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:

Thursday Afternoon, May 21st

Akio Meets With Naoki Staff!

: Akio freezes up in panic as the principal appears. The nervosity he'd initially felt as he knocked on the door to the faculty office, which had gradually worn off bit by bit as he spoke with Miss Sawashiro, suddenly came back to him with a vengeance. God loving dammit! The ultimate authority of the school! The worst case scenario! Things had been going so well too. Where the hell had he come from? He knew his name!? No, no, no, no, no.... "G-Good evening, p-principal. Um..." What the hell was he supposed to do? Defy the one person that could single-handedly ruin his future with a simple stroke of the pen? Or give up Joker's name, and risk everything he was trying to accomplish? gently caress... "I'm s-sorry, but I still don't t-think that's the c-correct way to go about t-this, K-Kunieda-kocho," he manages to stammer out.

: "Hmmmm!" Kunieda is taken by a sudden fit of beard stroking. Sawashiro sips her tea and laughs a little. "My, my. You're so insistent." The Principal gestures to Sawashiro and the two share a whisper. Kunieda straightens up. "Not a day has gone by in the last five years that trouble did not brew between the pristine students of Naoki Academy and the hot-blooded thugs at Nekketsu." He peers out the window, off into the distance! "Stirred on by Higuchi himself. And then.. just this month.. smoothed over! Amends made, honor upheld!" He smiles by the barest centimeter. "Now you mean to tell me that we educators shouldn't address further problems before they take root? Hmmmmmmmmm." He shifts his weight on his feet for a moment. "You've got a queer way about you, but I'll have to trust in your judgement... until you prove otherwise."

: Sawashiro laughs a little again and finishes her tea, setting the empty cup down on a plain tile coaster. She smiles at you and clears her throat. "Ah.. Akio-kun.. uhm, I don't see how I can help you look up the name if you won't share it with us."

: "T-Thank you, Kunieda-kocho! You won't regret it, I swear!" A wave of relief washes over Akio, not in a million years had he thought that Kunieda would budge. "It was we students that smoothed things over with Nekketsu, after all!" Realizing that he might've let on a bit more than he intended, he hastily adds: "Uh, or so I've heard..." Looking over to Sawashiro, he blushes as he hems and haws for a bit. "Ah, well, um... Is it too much to ask for temporary network access so I can look it up myself?"

: Kunieda departs the scene as Miss Sawashiro considers things seriously. She fixes you with a very nice mom stern face and wags a finger. "Well, I'll be keeping an eye on you while you do it, alright?"

: "Yes, of course sensei! That seems only fair," Akio replies with a grateful smile.

: An agreement made, Sawashiro makes a small show of leading you to her desk and her desktop PC. "Alright, here's the login.. " She types that much in, making you look away for the passcode. "And use this search bar, ok?" She loiters nearby, trying to honor your privacy but keeping a steady watch in case you go full stupid kid and go to another window! Hamada comes up quickly. It almost seems too easy, too obvious. Hamada, Jun. The last new transfer of the year. He was in your class! The name passed by every morning! His only listed family is Takeo and their residence matches! Did Yuki know?! Was Takashi biding his time with knowledge of the name?! Approaching Joker was a tricky thing to be sure... you'd have to plan for it or he'll spook and run!

: Hamada Jun! Akio hadn't really interacted with the guy much, but he remembers him from his first day at Naoki. Jun had been with Takashi when he came to say hello during lunch! If only he'd remembered that detail he could've avoided this entire ordeal... But at least he got confirmation that it was the correct Hamada he was looking for, so it wasn't all a waste. And if he recalled correctly he played a rogue. It seemed conclusive, Jun was definitely Joker. Without any further ado, Akio logs out from the system and turns to Sawashiro with a smile. "I found what I needed, thank you for your help!"

: Clearly watching over your shoulder when you turn, Sawashiro smiles back at you. "I'm glad, Akio-kun. Please handle things delicately, ok? I'll keep an eye out and cheer for you too!"

: "I will. And thanks! I'll let you know how it goes." Akio waves Sawashiro goodbye and heads for the exit.

^{Thou shalt have the blessing of the Hierophant arcana...}

You gain an additional free Ritual of up to level 12! You also gain Protection against Satan, ala the Death arcana!

(Fin)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 03:22

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 16:38

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

quote:

Thursday, May 21

Itsumi Meets With One Of Ichiro's Targets

You need to meet one of the other three girls Ichiro is creeping on. Ryo suggests that while making a contact like Chizuru is useful, things are harder if you're dealing with somebody who is frustrated or antagonistic like she is. Perhaps one of the more timid looking girls would work... there's a sweet-looking first year girl who seems a bit shorter and more demure than you. Otherwise there's a sporty looking second year and a very sullen third year.

: After considering it for a moment, Itsumi realizes that the first year girl would be the easiest to suggest into helping, and begins pursuing a lead there.

: During lunch time you spy around for Ito Saeko, a small first year sitting by herself and occasionally pecking at a simple homemade lunch. Her attention is preoccupied with studying a history textbook.

: Itsumi calmly walks over to her and sits down next to her. "Hey there!" she says as she does so.

: Saeko takes a moment to realize you're addressing her and is clearly nervous because of it. She meekly mumbles "..llo" and you can barely hear her. You're clearly the extrovert in this exchange! Something about her seems familiar but the memory is distant, clouded.

: "My name's Itsumi! Anyway, what's wrong? You look pretty upset..."

: She seems pretty awkward at the moment. "I don't really know you.."

: "Oh... I'm on the council! And regardless, I hate seeing people sitting alone and upset..."

: Saeko shrinks a little. "O-oh. I'm alright, thanks.."

: Itsumi pauses for a moment before continuing, "I... heard you were having some trouble with another council member..."

: Blushing, she looks away and stammers even more. "N-N-Not at all. D-d-did anyone t-tell you I was b-being a burden? I'm s-sorry!"

: �No no no, nobody told me you were being a burden. There�s a certain council member that has been... troubling some girls, and I heard you were one of them...� she pauses for a second before continuing, �I�m trying to get him to stop.�

: She gasps! "D-do you mean Ichiro-san!? B-b-b-but he's been so nice to me!"

(Continued)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 03:32

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

quote:

Thursday, May 21

Itsumi Meets With One Of Ichiro's Targets

: �Nice..?�

: Sakeo clasps her hands together and looks down, still unwilling to look you in the eye. "Even though I'm a new girl, to have s-such a nice upperclassman look after m-me..."

Passive Insight: She seems very naive and socially awkward.

: �Looking after you? Is he asking for anything in return?�

: "Uhm.. well.. I think he can be a bit.. f-forward? B-but he's just friendly, I guess.."

: Itsumi looks down, then back at her, �is he trying to get you to do things you don�t want to for him in exchange for his �guidance�?�

: Sakeo laughs a little, but looks very self-conscious. "Uhm.. he keeps joking that we should d-date.. but I bet he already has a girlfriend."

: Itsumi gulps before opening up, �he�s been doing that to me too... trying to force me to date him. I�ve heard he�s done it to other girls too. And it�s not ok to force yourself on someone like he�s been trying to do. It�s okay for you to be upset and feel weird about it.�

: A straightforward explanation! Sakeo turns red and looks away, clearly bothered. She mumbles a lot under her breath.

: Itsumi frowns, �Really, it�s alright to feel like this about him if he�s trying to force you into things. And we can make it stop, we just need to work together, and find the other girls he�s harassing too.�

: "I don't.. maybe I.. could talk to him.."

: "I think going alone would put you in more danger... we all need to come together as a group to deal with him, both for more power and so that he has a harder time denying it." Diplomacy: 1d20+23 33

: Sakeo is quiet for a while, then looks at you for the first time, her eyes downcast. "We?"

: "Yeah, we. He's been harassing and blackmailing me too, trying to get me to date him. And other girls too. It's really gross and he needs to stop doing it to everyone, and we need to be the ones to stop him."

: Wiping her eyes briefly, Sakeo puts on a small smile, which is really just the best she can manage for a friendly one. "I'm.. I'm a little relieved.. I-I thought you were his girlfriend or something.." The resemblance is uncanny. In middle school there had been a boy. Asahiko. Tall, handsome, kind. A little reckless. It was easy to have a crush. And then the girl he grew up with, a close friend, Kikue. When she got in the way, the old Itsumi poisoned her reputation. With Tadeo and Madoka, it was easy. It was always easier to spread misery. Briefly in the flash-frame of that Other School, you see Kikue's aura in this same bookish girl. Sakeo wonders for a bit before asking. "Uhm.. what do we do, Itsumi?"

: Itsumi stares for a moment as Other School flashes before her. She blinks before replying, "No... I'd never date him, he's so skeevy... Anyway, I think we get together everyone he's been harassing together and make it public what he's been doing to girls."

: "W-will you help me? I'm not so good at public speaking.."

: "Of course I will!"

: Sakeo smiles. "Alright. I trust you, Itsumi!" Kikue's shadow leers at you in the space between. You only drove Kikue away from everyone. That was enough to get her out of your way. It was her decision to kill herself.

-It still hurts. If Ichiro told everyone about that scandal...

: Itsumi smiles back at her, "Thanks! I'll keep in touch with you and let you know what's going on!" She then walks away, shuddering at the memory of Kikue, filled with sorrow and regret.

^{A new path is open. A new bond is forged...}

You do not Rank up the Star tarot yet... but helping Sakeo, it will be possible to do so!

(Fin)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 03:34

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

quote:

Thursday, May 21st

A Young Man's Confession!

Through simple social networking you determine that Takano is working late in the Student Council room, ideally alone as the rest have gone home, even Itsumi. You stand before the door to the club room and hear silence, though the lights are on. Something keen, something feral in you warns you via your instincts: Akane will probably be by soon. You'll have to act fast!

: Taking a deep breath, Takashi closes his eyes and focuses only on the outcome he wants to achieve - the reason for being here. The Takashi of days gone might have knocked first, but this was no time for timidness, even reminded as he is of the last time he opened a door on Takano unannounced. His face flushes red, but another breath smooths it away. It was a time for action, he opens the door wide enough to step through and shuts it behind himself without turning, not exactly stealthy, but not overtly loud.

: Expecting an awkward yet stern confrontation, you instead happen upon the Student Council President face down, one arm drawn around her head, long hair spread over a collection of hand-written graphs and records of results from contacting bus rentals. Takano is sleeping contentedly with a pen in one hand and her smart phone in the other, a pair of headphones with a tacky yet cute black cat motif plugged into her ears. The screen of the phone is face down from where her hand has turned over and is clearly emitting light. If you get close you can hear the calm, steady reading of an audiobook owing to the quality of the headphones not keeping the noise from leaking. Seeing the near-robotic over-achiever snooze is a rare sight. And at school no less! You do recall scant signs of fatigue in her face during Track over the week. Talking about anything intimate felt too strained, especially with the rumors dancing around Naoki.

: Well, this complicates things. But, Takashi could roll with it. If the door is lockable from the inside, he will lock it. If not, well, necessity begets improvisation - he'll use a nearby chair to jam the door shut! This was a private matter, and a certain delinquent sister of Takano's would only interfere with why he was here. Assuming she hasn't awoken before now, he'll pull up a chair next to her - at a respectful distance - and make a noise against the desk during a pause in her audio book, which should be all but understandable from this distance.

: You end up wedging a chair under the doorknob. Then tactfully you set up a vantage point and knock on the table, then wait! Takano stirs as her eyes slowly open, head raising and pupils focusing in quick realization. She rubs at her eyes with one hand and slides her other thumb across her phone screen, looking a bit amused. Peering to the side and recognizing Takashi, Takano turns beet red.

: "Hey Takano," the lack of honorific presages something, "sleeping on the job?" Takashi smiles, not his everyday expression, but maybe even genuinely mirthful, "Don't worry; your secret is safe with me," and then, as if to himself, but still very audible, "You are cute when you're sleeping," his expression doesn't waver for an instant.

: Takano clears her throat and peers off to the side, visibly uncomfortable. "Takashi.. ..." She raises a palm to her face and wipes off her forehead, covering her expression before pulling herself together. ".. What are you doing here?"

: Sensing her unease is second nature, so Takashi offers "Easy now, I'm just here to talk," he gets up from his chair, sliding it out of the way with an offhanded strength that is hard to miss - something he has been reining in of late - before taking several steps away from her, his hands held visible and non-threatening, "I wanted it to be private, because its not a matter for other ears," his smile has not ever dipped.

: Offering a silent treason, the chair wedged under the door knob is fully witnessed when Takano peers over to the door at the mention of privacy. She looks back at you with mild bewilderment. A hint of long-suffering incredulity, though the long-suffering would be credited to her poorly hidden exhaustion from earlier. Your own budding canine nature has certainly taken root. It's only natural to recognize something equally prideful asserting itself as Takano sits up, facing you head on. ".. Tell me what you're here to talk about, and I'll decide how private it should be." She folds her arms and frowns. One of her hands rests at her waist, by the side of her skirt.

: "Fair enough, my lady," Takashi cannot be blamed for bowing slightly at the waist, "though I might suggest dropping the affront," he raises his head to wink at her conspiratorially, "If I wanted to harm you, you were just asleep in your keep unguarded. It is a poor assassin who wakes their target," he cannot help but laugh, "I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you, Takano, I promise. I am taken only with how my mind moves to castles and queens when you're around me."

: "I have been thinking a lot since our last date," his eyes slip away from her, not down, but away, "and how that ended. I ... fear that I may have misread you. Some of my friends helped me see what you were probably asking. Funny, now, in the rear view how much clearer the day is, isn't it?" his eyes reconnect with hers, intense and feral, "We're both alphas, Takano, and one day we're going to be on top of this world. Not just Kyoto, maybe not even just Japan. Nothing is going to stop us, except maybe each other. I've started down a path that I'm not going to turn around from, as I'm sure you have," his expression recalls their talks of futures.

: "What I'm saying," a brief pause, "what I'm inelegantly dancing around, is that no one else understands me like you do, and I think, no one else will ever understand you like I do. I should have confessed at the park, when you were still sweet on me, but instead, here I am today," he kneels, bowing his head only slightly, "Takano - I knew the moment we raced and you chastised me for going easy on you," he cracks a smile, "but I'm bullheaded and didn't see it for what it was. I want to build the future with you, not tear each other down. Will you do me the honor of accepting this confession of my heart?" he offers his hand to her, still far enough away that there is no mistaking it for a hostile gesture.

(Continued)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 03:39

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

quote:

Thursday, May 21st

A Young Man's Confession!

: Silence. Takano watches Takashi kneel and pour his heart out.. and stands up, her hands overlapped at her waist. "Oh, Takashi.. I know I've given you a certain impression of me. And we talked about so much together, like we were visionaries." You can feel an intense, uneasy pressure in your stomach that's never been there before. There's putting yourself in danger, and then there's laying everything on the line and waiting for the answer.

: "But when you walked away from me, I knew what I really wanted.. " She closes the distance of the awkward I-swear-I'm-not-hostile gap and instead of accepting your hand, she offers her own to you, a mirror image of a knight greeting a noblewoman. "Not recognition, or always being equals, but.." Looking up, Takano is smiling sweetly. ".. Even if I'm always doing my best, sometimes I want to stop leading and have faith in my prince."

: Takashi stands suddenly, easily sweeping Takano off her feet in a single motion; and as he looks into her eyes he says softly, between only them, "As you say, my princess," his mind reaches out for hers, and if she is willing, he brings her into his pack, their feelings briefly joined, reverberating off each other - even the feel of their bodies this close is impossible to ignore - and gently, lest he startle her with these new sensations, he kisses her lips. Use Hive Consciousness and designate Takano as a member, aside from the mechanical stuff she experiences my perception as her own, and hers as mine, and we each enjoy blindsight 1 (perfect awareness of anything within 1 square)

: Making use of your generous strength gets a squeak of surprise and the two of you share another dynamite kiss. The supernatural mingling of senses gives a shared sensation that is briefly intoxicating. As the two of you are forced to come to terms with an utterly alien idea, brief thoughts flit back and forth.

^{You wonder if the rumors should be mentioned again, as this will certainly crush them.

A powerful, iron-clad band of concern is tied to something nearby. It's warm, no tension, no anxiety.

And ... ... ... unexpectedly, there's a third presence in the hive mind, but somehow it is able to wave off your attention and vanish utterly. Feels as though it too was very close.}

: Once the moment passes, Takano sighs happily and lingers in your grip for a bit. ".. I could fall asleep like this.." With a bit of wistfulness she gestures towards the door and towards her work. "Time to go home.. but ah, Takashi.." Once you've set Takano back on her feet she stares you down with a touch more business. "... Uhm, aside from your forwardness there.. what rumors were you... thinking about?"

: He sways only a little at the sensations he felt, cataloguing them for further examination, something his continued efforts in Math Club had been teaching him, "They're nothing really, I think," he shrugs, "You helped me see that we can't concern ourselves with every stray opinion of those who we lead, but we must make the best decisions for them," he's rambling a little, "After our... less than great date, I'll owe you a better memory for that, rumors started circulating that I'd been uncouth to you, that you'd spurned my attention, that I'd forced myself on you, and others like that. A lot of them, from a lot of lips."

: Takano tidies up her papers and collects them into her bag, donning it and cleaning up her phone and headphones. She shakes her head. "How callous. It's not fair to you, just because we might've been in a bad spot.." She peers over to the door again and seems amused by the stuck in chair. "After you?" She gestures to it, smiling.

: Takashi makes a show of removing the chair, spinning it against the floor to end nearly exactly where it had been and having extricated it, opens the room door for her, "I must insist, my lady," he smiles brightly back at her.

-The moment the door opens you bear witness to an absolute null point in the universe, a center of smug satisfaction and delighted curiosity so sickeningly heady that it would poison the whole of the ocean. Akane leans away and takes a step back from her crystal clear ear-to-door eavesdropping position and gives you A FACE:

: "Well-well-well! Look what the dog dragged in!"

(Continued)

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 03:59 on Nov 20, 2018

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 03:42

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

quote:

Thursday, May 21st

A Young Man's Confession!

: Smooth as a blade, Takashi looks back at Akane and winks, "Nice of you to wait, at least. I guess I owe you a sweet drink to match your sweet demeanor?"

: "I'm sorry, I was delayed.."

: Akane: "Hmmm.. the door was locked.."

: Takano crosses by Takashi and the door and steps close to her sister, giving her an understanding little frown. "We were busy, we were talking. Just a bit of privacy, you know?

: Akane leans to her sister and whispers something with a bit of harshness. Takano replies with some understanding and a bit of concern, her tone rising near the end to try to placate her sister's worries. Your name is passed back and forth at least three times.

: "I can wait outside if you two need a minute? I might be a great fool, but not so large as to come between a sister's bond," he offers.

: Takano gives you a flat smile and clears her throat before rounding on Akane. ".. You know I still liked Takashi-san, right? He confessed, and I've accepted."

: Akane oooohs and gives you a fresh round of face to face judging. She looks back to her sister and shakes her head then glares up at you, a full foot shorter. "Are you sure you're not just playing around, or wheeling and dealing, or setting seeds or whatever playboys do and call it?!"

: From Akane's side Takano pats her on the shoulder and sighs. "Takashi-san is not that type of boy!"

: Akane barks back! "Ah-ah-ah! Haven't you heard all those lines around school!?"

: Suddenly on alert, Takashi's smile stays fixed, "What about those rumors, Akane-san? Surely you don't think I laid hands on Takano-san?"

: Akane hesitates a bit. "No, because I.." She squeaks and raises a hand to her mouth.

: Takano takes a step closer, by Akane's side now. "Because you what, sister dear?"

: Akane looks away, sweating a bit. "That is.. I know.."

: Takano grips her shoulder anew and brings her own head around, getting awfully close. You can see it happen in real time. #1 in Second Year's Exams + Direct Observation + Cornered Akane. Simple logic leaps bridge the gap and Takano inhales in a small gasp. "Akane! Did you start those?!"

(Continued)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 03:44

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

quote:

Thursday, May 21st

A Young Man's Confession!

: "It's clever, though isn't it? She discredits me and paints you as the victim of a brutish boy. Only I'm not just here for some points, or to spin your sister around or whatever playboys do?" He smiles warmly, "if I had been then I would have just started going after someone else and the rumors would seem true. But because I care for Takano, and I do care Akane-san, I didn't leap into anything, so they had to grow worse."

: Akane bites her lip before simply stating: "You still hurt her."

: "I did. And that was not my best moment," he lowers his eyes, "I get so caught up in treating everyone as equals that I lost sight of just how important Takano had become to me and when she all but asked for my confession to her, I thought she was just trying to control me. I'm sorry for hurting your sister, Akane-san. And I'm sorry for hurting you, Takano-sama," he bows low enough to seem contrite without mock.

: Akane fidgets a bit, unable to really settle on what to do with her hands. ... She pats you on the top of the head once. "Sorry."

: Takano prompts you to raise your head and serves as intermediary, gripping your shoulder with her other hand as she maintains her earlier grip on Akane. ".. I'm glad you can both be so mature. Akane, I forgive you too." Spoken quickly and coolly, just like that!

: With visible relief, Takashi raises his head, "Good. Now that we're all settled can I walk you two home? The city is rough at night and.... we're all at school really late!"

-The two confer briefly before agreeing, Takano seeming very pleased.

...

: As you're all walking towards the nice part of Kobe you know they live in, a spirited conversation between a curious Akane and a confident Takano carries a single "ominous" declaration: "... And he'll have to have a good salary, because we'll need a guest room." She gestures to you briefly, then smiles sweetly at Akane. "Whenever you want to stop by, we'll always be there for you." Akane grins at you.

: At the declaration, Takashi says loud enough to be heard, but not like he's addressing either sister, "Probably want more than a single guest room, I've got a lot of cousins."

---

: Upon seeing the girls to their building Takano makes sure you have her number. Akane feigns a step or two to follow her sister up and then turns to very quickly tell you something! "If you do it again, I'll really kick your rear end."

: Does this look like the face of mercy?! "Bye-ee!" She heads up!

: Takashi accepts Takano's number, though it is probably the same one she previously entered into his phone. He can only raise his hands in mock defense to Akane's spirited threat, "Not before she does, I'll bet. Be seeing you, Akane-chan," he turns and begins his trek home - Hanamako was going to be pissed!

: Indeed, Hanamako scolds up a storm.

^{Thou shalt have the blessing of the Empress arcana...}

Your bonus to Support Persona of the Empress arcana increases to +3 Attack/Damage/Healing!

(Fin)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 03:48

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

quote:

Thursday, May 21

At Cheer Club!

-Wearing the extra cute red-white cheer uniform with frilled skirt, you're in the middle of Cheer Club. Being surrounded by people who take the school spirit and power of good mood seriously always feels great! United in good emotions and a desire to support something bigger than the self..

: Between sets of practiced group cheers you're in the midst of some downtime, practicing simple rhythms on small drums modeled after the large Taiko. Working with you is a pretty blonde girl you see associating with Takashi's social circles alot and Ryuka's best friend, Hiroko. She only has one mood and it is "blessed." "That's a good rhythm, Icchan!"

: �Thanks!� Itsumi calls back, keeping in time. She�s happy to have a physical outlet for her stress right now.

: As you go through the practice sets again you're pleasantly in rhythm. Hiroko cheers and claps for you at the end and moves to switch places with you for her turn. As you're both on a friendly level and in each other's personal space for a bit, Hiroko chats you up with a bubbly tone. "You're in such a good mood, Itsumi! Did you meet someone?"

: �Something like that!� She says back as she continues with the routine.

: Taking up the drumsticks, Hiroko pauses for a moment at the start of her routine. She beams at you expectantly. Another beat passes. ".... Well? Who is it?"

: Itsumi blushes ever so slightly. "It's that reporter boy, Ryo..."

: Hiroko has a little start and whaps the top of the drum unexpectedly hard for a big BWOMPH! "Ohh! The newspaper club?" She giggles. "And he's a second year, isn't he."

: Itsumi jumps a little bit at the loud bang, continuing her routine as she replies, "Yeah... he's really nice..."

: Moving into a nice steady practice beat, Hiroko radiates warmth and happiness for you! "Wow, I'm happy for you, Icchan! Does.. does he like you?"

: �Thanks! I um... I hope so!�

: Bum-bumbum bum-bumbum. Nice and steady. "How did you meet?"

: Itsumi replies quickly, "He wanted to interview me about the student council!"

: Bum-bumpause. Hiroko is genuinely amazed! "Wooow, didn't you just join? Usually they'd talk to Hattori-Senpai.. you must be really dependable, Icchan!" It's like looking into a mirror of the sunny face you trained all through middle school!

: Itsumi smiles brightly, �Thanks!! I�m so excited to see how it turns out! Well and with how the story turns out too!�

: Bum-bumbum, bum-bumbum. "Ehh, Icchan, my mom always says a woman can't wait. Maybe you should ask Ryo on a date..?" Hiroko giggles a bit, drowned out by the drums.

: Itsumi blushes again., chuckling nervously, "That sounds like a really good idea! I need to think of what to ask him to though..."

: Bumbumbumbum! "Maybe I could help you! Why don't we stop by your place after club? If you look super cute, he can't say no!"

: Aaa!!! Not her small house!!! Itsumi is mortified! But... she has no other choice! A moments hesitation... "Sure! That sounds like a great idea!" A pause, "...though I have to be honest, my house isn't the biggest, and my little brothers can be a pain..."

: Bum-bumbum. "Brothers? Lucky! I can't wait!" Bumbumbumbum. Hiroko smiles sincerely. It's a date!

: �They�re... not as fun as they sound!� Itsumi chuckles, �hopefully they leave us alone!� Itsumi continues her routine, excited for company and for the prospect of asking Ryo out.

: As you're finishing up your paired drum routines the boisterous head coach of Naoki, Mister Kato passes by! He listens with a fine appreciation to your disciplined rhythm, humming along. Squat, wide and built like a bear, his mustache bristles as his voice booms out: "Excellent! Well done, ladies! You two are definitely the roses of our cheer squad.. enjoy your vacation, when you get back we'll be discussing regionals!" He laughs loudly! "Kasaya! You'll lead us to victory against Port Island High!" Not present every week, Kato seems to cycle with every sports club and sub in. He demands high standards and youthful enthusiasm!

: Itsumi beams with delight, always glad to receive a compliment, �Thank you, coach! We�ll definitely win!�

-You head back to the humble Kasaya residence after practice with Hiroko in tow. Standing before your quaint little house's overgrown yard and delapidated exterior, your embarrassment is soothed when Hiroko doesn't visibly react. You both head inside and a loud feral yowl greets you as a new super fluffy mangy looking cat meets you inside! He's a large grey-white with formidable jowls!

: "Welcome home Itsumiiii!"

: "Good news! We got a cat!" The two lean in on each other and laugh joyously, nuzzling their heads together in a ridiculously loving display.

: Itsumi stops in her tracks. They don�t have room for a cat! And she prefers dogs anyway... She hesitantly replies, �oh? That�s great!� before introducing her friend to her parents. �Mom, dad, this is Hiroko! She�s on the cheer team with me!�

: Hiroko joins in on the beaming and enthusiastically introduces herself! "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister and Misses Kasaya!"

: "The pleasure is ours!"

: "Please, stay for dinner! It's so good to meet one of Itsumi's friends!" Oh no! The good wishes bounce back and forth off one another! They're all laughing pleasantly at the idle conversation! It's an amplification effect! Mercifully you retreat to your bedroom with Hiroko, where she suggests you start with your wardrobe. Your brothers are outside playing.

: Itsumi closes the door behind them, laughing. "I wasn't expecting a cat when I got home! So I don't have too much, but I like this skirt!" she says, holding up a somewhat short, bright red skirt.

: Without a hint of sarcasm, Hiroko smiles and says: "That little cat is so cute!" Observing your skirt and then checking your closet, she excitedly declares "You'd look great in Naoki colors with that!" She pulls out a complimentary white top.. but it has been vandalized by your brothers! They've doodled on it with fabric marker! It'll wash out at least.. but for now all your blouses and tops are covered in little drawn figures, including tiny poop piles with stink lines. Hiroko laughs helplessly.

-You receive a text! From Takashi!

quote:
: "Hey Icchan, are you free for dinner at my house on Sunday? I wanted to make sure all my friends could go on the class trip, and my father wanted to meet my friends."

: Itsumi ignores the text for the moment, focusing instead on her wardrobe. "Ugh! I can't believe this!" she exclaims, shaking with frustration. "I have nothing to wear!!"

: Hiroko checks your closet again and absently asks: "Did you get a text? Your ring tone is cute!" She leans out and offers you a choice of sky blue and pink tops that aren't defaced.

: Taking the blue top, she holds it up in front of her, smiling. �How�s this? And thanks! I did get a text, it�s just someone in my class who thinks he can get with every girl though!�

: "Oooohhh, what a perv!" Hiroko holds her fingers up and makes a portrait with both hands, viewing you like a model! "It works well with you! You're definitely a spring Icchan!" As you two check your belongings and end up poking through your limited jewelry chest together, Hiroko whispers conspiratorially. "... Which boy?"

: �Thanks!� she replies before hesitating and giggling , �um... I shouldn�t say!!�

: Hiroko clasps her hands together to beg! "Please???"

: Itsumi blushes, �oh man I really shouldn�t! He�s actually still a friend of mine...�

: She pouts. "And he's hitting on you? And other girls at the same time? Some friend.."

: �Yeah, I know... there�s a group of us though and I don�t want anything to happen to it, even if he is an rear end...�

: "He sounds like some of the other boys in our class.. did you hear the big rumor going around?" Hiroko examines some of your jewelry but seems to ultimately finding it lacking. You haven't gotten many pieces in this life!

: �Huh?? No, I haven�t!�

: She tries holding up some of the jewelry against your blue top, trying to find something that matches. "Everybody's talking about it.. they say Takashi got handsy with Hattori-Senpai at a park!"

: She scowls, "That doesn't surprise me at all."

: "He seems like such a nice guy though.. he likes to so clean up work around the city. I was really surprised to hear he'd act that way!"

: "I don't think he'd do it without consent..."

: "But why would everybody hear about it? I don't think she'd spread it!"

: �Maybe someone else saw it? I know him well enough that he wouldn�t do anything like that unwanted...�

: Hiroko smiles. "Let's think better of him, then!" She sets the last pair of earrings she checked aside and seems disappointed. "Nothing really matches.."

: Itsumi frowns, "Yeah, I know... I don't have too much stuff unfortunately..."

: She holds up a finger in an ah-hah! "Do you want to borrow something of mine? I can get it to you tomorrow!"

: "Oh... you don't have to..." Itsumi says, blushing

: "I'd be happy to! I've got just the pair in mind!"

: "Oh that'd be awesome! Thank you so much!"

-The two suns of freshman year get along well.. Hiroko stays for dinner and you find that your brothers become unusually well behaved and polite once they're introduced to her. It's a good evening!

^{Thou shalt have the blessing of the Sun arcana...}

Your power in the Sun arcana increases to Rank 2, granting +2 Attack/Damage/Healing to Support Persona of the Sun arcana! Hiroko can be used as an alternate to increasing the Sun Social Link, Takashi knowing her as well as Itsumi.

-Later that night your new cat vomits at the foot of your bed. Your brothers are thinking of names... "Gero" is floated.

: After enjoying the night, Itsumi grumbles about cleaning up after the cat before falling asleep, waiting to talk to Ryo.

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 03:09 on Dec 2, 2019

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 03:49

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

quote:

Thursday, May 21

Meeting With Goro...

: Noriko finds herself sitting in the middle of an awkward silence standoff with Goro in his room, only slightly less awkward than the conversational landmines she had to dodge to get past his grandmother at the front door. Goro scratches the top of his hand and tries to speak up, mumbling a bit. "Soo.. ah.. you guys were really strong.. online."

: "not strong enough." Noriko frowns, still feeling at odds with herself over her performance in the house of fortune. "we had a close call the other night, before we ran into you at the House of Fortune. it got me thinking about Geitar. we've been playing a while now and i still haven't seen the game take anyone out the way it did him. if i'm ever going to understand this game... then i need to start understanding the consequences. you said he hasn't been on since that night, right? i've got to know what happened."

: He grips one sleeve and rubs his upper arm, another nervous fidget. "Uhm.. well, he told us about it.. he found some easter egg in game and like, it gave him a chance to do things. Things he shouldn't be able to do!" He gestures as he speaks, a bit more relaxed. "We smashed people for awhile, luring them into that dungeon and hijacking the boss."

: "it seemed very out of the ordinary. i'd like to know how he did that... any advantage we can get at this point..." she thinks about the situation. "did Geitar ever tell you anything about himself? even an email address or forum handle could be useful..."

: He brings up a friend's list on his monitor "I've got his DevilTag.. you can check his official forum posts, I guess." Geitar#1234!

: "that's a start... let me cross-reference it with TrollDB and start my crawler scripts..." Noriko fiddles around on her phone, a little limited without access to her full desktop stalking suite, but still adept at being creepy. Streetwise: 1d20+24 30

-Investigating Geitar's footprint on DDW.com and associated community sites you come across about what you expected. A brash young man's internet posting trail, incendiary remarks about video game opinions, open pining over fictional women, some casual racism towards clumsy rear end Western players who don't deserve this great MMO. Average internet user. A recent post discussion that quickly blackholed due to unrelatablility is Geitar asking if anyone else has had the weird death bug with the Limbo realm. It is dated a little over two months before the date of your own Ancient Ruins Run.

: "hm. he must have made a deal, then..." Noriko frowns. "he seems like the type who wouldn't take it seriously. did he talk about it at all with you? if he didn't pay the price... then i really need to find him. i need to know what happens."

: Goro shrugs. Then looks a bit concerned, agitated. "What's a deal?"

: Noriko pauses. She'd just assumed Goro knew. "...hm. you know how this game sort of exists in both our world and the game world, right? well... just like there's a lot of ways the game bleeds into real life... there are ways real life bleeds into the game. the first night you ran into us, that night we fought in the ancient ruins, i died in the game, and ended up someplace else... but it wasn't Memento-Mori that was there, it me. it was like i was the one who died. i had to make a bargain with Satan to leave. he didn't say what the price would be if i refused, but the implication wasn't good. Geitar must have had the same thing happen to him. it might even be why he was able to hijack mindscapes."

: As you talk Goro ends up browsing websites absentmindedly out of habit, subconscious and uncomfortable. Probably. He doesn't seem bored with what you're explaining.. ".. Ehhm, you saw the game over man? I guess you're very seriously into the competition."

: "...the game over man?" Noriko frowns. "...you could say that. at this point we're in pretty deep. i'm in this to win! you know who i'm getting at, so... did Geitar ever mention it? ...have you ever met him, for that matter? the, uh... 'game over man'?"

: Goro shakes his head. "I haven't been defeated that.. badly since the Ruins, and I wasn't committed then. He didn't tell us about it.. he was the first and I guess there's no way we would've believed it. After the Ruins I looked harder."

: "it's a bad situation to be in. so... um. try to stay safe, okay?" Noriko frowns. "looked harder? so what did you discover?"

: He turns red-cheeked. "Ah, it's nothing.. look, it was nice to see you, Noriko." As a fujoshi yourself it's obvious when an introvert has reached his limit. You are due for a session with Yasuo soon anyway... though at this rate you won't be the one with the greatest need for therapy!

Passive Insight: You feel a lot of pushback from somebody obviously deflecting. But depressed people often do, as the expectation is to say that "I'm fine" to get the questions and intrusiveness to stop. Goro has many walls up..

: "...yeah, definitely." Noriko nods with a slight smile, feeling a little sad over Goro's withdrawal. "hey... i thought i should mention... i know we don't know each other really well, but, um... i know what this is like." she shrugs, kind of motioning in general to their surroundings. "if you need to lean on somebody sometime, you can trust me, okay? people like us need to stick together, even when we're competing!" Diplomacy: 1d20+28 39

: Goro is truly embarrassed. Genuine human warmth is a rarity.. he stammers. "Y-yeah, it's not like I like it, b-but we don't have to hate each other.." As you go you can hear a distant "Baka.."

---

: It feels like forever since you spoke to good ol' Mister Yasuo! There's.. a lot on your mind, to say the least! Sharing your past with Akio, sharing a bed with Akane, sharing your soul with an Elder God. And maybe worst of all, sharing your weakness in the House of Fortune.. "You look assertive today, Noriko! I think you should tell me where we're starting!"

: "hm. i have a lot of irons in the fire, i guess." Noriko says, nodding. "little projects. big projects. staying busy has been keeping the depression at bay. the anxiety never seems to go away but i'm at least at the point where i can ignore it comfortably, most of the time..." she shrugs, thinking about recent events. "...my self esteem is still in the dirt, though. i'm stumbling a lot, every mistake feels impossible to come back from. i seem to come away from things stronger each time, but getting through the moment is hard. having friends helps a lot... though i'm worried i'm messing that up, too..." she blushes, feeling a little embarrassed at her current situation. "i've been seeing a boy... and things are going really well! he's been so kind to me, even with the problems i have. but, um... i think i have a crush on my best friend?" turning a shade of crimson, voicing her concern makes it feel even more embarrassing. "i've never been in a situation like this! i don't know how to stop liking Akane like this... or even if i want to. but i don't want to go behind Akio's back, either!"

: To your first bit, Yasuo smiles and shares one of his usual positive thinking annecdotes: "Well, the one universal constant in any success story is facing adversity and continuing despite it. I'm proud of you, Noriko! Now ah... what are some of these fires..?" Ooh! You've NEVER brought this much personal drama to show to Yasuo! He's genuinely amazed! "Oh my..." Have you finally punctured the limits of that diploma that hangs on the wall!? He takes a note and smiles. "Why don't you tell me about Akio first?"

: "things have been really crazy lately... i've had a lot of, um... 'near misses'. i don't think you'd understand the circumstances and they're not relevant anyway, but i've had a lot of opportunities to reassess the value i place on living." she says it casually, in her typical cold tone. "when i first met him, he did something heroic for me. and, with me reconsidering life... i just went for it." she makes a punching motion in the air. he's sweet and he tries really hard. he might be a little too good-natured for me, but that's part of the fun..." she says with a slight hint of a devilish grin. "he squirms when i misbehave. it's incredibly cute."

: Yasuo shares a wink. "Good partners compliment one another. Many get off to the wrong foot by seeking someone that is too similar!" Speaking of.. "Your feelings for this boy are pretty clear. What do you think of your friend, Akane?"

: Noriko looks off to the side, tapping her fingers together absently. "um... she's..." blushing, she digs in and commits. "sweet! innocent!! cute!!! with a rebellious sense of style that contrasts her cheerful demeanor! she likes gore and scary movies without being creepy or weird! she smells nice!!!! ...she's... she's exactly my type!!!!" she says with effort, as she powers through the embarrassment. "she made a lot of effort to be my friend... and even though she kept some important things from me... i still feel like i can trust her with anything. my feelings about her were pretty complicated before, but then we, um... kissed recently. so now it's gotten a lot worse."

: Raising his eyebrows, Yasuo zeroes in like Crowley on a big juicy bug upright in the sun. "She kept things from you? Now Noriko, I don't know.. trust is paramount in any relationship. I think perhaps Akio's true character is already shining on you.. and this infatuation with Akane is just.. hmm.. relief!" He smiles warmly. "You've been alone for a long time, but someone was bound to make a connection with you. Perhaps it went a bit too far...?" The Diploma leers at you. Graduated in 1995. He looks great for his age but old-fashioned Yasuo has a clear preference for traditional relationships.

: "um... to be fair to Akane... what she kept from me was understandable, given the circumstances." she frowns, still feeling a little sour about it all the same. "it's really complicated... there's a lot going on. without getting into a lot of unimportant details, we should be enemies, but we're not." she shrugs. "she just needed to know that first."

: "My, things these days are more complicated than when I went to school."

: Considering Yasuo's advice, she fidgets a little. "i... guess. it's just, you know... hard." she shrugs. "girls and boys... are really different! i'm having trouble settling for just one..."

: He keeps smiling. "The steady path would be with Akio, yes? Akane is a good friend, keep that relationship as well. But.. eventually, someone will find out. It's better to be honest and settle the roles before anyone gets hurt." It's clear which role he thinks your friend should stick to..

: Noriko nods. "um... i'll consider what you said. thanks." she smiles, but doesn't really feel any less tumultuous over the situation. Briefly going over the rest of the week's events, she leaves feeling the usual mixture of relief and freshly upturned anxiety that came at the end of every therapy session.

-Working through the time when your life went bad, coaxing Goro gently out of his own shell.. it feels like you're doing something significant.

^{Thou shalt have the blessing of the Star arcana...}

The power of the Star arcana increases to Rank 2, granting +2 Attack/Damage/Heal to Support Persona of the Star arcana!

: With recent events fresh in mind, and feeling a slight push towards self improvement from her meeting with Yasuo, when Noriko gets home she gives the usual set of greetings to her mother and grandmother before switching into some old clothes, pushing all of the boxes in her room into the hallway, and beginning a deep and thorough cleaning and re-arrangement of her living space, even going through the trouble of putting up a couple of shelves that had been purchased and left to collect dust in the corner shortly after they'd moved in. After a couple of long hours and a half dozen bags of garbage, she disassembles the barricade of boxes in her doorway one at a time until the last of her things are displayed, put away in the closet, or in the trash. "...mission complete."

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 23:36 on Dec 6, 2018

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 03:50

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

quote:

Friday, May 22

Seeking Genjuro

: Tsukiyo knocks on the apartment door, hoping to find Genjuro's buddy Shou and the couch her brother has fallen on. An unrelated young guy answers the door and gapes like an idiot for a moment before breaking up into loud laughter! He whips around and shouts back into the small apartment: "Oh my God, you actually called one!? And she looks like a REAL high schooler too!"

: "I don't know what you think my reason for coming here is but you will call my brother here right now." Tsukiyo says, a dangerous glimmer on her eye as she glares at the unnamed dude.

: The Dude looks Tsukiyo up and down and drinks it all in, grinning stupidly. "Is that the roleplay? I can be your brother, baby.." A shout from further in is returned: "I didn't order poo poo and I'm not paying for your loving takeout!" Doesn't sound like Genjuro. Maybe you should name yourself?

: "Where is Genjuro."

: The Dude gets a glimmer of recognition in his eye and takes a half step back, clearly nervous. He calls into the apartment: "Genjuro! You order an escort?!" A distant grunt of irritation is sent in reply. He steps aside to let you in.. the cramped apartment has room and belongings and air mattresses for at least five. Genjuro sleeps on the real couch, half covered with a quilt.

: The sleaziness and the sheer smell of the place overwhelm Tsukiyo for a second, and she nearly faints from despair. "Brother... I thought you were going to live a straight laced life and not this...!"

: Genjuro snorts and shifts around a bit, letting out a loud yawn and stretching. As he does so the blanket shifts downwards and partially reveals content not suitable for Christian manga. "What the hell? Ahh.. yaann. Erugh. Tsukiyo?"

: "G-Gyaaaahh! C-Cover yourself dammit!"

: Nonplussed, Genjuro sits up and draws the quilt up to be decent. "So.. what the hell is this? You lonely? Bored?" He smirks but doesn't look the least bit down. "Come to brag?"

: "I came to ask questions." She says while still trying to cover her eyes. "About your friends on DDW. And about Takeo."

: With a new grunt Genjuro rolls over and turns his back on you. "Sorry kid, I ain't no turncoat after one loss. And I never heard of the other guy."

: "He was with you guys back when it started. Also known as Takamura. Did you know what happened with him since then?"

: Genjuro rolls back over and grimaces at you. "That guy? He left. And I still dunno why you think I'm about to squeal to you." He grins. "I'm still gonna win in the end. What am I gonna arm you for?"

: "He died. And I think one of you did that."

: Genjuro crosses his arms and grimaces again, clearly ruminating on things just a bit. "Really. .. And why's that?"

: "He died when playing against Bishop... And he said how you got involved with the Great Game. You were one of the original four, you must know how ORDER got in with that... Thing!~

: "What're you gonna do about it?" In the midst of this tense conversation some other, different dude begins rummaging around the small kitchen area for anything to add to instant noodles.

: "I'm investigating! That's why I came here in first place... I want some answers." She shakes her head, looking exasperated about how nonchalant Genjuro seems to be about a former... 'friend'? of him being killed.

: "I meant what're you gonna do if I don't help you."

: This immature rear end in a top hat! Ugh! "Then... I'll make you cough it out."

: Genjuro extends a pinky and picks at his inner ear, wiping some wax on his quilt. "By yourself? You leveling that fast or you got the rest of Mystery Inc hiding up your skirt?"

: "Why? No persona, no Other World, no one from Aluridae. No videogame moves. Or are you as scared of your little sister as you are from grandma?"

: Genjuro sneers. "No thanks." He gets up, ignores any incoming ourcry and opens his travel bag, retrieving and donning a pair of gym shorts. "I can smell it on you, Tsu. You're still holding back."

(Continued)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 03:56

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

quote:

Friday, May 22

Seeking Genjuro

: "What are you talking about...?"

: Changing shirts from wife beater to wife beater, Genjuro grins over his shoulder. "If I swung at you as Fenrir right now, you'd really die." He finds his shoes at the door and laces up. He points at your school uniform. "Can you jog in that?"

: "Wah?" Wait, he wants to follow him jogging? What's the deal with... "...Yeah."

: Once he's ready Genjuro gestures to you to keep up with him and starts a mid mor.. late afternoon jog. He goes at a steady pace without slowdown or deviation.

: Ugh, first it was that endurance run in Nekketsu and now this... Tsukiyo follows along, although visibly annoyed.

: At least you're used to it! After one road too many Genjuro slows down to a quick walk for a cooldown cycle. "So, what do you know about ORDER?"

: "What Takamura and the others told me. Started as only you and three others, brought on a few more, and... Something happened. Someone got in trouble and the Guild almost split between those who wanted to get involved with the Great Game and those who didn't..."

: Genjuro chuckles. "That's a lie. Nobody left because of that.. everybody wanted to get involved."

: "Huh?! I thought that it was for that and the guild's need to cull out those who weren't up to their standards was why almost most people quit..."

: "That's why you guys are amateurs. Everybody wants what the game offers. A lot of them think it's just a natural extension.. like some fun isekai poo poo." Genjuro starts to pick up speed again, cooldown over.
"Losers always get filtered out. They can't fight it."

: Says the college dropout who's bunking with a dozen other men on the same apartment! Yet instead of pointing this obvious hypocritic flaw, Tsukiyo sighs. "If you guys are so good, why didn't you got your 'objective' already?"

: "You don't even know what it is, do you." Boom, low blow.

: "It's a wish, isn't it? To get whatever you want granted."

: "That's the prize. What do you think the game is? Just beating people up?" The duration of the run is beginning to eat away at your stomach, the continued running burning at your insides as fatigue builds. Genjuro seems completely unchanged from step one.

: Tsukiyo voice falters as she starts not only losing her breath, but also as dread starts to mount. "G-Gen... Have you... Have you hurt someone....?"

: "Nope!" ... He gets a few steps ahead of you as your breath leaves your lungs! Once you catch up he rolls his eyes and shoulders as you two enter your next cooldown slowdown. "The game is an extension of will. Think about it. You don't win a wish. Everybody has wishes. Lots of dumbasses get lucky in life. They win lotteries. They get inheritances. So in this game, you have to earn it. And not because some loving God or something is mad about leeches or some dumb bootstraps poo poo." Genjuro points at you. "Because everybody wants it and there's one winner. You gotta get that. It's all tied together." He breaths a bit more deeply, not actually invincible. "The person with the greatest will.. the winner gets the wish by overpowering everybody else's petty desires. It's like, ruling comes naturally to the King, and if you aren't the King, you sure as hell don't get the chance to rule. Nature and poo poo. Everybody in ORDER is waiting to be the one, even if it means we're in a stand off until then. And I know what I want to wish for. You.. don't."

: Still panting, she interjects. "I know what I want! To end the game and prevent it from having more people from becoming enemies, or getting hurt or even worse!"

: Genjuro actually stops walking and turns around, one hand at his elbow, his other hand at his chin. He looks a bit surprised. "Oh, how smart." Then he keeps walking. "... Come on, you don't really believe that, do you?"

: "I..." She falters. "I don't know. When I got on DDW it was to get myself stronger, any way necessary, so I could surpass you... But..."

(Continued)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 03:59

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

quote:

Friday, May 22

Seeking Genjuro

: Genjuro chuckles as he begins to pick up speed again. "You know, before I left, I heard you in your room sometimes.. pinin' for some Mihan guy or something."

: "M-Miho-chanis my friend!"

: "Yeah, well. You want that, right?" Genjuro chuckles and moves ahead. The idea of winning a perfect wish and Miyuki confessing to you smothers your earlier nobility.

: "I mean, I want, but..." Tsukiyo clenches her fist. "No... That's something I must conquer, but... Not like that."

: "If you yield your desires to a greater good, you're restraining your own will. Think you can win like that? One of your stupid friends will take it from you in the end so they can wish they were taller.."

: "I trust them! And... If their Wish is more worthy than mine... Why should I stop them? I won't be selfish enough to dash them if it's the case."

: "Listen to yourself! You already selling your noble idea short? To be nice!?" The two of you come up to a large building with subtle markings and a chic one-word name: flex. In lowercase. Genjuro pauses to catch his breath. " "Oh Tsukiyo, it was always my dream to be rich and famous, if you don't mind" " Genjuro mocks you in falsetto once he's breathed deep a bit.

: "It's not like that! And... Would you really step over someone who wants to save someone from disease or death just because of... Of whatever selfish request you have!"

: Genjuro smirks. "You met anyone with that wish yet?" He heads in and flashes a membership card to the receptionist, then gestures to you. "Family, guest." The two of you are let into a nice upscale gym.

: "..." Tsukiyo has no words to that. As far as she knows, she trusts the others, but... She wanted to get rid of the Great Game, would they be okay with that?

: "And you make fun of my wish.. tch. I'm just wishing to fix my life I hosed up. I'm no killer." Genjuro starts in on a set of weight exercises. Well, you wanted to talk about ORDER. And you.. I'd help you win over the assholes I don't like." He grins after a squat set. "So let's talk."

: "Hm." She doesn't really tries on any exercise, and just watches. "I mean, you are already trying to fix it... _{I hope.}"

: "Come on. What'd you wanna ask, about ORDER? The big shots?" He gestures to a treadmill row near the weight section he's using. "And don't slack off! You really gonna take your muffin top out on the beach again?"

: Gah, is he going to cajole her into that too? Tsukiyo annoyedly picks up a pair of weights and starts doing alterning lifting on them. "Bishop. Charlotte. Princess... The founding members... And whoever came up with joining the Game."

: "Hmmm.." Genjuro considers your request as he changes weights on a barbell. ".. I can tell you about Bishop, since he creeps me out. He spends more time playing in builder mode than anything else."

: "Yeah, I know the type." Tsukiyo says, her thoughts focused exactly on a certain team controller...

: "He's a big nerd, likes to link articles from some journals or publications about poo poo in science.. usually only Isabelle or Thad talk to him. Sometimes Charlotte. Really good at Overseeing, kinda like being the best merchant selling to the army doing the real fighting." Genjuro chuckles as he hits his next set.

(Continued)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 04:02

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

quote:

Friday, May 22

Seeking Genjuro

: "Did you knew that it was with Takamura-san was the one who set us up to invade Princess' mindscape...? What's the deal with her?"

: "Huh. Weird. I didn't know that.." He goes to change weights again. "Well, Boner's kind of a spazz and an idiot. Not too great at the game usually.. kinda under Charlotte or Isabelle's wing all the time. Bishop didn't want to heal so we had to carry somebody up."

: That explains how her mindscape was so easy to invade for level 3 players, but... "Ehh... If she's so bad at it then how did she join ORDER in first place? I mean, there must be way better dedicated healers out there?"

: "Well.. you wanted to know about our founding, right? Four of us played together and were pretty good. Then Charlotte tells us at level dick that she wants to be the best and thinks we're a good fit.. we got along with her as a dependable tank.. then she starts power leveling past us. Has to be the strongest type. Why I like her, heh." He goes into his next set and shakes his head with a bit of clear disapproval. "Charlotte always sticks up for Boner. But since Charlotte and us made ORDER, we go with it.. guess it paid off eventually."

: "...Huh." Tsuki says as she puts her barbells down. "Did Charlotte ever mention her relation to Princess in detail? Going that far to bat for someone only happens if it's family. Or..."

: Genjuro executes maximum gymrat by dropping his weights and letting them hit the floor after his final lift, the set fully taxing him! He raises a finger and cuts you off! "Hey! I actually like Charlotte so don't think I'll betray her trust!"

: "Yeah but do you like her or... Like her?"

: "Next questions."

: Hrm, that didn't work, I guess. "When did you join? I thought you were one of those retro guys and not a DDW fan..."

: "I gave it a try when it came out. I like some new things."

: "W-why haven't you told me?! I spent so much money with a subscription when we could just make different alts..."

: Genjuro stops at the apex of one of his squat sets and laughs loudly and richly for a good twenty seconds.

: "And uh... That Thaddeus guy. He was the last founder, right..." She says, quite embarassaded after that moment.

: Genjuro frowns. "He's a jackass. Totally full of himself.. and a weasel. Has his stupid pet guild, thinks he's gonna win in the end when he shows up with his own private army.. buncha weak rear end losers thinking about strength in numbers."

: "Two guilds at the same time? Wait how is that even possible? How much time would it take to dedicate for that stuff...?"

: "He lives for it! That roleplay poo poo. He just does good damage for us and then spends all his free time pretending to be a dragon or something."

: "Gross!"

: "He's a nerdy rear end neet. Not good for much for another 8 years."

: "... Gen... You are trying to find a job, right?"

: Executing a final set, Genjuro hastily puts the weights back where they belong(mostly) and gestures to the door. "Keep at it or you'll look awful. Come on, lets run back."

: "Wait!" Tsukiyo says as she blocks Gen's way. "You haven't given any real answers about Charlotte!" Intimidate: 1d20+20 23

: Genjuro moves past you with a shoulder to shoulder bump. "Yeah, and I won't. She's the only real rival to my win, and she's mine to beat."

: "What about Thaddeus, then? What's with the eight years thing? You think he was... The one who did that to Takeo?"

: He keeps going until you join him running. He even starts jogging without you, forcing you to run to catch up! He hums as he goes and chuckles as you rejoin him. ".. Hmm. He's sneaky enough to do it."

: Stop for a second you thug! Tsukiyo keeps following him, her irritation ready to reach a boiling point. "But why? Did he or someone else had a grudge with him or...?"

: Genjuro shrugs. "Who knows? Everybody's got their plan. You get in the way of it and they'll do something.." He speeds up a bit. ".. And it ain't over between us, you brat!"

: "Wait a second you douche!" Tsukiyo quickly leaps forward, trying to close the gap and overrun Genjuro! Athletics: 1d20+25 38

: You roar ahead of Genjuro who responds by slowing down for a cooldown period. "Nnnnyyyeess, sister?"

: "What are you going to do now? I guess you aren't going back home, and you are still going to stay with your guild." She blocks his way, and will not budge if he tries to shoulder her again!

: Genjuro sizes up in front of you and things momentarily phase in and out of that Other City of shadows and reflections of the mind's eye. Unable to admit your selfish desires, your image of Flagello is weak, immaterial, transparent. Fenrir towers over you like a God in the flesh. "I already told you. I'm going to win the wish and jumpstart my life."

: Standing tall, Tsukiyo doesn't mind the difference between the presences at all, standing defiantly before him. "And if that doesn't work? If Charlotte gets it instead and doesn't want to share? What will you do with your life then?'

: "Guess I'll just die." He shoulders past you despite your resolve and heads back to the apartment. His tone was bitter. Deadly serious. Final.

: Tsukiyo just watches him walking past and tries to extend her hand, stopping midway. Ugh... Is this really how it's going to end...?

^{Thou shalt have the blessing of the Tower arcana...}

Learning more of what drives Genjuro deepens a siblings' bond even after a hard battle. Your bonus to THP gained after a Short Rest increases to 8!

(Fin)

Edit posted:

Doomykins 11/09/2018
(I think I didn't reply to something as well as I could have so I'm adding this bit to the gym session)

Genjuro: "Well, it was Charlotte that came to us with the problem.. I don't know the details but that's when people started scheming and splitting off."

(In response to how ORDER formed and then had a small schism)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 04:07

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

quote:

Friday Night, May 22

Takashi Talks To Uncle!

: Auntie Kurokawa Hanamako sizes you up when you come to her about the Christmas advance, wearing the usual formidable frown she puts on to buffet her children's constant requests. Growing up well-off is no reason to shun frugality, she's always fond of reminding everyone. "Takashi, who are these friends of yours? Can't they ask their own families?" Auntie is almost never cruel, but if you try to throw out a shirt that can be sewn up you need to explain why you refuse to learn to use the machine! It's that sort of practicality, a house-wife's forte!

: Still riding high on his successful confession to the older Hattori, Takashi's spirts are high enough that even his Aunt's frown can't dampen his mood! Still, it pays to be cautious around her when she's got her hands on the checkbook, so he schools his expression from the feral excitement he feels into something a bit more reserved, "Oba Hanamako-sama, you know I wouldn't ask unless it was for a good cause - a few of my closest classmates aren't as lucky as we are, and I'm worried that their families won't be able to afford the trip," he lists the likely beneficiaries of his plan, "you know how important bonds are at this point in our lives; I just want to share our good fortunes with them too."

: Hanamako smiles serenely and gives you a hug. "You and Kouta are such sweet, thoughtful boys." She lets you go and resumes stirring a dish on the stove. Raucuius laughter booms in from the dining room, your Uncle and your other "Uncles" having a meeting to drink, eat and play mahjong. "I just worry you might be taken advantage of! Go ask your Uncle." She punctuates her decision with knifework on the cutting board, dicing vegetables.

: "Of course, Oba-san," Takashi bows respectfully and slips out of the kitchen, approaching the sounds of merriment from the dining room. Rather than step in uninvited, he waits patiently to catch Uncle Kaname's eye and enters only when beckoned. "Sorry for bothering you <Uncle>,;Hanamako-san said to ask you. Our school is hosting a spring break field trip," he puts the permission slip down for Kaname to read if he wants, "and I wanted to get an advance on end-of-year gifts to pay for some of my less fortunate classmates who could not otherwise afford to go."

-Kaname and four of his close friends and associates are sitting around the nice high-end automated tile shuffling mah jong table the family keeps in the nice parlor adjacent to the dining room. They're laughing and trading barbs as four of them size up tiles when you approach.

Kaname proudly declares: "My other son, Takashi! 5th in his class AND track star! Ho ho!" The rest of the fellas look awfully proud of you, old Uncles Ono, Hara, Taniguchi and Tamura giving you good cheer and some atta-boy pats on the back. "What's this then.. ah, Naoki's annual trip! Beautiful, beautiful spot by the coach, big local temple sponsorship, wonderful, love-a-lee." He really gets the rest to take in his own appreciation of the trip locale. "Majestic beachside, hiking trails to die for on the sea-side cliffs. It's good to be young, eh Takashi?" He puts a hand on your shoulder and hears out your noble sentiment!

: "The young, it's good to think you can help everyone, eh?" Clearly middle-aged and a shrewd businessman, Ono's one of the men you've seen around the house who occasionally shifts his upper body and you can see the awesome glossy finish of a full torso tattoo.

: Kaname chuckles. "A big heart, but the heart and money should rarely meet." He sizes you up with a look of stern consideration. "I'll tell you what, Takashi!" He drops his fist into his other open palm and grins. "Invite these friends of yours by for dinner on Sunday! I want to meet anyone before I give them money!" The fellas laugh and make a turn of passing tiles in mah jong. Of those tiles up for grabs, Kaname grins and lets out a low "Ohhhh-ho" as he examines his own pick. He sets it down and flips his assembled tiles, forming a killer point gaining tile formation! He looks to the side and grins at you again. "After all, charity given is a good thing, eh? But charity given without thought can be a mistake!" Hara and Tamura argue over the point standings as Taniguchi writes it down.

: Takashi accepts the praise from his 'uncles' with good natured ease, asking politely after their various enterprises in a sort of 'how are the kids' style of small talk. While a lot of people who be terrified to be in a room full of such dangerous men, these are just his extended family, kyōdai and oji-sans, he knew that you only needed to be afraid if you made a mistake. When Kaname levels his request, Takashi's mind begins racing. It was reasonable, sure, but could be immensely insulting or dangerous from a number of angles! He pauses for only a moment before springing on a reply, "<Eto>, I'm not sure how my new girlfriend is going to react to me inviting two girls over for dinner before I invite her, <Pops>," Takashi finishes with the English affectionate title for his adoptive father, "I'd like remain among the living for a little while longer."

: Kaname folds his arms and gives you the full patriarch posture. "Your girlfriend!" He grins over at the other men. "Hattori's eldest!" Everybody nods with appreciation. Kaname grins fully, like a cocky bull! "Invite her over as well!"

: Leaning a little closer to Kaname, a gesture of intimacy between father and son, "We're cooking up quite the dangerous Sunday dinner, <Pops>. Takano-san as guest for dinner makes sense, maybe even Mori Noriko. But I think it would be rude of me to rub in my new relationship around Kasaya Itsumi-chan. We... went on a date before I confessed to Takano and... I think she's still got a crush on me," he rubs the back of his head nervously, "I don't even think she knows yet!"

: Kaname levels the full gaze of the head of the house upon you. "Takashi. Do you think fires continue to burn when you are not watching them? If you have this much history... with this many girls..." He slaps you on the back and guffaws with the rest of the old timers! "YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT!" Hahahahahahahaha! He chuckles and winds down. "... But seriously, you will have to clear the air sometime. And it will make things strange if you gift her money, eh? Sort it out! All of them must mean something to you.. and I would meet them before I help them."

: "As you say, Tousan," he says in reply, "Now let me get out of here, so you all can return to business," he bows slightly to all his uncles and sees himself out. Back in the kitchen, he informs Hanamako that Sunday dinner may have a few more plates than normal!

: Hanamako's reply is as expected: "How wonderful! I'll make something special!"
(Fin)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 04:16

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

quote:

Friday Night, May 22

Sleepover At The Hattori's!

-You ask gentle Akane, your best friend and the best, if she'd be up for some good friend time together! Of course she accepts, inviting you to stay over her house for the weekend.

: Arriving at Akane's place just before dark, Noriko shows up with an overnight bag, dressed in a casual outfit; a frilly black skirt and a vintage tank top she'd appropriated from a box of her mom's old things. Though she usually preferred to hide the more scarred parts of her arms, the top was too tempting to pass up - witchcore pioneers, Purity Ring! She'd just felt more confident since the events in the House of Fortune. What others might think of old injuries... it seemed way less important than just looking cool. Adjusting the weight of the strap on her shoulder, she rings the buzzer to be let in.

: After a brief exchange with the doorman and a positive response from the Hattori's apartment, you're let in and take the elevator up. It's truly striking how upper class this place is. Despite the close proximity of so many rooms you never hear any unnecessary noise, the construction of the place as impeccable as the decor and cleanliness. At the door of the apartment Takano answers wearing a set of unexpectedly cute night clothes with regular pajama bottoms and a shirt with small chibi designs of five colors of dragons adorably chasing their tails, blowing smoke rings, sleeping on coin piles or studying arcane tomes with tiny little reading glasses. Her eyes reflexively pass from one arm to the next in facing you but she focuses intentionally on your face and smiles. "Good evening, Noriko-chan. Akane is in her room." At her side sits Mitsuo, tail wagging quietly.

: Noriko bows briefly and smiles, consciously aware of Takano's wandering gaze. "good evening, takano...chan?" she hesitates as she draws out the honoriffic, seemingly transfixed by the pattern on Takano's pajamas. After a moment, she seems to realize she's being weird and looks embarassed. "u-um, s-sorry, heheh, your pajamas are really cute." Glancing down at Mitsuo, she offers him a pat. "...it's good to see you as well, mitsuo-san."

: Takano grins. "Thank you." Mitsuo accepts your patience without prompting, indicating trust!

: As you head in Akane greets you halfway in a hallway, wearing a baggy black t-shirt and pajama pants, beaming and holding up a DVD case of the Suicide Boys, trashy tales of grim horror where handsome disaffected punks mutilate preppies before offing themselves in ritual disasters that usually take the apprehending officers. Akane is totally psyched up! " "They've got nothing to live for and neither do you!!""

: "ohhh...! I've been wanting to see this! the director is really good! his pacing is kind of slow but it just makes the climax more intense!" Once they get to Akane's room, Noriko sets down her overnight bag and opens it up, rummaging through her things before letting out a sharp gasp. "ah! you pest!!" with a fluttering noise and a shower of feathers, Crowley emerges from the pack and promptly flies to the highest point in the room. "you should have stayed home!"

: Akane immediately follows Crowley over to the book shelf and reaches up for him to give him attention and petting. "Ohhh, Crowley, who's a good boy?! It's you! You are! Come here!" 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.

: Crowley delivers a gentle warning peck to Akane's hand, hesitating for a moment before hopping over to the edge of the shelf and leaning his head down for a scritch. After a few good pets, he ruffles his feathers and fans his wings out on the bookshelf in an incredible display of bird manliness.

: The last time Noriko had been here, she hadn't really taken much time to take in her surroundings, given how uncomfortable she generally was in other people's spaces... Still, even with recent events and her own paranoia about her friends, she had a hard time being uncomfortable around Akane anymore. Looking around the room for a moment, she's caught off guard by the instruments. "...Akane! you play guitar?"

: Akane grins confidently after giving Crowley some precious scritching. She heads over and picks up one of the two, a cool midnight blue-black number with the metal bits kept to a brand-new polish. "You know it! I'm the coolest girl you know!" She plugs it into a small amp(as it seems there's a limit to rocking out in this complex after all) and gives you a simple but catchy riff for about a minute!

(Continued)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 04:24

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

quote:

Friday Night, May 22

Sleepover At The Hattori's!

: While Noriko is personally thrilled by the revelation and sick guitar licks, she can feel a cold presence lurking in the back of her mind, the firm connection to her other self hardening as suspicions begin to crystallize into something substantive. they̴'̶r̨e̴ ͝l̷y͢iņg to̢ yo͝u,̴ ̕Ńor̸i̡k̛o. She pushes the thought aside and suppresses her persona, clapping for her friend when she finishes the riff. "heheh. you really are." Looking at the bass guitar, she plucks a string to let out a single deep note. "i like bass guitars but i never learned how to play any instruments. i was really involved in flower arrangement at my last school so i didn't really have time to do anything else."

: Akane dutifully cleans up once she's finished. "Ohhh, we should stay at your place next, I'd love to see what you've done!" She peers over her shoulder and grins. "And the sequel is coming out next month... Suicide Boys 2: Love Kills! That's the one where the new generation of suicide boys get girlfriends! And look!" She grabs the Blu-ray cover and flips it to the back, pointing at a handsome lanky boy with Akio-style bleached hair. ".. This actor returns as a boyfriend!"

: Noriko has a mental flash to her room. Narrow as a closet. Mattress on the floor. Trash piled on top of books on top of boxes. Daily reminders from her mom to clean. She shudders. "y-yeah, definitely. it seems like i'm watching this just in time then." Noriko flops onto the bed, propping herself up with a skull pillow. "let's start the movie! i'm ready."

: Akane starts up her computer and after a quick boot pops the blu-ray in, setting it to play and fiddling with speakers for optimal setting. Once she's satisfied she closes the door and dashes over, hopping into bed beside you and lying down on her stomach, her head propped up near the front of the bed. THe monitor is pretty generously sized and even if you lie on your back near the rear of the bed you've got a great view. And so Suicide Boys begins with some nihilistic young idiot plotting to start a fire because school is the real oppression factory, man.

: "heh heh. we've all thought about it, right?"

: Akane: "It's so relatable.. that's why he's the best boy~" Assuming you don't do anything you enjoy a very tacky 90 minutes of cute boys murdering more antagonistic jerkish cute boys and girls. At this rate you'll end up enjoying yourself all night!

: At the mid-point of the movie, after exploring the room, knocking a few things off shelves, and rolling all over the bed for a while, Crowley makes his way to the window and begins to insistently tap on the glass. "um, he probably wants out... i leave my window cracked most of the time, he can squeeze through some pretty narrow spaces. do you mind if i open it?"

: Akane gives you the affirmative. "Go ahead! Oohhh, this is the part where he wraps his ex in barbed wire!"

: Noriko crab-shuffles to the window with her eyes glued to the screen as she pushes it up a few inches to let Crowley squeeze out. "don't get too far, okay?" (Crowley is going to slip out and circle the building for a little while, maybe peer into some windows or listen for conversations, discretely)

-This is it, this is when the deuteragonist challenges his ex to prove that their love should've been true until they died.. by shredding every vein in her body simultaneously! Crazy camera work takes the helm as Crowley begins flying around the apartment building.

: Stealth: 1d20+14 28

-There's three windows of significance: There's the largest window for the master bedroom which is locked and the blinds and curtains are closed, there's a small window that leads into the kitchen/living room that is the barest bit open(too small for even a smol bird), and there's a smaller nice bedroom window that is not locked but is closed and the blinds are down. Presumably Takano's room.

: Noriko stares at the screen, jaw agape! Those gore effects! How much corn syrup did they use?!

: Akane whispers: "I heard they had an intern work at a blood bank and steal two pints.."

: "ohhhh! that must be how they got it to clot like that!!"

(Continued)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 04:27

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

quote:

Friday Night, May 22

Sleepover At The Hattori's!

: Lights on or off?

-Lights off in kitchen/living room, lights off in master bedroom, lights on in Takano's room

: Hopping up onto Takano's windowsill, Crowley taps her window three times before quickly hopping back out of sight

: A moment later the blinds rise and Takano peers outside curiously. From this angle(and staying hidden) it's impossible to glimpse more than an awkward sideway glimpse of Takano's computer monitor. You could get a better look.. if you hopped into the center of the sill and into her sight

: Crowley peers at her from his vantage point, eyes whirling with uncanny intelligence. Considering his options, Crowley does what crows do best. Posturing!!!!! hopping up onto the windowsill, he lets out a loud "CAWWW" and spreads his wings wide, taking a moment to rapidly look around the room from his vantage point.

: On a dual monitor set up, it looks like Takano is reviewing a website for... armoies? She seems nonplussed by the sudden display and peers down at Crowley, smiling a little. She heads back into her room and picks up her phone, holding it up to point at the little guy. There's a few strange graphics on the site, but things are blurry and difficult to make out. Takano finishes a bit of recording and taps on the glass to spook and/or dismiss Crowley.

: Crowley taps back on the window indignantly, as if the whole exchange was deeply insulting. Flipping his head up ostentatiously, he takes a few dramatic stomps to the edge of the windowsill and flies off.

-The blinds close.

: Noriko has a vague sense of the interaction in the back of her mind and eyes the door nervously in case Takano decides to barge in. Crowley takes some time to hop around trees looking for bugs and to check out the contents of area dumpsters.

: Your movie is paused 10 minutes later when Takano knocks on the door and lets herself in to share a phone video with you! "Look, this little guy was hungry or something!"

: "Wow, that's so cute!"

: Argh, i knew it! Crowley!!!! Noriko feels like dressing down the bird but can tell he's too busy chewing through a stag beetle to care. She keeps her nerves on the down-low, grateful to Akane for not immediately spilling the beans. "ohhh! he's cute!" Noriko remarks as they watch the video. "crows are awfully smart... it probably noticed your light was on and thought it could freeload."

: Finished with his beetle and knowing that Takano is in the room with Noriko, Crowley makes another pass around the house.

-The only open windows are Akane's and the kitchen window!

: Any change with the kitchen window?

-It's open, but it would take some strength or finesse to force further..

: Landing on the Kitchen windowsill, Crowley pokes his head in for a moment to peer around. Provided there's nobody there to spot him immediately, he flattens his body and scoots through the gap!Acrobatics: 1d20+16 31

-Amazing! Crowley is able to get in one way by finagling his body through the suggestions of physics with his soft bones and slender form! Now he's inside the apartment again and it looks like Takano's door is open!

Passive Perception: But.. Crowley's instinct is warning him. His predator/prey instinct.

: (Any food laying out in the kitchen? maybe a box of dog biscuits?)

-There's some chopped meat, fresh-made store noodles and diced veggies in portion bowls beside the oven. After all, Noriko couldn't be invited over and not fed!

: Crowley snags a piece of meat and hops down the hallway towards Takano's room, being extremely cautious for any possible charging predators

: As Crowley drifts towards Takano's door, intense terror grips him. Mitsuo is undoubtedly near. His head is already raised, his ears are arched back and he's sniffing the air intently, lying on the floor beside Takano's bed.

: Crowley hesitates for a moment, before fluffing up his feathers, puffing out his chest, and preparing for whta must be done. There was always The Pact after all! One meaty chomp and he'd be back in the safety of his cage. The only thing he could lose was Noriko's respect! Charging into the room with his wings open, he flicks his head back and hurls the piece of meat to Mitsuo's feet. Opening his beak, he makes his best Akane impression. "you're a good boy, Mitsuo!" Diplomacy: 1d20+28 47

: As Crowley rounds the corner, his supernatural voice projection causes the reflexive actions of Mitsuo to stall for a moment! Against all odds he sniffs at the meat and ignores it, momentarily peering back at Crowley with a low, rising growl! In the shared body language of animals, this can only mean OMAE WA MOU SHINDEIRU

: ... Something in the pure arcane talent of the recreation sticks and Mitsuo's posture relaxes, his tail wagging. To assume the care-free Akane would spoil such a highly disciplined dog.. is correct. Mitsuo snaps up the meat and barrels forward, giving Crowley a territorial nudge and a threatening snap. He trots past the bird and to Akane's room, where Noriko and the two sisters have their idle chatter interrupted by the dog seeking attention.

: Crowley takes the moment to scour the room with his superior crow eyes. Free of distractions, he can really explore! Perception: 1d20+18 37 (with the +4 to find hidden objects)

(Continued)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 04:31

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

quote:

Friday Night, May 22

Sleepover At The Hattori's!

-Takano's room is as it was last time, a more orderly mirror of Akane's, with the same style of immaculate computer desk with the second-tier shelves with the locking drawers. On the monitor is the truth of the website.. at a distance the text may blue, at an angle the pixels may appear odd. But up close the GOLDEN-SCALE ARMORY is clear as day, the most popular fansite of DDW itemization and database indexing of discovered game data. A list of Caster Orbs is being perused.

: "hey Takano, do you want to watch some movies with us...? I brought a vampire anthology if you're not as into the gore porn as we are..."

: Takano shakes her head. "Sorry, but I'm busy tonight." The standard statement from the elder Hattori, no discussion will be brooked.

: While her demeanor is outwardly positive, she can feel a sinking feeling in her chest and something dark and cold as her worst fears are confirmed. for all my admonishing Akio... I'm at an ORDER member's house!!!

: Akane hugs Mitsuo and nods her agreement. "We can plan to hang out together another night next week.. oohhh, or the beach trip! We can bunk together, Noriko!"

: Crowley makes a hasty retreat from the room, looking for someplace he can stash himself away until Takano clears out... The kitchen window might be hard to get back out of!

: Takano smiles to you, nothing changed from her end, it seems. "Yes, I'd like that."

: "oh, that's a great idea. i wasn't really sure what i was going to do but, um... i feel pretty comfortable around you guys." she rubs the scar on her shoulder self-consciously. "i'm pretty nervous about going to the beach already... so it would help to be around people i trust."

: Takano stands confidently. "Naoki is a school where the students should be above such pettiness, Noriko. If they can't see your inner beauty, they're simply showing off their own ugliness." She seems familiar with you by now and can tell that touching you would be a bit much, so she offers an upturned hand to you to grasp. "Once you've got your permission slip and the fee, I'll take care of your rooming."

: Akane grins and bounces on the bed a little. "You'll be the baddest bitch on the beach, Noriko! You gotta own it!"

: Noriko takes Takano's hand and smiles slightly. "thank you. that... means a lot to me. you've both really helped me come out of my shell since i came to Naoki. i'm glad i can depend on you." Grinning at Akane, she flexes her most scarred arm. "heheh. i'm.... a little worried about wearing a bathing suit, but... i think i'm going to be ok. thank you."

Later: Crowly retreats to a corner and hides well outside of Takano's return path and line of sight. Mitsuo trots along behind her.The movie is drawing to a close and soon you'll be having dinner. Takano's in her room. Once the movie is over, Akane who is lying beside you reaches over and pats your hand.

: A little lost in thought, Noriko grips Akane's hand for reassurance. She felt deeply unnerved as her suspicions were building... Could she even trust Akane at all? Is s͠hé e͢v͝e͜n̸ ̀m҉y ̕f̸r̛iȩnd̡? Her paranoia was starting to escalate and she eyed the window nervously for a moment, considering making a break for it. There's no way they could catch her, right...? Glancing to Akane, the impulse fades. she's been there for me... if she was trying to hurt me, she would have by now, wouldn't she? Noriko leans on her shoulder. "hey, Akane... have you ever been put in a position where you had to... rethink everything?"

: ".. Yeah.." Akane laces her fingers with yours. "... Noriko.. that was Crowley, wasn't it?"

: Eyeing Akane nervously, she doesn't know how to respond. She can feel Memento-Mori in the other world, palming her dagger. "...yeah. thanks for not spilling the beans."

: Akane sounds only slightly sad. ".. Why? I never want to lie to Takano.."

: Noriko scoots to the edge of the bed, looking distant. "a couple of months ago i was a fujoshi living in a closet trying not to hurt myself or other people anymore. now i'm up to my waist in poo poo."
"i think you've both been hiding things from me."

: Akane sits up and turns away, her hands unoccupied now, she settles for fidgeting with a pillow. ".. Would you be mad if I told you we were "aware" in the other side of the school?" She's facing away, her face hidden.

: "no... that was pretty obvious to me, at the time. we knew you were both there for a reason. when i asked you about it... i just wanted to believe you. a little while back a friend of ours was killed. when we went to find out why, it pointed us in a direction that lead us to one person, so that's all I focused on. then... we went back and asked our friend. and now i'm questioning everything."

: Akane peers back at you and her eyes are watering. "I'm, I'm really glad you're not mad, Noriko!" She adjusts her position and sits in her knees, hugging a giant plushie skull. "Do you think Takano..?"

: "i don't know. you... you're royal, right?"

(Continued)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 04:37

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

quote:

Friday Night, May 22

Sleepover At The Hattori's!

: Akane nods. Nyarlothep grants you insight. The morbid girl who loves to sing, the child sent to bed by a strict mother, the needy sister who clings to her support. Everything is a reflection of soul and Royal is present in the mind's eye, standing as Memento's equal. "Yeah.."

: Noriko scrunches her face up. "argh! you...!" She delivers a light punch to her friend's arm. "...at least it's out now. I liked your mindscape. Sorry for robbing you. ...Did you know who I was when you approached me at school?"

: A flashback, to the strange vision you had when ORDER fought Sekja! Bishop is demanding Charlotte justify Royal's inclusion in the group. The mad fae royalty has mind controlled most of ORDER in an explosive battleground shift.

At the time, your limited understanding suggested a vision of ^{"She's my healer"}

In truth the only justification needed was ^{"She's my sister."}

: Akane shakes her head. "No, I just thought you were really cute.. like me, and we'd get along. I didn't know until the shadows, in the school.."

: "....really?" Noriko asks, her lip quivering a little

: "N-Noriko, what do you think.. why were you spying on Tak.."

: "the only person who threatened Takamura directly was Charlotte. i had to know. i had to know... if i was safe here at all. and... i still don't know that for sure. Akane... I really like you, and i really like takano. i.... i miss my sisters, a lot. i didn't want to betray your trust, but... um... you've both been lying to me this whole time."

: "Noriko, you're safe! I'd never hurt you, and neither would Takano!" She drops the pillow and shifts forward, taking a few crawling movements down the bed. "I.. I.. we have to keep it a secret.. I.. I want to tell you everything, I really do.." She's visibly frustrated, even more so than this tense conversation would lead to. Something is raging within her emotionally. "We'd never hurt you! Noriko, I really like you!" Spurred on by some desperate courage, Akane closes in and gives you a light kiss on the lips!

: Noriko makes a startled sound when Akane leans in, blushing as she's caught off guard. "um... A-Akane... i..." stammering, she doesn't seem to know how to handle the situation... after a moment, she leans in and kisses Akane back.

---

: Elsewhere in Kobe a familiar young man sits in his room, reading a book of contemporary poetry. He feels a natural instinct and looks up and just smiles and nods. "Hmm. It's truly a nice day." Kunio returns to his reading.

---

: Akane enjoys the moment with you before hugging you. "Noriko.."

: Noriko leans against Akane and holds her close. "um... th-thanks. that was... um. i... needed that. ...heh. y'know... memento-mori still has her fangirl shirt." She pokes Akane in the ribs. "now that it's out maybe we can play together sometime? probably better make alts, though..." On that note, Noriko adds: "um... it should go without saying... but i'm going to keep this a secret from the others for now, okay? i... don't want to believe Takano was responsible for what happened. and i don't want anyone putting a wedge between us."

: Akane sighs with an expression of great relief. "I was just about to ask you to do that! .. I don't think she did it either.. but Noriko, listen. Uhm.. while the game is on, we can't really alt together.. or play together for now.. listen." She takes on an unusual expression. She's dead serious. "The game casts Fate on full moons. The beach trip takes place during the week of one. You got me?" She smiles warmly. "I'll talk to Takano and tell her about you. Anyone else you trust.. on the trip, we can all meet then, ok?" She gives you a stern look straight from her sister. "We have to keep it secret because we don't know who is willing to kill. Noriko, please guard our secret and we'll guard you too, ok? I.. I really want to talk to you about everything, but we should just have fun tonight, ok? And don't tell Takano.." She grins with her usual cheek. "We'll buy swimsuits on Sunday, ok?"

: "...full moons? huh. i'd never made the connection... that's really good to know. the week of the beach trip, huh? um... so do you think the worlds will merge again? i think the rest of Ailuridae can be trusted. i don't know if any of them have it in them to kill, to be honest. i... i think i could, if i had to. but not to win this stupid game. and... that sounds like fun." Noriko smiles. "i haven't had one since after the accident... i didn't want to swim." Noriko gives Akane a quick hug before taking a moment to stretch and hop out of the bed. Seemingly on cue, Crowley waddles into the room with a discarded cheeseburger wrapper clutched in his beak. He hops up into Noriko's bag, settles in like it was a nest, and begins to pick the cheese off the paper. "...pest."

: "I think Takano described it as.. each moon the worlds merge, and something is generated. It powers something greater than we know. And at the end of that is the wish." Akane shrugs and blows a kiss to Crowley before helping you out of bed. "Let's get some dinner, and be cool, ok?" She winks!

: Noriko makes it through dinner without any problems, surprisingly free of tension now that things have aired out between her and Akane. She still had her suspicions of Takano but decided to put them aside ahead of the beach trip - if Takano did murder Takamura, it was because he went after Akane... If she's a murderer, she's no danger to us right now, and none to me. After a good meal and a few hours of reading manga and sharing secrets, she changes into her seldom-worn nightgown and climbs into Akane's comfy bed. "it's okay if we share, right?"

: Akane looks up from her quilt cocoon and gradually pushes an arm out, casting you a length of blanket. "I thought you'd never ask, sweet cheeks." She winks after putting on her corny joke voice. You two sleep side by side, totally platonic anime friends style!

^{Be Patient and the Path will Open...}

The Priestess Social Link is already at Rank 4 but it seems the threads of Fate are still being woven. The call to seek Rank 5 will come later.

(Fin)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 04:45

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

quote:

Saturday, May 23rd, After School

Study Time With Miho And Manami!

-With the school week finished, Tsukiyo invites Miho and Manami to her house. The three are studying together, which comes easier to Miho than to the other two. Manami is peering at a passage in a textbook and chewing on the cap of her pen.

: It seems that the other cram sessions have actually been successful! Tsukiyo is far better at the math tables than before, and she's been able to keep up with the lessons very easier and the gap with Miho is getting closer. "Hmmm. I think I'm done here..." She says while closing her notebook. "Ready for the finals! Oh wait, hm. Manami-san, you need help with that one?"(edited)

: The setting sun barely peeks through the fading overcast clouds that ruled over the day. The rays of light cutting in cast the living room in a pleasant orange glow. One of the great old trees outside rustles slightly as a brown owl with white-flecked feathers swoops onto a branch, taking up a perch. It briefly peers in with a 180+ head rotation and hoots. Manami growls and closes her book. "I'm fine."

: Tsukiyo extends her hand and tries to stop the book from closing! "I don't think you are!" She says while trying to ascertain what Manami is being troubled with.

: With another small growl Manami blocks your block with her own hand, the two of you now straining to decide the fate of the book!

: Miho peeks up from her own book and silently gasps. She nervously laughs and chimes in: "M-maybe you need a break, Manami-chan?"

: Manami uses her free hand to sweep her book away and shuts it between both palms! "gently caress no! What's school good for anyway, huh!?" Frustration boils over!

: "It's good... For... Your... Future." Tsukiyo says as she tries to force the book open!" Strength: 1d20+14 25

: Manami hisses and sweeps the book away, easily out moving your goofy brute force! She says under her breath for you two alone: "I already know how to secure my future, boss."

: "What are you talking about?" Frustration boils over as she glares at Manami, arms crossed.

: Manami whispers. "What the hell does school matter when you can wish for any life?"

: Miho interjects again, looking increasingly worried as you two get madder. "H-h-hey girls, are you looking forward t-to the beach trip!? Eheheheh, Miho is.."

: It seems Manami is a total sleaze like Brother!!! No, she must stop her from going on the same path and believing the game is the only solution for her problems. She gives a reassuring smile to Miho for a second before shaking her fist at the thug. "You are still on that, you...!"

: With an agitated groan Manami rolls her eyes. "I don't care about that stupid trip. My old man can't afford that kinda poo poo.."

: Stepping on a small mine, Miho withers a bit and ends up running her hands together, looking down. "Uh-uh-uh-uhm.. I'm sorry, Manami.."

: Putting her fist down, Tsuki looks somewhat frustrated. She did deduce from listening to Manami before that her family has money trouble, but not that it was to that extent. "Hm. Sorry about being forceful about that, but... Manami-san... Do you have a part-time job or something?"

: "In a week, Tsukiyo!?"

: "You can get enough money without beating up people for their lunch! And... I will join you as well!"

: "I DON'T DO THAT STUFF!" Pissed off, Manami yells at you!

: "DON'T YELL AT MY HOUSE!" She yells back.

: "YOU THINK THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO ME, HUH!?" Manami gets up and shoves Tsukiyo!!

(Continued)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 04:49

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

quote:

Saturday, May 23rd, After School

Study Time With Miho And Manami!

: Tsukiyo grabs Manami's hands! "Stop this!"

: Slapping your hands away and drawing her own back, Manami scowls and draws herself up for her next attack! Having little choice but to prepare to receive it Tsukiyo takes a stance and...

: Miho steps between the both of you, hands covering her head. "Stop, stop!" Manami.. stops! Miho peeks open an eye and coughs a little. "Uhm.. you're both my friends so.. I can cover your costs!"

: Manami looks terribly embarrassed.

: "M-Miho-chan..." Tsuki steps back, appalled at what she almost done!

: Miho looks happy that you two have stopped and gets excited, pumping her arms a little! "You can stay at my family's place! We have guest rooms a-and nobody else uses them during the trip!"

: Recovering some composure, Manami immediately loses it with her look of open confusion.

: Tsukiyo just looks to Manami, waiting for her to respond to Miho's proposition. ". . ." This is a bit awkward...

: Manami growls out a "What the hell are you talkin' about!?"

: Being the provider for once, Miho looks pleased. "M-my family hosts the trip every year for Naoki, we own the resort and temple.. your my friends, I'll cover you! We can take the train and s-stay in my house!"

: That's a really extraordinary coincidence! But will it work out for them? "That's really awesome, Miho-chan! So, what do you think about that now?" She says while turning to Manami.

: Coincidence!? Miho has taken a train to and from school every day! You never ask to visit her home!

: Manami gives Miho a big hug and tenderly muses: "I take back all the times I said you have a round head, shrimp." Miho laughs and pats her on the back a little.

: The two part and Miho peers at you, looking excited. "How about you, Tsuki?"

: "I'll go for sure!" Tsuki nods, beaming a smile at them.

: Miho claps her hands together! "I'm so glad! I thought there might be trouble when Hattori-Senpai asked me for help.."

: "...Hattori?!"

: Eep! Miho shrinks a little. "Y.. yes? The student council.. organizes the trip every year.. s-so she came to me and.. and.." Miho gasps! "Oh no! I'm sorry, Tsuki!"

: Manami laughs! "What a bitch! That Hattori had this trip planned the whole time!"

: Tsukiyo plants her palm right on her face. "Ugh!" She sighs. "It's fine, Miho-chan.... I think like everyone in Naoki having fun at the trip is more important than the election anyway..."

: With a big exhale of relief Miho smiles again. "I'm glad, Tsuki! You're so charitable, you know? We can get you on Council, I just know it!"

: Manami grunts. "Why bother? It's just bullshit."

: "Manami-san." Tsukiyo says with an annoyed tone. "It's not useless at all. Not to mention... I thought you didn't want to see the look on the Hattoris face when they realize they lost the election?."

: She rolls her shoulders. "Well yeah that'd be great!" Manani sighs. "But she set you up! Everybody's gonna credit her for this trip!"

: "Credit her..." Dark thoughts appear on Tsuki's mind as she mulls about that. If something went awry during the trip...? No, she won't try any shenanigans and ruin everyone's vacation just for the election. "We'll just wait and see I guess."

: Miho takes your hand with both of hers and giggles. "You'll just have to be the life of the party, Tsuki! We'll have such a great time you get some credit too, ok? You are the hero that made good with Nekketsu, yeah?"

: And with that, any doubts that Tsukiyo had are dispelled! She can't possibly bring herself to do something to the trip, not without making Miho think less of her! With that said and done, it's probably best to just try and get Manami to finish her exercise....

: You're able to! Amazing! Maybe Miho has a talent for smoothing things over... If you want to honor Miho's wishes, you'll have to battle socially! A chance to meet everyone in the school on the trip and get to know them personally! The brave Chavez vs the cunning fiend, Hattori Takano!

^{Thou shalt have the blessing of the Temperance arcana...}

Your bonus to Support Personas of the Temperance arcana increases to +3 Attack/Damage/Healing! ... oh dear, what will you wear for the beach?

(Fin)

# ¿ Nov 20, 2018 04:56

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

quote:

Saturday, May 23rd

It's Your Fault Ryuka Isn't Popular!

-Chatting with Itsumi you learn of a friend's request to her... little Ryuka wants to learn to be popular! School is letting out and the night is free, everyone is off tomorrow. Surely the Great and Sociable Takashi-Sama can help freshman year's little mascot rabbit? As expected of the same thing they do everyday, Ryuka is heading home in the company of her two moons, Hiroko and Mutsumi. As Hiroko is the mature blonde girl you know from karaoke and some clean up volunteer work together it seems you've got an in! Mutsumi is a bookish yet confident looking brunette wearing glasses, only a few inches taller than Ryuka. Ryuka and Mutsumi could both pass as middle schoolers if you swapped their uniforms.

: Catching up with the trio, Takashi slides into their formation with the ease of a professional socialite; suddenly present... or wasn't he always there?? "Hey Imouto-san, Mutsumi-san, Hiroko-chan," he says with a friendly gesture for each, the height of politeness, "I've been meaning to catch up with Ryuka-chan, would you girls mind if she and I caught up to you in a few minutes? I have a private favor to ask her," his winning smile hopefully makes it an easy request for the other two.

: Moving to intercept and deflect you, Mutsumi is stopped by Ryuka jabbing a finger into her side and barking an order! Hiroko smiles and gives you a friendly wave before the two move on ahead, leaving you with lil' Ryuka. "Ehhhh, what is it, Tak? I really wanna head home already.."

: Takashi waves to the others, letting them get out of earshot before continuing, "We're headed home! A little birdy told me that you've been having some trouble," he leans in conspiratorially, "people aren't responding the way they did in middle school - and I thought to myself, wow but Ryuka's always so cool being our Overseer, maybe I could help her figure out how to shine at school too!"

: Ryuka stammers and shrinks, but only before she becomes mad. "Oh my goddddddddd.... Ugghhhhh!!! I can't believe Itsumi told you about THAT!!" She seeths at you with a heavy sigh! "Takashi, everybody already thinks I'm cool, ok!? I don't need your help!" In truth, Ryuka is well liked by the class. Much in the same way as if say, a stray cat came into the building and was adopted. You've never heard a lick of guy talk that focused on Ryuka. Hiroko sure, but a moon being praised over her planet?

: "Of course Itsumi told me, we're all friends, baka," he takes her tone in stride, "of course people think you're cool, you're everyone's imouta-san, but... maybe you want to be looked at in a different way?" he lets that trail off for a minute, "Maybe there is a boy who has caught your eye? Or a girl, I don't judge!"

: Ryuka catchs herself mid windup and shuts the whole affair down behind a mask off the world's biggest frown. "That's none of your business!" She speeds up to rejoin her friends!

: "If you want to run away from your feelings, I can't stop you," Takashi says sharply, "But I thought you were a winner, Ryuka-san," a proper title, no kid sis talk, "and you'll never catch anyone's eye if you keep running away," he makes as if to leave.

: Ryuka wavers briefly.. then keeps going! Maybe this type doesn't have the steel for the real talk approach! She rejoins her moons for dutiful orbiting and chatter. She is heading home, after all, and supposedly her house is the nicest in the whole year! Year? School!

: Whipping out his phone, Takashi calls up her number, types the following into a text, " コケコッコ " and sets it to send in a few minutes once the girls are farther away. With the dynamite planted, he redoubles back to the school for an evening run.

-During your run on the school field tour phone chimes constantly.

quote:
: "WHAT DID YOU SAY"
"YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF NERVE"
"LIKE I NEED YOUR HELP"
"HIROKO TOLD ME ABOUT THOSE RUMORS"
" I GUESS YOU'RE A REAL DOG "
"WAN WAN"

- ... By the time you're finishing up, you get a final set of texts from Ryuka that follow a 20 minute delay. A real pain in the rear end as you're ready to head home!

quote:
: "Takashi, I'm sorry!"
"You just made me really mad! Please help me!"
"Come by my house, ok? I don't really think you're a pervert!"

: Getting dressed in his casual attire again for a trek through the city, Takashi texts a simple, "k" to Ryuka's string of messages. Zero engagement. He arrives at her house a short time later, knocking politely on the door instead of texting her his arrival.

-This house is ridiculous! It's larger than Kaname's! It has its own fenced in yard and the gate extends to the streets where it merges seamlessly with rows of pristinely landscaped trees! It sits in the middle of the city, right on the border of the high end part of town you went to to visit the Hattoris! The door slowly slides open and you are greeted by an ordinary salary man on his day off, wearing a neat set of trousers and a pink dress shirt. But this is no ordinary salary man!

Music Cue!

: When he tenders his resignation, the company stock drops! When he goes out to lunch, evil strikes! He must balance the life of a salary man with fighting crime! It's television's favorite comedy-action dad, Ryuu Mitsugu! THE CLOSER! He adjusts his glasses and smiles valiantly. "What can I help you with, young man?"

: "ほんと!!!? <Really!?> Mitsugu Ryuu! What are you doing at little Ryuka-chan's house?" he takes in the fairly impressive house and yard, "Did her family hire you for a birthday party?" the absence of usual birthday decorations makes that a silly question, but well... maybe Takashi's a little star struck!

: Ryuu lets out a heroic chuckle and gestures to the side. "This is my home, the Mitsugu household. We're quite a fun bunch of characters, once you get to know us." With the straight take and practiced speaking of a commercial spot... ! "Hmmm, are you a friend of my little bunny-chan? She just got home."

: Oh yes! That's why he was here! "Oh, uh, yeah! Ryuka-san and I are classmates! We, uh, needed to catch up on some classwork and it was already so late so I told her I'd meet her after my evening run," he hopes the lie will pass uncontested in the rest of what he's saying, "I'm just... sorry I've watched every episode, and I had no idea you were Ryuka-san's dad! When you stapled the report to BOSS TOGURO's chest in season 1... do you do your own stunts!?"

: "When I told him he could clock out when he gets back to Hell? Heh heh... Perhaps this will answer your question?" Out of nowhere Ryuu drops to a squat and 180s, preparing himself for a powerful leap! His glasses glint a split second before he rockets into his own kitchen, kicking a stack of junk mail clean into a nearby trash can! The motion sends a pocket pen flying and as Ryuu straightens up, he blindly extends a hand to catch it. He returns to the front door with a copy of TV Guide. The cover is of The Closer's on-again, off-again rival and love interest and ally/rival, the older heart-throb Misumi. She's a woman of generous talents who always wears nice business suits and mini-skirts. Ryuu signs his name right by her winking face and pauses for the other half of the autograph. "What was your name, young man?" The full name of the series is "The Closer: Lightning Salaryman Ken Gaiden!!", a spinoff that exploded in popularity from a show based off a live action of a manga

: "Uwah so cool!" the boy is completely floored by the impromptu stunt, "Kurokawa Takashi, sir!" but then remembers why he came in the first place, "ah, don't let me take up more of your time, sir, I should probably get to studying with Ryuka-chan."

: Ryuu signs to Kurokawa Takashi and hands you the autograph while tipping his glasses up at the bridge. "Careful, she's a tricky one." As he's handing you the TV Guide with the cover of Misumi his joke is clear, but then he winks and points you to the stairs leading to the second floor.

-Ahhhh, the Mitsugu house is ridiculously nice! It must cost a lot to get an old-time place in the city and then renovate it entirely to modern standards! You pass by a room where a boy around your age is reading a magazine on his bed, across from a large bedroom that has a few of the decorations you'd associate with Takeo. Large posters of glorious shots of amazing motorcycles and a few luxury muscle cars, but all of the furniture and a few small piles of folded laundry suggest a girl! At the end of the hall and guarded by the immobile tan-brown form of an orb-shaped cat equal parts fluff and fat is Ryuka's room, the door almost completely closed. As you approach it the door opens all the way and Ryuka peers out, scolding the cat to move.

: "Shoo, Spitzy!" She looks to you like a shy kid being caught in the middle of something. "You really came? ... Sorry about what I said!" She opens her door and lets you into her room which looks like a shrine to nerd interests with a plushie animal mountain, a bookshelf of manga and a desk dedicated as the main alter with a glorious four monitor and VR goggles stand set-up.

(CONTINUED)

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 01:00 on Dec 7, 2018

# ¿ Nov 30, 2018 04:30

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

quote:

Saturday, May 23rd

It's Your Fault Ryuka Isn't Popular!

: Takashi bows in thanks to Mr. Mitsugu, tucking the TV Guide carefully into his bag with the rest of his school supplies before heading upstairs to find Ryuka.
"Of course I came, I said I was. And no hard feelings, those rumors don't really have any teeth," coming the rest of the way into her space he takes a quick look around, "Nice room you've got, you could probably be a streamer if you wanted. Get the cat involved you're a top 250 channel for sure," he grins at her, hoping she'll relax.

: Ryuka gapes at you, dumbstruck! "REALLY?!"

: Takashi laughs off her surprise, "Yeah, really. You're a girl, obviously not just casually into this stuff," he gestures to her nerd accessories, "and when you want to be you can dial up the cuteness to 11. If you get some good stream graphics, I bet you'd rocket right up the rankings," but that isn't why he was here, "but I didn't come just to talk about your promising career opportunities... are you gonna dish and tell me who the boy is?"

: The door parts again as Spitzy strides in and leaps to the bed where he unceremoniously flops into one side. Ryuka uses this as an excuse to look away from you and twiddles her fingers. "N.. No, I can't! Uhm.. can you just tell me how to be cute instead? And to stream too. Maybe." Well, she has some parts of the puzzle. You can tell from here that her open, messy closet is a casualty of never receiving anything more personal than family gifts and The Edge(Hot Topic) t-shirts. Her school uniforms are the only thing to break up the lack of style.. this is a fashion morgue!

: "Alright, suit yourself," he laughs again, good-naturedly, "if you wanna be cuter, its going to have to start with your wardrobe. Your uniforms are boring, but they would go over pretty well on a stream... boys our age are pretty... one track?" he glances over at the closet, "but I'm not seeing a lot of redeeming choices over here. Ask Hiroko or Itsumi to take you shopping at a boutique; they've both got a lot of fashion sense and can help you pick out some cute outfits. Oh, and a swimsuit for the beach trip!" he pauses a second, "you should try to accentuate what you have, not draw attention to what you don't. You're a small, so you'll want to pick stuff that makes you look taller, not baggy stuff that'll make you look wider. High-waisted pants, cinched waist, fitted stuff, heels," screwing up his face into a thoughtful expression, "shorter sleeves, hems, inseams. Hell go for all the older tricks. If you're well dressed on stream, you'll be a hit too. A proper cutie who looks like a bombshell and wins games! You'd be a dream girl for a lot of boys."

: It all seems so complicated! Ryuka scrunches up her face and just mumbles. "I dunno how to wear heels... Icchan? She's always wearing her uniform.. Hiroko!? You dummy!" She bops you right on the, uh, torso. You know, on your chest, where she can reach! "Everybody looks at her because she looks like an adult!!!" Ryuka flails her hands and pouts magnificently at you! "You say I gotta accentuate what I got, BUT WHAT DO I GOT, TAKASHI!?" Ryuka glares at you hard. She's an amateur in the field but this is clearly... a woman's trap!

: "Hey, easy, no need to go all the way to the finish line on the first day; just some ideas. You've got a lot of good qualities, Ryuka-chan," he raises his hands in defense, "Your height is your secret weapon because it makes people take underestimate you. You're one of the smartest in our year, you're a real talent at DDW... you may notice we're always asking you to oversee. You could easily weaponize that skill, and your commitment to the lore and the roleplay scenes into a dynamite stream," not his exact area, but he rattles off a few of the more well known names in the space for lore discussion, "And, well," Takashi blushes slightly, not entirely comfortable with the line of discussion, but steering forward into it anyway, "and there are a lot of boys, and older boys, who like younger looking girls. You fit that bill."

: Taking your counsel super seriously, Ryuka glazes over a bit after you start and ends up twirling her fingers together, looking away. Spitz yawns and gives off a little yowl. "S-s-s-so.. you think I'm... cute?"

: "Are you sure you trust the opinion of a rumored pervert?" he smiles big to show he doesn't take umbrage at those comments, "but, yeah, you're one of the cutest girls in our year, and I bet I'm not the first boy to say that out loud."

: Ryuka loses her balance and stumbles over to her bed, where she throws her hand out to catch herself and shoves Spitzy off the side of the bed. He flails wildly, spins 360 from belly to back and back again like only a cat can and lands on his feet before dashing out the door, knocking it open again.

: "Hey! No hanky panky, you two!" A friendly older girl looks over from the previously empty room and throws out a big wink.

: Ryuka sits up and grumbles. "Sh-shut up! Sorry.. that's just my sister, Ryudori.. uh-uhm.. here.. show me how to stream, OK?"

: Takashi waves to Ryudori, "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure I'm harmless," he says with a smile before kneeling next to Ryuka's computer to help with her request, "If that's your sister, then you're going to crush me on the leaderboards in no time. Maybe you don't actually need my help?" he says teasingly, trying to draw Spitzy back with promises of ear scratches.

: Ryuka scowls. "She doesn't care about this kinda stuff! All she likes is motorcycles and old cars.."

: "No <baka> you don't need her. But just like a boy can tell how tall he'll be from looking at his father, it just means you're going to steal a lot of hearts at school," he continues to coo for Spitzy's attention while trying to steer Ryuka, "Okay, you need basic streaming software, and probably a social media aggregator. Its awful to post the same thing on every feed manually. Your sound is usually good, so we can keep using your headset for now, but you probably also want a nice cushy mic which is separate. Makes everything way easier," he continues to narrate small details for absolute beginners, seeing if she'll opt for a more advanced lesson.

: Ryuka takes in everything you say with rapt attention! Her sister spends the time doing laundry and eventually gets a big basket ready and departs, winking at you again. If you want to give that advanced lesson, Ryuka is open to it!

: "Okay, basics are in order, now you need stream graphics, you have to DEFINE yourself with something. I use my bright colors and the molten dog motif. You like dragons? Maybe that? And if you can get the cat involved, holy cow, you will get 50 ranks just from having a cute cat on stream, even if just laying on bed like a loaf of bread," eying the cat, something tells Takashi this is an accurate description. "Next, just... start up the stream, post what you're doing, and go do it. Interact with your chat, thank people for being nice, shrug off the haters... and it sucks, but its a skill," he nudges Ryuka's shoulder with his, "but you're a girl so you probably get less of that, and play up the cute stuff. I'll cross-link your stream when I can. If you get some early donations, pay for better stream banners and overlays," he jots down a couple places that sell pretty cheap packages, "and use them to get people more interested in your stuff."

: At some point when your attention was drawn away, Spitz has reclaimed the bed and sprawls out across it like a great loaf. Ryuka absorbs all of your advice like a sponge. "THANKS!!" Before you know it you're drawn into dinner with the Mitsugu family and meet Rie, the angelic mother who might be trying our for a cooking show given her spirit and flair! Doting parents, protective siblings, spoiled.. the aura of imouto is plain to see. But you've given her a place to start! You'll have to wait and see how it takes root. As you leave you can head siblings arguing, her brother Ryuushian asking if "that was your boyfriend?" As the night ends the last thing you hear is Spitzy being weaponized, tossed with a yowl and a shout of frustration from Ryuka!

^{Thou shalt have the blessing of the Magician arcana...}

Your power in the Magician arcana increases to Rank 4! All Support Persona of the Magician arcana have +3 Attack/Damage/Healing!

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Dec 7, 2018

# ¿ Nov 30, 2018 04:31

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

quote:

Saturday, May 23rd

Akio's Guy Talk

-Finally, time off! And today Felix and Kane have joined you at your house to hang out. They say the new Alchemical Love game is hitting the arcade soon! You've got a Hexbox and PS6 and the night is young..

: Hanae obliges you boys with some snacks and puts on a friendlier than usual smile. "Don't get too loud now."

: Felix and Kane respectfully agree and Hanae departs! Kane gives you a sidelong look and grins. "Oi, Akio, does it ever feel weird to have a cute stepmom?" Felix chuckles and seems to agree via his lack of objection. You could bone up on the fighting game all night or really show off your pro gamer and collector chops, somehow...

: Akio gives Kane a dirty look, and includes Felix in it as well. "It feels weird now." He throws a controller into his friend's lap. "Come on, let's play. We can't be rusty when the new game hits the arcade." He boots up the console version of Hex Maidens, then throws a sidelong glance at Kane. "So you're still into older women, eh, Kane?"

: Kane dutifully slots into the second Black Hat Witch, the older mentor who confirmed selection with an ara-ara. "You know it, buddy."

: To keep things interesting, Akio slots in the Green Beret Witch, who conjures rocket launchers, combat knives and other modern weaponry to defeat her opponents. "Wouldn't it be easier to find someone our age, like at school for example?" he asks.

: Felix chimes in. "Well, not for lack of trying."

: Kane grumbles and launches into the Matron Black Hat's kill set up of laying a bunch of trap spells, cards. "Buncha immature girls man, turning into adults. All the boys surrounding them, got their pick. They all want some dumbass who beats people up or kisses their feet all day.." He lobs long range lightning bolts at you to zone. "What's a regular guy to do? Life ain't no anime. Don't get no fall in your lap hero story.."

: "I mean, it does happen..." Akio is content to trade ranged blows with Kane for now. The Green Beret transforms her wizard staff into a machine gun and starts belting her opponent with a hail of bullets. The rapid muzzle flashes of the firing animation accentuates her muscular biceps, left exposed by her sleeveless tactical witch's robe. "But I guess it's not very realistic to wait for something like that... Is there no one in particular you like?"
November 14, 2018

: Closing in on Mother Black Hat, you're startled when she suddenly rushes to meet your Green Beret! With a teleporting blink through your projections she appears at melee range and executes a guard breaking grab! Telekinesis and drop! With an "Oh My" Mother Black Hat backs up and resets her zoning. Kane grins and then shrugs. "Nah man. Girls in our year are like kids to me. Hell, some of them are, like that Ryuka midget."

: Felix catches himself laughing and clears his throat. "Well, there's no rush, yes?"

: It was a nice play, but it seems like Kane failed to notice the land mines he'd dropped during the attack. As soon as Mother Black Hat takes a step back they detonate, blasting her forward and throwing her into the ground. Green Beret dashes forward and cathes her in a grapple, then suplexes her into the ground with a mighty incantation, "ORA!", before the two separate again. "I'm not so sure, Felix. If he can't find a girlfriend soon he might turn so cynical that the only woman he won't spite will be his dear ol' mother!" Akio laughs. "By the way, how is it going with that waitress of yours?"

: The extended game of zoning and setting up projectiles eventually leads to a coin flip Result: Kane! when the stage times out and Kane claims victory. Seems you stepped into one too many contingency casts of Evard's Black Tentacles! Kane whispers to Felix and Felix puts on a coy grin.

: "Well, I can't say it went anywhere, as we've already separated.. but Akio, you seem to do really well with girls."

: "Yeah, the best."

: Felix grins. "So tell us, who do you think is available?"

: "What's that supposed to mean?" Akio eyes his friends suspiciously. "By some miracle I manage to get a girlfriend, and now you think I'm a casanova?" He sighs and shakes his head. "In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king..."

: Felix and Kane both laugh. "I believe it's how you say.. <put up or shut up>?"

: Kane slaps his knee and passes controller to Felix, who immediately picks the little kunoichi themed witch. Kane grins at you. "You can't bust my chops and not give me hope, man. Now come on. Who do you think is cute?"

: "W-Wait, what's with the sudden inquisition!?" Akio flusters at the question, not sure how much he was really willing to say about such an embarrassing subject. "I-I mean, Noriko is easily the cutest... But there's a lot of other cute girls at Naoki too. Like..." Ugh, they were really going to make him do this, weren't they. "W-Well, the Hattori sisters, for example. Takano-senpai is may be somewhat aloof, but Akane-chan is really cute, if a touch venomous... Then there's Itsumi-chan in our class, with her bright personality and her beaming smile. And, uh, you're both familiar with Madoka-chan. I'd like to see you call her a kid to her face, Kane!" The game starts beeping, alerting him that he only had a couple seconds left to pick a character before the timer ran out and gave him a random one. He scrambles to pick up his controller and selects the Red Tricorn, the airship corsair queen witch, ancient rival of the ninja witch!

: Felix brings the pain by using a lot of fast-moving advancing attacks to force you into trading blows or blocking at melee, then the command grabs start to come even faster. Rushdown! The two boys do have time to think and appreciate your points, even mid combat. Felix grins: "Yes, Senpai is the kind of <doll> you see in shows, yes? But athletic too."

: Kane wags a finger: "Well, that's why like you said, the sister's cuter. She's filled out.. and you're right, I guess Madoka is a real woman." Felix gets physically reactive as you counter his assaults and occasionally shifts or even hops in his seat. One of those fellows who moves when his character does! "<Yowch!>" With a sly grin Kane adjusts the rim of his cap and offers a softly spoken "Hey now" to you both. "But really.. there's one girl I think every guy has his eye on..."

: "You don't mean..."

: "Oh, I mean it.."

: The swashbuckling witch holds her opponent at bay with fanciful footwork and her gleaming cutlass. She trips up the kunoichi witch and uses her treasure magic to mark the ground beneath her with an X, then buries her under a large pile of conjured gold. Akio takes the opportunity to glance away from the game for a moment to shoot Kane a curious look. "Eh? Who do you mean?"

: Kane and Felix coo simultaneously: "Chavez."

: "..." Akio gives his friends a long, flat stare, then suddenly erupts in uproarious laughter. "Chavez! Haha! Hahaha!" He has to wipe a tear out of his eye. "Seriously, you two? How long have you been pining after her?"

: Felix shrugs. "I heard what she said at Nekketsu.."

: Kane sighs. "Naoki's greatest tragedy." The two share a knowing look and nod at each other. "Those hips, and she wears a short skirt.."

: "She's so mature, but you can tell she doesn't wear a bra!"

: "And the unique look!" He kisses his fingers and sweeps it like an extravagant chef's gesture.

: "Right. And she's not into guys. And you already know that..." Akio shakes his head, wondering just how he ended up with two idiots of this caliber as his friends.

: "Come on Akio. You can't call yourself a man if you haven't imagined, right? Haven't thought about the allure.. of forbidden fruit?"

: "I mean, yeah... But I'm not sure if that really applies here. What's the allure of imagining yourself being with someone that won't enjoy being with you? It just seems hollow." He shrugs.

: Felix lands countless free combos as you're distracted. "Well.. who did you imagine before Noriko, eh? I'm sure you had a style.. maybe a pop star idol, eh? <Very cute!>"

: Kane laughs a little. "Nah, that's Akio for you.. he has evolved beyond us simple men.. he is an ultimate gentleman."

: Akio keeps up with muscle memory alone, interrupting Felix's combos and starts laying into him. "That's different! There's a chance those girls would've wanted to be with me. That chance is very important."

: "Hmm.. which girls?" Trap sprung!

: "T-That's not important! ...and I've already mentioned them, you figure it out."

: "Come on man, not schoolgirls, girl girls!" A fine distinction. He continues: "When I was a kid.. I always really liked that actress who played Oni Baba, Kiyoko something.. you know, from that old show? Always treated her monsters like her kids, real nice and horrible at the same time. But they couldn't put on enough make up or costume to hide how she really looked.." A bond shared by boys! Dangerous Chemistry! Alchemical Rangers Z!! was THE show for young boys back when you all would have been 10.

: Felix laughs and passes off the controller as he loses to Akio. "The lady monsters were usually really cute. And the two rangers.."

(CONTINUED)

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 00:49 on Dec 7, 2018

# ¿ Nov 30, 2018 04:31

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

quote:

Saturday, May 23rd

Akio's Guy Talk

: "Kiyoko something, eeh?" Akio mutters and puts down his controller. Without saying another word he gets up and starts rifling through the drawer below his TV. "It should be... Aha!" he exclaims as he finds what he was looking for. He turns around with a broad grin, holding a large box set, the special deluxe collector's edition of Alchemical Rangers Z! Containing all four seasons, the movie, the mini-series, the soundtrack, behind the scenes footage, cut material and bloopers, action figures, and more. And to top it off, it's been signed by the entire main cast! "It's Kiyoko Reina, you philistine!" Akio laughs as he shows off his prized collection, pointing to one of the names on the box. "Good choice though..." he nods approvingly. "But I was always a green ranger man myself, she was such a badass."

: It's true. Despite the ridiculous costume, Kiyoko has a perfect hourglass figure. Just being 35 isn't enough to turn boys away from her! Kane tilts his hat upwards to give you a full glare! "You drat know it all nerd.. !" Whatever the order of play is at the moment, he snatches up a controller and chuckles while selecting Black Hat Matron again.. but this time in Glass Cannon Style! Insane offense, crazy low defense and HP!

: Felix laughs. "Green eh, not bad?"

: As you size up another battle beyond belief Hanae stops in, sweeps the dishes and drops off some colas. Amazing! "Having fun, boys?" Your pals offer up a pair of "Yes ma'am"s and Hanae waits for your reply in particular, giving you an unusually kind smile. She seems more feminine these days.. matronly.. once satisfied she departs again. As she leaves your arcane senses pick up an underbreath "those women all have the most ridiculous boobs... Chhh, boys!"

: "Yes, Hanae, and thanks!" Akio replies to his step mom, smiling back at her. Her behaviour seemed mildly suspicious to him, but he was in high spirits and didn't think any more of it. Her nigh inaudible parting comments elicits a shrug from him as he turns his attention back to the game. "Oh?" He raises an eyebrow as he notices Kane's character selection. "Are you sure about that, Kane? She's the polar opposite of the no-skill hyper-armor sluggers you usually play, you know. I won't think less of you if you want to back down..." Akio chuckles darkly as he selects his main, the tiny dark gnome Black Hat, for a lethal instagib showdown! "Because there's only room for one Black Mage in this city!"

: "The only no-skill hyper-armor around here is for your unstoppable mouth.." Kane licks his lips once as the round countdown starts. As it begins he immediately drops a Mage's Circle and begins unleashing advanced magic missile and lightning bolt volleys! A low oooh rises from Felix at the advanced inputs on display!

: "Hoh, someone's been practicing!" Akio blocks the magic missile barrage with rapid castings of minute shield as he dashes forward through the lightning bolts. He quickly closes the distance, charging up a maximized fireball on the move, and unleashes it at close range!

: Passing through the Mage Circle, BH Matron teleports away and renews her assault! Kane sighs as he works the inputs to launch fresh attacks from the other side of the field. "Y'know Akio, you're pretty lucky.. "

: "Interesting theory." Redirect! Steal Enchantment! Twin Cast! The smaller Black Hat turns her fireball around and sends it after Matron, then enters the mage circle and assumes control of it! Empowered by the circle, she then twins the fireball and sends another copy at her opponent. "Care to elaborate?"

: "Nice mom, nice house, nice girlfriend.. nice bit of talent.. it goes to your head a bit I think.. " Making a Concentration Check into a Perfect Guard, BH Matron loses half her health in a flash. "Guys like me gotta get by on nothing but skill!" Shifting his arm and moving his hand, he wouldn't! He would! Kane takes a claw hand stance and doubles his previous assault! Only by abandoning comfort and humanity could inputs be made this quickly!

-The impossible onslaught of screen filling projectiles threatens to overwhelm! You could use Arcane to decipher a path despite all this.. but things slow down in your perception as you become aware of a new consideration: Should you? To do this would push past what you're naturally able to do presently and be using magic in the real world to win a contest... like if Takashi moved and leapt at .attak's limits IRL. He'd exceed any world record!

: "Yeah, uh, my actual mom is dead. But please, go on about how easy my life has been, since you seem to know all about it." Akio replies sourly, starting to get fed up with Kane's poo poo. He'd like nothing more than to crush him in the game right now, but going so far as using supernatural powers to do so? No way. He's not a cheater, and he never took the easy way out. He'd delete his rear end the old fashioned way, using his nimble fingers and the skills he'd honed to perfection.

: "Sorry, didn't know, bro.." Kane keeps his cool and maintains the pro-level barrage. It seems like he's been striving to emulate a pro player's Spell Parry Storm! Your senses are briefly overwhelmed, your eyes wash over for a second! It's too many drat sprites and effects flashing on the screen! Kane Bluff 34

: "It's fine." Akio sighs, feeling deflated and annoyed at himself for snapping at his friend again. "I guess I overreacted. Don't worry about it." He tries his best to avoid all the projectiles on the screen, but it barely even seemed possible. Insight: 1d20+22 27

Insight: Your senses can't discern anything unusual. Some of the extra strong bolts rip through your health rapidly. You're both in a danger zone.. but even holding back, your raw "talent" won't beat this barrier. But Ambrose, a reflection of your soul and its limitless potential... Will you use full strength Arcane? Discerning the strands of possibility as they're woven.. time is made of tangible things that follow rules. You're reminded of the aftermath of the giant guardian Headcount, woven reality itself. That was Isabelle's Arcane.

: They wouldn't even be playing the same game anymore if he did. No, he already had made up his mind, he wasn't going to cheat to beat Kane. All he can do is to try to throw another fireball or two, but the match seemed like a foregone conclusion.

: The claw hand prevails! The unorthodox method to maximize repeated spell patterns overwhelms! Kane grins when as the victory screen pops up and Matron produces an animated tea set to celebrate with. "Hey, good rounds, man." He offers you a little handshake for no hard feelings. In the mind's eye, Ambrose stands before a swirling cacophony of shadows. A warped voice drifts through: "So you can hold back, huh?"

: "Nngh, dammit!" Trying to win until the very end, Akio grimaces as he suffers bitter defeat. As Kane offers him a handshake he takes it with a firm grasp. "Not my best showing... Well played." Before letting go, he gives him an incredulous look. "So, tell me, how the hell did you manage that? Don't get me wrong, you used to be pretty good at the game, but that was a few levels beyond 'pretty good'!"

: Kane goes with an aww-shucks grin. "Well, it's just what I can do when I get serious, is all.."

: Felix chuckles and shakes his head. "He's been practicing for two weeks straight." Kane peers over and gives Felix the frowning of a lifetime.

: "Haha, I figured as much." Akio chuckles, thankful that Felix had decided to let that little secret slip, then pats Kane on the back. "Lighten up Kane, there's no shame in practicing to get better. Still, uh, two weeks? Shouldn't you have been studying for mid-terms two weeks ago?" He smiles with concern.

: Kane shrugs. "I don't think that poo poo matters too much." Felix shares a raised eyebrow of concern with you out of Kane's line of sight.

: Akio returns Felix's look before turning his attention back to Kane. "Hmm, Madoka didn't seem to care much about mid-terms either. She bombed really hard... But don't you think that's kinda short sighted? You're closing a whole lot of doors if you don't take your studies seriously. She asked me to help her study, I could lend you a hand too if you want?"

: Chuckling again, Kane passes the controller off to Felix. "Don't worry about me."

: Felix shifts to a new character, the underutilized feral shaman, Bone Mask. "He's right you know, your grades are no laughing matter."

: Kane sighs and leans back on the couch. ".. and you're seeing Madoka too, huh? Really lucky.. sorry about earlier, Akio. But your.. stepmom? She's nice. My mom always looks like at me like I made a mistake."

: Felix checks the move list in-game. The totem cycles and spirit cancels are tricky! "My parents always dote on me, it's a bit embarrassing."

: "Woa-uh! I'm not seeing Madoka, okay?" Well, technically he did see her alright... N-No! "A-Anyway," he continues, trying to hide his embarassment and redirect his train of thought. "I know that look, Kane. Hanae hasn't always been like this. We got the news that she's pregnant recently, so I guess she's trying to be more motherly or something..." Akio shrugs. "What about the rest of your family, do you have any siblings, a father?" He selects the lithe necromancer clad in dark elegant robes and a purple hat and waits for Felix to finish preparing. "Heh, that sounds like how it was when I grew up, Felix. It's embarrassing, but the good kind of embarrassing, you know?"

: "You're not seeing her, you just study with her, spar with her, and she makes you lunches, eh.. I'm going to need a word stronger than lucky, Akio." Kane laughs, then stops abruptly. "Ah, look, it's just me and my mother. It's down right lonely compared to you two guys." You and Felix exchange a storm of terrible hexs and curses.

: "We haven't studied yet, and it was only one lunch! And only because... Hold on a second, how did you find out about that anyway!?" Akio almost breaks out in a sweat. "I'm with Noriko, ok? And things are going pretty great, so keep your fantasies to yourself!" He hammers away at his controller, assaulting Felix with wicked magic and a horde of spooky scary skeletons. "Just you and your mom, huh? That does sound pretty lonely... Has it always been like that?"

: "Yup." A grunt of an answer.

: "Alright." It seemed like that was all he was gonna get out of Kane today, and Akio didn't wish to pry any further. He plays a few more rounds of Hex Maidens with his friends, challenging Kane to a rematch or two to try to regain some of his lost honor (without resorting to using his unfair powers, of course), then invites them to stay for dinner. Afterwards, he suggests they binge watch Alchemical Ranger Z for a nostalgia fuelled evening.

: The fellows stay as late as they're able and have a good time! Once the two are out the door and you've gone back inside, Kane looks to Felix and sighs, shaking his head. "I guess you guys just go for it, huh... well, me too." He slides his phone out and thumbs through it, sending off a message, to Felix's curiosity.

^{Thou shalt have the blessing of the Justice arcana...}

Relationships with other guys feel tricky! Like you're constantly testing each other to set a pecking order. But there's also the bonds of camaraderie.. your power tied to the Justice arcana rises to Rank 2! Support Persona of the Justice arcana have a +2 Attack/Damage/Healing bonus!

: ... Once your friends are gone you can overhear Hanae on her phone talking to your father: "You should've seen me.. I was a real "cool mom" today!"

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Dec 7, 2018

# ¿ Nov 30, 2018 04:31

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

House of Fortune, The Vault, May 15

Noriko: Jubilette sends you a single line in response to your add-on output:

quote:

: "Forgetting about your Surges, scrub?"

: After a few moments of silence a bashful looking Bobbins steps back onto the platform, his hands clasped together and his index fingers tapping at the fingertips. "Forgive my impatience earlier. You'll need to find the Sphere of Authority to advance! We'll be waiting for you, yes!" Blushing despite the impossible aspects involved, he leaves again.

: "You're killing the mood, Bob.."

---

Music

Heading away from the ethereal vault you come to the end of a massive automated sorting and shipping line. Presumably NPCs or Alts would be taking care of the products being shuffled around here if the place wasn't under siege. You stand on one side of a massive pitfall leading to water hundreds of feet below. A massive outgoing tunnel spews water into the depths endlessly. Nearby is a massive set of pillars around an altar identical to the one you need to access to enter the ethereal vault. It is unfortunately identical to the point that you need a command sphere to use it as well. It seems less daunting and important than the Ethereal Vault Lock, at least..

Also nearby are bulging chests of treasure stuffed with great mounds of mixed coins and astral diamonds! When all is said and done you each gain 11,735 Gold after a split! Ka-Ching! Guess they really didn't expect anyone to get this far!

The main attraction is the great magically guided chain contraption endlessly looping before you. It moves the large golden blocks used to construct this gaudy fortress. Without anyone to stop and unload the machine it rotates clockwise, endlessly. The blocks are not damaged by the formidable giant bat statues firing off scanning lasers that sweep the full vertical length of the assembly in four checkpoints. You get the feeling you would not be so lucky, being animate and alive and all!

The way forward is to the West, past this crazy contraption. The tunnel of out-flowing water is large enough for multiple creatures to enter it but it is a powerful current and there is no safe way to reach it. You need to cross the expanse!

The dark shaded water area is 200 feet below.

The chains, moving blocks, laser sentries and flowing water tunnel are all at the same level as the two golden walkways.

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 02:31 on Jan 12, 2019

# ¿ Nov 30, 2018 05:41

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

House of Fortune, The Vault, May 15

Music

Everyone: FWIW, Reddit and Weasel each got a .75 share of the gold.

Noriko: No response...

Using the ritual produces a tangible pulse of flickering light with an audible zwooahhunnnhh, like a more obvious representation of a classic bat's sonar ping. Nothing comes of it though. Just seems to make a bit of notice and noise. You cross the gap and the contraption without a problem!

: Weasel follows along through the portal, coming out with a drunken wobble and teeter. "Not bad! I didn't think ya had it in ya to sneak!" As before his eyes bulge when he recognizes the bursting chests overflowing with piles of coins! He digs through them rapidly and the party loot automatically splits things down the middle. He pauses and holds up a tangible piece of loot! "Uhh-yah.. up for grabs, eh?"

quote:

Ring of Fury (Level 14, Paragon Tier)

A ruby-framed band mixed with black-diamond glass in smaller amounts. It gleams with hate.
Passive: +2 Intimidate
Daily: (Free) When you are first Bloodied in an Encounter, make two Basic Attacks.

Everyone: You gain an additional 17,210 Gold each! Incredible!

---

Everyone: You can double back and continue investigating things or take alternate routes at any time.

Heading down the Southwest path you come to a hallway that passes along several sealed corridors behind imposing, massive golden gates that are ridiculously locked down. It screams of inaccessible area like any good video game. The one path you can take passes among a trio of chambers...

The first holds a set of low-level Isabelle and Braxienne alts set in crafting loops, oblivious to your presence. They're split between two chambers cramped for efficiency where they endlessly take piles of mundane jewelry, enchant it to the weakest and most mundane state of possessing magical properties and then set them under desk-mounted apparati that destroy the freshly forged gear. Additional gizmos capture the moment of destruction and the discharged magical essence and somehow harvest it, passing it along multiple streaming pipes to the second chamber.

Inside the second chamber is a large chamber where the sum of the work is being condensed into very slowly weaving and empowering every freshly manifested star-leather strap of a new suit of hide armor is being conjured from thin air by a ridiculously complicated weaving device. The finer materials are already present and permanently locked in. It simply requires a preposterous amount of time, delicate effort and constant burning of lesser materials to continue crafting and enhancing the piece of Hide Armor. You can't quite ID the properties of it without removing it from the delicate machine. It seems to be about +4 Hide Armor... and the material is clearly of the elusive Astral Stalker, synthesizing each individual strip of a creature they don't actually have the skinned hide of.

You can remove the armor at any time to loot it but it doesn't appear to be finished yet.

The third chamber houses a finished piece on display. It is of amazing craftsmanship.

quote:

Magic-Eater's Mantle of Chaos(+5 Efreetweave Cloth Armor (Level 21))

A loose pairing of flowing vest and long kilt forged of naturally heated materials from Planes of Fire and threaded with rare reagents and metals that only occur in asteroids sailing through the Elemental Chaos. A master craftsman has imbued a unique augment into this piece!

Efreetweave Passive: AC Bonus +1, +1 Will
Daily: Devour Magic - (Minor) Ranged 5, Target one Conjuration or Zone, Primary + 2 vs Will of Target's Creator. Hit: The target is destroyed. All its effects end, including those that a save can end.
Daily: Invert Resistance - (Minor) Ranged 5, 1 Target. Target loses their Resistances and gains Vulnerable 5 to the Damage types it had Resistance against(Save ends both.) Does not work on Immunity, Reflect or Absorb.

Whatever you do here it seems there's nothing to stop you from moving on.

---

The hall opens into a foreboding, super-wide area ringed with gold at every turn and made doubly glorious by being ringed with rarer platinum! You can see the silhouette of a beautiful giant fountain producing water that falls in arcs to fill small man-made river sections that eventually vanish into the floor. You figure this is where the outflow tunnel connects.

: "... Hey! Be careful! This area's really weird! It has crazy enchantments out the wazoo!" Sure enough you can see a palpable heaviness in the air of the open area verses the hallway you now stand in. Just stepping into the next chamber seems to diminish your ability to act! (Applies Weakness and Vuln 10 UEOE, No Save!) "And that's not all.. this is like a craftman's terrace.. or a craftsgod's! There's this weird aura that gives friendlies something called Divine Rank 1? Huh? Well.. you just need a sphere, right? Keep an eye out cause we're definitely not friendlies!"

In the distance you can hear the occasional odd moan, low whine or even muted sniffing. Maybe some mumbling, a chuckle or two. There are raised walls, terraces and decorative pieces as well as new crafting devices, some empty, some not, standing between you and the source of the noise.

(Next map section coming up automatically.)

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 02:32 on Jan 12, 2019

# ¿ Dec 1, 2018 05:08

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

House of Fortune

(Copying some Discord skill check results. Changed room layout very slightly as I made it. Mostly removed the low wall at the front. All walls are floor to ceiling and block LOS and physically, just like any decent wall should!)

Dungeoneering: You can peer around the walls while staying in cover to look for the source of the noise!

Tsukiyo Stealth 34

Thaddeus is patrolling around a crafting station that he occasionally stops to tend to, either concentrating on a correction or briefly focusing arcane power into it. There's a sphere the size of an apple on his belt...

Arcana: Divine Rank was a category of power level for deific bonus bosses from the DDW dev's last game, a 4 player dungeon crawler. It should be a relic of an older system and a status reserved exclusively for raid boss tier challenges. Anything with Divine Rank acts as though it were a God, including acts of omnipotent creation and destruction. This seems to be tied to the limited artifact crafting Isabelle does, though you don't want to think what it might do for Thaddeus and his "world's best DPS!"

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 01:06 on Dec 5, 2018

# ¿ Dec 2, 2018 15:22

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

House of Fortune, The Vault, May 15

Thaddeus Music!

^{<Young Master> Thaddeus <of Dragonsblood> [ORDER]}

Can it really be!? One of ORDER's big shots, marching about like he owns the place in the middle of your big heist!? He looks exactly like what you'd expect of a Kobold Sorcerer that isn't a low-level antagonist... snooty, three feet tall, wearing fine cloth and magical accessories in every slot and a sheathed dagger at his side, the raw magical power pulsating within it the real prize over any ability to cut. His red scales, ascended draconic features and loud-mouthed declarations really seal the deal! This red-dragon blooded little guy wants you to know he's the baddest magic user around! The scary bit is that the community knows it: his math is used for all epic-tier damage dealers, even to the point that several melee builds rely on his knowledge of criss-crossing item, feat, paragon path and persona elemental damage combos. As fitting of the leader of the Dragonsblood Tribe and their gimmicks of unison and Tiamat worship, he's not going to settle for just fireballs! Weaving multiple elemental types is the foundation of weakness explotation, after all.

: "This is real bad!" Weasel curses over party chat!

: "Aiyaaa! He's got the key! And these effects are crazy!"

: "Foshhahhh!" A very Kobold expression of frustration punctuated by a small fire-breath exhale! Thaddeus marches around the podium, his attention deeply focused on the magical energies being woven around an ethereal blade atop it. He channels a stream of everfrost into it, then stops to admire the effect. He coos and lets out a high hum of satisfaction. "Those idiots! Losing the front door of the House on the last day of my craft work..." He whips around and yells at the walls! "WELL THEY WON'T GET BY ME! I'll guard it myself! Lets see them try anything under these fields, heh heh heh.." He marches around, occasionally glancing to the side or looking over his shoulder. Sometimes he palms the sphere of authority, a nervous tic.

---

Regular Music!

A wide open area where several odd devices and displays loom over the fine gold-work architecture. The golden bat guardians from before loom over several points but are not active or firing lasers.

Luckily Thaddeus can't see you. There are a few pillars in the main halls and lots of walls and crevices, but overall the central area is very wide open. Several stretches of the floor(the blue ice/glass tiles) are made of thick decorative glass. They will support weight normally but are distinct from the rest of the thicker stone. Beneath the glass you can see running water as part of the decorative fountain system!

A strange looming contraption to the South seems direly ominous. It has a plaque describing a "Cursing Station." How vague!

There is a very large fountain point set up to the West. You can freely enter any of the water tiles but they are Difficult Terrain and are about four feet deep. With an Athletics DC 30 you can enter any blue gate and emerge from another blue gate next Round/after a bit of time. You can also leap into any body of water and "give up", letting yourself get carried to the Outflow Tunnel from the last map!

There's a great deal of treasure to the North. There's a very large decorative statue that appears to be an inactive construct made of brass/copper and the like in a steampunk design. A single unpaired Bat Guardian looms over a set of three treasure chests and a massive visible death field protects a finished artifact and some heaping bags of gold.

Further in is an odd device that is completely unlabeled. The massive pair of magical engines connected to it offer no hint to their purpose due to their odd non euclidean designs. They connect to a single coffin that bears a similarity to the glass coffins that surround the "asleep" in Other spaces. The material is clearly different as well as opaque. The coffin is shut, masking the contents.

Your finely honed adventurer's instincts tell you there must be more treasure here, including the artifact Thaddeus himself is weaving! A large fountain stands at the center of the area. Thaddeus himself is standing by a podium about two feet tall that holds the weapon he is crafting. Surrounding it are six thick pillar bases tall and wide enough to count as cover for Medium Creatures.

Further screenies for reference.

: "Just tell me if ya need me ta do anything!" Whatever you may think of him, good ol' Weasel does bring some of that classic Rogue utility!

quote:

Weasel: HP: 81/81, AC/F/R/W 26/24/29/24, Speed 6, Initiative +17, Atk +18/Imp +15, 1d4+11 Dam
Acro+22, Ath+15, Stealth+22, Thievery+24 [X] Second Wind
Cues: Flank, Melee, Ranged
Encounter Cues: Dazing, Blind 1, ~~Action Point~~
Daily Cues: Blind CB3, Mark from Ally, ~~Mark from Self~~, Difficult Terrain Burst 2

: "I know you guys are some real badasses.. but you're already under the dampening effect!(Weakened + Vuln 10 UEOE!)" Redd psyches herself up to a more determined tone of voice! "But we got this, Headcount was the real hurdle! All you have to do is take that sphere and get out of that room! I believe in you! And.. you've still got my Daily, right!? Even if your Damage is blocked, keep your CC effects in mind!" She thinks thoughtfully for a bit, hmmming over mic. ".. Thaddeus isn't a prominent PvPer, everybody knows him as a big roleplayer. I.. don't think he'll fall for that right now though. What you should really know is he's a big Sorcerer. He can probably fly, teleport and do a lot of multi-target and AoE. Luckily you can't min-max that hard and be the best at out of combat stuff.. try to find some gaps in what he can do!"

---

Weasel Stealth 41

Tsukiyo and Weasel are currently Stealthed and not noticed by Thaddeus.

Tsukiyo: (You can start at Crowley's current position if you want.)

Everyone: You have Weakened + Vuln 10 UEOEncounter. As there is currently no need for Round by Round Actions, you can generally state what you do as well as make multiple Moves/Actions/Checks and so on. You can order Weasel around too! If you do something that prompts a Reaction from Thaddeus or a Skill Check Reaction from you I will try to rapidly prompt you in Discord.

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 02:34 on Jan 12, 2019

# ¿ Dec 5, 2018 01:42

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

House of Fortune, The Vault, May 15

quote:

Mortify: Okay, I cast my vision 5 squares closer to him after moving the maximum distance towards him I can without exposing my position and then my passive perception is 32. What's he working on.

It is a bladed edge. The final form is yet to be determined. If Thaddeus finishes it himself it will undoubtedly be an Implement Dagger.

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 00:25 on Dec 7, 2018

# ¿ Dec 5, 2018 15:39

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

House of Fortune, The Vault, May 15

When you Teleport you produce a muted pulse in the area around you that doesn't go very far, similar to when you produced the ritual in the previous area, though that made a much bigger and louder pulse. Thaddeus doesn't react to this small pulse.

The machine has a platform large enough for a person to stand on to the left and three smaller spots that look like output nodes to the right. There aren't any obvious controls coming from the arcane eye on the northern part but it hums with ambient magical energy. Your baseline Arcanas are sufficient to interface with the projected holoscreens typical of Isabelle's designs. However, there remains the issue of your talent as craftsmen! You can interact with something placed on the left platform, presumably something cursed... but you're not sure what will happen as it is powered by the user's magical skill.

# ¿ Dec 6, 2018 00:19

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

House of Fortune, The Vault, May 15

Tsukiyo: The massive copper-bronzeworks statue is huge but surprisingly light for the size. It feels like a single person with decent Strength could push it freely, although generating a great deal of noise in doing so. A trio of untrapped chests sit temptingly nearby under the watchful eye of one of the great Bat Guardian statues, currently inert. The death field hums as you'd expect it to, a neon red field of magical energy promising a swift end to the foolish. There's no sign of controls or any way to interact with the field.

Noriko: You decide to play with fire, sending Crowley to address Thaddeus directly. At the sign of the crow flying in and then the spoken parley, Thaddeus whips around in a startled spin to face the source of the noise! His jaw flexes in a large grimace before he raises a single talon. "Know this, minion of malice! Any true-hearted address to one of Draconic Lineage would be delivered in person and with sizable tribute!" He's clearly hostile yet there's something about the change in his voice, the forced straightening of his back, the attempt to seize heroic posture and to speak clearly from the chest... Thaddeus does not use voice filtering so this is somebody sitting at their monitor giving it the full bravado of a How To Speak In Public lecture! "I know of your vile machinations and I will not be so deceived!" He thrusts the extended talon forward in a point and Crowley inflates with burning energy for a split second before exploding into a fully cooked and headless cartoon chicken, landing at the foot of the statue with a gentle tinkle on the glass tile and a quiet sizzling. Crowley has been slain!

: However! He's still in character! Thaddeus raises both hands skyward and looks around in a slow loop, his attention taken away from his surroundings! He paces back and forth, staying in place. "Witch! If you would bargain with me, have the courage to do so! No Red will suffer the insult of a such a lowly messenger!"

# ¿ Dec 6, 2018 23:20

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

House of Fortune, The Vault, May 15

quote:

"he was showing you a gesture of respect and submission and you attacked him for no reason. if anything, it was confirmation that my caution was warranted... Imperious. Egotistical. Brash..." she makes a thoughtful noise. "...it's almost as if you strive to live up to the stereotype."

: "Stereotype!? This is the TRUTH! of my being! I am of chromatic blood and red heritage! Pitiful mortal, to step before me without an offering for my horde!? A feather from a familiar!? Bah! You'll not hoodwink THADDEUS DRAGONSBLOOD!" He raises his hands, casts his gaze to the South and activates an item! ^{"TRUE SIGHT!"} An emblem of an eye of truth manifests over his forehead as he glares from side to side.

quote:

"you clearly know you're being invaded, and my allies aren't far behind. if we want to have a productive discussion, it's better that we get it out of the way before they get here... i think you'll find the rest of my friends are less amenable to conversations with the enemy. scouting ahead affords me... certain opportunities that might otherwise be missed. do you understand what i am getting at? i'm here for personal gain, you're here to make sure yours doesn't get erased. so why not talk it out like civilized adults?"

: Bluff: "If you want to have a productive discussion, appear before me and make your offer! I have cards in my hand and you're stalling with a bird and parlor tricks!" He certainly believes you're alone. "And let your friends come. Perhaps I'll find you all and show you how a superior mind attains flight while raining your doom upon you..."

Thaddeus remains greatly distracted yet has True Sight and is watching the South. Weasel slides away as Thaddeus steps a bit closer and faces him, remaining safe in physical Stealth and behind generous amounts of cover. Likewise Itsumi and Akio aren't seen through the walls.

Flagelo: The coffin remains inscrutable. There seems to be no obvious use or controls for it. Just a massive device with a single coffin-shaped input/output. At least there's some untrapped treasure nearby!

Takashi: The Death Field simply exists. It is pure magic. The artifact stand doesn't seem trapped but perhaps Isabelle thought anything beyond the Death Field was very redundant. You psionically ferry loot twice, drawing 2,000 gold out of the treasure piles. Although this evades the Death Field it will take forever to claim the full sum..

Akio: There are simple enchantments in the style of reactionary if commands. Based on proximity these will produce laser fields if you attempt to damage the Cursing Station. The others are probably similar, reacting if "misdeeds" are committed to their linked stations. Thaddeus might invoke them as well, also based on proximity.

# ¿ Dec 10, 2018 05:44

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

House of Fortune, The Vault, May 15

Tsukiyo: You immediately seize another 1,700 Gold Per Player! However you'll need to dedicate a bit of time to rounding up the bigger clump of loot!

: "Don't be shy!" Thaddeus starts turning to face the North!

---

quote:

Sunday May 24

: At school on Saturday during lunch break, Akane and Noriko notice an attractive older boy heading around the room after talking to a small group of freshmen girls. Seems to be the same type of popular doofus as Takashi.

: "That guy's such a weirdo.." Your BFF munches on some vending machine chips while watching him go, her eyes narrowed to match a cat's focused curiosity.

: "eh?" Noriko looks up from her phone as the sound of a blood-curdling scream quietly echoes from her phone's speaker. "...ah, no, i missed it...!" pausing the clip, she glances at the boy. "what's his story? i don't really pay much attention to that sort of boy... popular kids are really strange." Tapping her phone for a moment so the screen doesn't autolock, the frame is paused at the tail end of a brutal chain-sawing.

: "He's on the student council and every time he sees me he acts like he has to be somewhere else!" She crosses her arms and glares him right out of the cafeteria, though admittedly he just walks away with her eyes fixed to his back. "Oooh, if, if he's gonna act like I set his cat on fire or stole his lunch.. maybe he should let me do it first!"

: "... Which one? It's hard to tell with you" Akane casts a chip at Hideaki's face, slaying him for his valiant chop busting.

: "ehhh???" she looks up at him creeping on the table of girls and back to Akane. "that's weird... he looks like the type who can't leave a cute girl alone... if he's on the student council... heh heh, maybe he's afraid of Takano?"

: "Ohh! You think? I mean.." She frames her face with her hands, bats her eyes and shifts her shoulders for a nice chest jiggle. "I'm freaking adorable!" Ichiro finishes mad creepin' and heads down a hallway, leaving the lunchroom.

: Noriko nods in the affirmative. "...you might even be the cutest girl at school! certainly in your age group!" she blurts out the compliments and immediately feels embarassed!! "...um... do you think i should put a tail on him?" she shoots a glance to the window where Crowley is perched, who is staring longingly at an unattended container of French Fries he can't reach.

: Waiting for Hideaki to be distracted chatting to Sato about something, Akane leans over to whisper to you. "Sure, what good's being a witch if you don't use it to meddle..?" Before she pulls back she gives Noriko's cheek a little kiss!

: Noriko turns a shade of red, shrinking inward a little as she squeezes Akane's hand under the table. "b-baka..." Nodding to Crowley, the bird takes one last, wistful look at the unattainable fries and heads off after Ichiro

: Hideaki and Sato look over to you two. "Huh?" "Hmm? Who's an idiot?"

: Shadowing Ichiro, Crowley observes the older boy cornering Itsumi alone in a hallway and asking her with a leer: "Hey, are you done with those write ups? Hattori will be on my butt if anything's out of place! It sure is a lot of work with that field trip, hmm?" As always, Ichiro has dumped his Student Council responsibilities onto Itsumi.

: "I'm working on it! I've had a lot of work with my classes too!" Itsumi says

: "You should have plenty of time with how much you're avoiding me, Kasaya." He laughs and passes a folder to Itsumi. "More work coming, all the sports clubs will have regionals soon.. be a dear, K?" He stalks off, not even waiting for your agreement!

: Itsumi snatches the folder and stomps away, heading somewhere to look it over.

: Akane nudges Noriko: "Well? What's it look like.. as the bird flies?"

: "...hmmm." Noriko looks stern for a long moment before looking at her phone. "oooooooh. ooooooooooh.... i don't like that man." She grabs her phone and her things, shooting a concerned look to Akane. "i gotta go take care of something. i'll fill you in later, okay?"

: Akane shares your concern. ".. Kay."

: Noriko smiles to Akane. "thanks. i'll talk to you soon, ok?" with a quick bow, she heads out of the cafeteria, following Crowley's path to wherever Itsumi went off to hide.

: Noriko finds Itsumi sitting on a bench, leafing through the pages that Ichiro handed her. She looks up as Noriko approaches.

: "hey, itsumi..." she raises her hand in greeting. "...what are you doing?" the question is more of a statement, really, her tone seeming less inquisitive and more accusatory. "i saw that boy push that stack of work on you."

: "Oh, nothing. He's just on the student council and gives me work to do to help keep it going," Itsumi replies calmly.

: Noriko shakes her head. "come on, Itsumi... that's not what it looked like, or how it sounded..." walking over to a nearby window, she cracks it a couple of inches and a moment later, Crowley pokes his head through the gap, repeating the conversation, verbatim, even getting the voices right! "...to note, i was spying on him, not you. but, um... if you want to talk about what's really going on, maybe i can help you. and, um... maybe you can help me with a problem i'm having too."

: Looking up, Itsumi pauses for a second before replying softly, "Well, he's been forcing me to do pretty much all of his work... what kind of problem are you having though??"

: "...forcing you?" Noriko looks incredulous, but continues. "...when we were in the house of fortune, you made an off-handed comment after my class change... i did cut another deal. without hesitation. and then shortly after, i did it again. i owe a terrible thing something terrible."

: "That sounds really scary... what kind of help do you need..?"

: "i've been mulling it over in my head... what to do... how to approach it. there's only one other person who knows about the deal, and... um. they can't help me. i don't think anyone else in our group can either... what i was asked to do is mean. cruel. don't take this the wrong way... but i saw you in the house of fortune. i think you can do what needs to be done. the others are... weak, at least when it comes to this sort of thing. i need to ruin someone close to us. i need to do so much damage that they never want to see any one of us ever again." she crosses her arms. "the spirit told me to sever one of our bonds of fate. i thought about setting the gym at nekketsu on fire, but... i like those people too much. i need better targets. now that that's out... what's going on with you and that boy? why are you letting him push you around?" Noriko frowns. "i just don't get it... it doesn't seem like you."

: "So... I think the problem is that he likes me too much. He keeps making passes on me, wanting to make me date him... holding things over my head that I really don't want to get out."

: "...that's really gross. blackmailing you to do his work, and to try to get you to date him? that's the worst kind of man... what a creep." Noriko pauses, hesitating for a moment. "um. i don't want to pry, but... what is he holding over your head? i understand if you don't want to tell me... but maybe it could help." she shrugs.

: Itsumi gulps. "I um... so back when I was at my old school, there was this boy, Asahiko. I really, really liked him, but he had a girlfriend... Kikue. I um... well, to get with him..." she pauses a second. "I spread some rumors about her, and she got ostracized from the rest of the class... she ended up..." A brief pause. "Well... she ended up killing herself..." Another pause. "I mean... I didn't mean to make her do it! I just wanted Asahiko! I had no way of knowing she'd do anything like that..."

: Noriko stares for a long moment before softly clapping her hands. "impressive cruelty. i was right about you, heheh. it seems like you're quite entangled. i can see why you wouldn't want that to get out. it'd really change things for you..."
All of a sudden, her eyes go wide, and her expression seems to twist, a cruel grin forming. "...sever a bond of fate... oh, Itsumi... i bet we can go after him. take care of both of our problems at once."

: "Well... I wasn't trying to..." she trials off before responding to her proposition, "Severing a bond of fate? What were you thinking of doing?"

: "let's turn the tables on him. he thinks he has dirt on you, well, a creep like that... there's got to be a lot to blackmail him with. and if that doesn't work... well, he knows what you're capable of, heh heh. we'll ruin his life if we have to. i want him to be so scared of us that he transfers schools when we're done with him."

: "That sounds like a good plan. He's been doing it to other girls too... I know of a couple already..."

: "he sounds like a greedy pig. like the kind of kid who's used to getting what he wants. i hate people like that." Noriko clenches her fist. "...so it's settled. we'll get leverage on him and crush him under our heels." Noriko reaches up to adjust her glasses, the lenses glinting in the light. "we'll ruin his life. make him feel so awful he throws money at us to make us go away, and then transfers schools just to be safe..." her tone seems to get more intense... "we have power, itsumi, dark, terrible power. we never have to put up with anyone pushing us around ever again! we can punish people like this, prune them from the tree of society before they go cancerous and rot us from the inside"

: Itsumi is a bit taken aback by how willing to exploit their power Noriko is, but she's willing to overlook it for the purposes of getting rid of Ichiro... after all, he would do so much worse if he was able to wield the power that she does. "Yeah... we really need to take care of him too. He's borderline abusing multiple girls... Lets get him!"

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 06:16 on Jul 1, 2019

# ¿ Dec 12, 2018 04:03

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

quote:

Friday Night, May 22

(A bit out of place but doesn't impact other events and just need to get it in the thread!)

: After the morning periods have ended, as students begin filing out of the room for lunch, Takashi catches Noriko's attention privately, "Excuse me, Nori-chan, <eto> I know this is out of the blue, but could you come to my house on Sunday for dinner with my family? I didn't want anyone to get left behind on the class trip, but my dad wanted to meet my friends," he laughs a bit at the uncomfortable nature of the conversation and bows his head slightly to her.

: Noriko seems impassive when Takashi approaches, but as he goes on, his track seems to have struck a nerve. "....left behind?" her financial circumstances hadn't escaped her, but she didn't make it a habit of talking about them at school. "...what are you implying?"

: "I'm saying that the trip is expensive and forcing that on the students and their families isn't fair," her question puts a bit of light into his eyes, "and while I wish I could, personally, afford to pay for everyone in our class, I can make sure that my friends get to go," he snorts a little, a soft exhalation of air through nostrils, "You're my friend, Noriko. Simple as that," his grin turns lopsided.

: Noriko's right eye seems to twitch ever so slightly as Takashi makes his pitch. Without saying anything, she reaches out to clasp him on the shoulder, her nails digging in and chilling him to the bone. "let's talk about this s�o?m?e?w??h??e??re? e?lse??." she releases her grip after a moment, leaving a tingling sensation where she'd touched. Walking down the hallway, she steps into an empty classroom and waits until the door is closed before addressing the issue with a cold, if slightly frantic tone. "...what makes you think I need your charity?!"

: Takashi follows, frowning slightly at the strangeness to Noriko's voice, and the feeling in his shoulder... maybe he had overdone it on the weights? Unlikely. He closes the door gently, not wanting a repeat of some of the theatrics he'd demonstrated in a similar classroom earlier this week. A fluttering thought of Takano's rare, private smile brings a similar smile to his face, which does not match the tone and question Noriko asks. "Need my charity? Ah, ah, sorry Nori-chan, I didn't mean to imply you needed anything from me... this topic is so indelicate," he frowns in a way that few people at school would have ever seen, "I just don't want my friends to miss out on such an important moment for our young lives. The trip wouldn't be the same without everyone there, and I know Akio won't enjoy himself if he can't share some sun and waves with you," a bit of smile returns to his expression, "everyone deserves a beach vacation."

: The edge of her right iris seems to quiver slightly. "so, what, you think my family can't provide for me?" she gives Takashi a scornful look. "what do you think you know about me, pochi-kun?"

: Her emotions painting her face, his smile wilts again, the deeper frown he rarely wears returning, "No I didn... I'm not trying to say... I guess I don't really know anything about you Noriko-san," his eyes fall to look at her shoes, "We play the game together where you're pretty much the best mage ever, I'm pretty sure you and Akio are dating now, uh, congrats," a brief smile returns to his face, but then is gone again, "I know you're in to the occult and flowers, but.... but I guess I don't know a whole lot else about you. But that was enough for me to think of you as a friend... we've been in those other places, and we look out for each other."

: "...then why assume that without your intervention I wouldn't be able to make the trip?" she frowns, crossing her arms. "...did Takano put you up to this? or Akane? or do you just spend time all on your own speculating which of your friends are less fortunate than you?"

: "What? No, the Hattori's didn't put me up to anything... and I don't sit... I don," he shakes his head, "you're right, of course, it was wrong of me to assume we were friends. If you're quite done making me feel like an idiot, I'm capable of beating myself up and you probably want to eat lunch. I'm sorry, Noriko-san."

: Somehow, Noriko frowns even harder. "...baka." she shakes her head. "of course we're friends. you just don't have any tact at all..." She sighs, softening her expression a bit. "...i don't know how you know i live in poverty and that makes me uncomfortable, to be blunt. if it's an assumption you made on your own it's incredibly rude." she looks off to the side. "...but it's still an accurate one. we can't really afford the trip. i wasn't planning on not attending, but i don't know where the money is going to come from."

: At the declaration that they are friends, some smile returns to his face, but not nearly the usual Takashi brightness, "It isn't exactly hard to guess how you live, Noriko, the signs are... well everywhere... if you're observant. Your clothes are at least a season old, your shoes are nice, but haven't been in fashion for at least a year..." nope, this is back into the hole, "ah, ah, but... I'm not trying to be rude, or tactless, or cruel, or anything like that... I just genuinely wanted our little group of friends together. You guys are all but family to me, and like I said, its not fair that the school offers no assistance to everyone for such an important moment in our young lives. If I could, I'd just pay for the entire class," he smirks, "but that's maybe still too ambitious for a first year."

: Noriko turns deep red, looking a bit like she's going to shrink within herself. After a long period of deadly, awkward silence, she mumbles something in a dire voice. "...zasshuken." with a cold look, she scolds Takashi. "that's one of the worst things anyone's ever said to me. nezumi. flea-bitten shiba." she looks off to the side, pouting slightly. "um... i didn't want to have to rob a bank or anything, so..." she trails off, leaving it unclear if she was joking. "if... if it's really okay, um... it would help my family a lot to not have to endure that burden." she rides out the embarassment by retreading her indignation. crossing her arms, still red in the face, she makes a proclaimation. "you'd better not think i owe you anything for this, pochi-kun! if anything, this makes us even after you said something so terrible!"

: "There are no debts between friends, Nori-chan," if she turns toward him, she'll have a moment to react before Takashi suddenly envelops her in a hug, "I'm sorry for saying cruel things, I hope you can forgive me," his voice at least sounds sincerely repentant!

: Noriko freezes in place as she's hugged! It's just like when you grab a cat by the scruff of it's neck! "b...b-b-baka!!! y-you can't just hug somebody!!!!" she says before making a weary sigh. "um... it's... it's okay, though. thank you... i'm glad i don't have to worry about this anymore."

: "I'm not just hugging somebody, I'm hugging you, baka!" all his earlier weariness is gone and full Takashi is returned. He squeezes the hug once more before releasing her, "Okay, so... before we go calling this done, you still need to come to dinner," he give her the time and address.

: "hrrrm... you're asking a lot. but... okay. i'll be there." she shrugs. "anything i should know about your family?"

: Rubbing the back of his head, Takashi softly laughs while looking away from her expression, "Ah, where to even start," Takashi will enumerate the members of his immediate family by name, "just be polite and you won't have anything to worry about! I'll be your backup!"

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 22:26 on Dec 27, 2018

# ¿ Dec 12, 2018 04:03

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

House of Fortune, The Vault, May 15

Music

: Entering combat, Thaddeus is radically empowered by five simultaneous auras erupting in the hues of Blue, Green, White, Black and a Metallic shimmer! Threads of red fate link him to each one in an instant! "You are unwise to compare me to that lone wolf." As Noriko appears before Thaddeus, he uses a Readied action to Telekinetically Grasp her! He pushes her to within two squares of him in a Restrained Grapple. The DC to escape the grapple is keyed to his Will Defense!

Thaddeus: HP: ???/??? AC/F/R/W 36/44/39/49

: He pauses for a moment. A moment long enough to make the delay seem weird... then he speaks! "What you see as.. erm, a fool chasing the best way to menace his fellows.. is a child's game. I am utterly unassailable in my mastery of the arcane!" .. Oh! He had to say it in-character! Despite his size, mannerisms and renowned goofiness there is overwhelming menace flooding off the stooped shoulders of this Kobold. He scowls at you with the intensity of a last boss. "Do you think Ailuridae are the only ones playing the Game? And I'm very well aware of the difficulties you are having at the moment with your combat prowess. Isabelle and I bound these arcane currents together, imbecile!"

His claw twitches. The raw force holding you flexes slightly. "Speaking in such a meta sense.. how unsightly. A pro never wears a Persona they can afford to lose. But you, I bet you know there's a lot more to lose if you get knocked down too many times, eh?"

Takashi: (As mentioned in Discord) The death field travels with the artifact! Moving it gives you a chance to see more of the outline and make out what it is... looks like a skull! Lucky thing too, that puts it well under your weight limit! You move the artifact to the side and clean out an additional 31,000 Gold! EACH!

Tsukiyo: Ganbare Noriko! As Thaddeus is completely distracted you seize another 17,000 Gold Each for the group!

In honor of Noriko's great sacrifice Weasel runs around one corner and starts the lucrative inner alcove looting, picking up another 9,000 Gold Each for everybody. Who knew raiding a giant treasure vault could be so profitable!?

You still need that Orb of Authority on Thaddeus' person and there's still a great deal of treasure left to pocket!

---

Sunday, May 24

Music

Everyone: With most of the day free you have some time to yourselves! Choose:

[ ] +1 to Academics OR Charm OR Courage

And one of:

[ ] Grind some cash (+4,000 Gold)
[ ] Summon a group of known Support Personas for free. Two 3-Stars and one 2-Star.

As well some things happen...

Akio: A good early morning relax extends to early afternoon as you laze it up a notch. Just when you're thinking to do another round of your favorite websites for some gaming news a dread voice rings out:

: "Akiooo! Do you want to head out to the mall with me? There's a good sale on men's wear at Junes!" Ah, a death sentence for any young man.

Itsumi: Waking up on this fine lazy Sunday morning you have an awful choice to make. In light of your alliance with Noriko, perhaps it is easier than you think. Do you take care of the latest round of busywork Ichiro has burdened you with or blow it off? If you do the work you lose your Sunday Free Time.

Noriko: Your text is smashed with Akane's confident declaration that they will pick you up shortly and true enough the Hattori Sisters give you a ride to spend some time with them shopping! You need some swimwear for the trip and you did promise to go with them! It's a chance to measure your confidence gain since the start of the year...

The sisters have their destinies firmly in hand and get two piece bikinis that are very similar, yet seem to have been subconsciously chosen to reflect the differences between the two. The athletic Takano has an outfit of harder lines that show off a fit figure, and the softer Akane favors a more rounded material that goes well with a curvier figure. Both get designs of black with a few white lines for style.

Takashi: There'll be a big dinner tonight, of course! You know Noriko is coming but Itsumi hasn't returned your message. Takano agrees readily to stop by and see "Uncle Kurokawa" and politely texts you back that Akane won't be coming along. A reprieve from the judgement of the protective sister bonds! What is it you do to prepare for tonight... and will you press Itsumi?

Tsukiyo: Your Sunday is yours but you can clearly hear and see Manami doing small chores or exercises around the house under Grandmother's guidance. Something has been nagging you recently, ever since your decision to try that style. Perhaps seeing Manami tutored under your old style is irritating? You could butt in or try to ignore it... while considering this you can hear the two laughing at something. Manami always seems to really like your Grandmother's stories to the point it feels a bit put on!

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 22:56 on Dec 13, 2018

# ¿ Dec 13, 2018 16:32

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

House of Fortune, The Vault, May 15

: "Oh, woah.. what is this?" Drawing Thaddeus close with an unexpected bit of miraculous accuracy, you bewitch him briefly. The kiss sounds off in the silence and his staged voice drops as an average young man chuckles and gushes a bit. "We.. Well, I'm glad you see it my way. I don't quite trust you raccoon society lot.. but if you're smart, you'd.. well, you'd work with me! A cute girl like yourself being aware of that.. ermm, hmm, hmm!" He puffs himself up and raises a single hand to his shoulder, posing like a commandant! "If you're serious about this, you'll need to prove it! Any ally of mine would be of proper lineage.. yes, I quite think you'd make an outstanding black-scale, my dear.." His eyes drink Noriko's new leather-clad Avatar in.

Being trapped in his power still you notice a peculiarity about Telekinesis. Thaddeus is actively channeling power and attention to maintain it. Powerful yet restricted. The only reason to do that would be to hold somebody and allow others to assault them, or there's a part two to the move. You're still Grappled and Restrained. Levitating a few feet off the ground to confront you eye to eye, Thaddeus shifts a bit closer and leers. "You have a fine eye for detail. This is simply the zenith of what our great ORDER can do. In this space we have gathered a temporary, constrained element of power to forge artifacts.. something only our genius Isabelle would even consider! Here I am as a God... and I shall forge my D�insleif, making me best among deathdealers!" He beams at you with pride, expecting you to be impressed!

"Help me, eh.. if you're privy to the real makings of the game, why not offer me your arcana's bond?" He waggles his eyebrows. "You would not find a finer Emperor on any server!"

Weasel keeps working and adds another 4,400 Gold Each to the pot!

You're able to move fast so long as you avoid alerting Thaddeus at all. He is immensely distracted. Takashi is in range to freely approach and insert the Skull in the Cursing Station... ... or to take it to Thaddeus!

# ¿ Dec 17, 2018 06:44

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

Tsukiyo

"Party Chat posted:

Flagelo: Akio-san, Icchan, help me getting this thing off and then we get the heck out of here.
Flagelo: Holy cannoli that dork is really full of himself.
Flagelo: Normally I'd like to stay and whup him but we got more stuff to steal I guess.

Moving for the uncursing station

# ¿ Dec 17, 2018 23:52

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

House of Fortune, The Vault, May 15

Arcana: Successfully weaving the negative aspects out of Tsukiyo's belt you return her Avatar to female. In doing so you create a set of five rings:

quote:

Ring of Gender Change (Ring Slot)

Innocent featureless gold bands derived from the essence of a classic dungeon shenanigan. High craftsmanship in the enchantment causes these rings to make the new form appear more attractive in a heroic figure sense.

Passive: Changes Avatar Gender.
Passive: +2 Bluff/Diplomacy/Intimidate

You strive to identify the skull. Maybe it's dangerous? Redd chimes in over party chat as you study it:

: "Oh my goodness! That's a recreation of.."

quote:

The Skull Of Mondain

A simple human skull ringed with perfect black malice, a single pulse of immortal power glowing red in the eyes

Use: Standard. Deals Max HP + Surge Damage to all creatures on the map, minus their one highest resistance. This includes the user.

Passive: First contact to aura deals bloodied value in necrotic. Every action taken in aura deals surge value in necrotic.

Now that you understand it a bit this skull seems insanely dangerous! And Isabelle may be a bit of a nerd. With Takashi's careful guidance and Akio's expert dedication you maneuver it to the Cursing Station...

---

Music

: "Oh..!" Elsewhere it seems that somebody is feeling the mood. As Noriko dances around the ensorcelled little Kobold his eyes light up and his claws flex. Noriko can feel a temporary sensation of total weightlessness! The part two of this arcane Telekinesis!? Then Thaddeus smoothly pulls her over to him, accepting her full body weight in a two-partner embrace and dip! His little talons are cold to the touch on your hips and stomach, a sensation a little too realistic thanks to high-quality VR! "Madam, really!" He purrs! "You do know how to negotiate after all..." He seems unaware of the twist of Fate that robs him of the Orb of Authority...!

quote:

Orb of Authority

An apple-sized golden orb. It contains the purest expression of magical energy you've ever felt.
Active: Empower work stations in the Vault, especially the Planar Shift for the final Vault!
Passive: Control Guardian Statues.

: Flaunting pure arcane power Thaddeus tips Noriko back onto her feet and gives her a full pirouetting spin! As she slows down and she can feel the grip of Telekinesis released with Grappled/Restrained Ended the saucy little lizard lord gives her booty a powerful slap! "Consider us allies!"

quote:

^{Accept friend request from Thaddeus [ORDER]?}

You could also actually take him up on establishing an additional bond through the Emperor Social Link, providing further opportunities to get to know him. Though a bit revolting... his real life identity might pave the way in the Game and discovering Takamura's murderer.

: "Now then, I'd very much like to fry your impudent little friends with my destined calling card. This shall be an implement dealing wounds that shall not heal. I'd like to see trash like Dot Attack shrug off such maladies, nyoh hoh hoh.." He turns to the crafting stand he has so zealous guarded and gives it his full attention, beginning to expend Skill Checks in some unknown act. It does seem to be giving new features to the previous nebulous concept of a great cutting edge. Peering up for just a moment Thaddeus grins at Noriko, toothy and friendly. "Memento_Mori.. hrmm, you really could use a proper name as well. Why not Khisanth? Stick with the classics, I say... and if you're aiming to carry yourself properly there are ways to get around your burdensome initial racial selection.."

"Ahh, but for now.. you must help me accelerate this process." He gestures to the North, pointing at the mysterious Coffin-statue. "If you would step in there and contribute just a touch of your life energy.." He actually holds his hands up to make curved lines! "(A few surges!)"

Noriko: If you agree to it you can proceed to the Coffin immediately without worrying about movement range or movement changing Thaddeus' alertness.

GOAAAAAAAL! Weasel scores the last of the center loot for everybody! 75k Gold! EACH! There are still some chests to pilfer in the Center... as well as the three under watchful eye in the North.

--

You barely manage to control some of the Skull of Mondain's energies. It produces some component gear and temporarily dismisses the vicious Aura of Death around it.

quote:

Aspect of Minax (Head Slot)

A sinister black-framed tiara woven around three flawless star rubies of pure power.
Passive: Roll twice when using Intimidate. Keep the highest result.
Daily(Standard): Range 10, Primary Stat(Implement) + 2 vs Will. Dominate Target UEOMNT(1 Round of Actions.)
Resist 10 Necrotic
Resist 10 Radiant

Shard of Hate x2 (Consumable)

Pure malice made physical. Holding it gradually numbs your fingers, spreading rapidly towards the hands... explodes when thrown.

Standard: Range 5/8. RBA(Dexterity) vs Reflex with +0 Proficiency. Deals 5d12+12 Necrotic Damage to target and all Creatures in CB1 around them.

... The Skull of Mondain immediately begins to shroud itself in the red malice of the aura of death again! It will expand back to normal size in no time at all! The residual energies of the disenchanting process flash across the whole of the Cursing Station in a veil of red static and with a low dying whirrrmmm the entire thing shuts down, utterly destroyed! A matching pulse of low, ominous concern ripples throughout the entire chamber.

: "Nyerghh.. WHAT WAS THAT!?" Thaddeus glares expectantly at Noriko, peering over his shoulder once. He still seems greatly focused on his Artifact.

# ¿ Dec 19, 2018 05:52

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# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 16:38

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

House of Fortune, The Vault, May 15

Tsukiyo posted:

Run action to L-3, going to hold off and wait for the others

Weasel and Takashi loot the two center chests in gleeful tandem, holding their finds overhead in perfectly silent gestures of acquisition!

quote:

Savage Luckbender Gloves (Lvl 16 Hands Slot)

Avandra favors the wearer of these dapper white-leather gloves, each of which has a golden shamrock stitched on the back. Destroyed at some point random patches of black leather are woven in to cover large holes. They were later modified with a jagged set of stitches depicting an open red-rimmed eye, the sign of Gruumsh.
Passive: Add Brutal 1 to equipped weapon. If the weapon is already Brutal increase the damage die instead. (1d4 -> 1d6 -> 1d8-> 1d10 -> 1d12 -> 2d4 -> 2d6 -> 2d8 -> 2d10 -> 2d12)
Encounter(Free): Use this power after you make a Damage roll for a Melee Weapon Attack. Reroll any two Damage die, using the second results even if lower. Brutal 1-2 applies to these rolls but no other modifiers, including these gloves or any effect that adds Brutal range.

Ring of Freedom of Movement (Level 15 Ring)

This sky blue band seems to shimmer and move around your finger.
Passive: +2 Item Bonus to Acrobatics.
Daily(Minor): Until End of Encounter gain +5 Power Bonus to Escape a Grab and +5 Power Bonus to Saving Throws vs Immobilized, Restrained and Slowed. If you've reached a milestone you may also move across Difficult Terrain without penalty UEOE.

Entranced by the wonderful sight before him Thaddeus is caught completely unaware by the blink in of Akio, brandishing the blade of justice that will cleave through the little Kobold's fingers held up in a snap-shot gesture over the apple of his eye.

: "W-WHAT?!" You've enough time to savor him being genuinely shocked before your blade impacts! Thaddeus vanishes and reappears inside the strange coffin, which lacks any mechanism that would keep it closed. In an instant Thaddeus is atomized down to a skeleton that is flashed into ash. Almost as far the image of a great five-headed hydra rises in his shadow and dies for him, restoring him! He staggers out of the coffin which automatically swings open and clears the way before powering down and sealing itself. The Disenchanter is momentarily offline to process new material! Thaddeus is dealt his maximum HP in Damage and his +6 Neck-piece is destroyed, empowering the Artifact stand!

: The little lizard wizard gasps and wheezes as he staggers forward. "I see you're smart enough not to fully trust me... but to lie to me so fully!" Thaddeus rasps to the side at Noriko, scales and horns still smoking! "You're all the more interesting for it, my dear!" He brandishes his current dagger, a majestically gaudy collection of gold framed around a random mass of gemstones melted together. In his other hand a perfect rod of solid Adamantium is drawn, a defensive stave. He turns on Akio and lets out a guttural roar that would sound pathetic if not for the ear-splitting bellow of raw might that comes out! "THINK ME UNDONE, DO YOU?! THIS ISN'T OVER!" Thaddeus' Defenses are adjusted for the loss of his necklace and the drawing of his staff.

: "Yoooo, you really got him!"

: "Ehhh, but you're still badly debuffed! Don't forget why we're really here!"

quote:

Initiative
Tsukiyo: 36
Akio: 29

Thaddeus: 27

Takashi: 21
Noriko: 18
Itsumi: 17

Everyone: Tsukiyo and Akio are up. You are Weakened and have Vulnerable 10 All Damage.

Artifact Stand(H4): Requires a Standard Action to complete from two individuals. Must be Adjacent.

quote:

Thaddeus: HP: 123/246 AC/F/R/W 38/38/35/43
[ ] AP [ ] Second Wind
~~Support Persona: Tiamat (Five Color Goddess Of Destruction)~~

Dragon's Might: Thaddeus will use RBAs for OAs
Staff Expertise: If Thaddeus casts through his Staff he does not provoke OAs
Eyes ITBOYH: Thaddeus does not grant CA via Flanking
Master of Red Scales: Absorbs Fire Damage.
Blessing of Blue Scales: ???
Blessing of Green Scales: ???
Blessing of White Scales: ???
Blessing of Black Scales: ???
Blessing of Metallic Scales: ???

---

Weasel: HP: 81/81, AC/F/R/W 26/24/29/24, Speed 6, Initiative +17, Atk +18/Imp +15, 1d4+11 Dam
Acro+22, Ath+15, Stealth+22, Thievery+24 [ ] Second Wind Surges 6/9
Cues: Flank, Melee, Ranged
Encounter Cues: Dazing, Blind 1, Action Point
Daily Cues: Blind CB3, Mark from Ally, ~~Mark from Self~~, Difficult Terrain Burst 2
Acid Resist 10, Poison Resist 10

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 16:00 on Dec 26, 2018

# ¿ Dec 22, 2018 06:24

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

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