What their Eyes See: Start

[voidtreckermods]

"Good Morning Voidtreckers, today is day five of the month of Llama." The voice echoes through the train as passengers wake up in their beds. Not long afterwards their SCA’s glow with the colour of the void and a holographic image will appear.

Preperation and Arrival

As usual they have a couple of hours before arrival to ready themselves for the mission ahead. As promised the dressing carriage is open for them to find suitable clothing. Trench coats, a lot of leather, a lot of black with neon colours thrown in here and there. There is a lot of choice in a variety of sizes so everyone is bound to find something to fit. Hopefully something they like, though some passengers may be more comfortable with the fashion choices than others.

A couple of hours after the announcement of the mission the voice speaks again. "Shortly arriving in system #93426194992. Arriving in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." The train shakes as it leaves the void, colours fading to be replaced to a grey thick smog outside the windows.

The train bumps slightly as it hits rails, snaking its way towards the city before entering a tunnel. A few moments and they come to a stop, the doors open onto a platform. Stepping out into the station the first thing to hit them is noise, it sounds like there are ten different advertisements blaring, someone or something is playing loud music. There's a lot of flashing signs, screens with advertisements, bright lights that change colour for no real apparant reason. Heavy on the senses as they make their way to the gates.

They will find that their SCAs allow them through the barriers and into the wider train station, which is somehow even louder. It is busy as well, people hurrying from place to place. There are signs declaring this to be Tier Three, Home of Manufacturing. as well as signs pointing the way to lifts, to take them to other tiers.

Tier One

Mapping

For those travelling up to tier one the first thing they will notice when they leave the lift is, it is a lot quieter up here. Peaceful even, there are people around, all looking official and busy. None will pay the Voidtreckers any mind unless they are acting particularly suspicious.

The air feels better here, probably because the whole tier is encased with a dome that they will be able to see as they enter, coming from a lift near the edge of the tier. The buildings are all harsh dark metal, almost uniform in design. The streets are clean and there has been an attempt at greenery with some shrubs and simple plants.

The buildings all need to be accessed using their SCA's. Their SCA maps show them where the buildings are but give no information about them, nor do they have maps of inside. Once the voidtreckers enter they will find that their maps fill in as they explore.

There are plenty of different buildings, offices, labs and meeting rooms. There are also a lot of security staff and anyone acting too suspiciously will be approached and questioned. Hopefully they have a plan, blend in or sneak around.

Flickers

Sometimes though that is a little harder, they might enter a room to find themselves on their old street, in a world they have visited before on the train or somewhere else that is decidedly not here. These illusions get more common as time goes on and people will begin seeing the illusions of others or find the two scenes merging together.

Voidtreckers who are immune to illusions will not see these strange visions and those who are particularly strong willed will be able to fight them off. Once people know they are illusions they can focus through them to see reality even if it is overlaid with what their minds want to see. It will take a lot of concentration to stay focused and get an accurate map.

Tier Two

A Mystery

The lift here brings them out into a glass covered corridor. Outside the glass the air is thick with smog but the filtration systems means that the air seems fine inside, especially with their SCA's helping out. Outside the tunnels they will be able to see the lights of hovercars zipping around and the silhouettes of buildings. Office blocks and large houses make up this sector. Large billboards blare out advertisements at all hours, neon lights shining through the smog.

The atmosphere of the sector is one of fear, people hurry about their business, keeping an wary eye on their surroundings. The newcomers won't get too much scrutiny but people are likely to be very wary if approached or questioned.

But they will talk once they guage them to not be a threat. Murders. Six people dead, from inside their own houses. Locked doors, security systems, all for nothing. Is it a serial killer? But the reports suggested an animal attack? From what animals?

Getting access to the houses will take some negotiating or breaking and entering. The bodies themselves have been cleared by law enforcement, caution tape still up to keep out any nosy public.

The rooms the bodies were found in were all rooms that used holograms as decoration and the voidtreckers will realise when they enter them that these holograms seem a lot more realistic than some of the others they might have seen in their stay in the sector so far.

Creatures

As they talk to people, or overhear gossip they will hear more about animal attacks. Someone swears they saw a lion prowling the streets. A hovercar crashed and the driver swore they had been attacked by an eagle. Neither of those creatures live in the city. Neither of those creatures exist on this world anymore.

But the Voidtreckers will quickly learn there is something to these rumours, especially as dark falls, the feeling they are being hunted. A paw tread, a tail disappearing around a corner. As days go on they may get attacked by a bear, a tiger or perhaps a creature from their own world, one that should not exist here at all...

Tier Three

A Crisis

Leaving the station brings them into crowded streets, air thick with smog, Up above them is the floor of the plate above, set with bright lights to offset the lack of natural light getting through. Billboards and screens blare advertisements, traders yell their wares. Life is fast and swirls around them as they step out into the streets.

Here also there is an air of worry. The talk is all of Spectura, kids unconcious after playing video games, hospital overflowing. Spectura's fault, there are calls for accountability, claims of sabotage. No person gives the same story and it becomes clear that most people don't know what has happened but almost everyone knows someone who has been affected. Fear, blame, tensions are high.

But life must go on, the factories never stop, people can't not work and with so many people unconscious people have to pick up the slack. The whole sector feels at breaking point.

If they try and buy Spectura systems they will not be stopped though they will need to sign a waiver, to take on all responsibility for what might happen to them if they go into the system.

Spectura


There are a whole range of games to look through, though the two most popular ones where the majority of players can be found are an open-world farming MMO called AgriTopia VI Ultimate, with bright landscapes and calming diegetic music, and Aegis Force, a tournament team shooter with short battle scenarios and smaller maps.

Those entering the system will fall unconscious in the real world and as they enter the problem will be pretty obvious straight away. Red vines, covering everything, tangling trees, creeping up buildings, coming straight for them to attack.

Anyone who gets overwhelmed by them will be stuck, unable to move or progress. It is possible to fight them off and for those voidtreckers who have faced the vines before they will find their soothing powers will work here as well.

People are tangled throughout many different games and once they are freed will need some help to find the next save point or exit. They need to help plant the final hundred potatoes, or team up to take down the level boss or solve the next puzzle, keep the vines away and free as many people as they can.

Tier Four

A Way In

As they leave the lifts they will find this tier is dark, dim lighting barely penetrating the smog. Homes are makeshift and all on top of each other. The streets are crowded, loud and people don't stop to chat. It is incredibly claustrophobic, with large support columns, exposed wires and large pipes running alongside and over the 'roads'.

Here there are plenty of stores selling anything and everything, certainly not above board. Credits are sometimes accepted but more often store keepers will prefer to trade in barters, food is popular. Anything that isn't nutri slime or the even worse unbranded basic version.

Bars and other seedy establishments are open all hours, neon signs beckoning. It is here that they will find the entry points to the fighting rings.

People don't talk about it openly but you look big enough, mean enough or dramatic enough then it will be slipped into conversation. Have you heard? Winners get a dream come true.

The fights are a mix of one on one and group fights. All terms are negotiated before hand with an overseer and fights are to the yield. The crowd wants a show and so dramatics are encouraged.

What was that?

The rumours about people going berserk are spoken in whispers. No one really knows what has gone on. A few fights have gotten out of control, a couple of fighters broke down after fights, at least one has quit for good. Most spoken about is The Crimson Fist. The best fighter in the ring who two days prior just left. Left the city with no protective gear, no word to anyone. No one knows what happened to them.

As the voidtreckers get further into their fights they will begin to realise something strange is going on. That opponent you are facing? They now look like your worst enemy, or perhaps your best friend, your lover. Sometimes you're no longer in the city but in a place of fond memories or your worst nightmares. Fights can very quickly go south when your opponent believes you their greatest foe.

Advancing the ranks now seems like it might be more difficult than first it appeared.

Comments

Roland Crane | Purple + OTA | "of all the towns to walk into, you really had to walk into mine..."

[adregem]

01; prep.

[ Roland cracks his neck side to side before he announces a quick gathering among Purple through the ICP's - as well as for those who might think to attend Purple's mission this time around - to convene in the dining car. Most of the details that they need to know before a mission had already been rolled-out during the Purple meeting prior, but this was still standard protocol for passengers not in attendance, or to discuss the specifics of the job.

He stands by the tail-end of a recently cleared table, arms over his chest. The only strange thing about him now is that he's already dressed in a dark trenchcoat and leather boots...as if he didn't quite need whatever costumes the train provided for them after all. ]

Kamakan, huh? [ He shakes his head with a mild sense of displeasure. ] I'll admit hearing about the way their city is built reminds me way too much about reality back home. [ Not Evermore home, but Earth home... ] The rich that keep getting richer and the poor that keep getting poorer, with six murders to boot. Hm. [ No time to reminisce about the ails that plagued his country too. Roland looks upon whoever is gathered for the quick debriefing, shaking off the train of thought. ] Off the bat, this doesn't seem like the kind of mission demanding an all-out attack of sorts, so let's play it close to the ground. Non-void active worlds can't know we're operating as missionaries. Those with experience in infiltration and espionage, now's the time to make yourselves known. [ A beat, then a small smile. ] Sorry. I meant, unknown. Heh.

[ He taps his earpiece once with two fingers. ] Stay in touch via the SCA at all times, especially to disseminate important info. Something tells me there's more to this than what's behind the police tape. Take your supplies - food, water, medicine - and as always, let's do our best out there. Good luck.

[ Usually, Roland lingers about in case anyone wants to chat with him, but this time, the man doesn't quite stay behind. If anyone wants to have a word or to ask more questions, they'll have to walk and talk with him as he makes his way to the Dressing Car. How peculiar. ]

02; this city'll eat you alive.

[ Cue the black and white with the jazzy sax in the background. For this section, Roland's speaking lines will be marked by non-Italicized text. The rest is internal monologue because he's EXTRA. Your character is free to notice that he's not only totally engrossed with the Tier from the outside, but he's already moving like he's in stealth-mode, hands in his pockets or popping the collar of his trenchcoat to his neck. It'll be hard to break him free from this trance...unless you're particularly good/loud at catching his attention. ]

They say you can't hide anything from the glare of the city. But I say they're the perfect place to hide. The more garish the light, the bigger the shadow to crawl into, after all.

We were called in to investigate six murders...but only time'll tell what kind of rabbit hole they jumped into. Or maybe it's better to say, only time'll tell what kind of rabbit hole we jumped into.

[ Roland walks around, looking about. ]

Nobody wants to look us in the eye. I tried approaching a lady with her kid for some answers, a hint if she could give me one. But she's as shaky as a leaf blowing in a springtime storm. This isn't paradise, I reckon. And if we're gonna get to the bottom of this, we'll need to play the city's dark game on its own terms.

[ He tips his fedora, revealing a pair of glasses that have no particualr use apart from aesthetics and hiding part of his face. His sword is not present, but a holster and a pistol can be seen underneath his get-up. ]

For now.

[ He spots a man with a bag of groceries under his arms. Frantic. Panicked. The perfect guy to help him get his first lead. Are you hanging around Roland as he loses himself in his...err, work? Then you will hear him speak for the first time since he started talking to himself - hopefully, internally. And it's weird for someone marketing themselves to be so serious all the time, but hey. Roll with it or don't, you're in for a ride. ]

Detective Crane's on the case. [ He notices someone else by his side for the first time. They huddle close to you, showing his back to the man he's singled out. ] You ready for this? Play it smooth. Play it cool. We're not with the feds, see? We're independent contractors trying to make a change in these parts. You with me, rookie?

[ YOUR LARP SESSION HAS BEGUN, FOOL. ]

03; wildcard!

For this TL, I will mostly be focusing on playing out scenarios as best as they unfold in prompt #2. Use #3 for anything else ~Detective Crane~ might be able to help you out with, whether it is for investigating the crime scene, breaking in, or fighting the monsters!

Prep

[katzenpfote]

[Once it's explained to him that they can communicate using the SCAs, Caleb takes a minute to pull Beau aside and discuss options - and after another quick minute of talk, they split up. He rushes over towards Roland and catches up with him on the way to the dressing car.]

[... He probably needs new clothing for this, too. Fortunately some of this looks familiar - as much as the dark clothes he's selecting turns his stomach.]

I though I should... ah... inform you... I'm going to be going along with orange. They... they um. Need help mapping things... and I can always determine where north is.

[Or he can when they're not in the void, where it's all messing with his head.]

I can also keep track of complicated map routes in my head.

Alvin Murphy | Tier Four CW: Mind-control and probably zombie things

[zombiemessiah]

Getting Acquainted

Look at all these people! How many are here? The last time he's felt this crowded is a horde and he's somewhere between hating the jostle of unfamiliar bodies and loving it because they're so alive. Sure they're their own brand of half-dead, subsisting on fumes as nearly nothing shambling hell-creatures, but they're alive, and he misses being surrounded by that.

Murphy has few credits, but he has a plan and he has a little bit of shitty food to get him what he wants. Not that he has a huge priority to solve any mysteries, he mostly wants to slip into a familiar role for a few days, but it's still a plan and the train can't bitch because technically? It'll help. And that's what it wants, right? RIGHT, TRAIN? RIGHT?

Take that.

He's going to go buy himself a new suit with the full knowledge that he's slowly going insane and mentally dolling himself up for sapient but only marginally communcative interdimensional vehicle whims.

Someone might find him in his new suit, possibly buying some fingerless gloves and boots to go with it, or getting his room. A little bit of strategic trading of some of his more garbage food and he's feeling 100% more like himself.

Flashy Bartender

The bar he's chosen to work at is bustling. Somewhere backstage there's a manager fully convinced that Murphy's just the funniest damn man he's ever met and charming to boot. That man hadn't even hesitated to try the drink that Murphy made for him when he was trying out for the job which really made that a whole hell of a lot easier.

He's been here for a few hours, taking his time with the drinks meant for the fighters. They get served quick and he works extra hard to make them perfectly. Just on the nose. Brilliant work. And once they get drinking? They love them.

He finds himself making a couple of the same drink for both a crew member and one of the local fighters, but when he puts them down he sets them far apart and without breaking his customer-pleasing smile even for a moment he says sternly, "Yours is on the right." So they don't pick the one intended for the competitor.

The Shutdown

Murphy is calmly partaking in some janky future earth rum, watching a fight, listening to the rattle of minds around him. They don't know he's listening, they're just passing by. Constant whispers, almost comforting in their familiarity. All of them attached, just a little reach away. A small shove and he has them where he needs them but for now he just listens, hoping one will say something interesting.

It's not something he expects, then, when suddenly one of the fighters is mentally just hating the man in front of him. A bitter, real, spiteful hatred for, what, someone he just met tonight?! No, that doesn't make sense. The other guy? The other guy has a sense of 'what are you doing here'?

Murphy doesn't know what was going on, but he turns his back to the crowd as if he's going to get a couple of drinks. Closing his eyes in concentration he finally uses that push he's been holding back all night. Look. Look harder. Hold back. Look harder. Look harder.

He can hear the tension in the crowd behind him shift to shock that the fighters have stopped. Murphy turns back to the bar then, wiping it down and getting ready to make another drink. "Come on, friend," he mutters to himself. Or rather, he speaks aloud the subtle inclinations he's sending towards the fighters. "That was a big surprise, wasn't it? Why don't you come have a drink with your nice friendly bartender, and we'll have a chat. That's right. Over here."

*Fighters being infected are meant to be NPCs, not PCs.

bartender

[irrationally]

Alice has mostly been avoiding directly heading to the bar-part of these clubs. Even if she may realise it might be a good place to get information, she just doesn't really like the idea of being near so much alcohol. Or maybe being near so many alcohol-filled men. Ugh, those are just the worst.

But right now she happens to spot a familiar face standing behind the bar through the crowd of people. So Alice makes her way through it, thankfully helped by the fact that she's so tiny compared to a lot of the people here and therefore more easily able to slip through said crowd - all the way until she can move to sit on one of the run-down barstools.

"I didn't realise they had such a familiar bartender here."

But even as she says that, slightly dryly, there's a hint of another question in it. One that she can't ask out loud, since people may be able to overhear them. What is he doing, did he decide to earn some pocket change on a mission?

Yondu Udonta | Tier Three

[yondu]

Blue Team Rundown

Yondu's just got the most blank expression as he listens to a shopkeeper in a game store ask if he's a teacher and if so what does he teach and oh man he'd not trust any of his kids with this game set. When he tips down his newly acquired sunglasses (the extent of his effort to blend in) there's a dead-eyed stare, before he takes the last model they're going to need for this and strides out. They're going to have to find a place to set up.

Then to whoever's still with him/around, he calls out a, "Alright, y'all. We need to set up shop, we need to some investigatin', an' when we get somewhere we need to take inventory, see what we got to work with." Because it'd be a bad idea for Madoka to unload her arms band. "We're gonna have to pool up some credits or somethin' if we wanna get space."

Luckily one of the folks has an idea for that.

Set up and checking in

Yondu is not great at video games, at least not ones that don't involve some sorta full body action. A physical flight simulator? He can do that. This stuff? No, he doesn't get it. But he's lucky enough to have people to set him up so he can check in on people on and off.

He ends up bewildered by what he's seeing on the occasions when they're attacked, He doesn't see vines, but distortions in the video display. Pixelization and grainy shapes, and each time he'll go over and watch the person if they seem to be having difficulty. With a couple of the younger ones he knows he might sit with them quietly until he knows they have it under control.

Sometimes people will wake up at a save point and find a little bit of food and water waiting on them.

Otherwise there's not too much he can do but watch, and he'll be hanging out by Kaiba's laptop doing that.

Having a Rest (Closed to Purple!Kyoko, Blue Leader!WangJi, and Cherry)

If he knew a person had a significant other that might be sharing a room with them, he didn't bother to bug 'em. But there are a few that'd find him on their rented doorstep on a few of the nights, knocking quietly on their door, hoping they're still up.

As a slave he always slept in military settings. As a Ravager, he tended to sleep around other Ravagers. On the train he has roommates. And here? Here he found himself alone in a room with the sounds outside of it too loud and the isolation in it magnifying that creeping sense of loneliness that nearly kills him sometimes.

So he's finding floors to sleep on. Someone else each night, so he doesn't get damned wierd(er) about it. Always greets 'em with a sad basset look and a touch of a knowing cringe. "Mind if I take up some o' your floor space tonight?"

set up

[blue_ice]

When this all began, Kaiba's plan was to stay on the outside with some of the others. He's had enough of being trapped in virtual nightmares, thank you...but what he sees bothers him, and with a few people he cares for headed into the abyss...well, he's gritting his teeth with his decision.

Yondu appears to know what he's doing, so Kaiba approaches with a grim expression.

"Hey. You're staying out of this, right?

Lena Sabrewing | Blue Team | OTA

[outofyourshadow]

A. Preparation

After reading the announcement on the SCA, Lena frowned as she followed some people to the dressing carriage. She wasn't entirely sure what kind of preparation was needed for this mission, but the clothes that she found wasn't really what she expected.

"...is this normal gear for these missions?" she wondered aloud, not really asking anyone in particular.

Despite trying to appear cool, Lena couldn't help feeling a little nervous. She was still getting used to this whole train thing, and was already being thrown into a mission. Even though she didn't know many people, she didn't want to let anyone down.

B. A Crisis

"Ugh, is this for real right now?" she wondered, pulling up the mask she wore a little further up. The smog made it hard to breathe, and all the lights and sounds were starting to give her a headache.

Still, they had a job to do apparently, so she walked around asking people questions about Spectura and those who had fallen unconscious. Most of the people brushed her off, in a hurry to get to their destination, and even answers she did receive from people were conflicting at best.

"This is all super helpful," she muttered as another person she spoke with bustled off.

C. Spectura

While Lena wasn't too crazy about the idea of being pulled into a video game, there were supposed to be rescuing the people that were trapped in there. She ended up picking AgriTopia VI Ultimate to enter, because it was one of the two most popular games, so most likely there'd be a lot of people needing help there. And if she had to be trapped in a video game, might as well pick an easy one.

Whatever she expected to see when entering the game, giant red vines choking the life out of everything was definitely not it.

Jumping out of the way of a vine coming at her, Lena tried to use her magic...only to make an alarming discovery.

"Oh, are you kidding me?" she growled, just jumping out of the way of another vine. "I can't use my magic?"

D. Wildcard

((Want to do a different prompt? Go for it!))

C

[sos_pilot]

The next vine was suddenly an abruptly shot. Della had stalked - er, followed - Lena as best she could, wanting to watch out for her. She waves from a small distance, gun in hand.

"Hi, sweetie!" She cooed, as if this duckling was one of her own. This was perfectly normal. "Do you need some help?"

Tidus ; Train + Purple

[blitzcheer]

1; train

a; breakfast mission

"Pft, what, can't the train wait 'til we've eaten?"

Always equipped with his SCA, it lights up as the mission details come through, a mouthful around eggs and toast swallowed down as he lets the screen come up. Feel free to read with him if you're beside him, or maybe you have your own. Everyone has their own reaction, but for Tidus, immediately viewing it...

"That system... nine-three-four...the same?"

There's some mumbling under his breath, brow stitched together.
b; mission supplies

'Sup, it's that time again! Come to the locker room to grab some supplies! Weapons, food, healing, whatever- I'll be hanging around!'

That'll be transmitted over the ICPs, and as announced, Tidus is indeed in the locker room (aka, the armoury) with goods - sitting on a flat-top chest, back against a locker, a pair of suitcases opened to bottles, lunchboxes, vials of liquids, a few weapons, and a few other goods to showcase at least what's available.

He'll welcome anyone that comes along with a nod. "Hey. You need help, or you know what you want?"

2; mission world

a; arrival

"Whoo-oa-oah, This is a blast from the past."

Please, don't mind Tidus being weird - that's just how he is. He can do without the thick air and the stench that follows, but as they go from where the train stops and further into the station, all the noises, the colours; it's homely, in the most reaching, vaguest sense of it. Close enough that he's ever gotten in the longest of times, if murkier than he's used to (and maybe more real).

He half wants to linger, to wander - and he's also half having to do so, figuring which way to go. But if he sees a familiar face, he'll come up to them, going, "You know which way you're going?", or - if he thinks you're likely to be going Purple, "Let's stick together?"

And get lost together?
b; tier two, first impressions

"Sheesh, I hope these things are easy to find..."

'Investigate and prevent further casualties. Easy for the train to ask. Coming in, Tidus doesn't know where to begin. Knows there's been murders, but what's there to be found out about those? Except to find these creatures, which sure...

leads on a long, pointless search around, trying not to be suspicious, which at least the locals are more concerned with themselves than with him.

Are you just as lost? Or could you give a fellow trecker a hand in how to even start. Please...
c; tier two, crime scenes

He's found one of the houses, finally, easy to tell by the activity outside, the tape around it and its driveway. Tidus is keeping his distance, not sure how to proceed. Should he call this in, or try finding a way in? Well, he's not going to get in by the front door.

Trying to make up his mind, he turns to take a few steps back and pace when he sees a face - and if it's somebody he doesn't know, he may go, "Oh, hey - you interested about that murder?" in a gossipy way; or, if he knows you, he'll go up to you and take a relieved breath, gesturing over his shoulder.

"There's one of the houses there. You wanna do anything with it?"

3; wildcard

[ ooc: want to do a late night fight? a next day of investigating? want something else entirely?? hit me up with a wildcard or feel free to message me to plot!! ]

1b

[forceshadowed]

"Hey."

Jaisyn's smile seems kind of nervous, as if it's her first time ever to go on a mission. Not that she misses a beat, rattling off what she needs after she gives the suitcases a sweeping glance. "A blaster if you have one to spare, ammo, whatever healing supplies you got, and... some daggers if we need to go old-school with this. Please." Now that she knows the train doesn't actually provide for them, she doesn't want to take more than what they can afford to supply.

Otoha | Red Team

[bakegarasu]

[Mission Prep]

Otoha blinks in confusion as he wakes up, rubbing his face. It takes him a bit to get up, by which time the SCA is already feeding them information. ... Fighting ring, huh? Just his style.

First though he looks around for Emporio - he wants to get this stuff to the kid before they leave.

Afterwards, Otoha heads over to the dressing car to take a look... and then chuckles. He's basically already wearing what's recommended, so he doesn't change. He takes some leather gloves just to complete the look and because it looks interesting and starts heading off to medical to grab bandages and then the kitchen to grab food for both now and later.


[A Way In]

This? This is familiar. It's not familiar, but he's comfortable with seedy bars and streets that look like someone's gonna try to mug you every five seconds. The neon lights and the dark atmosphere makes him feel peaceful and at home. It's honestly a relief to be in a city again, especially one that reminds him so strongly of Shinjuku.

He sticks with other passengers for a while, looking in at bars and just casually drinking while dropping into a yakuza drawl when he does have to speak. It doesn't take long for someone to invite him to a fight.

Now it's just a matter of getting ready.


[What Was That?]

Otoha is a good fighter, even without his sword. He'd considered using it but held onto it mostly for show, and so when he gets into the ring it's fists only. Less of a chance to kill someone by accident that way, after all. Fighting to the yield means, at least in his case, it's always a win. He isn't affected by the pain at all, no matter how hard or where the other fighter punches. Otoha's fast and strong and stubborn, so while he ends some of his fights bloodied and bruised he doesn't give in.

Two of his fights, however, go terribly wrong.

[Brother, My Brother]

It's a good few fights in and Otoha's been doing well. He's stripped down to his pants for this fight, leaving his upper half visible, scars and all. He's ducking and weaving around his opponent, going in for a punch to the other guy's chin, when he stops and trembles.

"... Reiji?" The figure in front of him has changed to a young man, smiling up at Otoha. That smile is quickly undercut by the punch to his gut that his opponent delivers, still with Reiji's smiling face. Otoha's on the ground, shaking - now would probably be a good time to pull him out.

[Father Dearest]

It's a few fights after that where things go wrong again. His opponent this time is a lot less strong or fast than Otoha, and he really doesn't stand much of a chance - it seems the guy was put in just for people to be amused at how badly he's getting beat. Otoha's landed a few blows and the guy's not doing all that well - and then his appearance changes. An older man in a fur coat appears in front of him, and Otoha freezes for a moment.

No. No he can't be here, he killed him -

A more primal part of his bran kicks in, though. All he can see is red, slamming the other guy into the wall and starting to punch him in the ribs, stomach, throat - anywhere that'll hurt badly enough. He doesn't hear the guy's call for a yield, he doesn't hear the announcers, he doesn't hear anyone else - all he can hear is static and all he can see is the man he hates most in the world in front of him.


[Wildcard]

[Before dropoff or after, just let me know. Otoha's mostly going to be fighting and trying to drag info out of other fighters where he can.]

Mission Prep !

[seacub]

[Emporio for his part is trying on a few things- he's carefully stashed his somewhat iconic hat away in a locker for now, doing his best to find something that not only blends in, but doesn't...well. Seem too weird to be wearing. It's a bit tricky, and it isn't like he's been familiar with the idea of fashion on the best of days.

Maybe he should fix that. But that aside-]

Huh- [Oh!] Oh- Hi Otoha. ...Were you looking for me?

[He seemed to be coming over pretty purposefully anyway...]

Kitty Pryde | Purple Team | OTA

[goingthroughaphase]

A. Preparation

Kitty was a bit distracted as she looked through what was available in the luggage carriage. While she was dressed in her X-Man suit again, she decided to see what kind of clothes would blend into the world they were going to. Honestly, she was a bit surprised to see so much leather.

"Huh...I think I'll pass on these outfits this time."

B. A Mystery

It was difficult not to feel the tension in the air while walking down the street, though Kitty couldn't exactly blame them. Though there hadn't been much info about the mission, what she read had been clear.

People were being killed by something...or several somethings.

It took a bit of convincing, but eventually she could get people to talk about what had happened to the people who died. The method of their death, though, was especially unsettling; inside their rooms, behind locked doors, in houses with security systems.

The worst part was finding the houses where the killings had taken place, and asking to investigate the scene. It was mostly outright rejection, which Kitty could also understand. But the only way to really figure out what might have happened was to look.

And Kitty knew a way to get into the houses...but getting caught could make people more suspicious. Because she could get past locked doors. And if people saw her, she knew what people might think.

"...We have to get a look inside."

C. Creatures

Kitty found herself feeling a little nervous while walking down the street. It was starting to get dark, and after talking with more people she was feeling a little paranoid. People were talking about animal attacks, despite no animals existing in this world anymore.

She hadn't been sure what to think before, but lately...she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being followed.

Maybe it was just the overall paranoia of the city. But still...

D. Wildcard

((Want to do a different prompt? Go for it!))

C

[flatteries]

It's not a good idea to wander through this city alone.

That's the feeling Inigo has been getting, ever since they showed up here. Sure, maybe it could be his own unfamiliarity with these sorts of big modern cities speaking, but something about this place unsettles him to the core.

So the moment he spots Kitty heading somewhere by herself, he doesn't hesitate for a moment. Inigo quickly sprints up to where she is, before naturally slowing down a little by her side, as if he was walking next to her all casually the entire time.

"Come on, Kitty. There's people being murdered! You weren't planning on heading out on your own, right?" He raises the sunglasses he's wearing - mostly to cover up his one odd eye with a symbol in it, which he's sure people on the train are used to by now, but people in this city might not be as much - and winks at her. Trying to keep it light, despite the topic.

Despite his own nerves.

"Or at least not without your good friend Inigo!"

Masumi Sera | Purple | OTA

[tactlesstantei]

1. A Mystery

[It’s a rare thing for Masumi to actually stick with her own team instead of going with another, but the mention of mysterious deaths had made her choice easy. She immediately gets to work once she reaches the second tier, experience with solving murder cases back home taking over.

The first step would be to track down someone who has some idea of what’s going on and can maybe even let her see where the deaths occurred, most likely a police officer or similar. And to her credit, she does find someone fitting that description, only to run into the roadblock of being a random seventeen year old asking for info on the recent deaths in a place where the locals presumably aren’t used to teen detectives.]

No, really, I’m a detective. I want to help find out what happened. [It seems she’s not having much luck at getting the info she needs so far. Perhaps a word in her favour is needed.]

2. Creatures

[By now she’s gotten word of the strange animals, so when Masumi catches a glimpse of something in an alley, she carefully steps forward to get a better look. Of course, it turns out to be a bear, one that lumbers toward her on noticing her presence.

Masumi’s already going for the sword she has hidden under her coat, trying her best to stand her ground and look big and loud in hopes that maybe it’ll back off and leave her alone. It’s...not really working, but she can’t turn her back on this thing so she keeps trying to scare it off anyways.]

Hey, I’m not great food! I’ll fight back if you get close, you don’t want that!

[Look, she heard that this is what you do when confronted by a bear, she’s doing her best here.]

[redmeguca]

Hey, get away from that!

[Kyoko, the one from the Blue team, jumps between Masumi and the bear(?). She jabs her spear into what looks to be center mass to Masumi, but she scowls and jumps back.]

I don't know how a familiar of the Shadow Witch got here, but I guess that explains some things.

kaiba | guesting on blue | ota

[blue_ice]

prep

Kaiba is still not in a cheerful mood, given everything. His usual pre-mission routine is mostly intact: picking up supplies, getting dressed, scowling, asking Yugi where he's going...well, the last part is replaced by more scowling. He's quite comfortable in a black leather bodysuit, though, and will begrudgingly ask people where they're going. He's especially sure to say goodbye to Orange members, as he's not going with them this time.

As they're on a high-tech world this time, he has the glowing duel disk strapped to his arm and his laptop bag over his shoulder.

tier three: sign your life away

He really doesn't like the idea of entering the system. He's been trapped in too many virtual worlds to count, but he knows this is his best chance of helping. He hunkers down in a room with the others, his laptop, and a headset, fiddling with wireless settings and trying to establish a bridge between the game and his carefully partitioned laptop.

"I don't like this..."

here we go again

Finally, with teammates at the helm and more teammates he cares about inside, he load the game and selects Aegis Force. He's improved his aim in the real world, so he can hold his own here...

...but terrifyingly familiar red vines are swift, closing in on him from all directions almost immediately. He spins in a circle and blasts with his gun, but one grabs him and he instinctively grabs for it.

Did that grip loosen? He presses the heel of his hand down, and a familiar surge of power courses through him. Oh. Immediately he starts to flick his wrist toward each vine, but they swirled around him so fast he might need some help.

tier three

[miseris_socios]

Ken has decided that he'll be better off with another group this time, so he's with blue. He sits down next to Kaiba and watches him work for a moment, strangely nostalgic for watching Jin swear at his computer.

"What's it doing?" He doesn't understand a lot of computer things, but he's still curious.

Jaisyn Solo | Purple Team | some closed + ota

[forceshadowed]

A. LOOKING IN ALDERAAN PLACES | closed to leia

She's dressed for the part and looks perfectly calm as though she's done this sort of thing a thousand times by now, but even if Jaisyn manages to hide her anxiety in the Force, Leia is her mother. The older woman will know for sure that something's amiss, that something about this mission has been bothering her daughter from another dimension.

"Six murders." She runs through the information they've received so far, biting the inside of her cheek. "Has to be the creature."

B. THE SITH SENSE | closed to inigo

The creature, to Jaisyn's relief, turns out to not be a voxyn. Instead it's... a group of unfamiliar reptiles. Well. More than one. A pack and the hunting sensation from her vision would explain the six murders...

"Don't. Move."

C. DON'T PORG-ET ME | closed to jon

By now Jaisyn knows that the creatures cannot be tamed, because they're not... animals, technically. They're illusions similar to the holograms in the houses, barely sentient, though what they are, well, she's yet to find out.

She's stopped in her tracks by a lone porg standing in the dimly-lit corridor, looking up at her with its wide eyes.

D. MAY THE FORKS BE WITH YOU | open

"You're not real."

Here it is again, the voice. It's a trick — it had to be, because she'd been tricked this way before.

"Come on, Jaisyn!" Anakin beckons. He's standing in front of her, wearing a loose-fitting tunic and pants in the Corellian style, and his lightsaber hangs loosely at his belt. No, he hadn't been on the train, and he wasn't dressed in the mission uniform. Not real. "This way! Come on! You'll be safe here!"

Not real. There's no such thing as safe.

"You're not real!" she shouts, and in the next moment her lightsaber comes alive in her hand, its emerald blade casting a strange glow on her face as she flicks her wrist and slashes at the haunting image of her little brother.

She's crying.

D

[helborn]

He's seen lightsabers in action, he doesn't want to get any of his things on the receiving end of that. Which is why when Jaisyn swings down again there's a spear of ice in her way. It takes the blow and for a moment it feels like it's going to hold - and then it shatters into snow. But hopefully Casper can catch her for a brief moment.

"You're right, he's not there. It's okay. C'mere, I can help you for a moment."

Yuume Souryuu - Red Mission, OTA

[shadowslipping]

[Into That Seedy Underbelly]

[Dark. She hates the dark, but she can't help but think she's obligated to continue what she agreed to. The dark is pressuring, and Yuume can't help but think that she's glad she grabbed as many light-up options for clothing as possible.

She needs it if she isn't going to break down.

The only good thing about the dark is that it hides things- hides when she, after finding the location of the fighting ring she's infiltrating, carefully takes off much of the outter light-up garb and pulls her 'armor' on.

The cloak is set aside, as is the hat, hidden neatly. The cyber-punk garb is pulled back on, creating an odd, but no less fitting blend. What was once very obviously a fantasy tunic now looks more like it could be an odd dress beneath the light up vest.

She's not alone, either of course- it would have been stupid if they tried handling any of these alone, and it's not like they draw much attention in small groups while the eyes are on the fights.]

What do you think?

[The Battle Goes South]

[Yuume's most recent fight takes a very odd turn. It's going fine to start- perhaps the two might even be having fun.

Except then the opponent seems almost...enraged. Confused, even. He starts snarling- just while Yuume pauses and shakes her head, throwing something else off and-]

Oh n-

[The battle is close.] Whoever you're seeing, I'm not them!

[The other side just can't listen.] Please, focus on what I'm telling you! Your opponent is not who you think!

[They keep going, and going-] Please, I-!

Dammit..!

[Pretty soon she's forced the battler into a pin, hissing in his ear- whatever she's saying can't quite be heard, but the confusion intensifies as the now loser walks away. Perhaps understanding enough of the fact that he was seeing things, but no less shaken.

Once back with fellows, Yuume swallows.] ...We need to look into what could cause hallucinations here; I had to pull myself out of an illusion not too different from at our last mission just now I suspect.

Into That Seedy Underbelly

[renegadeprince]

[Vegeta on the other hand really doesn't care about hiding, however he would be stupid not to realize it's importance at times for them to try and be sneaky, so will do his best to lighten his step and not draw too much attention to himself. It's not like they can just go in blasting and obvious, as much as that's his normal line of action, they actually were trying to find out information. And he would do his part of it.]

It's as good enough a location to start as any. [For something that supposed to be a secret it was not overly difficult in tracking down the locations around the tier. Getting to be part of them may prove more difficult, depending how cautious those running them were.] Provided this is a common occurrence in all of these groups and not a result of only one that has managed to spread it. [Whatever 'it' still was.]

Katsuya Jonouchi | BLUE, ALL VR PROMPTS! (+ Wildcard)

[luckydragonsfoot]

[They Didn't Advert This On The Box]

[Getting the game wasn't that hard. Getting the game wasn't even that painfully filled with judgement when he grabbed the farming game actually, which was strange for all of about two seconds before he realized that it was likely because the world was kinda shitty here and anything anyone could do to escape it for happy farm life was uh...probably ideal.

As it is- he's secured himself a bed somewhere, he's got the system on, and-]

AW WHAT TH' HELL! [There are! Vines! Everywhere!! Red vines! Very familiar vines!!

Throwing his hands forward on instinct, the now farming-ready blond finds himself thinking of the vines from a certain dyson sphere mission...

...and the vines respond.] ...Huh?

[Well some anyway.] Fuckin-!

Get th' hell off..!!

[Might take a few runs at this really.]

[It's a Farmer's Life for We,]

Well, guess I'm plantin' potatoes an' growin cabbages. [Once he's secured himself a field of space that's vine free, things aren't so hard...maybe. The potatoes are in the ground, they're slowly going...] Hauhhhhhh...this ain' so b-

[wait he had a vision about this which means that right behind him is-]

Get! TH' HELL!! [Naturally the vines are not so slowly going, and he's soon cussing up a storm as he chases them off with a combination of soothe and a gardening spade.] BACK OFF!!

[Oh there were Other Powers]

[Alright, ultimately he's not getting shit done with his own garden, so clearly finding the other gardens and farms is the better idea. 'Weapons' in hand, Katsuya is soon marching off- soothing vines as he goes, sidestepping a few when he gets a heads up, and-]

NyyyYYYHHH-!

[And whoops, he just accidentally water-slide the ground a bit there, so apparently that's still there!] These guys the same people who made those dyson spheres or somethin', yeesh...

[WILDCARD - Go, go, go!]

No Advert

[myblueskies]

"Mister Jonouchi!"

Romeo clearly hasn't made the connection yet, but his borderlines aren't working and he has been tangled up, struggling against the vines that were wrapping his legs up.

He spots Jonouchi and calls out, wide eyed. He's scared but he keeps fighting, kicking and squirming and reaching down to try and tear the vines away.

These ones look just like the ones from before! What were they doing here?

Potato - PURPLE MISSION!

[philosopherspotato]

[Seeking!]

I! Found! You!! [Know who skipped the clothes bit? THIS POTATO.

In fact, Potato has no clothes at all. Apparently she's very plush-anatomy, which is to say it looks like someone probably just grabbed cotton and fabric and put her together with a sewing machine.

Which, given she's running around the second tier, is probably why she's not wearing any cool cybery deals, especially since it looks like someone had been chasing her. They stop soon enough, as she turns and waves and beams.] See!! Found them! [...so she cries from where she's potentially latching onto someone's leg.

It takes until they're gone to get any sense from it all.]

...Phew. I'm supposed to be a toy here, but I guess toys don't walk alone.

[Ah.]

[Finding!]

[Were it anyone else, this would be a terrible sight.] Hey hey hey!!

Something found! Oof! Me!!

[Fortunately, it's Potato. Potato, who is being flung back and forth by the tail like a ragdoll by a rather ferocious lion. It doesn't actually seem to be harming the thing, who if anything squashes against the ground like cartoon putty before immediately reforming each time.] How do I make them let go..!

Seeking

[fivemilesdeep]

[Ryo startles as something runs into him and clings to his leg, but- well, he's seen her around the train before, and he's familiar with this ruse. If someone asks for help like this, you don't turn them away.]

There you are!

[He reaches down and puts a hand on Potato's head, patting it affectionately.]

I've been looking all over for you!

[He then looks up at the person who'd been chasing Potato and smiles at them.]

Thank you for you help - I was so worried!

[It's only after the person leaves and Potato explains that he lets the ruse drop. Even in a place as weird as this one, there are still outliers.]

You should probably stay with me, then. Just in case.

Emporio Alniño | OTA (VARIABLE PROMPTS! GHOST ROOMS BABY!)

[seacub]

[LLAMA DAY 5 - TIERS 3, 4, then 2 (Specify)]

Okay...

[After making his announcement on the comms, Emporio finds himself wandering around a little bit through Tier 3- not straying too far from where he said he was, but just far enough to keep an eye on what ghost rooms are near. It's uncanny really, how many are there...

...And when he starts going through the other tier to set up some ghost rooms for other people, that thought only intensifies. Some of the rooms even have rooms inside them he finds once he's on tier 4, and it's just bizarre.

As it stands-]

And that's all we need, [he says after showing someone a ghost room 'entrance'- a seeming crack in a wall- and pulling them in. He focused deliberately on entrances hidden. Those that weren't really in view of any cameras and the like.] From here, you should be able to show anyone else the entrance and pull them in too- but without that, no one will be able to go in, even if they try following you. So it should be safe!

[He's sure it's just his imagination, but the air feels slightly less stale here too. Slightly. Unfortunately these buildings were still initially constructed in smogland after all.

(And that's not even touching the one or two he finds in the second tier- those ones are just plain NICE; he's taking one to sleep in, honestly.)]

[TIER 1 - LLAMA DAY 6, ONWARD]

[It's a full day and a bit before he makes it up to tier 1, but as the last tier he needs to see, he figures he'll do his best to help out here. More than just with ghost rooms, too.

Doing well to avoid being seen, he wanders the halls- he's found one ghost room so far, and he's been careful to mark it down and raid it for garbage cans- which he's in turn finding very useful for hiding. But wandering further...]

Wait..

...Have I been here..?

[These halls can't be right, can they? And yet...

He turns the corner, and this isn't the right place at all.] G...Green Dolphin..?

[It's part of...a prison?]

[WILDCARD - Let's go let's go..!!]

tier 4

[irrationally]

[ A room only she and people she specifies can enter?

Of course Alice jumps onto that idea immediately - though she doesn't like the idea of Emporio even briefly being on the fourth tier, where she's planning on staying, considering the kind of people this place seems to be full of.

But so far it seems to have gone fine, and she's definitely keeping an eye on him until they're actually in the room, where those other people can't come.

She glances around, apparently unfazed by the weirdness of the power or the room they've found themselves in, since she just lets out a sigh of relief. ]

.. thank you for helping me. This city reminds me just a little bit too much of London for me to not have a space to myself. [ You know, to calm down. Because if there's anything that agitates Alice, it's big city people.

Even if it's fururistic big city people, rather than Victorian era big city people. ]

jiang cheng ( blue team / red mission )

[fennu]

PREPARATION AND ARRIVAL.

[ Jiang Cheng goes straight for the clothes as soon as he can - it's not that he hates his blue clothing, but some of it feels awkward and uncomfortable, the way that it makes him feel overwhelmed. He ends up with a black turtleneck pulled over his body and a long black trenchcoat to go with it. At least it's different from all the blues he's been wearing before; it makes him feel too much like a Lan than it does anything else.

No matter what he wears he looks uncomfortable, however.

The noise and the sounds are almost too much when the doors open, leaving Jiang Cheng wincing; he's not used to this and all he can do is begin to push through, to begin to look around. He knows what he wants to do, where he wants to go, and he storms forward.

It's not the same without his robes, but he has his full Sect Leader glower to get him through. ]

TIER FOUR.

[ The mission details lead Jiang Cheng in one direction; the promise of a fight is what he needs right now after the tension of the last few weeks. Having to deal with two Wei Wuxian, too many emotions, his nephew and his once co-parent, the difficulties and problems that come with being Jiang Cheng trapped with too many people that know him.

He spends a lot of time wandering around the bars, looking into the places and drinking them in - but not doing a lot of actual drinking. There's a part of him that's tempted to do it, tempted to drink himself into oblivion, but he doesn't. There's also a part of him that thinks he ought to at least try and get some to take back to Wei Wuxian - both of them - but he shuts down that thought almost immediately.

Winners get a dream come true.

Jiang Cheng doesn't necessarily believe that, but it's obvious to anyone watching him that he's curious. He makes his way to the fighting ring and gets to where the overseers are - because he wants to fight. Zidian is sparking on his fingers and he wants to take part, wants to burn off some of his energy, his anger, and to find out what's going on.

So he gets ready. ]

WHAT WAS THAT? (sub-headings for different fights!)

[ The fighting is what ruins Jiang Cheng.

He watches people break down and thinks that he's stronger than that. He thinks that he is doing better than anyone else because he has faced his demons before: he's faced Wei Wuxian back from the grave, watched Jin Guangyao tear the people he loves apart, seen the loss of his home, his parents, his family. It doesn't matter what any of the people here are going through - he can manage.

That's what he thinks, at least.

The first few fights aren't too terrible. The image of Lotus Pier flickers in front of him, a mixture of the burning husk that haunts his nightmares and the new one that he recognises as the rebuilt home. It doesn't distract him as much as it could, letting himself be dragged into the knowledge that seeing home makes him stronger - it reminds him of what he has to fight for - but it leaves him tired and exhausted afterwards.

Anyone who speaks to him will see that he's starting to get a little tired.

It's the later fights that start to become more and more damaging to him. Rather than seeing just his home he sees far, far more - the image of his opponent flickers before him and it changes shape. He doesn't see some stranger, he sees his brother, Wei Wuxian, smirking at him in the same way that he did all that time ago, when he was truly falling apart. It makes him far, far more feral, Zidian snapping at his side as he goes into something more dangerous.

He doesn't need a sword when he's charging at the stranger, his expression twisted and sour - he's less a man and more a creature fuelled only upset and anger, the horror of betrayal, of his brother being the one to attack him after all they've been through.

He's not doing as well as he could have, but he seems to get through it. When he's done he's collapsed in a corner, more broken than he's been before. ]

WHO WAS THAT? (closed to lan xichen).

[ The worst of the fights is Jiang Cheng's final one.

The scene in front of him twists and reshapes and all he can see is Lotus Pier burning. He doesn't have the energy to fight back against it in the way he might have been able to hours before where seeing through the illusion felt like second nature. He's immediately caught up in it and it seems as though he's lost in the smell of the burning wood, the death hanging around, the knowledge of feeling powerless.

It's worse when the opponent that walks up in front of him takes the shape of his mother.

It's impossible, of course it is, but she had married into the Jiang Sect; attempting the impossible was supposed to be second nature to them. This world had brought Wei Wuxian, had brought Jin Ling, had brought everyone and everything, so why wouldn't they bring his mother? Her hand lifts and it's impossible for Zidian to be on her arm, but there is a whip.

How is he supposed to fight back? How is he supposed to stand up to his mother? ]

A-Niang...

[ The whip comes at him and at first it hits him on the arm like the crash of a wooden cane, like the slap of the disciple whip that the Wens used on him. All he can do is stare at the figure before he shakes his head, rubbing at his face and trying not to let himself break into pieces. There are already tears in his eyes as he lurches forward, and as his own Zidian snaps out and forward, wrapping around her foot and pulling her to the ground.

When he looks up again the body has turned and shaped and it's not Madame Yu that he sees anymore, not the woman who could destroy him with a single look, but his father, giving him that same look he always gives: one filled with anger, disappointment, disgust. ]

A-Niang, a-die... Stop! Stop this!

[ And instead of fighting all Jiang Cheng can do is lash out with Zidian, his eyes wide but unseeing, coloured by his pain and his hurt - he lashes out and the smell of Zidian burning skin overwhelms him as the background smell of Lotus Pier burning rushes through him.

There's no escape from his grief; just tears rolling down his cheeks and a lump in his throat whenever he tries to breathe. ]

WILDCARD.

( Feel free to message me for something personal, run into Jiang Cheng after his Suffering or find him anywhere else! )

Who...

[lanxichen]

... Wanyin? Jiang Wanyin?

[ Xichen's arm is numb, the sleeve torn by Zidian as Xichen slid to block out a strike that would have killed the non-cultivator that Jiang Wanyin had been fighting. His other hand reaches to grab Wanyin's wrist, of the hand holding Zidian.

He had only come shortly before this, to prepare for his own fight, but it was enough to see the breakdown and to get there before something happened that might have been worse.

Not like either of them has had the luxury to not have killed, but they are not here for that. ]

It is an illusion. It is not real. This place is playing tricks with your mind. Jiang Wanyin. Can you hear me?

[ The soft, sweet voice carries urgency that is rare, and command that is almost more so. ]

Nozomi Yumehara | Purple Team | OTA

[cureofmanyworlds]

Preparation

Nozomi had listened to the mission given to her and was thankful it seemed much easier than before. She wouldn't need her entire gear, just her normal CureMo.

But, the clothes So much leather, so much neon, so not her style! The best she could do was a trenchcoat with pink highlights, sighing as she slipped it on.

"I really do not like the looks at all..."

Tier Two

A Mystery

Nozomi heard the strange whispers. Murder by animals they haven't seen in ages. That didn't make sense. She had to find out for herself. She wasn't a detective in the normal sense, but Nozomi had to figure out what was going on here.

She'll head for one of the houses from behind. An unlocked window seemed a little too convenient as she found one. Maybe the person who died needed something outside or tried to escape.

Slipping inside, she'll notice the room she was in with some trails of blood.

"Ugh..." She groaned, looking around the room. Such odd holograms, too...

Creatures (CW: Violence)

Nozomi needed to figure out what was going on. First people getting murdered in their homes, then being attacked by animals in the streets? Animals that shouldn't be here? What was going on?

As she walked along, she noticed it was getting dark. Great, and her not around the hotel. As she made her way along, she stopped, hearing something heavy walking around. Something was following her.

Her hand went for her pocket, intending on grabbing her CureMo and transforming to fight whatever it was. But, she had to be certain...

Wildcard

(OoC: You know the drill here!)

Creatures

[chocobosnap]

The huge lumbering creature - a garula actually - appeared from around the corner, but so did its pursuer, gun drawn and he fired at the beast.

"Look out!" Prompto called to Nozomi. "There's creatures all over the place!"

Senku Ishigami | Orange Team + OTA

[10billionpercent]

Preparation

[Senku spent his last minute preparations first bundling up foods which amounted to fish jerky of a few flavours most were mild and a few onigiri and then he set about handing it out especially to other orange teammates.

Once he’s finished with that task, he makes his way to the dressing carriage and picks out what is probably meant to be a black jacket, a pair of black shorts, and a pair of heeled boots.

The first thing he does is drag his knife through the sleeves so that they’re removed for his comfort and finds himself scoffing a little bit. Not sure where he’s heading, the wedding band on his wrist gets removed and the necklace pushed under the fabric so he can blend in, if need be. Very reluctantly he trades the rope that he’s using to tie his hair back for some neon blue and yellow ribbon monstrosity which adds likely much needed colour to his outfit.

Either way, he’s back out soon enough, ready to give a hand to anyone if need be.]


Walk Like You Own The Place

[Senku’s not likely to be one that’s good at talking his way out of things, although he’s not bad he just lacks finesse. Finesse aside, he doesn’t appear to need it. On the second day when he goes to check out the lab he’s dressed in futuristic scientist gear he swiped from the dressing car so he can check out this building.

He’s always had a way about him, but it’s on full display here, he absolutely looks like he belongs. There’s no hesitation in his step, he’s just walking right in the door and heading through the building to map it out.

He looks like he’s going somewhere. It’s possible though, that he could use some company. Going with Senku is a bit of a trial though, some of the research in this world is simply fascinating and he can’t help but stop to look it over. Maybe he needs a nudge of encouragement to continue.]


A Long Way Out

[No matter how deep into the tier Senku got, when the day ended and they were done investigating he was going to find his way back to where he could head back down to the second tier.

This might seem strange when one could stay places in tier one, but honestly, it was weirder he and Gen were doing different missions, but they were intending on spending some time together in the evenings.]


Digging Into Things – Closed, NPC

[A building centred around information? Senku’s like a moth to a flame here. Not only does he see methods of communication – and that’s fascinating, he’s gonna get back to that – there’s also someone there who happens to be working behind a counter.

He hasn’t come alone, he’s gone in with Gen, but he’s going to try and be less suspicious by approaching first, saving Gen for if he needs a rescue.

He offers an uncharacteristically kind smile, looking almost sociable and approachable.]

Excuse me, I’m looking for some information, maybe you can help me?

wildcardin', mission call (for the four)

[blitzcheer]

[ The mission call has come in, and finding Gen and Senku - and dragging Roland with him, though there's less dragging necessary, other than letting him do his lead stuff first - becomes Tidus's first priority. A pair he hopes aren't too far apart from each other, and he isn't too bothered about privacy on this, though his voice is low when he does speak up, expression a kind of serious. ]

Hey, those numbers. The same, right?

[ Look, it's an attempt to be discreet. ]

Demyx | Orange + OTA

[melodiouspacifist]

Preparation

[Demyx isn’t too worried about things like grabbing food, but he is willing to raid the dressing carriage for some futuristic clothes. This mission is all about infiltration?

This is surprisingly his specialty.

This is the first time he’s intending on going Orange too, sneaking into buildings was significantly easier if you had a way to sneak past everything.

Besides he can pack some spare clothes in his hammerspace, including his Organization coat. If he’s noticed lurking around, he’ll offer a little smile, whether he knows them or not.]


Tier One: Street Walking

[The mission is about mapping buildings and gathering information, definitely but there’s more to recon than just that.

Demyx can be found walking around in crowds with the same purpose that everyone else seems to have.

Perhaps he can be found leaning against a wall near a group of people talking, just trying to get a sense of this place, see what he can learn.

Anyone who wanted his attention would have him walk off and duck out of sight without a word, just a vaguely hooked finger. He does not want to catch attention of the denizens around here.]


Tier One: Building Exploring

[Demyx isn’t going near the labs, he isn’t going to know what he’s looking at, but he can definitely get into the office buildings or meeting spaces.

He never tries to enter a building on his own, he blends into a group of people arriving for work and ducks out of sight once he gets the chance. Maybe he’s even getting onto an elevator first thing and he’ll work his way back down.

He’s looking for whatever dirt he can dig up.]

Street Walking

[subcircuits]

[Devero may not know Demyx well but he can certainly recognize him as another Voidtrecker, as well as recognize the beckoning crook of a finger. He follows him, head down and hands in the pockets of his coat-- just a schmo on his way to nowhere special, don't mind him, local citizens. A couple of mismatched drones float in his wake, little electronic attendants bobbing along, don't mind them either...

Except that as soon as he's around that corner, he dispatches them both with movements of his fingers, setting them as sentries on either end of this narrow walkway between two buildings.]

It's Demyx, right? What've you got?

Cherry + Blue Team

[fightcreamsundae]

Dressing Car

As usual Cherry is up and about just before the alarm for the day went off. She ate breakfast with an enthusiasm that rivaled children on Christmas, she poured over what scant pieces of information they were given and searched among the scraps for all of the info she could. She settled into going with blue team to help them because they had so few people and went to all appropriate team meetings and let appropriate people know this. She had never actually touched any of the video games in the train so she had no clue what to expect on world, but at the worst case she could always help make sure the youths were taken care of and settled down after their ordeal. She was good at that.

It was choosing an outfit that put her at a huge impasse. She didn't care to wear so much black: it was antithetical to who she was and what she was about. She found so much black depressing - it was a color that was best used when hunting at night when Menphina hid her face form the world. She'd been searching for just about anything in the dressing car that wasn't black before she finally sat back with an exasperated sigh.

"Everything here is so depressing. If this really is the way the people of this world dresses I don't know how anyone can be happy."

Tier 3 - arrival, games

Stepping out of the station is no small culture shock to Cherry. First? The air is absolutely deplorable. Even with something covering her face she still had to stop and cough as she stepped out of the station. She couldn't get herself moving as she noticed the city before them and she froze. There was far too much sensory input going on. Everything was so loud and there were so many flashing lights and so many people and... It made Kugane look like some tiny village in the middle of nowhere. She's not afraid as much as she's just trying to take it all in and it may be definitely overloading her a little bit. She'd never seen so many people in one place before, much less had to deal with all of this stimulation at once. At least she finally settled on an outfit and felt like she at least looked the part even if she absolutely didn't feel it.

Once she was over her initial shock on the city and she got settled in with the rest of the blue team she would unbox her VR set and... Have no clue what to do with it. Also, like, she could't read, so she couldn't even read the instructions on what to do. Team members may have noticed Cherry watching them to figure out how to work the dang thing, though she wouldn't approach and just ask because she didn't want to disturb anyone.

Wildcard
[ OOC: I haven't gotten much sleep so I may have forgotten a prompt I needed to write up so please just poke me or respond with it if that's the case. Otherwise she will be in games - either of the two popular ones or catch her in a rhythm game of some kind. I'm open to whatever if you wanna write up another prompt so feel free, otherwise you can find me in the discord as Coop or on plurk at coopyey if you wanna talk and figure something else out! ]

Wildcard, naturally

[runicfeathers]

Willow has already gotten herself ready aside from her long mess of recently brushed out hair, knowing that Cherry enjoys playing with the long scarlet hair. Although a full foot and a half shorter now since the last mission where a demon had taken a swipe at her and got a chunk of hair instead, and then having to fix it to not look like a mess.

She wanders and then spots Cherry, brush and a handful of hair ties in hand, and sneaks up on her with a smile.

"Cherry, would you mind? This is all I need left to be ready for when we depart, and I know you'd be sad if I did it myself." The last bit is a playful jab at the youth, wide grin showing that.

Prompto Argentum | Purple | OTA

[chocobosnap]

Preparation

[Prompto’s anxious enough to get off this train, although he’s not too sure what to expect on this mission. After consultation and solemn agreement that if he and Noctis participated in a fight club, someway, somehow, Ignis would find out and thump the two of them...they decided to stick with Prompto’s team this time.

Purple it was.

Surprisingly, Prompto found an outfit eerily similar to his fatigues which likely meant his fatigues would not be out of place either. Good enough, he figured.

He looked cheerful, the thing was this train was super cramped and getting off of it is kind of a blessing isn’t it? That or he’s already had three cups of coffee in anticipation.]


Mystery B&E

[It was soon very apparent that getting access to the houses was not going to be immediately easy. The police totally had this handled, except not because they were being called in as reinforcements.

Compared to the last mission didn’t this seem...easy?

Nevermind that, Prompto procured himself a lock picking kit and he was already at the door past the yellow tape of all things and when he glances back he’s relieved to see a fellow voidtrecker.]

Almost got this. [He whispers a little bit, because obviously infiltration required being quiet. This wasn’t a base, but same principle.]


Bump In The Night

[Night time here was just creepy. Sure, that first night he broke into the house, no big deal but after that he could swear he was being followed.

Prompto was getting really anxious about it, but every time he turned to look, he couldn’t see anything. That was weird right? Totally weird.

The first thing to attack him was some big furry tiger that had him squeaking and pulling out his handgun to shoot at the beast.

The third night however when he turned the corner and came face to face with an MT, his eyes got very wide.]

No. Way.

Mystery Breaking and Entering. .... Probably not burgluring?

[canyounoct]

Noctis nodded absently as he kept looking back toward the street, keeping his eyes sharp for anything coming. Like, for example, police that might be used as reinforcements but might also get called if someone saw them breaking in.

He whispered too. "If it's got a chain - so long as it's open a little -"

Then he should be able to warp in. It'd need a gap at least a few inches wide, though. He could never manage to warp under a door gap, as much as he'd tried to back home, before ... stuff happened.

Rui Ninomiya | Blue + OTA

[partofthecrowd]

Preparation

[To say Rui is thrilled about the change of clothes is an understatement. She had no real affinity for orange and while these clothes were a bit more drab than she was used to, they were also far closer to her aesthetic than anything else she’d been given so far.

It’s not quite her style, but it’s better and she’ll take it. Rui chooses a two piece with a short skirt and a strange belly shirt, a pair of gloves, tights and knee high boots that have tall stiletto heels on them. She even finds a selection of wigs and extensions and opts for one that’s red, bold and impossibly long.

Finally, she’s starting to feel like herself again. She wasn’t going to be shy either, she was going to ensure she had a different outfit for every day.]


Tier Three: Not Quite Inside

[Obviously, Rui needed to get her hands on one of these systems, and not just that, she needed to lift a computer from somewhere.

Sticky fingers and her ability to teleport got her a tablet that she could work with. The technology was a bit more advanced but the basic framework was there. Excellent.

She was going to find somewhere discreet enough to set up, hopefully she could do that by offering to mind someone.]

Do you need someone to watch over you? [She offers with a smile and there’s a confidence behind it like she’s feeling much more like herself and less mousy in general.]

[Then, she gets to work. She’s going to sit outside and monitor the health of her new companion and try and hack into the system at the same time. Viruses didn’t scare her, if she needed to write a program to deal with them, she had every intention...it was just going to take awhile.]


Tier Three: Play. The. Game.

[Rui hadn’t talked much about her CROWDS ability but she also had never tried to project it digitally before. There was no reason, in theory that she couldn’t.

It might be confusing for an ally to see the Aegis Force avatar standing there in the game when Rui promised she wouldn’t be inside.

She’s playing a dangerous game though, if she gets taken out like this, both her avatar and her body outside were going to be rendered unconscious.

With a gun in hand she’s trying to shoot at the vines, and avoiding them as best as she can. She needed to free those people one way or another. Preferably both, actually.]

[azurebichen]

This technology is confusing, but after he turns on the system to search for the problem within the MMO world, getting lost, not knowing how to play the game properly, he too got caught in the vines and was render immobile for nearly half an hour.

Luckily, one of the voidtrecker is playing nearby. He can't reach out and wave, but he can call out.

"Hello? Can you free me? It's the vines. I can't move."

Ansem // Orange

[darknessinzero]

PRE-MISSION
Ansem can be found in one of the coaches studying the mission briefing with a look of severity on his face. It's quite clear he's taking it seriously, and trying to judge how best he can help, teams or not; even so, in the end he lets out a breath before moving towards the dressing car, arching a brief brow at the selection, and finally reaching for something that looks more-or-less appropriate. From there, he's milling about, occasionally gazing out the window as if expecting to see something else- only to move on once it's clear there's still only that headache-inducing fog.

If someone else looks like they may need some help either choosing a means of blending in or just seems a bit out of their depth in general, he'll approach, voice gentle; "Would you like a hand, my friend?"

MAPPING + FLICKERS
Sneaking is...not Ansem's style. He'll follow someone's lead if necessary, but for the most part, he doesn't bother. He doesn't flaunt his presence, so to speak, but he will certainly take a lead in determining the path.

Perhaps the most impressive part is his stride is very much someone with a purpose; for all that he's out of his depth, he's very, very good at the posture of I have somewhere to be; don't stop me. Enough that the security staff, for the most part, leaves him be.

Indeed, it's only when his surroundings change that he halts completely, brow furrowing. "These halls...I know them," he says, mostly to himself, sounding confused. A hand moves to touch the stone walls before he moves further, struck by a sudden hurry; as they bleach white and in to a more abstract pattern, his pace hurries further. He's practically running by the time he 'arrives' at the edge of water, run finally slowing in to an unsteady stumble and near-fall as his eyes are wide and breathing heavy.

Did he never leave this place at all...?

MAPPING

[sciencegirl]

She hasn't met Ansem but she's seen him around, enough to recognize him as Oh hey, a member of Orange Team! and therefore someone she should probably consult with if she happens across him on a mission.

And it's not that sneaking is Entrapta's style per say. It's more that sometimes the best way to get around is through vents and pipes and ducts so long as they're just big enough to hold her. And it's really paying off this time, because there are illusions in the ducts but they are just ducts from other places.

There's no one around when a vent falls open in the midst of that abstract pattern and purple hair pours out of it. It's followed by a girl who practically trickles out of the wall, her pigtails physically dragging her out, leaving her hanging suspended by them for a moment, and then she lowers herself down.

"...Hi! I'm Entrapta. I've been mapping out the vents. I do not know what any of this is so it must be your head."

Hajime Aikawa | Red mission | OTA

[chalicejoker]

[Prep]
Hajime's still not sure what the hell's going on or why he should even bother, but the opportunity to get clothing that is not 100% purple, even if it's only for a little while, is something that's not to be missed. He's pleased when he's able to find a trenchcoat in his size, less so when it's in black with neon green piping all along the edges. The rest of his outfit is also black, albeit with neon piping of other colors on his other clothing, and it's all he can do to stare at himself in the mirror and look quite annoyed at the way all this is playing out.

[Tier Four - A Way In]
Hajime doesn't look flashy at all, given the circumstances. He's on the short side, he's unassuming, he's skulking around in his trenchcoat, big deal, so is everyone else. But he most definitely does not appreciate being jostled in a crowd, especially when he's already on edge. He appreciates it even less when the guy doing the jostling is in fact clumsily trying to pick his pocket. It might have worked on a normal human, but on an Undead? Not a chance. The would-be pickpocket finds himself unceremoniously hurled across the street and onto an awning, with Hajime angrily yelling "Touch me again, see what happens!" at him.

It's enough to get a fight club invite, mission accomplished.

[Tier Four - What was that?]
Hajime doesn't intend to go through these fights as anything other than A Perfectly Normal Human. His first couple of fights proceed relatively smoothly. He's stronger and faster than one might expect, and he thinks this plan's going to work flawlessly. He has yet to encounter any illusions, he's got this. He's got Joker under control, he's not going to go berserk, he's got this.

This lasts right up until he starts a fight and it doesn't matter who or what his opponent really is, all he sees is the Caucasus Undead. So much for maintaining that Perfectly Normal Human guise. His transformation belt's out, he's swiping a card, and he's transforming into Kamen Rider Chalice and rushing full throttle at his unfortunate opponent. There's no time to think--if Caucasus is here, then what's happened to Kenzaki? Kenzaki had him sealed. What's worse, is he can't give this bastard a chance to start his whole "messing with time" gimmick, else he'll be even harder to re-seal.

Maybe you're watching him pummel some poor hapless NPC. Maybe you're unfortunate enough to be there in the ring with him. Either way, good luck--he's showing no signs of realizing that this is an illusion or otherwise letting up.

prep

[wenyuan]

He is still poking around the clothes to find something for himself when he spots someone looking annoyed at his own reflection.

"Are the clothes not suitable to your tastes?" he asks.

V + Blue Team

[bodyoftheseus]

Tier 3 >> Setting Up

V managed to find clothes that seemed to be some parallel version of what he wore at home. The sleeves a little longer, the jacket in black instead of brown without Johnny's patches, the shirt with no design, and the shoes solid black. The clothes were close enough to make him almost nostalgic for Night City, but just far enough away that he knew it wasn't the same. There was no digiweave that Lara could abuse to change the color or patterns, the fabric wasn't quite the same kind of synthetic under his own synthetic skin. When he steps out of the station, though? Lord he might as well be back at home. The thick smog in the air hitting his unmasked face causing him to almost choke on it - except his body recalled what this was like. The massive amount of people all scurrying about their way with a tension on them reminescent of the impossible scramble just to survive, the always too loud advertisements and always too bright billboards and the sensory overload of it all. The only difference was that there was no sky but Night City was almost always overcast and gloomy anyway so it's not like V had been accustomed to blue skies.

Shit, the people even had prosthetics that reminded him of home.

V set himself near the rest of blue team, but definitely a bit away from the entire group. He was working on a VR headset he'd bought, modifying it. He was pulling apart feeds from the optics and other wires, twisting things together or capping them off here or there. There were some cheap tools he'd picked up from a shop nearby the game shop - wire strippers, wire crimps, that sort of thing. At some point he would have the end of one wire and one could see him testing how it fit into the port behind his right ear, making sure it made a good connection and wasn't too lose or too tight. For the most part he worked in silence with one earbud in from his SCA playing some music as he worked.

"May I help you?"

He didn't look up from his work, but he had noticed the person loitering and watching him. He sounds terse, maybe a little annoyed, but he was rather focused on getting this put together.

Tier 3 >> Netrunning

With the headset finally modified and set up for V to properly jack into it he found a spot to lay back to do this. He set the VR headset next to his head and took a moment to breathe and close his eyes, putting pressure on them. For a moment he was glad he got the circuit insulation installed on a whim while he was in Atlanta because he wasn't so sure he could afford to pull an ice bath each time he wanted to do this. He'd lay like this for a minute or so as he just relaxed and got himself ready to go in. It'd been a while since he'd done a proper netrun and it was always a bit jarring to go into. He also might have been buying time for his Agent to perform a system backup of him. You know, just in case.

It wasn't long before he jacked the headset into the port behind his right ear and his eyes fluttered open momentarily as he got dumped into the netscape of the headset. Those on the outside would see teal across his eyes rather than the usual red or green - too small for them to make out what he was seeing (and mirrored besides), but existant nontheless. It would be made clear he couldn't see the real world from this state, but it was also abundantly clear from the way he blinked, his eyes scanned, etc, that he was very much awake and doing something. He hadn't fallen unconscious like anyone who actually put the headset on had. There's a very good chance he could respond if someone were to try to talk to him as he was like this, if anyone wanted to give it a shot and ask what the hell he was doing.

Tier 3 >> Studying the Monster

The first day of the mission it was most important to V to get a copy of the virus - and get a copy he did, though he wasn't very comfortable about it. Since then he could easily be found around the team seeming to stare into space as his eyes were coated in an array of red and green. He was trying to pick this thing apart and he was having very little luck. The code was nonsensical and the virus itself didn't... It didn't make much sense. Things about it were not as they should be and it left V with scratching his head. He had a backup copy of the virus he'd quarantined off in some isoalted part of his system (Lara watched it for him) while he poked at a live version he used for dissection and testing payloads. There was so little progress on the first day that V was honestly a little put out by it, but that only ever served to make him more inclined to work harder at it.

Following days he could be found either working away at the code as he sat and leaned against a wall somewhere or otherwise jacked in to his modified VR headset. He would get up on occasion to stretch his legs and walk around, maybe lean against a building somewhere and watch the people pass by. He doesn't seem to be too bothered by the nutripaste or smog, doesn't seem to be too surprised by the awful conditions the people here lived under. Just another day, par for the course.

Wildcard

[ OOC: The hacking thing I am happy to go more in depth with, esp if someone asks V to talk about it. He would like to share what he's found out about the virus thus far, but I haven't gotten much sleep so I please just poke me. I've probably also forgotten a prompt or two so just badger me about that too. I'm open to whatever if you wanna write up another prompt so feel free, otherwise you can find me in the discord as Coop or on plurk at coopyey if you wanna talk and figure something else out! ]

Studying The Monster/Wildcardish

[promiselisting]

[ It's at least a couple days in before she notices, really notices. First, she and... probably-mostly-okay-roomie (Bacon) are out scouting as much information as they can on the company that makes the goggles. Then she's interfacing with the goggles on her laptop and all the trouble that brings. And then it's just... trying to sync up whatever breaks they're taking.

Because she's pretty sure he's awake, which means he's not jacking into the goggles normally, and if he knows some way around that... then maybe he knows more. And she's been poking at this virus enough to figure out that she's probably not going to be able to stop it entirely in time, at least by herself. Even if she slips into her worst habits.

She knows better than to interrupt a (potential) coder at work though - it'll either mess up their focus or they won't hear her at all, most likely. Plus like... it gives her time to psych herself up. So she waits until finally, finally looks up and he doesn't have the goggles plugged in. Sweet. Okay. Okay she's got this.

She gets up - oof ow oof one of her feet went to sleep at some point - and sidles over and drops into a crouch when she's a good five feet away. ]

So uh. You good with programming too?

Lapis Lazuli | Steven Universe (CRAU) | Blue visiting Red

[oceantier]

A. Prep - Fashion Help?
She's itching to go out, get off the train. Standing in the dressing car, it's hard to focus on the racks of clothing in front of her; her mind pings with constant reminders: In a few minutes she can be out. In a few minutes, she'll be free of this metal tube. She can fly, maybe find a way to be free of this world entirely.

Because yes, even now that's her primary goal. She's not too interested in the mission, what the train wants her to do. The train wants her to be a hero? Well, she's not, and especially not because anyone told her to be. The worries of this world are nothing. They'll sort themselves out, or they won't. Her first priority is to get back to Vista City. As soon as she can get out, she'll fly to space, see what her options are from there.

The need to not stand out as a Stranger, not to attract undue attention, is ingrained at this point. This city looks like a similar sort of situation to Vista's -- crowded, bustling, noisy, and wary of anything that smells of magic. Even if she doesn't intend to play into the train's plans, she'll still need to blend in enough to go out there.

Though she got used to fashion to some degree in Vista City, that doesn't mean she's good at it -- and this even is different than what she's used to seeing. Her fingers sift through the clothing absently, mostly watching the others and trying to see what they do.

Help might be good.

B. Return
There's nothing up there.

Lapis has done what she planned -- headed up to space, looking for a way out, a way away from the train.

As she somewhat expected, there was nothing. The remains of old satellites. Remnants of space stations, long abandoned. Unfamiliar stars.

Nothing that she can trace a path towards back towards home. She could start out and not have any sense of where to go. She could end up on the other side of a galaxy from where she wants to be. She could be in another galaxy entirely.

She drifts for long minutes in the silence, staring at the stars, the debris drifting around her like ruins.

When she at last sinks back towards the city, the land beyond it doesn't look any more promising -- dull and dead, not hospitable to organic life. . . . Honestly, the city itself doesn't look any more hospitable. She can both hear and smell it well before she lands on an innocuous rooftop. Even her people wouldn't find much interest in this planet. It's already been sucked dry.

At least there's water. That provides a sense of security, feeling it twist through the nearby pipes -- pipes that seem to extend throughout the city. It's not exactly much, but it's something.

What next? She heads back to the original platform where they were left, weighing her options.

Anyone still hanging around in Red willing to lure her down?

C. Fight Club Infiltration
No one would look at Lapis and see a potential candidate for a fight club. Reed thin, almost delicate, her physique is a dancer's, not a fighter's. No one will hiss in her ear, lure her in.

Instead, having overheard a conversation and trailed a candidate to one of the bars, she gets the job that more suits her physique: One of the dancers that entertains customers in between fights. She has enough practice at it. The moves are a little strange, but fortunately she's a quick study, and there's enough leeway to add her own flair.

Find her on a break near the bar watching the people or the fights, lingering enough to pick up on conversations, a drink in her hand that she doesn't touch. Or find someone attempting to get a little too close, a little too friendly, with Lapis' eyes flat and dark on their face, the liquid in her glass twitching ominously.

D. What Was That?
Something is wrong.

Very wrong.

The watching crowd erupts as the opponent barrels backwards through the crowd at the force of the challenger's blow. The opponent smashes hard enough into the concrete bar to send cracks through the stone, hard enough to gash open his skull in a spurt of blood. He was a bear of a man, close to seven feet, muscles honed and corded -- no one who should have been easily felled.

Having been sitting a mere two feet from the impact point a moment before, Lapis scrambled much like the others -- but in her case, backward and up onto the bar itself. It was a move out made of instinct, without thought: Being higher up means more ability to fly, out of reach of the other customers that shriek and shout with excitement below.

Unfortunately, it also makes her the most visible in the room -- a potential next target for the challenger.

(ooc: Feel free to be the challenger going amok or someone trying to get Lapis the hell out of there. Or something else, if you can think of it!)

Preparation

[marvelous_murderbot]

Guri, at this stage, is eyeing different outfits. She moves about the car with confident purpose, comparing a few, resting her chin on her hand, and her elbow below in her other hand. It's all about striking just the right note. She's crafting a whole persona, after all, and it has to be done right.

She notices Lapis early, but leaves her alone until she's made her choices - she seems to be having some issues deciding.

"Can I help?" she asks, approaching with hands folded in front of her.