[X] Plan: Buy All
Digital Higanbana (Lycoris Recoil x Cyberpunk Quest)
- Thread starter Celeshiro
- Start date
- Sci-Fi
- Location
- Fort Worth, TX
[X] Plan: Buy All
solarlight
Appreciative Archive Reader
- Location
- Netherlands
Liked the characters as always, the books seem like a no brainer to purchase, we don't have skills, we have money. It's not rocket science what should be done here. Bringing Arisu back in the narrative to show off her being usefull after she's gone was nice! Hopefully we still have data, we really left the plotline hanging for very long.
[X] Plan: Buy All
[X] Plan: Buy All
Vote closed
June 4.2, 2080
[X] Plan: Buy All
-[X] [Library] Poker Life (Rank 3 Body Language) (600 eb)
-[X] [Library] Hard Knock Life (Yours!) (Rank 2 Streetwise) (400 eb)
-[X] [Library] Second Mayan Sun (Rank 1 Leadership) (200 eb)
-[X] [Library] Congressional Session Transcript (2007) (Rank 1 Interrogate) (200 eb)
-[X] [Library] Poker Life (Rank 3 Body Language) (600 eb)
-[X] [Library] Hard Knock Life (Yours!) (Rank 2 Streetwise) (400 eb)
-[X] [Library] Second Mayan Sun (Rank 1 Leadership) (200 eb)
-[X] [Library] Congressional Session Transcript (2007) (Rank 1 Interrogate) (200 eb)
-1400 eb (15900 -1400 = 14,500 eb)
You basically swept up the entire offering into a digital cart and sent it for checkout. At the help desk, the assistant librarian on duty choked and immediately ran off to procure enough data chips to accommodate your request. You let out a small chuckle at the panicked expression and idly noted that it wasn't Ayaka this time around. It was likely just not her shift right now.
While you waited for your paid goods to be readied, you checked in to see how the program scanning through the police cameras had gone.
(Lycoris Sighting: 73 +14 (Tech) +6 (Rank 3 Electronics) = 93)
Your posture immediately stiffened when a positive match was reported and immediately you requested more info. The library worker seemed clueless as to what your distant gaze was, but accepted your eddies and handed over the paid books regardless. You barely managed to remember to hold onto them while walking quickly out of the building, completely engrossed in the report scrolling through your opticware.
The flagged camera in question had captured a single frame of somebody in that distinct red uniform passing by, a single flicker that could easily have been overlooked or dismissed like the background figure Lycoris tend to be. Yet for you, said uniform was like a blazing light, the distinct red coloration the sign of the highest within your old organization.
A Lycoris First, those said to be the very best government agents bar none.
You never knew one personally but had worked with them from afar and to say that their reputation was well-earned was an understatement. They scored highest among the standardized tests and could coolly apply said knowledge to situations out on the field as well, be it in a pure combat role or a personal leadership initiative. Little surprise that they were almost revered as so among the Lycoris Third, with many Lycoris Second often attempting to make a name for themselves to perhaps qualify for the so-desired crimson uniform.
And now, there was one that had been caught strolling about...in the Aira neighborhood.
That was in your district! A quick check confirmed it had been a very recent recording, barely a few minutes old. If you were quick and mapped out your route carefully, you could even perhaps figure out her route and plan for a possible interception for...something. You weren't quite sure yet, you were making plans on the fly now. Though first thing you dialed was a fellow Lycoris who could perhaps provide some advice.
Your eyes lit up and a moment later, your partner picked up. "Moshi moshi!" Mitsu cheerfully greeted with small wave on her side. "Are we to be judged on our progress now?"
"I wouldn't put it that way, but I want to hear how it's going," You quietly asked. "Do you two need backup? Or is making first contact smooth sailing?'
(Media Rumors: 100 +16 (Mitsu) +14 (Erika) = 130)
The wide smile on Mitsu's face told you many things. "Oh, you needn't fret so! A single exchange with our contact and we are like siblings already! Despite being a self-professed Edgerunner, he holds himself to a degree that is almost equal to us in many aspects."
Your eyebrow shot up. "That's real high praise coming from you. You're already chooms?"
"If that is the term for it, then aye, it is so! Moreover," Mitsu's voice now dropped to a quiet whisper, clearly curbing her natural enthusiasm to tell you in secret. "With the aid of noble Erika, he has even agreed to invite over the employer already, the media contact that you have pined for!"
You frowned. "That quickly? Sounds off. Maybe I should come over then."
"That is not needed! I implore you, focus on what you must accomplish," Your partner insisted and reassuringly patted her chest with a grin. "Allow us to shoulder some of your burden. Rest assured that we will not agree to anything just yet, this is merely a gathering to gauge one another."
"...alright then. But the moment things get hot, don't be afraid to call me in!" You emphasized and Mitsu gave an agreeing nod. Then the call ended and you chewed your lip, wondering if that had been the right gut decision. You supposed that out of everybody out here, if you couldn't trust Mitsu, you couldn't trust anybody at all. It was a surprising success that made you antsy for some reason though.
You felt like there was something going on here, more than what you were geared for.
After a moment, you shook your head and refocused on your task before you: tracking down that Lycoris First. The cameras hadn't flagged any more appearances, but that may be due to them only capturing a partial image that did not meet enough of the arbitrary criteria for the flag to activate. In which case, the only other option was to review the footage manually, a feat that was certainly a bit too much for one person to tackle on your lonesome.
But you had another idea and instead focused on a larger map of the neighborhood. You looked specifically for active cameras at the most popular intersections and peeked through them, limiting your traversing to only a few specific recordings to better focus on them in particular. It still was going to be a challenge though and you carefully reviewed the footage, making sure to not focus on a specific area and casting your gaze wide and far.
(Tracking Lycoris: 4 +15 (Intelligence) = 19)
You looked hard and far, but if they showed up at all, it was impossible to tell. You bit back a curse and withdrew from the police servers, trying to think of another avenue of approach. Just in case, you were already walking into the adjacent neighborhood, your feet automatically moving while your mind tried to come up with a new method that didn't involve a rather granular approach. It seemed like you maybe had lost the trail.
(Street Lycoris: 36 +12 (Cool) +2 (Rank 1 Streetwise) = 50)
You looked around for inspiration, but nothing immediately came to mind with just how clean the streets were. That tugged on you for a moment before you shook your head, feeling like it had just barely slipped out of your fingertips. With a heavy sigh, you decide to resort to the most mundane manner of looking for somebody, through just walking about and looking for them. Hardly the most elegant approach, and one that could possibly tip them off to your search, but it wasn't like she had a reason to immediately flatline you. Or so you hoped.
(Lycoris Spotting: 25)
You searched high and low, wide and far in Aira, but to no avail. In fact, you may have very well earned a few very long stares from locals who noticed your prodding around and bit back a groan. If they had noticed, perhaps the Lycoris First had noticed as well and gone to ground preemptively. At which point, you'd have better luck flushing out hideouts of the 442nd Holdouts. And they've had years to prepare their guerrilla cells!
You checked the time and noticed it was about to start getting late now with how long you've been looking. Mitsu and Erika were likely still chatting and getting to know the potential client. Maybe you could head over now before it was too late and meet them personally. That could perhaps salvage how much time you've just wasted.
Alternatively, you could stick around and just keep looking. As day turns to night, there should be less people on the streets and so you could try to check your cameras again. Even if she had opted to keep to the shadows, the mysterious Lycoris First needed to return to a safehouse sooner or later and that was when she had to cross those intersections without the advantage of a bustling crowd to hide her movements. It was a bit of a long shot, as you didn't even know if she was in the immediate area in the first place.
Though there was a way to check that, you realized. You could take the third option and activate your internal Lycoris comms system to flag yourself as a Lycoris publicly for all others in the area and tuned into the system to notice. Perhaps that could lure out your elusive target for a chat, if nothing else. But at the same time, it meant dropping any pretense of just being an observer in the shadows and put you out there.
You chewed you lip in thought for what to do now.
[ ] [Search] Head over to Wako's Tap and meet the media client.
[ ] [Search] Wait until nightfall, then search again for the Lycoris First.
[ ] [Search] Activate your Lycoris identification system and try to make contact with the Lycoris First.
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- The dice giveth you a nat 100, then it throws you against the wall with three consecutive failures. Jeez.Four hour moratorium to continue the hunt.
- Location
- Germany
[X] [Search] Activate your Lycoris identification system and try to make contact with the Lycoris First.
I can't say I'm overtly interested in beeing too secretive with the lycoris anyway, so if it gets us results, we might as well come out and ping them.
Meanwhile, I can't argue with the nat 100 going to people liking Mitsu. That's where it belongs. Maybe her documentary is a go after all.
I can't say I'm overtly interested in beeing too secretive with the lycoris anyway, so if it gets us results, we might as well come out and ping them.
Meanwhile, I can't argue with the nat 100 going to people liking Mitsu. That's where it belongs. Maybe her documentary is a go after all.
- Location
- Lost in the internet
[X] [Search] Head over to Wako's Tap and meet the media client.
Well, let's try to salvage what we can. Finding why our friend was blacklisted is, in my opinion, more important then discover what a Lycoris is doing in the city in general.
Well, let's try to salvage what we can. Finding why our friend was blacklisted is, in my opinion, more important then discover what a Lycoris is doing in the city in general.
- Location
- United States
[X] [Search] Head over to Wako's Tap and meet the media client.
Icipall
Don't worry, we can fanfix that!
- Location
- Cold snow fields of Finland
Hah!
Only one frame. Damn, she is good.
What are the odds? Now we really need to find out why she is here.
Excellent work.
[X] [Search] Wait until nightfall, then search again for the Lycoris First.
Mitsu said she and Erika would handle it, so we should trust them. And I'd prefer keeping the shroud of anonymity as long as possible.
Thebigpieman
I've got this, I think.
- Location
- United States
Truly a Lycoris First gonna Lycoris First. We'll get 'em next time... or not depending on how rolls turn out.
- Location
- Fort Worth, TX
[X] [Search] Wait until nightfall, then search again for the Lycoris First.
Look for the really, really clean streets.
Look for the really, really clean streets.
[X] [Search] Activate your Lycoris identification system and try to make contact with the Lycoris First.
Vote closed
- Location
- Lost in the internet
Well, that's a divided vote 
Oh dear, now that's quite the predicament.
Well that's not ominous at all
We're just so indecisive we have panic attack. That, or we decide to just say fuck it and go get dinner.
Icipall
Don't worry, we can fanfix that!
- Location
- Cold snow fields of Finland
Oh dear. That sounds worrying.
- Location
- Germany
And thus the hunter becomes the hunted as the first notices Yuuki trying to track her down and decides to drag her into an alley and slam her against the wall for an improptu interrogation?
Which would probably be the right level of meet cute for the famed best of government agents anyway. As they say, in Cyberpunk Kagoshima Lycoris First finds you.
Thebigpieman
I've got this, I think.
- Location
- United States
"Fun" adventure times abound I see.
June 4.3, 2080
TIE
You...couldn't decide what to do next. You hung around there on the darkening streets, torn equally between all the options before you. Time flew quickly while you debated with yourself on where to go, who to talk with, what choice you should pick. Before you knew it, the night sky coated the skies and you swore, having lost your chance to pursue any of those paths now.
But sometimes, the whims of fate has something else in store.
(Rolling the Path…)
You sighed and began to take slow steps through the quiet streets of Kagoshima, the sound of your shoes echoing in the silence of the night. It was now late enough that few if any would dare wander the roads in darkness, where gods know what lurks in the shadows. Gangs, Scavs, and Edgerunners, all of whom wouldn't care a single iota about flatlining somebody if it was worth the eddies. A world in which everything was disposable, including life itself, where the promised future was turned into a neon technological dystopia.
It was times like these, you glumly reflected, that perhaps Lycoris was truly needed. Where sometimes to combat a creeping and insidious decay, a great evil had to be enacted to stop it in its tracks. Young orphans taken under the wing of the government, and then trained to become assassins in the name of law and order. Young angels of peace and order, wings crimson from all those who they have killed in the name of the greater good. If ethics were going to be damned, then why not go all the way?
Why not push it to the edge of morality?
Your grip on your weathered Lycoris bag tightened and you paused mid-step, staring down and reflecting for a brief moment. Your vision wavered for a moment and you wondered if perhaps, your eyes were watering. But that was unlikely.
You remembered the doctors from long ago telling you that part of the surgery to replace your missing eyes involved taking out the tear ducts as well. Your cyberware could produce a saline fluid that instead replaced the function, but you could even toggle it on or off as need be. Your gaze trailed down to the normal-looking arm at your side, the RealSkinn covering up the artificial limb beneath. Your still organic hand balled up into a fist in realization of just how much of you was already chrome.
The frustrating thing was that you didn't have a damn choice back then, and now either. You had to replace your lost body parts. Was there ever going to be a day where you could choose?
(??? vs ???: 21 +20 (Lycoris First) = 41 vs 21)
Your loud thoughts were so bluntly interrupted with something even louder that had you instinctively slam to the side, hand immediately reaching down and drawing your Towa 14 from its hidden holster in your bag. You listened on with focused eyes, not flinching when gunshots echoed through the streets again. It seemed that it wasn't coming from anywhere near you, but more likely somewhere in the neighborhood.
More critically, you recognized some of those gunshots quite well, given that you held a weapon that made the exact same one.
Immediately, your mind connected the dots and you bit your lip. Was the Lycoris First under attack?! You muttered a curse and tried to quickly figure out which way the shots were coming from. You wanted to know where this firefight was happening at least.
(Triangulate Firefight: 74 +15 (Intelligence) = 89)
It didn't take long to navigate the streets of the Yoshida District to find what you were looking for, especially given that your home and business were just right there. As you suspected, it was a firefight, and in a rather odd location as well: a public park, of all things. You managed to approach at just the right angle to get a good look at what was going on and your eyes widened slightly before narrowing.
You recognized the suits the people attacking the Lycoris First wore. EGO Security! Is this a paid hit? Then you noticed the Lycoris First was pinned in a bad way, forced to take cover behind a low concrete wall that was definitely disintegrating under the volume of fire coming her way. She could only blind fire over the top, trying to keep her attackers from advancing on her position but ultimately unable to do anything.
(EGO Awareness: 78 -10 (Good Approach) -10 (Distracted) = 58)
Unfortunately, in the time you took to process this all, you realized too late you were exposed out in the street. You slid into cover and out of sight but that apparently had caught the attention of a couple of the well-dressed attackers instead, or at least their suspicion. A few barks and some of them ceased firing to point around from all approaches into the park, perhaps intending on trying to direct away any citizens from trying to interfere.
It was still safe to take a peek around the corner and you estimated that there was one group keeping overwatch now, ready to forestall any sort of interference if need be. Then there was another group of EGO still advancing and suppressing the trapped Lycoris, keeping her pinned and unable to maneuver without being shot. There were being lead by what had to be their commanding officer, barking orders and directing their subordinates to advance while the schoolgirl was badly suppressed.
At this rate, it wouldn't matter what uniform color the Lycoris wore, she was definitely outnumbered and in a bad situation.
Quickly, you ran through your options while checking your ammunition. Being a casual outing, your bag had only enough spare ammunition for a couple magazines aside from the one currently loaded in your Towa 14. It could be enough for this surprise battle, but you couldn't expect to win in a battle of attrition either. If you planned to intervene, your options were to either advance aggressively to open up a new flank, or to skirmish from afar to achieve the same purpose of making heads turn in panic.
You also considered if it was perhaps worth dialing the emergency number you had for Shinohara Securities. This area was supposed to be a Corporate Zone and that meant they could respond very quickly, but it could then mean that this situation would definitely be escalated and noted in whatever reports they had to begrudgingly send upstairs to their overlords in Arasaka.
Now that you thought about it, that meant resolving this entire situation likely already had a time limit based on whatever angry or concerned local called them about the gunshots. Given that it was the dead of night, it make still take some time, but a personal call from you could expedite that given you were a known contact. You gritted your teeth and tried to figure out on if it really was worth all this trouble.
[ ] [Lycoris] Get aggressive and advance to apply direct pressure on the attackers.
[ ] [Lycoris] Fire from afar, opening up a new flank to turn heads and apply indirect pressure on the attackers.
[ ] [Lycoris] Do not engage and walk away. This isn't your fight.
[ ] [Shinohara Security] Make the call.
[ ] [Shinohara Security] Don't call them.
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- It's not possible for Mitsu/Erika to reach your position quick enough before the fight is already over, so they can't help. Your place isn't close enough either to just run, grab the heavy guns, then come back. You have just your schoolbag and pistol, the traditional Lycoris combo here.- Choosing either of the attack options can involve activating the Lycoris comm systems to coordinate and mark attacks, but it does depend on if either of you really need help in taking down your enemies.
- Advancing aggressively will definitely have you relying on your eyes to evade gunfire out of cover, while keeping to skirmish relies just on cover reduction instead of that.
Six hour moratorium to have a park fight.
Icipall
Don't worry, we can fanfix that!
- Location
- Cold snow fields of Finland
It seems that failure makes Yuuki go gloomily introspective.
Yuuki, no.
Yuuki...
Well, shit, things just went hot. At least we now know where she is.
Those guys again!
Yeah, better we keep this on the low.
We need to join the fight, no questions about that. Not quite sure about the method, though.