>>3897255
Let’s see...now where do you have to go to get to it again…? “Pretty sure it was in this direction…” you mutter as you check your FutureSight- sooo handy! It looks like a smartphone; makes sense, you guess. Ah, yeah. “Yup, this way! It’s a few blocks away; we might be able to cut through this street, though...”

It’s about two minutes of walking down the small, desolate street, really more of an alleyway, before you hear...something. You’re careful to not hitch, or flinch; but you’ve long developed a sense for when something or someone’s got their eye on you. Izumi sighs, scratching her hand on her hip in a very specific manner; you might not have teamed with her very often before, but even you can recognize it’s her sword drawing stance. She doesn’t have her usual on her, but you don’t doubt she’s ready to fight if she needs to. You’re more of a butterfly knife girl at the moment, yourself…

When the shadows start moving ahead of you, however, coalescing into something resembling a pack of younger humanoids, with small antennae, bulbous yellow eyes and sharp teeth, you can’t help a smirk. “Cute.” You’re cuter, though. “Now why are you gettin’ all angry at lil’ old us?”

“Mindless fodder,” Izumi grumbles. “If we’re going to fight, we should make this quick.”

>Pop a few Fireworks; that’ll scatter ‘em real quick!
>You don’t wanna make a scene; keep it to magical melee!
>Meh, you got no time for this. Get back to somewhere a bit more public.
>Other

>>3897256
>You don’t wanna make a scene; keep it to magical melee!

>>3897256
>Meh, you got no time for this. Get back to somewhere a bit more public.
Lets keep for ourselves a little bit longer. who knows, this might be a test to see if we have powers or not.

>>3897256
>Meh, you got no time for this. Get back to somewhere a bit more public.
>Other : Stick around for a while off screen to see if anything funny will happen.

We forgot to brief Lorelei and Izumi on our Seither Crystals, oh well. Need to check out Gartoum too.

>>3897256
>>Pop a few Fireworks; that’ll scatter ‘em real quick!

>>3897256
>You don’t wanna make a scene; keep it to magical melee!

>>3897256
>You don’t wanna make a scene; keep it to magical melee!

>>3897256
>You don’t wanna make a scene; keep it to magical melee!

Time to shank some fucker in a dark alley

>>3897256
>>Meh, you got no time for this. Get back to somewhere a bit more public.
We are being watched.

>>3897256
>Meh, you got no time for this. Get back to somewhere a bit more public.

We punchin.

Writing.

>>3897289
Isn't it a tie?

>>3897289
I'll support the magical melee then for tiebreaker.

Ah, sorry. Thank you, though- my internet borked and I didn't see the post in time. Writing, still.

>>3897315
I wonder if we can track them anywhere if we let one "escape".

>>3897256
“Yeah, yeah,” you say as you crack your knuckles. If you work this right, it’ll be over in no time- these lil’ shadow things don’t look like they’re all that big a deal. You’re not stupid; you might not be able to sense them like Izumi, but considering her relative calmness at the situation, you doubt they’re something to be too worried about.

Although as the first one leaps at you and you shift out of the way to smash it with a large, orange fist, you have to give props for them being quick little assholes.

Izumi rushes forward after that, with her hands alight, and the second one gets two palms to the skull before dissipating. The third leaps at her, but you’re already there; a quick snatch and squeeze pulps the poor thing (well, not that poor) before it dissipates.

That leaves two more; bigger, and more defined, you think...but clearly smarter, as they seem to hesitate…

Izumi doesn’t, though, quickly moving to the leftmost one. To its credit, it manages to dodge the first strike; though perhaps by luck more than anything else, as Izumi simply pivots, a knifehand chop from the second hand bisecting it and dissipating it.

The last one clearly looks...well, not nervous, but the way it takes a step back makes you figure it’s at least got to feel fear.

>Easy enough. Smash the thing and be done with it; no use in blowing your cover day one.
>Wonder if it’s got a master...let it go and see if anything comes of it. Risky, but possibly rewarding.
>Other

(Off for the night, sorry.)

>>3897385
>Easy enough. Smash the thing and be done with it; no use in blowing your cover day one.

>>3897385
>Easy enough. Smash the thing and be done with it; no use in blowing your cover day one.

>>3897385
>Easy enough. Smash the thing and be done with it; no use in blowing your cover day one.

>>3897385
>Wonder if it’s got a master...let it go and see if anything comes of it. Risky, but possibly rewarding.

Better than having them investigate what happened to their minions and figuring out there's an unknown power moving around.

>>3897442
I mean. Why did we even fight them in the first place then instead of letting the locals deal with them?

>>3897385
>Easy enough. Smash the thing and be done with it; no use in blowing your cover day one.

>>3897453
a considerable number of votes were against fighting them. It's not like those voters just left

>>3897577
Yeah why the fuck did we fight them? The dampeners are useless now.

>>3897616
I dunno but I think this will backfire us so bad.

>>3897616
>>3897750
The dampeners will still be useful when we strike from the shadows. But we did tip our hand, and I very much don't like it.

You know, it might be possible for Miranda to pretend to be an MG of Despair, with her own shadow lord and intimidating get up. Could help with hiding our affiliation with the Organization in case the people of interest notice her.

File: blech on spaghetti.png (298 KB, 638x826)

298 KB PNG

>>3897820
Unless we tell anyone that we're affiliated with the organization, no one will know.

>>3897616
because anons are idiots(like pic related), or one rigged the votes.

>>3897820
Impossible unless we know what kind of aura we exhude. We still don't know if we are hope or despair infused energy.

>>3897941
wasn't said that we were our own kind of magic, independent from anything this universe has to offer?

>>3897944
It's because in most world's, it is treated as Mana which was the universal name for a magical energy. In armored core world we have the very pure seither raw energy that even our employees would want to tie us down. This would be the first time we encountered a unique type of energy where it is divided by two. I mean for example (I don't know if Corruptor do this type of thing)
1. If hope has fire magic then despair would have black fire
2. For water it would be any acidic or toxic water
3. For wind it would be poison
4.for earth it would be some kind of black quicksand

This is just the example but it's fun to theorize while waiting so...take it as you will.

>>3897385
>>Easy enough. Smash the thing and be done with it; no use in blowing your cover day one.

Around 8 out of 10 currently, and unless something unexpected happens...

Well, our contract is indeed to hunt them down and kill them.
However, if we get too involved in things, Izumi might not wish to carry out the job.
Now, our options are clear. Either, if we are 'lucky' enough to not get too involved, we can just do our job and be done with it. If we do get involved, then we'll just carry on, a job is a job.

Though... Unsure if this came up before, but there IS a certain other option.
Yellow king is pretty loaded, owns alot of shit...
What were our rates for taking up a new contract? 30%, plus interrest? So if he can cough up say... 100 Lotes, that oughta get em off their skin.
It's certainly an option, which may or may not come up. It all depends on what they offer, if they are willing to offer it, and, of course, us taking them up on their offer.

We'll see, won't we? Though I belive Izumi will be the factor to make or break the deal.

Question on the side, are there any artifacts or valuables that exist in this world? I can only think of hope essence, and even then I'm not entirely sure.

>>3897385
>Easy enough. Smash the thing and be done with it; no use in blowing your cover day one.

>>3897577
I wanted to sleep and thought you guys could handle it.

>>3897616
>>3897816
Just make sure there are no witnesses. All they will know is something else came into the city.

>>3897820
We can go with ambitious, new, and mysterious lord to take the heat from Izumi and Lori. Do not say anything to the targets that could poke holes into our cover.

>>3897820
We don't have our intimidating clothes though. They're back at the Intersection.

>>3897992
>However, if we get too involved in things, Izumi might not wish to carry out the job.
If she wasn't willing to do the job, she wouldn't have taken it. She may have more morals, but she's not a greenhorn; she knew what she was getting into. And pulling down a lost soul can be considered a mercy.

>Yellow king is pretty loaded, owns alot of shit...
That is technically an option. But it requires him to be aware of us, our nature as mercs, and to be willing to offer obscene amounts of cash. Remember local currency to Lotes scales; it might be cheaper for him to nuke us than try to buy us off.

>Question on the side, are there any artifacts or valuables that exist in this world?
If we have a reason to infiltrate King's property, we can take a poke around. I'm sure a kingpin like him has an exotic collection somewhere.

>>3897992
Too cheap. Breaking contracts requires for a new offer to have double the original contract's value. Add in 30% and interest would raise the price to 160 motes of value. And this is Miranda she takes contracts seriously by breaking a contract it will add a failure to her record. So Miranda has to be convinced and offered a lot of motes to break a contract willingly.

>>3897992
If 35 lotes almost bankrupted a megacorp, i doubt that okada has the cash for 100.

Also, izumi took the job and asked us to come with her because she know what has to be done. she won't try to stop us unless we get too bloodthirsty. If we want to make her feel better about it or give her a righterous rage, we can always free rei from her torment.

>>3897968
True, but our magic is independent of those and it has been proven time and time again that it wont transform itself to be like the magic in the universe we're working on.

>>3897992
>Question on the side, are there any artifacts or valuables that exist in this world? I can only think of hope essence, and even then I'm not entirely sure.
Not that i know of, but hope essenses arent that valuable. Only a very small amoubt of the population knows about them, and that drives its price down hard.

>>3897816
That's why I wanted to at least benefit from this fight.

That being said, there's an argument for cutting our losses now.

>>3898006
> And pulling down a lost soul can be considered a mercy.
The thing with that is: Despite being 'shadows' (Of their former selves?), they are not all that lost. Certainly, some bad traits are developed, but honestly, the shadow people were, to an extend, better than what they started as. Example therefor: Yellow King, as he became corrupt from within, and hollowed out, a shadow taking his place. He's honestly a pretty okay guy, even comic relief at times. While they did start out as rampaging, murdering, and basically completly fucked up girls, they, to an extend, got better, in a sense.
That is, of course, just as far as thread 8. Might change my mind later.

>>3898006
>Yellow king is pretty loaded, owns alot of shit...

That also makes him a good target for looting. Looting anyone except the contract holder is acceptable (so long as it doesn't violate the collateral damage rider).

That's straight up Lorelei's jam.

>>3898048
Except corruptor literally states that unless you are a magical girl(and even with them that's iffy, see mary-marie-mari issue), turning into a shadow consunes and destroys your soul. The original person is long gone, with only a few fragments of its personality remaining.

>>3898059
That is true, and you might have a point, if that were what I was talking about. I merely wished to raise the point that shadows, these ones, are not merely just creatures. In the case of our targets of interrest, they are very much so sentient, and try to keep collateral to a minimum. In the case of Junko even going out of her way to prevent people from becoming shadows.
In the end, keeping up the investigation will show us soon enough what we are dealing with, considering the timeskip and all.

>>3898070
>even going out of her way to prevent people from becoming shadows.
One right doesnt excuses her from what she did to rei, marie(y, i? I dont remember who was the original), the traitor, the random thugs that were bullying the living battery and whatever other bullshit she did and has done to the city.

>>3898080
It could be argued that Rei and Mari were victims of her just returning from the dead, and being out for revenge, which is by far not an excuse, merely a mention.
Thugs were beat up by Marie on her command, after... well... outright telling the corrution sponge they would do unspeakable things to her and her sisters... after having drugged her... after alot more abuse prior to this... Mind, beaten up and all limbs broken, but alive.

As for the traitor and the city? Well I haven't finished yet, as I already said, however, most was done at the very start, or was collateral,
which was already attempted to be kept at a minimum.

Though let's see how our investigations fare.

last thread isn't archived

>>3898110
Think we should add the MG revenge quest tags?

>>3898070
META.

>>3898052
>>Yellow king is pretty loaded, owns alot of shit...
I wasn't kidding about nuking us being cheaper than buying us out. Lotes are bonkers expensive, especially in a near-contemporary setting like this. He's rich, but only a local power from what we've seen. I doubt he's got that kind of cash.

>>3898115
Can't hurt.

>>3898197
Yes, Meta information, but not for the sake of action. My argument is that, depending on our investigations, things might turn out differently than anticipated.
Just a consideration, not an attempt to utilize this knowledge in character.

>>3898198

Perhaps I didn't quite get the scale of the extend of his reach. Not sure. He's quite resourceful non the less. It will be the cheaper option, but in regards to availability, that's another one.

>>3898006
>If we have a reason to infiltrate King's property, we can take a poke around. I'm sure a kingpin like him has an exotic collection somewhere.
AFAIK this is not permitted, unless we're hired specifically to steal something, the only way to take someone's stuff is to ice them and claim it as loot. It might be to avoid grievances with courier outgoers, we're taking their jobs!

>>3898304
I don't think that's right. We can't just go ham and take whatever we want from whoever we want, but as long as it's part of working towards a primary or secondary job objective, I don't see why we couldn't snag some items of interest.

>>3898304
Im betting that lorelei will do exactly that. Specially because they will give us money for killing okada.

>>3898304
We had the option of looting the Casino in the Mob world, despite it not being necessary.

We extorted a bunch of spiders on that one world too.

>>3898345
We can't kill Okada or half of the country GDP will collapse

>>3898361
The min collat rider only covers structures, it's fine.

Speaking of, new item on the shopping list: weaponry that doesn't damage structures, such as guns and grenades and WMDs and such.

>>3898361
And thats our problem because?.... regardless, the economy will be fine. amazon wont stop existing if you kill jeff bezos.

>>3898364
>WMDs
>grenades
>that don't cause mass destruction
Anon....
I can accept the grenades, because they can be frags(but they will still fuck up the room they detonate in), but Weapons of Mass Destruction? Come on, its in the fucking name.
Either way, we can set our magiblasts in a low output mode and that's it. Or we can develop more abilities that deal little collateral damage.

>>3898376
I was mostly joking on the WMDs. But if we can get ahold of bio or chem or radiation weapons, or some futuretech like nanos they would work well for minimising collateral.

Also someone archive the previous thread.

>>3898376
Neutronbombs. Kills people, leaves buildings standing.

>>3898361
Why, exactly? Will all his assets suddenly vanish into thin air? Because I sure hope so.

But seriously, someone or someones will replace him.

>>3898395
A neutron bomb its still a low yield nuke that just so happens to release the neutron burst instead of absorbing it.

>>3898390
The nanobot idea could work, specially because we have experimental combat nanites back in the HQ.

>>3898406
But you're really willing to engage in a grey goo scenario instead?

>>3898361
Probably because if someone like him dies, incompetent and greedy CEO would take over laying off thousands of workers.

>>3898406
>A neutron bomb its still a low yield nuke
Maybe airburst it then? ...probably still too much damage.

>The nanobot idea could work
They are likely to also be the most expensive. The safeties on nanos would have to be pretty sophisticated to avoid mutating into grey goo machines, especially under the influence of various magics.
Chemical and radiation weapons would be the safest, but radiation would have to be very potent to work in a useful timeframe. A dirty bomb might be useful for area denial. Bio-weapons have a limited risk of running rampant, but would likely have to be tailored to a target species.

>we have experimental combat nanites back in the HQ.
We do?

>>3898442
Are you willing to kill a whole city?

>>3898447
Depending on the kind of nuclear weapon used, an airburst could make it more effective.

>Bio-weapons have a limited risk of running rampant
Thats not exactly true; although they aren't capable of making a grey goo scenario, they can and probably will get out of control because biology loves to reproduce in random amd interesting ways. If you don't believe me, just look at the CRISPR mosquitos that supposedly were sterile. Not only they found a way to reproduce again, but they became immune to the CRISPR technique that sterilized them.

>We do?
Yes we do. It was one of the arm weapons we got from the minibot facility. We havenvt been able to do everything with it because the universe hates the intersection.

>>3898458
>We killed the whole city
>No building harmed

I say we didn't destroy any structure so that's still included in minimum collateral rider.

>>3898376
>abilities that deap little collateral damage
Maybe we could work on our Flux Wave, like adding a third wave that would overload people's brains and fry out magical items?

>>3898458
. . . .Neutron bombs don't have that large of an explosive yield.

In the 1970s the had Neutron bombs with 1kt explosive yields. That's approx. 1/15th Little Boy's explosion.

So, 50 years ago IRL they weren't city destroyers. Pretty sure make believe future magical Intersection will have something better. Pretty sure contemporary made up Magical Girl World would too.

Meanwhile shit like nano/bio weapons are way more riskier, especially with the cleanup of dangerous tech afterwards so that people don't replicate it.

>>3898491
Wouldn't kill the whole city anyways.

>>3898492
I wonder how Flux Wave affects the big dick / Cuck energy dynamic in this world. Could we like, convert despair cucks to positive chads with it? Or Mana harmonization?

>>3898458
>experimental nanobots
They aren't for combat, they are used to instantly repair bots and other tech. It was mentioned in the previous intermission - they could be used to repair our aircraft.

>>3898500
I think despair cucks and positive Chads are on the same spectrum.

>>3898502
Then we tell the bots the our target is in dire need of repair - its chock full of fleshy bits!

This is also a low profile rider. So no WMD, no nanoplagues, and no raiding mansions in broad daylight.

>>3898527
Well yeah. we don't even have access to anything like that at the moment. This was more about theoretical options for future purchases.

Writing shortly. Also squish.

>>3898527
You thought we were serious?

Because the real plan is to put bleach in the cities spaghetti supply.

THE PERFECT CRIME.

Right aftwr we finish subtly wiping out monsters of unknown affiliation or ability out for purposes unknown for no reason.

>>3898539
Man, at least Miranda didn't take Lorelei with her on that job. She would hawk about it for cycles.

>>3898551
Like she isn't gonna rag on us for starting a random fight with mooks for no reason?

Seriously. Can't take Miranda and Izumi anywhere nice.

>>3898562
Anon. we were attacked in a dark alley and defended ourselves. We're fine.

Come on guys, this is Izumi quest. Please be nice to her.

>>3898567
>Meh, you got no time for this. Get back to somewhere a bit more public.

This was an option.

We weren't attacked, and even if we were we are more than skilled enough to get away.

We saw them in an alley and went into idiot autopilot.

>>3897385
>>3897402
>>3897420
>>3897422
>>3897464
Another grab snags it in its hesitation to act before it can move away, and you squish it much like you did the others unceremoniously. “And that’s the end of that,” you casually announce.

“For now…” Izumi mutters as she scans around the area, head smoothly but quickly turning to check in the vicinity. “I can’t help but wonder if that was mere happenstance or if they were sent or what…”

You nod. “Yeah, makes sense. We might wanna circle back in case anyone’s tracking us, try to lose ‘em.”

“I can’t sense anyone at the moment,” she says. “Still, likely a good idea. We’ll circle around, double back, see what happens.”

“Right, take the lead!” you offer. She nods and does so, the two of you walking quickly and moving past your original location. You’re gonna have to make sure that no one’s trying to get up to anything oddball, so while the both of you are walking, you’re keeping an eye out, while practicing a preferred pastime of yours… “Sky is clear tonight.” Hope she gets that one…

“Well, I said so earlier. Always a chance of rain, though.” Oooh, she got it! You’d always loved thieves’ cant, and you know both you and Miranda both use it. Izumi was usually much more straightforward, so you weren’t expecting her to be quite so quick to catch on.

“Well, I’m good at staying dry,” you respond. Yeah, if there were more shadowthings around, it wouldn’t be too tough to deal with them, you figure. Before long, you’re passing a bar that you hadn’t been to yet; seems relatively nice, not a hole in the wall. Mentally, you mark it as somewhere to check out later as you pass three younger men, locals, casually hanging out on the sidewalk nearby; college-age, you figure. Not bad looking, either, to be honest.

You’re already prepping your lines when you pass them- there was no mistaking how they eyeballed the two of you; though Izumi was clearly their focus. Now, if they did as you expected…

“Hey, hey!” Bingo. “What’re two young ladies like you doin’ out alone late like this?” The both of you turn around to see the likely leader of them; at least a head taller than you and with a head of glossy, dyed hair. He’s got a roguish- or at least what he likely THINKS is roguish- smile and hands in his jacket pockets. “You know, rumor has it there’s some dangerous folk on the street these days.”

“Yeah,” his cohort on his left speaks up. This one’s got a bulky yellow hoodie, and seems a bit rounder, but not incredibly so. “Pretty scary. Have ya heard?”

Well, well, how to approach THIS? The possibilities…Izumi just frowns and sighs lightly- you get the feeling she’ll go along with whatever just to get them out of your hair, considering she doesn’t say anything immediately.

> Play with them.
> Ignore them.
> Punk them.
> Other

>>3898638
> Play with them.

>>3898638
> Ignore them.
Be pro for once Lori. And let's keep Izumi on high spirit.

>>3898638
> Play with them.

Flirt and get them to take us somewhere that we can get them drunk and ply them for information, then proceed to drink them under the table.

Magical liver powers engage!

>>3898653
Nah, let's get some minions and start establishing a network. Punks like this are great for running errands and such. They should also know who we can and can't mess with locally.

>>3898638
>> Ignore them.
Want to play with them, but we're too close to whatever happened in the alley, and I dunno how well Izumi would hold up trying to stay cool under flirting like that.

>>3898638
>> Ignore them.

>>3898638
>> Play with them.
I’m hoping “play” means “string them along, then squeeze them for info before knocking them unconscious and stripping them down for extra dosh”.

Tie. 5 more minutes for tiebreak, as usual.

>>3898638
>Play with them
Let's play hooky just for once.vMaybe someone would save us.

>>3898693
What if they turn out to be genuinely warning us and just happen to look rough because they're from a bad part ot town?

Maybe did some petty crime, but are trying to get their life on track while struggling with alcohol addiction and the weight of their past?

Alrighty, we're gonna mess with them a bit.

>>3898725
Also they only did it because they have an ailing sister who is bedridden while their parents are dead because of the same disease as the Lil sis has?

Not all rough looking guys are bad guys.

>>3898785
Some are also just kinda dumb and never think of being anything more of what people expect them to be.

They might just be poor young punks.

>>3898785
I'm digging this narrative, are these the heart of gold banchou of japanese streetlore?

>>3898638
>>3898651
>>3898656
>>3898693
>>3898704
You can’t help but grin slightly- which you quickly shift to a wide-eyed, surprised ‘nervous grin’ look. “R-really? You’re joking, right? I heard this place was safe…” Old as you might get, you can’t ever NOT enjoy taking silly boys like this for a ride.

Occasionally literally, but usually not.

Regardless, he grins, shaking his head. “Nah. Dangerous sorts around here. Some killer goin’ around and pretendin’ they’re doing anything good. So long as you keep your nose clean and stay in public places, you’re fine, but it’s kinda a risk to be out once the sun goes down, y’know?”

“Then, what are you all doing out here?” Izumi asks, not unkindly.

“Welll...” he scratches his head. “Truth be told, we were gonna go see a movie, but they’re out of tickets, so we decided to just get some drinks instead. We were thinkin’ about heading in just about now, but…” Oh wow, the hair slick back. Cheesy. “It’d be great if we had some company, maybe go do some karaoke?”

“Awww, that’s sweet.” He laughs, and Izumi affects a small smile. Who knows what she’s thinking, but...yeah, you’re mostly just gonna milk these guys.

Again, not literally. Though occasionally. Izumi’s the next one to speak, however. “I guess we can spare some time…”

The three beam- although the two behind the leader seem surprised, like they didn’t expect you to agree. Confidence washing off of them in waves now, they start to crowd around the two of you- you’re surprised they’re not saying anything about your being a foreigner, but maybe they just think they’re mixed blood? Izumi is popular with the other two, while the leader seems to indeed have eyes for you. Guess his rebel-ness makes him want the exotic…

They do indeed lead you towards a karaoke bar, and as they step in, you and Izumi share a glance. Right, then, let’s see if you can’t get something good out of them…

>Roll 3d100, best of three.

Rolled 3, 58, 34 = 95 (3d100)

>>3898876

Rolled 98, 43, 51 = 192 (3d100)

>>3898876

Rolled 74, 12, 95 = 181 (3d100)

>>3898876

Rolled 14, 19, 9 = 42 (3d100)

>>3898876

>>3898878
>>3898880
Oh goddamnit not only did I accidentally roll twice the second one was way better.

That's just . . .

Meh.

>>3898880
>>3898878
Anon...

>>3898878
>>3898880

Yeeeeeah, sorry dude, but...just the first counts.

Not disastrously bad, we will get something out of them at least.

>>3898888
>>3898883
SIR I AM WELL AWARE. I accidentally closed down my browser at the same time as I posted and didn't see my post when I reopened it and refreshed.

So irked.

Rolled 60, 25, 19 = 104 (3d100)

>>3898876

>>3898893
We can also make a social link with them, they might be useful later both for a cover as well as for finding out information later.

>>3898876
>maybe go do some karaoke?”
oh japan.

Occasionally literally, but usually not.
Again, not literally. Though occasionally.
Thanks for those mental images.


>>3898895
I have definitely done the same before.

>>3898899
You're giving them waaay too much credit anon, they're just random college kids. If anything we can get some info out of their drunken arses and then ditch them.

>>3898903
It's a city full of despair energy, but they're not only acting out with their rebellious appearance but they're energetic enough to be attempting a rogueish attitude.

Also I can recognize a plot hook when it smacks me in the face.

>>3898903
Also where does the college kid thing come from? It's Japan, in a magically semi-dystopic city. Young adults dressed like that aren't going to school.

Oh no, please don't tell me this plot is from 177013.

>>3898876
>>3898878
>>3898881
>>3898882
The kids aren’t horrible once you get to know them; although they seem to have a fatalistic attitude towards life, it seems. The way they see it, if they’re going to get killed, then they’re going to go out living life as they want, apparently. You can respect that, if nothing else. They’re far from the smoothest operators you’ve ever dealt with- but that makes them perfect for plying with a few sweet words and looks. Izumi decides to play the part of the ‘cool beauty’, you figure, with how she’s quiet and a bit standoffish...although that might just be her in general. You never really took her for a flirt...although now you can’t help but wonder how she and her boyfriend are doing. Maybe you’ll ask later!

The leader is a bit too into himself, and it takes a few songs before he starts answering questions; but eventually he starts talking, while the third guy, silent before now, is clearly shy and doesn’t exactly know the basics of human interaction; the end result being him not being able to shut up about anything asked him. The second guy is trying mightily to get Izumi to notice him; considering that all his attention is on making her notice him, she doesn’t get much out of him beyond some general statements and dismissals. Ultimately, though:

You learn that things have been like this for some time now; people reporting missing individuals only to find them either murdered or not at all later. From businesspeople to random vagrants, it seems like no one is safe.

There’s been rumors that a young girl was seen before a couple of them; oddly enough, however, no one has a consistent image of them in their heads, and they’ve yet to be caught on video, meaning that it’s all heresay, technically, since there’s no known recording. Curious in itself. Not even security cameras or traffic cams? Hm.

When you compliment them on their knowledge, that's when they say something interesting. "Yeah, I mean...I guess I know a few people here and there. Me and the guys learn about a lot in the city. We're pretty tight-knit!"

VERY interesting.

>You can ask up to three questions- provided they're things the kids could reasonably know or find out.

>>3898996
> Any locations that are creepier than normal, or where they feel more uncomfortable.

Maybe they know something that the scanning people missed because they were too focused on cold data and missed spots that were just creepy. Places where things may be hiding from normal detection methods but still register as "off" to people actually going there.

> Any new businesses that seem to be doing unusually well lately or is always hiring

This place is a despair pit, success is suspicious.

> Where we can find something a little more . . . Risky, a little exciting, maybe kinda dangerous

UNDERGROUND FIGHTING ARENA! There's at least one psycho magical girl beating people up openly, there's gotta be some underground stuff going on.

Gonna leave off here, give people time to think.

Run continues tomorrow!

>>3899020
Thanks for running, boss.

>>3899020
Have a good Halloween Eve!

>>3898996
> Curious in itself. Not even security cameras or traffic cams? Hm.

Didn't the Organization say they had control of those? Maybe they could look into that on their end. Is someone covering for the Despair Beasts?

>>3899020
Happy leave the gourd out and spook some infants day.

>>3899082
It's Okada, but that's pretty meta

Is meta going to become the new meme word?

>>3899162
Some anons read the source material and made plans even though there isn't prior knowledge of the group. Hence the metagaming.

>>3899166
Sure, but making plans for when we have the relevant information isn't metagaming. Metagaming would be making the girls go straight for okada or junko, or outright capturing the mom to use her as bait; basically having miranda use OOC information, and that hasn't happened ever. The anons have been very consistent on that aspect from day one.

>>3899167
Actually yeah, that's straight up metagaming when you make plans based on knowledge the characters don't have.

>>3899160
Thanks for spoiling it, asshole.

>>3899480
Enacting the plans without the required IC knowledge is metagaming but not making said plans. Otherwise everything would be metagaming(and up to some point it is, but that's a different matter that might be important or not depending on how far up the stick is in somebody's ass).

>>3899490
Oh, so you think I still want to bother investigating if someone in the Organization is working for the other side? Because I've just been told they aren't.

>>3899496
If you aren't capable of having some suspension of disbelief, no. And that person is wrong; not only we're making all our theories based on outdated information, but Okada didn't know about the organization until junko told him, yet you believed him without asking for a source. that's on you.

>>3899512
I haven't read the source material, but apparently people here have. Your response to people spoiling it is to tell me to go spoil it for myself? What's wrong with you.

Why didn't you just say he didn't know that at the beginning either, instead of arguing that meta information somehow isn't spoiling things.

>>3899524
>Your response to people spoiling it is to tell me to go spoil it for myself?
because that's how crossovers work and if you are an adult, you are capable of not giving a fuck about the people talking about the other quests. This is the third crossover quest and this is the first time someone is bitching about metagaming. Hell, you're complaining about metagaming when the other quest died almost half a year ago; the other two were ongoing and nobody screamed "muh metagame". Some of us even go interested in the other quests because of said talks

>>3899533
>>3899524
Cmon both of you, the accusation of metagaming was tenuous at best anyway.

>>3899524
>>3899533
I mean, the spoiler function exists.

And while I do also talk about Meta knowledge, I usually keep it to a minimum, if it's sensitive content, I use spoilers.

Regardless of this, if people are willing to listen, I can safely say...
Thinks don't seem to add up entirely.
That is a good thing, due to a severe case of Timeskip, I have several questions. These questions can only be answered if we investigate.
One of these questions is what happened to Arc, or other agents. Whatever happened to those who were never found?

>>3898577
I support this anon, since having Izumi be the one to make the calls will make this mission VERY interresting. Mostly because it throws the question "What is a demon" at our favourit demon hunter.


Concluding, I think it's not bad to have meta knowledge, and share it, for as long as you don't try and base your actions off of them. Arguments, yes, you can freely discuss things as you want. But applying your knowledge to sway the votes in a certain direction, without having any backing to your decision? Not that good.

>>3899590
Well I think we should get the Organization to figure out who's controlling the cameras then, since they said they had control of all that stuff.

>>3899599
And after having been asked about it, also stated that they weren't compromised either. Seems someone didn't check their systems in a while then. Or were wrong. Only question is if deliberatly or just plain stupidity.
Nothing too suspect as of yet, but it does raise an eyebrow.

>>3899590
>Concluding, I think it's not bad to have meta knowledge, and share it,
Na man, keep that outta here. Half of this job is investigative work. If we were supposed to just go kill the fallen MG, someone in-world would have discovered enough to point us at her before we got the job.
If anons can't help themselves, at least do us the favor of keeping meta stuff in spoiler tags.

>>3899599
They should take a look, but I assume their 'control' means someone else (like the police) own the cameras and the client has piggyback access. Depending on their level of access, they might be able to access logs and the like.

>>3899656
I agree with that, spoiler tags exist for a reason.

Regardless, for wanting to crush the Organisation, Junko and Co did a pretty shit job the last 5 years.

>>3899656
> Half of this job is investigative work.
And we're speculating based on outdated information that we can't use anyways because the characters don't know about it IC I don't see any problem there.

>>3899665
You can't kill someone who doesn't want to be seen.

>>3899671
>>3899665
Speaking of which, any other suggestions for questions to ask?

>>3899760
> "Yeah, I mean...I guess I know a few people here and there. Me and the guys learn about a lot in the city. We're pretty tight-knit!"

We could ask something about our targets of interrest maybe. Perhaps the mansion, and what they know about it, from hearsay maybe. Overall, I'm not sure what else they might know, but overall, maybe just some questions about the city itself? Like... about the time before things were under this blanket of demotivational energy.

>>3899760
Not really. Anything too specific like what >>3899787 proposes wont yield many results, i mean, do you, common, random person know anything about your local rich people?

>Like... about the time before things were under this blanket of demotivational energy
This might be better, but i don't know what kind of relevant infornation we'll get from that.

>>3899913
Yeah, I'm just spitballing really. These are just some punks, they probably don't know alot, but we might get lucky. Just need a good way to ask.
We could ask questions about Yuu, since she's a MMA fighter, they might know something.
Or weird rumors, honestly. My idea was asking about the mansion, since that in Revenge Quest there was always rumors about it.

>>3899945
>We could ask questions about Yuu, since she's a MMA fighter, they might know something.
Hmm, i think we'll have more luck with that question. Yuu is a rebel and so are these dude. Some of them might fancy her.

>My idea was asking about the mansion, since that in Revenge Quest there was always rumors about it
We could try to make a surveillance perimeter around it, after all, that place was ground zero for a magical girl fight and okada kept quiet. At the very least that should give us more insight regarding what he's doing or hiding.

>>3898996
That guy >>3899008

So, strange things and the past? Writing.

A little note too but Junko/Mari has a gun that fires blizzard type magic. It was from a previous owner Yuuki who is a dual wielding pistols which could be combined into shotgun. If we ever face Mari/Junko they may use it as an emergency weapon/surprise weapon.

Leaning in a bit, you mentally rifle through some possible asks. You need something that he might’ve heard here or there, and not too pointed. But what would be the best thing to ask? Quick review; city is despair-filled, many people downhearted or otherwise negative in personality. Notably had a mansion that was the site of a big fight that was covered up. A lot of strange disappearances and murders since. Overall kinda gives off a real big ‘horror’ vibe, if you had to say anything about it.

Wait…! That’s it! “Sooo…” you lead in, batting your eyelashes. “Seriously, thanks so much for helping us out of the night back there. We WERE getting a lil’ scared…” not really, but whatever. “I can’t imagine there’s anywhere spookier than an empty road at night, can you?”

He scoffs a bit at that. “Nah, there’s some weird places around here. Don’t wanna go into the slums, ever.”

“Ugh, the big mansion on the north end of town, either,” the second guy, who’d just gotten back from singing (rather poorly) chimes in. “With as rich a guy as Yoshinobu Okada living there, you’d think it’d be less freaky, but there’s always rumors going around. They say someone was killed there, even.”

“I heard that there’s a basement, and a cult used to hold meetings there,” Izumi’s unwanted paramour speaks up.

“There’s an old apartment building that’s gonna be torn down soon on the west side, too,” your guy mentions. “Some really nasty things happened there a few years ago, some families died. No one wanted to take the place over, so now they’re destroying it. Some of the braver kids from class like to go and sneak inside to take pictures.”

That seems to catch Izumi’s attention. “Does anything happen to them? That seems risky!”

He just laughs it off, though. “Naw. Some of them say they hear a ghost telling them to ‘geeeettt oouuuuttt!’ he laughs, “But that’s just their imagination or they’re liars. Nothin’s ever happened to anyone; probably because they always run away!” More laughter, although yours is a bit muted as you consider the new info.

“Awww…” you pretend to sympathize. “Well, at least you guys are doing alright? You were hanging out at that bar a while ago…”

“Aw, nothin’ much,” he dismisses, but you continue.

“Well, it’s good you’re still going out! If there aren’t as many people going out, it’d be bad for a lot of businesses. They should treat us really well tonight, shouldn’t they?”

“You’re not wrong,” the second guy admits. “Doesn’t really seem like a lot of places are doing too hot. It’s enough for some, but other places are close to closing down and nothin’s coming up to replace ‘em. Kinda sucks.”

(cont.)

>>3900399
“Yeah, the old music store I used to go to is shutting down in a week,” the third guy grumbles. “I dunno where I’m gonna get classic stuff now…”

“Well, is there ANYWHERE that’s doing okay?” you ask incredulously.

“Oh, yeah,” he confirms. “But nothin’ new right now. Think people are just too afraid to try anything new right now.” Hm...nothing? Well, that makes sense.

“Well, hope things change. I could use something new! I wouldn’t mind some excitement, y’know?” you wink at him.

Fortunately, he grins. “Nah, I understand. But...too risky, y’know?”

“Well, you’re girls, so…” he trails off, and both you and Izumi look square at him, causing him to squirm momentarily. “...I mean, I heard stuff at school. Some girls got some kinda occult club thing goin’ on. Real secret, no clue where they go. A buncha girls vanish every Friday afternoon for a while, though.”

Well, that’s some info to digest…

The rest of the ‘outing’ doesn’t last for much longer than that; they seem to try to convince you both to go to a love hotel, but you’re rather quick to dismiss that possibility; instead you let them escort you to the nearest train station before they head back themselves.

“What do you think?” you ask Izumi once you both are sure you’re alone; it’s quiet tonight, and no one’s nearby.

“Very concerning,” is her immediate response. “We need to find a way to infiltrate that school they mentioned- or at least identify a schoolgirl and track her. Unauthorized and unsupervised club activities are worrisome.” Thoughtfully, she turns to you. “What do you think? Out of everything they mentioned, what stuck out to you the MOST?”

> “Gotta agree; weird private girls’ nights out? Definitely suspect.”
> “That mansion seems like a fun stake out time! I mean, not really, but...”
> “The apartment complex is soundin' simple, but suspect. Might as well take a peek.”
> Other

>>3900401
> “Gotta agree; weird private girls’ nights out? Definitely suspect.”
> “The apartment complex is soundin' simple, but suspect. Might as well take a peek.”

>>3900401
>> “Gotta agree; weird private girls’ nights out? Definitely suspect.”
We could send Miranda to the apartment, but I do think it is a bad idea.

All I got for tonight, sorry. I'm exhausted and need to turn in early.

>>3900401
>> “The apartment complex is soundin' simple, but suspect. Might as well take a peek.”

>>3900401
> “Gotta agree; weird private girls’ nights out? Definitely suspect.”
> “The apartment complex is soundin' simple, but suspect. Might as well take a peek.”

>>3900404
>>3900411
>what stuck out to you the MOST?”
implies singular.

>>3900401
>Lori should go to the apartment complex while Izumi should try to infiltrate the school. Miranda will stand by and move out in case of reinforcement.

I think that apartment complex is the one Junko first moved in on the first thread. That's in the slums.

>>3900426
The girls already said(and agreed) that splitting up is a bad idea, we should stick to that.

>>3900401
> “Gotta agree; weird private girls’ nights out? Definitely suspect.”
> “That mansion seems like a fun stake out time! I mean, not really, but...”

>>3900401

> “Gotta agree; weird private girls’ nights out? Definitely suspect.”
> “That mansion seems like a fun stake out time! I mean, not really, but...”
> “The apartment complex is soundin' simple, but suspect. Might as well take a peek.”

What a coincidence, we have three people.

Lori has the tourist angle, and has made contact with the TV mom. We can probs get her a cover identity made up to get closer to the mansion, they must have industry parties - charity events and such. Make her a rich dilettente "investor" who can hook TV mom up with a tour season doing foreign booze maybe?

Izumi can get into the school as the girls gym teacher, also makes a possible in-road to coaching women's MMA.

Randa gets to go check out the abandoned building because she is not good with subterfuge but is GREAT at capture and subdue. She can kill any targets or kidnap any witnesses if things are going down.

>>3900401
>“Gotta agree; weird private girls’ nights out? Definitely suspect.”

>>3900430
Splitting up is a great idea. Miranda and Lori can act as overwatch during Izumi tracking the schoolgirls during school hours, and with Izumi for Lori during Bar hours.

And Miranda can look into the apartment complex.

It's way easier to investigate separately so that it doesn't seem like these three people are all looking into places together, but that they're unconnected events.

>>3900430
Also, if something goes wrong they only make one person as investigating instead of all three people.

>>3900477
>>3900476
We're already got told IC that splitting is risky.
>>3895490
>“The question is, how do we go about using this information, and what’s the best lead?” Izumi considers over the phone. “I don’t know about you, but splitting us up all apiece strikes me as risky. I think it might be best to go about focusing on one or two leads…but as for the best way to go about that…”

>>3900472
>>3900476
see
>>3900417
take the hint anons.

>>3900480
That's why I said we would have the other two on overwatch.

>>3900483
>>3900480
It would take some time to get an identity for Lorelei set up also, as well as getting her in a position to be invited to the mansion.

We get Izumi into school to try and narrow down the issue with the club while that's getting set up.

And Miranda can stake out the apartment with Gartoum.

Just a thought but this is the first time I saw the thread title changed. Naturally when crossover quest like this happens like in articifier or Starborn. But here it didn't change. Probably because the premise of revenge was already done?

>>3900656
Yeah. In addition, it's not really a real crossover, since it's just MGH in charge of things.

>>3900656
Its only a crossover in a technical sense that we're invading another QM's universe.

>>3900670
>>3900757
Understandable. But yeah, I can't help but see the girls being worse on the day Junko killed Sachiko. I don't really know what kind of things they have done in 5 years but holy shit they turned into worse.

Do we encounter Arc in this city? What about Rei? Yuu's parents? Last I heard, Kanna is the only one in the group that is uncorrupted. I should say we should look for her and see if she is being influenced very badly and see if we could snap her out of it.

>>3900833
> I don't really know what kind of things they have done in 5 years but holy shit they turned into worse.
I don't think we have a clear date for when this is happening, but probably the epilogue isn't canon.

> I should say we should look for her and see if she is being influenced very badly and see if we could snap her out of it.
That was the idea, but with rei.

>>3900401
> “Gotta agree; weird private girls’ nights out? Definitely suspect.”
Everyone knows school girls don't have any afterschool extracurricular activities

>>3900960
Yes there is Anon.......do you want to join?

>>3900988
Do I have to make a contract?/人 人＼

>>3901299
well that copypaste could have gone better

Okay, think today's good. Run will resume in about an hour. Maybe less.

>>3900401
You shrug, you can’t say you can see anything other than the obvious. “Gotta agree; weird girls’ nights out? Definitely suspect. How much you wanna bet no one knows where they go?”

“Or more likely there’s some kind of alibi in place. We’ll need to figure out how to track them.” It’s hard to think about, considering that there’s already someone out there that could throw a wrench into things, not to mention seeing if they’re monitored on the way… “We should see if anything else’s been found out once we get back.”

You find yourself agreeing once again, and the ride back is silent as you both consider your options.

“Welcome back,” Miranda says as you both slip in- while there might not be any cameras in the vicinity, you don’t want to risk anything by being slow. “Debrief me?”

You do so, and Miranda frowns, closing her eyes in recollection as she takes in the information. Izumi’s first to speak after you, though. “Ultimately, I think it’s better to track the girls, see what might be happening. If they’re being manipulated by this malevolent force, we need to snap them out of it.”

“Fair enough,” Miranda says, sighing. She’s always been such a sourpuss, even if her heart’s in the right place. You’ve long gotten used to it, though- she’s one of those people that shows her love in actions better than words. “Any ideas for how to do it, though? I mean, we could do the old ‘new student’ trick, but I don’t know how well it would go off. We’d need to find a way to track them, regardless. I’m willing to bet there’s a Pied Piper effect going on here, myself.” She sighs. “Never been one for stealth, though, so all I can come up with besides that is ‘ear to the ground, pinpoint someone people know is heading off at night, tail them, hope for the best.’ If anyone else has better ideas, go for it.” She lays back on her cot, hands behind her head as she considers the situation. She’s gotta be crazy bored right now…

> “Sometimes, the obvious answer’s the best one. We’ll do a bit of skulkin’ near around campus, try to find anyone we can put a tail on. See if we can’t learn anything in advance.”
> “Nah, don’t even need the middle-man. Just follow the gaggle of girls out that day goin’ in a weird direction and there you go!”
> “Hmmm...maybe we COULD do a ‘New Student’ play...with a twist. Either of you know what a Kansas City Shuffle is?”
>Other

>>3903192
> “Hmmm...maybe we COULD do a ‘New Student’ play...with a twist. Either of you know what a Kansas City Shuffle is?”
By far our least problematic choice.
Just one of us though, we don't qant to show our full deck.

>>3903192
> “Hmmm...maybe we COULD do a ‘New Student’ play...with a twist. Either of you know what a Kansas City Shuffle is?”

Lorelei can possess people right?

>>3903192
>> “Hmmm...maybe we COULD do a ‘New Student’ play...with a twist. Either of you know what a Kansas City Shuffle is?”

Gettin' tricky with it.

Writing.

>>3903192
>>3903200
>>3903205
>>3903208
You rack your brain for a bit, considering the situation...trying to follow them outright is risky; getting caught, regardless of if there’s something there or not; and if there is, you’d suspect they’d realize someone was spying quickly. No, you need a way that makes sure you’re expected, but not considered a threat…

And that’s when it hits you. “Hmmm...maybe we COULD do a ‘New Student’ play...with a twist.” You give a grin to the both of them. “Either of you know what a Kansas City Shuffle is?”

“The con game, you mean?” Izumi asks. Wow, you kinda wasn’t expecting her to pipe up, but then again, experience… “You make someone think they’ve figured out they caught you trying a trick, but in reality the trick isn’t the trick they think it is, correct?”

“Bingo,” you announce. “Chances are, IF this has anything to do with the schoolgirls going off in secret, then whoever’s orchestrating this will think one of two things with a new kid. One, that they’re JUST a new kid and they have a new recruit. Two, that they’re worth keeping an eye on in case something funny’s going on. Point is, doesn’t matter which it is. They let us do our thing, we find them out, I pass on the info to you guys, we move forward. They try to confront whoever the frontgirl is, they just out themselves FASTER. And even if it’s got absolutely nothing to do with the situation, then it’s an in and a source of gossip.”

“Hmm…” Izumi considers it for a moment, thinking about it. “Well...I still have concerns over the risk, but I suppose it comes with the job. And being so close would allow us to protect them better, at least...so then? I guess I’ll be going undercover, so to speak?”

“Aaaaactually,” you raise a finger. “I could see any of us happening.”

Both Izumi and Miranda look at you incredulously at that- Miranda in particular. “Uhhh...I appreciate you not noticing in particular..,” she says slowly, “but I have a particularly...unique...look around these parts. I’m not sure anyone would buy me showing up in a Japanese classroom like that. Not to mention if anyone in there IS magic, then I’m gonna be kinda obvious.”

“They would if you said you were here on an immersion program. Betcha our clients could fix something up,” you respond. It wasn’t impossible, for sure. You got the sense that this Organization had some serious reach. “Besides, like I said, if anyone's suspicious? Still works! ‘Course, you don’t HAVETA. You’d stand out, sure, but I think that could work in our favor, depending on how things fly and how paranoid they are. Still, I could go in under the same excuse, or Izumi could just get some papers set up about how she’s a transfer. That’d be easiest, honestly, but they also might just ignore her ‘cause she’s so normal.” Oh, wait, was that an insult? “No offense!”

“None taken.” Phew! “At any rate…if you want to know what I think of that, well…if one of us is going, then I think it should be...”

>Izumi
>Lorelei
>Miranda

>>3903278
>Izumi
No questions, she can do this. Also this is an Izumi quest.

>>3903278
>Izumi
I want to vote for Miranda for laughs buuuut

>>3903278
>Izumi

>>3903278
>Izumi

>>3903286
>ID is cakes weapon of mass destruction
Confirm cakes are weakness for our enemies

>>3903332
Maybe the force of Despair has been luring in initiates with premium baking goods?

>>3903278
>Miranda

Pretty one-sided. Writing.

>>3903339
>Premium baking goods
>Rei is a baker
>Baker
OH NO WE MUST SAVE THE CHILDREN!!

>>3903278
>>3903284
>>3903286
>>3903300
>>3903310

“...myself,” she responds, and thought you sigh (you’d really wanted to do some foriegn schoolgirl cliches), you have to agree that she’s the most logical and least troublesome choice. She simply needed a place to ‘stay’ and an alibi; and you suspect both wouldn’t be hard to get for at least a temporary basis. “I’ll be able to blend in, as was inferred, but I think if I needed to stand out enough to gain their attention.”

“Fair enough,” you say as you lean back. “So us two are gonna keep a long range eye on ya, then?”

She nods, and you turn to Miranda, who’s already pulling up information. “Alright...so, according to this, your newest educational institution will be...Okina Kibo High School. Ha, cute. Gonna want to send in a request for that; I get the feeling it’ll take a couple days at least to get everything settled. We’ll be able to get some work done in the meantime. For now, though, we should probably hit the hay. The Bishop’s event is in two days, right? I suggest we keep low until then. Can’t think we’d want any more shadow fights...”

“Right. Best to be careful,” Izumi agrees. Blah, boring. “Will you be nearby, Lorelei?” Honestly, you hadn’t really thought on it, so all she gets out of you is a shrug and a ‘maybe’, before you all bed down. Hopefully, seeing and grilling Bishop will help with figuring out part of this mystery…

>Stick with Lorelei (will be present at the event).
>Switch to Izumi.
>Switch to Miranda.

>>3903447
>Switch to Izumi.
It's her mission after all

>>3903447
>Izumi
Izumi quest. Also in all Handler quest, Izumi has the least screentime of all three.

>>3903447
>Switch to Izumi.
How long has it been since the last Izumi POV?

>>3903447
>Switch to Izumi.
While they're laying low, they better stalk the conspiracy theory forums, shitpost on 2ch and search the dark web. Maybe we can get something out of it.

>>3903474
Let's go look for /x/ in 2ch and shit post a lot

>>3903447
>>Switch to Izumi.
Time to shine Izumi.

>>3903447
>>3903456
>>3903462
>>3903465
>>3903474
>>3903500

The sun doesn’t look right. Stepping out, that’s the first thing you notice. Everything’s got a film of grey on it, you swear. Although it’s doubtful that anyone not magically inclined can notice... as you check the location. Looking down at the address on your smartphone, you’re quick to confirm it- it’s the right mall. Now, you just need to find the location itself. Apparently it’s just ‘near the food court’ or something...

Fortunately, it’s not that hard to find; there’s signs along the way that easily guide you. That, honestly, and you can hear her from here; seems like her voice carries. “...and that’s what it’s all about! Fear! It’s fear that they want from you, and it’s fear that they have of you!” Oh? Is that her? “They’ll just try to tear you apart, shred you up just to satiate it! You can’t stand for it!”

When you reach the area; a large court area right before the food court as said you’re kind of surprised. You weren’t expecting such a turnout, but you anticipate at least a hundred individuals there, many with supportive signs and hanging onto her every word. Admittedly, she’s not talking like you expected someone to talk about these topics, although it’s not entirely unwarranted. “You need...to shred them first!” Cheers and claps go up, as you finally get a look at this woman.

The first thing you notice is that she’s got blondish hair, which is surprising in itself; then again, the name...eh, whatever. The next obvious thing is her face...or rather, what little you can see of it. Why? Because it’s largely covered in a black, butterfly shaped mask, leaving only her piercing violet eyes properly exposed to the crowd; she’s got a feverish look in them, and she paces the small stage that’s been set up, to a backdrop of pictures and posters of herself in various places, signs that say things like ‘The dragon is you, don’t be afraid!’ and ‘Power! Use it to stop your aggressors!’ It’s...it’s certainly not someone like you expected; perhaps weaker of body but strong in spirit, no. She reminds you of a hawk, or perhaps a beast; caged and roaring, waiting to get out. Even the young lady on the side of the stage seems nervous; black haired, with glasses and a nice pantsuit. It’s clear she’s there for security; that might be the Kanna Rikudo girl.

(cont.)

>>3903596
Then, as she turns, Marie makes eye contact briefly with you during her speech, and she freezes- for just a second. It’s enough to quicken your heart, send that all too familiar rush of battle running through your mind...but in the next, she’s recovered, continuing her spiel about her ‘aggressive measures’ should anyone try to kidnap you or your loved ones, how to spot them, how to deal with them ‘in a preventative manner.’ “Would a tiger simply stand by and watch as their cubs are approached dangerously? NO! They lash out with their claws and strike down anything that threatens them! And so should you!” While understandable to a degree, the nonchalance of how she explains it all- not to mention the brutality- sends a shiver down your spine, but more than that.

Her posture. Her language. Considering how she got this way is...utterly sad. But! Perhaps there’s yet room for doubt. You’ll just have to wait. Wait through all this rhetoric and hope for the best…

>Roll 2d20, best of three.

Rolled 7, 18 = 25 (2d20)

>>3903598
They know.

Rolled 19, 20 = 39 (2d20)

>>3903598

Rolled 17, 10 = 27 (2d20)

>>3903598

>>3903610
fucking flawless anon. Izumi is competent.

>>3903610
Bless you man

>>3903610
Know no fear, Paladin.

Writing. Izumi is every bit as professional as Miranda. She's just nicer about it.

>>3903647
Oh god maybe Marie would kidnap Izumi and make her a dress up doll?

>>3903655
Puh lease, Izumi is every bit as dangerous as Miranda, kidnapping her is a surefire death sentence.

>>3903598
>>3903610
Not that this is the first time you’ve come across a ranting or raving individual on the stage; far, FAR from it. But it’s still worrisome, especially when it’s someone like this who should’ve had a long, happy life without any such fears. It just...disquiets your soul that someone could be driven to this level of disdain.

Still, aside from that initial interaction, you don’t see her look back at you again; her speech, which to be frank just skirts outright calls for violence, ends after fifteen more minutes, and after a ‘thank you’ and a bow, she quickly walks off the stage, carefully watched by mall security- only to be stopped in her tracks by the girl in shades. And for a second- just a second. You can see her.

Her eyes practically flash, and as she turns around you’re honestly wondering if you might have to intervene as you can detect the tensing of her muscles, the work of her mouth as though she’s about to assault her own employee. But the girl in question simply tilts her glasses down briefly, and it’s almost like someone managed to slap some sense into the woman, who shakes her head and gives a long-suffering smile as the crowd tries to reach her to talk to her. But they’re all...too rushed, too manic.

You slip through the crowds, carefully, the jostling and quick movements hardly affecting you as you maneuver your way through the throng; she’s apparently having to go through a few small public thank-yous before she leaves; likely out of politeness. If what you saw in her eyes is any indication, she may not be the biggest fan of propriety, which is an honest shame. Still, before long, you’re at the forefront of everyone, still calm, still composed, and so when your eyes meet again, Marie looks at you askance, and the girl seems to shift in front of her in a slightly protective manner, though the quick glare she gives makes you wonder. And yet, you just smile. There’s a moment where it seems like both sides are waiting for the other to make the first move; where it’s you two focusing on each other to the exclusion of all else, background noise be damned...

>Tell her you will help her...if only emotionally. She needs it...
>Ask her why is she so angry and fierce? Is it really what she wants?
>Let her know that getting blind anger won’t fix anything.
>Other

(Done for tonight. Will run tomorrow.)

>>3903710
>Ask her why is she so angry and fierce? Is it really what she wants?
Man Junko half ass reasons is biting her back.

>>3903710
>Ask her why is she so angry and fierce? Is it really what she wants?

By thd way, what's Miranda's alibi in case people find out that she's a MG? A spook who's investigating and recruiting Despair magic users?

>>3903710
>Ask her why is she so angry and fierce? Is it really what she wants?
>>3903761
That, or a rich and bored westerner who's fascinated with the city's weirdness.

>>3903761
Or we could be a disgruntled MG who is looking for revenge. And she is now searching for allies.

>>3903710
>>Ask her why is she so angry and fierce? Is it really what she wants?
>>3903761
An MG that wants the thrill of the fight in an overrun city.

>>3903797
Not looking for revenge. We're looking for a way to retur to our original universe, because the BBEG was afraid of us and expelled us from it.
The best lies are always the ones that you don't have to lie.

>>3904649
That's practically the same. Because when we return to our "world" we would kill the BBEG who thrown us out from this world in the first place. But then again this is just an alibi so....

Okay, think I fixed my internet problem! Writing shortly!

>>3903710
>>3903725
>>3903738
>>3903780
>>3904016
You doubt she can hear you, but the way she focuses makes you believe she understands regardless, as you ask the question burning at the forefront of your mind. “Why are you so angry?” Her face widens almost imperceptibly- as you thought, she can understand your lips, regardless of lack of sound. “Is this really what you want?”

There’s a brief moment of shock...before her lips stretch into a small, toothy grin. That feeling of tension hits you again, like there’s about to be a fight, and almost by instinct your throw your sense open to gauge her threat.

And what you sense worries you. She doesn’t smell as nice as you expected. No, no, she smells like...like rotten food. Like something that’s been out in the sun too long; it might’ve once been delicious, wholesome even, but now it’s just something that’ll...that’ll hurt you.

It all happens in a second, and in that time she just nods once, smile still on her face, and prompted quickly by the girl, walks away as a number of fans start to converge on you, asking questions that you can’t make out- did they think you know her or something? It’s not long before you manage to convince them to leave you be and that you were just a random fan, at least, and you’re out of the crowd not long after her, despite the persistence of some of the remaining fans.

You jog out of the mall, frowning as you consider the situation. Great. Now what are you going to do? If nothing else, you’ve identified her scent…

Wait. You have, and...you think she’s still around. Not too far away, either; and not moving...hm.

>You need to follow her. That kind of scent isn’t good, and you won’t get intel like this easily.
>You need to contact Miranda and Lorelei. This will require planning, not rash action.
>You need to approach her; she seemed to express interest in you. Caution is necessary, though.
>Other

>>3905066
>You need to contact Miranda and Lorelei. This will require planning, not rash action.

They definitely know now. Let's not walk right into their traps. Judging by the smell, they can put up a fight.

>>3905066
>You need to approach her; she seemed to express interest in you. Caution is necessary, though.
>Call Miranda only and Lorelei on standby

Let's try to talk. And if it's goes to shit try to lose them.

>>3905066
>>You need to approach her; she seemed to express interest in you. Caution is necessary, though.

>>3905066
>You need to approach her; she seemed to express interest in you. Caution is necessary, though.

>>3905066
>>You need to contact Miranda and Lorelei. This will require planning, not rash action.

>>3905066
>You need to approach her; she seemed to express interest in you. Caution is necessary, though.
>Call Miranda only and Lorelei on standby
Fuck, if there is a time to go loud might as well be now.

>>3905066
>You need to approach her; she seemed to express interest in you. Caution is necessary, though.
>Call Miranda only and Lorelei on standby
You guys sure they won't do something to the bystanders once things get hot? Mind control them to block Izumi since she can't cut them down? I think starting shit on this site isn't wise.

Seems like we're going to see what's going on there.

Writing.

Hopefully we'll just exchange harsh words and disagreements, otherwise we have to make sure she attacks Izumi first and as much as possible Izumi should use less mana or force.

>>3905066

You doubt that she’s waiting around for no reason- it’s all but a back alley situation; with the only difference being she’s waiting in the employee section of the parking lot, not an actual back alley. She’s likely expecting you; which means that if you don’t want her to get suspicious or angry, then the best thing would be to play along for now.

But if nothing else…you quickly dial up a certain person on your phone. “Yo?” Miranda says casually.

“Hey, so...I’ll be late coming by,” you say idly. Lorelei’s penchant for hidden language might have been odd, but it certainly had its uses. “I think it’s going to take me a bit longer to do my assignment than I thought.” If what she’d told you about how to word things was correct, then hopefully Miranda would know some of it, too…

“Oh? Need me to come over?” she asks. Sounds about right.

“No, but I’ll need your help to look over things.” Egh, you’re not sure if that’s as clear as you’d hoped…

“No problem; I’ll stay by the phone just to be safe, okay? If you need help, we can make it a study group.” Huh. Maybe Miranda knows more about this than you thought. “Let me know when you’re done. Talk to you later.” With that, you both end the call. Hopefully, she’s not just going to sit by the phone- you’d hope she’ll make sure to contact Lorelei and let her know the situation.

With that, you pocket the phone, take a breath, and head back towards the employee lot.

To your surprise (or maybe not, all things considered,) there’s no limo back there; but there IS a fairly nice four door sedan. The guard girl and Marie are there, leaning on the car itself as Marie talks to her a bit, gesturing quickly, but restrainedly. Well...it’s a bit improper, but in this case, it couldn’t hurt too much to get a bit of advance information…

“...she might be worthwhile, that’s all,” Marie’s voice comes in low and eager, a far cry from what she showed on stage. “She could TELL how hungry I was, I know it! All it’s going to take is a little check and we’ll have a new sister if she’s got any potential!”

“And if not?” the guard girl says quickly.

Marie shrugs. “We’ll find a use for her. We can always use someone with that kind of spirit.” Oh dear. This just keeps sounding worse for them…

“Hush up, she’s coming,” the girl says as she motions over Marie’s shoulder; the taller girl looks back with a toothy smile as she locks eyes with you- still with that mask on. Neither of you say anything as you walk up, and soon you’re face to face with her, her guard looking on carefully.

“So...you could tell that there’s something else there, couldn’t you?” Marie says cooly, her face never losing that smile. “I wonder if we might be similar in some ways…”

(cont.)

>>3905187
“How?” you ask gently.

She chuckles at that. “Well, if you really want to know...how about you come with me?” She extends her hand. “One way or another, I promise you that you’ll find out everything you want to know. What do you think?”

Clearly some kind of trap; if not out of suspicion, then trying to induct you into whatever she was talking about earlier. You’re far less doubtful that Marie Okada- Yellow Bishop- is a player in whatever games are causing this city’s issues.

>Response?

>>3905190
>“...she might be worthwhile, that’s all,” Marie’s voice comes in low and eager, a far cry from what she showed on stage. “She could TELL how hungry I was, I know it! All it’s going to take is a little check and we’ll have a new sister if she’s got any potential!”

>“And if not?” the guard girl says quickly.

>Marie shrugs. “We’ll find a use for her. We can always use someone with that kind of spirit.” Oh dear. This just keeps sounding worse for them…

Yeaaaah, if that's not a signal to fly then I don't know what is. I'll leave the planning to you guys.

>>3905190
She'll either immediately go for a mindjack or try to talk us into her schemes, giving us the chance to infiltrate their inner circles.
I'll vote for playing along for now, provide that we somehow can ping Miranda and Lorelei without them noticing.

>>3905190
She's extending her hands right?
>Don't shake her hand and nod.
>Okay, but I want to know where we would be going (hopefully Miranda hears it via phone)
>If she refused to give a location, refuse
>If she gives a location, accept but say that "you need to make it fast." Reason that we are a new student and we're just familiarizing the area and just stumbled on their rally.

Izumi Quest goooooooooo!!

>>3905190
Play along. If anything we will be away from civilians when the fight breaks out.

>>3905190
>>3905211
I'll support this. Izumi is going to look suspicious if she just accepted the offer right away. She should play as a confused school girl looking for a purpose or something.

>>3905190
I switch from this >>3905213
To support these two >>3905211 and >>3905218

>>3905218
Right? And with this, when she goes to school, she already has "stood out" enough for them to invite her to occult club.

>>3905190
Supporting >>3905211

>>3905190
>>3905211
Support

>>3905190
this>>3905211

O-okay...

Writing!

>>3905190
>>3905211
>>3905218
>>3905224
>>3905233
>>3905237
>>3905238
“Uhh…” this kind of situation is...concerning. Always is. Not everyone reacts the same way to the same response, so you need to be prepared, ideally, and hope for the best. And for this girl...well, you need to STALL, you think. Especially considering her little ‘test’, no doubt. “I’m, uh...I would!” you nod in confirmation, though you make sure to not take her hand just yet- not retracting your hand, but not leaning towards it either; either way would send the wrong message. “I just...where are we going?”

“To a friend’s place,” she responds as she motions with her hand again. “Not far, just a bit uptown, but I hate paparazzi, so I don’t want to say where exactly just yet. Don’t worry; if you need to get home, I won’t keep you long. I’ll even have Kanna here drive you.”

“Wait, what?!” Kanna says in surprise as she looks towards her boss.

Still. That doesn’t say much… “Well, I’m just worried; I’m only going to be transferring soon, and I’m still trying to learn my way around and all…I kinda just stumbled on your rally, so...”

“All the more reason!” she says quickly; though you notice a small twitch in her hand, which is still extended, and she takes a step closer as she says it. The girl behind her starts to move a hand towards her shoulder, but seems to think better of it, hesitating.

You’d better answer quick just to be safe about it.

>Agree
>Disagree

>>3905279
Why is everyone scared of choosing of these two choices? But fuck it!

>Accept
>Other
>Don't shake hands

I don't want to be corrupted man.

>>3905279
>Agree

>>3905279
>Disagree
Don't shake hands with people who smell like a dumpster, guys, regardless of their power level.

>>3905279
>Agree
>Don't shake hands

>>3905279
>Agree
>Don't shake her smelly hand

>>3905279
>Agree
>Other
Tap out a bit to phone Miranda, if they ask say it's for our parents.

>>3905310
No parents, she's boarding alone. Remember Miranda is 16 years old physically.

Alright, I'm gonna need a roll from you all.

>Roll 1d20+-2, best of three.

(It's -2, but I'm trying to make it easier on people because of that stupid way to input. I hope this works.

Rolled 7, 8 - 2 = 13 (2d20 - 2)

>>3905326

Rolled 3 - 2 (1d20 - 2)

>>3905326

Rolled 18 - 2 (1d20 - 2)

>>3905326
Aww fuck it's d1. Rerolling.

Rolled 13 - 2 (1d20 - 2)

>>3905326

Rolled 15 - 2 (1d20 - 2)

>>3905326

>>3905336
>>3905344
>>3905345
Thank me later guys. Good thing I threw out my bad rng.

>>3905336
Imagine getting unnatural 1

16. Not bad.

Seems her willpower holds. For now.

Writing.

>>3905354
Seems we have to lend Izumi our clip after this encounter.

>>3905358
We're definitely briefing the team on the clip and the Seither crystals after this. We're holding it back for far too long, should have been done like right at the start.

>>3905365
Yeah, I think we'll need an HQ meeting after this mission. There's enough motes to buy Hangar, see the new bot, introduce Gartoum (it's been almost a year IRL), talk with Prima and Jago about magic tutor and android bodies and get all the HQ rewards that piled up.

Did we resist a possible mind breaking power?

>>3905377
We did, and thanks to that we now know that our targets have mind powers - really crucial.

>>3905358
that won't be fixed by a clip.

>>3905370
good luck with that.

>>3905380
But we didn't shake her hands since there was a vote not to shake.

>>3905380
They know we resisted, time to go loud.

>>3905279
“Alright,” you say as you duck past her, looking at the car. “We just get in here, right?” Glancing in the window’s reflection, you can see her eyes contract and her hand shakes briefly- and for a moment you see SOMETHING in the distorted reflection coalesce in her hand. You think you’d messed up for a moment, but Kanna quickly puts her hand on Marie’s shoulder and whispers into her ear; whatever she says, it calms her down enough for it to dissipate quickly.

“...yes.” she says with a slight grind to her voice- you’d just barely gotten away with that snub, seems like. You’ll have to be careful how you interact with her from here on if you don’t want her to lose it…

The ride is...tense, to say the least. Kanna is driving, and Marie is in the back next to you. From what you can tell, she seems eager, or at least impatient, judging by how her head is constantly looking everywhere. Kanna seems to have pushed up her own glasses, although you can’t see much more than that about her. “Sorry about her insistence,” the girl suddenly speaks up, startling both you and Marie. “But we think it’ll be good for you! Just trust us for now, won’t you?”

“She’s right,” Marie says, her demeanor shifting as she crosses her legs. “This’ll be great, don’t worry!” Their words don’t really reassure you, though…

There’s a small tunnel the car passes through, plunging the car into near total darkness. An involuntary shudder runs through you as only the car’s high beams provide any real illumination for a precious few seconds. You swear you heard movement and felt...something... but the tunnel ends and you can just see Marie settling back into a perfectly calm position.

You don’t know why she’s so insistent on touching you, but it can’t be good.

(Cont.)

>>3905429
However, you find yourself in what’s clearly a very upscale area, and yet it seems more sparse. The houses have proper yards, and you get the feeling these are suburbs of a sort. Eventually, you find yourself pulling into the driveway of a house; traditional Japanese, it seems. It’s got a rather high fence in the backyard, too. You’re not sure what’s going on, but you’re going to have to tread lightly.

As you park, you resolve to memorize the place, and as much of the directions as possible. There weren’t many turns, at least, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to remember…

“We’re here,” Kanna says simply as she gets out. Marie, too, and you get out on the opposite side. The three of you walk up, not to the door, but to the gate separating off the backyard. Kanna easily unlocks it, and they both gesture you inside. “After you.”

You eye them both carefully, but you step in anyway. There’s way too many alarm bells going off in your head right now, and even you can’t argue against the idea of fighting your way out of whatever situation this is…

The door is locked, and you turn back swiftly at the sound. The two of them look at you oddly...and then giggle. “Oh, don’t worry. We’re not going to hurt you. But we do have a question.” And here Marie grins. “Tell me, do you know about magic?"

> Deny your head off. "W-what? Magic? I thought that was just myth, why?"
> They're likely suspicious...you may have to play pretend a bit. "A little, I guess...but how'd you know?"
> If you want to get in good with them, maybe you can play to their hopes... "Wait, how'd you figure out I was magical? A-are you?!"
>Other

(done for the night.)

>>3905433
>They're likely suspicious...you may have to play pretend a bit. "A little, I guess...but how'd you know?"
>Other
>I mean magics like illusion or magic tricks and sleight of hands right?

>>3905433
>Other
>Definitely! I know a few tricks myself, like pulling an ace out of a random deck and making water disappear.

>>3905433
>> They're likely suspicious...you may have to play pretend a bit. "A little, I guess...but how'd you know?"