The Escapist Avatar Adventure: An Open RP (Now Re-Opened!)

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Denver
Mr. Bison Goes To Washington Arc Epilogue and Endings
Mood Music [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE7S4nLrThs]​

[hr]

Spoiler: Epilogues

Hey, thanks again for putting up with my arc for as long as you guys did.
I'm sorry about how it turned out, I just got so wrapped up in all the schemes and plots I had going on that I honestly forgot to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves.
So to wrap everything off, I've made these short endings to take care of any loose ends as to not take up more of your time.

Thanks again for all the support you've given me over the years and I am sorry again for the quality of my writing over the last 3 years.

Spoiler: Bison and the Cartel

Bison and Co: Crime and Punishment

[color=004d]"Following the destruction of Denver, it went without saying that the former presidential hopeful and his allies would be tried for their crimes. Their charges ranked amoung, but not limited to, Treason, Fraud of the Tax-Payer, Lying to Congress, Sexual Harassment and Drug Dealing. They would soon be handed off the UNIT, once an investigation of the offices Bison and his colleges had held had been completed to ensure there weren't any more nasty surprises from the fallen Dictator. Until then, they would remain in the Rising Dawn's brig, bickering with each other until their trial date.

Inuart was spared much of the legalities, following an official confession from Wesker that stated "He didn't have any idea what was going on. Hell, he didn't even know there was an election on."[/color]

Bruiser: "Bless Me Father, for I have sinned."

"Bruiser, once again brought back from the brink of death, was now a changed man (Well, Pokemon but you get the idea). Following his salvation from World Marshall, he quickly shed his past persona and began to become heavily involved in religion in a bid to find peace with himself for a life of sin and inflicting misery upon others. He even went so far as to request permission to construct a small chapel and spent most of his days silently praying in his cell, rarely making conversation with others."

Spoiler: Kazuya and G-Corp

Kazuya and G-Corp: Destructible Times

"While his objective to bring Bison and his cohorts to justice was mostly successful, just about every other aspect of the entire operation was a embarrassing failure. Withdrawing his forces from the Rising Dawn along with the "New Recruits" he had collected from Black Mesa, his company would cease trading for a few weeks for as he put it "Internal Restructuring". Not long after that announcement, rumors on social media began to spread of an explosion at the top of the Millennium Tower and a man who heavily resembled Kazuya falling from the top of the building before getting impaled on a statue of the man himself. The board of directors of the new "North Oceania Defense Corporation" or N.O.D. dismissed the rumors as quote "Total Bullshit." and added "Mr. Mishima is just on vacation. As for why he left in the middle of a company-wide overhaul-...well, have you met the guy? He's a total asshole. Hell, even if those rumors were true, which they totally aren't, would anyone even miss him?"
Before long, life would resume in Japan as usual and the legend of Kazuya Mishima would soon fade from public memory..."

"Violet was mostly spared from the restructuring and, in fact, was barely aware it even happened. Rather then go back with his employer, he spent most of his days with Jenny on the Rising Dawn, undoing the phobias and mental distress Diane had inflicted upon him. His fashion brand "Violet Girls" didn't fare too well and before long was rebooted into "Psycho Girls", a rather cringe worthy attempt to mimic Victoria's Secret that was soon riddled with scandals and lawsuits. Not that he was aware of it mind, he was too busy rebuilding his psyche to even notice."

Spoiler: Armstrong and World Marshall

Armstrong and World Marshall: Death of a Statesman

[color=006566]"Following the mess that was both his bid for presidency and his attempts to destroy the Rising Dawn, Steven Armstrong attempted to flee the country in disgrace using what little remained of his wealth to try and build a new life for himself in China. Before he could even leave the country, he was tracked down by Mustafia, a notorious middle eastern terrorist. Following a 7 hour long, protracted and frankly desperate attempt by the Senator in order to save his life, he soon ended his life at her request, quickly putting an end to any more resistance from his men and to any hopes to escape his failings. Whist few would morn his passing, many were more then happy with how things turned out. Provided he had the decency to keep his mouth shut before biting the bullet...

As for World Marshall, they were quickly dismantled and all their equipment and research seized by the government though a large amount of their Angel-based technology and research seemed to vanish into the wind before it could be processed..."[/color]

Hiryu: Back in Business

"In the confusion following the senator's demise, Hiryu managed to disable the kill switch in his skull before seemingly vanishing from the face of the earth. While this disheartened his students to no end, it was rather short lived as he was soon found disguised as a member of the Rising Dawns medical team, midway though his 5th bottle of sake and standing over the remains of the traitor Hien. He has since vowed to never again let his students be harmed and is now currently purging any who would follow Hien's example from the Striders. The pictures taken of his drunken bender however would shame him for the rest of his years..."

Adelhied: Begin again

"Adelhied, also known as FULGORE, would be retrieved from the rubble of the World Marshall detention center at Teri's request. He would then undergo rather intensive treatment at the Rising Dawn's medical bay, both to mend his troubled mind and remove the implants forcefully wielded to his body. It was said that Kazuya visited him before he withdrew from the Dawn, but apart from that, he was just another wounded soldier among the many that fought in Denver. Once he was awake, he had little memory of his past, a fact that seemed to bring him comfort more so then grief yet he had no idea why. His true origins would remain a secret, for now at least..."

 

[Texas Joker 52]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Rising Dawn | Canteen
"That's not good..."
Sloth | Envy | Selena | Luke | Tania la Fey​

[hr]

True to his reputation, Lucifer Morningstar was a cunning, crafty, and cautious individual. Even as he explained, verbally, that of course he had a job there, he was the bartender for the Rising Dawn, Envy got a very different answer, mentally. One that did little to really tell her much, despite how verbose the response was.

~[color=eca222]Though if you mean something along the lines of what I'm 'really' doing here, that's none of your concern. My primary influence with mortals in this 'great' power struggle of heaven and hell is in the realm of mortals, is it not? It shouldn't be too strange that I stick around. I have secretaries in the Black Palace, they can manage the paperwork while I'm away.[/color]~

~That doesn't really--~ she started, only to flinch backward as a harsh, metal shearing sound seemed to echo through the Canteen.

It was odd, really. The sound itself wasn't particularly loud, but it carried well, and had a certain ominous weight to it. The kind of weight that pulled at one's insides as dread truly settled in. One of her hands trembled a little as it reached down to her belt buckle. It resembled a seven-pointed star, and it looked heavily warped and was nearly ripped all the way across, top-to-bottom.

~O-oh. Sloth...?~ she asked shakily as she turned to 'look' downward at her companion.

Sloth, who had been in the sleep of the dead mere moments before, was now wide awake, his eyes alert as he forced himself to his feet, one hand on the medallion stitched to the front of his robes. Like Envy's belt buckle, it too had a seven-pointed star on it. And the metal looked ragged as it was nearly torn in half.

"Yes, I noticed it too. Woke me up." said the Embodiment of Entropy curtly.

Lifting one hand, Sloth immediately opened a hole in the world and motioned for Envy to step in first.

"You'll have to excuse us. Something important has come up." he apologized, locking his eyes with Luke's before both he and Envy stepped in.

Then the portal closed, and they were gone.

[hr]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | World Marshall, Undisclosed Location | (Un)Secured Evidence Lockup
"Oh, you make my body talk, baby, oh yes..."
B.C.​

[hr]

The moment King Nothing was reunited with his, admittedly uncomfortable but totally ballin' crown, the Space Convict took his... What, resurrection? Reformation? Re-corporeal... Ah, fuck it. She took the opportunity to get the hell out of there while he went totally ham on the horde of tentacle porn-bots. The both he and the Hot ***** were enough to really kill the good mood she had been in earlier, so she needed to step back, and get back on track.

Which meant finding her stuff, getting more guns, and causing more trouble, presumably during and after her inevitable escape. After all, they've yet to make a prison that she couldn't eventually find a way out of, and in this primitive joint, they didn't stand a chance of keeping the likes of her there. But first, she needed to find her personal effects.

As she practically skipped down the hallways, mowing down tentacle porn-bots, guards, and even fellow inmates alike in hails of uncontrolled gunfire, she checked each door she came across. Most weren't quite what she was looking for. Barracks, guard posts and security checkpoints. The checkpoints were interesting though, and she took the time there to do what she could to mess with the place. It was easy enough: Just press all the buttons. Especially big, red ones.

Still, it took her a few minutes of searching to finally find what she wanted: The Evidence Lockup. The door itself was secure and electronically locked, but that only served to keep her out for another fifteen seconds, her dancing fingers over the keypad, followed by the liberal application of a gun-butt solved that problem.

It only took her another minute to find the box her things were stored in.

"Ah, here we are. The height of prison fashion, fit for any self-conscious, interstellar criminal and anarchist!" said B.C. as she slipped into the familiar orange jump-suit.

It had her number on it, and putting it back on instantly made her feel more at-home. After all, the jumpsuits they had given her here were ugly as virtue and didn't even have a zipper that she could neglect to zip-up. Pulling out the pair of boots she had stolen from a guard at her last prison, she pulled them on and them reached in to grab her Beamer.

As an afterthought, she pulled out the sheet of hardcopy that was in the lid and looked it over to see what they had decided to label it as. She giggled when she noticed that her Beamer was listed as "Childrens Retro Blaster Toy". Really, they couldn't have been further from the truth, she thought as she hefted the red, plastic pistol.

She spun it around on one finger as she turned to leave, only to stop as she spotted the room right across from Evidence Lockup.

Armory.


After applying the same finesse on this door lock as she had on the last, she stepped in and let out a little gasp, clasping her hands between her breasts. So many beautiful slug-throwers, firearms of all shapes and sizes with multitudes of ammo and--Hold on. Were those grenade belts?

[hr]

When she finally stepped out, she was in the best mood in months. A trio of grenade belts were layered around her waist with her Beamer tucked between them, and in each hand she had a fully loaded MP7, just waiting to unleash a storm of lead on any unfortunate fool that crossed her path. She was gonna have some fun!

 

[Zepherus14]

Spoiler: The Hat-Venture: Chapter One - I am the one who knocks!

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Airship Rising Dawn | Ship Interior?
Hat-iquette #6: Never go on a hat adventure expecting to have a long boss fight in the background so you have plenty of time to do stuff. Santa will inevitably come and murder the monster and make you wonder just how much time you got to promptly complete an adventure
Ruby Babbage-Lovelace | Nina Zaczoltski | Phillip​

[hr]

'So if that's the case, then Mister Garbage Gobbler shouldn't be getting his nickers in a knot if Ruby follows along with me as long as I don't go to the brig? Wherever that is. Since she wasn't in that canteen now he must have let her off the leash for now.' Nina paused herself as she counted, considering if only for a moment if Eddie would have another meltdown, figuring if he was going to have one, he'd find something to complain about even if she was careful.

But Ruby's question for Nina was rather important, just what exactly was she counting if it wasn't doors? Perhaps some sort of grate, maybe odd pattern with the flooring? Perhaps she was counting the number of times Phillip said chicken as he read his book? It could be anything at this point given it clearing wasn't... "Oh, just the doors we passed." Nina answered back, to the probable confusion of Ruby and even this very writer. Didn't I specifically say her pinkie finger shouldn't be up yet, #4 was definitely an empty wall, no door what so ever. This fact however didn't seem to deter Nina as even now she was looking over Ruby's head at the wall that also was quite doorless, despite Nina forgoing her counting now. "Someone apparently thought it was funny to mess with the doors, but I'm looking for the #7th door on the right. So joke's on them!" Nina stated, abruptly stopping as she crossed behind Ruby. It was a quick enough movement that Ruby would probably still take another couple of steps before stopping herself

What was once air slightly off from the wall space, a door handle formed in her hand as she grasped it. Like paint being splattered across an invisible object bringing it into the world, so too did this handle seem to appear floating out of nowhere initially, but soon oozed existence onto the wall that still had no door. Ornate with a dark brass finish, Nina simply twisted the lever like any other door, and opened the door like any normal door. Albeit for poor Ruby, her perspective on this event was quite a bit different. See, as Nina twisted the lever and pulled, the wall slowly bulged like sickly skin being pushed outwards, like someone had painted over a door with latex and was now forcing the trapped door open. As bits of wall hung like strings of sinew hung limp wondering what to do with itself, the splotchy nature of how the door handle appeared started to spread further. Like paint splattering across the surface of the now hinging portion of the wall, the wall was quickly converted into the appearance of a nearly black door with a glossy finish. The dangling bits that had been present now were meshed into the door itself, giving it a subtle curling pattern across its entire surface and even made a door frame on the wall itself for the now fully formed door to rest upon.

"It's cute and all that you called me Miss, but really Nina's just fine Ruby~" Nina said, completely unaware of what of what had just gone on as she stepped through. Looking inside, Ruby would see what appeared to be a foggy filled stairway leading into an alleyway of bricks and cobblestone. Once Nina's hand was off the door however, it did start to slowly pull itself shut again, at least until Nina noticed it. "Oh, actually Phillip can you hold the door open for Ruby while I figure out where we went next? [small]Now I'm pretty sure it was right next, right?[/small]" She mumbled to herself while Phillip extended a tentacle outwards to force the door open again.

Now if Ruby was bold enough to follow, she?d be finding herself along with Nina and Phillip in a fog drenched market districted of some old style European town. What looked like oil lamps lined the streets, a cart sat on the street if you could call it that. All the colours from the buildings to the paths were washed out, even more so than one would expect from the fog. Most of all, there was a sky; they were definitely outside despite only moments before being in the inner portions of the Rising Dawn. Nina would continue walking down the sidewalk, obviously able to see the area as well as she looked at a sign for a clothing store she passed before walking further into the fog.

Or perhaps she had a sense that maybe she shouldn?t be going into random doors that eldritchly appeared out of thin? wall. Despite what Ruby may have experienced with magic through her life, what had just happened was definitely outside of what normally would constitute as magic. In fact it would probably be better to describe it more as Nina giving reality a very bad touch, making it cry, and as some hopeless ploy to try and stop Nina from doing it again made what Nina perceived to be there a reality.

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Caim and Angelus

Pvt. Joshua Thomas Jefferson

The parchment unbound gave way to words inked in gold. Handwritten, beautiful, sparkling in the harsh artificial light of the hangar bay.

To Ms. Angelus,

I am Lieutenant Dolores Selmy of the 263rd Support Squadron, though you may know me better as "that girl who faints a lot on missions." I was recently transferred to the combat unit at my request. Funny how terrible that worked out. I can't thank you enough for your kindness the other day when you found me collapsed in the training room. The doctors say that if you didn't help me that time I would have suffered severe heat stroke.

Though, this is not what this letter is about. Instead, I would like to invite you and anyone you wish to bring to a party that I am hosting tomorrow afternoon at 15:00.

I wanted to bridge the divide between the staff members and the heroes on this ship, since in recent years it has been rather difficult for the crew to have much interaction you heroes in a non-professional setting. I think this would be a good experience for everyone to see each other as people, and less as weapons. It would be a great honor to me and the 263rd if you would attend this event. There will be catering provided by none other than the 1021st, whom I am having flown down here tomorrow morning from their station on the Soul of Tomorrow.

I expect to see you there, so reply to this only if you decline to attend.

Respectfully,
Dolores N. Selmy
Rising Dawn 263rd Squadron

Private Jefferson held his hand in salute, "And that is all."

 

[Orinon]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Rising Dawn: Selena, Icarus, Danny Boy​

Icarus was within the Void, He had managed to change things he was... home. As glided through the large gate as he surprised a horde of Gate a horde of Raven took flight cawing in protest,He smiled as he flew over the keep, He landed and walked through the grand door entering the Castle. in the entrance hall he saw his sister was there along with his mother he smiled and landed the two hugged him closely "F-finally I'm home' He smiled tears welling up in his eyes. He heard someone Coming down the stairs, he turned and saw the familiar figure of his father his hood was up but He didn't care and broke free of his family embrace and ran up and grappled his father into a hug "D-Dad! I've waited so long, I did it I changed the future......"
"OH you did did you?" his father asked but something about his voice was off Icarus Looked up to see a horrifying skull that appeared to be snarling at him he tried to scream but his throat had closed up and he shuddered as he felt his body literally freeze.

Icarus awoke in his bed Someone was gently stroking his hair, he realized his head was resting on someone's Lap lap. A Lock of hair Had tumbled down and was resting on his cheek "Hmm? Mom?" he asked confused, he could hear a short laugh "No Its me ya silly" a familiar voice replied.
Icarus Blinked his vision cleared he could see Selena was looming over him. she sat up and her hair lifted off of his cheek.
"Wha, How did I get here?"
Selena sighed "You fell unconscious you weren't as fully healed as you thought, I told you to take it easy. They brought you back here So I watched over you."
Icarus blushed a bit and sat up. "Oh Umm thanks" Smiling at her Selena smiled back and leaned in a bit. "there's a bit of a celebration Party going on, We won"
Icarus sighed "that's good to know"
"What's the matter?"
"I guess I'm just upset because I wasn't much of a hero...."
"You're my hero...."

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Rising Dawn, Canteen:Cabrion​

Cabrion awoke once again he had been magically compelled to fall asleep Nythium liked to teleport him in his sleep and knock him out often, it made him feel like he was drunkenly stumbling through life, not that he didn't love getting drunk, He could really go for some whiskey right about now. He looked around and was rather confused he was in some sort of lounge on what seemed to be a blimp considering the window indicated he was up in the clouds

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Rising Dawn: Above Denver-Ruins
Back to business
​

[hr]

Rising Dawn: Navigation Bridge: Rugal Bernstein, Pvt. Marcus Lassirbeen

After the battle of Denver and the clean up afterwards, Rugal's first priority was his daughter and, while she seemed to be okay, she seemed more concerned with a few of the wounded of the battle then anything else.
Not unsurprising and seeing her care so much did fill him with a silent pride.
But once he had seen a news story in his PDA inbox about a "Winged Japanese Man Impaled on Mishima Statue" as well as the announcement of G-Corp's rebranding to NOD, it did take a bit of the wind out of his sails.
He was never really close to Kazuya over the years but the implied fate of the demonic CEO was still something that weighed heavily on him, making him ponder what he could-...no, should have done differently.
Needless to say, it was somewhat distracting...

"...Captain....Captain!"
Rugal was finally snapped out of his trace as he looked away from his PDA before turning towards the Private, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Ah, apologies. My mind was-...elsewhere. What do you need?" He then asked before being handed a letter of sorts.
Giving a nod of thanks, he then shut down the news feed before unfolding the letter and reading it.

Rising Dawn: Medical Bay: Adelheid, Teri

"...uhh-..."
Adelheid couldn't remember much from before he woke up in the medical bay, his head ringing and nearly every nerve ending on his body flaring up with intense pain.
He attempted to open his eyes, an act that was just about as enjoyable as every other aspect of his existence right now, as the blurry shapes of the Rising Dawn's medical bay began to come into focus.
He gasped slightly from a rather uncomfortable breathing tube that had been inserted into his chest
He tried to move and sit up, an action that was quickly discouraged by the fact it REALLY hurt to try those things.
A number of questions were running though his mind, why was he here? What happened to him? Why were there strange robotic parts in his chest? And so forth.
"....uh-...ngh..." he attempted to speak though damaged and numbed focal cords, soon silencing himself once he realized that wasn't going to get him anywhere either.
So in the end, he just laid there, examining his surroundings as he tried to remember anything about his situation...

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Rugal

Pvt. Marcus Lassirbeen

Marcus gave Rugal a sarcastic salute as the large man read from the parchment. The paper was smooth, thick, and warm. For a moment it almost felt like he was holding skin in his hands. The words written in golden ink, which glimmered in the lights of the bridge danced on the paper in handwritten script.

To Rugal Bernstein,

Hi honorary Captain Bernstein. You probably don't know me, but I'm Dolores Selmy, one of the Lieutenants under the Rising Dawn group. I used to manage all of the supply chain deliveries that keep the Rising Dawn well stocked. That aside, I want to extend an invitation to you for a party I am hosting at 15:00 tomorrow afternoon in the crew cabin.

I want for the heroes and the crew to get better acquainted. The devastation wrought by the last engagement has made me painfully aware of the awful divide between the staff and the heroes. There is not only a rivalry but also both an envy and an animosity. My hope with this event is to facilitate relationships between our two parties. Hopefully we can come to see each other as more than just weapons.

There will be fine food and good entertainment.

RSVP, regrets only.

Regards,
Dolores N. Selmy
Rising Dawn 263rd Support Squadron

Marcus clicked his boots together after he saw Rugal finish reading. He held his hand out, "And shall I give your regrets to the Lieutenant?"

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Rising Dawn: Above Denver-Ruins
​

[hr]

Rising Dawn: Navigation Bridge: Rugal Bernstein, Pvt. Marcus Lassirbeen

"A party?...Hm..."
Rugal's reaction was a little mixed, not that he hated the idea mind, just he currently wasn't in a very festive mood.
Still, it was on tomorrow so his mood might have lifted by the time it was on and it would just be rude to refuse a hand written invitation, something that he would know something about from the years he played host to the KOF finals.
"Do pass them on, Private. And inform her should she require assistance in catering or just setting things up to merely ask. She desires to better relations between the two factions and it seems like the least I could do." He then answered before neatly folding the letter back up and handing it back.
He thought about the letter's sender, trying to recall where he had heard that name before (as well as proving her point about the divide between the "Heroes" and staff when he had such a hard time remembering).
"She was the daughter of the Major, wasn't she? And was wounded in the battle, correct? Apologies if I seem a bit shatter-brained. I've had a lot on my mind this day..."

Rising Dawn: Living Quarters: King Leoric

"Ahhh...Truly fit for a king..." The Undead Monarch stated as he examined his new "Residence".
With the battle for the kingdom of "Denver Colorado" won, he began to seek out a new land to reign over and the strange flying metal fortress this "Rising Dawn" seemed to be as good as any.
He didn't have any nerve endings anymore, what with being a skeleton and all, but it did little to stop his enjoyment of the kind-sized bed he laid on.
It was already better then his cell in World Marshall's prison and whilst he didn't understand all the "Technology" they used, he still could picture himself being rather happy here.
Besides, he still owed B.C. both treasure and his protection in exchange for his crown and he would not be seen dead (undead?) going back on his word.
For now? It was time to rest and recuperate as well as get used to this new world around him, as well as clean himself.
He had been imprisoned for several weeks and had little else to wear but his battle armor, had he still had sweat glands, he'd smell like a cattle shed.
So clad in what he thought was Regal Attire [https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1v8tzLVXXXXXfXpXXq6xXFXXXK/-font-b-Pink-b-font-font-b-Silk-b-font-Kimono-font-b-Robes-b.jpg] and a pair of Strange soft shoes [http://www.cmgestore.com/eng6/Elements/d8987.jpg], he began to seek out the bath-house on this fortress.
He had heard good things from the servants and High Heavens knows, his old bones needed to be returned to their former glory.

 

[Generic NPC 22]

Spoiler: Neo-Paradigm Story

Escapist Avatar Adventures | Candor | The Dungeon | Librarian's Quarters

Antoinette de la Trou | Benedict Warrington | Katya Rostikova | Gissella Vonn Stradteit "il" Callaxiakio | Maria the Librarian​

[hr]

Antoinette de la Trou had largely remained silent since their arrival on Candor choosing to observe the events that transpired around her rather than influence them directly. Like her mentor, she considered the enslavement of the demi-human population rather barbaric but unlike him, she was not about to intervene on their behalf and be slain in the process. Equally offensive was the daily invasion of these "heroes" into the home territory of Maria and her followers for sport.

"What else can I find in there?" The demented young woman called Katya muttered as she continued to rest her head on Gisella's lap, largely ignoring the food that had been presented before her. Removing an apple from the table, Antoinette sliced the fruit and placed it on a platter with some cheese before handing it to the Katya's involuntary caretaker before sitting herself at the table that had been laid out by the golems, her eyes feasting on the spread that was laid before her for she'd never seen a meal so opulent.

Taking small plate of various fruits, nuts and a sliver of sandwich, the Silent Student continued to listen as the Librarian Maria spoke on at length on the topic of these "heroes" and her ability to destroy them utterly. Maria's skill and the plight of those who resided in this "dungeon" was not all that different from the Members of the Blasphemer's Brigade back in her world, who had the ability to destroy members of the Host. Eyeing the Librarian as she curled her massive body around that of her mentor, the warrior known as Twit thought on the matter that was presented before them.

"It is as you surmise, priest. While death is not so foreign here, there are those that live in our world that we deem "heroes." And they alone possess an innate talent, a blessed spirit that returns even after they have died. They are truly remarkable. The more they kill, the stronger they become, and the stronger they become, the more they can kill." Maria said to the former priest.

The older of the group's two women, paid that comment particular interest. If this was true of some humans in this world, was it true of Katya, Benedict and Twit as well? Could they become stronger without fear of death? If Maria's skill was so powerful, why did she not halt these invasions altogether by launching one of her own? Could this skill be taught to others? Antoinette sipped from the small and fragile looking teacup as she thought. Placing down her cup, Antoinette opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by the arrival of their second guide, Jiyam.

"I return from my duties, Lady Maria." Jiyam stated as she landed gracefully, her aura bringing a welcome amount of light into the darkness.

"Mmm... ah yes. Jiyamuanna, if you could I would like you to go fetch my sister. I believe she will be needed to send this troupe home."

"Milady Maria, if I might have a word with you before you send us away. If I read my Master correctly, he and I are sympathetic to you and your's. In the world that we come from, we too are hunted down by those who would consider us monstrous and evil. In return for your assistance and your hospitality, if you ever have need of our service in ridding these so called 'heroes' from your home, I humbly request that you allow he and myself to assist." Antoinette stated with a bow, "Without your former pupil, we may have been left in the void for eternity and we owe you our lives and we would like any opportunity to repay you in kind."

"White knight much?" The Rising Dawn's Resident Drama Queen muttered as she sat up, looking at Gisella with slightly flushed cheeks"But yeah, ditto on that. If we could grind out a bunch of levels, we could totez trash Hero town and make it so that I can come back and visit Jizzy whenever I want. She mah home girl, yo!"

"The more she speaks, the more I wonder if she's speaking English..." Benedict mused before returning his attention to Maria, "My pupil is correct. Should you ever need our assistance, you need not do anything but ask. I assume that since you are able to send us back, you'll be able to contact us?"

Spoiler: The Hat-Venture: Chapter One - Hoping it's not a Portal to Fire and Brim-Stone.

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Airship Rising Dawn | Crew Quarters
Hat-iquette #7: In certain regions of the world, children are required by law to wear hat mounted flag poles on their head
Ruby Babbage-Lovelace | Nina Zaczoltski | Phillip!!!​

[hr]

Were Ruby Babbage-Lovelace privy to the graphic nature of the description used to describe the door that had suddenly materialized from out of nowhere, she might have covered her eyes and ears and, just to be safe, her mouth. You see, sinew was, and still is in emergency situations, used in lieu of any thread. Having heard this particular fact once, and wanting to make a rather authentic looking Native American costume for Halloween, the Nine-Year Old Pink-a-mancer had experimented with muscle sinew with some rather grisly results. Needless to say the results were... somewhat messy and the house smelled of rotten venison for a few days until the last of the chunks were discovered behind the refrigerator. It was from that point on that Ruby's Mothers, Deborah and Titania, had outlawed the use of animal parts in the sewing of clothing.

Seeing as how Ruby was already heavily invested in this particular adventure, given that the Airship was a rather massive air vehicle and that they had walked from somewhere near the nose of the ship to the aft portion of the ship, the girl did not hesitate before passing through the Otherworldly Portal into the Gods knew where... Down Town Disneyland perhaps?

Where ever it was that they were, the morsel of a mage felt uneasy for some unknown reason. Was it because she might have felt the slightest twinge of guilt for once again wandering away from the Airship or did it have to do with the location they were in? Whatever the actual reason, the girl seemed to get over it quickly as she drifted off towards a small stall filled with bolts of cloth. What else was she supposed to do since Miss Nina was busy looking for another door?

 

[Texas Joker 52]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | The Rising Dawn | Canteen
"A nice cold beer is just the thing to top off a prison break."
B.C. | Mio | Luke | Others​

[hr]

One she had picked up her effects, among a few other things in the World Marshall Facility, it hadn't taken her long to find her way back to the group she left. After all, it seemed like a decent idea to stick around with them for the time being, if only to get the lay of the land, maybe even mooch off of them for a little bit. Not only that, but Teri seemed like a nice enough sort, even if she reeked of virtue and goodness, and Mio seemed fun, if a little too interested in her tits.

The Space Convict was also quickly getting used to just how weird these people were, especially after catching a glimpse of a dragon on their way to what she presumed to be their home, base, hideout... Whatever they decided to call it.

As it turned out, it was a ship, which was a little bit of a surprise. From what little she encountered in the prison, the tech level of this dimension or timeline or whatever seemed kind of primitive compared to what she was used to. But the group she fell in with seemed to have a perfectly functional ship. Interesting. Perhaps she could "commandeer" it later on.

When the others went their separate ways, B.C. continued to stick with Mio, and the two of them made their way to something that she immediately recognized the moment they stepped inside.

"A bar! Mio, you sure know how to treat a girl right." she told her companion with a playful wink as she bounded over to the counter.

"Bartender! I'll take a pint of the cheapest beer you got on tap, and start up a tab for me, would ya?" she asked, giving Luke a suggestive grin before looking back over her shoulder at Mio, "And what'll you have, Mio? We can have it put on my new tab."

Shimmying onto one of the bar stools, she leaned back against the bar and looked around the canteen. It was predictably sterile given that this struck her as a very military ship, but even then it had a sort of charm that even Confederate Military Clubs she was familiar with sorely lacked.

"Not a bad little place, all-in-all. Granted, I'd prefer a seedy little dive on a backwater pirate station, but this'll do for now. You get much business?" B.C. asked, glancing back at Luke with her ever-present smirk.

 

[Neuromancer]

Past Tense | The Rising Yawn | Anjali's Cabin
[color=5B9C64]Eddie the Dead[/color] - Bikini Snake Girl​

"...People seem much more accepting towards my ... condition, as well. I thought I was a freak, but it seems there are mostly freaks here." she chuckled, and he chuckled along. The Yawn sure seemed to be brimming with... unique personalities. Most of them contemptabe, and people that Eddie wouldn't wanna share the same universal cluster with, but that was besides the point. He wasn't there to talk about undesirables, but her. She looked interesting. Her plight was sympathetic. And most importantly she didn't make him wanna facepalm every time she opened her mouth.

"But I'm still not used to it. I eat ... raw meat. This is weird. But I felt like I had to."

Nothing too serious. If it'd had been living flesh, though, now that would be something to worry about.

"And then ... there were these two people - I think they were faeries, but only kind of? - they only spoke in riddles, and showed me weird dreams.Something like a bond towards the Rising Dawn, but also ..."

Faeries in the Yawn? Grand. Nothing quite like having the universal equivalent of internet trolls on the ship. They would at least provide a good source of stress relief, though.


"It's not normal here to just torture little faeries, right?"

'Course it was. He did it all the time!

"Even if they can be summoned again?"

That just means you don't have to worry about spoiling the goods!

"We are the good guys, right?"

Pointless question. Morality is arbitrary.

"Not just ... I don't know. I don't really like violence."

A pacifist? Now that was a surprise. Given her clothes and equipment she looked like she came from a hunter-gatherer society, hardly the place for those with aversion to violence. He made a mental note to try and discern her place of origin and investigate it.

"But I'm sorry, I'm talking far too much."

[color=5B9C64]"You're confused. Better to let it out than keep it in."[/color]

All in all, she seemed to be handling things well. Confusion and existential angst is the least one would expect from someone who was recently returned to the world of the living. Though, he supposed that this being a ship of 'freaks' as she put it helped with that. It's easier to cope with your own unique branch of absurdity when you come into contact with others even more absurd.

"How are you doing, Eddie?" she asked, as she started getting dressed, "What is your role here, anyways?"

[color=5B9C64]"Hah!"[/color] he laughed, clearly amused by the question. [color=5B9C64]"Must I have a role to play? Can I not simply exist and do as I will?"[/color] he shrugged, grinning, [color=5B9C64]"I suppose you could say the role that I play is the role that I myself am. People may call that role arbitrator, troublemaker, peacekeeper, hero, hell, even villain! Such labels are meaningless to me. I do as I wish, whenever I wish, whatever my mood wishes!"[/color]

[color=5B9C64]"Confused, yet?"[/color] he said playfully, [color=5B9C64]"Don't be. All you need to understand is that I hold nothing sacred and act accordingly. Lemme spare you further philosophising, then, and answer your first question: How am I? Rather annoyed. My ward has no interest in staying in one place or listen to me. You've met her. 8-year-old, likes needlework. So, rather than busy myself with an exercise in futility by trying to reign her in, I'll let her do as she pleases until the time comes where I have to authoritavely step in, or she comes to me."[/color] He turned his head to his left, as though staring at the wall. [color=5B9C64]"To that end, I'm keeping her monitored."[/color]

He turned to Anjali [color=5B9C64]"That out of the way, I don't suppose you got any plans for the day? If not, wanna hang out? We could stay in the canteen, have a drink or two, laugh at the freaks, exchange stories, that kinda stuff? Or we could take a trip to Vegas. Show you a taste of how this world's like."[/color] he scratched his cheek, [color=5B9C64]"At least, that's if you feel like it. It'd be understandable if you need some time for yourself."[/color]

----​

Current Time | The Rising Frown | Canteen
[color=5B9C64]Eddie the Dead[/color]​

He slouched on the chair, drinking tequila and smoking cigars.

They were a good brand, too. Cuban-made, the very same Castro used to smoke. He had a good supply for them, part of the reward of a job he had done some time ago.

The tequila was good too, had a sharp bite to it, and left a lingering sweetness on the tongue.

All in all, not a bad way to wait. His spirits had improved, and his irritation had lessened, though was not yet completely gone.

Then a man walked in. He was tall, muscular, and had an air of confidence about him. You could even say he reminded Eddie of someone. More importantly, though, along with him walked a pretty sweet-lookin' babe, who, given the guy's body language and words, he was looking to bang.


"I swear to you babe, my real name is Steel. Joseph's the name I picked for myself."

What kinda parent named their child Steel, anyway? Eddie smoked his cigar, watching perused the man work his 'art'. To his surprise, however, the eager, young, space cadet passed his table and left a letter.

"Oh, and before I forget. My CO wanted me to give this to you, cool guy."

Eddie lifted an eyebrow, then grinned and exhaled smoke through his nostrils. This all seemed pretty amusing. So, he searched his pocket, and pulled out two large gold coins. Aztec gold, exceptionally crafted, each coin worth many times its weight in currency.

He flipped the first of the coins in the air, and whether through luck or technique it landed right in front of the now leaving duo of Steel and and babe.

[color=5B9C64]"For services rendered,"[/color] he said without turning to them, opening up the letter. As he did, he flipped the other coin, which either through luck or technique landed on top of the other one. [color=5B9C64]"And that's for letting your CO know that next time they want something from me they can come themselves."[/color] Uninterested in regards to their reaction, he smoked his cigar and started reading the letter.

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Eddie the Dead

Pvt. Steel Rose

"I'll let the sweetheart know," Private Rose said as he pocketed the coins. "And you've got some good sweets around you as well. Stay cool." Rose left the Canteen with footsteps like a beating drum.

The letter was written on black paper, cold to the touch - almost as if conveying the antagonism of the author. The ink was silver, carved rather than written as if the metallic ink were rivers in canyons of black stone. Under his fingers the paper felt harsh, like shark skin.

It read simply.

"You Who Exist Outside of Reason,

15:00. Tomorrow. The Staff Recreation Room."​

Then it was not. The paper was creamy and soft, as if he was touching skin. The words were written in golden ink by hand in beautiful flowing and flowery handwriting. There were many words on this paper he was holding, though Eddie knew it was mostly bullshit. There was a paragraph introducing the author, another stating her purpose, then a final one welcoming him to a party.

The letter was signed by a "Dolores N. Selmy," in gold letters, but beneath that Eddie could still read the thick violent engravings filled with silver ink.

"Signed,

Charles Marlow."​

Now that he looked carefully, the words weren't so much carved as they were printed. It was as if the words were pressed into the paper by a mold or a machine.

 

[bluerocker]

Collabed with dis guy

This person helped write some parts too

The Escapist Avatar Adventures
Rising Dawn: Hanger
Angelus | Caim | Pvt. Jefferson​

[hr]

The man and dragon duo mulled over the simple note, before Caim said what they were both thinking,

"This sure seems addressed to 'you', rather than the both of us. I'm getting the feeling I'm not invited."

Angelus huffed, sending a gust of warm air over the two humans below her, "As if it really matters. I could easily bring you with me, that's part of the letter. 'You and anyone you wish to bring'. It's rather simple, Caim."
The (former) prince crossed his arms, tapped a foot, and after a moment's thought, nodded along,

"Alright, alright. I guess I don't see any reason to protest. I need to polish my armor though, it's a bit bloody."

"You're always 'a bit bloody'. The only time you don't stink of it is when you rise from the bed and when you fall into it."

"You know, I don't HAVE to deal with this, I could 'forget' to give you back the mask. I could walk away and leave you here in the hangar."

"Would you really?"
"......"
Caim 'said' nothing as he reached into the armory and presented the dragon with her mask and a simple red dress, his gaze to the floor as he 'said' over their link, "Maybe if I was a bit angrier. I'm going to go clean up. You're welcome to join me, if you'd like", and power-walked out of the Hangar, leaving Angelus with the private. One transformation sequence later, and Angelus gave the private a curt nod of her head, she said "You needn't deliver any ill tidings to Ms. Selmey; thank you. Though - I might recommend preparing enough food for two hungry hatchlings, just in case they see fit to join as well."

Following this, she made her way out of the Hangar and into the halls of the Dawn. Caim's offer was quite tempting, but it had been quite some time since she had stretched her human legs - how much had her territory changed since she last walked in it like a mortal?

[hr]

Rising Dawn: Canteen
B.C. | Cabrion | [color=5B9C64]Eddie the Dead[/color] | [color=eca222]Lucas "Luke" Cypress[/color] | Mio |​

[hr]

When Envy and Sloth deigned it fit to take their leave and that incessant ringing had finally stopped, Luke let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. With the Vices leaving him well enough alone, as well as the apparent demise of the monster outside, things could start getting back to normal - as normal as the Dawn could get anyway. His end of his bargain with Bernstein was done, those captured by the World Marshall were rescued. While he could not reap the benefits that entailed from such a victory (at least, not at the present moment), Luke was happy to return to a much more "mundane" state of his current stomping grounds - at least until a trio of new faces appeared.

Two were a pair of young women, one whom appeared to be an albino pirate woman - probably an offworlder; the other wore an orange jumpsuit reminiscent of a prisoner's garb, the front unzipped to reveal a garish ensemble (if it even could be called that) of a bikini top in eye offending colors that clashed with the jumpsuit, a set of grenades on her waist, a wavy high-tied ponytail and heavy boots; which made it's bearer look like she walked out of a bad 80s action movie. All that was missing was a beefy man with an AK to appear and start shooting the bar up. Luke resisted the urge to douse his eyes in the spirits behind him as his sense of fashion cried out in pain, and instead made a note of the third entering the Canteen....Which only added to the "unusual" factor when it came cluster of characters presently in his bar - the third approaching had an "interesting" sense of fashion as well, seeing fit to mix a cowboy hat with a pompadour. The only real redeeming feature was the jacket, and even then - with the rest of the dark colors it was mixed with, it gave more of an "Emo Greaser" look with a hat on top rather than anything really innocuous. But, customers were customers, and one of them started talking to him - oh, it was the aberrant whirlwind of colors, great.

She asked for the cheapest beer on tap (which in Luke's opinion, was probably water with yellow food coloring in it), identified the pirate woman as "Mio", and began to chat him up; the cowboy/greaser standing back and looking a little dazed, as if he pulled a Rip-Van-Winkle and stumbled out of faerie land,

"Not a bad little place, all-in-all. Granted, I'd prefer a seedy little dive on a backwater pirate station, but this'll do for now. You get much business?"

Luke turned his attention back to the girl in front of him, getting the glass of beer ready before gently sliding it over and answering in a polite tone, [color=eca222]"I do and I don't. It really depends upon the time of day and whether the crew here are busy. We just got back from a doozy of a mission, so I suspect it'll be filling up soon. How about you and your friend here? I don't remember seeing your faces around."[/color]

In the meantime, Luke flicked one of his fingers towards the boy in black, an Imp following a non-verbal order to waddle over to the newcomer and take an order. In this case, the beleaguered imp in question gestured one of its tiny arms towards one of the many tables the canteen had to offer; and after waiting another moment, it made a drinking motion and pointed towards the bar; awaiting some kind of response from it's new patron.

[hr]

Rising Dawn: Med Bay
Adelheid | [color=0E59E4]Teri[/color]​

[hr]

Teri, despite having endured the gauntlet that was the World Marshall Prison, found herself bouncing back to her normal duties with a renewed vigor. While the staff on call had done the best they could to manage the Med Bay while she was away, healing magic conserved supplies and shortened surgery times; alongside with her Aura acting as equal parts painkiller and wound management, the soldier mortality rate dropped significantly. Garm had taken up his usual vigil at the entrance of the Med Bay, but Teri had noted that on occasion he gave someone entering or leaving a harder look than was typical; but he was otherwise harmless. However, barring somewhat overprotective wolves; the Cleric found herself back at the side of one Adelheid Bernstein, questions whirling in her mind. He was practically comatose when she and Garm had recovered him from the ruins of Denver, but how would he act when he woke up? Would he remember his previous mission as FULGORE and attempt to capture her again? Would he recognize the name "Bernstein"? How did Armstrong manage to enslave him?

Before she could think any further, the young man began to stir, his attention first brought to the variety of medical implements in his body, followed by his eyes flitting around to every little detail around him. Now was as good a time as any - stepping up to the bed, Teri gave him a little wave and chided gently, [color=0E59E]"Hey now, take it easy! You got really hurt down there, so moving around too much isn't gonna do you much good."[/color] She pulled out her tablet and opened a new document on it's word processing app before she continued, [color=0E59E4]"My name is Teri, I'm a doctor on the Rising Dawn, and right now you're in it's Med Bay. You've been out for a little while, so I'm going to ask a couple quick questions and take some notes to gauge your condition. Nod your head for yes, and shake it for no. That sound okay?"[/color]

Adelheid remained silent, no doubt on account of the damage to his vocal cords, before slowly nodding and swallowing. In an attempt to make her patient more comfortable, the Cleric held up a cup with a straw and offered, [color=0E59E4]"Thirsty? You do have an IV in that'll give you the fluids you need, but here you go. And...I know this might be a little overwhelming, but bear with me for a little longer."[/color]

She waited for him to drink faintly before he nodded again, and she continued her line of query, [color=0E59E4]"Do you remember your name?"[/color]
He nodded faintly, and she began to type notes on her tablet, [color=0E59E4]"Do you remember how you got hurt?"[/color]
The younger Bernstein paused at that question, seeming to think it over before exhaling and shaking his head, his expression appearing somewhere between frustrated and confused. Teri add an additional note before she continued,
[color=0E59E4]"That's okay, we found you in some rubble in Denver. A number of things could have done you in. To be honest, you're pretty lucky to be alive. Do you remember anything about these?"[/color] She pointed at the implants that were currently riddling Adelheid's body. [color=0E59E4]"There's a lot of them; and if you know anything about why you have any of them, that prevents me from accidentally unplugging something like a custom pacemaker."[/color]

Teri wanted to be joking when she said that, but even with Dimitri and Viscus putting their heads together to help her, the removal of the varying bits of metal and circuitry from Adelheid's body was proving difficult. A heavy inclination for healing magic always helped when one was a medical professional, but in Adelheid's case, some of the implants were so deftly mixed with his biological systems that only the most superficial of the metal (mainly, the outer chassis that acted as a sort of "armor" around his body) was able to be removed without a degree of caution, everything else being a mixture of educated guessing and lengthy discussions with the two AIs about the form and functions of everything. Without a proper blueprint, each surgery and removal had to be calculated with the utmost of care; and that wasn't even considering the amount of physical therapy Adelheid was probably going to need after all was said and done. To add another layer of difficulty to all of this - Teri's patient could only shake his head; not that the residential Cleric wasn't expecting that - it was likely he was modified without his consent if he didn't remember anything pleasant about what lead up to his current state of being. However, she was given an idea.

After a moment of saving her current notes on her Tablet, she opened up an old function that hadn't been used for quite some time, and offered the Tablet, [color=0E59E4]"You know, this has a text to speech function. If you have any questions for me, you're welcome to use it until your vocal cords heal. Though - if I need to leave here, I'll be needing it back; but until then, I'll answer your questions to the best of my ability. How about it?"[/color]

 

[BlackHarte]

Spoiler: Rugal

Pvt. Marcus Lassibeen

Marcus was visibly agitated. "Yes, the Lieutenant is the daughter of Major Selmy. Yes, the Lieutenant is still wounded. Captain." He pushed the letter back to Rugal. "And that's for you to keep." Who returns a letter? He folded his arms and prepared to leave, but stopped at the door.

"I'd also just like for you to know, Captain." Marcus said, "I don't like you, and I don't like you people. I adore Dolores more than anyone else on this ship - and I know all of us in the 263rd feel the same. She was hurt very badly in the fight below, and for reasons that I could not accept as anything more than just arbitrary."

Marcus shook his head, "I don't understand why we came here. I don't understand how this was our problem. This middle-of-nowhere city for some obscure politician. Then in the end, it wasn't even us who resolved the problem. Was it worth all those lives? Was it worth losing Jones and Gideon, Patricia and Mary, Crew and Voltaire?" He opened and closed his hands as if he was grasping something. "To protect and serve the weak, to free the enslaved, and to safeguard the lives of each and every person who takes breath upon this Earth. In mankind's darkest hour, we will serve as their shield against the night - so that we may all gaze upon the Rising of the Dawn. From the first night to the last, we will stand until the Rising of the Dawn."

There was a pause. And he continued in the same rhythm, "So let us stand tallest of them all. We of the 263rd. Though we are few in number, we will fight that much harder for each of us that can no longer serve. For we are the burning blood."

"And yet, what did our sacrifice do?" Then he left the room swiftly.

Spoiler: Angelus and Caim

Pvt. Joshua Thomas Jefferson

"Understood," Joshua said as the lady and the knight left. Then he dusted himself off and headed away. Anywhere away from this wind-burned hangar array. Though in the distance he could see the familiar outline of Cloudtop Citadel. With the shape of the ship, it was no trouble discerning why the Chairman had recalled the vessel, but at the same time this was the first time in his life he had ever heard of the airship landing for repairs.

In fact, he couldn't really remember when the last time the ship was actually hurt - or what one of those repair stations looked like.

Whatever the case had the be, he didn't really think to hard about it once he got back to his station at the cargo bay. He dialed up his number and increased the food request form sent to the 1021st by two "hatchlings," hoping that the foodstuffs division would understand what that meant. He knew he didn't.

 

[NotYetForsaken]

[hr]

Homelands

maria's story​

[hr]

"So I must ask you, do you truly wish to be set free?"​

Maria coiled her body tight and then set herself atop of it as if she was sitting. Her expression was gentle and her ears were tapered on her head. She set her hands above her chest, resting gently on her heart. "That is most kind of you," her voice dripped with honey, "but that is not necessary." She motioned with her hand out toward the darkness of the library, "There is not one of us who live here who do not expect to die one day, but not one of us will die upon the swords of heroes. Though they seek to do us violence, the laws of this world forbids them to truly kill us and us to them. It is an ancient covenant that binds us all together - a conflict by a contract signed to magic itself."

She spun around and set down her cup, "Here is the secret," she said, "heroes must come from a world that is not ours. And so Eden protects us and them while we play. Those heroes could be born here, or they could travel here as you have, but they are not from here. The very nature of their souls are different." Her body quivered, jaws snapping, "So when I killed them, I was simply realizing that they had become part of our world - soul and all." Maria's eyes glowed brightly with the light of invisible embers, "the very nature of magic had begun to change - and the nature of our reality and the next is shifting. Where this develops, I cannot know."

The blue glow of Jiyam's butterflies returned to the darkness in the distance. "Ah, here Jiyam returns. It would be now to voice your last concerns before you leave. Or perhaps, your concerns if you wish to stay."

 

[Zepherus14]

Spoiler: The Hat-Venture: Chapter One - A crowded ghost town marked

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | ??The Airship Rising Dawn?? | ??Crew Quarters??
Hat-iquette #8: In areas of frequent blankets of fog, citizens are often recommended to equip their helmets with goggles
Ruby Babbage-Lovelace | Nina Zaczoltski | Phillip!!!​

[hr]

'Grand opening sale!'
'Excellent Prices!'
'We tailor whatever wears you require!'
​

Quite a number of signs littered the front entrance of the clothing shop Ruby stopped at, giving way to a much larger shop than she'd initially saw from the alleyway she'd first started from. Behind the stall, the store extended further into the building having many different prints, fabrics and colors on display within. Additionally, quite a few different mirrors, scissors, sewing kits, clasps and quite a few other pieces of clothing making equipment Ruby would be able to identify at but a glance.

With Ruby's level of fabric expertise she'd undoubtedly noticing the above average quality of the materials on display here. Sure most of the initial bolts of cloth were pretty average, probably to offset any would be robbers from trying to make off with high value product but a couple in the front and many further in were something one would need to pay a very pretty penny to acquire. Speaking of robbers, where was the owner of this fine establishment? If Ruby wasn't the cute adorable little munchkin that doubled as a possible cheek to pinch, she could quite easily provide a five finger discount for herself, and no one would know. Well, she would know, and Nina seemed a bit too distracted at the moment with her own issues to notice, and Phillip, might not care? Despite the fog filling the area, it was still bright out; surely people would be doing business at this time of day?

It wasn't even just this cloth shop too, the next shop selling different accents to clothes like buttons and fasteners. The next store front looked to be something of a jewellery establishment, but while she stood at the clothing shop the fog made it difficult to determine exactly what it was. There wasn't any indication of a struggle or crisis; articles of clothing thrown to the ground, glass shattered, none of that. It was like everyone had just up and left. Depending on how engorged in her eyeing of potential new threads, she might not have noticed Nina had stepped deeper into the fog to the point they would have lost sight with each other, but even if she had it wouldn't take long before she returned.

"Hey Ruby! I think it's over this way!" Nina's voice broke the foreboding silence, at a distance from Ruby that she'd be partly obscured by the fog. The cloud would thicken for a moment before Nina stepped forward, beckoning Ruby to walk further down the street. "Did you find something you wanted to buy from him?" Nina asked as she'd seen Ruby looking at the cloth prior.

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | Rising Dawn: Above Denver-Ruins
​

[hr]

Rising Dawn: Navigation Bridge: Rugal Bernstein, Pvt. Marcus Lassirbeen

"..."
There was little Rugal could say to justify the last few weeks of action, they had suffered much and while he would have pointed to the capture of a rather dangerous man as their prize, he knew better then to try and argue that case to someone who had lost friends in this battle.
Once the Private had left the room, the "Captain" let out a large sigh before massaging his head in his hands and sitting silently on the bridge, on a chair he had no right to sit on and on a ship he had spent years trying to bring down.
"..."
Finally spurring himself out of his brooding, he then began to make his way around the halls of the ship, searching for something to take his mind off the mess that had been the last arc the last few battles they had raged.
I sure hope whoever they do end up electing as president has some ounce of common sense about them...

Rising Dawn: Medical Bay: Adelheid, Teri

"....uh-...." Adelheid managed to get out before slowly moving a finger towards the tablet, wincing and gasping from pain as his arm muscles/cybernetics were moved.
Relaxing once he had gotten his hand into position before slowly moving his index finger from one letter to the next.
He strained to do so but he managed to type out a simple question which the tablet then played back:

"W-H-Y_Y-O-U_H-E-L-P?"

Once he was done, he looked glad to let his arm drop before exhaling heavily, the act of typing that out really taking a lot out of his already depleted strength.

 

[Generic NPC 22]

Spoiler: Neo-Paradigm Story

Escapist Avatar Adventures | Candor | The Dungeon | Librarian's Quarters
Going Home...
Katya Rostikova | Antoinette de la Trou | Benedict Warrington | Gissella Vonn Stradteit "il" Callaxiakio | Maria the Librarian​

[hr]

"Ah, here Jiyam returns. It would be now to voice your last concerns before you leave. Or perhaps, your concerns if you wish to stay."

Well that was as loaded a question if Katya Rostikova had ever heard one. Standing in the middle of a library, located in the middle of a 'dungeon', located in some magic rich world, that had the cutest demi-humans in existence, the Rising Dawn's Resident Drama Queen felt herself torn by a vague sense of duty and her overwhelming sense of geekiness. On the one hand, the last time Katya had seen some members of the Rising Dawn, they were all imprisoned in the World Marshall's holding cells waiting to be lobotomized, vivisectioned and euthanized (in no specific order). This was probably a better fate than the involuntary travelers would have suffered were it not for Lucieon's well timed but statistically improbable intervention. On the other hand there was Jizzy's boobs. Back on the first hand, there was the fact that the World Marshall was kidnapping other dimensional beings in order to further their goals of world domination ... or something of that sort... and they would probably eventually find this world and its magically inclined inhabitants. Back to the other hand there was Jizzy's fine ass rack. Back on that annoying first hand, there was the fact that there were probably one or two members of the Rising Dawn that would post a few comments regarding the fact that Katya mysteriously teleported out of the detention center and left the rest of the crew to rot which would have resulted in a series of memes regarding Katya can her apparent cowardice.

"[small]Fucking David West...[/small]" The Mad Milenial muttered to herself, making the regrettable decision to head back home to not only face the music but to shove her boot in faces of a few of the Rising Dawn's male members, and probably their members as well. Anyone named David, (D)Ic(k)arus or the Harem Hentai Haven known as Ryan would have been wise to avoid the angry little internet troll since they were depriving her of some much needed Rest and Relaxation and possible lactations, "I do have a question... if I wanted to come back here after handling some business at home... would it be possible? I should probably say my goodbyes to my parents and sister and caretaker..."

Not that Isolated Otaku really ever saw her parents or her sister but it would be nice to say bye to them if Katya ever decided to come back to Candor and settle down to a life of Player Killing. I mean if these Gold Farmers were constantly invading, it would be okay for Katya to Farm the Farmers wouldn't it? Thinking about the future expressions on her future victims brought a smile to Katya's face.

"Regretably neither my apprentice nor I will be staying either for reasons similar to our young and excitable traveling compatriot. While I belive that I might find the peace that I crave in this land, I have information that I need to relay to my commanders," The Former Priest said in a manner that made Katya want to cough 'brown noser' rather loudly. The Former Priest paused for a moment, scratching the back of his head, "Of course, returning home may prove to be a troublesome venture..."

"And dangerous..."

"Yes, dangerous as well. It is likely that the diety we call the Father will sense our arrival and upon doing so, send a flood of his influence through the gate that leads back here. If he were to do so... it would bring calamity to an untold number of souls..." Benedict trailed off painfully. Looking at her new friends, Katya understood where he was going. If he returned home, it would have to be in a manner that could be hidden from the prying eyes of a god and if that wasn't possible, it would have to be through a route that would minimize loss of life.

"So come back with me..." The Young and Not-So-Well Mannered Machine-Girl said with a smirk, eyeing Twit with a rather telling grin, "I mean, my dimensions not as awesome as this one but we've got villains galore that you can beat the shit out of while we figure out how to get you back..."

The Former Priest seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding in acceptance of Katya's offer.

"Very well. We will travel with you until such a time as we can return home." Benedict said before looking towards Maria. The decisions were made. They would travel back to Katya's world, though all three of them hoped to return some day.

Spoiler: The Hat-Venture: Chapter One - Tipping of caps are always greatly appreciated

The Escapist Avatar Adventures | An Open Air Market (In Hell!)
Hat-iquette #9: Safety is our number one priority. All visitors to this work-site are required to wear hardhats.
Ruby Babbage-Lovelace | Nina Zaczoltski | Phillip!!!​

[hr]

Standing in the open air market, Ruby Babbage-Lovelace tried to ignore the cold wet sensation that had started to wrap itself around her body as the fog started soaking into the little nine-year old's dress, like a cold embrace of death. Not that Ruby had any sort of tendency to be overly dramatic but the atmosphere didn't do much to disuade that line of thinking. While a shopkeep might have thought that the young little girl was interesting in procuring some of his wares, were he there, he would have been wrong. The stall's inventory was stocked with naught but mundane bolts of cloth made of cotton, wool and an occasional bolt of silk, all relatively normal to one such as the Miniature Magician. It was more the patterns and prints that the Pink Clad Princess was interested in. Throughout human history, various cultures used different patterns to identify themselves. Some used these patterns to identify their family, others used it to identify their tribe and still others used it to identify their region or origin. To be fair, without someone there to explain what the varying patterns meant, any sort of study on the matter was impossible but it did not stop the knowledge hungry child from trying.

"Hey Ruby! I think it's over this way!"

Pulling her attention away from the abandoned bolts, the Mini-Magnus felt a twinge of panic when she realized that Miss Nina had disappeared from sight. Exiting the stall, the lost child looked about frantically, hoping to catch sight of Miss Nina's golden hair through the gauzy foggy haze that hung in front of her. Instead, the child caught a glimpse of a dark object on the horizon, small, black and rectangular. Strangely, the haze did little to obstruct the child's view of the object and she could make it out as if it was right in front of her, which was a plausible notion given that the lack of reference points made the object appear either very close or very far.

Taking a step towards the mysterious rectangle, Ruby was greeted by the familiar silhouette of Miss Nina.

"Did you find something you wanted to buy from him?" The woman asked in a tone usually reserved for babies and scared kids who had gotten lost. The question was answered by a furious shake of Ruby's head.

"No, Miss Nina. I was trying to see if I could figure out where we were based on the print and patterns on the cloth in that stall..." She explained before making an admission, "But... I guess I need to study a little bit harder since I don't know where we are... ... ... where are we?"

Looking around her, Ruby had a strange suspicion that they weren't even on the same planet as the Rising Dawn but that could have been explained as the over active imagination of a nine-year old child. Then again, the fact that a market that should have been crowded was unusually empty, except for the overwhelming silence that floated in the air, did lend to The Ribboned Runecrafter's suspicions. Turning her attention back to the object, it appeared to be either floating a little above Ruby's head or far off in the distance, the fog cloaked sun giving it a slight sheen.

"Is that where we're going?" Ruby asked, pointing to what looked like a black portal before asking another question, "And if so... why? It's sorta scary looking..."

The fact that something was a little scary looking was something that most people should have been very scared of, considering the number of other worldly entities that Ruby's parents had introduced her to. Of course, all of this would have been very unnerving to Ruby were it not for the calm presence of her guide, Miss Nina. Intent on getting this little venture out of the way, Ruby held out her hand, waiting for Miss Nina to grab onto it, determined not to get separated from her temporary guardian again.

 

[Orinon]

[hr]

Rising Dawn: Canteen
B.C. | Cabrion | [color=5B9C64]Eddie the Dead[/color] | [color=eca222]Lucas "Luke" Cypress[/color] | Mio |​

[hr]

A small but pudgy looking Imp Approached Cabrion, he took a seat at a small table near the corner.
"Hmm I didn't know there were Imps in this realm if that's the case then I wont need these"
He stated and stowed away his hat and shades revealing his horns and golden eyes.
"I'll take a whiskey on the rocks, By the way is it okay if I smoke in here?"
He asked taking out a thick black cigar. Before the imp could answer The Tiefling created a small flame on the tip of his thumb "Great" he answered no one and lit the black tube a distinct crackling sound was heard as he inhaled from the cigar, it's end lighting up. He exhaled a thick cloud of black smoke which was not the most pleasant scent, unless you were used to burnt herbs. Cabrion looked around, Waiting for his drink This place felt unusual, He took out one of his pewter wizards, setting it on the table. "Hmm Say Thelonious, Any idea why I was brought here?"
"If I had to guess, I suspect there is a powerful magical confluence in this location, Nythium needs more information on magic from other worlds after all."
Cabrion Shrugged and made a few more puffs of smoke, thinking.

 

[Silence]

The Rising Dawn

[hr]

Cabin
Night
Anjali | Eddie​

Eddie the Dead confused Anjali with the first words that came out of his mouth, but these words at least sounded very impressive, and philosophical. So Anjali listened to him with interest, as he explained to her his existence and his role, or rather his lack of a specific role. Her mind tried to put these things in place, but was failing to solve a paradox.

As Eddie explained that he was looking out for an 8-year-old by mostly letting her do what she wanted, Anjali nodded. While it had not been fit for a girl to be left alone in the village-society she came from, she had always hated the tasks that were put before her, like making dinner and cleaning. And she never had the chance to fully grow out of this rebellious and idealistic phase. Therefore, leaving someone to do what they wanted was what she would want to do as well.

Finally, Eddie asked her out. [color=5B9C64]"That out of the way, I don't suppose you got any plans for the day? If not, wanna hang out? We could stay in the canteen, have a drink or two, laugh at the freaks, exchange stories, that kinda stuff? Or we could take a trip to Vegas. Show you a taste of how this world's like."[/color] he scratched his cheek, [color=5B9C64]"At least, that's if you feel like it. It'd be understandable if you need some time for yourself."[/color]

It only took a second for Anjali to answer: "Yesss. I mean, I had enough time for mysself, thank you. I don't have any planss, so I would like to 'hang out' or ssomething. And of coursse I would like to sssee more of thiss world. Vegass, you say? I wonder what that iss.
Let me jusst put on my clothess ..." It dawned on her that she had stood in front of Eddie half-naked the whole time, and she made a motion to cover herself with her arms before stopping herself. There was no point in doing it anymore, after all this time talking. "Yesss, let me jusst put on these clothesss, then we can do whatever."

Therefore Eddie would leave Anjali in her room until she was dressed, and wait for her in the canteen.

[hr]

Morning
Anjali | Pvt. Ilana Emmerson​

It knocked. Anjali had just put the top of her uniform over her head. "Hmm?" she made, trying to get it to fit correctly. It knocked again. "Ms. Khatri, I have a message for you." someone said, while Anjali buttoned up the shirt, and knocked again.

"Jusssst a moment!" Anjali called back, sounding more harshly than she had intended to sound. She struggled a bit with this many buttons, and of course the pants, as she usually just had worn a dress ... and this had been hundreds of years ago. But she had to admit, this uniform, after being fixed by Ruby, was quite comfortable.

Finally, after setting all clothes in order, and putting her hair up, hoping she did not look too creepy this way, she opened the door to her cabin.
"Sssssorry, what iss it?" she assked, as her red-glowing eyes fell on the soldier-woman standing in front of her room.

[hr]

Canteen
Mio | B.C. | Luke | Canteen Interior​

Mio had taken her sweet time to change back into her admiral's coat after finding the evidence locker room. Prison uniforms really did not fit a captain. Of course she kept the sword she had found, even though she also took back the cutlass and all other weapons. You usually could not have too many things at once.

Finally looking and feeling like her normal pirate-self again, and also getting used to the way her new companion B.C. was dressing herself, Mio went into the metal ship that was waiting for them with her, and it did not take long until she had found the canteen by smell alone.

"A bar! Mio, you sure know how to treat a girl right." B.C. said as she made her way to the counter, Mio following. "Of course I know." Mio stated. "You will not find anyone more chivalrous than me on this world or the next."

B.C. in the meantime already ordered cheap beer, before looking back over her shoulder at Mio, "And what'll you have, Mio? We can have it put on my new tab."
"I will have a kill-devil. Or demon-water. Or rum. However you call it here." Mio said without hesitation, not even really looking at the bartender. She was a bit more interested in the crew as she sat down on another bar stool, wondering who could be useful in a pirate crew.

And how to make as many friends as possible.

[hr]

Diana | Canteen Interior​

Diana had fought again, but, as the giant boss appeared, had taken her leave of absence. Until the fight was over, at least. Now she was just sitting inside the canteen again, in a slutty outfit, drowning her sorrows in annoying imps by bringing her different drinks she did not even finish. "Bring me your favourite drink." she said to one of the imps. "I wonder if you have your own mind, or are just some kind of dirty servant." Her abuse of imps limited itself to the verbal components, however.

There had been something she had wanted to do, but right now she could not even remember what it was. For now, she just got wasted. Sometimes she hated looking into other people's minds. Sometimes they could only think about dumb things like drinking, and she could not get rid of these thoughts until she did what they were thinking about. It was time to do nothing until she got an idea how to scare another person for life. Hopefully she could find someone with arachnophobia, that was always fun.