-Missing- IC Thread: RP Cast Filled

[Aykorn]

Wade grasped onto the panel's handles, looking blankly into the hole in the wall. Deep holy krakens, he'd actually been right.

"Uh..." Wade stuttered, glancing back behind himself even though Ash had split, to look somewhere else.

He'd been tipped off about the metal paneling, after noticing that unbolted panel under the computer desk and realizing someone with a wrench might be able to pull some new, undiscovered tricks, but he hadn't really expected there to actually be anything here. At all...? Maybe it was the privacy of a bathroom, but the absurd thought of trying to pry off a wall panel seemed worth a try.

What do you know? It had been worth it.

"Uhh," Wade hesitated again, raising his voice just a little bit. "I found a thing...?"

Holy carp, he found a thing. Against some better judgement, Wade crouched down and set the panel down on the floor next to him, sticking his head in the tunnel to see if he could see anything.

Examine: Hole in the wall (bathroom too maybe?)

 

[ReedRGale]

Wade ==> Examine: Hole in the Wall

Before covering it back up, Wade figured that it would be best to give the hole one more check before leaving. It was deep and dark, however, so it was difficult to see very far without traversing it. So, Wade covered the entrance back up, hopefully avoiding alerting Periwinkle, should this be his home. Base? Safehouse?

Whatever. What now?

 

[VeryButter]

((.n.))

Mag stared at the tape, a little miffed. They said they were going to get help, weren't they?... Did I hear them wrong?

She looked back and forth between the exit and the way they had just came. What were they going to do? Mag didn't know the cops intentions... and there's probably another end to the tunnel. Maybe they could just go that way...?

"Uh... I think it might be a good idea to turn back," she glanced behind her, "and exit through the other end of the tunnel." That is, if it isn't blocked up too...

Mag started backing up in the direction they had come from, waiting to see if One and Canchi followed along.

Go...Down?: Tunnel

 

[Rustic]

(( Through sheer dedication! I phone post! ))

"Yeah... That's a good idea," Canchi said, zipping up his coat, "but they're police, they wouldn't just leave 3 kids down here..." He trailed off, mumbling and following Magabelle.
( Action: Follow Magabelle down the tunnel. ))

 

[Aykorn]

Carefully placing the panel back into place, Wade paced into the corridor, trying to decide his next move.

Let's see... There was a probable exit for Periwinkle somewhere through that hole, if not somewhere upstairs. The whole "stair area" was a bit of mystery at the moment, but Wade had thought splitting up any further would be bad idea, especially considering Jax was still watching the kettle room.

Or at least he assumed that's what Jax was doing. ...Where was Jax anyway?

Wade started to trek back through the corridor, to see if he could maybe lure Jax down this hall, since he was almost sure Periwinkle wouldn't be going towards the kettles any longer. Process of elimination: all the other corridors seemed to be empty so if Periwinkle suddenly wanted to show their face now, it'd be a-this-a way.

If anything, it wouldn't hurt to keep Jax in the loop. Or at least mention there was a hole in the wall and that Wade was going to crawl through it if no one stopped him. It might be awkward if he got stuck in the secret passage, then what, called for back-up from inside the wall?

...Huh, weird thought. Did they have cell service down here? In Octo Valley?

Wade blinked, then brought out his phone. Maybe he could just call Jax instead of walking to him...? Not that he probably wasn't a quick walk away if cell service fell through.

Call: Jax/ Talk: Jax

 

[xCoCo]

Miraculously - Lili didn't hurt herself too badly or anything. She had to wonder how Aelia could walk through this. A flashlight or something would be good in this situation. She bit her lip when she bit into something gross and sticky - she couldn't figure it out and ...it really took a lot out of her not to scream. Lili froze when she heard a click and then a voice asking her how she knew Aelia. Instinctively she reach for the tenta she had with her. "Who are you? Why do you want to know?" She questioned in response. The young inkling didn't know who she was talking to ... so why should she answer.

Talk to: Unknown Person

 

[Banshee]

It was nerve-wracking, honestly, to think that they were going to be going someplace possibly dangerous, but really here was no other choice. Not for her. Brutus was the only familiar thing in this odd landscape, and Alga was going to stick to him like glue if it killed her. Even if where they were going was dangerous, at least she would be in familiar company. She'd rather have that than be on her own.

So, taking another deep breath in another attempt at calming her nerves, Alga let Brutus lead the way, walking just a step or two behind him as was her habit. She had no clue where they were going, but he seemed to know his way well enough. She trusted his judgement, at least in this case.

Follow: Brutus

 

[ReedRGale]

@Aykorn and @Ashlee DE Points: 2

​

Spoiler: Wade Arroyo and Ash Fox

Ash ==> Autopilot
Wade ==> Talk to Jax

Cell service, did not, in fact work. Not surprising, as they were probably in the middle of nowhere.

So, while Ash searched the large kitchen, Wade made his way to Jax. The reporter was busy inspecting the kettles and taking notes when Wade found him in the main antechamber. However, he didn't get to say a word before Jax asked, "did you find something?"

"Oh yeah," Wade replied.

"I think I found a way 'Periwinkle' might have snuck out without using a kettle. There's a hole behind removable paneling in one of the bathrooms."

"Huh," Jax said, his attention turning fully to Wade. "Good eye. Care to show me?"

Wade pointed back towards the corridor. "Mmhm! While we're at it, there's a staircase this way, too. I don't think Ash or I have checked it out..." Wade mused, "but later."

Just to emphasize the absurdity, Wade silently mouthed, "there's a secret passage in the bathroom."

"Honestly," Jax said, completely serious, "where else would you keep secrets?"

The two marched over to the passage, calling Ash over as they went. Revealing the hidden passageway, Ash gasped.

"Holy wow," she exclaimed, "how the heck did you find that?"

"That is rather impressive," Jax said stonily, his gaze locked on Wade.

Wade nodded. Jeez, Jax had a way of looking at people that made one really feel the spotlight.

He answered Ash, "Back in one of the other corridors, I noticed some bolts loose on a panel."

Wade tapped a fist to his mouth and muttered, "...Computer parts or something was gone..." before shaking his head.

"Anyways, I started noticing this entire place is a mishmash of panels," he noted. "Someone with a wrench could really get around, you know?"

Jax ruminated on this for a while as Ash said, "man, I've got a feeling that Periwinkle is through here!"

"Yes," Jax agreed. "But then, what should our plan of action be? We're entering his base... wouldn't someone this handy have a few traps at hand, especially if this were their home?"

Even Ash had to sit and think on that one. "What we should do with this information," Jax went on, "is the real question."

Stopping to think, Wade started listing through options. They really hadn't checked upstairs... but this was clearly too suspicious to not check out. Not to mention it could be another dead end.

That just left checking out the hole in the wall, which as Jax said, could be some fortified base or...

"...wait, their home?" Wade asked, a little surprised. ...Someone might live down here?

"By that, I mean home turf," Jax explained. "Even I've never been here. We don't know the lay of the land. Chances are, they do."

"Oh, yeah," Wade sheepishly agreed. "Of course."

"Well, we could check upstairs to see if we missed anything or just..." Wade shrugged. "Splatbomb before you jump? Have a special ready and just Kraken through everything?"

"Now there's an idea!" Ash agreed.

"Well, if we wanna send that message," Jax finished. Krakening through that tunnel almost secures a safe period of time for me or Ash, but that's if we wanna come in guns blazing."

He shrugged. "I think checking upstairs might be prudent, but someone should keep an eye on this tunnel, in case Peri comes out."

Wade held up a small wave.

"That I can do," he volunteered, "unless you desperately need a sniper to search an attic." ...Or whatever was up there.

"Then I suppose it's decided," Jax said, "unless there's any objections?"

"Well, I kind of wanted to see what was down the tunnel, but..." Ash began, "I guess it can wait."

"Well, there we have it," Jax finished. "Enjoy guard duty, Wade."

If Wade wasn't hearing things, that almost sounded like sarcasm.

Wryly smiling, Wade quipped back. "Wow, thank you. I will!"

Putting his hands over his heart for added affect, Wade added sweetly, "You enjoy sight-seeing. Tell me all about it when you get back."

"Of course," Jax said, simply.

"Weeeell, I think I'll go with him," Ash put in. "Don't want to be left behind again, after all." And with that, the two left Wade alone in the bathroom.

@Banshee 1 DE Point

Spoiler: Alga Sargasso

Alga ==> Follow: Brutus

The whole walk was pretty dull. Unlike Inkopolis or Alga's neighborhood, there didn't seem to be much to distinguish one place from another. It was a just a dull, barren walk.

Brutus, who seemed like, under normal circumstances, would have been a great, talkative travel partner, instead simply pressed forward at a brisk pace. Alga appreciated the quiet, honestly, but at the same time, Brutus was going a bit too fast and lugging around the weapon case, the book being held inside it and the Aerospray was becoming difficult.

It was when they had been marching for about thirty minutes that Alga finally collapsed. The reaction was instanteous; Brutus seemed to snap out of whatever focused stupor he was in and turned back to Alga.

"Are ya okay!?" Looking to the case and the weapon, he seemed to connect the dots. "Uh, if tha' stuff is heavy, Oy can carry it fer ya?" Alga refused to relinquish her weapon or case.

So instead, Brutus picked her up, with all her stuff included.

Alga resisted for a while, but Brutus refused to let her down and... honestly, without using the Aerospray, she couldn't really stop him. So, she eventually gave up and crawled around until she was sitting on his shoulders.

The experience... was different. It had been years since Alga had sat piggyback and, honestly, she kind of wondered if she was a bit heavy. But, Brutus just kept chugging along as if nothing had changed.

It was about thirty more minutes before what Brutus had called Jetty 26 came into view. It seemed... like hardly a town. It was a large collection of stone buildings, seemingly crafted from the same dull clay that the ground was made from. That said, it was certainly large enough to be considered a city and, further, it seemed to be right next to a lake, which Alga could only just make out far past the buildings.

Brutus seemed ready to march around the Jetty, but it seemed interesting. What now, Alga?

((Please let me know if I kept things in character.))

@xCoCo 1 DE Point

Spoiler: Lili Maon

Lili ==> Talk To: Unknown Person

"Aelia, is that you?" Lili called out.

"...How do ya know Aelia?" The voice responded.

Now that they were closer, it was clear that the voice was male, but smooth. Calm. There was no hint of hostility in his voice though his words seemed to suggest he was wary.

"How do I know Aelia? I ran into her a while ago." After Lili had helped out Brutus, she had helped him get in touch with her. "How do you know Aelia? And who are you?"

He didn't seem like horrible fellow but... she couldn't trust him. "Speaking of Aelia.... have you seen her?"

"The words 'a loose lips're not ta be trusted, ya know?" the voice spoke. "Were Oy ta say, would ya've trusted me? Oy wouldn't've."

She could almost feel his gaze through the veil of dark. "Ya ask a lotta questions ya shouldn't expect real answers ta. I's better ta read between lines and see what otha's hide rather than what they show. I's more true."

Lili couldn't help but scratch her head. He certainly had his way of speaking. "Well, I'll try to do that - not sure how good I'll be." She'd never actually read in between the lines much,.. but she'd try even if it didn't turn out so well.

He nodded. "Only an innocent one would be as honest ya are,” he continued. “What're ya doin' down 'ere?" The irony of his question was glaring.

"Uh... why?" She could feel the unknown male's glare through the dark. "Well.... I could ask you the same question can't I?" She crossed her arms. "I'm looking for Aelia." She wasn't exactly going to mention she had been looking for the Squid Sisters.... she couldn't trust this guy.... could she?

"Ye're wary now, tha's a much safer way ta live," he said. "Now, Oy dunno if Oy should let'cha find 'er. What does an Inklin' who finds 'erself 'ere be lookin' fer an Octolin' be up to? No good, Oy'd say."

"We have business together." Lili tapped her foot. "She told me to look for her if she didn't return." The young girl looked around, "so here I am. Where is she?"

"Ya say that as if ya think I know," the... man? The man dodged. "Lemme ask a quick question, do ya know where ya even are?"

Lili almost pouted at his response, he was good at avoiding. "No, I have no idea. I travelled through a kettle... so I have no idea where I am." She admitted rubbing her head

"Believe me or don', tha's yer perogative, but! Ye're in the waterways between Inkopolis an' my dear 'ome."

He chuckled. "But 'ow could one such as yerself find ye under the fair city? And searchin' for Aelia, no doubt."

The question was rhetorical, now that Lili paid a bit of attention. He didn't expect an answer.

"Waterway?" She had to wonder why the kettle lead here and where Alga and Brutus had gone. "I already told you, I came here with Aelia. And she told me to look for her if I didn't find her." Lili repeated herself. What did this strange man want?

"The difference isn' in the 'why' per se, but rather in the 'how,'" he tutted. "There aren' many ways ta get down 'ere without knowing 'ow you did it and ya seem pretty lost."

He sniffed, "'ow do Oy know yer lost? Well, ye don' 'ave a flashlight or these," he tapped something in the dark. If Lili was making out his figure correctly, it was somethign on his face. “‘an people don’ come down ‘ere wifout ‘em unless they didn’t intend ta be. Yer a real miff ya are.”

"So then, Oy repeat my question, which Oy nevah expected an answer to in the first place, 'ow could one such as yerself find ye under the fair city?"

He seemed to be scanning Lili for any other information. It was jarring.

"I already told you I jumped into one of those kettle things... and followed Aelia here." She frowned. "I don't know this place because I've never been here." And what reason would she need normally to be here anyways?? "Anyways .... I don't understand why you're here. And could you answer my question abotu Aelia?" She was getting a little bit impatient

"No!” he said cheerfully, “because our time is up. Oy, ya see, was jus' stallin' while everyone gathered together."

Lili began to look around the tunnel. Now that she focused, it was a lot bigger than it seemed... and filled with more bodies than before.

How they'd slipped by her notice silently she couldn't know, but just then, Lili felt something from behind her--someone had clocked her on the head.

The pink-haired inkling blinked at his words; before she could figure out what was happening she was hit on the back of the head falling onto the floor - her tenta falling out of her pocket. "Ow..." she groaned as another person restrained her.

"Oy dunno where Aelia is at present," the figure said. "But if ya run inta 'er before Oy do, then let 'er know that Felix sent ya along with our Merry Crew. Oy wanna find out if yer tellin' the truth, and, if nawt, then Oy'll find out what's really goin' on 'ere."

Felix hadn't she heard that name before?

Struggling against the figure that held her, there wasn't much she could do. "Like I have any reason to lie about the situation." She huffed at him "What a waste of time..." Lili mumbled under her breath, a tad bit annoyed by the situation.

"Oy can' tell if ya have any reason ta lie," Felix said, hurt. "All Oy know is tha there's an Inklin' in the sewers and that was what ripped us a new one last time."

As Lili was marched off, deeper into the darkness, she heard him finally say, "Ya have no reason to believe me, but! Oy 'ope ya aren' lyin'! Oy'd love ta get ta know ya under better circumstances!"

She could have sworn she'd heard him blow a kiss goodbye which really cast doubt on the sincerity of his words.

But he was soon just another figure in the dark as Lili was dragged off somewhere new.

@VeryButter and @Rustic 2 DE Points

Spoiler: Magabelle Yyouni and Canchi Chiro

Canchi ==> Go Back
Magabelle ==> Go Back

The two made their way back to the crack that they had fallen down, making sure to skirt the hole and not fall in as they had before.

And then they continued to walk down the tunnel. And walk. And walk. The darkness just seemed to go on and on.

How long had they been walking? Mag and Canchi both knew that, eventually, this would lead to under Inkopolis and they'd hit a station. But how long until that?

How long...?

Hours passed and though there was occasional banter, there wasn't much to say. No one knew each other very well, and none seemed to want to make conversation. It was just a long, featureless walk.

However, though the dark had been apprehensive before, even though they could see almost nothing, there was something relaxing about not having to worry about anything at the moment. It was just a requirement to keep walking. Occasionally, they'd take a break, letting each other know then they were tired, but that was it.

It was just a walk.

And it was relaxing.

It was probably three o'clock when they arrived in Inkopolis; about three hours had passed. Walking up the stairs out of the abandoned subway, the group was met by more police tape, but there was no crowd here--they quickly got past it without notice.

Now at the edge of the plaza, the group sat watching a few people who seemed to be clustered in groups all around, talking about this and that. But they seemed to be clamoring about something...

One seemed to be looking around for his friend, but didn't seem to be having any luck.

What now?

((Have any questions? Did I misrepresent your character? Contact me via PM or Skype. Otherwise, please mind the deadline.))

Reminders:

Posts are Due: March 3rd at Midnight PST
Gm Post will (hopefully) be Made: March 3rd

Spoiler: Available Actions Reminder

Will be Responded to in GM Post:
Do Nothing [sit back and let the story happen; useful when it would be dangerous to do things]
Talk [use on people you want to start a conversation with]
Shadow [use this to try to stealthily follow a target. I'll make rolls on whether you succeed or not]
Ink / Go To ______ [use this to travel from one place to another relatively quickly; ink if it's something specific, like a kettle, Go To if it's a general area]
Call [use on a person that you want to call (talk, but when not in the area)--or a item that has a number on it to contact someone you don't know]
Research [some topic; need to be in a library or have access to a computer--shellphones don't count]
Sleep [use this when there's nothing left you can do, logically, in the day]

Will be Responded to Immediately:
Conceal [use this action on something you intend to hide on your person]
Pick Up [use this action on something you want to hold onto]
Examine/Observe [use on things that you want more details on]
Use [use on things that you intend to use in some way--please specify how you're using it]
Attack [use on people or objects you intend to hurt or break, specify any weapons you might be using]
Search For [use like examine but for things that may or may not be there]
Hide [Insert Applicable Preposition] [use to conceal oneself, usually for a short amount of time]

 

[Banshee]

Alga was torn, truth be told. On one hand, she was somewhat eager to look around there, take a few peeks, see what all went on within the immense clay city. It wasn't something she had seen before, and a curiosity burned at her mind almost visciously. On the other hand...

Her gaze turned from the city to Brutus, and she frowned. He seemed very intent on avoiding it as much as possible, and that really couldn't be good. Besides, she was rather nervous herself. Maybe it would just be better to let Brutus do what he wanted...? Yeah, that sounded right. She would try observing from afar instead.

So, that was what Alga did, casting her eyes back to the immense clay town and trying to catch as much of the sight as she could before Brutus left it behind.

Do Nothing

 

[Rustic]

Canchi sat down on the curb, he curiously viewed the clamoring crowd. "What could they be up to?" He wondered aloud, not caring whether someone heard him. He glanced over at One, who seemed to be searching for someone. He brushed off the curiosity that struck him about the crowd, and he went to One.

"Hey, uh... whatever your name is?" Canchi lightly tapped him on the shoulder, "who are you looking for exactly? Because it seems, at least to me, you're searching for some phantom person." Canchi tacked on.

[Talk with: One]

 

[Aykorn]

Wade nodded as the other two left, honestly not feeling too terrible about staying behind. He'd been checked two of the corridors himself, so it wasn't that horrible Ash and Jax did some searching themselves. In fact, while on "guard duty," Wade could finally take the moment to sit and breath.

Actually, there was something Wade had been meaning to do. He been reminded when he caught Jax jotting things down.

Finding a spot along the wall that wasn't too far from the secret passage, Wade got comfy and pulled out his notebook from under his hat. Maybe now he had a chance to process all the things that had happened since this morning. He uncapped the pen attached to the spiral, then started thinking back.

Ink first hit the fan when he went to go meet with Jax, right...? No. No, not even. The earthquake was the first unusual event of the day, and that was how he ran into Simone and Amorine. There had even been a rumor about the earthquake tied to Octo Valley, and here he was now.

Wade tapped his pen against the side of his face. So where to start? He could write this like a journal, throw in his own voice as opposed to the bare bones notes he'd gotten from Day 1. It'd be like his own "re-cap episode" from old animes trying to meet an episode quota. ...That was a tidbit of anime trivia he knew... for reasons.

Anyway, whatever. Wade just started scribbling the things he remembered to be important, wondering if he could piece something together this way. Really, he just wanted to keep a record of what happened, something he could show in case he needed proof, or worst case scenario, something he could leave behind if he messed up... and forgot. It also just kind of felt nice to get this clustersplat of his chest.

Wade sat, immersed in jotting things down as he waited, but still glancing up ever so often to check the passage behind the panel. He'd note as much as he could until Jax and Ash got back.

Do Nothing

 

[VeryButter]

Mag sighed in relief as they exited the tunnel, glad to be in a well-lit, outdoors area. The walk was nice, though, because that time, there wasn't anything to run from.

She looked over at One, who seemed to already be on the search for his 'teacher'. Letting that remind her, Mag started flicking her gaze from person to person, attempting to find an inkling, any inkling, with brown tentacles.

Search For: Brown-Tentacled Inkling

 

[xCoCo]

She raised a brow at Felix's kiss goodbye before scowling. "Hey! Isn't fair!" There wasn't much she could do in this situation besides, well, be dragged off. Not only was she surrounded but she was also outnumbered. Perhaps it would have been better for her to stay put? But then again.... Aelia had told her to look for her if she did not return. Maybe Lili was just unfortunate. However, she did know that Felix knew Aelia.... and his name had been tossed around before; she didn't know however if he was lying about seeing Aelia or not.

Regardless; the inkling narrowed her eyes before closing them shut and shaking her head. Pink tentacles swaying slightly as she tried to calm herself, inhaling and exhaling deeply. Lili didn't like this situation .... and it irked her that she couldn't do anything besides allow herself to be dragged off. Maybe she'd get lucky and they'd bump into Aelia? All she could do is be taken away.... and if she really felt like... look for a chance to escape.

Go to: ???

 

[ReedRGale]

@Aykorn and @Ashlee DE Points: 2

​

Spoiler: Wade Arroyo and Ash Fox

Ash ==> Autopilot
Wade ==> Do Nothing

Wade had at least twenty minutes alone to himself, writing in his notebook, before Jax and Ash returned.

"Wade," Jax began, "good to see you're still here. I've got a bit to note."

"Yeah? Got it, one sec," he responded, putting his notebook away. "Alright, ready."

"It's a freaking airport up there!" Ash exclaimed, a bit too loudly. The sound didn't quite echo through the entire facility, but it was loud enough for both Jax and Wade to give her a look. She shirked back, embarrassed at her outburst.

"Well, kind of," Jax replied. "Basically, it's a hub of sorts, like an airport. There are kiosks and booths, but it lacks a pedestrian feeling. I don't feel like this is meant for, well, civilians."

He went on to describe the upper area, going into the details of how, behind the desks, weren't any sort of ticket booths or hints of attendant's uniforms. Nothing of the sort. No, instead there were only the occasional paper filed away in a desk that didn't manage to get removed from this barren place.

"The papers that are here, are first, written in the Octarian dialect--weird to read, but still manageable--and second, suggestive of military purpose. This is a government hub of transportation," Jax explained. "I would even go so far as to guess that this is the army's."

"So then," he continued, Ash and Wade giving rapt attention, "why would they abandon such an important, well-maintained facility? Unless we're all sick with some virus and we don't know it, the place seems entirely sanitary, if barren."

"The stairs that lead up are closed with some heavy duty grates, so it looks like our only way out would be through the kettles again." Jax finished with, "it doesn't look like there's more to see here, unless you want to take a look yourself, but otherwise, I'd say we return to our rendezvous with our 3channer, or we chase after--"

He was cut off mid-sentence however. Not because anyone interrupted him, but because there was another sound. A voice, from out in the main hub, where all the kettles were. Jax seemed to motion as if he wanted to check it out. Ash, curiosity piqued, didn't hesitate to join him. Silently, they slip out of the bathroom

...what will you do, Wade?

@Banshee 1 DE Point

Spoiler: Alga Sargasso

Alga ==> Do Nothing

Against no resistance, Brutus happily led Alga around Jetty 26. After going around the city, even though it probably took a good hour longer than going through it would have, Brutus' mood seemed to improve drastically. It wasn't more than fifteen minutes with the city behind them that he began to talk absentmindedly again, and even though Alga only graced him with nods and quick answers, the mood was a lot lighter.

It wasn't thirty more minutes after that Brutus took a path off of what appeared to be the main road--the longer that they walked on it, the more obvious it became to Alga that there was a road here, trodden by many feet over time.

They walked for ten more minutes before they hit one of the craters that dotted the landscape when Brutus announced, "'ere we are!"

Sliding into the dip, he gestured for Alga to follow him. Now she could see it.

From this angle, there was a hole, just big enough for someone on their hands and knees to crawl through. Brutus doesn't hesitate to crawl in.

What about you, Alga?

@xCoCo 1 DE Point

Spoiler: Lili Maon

Lili ==> Search For: Way Out

Well, at least the prison is posh. The couch they'd given Lili to lay on was cushy, and a nice, calming chartreuse. The floor was equally comfortable, with cream-colored padding and a forest green rug to round off the mood.

Even though the whole room is visible to the outside, they made sure to have a private bathroom ready, complete with door and porcelain fixtures.

But a cell is a cell, no matter how posh. The bars were there to remind Lili of that. And that was why she had to look for a way out.

> 4 dice pool; base pool 4
> 1 success rolled

The bathroom, which has a toilet and a sink appears to have a toothbrush, soap, razors... man, nothing here seems useful. The main room doesn't have anything in it either. The Octoling guard outside the cell snickered as Lili dug around in the cushions looking for something, anything that might aide her escape.

But it was to no avail.

But the guard, at least, seems bored or sociable enough. Maybe you could get more information out of her?

@VeryButter and @Rustic 2 DE Points

Spoiler: Magabelle Yyouni and Canchi Chiro

Canchi ==> Talk: One
Magabelle ==> Search For: Brown Tentacled Inkling

While One and Canchi talked, Magabelle went to search for the brown-tentacled guitar teacher.

Talk with One:

“Hey, uh... whatever your name is?" Canchi lightly tapped him on the shoulder, "who are you looking for exactly? Because it seems, at least to me, you're searching for some phantom person." Canchi tacked on.

"I-I'm 'One,'" he said, quickly and quietly. "And I'm l-looking for a brown-tentacled girl. She said she'd teach me to p-play guitar."

"I w-was going to meet her on the train but..." he trailed off. Clearly that plan wasn't going to work anymore.

Canchi "hmm'd" quietly in response. "Okay, One," he thoughtfully muttered, "so... she didn't meet you on the train. Maybe, she wandered off and forgot about you?" He shrugged.

"...sh-sh-she wouldn't f-f-forget would she?" One's eyes said that he really didn't want that to be the case. He looked teetering on the edge of tears. Already, he was sniffling.

"Crap, dude, I didn't mean it that way." Canchi reassured, patting him on the back gently. "Like, maybe something happened like a... something that needed her attention!"

"A-a-are you s-sure?" One asked, his voice still quivering. "Mother always said not to talk to people. B-but, I j-j-just wanted to learn s-so bad."

The shaking in One was contageous, Canchi could feel it so close to him. It was like a chill, like the air around him was transferring the vibe.

Canchi shivered in response to One's increased shaking. "Mother? Maybe she could help you find your girl?" He suggested, giving him a reassuring smile, attempting to defuse the uneasy air.

"B-but I lost her..." he sobbed. "I-I didn't know wh-which stop. A-and the train a-and," his choked sobs were loud, attracting the attention of some of the Inklings in the crowd.

The shivering feeling was growing stronger, like a chill. The temperature around One was noticably lowering.

Canchi shivered, more this time as he felt increasingly colder. He realized he wasn't really improving the situation. "One, listen man. I don't really know how me and Magabelle could really help, but giving up and bursting into tears isn't the way to go, dude." He painfully pointed out.

"Because, if we're going to find your friend. We need you to be strong," he suggested, smiling helpfully, "I figure your friend wouldn't like to see you like this, right?"

One seemed to be listening, but just barely. His sniffling didn't cease and a few tears rolled down his cheeks and the cold feeling didn't go away...

...but it didn't get worse. Instead, he found a bench to sit down on as he tried to stop crying. It was, in fact, clear he was trying, as he kept wiping his eyes.

After about ten minutes, his either his tear ducts had run dry or he had gotten himself under control, because Canchi could see his puffy eyes again. The chilly atmosphere had slowly receded as One gained control again.

"S-sorry about that," he apologized. "Y-you're r-right. B-but how are we g-going to find her?"

Canchi, glad that he either managed to calm One down or he calmed himself down. Either way is good. "Well, I've no clue as how to finding that girl. But, I'll give it my all I guess."

One looked away from Canchi at the hopeless answer. "Y-yeah," was all he could muster.

Search For: Brown-Tentacled Inkling

There was a pretty large crowd here in the square and there didn't seem to be anyone who actually matched the description that One gave. But she figured that she'd give it her all.

> 4 dice pool; base pool 4
> 1 success rolled

Instead of just looking, Mag began to ask around. A brown-tentacled inkling is bound to attract some attention, right?

Most people were too distracted with the state of the city, however, and Mag didn't get many proper answers from anyone. Some told her that they'd seen a girl like that who sometimes played music when she thought no one was looking, but there wasn't much substantial information to be gained here.

Or maybe she was just unlucky? Whatever the case, it seemed this girl existed, at the very least, so that was something.

((Have any questions? Did I misrepresent your character? Contact me via PM or Skype. Otherwise, please mind the deadline.))

Reminders:

Posts are Due: March 23rd at Midnight PST
Gm Post will (hopefully) be Made: March 24th

Spoiler: Available Actions Reminder

Will be Responded to in GM Post:
Do Nothing [sit back and let the story happen; useful when it would be dangerous to do things]
Talk [use on people you want to start a conversation with]
Shadow [use this to try to stealthily follow a target. I'll make rolls on whether you succeed or not]
Ink / Go To ______ [use this to travel from one place to another relatively quickly; ink if it's something specific, like a kettle, Go To if it's a general area]
Call [use on a person that you want to call (talk, but when not in the area)--or a item that has a number on it to contact someone you don't know]
Research [some topic; need to be in a library or have access to a computer--shellphones don't count]
Sleep [use this when there's nothing left you can do, logically, in the day]

Will be Responded to Immediately:
Conceal [use this action on something you intend to hide on your person]
Pick Up [use this action on something you want to hold onto]
Examine/Observe [use on things that you want more details on]
Use [use on things that you intend to use in some way--please specify how you're using it]
Attack [use on people or objects you intend to hurt or break, specify any weapons you might be using]
Search For [use like examine but for things that may or may not be there]
Hide [Insert Applicable Preposition] [use to conceal oneself, usually for a short amount of time]

 

[Banshee]

Through all of this, a question burned at her mind that she was hesitant to ask. Just where exactly were they going? Of course, they were probably going to find their friends, but where were they going? What place? She was eager to know, and honestly she'd just opened her mouth to ask when Brutus announced their arrival proudly.

A...crater?

Alga watched him slide on down with a frown of uncertainly and fiddled with her tentacles in nervousness, watching him go before taking a deep breath and tentatively beginning to slide down. It was less of an actual slide and more of an attempt at walking down a steep, inverted hill, so there was really no surprise when she found herself tripping and rolling the rest of the way down.

"Ah-!"

She went tumbling with a loud gasp and a yelp, feeling a mild headache burst in the back of her head as it knocked against the ground on the way down and scrambling for some sort of purchase in an effort to stop herself from moving. In the end, it didn't really matter; she came rolling to a stop right in the middle of the mouth of the crater, no thanks to her efforts whatsoever.

For a moment, Alga simply lay there, chest heaving and panting as she fought to regain contol of herself. Everything felt sore, most especially her head, and she really, really hated craters now. Just her luck, honestly, for having such an awful sense of balance.

A minute later, she shakily got onto all fours and inspected the little hole before her that Brutus had gone through. Well. Nowhere else to go, and it wasn't like she could climb back up.

With a sigh, Alga took only a moment more to readjust herself before crawling into the little hole space after her friend.

Follow: Brutus

 

[Aykorn]

Wade blinked, left curious about the sound in the kettle hub, too. If there was another voice...then someone else was here, as well?

Who?

Wade's immediate thought was that someone had followed them, or that someone had returned to the abandoned military center for whatever purpose it may have served. Maybe to salvage something? In any case, neither of those options sounded great. Wade's eyebrows creased.

He let Jax and Ash walk out first before slipping out of the bathroom a moment later, planning to tag along but watch from afar.

At this point, when it came to dealing with the mystery voice, Wade figured he would be most useful with a little distance from the scene. If they needed someone to smooth-talk, leave it to Jax. If they needed someone to rush in for the offense, Ash. Seriously, this squad had the bases covered. Unless Jax planned on being overly cautious, too, Wade decided to stay out of sight.

He'd join the other two if things went swimmingly... or giving himself space to snipe in case things got sticky.

Shadow: Jax and Ash

 

[VeryButter]

((/////))
Mag let out a sigh of dissapointment. She'd thought that the brown-tentacled inkling would at least be around here... heck, maybe they were, but she didn't know, because nobody gave a good answer.

"...man..." she muttered to herself. Then she stood up straight. She couldn't just give up. Mag was determined to find this girl; she'd just have to keep trying.

Search For: 'Brownie' (again)
((searching intensifies))

 

[xCoCo]

As comfortable as the prison was; she hated her current circumstances; she had been brought here against her will, it was hard to enjoy the luxurious environment. Lili had taken the chance to look around; searching for an exit... bad sadly there was none.

She spent some time just pacing back and forth; laying down on the couch; glancing at the guard the whole situation made her feel restless.

After a bit of silence she approached the bars to stare at the Octoling guard; rm wrapping her dainty fingers around the bars. "SO, uh, what is this place...?" She tried to start an awkward conversation with the Octoling. Perhaps they'd be kind enough to humour her....

TALL TO; Octoling Guard

 

[Rustic]

Seeing as how One seemed to be calmer now, like less sob-sob and more stable. Canchi looked back at the crowd, maybe the Inkling could be there? Or at least someone who knows said Inkling would be around? Probably.

And Magabelle is currently somewhere. Perfect...

"Well, I might as well get started sometime." He thought, walking to the crowd and starting to search for the brown tentacled girl that 'One' is determined to find.

Search for: "Brown Tentacled Girl"
((team work... probably))

 

[ReedRGale]

@Aykorn and @Ashlee DE Points: 2

​

Spoiler: Wade Arroyo and Ash Fox

Ash ==> Autopilot
Wade ==> Shadow: Jax and Ash

Intrigued by the voices as well, Wade quickly followed the other two from the bathroom to the main transportation hub. Sure enough, as he got closer, he found that the voices got more and more loud until finally...

"...the formalities. The fifth transaction begins."

> 4 Base Pool, -2 for Lots of Onlookers, +1 for Unsuspected, Dice Pool 3
> 2 Successes on Stealth Roll

As the group gets closer, each one holding their breath, they manage to make out the shapes of the two voices. The one with the suave voice appears to be a man in a silver suit and tie... no, surely... a member Deepview?

"Oy ain' got all day. We're busy so 'urry up."

The woman who responded was unsavory to say that least... and that wasn't just because she was an Octoling. No, she had a scowl that made one shirk away. The way she held herself high indicated high breeding... maybe rank? Her black tentacles and attire matched with the dark kelp laced around her head like a wreath man her seem all the more dignified. The pair together, the grimace and the posture, made her imposing... powerful.

"Then I will proceed accordingly," the suit responded. "The pieces that you have requested shall be left at the designated drop-off points. All pieces are accounted for here." The man walked to the Octoling tentatively, holding out a clipboard. With ferocity that seemed as if it would altogether rip his arm off, she snatched it away from him.

Flipping through the papers, taking breaks to make quick glares at the Deepview flunky, the lady finally sighed and said, "on schedule. It will suffice. We will cooperate for another month, as we agreed upon... as long as the parts are where you promise them."

"I will inform Mr. Korris then," the agent agreed.

> 4 Base Pool, -3, Dice Pool 1
> 1 Success on Passive Perception

The others seem quite preoccupied with the transaction ahead, however, Wade can't help but feel like he, himself, is being watched. Taking a glance behind him, he catches a glimpse of someone from the bathroom door, but as soon as the spectre is spotted, he disappears with hardly a sound.

When Wade turns back to tell Jax and Ash, the two figures had left the scene... whatever happened here was probably not meant to be noticed...

What now, Wade?

@Banshee 1 DE Point

Spoiler: Alga Sargasso

Alga ==> Follow Brutus

The rabbit hole went on for quite some time and all this crawling was starting to wear on Alga. Even though it was probably only about a three minute crawl, the entrance struck her as quite excessive and many times she feared that the two of them would get stuck in a cave in.

Worse, as her mind wandered, she couldn't help but Brutus... maybe didn't know where he was going? Or that this was a trap? Or... no... he wasn't mean enough for that. Or good enough at lying.

Just nagging doubts.

And those doubts were assuaged as the tunnel finally widened out into a roomy chamber, much like the one in the Squid Sister's home. The walls were barren and metallic, but polished and clearly well kept. There was a steady row of lights that extended down the hallway, flushing the space with light. It was nothing too impressive, disregarding it was the fact that it was an underground bunker of some sort--

"Ahh," Brutus sighed, relieved. "'ome sweet 'ome."

> (Gonna do this to not get in the way of narrative, but give you more to work with.)
> Examine Area:

The hallway seems to go on for a while, but in the distance, there appears to be a larger room with a different mood to it --more homey, more... well, for a better lack of words, Inkling-like.

Within is a number of couches, a flat-screen television, a large, varnished, wooden table with more than twenty seats (complete with fruit basket in the center) and even a refrigerator and a mini-kitchen in the corner. The giant room is separated into sections, the kitchen seemed to be designated with linoleum flooring which gives way to a polished, well-kept wooden floor for the dining room. The rest of the giant place has a cushy, soft, green-ish flooring.

Besides the portal Brutus and Alga come through, there are two different exits--one that leads to a metallic door that looks vaguely reminiscent of the hallway that the two just came from and another door next to the kitchen that looks more like the room itself are in with modern plywood and a homey design.

@xCoCo 1 DE Point

Spoiler: Lili Maon

Lili ==> Talk: Octoling Guard

"SO, uh, what is this place...?" Lili asked. The guard didn't say anything at first, so she went back to looking for a way out. But after a few minutes she guard spoke.

"Where is Aelia? And Brutus?" she spoke, quickly and gruffly.

"I'd like to know that too." Lili responded shrugging, "I haven't seen them for a while." That was an honest answer. "Aelia told me to search for her but I don't know where she is; we parted ways." Lili let out a sigh. "So, where is this place?"

"Oy'll ask the questions here!" the girl snarled, he voice cracking a bit. Whatever sauveness Felix had or grace Aelia had was lost on this girl.

"Aelia went ta check out a signal from Brutus' wallet. She didn' come back at the time she said she would. Ya said ya saw 'er. Where were ya last?"

The questions were frantic and unfair--Lili had already said she didn't know... and yet... she seemed desperate.

Lili rubbed the back of her head; "Uh....I don't where I was? I mean I just sort of landed somewhere and then that's where I saw Aelia last? I meant.... I don't know this place. Aelia told me to wait for her and only to go looking when she didn't return so I did then I ran into your group and now I'm here." She crossed her arms. "I really dont know anything."

"Oy don' believe ya!" the guard exploded. Finally she turned around, anger flashing in her eyes... which were crying. "Where are they! Give 'em back!"

The girl's sharp teeth were clenched so tight it must have hurt, her words holding no semblance of control anymore. She just wailed and screamed, pounding the bars.

It was almost as if she were the one trapped. And yet there were the keys at her hip. Temptingly close.

Lili stared at the guard before her, "I don't have them... why would I want to do anything to them?" She was confused - she also jumped a bit when the Octoling started hitting the bars.

"Uh.... are you okay?" Although Lili was certain she wasn't she still had to ask.... Just what excatly was happened? The inklings eyes fell on the keys... should she? Should she not? Gulping she began to reach for her keys.... hoping to grab them.

> 4 base pool, -1 tense situation, 3 dice pool
> 0 Successes

Lili made a not-so-subtle grab at the keys when the guard noticed. She recoiled immediately, hate darting from her eyes.

"Oh, Oy see what'cha doin'! Ya catchin' me when Oy'm weak an' then makin' for the grab!" her words were as biting as she could make them inbetween sniffles.

"Well! It ain't gonna work! Oy'm gonna make ya tell me where me bro and sis are! Tell me!" She took the keys from her hip and tossed them to the wall behind either of them, far out of reach of anyone.

It was just the guard and Lili now. A pissed guard.

"Brother? Sister? You're related?" She let out a weak laugh backing off from the bars... maybe she shouldnt have tried to grabbed the keys? Regardless she did want to get out of here.

Lili sighed. "To be honest.... I don't know anything? I ran into them back in Inkoplolis - I helped Brutus out before running in Aelia. I haven't even seen Brutus for a while. Why do you think I know anything? I only know just as much as you do. I may be an Inkling but I wouldn't hurt Brutus or Aelia in any way. I came here with Aelia. Brutus could have landed elsewhere."

"Shut up!" she screamed, "They's all Oy got left! Oy don' care how ya do it jus'... where are they!?"

She broke down into sobs. Reason didn't seem to mean anything to her--somehow it didn't seem like she was a very good guard if she broke down this quickly, emotionally.

Lili could pity the guard - she was emotional... but she didn't know what to say. "....Do you want to calm down? I don't think you're acting rationally..." Lili scratched her cheek. "I'm already telling you I don't know anything.... I don't even know where I am.... "

The guard didn't say anything. She seemed spent after her trantrum a moment ago.

Whether she was 'calm' or not was another question altogether, but after ten minutes of silence, one would hope she'd be calm.

She did, finally, say "Oy know. Oy'm jus' scared."

"I know... it's okay." Lili stated awkwardly. "Hm. Do you know anything about the situation?"

She crossed her arms. "I'm sure they're okay." She tried to reassure the guide. "But if Aelia doesn't come back I'm kinda screwed."

"Oy don' know anythin'" the guard mumbled. "They don' tell me nothin'. Jus' told me ta watch ya and stay here."

"...Oy really 'ope they come back," the girl finally said.

"Huh.... well...." Lili sighed softly before sitting down in front of the guard on the floor. "Me too. I have no idea where Aelia went." She rubbed the back of her head. "Do you know anything about Brutus and Aelia? What's your name? Mine's is Lili."

She seemed to ignore the note about Brutus or Aelia, but the girl mumbled, "Germana." And she left it at that.

@VeryButter and @Rustic 2 DE Points

Spoiler: Magabelle Yyouni and Canchi Chiro

Canchi ==> Search For: Brownie
Magabelle ==> Search For: Brownie

> Magabelle:
> 4 Base Pool, Dice Pool 4
> 1 Success on Search

> Canchi:
> 4 Base Pool, Dice Pool 4
> 4 Success on Search

Continuing her search, Magabelle steadfastly asked each passerby whether they'd seen a brown-tentacled inkling around. One after another, her questions were met with "no" or "doesn't ring a bell" or just plain silence. If this was what begging and being ignored was like, this was it.

Finishing his chat with One, Canchi looked around for Mag... wherever she went. After a bit of searching he found her asking desperately through the crowd about this silly brown inkling. Sighing, he looked back to One who, even though he was more stable than before, seemed to still be on the verge of tears.

Or maybe he always looked like that. Who knows.

Point is, seeing how hard Mag was trying and how much One seemed to want these guitar lessons, Canchi sighed. "Hey, One, could you go and, uh, help Mag?" He pointed to her and One seemed more than happy to oblige.

They weren't going to get anything out of the crowd, that was for certain. Everyone was too freaked out about the quake. But there was always one person who kept a cool head and took opportunities like this by the neck and rung them for all they were worth...

Walking down a nearby alley, when he was sure he was out of everyone's earshot, he called out: "Spyke! I know you're here somewhere. I need something."

From a space between buildings a response came, a tongue click that, for anyone who knew the urchin bandit, was an indication to come forward.

"Canchi, Canchi, Canchi..." the urchin purred as the Inkling approached. "Back again are we? Not that I'll turn away bid'ness but... ain't this a bit of a time to be needin' my services?"

"Yeah, well, I need something a bit different today."

"A special service?" Spyke chuckled. "And wot could ya need of me?"

"Do you know a brown-tentacled Inkling?"

"I might..." Spyke began. Canchi was already reaching for a pouch. "Already ready, are ya? Ya know me too well." The Inkling just rolled his eyes and handed over a snail.

"Ah ah ah, gonna need a bit more. This is personal info we're talkin' about an' that comes at a premium!" Grumbling, Canchi handed over two more snails. "Tha's more like it..."

"Alright, listen up, this Inklin' you're lookin for is one of the mouldiest that ya can find. Goes by Alga Sargasso. Doesn' play ink battles at all--can't actually 'cause she can't change her stinkin' color. Ya can usually find 'er in the square near the evening playing her guitar. Don' think she knows it, but she's got a pretty small followin' that pokes around this very alley ta listen to 'er play."

"Now..." he continued, "I know a bit more, but, you know, I got appetites and..." Canchi just forked over another snail snorting in disgust at the urchin's greedy look. "Wonderful, love."

"I've heard from a friend of a friend that she lives in one of the swankier neighborhoods; Oak Drive, 12th Pl 665, specifically." Canchi recognized that... that was the same neighborhood he lived in!

"Now I have a--" Canchi gave up his last sea snail, quickly, groaning all the while.

"Yesterday, she was found talkin' with an old coot known as Cap'n Cuttlefish. Old war hero. What most don't know is that he's also the grandpappy of the famed Squid Sisters. And he's been lookin' for people willing to help him look for them. It's possible that your girl might have gotten tied up in a string of events even I dare not stick my nose into... but if you want to know more, you'd need to find the source."

Pleased with his earnings, the urchin grinned in an annoying, catty way. "I hope that was useful for you. I certainly enjoyed it."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Canchi groaned. That was the last of his snails too...

When he got back to the plaza Canchi found the two where he'd left then and greeted them.

What now?

((Have any questions? Did I misrepresent your character? Contact me via PM or Skype. Otherwise, please mind the deadline.))

Reminders:

Posts are Due: April 1st at Midnight PST
Gm Post will (hopefully) be Made: April 2nd

Spoiler: Available Actions Reminder

Will be Responded to in GM Post:
Do Nothing [sit back and let the story happen; useful when it would be dangerous to do things]
Talk [use on people you want to start a conversation with]
Shadow [use this to try to stealthily follow a target. I'll make rolls on whether you succeed or not]
Ink / Go To ______ [use this to travel from one place to another relatively quickly; ink if it's something specific, like a kettle, Go To if it's a general area]
Call [use on a person that you want to call (talk, but when not in the area)--or a item that has a number on it to contact someone you don't know]
Research [some topic; need to be in a library or have access to a computer--shellphones don't count]
Sleep [use this when there's nothing left you can do, logically, in the day]

Will be Responded to Immediately:
Conceal [use this action on something you intend to hide on your person]
Pick Up [use this action on something you want to hold onto]
Examine/Observe [use on things that you want more details on]
Use [use on things that you intend to use in some way--please specify how you're using it]
Attack [use on people or objects you intend to hurt or break, specify any weapons you might be using]
Search For [use like examine but for things that may or may not be there]
Hide [Insert Applicable Preposition] [use to conceal oneself, usually for a short amount of time]