[IC] Deep Ground Online (Hiatus)

[KoL]

~Eris~

@TheWindel

"I see, another one of mom's schemes..." Eris sighed deeply as she addressed Dana very nonchalantly, now that she knew that this was just another of her mother's ways of looking over her. Frankly, could Eris even complain about being put under the eyes of a 'babysitter', consider how much of a problem child she is? Well, that wasn't even the case here, if Hildr decided so, Eris would comply after all, Eris could be anything but she still put her family in first place. Well, all but her blockhead of a father, but this is another story, entirely.

"Either way, I just logged out to get something to drink, if you want something out of the kitchen, suit yourself... Dana, right?" Eris said as she grabbed a cup and filled it with iced tea, taking a couple of big swigs from it before continuing. "I should be back online, lest Cassandra begins to worry for my absence. As you can see, we are safe and sound for the time being. Maybe you could go date that girl you mentioned and leave us alone?" Despite her cool air, Eris was starting to feel a certain unrest from what basically turned out to be, leaving Cassandra hanging around with pretty much nothing to do. Eris just wanted to go back to Deep Ground, leaving Dana to her own devices once more however, she had one final question before doing so.

"Say it, do I know you from somewhere? Deep Ground, perhaps? You strike me as oddly familiar, but I cannot fathom why." The platinum-haired German girl fell silent as she waited for Dana's reply, occasionally stealing a few stealthy glances --or so she though-- over the kitchen's counter, to her bedroom whose door laid half open, to check if Cassandra was well, despite such worries being unfounded as Eris knew all too well.

* * *

@Lord of Evil | @Lucius Cypher

Back on the Black City, Argent Maiden's group had just reached their objective in the perimeter of the Ebony Strykers' Sanctuary, still ignoring the presence of the avatar following them from the shadows. "Citrine Hunter, mark the face and names of any avatars who seem to be in a leading position, our King wants a hit list with any hot names on it. Put that Orange Chatterbox and his merry band as the topmost priority after Moon Rider and Dark Wraith, he seems to have an awful large influence, crushing him to the point he gives up on playing will be very efficient in dismantling the Strykers' forces." Argent Maiden said to a scout that was positioned over a nearby building, taking screen shots and data of all of the conflict. No doubt this abundance of information, as the involved parties seemed t not even know the meaning of the word restraint, would be beneficial to the cause of whoever was this group's patron, later.

"Now then, since our secondary objective is complete, let's proceed with the main one. Radar Hound, scatter your drones, once you are done we can get out of here." As their party leader said, the jammer avatar known as Radar Hound, scattered ten spy drones, each about the size of a common house spider and set their programming to latch on the Ebony Stryker's vehicles, where they would lay dormant until further orders were given. While dormant, the drones would be impossible to detect by any conventional means, but couldn't do much other than receive an order to activate their secondary programming. Not some much of an efficient tool, overall but excellent for sly tricks.

One had to wonder what in the word these avatars were planning, but this would be left for later as Argent Maiden gave them the order to retreat, which would put the puppeteer avatar right in their path, luckily for him as soon as every member of their advanced party had been reunited, Argent Maiden just drew a <<Teleport Crystal>> and then, they just disappeared in the air, as she yelled the command line. "TELEPORT, WHITE CITY!"

[Lord of Evil]

Thomas was quite sure that the group ahead knew of his existence, so he wondered why they weren't doing anything about him. He was glad, though, since it meant he was free to do his work. He watched the group quietly, close enough to hear them but far enough, he hoped, to run away in case he had to. He hoped it wouldn't come to that.

The puppet master scanned the area ahead as he watched the group walk towards the conflict. They took the lesser used streets, not quite the back streets but out of the way of the black guild conflict. This made tailing them a lot easier for Thomas, though he didn't dare reveal himself since he was quite sure that they would kill him without a second thought. So as he shadowed them from building to building, Thomas could only wonder what they were here for.

He was certain that they were up to no good, they wouldn't be skulking around in such a group if they were. It was highly likely that the insurgents were working for one of the other coloured guilds, and he was pretty sure he knew which one it was. Thomas immediately ruled out the blue guild; they were a mercenary group, and even if they were partially responsible, they wouldn't be the ones who organised it, if Maribel Harper's infamous reputation was anything to go by. From what he heard about the red guild (mainly from Emma), they weren't really the type to do something sneaky. They had the capacity to, sure, but they didn't tend to. And he wouldn't pin the group as red guild material. The red guild was more straight forward, this wasn't their style. He would normally rule out the Green Guild as it's widely recognised as one of the friendlier guilds, but he couldn't rule out the suspicions he had of the Green King, even if he was judging based on appearances. With that said, he was at best 50-50 on that possibility. And that left the last candidate.

Thomas took some screen shots when he could, of all of the members of the group where possible. He had to be careful but at least they wouldn't know that he was taking pictures of them. They could just assume it instead. Nevertheless, the group seemed to place him very low on the priority list as they moved onward. If Thomas's black city map was still correct, they were heading for the sanctuary.
"What business do they have there?" Thomas thought.
If he was right, there was only one thing they could want in that direction.

His suspicions were confirmed when the group halted - the vehicle dump of the Ebony Strikers. The conflict was fairly close to here, in fact, and Thomas quickly checked on his other puppet to make sure it was alright. It'd arrived close to the market place and was following some Strykers forward. He commanded it to break off subtly and hide somewhere with a good view. Voices snapped his attention back to the situation at hand, forcing him to switch back to his normal vision. He listened in as they mentioned a hit list and paper moon, and he watched as several small objects were released from one of their members. He tried following the movement of one of the objects but realised that his puppet would probably do a better job. He commanded it to watch the closest drone and looked back to the group just in time for him to hear the magic words.

"TELEPORT, WHITE CITY!"

Of course it was the white city. Of the 5 kings, the one people knew the least about next to Moon Rider was the White King. He wasn't exactly expecting the revelation but it wasn't exactly a surprise. He wasn't sure how the white king and Moon Rider were connected, but he wouldn't exactly find out now either. The group was gone and Thomas would have to make do.

Thomas linked his feed to his puppet's and let the puppet control his sight. The pair followed the drone slowly, as he wasn't sure what it could do. It ignored him and made a beeline towards one of the guild tanks before disappearing into one of its crevices. Thomas stopped, cutting off the feed. He stared at the place where the drone disappeared as if willing to appear before turning and walking away. He hadn't seen where any of the other ones went to but he was sure they'd disappeared into other vehicles. Regardless of where they went, he had a choice. The information he had was probably important to the black guild but he was supposed to be the neutral party. Should he compromise his position or should he follow his conscience. And there was the matter of the group, which was almost certainly affiliated with the white guild, and he was sure that they'd seen him around.

"Ha." Thomas chuckled, smiling to himself.
As soon as he thought about it, he laughed at himself. He'd already made his decision a long time ago. While it was feasible for him, he would do what he wanted.

Thomas quickly sent Moon Rider a message, leaving the sender section blank.

To: Moon Rider.
From:

I saw something that might interest you. It's got something to do with the white guild.

Attached to the email were a number of screenshots. 1 of the entire group, 1 of the drones being released, a picture of the drone itself and a picture of the drone sneaking into the guild tank.

Thomas sent the message and sighed. The message would probably bring him a lot of pain but he didn't care that much about it. He'd done something he wanted to and he would do his best not to regret it. Thomas walked away from the scene of the crime, towards the conflict, to see if there was anything that could top the night's events.

[Lucius Cypher]

~BGM~

~Moon Rider~ & -Dark Wraith-

---

Broker's tank broke through the ceiling of the Throne Room, a necessity to bypass the eldritch ward that otherwise prevented her from just going through the front door. The tank landed in the grand hall with a loud thud and immediately the hatch opened. Dark Wraith jumped out, using her Dead Thralls to bring back to life two Avatars. Some random level 2 warrior, and her own brother Arms Slave. As much as she loathed her brother, she couldn't deny that his skills would be useful, more so since he's dead. Once the two dead thralls were summoned Dark Wraith looked at Moon Rider, both of them. She immediately scanned them both with her Cherry Hunter to find out which one was the real one.

"Drop your weapons, or you will wish I would just killed you."

Retsu would be answered, not with words but with actions. Like a ghost, the second Moon Rider moved in front of her, blade aimed in a decapitating swing. The buzz of the saber would still echo in Wraith's ears even as the real Black King shoved her away, blocking the attacks of her double. Yet she would not come out of it unscathed, Moon Rider wincing as she recieved several slices on her weilding arm from her own weapon. Talk would be cheap in this fight, Moon Rider springing forward once again. Seeing as she was the only one nearby who could keep up with her own speed, she would have to direct the double's attacks away from Dark Wraith.

But while Dark Wraith lacked the sheer agility to keep up with the fake Moon Rider, she could see and read her actions clearly enough. And while Dark Wraith might not be able to keep up blow for blow, she could prepare accordingly. The first thing she did was activate her Death Ward, staying relatively close to the fight to drain the faker of her health. Next, Dark Wraith had the two Dead Thralls go after the fake Moon Rider, with Arms Slave using his Aura of Agony so that he would continue to tank the damage from the faker. Dark Wraith had no doubts that Arms Slave would just be cut down quickly, but so long as they stay within her range she could supply her dead thrall with health, tanking the faker through health alone. But this was merely a stalling tactic to keep the faker's attention divided long enough for the real Moon Rider to deal a death blow; despite Dark Wraith's own control of her dead thralls, even they wouldn't be fast enough to keep up with the faker. Dark Wraith could only try to position them to intercept the faker and try to catch her off guard or prevent her escape.

All the while Dark Wraith's Cherry Hunter found some information about the faker and the real Moon Rider. But the only information that Wraith would be able to find was a string of ones and zeroes, a coding of some sort. No doubt easy to crack but then that could only mean the one behind this had no qualms with revealing their true nature. Cherry Hunter picked up the coding, revealing to Dark Wraith: 01001000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111 00100000 01010010 01100101 01110100 01110011 01110101 00100000 01000111 01101111 01110010 01101111 01110011 01101000 01101001 00101110.

Meanwhile, the battle began to roar with the fury of two Colored Kings. The real Moon Rider leapt back to recover, wincing as she assessed the damage down to her arm. The faker knew her too well, having struck for the hand holding her weapon. Frowning, she was forced to place the hilt of her lightsaber within her less-dominant right hand while waiting for a chance to join the fight once more. The faker was certainly holding her own, even against the Dead Thralls and the reincarnated Arms Slave. Twirling her blade to and fro, she didn't seem to mind the fact that her health was dropping, an amused grin spreading her features all the more.

"Keep on guessing Wraith. You need to work for that paycheck if you want to stay under my service," the faker said, cutting apart Arms Slave into more than just a few pieces before twisting around to kick at the Thralls. The minions were sent skidding to the ground, no time for them to recover as the false King set her gaze on Dark Wraith. Once again she launched forward to take off her head and once again the real Rider moved to intervene, both lightsabers caught in a deadlock.

"I'm surprised you can keep fighting even with your weak hand. I knew there was a reason I copied someone as strong as you," the faker said, the real Rider gritting her teeth as she was slowly but surley being overpowered.

Dark Wraith's scythe shot out, stopping just behind the faker. "You might have copied her strength, but you lack her skill." Dark Wraith activated her Force Cage, keeping the faker, Moon Rider, and Dark Wraith in close quarters. One of Dark Wraith's dead thralls was now dead, but only because Wraith had sacrificed it's life to extend Arm Slave's. Though fallen and sliced apart, he still had one good arm and that was all he needed to shoot a Chain Catch right behind the faker while her blade was deadlocked against Moon Rider's. When the chain caught the faker Arms Slave pulled the faker towards him and into Dark Wraith's scythe blade. All the while she continued to look through the faker's data, focusing her efforts solely on her to break through her wards. But to do that she'd need to keep the faker talking and, unfortunately, alive.

"You're a mongrel who's barely a shadow of the true black king. A mockery, and a poor imitation."

"Why yes I am Wraith. I'm glad to know you agree with me. Did I ever once try to act like I wasn't just a cheap knock-off?" the fake Moon Rider said with a chuckle. So she had underestimated their play. That was fine with her, even as she twitched about impaled onto Wraith's blade. "Of course I'm just a ripoff! I didn't expect to take over Rider's place! But that wasn't the real cause of my actions, now was it? In the end, I won't be the Black King who has to pick up the pieces of the mess left today."

The fake Rider's data would continue to give Wraith the same binary message in ones and zeroes, never stopping, never slowing down, never relenting. It seems the data would continue to flow up to the faker's last breath. And speaking of which, the double convulsed suddenly before giving one last grin at the real Black King. Both of their eyes locked, the thoughts between them sacred all the same.

"Like I said, I wasn't trying to replace you Moon Rider. I'm just a reflection of what's already there after all. Eheh, have fun trying to save the Guild from this one kid," the faker said before finally closing her eyes as death approached her, whether Wraith wanted it or not. Before long her body dissolved into meaningless crystals that would yield no EXP. Moon Rider stared at the spot her double had previously inhabited, lost in thought at how someone who looked like her could cause so much damage in a day. The faker was right about one thing. She wasn't the one stuck with cleaning the mess.

Arms Slave's chains slammed into the bars of the cage, while Dark Wraith's scythe fell to the ground. She clenched her teeth and cursed under her breath. This was the second time Moon Rider has been assaulted by a mysterious figure that even Dark Wraith couldn't figure out. This worried her greatly. Dark Wraith considered herself the best hacker in Deep Ground, capable of rewriting the whole game to her whims if she wanted to. So how could someone manage to not just escape underneath her nose, but slip out from her fingers? This was someone skilled, someone powerful, and Dark Wraith didn't like the idea of someone with that sort of power that she didn't know.

And then there were her words. Obviously the faker was here to stir chaos in the city. Using her false authority as the leader of the Ebony Strykers, she had set them on the path of self-destruction, and nearly had them go up against the Cobalt Bruisers while the Strykers were still in turmoil. All of this happening in the span of one afternoon. Dismissing her force cage Dark Wraith turned away from her king and slammed the hilt of her scythe into the ground. "Dammit.. This is what I get for being lax. One night was all I wanted, and this cursed game takes that away from me..." Dark Wraith looked around. The hall was littered with the corpses of Ebony Strykers, and even her own brother was being used as a puppet in the grand scheme of things. The city was thrown into chaos with fighting all around. And worst of all, Dark Wraith knew this wasn't going to be the end. It was one thing if say, the Ivory Masks wanted to do battle against the Ebony Strykers. That was just regular competition in this game. But what Dark Wraith has seen so far shows that this isn't just going to be a game. There is a force actively working against both Dark Wraith's and Moon Rider's greater goal. There is someone or something out there whose skills could undo whatever damage Dark Wraith could do, while inflicting damage that Dark Wraith alone can't solve by cheating.

This was an enemy that Dark Wraith had no intel on, which was the worse type of enemy she could face. She needed to figure out who was against her, and put a stop to them before they succeed. Her only regret was that now she could not relax. All she wanted to do today was go out with Yoshino and dance. But alas, there would be no rest for the wicked. Regaining her composure Dark Wraith dropped the control over Arms Slave, having no more need for the meat shield. She turned towards Moon Rider and returned to her cold professionalism.

"By now my forces should have stopped most of the major conflicts. Now we just need to regain control over the Ebony Strykers and the Sweepers. Do you have any suggestions?"

Moon Rider looked up from her thinking, opening her mouth to answer the question. But like her double had done so before, she was interupted by a booming voice that only made her clench the hilt of her weapon tighter. As if things couldn't get any worse, a single voice was being projected all over Deep Ground Online. Only through a Colored King's Throne Room could such a feat be pulled off and only one King had anything worth saying to the peons down below that sought refuge in their little game.

"Greetings denizens of Deep Ground Online," came the voice of White Sun, the White King of the Ivory Masks. No doubt all fighting would slow to a crawl, if not out of curiosity then out of White Sun's demand for attention. "It has come to my attention that the Ebony Strykers of the Black Guild and the Cobalt Bruisers of the Blue Guild have violated the pact of friendship that binds them together with civial war. Such a shame. Too much blood has been spilled on this day and for every defeat, so too does the chances of advancing in life dwindle with your pathetic squabbling. I, White Sun of the Ivory Masks, have taken it upon myself to lead you misguided children to the righteous path. Thus, I ask, no, implore all of Deep Ground to become one with the White Guild so that we may advance together! No more fighting, no more betraying one another to get to the top, not when we can all progress together! The Fanged Rangers of the Green Guild have already agreed to my vision, Verdant Grin himself becoming my partner. To those who wish to evolve past the boundaries of the game, you shall be welcomed with open arms."

Moon Rider frowned, as if to contrast the grin White Sun was soon invoking. Because she didn't need to see the other King to know what kind of expression was on her face right now. All she had to do was listen keenly to the other Player's voice.

"And for those unfortunate few who continue to remain in ignorance and spit upon my generosity....then I declare war on you all! If you will not join the Ivory Masks willingly, then we shall assimilate you by force. Make Deep Ground Online great again!" said the White King gleefully before her voice permeated the airspace no more.

Dark Wraith looked up into Moon Rider's face. Though she wore a full-face mask, Dark Wraith's entire body just screamed anger. While she had no evidence, Dark Wraith knew this was Chiyo's fault. The Eraser's betrayal, the chaos in the black city, all of Yoshino's suffering... And ruining Retsu's date with her. All of this must have started from Chiyo, using Deep Ground to control them. "That bitch... She needs to be put down." Dark Wraith had an idea. Right now the guild was in no state to do war against the Ivory Masks. Their city might be able to hold against a siege but their people are divided. They needed something to unite them together, and a war would be good for that. And Dark Wraith knew just the thing to get the Ebony Stryker's working together again. "Moon Rider, I have an idea. Do you remember the treasures Corpse Collector stole?"

"Yes. What of them? We still never found their exact whereabouts and I doubt the other Guilds have tolerated their loss for long," Rider said. "Tell me then Dark Wraith, what exactly do you have planned? I have no intention of joining that harlot's Guild for whatever reason and that means we have a war on our hands. Coupled with that fake stranger from before, Deep Ground is becoming more than just a game now. I think White Sun has finally realized that as well."

"I've picked up rumors about their whereabouts. Just a few, most of them flimsy, but I'm certain it's more than what the other guilds have. If we could reclaim those treasures, we could use them against the Ivory Masks. We may even be able to use them to bargain an alliance with the Scarlet Harleys, or have the Fanged Rangers turn to our side. "

"I see then. Using their weapons against them, assuming White Sun hasn't found hers already. I don't suppose you'd want to give a speech of something to actually tell everyone about this?" Moon Rider said with crossed arms. "We are at war now. I suspect the others would want to know their King's orders. Their real King-ghn!" the Black King said, wincing as she was reminded of the pain on her left arm.

Dark Wraith immediately went and helped Moon Rider stay on her feet. She was no healer, but she could easily restore Moon Rider's health back to max and undo the mental pain she'd be feeling. "Moon Rider, are you alright?" Just to make sure, Dark Wraith started scanning Moon Rider to ensure no bugs were planted on her during the fight. That, and this was a rare opportunity for Dark Wraith to get a good scan of Moon Rider and discover who she really is. Dark Wraith felt a little bad taking advantage of her like this, but with everything mysterious going on, she wasn't going to leave anything to chance.

"I'm fine," the Black King said, narrowing her eyes as she gently shoved Wraith away. She had a feeling all the Deputy wanted was to know her identity. Frankly with all that had happened so far, she didn't feel too comfortable with trusting anyone in the game at this point but Wraith still had her uses as her partner. So she brushed off the healing before looking over to the masses of Strykers and Sweepers surrounding the Castle. "Maybe I'll have Yoshino talk things out later but for now you have a city to quell. I've been shown every reason to not trust you today so you would do well as to prove yourself to me with actions and not words," Moon Rider said in a commanding tone.

Dark Wraith was glad she wore a mask. Her narrow eyes would have told Moon Rider just how badly her words had affected her. What exactly did Moon Rider see? Was she even aware of any of this going on? Dark Wraith may not like the game, but even she was up-to-date about it's activities. She warned Yoshino about the fight and wanted Moon Rider to come in to stop it. But instead she stayed out, and it spiraled out of control. Now Dark Wraith had to come and clean up this mess. Moon Rider's mess. And why? Because Moon Rider was paranoid, she couldn't trust Dark Wraith, she wouldn't get her own hands dirty... It pained the necromancer to realize how similar she and Moon Rider was. She couldn't deny it; Dark Wraith would say and do the exact same thing if she was in her position. She was starting to see why maybe some might not like the arrangement.

"Of course, Moon Rider."

Dark Wraith turned her back against Moon Rider and walked out of the Throne Room. She couldn't let herself get emotional now. There was a war brewing, and the Ebony Stryker needed as much strength as it could take. If Moon Rider couldn't give it the strong leader it needed, then Dark Wraith would have to do. Stepping outside Dark Wraith could see that a mass of players had congregated before the guild hall, waiting for something. So Dark Wraith stamped her scythe onto the ground to silence the chatter. Using the king's permission to broadcast her voice through the Guild Hall, Dark Wraith spoke.

"Sweepers. Outlaws. Ebony Strykers. Those are the people here, that is the type of people we are. I know many of you hate each other. Many of you think we've become an army of thieves and scum. There are many who think the others are liars and psychopaths. And neither of you are wrong. Everyone here.... Is crazy. We're not the type that anyone wants. After all, Deep Ground isn't just a game. Some of us are fortunate enough to have won enough battles and survived enough fights that when you finally stop playing you might be able to get a cushy job with good pay. But for everyone else you joined because you are fighting for your lives. You're here because the Ebony Strykers is your clean slate to try to start over and do better. It's your second chance. And now you're going to make sure you don't fuck up again."

Dark Wraith stepped over to a dead avatar next to the door. She looked down at the character; a level 1 character. Just started playing three days ago. Only died three times so far. How many times did he die in this battle? Dark Wraith didn't know, but she kept looking at the corpse so the others could get a sense of shame she was feeling. Shame that this was happening, that they were mindlessly killing each other despite the circumstances of their very existence.

"I won't mince words. We're in deep shit. What we fought before were disorganized mobs not unlike our own, and the only reason we won was because we were bigger then them. But now the Ivory Masks want to throw down and fight us before we could really get anywhere. I'm sure some of you came from the Ivory Masks. You should know what they're capable of. And you know that the Ebony Strykers right now have nothing that could compare... Not yet."

Dark Wraith turned to face the crowd, many whom seemed skeptical of her abilities. That was fine; there wouldn't be a problem if they had nothing but blind loyalty to her. She had to prove her worth, and as Moon Rider said, she needed to do that with actions instead of words. "Make no mistake. The Ebony Strykers are not like the other guilds. Cooperation, alliances, friendship, unity... Those are pretty words to sugar coat what we really want. What we're really here for. You're tired of being defeated and being on the losing side. So now it's our turn to be on the attack. White Sun may have declared war on us, but we're going to strike first. It's time that we all came to do what we always wanted:"

Dark Wraith turned towards the Guild Hall to go back inside. But before she did, she dramatically spoke the last few word in her speech. "We will win."

@Lord of Evil@Jedly@RoflsMazoy@Kimiyosis@Mega Birb@Bombardier@Unlucky0013@Lonewolf685

[Scarifar]

Devilish Hellflame

As Hellflame began to feel like he was about to doze off from boredom, the world began to reform before his eyes. Hellflame blinked in surprise, then quickly realized that he had been revived. Hellflame could see that they were no longer in the spacey cosmos they had been fighting in and instead back in the normal world of Deep Ground. Hellflame remained lying on the ground, content in the effort he put in to destroy that Warlock. Now that he thought about the Warlock, though, he realized that he should have gotten some exp for that, and quickly sat up, eyes darting left and right to search for his reward. It didn't take very long before he spotted the exp crystals, and Hellflame forced himself up to his feet to go over to them.

Once they were in hand, Hellflame started chuckling to himself. The chuckles gradually grew into laughter, and Hellflame laughed in triumph as he flopped back down onto the ground, arms outstretched in victory. The laughter eventually died down, and Hellflame sighed in contentment. It was a good day so far. Things didn't go all according to plan, but everything turned out alright for him, and that was what mattered. Flipping over on his stomach, Hellflame looked to see the rogue nearby being questioned by another person. Resting his head on his propped up hand, Hellflame watched the event begin to unfold with interest, mainly because there wasn't much else to do at the moment.

[KoL]

~Eris~

Three days have since the events that led to what would be known as the 'Ebony Strykers Civil War' as well as the White King's open declaration of war against the whole of Deep Ground. It suffices to say that this time has been a busy one for Eris. Not only she had to deal with her new in game allegiances and obligations but also, Eris had just recently joined Purple Crown's Fashion Club, to take some time away from Deep Ground, since the game was starting to become a serious chore for her these days.

The few hours of school activities (mostly dedicated to clubs) that the Purple Crown students have on the Saturday morning had ended just a few minutes ago and so, Eris found herself walking silently through the nearly desert halls of the Purple Crown Academy, holding a sketchbook and a pencil box, as she made her way to the main gate. On the way there, Eris noticed a few posters spread through the academy's bulletin boards announcing the upcoming Purple Crown School Festival. "Hmm... I recall White Sun mentioning the festival. Apparently it'll be an offline inter Guild competition also, part of Corpse Collector's stolen goods will be at stake. I guess I'll need to take part on it as well, no matter how much I would like not to." Eris sighed, at least she might be able to see if her couturier skills were as sharp as they used to be when she still lived on Germany.

"I wonder if I will be able to use Cassandra as a model?"

~Others~

Somewhere else, within the same halls of the same academy, one Emma Fujioka made her way back to the Newspaper Club room, bringing with her, some refreshments that she had just bought. Emma got back into the club room and put the snacks aside, going back to work on the results of a survey about the eternal dispute between the two classics of school festivals, aptly titled: "Maids vs Monsters, which side are you on?"

The rumors said that this year's festival would hold a special prize in the traditional Inter Guild competition. And the Ivory Masks were once more the ones leading the bets with their traditional maid café, 'La Soleil' that has been an established attraction on Purple Crown's school festivals for at least the past four years. Either way, Emma just propped herself over the table, once she was done with her article, wondering if someone else would show up on the club room before she had to go out?

Yuuno, on the other hand, had skipped her work as Maribel's sub-secretary... or better, asked for a leave for a day, after she came to know what happened to Asahi a few days ago and was right now on her way to his room in the Hospital. Despite the fact that Yuuno was taken by surprise when Asahi's more violent tendencies we unleashed during the pizza parlor incident, with the posting of the days, Yuuno began to question herself if running away was the right solution. "Maybe, it was just a misunderstanding? Yuuno thought a few times during the week.

Finding out that Asahi had been shot was shocking for Yuuno, who found a way to go visit him on the first available time she had. "Go-Goroshi-kun, can I come in?" Yuuno asked meekly after knocking on the door once to assure herself that she wasn't going to bother anyone. While she waited for a reply, the bespectacled girl adjusted her posture and checked if the flowers she just bought were in good shape. After all, a 'Get Well' gift that looked worse than the patient is kind of useless, right?

Itsuko, on the other end, was a permanent member of the Go Home club, had just did that and was now thinking on what to do for the rest of the day. "Maybe I could go play with Hibiki, or log on Deep Ground? Wait, I know it, I can do both!" Itsuko said to herself before sending a voice message to Hibiki.

"Hey, Hibiki! I'm sorry we couldn't play more on the other day. If you want to, we can meet up on Deep Ground and try to find something cool to do. You can drop by if you are free as well, if I'm not at home, I'll be at the food court. See ya later!"

With that done, Itsuko threw her school bag over the couch, before remembering how Hibiki tidied the up the other day. Itsuko picked her bag and stored it on a proper place before changing into her gym clothes. "At least I can do some light workout before login i-" However, a rumble of her stomach interrupted Itsuko, "Perhaps I should eat something first." The blondie said before dressing a black and orange track suit over her gym clothes, before going to the Mall's food court, wondering what she would eat today?

---

@Caits, @Lonewolf685, @Bombardier, @RoflsMazoy, @Mega Birb, @Jedly, @Lord of Evil, @Scarifar, @Kimiyosis, @Ryonara.

[Lord of Evil]

Thomas Green

Thomas had a lot of work to do. The school festival was one of the single largest events to be held in Purple Crown, considerably more popular than its only competition, the sports festival, as it involved almost all of the students in the school, practically by law. All classes and most of the clubs needed to do something for the school festival, as such, for people who were a part of both, it was especially taxing, though some clubs like the various drama clubs needed their member's sole cooperation.

Thankfully, Thomas and the newspaper club didn't need to organise much since it would be more or less what they did anyway. The journalism club had 2 different kinds of newspapers, the regular weekly paper and the specials which had no fixed schedule. Specials would focus on a key topic of recent relevance and was more in depth than the regular one, but the regular one had a wider range of topics. The plan was to create a special on the school festival and report on all of the week's events at the end of the week.

Though he hadn't seen the end of the week's events just yet.

In the special on the civil war, Thomas was careful to omit any mention of the white guild squad as he wasn't sure what what would happen if he did just yet. Knowledge was as dangerous as any weapon and the knowledge about what knowledge people had was especially precious. If he leaked the news then he wouldn't be able to predict the white guild's response, and he wasn't even 100% sure that it was the white guild specifically. And besides, he just wanted to focus on getting the journalism club on its feet again.

Thomas was entering the club room so that he could finish up on the attack plan for the school festival. He could always go home but it was easier to focus in the club room. As Thomas entered the room he saw Emma with a fresh load of snacks. He quietly sighed and put his bag down before getting his materials to the table. Taking a seat opposite to Emma he looked down at the papers before talking to the girl.
"I appreciate the sugar, but don't forget about the policy." Thomas said to Emma.

@KoL

[MarshiestMallow]

Cassandra

Interacting with

Cassandra spent the first few hours of saturday in her dorm room, catching up on school work. She had fallen a little bit behind, but wasn't particularly worried. she had good grades and she knew she could catch up. It was however rather frustrating to be spending a weekend day inside, but knew it would be better to get it out the way now, then to wait. She wasn't particularly worried about the festival, nor was she worried about what was going on in deep ground online. Whatever happened would happen.

Finally, Cassie leaned back, finished. Satisified, she stood, stretching, she loosened the muscles that had tensed while she was leaning over her desk. She then proceeded to get ready, showering and dressing, to face the day, outside. She tied her hair back into a pony tail, and tidied up her desk, feeling like she had accomplished something.

Cassandra hadn't yet joined any clubs, but she was thinking of joining one soon. Today however, that wasn't on her mind. Leaving the dorm rooms, Cassie slipped her keys in a pocket, and headed outside.

[Ryonara]

Hibiki Toho

It has been a very eventful few days. Hibiki had been hanging out with Itsuko more often, usually at school since she can't always come over to her apartment. She's also been trying to figure out how to raise Train and keep her at her home. Hibiki was worried that the housekeeper might tell her mom and dad that Hibiki was keeping a cat, and she knew that he uncle wouldn't want to take care of it. For now, Hibiki usually just meets Train at school, feeding and playing with him during breaks or between classes. Only Itsuko really knew that Hibiki did this, and today Hibiki was thinking that she should go ask Itsuko if she could keep Train at her house. She worried that Train would get hurt if he didn't have a home.

Just as she was thinking about her, Itsuko left a voice message for Hibiki. She wanted to meet Hibiki in Deep Ground! Now that she thought of it, Hibiki hasn't been on DGO for a while. Because she was an outlaw deep in Ebony Stryker territory, she was rather hesitant to be on the move. Not only that, but Itsuko doesn't even know Hibiki's Deep Ground Avatar, since Hibiki never talked about it. She's been so busy playing with Train and Itsuko that she's forgotten about Deep Ground. She was rather curious what sort of character Itsuko was, so she sent a voice message back.

"That'll be great! I have a few more things I need to do for my club, but once I'm done I'll try to come over tonight. My folks are still out of town and I have permission to stay are your place on the weekends, so we can have a sleepover! I'll call you when I'm on my way, see you soon!"

After sending the message Hibiki hurried to finish her job. Yesterday she joined the Newspaper Club. She didn't mean to, it just sorta... Happened. It all started when Hibiki was chasing Train through the school, trying to catch him before anyone else did. That's when she ran into some people and well... One thing led to another and Hibiki was part of the newspaper club now. At least Train was safe. So for now Hibiki had to work for the Newspaper Club, and they seemed like good people. Kinda small, but everyone was nice and it felt like they were doing important work. Though right now Hibiki was just picking up a package. She didn't know what was in it aside that the Newspaper Club needed it, and it was big. Bigger than Hibiki's bookbag. And kinda heavy. Hibiki struggled to carry it all the way to the Newspaper Club, and when she did she had to lean against the door, move it with her butt, and then...

"Deliver- Kya!"

Hibiki tripped.

@Lord of Evil@KoL

[RoflsMazoy]

"Troublesome..." Kosuke muttered as he walked down the hall.

It'd been roughly three days since the civil war in the Black Guild which had sort of been a bittersweet experience for him. There were a few things he'd tried out which he had been greatly looking forward to but they hadn't been very good ideas in the end. He also didn't manage to get much EXP because he'd spent the whole battle flying around and he didn't have time to pick up the crystals. During the last two days and one 'blank' day, he'd been trying hard to make up for it and he was now 1,000 EXP off of leveling up. He heard Eclipse Princess had begun some kind of campaign against the Ebony Strikers and also that she was level 7 now. He knew he'd been seen fighting next to Arms Slave so it was likely that if she saw him he'd have to fight so he wanted new skills as soon as possible.

But now the cultural festival was coming up and he might not have the time. He'd heard that the reward for doing the guild that did the best during the School Festival was Corpse Collector's loot. He had a faint memory of the name so he'd looked it up, and apparently Corpse Collector had been an infamous hacker which had supposedly been perma-banned or killed IRL depending on which rumors you believed. Kosuke couldn't shake the feeling he'd seen them once but he really didn't remember at all...

He looked up and saw that he was finally at his destination; the Newspaper Club. Then he froze for a second.

Hibiki struggled to carry it all the way to the Newspaper Club, and when she did she had to lean against the door, move it with her butt, and then...

"Deliver- Kya!"

Hibiki tripped.

@Lord of Evil@KoL

@Ryonara

That voice was familiar. He'd heard it once but he had a feeling that the first time he'd heard it, it'd been... colder? There was an image in his mind of someone turning their back and going away somewhere while he was facing someone else, but when he tried to remember he couldn't get any further than that. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

He peeked his head into the doorway, sort of standing over Hibiki. He'd be helping her up but he was a serious lightweight. As in, even his little brother was able to pull him down, and his little brother was 10. He'd tripped on flat ground once and knocked himself knocked out for a whole hour. People that knew him said that it shouldn't be physically possible to be that lightweight but he kinda just was.

"Ummm..." He said, "I'm coming in to request some information..."

---

@KoL@Lord of Evil@Ryonara

[TheWendil]

~The Colored Kings~

---

“Ooh, better be careful with that headliner Thomas. No clue where that will get you in the publishing business. I can see it now! Ace reporter finds sneaky White Guild squad in enemy territory! I say go with it and roll with it kid!”

Those words were accompanied by a slam of the door as the Blue King herself, Maribel Harper, entered the newspaper club’s designated room. There was a spring in her step and her left eye was still black and red but otherwise, she seemed like her overtly eccentric and chipper self. Well…sort of. These last few days, the Blue King had been acting weirder than usual.

Such was her display in slamming the door a second time and then a third before walking over to one of the swivel chairs in the back. Very few individuals would actually be aware Bel was part of the newspaper club to begin with as she often acted as the group’s resident ghostwriter and financial benefactor. To a green leaf, it might have been rather awkward to see her here at all.

“So what’s cooking hot head? Find any good stories to tell?” she said to Emma, spinning around and around in her swivel chair. And around and around. Around and around. “Boy these legs sure are durable. How fast do you think I have to go before I break one of them off?”

Outside the club room in a nearby hallway, the two side characters of this sad and drawn out little story were, once again, conversing with one another. The Green King, Kenji Nagato, had one arm draped around his good buddy and potential war ally; the Red King, Michael Davis, who had spent the majority of the story just watching and waiting for something to do. Not like that girlfriend thing was happening any time soon…

“Come on buddy, pal, friend, whatever, join the campaign! I hear Chiyo’s got it easy living with her mom’s money anyway so it’s not like we can lose IRL,” Kenji said with a grin, chewing on the butt of a cigarette. Like a snake in the grass, he was already trying to win his team the home plate since after all, the Red Guild were the only ones still neutral ever since Chiyo’s declaration of war.

“No,” Michael said simply. “You wait and let the festival decide like everyone else.”

“That’s fucking bullshit and you know it! Listen pal, buddy, hoo haw, we’ve been souls aligned for shit knows how long. By that basis you should be joining me and Chiy-eh?”

Both boys paused as the sound of something heavy falling caught their attention. A few steps later and they stumbled upon Hibiki carrying a large package. Kenji merely stared with disgust, taking a puff from his death stick while Michael leaned down to offer the other girl a hand.

“Stop tripping on your own two feet,” he said stoically, already moving to pick up whatever Hibiki had dropped on the floor. "And what about you lightweight? Gonna stand there when a lady needs help?" he said, sharp eyes now set to pierce right through the lingering Kosuke at the corner.

Outside the school, where Purple Crown’s buses were up and running, Eris would be receiving a message from her newest employer. Chiyo was not going to let someone as powerful as Eclipse Princess slip through her grasp so easily and so had decided to keep constant watch on her at all times. Much to her surprise, one of her mother’s employees was already keeping an eye on the enigmatic girl.

To: Eris Reinhardt.

From: Chiyo Kuroke.

Subject: Mall

You doing anything today? No, of course you’re not. So get your ass over to the mall now. Feel free to bring that love struck puppy with you too if you can’t keep her on a leash. Oh, and the grinning traffic trash should be meeting you soon.

Your Boss,
The White King

True to her words, Dana would be stumbling out of a stray bush at any minute now, ignoring the looks she got from the other students. She muttered a few curses here and there before grinning up at Eris with a wide shark-toothed smile. Obviously she wasn’t going to leave Eris by herself unless told to.

---

@RoflsMazoy, @Ryonara, @Lord of Evil, @Caits, @KoL

[KoL]

~Eris~

Having just finished the final draft for the uniforms that would be used by the crew of the Ivory Masks attraction for the school festival, the maid cafe La Soleil, and with no extra activities to do for the day, Eris left the school building behind her. She was quite confident in her designs, if for nothing else, because of the fact that she did knew how a true maid was supposed to dress.

There were rumors about the Ebony Strykers trying to 'fight fire with fire', after their long retirement from the school festivals thanks to the fact that their sole member for years is so much of a misanthrope that Eris wondered if Moon Rider wasn't a reference to a certain knight said to live on moon. Either way, it was not of Eris' concern right now, the only thing she wanted to do was go back home and take a bath, before deciding what to do of the weekend along with Cassandra.

"Thinking about her, it's strange that Cassandra hasn't sent a single message through all the morning." Eris thought before sending a message to Cassandra:

To: Cassandra O'Shera.
From: Eris Reinhardt.
Subject: -
Good morning, Cassandra.

I am writing to ask if you have any plans to the weekend, at all, or anything else you would like to do? Other than tending to the whims of White Sun, that is.

I do not have any particular plans, so I can accommodate to whatever you feel like doing. Right now I am going back home, but I may stop by the Mall, before going to my apartment. If you feel like it, you are welcome to join me either on the real world or later, on Deep Ground.

On an unrelated note, this may seem like a weird question, coming from me, but... Do you perhaps know how to cook crepes? I'll tell you more when we meet.

Farewell.

Eris could feel her face burning bright red after such a question, but she set whatever thoughts were going on her head aside as she waited under the fancy canopy of one of Purple Crown's bus stops along with a growing group of students, that had finished their club activities as well, for the next bus to arrive. Just at that very moment, two events that Eris was also more or less anticipating, since they have become common facts on her life, on the past three days.

First was a message of none other than White Sun, or Chiyo Kuroke, telling Eris to meet her at the Mall. At this point, Eris had already made peace with the fact that now, she was little more than a attack dog of the White King, if for no other reason, because this was the best way to keep Cassandra safe. For all her power in game, family history, titles, resources, etc, Eris had to admit that she wasn't able to protect Cassandra at all. But, no matter how big of a bitch Chiyo Kuroke might be, she had the means to do so, furthermore the White King even allowed Eris to fight mostly the foes she hated the most, that is the Sweepers and now the whole rest of the Ebony Strykers, flaunting her new toy before Moon Rider in game and the rest of the academy out of it, after all Eris' identity was well known by all at this point and these days, Chiyo kind of made point of having Eris' leash be as short as it can be, at the rather unreasonable request she just made, demonstrated. "But, if it's for Cassadra, I'll throw away whatever remainder of pride I have, it's not like it ever got me anywhere, in first place. I just don't want the only one I have to suffer because of me, while I cannot help, like Eins did. Not ag-" Eris thought until she was disturbed by the second of the occurrences, Dana this time, quite typical of her...

"So, it's you again, Dana, right?" Eris replied is a neutral way, sighing as the bus she waited for was taking its time to arrive. She wasn't even surprised by Dana's appearance, though she had been taken off guard for a moment. In fact, Eris could swear that she saw the blonde come of a bush, though there was not even a since one of that size nearby, just a few decorative hydrangeas; Eris thought that perhaps she was seeing things, maybe? Either way, just as the bus arrived, a question came to her head and Eris turned to ask Dana. "You certainly know a lot about me, though I get that it's your job to do so. However, I would like to ask something out of you... your employer, if I'm not wrong, is the same as mom's, right? If that's the case, she's also the mother of Yoshino Tsugumi and Chiyo Kuroke, can you tell me what you know about them? I promise I will make up for your time, however I can." Eris asked as she found a place to sit near the middle of the bus, replying with a nonchalant smile when a duo of other students skipped a seat just to avoid her.

~Others~

"Hey there, Prez! You need to be less stiff, y'know? I'm just done with that articl-what?" Emma lifted her head to reply to Thomas, just as Maribel barged into the club room. For a moment, Emma didn't knew what to say, merely staring at the Blue King and her... unusual behavior, even for someone as idiosyncratic as Maribel Harper is, in first place. "Erm, I guess that this is not what they mean when they say, break a leg, y'know? Anyway has anything happened with you, Bluey, you seem kinda... weir- Oh, come on, what's it now?" Emma sighed in exasperation as another hubbub came from the door.

When she turned to look, Emma saw that it was the newbie, Hibiki, if Emma's memory was right, that had tripped when she came in carrying a box that could have only one thing inside of it. Luckily none other than Michael, the very own Red King, saved both Hibiki and her cargo. "Thanks, Boss!" Emma said as she tried to help them. "Are you ok, Hibiki, right? We can't let our newbie get hurt on her first day at the job. What was the big idea of having the newbie bring our new printer, anyway?" Emma asked, unsure of even what to do on this confusion, other than trying to help Hibiki to a chair.

---

@Caits, @RoflsMazoy, @Lord of Evil, @Ryonara, @TheWindel.

[Lord of Evil]

"Hmm..." Thomas hummed discontentedly as the visitors exponentially increased.

The first order of business was Hibiki. Thomas was sure that he'd sent Finn to pick up their new printer and specifically not Hibiki, who was perhaps only twice as big as the box itself. Judging by the fact that it wasn't Finn who picked up the package, he must've gotten into something or become similarly indisposed. There was no telling where he was, though he could usually be trusted to do the job so perhaps he started something that took longer than anticipated. That didn't change the fact that he wasn't here though.

Thomas watched Emma move before he got up from his seat, which he'd hardly even begun warming up.
"Sorry, Hibiki. I was going to get Kurogane to go for the printer, but he was busy with the Judo club." Thomas said to the small girl. "I sent Finn to get it instead, but..."
He sighed and shrugged in exasperation before continuing.
"You know how he is." He finished.

As Thomas walked towards the scene of the crime, he shifted his mind to the second order of business, Maribel Harper, the somewhat eccentric member of the student council. Thomas shot a brief glance at the blue haired enigma, particularly her bruised eye, and wondered just what happened in the past few days. He owed a reasonable amount to her, due to her funding the club and participating every so often, but they weren't particularly close so even if he asked her what happened, she probably wouldn't tell him. And he wasn't entirely sure how she knew about the white guild squad considering he hadn't actually wrote about it, but he just put it down to her resourcefulness.

Thomas decided that he would just watch for now. If Maribel didn't tell him anything then it would be because she didn't want him to know. And in light of her contributions to the Newspaper club, he would let her use her freedom to say what she wanted to whoever she wanted to. If he didn't need to know, then he could just figure it out anyway.

"Well, nevermind." Thomas said, musing out loud.

Thomas moved on to deal with the other items on the list; Michael Davis, the new printer and the visitor. He approached the red haired boy slowly and made motions to take the box.
"Ah, thank you for the assistance." Thomas began, picking up the printer. "That was a miscommunication on my end so allow me to apologize for the inconvenience."
Thomas bowed as best he could with the heavy box before turning to an empty table to deposit the printer.
"Well then." He said, turning back to address the blue-haired bean pole of a visitor.

Thomas stared at him, for a little while, trying to decide his first impressions of the visitor. Minus points for leaving Hibiki on the floor, though he looked like he could hardly lift a textbook, though he could've at least tried. First impressions: Decidedly negative, but not overly so, and he had come with a request. Business was business, after all.
"You're here for information, you say?" Thomas asked. "I don't have any reason to deny your request, but I can't tell you anything I don't know. But first..."

Thomas turned and walked towards the center table where an array of snacks sat, ready to eat. Thomas picked up and opened a packet of biscuits.
"Since we have so many refreshments, why don't you all come in?" Thomas said. "If you have business elsewhere, though, I wouldn't want to hold you up."

@KoL@Ryonara@RoflsMazoy@TheWindel

[MarshiestMallow]

Cassandra's step faltered as she received the message from Eris, realising she hadn't yet messaged her. Having realised that, Cassandra stopped and opened the message, reading it. Cassandra's feet had already been taking her to Eris's apartment, without a thought that Eris might have other things going on. It was a simple matter to change direction to the mall, as she replied.

To:Eris Reinhardt
FromCassandra O'shera
SubjectRe:goodmorning

Good morning, Eris.

I have no plans, and will do anything with you. I am near the mall, now and can meet you there. Crepes? Sure, I know how to cook Crepes. Sounds like a fun idea. I'll see you soon.

Smiling to herself, Cassie trotted along. Whenever possible, she enjoyed to simply walk. Sometimes buses and other such transportation were simply crowded, and when you walked, you could choose who you walked with. Humming to herself, she soon reached the mall, She looked about, wondering where Eris would be. Wondering around a little bit, around the entrance she looked at the shops nearby. maybe I should get something for Eris...but what? It's not like I can spend a lot... she bit her lip, nervous and a little overwhelmed at her train of thought. maybe I should think about getting a job, if only to be able to give Eris something she deserves...

Still, if Eris was just making her way here now, she had a little bit of time. Going to a nearby shop, Cassie came out with a wrapped package, and looked about for Eris again, as she slipped the package into her bag. Giving a soft sigh, she sat down on a bench, pondering things for a few moments. Eris had done so much for her, and she knew it couldn't be easy on her. she's doing it to protect me. Maybe if I wasn't so weak, I wouldn't need protection Cassandra wished there was something she could do, to ease everything Eris was doing for her. She looked down at her hands, thoughtful.

[Lucius Cypher]

ASAHI GOROSHI

Asahi opened his eyes slowly. "What day is it?" Asahi tried to think. He had been in the hospital for two days, completely comatose the first day undergoing surgery the second. Turns out Asahi had been shot nearly pointblank in the stomach with a hollow point bullet, and it had done some serious damage to his organs. Fortunately his considerable amount of mass allowed the bullet to only tear through his fast, intestines, and parts of his stomach. The bullet never made it out of his body or struck his spinal column, so there was no nerve damage. Still, Asahi was doing to be laid up for a while, and even when he can walk he'll have to go through some rehabilitation. Nothing too intensive, it was mostly to make sure Asahi was physical and healthy again after nearly a week (Or ten days) of bed rest.

Next to him Asahi could see that he had well wishers. A lot of them came from his family and their associates, things like flowers, chocolate, and fruits. Of course the doctors left a note saying that while he was allowed to have a little, due to the damage done to his organs he should refrain from eating normal food until his body recovered. He would have to take a more specialized meal to make sure his stomach could handle whatever he was eating. For Asahi's part, he didn't have any of it. He was glad some people cared, but one person in particular Asahi noted left nothing was his father. Asahi has always been on good terms with dad, but it was never in a truly father/son relationship. More like... Boss/Subordinate. Asahi was being groomed to take up the family business, yes, but as he laid here in bed thinking about his life's decision, Asahi started to realize that he never spent quality time with his dad. It's always been about business, both legitimate and family (i.e. illegal).

At least Asahi's mother knew what he wanted. She had brought Asahi two things; one was his super old Nintendo DS. It had some games downloaded on it, and despite having access to DGO all the time, there were still some games that Asahi liked to play. The second was his baby blacket. A blue, soft cloth with two cartoon bears holding hands. He's literally had this since he was born, making it as old as he was. And despite that, it was still in one piece. "Heh. I guess there's something else as tough as me." Rubbing the blanket against his face Asahi sat up the best he could and turned his DS on.

As Asahi played with his DS until he heard a knock on his door. Seemed like he had a visitor. He heard a girlish voice, but he wasn't sure if he remembered who's voice it was. It was familiar, but it's been a while since he had heard of it. After everything that's happened, maybe it wasn't as long as he really think it was. Asahi tried to speak out but instead went into a coughing fit. He realized that his throat was really dry now. Putting his DS away Asahi laid back down and tried again, his voice hoarse. "C-come in."

@KoL

---

RETSU GOROSHI

The After Party

Retsu logged off from DGO for the night, leaning into her seat in a cold sweat. She hated Deep Ground. She just wanted to be able to spend a night without having to worry about what some virtual hot-heads wanted to do. Retsu hated how what was essentially a competitive video game was not only so frivolously fought over, but controlled their lives. Retsu wondered if she could have become a better person if she didn't have DGO shaping her life. "No... Probably not." Retsu sighed and left her room. Now that her business was down, Retsu hoped she could get back to Yoshino. Though honestly speaking, Retsu was tired. She just wanted to go home and sleep, but she had to check up on Yoshino and make sure she's alright. After seeing what happened to Moon Rider Retsu was fairly certain Yoshino was drained too. However when Retsu looked around the dance floor she didn't see Yoshino. "Tsugumi-san?" Retsu started to look around some more, a bit of panic forming in her heart.

"Are you alright Retsu?"

Yoshino's voice came from nearby and she gave a tired smile at the other girl. Quite frankly her client was beyond enraged at what had just happened but there was nothing she could do about it now. And Yoshino Tsugumi felt like she could pass out on her feet at any moment. Still, seeing the desperation on Retsu's face stirred something in her chest and she had to wonder why the other girl was getting herself worked up in a frenzy over her. Well whatever. That was an issue to handle for another time when she wasn't half-dead.

"We should be leaving now. It's getting late and I take it you want to discuss the future plans for the Strykers, right?" she said with a yawn.

Retsu turned sharply at the voice, and visibly relaxed when it was Yoshino. She had worried that something worse could have happened to her during Retsu's time in DGO. Knowing that the Erasers were acting against her, they may have already discovered who Dark Wraith and Moon Rider truly were. Maybe they still do, but haven't acted yet. Retsu tried not to worry about it. It seemed like Yoshino was just as tired as Retsu was and suggested leaving. Nodding her head Retsu motioned towards the door. "To be quite honest, I had hoped that I wouldn't need to talk about Deep Ground at all today. It's unfortunate how... Wrong I was." Retsu said with some bitterness. But she didn't want to end this night on a sour note. While they'll inevitably have to talk about the future of the Strykers, Retsu had one last place to take Yoshino before the night's end. She called up the apartment's driver and told him to meet him and Yoshino at a different place than The Network.

"Alright, our ride should be here in about ten to twenty minutes. It's a bit too crowded around the Network, so we'll go somewhere with less people." Retsu started walking, leading Yoshino to what looked to be some sort of chapel.

"Hmm? Alright," Yoshino said with compliance. Truthfully she was too tired to even complain and if Retsu wanted to do something, she could. She was balancing annoyance, rage, and exhausting in one body and had to fight to keep her eyes peeled open at all. Seeing the chapel made her think that Retsu was going to go confess some sort of sin. Or go summon a demon. Whatever it was, she followed without question, patting down her dress and making a mental note to talk to that Kanbaru girl some more. Maybe she needed more friends....

Retsu walked into the chapel with Yoshino, explaining a bit why they're here. "This chapel has been closed for a while now, though occasionally I stop by to clean it up. Every month or so. I'm not a religious person, but keeping it looking presentable keeps most wanderers out. It helps hide it's true nature." Retsu lead Yoshino through the backdoor, and behind the chapel was quite a sight to behold. It was as if the church had led the two girls to a whole different world, with a vast forest around them, glowinga faint blue. Strange square pillars stood out from the ground, and occasionally in the distance Yoshino and Retsu could see glowing blue silhouettes, before vanishing into the night.

What Yoshino saw made her truly think she was sleeping and had entered some kind of dream world. It had to be because from her experience, no place on Earth could be this beautiful. Not in DGO and not in reality. She spent a good moment gaping at the sheer sight, shivering as the cold night air passed against her skin. Perhaps it was good judgement after all to leave her glasses behind lest she be blinded permanently by the grandiose environment all around.

"I want to ask you something, Tsugumi-san. Why do you fight?"

"Huh? You know why I fight Retsu. I fight to obtain my goals and nothing else. Why do you ask?" Yoshino said, tearing her gaze away from the iridescent scenery and onto the red-headed girl.

"And what are your goals?" Retsu said as she walked towards one of the glowing pillars.

"I've told you that as well Retsu," Yoshino said, getting a bit annoyed at having to repeat herself. "The goal that I share with my client of course. To destroy Deep Ground Online and live in a world where its influence can no longer dictate the futures of those who play it," she continued, following after the other girl. "Is there a reason why we're playing Twenty Questions?"

As Retsu touched one of the pillars, the scene around them changed. It was day now, still the same place, but those silhouettes in the distance became people. Detailed people, with flesh, voices, even emotions. But they were still holograms. At least, they should be. "When I was a child, I went to the chapel here. Here, they taught me that god did not control my actions. He did not decide my fate. Everything I do, everything I wanted, was always my choice. With these lessons, they tried to teach me that by wanting to do good deeds, I would be doing something that god would approve of." The people in the distance started to walk somewhere else, leaving behind a lone child. That child sat at a tree just watching the people leave. "To me, good deeds were whatever made me happy. But in my naive foolishness, I didn't realize that sort of thinking could do the most harm."

"How dramatic," Yoshino said, wondering why a place like this wasn't all over the news what with their realistic holograms. But she had a feeling Retsu wanted to keep the existence of this location a secret to everyone and that she must have been putting some trust in her to be showing her this. So Yoshino resolved to keep this place secret as well. And it wasn't like anyone would find much use here unless they wanted to blend memory and fantasy with that of reality.

Retsu turned to Yoshino and sighed. "I didn't want to focus on Deep Ground today. I... I wanted to take our minds off 'work' and just have fun. Be happy. Because I thought that was more important than whatever was happening in Deep Ground. I should have paid more attention. When things started to get out of hand I thought maybe... Maybe it would just die down. But after logging in, I realized that I've been turning a blind eye to many things. The strife within the Strykers, treachery in my own Sweepers. I keep wanting to think Deep Ground is just a foolish game but I know it's more than that. And if I keep pretending it's just a game, I won't be able to achieve both our dreams."

"Really? Because I've been treating Deep Ground seriously since day one Retsu," Yoshino said with just a hint of anger. "Now you saw what my client saw. What she goes through all the time...you think today was bad? She's had to go petty squabbles like that for a long time Retsu. I thought you of all people could understand that. Deep Ground isn't a game so stop treating it like it is," she continued, huffing with more and more frustration. "You think I didn't want a break? You think I didn't want a chance to escape it too? I did Retsu, I really did! But my duty to the Guild comes first and foremost above everything else. You can't even begin to imagine how much it hurts to know that!" she said, voice rising in pitch.

Retsu turned towards Yoshino as her anger built in her voice. Retsu was starting to get frustrated too, but she was trying to hold it back. "Oh... But I do Tsugumi-san. I know just as bad, if not worse then you. Because I know Deep Ground isn't just a game. I've had people killed because of Deep Ground. I've had to fight battles both in the game and in real life just to get this far. I know that just as well as you Yoshino. That's why... That's why I wanted to take you out today. Because we're both going insane because of Deep Ground! We both have done horrible, foolish things for that game, and despite everything we've done we haven't even scratched the surface of our dreams." Retsu's voice was unsteady, wanting to shout but trying to control herself. She clenched her hands into fists and walked towards Yoshino with intent. "For nearly three years I've plotted the fall of Deep Ground. I've earned my skill just so take it down. I've brought the Sweepers back from the brink to end Deep Ground. I've sacrificed so much just to see it fall, but I haven't been one step closer back then than I am now. I..."

Retsu shook her fists and turned away from Yoshino. She was really starting to lose her composure now and needed some time. What she was about to say was something Retsu didn't want to admit. It was something she has always been trying to hide and forget for these last three years. "I can't do this alone. I don't know where to even go from here. When I first allied with you I just thought it was for convenience. We had similar goals. You do your thing, I do my thing... One of us has to succeed at some point. Figured that at least if we ally with each other, we wouldn't get in each others way, and if one of us finishes we could just ride along with it. But today has taught me that won't work. I... I have to stop working behind your back. Try to talk with you. Stop hiding secrets... Learn more about you then just assume you'll do as a I say."

"Really? You want to learn more about me? Well then maybe make an actual effort and stop working behind my back," Yoshino hissed with venom. "You don't know how long I've been doing this, what I've needed to do to get this far. You don't know a thing about me Retsu Goroshi. Did you think I wouldn't catch on? That I wasn't aware you wanted to use me to just further your own goals with the Sweepers? Or did you think I was too stupid to even notice?"

Retsu let her hands go and looked up. When she did, there was a flicker in the sky. For a few minutes it seemed like Retsu wasn't going to say anything. And then the holographic field all around them fell. The glowing blue forest vanished and in it's place, a drab and grey, overgrown yard was in it's place. Bare trees and stones stood where trees once stood. The Holographic towers, once tall and shining, now showed dents and dust. "What was I thinking...? Do you really want to know that, Yoshino? What I really think about you?" Retsu's voice was low and monotonous.

"Yes Retsu. Because maybe that'll be the one honest thing you do tell me," Yoshino said. It was frustrating to deal with this lack of communication and she could admit maybe it wasn't the best way to proceed forward. Not if the both of them were going to continue being partners. "Either tell me how you feel and I can judge you myself, or keep lying to me and become my enemy. Your move Retsu Goroshi."

"I love you."

Retsu turned to look at Yoshino. Her eyes were slightly teary. "Everything I did... Working behind your back... Trying to figure out who Moon Rider really is... Even taking you out today... I did it because I love you. But I don't know anything about you. We're suppose to be partners but... I wanted something more." Wiping away a stray tear Retsu took a deep breath and looked to the skies. The moon wasn't even out. "I wanted to take care of you. I saw your fight to destroy Deep Ground and... I wanted to give that to you. For us. So you wouldn't have to keep fighting and getting hurt. Hmph... So much good that did."

In response to that was silence. Yoshino kept her eyes to the ground and her gaze away from Retsu. The only words she could form to the other girl were, "Why? Why would you love someone like me? Someone who's selfish and apathetic and intolerable and too cold for anyone else?" She was merely repeating the words people had called her over the years, the labels of those who she had tried to lead both in the real world and in Deep Ground.

"... Why indeed. I'll admit, I thought it was stupid at first too... Love at first sight is such a joke. And to another girl too..." Retsu chuckled to herself. She allowed herself to fall back onto the ground and let herself get engulfed in the tall grass. Her silhouette made a clear outline in the ground. "But I guess it's because we're... I see a lot of myself in you. And I hate myself, but seeing you it... It makes me think that maybe, just maybe, we're not as bad as we think we are. Seeing you doesn't make me think that I'm heartless, a murderer, manipulator, or a control freak. I see someone who just wants to fight for herself and her happiness. That innocence from so long ago, but instead of it become jaded, it just learned how to see it's values realistically. And day by day I see you more, and I stop seeing myself in you. I start seeing... You. And that despite our similarities, there's something about you that makes you special. Even better than me. I wanted to know what it was. What makes you so strong, and how I can be strong like you. I try to look like I'm better than you, that I'm the real leader, but the truth can't be further than that. I want to be able to stand on equal footing with you. I just... Need to know who you are." Retsu rambled a lot and knew that Yoshino might have not heard her since Retsu was speaking in a mumbling tone on the ground.

"What I'm trying to say is, I love you because you give me hope. As long as I'm with you, I know we could do better. Be better. Together."

"How saccharine of you Retsu," Yoshino said quietly, not moving from her position above Retsu. "But regardless of how you rationalize it, you're wrong. You're wrong and everyone else is right. Don't you get it? I'm apathetic. I don't care. I push people away because I'm too paranoid to let them in, to let them see the real me. That's because there is no real me!" she said, looking up for the first time to show tears welling in her eyes. Bitter, pathetic tears that trickled down her reddening face.

"You think I don't care about what happens to the Guild? To my Guild! I care every single day! You think I like lying to people and keeping them in the dark? I don't like it! I'm not as strong as you say I am so stop idolizing me! I'm just someone trying to survive and who's willing to do anything to get her way. Why would you ever love a person like that? My smile is a lie...my apathy is a lie. It keeps others from knowing how much it hurts to be me. Why would you ever want to be like me? To be like Moon Rider? To be like me is to be the loneliest person in the world!" she sobbed, clenching her fists and wanting to punch the ground out of frustration.

"No... You're wrong. You just said it yourself. You don't care, yet you care about your guild every single day. You say you're not strong, but you've held out for this long. You say you're too paranoid to let them see the real you, then what about right here? Aren't you showing me the real you, right now? With all your pain and loneliness?" Retsu stood up and walked back towards Yoshino. Retsu took her by the hand and held it up between them. "If we can destroy Deep Ground, then we can turn ourselves into better people too, can't we? To show everyone we can be better than what they say we are, and not just by playing by their games and their rules!" Retsu said with passion. Sure, maybe she was being highly idealistic, almost disgustingly so. But the alternative, giving into despair and giving up, she's already done that. "Our lives suck and we both are horrible people. There's no denying that. But I'm not going to live with this crap for the rest of my life. I want to change it Yoshino! I don't want my life to be controlled by people who think they can judge us, who only want to use us! Even if you're giving up, I'm not. I can't. Not after everything I've done. I've put so much hope in this, in you, that I can't... I can't lose..." Retsu became quiet and Yoshino's hand started to get wet. Retsu was crying too, her tears falling on her hand. Retsu had to wipe her face so she didn't keep making a mess.

"I can't lose you Yoshino. I don't want too. I don't care what sort of person you really are... I'll still love you for what you mean to me."

Yoshino looked from Retsu's hands around her own then to Retsu's face. Then she sighed, sniffling, and then said, "It doesn't look good if both of us are crying. We...really should straighten out before anyone walks in on us." Not that she expected anyone to even find this secluded little location but the thought never hurt. With her sleeve Yoshino wiped away her tears before giving another sigh. "Look, I don't know where this puts us. I don't hate you Retsu, but I don't know if I can say I love you either. But I...I do want you by my side. Is that enough for you? Maybe when...if Deep Ground is ever destroyed, I can give you a proper answer. Until then, I'll keep wondering why you love someone like me."

Retsu laughed. It was a small one. She also took out a handkerchief from her hat and handed it to Yoshino, using one for herself. For a while they just sat in silence again. She received a message from the chauffeur that he was here to pick them up now. Sighing Retsu stood up and started to walk away, but as per usual she had one last thing to say before she just upped and left. "It's quite simple, Tsugumi-san. We have to keep wearing these masks. You continue to play as Moon Rider, and I play as Dark Wraith. That being said, let's not forget the girls who wear those mask." Taking off her hat Retsu let her hair down around her shoulders and SHAFT head tilt. "And for you, I'll always be there for you Yoshino. Thick and thin, good times or bad... Until death do us part." At that exact moment, the church's bell rang, signalling midnight. Retsu looked forward and opened the doors to head back home.

It was the start of a new day, but it was business as usual. Today Retsu was doing some wetwork; specifically she needed to infiltrate either Eris or Chiyo's home and find some dirt on them. Considering that Eris lived in the laps of luxury with a mercenary company, with security better than most government facilities, trying to sneak into her home wasn't going to be easy. So instead Retsu was going to go after Chiyo. Retsu had considerably less information on Chiyo's home to work with, include potential dangers, but Retsu did have one thing going for her. Recently Chiyo ordered for housekeepers to come through and clean up her place. Retsu intercepted this message and was going to come in disguised as one such housekeeper, using makeup and and a wig to disguise her appearance. Coloring her skin a more caramel complexion with short black hair, stenciled eyebrows, and a faux-Hispanic accent, Retsu was trying to diverge her appearance far from her actual character. No one would believe that the straight-lace, super edgy Retsu Goroshi would be a gossipy Mexican cleaner. Her refuge was in the sheer audacity.

But she wouldn't do this alone. After their fateful meeting that night, Retsu was now collaborating with Kanbaru. Though she wasn't a Sweeper, Retsu could rely on Kanbaru's resourcefulness and reliability for the days to come. Not only that, but doing operations like this would ensure Kanbaru's loyalty, even if the Cobalt Bruisers may later become enemies. That and Retsu enjoyed Kanbaru's company. Despite what one may think, Retsu liked people who were lively and talkative, but weren't loudmouths or naive fools. Of course time would tell if Kanbaru would mutate into such a person down the line, and then Retsu would have to sever ties. But until then, she and Kanbaru had a job to do. They needed to clean up Chiyo's home and plant a few bugs through her house to spy on her activities. They would be meeting up at Purple Crown's drama club, where Retsu's looks wouldn't be too out of place since other members were also painting and dressing up.

@Lonewolf685

[Lonewolf685]

Kanbaru Otoko

Following the Thursday War that sowed Chaos amidst the Black City, Kanbaru had been fairly busy with little to show for her efforts. The Blue King seemed to be disappointed in Broker and Absinthe for allowing things to devolve as they had, and stuck them with the job of repairing all the many damaged tanks that came back from the urban infighting they quashed. In the battles wake she had logged off to return to the club, only to find Retsu and Yoshino were gone and a heated conversation was going on in the room next door. She assumed it was them given it was the only room with a locked door and the muffled noises sounded like the impassioned cries of a lover's quarrel she saw the two would be having. She hadn't dared stay to attempt to eavesdrop, and left before she would have discovered two non-descript teens fornicating making out were the source of the commotion.

Now that she knew Retsu was Dark Wraith, Kanbaru couldn't say for certain but she had an inkling as to the identity of Yoshino's online persona. It didn't do anything to help her, though, as Kanbaru had no intention of leveraging her assumption in the near or distant future. Possibly stripping an ally of their wanted anonymity would only sour the relationship of Strykers/Sweepers and the Bruisers, as well as her tentative bond with Retsu Goroshi.

Kanbaru Otoko walked into their appointed meeting place in a similar disguise as her compatriot's, with the added measure of expending a roll of bandages to bind her chest for the added measure of differentiating from her casual appearance. It didn't take long to discover the only other housekeeper in the drama club who wasn't rehearsing lines on a stage and joined her with supplies in toe.

"Well it came out of my own dime, but I got the necessary supplies we need for our performance." Kanbaru said as she placed a vacuum cleaner between them while keeping a trash bag bulging from what were obviously cleaning supplies in her off hand. They had already discussed via instant messaging that the purpose of these as being twofold. First, they do actually need to clean Chiyo's home or the entire operation will be ousted as fraudulent the second she gets home. The second reason was that most security personal wouldn't take the time to disassemble a vacuum cleaner and find all the nooks they can store the listening devices.

"If you've got the props, we could go to theater whenever you want, senora."

[RoflsMazoy]

"Uhhh..." Kosuke said.

He stepped in and took a seat across from Thomas, grabbing a chocolate chip cookie in the process. He hadn't expected the Blue King to be here... He was just about to ask what exactly the Black Guild was doing for the Cultural Festival because the messages he received gave him some conflicting messages. They weren't exactly a well organized force to begin with. The Sweepers had a network, but the Outlaws didn't, and it was causing problems for the ones on the lower end.

What he wanted was what it is everyone in the Black Guild thought they were doing, and a way to reach the ones who weren't in on it. But since the Blue King was here, he couldn't say all of that. It could give the Blue Guild a chance to strike. After the second civil war, maybe everyone had already figured they were only loosely following a banner together, but the fact that they didn't know how loose it was gave them an edge, even if it was mostly a blunt one.

Besides that, he had to remember he wasn't supposed to be jack shit right now. He wasn't a sweeper out of game, he was just another face in the crowd. He couldn't ask above his pay-grade or it'd be suspicious.

"If it's not too much trouble..." He said, taking a bite out of his cookie. "Would you be able to find out what the Black Guild is doing for the Cultural Festival?"

Now for the excuse... He thought.

"I have some friends in the Black Guild and they won't tell me what they're doing, but they keep telling me it's going to be amazing." He continued. Then was the clincher...

"Basically, I feel like if the Black Guild thinks what they're doing is going to be able to take on the White Guild's cafe, I'm going to need to prepare my anus." He finished.

---

@Lord of Evil@KoL@Lucius Cypher@TheWindel

[ColouredCyan]

Caitlyn Dunnst

---

Caitlyn sat back and wiped her brow with the cleaner of her two gloves as she admired her work so far. Rows and rows of adorable little flowers peeped back, they looked a bit rough now but it in a couple of days it would seem as if they'd always been here. Helping to get the school grounds ready for the festival was proving to be much harder work than she'd imagined when she signed up to the gardening club. She glanced breifly at the next spot, it was already dug but the potted plants were still in storage and her bag of soil was practically empty, she'd need to get another one of those too. Caitlyn pulled off her left glove to check the time. She'd been transplanting for much longer than she had intended, it didn't even feel that long ago she'd told Mayumi that she'd be finished[/i]. Oh well, time to get cleaned up. She hung up her overalls and put her tools back in the shed, making very sure to lock up properly after she'd finished.

Club activities done for the day, Caitlyn could retreat to the quiet of the girls dorms to finish getting the remainder of dirt off her and maybe squeeze in some time on DGO before dinner, she was super excited for hitting level 4 and picking a new feat, compared to the last level the choice she made was really going to define how she played. What she really should have been doing was brushing up on her Japanese, she'd been speaking Japanese just as long as anyone else here but she'd barely had the practice they'd have growing up. She could do it later, there would be time to test her vocab when everyone has signed off. Plus she really need to get those mats exchanged for EXP, they were no use to her while her-

Caitlyn turned down a corridor to find a pile up occuring in front of the News Club, complete with onlookers. Among them was Micheal Davis and Nagato-dono and even Miss Harper could be heard from inside, with others. Miss Harper had every reason to be there, she was a large donor to the club, but Nagato? Was he here to get an edge on the competition before he gave out his orders for the festival? Unfortunately it seemed as if she wouldn't find out, a member of the club was ushering them in.

Thanks to all the commotion that preceded her arrival she'd barely been noticed and once they'd all been gathered into the club she'd easily be able to just get on with her day, but then she wouldn't find out why 3/5 of the coloured kings were having secret meetings with News Club. She could try to inject herself into the situation, senpai didn't have much back up here, but that just lead to cringy, awkward moments she'd never live down. Her last option was she could eavesdrop, there was barely anyone left in the school building so she wouldn't likely get caught by a passer by, but if she drew the attention of anyone inside... She could pretend she was just messaging someone? It was too dangerous.

She'd just have to walk past pretending that nothing was going on, even though she desperately wanted in on it too.

[Jedly]

(Chucking this up here for noaw, got a math class in thirty minutes, will edit in the header and the rest of the post when I get back. Time for edumacation)

The onset of festivities meant that jubilation was at an all time high. Adrenaline and charisma coursed through the veins alike as preparations were made in advance for imminent social gatherings, comprised of people who usually had muzzles pointed at each other, now intertwined by cordial gestures and the thrill of mutual competition. All in the name of fun. Yet the events that panned out three days prior were not merely waved off with the blatant indifference. If anything they influenced the atmosphere floating through the academy’s halls and bolstered the stirring tenor present within.

While a majority of clubs chose this current point in the evening to dismiss their members, a handful remained occupied, either with pressing tasks or the denial to vacate the premises. Ken’s club belonged to this portion, but it had indeed ceased its activities, at least those that were explicitly official. After the mayhem that tore through the Black City, it was determined that the players under Arms’ command needed to be more tightly knit in face of the future strife that awaited them. Thus the club after-hours was converted into a meetup spot for the group’s numbers, at least those that agreed to bridging the gap between online and reality.

A Serious Issue(moar banter)

As beams of sedated sunlight cascaded through the panes of glass that lined the hallway, Ken and Shiro aimlessly strolled through the open space, surely in the midst of a truly pertinent discussion, ”Sorry, you need to remind me, who was your history report on again?” The club president queried, having procrastinated his own assignment for far too long. Shiro promptly replied with his chest held high, ”Donald Trump, forty-fifth president of the US.” Ken sighed as random trivia on the certain person drifted in his memory, ”Oh right, he was the person who enacted the Gender Clarification Act of 2019. Didn’t he die in some anticlimactic way?”

”Yep, only president ever killed by livestock. Was giving a public address when a random cow clobbered the guy. Turns out it had escaped from a nearby farm an hour prior where it was trained for pseudo-bullfighting. So when it saw the red cap… Well, anyways, ‘nuff about that. How’s it been going between you and Akane~?” The orange-haired boy inquired with his iconic wry set of a pearly whites.

”Go fuck yourself.”

”There’s an app for that.” He followed up without the slightest pause while simultaneously snapping his fingers. ”But in all seriousness, how goes it? I know she’s been busy with organization duties concerning our bloc.”

”She made me sign a contract in blood.”

Sigh.

”S-say what?”

Ken unwillingly produced his formerly pocketed hand to reveal a wounded finger, pacified with only the sentiment that was a Hello Kitty band-aid. ”...” Shiro was, needless to say, speechless. ”There’s no dere to compliment that tsun. None at all.” He spoke as if he was honoring somebody who had already passed to the great beyond and patted the fallen soldier’s back in empathy.

”Anyways, I’ve been thinking-” Shiro began before his classmate curtly cut in, ”Well that’s a first. I had you pegged as the type who just rushes into combat without formulated and sane plan in mind.”

”Hey, go fuck yourself.” The boy grinned in hopes that his friend would follow up on the verbal cue. Ken mimicked the expression and snapped his fingers, ”There’s an app for that!”

The two shared a momentary chuckle until the former continued on with his thought, ”So.. Where the hell is the swimsuit episode? I’ve noticed a distinct lack of plot in this plot.” He rubbed his chin with the observation now brought into the light through a demolished wall. ”I don’t quite follow…” Ken stated uneasily, aware that he would regret allowing Shiro to breathe more life into the prospect.

”A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away there were five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Swimsuits. All of the elements lived in perfect harmony, but then everything changed when the Fire Nation announced it was having a seventy percent off sale on clearance items. The economy couldn’t handle the abrupt decision and was on the verge of crashing. All hopes rested on the Avatar, bender of the four first elements and renowned for showing up fashionably late, most metaphorically and literally. When the world needed him the most, he vanished with a whole entire line of swimwear. But here and now we can bear the dreams of those tortured souls by spurring on the Swimsuit Campaign! Accept it young grasshopper, you want to hear Akane whisper sweetly with mollification: ”Oh Ken, would you be a dove and rub lotion on my back? B-be gentle.””

”Actually it would be more like ‘Apply this lotion to my back you pitiful excuse for a sentient being. Damn microcephalic adipate.’”

The voice reverberated from seemingly nowhere and startled the two to the extent that they leaped away from the source. There was Akane in her short yet tenacious stature. Arms at her side, eyebrows tightly knit into a furrow, red locks burning with a fervid vermilion aura.

[ReaptheMusic]

Erika was parting ways with some of her friends down the hallway of the newspaper club rooms. Being unaligned, she wasn't intending to do anything with her class for the culture festival. She'd heard talk of a maid cafe, but aren't those just a little... cliche? In any case, she wouldn't exactly want all the guys in the school to see her flaunting around in a fluffed up skirt all day, much less accidentally bend over a bit too far and show more than she was comfortable with. In her head she was thinking about what she would do later that evening; dungeon hunting with her brother, Hitoru. She passed by several people who all waved her way and in response, she waved back and gave small, curt responses. It was surreal being in the same school and feeling so... Feeling as though she were an entirely new person.

At that moment the sound of some items clattering caught her attention and she turned her head, her dark curls bouncing with each step and motion she made. It was then she spotted Micheal Davis assisting some girl she hadn't bothered to learn the name of--or remember, frankly she'd been making friends left and right--and felt a jolt of urgency at the situation. She stopped, her eyes wide, but then quickly regained composure when taking a second glance at the body language. Most definitely, there was nothing romantic going on between them. Knowing this, the bespectacled girl adjusted her glasses and let out a big sigh of relief. She began to approach them with a smile on her face as Thomas attempted to usher the two kings outside the newspaper club room inside.

"Since we have so many refreshments, why don't you all come in?" Thomas said. "If you have business elsewhere, though, I wouldn't want to hold you up."

"Actually, if you don't mind," Erika said as she got closer and stopped before the green and red king. In her chest, her heart was beating loudly. She smiled warmly at Thomas. "I think I do have some business with them before they head inside.... if that's alright with you?" With her last words, her large baby blue eyes made their way to Micheal's through her thick lenses, a slight blush on her face.

"If you're trying to get a scoop on Green Guild tactics, stick it where it fits and out of my face pal," Kenji said with disdain, already turning away. "Media isn't my thing so I'll see you around Red King. And trust me, you'll come around and see it my way," he finished, noticing Erika nearby. "Oh, and your glasses bimbo is here. Guess she's not dead after all. If you guys really want a news story, maybe focus on the girl who got popular in a week." That said and done, he left the area with a shrug and hands shoved in his pockets. Though he did notice Caitlyn Dunnst nearby and gave her a nod; a dick he was to anyone who wasn't in his Guild. Michael didn't even sigh, merely helping Hibiki out before turning to see that yes, Erika was in fact alive.

"Sure. Whatever you want," Michael said, though the shadow of a smirk was on his face. Or maybe it was the lightning? Who knew. The Red King was as short-spoken and enigmatic as ever these days. Without further ado, he beckoned Erika into the room before entering himself. "Don't mind him. He's just salty his ex is here," he told Erika, noting the rather sportful grin on Maribel's face as she seemed to be bouncing in her chair with practical ease.

Erika made her way into the room and politely waved at all the gathered kings, frankly surprised at the fact that all of them had peacefully gathered--sans the green king and his salty attitude. She hopped up on the table and turned her focus onto Michael for now.

"You know," Erika began with a slight glimmer of amusement in her gaze. "For all the crap your guild gave me for being unaligned here you certainly aren't doing much aligning yourself these days. There's some rumors going around you know," She propped her legs up on a nearby chair, pushing the bouncy curls out of her face and sliding her glasses down her nose slightly. "Is it true that you're going to align with whoever wins at these festival competitions?" The fact she was so close to Michael at all was driving her nuts. She hid her excitement and profound glee by tightly gripping the side of the table where she sat.

"Ahaha, you should totally stop trying to hide your motives Kosuke! It makes you less cute!" came the equally excited voice of Bel. The Blue King was staring right at the boy asking the question, giving him a toothy grin and a playful wink with her black and red eye. Her interjection had been...random at most, and even Michael was wondering what exaclty she was going off on. Oh, and Erika was trying to be a flirt too. That much was to be expected these days with a complete shift in personality. Bel continued to wag her finger at Kosuke, going off with, "You guys are hilarious. Trying to find out the Black Guild's plans with this festival thing. Like you have any friends with the Strykers Kosuke! Oh, and come on down Caitlyn cause I know you're there too," she called out to the girl who just so happened to walk by their club room.

But then there was Erika and Bel's grin seemed to widen beyond the point of possibility. As grotesque and disturbing as that sounded, she scooted her chair over to the opposite side of Michael, giving Erika a knowing wink before going on with, "You know you gotta be nice to the ladies right Michael? Wouldn't want any nasty rumors to be flying around the school, am I right?" She said this all with advancing towards his other side, dangerously close. Soon enough, the Red King was staring straight forward, wondering how he had landed into this situation with two looming girls beside him.

Erika was quickly becoming... uncomfortable. She turned to look at the blue king, utterly confused. Soon, the king was pressing up against Michael as well. Frankly, she didn't like it. Especially with the wink. Then it struck her that her odd attitude was... tangibly familiar. All she had wanted to do was talk to Michael and now...

Now it felt like her head was pounding.

"Hey," Erika scoot back a little to give the poor red king some breathing room. She looked directly at the Blue King, cocking her head to the side. "Whatever you're... trying to do here... I don't think it's very funny."

She turned her head to look at Michael, scratching her cheek awkwardly.

"Hey, can we move this conversation to somewhere more private?"

"Ugh, well I-"

"Private! Honey if you wanted privacy, you'd need a safe room and a few prisons for that," the Blue King continued, nudging Erika's side as if they were good buddies and long past pals. Which technically they were, in some twisted obscure way. The look in Maribel's beaten eye was all that needed to be seen to get the memo here. Unless Erika wanted to play hard to get and have a little bit of rivalry between them.

And Erika certainly didn't want that.

With a slightly defeated look, Erika looked at Micheal...

"I gotta go. See you around?"

With that she grabbed Bel by the hand and quickly led her out of the room. Once there, she let the door close behind them and turned around to look at the Blue King, visibly sweating but mostly surprised and amazed.

"You're... here? In the real world?"

"Um, bye?" the Red King said, more of a mutter really. He watched as Erika grabbed hold of Bel before dragging her out and away from the room. The Blue King gave a wink and a wave to everyone in the room, even Michael, before being confronted by Erika. An answer to her question was one big shrug.

"I'm here, I'm there, I'm everywhere Erika. Oh and believe me, it took me a bit to get this one under control. Woo, she put up a fight," she said absentmindedly, pointing at herself. Only Erika would know the implication behind her words. "Oh hey, wanna know what she sounds like right about now? I tuned her out so it wouldn't be a nuisance but I figure you'd wanna know what happens if you don't follow through, right?" At once Bel began to flail around madly in hysterics, screaming out with no direction or resolve. She did this for a good few seconds before relaxing again, as if cutting the power off. "Yeah, something kind of like that."

At this many people in the hall turned to stare at the blue king shrieking about excitedly.

"Er," She turned to them, forcing a laugh. "Don't mind us, we're just rehearsing a skit for the festival!" At this most of the students let out a chuckle and continued on their way without batting an eye. At this Erika turned back to the Blue King.

"Come on, I'm your hero. You know I'd never think about not being by your side. Especially after all you've done for me." Erika smiled at Bel and took her hands in hers, her spectacles shining the reflection of Bel within them. "Whatever you need... I'm yours."

"Yeah, we'll see about that sweet cakes. You were getting real chummy with the Red King back there. Don't think I don't know all about your little hussle with each other," Bel said with a wag of her finger. Although her grin was maintained, it was evident that the underlying nature of a threat was beneath those sweetened words. "Better be careful. I don't want you to pick between two Kings to follow," she said, even as her hand tightened around Erika's.

"What? Of course not... I just..." Erika blushed.... and looked away a sliver of her former self reemerging. She bit her lip, then looked back at Bel. "The Red King is harmless."

"Yeah, that's what they all say Erika. Weeeeel, nothing that can be done about it now. Just know that I'll be watching you. I'll be watching yooooou....nerd!" Bel said with a rampant laugh before heading back into the club room.

Erika watched as the Blue King dipped back into the clubroom. Her expression falling flat, she lifted her hand up closer to her face. On it... she could still see the indentation of Bel's far-too-firm grip.

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@RoflsMazoy, @Lord of Evil, @KoL, @Lucius Cypher, @TheWindel, @ColouredCyan, @Jedly

[RoflsMazoy]

"I-I-It's not like I can't make friends or anything!" He shouted, standing up from his seat and turning around. "I-It's just... _{harder than I thought it'd be... b-baka...!"}

Nooooo, he'd slipped into old habits again. His only comfort was that Bel seemed to be preoccupied and there were only 8 other people to see him embarrass himself. A -1 when it came to Bel was probably closer to a -6, however, so it sort of equaled out to about 2. The 'habit' had formed a little while after the Spaghetti incident. After he'd transferred he'd had the difficult task of making new friends after the last one. His older sister asked him every day, and every time she'd been more insistent. Kosuke was a terrible liar, but his sister enjoyed how cute he sounded the more desperate he got so it'd ended up _{just like that...}

Anyway, more of the Kings had showed up which was sort of rare. It wasn't every day that 3 out of 5 were in one spot. There was also someone called Erika? He'd heard the name, but whatever it was that'd happened to her, it'd taken place during Kosuke's blank episode the week before. Kosuke felt like she was so bright she was burning his skin. Not unlike phoenix fire on pasty white skin. There was an awful lot of star power behind him right now, and he was feeling the heat on the back of his neck. They were leaving now, but he didn't want to stick around.

"Uhhh, right... Where were we?" He said to Thomas, sitting down as the Blue King and the Red King bowed out.

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@Lord of Evil @KoL @Lucius Cypher @TheWindel @ColouredCyan @Reapthemusic