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

Recap

You were drawn into a meta-physical game between powers of eld by your friend, guildie and mentor Takamura, shortly before his sudden murder.

The group has become increasingly fractured as the tensions around the online contest that bleeds into the real world begins to drive families apart and force several of you through hard times. Itsumi's family has lost their primary income, Takashi has gone oddly silent, Noriko is being harassed and intimidated by Thaddeus(one of the last ORDER bigwigs left competing), Tsukiyo is being blackmailed by a middle-man and Akio has been called to task by his former confidante, Isabelle, who seems aware and even proud of these misfortunes. More high end players flock to the side of either remaining world-class player, the bulk of the former world-first guild dissolved. Tsukiyo's brother and several others see Isabelle's victory as inevitable and only Thaddeus' power bloc and the party's strained group stand united. Though others are drawn to your side and the Hattori sisters have entered into your group, everything seems poised to collapse by the end of the month, when a mysterious countdown in a PvP-centric Mindscape hints at one final conflict.

The yokai you've met have stated that magic is a real thing, pulsing as plain as the wind to them. It intensifies with each passing moon and supposedly the key to a singular perfect wish will be opened soon. Will you retrieve it for yourself or at least deny it to the remaining villains?

---

Tsukiyo, Akio:

Music (Jojo S5 - Theme of King Crimson)

: With her trademark all-knowing smirk Megumi lets a strand of her hair glide slightly forward, caught on her shoulder. She adjusts it, a compulsive little gesture. Her coy smile is infuriating, the expression of someone rumored to have never lost at anything. "Oh my. Truly yours is a heart of unbreakable valor... and I understand your point. Some things are worth more than money." She gestures to either side with a zig-zagging index finger, her animated tomes shutting themselves and winking away, vanishing into the ether of the black star-stuff robe of her online Avatar, Isabelle. The two bleed together, Megumi smiling sweetly at you as she calmly rises.

"I could tell you of what you'd gain by siding with me. That you could trust me to grant you a lifetime of importance, power, realized ambition, that you may die a worthy and meaningful man, committed to the history of mankind." She laces her fingers together at her waist, just above the table, her eyes closing as she keeps up the matronly look, shared so many times in your past meetings. The elite player offering you a hand up.

"Your morality will resist that. That's fine. I did not make my preparations assuming otherwise. Yours... is a different type of pride..." She breaks the reserved gesture and raises her hand, index finger angled down to point across the table at Akio's hand. "The type that thinks they may accept any risk..." Her eyes shimmer as Isabelle's pink gaze phases over them briefly. Past all that a third shadowy figure bleeds into the auras, that indecipherable darkness obscuring all else in split-second passes.

: "My charming knight, who defeated my invincible guardian. So long as you could survive and win you would accept any pain." She laughs again, her calm demeanor breaking for a bit of indulgent, cruel chuckling. "Hiiiiii.. heehehehe.. hiihiii.." She presses her pointing finger downwards for greater emphasis, the chill of the air(or the illusion of it) passing to your bare hand. "That is what you thought, wasn't it? You would accept my help and if anything went wrong, you could endure it." All of her bleeds away into Isabelle. She manifests a simple display over her head, matching that of the in-game player display.

Isabelle, Level 27/30

: All of that is smothered by the darkness of a shadowed figure, the outline of a smaller human, smaller than the presented image of the immaculate real life Megumi. A voice that matches the laugh, higher-pitched and with a rapid cadence cries out, lecturing you eagerly. "I've not left anything to chance, not you, my compatriots, or your pathetic wills! My will is the only one that matters, my will is an absolute and that will won this contest THE SECOND IT STARTED!"

She activates a simple enchantment woven into the ring she made for Akio. A grand trap? A horrible curse? A killing illness? ... No. In the blink of an eye she establishes a perfect moment of hand to hand contact, her own ring and index fingers laced between Akio's, the tablecloth billowing briefly as though lifted by wind. None of the other diners can see this through the myriad illusions weaved for this meeting. Her name bleeds through, an artifact of an older style of font, a different UI design, synonymous with the Ancient powers you've invoked and seen. Isabelle, Level 27/20

Completing a Touch Attack, Isabelle casts Absolute Geas. (As Geas but using 3e Epic Spellcasting Rules to be enhanced to Epic/Spell Level 10+ and add additional functionality.)

In a moment, Isabelle consumes some of her very essence and strands of Fate erupt from her silhouette, and she obliterates Akio's free will.

---

Everyone: (Music (Left Behind - XCom Legacy) or Classic if you want!) Once Isabelle is able to finish pulling the core of the party apart her victory in The Great Game is inevitable, as she predicted. The only hurdles left in her path are a half-hearted resistance from the Hattori sisters, Takamura's brother, a few others who stood with you yet with none to support them. Her conflict with Thaddeus is explosive, bloody, dramatic, but her planned usurpation of the majority of the power in the online world and her hidden might outclass and outmuscle her rival magus in a battle of wits. It is then that the wish she shared with Akio months ago can come true, and he is there to celebrate it with her, having been her bulwark in tandem with Fenrir against the last of ORDER.

As promised, Isabelle wishes for a world in which she may be loved. She brings to life a world in which magic is as real a force as physics, with man and beast alike drawn to it with natural aptitude as new forces of elemental law merge with our own reality. Naturally she is the first and most accomplished magi to emerge in the real world, a masterfully perfect leader for a new age, supported by those she promised so much to. Whether willingly or not many of her former followers become her new agents, enforcers and politicians in a world in which Japan emerges as the first Magocracy. The time for games has passed and Isabelle becomes Megumi again, a prime minister and soon first magus beloved by her people for making them the greatest country on the planet, providing countless insights and improvements to life fueled by her insight into the new power sources of the world.

But she is not the sole inheritor of them. A new global war would emerge once other state powers began educating, training and weaponizing their own magi. The exploitation of meta-physical resources leads to an accelerated arms race that walked hand in hand with the last century's threat of nuclear annihilation. Weather patterns, ecosystems, minds, even the stars could be turned by humanity against itself... and Japan is a primary player in this, as well as those of you that survive. Megumi will protect what is hers and obliterate those who defy her, and for this she will be loved.

Bad End

---

(Rewinding to the moment of spellcast!)

Music (Jojo S3 - Fear)

Akio: Every instinct in your mind screams two simultaneous warnings: there's danger and you have to withstand it. Somehow. All you know of magical theory is immense but before Isabelle's spellcraft it feels next to nothing, a child debating a teacher. Your only remaining instinct is to save what you can of your mind... to retreat to a safe space within yourself... a place of dreams. What would it be like?

: (You can act, speak and post from the PoV of your mind and yourself normally.) Returning to her side of the table Megumi practically throws herself into the chair, landing with a bounce and bundling her hands up to her chest, laughing incessantly. She gestures and dismisses a waiter checking in on you both, his casual reaction confirming the illusions hold strong. She leans forward with elbows on the table, studying Akio intently, bubbling over with indulgent laughter and an enormous smile. "Ahh... hhiiiiiiiiii... heeeeeeheheheheha... hahahaha! How do you feel?" She gestures and waggles a finger. "You feel wonderful. Repeat it to me. Do as I say... you're free to be you until then, but you'll know my orders when you get them, haaahahaha.." She points downwards, at Akio's torso. Your stomach feels twisted into knots, far more than any anxiety could. "Even if you can resist it's not wise. Besides..." She sits up and calms down, though her shoulders bounce briefly with quiet contained laughter before she speaks. "I was about to educate you on our plan to destroy Thaddeus. I know you'll enjoy that."

Tsukiyo, Akane: You've been trying to peek into the busy dining room, evading angry waiters and hosts, and otherwise making loitering teenagers of yourselves. The hardest part of your stakeout is that even when you get a clear look at Akio and Isabelle/Megumi meeting you never seen anything but them chatting and eating. The last thing you see is Megumi rise and step to Akio's side, holding his hand. They share an eye to eye stare that seems profoundly unsettling.

... The hairs on the back of your necks stand up as Tsukiyo in particular feels a familiar twinge of dread, perhaps magically spurred. Reminds her of the time she was almost caught snooping around her brother's stuff by that odd golem in the vents. ... But this time, there's just the sight of one of the servers very far down the hall pointing you two out to a tall woman, hunched over just enough to pull a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket as she turns, able to glare a dagger at the two of you even at this distance.

: Who's this hothead!? And how's Akio doing... ? Ah, what's your plan here? You're in the hallway adjacent to a fancy super elite hotel restaurant, several floors up. Jumping out a window isn't beyond you but it's not all that pleasant, to say the least.

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 00:59 on Apr 18, 2023

# ¿ Apr 18, 2023 00:40

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

Akio: You feel your body begin to twitch, spasm and tighten. Your stomach shrinks to a pit and cramps up, hard.

: "Not as much pleasure as I might take from this." Megumi laces her fingers together and watches Akio as pain courses through him, far greater than he anticipated. His heart beats irregularly, his chest tightens, his vision blurs. His organs cry out in pain at a brief absence of oxygen. It passes in a moment and Megumi is making certain that your display isn't seen, but she waggles a finger all the same. "If you throw up it really will kill the mood."

Then she leans forward, extending her fingers and projecting lines of violet light, connecting those fingers to points along your head. She hums and makes adjustments. "You would be quite a bother under the original rules of this hex. I'm quite better than that..." Your stomach tightens after its recovery with each dictation she makes. "You will not speak of this to anyone. You will not be coy and write it, or text it, or anything else. The order is secrecy." Her words bleed with power, the air distorting around either side of her face. "You are my ace in the hole, to be held until then." She clenches a fist and wrings it upwards slightly, as though drawing a leash tight.

"... Now, you will leave this meeting determined to defeat our mutual enemy. Don't be coy.. coyer, hiii. I know what he's done to you. He's rather proud of it..." She lowers her hands and rests her palms along the table, smiling serenely, eyes closed. "You may tell your friends you are worried that I am using you, but Thaddeus is the greater threat at the moment. You're reluctantly using the information I provide you and you'll deal with me later, hmm? Ah, a bit of truth makes it easier to say." She waggles a finger, humming, eyes and lips closed in a mocking smile.

"The final contest at Teufelsbrucke(PVP Mindscape)... Thaddeus is refusing to do anything until then. Little cocksure weasel. Unusually patient of him... therefore you'll have to force his hand. Tell me, Akio. Are you familiar with...

... Roleplaying?"

Tsukiyo, Akane: Akane slaps a hand to Tsukiyo's shoulder and channels a spell, bathing Tsukiyo in a swirling torrent of colored mists that coalesce into.. an illusion!? In the blink of an eye Tsukiyo's appearance changes to that of Takano, wearing school uniform and holding a pair of ethereal white-blue bokkens, covering Tsukiyo's actual drawn weapons should it come to that.

: "You've got to keep your head down, yeah!?" Akane winks at Tsukiyo and then dutifully slides a bit further behind her, having a nice ~~immovable~~object between her and the unstoppable force approaching.

: The group has shared a description of one of Isabelle's new attack dogs, though this one seems a bit more literal than the others. And more of a shark. Roe clenches and raises her fists, pumping her arms, approaching Tsukiyo wordlessly. Akio likely shared (most) of the details of her crushing grip. The bulging eyes and grit teeth betray her desire for a first strike.

You could make a Skill Check if desired! Or use an Item/Power or so on... and talking, of course, is a free action.

Itsumi, Noriko: (As part of seeing how much of the gang I can get back together, providing a backdoor into the scene...)

The two of you touchdown on a fire escape, each clinging to the side of the Tengu you've befriended. Shiokaze is happy to help and deposits you at a place Akio mentioned an urgent meeting at, though he warned you to avoid being seen if you could help it. Once you got by the simple one-way door lock and stepped into the fancy halls of the towering hotel you could get your bearings and possibly help. The last two heads of the ORDER hydra have been trying to divide and destroy the group and Akio was being forced to meet with Isabelle, at best with Tsukiyo and Akane to shadow him... (A chance to intro post and get your bearings!)

: "Mmm.. I'll loiter around." She flashes a big V-sign right under her eyes and kicks off on her huge geta and ascends to the sky in a burst of wind, as naturally as a human might take the air route down.

# ¿ Apr 19, 2023 22:09

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

Akio: Megumi raises her hands to either side in a helpless shrug, slowly shaking her head.

: "Not in a million years. You'll have to sneak in and.." She draws a hand to her mouth, covering more laughter. "Wow him. Ah, yes.. however you and your friends do it. The Game will not conclude for 2-3 weeks.. he's not a machine. In fact, he's a med student. He will need relief from his stress. Much as you hate him, you will be afforded an opportunity to enter his good graces during one of these little meetings. I can tell you when and where to go, when that little clique will dare to chat with the public." She lowers her hand and flicks her index finger out to point square at you. "Do that and you will have an opportunity to fight him."

"He will never accept your challenge directly. He can save face, declare you beneath him, laugh it off. You must enter that social veil and expose him to a risk of true humiliation, make it impossible for him to ignore your challenge. True embarrassment... well, I can think of a few ways." It's been a bit but entre dishes are brought out, all fantastically expense, utter 5-star nonsense, immaculate decorated minimalist servings on plates dashed with sauce in esoteric ritual shapes. At least to the untrained eye! Megumi begins to eat, humming to herself briefly in appreciation of the taste. "Mmm.. it's really just an excuse for them all to VR-gently caress anyway."

"Hiii.. hiihii.. ahh, but it's what he lives for. To be surrounded by his peers, who tell him how great he is. Social admiration. A powerful, compulsive need. Well, I'm certain you can come up with a way to.. arouse his attention." She spears a portion of her dish with a fork, a bit of blood oozing up from it.

Tsukiyo, Akane: Turn her away? Oh, no, this rampaging bullshark crosses the distance of the hall at an accelerated pace, taking one final step before Tsukiyo and inhaling to bark a shout:

: Intimidation Success! A brief moment of hesitation and a twitch of the eyes, a trembling at the fingers overtakes Roe as she closes in on you two. Then she grins, mania and a bit of sweat passing along her face. "It's really you, huh..." No shouting or rage, an undertow of joy in the current of her words..?

Roe closes in and throws her hands at Tsukiyo, trying to seize her wrist and shoulder! (-5 to hit, should hit a 40 Fort, but... also I've lost a fair bit of my old notes, but I meant to change things up anyway, so a bit of playing by ear and much looser enemy stats than my old system of "recreating everything in 4e chargen") Roe seizes Tsukiyo's wrist and her shoulder, though her grip on the latter stumbles and she tries to strengthen it...

These iron fingers tossed Akio and nearly crushed his "pride" as a man! Akane yelps and draws out own ethereal axe/guitar, stammering as Tsukiyo's up to react first.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2023 23:58

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

Akio:

: "He's not very deep, you know him as well as I do." Megumi rises with a dismissive wave, the waiter appearing seemingly out of thin air to start clearing the table after delivering a receipt to her palm. She gestures to you to rise, the image of something manifesting above her... a great ethereal and shimmering seal, fracturing to pieces around her. "Besides, I know you planned to fight him. Do that, what you had in mind."

: The tarot of the World, Akio's personal color of soul. Megumi smiles with satisfaction, eyes and lips closed and turned up at the corners, the energy suffusing over her and becoming enveloped by the red-static strands of fate, drawn into her shadow and the silhouette of Isabelle. She opens her eyes and shares a serene grin with Akio. "What matters is that you put him in a position where refusing your challenge makes him lose face. As for defeating him and his little power up... well, you'll just have to be strong enough to deal with that." She presses her index fingers together and spreads them out, drawing out a red-static thread. ""The ability to defuse temporary health on attack." Ah. You've always been helping me, haven't you, Akio." She passes by you and pats your cheek. "You can still ask them to stand down, and resolve everything peacefully. It's far too late in the game for me to allow anything to ruin it." Megumi lowers her hand, gesturing for you to follow her. "We're done here, but I do detect a bit of a commotion outside. Shall we take a look?" She raises and clenches her other fist, Isabelle's silhouette mirroring her as her suite of four animated spell tomes unfurl, following her like a set of autonomous weapons pods...

Tsukiyo, Akane: As Tsukiyo impacts Roe and stays her hand so severely she can't complete her strike, she grins with a rigor mortis smile and a dead-eyed stare, blood splattering from her wrist to her face and a bit along Tsukiyo! And in tandem a small cut splits open along Tsukiyo's cheek as she takes 7 Divine Damage, inflicted on impact with Roe.

: "Yeah.. try and stop me, see where it gets you.." Even as she speaks she raises and pumps her wounded arm, the bleeding stopping at a supernatural rate. She rushes Tsukiyo to begin another strike and...

: Akane slams her scythe-tar into Roe's raised arm, the two of you holding the bull-shark briefly, Akane's own nose beginning to bleed on impact. She whispers hurriedly to Tsukiyo. "Wh-what'll we do?!"

You can continue fighting her, or... you can also chat on the sly with Akio via personal texting, though even with help you can only get a brief bit of communication going before somebody insists on fighting you in full!

Doomykins fucked around with this message at 01:10 on Apr 25, 2023

# ¿ Apr 25, 2023 01:04

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

Akio:

: As you seize Megumi's wrist and endure unimaginable shame to stall, her eyes widen briefly and she freezes up, your hand gripping through the myriad illusions wrapped around the tall, imposing woman and continuing a half inch further, catching a smaller and more delicate wrist than expected. She stares at you pointedly for a few moments before cracking up laughing, gesturing with her free hand. "Yes, yes, hiiihiihiihiii! With that kind of energy you could really corner Thaddeus, hiiii! Haah!" She bats your hand away, a welling of magical energy preceding a telekinetic burst that feels, for a split second, as though it'd launch you into the horizon. She only dismisses your grip for now, gesturing and to you dismissively.

"I've told you already. It is too late now for anything to go wrong. I hope you did not expect me to act out so easily..." She turns her head to the side, continuing to gesture. After all, she still had to address your acting outburst, a few heads turned in the restaurant. With a smile dripping with malice she slowly turns to face you, her hair falling forward a bit, shadowing her eyes as Isabelle manifests fully, looming over her by a good two heads. "Honey, you will get sick if you eat any more. It is time to go home..." She closes in and inverts the earlier gesture of defiance, now seizing your shoulder and glaring into your eyes. Isabelle's shadow continues to rise, and grow, and loom.. it fills out, quadrupling in size, then in full 3D frame. It dissolves to shadows that rise up and reform sharply, carving themselves in one sudden burst into the towering figure of her pet golem, the risen hand of Headcount crashing down again to end your life, arcane power humming in menace before the final acceleration, the speed of physics breaking as it falls!

Strands of fate wildly rip around and static fills the air as Isabelle casts <Quickened> Ancient Phantasmal Killer on Akio! He can barely recognize it for the illusion it is, which gives him the strength to start to disbelieve it! However... the unusual power forcefully asserts itself into a new system where it has to function despite a reality that wasn't made for it. Like glitching code it forces itself through and asserts relevant values... though truthfully, Isabelle's spellcraft seems to be of such a profound mastery that even her barely failing witchcraft still crashes through the skillful runework of Ambrose. Akio is dealt his Bloodied Value as Damage!

: Presumably such a blow would very much hurt, enough that he might cough up blood or otherwise bleed. But Megumi is already gesturing towards the door, the billowing mists and shadows of her illusions presenting a different view to those around you. Maybe this poor young man is already showing signs of an upset stomach, coughing as he is. "Hmmhmm... I can see you home, if you like, but we're done here. I'd suggest most of all that you deal with Thaddeus because, well, if he wins... his wish will involve a lot more Emperor-level thinking, with you as his most hated rival and Noriko as his desired trophy. Hiiiii-hiii-hii! Cute!" She begins to walk out, your Mark remaining.

---

Tsukiyo, Noriko, Akane: Burning through everything you've got you barely register Roe's eyes clouding over!

: "Right... gotta find her... tell her about this huge dump..." She starts to shuffle off, spending a round of action walking towards the restaurant entrance.

: "NORIKOOOOO!" Akane hugs Noriko tight, practically clinging to her arm as the group is ushered over to the window. The Time Stop allows for time to close to the window, open it, and even begin falling for a full round! "I'm so happy to see you!" She blinks rapidly, eyes wet, looking a bit anxious. About in line with Akio's expression the last time they saw Isabelle's pet hitwoman. "Th-this is scary, but uhm.. ooh, hit the roof of that cafe?!"

Noriko: Owing to Akane's illusion, Tsukiyo looks like a slightly out of place Takano wielding a pair of great-valu silver katanas.

A moment after your Time Stop wears off you can hear an audible scream of rage and see the open window buffet and bounce against the limits of its frames as something moves by it with such force it generates wind pressure. Seems your escape was a success!

---

Akio: Assuming you leave the restaurant you can witness something quite unique!

: You wouldn't know but it seems Roe never finished her Dominated order. Instead she's radiating pure red energy, steaming off her frame, eyes wild and seared in a bloody red blaze. She stalks up and down the halls briefly, her reactive rage soon burning out before she stands and glares up and down the length of the hall, trying to observe anything out of place. She doesn't show any surprise to see you and Megumi coming out.

# ¿ May 2, 2023 01:07

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

Akio: Megumi leaves you with one last indulgent smile and doesn't wait up for you.

: As you do some indulging of your own an enraged Roe turns on you with a frantic snap, reaches out and grabs your shoulder. She throws a Fort 44 at you with a quick headbutt to the nose, simply giving you a painful taste of her divine thorns. With a forced exhaling she practically belches out a bit of steam and her eyes stop bulging, stop being bloodshot, and she grins, stalking off.

It doesn't take long before you can feel your Mark being removed from Megumi. Considering the gap in spellcraft between the two of you, you can safely assume she disenchanted it. Further woe comes when you consult your familiars... the scribe you'd been entrusted with returns a notepad full of warped gibberish and scribbles!

: Dahlia pouts and bows her head repeatedly, raising her face with a pale hue and a tinge of green at the cheeks. "I'm sooo~rrryyy, Master!" Trying to speak for you makes her sick under the effects of the Geas!

Though a frustrating night, you receive contact from the others via text that they're safe and sound. You can meet them at a nearby spot. At least you are in a nice part of the city...

Noriko, Tsukiyo, Akane: The three of you are able to find a way down, whether by using a fire escape ladder or just floating down to ground level again.

: Akane gasps and lets Noriko's arm go, dancing over to Tsukiyo's side and dismissing her spell, revealing the brown tomboy you know and love. She looks to Noriko and grins. "Ah, uhm, well, Tsuki might get in trouble if she's seen stepping to that witch.. but I'm real glad she's here, and you too, Noriko!" She checks her phone. ".. Mmm, we gotta talk to Akio!"

---

Music (Persona 2 Innocent Sin - Kasugayama High School)

Everyone: You regroup at a place where you can eat something palatable, even Akio after that too rich food and extortion. You stop in a mid-class mass-market parfait and dessert bakery chain. A chance to catch up, and to share your new motivation, whether forced upon you or not.

Though for Noriko and Akio, Thaddeus was somebody that couldn't be allowed to win.

: Akane gives Akio a big hug on sight, though lays off quickly and gets everybody seated by a host, showing off her personal ID briefly. She's first to sit in the booth, exhaling with a wheeze once everybody can finally rest. "AHHHH!! I don't like that at all! It's like she saw Takashi and got one of her own, that charging bull!" She pops open a menu and stares down intently for a few beats before lowering it just an inch to give Akio a cats-eye stare. "... So, you gotta tell us everything."

# ¿ May 12, 2023 01:00

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

Everyone: A downcast mood soon sweeps the table.

: Akane looks up from shoveling cream and strawberries into her mouth and lets out a nervous little laugh. "Ehh..? Well, we had to beat that creep down anyway, so we might as well enjoy that." She punctuates this with another spoonful into her mouth, sucking at the utensil briefly while humming aloud. ".. Hmmm. You know, that witch tricked me too. She always does that, I guess because it's the MMO set up. She acts really social, draws everybody together for a group gain.. I mean, normal stuff, like organizing raid or pvp teams, but she always has her eye on her ultimate prize. We're just another pack of players drafted to run this "content" for her... ugh." She sticks her tongue out briefly, perhaps overdosed on thick dairy. ".. Thad's little parties are kinda old-fashioned. Everybody shares stories and that's fun and all, but they're super cliquey and always drag you into their writing fights even if they're dicks to you, never going for a real game fight."

: Dahlia clings to Akio's shoulder from behind, fluttering her wings occasionally to hover. She whispers to his ear! "Maaasstterrr, c-can't we tell them!? We need to..." She immediately turns green in the cheeks and her cheeks puff out as she closes her mouth, then swallows. "Gaahh..."

: "I guess our only chance is to do something Isabelle doesn't expect." She looks to Noriko, then Tsukiyo, then Akio, sharing a big smile. "... Any ideas?" With a little gasp she snatches up a napkin and leans over, pressing it under Akio's nose. It shows blood when she pulls it away. "Hey! It's on your shirt too!" The corners of her eyes twitch as they widen in concern!

# ¿ May 28, 2023 19:45

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

Everyone:

: Gesturing at Akio with her parfait spoon, Akane frowns. "... You can't tell us? You don't want to hurt us? Ehhh.. something's really wrong?" She practically tosses the spoon in her half finished cup, folding her arms with an enormous frown. "Aghh! That's just.. just like her! Not playing fair, hurting everyone.. I can't stand it!" Akane slaps a palm to the table, all the cups and silverware jostling, and hops up to her feet! She rapid-fire points at everybody with both index fingers as though she were firing off a full auto round of finger guns! "Listen up! No matter what happens, we are NOT going to debase ourselves for that guy! Alright?!"

There's a few other patrons as well as two staff who stare in polite disbelief, but Akane just sets her fists on her hips in a dynamic pose, looking at everybody with the most seriousness she's had all year. She stares down Akio, Noriko and Tsukiyo in turn, then squints at Dahlia briefly.

: "Ahh! R-right! Nothing lewd, not at all, Miss Hattori!"

Your desserts will soon be finished and you'll have time to plan later but the exhaustion of the meet up and stake out is taking a toll as it gets very late. You've got to head home. You're so late it may even cause trouble! There's school soon, and you've no idea when Isabelle will tip you off to your onerous task.

Akio:

: Whenever you split from the group, Akane catches up to you briefly and smiles. "I'll tell nee-chan. She'll outsmart it, alright?" She raps the side of her own head with her knuckles lightly and offers a big reassuring smile.

---

Everyone: What do you do to head home? Sneaking in? And in some cases(Tsukiyo), where are you staying?

# ¿ Jun 19, 2023 23:22

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

Music(Persona 4 - Heartbreak, Heartbreak)

(Gonna try something new for narrative flow and catch up, feel free to be as thorough or brief as you want so long as you answer the questions asked. Dialogue optional!)

Akio: Your earlier planning serves you well and you take a walk to clear your head, trying to fight back a multitude of anxious omens of doom.

: Kunio will offer you a helping hand whenever you ask, so getting him to sync up with the tale is easy. His mother serves a dinner that puts that restaurant to shame, the genuine concern and warm reception of the two a heart-rending contrast, sunlight rising after darkest night. A futon is provided in Kunio's room and although the Igarashi household is a truly enigma with its lack of internet you can still enjoy some modest television, an over the top game show and a cool police thriller providing relief to the stressed mind. As you and your friend chat before sleep wins out, it occurs to you... could you confide in Kunio? You're not entirely sure what, as he's not even in the game. You helped him rescue Shiokaze, saw him in Fenrir's Mindscape, but he didn't seem to perceive the supernatural. What could you ask him to do? Would you?

: Once you sleep you experience a brief dream of the safe space within your mind, the endless violet fog beyond it pressing in against your mental barriers. A figure joins you, a towering red shade that has agreed to grow as a part of you, the blessing of the red oni Kyoutaro. Would you accept his suggestions and guidance in the coming trials? The oni siblings would face any situation with unending, infinite confidence. They might embody the worst of humanity when provoked... rage, violence, indulgence... but tempered he offered assertiveness and confidence you always associated with fictional heroes.

: And finally you're faced with the decision of how to infiltrate Thaddeus' lair. There is one option, a forbidden power that Noriko and Akane helped you unearth. Will you summon Ambrosia for your online persona? (Or otherwise choose some other approach?) ... If you've already embraced Kyoutaro's aspect then it seems an easy decision. Onis would fight naked without shame, so long as their bravado claimed victory!

Noriko: You return home and get ready to bow your head when you're surprised by your mother and grandmother sharing toasts of sake in ochoko cups, looking to be in good spirits despite your obvious shenanigans.

: They tell you that Rei(Mother) is being interviewed for a prospective transfer to a new school and government office opening with a significant pay raise. You may need to move within the next month if she is accepted... ! The two are overcome with joy and seem oblivious to your late arrival, confiding in you that things will be easier, you can live in a bigger, nicer place soon... but all you can see is the counterpart to Itsumi's woes, the violet talons of Isabelle entering your life. The timing seems to be staggered... you could finish your battle with Thaddeus beforehand and... and... with that witch too, right after. How do you react to your family? Can you hide how you feel about a potential move, away from Naoki High?

: However you handle it you'll eventually be sent to bed, for it is late. You may be evading discipline but little relief follows you to your room. Instead you feel the start of sleep come on and a haze of blue solidifying into the judgemental form of a titan, anchored to your soul, sworn to help you become as the blue oni Yuzuki is. Would you accept her suggestions and guidance in the coming trials? To empower your sense of self and very ego would feel good about now, especially in standing against the two tyrants ahead of you. You can't imagine that the wretched, sexist behavior of the modern world can even register in the eyes of your boon patron, every bit the equal of her formidable brother.

: For you've already been targeted by Thaddeus and his perverted infatuation with you. It's something you could abuse and turn on him, but it's clear that abuse is a tool he reaches for far too eagerly. How will you approach the lair of the little dragon? A cunning disguise, to see if he's every bit the greedy slavering pig he was last time... or as yourself, knowing he'd welcome you if he thought you might show any positive reception to him? Either way, your retribution will find him.

Tsukiyo: Having been helped out by her already and having saved her prior, Shiokaze is all too eager to hook you up with a room! A brief sub-sonic flight takes you to the beachside cavern she calls home, a place ridiculously primitive yet supernaturally comfortable all the same.

: With no need to hide her appearance at home the tengu welcomes you in, gathering a random assortment of mercifully clean but old mattresses, quilts and pillows to make two gracious piles in her abode. She has the meat of a hunt roasting on a fire already, the smoke contained by her totems, and offers you feasting on the deer meat and your choice of convenience store beverages or even beer. Shio doesn't know what drinking ages are. Removed from the trappings of society and cultural expectations there's something quite refreshing here. Could you confide in the weird bird lady? You don't think she'd understand a description of a computer past "magic lightning box", but maybe she knew about the troubles you're having being manipulated, contending with your brother, feeling cut off from home and grandmother.. and the monsters ahead of you, far worse than the literal yokai sitting with you.

: As you go to rest in the surprisingly cozy bed nest you find your thoughts drifting to unfinished business. Jun and Manami were stalking the sidelines, looking for a way to strike out at Isabelle and her goons. You'd turned the tables on and forced Redd Hot/Eri to become a triple agent for you, possibly against the weird middle-aged creep Kogatana that was trying to keep a leash on you. It was inevitable he would come calling and try to sabotage you... what will you do about your "Team Dark" friends, or this looming problem? Or will you? They seemed like small fry now with the two head honchos looming ahead of you. Cut down Thaddeus, cut down Isabelle. If they tried to ruin your life, would it matter if they lose and you win? ... If they're dead and you're alive?

: ... Then it hits you. You need a way to get online! You could always sneak home and use your set up and hope Grandmother Clara doesn't pull the router out.. or maybe Jun and Manami could help you, they seem content to do hobo-rigging on the streets. There's also Shiokaze, who you assume would be a willing accomplice to stealing some stuff. You're certainly empowered enough to get away with crimes in real life. How will you arrange your computer setup, and how will you present and disguise your online persona?

# ¿ Jul 18, 2023 01:37