Emeth

Shadow Contract: A Demon-Slaying Action RP

Federica Simonova

• Name: Federica Simonova (Nickname: Rika)
• Age: 23
• Gender: Female
  
• Personality: Has a heart as big as her presence, and smiles just as wide. Rika loves the spotlight, and relishes in the praise of her peers and the people. Breaks the ice with extreme prejudice, and lives to spite the concept of personal space. Though, as a straight shooter, she lacks some sensitivity. Puts her enemies down before putting them under: Sass 100. Loud and raucous, she would make a great motivational speaker, if she deferred to friends for agreement a bit less often. Has a strong sense of justice and difficulty holding her tongue about it. Morally grey, she is not—she could very easily butt heads with the pope. Firmly believes the old proverb that the fastest way to a person's heart is through the stomach. Loves giving food and receiving food, or better yet, recipes. Has a deep respect for anyone who isn't afraid to work up a sweat. Pretty clueless about romance. Was once called a "Blue Baller" in high school and thought it was a compliment or cool code name of some kind.
• Skills: A multi-talented mechanic. Played basketball and did calisthenics in high school. Loves to cook and free-run. Trains with the "run, fight, run" philosophy. Quick on her feet and has lots of stamina and endurance. Not extremely muscular, but deceptively strong.
• Contract Rank: B
• Contract Abilities: A shield-like weapon called the Falling Star. Can deliver rocket-propelled punches. Compatible with DDF technology.
  
  • Barrier Knuckle: Projects her own disc-shaped energy field, creating a shield in front of her.
  • Barrier Fist: Projects a hand-shaped field to remotely punch, push, pull, or crush distant objects.
  • Barrier Flood: Injects the Falling Star's energy field into the ground, walls, or other objects, causing them to split apart.
  • Barrier Storm: Projects a Demon Denial Field in all directions, repelling all foes. Takes considerable energy to sustain, but short bursts are manageable.
• Brief Backstory: Grew up in an under-served district of the city, populated mostly by foreigners. This is the cause attributed to the tragedy that took place there. Two Devils appeared in Tokyo at once, and the local DDF simply didn't have the resources. Many of Rika's friends and neighbors died, and her mother was bound to a wheelchair. Rika herself was hospitalized, and suffered a four-day coma. When she woke up, she was furious that help never arrived, and the Devil and his minions got away. "I'll kill them all," she said, still groggy and disoriented, but having made up her mind.
  
  Unwilling to trust the DDF, believing that their negligence was responsible for what happened to her, she reluctantly made a Shadow Contract with the fallen angel she'd communicated with during her coma and hunted demons on her own for a few years, looking for the Devil that destroyed her home. The understaffed local branch was, approximately, happy to have her unofficial assistance in covering the area, but the locals were divided. Some said her presence there was just one more reason why the DDF wouldn't come to help them, if such a thing ever happened again. Others saw her as a guardian angel, and preferable to the DDF. In the end, it hardly mattered. After a botched job involving several Monsters that resulted in Rika nearly losing her arm, the DDF offered her a choice: join them, or be forced to stop. They might have tried tickling her ego a little when they said she was too valuable to lose, but it was still nice to hear—and it's also nice to be a fresh recruit with some experience—but, she still hasn't found the Devil who killed her friends.

Cute bruiser/protecter. A shot in the dark with the power level; I don't really mind where she ranks.

Emeth is in Too Many RPs (Indefinitely Closed)

Indefinitely Closed

This thread continues to exist as a notepad of sorts for my ongoing RPs, but is "closed to the public" so to speak. I've pretty much figured out who my long-term partners are for the foreseeable future.

About Me
The tagline is a pretty good summary. Expect deadly beauties and dapper ladies in pinstripe suits; if you've found yourself in need of a character like that in your RP, tag me. I can handle anything above one-liners, from casual to advanced. High casual to mid advanced is my comfort zone. I stay out of the arena for fear of godmodding and out of the Star Wars stuff 'cause I'm a fraud who only likes the original trilogy and had barely any exposure to the expanded universe. It's okay, you can judge me; I played Shadows of the Empire on the N64 and I liked it. I'm OoC friendly and have a Discord, but I'd rather not give it unless we're actively writing something together. I try to stay relatively low key and semi-anonymous.

My Interests
Anything involving political intrigue or conspiracy will hold my attention like a vice, but if that's not your wheelhouse, good character moments and strong dialogue will also do the trick. I don't always do fluffy or slice-of-life stuff, but when I do, I fluff responsibly; I don't think I could finish a whole slice of life story without an actual... story. I like all kinds of time periods, as long as my partners aren't tenured historians with an axe to grind. I actually really enjoy settings with anachronistic technology and weird genre combinations, like sci-fi fantasy western, so if you have an idea still sitting in a PM draft or on your desktop in a text document because it's "too weird," send it to me and I'll at least read the pitch. I'm a sucker for romance and pretty flexible about it; I'll do fade-to-black or 18+ no-fade upon request. I'll pair FxM or FxF, and I'll also honor any requests for NO romance between the MCs. I like to think that my writing is just strong enough to not need to be carried by the Romance and 18+ tags. We'll see!

Guidelines
If you decide to send me a message, just give me some basic details of what you're looking for, a story suggestion and/or character if applicable, and—if you can—include a couple paragraphs describing one of your characters (any of them, from any RP) doing something mundane, like writing a confidential letter, taking stock of their equipment, admiring themselves in the mirror, or observing their situation while in captivity. Something short but detailed enough to show off your writing style, and how you'd handle "down time" during a slow burn. Reusing an old but recent post for this will save you some time. I won't require this, but if your "filler" is nicely done, you'll have my full attention right from the start. Where posting frequency is concerned, I'm not too fussed about it. You can probably expect at least two a week from me. If you haven't replied in two weeks or more, I might poke you to see if you're still interested, but as many people as there are on here who say "yeah totally I'm not dropping," I'll give it another two weeks, but then I'm re-opening my story for somebody else.

I like to think that I handle writing mature themes tastefully, and would like my writing partners to do the same; if darkness is your domain, just don't be a mouthbreather about it and we'll get along. I too am a fan of the strange, dark and mysterious delivered in story format. Your choice of words will probably put me off faster than your choice of content. Also, the entire universe shouldn't be doing a low% morality speedrun straight to the leaderboards of grimdark hell; a good story needs highs as well as lows, you know? On a similar note, I can't really do pure smut; I've tried to be accommodating in the past and I just lose interest. That'll be especially true in this thread as a few of the specific stories are backstories or alternate canon based on non-throwaway characters I've already made. I'm not interested in kink fuel stories and won't be listing mine here, but feel free to throw yours at me if it won't detract from the story too much. I probably have a shorter "nope list" than you, so the worst that could happen is that I politely turn you down.

Actual Rules
Don't go godmode on me, especially if we're both playing as capable fighters. It's no fun if your character (or mine) is just better at everything, all the time. Take the shot, but don't auto-hit—and of course, don't control my characters for me. Romance aside, that and one-liners are basically my only hard rules. For romance, when creating a character for any RP involving adult scenes, I humbly request that, if you prefer to use real life face claims, to use a site like this person does not exist to generate one. If you require me to use one, I'll be doing the same, for various reasons best left hidden in the recesses of my paranoid mind. On a related note, I'll only do romance with original characters; I'll use a fandom for some good set dressing but I don't write romantic fanfiction or crack pairings. I also won't play the male character in a romantic encounter; that's why I didn't mention MxM pairings, either. Nope, sorry, can't do it. Oh, and while I'm still paranoid, obligatory 18+ characters only reminder.

Enough about me—on to the stories currently rattling in my brain. These should give you a taste of what I'm about.

Specific Stories: These are listed in order from "most fluffy" to "most mature/dark." All of the text and linked images in this thread should be safe for work.

The Glass Between Us - RESERVED (???xAny)

First contact has been made, and human history is about to change forever. The first nonhuman intelligent life was discovered not in space as so many expected, but here on earth, in the depths of the ocean, where we should have been looking all along. Deep beneath the waves of Point Nemo is where the creature was discovered, and that's where it's being contained now, in an underwater marine biology research facility. Its discovery was, of course, supposed to be a secret—but in the information age, secrets are made to be leaked. Naturally, humanity reacted to the revelation of this creature's existence in all of the predictable Hollywood ways. Somewhere, on a college campus, students are protesting for the creature to be released. The church is calling for the exorcism of this "beast from the sea," and heralding the end of the world. The military industrial complex is surely wondering if the creature can be trained and weaponized. Netizens of every popular streaming website are poking holes in the leaked videos and calling them fake. Politicians are eagerly doing what they do best: using a lot of words to say a lot of nothing, other than that this is an exciting time and they're honored to be present for it, taking no stance and making no promises to ensure they are on the right side of history. Scientists, like yourself, are using this chance to further their careers, before the scene becomes too competitive.

Seizing the silver lining of the leak, the authorities have cast a wider net in their search for researchers to study the creature, and you've been inducted into the program. Upon arriving at the base, you observe the creature up close for the first time. It is an amphibious, shapeshifting creature, covered in a thin layer of black ooze that reminds you of hagfish slime. You are told that it can use this slime to transform its body to resemble any creature it has "sampled," and as such it is currently under quarantine, being fed a strict diet of marine species it has been known to eat already. It likes to take the form of a female humanoid whenever it knows it is being observed by a human, so it is presumed to be female, but nobody really knows. It has the temperament of a playful golden retriever, but the sharp fangs of a strictly carnivorous species—and an intelligence that might surpass humans. Though it cannot speak your language, you can't help but feel that, while you are studying the creature, it is also studying you. It has apparently escaped containment about six times, and appears to take great amusement in hunting and being hunted by the site's assigned military personnel. No one has ever been permanently injured... except that one time, which was probably a misunderstanding.

(A fluffy story about a playful alien and her human takes a dark turn, and the two must work together, "A Boy and His Blob" style, to survive. Setting inspired by games like Alien Isolation and Metroid Dread, lighter on the sci-fi seasoning, and marinated in plenty of lighthearted slice-of-life scenes. Expect occasional survival-horror with very little in the way of violence or blood, and very loose storytelling. Romantic subtext is extremely optional. I won't exactly stop you from romancing the alien, as long as their relationship remains wholesome.)

That Can Be Arranged, Milady - CLOSED (FxAny)

Arranged marriages were supposed to be a dusty relic of a bygone era. Except, that's not how it works. The powerful do not give up their tools for increasing their own power so easily. No; everything proceeds ever smoothly towards one direction only: the heightening of inequality. Like the elections which provide only the illusion of choice in one's leader, women are offered only the illusion of choosing their desired husband. To ensure everyone is happy with the result—including the bride, of course—everything is rigged in favor of the preferred candidate. Cups are laced with laxatives. Wardrobes are infested with moths. Jewelry vanishes and haircuts are ruined. Smooth introductions are upset by a pulled rug. Everything is done to gently guide each of the empire's lovely ladies to choose the "right" man, and only the adults in the room are privy to the situation. All of the boys vie for her affection, but only one stands a chance; so goes the theory of the "new and improved" arranged marriage.

The fateful 18th birthday has arrived, and it's time for our heroine to meet the bachelors. There's just one problem: the "preferred" candidate has no interest in women, and is completely useless with romance—but the elites have a plan. One of the birthday girl's childhood friends has been recruited to the cause. Equipped with a magic mask that allows them to transform into anyone, they will use their knowledge of the heroine for advantage and romance her in his stead. However, there are two non-trivial problems with this plan. One: the childhood friend is also invited and expected to be seen at the party. Two: the mask can only store limited power, and restores its mana when taken off and left in the moonlight. The secret is bound to come out eventually; when it does, the bride is sure to be angry—or will she?

(A lighthearted romantic comedy with a fantasy setting and villainous slapstick. Expect friendly duels and maybe just a little blood on occasion. Romance is a major theme of the story, but actual romance is optional, with nudity and adult scenes further optional. I'd love to play the role of the childhood friend in disguise (FxF gender reveal drama is a guilty pleasure of mine) but am open to either role. You can play the childhood friend as either male or female, and they can be romantically interested in the heroine, or simply looking out for them and their happiness. Lots of possibilities here. Expect loose storytelling, and if I play the heroine, very loose storytelling.)

Baba Yaga has Summoned a Hero! To Arms! - CLOSED (???xAny)

Baba Yaga, the mysterious witch of the impenetrable bog, has become the first magician to ever successfully complete a hero's summoning by herself. Naturally, all of the world's kingdoms are concerned, and a motion has been put forth to gather adventurers from all corners of the earth to combat this new threat. Many of these adventurers, some retired, were "recruited" against their will. Former slave traders turned government employees are eager to abuse their newfound power, and you are currently held captive by one such character, along with a mixed crowd of adventurers and his old stock, still in captivity.

Suddenly, a small and mysterious young lady appears, and expertly kills the slave trader and his two lackeys with such skill that it leaves you in awe. As she approaches your cell, you notice that she is not a human, but a homunculus—essentially, a magically animated doll of clay. Homunculi are usually created only for nobility and royalty, as a task force of sorts to exercise their will. So, why would something like her, no more autonomous than a machine, be impeding the elites' plan? Unless—one of the kingdoms has secretly allied with Baba Yaga? Just as you're beginning to think that you'll probably never see this girl again, never mind having answers, her master seems to abandon her on the spot—the girl's communication crystal crumbles to dust, covering his tracks. Having served her purpose, she stands there, frigid, with no commands left for her magical programming to execute. She'll be tortured and killed if you leave her there, so you decide to take her with you—besides, she seems like she might be useful. Surprisingly, she agrees to come along.

(A very anime-inspired story about an abandoned servant girl and a released slave, and their life on the run from the law, which sounds much darker than it is. Expect occasional violence, blood and death, but their budding partnership is the real focus of the story. Their only way to make ends meet in the long term is to explore the many ancient ruins scattered across the wasteland and sell what they find inside to make their fortune. Their seemingly unrelated misadventures cause them to stumble upon ancient truths that could change the context of history and the very fabric of society. A western setting with fantasy-style magic and ancient technology—borderline Wild ARMs fanfiction. If multiple people are interested in this, I could make it into a group RP, as any possible romance is extremely tangential to the plot.)

The Serpent Leader's Muse - CLOSED (FxAny)

Cynthia Schovajsa, princess of the reptilians, is a divisive figure in her home country. The race of half-breeds had been betrayed by the humans, almost immediately after helping them fight back against their full-blooded reptilian overlords. So how could the princess of the demihuman reptilians not hate humans? Choosing sharpened steel over dull politics, she chose to seize power by winning the hearts of the soldiers and the soul of her military—and after many bloody campaigns, it worked. Now bearing the unofficial but still very relevant title of War Queen, she is quickly becoming the chosen champion of all species of demihumans, not just her own. New alliances are forming, and soon, the humans will have to acknowledge their right to exist. If all goes well, Cynthia will become queen of the reptilians—but her ambition does not end with the crown; her steely blue eyes are transfixed on the title of Emperor.

You, too, are an heir to a throne—perhaps of the allied lamia of the nearby desert, or of the harpies living in the mountains whose caves are the reptilians' home—or of the oceanic merfolk, the orcs of the prairies, a rogue clan of dark elves, or the distant tengu or oni. Regardless of your origin, it's impossible not to see the merits of becoming close with the infamous War Queen of the reptilians. Leading the charge against the humans, holed up as they are in the arctic tundra—despite being cold-blooded—winning many battles while being outnumbered and underequipped—she is plainly a spectacular warrior. Even the wisdom of the ancient reptilians is reflected in her words and in her perspective on the war, making her the ideal Queen. The best thing you could do in this situation to secure your country's future in the Empire she is slowly amassing is to gain her favor, and, if such a thing were even possible, wear away her frosty exterior, seduce her, and earn a permanent place at her side.

(A fantasy setting with political war games as the backdrop. The demihumans lean toward more human than monster—if you've seen the popular youkai characters of the Touhou franchise, you know roughly the level I'm aiming for; wings, tails, fangs and claws are fine—entire bodies covered in scales, feathers or fur is over the mark. Expect violence, blood and death. Romance is optional, with nudity and adult scenes further optional. Canonically, Cynthia actually ends up with no one, with the closest thing she has to a romance being a conniving tengu princess who wants Cynthia to be her queen. Of course, all possible endings are open. If multiple people are interested in this, it could become a Nations RP with less focus on Cynthia as a main character.)

The Cursemaker and the Heartbreaker (18+) - CLOSED (FxM)

Ashley Wycliffe is a dangerous woman; that's what everyone says. The youngest daughter of a high-ranking priest and marquess, her family was destroyed overnight when evidence emerged that the wife was a secret witch. While the male head of the family was away, Wycliffe Manor was raided; all of the men were killed while the women escaped into the night, including Ashley. Years later, only she emerged from the aftermath, eventually being picked up by (as fate would have it) one of the family's own orphanages and received back into what remained of it by her father. Less than a year later, he also died mysteriously. Now the sole owner of the Wycliffe estate by default, it was up for grabs by any man willing to take her hand—but no one did. She is an expert cursemaker: a profession whose presence in the kingdom is tolerated rather than celebrated. Curses are like locks: when broken, the results are destructive. The only non-destructive method of dealing with them is to reverse them, which requires reverse engineering; of course, anyone who can effectively reverse a curse can also make one as well. While Ashley considers herself a physician specializing in magical maladies, and the state officially recognizes her as such, she bears the same infamy of a witch—without the benefit of camaraderie with other practitioners of the forbidden arts.

As reluctant as you are to hire a supposed witch, she may be your only hope of escaping this hell that has been cast upon you. You are the son of a duke, and yet the curse you bear has ruined your life. Immediately upon laying eyes on any woman, you fall head over heels in love. You could not bear this stain upon your honor as a captain of the knights, and have sequestered yourself away in your father's estate. It has been months since you've left the property to do anything other than hunt with the boys. You haven't seen your mother or sisters in years. It wearies the spirit to communicate only by letters, and to be absent from the weddings. Family—once more precious to you than anything, has been cruelly stripped away. You can't take it anymore. Fortunately, you might not have to—for as soon as you first laid eyes on Ashley, you were filled with hope upon the realization that you can keep yourself composed in front of her. Is it because she's a witch? Because she has absolutely no feminine charm at all? Regardless of the reasons, you decide to invite Ashley to live in your mansion while she works, the better to keep this vile secret from escaping the confines of its halls. It isn't long before this decision proves fruitful. You, of course, have enemies that would like to ruin you—but it seems that she, too, has enemies—mainly of the powerful, witchy kind. It makes you wonder what kind of secrets she's hiding.

(A fantasy thriller with layers of conspiracy and betrayal. The setting is heavily inspired by Fire Emblem, with a noticeably darker tone but generally still using a "tell, don't show" method of relaying its darkest moments. Evil and justice are major themes of the story; expect violence, blood and death, occult activities, and occasional nudity—romance with adult scenes is optional, but the contents of the story alone may demand the 18+ tag. Many major story beats are prepared in advance. The duke's son is a partially prepared character, but any details not listed above are still up for negotiation. In Ashley's canon backstory, her success in this endeavor results in her becoming a knight in his service, the two remaining lifelong platonic friends with subtle notes of unrequited love from Ashley. I am, of course, open to writing an alternate ending.)

If it's You, Babe, I Don't Really Mind Being Kidnapped (18+) - CLOSED (FxAny)

You were the heir/heiress of the leader of a crime syndicate, but you left that life behind—at least, that's what you intended. With forged documents and a briefcase full of family money, you tried to carve out a new life for yourself, but the money's run out and stable employment remains elusive. Sometimes you wonder if it's been arranged that way, but you're stubborn like your father. Scraping by with part time work at a night club, that's where you suddenly meet the girl of your dreams. What was supposed to be a one night stand or casual fling with a regular at the club ends up becoming pretty serious when you realize that she's actually your coworker—she stays in the back office most of the time, watching the security cameras. Though she dresses sharply and seems kind of "butch," she turns out to be a total sweetheart. She's a smooth-talker who acts very experienced but you can tell from her slightly clumsy kisses that she's not a real player. It doesn't hurt that she seems to be pretty rich—though she won't tell you where or how she gets the money—but your father didn't raise you to pry into other people's financials.

On your one-month anniversary, she pays a surprise visit to your place. One thing leads to another and she ends up staying the night. It's on that night that three men break into your apartment. You rush into the kitchen, ready to deal with the intruders, not even realizing that your lover isn't in bed beside you. You arrive and find that she's taken care of the intruders herself—and the first thing she does is ask if you are alright. Later, she offers to let you stay at her place for a while, until the repairs are done and you feel safe going back. That's it, you decide. She's the one. The two of you agree to make it "official" and move into a place together. As you wait for her to return from her late shift, though, what was supposed to be a precious first night together in your new home becomes your darkest hour as she arrives in body armor, armed to the teeth. Wait—who is she, really? What does she intend to do?!

(A high-octane romance starring two infamous residents of the criminal underworld. One runs from their past, the other runs from her future, and the two must work together to deal with their present crisis. Both characters are insanely capable fighters, and my idea for this is that they have Yakuza-inspired Battle Styles that border on superpowers. Hers is called Smoking Gun, which combines a shinobi-style smoke bomb teleport with other moves inspired by Devil May Cry's "Gunslinger" style. Yours can be anything you want! Though, we can also drop this feature if you're craving something grittier and down-to-earth. This is the most "mature" story I have on hand right now—expect lots of violence and death, blood and nudity, and "adult activities" between the MCs will at least be implied. Fade-to-black for these scenes is still an option.)

For Your Eyes Only (18+) - CLOSED (FxM)

[REDACTED]

Open Format: Craving something darker, yet darker? Have your own story to tell? No? Why not craft one now, then? Welcome home.

Maid to Order ❀ Help Wanted - Accepting Multiple Partners (FxAny)

The omniverse is a vast place, with many different worlds inhabited by vastly different creatures, with unique cultures and civilizations. One thing remains constant, however: there are those who rule, and those who serve them. While some rogue civilizations rebelled against this long-established status quo, they were summarily unsuccessful in their endeavors to make all free and equal. Mother Nature remains cutthroat, and survival of the fittest still applies in this new multiversal paradigm. It's no use dwelling on what could have been, though. All things considered, average quality of life for the lower classes has never been better, and with most habitable worlds sharing open borders, the option of seeking out new employment options is the strongest it's ever been.

For the ruling class, it's never been easier to find skilled workers. The vast array of options is quite overwhelming, however, and our organization understands what it's like to be too busy to peruse them all. That's why, at Maid to Order LLC, we do the work. We connect the elites seeking skilled work, from your typical business leaders to royal families and even deities with those seeking better employment options than what's available on their own home world—serving the interdimensional community at all strata of society, to create a better future—with the strongest workforce, highest profits, and greatest job satisfaction.

Let's get to work. ⚜ ♥

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Concept: Maids! Aren't they the best? You find this opinion agreeable, milady? Most excellent! In this RP structure, one of us can play as a maid/butler while the other plays the mistress/master—or we can both play as servants and our employer can be an NPC. Really, I'm not too fussed about the details regarding the roles. The plot can also be just about anything, from fluffy slice of life to something darker about captivity or indentured service. I'm sincerely open to basically anything where I can play as a maid, high class lady, or villainess.

What I'm Looking For:

Elegance! Glamour! Riches! Whoever the employer is, they should have some status, and their family must be one of wealth and power. The family can be on the decline, if that sounds like an interesting plot thread, but they should have the means to hire and keep servants. Working for them should be either appealing or inescapable.

Cultural Exchange! The above prompt about the omniverse is a generic one that doesn't necessarily have to apply to our setting, but one thing I love to do is play random nationalities—and when the option is available, demihuman races or even monster girls. I love when characters are very different and have to learn to get along.

A Nice Lemon Twist! If master/servant slice of life is the main dish, that's fine, but I'd like some seasoning to go with it. Is it a fantasy setting with magic? A cyberpunk setting? It can be any flavor you like, as long as there's something going on beyond the mundane, depressing reality that already exists around us today.

Forbidden Love! Exactly what it says on the tin. The romance should be taboo in all kinds of ways. Is the mistress cheating on her husband with the butler? Or perhaps the maid, in a world where homosexuality is frowned upon? Perhaps some abuse of authority is afoot? Why not all three? Ohohohoho! I'm feeling scandalous!

Oh My Villainess! I have a soft spot for this character archetype and I don't care who plays it! Also yes, I am an absolute sucker for those cliché 'I was reincarnated as the villainess' stories, so that's a route I don't mind taking. Male villains are also valid; I certainly wouldn't mind playing a maid in Castle Dracula!

Ladies For Hire 🗡 Mission Select - Accepting Multiple Partners (FxAny)

Hashashin. Shinobi. Cleaners. Hitmen. Secret Police. Special Forces.

In every civilization, through every age, during times of war or at peace—these multi-talented death dealers have never existed. Not officially—but you, our client of proper means, are a member of the elite. For you, these priceless services are available for purchase. You have problems that need taking care of: obstacles removed, intelligence gathered or destroyed, loved ones protected from your enemies—or perhaps, from their own loose tongues—sequestered away from the public for their own good. Whatever your inquiry, our girls are sure to meet your needs and exceed your expectations.

Disguised as the maid, the lady-in-waiting, the merchant, the tavernkeep, the teacher, the nun. Protecting the royal family while hunting the traitor in their midst. Rescuing (or kidnapping) princesses from castles, for good or ill. Infiltrating the black market to bump off its kingpin, crashing its most unsavory auctions and freeing the merchandise—all without leaving a trace. No location is too secure. No target out of reach or untouchable. No cost too great for such service, don't you agree? Money is no object—and if your purse is feeling a bit light this evening, Faustian bargains are also an accepted form of currency here.

A pleasure doing business with you. ⚜ ♥

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CONOP: I play an assassin, a bodyguard for your client or a target of their choosing, or a spy masquerading as either—perhaps a bit of all three. Some of the girls will present as men, when the mission calls for it. The details of that mission are up to you. There's just one rule: No real-life political figures will be assassinated in the making of these stories. Yes, I'm serious. They've broken down doors for less.

COA 1: Choose your desired time period/technology level, a setting/location, and starting mission objective(s) for my character. She may have a hidden agenda of her own, as well. Example: Feudal Japan, impersonate the princess's private tutor, ensure her studies proceed on schedule, protect her life while you find and interrogate the rat. Additional objectives can be added as the conspiracy unwinds, as it tends to do. Provide as much detail as you like, or just enough story to begin, and we'll write the rest together. Of course, if you had a whole plot just waiting to drop on someone willing to play the role of a killer-for-hire, I'm all ears. Bonus points if you write your story proposal in the style of a mission briefing or top-secret dossier.

COA 2: Your primary character (OC only) can be anyone—the client, the target, a rival assassin, an unfortunate bystander—only your imagination and our collective suspension of disbelief are the limits. If they're the target of a bodyguard, they should also be capable of contributing to the plot somehow—not just a sack of bricks to be carried from one safehouse or hotel to another. Along with our main duo, various NPCs will necessarily come up. Sometimes, details will be omitted, pronouns will be shifted, and it will be hard to tell who's an NPC and who's a killer in disguise. This is all part of the plan.

COA 3: Send the message. Why is it still saved in a draft? Just hit send. You can do it; I get jitters too. It's a miracle this thread even exists.

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Expect the Following:

Tactical Espionage Action: Exposed and open combat? We had a name for that in the simulations. It was called failure. Like you, we love John Wick, but find his methods quite gauche. Operatives are trained in combat and escape tactics but expected to be discreet whenever possible. "A blade in the crowd," as they used to say.

Weapons and Equipment OSP (On-Site Procurement): Futuristic spy gadgets are nice, when available, but resourcefulness and ubiquitously available supplies are king in this economy. Our operatives are regularly sent into the field with nothing more than forged documentation and the clothes on their back.

Love Can Bloom on the Battlefield: Unlike failure, romance is always an option, should you be craving such a thing. Would you like that shaken, or stirred? (FxM or FxF)? Our operatives are trained to remain focused strictly on the mission, but in this line of work, opportunities for seduction are bound to present themselves, and such tactics may be the better part of valor. Results always trump professionalism in this business, otherwise 00 Agent James Bond would be out of a job in a heartbeat. All seduction targets, romantic targets, and clients (that's you) are 18 or older—fade to black or no-fade. No exceptions.

La Li Lu Le Lo: Placing terminally serious characters in mundane or silly situations or costumes is peak comedy. By all means, send your hitman to apply for a job at your evil aunt's maid café. Take your bodyguard on a theme park date, and make her wear the funny hat. Yes, the one with the ears.

"Need to know basis," is that the idea?: Operatives are trained to expect complications and change plans as and when new information becomes available. Secrets, lies and misdirection, conspiracy and betrayal, botched jobs from past operatives gone dark or MIA—all of these are as common as the criminals we hunt.

---

Pairing Prompts - Humans, Elves, or Near-Humans Strongly Preferred

Bodyguard x Celebrity/Idol
x CEO/Company President
x Journalist/Whistleblower
x Knight/Royal Guard
x Mafia Boss
x Private Investigator
x Protected Witness
x Rescued Captive
x Royalty/Nobility
x Targeted Politician

Hitman x Bounty Hunter
x Cooperating Assassin
x Fresh Recruit
x Kidnapped Target
x Kidnapped Witness
x Original Target
x Partner in Crime/Inside Agent
x Released Hostage
x Rival Assassin
x Secret Lover

Nobody x Nobody (No Romance is an Option, Too)
Also, Nobody was a good movie. Go watch it.

---

9+1 Fandoms: Original settings are preferred—but here are the fandoms I'm well-versed enough in to use as set dressing, with a short description of each. Your MAIN character must be original. I'm not interested in writing romantic fanfiction—but if we're going to use a fandom setting anyway, canon characters can and probably should have cameo appearances.

Fandoms

Assassin's Creed: Two secret brotherhoods—the Assassins, and the Templars. One safeguards humanity's evolution and freedom. They work in the dark, to serve the light. They are Assassins—but the Brotherhood is not what it once was. The Templars, whose influence is wider spread, would subjugate humanity, for the greater good—believing humans to be too weak, base, and petty to foster true and lasting peace. The Father of Understanding guides these knights of the Holy See. Both groups have existed since the time of the Crusades, and both seek the Apple of Eden, an ancient artifact that can control the minds of men. If the Templars find it, they will launch it into space and spread its signal all over the world. Who will have your support?

(Fictionalized earth setting. Historical or modern. Some current-world land masses are noted to "no longer exist." To my knowledge, these aren't specified.)


Castlevania: Every 100 years, darkness fills the souls of men, and Count Dracula, Lord of Darkness, emerges again. This is obviously an allegory for Konami's release schedule and predatory business practices—but enough talk, have at you! The Belmonts aren't the only clan of Vampire Hunters, but they are the most well-known, and likely to be the primary target of the forces of darkness. Magic, knowledge of the occult, and weapons enhanced with both are the tools of the trade, and every movie monster you can think of are the cast of this grim play. Unbeknownst to you, a beloved fellow Hunter has been pressed into service by Dracula. Her smiling face is always close to your heart—but as you make your approach to Castle Dracula, her blade is never far from your back.

(Real world setting. Historical or modern. A few fictional locations exist.)


Devil May Cry: A colorful cast of characters with the skills to pay the bills, Devil Hunters—including humans, half-demons, and even a few full-demons slay other demons in the name of protecting humanity, using magical weapons called Devil Arms that house the souls of demons. A job that pays... ehh? Crucially, all Devil Hunters love pizza, and flip the bird to every known law of physics, so, obviously, they're cool. But you already knew that.

(Fictionalized earth setting. Modern.)


Fire Emblem: Medieval warfare and political intrigue with a touch of anime influence that grows larger with every new release but has always been there. Equal parts lighthearted and fun, equal parts war is hell—may your friends be your strength, and fortune favor your blade. Each game is usually a self-contained story, with holy blood, magic and evil dragons weak to them among the only consistent features of the series. Assassins are also a pretty consistent feature, ever since the franchise's introduction in the west. The promoted class of the Thief, they are fragile speedsters bearing lockpicks, shortswords, and shuriken that one time. They specialize in critical hits and an instant kill ability that never triggers, as well as a broken stealth ability. Broken as in, I'm pretty sure it doesn't work as intended. Imagine Assassins actually being good.

(Completely fictional setting. Fantasy.)


Hitman: Genetically engineered (and handsome) human specimen topples empires and crime syndicates by replacing the cook and picking up wet floor signs. All of the targets' deaths are accidental and hilarious. Agent 47 does come equipped with a silenced pistol, a sniper rifle hidden in a briefcase, and occasionally, even backup—but ordinary, high-profile kills like that should be the last resort. Plausible accidental deaths are the gold standard for our operatives.

(A real world setting with some fictional shadowy organizations. Modern.)


Metal Gear: Genetically engineered (and handsome) human specimen topples empires and terrorist organizations by engaging in guerilla warfare and top-secret black ops—don't expect any official support. All of Kojima's writing is accidentally hilarious—and iconic. High-tech gadgets are a dime a dozen, as are nanomachine-enhanced paramilitary corps, cybernetically-enhanced ninja, nanomachine-fueled superpowers, nuclear-equipped walking battle tanks, and the meme that never dies: government conspiracies.

(Essentially, a real world modern setting with heavy sci-fi elements and a few fictional locations.)


Ninja Gaiden: Ninja for bodyguards? In the modern day? Yes, somehow the ancient arts of the shinobi continue to confound evildoers. Both humans and demons alike are wont to pillage cities and capture maidens for nefarious purposes, and it's up to the Hayabusa clan and others to stop them and seal the gate to the underworld, to put evil back in its proper place. Expect magical ninpo arts, gravity-defying feats of weapon proficiency, and zero fall damage. Oh, and lots of death. Life is fragile here.

(Real world setting. A few fictional locations exist. Modern.)


Star Wars: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, magical space samurai fought to the death for control of the bygone Republic—but none of that matters, from the perspective of sensible businessmen and women like us. We're just bounty hunters trying to make ends meet. Even this new Galactic Empire and its Stormtroopers wouldn't dare mess with the Hutts. Our business will continue. If anything, it's going to increase soon. Let's hunt some rebel scum.

(Completely fictional setting. Ancient sci-fi.)


Tomb Raider: A surprising amount of urban espionage and supernatural high strangeness takes place in the unassuming classic games. Possessed with the craving to win at whatever cost, competition is fierce among adventurers for these artifacts that grant their owners godlike powers and mutate them into evolutionarily advanced eldritch horrors. There was also that time the ancient Egyptian god Set was released by removing an ankh from a sarcophagus, turning Cairo into a warzone plagued by locusts and fire-breathing frill lizards. God, that level sucked. Anyway, even Lara Croft herself has had to deal with bonafide middle-eastern hashashin in Egypt, a modern "cleaner" in France, and even a home invasion or two, courtesy of the mafia.

(Real world setting. A few fictional locations exist. Modern.)


Wild ARMs: Welcome to the actual wild west of all fiction. This series has wild-west gunslingers, anime swordsmen, magic, monsters, demons, androids, genetic experiments gone wrong, extraterrestrials, transdimensional elves, giant mechas, satellite laser beams, nuclear dragons, guardian deities, encroaching parallel universes, a semi-immortal master race, an eldritch god or two for good measure, probably some other dumb stuff that I forgot, and of course, the titular ARMs: Ancient Relic Machines, seemingly DNA-locked firearms of old that only special people called Drifters can use. Look, this franchise is dumb as hell and I love it to death, but I added this to the list mostly as a joke. Don't actually pick this unless you enjoy having your hand held or are also well-versed in the series lore, because you'd need a Kingdom Hearts sized tutorial to get it straight. I'm not even completely sure I have.

(Completely fictional setting, naturally. Post-apocalypse, western.)

Shadow Contract: A Demon-Slaying Action RP Interest Check

Yep, this is my jam right here.

Small Town Slice of Life RP

Might do, aye.

Gods of the Multiverse

Suddenly emerges from the brush, drops CS, slithers away and refuses to elaborate

Cynthia Schovajsa

Name: Cynthia Schovajsa

Age: 56

Gender: Female

Race: Reptilian—a long-lived race of demihumans created using the stolen DNA of apex human specimens, and the DNA of their hyper-intelligent extraterrestrial invaders, whose name the demihumans are forced to share. For some, being created by "lizard people" rather than gods is enough reason for prejudice, but with forked tongues, inhumanly sharp eyes, and fangs and claws tough as iron, few humans or even near-human races consider them as friends, relegating them to the company of other beings humans collectively call "monsters." Female reptilians also carry a potent venom that can be used both to kill and to dull pain, making them preferred as soldiers.

Appearance: A rather severe-looking woman of Amazonian height—about 6'10'' (208 cm) when perched on her toes. With a razor-sharp glare and flowing white hair that is longer than most humans are tall, she certainly catches the eye, but is not what most would call beautiful, despite her lack of facial scars. She is a bonafide soldier, preferring war paint to makeup, commanding with intimidation over grace. Still, unlike many of her brethren, she is human enough that, with her clawed arms and feet hidden behind a cape or table, one could almost forget she is a reptilian—until she opens her mouth. For this reason, she is shy with her words, and frequently (and literally) bites her tongue to keep it in check when speaking. Focusing both eyes on the person speaking to her is also a work in progress.

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Home World: Cynthia's homeworld of Dominus suffers greatly under its patron god, whom it is named after. The scar-shaped wastelands that mark the front lines of its eternally raging wars can be seen more easily from space than its remaining civilizations—but this was not always so. In times past, when the gods were allowed to wage war freely with each other, Dominus was a thriving global civilization of Spartan-tier warriors with enviable technological means—a truly unassailable fortress of a planet during its golden age.

Then, everything changed. Unable to satisfy his lust for war in this new world order, Dominus turned the denizens of his own world against one another. With his own people dragging each other down in constant civil war, they were overrun by the now-superior reptilians—but Dominus cared little, as long as war continued. Caught in the middle, the newly-hatched hybrids were pressed into service in the war as soon as they were able—and employed by both sides of the conflict, as many eggs were stolen from the reptilians during various rebel incursions. The resulting child soldiers on both sides would eventually band together in the Great Revolt, ultimately choosing humanity over their cold, uncaring parents, who reminded them only of war.

But the promise of an end to conflict proved ephemeral, as the humans held no real place in their hearts for these hybrids, referring to them all with the familiar epithet of "reptilian." The hybrids were driven underground in Traitorous Crusades, fleeing to caves hidden in the mountains of the desert, while the humans migrated ever northward, to where their cold-blooded enemies could not easily reach. The conflict continues; for a spell it may pause, but on and on the war rages, and changes, but does not stop.

Patron Deity: Dominus, god of war. Loathed by nearly all his people, he remains a valued member of Pax Celestia, his reputation among other gods upheld by his long, gilded history of accomplishments... recent events notwithstanding, of course. He is notorious for producing strong Champions and "motivating" them to set out on the most dangerous of missions, laying claim to many victories when other Champions lacked the courage to fight without one of his at their side. They are known to be highly skilled warriors, but it is also well known that his Champions are virtually worked to death and never reach old age. Cynthia, though relatively young for her race, is the oldest Champion Dominus has ever had, and many of her people are gossiping about it, with hushed jokes about her impending "retirement." Sadly, it seems few among the gods are wont to criticize his methods, effective as they are.

His sword, Nefas Dominis, can bend space and command gravity, crushing anything. The armor he wears was forged from the bones of a god of fortresses, whose name has been lost to the history books of mortals. Its wearer cannot be harmed except by weapons made using a process known only to the gods themselves—and even with such a weapon, the armor remains highly effective.

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Champion’s Blessing: What else to expect from a god of war but a sword? Named Ninkigal, it grants its wielder power over the earth, and increases one's strength the closer they are to death. The meaning of such a gift seems obvious to all who know Dominus well: "By all means, bury your enemies, but while you're at it, bury yourself too." Like all weapons gifted by Dominus, it is unnaturally durable, but by no means indestructible—mirroring their wielders. Both the mysterious ivory-colored metal and decorative sapphire are said to have been taken from the core of a destroyed planet. When its power is called upon, the jewel emits a sound that, while inaudible to humans, induces an emotional state best described as "impending doom."

Only Champions may use the sword, with all other mortals attempting to wield its true power doomed to be swiftly petrified, their limbs crumbling to dust under its sheer weight. While it's widely considered "bad luck" for Champions to trade their god-given gifts around, any Champion strong enough to lift Ninkigal may technically use it. Only Cynthia may draw upon its powers merely by possessing it, however; others must swing the sword to achieve any desired effect, making controlled use of its powers rather difficult for anyone else.

Inventory: Accustomed to long marches across deserts, up mountains, through rainforest and tundra, Cynthia travels light. Aside from her fancy new sword, her trusty survival knife, flint and steel, a canteen, some old bandages and a compass/pocketwatch round out her kit. Most of her body is covered in scales already, so her armor is light, consisting mostly of leather and just two steel vambraces for deflecting attacks. The inside of her breastplate is lined with magic gemstones that can generate heat, giving just enough cold resistance to not expire from merely walking through snow.

Magic: Magic is Cynthia's biggest weakness, as without her Champion's Blessing, she has none—and no experience using magic without it. Fortunately for her, it turns out that hurling big rocks at her enemies is pretty intuitive, as is building defensive walls in a pinch. Unfortunately, her inexperience is not the only thing holding her back in the magic department; cold-blooded reptilians are especially susceptible to ice attacks, and their keen eyes, accustomed to living underground and hunting at night, do not appreciate bright flashes.

On her homeworld of Dominus, mana works in a very similar way to muscle; the "use it or lose it" rule applies to one's mana pool, making Cynthia's fairly low. Additionally, mana builds up quickly over the course of battle, but gradually ebbs away afterwards, like adrenaline. With the exception of cataclysmically destructive spells, it will generally build up faster than it is consumed, allowing mid-tier spells to be used with impunity, but larger attacks will be late to the party, if they get used at all. Any magic user who can steal mana or bottleneck its flow can cripple Cynthia's deceptive magical capabilities almost instantly, causing her to prefer the sword.

Ninkigal itself almost exclusively commands the earth element. With it, anything from the smallest grain of sand to the tallest mountain can be moved, given enough time to produce the mana for it. The elemental spells give her a lot of control over the field, vastly increasing her options, lending her both offensive and defensive support when needed—as long as she is outdoors. She still has a lot of options indoors, but most of them are bad. Except one: Salt the Earth is a purification spell that can eradicate most basic curses and toxins, including her own venom. The raw physical and magical power of Ninkigal's wielder is also increased, in a function that correlates both to blood loss and adrenaline, the nature of which Cynthia neither understands nor attempts to rely upon.

Skills: Cynthia is well-versed in all things "battlefield survival," including navigation, bushcraft, first aid, CQC, and the use of many weapons, including various forms of swordplay—but only the most primitive of firearms. She is a skilled runner and climber, courtesy of her reptilian claws, and a nigh-unrivaled hunter thanks to her keen reptilian eyes and smell, which can track prey for miles. Once caught, Cynthia's prey is not safe from her stomach, either; she has an iron constitution and can eat almost anything, as long as it contains a less-than-average amount of poison. She's quite hardy in general—even if she loses an arm, it'll grow back in no more than about 20 years. Or 20 hours, if there's a particularly dedicated, magically-trained healer in the house. That might save some time.

Though she is also a competent swimmer, she can only realistically do so in warmer climates. For her, what humans would consider a mild wind chill combined with soaked clothes can be debilitating—frigid waters, a near-guaranteed death sentence. Her venomous bite can be used both to make painkillers for her allies and to quickly paralyze and subdue an unsuspecting opponent. A stealthy ambush is usually required for the latter, as the venomous fangs reside toward the back end of her mouth, requiring a "full bite" for any appreciable effect. The inside of her left forearm is pockmarked with scars from self-bites to abuse the painkilling effect.

Though she possesses many of the skills that typify nobility, few are inclined to respond well to diplomacy when terms are given by a reptilian, especially one whose voice is reminiscent of a goblin with smoker's lung—no matter how well-chosen her words may be (and as quiet as she is, they most assuredly are). For this reason, she's better off playing the role of an advisor than a negotiator, unless the situation demands the use of intimidation, in which she excels. In fact, she excels so much at intimidation that most human-domesticated animals are terrified at the mere sight of her, relegating equestrianism to the confines of her more childish fantasies. Cats, however, while skittish around most humans, are almost magnetically attracted to the lower tones of her gruff accent. Figure that one out.

Personality: Cynthia could be said to have the personality of an igloo. Though she is cold, both outside and in, she aims to be the stablest of all warriors, ever unflappable, slow to anger, and just warmer than the cruelty of man, of the world, and of the war. Under her wing, the weak become strong, and the dull become sharp, while she keeps the worst of the storm at bay. She will come to the aid of others, but will not hold her tongue during the lecture afterwards. Though a divisive figure back home, she is well respected and trusted by her soldiers, and many among them think of her as family but would dare not say it.

Despite her pedigree as a soldier, she is still also a princess (but spare your ears the lecture and don't call her that). Better known by her informal title, Dominessa (War Queen), she is notorious for pushing unending "menial" tasks on her underlings, both to keep the youngest away from the front lines and to spare herself the embarrassment of attempting to competently wield a sewing needle or frying pan in front of others. Many see her as a closed-off person, and keep a modest distance. Place her in the company of orcs and give her some liquor, though, and the gallows humor, war stories and philosophical ramblings come out. That's right: despite her gruff and cold exterior, some semblance of the hyper-intelligence of the ancient reptilians resides within. It's a little-known fact amongst her inner circle that she has, in fact, written two books under an assumed name. She is very secretive about this.

History: When the humans betrayed their temporary hybrid allies, Cynthia's grandmother was their leader, and the hatred and distrust of humans has remained a signature aspect of the family—until now. Unlike her siblings, Cynthia did not grow to hate humans, which has baffled all and offended many. Some called for action against her, but her results in the war spoke for themselves and could not simply be explained away or written off as the falsely attributed accomplishments of others. Cynthia was ruthlessly efficient, but not cruel; her heart full of pride and drive, and not hatred or desperation. The wisdom to rule over her people is reflected in her actions and attitude toward the war, and the soldiers have taken notice. As such, she keeps a healthy distance from the courts, preferring sharpened steel over dull politics.

Unfortunately, her attempts to gain power from the front lines, away from the prying eyes of politicians, did not go unnoticed by Dominus. She holds little admiration for Dominus, as do most, but doesn't have much choice in her appointment as a Champion. Her appointment is just one of several conditions necessary for a very promising accord between multiple non-human factions, an accord which could force the humans to acknowledge the demihuman races' right to exist. Further complicating matters, most of Cynthia's siblings, the go-to alternative choices for a Champion, are more reptilian than human, and Cynthia the reverse—more human than reptilian—a fact that ensures Dominus' choice causes maximum political chaos, and solidifies his offer as one that Cynthia cannot easily refuse.

For the sake of the war back home, then, she decided that it was best to leave on this mission that she, personally, couldn't care less about—if only because she doesn't yet know the details. However, there is little hope that she was chosen as Champion for any other reason than to remove her from Dominus' chessboard. Though descriptions of her attitudes toward humans range from "practical" to "neutral" to "milquetoast," all agree that she is a potential troublemaker, and to cast one's lot with her is to stand directly against the status quo. Many in the family are jeering and wishing her a "happy retirement," and few are praying for her safety—but Cynthia chooses to give only the latter voices space in her mind, as she tries to focus on the struggles in front of her.

Let me know if anything went sideways. Came in late and wrote this in a semi-hurry to get in this while it's still open.

Edit: Added more details about Dominus and Ninkigal. Cynthia also got a bit more personality, with extra strengths and weaknesses.

Stranded: Blacksite (High casual Sci-fi/fantasy Horror)

Maji couldn't parse the doctor's words exactly, but it wasn't hard to guess what kind of questions she might be asking. Probably wondering what she was doing there, and why she had no escort. "Mrawp," she chirped, as if to say nope, it's just me. Standing up from behind the desk, she faced away from the doctor and arranged her arms into an amusing caricature of how one might (very poorly) handle an assault rifle—emitting a quiet, but uncannily accurate sound from her mouth. She then dove back behind the desk, as if to take cover from this imaginary sentry, and peeked back over it again, looking meaningfully at Lea as if to say you get it, right?

Maji had had only one run-in with the draught sentries, in the which one had smacked her with the butt of his rifle simply for appearing to be more afraid of Dr. Dirk's bodyguard than she was of one of them. The other "offender," the bald Tulak, had narrowly talked his way out of trouble himself.

Having been beckoned to sit, Maji sat, not really sure what to expect. When next Lea turned to face her, she'd made her skin partially translucent, like she always did during her regular checkups. "Mrrp?" she trilled curiously, as Lea returned with a fine-toothed comb rather than a syringe. Then, her eyes lit up. Wait, wait! Is this that 'social grooming' thing humans do? It is! This means we really are friends, right! She grinned from ear to ear, happily swinging her bleeding legs to and fro while Lea worked. She'd made a friend. Mission accomplished.

Before she could get too comfortable, though, she heard familiar footsteps coming uncomfortably close. She let out a low, growl-like gurgle as her skin-mucus turned black again, her whole body tensed and ready to... well, who knew? However, Lea seemed to recognize the intruding engineer, so any hostility she might have otherwise shown to their unexpected company quickly turned into mere petulance at having been interrupted. Catching a glimpse of a fellow Sapishte, her eyes again lit with excitement briefly, before realizing that she'd accidentally left her cat ears on, and everyone was giving her funny looks. As her ears quickly slid down the sides of her head to where they should be, she turned her gaze away. Everything about her pouting face wanted to say I meant to do that! but her blush betrayed her mistake.

Stranded: Blacksite (High casual Sci-fi/fantasy Horror)

As the tram clumsily slammed the brakes, bodies tumbled in various directions, and one came sliding from underneath a bench.

One, two, three, four...

Before anyone could fully process that their numbers had increased by one, and that the one coated in a black, tar-looking substance was not a corpse, Number Five suddenly unfurled into a catlike creature, filling the tram with more gurgling shrieks of alarm as it leapt through a broken window, morphed into something more humanoid, and quietly skittered up a nearby column and into the mess of pipes, vents and cables above. It let out one more, quieter gurgling noise, a mewling sound that seemed almost apologetic as it disappeared from sight.

---

Well, that went horribly wrong. Maji had hoped that someone, by chance, would have noticed the cute girl sleeping under a bench and said something. That certainly would've made introductions much easier than if someone had seen her in rat form, or if she had tapped someone's shoe to try to get their attention. Maji wasn't sure why she hadn't been worried about how trigger happy those two boys might be, until she was already under the bench. Maybe the thought of meeting one of her own kind had made her go a bit silly in the head. Perhaps she'd even imagined, just for a moment, that she might be a familiar face, even though the scent wasn't familiar at all.

But then, as she was scampering through the vents, she was hit with a familiar scent.

...It's Lea! Or at least, it's the medbay, which also smells like Lea!

Emboldened by the prospect of company, food, medical supplies, and at least the illusion of safety, Maji picked up the pace, and made perhaps a little too much noise as she crawled through the ceiling of the room where Lea was. Moving from the ceiling vent down to the wall vent behind a nearby desk, a pair of hoofed feet kicked the vent cover open, then meshed together and morphed into the head of a girl with long, bluish-black hair and pointed ears. Curious eyes darted here and there, peeping around the corner of the vent, then over the top of the desk, until she found who she was looking for. Eyes lit up, and Lea was met with a toothy grin.

"Ah-ohh~♪" the Sapishte greeted cheerfully with a burbling chirp.

It was highly unusual to see Maji without her escort: the mysterious lab man who had no official name, and went only by the pseudonym "Dr. Dirk," at least when speaking to Lea. He was a weird one who didn't speak much aside from strictly business, and when he did, it was usually to Maji, in some strange language only she could understand. When Lea asked Maji a question, Dirk would have to translate, and Maji was not allowed to ask Lea questions in return. It was difficult to learn much about her, other than that she seemed friendly, despite being "officially" a dangerous creature—formerly a dangerous criminal. It was hard to believe, given that she'd never shown any hostility, and would often smile at people, seemingly for no reason at all.

I wonder if she knows that I'm a 'cat burglar?' Maji thought.

Speaking of which, there was that smile. "Nnheehee~" she giggled. But despite how happy she was to see Lea, her gelatinous coat was covered in all kinds of grime and filth, and even a few stray bits of broken glass. Her unexpected arrival was seemingly only yet another element of chaos resulting from whatever was going on in the cell blocks.

Stranded: Blacksite (High casual Sci-fi/fantasy Horror)

Failed to initiate quarantine procedures: insufficient power. Error code: 796.

The aggravated man of science scoffed at the error given on the terminal. "Do behave yourself, won't you Maji? I'm going to borrow from you for a bit," he said as he typed furiously. At the mention of the Sapishte, Barz cocked his head to the side, cracking his neck.

"Would you stop calling that thing by a name, as if it were one of us?" he growled. "If you let that creature out, I'mma shoot it on sight."

"I'm not. I'm diverting power from the SS-GEN suppressor. With all this noise, she won't notice, even if she had a sudden change of heart and wanted to escape."

Barz scoffed at the reply. "You lab rats. Noses against the glass, studying that thing day and night. Feeding it, teaching it new tricks. You ever think that maybe you're the ones being studied? Your boss can drawl on and on about 'conditioning' and 'training' all she likes. An animal doesn't want to be kept in a cage and fed, it wants to roam free and hunt. It may act cute and timid now, but if I picked you up and tossed you at it like a T-bone steak, how long do you think it'd hesitate?"

"Your opinion as a hunter will be taken under advisement," the scientist replied, disinterested, as he confirmed the diverting of power.

Barz shook his head as the vents overhead began loudly closing. "Glonelia shoulda been left to rot. The hookers are bad enough, clinging to every other race's politicians and gaining unearned influence for theirs—but the savages from the bayous are real animals, and that one's a savage among savages. It's already proven it can play the long con: saw a chance to gain power, and stole it. That's the story, innit?"

"The 'official' story is a crock of shit," came another reply, this one more annoyed. "The company had both legal and financial motivation to call it a theft, knew she was vulnerable due to her lack of family ties, and had the leverage to silence the only witness."

"Ah, that explains the mental gymnastics. You still think of that thing as a coworker."

"Why not? She's just as invested in this research as I am. We trust each other. She'll wait for me."

"All I'm saying is, you're the one who took the shock collar off. When it stops playing coquette, it's your ass."

---

A shadowy figure emerged out of the door from which the earlier shriek came. Pitch black from head to toe, and quite indistinct, aside from the distinctly feminine features, sharply pronounced by the profile view generously offered by the hallway. For a moment, in the low light, one could have imagined that the Sapishte was merely a "shadow person," conjured by the imagination driven mad by the crisis at hand.

But she turned, smelling fresh blood in the air, towards the Tulak in the tattered shirt. She showed a gentle-looking face, with eyes wide open, staring transfixed like a fawn in headlights, paying no mind to the other prisoner creeping up behind her back. Innocent and naive; the perfect victim, or so her would-be stalker had sized her up to be. He was wrong. Without so much as turning to face him, the Sapishte gave the man a strong mule kick to the face, complete with hoof. Apparently deciding not to trust the Tulak she'd been staring blankly at for what felt like half a minute, she took off on all fours, with webbed hands and feet, crawling along the walls, her face now completely covered in black aside from her eyes.

"Yo, fuck that shit, man! What the fuck is that?!" one bug-eyed prisoner screamed, running back into his cell and slamming the door.

First, she tried the vents. Of course, those were shut tight—airtight, to be precise, though Maji couldn't guess why. Next, she tried the elevator. She could manually force the doors open, but the controls wouldn't respond. However, the maintenance hatch on the roof was easy enough for her to reach, and the lack of ladders outside was not a problem. Finally, after one long, very slimy slide to the bottom of the elevator shaft, she found what she was looking for: some kind of tunnel. The last time she'd taken this elevator, she'd noticed that it appeared as though a couple of buttons had been removed from the elevator panel. Back then, it had only maddened her with curiosity and the desire to explore for a couple of days, before she'd forgotten about it entirely. Now, it was suddenly critical information.

Hands glued to the rails of the catwalk, she creeped slowly and cautiously down the tunnel, built for unknown purpose, with no particular purpose in mind other than to get as far away from the cacophony of suffering and death behind her as possible. She soon discovered something that would terrify any woman: rats. A cat-like tongue flicked out of her mouth in the blink of an eye, licking up a drop of saliva.

...Meat.

One unthinkable and desperate act later, Maji was happily waddling along, disguised as a big black rat—one of many, deep in the bowels of the ship. Even if someone came looking for her—if they even knew where to look—their clear inability to control a rat problem on a spaceship made Maji feel pretty safe right about now. She was acting pretty carefree, until she heard something like panicked voices in the distance. At first, her peace of mind disturbed, she made herself at home among a pack of rats fleeing the scene, but then a scent caught her nose. Another Sapishte? Oh! A female one, too! Suddenly, she came to her senses. Was she just going to spend the rest of her life living as a rat?! NO!! Of course, they were going to be best friends—one of them just didn't know it yet.

As she drew close to what looked like an abandoned tram station, she began to be able to make out the voices. She was reminded, painfully, that she couldn't understand what they were saying. She considered turning around, but her curiosity drew her in. Sneaking quietly aboard the tram and darting underneath a bench, she observed the group cautiously. They seemed to be fleeing whatever crisis was going on, and they seemed to know where they were going. As if that weren't good enough, one of them seemed to be good with technology. With any luck, he'd know how to find Lea. Maybe even open doors without breaking them. The possibilities were endless!

Stranded: Blacksite (High casual Sci-fi/fantasy Horror)

The dull, off-white lab darkened as the power flickered. "Shit! What is that engineer doing?!" the scientist yelled up at the ceiling, his attention forcefully drawn away from the screen. When his eyes returned to his work, he was rewarded only with more stress.

TRACE System failure. Restoring default settings until the error is resolved. Error code: 942.

"Why yes, of course it fails. Obviously! Poor girl, that maniac of a project leader gave her some nasty defaults..."

He looked up from his monitor to check on the Sapishte, only to realize that she was now awake, staring at him with eyes wide open.

---

Maji had been sleeping peacefully, dreaming as she often did about swimming in the ocean. She'd been gathering pearls, when suddenly a tasty-looking fish swam by. She felt her body painlessly break apart as she began to mimic a school of the very same fish. As the fish drew closer, thinking to shelter itself with numbers, the school of fish quickly reformed, and the Sapishte sank her fangs into her prey. As the carefree girl was enjoying her free meal, thinking about how much more fun this was than spearfishing, the waters darkened, and she looked up and saw the familiar, chilling outline of the boat—the big one, which brought the humans that captured her. Ah... a dream. That dream. Next, her body would become inexplicably weak, a net would carry her aboard, and the hired hunters would beat her, until they realized that she couldn't struggle. Rather than re-live that nightmarish moment, she decided she'd better wake herself up.

What Maji awoke to, however, was even darker than the sea beneath the boat, and more red than the trail of chum behind it. The lab was running on emergency power! In what she supposed must have been at least five years by now—judging solely by how much more old and tired the lab-man was looking these days—this had never happened before. Pressing her face against the glass of her containment pod, with a bit of a squint she could just about see the lab-man in the dark, and could make out what he was saying. Except... he wasn't so much saying anything, as he was just making angry human-noises. Opening her mouth to speak, Maji—

—felt a "snap" in the back of her head, not unlike the sensation of abruptly waking up to a loud noise. No actual words came out, only an abbreviated cry of surprise. She tried again to speak, and the same thing happened. Could she... not speak? The lab-man spoke again, louder this time, but his words were certainly complete gibberish. Maji's eyes widened as the scientist looked up at her, visibly upset with both the situation going on around him, and whatever was happening to her. She had no idea what was going on, and could neither speak nor understand. Was she having a nightmare? Was she going insane? Was her brain... broken? And what if the science-man couldn't fix her?

Tears welled up in Maji's eyes. The containment, she could handle. For the sake of her health, a nice doctor named "Lea" had recommended that she at least be allowed to walk when being transferred between labs—and though she didn't know the lab-man's name, she'd trusted him too. His experiments were fun—not like the experiments the other two put her through—but she hadn't seen either of them in quite a while. Neither of them could stop her from playing, and if she was bored, she could always sleep. Dinner was always a surprise. Life on this ship—called the Alcatraz, or so she had been told—wasn't horrible for her... as long as she didn't have to be lonely. But what now?! What if she could never talk to anyone ever again?! No! She would not stand for this!

Maji took a deep breath from her breathing tube, and braced herself for pain—as did the scientist, who knew what was coming: the piercing, gurgling shriek that an earthling could only describe as "a blue whale that swallowed a mountain lion." Slightly mournful, but mostly blood-curdling, whether it was a distress call or a war cry, only another Sapishte could probably tell. It echoed throughout the lab, and down the halls of the high-security block, still faintly audible by the time it would reach her "cell-mates."

Maji's hopes were briefly kindled as the lab-man's body language changed, pleading with her to stop. Whenever he did that, her patience and cooperation with him was usually rewarded. The other two nameless lab rats that she didn't like would just sedate her, of course, but this man had earned her trust. However, the scary balding man burst into the lab and shouted something, which caused the lab-man to quickly leave with him. Scarcely could Maji have known that other prisoners were being released, and his life was probably in more danger than hers. From her perspective, he had abandoned her just like that. Was she alone now, then? Could she not trust anyone, not even the lab-man? She sank to the bottom of the containment pod, hiding her face behind her knees. She cried a little... then tried vocalizing vowels. Then, a few other sounds. Soon, she was singing a wordless siren's song of sorrow and loneliness.

The moment she tried to form words, her mind would seemingly just fail to conjure them from memory. She would have to find some other way to communicate, for now. As quickly as she'd lost hope, she'd took hold of it again. She'd lived on the streets until she could afford to one day wear the white coat, just like the lab-man. She could be just as resourceful as he was. She could figure this thing out.

Stranded: Blacksite (High casual Sci-fi/fantasy Horror)

"Brave? Not particularly," the man responded before taking another sip of his coffee. "But that's what this is for."

Reaching into his labcoat, he retrieved a small radio and muttered something unintelligible into it, then quickly received something unintelligible back that seemed to satisfy his curiosity. He listened to the story of the man in the vent, his eyes lazily glancing over to the grate Felix had just been working on, before looking back at the terminal. "Nice," he remarked, though it wasn't possible to tell if he was talking to his radio, about vent man, the lucky catch with the camera, or the taste of his coffee. By the time the sentries were burning corpses, though, his interest in Felix's work went from casual to deadly serious. "Bloo-dee hell," he exhaled, suddenly glancing back at the vent as the realization hit.

"You don't reckon vent-man is being escorted right back in that direction, do you?" he asked, though he didn't really sound like he was asking for an opinion. "I'd, ah, seal those exits, if you could—and the vents, if such a thing is possible—if it's not, I know one place where it is—" he rattled off, his voice getting faster as the adrenaline kicked in—much more effective than the coffee that was thrown, mug and all, into the nearest bin. "Gather anyone who will listen to you and tell them that they've got a shiny new high-security clearance, but they'll have to be ready to fight for it," he said as he flashed his badge at Felix to show him what he was up to, before taking off back to where he came from—the deeper cells where the freaks were held, and yet deeper in, to a place that didn't officially exist.

As the man entered the high-security block, he wordlessly motioned for guard after guard to follow him. The guards in this particular block were used to this, and would follow him without asking any questions—though they did give each other questioning looks as their numbers increased more and more. He didn't need this many guards to escort that girl, right? Motioning for them to wait right outside the door to the lab, he entered alone, rushing over to his computer. It was only at sixty-eight percent; way too slow. He thought for a moment. If this was about an outbreak, wouldn't they leave her be, if he left her in containment? On the other hand, if containing the contagion was a secondary priority to a coverup... If he had to interrupt this process, it would be bad, but not as bad as death. Still, he had a bit more time left to bide. "Barz," he barked at the door guard. "I've gathered most of the guards in this block outside. Go tell them to round up everyone else in this block and allow emergency entry to anyone coming through the door to block E. Except Draught Sentries—they're killing everyone, including guards, staff and crew. They are your enemies until further notice."

Barz smiled at the mention of his old mercenary name. A balding Tulak with enough enhancements to be mistaken for an Arraxi, he took the news of incoming Draught Sentries pretty well. "Hah! That's great news! I hate them fuckers," he remarked on his way out.