-Missing- IC Thread: RP Cast Filled

[ReedRGale]

@Aykorn DE Points: 1

​

Spoiler: Wade Arroyo

Wade ==> Research: Address, Octavio, Agents, OctoValley

> I'm going to make the rolls based on, logically, which things are easier or harder to find out.
> If you fail to find anything out about an easier topic, Wade'll keep researching that topic until he finds something. Or clean his room.

With the whole day ahead of him, Wade decided to tackle the day with preparation: the only true weapon of a conspiracy theorist.

> Base Pool 3; Comfortable Setting +1; Tackling a lot -1; Dice Pool 3
> 0 Success Rolls on Searching the Address

...But first, there was the matter of how dirty the room was. Wade proceeded to clean for about an hour, picking up hat after hat and organizing them just as they were before. This was a tall order, but Wade was up for the task and totally not stalling just because he was still kind of groggy and felt satisfied with himself for actually calling Cato.

> Dice Pool 3
> 1 Success Roll on Searching the Address

Alright... with half his hats sorted, Wade buckled down and started to look up the address. It didn't take long to find it. It wasn't a cafe or a shady alleyway like before (thank god). Instead, it was a small, but quaint home in a residential neighborhood. It didn't really stand out.

...was this... maybe... Jax's house???

Following that train of logic, Wade tried to find something out about it relating to Jax, but all the sites that would say anything beyond the location required payment and that was something that Wade did not want to provide at the moment.

Well, at least he knew the directions.

> Dice Pool 3
> 2 Success Rolls on Searching for Information about Octo Valley

Skimming articles was like looking through the past. There were plenty of InkTube videos on the history revolving around the war--some more or less biased--but there was a general agreement in facts: the two races were done fighting and the territories were "decided."

The gist of it came down to this: the Inklings had the firepower to bomb the hell out of the Octo Troops from longrange and they were destroying their camps. And this weaponry paired with the sudden displacement of a number of Ocatarian leaders left the group in such disarray that the war, as a whole was ended.

Octavio stepped up for the rest of the group and called a ceasefire and treaties were written up; of course the Inklings got the better end of the agreement stick, but the war was over.

After that, it looks like the Inklings started embargoing trade with the Octarians and the allies of the Inkling nations followed suit. Ahead were forum post after forum post about whether what the Inklings were doing was right or not. Plenty of groups wanted to open doors to Octarians claiming they've done enough. Others simply wanted them quarantined and to forget that the nasty stains of the world be locked up in their Valley forever.

The valley itself, though, had little information documented on it.

It seems you have time to research two more things. What's it going to be?

> List in ascending order what's more or less important.

@xCoCo 1 DE Points

Spoiler: Lili Maon

Lili ==> Return to Alga

There wasn't really much Lili wanted to find here, so, letting things be, she returned to the place where Alga was. She found her just outside of Brutus's room, staring vacantly.

...was she okay?

@Banshee 1 DE Point 1 Strike

Spoiler: Alga Sargasso

Alga grows in her need to use the bathroom.

@Rustic @VeryButter 2 DE Points Rustic: 1 Strike

Spoiler: Canchi Chiro and Magabelle Yyouni

Canchi ==> Start Training
Mag ==> Start Training

On point though looking slightly disappointed, Magabelle asked, "...how do we get started?"

"Well," Beth began, "let's start with your grip."

As she began to show Mag how to properly hold the weapon, Canchi asked, "Sure let's get started, but do I need a permission form? My parents might get bent outta shape about this."

"No, actually Canchi..." she said, trailing off, "you might actually want to keep this quiet. Very quiet. As I implied, the less people that know One, the better. At least for now."

Leaving it at that for now, Beth commanded the attention of the children while One sat on a bench nearby. His pink powder applied to his white tentacles again, all but hiding his real ink color.

She began with their grip, as she'd noted, showing them how to hold the weapon. A firm grip with both hands and making sure to brace the floor. The reason for this became apparent when she showed them how to shoot: the shot itself was a long range charge blast!

"The pressure from one shot of these should be enough to take out any small-sized ink combatant or to make a long escape route if you're attacked on a street," she explained, after she blasted the target from across the room. "However the knockback is surprising and takes some getting used to. So we're going to have you shoot a few rounds."

Both Canchi and Mag knew about the kick to the gun, but no explanation could have prepared them for the actual sensation. Since they weren't using Ink tanks, first there was a sudden rush of faintness that came with the pulling of ink from the body.

Then there was the push. Canchi managed to hold his ground, simply being pushed back a foot. Mag, however, was less lucky; her grip wasn't strong enough on the weapon and it went flying up and over her in a lucky arc.

"Ah, don't worry," Beth reassured, "that happens all the time." She went to retrieve the gun, but as she went she added, "but that's why no 'two gun,' let alone 'four gun.'"

She taught them proper footwork so they could fire the pistols without being pushed back so much.

> Mag and Canchi now have a +1 bonus when wielding the Ink Pistol!

The training took most of the day but it was surprising how quickly the time passed they even forgot how hungry they were until it was nearly six in the evening, so Beth invited everyone to eat with her and One. However, afterwards she requested they head home and not talk to anyone about the training.

So there Mag and Canchi stood with their Ink Pistols hidden on their person, sitting outside of Beth's house. One had wished them well and... well...

Nothing left except to head home?

@Hesoca 1 DE Point

Spoiler: Maximillian de Re

Max ==> Examine Mental Map

Making haste, Max retraced his steps making his way through the sewers and out of the Tower. His pride may have been hurt but he wasn't going to let that stop him from making the stupider mistake of sticking around. So, after covering up his weapon recovery, he bolted out, losing no time in gaining some distance.

The trek through the sewers was as smelly as it was humiliating. How could he have lost? He'd had plenty of experience. He had all the right reasons... who was this Jax person? The occasional sloshing excrement was just the cherry on top of the mud pie that that situation had become.

He would have to be more vigilant in the future. The villains were sometimes smarter than he assumed. He had to be one step ahead.

He had to.

Sneaking up the grate that led back to Inkopolis Plaza, he made sure to check that the coast was clear before he pulled himself up through the grate and back to the world of the normals. Now, in relative safety, was the time to assess the situation.

If he was going to meet with this Jax person, he was going to be prepared. Have all his weapons ready. Scope out the area beforehand. Map out every entrance and exit of the building.

Would he listen to what he had to say? Was that a good plan? Or perhaps to attack from afar...

But maybe not going at all would be a wiser move? After all, there was no requirement to chase after person, potential ally or enemy. He'd never known of this "Jax" before today and Max liked to believe he had a good sense of what was what with the criminal underworld.

He could collect more information about Deepview, seeing as it was now confirmed as 'the enemy.' Options, options...

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

Reminders:

Posts are Due: Sep 7th at Midnight PST
Gm Post will be Made: Sep 9th

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]
Follow [use this to just keep together with a party member or let an NPC take the lead]

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]

 

[VeryButter]

Mag took a glance at her house, just next door, not bothering to take in any kind of detail as the thought of going home crossed her mind. It was getting into evening, and her dad was probably wondering where she was--

But then she suddenly remembered.

"Alga," she simply stated, turning to Canchi. "...should we continue looking for her?" After all, there was still time in the day, and there's no way Mag is going to go to sleep this early.

No matter what Canchi said, Mag was probably going to continue from yesterday's lead anyway.

Go To: Squid Sister's House

 

[Hesoca]

Spoiler: Maximillian de Rè

((Apologies in advance for length. Got carried away.))

Though he was out of enemy territory, Max didn’t stop moving until he had securely tucked himself into one of the nearby alleys. Away from prying eyes, he loosened his grip on his belongings – though he was nowhere close to being relaxed.

Options ran through Max’s head like an uncontrolled wildfire. He should go, no, he shouldn’t go, no, wait, he should scope the place first and line the place with traps, argh, but wait, what if the place was a trap, then he shouldn’t go and research himself, but frick, if he was going to do that, then why not get the information from the fryin’ source, but he’d bean idiot if he fell for that kind of trap, like shell was he going to let that smarmy know-it-all get the best of him, he’d track him down and-or wait, no, he’d-

In his increasing frustration, he hurled down everything he was carrying. His hands instinctively clawed at his hair, only to be blocked by his mask; he ripped it off and threw it onto the ground, as well. Running his hands through his hair, he paced back and forth, racing through each thought again and again and againuntil finally he froze, and, in uncharacteristic silence, fell against the alley wall and buried his face in his hands.

He stood motionless for a moment, his boiling blood pounding in his veins.

… It’s your fault, you know, said the memory of a voice he had heard a while back. You had that kid right in your sights, and what did you do? What did you do? …That’s right, you sat there, you let him beat on you, you let him take what I bought with my money, because you didn’t-

In a fit of anger, Max slammed a fist into the palm of his hand, bowed his head, and threw his mind shut.

Immediately the world faded, and with it all of the thoughts that rushed through Max’s head. The alleyway dimmed into darkness; the tower fell into shadow; and the memories of what had occurred – the fight with Jax, the escape from the tower, the voice that had come back to haunt him – these returned to their state of inexistence.

Buildings creaked. The city groaned. Yet ultimately, the only thing that existed in this current state was Max himself.

For just a moment, the world didn’t exist.

It was some time later when Max opened his eyes, and he squinted as the world flooded back into existence. The alleyway returned, and, looking out into the city, he saw that the tower had returned, too. His eyes fell on the reappearing destruction, the fallen buildings and the cracked streets, and as if seeing the havoc for the first time, he stared into the broken city and let of a sigh of awe and grief.

“Shell, what am I doing?” His words escaped in a quiet mumble. Hiding in alleys, ripping off a mask, breaking down over a single one-sided fight… these were the actions of a villain, not the main hero. Yet here he was, wallowing in his own petty losses while the city sat in ruins around him.

He folded his arms, staring at the ground. In all of the chaos, he had forgotten his reason for going to the Tower in the first place. It wasn’t because he’d wanted to complain about the stench of the sewers, or to gripe about some all-knowing night guard throwing him across the floor. He’d gone to get his weapons so he could protect the city from those who would take advantage of its destruction.

Leaning off of the wall, he stood to face the city. Somewhere along the ground were the pieces of his shattered pride. But the glass on the streets was sharper, and if he didn’t pick up those pieces first, there was no telling who’d be the next person to do so – or who would cut themselves in the process.

With a bit of renewed determination, Max wandered toward the tools he’d thrown to the ground, sticking his hands in his pockets. A small piece of paper rustled against his hand; curious, he picked it out and, in recognition, turned the paper in his hands.

Oh, right. The meeting. Jax.

With a sneer, he crumbled the paper in his hands. Heh, how bad would it be if he threw this piece of paper out without even looking at it? Because shell, was he tempted to. Though he was calmer now, the fight he’d had with the night guard still left a bitter taste in his mouth. What did Jax need him for, anyway? If the conversation he’d had was any indication, then Jax knew just as much as he did about what was going on. It wasn’t like he needed a bodyguard, either; as Max had learned the hard way, that Inkling could take care of his own fryin’ self.

Flicking at his cowlick, Max looked back over the previous conversation, and noting how unusual the whole situation had been. Not necessarily because of anything that was said (though Max still cringed at the thought of being repeatedly caught on camera), but because of how… easy, getting information out of Jax had been. Every time Max had asked a question, Jax had an answered prepared. Heck, he’d even shared what he knew about Deepview…

…if what he said hadn’t been a lie, of course. Despite Max asking, Jax had never shown proof for any of his responses. Ultimately, all Jax had done was wandered in and demanded Max’s respect. …Not explicitly, but… implicitly. He was… pretty sure…

Max froze, his hand falling to his side. Now that he thought about it, Jax hadn’t really said anything particularly suspicious. He’d answered all of his questions. He’d left him in good shape. Naturally, that meant that Jax had wanted to keep him alive. And he knew about Deepview as well. Even if that knowledge came from him being a Deepview employee… well, information was still information, wasn’t it?

Max sighed. For as much as he didn’t want to trust Jax, he had to admit; the offer to contact him again was hard to pass up.

Grumbling, Max unfurled his hand and smoothed out the scrap of paper. Though the letters had blurred a bit, and the numbers were barely recognizable, he could just make out the address that was scribbled on the paper. He ran the address in his head, wondering if perhaps he’d seen it before, but came up blank. Wherever this place was, it certainly wasn’t in a district that he frequented.

Should he go, then? The choice flickered in the back of his mind. Max glanced toward the city. If he went and the place was a trap, then the city would lose its only true hero. But if he didn’t, and it turned out that he could have gotten something from it…

Alright. He sneered, flicking at the paper. He’d play Jax’s game. But one thing was certain: for this match, he was bringing his own pieces.

He stuffed the paper in his pocket. First things first, he was going to drop in to Jax’s meeting, he was going to be prepared. That meant scoping the place out, mapping the building, marking every possible entrance from which he could make an escape if necessary. Likewise, he needed to know more about who was coming. That meant Jax, of course, but also the mysterious partner he had mentioned. There was no telling who they were, after all; if they ended up being some combat-trained superguard, Max was going to have his hands full.

Picking up his belongings, he tossed his mask into the backpack, then proceeded to fold down his Dynamo into its portable form. There wasn’t any time for him to head back home; time was ticking, and it was already getting late. Likely, there was a public library or a shop somewhere nearby that he could scrounge a computer from. Of course, if he went to one of those places, he couldn’t be dressed in his usual hero gear. After all, which was less suspicious: a masked, weapon-wielding teenager, or a student with an oversized backpack?

Squeezing the roller into his backpack, he swung it over his shoulder and turned toward the city.

Now was the time to gather his pieces.

Research: Address, Jax, Jax’s partner / Go To: Address Location

 

[Aykorn]

Wade took a glance at his phone, careful not to tug the charger out of the wall. Huh, if he wanted to make by seven sharp, he'd better leave soon-ish....Better to be early though after the false-alarm scramble this morning. At least he had the address, but not much else.

But seriously, what if it was where Jax lived? Wade paused for a moment, trying to picture what kind of place Jax lived in. Organized to the point of excruciating? Nah, maybe it had the whole old timey journalist feel, with papers scattered everywhere on a hardwood desk. Ha, watch Jax's place be brightly lit with refreshing decor, Wade scoffed to himself.

He shifted spots on his bed, closing some windows and opening others.

Weird to think that such a war had happened 100 years ago, but that made sense from stuff he'd heard before, which was only the bare minimum. Stuff like 'the inklings won and 'it happened'. All of these details were new, but Wade chalked up his lack of knowledge to living outside of the Inkopolis for most of his life. They had to teach this stuff in local school right? Maybe not. Still, it bothered Wade that all he knew specifically was which weapons came out of that era, thanks to a bit of fascination for bamboozlers and other chargers.

Likewise, It was a little disappointing to hear there was so little new he could hear about Octo Valley. Wade impatiently drummed his fingers on the surface of his laptop. Honestly, you'd think growing up outside of Inkopolis would make one a bit behind on some of the local terrain, but Octo Valley really was this giant hole in the map. No documentation, seriously?? Seems like no one from Inkopolis dared step foot near it, but that might just be because of the declared territories. Honestly, it had never struck him to visit the valley before all of this, but maybe that might change.

...Hm, maybe no one visiting the Valley wasn't quite right. Wade thought back to the conversation with Cato. There had been the Agents and some kerfuffle with DJ Octavio. Wade stifled a snicker. Something about how Cato went 'uh yeah, we're all really ashamed of the leader DJ releasing this single' made him crack up inside. Being completely honest though, the single was still good though. Still good.

Research: Agents, Octavio

 

[xCoCo]

Walking back she spotted Alga outside Brutus room, staring vacantly. Was she okay? Curiously, she waved a hand in front of her face, trying to get her attention.
"Alga, yo, Alga?" She called, "Whats up? Why are you just standing there?" Lili was indeed, curious.

Talk to ; Alga

 

[Banshee]

Alga blinked and looked at Lili, giving her a look before sighing through her nose and shaking her head. "It's...n-nothing."

It was nice Lili seemed concerned. She just wanted to get out of this mess was all.

"...Morning."

Talk: Lili

 

[Rustic]

Canchi's stomach grumbled, alerting him to the fact he hasn't eaten since his measly breakfast consisting of a single, not-fully eaten bowl of cereal. Oh, and a cup of tea. He glanced at Magabelle, then to where his house was down the street, and wondered whether to return to investigating Callie's and Marie's--the Squid Sisters' house. His home was just down the street, waiting for him to return and probably laze around. Although it was just as likely he would be told to go clean the house.

He pondered on his options: help Magabelle investigate the Squid Sisters' house or go home and eat something and do other things, the important thing was getting food for himself. Investigate. Eat something. Canchi thought on it for several moments before it dawned upon him. Canchi could simply just raid their fridge while he was there, well, it depended on whether or not they were there or not. If they're not there, who's gonna stop him from eating the contents of their fridge? No one. That's who.

Well... maybe Magabelle might say something.

However, Canchi was just really hungry and he couldn't get the thought of food out of his mind. Not to mention if he and Magabelle were potential targets for Deepview, he decided it would be safer if he had, as Magabelle had put it, two guns instead of one. "Yeah, let's continue the search for Algae--er...Alga."

[Action: Follow One-Shot Mag!]

(( BURN MY EYES, FOR I DID NOT SEE 10 WORDS AT THE END OF THE POST! ))

 

[ReedRGale]

@Aykorn DE Points: 1

​

Spoiler: Wade Arroyo

Wade ==> Research: Agents, Octavio

> Base Pool 3; Urban Legend -1; Dice Pool 2
> Success Rolls 0

Wade decided he'd go and look for the Agents... but after another break. It was still too messy in here to think and after taking a break, it was clear that this was going to distract him until he did it. So, the quest to organize hats continued.

It was a pretty grueling task, but Wade was determined he could do it.

> Base Pool 3; Urban Legend -1; Dice Pool 2
> Success Rolls 0

After thirty minutes Wade finally recognized it. He was just putting off working on something he felt would be impossible to find out about. The Agents were an urban legend and online facts about urban legends just didn't stick around. How would he know what was real and what was false.

He'd wasted all his time on just cleaning. But... at least the room looked good.

If he wanted to make the appointed time though... he'd have to head off now.

@xCoCo and @Banshee 2 DE Points; Banshee: 1 Strike

Spoiler: Lili Maon and Alga Sargasso

Lili ==> Talk
Alga ==> Talk

Soon...

@Rustic and @VeryButter 2 DE Points Rustic: 1 Strike

Spoiler: Canchi Chiro and Magabelle Yyouni

Canchi ==> Go To: Squid Sister's House
Mag ==> Go To: Squid Sister's House

> Mag: Passive Perception
> Dice Pool 3
> 1 Success Roll

The sun began to set as the two set out. It wasn't more than a ten minute walk from here to the Squid Sister's house, but it wasn't long before Mag felt like something was off. Maybe she was just being paranoid, but she found herself looking around as they walked checking behind her. But she didn't want to say it.

> Canchi: Passive Perception
> Dice Pool 3
> 1 Success Roll

Neither did Canchi. Something was definitely off though and before he knew it, it found that he was fingering the gun he'd been given. There were two things he was glad for right now. That he had something to protect himself and that he wasn't alone.

It was quiet as they walked, peering around themselves, the two kids hyper-conscious of... something. Each step on the road seemed intensified. Each tree branch littering the roadway seemed to shuffle too loudly. Every house seemed suspicious.

...there seemed to be no one around.

By the time they reached the corner the Squid Sister's house was on, they felt a sigh of relief. Maybe it would be best not to look for Alga here. Maybe it would be best to just...

Mag jumped back suddenly as gray inkfire splattered at her feet. Both she and Canchi, with their frazzled nerves driving them, pulled their weapons. And prepared to react.

From behind a house corner, the barrel of a weapon disappeared. In that moment, Canchi guessed it was a splatterscope or something similar as it left a trail leaving behind the location of the assailant. Were they the only one? What if there were others?

Mag had dodged on luck and fright. But now there was a choice. Run or fight?

@Hesoca 1 DE Point

Spoiler: Maximillian de Re

Max ==> Research: Address, Jax, and Jax's Partner

> No time to "Go To" as well.
> I will consider going to the library as part of a research roll though.

As the city's sole defender and hero, he knew the city like the back of his hand. There were plenty of delays in getting from one place to another, though, as the larger debris--which ranged from bridges to larger toppled buildings--still hadn't been taken care of. It seemed no matter how many paths he tried, it still took him much longer than it should have to get to the local library.

From there, the real work could begin.

> Base Pool 3; Proper Resources/Atmosphere (Library) +2; Dice Pool 5
> 1 Success Roll (Awkward)

Max began to look up the address, but he couldn't seem to find much on it. He now had the directions, but the links he picked up just had normal information. A normal place in the middle of a normal neighborhood. He'd have to scope the place out when he got there.

> Base Pool 3; Proper Resources/Atmosphere (Library) +2; Dice Pool 5
> 1 Success Roll (...Awkward)

Next was the search into Jax. It seems he was, at least, not lying about being a journalist. A few quick searches pulled up some of his recent articles which seemed to be covering mostly mundane topics. He seemed to, however, cover some of the disappearances of shopkeepers. Some of the articles featured interviews with the Deepview employees, but none of them or the things they said seemed to stand out.

Not too much was gained from this, but it did leave Max wondering why Jax had never been targeted by Deepview if he followed them and covered their slow encroachment. Wouldn't they want to silence him? Instead they seemed to allow for interviewing openly...

> Base Pool 3; Proper Resources/Atmosphere (Library) +2; Obscure information -3; Dice Pool 2
> 2 Success Rolls (KEK uhhhhhh...)

Nothing. Nothing pointed to Jax having a partner of any sort. Was he lying? Journalists didn't normally have seconds but was it possible that they were working underground? Who was this person?

Maybe their cohort was in Deepview?

Just as Max noticed someone was reading his screen over his shoulder. When Max shot him a glare, he smiled, then said, apologetically, "sorry, I'm just surprised you're reading his articles. I'm a friend of his you see."

They got to talking. Max found out, through his amazing social skills honed through his years of heroism, that this man was a cafe owner, Jax was a friend of his and, with a little convincing, he made him believe he was a friend of his.

"Oh, are you the person that he was meeting yesterday? Said he had a job that he needed my place for; that he was going to be working with them. Are you that person?"

Being the fine upstanding, nonlying citizen he was, Max said no. The cafe owner shrugged and said, "well, I'll let you get back to it; its getting late and I need to get home." And he left.

It was late. About 5 pm. Getting to the meetup location would take about an hour. What to do? Go now and stake out the place? Or research a bit more?

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

Reminders:

Posts are Due: Sep 14th at Midnight PST
Gm Post will be Made: Sep 16th

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]
Follow [use this to just keep together with a party member or let an NPC take the lead]

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]

 

[VeryButter]

WELL.

Mag locked her eyes on where the shot seemed to have come from, her pistol raised and aim taken. Oh how desperately she wanted to check around her... but her paranoia both decided for and against it; if she looked away, she might get shot. If she kept her gaze on the attacker... she might get shot.

Before she attempted to take action, she tried to figure out the range of the first shooter's weapon in comparison to hers.

Examine: Grey Ink Trail

 

[ReedRGale]

Mag ==> Examine Grey Ink Trail

The trail looked to be about the range of an E-Liter, but there was no saying about the charge time. However, if Mag were to guess, it was a shorter charge time as the trail was about as wide as a Squiffer's.

That said, it probably just barely outranged the pistol she had on her.

 

[VeryButter]

Magabelle, after taking a quick guess as to the weapon's possible 'stats', opted to get a little closer, still keeping her eye on the one particular house corner. But of course, there was still the risk of getting shot by someone else, so, in an attempt to make sure neither of them died, she whispered to Canchi, "watch my flank," along with a quick nod to the side.

Slowly, she shuffled closer to the (current) main attacker, avoiding the ink by moving to the side, staying ready to react if they peeked their head out. If anything, this gives me the opportunity to test the weapon against a real opponent...

Move Towards: Assailant/Prepare to Attack: Assailant

 

[Hesoca]

Spoiler: Maximillian de Rè

Ultimately, Max’s detour to the library had garnered a mixed bag of results. Despite the time he’d spent searching, he’d uncovered almost nothing about his biggest points of interest. Details about the address, while enough to confirm that it was a real location, revealed almost nothing about the building or the surrounding location, and likewise any major information about Jax was shrouded in ominous mystery. Heck, he had found barely anythingabout Jax’s supposed partner; just the fact that such a partner existedwas one that Max had fought for, using every tactic he’d learned from his adventures to claw the information out of someone who’d only introduced themselves by happenstance.

Heh, but y’know… as he leaned back in his seat, Max couldn’t help but grin. Chance or not, he’d done a pretty good job of it, cooking up a facade like that with only scraps of information. If volunteering was teaching him anything, it was how to be trustworthy, to give off an air of approachability. To think that he could pull off that kind of persona, even if it was a lie… it was a good feeling, the kind that made him feel like was making progress past the Inkling he’d been a few years back.

He basked in the feeling for a moment, listening to the quiet echo of footsteps and turning pages. At the entrance, the doors thudded with increasing frequency; people were likely leaving for the day. Reminded of his own business, Max sighed and cleared his presence from the library computer. Though his questions were largely unanswered, he had a building to scope. Further research would, unfortunately, have to wait until after the meeting.

With a huff, Max tossed his backpack over his shoulder and wandered toward the exit, running through the bits of information he’d collected. Y’know… the more he thought about it, the stranger it was that he hadn’t been able to find the information he wanted. Yeah, finding out about Jax’s partner or even Jax himself could’ve been a bit of a stretch, but why would a random address be under lock and key?

Out of habit, he flicked at his cowlick again. Heck, the address wasn’t the only suspicious thing he’d uncovered. Jax’s interviews with Deepview employees had been extensive, and the thought of how open they seemed to be crossed his mind again. Wouldn’t Deepview want to silence someone who was digging into their company, especially someone with the ability to quickly distribute information?

Something caught in Max’s throat, and he swallowed hard. Since his conversation with the cafe owner, there was one thing that hadn’t been sitting right with him, something that Jax had apparently said: “that he was going to be working with them.” Was going to be, as if they hadn’t been working together before. Were they an interviewee, maybe a source? Yet the cafe owner had never seen them before.

Whoever this mysterious Inkling was… they were someone that had never associated with Jax previously.

A cheerful jingle greeted Max as he stepped outside, parallel to his troubled thoughts. The partner, the interview, the things Jax had said previously… no matter how he looked at it, everything pointed to Jax having some kind of connection to Deepview.

But why? Why would Jax put so much effort into tracking him down? Why would he go through all the trouble of meeting him in the Tower, making up a story about investigating Deepview, setting up a meeting, and dragging him all the way over to some random house just to capture him, or worse? If Jax’s mission had been to stop his heroics, why not do so in the Tower, say it was a break-in gone wrong? Was it a setup he was planning? An interrogation?

Just what the shell was he planning…?

With a anxious sigh, Max wandered through the desolate city on quick steps.

Go To: Address Location

 

[Aykorn]

Wade looked at his phone, noting that he should probably leave if he didn't want to be late.

Yeesh, time seemed to fly so fast, but at least his hats were organized. Wade stood up to admire his neatly sorted headgear cubbies. Yeah... This might be the most organized he'd ever seen his hats. This was time well spent.

...Er, he never got around to searching up that lingo Cato dropped, ironically doing something productive when he should have been looking stuff up on the internet, but ah well. Wade just hoped this wouldn't be important later. Or something someone who'd lived around Inkopolis would know. He always felt a bit behind on some of the niche local info.

Making sure his bandanna and laces were tied snug, Wade slung his bike panniers over his shoulder as he headed out. He already had a path of actions in mind to get to the meeting space on time: he'd leave the building, attach his panniers, then hop on his bike, taking the most direct route through Inkopolis streets. Then it was just a matter of finding Jax.

And this mystery recruit. And then Ash too, right? So the four of them would have a complete squad? Sounded tactically smart, so that was good thinking from Jax.

Wade had to wonder how Jax found this recruit though. What were the odds someone else was visibly freaking out in front of Booyah Base? Probably low, but that begged the question, 'how do we know this person can be trusted?' ...Well when put that way, it didn't very much sound like he could be trusted himself, but curiosity tugged at Wade's mind about this new mystery person. Who else would have a penchant for trouble and conspiracies....?

Go To: Meeting Location

 

[Rustic]

This ain't good.

Canchi looked down at the Ink trail, then at where assumed the sniper's location was.

He nodded at Magabelle, and, crouching down, got behind something to protect him from the sniper. Occasionally peeking out to get a quick glance at Mag, he gripped his pistol. Preparing to attack their unknown assailant, or at least distract them long enough for Magabelle to do the good old surprise attack.

[Action: Be sharkbait]

 

[ReedRGale]

@Aykorn DE Points: 1

​

Spoiler: Wade Arroyo

Wade ==> Go To: Meeting Location

Pondering who the possible new partner might be, Wade saddled up and took off. The bike ride was getting harder and harder now, especially with all the rubble littering the street and the increasing darkness. It got to a point where Wade eventually got off his precious bike and began to simply take it along with him to hold his stuff.

With lamplights flickering to life slowly, Wade couldn't help but wonder why they were meeting in a new location. Probably to throw off Deepview but was there a reason for this meetup place in particular?

Last time the place they met up was an acquaintance of Jax... maybe this time was similar? Was there maybe a reason Jax wanted them to meet up there? Maybe it was the person? But then who would be important to talk about the situation with?

Wade almost tripped over a fallen wall of a building. Looking to his side, he saw that it had fallen out in the weirdest way: he could look inside and see the destroyed innards of the commercial building while its wall had fallen out entirely, revealing the insides like a dollhouse.

The conspiracies Wade had heard the other day buzzed through his head as he worked to avert his gaze from the building. He was almost at his destination anyway.

Taking a turn, Wade entered a district of the city he didn't recognize before. His phone said this was the right place, but somehow, it didn't even feel like part of Inkopolis. The streets were paved, but though they were cracked and it was dark, it was clear it was a different kind of asphalt. Something older and faded. And the buildings seemed to be from a different time.

Walking to his final destination, Wade noticed a red Inkling with a duffel bag standing outside of a building. Noting the weird person, Wade was going to just pass the place and keep searching when he noticed the numbers between the buildings led to... well, the one the other Inkling was standing outside.

...what now?

@xCoCo and @Banshee 2 DE Points; Banshee: 1 Strike

Spoiler: Lili Maon and Alga Sargasso

Lili ==> Talk
Alga ==> Talk

In a peppy fashion, Lili called out to Alga, who was standing vacantly in the hallway. "Alga, yo, Alga?" She called, "Whats up? Why are you just standing there?"

"Its n-nothing," Alga replied. "...Morning."

"Morning." The inkling tilted her head, "Nothing, eh?" Lili shoook her head, "If it really is nothing then you wouldn't be staring out into space." But, maybe she was thinking about it a bit too much."

Crossing her arms she walked up to Alga, "Is Brutus up yet? What are you going to do? They have a library here if you want to check out some books."

Alga was glad for the jump in topic, merely shrugging when Lili pointed out her staring. She did that. "No. He went back to sleep after I asked where the bathroom was..."

Alga looked down in the direction of what had been her intended destination. "I was, uh...gonna use the bathroom." A library sounded neat to look through, though. She'd probably go for that after her business here was finished. Though, she didn't really know where it was…

"I wonder how long he'll be asleep for..." Hopefully the young didn't sleep in that late; it would suck if he lost most of the day. "Oh! Come on, let's go to the bathroom." Lili had no problem waiting around and then taking Alga to the library afterwards. "I can wait, I know where the library is so I'll take you there after!" She chimed

She blinked and nodded a tad shyly, wringing her hands and smiling just a bit. "A-Alright."

It was nice to have company, at least. That was something she could never do without.

So, the two went to the bathroom and later visited the library. Nothing of worth, was found in particular, but a nice afternoon was spent as Brutus and Germana studied under Felix of all people to learn more about how to read.

The afternoon passed in a pretty lighthearted manner, but Aelia was still on everyone’s minds as they watched a little TV together. So when a voice came on over the intercom the general thought was that the news would be about Aelia, however…

“To everyone in base,” a serious voice echoed over the intercom, “Oy have important news. There’s an intruder in the Junkyard. Oy repeat, an intruder in the junkyard. Oy’d like all able-bodied members to report to the closest bay. Remember to take a comm and a locator. The intruder may be armed. Oy believe with Aelia gone, Felix is next in command.”

“Tha’s right, fellas!” Felix grunted, cracking his back as he lifted himself off the couch. “Le’s go ‘n’ observe and or catch an intruder.” Turning to Lili and Alga, he said, “ye don’ need ta come, but if ya do, make sure tha’ ya don’ die; follow my orders ‘n’ ye should be fine. Prolly.”

With that, Brutus, Germana, and Felix made their way to the place that Alga had first entered from.

...what now?

@Rustic and @VeryButter 2 DE Points Rustic: 1 Strike

Spoiler: Canchi Chiro and Magabelle Yyouni

Canchi ==> Attack: Assailant
Mag ==> Attack: Assailant

Soon...

@Hesoca 1 DE Point

Spoiler: Maximillian de Re

Max ==> Go To: Address Location

Max walked the streets, sunset ending and moonrise beginning. The library wasn't too far from his destination, nor was it far off the paths he usually patrolled. So, as he made his way to the building, it was with the lingering sense of confidence that comes with familiarity mingled with the worry that was tinged in fear and doubt.

There was a lot to fear and doubt right now, that was for sure. Jax's motives. His partner. Deepview and the connections between them all. It was enough to make his stomach churn.

So, the Inkling with his duffle filled with weapons he shouldn't have outside of the tower, stepped over pieces of rubble and building on his way to the street.

It was, surprisingly, near the heart of the city. The closer he got to it, the more Max knew that this was the first neighborhood that was built in Inkopolis. It was smack dab in the heart of the city and home to some of the oldest structures and people. Most of the people who lived here were geezers.

The thing was, though, that this neighborhood probably didn't have cameras. Didn't have any sort of recording devices because the residents were all from an older generation... did Jax plan to take him out here where there would be no electronic evidence?

Tricky. Max was on his guard until he reached the house he was looking for. There was a toppled tree in the garden, so he had to look around to find the number, but lo and behold, it was the correct address.

Unfortunately, it looks like someone's approaching... an Inkling with a bike. What's your move?

Spoiler

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

Reminders:

Posts are Due: Sep 21st at Midnight PST
Gm Post will be Made: Sep 23rd

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]
Follow [use this to just keep together with a party member or let an NPC take the lead]

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]

 

[Hesoca]

Max’s work had taken him to nearly every part of the city, but man, this place was from another time entirely. Broken streets, old tech, buildings sagging to the weight of their years… it was a wonder that the historic district was still standing after all this time, especially after the earthquake.

In the silence old the old-time neighborhood, Max threw on his mask and gazed up at the old house, swallowing hard. Something about the place bugged him. There was the utter lack of cameras, of course. The stillness that made it seem like he was alone. But there was something else, something about how otherworldly the place was. The city streets were practically his home, and yet here he felt so far removed from his element that-

-Wait. He froze, listening to the sound of a bike’s wheels against the pavement. Someone was coming this way.

Immediately, Max ducked behind the house and pressed against the corner wall. Shell, no one was supposed to be here yet. Was it Jax? No, no, it didn’t look like him. Maybe it was the partner? Argh, he hadn’t had time to scope the place out...

He glanced furtively around the area, looking for a place to hide.

Examine: Old House / Back Area of Old House / Area Surrounding Old House

 

[ReedRGale]

Examine: Surrounding Area

Damn! Had to find someplace to hide! Surely the other Inkling had seen him so he had to lose him if he intended to hide at this point and come up with another plan of attack.

Taking quick scope of the routes available, Max noted the fallen tree. Such a thing could grant enough cover to run through the yard and to slip around the house itself. Unless this Inkling was prepared for a chase, Max should be able to lose him once the other Inkling lost sight. The ways around the house were open. It would be an easy escape because it gave him a little more of a vision advantage, however... there was no way to know what would be behind the house until he got there. That was the real risk.

Otherwise, he was also still on the road. Seeing as the other Inkling was toting a bike, normally this route for a chase wouldn't work as he'd have the vehicle advantage, but the road was cracked, there were huge pieces of debris still littering the roads, not to mention the odd construction unit attempting to move things out of the way here and there. Unless he wanted to abandon his bike, the road would be a way to go.

 

[Hesoca]

Max’s gaze darted between the two possibilities. Run on the road and double-back? As if he were that stupid; his back would be open to any kind of fire. Slip into the back, duck along the walls of the house? But if he did that, he’d be vulnerable to an ambush… argh! Why’d that Inkling have to show up now?!

Cursing under his breath, Max dashed down the road and into the garden of the house, slipping behind the fallen tree and moving toward the back of the house. Shell, this wasn’t good… he hadn’t had a chance to draw his Dynamo yet. If there was someone behind that house, some kind of trap or machine or… anything, really, he was fryin’ screwed. Frick, why was he was one always getting jumped on?! He showed up early, he showed up early, and still he’d lost his element of surprise.

Mrg… He grabbed at the edge of the duffel bag in preparation. As soon as he was sufficiently hidden, he’d go for his weapon.

Hide: Behind House

 

[ReedRGale]

Max ==> Hide: Behind House

> Rolling die.
> Roll difficulty level set.

With quick movements, Max vaulted over the tree and darted out of sight of the Inkling. With practiced motions, he looked around, automatically determining decent hiding spots where he could buy some time to prepare. Spotting a decent amount of shrubbery lining the side of the house, he wasted no time soundlessly rolling in then turning to his squid form.

He was sure it was a decent hiding spot, though his color did make him stand out against these bushes, so it was hard to say whether it would work. He prayed it did.

 

[Hesoca]

((Edit: hello please be forgiving the me for post inconvenience. bad at reading instruction in really want to ambush pleaseeeee.))

Alright. He was hidden. He was hidden. He was hidden. He was… frick he was not hidden. If this was a different time of year, then he could’ve been mistaken for a large leaf or something, but right now he stuck out like... well, like a bright red squid kid hiding in house shrubbery.

Peeking out from underneath the leaves, he could see the backside of the house in the near distance. If he squidded his way along the area that the shrubbery and the wall of the house interconnected, he could likely slip past the backside of the house into the backyard, and hide from that point on.

Alright, then. New plan. Go to the backyard and hide from there.

Hide: Somewhere In Backyard of House