corneredbliss

Collusion

LOL A+ for my reading skills, nice. Editing now.

Collusion

_{A N D R O M E D A B A I R}

---

"Andromeda Jynn Bair. You were arrested for your crimes in the country of Isola on charges of human trafficking and illegal use of magic on civilians. After further being charged for the murder of five guards at Eury State Prison, you were handed over to the jurisdiction of the Consortium to be given your final sentence. You have been found guilty on all charges, and have been sentenced to death upon your transference into our custody. The time has come for you to be formally executed for your various crimes against the Consortium, the city of Isola, and human society as a whole. Do you have any last words before we proceed?"

The Executives sitting at the table across the room like judges at a twisted panel waited for what usually was a loud and defiant exclamation of innocence, revenge, or general accusatory cussing. But the woman staring down at them in the middle of the room on a raised platform merely offered a miraculously indifferent, "No."

The cold, smooth steel of thick cuffs were digging into the skin around Andi's wrists and ankles, binding them together, respectively. They were unlike the roughly textured black rope wrapped very tightly around her neck, it's end fixed into the ceiling. It just barely gave her enough slack to support herself on the balls of her feet; lucky that Andi was used to wearing heels and standing in this very way or else she'd have been in trouble before the whole thing began.

"No? Having trouble speaking, there, Bair?" snorted the suit standing halfway between the woman and his empty seat at the table. It was Evan Kessler, the man whom she'd supposedly wronged by bewitching his daughter into working at Miss Neela's. It couldn't have been more obvious that after these seven months apart, he was still as furious as ever. "Would you like us to loosen that rope a little for you? Or is that not how your old Johns used to do it?"

He and a few of the other men who had been former patrons as well laughed at the joke, thinking themselves clever. Andromeda remained silent, partly because she wasn't going to give them any satisfaction, and partly because the door to the room had just opened. The company all turned their heads toward the entryway as - much to Andi's surprise - in walked Malina Kessler; or Raine, as the young woman had been known at the house. Although there wasn't much of a change in Andromeda's outward countenance, a strange pit plunked itself right in the middle of her stomach as she met the hazel eyes of a girl whom she considered something akin to a daughter.

Malina herself looked frightened, and very much uncomfortable in the layers upon layers of clothing she was wrapped in. Presumably dressed to her father's orders, Andromeda could only imagine what other punishments this girl had gone through after returning home from the fiasco all those months ago. Her pallor was pasty, contrasting the dark, purple circles underneath her eyes. Andi noted that her appearance was only a step away from reflecting her own, simply minus the bruises, cuts, and malnourishment. "Come here, dove," Evan cooed, attempting to soothe his daughter by wrapping an arm around her shoulder as they climbed the stairway towards her old boss. "Today, we are going to get revenge for all the time you were under this bitch's spell..."

The room grew silent as the two stopped in front of a podium bearing a lever, in front of and a few feet away from Andromeda. There was tangible anticipation in the room, and Andi felt if she broke from Malina's gaze for even so much as a second, the world would crash down and open up to swallow them all right then and there.

So she didn't. And Malina - No. Raine's eyes didn't waver from Andromeda's blue ones as she wrapped her hands around the lever handle. Evan was instructing her to do so, but it felt to Andi as if someone had turned the volume knob down in her mind, and all she could hear was a buzzing. Through the buzzing came the loud click of the switch as the lever locked into place on the opposite side of where it was resting. Suddenly the floor beneath Andromeda's feet began to fall away, though they continued to search for it frantically.

Buzz.

It's not your fault.

Andi's body flailed above the small crowd, simultaneously convulsing from a rejection of reality and hopeless attempts to triple her strength somehow and break free of the restraints.

Buzz.

I forgive you.

Still, her wide eyes kept their hold on Raine's, who was now level with the panel of Executives. The raised platform had folded itself into the floor, completely disappearing from sight. The girl held her head high and remained connected through her tears, also seemingly deaf to whatever her father was gleefully murmuring in her ear.

Buzz.

I'm sorry. It's okay.

And then, the weight of everything became too much. Andromeda slipped away into darkness.

_{------- S I X M O N T H S L A T E R -------}

Waves. A strange sensation.

The darkness in which Andromeda had been floating in for what felt like eternity was all of a sudden being disrupted. Something was washing over her wave by wave, pulling her closer to the surface until suddenly she was very aware of the sensation of a body. Her body? It must be. Her cheek pressed against something hard?

What was this?

Slowly, Andi commanded her neurons to pull back her eyelids, testing out her theory. Huh. It was her body. Or, perhaps it wasn't her body, but her consciousness in another's body? No, that would be impossible. Then again, this should be impossible. Whatever was happening right now. The sight before her eyes. The fact that she was seeing anything at all.

Wasn't she dead?

Maybe she was still dead, but she'd finally made it to the afterlife, or whatever. About damn time.

After a few more moments of internally checking her physical inventory, the woman let herself scan the situation from where she lay - which, by the way, was on the wet concrete of some warehouse, amongst what looked like other people in similar predicaments. Or maybe not. Perhaps they were all actors in a weird dream she was having.

In any case, it seemed that there were two women already up and about. Andromeda decided that keeping prone wouldn't get her any answers, so she cautiously pushed herself up from the floor into a sitting position, propping herself against a box that happened to be behind her. Glancing down, she confirmed that this was indeed her body. Currently she was wearing a long, turquoise cotton dress and black, chunky heels that only added two inches to her height. Simple and relatively casual compared to what she would have preferred to make her comeback in. But it would have to do.

Wary and yet highly curious, she returned her attention to her environment. There was nothing to do but wait, since she certainly wasn't going to make any first moves. So she kept quiet and merely observed what would happen next, occasionally stretching a finger or twitching a toe to see if she still could.

Collusion

Oooooh, how exciting! Great first post, Ic. Looking forward to waking up in some strange place with some strange people haha. Hopefully will try and get a post in tomorrow but my schedule might have other plans.

Also, I don't really know if this is relevant right now, but in case it's needed I'm in EST. So I hope everyone is having a good night.

Omega Station / Boop!

Alright, posted some of the NPCs - I think that's probably the most you'd need to know for now, but I'll just keep it an open running log as we go. I'll probably also add onto there the bots Ryobi would know at some point.

Omega Station / Boop!

P E R S O N N E L L O G

Captain Henry Burchill;
- 50s, widowed
- Responsible for entire station (both Prison and Home Bay).
- Amiable | Fatherly | Selfless
- Ryobi is friends with Captain Burchill. They have been to each other's BBQs in Home Bay.

Officer Janetta Pryce;
- Early 40s, single
- Warden of the Prison
- Strong-willed | Organized | Proud
- Probably one of Ryobi's closest friends on the station. Pryce has been working there longer than Ito has.

Officer Edward Benton;
- Mid 40s, married
- Fellow officer
- Pompous | Intelligent | Impulsive
- Not the most liked by his coworkers, but people respect him highly. Same probably applies to Ryobi, although they've definitely shared a few beers together.

Dr. Ami Widmher;
- Late 30s, single
- Head doctor/responsible for all station patients
- Even-tempered | Guarded | Perceptive
- Ryobi and Ami are more of comfortable acquaintances than friends. They don't really see each other often.

Officer Kerwin Gris
- Late 20s, single
- Fellow officer (youngest)
- Eager | Obedient | Ambitious
- The puppy of the group. Liked by most for his enthusiasm to learn from elders. Ryobi thinks he's nice.

Officer Lucian Davis
- Early 30s, married
- Fellow officer
- Clever | Cheerful | Humorous
- Ryobi and Lucian are friendly. They are usually scheduled on the same shifts.

Ris
- Part of the line of bots programmed to be assistants to the officers of Prison Bay. They are quick, very physically strong, and calculate what their route of action should be based on circumstances, regardless of orders.
- Ris and Ryobi have worked closely together since he's been at the Station.

---

P R I S O N E R L O G

Timothy Ginhearst
- Age 34 / Prisoner of 13 years
- Arrested for repeated Rape + Murder
- Profiled as slightly psychotic (due to abusive childhood)
- Ryobi really hates this guy. Disgusting piece of shit in his eyes. Ginhearst likes to taunt with him whenever he walks by his cell.

Lillian Gardea
- Age 29 / Prisoner of 8 years
- Arrested for Grand Larceny + Arson
- Profiled as a high level sociopath (promiscuous, perpetually lying)
- Gardea has probably tried to seduce Ryobi.

Samuel Carillo
- Age 27 / Prisoner of 6 years
- Arrested for Domestic Terrorism
- Profiled as highly intelligent, mid-level sociopath
- Ryobi and Carillo do not really interact. He keeps to himself.

Dawson "Big Daddy" Sterling
- Age 45 / Prisoner of 12 years
- Arrested for being involved in a Drug Mob + Murders
- Profiled as a huge asshole with anger issues.
- Big Daddy likes to start shit. He's tried to start shit with everyone and anyone, including Ryobi. They keep him in an electrical collar.

Ariella "V" Sterling
- Age 36 / Prisoner of 10 years
- Arrested for heading Drug Mob + Murders
- Profiled as schizophrenic, highly intelligent.
- Ariella keeps to herself and her brother, unless she's throwing a fit at one of the officers. She's always watching with a weirdly intense stare.

Michio Fukuda
- Age 33 / Prisoner of 13 years
- Arrested for auto theft + embezzlement
- Profiled as sane, calculating and clever.
- Fukuda is a proud peacock. He probably gets on It's nerves for trying to show off.

Roderik Adler
- Age 54 / Prisoner of 23 years
- Arrested for treason + murder
- Profiled as slightly obsessive-compulsive, highly intelligent.
- Being the veteran of the group, Adler acts buddy-buddy with his guards. He doesn't rile or shout like the children. It's all cool.

Collusion

Been doing alright. I have this whole week of due to some fortunate events so I'm relaxing and spending time with my partner before he goes off and travels again. Had a really good milkshake yesterday so I'm pretty psyched about that haha.

Happy Tuesday, y'all! Any movie recommendations, @GreenGoat?

Omega Station / Boop!

@JBRam2002 Hey hey sorry it's been so inactive lately, been dealing with personal things. Promise I'm still here, will try to get you a reply and that personnel log by this evening. Hope you're well!

Collusion

No but this one is really interesting so far, not really a typical horror game. It's basically like an homage to older text-based adventure games and it really got to me. Like, damn, I was watching from behind my fingers hahaha. If you're in the mood for basically "scary story time mixed in with player interaction", definitely check it out.

How's Persona 5 so far? Or any other games people have played recently?

Omega Station / Boop!

The officer began moving towards her and Kitt readied herself to help him in whatever way he needed. But he was talking, as well, and talking nonsense, at that. Calculations of situations and a recall of facts that she knew all computed and solved and refreshed themselves in her brain. 'Riot', 'pulling strings'... Was Officer Ito implying that this whole mess was started on purpose? How would that even be possible? The entire point of this station was to prevent something like this, and being someone who's worked for as long as Ito has here, shouldn't he know this? His questions didn't make sense, at all! Who would want such a bad day like today? Was he trying to confuse her? If so, that wouldn't be very nice of him. And here she was, just trying to do her job and get him to their designated location.

Furthermore, asking her to ignore her programming?!

If robots could look mildly offended, Kitt's face would be just that.

But she tried to answer nonetheless, watching him as he paused just behind the bars that separated them. In truth, she wasn't sure what he meant by that second question; was he implying that the Captain would want to cause the ship harm? Captain Burchill was one of the people who was most kind to her! How could he be behind all of this silly chaos?

"Yes, Captain Burchill sent me. He asked me to find any survivors and bring them to safety in the office. He is there, along with Officer Benton and a med-bot. They are injured, but alright."

"I do not understand your second question, sir. Captain Burchill is simply trying to get you to safety - why would he want to trigger the riots?" She knew he had a mild bump on his head from an earlier injury, and tried to use that as an explanation for his strange talk. "You may have hit your head a little too hard, Officer Ito. Would you like me to contact a med-bot for you, as well?"

Collusion

A n d r o m e d a B a i r

26 | 5'7" | 134 lbs

Ethnicity

French/Austrian

Nationality

Isolian

Birthplace

Eury, Isola

Former Occupation

Madam of one of Isola's leading escort services. More bluntly put: she ran a brothel.

Appearance

Andromeda is a woman of luxury. Her honey-golden locks fall at the middle of her back when they're loose, but more commonly she wears it half-up/half-down, making sure that it's voluminous and mane-like. That's a pretty accurate parallel to make; Andromeda can be best described as a lioness. Her figure is full and unapologetic, yet fit. Most of her outfits consist of high-end dresses and heels sharp enough to carve with. She is usually adorned with tasteful jewelry, the only constant being a thin, simple, silver ring she wears around her pinky.

Personality

The whole lioness metaphor is applicable to her personality, as well. To work in her field, one cannot be a sheep; Andromeda is an exceptional example. She is strong-willed and silver-tongued, yet it takes a lot for her to get angry for petty reasons. It's a quiet yet piercing confidence she possesses; one that assures everyone knows of her presence and character even if she doesn't make a sound. In spite of all this, however, she's not much for small talk, and really keeps to herself unless it's necessary for her to engage another. The one thing Andi is quick to do is defend herself or her principles, and if there's even a whiff of threat to either, she will pounce.

Hobbies / Interests

As a woman of luxury, Andromeda's hobbies include rolling in sheets of silk and drinking champagne in a bubble bath. Cleanliness and organization are both important to her, so she spends whatever energy needed making sure her possessions are in order, and that the house never falls below her standards. She also enjoys reading historical texts, as well as those that explore the psyche; mostly to educate herself on the human condition. With knowledge comes power, after all.

Skills / Talents

Make no mistake; while Andi - as only a rare few know her - has cravings for the finer things, she also knows how to get her hands dirty. As a Madam, she's had to learn how to assert herself from the more uncivil characters that slip into the rooms and foolishly try to cheat their bills or take advantage of her. She is passable at hand-to-hand combat and is definitely not afraid to deliver a swift kick between the legs. She also has a particular knowledge of how people tick, and therefore can charm people to her way of thinking.

Motivation/Crime Committed

Andromeda dealt with the most classified clientele that passed through the house. Surprisingly - or perhaps, unsurprisingly, really - a good percentage of those VIP were members of the hallowed Executive Consortium. One such Executive had a particularly promiscuous daughter, who began working on Andi's team of girls under a different identity. Unfortunately for the girl's poor father, he found out after having accidentally been brought to her room for the night. As one can imagine, all hell broke loose - the Executive raged on and on about the immorality of the place and eventually managed to shut the entire operation down, claiming that Andi was using magic to trick the girls into working for her. The other major clients, not wanting to have their names tarnished by multiple visits to the brothel, supported the claim. This of course was not the case; all the girls that worked at Miss Neela's were there voluntarily, either for pleasure or for profit.

Andromeda was consequently arrested for human trafficking and illegal use of magic, but since the Consortium couldn't prove that she had done anything to deserve a heavier sentence, she remained in a general correctional facility with Jaemy. Still, she was furious. The house was the only remaining memory she had of her mother, and the only family she had were the women in it; and it had all been taken away from her by selfish hypocrites. This, coupled with the abuse she was experiencing from the guards who prattled on about how "she should be used to this after working in a whore house", was enough to warrant a festering need for vengeance. She got her hands on a small, sharpened piece of metal fashioned from an old razor blade, and when the guards invaded her cell for their weekly fun at her expense, Andi stabbed their smug grins right off their faces. This earned her a sentence of death.

History

Raised by a single mother who had really only used her biological father to produce a child, it was no wonder Andromeda turned into the resolute woman she was. Neela Bair, born and raised in a humble farm in France by two honest parents, wanted more than the green grass and fresh milk her childhood had to offer her. It was a comfortable, yet predictable life the Bairs lived - but Neela was never one to need comfort or routine. She spent her nights out with men, for pleasure and for sport, unbeknownst to her parents, who thought she was the picture of innocence. Independent and hungry for something else, she dropped out of college during her second year and moved away from home without much resistance from them, who only wanted her happiness. She found refuge on a trading ship heading to the country of Isola, and it was on this ship that she met Wesley Pryce. Wesley was instantly taken by her and offered her sanctuary in his room, and Neela, excited though not really interested, played her part by his side.

In the city of Eury, she lived with Wesley and yet did not belong to him; she had countless affairs with other men while they were together, and while Wesley suspected something of this, she would charm him back to content every time. Eventually she understood what it was that Isola needed from her; a business for women, by a woman. It was then that she began Miss Neela's, though on a much smaller scale, and after it's rapid growth and eventual stability, Neela decided that it was time to sever ties with Wesley. But first, she would get her own companion from him.

Nine months after the breakup, Andromeda was born.

Contrary to what one might think of having a Madam as a mother, Neela dutifully kept her daughter from the house and made sure Andi had a good home away from business. She sent countless pictures and letters back to her parents in France, making sure they knew their daughter was alive and well, and more importantly, that they now had a beautiful granddaughter. While she made sure her parents knew nothing of what she actually did, Neela made sure to be honest with Andi, and told her little tidbits of her occupation as she grew older. Andi absolutely admired her mother, and absorbed everything the woman had to teach her like a sponge.

Other than her mother's unconventional job, Andromeda (who wasn't really magically inclined) was just like any other girl. She sang to herself, played with dresses, and had a best girl friend; Jaemy Galland, who, interestingly enough, was born to a woman who worked closely with Neela in the bordello. Andromeda's mother promptly offered to have the child stay at the Bair residence during work hours, and Andi was more than happy to have a friend. Being a few years older than Jaemy was, she took lead and cared after the girl, simultaneously a mother and a sister.

In school, she was intelligent and keen to learn - regardless of the disapproving looks, and sometimes words, she received from teachers and parents who had hunches of what her mother did. While all this negativity probably nestled itself somewhere deep in Andromeda's psyche, she refused to let it touch her and instead became incredibly excited to join her mother in the business. Only when Andi turned sixteen did Neela finally allow her to step foot into the workplace, and after years of having taught her that it was not anything to be ashamed of, Andromeda welcomed the house and its girls with open arms. She began learning the ropes of the business in terms of how to run such a place, with the most important rule being that there should never be a woman under that roof that didn't want to be there. The place was a sort of sanctuary for girls that needed or wanted to be there, and the Bairs treated it as such.

It was around the tail end of Andromeda's seventeenth year that her mother developed lung cancer from the years of smoking. Neela Bair passed away on Andi's nineteenth birthday, and she promptly dropped out of college to tend to the only remaining link she had with her mother. Business flourished thanks to Andromeda's proactivity, although she herself was never involved in anything behind closed doors. It was her job to get paying men in and out, and so she swooned and sweet-talked clients into spending evenings in their rooms. Eventually, hushed word carried up into the big leagues, and her rooms began filling with Executives from the Consortium. All was going swimmingly until the incident, and the rest is history.

Relationships

Family

N/A

Significant Others

Jaemy Galland
- Andromeda's right-hand woman at Miss Neela's, and possibly the only person she trusted aside from her mother. The two were basically sisters; Jaemy's mother worked for Neela, so she was a frequenter at the Bair residence for playdates with Andi while their mothers worked. Jaemy was also arrested during the incident, but the two were separated after Andromeda was sentenced to death.

Magic

Sway
- This spell allows Andromeda to alter or plant thoughts, ideas, or memories into another's psyche by way of direct eye contact. The receiver of this influence will think these new pieces of information are facts, and will not be able to differentiate between the altered/planted thoughts from their own. The duration of this spell depends on how big or notable the change in memory is; the bigger the change and the longer it needs to be planted, the more magic it requires.

Dissolve
- This spell allows Andromeda to turn objects of solid matter into ghostly forms of themselves, allowing for safe passage through them. For example, if Andi casts this on a section of wall, she, and whoever is touching her at the time, will be able to walk right through into the next room. This spell has a short duration and will only last for a few moments unless Andromeda recasts it.

Other

- In another life, light-years from this one, Andromeda would have loved to be a mother.
- Contrary to what people think of her and her occupation, Andromeda could count on one hand the amount of lovers she's had to date.
- There are still scars from the guards' time with her. They only seem to appear in times of hysteria, if ever.