A Rat's Guide to Glory
- Thread starter Naron
- Start date
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
I mean. This isn't so much predictable as it is pretty normal.
We could try to be more unpredictable if you want us to be. Not saying that the unpredictable votes would win mind you, given that most of the time action votes are "Keep it simple stupid".
Honestly speaking, maybe we should've joined Liu instead. Our tactics fit them more than they do Hana lol. Have we even do anything much aside from "Unga Bunga and Hope for the Best" ?
We did it with that first Index Syndicate, we pretty much did the same thing with the W-Corp job, and we are doing the same now.
Maybe we should try to call Agnus more often. That will make us more Hana like me thinks.
We could try to be more unpredictable if you want us to be. Not saying that the unpredictable votes would win mind you, given that most of the time action votes are "Keep it simple stupid".
Honestly speaking, maybe we should've joined Liu instead. Our tactics fit them more than they do Hana lol. Have we even do anything much aside from "Unga Bunga and Hope for the Best" ?
We did it with that first Index Syndicate, we pretty much did the same thing with the W-Corp job, and we are doing the same now.
Maybe we should try to call Agnus more often. That will make us more Hana like me thinks.
DuoRogue
Eternal Space Raptor
- Pronouns
- It/Its
on one hand the vote was "the faster this is done the less chance to go wrong", a la yesod floor (enemy can't fuck with you if they're dead). unfortunately the prophet was underestimated and our backup was someone we cared about so it went bad but hey learning experience
on the other hand never forget that i didnt want hana
its not good guy plays, its investing in our future! think about how much better off ciel will be with an accomplished contract fixer on our side. It was actually for perfectly reasonable and definitely self-serving motives.
though honestly theres probably something to be said there that most selfish actions end up worse for the person in the long run. if you fuck over everyone you meet and leave them to die eventually you'll never have any backup, and while that's far more extreme than trusting parvati to handle herself it gets the point across - helping others is an investment in your future, and most people can agree that a hundred bucks tomorrow is better than ten bucks today
Last edited:
- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- He/Him/They/Them
To be Fair it's the city so a bit of Paranoia is warranted.
Grade 6 - 6; One Does Not Fall in Love; One Grows Into Love, And Love Grows in Them
- Location
- Earth
[] Finish the job, no matter how long it takes
There is only one answer even though you know full well how hard it will be to balance this alongside other jobs. It will cost money to get the information you need and get a hold of the prophet again. But you came too far to stop now.
So you take a dreep breath and look Giano square in the eyes. "I will keep going. How about you?"
The redhead snorts; you both know the answer, but it feels polite to ask because it is not technically her job. Giano presses a fist to her cocked hips and lets another smirk show. "You're definitely worth investing a little more time into. Either that, or too dumb to understand what you're getting into."
Parvati tries hard not to laugh at the side while you make a face and try to defend yourself: "I have an idea, don't worry. But I think I can handle it."
"Good." Giano drops the pose and turns to leave. "We get to it tomorrow, I'll go and have them extract a proper picture of the prophet from my memories. That way we know where they go if they drop the illusions for a while."
"How much is that?" you have to ask while dreading the answer, but Giano just laughs.
"Surprisingly cheap when you're Hana. Cheers!"
She strides away with a wave, leaving you and Parvati alone in the side alley you met up in.
A moment of awkward silence follows as you consider each other before looking away. You should get back to work or something like that, but that concern is somehow far from your mind right now. The conversation you had before getting to the meeting point returns to the forefront and makes your ears grow hot again. You still do not know how exactly Parvati feels about you.
"Oh screw it."
A moment later she is in your personal space and presses a kiss to your cheek, eyes almost as wide as your own. "I didn't really say it earlier, so... thanks, for looking out for me. Do you want to go grab a bite to eat?"
...that answers that.
You slowly trace the spot her lips just were, elated more than anything. The nod comes easy. "Sure."
"Alright, come on then."
She takes your hand just like before and you leave as well for what may be a casual date. You are still not entirely sure this is something romantic, but you can at least try and see. Though it does take you several blocks before the irony of it really hammers into you. A soft snort escapes your throat and draws Parvati's attention.
Seeing her gaze, you just shrug. "I just realised how we come at this from a weird direction, considering we already sleep in the same bed."
She was about to comment but hums in understanding once you finish. "That's fair. Now stop thinking so much and come on, we're burning sunshine."
It is more a figure of speech, considering how little natural light makes it into this concrete jungle; you still abide by it and move faster to follow Parvati. Just a bite to eat and some conversation, it feels almost the same as all the times you did that before; yet you know this is different, though not bad. You tactfully do not say anything when Parvati orders her favourite steak, either.
Life changes only somewhat from then on. There is no great shift or change, just some slight ones; the occasional touch or clasping of hands, a few softer words when heading out. True to your agreement, Parvati no longer takes the same jobs as you and vice versa; the separation hurts a little because you only really see her in the office and at home. Even then her evenings are often spent buried in lawbooks and going through notes too, so you take over cooking for her and Mai.
Meanwhile, your own work continues despite the hunt for the Prophet of Yesteryear. All that changes is the paradigm, from the occasional Urban Legend you rather grab the safer Urban Myths and continue to complete these cases on your own or with small groups. Jett asks some pointed questions about the prophet's case, but accepts that they went to ground with a stoic nod. You and Giano both talk to various people to find a hint, both with knowledge of the prophet's powers and their 'regular' appearance in hand. Money changes hands quite frequently and you do make progress, but the first two attempts end at hastily evacuated safehouses.
It is a significant dent in your finances, so much so that you can not afford any other large purchases. No new augments, no gadgets or anything. The fact a bad hit to your Lucerne requires maintenance at a Stigma facility only adds to it, same as the one time a mutated super-dog bites off your leg and you need it reattached. That was definitely not a 'puppy' as declared in the job description and Jett agrees to have someone audit the case for a lawsuit.
All in all you can keep yourself out of the red if nothing else. Parvati does much the same and makes steady progress in her studies, though the course Giano recommended will take a full year to complete. It has only been two months since the prophet first escaped when Mai catches on to things having changed.
"What's with you two lately?" she asks blankly at dinner. "You have been acting odd."
Your gaze wanders to meet Parvati's, who is faintly uncomfortable. You discussed talking to Mai a week ago but decided not to just yet; going out is nice enough, but neither of you quite knows if this will last yet. It is a small miracle she needed two months to notice.
Parvati is the one to answer her sister in the end: "A few things changed. We're not working as a team anymore, for one. Ciel's jobs are just too much for me to keep up with." It clearly hurts her to admit to Mai of all people, but her sister just nods and keeps looking expectantly until she gives. "We're also kinda-sorta dating."
"Huh. Okay."
You both turn back to Mai, who seems to have lost interest. Parvati is more dumbfounded than you at the sudden change in attitude. "That's it?"
"Yeah, I kinda figured already." Seeing her sister's look, she rolls her eyes. "I'm tired, not stupid. How long?"
"About two months," you provide while Parvati chuckles awkwardly. "But we still don't really know if this will really go anywhere, so we didn't want to bring it up yet."
Mai just shrugs. "If it does, it does. If it doesn't, it doesn't. I get it." She still eyes you with some speculation before going back to her food. "But I guess sis could have done far worse. You're fun enough to hang out with."
"Thank you so much for the high praise," you shoot back drily. Mai smirks and Parvati cracks a smile right after. You just shake your head and get back to your own food.
After half a night of somewhat peaceful sleep, you wake to a message from Giano. Short, sweet, and nerve-wracking: 'Found the prophet. Meet at the usual place right after NiB'. You are immediately on edge and get up to dress and find an early breakfast. Night in the Backstreets only lasts another thirty minutes. The Sweepers are theoretically past your home already, but nobody will risk going outside now; you did it once for a job and will not do so again unless you must.
No ten minutes later, a sleepy Parvati stumbles inside to watch you tear into some jerky.
"What's up with you this early? It's barely past four."
You need a moment to swallow, already moving around to clear your things away from the kitchen. "Giano wants to meet up early, she found the prophet. I think she got pissed after the last time they slipped away just before we got there."
"Yeah, that sounded like a dumb evening from what you told me." Parvati rubs her eyes but keeps standing there to watch you go this way and that. "You think it'll work this time?"
"They can't keep getting away," you respond, though worry bubbles underneath that certainty. The last two months were difficult to balance in terms of time, work, and funds. But you do not let that show and throw Parvati a little smile. "You should get back and catch some more sleep. Don't you have a test on Friday?"
"Yeah. Probably a good idea." She still stays where she is a moment longer, clearly thinking of something.
You find out what is the the next time you bustle by her; Parvati grabs your arm and holds you back, then presses a chaste kiss to your lips. It stops you and your thoughts short even after she pulled back. Parvati grins and kisses you once more before letting go. "For good luck," she whispers. "Go get 'em and you'll get another."
The gesture has your heart swell, but you will not just let it stand like this. Parvati does not even try to evade when you follow her to kiss her back, though neither of you lingers. You just grin back.
"I'll hold you to that."
She huffs and turns around to get back to bed while you finish preparing for your early day. If anyone notices the little spring in your step the first few minutes, they do not comment. Not like there are many passersby so soon after Night in the Backstreets.
Giano awaits you at the usual spot, a little café you took to planning in over coffee. It became your regular spot mainly because a Seven branch Office is basically next door, so some of Giano's contacts could come by directly to talk.
The woman herself is meticulously dressed as usual, though you started to suspect that Hana uniforms are made to smooth themselves out. Her eyes have slight bags but her bun is tight as usual and she greets you with a grin despite the early hour. "Good to see you can react quickly. Ready to finish this?"
You simply nod, all thoughts of things outside the mission forgotten. The last two months gave you practice focussing on nothing but that; watching Giano do it helped a lot, too.
The two of you glide above the neighbourhood in an almost eerie silence, only interrupted by the occasional pitter-patter of feet on rooftops whenever you land and make for the next jump. Nothing needs to be said as Giano leads the way, already familiar with this particular area. You do not leave the residential district for a while, to the point you have to worry about skirting laws. Yet eventually the route takes you into a neighbouring industrial area that already fills with activity as menial workers stream in to slave away for a pittance.
"This way," Giano calls and points to a less crowded area; the grinding of gears and machinery grows less pronounced among a number of warehouses.
And then fortune favours you for once. You spot movement mid-jump and your eyes widen; the next time you land, you quickly slap Giano's arm for attention and point sideways, then shush her. The lead changes from her to you as she waits for directions.
One more jump carries you on top of another roof, where both of you can see the person you were looking for. Six spidery prosthetic legs that attach to a mechanical lower body, which runs out into a flesh and blood upper one. The Prophet of Yesteryear used to hide most of the mechanical parts in a white robe, but that is now replaced with more casual clothes to blend in. They seem to be out on a walk, only casually glancing around. No guards in sight.
This is almost too good to be true, but there really is no one you can spot from your perch. Giano seems equally conflicted for a moment, then she shrugs and points decisively at the prophet. You agree; even if this is a setup, you need to take the risk. This is the best opportunity you had in two months.
You begin to shadow the prophet's motions atop the roof while Giano scales around to the other side for a pincer maneuver. They remain unaware for the minute it takes. She makes a few motions to tell you to do it.
Looking back down, you feel the old anger flare back up. This thing dared to wear Mu's face for some selfish reason. It ran away so long and so far that you needed to spend a lot of money and time to catch up.
Your knuckles turn white with how hard you clasp your weapon, knees bending as you get ready. The prophet nears an intersection and starts to turn their bald head this way or that as if uncertain.
You leap, hurtling through the air behind them.
Half a second passes. Then one second.
The prophet stiffens as you land with a quiet thud just ten metres behind them. They start whirling around but get pushed off-balance by a heavy gale before you follow up with an angry swing. The Lucerne's hammerhead smashes their mechanical abdomen and fries whatever is inside; you can smell melted plastics while the prophet's legs spasm.
They start to scream as you pull back, but can not scramble away with the damage taken. A kick to the face shuts them up and sends teeth flying, then you ram the business end of your Lucerne through it.
The prophet's body keeps spasming for long seconds as their brain gets cooked inside the skull. You watch with gritted teeth how your mission ends, almost anticlimactic. Personally, you are just glad it is over.
You pull the weapon out once your target stops thrashing, then swing again to cut off the head entirely. Then you stomp on it just to make sure they can't do any body cloning surgery or other shenanigans. It makes a mess of your shoes and trousers, but you do not care right now.
Soft clapping from Giano draws your attention to the redhead who comes walking up. A few passersby are staring in horrified surprise, too dumbfounded by the sudden violence to engage their flight instincts. Neither of you pays them any mind as Giano offers a thumbs up.
"Well done, that should wrap things up. Just one thing for you to keep in mind for the future: focussing on the head is good, but don't ignore the rest of your enemy. Those legs could have done some nasty damage if they hadn't sucked."
"Maybe if they got some better augments and not shitty prosthetics," you mutter with a kick to the corpse. "Let's get going before anyone shows up. Breakfast?"
Giano nods and takes a few pictures of the body, which you belatedly do as well. Then you get going to have some actual food. It took half an hour to get here at a sprint, you will need at least a full hour to get back into your own neighbourhood.
"Is now the time to apply?" You ask a few minutes into the journey. "Or should I wait a few days for the report to go through?"
"No idea," Giano retorts with a shrug. "But I'd say put in the application right after the report so it gets seen in succession, that's kind of what I did. It will take a little while for Hana to deliberate either way. I don't know the details."
You just nod and start mulling over what to do in the meantime. Actually, considering it is December already...
"Any chance it will happen this year?"
"Very possible, maybe your assignment starts before Christmas. Maybe after New Year's. And that's assuming you make it in, but I'm not worried there with this showing."
You nod in turn, tension slowly leaving your body to be replaced by relief. It is finally over after two months of work.
Giano offers to pay for food as congratulations, which you accept without much thought. Your thoughts are elsewhere, first on the report you spend half of the day writing and proof-reading, then on how to prepare. Parvati takes your mind off it for a few minutes with the promised kisses, but then she gives your report another pass while you write up your application for Hana Association. One is given to Jett, the other handed in at the Hana Office directly; Giano wears that familiar smirk when you hand it over, once again on receptionist duty.
After that you are back to deciding what to do. You will earn a decent paycheck for completing an Urban Plague, even if a chunk of that goes to Giano. Tax money has been put aside for months by now and you will not attack those reserves for anything, but now you will have... a lot of money. Definitely enough to prepare with, though you do not know for what.
Outside of funds however, you also need to think of favours to follow up on. The Shi assassin still owes you, but he will probably not like you calling it in without warning. Outside of Hifumi however, you can only think of Dexter in terms of people who may help you here. Not to mention that there may be other things you can do to prepare.
You imagine between one and three weeks until the answer from Hana comes in. What do you do in that time?
[] Prep Plan Name Here
-[] Spend money on...
--[] Nothing (save it all for use during the examination)
--[] Augments
--[] Singularities
--[] Equipment
-[] Call/request a favour from...
--[] Dexter
--[] Hifumi / Shadow
-[] write-in other preparations?
Plan votes only. You may feel free to write in specifics, I will tell you if something is out of Ciel's price range. Of note is that Ciel will hold back some money for extra expenses unless the voted spending goes hard against it; I will mention that for a given plan, though.
If you think of something Ciel ought to prepare that I forgot, you can write it in as well. Just remember, they are not allowed to hire any help. Favours only.
Lastly, we have a twenty-four hour Moratorium. Do not, I repeat, do not vote for 24 hours!
-Ciel's Wealth changes from "Afloat" to "Really Well Off" (or rather 'will change soon')
- Location
- Russia
I don't think Ciel will consider it without IC reasons so it doesn't really matter now.
*As long as it's not a bite of me....*
Now imagine if we had decided to marry for tax reasons.
And that's the *price* of taking this job instead of letting it get away.
Short term vs long term, since we are still on the road for Hana in exchange.
Was it named Spot and looked like this too:
And yes, this is a dog named *spot*, that's basically what *Cerberus* means.
Well, being tired can make you stupid....
Ok.
What's the catch?
Wait, there was no catch?
Huh, Ciel is right, that was almost anticlimactic.
Glad this is over though.
Ok, plan, plan, first things first, we need some more augments, but needs to keep a little money for *just in case* during the job, probably best to use the two favors, they are there for that, as for other preparation, I was thinking on taking a pic of Pavati to look at during the job, begin talking about how *one last job and we're good*, write a letter to Pavati during the job to send in case of our death, reminisce about our time with the pack... let's see, am I missing some?
Anyway:
[] Plan: Planplan
-[] Spend money on...
--[] Augments
--[] Singularities
--[] Prioritize singularities
-[] Call/request a favour from...
--[] Dexter
--[] Hifumi / Shadow
-[] Familiarize yourself with all new equipment
Something like that?
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
A bit too expensive in my opinion.
Personally, if we do go for singularity, I'd just go straight for K bullets or Fairies/Locks due to how crucial/versatile they are.
- Location
- Earth
Ciel can afford one of each at decent quality, yes.
Last edited:
About what I hoped, so going for it when voting comes.
In this scenario, I would actually suggest holding on to the money. We have no idea what the exam will entail, and money is flexible. Ciel won't be able to hire people, but they can still use money to buy information or specific tools for the job. If we are going for common singularities like K corp stuff we may as well hold on to the money and use it when needed.
Hifumi should definitely be called (I mean, that is why we didn't use him for the prophet right?). I don't know about Dexter, Dexter will probably just request for money through a contract or something.
Not sure what other preparation to do though... It's hard to prepare for a blank assignment, I'll say just trust in Ciel to be good enough for whatever they can throw?
Hifumi should definitely be called (I mean, that is why we didn't use him for the prophet right?). I don't know about Dexter, Dexter will probably just request for money through a contract or something.
Not sure what other preparation to do though... It's hard to prepare for a blank assignment, I'll say just trust in Ciel to be good enough for whatever they can throw?
Dybbukpossesed
Falling Somewhere
- Location
- California
[ ] Plan: All-rounder
-[ ] Spend money on...
--[ ] Augments
--[ ] Equipment
-[ ] Call/request a favour from...
--[ ] Dexter
--[ ] Hifumi / Shadow
-[ ] Familiarize yourself with all new equipment
Augments are always a good investment and that ring we got last time we went equipment shopping has paid major dividends so grabbing something similar could be a big leg up. Beyond that I definitely think calling in the favor with Hifumi is necessary. Not 100% sure about Dexter though.
-[ ] Spend money on...
--[ ] Augments
--[ ] Equipment
-[ ] Call/request a favour from...
--[ ] Dexter
--[ ] Hifumi / Shadow
-[ ] Familiarize yourself with all new equipment
Augments are always a good investment and that ring we got last time we went equipment shopping has paid major dividends so grabbing something similar could be a big leg up. Beyond that I definitely think calling in the favor with Hifumi is necessary. Not 100% sure about Dexter though.
I'm all for getting more equipment, especially if it's something similar to the Galeforece ring. That thing has paid back it's worth and then some. Augments are never a bad thing to have, but I'm a bit iffy about getting a singularity. Not because I don't think it would be cool or useful, but because I'm worried it will make us a much more tempting target for theft. If we do go for a singularity, what singularities should we aim for outside of the usual op lock/key? If we want to go down the 'Golden Hoard' route we talked about earlier, a hammerspace might be a good option. It would let us carry around more bulky and unwieldy equipment, help us catch opponents off guard by pulling things from nowhere, and give us a lot more equipment to work with when going into fights.
- Location
- Earth
I should probably clarify: while it is true that a lot of tech is (former) Singularities, the vote specifically means those that the Wings sell. Meaning stuff like HP tablets, Fairies, and Locks.
Stuff like the Galeforce Ring falls under equipment or gear to separate from the 'big' Singularities.
Stuff like the Galeforce Ring falls under equipment or gear to separate from the 'big' Singularities.
?
I thought it was just a normal piece of equipment (as normal as equipment can get in the city).
Edit: Ninja'd
Speaking of that ring, I honestly don't mind another mystery box right now, cuz I have no concrete idea on what Ciel should get.
Edit: There are a couple of other preparation we can do now that I think about it.
We can ask Gyeong-Hui, Ciel's combat instructor, for advice, not sure if that will do anything, but he has experience.
We can also try to try to rope Maria in this. I bet she would help if we owe her a favor or something.
Edit: There are a couple of other preparation we can do now that I think about it.
We can ask Gyeong-Hui, Ciel's combat instructor, for advice, not sure if that will do anything, but he has experience.
We can also try to try to rope Maria in this. I bet she would help if we owe her a favor or something.
Last edited:
[ ] Plan: A Strong Base
-[ ] Spend money on...
--[ ] Augments
---[ ] Work towards finishing off the rest of our suite, focus on quality rather than quantity
-[ ] Call/request a favor from...
--[ ] Hifumi / Shadow (inform them in advance that we'll be calling in our favor, just to be polite)
I feel that making sure we aren't lacking anything major (iirc Giano has already commented on the fact that our augment suite isn't complete) is going to be a much better idea than investing in a new trick that we'll have to figure out and learn on the job - our first use of the ring nearly backfired, and if something like that happens on our Hana assignment then it'll definitely be a black mark against us. Covering all our bases and making sure our augment suite is completed, meanwhile, will just let us keep doing what we already do, just better, which should be enough considering that's what Hana would expect at the current time.
-[ ] Spend money on...
--[ ] Augments
---[ ] Work towards finishing off the rest of our suite, focus on quality rather than quantity
-[ ] Call/request a favor from...
--[ ] Hifumi / Shadow (inform them in advance that we'll be calling in our favor, just to be polite)
I feel that making sure we aren't lacking anything major (iirc Giano has already commented on the fact that our augment suite isn't complete) is going to be a much better idea than investing in a new trick that we'll have to figure out and learn on the job - our first use of the ring nearly backfired, and if something like that happens on our Hana assignment then it'll definitely be a black mark against us. Covering all our bases and making sure our augment suite is completed, meanwhile, will just let us keep doing what we already do, just better, which should be enough considering that's what Hana would expect at the current time.
Last edited:
- Location
- Earth
Ciel does not have nearly enough money to get everything, but you can definitely vote to keep going toward that goal.