[IC] TTG Chapter 1: Sloth

[Sutoratosu]

Solomon- Attend Black Idols Concert (2 Points)

"Are. You. Fucking. Kidding. Me?" He couldn't help but grip the bridge of his nose as he clenched both eyes, taking a single breath as he stood there before the bar. Food hadn't really interested him. Nor had checking up on Revenant; if anything was wrong, Asmo would've alerted him immediately. Wasn't even like those few scorch marks warranted much worrying anyway. The concert had seemed like the best deal out of all of them, he had thought. At least he could just sit in the backrow trying to get hammered, try to pass the few hours from now until they reached the next stop. Maybe even set a new personal record for how long he held out before he started to feel the buzz.

"But of course.... there's no fucking alcohol anywhere... now that I think about it, how many of the others looked a bit young?" At least half, from the brief glances he'd stolen back at the Bear's Throne. Too many of em looked barely out of their teens, infact. "God damn it. You kids are killing me. 'Don't bring your flask,' Asmo said. 'You probably won't even need it,' Asmo said-"

"You don't." The AI broke in.

"You're wrong."

"Fine, let's say you brought it then, and discovered that the bar is bare of anything intoxicating, just as it is now. A flask only holds so much. The way you drink, like the stuff is watered down to almost no AC percentage, it be gone before very long at all. What would you have done then? Either way, you'd still be liquor-less eventually. Trying to get drunk is a futile endeavor, regardless which path you had chosen."

"But how could you be so sure they wouldn't have anything?" Sully's eyes narrowed in suspicion, though his lips remained pressed. No point looking crazy outside the battlefield, after all.

Asmodeus was silent for a moment. Then as if the line of inquiry had never been posed: "Go find your seat Sully. It's going to start soon." Before he could say anything the AI fled his mind, just as quickly as he had swooped in. Sully could've called him back, of course. Asmodeus may have relatively free reign whenever he wasn't actively paying attention to it, but if his heart so willed it, the machine could easily become nothing more than a digital slave. Even when Asmo did things like take control of the suit or hell, even lock him out completely like the last match, it was only because that on some level, Sully always gave the illusion of choice.

Because Sully didn't like to play the part of a slave master. Even mere illusions had their uses, however fleeting. He could hear the words of his father, even now after these years "You're too much like you're damn mother, kid...and here I had hoped you'd take after me instead." Indeed he was. Indeed he was...except he for one didn't intend to run out on his family someday.

"Well, whatever," He sighed, heading for the very back row. "I guess I'll live. For now. Let's see how good this chick really is though. Black Idol, wasn't it? Isn't she the same one Sasha has gushed about a few times?"

[IntSys]

"Nice food." Tai seemed content with the restaurant. "I suppose a nap will be fine." He leaned back to the comfortable seat and fell asleep.

Edited May 20, 2016 by IntSys

[Code: PIRULUK]

After several moments of silence, Kagari spoke up, trying to probe a bit.

"So, Hiroki... you seem to be really conscious of your height. I mean, going as far as to hide it with a cloak. And you don't really see voice changers really often. You seem... a bit insecure, if you'll pardon my rudeness. Is there a reason why?"

Realising she might be coming on a little strong, she rapidly shook her head and added,

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to! I just... felt like asking, I guess."

As Kagari awaited a reply, she uncomfortably tugged at her partially unbuttoned shirt. Though she had resolved to control her lust, her body was still flushed with heat. She held back a self-derisive smile as she watched Hiroki's reaction.

[Chevaleresse]

"U-uhm, well. . . I thought that no one would take someone like me seriously in something like this." She seemed to glance up and down nervously every few seconds as she spoke, not maintaining eye contact. "It makes sense, though. I mean, who would really think a little girl would be any good at something like this, right? I thought that if other people thought I was some mysterious man, I wouldn't get made fun of. P-plus no one would try to do anything weird when I was out of my mech. . ." She gave Kagari's own nervous motions a furtive glance before looking firmly at her empty plate for a moment or two.

[Code: PIRULUK]

Kagari could not resist a smile as Hiroki's eyes flitted around cutely. The girl was too adorable.

"Eh? I don't think your appearance has anything to do with mech battles though. Look at your track record. Anyone who makes fun of you when you have that kind of performance record is a fool."

Kagari paused to catch her breath. As the heat in her body got hotter, it was getting hard to breathe. She subtly clenched the edge of her chair, keeping her expression gentle and concerned. She chided herself. Was her self-control this weak? She forced a smile at Hiroki.

"Who would really think a little girl would be good at something like this, you say. Wouldn't it be that much more satisfying to prove them wrong? All you're doing by hiding is making their position that much stronger. The battlefield is the place where souls clash. I think it's okay for you to just...be...you..."

The last words of her sentence were interspersed with pants that inadvertently escaped her mouth, causing it to be broken up.

[Chevaleresse]

"I-I know! Thinking that the way someone looks affects how well they can pilot a mech is stupid!" Sudden heat appeared in Hiroki's voice, though she immediately seemed to shrink back down abashedly. "B-but still, I hate being the butt of people's jokes. . ." She looked at Kagari, the way the woman had spoken her last few words finally seeming to click. "U-um, are you feeling okay? Should I call a doctor or something?"

[Code: PIRULUK]

Kagari smiled weakly at Hiroki, her panting interrupting her statement every few words. It was getting hard to think.

"You need... to be more confident... in yourself...No one...will make jokes if... you kick their ass... in a giant... robot..."

Her last word trailing off, Kagari slid off the chair and collapsed to the floor, panting, the fever wracking her body. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead as she lay there, unable to muster the strength to get up.

How pathetic...

[Chevaleresse]

Hiroki's eyes widened with sudden panic at Kagari's collapse. No no no no no no why we were just starting to talk- "Call a nurse!" she shouted desperately at the nearest server. I don't know what to do, wait, why should I care? Shouldn't I be happy? One of my rivals just passed out, this is a good thing, but we were just starting to talk, she actually seemed nice, even if she was sorta weird and scary at first- "A-are you okay?" Hiroki asked again, somewhat redundantly. "I-I didn't do something, did I?"

[Code: PIRULUK]

Struggling, Kagari tried to force herself up on one elbow, but it gave way.

Damn!

To think that this would happen again, at such a bad time. Kagari would have gnashed her teeth in frustration had she not busy panting. She reached out and weakly grabbed Hiroki's sleeve.

"I'll... be fine... it's... normal... just need... to rest a while... room..."

Her hand fell back to the ground as her breathing became staggered from the effort, the heat of her ailment burning up her face.

[Chevaleresse]

"A-are you sure? I-I can help you get back to your r-room." It was difficult to tell what, exactly, the cause was, but Kagari wasn't the only one with a flushed face. Hiroki knelt down - she'd stood back out of the chair at some point, she wasn't sure exactly when - and tried to lift her, starting out by wrapping her arms around the other girl and raising her before realizing that, well, she was a fifteen year old girl who didn't actually get much exercise. "I-I can't- you have to support yourself a little, I'm sorry. . ." Hiroki just hoped that her efforts were enough that Kagari could at least move with her support, as she tried to pull the latter's arm across her shoulder so she could be assisted more easily.

[Code: PIRULUK]

Kagari smiled weakly.

"That's more than enough."

Pushing with whatever strength she could muster against the ground and against Hiroki's shoulder, Kagari slowly stood up. Leaning heavily against Hiroki, She slowly began to walk towards the teleporter, with Hiroki's support.

Kagari kept walking this way until they reached her bedside, where she allowed herself to roll off the shoulder of the smaller girl and onto the surface of the bed. She spoke, in a soft voice, almost too soft to hear,

"Thanks... Sorry for... causing this much... trouble..."

Then she closed her eyes and drifted to fitful sleep, shivering due to the fever, cold sweat soaking her body.

[IntSys]

Tai, failing to fall into deep slumber, woke up shortly after. He noticed the absence of the duo, and walked to the table which they sat at.

His eyes rested on the half-finished plate of food. "Would they ever return to finish this?" He thought.

He couldn't move his eyes away from the leftovers on the table. The leftovers were echoing with Tai's memories, memories which he tried to leave behind.





"Hey, kid, ya hungry?"

"...yes?"

"Look at that dumpster. I dug leftovers from it and hid them beneath it. It's all yours."

"You must be more hungry than I am, right?"

"Call it a gift from a withering man."

"You worked for it, but I didn't. I can't just take your fruit of labor like this."

"...well then, how about playing a game?"

[Chevaleresse]

"It's fine. . ." Hiroki murmured, despite Kagari's apparent unconsciousness. She sighed. What am I even doing? She's supposed to be my enemy, but here I am. She rubbed at her eye, surprised to find tears beginning to well there. Wow, and now I'm crying over this, that's just great. That's so stupid. . . She glanced back down at Kagari. She looks cold, though. She tried to pull the blankets on the bed out from underneath her competitor as gently as possible, and arranged them on top of Kagari, her brow furrowing with thought. This is how the nanny did it, right? She tucked the blankets in snugly, then took a step back and waited a moment or two.

Her face lit up with another blush as she observed Kagari. Ugh, now I'm watching her sleep, and now I'm considering- Hiroki started to unbutton her blouse, exposing a plain, but high-quality white undershirt. She folded the garment up neatly and set it at the end of the bed. She still looks cold, and that can't be healthy. . . you're supposed to sleep together with someone to keep them warm, right? She did the same with her skirt, revealing a rather old-fashioned set of bloomers that came down to just a bit above her knees. After folding it up as well, she lifted the covers and slid underneath them with Kagari, staring up at the ceiling and not quite believing what she was doing.

[K_H]

Lawrence - Visit the Diviner (1 Action)

After his complete loss against his opponent, Lawrence decided to work on his Mech a bit in order to perform some upgrades that he'd been considering. So, he used the Transporter to go into the Mechanic's car.

[Bfroger6]

Mommo - Do something characterizing (1 point)

Mommo couldn't stand being in bed, probably for the first time in her entire life. The sheets she wrapped herself into, even her own pillow only suffocated her tender body which still pulsated with the HUNTER's heartbeat. It was strange... painful... scary... she nearly drowned in the saliva that got into her mouth when she kissed her and threw her tongue deep down her throat... but, she enjoyed it on some level. Maybe because it reminded her of how her grandma used to treat her. Mind you, her grandmother did not sexually harass her, nor anything of the like, but the end sensation was the same - placid enjoyment, and Mommo was all for that.

As was said, Mommo couldn't keep lying in her bed, so she got up. Her cheeks were still hot from the struggle and her eyes darted around, searching for the very person that violated her on that day. In front of the teleporter, she wondered where she could be. The Diviner? Probably not. Unless that woman was planning on installing some sort of loli-drill on her mech, it was highly unli- Yes, she could definitely be there. Will put that as a 'maybe'. Now then. The food car? She was dead set on looking for lolies. Maybe she thought going to the food car would be the best place to find that one elusive loli. Yes, the food car would be her destination.

Why then... couldn't Mommo bring herself to push that button? Why were her hands shaking with fear. She just had to push the button! There was a chance the HUNTER wouldn't even be there, so why be scared!? Why couldn't she act...

[Komodojoe]

Morgan

​

​Morgan, feeling another presence close by,​ glanced over to see another person taking a seat in the back row. The neighboring presence made her feel a little nervous, but it wasn't because he was there in the first place. It was because the room was too dim for her to identify the silhouette. Granted, Morgan knew that the unknown wasn't always a bad thing, but she never liked the off chance that it was. She slowly sank into her chair, trying to conceal herself for the moment.

[Sutoratosu]

Solomon

No alcohol, no desire to speak further with his digital slave, and the start of the show was taking longer than he expected. Sully felt the boredom beginning to crush his poor, sober soul like a diver caught in a trench, somewhere deep in the ocean, screaming and flailing in an endless expanse of abyss knowing the fact that no one could hear their cries yet holding out hope they were wrong. How long was this thing going to take anyway?

Then he saw it. The bit of movement, in his periphery just a few chairs away. With all the speed and quick reflex of a cat, his ember-amber eyes instantly snapped and focused on the anomaly as if sizing it up, like a predator does whilst stalking prey. It was dim in here, but nowhere near dark enough for him to need the goggles perched atop his head; his eyes did just fine making out the features of the girl cowering in her seat on their own. Muscles relaxed, the eyes lost their focus. This obvious introvert was no threat. Sully turned his attention back to the ceiling, again leaning back on the chair's hind legs out of boredom, just as he had before.

It seemed like it was over... until he stopped the chair mid tilt and again gazed at her.

"You're the one called 'Strider', aren't you?" There was no hostility, no macho aggression, no intimidation. It was just a simple question, as nonchalant as one could possibly be. Though there was something about the coloration of his eyes... the way they glinted in the dimness of this space. Whether it was mere reflection of the low light, or of some deeper machination in the mind laying beyond them, was hard to tell.

[K_H]

Ignore this Post, please. I accidentally Re-Posted.

Edited May 20, 2016 by K_H

[Komodojoe]

Morgan​

​M​organ's heart nearly skipped a beat when the man started speaking to her, but she started to calm down when she began to notice the tone in his voice. There wasn't any anger, menace, or any kind of hostility whatsoever. Honestly, she thought that he couldn't have sounded more composed if he tried. She attempted to make a reply, but she found herself hesitant. "...Let's try that again."​ She thought. She tried again, but this time she decided to start with a smaller step.​ Rather than trying to talk right away, she started off by giving a simple nod, then she spoke.

"Y-yeah​, that's me." Morgan said. Not exactly the best of introductions, but at this point, she's just glad that she's starting to keep up a conversation. Morgan tried to remember who's voice that was. It's definitely not a girl's, so that scratches three people off the list. Nor is it Silent Requiem's. That just leaves three others. And if her memory served her right, she think's she knows who it is.

"... And you're the one that's called..." She took about a second to remember the name. Her voice was a bit more calm than it was before, but she couldn't really keep eye contact at first. It was only after she started speaking that she noticed the odd coloration in his eyes. At first, she thought it was from the lighting in the room, but it still seemed too dim for that to be it. It was a bit difficult to tell at the moment. She decided to dismiss the thought for the moment to finish speaking. What was the name again? Oh yeah, that's right...

"... You called yourself 'The Revenant' if I remember correctly?"

Edited May 21, 2016 by Komodojoe

[Sutoratosu]

Sully

"Uh-huh, that's the name, don't wear it out." He sounded about as enthusiastic about it as a child forced to watch paint dry on a wall... in the middle of a rain storm. As the chair stopped it's tipping and held there, perfectly balanced on only two legs like a bear taking watch, it became clear the glint in his eyes was nothing but the light of ennui. A shame, usually his pride lit like a star when people called him by that name, the one he had earned in the arena crushing his opponents dreams and tearing their mech's apart without mercy. The name he had proven he deserved time and time again; even against O beloved Sasha, the one person who mattered the most of all but still wasn't spared from the Monster's awakening. Yes, people feared the Monster, once they saw it's nature. They hated it, thought he was fucking crazy.

Good, Solomon had always thought. Fear is an excellent weapon to have. Fear makes the foe hesitant, makes them falter. Hate complements fear. Hate opens the door to anger, and anger makes them sloppy, makes them easier to predict. Anger makes the battle easier to control, and if through his mere actions alone, he could wage enough psychological warfare to gain further control of the field, even if only for a few fleeting moments, then he would be satisfied. Mere fleeting moments were more than enough for sweet Ragnarok to drink her fill.

"So, strider," He said, eyes still glinting with boredom "how'd your match go? You get someone interesting, or was it already over before it really began?"

[Komodojoe]

Morgan

"W-Well, it definitely wasn't a pushover..." Morgan took a second to recall her match, once again feeling guilty about the whole thing. "I... I fought against Silent Requiem of all people. His mech was... different than a lot of the others that I've fought, but that didn't make it any less capable. He was in the third seat, after all. It was spherical in shape to fit it with it's SAD build and his Signature gave me a headache... quite literally, I might add. The match started out with both of us on equal footing, but I made a wrong move and got myself pinned for a minute there. I was on the defensive afterwards. He just kept coming and I ended up on the ground. Then, I'm not really sure if he was cocky or what, but I ended up turning the tables on him and won. All in all, it was a pretty close match." A few seconds went by before she spoke again, looking away as she did so. "To be honest, I thought that I was going to lose for a while there."

Actually, looking back at her last match, Morgan realized that it could've turned out a lot worse than it did. For starters, she's damn lucky that the damage to the EAS didn't sever the connection to the Revenge Blast. Personality wise, there was the possibility that she could've lost her temper. In fact, had Silent Requiem kept taunting her like he was at the beginning, she very well would've done so. Then a multitude of things could've happened, none of which she would've liked, and many of which would've included jumping the gun on Revenge Blast at some point. Ms. Belle tried her best to take her mind off the whole thing. She looked back over to The Revenant, trying the one thing that she could think of to keep herself occupied.

"W-what about you? How did your match go?"

[Sutoratosu]

Sully will remember that...

"Eh, was alright." He said, waving his hand dismissively at the question. "Got paired against some bloke called Supernova, I think it was. Guy was a SMO, not even a few seconds after the match starts, and he's strafing around, trying to distract me with these piddly little laser bursts. Obviously, I shut that nonsense down as best as I could, but then the guy comes TPing in for a direct attack to my front. So I say, alright, and I just let the fool come in close before I show him who he was really dealing with... after I jack up his shit a bit, he still tries to up the stakes, came out guns and fists literally blazing while he tried to chase me around, my co-pilot thought we were completely fucked; those flames seemed to dampen whatever energy strikes we tried, almost like a shield, and the damn things were so hot that getting in close again to make the kill blow wasn't an option. but I had a little surprise up my sleeve for both of them... and that's all she wrote."

He gave a passive yawn as he continued to kick the chair off the ground, eyes returning to the ceiling. His eyes closed for just a breif moment as he accessed the shared status information they'd all been given; a mere firing of neurons and the mechanized components of his mind did their job as the dossier and data- however brief it was -of the woman called Strider flashed before the darkness of his lids. "Lowest possible seat, eh? Interesting... and the info she gave me on Silent's a nice tid bit as well. If we just... add that in... there we go, nice little note, might be able to build more on it later."

With the Intel work done for now he let the data dismiss itself, opening his eyes just as the burning, orange HUD vanished back into blackness, gaze again fixed on the girl. "Anyway, I'd wish you fortune with your next match, but to be entirely honest, luck doesn't do jack at this level," another yawn as he leaned back even further, resting his arms behind his head "it's all about skill. Either you've got enough to pull through in the end, or ya don't. No amount of well wishing can change that..."

[Shamitako]

Adam

Adam couldn't resist eavesdropping slightly on Strider and Revenant's conversation. He couldn't deny being a tad miffed at his loss, but he knew that if his mentor were about she would scold him not for losing, but for expecting to win in the first place. He considered for a moment approaching her, but decided against it. He was still angry with himself for his overconfidence, he didn't want to end up taking that out on the bespectacled girl who had won over him. He took a moment to look her over, sitting there in the back row. She looked altogether far too small compared to the giant presence of Revenant. Her meek attitude reminded Adam of a flighty rabbit, and suddenly he found that the girl who won over him had won him over. She deserved her win, just because he could have won didn't mean he should have. Now slightly more at peace with his loss, he turned to face the stage, which would surely be lighting up any moment

Black Idol

Adere carefully peeked out onto the stage, just to make sure she had at least one person in her audience. She spotted three of the eight competitors, which was a much higher turnout than expected. There were fighters, not excitable teenagers or horny old men. Well, some of them were teenagers. Maybe not the tough looking guy with the dreads, but the girl he was with almost certainly. Much more confident with an audience, Black Idol flashed into her mech costume and strode out onto the stage. The dark room was suddenly alight with bright lights streaming out from the stage. Without waiting even a moment, Black Idol burst into song

When her performance finished, Black Idol suddenly hopped off the stage, changing back into her normal outfit as she did so. She sat on its edge and beckoned her audience forward.

"Hey, I've got a story to tell you all, so get up here." She said cheerfully

Adam

Adam complied with Black Idol's request. She likely didn't have anything to say he didn't know, but it would be interesting to hear her story anyways.

Lawrence - Visit the Diviner (1 Action)

After his complete loss against his opponent, Lawrence decided to work on his Mech a bit in order to perform some upgrades that he'd been considering. So, he used the Transporter to go into the Mechanic's car.

The Diviner

The elderly mechanic known as the Diviner raised his head as he heard the distinct whizzing of a teleporter triggering. He spotted the pilot who bore inside him the mech called Ricochet. It was always of great interest to see a holder of a large amount of Favor. The Diviner left the mechanics console he had up--the display showed the regeneration progress of LOLI_HUNTER--and sprinted over to to the pilot as quickly as he could.

"Hello, hello there." He said, "You're Lawrence yes? Yes. I must say, your mech is quite interesting. Not as interesting as the LOLI_HUNTER or Strider, but quite interesting nonetheless. How can I help you? Did you want me to extract some Favor for something? Or perhaps you simply wanted to check the progress of your regeneration? I must say it's going slower than expected, but it will still be done in plenty of time. You should be certain to get lots of rest though, your mech's health is directly tied to your own."

The Diviner's rambling went silent as quickly as it began and he waited for a response from Lawrence.

[Sutoratosu]

Sully

The mechanic caught himself from dozing off just in time to see the song- which, was quite generic in his honest opinion -wrap up. He didn't know why Sasha and so many others were crazy over the idol, but whatever, not like he had much else to do besides either listen or head to his quarters... so up to the stage he treaded. Hopefully the girl's story would be more entertaining than the show, even if it probably was just more dribble like the type he'd always heard as a kid.

[Shamitako]

(OOC: You know what, Ima throw Mommo a bone)

Mommo - Do something characterizing (1 point)

Mommo couldn't stand being in bed, probably for the first time in her entire life. The sheets she wrapped herself into, even her own pillow only suffocated her tender body which still pulsated with the HUNTER's heartbeat. It was strange... painful... scary... she nearly drowned in the saliva that got into her mouth when she kissed her and threw her tongue deep down her throat... but, she enjoyed it on some level. Maybe because it reminded her of how her grandma used to treat her. Mind you, her grandmother did not sexually harass her, nor anything of the like, but the end sensation was the same - placid enjoyment, and Mommo was all for that.

As was said, Mommo couldn't keep lying in her bed, so she got up. Her cheeks were still hot from the struggle and her eyes darted around, searching for the very person that violated her on that day. In front of the teleporter, she wondered where she could be. The Diviner? Probably not. Unless that woman was planning on installing some sort of loli-drill on her mech, it was highly unli- Yes, she could definitely be there. Will put that as a 'maybe'. Now then. The food car? She was dead set on looking for lolies. Maybe she thought going to the food car would be the best place to find that one elusive loli. Yes, the food car would be her destination.

Why then... couldn't Mommo bring herself to push that button? Why were her hands shaking with fear. She just had to push the button! There was a chance the HUNTER wouldn't even be there, so why be scared!? Why couldn't she act...

"Boo." The text message suddenly appeared on Mommo's HUD.

The sender was identified as "text_gun_alpha," a very odd name to say the least. Even more odd was that she was receiving messages during interplanar travel, that was next to impossible.

"I have to say, sweet Mommo, watching your battle earlier, it was a bit painful."

There was a pause between messages, giving Mommo a chance to wonder if she was simply losing her mind before a flurry of messages popped up.

"You fought well, but then you let that HUNTER girl get to you. Is your will really that weak?"

"You want to be like Sleeping Bear, right?"

"Well Bear may be lazy, but he also has quite the reservoir of will."

"It takes a lot to be so immovable that you become a god by taking a nap."

"So tell me, sweet Mommo, can you be like that while also being so uncertain of yourself?"