[PXFIRE] [RP] PXFIRE Roleplay - A Game of Storms

[Neo Emolga]

The PXFIRE RP is a roleplay section that is part of the PXFIRE Forum event. For more details about the competition as a whole, you can find all those goodies right here! To join in this, you have to be in a PXFIRE team.

This thread is for the RP only, and you will need to sign up here before taking part. I'm hoping you join us!


PXFIRE RP: A GAME OF STORMS

ROLEPLAY DETAILS RECAP:

Spoiler:

THERE IS A WORLD...

Throughout the universe, there are many prosperous, colorful, and lively worlds of peaceful Pokémon that live well and work well together in harmony.

Xia is not one of those worlds.

Like many others, Xia is a world where only Pokémon live and humans are the myths of fairytales like the stories humans tell of mermaids and centaurs. But unlike many other worlds of only Pokémon, Xia is ravaged, corrupted, and dirty. Throughout most of the world, cities are bathed in oppression and violence. Crime is culture and treachery is tradition. While Xia's technology is more advanced than most other Pokémon worlds and is somewhat similar in nature to what modern day humans have, it owes that to the loose and lax regulations regarding pollution, greed, and endless industrial creations. Most cities are bathed in dark smog while trashcan fires and flashing, imposing neon signs fill their streets with a hellish glow. Meanwhile, massive motorized vehicles stampede their way through the streets, adding to the noise and smog that surround these dark cities.

Upon Xia, there is a small, southwestern continent named Liao. And it is here where a new development is arising.

For fifteen years, the Black Lotus Empire has ruled throughout the hot, arid continent, but it shares its dark and ravaging culture with the rest of the world. Under the rule of Queen Taiya the Lilligant, Black Lotus has shown no compassion for the weak or the poor. Taiya's elite officers, known as the Onyx Circle, serve Taiya and the Black Lotus cause as commanding officers, legionnaires, and centurions. Some of them are infamous for their strength, cruelty, and cunning while others remain in the shadows as only rumors and enigmas. Despite her protection and sworn bodyguards, Taiya is quite a lethal fighter herself, having killed four assassins all on her own and taunts her opposition to send her a fifth to provide her with more entertainment.

Rebellion groups that have opposed Queen Taiya's rule have only met crippling defeat so far. Meanwhile, there is word that Black Lotus hides a powerful secret that explains why their troops and forces seem stronger than other Pokémon. It wasn't until recently that the name "Ante" had surfaced from the shadows, but for now, the name is all that outsiders seem to know about this mysterious force of power.

A FESTIVAL OF BLOODSHED

Today marks the beginning and opening of the fiftieth annual Tempest Festival, a violent tradition of blood sports and mortality games that leave many of their participants dead or crippled for life just for the chance of power, fame, and extreme wealth. These globally-televised events capture the attention of millions of sadistic Pokémon craving these destructive death games. As the 50th anniversary of these hellish games, the next month of events and games promise to be deadlier, bloodier, and more destructive than ever before to celebrate this dark anniversary. Black Lotus has their own highly-trained and prepared team of battle-hardened Pokémon more than ready to slaughter every last adversary Pokémon in every competition. The mass grave pits are already prepared and are simply waiting to be filled while the betting machines are at the ready, just itching for greed and lavish desires to seize the impulses of many gambling Pokémon.

Meanwhile, their competition, like many years before, consists of captured innocents, insurgents, rebels, resistance soldiers, and anyone brave or foolish enough to put their life on the line to challenge Black Lotus at their own blood games. But like a flame battered by Black Lotus's hurricane of violence and madness, their hope of winning is pale, though still possible. Like gold dangled on a string before them, they are driven by their own impulses and fight with little left to lose.

This year, however, there is a twist to maximize the size and scale of these bloody competitions and the hellish circus anarchy.

The grand prize for the team, country, or faction accumulating the most points and thus, winning the 50th annual Tempest Festival, will be presented with the Master Blaze Jewel. A white-silver gemstone relic that grants the holder the ability to evolve well beyond what should be possible for what that Pokémon can evolve naturally. Offering this incredible relic is none other than Blacklocke Arms, a weapons manufacturer given exclusive rights to supply a large portion of the weaponry in this year's games and have plenty of advertising presence. It is unknown how they got the Master Blaze Jewel in their possession, but it remains as the most coveted prize out of all the hundreds of offerings Tempest Festival sponsors are providing this year.

The Master Blaze Jewel is rumored to hold strong, incredible power of allowing Pokémon to evolve even beyond their normal forms as a kind of skeleton key for evolution stones and evolution sources. It is believed that if Black Lotus wins the Blaze Jewel, Queen Taiya, in conjunction with her mysterious force of Ante, may become unstoppable in unnerving, unpredictable ways that has most of her adversaries deeply concerned, forcing rebellion and opposition groups to have to take part to prevent Black Lotus from getting it. Meanwhile, though many of the other competitors are hoping to win lessened prison sentences, cash prizes, and other lavish desires, the Master Blaze Jewel is by far the most coveted relic.

Your team and allies have the chance to use these games as a leverage to potentially overthrow Black Lotus and build a better, more peaceful Xia with the Master Blaze Jewel under your control. Or, you may simply decide to replace Black Lotus as the new ruling authority. The problem is you're not alone in your objectives. Other teams and Pokémon seek the Master Blaze Jewel, the glory, all the other prizes, and the better life that comes from winning what promises to be the most brutal of Tempest Festivals as it celebrates fifty years of bloody carnage and ferocious combat. You and your team have been preparing hard for these games. Unlike many others who are entering, you are better prepared with your own armor, weaponry, vehicles, and training. Black Lotus may have the advantage, but this year the stakes are higher and the competition is more ready and ever before.

War may never change, but this time it's on television and under the classification of "entertainment."

YOUR TEAM'S ROLE

Whether your team is a band of freedom fighters, scoundrels, thieves, pirates, covert heroes, smugglers, or what have you, this is your chance at furthering your team's agenda. All members of your team have plenty of supporters and you are a known threat to Black Lotus, but you have survived, endured, or evaded their oppression. As far as you and the rest of your team are convinced, they may say the land you have claimed for yourself is theirs, but you refuse to acknowledge it.

Your team has many NPC supporters and is well-funded to be a considerable nuisance to Black Lotus. You and your teammates are better prepared than most entering these dark and violence arenas and competitions. In the grizzly events, your team has a budget big enough to enter with considerably tough vehicles and hardened armor and weaponry (the Pokémon-only options mainly apply to other poor but aspiring NPC contestants that you will be engaged with during the ferocious events). Meanwhile, there are spots on the map that will be under your team's control, even though you're still considered to be in Black Lotus's borders. The situations between your team and Black Lotus are on the brink of revolution like a pile of fireworks sitting on burning ashes.

It's your choice. It's up to you whether to enter these vicious and savage games as gladiators, or simply find a way to sabotage them from the outside or inside. You can use the media attention to build your own agenda, or use the whole Tempest Festival as a distraction to work within the shadows where eyes won't be watching.

The only restriction is that you cannot be allied with Black Lotus (I'm controlling all of them by myself). Beyond that, everything is fair game.

THE GRACIDEA ORDER

Nestled in the southeastern tropical edge of Liao, The Gracidea Order has had enough with the world diminishing into a polluted cesspool of grime, toxic waste, and filth. As Black Lotus's factories and industries continue to show no respect for the natural world and the aftermath of its continued neglect and care for the environment, The Gracidea Order intends to rebel against the Black Lotus now that they have acquired the resources, following, and the drive to no longer just be a nuisance to Black Lotus. Now they've become a real threat within Black Lotus's own borders. Inspired by its ability to purify the surrounding environment, The Gracidea Order is often resembled by Shaymin and the Gracidea Flower.

What started as a small band of environmentalists quickly turned into a strong faction that is determined to restore natural beauty and cleanliness to the world of Xia, starting with Liao. Factories and power plants that have been especially brutal on the environment have been destroyed by Gracidea Order operatives on multiple accounts. As more Pokémon realize the more comfortable living within The Gracidea Order's territory, their numbers and supporters have grown exponentially. Their capital city of Hana and the neighboring city of Jadeblossom remain as a hardened stronghold that Black Lotus still cannot get to comply with the empire's regulations. And now, further and further, the region further slips away from the grasp of the empire.

Black Lotus regards The Gracidea Order as a band of eco-terrorists hellbent on undoing technological progress for inane reasons. Meanwhile, Gracidea Order operatives mock Black Lotus, claiming their dark colored flower emblem comes from all the filth and pollution.

THE STEEL SCAVENGERS

Located in western Liao, the Steel Scavengers are a band of renegades and traitors that have directly betrayed The Black Lotus Empire and Queen Taiya in one way or another. After the number of rebels, exiles, and blacklisted Pokémon continued to escalate, they began to come together as the Scavengers. After seizing control of Blackbriar City and the neighboring industrial metropolis of Coalrock, a significant portion of Black Lotus's industrial supply lines were permanently cut off. As a result, the Scavengers have gone from being a serious nuisance to a genuine threat that intends to undermine everything Black Lotus seeks to achieve. With a large portion of western Liao's industrial zones now under their control, the Scavengers seek to finish the job and bring the entire empire crashing down and anyone else that intends to get in their way of doing so.

Known to create monstrous juggernaut war machines, brutish weaponry, thickened armor plating, and beastly mechanisms of battle, the Steel Scavengers rely on sheer, mechanized brawn and brutality in combat, intimidating the meek and unprepared. As a faction that has always been deeply-ingrained enemies with Black Lotus since day one, the interaction will be exceptionally bloody.

THE PRANKSTER PLATOON

Located north in the Shadysands Desert and above the Downdune mountains, the Prankster Platoon remains as a faction of anarchists and chaos that absolutely refuse to cooperate with anything the Black Lotus empire does and demands. When it comes to who will be the first to mock and ridicule Black Lotus in open in satirical broadcasts and musical parodies, the Platoon will proudly be the first to do it. Past and recent Black Lotus attempts to retake the northern area have not gone well at all and the Platoon happily reminds them of it at every possible opportunity. Tanks have been disabled all along Highway 1 and Highway 18 only to be turned into colorful piñatas by the Platoon. Meanwhile, Black Lotus officers and infantry have warned others the Platoon is known for finding other nefarious uses for their septic waste.

Combat against the Prankster Platoon is known to be extremely unpredictable and many have died to their tactics hearing maniacal laughter before dying. Many have been warned that while Black Lotus commandeers a relentless and hardened military, there's a good reason why this faction of resilient and blatant chaotic jesters doesn't just survive. They flock like endless, laughing Murkrows on a dead Rattata.

OTHER FACTIONS

Besides the three PXFIRE Teams, there are other NPC-exclusive entities that aren't on good terms with Black Lotus, but they aren't as significant. They will, however, be making appearances throughout the storyline and will be involved in the competitions.

Thundercrash Gang - Thundercrash isn't so much as a thorn in Queen Tayia's side, but more like a pin. They have a small member base of being criminals and smugglers that have stolen and worked directly against Black Lotus, but they're good at dodging scrutiny and they're nomadic, meaning it's very difficult for Black Lotus to track them down and eliminate them. They also don't care if Black Lotus is hosting the Tempest Festival. They want to win all for themselves. The Thundercrash gang welcomes all members, but they have a strong affinity for electric-based weaponry and attacks. They also tend to bend their vehicles and attack tactics on speed rather than muscle and force.

Sentinel Corporation - Mysterious, covert, and shady, these Pokémon don't say very much, but they're specialists in computer crimes, espionage, sabotage, and very James Bond / secret agent work. Meanwhile, they're more of a problem to Black Lotus when it comes to information. They focus mainly on tactics of perception, accuracy, and secrecy and have some of the best snipers in the world. A lot of their vehicles will harbor many secret weapons and a lot of their agents work under cover with strange, enigmatic codenames and call signs. Some of them even only use a series of numbers.

The "Shadow Network" - No one on the outside truly knows what the "Shadow Network" really is. Rumor has it that their name takes many forms and is under a varying branch of entities, but still remains as one. Two Pokémon that may look like enemies on the opposite sides of the spectrum may in fact be sworn blood brothers. Some believe it doesn't actually exist, but there is evidence some kind of underground operation that opposes Black Lotus is working deep within the veins of the continent.

There are other groups, but they are only very minor and will not make a significant impact on the storyline.

BLAZE JEWELS

Upon the Pokémon world of Xia, there are relics called Blaze Jewels. The silver-white Master Blaze Jewel offered as the grand prize is a special one, but there are more common ones throughout Liao and the rest of the world.

Standard Blaze Jewels allow your Pokémon character to change their typing, such as a Raichu using a Fire Blaze Jewel to become a fire type and use any fire type move they'd like. Even something like Sacred Fire which is usually exclusive to Ho-oh. Said Raichu could still use electric-type moves, but as a fire type Pokémon, they wouldn't have as much power as before. Also, said Raichu would look more like a fire type with reddish/orange fur and maybe a flame tail rather than one with a thunderbolt-shaped tip. When using a Blaze Jewel, your character's appearance and features would be changed to resemble the new type they're taking on. With Blaze Jewels, you only need to have it near you (about one meter within) to use it. So even if you're a Pokémon that needs to walk around on all fours, like Umbreon or Luxio, you can still wear it in a pouch or as jewelry to make use of it. Also, you can take off the effect at any time in an instant.

In the world of Xia, Blaze Jewels are rare, but not too rare. They're common enough for your character to start with one and for some other NPCs to have them, but not to the point where everyone and their mother is walking around with dozens of them. Think of it like owning a car. They're also spherical and are about the size of a golf ball and are colored to whatever type they change, such as a fire one being red and an electric one being yellow. They're also perfectly legal to use in these Tempest Festival events, and you will see NPCs using them. You can get others besides the one you start off with. It's not against the rules to pick one up from a dead Pokémon in the middle of an event!

Since the world of Pokémon has dual types, you could use two Blaze Jewels at once to become a dual type based on both of the Jewels you're using. So if you use both a Dragon Blaze Jewel and a Fire Blaze Jewel, you're now a fire/dragon type! But that's your limit. If you acquire a third Blaze Jewel, you're going to have to choose two out of the three typings you have available, but not all three. So if you found say an Electric Blaze Jewel on top of what you already have, you could go either fire/dragon, electric/dragon, or fire/electric as far as dual type possibilities go. But you're free to swap among those forms on the fly! And if you acquire a fourth and so on, it's the same kind of thing. Additional Blaze Jewels will just give you more selections as far as your dual typing selection goes. And if you have multiple Blaze Jewels, you still have the option of using only one at a time, also. Just note than any use of Blaze Jewels will overwrite whatever natural typing your Pokémon character has.

As for the Master Blaze Jewel, it's anyone's guess as to where it came from, but it's definitely confirmed to be authentic. But it does make one wonder. Is that the only "Master" Blaze Jewel out there?

MAP OF LIAO



LIST OF TEMPEST FESTIVAL EVENTS

In almost all of these events, victory goes to the last team or individual still alive, though in the past, losers have been able to retreat and flee away from the carnage after the situation looks hopeless to them. There's no punishment or prosecution for running away (besides losing/disqualification) and it's a perfectly acceptable (although humiliating) way to survive, but in most cases, the number of survivors is usually very low.

Expect for NPCs to be dropping like flies in these events, but I totally understand if you don't want your character to be the same way. So, if things are looking grim, bailing out via running/flying away, teleporting, or what have you is possible. It might require some creativity, but it's a possible option. Just note that most participants don't make it out alive, so usually only player-controlled characters will have this kind of safety net available to them. Realistically though, it would make sense for your character to take non-lethal injuries and maybe some of their NPC companions/teammates would be killed in action even if your character escapes from the carnage.

BLOOD PIT ARENA
On ground arena combat event
Location: Blood Pit Arena, Lytala City
Here, Pokémon enter as gladiators in a fight to the death. Entrants are allowed to bring whatever weapons and armor they so choose, but there are no vehicles in this competition. Meanwhile, Blood Pit Arena has several variants. In the "Open" version, there is limited cover and gladiators enter only with that they begin with, while in the "Pillager" version, the arena becomes more like a labyrinth with better weapons and armor hidden within the dark, bloody halls of this bloody, televised deathtrap. Gladiators are free to use whatever Pokémon attacks they have, as well as use whatever weaponry they come ready with or steal from someone else whether they're alive or dead.

DREAD METAL DESTRUCTION DERBY
On ground vehicular combat event
Location: Lotus Den Slums
Much like the Blood Pit Arena, the Dread Metal Destruction Derby is like the Blood Pit Arena, only with vehicles. Contenders are free to work in teams using either a fast and speedy vehicle or the biggest junkyard hulk they can construct. Vehicles can be armed with whatever weaponry the competitors decide to use. Meanwhile, the arena itself consists of an entire urban slum neighborhood to wreck havoc in where collateral damage means nothing. If a competitor's vehicle is disabled or destroyed but they survive, they can still fight on foot, but they'll be at a severe disadvantage.

ROADKILL WARRIOR COMPETITION
On ground vehicular racing combat event
Location: Highway 2, Leaving from Garland City heading north toward Lytala City
For those who want speed and destruction, look no further than this bloody racing event. Roadkill Warriors is vehicle-only, and unlike Dread Metal, it is a racing event with flames, carnage, and mayhem. However, use of weapons or attacks isn't allowed until five minutes into the race (to prevent everyone from killing each other right at the Garland City starting line!). Here, racers need to decide whether to sacrifice speed for more armored protection and weaponry, or go fast but fragile. Meanwhile, like Dread Metal, multiple Pokémon can work together in teams in the same vehicle, but the difference is if your vehicle is disabled, you lose your chance to win, but could definitely still die while rendered helpless on Highway 2.

FIELD OF SCREAMS (credit to Velocity!)
On ground racing obstacle course event
Location: Lytala City
Field of Screams is a footrace but with a twist! Along the way, there are plenty of traps, hazards, and deadly surprises along the way. Pits with spikes, flame jets hidden in the walls, and even deadly audience participation are all threats these racers have to deal with as their finish line will either be at tend end of the race or by the reaper's blade. Attacking your fellow racers is perfectly allowed, but it becomes a battle of keeping the pace, dodging everything else that's flung your way, and fighting back against your competition!

THE DEVIL'S TIDE
Naval combat
Location: Crackwood Sea
Here, the arena situation is similar to the ground events, only this time, it's in the drink, right in the filthy, polluted waters just south of Crackwood City. Combatants need to have a naval craft ready for combat, or take the risky chance of using a water Pokémon (definitely not recommended, no one has ever won with one). Contestants, especially Black Lotus, have been known to enter naval vessels even as large as battleships, though sometimes the bigger they come, the harder they fall. As with the other events, last team standing wins. If you're not ready to win, you'd better be ready to swim!

HEAVENS OF FIRE (credit to Morzone!)
Aerial combat and racing event
Location: Skies above the Lotus Den Slums
If destruction and bloodshed on the ground or in the water isn't your forte, this event has Pokémon using airplanes or flying Pokémon (usually used by those who can't afford planes) to dogfight each other out of the skies. And unlike the ground events, a disabled aircraft will usually result in death. Oh sure, there are parachutes, but gunning a helpless parachuting Pokémon holds a special place in the hearts of the crowds. Usually those that use flying Pokémon need to go light on the armor and weaponry, as unlike planes, most of them can't fly with heavier weapons. They need to rely on speed and maneuvers in those circumstances or it will be over far sooner than you can imagine.

DEADLY FORCE
Situation-based infantry combat event
Location: Lytala City
In this team-based competition, one team is pitted against another instead of the free-for-all like settings of the other competitions. One team is the Assassins while the other team is the Bodyguards. The Bodyguards have to prevent the Assassins from killing the VIP, a unprepared and completely innocent Pokémon yanked off the streets and used as fodder for this bloody competition. The catch with this event is Black Lotus's forces will always take the assassin role. And it's extremely rare for them to lose.

DEATHWISH ENDURANCE
Physical endurance event
Location: Lytala City
Deathwish Endurance has a survivor mode and 1vs1 mode. Here, opposing Pokémon are locked into chambers and exposed to the element they're weakest against. Fire Pokémon are thrown into tanks that will be filled with water. Water Pokémon are hooked up to an electric-chair like device while grass types are put into an incinerator that progressively gets hotter and hotter. How to win? Survive longer than everyone else. This competition remains as the hardest, because somehow Black Lotus stays alive longer and there is suspicion Ante may be involved, but there's absolutely no evidence.

SIGN UP

Sign ups start RIGHT NOW! You don't need to wait until PXFIRE starts to make your characters. You can have them prepared and approved in advance so that you're ready to go opening day. Also, you're free to make as many characters as you'd like, no limit. Furthermore, you're free to make more characters at any time whether it's before PXFIRE, during the PXFIRE event, or even after the whole event concludes!

Sign ups take place Right here.

PXFIRE ROLEPLAY GRADING AND RULES RECAP

Spoiler:

PXFIRE ROLEPLAY GRADING AND RULES

The PXFIRE Roleplay lasts for the entire duration of PXFIRE and beyond! This is pretty much the one PXFIRE section that can keep going even past the final day of the PXFIRE event. Judging will stop on the final day of PXFIRE, but the roleplay storyline doesn't have to!

Judging will occur at the end of each week of PXFIRE. A total of 100 points will be awarded among all participants. How many you get will be based on how good your performance is and how many other people are participating.

GRADING RUBRIC

Here, players will get a letter rating of A++ to F for each of these categories. +s and -s will also be applicable.

A++: This person is a star and an MVP in this area. It's VERY rare to get this.
A+: Awesome, awesome performance. It's near-impossible to ask anything more of this person.
A: Truthfully really great skill here. It would be tough to ask them to do better, but there's a slight window where they could.
A-: Still really good in this area. Not perfect, but still really good.
B+: A solid good effort in this area. They could be better, but I can't complain.
B: Good work here, could be better if they want to shoot for the stars, but it's far from lousy.
B-: Decent job, not bad, but nothing to praise over.
C+: Eh, not stellar, but there's some small qualities here.
C: Pretty much status quo right here. The person kind of did what the bare minimum requirements where and just settled on that.
C-: Not terrible, but still a tinge below average.
D+: Meh, this person kind of got lazy and really didn't care or overlooked a lot of things.
D: Not really thrilled about what the person did here. At this point, they're doing things that have a negative impact on the RP and could be considered a bit disruptive.
D-: Really not great at all. What they've been doing is actually getting a bit annoying or they're just totally ignoring what they should be doing.
F: The person just really missed the mark completely on this. Either they didn't do this at all or they've been doing things very wrong. It could also be where they're doing a lot of negative things that badly affect the RP.

GRADING AREAS

Driving Force - Characters that have more influential impact on the storyline will get heavy points here, whereas a player that just posts background stuff over and over again and keeps to themselves won't get very much. I'm a pretty anti-filler person, so don't make a whole lot of unnecessary background stuff if you don't ever plan on going anywhere with it. I don't want people to hang around the exposition stage for too long. Sure, the first two posts or so are okay, but then it's gotta get going time!

A+ Example: The person is really getting involved with the plot, adding their own subplots, and is getting involved however they can, keeping things evolving and making the RP interesting for everyone without breaking rules.

C Example: The person plays along with the plot, but kind of in a roll-with-the-punches kind of way. Nothing special, but they're at least doing their part.

F Example: The person is totally ignoring the plot, not interacting with the setting, and they're possibly doing things that really aren't applicable.

Written Content - The second big factor to having posts that are interesting to read and really tie well with the character the player has written up. You could completely miss the ball on the Driving Force element, but if the posts are at least intriguing, you'll make up points.

A+ Example: This person's posts are full of interesting and intriguing dialogue, there's great description and emotion, and the posts are colorful with adjectives and emphasis in just the right amounts at just the right times.

C Example: The posts are okay. They're nothing special and I'd read it once and be okay with that and not really be intrigued to read it again and again. They did a passable job and it's acceptable, though it could have been cooler.

F Example: The posts don't make sense, they're confusing, the character interactions are really unrealistic, and they're doing other weird and awkward things that just make the post really difficult to grasp. A person would also get this score if they've been breaking rules like god-modding and bunnying.

RPer Interactions - One of the big advantages of roleplaying is that you get interaction opportunities! This is a big push to get involved and interact with others to get the storyline going and progressing. The more the RPer interacts with others, the more they'll shine in here.

A+ Example: The person has been interacting with other members of their team to implement teamwork, possibly getting involved in battle engagements against the enemy teams, and they've been getting into fights and interactions with Black Lotus, the main adversaries of the RP, which are controlled by me. So they're interacting with me too. That's good stuff.

C Example: Well, the player interacts with another RPer every now and then, but it's nothing super-special. It could be argued that maybe it wasn't even necessary or they just didn't do much beyond a status quo kind of thing.

F Example: The person either isn't interacting with anyone at all, or they're actually being disruptive toward others and doing annoying, pointless, and possibly even spammy kinds of things with them.

Activity Level - Activity level is based on the frequency of posts that person puts in. The first three areas are quality, and yes, this one is quantity-based, but that's why this one comes behind those three. A person who really posts a lot and really puts in a lot of quantifiable effort will get rewarded here.

A+ Example: The person was the top poster here. They're super active in the RP, they're really doing a lot of content for it, and they're committed to making the RP a daily interactive activity.

C Example: The person posts maybe every now and then. It's clear they're still participating, but not really on a lively level. But they're still in it at least.

F Example: The person posted one really short post during the entire week. They were there, but not much else beyond that.

Formatting, Spelling, and Grammar - I'm not a big stickler on this, but I don't really want to see an absolutely horrible job either. So, I would like people to care about how presentable their posts are and to make sure they're clean and tidy.

A+ Example: No errors, no weird grammar, no typos. It's clear the person has been proofreading these things and making sure they're clean and good to go before posting them.

C Example: Here, the posts are a bit rushed. There might be spelling mistakes, maybe a "their" where there should have been a "they're" and things like that. There might also be weird word redundancy or the sentence structure doesn't quite flow right all the time. Here, it's clear that some proofreading would have helped clean up the blemishes if they were just a bit more careful.

F Example: Spammy, chat speak, junk, and weird incoherent stuff that actually reads like what the SPAMbots post or a bad form of Engrish. The posts here are so bad it's hard for anyone to understand them.

RULES

The rules are pretty simple. Nothing too crazy.

CORE ROLEPLAYING RULES

Follow all PXR Rules - But you know that. :P
No Godmodding - Basically don't make your character an immortal god and let them be aware of it. Extreme abuses of power, breaking reality too much, or doing an unrealistic amount of damage and destruction in a very short amount of time with no preparation is rule-breaking. Also, using out of character knowledge falls under this area. You, the player, may be aware of something, but your character wouldn't.
No Bunnying - Basically, no controlling other people's characters.

SETTING AND CONTENT RULES

Considering the darker and grittier nature of the RP and the setting, here's the policy on what's acceptable and what's probably a little too beyond.

Violence and gore - Open season. Go as M-rated as you like in this area. Xia is a nasty and violent world and because there's so many different ways to die, feel free to capture whatever you'd like in whatever detail you can imagine. After all, it is only words and not visual. Plus let's face it, we've all played at least one M-rated game by now.

Sexual Content - I'm okay with things like sex, pornography, prostitution, and rape being implied and given brief mentioning, but I'd rather not see it go too beyond that with heavy and cringe-inducing detail. Keep it touch and go. While there's plenty of this going on in Xia, I want to keep a cap on it and avoid it getting to the point of being distasteful. If you slip a little bit too much on this, I won't chew you out the first time it happens, but I'll drop a note for you to keep it lower.

Swearing - Well, if the swear filter blanks it out, it blanks it out, but you're free to imply it with * marks. Kudos goes to the people who actually make up new swear words as part of Xia's culture. That's creativity!

Alcohol and drug use - Open season. There's plenty of that going on in Xia. Drugs range from steroids, hallucinogens, narcotics, you name it, you got it. Note that the names of these drugs are different in Xia. Xia may not have things like cocaine or crystal meth, but they might have drugs like "Swish" or "Jirachi Dust" that have similar effects to actual drugs but just with different names. Be creative and feel free to conjure up something druggie Pokémon are into!

Gambling - Open season. Another thing that's all over the place. Pokémon are constantly betting on winners in these deadly games. Beyond that, casinos and lotteries are common. Those are all over the place.

Darker Themes - Things like terrorism, genocide, racism, and things like that are fine here. You might have plenty of that going on. Don't take what happens in the RP's storyline too literally and think it's an implication to anything in reality. It's all purely fiction and nothing's implied.

With all that said, good luck, have fun, and enjoy the roleplay!

One last note!

Please make sure each of your posts has this header on top:

<Character name and species>
<Faction/Team>
<Current Location>

Enjoy and good luck!

[Neo Emolga]

Willow Ranzel the Lopunny
Black Lotus - Onyx Circle
Lytala City, Tempest Festival Central Stadium

Cheering. Noise. Strobe lights. And seemingly endless fanfare, fireworks, and thunderous applause. The music was loud and the audience was already becoming drunk and unruly.

It was foolish to expect anything less out of the Tempest Festival Opening Ceremony.

Avid fans of the savage and bloody games cheered as deadly machines of war drove around the stadium as a precursor of the ravaging mayhem that was to ensure in the weeks to come. Usually hundreds of competitors would be killed as a result of these mortality combat games, but with the arrival of the dark 50th anniversary, it was estimated to reach in the thousands as more and more entrants had signed up for a chance to win it all only to lose it all. The metallic and imposing stadium was lit and full of loud and rambunctious activity.

Perched in her sniper position high up in the stadium, Willow the Lopunny could see everything happening down below. She was charged with the task of making sure nothing would try to make an attempt on Queen Taiya's life as she watched from her throne, but in truth, Willow wasn't worried in the slightest. She had her EinCaliber Sniper Rifle in position with the sights calibrated, but Willow knew Queen Taiya could perfectly handle herself and her presence there was simply additional overkill, which was a Black Lotus custom. But Willow enjoyed the thought of someone being stupid enough to try and attack her as this thunderous opening ceremony was being broadcasted around the world. It would be a race between everyone on standby as to who could kill them first.

As the ceremony continued, a fleet of new and larger armored vehicles stormed their way into the stadium. These were some of Black Lotus's finest, but just to keep the competition on the edge, they weren't getting all the insight as to what to expect when the actual competitions started.

"This is Visor 3," a voice suddenly spoke into her headset radio. "I've lost visual on the asset due to audience obstruction. Changing position."

"No, you stay there, Riggs," Willow sighed into her headset. "Taiya has more operatives watching her back than you think. You're a rookie compared to most of them."

Willow never liked handling new recruits and even though Riggs had been on a few missions already, the formality of his approach was too tight in her opinion. The Nidoking was fidgety, too eager, and so much by the book that when there was an exception to what the book called for, he had trouble making his own rational choices. And to Willow, it was taking him forever to pick up on.

It was only a short while after the fanfare that things had settled down a bit and Queen Taiya had approached the metallic podium's microphone.

---

Queen Taiya the Lilligant
Black Lotus Ruling Authority
Lytala City, Tempest Festival Central Stadium

A dark smile never left Queen Taiya's face as she watched everyone so eager, so viciously and wickedly eager for the Tempest Festival to begin. The arenas were dry and were yearning for blood. The burial pits were vacant and begged to be given their fill. And so many contenders were lined up and in dire need of such death. As the dark and wild audiences cheered and the performers all looked upon Taiya to give the Opening Festival her blessing, she smiled and greeted all of them. The fierce and wildly-loved Lilligant was more than happy to proudly grant this sadistic audience their darkest and most violent wishes.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Taiya gracefully smiled as her voice was broadcasted throughout the stadium and all across many channels, "You've waited too long for this moment. You've counted down the days and you've had many sleepless nights as the anticipation for this legendary Tempest Festival kept you begging for time to march faster!"

There were roars and cheers throughout the crowd, and Taiya smiled at how in the recent days, the desire for the opening of the 50th annual Tempest Festival had only gotten more frantic with every passing hour. They wanted it to be legendary and Taiya knew it would satisfy all their sadistic desires and then some. All their wishes for the most destructive events the festival had always promised would be bigger and better than ever before. They wanted blood. They wanted screams. And there would be plenty.

"And now it's here," Taiya grinned to her highly anticipated audience, both in the stadium and watching on live broadcast. "Now you will see everything your feverish hearts have desired. And more. Victory will go to the strong and prepared. And death will take its claim on the weak and foolish. You've seen it in the years past but none of that will prepare you for what's to come this year. This anniversary. This glorious, 50th anniversary!"

And the cheering had gone wild and frantic. Already there were some members of the audience that had gone overboard after vicious cocktails of powerful drugs and highly potent alcohol. Horns and firecrackers had been going off...

...and at that moment, it was then that one had decided to take his chance while the audience was distracted and the noise level was high. Just under the stage where Queen Taiya had been standing, a panel had been moved. Months of planning and preparation had prepared Nenge the Toxicroak for this moment. He was going to be the one assassin to bring Queen Taiya down.

In front of everyone.

He quickly leapt onto the podium while the intensity was at its peak and Taiya was giving her speech, and in the heat of those few, critical seconds, he took his combat sword and was ready to take her down in one, perfect, lethal killing blow. Before any of the Black Lotus snipers or bodyguards could even make their move. The "Tongue of Death" was what they called this shadowy assassin strike that took years to train in, and only a few knew it. A twisting, burrowing strike right into her side would be more than enough to reach her heart and dig it out.

The audience suddenly saw what was going on. Some thought this was part of the ceremony, while others suddenly realized this was an unanticipated occurrence. And then there were others that were far too drunk and stoned to even take notice and would only ever know what happened in the replays of the recording. As he was tempted to scream that the Shadow Network sent their regards, he stayed silent. The strike was more important.

Nenge made his move knowing he would immortalize himself in history as being the one who assassinated Taiya. His hand, his blade, his years of training and stealth all lead up to this moment. HIS moment. It had all come down to this.

She narrowly dodged what was supposed to be the perfect, killing blow that would change and write history.

There was only one word that struck his mind in that moment.

HOW...?

But just as his combat sword flew forward, twisting and digging through nothing but air as he drove it down thinking it would have gone through Taiya's flesh, Taiya had spun around, elegantly as if in a dance. Her leaf-like hand was swift to deftly unsheathe her own concealed blade, and she struck the Toxicroak in his red vocal sac, causing it to burst as her blade tore through his lungs and permanently cut off his breathing. There was suddenly blood all over her blade as members of the audience were now on their feet in shock, bewilderment, and excitement for what had just transpired.

Nenge had tried to fight death. Desperately, desperately tried to withhold himself from the reaper's grasp. He tried to improvise one last, wild strike in this last ditch moment to at least take her with him into the dark gaze of death, but as Taiya slowly drove her blade in further, he was too weak and in too much crippling pain to hold onto his sword. His fingers loosened, and the hilt slipped further and further from his dying grasp before it left his hand and plummeted to the ground with a simple but career-ending clang.

He had failed.

And then it suddenly hit him as his vision was fading and his blood was spattering all over the metallic floor. Suddenly he realized what exactly Ante was...

...only it was far, far too damn late to warn anyone about it.

In his dying moments, Queen Taiya spoke a simple line, but it was carried into the microphone that was broadcasted to everyone... everywhere.

"Oh thank you so much for that," Queen Taiya smiled.

And those were the last words he heard. Nenge's bloodied body crashed to the ground besides his sword as blood pooled around the Toxicroak's corpse while Queen Taiya's freshly bloodstained blade gleamed in the lights of the stadium making her look fiercely heroic and charismatic before all her supporters and admirers. Instead of making history and being the one assassin that put an end to Taiya's reign, Nenge simply became the first kill of the Tempest Festival, captured on live broadcast, in front of everyone. And there would be no end to how many times the moment would be replayed over and over, all showing Queen Taiya's superior skill in bringing down her fifth assassin and only proving just how unstoppable she truly was... and always would be.

The crowd had gone berserk. The cheers, the fanfare, the promise of blood and violence was already unfolding before them, even when no one expected it. Queen Taiya simply made her way back to the podium, and smiled before her adoring and admiring crowd.

"Let the games begin!" she cried out with a loving smile.

[VeloJello]

Jones Sandstrider the Heliolisk
Prankster Platoon
Scheme City Central, Platoon Training Field
Affected RPers: @LKWayvern (Laura)

((This post has been bunny-checked by LKWayvern))

The target was quadrupedal, small, dark-furred. Weak, by the looks of it, but looks could be deceiving. Jones glared at her and circled, body low to the ground, holding her half-expanded spear in her left hand. The tip of her tail twitched periodically, and the frill on her neck itched to be lifted, but she kept it down. She wanted to give no indication, no warning, as to when she would attack. This wasn't time to show off; it was time to fight. She stopped periodically, like she was preparing to do something, then resumed her circling. As a result, she expected the Thunder Wave she shot at Laura the Umbreon’s flank to come as a surprise.

Jones didn’t stop with the Thunder Wave, though. The Pranksters watching let out a series of cheers and gasps as Jones threw out her frill, and with it, a massive amount of sand. Even within the confines of Scheme City, where buildings, brightly-colored roads, and vehicles of all shapes and sizes were strewn about seemingly at random, Shadysands Desert was the perfect place for a Sandstorm attack.

Without skipping a beat, Jones lunged into the Sandstorm. If the Thunder Wave had connected, then Laura should be paralyzed and easy to bring down to the figurative mat. Even if not, Jones was pretty sure that the Umbreon would have difficulty seeing, even breathing, in the maelstrom of grit. On the other hand, sandstorms were familiar territory to Jones, and it helped her tighten her focus on her opponent.

Now was the time to strike, and strike hard, making sure to put her opponent down. Taking hold of the spear with both claws, now, she channeled her best Thunderbolt into the metal and struck out, aiming at the blue-eyed umbreon.

Mazer Pratten the Greninja
Prankster Platoon (De Facto Leader)
Rhondul
Affected RPers: None.

As expected, the fiftieth Tempest Festival began with a bang or seventy. Well, there were probably bang sounds. The restaurant TV had been taken off of mute for the occasion, but the only sounds coming through were the audience cheering. “DEATH, DEATH, DEATH!” “We love you, Queen Taiya!” “This! Is! Awesome!”

Sheena, the Chesnaught that Mazer had brought along as extra muscle, sat next to Mazer, delicately holding a glass of nectar-water in her huge paws and sipping from it. Mazer had already withdrawn his tongue - he needed to be able to talk for this meeting, and that was rather difficult when one was using one’s tongue as a scarf - but he wasn’t drinking from his water, instead focusing on watching to the TV and rolling his Blaze Jewel around the bottom of his mouth.

There was a quiet thunk as Sheena set her glass down. “They’re doing that on purpose,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Oh, the audio thing?” Mazer asked as Queen Taiya herself, that mythic b*tch, appeared onscreen, a honey-sweet smile on her face. “Definitely. It’s -” he was ready to comment on how Taiya’s publicity would shoot up from the audience’s babbling alone, when a Toxicroak appeared on the screen with a sword in hand and, with no preamble or warning, sliced at Taiya. As perfectly as if it had been choreographed, Taiya dodged the attack and sliced open the Toxicroak’s throat. “Holy s**t,” Mazer muttered, but his voice was lost in the clamor as the other restaurant patrons began muttering and mumbling among themselves. There were even a few laughs and cheers, because really, who was dumb enough to publicly try to assassinate the most dangerous known single Pokemon on the face of Xia?

A Salazzle unceremoniously sat down at Mazer and Sheena’s table. “Well,” she said, a wry smile on her face. “What a way to begin a Tempest Festival.”

Mazer had definitely been surprised, but his voice didn’t show it. “Meh,” he said, “the fortieth Festival had way more exciting fireworks.” Now, he took a drink of his water, though he was careful not to let his Blaze Jewel hit his esophagus.

The Salazzle placed her chin in her hands. “Then your time away from the Tempest Festival has dulled your memory,” she said matter-of-factly. “Listen, I’m a very busy woman, so I’m going to make this short. I’m pulling your sponsorship.”

Next to him, Mazer could feel Sheena tensing up. He leaned forward, “Janine, ma’am, sweetheart, darling, can you please explain why?” The words oozed from his mouth like honey, but his stomach was rolling with nerves. Janine - an opportunist businesswoman who had gotten rich changing her pheromones into drugs rather than perfumes - couldn’t make or break Mazer or the Prankster Platoon’s participation in the Tempest Festival, but her massive amounts of money could definitely give them a leg up, and they were going to need it.

“Love, I’m sorry, I truly am,” said Janine, her cadence matching his pleas in an almost mocking fashion, “but I’ve had a change of heart. Your little prankster group is weak and the Black Lotus Empire will put you down soon enough, but there are plenty of others who are going to do well in these games. Others who I will, quite frankly, see better returns on.”

As Mazer had instructed her, Sheena didn’t say anything, but Mazer could see her clenching her paws. He had to sort this out. “My most gorgeous, lovely, elegant Janine,” said Mazer, fully aware that he was brown-nosing and doing it anyway because Janine normally ate it up, “I haven’t partaken in a Tempest Festival in many years, but I can assure you that I have not lost my edge. Is there anything I can do to change your mind?”

There was a sudden predatory gleam in Janine’s eyes, just enough for Mazer to realize that something was quite wrong. “Prove it, dearest.”

The Thundercrash Gang. That pack of absolute idiots was, Mazer was almost certain, the origin of the Electivire that suddenly grabbed hold of him from behind. He felt a pang of panic, room I need room I need room I need room, and aimed a Low Kick behind him. It was sloppy, poorly-executed, and panicked, but it had two effects: one, it loosened the Electivire’s hold on him and most likely interrupted whatever electric attack the Electivire would be preparing to launch; two, it sent a change shooting through Mazer, his Protean ability giving him strength from the attack.

“Dirty, rotten coward!” Sheena shouted as the other restaurant patrons began hooting and hollering. This was supposed to be a fairly high-class place, but given that these same people had eagerly watched a Lilligant slice open a Toxicroak’s throat on live television, they seemed more inclined to watch the fight than stop it. “I’ll rip your arms off!”

With a little more wiggle room, Mazer was able to use Waterfall, kicking at the floor and shooting jets of water from his heels and launching himself halfway across the restaurant. “Don’t interfere, Sheena!” Mazer snapped. He was confident that the Chesnaught would be able to handle this fight, but based on Janine's words, she would be much easier to win over after this if Mazer finished this alone.

“She won’t have the time,” the Electivire huffed, raising one hand.

Too slow; Mazer’s reflexes and senses were built to keep up with a ridiculously quick body. Another Waterfall jet sent him across the restaurant again; this time, however, he grabbed the Electivire by his fuzzy chest and slammed his fist into the Electivire’s face. He almost lost his grip when the Electivire reeled, but he kept a firm hold with one hand and, with the other, readied a Water Shuriken and shoved it forward as hard as he could.

It wasn’t quite as elegant as Taiya’s epic throat-slit, but a Water Shuriken to the brain did the job. The Electivire fell, bleeding from the hole in his head where the water had melted away. By the time Mazer removed the sticky pads of his fingers from the Electivire’s fur, he’d stopped breathing.

Mazer looked up at Janine. He couldn’t cock his eyebrows, but he tilted his head to achieve a similar effect. “The Thundercrash Gang, darling?” he asked. “Really, you thought you could pull a fast one on me with dumb muscle?”

Janine’s smile had never left her face. “If he’d killed you, I would’ve known you’d lost your edge. But seeing you fight just now… yes, I’ll return to sponsoring you.” She offered a hand to help Mazer up, and he took it. “I look forward to seeing you fight, dearest.”

She walked away, her tail swishing. Now that the fight was over, people in the restaurant were starting to get antsy. Mazer glanced at Sheena. “See, lovely?” he asked, though the term held no romantic connotations between the two of them. “I had it all under control.”

Sheena sighed. “Come on, you psycho,” she grunted. “Let’s get out of here before someone calls the cops.”

[LKWayvern]

Laura Bette Kaye the Umbreon
Prankster Platoon
Scheme City Central, Platoon Training Field
Affected RPers: @Velocity

Laura was not a fighter. As a result, her limbs were somewhat shaky from nerves and adrenaline, her tail twitching, and she looked ready to either bolt or go into a frenzy. Each time she thought Jones was about to attack, Laura’s muscles had tensed up in preparation for movement, though she quickly stopped every moment that she was wrong.

This was quite possibly the only reason that she was able to conjure a Protect before the Thunderwave hit her. She sharply inhaled in surprise as the sparks dissipated against her shield, and the barrage of sand bouncing against it shortly afterwards. The sheer force of the wind and the stress of defending her against two attacks in a row caused small hairline fractures to appear in a starburst pattern across the see-through barrier.

Laura hissed angrily under her breath, squinting her eyes and inhaling what she was sure would be her last full breath of clean air for a while, before bringing down her Protect and rapidly leaping away from where it had been located. In order to avoid such tricks in the future, she Taunted “Haha, weakest Sandstorm I’ve ever seen! Kind of feels refresh-FEGH!” she choked slightly as she inhaled sand.

She could hear excited hollers from beyond the visual confines of the sandstorm-- Pranksters laughing at her insult, or from her inhaling sand unexpectedly. Nevertheless, the cheers seemed to be coming to a head as Laura had shown the attacks thrown at her had not yet taken her out of the fight. Laura felt her heartrate accelerate from the thrill of combat.

Still, this Sandstorm was damn annoying. She wanted to curse Jones out, but didn’t open her mouth in case more sand got in. Her nose was all clogged up already so it was doubtful she’d be able to scent where the helioptile had gone, and her eyesight was quite obviously out of question. She couldn’t strike with Toxic because she didn’t know where Jones was and, again, didn’t want sand in her mouth, Foul Play was more of a close-range tactic…

Frustrated, she simply conjured a Confuse Ray and hurled it in the area she guessed Jones would be. Maybe heading towards the place Laura herself had last been seen?

[The Nonexistent Tazz]

'Nora' the Lilligant
The Gracedia Order
Jadeblossom City, Kudzu Apartment Complex, Room 421

The whole thing had been broadcasted to everyone. Nora's roomie was in total shock at it. An assassin narrowly managing to screw up his big moment and get killed as the first blow of that bloody stupid blood sport, the Tempest Games.

Nora herself was not in total shock. If anything, she was too drunk to be in shock, and too unsurprised at the absolute failure to call the Toxicroak anything other than an idiot.

"Idiiiut," Nora sighed, clutching and chugging a bottle of cold beer. She would actually be more shocked if it actually worked. Between the window of the panel opening and the sword coming through, Nora could feasibly see herself dodging that. Sure, the panel sliding away would be near-impossible to hear over the ruckus, but Nora could still feasibly see herself hearing and feeling the subtle disturbance in the floorboards where there shouldn't be, and for those with the ability to pick them up, the obvious choice was to move-almost any direction would have made the thrust utterly useless.

The Toxicroak made a fatal error in his very execution-go for the glory, the flashy kill. Sure, an open theater like that would be excellent for assassination-even with twice the amount of usual guards those events were deathtraps for the hosts, open and visible, and his ability to secure a spot right under the boards was the stuff that an assassin would dream of... But that was the cue to pull out your sniper rifle and shoot them from as far away as the effective range allowed. Bullets, not swords! Ranged attacks!

In other words: The Toxicroak's failure was nothing short of unsurprising for Nora. Where people would have blamed Ante, Nora blamed incompetence. She wasn't surprised in the slightest. She was still heavily disappointed, though-that would have fixed so much.

"That's so... Augh, frustrating! I mean, these games are disgusting but that could have been it!" Said her roomate-an outright obease example of a Floatzel named Felicity Luna Sonata, in full. Nora's usual thing, in moving to a new apartment, was to study up on her fellows in her other apartments to make sure of their identities-who could be blackmailed and who was secretly a spy. Felicity had the misfortune of being born to parents of a rather... Exceedingly eccentric cult to 'the dark ones.' The cult was under the fanatical belief that their newborn children could house immense power given from 'The one below,' and thus they got together in excited rituals for birthing what would hopefully be the spawn of hell, which they also recorded for posterity. The night of her birth was when that cell of the cult was unceremoniously busted by a police raid and arrested one-and-all, and the young children were put under witness protection-but not good enough witness protection. All very interesting, and perfect blackmail material to keep her from spilling whatever inconvenient secrets she needed to. And she definitely needed to.

Nora hadn't spent much time in Jadeblossom City before some low class Black Lotus assassins tried to kill her. Felicity accepted the first random time some random Charmeleon jumped into the house with a knife was just a stroke of bad luck, and Nora was forgiven for ruining her sunday best in strangling the Charmeleon to death, praising her unexpected bravery and cunning. Then the second assassin came, and the third, and the fourth, all more clearly black lotus and more trained than the last, and then Felicity got suspicious, but if her suspicions were let out publicly, well, that would be just a darn shame. So Nora mentioned her charming relationship to a cult. Surprisingly, after the initial shouting about that dirty secret, the both just agreed that they wouldn't really be able to settle down if either of them said anything, so they just sat together, Felicity figuring that the assassins would start targeting her now despite having zero association with Nora beforehand. Felicity was nowhere near happy about it, but she and Nora both knew better than to doubt the thoroughness/pettiness of the Black Lotus.

And this they were now sitting on a couch in a dingy apartment, watching the proof that Queen Tanya wasn't joking about being a master swordmistress on live teleivsion. Nora just kept drinking the rest of the ceremony away, uncaring of it. If there was an operation being made by the Gracedia Order within the city, she wasn't a part of it. Yet. And clearly others weren't in on this. Either some freaky 'shadow network' dude that she's heard rather weak rumors of, or one of the other two factions.

A knock on the door. Felicity looked at Nora-the new arrangement, in accordance with the assassins, was that Nora would handle the visitors despite being totally drunk. "Gimmie uh sec," Nora managed, as she slowly got off of the couch and stumbled to the door, opening it.

On the other end was a relatively nonplussed and composed Leafeon, tall and strong-looking, in one of the most classy tuxedos known to Mon. Nora knew this Eeveelution well-this Leafeon was the one who had, thanks to her intelligence, ratted out the Quagsire spy within the midst of Jadeblossom, and was in general in charge of their more covert intelligence operations. And anyone with a brain knew that this meant Nora had a job, and considering he never came up in person for anything short of an extremely important job, Nora knew it was one of those jobs. The last one had lead up to her discovering that one of the Onyx Circle was a flipping Clefairy... Who had deliberately chosen not to evolve and had psionic powers to put most Alakazam to shame. With all the extensive danger that entailed.

Nora cursed under her breath. The Leafeon-Yesley Malan-would take it in stride. Nora basically made his career by giving him the info he needed to oust that spy.

"I trust you're doing well?" Yesley said. You'd have to strain to hear the undertone of sarcasm; he spoke so politely Nora could see him flattering Queen Tanya. And then bedding Qeen Tanya.

"Yeup. Lemme geuess. Job." Nora said.

"To the point, as usual, I see," Yesley said. "We'll be talking on the way this time, and you'll be working with others this time so you'll need to meet them."

Nora raised a confused eyebrow. "Wait, wut?" She asked. Nora had done a lot-but very rare were the days she worked directly with other rogues.

"Not now, later," Yesley said, dismissing it. He turned his head slightly away. "Oh, and you should know that you'll be taking an extended trip, so do plan to be away."

Nora knew that, of course, even she had made the preparations without any ado-but, working with others?

"Workin', with uthers? Yur' utta yur mind!" Nora said. "We do our work-"

"Let me explain, later, elsewhere." Yesley said, a bit more firm. Nora turned back to Felicity on the television-then to the television itself-then back to Yesley, now understanding.

"You're gonna-"

"Nora." Yesley said, not so much of a hint of agitation in his voice as a sharp, deliberate current. "... Come."

Nora sighed deeply. "Ucourse, ucourse... I'mma want'u see luuudes a green on this one, Yesley," Nora said. She suspected heavily of what the job was. The Tempest Festival was obviously related. Obviously related. But anything stealthy was best done alone, from experience. Or at least, it was her experience.

"You haven't even heard what it is yet... But this will be a high paying job, for sure. Your highest yet. Now, come along. You know I wouldn't fetch you personally if this was not of dire importance. And believe me. This is more dire than I can safely express."

"... I'mma be trevlen?"

"Tavern?"

"Travellin'," Nora clarified.

"Yes. I suspect you already packed," the Leafeon commented.

"Lemme get it," Nora said, shuffling off to under her bed. Lously good-for-nothing donkey of an Eeveelution, dragging her out of her enjoyable depths of alcahol while she dryly commented upon the dumbest sporting events of the year, all years. She dragged out her briefcase-filled with all the right tools she usually took in the right hidden compartments, as well as actual clothes because she wasn't going to go around nude. The only things she didn't pack, in fact, were her sunglasses-her favorite sunglasses-and her pistol-her favorite pistol. The sunglasses she put on-the pistol, she tucked into a small compartment in her shirt, a makeshift holster strummed together as inconspicuously as possible. The weapon itself was, however, so heavily and professionally modified that she could safely call it the most expensive pistol she ever laid eyes to-and she laid eyes on all sorts of weapons.

Nora's ears strained to hear it over her drunken stupor-but so often had she done it before that it wasn't as hard as just an average drunk. That was a window breaking a floor above her. Not too usual for a place like this, so clearly, something very bad. Nora did not put her pistol into its holster-she put on her sunglasses, grabbed the briefcase, and walked out precisely as a normal person did. Yesley knew better than to question why she was openly brandishing a pistol, most likely because he heard that noise a lot clearer than Nora did.

"Lesgo," Nora said, Yesley shrugged and agreed. Felicity, silent, walked to the door, her girth slowly moving to shut it, while both moved forwards, walking to the building's easternmost staircase.

A Black Lotus assassin-and a cheap, reckless, stupid one at that-at this time walked down the staircase, brandishing and aiming an automatic rifle with a deliberate purpose, to get a clean shot and go off. Some nameless Raticate that was desperately looking to get with the 'in' crowd at the Onyx Circle that he clearly wasn't a member of.

It was times like these that Nora really appreciated those tiny mirrors in her sunglasses. Made aiming behind her head all the less troublesome. Nora took her pistol, pointed it back over her shoulder, and fired. The assassin wasn't dead-heavens no, Nora had realized that consistent killshots with a pistol over your back, even one as tricked out as hers, were a dream-but Nora had learned how to make hitting shots in this manner consistent enough. The assassin was the dregs of the Black Lotus-he winced far too hard at the pain, even if it was a shot to the side, not outright fatal. It gave Nora the time she needed to turn around, aim properly (needing a bit of time to focus on the shot in her drunken state), and fire the proper killshot. It penetrated his lungs, rent flesh, and left him a relatively clean job for the landowner.

Yesley was used to quite a bit. The one thing he wasn't-and Nora knew he wasn't-was direct action. Yesley flinched-the sound was surprisingly loud for a 'silenced' weapon. "... Good work as always," Yesley said, an unflappable barrier being mildly flapped by that.

"No prublum," Nora said. "Felly, that's the fifth! Fifth time I've saved your filthy *** from Black Lotus!" Nora shouted.

"Nora, leave! Ugh, you're unbearable!"

"Oh, Felicity, sorry for all the ruckus," Yesley said. "Don't worry-we'll be willing to compensate for your, err, damages. It must all be very stressful, dealing with her unprepared as it is... Some financial aid will be forthcoming soon. And don't worry about the cops, just say I did it."

Felicity just gave a grunt of reluctant approval. Nora holstered her pistol. "...Now... Wuzzis job, Yesy?"

"In the convoy. You'll know soon enough," Yesley responded.

Nora had a really bad feeling this wouldn't be a job she would want... But this could be her big break. This was important. She knew it had to do with the Tempest Festival, somehow. It could give the Gracedia Order the edge it needed. If she was involved... There could be quite a bit of pay involved. And then, maybe, she could arrange for some of her favorite dealers to hook up the area and give her the lovely Swift she craved. It was just so hard to get good Swift around here-Nicotine and Beer only gets her so far. Maybe it could go even greater?

If nothing else, it'd be interesting.

[VeloJello]

Jones Sandstrider the Heliolisk
Prankster Platoon
Scheme City Central, Platoon Training Field
Affected RPers: @LKWayvern (Laura)

((Bunnying once again approved by Wayvern))

Lights. Bright lights, flashing in her face. Jones didn’t know what the lights were, didn’t have time to figure it out, before it hit her, the red, followed by fear and rage shooting through her. It was red like eyes, red like blood, like claws, like violence. Jones lashed out with the spear, beyond angry, her frill fanning out as far as it could go, and let out a wordless hiss. The electricity in her spear intensified to a near-blinding degree; she would need all of the power that she could possibly get in order to kill him, kill the Haxorus, kill him before she was killed, because she would either kill her opponent or she would die and that was the way of the world.

But he wasn’t there, where was he? She couldn't see anything, the sandstorm was hiding him, she'd made a mistake. He was going to be there any second, she'd ruined her chance and he'd strike her down for it. Her head gone from her shoulders in one clean swipe, if she was lucky. Maybe a tusk to the belly or claws to the throat if she was less so. She'd seen him kill 'mons in ways that took hours or even days; what would he do to her for trying to take his life? Her tail whipped behind her as she whirled, looking around - but she couldn't see anything.

Shouldn't he have killed her by now?

Something wasn't right about this; she remembered an Umbreon standing before her, but she was here now, her claws trembling as she clutched her spear. She remembered things like this happening before. Time and time again. She wasn't... was she even here?

Jones didn't know, but she did know that she had a spear in her hands and the fear of death coursing through her body, which meant that it was time to fight. The electricity on the spear's tip flared up and she turned abruptly, loosing it in the direction she thought she remembered her opponent standing. "You won't kill me!" she screeched, holding the spear tightly and tensing herself up for the retaliation, wherever it came from.

However, there was no retaliation, just the sound of a scream to confirm that her shot had hit - but it wasn't his. It was the Umbreon's. It was Laura's.

For a second, Jones stood still, straddling the line between memory and reality, until what looked like a paw made of shadows reached out of the sandstorm and slapped her. She winced, her frill lowering very slowly, and rubbed the spot on her face where the blow had landed. With the sandstorm clearing away now, she was able to quite clearly see Laura standing on the other side of the fighting grounds, her fur on end from electricity. She was calling forfeit, though Jones still felt restless.

A paw landed on Jones's shoulder, as if someone was preparing to hold her back. Jones brushed it back and whirled on the paw's owner, a male Meowstic whose blue fur was accentuated with bright yellow face paints. "Get off of me, Cheshire," she snapped. "I'm not gonna go nuts."

She then walked across the grounds, still standing on her toes and twitching her tail in agitation. "Had a flashback," she said, by way of explanation. She felt like she maybe owed Laura a little more information for attacking so viciously, but she wasn't sure how to phrase 'I had a flashback that made me think you were my dad that I killed so I was trying to murder you as brutally as I could, sorry' in a way that wouldn't sound dumb, so she didn't bother trying. "Whatever the heck that light thing you hit me with was, it was potent. Strong. I couldn't even tell what you were going for because it mumbo-jumboed me too hard. That thing you did at the end, though, wasn't as good. Not sure what it was, but it wasn't much of a show-stopper. You're fragile like me so you gotta focus on taking your opponent down."

[Noblejanobii]

Athena Pallas the Decidueye
The Gracidea Order
A bar in Lytala City

Athena watched the single television in the bar with complete and utter disinterest. The place was packed, every traveller in the area huddled in with few respects for personal space. They wanted to see the opening ceremonies that badly, it seemed. Athena took a careful sip from her drink, sparkling pecha cider with a shot of drapion vodka. Said to contain the poison from the beast itself, Athena had always been partial to it since one of the other girls had introduced it to her in the early days. Still, she was not drunk enough yet to revel in the events that took place on the television.

Her ladyship, Queen Total Ego, stepped out on stage to give a speech. Athena could see a few males in the corner making less than subtle sexual gestures. As if they’d ever get that unlucky with the queen. But then, all of hell broke loose. A toxicroak was on the stage faster than the blink of an eye, making a killing strike with the slash of his sword. But, his plan did not go accordingly, it was easy to see in his shocked expression as his air sac was popped. Athena instinctively placed a hand against her throat, feeling that cut somewhat on a spiritual level. Still, this had somewhat… unlikeable desires on the tavern gowers. Everyone was cheering and ordering more rounds of alcohol. There were plenty of places that Athena would rather be. Though from the sound of the explosions and celebrations outside, the situation out there was not much more favorable. Taking another sip of her drink, Athena paused to question why she was here. As if to answer the silent thought, a hand slammed down on the bar next to her. Athena glanced up to see her escort, a lurantis and a medicham, standing over her. As yes, that’s why.

Athena closed her eyes, recalling the events of a few days prior that had forced her into this situation. She had been at her home in Hana City, her husband due home from work any minute now. Her children, Lilliane and Marx, were playing in the living room while Athena cooked dinner to be ready for her husband’s arrival. Everything was fine until the sounds of play stopped, causing Athena to be sent on alert. As quietly as she could, Athena turned off the stove and prepared to attack the potential intruder in her house. Peeking her head around the corner, she spotted the perpetrator, a hydreigon wearing the robes of a Black Lotus assassin. The soulless kakó was stealing her children. Well now, that simply would not do. Prepping a spirit shackle attack, Athena took a deep breath in when suddenly the front door opened.

“Athena, Lilliane, Marx! I’m… home…” Brunswick froze at the sight of the hydreigon, the dragon clutching his children in either hand. Brunswick reacted, but the hydreigon was faster. Shooting out the window, the assassin fled, the rowlet and noibat still in his clutches. Athena fired her spirit shackle but the arrow barely missed, the hydreigon dodging at the last minute.

“That kakó!” Athena screeched, dashing out the window and taking flight after the Black Lotus member. Her black feathers spread, shooting Athena through the air as she slowly started to gain on the assassin. She could hear Brunswick not too far behind, and from the shouts on the street below, the neighbors had spotted the assassin as well. Signaling to the people below that she was going to attack, Athena tucked in her wings. She was going to do something risky, she only hoped Brunswick or someone else would be able to catch her children if she could not. Beginning to spin, Athena shot forward in a burst of green light and slammed into the assassin’s back. The hydreigon screeched from the pain of the bug attack and lost his grip on Lilliane. The noibat, still learning how to fly properly, tumbled down below, flapping her wings as best she could. Thankfully, several vines shot out to cushion the noibat’s fall, the combined effort of Athena’s neighbors preventing Lilliane from being harmed. As Athena swung back to her original position, she sighed in a little relief. One down, one to go.

Preparing another U-turn, Athena started to dive again when an alakazam appeared out of thin air. Spotting Athena, the alakazam fired a signal beam at Athena. Unable to dodge, Athena took the brunt of the hit head on and was reflected back to her original position. Brunswick took the opportunity to try an attack of his own, getting so close he could almost touch Marx, but a close range dragon pulse had sent the noivern spiraling. Athena tried to reach her son in time, but it was too late, the alakazam and hydreigon teleported away right as Athena was in reach, Marx still in their clutches.

Extremely distraught, Athena and Brunswick had contacted the Gracidea Order about the incident. An agent was deployed to meet with them and right as the noctowl arrived, a letter appeared on their doorstep. The message was simple, participate in the Tempest Festival, or Marx is never seen or heard from again. The letter did not specify which parent was to go, and Brunswick was pretty adamant about his going to fight due to the risks and highly likely possibility of the amount of strain and stress it would put on Athena’s body. But somehow, Athena had managed to convince Brunswick to let her go.

So here Athena was, in a bar in Lytala City, about to participate in the Tempest Festival. With multiple lives at risk, Athena was not entirely sure why she had convinced Brunswick to let her participate instead of him. Maybe it was because she felt she had been through more than him and could survive longer. Maybe it was because she had brought Marx into this world and she sure as hell was not going to be letting anyone take him out after only three years of life. Maybe it was because Marx’s screams as he had been taken away still rang in her ears. But no, while all of those were some part of the reason why Athena had convinced Brunswick to not participate, they were not the true reason. It was because Athena had learned a lesson a long time ago that the Black Lotus was about to learn the hard way, courtesy of their new professor, a decidueye that was out for blood. After all, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, especially if that woman was a mother. Athena was getting her son back, even if she had to slit the throat of that arrogant lilligant herself.

“We’re leaving,” the medicham grunted. Athena glanced at her drink, mentally slapping herself for drinking something alcoholic. That was a stupid move for a number of reasons, even if it did steady her nerves. Athena could hear Brunswick scolding her mentally right now. Standing up, she followed behind the two ladies. Athena began to scan through the city, examining it best she could for any possible places that Marx could be held captive. If she were an evil organization bent on spreading misery to those who threatened it, where would she take the stolen child of one of the rebellion’s foremost killers? Well quite candidly she’d flaunt the child like their was no tomorrow, show what power she truly held to make people both fear and respect her. But that was just Athena’s take on things. Each person had their own ways of going about kidnapping and torture. Still, as they neared their destination, the Gracidea Order’s makeshift headquarters in Lytala City, Athena felt her blood beginning to boil. Some heads were going to roll tomorrow, and they certainly weren’t going to be hers.

[Steel Lunpara]

Chance the Zangoose
Prankster Platoon
Lytala City, Tempest Festival Central Stadium

Chance was bleeding. This was not good.

It wasn't a very large cut- Just a lucky swipe across the arm. His enemy had started bleeding first, and this was good. The punk gets lightheaded within a few minutes, and by then the fight is over. He'll die in that alley soon enough- That's what happens when you pick fights with strangers- But Chance was bleeding, and this was not good. He pulled a bandage around it and stepped into the crowds. He wasn't as excited as the others, but interested enough to at least show up in person. It's good for networking, or something like that.

Chance looked out into the crowd surrounding him. They were already going wild, bursting with anticipation for the games ahead. Old Taiya knew what she was doing, that was for sure. Not that she had to work hard for it, of course, half the audience was so intoxicated he doubted they could actually hear her words. "Dead by morning..." Chance couldn't afford anything but sobriety.

Something changed on the stage, in the crowd. In an instant, a Toxicroak had made a lunge for the Queen, and just as quickly, he was ripped open, laying broken on the floor. Perfect, so perfect, just like always. "Idiot..." he muttered, his voice being lost in the cheers of the crowd. Maybe they weren't planning it, but the Lotus certainly let it happen, they probably didn't even have to warn Her about it. Did he seriously think they wouldn't expect him? He wasn't the first assassin to come into this stadium, but he would be the last to make a move today. Deserved every bit of punishment he got.

Dead assassins, stoned opponents, fights already breaking out... Chance leaned back and lit up a smoke. Maybe a good cut's not so bad after all.

[Death's Spook]

Anthony Carpenter-Weaver (Mimikyu)
Steel Scavengers
Unknown Location

“So like, why do you keep doing this, Anthony?”

It is a bizarre tableaux. A strange Mimikyu and a Volcarona are in front of a recently dug grave. There is no name on the grave, and it is instead marked with “PYROAR: If only fate took a different path.”

To those unacquainted with the Anthony, the question would be a very valid one. After all, the Pyroar died because Anthony killed her for trying to assassinate him. In the land of Xia, leaving her corpse out in the open to rot or putting her in a mass burial pit would not have been very unusual. But Anthony insisted on burying her personally, as he had, whenever practical, with everyone who has tried to kill him.

Anthony’s hiss is far closer to a sigh than a statement of aggression, “We have been over this, Magenta.”

The moth’s wings flare out, “You mean you’ve, like, told me what you thought was an explanation. But ‘because no one else will’ so isn’t a good reason to do, like, almost anything. Why are you so insistent on this? Do you feel, like, guilty? She tried to freaking kill you, Anthony!”

Anthony is quiet for a moment before he replies, “No, I do not feel guilty about killing her, my friend. It was her choice to force a situation in which one of us had to die, and I chose to be the survivor without compunction. But while I do not feel guilty about this, I still feel sad. I mourn her not as she was, but for what she could have been. In a different circumstance, could we have been friends? Could we have helped one another? Could she have done some good in the world, rather than die for a failed attempt at a false glory? I wonder the same things about everyone who does ill in the world, to be honest. I do this because I fear I am one of the few to ask these questions, to have the presence of mind to mourn her and others like her. Her family, if she still has any, is unlikely to know what happened. Her employers are likely to conclude that she was simply too weak a pawn, shrug off her death, and continue on with their lives like nothing has happened. So yes, I feel it falls to me, her potential victim, to feel sadness for her passing.”

The Sun Pokémon gives her leader a long look. “To be honest, I think what you’re saying is completely insane.”

Anthony gives a sharp laugh, “Perhaps you’re correct, but I refuse to give it up all the same. You are free to leave your service to me, if you so choose.”

Magenta favors Anthony with a fond expression, “Nah, this entire world is, like, totally bonkers anyway. I’ll stick with your brand of it any day.”

The Grand Lady (Tsareena) and Max Clerk (Klinklang)
Steel Scavengers
En Route to Westfal

The Grand Lady may not be Queen Taiya, but she is definitely the queen of this little entourage.

The Tsareena rather enjoys being feared and revered, which includes the advantage of her own personal vehicle--a modded RV armored and armed to the teeth, for all it did not look that way--on this little road. Further, being known for her wrath means that the introverted Lady can reliably ensure that very few would want to share it.

Of course, ‘very few’ is importantly different from ‘no one’, given the Sharpedo lazing around in without a care in the world. A Klinklang is pacing in front of a whiteboard, immersed in some calculation or another.

The Sharpedo gives his fellow Knight a lazy smirk before asking, “So, any news on our favorite event of the year?”

The Lady’s expression is calm as she looks up from her portable television screen, arching one eyebrow at the cocksure shark, “Yes, actually. Do you remember telling me that some friends of friends of yours were making a move tonight?” The Sharpedo nods as best as he can as the Lady turns her television around to him, “It would appear that they failed most miserably.”

He watches, then sighs before giving an eloquent, “Well, damn.”

“You seem to be remarkably level headed about this.” The Lady’s statement would fail to ask the question of anyone other than one of her fellow Knights.

“If I got worked up about everyone who tried to kill Taiya and failed, I wouldn’t have much else I would be doing, now would I? I’m more annoyed that this little show doesn’t tell us anything new about Ante.”

The Lady takes back the television and gives the screen a glare, as though trying to intimidate it to reveal more about Queen Taiya’s ace in the hole. She gives it one last look of digust before saying, “It’s strange. What she’s doing feels almost familiar.”

The Sharpedo laughs, “Well, that’s not surprising. You already have a lot of people who compare you to Taiya, you know.”

“These people all have one thing in common.”

“Oh?”

“They are complete idiots.”

At her friend’s somewhat surprised expression, The Lady continues, “The primary similarities between Taiya and I are superficial. We are both female grass types traditionally considered elegant and who are competent at combat. That tells you absolutely nothing about the kind of people we are, how we choose to accomplish our aims, and other actually important things, which are quite different. No, Arlington, I am not saying she’s familiar because she reminds me of myself.”

Arlington’s voiced is bemused as he asks, “Well, who does she remind you of?”

“She reminds me of Anthony.”

All trace of amusement is gone from Arlington’s voice, and anger is evident in his mostly level words, “Taiya is nothing like Anthony.”

The Lady holds up a hand, “Calm yourself, Arlington. Their morals are nothing alike, but it is their tactics and positions on the board that I am interested in with this analysis.”

The shark gnashes his teeth in annoyance, calmer than before but not wholly mollified, “Tell me.”

“Both the Lilligant and Anthony demonstrate an extremely high awareness of their surroundings. Taiya just thwarted an assassination that should have been a complete surprise as though she saw it coming from a thousand Golurk-paces away. It reminds me very directly of Anthony, who’s done that at least seven times that I can count.”

Arlington huffs, then asks, “What do you mean by ‘positions on the board’?”

“Essentially, if this were a chess board, Taiya and Anthony would be the kings. They’re the most important pieces, the ones without which the game could not continue. If we kill Taiya, we show the world that the Black Lotus is not invincible, that they are not strong. If they kill Anthony, they break quite possibly the most important symbol of hope that Xia has.”

Arlington thinks for a second, “So what is this whole entourage supposed to accomplish, other than getting lots of people horribly killed for the sliver of a chance of getting a fun little shiny? Anthony wouldn’t have agreed to risk three of his Knights if he didn’t think there was a good reason.”

The Lady nods, “We’re hoping to accomplish some or all of quite a few objectives. To extend the chess metaphor, the queen,” The Grand Lady calmly indicates herself before gesturing at both of the other present Knights, “and the bishop pair are invading the other side of the board. Maybe for a material advantage, maybe for a mating attack. Essentially, Anthony and I both think that opportunity is knocking.”

Arlington gives The Grand Lady a shrewd look, “I suppose you would decide that you’re the most powerful piece on the board. Why are Max Clerk and I the bishop pair in your little metaphor?” The Klinklang looks up from their calculations, curious about the conversation.

“Because each of you has certain blind spots and vulnerabilities almost perfectly covered by the other one. You’re a terrifyingly good team when you’re working together, and keeping you both well coordinated should make it more difficult for Taiya and her little group to form a counter attack.”

The Sharpedo rolls his eyes with an accommodating, “If you insist, Lady.”

There is, of course, one point about the chess metaphors that The Grand Lady refuses to state.

Yes, the queen is the most powerful piece, a dangerous attacking force in her own right that exerts control from far away. But in the game, the queen is far from the be all and end all of strategy: she is frequently taken off to remove the opponent’s equally imposing female deity, or to open a vulnerability to catch the opponent’s king in a mating net. Even when she is helping checkmate the king, the final position is frequently one where the queen can theoretically be captured.

So yes, The Grand Lady decided she is the queen because she is the most powerful. But she also decided that because she refuses to allow any of her friends to be at a greater risk than herself.

[Neo Emolga]

OPENING CEREMONY NIGHT WILL BE ENDING SOON

Tricky Ravken the Raichu
Black Lotus - Onyx Circle
Outside The Low Blow Bar, Syngraft

Tricky wasn't thrilled she couldn't be there in person to see the Opening Ceremony, but she understood that Black Lotus couldn't have every one of their special operatives all in the same stadium all at once. But she was able to watch it on portable television while stationed at the shabby town of Syngraft, which looked like something more out of a post-apocalyptic junktown. And to the happy-go-lucky Raichu, the Low Blow Bar smelled awful in a funny way.

She had gotten a Spine Twister cocktail while her sidekick, Kust the Whimsicott, was sipping Brass Balls vodka. Tricky couldn't help but admire her drink was a lovely blend of red and pink while Kust could have been sipping water and she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference, save for the fact that whatever it was had been getting him wasted very quickly. But, rather than sit in the bar, they decided to take their drinks back to the black Ensign military personnel carrier Tricky had parked just outside. Tricky couldn't stand the smell in the bar itself. She could have sworn it stuck like a Snorlax farted out the aftermath of a greasy breakfast burrito.

"So remind me what in Murhe's name we're doing here?" Kust asked her Raichu companion, before suddenly finding it funny and laughing. "I wanted to see that assassination attempt in person! Taiya gutted that dude like a fish!"

Tricky snorted. It was obvious Kust was already well on his way toward getting wasted. To her, she had noticed the giant, oversized cotton ball really couldn't hold his liquor for the life of him.

"We're here..." Tricky told him before giggling a bit, "Oh shut up! No, we're here because I needed a drink. You obviously needed one, too. And that became... ha, ha... that became too many! Look at you! You always have that stupid smile on when you're drunk."

Tricky sat back in her seat and propped her feet up on the steering bar. At the moment, things were a bit spacey. She knew she needed to head into Jadeblossom in the morning, but the exact reasons were written down. She figured she could just review that tomorrow.

"And you've had six of those so far?" Kust asked, trying to do the basic math that was failing him at the moment. "Six or five? I think I've had six. I mean, not those, but... well, these. Or something like that. I haven't been counting. It's like that movie Raw Strut where Dubie and Olam are drinking Crazy Eights and then the camera pans away and you find out they left the bar without paying and ended up in a doctor's waiting room and-"

"No, you pissing Pichu, you're thinking of Hangover Hitchhiker," Tricky laughed, nudging the Whimsicott. "Holy Murhe, Kust, why do you keep making that mistake? I don't know what in piss name is Raw Strut, but-"

"Raw Strut," Kust laughed, snipping his vodka again, "Rawwww Strut."

He then began laughing hysterically, spilling his vodka a bit onto the black, padded floor of the Ensign truck.

"Oh piss, I knew I should have booked a hotel room before drinking this much," Tricky said anxiously just seconds before suddenly bursting into hysterical laughter again. "Unless you wanna sleep here?"

"In here?" Kust laughed again. "I mean, why not here? Hotel probably smells like pee-pee. "

"I'm too drive to drunk, custard," Tricky snorted, giggling for a few good seconds before sipping her pink and red cocktail again. "I'm enough to sleep here. Somewhere. I think I still have cash."

"I can drive," Kust nodding, pointing to the steering bar. "Or... well, it's straight until 13. Or 10? Somewhere we get off at 10. That seems kinda late if you ask me. I can't drive at that hour but I'm definitely old enough to."

"No, you'd drive us right into the Eastsplit River thinking that was the highway, custard!" Tricky laughing, shoving her paws into his chest. "I can't wet tonight, dude. I mean, I just can't. I've been working all day and there's no way in fate's name I'm cooking anything tonight."

Kust nodded, totally thinking that was the best idea he had heard all night.

"So we'll just go with my idea," Kust said in a serious tone before suddenly laughing. "It mean, it was my idea, after all. We can just sleep here, not have to pay a toll, and I'll see what the weather is like tomorrow. We're not on call anyway. We don't have to listen to that crappy music in there either."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Tricky replied before leaning back to relax, only to pass out and suddenly drop the remainder of her cocktail on the floor in a puddle.

"Classic Trixie," Kust snorted as he took another sip, not even realizing Tricky was out like a light. "There's no way in plant's name I'm watching Raw Strut again with you. Can't stand that movie. I woke up twice before the movie was done. Shows you how bad it was."

And he spent the rest of the night talking completely to himself before drifting off to an alcohol-induced sleep.