[u][url=https://goo.gl/maps/FpH6B4XGad6hC8ic6]Love Street[/url][/u] [i]Lincoln Park, Tenebrae[/i] [@Lady Seraphina] [i]"You really have done your research Mr...?"[/i] He gestured to his chest. “The name’s Arc, right hand of the Shadow Knights.” [i]"What are the win conditions? I assume your 'boss' doesn't want your head on a pike as proof that I'm 'worth his time'. So at what point have I won? First blood? When I knock you to the floor? Or should I make you scream for your daddy?"[/i] He tsked. “Making me repeat myself on our first day. I’ll forgive you, but it’ll cost you the first move.” He held up his hands, black garb vibrating along his arms. “The win conditions are to [i]‘lay me out flat’[/i], though at this point it’s unlikely that you’ll even touch me.” Like sand spooling through a time glass, the black cloth on his fingertips, down along his arms, and up to his shoulders, tumbled into the air as a cloud of fine dust. He threw his bare hands up, throwing the tiny, reflective particles off into the room. Most patrons breathed it in instantly, unknowingly filling their lungs with particles. If a few patrons had the gift of awareness and suspicion, they held their breath, turning blue. If Phantasm chose to defend herself, she could, to avoid being caught in his setup. With those hot, angry eyes on him, he knew she would prefer to keep the advantage and either hold her breath or phase. He shifted his weight forward, hands opening up in a calm, persuasive gesture. “Freedom. Control. These two things were the world to me before I met him. Now? They come as easy as rain on a stormy day. You should consider yourself lucky, he’s offering the same to you. His vision of the future puts you and I at the height of success, no longer dogged around and put down, hiding like street rats.” His head inclined toward her. “All he is asking is cooperation to usher in that future.” The dust settled, making the air safe to breathe again. His irises glimmered as a subtle static filled the room. Phantasm could feel her hair standing up on her arms. “Now, try to hit me,” he said. [hr] [u][url=https://g.page/artinstitutechi?share]The Museum of Historical Sciences, a few blocks away from The Art Institute[/url][/u] [i]Loop, Tenebrae[/i] [@Shu] [i]“Let’s cut to the chase. Who are you and where is the diadem? Maybe keep your voice down too, we aren’t exactly in a coffee shop.”[/i] His eyes widened. The master thief who worked in the shadow, who should be deadly serious, actually had a sense of humour. It took his full concentration to stop the laughter threatening to jump from his throat, but he couldn’t help the twitch at his mouth. This line of work gave little in the realm of humour; the change of pace caught him off-guard. He cleared his throat, eyes settling into a narrowed glare, and he pulled out a flip phone. He dialed a number and pressed the speaker button, holding it up for her to listen. [code]“I’ve been expecting you, Scarlet Shadow.”[/code] Said a voice on the other end, silver-toned, deep and clear. [code]“You’ll have to forgive Chrono, he’s a little shy. As for your questions, I will answer on his behalf. I am Astra, King of the Shadow Knights.”[/code] The voice hummed. [code]“You see, I want to offer you a job. A job that would fit you like a glove. This diadem was mere child’s play for you; how about something a bit more, shall we say, interesting? And the pay will be more than what the diadem is worth on the black market.”[/code] [code]“Now, about that diadem... It is yours, of course. If we have a deal.”[/code] The voice paused, and Chrono glanced up from the phone, eyes tense as he read Scarlet Shadow’s face for any tell-tale signs of agreement, or otherwise. [hr] [u][url=https://goo.gl/maps/6ESdBqzvrfTfA6Ze8]James & Sons Fine Jewelers[/url][/u] [i]Near North Side, Tenebrae[/i] [@Blizz] [i]”Okay, you wanna talk? Talk. You got three minutes before I 180 this and drop you over there. A weapon. Some plan. My name. Start explaining.”[/i] The sudden rush of air had the doctor coughing when they made it to the bike. Her power was incredible, it completely caught him off-guard. Akihiro had to grimly admit that he was in over his head with her or any meta, and a large part of him wished he wasn’t here, on a street with burning vehicles and angry cops. But, seeing her light up, in person, made his desperation worth it. [i]“We’re not going anywhere until you explain yourself. You sound like you know I’m not gonna budge. Talk.”[/i] He dusted off his pyjama top, eyeing her ride before meeting her gaze. “A-ah, yes. Very well. Let’s start with the weapon first. It’s a mechanical construct that harnesses stolen, amplified superpowers that can level whole cities in the blink of an eye. More and more metas will keep disappearing, all for the purpose of this machine, until it has enough power to take over. “My plan is, uh, simple enough. We will steal the components they need before they can complete the machine. There are two components that I know of, but I would need either a small army to get through, or… A superhero.” He scratched the back of his head nervously. “Now, I really didn’t mean to pry. It’s hard enough to get information on vigilante metas. But after crunching enough databases with facial recognition, I was able to figure out your name. But that was it. No home address, no SSN, nothing. All I had was the knowledge that you patrol these streets, and that you move like sunlight. So I, uh… I…” The doctor grew quiet, cheeks turning pink. “I… knew you would go after bad guys, so I thought if I made a lot of noise and [i]looked[/i] like a bad guy, maybe I’d get your attention. D-d-don’t worry, I made sure the store and the cars all had good insurance before I did anything, uhm, illegal.” He wrung his hands nervously. “Please, you have to believe me, if there was any other way I would have taken it. But I’m out of time.”