Fantasy Z O D I A C | Umbra [Currently CLOSED]

[Boss]

| Akano Tsubaki |

​

Morning
Brookfield | Suburban
Evans Elementary | Cafeteria
​

"The buses are about to start their routes in 15. Ethan'll be among the many others you'll teach today." It was that single hour before the children arrived that the school had its moment of peace and preparation, such a thing was needed even with the recent tragedies. Like all the other teachers, maintenance personnel, and data handlers, Akano would've spent her initial hour readying her only classroom, which was capable of seating 10 to 15 children at a time.

Some time later...

The remainder of the morning went by just like all the others. Akano's first and top priority was teaching her very own English class. The atmosphere was generally quiet, especially with the addition of Ethan in its ranks. It was almost like the kid had his own rain cloud that constantly followed him about. Naturally, that brought down the overall mood of the class. Eventually, the clock hit noon. Akano's job at that point was to simply help wherever she was needed -- whether that be restocking the classrooms with appropriate material or fixing a broken 2000s TV and VCR-player. No matter the task, there was generally no time for a dull moment.

According to one teacher, one of the classroom's ceiling lights had been busted from some sort of impact and requested that Akano deals with it at some point on her shift. It was only when she was standing atop a small ladder when she noticed a faint black stain dragged from the light fixture all the way to a ventilation duct in the ceiling. It was then that Akano's presence startled something impish. With a thud, the grate covering the duct collapsed from the ceiling, bringing with it a heavily deformed rodent covered in the same ooze that made up entire hollows.

It wasn't until the creature landed on one of the class desks that Akano could've gotten a good look at it. No bigger than a baseball, the critter looked like it was once some type of hamster or mouse, but was being completely taken over by an ebony lifeform, unearthing an unstable, hostile behavior akin to the worst case of rabies. Before Akano could act, the hollow critter scampered off of the desk and bolted for the classroom exit.

 

[Boss]

James Mac niadh Lane | Mason Mendella

​

Morning
Brookfield | the mountain shrine
Brookfield Branch | Classroom 3B => Locker Room
​

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to dig in other peoples dirty laundry. Some people prefer to keep that stuff to themselves."

"That's exactly why it pays to do your homework. Any secret can be turned into an advantage given that it's approached properly." Felix crossed his arms under his cloak and leaned a shoulder against a locker while he continued to eye up the other applicants in the room. Although bothered, Justine kept her focus on the cigarette lent to her, not giving a damn about anyone's preferences at this point.

"I'm guessing friendship isnt his strong suit. Guy why don't you mind your own business and stop talking about unnecessary shit. No gives a fuck what happened in his past. He could have been a prostitute and I still wouldn't give to shots. Same for her. Or him. Or that person."

Felix scoffed at Mason's logic. "Figures a jarhead like you wouldn't understand. In the military, you aren't paid to think, you're paid to pull a trigger, just like a machine. It's Intel that provides you with a target - otherwise, you may as well blow an entire town up without any regard for collateral damage. In civilian environments, people pay top dollar to unearth dirt on corrupt officials and things of that nature, so you can feed yourself and go to sleep peacefully knowing you've done your good deed for the day. Try out mercenary work when you inevitably fail this test, kid. You might learn something."

"Yo, I get that none of us has to be friends, but do we really have to compare sizes in a locker room?" complained another individual who had been silent up until now. At that point, the door to the smoke-dense locker room swung open with Kasim on the other end. The look on his face told the room that the final stage of their test was ready.

Morning => Noon
Brookfield | The Mountain Shrine
Brookfield Branch | Simulation Room​

Mason, James, and the others soon found themselves standing before a select cast of Dominion officers inside of a spacious yet empty training room. There was plenty of space to sprint around in, which only gave one major hint as to what their last test was going to entail. Standing in front of the group was Kasim, accompanied by an uninterested Len who remained idly by the entrance.

"Welcome to the final phase of our test. In case you haven't gathered, your worth in combat will be gauged here. In the Amazon, we tested your ability to adapt to a harsh climate, which is the closest experience you'll have to surviving in the supernatural realm of Limbo. Here, we'll be testing your combative capabilities in a disadvantageous situation. It goes without saying that hosts have a supernatural edge, so you'll need to come to expect an uphill battle whenever you're fighting for humanity. Templar Len here has been fighting against the supernatural for 2/3rds of her life. She'll prove to be more than an adequate opponent for you all."

Len glared over the applicants in silence while Kasim gave his explanation and pushed off the wall to join Kasim in front of the applicants. Unlike him, Len wore a plain tank top and sweatpants to go along with her dismissive demeanor. "After sparring, she'll give you a pass or fail based on how you fare against her. Trust me, there is no shame in failing at this stage of the test when you're deemed not ready. It's a lot better than thinking you're prepared and finding yourself facing an opponent you can't handle in a life-or-death scenario." Done with his speech, Kasim nodded toward Len, who then took over. "I've got an important meeting in 20, so let's wrap this up quickly. I don't care who I fight first." "Then why don't you start with me?" spoke out a confident Justine, to which Len simply sighed. "Sure, you're a decent warmup."

A few minutes later

Standing in the center of the room was Justine and her examiner, Len. From the corners of their allowed space stood the others to spectate the match. As Justine underwent a series of stretches, neck-cracks and knuckle-dusting, Len laid down the ground rules. "You already know the drill, but I'll repeat the rules for clarity. Your only aim in this encounter is to knock me down. If anything other than my hands and feet touches the mat, it's an instant pass for you. However, the same applies to you. Since I'm far more combat-oriented, you're permitted to use any weaponry you currently possess to your advantage - I already know you brought them with you." "Of course I have~" Justine hummed, feeling fired up already. "..-Touch the floor outside of the mat and you're disqualified, anywhere else is fine." "Yeah yeah, can we just start? Didn't you say you had a meeting to go to?" Annoyed, Len glanced to Kasim who was one of the many observers that came to watch the final phase. "Okay then. On my mark.." Kasim raised his arm in the air, then after a few seconds, swiped his arm down like a karate chop, signaling the beginning of the match.

 

[Sinny The Fool]

Clown & Hinako​

Morning
Brookfield General
Floor 4| Patient Room 04
(Color Code - Clown & Hinako)
Collab By - Boss Sinny The Fool​

Kruz waited in the car outside, while Elijah went into the hospital building to make his visit to Hinako, Kruz used the time to get stuck back into the contents of his book. Elijah checked in to see Hinako, the moment he stepped foot inside the room feeling the atmosphere crashing in around him. The guilt he had already been feeling for Hinako’s fate only intensifying upon looking over her in her hospital bed, upon entering for once Elijah wasn’t sure what to say, fidgeting with his hands and the fur on his coat.

"Today is the day I die, Eli."

Upon hearing those words, and the rest of what Hinako had to propose Elijah struggled to come to terms with Hinako’s self-proclaimed fate and his own uselessness, and failure to avoid all of this in the first place. Talk of the view she had of the city - and the view that another assassin under Lorenzo had of her, the reason why she worked for Lorenzo, and that she had done everything up to this point to protect her family. After all Hinako had already done for Elijah, having saved his life twice in spite of barely knowing each other at the time, she had one favor to ask in return.

"Eli, I want you to look after my little sister, and if possible - bring down Lorenzo's entire organization. He has dirt on every assassin in his arsenal. If that dirt is erased, there will be no place on this earth that could hide him from us."

What Hinako was asking was far from being a ‘small’ task, but Elijah did have the motive and Hinako gave him the means to pull it off. Taking the chair by Hinako’s bedside and dragging it around in front of the view of the city before sitting down, figuring that getting in the way of the assassins shot would buy him some more time with Hinako. Clasping his hands together over his mouth, struggling to even meet eye contact with Hinako out of shame & guilt ‘For someone who knows they are about to die, she seems at peace...Just like her. I wonder if this is how I’ll die..’

“...I promise Hinako, I’ll find your sister, and I will make sure Lorenzo get’s what is coming to him, but I won’t stop there - once Lorenzo is done, I’m going to find a way, and I’ll bring down the entire fucking Dominion.”

Hinako simply nodded in response to his answer. Elijah’s heart was in the right place, despite every other part of him standing on the opposite side of the law. Hinako reached out to her right to retrieve a small black box resting on a counter. “My sister can be a challenge to communicate with.” Flipping open the box to reveal a small necklace charm with Japanese lettering engraved into it. she withdrew it to offer to Elijah. “Show her this -- Anzu will know I sent you.”

Accepting the offer, Elijah gently took the necklace charm from Hinako, only taking a second to curiously gander at the engraving on the necklace before safely placing it away in the pockets underneath his jacket “Okay, got it..” standing up from his chair, his attention wandering off to the city view outside for a moment “Before I go, I wanna’ know something. Why did you save me, again? The first time made a little sense, but you had no reason to do what you did in Combine. So I guess I’m just curious, why?” he wasn’t sure what kind of answer he expected. He wasn’t even sure he expected an answer at all.

The girl’s response wasn’t immediate. Many things seemed to float in her mind as she glanced out of the window that’d serve as the only thing between her and death. “Who knows?” She returned nonchalantly. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned by living life as an assassin, it’s that not every action has a reason behind it.” Hinako had been sent to kill many types of people. The majority of her targets were the usual mobster-type, but every now and then she’d be forced to kill a relative of that gangster instead of the actual criminal themselves. It was those missions that slowly ate away at Hinako - the frightened glares of an innocent family reflected off of Hinako’s blood-soaked blade. ‘It’s for survival’ is what she told herself, slash after slash, stab after stab. It wasn’t long before Lorenzo had her slaughter people for simply slighting him at a club, or winning a fair game of poker. Hinako was a blade forged to kill off of a whim.

“Maybe I saw some good in you at a subconscious level. I couldn’t have known for sure until today.” Hinako looked away from the vista to exchange a glance with Elijah. “Anzu will want revenge against Lorenzo, and I’m perfectly fine with that-.. But-.. She shouldn’t continue down this path. Please, don’t involve her in your crusade against the Dominion. I know this might be a selfish thing to request, but you’re living proof that decent people exist here. Anzu deserves a chance to surround herself in a better crowd.”

All the way up to this point, Elijah had managed to avoid making direct eye contact with Hinako; in fear that doing so, would somehow make his eyes explode. He found himself being somewhat caught off guard by Hinako’s answer, and for a moment found himself exchanging glances Hinako, clearing his throat and placing on a confident facade he pressed his thumb against the side of his nose and smiled at Hinako

“On the integrity of my code, you can rely on me~ I’ll make short work of this ,Lorenzo will get what is coming to him soon enough, and then I’ll get your sister and I’ll….Make sure she chooses to live a better life.” Eli done his best to speak with utmost confidence, but in the recesses of his mind he felt uncertainty & doubt. He stepped away from the window and walked toward the door, opening it slightly and before leaving turning back to Hinako one last time “It was, uh, good to meet you Hinako, even if it wasn’t for long.”

Elijah walked out the door and exited the building, approaching Kruz’s car with Kruz still reading through the pages of his book until noticing Eli’s approaching footsteps and capturing Kruz’s attention towards Elijah’s glum expression “Didn’t go well?” Elijah ignored Kruz, getting into the passenger seat of the car and turning to Kruz “I have a favor to ask - I need to borrow some things…”​

 

[TerraBooma]

Sam Sarith
​

Sam was tired.

He'd been through experiences like this too many times. The loss of a loved one turned against him. A monster taking its guise. He hated them more than anything else in the world. He knew a gun wouldn't have done anything against the real Camilla, he had superhuman reaction time, but the bullet just wouldn't have moved fast enough. It's why he held it out. A small part of him hoped it was her. He wanted her to be real so bad he could feel it bursting out of his chest. But it had already got to Colt. He couldn't let it appease both of them. He took a shaky step back as the Camilla monster approached, hands shaking faster as he pointed the gun at her. "I...I said stay back!" He wished she would just attack, do anything, to get the fight on with. Then he could shoot, it would be over either way. Anything to end this torment. She took a step, he was going to scream, another an- wait, where did she go?

The moment it took Camilla to reach Sam felt like an endless mire. Sam was one of the faster members of the original group, and his reaction speed was top notch. Even then, he was helpless to actually move in the time it took her to get to him. He felt a flurry of emotions as he realized he wouldn't be able to do aanything fast enough. This was it then? None of his attacks would be doable to stop whatever was coming. He hoped it was a quick death, and that Colt somehow got out alive. He felt a thud and his muscles tensed. He expected the pain to follow next, that or nothingness.

But instead of a stab wound, he found himself in a hug. Sam simply stared for a few moments, down at the girl that was holding him. Not stabbing him, not clawing him. A hug. Could it really be her? Sam felt his resolve waver. He crumbled in around her as his arms fell down into a tight hug. Clutching her close. He didn't care anymore. If this monster wanted to torment him so, let it happen. For just a few seconds. Just a few blissful seconds, he wanted to beleive she was real.

"Is it...really you?" He asked, voice crumbling as the man began to break down and cry. "Please...if there's anything right left in this world...let it be you." And with that Sam let his defenses down. Hoping for it all to just finally be over. He was done the fighting. "I missed you so much...so...damn much."

​

 

[Kiosk]

JANAIYA WILKINSON YUE CHEN
​

You assholes.

Both verdicts were bullshit. She was honestly hoping Tuzi would kick Flame-guy's ass and was a bit disappointed there was no fight though at least she learned orbs of energy are edible. The giantess did however mentally put that guy on her shit list, Long was it? She looked up to glare at the man trying to get them killed, honestly these people were insane. Janaiya just wanted to go home, instead, they were ‘gifted’ with the chance to stay indefinitely. As the Judge turned to them and asked what their thoughts were she took a moment because she had a lot of thoughts, to be frank. This was absolutely NOT she wanted and the irritation and absolute rage was very evident. "Fine, I put my two fucking cents in." Janaiya watched Devan and the Herald vanish, she accepted she couldn't do anything for them. What was more important was what was going to happen with her and Yue. "I told you I wanna go home. What part of that do you people not understand!? I went along with this bullshit for TWO MONTHS!" She pointed at the man, "You kidnap us then pull some shit like, 'they know too much we cannot let them go' we know this much because you fucking kidnapped us and made us LEARN ABOUT YOUR SECRET BULLSHIT SOCIETY!"


“It would be an honor,” Yue tried to talk over Janaiya.

Yue was desperate enough to beg and it had seemed to work. The elder stopped in his tracks and seemed to listen. That was, until some hotshot came in and crushed everything that Yue had risked. She felt so very wronged and pissed, she couldn’t help but stare at this new man with hatred. Everything that came after was a blur for the young lady. Trash and drunkard’s vanishing left her in distress as she couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to Janaiya and her. She soon got her answer, sorting into some kind of houses. What was this, Harry Potter? She blinked slowly in confusion, lazily shifting her gaze towards Janaiya.


What the fuck? She became much more antsy than before, muttering something under her breath like a lunatic of some sorts. Yue was afraid of the impact that the words of the people in this room had. Now that they had been presented with a chance to live, she wouldn’t let anyone mess that up. Once she had earned the trust of these people, she’d leave. It could take anything from months to even years, but she would get away from here in one piece. Better than die now for nothing. Yue stared Janaiya intensely down as if she was trying to get her message across. She needed to shut up and swallow it now, her pride and the ‘offer’ for them to stay for a bit longer.


“It would be an honor,” she repeated once again, still staring at Janaiya.

The teenager opened and closed her mouth, visibly upset with Yue but the girl knew she was being irrational and Chen was just helping out.


Still, she frowned, very much not happy with what was going on or with what she would have to do. How long would they have to stay like this? She bit her lip and balled her fists, her head weighing heavy with the realization of just how severe this situation was. She had gone along with this charade longer than she planned under Yue’s suggestions but now… was Chen really going to ask her to try and stick it out even longer? That woman had some nerve. At least before she had a trial to hope for, something to cling to with the chance of escape. She was really being foolish, to hope for something like that.


Janaiya stared at the ground in silence and slowly bowed,

“Forgive me, It would be an honor…”


Her fingernails dug into her palms, the simple act of submission filled her with so many emotions it started leaking out her eyes.


This is bullshit.


Yue let out a long sigh as she watched the younger woman bow slowly, eyes clearly glassy. Yeah, no way Yue was going to cry or permit anyone else to cry in her presence. No, more like in the presence of these snakes that surrounded them. Show no weakness, right? Channeling their inner Bruce Lees and Jackie Chans, right? Yue wouldn’t let the last two months go to waste and down the drain. If they had started already, they were halfway there. Near escape, weren’t they? Of course it was naïve to believe so after she had witnessed the unjust system that this world had.


“We’ll listen obediently and cooperate, right?” Yue said quietly enough for mostly only Janaiya to hear. It wasn’t a question, more like a statement. If Janaiya knew Yue well enough, she knew that there was no way in hell she was going to stay stagnant and ‘obedient’ unless it benefited the two of them in some way.


“...let it be known, I think this shit is fucking stupid.” she hissed back at Yue. Janaiya dabbed her eyes and straightened up, steeling her resolve.

“But I’m with you.” She trusted this woman with her life, she would trust her on this too.

This is a collab post between hwayi and I

Azukai SidTheSkid

 

[Boss]

James Mac niadh Lane | Mason Mendella


Scene Music


​

Noon
Brookfield | The Mountain Shrine
Brookfield Branch | Simulation Room
​

With the official start of the match, the observers soon grew into a small crowd whom all fell silent in anticipation of the battle. The outcome was obvious. Len was known as a specialist capable of getting up close and personal with just about any time of host. One had to be fearless or foolish to act as a lone spearhead against the supernatural, and Len had been doing it for over two decades. The examiner and the applicant eyed one another as they both circled the mat. Justine waited patiently until she had found her opening in Len's pacing and then-...

Like a bullet out of a gun, Justine launched forward toward Len in a full-on sprint with not much distance to cover. Within seconds, Len found herself backpedaling while blocking and dodging a swift flurry of punches from Justine. The girl started with a roundhouse kick to knock Len off balance but was instead caught off guard when Len dropped down and reversed Justine's roundhouse kick with a leg sweep of her own. The entire movement left Justine sideways in mid-air, and in with that same flow, absorbed a hefty kick to the stomach that sent her flying back.

Justine broke her fall by springing off of her hand and landing on her two feet. Despite the failed assault, Justine scoffed in confidence, eliciting a response from Len, who held her kicking pose until now. "Your attacks are still just as telegraphed as it was when we last fought." Len commented with a hint of disappointment. "I don't know what you're talking about, my attack landed right where I wanted it to." To back up her confidence, Len noticed a series of blood-dripping cuts appear along her arms, as well as on her cheek. "-..What..." Len's stance began to falter. It was then that Justine opened her fists to reveal a set of tiny needles lined between her fingers, each one with completely empty vials. "A little gift from the Amazon jungle. It's hard to find fast-acting poison in America that can't be cured easily."

Len found it harder and harder to remain upright as the poison affected her motor skills primarily. All eyes fell on Justine as she casually approached Len without a care in the world. "Now now, wouldn't it be easy to just take the loss here and conserve your strength for the others? I hear that guy used to be a pro-boxer." Pointing to James proved to be a successful distraction as Len momentarily glanced in his direction. It was all Justine needed to send a punch sinking into Len's gut, and another one to the side of her face. Justine could have easily tripped Len and won the match, but instead of doing so, Justine actually pulled Len upright by the brim of her tank top. "You were saying something about my attacks being telegraphed? Tell me, can you see this coming?" Justine planted a knee into Len's stomach once more, forcing her to stain the mat with coughed up blood. Again, Justine righted Len. "I could knock you over, but that wouldn't be satisfying enough." Justine released Len and stepped back to create distance. "Why don't you admit defeat in front of everyone here?"

It was no secret that Len was among the most top-performing Templars in the American Branch. The thought of her admitting defeat could dethrone her as an idolized soldier - worst case scenario, she'd be demoted having been beat into submission by an applicant. The ever-growing crowd watched with bated breath as even Justine awaited her well-deserved tapout. Instead, Len shot Justine a glare and spat out the remainder of the blood in her mouth. "..Don't underestimate.. a Templar.." Raising a hand, Len jabbed two fingers into her own chest, striking a vital pressure point and seizing up her own heart in the process. Kasim crossed his arms and scoffed, knowing full well that Len would find a way to overcome such a small ordeal. The crowd watched in surprise. "Oh, I get it, you're stopping your own heart to cease the flow of poison-... You'll die in the process, though. You really want to risk your life for your pride?"

It was true that Len could feel her grip on her consciousness already beginning to fade, but the good news was that the effects of the poison were wearing off. Wasting no time in answering her opponent, Len switched onto the offensive and charged towards Justine, who met her halfway in the center of the mat with confidence that she could overpower a dying Templar. The clash exploded with speed from both fighters, but Justine was largely on the defensive with Len pouring every ounce of energy she had left into the fight. Justine waited until the perfect opportunity to counterattack - and said chance had arrived. Len's attack was slower than the previous one, and Justine took that window of opportunity to jab into Len's body and hasten her dying process. To everyone's surprise, Len caught Justine's fist and twisted it violently with a snap, using the ensuing shock to flip Justine over herself and slam her onto the ground back first, ending the match.

"It's over!" Kasim shouted with a raise of his hand. The spectators cheered in excitement over the climax of the match. Collapsing onto one knee, Len utilized another technique to jumpstart her own heart and resume the blood flow in her body. Meanwhile, Justine was left to stare at the ceiling in a mixture of pain and confusion. "That's crazy! How could you even think straight after stopping your own heart-..?!" "That's an easy one," Kasim interjected as Len was too busy catching her breath. He approached the two and helped both of them to their feet. "One of her previous missions involved tracking down and capturing a blind host capable of sensing heartbeats - Nearly killed her, that job. You going to be alright?" He asked Len, who took a moment to control her breathing and regulate her heartbeat. "-..I'll be fine.." "If you say so. What's the verdict on the girl, then? Does she pass?"

Len exchanged glances with Justine for a moment. The bad blood between them had already decided the inevitable fail that Justine was going to get. So what if her only motivation to join was to get closer to Jakob? Time and time again, she had been turned away for numerous 'reasons', though it was her motives that truly hindered her chances of becoming a Templar. Clicking her teeth in annoying, Justine couldn't even look at Len. At this point, she simply waited for her to say the words. "She's in."

Wait, what?

Justine turned around with widen eyes. "-..What..?" "You heard the woman." "No no-.. why now? I practically tortured you..!" Justine insisted that Len gave her a proper explanation. "-..If your love of Jakob can push you this far, I wonder what a true sense of justice will do to you." "Since when did you start investing in people's futures?" "Shut it." Len chuckled, turning towards the other applicants. "Now, who's next?"

 

[Kiosk]

NIKKY VIOLE​

Nikky had spent a large part of her life trying to hide her powers and Neil as a whole. To find so many using it freely was a bit unsettling, all her instincts told her to run the other way. This place seemed like a beacon for trouble and the ship stuck in the castle seemed like a heavenly sign to get out. It wasn't unguarded though, she would give them that. She looked back up towards the castle and she really hadn't had time to access all the emotions she was feeling.
Not like I have a choice anymore, right?
Nikky quickly shuffled up to Johnny, to witness a flash of light whiz by the two of them,

"...-And that right there was his daughter, Camilla. If anyone knows where Dominic is, you may as well start with asking his little girl."

She choked, "What really?" She had heard about a girl here and there but she had mostly assumed it was rumors at this point she was less shocked about the lightning bolt of a girl that sped by and more so that Dominic of all people was- is a dad. Did that mean he also had a son?

"Well, I'm headed up that way anyway. You can come with me if you want to talk to her."

Nikky just nodded her head, quickly following behind the man when the two came up on a pink haired girl.

"Name's Johnny, no last name. I'm the temporary head of security here. I assume that's your ship?"

Nikky smiled in an attempt to try to seem a bit more approachable that the giant lizard man, "Well if it is, you sure are a lousy driver."

Boss Randomfella

 

[Boss]

Melman Dobson | Lexi Caiheart
​

Morning
Brookfield | Industrial Area
'City of Brookfield' Landfill building | Corridor
​

It wasn't long before half of the facility was aware of uninvited guests - Champ in particular, who quickly became the landfill's least liked dog as he bolted around corners and swerved around employees like a freaked out cat. Before Melman could overwhelm Lexi with unnecessary information, he was joined by several 'concerned' employees. "Ma'am, you can't have animals in here." It went without saying that a pet could potentially digest something contaminated in an environment like that which naturally led to avoidable lawsuits. Any and all attempts to linger was simply met with unwavering guidance to the front gates, and Lexi soon found herself standing on the proper side of the chain-linked fencing without any chance to interact with the male Champ found intriguing. Without an employee badge, Lexi would find reentering the landfill site an insurmountable task.

"Seriously, how did she even get through the gates?" wondered one uninformed male. "Oi, Melman. Your truck's finally been repaired, so the boss wanted me to let you know that you're on collection duty today." It was incredible to witness the lengths a company would go to get the most performance out of a vehicle largely overdue for an inspection. All it took was going over a single pothole for the entire axle to buckle, and Melman's assigned truck was condemned to the shop for weeks. Of course, fat jokes had been circulating over why the truck had finally keeled over.

 

[TerraBooma]

Jericho, Elder Spirit
​

The keys on Jericho's laptop clattered as the others spoke. There was little reaction from Lucy's words. Though Johnny brought a smile to his face. When Nikky spoke however, Jericho simply cocked his head, curiosity flashing on the spirits face. He swished down through the air, coming to circle Nikky in a method Lucy would recognize only all to well from Samantha's old actions. He seemed to be examining her, checking his laptop occasionally.

"First, if what you state is true, Johnny Noname, then there is little to be worried about. Though there may be some concerns as to the how, and some greater towards the logistics of the situation, I can safely inform you that you are among allies. The crew of Cetus is loyal to Sam. And from what information I am able to pull up on this village of yours, it seems your goals are aligned." The spirit nodded. "As for you, you look...familiar." The spirit squinted its eyes at Nikky. "I must inquire your name as we move to the castle. Sadly, our primary helmsman was vaporized recently. The ship was torn asunder and we were thrown through a portal along with it. Driving simply wasn't an option. I beleive Sam and the others are still back at the castle. Fortunately, finding you three secures my scouting mission. He makes a few more strokes of the keyboard. And other warrior spirits start to slowly file towards them. Weilding a variety of weapons from a hunter with a sling to a redcoat soldier with a musket. They give somewhat amiable nods, if tense.

"Shall we return to the castle?"

 

[Boss]

Camilla Ferrari | Sam Sarith | Lucy Black | NIKKY VIOLE

​

Noon
Host Village
Castle | Throne Room
​

Two months later, and the search for Sam and Colt had finally come to an end. Where they had gone and what they had gone through was a mystery, but for now, Camilla was simply glad they had returned safely. It was the first piece of good news that the village had in a long time and Camilla was sure that the return of those two would bring a much-needed morale boost for the rest of the town. Camilla spent the next few minutes with the two until they were fit to leave the castle. "Everyone's been searching for you for days - when did you come back?" Colt simply couldn't piece together how the speedster slipped by the village's search-efforts and just 'popped' back in. It was a peaceful yet anti-climatic conclusion to the search. The woman stared at Camilla with a tear-dried face. "When did-..? I've been here for two months!" "T-two months?! That's not right, Sam and I left out to find you this morning-..." Bewildered, Colt struggled to make sense of the situation as she began to recover from her earlier breakdown. "You're-... mature now?" Camilla furrowed her brow in confusion before her face reddened at the realization of what Colt meant. Camilla hadn't realized just how comfortable she had become with her older body. It was strange to remember that not too long ago she had a rather annoying pitch to her voice and barely cleared 5'6.

"Yeah, I kind of had an unfortunate run-in with a Zodiac..." Bashful, Camilla cast aside her gaze. Come to think of it, she never actually saw that Zodiac since. She didn't even get a name! "It's a long story." She confessed, regaining her composure with a sigh. "Come, there's someone I'd like you two to meet!"

Noon
Host Village
Outside Lucy's Home
​

The moment Colt stepped out into the sun's rays, she knew that what Camilla claimed was true. When they set out to find the girl, the wind still carried that familiar chill. Now, the sun was cooking her in the clothes she had worn. "We've really been gone for two months..." she uttered lowly as they marched down the trail from the castle. Just from where they stood, they could see numerous buildings that hadn't been there before, further cementing the reality of their situation.

"I believe Sam and the others are still back at the castle. Fortunately, finding you three secures my scouting mission. Shall we return to the castle?"

"No need, they're coming to us." Nodding towards the approaching group, Johnny waved down Camilla to make them easier to spot at that distance. It wasn't long before she rejoined Lucy with Sam and Colt at her sides. "Sorry about running off like that." Camilla wasted no time in apologizing to Lucy. She had a habit of kicking dirt into people's faces when something grabs her attention from afar. "Lucy, this is Uncle Sam and Auntie Colt. Guys, this is Lucy. She just became a host and moved in recently, so be nice." Following the introductions, Colt lightly bowed her head with a smile before noticing another unfamiliar face. "And you are-..?" Camilla followed her gaze to Nikky, but ended lost for words.

 

[Kiosk]

NIKKY VIOLE​

"Woah."
Nikky's eye went wide at the spirit suddenly circling her, somehow she hadn't noticed him before. He had an odd way of checking someone out, she decided.

"As for you, you look...familiar."

This time Nikky cocked her head to the side, "Do I? I guess I just have that sort of face." Nikky stuck her hands in her pockets and put on a smile, racking her brain as to where this person would have possibly seen her.

"I must inquire your name as we move to the castle. Sadly, our primary helmsman was vaporized recently. The ship was torn asunder and we were thrown through a portal along with it. Driving simply wasn't an option. I beleive Sam and the others are still back at the castle. Fortunately, finding you three secures my scouting mission.

"Sam?" Nikky thought for a moment, that name rang a bell or two. "Well, I'm Nikky. Uh, sorry 'bout your boat." what even is the proper thing to say when someone has their boat crashed in a castle? They continued and came across three other people. As Nikky approached, her eyes immediately fell on the girl, and she blinked, taken aback. She watched in stunned silence as Camilla went to talk to her pink haired friend, Lucy.

"And you are-..?"

She looked like her dad, but it wasn't just her looks. As Camilla locked eyes with her she saw something she remembered seeing in Dominic when he was around her age and her heart swelled with sadness. Like father, like daughter. Did she know her? With how angry Dominic looked two months back... there was no way he talked about her, and if he did, it couldn't have been kind.

Finally, the dark skinned woman looked up from Camilla to Colt and smiled,
"Nikky Viole, at your service."



Boss TerraBooma Randomfella

 

[Kisaki]

Akano Tsubaki (Diamond)

Diamond was happily sipping on her tea, thinking about bringing the new student a few treats from the bakery, until a hollowish rat fell onto her desk. Looking at it made her shiver in disgust and confusion. “Disgusting!” She yelled as it skippered off through the cracked door of her classroom. Akano pulled a wooden baseball bat from under the desk and ran after the hideous creature. The kids walking to their next class were startled by Akano running down the hall but giggled as once they saw her swinging the bat at the small creature. “Get him Miss Diamond!” They cheered on as she continued to run after the creature.
Boss

 

[Solemn Jester]

Melman Dobson

"Haha! Excellent! This is most fortuitous! Thank you, my good man!" Melman told his coworker giving him a hardy pat on the back before skipping away."NOW OFF I GO! TO MY TRUSTY STEAD! I'm coming my sweet just wait a little longer!!" He yelled to seemingly no one as he made his way out of the building and towards the location of his ride. Upon seeing his truck, which he had dubbed "Big Mama" due to it being his only safe place outside of his home. Much like how his mother would always comfort his fragile soul when he was feeling down. Suddenly Melman was a new man. He smirked at his truck, taking out some shades that really weren't necessary as he waddled/strutted to his vehicle with all the confidence of rich man walking to his billion dollar vehicle. He rubbed a hand across the door, pressing his chubby face against its door."Ah, I've missed you BM. It was so hard taking care of all of those horrible bodies without you to comfort me. They made me ride onto the back. I almost fell so many times. I still have the road burn on my bottom to prove it. But it's okay, we're together now, and that's all that matters." He cooed, taking in a deep breath to inhale the scent of his truck. He suddenly caught an odd scent he had not smelled from his truck ever. His nostrils twitched and the part of his brain responsible for memory, and smelling got to work. Firing off all the little neurons. Suddenly he pulled up, giving his truck a big dopey smile."Someone's cleaned up since last I saw them. Is that pine freshener I smell? Hyuck hyuck hyuck!" Melman asked knowing the truck wouldn't answer back. He'd have to remember to thank whoever was responsible for taking care of his ride. Now that the reunion was done. He leaped into the driver's seat. Big Mama being Melman's one and only ride. He had never had the money for his own and was lucky he had managed to get his drivers license. He had managed to get the basics down thanks to watching others, and reading manuals and what not repeatedly. Now he was the driver, and happily awaited the rest of his crew. Once they arrived he'd head out on their scheduled route to pick up all the lovely not hideous or monstrous garbage. Upon exiting in the BM he noticed the little dog and girl he had run into earlier. He slowed down just enough to wave at them and say, "You be safe now! It's still plenty dangerous out there! Bye!!" Before driving off as fast as legally allowed to their first stop. It wasn't long before they reached the spot, and Melman's crew got out to dump the trash in the back. Leaving Melman to press the compactor button. The easiest bit of his job so long as he didn't accidentally crush someone. While he was waiting for them to finish Melman began humming along to a song, tapping his finger to the best. Probably the most content he had been in forever.





Boss Jackaboi

 

[Randomfella]

Lucy Black
Host Village​

The girl's body stopped in its tracks, as more strangers approached, calling out toward them. A wave of confusion overcame Lucy's face as she looked back toward the older woman, keeping her gaze away from her line of sight. "Huh?" A soft, startled noise left her, doused in uncertainty, did she think Lucy had landed that thing? Still, despite her worry, she continued to glance back at the castle. That was until Jericho began to reply, stealing her attention. "Sam?" Lucy wondered, mulling it over, loyal to Samantha? He was a spirit, like she once was, his movements alone were far too akin to the girl, yet she had no idea an entire crew was loyal to the spirit.

As they continued to talk, Lucy's body once more began to edge backwards, toward the castle, trying to avoid the attention of the spirit warriors. She needed to make sure it was fine, and she couldn't trust the spirit's words, that was for sure. Yet as the group approached, her head turned back to face them, a short bout of ease showing itself as she noticed Camilla moving toward them.

"I... I-" Lucy began to mumble as the girl introduced her to the two figures. The way she spoke of them was far too homely, regardless, the girl was now practically surrounded by strange faces. Lucy began to shrink, a nervous sweat forming on her brow as she stepped from the circle of hosts that surrounded her, moving herself slightly behind Camilla, glancing to Colt as she bowed. "Hi..." She whispered, attempting to get out some sort of response, her head looking down, though not in a bow, as much as it may have seemed to be so, but in a slight bout of shame at her own response.

Boss TerraBooma Kiosk

 

[TerraBooma]

Cetus and Crew​

With the scouting relatively complete. Cetus set about setting up her crew. She pulled the spirits towards her and set them about to repair the castle. It would take time, but it's not like they had anything better to do. They'd trust Sam to speak on their behalf.

Sam Sarith​

After decidedly being not-stabbed. Camilla's identity was solidified in his mind. Even if Sam had the energy to fight...he didn't want to fight Camilla in any form. So he decided that this must be reality. And...the fact that they had been missing for so long concerned him. How much had they missed? What was Dominic's condition? He went to speak his concerns. Had Dominic already died from corruption? He knew his friend hadn't been doing well...But he felt Camilla was too cheery for such an occasion. regardless, the signature weapon adorning he back meant that he wasn't in fighting shape. He made a note to go speak with him later. There was much catching up that needed doing. He observed the others Johnny brought forth. He was glad the bigger man was alright- after all, Sam had barely seen him since the explosion. A greater wave of lethargy hit him and he just felt...tired. But he kept a kind face, if only to meet with Camilla's newfound friend. He gave a tired wave to Lucy. The sunlight shown down and he felt like he was waking up from a nightmare...but he still felt groggy.

"So your a friend of Camilla's? Pleasure to meet you. Folks call me lots of different things, and I wear plenty of hats these days. But as she said, my name is Sam. Sam Sarith. Sounds like she met you while I was...gone. She probably got you into plenty of trouble huh? You did good standing by her. Any friend of Camilla's is welcome here, so if you need anything, just let me know. Especially if what you need is embarrassing baby stories about Camilla." He gave a tired laugh. "But if your new here...your either a new host, or simply new to the village. In the latter case, welcome, I'm glad you've finally found somewhere you can rest. If the former...well, I'm sure you've been bombarded enough with information. Just know you can always come by my house for a bit of quiet."

With that, he turned to inspect the other woman. She was...familiar. As he searched his memory, he suddenly snapped his fingers and smiled. A moment of realization pushed through past exhaustion.

"Nikky? God be dammed! I thought Dom and I were the only ones from the original crew left these days. Back in high school right? I haven't seen you much since grad...nice to see your still doing well for yourself. You should've come here sooner!"

Suddenly, he looked around, frowning lightly.

"Hey...Camilla, you order Samantha to guard something? My last orders were for her to keep you safe...and she didn't return to Cetus, so she didn't dissapate." He supposed that should have been an indicator when the false-Camilla was killed. But it only started sinking in now. "Means she should be protecting you pretty closely right? I know she's hardly as fast as you, but she's got a pretty good power behind her hover. She'd be here before Johnny at least.- Speaking of, glad your back big guy.- "Where is she? You got her looking after your old stuffies or something?" He smiled at the thought.

 

[Boss]

Camilla Ferrari | Sam Sarith | Lucy Black | NIKKY VIOLE

​

Noon
Host Village
Outside Lucy's Home
​

The name 'Nikky Viole' didn't ring any bells initially for the speedster, as apparent by the unfamiliar yet friendly disposition towards the woman. "This here is Camilla Ferrari, one of Dominic's own." Camilla bowed her respects to the woman.

"Nikky? God be dammed! I thought Dom and I were the only ones from the original crew left these days. Back in high school right? I haven't seen you much since grad...nice to see your still doing well for yourself. You should've come here sooner!"

The 'original crew'? High school? Now that Camilla thought about it, Nikky resembled the younger girl who stood in Dominic's class photo. "Oh - Nikky Viole! I heard a lot about you from my dad's high schooler stories!" Although there wasn't much detail, Camilla was always happy to see someone from her father's past considering Sam and Colt were both a part of it as well.

"Hey...Camilla, you order Samantha to guard something? My last orders were for her to keep you safe...and she didn't return to Cetus, so she didn't dissipate."

Oh right, she almost forgot.

"Means she should be protecting you pretty closely right? I know she's hardly as fast as you, but she's got a pretty good power behind her hover. She'd be here before Johnny at least.- Speaking of, glad your back big guy."

Johnny briefly gave his thanks and let Sam continue.

"Where is she? You got her looking after your old stuffies or something?"

"She isn't far," She started. "she lives outside of the walls. In fact, Lucy and I were about to go visit her today. Do you guys want to tag along?" Camilla eyed each and every individual with full confidence that they'd come with anyhow. "I would, Camilla, but this morn-.. these past two months have been.. exhaustive." It was evident enough in her voice that all Colt wanted to do at this point is lay down and process everything that had happened in the comfort of her own home. Knowingly, Camilla nodded without a fuss. "Make sure you get some rest too, Sam - It was nice meeting you two." Colt waved to the group as she went her separate way.

"I need to stay as well. The ship incident seemed to put some of the more volatile people on edge..." Further emphasizing his point were the distant woes of the general populace that still remained within earshot. Without another word, Johnny dismissed himself and returned to his responsibilities as the security head. This boiled the group down to Camilla, Lucy, Nikky, Sam, and the remnants of his crew that still lingered about, such as Jericho. "Samantha would be really happy to see the rest of her friends," Camilla stated towards Sam and Jericho. "she had a rough time protecting me and Lucy all this time."

 

[Jackaboi]

Lexi Caiheart​

As Lexi prepared to receive a scolding from the larger than average man, she was instead met with a gentle response. He spoke like one of those overly cheerful next door neighbours that would always greet you with a good old "Hi diddly ho neighbour!" As you walked out the house. Once the man started to talk about the hot cakes he had for breakfast, Lexi's own stomach began to rumble. It was certainly safe to say traumatic near-death experiences wouldn't be enough to kill her appetite for too long. However she shook the temptation out of her head, remembering she had champ and was actually tresspassing in an area where animals were likely to be seen as an extreme health concern, it also seemed that the gentle man was of like mind, at least until he started ranting about all the work that needed to be done after the chaos from two months ago. Guess he could be considered one of the "lucky ones" considering he was never directly in contact with any of the carnage or face to face with any of the horrible creatures. "R-Right... I apologise. I'll be heading off before anyone notices..." Lexi had only just turned around when she noticed more workers approaching her. Judging by the expression on the one in front he was less than amused that she was here. The workers wasted no time guiding Lexi out of the building. Once she was on the other side of the gate, they closed it off, ensuring she couldn't get back in. "(sigh) Champ why'd you have to go get me in trouble like that? Someone's certainly not getting any treats when we get home." Not that it would make a difference though.

Was was just about to start making her way back home when the larger more cheerful worker drove round in his garbage truck, slowing down enought to greet her and say stay safe from the dangers of the world. Lexi simply nodded in response, knowing full well just how dangerous the world can be. Having walked for a good while she finally arrived at her own home. Gazing upon the house it was as if the once colourful world turned grey. She hated living there for plenty of good reasons. However she didn't have a choice but to endure it. Lexi opened the door and spoke out loud "I'm home." Almost immediately after speaking she quickly made her way to her room before her dad had a chance to react. She paused for a moment hoping that he didn't call for her then removed champ's leash. "Alright it looks like it's safe for now..." Lexi relaxed and stared around her room, just realising there's nothing to do. "Now what do I do..." She fell back on her bed, brainstorming ways to pass the time, or just wait for something else to happen. Considering the lack of noise happening in the house it was hard to tell whether her father was actually home or not. She hoped he wasn't but she didn't want to check if he was.

Boss Solemn Jester

 

[SidTheSkid]

.

Spoiler: Pelagius Le'compte

[IMG='width:428px;']https://www.rpnation.com/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.discordapp.com%2Fattachments%2F449104790128033793%2F533246151126810624%2F4fc766bfbd96e6ef859ebff8da56a7e1.png&hash=aee61b12c75f387258932a0e99eeaff8[/IMG]

[IMG='width:552px;']https://www.rpnation.com/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.postimg.cc%2FXYLr7yGt%2FCool-Text-Pelagius-Lecompte-311572436849395.png&hash=1087aff0f8966689eedad7aed57c8c16[/IMG]
. ​

(Location: Brookfield, Redlight District, The 'Pleasure' Palace. )
(Mood: Displeased. )
(Interactions: )
(Mentions: )

Hordes of loaded citizens from Brookfield enthusiastically converged themselves into the exquisite insides of the magnificently-lit entrance hall, cavalier utterances could be distinguished from nearly all of the dignitaries within, the entirety grouping themselves together like a vast herd of talkative sheep while their complacent voices began spilling out with uncontrollable laughter as most of them passionately spoke about the beginning of the event soon to take place, only being slightly muffled by the occasional sip of fine-wine they pour down their vibrating gullets. Beyond the impenetrable expanse of bigwigs and celebrities, a few skittish 'gulps' could be barely discerned from the scantily-dressed laborers afar, their backs instinctively straightened at the overwhelming sight of many that had been gathered before them, it was clear that this was going to be a night from 'Hell' albeit rather fitting considering the poor choice of location to which they still couldn't exactly comprehend why their boss would designate a run-down city for such a lucrative business! Not to mention why those of high-importance would go out of their way to visit such a dangerous neighborhood! Alas, it wouldn't be surprising to see flocks of admirers crawl through heaps of trash just to get so much as a glimpse at their beloved idol known as "Pelagius Le'compte", during most of the event he himself had been fixed to a 'striking' antique pedestal that stood brilliantly at the second level of the palace, his beaming eyes casting over the abundance of those in attendance. Within a matter of seconds, Mr.Le'compte's posh sounding voice had echoed throughout the extensive chambers of his palace resulting in a momentary silence from the wealthy gathering as he proceeded with his introduction.

"How delighted I am for all of you to be here! Honestly, I was deeply considering moving to Brookfield after hearing all about what happened a few days ago. Simply a tragedy, many lives were lost because of such an appalling accident, my aching heart goes out to all of those brave men and women that have risked their lives to save those during this city's dire time of need along with the families that've lost those most important to them." Dramatically bowing his head in front of the crowd, his false empathy disguised by his actions was enough to get the whole audience to sympathize with him, a sweeping round of applause resounded as he joyfully lifted his face to them, a ridiculous stretching smile shining from ear to ear as he continued his extremely climactic speech. "This is why, in their honor! I, Pelagius, shall be bringing my business here to the wondrous city of Brookfield where I'm sure with me and the community's help, all of us will achieve improving the state of living here! Our next generation will be able to fully prosper in a place they can openly call their home, all of the profits made from today will go towards refining Brookfield's infrastructure...We will get through this time of struggle, not by ourselves but together!" After his speech, blaring waves of continuous cheers reverberated as the 'humble' looking Pelagius took it upon himself to step down from his podium, soon snatching away the microphone and leading himself down the stairs where he met the ecstatic high-end crowd face to face with a pair of fancy scissors held in his left hand and only a flimsy barrier made of velvet separating him and the eager audience.

"Without further ado, Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for! I introduce to you, the grand opening of The Pleasure Palace!" With a single snip of his scissors it took naught but a blink of an eye for the roped off area to become accessible to those in attendance, throngs of impassioned men and women encircled most of the overwhelmed staff, a few more important had already taken it upon themselves to interact with the host of the event, speaking to him about trivial things such as the high-class life and about the expenses of staff, at least until a recognizable bald elderly man had approached Pelagius and the group with a few watching party-goers whispering from afar. "My, is that Diamond Richard?" One of them spoke, almost with a flabberghasted tone. "Diamond Richard, the talk show host?! Can't believe I get to see him in person!" Another one declared in a hushed voice. "So, Mr.Pelagius is it? I've heard all about you! I must say this whole shindig is quite extravagant! Don't tell my wife this but these women are jaw-dropping, how did you manage to employ such lovely creatures?" Pelagius couldn't help himself from bellowing out in a peal of charming laughter at the man's question before justly clearing his throat. "Ah, I didn't expect such a flattering compliment from you Diamond, I do appreciate that dearly! Well, I did not cut any costs when it came to choosing my staff, only the best is suitable for the likes of you and everyone else attending this event." Pelagius happily exclaimed before putting his index finger and thumb between his mouth, creating a soft whistle which had gained the attention of one of the many attractive female staff roaming within the palace, soon a seductress with a playboy bunny attire had approached the both of them, her fine 'assets' bouncing comically as she halted beside her employer, Richard's face nearly turning into a bright tomato color the longer she stood across from him.

"Heh, i've already seen you taken a liking to Caroline, she's definitely a beauty to be treasured! Anywho, Caroline?" Looking over at the voluptuous girl beside him, Caroline couldn't help but an innocent look at Pelagius with a questioning brow raised before having him speak again. "Why don't you and Diamond enjoy yourselves, hm? Don't spare any of your lovely talents trying to please him." He spoke, making Diamond turn into a blubbering mess as the seductive looking female promptly clung to the elderly man's side, caressing his one arm with a majority of her body as her lower lip trembled with utter excitement. "Oooh, you're sooo strong master! Why don't we go have a little private time together hmm?" Richard felt himself giving into temptation as he was playfully dragged along into a nearby corridor branching off from the foyer, his voice shaking as he shouted back to Pelagius. "You truly are a man of great talents Mr.Pelagius, thank you!" Moments after their swift departure, a panicking man outfitted with stereotypical bartender clothes with the unique addition of some rabbit ears had approached Pelagius, his exhaustive breath making it difficult for him to remain his professional demeanor in front of everyone until he was given a ferocious reprimand. "Abel?! What are you doing here, you're supposed to be at the bar serving our customers!" If he wasn't shaking with anger enough, it came to his attention that something even more irksome had taken place while Abel was distracted. "I think someone slipped past me while I was serving drinks!" He claimed, resuming his response while fearfully returning his hands to his side in a professional posture. "Mistress Pain found someone lurking around in the basement area, she claims it was a member of the paparazzi." The bartender spoke, a dejected look in his face as he hesitantly watched Pelagius swell in rage. He couldn't believe that someone had managed to get an invitation to such an exclusive event, let alone would be gutsy enough to try and trespass on his property, whoever this perpetrator was he needed to be interrogated, for all he knows it could be some Dominion agent sent to spy on him although unlikely. It didn't take long for him to furiously storm past the bartender in a fit of disbelief, Pelagius eventually discovered himself in the secluded basement area of the palace where he had soon been met with the sight of Mistress Pain energetically ripping into the person's skin with a barbed whip, each sickening crackle against his bruised flesh had made the man weep out in excruciating pain nevertheless his cries of agony only fell on deaf ears as the basement area was completely soundproof.

"Mhmm.. What do we have here, didn't you know that this area was off-limits? You must've had some kind of brilliant reasoning for wanting to get back here! How about you explain yourself, darling."
Compared to his previous manner of speaking, this was a whole different side of Pelagius as his delightful mien had become a lot more frightening, his once high-pitched timbre a lot deeper and full of unknown excitement.

Spoiler: Caroline - Bunny Girl Staff

[IMG='width:422px;']https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/449104790128033793/534917365872197653/42015040110201853.png[/IMG]

Spoiler: Abel - Bartender of Palace

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Spoiler: Diamond Richard - Famous Latenight Talkshow Host

[IMG='width:477px;']https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/449104790128033793/534922265632964618/sparkle1.png?width=679&height=385[/IMG]

Spoiler: Background Music of Palace

.

 

[Kiosk]

"Nikky? God be dammed! I thought Dom and I were the only ones from the original crew left these days. Back in high school right? I haven't seen you much since grad...nice to see your still doing well for yourself. You should've come here sooner!"

Nikky looked over from Colt at the man,he was aged, but his voice made it click, "No shit!" she didn't think many of the folks from Armstrong would still be hanging around. The old host couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. As far as she could remember, they weren't best of friends but finding someone from the past just by chance is something she didn't think she would have the luxury of enjoying nowadays.

"Oh - Nikky Viole! I heard a lot about you from my dad's high schooler stories!"

"High schooler stories, eh? How touching." she was genuinely surprised. High school was a mess. but it was hard to forget the people she met there. Explains why she's here now.

"-she lives outside of the walls. In fact, Lucy and I were about to go visit her today. Do you guys want to tag along?"

Nikky shrugged, "Sure, why not." she had questions, but the rough part was over, she had found the village, and the girl.
She had patience.

Boss TerraBooma Randomfella

 

[Boss]

​

Noon
Brookfield | Red Light District
The Pleasure Palace | Basement
​

With the levels of pain that the intruder had undergone ever since his unfortunate capture, it was a miracle that his screams of agony never once leaked out into the floors above, where dozens - if not hundreds of patrons were enjoying their stay. Blood collected beneath the shirtless man who could barely keep his legs from noodling. By the clear markings of gang-affiliated tattoos, it was clear that either this man was a common thug or a very convincing Dominion rat. With his mind completely warped around the sensation of pain, he hadn't even noticed that someone other than the 'Mistress of Pain' was present in the room.

And thus, Pelagius' question went unanswered, or so it seemed. "He's one of mine." declared a voice from behind him. Pelagius would immediately recognize the man with blonde, slicked-back hair and two-tone suit as Lorenzo and the blindfolded woman attached to him as a member of his personally trained death squad. "Surely a trustest friend cannot trespass." Lorenzo shot Pelagius a wink along with his jest. In the eyes of many, both he and Lorenzo could be considered rivals or two sides of the same coin. While one ran a law firm by day and the other didn't, both were similarly tempted into the underground by much darker impulses.

Lorenzo's friendly demeanor faded when his glare locked with his bound subordinate, who visually recoiled with fear when he spotted the two. "I apologize for my underling's behavior. He's new, you see. A youth like him is incapable of sensing real power in a room. Number 5, be a dear, would you?" Lorenzo released his hold around the woman's waist and watched as she marched toward the newbie and gripped him by his oiled hair, pulling his head upward while her other hand temporarily lifted up the blindfold and forced him to stare into her eye. The initial panic and resistance melted away as the man fell into a trance-like state upon witnessing 5's eye. Showing pride in demonstrating her work, 5 stepped back a few paces and awaited as the bound man suddenly found the strength in his legs to stand properly. His arms pulled against his restraints, and soon freed one of his arms despite it being tightly secured.

"It's amazing what the human mind can do when you convince it that limitations don't exist."

Free of fear, the man glanced at Lorenzo with a neutral expression despite his rapid loss of blood.

"You know what the price is for inconveniencing me."

With an uncanny lack of concern for his own well-being, the man used his free hand to gouge out his own eyeball with ease. Soon after, his consciousness faded, and Lorenzo turned to Pelagius with 5 rejoining him at his side. "Love the party, by the way."

 

[Boss]

Lexi Caiheart

​

Noon
Brookfield | Residental
Caiheart Residence
​

Home. The last bastion of peace built against the chaotic nature of the real world. It was a place of serenity, a place of recollection and healing. Such an optimistic idea of one's home was nothing more than just that; an 'idea' for Lexi. More often than not, the girl wouldn't have been able to get from the front door to her room without some form of confrontation from her deadbeat father, who found his perfect life through the bottom of a bottle ever since the death of his wife and Lexi's mother. To Henry, the mention of having a happy family was just as unrealistic as Lexi's dreams of a non-toxic home.

The loud blaring of the decade-old TV was almost enough to mask Lexi's arrival. Had it not been an important football game on the screen, Lexi probably wouldn't have achieved half an hour of uninterrupted silence. Nothing lasts forever, and before Lexi noticed how nice the temporary peace was, she could hear her name echo throughout the apartment. Her father was watching the game and must have run out of beer again.

 

[SidTheSkid]

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Spoiler: Pelagius Le'compte

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(Location: Brookfield, Redlight District, The 'Pleasure' Palace. )
(Mood: Perplexed. )
(Interactions: Lorenzo. )
(Mentions: )

Pelagius's inquisition served insignificant when it came to the impaired prowler, his dwindling consciousness just barely hanging onto but a mere thread after having been vigorously beaten by one of Le'compte's minion. Questionably biting his lip in agitation, his frustration only furthered once he'd recognized that this unknown captive would be severely problematic if kept here for a longer period of time without attaining any information, it was probable that he was acting all this out and was still able to relay secretive information to whatever source he'd come from! Nonetheless, trying to coerce this 'defeated' prisoner into cooperating by methods of prolonging agony might just wind up unwittingly killing him if pushed too far, still, he couldn't idly standby and steadily endure any repercussions that would probably develop by keeping him here. "What a conundrum that I'm in, I suppose we have no other choice." Exhausting his options, Pelagius calmly stepped aside as he clicked his middle finger and thumb in unison, a loud 'snap' creating from the whip abruptly followed after as the 'mistress' unraveled her heinous-styled whip while 'cracking' the end of it against the unforgiving concrete making up the bottom floor. Unexpectedly, it seemed just right before the prisoner was seconds away from being thrashed once more, a familiar sounding voice had boorishly declared itself to the group causing the concubine to urgently retract her energetic swing before pivoting on a single heel, she'd then swiped her feet together in a single motion as she overlooked the man and his female companion. "Lord Pelagius, we have 'guests'." How interesting, to believe that this night of his would rarely hold any surprises but now he was in the midst of an old colleague, a deplorable one known for his supposedly righteous actions by day but his unforgivable ones by night, Pelagius knew of this man even before he'd put forth a single step in Brookfield, Lorenzo was someone who was naught to be ignored as his underground infamy spoke volumes about his shady character.

"Lorenzo." He didn't know whether or not to be fiercely aroused by his presence or to feel contempt for the man, obviously noticing someone as attractive as him re-introducing himself in a snug two-tone suit would be enough to make Pelagius writhe with titillation but knowing that it's him? However, he couldn't also help but feel exceptionally riled up seeing as Lorenzo's personality always ensued this sort of defying sense of superiority! Not to mention when it came to showing off, if Pelagius didn't have it and he did? He would be sure as hell to make that fact be widely known, despite his conflicting thoughts he always remained in a mutual partnership with Lorenzo since it had made making a profit significantly easier not to mention it kept things more in control knowing that they were both major players in the 'game', because of this both of them had ample opportunity to continuously run their businesses without the fear of competition as anyone who dared made so much as a threat was snuffed out of the underground market. "Number 5?" He'd barely payed that much attention to his underling, honestly, he was more directly focused on the fact that Lorenzo had just surprised him with his arrival, more importantly how he was able to get an invitation to his palace to begin with! Not that he minded tolerating his stiff behavior, but he wouldn't simply just go out of his way to show such a generous act unless it meant getting something out of him. Pelagius soon had a slight infatuation with the girl in question once she'd revealed just how much potential she really had after having been released from Lorenzo's side, it'd taken just the raise of her blindfold to make the injured man become completely entranced by the woman's numbing stare. "Eh?!" Even Pelagius's mistress became baffled once that prisoner she was torturing had attained a 'sudden' strength to break free from his restraints, instinctively she took a step back while readying herself to come at the bloodied man with her whip but soon recognized the dazed man was incapable of anything but standing, his brainwashed self unable to do anything but lightly sway before being given another command, to which he took it upon himself to gruesomely tug out his eyeball with his own hand.

Once that consciousness of his had faded, he slumped over and fell into the amassing puddle of blood beneath him where his body became motionless for quite some time. Clearly, this girl named '5' was capable of killing this person without even touching them, Pelagius and his fellow minion couldn't help but be impressed by what they'd just witnessed, whomever this girl Lorenzo had happened to be a far better candidate that most of the women hed had at his brothel! "Sorry for the bother, Lord Pelagius... I'll make sure Brutus know his 'food' is ready." Feeling as if her work had been completed, that suggestively dressed woman who had been previously accompanying Pelagius had soon thrown the prisoner's body up over her should before dipping her head in respect to her master. "Lorenzo, Miss." Clearing her throat and paying her regards to both Lorenzo and his Missus, she eventually wandered away from the bondage-styled room along with the body, leaving both Lorenzo and Pelagius to speak by themselves. "Hm, as much as i'd love to believe you're only here for the festivities. I have my suspicions that your presence here is on behalf of an ulterior motive, am I not mistaken?"

Boss

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[Boss]

Camilla Ferrari| Sam Sarith | Lucy Black | NIKKY VIOLE

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Noon
Host Village
Leaving the village => The Lake
​

Several minutes later and the group had walked through the heavily guarded gates and into the dense forest on the other side. As the doors slammed shut behind them, the gate, walls, and the village beyond had vanished into the illusion that it didn't exist. Fortunately, Camilla knew the woods by heart - it was her decision that gave creation to it, after all, so while it seemed like they were immediately lost in a neverending forest, the girl confidently led them to the lake, which wasn't far. "You came back at a good time, Sam." Camilla started, ducking over low-hanging branches and stepping over unearthed tree roots. "Something's happened with Samantha -- I thought maybe she's been gone from her Limbo for too long, but-.. I.. I don't know. You'll just have to see for yourself." Camilla wasn't an expert on summoned spirits aside from what she had already been told by hosts that utilize them. Sam was closer to a summoner with Cetus and her crew than he was a close-up fighter. Most of what she knew about the limitations of the spirits came from him.

After a couple of minutes of bobbing and weaving through trees, they finally broke out into a clearing in the forest with a large body of water at its center. There was an old fishing hut built onto an island in the dead middle of the water. Camilla always figured that Samantha slept in there as opposed to somewhere in the water like a mermaid. An initial scan along the surface of the water told them that Samantha was either underwater or far off inside the hut. Camilla didn't want to yell so instead of shouting, she crouched down by the water and broke its surface with her finger. She knew Samantha was skilled enough to sense the change in surface tension along the water, knowing who breached the lake and where.

 

[TerraBooma]

Sam looked concerned as he followed. Something was wrong with Samantha? He had been worried about as much but...what had happened? He found himself trying to answer the question. He still however, was happy to see her. In the many years that Sam had spent summoning Cetus' family and being on the run from the dominion, the Soiree had become something akin to a second family. He followed behind with worry on his face.


~~~~

Samantha lay in the water, staring up at the surface. She used to love it. Water drifted over the now human girl. Maintain the ability to breathe underwater was the one ability she'd been able to hold onto with relative success. The fact that she still had to...inhale and exhale caught her at the start for awhile. As did swimming as her ability to manipulate water faded away. She lay under the waves and just...let the world pass by. It wouldn't take long for something to stir her. The need to use the bathroom, hunger...loneliness. All these feelings were new. Samantha had been in the water for a few hours now, letting the waters coax over her, feeling the stimulation of the lake. Even if it was...different now, water calmed her. It reminded her of the home she couldn't remember. It made her feel...almost safe again. Even if her powers were fleeting and she was being slowly overtaken by a monster inside of her. The girl curled up into herself.

that was when Camillas finger hit the water.

Samantha's water sensory capabilities still held weight. She moved what currents she could, and slowly moved to the surface of the water. Breaking the surface, only so her mouth could speak and she could listen.

"Hey Camilla." She replied quietly. "What's up? You brought...friends?"

 

[Jackaboi]

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Before the girl knew, the silence and boredom caused her to drift off to a swift slumber. Lexi found herself back in that same familiar room again. Including all of it's inhabitants such as James, Nikky, Herald and the Fox guy, any other faces were just a blur. However she only took one step towards them before the whole room was swallowed in darkness, leaving the scared girl alone in an empty void. Lexi crouched down and held her hands on her head as if she was about to go clinically insane. Then the darkness around her shifted and collected into one spot, making a giant humanoid shadow creature. Exactly the same one that attacked the Night Owl's VIP room. Lexi could remember every detail of the hollow to vivid proportions. In fact maybe more exagerated than the real thing. The thing stared her down with murderous intent. In that moment of silence the monster opened it's mouth and out came a loud and bellowing voice shouting her name. "LEEEXIII!!!!" At that moment she woke up from her rest, disorientated and petrified. It took a good while before she could calm down enough to move again. "Another nightmare... How many am I going to have..." Lexi raised her right arm and examined the bracelet she recieved, it was glowing with much more intensity than before. Was that because of her nightmare? She hoped it wasn't broken. "This thing was supposed to stop the nightmares wasn't it?" Once again the exact same voice came bellowing from downstairs. It seems she has her dad to thank for last part of her dream. Then again he did wake her too. Either way if she made him wait any longer he would surely get angry. Lexi reluctantly left her room and made her way to the living room, where she found her dad laid back on the couch with an empty bottle. Of course that's what he needed her for. She hoped that's all there was too it. Lexi grabbed another beer from the fridge and obediantly held it out him. "I brought another drink for you Father..." Henry snatched the beer from her hands and Lexi backed away. Waiting to see if he had any other menial tasks for her to accomplish.

Boss

Mentioned: Kiosk SidTheSkid Solemn Jester Azukai