-Missing- IC Thread: RP Cast Filled

[xCoCo]

While she pondered and thought about what to do Lili began to closely peer at new found companion.
What would happen now? What would they do? Honestly, she hadn't been expecting saving a house guest would turn into such a bizarre turn of events.
Speaking of which... Lili she had never seen an Octoling so close before! It was hard to resist the urge to poke Brutus's curls - but she found herself doing just that anyways. Did it feel different from her own? Curiously she touched her own tentacle as well. Ehehe maybe... he wouldn't notice her being curious so much? But who could blame her... Now that that things have calmed down and they duo was pondering what to do the young inkling took the chance to peer at Brutus from the corner of her eye as he she sipped on her cocoa.

Examine: Octoling Brutus

 

[ReedRGale]

@xCoCo I don't think I need spoilers for short things like examines so I won't use them anymore.

Examine: Octoling Brutus

The way that Octolings were painted in history, you'd think that they'd be bigger, more buff... more scary. Brutus was definitely built strong, but not especially so. He had a tough, wirey-looking body that had more than a couple of permanent scars and it did beg the question of how he got them.

His short, green, springy curls (totally pokeable-looking) certainly would have marked him out from the crowd. Guess that was what the hat was for.

And, now that Lili looked closely, the Inkling facial marking around his eyes was a very dark powder or makeup. Unless she looked closely, she couldn't see the teltale signs of an Octoling--their purple facial markings--at all!

Really, he seemed much like a normal inkling sitting there, sipping his cocoa.

 

[xCoCo]

He was an odd one, really, well at least to her.
Brutus must have been extremely dedicated if he decided to risk himself just to figure out what had happened to the Squid Sisters. He would truly be in hot water if anyone else found out about who he truly was. Hm. Octolings were very different then she had imagined. Maybe they were just portrayed badly? Either way Brutus seemed to shatter her general view of Octolings - so they couldn't be all bad could they?

Sipping on her hot cocoa Lili pondered on what to do next. Brutus needed to find his wallet .... he had no clue where it was and Lili herself definitely didn't know.
The whole entire situation was perplexing. But.... where to begin? The young Inkling had a thoughtful look on her face as she began to run over the options in her mind, huffing ever so slightly. Her eyes then turned to the bright sunlight that was gleaming through her window...

It was then a fleeting thought occurred to her - in her excitement she slammed the mug onto the table. "I got it!" She yelled out loudly. "A good place to start is the Squid Sisters house! Maybe we can find your friends there? You were going there - right?" Lili blabbered excitedly finding the house wouldn't be too much of a problem - Lili did live in the same neighborhood.

"Hold on I need to change." Gulping down the rest of her drink and heading to the kitchen to place it in the sink she then rushed upstairs to change out of her clothes and something more suitable for the outside world. She couldn't just...rush out there in her pajamas how embarrassing would that be! Once the young Inkling was ready Lili stuffed her hands in the pocket of her sweater. "Alrighty, we should get going." Once the duo were ready they would head out to the Squid Sisters housing.

Go To: Squid Sisters House

 

[ReedRGale]

@Aykorn :

​

Spoiler: Wade Arroyo

Call: Jax Tilt

With his helmet on and his notebook cleverly hidden under it, Wade started walking his bike and flipping though his phone contacts. He'd head somewhere he knew well on his way to Inkopolis. Maybe a cafe, grab something to eat. But right now Wade was itching to get back to the phone number he'd received yesterday, if only to talk to someone who bought this conspiracy chaos. He'd see how said person was doing after the Earthquake, but also, gauge how willing they was to get mixed up in all of this.

Wade tapped the saved number.

There was ringing for a few seconds, but it didn’t take long before the phone was answered. “Hello hello,” the familiar voice began, “you’ve reached the phone of Jax Tilt, ametuer journalist and part-time sanitation inspector. How may I help you?”

“Journalist? Is that why you ‘dropped me’ a business card yesterday?” Wade smirked over the phone. “Did I mention my name yesterday by any chance?”

“No, but it wasn’t hard to find out,” Jax began, apparently recognizing Wade by voice. He was sharp. “You are the only Inkling I know that is so infatuated with Annie that you would hyperventilate outside Cooler Heads about it. Ironic if you think about it.”

“Ah, but I didn’t actually say your name and with good reason,” he paused here, though for what reason, it couldn’t be clear. There was a crunch of glass just barely making it through the receiver of Wade’s shellphone. “Let me just say that your initials are W and A and you main a charger. Why did you call?”

Wade raised an eyebrow, still walking his bike and now wondering about the glass noise. That could be a lot of things after an earthquake. Also, this guy was quicker and more smart alecky than he expected. There goes messing with him right off the bat. Wade replied,“I more or less have a favor to ask of you for later, and I’ve basically found a bunch of reasons to ask and not ask this. Also, on a totally different note, what are you up to right now?”

“Taking notes for the article I’m definitely going to need to publish,” the edgy kid stated. Then, after a pause he said, in a rushed, hushed tone, “evading someone. Got a question? Ask quick. Got a place to meet up? Note now.”

“Wha--?” Caught off guard, Wade sputtered out, “C-can you meet up somewhere outside Inkopolis at-- wait… how much do you actually want to get wrapped up in this? I’m going off the ‘Deep-end’ in…” Wade hesitated but decided to add it anyway, “in less than 2 days.”

“We’ll see when we get to that point,” Jax seemed distracted. “Know the alley down the road; the one with Spyke? I’m going to leave a note with a meetup point in the first vending machine down that alley. Come if you’re serious.” Then he hung up.

@lonelyrollingsquid You have one credit built up because you warned me you couldn't get a post in. The next action you put in will be responded to immediately.

Kiki Haught is thinking about what to do.

@Banshee

Spoiler: Alga Sargasso

Wake Up

Alga's floor was still messy as all get-up. But now, it was a reasonable 10-something and she stretched as she got out of bed. Her grandparents, evidently, had finished bickering because all was silent through the house. The only odd thing, really, was that the lights were off.

As she stumbled out of bed, she recalled everything that had happened, nearly tripping on a fallen knick knack. Yesterday evening had been a busy one and this morning seemed to be competing to be more eventful. To fight for first in "weird" would be hard though. A recruitment offer from an older inkling who had actually accepted her for her hair color and the offer to teach guitar from a random kid on the train... those bizarre events would be hard to top.

But an earthquake so early in the morning? Alga walked down the hallway to the kitchen to get a snack and tried to turn on the electric stovetop to start some water boiling--some early ramen was totally in order. ...but it didn't work.

Alga's brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what had happened. Something clicked though when she looked outside. A tall, though thin, tree that had been in her front yard was gone. She ran up to the window to get a better look and the tree had fallen straight onto a power line.

Great.

What will you do Alga?

@xCoCo

Spoiler: Lili Maon

Go To: Squid Sister's Home

"Ready, Freddy!" Brutus chirped, his beanie already back on his head. At least he seemed to understand the fact that he wasn't supposed to look like an Octoling. Didn't look like he had much to worry about though. Wherever people were, it wasn't here. There were toppled trees here and there along the roads as Lili and Brutus started down the street to the Squid Sister's home.

It was a nice walk, besides the fallen trees. Empty calm streets. They even skipped there a little bit as Brutus led the way. Though it took a pretty long time considering; Brutus was not good with directions. Eventually, Lili resigned to knock on a door of a neighbor and ask where the Squid Sisters lived and then they finally started to make some headway.

When they got to the Squid Sister's house, or what was supposed to be their house, Lili was awed. Not by how grand it was, but... how simple it was. It wasn't meager by any means, but it was a single story, simple-looking home surrounded by some well-kept bushes and simple picket fence that seemed freshly painted. Cozy. That was the best word for it.

"Here's their house..." Brutus began, a little nervously, "but should we be here? Aelia and Marie said not to come except during dark." That said, he was looking at the area before his eyes seemed to lock on something. "Oh oh, that's not there normally!" And he started running to the front door of the Sisters' house.

What will you do Lili?

@Topazrekerboy

Spoiler: Rhin Ardongale

Shadow: Jax

Fastidious, as usual. Rhin didn't know anyone as dedicated to what he did was Jax. Except maybe himself. He kept himself as quiet as he could trying to peek over Jax's shoulder to peek at his notes without attracting attention.

Jax's handwriting was quick and neat, but that made it small and hard to read. Rhin managed to make out "devastation," "earthquake," "Octolings," "Deepview," and "missing weapons" all bulleted neatly and connected with different types of lines. But then, Jax tucked his notebook into his Urban Vest--was he ever not wearing that thing?--and pulled out his shellphone.

“You’ve reached the phone of Jax Tilt," he began, "amateur journalist and part-time sanitation inspector. How may I help you?” He started to walk briskly and Rhin followed, but to keep silent was nearly impossible with the glass scattered all over the place. The crowd's discussion helped, but Rhin tried to move quietly so as not to gain attention.

“No, but it wasn’t hard to find out,” Jax continued, still in earshot, but slowly becoming harder to listen in on. Rhin was starting to have to press against the crowd to keep up. Jax weaved through people in a way that suggested he'd done this before. “You are the only Inkling I know that is so infatuated with Annie that you would hyperventilate outside Cooler Heads about it. Ironic if you think about it.” ...was the last thing Rhin heard from the inkling.

He had lost him in the crowd, but judging from his direction, it wasn't hard to tell where he was going: Spyke's alley. Rhin shoved through the crowd that were mobbing outside the main monitor. It took a minute or two, but he finally managed to slip past them and dash into the alley.

When he did, Jax was waiting, his eyebrow сocked and his hands in his pockets. "Did you need something?" He inquired. Though his harsh tone dropped when he found out it was Rhin. "Ohh! I thought you were someone else! What'd'ya need Rhin?"

@SP3CT3R Not sure which balcony you wanted to I picked one for you. If you want to change the action, let me know. Further, you have one credit as well--same as Lonely--the next action you take that isn't a quick action will be responded to immediately. This is to keep you on time with the other players.

Spoiler: Eric Knight

There's something therapeutic about going to your room when things are going awry. Eric figured that the best bet on getting out would be the fire escape and that his room probably had one--maybe he'd just never been looking for it.

Still, it was comforting to be in his own, rather sizable, room. Eric, of course, used this to store plenty of blueprints for different weapons that he had come up with. On the table was his respawn stone, a deep emerald green, shone beautifully on the desk.

Too bad almost everything else had fallen down. The books that had been stacked and organized beautifully were scattered all around the floor. The papers that had been categorized had followed suit. His dresser had fallen to the floor, clothes spilling out in a colorful puddle. His walk-in closet was probably a mess too, with shirts all over the place and pants and outfits all over the floor. If he weren't currently trying to escape his own home, Eric would have been at least annoyed at this mess.

The only thing that seemed free from the chaos of the quake was his bed which appeared to still be made. Properly. Good.

Marching to the balcony, purpose distracting him from relative clutter, Eric pulled back the curtains and looked for--aha! A ladder down! It went down to the back gardens. He was about to figure out the clasping mechanism to get it down when... he heard voices.

"We've searched everywhere! Where's group two?" Eric tiptoed to the wall, so as to hear better.

"We can't find them sir!" Another voice resonated through his wall, slightly muffled by insulation.

"Rrrr, damnit! We... we're gonna have to leave them."

"What?" the footsteps seemed to stop just outside of Eric's room.

"We completed the mission; group one secured the target's respawn stones..." What! The only others who lived here were... oh... "...let's check if group two completed their mission then escape."

The footsteps were growing closer to Eric's door, but he had a few seconds. What do you do, Eric?

​

((Hope that's some action for you SP3CT3R! ;P

Have any questions? Contact me via PM or Skype. Deadline is later because I'm moving tomorrow and will not have stable internet.))

Reminders:

Posts are Due: Sunday, 8th of September at Midnight PST

Spoiler: Available Actions Reminder

Will be Responded to in GM Post:
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]
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]

 

[Aykorn]

Spoiler: [Wade] Go To: Inkopolis--Spyke's Alleyway

"I'll be... there," Wade said to no one in particular since Jax was no longer on the line. With a mostly confused expression, Wade slowly brought his phone away from his head and tapped to hang up.

Then he blinked.

Not... that he was expecting to bond over being conspiracy hunters or anything, but that phone call had been unsettling abrupt? But mission accomplished, right? He'd have to track down Jax eventually, and now there was a definite meeting spot laid out. He had a solid next step; head to Inkopolis, go find the note, then go wherever it lead him.

And, if Jax was going through the trouble to meet with him like that, he wouldn't be someone who'd... rat him out or be a non-believer, so that was also good. Not that he had forgot how Jax played along with his card drop yesterday. This dude was just as cautious. He was wise to be cautious. The thought of Simone lingered in Wade's head.

But dang. Considering how stiff Jax had been, Wade had wanted to say something unexpected, maybe poke some fun if only to loosen the mood. With stupefying flippancy and nonchalance, Wade would establish that, yeah, this whole secret, dangerous organization thing was like, no biggie, and that he couldsomehow be trusted to break into an office building of some crime syndicate, or whatever.

....Sooo.

Apparently Jax had seen the freak-out episode outside Cooler Heads. Nice.

Wade cringed at his phone, but couldn't deny that after that conversation, there was no doubt that Jax was sharp and observant, which fit the "journalist" profile. Jax might actually knew more than he let on yesterday, that or, he had at least kept up on the other happenings of Inkopolis that might piece together somehow.

Shell, would the facts Wade put together be enough to not waste Jax's time? It wasn't like he could stall or compile a portfolio of Deepview memorabilia. Two days was a strict timeline. And that's why he needed help, fast. Jax might just be invaluable.

Wade hopped on his bike, planning to pedal his way to Inkopolis, only stopping for a good reason like helping someone after the earthquake. With debris everywhere, there was probably general confusion all over Inkopolis... and maybe that was something he could use to pick up a new clue before he found Jax.

Wade put his phone away, still mulling over one thing.

Evading someone. Like who, the fashion police? Wade hoped it was no one to legit run away from. The only thing Wade could do was get there was quick as he could.

Go To: Inkopolis--Spyke's Alleyway

 

[Topazrekerboy]

"Huh?" Rhin said grinning "oh nothing. Just wondering how that quake happend. My house almost fell apart. Anyhoo's, have any speculations about the quake or what? I kinda have suspicions on that man on the annoucment screen everyday, he seems suspicious. Oh, did you find any clues on finding Mari-I mean the Squid Sisters? Oh what am I saying you probably didn't. Maybe I should see if the Stages are safe." Rhin said, dashing to Inkopolis Tower, happy he avoided a serious conversation.

Go To: Inkopolis Tower

 

[Banshee]

Alga had a mild headache from attempting to return to sleep upon seeing the time, and rubbing at her forehead as she checked the house out. A tree branch on one of the power lines, how lovely. And here she had been aiming to fiddle around on her laptop and kill some time.

With a sigh through the nose did the Inkling pull back from the window and take herself to her room, closing the door behind her and getting dressed in the usual attire before reaching out for her guitar case. She paused and opened it up for a cursory check - nothing out of place, everything still as it should be, all in order - before closing it securely and strapping it to her back via the shoulder.

Alga took the back door out, closing it quietly after she stepped out. Knowing her family, they wouldn't want her going too far, but her grandmother was probably asleep and her grandfather was out working. She would be fine for awhile, and besides she wanted to take a look at everything in the neighborhood. How bad was the damage, she wondered...

Go To: Outside

 

[ReedRGale]

((@Topazrekerboy Too bad, the power of plot is going to stand in your way.))

Jax moved faster than Rhin had ever seen an inkling move and before he knew it, between the exit and himself was an inkling. "You have been tailing me for nearly a minute without overtly warning me. I waited for a warning, trust me. I gave you time to do so, but you didn't."

Jax glared at Rhin as he tried to find some way around the journalist. "You know what I hate about you? You think you can run away from everything that bugs you. You want to be the center of attention but simultaneously run away from it. You want people to understand you but you don't want people to get to know you."

He sighed, still blocking the alley. "Answer me one question, Rhin. Do you want to find the truth to this whole mess? Or just remain in society's darkness forever? We should be helping each other, but you push everyone away."

"Actually," Jax finished, "you don't need to answer. Go if you want to just ignore everything. Stay if you want to find things out with me. The choice is yours entirely."

 

[lonelyrollingsquid]

Kiki's still wondered about the tremors, mainly how far they had reached. There had been enough time for this to reach the news, right? She walked back into her apartment and went to her room.

Somehow, the wreckage was worse than she remembered, but she spotted her laptop still sitting closed on her bedside table. She tiptoed through the rubble to reach it. It looked fine from here, and she opened it up, praying it'd work at least long enough to find the latest news headlines.

Research: Recent Tremors

 

[xCoCo]

((I CAN POST!!! PRAISE THE GIANT ZAPFISH!!!)

Go To: Squid Sister's Home

Lili tilted her head ever slightly at Brutus' eager reaction. What got him so excited? Shrugging it off he at least understood to hide his Octoling features.
If he did not well.... Lili would most certainly shove that beanie back onto his head. Having an Octoling walking around in plain sight in the middle of Inkopolis was not a great idea. In fact - Lili would like to avoid it at all costs.

Walking to the Squid Sisters house... was a little bit more then nerve wracking. Lili had never been there... and knowing how they were missing.... what would happen? Would they find clues? Was there someone there? Admittedly.... thinking about what could go wrong was a little nerve wracking.... and scary. Brutus' seemed too honest for it to be a trap... so she could rule that one out. However, she still had the gun Brutus had on him... so she had some form of defense.... and besides despite the fallen trees it was a nice walk.

....Although Brutus seemed to not to be good with directions - and after a bit of time (and Lili consistently face palming) she finally resorted to asking where the Squid Sisters lived.

"This is unexpected." Lili gawked at the Squid Sisters house - normally she would have thought Idols would be living in much bigger and lavish houses.... although it didn't seem to be the Squid Sisters case. Their home was small and cozy for better words. It seemed like them to live in this sort of place and she couldn't help but let out a toothy grin.

"Hm, Don't worry Brutus. We should be fine" Lili turned to the Octoling her tentacles swinging when directed her attention to him. "As long as we look normal and not suspicious we ... should be okay. Don't be nervous, 'ya got me. Don't go off on your own- OI BRUTUS!" She called out when his eyes locked onto something on the front door. Squinting she cautiously followed the Octoling. Jeez; she had to keep an eye on him, didn't she?!

Go To; Squid Sisters Front Door

 

[ReedRGale]

A reminder to those who have credits, you have the ability to take that number of actions and recieve a response immediately. Please let me know you're spending it... I'm a forgetful person.

That's at you @lonelyrollingsquid and @SP3CT3R

@Aykorn :

​

Spoiler: Wade Arroyo

Go To: Inkopolis--Spyke's Alleyway

The closer that Wade got to Inkopolis, the more extreme the damage appeared to be and the harder it got to bike. The boy had dealt with some pretty terrible potholes in the past--Inkopolis took pretty darn good care of its roads, though--but this was insane. The pieces of rubble got worse the closer to the tower Wade got.

The roads were pretty packed too, which was weird because traffic was handled pretty amazingly. But backups could be seen for miles. More and more, he found himself appreciating his choice in vehicle.

Bicycles for the win.

When he got to the city proper though, even Wade had to stop and he found out why the cars were all lined up. Glass littered the road. Traffic directors were ushering cars into different lanes where the glass had been swept away, but it had only been an hour and there was a lot of glass.

Wade sits outside Inkopolis proper... so close, but so far. He figured he could go on foot, but that meant dropping his bike somewhere which, if it weren't stolen, would be hell to find again. Otherwise, he could try to find another way in.

There might be more choices though... maybe it just wasn't readily apparent. The honking horns weren't making it any easier.

What do you do Wade?

@lonelyrollingsquid 1 Credit

Spoiler: Kiki Haught

Research: Recent Tremors

Kiki had a bad habit of not charging her laptop before bed, which had caught up with her now. Though the laptop was working, a warning suggested that she only had about three quarters of an hour before her computer pooted out.

But that should be enough to find some rudimentary ideas. Some news sites stated how the earthquake was unusual in how the closer one got to Inkopolis proper, the more serious the damage got. There were images to back that up: broken glass and pictures of the same few toppled buildings filled the image searches.

Other news sites presented a few crack theories--a few involved the fault line theory the boy outside presented--ranging from reasoned logic to "Illuminati Confirmed!!!" The most interesting stories were about a dark cult summoning Fluthuru, Octolings drilling under Inkopolis, and an evil hamster... whatever that is.

It was interesting to read, but it ate up the battery. Soon the laptop died. Still, it didn't look like there was much else to find out about the quake. Everyone was as baffled as everyone else and a few were already sensationalizing the event.

Hands-on investigation was required... but where to start?

...would be a good question if someone didn't just speak up from behind Kiki. It was a whisper, but it was intense. "Where is he?"

What do you do Kiki?

@Banshee

Spoiler: Alga Sargasso

Go To: Outside

The yard was a mess. Unlike Alga's room, this was a once in a life-time occurrence. The grass was always made to conform to a short length and an emerald green. The bushes were trimmed into perfect squares and the tree was well-pruned, despite being much taller than the house. Not a bauble lay on the perfect green carpet... ever.

Until now.

Now, there was dirt and refuse all over the perfect mowing job. The tree which had always stood tall and perfect in the yard had fallen flat out on the lawn, just barely blocking the door.

At least it hadn't landed in the doorway... still that figure in her life had fallen. It was sad, to say the least.

Just as weird was that, at that moment, two Inklings were skipping down the street, filled with debris. What were they up to? Further, the girl had a gun. It was hidden a little bit, but if you saw her from the right side... she had a splattershot on her.

They went down the street that ended with the Squid Sister's house... they weren't that interesting to Alga, but it was hard to avoid that kind of information. What now, Alga?

@xCoCo

Spoiler: Lili Maon

Go To: Squid Sisters Front Door

She really did need to watch him 24/7. Brutus was a huge, cute, stupid ball of energy and he hurtled all that energy toward the front door.

It was amazing that he found what he did, because it was just a tiny slip of paper under the doormat. The writing was perfect Inkling, handwriting that people envied in school because it was textbook. Perfect.

"Stay. Put. Be here in two hours behind house."

The message seemed quite clear but to whom... "This is Aelia's writing! Why would she leave this here?"

...he just couldn't connect the dots could he? Observant, full of energy but dumb as a rock.

What do you do Lili?

@Topazrekerboy

Rhin Ardongale is pondering the red pill and the blue pill.

@SP3CT3R 1 Credit

Eric is hatching a plan.

​

((Have any questions? Contact me via PM or Skype. Deadline is later because I'm moving tomorrow and will not have stable internet.))

Reminders:

Posts are Due: Sunday, 13th of September at Midnight PST

Spoiler: Available Actions Reminder

Will be Responded to in GM Post:
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]
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]

 

[Aykorn]

What was it with Inkopolis and windows? Or, it's lack of windows at the moment. Wade was guessing that the glassy death shards scattered on the street were from windows and not an unfortunate vase exhibition.
Someone out there, the one who made all these windows, was probably lamenting. That, or they were ecstatic that windows would suddenly be in high demand. Perhaps too ecstatic. Earthquake are certainly convenient for mass glass shattering... Maybe it's more than a coincidence??

....Or this earthquake just happened to cause wide spread property damage and safety hazards that aren't particularly convenient for anyone. That was probably more likely.

Wade dragged a hand down his face. Reduced to window conspiracies. This really just wasn't his morning. And, was it weird he was starting to worry about Jax now? There wasn't a lot else to think about and the more distant the call got, the weirder it seemed. Wade would be less timely the more minutes ticked away.

But, Eh. Jax could handle himself. Wade wasn't that worried that he'd ditch his bike and start trekking the last stretch on foot. ...He just wasn't going to ditch his bike.

Alright, alright, Wade thought. He was a pro-sniper. When in doubt, assess the field; scout. Wade started searching for a place to pull over or some alternate route to go around traffic. Preferably clear of glass. Speaking of glass, not that he was that paranoid, but if the situation was actually sketchy that'd be useful to check out.

Search For: Alternate Route/ Examine: Area

 

[Banshee]

Alga stared hard at the carnage surrounding her, but what seemed the most out of place out of everything had to have been the two Inklings actually skipping down the wreckage of what was once quite a neat and pretty little street. She took them in from her place at the doorstep, just barely managing to catch the color of the Splattershot concealed within the girl's clothing. From her viewpoint, they were a semi-vague assemblage of colors, and she sighed quietly as she processed this newest information.

It could have been anything, really. Lots of things were green and orange. Still, if she knew this Inkling right by her colors, that squid adored pink, and the duality of green and orange didn't really fit. And she looked a little too old for toys...

Still, her gut nagged at her that something was off. And her gut never lied.

As Alga reached an extremely tentative decision, she quickly rushed back inside for her room. The Inkling didn't take long; placing her guitar case back down, she yanked off her headphones and set them on the dresser, rummaging around through the mess on the floor until she found what she was looking for. Quickly she flipped open and donned her glasses, blinking as everything suddenly became crystal clear from far and wide before turning for the door.

Then, the closet caught her eye, and she hesitated. Did she? Didn't she...? Her heart pounded in her chest as it always was wont to do in unfamiliaar situations, and furtively she glanced out the window. Maybe someone would take care of it...?

Alga grit her teeth, shook her head as though dispelling her worries, which in reality worked only a little. She had to do something, right...?

With trembling hands she opened her closet doors, and hastily she began rummaging through until she found what she was looking for. A case, about half the side of her guitar case and twice as thick sat in the back, and Alga wasted no time in yanking it out.

She wanted to take a quick pause and check its contents, make sure everything was there and as it should be. But, she had wasted enough time as it was. She had to get going now if she wanted to catch them.

So, hefting the case around her back much like she did with her guitar, Alga burst back outdoors, taking a quick glance around to find the duo before tailing after them as quietly and stealthily as she could.

Alga was going to have a heart attack if her nerves kept up like this...

Shadow: Inklings

 

[Topazrekerboy]

"Geez" Rhin said in response "fine I'll go, but why do you have to say mean things to the person right in their face? I mean seriously! I hate how you do that! Oops sorry ME" he said. "Ok, where do we start? Let's save the arguemental topics for last."

Talk: Jax

 

[ReedRGale]

Search For: Alternate Route/ Examine: Area

Well, there were a few options from this perspective. Continuing down the road was possible, just tedious and filled with traffic. A few people with bikes were continuing through the area, but were moving at the same pace as the cars which was... slow.

((You would arrive at Inkopolis in one more action))

There were a few sideroads, seeing as Wade hadn't yet entered the city proper that looked clear enough to ride through. Unfortunately, seeing as he usually only took the same path to Inkopolis, Wade didn't quite know which roads to take to get him into the city for sure.

((Roll--could take anywhere from zero to two actions to get to Inkopolis))

Otherwise, abandoning his bike, as terrible an idea as it was, would allow him to get to the city in about the same speed as on a normal day.

((No actions to get to Inkopolis--lose the bike))

What now, Wade?

 

[Aykorn]

So, given Wade's options....

He would eventually get to Inkopolis if he kept moving like he was, but being on a bike in close traffic was dicey. Whether he knew where to go was trumped by the thought of being squished by bumper to bumper traffic.

Also, ditching his bike in a random spot?? Blasphemous. Why did he keep considering it? Things would have to be a lot worse to tear him away from his dear, sweet, red-framed two-wheeler.

Wade signaled and pulled over to a different road as soon as he could. He wondered if there was anything interesting this way, maybe somewhere cool to grab a bite to eat. Yeah yeah, unexpected Earthquake, actual conspiracy he could be working out, and right now he was thinking about what restaurants were around Inkopolis. Sue me, Wade thought. He started pedaling off in his new direction.

Go To: Place Wade was trying to get to before, but by taking a side road

 

[SP3CT3R]

Eric started to open the escape ladder, when he saw something in his expansive backyard. Three more of those gray dudes, but these guys had E-liter scopes instead of NZaps. It wasn't hard to tell that they could snipe his butt out of midair if he tried to exit that way. Which was probably what they were assigned to do. That meant he'd have to go down the hard way. Luckily, Eric always snuck weapons in his room so that he could tinker with them after his parents went to bed; they didn't trust him with those things after dark. Eric surveyed his options. It was pretty much just a few of the weapons his family's company produced. A Carbon Roller, a .52 Gal, (Nobody uses the original anymore) a Rapid Blaster Deco, a .96 Gal Deco, a Slosher, and a Heavy Splatling that Eric modified to come with Point Sensors and a Kraken. The Carbon Roller was a huge no, because a Roller serves no use in this situation, and the Slosher wouldn't be that great either. The Splatling and Rapid Blaster made too much noise, which narrowed it down to the .52 and .96. Eric figured the .96 would be his best bet since it had a Kraken and took one less shot to splat. He picked it up, hooked it to his ink tank, and right when the attackers busted the door down, fired.

Attack: The guys

 

[lonelyrollingsquid]

She flinched at the voice. She wasn't expecting a sound in this silence, and it was a strangers voice too.
"Who...?" She stammered, then instinctively began scanning her room for something she could defend herself with if they were dangerous.

Talk: Whisperer

 

[ReedRGale]

A reminder to those who have credits, you have the ability to take that number of actions and receive a response immediately. Please let me know you're spending it. On with the story!

@Aykorn 1 credit [because talk with Rhin took too long to give free action]

​

Spoiler: Wade Arroyo

Go To: Place Wade was trying to get to before, but by taking a side road

So many seem to discount the importance of map control in all modes of play. Paying more attention to those details really help to control the flow of battle. Controlling the flow of battle is much of the time, more important than inking turf, as it allows someone, allows a sniper to know the place they most need to be to make the difference that wins the game, whether that be sniping a sneaky flanker or covering a zone.

...Also, it has unusual benefits like being able to figure out the layout of Inkopolis well without actually having traveled it. Wade easily figured his way through the weaving corridors biking at almost his normal pace.

In the end, it only took five minutes more to get himself to the scramble crossing; though when he got there, he had to push through a mob of angry people with some elected official at the head trying to keep them calm. Still, Wade made his way to the bike rack and locked his precious vehicle in safety.

After that, he made his way to the alleyway where he was called to--when an Inkling with curly hair ran out of the side-road nearly toppling Wade over in his haste... he seemed in a rush, but he didn't even apologize as he barely dodged around him.

Anyway, what will you do Wade?

@lonelyrollingsquid 1 Credit

Spoiler: Kiki Haught

Talk: Whisperer

"Who...?" She stammered, then instinctively began scanning her room for something she could defend herself with if they were dangerous.

"His wallet; you have it," there was a twinge of an accent in the female voice, but only a hint. "He was with us yesterday and we want him back."

Something was jammed up against Kiki's back. Something said that it was probably lethal.

The... wha? Kiki's mind blanked under the sudden pressure, but she remembered yesterday and putting two and two together, reached into her pocket. She pulled out the wallet, clenching it in her sweaty palm.

"Good, there's the wallet, now where's the person that's supposed to be attached to it! Huh!?" Whatever it was that was pushed to her back got harder.

She was firm, but not loud enough to attract attention. Destress seemed to pour out of every word. "What did you do to him?"

"Good, there's the wallet, now where's the person that's supposed to be attached to it! Huh!?" Whatever it was that was pushed to her back got harder.

She was firm, but not loud enough to attract attention. Destress seemed to pour out of every word. "What did you do to him?"

"I- don't know who you're talking about" Kiki was beginning to panic.

"Then where the hell did you get this wallet!" The assailant had a seriousness to her voice. "Tell me, or I'll make you regret it."

"I found it outside this building... it was just laying there, on the ground"

"Like hell you did..." the girl said. "One more chance. One more. Where did--"

"Aelia," another voice interrupted, tense, but not angry, "Oy think she's tellin' the truth. Brutus was comin' from this direction before the rendezvous."

"And I suppose you're suggesting that Brutus just dropped his... dropped his..." the more she said the words, the more she seemed to believe them.

After a moment, whatever was pressed to Kiki's back let up. "Do you have any idea where he might have went? Anywhere at all?" She was pleading, now.

"I don't..." She hesitated. "I might have seen him yesterday, maybe... I didn't get a close look. They were acting kind of sneaky... and they met up with three others. And they all had their faces covered"

"I... see," the girl supposedly named Aelia said. "You... never saw us, okay?" She plucked the wallet out from Kiki's hand and started walking out the door. From a dark corner of the room, another figure, the person how had trusted her word probably, stalked out after his partner.

But not before handing Kiki a card. "If ya see 'im, call this. He's a bit of a ditz and has a weird accent, like mine. Anyway, toodles." And he closed the door behind him quietly.

@Banshee

Spoiler: Alga Sargasso

Shadow: Inklings

Maybe it was nerves, but Alga was sure that every move she made was making intense noise. Every moment, she was sure that someone, even if it wasn't the two she was following, would notice her being weird. She felt odd enough as it was, Alga hardly needed another reason to have people think her different.

Not to mention that she was currently carrying a vintage Aerospray--or whatever the prototype was called in the Great War--in a case toted on her back.

She was sure the clinking metal would catch their attention but... they never looked back. People were too busy being surprised about the quake or simply not there to worry about her acting strange. Maybe that was how the female inkling could get away with being armed?

And also get away with walking straight onto the Squid Sisters' private property. Did this have something to do with the Cap'n's squad? Or were these their captors? What were they doing here!?

@xCoCo 1 Credit

Is freaking out about her baboo Octoling.

@Topazrekerboy

Spoiler: Rhin Ardongale

Talk: Jax

"Geez" Rhin said in response "fine I'll go, but why do you have to say mean things to the person right in their face? I mean seriously! I hate how you do that! Oops sorry ME" he said. "Ok, where do we start? Let's save the argumental topics for last."

Jax huffed, “if you never confront things, they never get solved. I believe that knowing one’s flaws makes them grow to be better.” Crossing his arms in his most confrontational way, he continued. “That said, I think I have a right to ask why you were tailing me without your blatant half-truths and shoddy attempt at a get-away.”

"I just wanted to see what hunches you have for that quake a few minutes ago." Rhin said.

“Really? Well, that’s fair,” Jax said, tapping his finger impatiently on his arm. “Well, I know there are some theories around. Some more likely than others. One involves bombing. Another, the fantastical cults. But there’s one that’s not totally absurd, but still rather out there involving the Octolings and I know that one will be hard to test just by asking around.” He smiled wider than Rhin had ever seen him do before just then, “So, I intend to do some field work.”

"Lemme guess" Rhin said "We have to go to enemy turf, the Octarian Base? And I'll have to disguse myself as an Octoling huh?"

“That is the dumbest idea I’ve heard since…” he stopped and thought. “Nevermind, that’s not the dumbest idea I’ve heard, but I wasn’t even accounting for you being here. No, I intend to keep quiet and do some recon in Octo Valley. Preferably without gathering any attention.”

As he spoke, he moved past Rhin, starting down the alley. “The base would be suicide. We don’t even know where it is and Octo Valley is a pretty huge place. But I have a general idea of where I’d be going.” Pulling out his phone, he showed Rhin an app he’d never seen before. It was a map with two dots and a grid. A GPS?

“Your gun is there,” Jax said, pointing at one of the dots, “Or rather, that was where it was last seen, It disappeared somewhere on the border of Octo Valley.”

"Eh, dont care about that weapon anymore. Waitin on the Neo Sploosh. But asides from that, your tracking device thingy mustve lost the signal huh?"

“If it helps, I didn’t care about getting your weapon back in the first place,” Jax replied with a shrug. “It just tells me that the night before a major quake that shouldn’t have happened a weapon went missing on the border. And you’re right, it did lose signal, but not before going into Octoling territory a bit. So that means it’s not because he crossed the border. It’s because he’s too deep underground to track.”

"Mmmm hmmm..." Rhin said "So either an Inkling snuck through the entire Octarian base, which is probably virtually impossible, but it could be an Octarian? I dunno when I saw his figure I think I saw an Inkling-like figure"

“What makes you say that?” The two continued walking through the alley until Jax came to a door. He pulled out a keyring and started searching through keys.

"Dunno...just felt it for some reason" Rhin said looking back at it.

“Well, then we have an interesting situation,” Jax stated, as a matter of fact. He started marching into a dark building… was this a kitchen? It was hard to tell, but there were metal things all over the floor and shattered glass littered every surface.

“Anyway,” he said, his stride taking him deeper into the pitch black of the room confidently, “I’ve got one meeting to complete before heading to Octo Valley, then I’m going to pop into Inkopolis Tower and ‘borrow’ some weapons. You can stick around here, or meet me at the border; I don’t care one way or the other.”

And with that, the journalist kicked what was probably crockery out of the way as he trudged further on.

"I'll meet you there...I need to fix up some stuff in my cabin anyway, so yea... Cya. "Rhin said, dashing off, almost hitting another inkling on his way out.

@SP3CT3R 2 Credits

Eric is sizing up the situation.

​

((Have any questions? Contact me via PM or Skype. Deadline is later because I'm moving tomorrow and will not have stable internet.))

Reminders:

Posts are Due: Sunday, 21st of September at Midnight PST

Spoiler: Available Actions Reminder

Will be Responded to in GM Post:
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]
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]

 

[Aykorn]

Wade groaned as he sat himself up from being floored.

If he got 100 points of turf every time he'd been knocked to the ground recently, especially somewhere in Inkopolis by someone not watching where they were going, he'd have like, at least 200 points. Which wasn't exactly a lot, but the fact that this had more than once was uncanny, right? Maybe clumsy on his part.

At least he was in the right area. Not really bothering to get off the ground, Wade just started looking around for the vending machine or the note that was supposed to be on it.

Search For: Note