that she could do. Once a piece of information hit the internet there was nothing anyone could do to take it back.

"I get it, though. Hard to tell if a horse is a Trojan or a gift, right? I don't blame you for looking me in the mouth. You don't have to trust me if you don't want to. I'd be lying if I said I trusted you, either." A disposable tool. Another asset in his rivers of cash flow. She doubted that she was much more than that to the man. "Can't imagine it'd be hard to find some other chatty idiot with a pretty voice to go up in stage in my place, hm? But hey, there's one of your precious chains here, remember? Like I said before. Common interest, control of my livelihood, power over my life, you've practically got me mummified in the things, here."

She retrieved her fork, and imitated the gesture that Markus had made moments earlier.

"I'm not a big fan of futility, you know. Ask yourself this. What do I have to get out of not being on your side, here? I don't know how dumb you think I am, but it's definitely not to the point where I don't know that it'd be anything short of suicide."

And she had too much to lose to go shooting herself in the head.

Elenion Aura​