Central HubIt was no more disheartening than seeing his face upon the face of a wall with his name printed in bold black letters beneath. That is to say, it wasn't disturbing at all. It was the norm, and it was so often failed. The mission he had seen posted to the mission board earlier had since disappeared hours ago, signalling that it was finally undertaken, and he was once again a part of a wild game of cat and mouse. Pitiful it was that they no longer sent the hoity-toity hotshots of the day, and resorted instead to continual mission postings in hopes that maybe some no-name would have the skill or luck to catch him.
Sprite walked about the streets in full view, hidden by the waves of bodies swimming about him. His face was covered by a bandanna, obscuring his features save for the electric blue eyes glowing from underneath the hood. For the time being, no one gave him any particular looks. The posters showcasing him in all his glory were taken months ago in an entirely different getup. Since then, his choice of clothing has changed several times to avoid detection. Without his visage to judge similarity, the populace was left to simply assume he was but another civilian. Completely invisible.
Until the poor champs managed to get any bit of information on his whereabouts, he had little inclination or worry to go into hiding again. He likely could walk straight past them in this crowd and spark little suspicion. And if push came to shove, he always had a quick way out. After several capture or murder attempts, he had grown weary of fighting all for naught. Lifting a hand from his warmed pockets, Sprite pulled forth a small photograph of a certain individual whose appearance was dominated by full-body armor. Central Hub was not his destination, but as he had just risen from a long period of hiding within it, he had yet to make his way to the far-off target.
Sprite walked for the nearest train station that led out of the city, pointedly quite close to the heroes of the mission...
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"So you've been to jail?" the girl suddenly asked of Averus, looking quite neutral but having a strangely surprised tone to her words. She averted her attention from whatever tiny creature was skittering along the floor and into Averus's very eyes. There was something entirely different than any common program to them, and for all of his wisdom, he couldn't quite deduce what it was. What
could be felt, however, was a quiet but unnerving sense that this
program didn't exactly belong here, or anywhere for that matter. It was a thought not of his own, that was for sure, which made it all the more peculiar. With time, it had passed.
Before even allowing for the man to respond, she became seemingly disinterested and made for the door despite the commotion, appearing entirely unfettered by what was even happening. There were a number of police outside, each quite on edge at the appearance of Ulysses armor, deducing quickly that it was his doing that had alerted the nearby populace. Receiving calls of someone unloading firearms had raised red alarms and a hasty dispatch. Given the quickness of Ulysses "surrender" made them only more confused. Data that was pulled up on the champion averted concerns, however, and they realized what type of person they were dealing with.
When Beringer attempted to bribe them, it only furthered the strangeness for each and every officer there. It seemed almost too weird that they still maintained hands upon their firearms. One of the officers approached Beringer, taking the cash with hesitation, but altogether appearing like a man who thought himself quite lucky.
"Well then, Uh..." he stammered, looking between the two armored men, "I suppose this will suffice for damages. Given the nature of your... comrade, we won't need to bring you back to the bars." Ulysses' offers of cash went unwelcome, however, as if the officer was willing to accept only
certain amounts of bribery. He had standards, apparently. The officer retreated back to his comrades and had them off rather dejectedly, as if they were still expecting something to happen. The police gone, the champions were once again left alone, but not without the stares of several civilians in the area. The onlookers eventually dispersed as well, returning to their own lives.
Delphia spoke up between Beringer and Ulysses, having appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
"I hope you're as generous during meals," she stated to Beringer.
In the darkness of a common room, a young woman clicked perfectly on her keyboard, the strokes and accuracy a hint at her social tendencies. The glow of a computer illuminated her face, turning an otherwise passive grin into a rather unnerving stare. Lines of text appeared continually over multiple web pages. She was apparently chatting with several different groups of people at once.
A light pinging noise alerted her empty eyes to an exclamation mark appearing at the bottom corner of her screen. Ignoring the chat rooms, she opened up a new tab to a single, much more concise line of words.
>Muppet has entered the chat room
>Muppet: Hello Sam
>Berkowitz: Who is this
>Muppet: I'm here to alert you of an addition to Agar Mythos you'll greatly enjoy. I hope you'll cooperate.
>Muppet: Hello? I'm quite certain you're still around.
>Berkowitz: No guarantees.
>Muppet: We'll see.
>Muppet: A certain someone qualifies for your...
>Muppet: Tastes
>Berkowitz: What are you talking about?
>Muppet: I know. Feel free to speak openly. This room is very secure. I have made certain of it.
>Berkowitz: I'm leaving.
>Berkowitz has left the chat room.
The girl sat back in her chair, still staring quite quizzically at the computer screen. She had closed the window, returning back to the familiarity of her normal chat rooms. Still, she seemed quite disturbed, leaned back and far from her keyboard.
Ping. A chat room had opened up, one she hadn't ever created or entered for that matter.
>Berkowitz has entered the room
>Muppet: Please spare me the troubles. I am quite tired tonight and in dire need of sleep.
The girl instantly leaned forward, a quick bead of sweat forming on her forehead, clearly distressed.
>Berkowitz: Your seriousness has caught my attention.
>Berkowitz: I'm listening
>Muppet: Good. I need you.
>Muppet: And I'm certain -once again- that you need what I have.
>Muppet: Titan. Tomorrow. I can make your dreams come true, and you won't have to be caught.
>Berkowitz: Where?
>Muppet: Heaven's Plane Skybridge. Use an old form. 2:00 PM JST
>Muppet has left the room.
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The interior of the ship was well-kept, seemingly brand new with polished metal surfaces and unscratched or marked buttons and labels. The cargo bay door acted as a ramp up into the ship's largest room, which was then filled only with small stacks of tied-down boxes and palettes. It seemed more like a private, single-employee delivery service ship than a major shipping name. Amidst the four girl's conversation, a fifth made herself apparent.
Short, petite, cute. The girl who had entered the cargo room through a small hallway at its side waltzed right in with a cheer in her step. Wearing a pair of goggles and toting a few miscellaneous engineering tools on her belt, she was made out to clearly be the ship's owner, if not the engineer.
"Hidie ho there folks!" she brilliantly called out, saluting the gathered champions, "I'm Helia, your pilot for the ride to Nihon. Here's to getting along!" Taking a step forward, she looked on each of the girl's faces, one after another, as if to cement the images in her head. "So what are each of your names? I'll likely be shipping you guys back here after it's all done. whatever it is you guys are doing," she stated. Reaching into her pocket, she revealed a remote control of some sort, which she passively pressed a few times, clearly familiar with its layout and functions. The ship sprang into motion with a jolt, lifting off the deck floor before slowly picking up in speed.
"I might also be seeing you guys sometime or another, if you ever get picked for the Auroran battles, that is. Or if you just wanted to visit!" The vibrance in her demeanor was practically infectious, seeming almost to saturate the air with happiness itself. It was no wonder the ship seemed so bright; it must have been coated with her personality endlessly.
Kronshi
Estylwen
Stern Algorithm
Skyswimsky
OwO
Sky Blue
Remram
Half Pint
hanzo
