Coming Events Cast Their Shadows Before

[Murasaki]

District: Black
Location: Downtown
Time:
- Morning (March)
- Afternoon (April)
- Evening (May)

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The Black District is regarded by polarized opinions. To some, this is their humble home where one works together with their neighbors to make a living. Others aspire to be able to leave this area, wanting to rise up in power. Yet those with privilege look down on the place, citing it to be Lune's most corrupt sector. The day begins at the town square, a small area where citizens socialize and children play in the streets. The Obsidian Den receives its morning crowd, looking for jobs that are placed on the pub's bulletin boards every day.

Behold a side of life where there is not always a silver lining. Do you have the will to rise up and claim your rightful place?

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This is a general RP thread much along the lines of the Snowdonia Winter Ball and the Coconia Festival threads. RPing within this subforum awards all participants a +10% AP bonus that will last throughout the spring season (3/14/15 ~ 5/31/15). At the start of the summer season, this bonus will be lifted and a new summer-themed thread will be started in its place.

Characters of all factions are allowed to participate in this thread.

[Vaan]

People always try to clamor for power. Moving up in the world isn't always as easy as they think it is, so some people in their starvation for more influence will turn to robbery and treacherous deeds. Those with money, women, power, whatever else have you, don't have to worry about these kinds of things, because they've either been born into it, or they've earned it all themselves. Respect follows from having power, and from power, one can go almost anywhere in this melting pot of a city. Nobody will try to counter you, deface you, or anything that will cause you harm, or the loss of the power you've gained, for fear of the consequences that follow. But, getting back to the lower-half of the breed. The "Lowlifes" as most would refer to them. The "Lawless." The "Power-Crazed." Those who would cause harm to others to better themselves. Murder, theft, bribery, blackmailing, all sorts of things to get what they want, and get it fast. The kind who would destroy the world to protect their little slice of it. That's where I come in.

The name's Vaan. I'm a detective in one of the branches of the police force in Lune Seaport, the Red District Branch. I've been on the force since I was about 10 or 11 years old, after having been taken in by the previous head detective, Leigh, otherwise known as my mentor. Worked under her as her secretary for seven or eight years, then she handed me a gun on my 18th birthday, and told me to follow her. Ever since, I've been on the scene for most of the missions at the bureau. When Leigh resigned, due to an injury, she handed me her badge, her favorite gun, and her title. As it stands, I'm the head detective of the branch I mentioned before. I work side by side with the general police of the city, maintaining the peace. One thing to mention, though, is that I've had amnesia since Leigh found me in a kidnapper's den. I have no recollection of my past family, and over time, I've given up on finding out who I was. Right now, my duty is to the city. Nothing else comes before that.

Now, you might be wondering: Why's a detective from the Red District over here in the Black District, early one morning? Classified information. However, one thing I can tell you is that the head detectives of all the branches mirror the princesses that we work under. That being said, the Red Princess, Rosa, and I share many qualities. At least, that's what I've been told. Leigh had gone to meet Her Highness a few times in the past, and likened us together on several occasions. I was never fully told what these likenesses were, but all I know is that our work ethic is similar. But, that's beside the point. My job and her job have nothing in common. She's a princess, and I'm a detective. One could say, we have very different lines of work.

I started to make my way through the small town square, as people scurried from side to side with their daily runnings and dealings that they needed to be present for, however few people there were. Since this was, after all, the Black District, I needed to keep my eye open for any and all problems that can and will appear before me. As such, Leigh's Peacemaker was hidden underneath my trench coat. To my fortune, however, the inconspicuous clothing and demeanor I had seemed to blend right in to the crowds. I've been among crowds before in my time, both on my own and with Leigh, so blending in isn't a problem for me at all anymore. The one thing that I had to give up, though, was having my melee weapon, nicknamed Police Brutality, placed into a safe location for the duration of this mission. I'm to not draw any suspicion to myself, as much as possible, unless I see a person of interest, as described by the case files back at HQ. After having memorized the names, faces, and body styles of the people that have been sighted here, I made my way here as quickly as possible, early this morning. While I'm not at the location where they are most seen yet, I'll be there shortly in due time. All I need to do now is keep a low profile, and make my way out of the town square. I'm a quarter way through it now, so I'll need to be careful.

[768 Words]
Muse: School 4 - Fate/Extra

[Esther]

The dead colours of the Black distric were the most basic way for one to understand that place's situation: anyone that lives in the Lune Sea Port knows that the situation is dire, but seeing it yourself is something totally different. The air feels heavy and sometimes the light seem to be afraid of the dark within it's shadows. The people among here are often labelled as the lowest of all Lune, something that indiscrimantedly generalizes everyone in here. In fact, there are Shady individuals who lurk in the shadows, there are evil doers, but for Esther, that was no reason to forget this place and leave it alone to its disgrace together with those who strive for a bitter life.

With light and slow steps, she headed further in the black district. At that point, her attire wasn't a problem anymore thanks to her continuous visits on her current mission. A simple objective to give back something required for these landers to carry on with their lives: Hope. As much as the objective was simple, reaching it was a complex case taking in consideration the actual Black District. But the Nun couldn't give up on them, after all, if she did, who would help them? From the shadows of what could be said to be a home - a broken door poorly fixed up with some planks, holes in some of its walls and many cracks throughout its composition - two kids emerged, running actively nd happily towards the nun, running around her in circles. She smiled at the stuation bending down to their stature to better communicate with them.

- Well, well! What do we have here? Aren't you both quite playful today as well? - she chuckled seeing how both of them hugged her happily. She undid the hug, narrowing her eyes while making a grimace, and in a playful tone continued - I got something di~fferent today!~ Can you guess what it is, hmm!?

- Red bean Pan! - both boys answered immediately, and at the same time, raising their arms as if adoring something of ultimate importance.

-W-What! H-how did you know!? - that was part of her routine, and somehow, they always managed to know the correct answer. Not that Esther was any innovative with foods. - It took me almost an hour to choose it, no fair! - she sighed, closing both eyes. Shortly after she opened one of her eyes with a smile, handing a paperbag to them. The smile on their faces stretched from cheek to cheek with so much happiness in receiving that bag. They bowed in an act of gratitude, turning back and running.

- Remember what we promised?! - they boys quickly turned again and nodded in response. Rather than eating it alone, they ran back to the building they were before, where many other kids were waiting. Even though there was just a pair of pans, they were large enough to be parted to everyone. It wasn't much, but for now, that was the best Esther could help with. 

Despite that, not even the situation for the Nun herself was that great; it's been months since her last job. With the many advancements of technology, specialized units, the police force and even the barrier that protected the city... There wasn't much that a Cleric capable of fighting could do. It certainly made her sad, but looking forward to a better future was always something she never stopped clinging to. She continued her path, and the everyday of that distric carried on; Esther didn't knew anything about the deepest parts of the district, such as the insides of the wider buildings since they were too dangerous, but she knew every trace of the outside; and it was then that something took her attention for a moment; an unusual face, a man mostly covered in a black trench coat. What really made him stand out, for her, was his stature. The nearby people didn't seem to care about him.

Coincidentally, the path he took was similar to Esther's. She'd probably have to take another route to get to the other group of kids, but taking the time to see what that man was doing there wouldn't hurt anyone. Driven by a curious behavior while talking with some of the people in the black district that she knew along the way, Esther followed the man discreetly.


WC: 736 words
Tags:Vaan

[Vaan]

So far, the pre-mission infiltration of the Black District seems to be going without a hitch. Nobody seems to notice me, or even really look my way as I walk through this open area. Ultimately, I'm aiming for the alleyways, where the mission will be taking place, so this should provide some easy surveillance of the area if I manage to keep my head down. Since the mission doesn't start until sometime later today, the exact time for which is again, classified, I'll have plenty of time to walk around and get a feel for the area, so if the targets should decide to run, I'll be able to chase them down with little to no trouble at all. That is, of course, the plan for now. As a detective, I'll need to keep in mind that there's always the possibility of things changing on me suddenly, and I do not get an opportunity to scope the area out. To which, I'll need to be resourceful. I looked up and to the sides at the buildings surrounding the square, noticing that the rooftops aren't all the same levels, but they are flat. If push comes to shove, I should be able to get up and onto the roofs without a problem, using a window or something as a foothold.

With a secondary plan, there should always come a tertiary plan, or an if-all-else-fails plan. If I can't get the suspects into a place where I can chase or capture them, I can always ask the people surrounding the square for information. If they don't want to cooperate immediately, though, all I need to do is flash the badge I have in my pocket, and that should be more than enough incentive to oblige. If not, then I will move to the next person, until I get the information needed. However, that's a method that absolutely wastes my time, and I would very much rather not have to do something as time-taxing as that. But, this is all in the line of work. As this thought crossed my mind, I looked around the square slowly, observing all there was to see, but only one thing stood out. As I looked over to the side, I noticed a few kids playing around a nun of some sort. Looks like the White District sends "saviors" over here on a regular basis. "A Nun, huh?" I quietly ask myself. But, she seems to be minding her own business for now, so I won't make eye contact. Instead, I'll forget about their existence entirely, and meld back into the crowd.

However, I somehow knew that this wouldn't be as easy as I thought it would be. Looking out the side of my eye, I noticed that the Nun had taken note of me, watching as the people around me acted as though I weren't even here. I furrowed my brow as the Nun began to slowly tail me. While there's always the possibility that she could be following orders to follow me, I merely assumed that she was just following the curious man out of a curious nature. Nothing to fault her over, but she could put the mission in jeopardy if she continues for too long. Following the guy trying to blend into the crowd, while exerting the very eminence of all things good and holy, doesn't really divert attention all that much. The worst thing that she could do right now would be to call out after me, causing people to take note even more so. I'd need to either shake her off, or turn around and confront her. Seeing as the second one is the most easily handled answer, as well as the most efficient one, I decided upon that. However, this would require me to turn around in public, which could give too many things away. I'll need to lead her into the alleyways nearby to get some answers.

To my dismay, the alleys were a bit too far for me to walk into and just turn around. But, to my fortune, it would give her more of a reason to follow me, if I walk into a specific alleyway. A light smirk flared on my face for a moment, before swapping back to that of an uninterested man. I need to be as inconspicuous as possible, for all things to go over well. As such, I kept my pace steady, and headed for the alley. The one I chose had a curve to it, so it would hide whatever goes on in the alley. I took the first few steps inside, started to round the curve, and stopped for a brief moment. Instinctively, I quickly pulled the Peacemaker from out underneath my trench coat in my right hand, and flashed the badge with my left hand. The gun outstretched, I spoke. "Whatever purpose you have following me, I request that you explain it immediately. Vaan, Head Detective of the Red District's branch of the Seaport of Lune. I suggest you answer my question immediately, and don't make any sudden movements." I looked at the nun with a steely gaze. This city has had a lot of changes happen in the past 15 years, and the world is slowly growing darker. I'm not saying that I'm here to stop that darkness, but I'm here to uphold the law. Should this White District nun be part of an underground organization, I'll need to put an end to it immediately. That being said, I watched her cautiously, waiting for a response.

Words: 928
Muse: Box 15 - Danganronpa: First 3 paragraphs.
New World Order - Danganronpa: Last paragraph.
Tag: Esther

[Esther]

The nun kept following the new face in the square of the black district. Each step made her more and more curious. What was it that that kept dragging her to that man? The discreet steps were slowly and unconciously turning into fast paced ones, and what's worse, Esther didn't seem to notice it in the slightest. For the cleric, his steps were speeding up, and keeping up with his pace started to make things hard for the nun, after all, moving fast while not looking like a weirdo in that clothing was something rather impossible. While struggling to not lose track of him, she started to think about where possibly he came from. There was no doubt that he wasn't from the Black District, but that situation brought up some memories of Esther's. Archbishop Chavasse once told her that the clergy was just one, and perhaps the smallest force that fought for the people, usually dealing with problems outside of the barrier protection. There were Guards throughout Lune that also took duty both inside and outside of Lune, not to mention the police force and last but not least, the mercenaries. There were so many that in fact, Esther couldn't help but wonder how she remembered all that with her awful memory. She laughed softly on her own thoughts at that moment and focused her eyesight once again in that man. 

And then, after some short moments of walking Esther finally reached the hiding place of the Kids, a small building not too different than the previous one. With some quick steps she gave them their morning portion of the bread. With that she completed her task, and now she glanced over her shoulders to keep track of that man; he entered an alley not too far. Esther sighed. The leric usually was an obedient girl who wouldn't go against orders from the upper class clergy, but what if that man was dangerous, with hideous plans to put the tiny good portion of people in the black district!? Turning and entering the alley, the nun felt nervous as to what to expect. In any case, summoning praefatio and expiatio through the user interface wouldn't be a hard task. With her slowy steps, she took the curve inside the alley to find out that the man was waiting for her. He had in one of his hands a badge, and in the other hand was... 

In all her life, Esther never met something like that. That weird thing in the man's hand was probably made of iron, judging by its looks. Yes, Esther never had any kind of contact with guns before. The police force wasn't anything new to her, just as much as the other groups inside Lune... The problem is that no one ever gave her specific information, and that includes how they fought. That was the reason why that weapon sharpened her curiosity, narrowing only one of her eyes in a somewhat comic expression. 

"Whatever purpose you have following me, I request that you explain it immediately. Vaan, Head Detective of the Red District's branch of the Seaport of Lune. I suggest you answer my question immediately, and don't make any sudden movements."  

He was short with the introduction, few words coming out from his mouth within an authoritarian tone. The nun tilted her head softly in an act to restrain herself. The authoritarian voice , together with that serious gaze and that pointed thing that didn't give her fear in the slightest - despite not knowing what it was used for - resulted in an urge to laugh at him, but she couldn't do that, not at that moment. 

- My, I'm sorry, I was just curious. I'm Esther d'Leah, nun in training of the white District. There isn't any kind of specific reason why I was following you. - Esther smiled, cupping both of her hands close to her chest. - I could tell that you were new here in the black district, and well, new people usually get in trouble in this place. You could say I was a bit worried. That is all, Mr. Vaan.

She enlarged the smile, trying her best not to laugh in that awkward moment for her. In any case, as long as he was there to make good actions, she'd gladly help him. 


WC: 726
Vaan

[Evelyn]

The young woman had left her home early that March morning to purchase some metals from one of the shopkeepers in town and food from the Obsidian Den. Evelyn had just left the Den and was heading back to her forge to work for the rest of the day, she had some projects that needed to be finished so that they could be sold for gold. The Blacksmith had the hood of her cloak resting on her shoulders and tucked behind her as she begun to stroll down the familiar streets. In front of her, quite a distance away, was a white clothed nun with pale silver hair along with two young boys. The young girl conversed with the children and passed them a paper bag that gave off a familiar scent of food before they ran back their building. Evelyn stood off to the side, watching, and simply smiled at the nun, who was most likely from the White District, who started walking again when the boys left. Evie knew that people from the White District come from time to time to give food to the children there, and was thankful for their help. It was difficult surviving in the Black District, nothing came without a price and gold was not the only currency there which made the District a very dark area of Lune.

Once the nun was a safe distance away, Evelyn started walking again, following the nun as it was her exact path home. The Assassin watched the young girl socialize with some of the locals as she seemed to follow something, or someone. Her brows furrowed slightly, but she kept walking a distance behind the nun. When pale haired girl turned into Evelyn’s alley, the Assassin tensed and quickly flipped her hood up and her black cloak fell around most of her small body, hiding most of her appearance. The young woman was wary about the nun now, as the white clothed girl had walked on the same path Evelyn had always taken home and also turned to her street, a small alley that held the only entrance to her home and forge. She never trusted people from the Blue, Red, and Purple District, but she was polite and respectful to most people from the other Districts. If someone had sent a nun to stalk her, the Assassin would probably never trust anyone out of her own District.

As Evelyn approached the entrance of the alley, her hand went to rest on the hilt of her dagger at her side. When she turned into the alley, the Blacksmith stiffened and her breath caught as she saw a Warden holding out his gun, pointing at the nun, who seemed to just finish speaking, but the girl didn’t hear what the white clothed girl had said, but the nun had a smile on her face. They were right in front of her door and blocked Evelyn’s path home. She grimaced and took a step back, hoping the duo hadn’t seen her, and prepared herself to run back to the main streets, but she mentally debated whether to stay and try to get home, so she could do work, or leave and be safe, but not make her deadline.


Words:541
Vaan Esther

[Deleted]

"Thank you as always, Ma'am," She nodded her head towards the woman politely, shifting her weight from one foot to the next as she stood in the entrance way of the rundown home. The floor board creaked each time she moved, making her feel much too aware of her movements. Of all of the places to make deliveries to, this was her least favorite. Yesterday, her Father had agreed to have a sack of apples delivered to the residence for a cheap price. The fruits were a few days old and wouldn't last much longer so selling them for any price at all was better than having them go to waste. "I'll make sure to pass on your gratitude to my Father," The blonde haired girl smiled gently and turned towards the door. As she did, she tucked a small tan envelope into a pouch on her hip. "Please place an order with us next time, as well," Her words were smooth and kind.

As she reached out to turn the faded doorknob, Zinnia heard the distressed cry of a child from further back in the dusty home. She wanted to do more for this family, for all of the kind families struggling in the roughest District but there was nothing she could do for them other than make these deliveries. As much as she felt unease on the streets here, she knew that not all of the people here deserved their fate. The door slowly squeaked open and she stepped out into the narrow alley. She pulled her green hood up and over her short golden hair, immediately looking around herself. "Was it right or left...?" Even though it was her second or third time to this home, all of the alley ways always looked the same to her once she was in them. She was much more likely to be able to give you directions in the middle of the forest than in a city. Zinnia glanced back and forth, nibbling on her lower lip as she debated.

Having decided that right seemed slightly more familiar than left, the young woman started off in that direction. Even though it was still quite early in the day, the hour or so she had spent here was more than enough. If she hurried, she would get home in time to finish her chores on the farm and even have enough time left over to go to 'her place' at Jade Crater. With a smile on her face, she turned the corner of the alley. It was then that she realized a few things... first, she should have gone left... left definitely would have been better, even if it had taken her longer to get where she was going. Second, she was no longer alone in the narrow alley. In fact, it was quite crowded. In front of her was a man in black and a woman in white. Slightly further ahead she thought she had seen a glimpse of a third person. Her soft footsteps quickly came to an abrupt stop.

Zinnia's thoughts immediately snapped to the envelope of money she was carrying. It wasn't much but she couldn't afford to lose it, no matter what, but judging by the looks on everyone's faces, she had a feeling this was not a planned meet up. Was that girl in white in trouble...? She seemed to be smiling but the situation seemed off somehow to her. Maybe this girl was unaware of the reputation this District had? She hadn't intended to but now that she had stumbled on the situation, she couldn't just abandon her if she needed help. She had been in that situation once and no one had helped her. She would rather be wrong than potentially leave someone to suffer the way she had. "L-Leave her alone!" Her voice cracked slightly, betraying her nerves as she called out to the man.

---
Words: 652
Notes: Let me play in the alley, too~ : ) Speech color is #2fbeeb
Tags: Vaan, Esther, Evelyn

[Seth Alexander]

It was a good day again in the Black District downtown as Seth opened the tea shop as the sun rose. Although this place was full of depraved people, what attracted Seth to the district was the simplicity of life here. There were not many worries here, since everyone here would help each other in the day of need. Of course there had been as many hard times in this shop as the profitable times, so he would do anything he could to help others in this community the way that they helped him. The opening of this tea shop would be the first step on the way to change, as well as the first thing to do in the morning. There should be a lot of costumers that would greet him when the shop would open, and so he should give his most welcoming smile when that would happen. He then unlocked the door of the shop, flipped the notice to say that the shop was open, and then moved inside to sweep the floor.

But as he had already swept the floor and was about to clean the tables, a shout startled him. The shout was not even a brave one, but instead, that was one of a frightened person. Seth then stopped to think. Was it someone who got victimized by the unruly depraved that was common with the district; or the second most common situation, people from the other districts extorting money from the poor in order not to be listed with the depraved people in the wanted lists of their districts? He then thought that there should be no way for him to know other than to go towards the direction of the shout and seeing the situation for himself. He then picked up his branched staff, locked the door of the shop, and ran towards the direction of the cry.

When he reached the scene, he saw a man wearing a trench coat pointing a gun towards a woman, who seemed to be a nun judging from her dress. At one corner of his eye he saw another woman, who seemed to be the originator of the shout. Maybe that man was extorting money from the nun? He then looked at the clothes the man was wearing, but he did not see anything suspicious, until he saw something hidden in one of his pockets, and it seemed to be a badge of some sort. "Don't tell me he is the head detective from the Red District?" he thought. He had met a lot of detectives in the tea shop that he was managing, and most of them were respectable. In fact, due to his admiration on the work of the detectives here, he volunteered himself to become one of the covert detectives of the Black District. But this person was out of the expectations that he should like for a detective. Way different.

He then shouted at the man, as loud as he could, "It is almost never an issue for us from the Black District  to be exploited for us not to be listed in the wanted lists of your district, but here you are, taking extortions from a nun who was just working for the good of our district? A depraved man like you has no right to be a detective in a district!" But as the words from his mind were naturally released, he then remembered the repercussions that that speech might raise. But since this time a battle might be unavoidable, he then braced himself for the bullet that might be dislodged by this person in retaliation.

Words: 607
Tags: Vaan, @zinnia, Evelyn, Esther

[Vaan]

Well, this was going to be more trouble than I had thought. As much as I was trying to keep a low profile, this nun started following me. As a result, I decided to question her about what she was doing here, and why. Having to flash the gun and the badge, I got some kind of information, informing me that this was just a nun doing some goody-goody business in a lesser section of the city. Not something I should be worried about, but what confused me so much was the fact that this nun didn't have any idea what a gun was. As soon as I figured this out, I noticed a little flash just around the corner, as if someone was trying to look down into the alleyway. They were gone for too long for me to see who or what they were, but I knew that they were still there. Watching. If they were going to play the waiting game, then so be it. Not even a moment later, a young woman, presumably of the Green District, due to their clothing and demeanor, jumped into the fray, shouting for me to leave the nun alone. As if things weren't bad enough, honestly.

As I was putting the gun away into the holster on my side, another voice rang out. This one, too, was a loud shout. At this point, I honestly wished that it were just the nun again, since she seemed to be the most quiet and able to keep her mouth shut for a long enough period of time. The mission I was on was certainly about to be in jeopardy, if all these people kept showing up. I would need to dispel the situation before things get any worse off. Holding the badge up for everybody to see, as well as the person around the corner, and I began talking. "Look, this was just a misunderstanding. The name's Vaan, Head Detective of the Red District. I'm on a mission, here, and I can't be too reckless." I turned to the nun specifically. "I apologize for jumping so suddenly, but please understand that it was only out of necessity that I did so." Looking back at the others, I continued. "Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have some work to get back to." Hopefully having easily dispelled the problem at hand, I turned around and started to walk away in the alleyway, beginning my observation of the area.

Leaving the rest of the people behind me, I began to look around and observe the accesses to the rooftops. I would need to keep these in mind, if I'm going to have the fallback plan work out as well as I want it to. While I was looking at these, I couldn't help but think about the group of people that I had just left behind. They all seemed to be a bit too versatile for the black district. What were they all doing there? A White District nun, a Green District girl, that Black District boy, and the other person who was there, whom I could only assume was a local as well. I glanced around me for a second, hoping that nobody would be following me. However, due to the nature of curiosity, I would suspect that maybe one or two would attempt to follow, whereas that person in the shadows would likely go along with their business, and the nun would go back to making her rounds. Of course, this isn't an educated decision, since I only met the people for a brief moment, and have no idea how they work normally. As such, I would need to keep away from any areas of interest, so as to keep those not involved with the case out of the way. The mission would take place later on today, so I have a bit of time to get these people off my back, and keep them out of danger. It's my job to protect the people. These people, as strange as they are, are among those.

[683 Words]
Muse: Fate/Extra: Dungeon 1
Tags: Esther, Evelyn, @zinnia, Seth Alexander

[Esther]

Was that even possible? For the nun, everything was going as smoothly as possible, but then... then everything turned upside down. If that detective guy wasn't weird enough for her with that, that... thing! That weird-shaped-iron-like-thing made it worse to keep her composure as a nun in training of the white district. An internal giggle wanted to burst and free itself, making the cleric's cheeks slightly blush. What broke her hard time dealing with her own internal problems was his eyes' attention being taken by something Esther couldn't see when she turned: she was just too late to see anything on the entrance of the alley. Turning back to him once again, a loud shout came from behind the man at the end of the alley, behind Vaan. As if it wasn't enough, a second one took her attention, this time, from a boy that looked like a local of the Black District.

Without knowing what to do, she stood still. All the seriousness coming from both the blonde and the boy forced Esther to think twice about the situation: was all that misunderstanding happening because of her? If Archbishop Chavasse ever knew about that, she’d be done for. With this thought in mind, a goose bump took over her spine, waking her up from the peaceful nature and leaving the nun a bit insecure as she started to think of something to work around the situation. It wasn’t long before the detective spoke, identifying his position for all the others present at that moment, holding his badge high enough for all of them to see it. His action was enough to relief the nun a bit, as she softly sighed.

Vaan took his own path after that. Initially, Esther only thought about helping out in case something went wrong, but if she’d end up only being a burden it was best if she let it go. With slow steps Esther headed towards the others and once close enough bowed for them in an attempt to apologize for the trouble she caused. After filling her lungs with a good amount of air the nun decided to go back home. She could stay a little while longer, but it seemed like that day would be troublesome for her if she pushed interactions farther than that. Even if she barely involves herself on troubles within the black district, that wasn’t any excuse enough to forget about being cautious on wherever she would step.

- I’m sorry for causing this trouble for you. I didn’t mean to make anything bad, just maybe help him out. Guess I won’t learn my lesson anytime soon. – embarrassed, she stood up. - I guess I already caused enough trouble for today, so I should probably go back now since my duty is fulfilled. Thank you for helping me out with this misunderstanding. If you ever need assistance, I’m Esther d’Leah, nun in training of the White district. The circumstances for our meeting hadn’t been decent, but I am still happy to meet you. See you next time.

With another bow followed by a soft smile, the cleric then turned back, returning from where she came from. However, when turning in the exit of the alley, she ended up bumping into another girl, probably from the black district as well. The cleric felt like clumsiness was clinging onto her head that moment.

- Pardon me! – She bowed once again, only then noticing how short the girl was. Esther took a step, getting closer to the blonde. – Are you okay?

At that moment, however, she recalled of the moment Vaan glanced over that same direction she was in. Could it be that it was this girl? Esther didn’t know what to do at that moment and was a bit worried that she could’ve hurt the girl with her barely noticeable plate armor and its sturdiness.

WC: 649
Tags: Vaan Evelyn @zinnia Seth Alexander

[Evelyn]

While the young woman in the black cloak continued her mental rambling as a female popped into the other end of Evelyn’s alleyway, blocking the other entrance for the two strangers in front of her house, the nun and the Warden. The new person had short blonde hair and a very tidy appearance, which, by the Assassin’s guess and knowledge, was also not from her District. She seemed to be delivering something, as the black clothed Assassin spotted a tan envelope in the other girl’s arms. The girl cried out for the dangerous looking Warden to leave the nun alone, her voice cracking, showing fear. The long haired girl almost snickered at her statement. Obviously, the new female was not from this District. If she was, then she would have never done such a thing in the first place, jumping in on a situation that had no relation to her. Yes, it may have been the right thing to do, but the second rule to surviving in a place like the Black District, was to never show fear. Fear was a weakness, something that people of other Districts liked to exploit from the people from her District.

Moments later, after the newcomer’s cry, a child from her District ran into her alley, crowding the already crowded alley, to be specific Evelyn’s alley. She wanted to sigh from the unfortunate turn of events. First, some Warden seemed to be picking a fight with a nun, a NUN for goodness sake, in the alley to the ONLY door to the young woman’s home. Then two other people decided it was a good idea to enter and see what was going on, and one was a child from her District, which meant she would probably have to make sure he doesn’t get hurt. My day couldn’t get any better. She thought sarcastically as she tried to remember the name of the child.



From the other end of the alley, the young boy began to shout to the gun wielding Warden. The moment Evelyn hear his voice, she vaguely recognized it. Was it Sean or Stephan? Something that starts with a “S”… The young woman thought to herself, struggling to remember. Alexander. Seth Alexander, the son of Finn, the man who disappeared a while back. Evelyn recalled, her face lighting up underneath the darkness of her hood. The moment Seth say detective, Evelyn’s head whipped back to stare at the Warden. In the man’s other hand, was some sort of card, a badge of some sort. Oh, so the man’s a detective. The girl realized, putting the pieces together in her head. She didn’t have anything against detectives. They generally just search for the truth, under orders of people higher up.

Soon, the black clothed Warden realized what was happening, he started to put his gun away before speaking. The man named Vaan, was the Head Detective of the Red District. The Detective was apparently on a mission, which the young woman didn’t doubt, but what she was concerned about, was why did the Red District send their HEAD detective to the Black District. Something bad must have happened… She grimaced, wondering what happened this time. Vaan turned to apologize to the nun before heading off, exiting the alley. Well that was kind of him, apologizing to the nun. Glad to know the Red District still has manners. She humored to herself darkly, think about how rare it was to see people of the wealthier districts being respectful and polite to others.

After the man disappeared, the nun apologized to the others in the alley, introducing herself as Esther d’Leah, a nun in training in the White District. The white haired girl bowed before turning around and began to head towards Evelyn’s exit. As Esther turned the corner, she bumped into the Assassin slightly, apologizing and bowing once more, before asking if the shorter girl was alright. Evelyn chuckled lightly and shook her head, letting her hood fall back, revealing her face. A soft smile was on her lips as she looked up into the nun’s young face. “I’m fine, thank you.” She said softly. “Thank you helping us.” The Assassin said, rather mysteriously before brushing pass the nun and following the detective, forgetting about the work she had to do.

With much curiosity, Evelyn’s hazel eyes searched for the disappearing figure of the detective, spotting him a few paces in front of her. The young woman flipped her hood back over her head, but allowed it to slip off a bit, revealing most of her face. Being a working young adult in the District gave the girl many connections with the people in her District. She could offer the detective any help needed for his mission, and also some tips on how to blend in slightly better, as he drew quite a few stares from the sharp eyes from some locals, more than he would have wanted. Catching up with the man, she walked beside him, keeping a distance from Vaan, who didn’t know who she was. Evelyn was careful with her positioning, being one or two steps behind the male, not wanting drawing more attention to herself or the detective, who probably didn’t want any more attention after the alley situation, which made her head hurt.

“If you don’t want people to notice you, slouch a bit. Your perfect posture is quite strange around here, sir.” The girl said under her breath, but knew the Warden could hear her.


Words: 917
Vaan Esther @zinnia Seth Alexander

[Deleted]

If Zinnia had been out of place intervening in the situation than the last person to arrive on the scene was even more so. The small blonde child took his assumption of the situation even further than she had, going as far as to call the man in black 'depraved' and 'unsuited to be a Detective'. She had spoken up in defense of the Nun without thinking but what he was saying was going too far - he was asking for a fight that didn't need to happen. It was possible the whole thing was a misunderstanding from the start and accusations like that we're only going to make the situation more hostile and tense.

Fortunately for them all, the man wielding the gun wasn't feeling trigger happy. He slipped the firearm back into its holster underneath his long coat and displayed his badge once more for those who had missed it the first time, Zinna included. He introduced himself as Vaan, giving her a name to match to the face. He was from the Red District and was here on a mission as Head Detective. He apologized for what had happened and quickly slipped off.

She knew it would be rude to follow and put whatever mission he was on at risk but the temptation was nearly overwhelming. All her life she had grown up listening to the stories told by others in the Market... was this her chance to have a story of her own to someday tell? Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't but it was an opportunity she had never been presented with before. It wasn't one she wanted to go to waste. Zinnia nodded politely to those who were left in the alley and hurriedly followed after Vaan.

She rounded the corner of the alley and saw his back up ahead. Her eyes widened, a bit of adrenaline rushing through her system at the thought of attempting to make contact with him and discover where he was going. She had never tried anything like this before - it was exciting! Trailing a little behind the man was what she thought was the girl she had glimpsed before in the alleyway. She hadn't gotten a clear view of her before but from what she had seen, it seemed to match up.

Zinnia walked quickly to catch up to the pace of the other girl, falling into stride beside her and a few paces behind Vaan. She pulled her green hood down further over her face and laughed quietly at the words she heard the woman speak just as she caught up. "Sorry about earlier," She kept her tone low and looked in no particular direction. If anything, it probably looked more like she was conversing with the other blonde haired woman. She was pretty confident Vaan could hear her though. "I'm Zinnia," She tossed in a brief introduction of her own for both of them, since she already knew his name. "Let me help you out, as an apology for jumping on you in the alley like that," She hoped her adventure would continue.

---
Words: 516
Tags: Vaan, Evelyn, Esther, Seth Alexander

[Seth Alexander]

The moment that the detective withdrew his gun, Seth sighed. It would be a massacre for him to engage in any fight, since he did not want to fight, and so he was shocked at himself when he said those provocative words. He had that particular nature that he only went with anything that would not endanger everyone's life, but sometimes his desire for justice would overtake him. There were far too many extortionists here; and he wanted to stop those people from their roots, but did not know where to start. That might have been the start of his investigation on the matter, but since the detective had disagreed on the matter, as well as the conversing of the nun, he had nothing to say but to apologize for the matter. "I am sorry for what I have said, since a lot of times other people from other districts would come and demand from us money and belongings to keep ourselves from being listed in the wanted lists of their respective districts. I just got indignant when I thought you were demanding something from the nun. I am..." But some thought kept him from saying his name to this person, who he thought might have some shady business to attend. Maybe a part of him did not believe yet the detective, and as such he would err on the side of caution. "...just a tea and coffee brewer in this part of the downtown, and I had to give a part of my income to... some other people to protect my business." He did not attempt to say something to this person such as to make sure that his only source of living would not be ransacked by those people. "Well then I should take my leave. I am really sorry with the commotion I caused." He then took his leave right then.

But as he was on his way to the shop, he found that the detective and that girl who shouted was tailing him far behind, with another person staying close. "Wait, why are they following me?!" he thought as he continued to walk in his steady pace until he had reached the tea shop that he was managing. "Oh well, at least I have reached the shop. I might as well go inside to open it. I hope this would forget the strange thing that was happening here with that head detective out to investigate something. " But inside he felt that he was interested in what the Red District Head Detective would search for, but he would decide for himself if he would join them or not, as he would watch them go their way. As he reached the shop, he then unlocked it, and started to clean the tables, as he just stared at the window of his shop to check out those people. It may be for him to know for what reason would that detective go here in the Black District to search for something related to the Red District.  

Words: 508
Tags: Vaan, Esther, Evelyn, @zinnia

[Vaan]

As much as my job has me go to different parts of the city, I'm the head detective of the Red District. This may confuse a lot of people in the long run, since I should have no real business being in any district other than my own. Well, the job of a head detective is a job that is directed by the Princess of said district, herself. The Princess and I haven't done much in the way of "working together" on certain situations. The most I've ever been able to do is see the Princess when my old mentor took me through on her visitations with the higher-ups. The current Red Princess' mother, the Red Princess before Rosa, and my mentor got along pretty well. Enough to the point of them going out on a few occasions to have some beers. On one such occasions, Rosa and I were taken to have a manufactured "play date" when we were both younger. This was back when I was just a boy of about 11, and Rosa was 9 or 10. Her and I didn't necessarily get along well enough, much to my mentor's dismay. However, I did notice that Rosa was very much into her own work. As am I. Perhaps the one trait we share.

One of the traits that Rosa and I may share, but are unknown of, is the fact that we're able to sense what's going on around us. That being said, a quick glance into the window of a nearby house was all I needed to know. The Green District girl, and the one from around the corner, were both following me. The girl from around the corner was much closer than the Green District girl, but the other was catching up much quicker than I had anticipated. As if to give away the fact that I'm trying not to draw any attention. Having two people following me, despite the fact that one seems to know how to blend in with the crowd, is more than what I wanted to have going on around me right now. I rolled my eyes a little bit, but kept moving at the same pace. Letting people know that I was about to turn around, as the day started to become busier, was probably the worst thing I could do at the moment. Even turning around to address the people who were behind me is enough to cause a few heads to turn. So I kept my head on my shoulders, and looked forward, using the windows of houses to my advantage. I would keep an eye on them for now, as long as they intended to follow me.

Constructive criticism from a local is often quite helpful, but in this situation, the best way to avoid attention is to have a slight quirk about myself. Blending in entirely isn't always the best option. People will often notice you more if you blend in too well. Those people being police, more than often. Just having the slightest bit of personality to how you move is enough to cause people to look for one second, then look away, and not remember your face exactly 8 seconds later. "As much as I appreciate the criticism," I began, speaking back to the girl in a low tone, enough for her to hear me. "I know what I'm doing." I kept the comment short. "However, you seem to know your way around. Feel like lending a hand?" I could use someone who knew the lay of the land to help me out in this mission. Just as I mutter the words, though, I hear the Green District girl, identified as Zinnia, speak up. She wants in, then? "If you want in, give me something you have that can help. I don't need another set of eyes just to watch. I need information." I looked over my shoulder for just a second. "If you can provide that, or something else of a useful nature, I'll give you a shot." I threw a glare at her, before continuing. "And be quick about it." I don't need dead-weights. I need people who can think, and who can respond. As much as I know it will just end badly involving more people, I may not have a choice in the matter. This mission is too important to fail.

[731 Words]
Tags: Esther, Evelyn, @zinnia, Seth Alexander
Muse: Persona 3: Mistic

[Evelyn]

Vaan replied to her comment in a low tone, stating that he knew what he was doing. The blond haired girl just huffed quietly to herself, in mild amusement, at his reply as she looked over at the some passerby, never turning to face the Warden. If that was what he wanted, then so it shall be. There’s nothing I could do about it. She thought to herself as her light hazel eyes wandered the familiar streets. Then the detective spoke again. It seemed that he was not much of a talker as well, keeping his words short and to the point, though that could be because it would be odd to be seen talking to himself. In his short statement, he had guessed that she was from the Black District, or at least had been there enough to know the Dark District. The Red District’s Head detective had asked for some help in navigating around the district at which the Assassin hid her chuckle in a cough. She never expected someone to ask a local for help, but the detective knows how to find ways to get around. If Vaan didn’t mind the little attention he drew and asked Evelyn, a strange who he didn’t know, for help to get around, the Assassin had no idea what kind of mission the Warden was on. It wasn’t the typical missions where they look for suspects for crimes or something of that sort.

As she was about to answer his question, she spotted the other girl from the alley on the other side of the Warden at the same distance beside her, almost like they were flanking the tall Warden. The short blonde haired girl spoke up, introducing herself as Zinnia and asked to help out with the mission. Evelyn quickly shut her mouth and listened carefully to the Warden’s words. The man seemed to be quite interesting and from the few words he said, she knew that he was quite skilled in his field of work. Vaan had allowed Zinnia to join, on the condition that she also gives something to the mission, specifically information. So the man needs information about the mysterious Black District, huh? The Assassin humored darkly at the new information she gathered from his words, causing a grin to twitch at the corners of her lips, but she bit the inside of her cheek and replaced it with her neutral expression as she continued to stroll through the streets.

As usual, the detective didn’t say much to the other female, but turned his head to face Zinnia for a bit, mentioning that the other girl should be quick about thinking about how to benefit the detective, in addition to his glare. Evelyn took a quick peek at the short haired girl, looking at the panel that popped up above the girl’s head. Zinnia was a level 30 Sorcerer, which would be proven useful in a fight, though in the current context of the situation, it didn’t seem that the Warden was expecting a fight, only information from this mission. However, everyone is prepared for a fight when entering the Black District, the district where no one knows what will happen next. It was clear when Vaan had pulled his gun on Esther, the nun who had been feeding some children nearby. But not only strangers were prepared for fights in the district, locals, like Evelyn, would instinctively prepare for a fight whenever a situation becomes mildly tense. It was evident when the Assassin had spotted the Warden and Cleric in the alley in front of her house, and her hand automatically went to rest on the handles of her weapons.

After hearing the detective’s harsh words, the young woman felt bad for the other girl and the short Assassin spoke up to answer the Warden’s previous question, the one he asked before Zinnia popped in. “I could probably help you with getting around, but it depends on where you are heading, sir.” Evelyn said softly, but loud enough for her two current companions to hear. Considering the fact that the Assassin had lived in the Black District all her life, would most likely make her one of the best guides that were willing to help, thanks to her cat like curiosity. She had connections all around the district, as she would help them by making weapons or other items they required, in return she would receive whatever she needed at the moment, be it gold, or other items, or even information.


Words: 755
Vaan @zinnia (OOC: I'm not going to tag anyone that I don't interact with)

[Deleted]

It didn't take long for the Warden, Vaan, to notice she had joined up behind him. She had a feeling he knew she was there from the moment she stepped out from the alley. She hadn't tried to hide or sneak behind them as she figured acting that suspicious would only attract unwanted attention on the streets and also probably cause her source of curiosity to run off to try and lose her. The reaction she received from her arrival was a bit better than she had hoped for... she didn't have a gun in her face and he hadn't rushed off either, at least. However, what she did have was a short set of words to acknowledge her presence, a glare, and a requirement to be allowed to follow him.

In the brief moment he had turned his head around to look at her, Zinnia kept her expression neutral but allowed herself a quick flick of her eyes to look at his face. For all anyone else knew, he could have been glancing at any number of things. She was not disheartened by his glare but she thought his face wasn't well suited for the expression. She wondered for a moment if he had any other look other than serious and irritated. Pushing aside the new curiosity on if this man could smile, Zinnia focused on the demand she had been given. Something she could offer him? She somehow doubted he was interested in her knowledge of farming or wanted a lesson on how to milk a cow. It was a serious question which deserved a serious answer. All she could hope for was that she had enough to give.

Continuing the trend of the near-whisper volume, she spoke. With her hood pulled up as it were, the movement of her mouth would be mostly hidden from view. "I may not be an expert on Black District," She glanced at the girl beside her, who was clearly a local here and would know the city streets much better than she ever could. She returned her gaze to the Detective's back. "But, you would be surprised what you hear when you're trading in the Markets and making deliveries..." Stories, endless stories, had reached her ears. "People trust me, they tell me things because they don't think I'm a threat to them," With her kind demeanor and generally soft spoken tone, it was quite common for others to let their guard down around her. "I've been to all of the Districts, I keep up to date on the newest rumors from them all," She allowed a hint of a smile to pull at her lips as she spoke the next line, "Vaan, I think you probably intimidate people. No one is going to tell you anything unless you plan to pull your guns out on every single person you want information from?" Her tone was questioning at the end, but she didn't really expect a direct answer there.

"Besides, while I may not look like it, I've got a few tricks up my sleeves... if you were to need to pull that gun of yours out, having me on your side will only benefit you," She knew a small list of both offensive and defensive spells, after all. She didn't know exactly what he was going to be getting himself involved in or what he was interested in so it was hard to give him something more concrete. All she could do was tell him what she was good at and hope for a bit of trust and luck. "I definitely won't slow you down, I'm not just a girl from the farm, I can promise you that." Now, it would be up to Vaan to decide if her answer was satisfactory. She couldn't help but be curious if his presence here in the Black District was in any way related to the whispers she had heard that there was something bubbling below the surface of the districts. Hopefully she would get a chance to find out...

---
Words: 676
Tags: Vaan, Evelyn

[Vaan]

As I listened to the two girls that were following me, I analyzed their voices for a brief moment. The shorter one, the local, seemed to have a voice that was built for this area. Low, dark, but easy to understand. Living here for her entire life must have trained her to keep her words short and sweet, but the point is razor sharp. I can admire that fact. The other, Zinnia, wasn't exactly the opposite. Her experience with dealing with merchants and traders alike gave her the same to-the-point kind of talking style, but she explains in detail as to how and why something is. Obviously a business practice, and a good one, at that. Above all, both seem eager and willing to help out, if only out of their own curiosity of the matter at hand. An understandable feeling, as I've had that same kind of reaction when my mentor had done something of similar taste. A mission directly from the Red Princess in another district. In all actuality, the importance of this mission is just as much as that one, long ago. In fact, it follows the same roots as that incident. Funny, how history repeats itself...

I rummaged through my coat as the two finished talking, and held a piece of paper, folded up, to the local girl. On the paper was a map of the Black District's inner slum, as well as a circle indicating the place of interest. The rest of the paper is free from markings. "It's not really that I need help finding where I'm going." I responded, shortly after handing her the paper. "It's more the area around it." I motioned for Zinnia to look at the paper, too, while it was in the other girl's hands, since it'll be important for her to know as well, if she is to participate in the mission. I turned back to the path ahead. "I'll need to know what kind of escape routes there are, and where. Should the problem leave the area of interest, I'll need to know where they will go." As I finished this statement, I figured that Zinnia understood that she would be in on this now, as well. I didn't think I'd need to say much of anything about it, since it should be quite obvious. But, if she wants confirmation or something of the sort, I would oblige the question. But, there was something much more pressing on my mind at the moment, that I couldn't help but notice.

As we walked along, the people in the streets became much more scarce, to the point of only a few people walking around. As the number of people had suddenly dropped, I came to a stop in front of the two girls, and looked around. "Eyes open." I said curtly, scanning the area. Something was off here. Something I didn't like at all. And, as if on cue, the town's bell began to ring. It was now Noon. Half of the day was now gone. With each successive chime, counting down the number until twelve, the number of people hastily dropped further. By the time the sixth chime had rung, the street was empty, save for us. Moving instinctively, I slowly positioned myself in front of the girls. The armor I wore would be able to withstand a few hits, should something happen. And, in silence, we waited for the chimes to stop, counting it down in my head. 4... 3... 2... 1... Once the final chime rung out over the streets, all was silent. No wind to be heard, no people mumbling or chattering, nothing. I kept my eyes peeled, for any source of danger that may flash itself out of nowhere. The lack of people, sound, or anything else is quite unnerving. At least, it would be, except for...

A rock. Crumbling to the left in a dark alley. My eyes fixed upon it, then widened. "Get down!" I commanded sharply. Pushing the two down with my arms, I forced us all to crouch in just enough time to hear the blast. A gun, fired right at my head, and the bullet collided with the wall. Instinctively, I reached into my cloak, and grabbed the gun Leigh had left behind for me, pointing it in the direction of the blast, and firing off a few rounds in rapid succession. The shadowy figure from around the corner darted back for just a moment, then whipped back around. I saw the muzzle of the rifle flash again, as the gunman held the gun out, aiming to fire again. I took another quick shot, confirming a hit by the sound of a man shouting. As the bullet hit the target, a few more people began to rush out from a few corners, encircling us. Standing right up, I shouted to the girls. "Head down the alley behind us! There's a larger clearing over that way! We'll fight them there!" Taking a few pot shots at the attackers, swarming in after us, I waited for the two to begin to make their ways down the alley. It was a rather long one, but the clearing on the other side would be wide enough for us to avoid problems with buildings and pedestrians. One of the attackers, a girl by look of the build, wielding a short sword, brought the blade up quickly for a downward slash. Moving to the side, I roundhouse kicked her to the side, and started to follow the other two down the alley. Hopefully, they didn't wait for me, and just started running. As I ran, I held the gun behind me, firing behind us.

[949 Words]
Muse: Persona 3 - Mistic First 3 Paragraphs.
Persona 3 FES - Mass Destruction - Fourth Paragraph.
Tag: Evelyn, @zinnia

[Deleted]

It was a gray day today.

Although the sun was out, it didn't do much to put a damper on the dreariness that seemed to pour from this place. Although he came here solely to fish for the rumored 'Sewer King' in one of the ponds, right now, he kinda felt like wallowing around in misery/self-pity or something else along those lines. There were a couple buildings here that might have once been tall, proud and glamorous, but now they were in a horrible state of disrepair. Chipped paint. Cracked pavement. Dreary atmosphere. All that the place needed now was a rainy downpour and a slow, mournful jazz song and you'd have the setting of a grungy private eye making the rounds for a client.

Anyways, feeling sorry for himself wasn't the reason why Wick came here. No, he had bigger fish to fry. But first he had to catch it.

Yes, the rumored 'Sewer King' that Wick had heard about from the merchants back home. Despite the fish's supposedly huge size and the small smattering of ponds that dotted the Black District, this one hadn't been caught yet. With luck (and enough bait to lure it out), he'd be able to lure this beast out of the water and into a frying pan. Heck, maybe an event could be held where everyone could come out and enjoy some fish and forget about their worries for a bit.

Eventually, the pond bank opened up before him, revealing a murky, diluted body of water that supposedly contained one of the biggest water breathers this side of Lune. Bits of litter lined the water's edge, some of the smaller pieces of debris floating aimlessly amid the crests of tiny waves caused by a brisk wind that blew through here. Reaching into his rucksack, he pulled out a package of carefully wrapped sardines. After unwrapping the nasty-smelling parcel, he promptly chucked its payload into the water, a multitude of plips and plops echoing slightly as they hit the water's surface.

Once stage preparations had been completed, Wick pulled out the pieces to his fishing rod and began to assemble it. Once construction and string threading had been completed, he affixed his bait to the hook and turned back to the pond. Only to find that all the initial bait had disappeared from the water's surface.

Two observations came to Wick's head as tried to look for shapes in the water's surface.

One: he was in the pond.

Two: he's hungry. Really hungry.

---

Words: 419
Tags: Ain't taggin' none o' you crazies.
Notes: Quiet, please. You'll scare the fish.

[Evelyn]

Zinnia told Vaan and Evelyn that she was not an expert on the Black District, making the Assassin want to snicker quietly. Very few people of the other Districts even bothered to enter the district, and even less knew the place well enough to get around. About one or two people who were not of the Black District knew the District well enough to get around like a local, but still lacking the trust of the other citizens in the District. It was easy to tell that the other girl was not of the Black District; her speaking manner, her clothes, and even her posture. However, the girl seemed to have heard of various stories of the Black District; some rumors and stories of the current events of the Dark District. Perhaps she was one of the few people who were trusted, but her name hadn’t travelled to Evelyn’s ears yet, so she supposed that Zinnia was one of the many people who had dropped by the Marketplace quite often. She had apparently been a frequent visitor of all the Districts, knowing about the new and trending topics of all Districts, something Evelyn had never bother much to know about. She only concerned herself about the matters that put the people she cared about in danger, brushing off information that had no relation to her. The blonde haired girl continued talking, going into rather dangerous lands, questioning whether the Warden would be pulling a gun to everyone he meets in order to get information.

The other girl mentioned that she had a few tricks up her sleeves, most likely talking about her skills as a Sorcerer, one of the offensive mage classes. Being a level 30 Sorcerer mostly likely meant that she had a pretty strong repertoire of skill at her command, and she had reassured Vaan that she would not be a liability in a fight, should that happen soon. Evelyn looked down slightly, remembering how she was a level 15 Assassin among two other level 30 people of two of the strongest Districts. Though she had a small list of skills, the girl was a level 30 acrobat, with the skills to match and she also had the guts of someone who live the hard life in the Black District.

When the other girl finished talking, the detective pulled out a piece of folded paper and handed it to Evelyn. The Assassin quickly took it and opened it quickly, glancing through the contents quickly. It was a map of the Black District, but it was only the bare bones of the Dark District, having only parts which are well known marked while the rest was quite blank. Vaan motioned for the other girl to take a look at the map as well, so the small Assassin stepped closer to the Sorcerer and held it out for the other to see. The detective needed to know of certain escape route within the area to know where a potentially person he wanted to follow would disappear to in a chase. The Assassin studied the map carefully, her finger tracing along some familiar paths before tracing the road they were currently on. A paper map was not enough to fully understand the Black District. There were many small paths one could take to escape, one could go over top of a short building, or enter a small hole in a wall, making short cuts into a different alley or road.

Then rather suddenly, the Warden stopped walking and Evelyn looked up before bumping into the tall Warden. The street was almost completely deserted and the Assassin promptly held the map in one hand with the other reaching for her dagger that was strapped to her thigh, under her dark cloak. The blonde haired girl’s hazel eyes darted up to look at Vaan who was looking around the area, noticing the abnormities. Then the bell from the tower began to ring, signaling the twelfth hour of the day, noon. Every time the bell rung, more people left the area and by the sixth toll, the area was completely empty. The local growled inwardly at the turn out. What did the Warden do? The girl thought angrily, stepping back with her back to the other girl, not trusting the detective with her back. It was unlike her people to gang up on someone unless they did something bad, and ganging up on someone while a local, like Evelyn, was there was even more strange. This was going to either be something extremely bad or someone from another district had planned this. It was unlikely to be the latter, as the Assassin knew her people would not go down without a fight, disliking the class difference and being forced to submit to others who were of stronger Districts and wealthier backgrounds, and the surrounding area was dead silent, she could not hear the people in the marketplace chattering quietly. It was dead silent.

Just as she was about to question the Warden, he yelled out sharply, making Evelyn wince from the sudden and sharpness of his voice. She whirled around to see a large boulder in a nearby alleyway, something that was very out of place. The Black District was not very clean and neat, as it was quite rundown compared to the other Districts, but it was close to impossible that there was a random large rock in an alleyway. Someone would have complained, as it blocked up precious space and everyone would have helped move it. When the girl didn’t crouch, Vaan pushed her and Zinnia down, covering both girls as a gunshot sounded and the sound of a ricocheting bullet right above the detective’s head. As the man’s hold loosened, the young woman straightened up and peered around looking for the source of the gun shot. Evelyn spotted a figure with a rifle who shouted as another gunshot sounded, but this time, it was right by her ears. The detective had held out a gun and just shot the man. He’s a pretty good shot, though I supposed he’d have to be considering he’s the head detective of the Red District. She thought to herself, a grin twitched at the corner of her face.

Evelyn’s light hazel eyes kept darting around the area and they hardened at a sight she disliked. More people had appeared out of the shadows, attempting to corner the trio. The Warden had noticed it too, but seemed to have a better awareness of his surrounds at the moment, telling them to go into an alley that was behind them, stating that there was a large clearing nearby. They would be fighting them there, but the Assassin didn’t like it. She was already spotted and an Assassin was almost useless after she is spotted by the enemy. An open field was not her ideal location for a fight, but a small cramped alley that was very common in the Black District. Her small stature made it easier to move around small spaces and her acrobat skills made her more agile on her feet. Regardless, the girl was also respectful. The people who had surrounded her had made a move to attack when she was around, therefore becoming her enemies, and her enemy’s enemy was her ally. So the girl sprang to her feet and stuffed the map into her cloak and pulled Zinnia up, dragging the other girl into the long alley by her hand.

She knew of the place Vaan was talking about, the large clearing. It was a good distance away, but if one runs the entire way, they should be there in no time. Evelyn let go of the Sorcerer as they passed the mouth of the alley and was a few feet in. The Assassin continued to run, not bothering to waste another second and pulled out her black long sword from her side, running with a weapon in her hand. It was something that was silly to do, running with a weapon, but at the moment, efficiency was the key. The girl heard gunshots sounds echoing in the alley and cranked her head around to see who it was. She sighed in relief when Vaan’s familiar coat appeared, holding a gun and firing at the people chasing after them.

The girl mentally debated what the best move to make at the moment was. She could easily run ahead, using her skills to cover more distance, but that would leave Zinnia alone. She didn’t have to worry too much about the Sorcerer; they were capable of offensive and defensive skills. But it was silly to leave her companions alone. Sighing softly, the girl called out to the other blonde haired girl. “I’m going to disappear for a bit. But I’ll be around.” She said before jumping up onto the roof of the nearby, using [High Jump] and prompt activated [Hiding Entry]. She used her other acrobat skill, making it easier to cover more distance faster. Evelyn jumped and as she began to descend, she jumped again without touching the ground, using her passive skill, [Air Step]. In a few long bounds, the girl landed in the middle of the large clearing and walked over to the opening of the alley, waiting for Zinnia and Vaan to appear with multiple other people chasing them behind. While waiting, her light hazel eyes scanned the area. It was completely empty of other civilians and buildings and all Evelyn heard was the faint gunshots from Vaan and maybe some from the pursuers. Hopefully none of the bullets had landed on the other two.

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Vaan @zinnia

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After a moment of digging in his long coat, the Warden pulled a folded over piece of paper out and gave it to the other girl, the Assassin - she couldn't recall if she'd ever given her name. With a simple, wordless action, Vaan motioned for Zinnia to also look at the paper. He did not directly acknowledge her words or formally accept her presence on his mission but his actions were enough to make it clear to her that she had managed to secure herself a spot to tag along. There was no need to press him further about it - she was here to work together now and she would follow his lead. A hint of a smile flashed across her face, pleased with herself for being successful. Walking in stride next to the girl, Zinnia turned her head to the side and slightly down to see the paper. It was a simple map, presumably of the Black District, with a circle around one particular part. She didn't recognize where it was exactly but she figured that the circle was wherever Vaan was headed. I have no idea what that maps leads to, so hopefully she does. He turned back around to continue walking as he briefly explained what he needed from the other girl. Zinnia watched the other girl trace her finger along the lines and she did her best to remember it as well. It made sense to ask the Black District girl that - he may know the general layout but only a local would know the true quickest ways from A to B as well as the obscure hiding spots. All the same, his words were vague and didn't tell the sorceress much about what he was up to.

As if word was spreading of some impending action, the streets were emptying out as they continued along. The more they walked, the less people there were around. This can't be because of us, right? Was it just a less populated part of the district or were people purposely staying clear of them for some reason? Vaan seemed to notice the change as well and came to a stop in front of them. Zinnia slowed and stopped, now standing quite close to the other two in the group. Her eyes moved from Vaan to the petite girl beside her. He seemed to be cautiously looking around and the other girl seemed irritated, backing away slightly from the Warden. Feeding off the vibe of the other two, Zinnia straightened her posture and looked around herself. Unlike the other two, she wasn't traveling with any of her weapons equipped - they were simply too bulky to be hidden. With each echoing chime, the few remaining people dwindled even further until none remained at all except the three of them. Vaan shifted his position, moving into much more of a guarded stance in front of the two girls. Zinnia looked up at him but continued to remain quiet - he seemed focused. The bell rang out a few more times before fading out, leaving the street absolutely silent.

She hadn't seen it, whatever it was, but apparently something had triggered Vaan. After hastily commanding them to get down, the gunslinger pulled her and the other girl down with his arms. Wha--!? A single bullet whizzed by, aimed directly for where Vaan had just been standing, and collided with a wall. The sound echoed off the empty streets of the Black District. He responded with a few shots of his own, aiming at a figure Zinnia couldn't quite see from her position. She really couldn't see much at all except Vaan's front, the assassin's side (who seemed to have a better view than her) and a bit of the ground below her. If this had been any other situation and not a life or death moment in the middle of the slums, surely she would have been feeling self conscious about her position. Her heart was indeed racing but from the sudden gun fight - if that had been aimed at her there was no way she would have noticed it in enough time to move out of the way like that. She heard a yelp and then footsteps, which seemed to be moving in their direction. She was thankful to Vaan for protecting them and she definitely had no doubt in her mind that he was a good person but not being able to see what was happening was hard to deal with.

The view in front of her changed and allowed her to finally clearly see the situation at hand. Vaan stood quickly, directing them to move down the nearby alley. His words were a command, spoken in a rush to react to the situation, and there was a feeling of power to them - he was clearly in charge here and he seemed used to it. Before she had time to stand, she felt the other girls hand grab her own, yanking her to her feet and pulling her towards the alley. From behind her, she heard Vaan continue to fire off a few shots here and there. Only a few feet into the alley her hand was released and she glanced over her shoulder to make sure the last member of their group was keeping up. A little ways back, she saw a female lunging at Vaan with a sword. He dealt with her swiftly, landing a solid kick and knocking her aside. It would take a moment to recover from a blow like that. Once she saw him running as well, she turned her attention back to what was in front of her. The alley was long and narrow but up ahead, she could see where it opened up.

Zinnia quickly did what was necessary to call forth her staff, there was no denying this was going to turn into a fight. I need to be ready... The other girl seemed to be thinking the same, as she had pulled out a weapon of her own. She heard the assassin's voice and nodded in response. Zinnia understood well enough, an assassin was more effective from the shadows so running exposed here in the alley was a problem. With that, she disappeared. The sorceress gripped her staff tighter and focused on moving forward. A stray bullet ricocheted off the wall of one of the buildings surrounding her, making her heart skip a beat. He's behind you, don't worry, just keep moving. She had to trust that the other two would meet her at the end. The alley opened up and she found herself in a large clearing, just as Vaan had described. Did he really need the help of the Black District girl to get around? Zinnia had no idea this was here at all. Using the momentum she had built, Zinnia continued part way into the clearing and spun around, pivoting on her right foot, to face back the way she had come. Her staff whipped around with her and pointed straight ahead, ready to fire off an attack. There by the end of mouth of the alley, she could see the other girl, also waiting to strike.

Assuming nothing had gone wrong, it would only be a few anxious moments before the Red District man emerged from the alley. She didn't have an exact count on the number of people who had attacked them or what exactly had she gotten herself into by tagging along with this guy. No one would ever believe her that this had happened to her and she had a feeling this was only the start. Zinnia began channeling a spell once her body was completely turned back around. As soon as everyone was through the alley and into the clearing, a ball of fire burst out of her staff and launched itself towards the nearest of their enemies. The spell, Orb of Lava, would continue to bounce a few times from person to person, avoiding those she considered an ally. Until she had a better idea of what Vaan wanted to do with or about these people, she kept her attack simple. 

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Notes: Hopefully this works for you two
Words: 1357
Tags: Vaan, Evelyn