Lasrever

Unraveling The World. (M)

Mae sat calmly at the window, watching the city. There wasn't much to look at, since it was the middle of the night. Most of the humans didn't wander about or do so much at this time. The city belonged to her kind, at this hour. The flames to the north were still burning strong, but even that was boring to her right now.

Perhaps it was just because she was waiting for the arrival of the strange ghoul, but every minute seemed to last far too long. Staring out across the city, she wondered how long she'd need to wait. If her suspicions were correct, it wouldn't take long. The Spades - unrefined and violent though they were - were nothing if not efficient. She wouldn't be waiting for long.

If she was right, though, there was no way she'd call for help. Not because she didn't trust Wolf Claw, in fact she'd probably trust his loyalty to the Pack more than anyone's, but if they were high-ranked Spades, than she wouldn't stand a chance in a fight. At least she could out speed pretty much anyone when flying, so she could make an attempt to run away without risking his life too. With a glance behind her, she confirmed that Wolf Claw had gone to hide.

Her expression cold, she returned to her drawing, trying to put as much detail as she could into it. It was a drawing she'd gone over a lot of times. Two figures, arm in arm, wearing masks. One smiling, one crying. Other than her mask, this type of thing was the only reminder she could have of her past. She'd stopped feeling sad about it a while ago, or feeling sorry for herself. It almost worried her, how distant she felt from who she was back then. She'd been so impulsive, so hot-tempered, so uncontrolled. Now... Sometimes she wondered if the ghoul known as 'Tragedy' really had died back then.

But there would be other times for her to worry about that. For now, there was nothing else for her to do but watch and wait.

Persona 4 - Black Carnival

Tomomi Katayama

Tomomi woke up covered in a heap of blankets. She sat up, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. When she opened them, though, the light was almost blinding as it reflected off of bright white walls. Still feeling dazed, she got up and headed to the space where her dresser normally was, but tripped over a small stool.

Wait.

Tomomi did a double take. She would have remembered falling asleep in here. And this room was just so... White. White walls, white floor, white ceiling. It was strange. Unnerving. Really, really weird. The room was pretty nice, although most people would have found it kind of shabby-looking. The furniture was all slightly weathered, as though it had been left outside for a little while. Anything painted was slightly worn away. Most people would have called the room shabby, but to Tomomi it was comforting.

It wasn't refined, didn't put on airs or anything. It wasn't trying to make an impression, it just was what it was. She liked this kind of room. The atmosphere was kind of honest, somehow. She didn't feel like she had to keep pretending, in a place like this. The only thing that seemed out of place was the clock. It was kind of grand, compared to the rest of the room. Almost creepy.

She walked over to a dresser, which had a few things scattered across it. A mirror, an old comb, a couple of polished stones and seashells, and a small mask. As Tomomi looked at the mask, she noticed that she could hear faint music in the background, almost like there was a carnival nearby. As much as the room was comfortable and she liked it, there was something about this whole situation that just felt off. It was like things had been tailor-made for her.

Despite herself, Tomomi picked up the mask. She wasn't sure why she did it at all. It wasn't like she needed a mask for anything, and it'd probably just get in the way, but she couldn't just leave it there. Trying the door, she found that it was locked. After kicking it a couple of times, it was pretty obvious that the thing wasn't budging.

With a sigh, she sat down on the bed. Nothing for it but to wait, she supposed.

Divided We Stand

How are the fights actually being picked, anyway? I'm curious.

I've not got any specific match-ups in mind personally, but I've got an idea of the type of people I'd like to see my characters take on, if that makes sense.

Divided We Stand

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Location; His dorm room → Heading to the Arena
Interacting With; No-one, yet.
Mood; Energetic → Enthusiastic

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Everyone and their mother knew that Keats was gonna be in the tournament. In it to win it, far as he was concerned. He'd considered making posters, but eventually decided that they'd be kinda cheesy. As much as his face would no doubt improve the school's appearance if it was plastered everywhere, Keats figured that there was only so much good-looking one building could handle.

In all seriousness, Keats didn't actually care whether he'd win it or not. As long as he went out in style, it wasn't like it mattered anyway. Put on a show, that was his goal. Sure, someone else might come out on top, but everybody better be talking about Samuel Keats once it was all tied up.

He'd never taken part in the Tournament of Terror, but it was something that a lot of people looked forward to at Delphina. This year would be a little different though. Sure, they could feed them all these lines about them being one school now or whatever, but that didn't change the fact that there was one hell of a rivalry. It seemed pretty possible that things would get heated.

Keats loved it when things got heated. Always the best part of any competition. A couple cheap shots, and someone was bound to go off like a rocket.

Sure, he'd love to win if he could, but if that wasn't gonna work then he'd try and make one of those smug heroes angry. Really angry. Make 'em snap, and remind every single student in Delphina what those Mayweathers really were. Just stuck up nobodies who thought they were heroes, but that weren't any better than anyone else.

This was gonna be fun.

---

Keats had headed back to his dorm a little early to make sure he'd be ready in time. He checked his stuff, noticing a slight shortage of the fabric that he normally used in combat. Looked like he'd have to go shopping again. He'd head out later.

He always got some funny looks when he bought the stuff, mostly from the middle aged women who hung around in those sorts of places. Some of them, he'd swear that they had to live in the fabric store. Didn't they have families or something? Friends? A life of some kind? Not that it was any of his business.

He sighed, taking a moment to clear his head. Who had time to think about school when there was a massive super powered brawl right around the corner for them? Not him, that was for sure.

Keats was kinda curious as to how they'd picked him out. He hadn't asked, since he didn't want them taking it the wrong way. If he started questioning them, they might think he didn't want to be part of it. That couldn't be further from the truth. He'd barely been able to sleep for the anticipation, and was ready as anything to start sizing up the competition once he got to the meeting.

After gathering up a few extra strips of fabric - never hurt to be careful, after all - Keats started walking down towards the arena at a leisurely pace. He wasn't about to waste his time getting there early. Rather make the most of whatever free time he got. His expression as he walked was somehow even more smug than usual, which was really quite an impressive feat.

As he walked, he started to think of a few questions to ask. There were a few things that he figured might add some extra excitement to the whole thing. Personally, he wanted a theme song. Keats loved theme songs.

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Location: Her dorm → Arena
Interacting With: Anyone in the arena/ Tournament people
Mood: Confused → Panicked → Frustrated → Nervous

Amy hadn't done much in the past week. It wasn't like she had any real reason to practice. Besides, she couldn't do anything in the Control Room even if she wanted to. Other than getting her ass kicked. Fun times.

Still, after she'd been signed up for this tournament, she really figured that she needed to train some more. Just wasn't quite sure how to do it yet. So far, she hadn't told anyone about being selected for the thing anyway. 'Tournament of the Champions' sounded like the exact sort of attention shed

Of course, most people would laugh at the suggestion anyway. Her, a champion? They'd figure bit was a joke. Amy was well aware that most people would view her as the underdog, no matter who she was competing against. And who could blame them? Not like they were gonna bet on a girl who couldn't even pass a single control room level.

Whatever. It didn't bother her, not really. Let them talk about how weak she was if they wanted. She could prove them wrong if she felt like it, for sure. She just hadn't decided whether she'd choose to yet.

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Amy had settled down for a nap in her dorm before the time of the meeting. It wasn't like she was absurdly tired, but she just wanted all the energy she could get before confronting the other participants.

It was quiet when Amy woke up. That was a bad sign. See, normally she'd set some kind of alarm, and that would wake her up. She glanced over at her battered old alarm clock, and saw the hands frozen in place. Broken? Or the batteries had run out, one of the two. Either way, she'd probably slept a little too long, but at least it made sense now.

She was just about to lie back in her bed when her eyes snapped back open and she rolled out of bed in a tangle of blankets. The meeting! It was supposed to be this afternoon! That really wasn't good, especially if she'd not woken up. Being late to that sort of thing, when you were specifically invited, was the kind of behaviour that put you in Mrs. Lovelace's bad books.

Amy didn't really want to end up on that particular shit list. The woman was scary.

So, after getting ready as quickly as she possibly could, a slightly panicked looking Amy shot out of the door, barely even remembering to grab her phone. Definitely not taking time to check it, she shot down the stairs and out of the door. She ran in the direction on the arena, but was about three-quarters of the way there when she paused for a second. Something felt off.

With a sinking feeling, she checked her phone - something that, in hindsight, she definitely should have done before rushing on it of the dorms like a moron. Yeah, she was early. And sprinting across campus for no reason, which would explain some of the looks she was getting.

After taking a moment to catch her breath, Amy kept on walking, looking really annoyed at the whole situation. She guessed it was just nerves or something, but couldn't help but feel like a complete idiot. There was no point heading back to her dorm at this point, though, so she kept going towards the arena.

As she approached the entrance, she was muttering angrily, kicking stones out of her path in frustration. She hadn't even asked to be a part of this stupid tournament in the first place. She'd either have to show her powers or get the crap beaten out of her. In front of basically the whole school.

The joys of going to a school for superhumans were endless, clearly. At least she'd had a decent morning, without anyone paying her attention. Might be the last one she got for a little while.

She shoved the door open, heading into the arena and practically snarling in anger, glaring at the floor."I can't believe I even bothered running here. This is such b-"

She started to stutter when she looked up and saw Mrs. Lovelace in the center of the arena. After a pause that felt like hours, but was actually only a few Amy desperately improvised a completely different ending to that particular statement. "B-brilliant timing! I just couldn't wait to get here and hear about, the, um, stuff... and... things... and - You know what, I'm just gonna stop talking now."

She trailed off, not meeting the teacher's gaze as she headed to stand where she was expected to. Amy was pretty anxious for someone else to show up, because this whole thing was kind of nerve-wracking.

To be honest, her focus was kind of split between trying to figure out whether she'd annoyed Mrs. Lovelace and staring at the ground. It wasn't the best she'd ever felt. Definitely not going on her 'greatest moments' list.

She was so distracted after entering that she probably wouldn't even have noticed if there were a lion sitting in the corner of the room. If someone said something, she'd probably pay attention, but otherwise she was a little lost in her own world at that moment.

Divided We Stand

@lovely complex Out of interest, would it be common knowledge who'd been selected for the tournament at this point?

If not, then would the participants themselves be aware of who else was competing before the meeting?

Persona 4 - Black Carnival

Tomomi Katayama

Tomomi's mood had gotten progressively worse as she headed home. She opened the door, trying to make as little noise as possible, but it really wasn't any use. As soon as she came in, her mother's head snapped around, a look of anger on her face.

"Detention already, Tomomi? I thought we told you to behave yourself this year. If you keep going like this, you'll never get anywhere. Can't you understand that?" She said, standing up and walking over to her daughter. Tomomi's father didn't do anything much, just shook his head sternly.

Tomomi felt her face burning with anger and embarrassment. She didn't have to sit here and listen to this. They always talked like this, like she was some kind of moron or something. 'Don't you want to be successful?'

Yeah, Tomomi already knew what they thought, all of them. Teachers, parents, most adults to be honest. Every single one of them thought she'd never amount to anything. And who knows, maybe they were right.

With a dismissive gesture, Tomomi replied, not showing that it bugged her. "Yeah, I got detention. So what? You gonna say I'm a disappointment again? I don't think I heard you the first fifty times. Getting kinda sick of it."

Tomomi's mother looked at her coldly. "Then you should stop proving me right." she said, before turning back to sit with her laptop. Probably dealing with some kind of work issue. Those always got paid more attention than Tomomi did.

Tomomi just headed up to her room, seething with rage and tossed a couple cushions against the wall. After that, she just sat staring at the ceiling. Didn't feel like sleeping quite yet, but wasn't gonna do much else either.

Unraveling The World. (M)

"You know, just one time, I'd love a day where no-one threatened me." Mae sighed, looking just a little surprised by Wolf Claw's sudden appearance. With one last glance out of the window, she couldn't help but notice a building on fire a few blocks to the north. It really wasn't her problem though - she wasn't about to risk discovery for the sake of a few humans.

Turning to Wolf Claw, she seemed to take a moment to think the situation over. Hopefully it was just a lone ghoul, but from his description it seemed unlikely for them to be so lucky. Lone ghouls didn't have anyone to report to, and certainly didn't scout. Which left the most likely scenario as it being the Spades.

Which left her with a problem. If this ghoul was a Spade, he'd likely have back-up. An outright fight could, and would, end up being a problem. Running might not work either.

So that left her with one last option. Diplomacy. Which was impossible with Wolf Claw there. Listen, she liked the crazy as much as anyone, but crazy wasn't great for talking. There was another thing that she had to hide too. Grabbing her mask, she shoved it into Wolf Claw's hands, directing him to a hiding place. "I need you to hide. There's a body a couple floors down from here, cover yourself with that. It should hide your scent. And unless I call for help, you have to promise me you'll stay hidden. I don't want you to put yourself at risk."

Comedy really hoped that he would listen to her - if he didnt, he'd just put them both in danger, and she figured he was smarter than that. She really wasn't too worried about her chances, since she didn't think they'd recognize her without the mask. Grabbing her sketchbook, she sat on the window ledge, watching the city and waiting for someone to show up.

Unraveling The World. (M)

Cool! I just had the idea while trying to write up my post, that's all :)

It'll be up pretty soon.

Unraveling The World. (M)

In terms of plot ideas, would a double agent type thing be possible between Comedy & the Spade Gang?

Because she's kind of in between them and the Pack in terms of morals, I'd like to have her kind of conflicted between the two if I could.

Just an idea, but could lead to some good drama I guess :p

Was planning to have her talk to the Spades if they came to her skyscraper, and hide Wolf Claw's presence somehow.

Also I don't talk here enough, so hi.

Persona 4 - Black Carnival

Tomomi Katayama

Tomomi jumped a little when the shock ran through her hand. She looked at it for a few seconds in confusion. "Hey, what was-"
She started to ask a question, but realised that Hoodie was ignoring her completely. "Never mind."

It was probably just static or something like that. With one last grin, she turned and headed off down the street. To be honest, she wasn't really hungry anymore, so she headed down to the riverbank instead, sitting and skimming stones across the surface of the water.

She always did this when she got bored. It wasn't particularly exciting, but she had a record to beat at this point. At least it was something to do, and it helped her to not freak out about the whole fortune thing.