[center][IMG]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/ada4d034-be5c-40fd-bd3d-b2eb7f15a3a3.png[/IMG] [hider=music] [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBmepA9mKZY[/youtube][/hider] [/center] Pax Septimus continued to live up to its reputation. The Holy Diver was slain, but to no small cost to the city’s espers. While the Diver had not attacked the espers directly, other monsters flocked to defend the creature. Many lives were lost, and it still managed to take out the city’s infrastructure. It did this by reenacting the plagues of Egypt on Pax Septimus. Millions were left without power and clean drinking water. It rained frogs and hail. Flies and locusts swarmed the streets. Boils and cysts broke out on everyone’s skin. Even the sky was blotted out for three whole days. But the Diver was slain before it could claim the eldest sibling of every family. Those not privy to the supernatural world were told it was all due to a freak hurricane. The government spent the next several weeks erecting shelters and distributing drinking water to the devastated population. None of the esper factions came out great after this. While GEMINI was credited for taking down The Holy Diver and Justin, this wouldn’t be the first time they refused to share information so that they could eliminate a target first. Prejudice against monsters was never low in Pax, but it’s become as high as it’s ever been. Innocent, and sometimes even beneficial monsters are slain with extreme prejudice. Maverick Alternative has taken a lot of flak for housing monsters below Pax’s surface, but hasn’t stopped trying to preserve the good ones. The Freelancers were fewer in number then they once were. Many had died during the night the Diver attacked, and the growing pool of dark web espers has made many freelancers distrustful towards their own members. You know things are bad when rumors of the Inquisition start to spread. Allegedly, the situation is so bad that Raphael the Righteous Hearted has been personally dispatched to deal with the growing unrest in the area. All while the remaining members of the Hand continue to plot and scheme to some unknown end. [hr] [sub][@Majoraa][/sub] Hospital rooms were white, but the white in this room was almost absurd. The diffused light poured in through ceiling and wall fixtures and left no space for shadows. Even the room’s sole occupant was white. Betty was as pale as the bed she was laying in. The only spark of color in the room were some screens giving readouts on her condition. Justin Von Carnage may have been dead, but Betty hadn’t just reverted back to being a normal human. They would need to treat her to reverse the “dark blessing” that made her a vampire thrall. But her body had been grievously wounded, and treating her vampirism now would kill her. They needed to keep her as a thrall until she recovered enough for it to be removed. She laid in her hospital bed like a fairy tale princess, but no kiss would wake her from her slumber. So what spurred the person behind those wounds to come here now? After everything has been said and done? After he had to recover from his own? Finn always hated hospitals. This time was no different. But yet here he was, quietly opening the door to Betty's room a crack to peer inside. Once he saw she was still asleep, he took a quiet, deep breath. God, what was he doing? Back [i]there[/i] should've been the end of [i]this[/i]. All he wanted was to get her back safe, back to her mother, family, the life she'd waste by being involved in this hell. And in the end, [i]he[/i] was the one who hurt her. Wouldn't be surprising if she still wanted him dead. ... He tensed himself up to lessen his trembling. Right, in and out, and make it quick. With slow, careful steps he entered the room with a small bouquet of flowers. That's what people usually bring to patients, right? He approached the nightstand to set them down. As Finn drew closer, Betty’s head rolled over onto its side causing him to emit a quiet shriek. But she stirred no more. It wasn’t visible under her sheets, but her arms and legs were bound to the table. That, and several IV drips were running straight into her arm. If she wasn’t unconscious, she was so out of it that she didn’t respond to Finn’s presence. Even when he was standing right next to her, she didn’t respond. When Finn turned to leave, he could see a pair of big blue eyes looking at him from beyond the door. There were an uncountable number of freckles between her peepers. [b]”Oh!”[/b] The ‘spy’ slid out from her hiding place. Finn didn’t have a chance to speak with the woman they pulled out of the Diver, but he knew this was her. He also knew her name was Faith and that she had been given free reign to go wherever she wished in GEMINI HQ. Likely because Fritzi was using her as an assistant until they found a better replacement. [b]”Am I interrupting something? Gosh, I hate when I interrupt something. That would always put me down in the dumps when I interrupted my parents. Even when my father was watching TV I would just watch him until a commercial break started. But if it looked like he was enjoying the commercial I’d just wait for it to run its course. Mom got mad at me once because of that, because she wanted me to get my dad and she thought I was watching the TV. But I told her ‘no ma’am, I’m just waiting for dad to finish.’ But she didn’t believe me.”[/b] Ironically enough, Finn waited for Faith to finish her rambling before speaking up. [color=7F2A3C]"N-No. No you're not."[/color] He hadn't spoken up at all since he nearly killed Betty, having to communicate to others through other means for a while. He glanced back down at the unconscious thrall, his face breaking into a frown for a moment. It's all your fault. He stayed for too long. Quickly as he could muster, he exited the room to approach Faith instead. [color=7F2A3C]"H-How are you holding up?"[/color] [b]”I’m fine.”[/b] She stared at Finn, totally deadpan. As soon as he thought to say something, Faith spoke up again. [b]”I mean after hearing that you guys pulled me out of a giant monster I’m not so sure. I’ve grown my hair back but I’m still a little foggy on the details. I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen Evangelion but I kind of felt like Rei. There’s this one part in the first episode where Shinji is like ‘no, I don’t wanna do it’ and then his dad’s all ‘okay, let’s get Rei.’ So then they cart out this girl. She’s as white as Betty is but is also banged up pretty good. I guess that makes her just like Betty huh? But she gets up and stumbles, and then Shinji’s all like ‘I’ll do it, I’ll pilot that thing!’ And it’s just the most amazing thing to happen in the first episode of an anime ever.”[/b] She blinked. [b]”I felt like Rei in that scene, the pale girl that kinda looks like Betty. I guess I could have said I feel the way Betty looks but I really love that scene. I'm okay now thanks for asking. But you look like a Shinji to me.”[/b] The boy sheepishly glanced aside. [color=7F2A3C]"[sub]Never really watched anime...[/sub] Anyways, what can you remember how you ended up in the Diver? Or before that?"[/color] Then again, could be nothing but blanks there knowing his luck. Oros had said something that eluded to experiments with Behemoths or whatever, but that wasn't enough to make up for the fact [i]she attempted to attack him for some reason.[/i] And apparently change her mind at the last second? He didn't know why. [b]”I mean I remember who I am. I’m an artist that can’t stop drawing!”[/b] Those sketches Finn saw on the walls leading up to Betty’s room were starting to make a lot more sense now. She seemed to really like drawing fairies, as she doodled them all over the place. [b]”I’ve actually been working on a mural to stay sane. It’s going to feature a bunch of fairies flying around a forest, and maybe I’ll have two sisters walking through the forest admiring its beauty! I’m visualizing an older, big sister kind of character with her timid younger friend. Might be fun to have her hide her face behind a mask. Or is that too weird?”[/b] She held her chin. [color=7F2A3C]"That sounds nice actually."[/color] Finn managed a smile in response. [b]”Oh! But you wanted to know what I remembered. I really don’t remember much. Just some really obnoxious laughter and a swarm of hands washing over me. It was kind of spooky. But I’m remembering more all the time. Oh! And speaking of remembering, Fritzi sent me over here to tell you that she’s giving you paid leave. So I guess you have time to relax and recover.”[/b] Swarm of hands and an annoying laugh. Not much to work with but it's something, he guessed. His brows rose when Faith informed him he's been given time off. Maybe in other circumstances he'd argue against it, but as he ghosted a hand over where he was shot and patched up, he was simply thankful Dr. Moller cared enough. [color=7F2A3C]"Right. Alright."[/color] He nodded. [color=7F2A3C]"Give her my thanks next time you see her."[/color] He [i]had[/i] been meaning to check back in with his normal life anyways. His family must've been wondering where he disappeared to. [b]”Okay! I better get back to Fritzi. It was fun to talk to you. When we get a moment I’ll have to recommend you some more anime to watch. Or are you more of a reading person? Because there are some good manga out there too. Like there’s this one where-”[/b] Her pocket beeped. Faith pulled her phone out of her pocket. [b]”Hi Fritzi! I was just heading back! Yes, Shinji- Finn! Finn’s okay!”[/b] She power walked down the hall. After waving goodbye Finn had turned to leave too, but he noticed that Betty had turned her head. More than that, she was [i]looking[/i] at him. Like a deer caught in headlights, he fumbled over his words before something coherent freed itself. [color=7F2A3C]"S-Sorry- Sorry sorry, I was just leaving-"[/color] [color=ade81b]"I’m not mad at you."[/color] Her voice was weak and groggy. Even though she was an albino, her eyes looked a little redder then they should have been. [color=ade81b]"I’m just disappointed. I came here to end things. I wanted everything to be better back home. But it looks like you decided to follow me to Pax. And as bad as things were in the old place, I feel like they’re going to be even worse here."[/color] She closed her eyes and sighed. [color=ade81b]"I guess we’re both being punished for being cowards. We dropped out of purgatory and fell straight into hell."[/color] The fearful boy didn't understand her words, how she spoke as if they already knew each other. Everyone kept acting as if they knew each other. But that wasn't true. Right? But his heart ached so much now. Even if the memories weren't there, the emotions seemed to remain. Finn gently sat down at the edge of the bed. [color=7F2A3C]"...Guess you already figured out my real name, huh?"[/color] He softly looked back at Betty. [color=ade81b]"I don’t even know who I am anymore."[/color] Betty groaned. [color=ade81b]"I’m so tired..."[/color] [color=7F2A3C]"Unfortunately I know the feeling."[/color] Finn slightly frowned. At least she didn't have a skull-faced bastard haunting her dreams. But, different issue, different time. [color=7F2A3C]"Anything you need right now? Food or...?"[/color] He asked her. But Betty didn’t respond. She had drifted off to sleep during their short conversation. [color=ee9B77]"Art thou going to return to thy family now?"[/color] Came the rumbling voice of Chernabog. Half of the demon’s skull was visible through the doorway. [color=ee9B77]"Me is eager to meet thy sister."[/color] Speak of the devil. Literally. Finn tiredly glanced at the aformentioned nusance, waiting for them to return home. [color=7F2A3C]"Yeah."[/color] A brief answer. He got up from his seat. The IV medicine was gonna leave Betty knocked out for a while. [color=7F2A3C]"See you later, Ms. Barton."[/color] But that wouldn't stop him from checking on her again whenever he's free. The flowers [i]would[/i] need to be swapped out at some point. The demon’s head backed out of the way as Finn walked past it. [color=ee9B77]"Thou hath chosen to ignore the problem? Me thinks thou will regret thy decision."[/color] [hr] [img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/59130ec9-ed14-4987-990a-43bfc6f37c8a.png[/img] [sub][@Ponn][@ERode][@Izurich][/sub] One good thing about the buildings in the historic district was they were made plenty tough. They had to be if they wanted to stand against the ravages of time. Anything that didn’t last had to be built back better than ever. The Golden Platter Casino was a testament to this philosophy. It started life as a brewery and was erected once Pax had become established. Business was good until the Prohibition started. The equipment was broken down and sold as scrap, but men still had their vices. Slot machines, black jack, and roulette tables sprouted up in their place. It was still a nice place to blow some cash on risky thrills. But if you were a mobster, it was a good place to launder money. The hailstorm did little to the Golden Platter Casino. The concrete roof took the beating like a champ, as could the brick walls. The only thing that had been damaged was the old fashioned light up sign. But in the weeks after the storm, the sign had been fixed and looked better than new. The words “GOLDEN PLATTER CASINO” shined off the sign as lights flashed along the border. The casino was starting to close for the night, but they were about to get a rather tough customer. A minivan pulled into the parking lot and shut off its lights. Nearly all of the seats were filled, and everyone inside was a GEMINI agent. They had already been briefed on why they were here. In the weeks following the Diver’s death, a weretiger by the name of Big Tony had started flexing his muscles. Tony heads the weretiger mafia and has been advancing his territory recently. A phone call was intercepted that implied that the recently missing “Binky” was being held at the Golden Platter Casino. At the back of one of the teller booths was an elevator that could bring them down to the lower levels, which was where she was being held. Fritzi was expecting heavy resistance. Many of the more experienced agents were moved to other divisions, leaving Fritzi without much to work with. Getting their numbers back up was an important step in regaining control of Pax Septimus, so every available esper agent was sent on this mission. Even Mika. She hadn’t transformed into her esper form yet. Probably for the best, as a cat girl driving a minivan to a casino wouldn’t have kept a low profile. Not that a teenager who got her license a few months ago was an inconspicuous choice either, but GEMINI had to work with what they had. Her amber eyes scanned the casino before she reached up and adjusted her rear view mirror. She positioned it so that she could look at Ashley. [color=tomato]"What are we doing, [i]leader[/i]?"[/color] Excluding Mika, Ashley was the youngest member of Fritzi’s unit. Estelle and Ellie were transfers that were rotated in to replace Samuel and Jacqueline, and Finn wasn’t present. She had served under Fritzi the longest, even if it was just a handful of operations. [hr] [img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/49e43850-6b94-4e43-94d0-440214371bfb.png[/img] [sub][@The World][@Nakushita][@TaintedMushroom][@FamishedPants][/sub] The government might have been keen on sending aid to those in Pax Septimus, but the police force wasn’t up to the task of defending it all. It was inevitable that a tractor trailer filled with bottled water would be stolen. GEMINI was busy forming it’s operation at the casino, which didn’t leave anyone to recover the water the cultists stole. No demands had been made, but that hardly mattered. Fritzi considered this an act of terrorism and had the same stance as the US government: She didn’t negotiate with terrorists, and would rather put up triple the ransom as a reward for the heads of those involved. But since there was no ransom, she just put up a reward to have them dealt with. An offer some local freelancers were more than happy to collect on. The semi had been taken to a MicroMart on the outer fringes of the city. It had been “hidden” behind the convenience store in the employee parking area. When the mart was active, semi trucks would have been unloaded in that area to keep the store stocked. But the hailstorm took out the roof, and it was no longer a place that could service the public. The damage was so bad that it was doubtful the cultists could use the MicroMart as a hideout. It was a temporary stop while they decided what to do next. There wasn’t a lot else around. The edge of the city had short buildings, and the other side of the mart was rolling hills and a few trees. They’d see someone coming if they came from anywhere but the front of the MicroMart. Which was where the Freelancers were gathering. Freelancers weren’t as organized as GEMINI was. A few espers would discuss things over Shimr. An arrival time for the operation would be decided, but it was a crapshoot if anyone was going to show up or not. But the pay for this job was good, and anyone that wanted to line their pockets with cash or felt like smacking around some cultists would turn up in front of the MicroMart.