Fantasy Reckless Kings: Midnight Coronation

[AtlannianSpy]

New Atlantis,

Inner Shanghai Ward,

Atlas Hall.

10:43 p.m...

Atlas Hall was in some ways the crown jewel of New Atlantis. A glittering edifice of glass and metal, with swooping, art deco inspired lines and elegant, modern furniture. The Hall was where the Administrative Board of New Atlantis hosted all of its official functions. This display of luxury was not in the service of mere vanity, it was a vital display of power and prosperity. Atlas Hall was the proof that this floating city in the middle of the ocean could not merely survive but flourish.

"It brings me great pleasure to usher in the twentieth anniversary of our great city," Executor Denassi was an experienced public speaker so he paused for the brief round of applause the well dressed crowd offered up.

Executor Denassi lived for this sort of thing. He was a thin but well built man and he liked wearing an expensive suit, standing in an expensive hall and speaking to an appreciate and similarly well dressed audience. Running this powder keg of a city was constant balancing act and right now there were a hundred other matters he should be attending to personally but it was also important to project strength and competence to the outside world and every so often it was healthy to bask in the praise of others for a job well done.

"In those twenty years New Atlantis has become a symbol, a shining beacon that represents technological advancement and international cooperation. New Atlantis represents what humanity can accomplish when we work together and over the next twenty years the Administrative Board will work tirelessly to keep the city at the forefront of technology and expand its economic capacity-"

"How is the Administrative Board planning to tackle the issue of crime in New Atlantis,"

Executor Denassi's smile flickered but remained in place. Reporters, who the hell had decided reporters should be at these things? Denassi scanned the room until he found the speaker, a women in her late twenties in a black evening dress that was obviously half the price of those around it.

"Every city has crime, as much as New Atlantis might be a symbol of humanity, it's still populated by humans after all," This line triggered a ripple of laughter from the crowd and Denassi felt his shoulders relax as he regained control of the mood.

"But in twenty years we've seen New Atlantis' homicide and violent crime rate skyrocket past the figures for similar sized cities and most non government organizations agree even those figures are drastically underestimating the problem. What I'm asking is whether the board has any kind of comprehensive vision for approaching this issue.

Denassi clenched his fists behind his podium but he forced himself to continue smiling.

"In the end we're talking about the actions of a few malcontens. The majority of our citizens understand the value of an ordered society and that will only increase as our efforts at outreach and education expand. Eventually these renegades will be left in the dust of New Atlantis' history where they belong,"


New Atlantis,

Outer New York Ward,

Rest for the Wicked.

10:53 p.m...

"Hey turn that shit off,"

On the other side of town, in a run down, concrete building with a sloppily painted sign describing it as "Rest for the Wicked" Denassi's voice suddenly cut out with a hiss as the small TV he was speaking from was shut off.

Klaus Reiter, a blond man in his mid twenties grunted in satisfaction and raised his mug of beer in the bartender's direction before taking a swig. Klaus' other hand was draped over the seat of his cubicle, never straying far from a long, double handed sword resting nearby.

Rest for the Wicked was a dive, even by Outer Ward standards. The outer building was a prefabricated concrete shell and most of the furniture was just cancer like growths of the same material shooting out from the walls, doubtless the work of some stone shaper mage and not, Klaus noted as he shifted his rear end irritably, a particularly skilled one. There wasn't even electricity running to the place, the TV was run from a small generator and most of the lighting was handled by softly glowing crystals.

Still there was a kind of quiet, dinged up congeniality to the place. It was the kind of establishment that would accept anybody without any awkward questions to commiserate in friendly silence. This was important to Klaus because he wasn't entirely sure what kind of people he could expect.

For the Last month or so Klaus had been putting the word out that he was forming a gang. He was looking for the talented, the ambitious, those willing to get their hands dirty. But Klaus had been laying low for ten years now, whatever reputation he might have once had was worth dirt now, Klaus would probably have to take whoever he got just to get the ball rolling.

Klaus table was up the back, opposite the entrance and whenever someone pushed open the door his eyes flitted over to see who it was. So far none of the arrivals had been potential recruits and Klaus was starting to get antsy. He wanted tonight to go well, one way or the other it would be the start of something big...

Ganryu
KageYuuki
Orikanyo
Berries
Love of Cyanide
Chak

 

[Love of Cyanide]

New Atlantis,

Outer New York Ward,

Rest for the Wicked.

10:53 p.m...

"Hey turn that shit off,"

On the other side of town, in a run down, concrete building with a sloppily painted sign describing it as "Rest for the Wicked" Denassi's voice suddenly cut out with a hiss as the small TV he was speaking from was shut off.

Klaus Reiter, a blond man in his mid twenties grunted in satisfaction and raised his mug of beer in the bartender's direction before taking a swig. Klaus' other hand was draped over the seat of his cubicle, never straying far from a long, double handed sword resting nearby.

Rest for the Wicked was a dive, even by Outer Ward standards. The outer building was a prefabricated concrete shell and most of the furniture was just cancer like growths of the same material shooting out from the walls, doubtless the work of some stone shaper mage and not, Klaus noted as he shifted his rear end irritably, a particularly skilled one. There wasn't even electricity running to the place, the TV was run from a small generator and most of the lighting was handled by softly glowing crystals.

Still there was a kind of quiet, dinged up congeniality to the place. It was the kind of establishment that would accept anybody without any awkward questions to commiserate in friendly silence. This was important to Klaus because he wasn't entirely sure what kind of people he could expect.

For the Last month or so Klaus had been putting the word out that he was forming a gang. He was looking for the talented, the ambitious, those willing to get their hands dirty. But Klaus had been laying low for ten years now, whatever reputation he might have once had was worth dirt now, Klaus would probably have to take whoever he got just to get the ball rolling.

Klaus table was up the back, opposite the entrance and whenever someone pushed open the door his eyes flitted over to see who it was. So far none of the arrivals had been potential recruits and Klaus was starting to get antsy. He wanted tonight to go well, one way or the other it would be the start of something big...

//ARTHUR MALLAIG|NEW ATLANTIS, OUTER NEW YORK WARD, REST FOR THE WICKED|10:53 P.M.//

To say that, a young man standing at about 5'7" had every response in the book prepared would be incorrect.

If to say that Arthur had about three-quarters of everything in the metaphorical book prepared, then yes, you'd be correct.

When he pushed open the door his book was already open with the words, 'Hello', drawn meticulously as if it'd taken him much time to do so. Which he had taken much time for this. He took time making his words as eligible as possible a week or so in fact. Then Arthur flipped several pages to one that had, 'Is there a certain Klaus Reiter here?'. His eyes moved over the patrons of the bar trying to see if he could spot the blond man.

Of course, when said blond man has a sword nearly as tall as himself it's not hard. Striding toward Klaus he ran through pages in his book before stopping and turning it to the man with his lips curled into a smile. And in a murky ink, it said, 'Are you the Yakifia dude?'.

Thus, with such a ridiculous question, it began, something Huge.

 

[Orikanyo]

Franciska Schmidt
​

Stepping into the bar, Franciska looked as if she was looking at a particularly fetid and fresh dung heap, eyes narrowed and leaning back as she pushed up her glasses. She hated the smell of alcohol, horrible messy ichor that it was, she wouldn't dare touch it. Not because she didn't like the taste, red wine was indeed her favorite, but she hated how it made her feel... And she laughs far to much when drunk.. And at just about anything. She remembers when she was 16 back at her shcool they celebrated with abit of wine...

They called it giggle juice just to annoy her for years...

Didn't help that she was a cheap drunk...

But now here she was, in this pigsty she'd rather never see again, looking for a man who'm she only knows by name and school... A bunch of rowdy muscle head idiots she'd imagine. IF this man had any lick of manners she'd be impressed, but not to much, impressed like the way one watches a monkey use a stick in a manner befitting a tool. You are impressed they have the capacity to use it, but you know they don't grasp the finer parts of it.

And so, here she was, looking for a monkey in a pigsty.

Several monkeys actually.

She gazed around the area, ignoring the few stares she got, many which lingered upon certain parts the cloak did not conceal, and began to strut her way inside, holding her hefty bag to her body as if keeping it from flying off and running about the room it'self. She eyed the barkeep and the immense mustache upon his face before spotting an oddity among-st the sty, a sword, and a rather large one. Just who in their right mind would bring a sword about? And out in the open? Some kind of absolute idiot she'd imagine. Dose he even know how to use it? Beyond poking them with the sharp end? Wait, this reminded her of something...

Ah, that must be her monkey, and it was talking to another one.

Perhaps it is best she try and initiate contact, or did this fool know how to speak beyond telling people vague rumors of a job she wasn't fully sure she'd join yet.

Keeping her eye on those she passed the woman walked her way over, each step giving a show of confidence and almost tasteful disdain towards the two, the type that makes you wonder what kind of high class hell hole she crawled out of. "Klaus Reiter and another one to join the group I presume? Franciska Schmidt, at your service..." she made a small curtsy, though it was clear she didn't like this place and the two people she was meeting.

 

[Berries]

Lucky "Luke" Starr | Outer New York Ward | Rooftops => Rest for the Wicked | 10:55pm

Tapping his foot nervously against the shingles of his chosen roof, Luke stared down at the street with sharp eyes through the darkness. He was up high enough that he should be able to both see people passing but also not be seen himself - unless somebody decided to look up, which was uncommon. Pursing his lips and scanning his surroundings, Luke eventually seemed satisfied that he was under no immediate threat. His foot was still tapping at an erratic but quick beat; a nervous habit that he had yet to break, though it couldn't be said that he had exerted much effort into controlling it. His right hand was hovering over his pistol despite the fact that he had already determined that he was alone, and regardless wouldn't protect him much in the event of an attack. The pistol was mostly for his state of mind, but the outdated glock 19 would only protect him against a serious attack if he got seriously lucky. Well, seeing that his name was Lucky, perhaps the odds weren't terrible but he certainly didn't want to test it out.

Pursing his lips the anxious man contemplated his course of action. He had already decided, after many weeks of deliberation, to attempt to join the gang that Klaus Reiter was rumored to be recruiting for. This decision had come after many days spent gathering information, but from what Luke could tell, there wasn't much information out about the man. There were a few scraps of information here and there from years ago about some kind of rebellion against the silencers but absolutely nothing recent. However, he had managed to find out the man's name and a general idea of what he looked like.

Crossing his arms and looking determinedly at the bar, Luke tried to urge himself to move. This was his chance and he had to take it. He had been turned down by multiple gangs in the past on account of his somewhat sketchy history, and he was in desperate need of some allies. Hyping himself up, Luke finally began moving toward the bar. His hand hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open and immediately scanned the bar to find his target. Locating Klaus Reiter based on what he had already learned, Luke began to walk over, and two other people seemed to be just arriving as well.

As he approached, Luke scanned all three quickly for weapons. Klaus obviously had his massive sword laying on a chair, but Luke didn't manage to get a great read on the other two before he got too close. Nerves and paranoia spiking as he was confronted with new people, Luke knew he wanted to get a read on them immediately. Tripping spectacularly, Luke's arms flailed just as he had arrived at his destination. Fingers outreached, his left had briefly touched against the woman in the cloak and the other barely hitting Klaus before Luke made contact with the ground. The contact was too brief to determine anything specifically, but Luke was able to tell the woman's distaste with her surroundings - though there was no particular sense of malice - and with Klaus there wasn't any malice either.

"I'm so sorry!" Luke proclaimed as he lifted himself off the ground, his nerves sufficiently sated for the moment after determining he was under no immediate danger. "That's embarrassing, tripping right as I got here," his voice was relaxed and easy-going, but his foot had taken to tapping nervously again, "but nice to meet you guys. I'm Luke." The man smiled haphazardly at the other three while his eyes darted anxiously towards the door every now and then to track every person who entered.

 

[Ganryu]

Matias Yunus

Matias walked quietly into the bar, his footsteps naturally silent. Two headphones were plugged into his ears, and he acted very much like he couldn't hear anyone. The fact they were muted was besides the point. On his back was a large thin case, with two smaller cases on his sides, and a medium one also on his belt. He opened the medium one for a sandwich that was a bit stale. It had been a while since his last job, and his desperation led him to the rumors of Klaus. It would probably be like working any other job for a gang. He took a deep sigh, and laid his back against the wall.

"Matias Yunus. Here for a job."

He refused to look at anyone, closing his eyes and just breathing. This place was rundown, could this Klaus even afford to pay him? At this rate, Matias might have to return to playing music for his bread. Not that he minded it. Really Matias had no idea what it was he wanted to do. Would this gang give him any satisfaction that the others failed to? Would they talk to him? Right now, Matias just wanted to fade into the wall he was leaning against. Opening his eyes, he looked over the people he was working with.

A book nerd. That he could respect. A lady who looked afraid of germs, as if being in the bar would set her on fire. And finally someone far to apologetic.

Matias raised an eyebrow. These were not the people you typically expected in a gang. Klaus seemed like it, a man with compensation issues and his sword out, but the rest were oddballs.

 

[Chak]

Hot tea, whiskey, somewhat fresh honey and a couple stevia leaves mixed in.

The utmost, most ultimately perfect mixture when handled correctly. It kept just enough of the burning bite of whiskey with the blissful taste of tea and just the right amount of sweetness to make it all the perfect drink. It was exactly what she was sipping on as she watched the people come and go and listened to the group at the both behind her. It was actually amusing to her, to a small extent. Sure they had set this up all the way out here, but this bar still wasn't completely empty.

Guess they just assumed it was a dead end place where no one of importance frequented. Which was mostly right. Hell, she'd only initially showed up trying to follow a lead. It hadn't seemed to pan out, however, and amusingly enough she'd forgotten about the whispers of the meeting for this new gang until it had started, jumpstarting her memories of it.

Originally when she'd first heard of the gang she hadn't even so much as blinked. It wasn't of interest to her. But her leads lately had been drying up and she'd been getting bored with wandering Atlantis. That and as much as she loved the Cathedral, returning to it was both a happy and sorrowful experience. She didn't like the mix. So, with her options drying up and convenience putting her right in this bar at the right time, it seemed like seeing what this 'gang' had to offer was a good idea. Well, maybe not good, but it was something, and she was sick of nothing so something was good.

Downing the rest of her drink and slamming the glass down on the table, Cienna tucked her legs up under her body and pushed herself up, leaning backwards over the backrest of the booth. Upon noticing the booth was empty she followed through with the push and rolled over the backrest, twisting around and landing in the seat opposing Klaus.

"Well, guess since nobodies going to sit here, I will."

Placing a hand down on the table, ivy grew down her arm and then across the tabletop, spelling out her first name for all to see as she looked over the group. She'd mostly gotten a fair look at everyone who'd walked in already as they passed her, but another look never hurt. Her eyes, however, lingered on the cloaked girl for a moment before smile cracked her features and she held out her other hand as a vine grew done from her Raiment. In moments as Cienna let her hand open a blue petaled rose with a white stem grew forth before disconnecting, leaving the flower resting lightly in her palm as she offered it to the girl.

"Francisca, right? You have pretty eyes."

Spoiler

​

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Klaus Reiter​

New Atlantis,

Outer New York Ward,

Rest for the Wicked.

10:59 p.m...


All of a sudden Klaus' lonely little booth erupted into a hive of activity as potential recruits emerged from the woodwork, maybe literally in the case of the nymphish girl who slid into the booth next to him. Somebody was holding up a written sign, somebody else was curtseying, somebody crashed into him and then offered a hasty apology. It all might have been too much for some people but Klaus was a people person! This was exactly what he'd been hoping for.

"Alright! Excellent," Klaus clapped his hands together and smiled warmly. "Great to meet you all! Really looking forward to working together. How about you all sit down and get to know each other! I--- will get us all a round!"

Inquisitive fingers shot out towards each member of the group. "Beer?" "Beer?" "Beer?- I'm gonna be honest, anything more expensive is outsida my price range right now and I would not drink the water in this place. Alrighty! I will be right back!"

With that onesided discussion Klaus pulled his feet up onto the seat, rose and stepped onto the table then hopped down onto floor sauntering off to the bar and waving cheerily at the scowling bartender.

Klaus was pretty sure he liked these guys, they seemed fun each in their own ways. But what did they make of eachother? That was good to know as well, would there be tension? Newly formed friendships? Best to get that sort of thing out in the open early Klaus felt. After all if all went well they'd all be comrades in arms before the night was through...

 

[KageYuuki]

Faelyn Tirana
The door to the bar swung open once more and another mage stepped inside. Golden eyes and wild strands of tawny hair stuck out from under a leather hood. Seeing Klaus a broad grin spread out across her lips, revealing two sharp fangs. Striding over to him, she clapped the Stormbringer on the back. "Swear you waited until I was on the other side of Atlantis before finally making the call." Faelyn ignored the scowl from the bartender as she leaned against the bar to study the group gathered around the far table.

One seemed to be scribbling away in a book, another looking thoroughly disgusted by the entire place. Or was that look of disgust aimed at her? The Falinesti flashed another sharptoothed grin and gave a short wave. Golden hues studied the others in their little crowd, the redhead looked to be one big bundle of nervous energy. Blondie had his ears covered and eyes closed. Weird. Oh ho! Looks like they somehow netted a Rooted.

"Mmm looks like you've scrounged up an interesting bunch." She strode to the table, her bow and quiver swayed from her belt as she moved. Faelyn pulled off her hood as she sat beside Cienna. "Looks like I'm just in time," her smirk never seemed to leave her lips. "Name's Faelyn." Withdrawing a glass bottle from her bag, the magus took a swig before offering it to the group. "Mead, anyone? Guarantee it's better than the shit they're serving." It was also common for Falinesti to share a drink before and after a battle, but they didn't need to know that just yet.

 

[viska]

Basking in the neon glow of a TV in the window to an electronic store, Persephone had been watching Executor Denassi's speech.
The very same one Klaus had ask to have shut off.
She could have cared less what Denassi had to say; what she was interested in was the Atlas Hall itself.
Its glamorous decadence was everything she aspired to have one day.
A confident smirk crept across her face as she gave a determined nod, resolving herself to the path she had chosen.

It was about this time the broadcast cut to commercial and showed the quarterly weather report.
As the closed captioning began to roll across the screen, Persephone motioned her hand like a puppet as she protested "blah blah blah, get back to my palace."
However, she was stopped cold when she read "The time is now eleven PM. We will now-"
yanking her phone from her pocket, she starred at the screen in disbelief.
Her alarm had somehow been shut off when she reset her phone that morning.

In the dead of night, the Outer York Ward was filled with a faint almost yelp of a voice shouting "Crap crap crap CRAP !" As Persephone rushed down the sidewalk.
Finally she was outside of a bar that matched the address.
She was sure of it, because she checked the address three more times after she got there.
The place looked ratty from the outside, she could only imagine what it was like inside.
As she rested her hand on the door handle, she groaned to herself " Really are starting from the bottom aren't we Percy?"

As she stepped inside, her senses were immediately bombarded.
From the musty air, to the strong concentration of mana from all the mages, it gave her an instant head ache.
Walking up to the bar, Persephone rested against it as she wiped her brow.
She was a young and frail looking girl with long red hair, and bright blue eyes.
She looked more like the kind of girl you find in a inner ward mall, not a dead end bar in the middle of the night.

Eyeing her up and down, the gruff bartender cleared his throat in an exaggerated way to get her attention.
Pointing over his shoulder he drew her attention to a sign that read " No one under twenty one allowed in the bar."
Taking a slight offence to this Persephone raised her voice "Hey I'm an adult you jerk! I turned twenty three last month"
It was true she had never been in a bar, or even drank, but she still didn't want this guy making her look like a kid in front of the other patrons.
Trying to save face she added " In fact, one Alcohol please." With a confident, be it spiteful grin.
It didn't help that when she rested her phone on the bar top it had a brightly colored unicorn case.
But the bartender decided he didn't get paid enough to care, and simply went back to preparing the drinks Klaus had ordered.

Turning around and resting her back against the edge of the bar Persephone leaned her head towards the blond man standing next to her and quietly remarked "Can you believe this guy? is he trying to make me look bad in front of Mr Klaus?."
Sliding her phone back into her pocket she kept talking " Are you here about the rumors to? I hear a new gang is recruiting.."
Oblivious to just who she was talking to she didn't allow him a chance to reply as she went on " I wonder which one of these guys are Klaus?.. I bet it's the tall one.. or maybe it's the lanky looking one.. But what if it's a last name?! then it could be one of the women. OH! I bet its the scary looking one in black. She looks so prim and proper, that has to be Klaus! "

As she guessed wrong again and again she seemed to be getting more exited about it.
It was almost like she was shaking Christmas presents, trying to figure out what's inside, with no real idea of it's contents.
In truth, Persephone had very little intel on Klaus sense she had only learned about the meeting three days ago.
It wasn't really her best idea to jump into something like this, but she had decided that she was going to get in on the ground level of an up and coming gang and rise to the stars.
..Which is exactly the lie she told herself to help her feel better about being a reckless fool.

 

[Ganryu]

Matias Yunus
​

Matias was taken aback by how lackadaisical Klaus was. THIS was the leader of the gang? Matias started to doubt the rumors.... or if he was getting paid. Looking down at his cracked shoes, Matias sighed knowing he was too desperate to back out now. He looked at the rest of the people going around. He was going to have to... socialize.

"I hope the beers strong.... Anyways, I'm Matias. I prefer to keep jobs professional, but I guess if we're socializing, I'm a music lover. I play most everything. My favorite band is Dragons of Central."

A new person, way too excited appeared shortly after, guessing randomly who was Klaus. Matias lift up his hand to speak, then realized he didn't have the heart that all of her guesses were wrong.

"Who wants to tell her? You know what, Faelyn was it? I might take you up on the mead before Klaus comes back. Something tells he's a man best dealt with when not sober. Long as I get paid, I really don't care about the rest."

Matias chugged from the glass offered. Who the hell carried around one of ... who cared? Today was a weird day, and it kept getting weirder. The less Matias remembered, the better. Then again, these people were spirited, unlike the rest of the gang's he'd been in so far. Alot of them were too violent for his liking. Or too crude. Or too anarchy. Or too loud. These people were crazy, sure. But they didn't seem to hit anything he hated so far. Just nothing he'd expected.

 

[Love of Cyanide]

Basking in the neon glow of a TV in the window to an electronic store, Persephone had been watching Executor Denassi's speech.
The very same one Klaus had ask to have shut off.
She could have cared less what Denassi had to say; what she was interested in was the Atlas Hall itself.
Its glamorous decadence was everything she aspired to have one day.
A confident smirk crept across her face as she gave a determined nod, resolving herself to the path she had chosen.

It was about this time the broadcast cut to commercial and showed the quarterly weather report.
As the closed captioning began to roll across the screen, Persephone motioned her hand like a puppet as she protested "blah blah blah, get back to my palace."
However, she was stopped cold when she read "The time is now eleven PM. We will now-"
yanking her phone from her pocket, she starred at the screen in disbelief.
Her alarm had somehow been shut off when she reset her phone that morning.

In the dead of night, the Outer York Ward was filled with a faint almost yelp of a voice shouting "Crap crap crap CRAP !" As Persephone rushed down the sidewalk.
Finally she was outside of a bar that matched the address.
She was sure of it, because she checked the address three more times after she got there.
The place looked ratty from the outside, she could only imagine what it was like inside.
As she rested her hand on the door handle, she groaned to herself " Really are starting from the bottom aren't we Percy?"

As she stepped inside, her senses were immediately bombarded.
From the musty air, to the strong concentration of mana from all the mages, it gave her an instant head ache.
Walking up to the bar, Persephone rested against it as she wiped her brow.
She was a young and frail looking girl with long red hair, and bright blue eyes.
She looked more like the kind of girl you find in a inner ward mall, not a dead end bar in the middle of the night.

Eyeing her up and down, the gruff bartender cleared his throat in an exaggerated way to get her attention.
Pointing over his shoulder he drew her attention to a sign that read " No one under twenty one allowed in the bar."
Taking a slight offence to this Persephone raised her voice "Hey I'm an adult you jerk! I turned twenty three last month"
It was true she had never been in a bar, or even drank, but she still didn't want this guy making her look like a kid in front of the other patrons.
Trying to save face she added " In fact, one Alcohol please." With a confident, be it spiteful grin.
It didn't help that when she rested her phone on the bar top it had a brightly colored unicorn case.
But the bartender decided he didn't get paid enough to care, and simply went back to preparing the drinks Klaus had ordered.

Turning around and resting her back against the edge of the bar Persephone leaned her head towards the blond man standing next to her and quietly remarked "Can you believe this guy? is he trying to make me look bad in front of Mr Klaus?."
Sliding her phone back into her pocket she kept talking " Are you here about the rumors to? I hear a new gang is recruiting.."
Oblivious to just who she was talking to she didn't allow him a chance to reply as she went on " I wonder which one of these guys are Klaus?.. I bet it's the tall one.. or maybe it's the lanky looking one.. But what if it's a last name?! then it could be one of the women. OH! I bet its the scary looking one in black. She looks so prim and proper, that has to be Klaus! "

As she guessed wrong again and again she seemed to be getting more exited about it.
It was almost like she was shaking Christmas presents, trying to figure out what's inside, with no real idea of it's contents.
In truth, Persephone had very little intel on Klaus sense she had only learned about the meeting three days ago.
It wasn't really her best idea to jump into something like this, but she had decided that she was going to get in on the ground level of an up and coming gang and rise to the stars.
..Which is exactly the lie she told herself to help her feel better about being a reckless fool.

//ARTHUR MALLAIG|NEW ATLANTIS, OUTER NEW YORK WARD, REST FOR THE WICKED|10:53 P.M.//

Arthur looked around as not even moments after he entered the bar handful of other... Rather quirky characters. Knowing this city he wasn't surprised much, though finding one of a similar disposition to him was surprising. Though she seemed much more childish so to speak. Since Klaus did say to get to know each other...

Unlatching his book with a click he held it at his side before stumbling over to the young woman. Flipping a few pages back to the one with, 'Hello' written on it Arthur smiled. Everyone did say he had a 'winning smile' after all. He then flipped three pages to, 'I am Arthur. Arthur Mallaig. You?' as he took a seat, though deigning to any alcohol. He was after all essentially a bum out on the streets.

 

[Orikanyo]

Franciska Schmidt

​

The woman's scowl only deepened, the flower was pretty, and indeed her eyes were a very well praised article, among other things, but she was not going to be bought over by a cheap trick, even if it was a personal ability of her school, she wasn't moved. Life where there already is life is not her domain, nor would she wish for it. "..Charmed.." the woman said, without really giving any of the emotion to go along side the notion.

her disapproval of the current company did not end however, for when she saw Faelyn, or more imp-importantly her... teeth... The woman reeled back as if she were a back splashed with water. "have you never heard of a toothbrush?" she hissed, revolted by the display of dental depravity. the flower girl wasn't to far off either, damn nature lovers and their affinity for... DIRT! She couldn't BEGIN to understand why they were just so... UNCLEAN!!

...Though it seems the idiocy in this room wasn't limited to just the ability to hold the vaguest sense of cleanliness in their mind. The girl nearby the counter peaked her interest for a moment, she only really caught the end of her chattering and visibly cringed. "...Not even a minute and I am perturbed... Must I acquaint myself with the unclean, drunkards and one who makes a puppy seem like a intellectual in comparison?" she spoke to no one truly... Perhaps finding herself more pleasant conversation.

Or at least thats what somebody would think, if her bag didn't seem to be moving rather roughly in reply.

"Stay still..." she spoke in a stern and hard voice at the bag, only getting another wiggling response.

"Theres enough trouble as is.."

 

[viska]

As Persephone made her last and incorrect guess, her drink was finally ready.
As the bartender slid it towards her he grumbled under his breath as he reached for his key pad.
Turning back to face the bar, Persephone entered her pin to pay for her drink and argued in a sing song voice "See, I even pay with 'adult' money."
The bartender could only roll his eyes as he went back to finishing the other drinks he had to make.

Taking the mug in hand Persephone looked at the amber drink with the big foamy head.
She never had beer before, but it looked like a fun drink.
All bubbly and foamy, like a bubble bath.
And she remembered how her uncle would act after he had a few; always laughing and telling funny stories.

Deciding it was best to take it slow, she gave it a quick sniff, and she immediately regretted paying her hard earned money for it.
It smelled like a mix of cheap paint and wood shavings.
Groaning quietly, she knew there was no backing out now, she would have to drink this nasty thing or look like a dumb kid in front of everyone.

Fortunately for Persephone, salvation came in the form of a strong silent type.
The mage's sudden approach took her a bit off guard as she lifting her gaze from her amber brew.
Letting out a short yelp she scrunched her cap against her head as she protested "dang it you scared the crap out of me!. what's your dea-"
Stopping mid whine, she noticed he was holding a paper sign.

A flip book of some kind that read " Hello "
Softening both her tone and her eyes she tilted her head slightly as she read out-loud the next page he held " I am Arthur. Arthur Mallaig. You? "
Peeking her eyes up over the paper, she couldn't help be grin back at silent mage.
While she was a bit disappointed that he wasn't Klaus, she was willing to take a distraction from her drink.
Especially a cute one..

flashing a bright smile she answered "Ohhh, so your name is Arthur then? My name is Persephone. Persephone Spionera."
Tracing the letters with her finger on Arthur's pad she spelled out " P E R S E P H O N E " Just in case Arthur was def.
Extending out a hand she remarked " Nice to meetcha. " Giving a quick wink she added "Guess we'll be working together."

 

[Love of Cyanide]

As Persephone made her last and incorrect guess, her drink was finally ready.
As the bartender slid it towards her he grumbled under his breath as he reached for his key pad.
Turning back to face the bar, Persephone entered her pin to pay for her drink and argued in a sing song voice "See, I even pay with 'adult' money."
The bartender could only roll his eyes as he went back to finishing the other drinks he had to make.

Taking the mug in hand Persephone looked at the amber drink with the big foamy head.
She never had beer before, but it looked like a fun drink.
All bubbly and foamy, like a bubble bath.
And she remembered how her uncle would act after he had a few; always laughing and telling funny stories.

Deciding it was best to take it slow, she gave it a quick sniff, and she immediately regretted paying her hard earned money for it.
It smelled like a mix of cheap paint and wood shavings.
Groaning quietly, she knew there was no backing out now, she would have to drink this nasty thing or look like a dumb kid in front of everyone.

Fortunately for Persephone, salvation came in the form of a strong silent type.
The mage's sudden approach took her a bit off guard as she lifting her gaze from her amber brew.
Letting out a short yelp she scrunched her cap against her head as she protested "dang it you scared the crap out of me!. what's your dea-"
Stopping mid whine, she noticed he was holding a paper sign.

A flip book of some kind that read " Hello "
Softening both her tone and her eyes she tilted her head slightly as she read out-loud the next page he held " I am Arthur. Arthur Mallaig. You? "
Peeking her eyes up over the paper, she couldn't help be grin back at silent mage.
While she was a bit disappointed that he wasn't Klaus, she was willing to take a distraction from her drink.
Especially a cute one..

flashing a bright smile she answered "Ohhh, so your name is Arthur then? My name is Persephone. Persephone Spionera."
Tracing the letters with her finger on Arthur's pad she spelled out " P E R S E P H O N E " Just in case Arthur was def.
Extending out a hand she remarked " Nice to meetcha. " Giving a quick wink she added "Guess we'll be working together."

//ARTHUR MALLAIG|NEW ATLANTIS, OUTER NEW YORK WARD, REST FOR THE WICKED|10:57 P.M.//

Persephone. A strange name. He took her hand his eyes twinkling he would have fun revealing his 'secret' to her. Flipping his book he nodded, 'Indeed, I'll be in your care.'

"Screw this!" A rough baritone voice shouted from Arthur as something crawled up his back under his shirt and flew out. The sea serpent shaking vigorously hissed, "Never again. Never." Looking at the bartender who didn't bat an eye he ordered a drink, "You. Grab me the drink the little missy is having." With his rather surprising order, he motioned for him to bring out the keypad which the bartender complied, allowing him to spend what was left of what they'd saved up with dexterity.

"So, Little Missy what brings you to the bar? Besides signing up for a gang which could easily be just a cover for a drug den or somethin'." The snake asked Persephone as he flew around the girl.

 

[AtlannianSpy]

New Atlantis,

Outer New York Ward,

Rest for the Wicked.

11.05 p.m...

"Faelyn! Aw I knew you'd make it anyway!" Klaus deposited his cargo of beers on the table and attacked Faelyn with a sudden, one armed hug. Withdrawing Klaus distributed the beers, sliding one over for the snake as well then stood back, surveying the group with a satisfied expression.

"Let's get down to business shall we!" Klaus slid into the booth next to Faelyn and placed his hands together. "As I'm sure you all know, my name is Klaus Reiter and I'm seeking allies for a bold undertaking! Mages have always banded together to accomplish great things, but in this day and age the old bonds of blood and clan are no longer sufficient. What''s needed are for mages who share the same ambition to come together!

Perhaps 'gang' is not so glamorous a word and perhaps we will have to start small and humble But this city is crying out for leadership! Not the leadership of the old masters, wringing their hands and tearing each other apart over ancient feuds. Certainly not the leadership of the mundanes, looking down their noses at us while we squabble. This city needs a group willing to do what's necessary, able to wield the strength that any mage can respect. We may not be that yet but the path could start tonight,"

Klaus had grown steadily more animated throughout his speech his eyes sparking with an eager light but suddenly he pulled back, smiling sheepishly and ruffling his hair. "Well that's what I was thinking. I wanna be clear, I'm looking Allies, not pawns or minions. If you guys are on board, then we will be partners in this. We'll vote on our courses of action and we'll share both the rewards and the consequences. Hell I don't even have a name picked out for this thing! That'll have to be the first thing we vote on,"

 

[Phayne]

~Kasper J. Styx~

Kasper sat within the shadowy confines of the pub; fittingly dubbed as 'Rest for the Wicked', an establishment truly worthy of the name, for you see, the grey haired lad presently enveloped by the shadow of the room's corner was definitely no saint. Only faintly lit by the glowing crystals which adorned the concrete interior of the room, Kasper sat there; observing. Preferring the comfort of the floor, Kasper sat cross legged with his back pressed against the wall and his right hand presently clasped around the handle of a half empty mug; the remnants of his last swig still visible around the edges of his lips. He had been here for awhile now, choosing to remain quiet as he sipped away at the piss poor excuse for a beverage; a foul liquid whose only redeeming quality was its rather low cost. Kasper's eyes shifted towards the bartender momentarily, his slit like pupils remaining hidden behind dishevelled strands of hair. Like many citizens of New Atlantis, the bartender himself seemed to be a victim of the times, a man resigned to the depressing reality of his fate.. heck it was vastly apparent that the man had no real 'love' for his line of work or if he had any then the fire which lit his fuel had long since died out. This was obvious by the sheer lack of 'quality' behind the beverage he had been served; no bartender worthy of the name would have been proud to have served such foul tasting liquid; sewer water re-branded to look like cheap beer.


Bored of his impression of the rotund man behind the counter, Kasper returned his gaze upon the blonde haired fella, the unsung celebrity whose aspirations had drawn Kasper to this decrepit cesspool of a bar. Word had spread across the underbelly, whispers of an uprising had been spread among the seedier inhabitants of this accursed island. Like many, Kasper had initially brushed aside the chatter as another lost cause, a fanciful dream of an unhappy 'nobody' unsatisfied with the way things have worked out. How many of these idle talks of an uprising had Kasper had to listen to; the whimsical musings of an overdeveloped boy still green behind the ears and untarnished by the cruel mistress of reality. It wasn't long before such movements often fell apart, the instigator crumbling under the weight of 'reality' bearing down on them. Alas, this most recent rumour seemed different, the mention of Klaus Reiter, a name Kasper was aware of from years gone by had added some weight to the proposed movement.

By now several others had arrived, each heading towards the blonde haired man, whose right arm seemed to remain in close proximity to the double handed sword. There was no doubt now that this was the man Kasper had been looking for, the progenitor of this seedy rumour. Target sighted, Kasper raised the near empty mug skyward and tilted it back, his head raised and arched backward as he swallowed the remnants of his drink; unfazed by the acidic tang which danced across his tongue as it slithered down his gullet.

For awhile he simply continued to watch, to listen to the conversations that the individuals had begun to have with one another, all the while unaware of his presence in the far corner. It wasn't long before Klaus had stood up; appearing to head towards the counter; an act in which seemed to irritate the rotund bartender. Kasper snickered at the sight of the bartender's annoyance; a rather arrogant reaction to have considering the quality of his goods. If anything the bartender should have been groveling in thanks considering the amount of money he was getting for the obscene drink.

It was only after Klaus returned with the drinks that Kasper took the initiative, standing up fully and brushing the dirt and dust that had clung to his clothing. If this meeting was to be another bust, at least Kasper would get a free drink out of it. His gaze lingered for a few long moments as he took in Klaus's speech, a faint grin appearing across his face as he listened.

"Bravo, Bravo!" teased Kasper, clapping his hands in appreciation for the show he had witnessed as he sauntered over to the group of individuals that had gathered now; all of whom had been attracted here for the same reason, Kasper silently made his way to their table, his right hand outstretched as it caught the handle of the bear mug destined for the snake. "Don't mind if I do" chimed Kasper, bringing the cold beverage up to his mouth and downing several gulps. He was completely unperturbed by his intrusion, nor did the speed in which he was drinking imply any kind of remorse or guilt for stealing the drink in the first place. Intruding upon others had become almost second nature to Kasper, likewise stealing had also become a rather well polished skill of his. A few more gulps and Kasper slammed the mug back down onto the table, the audible bang drawing the attention of the bartender and a few onlookers. "Ah.. revolting" he chimed once more, bringing his right arm up to his face and using his raggedy sleeve to dry away the froth which had established itself around his face.

Again, he observed. His eyes looking from behind veiled hair, as he studied the faces of each individual up close and personal, only stopping his act as his eyes fell upon Klaus. "Inspiring words" remarked Kasper, lowering his arm and walking over towards him. "Those that inspire others into action though, often end up leading them to their own demise" mused the grey haired boy as he slowly but surely inched his way closer. "What makes your ambition any different?" he queried rhetorically, "Why rebel when rebellion is all but futile?", Kasper took another step, an evident spring in each stride visible to those that looked. "Brave men fought in the past, Brave men died... do you even realise the magnitude of what you are asking of them?"
Kasper paused and let his words linger. Right now this was a game, one in which he was playing with the intention of drawing out the other's concerns. Kasper didn't really care for an answer, he wasn't disturbed or bothered by what Klaus had been asking, had he been then there would have been different approaches to tackling the situation.


"Why should they trust you?" was his final question and by now Kasper had made his way behind the booth in which Klaus sat at, though rather unexpectedly the grey haired boy began to lean in forward, slowly but surely lowering himself towards eye level of the man presently sitting down in front of him until his own head was mere inches away from Klaus's cheek and ear.

"I don't need to trust you.." he spoke silently "...Ally, Pawn, Minion... I am neither of the three, yet color me intrigued for I, like many have grown rather bored of this city and its imbecilic leaders" whispered Kasper. "Our goals align and we share similar interest.. that's all I care for..."​

 

[Chak]

Cienna listened as the others talked, slowly letting her Raiment re-absorb the flower she'd grow back into it's own form for nutrients. Which reminded her, the girl with the pretty eyes, she seemed less that interested in the magic, which was fine. She'd just go bigger next time. Back to the task at hand, however, she was about to respond to Klaus returning with drinks when a newcomer arrived. Late, but not overtly so, just in time to understand what was occurring.

He seemed an odd sort as well, but if anything it helped him fit in with the mismatched theme and the more she thought about it, the better it was. Especially once the newcomer started listing his own personal thoughts on the matter. Honestly she'd prefer he kept them to himself, if only because she wasn't sure she liked him right off the bat, or any of them really, but that was neither here nor there in a professional aspect. Lifting her hand, she brought it done with force, open palm clapping against the top of the table loudly.

"Yes, rebellion, perfect plan. And making a name for ourselves? Genius!"

As she spoke wine like roots snaked down her right arm and over her hand, then onto the stone table, probing at the surface as if trying to find purchase.

"First we amass numbers and make sure people know who we are!"

The first of the vines found a flaw, cracking the stone notably as it drove itself into the table.

"Then we start dealing with anyone that gets in our way. Make sure people know not to mess with us!"

Another pair of roots found their path, likewise cracking the stone audibly as they dug in.

"Of course soon none will challenge us, and we will find our way to the top in time."

Another pair joined the first root, making the cracks wider.

"And in time, we rule the place. Because open rebellion, obviously..."

She finished the comment with a deadpan glare at the newcomer as the roots withdrew back to the Raiment. What was left where three large holes in the table with cracks arcing out from them. Hell they were likely obvious from meters away, but that was the point.

"Doing something so.... notable... it's good for a name. Look at the Rooted. My people. Everybody knows them And in that they are either loved or hated for what they do, but ultimately, they conform. I doubt we plan on conforming, so becoming notable right off the bat, well, that's a bad idea," she spoke, letting the words sink in before continuing, "I haven't been tracking the same person for the last few years by making a point to yell it from the rooftops. We should make sure we can identify each other easily enough, but only by signs we would recognise. Other than that, why name ourselves or draw attention so early? We wait until we have a good network, and expansive one, one that has anchors where we need it before we finally make ourselves known. Because then it's too late to respond."

As Cienna finished her speech vines popped up behind the backs of everyone present, having been snaking along the ground or under the table the whole time she monologued. Each and every one of them bore thorns save for one, which bore a clone of the previous flower that had been grown for Francisca, who again was the recipient. The message was clear though, even as all the vines, save for the one offering the flower, withdrew back to the ground and then back up Cienna's leg and returned to the Raiment. Then, shrugging, she smiled and quickly left most of the seriousness of the topic behind.

"That's just my two cents anyway. Shit, if we do pick a name, make it something stupid and innocuous, like 'the Gang' or, 'Friends'. 'Where were you the night of the break in miss Collimoorie'," she said in a faux-manly voice before continuing in a light, innocent girly one, "'Oh please mister Silencer, I was just chilling with the Gang. Hanging with Friends. I promise.' See, simple shit."

 

[Orikanyo]

Franciska Schmidt

​

"...While brave words are being said, distrust sowed, plots being made, we should not forget the monetary parts of the arrangement..." the tense words were accompanied by another rummage from the bag. "We need to make certain we have enough to get off the ground, much less even fund further operations. This is not my first, ehmn, "Rodeo" so I will say it plainly.

I don't work for free.

I don't work solely out of the goodness of my heart.

And I shall not work with those who do not... CLEAN up after themselves.

In the figurative and literal cases of that might I add." she held up a finger, her glare intensifying upon Faelyn and Cienna.

The woman began to sway her weight to the other leg, as a shiny steel blade began to peek out from her bag, reminiscent of a garden shear blade. "As for naming conventions I believe we should have it carry meaning, a name that quickly brings to mind what the group is about. A specialty that lets people talk about the group and easily know what they're about. "The red hands" might be a group specializing in many different possibilities, thievery, revenge, arson. it also needs to run off the tongue well...

In truth, it may come down to it the name of our group doesn't come from us at all, a colloquialism coming from the people around us used to describe the group.

Just hope it isn't coming about because of a blunder..." the woman huffed as the blade continued to exit her bag, showing 4 more blades connected to a metallic hand that groped around for the zipper upon the bag that contained it. The woman sighed, she was never good at naming things outside of her own creations, why she only made Starling a few hours ago for this meeting, god knows she wasn't coming here unprepared and without protection. She left her broom only outside, waiting paitently for her return, which may come faster depending on how the rest of these clowns acted up...

Speaking of Starling, she looked down at her bag and at the opening, empty of the homunculus she had been trying to keep inside. The little thing stood upon it's lonesome, almost looking like ti was relishing the freedom. Aside from it's heavily scissored hands it was largely made to look like a rabbit doll, thought it sported some nasty looking jagged glass teeth, and cute bunny ears. "STARLING!" gasped Franny, who looked QUITE unhappy with the rabbit eared monstrosity.

"I told you to wait in the bag you silly rabbit." she demanded, the homunculus looking more or less more interested in the world around it, flashing it's blade-like fingers at the people around, a mischevious glee almost apparent on it's form. The woman huffed and glared at the rest of the group, almost daring them to say a word on this considering her secret escape plan was out and about with it's adorable floppy ears and making noises that shouldn't truly be possible from a doll.

"..Ehmn... I am sorry... For Starling's rudeness..." she started, not letting the hiccup remove her from her proper demeanor, though at calling it's name the homunculus made another small monstrous cry. "..I suppous we could... speak of our specialties.. As it may help us come to a better decision on naming this... Group to be..." She tried to piece her planned words back together.

"I am an enchanter, of a sort. Still in training mind... We specialize in giving life to that which has lost it, or never had it. At least in a general format that is the basis for our spells... Even though they apparently don't like to stay in bags as they are told to!" she glared furiously down to the uncaring babbling doll.

 

[viska]

At first Persephone had a good handle on the situation.
She was able to read the magic of the room pretty well, and dispite a slight head ache from it, felt pretty confident .
That was until a trouser snake popped out and began to fly around here asking questions.
Questions she really didn't have a good answer for.
It was true she didn't know much about this new gang idea or even gang life in general.
All she had was her ideals and dreams to go off.
But ideals and dreams only go so far in the real world..

Before she could pipe up to answer the dragon, the blond man she was talking to so candetly, revealed himself to be Klaus.
She felt a bit embarrassed knowing she looked like a dork guessing wrong in front of him like that.
Most of all sense she intended to market herself as an informant.

Things only got farther out of hand when a new face appeared from the shadows.
His words and attitude were toxic for the meeting.
Stirring up doubts and mistrust among the group of strangers.
Even causing some to make threats to each other.

It was when she realized she a thorny vine had been menacingly lurking behind her for who knows how long that she knew she was in way over her head.
She felt a creeping dread in the pit of her stomach as she wondered if she was up for all this.
She was almost ready to bolt for the door when she noticed the strange creature on the floor.
"Sterling was its name? How cute" she
thought to herself.
And it was this serendipitous distraction that gave her the moments peace she needed to get her thoughts in order.

Starting off small she started "excuse me. ."
The bickering only seemed to continue as the bunny's owner seemed to be throwing insults.

Finally Persephone had enough.
Grabbing a nearly empty mug, she took a swig of the amber swill she had been dreading.
Holding back a gag she shivered in disgust.
With a small cough she cleared her throat and slammed the mug down .
In a stern tone she asked "can we all just pull our wands out of a butts a second and listen?!"

Taking a softer, almost apologetic tone she explained "Klaus obviously has been planning this a while. And I doubt he would call us here now with nothing in mind.
So can we all just chill a second and hear him out? "
It was a gamble to bet on the competence of a stranger, but the dice were already cast.
All she could do now was pray for a seven.

When Franciska had mentioned her talent it gave the leverage Persephone needed to try and ease the tension .
Looking over to the creepy bunny Gollum's owner she asked "you said your an enchanter, yeah?
Well I'm kind of an informant myself."
Persephone lifted her cap in greeting as she announced "Persephone of the tiny school of Licht. We focus on understanding the world and our place in it. So our magic isn't really the most confrontational"

Rubbing the back of her head she nervously laighed "but im sure ill be real useful any way."

 

[KageYuuki]

Faelyn Tirana
Listening to Matius, Faelyn sniggered, "Klaus is a good man, the kind you want to have at your back. But he is a little more fun after a few drinks." At Franny's display of revulsion the mage turned towards her, her head canted slightly in confusion. "No...? Can't say I've ever heard of that." Her fanged grin returned to her lips as she leaned back once more, "Besides, what crawled up your ass and died?"

Her teasing was interrupted by Klaus' hug. One that was happily reciprocated. She slid over a touch to allow him more room to sit down, that almost wolfish grin never leaving her lips as he spoke. He'd always been so focused on this goal ever since she'd met him. And he was right, mundanes really didn't have any business trying to control something that hadn't even tried to understand. The Falinesti couldn't care less about the squabbles between various schools, however.

Before she got a chance to speak up, Kasper appeared and swiped the summon's drink. Her grin vanished the moment began stalking towards Klaus. As he continued with his little speech and attempted threat, a low growl rumbled in the back of her throat and her nails started to darken. Golden hues burned like balefire at him, her muscles tense. She'd gladly rip his throat out if he even tried anything. Faelyn's gaze remained focused on Kasper even as Cienna spoke up.

The Rooted's point made sense enough, "Of course, we need to be well rooted before even trying something major. Stick to the shadows and pursue our prey like proper predators." It was Franciska's turn to speak up once more, making demands of her own. The woman's glared had little effect on the still tense Falinesti. Besides, Faelyn was rather certain their definitions of 'clean' were vastly different from one another. She offered the bizarre doll a slight glance as it made its entrance. An interesting creation and specialty.

Now was that the reason the woman came off as such a control freak? Or was it perhaps the reason she was chosen for the school in the first place?

Persephone spoke next, trying to act tough before quickly folding in on herself. The act left her wondering how the little redhead would act under actual pressure. It was a good thing she mentioned her school didn't really focus on offense.

"I'm a student of the Falinesti, we shape our bodies and environment to take down any prey in our path." She knew her school has garnered a rather infamous reputation among the small number that knew their name. Frankly, she didn't care.

 

[Ganryu]

Matias Yunus

Matias drank deeply. It was cheap, but so was he.

"Good men and good paying men are two different things." He remarked to Faelyn. "Buuut, I'll be the first to admit, I haven't really jived well with the last few gangs I've been in. Just something missing. I'll try it."

Standing up, he approached Klaus.

"I can't say I promise my loyalty or anything... yet, but if you're looking for a name, and your ambitious to the point of recklessness... why not 'Reckless Kings'? Whatever we pick, I care about not starving tonight, what's our first job? I figure you'll want to know what our magicks are, boss. I'm a red mage, I like music, and I deal mostly with sound. Also a pretty good shot. Here's an example of what I have."

Yunus started to bang his head, and move his fingers to some unheard rhythm. In the space of two tomes, all sound in the bar silenced. No one could talk for about the space of 10 seconds as Yunus smirked. After the ten seconds he made the same motion, and the sound returned.

"So, what do the rest of you do? Besides theatrics. Anyone got harmless displays? Or if its not magically, what else? I'm packing some heat, but I don't think the bar owner would appreciate a display. I'm also rather fond of not getting arrested."

Matias then put in his headphones, and melded into the background as he watched the rest. He didn't turn on his set, but he didn't want to get any more attention.

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Klaus Reiter​

New Atlantis,

Outer New York Ward,

Rest for the Wicked.

10:59 p.m...

Klaus smiled warmly, if a little bemusedly at his rowdy new group of... whatever they were.

"I think you misunderstand," he said, addressing Kasper first. "I don't need any of you to trust me, though it would be nice. What I need are people who trust themselves," Klaus moved his arm to the center of the table and held out two fingers for everyone to see. "Something of your own to fight for and the belief that you're strong enough to obtain it. If you don't have both of those then you should leave now.

Satisfied he had made his point Klaus turned to the others, his expression definitely leaning more towards bemused now. "I'm going to be totally honest, you guys have given this name thing way more thought than I have. I was sorta thinking we would just come up with something cool y'know? Like..." Klaus pointed at Frannie "'The Red Hands' is pretty cool! Or the 'The Reckless Kings'! I like that one," Klaus said enthusiastically, slapping Mathias on the back. "But maybe we circle back to the name thing? You guys think on it for a bit, like I said we'll vote on it."

Klaus signaled the bar for another round of drinks and then rubbed his hands together. "Why don't we get down to business then hmm? There's a reason I called you all here today and not yesterday and its because I have an opportunity I'm going to need some allies to take advantage of. How many of you know what this stuff is?"

Klaus reached into his jacket and tossed a small lump of what looked like grubby, purple sand wrapped in cling wrap. "For the uninitiated, it's called Spirit dust, or just dust usually. It's made by grinding down mana crystals and mixing them with a cocktail of mundane stimulants, the exact recipe tends to vary from uh.. manufacturer to manufacturer, it's all very artisanal. Anyway, dust is supposed to make you temporarily stronger, boost your mana reserves, reflexes, make you less sensitive to pain. What it mostly does is make you hyperactive, aggressive and irrational for a few hours then give your stomach lining a nasty case of mana burn BUT it is quite addictive, which makes it fairly profitable,"

Klaus broke off his explanation to look around the bar, he didn't say what or who he was looking for but he seemed satisfied and continued speaking. "I don't know how much you guys know about the local area, but these couple of blocks are controlled by a small time gang known as the 'Death Rats'. The rats have mostly made their money off protection, they chase away street thieves and keep the Silencers off the backs of the locals and take a fee from everyone in the area for their trouble. Recently though these industrious souls have been looking to expand their revenue streams, they've been importing dust from a larger gang in the Wharves and selling it at street level here. It's making them a lot of money but it's really pissed off the locals, there are three lesser schools in the area that together make up the bulk of the Rats' protection income, none of them want this stuff getting into the hands of their students and children."

Klaus winked. "That's where we come in. I happen to know where the deal for the Rats latest shipment of dust is going to go down. If we swoop in, bloody their noses and destroy the dust it'll prove to the locals that the Death Rats aren't strong enough to hold up their end of the bargain and we present a better alternative that won't bring drugs into their neighborhood. OR we could just take the drugs ourselves and bully the Rats' street dealers into working for us, the locals will still be pissed enough at the rats that they won't side with them so we'll be able to quickly cut off most of their income and then push them out of the area at our leisure."

Klaus shrugged. "Or maybe there's a third option I'm not seeing, to be honest some of you guys seem smarter than me. The important thing is that we all agree on a way to handle this and move decisively once we've settled on a course of action,"

 

[Love of Cyanide]

//ARTHUR MALLAIG|NEW ATLANTIS, OUTER NEW YORK WARD, REST FOR THE WICKED|10:57 P.M.//
Humming Arthur glanced at Lughaidh who nodded and reluctantly placed down the fizzy drink he had on the counter before floating over to Klaus. It gave a smug grin to Persephone as if to say 'Told ya so.' before glancing over to Klaus, "Dust, right? I say the former idea sounds good. Though the only part that concerns me is the lack of tha drug. Y'know addictions a bitch n'all. But it's whatever. The name's Lughaidh by the way." He coiled his body and floated back over to his drink which he slowly drained somehow.

Arthur patiently tapped his hand against the counter, his other hand flipping the pages of his tome idly. Smiling as Lughaidh came back he stroked his head before pulling back as he hissed, "I'm not yer damn pet..." The end of his body did wag slightly when he pet him.

Strange.

 

[viska]

Persephone felt her chest tightening as Klaus gave his ultimatum "Something of your own to fight for and the belief that you're strong enough to obtain it. "
She was sure that everyone had these grand goals in mind, and she began to wonder if her's was just..Not up to snuff.
Fantasies of these goals began to swim in her head; everything from ruling over all the mages, to blowing up the floating city and everything in between.
She began to loose herself in these thoughts, until Klaus suddenly asked the group about the drugs.

Sticking a defiant tongue out at the dragon, Persephone remarked a classy "Nyaaa" to his smug grin.
She did feel a bit embarrassed that he was right on the money though.
Was this really just a drug ring? Muscling out the competition to make fast money?
No.. That couldn't be it.
Her dreams would never come true if she just turned out to be a drug runner.
This had to be some kind of test, right?

Persephone went back over everything Klaus said in her mind.
She knew the Death Rats all to well from running into them while carrying packages all over the wards.
Heck, once or twice they even shook her down for money.
These guys were decently well organized for a bunch of over paid bullies.

She hated what they were doing with the 'protection' extortion, and before she even knew what she was saying she blurting "Now hold on.. If we sell the drugs aren't we just as bad as the Rats?"
Feeling disapproving leers creeping in her direction, her face began to deepen with a light blush.
Knowing it was too late to back out now, she shrugged and explained "Look, my school is in an outer ward. I grew up poor, and know what it's like to crave an 'escape' .. But if we steal the dust from the Rats and give it to these people.. We're just a bunch of petty drug dealers.
I know we need to get rid of these jerks, and make ourselves some seed money..But..
The rest of you are such powerful mages, I also know we can be so much better then that."

Rubbing her forehead she added with a wince "I've got the head ache to prove it."
Flashing a smile back at Arthur as if to ask for support, she cast her vote- "I say we destroy the dust."

 

[Phayne]

~Kasper J. Styx~

Cold eyes turned to face Cienna as she spoke, the green haired vixen seemingly irritated with his own thoughts on the matter; that much was obvious considering how quickly she had slapped the table. "Hmm" hummed Kasper, raising his head slightly towards her direction, in the process licking his lips. Whilst it wasn't Kasper's place to judge, he could not help but stare at her odd choice of attire, the plant like raiment adored over her flesh and bone a rather uncommon sight even among the plethora of mages that resided in this floating prison. Perhaps Kasper would have to toy with her at some point, her odd attire hinting towards a mysterious thrill. Her reaction to his entrance as well as his comments was not out of the normal, hell it was quite common for him to strike a nerve or two with his own opinions, so to say he was startled was far from the truth. Whilst eager to fan the flame he had ignited, Kasper instead chose to keep silent on the matter, contineuing to watch eagerly from behind his veil of hair, lips curling at the edges as he listened intently to the sarcastic musings of the woman opposite them. Her remarks were fierce, to the point and laced with such venom that any sane man would have recoiled in shock; alas Kasper was not sane and rather then backing away, his hunger to 'hear' her rant more only grew, so much so that he cared little for the vine that had appeared behind him; at least he assumed one had appeared. Whilst he lacked the ability to see behind himself, he highly doubted he was the only one not to have a vine behind his back, considering the state of everyone else present. Well almost everyone, the blue flower blossoming behind Franscisca. Kasper grinned, his right hand twitching ever so slightly as the additional appendage behind him came to life; its grey like length slithering across the floor and towards its target.

'An emotional one... she could be fun' mused Kasper to himself, the emotional ones were always the most enjoyable. Kasper snickered as she rounded off her say with the remark about names. Next was the bespectacled girl, a dark haired lass who exuded a rather 'upmarket' taste, far too prude for Kasper's general interest. Unlike Cienna, Francisca seemed to have far more selfish concerns about the whole thing; her quick jump to the monetary side of things a clear indication of her motives. Whilst there was little evidence to support such belief, Kasper was quietly confident that she was the type who could be bought; one whose head could swivel at the smallest inclination of financial gain and again Kasper could barely contain himself as he found himself drawn towards Francisca. A whole other type of personality with whom he could toy with albeit for a completely different reason than with Cienna. Unlike Cienna who let emotions control her actions, Francisca seemed the type who preferred to be in control; to not be tugged along by someone elses leash and to not act without incentive.. Kaspers suspicions were quickly confirmed by the revelation of her talent and the appearance of Starling. She was for all intense and purposes a control freak.. this confirmation sending a tingle up Kaspers spine. How exactly would she react when control was no longer in her hands, he wondered, schemes forming at the back of his mind as he raised his right hand to his mouth to wipe away the drool that was forming. Even if this meeting were to break down, Kasper had already gained two new targets for his hobbies; each one exquisite in their own way.

Alas, Kasper could only be so lucky as his eyes fell upon Persephone, one of the quieter individuals at this meeting yet if her expressions were anything to go by, Kasper was confident that she would indeed have a lot to say. Her attempt to contribute was ignored, seemingly unnoticed by everyone else.. well everyone excluding Kasper who watched with inherent glee as the young girl reached for the beer; liquid courage as some people called it. Kasper laughed. Corrupting someone as sweet and innocent as her, perhaps thats where he would begin; thats where he could maximise his own pleasure, painting an untainted heart until it was black as coal.

Faelyn on the other hand seemed like someone who Kasper could tolerate, her obvious distaste towards Francisca's remarks earlier as well as the brutal lookdown he was getting from her implying that she was up to the task of dealing with him. Her opinion as to what they should do aligned with Kasper's own. Stalking and ambushing their prey was a far more enjoyable task than simply attacking head on, it also helped that her branch of magic shared similarities to his own, though without seeing her abilities in person it was hard to say.

Matias was the only one who seemed keen to get straight to the point; initiating the need for Klaus to answer the elephant in the room. The example of his magic however did not sit well with Kasper; the 10 second of silence causing him to feel rather uneasy about Matias all together. If he could dampen sound, then surely he could amplify it and considering the nature of Kasper, it wouldn't be in his best interest to have all his silent musings brought to the attention of others.

"Oh" he replied to Klaus's response, though Kasper remained fixed upon his target now; the concentration and control behind his current actions requring most of his attention. It was at around this time that he had reached his goal, the snake like appendage extending from his tail bone now within striking range of the prize. With deadly precision the python struck; its teeth gripping around the blue flower behind Francisca, though rather than destroying the flower, the python merely held onto its stem as the length of its body returned to its original form; Kasper leaning down to his right just in time to snatch the flower out of the snake's mouth. With Cienna's gift now in his hand's Kasper held it against the light for all to see; his raised head now revealing his hazel colored eyes to the rest of the group and for a moment they fell upon Cienna. He was curious to see how she would react, she already showed visible displeasure towards him earlier, what would her next action be. Kasper smiled. " A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" he lamented, holding the flower for all to see. "I care not for this dust nor does the name for this group hold any real value" he continued, lowering the flower towards his nose and taking a deep whiff. "Your goals intrigue me Klaus and for that I offer my services" he pulled the flower away from his face, ".. merely, point me in the right direction and as long as the goals for your group align with what I want, then I will swing my blade at our enemies and do what needs to be done" Kasper slowly returned to a normal stature, his right hand still holding the flower but now only at chest level. "Should I get bored however.." Kasper raised his left hand and hovered it over the flower, each finger out stretched as if they were claws ready to strike. "Well.. " his left hand quickly swept down, clenching the top of the flower in a vice like grip; ripping the petals from the stem completely. "...I hope that never happens" he smiled, opening his left hand and letting the flower crumble to the floor in all its pieces.​