[They exit the bus, and are faced with a small crowd of... what appear to be pretty standard thugs. Armed, but not highly organized-- opportunistic more than anything. There's a glint in their eyes as they look the bus over.
One of the group had been yelling while they exited-- "You've got 30 seconds to turn that thing over! 30! 9! 8!-"
"You skipped 20 seconds, dumbass!"
"Fine, then they've only got--"
His eyes land on Ichiban with his interruption, and he grins.
"Don't need a countdown after all!"
Targets acquired. They move on the three of them-- a group already in front of them, a group to their left (from in front of the bus) and a group to their right (from behind the bus).
The group in front of them has an [8] on Ichiban, however, so like. Good luck to those guys trying to attack. The left group moves in as a couple guys with studded bats try to sneak a hit on Ichiban from the side; meanwhile the right group [5] can be heard off to the edge of the crowd complaining that the others won't make room for them to join in. That group won't be a problem until either the fight spreads out a bit or you guys clear the space.]
[okay, okay. ichiban comes forward to tank, grab all the attention - so throné moves to the left, to try and take out the guys attempting a sneak attack. she brings her knife up and in, and she's not going for fatal attacks, but she is using a knife at close range, so. stabbing is really the only option she's got here.
she will try to take out these guys by incapacitating them - slicing tendons, gut stabs, the works.]
Are you stupid?! [ directed at ichiban, although with a different tone of voice it could be directed at the thugs. throné is going for the stealth maneuver, so baiken stays focused on the primary group, even with their lousy 8. she'll leave some for ichiban since he so desperately wants to be the center of attention, but she's quick to sidestep and cut a thug along his side. it isn't deep enough to kill, because i also rolled a lousy 8, but blood loss should make him more manageable. ]
[ to be fair, it does seem like his tactic worked for throné to try and get the jump on her group. one of the guys with bats manages to nail ichiban in the shoulder, but he shrugs it off and swings his borrowed katana to try and sweep the offenders. if it hurt, he doesn't express it outwardly, focusing only on the task at hand. ]
That is the sound of Ichiban sweeping a guy mid-taunt, thanks Ichiban. He catches that hit in the shoulder, which encourages the group to begin pressing in... but his followup leaves them hesitant, which keeps them open to Throné and Baiken. Especially to Throné; Baiken and Ichiban's voices keep the thugs' attention largely focused there.
The thugs also aren't very strong, so getting a good enough hit on one is pretty much enough to take them out-- a heavy enough sweep can probably get two of them, so they're already beginning to collect a small pile of these guys at their feet. Some of the others begin to back off, a little warier of charging right in; one or two more desperate individuals encourage them forward, though. What have they got to lose? If they can get something, anything out of this...
It doesn't work on the right group, who haven't even made it into the fight and yet see that it isn't going the thugs' way. The [1] means they decide to live to fight another day, and make their escape while the other two groups are still engaged, leaving them behind to die. The left group that Throné has started stealth attacking has a [9] so they do not notice her, rip to them, while Ichiban and Baiken probably have an easy time fending off the shaken primary group [5].]
well she is going to try to just keep taking out these dudes until they're done for. if they get blood on her she's going to scream, so they better not. stabbity stab...
tbh if she finishes her group early she's getting back on the bus. goodbye.]
[ yeah they're toast. this isn't enough for her to go totally feral, and ichiban is, unfortunately, a good tank, so these punks are gonna get cleaned up in no time. business as usual. cut here, slice there - never deep enough to kill. it's almost harder to stay restrained.
but once they're all taken care of and stop attacking, baiken has to do that samurai flourish to fling the blood off (that i'm sure has a specific name) before sheathing the blade. then yes. back on the bus. ]
[ HELP WHY ARE YOU BOTH JUST REBOARDING. once the offenders are on the ground or just plain gone, ichiban sticks behind, half because he's keeping an eye out for any stragglers, half because that whack the bat guy got on him earlier is starting to sting now that the adrenaline is wearing off. owie :( ]
[He sighs, a very tired, annoyed sort of sigh, staring them both down even though he's answering Ichiban.
"Well, its inventor isn't here to explain the details, so... we'll leave it at this. The 'guys' are the only kind of fuel this bus's engine will take, and you won't find it just anywhere."
The side of the bus pops open with a groaning, metallic sound, revealing mechanisms that look very nearly like jaws.
"Throw them in. Mephistopheles will extract what it needs, and convert the rest."
He continues to stand in their way, but... he's not going to tell the ladies to help Ichiban, either. How they do this is their business, he's just not letting them back in until it's done.]
[there's... a pause, from throné, as she looks over her shoulder at the mostly dead men. it's clear she's hesitating.
... she has a strength of eight so she is not going to be able to move the men into the mechanism regardless, but. there's a little war going on her head about what she has to do in order to get past this, and what she is willing to sacrifice. maybe she should fight a little more on being told these things, but she is so very good at following orders.]
[ ichiban also stands his ground, growing angrier by the second. ]
No. I don't care what the details are. Sure, maybe they're not paragons of humanity, and maybe they would've killed us if we didn't knock 'em out first, but I'm not feeding people to some fucked up nightmare bus!
The hell's your problem? What has this City done where I'm supposed to give a shit?
[ she isn't even angry about the dudes. maybe she should be. maybe that will sink in later - but for now, all she sees is some pompous douchebag trying to give orders. ]
What, too afraid to get your hands dirty? Might want to try another profession then.
[ ichiban also has a bone to pick with their mysterious host, but baiken looks like she currently has that on lock, and he's not about to get in her way. no, instead he's veering toward throné as she stares down at one of the thugs.
there's a moment where he almost reaches out to place a hand on her shoulder, but vividly remembers the last time he touched her without warning and quickly withdraws, instead just saying: ]
My role is to be a guide, not a participant. To put it another way... I'm not paid to care how you get anything done. Just to make sure you do it.
[You know when someone has a palpable Aura of intimidation about them? He's got that, his eyes now a brighter red, but he isn't making a move. If they don't start any, perhaps there will not be any. Who's to say.]
except, sadly, baiken isn't as hotheaded as she used to be, and has enough sense to know that cutting this man down (well. attempt.) is not where her priority should be. it isn't even fun to insult him, because he doesn't care. ]
Stuffy bastard.
[ well it wasn't like she wasn't going to insult him, mild as it is in the grand scheme of things. she STOMPS off the bus to her other two companions. ]
ah, but then baiken is joining them, and she asks the million dollar question. ichiban looks between the two of them, his eyes lingering on throné's a little longer before he breaks his silence.
"you're a good man, ichiban." ]
Look, I wanna get out of this in one piece too, but I don't want murdering these guys to be part of the plan, either. [ . . . he faces the metallic teeth in the bus's newly opened hatch. ] We're not going anywhere until we get some fuel? Then I'll do it.
[ THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT YOU'D SAY YOU SHITTY PROTAGNIST PIECE OF SHIT!!!!! ]
Now that he's looking at the bus, Ichiban can tell it actually seems hungry. The driver was not simply using a turn of phrase; it's gnashing its 'teeth' like it's starving, after they've failed to give it any fuel, and when he approaches despite Throné's attempt to interfere...
It doesn't take much effort. He barely has to get near it before the mechanisms catch him, devouring him eagerly.
Ichiban is dead.
Wherever Throné has put her pocketwatch, she can feel warmth from it. A very faintly visible chain runs from it to her, through her to Baiken, to... well, right now, to the bus engine.
Oh, yeah, and if she was still standing close or if Baiken has gotten closer? They're splattered with his blood. Mephi's a messy eater. It's sowwy.]
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One of the group had been yelling while they exited-- "You've got 30 seconds to turn that thing over! 30! 9! 8!-"
"You skipped 20 seconds, dumbass!"
"Fine, then they've only got--"
His eyes land on Ichiban with his interruption, and he grins.
"Don't need a countdown after all!"
Targets acquired. They move on the three of them-- a group already in front of them, a group to their left (from in front of the bus) and a group to their right (from behind the bus).
The group in front of them has an [8] on Ichiban, however, so like. Good luck to those guys trying to attack. The left group moves in as a couple guys with studded bats try to sneak a hit on Ichiban from the side; meanwhile the right group [5] can be heard off to the edge of the crowd complaining that the others won't make room for them to join in. That group won't be a problem until either the fight spreads out a bit or you guys clear the space.]
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she will try to take out these guys by incapacitating them - slicing tendons, gut stabs, the works.]
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[ to be fair, it does seem like his tactic worked for throné to try and get the jump on her group. one of the guys with bats manages to nail ichiban in the shoulder, but he shrugs it off and swings his borrowed katana to try and sweep the offenders. if it hurt, he doesn't express it outwardly, focusing only on the task at hand. ]
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That is the sound of Ichiban sweeping a guy mid-taunt, thanks Ichiban. He catches that hit in the shoulder, which encourages the group to begin pressing in... but his followup leaves them hesitant, which keeps them open to Throné and Baiken. Especially to Throné; Baiken and Ichiban's voices keep the thugs' attention largely focused there.
The thugs also aren't very strong, so getting a good enough hit on one is pretty much enough to take them out-- a heavy enough sweep can probably get two of them, so they're already beginning to collect a small pile of these guys at their feet. Some of the others begin to back off, a little warier of charging right in; one or two more desperate individuals encourage them forward, though. What have they got to lose? If they can get something, anything out of this...
It doesn't work on the right group, who haven't even made it into the fight and yet see that it isn't going the thugs' way. The [1] means they decide to live to fight another day, and make their escape while the other two groups are still engaged, leaving them behind to die. The left group that Throné has started stealth attacking has a [9] so they do not notice her, rip to them, while Ichiban and Baiken probably have an easy time fending off the shaken primary group [5].]
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well she is going to try to just keep taking out these dudes until they're done for. if they get blood on her she's going to scream, so they better not. stabbity stab...
tbh if she finishes her group early she's getting back on the bus. goodbye.]
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but once they're all taken care of and stop attacking, baiken has to do that samurai flourish to fling the blood off (that i'm sure has a specific name) before sheathing the blade. then yes. back on the bus. ]
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[ HELP WHY ARE YOU BOTH JUST REBOARDING. once the offenders are on the ground or just plain gone, ichiban sticks behind, half because he's keeping an eye out for any stragglers, half because that whack the bat guy got on him earlier is starting to sting now that the adrenaline is wearing off. owie :( ]
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"You still have to put the fuel in the bus."
He gestures to the unconscious, mostly-dead thugs, then to the side of the bus, which looks like it opens up somehow.]
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[stands on the bus step, staring mr. red eyes directly in the face. she's so short. help.]
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[ she is also. staring at verg. help. ]
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The guys are the fuel?
[ HE DOESN'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH BEING TOLD WHAT TO DO BUT HE DOES HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THIS PART ]
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"Well, its inventor isn't here to explain the details, so... we'll leave it at this. The 'guys' are the only kind of fuel this bus's engine will take, and you won't find it just anywhere."
The side of the bus pops open with a groaning, metallic sound, revealing mechanisms that look very nearly like jaws.
"Throw them in. Mephistopheles will extract what it needs, and convert the rest."
He continues to stand in their way, but... he's not going to tell the ladies to help Ichiban, either. How they do this is their business, he's just not letting them back in until it's done.]
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... she has a strength of eight so she is not going to be able to move the men into the mechanism regardless, but. there's a little war going on her head about what she has to do in order to get past this, and what she is willing to sacrifice. maybe she should fight a little more on being told these things, but she is so very good at following orders.]
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Piss off. You want it done, you can do it yourself.
[ SHE'S HAD ENOUGH OF THIS 'VERG' GUY. she will fight you old man. though for now, she continues to glower. ]
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No. I don't care what the details are. Sure, maybe they're not paragons of humanity, and maybe they would've killed us if we didn't knock 'em out first, but I'm not feeding people to some fucked up nightmare bus!
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You do know how things work in this City, don't you... you've been told your options. Work with them or you're not getting anywhere.
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she wanders over to one of the barely alive guys, staring down at him like she's deliberating.]
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[ she isn't even angry about the dudes. maybe she should be. maybe that will sink in later - but for now, all she sees is some pompous douchebag trying to give orders. ]
What, too afraid to get your hands dirty? Might want to try another profession then.
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there's a moment where he almost reaches out to place a hand on her shoulder, but vividly remembers the last time he touched her without warning and quickly withdraws, instead just saying: ]
Necchan, c'mon. You can't be serious.
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[You know when someone has a palpable Aura of intimidation about them? He's got that, his eyes now a brighter red, but he isn't making a move. If they don't start any, perhaps there will not be any. Who's to say.]
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throné looks up at ichiban when he approaches.]
... If you and Baiken think that we can make it through this without dying, then I won't. [folds her arms.] But I will not die here. I made a promise.
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except, sadly, baiken isn't as hotheaded as she used to be, and has enough sense to know that cutting this man down (well. attempt.) is not where her priority should be. it isn't even fun to insult him, because he doesn't care. ]
Stuffy bastard.
[ well it wasn't like she wasn't going to insult him, mild as it is in the grand scheme of things. she STOMPS off the bus to her other two companions. ]
Figure it out yet?
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ah, but then baiken is joining them, and she asks the million dollar question. ichiban looks between the two of them, his eyes lingering on throné's a little longer before he breaks his silence.
"you're a good man, ichiban." ]
Look, I wanna get out of this in one piece too, but I don't want murdering these guys to be part of the plan, either. [ . . . he faces the metallic teeth in the bus's newly opened hatch. ] We're not going anywhere until we get some fuel? Then I'll do it.
[ THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT YOU'D SAY YOU SHITTY PROTAGNIST PIECE OF SHIT!!!!! ]
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Since we have determined this is happening...
Now that he's looking at the bus, Ichiban can tell it actually seems hungry. The driver was not simply using a turn of phrase; it's gnashing its 'teeth' like it's starving, after they've failed to give it any fuel, and when he approaches despite Throné's attempt to interfere...
It doesn't take much effort. He barely has to get near it before the mechanisms catch him, devouring him eagerly.
Ichiban is dead.
Wherever Throné has put her pocketwatch, she can feel warmth from it. A very faintly visible chain runs from it to her, through her to Baiken, to... well, right now, to the bus engine.
Oh, yeah, and if she was still standing close or if Baiken has gotten closer? They're splattered with his blood. Mephi's a messy eater. It's sowwy.]
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