We're all Mad here [Dungeon]

Posts : 5994 Join date : 2013-10-06 Age : 30

The idea of a setback made Maria feel awful about their own blunder. But, beating themselves over it wasn't going to help. Time spent doing that would be better used trying to get the job done. And speaking of that, Maria found herself expressing her disagreement with Shiina with a frown. Clearly they should be destroying this demon, but apparently she had other plans. For now, she would comply. The Cadet nodded at the silver head and stepped back to allow Athena to take her place.

Alternating Cast:

Posts : 1289 Join date : 2015-02-23 Age : 30

Even though Athena felt safe watching from the sidelines she was also aware that her powers would be needed in order to reach Alice and put an end to the queer world she had created. Not to mention she wasn't going to climb on top without getting her hands dirty, for a cadet their ability to fight demons and terrorist mattered the most after all. She looked at Shiina who had suggested the change in formation, since the girl had already proven her mental capabilities during the afternoon investigation Athena didn't question her orders, she was probably a better tactician than her and if she was to take a guess Athena would say Shiina had the team's best interest at heart. "I'll try my best." She said as she forced a cheerful smile on her lips, even though she was afraid Athena wanted to keep the team's morale high. "I have said it before but I'll repeat it. My persona has abilities similar to Alice's powers though considering the feats that girl have achieved I'm forced to admit that my mind tricks are far weaker than hers." Even though the team could use some good news Athena concluded the truth would be more important. "I can still fight though and I know how to defend myself so I wont pull you back."

Once Athena was done with her little speech she would walk next to Noah, since he was the guy she was more familiar with. "Let's explore the area some more, perhaps we'll find something to help us shoo that weird cat away." Athena's head turned to the direction the team had spotted that weird looking demon, as if this place wasn't weird and terrifying enough it had to be located on the same district her home was. One more reason to want this Alice girl out of the picture, she couldn't afford having those abominations so close to her house and family. Not to mention the fact Gabe was also in danger, Alice's targets could be random and since he usually returned home late from work she could easily kidnap him, Athena was determinate not to allow that. "Say, Claire, you're a veteran compared to the rest of us so I've been meaning to ask you. Is this kind of think normal in our line of work or is Alice's twisted mind and abilities and special occasion?" The young girl asked the cadet, mostly in an attempt to establish a connection with her superior than actual interest in finding out more about Claire's past.

Position/Action:

Subject: Re: We're all Mad here [Dungeon] Thu Jul 21, 2016 11:59 pm

“Hm?”

Haru would tilt his head as Shiina seemed to be on the edge of saying something regarding this mysterious “he” that had supposedly ratted them out, but then for whatever reason she decided to trail off. Staying quiet he would watch her for a moment, wondering what was going through her head, but then deciding not to worry about it too much, he would blink as his mismatched eyes drifted back to Claire as she spoke on her abilities.

“Maybe so, but any skill can be useful in the end,” he would tell her in easy tones with a small smile on his face; however, the smile would fade as he heard her words on the young man called Chris. It was the way she said the words that got him more so than anything.

“You okay?” he would ask his tone holding concern, but his face remaining more or less calm.

Regardless of what happened from there, the woman seem to go back to her usual self as she answered questions about locations. To this he would only nod. He would let himself settle into silence until he was addressed directly when Claire responded to his thank you in the most peculiar way.

“Have you forgotten my name already?” he would ask as he raised his eyebrows slightly at her amused by the error and reaction. It brought a light smirk to his lips despite the situation, showing he had either relaxed around the woman finally or the gas had done more than altered his vision on the job. It was hard to say, but it seemed whatever had gotten him to ease up like this would be knocked back in check - literally- as Claire slap him on the back in order to recover from the amusing fluke. He would budge only slightly from the impact to regain the slight loss of balance, but not much more.

With the rebalancing, the smirk would settle into a small smile as he nodded. “I see,” he would respond to the words about her ability. He supposed it was too much to hope for a seeing ability. Ah well. They’d have to work with what they had. As for her last set of words, he would glance at the other with a smirk. “I suppose it wouldn’t be much of hunt if you had gone and done us the favor,” he would say as he showed just a hint of a different side of him that he kept hidden most of the time. In any case, the play would eventually come to an end as everyone fell into a place more or less and they moved onward until they ran into a strange cat.

To the words spoken, Haru would remain quiet his face devoid of his thoughts as he simply watched the cat, each word and action sinking into his mind as he processed it all. Illusions, strange words, and hidden truths….It made him wonder what would become of them if they did fight the cat and proceed down the rabbit hole it spoke of. What waited down at the end?

Well...He supposed he would have to wait to find out. There was some chatter as to what to do regarding said cat. Slay it or no? It seemed most had agreed on coming back a bit later, though Maria seemed to be out of agreement there. Regardless, Haru would remain quiet as he listened to the chatter around him and the calls being made.

It seemed Shiina was becoming the leader and Maria was taking to the back lines letting Athena take her place in the front. He would hear the chatter start up about skill, but for the most part would listen to it fade as the group began to move on. He would watch them go ahead not moving from his spot as he looked over at the cat once more as his mind clicked some things said with what was occurring into place now that he was face-to-face with the demon and on his own for a few seconds. This mission...the leak...their hostess….

His eyes narrowed at the cat and that grin it gave.

You don’t want us to leave do you, but why? Was the thought that ran across his mind along with a few others. Such as just how much did their target’s power extend. If she could see them, then could she hear them? Read their thoughts? Would everything they did be for naught then? He would tilt his head at the cat contemplating this for a moment longer among other things.

“Pay what is owed...Hmph. We will see who pays....” he muttered lightly to himself. It was a curious thing to say, but in the end the only one paying anythinh would be Alice if they caught her that is. Shaking his head a bit, he would finally allowed himself to turn his back on the cat as he hurried to catch up with the others.

He’d catch up in time to hear, Noah’s comment about Alice.

“That would be infuriating,” he respond back in calm tones and then becoming silent once more he would listen to the chat going on. He didn’t have much to add onto things at the moment, so he stayed silent leaving him to his thoughts as he stayed aware of the strange world around them.

Movement:

Admin Posts : 2171 Join date : 2013-01-08

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"Well, my specialty on the supportive role is slashing through the enemy's defensive points to make them more vulnerable to attacks. It should come in handy here, but I'd like to save showing that skill off for the big fish. I'm confident you all can deal with the lesser demons wandering this domain yourselves." She had opted to remain on the secondary squad for a reason. Her abilities were more designated for the enemies that required her to give support. Other than that, she was taking this as an opportunity to see how well the new Cadets could handle this situation. If their lives were in danger, she'd assist against the lesser demons, but she believed they were more than enough for them. When it came to Lisa, Claire gave a slight nod. She was cautious for Lisa, as she knew that cadet was trying to live up to her Mother's expectations. She only hoped she wouldn't rush into a dangerous situation to try and prove her worth to her family.

Claire's attention focused to Noah who asked of Chris. Claire crossed her arms and tilted her head while she thought to herself. "I was with Chris last night.. We patrolled.. I don't remember anything special happening. I think he took the day off today... but I can't remember. It may be the affect of this place clouding my memories. I don't know..." She rubbed her head while closing one eye and sighing. That Cat wasn't kidding about memories here. "You're not lying though. Alice is much more of a pain than I previously thought. She never had control of her abilities to this degree. She had to be practicing or someone must have helped her get to this level."

Athena asked the next question and Claire looked towards her with vibrant azure eyes. "Psyche Terrorists come in various sizes and with various abilities. This may not be the last time you deal with someone who can play with the mind. Just how you all are different from one another, so are they. You never can know what to expect walking into these things. Being a cadet is truly dangerous, and our life expectancy isn't as high as one would think, but Julius has been very protective. With him, I don't think we have anything to worry about. But don't worry, we'll be enough to handle Alice ourselves." Claire gave a smile and punched her fists forward to rally the troops ahead of her.

The Veteran Cadet smiled to Haru, who had asked if she were okay earlier. "I'm fine. I've just been getting some weird headaches recently. Once we're done with this job, I'm taking a long stay at the Dragon's Maw and taking the next few days off if I can." She chuckled to herself and continued on with the reserve squad, allowing them to take main stage. This was their show at the end of the night. Claire wanted to show them the ropes but she believed they could pick up the process with a slight guiding hand.

Subject: Re: We're all Mad here [Dungeon] Sun Jul 24, 2016 11:39 pm

Truthfully, what Noah had proposed hadn't actually crossed her mind before. Alice, running away? Hrm, well, Shiina couldn't discount the possibility from her mind, it was certainly valid. Why would she, though? It wasn't as if she had shown signs of being scared at all, but, either way, perhaps it was prudent to hurry and get to her. A single glance at her pocket watch told her the night was still young, but, nevertheless, there was a nagging... feeling on the back of her mind, prodding her to keep advancing. Maybe she was simply worried, she wanted to confirm her doubts, or what have you. Or disprove them. Either would bring her satisfaction, each for very different reasons; and one for a somewhat selfish one.The Tsurinai didn't pride herself on this mindset, but it was... difficult, to stay away from it.

//"If Alice were to run... well, we do need strength to catch her nevertheless. I believe this is the easier and overall most favorable alternative."// The Wild Card nodded to herself, mostly as an attempt at drowning her worries more than anything else. She chose to ignore Maria's frown; if the girl had an objection to pose, she should speak up, not make faces at her. Athena's case was, well, somewhat more tricksy. //"I abhor the thought of thinking a member of our group is similar to this Terrorist-- but, still, having someone who knows her powers, even on a smaller scale, is useful. Please, tell us what you can about your own powers, Athena, I'm sure the information will serve useful when we face Alice in combat. That said, I think it's prudent to assume that your own abilities won't have an effect on Alice herself, due to the similarities between you two, so I'd ask you to sit the battle out unless absolutely necessary. We do, after all, need an ally who's healthy enough to bail us out if we happen to be outclassed. Though I don't believe that'll be a problem."//

Shiina glanced over at Haru as he stayed behind, and while she did raise an eyebrow at what the man was doing, he had shown plenty of times tonight that he was trustworthy, so the Tsurinai simply glanced away. She'd have to do... a little bit more research on the man in the future. He piqued her interest, very much so. Oh dear, the Cadet had let a thin smirk cross her lips with that thought. Upon such realization, the hint of emotion vanished from her face.

//"Fair enough, Miss Claire. No worries, we'll be able to take care of the mooks easily. We all passed the trial, after all, right? Though, that does remind me of something..."// A memory had etched itself into the foremost layer of her mind after her own Ceremony. The vision of a black butterfly, right at the edge of her peripheral... that, and the pain she felt on her face, as another illusion of her skin crumbling away assaulted her mind. Was it abnormal? Was it a regular effect the Queen's blood had on her mind? If so, just what kind of supernatural nonsense was their ruler doing to her own body? The thought of discovering this for herself excited the Tsurinai. She only wished there was a faster way to the top.

//"Headaches?"// Missing memories, self-doubting, and now headaches... Shiina walked over towards Claire and silently placed a hand on her shoulder. //"Miss Claire, please tell us if you are not feeling well. Trust me, you don't need to watch over us if that entails pushing yourself farther than you can handle. I personally have healing abilities as well, so if you feel some kind of pain, inside your very being, alert me and I'll alleviate it."// The Tsurinai was serious. Claire may have been her superior, but that didn't stop her from worrying; even if the worry was only mostly genuine. Regardless of the Cadet's response, though, they had come to their first demon group, which meant they had to begin combat. //"Now then... into position, everyone."//

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//"Jinguu-Tennou! Saa, hajimeyou!"//

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Posts : 1289 Join date : 2015-02-23 Age : 30

With Shiina's attention turned on her, or rather her abilities, Athena couldn't help but feel proud, however she was aware she couldn't bask on that feeling like a cat under the sun so the young woman tried to reply as quickly as possible. "It's still hard to explain but I'm able to enrage someone to the point they become unable to summon their persona, probably due to lack of consecration or something, unfortunately that means they hit harder but hey at least we don't have to worry about being set on fire. The main fault of that technique is that it's hard to land on someone, perhaps I'll get better at it eventually but for the moment it's better not to rely entirely on it." Athena tried to recall the information Sera has given them about Alice's victims as well recount their own ordeals since they walked in the little lair. "Alice's powers are more elaborated than mine though, mesmerizing others and creating illusions is not something I'm able to do, not to mention it sounds way too complicated. I believe mind tricks are Alice's only ability so if we manage to somehow counter those effects she wont have other means to defend herself." When Shiina told her about staying back during the fight with Alice she felt conflicted, on one hand she was afraid of the terrorist and her abilities, she was also aware that Shiina's prediction about Athena's abilities not working on Alice was most likely correct but on the other hand she still wanted part of the glory. "We'll decide that once we reach her, though I'm willing to back down should the situation demand it." Was the only thing Athena said making sure not to reveal her true intentions.

Claire's complain about missing memories and headaches did nothing to earn Athena's trust, if anything the girl was now suspected the older cadet more. She wondered how her teammates felt about having Claire on their back, Maria was with her so if she was to try anything the blue haired girl could try to stop her or at least warn them, but still having a possible traitor on your ranks was not a solid strategy. Athena once again remained silent, she decided not to reveal her suspicions unless Claire did something questionable enough, after all calling out a senior wouldn't get her the promotion she was hopping for. Shiina's warning got Athena focus on more urgent problems as they approached a group of shadows lurking nearby.

Actions:

Admin Posts : 2171 Join date : 2013-01-08

Claire continued to follow behind the group, and easily kept up to their pace. With Maria in the reserve squad, she primarily walked by her side while the others took the more prominent positions. Her mind wandered on different things than the conversation at hand. More specifically, the Cheshire Cat's words on memory. No matter how hard Claire tried to remember the events of last night, it came up blank. Like trying to claw at water, it was there and then slipped right through her finger tips. She would be aggravated if she were the type to be pissed off so easily. Though something did pull her from any sort of aggravation, and that was the sound of a feint ringing coming from her hip. Turning away from the group, she'd grasp her cellphone. It was strange, considering any type of service in this domain was nulled but for some reason she was receiving a call. The person who was calling made her immediately know how and why the call went through. Clicking the answer button, she'd place the phone to her ear and listen.

She was relatively quiet after her initial "hello" response. However, after a few more words she would raise a brow and look at the group. She seemed to be thinking who she wanted to give the phone to, but she decided to focus on Maria instead of the others. "Here, Maria. It's a call from the Queen's Royal Guard. If you're going to be on the back lines, then she's going to need your assistance. It seems this night is getting stranger and stranger... Even with the use of her demons, she can no longer reach Julius or Alex. Something must be blocking her transmissions."

Claire handed her fellow Cadet the phone where the Royal Guard would be waiting to speak with the blue haired young woman. Once she answered, she'd keep the conversation short. In the background, one could tell she was moving fast from intense winds. Wherever she was heading, it must have been some distance, as she was obviously moving abnormally fast.

"Maria, huh? You're the Cadet from the ritual who swore their life to this city? Good, I need someone like you. I can't reach Julius. He's stationed in Little Tokyo, and visiting the District Head at the Dragon's Maw. We spoke earlier, and now that entire area is a dead zone in regards to my communication. I need you to check in with him and tell him to contact me immediately. There are pests that need exterminating, and I'm after the King of Rodents right now.." There was a hint of venom behind those last words. Little did Maria know the Nameless woman was currently far over head, riding on the back of a demon towards her destination. She didn't wish to leave the Queen this night where Skelter was walking free, but she knew her Mistress could take care of herself. Half the time she believed she were placed as a Royal Guard to protect people from her, than the other way around. Regardless, she was on her way to a certain crime scene where'd she attempt to pick up the scent of their Ex-Cadet now turned Rogue. That didn't stop the fact there was currently Alice, who also needed to be taken in. Regardless of how or why, the forces would need to be split. What a troublesome night for the new beginners.

OoC:

Posts : 5994 Join date : 2013-10-06 Age : 30

While Maria was waiting on reserves, she was ready to jump into action. But, fate had other plans for her. She listened to the phone call that came from Claire. But whoever was on the phone caused her to blink in surprise. She didn't quite expect to hear that the icy Guard to summon her. The postulant felt intensely nervous, not knowing why someone of such status would want her despite revealing how poorly that battle went with her Awakening. She remembered how Sister Louise regarded the Guard with respect and fear. Despite this, she remained composed upon taking the phone.

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"This is Maria speaking. How may I be of service, Ma'am?"

She found herself nodding at each bit of information that the Royal Guard gave her, digesting each word to comprehend. It was a simple mission, but there seemed to be a reason to worry when it wasn't that easy to communicate the Prince. In fact, there wouldn't be a need for Maria to be involved if a simple phone call was all it took to notify Julius. "Understood. It shall be done."

She handed the phone back to Claire, "I'll return soon when I'm done. Please be safe, all of you."

With that said, her body left in a blur after she finished. One wouldn't think Maria would be able to move so quickly with the huge Demon Weapon in hand. But the evidence would prove them wrong as she hurriedly passed through the path like a rampaging juggernaut.

Movement:

[Exit?]

Subject: Re: We're all Mad here [Dungeon] Wed Jul 27, 2016 3:16 am

Haru would catch up to the group lingering in the back of the group as he did his best to keep his mind focused on what was before them. He wasn’t sure what it was, but ever since that fog, odd thoughts had been creeping in his head that caused him to cast some doubts on many things going on here. It made his mind stray down paths he didn’t quite like and unsettled him in a fashion. He…had never had any reason to travel down those paths before so why…why did it happen now? Was it because everything around him was hard to trust? Or was it something else that tugged at the man’s mind? He wasn’t quite sure anymore.

What he was sure of was that despite the thoughts, he couldn’t let them effect the job. He had a team to take care of and a terrorist to capture.

Keeping the internal conflict well away from his calm face, he would listen to the conversation that passed by as Claire spoke more on her abilities before moving to speak of Chris. As he listened, he would find himself nodding lightly in agreement with the comment regarding this place and the way it messed with the mind. It did have a way to toy with them, but at the same time…it wasn’t destroying his memories. No if anything it was adding some unpleasantness upstairs, so he had to wonder if maybe this place had a different effect on those in it. That could explain why Claire couldn’t remember things….

With that thought on the back burner, he would hear what was said about Alice and frown.

“Never had control of her abilities to this degree?” he would repeat, the phrasing odd to him for some reason as he looked over at the other with a steady gaze. “How long have you been after this particular girl?” he would ask wondering if the woman had encountered the Terrorist they sought once before….and if so what sort of information did she have that she could share to aid them with this? Did she have any at all or were the words a fluke of some sort?

Whatever came of that, Haru would fall silent as he listened to the pep talk from Claire, quite amazed how she could keep up the cheer in such a situation. Shiina seemed to think they would be okay too, but it wasn’t enough to keep the realistic side of the man from backing down. There was just something not right with the situation…but what he could not figure it out. It was maddening really. The broken pieces and how that cat’s words really drilled into him for one reason or another. There was something definitely wrong....

He would quietly ponder this for a moment, taking note of the conservation between Athena and Shiina, but for the most part not partaking in. He would only become active in the conversation again when Claire responded to his words with a smile and answer. To this the Cadet would watch her with an unreadable expression at first before blinking and giving her the faintest of smiles. “I see. Well then, we should press on so you can get your vacation then,” he would say his words and actions friendly and playful enough to be convincing, despite his thoughts being elsewhere and hidden from the world.

However play would end as he was left once more with his own thought and a short time later…heard a phone ringing? The sound pulled him out of his thoughts as he looked back at Claire who had somehow received a call. How strange…he had begun to think this place too odd for that and yet here she was receiving said call.

After whatever she heard, she would look around the group before handing the phone to Maria mentioning something about the Royal Guard…and not being able to get in contact with Julius or Alex…Hearing that was bad enough, but what happened shortly afterwards only made Haru more confused.

Maria took a call…and then pretty much was like peace out to do something else? As he paused and saw her zooming away- literally- the older Cadet would blink a few times utterly lost as to what was going on here. One minute they were a team and the next they were splitting up…

“I don’t like this…” he would mutter low enough where only Claire and probably the terrorist they were after could hear since everyone else was currently engaging in battle.

Praying that Maria would be okay, the young man would move to join his team mates for now. They needed to capture Alice….but the question was could they or would they all go mad tonight?

Movement:

Subject: Re: We're all Mad here [Dungeon] Wed Jul 27, 2016 5:12 pm

“I guess we do, huh. Well, let’s hope those demons we’re chasing down will actually help us out enough. If Alice is this hard to catch, she’s probably quite a bit above our current power level...‘‘ To be honest, this could end either way, couldn’t it? They did not know what they were going to end up with, no matter which option they chose. Maybe they could have dealt with the cat as they were now as well. There was basically no telling what was the best alternative right now. ‘’Looks like we have quite a few shenanigans to deal with then. Having people lose memories is pretty bad…’’ It sure was. Although it was quite odd that only Claire seemed to be affected by that problem. Wouldn’t that mean it isn’t related to this place at all? The rest of them appeared to be pretty fine after all…Weird.

He would hum in thought at the exchange between Shiina and Athena. ‘’Maybe so? But there is always the chance that she has some accomplice with her. If she is indeed holding a hostage, someone had to be the brute to get it done. Even if mind tricks are her only ability, she may have some ace in her sleeve against us…’’ Be it another terrorist or even demon. Even that cat thing appeared to be serving the woman in a way, right? The mind tricks were bad alright, but they might always run into more than just that here.

More serious matters though…Maria was leaving, eh? Man, what was really up with this case? It felt like they were just being played with somehow. If there was an issue outside of this terrorist here, then Alice wasn’t the only target on the scene? That probably meant something. Too bad they didn’t really know what could they be missing exactly, and couldn’t do much about it either. ‘’What’s up? I thought Alice was the big deal here. But this makes it sound like there’s more to it all…’’ This was pretty confusing. Noah would sigh slightly. ‘’Well, it’s not really all that great. Now we’re even a member less in this place, and that ain’t gonna be any fun with these games.’’, he would comment towards Haru’s dislike of the situation before focusing on the demons they came across. There was nothing else to do right now, was there? They had to fight regardless of what was happening overall…