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

[SidTheSkid]

.

Spoiler: Devan Eldridge "

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(Collab between Obsidian and Kiosk)
.​

(Location: Brookfield-Combine, Night Owl-VIP Area.)
(Mood: Amused)
(Interactions: Nikky, James, The Herald, Dominic, And more..)
(Mentions: )

Nikky pulled out a chair across from the man and plopped down. She politely refused the food, though her stomach did urge her to try some. She was put off guard by the politeness but she didn't relax. she placed her elbows on the table and leaned forward. "You work for Dominic Ferrari, huh?" she pointed at his get-up and tilted her head to the side, "Ain't that uncomfortable?" Boy, this lady really wasn’t playing around, as soon as she opened her mouth she didn’t hesitate to ask if Devan worked for Dominic which he collectively agreed to by giving an indicating nod with his head. “Suit is a bit too snug sure and I didn’t particularly agree to ‘sporting’ a mask for our lovely little meeting but in this line of work confidentiality is vital to have a long-lasting life.” He only hoped that his civil approach would make-up for the fact that he had to hide his face, assuming that she cared to begin with. “Not to sound rude or anything.” Devan mumbled, snatching ahold of his silverware and taking a helping bite out of a part of the sirloin in front of him before directly giving a stern look through his concealment and clearing his throat. “Even if this is a discreet location, be careful what you say. I’d like to refer to him as my boss, as you already know there are people out there that don’t exactly take a liking to him but I must ask, what sparked this curiosity you have with him?” Carefully placing his dining utensils to the right of him, he patiently awaited her answer as he leisurely straightened the bunched-up tie. “Well, when I noticed he missed the high school reunion, I got worried.” In hindsight, joking like this was a bad idea, especially with what she assumed was a dangerous individual sitting across from her but she couldn’t help it, she was nervous. She sighed, “To be honest, I knew Ferrari a while back, at Armstrong Academy. We were friends.” Friends sounded odd to say after all the time. That aside, she knew better than to drop her whole story. “But less about me, and more on you-” He was a man that worked directly underneath an infamous criminal, having him come to see her personally, albeit masked, felt like overkill. She was skeptic, but if it was this easy to meet one of them, she didn’t have to wonder how they survive.

She laced her fingers together “Why’d you agree to meet me here? I mean, you gotta have like, underlings or something to meet me?” As silly as it sounded he almost believed her sarcastic remark until she let out a revealing sigh and mentioned how she and Ferrari went to a certain academy together, Dominic a scholar? As wise as he was it was a funny thought to imagine him wearing a prestigious uniform instead of his regular attire but nonetheless it was more of a genuine surprise to have her actually show some interest in a lowly underboss but he couldn’t help but crack a soft smirk underneath his mask as she continued on. “Truthfully i’ve been with Dominic for a short while now, he’s saved my life and gave me a chance to live, I guess for whatever reason he trusts me to get things resolved! Kinda why i’m meeting you instead of some typical stooge.” He didn’t know what all of this was leading up to but from his perspective it almost felt as if she was gonna ‘butter’ him up or something before leading to something big, not that he didn’t mind having someone take an interest in him in general although she could’ve been some undercover reporter. “As for you, I’m impressed you managed to go through with meeting up with someone who’s associated with the likes of him, it’s pretty dangerous... It almost makes me think you didn’t come alone.” In the face of his comment being a joke, he had a slight suspicion there was sense behind what he had said, after-all someone would be a fool to come alone or unprepared. “Unless you have any more questions towards myself, we should get to why you’re really here. Obviously, it has something to do with my boss, were you planning on meeting him?” He asked, still completely unsure of what she really wanted. “Yes, I was actually.” She laughed, “I’d like to chat, I wanted to offer my services but plans change. I still wanted to see how he was doing. After all, I already went through all the trouble to get here.” the truth was, she just suddenly felt the need to come here again. The urge made her feel like she was checking something off her bucket list. “Is it... possible I could meet him?” That pure voice she spoke clearly with was hard to resist, this young-looking woman who wanted to meet Dominic barely seemed like a threat but he knew more than anything looks could be deceiving, anyone could simply claim to know someone as influential as him but not just anyone could back up that allegation so easily! It was at this moment that he needed to evaluate what if she was saying was factual or a misleading fabrication.


“Oh I don’t think that’d be much of a problem, but first things first.” Nonchalantly taking out a tablet from his front right pocket, Devan silently looked up at the woman as he navigated through his contacts and begun dialing one of them with a few short rings following his call. “He might not pick-up, that wouldn’t be good.” He phrased gravely with his voice as he managed to upholster a loaded firearm out from behind the chest-piece of his crimson suit, a small sound of the safety being clicked off as he continued to wait for the ringing to stop. “Hey, it’s Dev, I met that contact and apparently she’s interested in meeting you?” Skimming his eyes around boringly, he placed his elbow atop the surface of the table while he began playfully circling his wrist around, making the firearm sluggishly follow as resumed speaking. “Haven’t got her name yet, she says she knows you from some Armstrong Academy? She’s got brunette hair, dark complexion, chocolate eyes, and wears a pair of square-rimmed glasses, not hard to miss.” After a moment of short-winded “Uh-uhs” and “Yeahs”, Devan reassuringly put away his handgun, feeling a whole lot better that things didn’t escalate past the point of no return. “Sorry, just wanted to be safe… Seems like he’s interested, here I'll-” Without so much as even being able to finish what he was going to say, Devan found himself staring blankly at a bitsy-sized girl barging into the VIP room, she looked barely old enough to be in a club, let alone have a drink for that matter. “Miss I think you’re lost, I believe the nearest middle school is just a few blocks from here.” as soon he was about to resume his previous conversation he was yet again delayed by someone who looked as if their occupation involved being a professional wrestler, a red-headed bulky man with a moderate sum of years added to his life experience walked into the lounge along with a couple of others and abruptly greeted Devan while announcing himself as a bodyguard. “Lovely, if I wanted someone out to get me I wouldn’t have to worry knowing that I can count on my phenomenal security to get me killed… Anyway, I didn’t know we were hiring male escorts but it’s nice to meet you too James!” A sneering expression carved its way into Devan’s face as he shook his hand, still expressing a depressing sigh at the lack of competence his staff had at keeping unwanted visitors out. “Now that all of Brookfield is in my lounge, why not make yourselves comfortable? Please enjoy some of the food and beverages before they go to waste! Oh and as I was saying before, here.” After some time of combing through his suit-pockets, he was able to retrieve a metallic business card and slide it in Nikky’s direction. Upon inspection, she’d notice nothing but a mysterious number, it was unknown whether or not if it was actually Dominic’s or not. “Call this, if everything still checks out you’ll get to meet with your late classmate again… So now that this meeting of ours is adjourned how about all of us enjoy ourselves?” Not wasting any time, Devan decided to celebrate by pouring everyone a glass of the unopened champagne the waiter had brought him a few hours ago, luckily he had savored it for just the occasion.

Kiosk , Azukai , Solemn Jester , Jackaboi , hwayi , Boss
.

 

[Boss]

Camilla Ferrari | Lucy Black | Samantha​

Late Afternoon
Brookfield | Downtown..?
Dominion Safehouse
​

It was just one thing after another. Not even a minute after Azreal had dived into his own mirror as his means of an exit, a loud, disruptive scramble echoed from the general vicinity of the front door. Something along the lines of screaming, thudding, creaking, and.. rushing water..?

"Where is Camilla Ferrari! Tell us now!"

Camilla knew that voice from anywhere. Awkwardly, she left Lucy's side to tip-toe towards the front door, which had been wide open the entire time. Soon Camilla found herself watching the brief scuffle between Samantha and a handful of guards. The spewing water that shot out of one of the building's water lines made it difficult to see anything past it. "Samantha..?" She called out, reluctant to interrupt the spirit's rampage. But wait, something was different about Samantha. In the same manner that Camilla 'saw' the dark energy around Lucy's essence, the same could be said for Samantha. Her familiar, Cetus-styled life-force was queer. Was that.. corruption.. she sensed? "Uhh, I'm right here.." Camilla announced, raising an open palm just a little to show that she wasn't restrained.

 

[Boss]

Janaiya Wilkinson | Yue Chan​

Late Afternoon
Brookfield | Combine
Night Owl | Streets => Lounge
​

It had been a long time coming, but Yue and Janaiya had made it to the front of the line. Their wait wasn't without its entertainment though. Between having spotted Nikky and James on their 'private adventure', and witnessing a hilariously bad incident with a girl far too young and innocent looking to be in Combine, it was safe to say that time was fleeting. There had been a few special cases where an important figure skipped the line, but the bouncer had eventually made his way over to Janaiya and Yue. Without a word, he held out his hand for the note he was probably expecting. Once retrieved, he flashed the blacklight over it, revealing a hidden code written on it. The bouncer gave the two the suspicious old lady stare before grunting out his next words. "Head on in."

Originally, Janaiya and Yue were far behind the thieves. First there was the collision, followed by the formation of their temporarily alliance. Snagging the thief's note meant that they had essentially taken a shortcut, effectively getting into the club before the thief, since he was missing his 'fast-pass'. Theoretically, all they had to do was sit and watch for any sightings of the burglar. Keeping an eye out for a man in the same clothes and figure was a good idea. It also allowed them to vaguely observe James slip past the VIP gate with two women before it was too late.

 

[Azukai]

Boss TerraBooma

True to his word, Fushinsetsu remained passive as Colt and Cetus took turns answering his riddle. By the end of Cetus' response, however, his expression was bored, and his overall composure was seemingly unamused with the answers he had received. "The human remains quick to assign its blame, whereas the Zodiac spouts the expected philosophical, moral high road. Quaint...only not." He said in a tone that matched the apathy on his face. "What disappoints me the most is you, Colt. Sam and his entourage...well I expected as much as I received from them. But you, Colt, you are an enigma to me, and yet you proceed to act no different than any other of your kind." There were sullen undertones that accompanied his words--genuine ones that momentarily cast him in a light of heartfelt sadness. Though with a snap of his fingers, it was gone, along with the manifested figures that simply vanished from the arena.

"What is about to happen pains me to think about..." Fushinsetsu began, just before the arena floor began to rumble from distant tremors. "...but it is an necessary evil to keep true to who I am." A circular trapdoor slid open right in front of Fushinsetsu's position, and from it a cylindrical cage began to rise from the floor. In the cage was a lonesome figure--a familiar one to both hosts in the room, given that it was the identity of their sole, present purpose in life.

All in all, Camilla was in pretty poor shape; her body beaten and bruised from head to toe, with caked blood staining both her clothes and skin. Nonetheless, she was alive; although, barely conscious, as she rested against one side of the cage with low groans escaping her swollen, yet parted lips. "K-Kill m-me...al-already." She struggled to whisper--and just like that her wish was granted.

BANG

A single gunshot filled the air; this time with the accompanying bullet that bored itself through Camilla's skull and splattered her blood across the ground. Fushinsetsu exhaled a heavy sigh as he watched the life fade from the child's eyes; though, there was little remorse that showed on his face. If anything, it was humor and revelry that danced in his eyes as he turned to Colt and spoke with a cheerful, nonchalant shrug. "Hey, she asked."

 

[Boss]

| Lucy Black |​

???
Limbo
Umbra Plane
​

Lucy's hardening stare was witnessed under Umbra's gaze. The pink-haired girl had undergone a mental switch for what seemed like the first time. Umbra's expression was unmoving - she had believed in Lucy well before she arrived in her void of a Limbo. After all, Camilla and Umbra were one in the same with only slight visual differences between them. "As a means of thanking you-.. I offer my contract-.. to you." Unlike her speech, Umbra's movements were natural and fluid. She held out her hand for Lucy to take. "The road ahead will be long-.. but we will all grow-.. because of it."

When and if Lucy took Umbra's hand, she would feel an immediate surge of restless energy course through her body like she was going through the biggest sugar rush of her life. That same energy radiated from her body, and just like that, Lucy would shoot back to reality like a bullet, right where she had passed out on the sofa.

 

[Kiosk]

NIKKY VIOLE​

Nikky just sat there with her mouth agape as James barged in and tried to shake this man's hand. It was so NOT the plan, that she just could not comprehend what was happening at the moment. From pointing her out and saying 'I'm with THEM' to bringing a kid-.

Her face sunk into her hands and she just couldn't. She started shaking until a burst of laughter erupted from her. This was such a shit show right now and her laughter sounded borderline manic. She ran her hands through her hair, wanting to resist the urge to strangle James. Not to mention the kid.. and who the hell was that? She brought fuckin' Champ? If she wasn't laughing so hard she'd let them all know how angry she was right now. Everything is ruined, surely-

But strangely enough, the masked man didn't seem all this bothered by this development, instead sliding her a metal card. She was so unsure of how to proceed she just held the card in her hands and blankly stared at the refreshments being poured.

“Call this, if everything still checks out you’ll get to meet with your late classmate again…”

This... went better than expected.

Solemn Jester SidTheSkid Jackaboi Boss
.*.*<

 

[Azukai]

Boss Randomfella Solemn Jester TerraBooma

The security guards were quickly losing their morale to fight, as Samantha and Willow were proving far to much to handle in a sudden, unexpected fight. Using a network of soul flames, Willow had the surrounding perimeter within his effective range. There was very little room for the guards to maneuver or even try and escape; thus leaving them defenseless to his wildly swinging staff. One by one, the skulls of the guards came into contact with the wood and were rendered unconscious with a killer migraine to stay. Nonetheless, his onslaught came to a sudden halt when a familiar voice trailed down the hall--the sound of an old friend he hadn't heard in days.

"BIG SIS!" Lily was the first to react to Camilla's appearance at the end of the hall. Without any concern for her own well-being, the girl burst into a heated sprint that sent her crashing into Camilla with an open arm hug. The force of her tackle was enough to knock them both to the ground, where Lily began nuzzling her face against her "older sisters." "I missed you." She suddenly said upon rising into a seated position atop Camilla's midriff. "Willow was a big meanie and said we had to leave." She turned her head to glare at Willow with her tongue extended as a comical jest.

Hearing himself being thrown under the bus, a sigh escaped Willow's lips as he finished with the final conscious guard and made his way over to where Lily and Camilla were. There was a sheepish expression on his face as he began scratching the top of his head--a reddish tint darkening his cheeks with a gentle shade of crimson embarrassment. "Things were awkward then, though I am happy to see you...physically well at the least..." Willow was a host whose power left him sensitive the finer details of a soul--in particular, Camilla's inner emotions that were in utter turmoil. "The better question right now is, what is happening, though. The last few hours have been an utter blur between hearing you got kidnapped...Samantha back there...I haven't had a second to breath between it all!" He exhaled another sigh, this time out of the exhausting that was slowly creeping up on him. "Please tell me, this is the end..."

 

[Kiosk]

JANAIYA WILKINSON​

Janaiya's eyes lit up, "Wait, you talking about James, right?" He was easy to spot, but she was surprised Yue was familiar with him.
She grinned, "This is the worse." a loud 'ahem' let the two know they were next, they stepped up to the bouncer.

"Head on in."

Janaiya looked around, this place was... not terrible but if she knew this was where they'd be ending up she would have thought about it a bit more.
"Ugh, I guess it was too much to expect it to look nicer on the inside." Janaiya made her way to a seat at a table not far from the bar, honestly she was so fed up with waiting and other things she really hoped this guy walked in soon so she could punch his lights out. Her aunt was somewhere in here with James or she HAD assumed until she watched the retiree waltz into the V.I.P section with two women at his hip.
"What the hell-" she looked back at Yue, "Did you fucking see what I saw?"
Her brain shutdown.
Honestly? Fuck this. Janaiya was gonna sit here and wait to beat up a man then leave and not talk to either Nikky or James for a month.
Maybe a year, a year sounds great.

hwayi

 

[Jackaboi]

Lexi Caiheart
Dragged around.......​

Lexi paced backwards and forwards brainstorming ideas with Champ still held between her arms. None of the ideas she had seemed like they could work though... Then, out of nowhere, a voice grabbed her attention. "Heya, slightly trashy smelling little sis!" "Trashy... Smelling...? Oh right..." Slightly annoyed by the comment, she still couldn't deny it was the truth. Lexi turned around towards the direction the voice came from and spotted a girl walking towards her wrapping her arms around Lexi for some reason. The girl offered her entry to the club, saying she had the connections to do so. Lexi was utterly confused as to why she'd just bring an underager inside a club willingly? However as the girl spoke she could smell the unmistakable scent of booze, maybe that would explain it... "Uh... I..." But before Lexi could even answer, the girl had already grabbed her and started dragging the poor girl inside. Lexi's heels dragged across the pavement as they made their way to the entrance. The girl called Lexi her plus one and the bouncer simply stepped aside, mentioning the name 'Herald'. This Herald seems to be a regular here... Maybe more than that.

As Herald barged through the doors, the strong smell of alcohol and incredibly loud music was already overwhelming Lexi, she swore she started getting drunk off the fumes itself. Even though they were inside, Lexi already wanted to leave. "Um... Herald was it? I appreciate the help but do you still need to be dragging me around like this?" It was hopeless though, the music was far too loud that it just overpowered Lexi's attempt to even make a sound. Heralds voice on the other hand could be heard loud and clear, like standing right next to a fog horn as she said they were going somewhere a little calmer. Once again Lexi had no choice but to comply due to the girls iron grip. As they arrived at the VIP lounge Lexi spotted James just outside the door, who... Had also spotted her... Mission failed... The expression on James' face said everything. Lexi was in serious trouble. "Eheheh... Hey James...! Would you believe me if I said Champ just REALLY missed you and I brought him to see you...?" Lexi laughed nervously as she tried to fabricate a veery poorly constructed excuse to be in such a dangerous place. Lexi was too nervous to answer any of James' panicked questions.

Still Herald didn't stop until she barged right into the VIP lounge and shouted at the top of her lungs, paying no heed to who could be inside. Having a look for herself Lexi spotted James' date and a guy wearing a fox mask sitting inside with a hefty amount of food. This is probably one the wierdest dates in history... Finally Heralds grip relaxed just enough for Lexi to slip out and brush herself off before finally being able to stand straight again. After looking at the fox guy again she started to get really bad vibes from him. He scared her enough for her try and keep as much distance from him as possible, the guy was practically screaming with poor life choices. James' date just sat there laughing, but it didn't seem like a happy laugh, so that also didn't seem to help either. James demanded an explanation, looking like he was just about ready to explode with rage if someone didn't say something to him. "Ah fine! I was worried your date wouldn't work out so I followed you to lend a hand! I... Just didn't know you came to these kinds of places..." She avoided all kinds of eye contact while she spoke, too ashamed to look up. Oddly enough while Lexi was reluctantly waiting to hear James' response, the fox guy said something about a meeting ending then offered everyone free food and beverages. Finally Lexi's eyes lit up. "Free food!?" But she calmed down again, remembering that she was going to be in serious trouble later from James. She stared blankly as the man poured a glass of champagne for everyone in the room. Of course Lexi just stared blankly at the glass, clearly having no intention of trying it, especially with James standing right next to her.

Solemn Jester Boss Azukai Kiosk SidTheSkid

 

[Azukai]

Solemn Jester SidTheSkid Kiosk Boss hwayi Jackaboi

The Herald wanted to scream. At one point in the night, she had been excited to arrive at the Night Owl--now, there was very little for her to anticipate, apart from the joy of banishing the literal menagerie of inhabitants. Once upon a time, the club carried a level of respect for its number one client; though it seemed those days were long lost to a new kid on the block--one that carried himself with an impressive level of sass that even extended as far as herself. The Herald smirked in response to his jest about her age, and even went a far as stifling a giggle upon his declaration of male escorts. The new kid was cocky, that much was certain; though perhaps it was an unavoidable outcome, given his newly born status in the reaches of the underworld. Patience wasn't one of the Herald's greatest virtues, but with alcohol, anything was possible. As such, any irritation she might have harbored vanished in a literal instance once the champagne was poured and soon trickling down her throat. "The man is being classy tonight." The Herald muttered somewhat flirtatiously towards Devan, whom she approached in a single, graceful leap that left her standing directly in his face. She ran a single finger along the distance of his mask, just before leaning in to whisper in his ear, "You see, you're lucky I like you, Devan. You might be working for that man, but just remember something, kiddo. Dom ain't the only shark in the sea." Leaning in closer, she gave him a quick nibble against the lobe of his ear, before shoving past and plopping onto the nearest couch that was already accommodated by Nikky.

Immediately, she reached for the nearest vessel of alcohol and began chugging its contents without a care in the world. It was only after the drink was finished that she turned her attention back to the room and began speaking at a volume that was far too inappropriate for the enclosed space. "So here's how the night's gonna go, ladies and gents. The drinks are gonna keep coming, and if you ain't puking, then you ain't leaving. That's the rule of the night. YOU HEAR THAT SECURITY." Their response was immediate; both guards burst into the room without a moment's hesitation and immediately gave the Herald a firm thumbs up. "Loud and clear, ma'am. Nobody leaves the room unless intoxicated beyond belief." The Herald boasted a cheerful smile as she waved the guards away and signaled for the first round of drinks to be delivered to the room. "So Giggles..." She began while leaning inwards towards Nikky "...now, I'm sure we gonna be the best of friends by the end of the night, but first rounds gonna be with my trashy lil sis, kay? No hard feelings now."

A giggle and several finger guns pops later, the Herald was cheerfully beckoning for Lexy, all while slapping the minimal couch space immediately next to her. "Trashy lil sis, you're seat is here! Also the name's actually Lexi right..? You think we can get yourescort friend to give us all a little show?" There was heavy emphasis on the word, escort, and immediately following her words, was a quick wink directed James' way. After all, the man seemed to be somewhat of a hot head, and playing with his emotions felt like the perfect game.

 

[Solemn Jester]

James Mac niadh Lane

James was trying to be polite. He was a priest, but even he knew that just because someone worked for scum didn't mean they did so because they themselves were scum. However, he was soon proven wrong by Devan's immediate attempt at verbal assault. Unfortunate for him he was still shaking James hand at the time. With everything going on James was already at his limit for bullshit, true it wasn't Devan's fault. He had no way of knowing the man shaking his hand was a former boxing champ with a wee bit of a rage problem. Not unless he watched him when he was still in the game. But it didn't stop James from nearly crushing Devan's hand in his steel grip.



James leaned in glaring straight into Devan's eyes. Almost as if he was staring into his soul."Now listen here ya damn furry. I don't know what you do when you're not dressing up like an animal to hook up, or working for criminals. But this ain't my day job, actually scratch that. I can tell by the dead look in your eyes and the way you shake that you're probably a junkie. Well, that's all fine and dandy but I'm only doing my friend a favor because she was worried her meetup might have been a freak. Guess she wasn't wrong. But normally I'm a priest. So I'd be much obliged if you didn't compare me to some damn dirty whore!" The whole time James was chewing Devan out he had been slowly rising to his feet and tightening his grip. Unaware until he finished, and had nearly crushed Devan's hand. He released his hand and sat back down crossing his legs, and releasing a frustrated sigh."Apologies, it's been a long day. I've had a lot of...unpleasant surprises." He said his hawk-like glare turning to pass over Lexi, only stopping to hear what she had to say to explain herself.



After listening to her story he was half tempted to laugh. It was absolutely ridiculous. He was dumbfounded. "When the bloody hell did I ever claim this was a date? Even if it was. Do you really have so little faith in me that you think I couldn't get a girl without your help? Plus I'm a priest! I can't even date! At least I don't believe I can." He said unsure as he had never really bothered asking the requirements that allowed him to date. He knew a few married priests. But he was sure if they had been given permission by the church, or were married before becoming priest.

"Geez Lexi, I a tad bit disappointed in ya," James said shaking his head before turning to her new drunken toddler friend. Who was trying to coarse Lexi into partaking in the booze? "How about no? She's a wee bit underage to be drinking. I'm sure her father wouldn't approve if she was out all night only to come how with q hangover, and reeking of booze. An I'm not a damn escort!" He complained, impressed but also baffled by the guards fear of this little girl herald. James sighed, taking an entire bottle for himself."Alright, ya want to drink with someone? I'll drink enough for me and Lexi. How's that sound?" He asked, feeling like he could use one anyway? This was a bit chaotic for his liking. With everyone in here, it felt like he was locking up with an opponent. Except it was multiple people, and by the end of the night they'd probably all be knocked out if he didn't do something."Although, surely this was it all we had to do tonight was it Nikky?" James asked turning to his partner in crime curious as to her thoughts.


Azukai Jackaboi SidTheSkid Kiosk hwayi Boss

 

[Randomfella]

Lucy Black
Limbo
Umbra Plane​

Lucy said nothing, continuing to stare toward Umbra, the uneasy feeling it caused within her rising by the second, if seconds even existed here. Like a sloth, her arm slowly moved up to take the being's, a branch rattling in the non-existent breeze. Lucy had no idea what would come of this contract, nor any terms that came with it, but there was one thing she knew for sure. She would do what she could to keep her promise.

As their hands met, a surge of energy sent itself throughout Lucy's entire being. Her entire body recoiled momentarily, her hands moving toward her head in an attempt to hold herself within whatever this feeling was, and then...

Dominion SafeHouse​

*huuuuuef!* A short, exhausted intake of air entered Lucy's body, her eyes widening as if her entire being had been brought back by a breath of life. "What was that!?" Her head twisted from side-to-side, eyes darting around the room desperately. "Where did she go!?" Was the only thought that now encompassed her mind, her ears perking curiously at the sounds from outside of the room. Strangely for her, Lucy wasted no time in hopping up from her resting spot, legs rushing out toward the hallway, strands of pink emerging from the door as she stared out toward the scene unfolding.

"H-Hey!" A nervous voice shouted out, her initial reaction to Camilla being held tightly by one of the strangers... Though, before she could act, the situation became apparent, her face turning from worry to confusion. "Uh... W- We should go..." Lucy awkwardly added, clearly not there to hear their earlier discussion. Her tone, while still quite silent, seemed stronger than usual, as her eyes darted around at the countless agents that littered the floor, before back toward the others, finally landing on Samantha. A sudden look of shock filled her, not in the usual sense of fear, but relief, her mouth hanging agape for a short moment at the sight of the spirit.

Boss Azukai Solemn Jester TerraBooma

 

[Boss]

| The Clown |​

Late Afternoon
Brookfield | Combine
Streets => Shanty Town
​

Hinako was lost in an almost trance-like state upon discovering the prosthetic body shop. It was a habit with Hinako whenever she wasn't following orders. It only took a simple hint for the assassin to get lost in her own thoughts - their context unknown. Clown's elated tone broke her from the illusion. "N-no, that's unnecessary." She spoke on behalf of shopping for herself. "Let's keep moving then." Hinako's cold exterior was restored once they had resumed their journey into Combine. Soon they would reach Brookfield's very own shanty town, located at the lowest point of Combine. There, streets and well-built foundations were non-existent, replaced by low-roofed shacks and narrow passages. This was where a large majority of residents too poor to live downtown resided. It was also common grounds for victims of the great war who had lost everything in the collateral damage. Here, people looked to the larger criminal organizations to keep the peace rather than the police or even the Dominion. It was a perfect environment for a black market to thrive in.

As Clown and Hinako pushed forward, they passed several shop-oriented shacks with items ranging from cheap electronics and knock-off shoes to used cybernetics and even the supernatural drug invertigo. "Elijah." Hinako suddenly started, "Why work with people like Tom?" All that silence used to think eventually ended up with Hinako pondering Clown's reasoning for doing what he does. "Had it not been for me, he would have killed you last night."

 

[hwayi]

Yue Chen​

"Wait, you talking about James, right?"

Yue looked at the girl from head to toe with a look that screamed 'duh', accompanied with a click of her tongue. She felt like the rough nature of these people around here was rubbing on to her. She spat on the ground and looked at the people before them with empty eyes. The moment she heard the 'ahem' from the bouncer, she lowered her head to not reveal her face.

She handed the note to him and tapped her foot impatiently. Jesus, why did it feel like he was eyeing them for so long!

"Head on in."

She nodded and stepped in. Yue finally exhaled after the stressful situation. Subconsciously, she seemed to always hide a bit behind Giantess. She didn't like the idea of being recognized. She sat next to the girl, observing her environment. This place reeked of rotten people.

"Ugh, I guess it was too much to expect it to look nicer on the inside."

Yue clicked her tongue again, this time in agreement. This place was terrible. Whoever was in charge of the interior design, Yue just wanted to talk. This was not suitable for her snobby lifestyle.
Just as she lifted her gaze, she saw something really fascinating. It was the Hulk himself, two women latching onto him.

"Did you fucking see what I saw?"

Yue let out a disgusted groan as she shook her head. This was not the James she used to idolize. Well, whatever. His personal wasn't her business. She was only interested in his sportsmanship achievements.

"Hey 'Tess, if you in a financial slump, take a picture now and send it to the tabloids. Or even better, blackmail this dude. Maybe you can buy a new phone for yourself then."

Yue was obviously joking, her venom-dripping tone, sarcastic tone was evident. She would never expect for anyone to fall into that slump. Invading someone's privacy to get petty pennies? Bleh, pathetic. Athletes were people too. Yue finally dragged her eyes away from James and was more focused on finding her medals. Should she ask around, or would she risk revealing herself? She let out a frustrated groan and entertained herself by looking at James again. She noted a woman she had seen before around him. Were they dating? Great, even more money for 'Tess. She was the same woman as in the soul food place. Yue noted how alike she and 'Tess looked, and let out a small 'Ohhh' aloud.

 

[Boss]

Camilla Ferrari | Lucy Black | Samantha | Tom B. Stone​

Late Afternoon
Brookfield | Downtown..?
Dominion Safehouse
​

Startled by Lily's sudden yell and charge, Camilla barely had enough time to-

*THUD*

-..to catch Lily just before she took both of them down to the ground in a heartfelt embrace. Camilla's face glowed with the same crimson as the tips of her hair. "G-gosh, Lily-.. I've missed you too!" How long had it been since she had seen her? Days? Weeks? It certainly felt like a long time with everything that had happened in between. Lily must have shrunk, or it may have been the rapid aging Camilla suffered through an unfortunate encounter with a cult. Compared to the smaller Lily, Camilla looked like a full-fledged adult.

"Willow was a big meanie and said we had to leave."

Willow?

Camilla peeked past Lily just enough to see Willow approach them. Suddenly, the flame that Camilla saw earlier made sense.

"Things were awkward then, though I am happy to see you...physically well at the least..."

Was that a comment on how old she looked? Camilla wondered.

"The better question right now is, what is happening, though. The last few hours have been an utter blur between hearing you got kidnapped...Samantha back there...I haven't had a second to breath between it all!"

"Yeah, I kinda know the feeling.." Camilla replied sheepishly. Since their last meet, Camilla had defended against an attack on the village, fought another speedster, two very different strands of hollows, discovered what she truly was, ran away from home, wondered aimlessly through Brookfield, got kidnapped by a cult, jumped the biological clock on her body by several years, rescued a girl from a hollow's clutches, got captured by the Dominion again, and also met one of Fushensetsu's spawn. To say she knew the feeling was an understatement.

"Please tell me, this is the end..."

At that point, Lucy's gasp for air broke the otherwise deescalated situation for a moment as she rushed over to Camilla.

"H-Hey!"

Was that the first time Camilla heard her shout? Either way, Lucy looked like she had just gotten out of a bad nightmare and somehow carried that momentum into the waking world. Camilla figured she was still in her fight or flight mode, but didn't blame her for having nightmares considering what they had been through already.

"Uh... W- We should go..."

"It is about that time..." Ben tapped his watch, rising from his spot on the sofa. Any sane person would be scared shitless in his situation. A Dominion chief engineer surrounded by nothing but killing machines. Ben wasn't, however. Every word he spoke carried confidence and a sense of normality despite his situation. He conversed with the hosts as if they were all Dominion operatives. "I am truly relieved, Camilla. You have all the opportunity in the world to escape. Your restraints are down, your inhibitor is offline, our communications are jammed and you're surrounded by like-minded individuals. What's stopping you from killing me and leaving?" Of course, the other hosts were different. In their eyes, Ben was just another drone from the Dominion. Camilla herself didn't even know the man well enough other than that he knew her father in the past. That's right, nobody knows of their deal save for Lucy.

Camilla gently freed herself from Lily's pin and rose to her feet. Her face showed guilt, as did her tone. She looked to Samantha and the others and prepared herself to reveal her intentions. "I struck a deal with the Dominion." Just saying that hurt. "I'm going to bring my father in so that nobody else has to be hurt. They'll spare our homeland if they can just have him." Regurgitating the details of their deal sounded shady even to her, but if there was just one small chance that the village could live in peace, Camilla was going to take it, even if it meant sacrificing her father. God, she truly did fail every single family member.

The breeze behind her carried the stench of corruption in it's wake. Turning around, Camilla laid eyes on not one, but multiple tendrils that extended from a singular body - Tom's body. "Camilla?" sounded a familiar tone, Emerging from the hallways was Angel. A person Camilla didn't recognize. Confusion donned on Camilla's face at first, until Angel realized it and took off the fox mask for the first time...

"It's time to honor your end of the deal."

Camilla didn't understand, why was Len dressed like her father? The suit, the mask..

"Take us to your father."

 

[TerraBooma]

Sam Sarith/Cetus, The huntress
A carnival of frenzy​

As the gunshot rang out through the air, silence hit the group. A stunned void of nothingness that held for a few moments as Camilla lay on the floor, head bleeding from a gunshot wound. It was broken by an enraged scream of pain from inside the vortex, and the soft clattering of hands across a keyboard.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Sam roared, fury at the full forefront of his voice. Fushinsetsu had taken so much from him. His friends, his childhood, the people he had loved and cared about. But Camilla was different. He'd basically raised the girl in Dom's absence. And now she was gone...taken from the world. Sam had wanted to keep her save, what had kept him fighting in recent years was the promise that if he just fought hard enough, maybe Camilla'd be able to live a somewhat normal life.

And now she was gone.

With a roar the waters around him suddenly ceased. Sam's hand extended outward and the water simply...stopped. Control over water was always Sam's weak spot. But in that moment, the waves obeyed and fell to the ground. "BURN IN HELL! SHE WAS A GOOD ONE, YOU ROTTEN BASTARD!" Using the water to propel himself, Sam ejected himself towards Fushinsetsu at high speed, harpoon in hand and gun firing away. There was blood in his eyes, Sam wanted Fushinsetsu dead. He began an all out attack, attempting to disarm Fushinsetsu before going in for a killer frenzy of stabs and close range gun kata.

That's when Jericho deployed his program and the others began to act. With a clattering of the enter key, mystical like mist fell upon Fushinsetsu, locking him down in this reality and perhaps more importantly stopping his form from shifting Upon closer inspection, the program manifested itself as a spectral shark cage. Something that would follow him even as he moved around.. for the ragtag group of Cetus', that meant they could fight him without him simply melting into a puddle. The rest of the group started up their small arms fire as a rallying cry went out from Cetus.

"Avenge the young miss! Fights on everyone! Oliver, get her!" Cetus waved her hand and what few harpoons they had left formed a barrier between Camilla's cage and fushinsetsu, stopping him from getting close. Oliver darted forth and slashed at the bars of the cage. Harpoon striking against metal. While a normal harpoon wouldn't have been up to the tasks, Oliver's cut right through. The youngest Shark sibling dove in and grabbed Camilla...or her body. They knew the chances were slim, but the unspoken hope was that maybe Camilla would be savable. He brought her crumpled form back to Cetus, who drew the harpoons back into a defensive barricade to act as cover. Two souls arrived at her side. A nurse who had died as a volunteer during the great war when a bomb struck her hospital, and a safari expedition leader who knew medicine. They started doing their best to save Camilla...if there was a Camilla left to save. Cetus extended out a pool of water to attempt to stop the bleeding and remove the bullet. They were doing everything they could but...

they feared it would be too late.

Boss Azukai

 

[SidTheSkid]

.

Spoiler: Devan Eldridge "

[IMG='width:514px;']https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/359921133635764224/515995718914277417/Hazama.png?width=449&height=635[/IMG]

[IMG='width:503px;']https://i.postimg.cc/jdXvgF0S/cooltext306989087362014.png[/IMG]
. ​

(Location: Brookfield-Combine, Night Owl-VIP Area.)
(Mood: Mixed Emotions)
(Interactions: Nikky, James, The Herald, Lexi, and so on..)
(Mentions: )

After their meeting had resided, Devan went back to carefully pouring drinks into his guest's drinking glasses including the young girl's until he put away the emptied champagne bottle after recognizing the troubled look that was beginning to form itself on her face, she must've been underage or something? She was so uppity earlier once the offer of a free meal had been brought up. Devan couldn't help himself went it came to intervening and questioning her about this, however, it became clear that his query would've had to wait once that undoubtedly tipsy looking girl mumbled a provocative remark as she converged to him, almost leaning into the border of his shoulder while she leaned uncomfortably close to his face. "Wuh?" He practically stifled his breath, feeling that woman's overly curious finger seductively drag itself up from the lower portion of his mask all the way up to its cheek. To think this would be the reaction he'd get after insulting her, he never expected anything like this to happen but he didn't know whether to be somewhat enticed by this toying advance or be concerned that this person might be underage! The thought of seeing that one guy from television telling him to take a seat nearly made his stomach convulse in a sickening way, he didn't want to go to prison if all of this winded up leading to something else! A lecherous whisper soon flooded his ear, a lingering puff of the woman's breath warmed the side of his face and mask as he listened to her speaking of Dominic, which in itself was a surprise not to mention she claimed she herself in a way wasn't the only shark in the sea, probably meaning she had some sort of notoriety akin to the likes of his boss, did this mean this lady was affiliated with the Red-Hand?

Regardless, any trace of thought was hastily removed after having the lobe of his ear being softly chewed on by. A reddish-hue instantly brought color to his face, nearly making Devan remove his mask because of the lack of oxygen from all the heavy breathing. "Phew." A long-winded sigh of relief blew from him as she shoved past, deciding that it would be better to make herself a bit more comfortable as she sprawled herself out on the nearest couch despite Nikky being there, this raunchy drunkard sure had no concept of what personal-space meant but at-least she was able to add a bit more to the scene by adding on to the endless supply of drinks, staff members had no doubt when it came to agreeing with her and he wasn't surprised, besides that 'silver-tongue' she spoke with it was obvious that she had some sort of power in the underground and maybe had some kind of information? It was definitely worth noting in Devan's opinion, for now, he would just have to keep his distances and keep an eye on her while continuing to play the part of this sleazy head honcho of the club. Needless to say, seeing how everything was going it was slightly difficult to keep up with his own alter ego but then again he was already three drinks down and was somewhat of a light-weight when it came to alcohol, ironically the absolute opposite when it came to getting himself strung out on illicit drugs. "Listen here ya damn furry." A ferocious-sounding voice tore itself out from the supposed bodyguard, he nearly forgot he was shaking his hand still... For some reason, not exactly paying too much attention to the world's longest handshake, Devan found himself deep in thought and a bit offended by the whole furry accusation. "Did you just call me a furry?" He never believed he would actually be called that, he didn't know how to react to such a thing! Devan's crossed demeanor that had only left when he felt a crushing sensation in his hand as James went on with his infuriated rant, thoroughly explaining that he was a man of the cloth and would be refused to be compared to a simple harlot. "Agh! It was just a joke, relax! You're crushing my hand like a damn vice." He screeched out in agony like a whimpering dog as he begun to think that this priest was going to put the wrath of God into his freaking hand. Thankfully his holy might subsided as he released his overwhelming grip from Devan's hand, which would've looked like a squished tomato if his clutch managed to get any stronger than it already was.

"Hah... Hah.. Hah.." A skittish laugh worked its way once he stumbled over to the nearest bucket of ice, plunging his pain-stricken hand deep into the bucket. "How very religious of you, apology accepted." Barely mangled hand aside, Devan still couldn't resist adding in another witty jest as he felt the soothing feeling of his burning hand being chilled by the ice rubbing against his skin. If it weren't for the fact that was a kid in the lounge and he politely let him go, this whole scene probably would've ended a different way, in the end he was pleased that it didn't. "Please for the love of all things good, the last thing I need to see is some naked body-builder when i'm elbow deep in a bucket here." He complained, eventually turning his attention back to a now silent Lexi who kept staring at the vast amount of alcohol spread out on the table. In spite of looking as if she had not wanted anything to do with it and Devan probably not insisting that she drinks, James stepped in once more and explained almost in a fatherly way that she wasn't old enough to drink, of course. "Don't let that put you in a bad mood kid, here." Comedically bringing the bucket of ice with him while shuffling towards the waiting servant, Devan shifted his view to the young girl and gave a reassuring smile before focusing back on the waiter. "Can you get that girl a couple of soft drinks? Maybe some water too in-case she doesn't like soda or something." Shoo-ing away the waiter to get some more appropriate refreshments, Devan sat himself down across from Lexy and The Herald, whom was probably giving him dirty looks at the time making him nervously look away and come up with something to pass the time. "So, all of you know each other?" He asked before lifting up a tiny section of his mask to take a swig of the champagne he almost forgot to drink, how forgetful!

Kiosk , Azukai , Solemn Jester , Jackaboi .
.

 

[Azukai]

Randomfella Solemn Jester Boss TerraBooma (Everyone is latent related to this post tho)

The happiness on Lily's face was unmeasurable. Honestly, it left Willow feeling somewhat guilty that he had taken her away from Camilla in the first place. Of course, now that they were reunited, it all seemed in the past--or so he had thought in the moment of it all. Camilla's announcement was peculiar, and his brow immediately began to furrow out of confusion towards her words; nonetheless, he didn't think anything of it--at least until Ecstasy's voice was practically bellowing in his ear. "Stop...her...now...its...Lili, no...its...beyond....that..."

Every ounce of happiness had vanished from Lily's face; replaced with utter shock in regards to what Camilla had said. At first, she considered the words as a joke. A small giggle escaping her lips as she looked to Camilla for confirmation of her theory. When none came, however, and Angel and Len entered into the room...that was the moment when it all fell apart. Memories of the past rushed into her head, particularly ones that included Angel and Len--cold and uncaring towards the abuse she had received. To them, she was the daughter of their enemy, and nothing more than a research subject for the Dominion's personal gain. Anger flared within her body; her eyes flashed crimson and a guttural growl erupted from the depths of her throat. Yet for a second, her animosity faded. Lily was still in control, as she looked to Camilla with the last of her hope. "It isn't true, is it, big sis? You would never work for them..." Tears were beginning to well in her eyes, to the point that they practically begged for the answer she wanted to hear. When Camilla looked away, though, unable to look her in the eye...well it said everything she needed to know.

"I TRUSTED YOU!" Lily screamed in a shrill tone--snot and tears practically bathing her face, before her emotions took control and banished her conscious to the depths of the abyss. Hollow energy began to trickle from her body. Slow waves of tangible power--effectively, a culmination of her negative emotions: the fear, the anger, the betrayal--all of it which melded together into several physical globs, that began orbiting her body as if they were a supernatural extension of herself. "Die," Lilith muttered in an icy cold tone, all while flicking one of her fingers in the direction of Len. Immediately, one of the globs orbiting her body shot forward at its target and subsequently exploded with the sheer concentration of energy it contained.

The force of the explosion was enough to send shock waves trickling down the entirety of the high rise hotel; whereas, on the floor itself, windows were practically reduced to dust, and the walls of the room were entirely blown out of place. With nothing left to support it, the penthouse level naturally came crashing down onto the subsequent floors below, and that was only the beginning. Based on the intensity of the attack, there was very little time for any reactions. In his mind, Willow wanted to affirm the safety of both Samantha and Lilith--though both were too far away from him to bother. Without hesitation, he thrust his body into a portal of soul flame and was left tumbling onto the concrete of the sidewalk below. In the distance, sirens were already beginning to swarm; though they were the least of anyone's worries as his first observation was directly into the eyes of a hollow. "What the fu--..." He began, right before his own words cut off by the necessity to dodge an oncoming claw. "One thing after another." He said with a sigh, driving the head of his staff into the body of the hollow, which burst into a pyre of blue flame. Bellowing cries erupted from the dying creature, only to be met by the echos of several others--a call from its fellow brethren across the city that were beginning to swarm.

"Oh, you got to me kidding me." Willow practically cried as he watched dozens of hollows begin to emerge from the nearby alleyways.

 

[Kiosk]

NIKKY VIOLE
is getting drunk​

The older woman's eyebrows shot up watching the display the Herald put on with the masked man, she noted how uncomfortable he seemed to be as well. It was like she just spent a few minutes talking to this supposedly imposing character to only realize he was some snarky man in a just as weird situation as she was. she smiled, this was just kind of funny. Nik had already helped herself to a glass of champagne seeing as how everything was going. laughing a bit as Devan and James exchanged hand shakes and quips.

"So Giggles..."

"Giggles?" This woman had an odd habit for nicknames and no respect for personal space either. Nikky leaned back a bit as the woman leaned in, the smell of booze made her realize quickly why that was, so she was a bit more forgiving.

"...now, I'm sure we gonna be the best of friends by the end of the night, but first rounds gonna be with my trashy lil sis, kay? No hard feelings now."

Nikky's eyes went over to the 'Trashy little sis', "Yeah gonna have to say no on that one, she's like, 14." she shot the Herald a disapproving look. Friends, sure.
Giggles twirled around her second glass of champagne and as James turned to ask her.

"Although, surely this was it all we had to do tonight was it Nikky?"

The dark skinned lady simply shrugged and she downed the second glass. Then quickly pouring herself a refill because why the fuck not? She assumed it was safe by how much the woman was already downing. How this turned from a detective novel to a full on college party was beyond her but she'll go with it because hey, free booze and it was the good stuff too.

"Yeah this was pretty much it." she sipped some more, "But you heard the lady." Jesus, the alcohol already had her kinda tipsy she really wasn't much of a drinker. She sunk into her seat with a faint smile. The warmth of alcohol making her feel lighter. When was the last time she drank like this? She felt like she should've been concerned about something but it all just washed away with another glass being refilled. Nikky pointed a finger up at James and declared-
"James, you're in charge now!" She grinned, drunk Nikky had no worries about passing on the responsibility to someone else, "Though no fighting, fightin's bad. " she wagged her finger at the boxing boy.
"And ya know what? Lets have a toast!"
Standing up, she raised her glass as if to announce a toast but she paused,

The sounds of something disconcerting made Nikky too curious not to stumble to the nearest window to try and get a look.
"Holy shit-" She bit her thumb and watched as the penthouse came crumbling down, instinctively, she pulled out her phone and dialed for Janaiya.
She hoped she was safe right now, and was really regretting those drinks.


Azukai Solemn Jester SidTheSkid Jackaboi Boss

 

[Boss]

Camilla Ferrari | Lucy Black | Samantha | Tom B. Stone​

Late Afternoon
Brookfield | Downtown..?
Dominion Safehouse => Streets
​

Camilla could feel the sheer animosity radiating from Lily. The oppressive waves of corruption felt like gusts of wind that blew against Camilla's body, but she wasn't afraid. Camilla was.. sad. Instantly, the corruption died down as she spoke once more.

"It isn't true, is it, big sis? You would never work for them..."

God, why did she have to sound so.. betrayed? Camilla's gaze lowered in shame. It was essentially what she was doing. Every ounce of her being cried out to tell Lily it wasn't true - that it was only a bad joke, but the reality was..

"I TRUSTED YOU!"

An explosion of fowl energy rushed out of Lily, who had undergone a completely reversed personality. Camilla had seen her do something like this before, but nothing to this extent. Lily genuinely trusted Camilla, and she felt like she had taken not only Lily's trust, but everyone elses' and discarded of it like it wasn't important. The notion made her sick to her stomach.

"Die,"

And that's when time slowed to a halt once more.
​

"I'm so sorry, Lily.." As Camilla began to move forward, her lightning slowly drew her path of movement. She walked up to the nearly frozen Lily, whose face was wrinkled in anger with a personality much colder than the one Camilla knew. Her hand lightly ruffled Lily's hair, then she looked to the others. "I continue to let all of you down, and I won't hold anything against any of you if you decide to hate me. This is something I feel like I have to do, though. Nobody else dies because of me or my family." With the second half of her explanation said in frozen time, she noticed the ominous looking orb traveling towards Len. It pulsated with the same energy, only pressurized inside of a single sphere. Not wanting to waste any more time, she jogged past the orb and walked up to Len. "You better not attack anyone else in that village.." Eyes shot up to the person who gave her the ultimatum to begin with. None of this would be worth it if she died. Grabbing the collar of Len's suit, she ran the woman down the hall and flight of stairs - all 30 or so floors - to the ground level, where she dropped Len in a parking lot just two blocks from the penthouse.

Turning around, Camilla sized up the penthouse from where she stood, then sprinted back towards it. However, instead of taking the stairs, Camilla ran straight up the side of the building, painting a bright yellow trail along it's white surface. When Camilla reached the penthouse from the broken window, the orb had just exploded. Light itself began to bend around it like a black hole. Camilla was closest to Tom - the mysterious male who had arrived for an unknown agenda. She initially cringed at getting anywhere near the creepy-looking tentacles, but upon closer inspection, something else was happening.

Camilla walked up to Tom and watched as his body was beginning to cover itself in a dark, hardened shell at quick rate that could even be observed in Camilla's perception of time. It looked like armor, so she had hoped it would absorb what she was about to do. Similarly to the teacup, Camilla planted her hand on his chest and gave him a shove out the window, not wanting to touch the blood-soaked man any further. She was sure he had good intentions. Either way, with him taken care of, Camilla ran Ben down next, being extra careful to avoid the expanding g-forces of the explosion as it developed. Dropping Ben off next to Len, she repeated her routine with Samantha, who was the closest to it at this point. What was this? Camilla could actually touch her. That was something she had hoped to talk about later.

Next was going to be Willow, but he was closest to one of his own flames, so he was capable of taking care of himself.

Once Camilla looked to Lucy, she panicked. The wave of energy had briefly reached Lucy. Her pink hair was already stretched behind herself, but as the sheer force began to contact her skin, Camilla spotted something.. new. Lucy's skin didn't conform to the blast. Instead, the force was apparently being absorbed..? Did this mean Lucy found her Zodiac in that sort span of time? For a moment Camilla felt excited for the girl, but now wasn't the time.

Once everyone had been dropped off at the parking lot, time resumed. The penthouse had exploded a ring of debris around the building, and the weigh of the floors above it had collapsed having nothing to support it. Slowly, the entire building had crumbled into a mushroom cloud of smoke that expanded at least ten blocks in every direction. Tom, who had simply been pushed, suddenly shot away from the building like a bullet, only to collide through the wall of a neighboring apartment. His body had been completely encased in a hardened shell, making the brick and mortar he was sent through feel like slight nudges. He wouldn't have landed far - only in a small crater several meters from the rest of the group.

Camilla looked over the people she had saved, though because of the smoke, she couldn't account for Tom. Distorted howls mixed with the screams of innocents. "H-..hollows..?!" Ben exclaimed, struggling to see with dusted spectacles. Now that he was far enough away from the jamming, his radio sparked to life with all sorts of panicked chatter. Something along the lines of sending reinforcements. "Please, tell your people to stay back!" Camilla pleaded the two. "This is my responsibility, and I'll take care of it!" Ben and Len exchanged glances for a moment. "You will regroup here when you're finished. Don't think for a second that the deal's off." Relieved, Camilla cracked a smile before disappearing in a bolt of lightning.

Lucy's body felt strange. Even though she had escaped the building in a flash, the g-forces that initially pushed her back was-.. still there? Her face felt tense, all the way down to the ankles, like there was a pressure that desperately needed to be relived. The next thing Lucy touched would send that pressurized feeling to the point of contact and blast whatever she touched away with the same amount of force she had taken just seconds before.

Camilla arrived at the source of the destruction - a large pile of debris that was once a building. She couldn't see Lily, but she definitely felt her.

"If you're going to hurt anyone, hurt me!" Camilla shouted as she took her stand in the middle of a clouded intersection. "I never wanted any of this, but you know this has to be done! We shouldn't be accountable for the actions of those before us! We shouldn't.. bring death to everyone we care for-.. This chaos has to end-..!"

 

[Jackaboi]

Lexi Caiheart
Celebrating! ... Something? And did anyone hear that boom?
​

"EEEEHHH!?" Lexi shouted as James explained that he was not going out on a date. If only for a moment she was completely confused but after thinking about it, it started to make a lot more sense. "Oh... Hehehehe.... Well don't I just feel dumb for assuming. Isn't that a relief! N-not that I was against it or anything!" Although she returned to a slight pout after hearing James' dissapointment, despite his tone calming down. "I'm sorry... it won't happen again..." Lexi looked like a child taking a scolding from a parent. But even then that didn't keep her down, Lexi couldn't help but spot the perfectly good sirloin steak sitting on the table. She was completely hypnotized, from Lexi's point of view the steak was practically sparkling, begging her to eat it before it goes to waste. Lexi picked up the fork and drove it into the succulent meat and picked the whole thing up at once and took a bite. "Delicious~" She... wasn't exactly well versed with the basics of table etiquette. Lexi remained in this state of bliss throughout the duration of Herald making a move on the 'furry' as James had called him and only snapped out of it when Herald announed that no one was leaving the room until everyone was dead drunk. "Drinking..." All of a sudden, the steak tasted sour. Alcohol... Booze... honestly James' presence was only part of the reason for her reluctance to drink. The other reason was her dad. This was the same stuff that dad drinks every day. The stuff that makes him angry all the time. Almost as if James read her mind, he even mentioned her dad not wanting to see her coming home with a hangover. "As if he'd care..." her words were mumbled, not even audible enough for anyone to hear. But her tone was uncharacteristically toxic, which would leave the people that heard it, especially James, somewhat surprised. Having completely lost her appetite she sat the half eaten steak down. Seeing the steak unattended, Champ decided it was his time to shine and went on to devour the rest of the meat.

Surprising to her though, the furry offered to order soft drinks instead which did go to some length to warm her mood again. "Oh...! Thank you furry!" Lexi spoke with innocence, the kind that would say she was completely unaware that James intended the term to be an insult, Lexi just thought it was easier to say than 'fox mask guy'. Meanwhile Herald beckoned Lexi over to sit on what minimal space remained on the couch. Reluctant at first she decided to oblige her. Despite Herald's petite figure she had that kind of aura that demanded respect. "I don't usually smell bad... I was just a bike accident... Also I appreciate the offer to have a drink but I don't think I'm ready to try any of that, you see I really came here looking for my friend..." Before she could finish her sentance, Lexi heard a loud noise from outside, as if a bomb was just set off. Lexi hurried to the window and witnissed a building collapsing in on itself. "W-wha... What's goi..." Lexi struggled to speak, only managing to let out a few unfinished words. She was visibly terrified of the sight. Was it a terrorist attack? Was it the hosts she always hears about on the news? She had absolutely no clue. Lexi considered making a run for it in case this building was next. Although looking out again she saw wierd disformed shadows outside. Was she going crazy now? Lexi backed into the corner, feeling completely defenseless "What's going on!!!!!"

Solemn Jester Kiosk Azukai Boss SidTheSkid Aaaaand anyone else witnissing the chaos

 

[Azukai]

Solemn Jester Boss SidTheSkid Jackaboi Kiosk hwayi

Although the room's atmosphere was filled to the brim with energy, the Herald was busy pouting in the corner of her couch. Ever person in the room had denied her desire for Lexi to drink; and to make matters worse, even Lexi, herself, hadn't been too fond of the idea. "My trashy lil sis betraaaaaayed meeeeee." She began to whine, with literal tears falling down her cheeks. Nonetheless, her sullen composure was entirely transient, as her sorrowful mood was shattered by the arrival of fresh drinks. Before the server could even place them on the center-table, she leaped off the couch and snatched two bottles of liquor off his tray. With one in each hand, she began double-fisting a stream of whiskey and bourbon...or rather attempted to, as most of it was wasted to her clothes and immediate surroundings. "INTRODUCTIONS!" She suddenly announced in response to Devan's suggestion that everyone get to know each other. "Hi everyone, I'm the Herald of the Underworld, though all of you can just call me as Ash--...

BOOM

The distant explosion came out of nowhere and was enough to bring the party to a sudden, crashing halt. From the view of the window, it was possible to see the high-rise suddenly crumble, only to be followed by a massive cloud of dust that began to expand across the city. Remnants of the particles reached as far as the Night Owl and shrouded the afternoon sun in a mild haze of darkness. A certain level of panic was beginning to fall upon members of the room; in particular, Lexi, who suddenly fell back from the window with crippling fear taking over her frantic words and gaze. Nikky began a sudden, urgent phone call, right before one of the security guards rushed into the room with an urgent message to be relayed. "Fox, though mostly Herald, we have an urgent situation. I have been informed that the Millennium Hotel was just destroyed, along with your payload for the hand." Silence fell upon the room, or at least it should have, if it wasn't for the Herald who was was still actively chugging her double bottles of booze. It wasn't until both bottles were empty, that she finally processed what the guard had said and turned to him with an ever obnoxious reply. "Haaaaaaaaaah, serves that fucker right!" She shouted with copious amounts of laughter. "That's what he gets for not inviting me to the summit."

Rightfully so, the guard was standing with confusion plastered over his face--then one second later he was gone...
Cutting through the wall like it was made of paper, was a bony hand, attached to a lengthy, wrinkled arm, that wrapped itself around the guard's body and yanked him outside in the blink of an eye. There was hardly even a moment for anyone to process what had happened, before the guttural screams of the guard were cut short by a gruesome crunch. "Well that sucks," the Herald muttered, her expression slightly taken aback by what had just happened. But a second was all it took for her concern to fade away; her attention reverting to the nearest bottle of alcohol, which she began drinking without a single care in the world.

At the same time the VIP lounge encountered its first sign of trouble--the front of the club was faring no better. Screams began to erupt from the line outside; all in response to the sudden showers of blood that occurred from instances of sudden impalement. Standing off to the side of the front door, was a humanoid figure dressed in a red pinstripe suit. That being said, nothing about its visible body resembled anything remotely human. Lengthy, grey appendages defined both its exposed hands and feet, while its head was defined by an eyeless sphere that was lined with a set of bloodied, razor sharp teeth. One of its hands gripped the handle of a weathered umbrella-like object, which it occasional twirled as a latent demonstration of its adept dexterity. "Deeelicioussss." The creature muttered in a heavy-alien accent, right before it jammed the tip of the umbrella into the ground. Immediately, a single concrete spike erupted from the sidewalk and pierced through the body of a nearby fleeing citizen. "Toniiiight, we feaaaassst." It said with a growing smile on its face. Out of the blue, its head began to rapidly expand, up until the point that it reached a size that was nearly ten times what it was. Bending over, the creature expanded its mouth to the full-size its jaw could handle and bit along the length of the human's body. As its head deflated, loud crunches filled the air with the horror of the situation--all while in the background, the bouncers hastily attempted to lock the doors to the club...which at the end of the day, wasn't much protection at all. Two more spikes erupted from the ground and shattered through the wood without a single effort. Over and
over, spikes continued to erupt from the ground and into the door, until nothing remained but a pile of splintered shards on the ground.And with that,
the creature was inside...

 

[Randomfella]

Lucy Black
Dominion SafeHouse -> Brookfield Streets​

The expression of shock remained as Lucy's head twisted toward Ben, She hadn't even noticed him there. "How could he be so calm right now?" The girl could only wonder, before turning her attention toward Camilla. Even her breaths stopped momentarily at Camilla's admission, and while she didn't know exactly who these people were, from the sounds of the girl's tone... They were definitely like Camilla... Like the both of them.

There was little time to react to the strange girl's sudden reaction, those three words gave away so much. Sadness, despair, betrayal... Still, Lucy would have never imagined what happened next... "Die," The sudden change in character forced Lucy's body to freeze up, the venom-filled words ringing through her mind, only able to watch as the glob shot toward Len. For a short moment, all Lucy could feel was the could breeze ventilating through the building, tickling at the microscopic hairs that lined her body, for that short moment, it all seemed so... Peaceful.

She didn't even have time to turn her head as the explosion rang out, the size of the short flash of light that Lucy witnessed was awe-inspiring, and terrifying. There was no way for them all to get out of here safely, and even with one of them jumping through a portal, they could not all be so lucky. To think, her journey would already be over.

"What... Is this feeling?" Lucy wondered as her body rapidly moved toward the parking lot, but the sudden rapid acceleration was not her main concern. She looked toward her hands, still outstretched in natural reflex to the blast, before running her eyes down her body. "Ngh..." Lucy let out a short grunt, her brain constantly reminding her of the uncomfortable tenseness in her body. Her eyes moved up, only to hear the demands from the one she had promised to help. "Camilla!" A strained Lucy attempted to yell out, her arm outstretching ever so slightly toward her, though before she had even finished talking the flash of lightning was gone.

"Agh!" Lucy's body came to a crouch, her fingers twirling within a half-formed fist, her eyes forced toward the ground in discomfort. Slowly moving her gaze up, doing her best to watch through the clouds of grit and dirt at the hollows beyond, she looked toward another familiar face. "Samantha..." She pitifully requested, almost as if begging for her protection, before continuing after a short, cough-filled pause. "We need to make sure-, she's alright." Eventually, she finished her sentence, through her frustrated, and fear stricken tone. There was no way she could go in alone, she had no idea what Umbra had done to her, and the spirit was more than capable.

Boss Azukai Solemn Jester TerraBooma

 

[SidTheSkid]

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Spoiler: Devan Eldridge "

[IMG='width:514px;']https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/359921133635764224/515995718914277417/Hazama.png?width=449&height=635[/IMG]

[IMG='width:503px;']https://i.postimg.cc/jdXvgF0S/cooltext306989087362014.png[/IMG]
. ​

(Location: Brookfield-Combine, Night Owl-VIP Area.)
(Mood: K.O.)
(Interactions: Nikky, James, The Herald, Dominic, And more..)
(Mentions: )


It might've been his one of his responsibilities to be an imposing figure but there was never any specific regulations against spoiling your honorable guests with bountiful nourishment, bearing in mind the skepticism a large sum of Brookfield had surrounding that of the notorious Red-Hand it was only entirely appropriate that he should go about making amends for any past misdeeds that may have involved direct involvement with his organization, admittedly it was frivolous at best to presuppose something so insignificant could make an impact but who knows? Devan felt fortuitous, particularly because of all the amusement that was going on around him. Herald was by far the most notable out of all of them, it looked as if she had gone through all six basic emotions in a matter of a minute! Every-time he had begun paying attention to the woman it was when she was pouring some kind of alcohol into the back of her throat, that plastered mess was even double-fisting two full bottles of whiskey and bourbon and accidentally pouring most of the contents of those two drinks all over the once fresh carpets of the VIP lounge! The term 'drunk' was an understatement, this woman was so impressive at this drinking 'skill' of hers she could probably even rival Bacchus, the Roman God of Wine! Withal the absurdity she was creating it was a bit humorous to see Nikky stepping herself up to the 'plate' as she raised up her full glass towards the heavens and announced a toast with a tipsy stupor tumbling in her timbre. "Oh..! Thank you furry." Nearly distracted with all of the commotion spiraling throughout the 'hustling' club, Devan nearly had the pleasure of not hearing that ridiculous moniker being blurted out innocently by Lexi. Nevertheless, he wasn't all too bothered by it since her utmost gratitude was so sincere in her childish nature.

"You're welcome, i'm glad I could help." He hearteningly acknowledged, still remaining in a bubbly mood while joining himself with Herald in a legendary bout of passionately downing any refreshments they could get ahold of. Fine wine, Imported Rum, even Brandy was not safe from the pair until she had stopped to properly introduce herself. "Herald of the Underworld?" She was some form of a messenger of the private market? It was confusing to say the least, it could've been interpreted in many ways but only this made the most sense. Just as he was about to down another shot or two, an emphatic 'BOOM' shuddered the entire foundation of the Night Owl, creating a temporary silence as everyone looked around with mixed awe and confusion while herding themselves to the nearest windows to check what had just happened, as expected it was far worse than what anyone could even possibly imagine. Shrieks of dismay were heard as rumbling could be felt once more, Lexi had found herself wandering back into the nearest corner and even Nikky had let out a soft terrified gasp at the sight she had just seen. "Jeeze, what are you guys freaking out about?" Thinking it's some over-reaction, Devan went to go investigate himself and an unbelievable sight had graced his eyes. Fiery debris amassed through the skies, all of it forming a darkened cloud around a collapsing high-rise in the distance. "Is that... The Millennium Hotel?" His face almost turned pale at the horrific sight, this was absolute madness. One after another, security guards had compiled themselves into the VIP lounge, a few visibly exhausted while conveying a message that involved his paycheck being burnt up in flames by the destruction of the tower. If not for being intoxicated Devan's outrage would've been a lot worse, what kind of psychopath would do such a thing? "What in the hell happened?! Gas Leak? Terrorists? Cooking Accident?! Tell me you bastards!" He couldn't help but be genuinely irritated, all of that work he did and for nothing! Only compensation he could receive now was in the form of information and that wasn't going to pay any of his monthly fees for his cost of living.

Properly adjusting his jacket in a fit of annoyance, Devan was nearly about to brush past one of the guards in order to get a better look at his whole living wage floating in the breeze until he was frozen in place after helplessly watching the security officer being violently tugged through a nearby wall, a following gurgling scream of horror echoed throughout the building. Trinkling drips of blood oozed from the inside of the crevice, staining the floor as it pooled near the torn open aperture of the Night Club's lounge. "Someone's probably playing a prank on us, a poorly-timed one! I don't think we really have anything to worry about. Let's all go back to-" As soon as he was about to try and reason with everyone a series of terrified shrieks begun disrupting the atmosphere and sending things into even further disarray once a horrifying abomination had stepped near the side of Night Owl's front entrance. "What?" Uncertainty filled his lungs as Devan spoke, he had no idea what that freaky looking bastard was! It looked like something out of a horror flick, was this thing a Zodiac? No it couldn't of been, it didn't even remotely resemble a human-being except for the eerily striped suit it wore. "I'm sure if we all stay completely quiet, it won't come in." In a matter of seconds, he was immediately proven wrong once the creature had somehow torn its way inside through a series of elongated spikes that had pierced through the door, blowing it apart and sending broken-up shards of glass and wood across the first level of the club. "Ha, I guess we're all going to die aren't we?" Frantically streaking his fingers through his own hair, he knew that fighting against that Lovecraftian atrocity would probably be a death sentence for him and anyone who dared tried to stop it from devouring everything it saw as a scrumptious meal. A sensation of enormous hatred consumed Devan as he stared at the creature in disgust, it had felt as if something had torn inside of him and he couldn't help but find it unexplainable but there was one thing for certain he knew, he was not going to die as a furry. "Sorry to disappoint but it looks like we won't be having that toast after all." In one swift motion, Devan had wrenched the mask off from his face, revealing his infuriated expression underneath before he eventually released the mask over the railing and causing it to lightly 'bonk' the top of the creature's head after it had drifted down to the ground level of the Night Owl.

Nobody knew what to expect out of this encounter, it felt like suicide going up against whatever it was but doing nothing certainly almost guaranteed a horrible death. "First things first." He mumbled to himself as he reached into his inner suit-pocket but instead of pulling out the firearm he had publically brandished during the meeting, Devan had salvaged what looked to be an ordinary syringe containing a liquid lazily floating about in its barrel. "Welp." Staring back at Herald, James, and the others who were with him at the time, it was almost silly thinking that he had a chance in hell in this fight since the only thing he could really hope for is that suit to work wonders or have someone to help him out, regardless it didn't stop him from flicking off the protective plastic covering and revealing the keen point of the needle that was inside. "Remember kids, don't do drugs." Without hesitation the sharp syringe plunged its way into his thigh while Devan began gritting his teeth in a painful display as he pressed his thumb against the injector mechanism, releasing the liquid substance deep into his blood-stream. "Shit that stung." It might've not been his first encounter with drugs but all that being injected into one vein? The burning sensation felt unreal after hobbling around on his other leg once he had discarded the needle. Confusion struck the mystified detective as he wiggled his leg around, almost disappointed at the lack of results. "Usually that thing hits like a freight train, I don't know why it's not..." A long inaudible pause followed once his pupils had narrowed, shrinking exponentially as the effects of the narcotic started to contribute to a slight twitching shown with his right eye. "Oh, nevermind there it is!" Devan must've forgotten how much dosage that thing actually contained, it didn't take long for him to let out a ridiculous giggle before bumping his lower backside into the edge of the railing of the lounge, somehow flipping over it and crashing to the ground in an even more fucked up yet unconscious mess.
Kiosk , Azukai , Solemn Jester , Jackaboi .

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[Boss]

| Diana Young |​

???
Limbo
The Librarian's Written World​

Even though the cottage and the surrounding forest was carefully crafted by the Librarian, it all felt authentic. From the feeling of the sun's rays, to the rustling of the trees and the distant chirping of birds. It was a small portion of a perfect world and offered the two asylum from the gaze of the other Maidens. In here, they were perfectly safe from outside dangers and could leave so long as the Librarian remained healthy. Knowing this was enough for Axel to finally rest her bones, until..

"Axel. I want to go back, for just a moment even. I'm too tired for more bullshit, and so far the most rest I've gotten is sitting down. I'm no bloody Zodiac who's just a floating soul. There's a limit even for me for petes sake."

​

Axel blinked in confusion. Did she hit her head at some point during the encounter with the Count? Axel could have sworn that she told Diana that they were going to return to her world. "And what exactly do you think we're doing?" Axel retorted, visibly annoyed by Diana's sudden whining. She raised her upper body on one of the single beds and shot the girl a nasty glare. Before Axel could say another word, she felt something... wrong. Her eyes trailed off momentarily, then snapped back to Diana. "You need to wake up, now."

Late Afternoon
Brookfield | Red Light District
Diana's Base | Diana's Room
​

Diana's room shook with what felt like violent tremors. Distant explosions lit up her light-less room like she lived in a warzone. The screams of those outside and within the casino had leaked in as well. The good news? Diana's new arm had transferred onto her physical body. The bad news? Well..

Bursting into Diana's room was one of her loyal henchmen. "Boss, you gotta wake up! Th-these creatures! They're all over the streets! We're trying to keep them out, but we need your orders!"