Fandom Persona: Non Grata

[simj26]

Persona: Non Grata​

Singapore, 24th March
The Velvet Passion (Cafe)

Was it always there? In a place with buildings crammed so close together as shophouses, and cafes mostly keeping to their own territories within shopping malls, one certainly would have noticed a particular quaint coffeehouse open up in the empty space between two rows of shophouses. Some swear that it was a boxing gym, or a bar. Yet, none of them could confirm the fact. It just existed.

Hiding away from the heat, behind shut doors and a sign that read ‘Closed’ in cursive writing, two women sat by a table, the one with silver hair resting her chin on one hand and drumming her fingers on the wooden surface, while the other, a dark-haired lady, stared out into the glaring sun outside, her hands placed neatly on her lap. The sounds of clattering plates behind in the kitchen and the low hum of the air-conditioner blowing away at full speed were the only things that interrupted the overwhelming silence.

A man with the same silver hair as the impatient woman emerged from the door that led to the kitchen, beaming widely. “Good news, everyone! The new hires will be arriving shortly!”

“You said that an hour ago,” was the curt reply from the woman, who uncrossed her legs, then crossed them again, her expression still set in a disgruntled line. “Heos, how long is He going to make us wait?”

“Just a moment longer, Ves.” He turned slightly to the other lady in the room, grinning. “Perhaps you would like to take your position, Grey?”

She did not reply, she just merely nodded, and stood up from her chair. She pushed the chair back into position, then stood in the open space in the middle. Then they waited.


There is a blank in your memory. Who you are, you have no idea. You are, however, aware of the knowledge that you now stand here, on oaken floor, varnished to a gleaming sheen, because you have died. You are also keenly aware that you are nothing short of a sinner, a criminal of whatever proportions, and you now stand trial to perhaps find a new lease in life. A bargain with higher powers, as it were. And here you are now, with just this knowledge, and your name. Or what seems like your name.

Around you, numerous strangers stand as well, and amongst them, only two seem to have any proper knowledge of what is going on.

The lady does not say anything, and moves from her position by the table to the counter, taking a sit upon the barstool, studying each and every Sinner in the room with a watchful eye. The man, however, beams with the same intensity as the sun outside.

“Welcome all, to the Velvet Passion. I am sure you have some questions, and trust me, I would be pleased to answer any and all of your questions. But allow me to introduce myself first,” he swept his hand across his chest and bowed low. “I am Heosphoros, proprietor of this lovely establishment.”

(GM Post: Starting posts, everyone. Introductions are under way. Introduce yourselves, or don't, ask Heosphoros questions, or not, bother Vesper, or do not, examine the Velvet Passions as you will, or will not. It is all in your hands. Be aware that actions like attempting to go outside of the establishment may cause more than just a little trouble.)

 

[BriiAngelic]

Aster

HP: 70
SP: 95
Crit: 3
Eva: 7
STR: 2
MAG: 5
END: 4
DEF: 6
MND: 6
AGI: 8
LUC: 1

Moran

Str: Wind
Wkn: Psi
Garu:
Weak Wind damage
to one target

Sukukaja:
May grant 1
Evasion point once per
phase for three phases,
as well as increases
AGI by 20%

Rebellion:
Increase 1 ally's
critical rate for 3 turns

​

|

Aster didn’t know why exactly he was in this strange bar… at least he thinks it’s a bar. The fog of his thoughts was all he could focus on at the moment. He knew his name, he knew he was a “criminal”, he knew that he wasn’t looking to be very social with the others that had populated the bar -in fact he’d be doing his best to avoid as many as he could. He wondered just what the near endless crop of just barely adults had done to get stuck in this place. He closed his eyes and could remember nothing. Maybe a flash of red, a high pitched voice, but nothing else.
He sighed as he rubbed his hand across his temple. He kicked himself off of the wall he’d found himself leaning on as he came into consciousness. He made his way to the bar, after hesitating only a second he decided to take a seat near the woman, leaving one empty one in between. It was pretty clear in his mind that she didn’t particular trust any of them, her body language gave it all away. Still it wasn’t like he could just ignore the situation either, he needed some form of information. Having no idea what was going on was not his way. He put his back to the bar as he addressed who seemed to be the proprietor.
“You could also do this the easy way and just give us the info we need. Should we expect to have to question you for everything we need?”
He was starting to feel that whatever this was meant to do was going to be quite the pain in the long run. Not to mention he was currently functioning with the most annoying headache. Part of him just wanted to blow this place and leave but then he’d be running on less than no info, and he’d never know why he was here in the first place.

Spoiler: Mobile Friendly Version/Text Only

Aster didn’t know why exactly he was in this strange bar… at least he thinks it’s a bar. The fog of his thoughts was all he could focus on at the moment. He knew his name, he knew he was a “criminal”, he knew that he wasn’t looking to be very social with the others that had populated the bar -in fact he’d be doing his best to avoid as many as he could. He wondered just what the near endless crop of just barely adults had done to get stuck in this place. He closed his eyes and could remember nothing. Maybe a flash of red, a high pitched voice, but nothing else.
He sighed as he rubbed his hand across his temple. He kicked himself off of the wall he’d found himself leaning on as he came into consciousness. He made his way to the bar, after hesitating only a second he decided to take a seat near the woman, leaving one empty one in between. It was pretty clear in his mind that she didn’t particular trust any of them, her body language gave it all away. Still it wasn’t like he could just ignore the situation either, he needed some form of information. Having no idea what was going on was not his way. He put his back to the bar as he addressed who seemed to be the proprietor.
“You could also do this the easy way and just give us the info we need. Should we expect to have to question you for everything we need?”
He was starting to feel that whatever this was meant to do was going to be quite the pain in the long run. Not to mention he was currently functioning with the most annoying headache. Part of him just wanted to blow this place and leave but then he’d be running on less than no info, and he’d never know why he was here in the first place.

 

[Misuteeku]

Hyde

Confusion slowly swept into Hyde as he adjusted to his surroundings. Where exactly was he, and who were all of these strangers? What worried him most was that he had no recollection of entering inside this room. No, it was more probable to say that he didn't have any other memories of being anywhere elsewhere besides the information he had received, and where he was currently making memories at. He unusually stayed quiet for a small period of time in order to listen in to whatever people had to say. Glancing around to see everyone's faces, he secretly admired them before looking down to admire the floor.

A few looked rather captivating, while others looked rather odd. Especially the people who had 'two big reasons,' and the person, who looked rather androgynous. Few would probably catch at his act, but he didn't necessarily care. It wasn't necessarily out of lust, since there wasn't an overflowing river of emotion called 'love' came rushing out. Plus a person's general appearance on the outside also probably reflected in the inside as well. He frowned silently at his train of thoughts. There was something far much more important then checking out the others, so he decided to voice out his question.

"So why are we all here?"

Hyde was rather curious on why he entered this place, and the people who worked here. The people, here were rather strange. The first was the white hair, that was a clear indicator that they weren't normal. The second was that they greeted them as if they knew why there were here.​

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Neat​

Hidden by a drape of light brown hair, a pair of eyes snapped open within the crowd of 'new hires', as if from a nightmare. Their owner, a woman named ________ ________.

...

No, that wasn't right.

Rather, their owner was a Sinner named Neat. Even with the blank slate of memories in her head, she could tell that was a weird name. Brushing hair from eyes and she was quick to find composure. Something even stranger, she couldn't help but feel. Here, she stood in a crowd of strangers, without a memory in her head and surrounded by sights unfamiliar, yet it only took a few moments to find calmness. If she was a suspicious sort of lady, she'd have expected she'd been drugged.

So naturally, Neat immediately began to suspect she'd been drugged.

There was a sense of something else, though. She wasn't sure if she'd call it belonging, but purpose at the very least. 'A new lease on life', one of the only thoughts that surfaced within her blank sea of memories. She couldn't get herself to be suspicious at that, strangely enough. In any case, it was clear that she was here for a reason. This wasn't just some random death game perpetuated by a disturbed ex-classmate or government shadow agency. She was here, even if not by choice, because she wanted to be. At least, that was what her emotions were telling her. So for the time being she'd resign herself. Whether to helplessness or destiny, she wasn't sure.

"Give the guy a break, hey?" In contrast to her gloomy disposition, the Sinner named Neat spoke without hesitation. "An introduction should be met with an introduction, right? Let me start. Neat, I think." She didn't do anything such as offering her hand to shake, only doing her best to distinguish herself from the crowd. Present a good first impression, as it were. One, that she was just now noticing, that she hardly dressed appropriately for. A plain tank top, a cheap pair of shorts, and a jacket that had probably once been nice, but was now far too moth eaten and worn to wear in anywhere but the privacy of one's own home. Her hair was disheveled to match, if the stray tufts in her vision were anything to go by.

For whatever reason, though, she hardly felt embarrassed about her ragged-looking state of being. Rather, there was something rather comforting about it.

She decided that was just convenient enough to not be suspicious of, too.

 

[Orikanyo]

Death, the cold, cold embrace of death. How long had he been dead? How long did he go without the sweet embrace of life? The feeling of warmth from one's skin, the soft constant beating of one's heat, the smallest and most mundane of things that is easily taken for granted when one is alive, was but a dream. Death, is the end, the final curtain for all things that are born in this world, fight it as you wish, but it will not change the fact that one of the days that you are living will be cut shorter than the rest, an abrupt end to all things.

Shines wasn't sure what had killed him, or who he was aside from being Shines, was that really a name? Could he use it as a name? The thought was shooed away as another came, one that was acusatory and pointed, labeling him as a sinner for what he had done. He would not be able to shake away that thought, an incomplete proclamation of what he was and what he had done, but with no proof to back it's claim. But nonetheless he felt in the pit of his heart it was true, indeed, he was a sinner...

But it wasn't nice of it to dealt on it.

His face in a near constant wily smile, he opened his eyes to gaze upon the room, the group slowly forming around him, the man who introduced himself as Heosphoros speaking, as the dame looking cool as a cucumber in next to the counter. The others began speaking, one a wirey fellah looking like he had just about enough time in the day to fret about how much he has to do in a day, then feel angry about it. Other was another guy, but he looked like he belong in a track and field team with that jacket, maybe a college student? The other that he could see right now was a cute looking dame, looking like she had a bit of a case of bedhead but she had a look that kinda made you wanna pinch her side to hear her squeak.

Which he indeed did really want to do.

"Neat eh? Nicetahmeetchyea love." he talked quick, floating about the group, flashing a smile that only shined half as bright as their host, though was gaining steam as they went. "The name is Shines see? Can't say I know much about who I am but I can definitely tell yea your old boy feeling right as rain, yes sir." he stopped his chatter and gazed towards the man who had the answers.

"So you got the news there Hero(Heosphoros)? Can't say I know why I'm here, nor really where I was, but if it's to meet these cute dames I'm more than willing to oblige if yea get me." the man chuckled abit, giving a fanged grin that seemed to all but match his impish behavior. "And where can a fellah get a suit like yours cause thats a type of suit that makes a man if you get me."

simj26 (Interacted)
The One Eyed Bandit (Interacted)

 

[Bornlucky]

Dark. Has it always been so dark? How long has always been? Has it just been a moment? Or an eternity? is there a difference? Is there anything else but the darkness? Are you alive? What is alive? What's the opposite of Alive? Is that the darkness? No, The opposite of alive is death. And there's nothing after death. No thoughts. No, nothing. There for, you must be alive. Open your eyes. For you are still alive. Even though you done terrible something. What is that terrible thing? Your not quite sure but you know you did something terrible that cannot be easily forgiven. So now, Pike. Open your eyes and see what life has in store for you.

Pike opened his eyes. Finding himself in Coffeehouse it seems. What's a coffeehouse? A house that stores Coffee. No. Its a building that people go to have coffee. Pike know the words and meaning but without the context behind any of it. He is curious. Has he always been curious? It doesn't matter. People around him were talking in their multitude of voices and personalities. How peculiar, are they sinners like himself? People who lack the memory of before this moment but with only the context of committing a sin previously? Sinners? That word felt heavy in his mind as if he solved the first mystery of his identity. What does the name Pike mean? He guess its a name as he assorted it with himself. His mind, body and soul are all named Pike. That's what he thinks anyways. Maybe its not his name but it might as will be without any idea of any other names.

What is a sin?

That word confuses him even still. He couldn't think of single one thing that associated with the word. He has thousands of things that the word is associated with. Murder. assault. Steal. Torture etc. etc. What is his sin exactly? He knew he committed one but he couldn't place the single one sin he caused.

Pike reacted for the first time since opening his eyes. He looked around his surroundings in greater detail. Wandering around the coffee house in curiosity. Pike was a curious man. He walked next to a table and found his eyes were attracted to a paper menu. He grabbed it and started to read it thoroughly. It would appear he knew how to read. Fascinating. Pike kept on reading the menu, the words although seemingly context-less to him made his throat ached for the listed content which were apparently drinks. Did he used to like Coffee? Well guess its not 'used to' if he still craves it.

The words one Sugar and two cream came to his mind all of a sudden when he looked at the word Coffee.

How strange.

 

[GasMaskie]

The man's eyes opened with a start as he found himself alive once more. No, that wouldn't be accurate - he simply continued to exist now. Could he really be considered a person if all he had was his name and the knowledge that he had committed a grave transgression? And even if he lacked the memories of what exactly led to his untimely death, there could be no comfort to be found there. His gaze fell upon the others who had been assembled here - while it was likely that the non-employees were in the same boat as he was, he figured that he'd wait until someone confirmed his suspicions before speaking. Regardless of the loss of his memories, his 'self' had still remained.

His hand flew to his mouth - he considered removing the surgical mask but ultimately decided against it. Was there some particular reason for its presence upon his face? He'd have to confirm later - instead he inspected the coffeehouse's surroundings. It was definitely a coffeehouse. Perhaps in all cultures, it'd be instantly recognized as such. But because of that sort of generality, he couldn't quite be sure just where he was right now. Though, considering the fact that he no longer lived, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume that the space he was in was a metaphysical one that transcended reality. Hell, he wasn't quite sure about the language that came out of the slightly thicc plump woman's mouth. Nor the sharply dressed men in the room.

His eyes wandered towards the door - but he decided against bolting out for the moment considering just how strange this whole situation was. His memories had definitely been tampered with, so it was entirely possible that he had only been fooled into thinking that he died. But in his heart, he felt that he could only take these strange facts as the truth. That there was no deception when it came to his status as a sinner. He stood around momentarily before taking a seat at a table that was still just within earshot of the two identical looking individuals. There was no need to ask - the man dressed like a high school student and the older man with a tattooed arm had done so in their own ways.

However, he felt it unfitting to remain silent. Perhaps that woman had the right idea with introductions. Even if she looked as if she was the sort who never left the solace of their room. The bespectacled man had remained silent, it seemed he had been fathering information as well. He knew what his name was, but if the others were sinners much like himself he doubted that he'd be able to trust them with it. Even if he had some sort of unsupported notion that his name carried no weight at all. The 'name' he had in his mind at the moment. It certainly wasn't his real name - but he could make out the clever wordplay that gave way to it. There were two ways to interpret it - and thus he had a good idea of what his actual name was. He cleared his throat - he wasn't socially inept but he wasn't the life of the party or the memorable guy with a quirky way of talking.

"Ahem. I am Sixteen. Though, I'm not sixteen. I'm quite certain of that."

 

[Necromantic]

Candy

High Priestess​

A pair of red eyes blinked open. It was a bit off putting to Candy, being able to open his eyes and see what seemed to be a group of people near him, he could've sworn that he died- Or had he? He didn't remember dying, but he got this this feeling that he had died in the past. Additionally, he felt like he had been a sinner, which seemed a bit more pertinent. Just how had he sinned? He wished he knew. Had he died because of his sinning? It seemed pretty likely, he was sure that he was too young to have died from a heart attack or any... other form of organ failure. Something like that seemed like important knowledge.

Wait, what kind of name was Candy? It sounded like something you would call a child. Why did thinking about children make him feel a bit empty inside?

Disregarding those thoughts for the moment, though the thought of children still weighed heavily on his heart, an almost smug grin crossed Candy's mouth. There was no particular reason for this grin, he just felt like this was what he normally did. Resting smug face. The building that he was in looked nice, but smelled... Bitter. Like coffee. Coffee tasted like shit unless there was sugar, cream, and some sort of extra flavouring like vanilla or chocolate, he was certain of it. He wasn't sure how he was so certain of it, but he was definitely sure that it would taste bad without all of that. He'd still take tea over coffee any day.

"Now, what an interestin' bunch of people we are," These were the first words to roll off of Candy's tongue as he took a look at the people that had appeared with him. They weren't directed at anybody and the way he spoke definitely didn't make it seem like he was interested in anyone else, but he still thought they the menagerie of people was an interesting one, he supposed. He shoved his hands in the pocket of the hoodie he was wearing, his fingers his fingers brushing up against something in his pocket. A glasses case, he was sure of it. Yes, he had a pair of reading glasses. He only wore them when he needed to actually read, which he figured he didn't need to do.

"Other people introducin' themselves already. Well, Ah suppose Ah'm Candy. Only think Ah can think of to call mahself. Hey Heo.... Heos, not to pry, but why are we all here?" Candy asked as he decided to go and take a seat at the bar.

Candy

Important actions

TBA

mentions

 

[Lucem]

No thoughts came to mind when he found himself standing. He was simply there. At some point, he hadn't been. But he was now. It was uncomfortably bright, making it difficult to see as he squinted to keep his eyes from burning. Even if he couldn't think straight, he could feel. Although, at that moment, he wished that he couldn't. There was an unbearable weight placed on his chest, as if someone was forcibly pushing down on his ribs. He couldn't move a single muscle, left paralyzed from the neck down. His hands were clenched, two fingers on each curled toward his palms and refusing to relax.

Slowly but surely, he was able to shake off this horrible feeling, rapidly blinking his eyes in an attempt to adjust his blurred vision. One of his previously stunned hands reached for the messy hair on his head and rubbed the pained area in an attempt to get his mind running properly. Unfortunately, nothing really came of it. Even if he could see properly now, everything else was still cloudy.

He had sinned. He had died. Now, he was here, presented with the opportunity for a second chance of sorts. It was vague, but that was all that came to mind. Well, there was also a single word he was able to fish out from his brain, but it wasn't exactly useful. The same feeling that told him to believe in his minimal understanding of the situation was also telling him that the word was his name, or something like that. Although, he really had his doubts about that. Who the hell names their kid "Hush"?

While he couldn't remember anything beyond that, he could at least tell that he had some sort of common sense. If not, his thoughts probably would've been a lot messier. That allowed him to understand that whatever was happening right now definitely wasn't ordinary. Still, that didn't give any details about what led him here, his purpose, or who he was. He didn't have any objects on him either, aside from the clothes that were clearly too big for his body, the dark shirt looking as if it could fall off of his shoulders at any moment.

After a few brief seconds of checking himself over, the voice of the silver-haired man caught his attention. It was then that he became more aware of his surroundings. The room's decor and the strong aroma of coffee tipped him off that he was probably in some sort of café, but he didn't pay attention to that for very long. He was mostly concerned with the presence of other people. He wasn't alone.

Upon noticing the others that had been gathered, he could feel himself shrink, unconsciously trying to become as small as possible. As soon as he became aware of them, he felt a rising discomfort. It was different from the physical sensations that overwhelmed him earlier, but it was no less unpleasant.

One by one, more people began to speak and introduce themselves. He listened, but never kept his eyes on one sinner for too long. His gaze kept shifting, giving everything a careful examination while trying his best not to make eye contact. When he got to the silver-haired woman, he remained fixated on her for a bit longer. She didn't seem as cheery as the man that shared a few of her features. Neither of them gave off the same feeling as the others did. Based on what Heosphoros said, the two of them were probably in control and had all the answers he wanted. Many questions came to mind, but they stopped when he caught the woman's watchful eye. The floor suddenly became a lot more interesting to look at, so he kept his eyes there and decided not to look back in her general direction for a while.

He had a lot of questions, but refrained from voicing any of them. If the other people were like him, they'd be wondering about the same things, so it was pointless to ask himself. He also didn't want to take the risk of opening his mouth and getting on anyone's bad side. Considering how uncomfortable he felt by being around other people, public speaking probably wasn't his forte. Staying silent seemed like the best move for now.

 

[Veradana]

Being able to say that, despite everything else, she could not remember ever having woken up in a bar would probably have meant a lot more if she could remember anything at all. However, even that was only somewhat true. She knew her name was Iron Maiden, or something, and she made a note in her mind to remember to curse her mother for such a blighted name. Somehow, despite the blank hole that was her mind, she was sure that she had died somehow, but this certainly wasn’t Hell or the edge of the Sanzu.

The two proprietors didn’t seem to be forthcoming with any useful information, the woman staring them all down from her seat. Iron rubbed her temples and glared into her hand, about to protest the whole shady business. Before she could say anything herself, a number of people said what they were probably all thinking: why were they all gathered here, and why not just explain everything from the start?

“I’d like to know that myself,” Iron said, turning her glare back and forth from Heosphoros to his female companion, “You can’t just expect us to go along with everything just like that, can you?” Introductions could wait, despite what some of the others thought.

 

[simj26]

Grey“You’re all dead, and you all did something bad before you died. Higher HQ thought to give you another chance for some reason I can’t fathom,” Vesper spoke up before her partner could do so. Grey looked on at the outside world as a pair of girls in the neighbourhood girls' school's uniform glanced at the curious cafe, then scurried along past the gate, chatting with each other. There was a possibility they would return, perhaps as just customers.

She watched them disappear around the corner before turning her attention to Heosphoros. She noted that he was chewing on his lower lip, and glancing towards her, as if she could help in this situation. She duly ignored his plea for help, and simply turned around and leaned back against the table behind her, studying Heosphoros’ next actions. He sighed and rubbed his temples, straightening up behind the counter.

“That’s right. You’re all dead, and you’re all bad people, for the lack of a kinder word. Like it or not, whether you remember or not, you’ve managed to remain within a certain someone’s area of interest. Enough that He was happy enough to listen to your last wishes.” He rapped his knuckles on the counter top and pointed at Vesper. “The woman who had just spoken is Vesper. She isn’t anyone you should be concerning yourself with for now, just…know that she’s here to help make things easier for you…for all of us, actually. Vesper, do you mind fielding the rest of the doubts they have?” He raised his eyebrows to indicate that it was not a rhetorical question at the same moment Vesper opened her mouth to say something. She quickly shut it into a frown.

“For the most part, all of you will be operating as…staff for the Velvet Passion. Cashier, service staff, kitchen staff, whatever. Of course, that is simply on the surface. The Velvet Passion exists as a means to a certain end- it exists to usher peace into the hearts of…” she paused, and thought for a while, searching for a word to use in the current situation, before finally settling on one, “certain entities. Those will be considered extra assignments, and they are the actual reasons that you are here. There are many nuances surrounding these assignments, and they will be covered in time. Perform well in enough of these, and you will be gifted with what you desire most.”

“Understand that we cannot simply answer all questions by word of mouth alone.” Heosphoros spoke suddenly, chiming in with his partner. Both of them took on a startlingly similar expression of solemnity, staring straight at the Sinners, and, even to Grey, the uncanny appearance chilled her. “Some things are better learned through action.”

"We know that some of this is unbelievable," Vesper said quietly.

"But you have no choice but to comply anyway." Heosphoros added.

"Sinners like you deserve less."

Heosphoros did not say anything to Vesper's final addendum, and simply looked down at the floor, studying the teak as if it would give him an answer he needed. There was nothing he could say. Vesper was right. Sinners like them deserve so much less. Grey folded her arms and studied the other Sinners with her, waiting for their response.

Veradana Lucem Necromantic BriiAngelic GasMaskie The One Eyed Bandit Orikanyo Misuteeku

(non-important post. Feel free to react ad you wish. The next gm post will kick start things proper.)

 

[Bornlucky]

"Curiouser and curiouser" Was all Pike said at the man's and woman's words. So his assumptions of them being sinners rang true. What sins have they committed he did not know. But it seemed enough of a crime to get the ire of what he now knows as the owner of this Coffee house which was called the Velvet Passion. Pike placed the menu he forget he was holding and readjusted his glasses to get a clearer look around as if the people's words ignited a great sense of curiosity in the white haired man. Which he was.

So they were once dead but not anymore due to 'higher HQ' and they are to be staff at this coffee house until they can achieve their 'last wish' due a currently unknown 'true job' and they have no other choice but to comply due to 'sinners like you deserve less.' Pike placed his pointer and thumb under his scruffy chin and scratched it thoughtfully. Before suddenly he lifted both of his hands up and let out an casual shrug at the pair's words. "Sure, not like I have anything else to do... and if I did I don't remember it now." Pike answered honestly and causally.

Pike lowered his arms to his side except for one hand which he used to lift his glasses which has slid down his nose somewhat and he continued to speak. "So ... when are we to do our true jobs? I am rather curious about 'ushering peace into certain entities' .... and I have a feeling you won't answer any of my other inquiries of the nature of our pasts nor memories besides the words sinners, deserve, and less... so I say we move on to the next series of questions and hopefully get some answers and deal with it." Pike Bluntly spoke he was only speaking the truth. Like they said Sinners deserve less so they need to work for their answers. Which he will gladly do.

"My not-name is Pike, by the bye, if we are to work together a name outside of sinner would be efficient." Pike introduced himself to the pair as well as the other sinners. He heard a few of their names but not all of them yet. He hoped his introductions would enlightened him to their names.

 

[Vesuvius]

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Lamb came into consciousness with the knowledge that all was not well.

Something was making her feel wretched, and she couldn't find it and wrench it out. That was the problem. She had bit down on her tongue quick enough to swallow a panicked gasp, but the discomfort was still there. She could do better than run around like a headless chicken on coffee, because she was better.

All that self-encouragement, and she still felt like a deflated balloon with a thousand puncture points. Not physically, mind you. She felt almost fine physically. Mentally, though?

Her brain hurt. Some was on the tip of her tongue, and she wanted to say it, if only she could remember. The mystery almost hurt as much as the pain.

She swayed.

She was on her feet, she realized, but her body hadn't quite adjusted to that fact. Well, now she was in full control of her body, more or less, and she could maintain her balance consciously. Just in time, for she was quite sure she had been about to fall. The ground didn't look inviting.

As she began to direct her mind to what was happening outside rather than inside, she noticed the noise. Not a constant murmur, but occasionally a few sentences. Now that she was paying attention, she could grasp the individual words, rather than just let the sounds wash by. The knowledge that she wasn't alone made her feel substantially better. She still couldn't really say why.

There were voices cutting through the hesitant murmurs, and she tried to pay attention to them, she really did. Even managed to process some information, rather than just worry about herself, alone.

She was dead, and she had been a bad person.

Funny, because while it was hard to swallow, it fit somehow. Her instincts weren't decently reliable at the best of times, but for some reason they were quite confident of the truth in the man's words this time. Absolutely screaming confirmation.

Well, in her more sceptical mind, she was decently certain that this wasn't death, so she must be alive, more or less. The surroundings were mundane enough to be a part of her everyday life, too. Or not. She really couldn't say. As for being sinners - horribly fancy word, was it not? - well, she might have been. She searched her mind, but found nothing that particularly seemed like something a bad person would think. She was never particularly good at morality, in any case.

She looked down at her hands. They didn't seem any different, despite belonging to a very, very, bad person.

There was something about lambs and being bad that was funny, but she couldn't remember what. Normally she would have ignored it, but this time, it only added to her frustration of knowing nothing of the situation. She wasn't sure how long she could kept her emotions checked in.

"H-" she coughed, finding her throat dry, "how absolutely delightful. I feel more educated already."

She stretched, loosing up her nonexistent stiff muscles as she thought the information through.

More thoroughly, this time. This wonderful situation required more than just a throwaway comment from her.

Her first thought to the fact that she was being revived to act like a sort of glorified servant, was, of course, get someone else. Except she was rather fond of living. It was a good habit to be in. She was willing to sacrifice quite a lot more to purchase a bit more life.

Except... how did she die? She was painfully out of the loop here, and she didn't appreciate it.

She considered sitting down, rejected the idea, and ended up leaning against a wall. She had to back away a few steps to do so, which kind of lessened the impact. What a shame.

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[The One Eyed Bandit]

Neat​

So, essentially, they were supernatural freelancers? That was probably too flattering. Supernatural therapists. Supernatural quacks. By god, that thought was even more degrading than the speech this 'Vesper' lady had given them. She felt bad for Hesp. Dealing with a... Girlfriend? Sister? Like that day in and day out. Hell itself, probably. She chuckled. This place, likely, was situated in some wing of hell anyway, right? Maybe he was here on punishment just like the lot of them. Stuck with an irksome ex or troublesome sister for eternity, and made to babysit a bunch of sinning scum the whole while.

She was hardly jealous.

Maybe playing at being quacks wasn't so bad a fate after all. That, regardless, didn't mean she was enthused. But she was just comfortable enough with the idea for it to be preferable to whatever the perverse Snow White and Prince Charming were dealing with.

Was she some sort of storybook buff?

No. Definitely not. Even thinking about herself reading fairy tales made her stomach twist.

"Right. Cool. Nice to meet you all, then. I look forward to our escapades in supernatural therapy." She pocketed her hands. Was this what they called a habit? "I feel like I'm the type to learn on the job, so I'm going to go take a seat until we get started, cool? Cool. Good luck with the questioning, uh, Pike." Without much ceremony, she departed the crowd at large and made for the one that'd taken to resting their weary legs. She, however, joined neither Sixteen nor the folk who crowded themselves around the bar. As a lovely young lady, she felt like she shouldn't have to make any sort of first move like that, so instead, she found herself a nice corner.

If anyone was feeling lonely, they could come to her, she figured. Ideally not one of the 'down to business' types. One of the quiet ones, perhaps. Or that Shines fellow. A bit... Dirty looking, she'd admit.

But she appreciated the joviality. It was like a breath of fresh air in this talk of undeath and Sin.

 

[Orikanyo]

Shines
The Sunny boi

​

"Well ain't you a right shining ray of sunlight there Vesie-love. Yea really know how to make a fellah feel welcome, certainly pulled your punches, thats for certain." Shines... Wasn't fully certain how to take the situation. That vessie, she had a sharp tongue thats for certain, guess you can't win em all, the old Shines charm wasn't gonna win him over with that one. If it ever did in the past, he was certain it did, otherwise he wouldn't have it!

And out of em, he was msot certainly the most charming, no doubt.

"Right right, heads up Hero(Heos) my man, don't look sad on our account, sinners or not we're here now to make a new way of it yea? So keep yer head up high and smiling cause we're gonna make this world and store usher in a new era of greatness I tell yea! Ain't that right folks?" he didn't wait for an answer, as it seems others were starting to saunter off to whatever corner they could find and brood. "Aww come on folks, sin comes in all forms yea know, who knows maybe we partied a little bit to hard for god's likeing eh? Hell, I'm wearing mxied cloth right now! Or maybe some other god gave judgement, but yet can't keep mopein' about just cause the big man, woman, flying dick chariot points your way and calls yea a bad person.

They don't know yea.

hell, I don't know about ya'll I don't remember squat.

So why not just pick up and carry on eh?

We've got a collection of handsome fellahs and out right jaw dropping ladies, sure as hell we're gonna have a good time. These assignments will be easy peasy I'm certain if we keep our heads high and legs movin'.

I can say it again and again in different fashions, but I'll be sayin' it until the end I tell yea!" he cheered and cheered, talking to the room rather than just a singular one.

"We'll serve, fight, and bake till we get what we deserve!"

 

[Necromantic]

Candy

High Priestess​

"Sinners like us deserve less," Candy repeated the last few words that the woman had said. Sure, it was hard to shake how eerie the pair had been for a moment, but the fact that she didn't think that they were worth a second chance was more attention catching in his eyes. He chuckled, "Yup, yer probably right 'bout that. But we all probably already know that we're sinners, so why ya gotta remind us?" There wasn't an ounce of concern in his voice. Yeah, yeah, they were sinners, they already knew that.

Why did they have to work in a coffee shop, though? He wasn't sure how, but he knew he wasn't particularly fond of interacting with large amounts of people. That part of what they were saying was agitating. That in mind, though, he didn't think he could get a job anywhere else. He'd need a last name to be able to do that, at the very least. He needed to eat to live, and money was required for food. He shrugged to himself. Maybe he wouldn't be a waiter, he didn't know.

Candy looked toward the red haired man as he started to speak. Well, he certainly had a presence. What did he say his name was? Share? Shi? Shower? No, none of those sounded quite right. He hadn't been paying much attention when he introduced himself, but he was sure that his name started with sh. Maybe he should've payed more attention to what the other people was saying.

He got up off the chair and straightened out his hoodie, then walked over to the red haired man. Before he got an introduction out, he took notice to just how tall the man was- or was Candy himself just short? He was pretty sure it was the latter. He couldn't help but wonder whether or not he came up to the man's chin.

"Ya seem interestin'," He stated, ignoring his curiosity about whether or not he came up to the ginger's chin. "Nice t'meetcha, mah name's Candy, if ya didn't hear mah introduction." His red eyes trailed down the considerably taller man's figure. Nice clothes, though they concealed most of his body and prevented him from seeing whether or not his body was well toned.

Perhaps that was the purpose of it. They were all sinners, he wouldn't be surprised by the others wearing concealing clothing to hide wear and tear on their bodies.

"Ah like yer shirt!" Momentarily, his grin turned into a bright, cheerful smile. The words were genuine, he was rather fond of his clothes.

Candy

Important actions

Idk man i just wanna interact

mentions

Orikanyo
simj26

 

[BriiAngelic]

| (Aokunai Sora Ni for this one)​

Aster could laugh at the tone the woman had taken when she addressed them. Sinners deserve less indeed. He was rather glad he avoided that one, he had no patience for unpleasant interactions. Especially since this was already quite stupid in the first place, what use was it to summon together a bunch of sinners. Even so he wasn’t necessarily against this set up. Hell he could do some working with no problem, especially since it seemed the payout was the promise of entertainment. Wasn’t like he was unused to taking orders… wait where did that thought come from. He shook it off and made to stand. He figured if they weren’t going to answer he might as well start talking, after all observation was only going to go so far with finding out who was gonna be the useless add ons.
He made his way down the room taking up a seat across from a dude who was either getting up there in age, had unlucky genes, or spent far too much type hitting the drugs. He probably looked odd as he sat down looking the man up and down. He left a noteworthy pause before deciding to bother conversing with the man.
“Pike right? Aster”
He didn’t feel like explaining why he choose Aster, probably couldn’t if he tried but he continued on assuming that Pike would be able to follow the threads of conversation he left behind. If not it’s not like that was his problem in the first place. Either he followed and proved that it was worth talking to him, he couldn’t but managed to not be an annoyance, or he fucked up both criteria and Aster could write him off until he had to deal with him.
“Guessing you’re in the upper brackets. You’re already deal more than the general lot. Talk too. Gonna keep up the monologue or do you wanna direct that at someone.” ​

Aster

HP: 70
SP: 95
Crit: 3
Eva: 7
----
STR: 2
MAG: 5
END: 4
DEF: 6
MND: 6
AGI: 8
LUC: 1

Moran

Str: Wind
Wkn: Psi
Garu:
Weak Wind damage
to one target

Sukukaja:
May grant 1
Evasion point once per
phase for three phases,
as well as increases
AGI by 20%

Rebellion:
Increase 1 ally's
critical rate for 3 turns

​

Interactions:
Bornlucky (Pike)​

 

[Pretzel Heart]

☝︎ Justice ☟​

It was just like waking up. Except that he was standing in a public area, fully clothed and surrounded by strangers. So the prospect of having previously been asleep...unlikely. And yet, before that moment, of staring blank-eyed down at the sickening shine of the varnish between his feet, there was......nothing.

His first thought after the realization was a strange one. The odds don't seem to be in my favor. Yes. That was it exactly. Worry for himself. Concern over the lack of fairness in this bizarre situation. Perhaps a lingering sentiment of time before he had died.

Wait. Died?

Yes...he was dead. That was what the synapses in his brain were telling him, at least. If he was in the kind of state to still operate by using them. For if he truly was dead, his body would now be useless, defunct. And yet here he was, thinking clearly to himself, taking in the sorry sights around him, and feeling. Feeling a lot of things, actually, though all those queer emotions were taking their sweet time to rise from slumber, churning a nauseating mixture in his belly and head. But he still had time before they caught up. Before they took over. Think. What else could he remember? There had to be something...

There was something.

That's right.

He was...someone who had sinned. A sinner, some might say. Meaning he had done...something. Something terrible. Unforgivable, even. And yet, here he was, alive and well. Being forgiven.
Perhaps.

It was a fact he felt with more affirmation than anything else since...waking up. And yet, it still seemed...wrong. Off, somehow. Maybe his mind, naturally, didn't want to accept that the person who he was now was capable of such a thing. The person who he was now......

There were slight rustlings in all the strangers around him, some of them even daring to introduce themselves using nonsense words that hardly sounded like names. Names. He supposed he didn't have one of those, either.

Snake.

No. Really?

Snake...

It felt...right, somehow. Settling into his chest with the same conviction as the knowledge that he was a sinner who was now deceased. But truly, what kind of a name was that? Not one that he wanted to accept, that was for sure. He didn't even want to imagine the sort of foolish expression he might make introducing himself as such, like the others around him, proudly spouting off gibberish like "Neat" and "Sixteen." Could they not hear themselves? Could they not think?

The emotions were quickly catching up. Something like...frustration, at being caught in such a ridiculous situation. Not knowing anything except what was being told to him. Not having the upper hand. And...disappointment. At himself, mainly. That he was in the same barrel as the rest of such a sorry crowd. That he had allowed himself to die at all (if that were truly the case). And...anger. Over having been brought here, against his will, likely, as he couldn't believe he'd ever choose to be in such a quaint little cafe with all these people. The words of the tall silver-haired man and his condescending companion only fed to the feeling.

'Snake' was practically bristling.

And yet...not even the slightest hint of a sour reaction from anyone around him.

Seriously. Bringing people back from the dead? He knew nothing of his former life, but...that sort of thing......no. It was impossible. Ludicrous, even. And, of all the dead available in the wide world, they chose a handful of lowlifes? The only logical explanation for such a thing was that they had been entered into some kind of experimental program, something no one would mind disposing a few bodies into. In which case, he'd want to see some paper work. Not that he'd even recognize his own signature...or even his name.......

Damn it all! None of it made any sense. And the little that might have was hidden behind his missing memories. And everyone was just calmly accepting the lies being forced fed to them, even under such suspect circumstances. Were they a bunch of idiots? Or so desparate for anything to cling onto, given their current lack of memory, of identity, that they'd even accept such obviously unfavorable terms?

But no...that wasn't right. He had an identity, he could...feel it...something deep inside, qualifying the being that was now him. Whoever that person might be. 'Snake,' he almost smirked. And Snake was no idiot. He wasn't going to just let these people get away with kidnapping and brainwashing him.

The "inspiring" speech given by the one who called himself 'Shines' was the last straw. How could anyone be so optimistic about such a situation? He was about to tell the man a thing or to when someone beat him to it.

'Candy.' A short, accented fair-haired figure Snake had payed little attention to. And yet, now that he had the full of his focus, there was...something......about him. Familiar, almost. But just.
But so far, it felt like his first real clue. At least, the only one he had even the slightest inkling to trust.
And...not a very good one, at that.

"But we all probably already know that we're sinners, so why ya gotta remind us?"

"Are you so sure about that?" He snapped, mildly surprised by the sound of his own voice. It was...cleaner...than he had expected. Deeper, too. "We don't remember anything, right? Who's to say they aren't manipulating us, even now?"

There it was again. The sense that something was off. Even this sacred thing, one of the precious few that his mind seemed so sure of: He was a man who had sinned. But no matter how much the knowledge in his head was telling him so, that he had done something truly terrible in life, somehow...the thought was repulsive. As if his very soul was tuned to reject it.

I haven't done anything wrong. Sinner or not...that I'm sure of.

He made to take an unamused step towards his silver-haired captors, more than ready to get in their face, counter be damned. However- in doing so a pain shot up his leg, nearly causing him to stumble. Thankfully his body seemed to have enough...natural tact, he supposed, that he easily caught himself before the scene could get unsightly. But still...there was definitely something wrong there. Did it have to do with how he had (presumably) died? No...the pain had been dull, almost aching. As if it was something his body had been used to for a long time. For some reason the realization felt heavy in his chest. Almost...depressing. But, of course, he had no idea why. In any case, he would have to be sure to examine it more closely. Along with the rest of his body, for any clues as to how he might have been killed, or if his internal organs had been tampered with to make him believe he had been so. But later, when he could get some time alone. He wasn't about to treat this group of strangers with the view of him stripping.

Brows furrowed, he quickly did his best to recompose himself, limping over to where the two who seemed to be in charge of this operation lingered.

"You think just because you're offering us a 'second lease' on life, you have the right to order us around? And we don't have a say in the matter? It's a funny thing, you two keeping secrets from us. Telling us it will all be fine if we just shut up and play along." He scoffed, though inwardly somewhat surprised at his own audaciousness. The silvers (that's what he could call them) were bigger than him, and, he would even say, intimidating. And yet...though he thought so, he didn't feel intimidated. Is this the kind of person he was? "Well I'll play. For now. But I don't like it. And I'm gonna get to the bottom of all this."

He gestured broadly to the crowded room around him before returning his arm to cross defiantly over his chest, not caring much what happened next. He had no reason to care, honestly. A life he couldn't remember. So what? All he wanted...was fair terms. And honestly, at the moment, anything was better than being enslaved to this place, working a menial job serving undeserving strangers alongside even more of them.

​

Necromantic simj26
Orikanyo (mentioned)​

 

[Misuteeku]

Hyde

The woman's comment went around Hyde's head instead of going through. Those words didn't faze him at all. If anything he was just listening in because they were his new bosses. An unusual feeling of silence waved over him, as he walked to the wall. This was a bit much to process. They were dead, committed horrible sins in their previous life, and now have to serve in a café. It sounded like a horrible manga with an overpowered main character, who was very bland. He frown at his train of thoughts. What exactly was manga? It didn't really matter, since he was probably going to figure out sooner or later because of his second chance at life.

It was rather abnormal for Hyde to be not upbeat. Usually he would just greet at them, and try his best to make them feel uncomfortable... In a good way. The atmosphere of the room didn't feel like it was time to be all friendly and stuff. Especially his recently established co-workers were going through the same thing. It wasn't helping that one of co-workers was going ape, so interaction with him wasn't going to happen. Sighing, he noticed the girl, Neat was it, walk off somewhere. The silence he had was killing him, so he might as well introduce himself to her. She seemed at least appearance wise better than 'two giant reasons.'

"Hi, the name's Hyde." Internally he cringed at his introduction. He could of done such a better interaction then that. "So, your name is Neat. Right?" If he wasn't trying to talk to someone right now, he would be smashing his head against something soft and fluffy. Honestly what were these generics lines that he decided to spit out.

The One Eyed Bandit​

 

[Lucem]

Hush​

Hush resisted the urge to shudder after Vesper ended the explanation. Cold. He could practically feel his skin freezing after being exposed to the woman's icy demeanor. Or was that normal for someone in his position? He was dead, after all.

Setting aside his worry of getting frostbite from being in Vesper's presence, Hush didn't have much of a reaction to the explanation itself. For the most part, it was just a confirmation of things he had a gut feeling about ever since he regained consciousness. Although, his lips unconsciously formed into a small, sad-looking smile when the silver-haired pair emphasized that everyone here was a terrible person. He didn't doubt that at all and wasn't particularly shocked by the information, but his body seemed to be out of sync with his mind.

The expression went unnoticed and quickly vanished as Hush raised a hand to his chin. A few particular points in the explanation caught his interest, particularly the bit about the person referred to as "He". Apparently, they were the person responsible for the current situation.

According to Vesper and Heosphoros, part of their duties would be granting peace to certain entities. The first thought that came to mind was helping spirits cross into the afterlife. That seemed like a job more suited for priests. If that really was the case, wouldn't it make sense for the mystery person to be God, an all-powerful being that could make things like this happen? No, that couldn't be it. They were a bunch of sinners that were bad enough to catch the attention of a higher power. Then...the Devil? Were they going to be doing a demon's dirty work? He didn't doubt that possibility. Working in customer service definitely seemed evil enough.

Aside from their crimes, the mysterious being had also taken notice of their final wishes. There was also the promised reward of what they desired most. What could a bunch of dead sinners want? Coming back to life seemed like the obvious answer, but would a wish like that really be granted? The managers of the Velvet Passion made it clear that they weren't deserving of anything good, so it didn't seem like their desires would be fulfilled so easily. Was it some sort of Monkey's Paw effect? Would they just be reborn as a bunch of flies? No, probably something worse. Water fleas? Would they do all this work and be revived only to live a miserable existence as a water flea?

Hush continued to think about the information that he had been given, but the gears in his head came to a stop after hearing what Shines had to say. Hey! Era of greatness? For the world? Too much! That was way too much! He could already feel himself crushing under the weight of a task that ambitious. Don't drag me into this! The thought of working as a cashier was already enough to make him feel sick. He didn't want to take responsibility for this guy's words.

The environment suddenly felt a lot livelier after some answers had been given. People were now starting to chat each other up as they waited to hear more from their new employers. Hush didn't consider himself interesting enough to talk to, but he could already feel himself shuffling further into the background. Even if he knew nothing about himself, he could now tell that he definitely wasn't a social butterfly. He felt more comfortable staying put in a corner for now. Although, it was possible that trying to avoid interaction would have the opposite effect. That seemed to be the case for that Neat girl. Did keeping to yourself make you look cool and mysterious? Is that why she was approached? He didn't think there was a high chance of him coming across as cool or anything like that, but the slim chance of catching a wandering eye wasn't very appealing.