Fantasy New Oasis: Four Heavenly Kings

[Misuteeku]

Hubert

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CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 3 [Filth In The Gutter]

LOCATION:

Lab Icarus, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

[Hubert], Darius, Mimi, Orion, Reese, Rutheless, Sang-Cheol, Yuna, Yuto

Filth In The Gutter

"WEHEHEHE WHEW. That was a close one." Hubert said as he emerged out of the crater. If he was an NP, then that would have most definitely have killed him. Looking around, everything was a war zone.

Broken trucks, Optimus Prime, a golem. Man everything was a party in here.

Inhaling more drugs, Hubert was seeing stars as right now. "HEHEHEHEHEHE. THAT'S A PRETTY ROCK, RIGHT THERE!" Hubert said as he began walking over towards the transformer.

 

[Misuteeku]

Gerda

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 3 [Filth In The Gutter]

LOCATION:

Lab Icarus, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Gerda, Darius, Mimi, Reese, Rutheless, Sang-Cheol, Yuna, Yuto, Ruriko, and Silva

Filth In The Gutter

"Uh oh." Her needles bounced back against the reflective surface and came back right at her. Raising her arm to protect her face, Gerda's arm became a pincushion of needles, causing her to hang loosely by her side. "Well, that's annoying," Gerda muttered. She didn't feel any pain as she ripped the needles out of her flesh. Taking out another needle, she jabbed it inside before twisting it and turning it a little, which caused her arms to return to normal.

While it wasn't unexpected to see more dragons, it was a little annoying seeing her attack being reflected at her. Though, it was a good thing. With that little distraction, Ruthless was now engaging against the enemy. Though, Gerda was afraid she couldn't do much at the moment. If she tried to attack from a distance again, there was a chance that her attack would be reflected again. Gerda was also not willing to find out if she could fight in front.

Though something caught the corner of her eye, a little pufferfish that was in the pipes curiously watched the battle from its safe little tube. "Timothy," Gerda spoke up into her comms. "Can you do me a favor?" The lab might be destroyed, but when has it never been destroyed?

 

[Misuteeku]

Sang-Cheol Man

http://

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 3 [The Filth in The Gutter]

LOCATION:

Lab Icarus, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Darius, Mimi, Orion, Reese, Rutheless, Sang-Cheol, Yuna, Yuto

Sun In The Gutter

"Hup, two, three, four!" Sang-Cheol hummed with an unconscious Mimi in his arms. Without anyone to prevent him from escaping, Sang-Cheol easily ran down the stairs in the production lab. Having accessed the second floor, Sang-Cheol knew there was a degree of safety. If they haven't breached the first floor, they probably haven't breached the second floor. However, that might be happening considering all the chaos going on up above.

"What do you think, Mimi?" Sang-Cheol said. Tilting her head up, he shook her head. "Well, I think they should just stop." Sang-Cheol mimed for Mimi. There was a slight pause for a moment before Sang-Cheol sighed and made his way to the next set of stairs on the other side of the second floor. "How does the boss do this," Sang-Cheol muttered to himself. It was beyond him how the boss could entertain himself with them.

Finally arriving at the third floor, Sang-Cheol headed to the center of the room. Setting Mimi down on the table, he walked up to two of the many pods in the room. Clicking on a few of the buttons, the pods released and two people emerged from them. "Go repair the girl on the table and monitor her status." With that simple command, they simply walked toward Mimi. "Though, I don't know how effective that would be..." Sang-Cheol muttered.

Mimi was a lot heavier than the average female. Not to mention when he held her, Sang-Cheol noticed a distinct, unfamiliar texture when he touched her skin. While smooth, there was a trace of something left on his hands. Was it sediment? Whatever the case, Sang-Cheol didn't have the time to ponder that. With Mimi under the care of the newly activated workers, Sang-Cheol walked into a different room.

Within was a red-haired man. He was restrained against the wall with multiple devices strapped onto him. To say restrained a bit much since it looked like he was fused into the wall. "It's been a while, Aaron." Sang-Cheol smiled. Taking a mirror from one of the tables, Sang-Cheol activated the machines. "I'm going to borrow you for a second."

 

[Roda the Red]

ERIC EVENSEN

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 2 [Tactical Mayhem]

LOCATION:

CDPD HQ, Upper Central Disctrict

PARTICIPANTS:

Ashley, Boltius, Eric, Gideon, Inigo, Roza, Tatsuya

TACTICAL MAYHEM

Not the coffee! It's one of the best parts of being a cop!

The intonation might have been all kinds of wrong, but the sentiment was all too accurate. In an instant, Eric's hand extinguished the energy once again, staring at the new second trigger with skeptic attention.

"Alright, how about we stop and discuss things for a moment, you really seem to be the type that prepares for anything, huh?

Giving very slow, subtle steps forward, he continued to attempt to distract the nefarious evildoer with more talking

"Say I become your minion, what's in it for me? I gotta admit that they treat me like shit here...Hell, I've always thought the gangs were kinda cool, Scarlet Phoenixes, right? Always thought you guys were the most badass"

His arms were down, his shoulders relaxed and his expression (like always) did not paint any sort of aggressive intent, all the while, a small sphere of light started to grow from his concealed right palm once again.

Direct Interaction: Coyote Hart
In Scene: Doctor Llamabean Lucem RedArmyShogun simj26 Nobody Special

 

[WhiskeyMarten]

DARIUS KENNEDY / SANG-CHEOL MAN

CS Link

SCENE:

Filth In The Gutter

LOCATION:

Lab Icarus, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Darius, Mimi, Orion, Rutheless, Sang-Cheol, Ten, Yuto

OH NO OH GOODNESS ME OH DEAR OH DEAR OH DEAR

Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope-

Darius continued to run, his sneakers squeaking across the lab floor, almost skidding when he turned the corner without any warning. Only after snaking his way through a few twists and turns did Darius come to a halt against a wall. Though on a normal day he’d be cursing the layout of the building, right now it was a blessing. Darius felt comfortable enough to slide into a crouching position behind a rolling table topped up with some miscellaneous lab equipment that had been abandoned, presumably when the attack began. And then he listened.

He could still hear noise throughout, the sickening sound of moving parts permeated around him, and the commotion was still audible down the echoey corridors, but nothing seemed to be close enough to affect him. That was a relief, but that came with its own set of worries.

“Ten?”

Darius’s eyes scanned the floor as he panted, searching for the anomalous shadow of his partner. He even gave the table a light push, to see if anything lurked beneath it, but there was nothing. They couldn’t just listen to me? They must be hiding elsewhere, they have to be, otherwise…

“Are you here?” His voice softened to a whisper hissing at the ground in one last plea, before Darius took his phone out. He’d forgotten it in the heat of the moment, and for that, he bit his lip in stress from the shame. Maybe it was him that should’ve listened and had some faith, but there’d be time for apologies afterwards. He set the phone on his leg and with his two pointer fingers, began to tap the screen with movements not dissimilar from a pensioner discovering the technology for the first time, each tap calculated carefully to account for his shaking hands.

A name appeared from his contacts, and he pressed the call button.

“Please…”

The phone rumbled and a rather angry voice came out from the other end of the line.

“Why the fuck do you have my number?” Sang-Cheol growled from the other end of the line.

Currently, the scientist was pissed off. After spending several months on his research, it had turned out that most of it made absolutely no progress to his goal. That more or less twisted his brain round and round. Getting called by the menace was the cherry on top, well not the cherry on top. There were more things he was currently pissed about.

“Never mind that. What the fuck do you need?” Knowing Darius, he wouldn’t call over something so trivial. Though, Sang-Cheol had a guess on what Darius was calling him about. “Make it quick.” There was some ruffling in the background as Sang-Cheol seemed to do something.

“I-”

It almost felt fruitless trying to call him, Darius had already planned to give up when his boss’s annoyed voice hissed through the phone, just loud enough to be heard but enough to set dread in the timid Serpent. Even with the deals Darius had made, it was hard to feel safe when Sang-Cheol sounded like that.

“Where are you, boss? Look I’m sorry to ask,” he wasn’t sorry at all, looking around to make sure he remained unnoticed before continuing, “but they’re inside. Ten is… I don’t know where Ten is but can you help us get to safety?”

“How the fuck should I know? I haven’t been at the lab since two days ago.” A sigh could be heard on the other line. Sang-Cheol could feel another migraine coming. Useless, cowardly Darius messing things up again. Raphael had the audacity to call him cowardly when someone like this was in the gang.

Taking a deep breath, Sang-Cheol tried to cool himself down. He had to think rationally. That was until Sang-Cheol, who was half listening to Darius’s nail scratching voice, finally realized what he said. “Wait. THEY’RE INSIDE THE LAB?!” Now that lit the fuse in his mind. Who the fuck let themselves inside into their lab.

“WHO ARE THEY. I’M GOING TO FUCKING BURN THEIR SHIT AND CASTRATE THEM OUT TO THE STORKS.” Sang-Cheol had to catch his breath from his yelling, but it was clear that he was very displeased. First, he needed to calm down again. “Never mind that. I’ll figure that out later.” He needed to take care of Snake’s deal with Darius.

“Okay. Listen to me carefully, Darius.” Pressing the phone closer to his face, Sang-Cheol said in a clear voice. “In each room, there’s at least one stairway that goes down into the lower floors of the lab. Find Ten and head down there. Do not emerge whatever you do.” There was a small pause before Sang-Cheol spoke up again.

“Also… WHY IS THERE A FUCKING TRANSFORMER ON MY LAB.”

Darius sat in silence, his throat tightening in fear, preventing him from replying with more than brief “mhm”s as his boss ranted and raved down the line, finally he replied in a meek tone.

“A transformer, sir?”

Fuck this shit. He needed to find these stairs.

“Nevermind. I’ll get moving…”
Darius rose from the ground after another careful look around the corridor, uttering a few more words into the phone.

“Thank you, boss.”

He doubted the gratitude would be appreciated, but it was better than not thanking him at all.

Sang-Cheol put down the cellphone. In front of him his lab lay in ruin. A giant transformer and a dirt golem, which assumed originated from Mimi, stood within the wreckage. An anger surged through his body. The only thing he had was being destroyed. He wouldn’t let anyone damage it.

Taking out a potentiality booster, he injected it into his neck. He hissed as the fluid entered into his body. Discarding the needle onto the ground, he stared at the lab. “Timothy within one minute makes an announcement to tell everyone to either evacuate the premises, or head to the lower floors.” Or in this case the lower floors.

Stretching his hands out to both sides, fire came forth.

In a blink of an eye, the entire forest was set aflame.

---

Silence.

Darius kept his phone open in brief contemplation. Texting Ten was out of the question given their condition. He hovered over Ten’s contact in his phone. What if their cover got blown with a careless phone call? Were they even under cover right now? Would they even know where they were if Darius asked? He looked over at the table he had been cowering behind. There wasn't much of use but he grabbed a scalpel before turning around. At least he was armed now

Darius began to jog, mapping a new route back to the action in the hopes of reuniting with Ten. While doing that, he kept note of the major rooms. He didn’t know how long he’d be safe, so he broke into a run.

 

[Coyote Hart]

GIDEON GRAY

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 2 [Tactical Mayhem]

LOCATION:

Upper and Lower Central Districts

PARTICIPANTS:

Ashley, Boltius, Eric, Gideon, Inigo, Roza, Tatsuya

TACTICAL MAYHEM

Gideon hesitated for a moment. There was a chance that his Potential didn't work on the officer, in which case, Gideon knew that he had no choice but to attempt to strike the first blow. But that didn't seem to be the case, so Gideon allowed himself to drop his guard slightly and lower the trigger.

"There are many great things involved with working with me, such as..." Gideon paused for a few seconds. It was barely long enough to be awkward, and quite long enough to betray the fact that Gideon had no idea what to say. Finally, he settled with blurting an expletive, "Damn it."

Rather than think of an answer, Gideon instead made his way over to the kitchenette, where he began blindly rummaging through the cabinets, all whilst keeping his eyes on the officer. He pushed through a box of plastic utensils, some cups, and a megacontainer of powdered creamer. But he couldn't find what he was searching for.

"Where do you guys keep your coffee filters?" Gideon asked, moments before finding them tucked away, "...Nevermind. Found them."

Rather rushedly, Gideon took a bag from his satchel and began to pour a gray powder into a coffee filter. After it was sufficiently full, he hastily stuffed it into the coffee. Gideon frowned at his results. He was going to need to remind the cops to do a clean run of the coffee machine at least two times before attempting to use it after everything was settled and done.

"Sorry, but I lied," Gideon said smugly as he brushed the gunpowder off of his hands, "Now the coffee machine is all primed and ready."

Gideon turned to stand next to the breakroom table, using it to separate himself from the officer. Things were going just how he had hoped. He just needed to continue distracting the officer for as long as he possibly could until backup could arrive. It was paramount that someone as powerful as the potential-wielding cop did not leave the room.

But Gideon didn't exactly know what to say in response to the officer's words. The part about being treated bad... did the cop try talking to HR? ...eh, who was Gideon kidding, HR was probably useless.

"If you're being treated badly, why are you continuing to be a cop here? Couldn't you move to somewhere that isn't controlled by gangs, officer... Peon, what is your name?" Gideon asked, realizing that he never got the cop's name.

Roda the Red
Doctor Llamabean Lucem simj26 Wxnter Nobody Special Damafaud

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

JESPER ALBRECHT

CS Link

SCENE:

Securing the Future

LOCATION:

East District, Tech Expo, Private Meeting Room > Eighteen 86 Cafe

PARTICIPANTS:

Jesper, Amari, Sophie, Kasumi

Securing the Future

Jesper glanced at Amari, and seeing that she had nothing to add, continued. "Yeah, thanks," was all he said to Ariadne's offer. "So, where were you during the hour of that?"

"I've been in this cafe for most of the time. The Judge over there can attest to that." She pointed at Sandra, who smirked back with a small wave of her fingers. "I only left a few times to handle my business."

An alibi! Fantastic! Innocent for sure! is what Jesper thought in a veil of sarcasm and frustration. Obviously, this didn't rule her out, and that meant talking to the Judge as well. "Thank you, Ariadne... We'll be back." She waved politely at the boy as he turned to Amari. "I wanna get all the witness' stories first, then I think we can pick apart inconsistencies or anything like that when we dig further. Just like in that detective video game you saw me play one time, y'know? Where—" Jesper cleared his throat.

Before the two left, the suspect spoke up one final time. "I will say, and this might just be my own biased opinion, but among everyone who was here, I would not be surprised if Carver did this. He's always had a stick up his buttocks for anything and anyone related to Albrecht Industries. Then again, I've also seen Reyner go somewhere private with Esperanza for a time... not that I'm trying to imply anything about your dear brother!"

Ignoring her off-the-mark statement about his closeness with his sibling, Jesper silently looked back at her, putting the first name to mind. He remembered Carver's name coming out of his parents' mouths in the past, and never in a positive light. If the feeling was mutual, he already felt a headache from approaching the man.

As they left the cafe, he began again. "Since Sophia's going to Griffin and Zhou, and hitting up Vasya on the way, that leaves us to the Enterprise AI stage. So, Carver and..." Jesper resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "Reyner." He weighed his options. One hates his family, and the other is Reyner. He could handle Reyner; he's had to for most of his life. "I'll talk to Reyner, first."

And then they were off, walking along the walls of the expo to avoid the crowds. The talk room wasn't too far away, anyway.

Entering the room, they were introduced to the loud voice of the speaker. On stage, giving a speech about artificial intelligence and other tech-related jibber jabber, was a dark-skinned woman with a prosthetic arm. Sakshi Raja, Jesper recalled. His father mentioned her at some point; she allowed her own business to be absorbed by Albrecht Industries because of how much loyalty she grew towards them and their ideals. Sakshi spoke to a scattered, yet large audience, showing off their research and updates in tech development.

She was also a close friend of Esperanza; another person to talk to, later.

It did not take long for Jesper to spot his brother and his mop of white hair amid the audience. The Albrechts and their staff all knew what kind of person he was at this point: a callous young man who acts like he owns the world—not too far off from his father in that regard.

"Reyner."

Jesper and Amari would have seen his amused grin first. He turned calmly to the two, eyeing them both like a predator to its prey. "Amy! You came to see me!" His gaze fell to his sibling. "And you brought our home's resident cockroach." Already, Jesper didn't want to be near him.

The younger brother sighed. In a hushed tone, he spat, "We're only here to ask some things about the incident, so I'll be frank. Did you kill her?"

Reyner took a sip of his martini, unfazed by the accusation. "Obviously not. If you ask me, this whole thing’s a waste of time. It’s obviously Ariadne. I mean, she only has the easiest access to that kind of poison."

Jesper stared at him blankly. "Then where were you, and did you see anything strange?"

"I've been all around this place; I met Esperanza when she was alive, told her she has a nice ass, and a bit later the pisspot Vasya got all worked up at me, and I've kicked back here since then. As for anything strange..." He shook his head, and Jesper was about ready to leave his brother to his business. "On second thought!" Reyner began, stopping his plans. "That Vasya dude... he's pretty weird. I don't like him; looked pretty shady to me during that hour. Spent a lot of time with Esperanza, but conveniently lost her the moment she died, hm?" Another thought noticeably popped in his mind. "Or maybe Carver. That pain in the ass hates these kinds of places, yet he still came for God knows what."

This was the easiest that Jesper ever got an answer out of his brother; perhaps Reyner was too bored to put up with the questioning, evident solely by his face. He looked back to his maid. "Amari, do you have anything you wanna ask? Or should we move on?"

angel doe

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

NPC POST - ROMERO SERLING / THE RAVEN

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]

LOCATION:

Mysterious Black Site, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

August, Peyton, Damian, Kinsley, Kisara, Kyo, Raph, Sab, Shinko

THICKER THAN WATER

The Raven remained sat in place like a sculpture; a heaping mass of black, coated in thick hairs and unmoving.

Peyton's attack landed with no resistance, tearing through the black material like butter. It did not flinch through the strike. Inside the cut, stuffed within the monster's body, was an up-straight Romero, standing indignant. His eyes darted out of the gash, watery.

But in the same instant, the Raven's body closed up, and Romero was gone.

When Sabrina sent the objects (and Miasma) flying at the monster, it finally moved. Its hands went up, protecting its head as objects clashed and broke against the Raven's body. Once Miasma made impact, he would have bounced along the Raven's feathers like the other items. But through it all, a faint cry permeated the noise. Muffled by environment, that sobbing came from the Raven itself—as objects kept slamming against it, something snapped.

The heap shot upward, growing a dozen spider-like appendages that put it above ground. Two black talons emerged at its front beneath its beak and glowing white eyes. In the next second, one talon shot forth, being fed length as it traveled towards Peyton. Its claw landed just short of him, tearing into the warehouse floor with ease and shoveling up clouds of rubble. It lifted upward to strike at Peyton's face, giving chase to its intended target.

Its other claw shot overhead, aimed directly at August's head.

As this all happened, the Raven only scuttled closer and closer to the two, oozing more of the black goo from its bottom like its predecessor.

Doctor Llamabean Coyote Hart QuirkyAngel

 

[Nobody Special]

CLUB CELESTIA

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 3: Scene 3 [The Faceless Fox]

LOCATION:

South District

THE FACELESS FOX

Anthony’s eyes followed Ji-Young’s hands as she pointed to her midriff, and they remained there for a moment before he returned his full attention to her words. Her request for a drink was something he’d personally never heard of. Tea wasn’t exactly a common order in the club industry, after all. However, he was enlightened to see a reassuring nod come from his bartender when his eyes flickered over to her. He made the right decision to put her in charge of the drinks in this place.

After the bartender had retreated to the stockroom behind the bar, Ji-Young began to speak again. However, this time, the woman’s words weren’t ones that Anthony had necessarily wanted to hear. His eyes narrowed at her when she suggested paying Inari’s ‘fees’ off and being finished with them, and he felt his grip on his glass tighten with anger.

Ahh…

His scowl quickly became an irritated attempt at a neutral smile, and he set his drink down on the table.

I get it now…

…You’re fuckin’ with me.

“‘Yer a funny girl,” He leaned forward in his chair as he faced her, resting his head on his hands once again as he spoke. While his tone of voice remained unchanged, his hardened eyes made it clear that an emotional shift had occurred within him.

“If he’s your client, you should know that there ain’t no such thing as just ‘paying it all off’. I’m stuck with this shit ‘till the bastard gets bored and moves on to somethin’ else…”

There was a brief pause as the bartender stepped back into the room, carrying a hot teacup on a porcelain saucer. Without wasting a second, she gently placed it onto the table before the pink-clad woman, and returned to her place behind the bar, patiently awaiting the next request for a drink– if it were to come.

“...Which brings me to my next point,” Anthony began, looking Ji-Young directly in her bright, brown eyes.

“If you keep fuckin’ with him, you’re gonna end up the same as me in no time. I know how that asshole ticks. He always finds a way to fuck somebody over.” That smirk slowly crept up on his face once more, and he took a sip of his drink before he continued speaking.

“Come work for me. Celestia’s hiring, and a beautiful girl like you would make a great hostess. Guys’ll be runnin’ in here just to get a look atcha.”

As shady as Anthony had been coming off since the start, there was somehow a clear sign of genuineness within his proposal. Reaching into the inside of his suit jacket, he pulled out a hefty manila envelope, tossing it towards her and landing it perfectly on her table. Akira's payment.

As a gesture of good faith, he raised his glass in her direction, before realizing that he had left what was probably the most important part out.

“Oh, you’ll be paid generously, of course. Don’t waste ‘yer good looks collecting money for scumbags. I’ll make you rich, uh...

...I didn’t catch ‘yer name, did I?”

YumenoTsukishiro

 

[Coyote Hart]

Peyton Xiong

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]

LOCATION:

Mysterious Black Site, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

August, Damian, Kinsley, Kisara, Kyoden, Peyton, Raphael, Sabrina, Shinko

THICKER THAN WATER

Typically, Peyton would keep up with Darius via social media, checking up on his junior gang friend every week or so. On a few rare occasions, they’d meet up, such as the time that Peyton offered Darius coping advice in relation to the experiments that were inflicted on him. But in general, such meetups were few and far in between.

There was one such occasion a few months ago. Two days after the training regimen offered by Meirin*, when Peyton’s body was still screaming out in pain from the rigorous exercises, Peyton had decided to invite Darius over to watch a movie and eat Thalisian takeout together. His apartment wasn’t the best place for a meet up. The cheap overhead incandescent lights were harsh and uninviting, the carpet was rough and hard, and most of the furniture was from dumpster diving. But unfortunately, Peyton had no other choice. His body was so sore that he literally had to beg Darius to be the one to pick up some takeout.

There was only one sectioned area of the living room that was tolerable. A rotunda of furniture was created by a set of couches from the dumpster draped in quilts from flea markets and thrift stores, some coffee and end tables, and a comfortable rug. (It was the site of Peyton’s OC Q&A, but this time, it wouldn’t be Peyton who was asking the questions)

“I hope getting here wasn’t too hard,” Peyton commented to Darius, collapsing against the couch after a mutually agreed on bathroom break during the middle of the movie. He didn’t feel keen on starting the movie back up again– in fact, he hadn’t had the foggiest idea what the movie even was about despite being an hour and a half into it– so instead, he piped up a conversation, “The Dragons would definitely stop you if they realized a Serpent was in their perfect district. Hey, by the way, do you ever regret joining the Serpents?”

Peyton had meant the question casually, but now he wanted to hear Darius’s answer. He rested his head on his hand, which was propped up by the couch’s armrest and curiously studied Darius’s expression.

Darius offered a sympathetic smile, seeing how he collapsed on the couch in exhaustion. It was a feeling he could certainly relate to at least, being put through the wringer so often for his own gang. A shaking hand brought a precarious forkful of rice and aromatic curry up to his mouth, thankfully not dropping it over himself though he already bore the stains of a few previous mistakes during his meal.

His expression morphed upon hearing Peyton’s words. He already knew the first thing, having experienced it firsthand years prior. Sitting in the East with a Dragon now was enough to already send his heart racing, but he knew how to disappear out of sight when it was time to leave, though part of him didn’t want to go back. It felt almost like a holiday, even in a shabby place like this.

The question left Darius chewing on his food far longer than he needed to, almost begging with his eyes for the topic to be dropped. He had a habit of running his mouth. When you spend all your time being overly vigilant and paranoid, things are bound to slip out, and it never helped his case, not among his gang anyway.

“I…” Could a Serpent be listening? Of course not, and Darius trusted Peyton at least a little. He brought his voice low as he swallowed the curry down. “I don’t know what else I could’ve done, but it’s…. It’s not like I can change things now, right?” Breaking eye contact, Darius stared at the ground, becoming slightly choked up. “It’s been hopeless from the start. Just hopeless… Sorry.” He hadn’t meant to dampen the mood but hit with a sudden reminder of his situation, he couldn’t help but turn away from his friend with part sorrow and part shame.

“Hopeless?” Peyton inquired. He lifted a bowl of tom yum goog to sip on the broth. Due to his lackluster empathy, Peyton was clueless as to Darius’s nervousness and desire for the top to be dropped, and instead trudged on to continue asking Darius.

“Yes… You know.” Darius gave a side-eye to Peyton, his cheeks flushing. He’d already said too much, hadn’t he, but Peyton still didn’t get it? “I’m 23 now. I’ve been part of this…” He took a pause, suppressing the barrage of insults he could choose from to describe the Serpents, opting for nothing instead, “... since I was 18. I don’t have anything else. Even Ten is part of it now.”

Darius turned his hands over and stared down at his palms, battered with scars and gnarled skin. “How did you do it, Peyton?”

Darius paused.

“...Leave, I mean.”

Ah. Tam-tam. Darius’s significant other. Admittedly, Peyton had been a bit nervous when he had learned through a text that Tam-tam had joined the Serpents, but all seemed well. It seemed like a great opportunity for them to fulfill their bucket list.

“I think it’s neat that Tam-tam’s working with you now,” Peyton commented, “They make a real beannified** Serp.”

Peyton loudly slurped on the broth, nearly choking in the process. That was the big question, wasn’t it? In leaving, did he abandon much of his responsibilities? And with much of his friends being Serpents… Damian, Kinz, Kisara, Darius, Tam-tam, and now Yutes… Not to mention, he was more obsessed with rescuing his friend than

“Sometimes I wonder if I’ve ever really left.”

- - -
​

So the transformation wasn't just for intimidation and show. The feathers acted almost like a protective shell for Romero, who seemed like the heart of the operation. But as terrifying as the Raven was, Peyton was undeterred about beating it. Not only did he have to show Kisara that he was just as strong as her, he knew that he was capable of winning this fight.

A cloud of debris blocked Peyton's vision, but Peyton pushed through it with minimal care toward what happened to him. Peyton had seen the attack coming a mile away, but even as he aimed his bayonet to hack through the appendage when it crashed into the ground, he still hadn't been able to avoid the brunt of the attack. The talon slashed through Peyton's cheek, causing him to howl out in pain. The arm fell a moment later with a thud onto the ravaged ground.

"Watch out!" Peyton shouted to August. He trained his rifle on the arm whizzing towards August, firing off a shot to sever it. It flopped to the ground like a dead fish.

Peyton clutched at his wounded cheek, he thought that if he had maybe just been a bit faster, or hadn't recoiled when the debris was sprayed at him from the attack, he might've been able to get out of the situation unscathed. But what was done was done. he had been cut.

Peyton uncovered his hand from his cheek, revealing a palm covered in blood. It seemed that the cut, despite bleeding profusely, didn't cut completely through his cheek or damage any important organs. He laughed-- which hurt, as the muscles contorted around Peyton's injury. Peyton was fighting for a man who wasn't even a Dragon and getting injured in the process. It really was as if he had never left the Serpents.

Dripping blood on the floor, Peyton skipped several steps back so that he could return to stand alongside the teal-clad Serpent. Despite his injuries, Peyton adopted a smile and said, with a hint of a mocking tone in his voice, "Aww, you're not getting cold feet, are you? It's a bit too late for that! We can still kill this guy if we try!"

How they were going to accomplish such a task was going to be the big question though. Peyton's mind was running wild from the adrenaline of his wound and the effects of his Potential. It was taking an effort to not let out his inner monster and lash out at anything that moved, so Peyton didn't have that much brainpower left for proper thinking.

"Maybe you could ruffle his feathers up a lil while I go in for the stabby?" Peyton posed. Surprisingly, for an idea that he made up at the moment, it wasn't completely horrible.

*B-Side: Just Another Training Day
**Bona-fide

Collab: WhiskeyMarten
Doctor Llamabean AriAriAbabwa
Lucem simj26 Beann Kyuubey QuirkyAngel

 

[Peckinou]

Welsha Audax Reaper

https://www.rpnation.com/threads/four-heavenly-kings-cs-thread.503332/post-11182126

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 3: Scene 3 [The Faceless Fox]

LOCATION:

Akira's Office, West District -> East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Nobody Special , Pablo First Rose

The Faceless Fox

Welsha hadn't exactly noticed the dog at Pablos feet until they had left the room, they were surprised that they were so willing to take their pet with them, though they supposed they must of thought it would be safe enough or the dog was a guard dog. Either way Welsha didn't pay much mind to it as seeing that it was best not to question it that much, after all she had already taken initiative to take all the information for herself without giving much information to their partner. So it was best to be somewhat humble and remain a bit under the radar or else they may get questioned more and their partner may be more combative when it comes to the decisions they make. She supposed he saw himself as someone important as he seemed to be a bit offended when she failed to recognize him, she should of probably researched the more common Tigers a little bit more, but either way, Welsha made sure that she acted a bit embarrassed when she failed to recognize him, pretending to recall the name and made a mental note to research him later. Still though, the whole gentleman shtick seemed to be working well within her favor as he was willing to provide the ride to the East without much arguing and was even willing to provide information on their potential, though Welsha only gave him basic information on hers, mostly just the fact she can produce smoke, though she really didn't go into details, she didn't want to give too much information about herself after all. Welsha didn't really have much of a problem with him and grew less tense about the ordeal as it went on, figuring it was best to add on that she isn't from New Oasis in hopes to put him at ease somewhat about her not knowing his name at first glance, he had been pretty open and seemed like the type to want everyone to know everything about him in the glory of fame and prestige. Still she wouldn't let her complete guard down, but was more than willing to listen to just about everything he said, and allowed him to take the lead on the conversation when it came to the drive.

When they had finally arrived to the location in the east, it was pretty much what they expected it to look like though the place seemed to be a bit bigger and nicer than anticipated, and if anything it seemed to be running decently enough, though she didn't fail to notice that the workers of the place although plentiful seemed a bit stressed. Though she really didn't know why, as they made their approach to the building a man leaned against the wall, looked to be pretty annoyed by their presence and had no qualms about speaking his mind either. She made note of the man, and about how disgruntled he was with the Akiras business, but she kept a nervous smile on her face nonetheless, from the files she had read about their boss, it seemed that he may of done a little wrong, but she kept quiet about that. And let Pablo speak up for them first, she doubted anything he said would of calmed the man down, but she supposed he would come up with a retort about it anyways, no doubt prepared to call them a few unpleasurable names. The dog that Pablo had brought along with them had taken to their side, Welsha couldn't help but be a bit surprised with how docile it was, no barking or growling at all, she supposed they must of been well trained or something like that. But instead of dwelling on that she supposed she should speak up and try to calm the annoyed employee down.

So with a nervous and innocent smile,she scratched the back of her head before letting out a innocent chuckle, a harmless gesture in order to somewhat put the man at ease, before speaking. "Ah, very sorry, sir, we were uhm, just sent here by our boss, and you know he was gonna force someone to go, one way or another." Welsha knew that whatever they said wasn't going to make him any happier, and opted to give the man a apologetic bow "Really sorry by the way, but uhm, could we perhaps speak with your boss? I'm sure he's very busy and all but if we could just get a teeny moment with him?" She doubted that he would be happy with them talking with their boss, since he seemed pretty defensive over him, but she had hoped the innocent act may make him reluctantly lead them to him, or soften him up somewhat. She kept the nervous smile on her face in order to make her seem as least threatening as possible, as she didn't want to come off as too antagonistic as it could just lead to more trouble that it was worth.

 

[Saturn_moon]

Ottilie James

CS Link

SCENE:

Dragons Arc 3: Scene 3 [Ripples of Stardust]

LOCATION:

Zhànzhēng Resort, East District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hifumi, Hiram, Kazue, Omar, Ottilie

Ripples of Stardust

The shattering of glass pierced through the air. Any plans to approach the situation with subtlty was swiftly squashed as through the broken window came flying a masked figure that landed with a heavy thump between them and the hotel staff. There was also the resounding sound of ribs cracking under the weight of the large concrete block resting atop of them.

Reflexively, Ottilie took a step back, conscious of the gurgling blood pooling in their throats. Blood was particularly difficult to remove from canvas and she didn't quite know how she would adequately explain to her mother why her sneakers were stained with it. The mask was a plain white semicircle devoid of any features. Unrecognizable and indistinguishable. It reminded her a little of the arts and crafts projects her teachers in kindergarten used to make them do where they handed out paper plates and had the children turn it into colorful masks.

"We aren't here for your games. Where are the explosives?"

A slender youth, not much older than Ottilie and Hiram by the looks of it, stepped into view but remained on the balcony above, looking down at the masked figure with scornful eyes. He was beautiful with porcelain skin and fine pale blue hair. Quite the sight in comparison to the chaos strewn around them. Ottilie looked tersely between the two figures, unsure about who she should be assisting. Help the dying man who had supposedly planted some sort of explosives in the area or the attacker who had supposedly done so out of moral responsibility.

"Er... Hello." She called up to the pale haired boy. "You must be Hifumi. Sorry we're late. Could you maybe give us some context about what's happening?"

@BluEndings YumenoTsukishiro @azenmannumber2 @Vahn ​

 

[Shoya]

Maria Hojo

CS Link

SCENE:

The Heist

LOCATION:

Central

PARTICIPANTS:

Camila, Jennifer, Maria, Ryutaro, Samira, Sylvie

The Heist

Maria had taken a quiet position throughout the discussion of the planning process, standing near the back, but close enough to hear and see everything. When it came time to select a mask, Maria opted for one of her helmets, normally used for her night operations and bike riding. The tinted glass screen the helmet has is perfect, and the simple design is something she quite likedd. She grabs the earpiece and bag, and once all the details are laid out, heads out to retrieve it.

-Timeskip to Heist-​

On the trip to their destination, Maria speaks, using the earpiece to make sure her voice was clear through the helmet. "I should mention that when I enter a shadow I am technically in another dimension, so however brief it may be, when the earpiece is with me in a shadow the signal will cut and I won't be able to hear you or talk through the earpiece. However, I can hear from the shadow itself, and the signal should return immediately when I'm not in a shadow. I felt that I should mention it to avoid any miscommunication during the job." This was Maria's first time speaking to the group, not to mention her first collaborative task with multiple tigers. This was it, to her it felt like she was making a major job, not just in general, but in her existance as an Albino Tiger. Though, she didn't feel nervous. If anything, it made her determined. When Ryutaro mentions the elimination of guards in the immediate vicinity, she simply nods, preparing for swift execution.

 

[FabulousTrash]

Kasumi Katsura - Azure Dragons - Veteran [CS LINK]
Scene - Dragons Arc 3- Scene 1: Securing the Future
Location - East District, Tech Expo Security room
Mentions/Interactions - Sophia (@azenmannumber2), Jesper ( AriAriAbabwa ), Amari ( angel doe )

Kasumi watched the footage scroll by. Her brow furrowed slightly. So far, everything seemed normal, no indication of ill intent from anyone.

Then she saw it.

From 12:50 to 12:59, there was no footage. All the cameras went down at the same time. Kasumi looked up from her screen, observing the security guards. From what she could guess, they weren't aware since they never alerted Jesper or anyone. Her eyes went back to the computer screen. Her hand reached into her purse, pulling out a small flash drive. Discretely, she plugged it into the computer and began copying the recordings onto it. While that was happening in the background, she delved deeper into the system with her Potential, attempting to track down the source of the outage. Perhaps however it happened would clue in as to who could've done it.

At the same time, she accessed the live feeds of the cameras. It felt like it was her own eyes looking around, as she observed the guests that were in the building. As she hopped from camera to camera, it didn't take long to track down and find Jesper, who was with Amari. She also spotted Sophia roaming about and speaking to people. Hopefully they were having better luck than her. There was still some guilt in her mind from not being physically present with them.

It didn't take long for Kasumi to find the cause of the missing footage... as it was deleted from within. Someone accessed the security room directly to scrub the footage out. Kasumi blinked, exiting her Potential as her eyes quickly moved to the security guards in the room with her. Doubt that they were in fact oblivious to the outage quickly settled in. Kasumi quickly removed the flash drive and hid it in her purse. Her hand remained inside as she gripped the taser gun that was also stashed inside. Quietly, she began to get up from her chair and move towards the exit.

"I'll um.. be heading out. Everything seems in order."

Kasumi's heartbeat was getting faster, as she connected to her phone with her Potential, sending a message to Jesper.

"Someone manually deleted the security footage between 12:50 and 12:59. I dont trust the security team here any longer."

Her eyes continued to watch the guards for any sudden moments, ready to defend herself if needed.

 

[EmperorsChosen]

Rin Chiyase

CS Link

SCENE:

The Dragon and the Phoenix

TIME:

New Oasis Arc 3: Scene 2

LOCATION:

Upper Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hou, Isaiah, Kanna, Meirin, Ra, Shen, Soren,
Helva, Maho, Rin, Vulken, Varoslav

The Dragon and the Phoenix

As Rin grinned at the other troublemakers, her presence and the fact she was hoisting around two of them seemed to deter any acceptances of the prior invitation. However, her attention was briefly caught as she heard an audible screeching coming from the Phoenixes that were supposedly behaving, in the form of a mace scraping against the floor while its wielder made her way over to the site of the belligerents. Rin stared with mild interest and shock, not really having predicted anyone to pull out weaponry from the dark ages.

There was some movement behind her as well, but some Dragons trying to calm down their own didn't garner the tall woman's attention like little miss murder walking their way. The oni pouted, for but a moment.

'Oh, crazy eyes... She'd probably take me up on that invitation...' Rin thought to herself before gaining a thoughtful expression, as if considering it. '...She'd probably take me up on that invitation...!'

However, whether the oni would demonstrate some restraint and maturity and simply stop the other girl or extend her previous offer of rough-housing would not be seen. Instead one of the veteran's would get involved, grabbing Maho by the not-so-metaphorical leash and passing her off to one of the others. Rin turned her gaze back to the others, who seemed to be no more willing to escalate than a few moments before, and the ones in her grasp were still struggling to break from it. Yet, the veteran did not stop at mace girl. No, she set her sights on Rin and was far less pleased with her.

She watched the smaller, angrier woman tap her foot impatiently as she centered her glare on her.

'That ain't a happy look or foot-tapping...' Rin thought before brandishing a sheepish chuckle. "Hehe... That's not a good talk, is it...?"

Her tone and expression wasn't so much scared shitless or worried and more like a kid that got caught playing on their phone in class. It was rather nonchalant for the most part. Nonetheless, the larger woman hoisted the two other Phoenixes down and set them gently on their feet before ushering them in the direction opposite of the Dragons.

"Did I... not do a good?"

Peckinou @SilverFlight Lucem FabulousTrash @The Prophet Elenion Aura @LXI Nobody Special @L.Amour QuirkyAngel @The Suspicious Eye

 

[simj26]

Kisara

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 1 [Thicker Than Water]

LOCATION:

Mysterious Black Site, North District

PARTICIPANTS:

Damian, August, Kinsley, Kisara, Kyoden, Peyton, Raphael, Sabrina, Shinko

THICKER THAN WATER

"WHY WON'T YOU JUST DIE?!"

The words fell out of her lips clumsily, meaningless to the horned beast that uttered it. Deaf to the words that Sabrina uttered her way. Blind to the Peyton doing his best to impress her. All she could see, all she could hear, all she could notice was the obstacle in front of her. He was in the way. He was part of the problem. All of them had to die. All of them had to be buried-- no, completely destroyed, melted, vaporised, crushed, annihilated beyond all reason. She gnashed and bit at the air, spittle flecking out from her mouth, blood oozing from the cuts her jagged teeth had made on her lips and her mouth. A guttural growl emanated from her throat, as she bounded forwards on all fours, her fingers clawing deep divots in the ground.

"DIE, DIE, DIE DIE DIE!" She pushed her feet downwards, launching herself into the air, latching onto the stump of the severed creature's arm. Digging her fingers deep into the muck that made up the arm, she opened her mouth, another screeching beam at the ready.

One would think that this would be quite boring for a performer such as Kisara McDowell. No points for repeating the same move over and over again, after all.

She didn't care. She didn't care at all now. She couldn't see anything, or anyone, or anywhere past this obstacle, until it was pounded to the ground, grounded to dust, crushed, crushed crushedcrushedcrushed removed destroyed just straight up fucking deleted from the face of this earth. Nothing would remain of this fucking piece of shit once she was done.

Spoiler: Tags

AriAriAbabwa Beann Coyote Hart Doctor Llamabean Elenion Aura Kyuubey QuirkyAngel Lucem

 

[Elenion Aura]

MILO NAGISA

CS Link

SCENE:

New Oasis Arc 3: Scene 1 [PASSERI PARK'S ULTRA PASSIONATE MELODY ONSLAUGHT]

LOCATION:

Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Florence, Pascal, Gavril, Milo, Dimitri, Jackson

THE HOTEL BETWIX

Milo had never liked gameshows, but he'd watch a fair few of them nonetheless. Nanami had been a fan. He'd forced the four of them to sit through hours of The Ancinet Temple—a cheesy, over-the-top maze-like TV game that felt familiar in a place like this—and so Milo knew well how all of this worked. The hosts were always sadists, grinning cheshire cats behind their house of mirrors, their rat trap designed to entertain at the expense of the contestants, whose sole motivations were riches, fame, glory. Milo didn't care about any of that. He just needed to find a way forward. And so he'd arrived at a choice.

"..."

He stared up at the dollying screen and the face therein stared back at him. Two doors. One to heaven, the other to hell. An old cliché, but an effective one. He knew these shows well, knew the kinds of moralistic plays they liked to pull, and thus the seed of doubt was planted in Milo's mind. On the outside, it appeared like the pristine door would lead him on and give him a reward—to the detriment of his fellow competitors—and the rickety, moldering one would do the opposite.

But Miles hadn't said that. Which door was which was a guessing game, in fact. And Milo knew better than most people that looks could be deceiving. These shows loved to play the part of the classical story, something that was easily digestible by the masses. In those stories there were heroes and villains, and the audience would come to know which was which by their deeds over the course of the game. The audience was meant to root for the hero and revile the villain, and in the end, the hero would win out.

The thread unraveled in his mind. Milo didn't care about the game. He didn't care if he was the 'hero' or the 'villain' in this little charade. All he cared about was finding the fastest way forward... And that was why he stepped through the rickety door.

Spoiler: Tags

@The One Eyed Bandit
Ambiloquous
The Regal Rper
@Anne Boolean
@The Prophet
BriiAngelic

 

[Elenion Aura]

MASKED CITIZEN "M"

CS Link

SCENE:

Serpents Arc 3: Scene 2 [Hunks in the City]

LOCATION:

Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Markus, Tri, Nikolai, Celeste, Jozef

HUNKS IN THE CITY

“They're comin' over,” yipped the giddy Tiger floating beside his head as he and Markus watched the quarter of Serpents shuffle out into the street.

“I see 'em,” Markus snapped softly, his mask muffling the sound of his voice. He was trying to remember the play, here. He didn't feel all that threatened. Perhaps he should've. One Tiger to four Serpents. If push came to shove, he'd do what he had to, but he wasn't here to fight. He was here for answers. And because the floating Tiger told him to... Not that he'd ever admit that part out loud.

His eyes were on Tri. As the newly-minted King of the Serpents, he was one of the few people in the city, one of three to be precise, who Markus thought might have even the slightest clue what was going on... Going on with him, with the city, with all of it. Though, as he watched the decrepit freak hobble toward him with his entourage, Markus could feel his ember of hope begin to wither. Still, he began by saying,

“Look, I ain't here ta' f—” was all he'd managed before a half-eaten ice-cream cone went splat against his chest. For a second his mind went blank, processing...

“What the fu—” was all he'd managed before he received a glove. It smeared the melting globs of cream as they plopped from him to the ground. He didn't even bother to articulate any longer.

The pavement beneath his feet cracked as rivulets of ice spider-webbed their way through the asphalt. Fuck this, he thought to himself as he prepared to waste the four of them. A fitting payment for wasting his time and ruining one of his fur-trimmed jackets. Only he'd never get the chance.

“YOO-HOO!”

Markus watched slack-jawed beneath his cloth mask as the Heavenly Tiger popped up beside Tri. He looked over his own shoulder. When had he..?

“SNAKE-KING! SNAKING?” The Spirit Tiger yapped on, and a sinking feeling began to grow in Markus' chest as he watched on, and the realization overcame him. The Serpent King could see the Tiger, too. “Wait, can ya' se—” Stammering as he tried to ask whether or not Tri could, in fact, see the spectral Tiger that had up until this point been invisible to all eyes, save his own, Markus was again drowned out by the Tiger's own mewling.

“Say... You ain't got Snake OR Turt wit'cha? Huh...” Now to Markus, he said, “N' I tought you's was a no-good lazy excuse fer a King!”

Spoiler: Tags

Damafaud
WhiskeyMarten
angel doe
@Caffeine_Obsessed

 

[joshuadim]

THE INTRUDER

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 1 [Follow the Lightning]

LOCATION:

South District

PARTICIPANTS:

Hitoshi, Merrit, Noa, Ryoma, Suzerain

FOLLOW THE LIGHTNING

A patter of footsteps was heard nearby. Small splashes of water from the puddles of the alley were visible to Noa and her bodyguard as the Intruder pranced about, stalking like a beast cornered. The bodyguard couldn't see him, nor sense any imminent danger but kept his guard up as more footsteps were heard nearby. Suddenly, the rustling of plastic was heard nearby and another trash bag was thrown at him. Reacting with ease, the projectile was practically sidestepped as it landed harmlessly against a nearby wall and sank to the ground with a soft thud. This however had been just a distraction, as the quick patter of foosteps went beyond the two of them.

Hope that brute upstairs doesn't get out quick. he thought to himself as he rushed towards the alley exit, but was surprised to find that Suzerain had already blocked the exit. The Intruder snarled like a crocodile as he rushed towards them. A simple shield wouldn't stop him, he'd just barrel into them and-

"GAAH!!!"

A powerful jolt of electricity sent him careening backwards as he contacted the shield, landing on the ground with a hard thud. Though still invisible, he was disoriented by what he had been just hit with as he staggered to his knees. "Pfah," he managed to get out as he wiped away some dirty water he had splashed onto himself from his mouth, "What the fuck!?"

It was more out of anger than surprise, but he couldn't believe that this person had an electric shield. He remained invisible, but it was clear where he had landed and continued to collect himself back onto his feet.

Interacting: Noa ( Peckinou ), Suzerain ( Ambiloquous )
Mentioned: Ryoma ( Stros )

 

[weatheringwings]

水屋 雪翔 MIZUYA YUKITO

https://www.rpnation.com/threads/four-heavenly-kings-cs-thread.503332/page-4#post-11449908

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 3 WHOLE WORLD BLIND

LOCATION:

Vantaggio Tower, West District

PARTICIPANTS:

Alicia, Charles, Dante, Hector, Hide, Yukito, Raquel, Zachariah

WHOLE WORLD BLIND

The time between their rendezvous point and getting to where they were now had passed uneventfully, along the way a sheet thin mask of ice donned. Then The Pharaoh's direction, came, and it seemed like the start of the job. Prep time over and out, Here we go. "See Him. By the car?" An elder man, looking tired, probably from working hard and often, yet aware. Yes, he saw him. Yukito did not know if this was a cat or a mouse, but freezing him was going to suffice to stop him in his tracks. Without a word he bolted forward, there wasn't another soul in the vicinity so he didn't have to worry too much about 'looking suspicious.' As he pursued the staff member, the tail and flightless, tiny wings of his imp form appeared.

Those snowy feet gained some frosted nails for traction and as the distance closed, an ice covered hand grabbed the guy's mouth and from there the freeze extended over his body. There was struggle, but none that would free him from this cold prison. Yukito released contact when the freeze was complete and looked back at Temperer and Pharaoh with a thumbs up.


“Dialogue format”

 

[The Regal Rper]

(OG) Dante | Rabbit Casino, West | The Princess' Penthouse

He listened but it was with his back turned to Nico because he had just been guiding a guest down a location of their interest, to push them further down the den, where other Tigers could sink their claws into the rich fabric of the sirs and dames. It was after he was done and then noticed the Tiger insisted on making his case that Alonzo then decided to respond with: "Oh no I'm sure it wouldn't, but at the same time, if you've been doing this as long as I have been, then you'd know changing the theme like this- suddenly, without any real time to give our more esteemed guests the chance to notice- adds a bit of flare and appeal. And look" he pointed down their path, towards the people Dante had brought in that were engaging the guests entering the casino, mingling with the bar- engaging in banter- things were lively on the floor, livelier one might say, than it had been in recent times since Alice's decision to limit her time for other more important things to this new debut. "Things aren't catapulting downwards, are they?" He asked with a friendly smile and adjustment of his glasses. "I'd say they are going up."

He patted Nico on the shoulder, "So relax- I know you're looking to win big with the Tigers- but from one Tiger to another" his tone didn't make it obvious but the sudden crushing pressure on Nico's shoulder, the kind of force no NP could make on an HP given how strong their bodies were in comparison-- should have registered by now that Alonzo hadn't taken the way he had just been talked to nicely, "be careful who you talk to- thinking they are just a simple employee of this establishment, hm?" He said to Nico with a gentle smile, not even a pinch of malice in his voice.

"I'm no idiot to let a gamble ruin a good thing." He informed the pink haired boy, as if it were a fact. "This whole thing was set up by a personal friend of hers, and one of ours, I wouldn't have approved this whole thing if I hadn't the information to reassure me." So he patted Nico's sore shoulder, the one he'd gripped so tightly it probably had left marks, and said: "just keep an eye out for any trouble. And I'll put in the good word for you and pretend you didn't just try to threaten your higher up. Y'know, the one who approved for you to even be in the same room as her in the first place." He added, with that same casual conversative tone, as he walked by Nico without looking back.

---

It was really hard not to laugh when she squealed. He repressed the urge to smirk like a devil, and instead smiled. In a way, it reminded him of Celeste and how they had first met back in high school. When he'd casually hip-checked one of the other HPs in their school, that had been trying to antagonize her- out of his way, grabbed her by the hand, pulled her to his side- and then walked off with her. Telling her not to fret a bit, and right after introducing himself.

He'd always had a way of just marching into situations or scenes and just asserting his own form of control on the scenario.

"'You don't' what?" he asked her in a soft voice, following her fumbling.

His eyes magnified by the light, violet eyes burned with some subtle otherworldly glow as they moved on their little stage in the air.

"You seem to be following my moves well enough- what's wrong Alice?" He twirled her outwards so they were an arm's length distance apart, and then pulled her back to him so she stopped only when her back had hit his chest. "Never danced with someone like this before?" He asked with a raised brow after he'd titled her head up to look at him.

"Or perhaps" he tapped her chin lightly with the same finger that rested underneath it, "you just aren't used to these kinds of things?"

It was a genuine question. He was curious if she'd ever been allowed a chance for 'fun' that didn't abide by the warped schedule the Tigers had created for her. She'd been allowed many things, things more poor sorts would kill for or deserved more- but he could tell just from her reactions alone, she hadn't really experienced much of anything like this.

Then again he'd also wrongly assumed that living in a Casino she'd be used to seeing dirty deeds and all sorts of illicit activity as well.

These weren't feelings he allowed to broadcast though. To him, Alice's fumbling was just a result of the surprise- and it was catching up to him that he might just be overwhelming her by accident.

Breaking contact, with his finger under her chin still, Dante moved from behind to the front. Ironically, like a Tiger circling their prey.

"I can change that if you'll let me. I know since we talked last, we've been more focused on your training" he said to her at a whisper, in a way not even the music could drown out but in a manner just the two of them could hear "Or are you more surprised with this little gig I put together?" he asked. "I suppose I should have informed you more but I thought it was better to leave it as a surprise." He mused aloud. His hand going to the small of her back while the one that rested under her chin moved away to hold her free hand yet again, fingers interlocking.

"Do you not like it?" He decided to ask, studying her face seriously now, no longer taking her reactions for simple amusement anymore. "I can signal for us to return if you want" he added since the platform they moved on still kept them hovering in the air.

Mentions: WhiskeyMarten (Rest of Team Phoenix)

Interactions: AriAriAbabwa

 

[Roda the Red]

CAMILA GASPARI

http://www.google.com

CS Link

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 3: Scene 2 [The Heist]

LOCATION:

Central District

PARTICIPANTS:

Camila, Ryutaro, Maria, Jennifer, Sylvie, Samira

THE HEIST

Camila sat inside of the van alongside the others, her tail now tightly wrapped around her waist, concealed by her jacket. She caressed her gun which rested nicely atop her lap, wondering how much use will it see today, a pondering that didn´t come from a place of neither excitement nor reluctance.

"Well, if we´re going by new codenames this time around, you can go ahead and call me Merlot, you can bet I´ll enjoy a bottle of it after we´re done"

Soon after, the vehicle had arrived to its destination, Ryutaro not wasting any second to give his command at his (questionably) loyal subjects. Jennifer was the first to jump into action, of course, what else could be expected from someone as trigger-happy as the heir of a firearms empire. Camila followed closely behind, managing to close in a few meters before Jennifer caught the attention of the security. The emerald-eyed veteran stared at her own gun, wondering if her admitedly amateur-ish gunplay was adequate enough to deal with the enemy at this distance. In the end, her better judgement won over, and decided it was better to take a more delicate approach to the situation. The girl was light on her feet, and knew how to move around. As the attention of the enemy was still high on Jenn, Camila dashed through the vans and pillars, eventually meeting face to face with one of the guards. The side of the man's head was instantly met with the butt of Camila's gun, knocking him unconscious in a split second. A second, shorter guard took notice and aimed to kill, but the tiger was quicker, pulling the trigger before the guard could act on it. The bullet hit the guard right in the neck, causing her to release a series of panicked, drowned grunts while holding her hand on the wound, fruitlessly attempting to stop the severe bleeding. Camila stared at the now lifeless body laying on the ground, a cold visage that showed no joy, and no remorse.

joshuadim Beann @Uasal Shoya WhiskeyMarten

 

[Nobody Special]

THE VENOM HOUSE

SCENE:

Tigers Arc 3: Scene 3 [The Faceless Fox]

LOCATION:

North District

THE FACELESS FOX

Dim. Noisy. Unsettling.

If one had to describe the Venom House in three words, that would most likely be their answer. However, for most of the criminals that frequented the place, that was just how they liked things. They wouldn’t trade it for the world.

The bar was like a country club for dozens of Serpents to spend their free time in, and the only time the place was really empty was early in the mornings when everyone was either at work or hungover in their beds. But, at the moment, the place was busy as usual, with multiple regulars chatting and drinking the hour away in the safety of their own district.

Among those regulars was Wagner Hoffman, who had been quietly lapping away at his glass of beer while he sat under the neon cobra sign. Wide, pitch-black eyes gazed up at the illuminated artwork. Something so bizarre as a cobra drinking a nice, cold beer always managed to bring him peace. He was a serpent himself, after all.

However, this serpent hadn’t exactly been the most honest towards the other vipers in the pit. For a while now, he’d been having his cake and eating it too, all under the noses– er, jacobson's organs of his fellow snakes. And things probably would have been perfectly fine right now, if only he’d never met that pesky little fox.

Wagner’s grip tightened around the handle of his glass, his other hand gently gripping a tightly-filled envelope. How much longer would he be able continue to do this? Inari was probably going to get bored and cast him aside soon enough, after all. Then, the snakes he felt oh-so-safe around would tear him apart, leaving him to die alone.

He clenched his eyes and fiercly shook his head, casting the thought aside completely. He was a fucking Sable Serpent! He was always surrounded by strong, battle-hardened folks— and even if he wasn’t the most powerful person, he was still one of the top earners in the gang! There was no way the gangs royals would throw such a valuable person as himself away so easily, let alone believe that he would do something as stupid as let a Tiger blackmail him.

And so, like the majority of his worst choices, Wagner made his decision on the spot right there. He was done.

Haze-

 

[Doctor Llamabean]

NPC POST - OLIVER LAWLESS

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 2 [Tactical Mayhem]

LOCATION:

CDPD-HQ, Upper Central — One of many Bullpens, 3rd Floor

PARTICIPANTS:

Ashley, Boltius, Eric, Gideon, Inigo, Roza, Tatsuya

TACTICAL MAYHEM

Oliver, quick to act, halted his advance and leaned back in time to barely avoid the downward arc of half a desk in Ashley’s hold. In that same instant, he lifted a leg and shoved his boot into the glossy surface, scuffing it a black streak, but that move nearly cost him.

The clack of heels pattered across the floor just then. A woman’s frame blurred from one end of the bullpen to the other, bolting for a door that Oliver knew, without having to look, led into a storage office.

Ashley swung his baton for Oliver’s ribs, their fight persisting. It met, instead, Oliver’s bat and the loud crack shook the air. And that’s when Oliver felt it—the buzz underpalm: his bat, pipe-dents along its rounded edge, brimming with power.

He smirked. So long as he could counter this Phoenix of enviable strength, he, too, was just as strong, for he borrowed what his enemy boasted… but more. He held his bat with two hands now, as if it were a gun, knob to his shoulder, and he focused. The end cap glared at Ashley—a shiny, silver eye. Unblinking.

The door to the storage office nearby exploded inward, and Oliver finally spared the beautiful woman an acknowledging glance. His eyes told of irritation; that her presence was a bother and she should be gone, lest he carry on without care for what of his attacks would find her in their way. The bat’s eye lowered slightly.

Those black holes that were Oliver’s eyes met the woman’s briefly. Long enough to spell opportunity to his opponent, but brief enough that he could react if such became the case. And he whirled on Ashley again. The bat’s eye raised, glimmered, then its power unleashed in a concentrated stream of transparent energy.

Oliver slid backwards when the power sprang forth, boots skidding across the tile, and the volume of its departure from the bat left a sore ringing in his ears, like a bomb going off. His shoulder slipped from its socket where the bat’s knob had been nestled, but he would fix that later.

For now, he readied to unleash another blow.

OLIVER/POST NOTES​

— —Oliver's Potential: He can absorb impact through objects and convert it into energy, which he can then release in powerful shockwaves.

— —POST RECAP: During Oliver and Ashley's fight, Dyne tries to remove herself from the scene. Oliver, more concerned with Ashley, unleashes the power stored in his bat.

(Interacting w/ Ashley, Dyne) Lucem Damafaud ​

PROGRESSION POST

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 3: Scene 2 [Tactical Mayhem]

LOCATION:

CDPD-HQ, Upper Central — Parking Lot

PARTICIPANTS:

Ashley, Boltius, Eric, Gideon, Inigo, Roza, Tatsuya

TACTICAL MAYHEM

Units of six, field-trained officers and detectives of varying ranks and duties, surrounded the building at all entrances and exits. The world beyond the concrete wall was quiet and within it was still. Soldiers counting their blessings, minds trained on the doors with a focus they hoped would quicken them to identify a threat from civilian escapees.

Clipton Woodrow stood guard at the gap in the wall that served, now, as the easiest way in and out. Though, they weren't so dull as to think it the only way.

Lieutenant Mao was positioned high above the others with a walkie in hand, standing atop a parked SUV. She’d been the first to grasp the situation and, thus, assumed leadership—smart as she was beautiful.

The button on the side of the walkie clicked beneath her thumb. She held the mic to her lips and gave the word.

One by one, the units moved in, armed and armored bodies swallowed whole by the building’s openings. Their belts weighed with assortments of tactical equipment of an effective nature against HPs. Through the halls, like food down the beast’s esophagus, the units flowed, engaging with the enemy wherever they found them lurking.

(Interacting w/ Everyone) Lucem Damafaud Nobody Special Roda the Red simj26 Coyote Hart Wxnter ​

 

[angel doe]

amari

CS Link

SCENE:

dragons arc 3: scene 1 [securing the future]

LOCATION:

east district, tech expo, private meeting room (crime scene)

PARTICIPANTS:

sophia, jesper, kasumi, amari

securing the future

amari nodded as jesper spoke, “yeah, i know the game yer talkin' about. not a bad idea, kid." she turned to follow the young master, but froze when ariadne piped up again. glancing back at the older woman, amari squinted at her when she brought up carver, someone she rarely heard good things about and who was definitely someone to look into, and reyner; apparently, jesper's brother had been seen with the deceased. amari stared at ariadne for a moment longer before flashing her a sharp-toothed smile, “try not ta wander too far, ma'am."

she followed silently after jesper, sticking close and keeping other people at a distance with a well-placed shoulder check if they got too close as they made their way to the AI room or whatever the hell it was- amari didn't really care; she just wanted this to be over with.

amari paid little mind to the woman on stage, she didn't understand any of what she was talking about so it quickly became background noise as she turned her full attention to reyner and immediately regretted it. scowling, she glared at him, “my name ain't amy, worm, and jesper ain't a cockroach. don't be a dick, jus' answer the damn questions," she crossed her arms over her chest, “an' if anyone's the cockroach, it's you."

she remained quiet as jesper questioned reyner, somewhat surprised by how quickly he answered the questions. at least they didn't have to talk to him any longer than necessary, for the time being. they'd probably have to go back to him at some point, but for now, they got most of what they needed. the only thing that didn't sit right with amari was how vague reyner had been, so when jesper gave her the chance to ask a question she spoke without hesitation, “could ya go into a bit more detail about what you've been up to? 'i've been around' ain't good enough."

AriAriAbabwa