Parlaying With Demons [Skelter Case File Mission]

As human activities surged during the day without so much of a care in the world, but not the Suzie Q. Try as the many idols caught the eyes of the populace and kept the fear at bay, the coming night fall was imminent after each sunset. The dark was the time of demons. This held true for a very long time, but it was undeniable that they've become much more wild than before. A single resident in that district could only wonder why this was the case...

The streets would be bare and barren in this far away edge of the district,, ignored by the populous humans in the center of its glamor. The Psyche-Terrorists aligned with Helter Skelter could notice a number of people lounging about in their own haunts, making a lack of interaction inevitable. Based on the directions from the Case File, it took them towards an abandoned set of buildings near what looked like the space beneath a graffiti'd road bridge.

It was only there the Psyche-Terrorists would be able to recognize a familiar group.


It was easy to tell that everyone with Skelter was there. Most remained nonchalant and aloof of the whole affair while giving a greeting towards the incoming Psyche-Terrorists. It was same shit, different day as always. Though the skittish Newbee fiddled with the tip of her shoe against the sludge of leftover snow, but had enough in her to give a terse nod at them before failing to show composure in her barely kept excitement. But one stood out from the rest, leaning against a wall in her lonesome while still keeping hold what appeared to be a katana.

"Looks like we're here in force. I hadn't realized your outfit was so sizable, Skelter." Moth alighted from a hover near the group. She hadn't taken her alternate appearance up again until just before the meeting point to avoid raising suspicion. It was nice to spread her arms and wings that were kept so cooped up during the day.

She stretched them out now, doing various stretches with her arms to limber up before whatever it was they were going to face. She'd brought her camera, safely tucked away in case they needed to take photos for evidence against someone as black mail. Considering how the Amphibian Prince had reacted when she'd snapped his picture (Sera had been dumb to take that chance as it was), she figured that option was a clandestine one that would only be used in absolute necessity. "Strength in numbers as they say. Is the little Prince coming?" she asked, placing two hands on her hips and folding the other two arms across her chest.

The gang was all here, one big dysfunctional family. One that was about to get a whole lot bigger if Skelter had any say about it. Ever since Invidia fell to pieces every scraper and scavenger had been eyeing to get themselves a firm grip on the district but they lacked power, and direction. Wastin' all their time fighting each other instead of doing the smart thing and falling into the toughest pack. Well that'll change one way or another. Despite sharing the magical girl's sentiments the cooing and gushing needled at the half-pint wannabee, stamping her foot in the slush with her arms to her sides.
"I'm NOT a baby! This isn't my first mission, ya know! I can-"
"Ronin."

The shorter girl was interrupted mid-sentence by the masked one with the katana. She pressed herself off the wall with a boot and hiked the sword over her shoulder casually.


Ronin scanned her eyes across the group as if sizing them up. They seemed a little inexperienced, like a group of kids but that was how things worked now anyway, no need to dwell on that.
"I think I'll pass on the sleepover, thanks. I'm just here because in the past few nights it seemed like a good idea to stop rollin' solo. Besides. Someone has to make sure all this violence is for a good cause. Who's askin', Rainbow Brite?" The new face appeared just as relaxed and unenthused as the Frog Prince did, though Skelter flicked a warning glance at her.

"Ronin was part of the old guard, back before those dogs had any bite. The bleeding hearts in the Playhouse didn't really agree with how she took care of things in Little Tokyo but that doesn't make us so different now, does it?" The alpha crossed his arms and tapped his foot twice. Dakini was running late, and as badly as he didn't feel like cooperating with a bunch of posers it was smarter than going in guns blazing. For now.

"Alright. Listen up," he barked, "Just like I said before you came here, we're here to make nice with Dakini and get their group to join up with us. I don't really want to make nice but the less bodies we beat down, the more cronies we have to get things done. It's with us or against us and then under us. Got it? Do what you can to play diplomat but if this bitch doesn't make the smart choice there's always more rats trying to get that bread." Skelter's glare fell over the group.
"...you got anything to say or try to figure out, do it now. Don't ask stupid questions in front of Dakini and make me look bad."

Moth looked over her shoulder as the blade came close to her throat, stepping to the side and out of reach of the Prince's boomerang, but ignoring the action other than that. This was a serious mission and if the Amphibian Prince wanted to waste time on silly games like this, he was better off trying it on someone else. She scanned those assembled, eyes drawn to the pink haired girl as she approached. "Sleep over? Not likely, pinkie. You can call me Miss Moth." She gave a curt bow with two hands folded behind her back and the others out at her sides.

She looked back up after, and listened to Ronin and the wannabe talk. She arched her eyebrow at Ronin. She'd heard the name before, actually, though she hadn't bothered to look into it at all since she hadn't been paid to. Didn't mesh well with the playhouse? That wasn't exactly a small crowd. But in any case, the playhouse wasn't why they were here. Moth was busy focusing on the task at hand.

She looked at Skelter. He cut an imposing figure as she always assumed he would. It made her a little excited. What sorts of fucked up little secrets was he hiding? "Well, Skelter, if we're trying to make a deal, what do we have to offer for this partnership? Also, given the Boogyman's role as Dakini's "Master" or whatever their relationship actually is, should we refrain from bringing him up? Depending on the circumstances of their relationship, we could potentially use it as a leverage point to get Dakini on our side. That was my thought, in any case. Did you have a game plan?"

A smirk and a raised eyebrow is all the Frog Prince would get before the newcomer's face fell and she took her position back against the wall, jostling her katana. That street went both ways it seemed. Skelter scoffed with an amused expression, opening his mouth to no doubt rip on the other gang before he was interrupted by apparently someone who knew what he was about to say.

"That may not be the wisest of decisions."

Skelter halted and put his a hand on his hip as Alice stepped forward.
"Given we're not exactly sure what their relationship is it's likely not the best idea tread on unknown ground, we might found ourselves on thin ice. Perhaps as a last resort, but does anyone ever respond well to uninvited psychologists shoving their noses where they don't belong?"
"Alice is right." The alpha folded his arms again with a tilt of his head. "If she's loyal to Boogeyman it'll piss her off and we'll have a fight on our hands. If she's not and he's got some other way of making his crew obey, he might use it and we're back where we started. Hell if I care if we wipe these posers off the map but I can do that any day of the week. Besides, getting all of'em under our heel is the best thing we can ask for. Even Boogeyman." Skelter began to pace, jamming a hand in his pocket and putting a finger to the air.
"Hot shot is also right. If they don't like Anahita then that's something we got in common. Don't it? I'm thinkin' we can get'em to rally behind the winning side and fall in line like the smart decision is. But hey. If they don't, there's a whole other side we can get to work for us. If this falls through we can just walk on over to Anahita and if they don't listen-"

"I wouldn't bring that up either if I were you, Boss."

At yet another interruption Skelter's eyes widened toward Bee, giving an apologetic and nervous smile.
"Umm, so we're supposed to be negotiating right? Maaaaybe we want to appeal to them and find something to agree on?"
"If you think I'm gonna bend the knee to some low-ranking scum sucking pansies you can kiss the whitest part of my a-!"
"H-hey...! I think that might be them...!"


With little fanfare Dakini would arrive on the scene with her entourage in tow. A handful of demons accompanied her to the meeting, such an important negotiation wasn't one to be done alone, after all. Among them was someone... or something humanoid, and individual in a gas mask and rags that kept its distance. The graceful demon approached with her brood in tow and a graceful wave.


"You're late. So my time is yours to waste, s'that it?"


"Yeah, I hear you're reeeeaaaaal busy losing out to Anahita."


"That makes one of us. Tell you what, how about you join the winning side. Become part of my crew and you won't even need to worry about losing ever again. Just do as your told from then on out and don't get in my way. Better to be with us than against us."


"And just what've you done, huh? You're not even half as powerful as we are and got nothin' to show for it. So you can keep up your petty conflict and get kicked down with the rest or you can start being smart and not oppose me. Your call."


"How about I align you to the ground, because that's where you're going to end up if you make the wrong decision tonight."

Moth listened to the exchange between Skelter and his people, and began to realize that the glue that held this group together was not Skelter's leadership, but his power. And likely no small amount of fear either. You either worked for Skelter or you were fish food. It was a dangerous position to be in, and Moth was a little concerned about her own inclusion in that number. But, that was life. And here she was. Poised to see the dirty laundry of Endymion up close, and no mistake about that.

The demon, Dakini, showed up fashionably late. That was a power play, obviously, and Skelter let it irritate him, playing right into Dakini's hands. Moth had to shake her head at that, but she let the rackous play continue. She looked around as the two bickered, looking to see if she could see if any of the others were as appalled by this as she was. This was going nowhere faster than a turtle in a bowl of maple syrup.

Moth clapped with both sets of hands, her wings picking her up to fly a few feet off the ground and gently alighted between the two, but far enough back to avoid immediate violence if the exchange came to blows. "I think that's quite enough posturing from the both of you." Moth stated. She spread out two hands, one toward each of them, with the other two hands clasped behind her back. "You both came here to a negotiation with only one acceptable outcome. 'They are going to join us or die.' Well, congratulations. If this keeps up, there will probably be some death on both sides and our enemies will be the ones who win this evening." She folded her hands behind her.

"Ask yourselves for a moment if you really want the other to truly join you. If they join your side, biting back their own pride, well, that's a recipe for animosity and backstabbing down the line. We don't need that in either of our camps do we? There's no way we're going to be joining hands and singing kumbaya any time soon. So, let's switch our focus shall we? There is no need for one group to assimilate the other. Rather, what we need is an understanding. A partnership. Some quid-pro-quo. Dakini, you don't want to risk your 'children' against Anahita. So I imagine you'd like to use us as you attack dogs in this matter, is that correct? I think it's fairly apparent that no one here will simply bend to your will without a fight. In light of that, and to avoid a violent complication, perhaps we should discuss terms in regard to what form our partnership might take? Why don't each of you calmly and concisely explain what your goals are here. We each have influence and/or power that could prove useful to the other. Let's find out what those are." Moth finished, looking from one to the other, and trying to look as impartial as she could. What these two needed was a calm mediator. With any luck, that would pull their fat out of the proverbial fire.

> Talk Skelter Down

SQ Gained For Moth:

"Talk to me like that again and you'll be the first casualty." Helter Skelter replied back to Moth with a sneer beginning to form behind his mask as the audible crack could be heard as one thumb pressed against the knuckle of his middle finger. For someone who just joined their group, she liked to talk shit. It was already ballsy to bring it up as a newcomer; even more so in front of company that obviously didn't want to take him seriously. He ignored the smug smirk on Dakini who appeared to relish in the exchange, but he evidently heard her input. "Now, now.  Let's not get too hasty, Skelter. She is quite right, we both came here to gain something worth our time. It is an awful shame to waste our resources when we could... Conserve, so to speak."

A solid glare from him caused the demon to deepen her smirk, but the message was clear. The subsequent silence was short-lived as she relented. "It's true. I wish to take down that uppity harpy and I'm not certainly not alone in that desire. Our kind just received the first peek of freedom and reprieve after that "odious man's" passing. And yet, Anahita endeavors to get into the good graces of Endymion's government, to take his place from where he left off. Obviously, not everyone takes kindly after that idea. I'll be the first to admit, it's a stalemate and we need to break that sooner or later. I prayed this night would be worth it, but--"

"It will be, if you're willing to take it to the next level past your own turf." Skelter interrupted as Dakini raised an annoyed eyebrow at him. He stepped closer towards Dakini, unabashed and proud. With both eyes looking straight into hers, the PT continued to speak. "I gotta say, I hate the idea of those bureaucratic asshats whipping around their "authority" as if their only purpose in this city is to help. My fucking ass. It's all about power and nothing else. It's just that they like to play window-dressing to make it stink less. So that makes two of us: we both don't want 'em. You want to keep your turf, sure. Fine with me, but I'm going bigger."

She scoffed at him with arms crossed. "Like toppling the government? And then what? Are you going to take the reins from there on?"


The demon put a finger on her lip, as if deeply pondering. She glanced back to her entourage and finally at the peculiar follower before addressing the PT. "Hm... Such lofty goals, but I don't hate it. Yet, what do you have to show for it? In fact, what do you have what the Platinum Playhouse doesn't? They look like they're doing a better job fighting against them. I understand your strength, but power without anything to show for it has no meaning. And certainly it lacks any impact within negotiations."

As Dakini played with the dangle of her earring, the light smirk on her face began to fall as she began to narrow her eyes at the Psyche-Terrorist. It was rather interesting hearing this kind of reaction. There must be some kind of history between that group and Skelter's. But it was an issue for another time as she began to haughtily address Frog. "Indeed, while your claims are of some interest... I can't say they've quite convinced me just yet. It is very easy for anyone to make such confident assertions, especially when the Playhouse made more obvious evidence of their results. Makes me wonder if it's at all worth testing..."

"Then test this." Skelter interjected as he threw something shiny under the moonlight towards the demon. He crossed his arms to watch and drink in her reaction while glancing at the nearly-hidden Psyche-Terrorist behind Dakini.

It was a light enough toss for her to catch, but she seemed annoyed at first until opening her eyes wide. The demon breathlessly spoke as she held up the chewed up golden handheld object. "T-this, this is Invidia's badge! Where... Where did you get--?"

"We dealt with him, where you guys grovelled under his foot. You're welcome. Now, whaddya say? Interested?" The snow-haired man smugly replied with a smirk. He noticed the man from the shadows began to approach the group. The moonlight heralded his ghastly appearance; battered and almost decrepit as the thin needles clustered around their fist. The demons accompanying the Lady demon acknowledge their existence with a show of deference as they moved out of the way. Dakini would've indignantly spat back, but the newcomer stopped her with a wave of their hand in which she begrudgingly obeyed. She handed over the badge to him; leaving him to observe it for himself before addressing Skelter.


"These kids you're talkin' about were the ones to have taken down that asshole whose badge it belongs to in your hands." Helter Skelter replied as he studied the slender figure in front of him before looking back to Dakini and back to the Psyche-Terrorist. Something about this individual caught his attention. Nothing impressive-looking for someone of illustrious experience as Skelter, but there was an eeriness from this odd Psyche-Terrorist. "Boogeyman, was it? Tell me, any reason why ya're hiding behind a demon?"

"Watch your tongue, human!" She hissed baring her fangs at the former Cadet while the accompanying demons bristled at his question as well. But a quiet look from the rough-looking hooded Psyche-Terrorist was all it took for them to restrain themselves. The badge would be thrown back to Skelter, who caught it easily with a single hand. Boogeyman replied back with a ghastly smile that caused Wannabee to recoil while the rest of the Skelter crew remained unfazed. "'Pologies for their bluster. As ya' can tell, they respect me... Unfortunately, I'm not quite as savvy for more direct means of conflict, if ya catch my meaning. Having Dakini helps ta' manage things and gimme some freedom to handle things at my own pace. As for your underlings, I suppose I shall take your word for it. Though... I would like *Khak!* *Khaff!*--Dakini to assess them herself. Your choice, however many you wish to send at once."


"Choice will be up to 'em. Though it would be quite disappointing if we just ended this night without any fun, wouldn't it?" Skelter said as he glanced back at his posse, but more specifically at Frog with a smirk pointed at him. "So what's it gonna be?"

Moth didn't seem particularly phased by Skelter's lashing, but she had remained silent and allowed Frog to say his own peace. The girl beside Frog seemed...out of place in a group like this one. She seemed more like a patron of "truth and love" then a psychopath who desired the survival of the fittest. Perhaps she was just along for the ride, or perhaps like Moth herself, she had a deeper desire to see Chaos reign.

Moth still wasn't sure which side of the tracks she was on, but if this was to be a fight, she'd make sure she was around to give support. She approached Frog, and lightly touched his shoulder. A fluttering moth formed there, and fluttered about behind him, disappearing onto the back of his coat in case it was needed later. "Don't break it, it may prove useful."

She looked to Skelter then, eyebrow raised as she turned her gaze to Dakini. "I suppose I'm in as well."