Fantasy New Oasis: Four Heavenly Kings

[Elenion Aura]

RAPHAEL SHAW

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 2: Scene 2 [The Bounty]

LOCATION:

Dilapidated Slums, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hide, Kyoden, Mimi, Raphael, Sang-Cheol

THE BOUNTY

Raph's first reaction to seeing Mimi was irritation. How dare she be late, he thought to himself. Though, if the tables had been turned, and she had been the one expecting him, Raph wouldn't have felt one ounce of guilt over making her wait. The contradiction, however, was lost on him as he narrowed his eyes at the orange-haired girl.

His second reaction was amusement, though that was more so due to Hide's delicious outburst of terror upon witnessing one of Mimi's golems for the first time.

“How good of you to join us." Raph cooed. It was a threat.

The fingers of one of his hands had curled themselves into a tight, trembling fist as he leered at Mimi and her looming automaton with its ridiculously oversized umbrella in turn. Raph waved his other hand dismissively in Hide's direction as if to say, Down boy. She's with us. ~

Still, despite trying to keep his cool—as much 'cool' as he had to keep in the first place—Raph couldn't help but feel a little ember of rage smoldering inside of him. Mimi's flippant, cavalier attitude, her disregard for her obligations, had managed to irk Raph even more than her lateness had.

Why do you care? Asked a rudely intrusive voice in Raph's head which had barged in on him suddenly and without warning. These losers aren't your responsibility. Far from it, in fact! You know... You're starting to sound like him, that animal Ace.

Raph wouldn't hear any more of this. Raph and Bash were nothing alike. They shared nothing in common... Besides, perhaps, the mutualistic desire to see the other dead. He shook the thoughts of Bash away. It didn't matter to him that Mimi was late. It's not like they'd gotten very far without her, anyway. ~

Besides, Kyoden had said that it was good to see Mimi, and Raph didn't have the heart to contradict him. At least Sang-Cheol had given Raph the satisfaction of his discomfort, plain to see on the bespectacled Serpent's face in spite of his best efforts to hide behind those ridiculous sunglasses.

Sunglasses, really? In the rain?!

Talk about tacky, darling.

“I couldn't agree more." Raph chimed in in support of Sang-Cheol's call to action. Whether Sang-Cheol felt supported by Raphael's words was another matter altogether. "Let's get this show on the road."

Hide didn't seem like he intended to protest, as he stormed off toward the building's decidely un-welcoming facade. Raph followed Hide's lead, slipping in through the now-open doorway and entering the decrepit foyer of the 'abandoned'-looking house. Before him stretched a musty, mostly-empty open space. A corridor opened on his left, from out of which Raph thought he heard soft moaning.

On his right, a door left ajar, and nearly rotten off its hinges, opened slightly to reveal a set of stairs leading downwards. A basement, perhaps?

“Hm..." Raph mused. There was no reason for them to all stay together. More ground could be covered by splitting up. Besides, Raph didn't care about the kidnapped citizens who were probably squirreled away down the hall to the left somewhere. The people he was interested, however. He had a strong feeling that he'd find them below, miserable cockroaches that they are. “I'll be going down ~ you all do whatever it is you want to do."

Raph suddenly found himself wondering what Mimi would do with her tall friend? Tie him to a hydrant outside? The thought stayed with him for a moment as he crossed the threshold into the side-room with the descending staircase and took his first quiet steps down into the depths of the house.

Spoiler: Tags

Beann
Caffeine_Obsessed
Misuteeku
BluEndings

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[Coyote Hart]

Peyton Xiong

CS Link

SCENE:

Tiger Arc 2: Scene 2 [Matter of Time]

LOCATION:

Eternal Night Palace, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Dante, Reveler, Ruriko, Meirin, Peyton

Matter of Time

Today was an early shift. A coworker had called in sick, forcing Peyton to groan, put down his book, and fall off the couch to clock in. Not that he usually minded. Working at the Eternal Night Palace wasn't a bad gig in the slightest. For someone who was relatively less horny than those who frequented and worked at the brothel it was an interesting experience. Good-looking people lined up the bar area, enticing people over. Dancers gracefully twirled around poles seductively. It was warm with body heat; the air was sweet with fluids; the lighting erotically dim, bringing out the evocative colors. People would go in and out of the private rooms, their voices and actions muted by the soundproof walls. The hosts and hostesses, Peyton included, got to wear professional clothes that also accentuated their bodies. Everything was like eye candy.

The people he got to interact with were quite a lot of fun too. Sometimes after they were served alcohol, a customer would ask Peyton if he was available. He would wink at them and comment, "Sorry, everything on the Happy Hour menu is on sale except for me."

Peyton would then spin around and walk away, going to another customer to see if they were satisfied with their visit. Behind his service face Peyton would hide a small grin as he knew how the effects of his words. It wasn't that Peyton was opposed to sex, it was more that he hadn't been tempted to the bedrooms yet. He had a job to do after all. Besides, with his Potential, sex was a dangerous idea.

But since today was an earlier shift, there wasn't exactly anybody to talk to. It made for a very depressing shift that just made Peyton antsy. The job was fun because of the people. Standing around doing nothing was boring. Cleaning and busywork were therapeutic, but they could only go so far. If he wanted therapy, he would've stayed home and finished his book. It had been a good book too, one of those that you hated to put down. The only interesting thing that had happened all shift was the washing machine breaking.

Hungry for something to do, Peyton remembered that Meirin had led a group of people into a private booth. Peyton turned to his coworker and asked, "Hey, when was the last time we checked up on Meirin's group?"

"Beats me," Peyton's coworker had been taking a smoke break, "A good fifteen minutes?"

"Then I'll go check up on them," Peyton decided. It would be a good opportunity to report that the washing machine was broken.

He weaved his way through the bar area to get to the booth that Meirin and the other three people that had gone with her. Peyton knocked on the wooden post outside of the booth to ensure they weren't in the middle of anything immodest before he stepped in.

"Hey, do you guys need anything?" Peyton asked, "Anything to drink?"

He put on his best service smile, but it wavered. What a weird atmosphere. Peyton wondered if he stepped in at the wrong time. Other than Meirin, the room was filled with a few semi-familiar faces, all of which towered over the diminutive Peyton. The two humans in the room seemed familiar enough, they were people also associated with the Dragons. But the last figure, the anthropomorphic pink cow with Meirin's arms wrapped around, caught Peyton's eye. Peyton recognized this man. He was the cash cow ((OOC: I'm so fucking sorry)) of the Eternal Night Palace, Callan. Quite a surprise, Peyton didn't know he would be here tonight. He felt a bit guilty that he walked in when Callan and Meirin were in that position, although Peyton didn't understand what it meant the other two were doing.

Peyton had only heard a snippet of conversation, but he could see how it could cause the tension. The Dragons were generally quite uptight in terms of order. Peyton didn't exactly have the same viewpoint, in fact, he believed that there was plenty of opportunity for chaos in the midst of order. But he couldn't say that.

Spoiler: tags

The Regal Rper QuirkyAngel Beann Mqueserasera

 

[Doctor Llamabean]

TAZZ (August August)

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 4 [Hostile Agenda]

LOCATION:

West-Side, Central... Christen Kinslee's House...

PARTICIPANTS:

August, Matsuda, Camila, Chou

HOSTILE AGENDA

<<< Remember

“Oh for fucks sake, let's check this out,” scoffed Camila in response to August and Matsuda’s cautious cowardice, which earned from August only a non-compliant shake of the head and look of sarcastic apprehension. A sort of, “Excuse me?” kind of expression.

While the girl inspected the other side of the door with her tail, August glanced back and forth from her to Matsuda, who seemed to have noticed something peculiar—or so that’s what August gathered based on the guy’s body language and behavior. Teal-blue eyes glanced across the street toward some bushes but saw nothing, so he looked at Camila once again, then at Moth.

Then when Camila had concluded her investigation, he focused on her again and listened to her speak.

“Mmmmm… Feels loike a lot,” was August’s only response. His hair, by now, was flat and heavy with rain, and his clothes were becoming more soaked by the minute, but he didn’t seem to care. Bending forward, he flung his head up and used a hand to slick the hair back. It had been getting in his eyes after absorbing so much water.

Just beyond the fence and across the street, Matsuda could be seen diving into those previously mentioned bushes, and to see it drew from August a subtle but amused laugh.

“Aha, wot?... ‘As ‘e lost it?” But as if to answer the question for him, the scene revealed that he had not, in fact, lost it, and August quickly clamped his mouth shut. For upon being tackled, the man in the bush became visible with a start, and he fought the Tiger’s hold.


“Gah- Get off me!! G- Get-” He struggled to free himself. “Off!” Gripping tightly the camera in his hand, he started ramming the thing into Matsuda's back, then went for the head, all in an attempt to force a release. “I told them! I didn’t! Want! To do! This!” With each word, the boy hit harder.

August watched the bout with an absent gaze, blinking slowly. Roda the Red Caffeine_Obsessed Taigakitt

AUGUST NOTES​

— —What he's wearing (X) + Mask and Goggles

— —Personal Note: August has a pair of earplugs in his pocket, courtesy of Chou.

— —SCENE DESCRIPTION: August, Matsuda, Camila, and Chou have set out in search of a man named Christen Kinslee. They are currently at his house, but upon arrival and investigation they discovered a strong odor resembling that of gasoline wafting out of a whole in the door that August created with his potential. Choosing to take the safe-road, Matsuda went back to Camila's car to wait, but noticed a camera flash from some bushes across the street. Matsuda decided to trust his gut and tackle the bush, ultimately taking down a pink-haired man who has assumedly been spying on them.

>>> To The Next Post

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

Alicia Morel

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 3 [Happily Ever After]

LOCATION:

Upper Central District, Mall

PARTICIPANTS:

Alice, Jackson

Happily Ever After

<<< Remember

Alice could only nod, satisfied with how Jackson described the district. It definitely wasn't the vivid, dream-like story full of grandeur like she (unreasonably) expected, but despite a brief admittance of them being disliked, they sounded well off! More so than the other districts, at least according to Jackson! But did that mean he didn't have a pleasant experience in the West?

The Tiger stopped and stared at Jackson after his refusal, totally puzzled. Those kinds of numbers? What could he have meant by that? She broke into an amused giggle moments later. "You're pretty weird! It's not that much, I don't think!" Money was the way of life, was it not? It seemed like something everybody ever wanted... perhaps that was limited only to the West? It would explain the cheaper prices at this mall. She must have been lucky to live in her district, then!

"Well, if it's not money you want, there must be something else, surely? In that case..." From her small purse, Alice retrieved a pen and replaced her Acacia-branded card with another: a flashy business card. Before Jackson could get a closer look at it, she flipped it to its blank side, where she hastily scribbled a phone number. "You can call this whenever you think of something you need! Just tell them that Alice gave you the number, and the Tigers can give you anything!"

With that, Alice pushed open the doors and into the mall. They'd stepped out next to a small trinkets store, and one glance around would show them the bustling Honeycomb cafe a fair distance away. "It's just over there!" she gleefully said, pointing.

Though if Jackson was any attentive, he might have noticed a few lingering eyes from passersby on Alice; they felt like they'd seen her face for something important ( QuirkyAngel ), but doubt prevented any of them from acting.

Among those in the crowd, two boys stood with each other. One, a dark-haired boy with matching attire, glared straight at Jackson—or was that just his natural look? Either way, he definitely noticed the two appear from the fire exit. Blondie's followed her through the halls... I'm certain he's a Tiger, now...

He turned his eyes away, now talking to his partner, who also snuck a glance at Alice and her newfound companion.

"Babe, let me handle this! You're a bit, uh, scary to do the talking!" Before the gloomier boy could protest, he pecked him on the lips. He immediately hid half his face with an elbow as he stepped away from the brighter boy, but the peachy color warming his face was clear.

Sucking on a yellow lollipop, the brighter boy left his partner alone, now heading straight for Alice and Jackson. He appeared a lot flashier than the other, donning several hairpins, an abnormal amount of multi-colored band-aids all over his body, a white and pink hoodie, and an aesthetic that practically screamed "look at me."

"Yoohoo!" He called out to them before they could make any break for it, honing in on the shorter girl who looked at him with pleasant curiosity. "Alice, right?"

Smiling warmly, Alice stopped in her tracks to face him, holding her own hands and appearing as sweet as possible—just as she was taught to do with people. It seemed her apprehensions from the clothing store didn't carry over... "Indeed, I am?"

The boy knelt slightly down to match her height, eyeing her briefly—then at Jackson. And, with the brightest smile and chipper voice he could muster, he began again. "I'm Perry! My boyfriend and I are... owing a favor? No... friends of Acacia!" The mere mention of the woman's name softened Alice's posture. "Anyway, we're about to leave, and you should start getting ready, dear Alice!"

Instead of the eagerness he expected, she donned a countenance of sadness instead. "Can't I stay a little longer...?" She turned to Jackson for a moment, not-so subtly pinpointing him as the reason for her reluctance.

Perry gazed merrily up at him. "A friend, huh?" he muttered, a tone less bright than before. He rose back to his full height, standing only a few inches over Jackson. The gloomier-dressed boy still stood back, watching the three intently. Perry clapped his hands beside his head, beaming. "I'm glad Alice can make friends at even a time like this! Though I'm afraid she has to get going real soon! So if you wouldn't mind..." He cracked his eyes slightly open, staring daggers into Jackson; the face behind his mask showed itself concisely. "Alice will be coming with us instead."

The girl found herself standing between the two, entirely confused by the sudden change in mood.

BriiAngelic

 

[simj26]

Dagger

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 6 [All Proceeds]

LOCATION:

Cloudwalk Stadium, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Daemon, Sabrina, Dagger, Fahru, Masker Concertgoer K, Minato, Osamu

All Proceeds

She held the gun straight, still placed against the nape of his neck, unwavering, for just a little longer, processing what the supposed Tiger was saying. She couldn't see his face, she couldn't read any tells from his expression, but his body language did not betray a single lie. He was either an accomplished liar, or he was telling the truth. Or he was completely pants-shittingly drunk out of his mind. She wasn't a gambling woman, but she'd put her money on worse things than him, like cheap plastic explosives from the black market. She did not comment on his choice of slurred words. As far as she was concerned, it was better to have a gun trained on her target, than the other way around. None of these people would ever understand.

As soon as he commented on not being able to stand as he was much longer, she gave him a light push with the tip of the barrel of her gun and withdrew her weapons. The gun vanished back into the depths of her hoodie, and the knife back into its holster at her side, but her hand remained to hover over the hilt of her trusty knife. If she trusted herself to do something, it was to be quick on the draw. The man unleashed an ungodly belch, and she unconsciously raised her free hand over to her face, covering her nose and mouth. Fucking hell, it was barely into the afternoon, and this guy was piss-drunk. Why people would be driven to drink this much was beyond her. She would never touch the devil's drink. She needed to feel the pain, the despair, everything that drove her forwards to function properly. Being lost in the bottom of a beer can was, possibly, a worse fate than hers.

"Whatever," she muttered dismissively. She brought her comms up. "Any free hands, to the backstage. We've got a...Ueno. Osamu Ueno. Says he's Tiger. He's drunk out of his ass."

She released the transmission button, and the radio came back alive almost immediately. "Dagger, there's a guy in the crowd, he looks like he's...armed with garden shears?"

"Probably cosplay shit or something. Security let him through--"

"That's the thing. They didn't pat him down or nuthin'. He just walked past them. I'm lookin' at the playbacks now. They didn't even check if he's got tickets."

An HP? Something that muddles perception? She walked out towards the stage, pushing Ueno aside, and looked out into the crowd. "Point him out to me."

There was the sound of rustling paper. She rubbed the center of her forehead in irritation. Why did she think that they could have memorised the areas? At least this one bothered to keep notes. "Uhhh...zone 6. Pale hair, surgical mask."

She looked over towards the demarcated zone. There were a bunch of crazy hairdos and crazier colours. Masks were common, but most of the crowd had already shed them. She glanced over a group that had masks on, but they didn't match the description. Furthermore, they were in a group. Couldn't be him. She looked up at the security camera that was pointed at the crowd, and then followed its gaze towards the same area, and rescanned the surroundings. Still nothing. "I don't see him."

"I don't know what to tell ya, Dagger. He's right there."

"Hrmmgh," she growled softly. To let the wolves run around the crowd now was terrible for Park's reputation. She pulled Osamu back to where he was a second ago and retreated into the back once more. "Keep an eye on him."

"Sure, boss."

@Refaulted QuirkyAngel Mqueserasera azenva Elenion Aura The One Eyed Bandit Slav

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Masked Concertgoer T

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 6 [All Proceeds]

LOCATION:

Cloudwalk Stadium, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Daemon, Sabrina, Dagger, Fahru, Masker Concertgoer K, Minato, Osamu

All Proceeds

T's heart stopped dead in his chest. His frame vanished around a corner, yanked from the two Tigers' view. A pair of dainty, yet steely-cold hands snapped shut around his wrists, dragging him down the empty hall at a much faster pace than he could manage in his state of fanatic delirium.

"H-Hey!" His stomach turned. This was his wedding day, he simply could not have another woman's stench upon him. "Get your damn hands off of me!" He protested, his unrestrained voice echoing through the hall's bare concrete walls, all the way down to his would-be pursuers.

"I'll get my hands off when you get your fuckin' head into the game, shit for brains!" The second voice was equal parts hushed and scathing. A was well aware of how much of an idiot that man she was pulling along was, that was the whole point after all, but he had really, genuinely impressed her this time. How he was unable to think with his brain and not his cock for just a measely day was beyond her.

She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised. That woman had always had a knack for attracting people like this.

"THIS. IS NOT. A GAME!" T, his voice now fully evolved into a screech, yanked his hand clear of A's as if he were pulling it out of a scorching fire, and regarded it like it had been burned as such. "Not as if a vapid bitch like yourself would understand, but I am here as an agent of fate!" He stamped his foot. "And I will not have you or anybody else get in my way!" His voice lingered in the hall, and the two masked intruders exchanged scorn-filled glances. A, especially, filled her eyes with a frightful brand of resent, her expression clear even with half of her face obscured away.

"Fine." She spat, abandoning the lost cause of a man. "You go on your little love quest, and when you're in a prison cell, then you might be able to use your brain for once."

A and T both turned, and split off in opposite directions. T, striding off back in the direction of the Tigers, knew exactly where he needed to go, and he wasn't going to let some concert flunkies stop him. He rolled his neck, and cracked his knuckles. Nothing was going to stop him today.

Spoiler: Tags

@Refaulted QuirkyAngel simj26 Mqueserasera azenva Elenion Aura Slav

 

[Roda the Red]

Camila Gaspari

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 4 [Hostile Agenda]

LOCATION:

Westside, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Camila, Chou, August, Matsuda

Hostile Agenda

"I sure fucking hope no-" Just as she was about to answer August, her eyes widened as she noticed the stranger appear seemingly from thin air, wrapped by Matsuda's arms, and struggling to break free by hitting him with a camera. After what was just a couple of seconds of analyzing the man, she came to the realization he was probably not a strong threat. Now was the time to strike.

From where she stood, Camila made a quick sprint followed by a jump over the fence, and as she landed on the other side, her tail stretched unnaturally towards the man, first tangling around the man's arm holding the camera by the wrist, and then pushing said wrist towards his neck, this was followed by some more length of the tail wrapping around the neck and wrist a solid three times.

"Not want to do WHAT?" Said Camila as she casually walked towards the now bound man.

"Heh...I think you have a lot of explaining to do".

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Masked Concertgoer S & N

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 6 [All Proceeds]

LOCATION:

Cloudwalk Stadium, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Daemon, Sabrina, Dagger, Fahru, Masker Concertgoer K, Minato, Osamu

All Proceeds

S blinked once, then twice, and then broke out into a cold sweat.

"O-oh?" Her voice came out as a stammer, the pep thouroughly squeezed out of it by Sabrina's unexpectedly harsh bark. "Are you not here for the uh- The thing? M-my bad, um-" S's eyes darted between Sabrina and Kazue, and her earrings jangled against one another as her head, ever so slightly, snapped between the two in tandem.

"A-Abi..." S started, before Kazue filled the void left by her panicked stammering. Quickly, her eyes lit back up, and her panic turned to a frantic understanding. Or, well, misunderstanding.

"Totally, right?" S shot her arm out to snatch Kazue's hand into her own. "S-sorry, sis!" Her attention turned to Sabrina. "The sis and I have gotta jet! We get seperated and um..." Her voice trailed off again. Improv had never been her strong suit. "W-we've gotta get ready! For our um- Backup dancing! Yeah! Right, sis!?" S threw a glance towards Kazue, obviously looking for someone to back her up in her story. All she needed to do now was-

"Hey."

Speak of the devil!

"You!" S yelled, breaking out of her state of befuddled stammering, at what appeared to the other girls to be nobody at all. "Where have you been! I've like, been totally looking everywhere for you!" To Sabrina, Kazue, and the rest of the concertgoers, masked or not, the space which N occupied seemed not empty, but entirely without note. His words might have reached their ears, and his visage their eyes, but neither were processed. S, for all purposes, may as well have been speaking to a brick wall.

"You didn't show up. I wasn't even going to look for you, so be grateful I'm here." N spoke plainly, his voice drab and weary. "We need to hurry up or..." N's attention wandered as he noticed the Masked and Unmasked Concertgoers S was engaged with, who were both, decidedly, not A.

"...Who're these chicks? Extras cost extra, you know." N's brow furrowed, and then he appeared before the two, his form, or rather, his presence, bleeding out of the crowd, and back into where he stood. S, meanwhile, felt another bead of sweat roll down her neck.

"H-huh?" She struggled. "You mean..."

Spoiler: Tags

Interacted With: QuirkyAngel , azenva
General:@Refaulted, simj26 , Mqueserasera , Elenion Aura , Slav

 

[BluEndings]

CHARMY DEVLIN

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 3 [Happily Ever After]

LOCATION:

Shopping Mall, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Alice, Elias, Jack, Charmy, Jackson

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Interruptions.

If not for one particular spoken line, Charmy may not have decided to open her eyes towards the duo at all.

The two kept talking but, the Tiger's eyes had long-since locked onto the red-eyed girl.

It was a throw-up. Charmy’s mind flipped back and forth whether to continue with her current lead or to dabble with another. This girl no doubt held considerable value if Elias wished to seek her out, however, there was no telling if she would be as easily swayed as Claire here. And if the third present were involved as well, then numbers may erode away any semblance of reason…

"Y-Yes... Please, Lana, I-I'm a little busy right now…"

Frankly, Charmy found Claire's continued apprehension... telling? Were these individuals not involved? Was he worried on their behalf? Or were they involved, and he just wasn't confident they could handle a single Tiger such as herself? Surely she hadn't struck nearly that much fear into him. Was it possible the clerk was more afraid of the two finding out about his failings then? Should she be acting with apprehension?

Impossible. She liked that sort of gamble.

“Now, now Claire,” Charmy waved, “certainly we can spare some time for friends of yours? Why not introduce us?”

NAVIGATE

 

[BluEndings]

MIMI

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 2: Scene 2 [The Bounty]

LOCATION:

Dilapidated Slums, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hide, Kyoden, Raphael, Sang-Cheol

THE BOUNTY

“Better late than never, it’s good to see you.”

Kyoden. Obviously the most likable of the group, and the only one with manners.

Mimi gave him a very energetic wave but her dull eyes were locked onto Sang-cheol. She'd give them the benefit of the doubt—or more accurately she had someone else to loathe at the moment. Sometimes not speaking was the better choice after all.

She turned to the shouting white-haired man.

Loud. Vulgar. Gross.

“Hi-hi! Nice to meet'cha!”

She hadn’t the faintest idea who they were, but she didn’t like them. So. Not. Cute.

“You don’t need to worry.” One of her hands pawed the air. “Or be so loud.”

“That’s Tammy. Be respectful, and she won’t bother you.”

Frustration spattered her face. She didn't know there was going to be someone new here. Nobody told her. Seriously, how was she supposed to make a good first impression without a word of warning beforehand? Who—

“How good of you to join us.”

The words hit her neck before they reached her ears.

It was a nice enough statement, but that was second to who they were coming from. She wasn't sure if she should offer a reply back or if that would be considered dangerous. Fortunately the time for deliberation quickly ended as a plan of action finally came into motion. She hadn't cared enough to know what was going on, but it appeared they were just going to stroll into this here building.

...

Mimi looked behind at her unbothered statue of rock, then back to those still present outside.

“Don't worry about me.” She skipped. “I'll be just a minute. ✧”

NAVIGATE

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Meirin Azuza

CS Link

SCENE:

Tiger Arc 2: Scene 2 [Matter of Time]

LOCATION:

Eternal Night Palace, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Dante, Reveler, Ruriko, Meirin

Matter of Time

Arms still around Callan’s neck, Meirin glanced over to Reveler as her fellow Dragon spoke, head tilted in consideration at the other woman’s words. At her many, many words. Propaganda? PR Team? Were they a business, or something? Meirin giggled. She wondered if Revie had been just as direct when questioning the people of Paradise Forever as she was when she questioned Callan–blunt as a hammer, yet digging in the nail so deep that only the hardest of stones wouldn’t bleed. If there was one thing to be learned from the current conversation, it was that Revie certainly wasn’t superficial. Have you ever killed? Really? It was such a personal question…especially to ask of a civilian. Did Revie have reason to believe that the erotic dancer might’ve murdered someone? Or was she just fishing for something interesting?

Meirin’s eyes darted back to Callan, curious, yet unsurprised when the pink, bovine-like individual chose not to answer. Seeing Callan exhale then move to stand, Meirin unlaced her arms and hopped off, circling to place a hand on Ruriko's shoulder as Shuwei’s illusion disappeared. She didn’t know too much about the relationship between them, but expressions of love were hard to miss, and she could offer a friend’s comfort all the same.

Meirin winked at Reveler. “I’m sure there’s a reason you were carefully selected to be a Dragon as well. Frankly, I think you’re just fine the way you are, Revie. Trust is like love~ You can’t really choose who you give it to or why.”

Observant. Analytical. Truth-seeking. Strong-willed. A bit vicious as well, but, then again, what Dragon wasn’t? If there was anyone good at uncovering darkness where it’s hidden behind a veil of light, it’d be Reveler. Ripping apart masks. Digging beneath the surface to unveil the can of worms beneath instead of painting a pretty picture of politeness. Meirin liked that about Revie. Someone like her could certainly bring about change should her many, many thoughts be known. The only thing Meirin didn’t agree with was Revie’s portrayal of their organization as snakes hiding behind masks of good. As far as she was aware, the Azure Dragon gang had been pretty upfront–their way or the highway. At Callan’s prompt, Meirin checked her phone, her eyes lingering on Jun’s text.

“I can only offer my insight as someone who’s grown up in the East District, but the orphanage’s matron used to scare us kids with tales about how the Dragons would come to eat us if we weren’t good. Or didn’t go to bed on time. Or didn’t pick up after ourselves. If we did have a PR Team,” Meirin wasn’t aware the gang had one–since they weren’t as business-oriented as the Tigers–but she wouldn’t be surprised if they did…especially since a number of Dragons owned businesses themselves. The Albrechts for example. “They’re making us out to be boogymen as much as heroes~ It wasn’t until I joined the gang that I saw we were neither.”

Even then, it wasn’t until her fellow Dragons helped her punish Wei Wuxiao that Meirin truly became part of the East District’s strongest gang. Tracing the mythical creature that had been tattooed on her shoulder, Meirin continued. “I’m a simple person. I trust what I see and, the way I see it, no two Dragons are the same. We’re just a group of people that desire stability in the East District. There are Dragons I like,” Like Isabel Capitani that spearheaded reforms in the East District’s brothels. “And ones I don’t” Like Lars Albrecht who spearheaded a different sort of reform. “But it’s true that we’re all different in how we do things~”

Meirin had been guided by the Night Lord. Revie and Isaiah by the Dragon Fist. Shen by his…uncle? Mother? Just as all the brothels of the pleasure district operated in a slightly different manner, she was certain that each Dragon had their own definition of ‘peace’...and some (like Reveler) who didn’t even care for peace. Meirin wasn’t blind to that fact. She was a rule-follower. She wouldn’t betray the organization she was indebted to. She had faith in the leaders. However, should the organization stray too far from the righteous path originally intended, should it become corrupted by the many individuals that only sought self-gain, then her task as a Dragon was to correct it. After all, the Night Lord didn’t teach her to blindly follow orders. He’d taught her to make her own laws and follow them.

She hoped to teach future generations of Dragons the same.

One of Eternal Night Palace’s waiters interrupted them, causing Meirin to look over and wave at the rookie Dragon. She reigned in her desire to reach out and ruffle the shorter boy’s hair. “Peyton! You’re just in time! I don’t need anything to drink, but do you mind bringing me the oiled-paper umbrellas from the closet? I’m going to go pick up Sis. She just texted me saying she heard suspicious sounds coming from the roof of the Platinum Rabbit…” One of the Dragon's many brothels. “...so I might check that out as well.”

Just in case. It could just be(very) large rats. It could be something else. Normally, Meirin wouldn’t be worried, but it’d only been 9 days since some ‘terrorist’ group managed to hide a large HP-killing weapon in one of the Pleasure Districts roofs after all. Anything suspicious was worth investigating…especially since Meirin had no leads. If she were especially lucky, she might even find that Swallowtail (or any of Swallowtail’s ‘friends’)had returned to the Pleasure District, though she doubted it. Didn’t matter either way. As a Dragon, her task had always been to keep an eye on the Pleasure District for signs of disruption/seeds of chaos, but the Guardian program had made it far too easy for her to neglect her duties. Technology could fail. Recent events have proved thus. And, with its failure, her failure, many Dragons–including Kanna–had become targeted.

Meirin wasn’t the sort of person to make the same mistake twice.

“Sorry to have to leave you guys so abruptly,” She gave Ruri’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, winked at Callan, and blew a kiss at Reveler . “But if you’re curious about how I do things as Dragon and want to spend more quality time with each other, you’re always welcome to come with~” The offer was made to all at the table, though she certainly wouldn’t force a civilian to get involved with gang affairs if they didn’t want to. While it was always better to develop a good relationship with civilians, Reveler had only spoken the truth. They were dangerous people. They did dangerous, sometimes irredeemable things. One only had to look at HQ’s Underground to know of the sort of atrocities committed to criminals in the name of ‘peace’. Perhaps she was correct that the Azure Dragon gang only acted in self-interest…but even so…Meirin thought it was better than letting other gangs come in to do as they please to their fair District–the Sable Serpents especially. Power, without a restraining hand, was all too easily abused. Potential was all too easily abused. It wasn't just gangs that did so either. Human nature was partly to blame. "I'm not opposed to it. Nor do I have much to hide."

On the contrary, she was rather proud to be a Dragon. Not openly-brag-about-being-invited-into-the-strongest-gang-in-the-East-District-to-every-stranger-she-met proud, but she wouldn't deny it if people asked either. They just knew better than to ask. The moment one asked was the moment they got themselves involved. And, once they got themselves involved in the gang world, it became that much harder to dig themselves out of it. That said, pretty much all of Eternal Night Palace knew. "...But only if you're certain we're the sort of friends you'd want, Cal. Revie's incredibly harsh with her words, but she does have a point. The sorts of things we do aren't all good."

Not all bad either. Of all the gangs, they were probably the least criminally-inclined. Rather, they took the law into their own hands...but it wasn't as if she intended to do anything illegal. Not unless picking up her sister and making sure no problems arose in a perfectly legit sexual establishment that Paul and Steve worked at counted as illegal. Accidents just...sometimes...happened when dealing with troublemakers.

The Regal Rper Coyote Hart Mqueserasera Beann

(mentioned: The One Eyed Bandit )

 

[Ambiloquous]

Suzerain Schema

[

CS Link

]

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 2: Scene 4 [Home Cook'n]

LOCATION:

Lyric and Alex's Townhome, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Lyric, Alex, Corvo, Auvura, Ashley, Yong-Yut, Vulken, Suzerain

Raindrops splashed into an alleyway that seemed all but abandoned if not for the faint whirr of a fan behind grimy windows. At a second glance at the junk strewn across the side-street, visitors would notice bent rebars propping up drooping clotheslines, the odd still flickering sign and a lonely AC condenser rinsing itself under the downpour—clear signs of a resident who couldn’t afford to move away.

Breaking through the practical clutter was a shifting riot of colours trundling down the street at a shuffling elder’s speed, clashing with its surroundings in nearly every way it could. The faint rumble of an engine revealed its existence as a motorcycle(?) sporting a kaleidoscopic umbrella from its handlebars. The polycarbonate canopy dipped precariously as the driver swerved around a pile of trash, flashing stained glass–like projections on the brick walls that made the backstreet seem purposefully tousled rather than depressingly damaged.

Suzerain squinted past the gift prepared for the hostess of the night’s gathering—the bothersome handle divided her vision in half as she drove, and the reflected light from the mirrored panes embedded within didn’t help the already blurry night view. It hadn’t been exactly a bright idea to fix the umbrella handle between her handlebars with wire, in hindsight, but she wasn’t planning on regretting the actions now. She was nearly at her leader’s house, and even half-blind, she could make the stretch.

Spotting a garish second-hand shop across the intersection and too busy speculating what trinkets it held within to scan the roads, she turned too wide around a corner and spun into the opposing traffic lane instead of her own. Ignoring the fact that she was probably breaking three different laws already, she breezed past the speed limits as if they were a recommendation instead of a rule and passed a streak of black SUVs.

Idly, she wondered if they’d notice one missing from the flock; there were never enough vehicles for her to use her potentiality on. Even more idly, she wondered why they all looked nearly identical. Were they part of some SUV club? She hadn’t heard of other vehicle associations that were started by Phoenixes, but she stopped paying attention when people spoke for more than five minutes, so that wasn’t much of a reassurance. It was almost as if an opposing gang came to take a gander, what with none of the automobiles being red.

… Couldn’t be. Whipping her head around and narrowing her eyes at the lead sedan, she realized she couldn’t see anything through the glass. It was still raining, and her umbrella was still flashing rainbow beams, and none of that was any help to seeing the people inside the car. Not that she would have known if it was another gang’s member, but still. It was the principle of the matter.

Twisting back around, she disregarded the loud honk of a car that looked to be on a collision course with her motorcycle(?) and pushed her handlebars upwards, skimming the roof of the coupe without truly touching the surface. She debated turning a blind eye to the situation and dodging the family night entirely before rejecting it. The excuse wouldn’t hold up. She landed centimeters above the asphalt and accelerated to her maximum, aiming for lawns and sidewalks and a couple snails taking a breather in the rainy weather.

Suzerain almost hoped it was another gang, or she’d have run against the clock for nothing. Shooting narrowly past a streetlamp and a fire hydrant, she hopped over a flooded flower pot and skidded to a stop in front of the brownstone building that housed the leader of the Scarlet Phoenixes. Ungracefully hopping off her ride, she took two steps towards the entrance before remembering her anchored present. The rookie flicked through Symposia’s etiquette suggestions and grimaced as she whipped out her multipurpose shanker in plier form.

Bending down by the two-wheeled vehicle that was currently collapsed on its side and appearing half-melted—the neon rivulets running down the shell didn’t make a great case for the spray paint she had brought, but she was 99% sure they’d been labelled waterproof—she coerced the lengths of wire twined about the umbrella handle to unwrap. The grip ended up resembling a well-used cat toy by the time the deed was done, but it was out and that was that.

— ◰ —​

None of the elevators were free. She was inclined to bang her head on a wall—the one time she tried to do something for the gang and the world seemed in defiance of her choice. Her determination wavered, wobbled and falteringly reformed itself from the jello puddles it had melted into.

Sprinting it would be.

— ◲ —​

Knocking politely twice on the door, she didn’t wait for anyone to answer it to slip in. Chalky sunscreen dripped onto her outfit from the precipitation and the sweat from the dash, revealing flushed skin reminiscent of mild asphyxiation. She opened her mouth, glimpsing Yong-Yut and a doberman in the living room.

“

Many ca

—”

She closed her mouth and ran through her greeting options.

• Hello.
• Good evening.
• I brought a gift.

“Hello.”

She curved her eyes through force of habit.

“There are fifty black SUVs approaching this building.”

 

[The Regal Rper]

Callan (Dante) | East | The Palace

The new addition, Peyton, was given only a glance from Dante before the dressed performer returned his attention back to Meirin. More curious to see who it was on the other side of that alert on her phone.

While Ruriko's fallen expression at the disappearance of whomever it was she knew from the other mirage- Dante could not find himself feeling that bad without more context. Keeping his expression neutral, he instead turned his attention to Meirin when she began checking her phone once they'd untangled themselves from one another.

At the announcement that Jun might be in some sort of 'situation', Callan's brows knitted down in concern however Dante didn't say a word till only after Meirin announced she was leaving, and even offered the choice of a civie like him joining. Getting up to stand at his full height (one slightly shorter than his own original), the 'cow' of the Night Palace announced: "Well if you're offering how could I say no?" He asked with a haughty sniff, but a tone that made it clear he wasn't kidding either. "I have been in my fair share of brawls here and there, besides- I'm not ignorant. I'm well aware the sort of work you Dragons do isn't all black and white- but in a place like Oasis, I suppose its expected. Especially if you want a semblance of peace, isn't it?"

He didn't wait for a reply. "I suppose though if I'm going with you to see how Jun is doing, that means our little meetin here has come to an end. Ruri" his eyes honing on her, "it was good to see you again, I hope next time, I'll be able to actually get you to loosen up a bit more." More said because he honestly hadn't felt like he'd been able to achieve much of that in all of this so far. Granted, after what had happened days ago here what with that attack on the Dragon's system and everything he'd heard- he couldn't really blame her or any of them in general.

"How long will it take us to get to the Platinum Rabbit?" He asked in general to anyone that could answer. "I may not look it- but if a fight starts, I should be able to handle myself fairly well."

More than you'd probably think of an erotic dancer in general. Though he didn't say that aloud. "We may want to keep an update in case, just ta make sure nothing's actually going on and she is alright." He added.

Mentions: Coyote Hart

Interactions: QuirkyAngel Beann Mqueserasera

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Elias Yumin

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 3 [Happily Ever After]

LOCATION:

Shopping Mall - Security Room, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Alice, Elias, Jack, Charmy, Jackson

Happily Ever After

Elias’s fingers traced the corpse from the blonde locks to the cold, stiff skin of the neck, feeling for any signs of life. Yep. Dead. Even if he tried to use his potential, a dead individual possessed no memories that he could look through or alter. His power applied to living people who are capable of learning and forming memories, not objects or people whose brain was no longer capable of doing so. Staring down at Alice’s husk, the young CFO’s expression was unreadable as he studied the body he’d seen in Genevieve’s memories.

“FUCK!!” Ronald punched the wall beside them. “What do we tell the higher ups now?”

“The truth,” Elias zipped up the body bag. “We found what appears to be Alice’s corpse. Help me carry it out of here, Ron.”

“What the hell do you intend to do with a corpse?”

Elias shrugged, folding his arms over his chest because of the temperature of the room. “There’s a chance Z’s potential might be able to reverse death…” Though he doubted it. “...But even if it can’t, it would serve as evidence. We might even be able to identify the killer with it.”

“DAMMIT! How the fuck did the little brat even die?”

“Who knows…” Elias had no reason to believe that the husk before him wasn’t Alice. Everything from the mole beneath Alice’s right eye to her sparkly blue orbs was a perfect replica. Only his general inclination that neither Acacia nor Janay would let Alice die so easily kept him from believing the body to be real. Why go through all the trouble of hiding her just to kill her off? It made no sense.

Then again, it could just as easily be wishful thinking on his part.

Walking around, Elias inspected the room, noting the pictures, the graves, the number on the business card, the number on the sticky note… “Still, I do find something very odd…”

"What?"

“I know for a fact Alice was in the mall . Genevieve’s memories, as well as the memories of a couple of others, have confirmed it. I’m at least certain she was alive around the time of the store’s opening…which means she had to have been killed some time after that….yet, there isn’t a single trace of her from any of the footages I’ve reviewed. Even if I go back to the time of the store’s opening, where I know she should be, there’s nothing. You’d think she’d have been caught on camera at least once ”

“So? Maybe you missed something? What kind of killer’s stupid enough to murder someone in front of a camera anyway?”

“Hmmm, whichever the case, we’re back at a dead end.”

“Dead body,” Ronald corrected annoyedly, shifting the body bag over his shoulders. “Our job may very well be over.”

“Not without knowing the how and why. You can’t tell me you aren’t curious to know the cause of Miss Alice's death~” No wounds. No signs of poisoning. It was as if they'd been looking at a perfectly made doll. Also, why would the killer hide and refrigerate the body instead of disposing it? Why next to the mall's security room where Genevieve easily spotted it? The more Elias thought about it, the more it seemed like they intended to use the body for something...like throwing off a trail. "I don't think leadership would be satisfied if we just showed them a corpse either."

Though, death was certainly one way to escape the claws of the Tiger--assuming it was what Alice wished. Elias still wasn't entirely sure which side he ought take in that regard.

Returning to the warmth of the security room, Elias once more sat himself, legs-crossed, in front of the many, many monitors. He could return to what he’d been doing, randomly browsing the memory of other mall goers–or perhaps security–in hopes of finding Alice. Someone might’ve seen how she died, confirming the dead body. Alternatively someone might've seen her alive, debunking the dead body. Whichever the case, the truth would come out one way or the other.

...Or he could follow the 'lead' Genevieve's memories had given and see where it led him.

Smirking, Elias used a burner app to dial the number on the business card, bringing his phone to his ear while his eyes tracked Acacia Fox’s heir as the girl interacted with Charmy…and a green haired storekeeper called Claire. Phoenixes were still present in one store. He could see more people arriving from the underground parking lot as well. Did they come from Lower Central? Interesting.

AriAriAbabwa BriiAngelic Chaos Gallant BluEndings

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Sabrina Felton

CS Link

SCENE:

All Proceeds

LOCATION:

Cloudwalk Stadium, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Daemon, Sabrina, Dagger, Fahru, Masker Concertgoer K, Minato

All Proceeds

Extra…

The irritation that Sabrina felt since first listening to Concertgoer S speak like a rich, haughty bitch only grew and grew as the girl with gaudy earrings continued to stammer out excuses (obvious lies) to leave…then started to converse with...nothing...like a madwoman. Her fingers drummed against her upper arm, calling for patience, while she waited for the masked concertgoer to make sense. It wasn’t until a masked man appeared out of thin air that Sabrina snapped. No. Not out of thin air. She just hadn’t noticed him until now.

A vein popped on her forehead–or it would if this were an anime.

Quick as a viper, Sabrina’s hand shot out, clenching the front of the silver-haired shirt and pulling him so their faces were barely an inch apart. “Extra, am I?”

Fury burned in her eyes and her fingers crackled with visible electricity that threatened to spread to the person she held. The only thing that kept her from unleashing her lightshow of a potential was the knowledge that she wasn’t in the North District where such fights would be norm. She wasn’t in a place where she could just electrocute a person she didn’t like without repercussions. She wasn't here as a Sable Serpent. She was in a concert hall where hundreds and hundreds of people were gathered to see an idol. Where security was undoubtedly tight enough to give even an HP like her trouble.

Then again, why should she care? Whether or not she was kicked out or not, Sabrina didn’t give a damn. She hated it here. The memories were annoying. Her inhibitions were lower than usual as well. “Why were you hiding? What the hell are you two up to???”

She would have said three, but it’d become apparent with the latest arrival that ‘A’ wasn’t exactly ‘A’. Then who was she? Sabrina glanced at the masked girl she’d given a beer to for a moment before dark pools returned to meet dull green with a frigid, barely contained irritation. She didn’t care who saw them. Nor did she care how much attention they drew. However, it was pretty obvious that the other two masked freaks did. Her grip on his shirt tightened. “Tell me now before I become even more pissed off than I already am and show you exactly how we do things in the North District.”

The One Eyed Bandit azenva
(others at the concert: simj26 Mqueserasera Elenion Aura Slav )

 

[Chaos Gallant]

Jack

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 3 [Happily Ever After]

LOCATION:

Shopping Mall, Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Alice, Elias, Jack, Charmy, Jackson

Happily Ever After

Noting the girl’s reaction, Jack kept his daggers prepped in case things went south while questioning them. He was better than to think like a fool, especially while dressed like one. Not to mention he hadn’t the slightest clue how strong the girl may be.

“Well, you see that’s the thing,” Jack replied to the man, dismissing the girl’s attitude, “I’m lookin’ for a friend and you look like you mighta’ seen ‘em.” Jack gave a quick glance to the girl again before continuing, “A blonde-haired girl, kinda’ like this young lady here, but her HP doesn’t manifest physically on herself. I think she mighta’ been cruisin’ round here at the mall, but I haven’t had a lick o’ luck. She goes by 'Alice'. I don't 'spose y'all have seen her, have ya'?”

He gave a slight smile, waiting intently for their reactions.

Spoiler: Tags

AriAriAbabwa QuirkyAngel BluEndings

 

[Peckinou]

Welsha Reaper

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 5 [A Dangerous Game]

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Callahan, Ernesto @EdwardDewey98 , Ezra, Isobel, Mbaye

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 5 [A Dangerous Game]

Welsha had taken note of each and every one of Ernestos answers, it wasn't exactly the most interesting answer either, as he apparently knew very little, it was quiet sad really but her disappointment didn't really show. Welsha was forced to quiet down when Ernesto told her to focus on the mission though, she was quickly growing bored with it as well, but she did enjoy watching the occasional Phoenix enter inside the building, even though that was really a bad thing for them and their little team. But it was honestly something to look at, at the very least, and all she could really do was stare out at the window a watch as it took a while before anything of note happened. That mostly being her hearing Ernesto muttering something that she barely heard, much less understood under his breath, before he then told her to get prepared. Apparently she must of missed something but she didn't care too much, she would of just followed Ernestos lead anyhow, that was until Ernesto actually showed her the message he received that was telling them to create a distraction apparently.

Oh so they wanted them to cause a distraction? Sounds simple enough, Welsha could already feel her blood getting hotter and hotter, as she was preparing herself to use her powers. The innocent smile she had on didn't waver one bit as she thought about what she was going to do, unfortunately she was snapped out of her thoughts, when Ernesto told her that he had a idea. She had almost forgotten about him for a moment, though she supposed she should just follow his plan since hers would likely cause, harm to all parties involved anyways. When Ernesto started the Engine up, Welsha began to assume that he planned to ram the car into the house or something like that, so without much hesitation Welsha put her seat belt on and began to ask "So you plan to ram the car into the building? How exciting!" as she said that her hands starter to fidget and her right hand started to glow a light green color, signaling she was charging her right arm to unleash a blast of hot smoke, just in case. She didn't really know why he wanted to ram the car, but it sounded fun to her anyways and she could already feel the blood in her body moving to a boiling point. Her smile in a situation like this made her seem slightly crazed somewhat, she knew that there was going to be a high likely hood that the cars windows would break if they crashed into the build. With a devilish smile Welsha closed her eyes and let out a sigh, as the only thing she was really worried about was getting glass shards in her eyes, or even worse, metal.

 

[Taigakitt]

Reika "Succubus" Tsukiyama
Location: Cute Handmake Store; Central Mall
In Scene: Charlie ( Roda the Red ) | Hitoshi (@joshuadim )​

!Shopping Spree!​

<<< Remember

As Charlie was ever so cheery once more, the Queen smiled down at him and nodded as he said he’d help keep an eye out.

Reika walked past an end cap of items involving Jade. They all seemed to be from a specific artist as their name was displayed above the sculptures and jewelry. One that garnered her particular interest was a little pin.

The pin was a Phoenix made with a bright red metal, with jade inlaid along what shaped the creature’s body and flecked along the features in a craftful way. The eye of the pin was ruby.

“Hm.” She picked the item up and walked up to the counter, following behind Charlie. She set it on the counter from behind Charlie, her piercing yellow eyes staring down at the now-frantic cashier as Hitoshi decided to take the whole box.

The cashier’s expression briefly flashed in a way that seemed to say “my boss is gonna kill me.” Good thing she was the daughter of the owner.

She rang half of everything up and then put in her own employee discount and as many coupon codes she knew they carried at the time.

Reika rose a brow at the dollar amount on the screen and it seemed the cashier took it the wrong way and removed another item from the receipt. The cashier’s voice was nervous, “Ahaha, my bad, I accidentally double-rang something.”

A sweet lie. Reika didn’t have to lift a finger. In fact, she didn’t even ask. But it seemed that despite the Phoenix’s temporary displacement from Central didn’t remove the Queen from Central’s thoughts.

A smile came to the Queen’s face as she slid money onto the counter. She winked before pressing a kiss to her hand and blowing it to the cashier, “Thanks Dear.”

The cashier’s face grew a little red as she nodded, “H-have a great day!”

With everything in hand, they had left the store. Reika stuck the pin into her shirt, between her breasts. “Where to next you say? That strawberry stand is next, then we can go and shop around as we please. There’s a chance the thrift store here might have something I’m looking for, plus they take some of the profits and support South, which I’m all for. There was also a jacket I saw on the way down here I wanted to get. A really neat red one.”

Leading them to the strawberry stand, Reika requested two boxes for herself and would get whatever her boys’ wanted. The person running the stand was a sweet old lady, taking her sweet old time, seemingly unbothered that the Phoenix Queen was shopping at her humble stand.

“Here you go sweeties,” the strawberry woman said as she carefully set everything on the counter for them.

This time around, she was rang up properly, and Reika slipped more money than was requested.

“You’re the best as always, Granny.”

There was an alert that came by their phones. While snatching a strawberry out of one of her boxes and sticking it in her mouth, she pulled her phone out to read the alert.

“Ohoh~?” Her voice was muffled around the strawberry.

Quickly finishing her bite and licking her lips, “The Snake King is in Central it seems. Not my business today but intriguing nonetheless.” No, she didn’t have enough respect for the Serpents to say the correct name.

It’s not a frequent occurrence that Beast is out of the North– unless there was a good reason.

Movement was occurring. Reika sent a quick text to Lyric, “Hey Babe, BeastieBoy in Central~ Also i got us some strawberries for dessert tonight! ” ( BriiAngelic )

Two blondes had passed by the small trinkets store the Phoenixes were just in– a young woman, and a man. There was nothing suspicious about them to Reika, so she paid them no mind. (Alice and Jackson | AriAriAbabwa and Brii)

 

[Beann]

RURIKO IKEDA

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 2 [Matter of Time]

LOCATION:

Eternal Night Palace, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Dante, Meirin, Peyton, Reveler, Ruriko

MATTER OF TIME

Considering about ninety-five percent of her focus had been on the clone that took on Shuwei’s appearance, Ruriko found herself completely lost in the conversation. What the fuck were they talking about? She tried to remember the last thing she had contributed to the discussion and that was information regarding the woman Meirin had a picture of. Trying to fit that detail into Reveler’s longwinded speech was like trying to jam a corner piece of a puzzle into the very center. The only thing that she did catch though was the blonde explaining to Callan that she and Meirin were carefully selected by the Dragons — that made her chest swell a bit with pride.

That feeling of pride quickly transitioned into heartache as Callan snapped his fingers and all of his clones, including Shuwei, vanished. She tried not to react too much to it but she couldn’t help but chew the inside of her lip in frustration and slight anger. Ruriko let out an inaudible sigh before finally completely refocusing on the rest of the group. “Can we cut this shit out already? Reveler can be suspicious of whoever she wants, herself for all I care, and until Callan gives us a reason not to trust him then I see no point in this conversation.” She let out another sigh, this time out loud to indicate how annoyed she was.

Ruriko was irritated and while this entire interaction didn’t warrant her anger, it was the catalyst. Everything just seemed to have built up, from Kanna arguing with her at the bridge and her attempt to message her today, to Callan having no business in conjuring up the faces of not one, but two important people in her life. She almost felt bad when one of the servers approached them and her response was to slam her hands down on the table. “I need air,” Ruriko glanced at Meirin when she squeezed her shoulder, her expression softening slightly but not enough to quell her emotions. “Good luck with whatever ghosts are in the attic of Platinum Rabbit, it’s probably nothing.” With that, she slid out of the booth, offering Peyton only a glance in acknowledgment before walking off in the direction of the entrance.

exit scene

Spoiler: tags

The Regal Rper QuirkyAngel Mqueserasera Coyote Hart

 

[Beann]

KYODEN

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 2: Scene 2 [The Bounty]

LOCATION:

Dilapidated Slums, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hide, Kyoden, Mimi, Raphael, Sang-Cheol

THE BOUNTY

Watching Hide’s reaction to Mimi’s tall ‘friend’ earned a slight chuckle from Kyoden. It would seem anything and everything would set this man off, he wondered if a sudden drop of a dime would startle him? However, it would seem that the loud man quickly gathered himself as he offered the group a slight nod before turning to march toward the building they initially had their sights on. Kyoden followed behind quietly, only slowing his pace enough to match Mimi’s so that she wouldn’t feel like the odd one out for showing up late.

It didn’t take long for the five of them to pass through the main doors of the building. He looked all around, taking note that everything was as depressing and old as he expected. It looked abandoned enough which would surely be a great hiding spot for the group that assumingly held Hide’s target hostage.

Kyoden turned her attention to Raphael, peering over his shoulder to take note of the stairs leading down. Was it really wise for them to split up? He recalled watching a few horror movies where the group always decided to split up and of course, nothing good came out of that. However, he had to remind himself that they weren’t dealing with demons and ghosts, and they weren’t ordinary people like the ones that died horribly in the films. It wasn’t like he was scared either but rather…worried about the other three serpents.

“I’ll go with you,” his tone lowered slightly as he followed behind his friend.

Spoiler: tags

Elenion Aura Caffeine_Obsessed BluEndings Misuteeku

 

[azenva]

Kazue Kaneko

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 6 [All Proceeds]

LOCATION:

Cloudwalk Stadium, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri ( The One Eyed Bandit ), Daemon (@Refaulted), Sabrina ( QuirkyAngel ), Dagger ( simj26 ), Fahru ( Mqueserasera ), Masked Concertgoer K ( azenva ), Minato ( Elenion Aura )

All Proceeds

This other mask wearer was worse at talking to people than Kazue was. High bar to leap over, and yet there she went, pulling off a medal worthy performance. Good work—

Kazue flinched as her hand was grabbed. She pulled it away from the suspicious concertgoer's grip as they turned to Sabrina, continuing to stumble over her words as she rather badly spun some obvious lies. The thought of herself being a backup dancer was almost enough to get Kazue to laugh in spite of the situation. Still, she should probably try to clear things up.

"You, uh, you may have the wrong person, actually—"

Kazue winced. The stutter was contagious.

And now earring person had fully gone mad, barking at nothing like a dog. At least she had figured out how to string more than two words together without stuttering. More than what Kazue had managed earlier. Great work.

Kazue should have just told the second intruder to back off the first time. What with her obvious fear of something, security likely, and her most likely being sober (though considering the quality of the decisions she had made so far, that was debatable) she probably would have actually listened, unlike Sabrina, who was so drunk she was currently strangling someone. The fact that whatever plot she was blundering through would most likely end in failure meant that getting tangled up in was probably—wait, what? Strangling someone?

The fact that the panicking mask wearer's condition, much like her inability to speak coherently, shouldn't have been contagious apparently didn't matter to reality, as a third new person found their way into Kazue's hiding corner. More pressing was the small little issue that Sabrina was...not actually choking out the new person thankfully, but was grabbing them by the collar...OK, there was another little detail. Sabrina had a Potential. This could go very bad, very quickly.

Kazue tried to make herself seem even smaller than she normally was, shrinking further into the corner as Sabrina growled into the man's face. She tensed up for a moment as Sabrina glanced down at her, before relaxing the slightest bit as she turned her attention back to the other new person. Only to immediately freeze up again at the next words out of her mouth.

“Tell me now before I become more pissed off than I already am and show you exactly how we do things in the North District.”

Objectively, this statement really shouldn't have made Kazue so afraid. It was just a fairly standard boast. But today was the day to be afraid. Very afraid.

She tried to calm herself with an explanation. If Sabrina was a Serpent, she would have had to travel through two separate districts, thanks to both the South to Central bridge and the bridge Shen destroyed both being, well, destroyed. The Phoenixes likely would be on high alert noticing anyone unusual from another district (this fact on its own did not calm Kazue.) Unfortunately, Sabrina probably came from the West District bridge, which was probably not as watched as the East District bridge. Meaning that she could be a Serpent...
You know, this explanation really wasn't doing a good job of being calming.
Kazue shook her head and buried it in her hands, lifting her glasses a bit as she looked down at the ground.

 

[Mqueserasera]

Fahrelnissa Peynirci

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 6 [All Proceeds]

LOCATION:

Cloudwalk Stadium, South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Passeri, Daemon, Sabrina, Dagger, Fahru, Masker Concertgoer K, Minato

ALL PROCEEDS

And then she was interrupted, stopped, blocked, on her way out of the room. At that very moment, there were in her mind millions of muddled ideas, bright rays, and flowering hopes. She was ready and inspired to go seemingly straight to a better future, so much so that she didn’t particularly mind the entrance of one Minato, another Tiger and one of those brutes in it for the money. Sometimes he even was several of them. Though her faint distaste for the man was invigorated by his unlikable finger guns, a forced smile was managed in a way that, to her surprise, was not entirely forced. Maximon beat his wings to her shoulders and landed there, waiting for words to be said through his beaks. But Fahru kept her piece, and opted to step aside and remained there just for a bit longer to see what he had come in for.

But it seemed a hello was all he had with him. News on unwanted elements came from Passeri Park herself. Fahru sulked a bit, her brows slightly knitted. She was being treated like some vulnerable helpless girl by her idol. Certainly, Fahru had no need to worry about an attacker someone like Minato could protect her from in the first place. And he of all people. She had neither the need nor the desire to be anywhere near him. Being around him felt gross vaguely at times, and strongly so most of the time. His friendliness disgusted her, be it fake or real, she wished to be as clean of any association with the person as possible. And yet despite herself, Fahru was far too ashamed, hotly too embarrassed to correct the idol on this matter. True, she herself was just as much a brute as Minato was; her jobs for the Tigers before this day had invariably been lowly, detestable, and violent. Yet she could not bring herself to reveal to her idol through Maximon her brutish nature. And besides, Passeri didn’t need to know that, not yet. It was selfish and silly of her to feign innocence, and she should have spoken up when she had the chance, but she let it slip by. Instead:

“INTRUDERS at large! Someone HAS to defend this place then,” said Maximon in his unusual shrill voice at the prompt of his mistress, practically screaming at the male Tiger’s face, “SO, take heart and take a HIKE: off you go to that door yonder, DO! Stand outside and brace for the enemy who COMES! My mistress meanwhile shall remain by the side of her ladyship!”

Like it or not, Passeri Park’s safety took priority. At the news of stalkers, they, as hired bodyguards, should be by the idol’s side to protect her, not elsewhere. Fahru was here for the violent business first and foremost. What she wanted to do was beside the point, and the decorations could wait. It was an intriguing idea also that she could keep up the act and stay with Passeri, perhaps to take a glimpse of even greater sublimity. Making the gross guy stand guard outside was a plus. So she put her box down, evidently in favor of going nowhere at the moment.

Spoiler: Tags

@Refaulted QuirkyAngel simj26 Mqueserasera azenva Elenion Aura The One Eyed Bandit

 

[Mqueserasera]

REVELER

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 2: Scene 2 [Matter of Time]

LOCATION:

Eternal Night Palace, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Reveler, Dante, Meirin, Ruriko, Peyton

MATTER OF TIME

Reveler was not disturbed in the slightest when the illusions disappear, nor was there a reaction to vary from her intense focus. She fixed it still on the man facing her across the table in what seemed like a one-way showdown by the minute. “Not so eager to please, I see,” she muttered, her voice laced with disappointment at his refusal to answer the question. And why, what was there to hide? Did he fear his reputation being ruined? Fair enough. They have an image to protect, those performers, don’t they? Clients wouldn’t be so hot on the prospect of a murderer sitting in their laps, eyeing both their genitals and their throats. Fussy, fussy stuff—those things they do, the skirting about—all banal, phony, by God—Bah! For one to live on such cumbersome packages!

Timely was her frustration quelled by the appearance of a most agreeable fellow. “Ah come, Peyton, come in, we need not drinks but someone to entertain. Now that’s someone I can trust,” she turned to Callen, then went on with a bored-out-of-one-mind attitude. “You know, not on the principle of liking or not. What did Meirin say? Yes, love—love! Here’s a fellow who knows his love, which is not something to be placed as one pleases. Trust is earned, love is found, I think. You know right away if someone’s the right person. But trust? You can’t quite trust even yourself to remain consistent, let alone someone else.”

She rapped her fingers on as Meirin spoke of suspicious events. It had the sound of entertainment. “I shall go too,” without prompting or warning, she blurted out. Days lying in wait in the Pleasure District had compressed the spring of her temperament quite enough that she now should readily vaporize an establishment to slay a rat. “What Meirin said. You guys go too. Ruri too…what? Fine, air. Humans require air to survive, I sometimes forget. And you Peyton, if it’s indeed like Ruri said and there’s nothing, nothing at all to put holes on, I can at least show you my stash—I kept it nearby, I practically live in this district now since last week.” Though it would be more apt to say she had been holing up in an attic out of sight, in ambush and earning the title of the Apparition of The East, than “live”.

She took a glance at Ruriko. Despite her dismissal tone, she did not miss the fact that something was troubling, irritating Ruriko deeply. Many of the Dragons were like that these days, so it did not warrant concern just yet. But had she been in a better frame of mind, more sanguine-like, she would have checked on the girl. Not right now when she was having her own share of frustration. Gosh, she really, really must kill something soon.

“You too, huh?” She looked at Callen, slightly puzzled by his overconfident tone. “I don’t mind really. I won’t go out of my way to cover you should something happen, mind. You can just, I don’t know—“ she made circles in the air with her index finger to illustrate the point, “—shake your shapely ass at intruders if there’s any or something. That should occupy my targets long enough for them to grow holes.”

Spoiler: Tags

The Regal Rper QuirkyAngel Beann Coyote Hart

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

HECTOR MOSES

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 2: Scene 1 [The Recruit]

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Boltius Doctor Llamabean , Hector, Milo Elenion Aura

THE RECRUIT

With all his focus on Milo, Hector didn't respond to Bolt's yelling, even as it increased in volume. He kept the pressure on Milo's foot, feeling the spike push further. He didn't even process Milo calling out Bolt's name again, and it's just as well that he didn't, as it would've spurred him on to make his attack hurt even more. He was in the zone right now.

He did take note when his foe yelled at him to stay back, or rather, he thought it was just at him. He was about to respond, perhaps with something cocky, or just more yelling, when he heard the rage-fuelled voice of Boltius. It filled Hector with rage too. He almost felt offended on Milo's behalf and tilted his head ever so slightly toward Bolt.

"YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE. MY FIGHT, BOLTIUS. MY FIGHT. YOU WANNA GET INVOLVED, THEN WAIT YOUR FUCKING TURN."
His patience had run out, tired of the perceived disrespect he felt from multiple fronts. He couldn't tell what Boltius's problem was. Milo challenged him, and he was just doing what he had to do. It wasn't Bolt's call to tell anyone where they should be right now. And wasn't he cheering him on against Milo only moments ago? Speaking of Milo...

He was drawing again. So it wasn't the sketchpad. I should've broken his hands first. Hector didn't have time to seeth, he had to stop him before he could use his potential once again. With his foot stuck on Milo's his movement was somewhat limited. You're not doing this. He tried to jerk his foot backwards, hoping Milo would be dragged away from his art, but he was too late for that.

He didn't have time to prepare when the stick was thrown at him, but Milo's reaction was a telling sign of what was about to happen. His foot was dislodged from Milo's, but he couldn't regain his footing before the stun grenade exploded. He had time to cover his face with an arm, which he quickly tried to cover in a layer of metal, expecting the worst.

Instantly deafened by the blast, he fell back. He felt the burn on his arm, which was partially covered in metal now. Thankfully he didn't suffer for nothing, as it protected his eyes from being blinded, which would have ruined his chances of winning. He let out what could only be described as a roar, as he looked up at Milo.

That power.

Cars, birds, grenades in different forms, and he could activate it just by drawing? And I don't even know who he is. Keep on track. Focus.
Hector clenched his teeth, trying to quickly overcome the sharp pain in his head. While doing that, he brought himself up to a sitting position and reached over to the nearby Milo. He continued to grow the layer of metal around one arm until it was fully covered. His wrist ached and the skin was singed but he could worry about it later.

With his non-metallic hand, he attempted to pin one of Milo's hands down. Hector then tried to swing down his other arm, to club Milo's chest with all his might. Then he'd try and do it again.

 

[Elenion Aura]

DRAGON'S

Scene Post

SCENE:

Dragons Arc 2: Scene 1 [The Child]

LOCATION:

Shaded Alley → Rooftops, The Markets, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Dyne, Ra, Shiri, Hou

THE CHILD

As the two Dragons entered the alley, the Child stood behind Shiri, eyes shifting warily from one new face to the other, lips curling ever-so-slightly into a snarl. The child's food that Shiri had shared with him, or what was left of it anyway, he left on the floor of the alley as he took several small steps backward. He seemed about ready to bolt, while simultaneously appearing somewhat unwilling to take his eyes off of his pursuers.

Thought, before he could retreat very far, his back bumped against a translucent barrier that had just materialized behind him, erected ostensibly to bar his escape. Wide-eyed, the Child's expression softened with fear, before hardening with resolve.

With no way forward, and his path backwards blocked by the Tigers, the Child turned as a low, bestial growl hitched in the back of his throat. Like an animal, he bared his teeth, his body hunching forward as something began to move beneath the folds of his tattered cloth rag of a shirt. To the sound of bones popping as they set themselves into place being joined by the sound of tearing fabric, the Child leapt into the air. His ascent slowed briefly, only to be borne higher than should have been possible by the advent of two lustrous, feathery black wings that had suddenly emerged fully-formed from out of his back.

Feathers filled the alleyway as the Child flew up straight out of the alley, coming to land on a nearby rooftop, his wings folding naturally against his back. The Child took one look back down into the alley before he scampered along the rooftop out of sight.

Spoiler: Tags

Damafaud
The Prophet
The One Eyed Bandit
SilverFlight

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