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8 yrs ago
Current Malfunctioning Space Toilet (favorite death post in RPG) : roleplayerguild.com/posts/4…
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10 yrs ago
Example of a "Character Flaw": roleplayerguild.com/posts/32..
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Cecily, Caesar, & Keystone


Location: Valentino's Italian Restaurant (Diamond District) -> Road to the Nuthouse -> Justice Asylum



Cecily's suggestion that Keystone possibly choke out the particular twat that was on the television, coupled with Caesar's sudden desire to make use of both himself and the company vehicle under his care, made the big man suddenly take this situation with serious, back-on-the-frigging-clock attention. He held his hand out to Cecily while nodding his head in the direction of Caesar, now quickly exiting the building. "C'mon then, poppet." he spoke in urgent but understanding notes. "Ride with me. Loads safer than the Boss's three-wheeled brain 'emorrhage machine, yeah?" As he spoke, he began gathering up the cloth serviette lining the small basket of bread at the table. He snatched up the ramekin of herb butter next to it, tied it all up like a little hobo bundle, and pushed it at Cecily. "Oi, take this an' make for the door, k? Little somethin' for the ride out..."

Meanwhile, Caesar was already pushing the door open and headed out to his trike. He had his serious face on, not that it could be readily distinguished from his normal face.

"Don't call me poppet," Cecily blurted, frowning at the Englishman, as she put her phone away in her pocket. It had taken her much longer to get over her fear of Caesar, but she hardly felt that Keystone could be much more terrifying than him. After all, Caesar was his boss for a reason. Aside from Keystone's capacity to crush her like a bug, the man didn't seem all too threatening. "We're going to have to be much better friends for that," she joked.

Keystone had second of surprise at the young lady's sudden irritation at his informal way of addressing her. "My 'pologies, Lil Miss. Didn't mean nothin' by it." Of course, her next line sounded just a little too much like a come-on for his comfort, at least that early into their acquaintanceship. All the same, he kept quiet about his suspicions. They had work to do.

She stood up from the table, making sure not to stress her shoulder too much, and took the bag of goodies from Keystone. If it wasn't for the fact that her shoulder was injured and healing, she would've hopped back on the trike with Caesar--but she figured it likely wasn't the most shoulder friendly choice she had available at that moment. Caesar had already left, and Cecily glanced down at her phone. No message back from Roy yet--odd.

"Alright, let's get on with it then," Cecily said, armed with the food and headed for the door. She wasn't a car type of person, so she had no clue what to expect from Keystone. She only knew that her own car--a now painfully neglected impala--was an impala because Dean drove one in Supernatural. The broad man was leading Cecily back the way they she came in, exactly. Caesar's Harley was half out of sight, blocked partially by a black Dodge Ramcharger, the same one Caesar intentionally parked next to when they first arrived. Keystone remotely unlocked the vehicle as they walked up, instructing Cecily to "Climb on up, Miss. Put on some musics if you like, yeah?"

Climbing into the Dodge Ramcharger was an especially good turn of phrase for Cecily. It was nearly three feet off of the ground, accounting for just about half of her own height. But out of everything that had happened that day, she figured getting into the vehicle should hardly be the hardest task--hopefully. "You don't need to call me miss," Cecily said, tilting her head slightly. "Cecily's fine--or Ashworth, even," she added, as she climbed into the vehicle.

Caesar barely registered the two of them approaching. He didn't even look in their direction as he gave orders to Keystone. "You protect her. Keep her safe. She's seen that bitch that Juno uses as an assassin, up close. I think it's who killed M'hija, but I've got to know for sure. Cecily's a witness, and good people. You protect her."

Keystone nodded and gave a monosyllabic grunt of affirmation. Bodyguard work was bread and butter for him, and for just one evening? No problem. Of course, he did have his own concerns. "Ey there, Boss? I dunno where the arse we're goin'. Soddin' 'ell, I barely remember which side of the street you Yanks use 'alf the bloody time. You want I should MapQuest it, then?" That last part had a bit more sarcasm than he had intended initially.

"Just try to keep up."

"Yeah, Boss." Keystone climbed into the vehicle. "I think our friend's 'bout to do something foolish."

As Keystone climbed into the vehicle, Cecily checked her phone again. There was still no text from Roy, and if she wasn't already worried with her cousin and Proserpine appearing to be on a collision course, the lack of response from the detective was problematic in itself. Roy was always rather quick about replying, and she had to admit, she felt a bit proud about the Batman analogy she had used in the text.

"We're headed to Justice Asylum," Cecily said to Keystone, glancing over at him. She figured it'd be information useful for the Englishman, just in case something happened to Caesar or herself even on the way there. "Yeah, Asylum. Thanks." he said absently, already placing the odds on having to break out the GPS. Caesar didn't give them a lot of time to buckle up and an adjust their seats, either. As soon as his helmet was on, the trike growled to life and he took off. It was a moderate clip at first, until he got out of the parking lot. Then he pushed the boundaries of the local speed limits. "Bloody 'ell..." mused Keystone, maneuvering the stocky vehicle through generally light traffic, chasing down a highly motivated Mexican on a Harley-Davidson reverse trike.

Keystone had little desire to take his hands off the wheel for very long, seeing as he wasn't a stunt driver but seemed to be following one, but the tiny growl in his stomach threatened to get bigger if he didn't do something about it. Keeping his eyes on the road, he leaned a little closer to his traveling companion, requesting, "Miss Cecily.... Bread me." He left his mouth agape for easier baked good insertion, though his eyes never left the road. "Get that good butter on it, yeah?"

Cecily wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to figure Keystone out, but at least he had acquiesced to addressing her slightly less formally, by using her first name. That was a start, at least. She never especially liked being called by nicknames or more formal titles, an attitude that her grandmother said reminded her of her aunt. Those closest to her were generally permitted to use other names--such as how Riley called her CeCe and her college roommate, Will, called her Celery.

"...Right. Breading you," Cecily replied, untying the "hobo sack" of bread and pulling out a piece. She smeared some butter on it as best as she could, trying not to laugh or make a quizzical expression as she put the piece of bread in Keystone's mouth.

"Thanks, love." said Keystone through mouthful of purloined restaurant bread. "Aw, yeah, that's the good st.. BLOODY HELL!" The verbalization of his contentment was abruptly cut short as Caesar made a sudden and unsignaled change in direction. The larger vehicle was already in the intersection, and Keystone was forced to execute a near hairpin turn to keep behind the elder Mexican, who seemed equally as hellbent to get Keystone and Cecily killed as this mystery woman they were after. Tires squealed, rubber was most definitely left on blacktop, but the beast he now drove was built with stability and safety in mind; they didn't even fishtail. "Oh, you cheeky fucktwat..." mumbled the huge Londoner, before snapping his head around to see if Cecily heard him. "I'd be 'preciative if you didn't mention that to the Boss, yeah?" Oh hey! Bread me!"

Cecily nearly dropped the hobo sack of bread, narrowly managing to grab it and keep it shut as Keystone underwent a near death defying U-turn. The scientist in her mused about the forces and changes in acceleration, but her more practical side was busy with keeping upright, one hand clutching onto the car door to keep herself upright. Although she certainly felt that turn, she couldn't help but note how smoothly the car continued to go. She couldn't help but wonder if it had been purchased with those sort of maneuvers in mind.

"That you called him a 'cheeky fucktwat'?" Cecily asked, before getting another piece of bread with some butter on it ready. "Wouldn't dream of it," she replied, before handing over the piece of bread, placing it in Keystone's mouth.

Ten minutes or so left to go until they made it to the Asylum. From the trike and the larger security vehicle behind, both men wondered if they were going to make before their quarry left. Cecily felt mostly pessimistic about their chances. She doubted that Proserpine would need more than a few minutes to cause whatever chaos she needed, but at the same time, Cecily had a good feeling about their efforts, despite the odds.

Caesar's desire to get to the asylum in a prompt manner bore fruit in just under those ten minutes, giving Keystone a series of near-misses. He made a decision to park in the lot across the street, owing to the police presence and general sense of ordered chaos in front of the building. Uniform after uniform, looking very professional in their work. Caesar wondered how many of the people handling evidence were corrupt. He gave the scene a few seconds to survey the scene, which allowed enough time for Keystone to pull up alongside. "How's about ya, Boss?"

Caesar didn't respond to Keystone verbally, instead waving him out of his vehicle. He was more interested in the occupied body bag being hauled out of the building. The large man acquiesced, locking up behind him. Caesar looked to Cecily, blank of expression. "We need in that building. Sneak in, or can you get us there, Cecily?"

"I've got this," Cecily nodded, fishing her ID out of her wallet. It identified her as the coroner in Justice, just in case anyone did a double take at the tiny twenty three year old with no medical training taking over the crime scene. She couldn't help but smile slightly, despite the danger they were walking into, as she felt incredibly useful for once. Caesar and Keystone may have been skilled in combat, but she could science the shit out of things, and get access to crime scenes.

Heading over to the crime scene, Cecily didn't even need to flash her badge. The forensic tech on duty practically begged her to take over the scene, and a few minutes later, it was officially her case. "Alright. I need photographs and a video walkthrough of evidence done before you bag and tag. Measurements down to the centimeter on item location--we're doing this by the book, folks," Cecily instructed the forensics team. She gave them a bit of a look and a moment later, she returned her attention to Keystone and Caesar.

"They're with me, full access and whatnot," Cecily said, before stepping under the crime scene tape, and motioning for Keystone and Caesar to follow her. The pair of them followed; the elder Mexican doing do wordlessly, concentrating on the scene and parts beyond, and Keystone displaying his private security/inspection credentials (just in case). "Yupyup, case related, ya frigs..." he rolled out nonchalantly, following up with a whisper of "Thanks, Miss Cecily." The two looked a little out of place, surrounded by city employees and trailing the very young Coroner. Per orders, Keystone stuck close to Cecily, seeing to his role as bodyguard. Caesar, on the other hand, snapped into Investigator mode. "Have an ID yet? And can you show me where it happened?" If nothing else, it might show him where this woman could have gone, if it was indeed her who did the killing. She had a long overdue appointment with her own disemboweling.
@Lady Amalthea

And reposted. Sorry about that, will try to make sure it doesn't happen again.


Elizaveta Romanova
&


Location: Almack's




An unnatural scream blasted across the Assembly Rooms, signaling the sudden explosion of malevolent activity. This seemed too much like the stories of bean sΔ«dhe from Mary's upbringing, "banshee" by more Anglican pronunciation. When she witnessed the numbers of Soulless emerging onto the upper balcony, one detail from the Banshee myth seemed particularly accurate: Hearing its wail meant that someone was destined to die that night. From the looks of things, some several. "Angels and ministers of Grace, defend us."

"The Lord need not protect us my friend, he has given us all ve need to protect ourselves," Elizaveta commented as her wrist turned, spinning the blade in her grasp as her eyes darted across the room. Mary tightened her grip on her halberd, watching the light reflect from its spearpoint and crescent blade. "Indeed He has."

Their position was far less than ideal. Mary and any others nearby were caught out in the open, in a crowd full of people that were likely to start shoving and panicking. The Soulless had the high ground, and without any barrier but open air between them, the people below were sitting ducks. Mary needed to find someplace defensible to fortify or a means of safe egress, but that wasn't happening right at that moment. Besides, she wasn't very keen on being herded with the rest of the British aristocracy. Luckily, Mary was not defenseless. She drew upon her Audist training, adopting a ready stance with her Swiss halberd set before her. Her chain rosary swung from her left wrist, halfway up the reinforced hardwood of her polearm. Fierce eyes gleamed from underneath a tussle of fiery red hair as she set her back to the Grand Duchess Romanova, holding a defensive posture. "This is dying ground, Your Grace!" she called behind her. "We cannot stay here!" But neither could they leave, until the moment was right.

"Dat it is my friend," the grand duchess commented calmly as things took a turn for the worse. Not far from them Virginia tried to calm the crowd and for a split second it seemed like some were listening. That was until ton turned against ton. A man being run through from back to front with another's blade and nearly cutting into the Lady Crypt. Yet God seemed to be smiling on her as the sharpened steel did not meet with pale flesh. A blood bath ensued but in the midst of the fray the red seas of blood parted. Virginia and Mosi making a break for it.

"This vay, make haste before our vindov closes," Elizaveta said to her new friend as she gathered the folds of her gown in her free hand. Moving quickly and praying they path remained clear towards the Musicians Galley just a few moments longer. Mary took off after Elizaveta at dead run, taking wide steps at first to catch up to the withdrawing Royal. She then slipped in front of Elizaveta, turning her halberd to bear in front of her with the same determined discipline as her teachers, the Audist masters of the Pontifical Swiss Guard. Elizaveta was the more important person of the two of them, and in Mary's heart she was a Knight, even if this city refused to recognize it. She would make sure that Veta reached her destination. It was her duty.

Mary continued onward, rotating her weapon into a reversed grip and letting the steel endcap of her polearm lead the way, threading through the human flotsam and jetsam, keeping the path open for her new friend. Once they reached their destination, the aperture leading to the Musicians Gallery, Mary stepped to one side to allow Elizaveta unblocked entrance to the area, away from the stampede of coattailed jackets and fashionable dresses. She entered the room alongside the Grand Duchess to witness yet another Rube Goldberg of tragic events.

Elizaveta kept her eyes forward as they sped through the now murderous crowd, only finally stopping in her tracks as Mary stepped aside for her. The sight of the flautist being impaled on the music stand caused the slightest of grimaces to come to her features. The place was turning itself inside out and upside down. People panicking never turned out well, the addition of the Soulless were not helping. Yet the Soulless had not managed to make it to the main floor as of yet. Still either on different floors or outside. Yet it was only a matter of time. People tripping over each other made for a crowded door that it seemed Mosi and Virginia had only just managed to get through. Turning her head she spotted the other door and made a break for it.

"Path of least resistance," she said as she moved passed Mary and through the Musician's Galley. The route was difficult, having to side step over even step over people. Her gown getting caught up for a moment under someone's foot but Elizaveta was not halting her progress and kept moving. The sound of the seam ripping couldn't be heard but it wasn't enough damage to cause a fuss over nor enough to be noticed by the naked eye. Stepping into the hallway Elizaveta looked around. The corridor was not full yet, people running towards the front door trying to get out. Others coming into the corridor from across the way.

Veta's path of least resistance held some concern for Mary. She had given earlier consideration to the possibility of being herded along with the rest of the crowd at Almack's into a situation far worse than the one they were in at the moment. This felt more like a trap than an assault.

Her quarter second of thought was intruded upon by one of the less ethical gentry, a rabidly excited man in white-on-white with a tailed, black coat. Apparently, he believed that he could make more sporting work with Mary's halberd than herself. Fear does strange things to people. This one's fear had him attempting to mug a lady of the Church. He planted his hands upon the haft of the blessed weapon, fueled by adrenaline if not common sense, in an attempt to wrest it from her hands. Mary tried to jerk it from his grasp, but the gentleman's fervor to obtain the tool of battle was such that a simple pull would not suffice. Instead, Mary had to resort to her training.

Initiating a counterclockwise rotation of the halberd, Mary waited the heartbeat of time necessary for the man to instinctively try to move it the opposite direction. She immediately reversed her spin, using the poor bastard's force against him. It gave her purchase enough to plant a heel solidly on the floor behind his leg, and leverage him backwards. The last thing he heard before flying into the throng of people massing behind them (excepting the impaled flautist, of course) was a dangerous feminine Scottish accent hissing the words of Exodus: "Thou Shalt Not Steal." The way now a little clearer for the struggle, the armed Apostolic dashed out into the corridor, rejoining Elizaveta.
@Lady Amalthea

Hey. I didn't add a Location in the header for our collab, just noticed, and edits for collabs are a huge no-no. Totally my bust on this one, willing to suffer the consequences IC.
@Lady Amalthea

So, um... yeah. As it turns out, the vehicle I have listed for Keystone (and by extension, the MSS motor pool standard) doesn't really exist. The 2016-17 Dodge Ramcharger was a huge practical joke, set up to get old-school Ramcharger fans and security vehicle aficionados excited about the return of the line. It has vehicle specs, interior pictures, testimonials, whole nine. But it does not exist off of paper. I'm actually a little bit sad.

Now, best I can see it, I've got two options:

One, we can pretend that it does exist for the purposes of this RP, and go about our business.

Two, we can count this as me applying for a vehicle change. The nearest REAL vehicle that exists that fills that role in the year range with many of the options listed is the Range Rover Sentinel. The main difference being that it is more robust in terms of taking a bullet, though has greatly reduced cargo/passenger capability in comparison and is lower to the ground (classified as a luxury performance SUV/fast response security vehicle rather than an armored personnel/cargo vehicle like the Ramcharger). This means that I would have to flip out the motor pool, as well; Keystone is only borrowing the car from the company while he's in California.

All in all, this is an FYI. I'm good either way.


William Harper

Location: Galley -> en route to Quarters


The Alliance pilot presently known as Harper was almost fully able to suppress a wry expression at the scene unfolding before him. An offer of fruit preserves from Persephone and a request for conversation was met by a fully inebriated Dandy who ran out of the Galley, presumably to find a more suitable place to vomit, a perpetually cross Captain who (by the looks of things) was subtly threatening his life, and a particularly presumptuous Doctor who took his offer of something sweet as an invitation to feed half of the crew. Truth be told, just about every Browncoat on board had disappointed him in one way or another. The Alliance personnel weren't any better, in their own ways, but it was at least expected of them. It could be that his overall mood was coloring the events playing out before him, but he honestly expected his egress from the military to be a hair more idealistic than what was happening.

"We're in a Galley, packed to redundancy with decent food." he noted aloud, irritation notable. "Not nutrient rations, not compressed soy and yeast. Actual food. Yet my private stores get the attention." Harper shook his head and began putting the lids back onto what remained of his precious, sugary fruits. "The Captain is correct. This is a good time to call it a day. If you require my services specifically, I'll be in my quarters." Harper had dropped the pretense of military protocol verbally, yet retained his starched posture. He strode to a cabinet and procured for himself a Standardized Meal Pack, reminiscent of the old MREs of Earth-That-Was, and made for the door. He might have gone for something a bit more luxurious for his supper, but this required the least amount of preparation while still seeing to his nutritional needs. And still beat the hell out of prison food.

About halfway to the exit Harper stopped, returned to the scene of the appropriation of his foodstuffs, and snatched up the remainder of the water crackers. "Ma'am." he said flatly, "Your people have not left a great impression so far. But tomorrow's another day, right?" before returning to his path of egress. Yeah, tomorrow was another day. But tonight, Harper took some solace in the fact that he would be sleeping with a loaded firearm, if he could sleep at all.

Considering everything, maybe these people just took some getting used to. Or maybe he would take up Anisa's offer to be dropped at the next port along with whomever else didn't pass muster. He might even be able to return to the Alliance with a mostly true story of getting hijacked by Browncoats, and continue his overall plan that way. But there was a Plan C forming in the back of Harper's brain. Yes, there was always another option, if one dared to take it. The tiniest smile curled up one corner of his mouth as he walked the corridor back to his room.
I came across this German/English song today, and it totally makes me think of Thalken right now. XD


That's a coincidence! I came across my own German/English song that reminded me of Thalken right now.

@ONL

That looks to be a GM call. I'm providing a piece of the setting and overview on military protocol of the period. I don't have the authority to speculate on outcome, nor can I bunny characters without their approval or a nod from the GM.


Reginald Keystone



Location: Grand Continental Hotel -> Qasr El Nil Barracks




Reginald regarded the words of his nephew carefully. "Quite, yes..." he responded. While he was sure that Lady Kingston was a keenly intelligent and resourceful young lady, he would still feel much better were she either present, or under guard. This day was mentally taxing, in unfamiliar and exciting ways. "Perhaps I should speak with Lady Munn about her. I was given to believe that they were getting along swimmingly; perhaps she may provide greater insight on the morrow." Well, there was nothing to be done about that now. The Lord Major had other duties to attend at the moment, not the least of which was to secure the safety of all the members of his new "Fellowship". Possibly even from each other.

As he exited the Rolls-Royce, a younger man in the NCO uniform of a Corporal (no, not that one) could be seen sprinting across the courtyard, small stack of papers in hand. He threw a breathless salute to Reginald, which was returned smartly by the older man. "Yes, yes. At ease, Corporal." said Reginald, prompting an expectant look from the louder, more exuberant patrol leader Corporal in the immediate vicinity. The Lord Major turned to the group of (mostly) civilians assembling before him, cleared his throat, and addressed them openly.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, friends and otherwise, here is where the slings and arrows of military protocol tie my hands and yours. You are all to be billeted in a secure area of this fortification, you see. Whereas I extend the hospitality of the British Empire, I must follow the decree of the His Majesty's Royal Armed Forces."

The gate closed behind them, locked and barred by personnel on duty. Reginald continued after the noise of it died back down. "I shall require every one of you not commissioned by the British Military and further not assigned to this Barracks to follow our Clerk here to his office, one at a time. Take everything you intend to retain while on base with you. You shall be required to sign General Papers of Nondisclosure. You shall also have your person and your belongings searched for weapons and contraband; items that are not allowed in the secure areas of Qasr El Nil. This will be performed by the Corporal and two men of his patrol in a private room, adjacent to the Clerk's office." The Lord Major motioned to the more obnoxious Corporal, off to the left.

"Right away, Lord MAJOR!" he screamed, snapping to attention and jerking a highly motivated salute to his brow.

Reginald shoved his growing irritation at the mildly caustic man down, though with some obvious distress. While it was true that he wouldn't lose sleep after seeing the man drug from the back of an automobile through a cactus farm, he did recognize the man's spit-and-polish tendency to be thorough and enthusiastic about whatever job he was thrown into. He was a "results" guy. Damnit.

"Just go, Corporal. Quietly."

He sighed and continued his speech with the monotony of a man having done so many, many times. "Such items will be catalogued and stored in a safe place to be returned upon your departure. Items deemed illegal by the Crown shall be appropriated or destroyed, at the discretion of the Commanding Officer." He gave a moment for everyone to mentally prepare. As Reginald was fully aware, a sudden search could seem like a violation of personal space. As a military man, he had grown accustomed to it over the decades, but he understood the mild traumas of the event. "Results of the catalogue will be reported upward. Now, Miss Tarek? I'm sure you would prefer rest and privacy sooner rather than later. You may go first. Just follow the Clerk back to the main office, and report back to me after. I have secured spacious accommodation specifically for you overlooking the Nile, not far from my own billet. Madame?" he motioned to the offices.

"The Corporal is thorough, but respectful. All the same, courage. And earplugs."


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