Mettaton emit a hearty laugh, trying (and failing) to stifle his outburst by holding his hand to his lips. "Ohh, yes!~ Monsters and humans alike!~ Many of the others present have gained a following as well. They're no doubt waiting with baited breath on my next appearance in a game.~" he reassured with a smile, though his words put Nastasia at unease.
"You don't mean to say that we're on camera right now...?" asked the suddenly timid assistant.
"Well of course we are! Don't tell me you're camera-shy now, you've been under the spotlight before!"
"I-...I have?"
"Yes! You and that Count character had some wonderful chemistry together."
Nastasia's jaw straight-up dropped. "Wh-?! H-How do you know about the Count?!"
Mettaton furrowed his brows curiously. "Erm...the Archmage hasn't told you yet?"
Cuddle time was briefly interrupted as Morgan heard a familiar voice, and her eyes brightened up as she saw the old friends approach, "Io, Leah, you came as well! It's great to see you two!" Shuffling a few of the kitties around to let them sit in her seat, she walked over to Io with a smile and an offered hug from both her and one of the little cats, "I've missed you guys. It's weird to not see you especially, Io, after working with you to save my parents..."
"Oh, and guess what! Apparently, I'm famous in Metta's world for what I did in the game! That means you might be as well!"
"Wrooo... (It's a very ancient tale about two Deoxys. A Whitecore Deoxys and a Blackcore Deoxys. Whitecore was a friend to the Hoshizora Clan, a guardian, and Blackcore sided with the dark depths of the Black Forest Sisters. I've never actually seen these Deoxii before, but some day, maybe I'll learn about their power and the true motivation behind their battles, aside from just taking sides. I like to believe that great heroes of legend like Regigigas, Diancie, and the Deoxii have goals and motivations, just like humans and Pokemon alike.)"
Jolteon ponders, before asking, "Gree... (I'm wondering, have you ever been regarded as a temple guardian or hero or something? Or do you at least have three underlings who roam around?")
Eventually, Madotsuki uncovered her face, seeming to have well, regained her composure, looking towards Shoukou for a moment, then, she nodded again... Seeming to smile, more visibly this time; it wasn't clear whether she was mute, or, simply preferred to communicate silently, but, in either case... She (thankfully) wasn't too hard to understand, even if she seemed to communicate with various visual cues, and facial expressions.
Serge smiled at the young girl as he answered her question, "Serge, and she is Suki." It seemed Madotsuki would have to put being introduced with his pet name for her, though the fisherman doubted she would really mind.
Seeing the two, Fi decided to head over, mainly because the other UMG peeps she'd seen were busy.
"Hello, you two." She greeted in her usual monotone, but had what appeared to be a small smile, or smirk as some might see it, on her face as she spoke to them.
"I assume that things have been well after the event that made us allies?" She asked relatively bluntly.
"Fairly." Kalifa said. "Our relationship with our World Government has become complicated as of late. We've been forced to venture far from anything even remotely familiar to keep intruders from other worlds from interfering in the affairs of our world."
Neither Kalifa nor Kaku chose to mention that their presence there was in fact part of their mission. Since (according to what they had uncovered) neither of them had been nominated for any awards and they had not really formed any close bonds with any of the other participants, the only reason for their presence was to observe everyone else carefully to ensure no one posed a threat to their world.
The presence of Admiral Kizaru, who had yet to notice them, might in fact make that mission redundant. Kizaru often was backed up by the Navy and the Pacifistas, so with an Admiral such as him present, it was possible that covert organizations such as CP9 were not needed in this case.
Turning away from Felix, Locus glanced in the direction of wherever Arya had ended up. He had gotten his partner's opinion on the events that he'd gone through. Which was just as Locus had expected: Filled with heavy bias to make himself seem better.
"I'll be around, Felix. I'm sure this won't be the last time we meet."
With that, the mercenary walked off. Leaving his partner to his own volatile devices.
Approaching the blind girl, Locus coughed to signal his presence before speaking up.
"You're the child that's been such a thorn in my partner's side. I wish to find out, why. But from your perspective. You can call me, Locus."
"...Ooooooooooh. It turned out like that, did it? Everyone beating him up? Painful...but still, I think it was almost too good for someone like that. Should have tortured him slowly. There are ways. Max pain, agony to the extreme but still clinging to life. Holding on to it but begging for the opposite at the end. I could have done that. Perhaps I should have stayed longer." :D
"Uh...yeah." Yuki was much more glad they left sooner. "We made a deal and went home, that's basically it. Nothing special."
"It was special though, Yuki! I had you!"
"...Er...yeah." He stammered in reply, sidestepping a bit. "You can't really buy the moon and call it Chester, you know?"
"Spare us your stupid thoughts, Ed!" Eddy growled as he jumped up and kicked Ed across the room. The less intelligent Ed left a comical imprint in the wall as he crashed through it. Landing back on his feet, Eddy nodded.
"Yeah, being that we're three kids, we couldn't really do much against the Mask guy or Ghriiahm. But we gave it our all! Then, when everything was said and done? We watched the two of them get leaped on and as a guy who's gone through a series of beatings, that was a pretty brutal one. Though, hey if you think you could have done worse than I feel inclined to agree.."
Unsure of what else to say to Yuno, Eddy glanced at Double D for suggestions. Besides, Eddy didn't have time to chit-chat. He had a ten and hundred dollar bills to oogle respectively.
"..Well, would either of you feel inclined to join us in finding others to mingle with? I suppose at a celebration with a group this large, staying to just one or two people isn't really getting the full experience! If you catch my meaning. I'd also be very glad to have your company."
Kido just listened silently as he explained about Jason. She wasn't much one for horror stuff herself, so she hadn't managed to hear of him. Fortunately, it seemed this serial killer wouldn't be joining up with Mickey any time soon. And of course she wouldn't be approaching the currently motionless slasher herself, so nothing to worry about. Sort of. Maybe her player should stop throwing her places because there seem to be killers everywhere she goes. Heck, she went from 2, to the extra in the hotel, to yet another here.
But regardless, she did actually appreciate one thing.
"Yeah, uh, that's good."
If he spent less time talking and clowning around she might've been less alive. But anyway.
"...Maybe you should stay there, sounds like it makes you happy," she not-so-subtly hinted.
"Ooh, you'd like that, wouldn't you? For Chrome and me to stay as far away from you as possible. Totally understandable though! Really, like I said I'd probably do the same if I were in your shoes. Hold my hands together and prey for a release from continually bumping into serial killers."
Taking a swig out of his water, Mickey narrowly avoided getting skewered as he fell out of his chair. Looking behind him, he'd see Jason's machete firmly stuck in the wall. Glancing from the machete to Kido, Mickey quickly closed up the top on his bottle and started to make his way back to ChromeSkull's side in a very hurried pace.
"Well, it was nice catching up, Kido! Hope to see ya around!"
As Mickey scampered off, Jason stopped at Kido's table and glanced down at the girl.
Keeping the stare locked onto her for a moment longer, Jason stepped past Kido to retrieve his machete out of the wall. He had no special inclination to save Kido. But Mickey was quite annoying and for that he deserved to die.
"Fairly." Kalifa said. "Our relationship with our World Government has become complicated as of late. We've been forced to venture far from anything even remotely familiar to keep intruders from other worlds from interfering in the affairs of our world."
Neither Kalifa nor Kaku chose to mention that their presence there was in fact part of their mission. Since (according to what they had uncovered) neither of them had been nominated for any awards and they had not really formed any close bonds with any of the other participants, the only reason for their presence was to observe everyone else carefully to ensure no one posed a threat to their world.
The presence of Admiral Kizaru, who had yet to notice them, might in fact make that mission redundant. Kizaru often was backed up by the Navy and the Pacifistas, so with an Admiral such as him present, it was possible that covert organizations such as CP9 were not needed in this case.
Kalifa and Kaku were well trained, so they reacted with calm respect as the Admiral approached.
"Admiral Kizaru." Kalifa noted. "We were not expecting your presence."
"We are currently on a mission beyond the rift to the Multiversal Sea that has appeared in the Calm Belt." Kaku said. "Our mission is to observe people from the other worlds and ensure they do not interfere in the affairs of our world."
"I am sure that a man in your position understand the reason why." Kalifa added.
Kalifa and Kaku were well trained, so they reacted with calm respect as the Admiral approached.
"Admiral Kizaru." Kalifa noted. "We were not expecting your presence."
"We are currently on a mission beyond the rift to the Multiversal Sea that has appeared in the Calm Belt." Kaku said. "Our mission is to observe people from the other worlds and ensure they do not interfere in the affairs of our world."
"I am sure that a man in your position understand the reason why." Kalifa added.
"Spare us your stupid thoughts, Ed!" Eddy growled as he jumped up and kicked Ed across the room. The less intelligent Ed left a comical imprint in the wall as he crashed through it. Landing back on his feet, Eddy nodded.
"Yeah, being that we're three kids, we couldn't really do much against the Mask guy or Ghriiahm. But we gave it our all! Then, when everything was said and done? We watched the two of them get leaped on and as a guy who's gone through a series of beatings, that was a pretty brutal one. Though, hey if you think you could have done worse than I feel inclined to agree.."
Unsure of what else to say to Yuno, Eddy glanced at Double D for suggestions. Besides, Eddy didn't have time to chit-chat. He had a ten and hundred dollar bills to oogle respectively.
"..Well, would either of you feel inclined to join us in finding others to mingle with? I suppose at a celebration with a group this large, staying to just one or two people isn't really getting the full experience! If you catch my meaning. I'd also be very glad to have your company."
"..." She bit her tongue, obviously incensed about having to share precious time with her Yuki with more people and for even more time than she had already given to the Eds! Annoyances and pests but she would stifle her complaints for now.
Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Alt History, Anything really. It honestly depends on how I'm feeling. I am always up for a good, solid Cyberpunk RP. I'm also up for Crossover RPs.
Cuddle time was briefly interrupted as Morgan heard a familiar voice, and her eyes brightened up as she saw the old friends approach, "Io, Leah, you came as well! It's great to see you two!" Shuffling a few of the kitties around to let them sit in her seat, she walked over to Io with a smile and an offered hug from both her and one of the little cats, "I've missed you guys. It's weird to not see you especially, Io, after working with you to save my parents..."
"Oh, and guess what! Apparently, I'm famous in Metta's world for what I did in the game! That means you might be as well!"
Serge smiled at the young girl as he answered her question, "Serge, and she is Suki." It seemed Madotsuki would have to put being introduced with his pet name for her, though the fisherman doubted she would really mind.
"Ah, yeah, thanks, uhm, I...I still don't know how she did it." Jon trailed off a bit, virtually whispering that last part under his breath. Granted, he hadn't seen Arya in years, ever since his ventures to the Wall. But, he didn't expect to see his favorite sibling looking more frightening than the old legends of yore whispered among the guards of Lord Stark to past the time . Putting his hands into the folds of his jacket pockets, the black-haired Northerner kept a soft smile, genuinely happy to see old companions. Max and Chloe were important to the bastard, and truth be told, probably one of the few reasons he kept his sanity among the bloodthirsty mercenaries and sociopaths that were among them.
"A'ye, I've been doin' better..." the Northerner reassured, shrugging lightly, adjusting the crown on his head. "The Wall is under my protection and my guidance, as well as the North until a true Stark comes 'round. It has been...busy, but we have been rebuilding, a'ye, and gettin' ready for the Long Winter." the black-clad man elaborated, dancing around the subject slightly for his worries in the future. The world of Westeros was always seemingly bleak, yet still, many strives and progress have been made within the honorbound country.
"How have ye been, with Max? Can't say I would ever get used to your world...it feels too, relaxed." Jon pointed out with a light chuckle, running a gloved hand through his thick beard. Occasionally shooting a glance over at Arya, Jon's expression briefly frowned, looking over at Felix and Locus. Sellswords were not to be trusted, they had no honor, no sense of right or dignity. In truth, Jon despised them, secretly labeling them as traitors to their lords and traitors to themselves. Of course, in war, loyalty means but so much to those with nefarious goals.
As the mercenary bopped his metallic head against the faceless girl's forehead, the Reaper could only smile in both glee and ego. Despite her maligned form, her scars and wounds of war, the highness never showed her weakness. She was bred in bloodshed, taught by the ways of the Archdemon to further her goals, even in the face of white knights and so-called noble heroes. Yet, Felix always intrigued Arya, a man with seemingly no purpose yet passion, a true scum of the cosmos, seeking only profit and strife in his ventures.
"It took thirty of you to kill me," she started, beginning to arise slowly, using Needle as a makeshift cane. "It took a relic of the past to defeat my former master, do not boast about false accomplishments...." she darkly spoke, the Reaper holding ties still to that damnable yet failed usurper of the multiverse. Of course, she kept quiet about the Archdemon, realizing that Joshua and Teresa were still up and about. As much as Arya had her differences and isolated herself, she was truly in debt to Teresa and especially Joshua, having being pulled out of the grasp of death.
Dusting off her skirt, the regal traitor became to move through the seats, intent on claiming the awards on her benefactor, Ty-Kun. Who, she assumed, was presumably getting drunk at a nearby bar somewhere. Lovely. Pausing, her ears twitched, hearing the metallic clanging of another, different suited mercenary. Tapping her tongue against the roof of her mouth, making those eerie, organic clicking noises, the stoic-haired sociopath briefly turned around to address the other man.
"Locus...mmm?" she spoke with false interest, the teenager turning around light as she threw her head back. With a soft yet unsure smile, the girl began to turn away once again, intent on retrieving the rewards for her benefactor. "Because, your partner is a sore loser. He lost, a'ye, and won't accept that failure of his. How about you ask him, hmm?" the Stark remarked, continuing down the alley to the front of the auditorium.
Slowly making her way up to the stage, Arya made her way towards Teresa and whomever else may of been there at the time. Solemnly and respectfully, she bowed her head, the shadow-dwelling traitor awaiting her turn to accept the awards...
So I'm gonna keep this short and simple. Thank you, really, 2015 has had many up's and down's for me in terms of RPing. The MG Community as a whole, despite me not being as active as most people, is very, very valuable and important to me. You guys I feel have made myself not only become a better writer, but better as an individual in real-life and helped further my own social-life. I hope that in 2016, I can hopefully redeem myself in the eyes of people that I feel I have let down in the later half of the year. But with college on the horizon, and virtually me putting out a scholarship twice or three times a week, I cannot make any promises. Roleplaying, in the end, is a hobby for me, a hobby I love, but a hobby I often have to take sacrifices with. Do not mistake me, I love you guys, I truly do, and I hope that 2016 will be a better and brighter future for us as we continue forwards filled with determination.
On a slightly unrelated note, I also blame this for my inactivity at times. This is totally Ronan's fault, silly Irishman
From spats to her top, little Neo was an adorable pint-sized twist of crazy. Roman could dig it. In a rare gesture of affection, he flipped his trademark hat off, bounced it casually along his arms and shoulder with a jugglers twist and ended it with it dropping onto Neo's head. Letting it lie there, he sipped his drink and exhaled a deep cloud of smoke into the air, ignoring the awards being given out.
"Well, you can expect me to show up a lot more insofar as I'm concerned. The big boss rather likes my character and style- Its just about time I entered this universe as well. Which is where my appearance here comes in."
He mock-glanced around- Blinked at the sight of the Cat who would be Drunk talking to the Sun Wukong Cosplayer before looking back to Neo.
"Starting up a little operation soon. Nothing big, just a casual thread with a few existing plot. Might start triggering a few of the ol'brain cells. Can't hurt, right?"
Like usual, Neo gave a look over to Roman, not being the type to talk willy-nilly. Though, the purpose of Roman being represent was pretty... interesting. For some reason, Neo thought that this "big boss" wasn't really Cinder, but who knows for sure? It wasn't like her to be concerned in any way, as if she were to follow with the flow regardless of the situation.
When it came to the mentions of an operation, Neo couldn't help but giggle a bit in delight. Hey, an operation means something for her to do~
Oh, right, Psychic-types could do that. Especially Deoxys. Well, he wasn't sure on how to think of this, but really, he's been through one Murder Game already, so it was starting to become a normal thing for him. Looking over to Yellow, Red gave a little wave to her, having some sort of subtle remembrance of the girl... maybe. He wasn't so sure on that either.
Pikachu scampered over to Teresa. Aw... the little guy was that cute. ^w^
Oh no, Gnar is exploiting Morgan's only weakness! That weakness, you ask?
Adorable cats and cat people.
"Kitties~!" Without any regrets or shame that this was in front of other Murder participants and Mettaton's cameras, Morgan soon had an armful of kitties in her lap including Gnar, petting away at their soft fur and indulging in their cuteness. Finally, after a few moments of cuddling, a new voice spoke up that grabbed Morgan's attention.
"Oh great, so this is where you and Lapis ran off to..."
Behind her stood a teenager with blue hair and a pair of headphones that strangely looked like cat ears, his eyes staring at the bundle of fur in Morgan's lap. Mettaton and Morgan wouldn't recognize Abel, but Gnar hopefully would remember the guy who took care of him now days, "Well... At least you guys aren't causing trouble for anyone. Now to figure out where Lapis is..."
Morgan had only one thing to say about being abandoned by Gnar.
"I am not pleased by this..."
She then resumed cuddling the other cats.
Giving Gnar the cuddles he wanted, Abel smiled as he nodded to the girl wearing the strange coat, "Sorry about that, Gnar just likes me too much to not want to be close. You can still cuddle the cats until the end of the show though," With that, the demon king turned around and began to search for Lapis, petting Gnar occasionally as he went.
Having been sneaking around since she spotted Abel enter the hall, Lapis decided to give him a little surprise by sneaking behind him and yelling out "boo!" as if she were a ghost. Well... maybe that ghost comment was too close to the truth about her status, but for now, let's hope that she didn't startle him too much with that.
Kiritsugu had different plans though... Noticing the same Kotomine incident Gilgamesh did, his first if not instinctual response was to stop this Rival from this senseless fighting. "Time Alter... Double Accel" he whispered to himself as time slowed around him, and he sped up to the fight taking place. Getting inbetween Kotomine and the... cat, he aimed the barrel of his pistol between Kotomine's eyes and asked "What is with you? You burn a town town, and then I need to hear from Gilgamesh you not only destroyed the next Grail War, but did so through hosting a Murder Game... And now you're picking fights in an Award Show? Well... At least this is the least of your crimes, but I still have to request you relax... Unless if you want a repeat of permanently exhausted mana like last time". @Verite@The Great Detective
For some reason, the cat decided to do a thing... What was that, you ask? Well... through the power of bullshit magic, an astral projection of what the cat really was appeared...
"... if I were not taking the form of a cat, both of you would be gone before you realize that fact."
Well... thankfully Bernkastel lost majority of her magic due to her death at the end of her Murder Game.
Gilgamesh arrived rather fashionably late to the event, due to RL stuff not caring for this events lack of urgency. Knowing events were already well underway he took a moment to step back and observe everything happening.
There was some Saber imposter running around in Red, Kotomine was back and currently picking a fight, and then Ryan was on stage giving out awards. All of them seemed occupied... And in all honesty he didn't care to deal with a fool like Saber, much less some poor impersonation. Neither did he care to deal with the treacherous bastard that was Kotomine right now. However, off the corner of his eye he did notice one event that didn't seem otherwise engaged... Donny and Lonqu were here, and with Excalibur... He was really starting to regret giving up part of his treasury.
Regardless, he passed Ryan a quick wave from the distance so that she'd at least be aware he was in the building before he went to approach the old duo. "Hmph! After all these years you still carry that... blade with you? Has it seen any blood since then?". Well... what a nice greeting.
"Saving the world, huh...? Seems like something is always going crazy somewhere in the multiverse," Morgan sighed before her cheer picked back up, "But that also means nothing is ever boring! At least, it isn't for me, since I'm now a witch and all... Though thankfully, I didn't have to go to school for that sort of thing."
Like usual, Neo gave a look over to Roman, not being the type to talk willy-nilly. Though, the purpose of Roman being represent was pretty... interesting. For some reason, Neo thought that this "big boss" wasn't really Cinder, but who knows for sure? It wasn't like her to be concerned in any way, as if she were to follow with the flow regardless of the situation.
When it came to the mentions of an operation, Neo couldn't help but giggle a bit in delight. Hey, an operation means something for her to do~
Oh, right, Psychic-types could do that. Especially Deoxys. Well, he wasn't sure on how to think of this, but really, he's been through one Murder Game already, so it was starting to become a normal thing for him. Looking over to Yellow, Red gave a little wave to her, having some sort of subtle remembrance of the girl... maybe. He wasn't so sure on that either.
Pikachu scampered over to Teresa. Aw... the little guy was that cute. ^w^
Having been sneaking around since she spotted Abel enter the hall, Lapis decided to give him a little surprise by sneaking behind him and yelling out "boo!" as if she were a ghost. Well... maybe that ghost comment was too close to the truth about her status, but for now, let's hope that she didn't startle him too much with that.
For some reason, the cat decided to do a thing... What was that, you ask? Well... through the power of bullshit magic, an astral projection of what the cat really was appeared...
"... if I were not taking the form of a cat, both of you would be gone before you realize that fact."
Well... thankfully Bernkastel lost majority of her magic due to her death at the end of her Murder Game.
"Gotcha!" Did Lapis really think she could sneak up on the king of demons and her boyfriend? Abel wasn't falling for none of her spooky business, and soon, his arms were wrapped around the girl along with Gnar, "Why, I think I just got caught a cute but not so spooky ghost!"
Stepping from the dark corners of the stage was a man with long brown hair and flanked by a pair of Prinnies. He eyed the certificate being handed out with obvious amusement, taking a moment to remove his glasses and rub at his piercing red eyes. With a chuckle, he deftly plucked the slip of paper from Teresa's hands. "I didn't expect to receive something like this. I'm afraid someone isn't available at the moment... I'll be taking this on behalf of my business partner and I." A slight twitch of his fingers was apparent in his movements. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with events such as these. Why, holding such an event so close to my own... it's almost as if you want to test me."
Suddenly in a flash of smoke, Monokuma appeared, paws raised in anger.
"Hey, wait a second! What is going on here?! I was the host last time, so what's the deal?! I'm the authentic bear extraordinaire! This girl is some poor creature grasping to imitate my authentic hosting prowess!" Monokuma shoved his hands into his pockets (even though he didn't really have any) and began tossing Monokuma statues all over the stage. "Look at all these! All these awards I can give out! My beautiful mug is even on the certificates!"
Soon, trophies littered the ground.
Still on stage, Jade sighed deeply.
"Always popping up where you aren't wanted, aren't you? Such a naughty bear! Can't you leave this poor girl alone?" Despite his sigh, Jade began smiling as he talked. Crossing his arms, he watched the bear practically flail in response to this. "You do know that some people can't even stand your presence. They probably won't pay attention to any of this now that you're here."
Monokuma brandished a claw, glaring at Jade with his evil eye. He looked like he meant business. "You're one to talk! Does anyone even give a carp about you? An all-around lame excuse for a character! So mysterious? A mastermind? No one cares! The worst non-player character of the MGs! Maybe even the worst character of all time!"
"Well now, that's not quite--"
heh heh.
i think i know how to solve this.
welp, too bad for you guys, huh?
Beside Jade, one of the Prinnies shook in fear of this confusing development. "Woah, dood!"
"That's just unfair, dood!"
Crossing his arms, Monokuma seemed to calm down after seeing the certificate. "I know these basement dwellers are so easily entertained... someone who is basically the equivalent of junk food would obviously be a big hit with them! Gorging on all this cheap, easy junk food makes their belly even more plump than mine! Upupupu~ How about this-- I'll let you poor excuse for characters host, and we'll get to see how awful it will be! Not even the despair-inducing kind of awful, just totally lame awful!"
Monokuma proceeded to hop off the stage. "Later, you bastards!"
"It's not like we have any other reasons." Kalifa said.
"We made sure not to form too strong a bond with anyone during the Murder Game mission." Kaku said. "So business is the only reason we're here."
"I believe I might have seen a few people who were not even IN any of these 'Murder Games', let alone been nominated for an award." Kalifa said. "It's possible they're the ones who are 'just here for the festivities', but it's best to take note of what everyone says and does."
"It's not like we have any other reasons." Kalifa said.
"We made sure not to form too strong a bond with anyone during the Murder Game mission." Kaku said. "So business is the only reason we're here."
"I believe I might have seen a few people who were not even IN any of these 'Murder Games', let alone been nominated for an award." Kalifa said. "It's possible they're the ones who are 'just here for the festivities', but it's best to take note of what everyone says and does."
Kizaru pondered the question as well. Did he actually make any everlasting friendships in his time in the game? "I kicked a pink ball real hard...I think that was about it as far as interaction goes."
Stepping from the dark corners of the stage was a man with long brown hair and flanked by a pair of Prinnies. He eyed the certificate being handed out with obvious amusement, taking a moment to remove his glasses and rub at his piercing red eyes. With a chuckle, he deftly plucked the slip of paper from Teresa's hands. "I didn't expect to receive something like this. I'm afraid someone isn't available at the moment... I'll be taking this on behalf of my business partner and I." A slight twitch of his fingers was apparent in his movements. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with events such as these. Why, holding such an event so close to my own... it's almost as if you want to test me."
Suddenly in a flash of smoke, Monokuma appeared, paws raised in anger.
"Hey, wait a second! What is going on here?! I was the host last time, so what's the deal?! I'm the authentic bear extraordinaire! This girl is some poor creature grasping to imitate my authentic hosting prowess!" Monokuma shoved his hands into his pockets (even though he didn't really have any) and began tossing Monokuma statues all over the stage. "Look at all these! All these awards I can give out! My beautiful mug is even on the certificates!"
Soon, trophies littered the ground.
Still on stage, Jade sighed deeply.
"Always popping up where you aren't wanted, aren't you? Such a naughty bear! Can't you leave this poor girl alone?" Despite his sigh, Jade began smiling as he talked. Crossing his arms, he watched the bear practically flail in response to this. "You do know that some people can't even stand your presence. They probably won't pay attention to any of this now that you're here."
Monokuma brandished a claw, glaring at Jade with his evil eye. He looked like he meant business. "You're one to talk! Does anyone even give a carp about you? An all-around lame excuse for a character! So mysterious? A mastermind? No one cares! The worst non-player character of the MGs! Maybe even the worst character of all time!"
"Well now, that's not quite--"
heh heh.
i think i know how to solve this.
welp, too bad for you guys, huh?
Beside Jade, one of the Prinnies shook in fear of this confusing development. "Woah, dood!"
"That's just unfair, dood!"
Crossing his arms, Monokuma seemed to calm down after seeing the certificate. "I know these basement dwellers are so easily entertained... someone who is basically the equivalent of junk food would obviously be a big hit with them! Gorging on all this cheap, easy junk food makes their belly even more plump than mine! Upupupu~ How about this-- I'll let you poor excuse for characters host. and we'll get to see how awful it will be! Not even the despair-inducing kind of awful, just totally lame awful!"
Monokuma proceeded to hop off the stage. "Later, you bastards!"
"Wrooo... (It's a very ancient tale about two Deoxys. A Whitecore Deoxys and a Blackcore Deoxys. Whitecore was a friend to the Hoshizora Clan, a guardian, and Blackcore sided with the dark depths of the Black Forest Sisters. I've never actually seen these Deoxii before, but some day, maybe I'll learn about their power and the true motivation behind their battles, aside from just taking sides. I like to believe that great heroes of legend like Regigigas, Diancie, and the Deoxii have goals and motivations, just like humans and Pokemon alike.)"
Jolteon ponders, before asking, "Gree... (I'm wondering, have you ever been regarded as a temple guardian or hero or something? Or do you at least have three underlings who roam around?")
Deoxys listened with intent as the Jolteon told the tale of the two guardian Deoxii and their involvements. The purple core Deoxys seemed to look down for a moment, before speaking.
"After what I have done, I avoid making contact with others of my species."
"I have witnessed the power of the Regi golems, but they have expressed nothing but hostility towards all that meet them. I was never regarded as a hero or an object to be admired-- I am a wanderer. I came to the Pokemon world, searching for the remains of another one of my kind. A green core Deoxys, who crash landed upon the northern ice region. When I arrived, I had made first contact with a group of human researchers; they were afraid of me. I cared little for human emotion and values, they were meaningless and irrelevent to my mission...it was then that I faced the guardian of this world."
"Rayquaza."
"A monstrous being, whom attempted to destroy me. I punished it's insolence, my power was far beyond it. Yet I..faltered..one mistake was made and the being defeated me. It was at this time I was plucked from my reality and forced into the Fiamma Incident. It was a waste of time, a precious resource that was finite in every way possible. I only wished for escape, but then...I met Subject Ryan and Subject Erika. They were humans with interesting deviations that...well, I learned the truth behind the human race. I am a being of vast cosmic knowledge passed down for generations beyond the human mind, and yet this information was shown to me. And It was new knowledge, a revelation that I have not felt for centuries since my awakening.
"And so I participated in this game. I watched as the combined tenacity of humanity helped defeat Subject Fiamma and Subject Kotomine. My objective still stood, however. I escaped the realm and returned to my home universe, where four years had passed. I burst from the ice and searched for my brother."
"I arrived in the human settlement nearby, where I had felt the psychic power originate from. I did not harm any human beings, I only wished to retrieve my kin and leave..but, Rayquaza had returned. I punished it once more, again and again until it was left bruised on the ground of this human settlement. I had lost control of my instinct, my only desire was to wipe this miserable worm off the face of the planet, annihilating every cell that lied within its grotesque body. My brother, however, had awoken-- and they demanded I cease my actions."
"The memories from the Murder Game returned to me. The lesson I learned about the value of an organism, and the value of life. I spared the creature...and in turn, it spared us. Together we stood in peace, even for a short while. It was a feeling that I had not felt for a long time, as my endless life has been one of constant peril and danger. I did not have the security for..emotion, or compassion. It wasn't safe..but, as it turned out; I was overprotective of myself and those that I may associate with."
"My brother and I, we left the world at peace...for awhile. Even if they are gone and safe within the universe, I still had the desire to linger around the planet; observing, watching the lives of Pokemon and humans pass by me. Learning the power of such compassion and the desire to protect another organism, even if it meant the termination of yourself."
Deoxys paused for awhile, seemingly lost in thought.
The hulking being kicked those in his path to the side, before walking up to Iskandar, grabbing his hand, and gripping it tight with supreme crushing force.
Keeping the firm grip going Iskander cocked a grin and said "Haha! I'd love to! Though if we tried at this event I have a feeling we'd both be killed by all the surrounding guests... Which consist of a good number of Servants".
For some reason, the cat decided to do a thing... What was that, you ask? Well... through the power of bullshit magic, an astral projection of what the cat really was appeared...
"... if I were not taking the form of a cat, both of you would be gone before you realize that fact."
Well... thankfully Bernkastel lost majority of her magic due to her death at the end of her Murder Game.
Kiritsugu scoffed at this and said "Either you are a truly powerful Mage, or you underestimate both of us". But then lowering his pistol from Kotomine "But if you insist that you're fine, who am I to argue at such an event?".
Gilgamesh just noticing the purple hue simply raised his eyebrow and said "Hmph! What kind of pathetic sorcery is this? Making such a small party trick?".
Erika did a whole turn on her heel, grabbed Robin's hand, and simply walked away. She might as well just enjoy the rest of the event rather than be near that so-called priest.
Sukuna wasn't quite sure if Nono was feeling alright, somewhat ignoring the question on what the princess was. Her concerns for others overpowered things that related to her own being anyways, and she wasn't going to talk about herself when something could be terribly wrong. However, when it came to the pepper...
"Eeep!"
The Inchling princess retreated into the safety of her floating bowl, it's lid falling right in place to seal the bowl shut. Oh boy...
He arrived through the auditorium entrance with little fanfare, though the aura of malice and mystique he carried with him made for a more than adequate substitute. It was a good thing the evening didn't have any kind of dress code implemented, because if it did he would've surely been one of its most grievous offenders; Clad head-to-toe in a battered-but-sturdy looking battle armor garnished with its fair share of scratches and dents, the figure stuck out even amongst a crowd as eclectic as this one. A half-cape clung to one of his bronze shoulder pauldrons, swinging mildly with each measured step he took. Over his left arm he cradled a modified blaster carbine, sawn-off at the barrel, outfitted with a custom stock and scope and personalized with a plethora of minor touches that made it as familiar to him as a child was to its mother. Which wasn't to say he felt any sort of attachment to the thing, of course. It was nothing more to him than another tool of the trade.
Just one small part of what made him the best bounty hunter in the galaxy.
Too good to get caught up with one of those bizarre multiversal murder games, that was for damn sure. He'd never been involved in one in his life, and he had no immediate plans to in the future. No benefit unless he was getting paid. So why was he here? And how'd he get in? Well, the why was his business, but it was exactly that. Business. As for the how...
--- ELSEWHERE ---
"...So, ah... It might help me understand better if you go through it just once more. Are you sure this wasn't someone playing a trick on you?"
No, Shinra! This is serious!
A very irate dullahan furiously erased her previous message and typed out another on her smartphone screen, gloved fingers moving in a blur.
Someone almost killed me just now! They came out of the sky and blasted me with some kind of stun ray before I could even do anything and when I came to they were gone and so was my ticket to the award ceremony, and the worst part is they had a jetpack and I THINK IT WAS AN ALIEN, SHINRA! AN ALIEN!
He had nothing against her, but again. Just business. He had to single out someone easily replaceable, and the helmet and muteness made sure she wouldn't be missed for a while. More than long enough for him to do what he came here to do... But not now. Now, it was like any job-- a waiting game. So he took up a spot beside the door and waited, leaning against the wall with one shoulder, legs crossed and expressionless visor scanning the crowd as he thumbed his carbine's stock idly underneath his cape.
"Gotcha."
---
She shouldn't have come.
She neither expected or deserved to win anything, but that wasn't the main reason. Being around these people again, even if there were so many of them she didn't recognize, simply felt... wrong. It stirred something inside of her, though she wasn't really sure what; Maybe it was the last few stubborn remnants of Aku's influence lingering in the dark corners of her mind. Maybe it was just her. Either way, it was a nuisance... one she really couldn't be bothered with. Shiki Ryougi had never been much for formal gatherings, anyway-- even before the accident. The dinner evenings and ceremonies her family would host once upon a time were an insufferable mishmash of sycophants and noise, and were perhaps one of few aspects of her old life she was glad to be truly, completely free from. At least nobody here seemed intent on licking her boots, but the night was young... And she knew as well as anybody how quickly circumstances could change. She was pretty sure everyone here did.
Even so, despite all her reservations, here she was. She couldn't deny that the sarcastic cynic in her was morbidly curious how all this would play out, and the young woman in her was at least a little taken in by the spectacle of it all. An award show? Heh. How outrageously tacky.
She had, surprisingly enough, actually bothered going to the trouble of wearing something nice for the evening as well, though the fact that she only owned three sets of clothes meant it wasn't exactly difficult. Still, she could at least say she looked the part for the ceremony on the off chance she actually won anything. Her usual red jacket and light-cotton summer yukata were nowhere in sight, replaced by a comparatively formal white silk kimono tied in place with a rich blue obi, embellished with red satin and brocade and sporting an elaborate cherry blossom pattern near the hem. She normally wouldn't have bothered with wearing anything more than what she felt like wearing, but... Well, at least this dress didn't give her the uncomfortable feeling of stiflement and pointlessness she often associated with playing dress-up. And she could actually walk. Unlike 90% of the women wearing heels here, she bet.
But she wasn't here to be catty. There were more than enough people around to fill that role. Speak of the devil, she couldn't help but catch sight of a few familiar faces as she walked silently down the red-carpeted corridor leading to the auditorium where the award show proper was being held; her gaze drawn towards the ornate bar counter setup where all the sad old has-beens and disreputable people were inevitably destined to congregate and drink their depression away.
She wasn't really sure whether she was surprised or not to see Blake there knocking 'em back. :|
"Sheesh, pull yourself together... You're a little young to be some washed-up alcoholic, don't you think?"
She brazenly took the ninja's glass before she could request another refill, passing it back to the bartender and signalling for a bottle of water as she took a seat at the counter.
The sudden chugging of a motor engine filled the auditorium as Brad Armstrong burst through the double doors in a bulldozer, running Riley over en route to the stage to accept an award on behalf of a lowly (but very flattered) knave who shall remain nameless.
He disembarked from the dozer and hopped up onto the stage, trudging over to Aurelia and hesitantly extending a hand to receive the Posts-R-Elaborate certificate.
"... Thanks."
Gosh, what do I even say? Thanks a million to everyone who sent in a vote for me! It really means a lot. And thanks so much for the kind words, Sav, you're so sweet. ^_^ I generally try my hardest when I'm putting my posts together (which is sorta why it's taken me a million years to intro any of my characters here : |), so actually winning an award for it makes me feel really grateful haha.
Kiritsugu had different plans though... Noticing the same Kotomine incident Gilgamesh did, his first if not instinctual response was to stop this Rival from this senseless fighting. "Time Alter... Double Accel" he whispered to himself as time slowed around him, and he sped up to the fight taking place. Getting inbetween Kotomine and the... cat, he aimed the barrel of his pistol between Kotomine's eyes and asked "What is with you? You burn a town town, and then I need to hear from Gilgamesh you not only destroyed the next Grail War, but did so through hosting a Murder Game... And now you're picking fights in an Award Show? Well... At least this is the least of your crimes, but I still have to request you relax... Unless if you want a repeat of permanently exhausted mana like last time".
In the middle of his skirmish with the cat that had been launched at him by Erika, something would stop him from advancing further. Or rather, someone. Someone whom he had not encountered in over ten years. The mere presence of that man made him shiver. In such a massive multiverse, it was entirely possible to stumble upon a man like him, but even so, it made even someone like Kirei Kotomine shiver, even if in delight more than anything else.
"Kiritsugu Emiya... It's been quite a while, though perhaps a longer time for I than it has for you," the priest spoke with a grin, hardly intimidated by the man. If this were his younger form, then maybe he would have taken a more serious, rigid approach to Kiritsugu Emiya being here, but in many ways, Kirei Kotomine was a different man than he was ten years ago.
Though he may be physically weaker, he now knew what his purpose in life was. And perhaps that made all the difference here.
"My, my. Between Mr. Castle, young Robin, Miss Erika, you, and even Gilgamesh, this is turning out to be quite a reunion indeed..." He simply said, not responding to the idle threat that Kiritsugu could very well make good on, "Have you met Mr. Castle yet? I'm sure the two of you would get along swimmingly. I saw quite a lot of you in him, as a matter of fact..."
For some reason, the cat decided to do a thing... What was that, you ask? Well... through the power of bullshit magic, an astral projection of what the cat really was appeared...
"... if I were not taking the form of a cat, both of you would be gone before you realize that fact."
Well... thankfully Bernkastel lost majority of her magic due to her death at the end of her Murder Game.
Kiritsugu scoffed at this and said "Either you are a truly powerful Mage, or you underestimate both of us". But then lowering his pistol from Kotomine "But if you insist that you're fine, who am I to argue at such an event?".
"I have no doubt in my mind that you very well could... Bernkastel, was it? I've heard quite a bit from you in passing from Miss Furudo," Kotomine idly said, seemingly without a care in the world, "... Or rather, I assume she would rather I address her as... perhaps Mrs. Tact?"
Or maybe not at all.
"In any case... Tell me, Kiritsugu Emiya, what brings you to this fine establishment? Surely not just to greet me after all these years?"
In the middle of his skirmish with the cat that had been launched at him by Erika, something would stop him from advancing further. Or rather, someone. Someone whom he had not encountered in over ten years. The mere presence of that man made him shiver. In such a massive multiverse, it was entirely possible to stumble upon a man like him, but even so, it made even someone like Kirei Kotomine shiver, even if in delight more than anything else.
"Kiritsugu Emiya... It's been quite a while, though perhaps a longer time for I than it has for you," the priest spoke with a grin, hardly intimidated by the man. If this were his younger form, then maybe he would have taken a more serious, rigid approach to Kiritsugu Emiya being here, but in many ways, Kirei Kotomine was a different man than he was ten years ago.
Though he may be physically weaker, he now knew what his purpose in life was. And perhaps that made all the difference here.
"My, my. Between Mr. Castle, young Robin, Miss Erika, you, and even Gilgamesh, this is turning out to be quite a reunion indeed..." He simply said, not responding to the idle threat that Kiritsugu could very well make good on, "Have you met Mr. Castle yet? I'm sure the two of you would get along swimmingly. I saw quite a lot of you in him, as a matter of fact..."
"I have no doubt in my mind that you very well could... Bernkastel, was it? I've heard quite a bit from you in passing from Miss Furudo," Kotomine idly said, seemingly without a care in the world, "... Or rather, I assume she would rather I address her as... perhaps Mrs. Tact?"
Or maybe not at all.
"In any case... Tell me, Kiritsugu Emiya, what brings you to this fine establishment? Surely not just to greet me after all these years?"
Kotomine seemed different now than before, that was for sure. Last time Kiritsugu fought him Kirei was indeed dangerous, but still a rather mysterious man. His motivation hidden, unclear, as if there wasn't one to begin with. It made him very unpredictable, but it also made him lack any kind of true motivation which was an edge Kiritsugu was more than glad to hold over him. However, now his demeanor seemed... different. There was more confidence than before, more emotion coming from him.
"I could only wish it would have been a while longer" he then stated in response to Kotomine's greeting. Admittedly fighting would not be ideal, judging from Kotomine's apparent age and posture he was weaker than last time... But weaker from just that, age. Kiritsugu however was slowly dying from the taint of the Holy Grail, he could fight most low trouble makers still, but someone like Kotomine would be out of his league now. "I don't care about that arrogant fool of a 'King of Heroes'. And judging from how his position in multiple murder games I can only presume you don't care for him either any more... Assuming you ever did care about him as anything more than a diversion".
And presumably with that fact, the other names Kotomine just listed were also those who didn't take well to him to which Kiritsugu responded "If this Castle's relation to you is anything like I expect then perhaps I will meet him sometime. After all, did Blue Beard not teach us that sometimes the enemy of your enemy is your friend? Oh right, you still had Assassin at the time and were hiding from the whole thing. At least Gilgamesh, you're later supposed Servant had the balls to keep Beserker away".
Then moving onto the final question, Kiritsugu simply tilted his head towards the stage and said "Supposedly for the same reason as you... Though what kind of sick bastard hands out awards for such a violent and curel event is beyond me... Still, there are other advantages to being present".
