Digital Devil Worlds [D&D 4e Game Thread]

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Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

: "Wuh- pffpfpfpt!" The sudden hair-based ambush has Akio momentarily sputtering and blinking. "Oh?" He looks back at Shio with a smirk and raises an eyebrow. "If I'm a pervert for taking the jacket, then what does that make your boyfriend? And don't get me started on 'good girl', you street brawling typhoon!" He jokingly waggles his finger at her, but soon drops the act and gets serious. "I'd like to talk with you about what you're up to with my friend Kunio."

: A big smirk works it's way around both sides of Hayate's prominent nose. "I dunno what you're talking about. Kunio is a real gentleman!" She screws up her face for a moment. "... What I'm up to?" She glares down her nose at Akio. "Why's it your business?"

: "Akio... It's awfully improper to question the intentions of a woman in love." Noriko crosses her arms. "Shio-chan's maidenly spirit is bright with the fire of romance!"

: Hayate grasps her hands together and wrings them, shaking her head back and forth rapidly. "Wait wait wait! What are you talking about!? L-L-Love!?" Nervous, jittery, some sweat forms on her forehead. "Sure, he's really fun, and really kind, and and we've.. held hands.. and and.. I kissed him on the cheek.. once! Once!" She presses her index fingers together, looking away. "But.. it's not like.."

: Akio gives Noriko a deadpan look. "Trust me, this kind of stuff is the last thing I'd make my business, but seeing as we're the reason that the two of them found each other, I'm of the opinion that we need to take responsibility for..." He gestures toward the flustered Shiokaze. "That!" It was like looking himself in the mirror. Sort of. "Kunio is my friend, Shiokaze. I think he's falling for you. If you're just toying with him..."

: With a start Hayate takes a step back, bringing a hand to her head. "Falling?! For me!? Uhm, er, I.. I.." Sighing heavily, she looks suddenly downcast, looking to the ground as her expression cools. "You.. this is that talk again, isn't it.. the fun's over.."

: Akio sighs. "I don't know, Shio... It might be." He furrows his brow. "When have you heard this talk before? And from whom?"

: "Uhm.. you're not the only ones to know I'm not Human! I.. usually get chased away, eventually, by someone." She keeps her head downturned, looking properly scolded. "They think I'm up to no good, or.. or it's not right.. or I'm cursed.. And.. they're right. I loved a man long ago and.. and it all went wrong, and I ended up cursed!" She brings her face up with a frown, hands bunched into fists. Losing her excitement as soon as she gets it, she mumbles. "I was going to move on anyway.. Kuni~ is really good to me.. but uhm.. hahaha, well, don't take it the wrong way, but you're all so.. uh, weak! If you weren't in this Game, you'd be kids. And after the game, I'll still be me, and you'll be kids again too. So dating Kunio.. it's uhm.. hahaha.." Shd grows flush in the face again. "He's really not a partner." She rubs her arm. "Nobody is.."

: Akio fixes Shio with a scrutinizing stare. "If you're looking for a partner among humans and except them to be as strong as you, then yeah, you'll never find one. But why do you think that's important in the first place?"

: Hayate speaks with a glum tone, her eyes dim. "Haven't you ever been in love?"

: "That's exactly why I don't understand. Noriko could be the frailest, weakest person in the world and I'd still love her. So if you like Kunio, then why does it matter to you?"

: Stamping her foot, Hayate gets in Akio's face and glares him down. "You don't understand! I.. I'm already older than him! It's.. it's not right, if he's like, a little kid, or a puppy!" She pulls away and covers her face with her hands. "I.. I could meet another yokai.." She sniffs a few times. "I shouldn't hurt him.."

: Akio's stare does not waver. "He's not a little kid, he's old enough to be a man. So why don't you get that nonsense out of your head. The only way you could truly hurt him is to leave him for some stupid reason like that."

: Peering up from between her palms, Hayate scrutinizes Akio right back. Then she peers over to Noriko. "I said you don't understand.. Mori-chan.. you know how it is as a woman, right? If you can't feel some pride and excitement.. when you see your man.." Yup. She scrutinizes the Hell outta Akio, looking him up and down.

: Noriko looks thoughtfully at Shiokaze for a moment, and then over to Akio. She frowns. "Um... Shio.... Are you really worried about hurting him? Or is it maybe... you're worried about hurting yourself? I, um..." She looks off to the side. "...Every time Akio gets hurt, it makes me so anxious... We're fragile, and we live short lives that can end very abruptly. I know that too well. But to you... It's all abrupt, isn't it? I can't imagine what it's like... to watch someone wither in front of you..."

: With a dramatic step backwards Hayate draws her arm across her chest, staring at Noriko in a state of profound shock! "N-no! No! You don't know what you're talking about! You punk! You brat!" With her wild hair and shrunken pupils it looks like you've scared a bush spirit! "D-d-don't think just because you smell like Yuzuki that you're as worldly as her!!! Idiot!" She sweats, stammers and babbles. "S-so what if my Kuni~ is s-so delicate!? That's exactly why I should move on! B-before I, shrriii.. before he gets attached!"

-(I'd like Akio and Noriko to have received a recap of Shio's origin during this convo, so assume you have from talking to Itsumi at some point.)

: Noriko stifles a giggle at Shio's outburst. "ne, Shio-chan... you know, when you protest this much..." she notes, radiating with smug energy. Eheheh... She's fun to tease. I'll have to remember this. Crossing her arms, she tilts her head to the side. "Um, something you said earlier, about being cursed... It's not an uncommon cultural belief, among humans, that life itself is a form of hell, a curse or burden we have to overcome before we can reach another phase of existence. Everyone suffers and experiences hardship... So we cling to each other, we live in the moment, and try to make the world more bearable for ourselves and those we care about. We accept that the world is a cruel place and love one another despite that, because it's better to experience those feelings than to live a life trying to avoid inevitable tragedies." She pushes up her glasses, flushing as she realizes she went on a lecture. "Um... What I'm saying is... You don't have to go through this alone. Humans don't. Kunio likes you, and you like him, so... Um... Maybe you should live like a human for a while.... and enjoy the moment while it lasts. If it doesn't work out... Kunio will experience harder things in life than a breakup."

: Akio's expression withers in sympathy for Shiokaze's plight. "Loss is... It sucks. It's painful, it numbs you," he says with his eyes downcast. "It makes the colors gray, the food taste bland. It takes away all the joy in life." He looks up at her, full of determination. "But after some time, you will recover, and then you'll be able to look back at the memories you've created, and you'll be richer for it." His face softens. "You'll still tear up every now and then, but you'll be able to remember and feel the warmth, love and happiness that you shared with that person. And you'll smile." He nods in agreement with Noriko's words. "It's worth it, Shiokaze. I mean, how could it not be?" He smiles. "The time you have together is invaluable, is it not?"

: Scrutinizing you both for a long time, Hayate considers your words while occasionally making small gestures with her hands, portioning out or calculating something, thinking out loud. Finally she looks to the side, her expression bashful. "And how do I tell him about.. me? I'm a monster."

: "Hmmm... I think that would matter to a lot of people, but, um..." She laughs. "I think if there's anyone who wouldn't mind it'd be him. He's, um... a 'man of culture'. haha... What I mean to say, is... I think... To someone like Kunio... a beautiful woman is a beautiful woman, no matter what her shape is."

: Akio laughs out loud. "Sometimes I forget that you don't use technology and consume media like the rest of us, Shio. You might be surprised about the sheer amount of, uh, stories you can find about humans, um, finding love with all sorts of humanoids these days." He lets out a nervous laugh, concerned that he might've let on a little too much. "A-Anyway, I know that Kunio likes you quite a lot, so I think it'll go well, but there's no way to know for sure until you tell him." He taps his chin thoughtfully. "I guess you could see it like this; he put himself on the line and laid his heart bare when he asked you out. Now it's your turn to leave yourself vulnerable in front of him."

: Jerking her head back Hayate grits her teeth and her eyes bulge slightly at Akio. "A real pervert's answer!" She composes herself and wrings her hands, grinning at the two of you. "You two make a lot of sense, even if being vulnerable just means somebody will kill and eat you, but that's Human wisdom, ain't it.." She raises her hands and presses her index fingers together, covering most of her face. "Ehh.. beautiful women.. I saw that he pays attention to that thing but he says he can't see them when I'm around!" She runs her fingers along the center of her face. "I think you're right, Mori, even if most men are.. REALLY RUDE.. about the first time they see a real tengu's nose." She drops her hands and tenses her neck with a huge frown.

: "... OK. I'll do it!"

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 23:22 on May 27, 2020

# ? Jan 12, 2020 21:12

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# ? Apr 24, 2024 00:03

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

: "Hell yeah!" Noriko feels herself getting oddly excited. Startled, she suddenly remembers herself. "Um... that is... I mean, I'm glad you're taking this step forward, Shio, hehe. I'll say some prayers for you and align all my crystals towards venus."

: Akio chuckles at Noriko's outburst. "It may be a lot to take in, so be sure to give him the time he needs, yeah? I wish you the best of luck, Shio."

: Snorting, Hayate walks toward the both of you. "Don't tell me you believe in that crap. Why don't you play with some black cats? Uhm, no more than three, no less than five..." She crosses the distance and scoops you both up in a hug, one arm for each. "Thanks! And bye!" Hayate waves you both off as she heads back into the Nekketsu school grounds.

: "See you later!" Akio smiles and waves goodbye to Shiokaze. "Sorry for dragging you into that," he then says to Noriko after Shio has left. "I talked with Kunio a few days ago and found out that she hadn't told him anything. I felt like I had to do something about it before he tried to take it to the next level."

-On your way off the grounds and into the city proper you pass by a small group of other Nekketsu students departing for the day. A few odd balls are coming in this late and one accidentally sways to the wrong side with the crowd. A tall, lanky boy with sunken eyes in a leather jacket clips Akio's shoulder with his own. Thanks to Akio's supernatural prowess it doesn't really hurt. All the same it feels like a slab of iron.

: "Whoops! Pardon me, pal.." He keeps walking without waiting for your reply.

: Akio comes to a stop after the lanky lout bumps into him and turns his gaze skyward, narrowing his eyes as he sucks some air through his teeth and then slowly shakes his head. There were few things he hated more than bullies. But he was well past the point where he had to silently suffer their indignity any longer. Before the guy is able to get out of reach, he turns around and firmly clasps his shoulder. "No harm done, friend, but I have to ask, are you feeling quite alright? Your sense of balance seems to be... lacking."

:He seems startled for a moment as you actually stop his advance, turning with a short laugh. "Hey, I said I was sorry, just a bit hung over, you know how it is!" He grins, his features easier to study now. Long thin nose with an upturned point, a gap in his teeth due to a missing one, yellow-green eyes. He's wearing a baseball cap for the Buffaloes, a black one with gold trim.

: "Hung over this late in the day? How... Degenerate. What's your name?" Noriko sneers, crossing her arms. "If you keep stumbling around like this you're going to land yourself in some trouble."

:Ignoring Akio entirely and hunching over to better look Noriko in the face the boy giggles and leans in a bit too close. "You can call me Kawaso! Trouble, is it? I could go for some trouble with you, cutie honey."

: "Don't pester her with your foul breath." Akio places his hand square on Kawaso's chest and pushes him back, then fixes him with an icy glare. "Explain yourself, why are you and the rest of your group coming into school so late? For some reason I doubt you have any legitimate club activities."

: Holding his hands up in a defensive gesture, palms out, Kawaso laughs. "Hey hey hey, you've got a real foul mood about ya. Tell ya what, I can have some fun with you too, ya big firecracker." He winks at Akio and licks his lips in a deliberate full circle with the tip of his tongue.

: Noriko might have shrunk at his close approach before, but something makes her feel like she should dig in her heels. She smirks. "I'm far more trouble than you can handle, Kawaso-kun. Your flattery might work better if you came across as less of a creep." She shrugs. "Stay out of my personal space, okay? I think you offended my boy, and he can be very rough around the edges when he wants to be."

: "I think you'd find the pleasure would be all mine." Akio narrows his eyes. "Is there any particular reason why you're avoiding my question?"

:Kawaso shrugs. "And what business is it of yours anyway? You the principal?"

: "This is a place of learning. If you're only here to start trouble I suggest you leave."

: He holds his hands up and sways backwards, looking a bit let down. "Alright, alright. You win, tough guy." He turns to head back onto the main road. It seems all the other late arrivals are gone as well, though you're not sure which way they went.. or when.. seeing as this punk was holding your attention.

: As Kawaso turns his back on him, Akio performs a small gesture with his left hand and places his mark on him, just in case the guy felt spiteful and was planning to ambush them further down the road. "Ugh, that was unpleasant..." he comments to Noriko, then turns his head to her and smiles brightly. "But there's no need to dwell on that. I believe I promised to take you out for dinner as thanks for helping me out today! Any particular place you want to go? Oh, and if you don't mind I'd like to swing by Borderless, I need to buy some special thread..."

: Noriko waves. "Bye-bye~" Waiting until he's out of earshot, she pokes Akio in the ribs. "Hahahaha... 'This is a place of learning'. You're such a dork." Thinking about food, her expression lights up. "Oh! Um... There's a Yakiniku place by Borderless. I'm always smelling it when I pass by..." She salivates at the thought.

: "Haha," Akio lets out a shy laugh and rubs his hair as she calls him out on his dorky words. "That sounds great! Let's go!"

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:06 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Jan 25, 2020 18:10

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Friday, June 12th, Naoki High, End of the Day

: As everybody is getting up to leave homeroom with the final bell the door is drawn open with a powerful, wild slam, the result of a strong boy using far too much force to do so. A wild-eyed Kunio takes one step in and immediately bows from the waist to the teacher. "Excuse me intrusion, Sir! There's been a small family emergency concerning my friend, Yamamura-Kun!" He straightens up and glares at Akio with a rigid intensity, like he's been struck by lightning.

: ".. Well, go on, day's over. If you need anything, let me know." He gives Akio a big nod. Kunio waits for Akio to join him in the hall as everyone in class begins gossiping about why Akio is "good friends" with "the Demon of Naoki"!

: "Yes, sensei. Thank you." Family emergency? It was obvious what this was actually about, so couldn't he have waited just a few more minutes for class to end!? Akio gathers up his stuff, slings his bag over his shoulder and leaves the classroom, grimacing at the sounds of gossip behind him. Curious how Kunio had reacted to the news, Akio smirks as he walks up to him. "Hey Kunio, what's up?"

: The second you're clear in a secondary hallway Kunio turns on you and brandishes a piece of paper in your face, right under your nose. "Akio! Read this!"

quote:
There's a photo of an angry Hayate with her wrists chained to a random utility pole in a random warehouse.

"DeMoN oF nAoKi, MeEt Us At TwIn RiVeR pArK oN sUnDaY aT 11 pM!.!.!.! cOmE aLoNe Or ShE gEtS hUrT

mizu-mizu, Kawaso

pS: gEt WhAt YoU dEsErVe!.!.!"

: "What the hell..." Akio's eyes go wide as he reads the paper. "What have they done to her!" And perhaps more alarmingly, how had they done that to someone like Shiokaze. "Kawaso?" He grits his teeth, seething with anger. "That creepy fucker!" He looks up from the paper and looks Kunio in the eyes as he puts his hand on his shoulder. "We're getting her back, Kunio. Don't worry about it. How do you know Kawaso?"

: You hear a loud "Yo!!" from the side as Ken, Kunio's Second joins you.

: Kunio already has his hand on Akio's shoulder and sets his other on Ken's shoulder. "You guys.. thank you. But I've already made up my mind. I'm going to head out there alone tomorrow. I have to. And if I die.. well.. it's for a good cause.." His voice cracks at the end.

: "Kunio!" His eyes tear up ever so slightly.

: "Kawaso.. never heard of him. It doesn't matter. Whoever these two are, there ain't a call out bigger than this." Kunio makes a fist, letting Ken's shoulder goes. Ken balls his hands up into two fists and starts psyching himself up. "I wanted to warn you both this happened. Don't let yourselves get jumped.. or anyone you care about." He looks Akio eye to eye, an instant transmission of masculine respect. A palpable spark of fate!

: Eyes still locked with Kunio, Akio frowns. "Look, I get what you're saying, I truly do, but it's not very bright. It will not make you any less of a man if you play this smart instead. Besides, you and Hayate are two people I care about. She already got jumped, do you really think I'm going to stand idle and let the same happen to you as well?" He shakes his head decisively. "You need to let me help you."

: With a heavy sigh, Kunio pats Akio's shoulder and looks down. "Could you say that if I was helping you fight, but Noriko gets hurt when you don't show up alone?"

: "I'd go alone without a doubt, yeah. But I wouldn't sit around and dutifully wait for the given time like a good boy." Akio jostles Kunio's shoulder. "Don't give these fuckers the satisfaction of playing by their rules, act proactively! If we can find the location they're keeping Hayate and free her, we can come crashing down on them like an avalanche of bricks. And even if we're not that lucky, we can at least come up with a plan and secure any advantages we can get. Let's gather our friends and see what we can do before tomorrow night."

: Eyes still downcast, Kunio pats Akio on the shoulder one last time. "You're a really good friend, Akio. You too, Ken. You guys take care of yourselves, alright? I'll see ya on Monday." Resigned to the call out meeting on Sunday night, Kunio turns and departs, deaf to all objections.

: Ken turns on Akio and explodes. "YER RIGHT! WE GOTTA TURN THIS AROUND ON THOSE BASTARDS!!!" Other students turn and look down the halls, startled by the loud yelling.

: Akio watches with disappointment as Kunio leaves. He turns to Ken. "We will. It'd have helped if Kunio was willing to listen, but we will. First we need to figure out who Kawaso and Mizu-mizu are and why they are trying to get revenge on Kunio, and for what. You've known Kunio for longer than I have, do you have any idea?"

: Ken thinks real hard for a bit. "Maybe it's cause those two are always beating up other hoods. I ain't never heard of those other other two though!"

: "I guess that's a possibility," says Akio, but he doesn't sound entirely convinced. "I ran into a creep that called himself Kawaso yesterday, right outside Nekketsu. I bet that's him." He gives Ken Kawaso's description. "I'm going to round up some friends to help out with this. You can tag along if you want, but we might be able to cover more ground if we split up."

: Ken pumps both fists! "Yeah! And Akio, recruit some chicks! We're hosed if they got any rude bitches and it's just us guys!" Ever the erudite scholar, he runs off.

: "Right." Akio tries his best to not roll his eyes. "If you find anything, let me know, alright? See you later, Ken!" After parting with Ken, Akio goes back to the classroom to find the others and let them know what has happened.

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 03:20 on Jun 27, 2020

# ? Jan 30, 2020 06:28

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

A School Night, Online in DDW, Vigrid(Fenrir's Mindscape)

Akio: Establishing a bond over a series of discreet meetings, you once thought that Isabelle was a helpful benefactor. After events at the Other Shore with Akane and Allison and discovering the keylogger you're torn. All the same Isabelle has asked you to meet and chat with her in a "face to face", denying access via traditional direct contact over private messages. Texting, in-game. She's having none of it were you to try. The time of your meeting in Vigrid has come!

-A massive icy tundra spanning the distance between frozen mountains and the foreboding abyss of the Ginnungagap, Vigrid is an eternal battlefield where the only features of the terrain are those that fighting players can establish. That and the upheavals made by massive, hill-sized monsters the same color as the ice, blindly surging above and beneath the surface in search of feeble or lost Avatars.

-Loyal to none, not even Fenrir, Vigrid is a highly dangerous Mindscape where every battle is between player and player, monsters attacking and eviscerating all at any moment. Thus they function as perhaps the ultimate hazard, living and malevolent. Amidst the fresh cracks of the churning ice beset by monsters you can make out a large dome with a radius and height of 30 feet, shimmering with a gentle indigo hue. Inside is a warm spring surrounded by blades of yellow-gold grass where a small font of ambrosia bubbles over a set of raised rocks. The monsters never approach it but are furiously carving through the ice and snow around it, making the approach dangerous.

: The previous night... The date for his meeting with Isabelle was fast approaching, but so far Akio had only told Noriko about it. It was about time he clued the others in. However, since he still didn't know where he had Tsukiyo, he made the desicion to leave her out of the loop for now.

Conversation with Noriko, Itsumi, Takashi, Akane and Takano.

Group Conversation posted:
Akio: Everyone, I've got something I need to share.
Akio: When we confronted Allison she knew about things she shouldn't have, important bits of information that I would never let slip to ORDER. I suspected then that I had been spied upon, and it turns out I was right.
Akio: I found a keylogger on my computer, embedded in a runesigil client that Isabelle had sent me during one of our meetings. It was of arcane nature.
Akio: I tried to scrub it from my system, but no matter what I tried I couldn't make any headway whatsoever. It was so far beyond my skills I might as well have been both computer and arcane-illiterate.
Akio: I can't stress enough how impossible it was to get rid of the spell. The level of arcana shouldn't even be remotely possible with what we think we know of the boundaries of the game.
Akio: After futilely struggling with it for a good while, a window popped up on my screen.
Akio: It was Isabelle, she said she wanted to meet with me and talk.
Akio: Seeing no other way, I told her I would accept on the condition that she removed the virus, and she did.
Akio: We're meeting tomorrow night, in Vigrid. I'm not sure what to expect, it could very likely be a trap.
Akio: I made this mess and I don't want to place anyone else in danger, so I'm not going to ask you to risk mounting a rescue attempt if something were to happen, but I thought you should all know what is happening at the very least.
Akio: I'll be recording the meeting so that you can witness it with your own eyes, I'm not keeping any more secrets with that woman.

---

: Vigrid, the mythological plain where the gods would take to the field and fight the final battle, heralding the end of the world. What a dump. While Akio could think of several different reasons why Isabelle might want to meet him here, without knowing what she had planned he couldn't arrive at a definite conclusion why she had chosen Fenrir's mindscape of all places. At least he couldn't hear the Gjallarhorn, maybe the big bad wolf himself wasn't home. Akio had done his research. The monsters roaming the 'scape were parasites of the world serpent, and among other things they were able to sense movement in a large radius around them. Invisibility wasn't going to help him reach the dome, they could even see through it if he stood still, and he had no flight powers. He was going to have to do it the hard way. In an attempt to avoid drawing the attention of the monsters for as long as possible, Ambrose approaches the dome by chaining teleports, blinking forward while at the same time trying to minimize the impact he makes on the ground.

Stealth: 1d20+18 27

-Like skipping a snow across the temporal pond you move towards the mystical dome, hoping to avoid the attention of the monsters. It doesn't take long before the general ambient rumbling in the area begins to intensify, churning snow and randomly launched pieces of debris from the ground below signaling a direct approach. As if anticipating your extra-dimensional movement the line of disruption hooks sharply and surges towards where you are going rather than where you are. A massive bulge rises in the snow, a warning before the hunter inevitably emerges!

: "Hmph, so you are able to comprehend simple patterns." Ambrose thrusts his hand forward and creates a projection of his sword above the rising snow. "Let's see if you can keep up with this, then." The projection rotates in the air and snaps into alignment to be perfectly perpendicular with the ground, pointing downward. The blade then starts to glow as a powerful charge of sonic energy quickly builds up within it and is released into the ground with a thundering crash. The instant it strikes the earth, Ambrose weaves a spell which teleports him forward a greater distance than his previous bounds, and leaves a mirror image in his wake. With some luck the blast would be enough to temporarily distract the monster's senses and make it lose track of him, buying him enough time to slip past unscathed.

(Using my new Soulknife powers to unleash a Sword Burst dealing Thunder/Force damage at range, then expending Armathor's Step to teleport past the monster while leaving behind a mirror image.)

-A moment later the snow parts as a hill with teeth rises, devouring the space centered around the sword burst and then some! Snow and ice melt and the ground warps and distorts, as soft and pliable as silk as the monster rises and descends. The traveling of its brothers causes new snow and earth to spread over the space, rapidly covering the entrance of the terror! And now two more mounds rise in un-synchronized delay, first one, then the other, honing in on Akio's new location.

: That looked rather unpleasant to get caught in, to say the least! Better not get caught, then. To make his movements as erratic and as hard to predict as possible while still striving forward, Ambrose proceeds by alternating running by foot and teleporting in varying angles at random intervals.

-One fiend rises where Akio was, consuming the path he took. Another surges forward and annihilates the path ahead. Veering to the side leaves one final stretch of fifty feet to the dome! A third rises suddenly from deep below and turns mid thrash, reaching around to fall on and consume the Swordmage utterly, so huge it blocks line of sight to the dome!

: Ambrose closes his eyes as the massive fiend bears down on him, seemingly having surrendered to his gruesome fate. But then, just as the gaping maw is about to engulf him, the corner of his mouth curves up in a smirk. The chain-link ring he's wearing on his right hand emits a faint light, and the very next moment he's standing safely on the other side of the indigo dome's protective sphere. He opens his eyes and warily looks around. The dome may serve to keep him safe from the monsters outside, but he wasn't so sure they were the true danger waiting for him in the mindscape.

(Using my True Eladrin Ring of Passage to teleport 55 feet without requiring LOS)

: (Music)Sitting at a delicate little raised tea table made of platinum filigree is Isabelle, watching your arrival with clear amusement. To either side of her float sets of ledgers, animated pens writing in them rapidly. There's a pair of tea cups and a pot, though digital food would confer with buff at best. It won't satisfy any palate. Isabelle claps her hands together and the books close themselves.Resplendent in her robe of translucent night sky, your pink-haire benefactor smiles politely. "I see you're still making good use of my gift, Akio."

: Noriko, crumpled into the tiny form of a bat, lurks in a pouch in Ambrose's robes, bumping elbow to elbow with Dahlia as she tries to peek out at the proceedings. "grrr... she's too familiar with him!"

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 03:40 on Jun 26, 2020

# ? Feb 10, 2020 05:48

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

: Ambrose gives Isabella a hard stare as she utters Akio's real name. "I see you're making good use of my 'gifts' of knowledge as well, whoever you are. Not that I was aware I was giving them to you." He takes a few steps forward and crosses his arms. "I came here as promised. Now what do you want?"

: The permanently blowing winds of the tundra can still drift into the illusionary dome, causing Isabelle's ponytail and bangs to flutter freely as she grins. Not like any other cat-like minx you know. This is predatory. "All knowledge is mine to seek. If it bothers you, you've always been free to exit the Game, and you still are. That's why I wanted to talk to you. I want to offer you an opportunity to avoid any further hardship." She gestures to the opposite side of the table where a matching chairs dances into place. "Because I like you, Akio-kun."

: Tiny bat claws dig into Ambrose as Noriko's hair stands on end. She has to put some effort into not getting upset, clenching her fangs as she wears a bitter scowl.

: "Is that so? I wasn't aware that duplicity was a sign of affection." Ambrose grabs hold of the chair and takes a seat, leaning back and slouching slightly in casual disrespect. "How about Kane, do you like him too? Or is he more akin to a tool to be used?"

: Raising a pair of fingers, Isabelle gestures and activates something. The air tastes fuzzy. With matching, mocking impudence Isabelle leans forward on the table, elbows set on it, head resting in her upturned hands. "You seemed fond of our joint deceptions when it suited you. The artifact blade Gram. An empowered ring of Elven make, popular with the more meta-minded players. Headcount. Thaddeus' pride. Little nuggets of information that kept you ahead of the game." Slapping her palms to the table Isabelle sits up and leans scandalously forward. "Do you even know about the best gift I gave you?" You've seen her get fired up before but it has nothing in the sheer glee in her eyes and voice now.

: The air tasted fuzzy? What was that about? "And yet you refused to give me the information I needed the most. Someone I care about almost lost their life because of your and Allison's ploy. No trinkets will make up for that." He stares at her defiantly as she leans across the table. "Please do enlighten me."

: Isabelle pulls back, smirking. "So you really never asked yourself what would happen if you had to fight more than one heavyweight at a time? Ohhhh, Akio. How naive." She laces her fingers together and straightens her shoulders. "And on that note, why don't you tell me what is bothering you? Kane, Allison.. I don't quite follow. Be direct."

: Ambrose rolls his eyes as she calls him naive. "Indeed? I'll grant you the House of Fortune raid, but are you also claiming credit for that Fenrir, the lone wolf himself, was alone when we confronted him?" He shakes his head. "I'm sorry, but I have a hard time believing that was your work. And where was your supposed protection when Bishop and Braxienne had joined forces against us?" He shrugs nonchalantly. "Well, I guess I can't expect your help at the very moment you betray me." In stark contrast with the one arm he has hanging lackadaisically over the backrest of his chair, Ambrose's eyes are sharp and focused as he looks at Isabelle. "Why don't you extend me the respect of not playing dumb, at least." He sits up straight and leans forward. "Allison, your friend and secretary Braxienne, who flew to Japan armed with your spy intel on me to take part in the events during the last full moon, and Kane, my friend and classmate, who you so easily plucked from his cradle and pitted against me. Surely your allies must've debriefed you about what happened at the beach resort. You should know exactly why I am bothered."

: Letting her head tilt halfway to one side, Isabelle watched Akio with pure amusement. Once he is finished she leans over to that side on an elbow, lowering an arm to drum her fingers along the table. "Is that all? It's exactly what I meant to do. And I was certain it was what you wanted. To help my friend escape her bargain.. and to deal with the hammer of Ailuridae, swinging recklessly around. Getting a little heavier than I'd like. And you agreed to spy on them.. and you did so well, too. That was when you could leave them behind and join me. Is any of this unfounded? Didn't you want to be the best? Is something else holding you back?" She leans back and straightens up with a smug little hmph. "I even asked you here to fix this, before you're crushed by the Game."

: "How on Earth could you think I wanted any of what happened." Ambrose shakes his head in disbelief. "Allison almost died because of your dishonesty, don't you realize that!? And her blood would've been on my hands!" He abruptly stands up and slams his palms down on the table, then leans forward and stares Isabelle in the eyes with righteous anger. "If you'd just been upfront with me we could've all worked together to find a way to save her, but instead you decided to callously take advantage of her circumstance to make a move against Ailuridae! What the hell were you thinking! What's wrong with you!? I thought I knew you. I thought I could trust you. I sympathized with you. Now I don't know if a single word you've told me has been true." He breaks eye contact and lets out a disappointed sigh. "Before I'm crushed by the Game, huh..." He repeats her words calmly, then looks at her inquisitively. "Like Takamura?"

: Without breaking her confident posture Isabelle withstands your dramatic accusations, smiling politely. "I've already told you I didn't know him. Not that you'd believe me now.." A bemused chuckle rings out. "Do you know what your problem is, Akio?"

: "Oh, I'm just dying to know. Please do tell me. Am I not morally flexible enough, maybe?" He says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

: "Oh no, there's no problem there. That's just a symptom." Isabelle rises to her feet, gesturing and sending her chair dancing along under it's own power off to the side. You do not play to win, Akio. And what's worse, you can't understand why anyone else would." Raising her hands to either side in a mocking shrug, Isabelle grins. "Your dear friend Kane.. do you even know what drives him? You've humiliated him three? Four times now? He wants to triumph.. and I can give that to him. Where is the malice there, hmm? Perhaps there is the cold indifference you show him, treating him as a.. supporting role, to your great life's story. If only he'd stop opposing you. If only he'd abandon his own, personal, desires and ambitions."

: She sweeps one arm low and gestures again, her table dismissing itself by rising into the sky until it is so high it becomes a pinprick dot in the sky. "And what about Allison? Shouldn't she have just given up when you told her to? What could she want that's more important than what you want? Why would anyone else fight so hard, why risk death? That's the exclusive right of the hero Swordmage, right? And the others who get in your way, and oppose you, they're just battles you had, to make you stronger, maybe add a little seasoning to your life story, something you can tell stories about once you've won and done everything you aspired to." She walks forward, raising her hands again in a truly surprised shrug, grinning and feigning an Oh! look of surprise. "But I'm sure you've thought about the big questions already, haven't you? What you'll do when Tsukiyo Chavez won't let you make your wish and draws her swords? What your little witch friend, Noriko Mori, is going to act like when somebody reminds her that wishing for unintended consequences may go poorly and she can't do it."

: "And really, who knows what your other friends truly want.. but I'm guessing they're dreaming that they're the stars of their own stories as well." She crosses her arms and runs a finger along her chin. "I bet Yakuza have very humble and charitable desires, yes? Why, here you are trying to lecture me when I'm already a step ahead of you at being right. Haven't you lost a member? Since I know what happened that night.. going to save Chavez? Cut her down? Maybe she'll just vanish, since she's not the real main character." Isabelle steps close to Ambrose. For some reason she appears taller, pulsing with a familiar aura. Like a kid looking to an authority figure. But you've very aware, now at least, that she can and would alter your perception, your senses. "Your problem, Yamamura-kun, is you're so morally inflexible that you've decided that other people are not independent actors. If Royal deals with devils, if others want to win, if people suffer consequences they earned, if a zero sum game has losers.. well, you either don't want to see it, or you'll neatly forget the necessary sacrifices made to "do the right thing. Just like you forgot that first step, when you agreed to spy on them, without any pretense or deception about what you were doing.. but now.. you're noble. Hah." She steps back and sets her hands on her hips. "No wonder you liked Charlotte so much." As Isabelle monologues she effortlessly produces ephemeral silhouettes that tower over her. Of two knights clashing, of a silver wolf and a black hound, of a witch in Isabelle's own violet shadow, and of Ambrose own blue-lined form as a crowned king.

: Akio can almost hear the switch toggle inside his head partway through Isabelle's scathing monologue. Ambrose snorts as she finishes. "Where do I even begin. I don't play to win?" He lets out a loud arrogant laugh, then crosses his arms and looks down his nose at her, despite her current height. "Fool," he states as if it was an official declaration, stamped and approved. "I'm well on my way to becoming the best. My conviction is my strength. Standing up for what is good and just is not an inconvenience to me, it does not hold me back. You can try to claim that I've wronged Kane, that I somehow deny him his self-determination by being better than him at a video game or two, but last I heard he'd willingly given up on his wish in the hopes of getting some table scraps of the one he serves. But I suppose you think it's fine if he abandons his ambitions for your sake, or whoever you serve under in your glorified pyramid scheme, hm? Yes, Allison should have surrendered as soon as her defeat was evident, there is no question about it. Anything else is irrational, and I have the right to take umbrage with that as the one that is made to become her executioner. I value the sanctity of life, and that includes the lives of brazen idiots like her."

: "As for how the wish is to be used, that is for those who remain standing at the end to decide. I do not see the point of discussing it with you at this point in time. I will say that I'm not worried about it, I trust my friends, and I still count Tsukiyo among them. Her heart is in the right place, and I hope to regain her trust one day. I believe it is you who has forgotten that when I agreed to spy on ORDER's behalf it was just a video game to me, just a bit of fun. When it became more than that, when I learned of the Game, and that Takamura had been killed because of it, I took the opportunity to pursue my own agenda. I made some mistakes along the way, like allowing you to infect my computer and not letting my friends know what I was up to, but I never once told you anything that would compromise them. I am not prone to fits of betrayal. Now, I will demand one true answer from you, Megumi." He uncrosses his arms and points at her. "What is Kane to you, exactly? Do you love him, or is he simply a boy toy for you to chew on when you're feeling lonely?"

: Watching you reply, Isabelle's expression gradually fades slightly to one of disappointment. She sighs and shakes her head, putting on a new smile. ""Never once told you anything that would compromise them." Haha. You can only act as you know how to.. Kane is my Knight. I hope that answers your question." She paces over to one side, hands shifting around and clasping behind her back. She peeks over and inclines her head, bending forward slightly, examining Ambrose as though he were on display. "Maybe you do not understand what is going to happen. You know the Game is determined by the greatest will? And you'll be alright if you just keep going forward, because it'll all work out in the end?"

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:10 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Feb 21, 2020 05:56

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

: "A Knight. Not a mere Pawn, but also not the King," Ambrose muses and lets his hand fall. "An evasive answer can be just as telling, Isabelle." He remains in place, standing tall with his shoulders squared and his hands clasped behind his back, watching her as she paces in front of him. "The arcane virus that was far beyond even my skills, the Contingency magic that allowed Kane to escape, the high level summoning spell Allison cast through her scroll, and the sheer power of the Fate which we took from her," he lists. "I'm not blind to the signs, I know that you possess significant power." He smiles. "So... No, it might not work out in the end for me, it's very possible that I will lose if I have to fight you. What's your point?"

"It's why I asked you here. This is my final offer to work for me. You think me dishonest to the core.. I'm pragmatic. You called what I'm doing a pyramid scheme, but I don't recall actually enriching the bottom as being part of that definition." She grins. "Maybe only one of us can have an infinitely powerful Wish. But after that, and before that even, I can do a lot to help those who get along with me." She leans back, her chair slamming down without damage to itself to catch her as she drops into sitting. "Do you think two hundred thousand yen would mean a lot to you or me? Not really. How about your little foul-mouthed friend, Itsumi? It is within my power to help her, as I have helped many others." She sweeps her hands slightly upward. "It is within my power to help many people, and I have. Once I've won, I can do it to a degree you can't imagine. Or maybe you can." She gestures forward. "For all your bravado, you seem intent on wearing my gifts to you until the end. Going to teach me a poetic comeuppance? Too convenient? Both? Ahahahehehe..."

She laces her fingers together in her lap, squaring up her shoulders. "You are very much a teenage boy, seeing things in the eyes of simply proving yourself, fighting harder, being destined to win because every story in your culture and others likes to share that with their youth. But.. none of that matters to me. I won as soon as the contest started. I am the World's Greatest Controller." She swipes her fingers and shares a peek at a split-second frame of a friend list. After this split second all text on it becomes garbled, leaving behind the relevant information: 1,400+. She gestures and produces an illusion of a bust of Thaddeus, squared up to an unreal level of smug satisfaction. "I've helped Thaddeus forge a new Artifact. I'm afraid Gram is not the greatest that can be achieved. His fervor to win is in his followers as well.. I'd say your groups are about even, odds being in his favor. Especially if Chavez doesn't get over her little phase at the moment." If you will work with me, I can enrich the lives of you and your friends, and I will tell you how to disarm and defeat Thaddeus. This is your last chance to do so... And there is always the option to simply leave the Game. I will not pursue you if you do."

: Ambrose grimaces with disgust as Isabelle makes Thaddeus' ugly mug appear. "While I would enjoy wiping the smug off his face for good, I have to ask, why did you arm Thaddeus if you intend to help me defeat him?"

Isabelle starts a little, then snorts and laughs in disbelief. "Don't you get it?"

: Ambrose raises an eyebrow. "You're using him?"

"I'm arming everyone."

: Ambrose lets out a chuckle. "Very well." He lets out a contemplative sigh. "The winning move for us would certainly be to align ourselves with you, but before I give you my answer, I have to know what we'd be fighting for. If you win, what do you intend to do with the Wish?"

"Ah ah ah. I'm done giving things out for free. I want your answer." She stares into Ambrose's eyes. "And if you accept, we will continue our discussion later. Face to face."

: "In that case I have to base my answer on what knowledge I do possess..." Ambrose falls silent and peers off into the distance for a moment, then looks back at Isabelle, returning her stare. "You told me once that you wished for love, but I think that was a lie. I think that you're really after unimaginable wealth." He shakes his head. "I can't agree with that, it'd be a terrible waste when the Wish could instead be used to advance mankind as a whole." His stare grows harsh. "But the real reason why I wouldn't work for you is your, let's call it pragmatic duplicity. Not because you had me fooled, but because it almost cost Akane her life, and you do not seem to be terribly concerned about that. I decline your offer."

: Noriko nods firmly in her seat at Ambrose's declaration, even as she bitterly restrains herself. She wanted to shout, but what could she do? An array of new UI elements glitter over her heads-up display, and her hands hover on attack keys nevertheless. If Isabelle attacked at this point, Memento-Mori would have to intervene, even if it was only to buy time for them to escape.

An uneasy moment passes. Isabelle inclines her head forward, her bemused smirk now curving back the other way, concern making her tense as she stares at Ambrose. "Are you sure? Perhaps this means you are leaving the Game?"

: Akio could feel a lump of anxiety form in his throat, the moment he'd been dreading was at hand. How was Isabelle going to react to him turning her down? "I am sure," Ambrose says, his expression neutral. "I have no intention of leaving the game."

... "You understand we'll be at odds and that in all outcomes I will be the winner." Her eyes are smoldering, her irises flickering pink and violet.

: "Your victory is not certain yet. What is certain is that if I forsake my wish to follow you, then I will never attain it." His eyes are calm, cool and piercing blue like the surface of a frozen lake. "I think there are far more important things in life than the money you offer me, and I will not betray my principles for it."

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:13 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Mar 4, 2020 05:54

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

: Closing her eyes and covering the top half of her face with one hand, Isabelle sighs deeply. The bitterness in her body language is palpable, the disappointment in the unformed words she mutters without the pitch of her voice cutting. She rolls her shoulders and straightens up, setting her hands down. She rests her elbows on the table, laces her fingers together and faces forward, her entire demeanor transforming to pure business. "You won't understand until you finally taste defeat. Very well. I'm sorry only I can give it to you." Staring dead into Ambrose's eyes with her own colder, almost glossy as a corpse, Isabelle continues. "I still want to meet you face to face. You will do so or else I will inform our mutual acquaintance Thaddeus about the real life identities and home addresses of you and the other four."

: "What? Why!" He quickly asks, taken by surprise. Of all the ways he'd thought she might respond, this wasn't one if them. "What could you possibly stand to gain from meeting in person? You risk exposing your identity." Just how was she planning to make him taste defeat? As he looked into her eyes now, he felt truly unsettled.

: "And you are who I would risk exposing it to. I will message you the time and location after we both leave this Mindscape." Without moving, she keeps staring straight into Ambrose, waiting for his acceptance.

: "Fine," he says curtly.

: "I'm glad you understand. Good day, Ambrose."

: "Just one moment," he says, scowling. "What guarantee do I have that you won't tell Thaddeus anyway?"

: "That I have not done so before this conversation, guaranteeing the maximum amount of surprise and success in the ambush. Therefore as long as you are more beneficial than he is, so it shall remain. After all, I am going to tell you how to defeat him."

: "You're still going to tell me that? Why do I get the feeling that you're not taking my no for an answer..." Ambrose shakes his head slightly and lets out an exasperated sigh. "As long as I'm more beneficial, hm? Alright, I get it." He nods at her. "Good day, Isabelle."

: Isabelle stands up and briskly sweeps her left hand, dismissing the illusion of the dome and allowing sensations from the tundra to pour in. As she teleports away directly the air returns to normal. Less fuzzy, more crisp, like lemon lime and frostbite. The hill-sized parasites begin tunneling towards Ambrose.

: Mori peeks out of his coat, blinking. "What an awful woman. I... wanted to confront her, but..." Scowling, she looks as frustrated as a bat can be. "We need to keep pushing ourselves if we ever want to beat her." Looking over at the approaching parasites for a moment, she pauses before looking back to Ambrose. "Um. Am I holding on tight again, or...?"

: "I know..." Ambrose replies to Mori while his eyes are trying to track Isabelle as she disappears. "I thought this was going to be our final meeting, I didn't expect her to force me to see her in person." He lets out a frustrated growl. "She's got her claws in me deep..." He looks down at at bat-Mori. "We don't know if someone is still watching, so it might be better if you remain hidden." He smiles and reaches down to scritch her behind her ears. "I find it rather comforting to have you so close, too..." Before the parasite can get too close, he starts teleporting towards the exit of the instance.

: Mori snorts. "Laaaaame. Fine, fine. We'll have to get some fighting in later." Mori sulks back into his cloak.

: "Why Mori, your Yuzuki is showing." Ambrose smirks. "There's a time and place for everything. I'm a bit too ill at ease to cut loose right now, sorry."

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:15 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Mar 16, 2020 19:18

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Itsumi's House, Evening

-You arrive home from school one day to an unexpected sight: all of the lights are on, the windows are open and the smells of dinner with accompanying steady pillar of steam is rising from one. The yells of your younger brothers are also on display. This is very early for Father to be home, especially on a week day. As you approach the door you can see the family cat, the massive gray-white boy with powerful jowls and a permanent scowl pawing at the door, futilely trying to be heard over the ever-busy Kasaya household.

: He peers around and meows loudly at you before striding over to rub his side against your shin. The family named him "Onion", a word that truly encompasses his powerful presence.

: Itsumi reluctantly leans down and scratches Onion behind the ear before quietly heading inside, trying to observe what's going on without being immedately drawn into it

: Opening the door prompts the briefly affectionate Onion to bump past your leg on his dash inside! This is followed up by your brothers dashing down the hall and throwing up handfuls of homemade paper confetti in front of you.

: "Welcome home! Your home!" "Now you're home too!" They take off quickly. Inside the kitchen Grandmother is boiling a pot of tea and Father is home early, sitting at the table. He's leaning back in the chair and relaxing as Mother massages his shoulders. Both are briefly startled to see you come in, but it is a small house!

: Twisting her head in confusion, Itsumi replies "Yeah... what's goign on? Why's dad home so early..?"

: "Oh, Itsumi.." She smiles sweetly.

: Father laughs and rubs the back of his head. "I got fired. I'm sorry, Itsumi! Things will be a little tough for a bit!"

: "Oh... Okay. I'm sorry dad," Itsumi says with a frown, unsure of how she's supposed to react.

: Grandmother sighs and begins pouring cups when both Mother and Father get up and rush to Itsumi's side, all gathering together for a group hug!

: "Oh Itsumi, we're sorry!"

: "Father will pick up every job listing in the neighborhood, don't you worry!"

: "We can still get you some new clothes this weekend..!"

: "I'll do my best, I swear it..!"

: Itsumi's mouth turns down upon hearing the news. "No... it's okay! We need to put the family first right now..." she says, hoping to hide the slight hint of disappointment she feels. She can't help but wonder what happened, but knows better than to ask...

: Mother and Father can't stand this display of maturity and this makes the three way hug all the more sincere and heart wrenchingly warm.

: Grandmother sets the cups of tea down for all four of you and lets a snort out through her nose. "It's horse poo poo what they did to you. You're one of their only real salesmen."

: "Ah.. ahh.. it's corporate life, it can't be helped.."

: "Nonsense. Who ever heard of an Emergency Consultant anyway?"

: "Emergency consultant?? I guess the company was in trouble then..." Itsumi wonders aloud after returning the hug with a great smile

: "He swept in and said our numbers were too low! He was, ah.. Mister Kogatana. A strange balding man." Grandmother snickers. Father chuckles too. "Yeah, Mister Small Sword, it was ridiculous, we were all trying not to laugh. But he tore into us and said an example had to be made!" He sighs deeply. "He said "You must understand that human emotions don't factor into the Game, it has winners and losers and the rules make them."

: "An evil silver fox of a man!"

: Father nods. "I couldn't even clean out my desk! I lost two packs of my favorite crackers.. this creep with a ponytail and a business suit came with Kogatana and he threw me out!"

: "A Yakuza goon! Oh honey, maybe this is for the best! You're too good for a company like that!"

: "Business is too cutthroat these days, your father would do just fine when a community supported it's own." She sets a cup of tea before Itsumi and pats her shoulder as her parents sit back down to drink their own.

: Itsumi's ears perk up when she hears mention of the Game. Playing dumb, she asks, "What kind of game is he talking about? How is work a game, dad? And why would the Yakuza been there???"

: "Huh? Ah.. I think it is a metaphor, Icchan. He was just an intimidating guy, hahaha, that doesn't mean he's Yakuza!"

: "They threw you out!"

: "Do you know where he came from or when they brought him on?? This is all very strange..."

: "It was all very sudden so, I ah.. nope!" He smiles and takes a big sip of tea.

: "This can't be a coincidence," Itsumi thinks to herself. She resolves to investigate it further when she gets a moment. In the meantime, she gives her dad another hug, saying, "Don't worry dad, it'll be ok, we'll be fine!" After she's done in the living room, she heads to her room and sends a group text to Akio, Noriko, and Takashi. "Hey guys... have any of you heard of a Mr. Kogatana?"

-Literally Mister "Little Sword", but none of you know about this man. The only "sword" you know would be White_Blade. If Itsumi shares more details Tsukiyo would recognize an off the cuff description of Genjuro. Takashi doesn't recognize any of the "Yakuza style" suggestions Itsumi's parents are guessing at, particularly as the Yakuza doesn't do bumbling TV style shakedowns. They tend to get noticed. Nobody really knows Mr. Kogatana, although some educated guesses could be made. You receive a text and greeting from your friend Hiroko, who was absent from the beach trip.

: Hi Icchan! How was the beach?

: Itsumi sends a quick text back, "It was good! How was your break? What'd you end up doing??"

: "Good! I helped around the shop and studied all weekend.. I'm feeling cooped up, are you doing anything today?"

: "Nah, not really! What were you thinking?" she asks back.

: Hiroko suggests some shopping. An idea that might be difficult for Itsumi, currently..

: Itsumi replies that she can�t go shopping now but would love to hang out doing something else!

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 02:26 on Jun 8, 2020

# ? Mar 29, 2020 21:31

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

: Later that day Itsumi finds herself finishing up a hard evening's work, helping Hiroko plant a few trees on the edge of town, where the suburbs finally yield to the natural world and rolling hills and distant forests spread out along the horizon. Your friend beams at you with dirt on her face and a heavy pair of work gloves set on her hips. "Wasn't that fun, Icchan?" Somehow it led from shopping to a bit of charity work!

: �Yeah, I had a great time!� She says in response.

: As the two of you get the work gloves off and clean up, Hiroko is quiet, watching you work for short bursts at a time. Once you're both leaving the park she quickly bubbles over to your side. "Do you wanna get something to eat?" She interjects again, fast! "My treat!"

: "Oh... I guess, if you're sure..." she replies hesitantly.

: "I'd be happy to, Icchan!" 20 minutes later at WacDonalds you're experiencing the aftermath of a double decker quarter pounder. Mother and Father can't cook em like this! Mostly because your brothers will complain if they don't get a portion too. So will Grandmother. And Father. Meat for six is expensive. Hiroko voice cuts in through the haze of soda and fry carbohydrates. "Are you OK, Icchan? You've been kinda down all day!"

: "Yeah, I'm ok. Just some weird stuff at home is all..."

: "What happened?"

: "Oh, um... my dad lost his job the other day. I'm not really sure why, it's all kinda weird..."

: "Oh no! I'm so sorry, Icchan!" She seems genuinely distressed. "H-how'd it happen?"

: "Apparently an 'outside consultant' came in and ordered him to be fired as some sort of example. There was even some thug looking guy there with him! It's all very strange..."

: Hiroko gasps aloud, drawing attention from the rest of the restaurant! "Oh no! Yakuza!"

: "I hope not! That'd be awfully bold of them to march a thug into a respectible business! I just don't know what to think about it..."

: Reaching across the table, Hiroko takes your hand in hers. "Are you OK? Do you need any help?" You can see right away in that smile that Hiroko would probably take you into her house if you asked.. it's overwhelming concern!

: "I think I'm okay for right now... thank you so much though!" Itsumi replies. "I'm just not sure how to find out any more information on this consultant that showed up to fire him... his name was Mr. Kogatana but I can't find anything on him!"

: Scratching the side of her cheek with one finger, Hiroko simply looks confused. "Never heard of him. But.. but uhm, Icchan, does your mom work? What about money at your house?" She rubs her hands together and positively squirms with concern. "M.. Maybe you need a job!"

: "...maybe... I'm not sure I would have the time though with the Council and Cheer though! This is really hard..." she says with a frown

: Reaching over with both hands, Hiroko puffs herself up a bit before grabbing both of Itsumi's shoulders for a big supportive bond! "You can do it, Icchan! You're so nice and cheerful, even as a part timer you can save the day!" Her eyes sparkle with the assumed importance of the task. Some people stare, impressed. The clerk at the counter wipes his nose on his hand, seems noticeably aware, rolls his eyes and goes to wash his hands at the adjacent hand sink. There's a big Now Hiring plaque with full listed benefits and requirements for positions, all listed under the sweeping arm of a mascot Clown Chef, a very cheerful fellow with a rainbow swirl beard.

: "Umm... I'm not sure I have enough time to..." Itsumi says with a frown. "I've got so much going on with council and cheer and homework and stuff that I don't have time in the day for anything else!"

: Deflating slightly, Hiroko forces a closed eye smile. "O-Oh. Icchan does so much already.."

She pulls her hands back and sets them in her lap, sighing. She broods for a moment, then mumbles in a vague tone: "It's not fair, is it?"

: �No... I�m sorry,� she says, still frowning.

: Hiroko's eyes dart back and forth, shifty, shifty. "Icchan.. do you want to know a secret?"

: "Sure Hiro-chan... what's up?"

: Leaning to the side of the table, Hiroko invites you to look under it from the side. She's hiding her upturned phone. "Uhm.. awhile ago.. I got into this game online.."

: �Oh? What game?� Itsumi asks, not wanting to reveal anything just yet.

: The familiar UI glows and blue-velvet tones of the Digital Devil Worlds app. "It's ah, this really cool game about.. metaphysical ideas and.. emotional powers! And.. uhm, it's got a really good character creator.. ahaha.. I made a cute little druid and a lovely guardian!" She shows you her profile. Elizabeth, the Lady in White. A darling little elven girl in an ultra-clean and pure white dress with a player-scaled owlbear companion, a few feet taller and wider than she is.

: "Oh cool! When did you start?? I uh.. I play too!" Itsumi replies with excitment

: "Really?!" Hiroko bubbles with the same excitement. "I started when it came out! But ah.." She blushes. "I had to stop when my grades started to drop. My dad just let me resub this week!"

: "Oh wow... yeah it's hard to stop playing sometimes... it's great that he let you resub though!" Itsumi pulls out her phone and opens up her DDW helper app, showing Hiroko her digital avatar.

: Hiroko's eyes keep widening until she lets out a shrill excited scream! She eeps and clasps her hands over her mouth, looking around as the rest of the fast food joint stares briefly. She calms down and gushes. "Oh my goodness! You're Sunbright?! You and your guild, smashing all those big shot place? And and.. and I saw, you guys stopped by MY mindscape! And.. you did really well by it.." She blushes. "It feels private.. but uhhm.. thanks! It is still public after all.. and I even left for so long.."

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 02:30 on Jun 8, 2020

# ? Apr 11, 2020 14:29

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

: "Well I'm glad we could help!" Itsumi says cheerfully. "It is a really fun game..." she says, trailing off to see if Hiroko adds anything, particularly trying to see if she's Awakened.

: Fidgeting with her phone above the table, Hiroko pouts. "It is.. and Icchan, we really should.. we should really... well, we should do something with our powers! To help you! Why can't we just make some money?!" She came right out to you directly!!

: "I... never thought of doing that... I dunno though, that feels a little wrong, doesn't it?" she says with some hesitance

: "But wrong stuff keeps happening to you! And.. and what if we do something good?"

: �Something good? Like what?�

: Sitting up and drawing back, Hirokos eyes go wide as she stutters. "Uhm.. er.. ah.. we could.. we could.." She snaps her fingers. "We could fight crime!"

: "Fighting crime doesn't sound awful," Itsumi says with a chuckle

: Hiroko nods twice! "Right?! We'll do good things and get some rewards! Like a quest!"

: Her grin cracking into a wide smile, Itsumi answers with a laugh, "Sure, why not??"

-The two of you agree to get up to no some good, trying to figure out how to locate and address some generic crime. Eventually you both hit upon using a police scanner. And as you live in the slightly more modern future, you can do so with phone apps. You agree that you're doing this for recreational purposes and that you're not a No Good Yaminyan and download an app for local Kobe police channels, listening in. Fortune smiles as you hear a broadcast. Reports of armed suspect attacking others in alleys, moving West through downtown. A mugger! And he's nearby!

: Hiroko beams. "I think we can handle a little rogue."

: "Sure, let's go!" Itsumi says, readying herself for a chase.

-Leaving the fast food restaurant and heading into an adjacent alley you and Hiroko measure your real world Avatars. Shadowed by a "merely" five foot tall owlbear with his head at your shoulders while on all fours, Hiroko carries an ornate umbrella as thought it were a staff. And of course, Itsumi is able to Blink the two into a rapid search, canvassing nearby blocks in search of a shady mugger. You overhear a new line of inquiry over the police scanner app, a report of a young man going missing near a restaurant. Between that and the report of muggers you've got a choice of things to look for in your budding crime fighting career. Maybe taking cash from bad guys in real life is as morally founded as the treasure and gold you've lifted from other fiends? Or at least there could be the possibility of a reward. You get the feeling Hiroko might work all night just to be a good person if you allow her.

: "Hey! Let's look into that guy who just went missing!" Itsumi says, already on her phone checking for any stories.

: Hiroko nods!

-You two hurry over to the restaurant, a mid-tier steak joint masquerading as a high end one. "Real Kobe Beef!" There's a small swirl of commotion in those coming and going.

Passive(Streetwise 20): There's chatter about a young man going missing, escorted out by men in suits.
Left the bill and everything, his friends reported him missing.

: "Hmm... why don't we start with his friends?" Itsumi asks Hiroko. "Do we know where they are?"

: "Uhm, they probably met with the police? We could ask the wait staff?"

: "Sure, that's a good idea. We'll start with them!" Itsumi says as she walks into the restaurant. She grabs the host and asks him about the missing man, and asks if she can speak to the missing person's waiter. Streetwise: 1d20+27 47

-IDing a world weary hostess you zero in on asking about those who served the missing man and his dinner party. With a convincing bluff and confident manner you bamboozle her into sharing contact info for the dinner party, friends of the missing man.

: Itsumi relays their contact information to Hiroko and suggests they go find them as soon as possible.

: "Icchan, we should call them. What do we say?"

: �Sure, that sounds like a great idea!� She attempts to look them up and dial the first number from the group that she finds

Doomykins03/17/2020
Your call is picked up before the first ring can finish, an overly anxious woman's voice greeting you. "Hello, is this the police?"

: "Um... not exactly, but we heard your friend is missing... and we want to help!" Itsumi says confidently
Doomykins03/18/2020
You hear a loud "Chh!!" in response. "Don't mess around with me, kid!" The dismissive older woman hangs up!

: "Oh my.."

-There's two numbers left.

: "Well fine," Itsumi says into the now dead recevier. She proceeds to dial the second number, greeting it with a heartfelt, "Hi! We heard your friend is missing and we'd love to help find them for you!"
Doomykins03/20/2020
"Huh..? What?" The second number belongs to a man who is clearly slurring his speech, his voice oddly high pitched. "Whozzat? You the polish?"

: "N...not quite," Itsumi says, "We just want to help you and your friend out!"

: Hiroko baps Itsumj on the arm. "M-maybe you should lie? Just a little!"

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:18 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Apr 24, 2020 04:19

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Man on Phone: "Wha? I dun geddit.."

: �I uh... we�ll be working with the police! They asked us to help out with some cases lately!�
Doomykins03/21/2020
Man: "Uhm.. ok.. whaddaya want?"

: "So you last saw him at the restaurant right?" she asks, "Did he mention he was going anywhere when he left?"
Doomykins03/21/2020
"Nah, nah.. uh, we were jush eatin' and these guysh in suits come in, say he's gotta go widim."
"I got up to stop im and they flashed dere guns at me!"

: "Really?? Do you have any idea who they were? Or what they would want with your friend?"
Doomykins03/25/2020
"Ehhh?? Uhm.. Eiichi.. what they'd want with him.. uh.. they looked like real bad guys, goons, suits.. maphhia? So I guessh.. gulp.. he made a real bad dechishion.. or owes them money.."
"They even menshioned.. uhm.. goin' to a pier.."
"The polish said they'd check 'em all out!"

: "To a pier?? Do you know which one???" Itsumi asks with great urgency
Doomykins03/28/2020
"Naahh.."
: Hiroko grabs Itsumi's forearm. "We can check them! Let's go!"

: "Sure!" Itsumi says, blinking her and Hiroko along to the piers.

: Once you're on the water front in general Hiroko begins a small ritual, drawing together a swarm of local street tough crows to accept an offering of a small side of fries. She dubs them animal servants and they spread out to survey the docks!

: "Oh that's a great idea! Let's start checking the edges of the piers while we wait for them!" she says, blinking the two of them off together.

-You Coordinating a grid-like sweep and search pattern via the magic of literal teleportation you're able to isolate a strange pier where a pair of men in seedy suits are grilling a terribly distressed looking man, under the dock along a small walk way that would vanish when the tide rises during the day. They aren't aware of you but how you approach could change that.

: Itsumi whispers to Hiroko, �I say we blink onto them and gently caress them up...�

: Hiroko covers her mouth to hide her look of shock, eyes wide. "R-really?"

: "Well... at least we should um... see what they're doing to him? I don't think it's good though. Get ready to fight!" she says as she grabs Hiroko by the forearm, blinking them behind the group of people. "HEY!" Itsumi yells as she grabs the closest one to her by the shoulder, spinning him around. "What are you doing with this man?"
Doomykins04/07/2020
The two of you manifest immediately behind the men, Itsumi confronting one directly. Hiroko wrings her hands around something invisible, a staff manifesting before her as the rest of the space around you darkens in a broad sphere.
The outlines of the men stand on edge and vinrate sharply as they stiffly turn, faces fading away and eyes of pure red malice glaring back at you.

Man in Suit: "What're you trying to pull, kid!?" A flash of unmistakable intent causes a silver pulse of light to pass through the shadows as he reaches into his coat for something at his side.

: "Sorry!" The bear-sized Muscles the owlbear joins the fracas, barreling into the other suited man head on and taking both into the water!
The casual attire man between them screams in a panic and holds his hands out, pleading. "Please help me!"

: "We are, calm down!" Itsumi calls to the man. She then lets out forceful, magical push at the man reaching for a weapon, hoping to dunk him in the water too! (which would be staggering note)
Doomykins04/10/2020
(+2 to ac/reflex after teleporting, add +10 to this attack roll because I rushed it without PC stats, still misses)

https://orokos.com/roll/797690
Doomykins - DDW / Good vs Itsumi Reflex
1d20+22: 30 [1d20=8]

As Itsumi goes to draw out in the man he expertly produces a pistol and fires at her! Only supernatural reflexes sparrs Itsumi a bullet to the torso as a silver line of fatal intent cracks across the docks, the mundane shadow before you producing the ultimate violent intent!
He joins his comrade in arms in the water and Hiroko grips Itsumi's hand with one of her own, taking the kidnapped man's hand with her other. "Let's go!"

: "Yeah, come on!" Itsumi says as she blinks them away from the pier'
Doomykins04/13/2020
To the man you saved things seem very unlikely indeed... seeing a pair of high school age girls run a small tool cart down the docks and shove these strange guys in black suits off the dock, even as they brandish pistols! Then they help him flee the scene at a very fast pace...

Reality has to reconcile itself with all the magic you're using. The three of you make a good amount of distance away from the docks very quickly and are able to relax in a small decorative park area, a little bit of greenery cultured inside of a city block.

Man: "You saved me!"

: �Yeah... you�re welcome! Now what happened??�

Doomykins04/18/2020
Man: "What do you mean? I was just jumped by these guys!"

: "Oh, you poor man!"

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:19 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Apr 30, 2020 01:00

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

: �Come on,� Itsumi says shaking her head, �we both know that guys like this don�t just randomly jump people.�
Doomykins04/18/2020
The man sweats a bit, wiping at his forehead. "Who.. who are you? Are you with them? Or are you with her?"

: "Her? As far as I'm aware we aren't with anyone. Besides, if we were with them, why would we have dunked them in the water? We heard you were in trouble and wanted to help." She pauses for a second in thought before adding, "Who is this 'her' anyway?"
Doomykins04/20/2020
Man: "Yeah, you're right.. ah, but really, who're you then? .. Ah, she's uh.. well, this may sound stupid, but she's my guild leader! I stopped playing this weird MMO two weeks ago and she got my number, sent my a threatening text! I ignored it.. she was acting like it's important I play the game again! And.. and then this happened! They said I owed money! That's true, but to a bank, not the Yakuza!"

: "Uhm.. which guild?"

Man: "Aheheh.. it's kinda.. one of those ones that sounds silly when you say it out loud, but when you play a game you just want to take it easy with friends, yeah? They call it <Fishy Gits> and her name is Great White Reaux!"

: "Oh yeah? How long had you been playing the game? What... level were you?"
Doomykins05/27/2020
Man: "It's embarrassing but I was really into it, like level 18 or so, I was one of the tanks. I guess that's why they got so mad?"

: "Yeah, it seems like people take that game very seriously... what made you want to quit?" Itsumi asks gently.
Doomykins05/27/2020
The man looks away and is truly helpless in expression for a moment. "Ultimatum from my girlfriend.."

: Hiroko pats him on the back. There there, there there.

: Giving a soft chuckle, Itsumi says, "It's okay, I get it. Do you uh... do you have any information on the guild leader? You said she texted you, right?"
Doomykins05/27/2020
Man: "Yeah, so? And uh, well, she's kinda popular online.. so if you look her up, it's real obvious!"

: "I mean, I just wanna see what's going on with her if she's sending goons out to get people... Could I get her number maybe? I won't link it back to you... you're probably not the only one she's done this to either..."
Doomykins05/27/2020
The Man rubs the back of his head. "Haha, well, alright."

You get a strange phone number!

Man: "I'm very grateful to you both but.. ah.. I really, really need to go see my parents right now.. !"

: �Okay, be safe!�
Doomykins05/27/2020
(I'll Hiroko + summarize and fin later, ty)

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:20 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? May 18, 2020 13:17

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Hattori Condo, Sunday Afternoon, June 7th

-You arrive in the nicest part of the nicest block of the most upscale side of the city in inner Kobe. You both are familiar with the Hattoris being the daughters of a prominent politician, but perhaps Akio didn't know it was this prominent. This is a luxury high-rise condo complex, complete with valets and a doorway set-up that might put the teacher arrangement in Metal Gear Akio to shame! Of course as Noriko has been here before and Akane is expecting you, when you're ready you can buzz up. You've all agreed to come together today in the early afternoon to coordinate disguises and plans before sneaking out to spy on your teacher, Adachi-Sensei! He was nice enough to keep the group informed of his intention to check on Allison Griffin, Braxienne's IRL player, and to do so this Sunday evening. Your first step will be to go to his house and shadow him from there! Allison herself is one of your only leads but arranged her own transportation back from the Beach Trip. Thus following your teacher may be your only chance!

: Having arrived before Noriko for once, Akio waits patiently for her on the sidewalk as he takes in the sight of the building Akane was living in. Before Hanae had made them move out to the suburbs, he'd also lived in inner Kobe at an address located not too far away from here, but this place... It was upscale even by his standards. People actually lived like this? He was happy he'd decided to dress up a bit for today so he didn't have to feel entirely out of place, wearing black trousers and a black dress shirt along with a deep purple vest.

: Noriko comes up the road in a pair of leggings and a faux-vintage band t-shirt: The Cramps. Her hair is tied up in a ponytail, and when she walks up she's flush and a little bit sweaty. "Hi-Hi, Akio-kun~" She smiles. "I thought I'd come on foot but it took me a bit longer than I expected. Um... It's hard to time teleports in the daylight sometimes. I hope you weren't waiting too long..."

: "Hey there, Noriko-chan! You're looking beautiful as always today~" Akio beams back at her, happy to see her smiling at him. "Not at all, I've only been here for a few minutes or so." He meets her halfway and gives her a hug and a light kiss on the lips. "Maybe we could set up some teleportation circles. I've always thought it'd be nice to have one at school so I'd be able to sleep in, hehe. You ready to go in?"

: Up close, Noriko's hair seems different, washed out? Her hair is lightening near the scalp, where it's almost gray at the roots. She gives his hand a squeeze and nods with a smile. "Mmhmm. Let's go."

-You pass through and get buzzed up. After a lengthy elevator ride timed to let you soak in the lacish accommodations you come to the proper floor and head for the Hattori's. Akio knocks upon a door as immaculate as the rest, spaced very well apart in the halls. Two greet you as the door opens, Akane grinning ear to ear, wearing a set of tactically torn stockings, black jeans shorts and a baggy black T-shirt with a big neon red devil horns and tail logo for Handlebars. The second is the noble silhouette of Mitsuo, darting into the door opening and confronting Akio head on. He peers up with a deep focus and bared teeth, lips drawn back.

: Akane grabs his collar and leans in to hug Akio, assuring him "He only looks bad!" She peers up at him too, matching the Akitas angle, then makes a show of pulling Akio's hand down to Mitsuo's level to seek his approval.

: Noriko looks down at Mitsuo. "He's a good boy, Mitsuo, you can trust him." she grins. "I know for a fact he'd die to keep Akane safe, isn't that right? At least a couple of times."

: "T-That's right. We're both guardians you and I, Mitsuo. We keep those we hold dear safe, at any cost," Akio says with a stiff smile, having to make a conscious effort to keep his hand steady as Akane lowers it within the reach of the Akita's sharp teeth, his terrifying shadow form from Other Shore fresh on his mind. "You're a good boy too, aren't you, Mitsuo?"

: Sniffing Akio's hand intently, everyone waits for the verdict. ... With affectionate care Mitsuo grips Akio's wrist with his mouth and tugs him forward.

: What should take him closer to the door bumps him into Akane, who giggles and steps back to let you both in. "Good boy! You too, Mitsuo! Come on, I've got everything set up in my room!"

: "Haha, hi Akane, sorry," Akio lets out a relieved laugh and offers an apology as he's bumped into Akane. After being led through the door by the wrist he crouches down and pets Mitsuo's head. "What a handsome fella," he says with a grin. "I've never had a pet myself." He looks up at Akane as he takes off his shoes. "Your room? Alright." Come think of it, this would be his first time entering a girl's room that didn't belong to one of his sister's. It's not like it actually meant anything in this case, but even so he couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation for the event. "Lead the way!"

-Akio's mind fills with anticipation of a girl's room but really, this entire condo is a three girl and one dog affair! There's a high powered look to everything, a mix of efficient and luxurious that makes Hanae's decorations look tacky. And suddenly, an unexpected, powerful aura. Like seeing Senpai from the future, a woman of the same height, build and unerring gaze as her daughters! Pairing the curiuosity in her eyes of Akane and the unabashed judgement of Takano, it is Mrs. Hattori!

: She's dressed in business casual save for a properly sized black T-shirt under the sporty red blazer. You Die If You Work. I-it must be a gift from Akane but it looks as natural as if it were the other way around and she shopped for her daughter. Mrs Hattori takes in both Akio and Noriko as though you were both subject to Mitsuo's entry ritual again. "Well good afternoon, you two." She holds a cup of tea between both palms, steaming hot. "Hmm. It's nice to see you, Noriko. And Yamamura, was it? Akane has been talking about today all week."

: Noriko smiles, being well-prepared for Mrs. Hattori's intensity at this point. "Thank you, Mrs. Hattori. It's nice to see you as well. Hehe, with how busy our club schedules are it's so rare that we can all get out together at the same time, I've been very excited too."

: "I hear you've become quite the rising star in the fencing club." She calmly sips her tea.

: "Mom, this is Akio! He's like, one of my best friends! Guy friends! Like Hideaki!" Akane grips Akio's shoulder and pumps his upper arm with her other hand. Then she slaps the top of his shoulder, grinning proudly. You can fit so much social awkwardness in this bad boy.

: Mitsuo trots in and out of the kitchen in a patrolling circle before sitting on a dog bed with clear view of most of the open area front rooms, tail wagging.

: Since it was Sunday, Akio had gotten the impression that Akane's mother wouldn't be home, so he was pretty surprised to see her. He was also pretty surprised to have Akane suddenly pumping his arm! "Y-Yes that's right, I'm Yamamura Akio." He bows politely. Her presence was intense! "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Hattori."

: Noriko blushes at the compliment. "Well, I dont know if I'd go that far, hehe... But it seems like I have a talent for it that surpasses many of my peers." She smiles. "I'm starting to get pretty competitive."

: What should bloom behind that tea cup but a modest smile, creases under the eyes barely forming, an expression of admiration and pride. Then Mrs Hattori sizes up Akio and his used cars worth of sale pitch. "And what are you aiming for, Yamamura-san?"

: "Aiming for?" Why did it suddenly feel like he was applying for an exclusive job offering!? Akio could feel his cheeks flush warm and red. "I-I suppose I strive to excel at all things I do." He straightens his posture and takes care to speak in a proper manner as he replies to Mrs. Hattori. "I joined Naoki's karate club at the start of the semester and have been doing quite well in spite of being a beginner, but my primary focus lies on my studies. I placed third in our year at mid-terms, and I aim to improve that record for the finals." Gods, it felt so embarassing to talk himself up like this! "I-I'm a bit of an idealist, I hope to make the world a better place, so I need to make sure I have the opportunities and the knowledge to do so."

: Akio heard a loud snrrkt at his side as Akane hangs on his arm, grinning wildly and holding in pure laughter. She yanks Akio down a little and whispers in his ear. "Oh my God, she just wanted to know what you like!" Then she turns away, hiding her face because the laughter is winning.

: Taking this all in with another long sip of tea, Mrs Hattoris hides the lower half of her face behind the mug and her two-handed hold. When she at last lowers then, she smiles with the same admiration she shared with Noriko. "You're a very sincere boy. You remind me of Kurokawa's second son."

: Akane whirls around and barks! "No way! Akio is a total punk! And that's what I like about him!"

: Mrs Hattori nods politely. "Mmhmm. I'm sure, Akane." Her eyes dart up and down, assessing Akio briefly. "Wouldn't you be more handsome if you stood up straight all the time? You can make my daughter address you with respect." Akane fumes at her Mother as she chuckles."You three have fun." Gesturing and still manhandling Akio's arm, Akane indicates the need to retreat.

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:25 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? May 27, 2020 01:47

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

: Red as a beet, Akio runs his hand through the hair at the back of his head while wearing a large smile on his face and laughs out loud. "Haha, I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Mrs. Hattori." Seeing Akane agonizing like this almost made him want to stay and chat with her mother for a while longer. Still smiling, he turns to Noriko. "I think Akane has something she wants to show us. Let's go, Noriko." Waving goodbye to Mrs. Hattori with a grin, he lets Akane drag him away.

: Noriko does her best to maintain her composure at Akio's complete and earnest dorkiness, barely making it to Akane's room before the laughter spills out. "ne, ne, Akane-chan, is it true~?" Standing up straight and rolling her shoulders, she stands with a confident posture. "Do you respect me more now? Or does that only work for Sincere Boys?"

: Beating a hasty retreat down the hallway, you stop right before Akane's room and she lets Akio go, slowly turning to her head to face Noriko with a cunning smirk. "You're really brave to say that before I make you over, Noriko-chan. I'll respect the hell out of you!" She raises a hand to cover her mouth as her eyes curl sinisterly. "Maybe I'll make you a sincere boy.. !!"

: A nearby door opens and Takano steps out, wearing a full body set of elegant silk pajamas in royal blue. Though looking exhausted, she's not the least bit disheveled and has every hair brushed in place already. She perks up when she recognizes Noriko. "Good morning Yamamura-san, Noriko-chan." She holds up a small pile stack of books, most an inch or two thick, the whole thing a foot tall. "I'm sorry you had to experience what you did. I want you to be strong too. This is your foundation." They're all philosophy primers with two intermediate books, mostly concerning the classics. A strong dedication to raising man above his base instincts and the importance of duty undoubtedly run through them all.

: "Yeah.. when we win this, we'll kneecap that little creep." Akane drops the theatrics and shows a matching look of support.

: Takano smiles. "I must admit that is an indulgence I look forward to."

: Laughing with Noriko and Akane, Akio turns to Takano as she shows up and regards her and her pyjamas with an amused smile on his face. "Good afternoon, Hattori-senpai. Long night?" As soon as the subject shifts to Thaddeus, Akio's expression darkens. "I loathe that little craven scumbag with every fiber of my being," he says, staring off to the side with cold seething fury. "He's going to pay dearly for what he's done."

: Noriko stares at the stack of books and feels a sharp pang of anxiety at what lies ahead. Buckling down, she pushes the feeling aside and takes the stack of books. "Th-thanks, I guess. Haha..." Looking through the stack for a moment, she then tucks the books away in her bag. "I'm not really that affected by what he did. In the end all he did was trash my mindscape. It was just an act of petty aggression." she crosses her arms. "He actually tried to recruit me. Laughable. I don't know if that was his real goal or if he was just trying to be intimidating... He might have succeeded on that measure, but I don't respond to being threatened by cowering." She nods at Akane and Akio's support. "Yeah... I want to be sure he pays for this insult a hundred-fold. We can't go after him directly yet, but disrupting his guild's activities and slowing his progress should be relatively simple. I'm already starting to put together a gank squad, with the goal of punishing every one of that nasty little creep's underlings for their association with him."

: Takano frowns. "Noriko, you asked me to make you strong, correct?" Although you're sure she's seeing through your lukewarm reception of her ah, assignment, she told her head slightly and hits Akio head on with the smoldering intensity of the glare of a lioness. "Yes, it is a good afternoon, Yamamura-kun. I was up all night with Takashi." (Let's put this Sunday as occurring after Takashi's online raid with the Hattori's) Her continued wall of cold iron look dates you to react to that. Even Akane doesn't laugh, instead sharing a look with her sister at Akio, this one a smaller cat's curiosity.

: "well, of course! but... that doesn't mean I started liking work! You took on a big responsibility! Thank you for accepting this hopeless charity case!"

: Takano sighs. "Noriko, what you are looking for is conviction, and to hold that firmly for yourself. What Thaddeus did is significant. Like the small-brained lizard he is, he tested your boundaries, to see if he can greedily gulp down anything without being attacked. In this case he wants to get away with doing it." She gives you a warm but stern smile. "I will teach you how to resonate with the kind of honor that makes those who attack you reveal themselves for fools, if they can even overcome their fear of their betters." Resonating with authority, she unironically states: "The nature of power and a King is to naturally repel the pettiness of others. You will be above it." The two sisters share a look and Takano continues. ".. And we'll stand by you, and I believe others will see the strength of you and your friends too, but you should be powerful for your own sake as well."

: Noriko blushes, feeling a bit embarrassed at her attitude. "...Thank you. Really. I'm sorry if I seemed flippant, I really am committed to this."

: Akio calmly faces Takano's glare with a faint smile. Maybe lack of sleep had left her short tempered, but he couldn't help but think that maybe she should try learning a thing or two from her sister for once. "I see. Let's hope tonight proves more restful for you, then."

: Senpai gives Akio a polite smile. "Thank you for your concern, Yamamura-kun. There is no rest for the college bound." As if on cue Mrs Hattori arrives to join Takano in her room, carrying two booklets of formal exam primers. Both look to you three and wave you off with smiles, closing the door.

: Akane grins. "I really thought you'd take the bait, Akio. I guess your exam score is legit. Come on!" She hooks both Akio and Noriko's arms, beams and basks in being the link between you both briefly and drags you into her room!

quote:
Previous Description of Akane's Room

Akane's room is a reflection of her... a bit messy, yet organized overall, her carefree soul kept orderly by the presence of her sister and undoubtedly the influence of her mother. There's a simply gorgeously comfy bed with an elegant quilt and pillow set up you could melt into it made of luxury soft materials of a deep black set with off-kilter plush animals and skulls that double as pillows.

-One corner of the room is dominated by a tall bookshelf that is split in half for an extensive blu-ray collection and an enormous CD tower looms next to it, showcasing the increasingly vintage collection of the old music format. Many of the bands are of the undiscovered varieties, many of the CDs being crudely homemade affairs. Darkcore, witchcore, grindcore, grudgecore, death metal, emo. Another corner is dedicated to a simple monitor and high-end PC set up with a few closed drawers. No sign of advanced VR gaming peripherals. Something you didn't quite expect was the final corner of the room being dedicated to a small collection of three guitars, two electrics and a bass.

Akane has drafted a small thrift store's worth of odd outfits, questionable fashion statements and cosplay or Halloween costumes. You can identify a clear trend where Akane must have dressed as a punk boy. Maybe a pre-teen rejection of feminine values. Or a random fashion taste. These seem to account for half of her open walk in closet, one side of it emptied out.

: Grinning at maximum mischief, Akane pulls Akio over to her bed.. where a few preemptive ideas are spread out. They look like real tough punk outfits! "Ok Akio! We'll hide the real you! And don't worry!" She grabs a too small shirt and shredded jeans, working some simple prestidigitation. She lengthens the fabric out from her proportions to Akio's! "They'll fit a tall, sincere boy like you!"

Music (South Park: The Stick of Truth Girl's Makeover)

Before Akio can object Akane pushes him so that he lands sitting on the foot of her bed, then presses a leather jacket to the front of his chest to see how it looks! The makeover has begun! How, and who, will disguise themselves for the spying mission on Mr Adachi!?

: So this was it. The genuine article. A girl's room! Akio felt like a bit of a dolt for thinking that it was anything special at this point, getting invited to a girl's room had always seemed like a milestone that would come well before certain other things to say the least, and it's not like it was his girlfriend's room either... but still! Akio looks around, taking in the sight with awe and lets out a low whistle. "You've got a really nice place, Akane." As his eyes glance over the vast CD collection they light up with recognition. "Is that White Day Murder Spree? I thought they only released digital! Woah-hey!" With his attention distracted and his guard down, Akio falls easy prey to Akane's latest batch of hijinx and is soon finds himself on her bed! The bed was every bit as comfortable to sit on as it looked, but with the notion of 'a girl's room' still lingering on his mind, he couldn't help but feel quite embarrassed being on it! Looking up at Akane, he forces a smirk and tries to flip the situation around on her, "do you always shove boys down on your bed the first thing you do when you bring them to your room?" He, perhaps foolishly, looks over to Noriko for help in this desperate time of need. "Scandalous, r-right, Noriko?"

: Noriko, sitting beside him at the end of the bed, takes her hair down from the ponytail, her fading locks cascading loosely around her shoulders. "Scandal is a construct of a society obsessed with it's mores... Just put up with it, Akio-kun~" Running her fingers through her hair, Noriko begins to prepare a ritual; her hair begins to fade, a few strands with each pass until her hair is white. Curling the ends of her hair around her fingers, she whispers a command word and the color richens to a golden blonde. "Ne, Akane-chan, you can work with blonde, right?"

: "Of course it is, maybe you really are a quality boy too, Akio.." Akane licks her lips. "You bet your rear end I do. I'm a big girl and I know what I want, Akio-chan." She looks to the side suddenly and her eyes sparkle. "And you know I want to work with my second Onee-chan first.. !" She hustles over to Noriko and begins running through disguise ideas!

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:32 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Jun 8, 2020 01:40

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

: Argh! His oh-so-clever manoeuvring had backfired on him yet again! Akio sheepishly averts his eyes and looks down at the leather jacket on his chest. Hmm... "Um, Noriko, could you make me blonde too? Like in a cheap, bleached sort of way?" He undoes his vest and strips down to his waist, then pulls on one of Akane's t-shirts, a black one with a skeleton with a mohawk grinning wickedly and wielding a chainsaw with the text 'REV LIKE YOU'RE DEAD' splattered all over it in blood red. "Maybe I could pull off the delinquent punk look." He puts on a couple spike bracelets on both of his wrists, then grabs a studded belt to go with the shredded jeans. "Got any sunglasses lying around, Akane?"

: "You hang good glasses, Akio. And I dunno.." Peering over her shoulder she flashed you a chesire grin. "The biggest goodie goodie in the entire year? No offense but you look like you'd die if busted for hookie." Akane keeps grinning, laughing soundlessly under her breath. "Dad no, I do want to be a doctor, I'll never do it again!" There are a few pairs of shades available, in regular and novelty shapes.

: "You place good glasses in cases so they are protected from dust," Akio mutters back and rolls his eyes as he grabs a pair of shades of the regular variety, then turns around to grin right back at her. "Why Akane, you sound just like you do when your sister lectures you." He shrugs. "Besides, isn't the point to look indistinguishable from ourselves?"

: When you turn back to grin at Akane she has crossed the distance and is grinning at you face to face. ""To protect them from dust", oh my Goddess Akio, this is the guy who is gonna pretend to be a thug?" She waggles a finger in your face. "You can't be 100% indistinguishable. You'll act weird. It should be different but still a bit you so.. uh, do 50/50. Bleach your hair, be a disrespectful prick, dress a little edgy."

: Akio pinches her waggling finger between two of his. "You mean like this?" He gives her forehead a good poke.

: Grabbing Akio by the hair, she yanks his head back. "Blonde, really?" Yanking his head around, she takes a moment to consider it, and then nods with appraisal. "...If we're both going blonde, it's obvious what I should do, isn't it?" Noriko switches her tone to a gently scolding, warm lilt as she channels her magic into his hair, not releasing her grip. "My, my. You'd better not keep embarassing your older sister like this, Akio-kun~ It's very troublesome!" She pauses, and shakes her head. "We need different names for this, obviously. What do you think, Akane-chan?"

: "Ow-ow-ow!" Akio protests as Noriko tugs on his hair. "Eh? Onee-san!?" He lets go of Akane. "But... but you're my..." He winces. "I hope this isn't going to result in any weird dreams..."

: Akane nods. "Uh huh. OK, lets go with your looks.." She helps you don some practical real clothing and apply real make-up, but you can use magic to enhance yourself ala Change Self, setting a Disguise DC with an Arcana Check + 8. "I'll show you what the best bard can really do..!" She furiously dabs and paints across Akio's face, then dazzles up Noriko's eyelashes and cheeks!

: Following Akane's advice, Akio tones down his disguise a bit, getting rid of the spike bracelets and the sunglasses. After Noriko has turned his hair blonde and Akane has expertly applied the make-up, he barely recognizes himself when he takes a look in the mirror! "Wow, that's much better than I expected. This might work!" He turns around and grins crookedly at Noriko and Akane, sporting the previously mentioned t-shirt, the leather jacket and shredded jeans for a seamless punk boy look. "Eh, what do you think?" Bluff: 1d20+16+8 42

: Accenting what is "familiar", Akane has progressed Akio's bookish looks into sunken in eye sockets, a lazy days stubble and a very old faded scar on the chin, barely two centimeters, yet an unmistakable white line. It looks like Akio letting himself go down a dark path!

: Noriko pauses for a long moment, before taking on a shocked expression all at once. "Ehhhhh, Akio-kun!? Where's the little boy in shorts I remember!?" Noriko mockingly intones. "He's grown so rebellious since he came to the city... You really have fallen in with the wrong crowd, haven't you otouto?" Laughing, she shuffles around in her bag before pulling out the neatly folded skirt she'd swiped before her date with Akio. "I thought I'd go for something contemporary..."

---

-Once settled on your disguises you bid farewell to Mother Hattori and Senpai and receive your last little tip, talking quietly in the kitchen under guise of Takano getting a drink.

: "I'll keep up with you on my phone, OK? Remember, this is a practice run. The real deal will be harder.. and even the best in the world can be foiled by random happenstance. Take this seriously and remember that your true foes will be able to see through illusions, invisibility and have familiars in the sky." She smiles and pats Akio on the shoulder. "It's a shame to see you go so wrong, Yamamura-Kun." Then she pats Akane on the head. "I expected this much, however."

: Akane is dressed in a complimentary dire punk set to Akio, having donned the spiked bracelets he set aside as well as a long black-haired wig of a more ragged and scruffy look than her natural hair, a black metal band t-shirt with half-torn sleeves that exposes her shoulders, a set of heavy duty black boots, and an inexplicable metal-plated long skirt. She beams at her sister. "Thanks, Nee-chan!" Big gaudy jewelry and fake nose and tongue piercings complete the inevitable college-era transformation.

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:37 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Jun 13, 2020 02:02

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

-Receiving Mister Adachi's address you arrive at the suburban neighborhood on the outskirts of Kobe. You need to decide your approach, for being seen at a distance is immediate failure! Shadowing more dangerous foes will expose you to things like nosey owls in the sky, for example.. but you do have physical disguises.

:
phone only text from Akane to Noriko posted:
We need to start the big plan today! Uhmm.. :3c what is Akio's favorite food?

:
Text to Akane posted:
Noriko: hehe... he told me a cute story once. I think it's Sukiyaki.

:
Text to Noriko posted:
We gotta get him today! I bet we can lead him into a gaffe if you time something like "you two look like you're dating now" or something! It's gotta be nice and gentle tho! Akio's totally the kinda guy who'd get too embarrassed and nose bleed to death at the idea of anything but a boy and a girl dating for like 5 years.

: After cross-referencing some blogs, digging through Akane's wardrobe, and cajoling Takano for a few extras, Noriko manages to assemble a cute, fashionable contemporary outfit, opting for seasonal colors and optimal accessorizing to tie the whole thing together. Streetwise: Fashion Sense: 1d20+36 51 Looking at herself in the mirror, she shoots Akane a thumbs-up.

Text to Akane posted:
Noriko: eheheh...
Noriko: making him squirm is the fun part, you know...
Noriko: observe

Taking a moment to assess Akio and Akane's looks, she steps forward, clasps their hands together, and steps back. She nods affirmatively. "...That settles it. If I'm your sister in this exercise, she's your girlfriend."

: "She's my what!?" Akio looks over to Akane but has to turn away immediately, getting red in the face. "S-Surely there's a better idea, like, uh, she could be my, um..." Why couldn't he think of a single thing all of a sudden! Flustered, Akio begins to fidget. "E-Either way, that's way too embarrassing, r-right, Akane? I mean, what if we end up having to..." His words trail off as he glances towards her again.

: Right hand already gripping Akio's, fingers laced with his, Akane takes a step closer and hesitates briefly, then closes her eyes and purses her lips. "I'm ready when you are, Akio <3"

...

: She pulls her face back an inch and breaks into a very wide grin. "Maybe it's embarrassing that you're such an amateur, Yamamura! Are you gonna get this flustered when somebody calls you a rotten punk to your face?!"

: "Akane? What are you..." Akio stares at her face, her lips, suddenly so very close to his. Her hand wrapped around his felt like it was shaped out of heated coals and he started worrying that his palm was going to sweat. Holding his breath, he could feel his heart rate increase, the beats pulsing through his body in waves powerful enough to make themselves heard in his eardrums. W-What the hell did she think she was doing, and right in front of Noriko!

...Wait.

"That's not even remotely the same thing!" As Akane pulls away ever so slightly and flashes her grin, realization finally dawns upon Akio. This was just the latest little torture experiment those two had concocted together in an effort to embarrass and make fun of him! Well, he'd show them the dangers of toying with him like that! Akio throws a quick glance at Noriko, a brief flash of mischievousness, then looks back at Akane, and it all happens so fast. "But fine, point taken!" He places his hand on the small of her back and presses her body against his. "Maybe I'll really kiss you, then!" Blushing furiously, he heedlessly barrels through his embarrassment and tilts his head, parts his lips and leans in to give Akane big a wet kiss on her lips!

: If your hand felt hot before, it's magma now! To say nothing of your lips! Akane is very startled and jerks backwards but soon melts into the kiss, letting her hands hang at her side as she enjoys the embrace. To your lack of shock there's a faint taste and aftertaste of sweet candy. When finished Akane practically swoons and falls over, grabbing Akio's arms to keep from doing so. She looks up with clear concern at Noriko, biting her lip, eyes wide.

: Noriko feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, flushing as she feels the objection leave her mouth. "N-Now, hold on just-" Noriko freezse as Akio goes for it! Blushing a little, she glances off to the side. "ne... that was... that was a little quick, Akio!" Not knowing quite what to do with her feelings, she fidgets for a moment and tries to get a handle on it. "You can be the sibling visiting from out of town next time, baka." Her tone is a bit pouty, but mostly playful.

: Briefly turning the deepest red you've ever seen her, Akane tries to recover it gesturing down the path. "C-Come on, we're almost there!" As you walk Akane texts on her phone.

:
text to Noriko posted:
Did we get him?

Akio: As you walk you feel an inclination to watch the clouds. You could swear you see familiar faces in the sky above. In fact, the day is so clear you could swear even the stars are visible.

An outline of Takashi, giving you a nod of approval, then a gesture for obligations due. Felix, giving you a big thumbs up and laughter. Kane, just smirking.

Hmm.. a lone star, twinkling brightly. Kunio gives you a stern look, and a small shake of the head. A swirling cloud, an older countenance. Your Father giving you what every man wants to see: his thumbs up. "Way to go, son" you can practically imagine.

The final sign is twin stars, faintly red. Senpai's judgement. Takano, swearing to destroy you.

-The three of you approach the neighborhood stretch where Mister Adachi lives. A regular suburban house, noteworthy door how well kept it is. And a life sized decorative statue of the children's zentai hero, Radiant Man! He always encourages kids to do their best, for noble intent counts! It stands in a heroic pose by the aide of the front door. The house is large enough to have small side alleys with fences and a humble back yard with a little pond.

: Surprising even himself that he'd actually followed through and kissed Akane, Akio feels more than a little bit proud of himself for accomplishing the impossible: turning the tables on the domineering witches of Naoki! "Hmm? What's the matter, my cherished winter rose? I was only dutifully following your instructions," he teases Noriko with a poo poo-eating grin on his face.

But even as he's enjoying the smug sensation of a successful gambit, there was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind. Knowing Akane, he'd expected that after the kiss she would play it off by clawing at her tongue and make gagging sounds in a show of disgust, or something like that, but instead... He looks down at her, still clinging to his arms. Once the intial shock had worn off, she'd kinda gotten into it, hadn't she... He was reminded of what Hideaki had told him several weeks ago, that Akane liked him, but he'd meant as a friend, right? He gently rubs her back.

...This wasn't gonna get messy, was it?

(throw that in somewhere before we proceed to Adachi's residence)

: Jabbing Akio in the ribs a couple of times, she glances over at Akane and smiles, blushing a bit. "this is a weird feeling... who am i even jealous of?" Fidgeting in place for a moment, she takes Akane's hand for most of the remaining walk, occasionally looking over at Akio and sticking her tongue out. When they arrive at Adachi's, Noriko reaches out to Crowley, sending him to take a quick look around the periphery. "Adachi knows about you, so don't get too close. Just be a normal crow."

Normal Crow Stuff (Bluff): 1d20+23 33

-A totally average trash picking bird in every respect, Crowley blends into the neighborhood as the three of you consider the house. Akane appreciates the chance to hold Noriko's hand but waves her off once they're really close.

: "Uhm.. who's going in?" And there's the question of the route. It's a regular suburban house, a bit larger and nicer than some! Front door, windows, second floor windows, roof, around the side and through the back yard to a back door.

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:42 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:30

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Doomykins01/22/2020
@Mirthless @Sockerbagarn ping
Mirthless01/23/2020
"Going in? Ehhh? I thought we were just doing a stakeout and following him around..." Noriko looks thoughtfully at the house for a moment. "I mean... We have some options, like invisibility, or I could turn into a bat... But that's only going to for sure work on Adachi and other non-magicals. I wonder where he is...? I'll have Crowley look." Reaching out to Crowley, she projects her thoughts. "Hey Crowley... Do you see any signs of him? Does it look like he's at home?"
Doomykins01/24/2020
There are two small cars and a pair of professional bicycles inside the closed garage. A garage! This is a nice house!

Pressing her fingers together, Akane looks very amused. "Nee-chan would want us to wait out here.. but..."
She points at the Zentai figure on the lawn! "Don't you want to see Sensei's house more than anything now!?"
With the big grin she is wearing it is clear how she feels about satisfying curiosity.
Sockerbagarn01/25/2020
"We can disrespect Adachi-sensei's privacy some other time, Akane. It's important that we don't mess up today." He peers at her. "Unless you can come up with a compelling reason that we need to sneak into his house right now?"
Doomykins01/30/2020
Leaning forward slightly and standing on tip toes Akane gives Akio a tiny kiss on the tip of his nose. She shifts back on her feet and beams. "Is that compelling? Or just surprising?" ... She claps her palms together. ".. OK, lets watch for him to come and go, but if you ask me this is exactly the part in the game where you get a big reward or easter egg for sneaking in.."

... As your trio tries to act natural, Akane sits on a park bench and expertly acts the part of bored teen, browsing her phone with great interest. She shares texts with the both of you, since talking too much in the open might give you away.

quote:
Akane Text: To be honest.. do we really trust Adachi-Sensei yet? I feel really uncertain about it!

: Akio blinks repeatedly a few times after Akane gives him a peck on the nose. "Um, that's not what I, uh... Both?-I mean, what?" he says, confused. Was this a thing they were doing now, just kissing each other out of the blue? That didn't seem like a very healthy dynamic to have with his girlfriend's bff! Maybe it was just payback for what he did earlier. Yeah... Assuming his role, Akio sits down next to Akane on the bench and puts his arm on the backrest behind her, affecting a sloppy posture and an equally bored look as hers as he starts fiddling with his phone.

quote:
Akio: While I think he did do a lot to prove himself when we faced off against Braxienne, I've had my trust broken an awful lot in recent memory, so no, I'm not going to trust him yet.
Akio: Maybe doing a little spying in his home would be wise after all...
Akio: I've got an idea.

: Sitting up straight, Akio takes a look around to make sure the coast is clear, then calls for his familiar. "Dahlia, come on out. I've got a little something for you." He produces a small gift wrapped present and holds it out in his palm.

Doomykins01/31/2020
Stepping out from behind Akio's head, Dahlia claps her hands together and gasps. "Really?! For me?!" She giggles and flexes her wings. "Oh Master, you shouldn't have!"

Akane gives Akio a deadpan stare in utter shock.

: "You more than deserve it for helping out so much during the school trip. You were very brave." Akio replies to Dahlia, paying no attention to Akane's reaction. "Go on, open it." As she opens the wrapper she finds a doll-sized hooded cloak fashioned out of dark blue velvet, the garment trimmed with runic symbols sewn into it with a golden thread. "I hope you like it! It's got slits for your wings there... Oh, and it'll let you turn invisible for a while." He says, grinning at her.
Doomykins02/02/2020
With a twirl and a pose Dahlia takes the cloak and wraps it around herself, donning it with a flourish worthy of the makeover you had earlier. "I love it! Thank you so much, Master!" She flutters her wings in a fresh wave of pixie dust, drifting up to a face to face with Akio. "Invisible?! Am I a secret agent now, Master?"

Out of the corner of his eye Akio can see Akane hold her hands flat in horizontal lines, one at the top of Dahlia's head, the other at her feet, taking a sense of scale. She looks over and compares it to Noriko, then nods conclusively.

: "That's right, and I have an important mission for you that will require cunning, skill and grace," Akio says conspiratorially to Dahlia while at the same time giving the nuisance in the corner of his eye a shove with his open hand. "I need you to infiltrate Adachi's house and gather intelligence without leaving any trace behind. Your objectives are to identify everyone that is currently inhabiting the premises as well as explore and map out the layout of the building. Keep your eyes open for targets of opportunity, any interesting information you can find lying around." He takes out his phone again and sends a video chat request to Akane, then flips to the rear camera and turns off the sound before handing it to Dahlia. "Do you think you'll be able to carry this with you so we can see what you see?"
Doomykins02/03/2020
Your little familiar's eyes go wide as she listens attentively, occasionally repeating something you said under her breath quietly. When you're finished she grabs the phone with both arms and beams, full of confidence! "I can do it, Master!"

Akane accepts the video chat request, giving Akio her smuggest look of amusement.
Mirthless02/04/2020
Noriko smirks at Akane as she makes the visual comparison.

Text to Akane posted:
Noriko: I can't decide if she's cute or perverse
Noriko: both???? eheheh...

"Ne, don't you think, um... ehehe..." she grins, taking a quick snapshot on her phone. When else was something this cute going to happen? "Don't you think that's a lot of phone for her to carry? Um... Maybe we need to get her some better tools for this if we make it a habit..."

: "Yeah, I just thought of this so I didn't have the time to prepare... I'll have to look into getting a tiny spy camera or something. And what were you laughing at!" Akio replies to Noriko with a dash of indignation before turning his attention back to Dahlia. "Okay! You may commence the mission when ready. If you have to retreat before you've accomplished your objectives that's okay, just treat it like a test run, alright?"
Doomykins02/04/2020
Dahlia salutes! "Yes Master!"

Akane texts to Noriko.

Akane: What would happen if you called him Master? :3c

Mirthless02/07/2020

Text to Akane posted:
Noriko: his head might explode...
Noriko: he may never find out, though. hohoho...
Noriko: i prefer to have my foot on his spine, and hear him beg for my forgiveness, you know? fufufu
Doomykins02/10/2020
Akane's eyes glaze over and she momentarily goes limp, resting herself against Akio's arm. "Ahnn.." She gets herself together and sits up, texting quickly.

Text to Noriko posted:
Akane: Amazing! That's too much! That's too good, too lewd! I want one too!

---

With her final salute Dahlia grips the phone with both arms and proudly begins beating her wings, building up speed like a storm gathering in a big hummingbird. She eventually ascends a few inches before spinning rapidly and taking off in a dash, flying to the house! She begins scanning the windows and Crowley is free to join her in reconnaissance!

Hmm!

The back windows are open, the sliding glass door in the back is open but the bug screen is drawn shut, the front door and windows are securely closed and locked, the garage door is open(exterior) but then the door into the house(interior) is closed and locked, and there's even a small open chimney. How will Agent Dahlia and Agent Crowley proceed?

: "Good luck!" Akio gives a little salute and laughs as Dahlia flies off. "Hey, what are you-" He turns his head to Akane as she collapses on his arm. "Are you feeling okay?" he says, concerned, but as she bounces back up and starts typing on her phone he just shrugs. "Come on, let's watch the video feed."

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:44 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:32

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

As special agent Dahlia flies away from the bench she channels a little bit of magic through her new cloak, causing the embroidered symbols to start to glow, but only for a brief moment before she suddenly winks out of sight, turning invisible! She flits around the house and considers how she was going to enter. The windows in the back or the chimney seemed like the best bet, but "I can't go through the chimney, I don't want to dirty my new cloak that Master gave me!" So she makes her way to the back of the house and flies through the windows...
Mirthless02/15/2020
Crowley lands in the grass behind Adachi's house, hopping a few times across the lawn before nailing a crunchy beetle. He peers up throguh the open screen door.
Doomykins03/03/2020
A small electrical distortion disrupts the air as a device is turned on and something is queued. A moment later there's no mystery about it as a dated yet bombastic intro song fills the house, followed by a second electrical cue as a vacuum cleaner comes on. Inside the relatively normal first level of the Adachi household you see an older woman wearing a baggy t-shirt, a set of leggings and a gaudy lounging robe singing along as she pushes the vacuum.

: Oh! Oh! That must be the lady of the house! And she was singing, how wonderful! Dahlia eagerly holds up the phone to get a good picture of the woman vacuuming in her indoor clothes. At this rate she felt like she was going to complete her first objective in no time at all! Keeping her distance from the woman, she makes a quick pass around the perimeter of the room, then proceeds to investigate the remaining rooms on the first floor of the house.
Doomykins03/09/2020
Outside you receive your first big intel: a photo of an older woman doing housework in casual wear!!

Akane leans over Akio's lap from the side to slide her phone under his nose. "You're not attracted to older women, are you, honey?" The three of you disguised, masquerading as a couple and a lone onlooker in this little slice of suburbia.
Inside the chorus of the song rises with familiar lyrics, the lady seizing her super light weight vac and singing into the top of the handle as the Oath of Justice Eternal hits a crescendo! Once things begin to wind down she laughs and speaks to the room. "Hey, half volume!" The sound system obliges and cuts the racket down to a manageable din.
Stepping over to the stairwell she shoirs up the stairs. "Kenji! Come downstairs!" After that she heads over to the closet, wrapping up the vacuum cord. "Hey hey, play messages."

An answering machine broadcasts a very, very overly concerned woman's voice. "... And furthermore Mrs Adachi, it is some several months past Halloween, the association would be ever so grateful if you might see to taking that lawn display down, as this affects the values of.."
Mrs Adachi rolls her eyes and raises a hand, making a "yak yak yak" motion with her fingers.
The rest of the first floor is about half of what you expected. You knew Adachi-Sensei was a dork, to put it lightly. Little did you know that both halves of the coin are the same. There's a kitchen with a little convenience store promotion fridge and cooler of a radical cat energy drink mascot, a spacious den with a laptop and a shelf full of odd books, and a conpulsively organized laundry room.
A litter box rests beside the dryer, closer to the garage door.
Doomykins03/09/2020
(we might as well say Dahlia is doing a video feed, with 6-10 years of cell phone advancement and for ease of information transfer)
Mirthless03/11/2020
Noriko signals to Crowley to head up to the second floor after Mrs Adachi calls out, hoping to take advantage of the distraction and quickly snoop the second story.
Doomykins03/11/2020
Agh! The upstairs windows are closed! The blinds are drawn! This leaves the open chimney and the downstairs entrances.
Doomykins03/11/2020
(can't really do art on phone)

A ten year old boy comes down the stairs, just a regular kid, a little tall for his age, a bit lanky, pretty clean cut. Wearing a stylish black t shirt with a stark silhouette of a Yakuza inked tabby cat. He passes through the kitchen in a roundabout trip to the living room, grabbing a wrapped pastry.
His mom quickly disarms him, waving a finger in his face smoothly. "Ah ah, I know you're heading out and you'll snack at your little friends house."

Kenji: "Well, I'll be home for dinner!" He looks to the door and takes a step.

Mom: "No, no! Come on, you owe me thirty minutes of chores."

Her son briefly groans in disappointment but smiles and gets to it, entering the kitchen again.
Mrs Adachi opens the little wrapped apple tart and hesitates, audibly sniffing at the air. ".. Smells like oranges." She shrugs and helps herself.

: Akio laughs nervously as Akane leans in. "Haha, w-what are you talking about all of a sudden, babe." He shakes his head. "Um, no, not in particular... Come on, let's focus."

---

"Are those sweets? Maybe I could just... No! I must stay focused on the mission!" Dahlia barely manages to resist the temptation of sneaking a pastry and considers her next course of action. While she could look around the lower floor some more, she was really curious what Mr Adachi himself was up to! She flies toward the stairs to see if he was somewhere to be found on the upper floor.
Doomykins03/11/2020
Akane dramatically leans all the way back, resting the back of her head in Akio's lap. Atop his leg. "You prefer young girls? Wow, I'm in luck!" She lounges indulgently, getting perfectly comfortable.
Mirthless03/12/2020
Breaking her concentration for a moment, Noriko leans over the bench, looking down at Akane. "Comfortable?" Looking over at Akio she smirks. "How about you, nii-chan? Can I get you anything, or did you two want to be left alone...?" Her tone is cool, but the corners of her lips curl into a cat like smirk, possessing the aura of a feline about to pounce, imaginary tail swishing back and forth with mischief

: "Huh?" Akio looks down at Akane, who he suddenly found lounging on his lap like a warm cuddly kitten. "Huh?" He looks up at Noriko, who appeared as a cat on the opposite end of the spectrum, a cunning predator eyeing up her prey. "N-No! Uh, um, w-why don't you come sit with us, sis." He pats the bench next to him, wearing a smile frozen stiff on his face.
Mirthless03/13/2020
Noriko can't help herself, giggling as she ruffles Akio's hair. "Ehehe. I'm teasing you. It's cute." Smiling, she tilts her head. "After all, what kind of sister would I be if I didn't accept such pure love?" Sighing, she looks wistful. "He's growing up so fast, oh my..."
Doomykins03/13/2020
Initially as startled as Akio, Akane watches the back and forth quietly before clasping her hands together over her mouth, overcome with real(?) emotion. "Neechan's blessing.."

: "Hey!" Akio protests as Noriko messes with his hair and brings his hands up to style it. "C-Come on, nee-chan, cut it out," he says, casting a glance down at Akane before looking away with a genuine blush. "It's embarrassing..."
Doomykins03/16/2020
With a sudden surge of movement Akane sits up and leans against Akio's arm again, gesturing to Noriko forcefully, pushing her back along the stomach, though without any malice. Her eyes hastily dart to the right repeatedly and you notice your teacher Mister Riku Adachi strolling down the road carrying a reuseable canvas shopping bag.
He's whistling and striking a jaunty pose. Belts out greetings to those he passes.
Inside the house Dahlia drifts towards the stairs when suddenly Kenji dashes past her, producing a person sized bit of wind that flaps her cloak. She clutches it dearly, her wings fluttering to stabilize as it happens again, Kenji returning the way he came carrying broom and dust pan.
Little swirls of pixie dust dance in the afternoon sunbeams. Mrs Adachi paces over to the base of the stairs.

: Quickly realizing that something was up from the way Akane was acting, Akio spots their approaching teacher even before she points him out. He reaches over to Akane's phone and lowers the call volume to mute, then lounges lazily on the bench, leaning back against Akane.

---

Undeterred by the lively kid's movements, Dahlia flies away from Mrs Adachi and up the stairs, staying out of direct sunlight as far as possible, just in case.
Mirthless03/22/2020
Noriko glances down at her phone, looking casual as she mentally signals to Crowley. Looking up from his perch on the roof, he hops over to the edge, looking for a trash can to knock over, hoping to make a little racket in the yard while Dahlia explores the house.
Doomykins03/25/2020
Gliding in for his trademark meal plan Crowley seizes the half full bin outside the garage and brings it down.

Inside Mrs. Adachi turns suddenly, clearly bewildered. Then she whirls back around and her eyes close almost entirely, her pupils focused clearly through dangerous slits. "You've pushed your luck.." She begins to head upstairs, following Dahlia!

Dahlia heads upstairs and discovers four doors, two to the right side, one to the left and one straight ahead. There's also an attic opening in the ceiling, though that may require more strength than a little fairy has. The other doors are unlocked but closed.

---

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:45 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:33

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Doomy
As Akane's phone volume is lowered a very high pitched, quivering "Maaa--ssteeerrr.........!!!!" is muted.

Mister Adachi passes by, giving your group a quick look and stopping to offer a smiling greet. "Good afternoon! Perfect weather to be out in it, yes?"

: "Hm?" Akio throws a brief dismissive glance up at Adachi, only to resume fiddling with Akane's phone. "Yeah, sure, whatever."

---

Master had muted her! Tears begin to form in the corner of Dahlia's eyes. She was all alone now, though she was terrified she had to be brave! There was no way Mrs Adachi was able to see through her invisibility, right!? No, that's impossible, it was Master's magic! Of course she couldn't defeat it!

...Still terrified that Mrs Adachi was going to catch her, Dahlia flies up to the corner of the hallway above the stairs to hide, while observing what Mrs Adachi was doing.
MirthlessLast Wednesday at 12:33 PM
Noriko delivers a soft karate chop to the back of Akio's head, before tilting her head to the side and smiling warmly to Adachi. "Please don't mind Tetsuo-kun's delinquent attitude, he's going through a phase. It's a lovely day, sir."

--
Crowley stomps up and down on the fallen lid of the trashcan, banging the object around and making a racket like the cymbal part of a drum solo, before leaping up onto the nearest fence and scampering towards the back of the yard.
Doomykins04/04/2020
Crossing her arms and forcing tension into her shoulders as she draws them up high and tight Akane matches Akio's disdain for the friendly stranger, ignoring him entirely and keeping quiet, looking away!

Mister Adachi looks your group over and chuckles. "I'm glad one of you has manners enough for tree, miss! Are you new to the neighborhood, I don't believe we've met and I like to get to know everyone on the street."
Crowleys valiant efforts draw the attention of Kenji, who runs to the windows and peers out them, then the garage door. Yet it isn't enough to distract the iron focus of Mrs Adachi...

Dahlia ascends to hide in a high corner just in time to hear an unusual set of metal clanks in synchronized order. Ka-klankklankklankklank ka-klankklankklankklank. A series of four beats in a steady rhythm.
What crosses the threshold between the stairs and the second floor is not Mrs Adachi but a radical manifestation of power, a searing image of a bio-mechanical Avatar supported a foot clear off the ground by four large spider-like limbs. Her visor gleams with killer intent as she scans the hallway from side to side. "It's too late for that, little intruder, I've already noticed you."

: Akio jerks his head away from Noriko's hand in annoyance. "Tsch! When are you gonna understand that this is the real me, sis." He rolls his eyes at Adachi. "Don't worry, old man, we're not planning to linger for long." As he looks down at the phone again he has to make a concentrated effort to not have his eyes bulge in surpise. What the hell was that!?

---

Eep! W-W-W-Why could Mrs Adachi manifest powers!? Nooooooo! Tears begin to waterfall down Dahlia's cheeks. Maaaaasteeeer... She cries out in silent panic, not knowing what to do, when a message suddenly pops up on the phone. "Abort mission! Get out of there agent! Use the camera flash if you have to. It's the latest model, it's very bright!" Her hope soars as she reads it and she nods emphatically. It was time to leave!

Dahlia slowly inches out of the corner she's hiding in with the phone raised high in front of her, sticking to the ceiling as she closes in on the arachnid avatar and the stairs she was guarding...
Doomykins04/07/2020
The Spider Matronmind turns and draws a series of web strands across the stairwell, creating a foreboding wall of barbed and sticky points. Then she turns back to the hallway and marches down it, heading for the room at the end of the hall. "You're already dead.."
Mirthless04/07/2020
Noriko gives 'Tetsuo's' hair a sharp tug while she surrepetitiously peeks down at his phone. She broadcasts nothing in her expression. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. My name is Moreau Nanami, this is my brother Tetsuo, and his, um, friend, Kaneka Misuzu. Our father works for Nissan and was recently reassigned to the corporate office in this area, we live a bit away from here but they insisted on taking a very long walk and I'd be a poor chaperone if I didn't keep following until they wore themselves out." she smiles, tilting her head to the side. "We'll be on our way very soon."

Beguiling Tongue / Bluff: 1d20+28 37
Sockerbagarn04/09/2020
Oh no, a web! Dahlia stops short before she gets entangled. On the bright side, it seemed like the spider lady couldn't see through her invisibility after all. She decides to follow her down the hall while keeping a safe distance. Maybe she could find a way outside from the room she was heading into?
Doomykins04/10/2020
As Mrs Adachi patrols the hall she pauses and turns her head from side to side, audibly sniffing.

Summoning all of her courage, Dahlia dares to hover directly behind the Spider Matronmind'd head. Surely.. surely she can't have eyes in the back of her head!
Downstairs Kenji opens the garage door and heads out to examine the noisy trash can.
Upstairs Mrs Adachi proceeds into the master bedroom. It's a nice, neatly kept nerd lair. A pair of side by side PCs with VR headsets, a small end table with a small electric tea warmer plate. An immaculately made queen size bed, a small walk in closet.
Both PCs are logged in, no passwords.
Outside, Noriko faces down your teacher with a convincing story! He cups his chin with two fingers and takes it in, thinking to himself for a moment in silence. Akane sits up and grimaces at him, managing an uncharacteristically glum and breathless "Nice to meet you, sit"
Inside and upstairs the Spider Matronmind pauses and raises a hand, pantomiming typing in a keyboard.

Outside, Mr Adachi's phone lets out a pleasant high pitched ding. He apologizes and reaches for it.

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:46 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:35

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Sockerbagarn04/14/2020
"Ow ow ow!" Akio complains as Noriko tugs at his hair. "Come on Nanami, you don't need to literally tell him our life story- OW!" He cries out in pain. "What I meant to say is nice to meet you, sir." He quickly says to Adachi under duress, then looks away in equal shares of annoyance and embarrassment.

But as Adachi goes for his phone Akio's eyes snap back to him. He had to stop him from communicating with his wife, but it was his own teacher! Could he really... Ah, screw it, something had to be done!

"Oi." 'Tetsuo' rises from the bench and proceeds to get straight up in Adachi's face, staring him down. "You reaching for your phone in the presence of a lady, old man?" He asks rethorically, while at the same time using his magic to give off an intense intimidating aura. "Are you not enjoying the chat with my sister?"

Perfect Arcana (Intimidate) Reroll: 1d20+50 55

---

Why was Mrs Adachi sniffing like that? Maybe she had a cold, or allergies, or... Oh no! Dahlia opens her mouth in shock as she comes to the sudden realization that Mrs Adachi was probably able to detect her lovely citrus scent! One would think that the house would carry a similar smell which would mask hers since Mrs Adachi had been busy cleaning, but now that Dahlia thinks about it, it seems like she had neglected to use appropriately scented cleaning products for reasons Dahlia just couldn't understand!

Feeling exposed, Dahlia looks for the nearest flower vase or pot and hurries over to hide behind it.
Mirthless04/14/2020
As Tetsuo gets aggressive, Noriko feels a surge of adreneline. Before she knows it, she's muscleing into 'Tetsuo's' space! "TETSUO!" She glowers intensely with the pure malice of sibling rivalry! "YOU'RE NOT GOING TO EMBARASS ME LIKE THIS AGAIN! THE NICE MAN JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF WE WERE FROM AROUND HERE, AND NOW HE PROBABLY WANTS TO CALL THE POLICE!" 'Nanami' looks ready to wail on her brother!
Intimidate: 1d20+28 47
Mirthless04/14/2020
Noting that Kenji is out of eyesight, Crowley hops over to the edge of the door. "Kenji! Kenji!!! Come here please!" Mrs. Adachi's voice comes out of his mouth, sounding just a bit tinny and strange, but carrying across the house. He hops away from the door, landing in a tree and perching, crow-like, on the edge of the property.
Bluff: 1d20+23 26 (woof)
Doomykins04/16/2020
Outside:

Adachi-Sensei is stunned by Akio's brutish approach! He takes a step back and drops his hand, phone still in pocket, staring with unease at the young man. He frowns nervously and raises a hand. "Hey, there's no need to get upset, that was my wife's ring-to.." He takes two steps back and gawks a little as Noriko goes full aggro!

Seeing a chance to help and feeling a stirring to get in on the fun Akane springs to her feet and clenches her fists at her sides, shoulders arched and head down. "NANAMI, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SUCH A BITCH!?" She gets up and between Akio and Noriko, eyes wide and manic and teeth bared as she grabs the back of Noriko's head! Affectionately yet with enough weight to put on a show.

Adachi: "Y-Yes, the thought had crossed my mind.." This is immensely distracting, to say the least.

---

Inside and upstairs Mrs Adachi freezes as Dahlia moves, rotating 90 degrees to one side. "Still making noise.. still making wind.. and.." Dahlia cuts behind a decorative little flower vase just her size as the searing glare of Mrs Adachi's visor would've passed over her! "Still thinking too hard... I can hear you.. everyone knows a pure, subtle bleach scent is the most inoffensive to clean with.. I HATE that other stuff!" She surges to one side and gingerly picks up an entire bookshelf, scanning it over before setting it down, contents and all hefted easily!

The master bedroom door is tantalizingly open still.. as is the bathroom door.
---

Inside and downstairs, Kenji looks startled and whips his head back around. "Ok?!" He heads back in and dashes upstairs, looking totally unperturbed by any ah, magical imagery or auras that might be coming off his mother. "What is it Mom?" He passes through the webs as though they weren't there, the residue mingling with some of the same coming off his shoulders.

Mrs. Adachi: "Hm? I didn't call you, honey. ... Somebody's here, somebody from that game. You know what to do, Kenji." Her visor splits in half down the center.

Kenji: ".. Y-Yeah!" Throwing his hands up in an odd diagonal stance, Kenji drops to a crouch with one knee bent and the other leg straight, striking a dynamic pose! In a flash of effervescent black-light he shimmers and transforms into BEETLE RANGER C!!! It seems a bit derivative, but he's just a kid! All the same he pulses with power and straightens up, saluting his mother.

Mrs Adachi's eyes crease with admiration, her happy expression not hidden even by her mask. "If you see anything weird, tell me. And if you have to fight, always be.."

Kenji: "Kiting!" He dashes down the stairs with both arms out to the sides like he's flying.

@Mirthless @Sockerbagarn This creates a very significant amount of distraction for Dahlia or Crowley to get in multiple courses/rounds of actions as mother and son talk in the upstairs hall. This also leaves the garage door open for Crowley.
Mrs Adachi: "That's right.. lead them back to me and I'll crush them."
Sockerbagarn04/16/2020
"I guess you just don't care about having a warm and hospitable home!!!" Dahlia peers out from behind the flower pot and thinks extra hard to make sure Mrs Adachi gets the message, a small fairy's scathing rebuttal, before she quiets her thoughts.

As Kenji and his mother are distracted with talking to each other, Dahlia sneakily flies away into the bedroom. First, she takes a quick look at the computer screens, capturing them with the phone's camera.
Stealth: 1d20+18 31
Sockerbagarn04/16/2020
"H-Hey, Misuzu, baby girl, it's all right, it's all right," Akio puts his hands on her shoulders and tries to calm her, then looks over at Noriko. "FOR FUCKS SAKE NANAMI, NOW YOU'VE MADE MISUZU UPSET! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST GET ALONG!?"
Doomykins04/18/2020
Once Kenji is gone Mrs Adachi rounds again with a dramatic four point sweep of her bulky extra limbs. She leaves webs over each of the upstairs doorways and then parts one, entering the bathroom. "Keep thinking, you little smart aleck!"

Dahlia takes a picture of a computer screen, capturing a friends list and messenger client for Adachi-Sensei. There's a message waiting to be read from Thaddeus, who has a tab listed of additional contact details.
Even a fairy could move a mouse.. !
Sockerbagarn04/18/2020
A message from that horrible lizard trickster Thaddeus? Of course Dahlia is going to take a look! She puts down the phone for a moment to grab the mouse with both hands and steers it over to the blinking message, then investigates the additional contact details too.
Doomykins04/18/2020
Text=Thaddeus to Bishop

I hear you're out of the game. Will keep you posted on violet. Can't trust her further than you can throw her. Stay safe!

... There's a real life name! (At work, no notes, etc, will replace the actual name here later)
Dahlia can hear Mrs Adachi stop walking on the bathroom tile. She must be checking a new room upstairs!

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:35

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Mirthless04/19/2020
With the coast clear for now, Crowley heads for the garage, looking for anything he can do. (Circuit breaker in here by any chance?)
(I guess it's daytime so it wouldn't matter)
Perception - Look for something useful!!: 1d20+23 31
Doomykins04/21/2020
@Sockerbagarn There's more to the twin monitors but nothing juicy is out in the open and it would require significant time to browse the PC desktop and files.

The master bedroom of the Adachi household is home to a large bed covered in extravagantly soft and large quilts and pillows, the desk set up for the home PCs, and even another small desk with a spread out trio of corkboards on the wall.
They detail a set of character summaries and relationships that are entirely fictional, as well as several plot beats and outlines. A small tablet labeled for "Adachi Risako" is set besides a few rolls of note paper with frantic scribblings.
There's a large double window in the room but it is currently firmly closed. The curtain is drawn as well. Dahlia can hear Mrs Adachi advancing in her search.
@Mirthless There's the trash can Crowley has danced in, a neat and orderly stacked bin of recycling with many bags of cans, a neatly latched shut circuit breaker board, a small window, and a tool shelf, also neatly locked.
Sockerbagarn04/21/2020
Oh! Look at all this important information! Master will be so proud of me! Dahlia makes a sweep over everything in the bedroom with the phone camera, lingering a bit on the important looking paper notes. But now she had better find a way out of the house, that mean lady could appear any second!

Dahlia flies up to the curtains and slips past them, then lands softly on the windowsill. She puts down the phone again and looks up at the window with a frown. It seemed thoroughly closed, could she really open that? Well, there was only one way to find out!
Mirthless04/22/2020
@Doomykins: is there anything in the garage easily at hand I could use as like a lever? like a small garden shovel or a, heh, crowbar?
I'm assuming breaking a lock is not going to be an easy task for a crow and we're too occupied to do a ritual!
Doomykins04/22/2020
Everything is neatly stored, he'd have to search the trash or pick a lock.
Doomykins04/24/2020
@Mirthless Crowley can use Noriko's skill checks to try to search or pick locks.
Mirthless04/24/2020
Clearly in a pinch, Crowley glances about, looking in a hurry for something he can use for a lever! At times like this, there's only one thing a crow can do! His talons glint on a sunbeam as he tears down into his prey, ripping open a trash bag and burrowing inside! He'll find what he needs, even if he has to smell like old udon to do it!
Perception - EXTREME TRASH DEEP DIVE: 1d20+23 34
Doomykins05/27/2020
@Mirthless @Sockerbagarn

(Oh no it's this dog again. Crowley and Dahlia are spying in the Adachi household. Crowley wants to help Dahlia escape the Spider Matronmind. Crowley is in the garage, Dahlia is upstairs in the second floor master bedroom.)

Noriko/Crowley: The extreme trash dive leads to several discoveries, including 1/3 of a convenience store luxury cheeseburger. This is a time when heroes are made as further beneath that and some coffee grounds is half of a broken utility wrench piece, like one of those little shaped hexagon-ended pieces a home furniture piece would include for tightening the metal fixtures. It is broken but that is a concern for Human hands. In Crowley's beak it is as good as any lockpick. Maybe even a thumb.

Akio/Dahlia: The window is locked and seems to have been so for a long time due to inactivity. It is wedged tightly shut, almost as if it has begun to rust. It has a convoluted mechanism that would require a lot of force from Dahlia's side.
Doomykins05/28/2020
@Mirthless (Mirth, disguised Noriko was up last to reply to disguised Akio's outburst as you try to bamboozle Mister Adachi/keep him from going back into his home too soon)
Sockerbagarn05/28/2020
Dahlia flies up to the locking mechanism and rolls up her sleeves, it was time for a feat of strength! She sticks out her tongue through the corner of her mouth as she puts her tiny little hands on it, and she heaves!

Strength: 1d20+13 18

Unfortunately, she's still a small fairy...
Doomykins05/28/2020
Time runs short as Dahlia achieves limited success. She could eventually clear the look at this rate. The Matronmind will be upon her before that..
The mechanism budges ever so slightly
Mirthless05/28/2020
With something resembling a tool in beak, Crowley makes his way to Dahlia's point of egress, trying his own hand at the mechanism from the other side!
Thievery: 1d20+19 28
Doomykins05/29/2020
Plasma tendrils branch out and web shut the master bedroom doorway! Mrs Adachi's mechanical tendrils carry her up to it and she leans forward, chuckling. "Game's over."
Sockerbagarn05/29/2020
Oh no! She was out of time, and the window was still thoroughly stuck! As Dahlia tries to think of what to do, she's startled as a black bird suddenly flies up to the window! Crowley! Is he here to help? What a gentleman!

While Crowley works on the window, Dahlia grabs her master's phone and flies up to hide in the top of the curtains.

Stealth: 1d20+18 27

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:35

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Doomykins05/29/2020
The towering form of the Spider Matronmind enters the master bedroom, sweeping along one side of the room, casually clawing through the air in wide waves! Hiding space evaporates rapidly!
From outside master legerdemain from Crowley produces the fated click of the window being opened, the stubborn inner hook yielding to a different angle of pressure!
Now the window.. must be opened.. !!
"Buster Wave!!"

Noriko, Akio and Akane can hear the boisterous declaration of a young grade school boy play acting in Mr Adachi's front yard!
They can even see the beam of metal physical force that flies at Crowley in a broad V, narrowly missing him!
Kenji begins locking his fingers together at his side to charge a more refined technique!
Grateful for a distraction from your loud outbursts, Mr Adachi turns and waves to his son!
Mirthless05/29/2020
"Kehhh!!!" Crowley wedges himself between the windowsill and the pane, digging his talons in and delivering a powerful heave upward! The narrow miss from Kenji drives him forward as he frantically scrabbles at the window, eager to get out and away from a second blast!
Athletics: 1d20+21 36
Freezing in place, it's as if Nanami's whole world has shattered! "Misu... Misuzu....?You... YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT HER, DON'T YOU?! THAT NASTY TRAMP, STEALING MY SWEET LITTLE BROTHER FROM ME! IT'S... IT'S NOT FAIR!" Shoving her "brother", she runs off in tears!
Sockerbagarn05/29/2020
Looks like Crowley managed to get the window unlocked, time to leave! Dahlia dives down from her hiding spot and attempts to get out of the house.
Athletics: 1d20+23 24 Natural one!
"That ain't it! Don't cry! NANAMI!" 'Tetsuo' shouts after his dear sister. "Oh, for gently caress's sake!" He snaps around to Adachi, his expression like a thunderstorm. "Thanks a lot, old man! Everything was going great until you just had to show up. Mind your own loving business next time!" He grits his teeth. "Come on, Misuzu, we're catching up to her." He grabs her hand and takes off running after 'Nanami'.
Doomykins06/01/2020
With one final dramatic burst the dreaded window is defeated, Dahlia emerging in a flutter of reflective magic into the light of day. She is followed by the lunging upper half of Mrs. Adachi, one hand reaching out to snatch her by the legs!

On the ground below Kenji finishes hid charge and raises his interlocked fingers, discharging the spiraling "Tracer Beam!"
As advertised is unerringly tags Crowley, Slowing him with a painful singe to the wings!
Mister Adachi keeps waving. "Are you two playing a game!?" He shouts, oblivious to your retreating trio. Akane outs on a show of callow indifference to him before hurrying after Noriko and Akio.
Noriko and Akio, fwiw, are free to move about the neighborhood and the house freely again.

: poo poo, she got caught! Akio darts off to the side to break line of sight with Adachi and the rest of his family, then teleports up on the roof of a neighbouring house. He crawls up the side of the roof that's facing away from the Adachi residence and peeks over the top to get a view of the fracas. A whistle suddenly appears in his hand and he brings it to his lips...

At the same time, finding her legs held a split second before she was about to make her escape, Dahlia turns her upper body around and holds up the phone. "Say lime!" she says with a bright invisible smile as she gives Mrs. Adachi a close range blast of the camera flash at full effect!

Using Guardian's Whistle to teleport Dahlia to my side if I can get close enough!
Doomykins06/01/2020
Producing a split second delay in the metaphysically hardened spider queen, Dahlia is subsequently safely yanked out of harm's way.
Mirthless06/03/2020
With Dahlia being called back, Crowley plummets towards the nearest shadow and tumbles on through to the other side, coalescing comfortably within his roost in "Nanami"'s bag as they clear the corner. (return familiar to passive mode)

: As Noriko and Akio console Dahlia and peer through the sensitive information she was able to photograph with Akio's phone, Akane in her full-punk disguise carefully creeps closer to the Adachi household as your teacher closes the front door and heads in.

: "Ah, Mitsuki? Kenji? Where are you?"

(note to self: update pogs) Adachi Mitsuki: "RIKU! You'll never believe what happened..!" The lady of the house thunders downstairs, enshrouded in full menacing aura!

: "Nin-nin.." Akane hides by the front door and windows and reaches up, fondling her own chin with both hands until a little ethereal *fwish* precedes her fingers shifting through her own skin. She gently lifts up a shimmering visage of her own skull and guides the wisp to phase most of the way into the wall.

---

: A few moments later Akane rejoins Noriko and Akio, giving Akio a big showy hug around one arm and a friends kiss on the cheek. "I got it~!" Alongside real life contact information for Thaddeus, you obtain a time and date for Mister Adachi meeting with Allison. A spycraft success!

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:46 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:36

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Chavez Dojo, Sunday Afternoon, June 7th

After the clash before the Beach Trip and the clash during the Beach Trip you've made amends with Manami. The truth of this rings with each blow of wooden bokken that you two exchange in a friendly spar, though as you're both powered by Avatars in the Great Game you're able to really let each other have it at full force. It's just the two of you for now.

Manami's viciousness pairs extremely well with Grandmother's teaching her any disciplined form at all. It's true what they say: recruit one with bad form and great speed and you can train them to beat anyone with good form and good speed. A trio of overhead strikes signals that Manami is trying to sense out your exhaustion and burst through the moment you try to catch your breath, a limitation she probably doesn't have. Yet.
Plutonis12/01/2019
Tsukiyo has until now been on the defensive, parrying or leaping back whenever Manami struck. Unfortunately this has been draining her stamina as much as the wild attacks were likely to have been doing to her sparring partner, and the fact that she's almost to her back on the wall means that there must be some change in strategy. After taking a safe distance, she relaxes her knees and pulls her bokken near her stomach with both her hands, its tip pointing forward at Manami's direction. Gathering enough impulse, she explodes forward, her legs extending in a powerful leap and the arms following suit, thrusting the wooden sword's tip forward like a flying arrowhead!

: Contact and a staggered "Oomph!" Is your reward as you deliver a successful thrust to Manami's stomach. She lowers her sword and affects a sidelong scowl, the spare over as she struggles to catch her breath, the first time today she's shown any sign of fatigue. "Not... fair..."

Plutonis12/02/2019
"Ehh... That's a fairly standard move." Tsukiyo says as she uses the time to catch some breath too. "Didn't work against big bro because his larger reach meant that he would just bop my head whenever I tried it though."

: "Well it's not fair you have all this extra training with "Big Bro" and under Sensei!" Manami throws a hand up for emphasis and in frustration. "Just wait until I've got more experience too!" Her voice has a light edge to it but you've learned that it will always have that. She relaxed and leans on the sword like a cane, grinning. "You keep mentioning your brother, when do I get to meet him?"
Plutonis12/02/2019
"Last time I went to ask him about his mates on ORDER he just brushed me off for a business meeting." Tsuki shakes her head, resting the sword on her shoulder.

: "Eh? Business? So he's a big shot then?" Manami seems impressed! She paces over to the wall and puts the bokken away.
Plutonis12/03/2019
"It's real weird! He's a freaking salaryman now! In fact when I first saw the building he moved to and his clothes, I assumed he was a Yakuza because only a month ago he was sharing a super gross apartment with losers..."

: "I don't get it, what's so weird about it? He's your brother, ain't he?" She grimaces imagining a "gross apartment with losers."
Plutonis12/03/2019
"Yeah he is my brother, and he was a deadbeat for three years at our house after finishing college!"

: "B-but now he's not..?" Manami looks hopelessly confused. "Aren't you happy for him?"
Plutonis12/05/2019
"..." Tsukiyo looks to the side, pretending she didn't hear the question.

: ... Manami sharpens up and steps closer, peering hard at Tsukiyo's face. She scrunches up her own expression, scrutinizing you sharply! "Come on, what is it?"
Plutonis12/05/2019
"Well, I think it's pretty odd! Starting out in a big company and staying at a super expensive condo. He said that it was leased by his job, but he didn't even tell me what he actually is working on..."

: "Huh. That is weird." Manami invites you to walk and talk as the two of you head into a back room to change out of your gis. "Uhm.. what's his degree in? Maybe he has a rare talent!" Truthfully Genjuro's rare talents would be in destroying men with his fists.
Plutonis12/06/2019
"Applied Mathematics." She says while changing to her normal clothes. "Barely passed from what I remember, but... Uhhh... I think he was going out with his old school buds most of the time."
Doomykins12/09/2019
Once the two of you step out of the dojo Manami fixes a wicked smile on her face. "Then I think it's obvious what we gotta do. We gotta spy on him!'
Plutonis12/09/2019
Tsukiyo is ready to interject, but stops herself. "...You know, that actually isn't that bad of an idea..."

: Leaning over Manami jabs her index finger into your collar bone repeatedly. "If you're gonna be in charge shouldn't you think of this stuff? But he's ORDER. He's a lead and he's an enemy."
Plutonis12/09/2019
"Two things. One: He's living on a luxury apartment on the middle of town that's got super tight security." She gently flits Manami's finger out of the way with her hand. "Two: He's still got his powers and probably has heightened senses so following him is going to be nigh impossible."

: Manami sticks out her tongue as you rebuff her. "Super tight security? Compared to us? And he can't sniff you out if he's at work!"
Plutonis12/09/2019
"All right then! Then tell the plan you have to walk on unnoticed by the receptionist and the cameras through the hallways and elevators and break in on the apartment!"

: Crossing her arms, Manami tilts her chin up so she can look down on you despite being about an inch shorter. "I propose using magic, Boss." Like a chop from Grandmother you remember that you're not exactly bound by the rules of reality. At least as much as usual.
Plutonis12/12/2019
Tsukiyo winces and crosses her arms in thought. "Magic... That's uh... Not really my trade, but... I guess there's some ritual stuff I could use but... What if he has wards or stuff like that? Like you know, that stone...!"

: Manami grimaces. "You don't Teleport. Jun figured that out observing you guys fight. And uh, Tsuki.. is this really how you feel?" The usual sneers turns to a frown. A disappointed one. An unusual sight.. Manami's pity!
Plutonis12/13/2019
Oi, oi, where is that attitude coming from... "Feel what? Actually, you know what? Nevermind. So ok, I use a ritual to become invisible, I go up the stairs since the elevator moving on its own is going to be sus as hell, I teleport to enter inside the room and I search inside, but he barely gives a drat about ORDER, what are you expecting to find there?"
Doomykins12/13/2019
A steely grin greets you. "That you're not afraid to cross your brother anymore."
Plutonis12/13/2019
...! Tsukiyo visibly winces. "What are you even talking about! I beat him before, you know, in the Other World!"

: "Then you really shouldn't be scared to spy on him now. I mean, you beat him, right? And he's back? And doing all this weird stuff?" She crosses her arms and steps closer to you, aggressive posturing! "So it's not what you find about him.. it's about who he's working for."
Plutonis12/13/2019
"Well, you know what, I'm loving doing it then!" She defiantely steps forward, glaring at Manami. "I'll show you I can do that and find out what the hell is going on."

: Manami beams defiantly in response. "Great! I'll ask Jun to help us!"
Plutonis12/13/2019
D'oh! Tsukiyo reflexively slaps her head in annoyance. Walked right into that one she did...

: With a monkey's toothy grin Manami laughs, shi-shi-shi-shi.

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:50 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:37

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

-After having lunch at Tsukiyo's house and leaving with a small leftover plate at Manami's insistancd you journey several city blocks over to Manami's house, which is a perfectly normal corner apartment in a line of them, a mid-sized two bedroom set up. She guides you around the side to a communal trash can/recycling organization spot where you meet Jun, who is lounging in the fire escape ladder of an adjacent larger building, reading an old, damaged book, The Anarchist's Cookbook.

He comes down with supernatural grace to meet you both on the ground.
Jun and Manami share a kiss and Manami offers him the leftovers, which he starts eating as he talks.

Jun: "Good to see you, Chavez-san. What's up?'

: "Breaking and entering. Fenrir is playing with others. Living with some weird suit. High rise condo."

Jun: "That's weird. That guy doesn't even play with his admirers in the game." Savoring the food for a bit, Jun quickly adds. "Oh, I'm in. For the B&E."
Plutonis12/14/2019
"I didn't really said he was playing with others..." Tsukiyo shakes her head annoyedly. "It's rather that he's hanging out with some real rich bigwigs, and the story he told me that the company is leasing a high rise to a guy who was hired three weeks ago sounds far too fishy for me. Also... You sound way too cooperative about this, Jun-san!"
Doomykins12/16/2019
Jun: "Of course I am. You didn't think you guys could leave me hanging, did you? "Sorry about your brother, we'll get revenge for you, I guess?"" He shakes his head so vigoruslt he has to save his glasses with a single finger press to his nose. "I can't believe you're not more excited about this. Don't you get it, Chavez?"
Jun: "We know we're dealing with ORDER but then that two bit business thot shows up at the beach and uses a spell that's stronger than all our casters put together. Now your brother has a sweet heart big money job!?" As if to punctuate his anger he wolves down the rest of the food and dunks the still good tupperware in a recycling bin for emphasis!
Jun: "Whoever is bankrolling Fenrir is the most likely Mastermind! We've already discounted Bishop and he was it, and that was a frame job!"
Jun: "Nothing is more important than this!"

: Manami grins happily, then looks to Tsukiyo to gauge her reaction to this passionate speech.
Plutonis12/16/2019
Taken aback by Jun's sudden aggressive accusations, Tsukiyo takes a step back and tries to push the issue. "Wait, wait, I said I wanted to look if Gen was up to, but are straight up implying stuff that makes no sense at all!"

: "Then why else would Fenrir do any of this stuff? Is this a totally legit suit and tie job with a condo?"
Plutonis12/16/2019
"I thought it was like something to do with the Yakuza or guys like that, not with the guys who were working on ORDER's shadow..."
Doomykins12/16/2019
Jun: "Which is more likely, your brother is Yakuza, or we already know he's in the top echelon of ORDER?"
Plutonis12/16/2019
"He was only there to try and beat Charlotte, not this sort of stuff!" A half-hearted response...
: ".. Gee, Boss. You don't sound too cool right now.."
Jun is smirking..
Plutonis12/17/2019
"Yeah well, I don't care about sounding cool." She snaps her fingers. "gently caress it, let's get this out of our way. It was around this time that he left the building that day so it might be meeting time."
Doomykins12/17/2019
Jun: "Who is going in?"
Plutonis12/17/2019
"Me... And you, I guess. Manami-san will stay as a lookout outside the building in case Gen returns."

: Manami grumbles.

Jun: "Alright. This should be easy, given your class."
Plutonis12/17/2019
"I wish Tengu-chan was here too, it would be way easier if she could just carry me to the upper floors from the outside, but then again I only know brother's room number and not which window it is..." She starts checking on her phone. "I should pick up some rituals to help too, although I dunno if I can make those work without Mori around. One to let us walk inside undetected easier and another to avoid remote viewing..." (Buying Ghost Walk and Masking Shroud)
Doomykins12/17/2019
Jun: "I'm sorry, I don't understand." He waits for you to look up from your phone. "Why do you need any of that?"
Plutonis12/17/2019
_{"...Just in case you're right..."} She mutters under hear breath.

---

@Plutonis

You return to the scene of Oniisan's likely crimes with Manami and Jun backing you up. They could contact Shiokaze and provide you with flight but you're perfectly capable, honestly, of scaling the wall nimbly and without error.

The real questions here are what time do you execute these shenanigans, do you make any preparations, and what is the plan of approach?

Manami is a pretty brutish Blackguard and Jun is a pretty sneaky Rogue.
Plutonis12/27/2019
Manami's talents aren't... Well, really not useful for an infiltration mission. HOWEVER, with the fact that she hasn't yet met Gen it means she can easily be a lookout. She is to keep herself outside of the building, at a nearby street bench, and call Tsuki and Jun if possible. Meanwhile, the two of them will use the rituals of Ghost Walk to increase their stealth capabilities just in case, as well as Masking Shroud, which prevents magical scrying. As much as Tsuki hated it, she considered that the possibility Jun was right about Gen being in league with Bishop or whoever the arcanist who provided Braixenne is more than zero, and thus they needed to find a way to become completely undetectable.

Plutonis12/27/2019
Scale outside walls and rise through the staircase Stealth: 1d20+20+5 35

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:51 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:37

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Doomykins12/28/2019
(if the rituals require any rolls make those too)

Under supernatural cover and natural agility you and Jun begin urban rock climbing your way up the side of the building, checking for an open window somewhere Humans shouldn't be able to access.
As you climb Jun keeps a downcast gaze for the most part, following your lead. You find each window is locked but the only thing that's keep you from going higher is a fear of heights.
Around ten stories up Jun comes up to your side as you both examine a prospective window. It doesn't seem locked, just rusted shut.
Jun: "I don't think you've done this before.. did you really have to dress like that?"
Plutonis12/28/2019
"Most people don't consider burglary to be a passtime..." Tsukiyo snarls back at Jun, glaring at him with a penetrating gazer. "And... I am sure you weren't looking up as you were climbing, were you."
Doomykins12/28/2019
Jun: "No, but is it better to look down!?" He scowls right back at you. "Did you really have to wear your school uniform!?"
Plutonis12/28/2019
"Because I have to go to school, you know! And... You should too! Manami-san shouldn't be dating a dropout!"
Doomykins12/28/2019
Rolling his eyes Jun turns his attention to the small rectangular window panel, a smaller window that is part of the larger square panes.
He gives it a sharp jab and the built up resistance gives, some dirt and moisture from an old bird's nest debris coming loose and falling down the building side.
"I think we're doing things more important than school, that's all." A naturally gaunt and thin boy, Jun pulls himself up enough to bring his legs to the opening and make a straight line.
He swooces right in, releasing his grip and passing through the small rectangle.

Your turn.
Plutonis12/28/2019
"Even so... Did you ever plan for what will happen when all this is done? What to do after we get justice for Takeo?"

Tsukiyo nimbly goes to the same spot, taking momentum by kicking the wall before entering legsfirst through the opening in the same way as Jun. She lands inside the room perfectly.
Doomykins12/28/2019
The sheer momentum of your entrance avoids anything more troublesome than a split second tightness around the hips before your inertia carries you through. You both drop safely down a height that would risk a broken bone on a regular person, landing in the middle of a very fancy stair well. The outer wall is fancy panes of thick glass, the rest is some glossy, fancy black tile.
Plutonis12/28/2019
Well, that was taken care easily enough. Now to climb the stairs until the correct floor.
Doomykins12/29/2019
You idly wonder if you recall which floor and room Genjuro is staying in. He met you in the lobby before!
A black shadow passes over Jun's eyes, amplified by his glasses. "No, I didn't."
Plutonis12/29/2019
It was... The twelfth floor, if one recalls correctly. "..." Tsukiyo looks back to Jun, clenching her hand. This is way too awkward... "How about you start thinking about it now? We will have some time before reaching the place" She says while ascending the stairwell.
Doomykins12/29/2019
You rise up the stairs steadily in strange silence. Unfortunately it can't last forever.

Jun: "Is that what you'd do? If your brother died. Just.. move on?"
Plutonis12/29/2019
"What other choice is there." She answers, clutching one of the handrails hard. "I... No, nobody can afford to stop instead of moving."
Doomykins12/30/2019
Eyes bouncing from the hall to your side, Jun forces a smile. He starts to speak, then pauses before stating: "If you say so."
Getting to the twelfth floor you test the door, peeking through a sliver. The hall is empty but now the question is which room?
Plutonis12/30/2019
Room four of course. "Just remember that she is there for you, okay?" She tries to look for any cameras on the hall through the sliver opening.
Doomykins12/30/2019
Bingo. There's paired cameras on each hallway. The only openings seem to be where they are stationed, at corners. If you get under them there are air vents about seven feet off the ground, under/beside the camera.
Plutonis12/30/2019
She wordlessly points at the cameras to Jun and then to the air vents. Moving as stealthily as possible, the two of them sidle towards the opening and Tsukiyo lifts up her companion to enter the vents.
Doomykins12/30/2019
Jun can't hide his frown. "Why not cut the cameras? Nobody will notice for hours, a day maybe."
Plutonis12/30/2019
"They still will, won't they? I'd rather not have anyone notice that we broke in someone's house at all..."
Doomykins12/30/2019
"Right." Jun accepts your help to get a step up to the vent. "Jeez, I feel like a little kid with how tall you are.." He slides further into the vent and starts crawling forward.
He has to army crawl, flat on his stomach.
Plutonis12/30/2019
"Hey, I'm not that tall...!" She huffs before taking a small leap to reach the vent, her long legs and arms making her climb far easier than his.
Doomykins12/30/2019
whump

This is an opening too small, a bridge too far. The bones of your hips press against metal! At this rate you'll get stuck!
Plutonis12/30/2019
Wait how the hell is that twink nerd not getting stuck but she is? drat it! She exhales as much as she can from her lungs and tries to squeeze through.
Doomykins12/30/2019
(Acrobatics check)
Plutonis12/30/2019
lfamo
Acrobatics: 1d20+25 27
Doomykins12/30/2019
You take in a deep breath and think slim thoughts, briefly relieving the pressure in your torso, stretching your arms forward and aligning your shoulders to move forward.
For a moment it works and you draw two feet forward. Then with a merciless second whump your waist is anchored, wedged into a space that can't accommodate it.
Plutonis12/30/2019
G-g-gwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:38

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Plutonis12/30/2019
"W-wait a second there. I think I'm stuck here..."
Doomykins12/31/2019
As best he can Jun speaks over his shoulder. "I can't turn around, Chavez! ... Can you get your phone out?"
Plutonis12/31/2019
"I... I don't think I can." She tries to wriggle her arms to reach her shirt pocket awkwardly.
Doomykins12/31/2019
You can hear a loud sigh.

Jun: "I'll tell Manami to come up. Just.. hold tight. I'm going ahead."
Plutonis12/31/2019
"What, no, we can't have her leave the spot." Tsukiyo grunts back as she tries again to squeeze further through the tunnel, this time trying to force the vents to give a small leeway to pass through.
Doomykins12/31/2019
Quote - Acrobatics reroll: 1d20+25 31 - Quote Belt Reroll
Anything is easy when you think about doing it. Actually performing when things are difficult..
Tsukiyo pulls herself further, enduring the uncomfortable fit inch by inch. She's able to crawl through the vents!

Jun: "Alright." He moves much faster, vanishing into the unlit darkness.
Plutonis12/31/2019
She follows him through the dark until an eventual exit. When all this is done, however, I got to cut down on the potato chips, Tsuki thought to herself.
Doomykins01/02/2020
An eventual exit! You crawl through the darkness until you feel a change in the movement of the air and get a bit of relief in the claustrophobic pressure of the small vent. To your left the vent branches off down a new branch.

You don't see or hear Jun anymore. (Any enhanced vision?)
Plutonis01/02/2020
(Low-light)
Doomykins01/03/2020
The soft hue of a distant blue-tinged light source flickers at random intervals to the left, down the turn. It'll be hard to change direction in these cramped quarters but it is possible. Occasionally the light vanishes for several seconds before cutting back in.
Plutonis01/03/2020
Tsukiyo continues to crawl through the vent. "Jun, where the hell are you?" She says, her words carried through the tunnel to no answer. She tries to follow the light while moving forward.
Doomykins01/03/2020
Your phone vibrates as it receives a text.
Plutonis01/03/2020
She awkwardly reaches to the phone, examining it.
Doomykins01/04/2020

Jun Text posted:
enemy in vent

The flickering light ahead vanishes with a sudden burst of metal scraping along metal!
Plutonis01/04/2020
Wait what the gently caress?! Tsukiyo pockets her phone again, lying still as she stares towards the source of the sound and the sudden darkness. She can't really move backwards in a tight place, but at least she may able to punch it if it comes closer.
Doomykins01/04/2020
(Entering Encounter time span, so if you want to activate any powers, etc)

Nothing comes.. you're still facing down the left path, though you're very close to the straight path. It seems Jun has gone silent/solo out of necessity.
Plutonis01/04/2020
She tries to wriggle back away to the crossroad, and tries to go through the straight path from there.
Doomykins01/04/2020
It takes a little more time and effort than you'd like but it is doable! You head straight, presumably after Jun.

You can hear metal tink-tink-tinks
Plutonis01/04/2020
She hurries forward, sweat starting to form on her forehead. While Tsuki knew that she could take on whatever the hell is crawling on those vents on open ground, the cramped environment could make it far harder than she'd like to.
Doomykins01/04/2020
Brilliant! The moisture of your sweat provides a minimal lubicrant! You are getting used to these terrible confines, somehow, and move ahead at a quicker pace.

You come to a left/right split. Blue light flickers from the left.
Plutonis01/04/2020
She takes stride towards the source of light again.

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:38

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Doomykins01/06/2020
Crossing the corner Tsukiyo pulls herself forward, face to face with the source of the light. An amalgamation of metal scrap and steel strips flexes with the soft discharge of electricity through bundled wired arranged in a vaguely humanoid circulatory system around the uneven metal shapes. At the head is almost nothing but empty space, the point where a head should be instead occupied by an upended circular dome, power pulsing towards the center and broadcasting the blue light like a flash light. The image at the center resembles a simple eye that folds in on itself and expands back to normal in the suggestion of a blink.
Plutonis01/06/2020
Ah gently caress! What... What the hell is that thing? She clenches her hands into fists, but slowly starts to crawl backwards, although still staring at the strange mechanical monstrosity.
Doomykins01/06/2020
All metallic shapes shift to an ethereal translucent blue and it passes through the top of the vent, vanishing from sight. A moment later you can hear metal scraping against metal again!
Plutonis01/06/2020
She looks back. It... It can't be behind her, can it?
Doomykins01/06/2020
Y.. you're stuck! You can't look behind yourself!
You need to keep going forward!?
Plutonis01/06/2020
drat it! Very well then... She takes a deep breath and starts to crawl forward...
Doomykins01/06/2020
Left or Right? Based off the same branching where you chose to pursue the light.
Plutonis01/06/2020
To the right this time!
Doomykins01/06/2020
Pulling back very slightly before committing to a tunnel, you shift at the fork and go right. You're moving as fast as you can, for having a pursuer inspires a certain anxiety in a vulnerable situation like this!
Metal tink-tink-tinks echo around you. They're close.
Plutonis01/06/2020
gently caress's sake, if she wasn't in this situation she would have kicked that thing's rear end...! drat it! She continues to hurry forward, wondering if she should just bust the vent and drop down.
Doomykins01/06/2020
You could try wrenching open a grating and entering one of the rooms at random, or taking your time to make sure you've found Brother's Room 12!
But using your supernatural strength is an option too. Not much for stealth in the long run, however.
Plutonis01/06/2020
Better to do the latter... She tries to look over at the grates to see where the hell she is right now...
Doomykins01/06/2020
#15
Plutonis01/06/2020
Darn! Hopefully it's forward rather than backwards... She moves forward for a bit before trying to check again
Doomykins01/06/2020
#14

As you pause to read you're able to save time thanks to low light vision and the scant bit of light in the vents.. but you still have to pause to read! Something phases through the metal vent surface above you and scrapes and distorts metal as a set of claws grips your left ankle, hard or sharp enough to draw blood!
Plutonis01/06/2020
She reflexively tries to kick behind!
Doomykins01/06/2020
This does nothing! Your foe is above!?
Plutonis01/07/2020
"Kyah!" She grunts in pain and continues to crawl as fast as she can while continuing to scan below...
Doomykins01/07/2020
Opting to keep pushing forward you pull your leg out of the grip, feeling blood flow from the wound. (Rolling damage later)

#13
Light flickers in at an odd angle, seemingly from everywhere. Metal peeling sounds from directly above you?
Plutonis01/07/2020
She hurries forward, it's close now, just a last stride...!
Doomykins01/08/2020
Pulling ahead as best you can under your natural power, you rush towards #12! ... Technically! You are moving as fast as you can but this vent is still constricting your movement!
The second attack comes from above, this time a full sweep of the strange creatures metal limbs raking across your legs, up to the waist! It doesn't draw blood but it's supernaturally cold!
In no state to dodge the metal clamps together and seals your legs together. Blue light flickers in from either side of your head as the rest of the creature phases in, roughly matching your human silhouette.
If it has your legs with its legs, all that's left is to bind you completely, arms to arms! It is physically(to a point) present above you!
Plutonis01/08/2020
drat it! Tsukiyo immediately looks for the closest possible exit grate near her, rushing towards it and opening it for a daring escape.
Doomykins01/09/2020
Your forward momentum ends as soon as it begins,sets of hooks protruding from the metal frame that surrounds tour legs and hips! It moving through the vent was hard before, it is impossible now!
The clawed talons of the sentry seize your wrists and wrench them ahead of you painfully, metal locking against metal as the interlocking parts of the creature bond to one another. Your arms are tangled together like they're wrapped in barbed wire!
Plutonis01/09/2020
gently caress! Get... Get away! She clenches her teeth, tightening her body as she pulls away from the metal razor wire with all her might! (STR roll?)
Doomykins01/09/2020
(You could roll Athletics at severe secret penalty, though using your full strength will abandon stealth in favor of obliterating the vent. Or trying to)
Plutonis01/09/2020
(trying with penalty)
Athletics: 1d20+30 37
Doomykins01/09/2020
No solitary mook can overpower you! Not at your level of strength! You unleash your full strength, knees bashing a massive dent into the vent beneath them as you try to sit up and take a better posture for further strikes!
The loud banging in the vent is impossible to miss!
But you're in a horrible positiij to exert your strength, even supernatural levels of it. Your body aches as you shift and slam awkwardly, unable to do much of anything. Just entering the vent sealed most of your movements.
As the sentry wrenches your arms together under you, hugging them under your chest and pinning your hands to your side, you're struck by how quickly you've become exhausted. Forcing yourself through the vent is the cause.
It's hard to appreciate the placement of this trap monster as the last joint of its headless neck clamps around your neck before projecting a dome of projected hardlight around your head, robbing you of all sight and sound.
It doesn't take long lying in the vent before it becomes clear it blocks the passage of air as well, and tired and trapped, you pass out.
---

Tsukiyo rises in the midst of a strange place, the silence of it immediately interrupted by the ear scattering sound of an impossible amount of mass slamming into same. Your vision focuses and you can see nothing but shifting hills made of hard, jagged rock stretching to the horizon.
At random intervals the rocks rise, the entire hills shift and lurch and they slam together, crushing anything between them with a horrendous crash. Then they begin to shift, slide and rumble, to wind up to do it again.
Each impact sends waves of fresh viscera flying. Unseen people cry and scream.
For what it's worth, you're unbound and the Sentry is nowhere in sight!

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:43

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Plutonis01/12/2020
Tsukiyo wakes up groggy, her head pounding as the noise on her head continues to echo. Did that Iron Maiden creature brough her here? She clutches on her head, trying to make sense of wherever... Or whatever she has been brought to...
Doomykins01/15/2020
Sitting up and setting your hands down causes them to briefly contact the surface, made of jagged obsidian. With the slightest effort it will draw blood, like you're sitting on the flat edge of bumpy knives.

Your movement and possible reactions cause something large to shift and abruptly raise its head, a full shaggy tree of hair swishing about like twin white curtains, rough yet primally beautiful. The head at the top of this creature thrusts forward on a long neck and double-jointed arms reach up, slender brown fingers pulling the hair aside.

A disheveled, feral Tsukiyo glares at herself, her elongated canines absent any blood while her eyes are strained, blood-shot and with bulging yellow irises. She sneers, wearing little more than a black kimono style skirt, only her hair covering any other modesty above the waist. Tsukiyo's voice comes smoothly and naturally as any humans but her rancor is evident in every syllable, dripping with disbelief. "I can't believe you finally got us killed!"
Plutonis01/16/2020
"..." This is really getting ridiculous. She frowns, wiping the blood on her wounded hands in her skirt. "So, what the hell are you supposed to be? Some sort of mindfuck illusion to make fun of me? I didn't die, you stupid thing. Now, get out of the way, or is the condition to leave this place that I'm supposed to cut you down or something?"
Doomykins01/16/2020
Tsukiyo smiles, her crooked teeth poking up over her lip. "I'm You. But self hate has been on the menu for awhile." She drums her fingers, each topped by a parody of a glanerous woman's painted nails. These are claws of bone, painted black by long dried blood.
At least twice your height, Tsukiyo can crawl over and leee down at you still while on her hands and knees. "If I didn't die, how did we escape the vents?"
Plutonis01/16/2020
"We didn't. This is an illusion or something. An amateur error, I could have moved out of the way..." She shrugs, looking at the twisted mirror image without a single iota of fear. "Not to mention, this doesn't look like heaven at all, and I'm pretty sure there's no God or Buddha who looks like you. And if this is hell, well, I guess I am in the right place to deal with whatever fucker started this Game in first place!"
Doomykins01/16/2020
Your vision swims between hallucination and reality. A reminder that in your amateur error you're locked in place, suffocating before sword can be drawn.

Tsukiyo grumbles, a sound like iron dragged across stone. She leans forward and sniffs you with familiarity, one of her waves of hair cascading over you.
The shift reveals a pair of massive, neatly kept canine ears, like a brown wolves. "Shi-shi-shi-shi.. amateur.. that's right. You're going to die like a rat in a glue trap. Manami doesn't know to come up. Jun ran."
"And it's your own fault."
Tsukiyo chuckles, her lips slurring with free flowing drool. "You won't see a big boss in charge to fight. You'll probably go to Mahāraurava. Brother too."
Plutonis01/16/2020
"...Oh?" The girl lifts an eyebrow, looking nonplussed. "So now you say I didn't die. Well, that makes things easier. Not to mention... You think I would rely the success of this operation completely on other people? If they leave they leave, and I won't either die or go to hell... Because I have justice in my side! Now, disappear from my sight!" She stomps a feet on the obsidian ground, making a loud noise as small rocks are thrown upward by her sheer intensity!
Doomykins01/16/2020
Tsukiyo stomps, her features sharpening with the clarity of the quake and vibrations that follow, slabs of the mountain knocked upwards. She looks like you, white-haired and less dour.
The feral features creep back in as the quaking gradually stops, Tsukiyo growling at you and leaning forward, into your space. "If not other people, certainly not yourself! Why pick up grandfather's blades to not use them!?"
"Dying without making noise! How polite!" Tsukiyo spits on Tsukiyo! "Dying without upsetting grandmother! What Justice!" Tsukiyo slavers and flails, breaking her talons on the raised obsidian edges in the ground.
"Wouldn't want to be seen! Wouldn't want to be caught while getting caught! Shiihiihiihii!!"
Plutonis01/16/2020
"Fine by me! If stealth has failed, then I will use what I'm really good at. WATCH WHAT IS JUSTICE!" She clenches her right hand and punches her feral counterpart right in the chin with an uppercut.
Doomykins01/16/2020
The waves of white hair sail up briefly as Tsukiyo's head is knocked up, the giant taking a step backwards to keep her balance.
She hunches over and gives you a sidelong glare through her hair, still laughing as blood stands out brightly in her drool that falls to the ground. "Should've done that first."

"Shi-shi-shi-shi.. shouldn't be caught.."
Tsukiyo sneers, her teeth glossy and red. "We're stupid. Come here to help brother.. die in trap. Alone, abandoned. Like real wolf, shiishiishii."

She takes a long roundabout step to face Tsukiyo head on again. "Somebody made the trap. I want out. We have to get them."
Tsukiyo extends her upturned palm to Tsukiyo, gradually lowered to the ground until the knuckles are cut.
Plutonis01/16/2020
"Wolf? You are misunderstood." She shakes her head, matching the beastial girl's eyes with an overpowering glare. "I am a human, and humans have subdued wolves into dogs. Humanity... It overcame ferocity and turned it into discipline and fortitude! " Tsukiyo forcefully grabs the feral woman's hand. "Now, submit yourself! I know best how to use you, and how to deal with my enemies. No more mistakes, no more errors, no hesitation!"
Doomykins01/16/2020
---

You come to with a sharp, automatic deep breath as your desperate body detects fresh oxygen. Something with four powerful pin pricks has pierced the hardlight dome around your head!
The light flickers and distorts as it slowly repairs itself. Through the distortion you can see it: Katsu is here.

Music (Shin Megami Tensei 1 Pascal Is Here)

With the spirit of Flagello's wolf and the size of a shine he is able to fight in the vents! ... You're still bound by metal bands, though. Katsu sniffs with strong intent before biting the dome again.
Plutonis01/17/2020
"Wait, Filthy? How the hell did you come here?! Uuuu... I knew I should have picked you up from the start... Quick, get me the hell out of here!" She says while trying to uselessly wriggle about.
Doomykins01/17/2020
After another two rapid bites the hardlight has a greater interval between reformations. Katzu trots forward two steps, sniffs you face to face and then starts licking your cheeks. You hear a distant voice!

Jun: "Tsukiyo! We're looking for you! Hang on!"

: Manami's muffled voice can be heard in an unknown direction. "I'm breaking this one next!" The sound of a super powered metal bat destroying a vent covering follows. Nothing you can see.

The sounds of muffled beeps with steady intervals follow. A robotic voice drones over an intercom: "A fire emergency has been detected. Please evacuate through the designated stairwells.."
Plutonis01/17/2020
Tears form on Tsukiyo's eyes as she hears Jun and Manami's voices approaching. "Waahh... I thought you were going to leave me behind... ...W-wait, what are you guys doing?!"
Doomykins01/20/2020
BANG! CLATTER! The vent you last passed behind you is destroyed by Manami's bat as she soon peers in, looking around. The vent ahead of you removed with quick and careful motions to unscrew it, each bolt coming off steadily until the whole thing slides aside.

Jun: "Manami threw the fire alarm."

: Manami shouts from behind you in the vent. "He said you were in danger!"

Jun reaches over and helps Katzu get out of the vent, then leans closer to you, his dagger drawn as he studies the bands around your arms. "We need to get you out of there first.." He texts to Manami.

: Manami shouts down the vent: "Got it!" You feel the warmth and bumping of a pair of arms banging against the vent past your legs, then fingers digging into your waist as Manami seizes the metal bands there. ".. You're so bi.. uhhhm, I mean, ready!?"

The bands steadily tighten in response to being pulled at. A flash of red static illuminates the vent briefly as Manami uses a simple technique of an Ancient Blackguard, flooding the band she's gripping with negative energy. The hooks dragged against the vent flex and crumble as though brittle, overworked metal.

Tsukiyo: You're able to barely move forward again! Jun reaches forward to grab under your arms/arm pits and pull you forward, towards the vent into Condo #12!

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:53 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:43

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Plutonis01/20/2020
"Who are you calling bi-" She says before being interrupted by Jun grabbing her arms and pulling her forward. "Awawawawa, there goes the perfect stealth plan...!"
Doomykins01/22/2020
Jun: "Beats the perfect death plan! Push!" Jun pulls Tsukiyo forward from under her arms while Manami grabs her thighs and bull dozes forward. Tsukiyo and Jun tumble out into the luxury condo bedroom!

: Manami pulls herself forward and climbs out of the vent. "Come on, get it off her!"

Jun: "I can't get my knife under it, don't hit Chavez!"

: Manami drops down and sits on Tsukiyo's other side. "Uhm, do it like the game. Check the elemental weaknesses!"

Jun smirks. "At least you're tough, Chavez. Sorry about this." They take turns channeling item powers or at wills for quick access to different damage types. A chilling wind of cold, a red hot lash of flame, a bone tingling lightning bolt..
Plutonis01/22/2020
"G-Gyaahhh...!" Tsukiyo wriggles as the idiot duo try to brute force their way into freeing her with elemental attacks. Maybe it's way too early to be relieved by their presence!
Doomykins01/23/2020
Testing a controlled force burst of Thunder, the idiot duo finally strike gold as they discover a Weakness of the sinister sentry! This fractures one of the bands and prompts the entire cagey fiend to unravel from Tsukiyo, bands and wires coiling together into the vaguely humanoid shape as it rises and stands, additional bulk phasing in from dimensions unknown! And even as it comes undone and Tsukiyos arms and legs are freed she finds that the collar band is still iron-clad around her neck, the Sentry holding her several feet in the air in one "hand"!

Katzu barks and Manami raises her bat! Jun has his knife out! It's a fight!

Music (Earthbound-Otherworldly Foe)

Sentry Golem: Damage Taken: 32, AC/F/R/W: 38/39/42/39, Weakness: Thunder
Katzu: HP: 82/82
Manami: HP: 137/137, AC/F/R/W: 35/31/27/29
Jun: HP: 113/113, AC/F/R/W: 30/24/35/24

@Plutonis Tsukiyo can act! She can also bark orders at the others. There are halls leading to other rooms.. this space is pretty cramped at the moment!
In response to the thundering discharge and sudden formation the Sentry's bands are rotating rapidly, still carrying the momentum of the thunder blast.
Tsukiyo is GRAPPLED!
Plutonis01/23/2020
"Let me go, rear end in a top hat! H-hey, you guys be careful to not hit me, okay!" Tsukiyo says to the group as she tries to wriggle out of the collar holding her by the throat, summoning two swords out of thin air and aiming to cut her captor's arm while doing so.
(Minor: Hunter's Quarry, Standard: Twin Strike)
Twin Strike vs AC, Hunter's Quarry: 2#1d20+31 36 37 2#2d10+1d6+16+3+5+5 50 41 3d6 9
Acrobatics: 2d20k1+25 40

Doomykins01/26/2020
The Sentry bends and weaves its parts individually in defiance of conventional biological physics, maintaining an iron clamp on Tsukiyo's neck and not allowing her to kick off its bending, weaving torso. It extends its arm to ruin her strikes, shoving her inches out of the way with each slashing motion she begins.

Katzu hangs back and barks valiantly. (You need to control his actions yourself!)

Jun runs onto the table and takes aim with a Clever Strike, barely piercing the Sentry through one of the underlying wire bunches as it is occupied with tormenting Tsukiyo. https://orokos.com/roll/782831 https://orokos.com/roll/782832 He deals 18 Damage!

: Manami closes to the front of the sentry and swings in a Ferocious Strike at it, which it evades with the same torso weave, shifting an odd amount of its mass backwards without the whole losing any balance.

The Sentry continues to wobble around at a slow, steady pace, taking in a small amount of momentum from Jun's strike.

Sentry Golem: Damage Taken: 50, AC/F/R/W: 38/39/42/39, Weakness: Thunder
Katzu: HP: 82/82
Manami: HP: 137/137, AC/F/R/W: 35/31/27/29
Jun: HP: 113/113, AC/F/R/W: 30/24/35/24

With mechanical buzzing and clicking in the cadence of laughter the Sentry leans over and slams Tsukiyo face first into the ground before lunging its arm forward, dragging her painfully across the floor to the point that it causes friction burns! This deals 41 Physical/Fire Damage! https://orokos.com/roll/782835

https://i.imgur.com/5pCw5y5.png

@Plutonis Tsukiyo is up in Initiative, don't forget Katzu's actions

Plutonis01/28/2020
>Opting to keep pushing forward you pull your leg out of the grip, feeling blood flow from the wound. (Rolling damage later)
Doomykins01/28/2020
(roll 1d8+12)
Plutonis01/28/2020
Sentry Damage: 1d8+12 16
Plutonis01/28/2020
Tsukiyo HP: 129/165
Doomykins01/28/2020
(16 + 41 = 36?)
Plutonis01/28/2020
(16+18, what is the 23 from?)
Doomykins01/28/2020
"With mechanical buzzing and clicking in the cadence of laughter the Sentry leans over and slams Tsukiyo face first into the ground before lunging its arm forward, dragging her painfully across the floor to the point that it causes friction burns! This deals 41 Physical/Fire Damage! https://orokos.com/roll/782835"
Sockerbagarn01/28/2020
(the 18 was Jun's damage to the sentry)
Plutonis01/28/2020
(108/165 then)
Plutonis01/29/2020
Tsukiyo grunts and clicks her knees, disappearing in thin air before reappearing besides the jailer, flanking him to the opposite side of Manami. "drat it, drat it, drat it! I had enough of you you stupid bastard! Get out of my sight!" She slashes upward with both her blades, severing the golem's chest and exposing its inner core before she pierces through it with her rapier.

Move: Using Boots teleport, moving to D4
Standard: Armor Splinter vs AC: 2#1d20+33 39 38 (Both hit, the golem's AC drops to 30 UEOTN, activating encounter sneak attack and hunter's quarry) Armor Splinter damage, sneak attack and quarry: 1d10+1d6+30 39 1d8+1d6+30 33 8d6 31
Minor: Sohei Flurry Sohei Flurry vs AC: 1d20+33 46 2d10+1d6+24 40
Free: Casting Immortal Curse on the Golem
Katsu meanwhile bravely moves forward, and tries to bite the mechanical freak's ankles!
Doge attack: 1d20+31 43 2d10+1d6+30/2 24 (i hosed up the syntax and it only divided the +damage instead of the full damage)

Doomykins01/31/2020
Sentry Golem: Damage Taken: 217, AC/F/R/W: 30/39/42/39, Weakness: Thunder
Katzu: HP: 82/82
Manami: HP: 137/137, AC/F/R/W: 35/31/27/29
Jun: HP: 113/113, AC/F/R/W: 30/24/35/24
https://orokos.com/roll/783951
https://orokos.com/roll/783952

Jun rushes forward and strikes the Golem with the hilt of his blade, smashing it in the base of the neck where the runic flame is coming from to disorient it. He then follows up with an Action Point At Will Sneak Attack enhanced strike, drawing a lot of debris and sparks for 49 Damage and giving the Golem -2 Attack(Save Ends!)

Can't teleport to D4, Golem is in D4. Teleported Tsukiyo to C4.
https://orokos.com/roll/783953
https://orokos.com/roll/783954

: Manami follows suit, slamming a flaming metal bat into the Golem's midsection before cracking it in the other side, setting it up for further abuse(gains CA on next turn.) 60 Damage total!

Sentry Golem: Hit Points: 274/600, AC/F/R/W: 30/39/42/39, Weakness: Thunder, Quarry, Bloodied, -2 Attack(Save Ends)

In a harrowing eruption of otherworldly noise the Sentry Golem takes in the overwhelming momentum of the attacks and transfers that motion to its spindly limbs, which begin to flail in circles without need for the creature to turn or rotate, flying in circles cleanly like buzzsaw blades. The insane speed with which they streak enable the Sentry to effortlessly tear into anything near it, dealing 35 Unresistable Damage to All!

https://orokos.com/roll/783955
https://orokos.com/roll/783957

It leans forward and raises a leg, cracking Jun across the chest for 17 Physical Damage!

Sentry Golem: Hit Points: 274/600, AC/F/R/W: 30/39/42/39, Weakness: Thunder, Quarry, Bloodied, -2 Attack(Save Ends)
Momentum: Insane(35 Damage Aura to Current Room Inhabited)
Katzu: HP: 47/82
Manami: HP: 102/137, AC/F/R/W: 35/31/27/29
Jun: HP: 61/113, AC/F/R/W: 30/24/35/24

: "JUN!"

Jun: "Back off it, it's gone crazy!"

Manami and Jun both use their previously unused Move to Shift away!

@Plutonis Tsukiyo and Katzu are up. You've taken 35 unavoidable/unresistable damage. The Sentry is flaying the room apart with the energy taken from so many powerful impacts!
Plutonis02/01/2020
Tsukiyo HP: 73/165

The shredding attack by the Sentry slices towards Tsuki and shreds through her midriff! "Gyaah!" She yells, her pain multiplying the sheer anger that she puts in reaction to this attack once she leaps forward, stabbing the exposed core of the Golem again twice with her rapier, the first thrust cracking another opening on its core and the second one entering through it and piercing until the other side. The little dog, meanwhile, again tries to bite the Sentry's knees, distracting it while Tsukiyo sheathes her swords again, entering an Iai position... And then leaping into action, unsheathing both her swords and beheading the golem in a cross-shaped slice!

Katsu:
Melee Basic Attack vs AC: 1d20+33 49 Wolf damage: 2d10+1d6+22+5+3 41 (Rounded down to 20)
Free: Bloodied, use my Ring of Fury reaction to deal two free attacks Melee Basic Attack vs AC: 2#1d20+33 45 52 (Second crits), total damage: Melee Basic Attack damage plus second attack critical and bonus damage: 2d10+1d6+22+5+3 54 and 5d10+8+26+22+5+3 89
Standard:
Untamed Outburst vs AC: 2#1d20+35 51 52, both hit so it's dazed...
Untamed Outburst vs AC; Hunter's Quarry: 2d10+1d6+22+5+3 44 2d8+1d6+1d6+21+5+3 53 3d6 13, or it might have killed him?

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:57 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:43

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Manami and Jun flee into the Southern room!

Favoring overwhelming offense you attempt to cleave through the spinning flails of death, eviscerating much of the Sentry Golem! It accelerates to maximum speed, covering the full span of the room and shredding dry wall as well as flesh and magical defenses! The spinning death rises to 50 Unresistable Damage and sends Katzu flying with a flaying slap and a whine, the little dog landing in a hall and scampering off with his tail between his legs! 2 Healing Surges lost for the day from Tsukiyo!

Able to focus despite the storm of metal it has become the core torso of the Sentry lumbers forward and attempts to cave Tsukiyo's skull in with a stomp! https://orokos.com/roll/784466 Fortunately it misses, only beating her into a bloody mess instead.

@Plutonis (I suppose you can finish it, though its AC is back at 38. Don't miss!)

Sentry Golem: Hit Points: 45/600, AC/F/R/W: 38/39/42/39, Weakness: Thunder, Quarry, Bloodied, -2 Attack(Save Ends)
Momentum: Maximum Overkill(50 Damage Aura to Current Room Inhabited)

: "TSUKIYO!"
Doomykins02/04/2020
(adjusting for Sentry dying last round)

Accelerating from the attacks mid-sequence to Maximum Overkill the Sentry still razss the room, Tsukiyo and Katzu for that 50 Damage, causing Katzu to retreat and mulching two of Tsukiyo's healing surges!
As it draws itself up to advance it loses structural integrity and falls forward, arms finally slamming to a stop as they have to contend with the floor.
Eventually it dies down and grows still..
Although the room is now thoroughly destroyed, large slashing lines carved into the wall and furniture, including a mounted flat screen TV being torn clean in half. Manami and Jun peak back into the room. The Sentry's remains begin to turn translucent violet-blue and fade away, destabilizing into pure magical energy.
Plutonis02/05/2020
"...gently caress." Tsukiyo says to herself as she notices the destruction of the room, falling to her knees as she tries to catch her breath. "We... Might be in trouble now." The girl then looks around to see where Katsu went. How did it even find her in first place?

Doomykins02/05/2020
Looking relaxed and happy, licking his chops, Katsu trots back to Tsukiyo well after the Sentry has dissolved and stayed dead. He peers up at her and lets out a loud "Wurf!"

: "You're bleeding! Real bad!"
Plutonis02/05/2020
She looks down to her own wounds, a large gash on her stomach being the largest of them, staining her clothes red. "Oh. Yeah. Yeah I am." The girl says, strangely nonchalantly despite this terrifying situation. Is it a result of shock or...? "Yeah uh. We need to look around and then leave this place, huh."

: Throwing her hands up with a big exasperated shout, Manani paces around the rooms for a bit before noticing something and rushing towards it with purpose.

Jun crosses his arms and surveys the room. "I guess we're on the right track then."
Plutonis02/06/2020
"Yeah, I guess leaving all this blood and fingerprints around in this obviously vandalized place here already hosed us so might as well just go for broke." She rips off the lower part of her shirt, wrapping it around her wounds in an improvised bandage, and follows Manami.

: Coming back into the apartment with some proper bandages and ointment Manami affectionately bullies Tsukiyo into accepting properly medical aid, adding +4 HP restored per Healing Surge you can freely consume during this Short Rest. She's immediately startled and baps Tsukiyo on the nose with the tip of her index finger. "Why'd you ruin your shirt!?"

Jun surveys the destruction. "I'm more curious as to who expected enough trouble to set up that monster. But lets look around, yeah?"

---

The destruction is confined to the living room/den, as you did not flee from the building power of the Sentry! A silver lining to the bloody cloud. The rest of the condo is what you'd expect. Larger than a proper house, luxurious all around, a bit gaudy, yet overall very utilitarian, overly clean and a bit sparse aside from the occasional decades old media poster or utterly bizarre statue and sculpture.

There's a large master bedroom with an adjacent bathroom and study, ringed with shelves full of fine leatherbound books and a large formal fine dark wood desk with a wide screen monitor on top. The attached computer is set in a locked cabinet portion of the desk, down where the users feet would be. A second guest room must be occupied by Genjuro as it is the only remotely messy room in the place and his cherished Playstation 5 is attached to the small wall-mounted TV, small being a relative term. He has his own bathroom too. There's a luxury kitchen with an island countertop that clearly never sees use, the fridge full of expensive take out. This is a backer that can afford to eat out for every meal.

Another side room is half dust-covered home gym and half hastily cobbled together generic brand computer desk, Genjuro's rig is set up. Both computers(the study, Genjuro's) are password protected.
Plutonis02/08/2020
Tsukiyo reluctantly accepts Manami's help, eventually relenting while keeping her actually bandage her body and disinfect the wounds. "I was in a hurry, that's all." She answers to her before turning to Jun. "Yeah that thing being there, I... I have a real bad feeling about it and what purpose it has."

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 04:58 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:44

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Tsukiyo: Well, the place does line up with Gen's old bedroom's style back home but... This was way way way higher in the pay grade! Really, really, really shifty, she thinks to herself while looking at the computers. She heads towards Gen's personal computer and immediately types "Genjuro".

(Retconning the surge use, using 3 surges to full heal and get to full hp, at 5/10)

Doomykins02/08/2020
...

...

Cutting the Gordian Knot, you access Genjuro's home PC. Maybe his personality is too straight forward. Maybe every Chavez is..

Jun: "..." Absolute disgust.

: "Wow!"
Plutonis02/08/2020
"Well, waddya know, it still works!" She says with a smug smile on her face. "I got to sneak and play his games like that a lot of times when I was a kid, but... Ehhh, there were some folders I really wish I hadn't opened."
Doomykins02/08/2020
What are you looking for? Although there is a DDW client that has a separate, different password.
Plutonis02/08/2020
Documents and emails... Probably there's something of use there.
Doomykins02/08/2020
No documents. Gen isn't the type to write things down. There's an email bookmark in the web browser, next to <censored>.
Plutonis02/08/2020
G-Gross! Better not misclick that. Well, guess she should look at the bookmark... On Incognito Mode at least.
Doomykins02/08/2020
You bring up Wholesomebooru, an anti-lewd site dedicated to NEET meme images of demure girls acting overly feminine, maternal and reassuring. The only saving grace here is that the structure of the site means some other nerds hosted and put it together.

Hmmm.

Jun: "Is this really the time!?"

: "Th.. that makes me feel bad for him.."
Plutonis02/08/2020
(D'oh i meant the email) "Gah, not this!" She shudders and looks at the email bookmark instead. Jeepers!
Doomykins02/08/2020
Password:
Plutonis02/08/2020
...What are the odds? She tries the same one as before.
Doomykins02/08/2020
It doesn't work! Gen isn't totally hopeless!
Plutonis02/08/2020
Darn! I guess there's only one option left... "Fenrir". Maybe that works for the DDW client too...
Doomykins02/08/2020
This doesn't work for either. There's real passwords here. (Skill check needed, confront OP of ooc thread for skill reference table)

Plutonis02/08/2020
Dungeoneering: 1d20+27 44
Doomykins02/09/2020
@Plutonis You decipher a set of not laughably bad password parameters, eventually settling on "BR4V3_F3NR1R". This takes several minutes but not too many tries as Jun and Manami help you guess along Genjuro's most likely targets. He's too blunt to not just put his own name down but modern websites will force him to actually add symbols and other security tics. Going with his DDW screen-name works to crack his e-mail account. His DDW account is still sealed under a different password and will require a similar time investment. You sniff through Genjuro's private e-mails!
There's two series of play-by-e-mail battles of an old retro war game, one where Genjuro has taken a ferocious aggressive advantage by rushing, another where he is being steadily boxed into a corner by superior tactics.
A gym newsletter, stressing that you've got to start cutting for the beaches of summer and that a recurring <$29.99 in yen> monthly charge has been taken from his credit account.
A bank statement, indicating that his personal balance is <$5,000ish in yen, give or take> with the months expenses. The big money deposit was made June 1st, the day after you went to Other Shore on the night of Sunday, May 31st.
There's a few archived e-mails but no terms stand out as meaningful. One is from a girl with a western name, Abigail, dated 5ish years ago. The other is an automated rejection notice from several colleges, undergraduate programs and athletic scholarship grants.
There's one new e-mail!
From sometime in the last week. It is from a "Megumi" with no last name given and details a very sparse and consciously scrubbed list of expected duties in working for a Mister Kogatana. It lists this condo address and terms for living there.

: "Ehhh? Is this hacking?"

Jun: "Well.. if you mean sniping the half-baked guard of somebody who doesn't take it seriously.. yeah, that's most hacking."

: "Hmm.. there's nothing juicy." Manami grimaces and impatiently taps on the back of the chair Tsukiyo is sitting in. "Like, where's the secret of his power and everything?!"

...

A new e-mail has arrived! Just now, just this moment!
Doomykins02/10/2020
Whether or not you open it you can immediately read and recognize the importance of it.

...

"Megumi"
Subject: I Know You're Reading This
Plutonis02/10/2020
Tsukiyo looks in disappointment at most of the emails so far, both at their lack of clues... And at Gen's overall situation. But then he gets to 'Megumi' and raises an eyebrow. Is Kogatana that man she saw with him on the elevator? And that name itself sounds like some sort of alias. Still, the fact that most of those details seem to be too vague...

Wait, a new email?

"Oh gently caress." Tsukiyo gulps and turns to both Jun and Manami with a concerned look on her face before clicking it.
Doomykins02/10/2020
Body: Isn't this a tier above your usual thuggery? Mind the front door, Tsukiyo. Criminal records tend to stick.

You become aware for the first time that the fire alarm has been turned off. The e-mail neatly flashes a violet gloss over itself and closes, deleting.

: "What the hell does that mean!?"

Jun: "Who's Megumi?"

Plutonis02/10/2020
"N-no idea." She looks as the email closing itself and notices the fire alarm issue, cold sweat forming on her forehead. "But she has access to the network here and knows we went here. Oh no, oh no, oh no..." drat it drat it drat it she left a lot of evidence lying around, if Gen or someone else finds it...
Doomykins02/10/2020
Grabbing Tsukiyo's shoulder, Jun speaks cooly. "Decide on something and let's do it."
Plutonis02/10/2020
"O-okay...." Shaking her head, Tsukiyo goes for the DDW client, trying to again brute force the password. "You two, take a look for anything that looks sus meanwhile...! And watch out, we might get visitors!"
Doomykins02/11/2020

As you type into the password field for the DDW client each letter is undone, as though someone were hitting backspace after every keystroke you make.

Jun whispers to Manami, who nods. Manami looks over Genjuro's room idly while Jun leaves it.
Plutonis02/11/2020
Crap!!! Is this Megumi bitch doing some remote control stuff with the computer to prevent her from snooping more? Tsukiyo lifts herself up and turns off the computer, hurrying herself to follow Jun...
Doomykins02/11/2020
You barge into the office where Jun has severed all cables to the back of the PC case after hacking his way in through the wooden desktop!
He's unscrewing the hard drive!
You hear a loud wrenching crash and the sound of plastic and LCD cracking and shattering from Genjuro's room courtesy of the metal impact of Manami's bat!
She joins you both carrying Genjuro's PS5. Just the console.
Jun: "Did you get what you were looking for, Chavez? What's our exit?"
Plutonis02/11/2020
"W-why the hell you keep taking hard drives!" Tsukiyo is positively exasperated, something that isn't helped by Manami apparently looting a videogame for herself! "Oh god we are just straight up doing burglary now." She points towards the broken room where they went through the vents. "We go through the same way we entered!"
Doomykins02/11/2020
Jun and Manami look to Tsukiyo and yell in unison: "Hell No!" "You're way too big!"
Plutonis02/11/2020
"Jerks!" She groans at them, tears forming on her face. "We can't escape without being caught by the hallway cameras if we go by the front you jerks!" But then... She looks at the windows... Maybe...?
Doomykins02/11/2020
Jun: "And if there's a cop at the vent exit, can we turn around?"

: Manami turns a little pale. "Tsuki.. why are you looking out the window?

Katsu contributes an excited bark, tail wagging at Tsukiyo's side.
Plutonis02/11/2020
"You two chose this option!" She grunts back at them while looking down the window. Yep, 10+ stories fall. "You better strap your stuff to yourselves if you are taking it." She heads towards the bedroom and pulls the bedsheets out of Genjuro's bed, wrapping them and a yapping Katsu around her weist. "Wrap yourselves as well, no time to look for a rope I guess!"

: Her arms twitch at the elbows. Her legs wobble once. Manami takes a step backwards and starts slowly shaking her head. "No, no, no no no nonononono!"

Jun frowns. "Do you have any flight? Manami is afra.. doesn't like heights."

Katsu's tail wags extra hard. Attention! Playing! He playfully bites at Tsukiyo's hands, applying no pressure.
The front door sounds loudly with an aggressive knocking. "This is the police! Come out with your hands up or we're coming in!"
Growing pale himself, Jun pockets the hard drive, kicks in the rest of the electronics in the case and heads for the window.
Plutonis02/13/2020
Tsukiyo heads towards Manami and grabs her shoulders. "Okay. Okay I know this might be dangerous." Well, 'might' is actually an hell of an understatement. "But... We have no other choice here, Manami-san. So I'm going to ask you to trust me... And hold me really tight, okay?" She then picks one of the ends of the bedsheet and tries to wrap Manami to her and Katsu. This really really doesn't sound very safe at all....

: Rapidly growing whiter, Manami peers at the window until Tsukiyo touches her, then reflexively slaps at her hands and puts up a major fuss! "N-n-no! We can.. we can use the vent?! Or fight the cops!!!"

Jun sighs and checks the window, actually leaning out it and checking his surroundings without missing a beat on the heights! "I think that's a worst case scenario there!" He pulls back in and looks to you two. "Maybe ah, I could help Manami..?"

: Manami peers over her shoulder and lets out a little laugh, then stops fighting Tsukiyo as much. "Sh... she is the biggest.. but what are we gonna do!? We can't climb down this whole thing!"

Jun: "Just to the next floor would be enough to slip by them. Is that your plan, Chavez?"

Plutonis03/04/2020
"Yep, pretty much. I was planning on having us swing down and enter through the window down there then get the frick off." Tsukiyo says, barely holding her own nervousness at the danger of this ludicrous plan, but still trying to keep a cool exterior, knowing that Manami probably needs that kind of confidence. "Don't think these bedsheets can rappel us, though, I'll have to climb this thing down barehanded!"
Doomykins03/04/2020
With some reluctance Manami agrees to cling to your torso from behind. Katsu is tied to your front. Any way you slice it, this is gonna be a bit awkward.

Athletics or Acrobatics, -10 penalty on both, your choice.
Plutonis03/04/2020
Acrobatics: 2d20k1+15 27

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 05:01 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:44

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Doomykins03/05/2020
With great difficulty and much struggle you're able to begin a controlled descent down the side of the building, the unavoidable chill of the exposed surface and the dizzying heights assailing you, as well as a biting wind! As your skirts whip around you Jun's smart-alecky inquiry about wearing your school uniform skirt comes to mind. At least you're 100+ feet up, closer to 150+. No human eyes can see up this way with any accuracy.

Katsu licks his lips and his tail attempts to wag, shifting against your stomach every so often. Manami clings to you with fresh terror, burying her face in your shoulder to block her vision.

You haven't fallen. Yet. But you can feel the inertia of gravity overtaking you, your fingers uncomfortable. What can you do to stabilize?! (No Skill Checks permitted. Free-form answer)
Plutonis03/06/2020
Exposed to the wind, and having to balance a terrified schoolgirl and a dog that is oblivious to the danger, Tsukiyo is on a really dangerous situation... Or would be were she any weaker both mentally or physically. She coldly pulls her right hand away from the side of the building, using only her left to balance herself before summoning a rapier, which she immediately thrusts into the concrete wall, piercing it like it was a thin wooden plank. She then repeats the feat, this time with her left hand and piercing a few inches lower. With this far more stable hiking tool, she uses her swords to slowly descend the building until reaching one of the windows at the lower level, which she kicks down, leaping inside while carrying both passengers!
Doomykins03/09/2020
Wrenching a supernatural pivot set into glass, concrete and steel Tsukiyo safely climbs down! With dramatic flair you kixk into a new apartment!
There's a high chance this would be an occupied room.. yet it is not, courtesy of the still cycling fire alarm message.

Katsu barks excitedly. Clinging to you to the point of constricting your breathing, Manami is frozen in terror.

Jun deliberately and carefully follows you in, kicking some of the glass out of the window frame.
Plutonis03/09/2020
"Manami-san." She puts her friend down gently, patting her head. "It's ok. We got here." Tsukiyo then quickly runs towards the front door before leaping and dropkicking it open. "Let's get the hell out of here!"
Doomykins03/09/2020
Recovering quickly, Manami turns her head and wipes at her eyes. Jun helps her up and everyone is heading out the halls!

However! Even surviving a second descent down the too long stairs, as elevator access is currently forbidden, you're not able to evade the full circle of emergency personnel and police in the lobby!
It's super crowded! You peer out of the door at the bottom of the stairwell, presently hidden.

: "What do we do now!?"

Katsu licks Tsukiyo's hand, following along at her side.
Plutonis03/10/2020
"...Back to the first floor, we can leap from there." She says while slowly backing away from the stairwell and taking the group back to the first floor's hallway, searching for any windows that might lead to a less crowded place.
Doomykins03/10/2020
Discretion is the better part of valor, or so they say. Maybe near death has humbled the traditional Chavez bullheadedness.

All the same you and your friends opt for the window, executing easy leaps to the street. You get away from the condos and recover back at the alley you met Jun at, near Manami's place!
Smiling for maybe the first time you've known him, Jun extends a fist to Tsukiyo in a gesture of respect and waits. "We really got something this time, Chavez."

Manami conciously looks at the console she hijacked. Jun has the old man's PC case.
Katsu lifts his leg and marks the alley.
Plutonis03/10/2020
Once the group is safe and sound on the alley, Tsuki's cold and efficient facade... Shatters completely, and she kneels on the floor, clutching her head in despair. "We got screwed all right! T-t-there's no way we didn't got fingerprints strewn, and my blood all over the place, and the cameras..." She starts to hyperventilate, breathing heavily while clutching her chest.

: Grabbing Tsukiyo's arms, Manami shakes her a little, until her focus is in her. "Tsuki! Calm down! Calm down! It doesn't matter!"
Katsu gets close to Tsukiyo and rests his head on her knee, staring up at her.
Plutonis03/10/2020
"How it doesn't matter, we are wanted criminals now! And... And whoever was monitoring those emails, they found out about it as well!" She winces.
Doomykins03/10/2020
Jun: "Who found out? What happened with the email?"

: Manami smirks and hugs Tsukiyo. "Don't be stupid, Tsuki-chan. Who cares about that kinda stuff?"
Plutonis03/10/2020
She sniffles and leans on Manami's shoulder. "I do... I can't return home like that, and... And school... And can't see Miho and the others..."
Doomykins03/10/2020
Jun: "Come on, how long have you been in the game?"

: "I.. I don't think they're going to do that, Tsuki. Wouldn't it have happened already?"

Jun: "Yeah, let's be honest. If Genjuro is working for someone, they already know where you live." Manami frowns at Jun but he just rolls his shoulders in a shrug. "It's why I left my place."
Plutonis03/10/2020
"T-That's easy for you to say! I can't just discard all of my social circle and family because I'm now on the run!" She snaps back, hiccuping while trying to hold her tears.
Doomykins03/11/2020
Jun grimaces and looks away for a moment, deep breaths three times and faces the girls again. "My point.. is that you don't have to yet. I think somebody is toying with you, especially of they know Genjiro is your brother."
Plutonis03/11/2020
"How you know that? Didn't you saw all those cops surrounding the building?!"

: Manami nods. "Yeah, we're lucky we got out!"

Jun crosses his arms. "Yes. Very lucky. And somebody sent you that message when we were there to read it, and after they knew we broke their toy? Someone who knows the only people who could evade the police are playing the same Game they are."
Plutonis03/11/2020
"Wait are you saying that it was all according to their plan or something?"
Doomykins03/12/2020
: "Yeah, uhm, how'd they know to call the cops at all?"

Jun: "Think about it. What else would you call that thing guarding the vents but "expecting it"?"
Plutonis03/12/2020
Tsukiyo wipes her tears, but continues to look down, deep in thought. "...They did arrive like super fast too... I mean, it didn't even pass more than a few minutes after we thought that thing that the alarm sounded..."
Doomykins03/12/2020
Jun: "If the police responded to their first alarm in standard time, we would have had at least a few minutes. Just to climb the stairs alone, and in a fire alarm.." He snaps. "We were reported in advance!"

: Manami looks positively spooked. "If you were still stuck in that vent, you would've been arrested really soon after you went in!"
Plutonis03/12/2020
"Exactly, but I'm pretty sure I used the anti-scrying magic ritual that we used and the fact that we didn't even triggered any cameras... How could they even know about us getting there?" She clenches her fists, deep in thought. "And not one of us even talked with anyone else since we planned it..."

: Manami looks suddenly bashful, fidgeting with her hands. "Wouldn't that mean we ran into a trap? If, if they couldn't know about us, specifically.."
Plutonis03/13/2020
"If it was a trap then..." She looks at the console and hard drive, a bit hesitantly. "C-Could be those have something inside?"
Doomykins03/13/2020
Jun: "There's only one way to find out. I'll look into them."

: "Do you feel OK going home, Tsuki-chan? I can come with you, if you want.."

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 05:03 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:44

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Plutonis03/13/2020
Tsuki lifts herself up, still a bit shaken. "Uu... Ah... Ok, thanks Manami..."
Doomykins03/13/2020
Before you can go Jun hustles over and grabs your forearm. "Chavez. Hold it." Once he has your attention.. "You want to win the Game, right? Or stop it, whatever.. look, all the same, that means everyone else who wants to win is going to come at you. And we know somebody will kill to do it." He tries some...sympathy? It's hard for him to smile. "You're strong enough to be ready for that. But you'd better be ready for things to get worse than today."
Plutonis03/13/2020
Tsukiyo shakes her head, looking a bit sullen. "The thing is... I'm not really afraid... At least not for myself." A slight pause, the girl seems to be quite nervous about the next part of what she is about to say. "But... My family... And my friends... I don't know what I can do to protect them if they get in danger."
Doomykins03/16/2020
Jun: "You'll just have to do what you can. Watch out for the really bad ones, who would cross those lines.." He thinks for a moment and chuckles. ".. Or maybe you really should've asked the siblings for a boon. Ah well. Come on, we should split up sooner rather than later."

: Manami nods twice and looks to Tsukiyo, waiting for her.
Plutonis03/16/2020
She can't bring herself to respond to Jun, and just shrugs at him before turning back to Manami and returning home with her. It really is a tough situation after all but at least he's trying to help...
Doomykins03/18/2020
Manami passes Genjuro's console to Jun and gives him a kiss on the cheek and your groups separate.

Returning home you feel a sense of foreboding, brought on by the absence of any lights in your house. This sense of tension rises as you step inside and see the completely motionless form of your grandmother, sitting cross legged before the sliding door to the backyard.
Rising with an overwhelming sense of pressure Clara turns, glaring down Tsukiyo! Katzu bows his head and his ears and tail droop as Grandmother begins to speak!

"Tsukiyo Clarabella Chavez!"

Manami fidgets, gripping Tsukiyo's forearm. Her shared expression days it all. This is it. This is the end.
Clara smiles warmly. "You should have texted me that Manami-san would be joining us!"

Katsu trots over to Grandmother, tail wagging. She bends over to scratch around his chin with both hands.

: "S-sorry!"
Plutonis03/18/2020
Tsukiyo can't help but still continue in a slump while accompanying Manami back home. With a glum expression, she doesn't speak much, and ignores the yapping of Katsu who is circling around her legs. But when they arrive, however, she gets a nasty surprise...

"G-Grandma?!" Oh gently caress oh gently caress oh gently caress they are all over the news they are wanted criminals...! Her heart starts to beat like a drum as every single worst case scenario suddenly races through her head, and she looks back to Manami, also spooked out of her wits... Only for their fears to be instantly dashed. "O-oh..."
Doomykins03/19/2020
Clara: "Is something wrong, Tsukiyo? You look pale. Come on, dinner is ready. We can split it three ways."

Katzu barks. "Hahaha.. well, 3 and a half."

: Manami looks to Tsukiyo and shrugs, suddenly looking deeply relieved, even happy!
Plutonis03/20/2020
Oh thank goodness... She gives a sigh of relief. "Nothing really, grandma... It's just that I'm really hungry right now." She smiles back at Manami and takes her and Katsu to the house.
Doomykins03/21/2020
After a good meal and some time relaxing at home you are able to banish the looking anxiety that your cozy high school life is about to end with a criminal trial.

Pleased to see you're feeling better, Manami promises to contact you the second they find something good on that hardware!

Plutonis03/21/2020
"Wait! Before you go... Please, you, Jun and the others... Please promise you'll stay together, okay? Don't be caught alone."

: Manami pauses and looks confused for a second, then beams and nods a lot. "Uh huh, uh huh. Don't worry, we're gonna get them this time, Tsuki-chan!"

---

Later that night when Tsukiyo goes to bed all is well. Katsu takes his place at the foot of the bed, curling up and resting happily after his walk. The comfort and safety of your own bed is a godsend after the threat of JUVENILE HALL!!! You're able to contentedly turn your lights out and turn over to drift off into a cozy sleep.

Turning to the side and closing your eyes briefly, a small bit of wind passes through your room. Your eyes would be drawn to the window, which is now open. Waiting deliberately for your focus to shift around the room, somebody has very quietly entered your room and stopped to stand beside your bed, staring down at you. They have a subtle lighting to them once you can focus on them for a second, their form subtly blurring until it stops, the top half of their face barely lit by the moonlight.

She offers a raised palm. "I'm not here to fight."
Plutonis03/25/2020
Hrmm, dummy dog, Tsukiyo thinks to herself while she lies on her bed, ready to sleep. Still, he did help save her life, so maybe she should keep him around in retribution. Patting the small creature, she gets ready to sleep... Until noticing that something is wrong.

Immediately noticing the open window, she summons her rapier from the nether space, its blade shimmering with raging winds and points it towards the intruder's throat upon finding her, stopping right before touching her when she speaks. "If so then you better give me a good reason not to, intruder."
Doomykins03/25/2020
A clang of metal upon metal. With a steel weapon of her own she's raised it to interrupt the approach of your lethal threat!

"I hear you're not the type to kill, so you should know that if anything happens to me.. or that you won't cooperate.. there is someone who knows what you did today and can provide evidence of it to any interested parties."
Katsu sits up and flattens his ears, growling.
Plutonis03/25/2020
"Gh..." She pulls the weapon back, glaring daggers towards the masked woman. "You... You were the one who contacted me on the apartment?"
Doomykins03/25/2020
"No. I am a messenger."
Plutonis03/25/2020
"So what? You came to use your blackmail?"
Doomykins03/25/2020
Lowering their weapon the masked stranger lets it lower to the ground, tall enough for them to rest their hands atop the upturned hilt. "Yes."
Plutonis03/25/2020
The girl grits her teeth, pure rage in her eyes. drat it... drat it, drat it drat it! I knew it, I knew I couldn't get away with it after all, she thinks to herself, shaking with rage and frustration...
Doomykins03/25/2020
"This doesn't need to be ugly. You can even benefit as well."
Plutonis03/25/2020
"Don't gently caress with me! You... You bastards killed Takamura, and tried to do the same to so many people! To work with people like you... It makes me sick to my stomach!"
Doomykins03/25/2020
Her head lowers for a bit and she swallows uneasily. "Sorry.. I don't know who that is.."
Plutonis03/25/2020
"You...!" She clenches her weapon, continuing to stare towards the masked woman. "Don't you play innocent, you really think I'm going to believe you don't know the real extent of what your 'master' does?"
Doomykins03/25/2020
"I am told what I need to know."
".. If you had any proof of killing..?"
Plutonis03/25/2020
"Told what you need to know? Then you are nothing but a god drat puppet!" She angrily snarls at her, although not loud enough to wake grandma and Katsu. "That's why you came here? To make me a puppet as well?"
Doomykins03/25/2020
".. So you don't. Then you're not any better. I'm on the winning side, that's all. You will be too."
Plutonis03/25/2020
"..." She considers for a while. If she... If she refuses, this would destroy my life completely, it would be grounds for juvie, and who knows what would happen were she arrested? But still, there was something that heavily weighed against it. Tsukiyo's own sense of justice, it would make such a choice...

"Then I take the third choice!" She leaps towards the woman, stabbing through her leg!

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 05:04 on Feb 18, 2021

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:44

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Doomykins03/25/2020
(Nothing more dangerous than a cornered idiot.. !)
Doomykins03/25/2020
She shifts her club to block! This is no amateur! ".. There's nothing worse than a cornered idiot!"
Plutonis03/25/2020
"Don't worry, I'm just going to knock you out and take you to my friends so you can tell us all about your winning side!" Tsukiyo extends her other hand, with a second rapier appearing inside it as she prepares for a followup attack!
Doomykins03/25/2020
"B-Baka! I was about to explain that!" She steps away hastily and draws out a paper talisman, invoking a flash of indigo energy. In a burst of smoke she splits apart into three separate but identical figures, each brandishing a different weapon! Chain and Sickle! Scythe! And spiked iron club!
Plutonis03/25/2020
Tsukiyo looks at the three figures... Clenches her weapons... And immediately leaps towards the open window, jumping out of the building! Better to do this somewhere where the others can't listen to them!
Doomykins03/25/2020
With an undignified clonk you crash headfirst into the bosom of the escaping woman, your full body moment slammed into her torso sending the both of you out the window and into the decorative pond in the back yard.

"WHAT THE HELL, IS THIS YOUR ANIMAL SENSE?!" As water drips from thin air it outlines the silhouette of an invisible person!
Without hesitation she draws her club up and presses it against the back of your neck, forcing your head under the water.
Plutonis03/25/2020
S-She wasn't aiming for that at all! Tsukiyo thinks to herself while in midair, the two of them crashing on the pond with a loud splash. Before she can fully process the invisible figure in front of her, a heavy weight tries to press itself on her neck, and the girl is now fighting for her life. Thinking the best defense is an attack, she tries to grab on her assailant's legs, trying to pull her down!
Doomykins03/25/2020
Steady, stable, thick.. an experienced fighter with the physique to match! Things seem to have gotten too heated and may go poorly...

When a third figure comes through the window, Katsu flailing and biting at the masked woman's face! She instinctively falls back, staggering out of the pond as Katsu take up defensive posture, barking mightily!
Plutonis03/25/2020
This dog is a heavensent! Tsukiyo thinks to herself, making a mental note to buy it the best kobe beef for it to eat when she has enough allowance money to do so. Using the distraction used by the dog, she quickly lifts herself up and immediately places her foot on the drenched woman's chest, pointing her rapier to her face. "Surrender. Now."
Doomykins03/25/2020
"Rarrrghhh!" She swings her club as hard as she can with total reckless abandon!
Completely ignoring your sword point threat!
Plutonis03/25/2020
Tsuki tries to stop the club with her free hand, grasping onto it with a powerful impact rippling through her arm as she does so. This will hurt in the morning, she thinks to herself. "What did I said?!"
Doomykins03/25/2020
It would hurt a mortal quite a lot. But for Flagello it functions as damaging a portion of her willpower and pride when the dark iron spikes wrench into your forearm and crack the bone, though not quite. Breathing in a heaving, startled panic the masked woman has little choice but to drop her weapon.
Doomykins03/26/2020
A light goes on in the house! Quick! How to subdue your prisoner!? Her eyes narrow in recognition of a new element at play.
Plutonis03/26/2020
Tsukiyo conks out the girl's head immediately after her surrender, knocking her down for the count! She then picks up the unconscious body and hurries out of the house, trying to be as stealthy as possible as one can be while carrying a knocked out person...
Doomykins03/26/2020
Fortunately your emphasis on physical prowess makes this a breeze. The lights in the house move, undoubtedly Grandmother's trail. Your room light goes on as you leave the house grounds!
Katsu follows, thankfully quiet.
Plutonis03/26/2020
Still on her Pajamas, Tsuki continues to follow the path towards Jun and Manami's current alley, carrying her prisoner in tow and cursing her current situation...
Doomykins03/26/2020
Every so often Katsu whines and nips your heel, pulling to the side. At his guidance you evade notice, for even this late at night the streets are well lit and people are out.
You don't find Jun in his alley perch but there is a fresh set of extension cables worked into an open ground floor door to a utility closet.
They're stapled into the side of the building and go up to the roof!
Plutonis03/27/2020
Maybe she could wrap her with these cables... But before, still holding the unconscious girl on her arms, Tsuki tries to climb to the roof, mumbling under her breath how bad things have gotten to this point...
Doomykins03/28/2020
Atop the roof you find Jun sitting hunched forward in a tacky beach chair. He's using an old lcd monitor to review files in the PC case you guys heisted. There's also an open cooler with a bag of convenience store ice.
Jun looks over his shoulder, sipping at a glass bottled soda. His eyebrows rise as he takes Tsukiyo and guest in. "I didn't know you were literally an amazon. Everybody usually stops short of saying it.."
He gestures to a small backpack beside the chair. "There's a roll of duct tape in there." He goes back to reading .txts.
Plutonis03/28/2020
Tsukiyo leers at Jun after his comment and heads to the duct tape, picking it up and wrapping the girl's ankles and wrists together before turning back to him. "A messenger. From them." She says after leaving the unconscious body right besides him. "She came to my house before I went to bed, tried to blackmail me into joining their side. Instead I knocked her out and now I want you to get whatever intel you can from her."
Doomykins03/28/2020
Taking a big sip, Jun keeps reviewing computer files. "Why me? You're scarier looking."
"And don't half rear end that. Anyone in the game can pretty easily be about as strong as a world class athlete."
Plutonis03/28/2020
"Because I'm going back home to sleep in my bed, probably for the last time I can for a while." She leers at him. "And well, we can do this together later I guess. If Manami is here tomorrow you can both work her up."
Doomykins03/28/2020
Jun looks over his shoulder, frowns, and glares at Tsukiyo. "You gotta problem? Your face seems to be stuck."
Plutonis03/30/2020
"...I just need some drat rest."
Doomykins03/30/2020
"I understand. Don't worry about this, we'll settle it in the morning. Be sure to get here instead of school, yeah?"

How long can Tsukiyo evade the wrath of Grandmother? She'll be waiting at home..
Plutonis03/31/2020
Ugh, better to get the hell out of here soon. Tsukiyo gives an affirmative nod towards Jun and heads back home, leaving the restrained ninja with him...
Doomykins03/31/2020
Returning home you can see the living room light is on. Grandmother is undoubtedly sitting there, sandal in hand.
Plutonis03/31/2020
Oh crap! Better to be safe than sorry, Tsukiyo sneaks away from the living room and instead goes for the same window route she took when throwing the masked ninja out. Hopefully it's still open....
Doomykins03/31/2020
You sneak back into your room and.. go to sleep?
Plutonis03/31/2020
Yep. Nothing happened at all. Obviously I just went to the bathroom or something.
Doomykins04/04/2020
It seems to work!? You're able to sleep without interruption, rise without issue and even get ready for school(or not) and eat breakfast in the dining room. The police don't show up, Grandmother doesn't even ask about what happened.

But when you head for the door in the morning Clara clears her throat.

Grandmother: "Tsukiyo.. I want you to know.. seeing you repeat Genjuro's mistakes.. I'm not angry. I'm simply disappointed." She sighs into her tea and lowers a hand, allowing Katsu to nuzzle it.

... Right! Totally got away with it! Now, Jun said you should come help with the interrogation instead of going to school today.

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:45

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Plutonis04/05/2020
"I-I just went to see what a noise was outside, I thought there was a burglar or something!" She tries to plead with Grandma before leaving. Of course this isn't really much of an excuse considering she's going directly to Jun's place instead of class today...
Doomykins04/05/2020
You head to Jun's alley and discover a simple post-it note attached to the utility pole Jun was running cables up yesterday. Gone/cleaned up today. The arrow points in a vague direction to the right, but since you know Manami lives in that direction..

You head for the small block of humble apartments, single bedroom affairs with single bath, single kitchen and not much else. First time you've been to Manami's place!
Plutonis04/05/2020
Which one of those does she live, though? There doesn't seem to be an actual number or anything in the notes, and the block probably has dozens of apartments...
Doomykins04/05/2020
One of the doors on the first floor yanks open by the length of the door chain and Manami peers out, looking irritable. "Hey! Over here! Hurry up!"
She closes and unlocks the door.
Plutonis04/05/2020
Well that makes things easier! Tsukiyo is quick to follow to the door and enter it. They are probably holding the girl hostage is some weird way to be this stealthy about it though...
Doomykins04/05/2020
Fidgeting with her hands, Manami grumbles a greeting at you. ".. Hey. Aggghh.. my dad's at work, but.. ugh, what'd you DO, Tsuki?!"
Plutonis04/05/2020
"I had to defend myself when that bitch came in the middle of the night! She works for... Well, those guys!" Tsukiyo glares back at Manami.
Doomykins04/05/2020
"Y.. Yeah, I get that! I do!" She rubs her forearms and looks really agitated. You recognize a sympathetic soul.. this is exactly how you felt yesterday at the prospect of being arrested at home! "But you kept her?!"
Manami leads you into the next room where Jun is watching the news, sitting on the small bed in the corner. There's two adjacent doors and you figure Manami's room must be the split off room for a young girl's privacy. Sitting in the middle of the room, arms and legs half cocooned in duct tape is the masked girl from last night, her eyes bulging as she sees Tsukiyo come in. You can't tell if the mask is still there, since her mouth is wrapped up too.

Manami: "Couldn't you just kick her rear end and send her running?! What're we gonna do with a PRISONER?!"
Jun: "Good to see you, Chavez. Was worried you might be a good student after all."
Plutonis04/05/2020
Oh god drat it, Jun has made a real sloppy job of this, huh... Couldn't they do this on his place instead of her apartment? Then again her dad is at work and it does look like a quiet enough place. She frowns towards Manami and flicks her forehead with a quick finger movement. "Because... They know a real good lot about us. And we know jack about them. And now we got leverage as well, with her as a hostage." She then turns towards Jun with a sneer. "Shut it, okay? So, how are we doing this?"
Doomykins04/05/2020
Jun sneers back at you. "Noise travels from open air spaces, Chavez. Hrmm.. you got any spells or rituals for it? Otherwise.. well, torture doesn't work. I guess you could just talk to her." He seems focused on the news story currently on, describing a wave of strange happenings over the last week in odd crimes from ordinary citizens without records.
Manami sneers too! "Just break her fingers, she'll start talking."

The woman shakes her head at Tsukiyo very hard, offering a muffled protest.
Plutonis04/05/2020
"I-I won't break her fingers or torture her, you weirdoes!" She seems to be deep in thought, and crouches near the cuffed girl, looking straight at her. "But that means you are going to need and cooperate. Are you really sure you don't want to?" A really scare expression forms on Tsuki's face...
Doomykins04/05/2020
This poor girls eyes well up with tears and she nods excitedly.

Manami: "Jeez, and what if she wasn't gonna talk? We only have half a day here, Tsuki!"
Plutonis04/06/2020
A slow rip of the duct tape covering the masked woman's face as if to not hurt her much. "All right then... Let's start with the questions. Which members of your organization do you know or are in contact with?"
Doomykins04/06/2020
With tears streaming down her face this "woman" looks a lot more like someone your own age, her mask removed with the tape. "P-p-please! Please! Let me go! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
Plutonis04/06/2020
Oh drat oh dear... This was really too much, Tsukiyo thought to herself. But... This bitch really didn't hesitate in trying to drown her in the backyard pool, did she? "If you are sorry then you are going to answer the questions and then we might let you go."
Doomykins04/06/2020
"Uhh.. uhuhu.. ahnn.." She sniffles repeatedly, trying to clear her nose, and blinks frequently, her eyes welled up with tears. "I-I'm.. hungry.. and thirsty.."

Jun: "At least she's not a tough guy, huh?" Manami laughs.
Plutonis04/06/2020
"...Let's just get her something to eat, ok? Do you have a juicebox there, Manami?" She looks a bit concerned, but tries to harden herself...
Doomykins04/06/2020
Manami sighs and helps you out.

You feed the prisoner. After doing so she seems a bit more stable, much quieter. She eventually stammers: "A-a-are you gonna kill m-me?" Her eyes tear up again.

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:45

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Plutonis04/06/2020
"D-Don't be stupid!" Tsukiyo is obviously unsettled by the question, looking a bit shaken by it. "If I were to do something like that I wouldn't have just tied you up, you dummy..."
Doomykins04/06/2020
"C.. could you.. let me go?"
As if expecting you to crack both Jun and Manami shake their heads at you from behind the prisoner.
Plutonis04/06/2020
"For the third time. You need to answer us before we let you go. I got you fed and all, ok?"
Doomykins04/06/2020
Girl: "O.. K. .. are you sure.. aren't.. aren't we friends, Flagello?"
Plutonis04/06/2020
"..."
Doomykins04/06/2020
Admittedly there is something familiar..

Jun and Manami seem equally confused.
Plutonis04/06/2020
"You came to my house to threaten me." The only answer she gets, followed by an angry glare.
Doomykins04/06/2020
Jun: "Ask direct questions."
Plutonis04/06/2020
"Might as well. Let's start with your name."
Doomykins04/06/2020
Girl: "Uhm.. Eri.. Eri Shishido.." Nobody you know.
Plutonis04/06/2020
"DDW Alias."
Doomykins04/06/2020
She shifts to one side and turns her head, avoiding your glare. ".. Redd_Hott."
Plutonis04/06/2020
"...YOU?! You... You were with us in so many loving places!!! How... How long were you spying on us?!"
Doomykins04/06/2020
Redd flinches. "S-since we met!"
Jun and Manami share a look of alarm!
Plutonis04/07/2020
Well, this is the loving... "Since we MET! I can't... I can't believe this!" They brought her as an overseer in almost every single activity they had since meeting her! For how long and how much do they know about her?! Tsukiyo trembles with sheer rage, clenching her fist... Only to try and control herself for a second. "Is that so. Well... Then who got you to spy on us."
Doomykins04/07/2020
Visibly wincing as you clench your fist, Redd eventually opens one eye and stops holding her breath. She fidgets with her shoulders. "It's.. it's your guild lead. White_Blade was coordinating things with me."
Plutonis04/07/2020
She really should have known better... For how long have them been running in circles, being led all that time? "...I see. And... How did you got in contact with him in first place?"
Doomykins04/08/2020
"He was somebody I kept in contact with after I did a try-out raid for one of those ORDER sub-guilds. He'd uhm, give me things to do, or to watch, and in return help me gear up.. at least just all that at first."
Plutonis04/09/2020
"At first. What that did it escalate in to then?"
Doomykins04/09/2020
"Do you remember when you saved me and that Weasel guy? From our end of the month debt."
Plutonis04/09/2020
"Yes, I do. Were you also already spying on us after we bailed you out?" A look of complete disgust.
Doomykins04/09/2020
Eri/Redd frowns, looking ashamed. "I.. I had to. He set me up. Mister Blade, so that I'd fail and see.. him, that game over devil."
Looking positively bashful with red cheeks, Eri continues. "You really did save my life. That's why.. that's why.. I had to help you now."
Manami: "This bitch is just making poo poo up, Tsuki-chan!"
Jun: ".. hmm."
Plutonis04/09/2020
"Ah, yes. I guess that's why you went to my home last night, huh. For some reason I don't really think you are being sincere with me on that, you know."
Doomykins04/09/2020
Eri: "It-it-it's the truth! Really! You don't get it! H-he knows you were in the vents! He knows you almost got caught! And.. and he wants you to work for him too.. and.. and.." She tears up. "I know what they can do. If you.. if you keep fighting, you'll get worse than I did! You'll really die!"
Plutonis04/09/2020
"..." A few seconds or so of silence. "I'm aware of that. I'm aware of all the stuff that those bastards can and will do. And that is exactly why I will never, ever, ever submit to them, no matter what! I refuse to let this kind of string pulling bastard to have their way with people's hearts like that!"
Doomykins04/09/2020
Jun: "We know what can happen, and we're prepared for it. We will stop this.. puppet master." Jun has a clear distaste for what he's heard.

Manami: "She sounds like we did at the beach.." Raising a hand to cover her mouth, Manami ends up clenching her fist and biting the knuckle. Admittedly when you guys fought she was cratered into the ground very quickly.
Eri's lip trembles. "It.. it's not like that. You don't understand. I.. I only talk to Blade. He talks to someone else. And they're everywhere."
Plutonis04/09/2020
"There must be something you'd know. What does he call them? How many are there?"
Doomykins04/09/2020
"I don't know. All I know is he's a middle man, and I'm never allowed to know about or address his boss."
Plutonis04/10/2020
Stumped again, Tsukiyo thinks to herself. "...What did he got you to do other than spying on us? What he was going for?"
Doomykins04/11/2020
"I don't know! That was it!"
Plutonis04/11/2020
"How did he communicate with you? And... Is Weasel an accomplice of yours as well?"
Doomykins04/11/2020
"Online only.. and uh, no, that guy's an idiot.."

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:45

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

: Yeah, well, so are you, Tsukiyo mutters under her breath. If Blade really was dealing with her solely with a need to know base, then this whole interrogation is worthless so far. "Any ideas, Jun?"

: "It's up to you if you think she's told you everything. If you don't think so, scare it out of her." Eri's eyes go wide. "But I think that's it really.. it lines up with what we know. All the real play to win types are banding together and I guess lining up saps to do dangerous work is part of their MO."

: Putting her fingers on both sides of her head, Tsukiyo tries long and hard to think what to do. "I'd like an idea for another question, but..." She approaches Eri and holds her head, staring right into the girl's eyes. "Here's the thing. You haven't approached or contacted Blade for a while, haven't you? And you sure aren't going to return with me to him, so this means you are in real loving trouble with him. So... i'm going to give you a chance. You are going to work with us now, and you really, really, reallly better not to spill anything to him and his organization if you have a half-functioning brain." A small pause to let her consider the issue for a minute. "Are we understood?"
Doomykins04/13/2020
(Gimme an Intimidate)
Plutonis04/13/2020
Intimidate: 1d20+27 39
Doomykins04/16/2020
Practically shivering around the shoulders, Eri wiggles to one side, then the other. "I can't! I can't! Don't.. don't you think I'll be in trouble with him too!?"

: "Not a bad idea, Chavez. .. Yeah, we do, Eri. That's why you have to be a good actor and convince them everything is fine. That you snuck out on your own." He looks to Tsukiyo. ".. If we're using her, what message do we send back? They're gonna ask her if the blackmail worked and want to use you for something."

: Finishing up a little cup of noodles in the microwave, Manami sits on her bed beside Jun and sneers. "Cut off her pinky, like we're Yakuza. That'll keep her loyal."

Eri sniffs. "Pleaseeee... what do.. what do I do?! I.. I'll work for you.. but.. but.. they'll contact me again.."

: Tsukiyo looks a bit deep in thought. "I don't know about having her report back. She stayed a lot of time away without contacting those guys, it would look fishy as hell if she suddenly came back with intel." She shakes her head, sighing. "Not to mention I wanted to keep a close eye... When were you supposed to tell them about whether you succeeded or not?"

: "The thing is they'll contact her, especially if she goes back to places she regularly goes like her home and school."

Eri: "R-right away, you were supposed to be pulled in immediately.."

: "So they'll assume something went wrong."

: "That's what I'm afraid of! They probably have called her already, you know..."

Doomykins04/20/2020
Eri nods. "They will."

: "Think about this carefully. What do we do? It probably won't work to try and fake vanishing her from their oversight."

: "Just make her spy for you. Easy."

Eri: "Th-that'd be impossible!!"

: "Eh... Impossible? How so?"
Doomykins04/21/2020
Eri: "I can't! You can't make me! W-w-what if they figure it out!? What'll they do to me!?"

: "Well, you are boned now too because they might as well know we captured you at this point... So you're stuck now with us from now on!" Tsukiyo crosses her arms as to drive the point further.
Doomykins04/21/2020
Eri: "Nooo! I won't! I refuse! I want out!" Your hostage seems distressed. She wriggles from side to side as hard as she can before setting in stamping her feels to the ground once

: Manami gets up and puts her dishes away, then comes back out and standard with Tsukiyo. She clears her throat casually and leans in Tsukiyo's shoulder. "She's more trouble than she's worth, boss. What do you say we.. get rid of her?"

: With the two of them nagging and yelling, Tsukiyo's anger reaches a boiling point! "ENOUGH!" She stomps the ground hard, shaking the room for a second! "You seem to misunderstand the situation we are in, Redd-san! I'm not giving you any chance on that matter either! You WILL report to me now, and you WILL help me take down Blade. And you can do this in two ways. You either stay under Jun-san's close eye and cast down your links or you can just pretend that I accepted and serve as my spy." She materializes one of her swords and points it a few inches away from the girl's eye. "I am stronger than Blade, and will become stronger than any of his peers... This is because I have justice on my side. Pray you don't stay in the way of justice!"
Doomykins04/21/2020
Mulling it over and thoroughly intimidated, Eri sinks in her chair and can only dimly whimper. "Y-yes ma'am..."

: "You'll have to pretend you accepted and meet them, Chavez. I uh.. we can't really keep somebody off the grid."

: "...I can't say I like having to do that. But it seems we may have no choice on that matter. I'll go and identify the bastards, and whether it's a trap or not I'll make sure to beat them if I can or run away if not." With a single swing of her weapon, she then cuts the duct tape restraints on Eri before sending it away. "That being said... I should probably send word of this to Icchan later..."

: Offering Tsukiyo a bowl of chips, Manami grins. "We've got the rest of the day off, then!"

: "...Actually I should probably go back to class." Indeed, she may have just lost the first period now! Perhaps if she manages to get back on time, the teachers *might *not really notice her prolonged absence. Not to mention that she could meet with Kasaya in class. "I could come back and meet once I'm done, though. And also... we should find a way to keep an eye on Eri."

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 20:30 on Feb 3, 2021

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:45

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

Takashi's House, Week of June 8-14

--You settle in to your room and computer set-up, VR goggles ready. Tonight is the night. It's like a date, except far nerdier and simultaneously more important. Takano wants you, herself and Akane to "bust some heads" at one of the Mindscapes associated with or run by Thaddeus and/or Isabelle. Try to scare out a lead, or maybe just blow off some steam by asserting the pride of Emperor and Empress. It's like they say at Naoki, messing with one Hattori makes enemies of both.

--Presumably the fit prince of Naoki athletics has had a well-portioned dinner and no need of any snacks more sinful than some fruit and veggie slices, or something else Takano might pressure you to eat. Track regionals are approaching and since the day you've joined that club she's made it clear she's willing to dominate even the diets of her athletes as club captain.

: Right as you're logging in you hear a familiar set of good-natured footfalls, knowing the joke before it even lands. Kanabe sticks his head in and grins enormously. "Are you winning, son?"

: Takashi pushes his goggles up on his head, sitting up a bit on his couch to address his father, "Trying, Pop. Did you need me?" his question is in earnest.

: Your uncle throws his head back and roars with laughter! He pulls it together and lowers his head, slapping his knee once. "You're so dependable, my boy! Relax! Relax! This is your time." He nods firmly and departs as you settle back into your log on sequence.

-Takano and Akane will be joining your group and entering your Velvet Room, if you permit it. What sort of small arrangement and, ah, attendant will they see?

:Takashi laughs along with uncle's reaction, shrugging his shoulders as his muscles loosen, "I've just been so focused on doing everything lately, I forget sometimes. Thanks for the reminder, Pop," he waves as Kaname leaves. Finalizing login he resolves in the upper-most building atop the Drifter's mountain onsen, the inside of his velvet room.

: A modern, sheik indoor spa with soft lighting, soft tonal music, and the all appearance of 'legitimacy'. A single other occupant, his attendant, sits at a desk covered in the minutia of bureaucracy - invoices, tax forms, and reports from each of the entertainment districts, memorandums of conversations from 'private' areas, and other assorted items. Robe lying scandalously bare on her shoulders, exposing traditional irezumi tattoos - lavish blacks, sumptuous reds, and earthen greens - compliment her bluish-white skin. "Yuki-nee!" he barks at her, looking down his snout by mere spatial realities, "We have company coming... Will you behave, <onegaishimasu>. The silver one is... well, she's very important to me," his tail wags in VR translated autonomic response.

: Regarding the newly massive dog, Yuki-nee has to draw her head back and her chin high, looking up before rolling her eyes. "Yes, boss." With a practiced sweep of her pipe she transforms her attire, taking on a tight pencil skirt, business suit top with the buttons left open and a neatly buttoned, one half size too small white dress shirt under that. The skirt and suit top are in blue velvet. "This one will try not to embarrass you."

---Once you're ready you invite the Hattoris in.

: They accept group invitely neatly and quickly appear in the room, Takano as the small yet imposing Charlotte in pure silver-platinum armor, now with insignias of great noble dragons, the frilled chin and flared crest of silvers. It is the perfect compliment to the long red hair! The usually dour knight takes in the warmth of the personal space and smiles at .attak.

: Akane as Royal follows next, appearing as her previous pale blue, six-armed zombie maiden but wearing a smaller set of armor with a small cue in style towards her sister. Akane's is chainmail with ornamental shoulders of raven heads with more of a sterling silver look. To match it her face is painted white with red lines down the center of the eyes, top and bottom, giving her the appearance of a macabre mime.She carries her guitar minus the axe and scythe blades as well as a smoldering incense globe and a holy symbol, a single silver candle burning white-blue. Royal surveys the room, then looks Yuki-nee up and down, then her head shifts to the side as her smile is growing. She starts at .attak straight in the chest, looks perplexed, then raises her head to grin face to snout with him. "Takashi-chan~, if you were any more manly you'd have two dicks."

: Charlotte closes her eyes and sighs, patting Royal on the shoulder.

: Yuki-Onna gestures to the two and dramatically bows at the waist.

: "Welcome to the Last Resort & Spa," he waves his snout around in a small circle, tail wagging full-tilt, in the manner of a showman raising his arms wide. Returning Charlotte's smile before absorbing Royal's 'praise', he replies in kind, "Akane-san, if you were any sweeter, you'd be illegal in Japan," he finishes by licking her nearby face with his giant, awful dog tongue, mussing her hair and makeup slightly, though not permanently.

: "I think it speaks to the best of your soul, Kyokan." She ruffles Royal's hair while Akane is stuck sputtering at the indignity of it all and settles on furiously fixing her hair and make up with a little pop-in kit. "And we'll need all of that for what I've got planned tonight." Charlotte opens an ornate, iron-clad tome and sweeps her fingers along it, runes dancing into chains that give rise to an animated image. It looks like a tribal mesh of great huts reinforced by the bones of giants, set against modernized concrete amenities and small metal forges belching smoke into the air. Crowds of players without any unifying traits mill about excitedly in a scene mirroring the former House of Fortune. "The games economy will endure the biggest spikes, so long as players are able to trade at all. Needs will always exist. But I'm looking at who supplies those, and we're going from Isabelle to Thadd's tribe." She points out the attendants, Dragonborn, Lizardfolk and Kobolds all. "Maybe it's time they learned what it means to cross the "biggest griefer in the game."" She smiles sweetly at .attak.

: Royal pulls her look together and leans in over Charlotte's shoulder, her grin horrible and morbid. "And to make Nee-chan pissed, eh heh heh."

: "Biggest griefer? You must have me mistaken, madam," his wolfen grin evokes the toothy smile of her nickname for him, "But there is something about that lizard that makes me grind my teeth. Are you looking to disrupt another trade hub, or did you have something worse in mind?"

: "If somebody thinks they have us neatly controlled, I think we should make the biggest, most defiant demonstration of the opposite. That's all." She throws her long hair back and beams. "If it happens to be satisfying too, well, that's just a coincidence! Are you ready?"

: "Ready to be even more unpopular than you were before! You're dragging us down, aniki~"

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Sep 9, 2021

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:47

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

: He smiles brightly at them, "No where to go but up, I suppose. Shall we go remind them why it is wise to fear us?"

: The three of you depart as Yuki-Onna returns to the parlor holding a tray with an ornamental tea set. She forgives your faux-pas and blows .attak a kiss as he goes. Royal's judging cat-lipped grin and eyes never leave .attak until you're all warping to the next zone!

--The three of you materialize in the midst of the bone-framed village in the shadow of a mountain, new matching constructions of metal and stone drawn up beside the original beast's skeleton. These smoke stacks belch black fog constantly and the ambient heat is raised due to the constant forge activity, the occasional chill wind of the actual damp climate providing a constant juxtaposition. Likewise the place appears pleasant, cheerful yet utterly authoritarian, lengths of chain on a rail system suspended twenty feet above the area used to pass along large pallets of raw material or select instances of small goods, anchored to hooks and then rocketed along on arcane power. The crowd of players nearby begins to immediately perk up and gossip about the appearance of a trio of high leveled players.. though at Charlotte's insistence the three of you are using simple disguises, the two sisters donning heavy cloaks. What the good .attak does to hide his hulking frame is, ah, his decision. But as Charlotte said:

: "... Like the House of Fortune, lets start some trouble, we can reveal who we are once the poo poo hits the fan." Royal claps at her sister showing a little vulgar teeth.

--The auction house segment is divided between sets of vaguely generic and similar looking Dragonborn NPCs offering automated services along a massive counter line and gaps where players can, with permission and possibly a donation, set up their own crafting and merchant centers.

: Charlotte gestures to .attak, and then begins walking towards one of those player booths, held by a hopeful looking green Dragonborn player, a boy excitedly shelling his beginner armor and accessories.

: "G'day, Lords and Ladies!"

: There was no way that .attak was going to pass unnoticed in his present state. While the two girls might be able to get away with a large cloak, his avatar was a 16 foot tall dog... not exactly a common sight. Before they depart, he begs a simple disguise ritual of them, replacing his furry countenance with one that will be noticed, but perhaps not immediately connected to him.

: Feathers were not his idea, but the snickering looks of both Hattori sisters, mirrored through their avatars was enough to make him bristle as they materialize. Following at a Guardian's pace, he stands behind them at the counter, beak clicking. "Good day, greenskin. Looks busy tonight," he offers idly, hoping to get the new player talking to further cement their disguises.

: "Call me Walter!" Walter_Jadebrood taps the screen name tag hovering over his head. The abbreviated Dragonsblood Tribe guild tag sits beneath it. Walter gawks at .attak. "W-woah! Muscles-sama!?" He blinks several times before actually studying the three of you. "No names? Is this another RP event? And uhm, I guess you're just a fan of the Lady, big guy?"

: "He's just a big bird brain, don't mind him. Totally chicken. A real pecker head. Legitimately cuckoo.." This continues for too long.

: "Actually, Walter, we were looking for some rare goods." She leans in on the counter, some of her long hair falling forward from beneath her hood.

: Walter grins at .attak. "You've heard of me? Custom barding, that's my trade! Monster builds are super popular right now!"

: "Well he is awfully hard to shop for, this guy is such a dodo~"

: "Arent you a hoot, dandelion. Feather the brakes," he ruffles his coat in mirth, "Who do you think you're kidding with the comedy routine?" Then to Walter, "I'm afraid I'm not noble Muscles-sama, but his influence on my build is plain. You must forgive our anonymity, Walter; as the Lady said, we're searching for the rarest goods and we thought it wise to draw no extra attention to ourselves," he examines the merchandise, "can you lend us a hand? We would be most appreciative," following up the exchange with a wink of a single golden eye and a click of his beak.

: Eyes sparkling and voice wavering, a star-struck Walter gestures to one side. "Well shucks, all the best goods are kept in private store. You gotta impress some of the Dragonshead to get an invite.. uh, come in, Mister, uh, Macho, I got an entire +4 you could armor up with!" He holds up large enchanted horse barding.

: Royal grins at you from your other shoulder, from behind. "I'm sorry, dear companion. I thought you could bear it. I will behave, for that is my cross to bear. But bear in mind.. our continued teamwork is key. Only our combined might in bearing arms can win the day~"

: Charlotte whispers: "Or maybe our combined approach.. Takashi, I was going to fight our way in from here, should we reconsider?" Rather than seem unsure of herself, Takano asks you to gauge your strengths. Brute force or brute charm?

: In a whisper to Charlotte, "We're not likely to get much further with charm alone, and between our three we can probably handle what they have here. By your signal, mi'lady," disguised .attak makes a show of examining the barding Walter holds up, though his armor is more advanced.

: After nodding to .attak, Charlotte steps forward with a dramatic swish of her cloak. She grips his massive feathered arm and pulls him aside, taking his place before Walter, her eyes burning in the shadows of her hood. "I'm.. I'm sorry, Walter, but it looks like.. th-theres going to be a problem"

: ... Takano never seems to speak much online and here her voice is as soft as ever as Charlotte. Walter leans forward and crooks his head inquisitively. "What's that?"

: Charlotte reaches into her cloak. "I said, I d-dont think we'll be able to see.. see eye-to-eye here.." She brandishes a small, flickering flash in her hand, setting five gold coin down on the counter. "Th-thank you for your time!" The three of you step away, heading in the direction Walter indicated for higher end goods. Royal's face is a frozen mask as Akane's suppressed giggles leak into your party voice chat.

: Charlotte whispers to .attak, her voice higher pitched than normal. "He's too nice! I can't attack him!" Walter beams and waves you off as he pockets the coin.

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Sep 9, 2021

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:47

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Apr 24, 2024 00:03

Doomykins: Jun 28, 2008; Didn't you mean to ask about flowers?

quote:

: Shaking his shoulders up and down occasionally, .attak blinks lazily at Walter until the moment Charlotte begins the strike... only the moment never comes! Her clear unease at turning a friendly face into a red smear sets Takashi's grin even wider, mirrored through to his avatar as a carefree and friendly demeanor. He trots off with the sisters after Charlotte lays her coins down and raises a feathered paw to wave at Walter.

: To Charlotte in a whisper, "It was very noble. He wasn't a threat to us. Let's find someone who deserves it," a tiny emoji of .attak wagging his tail accompanies the message to her, "Besides, if we attacked Walter, we let Thad's actual heavy hitters attack us on their terms not ours. We're not going to be able to sneak our way forever, but the farther we go now, the more likely we hit them where it hurts!"

: You can hear Takano's voice crack slightly as she returns the whisper in voice. "I-I just want you to know.. I.. I can be as vicious as you and Ailuridae were as well."

: Over the sound of a wrapper being undone Akane chimes in: "Big Sis can be intimidating too~"

--From the section Walter indicated a gate is pulled aside and a male Dragonborn full of a great bravado strides forward, proudly wearing his [DRAGON] guild tag under the full title of <Lord Commander> Vannenglory <The Bold>, alongside that an add-on tag for his full roleplay profile, full of paragraphs upon paragraphs of things that never happened with any in-game representation. Royal's tight-lipped smile communicates her immediate amusement by this arrival and she looks between .attak and Charlotte, lips curling up. What ties it all together is even within the constraints of the Digital Devil World core systems.. this guy managed to generate a purple Dragon kin!

: "Hear me, hear me! We'll be scattering the lowborn so that a true procession of finest goods may be made available to worthy warriors!" Some of the other Lizardfolk in the crowd begin moving about, using, ah, verbal battering to harass the lower leveled. "((I mean Heroic Tier! Come on! Get lost! Early shift is over!))"

: "Is this how the proprietors of dragonkind manage their own? It's very in line with the short-sighted greed of Tiamat.." Still hooded, Charlotte begins marching towards the big purple lug.

: "((Hold on hold on who is this))"

: Invoking her Force of Will, Charlotte rips the big lizard forward to a square adjacent to her, the momentum shifting the air enough to cast her hood back. Her trademark flourish of long red hair and emergency of her undisguised, unguilded nametag shortened to <Red> Charlotte. The crowds split and many retreat, some back away and others watch, feeling the tingle in the air of trouble about to go down.

: The floor boss in all his gilded glory raises his hands and stammers furiously. "W-w-w-w-what is this?!?!"

: Charlotte brandishes her blade with the unmistakable gleam of artificial rarity in an online game and grabs his collar with her free hand, her cheeks red, her eyes wide as she yells. "LIS.. LISTEN HERE, YOU UNWA.. UNKEMPT B-BASTARD!" Akane's laughter rings in your party voice chat. "THIS IS A RUN.. ER, THIS IS A RAID!!" Her voice cracks and swings high at the end, practically a little shriek, as Takano does her best to speak verbally in game, broadcast to all and to sound truly intimidating!

Panic erupts in the Auction House! Music (Hotline Miami 2: Acid Spit)

: "ICE HER! ICE HER! HELP ME YOU SLUGS!"
---

quote:
Charlotte: HP: 207/207, AC/F/R/W: 49/40/44/42
Royal: HP: 146/146, AC/F/R/W: 37/34/34/39

Vannen(K24): HP: ???, AC/F/R/W: 42/41/34/38
Dragonborn/Lizardmen/Kobolds(J4, R3, T7, E15, T23, T26, I25): HP: ???, AC/F/R/W: 39/37/37/37

Takashi: From a position of an enlightened, jovial observer, at least until now, you are able to act now as the hostiles of [DRAGON] and the Dragonsblood Tribe rush to do something about this intimidating lass!

: Ignoring for the moment any thoughts of his girlfriend's embarrassment, Takashi sets out to make her threat manifest. Shedding the magical buff that made him appear as an owlbear, the massive void dog emerges to a crack of lightning, arcs of electricity rippling over the metal-studded, copper-strewn protrusions along his hide. Even as whipcrack sound rings, he surges toward flatfooted prey. The display of wares shatters around his form as his obsidian teeth crash into a very hastily raised weapon. A moment of triumph crosses the lizard's eyes, but the maw cannot be stopped. Row after row of mismatched, inexplicably impossible teeth clamp down hard on metal, scale, and bone. Not satisfied, attak opens his mouth to take a deeper bite, chomping down again with shredding, burning daggers where a dog would have teeth. Unfortunately, the smaller lizard is able to free his trapped limbs, but not without substantial cost.

: In voice to his party, "Going to work on quicker kills while you keep Purple busy; Royal, can your minions help me contain all these little guys?" he says, realizing that outside of fighting Royal a handful of times... in her own domains... he doesn't really know exactly how Takano and Akane play.

quote:
* Move: to (top-left) R24
* Smashing through the display via Athletics: 2d20k1+37 55 Athletics (Kord's Force)
* Teeth to Lightning
* Standard: Iron Breaker's Shout vs AC (T23): 1d20+34 37 +3 (Insightful Riposte) == 40, hits for ~~4d10+23+7 46~~ or4d10r1+23+7 55 lightning
* Iron Breaker's - Blast 3, targets (T23) suffer -4 defenses UEOMNT
* Gain Fury, Lycanthropy Fury effects,
* Minor: Perfect Stalk and Strike vs AC (T23): 1d20+36 43, hits for 2#4d10r1+25+7 58 lightning 55
* Free: Grab Attack vs Reflex: 1d20+25 32, miss

--.attak springs into action, crashing through a massive standing display of leatherworking vests, shields and packs! He seizes one of the dangerous looking lizardmen in his maw and shakes him back and forth like a hunting dog, dropping the fool with what should be a fantastic array of attacks that leave him battered, bruised and debuffed! Instead the poor fellow is dropped as a bleeding, twitching mess, utterly destroyed by .attak's raw power! You're out of their league!

: "Ahh! Ta.. Attack!! Don't KILL them! Use KOs! We don't know who could be dealing with the Devil!"

: "Ehh? Is that upturned snout telling me that my wonderful friend doesn't know what we're capable of?" She manages to frame her teasing grin with two of her hands and spread fingers before ringing her instruments and symbols with her third and fourth arms, channeling the smallest amount of positive energy into the goon to stop his bleeding out. Then she throws all four hands up and begins a cheeky little chant with high-pitched squeaks and cheers, bolstering sets of bones that arrange into full skeletons that rush some of the other goons!

https://orokos.com/roll/783561 (two hits vs T7)

: This sucker is cut down as well, battered and tackled, seized and head bashed against the stone. Royal claps all four hands to her cheeks, giggling in sheer glee.

: "Is this what you're after!? You and that ganking griefer thug!? The fortune house fell! Players want to trade goods! What are you doing here, Charlotte?! With Him!"

: A Miss: Vannen waits for the other Dragonborn to close to Charlotte before guiding him in a Warlord-boosted double attack, yet even briefly distraught Charlotte is able to ignore him utterly, his blows bouncing off her arcane wards.

: "I.."

--Two of the goons close to the nearest Skellie and execute a clean flank, cutting it down. The other Lizard by .attak tries to spear him with an enchanted pitchfork but comes up short. A sizzling bolt of fire impacts .Attak from behind for 20 Fire Damage, the robed red-scale to the North tossing it from cover.

: Invoking a masterful position of poise and grace despite holding a thrashing foe in one hand via telekinetic power, Charlotte assumes a Stance of Arcane Deflection. If any Ally is Adjacent to Charlotte for the rest of the Day and they are hit by an Attack, she will roll to attempt to change it to a Miss.

Takashi: (Takashi is up, 20 Fire Damage probably not taken given Resists, all these guys are revealed as 1/1 + 1/1 Minions, you have option to KO on Killing Blow)

: Tossing the first lizard away, tendrils of bluish purple lightning coil up the trident in his ally's hands, searing an image of the nightmare maw into the reptile's brain. Four predator eyes fix upon it, and the image becomes a horrible reality... enough to knock the saurid unconscious at least. The dog spits the helpless beast out like a bitter pill, his avatar a perfect mirror of a real canid. A ball of burning pitch collides with his starfield coat, but is snuffed to ashes by interstellar cold in an instant, scattering off him like an inverted snowball. "He doesn't know he's a pawn, but that doesn't make him any less dangerous," he says over party comms, "Remember why we're here. Who we're striking at." Turning his sentiment into action, another whipcrack of thunder heralds his arrival in the north, managing to catch the sorcerer with a classic headbutt, tiny body rebounding off the poor cover to knock another serpent out of the fight.

quote:
* No Action: 9 psychic damage to T26 (missed attack)
* Minor: Perfect Stalk and Strike vs AC (T26): 1d20+34 41 hits for ~~4d10+32 51~~ KO the target
* Standard: Charge to K15 (top left) - Howling Strike vs AC (J15): 1d20+34 40 hits for 2#4d10r1+3d6+35 65 lightning 64
* No Action: Stone Fist Flurry to J15, KOing him
(in summary, KO lizard at T26, moved to K15 [top left], KO lizard at J15)

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 22:45 on Sep 9, 2021

# ? Jun 15, 2020 02:47

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > The Game Room > Digital Devil Worlds [D&D 4e Game Thread]

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