Blake

"God damn it, will you fucking yanks stop chasing me?" The man held the corpse closer, 『FOX ON THE RUN』appearing behind him once more. A pane of glass appeared in front of the thief, earning a laugh. "You think Fox can't break through that? Watch this!" The stand shot forward, only to slam into the glass head-on, earning a cry of pain from its user. "Fuck, what kinda glass is that!? I gotta get out of here...!"

As he gripped at the corpse and tried to stand, something began to change. His stand took on a new form, the silver on it turning black as night, the mask reshaping into something similar to wings, and the arms turning into large, metallic wings with flames emblazoned on them. The stand grabbed its user and began to carry him into the sky, all while the thief flipped his new assailant off.

"I don't know what happened, but I guess I'm gonna call this guy 『BAT OUTTA HELL』now, so I'll be gone til morning comes!"

 But something was wrong. Something didn't feel right. And it soon became evident. The man's skin began to peel away, increasing in speed, all while an intense feeling of burning went over his skin. A scream escaped him as his stand began to lose shape and form, eventually dropping his body to the ground with a sickening crunch, the sacred corpse landing on top of this new corpse.

-April 16th, 2000-
-9:34 AM-
-Pine Barrens, New Jersey-

"Major,  I believe Rusalka is compromised, please be aware of the situation!"

Nika cursed again, the beast being hit by Cade's book. It wasn't much, but it caught its attention long enough for Nika to tackle it around the neck, while Lucia slammed the bat down on it once more, pinning it to the ground. Nika panted heavily as Ann's hands found the creature's head, near instantly knocking the creature out... As its form began to change. Slowly, it began to shrink down, until a human male, looking to be around 10 years old, lay curled up on the ground beneath Nika's arm.

"Of course, it's an Id..." She spat as she picked herself, scooping the boy up with a scowl, growling, "Rusalka! Don't you ever play the hero like that again! We are soldiers! We do not make ourselves out to be big damn heroes, do I make myself clear!?" Turning away, her own clothes in tatters as she began to walk away, panting heavily. She pulled the child close, an even deeper scowl taking over her face. "The rest of you, we're heading back. Luckily, no one was injured... But I apologize as your superior for what happened here. I will have some words with the leader of the branch."

And so they did, uneventfully. The boy seemed to be breathing in the major's arms, but he never made any movements that would suggest consciousness was returning to him any time soon.

-----

-April 16th, 2000-
-10:30 AM-
-Diluculo Branch 25, New Jersey-

The ride back had been silent as everyone recovered from what had just occurred. Upon arriving, they were quickly taken to the infirmary, along with the boy. Nika left soon after, urging them to go to the cafeteria if they found themselves hungry, then leaving the recruits to talk among themselves.

Nika, however, had a mission of her own. Heading to the office of the branch's commanding officer, wearing a basic uniform supplied by the branch, she nearly ripped the door off of the hinges with a growl in her voice... and her skin turned dark, once more. Major Drake stood with a stunned expression, eyes wide at the indignant woman.

"You have some explaining to do, Blaise. And it had better fucking be good."

"Um...I...don't really drink. But I guess I'll humor you with a game. My caretaker did show me how to play a bit, so I hope I can give you some entertainment there."

"Oh pish posh, a little drink never hurt!" Lopt huffed playfully as he took his seat, producing a pack of cards from seemingly nowhere. "So, what games do you actually know?"

 "Lady Ellie, Alexandre, always a pleasure."

"J-Just Alex is fine...please."

 "And I don't believe we've been personally introduced, Prince Tricky Oberon, it's an honor to be working together." Tricky bowed and extended a hand. "Now then, I trust while you've been asking around each of you have gotten friendly with the menu? What would you recommend while we share our discoveries?"

"Oh my, I introduced myself to everyone openly, did I not?" Lopt smiled, shuffling the cards rather than taking the shake, "Lopt Sjolborg, to jog your memory. Now, I was just about to begin teaching Alex over here how to have a poker face, and you seem like a rather helpful fellow for doing so... So, if you can help me teach him, I'm sure we can all begin sharing info together. I don't have much idea about the menu, though, so you're on your own there... Unless Alex knows?"

As Lopt shuffled, dealing in anyone who wanted to join the friendly game, leaning back in his chair. It was rather curious that Tricky had asked for a more formal introduction, in the middle of a tavern, no less. Perhaps there was a reason for that? The shifter kept a smile, never dropping his own poker face as he glanced at Tricky. How curious.

AAAAAAAAAAALRIGHTY! The final three apps have been accepted!
 

@PhoenixOfCute with Amely Wardenshield!
@(sans Geico) with Astrid Helvig!
@Chaos Sonic with Matthew Maddox!

Thank you to everyone for applying. It was actually pretty close, here at the end, but these three just baaaarely managed to edge it out. I appreciate the interest, and I hope you get the chance to use these characters in the future.

First Step

Diana nervously bit at her lip as she sprinted towards the school, hoping to get there early and make a good impression. After all, she wasn't exactly someone the school would be happy to see, she assumed. She tucked her hair over her right eye, tying a loose ponytail in the back as she reminisced about the exam. She had somehow made it past it. Of course, the obstacle course wasn't bad at all, and the test was fine... but it still felt weird for her to finally be on the way to truly helping people.

As she approached the prestigious school's front steps, she saw another young man head in before her, after talking to a man wearing a visor, much like those in shows she had watched with her dad as a child. But... he looked bored to death. As the doors closed behind her first potential classmate, the man in the visor seemed to be rifling through a stack of papers. With a deep breath, and a soft slap to her face, she walked forward with as much confidence as she could muster.

"Excuse me, I'm here to start at U.A. today! Are you the principal...?"

"Ah. Miss... Seigi?"'

“[Yes!] Ah, um, I mean yes.” Diana cursed herself mentally for slipping into English, trying to keep a strong front up.

"You have come a long way to be here. I was informed about your quirk, and I'm very impressed with all you have done with it."

"I...” the girls shifted nervously, grabbing her right elbow, “I haven’t done much of anything with it. Not since I found out I had one. I don’t deserve praise.”

"You're here. And you were among the highest scoring on the entrance exam. You were given such a... difficult quirk, and instead of ignoring it like many do, you used it to try to help people."

“All I did was cause trouble for a lot of people, sir. I’m here to learn how to, oh what was the word... 'surmount' that? No, that’s not right...”

"You're here to be a hero. Even I can see that."

“I am, but it’s also because I don’t want to cause any more trouble by trying to be one without proper, uh... instruction?”

"So you know what you want to do, you just want to learn how?"

“I want to learn to, uh... [Cool my jets], as mom put it. Or just learn how to better control myself in those situations. My body moves on its own, but as you probably already know, that has consequences.”

"I understand. When i was your age, i nearly got arrested for fighting a villain... Now, I only have one question left. Why do you want to become a hero?"

“I want to help those who are 'without help'. Helpless? That’s probably more correct... and to be someone who others can believe in, that they can achieve anything.”

"There are a lot of people who need help. Now, head inside so you can learn how to save them. Go ahead."

“Thank you, sir! I'll make the most of the faith you've placed in me!”

Diana walked past Glory and into the building, holding her breath as she did... and nearly slumping against the door as she exhaled. Boy, that was nervewracking. But she was in! He had let her by, and now she was in the building! Now, she just had to find her way to class...

-----

Arriving not long after, Diana found the same boy that had beaten her to the front gates had already settled into a seat in the back right corner. On one hand, she should introduce herself, but he... didn't seem the type for that. Maybe she should pick a seat and wave to him? Yeah, that was it. If he wanted to talk, he would reply!

Taking the seat all the way to the front left of the room, she looked back and gave Hakaro a small smile and a wave, before looking to the classroom door. Yeah, that was it. Respect boundaries, she told herself. Or maybe that was just her nerves. Either way, surely someone would respond to her actions, right?

On 6/25/2020 at 4:53 PM, FourEyesIsAFish said:

Jekyll and Hyde

So, first things first, I had to change themes in order to even read this app. Bolding all the text made it hard as hell to read on the dark theme without hurting my eyes. You also made the entirety of the Miscellaneous section white no matter the theme, so that was more complications. Please keep formatting in mind when applying to RPs.

I've gotta be honest, I don't really like them. It feels... edgy, without there really being a reason for it. There's no explanation for Hyde part, it just is there, but the bio didn't touch on it. You described it as falling unconscious, but not how Hyde comes out at those times or anything. It feels like the split personality is just a gimmick on top of Katherine.

I'm not going to say this is irredeemable, but it feels really weak.

On 6/26/2020 at 5:44 AM, JPAlpha said:

And CS is done!

Hm... I like her, but I feel like the personality and bio clash a little bit. It feels like you described two different people. but it might just be that the bio is a bit short for the backstory it implies she has. I do enjoy the general premise, though. I just wish you expanded on her a bit more than is here, cause it feels kinda clunky.

On 6/26/2020 at 7:15 AM, Hina's Simp said:

I figured I'll put mine since I /think/ I finished most of what I wanted

Honestly? I fucking adore this app. Enough so that I'm going to say early acceptance, because I can feel the heart and soul radiating from it. Good job. Only thing I don't like is the font making it hard to read on darker themes, which is oof.

On 6/27/2020 at 8:23 PM, JellisOP said:

Iris

Personality feels kinda all over the place. Is she slow and steady? Is she not? Methodical? Immediately goes forward? I don't think there's much in the way of a solid personality here. On top of that, the character just feels kinda... boring? I get the idea of a mind game player, but I'm not sure how well this app executes that idea. I'd say it needs to be kinda trimmed down in ways that just... get to the point, I guess?

On 6/27/2020 at 11:38 PM, PhoenixOfCute said:

Dragprincess Amely

This is a little skimpy. I know you discussed some of the ideas of it with me, and I like them, and I would prefer to see a little more fleshing out... But I do like the idea, yes. Just a bit too to the point.

Leaning heavier to Amely than Katherine.

On 6/28/2020 at 2:07 AM, Summer Yui said:

Gotta Go Fast

nyoom

She makes for a fun, goofy team member without standing out in a bad way. Nothing really bad going on here, just good. Also accepted, like Chloe.

On 6/28/2020 at 11:34 AM, Wind Rider said:

Mute Duelist

This really, really feels like a difficult thing to pull off. Being mute in a format like this, especially one based on the character interactions... not to mention the discourse-based combat going on, can be a serious drain on writing. Anti-social social butterfly is a weird take. On top of that, the personality feels the most contradictory out of all of the apps, except that he has a trickster streak.

However, I will say I like choosing Onomatopia as the deck of choice for someone who is mute. It's a nice little touch that ties it together a bit. Not the worst app, but kinda weak.

On 6/29/2020 at 4:46 PM, Mothiva said:

The Sleeper

I also really like this one, especially when you juxtapose her with Yui's Ophelia. I think it's fitting that the Synchro player and the Xyz player are kinda the inverse of each other, so all in all, gonna say accepted to this app, as well. Welcome!

15 hours ago, CatmanDaGamer said:

Yo I haven't seen Pendulums yet what's up with that (WIP)

I know it says WIP, but figured I would go ahead and give my thoughts on this one, too.

NGL, I like her. I don't have much negative to say, it seems solid enough, she's someone with stars in her eyes and a lust for life, and it feels cohesive. I will have to compare to the other Pendulum app.

Speaking of...

14 hours ago, (sans Geico) said:

ha. gottem.

Nerd.

Again, really solid app. Character comes through, there's a clear place, and i like that she kinda has a similar mechanic to Ophelia/Kendra with Vega.

Leaning heavier to Astrid than Emberlynn.

-----

If anyone wants to try and change to fill the remaining slots (for now, that would be Ritual, Pendulum) or to just try and refine their character more, feel free. I will be checking again for the final time on Friday, July 3rd.

Flame of Passion in the Starry Sky

-April 16th, 2000-
-9:32 AM-
-Pine Barrens, New Jersey-

"Cucuy, on your left, it is readying to pounce!/The creature is on your right! It's going to lunge from below!" 

Nika's eyes flicked slightly as Akiko threw a distraction, keeping her body ready to move in the other direction. That girl was going to go places.

At the moment the shuriken hit a tree, the beast shot out from the direction that Akiko had said as truth, diving straight for Lucia. The girl managed to dodge, only to bounce back to hit the creature's head with her bat, claws digging in. The beast recoiled a bit with a roar, backing away from the group, but not fleeing to the trees again... and taking Lucia with it. Its long neck bent down as it attempted to bite the girl's face, instead finding its jaw getting clotheslined by Nika, knocking it onto its back, as Nika panted, even more of her outfit shredded.

"What business do fucking recruits have with something like this!?" Nika yelled as she slammed its fist into the pinned beast's face, a loud crack filling the air as the creature cried out in pain. Nika quickly found her footing lost as it kicked her in the stomach, knocking her back as it had just been. The beast's breaths grew ragged as it picked itself up, now able to see the two girls huddling in the back, behind Cade's wall... and leapt at them. Nika began to pick herself up, the creature's speed much greater than her own.

"Down, now!"

-----

-April 16th, 2000-
-12:45 PM-
-Stature of Liberty, NYC-

"Well, yeah, there's lots of places around here to see. And today's all about that, so while Broadway isn't in the cards for today, let's hit up a m-"

A ring tone cut through the air as Maddy reached into her pocket, pulling a phone to her ear. She raised her other hand, holding a single finger to the boys.

"Captain Macha reporting. To whom am I speaking?"

Her face dropped instantly, other than her eyes rolling, though her tone stayed respectful.

"The Major is out of town for today, and I am currently introducing some of the recruits to their new home... Eh? You wanna meet them, too? I'm not so sure now's the best time for that, sir. Alright, alright, we'll be there by 2.  Thank you."

Maddy sighed as she closed the phone, shaking her head. She looked to the boys with a smile, though it seemed a bit sad.

"Well, change of plans... I was gonna take you guys to the UN building at the end of the day, but I guess we have to head there first, ahaha... I'm gonna head to the lady's room real quick, so go ahead and talk about... well, anything. Shouldn't be more than a few minutes. We'll grab some food on the way there, too, since it'll probably be a looong time..."

In the not-so-distant future, Duel Monsters has continued to work towards its latest and greatest evolution! Each of the headlining events of the past, such as Action Duels, Turbo Duels, and even Deck Masters are the headlining events of major tournaments for the world’s most popular sport, with duelists specializing in each! But the real stars are those who participate in Team Duels, matches that feature multiple types of duels at a time!

You are a member of a team in the Minor Circuit of the World Duel Monsters Organization. Formed while you attended college in Seattle, WA, your group came together over a flier for a Duel Monsters team, though it was never anything serious… Just some duels for fun here, there, wherever, particularly against groups from different colleges. That is, until you were approached by a manager who saw the talent your group exhibited, and offered you a chance to form a team. With the official team being newly formed, your first order of business will be to give your team a name. After that, it’s off to the races!

Where your journey into the world of Professional Dueling will take you is anyone’s guess… But what you do know is that a new path has opened before you.

Rules + General Info

Database

Application

"G-Great job again this week, sir!"

Vera waited just out of view as Shawn gave his address, clasping her hands together in front of her. Her usual melancholic wings were nowhere to be seen, instead radiating a hot pink aura around her, as she shifted a little nervously. The teen followed him happily, humming a little tune as she did. Everything was right in the world. Shawn was here and paying attention to her, even with his boss coming. Vera was on cloud nine, though, her legs did hurt a bit... She wasn't very used to walking or standing as much anymore. But it was okay! As long as she had Shawn, she was safe, she was needed, she was wanted, and that was all that mattered.

"So, um... I was wondering if you had some extra time free today? I managed to make a meal in the kitchen... It's not much, but I made the kind of sandwiches I know you're fond of, and I was hoping to see if I, ummm... did a good job, yeah!"

She shuffled about nervously, the aura changing colors for the briefest of moments as she did. Oh gosh, this was so forward, he was so much older, he didn't even seem to realize how she felt, her mind was screaming aimlessly as a slight blush crept onto her face. Hopefully the kitchen was empty, too. That would be perfect...

"It means it's not the guy from earlier... Instead, it's someone else, entirely. And I would personally say it's rather unwise to seek them out... After all, if we can hear it, so can the others. That duo either made a trap to lure people in, or they're just dumb and the others will swarm them. Caster, is there anything you want to work on while we wait?"

I inquire Berserker about what she thinks is false. If she has any info beyond what we have, it's important to plan around what we know.

Justice Rekindled

-April 16th, 2000-
-9:30 AM-
-Pine Barrens, New Jersey-

Nika didn't pay much attention to the words coming out of her subordinate's mouths, instead focusing on the slight inconsistencies in the area. For example... why were there fire marks earlier, yet none further in? No one with an Id related to fire should have come out this way, yet the creature itself didn't appear to have any sort of fire ability...

As the four recruits investigated, a sudden snapping caught Nika's attention. Her Id activated as she pushed Akiko down, taking a direct hit from whatever lunged at the girl, grunting from the impact. As the dust settled, a horrific beast could be seen on top of the major, a high pitched growl escaping it as it tried to sink its claws into her. Its back had giant, leathery wings sprouting from it, while the rest of it looked like an amalgam, as described. Hooves on its hind legs, long, sharp claws that looked closer to knives slapped onto the hands of a monkey. A long, lion-like tail flicked as it lowered its face, shaped much like a deer with antlers and all, to bite at Nika's face, sharp fangs revealing themselves as it opened its mouth. From how it was poised, the creature looked to be nearly double Nika's height, growling and biting at the fallen Major.

"Don't just stand there gawking! Take this thing out while I keep it occupied!"

Suddenly, the beast stopped biting, its eyes rolling nearly backwards in its strange head as it looked to the others, a noise like a hiss escaping it... Before it flapped off of Nika, disappearing into some of the trees around them, rustling able to be heard occasionally, along with its growls.

"I guess our creature is smarter than it looks," The leader spoke as she picked herself up. Some of her clothing was falling off from where the creature's claws tore into her, as well as saliva coating her face. For the first time, the group would see that she was covered in a charcoal-colored substance, but no damage seemed to have been done beyond her clothing being ruined. "If it understood that, well... Cucuy, you're with me. We're going to have to be the ones to subdue this thing when it comes back. Pangurban, you're on protection duty. Rusalka, try and keep us updated on its location, especially Akamanto. As for you," Nika glanced to Akiko, "You're going to be giving the orders from now on. You know what I mean, right?"

Nika stepped forward, giving the group a nod as she cracked her knuckles, sharpened claws having appeared on her fingertips with the coating.

"We're counting on you, Akamanto."

-----

-April 16th, 2000-
-12:35 PM-
-Stature of Liberty, NYC-

"The problem is their rarity. The way I was told back in Russia, having an Id is incredibly rare, and only a few thousand people have them. It's hard to hold only a few accountable when they have that kind of power. But if it were say, 80% of the population, it would be a lot easier to let that information go. A criminal with an Id will be deterred if he knows his target probably also has one, will he not?"

Because a good portion of these people are idiots. Plain and simple. They freak out over almost everything. And giving them actually something to freak out about? Yeah, that'd be a great thing to do. In any case, don't feel like this ending up becoming some sort of university lecture..."

Maddy just listened as the first two boys responded, preparing a response in her mind, before Marcel followed them up.

 "I s'pose ya both kinda right. Right now we're in the minority a people but that ain't gonna last long. People're definitely gonna freak out when this whole thing breaks, and it will, cause that's just what happens. But eventually most of 'em are gonna have an Id and nobody'll care. Once we get ta that point all a society might hafta change to accommodate and it'll be the ones without an abnormality that'll be outcasts. No matter how it happens, once everybody knows what's goin' on there's gonna be all sorts trying to figure out how ta regulate Id's in a way that they get the most outta, somebody without one will want using 'em ta be illegal for the sake of 'fairness', somebody that doesn't like theirs'll probably try to fund research ta destroy them all together, it's gonna be chaos at first but the outcome is what'll matter." 

"You know, I agree with you, Marcel." The captain turned and smiled at him, "It's only a matter of time. Even you guys, half a generation after people like Nika, Alec, or myself have many, many more Id users than we did in ours. And people are already trying to scramble and figure out how we handle this, moving forward. Hell, that politician Nika had to deal with is a great example of such, since he doesn't have one. He wants all the info he can get on it... In the interest of figuring out how best to use it."

Maddy sighed and shook her head, glancing back at NYC across the water, frowning a bit.

"But should we really wait? Sure, it could cause a panic... But doesn't withholding this information just make things worse? Who could trust governments that lied to them about such a drastic shift? Every government is guilty of it, at this point... All trying to figure out where Ids are going, how it came to be, so they can weaponize it... But I'm not so sure the secrecy is really what we need, right now. Ah, look at me, rambling... This is supposed to be a fun day! Where to next?" Maddy looked to the group with a grin, yet with maybe the smallest bit of a tear in the corner of her eye.

To its surprise, Fox on the Run found itself falling from the wall after it turned to glass and was, subsequently, shattered. The shards cut into the stand's form, earning a hissing noise from it, as it began to shoot five of its nails wildly as it fell. The stand never reached the ground as the shards hit by the nails began to ricochet all over, creating a small whirlwind of glass from the forceful bouncing.

Meanwhile, Kace would find that one of his walls suddenly turned to glass and shattered... and two more stand users were on the other side of it. He would be able to see Fox as it fell and disappeared, his employer causing yet another issue.

-----

"Dammit, now I'm out!" the man with the corpse swore as his stand returned, "I need to find a place to hide and recharge, until the nails grow back...!" the man turned into an alleyway not far from the museum, rubbing the new cuts that appeared on his arm. "This should have been easy money!"

-April 16th, 2000-
-9:10 AM-
-Pine Barrens, New Jersey-

"Apologies, Major Volkov, but it came to my attention that you harbored what seemed to be some sort of disdain for Major Drake when you spoke with him? Is he an entity that we should be more careful around?" Akiko scratched her cheek, "I know it doesn't have that much to do with the mission but I couldn't help but notice the slight tone change you had when you were speaking with him. Kinda like how I think I sound around Pervert."

"He's a lazy fool." Nika responded instantly, not even turning back to address Akiko directly, "He is not harmful, but he is certainly not helpful. I would avoid him so that he doesn't rub off on you." She left Akiko's next comment alone, letting the group discuss as they headed deeper into the area.

' It is easier to hide from a mob than a lone hunter.'

The major took note of Ann's comment, but held her tongue. It was important for them to learn on their own, just as much as her own tutelage. She simply walked along and listened to the group's discussion while Lucia led the way, tracking the creature down, taking her own notes of the area, such as the burned trees... Which were not mentioned in the file.

"I'll let you all know if I see anything."

"Cucuy." Nika turned and faced the shifter, "Have you ever tried copying multiple animals at once?"

"No, not yet."

"Consider it. It might help us with our mystery creature."

After about 20 minutes, the signs of struggle seemed to fade away... But the hoof prints seemed to grow more abundant, with claw marks on certain trees at random. The wildlife seemed to grow scarce, despite the giant deer-like hoofprints, with a strange stillness filling the air alongside an odd scent... Until the group would happen upon a gruesome sight.

Laying before them, in a small clearing, was half the corpse of a large black bear, with a pile of bones from assorted animals not far from it, not a scrap of meat left on them. The stench from the slowly rotting corpse, covered in flies, was overwhelming at this point, so much so that Nika put her hand over her face and grimaced.

"Well, this is not what I was expecting to find out here... But I suppose this graveyard was made by our target." 

As the group began to investigate the area, Nika stared intently at the pile of bones, eyes moving ever so slightly, as if looking at each individual bone.

-----

-April 16th, 2000-
-10:20 AM-
-Heraldica, NYC-

"Yeah...I got a question of sorts." Austin piped up. "Say you have...something...that can sort of...mimic a certain something of others. Would there be any possible way of assisting that individual?"

"Not at this time, no..." Elsa shook her head, a sad look on her face, "I'm sorry about that, but we don't have the ability to imbue what we make with any abilities, and I don't think we know of anyone who can... I wish I could do more for you in that regard."

"Excuse me, I've got an idea," Sergei said, raising his hand a bit. "Something suitable for rapid regeneration. The first thing I thought of was a metal frame for my arm. I can ignore the human mind's limiters on our strength to perform incredible feats, but while the muscles heal in no time flat, the same can't be said for my bones. Something that allows me to continue using my arm even after doing that so I'm not just good for one big punch might work, right? I don't know the first thing about engineering though, so I can't say how it would work..."

"A suit of armor or braces, eh? I'm sure we could work with that request. We would need you to come by for measurements, but a supportive suit is completely within our capabilities. And I suppose the other young man doesn't need anything?"

"Doesn't seem like it," Maddy chimed in, pursing her lips a bit, "Besides, these guys can't quiiiite afford anything here just yet. This is only their second day, so I'm just giving them the rounds."

"I see..." Elsa muttered, "Well, our establishment will be here for the considerable future. Aside from you guys, we're mostly just seen as a novelty store, so we appreciate the business."

-----

-April 16th, 2000-
-12:30 PM-
-Stature of Liberty, NYC-

After leaving Heraldica, the group made a few more stops along the way. Hitting up another food truck, stopping on the beach, and dealing with a seagull attacking Austin randomly, the group arrived at the Statue of Liberty, finding it... oddly quiet, for the time of day.

"Looks like they got my message~"

Maddy walked onto the viewing deck of the massive structure, finding no one else in the area. Walking over to look over the city, Maddy leaned on the railing with her cheek on her hand, humming.

"It's such a nice view, don't you think? An entire city full of people, with an entire world unbeknownst to them... Sure, it's been that way for ages, but Ids only make the gap even wider. And it's our job to hold that peace... After all, this wonderful city would fall into chaos if they knew and people with Id were allowed to run free... Well, what do you guys think?"

As Joey took shots at 『FOX ON THE RUN』,  the stand attempted to dodge, taking one of the shots in a shoulder and stumbling a bit. Pointing back at the one with the gun, the speedy stand shot one of its claw-like nails just beneath Joey's feet and another just below itself, causing a temporary sensation of the ground shifting below him, before it suddenly shot up, hitting the gunman on the chin. At the same time, Fox took a punch from 『THA CARTER』before the chunk under it launched it into the air, digging its claws into the wall of the museum to hold itself up about 15 feet up. The stand let out a strange whirring noise as it took aim at CARTER, firing one of its nails at it, ignoring the assailant it had delivered an uppercut to. 

Meanwhile, the man with the corpse stumbled again as the shot hit Fox outside, suddenly crying out and grabbing his left shoulder in pain, nearly dropping his bounty. As he gathered himself, there was a girl yelling behind him, earning a glance back at her before cursing again and making another break for it, just in time for the masked man to arrive and protect him, nodding. "Handle that, we're almost done here." He muttered before beginning to push the corpse, wondering if he should recall Fox.

"First things first, we encountered a servant. They might have seen us, so using the wall to our advantage in order to disengage seems in our best interest. We can come back for samples when there's no danger."

"I don't really think about it much," Joanna shrugged, her attention drawn to the reporter's hair. "When I was a little girl I thought it would be nice to try and follow in their footsteps, but... horses seem to hate me for some reason. I'd rather be a florist or something; flowers can't kick you in the face with their muddy hooves." 

The reporter raised a brow at Joanna, catching her gazing at her hair. Perfect opportunity right there.

“So, Ms. Joanna, if I may call you that… do you have any other exciting news or plans in store for tonight? It seems the event is about to begin, but I don’t mind meeting after. The name’s April Soleil, and I’ll be at The Valentine after this, if you want to… discuss an article with me.”

The blonde reporter fluttered her eyes ever so barely, giving the sweetest smile to Joanna. Of course, the ambience was quickly ruined by a loudmouth laughing about Joanna’s muddy hooves remark, April barely holding back a grimace. She opened her mouth to once more garner Joanna’s attention, only for music to begin playing.

Moonlight

The crowd’s attention would be drawn to the podium set up at the back of the room, where a petite blonde woman, dressed in a dark blue suit, walked up to it. As she placed a few sheets of paper onto it, a black man, matching the woman, but somehow looking even more sharply dressed, climbed the stage, taking his place behind the podium. He adjusted his tie as he gave a million dollar grin to the crowd.

“Thank you, one and all, for coming to this momentous occasion! For those who do not know me, I am the mayor of this fine city, Edward Pike… But, of course, everyone calls me Eddie, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Eddie waited for a brief moment as the woman with him flipped his sheet, nodding slightly to her, “Now, I’m sure most of you know why we have gathered here today. It is, of course, the Saint’s Corpse, under that curtain right over there! It was recently found in a vault here in our beloved city, and we decided it must be preserved and shared. After all, something so primal, so valuable, is for everyone, is it not?”

As mild murmurs and cheers filled the crowd, Eddie paused before raising his hand to quiet them, the aide turning another page. “And I can think of none better to share New York City tonight in revealing this fine specimen. The archaeologists and theologians we asked to come and inspect the body have quite the interesting turn of events to report. After all, they say this is the very body of one-”

Suddenly, a spectral figure leapt onto the stage from seemingly nowhere, throwing an object up into the air. The blonde aide tensely shifted in her place, while the mayor continued speaking, as if nothing happened.

『FOX ON THE RUN』

Suddenly, the room went black for a few moments, a panic erupting… Before it appeared again in a sudden flash. In the blink of an eye, the curtain around the corpse was torn, with the corpse gone missing. Two chandeliers crashed to the floor, crushing and piercing a number of the patrons and guests. The third began to fall, directly above Joanna, Joey, and April. Before the other two could react, Joanna was lurching forward, her own stand appearing.

“『CD SPACE』!”

“ORAORAORAORAORA!”

The projection punched at the chandelier falling towards them, destroying most of the ornamental light as the rest of it faded, but when the dust settled, Joanna and Joey would find themselves covered in small cuts… and April was pierced with the center of the ornament, stabbing straight through her abdomen and into the floor beneath her. The reporter sputtered for a few moments, eyes wide as she looked at Joanna… before they closed, her body going slack on the spear that pierced her, like an arrow through the heart. Blood began to pool beneath it as the chaos broke out elsewhere, people suddenly being flung into walls as 『FOX ON THE RUN』made its way through the crowd, slipping past the gathered stand users with ease.

“Everyone, please remain calm!” the mayor desperately cried out, “If we can stay calm, we can find the culprit faster! I will make sure he is brought to justice for this!”

“Mr. Mayor, you need to get out of here, right now!”

“I cannot leave my citizens!”

“Sir, we’re leaving, it’s not an option!”

As the man protested, the blonde woman dragged him off of the stage, leaving the chaos to unfold, the offending stand escaping the doors to the building.
 

It's really nothing special, just something I made as a way to express myself... I mean, @Yui taught me a tiny bit about using GIMP, but all I did was use the fuzzy select tool to render and overlay the original picture onto the Nonbinary Flag, and let the indexed colors of the flag do their thing.

Original Picture

Lopt listened intently as Alexander wrapped up the conversation with the shopkeep, reverting his hand to normal and pulling his arms up to his chest, crossed. He leaned against the side of the building as his companion exited, shaking his head softly.

“...so...you think it’s them, Lopt?”

"It's most likely... nothing to really suggest otherwise, with how weird the incidents are. Unless, of course, someone wants to make it seems suspect, but who knows," Pushing away from the wall, Lopt headed towards the tavern, stuffing his free hand into his pocket, "I think that's about all we can really glean here. The others should have done their jobs by this point, so why don't we spend our free time playing some cards? After all..." the shifter turned back and cast Alex a mischievous glance, "You, my dear lord, need to work on your poker face. I'm not letting you free until you manage to lie to me. And, tell ya what, first round of booze is on me."

-April 16th, 2000-
-7:30 AM-
-En Route to Branch 25-

 "...Major Volkov? When we arrive at the destination, what's the first thing we should prepare to do? I can't say I know much about... New Jersey, really. It didn't come up when I reading up on the plane ride over much."

"We won't be doing much in the way of meeting locals or sightseeing, so there's not much you need to know about New Jersey. We will be arriving at Branch 25 at first to receive a short briefing on what occurred from the branch's lead, then it's on to the mission proper. It will be a very brief stop, but we will make a longer stop before we head back, later on."

-----

-April 16th, 2000-
-9 AM-
-Front Entrance, Diluculo Branch 25-

The rest of the ride turned out to be uneventful, with no one really speaking much. Despite the slightly late start, the shuttle arrived with perfect time, stopping in front of the branch, which looked almost exactly the same as the one the group had first been introduced to just the day before. Nika cut the group a glance as she started to climb out.

"If you have any business, do it now. We will probably be out in the barrens for a few hours."

Upon entering, the group would find the building was undergoing some construction and painting inside, with tarps laid all over the place. It seemed warmer than their own branch's front hall, but the disarray from the work in progress cut that feeling back. Not too far from the entrance stood a man with fiery hair held a clipboard, directing some of the workers, before turning as he heard footsteps.

"Ah, Major Volkov, thank you for coming on such quick notice."

"Is the rest of the information ready, Major Drake?"

"Cutting to the chase as always..." The man sighed and rubbed the back of his head, before pulling a manila envelope from the clipboard, "Everything you need to know about what occurred is in there. I would tell you more, but I haven't been out there, personally."

"Mm. Of course not." Nika averted her gaze, then gave the slightest bow, "Then I will head straight to the location with my recruits. We will see you once the mission is resolved."

Turning on her heel, Nika returned to the vehicle, waiting just a few minutes for the foursome to return, as well. Once they were all in, the car resumed its trip towards the Pine Barrens, with Nika reading the documents within the manila envelope as the trip continued.

It only took about 10 minutes to arrive to the entrance of the forest, with Nika departing the vehicle once more, motioning for her recruits to follow. With a sigh, she straightened her suit ever so slightly, before addressing the four recruits.

"We will not be splitting up. We are hunting for a supposed amalgam of a creature, with exaggerated features, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled for any signs of unnatural life. I assume you will be able to help us with that, Cucuy?" The major looked Lucia in the eye as she spoke, "After all, you have spent much time with animals, have you not? The rest of you do what you can. I don't fully believe the information we've been given, but it's best to stay on our toes. Move out."

-----

-April 16th, 2000-
-9 AM-
-Front Hall, Diluculo Branch 22-

"Aww, only the boys signed up for this? That's a little lame." Maddy pouted as the group of four headed out of the building and into the sun, "But sure, we can hit the statue of liberty first! I'm sure none of you have been there before, so it's a perfect place to start... aaaafter I grab a breakfast burrito~"

-----

-April 16th, 2000-
-10:00 AM-
-New York City-

After Maddy and whoever else that so desired had their burritos from a nearby taco truck, which Maddy swore up and down was the best in the city, the group began their trek towards the statue. It wasn't until after the burritos that they were informed of just how bad traffic was in the city, so the hour and a half walk towards the statue would actually be more efficient than taking a cab or government vehicle, at this time of day.

"Oooh, that's the best stand for a chili dog! Well, if we're not considering Coney Island..." Maddy mused as the trip neared its halfway point, "By the by, I expected at least two of you to jump at the chance to take a combat mission. Is there any reason you chose to tag along with me instead of going for glory?"

As they walked, the group would find that quite a few people were happy to see their captain, giving her a wave, a good morning, or a smile. One shop in particular, Heraldica, seemed to beckon the group over, with the elderly white lady running it seeming delighted.

"You finally bringing those new customers you promised, are ye?" the crone cackled a bit, "If you even told them about little old me."

"Weeeell, I haven't told them yeeeeet," Maddy rocked a bit on her heels, "But I was planning to. Luckily, you're en route to where these guys wanna go. So, everyone, this is Elsa Mackenzie. She actually is like us, if you catch my drift... And she has a contract with us. Whenever you have some extra cash, you can come here to order a custom weapon that fits your fighting style, work to improve or repair your weaponry, or just buy general gear. You could even call this place a forge, if that's to your tastes! So, think about what you think works best with your you-know-what, and then come and see her when you have some free time! Oooor you could order it through your tablet, but you'll have to pick it up in person. Well, how's that for a sales pitch?"

"Perfect, perfect!" Elsa grinned, taking each of the boy's hands in for a shake, "And we can do just about anything for you. Despite calling it an armory, we have quite a bit of support from Diluculo here, so we can accommodate any ideas you have, though I can't say everyone's ideas have been perfect..."

The woman shot Maddy a sidelong glance as the latter had produced another burrito and began to munch on it, before realizing the attention had turned to her.

"H-hey, I didn't know any better!" She sputtered through a mouth of burrito, then gulped it down, "Most people mess up their first order!"

"Of course," Elsa laughed, turning back to the boys, "Just let me know when I can do something for you, and I will whip it up as fast as I can. I have no ability, but my son is quite talented at manipulating alloys, so it shouldn't take too long, with his help. And make sure to tell your friends at the base, as well!"

Hug Cloyster, catch Toxapex, fight Pincurchin.

Sentret, Zigzagoon, Galarian Zigzagoon

Accursed Cherubim

Very tentative interest.