OwO

Revue of Annihilation

Talia of Roses

The Backstreet Queen: Talia of Roses
^{"Do you think you have what it takes to be a merry man?"}

Human | 24 | Female | 175cm (5'9") | 64.5kg (148 lbs.)
0th Circle | Thieves

The nameless girl born in a bordello by the sea. She never knew her mother nor of the world beyond the bordello. The admiralty made it that way. She only had three comforts in her life: the smell of flowers that gave respite against the salt breeze, the exaggerated stories from patrons, and the company of the others who had been born in the bordello.

Of course, her story would not have remarkable if she lived her life inside of the bordello. The admiralty had been besieged by pirates. Though, such an act was not unusual. It was a mere change in management. Such was the way of life for those in a port town. If it weren't the monsters, it would be whichever fleet that had decided to lay claim to the town.

One of the bordello's new patrons had arrived with treasures in hand. Items that had since found their way to pirates in a miscellaneous trove. One of them spoke to her. It begged with her. It pleaded with her. It wanted her to grasp it from its owner. It whispered the stories that she would create if she just took it.

And so she did. When the patron was asleep, she grabbed it. It was a mere silver band among diamonds and gold; it was unnoticeable if it was taken, especially from a man who had been drunk enough to forget which pieces of jewellery he gave to which cocettes. It seared her soul when she grasped it. It taught her that all she needed to do to create her own story was take. Take, take, take.

With dreams of grandeur, she left the bordello. Onward to Oratorio she went. She'd make her own story there.

With silver tongue, she enchanted a band of merry men. Outsider thieves who found a glimmer of hope in her story.

With self-ascribed name, she envisioned the story that would make her the Backstreet Queen--the patron of Oratorio's thieves.

Path to Ascension

0th Circle Ichor-Blessed

♥ Ichor: 0
♥ Wealth: 0
♥ Followers: 5
♥ Resources: 0
♥ Artifacts: None
♥ Property: None

Divine Protection of Thieves

♥ Gentle Touch - Followers have a divinely gentle touch, especially when near other's pockets and purses.

Starting Benefit

♥ Band of Brothers - 5 Followers. Those you met on the way were moved or manipulated by you to joining your cause.

Revue of Annihilation

Yah, what works works. No donkey is a cowardly choice, ofc. Toss 'er in the Characters tab.

Do you have a general descriptor of what her five followers are like? Age range n all.

@ERode

Pretty much just Robin Hood's merry men. Thieves with enough honor to be chaotic good instead of maniacs.

Like 15-40 for their age.

Revue of Annihilation

She entered boobily

The Backstreet Queen: Talia of Roses
^{"Do you think you have what it takes to be a merry man?"}

Human | 24 | Female | 175cm (5'9") | 64.5kg (148 lbs.)
0th Circle | Thieves

The nameless girl born in a bordello by the sea. She never knew her mother nor of the world beyond the bordello. The admiralty made it that way. She only had three comforts in her life: the smell of flowers that gave respite against the salt breeze, the exaggerated stories from patrons, and the company of the others who had been born in the bordello.

Of course, her story would not have remarkable if she lived her life inside of the bordello. The admiralty had been besieged by pirates. Though, such an act was not unusual. It was a mere change in management. Such was the way of life for those in a port town. If it weren't the monsters, it would be whichever fleet that had decided to lay claim to the town.

One of the bordello's new patrons had arrived with treasures in hand. Items that had since found their way to pirates in a miscellaneous trove. One of them spoke to her. It begged with her. It pleaded with her. It wanted her to grasp it from its owner. It whispered the stories that she would create if she just took it.

And so she did. When the patron was asleep, she grabbed it. It was a mere silver band among diamonds and gold; it was unnoticeable if it was taken, especially from a man who had been drunk enough to forget which pieces of jewellery he gave to which cocettes. It seared her soul when she grasped it. It taught her that all she needed to do to create her own story was take. Take, take, take.

With dreams of grandeur, she left the bordello. Onward to Oratorio she went. She'd make her own story there.

With silver tongue, she enchanted a band of merry men. Outsider thieves who found a glimmer of hope in her story.

With self-ascribed name, she envisioned the story that would make her the Backstreet Queen--the patron of Oratorio's thieves.

Path to Ascension

0th Circle Ichor-Blessed

♥ Ichor: 0
♥ Wealth: 0
♥ Followers: 5
♥ Resources: 0
♥ Artifacts: None
♥ Property: None

Divine Protection of Thieves

♥ Gentle Touch - Followers have a divinely gentle touch, especially when near other's pockets and purses.

Starting Benefit

♥ Band of Brothers - 5 Followers. Those you met on the way were moved or manipulated by you to joining your cause.

Scion: The Prophecy of Anani

Hollyhock

---

^@Hero
The weeks after their ordeal were different. Both Hollyhock and Jannick knew it. Neither wanted to acknowledge the lest they break the silent trust and acceptance Scions and Templars had for each other. Previously, Hollyhock made little effort in hiding her hobbies. She'd move from famous restaurant to famous restaurant, only settling down for long enough to digest. She accepted any and all menu samplings she could, so long as it was a private event.

Now, she moved much slower, never telling anyone beyond the church where she was. The meals she sampled across the nations had been considerably less known. There were no reservations or dining; church officials had brought her meals to Jannick who in turn gave them to Hollyhock. Invitations were now met with flowers from a nearby florist. Besides her pious participation in church and national events, Hollyhock had become even more reclusive than what she once was.

Of course, she wasn't reclusive enough to refuse the events related to her duty as a Scion. Though, it was difficult to say that she was an active participant during those events. She was more of a witness who had left immediately, not even spending time socializing. This time, she was invited to Lucas' home. It would be the first time she'd gone. After all, she wasn't close to Lucas. She, with a muted excitement brought forth by the future new experience, had decided to get Lucas a gift. It was always custom to give the host a gift. Of course, she didn't exactly know about the sordid Scion's interests. Wine was blasé, so Hollyhock had some other ideas on what to get him.

She had arrived at Lucania Castle with Jannick. There wasn't much fuss involved in her travels, besides the large bag she carried. In fact, the security process gave her peace of mind. What didn't give her peace of mind was what she had arrived to. Her second cousin (she thought--Hollyhock could never really understand the entire ranking and removals that cousins had) had immediately been arguing with Lucas and discussing war. Meanwhile, Rosemary had filled the room with her laughter as she half-heard their vitriol.

It certainly was a meeting. One that was discussing something Hollyhock had been trying to avoid for the past two months.

Unlike the previous events and functions, Hollyhock hadn't been wearing a veil nor wide-brimmed hat. She had since removed them once they passed through the barrier. Now, she wore a billowing and layered top, its soft vanilla-speckled white fabric fluttering against itself as she moved. A charcoal pair of palazzo-style pants gave an element of formality, especially with her top tucked into the waistband.

Of course, the formality of her outfit had been betrayed by a set of purple and orange gradient Rosaria Force Twos.

She briefly met eyes with Sonia. Hollyhock couldn't help but feel as though the Templar of Light would crack her Scion-skull with a rock if she didn't try to change the topic. Though, it was difficult to tell how much was Sonia actually thinking that and how much was Hollyhock's delusions caused by her reclusive withering of social understanding.

"S-speaking of butt," she said unable to think of any sort of natural bridge. She had placed the bag on the ground, reached inside, and pulled out a large foil-wrapped object. Were it not for its iconic drumstick-like shape and cloven hoof, it would have been hard to identify. What Hollyhock had brought in that gift bag was unmistakably a...

"Gift ham!"

SPIRITUM

Justice

In some ways, Justice was disappointed. She had truly wanted that gun to fire. She would have felt it all: the raising of an old revolver, the squeeze of a trigger, the ignition of gunpowder--only to meet a barrier of magic. That would have been enough to give Justice her personal casus belli. How she longed to crack heel against jaw and knuckle against liver. Unfortunately--or fortunately as her vague position of leader would expect her to think--Silje had offered her gun alongside crackling reprisal if they took it.

The cowardice--alternatively, self-preservation--of the hicks ended the bizarre confrontation. Without the conflict, there was little point in her remaining in the rustic little shop. She also wasn't about to pay for any overpriced, marked up items. Being 2nd Class came with its benefits--an increased pay was the largest one. It didn't mean that Justice wanted to spend her graduation stipend on booze and trite.

With the others, she left the general store, but not before patting Silje's head. "You'll mulch 'em on the battlefield."

Of course, it wasn't like she was going to do much else outside. With Gerard able to set up camp by himself and the rest of the squad actually putting chairs in human locations, Justice could only stand there menacingly. That gave her ample time to watch two figures begin to approach and hear Kalina's concerns about the matter.

"Just relax by the truck. I'll talk to them. Normally, this time." Justice was, in all honesty, much more inclined to have a fair conversation with actual law enforcement. There was a good chance that whatever sheriff, marshal, or deputy had been honestly elected. Though, in a town like this, it was just as likely that they would have a large bounty on their head. With that, she began to approach the two of them.

Revue of Annihilation [Faction-Ruling Demigods Vie for Ascension]

i may be alive for this

Qlippoth Shift: A Supernatural Action RP About Combating Otherworldy Anomalies

Mae Ah-ryeon

@Rune_Alchemist@Eisenhorn@Izurich@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze

Ah-ryeon didn't react much to the gunshot. She didn't feel like she was hit, so there wasn't much to react to beyond the noise. The other agents would easily deal with that single threat. When more began to spill out, her opinion didn't change. The others could handle it. It wasn't necessary for her to step in.

Of course, even more began to spill out afterwards. It was beginning to be comical. Though, she supposed that it would be reasonable that they were all coming out of a large manor. It wasn't as though they were being birthed from nothing in a clown-car--even if these types of situations reminded her of one.

What Ah-ryeon wasn't doing was participating in brutal combat. No, there wasn't much point for her to do so. Her knife fighting could take on any foe, but it paled in comparison to a brute of flesh capable of rolling every problem away or the flaming blows of a magic blade. While her pistol could dissuade a tanegashima-wielding ashigaru, she lacked the ammo to have a discernible impact. It didn't help that any generic ritual she could perform would likely singe Numako's eyebrows off as consequence.

That didn't mean she was doing nothing. Intentionally using the flesh monstrosity as a shield, she had been preparing sticks of incense downwind of Numako. While such a gesture could be considered mindful of others, the truth was that Mae couldn't be arsed to deal with whatever consequences came from waving incense in front of a possessee.

"Surely someone else finds the idea of someone collecting so many antiquities in their manor a little strange," she mused to nobody in particular.

With lighter in one hand and incense in the other, she threw the aromatic sticks at the ghostly ashigaru and the various piles of dark ooze, the embers further igniting the aromatics instead of fading. Such was the nature of what Ah-ryeon burnt; she had solved the issue of having to utilize incense while actively being under attack long ago.

Her actions were mostly a test. She didn't have the luxury to brute force her way through every battle. It was always good to see how things reacted to different actions. The dark ooze especially worried her. Spirits didn't usually dissolve into a pile of goo that still felt like something when they were slain. In fact, they usually just broke apart and hobbled.

Scion: The Prophecy of Anani

Hollyhock

---

^{@Obscene Symphony}

There was no response.

Hollyhock had been sitting on the ground with her back against the door for some time. She knew that Jannick would probably come back and want to talk. The two of them had always begrudgingly honoured the push and pull that came with who they were. Despite her foresight, she didn't open the door. She remained sitting in silence as Jannick waited.

She didn't know what to say. That she thought Jannick would chase her like he always did? That she hated her duties and the consequences of her Scionhood? That running away on her own feet was the only thing she could trust?

...

With newfound resolution (if you could call it that), Hollyhock rose to let Jannick in.

Clack. The deadbolt was unlatched.

Click. The lock on the knob was turned.

Creak. The door crept open.

Hollyhock looked better than before. Some colour had returned to her complexion. Judging by her damp hair, it was mostly from a scalding shower. Her bloodstained attire was nowhere in sight. Instead, she was wearing a set of plush white pajamas, a plush pink robe that further made her look she was trying to scare off a bear, and plush white slippers that were two sizes too large. Jannick couldn't quite tell her expression even without her veil; she had immediately turned away to clumsily shuffle towards the dining area.

"Do you want tea or coffee?" She asked. "Though, it's that sweet instant kind. Or you could try some cofftea."

Qlippoth Shift: A Supernatural Action RP About Combating Otherworldy Anomalies

Mae Ah-ryeon

With the sudden call for her to assemble, Ah-ryeon couldn't help but have an unpleasant look on her face. It was part of her deal, but she still did not enjoy missions. She did not enjoy relying on other people, nor did she enjoy working with them. Still, it could have been worse. She could have been selected to train recruits. That would have been a nightmare.

She listened to the briefing without much fuss. Her opinion of the situation was fairly uncaring. For a shaman, the supernatural was a regular occurrence. Though, being brutally murdered was quite rare. More often than not, it was just typical possessions, strange happenings, and overall bad luck. One would need a considerable amount of bad luck to be disembowelled or have their jaw torn off by accident. Though, such things were not rare around industrial factories.

She didn't have many thoughts about the other agents roles. Of course, this was primarily because she didn't care much. Her role was focused on medical support. She'd only need to participate if things were getting dire. Ah-ryeon quite liked that role. The less she had to do, the better.

Though, Ah-reyon's favourite agent had been assigned alongside her. Even if she didn't personally like Yakumo, her ability skipping having to sit in a car for hours gave a small amount of favour. A droplet of favour in an ocean of enmity.

---

Even though she disliked her duties, she was still diligent in performing them. She had brought everything she thought she needed. Tools for her rituals, tools for her curses, her typical medical supplies, and even some talismans. It never hurt to be prepared and, even though she disliked putting in effort, still was professional enough to do what she considered the bare minimum.

The mansion was exactly what she thought it would be. It was a place of evil. Which was unfortunate which meant that, in all likelihood, there was something inside. But of what was a mystery. The words given to explain imuldan, youkai, and yaoguai were often apocryphal explanations of actual supernatural events. It was difficult to predict what was inside.

Still, she'd do her job. Briefly walking ahead of the other agents shortly after they arrived, she held her hand out and dangled a half-dozen small knotted string charms. All six had unique patterns and threads, yet were matched by an identical charm on Ah-ryeon's hip. As usual, they were meant to give the holder luck. However, they served an important purpose. If communications broke down, the identical charms that Ah-ryeon held would unwind to notify her how bad things truly were.

"Take a trinket before you go. Consider it a free service. And do try not to get vivisected by a gwisin. It requires considerable effort for me to save a life." She said in her usual brusk tone.

She wouldn't enter the manor proper unless she was needed. Considering that they were breaching on opposite sides, it was easier for her to only enter if she was needed.

SPIRITUM

Justice

Perhaps Justice was in a good mood. Instead of snipping back at him, she just gave Gerard a slight chuckle. Maybe he was calling her an Olm.

Now that she was looking at it, such a place could definitely grow on her. There wasn't much going on. In fact, it was probably more accurate to say there was nothing going on. That, however, was part of the allure. The concrete seemed nice. The dirt and dust was adequate. If the war ended in her lifetime and she got to retire, would Justice return here and embrace a simple life? The answer to would be a resounding hell no. Even her current retirement plan of being KIA was better than being stuck here.

Her meaningless thoughts continued. Really, she was lucky that this place had nothing going for it. If it was a metropolitan city, Tony would probably be off fighting the homeless for their spare change. Silje would probably be on the verge of frying herself on a neon lights. Kali would have probably followed a stray cat and gotten lost. In such a place, surely none of the Barghest squad would get up to their usual delinquent antics.

Of course, she turned towards the general store after noticing that the squad truck had gotten notably quieter.

"Two minutes." She mumbled while pinching the bridge of her nose from exasperation.

---

Justice had entered the store rather calmly. While she wanted to kick the door off its hinges and drag the rest of the Barghests out by their ears, she had the cognizance to recognize that the act of kicking open a door at this point would probably start a fight. She had eyed up the goons as she entered. They were salt of the earth type people. Also known as people that Justice did not want to deal with.

"I'm the one who has to do all of the paperwork for an 'incident.' Do not start a fight in here. Go take it outside." She quickly stated to both sides before staring at the man who had obscured his hand from view. "Or, in fact, do start shit. Just take your gun, aim it right between my eyes, and pull the trigger. It would beat me having to deal with your sheriff and our military police."

Unlike the rest of the squad, Justice did have a level of threatening aura that the others didn't. Tony, as usual, was his hick self and hicks usually invited half-drunk brawls with a smile. Silje was, on all levels but cellular age, a small child who had spilled juice on themselves. Kalina, though she had a pistol, looked like she was halfway between gunfight and office work. Meanwhile, Justice had been wearing an old tank top given to all WARDENs in training that did nothing to hide any of her scars.

It didn't help that the look in her eyes was serious about being shot.