(6/7) OMNI 2024/05/09(Thu)13:16 No. 1090646 ID: d1dff1
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Eiko's werewolf form is... larger than you expected. She practically has to hunch over the wheel to fully fit in the driver seat. Biceps bigger than your head. Impressive.

Reminds you of how close you got to getting mauled in your first encounter.

You make your voice playful, "Sooo, how'd it go?"

Her ears pull back in clear irritation, "Get in the damn car."

You snidely obey, peeling into the passenger seat of the beat up car. The cuffs are gone from her wrists and so is your jacket.

You sit back in your seat and you pull the mask down, "You're all big."

She huffs, reminiscent of an irritated teen, "It's the only way they take me seriously."

You nod, understandingly, "They bought it?"

She nods back, "For now. They're still mad they lost some grunts and they couldn't get anything else. Kept your jacket too."

"I bet as a trophy."

Eiko laughs dryly, wrinkling her snout, "God that'd be gross. Hung up on the wall and stinking up the place."

"It'll stiffen up like a dead body. Next thing you know, they'll be treating it like an heirloom and passing it around. Big game, big jacket."

She snorts and smacks her paw against the wheel. "Yeah, yeah. How did it go with you? Find anything useful?"

You shrug, "There's some activity with the other gangs around. Nothing good for y'all, that's for sure," you've considered how much to omit, "Danced around with some shop staff and got a mini history lesson about the Bites."

You watch Eiko's reaction carefully. Looking for some type of tell. Or giveaway. Although her wolf features are harder to read, her ears look more alert. "What did they say?"

You roughly summarize it for her. The public perception & how it all started out, then on to how it is now. Eiko seems to be deep in thought as you speak. Features tight. You can almost hear the way her teeth seem to be grinding together.

There's some real beef there. You lean a little closer to the door in case you need to make a quick duck and roll escape.

Instead, she cusses Julien out under her breath for the rest of the ride.

"He never should've trusted him. Never should've taken that little bastard in."

(7/7) OMNI 2024/05/09(Thu)13:16 No. 1090647 ID: d1dff1
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Eiko's apartment is farther out in the edge of the city where there's a slight residential district. It's a five story building in surprisingly good condition. She even has a little garage to park her car at.

It's nice. Too nice for the type of girl she is, in the type of work she's in.

She grabs her bag from the trunk and leads you up the stairs still wolfed out. Thankfully, Eiko's still lost in thought, so there's little conversation as you absorb all the details of the building from entrance to floor.

Tacky cream painted walls and floors with lint-thin carpet. Wall art of random paint strokes and flowers. A heavy chemical perfume that tries to mask it all. It screams cut corners and overpriced. Gentrified, even here, in this gang-driven city.

Before she opens the door to her apartment, you almost imagine that you're going to walk into a secret rich kid's space. It would explain how she pays this off and her gang dues with no side jobs she's mentioned so far.

Instead, she opens the door to the most bare minimum apartment you've seen. Still large, as expected. But it reminds you of your college days, when all your furniture was found from dumpsters or other kids moving out.

It's too quiet, there's more space than there is anything to fill it. Nothing covers the walls except the windows. No plants, no decor, all function. A bare minimum of furniture occupies the living room like a checked list: couch, old coffee table, box tv stand, tv.

Damn bitch... you live like this?

She kicks her shoes off and gestures, "Set your stuff down next to the couch. That's where you'll be sleeping. I'll be ordering takeout for dinner, so just do whatever. Don't touch anything."

"No promises."

There's a good amount of ground to cover. You can try and explore and gather more clues about Eiko or talk to her directly. The more you understand her, the better you can gauge if she's a trustworthy ALLY. A common goal only gets you so far from being stabbed back once it's done.

Though, you have a feeling that if you want to explore her bedroom, she'd have to be DISTRACTED or PERSUADED.

Options:
>A) Explore Porch
>B) Explore Kitchen
>C) Explore Bathroom
>D) Talk to Eiko (Choose Subject)

>>1090647
Ask if you can get a drink and what she wants.

Explore the kitchen under the pretence of making tea, coffee or whatever shes wanting.

Icebreaker mainly.
Place is big but voice can carry.
Compliment her commitment to the minimalist style.
Keep it light.
Build trust.
Ask her take on the bulls if theyre the likely successor in the power vacuum you teo are planning on making.

(1/6) OMNI 2024/05/11(Sat)11:57 No. 1090726 ID: d1dff1
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>Ask if you can get a drink and what she wants.
>Explore the kitchen under the pretence of making tea, coffee or whatever shes wanting.

"You want something to drink?"

Eiko eyes you at the oddly polite gesture, but concedes, too tired to try and argue, "Nothing alcoholic right now. I need to think. There's a teapot in the cabinet to the right of the microwave."

After taking your boots off, you turn towards the kitchen. It's of the times, the cabinets painted over in white, a chipped gas stove, and vaguely stone counters. There's no oil splashes anywhere on the stove or bottom of the microwave. You figure Eiko is either a meticulous cleaner or she rarely cooks.

You open both cabinets above the microwave. There's a few tea boxes and spices but the top racks look empty. A beaten up metal teapot sits on the bottom rack, so you grab it. Behind it is a nicer clay teapot with a matching set of cups. It sits neglected.

(2/6) OMNI 2024/05/11(Sat)11:57 No. 1090727 ID: d1dff1
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>Icebreaker mainly.
>Build trust.

As you fill the metal teapot with water, you clear your throat, projecting your voice as Eiko moves about the space just passed your view, "So, you've got a real minimalist thing going on here."

She seems to laugh, "I don't like having too much stuff. It weighs me down."

You can relate to that. Almost too well.

The pot meets the stove and you turn the burner on. Click, click, click. "Me too. Helps that I just travel all the time."

"Do you?" Her voice sounds amused, "I don't know what's normal for time traveling criminals."

You chuckle as you press your fingers and knee against the hinge of the bottom cabinet, softening the sound as you open it, "I travel dimensions. Not time. Time can change depending on the dimension. It could be the stone ages in one or a sci-fi movie in another."

There's a pot and a few mixing bowls in the cabinet. You slowly lift the lid and see a gun inside. You close the lid.

"How is that different? Isn't time a dimension?"

"And magic's real." You laugh lightly, "It's just what I've learned to say. I don't know much about all the science and theories, but from what I've scraped together, each dimension is just a cut layer of something bigger. Think of a diamond. Each cut is unique, even symmetrical, but it's a part of one big thing. And each cut is a world. The ultimate shape, I guess, is our universe."

You pause to let her process the information. Truth be told, you've had a few people explain it to you in more complex ways, but it all sounded too complicated to memorize. "I don't know what that shape looks like, but it must be huge. I've been to worlds so different from each other that they might as well be on opposite sides. Seen people that don't look like you or me. To top it all off, there are beings that exist outside or within multiples of those dimensions. We call them extra-dimensional. You call them gods."

You open the top drawer to test the sound it makes. It's oddly smooth, but Eiko's silence makes it sound like a bomb dropping. You see an array of neatly arrange cutlery. Some knives and chopsticks. You lift the cutlery organizer to look underneath and see an envelope taped to the hollowed bottom. You pick up a spoon.

You continue your lecture when she stays quiet, "Because of how each world is arranged, it's easy to cross over to the next one. That's how typical dimensional travel works. You find that boundary? You can cross. You might not even notice, each neighboring world is only slightly different. They reflect each other. Each boundary is different. There could be an entire solar system contained in one layer or just one endless plain."

(3/6) OMNI 2024/05/11(Sat)11:59 No. 1090728 ID: d1dff1
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Eiko finally speaks, "It's that easy?"

You open the next drawer just enough to get a peek. It's all plastic bags. Next one.

"It's like crossing states. But it gets harder when you're traveling cross country, you get me? That's where it's regulated. You need something special to really jump around, but you leave a signature when you do. And if you get caught doing it without permission, they'll take your ass in or kill you."

The next drawer has a bunch of snacks. You take out a few of them to put on the counter.

"Who's they? How do you move around?"

You look back at the teapot. "They're the Wolf Bites for dimensions, DB," you laugh, "criminal enterprise, cult, gang. Whatever. You're too small to worry about them."

Her tone sounds annoyed, "They're the only ones? I doubt it."

"They are. They monopolize all their competition. And I hate to say it, but they have some of the best magitech around. Since they were the first to make the most efficient travel gear across worlds, they've been keeping that title and spreading their influence. Only those within the camp can use them, so they sell their service as regulators. Most extra-dimensional beings don't care for their service. Not until people like me show up and start disrupting the natural order of their playground."

You move towards the other bigger cabinets and peek into them. Protein shakes, vitamins, plates, bowls, and more empty racks. Makes you wonder how often she eats. You take a few of the smaller plates and start to open and set the snacks on them. Like this is a tea party.

Eiko's voice is incredulous. You haven't heard her make any sounds, yet she still remains out of view, "And you just... do that? Aren't you the reason they even need to regulate it?"

(4/6) OMNI 2024/05/11(Sat)11:59 No. 1090729 ID: d1dff1
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There are many reasons you could give for what you do. It's money, of course. You do all this to make money. You want to live well. Eat well. Do as you please. But you can never settle. You can't find peace with this target on your back.

So, you make money. You'll make a lot of it. You'll make so much fucking money that you can suffocate in it.

"Yeah, why not? Fuck em"

The teapot starts to whistle. Time's up. You hurry to tend do it, dropping oolong teabags into mismatched mugs. You wont touch the tea set. You want to keep this light.

Eiko finally walks into view to plop down onto the couch. She's changed into more comfortable clothes.

"You want some sugar or milk in these?"

She looks at you, like she's making calculations in her head, "That sounded personal." She pauses, "There's honey next to the fridge."

You nod and add all the sweets. As you move to grab the milk you open the fridge, there's soju, beer, bread, and a few tupperwares in various states of decay. You check the expiration date of the milk twice before pouring it into your mug. Last thing you need is the shits.

You set everything down on the coffee table, sprawling on the other end of the couch, "Everything becomes personal. I've been at this a long time."

Eiko snorts, picks up her mug, then hands it to you. "Take a sip."

Smart. You grin and pluck it from her hand to sip without hesitation. She takes it from you a few seconds after you swallow. Looks like you're both testing each other.

After you clear your throat you gesture, "You've been at it a long time too."

(5/6) OMNI 2024/05/11(Sat)12:00 No. 1090730 ID: d1dff1
File 171545404232.png - (51.56KB , 1000x700 , dh64.png )

She rolls her eyes, "I couldn't exactly rush it. If you weren't here, it would take me a few more years."

You lift your mug up, "Cheers to that." You eye each other, "So, you think the Bulls will take over after we're done?"

Eiko glares but sips her tea, staring into it for a moment, "Like hell. Over my dead body that I'll let those cunts even try it."

Your eyebrows almost fly off of your face. "Really? So you'll take over? If the Wolves disband they'll take advantage of that."

There's an awkward pause. It tells you all you need to know. She hasn't thought it through passed the point of killing Julien. Maybe she thought she'd have a few more years to think about it.

"I couldn't talk to Julien directly." She avoids your eyes as she changes the subject, "It looked like he was in a meeting, but I don't know with who."

You speak without missing a beat, "Could be anyone. Could be the Bulls."

She shakes her head, "He hates them as much as I do. When I tried asking, the other wolves said that he's been making deals."

Deals? It's got to be the new Arms Dealer then. This could be your chance.

"No description? How often have they been visiting?"

She shrugs, "Very recently. Maybe this month? It's pretty hush hush. The other wolves said they don't even come in through the front door. They just appear at Julien's office whenever they want."

Traveling unimpeded? Not many criminals can get their hands on tech that good. They'd need both wings or something equivalent. And your guy is already one of the best.

She continues, "Only Julien's seen them. Their meetings last at least an hour."

(6/6) OMNI 2024/05/11(Sat)12:00 No. 1090731 ID: d1dff1
File 171545405684.png - (76.91KB , 1000x700 , dh65.png )

No suspects come to mind except one.

You hope it's not her. She's usually too strict about consorting with criminals. That would also mean she's been camping here a while and that's not her usual style. Your Archangel likes to ambush you at a random inopportune time. Usually in a building. Usually where there's a bed.

Eiko sips more of her tea as you are momentarily lost in your drunken horny thoughts, "Tell me more about a world you've been to."

Options:
>A) DIM 2-67SS: World of Glass
>B) DIM 3-30XO: Kingdom of Nox
>C) DIM 3-30NS: The Necropolis
>D) DIM 4-50LR: Solar Circuit
>E) ______ (No DIM Tag Needed)

Talk about the world where honking is a sacred musical art.

Tell us about that world with the Magitech Tallships In Space, sailing the luminiferous aether!

Speak truth in what you share.
See if you can convey a bit of the beauty, wonder and terror of it all.
Because thats what it has to be, the sheer scale and potential of everything.

A world of glass sounds interesting.

Then the honking thing, whether its true or not.

(1/8) OMNI 2024/11/27(Wed)19:25 No. 1100474 ID: 546545
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It was cycles ago, on a cargo ship, as it traversed the well-worn interstellar Zutofian highway. Giant stars filled the galaxy, bathing space into a luminiferous aether, the heat radiation powerful enough to feed magitech engines for light years. You landed in this world after some cops broke down the door of the hotel you were staying at at the time, right into the supply closet of a spa resort center, to be exact. There you stayed for a few weeks to recuperate with bottomless mimosas and a swimming pool large enough that your float would be considered a minuscule island in its depths. Good times.

You managed to hitch a ride on a cargo ship after the crew sloppily crashed into your pod (or at least that's what you told them). They had one of the better ships on the dock, the helm polished with fresh copper paint lining its exterior. The bulk of their cargo were universal snacks and other beverages kept in temperature controlled rooms, the space equivalent of a vending machine refill crew. A minuscule target for space vagabonds. All the better for you.

(2/8) OMNI 2024/11/27(Wed)19:29 No. 1100475 ID: 546545
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Between trips from rec center to rec center, you'd ply whatever wares you'd acquire from each stop. Banned raunchy media and cigarettes were the main stock of interest to that particular crew, so it was easy to meet their demands. Guns didn't mean much to them except to flex, since their routes were on the safer side of space. They also really liked board games. A lot. You learned more about TTRPG's on that ship than you ever did at any other point in your life.

On this particular day, you managed to pin down the captain of the ship as they were taking a walk in the rec dome. They were a hard duck to catch, always busy with whatever paperwork or travel coordinates they had to keep track of at all times of the day. But, they were the most loaded out of everyone there, and had a fascination with knick-knacks and other sentimental junk that could catch their eye.

Also, a real easy mark. You could practically hear slot machine noises every time you saw them.

(3/8) OMNI 2024/11/27(Wed)19:30 No. 1100476 ID: 546545
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"Just got this one in stock. It takes in light through a modified glass lens and captures images of particular scenes that you point it at. And get this, it will take that captured image and synthesize it into a physical object in your hand. No need to buy anything to transfer the data and manifest it."

"Fascinating... And it doesn't use magic?"

"Not at all. You only need to plug it in for about 2-3 hours to let it charge. Should be good for days. And I'll give you the captain's discount of course."

"Hmmm.. Oh. Is that?"

(4/8) OMNI 2024/11/27(Wed)19:30 No. 1100477 ID: 546545
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In the corner of your eye, you just made out the vague movement in the distance.

You had never seen that before. Even with your excellent vision, you could only just make out their translucent forms as they swam through the endless ether. Space seemed to distort in them, the vague rays of light from the ship and stars just barely managing to capture their forms. The roiling masses, as it moved, vaguely clicked in your mind, as the shape of a whale. You were reminded then of how the ocean mirrored space.

"What are those?" It was awe in your voice.

"Hooohoo look at those! They're cosmodaes. You don't normally see them in this part of space, must be migrating."

(5/8) OMNI 2024/11/27(Wed)19:36 No. 1100478 ID: 546545
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A big one. Two small ones. Mother and child. Their bodies naturally translucent in order to blend in with the darkness of space, but when the light hit them just right, they would refract, as if made from glass.

"Looks like they're surrounding those asteroid chunks."

"Yup, they eat space debris. When they get real big, they'll be grown enough to eat a whole asteroid in one gulp. Maybe a moon too."

The mother cosmodae swam around the other two, gesturing, like it was teaching the others what they could eat.

"I haven't seen them before."

"Yeah, they're pretty rare nowadays. They get hit by ships a lot since they're hard to see. Poor things."

It's not often you see things like this anymore. For every world you've seen, you slowly became desensitized to the extraordinary. What is a bird to super computer? Walking on a scenic route to the act of calling fire to your hands? In this moment, you thought, what are you to this space whale? It likely didn't even understand what you were, or that you were even there.

As you both watched the cosmodaes eat their fill, you hear the radio on the captain's waist go off, a crackle of static. They moved to grab it and chuckled at you.

"She's singing."

(6/8) OMNI 2024/11/27(Wed)19:36 No. 1100479 ID: 546545
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Somehow, the vastness of the world seemed to wash over you as the whale song captured the ship radios, resounding in every inch of the ship. An alien yet familiar twinkle, the depth of a sonar and the rumble of shaking earth. A song of happiness about her family being fed. A simple thing. Beautiful.

The sheer size of this cosmodae could have been big enough to swallow all of you in a single gulp. Yet, she carried on, indifferent to her audience as her children had their fill.

(7/8) OMNI 2024/11/27(Wed)19:37 No. 1100480 ID: 546545
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"After that, we stopped at a planet that was really into clowncore honking music. Like it was gospel. One of the crew members became obsessed with playing it on the ship aux, so I left not too long after."

Eiko stares at you, speechless.

"I'm not lying, you know. I've seen a lot."

She contemplates this for a while, processing all that you've told her, and likely what she wants to do with this information. You don't blame her for not believing it outright.

(8/8) OMNI 2024/11/27(Wed)19:38 No. 1100481 ID: 546545
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Eventually, she takes a sip of her tea, staring off, "You're fucking with me."

"I'm not. Even if I took a pic of them it wouldn't be good. Like trying to capture the moon."

Eiko still seems suspicious, but eventually relents, tone wistful, "I wish I could've seen it."

You laugh and lean back to take a sip of your tea, "Yeah, it really was a once in a lifetime thing."

"Maybe I could see it one day."

You aren't sure how to answer that. The topic drops easily as she moves onto asking you other questions, though you can see in her eyes that she's still thinking about it. It's a dangerous hope brewing there. What you both have is temporary, after all.

What do you do?

"Well, I had to steal from an angel to get it. Good luck with that."

Well to do that, you'll need to kill an angel. Preferably two. You'll be marked for death though, hunted by powerful angelic assassins.

It's a dangerous life. Not for everyone.
There's nothin else like it, though.

I don't know for certain but that new dealer of Julian's? That sounds like an angel to me. If you want this life or just a fancy method of suicide, that's your best shot.

>>1100481
Tell her what it cost you too.
If not exact, as that may compromise you, then impart the weight of it.
"Its not all good".

But...
You are an arms dealer, not a thief of dreams.
Just be real with her.
That it is out there, and its not beyond possibility, but its a sliver of a chance, that what worked for you may not work for her and the price it can extract may be heavier than it was for you.
Youre not trying to dissuade her.
Just arm her with the truth.
Its Not impossible, its not easy by a long shot and the cost may not be truly known until you are already stuck paying it.

>>1100481
It's not a wonderful life, what you live. It's one that's yours, though. Not easily gained, and not one you want to lose, either.

If she wants anything like that, no matter the reason, she's got to be willing to give up everything else. Peace of mind, happy future, all of that. It's a one way commitment. To slake that wanderlust might be worth it for some folks. Is it worth it to her?

(1/4) OMNI 2024/11/29(Fri)17:10 No. 1100552 ID: 546545
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Uncharacteristically, you decide to address it, clearing your throat and taking on a more serious tone, "Well, in order to travel around, I had to steal from an angel to get it. Good luck with that."

You can feel her gaze more intensely now, but you stare down into your tea instead of meeting her eyes. "That angel you mentioned before..."

You shake your head, "Not her, a different one. But I'd do a lot to take her wings too."

"Her wings?"

You explain the concept of the Angel Wing to her. How she'll likely have to kill an angel. Preferably two. It's not pretty stripping them off either, they're practically embedded into the flesh of the back, and can only be removed when they've been manifested. Killing comes with flaying, then the excrutiating pain of attaching it to your body. "Going off instinct here, it sounds like Julien's been consorting with one too. If you want this life or just a fancy method of suicide, that's your best shot."

She snorts, "You're just saying that."

>It's a dangerous life. Not for everyone.
>There's nothin else like it, though.
>Tell her what it cost you too.
>If not exact, as that may compromise you, then impart the weight of it.

"Everything comes with a price. I have the power to do what I want, but I've done a lot of bad shit to get it. Worse things than you can imagine. And I've been on the run for as long as I remember. This life isn't for everyone, it takes everything from you that you don't fight for. I don't have a home, a family, barely any friends, or peace of mind of where I'll be tomorrow."

"I have a lot of enemies that wouldn't think twice about selling me out or killing me on the spot. Got angelic assassins chasing me for every breath I take. I wake up half dead sometimes. I've lost limbs and been blown up more times than you can count, but I keep moving because I have to. There's nothing else waiting for me, except the kiss of a blade."

Eiko stares at you with a mixture of suspicion, "That sounds terrible," a pause, "Why keep going?"

"It is terrible." you lean your head back on the couch, "But I'm alive because it pisses people off. And I want them to stay pissed off. Not sure if that aligns with you the same."

(2/4) OMNI 2024/11/29(Fri)17:13 No. 1100553 ID: 546545
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There's another moment of silence before you bring it back around, "Of course, seeing what exists out there... It's unlike anything that can be."

Eiko stares down, contemplative, as you continue, "There's the cosmodaes, there's food out there that you can't even fucking believe. I've eaten things that have danced on the plate before they died. Drinks that taste like sweet liquid gold. Been to places where lights dance around the sky at night and castles travel on the backs of turtles. It's an endless frontier out there. I admit, you don't have to do what I do out there either, but you gotta keep some kind of living to maintain it."

She snorts, "Sounds like you just make it harder on yourself."

"Yeah, that's one way of putting it." Yeah, you have a bit of a sunk cost fallacy complex, okay? We all have something we dig too deep in.

"It's a full-time commitment, and yeah, I made it at about your age, but it's not easy. It's never easy."

She sighs, "No, it never is. Nothing's easy," her ears flatten, "But it sounds better than this."

"... Killing Julien?"

"No.. Just.. Everything else in my life. I don't know what I'm doing.. I thought I'd have more time to just concentrate on killing him. Building my life after it. But now that it's going to happen. Well." Looks like your intuition was just right.

(3/4) OMNI 2024/11/29(Fri)17:13 No. 1100554 ID: 546545
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"Hey, it's fine. You're young. First kills go like that."

"I don't have anything. What is there for me to lose, really? My brother's gone, my mom's old, I don't have a job or an education. The friends I had.. I cut them all off when he died. I was.. I was so angry. I don't know why. I threw it all away, like a fucking idiot. I threw my life away."

There's a snarl to her words now, "And I was. I was supposed to take this gang. Now it isn't right. I thought I'd have more time to build.. Something with them."

You're a bit surprised, yet you aren't, grief can do that. "To lead them?"

"I don't know! I don't know. I thought I could understand once I got there. Why. Why he started it. Why he spent his life for it. What made it all so fucking worth it? At least I understand now why you did it."

(4/4) OMNI 2024/11/29(Fri)17:20 No. 1100555 ID: 546545
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For the first time in a long time, you feel a pit in your stomach.

Eiko becomes eerily calm, yet tired, shoulders slumping. You try to find the words, but she beats you to it. Her words are icy, like she's held them in her chest for years, the fire dying away and leaving ash in the soil. Ground away by every winter past.

"Did Akito mean anything to you? My brother? Did you even meet him before Julien killed him? Was he anything to you, besides a concept?"

There it is.

You admit, you never met the former boss of the Wolf Bites. Not much to go off in looking for a family resemblance.

Do you LIE? Or tell the TRUTH?

Your answer will not change the objective.

Tell the truth. You didn't kill him, you never even met him, you just bought stuff from his employees.
But you're involved because Julien's idea of a 'business relationship' is to murder every trader that comes his way. That's bad for you, that's bad for everyone around him.
You put yourself first - but after that, the many come second. And Julien's an asshole who is going to kill many people, both by incompetence and direct murder. May as well kill him to shut him up.

>>1100555
It took longer than I want to admit to clue in why she was suddenly pointing the finger at him and stuff. NOW I get it. But.

Honestly, you might as well admit that no, you'd never met him. Thinking too hard about the people you step over to stay alive in this business is a fast way to die in it.

Knew at least one guy it happened to. Ran into each other slightly more than 'every now and then'. Jolly fella, seemed like. Almost was a friend. Wasn't even expecting it- you'd ran across each other near a bridge, chatted a bit, said bye, then you'd turned away and about 7 seconds later, *pop*.

Wasn't sniped.

(OOC- I know you said 'heavy themes including self harm may be explored (but not explicitly)' so adjust as necessary if you want to use this.)

Truth

No. Never met him. Never saw him. Didn't know what he was about. To me this was just business. I don't know if Julien would have killed him or not without my goods, but I won't pretend that I didn't co-sign that check in a way.

You know, I try not to think about this sorta thing. The way it's come together though, it's like I just appear in people's lives suddenly, make them worse while making some sort of deal, only to then fight an angel and vanish.
Taking about it like this, it kinda sounds like I'm some sort of demon, doesn't it?
...
...
You know what? Forget I said anything. Yeah, I'm the shithead that sold Julien the guns he used to kill your brother. A person who... Like you said, was just a concept to me and nothin more.
Business as usual.

(1/6) OMNI 2024/12/05(Thu)12:49 No. 1100794 ID: 546545
File 173343177946.png - (58.36KB , 1000x700 , dh78.png )

You consider the possibility of lying, of assuring Eiko that you did meet her brother. How they were a noble nice guy that didn't deserve to get cannibalized by their own gang. Or maybe a manipulative coldblooded boss that deserved what was coming to them. Though, wouldn't that paint you even worse?

>Truth

You decide to tell the truth in all its mundane ugliness, your hand falling away, "Nope, never met him. Never saw him. Didn't know what he was about, honestly. To me, this was just business. If it wasn't me and my goods, Julien would've found another way, believe me, but I won't pretend that I didn't co-sign that check in a way."

Eiko stays silent at your admission, her ears slowly pulling back.

You press on, a manic edge to your voice, "Hah, you know, I try not to think too hard about this sorta thing. With your brother, the city here, and all its broken people. The way that it's come together, it's like I just appear in people's lives suddenly, make them worse with some sort of deal, then fight an angel and vanish. Talking about it like this... it kinda sounds like I'm some sort of demon, doesn't it?"

"But if I think too hard about the people I gotta step over in this business, well, that's a fast way to die in it. Compassion's not something I can sell myself or other people on."

(2/6) OMNI 2024/12/05(Thu)12:50 No. 1100795 ID: 546545
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"I knew at least one guy it happened to. We ran into each other more than a handful of times. Jolly fella, seemed like. An arms dealer like me. Didn't need a wing to travel, just used this fancy magitech device. They exported goods from their homeworld all the time, real good stuff, the kind that gets you more than plenty in bounty hunters and other clientele either trying to kill you or sucking your dick."

Your voice stays casual in its manicness. You can only talk about this in jest. To think about it too seriously... It's not within your mental state.

"We crossed paths one time. I don't remember too much about it, what we talked about, but we were out by a bridge looking at the water. Guy seemed like the usual. Crackin' jokes. Then they handed me a pouch and told me it was a gift. I thought, man, what's the occasion?"

There's no pause between your words.

"Didn't answer me then. We said our goodbyes, I turned around. Then, well.." You mime the gesture, "You can guess what happened from there." You don't mention how you laughed after. How you threw up. How you ground through a set of molars trying to figure out whether to bury them or contact their family. How in the end, you rolled the body into the water and watched it float away into the horizon. How as you watched, a part of you felt jealous.

You take a deep breath, then laugh, "But you know what? Forget I said anything. Yeah, I'm the shithead that sold Julien the guns he used to kill your brother. A person who was just a concept to me and nothin more. Business as usual."

And what is there, to sugarcoat? You have to hammer it in, "To be like me, can you do what I do? Julien's a fucking idiot killing traders that he shouldn't, but what about the next guy you have to step on? Can you kill another one like your brother? Can you be at peace with that? If there's a kinder life that you want to live, I can't help you find that."

(3/6) OMNI 2024/12/05(Thu)12:52 No. 1100796 ID: 546545
File 173343196814.png - (69.15KB , 1000x700 , dh80.png )

Eiko stands abruptly, cutting you out of your spell. You expect her to say something as she clutches her mug tightly with both hands.

....

There's the swing of movement--

(4/6) OMNI 2024/12/05(Thu)12:53 No. 1100797 ID: 546545
File 173343198973.png - (104.81KB , 1000x700 , dh81.png )

"THAT'S FOR MY BROTHER, ASSHOLE!"

The hot tea burns your face on contact, soaking your hair and smattering your clothes, but you at least caught the movement soon enough to close your eyes. That would've sucked. The pain of the hot liquid stings as it cools on your skin, though overall negligible. You can already feel your skin starting to heal itself in itchy prickling waves.

(5/6) OMNI 2024/12/05(Thu)12:54 No. 1100798 ID: 546545
File 173343205643.png - (43.54KB , 1000x700 , dh82.png )

Eiko stomps away a few seconds after you wipe your eyes. You only get the tail end of her exit before you hear a door slam and the sound of a loud vent turn on. She must've entered the bathroom.

(6/6) OMNI 2024/12/05(Thu)12:54 No. 1100799 ID: 546545
File 173343209301.png - (46.05KB , 1000x700 , dh83.png )

Well... You guess you kind of deserved that. Though that's another jacket ruined in just one day. Now you are sticky, wet (not in a good way), bloody, hungry, and broke.

Fuck, you could go for a smoke right now...

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED! VEX'S NO GOOD VERY BAD DAY

Despite Eiko's outburst, your relationship with her has not gotten any worse than it already was.

What will you do?

Options:

>A)Try to Reconcile w/ Eiko
>B)Sneak a Peek into Eiko's Room
>C)Smoke on the Balcony
>D)Check Phone
>E)Check Status Window
>F)____

Goddamnit. Shit got too real. Trying to reconcile now would just make shit worse. Girl needs time to process.
Speaking of which, fuck. A cigarette sounds fucking great right about now.

Hit the balcony for a cig to wind down and get our head straight. Don't even bother wiping the tea off our face.

>>1100800
>>1100799

Basically this.

(1/2) OMNI 2024/12/08(Sun)21:17 No. 1100990 ID: 546545
File 173372142346.png - (64.08KB , 1000x700 , dh84.png )

>Hit the balcony for a cig to wind down and get our head straight. Don't even bother wiping the tea off our face.

You don't need to be told twice. Eiko probably needs a moment alone to process everything you've told her... Which you admit... You were a dick about...

But that's fine. You're alright with being another monster in her story... She'll come to her senses and realize that she shouldn't be around you for longer than necessary, and you can go back to a day ago when you didn't have to worry about someone's wellbeing that wasn't your own.

When you slide open the balcony door, the night air hits you, the cold of it especially chilling you to your bones from the dampness of the tea. It's a refreshing chill, as it grounds you and a clarity returns to your mind. The sound of motors running and the quiet thrum of nightlife blankets the city. You breathe it all in.

From your pocket, you take out a single cig, menthol & tobacco, nothing fancy. From your sleeve, you unsheathe your hunting knife, turning on the plasma cutter function to use as a makeshift lighter. The cigarette easily sparks against the heat as it presses against the blade. The sound of it is always distinct. A crackle instead of a low sizzle.

For a moment, you imagine pressing your thumb against it just to feel the heat.

You ignore that thought.

(2/2) OMNI 2024/12/08(Sun)21:17 No. 1100991 ID: 546545
File 173372147087.png - (60.87KB , 1000x700 , dh85.png )

A calmness washes over you as you smoke and take in the city. For a moment, you are not you, but a part of something much larger than you are. Where morning feels far away, a life changing decision is made, and a dead man walks alive for a few more hours.

Do you:

>Recall the Past
>Switch Perspectives

Does 'switch perspectives' mean we get to catch Eiko... playing with her bathtub tabletop figures?

>>1100995
By Switching Perspectives, 3 choices will be given. Eiko will be one of them.

Recalling the Past will allow you to play Vex as their younger self. Options will be given on which points in their life can be played.

>>1100991
Variety is the spice of life.

>Switch Perspectives

Switch perspectives sounds good. Let's see who we can be.

OMNI 2024/12/09(Mon)21:28 No. 1101067 ID: 546545
File 173380849221.png - (54.65KB , 1000x700 , dh86.png )

>Switch Perspectives

CUT SCENE initiated. A new character will be loaded momentarily.

Who will you be?

>A)Maggie, The Bookkeeper
>B)Violet, The Bloodhound
>C)Eiko, The Rightful Heir

>>1101067
Eiko is the first obvious choice, but Violet seems interesting. Bloodhound, huh?

...sure, her.

Maggie

Violet

Violet sounds interesting, though I wouldn't mind seeing a bit of Eiko afterwards.