Mach2

Incarceron [Sandbox Cyberpunk]

To the ears of a Lucid addict who has just come down from a high, noises are indistinct. Yes, Vander could focus on her conversation with Audrey, who was very clearly having a time of processing Vander's explanation of fighting as a sport. The focus didn't come as easily as she could with a hit of the drug, but it was not a struggle. Everything else, however, faded into the background. If someone had called her name, he would not have heard them. The punches of the cage fight, the laughter and cheers of the patrons, the heavy beat of the music. All of it blended into a low din in the background. But self-preservation is an amazing thing. Even with her sense impaired, Vander's mind was still able to pick out a single shout from the background noise.

"BoD officer! Clear the way!"

It was as though she had swallowed ice. Growing up in Beta, most people quickly developed a healthy fear of the law. It rarely seemed to protect them, and frequently seemed to persecute them. Vander was no exception. And with the events of the past few years, that fear had grown into paranoia. Paranoia now blossomed into terror. As a general rule, druggies avoid cops. Especially Bureau of Defense. Eyes wide, the fear on her face perfectly matching Audrey, Vander scanned the crowd for the source of the shout.

It wasn't hard, considering that Kat and her target were on a beeline straight for the two women by the stairs. Vander cussed under her breath, backing up against the wall, trying and failing to sink into the shadows. For a moment, she was sure she was the target. She wasn't high, not right now. She had no Lucid on her. But that didn't mean she couldn't be arrested. But not tonight. Before they could collide with Vander and Audrey, the crook and pursuer instead bolted through the door to the basement. "Is this sport, too?" Audrey asked her, leaning in for a better look at the two.

Vander shook her head, heart beating so fast she feared it may actually give out. But before she could answer properly, the lights disappeared. For a second, there was stunned silence. Then noise spiked up around her - an audible blur of gasps and shouts of surprise. Amongst the blur, a voice once again stood out. "Hey- Hey. Are you there?"

But she wasn't. Vander was already moving away, fight or flight taking over. Fight was not an option. So flight it was. In the darkness that had suddenly enveloped the club, the glaring red of the 'EXIT' sign on the opposite wall stood out clearly, and she made a beeline for it.

Unfortunately, a multitude of others in the crowd had the same reaction. Vander made it five steps before she was shoved. Not hard, but enough to make her stumble. She regained her footing, moving again for the exit. A second shove, this time from someone much bigger, which sent her falling into the body of someone to her left. The response was an angry elbow to the chest, hard enough to make her gasp. But the 'EXIT' still glared in front of her, and she pressed on. It took an enormous amount of effort for the skinny woman to fight her way through the crowd.

But finally, her body pressed up against the door. The fire exit dispelled her into a back alley. It was dimly lit, but even to her insensitive eyes, it seemed bright after the darkness of the bar. Breathing in deeply, Vander took a few steps away from the door. Raising a hand, she gently pressed it against her sternum, where the stranger's elbow had collided. It hurt. Nothing was broken, but her deteriorating body bruised easily. Vander leaned against the wall, waiting for her heartrate to return to a more normal pace before continuing anywhere else. She still needed to find Lucid tonight.

Incarceron [Sandbox Cyberpunk]

Instead of an answer to Vander's question, the words that next flew out of Audrey's mouth sounded like an accusation. “What kind of awful place is this? That man – he’s butchering people like meat! Why don’t you stop him?”

There was a delay in her response. Perhaps it was the tail end of the Lucid high making her brain foggy, but for several seconds, the dark-haired woman could only stare, trying to figure out exactly what it was that Audrey was asking her to do. Stop the fight? Why? And more importantly, how? It wasn't as though she could walk into the cage and request they take it outside. The 'why' didn't register in her mind until after she had processed the impossibility of 'how'. Perhaps Audrey knew the teal-haired girl that had stepped into the ring? A stream of half-formed ideas flitted quickly through Vander's mind before the true reasoning became clear.

This woman was from Zone Alpha. It was as simple as that. Of course they didn't have cage fighting in Alpha. Something that, to Vander, was as commonplace as the hookers on the street corners, was likely traumatizing and foreign to someone who had never left the more affluent regions of New Ancora. To Audrey, fights were a thing to be feared and avoided, not a form of entertainment. Shame lingered at the back of Vander's mind. She had grown up so used to this type of brutality that it didn't even phase her. While she was far too peaceful an individual to ever step into the ring herself, trying to stop a fight was something that had never crossed her mind."I can't," she answered, shaking her head. "It's not butchering. It's...sport."

She doubted the weak explanation would be enough for Audrey. The first few punches had already been thrown, and the true extent of the violence was becoming apparent. The man in the ring was the reigning champion, and had no desire to lose - even to a woman. The teal-haired stranger, who had appeared initially drunk, showed to be just as ruthless.

Incarceron [Sandbox Cyberpunk]

@DarkmatterAhhh, okie. Cool. Dy will be pleased to see someone's interested in Elizabeth. :3

Incarceron [Sandbox Cyberpunk]

Dark! The words you write! I like em!
For real, man, awesome writing. I love it. Just one question:

We’ve also got someone taking hits in the Districts who doesn’t crop as a contact for anyone we have channels with. Young female. Info on whereabouts and movements is limited. If you can track her down and suss out the situation; do."

@darkmatter

Who was that referring to? Vander? My brain is sleep deprived, sorry. XD

Escape the Tempest[Closed]

Emma Knowles
It was a rare event that Emma awoke in a comfortable bed. Usually, it was the cheapest inn she could afford, or the guest room of a charitable stranger. When the early morning sun broke through her window, she rolled over, revelling in the soft pillow and comfortable blankets.

She had arrived cussing and swearing the previous night, drenched from the rain. Only her bag, clutched tightly to her chest, remained relatively dry. Her camera, her most prized possession, was in there. It couldn't get wet. Much to her surprise, she had been welcomed into this home in the middle of the woods. A guest room, a warm bed, and the promise of breakfast the next day. Emma wasn't about to argue.

She sat up, groggily, and stretched. Emma's short hair had dried over the night, and was now a messy mop atop her hair. She ran her fingers through it, brushing her bangs out of her eyes, and stood. Her camera rested on the nightstand, mercifully undamaged. She hadd emptied the contents of her bag the night before, allowing them to dry. A few changes of clothes, a little bit of cash, and a few packs of cigarettes. Slowly waking up, the young woman pulled on a pair of loose trousers and tucked in her shirt. It was still early, she undoubtedly had time to sneak outside for a quick smoke before breakfast.

She slipped on her shoes, tucked a cigarette behind her ear, and slipped a box of matches into her pocket. Without any further attention to her appearance, she left her room and made her way down the hall, walking with an easy confidence down the stairs. To others, she would undoubtedly look somewhat disheveled. But that was Emma.

Turning the corner at the end of the hall, she made her way towards where she remembered the exit being. The scent of food was beginning to fill the house, and Emma realized that she was actually hungry. She had barely made it partway to the front door before she caught sight of someone else. Turning another corner, she found herself standing behind a tall, dark-haired man, who looked slightly lost. A quirky grin appeared on her face. "Hullo there," she greeted him before he had even turned around.

She pulled the cigarette from behind her ear and held it up. "You smoke?" she asked. No introductions. No asking whether he lived here or was simply a guest, like her. Emma jumped straight to the point. "Smells like breakfast is soon. I was just going to step out quick first. Care to tag along?"

Grace Sparling

The rain made her job impossible. Usually, Grace would spend the night in the garden, tending to the plants under the dim light of the moon. But the storm was too heavy to allow that. Sleep evaded her, as ever. It was a long night.

But just because the night was long did not mean it had been uneventful. There had been new arrivals, several of them. Grace had watched, peeking out from behind door frames and hiding at the top of the stairway, as Kest let someone into the mansion every few hours. If any of the guests had caught sight of the fair-haired girl, they hadn't said anything the night before.

Things had quieted down a few hours before dawn. At one point, Grace walked the hall outside the guest rooms, counting how many were now occupied. There were no less than seven newcomers. A few hours remained before the other servants woke up, so Grace had tucked herself away into a corner of the home with a book to kill the time.

Before too long, noises filled the home once more. The servants and the guests were stirring. The scent of cooking food drifted down the hall, and Grace inhaled. With a small smile, she closed her book and tucked it up against the wall. She would return later.

She acquired a slice of toast and topped it with some eggs, before following the sound of Anton's voice to the dining room. Silent as a ghost, Grace crept in, sticking close to the wall. With her uncanny habit of going unnoticed, chances were neither Anton not Kest would pay attention to her as she stood there, nibbling her toast and listening. "Do you know when the storm will lighten up enough for travel to town? We'll be needing to get a grocery delivery after the crowd that showed up last night. How many would you say there were? I think I'm going to make scones for them, before the peaches go bad."

Swallowing her food, Grace's small voice sounded from the corner of the room. "Seven," she answered in response to Anton's question. "I saw seven."

Escape the Tempest[Closed]

Working on my posts!

Incarceron [Sandbox Cyberpunk]

Under a different set of circumstances, Vander's actions may have been interpreted for what they were; a concerned woman trying to make sure another person was all right. But as she took in the expression on Audrey's face, the deeply unsettled stare, she realized that her efforts had not been perceived as an act of concern. The Zone Alpha woman's hand moved up, instinctively protecting the opening of her purse, as if she was worried Vander would reach into it right then and there. [B]"I'm...fine. What do you want."

Make no mistake, there was a small part of Vander's mind that wondered just how much money there was in that purse. Had Audrey unthinkingly set it down in the club, how much was inside? Enough to buy more than a single day's supply of Lucid? Probably. But that part of Vander's mind was small in comparison to the much more human side of her. And that part was far more concerned with how she was currently being perceived. Instead of a fellow human concerned for her well-being, Audrey saw a grotesquely woman from the Beta districts. Someone not to be trusted. Vander took a step back, giving Audrey her space. "Nothing," she answered sincerely. "Just checking that you were okay..."

She trailed off, distracted by a sudden change in the noises of the crowd. Audrey likely would have picked up on the shift in the mood before Vander's dulled senses caught it. The cheers of those nearest the cage quieted, and laughter came instead. Pushing the longer half of her hair out of her face, Vander turned to look.

There was a new opponent for the fighter in the ring. A teal-haired woman was making an effort to remove her leather jacket, gearing up for a fight. Even at this distance, Vander could see that she looked sloppily drunk. But the champion wasn't about to back down. He yelled for someone to lock the cage shut. The fight was happening, and the crowd was excited.

Vander glanced back at Audrey. Raising a thin hand, she pointed to a dimly illuminated 'exit' sign on the opposite wall. "I can show you out and help you hail a ride if you like." Her offer was gentle. She wasn't pushing Audrey to leave, she was simply offering help. "If not, I'll clear off," she added with a smile.

Incarceron [Sandbox Cyberpunk]

Hope I'm not stepping on anyones toes with my police brutality.
Woop de doo

@Sypherkhode822

As Lev said...it was kind of abrupt. I talked with Ghost Shadow a bit, and we'd like to request an edit to your post. There's issues from both an in character and out-of-character perspective.

IC issue: a BoD officer and a crew of 10 riot cops, to take down one crime lord. One NPC crime lord, at that. Your character is risking serious violence and bloodshed by busting into a huge bar like that, when stealth may have been a better tactic. Like Lev said, abrupt.

OOC issues: 10 riot cops. You're basically NPCing your own small army. That's a very unfair advantage to you if any characters want to put up a fight.
And the fact that you're raiding the club at all is a slight issue with me. We've got several characters in there, already establishing storylines and interacting. Vander, Audrey, Elizabeth, Deon. Your post derails any existing interactions with a sudden police raid.

Please make some edits. I don't want to see an army of NPC cops, and I don't want to see the existing character interactions interrupted.

Incarceron [Sandbox Cyberpunk]

@archangel89 Feel free to start another storyline at another location! All the character interactions, all over the city!

Escape the Tempest[Closed]

Aw, sads. Hope to see you back eventually!

Any news on when we might be starting?