>Introduction & Summary: You are Katja Hartkern, Ex-Kyokugen Karateka and an aspiring Martial Artist that lives in the city of Souh Town. In spite of some soul-crushing set-backs over the last three months of your life, you are dead-set on entering "The King of Fighters: Infinite Match" with Yuri Sakazaki and her best friend King, gunning for nearly $9 Million in cash and the accolade of being part of the first All-Female team to ever win in the long history of the tournament... Though right now, you're in the passenger seat of a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG "Black" Edition driven by Jean-Claude Gabriel, the man who has indirectly made your life a living hell over the course of those 89 Days as he speeds recklessly through traffic, trying to make up for lost time.You had offered yourself up to "Moonlight" as an undercover opperative set up by friends of a friend of yours ("Blue Mary" Ryan) as they were attempting to take down this man on corruption charges, though you also knew first-hand that Jean, as CEO of "The Paragon Group", had hired assasins and thugs to try and kill you and nearly everyone else back at the Kyokugen Dojo you had gone to over the rights to the land that the Dojo sat on... Which is precisely why you had accepted jean's offer and were now on a "Date" with him, though not without having your flashy red dress wired with State-of-the-Art Surveilance Equipment provided by Seth and his Unnamed Agency.However, you're starting to think that you might've been too eager to rush in and start asking him questions about how he runs his business and what "The Paragon Group" actually DOES on an average day, futher compounding that sinking feeling in your gut that he knows that you're "Snitching" on him... Which is only further backed up by how he acted when you brought up some of the darker elements of one of his ancestor's past a little bit earlier in the evening...
>>30871270>The Rules:http://pastebin.com/Dj9z4r1t>Previous Thread:http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/30755859/>Contact Information:https://twitter.com/WeaselThat>Out-of-Date Stats Page:http://pastebin.com/eUELr1DM===>Days Until "The Infinite Match": 9>Date: Monday, May 21st>Time of Day: 7:09 PM>Updates now Begin>You now assume direct control of Katja HartkernIt had started all well enough; You had arrived in an undercover car disguised as a taxi (And driven by Ramon with Vanessa alnogside you) and had walked up the steps to Jean's office, immediately thinking that you had him under yur thumb after looking at his initial reaction the damn-near lewd dress you had on, rehearsing a choreographed set of actions that you and Vanessa had nearly spent the whole afternoon working on (Though only AFTER she seemed to break her composure and get rather emotional aroun you...). it was when he had invited you up to look around his office floor that you had gotten suspicious a little, though you payed it cool and remarked about how beautiful of a painting it was... He had let it slide in your mind, though when remarking about his weapons collection he seemed a bit off, almost ashamed that he couldn't hide parts of his family's past like he could with the painting in his MASSIVE office.And now... You look down at your lap, trying to act as though you're ashamed for bringing up Jean's work at The Paragon Group when he clearly wanted to just relax tonight. You sigh, then tell him "I'm sorry for bringing it up... And I understand where you're commin' from too; When something important to'you takes up ALL of your free time, the last thing that y'need is to get it thrown back at you."Jean seems to be taken aback at your words, then admits "I appologise for snapping out like that as well; Like you said, I've had a rough day at the office and need to unwind...""Penny for your thoughts on how bad it was?' You ask, trying to sound cheerful.
>>30871603"Sorry, but I only trade in Nickels, Dimes and Quarters when it comes to my thoughts" he tries to joke, then adds "It's just a boring, complicated mess that's driving me up a wall today" with a sigh.>A. Don't try to press it any further right now; The last thing you need is to lose favour with this man before the "Date" even starts and blow the whole damn mission...>B. Try to offer up some of what has happened to you over the last three months to try and get him to open up a little bit, using the "You think what you deal with is bad?" line of reasoning... (It's worked before, anyway)>C. Try to change the topic of conversation and see if you can get this guy to get out out of the rather dour mood he's in...>D. Something Else... (Write-In Vote)
>>30871681 >C. Try to change the topic of conversation and see if you can get this guy to get out out of the rather dour mood he's in...
>>30871681 >D. Something Else... (Write-In Vote)Combine A & C maybe? We don't want to wear our charms too thin too early and spoil the mood of the "Date", but we also need to keep trying to pump him for information...
>>30871681 >A. Don't try to press it any further right now; The last thing you need is to lose favour with this man before the "Date" even starts and blow the whole damn mission...Let Jean take control of the conversation a little bit... Besides, we can get him drunk and try to gwt some stuff out of him at Dinner, right?
>>30872768GET some stugf out of him, sorry.
>>30872578What he said.
>>30871681A. Let him take the conversational lead for a little bit so he gets a little more comfortable.
>>30872355>>30872578>>30872768>>30873015OK, we've got two votes for A and for Combining Options A & C... Go with A? Or just combine all of the the votes so far (Including the lone C vote from >>30872355)?
>>30873123It's all more or less the same thing. As long as Jean isn't getting harrassed by work, he'll be fine.
>>30873181Combining The Votes for expediency then...>>30873015>>30872768>>30872578>>30872355You stay quiet as Jean focuses on driving, weaving his way in and out of traffic at ever-escalating speeds. Curiously, you don't seem to mind all that much as even though he's diving faster than Ramon or even Seth had earlier, you don't real feel that it's dangerous; If anything, this car actually feels "Safer" to you the faster it goes..."Here's the thing; I get up in the morning at 5 AM, I grab breakfast at a little coffee shop that no one bothers me at and pore over notes from my secretary for about an hour, then I contact my lawer and my accountant to be EXACTLY sure that my wealth is 100% air-tight... And I do that EVERY, SINGLE, DAY unless something comes up" he explains, trying to dismiss his earlier "Snippy" remarks. "I reckon it can get old, huh?" you reply and glance at Jean nodding.Jean starts to reply "You wouldn't know the half of it... And that's on a normal day where nothing goes wrong, or there aren't any meetings or politicking from...", but stops to think over his words for a second. "Interests, I should say.""What kind?"Jean pauses at your rapid-fire remark, then admits "Congress mostly; It seems that my company has put a lot of people out of business and a couple disgruntled multinationals are trying to sue me over anti-trust and anti-competition clauses..."You think that over for a moment as the car pulls up to a stoplight, cross-town traffic starting to pick up a little bit... However, Jean stops your train of thought by explaining "The thing is, NO ONE wanted to try and rebuild this city after it was partially destroyed; The US Government was damn-near ready to quarantine and relocate the surviving citizens so they could turn it into another Area 51, but I stepped up to the plate and single-handedly had my companies rebuild this city out of my own pocket..."
>>30874163"...Yet they want to put me on trial for that? When they were always free to try and foster good business amongst my own, yet left this community for death?""It's troublin', yeah" is all you can muster as you hear Jean continue to rant, taking a bit of a personal "I know I shouldn't be talking about this, but damn it, I have my pride after all; I would expect the citizens of this city to be grateful that SOMEBODY out there cares enough for them to rebuild their homes, yet EVERYONE looks at me like I'm the new Geese Howard when all I want to do is be a humanitarian for once in my life!"You think over his words, a violent, bitter tone behind them and simply say "I think you need to take a bit of a breather on this, mate; Y'don't sound too healthy right now...""... You're right" he replies, almost sounding guilty as he admits "Hell, when you start taking flights to far-off places JUST as an excuse to try and get away from your day-job, it's a sign I suppose..."A part of you almost starts to almost feel sorry for this poor bastard, though you scare yourself with that thought and reply "I'm not gonna bother you with MY ridiculous dramas then; You've got too much on your plate as-is" with a smirk.Jean mulls it over and doesn't say anything for a little while before he pulls off to the side of the road at a rest-stop halfway from his offices and Meadow's Park, just past the Northernmost tip of Sound Beach. Your heart starts to race a little as your imagination once again runs wild, wondering if Jean's going to ry something on you for a second, but get relieved when he grabs his cellphone. "It's bad form to talk and drive in something like this. Plus, I don't want my insurance premiums to go up AGAIN just because some cop catches me and tries to get an "Easy" arrest out of the way..." Jean explains.You nod in agreement at his logic and try to relax, though your five-point harness doesn't seem to comply as you hear Jean's phone ring...
>>30874653You try to look natural as you lean slightly closer towards him as a voice on the other end answers his call. "Cliffside Inn. How can I help you?""Yes... I'd like to make a reservation for two, for tonight please" Jean replies, his voice almost as cordial-sounding as that one phone call he had given you."Sir, that simply isn't possible; We only accept reservations made EXACTLY Thirty Days in advance" the slightly snobbish-sounding voice on the other end replies."Could I speak to your manager sir?" Jean asks, an ice-cold menace in his voice as you can see that he's trying not to lose his temper in front of you."Alright" the voice replies, though Jean cuts him off before he can put the phone down."And tell him that Jean Gabriel's calling, please."The phone goes silent for a few seconds before putting Jean on hold as you try to stetch out and wonder what kind of angle Jean's playing (As you've never heard of a restraunt called the "Cliffside Inn"), but drop it when the other voice comes back almost sounding appologetic for the attitude he had earlier..."I'm terribly sorry to inconvenience you Mr. Gabriel; You really sounded different over the phone tonight..."'No problem my good man; I'm a bit jet-lagged from a prior business deal" Jean replies, trying to pass off his rather frightening turn of ice-cold anger from a mere few minutes ago."Right sir; The usual table then?""Uh... Not tonight, no. I'd like something with a view of the lighthouse, if possible" he replies as the guy on the other end hangs up the phone."How ritzy IS this place?" you ask, partially to give your guys a "Heads-Up" of where you're going but also out of genuine curiosity."It's an old hotel that's a bit of aways outside City Limits that recently got converted into being a restraunt after the owners couldn't afford to modernize the place" Jean explains as he starts the car back up, then asks "Do you need to to stop and use the restroom before we get going?"
>>30875103>A. Use this opportunity to try and somehow get in-touch with Vanessa & Ramon before proceeding on to "The Cliffside Inn".>B. Decline, as you aren't 100% sure that you could be walking into a premediated trap...>C. Decline, but ask if you could stretch your legs out for a little bit to calm your nerves and think up a plan of action in case Jean gets wind (Or comes clean that he already has learned) of your ulterior motives behind this "Date"...>D. Something Else... (Write-In Vote)
>>30875194>A. Use this opportunity to try and somehow get in-touch with Vanessa & Ramon before proceeding on to "The Cliffside Inn".Also to give Jean some space, since he got angry in front of us and needs to cool down for a bit.
>>30875194>>B. Decline, as you aren't 100% sure that you could be walking into a premediated trap...Paranoia! It keeps you alive.
>>30875308>>30875508Calling this a TIE unless another option gets two or more votes quickly...
>>30876046> C. Decline, but ask if you could stretch your legs out for a little bit to calm your nerves and think up a plan of action in case Jean gets wind (Or comes clean that he already has learned) of your ulterior motives behind this "Date"...Let Jean have some space and if our bosses ask what's going on, we'll tell and ask them how to accept and send messages.
>>30876085This is a good go-between.
>>30875194>C.Pretty sparse on players today, huh?
>>30875194>C. Decline, but ask if you could stretch your legs out for a little bit to calm your nerves and think up a plan of action in case Jean gets wind (Or comes clean that he already has learned) of your ulterior motives behind this "Date"...
Appologies for the "QM is Kill"-length of delay; had to move a crap-tonne of furniture around and lost track of the time.>>30876140>>30877986>>30880363You think about it for a few seconds, Jean revving the engine impatiently to express his anctiousness inspite of his actual facial expression not giving anything away... You eventually tell him "Yes I do, actually... Could you tell me how to get out of one of these things?", pointing to your unique seatbelt.Jean lets the engine drop down to idle before shutting it off, then wordlessly twists the key "Off" and says "OK. I'll be waiting for you" as he quickly undoes his own seatbelt to help with yours, careful not to let his hands wander around your body as he simply turns a small, knob-like clockwise to open your belts up."Thanks... And it'll just be a bit mate" you reply as you fumble around to try and get the door latch to open, Jean turning on a light above the passenger-side door to help you find it. You grab your bag and slowly get out of the car unassisted, the clunk of your thick heels hitting the asphalt as you try to find your footing on them. hough you still aren't used to wearing heels, your balance isn't too bad as you close the gullwing door behind you and follow the surprisingly well-lit path to the restrooms, wondering how pretty the scenery might be from this sleepy rest stop if it were still daylight...You get to the restrooms and breath a sligh of relief at finding that not only are they clean, but somewhat private as you quietly lock yourself into one of the actual ROOMS that this place has and take a few breaths to try and clear your mind. Honestly, you hadn't expected to actually tolerate this monster's company, but you couldn't help but find yourself quietly agreeing with certain parts of Jean's point-of-view (Even if he's a bit too melodramatic for his own good)...
>>30881269Still, you can't shake the fact that he IS the man who has tried to have you killed and he DOES employ people as twisted as Bizuki Iijima on his payroll, so he isn't all THAT redeemable in your mind as you hear your cellphone buzz in your bag.Curious as to who it might be (Mainly from the fact that you weren't aware your cellphone even had a "Vibrate" setting), you ask "Yeah?""What's the deal Outback?""Seth's voice?" you think to yourself, then reply "I needed to clear my head for a bit and get an update from you guys...""You're taking your sweet-ass time to get to the good stuff, but honestly? You aren't too bad for a rookie" Seth admits."Thanks, REAL nice of you" you darkly think, then reply "This guy seems to be pretty tempermental too, so I felt like I had to pick my spots when to press and when not to...""I understand completely, but I would honestly start hitting him up more when you get to that "Cliffside Inn" thing he was talking about" Seth replies with an authorative voice, then asks "How's the gear working for you?""Can't even tell it's there" you reply, staring at yourself in the mirror for a few moments as you then add "OK, I'm on my way out."You hear Seth simply state "Understood" as he hangs up, leaving you with your thoughts a little as you look through your bag and find a small cosmetics kit that's not yours amongst your wallet and the keys to your motorcycle... Curious, you check it out for a moment and find it filled with the right color pallet to match the make-up you have on.You put it back into your bag, turning around to see yourself in the small mirror at the washroom's faucet and sigh, thinking "Right, back to work" before walking out to Jean's car.The growl of that engine startles you a little as Jean starts the car back up and pops the door open for you, the Mercedes's "Running Lights" illuminatiing the way for you as you happily slide in to the passenger seat and get your seatbelt back on without his help.
>>30881661"That was actually quicker than I had expected" Jean says as he fiddles around with his seatbelt."Yeah... I'm not the type to waste ten minutes when all I need is five" you truthfully reply, then ask "Can we get goin' now? I'm bloody STARVING right now...""Sure thing" Jean replies as he puts the car into 'Reverse", backs out of the parking spot and seemingly smokes the tires for the hell of it, the gutteral sound of the engine ringing in your ears as you laugh a little before the two of you head back out onto the highway...>A. Take Seth's Advice and try to be a little more inquisitive about what Jean does at "The Paragon Group", confiding that you probably need a job and a place to stay in a little bit as an excuse...>B. Stay true to yourself and keep being more casual about your questions; You don't want to >C. Try to see if you can mix Seth's more pragmatic approach with your your own personal brand of questioning; You want to keep things sounding like a flowing, natural conversation...>D. Somthing Else... (Write-In Vote)>E. Ask him how fast does this bad-boy you're riding goes and see if he takes the bait and shows off his "Mad Driving Skillz", if only to set up what you're going to ask about at dinner... And get a rise out of you, if anything else.
>>30881757>B. Stay true to yourself and keep being more casual about your questions;
>>30881757>>E. Ask him how fast does this bad-boy you're riding goes and see if he takes the bait and shows off his "Mad Driving Skillz", if only to set up what you're going to ask about at dinner... And get a rise out of you, if anything else.This is a mistake. It's the most stupid, idiotic choice for us to take. Any of the others would fare better.But it sings to me.
>>30882394Isn't this at least, like, the third time you've willingly taken a self-sabotaging action in this game?
>>30881757>E.>Vid Related: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcHKOC64KnE
>>30882592...quite possibly. It's only the second I can think of offhand, but I could be forgetting. I've been here a while.Honestly? I kinda want to see if we can get Katja to push through the downsides here, because if we can, E could have some interesting benefits.It seems like the most likely to put Jean off his guard, but depending how it goes, it could shake Katja too. Variable risk, potentially high reward.Besides. Given certain people's driving skills, we might want to get used to it....I seem to have argued myself into vaguely approving of my own poor choices. It's a very odd feeling to have.
>>30881757 >E. Ask him how fast does this bad-boy you're riding goes and see if he takes the bait and shows off his "Mad Driving Skillz", if only to set up what you're going to ask about at dinner... And get a rise out of you, if anything else.[Hooning Intensifies]Seeiously though, what >>30883502 said.
>>30883502Dead on as always Tiger.>>30883121>>30882394>>30884461You feel almost short of breath as you get pinned back into your seat, the simple sense of acceleration from this monster of a machine exhilerating as Jean eases up a little, doing a "Safe" 75 Miles an hour and feeling as though it's just sauntering along amongst more "Pedestrian" cars and trucks."Sorry for that; I had to squeeze through to get back onto the interstate in a timely fashion" Jean explains as the road starts to get more sinuous, though not lacking in size as you wonder if you could get Ryo Sakazaki or Hatsune Horikawa to go out riding with you around these roads sometime soon..."No problems mate; How fast does this thing go?""I've taken it up to 160 MPH and still pulling in top gear before I had to back off to make the corner" Jean says, though he explains that "Though I was on a closed course about three hours outside of town; I normally try to set a more... Admirable standard of driving, though I HAVE gotten a bitten by the bug of racing a little.""C'mon, find a back road and push this thing" you plead without making it sound like a whine, a part of you wanting to try and get this guy to loosen up a little.Jean slows to about 55 MPH as the highway starts to really twist and turn, narrowing down from three forward lanes to two as he thinks about it, then replies "The hell with it; Better to do it now rather than it later, right?""Right..." You reply as you brace yourself for something CRAZY to happen... Though it takes a little bit for Jean to find the right exit ramp, lulling you into a small sense of security and anticipation.Then he guns it around the winding exit ramp, the g-forces pushing you into him a little though the 5-point harness and "Bucket" seats do a surprsingly good job of holding you in place, making the speed he's tackling this corner all the more surreal...
>>30885684"And just so you know, I know EXACTLY what I'm doing here; I DO have an FIA Grade "Bronze" Competition license after all" Jean almost casually remarks as a stone wall looms large in your view, the speed of this beast and the growl of it's engine note not doing much to distract you from that wall...You start to breath heavily as this hulking beast of an automobile moves ever-so-quickly towards that wall and a part of you wants to scream out in terror by it, though strangely enoughyou instead wonder "Why does my 'bike feel faster than this tin can?" as Jean brakes at seemingly the last possible moment, the decceleartive forces pushing you back into the seat again as a dance of hands and feet on the other side SOMEHOW slows the car down and points it in the right direction...Your mind snaps bak into place after experiencing a sort of "Bucket-on-a-Rope" feeling as Jean haves this beast of a cararound the T-Section corner, not even running wide on the tight apex of it "Are you SURE you want to see how fast I can drive?" Jean asks, a slightly rhetorical and almost taunting tone to his voice. "Fuck yeah! This shit's better than a damn roller coaster" you enthusiastically reply, adrenaline pumping through your body and tinking that though this ride is, frankly, TERRIFYING, you need to put that aside and try to hold your mind, will and bladder (Most of all!) until you arrive at this "Cliffside Inn"...For the most Part, Jean doesn't REALLY "Push it" all that much, though he's deffinitely "Racy" through the more "This thing's meant for long, crusing stretches rather than backroads like this... The weight of it really affects just how well it can corner, even when everything's all down lower in the chassis than just about any competitior" he explains, backing the pace off a bit as he navigates through the seemingly endless switchbacks and hairpin turns...
>Through the more "technical" sections.Fixed... Also a sign that I might have to sign off early and get some sleep (As cutting posts off like that is ALWAYS a sign that I'm tired).>>30886357You simply nodded at Jean's commentary at how this car behaves, too frghtened to really speak as the two of you eventually arrive at a large, 4-Lane bridge in the heart of a small coastal town you didn't realize existed, overlooking what feels like the ocean on your left and an imposing bay on your left and a row of lights a fairly long ways away on your right cutting through the darkness."This place is absolutely stunning in the middle of the day, or right when the Sun Rises or sets... The topgraphy is simply incredible" Jean says as he drives across the bridge and heads to the right at the first stop light.Your mind tries to refocus a little on your job for the night as you hear your cellphone buzzing in your purse just as Jean rolls up to the parking lot of "The Cliffside Inn", a rather quaint-looking place that looks a lot like an old picture your Mother's Aunt had taken when she was living in Melbourne in the 1950's."And here we are... I hope I didn't frighten you too much" Jean calmly says as he pops the doors open and gets out, walking around to help you out of the car.Your hands slightly tremble as he undoes your belts and helps you out, involuntarily embracing him out sheer fear (As well as fighting the urge to litterally get down on your knees and kiss the fucking tarmac) and the fact that it's a bit colder out here than in South Town..."You're chilly too huh?" he asks as you nodd, playing up the "I think I'm going to be sick" angle your face seems to convey at the moment.A look of concern shows up on Jean's face as he says "I'll escort you inside and get you to the bathroom; You don't look so good" as you hear your phone buzz again while walking with him, praying that you can regain your composure enough to say something...
>>30886675>A. Weakly tell him that you need to take a little while in the bathroom; You need to think through that mind-bending car ride and see if you can continue to do this tonight (As well as ponder if he didn't do it deliberately)... (Roll 1d100 for a Perception Check)>B. Stand firm for a moment and shake off that joyride, telling Jean "I'm OK" after taking a few breaths to compose yourself (Roll 1d100 for Bluff)>C. Head to the bathroom and fix yourself up a little, check-in with whoever's calling you and try to brush off what had happened on the way over; If anything else, you're HUNGRY right now...>D. Something Else... (Write-In" Vote)fading fast annons; VOTE!Also tempted to start earlier than usual tomorrow (7:30-7:45 AM PST) to make up for the somewhat early night this round's going to have... Yay? Or Nay?
Rolled 33>>30886954>>B. Stand firm for a moment and shake off that joyride, telling Jean "I'm OK" after taking a few breaths to compose yourself (Roll 1d100 for Bluff)Prepare for 'impressive' rolls, gentlemen.
Rolled 70>>30886954>B. Stand firm for a moment and shake off that joyride, telling Jean "I'm OK" after taking a few breaths to compose yourself (Roll 1d100 for Bluff)We're still going to the bathroom, anyway.
Rolled 39>>30886954 >B. Stand firm for a moment and shake off that joyride, telling Jean "I'm OK" after taking a few breaths to compose yourself (Roll 1d100 for Bluff)And with this, I'm done for the night.
>>30887019>>30887073>>30887501You take a few breaths, just standing next to Jean as he tries to block the wind around you for a moment or two while you try to regain your composure after that wild ride in... Honestly, it wasn't THAT bad; You've gone "Hooning" (As your fellow Aussies have coined it) on your bike, but doing crazy stunts or even going fast like Jean had was something different altogether, if only beause you aren't used to the laws of physics in automobiles getting warped like he seemingly did around that one corner... Still, you stand firm and look to him, almost point-blank in his eyes and tell him 'I'm ready to head in when you are; I just needed that for a bit."Jean looks at you for a moment and you brace yourself for him to try and kiss you for a moment, though he doesn't; Instead, Jean smirks at you and pulls your arm under his, escorting you inside "The Cliffside Inn" as you walk alongside him with a slight "Bounce" in your step that you can't quite explain (But are horrified to have).The two of you walks up to the front check-in desk, a Maitre De that sounds like the guy he had called earlier at the rest stop ready to lead you to your table... However, you stop and fake like you're going to throw up, putting a hand over your mouth and puffing up your cheeks just a little."You really AREN'T fine, then" Jean says with a knowing sigh as he quickly leads you through a few different dining rooms to a small row of restrooms, telling you to "Go ahead and take your time."You slam the door shut behind you and lock it just for good measure. then move down to the stall that's the farthest away from the door, making some decent-sounding wretching noises as you check your cellphone to see who's calling you... Curiously enough, both messages were from Shen Woo; The first one asking if you were up to join in on that "Ancient Chinese Secret Fight Club" he had briefly mentioned, with the second text explaining how to get there.
>>30888307Tucking your cellphone back into your bag, you take a few more breaths and wash your hands, thinking of how to go about your next course of action in a timely fashion (As Jean IS outside waiting, after all)...>A. Ask him to order some drinks for the two of you once you meet back up with him and see if you can't get Jean liqoured up enough to start spilling some of the more "Colorful" parts of his business...>B. Have Jean order some food and start talking about how he got into his passion for cars, then try to see if he'll take to your passion for motorcycles; You want to try and get some common ground with him before getting to some of the more difficult questions your bosses want you to ask...>C. Go out and straight-up ask him about the kind of crap that he's had to deal with over the last week, if only to get an idea of what he does for a living as well as how he opperates (Helping out your paymasters for tonight get the intel they need)...>D. Just... Talk with him about whatever comes to mind and see where it goes; He might be suspecting that something's up with your phone calls and you need to reassure him that this is JUST a date (Even though it obviously isn't in your mind)...>E. Something Else... (Write-In Vote>Pause UpdatesI thank the hearty particpants who stuck through this thread today. As per the usual, if this thread survives the night Updates will resume slightly earlier than usual at 7:45 AM PST, 10:45 AM EST; If it 404's, a new thread will start up in it's stead.Until then, Good Night.
>>30888383>>A. Ask him to order some drinks for the two of you once you meet back up with him and see if you can't get Jean liqoured up enough to start spilling some of the more "Colorful" parts of his business...>>>B. Have Jean order some food and start talking about how he got into his passion for cars, then try to see if he'll take to your passion for motorcycles; You want to try and get some common ground with him before getting to some of the more difficult questions your bosses want you to ask...
>>30888383>E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)Combine Options A & B? Seems like the way to go IMHO.
>>30890119>>30890181>The Days Until the Start of "The Infinite Match" and Date haven't changed.>Time of Day: 8:21 PM>Updates Officially Resume>You're Still in direct Control of Katja HartkernA plan starts to hatch in your mind as you waltz out of th bathroom, Jean fiddling on his cellphone like he had when you first met him at his offices back in South Town. "Feeling any better?" he asks as you walk with him back to your table."MUCH better, thanks" you reply, then ask "I wouldn't mind a little bit of bubbly or something to help my stomach settle though...""Well, if you want" Jean tells you as you sit down near a large window, the flash of a lighthouse's beacon out in the distance."And what will you be having this evening?" the waiter dutifully asks as you look over the Menu, Jean probably having come along "A bottle of..." Jean starts to say, then looks over at you and asks "Do you mind Red or White Champaign?""Either; I'm not too picky tonight" you reply as you continue to pore over the menu, each choice simply delectable by your standards."I'll have the Crab-Stuffed Flounder tonight Reggie" Jean says as he hands him an American Express "Black Card" along with his menu."I guess I'll go with the Broiled Lobster Tails, then" you reply as the waiter grabs your menu and heads back to the front desk."Again, I'm very sorry for discomforting you on the way over; It's always a bit of a shock when I end up taking my clients joy-riding in my "Little Silver Sled" Jean replies, sounding a bit guilty as he admits "I'dunno... When I'm around you, it feels like I can just... Live, I guess."You try not to look at him funny and again start to feel pangs of regret doing this... Shit, if this guy wasn't basically a White-Collared crook who broke the law almost every day you'd almost try to make a pass at him for real, as he seems like a decent-enough bloke all-things considered.
>>30891714Your mind wanders a bit back to how much Jean probably comes to this place, probably having known the menu inside-and-out and pondering the kind of "Backroom Deals" that happen here all the time..."I sounded like a hopeless romantic in a hard-edged world just now, didn't I?" he asks, partly in jest but aso with a self-depreciating tone of voice as he picks up on your silence."No, not really... I was just wondering how you learned how to drive like that" you fib, trying to let the flow of conversation goback to him before your drinks arive."Oh... Well, my bodyguard used to race professionally and got me into it by association" Jean explains, then adds "Speaking of which, you said you needed a job, right?""Yes... Why?""Well, said bodyguard of the last 7 Years is leaving to resume his career and I need to hire one fairly soon..." Jean says, then adds "And I figured that you handled yourself pretty well in your fight yesterday against that half-wit Yamazaki."You pause at that, then remember that he WAS there watching you get your face pounded into the ground by "Orochi Christ Superstar's" hired muscle... You reply "C'mon, you can't be serious could you? I'm prolly too weak to even consider it...""You can always get stronger by training with me, or my sparring partners" Jean replies, then asks "Do you fight professionally? Or train with people that do? I'm running and sponsoring a tournament that's about to start in about a week or so... Maybe you could spectate with me?""Er... Well" you start to say, then stop, thinking over your options as you wonder what Jean's Angle is (Or even if he has one)... Then ask 'Wait, you aren't competing in it or something?""Heavens no! I don't want to bring up comparisons with the past, when petty thugs and businessmen with bruised egos would create Martial Arts Competitions just to prove that they're better than the winners" Jean replies.
>>30891949>A. Tell him a clipped version of your story using fake names; You can tell that he's interested in how you learned to fight, but you don't want to bring Kyokugenryuu into the conversation.>B. Straight-Up Lie and tell him that you learned how to fight by watching others; It's sorta right, in the sense that a lot of your attacks ARE self-taught to a degree...>C. Be honest. Let him in on EVERYTHING that happened with you and the Kyokugen Dojo, but try to stress that you hold nothing but admiration for a few of the students and disciples that could hack it (In spite of your burning rafe towards Takuma).>D. Stroke his ego for a little longer and ask him why he doesn't want to fight? (Bringing up that fight he had with Laurence Blood at The Pao Pao Cafe as a case-in-point.)>E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)
>>30892002 >E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)Combine the D & A votes, respectively.
>>30892002>E.Basically seconding >>30892371
Appologies for the delay; Got distracted and lost track of time.>>30892371>>30892761"Why not? I think you're strong enough to compete... Or if it weren't your tournament you already would be in it?" you ask, trying to "... Honestly, you're probably right, but it's an image thing; I don't want to draw comparisons with the past... I want to bring this city and The King of Fighters Tournament into the future."You pause at his words, thinking all the way back to that first night you had met him at The Pao Pao Cafe 2 and the others that were seated around him... "I take it there's some hostility towards that?"Jean sighs as the Champaign gets poured into your glasses, a fine Red from New Zealand filling them up as the bottle gets put into a styish bucket chilled with ice. He wordlessly offers up a toast that you take, then downs about half of his glass in one big gulp and says "Tell me about it... The United Nations almost flat-out banned tournaments like it after the fiasco in the year 2000 and anyone that still holds any interest seems to think that "KoF" stands for "King of Faggots" due to all of the powerful Bishounens that seem to flock to these things..."He then pauses, then says "Appologies for that last part too; It's just some I've read online from several different sources...""Hey, you're just stating other's opinions is all" you reply as you take a sip from your glass, thinking about what you might want to ask him, though he takes another"So, how did you learn how to fight?"You pause at his words, contemplating "I started learning a form of Karate that was a cheap knock of the Kyokugen School when I was 19; They treated me like shit the whole time, even when I moved to their "Official" branch here in America..." You then pause, letting out a long sigh as you then admit "And the best part? They wouldn't give me my black-belt either; They used some bullshit excuse that because I was, well... Dating somebody at the time."
>trying to stroke his ego for a little bit.>You pause at his words, contemplating whether to go whole-hog and dish out the dirt regarding the Kyokugenryuu School of Karate... Though you backtrack a little and settle on an "Abridged" version, making sure not to name names but also wanting to vent your frustration about it...Fixed and fuck this word processor with a ten-foot pole.>>30893664You pause at how Jean seems to share your sentiments over your half-true story, though you feel kind of awful to try to as you conclude "In the end, I kind of just sorta lost intrest in fighting... But that battle yesterday kind of rekindled it.""I could tell... Which is why I'd like you to consider working for me as my new bodyguard" he replies as you try not to be overly dismissive in your body language towards him... Fortunately, you don't have to answer him right away as your food arrives, smelling absolutely incredible as Jean grabs his knife and fork, "Digging In" as it were while you do the same, your voracity overcoming you for a little bit as you think about what's the best way to go about this...>A. Think about his offer over your dinner, but don't bring it up unless he keeps pestering you with it... Maybe you could ask about the Tournament a little bit to take his mind off of it?>B. Try to drop the subject and bring up something else; Time's running out and you don't know how much you can squeeze out of this guy before the night's over...>C. Eat your meal, but then fake that you have to take a call and try to get in touch with Seth to try and get advice on how to proceed just in case that Jean doesn't drop the recruitment tactics... (Roll 1d100 for Bluff)>D. Accept his offer, but then ask to "Call up your friends" to tell them the good news, using the opportunity to contact Seth and ask if you could go "Deep Undercover" for a while... (Roll 2d100 for Bluff & Intimidation towards Seth)>E. Something Else... (Write-In Vote)
>>30894017 >A. Think about his offer over your dinner, but don't bring it up unless he keeps pestering you with it... Maybe you could ask about the Tournament a little bit to take his mind off of it?
>>30894017 >A. Think about his offer over your dinner, but don't bring it up unless he keeps pestering you with it... Maybe you could ask about the Tournament a little bit to take his mind off of it?Not gonna lie, E was damn tempting... But I'll play it safe today.
Rolled 25, 50 = 75>>30894017>D.Is it wrong that I want a sequel to this with Katja as a Psuedo-Antagonist?
Rolled 93, 73 = 166>>30894017 >D. Accept his offer, but then ask to "Call up your friends" to tell them the good news, using the opportunity to contact Seth and ask if you could go "Deep Undercover" for a while... (Roll 2d100 for Bluff & Intimidation towards Seth)Honestly? We need a place to stay, a steady paycheck and a way to get stronger after the tournament... And call me crazy, but I think that this might be the way to do it.
>>30894515>>30894594>>30894431>>30894299Ah baby, first TIE of the Day... The next vote between these two or three or more from another choice takes it.Gotta Commute as well; Next update will cme along in around 30-35 Minutes, give-or-take how bad traffic is today...
>>30894634A. Why would we work for the guy who put a hit on us? Besides, we promised to help the dojo, even if they kicked us out. Accepting the offer kinda flies in the face of everything Katja has put up with.
>>30895081Plus, going "deep undercover" is better suited to the professionals. We're only on this assignment because Jean-Claude already likes us, even if he may be slightly oblivious to what he did to us.
>>30894017>>A. Think about his offer over your dinner, but don't bring it up unless he keeps pestering you with it... Maybe you could ask about the Tournament a little bit to take his mind off of it?This is a big decision. At the end of the date/if he brings it up again, perhaps ask if we can have some time to think about it?
>>30894634 >A. Think about his offer over your dinner, but don't bring it up unless he keeps pestering you with it... Maybe you could ask about the Tournament a little bit to take his mind off of it?Is the OP confirmed for kill? Or what?
>>30894299>>30894431>>30895081>>30895440>>30899033I want to appologise for the lack of communication on my part for the last... 4 Hours?! Damn... Anyway, about halfway home on my commute I started to expereiece SEVERE Flu-Like symptoms, so much so that a friend that was car-pooling with me had to take over driving. From there, I've been too dizzy and had too much of a headache to try and focus on ANYTHING, let alone a computer screen... Not to mention the upset stoach and fighting the urge to vomit every half-hour or so.TL;DR The QM Curse hit me pretty hard this afternoon, but I'm feeling good enough to continue right now... Update's on the way, With Option A taking the vote by a clear majority.
>>30899033>>30895440>>30895081>>30894431>>30894299The two of you eat mostly in silence, Jean taken back by how quickly you attack your plate... Not that you looked out of place, or that he has visions of a Barbarian in some Medieval Mess Hall while glancing over at you from time to time, but that he had NEVER seen somone, let alone a woman, eat as quickly as you did...Part of the reason was that your mind was occupied on what you were going to do about him pestering you for a job, plus the fact that a part of you seemed almost open to the possibilities working for him could bring; A Steady Paycheck, probably a good place to live, the chance to fight and train with almost equal equipment Robert Garcia had back in the penthouse villa you were staying at... Then you remember all of the times he's put "Hits" out on you and the fact that even though your distaste for Takuma Sakazaki is at an all-time high, you basically promised to help the Kyokugen Dojo and DAMN IT, you're a woman that holds up her word!"You really were famished, huh?" Jean asks as you wolf down more of your meal.You nod and playfully tell him "I'll give ya' a tip: The easiest way to get on my good graces? Don't get between me and food", only half-jokingto keep up your "Act"."Good to know" Jean replies as he takes a smaller sip of his glass of wine, then asks "So... Did your dojo REALLY kick you out because you were dating somebody?""Yeah... And it was only because I was a woman; If I were a man in that place, I'd probably be a third-degree black belt already and pushing for a shot at being an instructor" you fib, the disgust in your voice evident as you finish up your meal. "There were a lot of other things I didn't like either, but most of the students themselves are still friends with me, even if none of them have the balls to stand up and defend me...""Then they really weren't friends then?" Jean replies in between bites of his meal.Your eyes widen a bit as you reply "Excuse me?"
>>30900632>even if none of them have the balls to stand up and defend me...Yuri bawled her eyes out, and Ryo got in an outright brawl with Takuma over it.
>>30900908>you fibTwas a lie, dear anon, a filthy rotten lie!
>>30900908>>30901077Correct: She's lying through her teeth right now and purposefully trying NOT to allude to The Sakazakis in any way, shape or form.>>30900632"I personally think that if your so-called "Friends" can't, or chose not to stand up for and support you in a time of need like that..." Jean starts to explain, then takes a bite out of one of the last bits of his Crab-Stuffed Flounder. "Then they aren't worthy of wasting your time."Any other person on earth saying that probably would've gotten a stern warning or a harsh look, though you let it slide and reply "I suppose so... ", then ask "So... Dessert? Or do you want to call it a night?""I was wondering when you'd ask..." Jean starts to say, but pauses for a second and replies "I wouldn't mind indulging in something to cap the night; Not that this kind of food hasn't been to my tastes, but I've always had a bit of a sweet tooth... And some of the desserts this place has are simply DIVINE" He replies before finishing off the last of his glass of wine. "But I think need to go to the little boy's room before we start ordering anything..." he adds as he gets up and takes a stretch or two."No worries mate" you reply as a part of you wonders how effective your lies about your time at the Dojo were, using your initial reaction to getting kicked out to spin that small yarn while knowing that in reality, the only one holding you back from life at the Dojo was Takuma... And even HE offered you some sort of olive branch after the dust figuratively settled."Just as well... I'm actually curious of what this tugger would say if I just told him flat-out that I was a part of the group he's been trying to get rid of" you ponder, then drop the thought and take a swig from your wine glass. "'Still got a long night ahead of me too" you then think as you start to feel slightly tired as the bender you went on last night is slowly catching up to you...
>>30901453>A. Time to pull no punches and start asking the really "Heavy" questions; Seth'll be might pissed off at you if you don't at least try to get something tangible out of Jean tonight... Right?>B. See if you can ask him about what kind of promotions or publicity's behind this "King of Fighters" deallie he's got goig on, because you've never even heard of it... *Wink* *Wink* (Roll 1d100 for Bluff)>C. Let Jean take control of the conversation and try to direct the topic at hand to cover more of the kind of deals and hassles running an Ultra-conglomerate has in store, killing two birds with one stone as far as you're concerned (Roll 2d100 for Bluff & Persuation)>D. Something Else... (Write-In Vote)
Rolled 17, 100 = 117>>30901733>>C. Let Jean take control of the conversation and try to direct the topic at hand to cover more of the kind of deals and hassles running an Ultra-conglomerate has in store, killing two birds with one stone as far as you're concerned (Roll 2d100 for Bluff & Persuation)A job like this calls for a subtler hand....Subtle.Katja.Welp, this ends in fire.
Rolled 65, 85 = 150>>30901733>>30901918What he said
Rolled 73, 48 = 121>>30901733>C. Rollin' to help the cause.
Rolled 24, 35 = 59>>30901733 >C. Let Jean take control of the conversation and try to direct the topic at hand to cover more of the kind of deals and hassles running an Ultra-conglomerate has in store, killing two birds with one stone as far as you're concerned (Roll 2d100 for Bluff & Persuation)'Dis Goin' to be good...
Rolled 48, 98 = 146>>30901733>C. Let Jean take control of the conversation and try to direct the topic at hand to cover more of the kind of deals and hassles running an Ultra-conglomerate has in store, killing two birds with one stone as far as you're concerned (Roll 2d100 for Bluff & Persuation)
Seems like posting got broken for a small bit... No worries on the voting though! Also, I had quite a bit of trouble getting back to this page; Sorry for the delay.>>30901918>>30902002>>30902223>>30902626>>30902654You think over how you're going to get Jean to "Loosen Up" as you wonder what's taking him so long in the bathroom, getting a little nervous as you feel the minutes pass by... He Finally arrives looking a little flush, the effects of the alchahol he consumed earlier starting to probably kick in."Sorry for that; I had to take a business call I couldn't ignore" he replies as a crew of busboys start to take your plates and the same waiter from earlier hands you a different set of Menus."Are you two ready for dessert? Or are you done for the night?" He asks as you try to take your mind off of this place's rather unsettling atmosphere by focusing on the astonishing array of sweets on stock, everything from the more mundane types of cakes, brownies and ice cream to some truly staggering-looking creations... Though you find that there aren't much in the way of "Small" desserts, or non-European Style ones; A couple of Scoops of Ice Cream sounding like it would be the best bet, though Jean seems to have other ideas..."I think I'll have a piece of the Tiramisu tonight... Scratch that, bring out a small Chocolate Peanutbutter Cheesecake for both of us to have.""Er, I'dunno... I don't want to gorge meself TOO much tonight, y'know?" You reply before the waiter can confirm the order."What? You can take anything you can't eat home with you..." he says, sounding suspiciously like thesanke in the garden of eden to your ears..."Well, it's just that everything looks good, but I want to eat light tonight in case the drive back doesn't go smoothly" you reply."Good point... Just a slice of that Cheesecake for me then" Jean tells the waiter as he hands his menu to him.
>>30904470"And you Ma'am?" The waiter asks as a sinking feeling starts to overwhelm you, though you hide it as best as you can."Er, how big ARE the cake slices?" you ask."You can specify how big you want your slices to be if you want more than one Ma'am" he replies."OK then, um... I guess Two Scoops of the Chocolate Brownie Ice Cream and a small slice of the Tiramisu then.""As personal advice Madam, I don't think that those two would really go together" the waiter tells you as he grabs your menu, though Jean rushes to your defense a little."Now now, let the lady make her choice..." he says as you suddenly feel like this was all planned somehow; That by ordering that Tiramisu you're going to put your life in dager or something..."On second thought, Just a scoop and a slice of the Molten Fudge Cake" you tell him as the waiter nods, then heads back towards the front desk again."Sorry for all the hemmin' and hawin'; I'm... Well, a bit paranoid really" you truthfuly admit."I understand; I live with it everyday... Hell, I was on tenterhooks tonight thinking "Am I REALLY going out by myself? ALONE?" he replies, then asks "It's the lack of patrons in here, isn't it?""... Yeah.""Well, it's just a fairly exclusive restraunt. that's all. I actually got particularly lucky as there wasn't anything going on around here tonight; That's the honest reason we got our tables so quickly... Well, aside from the fact that I come here whenever I can" Jean explains."How much of it do you go through on a daily basis?" you ask, using this as an opportunity to try and get Jean to start dishing out dirt for your employers for the evening."It's enough that my bodyguard, Drake? He's basically saved my life about three, maybe four times in the last seven years" he replues, though he cedes "And honestly, I was MUCH bigger target then than I am now...""Try me" you tease, leaning forward slightly in your chair to try and show of your "Goods" a little bit more...
>>30904845Jean takes a glance at you and smirks, then pours another glass of wine. "Screw it, you want horror stories? I'll tell them... Have a drink, you'll need one."You finish off your glass and then grab another, intently watching him pour your wine just in case that something might be "Off" about it, though he catches you and says "Come on you aren't THAT paranoid, are you? Shit, I come here because I know for a fact that no one tampers with my food unless it's Kazahaya pranking me...""Kaza-who?" you reply, knowing that he's starting to slip if he just named-dropped his "Other" right-hand hired goon..."Oh, he's my accounting consultant" Jean replies. "Pretty fun guy to be around... One of those sort of fellows that help me, I'dunno, live life I guess.""Yeah... I know that feeling. Shit, I only hang out with my friends from the Dojo because they do the same thing for me" You lie, confident that the kernel of truth that held it together could get itself across."I could tell" he replies, then says "Makes me wish I could find people like that... All I seem to do is strike conversations and sort-of, but not realy, get to know my own workers half the time.""Loneliness is a REAL killer mate...""Yes... What's worse in when some cheap-shot senator, or some crooked banker tries to send a piece of arm candy my way JUST so they can get into my pants or get something out of me..." Jean elaborates, once again setting uncomfortable alarm bells to ring in your mind...Though curiously, Jean seems to be noting your reluctance and says "That's why I was attracted to you, honestly... Well, that I personally think that the "Typical" Standards of beauty are overated.""I wish you were around when I was modelling for my friend's catalogue; I was scared bloody stiff when I had to go out on camera for the first time" you tell him, taking a sip as Jean seems to be imbibing a little TOO much, though you don't mind all that much as he seems to FINALLY open up to you.
>>30905972"Reminds me of the first time I got asked to have an audience with the Govenor... No, he was still "Senator" Armstrong back then I think..." Jean starts to tell you, then elaborates how the current govenor kept calling him "Jack" and bragged about his career in Professional Baseball and the United States Navy before blackmailing him into having one of the many companies "The Paragon Group" ran to start building the highway project that was going to destroy the Kyokugen Dojo... Though his story gets abruptly cut off only when your desserts arrive."Fuck me..." you let slip out of your mouth, partially at the story he had been spinning as well as how incredible the Ice Cream tastes as you take a bite."I know... It's ridiculous how graft is STILL in the political system nowadays" he replies, then pauses for a little bit as his brain tries to load up a little. "Makes me think of that one song, "Across from 110th Street" by Bobby Womack; Shit, South Town's STILL like that, even after I had helped rebuild it all...""Bloody vultures, I swear..." you say in between bites of your cake, partially wondering if he's trying to extradite himself or if he's just being honest to you about it all..."Yeah... Even worse when I have to go around and explain the actions of my closest confidants and such when even I don't know why they did what they did" he says, picking at his cheesecake but mostly drinking a little more of his wine, his face and general mood starting to change right before your eyes as he gets out hiscellphone and reads a text message."What's up?""Well shit..." he grumbles, then looks to you and says "I don't know how to put this, but I think we're going to have to end this night a bit earlier than I expected; A good friend of mine's in the hospital recovering from a stab wound" he says, then mutters something that you can't quite make out, but might sound like it's in connection with Bizuki Iijima...
>>30906908"Who could it've been?" you ask, your eyes widening as you play the part of the "Shocked Ingenue" to near-perfection in Jean's eyes...He sighs as he gets up out of his chair, then says "Who's to say? It could be the remnants of the howard connection, or whatever "Council" Mr. Big still thinks he controls... Reardless, it's just another night in South Town across 110th Street" Jean mumbles, a bitter tone in his voice as he seems to sober up in seconds... Though even now, a part of you wonders if this all part of a bigger con on his part.>A. Get up and give him a hug, then ask if you could call a cab to take you home (Using Seth's private number to arrange for Ramon to take you back to "The Agents" HQ)...>B. Ask Jean if you could possibly join him out to the hospital; You've got a BIG scoop in regards to his revalations about the sitting Govenor and hot damn, you don't want to let that go so soon! (Roll 2d100 for Bluff & Persuation)>C. Ask him what he wants you to do and see if that could be arranged; You trust that while he might not be interested in spending the rest of the night with you, he won't leave you hanging... Right?>D. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)Appologies for all of these delays; Computer's acting funny enough that I might have to get it looked at fairly soon...
>>30907051>>C. Ask him what he wants you to do and see if that could be arranged; You trust that while he might not be interested in spending the rest of the night with you, he won't leave you hanging... Right?
>>30907051 >C. Ask him what he wants you to do and see if that could be arranged; You trust that while he might not be interested in spending the rest of the night with you, he won't leave you hanging... Right?Part of me smells a trap... Yet at the same time it feels like the safest option of the three defined choices.
>>30907051 >A. Get up and give him a hug, then ask if you could call a cab to take you home (Using Seth's private number to arrange for Ramon to take you back to "The Agents" HQ)...
Fell asleep at the lap-top again... These Updates will do it for the session.>>30907104>>30907419"Well shit... What d'ya want me to do?" you ask, still playing up that slightly "Clueless" persona that Jean seems to like..."Truthfuly?" Jean asks, more to himself rather than you... "I don't think it would be safe for you to come along with me tonight.""OK... Should I just call up a cab then?" you reply, taking a few last bites of your ice cream as Jean mulls over his response..."... You don't have anyone that'll pick you up at this time of night?" he asks in a worried tone as you get up out of your chair."Not really... I mean, all of me mates are in South Town, y'know? And it's a hell of a drive back out here..." you reply, then do some quick stretches."... I see..." He replies, a slightly annoyed tone of voice slowly creeping out from underneath his words. "Under normal circumstances, I'd ask for one of my associates to pick you up and drop you off wherever you'd like, but I don't think that would be a wise thing to do tonight...""Yeah..." you start to say, then walk over to him and, in spite of the fact that he doesn't seem to be the type, give him an almost legitimate embrace and tell him "I had a good time tonight either way though."Jean seems a bit shocked at your choice of time for a hug, but he doesn't comment on it and says "Me too... I actually had a bit of fun tonight for a change."You keep hugging him for a little bit longer, fighting the urge to recoil from him in disgust as you sultrily ask "When d'you think I can see you again?""Well... I AM running a formal ball to kick off "The King of Fighters: Infinite Match" tomorrow night" he says, a sense of accomplishment and ego in his voice as he breaks away from you for a bit. "But it's invite or Press only...""Hmm... OK, what's your schedule like?" you ask, already thinking of how awkward it's going to be if you show up tomorrow night with Yuri Sakazaki & King...
>>30910404"Impossibly busy for the most part... But I MIGHT be able to go out for lunch on the saturday before I leave for Indianapolis again" Jean tells you as the two of you just sort of awkwardly stare at each other for a few moments, both of you attracted (Or at least faking to be attracted) to each other, but hesitant to make the "First Move" as it were...Finally, you break the slightly awkward silence as you ask "I'll just see if I can call up a cab or somethin' outside, yeah?""Sure..." he replies as he grabs your under arm again and asks "Shall we?"You nod and walk with him out to the front desk, then stop as he asks the head waiter for the bill as well as to take your mostly uneaten slices of cake the two of you had to be wrapped up and taken with you, Jean offering you his slice like the supposed gentleman that he though he is and reluctantly accepting it. From there, the two of you waited outside in the parking lot for a bit, though you took the opportunity to call up Seth for a "Cab" that could get you out of there without much hassle as Jean made a few calls to some of his "Trusted Advisors", careful not to bring up anything TOO severe-soundng yet at the same time you knew that he was planning something in retaliation for what had happened to one of his new secretaries...Around 20 Minutes later, A disguised Vanessa rolls up in what you assume is the same undercover car as before, though it's wearing different license plates and has a different ID Number on the top."Seems like my ride's arrived" you tell him as Jean kisses your hand, then genuinely hugs and holds you tight."I'm praying for your safety" he whispers, then gives you the slightest, quickest peck on your cheek as he yells "I'll call you OK?" before hopping into his zoomy Mercedes and driving off...
>>30910557You shrug, then hop into Vanessa's cab, waiting to hear the riot act from either her or any other passengers inside it... Though curiously, you're the only one in the back seat as she waits for you to buckle up your seatbelts before beginning the drive back to Headquraters for her, Ramon and Seth...>A. Continue to play through the night as Katja Hartkern, going through a Mission Debreif with Seth, Vanessa & Ramon.>B. Time-Skip to 5/22 as Katja, waking up at "The Imperial" Hotel.>C. Time-Skip to 5/22, but go on a "Dream Sequence" as Katja to fill-in the time that she was asleep.>D. Assume the role of...? (Write-In vote to determine the next character to gain control of in a possible "Side-Story" while Katja Sleeps) >E. "Run This South Town" (???)===>Pause UpdatesI thank all of Y'all that participated today and dealt with my sickness and connection issues. As per the usual, if this topic survives the night updates will begin at around 9 AM PST, Noon EST; If not, a new thread will start up at around that time.G'night /tg/... Also, the voting field is open until Updates Officially Resume.
>>30910584Huh, forgot my image...
>>30910584>>A. Continue to play through the night as Katja Hartkern, going through a Mission Debreif with Seth, Vanessa & Ramon.Or in other words, time to grade our performance.And seeing as I wasn't here to say it earlier, I'll say it now.>"Senator" Armstrong This universe is awesome.
>>30910584>A. Continue to play through the night as Katja Hartkern, going through a Mission Debreif with Seth, Vanessa & Ramon.
>>30910584 >A. Continue to play through the night as Katja Hartkern, going through a Mission Debreif with Seth, Vanessa & Ramon.
>>30911009>>30912006>>30913467>The Days until the Start of "The Infinite Match" and Date Haven't Changed>Time of Day: 10:17 PM>Updates now officially resume>You're Still in Direct Control of Katja HartkernYou glance over your shoulder a little bit, just in case someone might be following you as Vanessa asks "How're you feeling rookie?""Not too bad, I guess" you say, but quickly add "It sucks that he had to leave just that he was startin' to lay down and start really talkin' for ya'...""You did the right thing though; If you HAD followed him out to the Hospital, he probably would've gotten suspicious of you" Vanessa replies, then adds "Besides, you said yourself that this guy likes you because you AREN'T a clingy kind of woman.""Yeah, there's that to consider... I just feel like I wasted the damn night trying to be, I'dunno, I guess respectful of him? It's weird... I mean, fuckin' 'ell if he didn't do all the crap to me 'n'me friends" you start to say, then pause for a bit and add "It just feels like I should've been more forceful I guess.""Honestly, I don't think you're experienced enough to pull that off without looking like somebody paid you to ask questions like "So, how about them... It's why he told you about how he had like, what, three previous girls all try to pump him for info?"You nod at that as you rest your eyes a little, feeling like Vanessa's driving you to church or something as you hear her explain "And that's the thing: Even if it took you forever to get him to start talking which, I'll be honest, you did... But the fact you sounded "Natural" throughout the whole night made it so that he REALLY started dishing out the dirt.""So the usual "Not bad for a rookie, but mediocre overall" huh?" you darkly reply, cutting Vanessa off by adding "I can practically hear Seth sayin' that when get back to Headquarters" with a sigh.
Still fighting my sickness; Sorry for the delays...>>30914007"You're too harsh on yourself Outback; Not anyone in the world could do what you just did" Vanessa replies as her frustration seems to be channeled into her driving, the speed of the undercover cab seemingly increases at a rate that causes you alarm, waking you up from your half-slumber as the lights of Sound Beach's many businesses start to illuminate the backseat."Sorry... I guess I'm a perfectionist at heart, then" you lamely reply, Vanessa rolling her eyes at that (Though you can't actually see her do it)."We all make mistakes, even pros like us" she replies, though she admits "The difference is we recover from our failings faster than we make them.""Can't argue with that" you reply, then ask "So when're we gonna' drown our sorrows? Not tonight, of course...""Soon... I want to get Mary in on that" you hear her reply as she slows down to what feels like a relative canter, then says "Besides, we have to celibrate the fact that you just helped implicate the sitting govenor in a scandal that's going to put him and Jean Gabriel in prison... Right?""Is it really worth celibrating though? He said himself that he single-handedly rebuilt the city... What's gonna happen when he's gone?" you ask, Vanessa going silent at that as the two of you get closer and closer to Vanessa's HQ."Heh, you really DO sound like one of us sometimes" she replies, then explains "The whole goal of tonight was to get information, right? And you did; Job well done."You aren't quite as convinced by Vanessa's remarks as she seems to be and sigh, letting the matter drop as she pulls into the HQ's underground parking garage, Seth waiting for the two of you with his arms crossed..."Here we go" you think out loud in a low mumble, Vanessa not quite catching what you said but not commenting on it as the two of you get out and stretch a little.
>>30914554"Evening sir... How'd I do?" you ask as you walk with Vanessa up to him, Seth shaking your hand and patting you on the back much like you'd imagine a "Not bad at all rookie... Your target put you under a lot of pressure and you only really cracked once, maybe twice" he tells you as he leads you and Vanessa "AND you got exactly what we needed...""Told you" Vanessa whispers into your ear as Seth leads you into the same office that you had been briefed in earlier that day, closing the door behind the two of you."That said, you DID take longer to get him to start talking than any of our regular opperatives, plus he didn't talk long enough compared to what we normally get... But then again, that's because you weren't really trained and you're new at this" Seth explains, going over a quick transcript of the key points of your dinner with Jean Gabriel.You nod at his assesment as you take a seat, though your eyes widen at his next remark."Honestly though? You've got a knack for this and I think we're going to have to use you one more time before the tournament starts... You down for it?""W-Well, err..." you stammer, not really expecting that kind of reaction from him as Vanessa chips into the conversation."We'll give you a crash-course training regiment in how to be a beginner-level opperative though; No more "Deer in the Headlights" stuff like tonight was for you" she explains.You take a long pause, putting a hand up to your chin as you really consider whether to go ahead and start preparing for something like this, knowing that it could end up forcing you to give up the life and friends you worked so hard to get... Though on the other hand, you're staring down a life without a place to stay, figuratively no money in the bank (Well, not enough to get a place of your own anyway) and no real job opportunities either, give-or-take the mercy of Bobby Wilson or Lee Pai Long if you don't win "The Infinite Match"...
>>30914899>A. Accept Seth's offer without any hesitations and become an Agent-in-Training, starting up your classes immediately...>B. Decline, telling them that while you're open to work like this in the future, you need time to think this over and prepare to compete in "The King of Fighter's: Infinite Match".>C. Decline and tell him that you don't want to become a full-time "Agent"; The dinner you had with Jean was fairly uncomfortable for you and you don't want the rest of your life to be like that...>D. Ask if you could consider his offer over the next few days, as you're tired and need to sleep it off both figuratively AND litterally.>E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)If it weren't obvious enough, this is a HUGE DECISION. Please take your time to think each option through, as it could mean content AFTER "The Infinite Match" ends...
>>30914899>>30915019>Like you'd imagine a rugby coach encouraging one of his new forwards.Fixed and sorry for that.
>>30915019 >B. Decline, telling them that while you're open to work like this in the future, you need time to think this over and prepare to compete in "The King of Fighter's: Infinite Match".
>>30915019 >D. Ask if you could consider his offer over the next few days, as you're tired and need to sleep it off both figuratively AND litterally.The offer's mighty tempting, but we need to think it all through before commiting to it.
>>30915019B. It's too soon to make a jump like this, especially with so much stuff going on. Maybe later, but not now. One date with Jean is enough, plus when we show up to the opening gala with Yuri and King, we probably won't be able to get close to Jean again, not that we even want to.
>>30915019>>D. Ask if you could consider his offer over the next few days, as you're tired and need to sleep it off both figuratively AND litterally.Much as A tempts me, Katja's life is a little too hectic to be making long term decisions without due thought.
>>30915476>>30916129>>30916371>>30915476And it's a TIE... Not surprising, considering ow much of a deal-breaker this choice is. The next vote between Option B or D takes it unless A, C or E get three or more votes pretty quickly...
>>30916647 >B. Decline, telling them that while you're open to work like this in the future, you need time to think this over and prepare to compete in "The King of Fighter's: Infinite Match".
>>30915019 >D. Ask if you could consider his offer over the next few days, as you're tired and need to sleep it off both figuratively AND litterally.Did OP fall asleep or something?
>>30915019 >A. Accept Seth's offer without any hesitations and become an Agent-in-Training, starting up your classes immediately...Because fuck the rest of you, that's why.
>>30918398No need for harsh language Anon.>>30918267Actually... No, but I DID have to do a few things around my house, even in sickness as bad as mine.>>30917329And it's a DEADLOCK... Break it with a Vote /tg/? Or possibly even combine them?
>>30918904Combine B & D please.
>>30918904Combine. It's basically saying "Thanks, but not right now."
>>30918904 >B. Decline, telling them that while you're open to work like this in the future, you need time to think this over and prepare to compete in "The King of Fighter's: Infinite Match".+ >D. Ask if you could consider his offer over the next few days, as you're tired and need to sleep it off both figuratively AND litterally.If possible.
>>30919302>>30919380>>30918267>>30917329>>30916371>>30916129>>30915581>>30915476The silence in the room is palpable as you think over Seth's words... In all truth and fairness, his offer is a damn fine one, but a part of you dreads having to seemingly abandon your life as a "Civvie" after almost foolishly devoting your time to Kyokugen Karate and shunning "Normal" society...You sigh and explain "Well... Y'know, if you had found me and I did something like this ten years earlier? I'd sign in a heartbeat... But I feel like, if I DO sign up and go through being an Agent and all, I would be locking out any chance of a, well, "Normal" life", pausing for a slight moment to clear your thoughts. "And I want to just say right now that I'm INCREDIBLY privledged to just even be sittin' here talkin' to the two of ya' about this, yeah? But... I can't accept; I don't want to screw my life over by rushing head-first into a decision like this like I did with joining my Dojo ten-odd years ago."Seth nods at you, with Vanessa telling you "Don't be ashamed of saying that Katja; It's almost the exact same conclusion Ramon had when I first approached him to do this kind of work for us.""Besides that, I wasn't interested in bringing you in as a full-timer like Vanessa here" Seth admits before sipping on a glass of water."And again, I'm not against working for your agency in the future" you hastily tell him, though you admit "But not until after the tournament and certainly not on this case; I've got too much of an emotional attachment to it.""If that IS true, then you handled yourself better than I thought" he says, almost under is breath as Vanessa takes off the cap she had on as a part of her "Disguise" as a cabbie."Yeah... It'sl ike, I understood where he came from; I get his logic... But it didn't change the fact that I had to fight myself from blowing my cover and bashing that bastard's face in with my bare hands all night long."
>>30920316Seth wordlessly nods at that revalation, then starts writting something on a piece of stationary, handing it to Vanessa who then folds it and wordlessly relays it to you. "On that piece of paper is the number you need to contact through your bank; It's your checque for tonight's work" he says, then explains that it's tied to an Swiss Bank Account under an assumed name that provides, among other things, the payroll for the agency as well as the salary for it's staff."Right..." you say, trying to keep everything in your mind together as the effects of drinking with Jean seem to be taking hold on you now. "I'll be off, then... Where do I need to go to get my clothes back?""I'll help you with that" Vanessa replies as you slowly stand up and head over to the desk Seth's sitting on, shaking his hand before following Vanssa out of the room and down through a maze of corridorsand hallways, sone of them vaguely familiar as you recognize that you're heading back to that changing room you had gotten dressed in earlier tonight."I take you don't need any help with your clothes, right?" Vanessa asks as she opens the door to that room, your clothes neatly folded "Yeah, I ain't too far gone" you reply, but add "I'll need a ride back to my hotel and someone to transport my 'bike there though; I'm no condition to ride tonight...""Understood" she replies as you close and lock the door behind you, then quickly get out of your barely-there dress and back into some actual clothes for a change, noting that they've been washed and dried for some reason... After emptying the purse they gave you for your wallet and keys (As well as stuffing them and your cellphone into your slightly-tight pockets), you walk out and follow Vanessa back to the parking garage, neither of you having much to say until you walk out to the car waiting for you."I'll see you around Katja" Vanessa says as you clasp her hand, playfully trying to arm-wrestle her for a moment before backing off.
>>30920661"Yeah... You're gonna be at that costume ball thing Jean's putting on for the tournament, right?" you ask"Probably... He DID invite us and all" she replies, adding "And even though our identities might be compromised doing it, it would be too suspicious of us NOT to try and go... You know?"You nod at that and tell her 'I'll have to buy a round for you and Mary tomorrow night then...""Just don't get too chummy after tomorrow night; I won't pull any punches on you if I have to go up against your team in the tournament" she replies, then grins as she throws out three jabs that looked so fast you couldn't even tell where they were going.You smile at that and nod again, not wanting to showcase your electrical powers so late at night and simply waving at her before hopping into the backseat of the hire-car, wondering if it's the same one Seth was driving earlier as you buckle in.The ride back to "The Imperial" was fairly uneventful, the driver up front seemingly content to obey traffic laws for a change as you start to eat what's left of your slice of cake from "The Cliffside Inn", arriving at the hotel's parking garage at around 11:30 PM and thanking the driver for his troubles.Not looking back, you head to the front desk to check in and, after finding that no one had called you while you were out (As usual, it seems like), you arrive at your room about five minutes later, exhausted from the events of the day yet curiously still awake enough to feel almost restless...>A. Time-Skip to 5/22 as Katja Hartkern.>B. Stay up for a little longer and contemplate on Jean's words a little, then drift off to sleep and start up a "Dream Sequence", waking up on 5/22.>C. Assume the role of...? (Write-In vote to determine the next character to gain control of in a possible "Side-Story" while Katja Sleeps) >D. "Run This South Town" (???)
>>30920852C. Jean-Claude.
>>30920852 >C. Assume the role of...? (Write-In vote to determine the next character to gain control of in a possible "Side-Story" while Katja Sleeps)Jean-Claude Gabriel.
>>30920852 B. Stay up for a little longer and contemplate on Jean's words a little, then drift off to sleep and start up a "Dream Sequence", waking up on 5/22.
>>30920852> B. Stay up for a little longer and contemplate on Jean's words a little, then drift off to sleep and start up a "Dream Sequence", waking up on 5/22.
>>30921200>>30921352>>30921753>>30922313Looks like another TIE... Vote to break it? Or possibly combine the votes?
>>30922409Both votes appeal. Combo?
>>30922499What he said.
>>30922499>>30922531Sounds good...Also, I might have to take a sabbatical after today's session to get over this sickness of mine; I can directly atribute it to my lack of and delayed posts today.>Writing as we speak...
>>30922499>>30922531>>30921200>>30921352>>30921753>>30922313A part of you just wants the night to end so that you could get some rest, but your mind seems to have other ideas as you stay up a litt;e bit longer, finishing off the cake you had brought with you almost absentmindedly while doing just about anything aside from scouring the bathroom for sleeping pills to "Come Down" after your mission earlier tonight (Though you stop short of taking a swim and regret eating your cake so piggishly; A dip would've proably done the trick)... It was something that Jean had said earlier that stuck out in your mind that kept you up more than anything else: "I don't want to draw comparisons with the past... I want to bring this city and The King of Fighters Tournament into the future."You think back to the seemingly peaceful times you had experienced at the Kyokugen Dojo and partly wonder if this tournament, or the lack of one, was the reason everything seemed so calm... Then again, Jean seemed almost hopelessly infatuated with you, though that might've been a ploy on his part to lull YOU into a sense of false security, your head spinning as you try to unwind."Screw it, I'll just figure it out in the mournin" you tell yourself as you strip down and slip into your pajamas, tucking in and shutting the lights just a stroke before midnight, hoping that you'll be able to dream of something that'll take your mind off of your almost-"Date"... Then nearly wake up almost immediately, the sound of your phone buzzing.You see that it's King calling you from "La Illusion", names and numbers you don't recall adding into your phone off-hand, though you shrug out of tiredness and reply "Yeah?"
>>30923148Weasel, we've told you before. If you're ill, take some time to get better.You're the QM here. We participate at your leisure. Nobody is going to begrudge you time to yourself.Rest, recoup, recover, do all of the re- verbs you can think of. We'll still be here when you're ready.Unless, you know, we're asleep. Then you'll be waiting a few hours. Because sleep is required to replenish the flagging sanity meters.
>>30924632The thing is, while that IS sound advice, for whatever reason I seem to write the strongest and/or craziest shit my mind can come up with when I'm sick... It could be the pills I take to help me overcome it, it might be how my brain's wired, but I want to at least see this session out before taking an extended break...>>30924577"Hey... Surprise that you're still up" King remarks as you can hear something in the background, though your sleep-deprived mind can't quite figure out what it is."Yeah... Had a sorta date that went long tonight" you drearily tell her, then almost immediately regret saying that as you couldalmost hear her gush over your luck."Really? How'd it go?""I felt like punchin' the bastard every five minutes... Is that what they call "Love?" you teasingly ask, your haggard-sounding voice probably getting your point across more than your words."... Maybe" King replies, then asks "I was wondering if you had anything to do tomorrow?""Heard about that costume ball thing for The KoF too huh?" you reply, then tell her "I already got a really nice suit I wouldn't mind showing off...""Oh... Well, I was going to go out shopping with Yuri tomorrow and wanted se if you wanted to come along" King tells you, though you quickly yell into your phone before she could hang up."C'mon, of COURSE I wouldn't mind shoppin' with you and 'Uri tomorrow... What time?""Well, the gala doesn't start until around 5 PM... Noon sound good?""Sounds good mate... I'll be there" you reply, then hear King hang up and drift off to sleep.>You now Assume Direct Control of Jean-Claude Gabriel>Time of Day: 11:10 PMYou had driven out of "The Cliffside Inn's" parking lot and surrounding backroads like a man possesed, an ecclectic mix of music playing on your friend's Pandora list through your sound system as you purposefully take the longer route to back to South Town, your mind seemingly going almost as fast as you were driving...
>>30925015Judging from the report and text you had gotten from Kazunroi Kazahaya, your "Other" secretary Vice had been stabbed six times in what sounds like a bar brawl gone wrong, though you ponder how someone could've even touched her, let alone get within range to stab her six times; You recalled how she seemed to extend her arms outward like a snake's, mimicking Ryuji Yamazaki's movements as well as being an expert in the art of "Power-Bombing"..."Bizuki" you think, almost chanting it like a mantra in your mind as "Turn the Page" by Bob Seger starts to ring around your ears as you get back on the highway itself, barrelling down it in the dead of night at 100+ MPH, not a cop within miles according to your trusty radar tracker discreetly mounted on your dashboard...You scythe through Sound Beach as though it weren't there, then cut through side-streets to reach the heart of China Town, stopping out in front of an old, but well-cared for brick building, a sign reading "The Sleeping Dragon Pharmacy" in Cantonese with Kazunori out front waiting for you."How'd the date go?""Pretty well, honestly..." you reply, then ask "How's Vice golding up?""Aside from the stab wounds, she'll be alright; Lee's workin' some special herbs and trying to do some Chakra stuff to get her to heal faster, butshe should be fine in about a month" he replies, a toothpick in his mouth."When did you stop smoking?" you ask, usually accostomed to seeing Kazahaya with a cigar from one side of his mouth..."When Drake got the pole at today" he grins, then shows him the tablet of Andrew Draco posing on the famed "Yard of Bricks" at the Indiapolis Motor Speedway, a comically over-sized checque handled in front of him."Shit... If I had known that there would be a second day of qualifications I would've stayed" you remark, feeling a small sense of pride knowing that's your car, your driver and your team on the front page of ESPN.com...
>>30925605>Mature and Vice as Jean-Claude's secretariesResurrecting the New Faces Team is one thing, but I distinctly remember Mature and Vice's throats getting clawed out by Riot Iori at the end of '96.
>>30925784It's due to all sorts of Time-Space Continum shenanigans thanks to Ash Crimson retconning himself out of existence in KOF XIII... Which Vice & Mature were in, actually.>>30920852"Yeah... It was something we had talked about doing for a while now" Kazahaya replies, rolliing the toothpick around his mouth to try and keep himself at ease. "Still... What'cha want to do boss? We can't Bizuki run amok in the city forever...""Are you positive that that she's behind this attack?" you ask."Positive; Vice gave me an eyewitness ID before she blacked out" Kazahaya replies, crossing his arms as he leans up against the brick front of the building.You put a hand to your chin and start to ponder your options, your blood pressure rising to a boiling point as a part of you is SCREAMING to find her, kill her, commit suicide and then kill her AGAIN in the afterlife... Though your mind seems to temper this with rational thought as you sit on the small trunk of your Mercedes, careful not to hit the rear wing on it (Lest you knock it out of balance or something).>A. Call up Stonewater LLC and tell them to move out; "Operation: Dark Swamp" is in full effect ASAP!>B. Have Kazahaya back you up as the two of you hunt for Bizuki Iijima in the streets of South Town itself (IE "Run This South Town" Mode)...>C. Ask Kazahaya if he knows of anyone that could concievably take the fight to Bizuki and see if you could contact him/her at this hour; You want this taken care of IMMEDIATELY.>D. Something Else...>E. Switch back to Katja Hartkern and begin her "Dream Sequence".
>>30925784...bullshit ki surgery? Possibly by Lee, given current activities.Incredibly timely regular surgery. Of the curiously skilled variety.Insane hypertech curatives.Money. Big wad of dosh. Large quantities of moolah were thrown at the problem until it went away.Alternately, clones? Evil twins. Good twins. Morally nonaffiliated twins. Imposters!Telepaths. Illusions. Hallucinations. Deception.Timey-Wimey shenanigans.Or, possibly, it just didn't happen that way here....there are solutions. Way too many solutions. Enough potential solutions that we may well be better off wondering for reasons relating to noodles, if you catch my drift.SNK is weird.
>>30926032Vice and Mature were in XIII as -- I shit you not -- wraiths come back from the grave to tempt Iori one last time with the power of Orochi, which he staunchly refuses, causing them to simply fade away.>B. Have Kazahaya back you up as the two of you hunt for Bizuki Iijima in the streets of South Town itself (IE "Run This South Town" Mode)...She can't have gotten that far.
>>30926032>>C. Ask Kazahaya if he knows of anyone that could concievably take the fight to Bizuki and see if you could contact him/her at this hour; You want this taken care of IMMEDIATELY.>>30926044Aaaand I'm slow today.
>>30926032 >B. Have Kazahaya back you up as the two of you hunt for Bizuki Iijima in the streets of South Town itself (IE "Run This South Town" Mode)...Lets fucking DO THIS! >http://www.youtube.com/watxh?v=Pn2-b_opVTo
>>30926032 >A. Call up Stonewater LLC and tell them to move out; "Operation: Dark Swamp" is in full effect ASAP!I want to see where this goes...
>>30926100>>30926279Considering how recent the attack was, I doubt Jean can get anyone mobilized in time to fine Bizuki before she disappears again.
>>30926032>A.Why do I think that Jean's gonna pull a Hotel Moscow if this option gets picked?
>>30926032 >C. Ask Kazahaya if he knows of anyone that could concievably take the fight to Bizuki and see if you could contact him/her at this hour; You want this taken care of IMMEDIATELY.Wasn't our first choice when an option like this came up that weird water-bending chick from the Fatal Fury OVA? Or is he going with someone wlse this time?
>>30926404*Else*, sorry...
>>30926404You Mean Pic Related? Yes, yes she was... But I can't garuntee that she's the one that'll fight for Jean if C gets chosen.>>30926323Possibly... But Jean isn't Balalaika in any way, shape or form (No matter how badly he WANTS to be one).>>30926279>>30926199Can't use that song Anon; Some guy running a more popular quest copyrighted it as his MC's Theme.>>30926100>>30926082And it's one hum-dinger of a TIE... Break it? Or Break Jean's wallet by combining Options A, B & C?
>>30926594>D.Break the bank and combine them ALL OP!
>>30926594We have so many ties lately... switch my vote >>30926100 to >>B. Have Kazahaya back you up as the two of you hunt for Bizuki Iijima in the streets of South Town itself (IE "Run This South Town" Mode)...
>>30926594Reaffirming B.
>>30926594 >D. Something Else..Seconding >>30926628; Besides we're practically MADE of money, right? Then why not USE IT for once!?
>>30926885Because most of it is tied up holding Southtown together?
>>30926916... Fair point. But STILL, this guy doesn't exude that certain menace that antagonists and BBEG's have and I think ordering armed forces and an hiring assasins, not to mention riding around looking for Bizuki would do the trick.Put it this way, I READ that Jean has South Town in his back pocket, but I don't FEEL that he has any influence at all.
>>30926594 >B. Have Kazahaya back you up as the two of you hunt for Bizuki Iijima in the streets of South Town itself (IE "Run This South Town" Mode)...I'm standing behind my vote from >>30926199
>>30927026Weasel's trying to humanize his antagonists."Yes, I'm rich as balls, but I'm marked as a target by pretty much everyone, and even when I look like I'm doing good works like REBUILDING AN ENTIRE CITY BY MYSELF, people are STILL suspicious of me."Being rich is hard."
>>30927026Jean ISN'T supposed to be that typical type of fighting game villian though... Shit, that's part of the reason why guys like Mr. Big & Kain R. Heinlen hate him so much; He represents the future of the city and NO ONE in the South Town underworld wants to try and compete with him. So what do they do? Use "Traditional" gangster tactics and watch their empires falter around them while "The Paragon Group" still stands tall...I'm tempted to say he's "The Dana White of KOF" and leave it at that, but Jean isn't THAT big of an asshole all the time, nor is he as well-liked...TL;DR >>30927163 was spot-on.>>30926798>>30926853>>30926199>>30926082>>30927145Option B wins the poll by a Slim Margin; Currently typing the Update as we speak... Also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-8kmPJKGgM
>>30927484Jean is the embodiment of "first-world problems."
>>30927484>>30927543The closest equivalent of Jean-Claude is that Gustav Munchausen fellow from the KOF EX games on the GBA. The final boss of EX2 isn't Gustav himself, but instead his greatest creation: a boy imbued with the spirit of Goenitz. You never actually fight Gustav.Generally, Jean-Claude's solution to any problem is to throw money at it, because that's literally the one thing he has going for him more than anything else.
>>30927543>>30927625Correct... But that's why I thought he could be a good Antagonist for a KOFF Game/Story; He's a throwback to the oldschool "Assholes with Money" kind of villians like Geese Howard & Mr. Big, but with enough of a fresh spin on it to keep him from being "Flat" as a villian...>>30927145>>30926798>>30926199>>30926082>>30926853>New Thread Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX-7BlRc_a0You think it over as the cool night air blows past you and Kazahaya, an ominous omen as you think out loud to yourself, ticking off opions on your mental checklist. "Not exactly the best time to call up a hired hand and Stonewater is for SERIOUS calls, not something petty like this" you mumble, then admit "I think we need to take care of this ourselves" as you look up at Kazahaya. "Seriously?" he asks, his toothpick hanging low out of the corners of his mouth."Yes... This has gone on for long enough and I'm the one that let it escalate this far" you reply, a strong conviction in your voice that Bizuki Iijima WILL die by your hands tonight...Kazahaya nods, then sighs as he spits his toothpick out onto the street and says "OK. Let's boogie... But we're gonna need something a little better suited for undercover work; A hardore track-toy like yours isn't exactly suited to the roads around South Town."You nod at that, then ask "Shall I have someone chaufer it back to my place? Or should we use your car?""We need something that we don't have to worry about..." Kazahaya starts to say, then quickly adds "But yeah, get your ride out of here; Shit's gonna get ugly quick."You nod and ask Kazunori to get in your car, deciding to drive down to The Paragon Group's offices in record time, then getting out and switching to an older, rather tatty Lexus that the two of you had decided to "Borrow" for the evening. Kazahaya driving and blasting old-school "Gangsta Rap", not minding it all that much as it seems to enhance the mood you're in...
>>30928097When did we agree that Bizuki needed to die? Wouldn't it be worse for her to just lock her up in padlocks and let her stew for a few days in the basement, unable to satisfy herself?
>>30928180Firstly, Jean doesn't know shit about how Bizuki manifested her powers. Secondly, Jean had more-or-less come to the conclusion that Bizuki was a hassle he couldn't afford to keep in Round 20.>>30928097"Where did it happen?" you ask, thinking of where possibly start in your investigation of Bizuki Iijima."It was about three blocks from the Aracde I usually hang out at, near a comic book shop she frequents" Kazahaya tells you as his driving seems as smooth as silk while navigating China Town's back streets and side alleys, arriving at the supposed scene of the stabbing."You got protection?" he asks you. You feel tempted to flash out the condom you had in your wallet that you HAD wanted to use tonight, but keep the mood tense as you shake your head "No" without a word."Hmm... 'Kay, you'll have to stick with me then" he says as he gets out, locking the doors behind him."It's part of what I pay you for though, right?" you ask before starting to look around for clues, though Kazahaya pulls you aside and asks you a question."Before we start this, could you tell me exactly WHY we need to kill her?""... Because she's a walking, talking panic attack with legs, that's why" you reply, then add "AD she could undo all of my hard work if she were to just show up in the middle of the tournament and started wreacking havok.""... Fair Enough, but did you honestly know she was going around doin' shit like this?"You take a long pause, then sigh as you admit "Yes... And the worst part was that I didn't think about acting up to try and reign her in until she went M.I.A."Kazahaya shakes his head but doesn't comment on it any further as the two of you look around for a little bit, both of you using special apps on your cellphones to simulate having flashlights...
>>30928786>A. Start lookig around for clues as to where she might've gone in the dark alleys of China Town. (Roll 1d100 for a Perception Check)>B. Ask Kazahaya to cough up any information he might have that she got from Vice and/or knows about Bizuki off-hand to guess her whereabouts...>C. Screw this crap; You're calling up a REAL private detective to try and track down/kill this woman (If necessary)...>D. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)>E. Switch back to Katja Hartkern and begin her "Dream Sequence".===>Pause UpdatesI want to thank all of the players that stuck around and parricipated today... As per The Usual, if this thread survives the night, updates will resume at 9 AM PST, Noon EST; If it doesn't, a new thread will pop up at around that time.Until then, G'night and get some rest Anons. Also, the Voting Field shall be active until updates officially resume.
Rolled 93>>30928863>A. Start lookig around for clues as to where she might've gone in the dark alleys of China Town. (Roll 1d100 for a Perception Check)
Rolled 91>>30928863 >A. Start lookig around for clues as to where she might've gone in the dark alleys of China Town. (Roll 1d100 for a Perception Check)
Rolled 53>>30928863>>A. Start lookig around for clues as to where she might've gone in the dark alleys of China Town. (Roll 1d100 for a Perception Check)These rolls are good.The shoe is going to be a big one, huh?
>>30931804>>30932415Currently having electricity issues Anons; Appologies for the delays... Also, Option A won the vote by unanimous decision and updates are currently being typed out ASAP.
>>30931804>>30932415>>30933361>Days until the "The Infinite Match": 8>Date: Tuesday, May 22nd>Time of Day: Midnight>Updates Officially Resume>You are in Direct Control of Jean-Claude GabrielYou look around the area for somehing, hell ANYTHING, that might lead you in a direction that could trace back to the notoriously ellusive Bizuki IIjima, a part of you wondering if it's all futile in light of her ability to seemingly teleport in and out of thin air... When you spot a small trail of what looks like blood on the side of a building, leading down and around the corner.You motion over to Kazunori Kazahaya and whisper "Do you think that this could be from Vice?""Probavly... I ran into her outside of the Electric Smile Arcade and it's a straight shot from here" he replies as your mood sinks a little... Until you notice a second, slightly fresher-looking trail of blood leading down a darkened alleyway."What do you make of that, then?" you quietly ask, pointing out the second trail of blood to Kazahaya.He stops for a moment, then squats down and sticks his finger out to truly make sure that it's blood and not something else... Though you raise an eyebrow at this, you don't say anything as he gets up out of his squat and nods at you, wordlessly cracking open a deck of playing cards (The stylized insignia of an almost Ukiyo-E like gust of wind on the back of them) and sliding them into the sleeves of his suit jacket with the grace of a magician."Follow my lead" he quietly asks before you follow him down the dark alleyway, both of you keeping your guard up and expecting something to jump out and attack either of you... Though curiously nothing does as you follow the trail through a labyrinthine criss-cross of backstreets and alleyways, arriving at an eerie scene in the middle of a dead end: A human-sized outline on a wall, blood surrounding it and dripping down it to the ground below all under the slightly yellowed light of a nearby lampost...
>>30934007Neither of you say anything as you strongly consider hiring up that one person from "Your Little Black Book" that you didn't get around to doing yesterday, though Kazahaya turns around and throws a playing card out of anticipation, said card getting stuck into the side of a wall..."Sorry about that" he replies before casually walking up to take the card out of the wall, though you rush after him and punch a shadowed figure you had noticed out of the corner of your eye.The impact of your strike knock the assailant onto his back, though he seems to Ukemi out of it and charges back towards you, a clumsy lob of a punch countered by your own 6-Hit counter-attack, a mixture of sound-looking punches and kicks rocketing him away from you...Before you crack a cheesy one-liner, Kazaya returns the favor as he wordlessly slashes at another assailant, a slightly overweight blonde woman that was trying to tackle you from behind... Curiously, her clothes gon't seem to get ripped open as she barrels right through Kazahaya's strikes and ends up blowing right past you into the other guy thanks to a combination of stylsh dodges on both of your part, Kazahaya letting out a Bruce Lee-esque "Whooooo!" after running up the side of a wall and doing a flip of off it.The two of you then start to slowly back away from them, keeping your guards up as you look into their eyes to see an almost glyph-like seal in their pupils, a part of you knowing somewhere deep down that this is Bizuki's doing (And also wondering if these two are the ones she had abducted two days ago)..."Well then, you ready to work those calories off boss?" Kazahaya asks, though you don't immediately respond as you ponder your options...
>>30934351>A. Fight Avery & Patty in the back alley as Either Jean-Claude Gabriel or Kazunori Kazahaya (Please specify which character to use with this vote)>B. Try to run and lead your attackers to more open ground, as fighting in a confined space like this might not be exactly wise...>C. Ask Kazahaya if he knows how to break any curses like this; After all, his family WERE noted as being the best Demon Hunters in Hokkaido since that city's creation... (Roll 1d100 for Luck)>D. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)>E. Switch back to Katja Hartkern and begin her "Dream Sequence".
>>30934405 >A. Fight Avery & Patty in the back alley as Either Jean-Claude Gabriel or Kazunori Kazahaya (Please specify which character to use with this vote)Out of curiousity, how do Jean and Kazunori actually fight? Leaning towards uaing Jean-Claude Gabriel btw.
>>30934559For the Record: Jean-Claude Gabriel (In my mind at least!) shares a similar fighting style to Shin Shishio from NeoGeo Battle Colliseum, minus the game-breaking cheese and sword but adding an uppercut for good measure... When he actually uses a Rapier, he attempts to attack in the Spanish Fencing art of Destreza, though that shouldn't come up in this circumstance.Kazunori Kazahaya, on the other hand, is the unholy marriage of Martial Law from Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and Oswald from KOF XI (With a dash of "The King of Pop" for good measure)... He's all kinds of CUHRAYZEE.
>>30934624>>30934405>A.Kazunori Kazahaya... Because Vid Related: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv3DnRUswDk
Rolled 65>>30934405 >C. Ask Kazahaya if he knows how to break any curses like this; After all, his family WERE noted as being the best Demon Hunters in Hokkaido since that city's creation... (Roll 1d100 for Luck)Non-Violent solutions FTW.
Rolled 70>>30934405 >C. Ask Kazahaya if he knows how to break any curses like this; After all, his family WERE noted as being the best Demon Hunters in Hokkaido since that city's creation... (Roll 1d100 for Luck)Seconding >>30934780; We don't NEED to fight these girls IMHO.
>>30934559>>30934743>>30934780>>30934825Looks like a TIE, with some uncertainty as whether to fight it out as Jean or Kazunori... The Next vote between A & C takes it unless one of the other options gets 3 or more votes rather quickly.I also have to commute fairly soon as well, so VOTE QUICKLY!
>>30934405>A.Kazunoei Kazahaya for Kung-Fu Hustle-Levels of shenanigans.
Rolled 83>>30934906C
Rolled 11>>30934405 >C. Ask Kazahaya if he knows how to break any curses like this; After all, his family WERE noted as being the best Demon Hunters in Hokkaido since that city's creation... (Roll 1d100 for Luck)
Rolled 75>>30934405>>C. Ask Kazahaya if he knows how to break any curses like this; After all, his family WERE noted as being the best Demon Hunters in Hokkaido since that city's creation... (Roll 1d100 for Luck)
>>30935729>>30935788>>30935804>>30934825>>30934780Back from my commute; Option C wins the voting poll by a fair margin and an update is on the way...
>>30935729>>30935788>>30935804>>30934825>>30934780You hold your guard up and are just about to ask Kazunori to break out an Ofuda or something, though he seems to be two steps ahead of you and fishes two slips of paper out of his pockets and reveals them, your assailants rushing towards you and the pieces of paper flying out of Kazunori's hands and sticking to their foreheads like a manget to metal, stopping them both in their tracks."I forgot you could do that" you calmly tell him as the blonde's clothes start to disintigrate, the slash marks from Kazunori's slices and dices finally showing up as the other attacker drops to his knees, the slightly glazed look in his eyes starting to fade..."Yeah... You're just lucky that I had them on me" he replies as you squat down near the other guy."You feeling better?" you ask him, then get taken by surprise when you get "Glomped", tears on your face as he lightly sobs... Though you question whether this person is actually a man or not as you notice that "His" pectoral muscles seem to be rather soft in spite of their size.Kazunori's eyes widen a little as he drops down his sunglasses and quips "I didn't know you swung that way sir..." with a sly grin on his face."Har har har, now help us up please" you coldly ask him as Kazunori tries to untagle the two of you, though the other guy seems a bit perplexed at the two of you, but eventually gets the gist of what's going on and helps you up."Th...Thank you" he seems to say in an almost girlish voice, then unzips his jacket to reveal that you suspicion was correct: "He" was actually a "She", and a surprisingly built one at that...Your eyes widen at the proportions of this woman, then tell her "No problem... Now, do you remember your name? And your friend's over there?""... Avery?" she responds, Kazunori stroking his chin as he tries to recall where he's heard that before, then she adds "And I don't know who that is... Sorry."
>>30937549"OK, Do you know how the two of you got here?" you ask as she starts fanning herself, the slight glazed look from before starting to return a little..."N-No... I was working at my job when I..." she starts to explain "Son of a bitch" Kazunori mutters as you use that audible cue to back away, just dodging a throw attempt from Avery as she topples over trying to grab you, but rolls out off it and starts to fight you again, a much more Akido-Inspired offense as you dodge and try"What's with those ofuda Kazahaya?!""I'don't Fuckin' know man! That should've done the trick!" he replies as he starts slashing at Avery, though she seems to shrug off both of your strikes and chucking you with a flip-like throw, knocking you down directly in front of her... Though fortunately for you, Kazunori knocks her over with a flying kick and helps you pick yourself up off the ground and dust yourself off."Looks like she ain't going to stop unless we take her down ourselves Boss" he replies as Avery takes a few moments to get up off the ground, the Ofuda that Kazunori put on her disintegrating as that glow from before returns in her eyes...>A. Fight Avery in the back alley as Either Jean-Claude Gabriel or Kazunori Kazahaya (Please specify which character to use with this vote)>B. Try to talk Avery down and/or Stall as Kazunori tries to pin her down with a more powerful sealing spell (Roll 3d100 for Speed, Defense & Evasion)>C. Try to run and lead Avery out to more open ground, as fighting her in a confined space like this might not be exactly wise... Besides that, the two of you need to think of a plan ASAP. >D. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)>E. Switch back to Katja Hartkern and begin her "Dream Sequence".
>>30937966>She starts to explain, but then stops as her body starts to slowly gain a red aura around it, normally not visible but clearly highlighted in the night.Fixed.
>>30937993>TFW No Votes
Quests are a blight to the board and so are you Weasel.>>30937966 >D. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)End this tripe and kill yourself with fire.
>>30937966 >E. Switch back to Katja Hartkern and begin her "Dream Sequence".Ignore >>30938958 OP; I like this quest and you're getting better at this QM thang IMHO.
>>30938958>Pic Related>>30939056Going with this if there aren't any SERIOUS votes soon...
>>30937966 >E. Switch back to Katja Hartkern and begin her "Dream Sequence".We can always cut back to whatever Jean & Kazunori are doing, right?
>>30937966E. Nice cliffhanger.
>>30939519Sure.>>30939188>>30940118>You now delve into Katja Hartkern's Psyche>Time of day: ??:?? AMYou hear an alarm clock buzzing that wakes you up, your eyes opening as you find yourself in a fairly cramped room that's unfamiliar to you... For whatever reason, you don't seem to mind as you get up and start doing stretches, then slip into a slightly over-sized sailor fuku and head dowstairs to your kitchen, grabbing a bag filled with textbooks written in some language you can't read...You shrug after giving up on trying understand what's written on one of the pages and head towards your kitchen, fixing yourself a couple of slices of toast on your small stove when your eyes glance around, finding that you're in a place that reminds you of the "Single Room" appartments you had heard about when you had lived in Japan... Though your eyes widen as something inside of you compels you to start freaking out over the time on the clock on the wall.===>New Thread Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKsIg0_LGGE===You don't yell, you don't scream; You just grab the toast you had just made and take a little time to butter both of them before stuffing one piece into your mouth and running as fast as you could out of the room, nearly getting halfway down the spiralling steps that lead down to a sidewalk whe you realized that you forgot to lock your place up as well as get your keys, cursing yourself inwardly at your lack of thoroughness and awareness."ShitShitShitShitSHIIIIIIIIIIT!!!" you think to yourself after grabbing said keys and deciding to forgoe the stairs and jump off of your balcony, somehow making the leap oto a single bound and landing onto the roof of a small shack, then quickly start running along the side of a high stone wall, your balance impeccable as you feel as though you're breaking the laws of physics as you just... Run.
>>30940955>>30939056Eventually, you hop down to terra firma and only JUST barely hop on to a bus that was going to the school you were set to start classes at today, a part of the doors seemingly getting caught on your book bag as you struggle to get inside... Curiously, there seems to be only women on this bus as you only find a seat across from a pair of rather rough-looking girls in the back, one of them with Wild, long Red hair and dressed up like a "Banchou" from the 1950's, complete with a long, tattered overcoat, a Hat with a small cut in the brim and a white chest bandage that somehow contains her impressively huge bust.A part of you wants to ask if such a thing could even be legal to wear, but you think better of it after getting shot a glare from the girl on her right, almost as tan as you were and seemingly buldging out of her too-long skirt and top... And while she seems quite large physically, there's and underlying strength to both of their movements that you shouldn't try to cross either of them, ESPECIALLY the positively RIPPED Red-Head who doesn't even seem to acknowledge your presence as she crosses her arms, her hat low enough that her eyes seem to be covered...>A. Sit in the back seat in silence; You don't want to piss ether of these girls off on your first day of school.>B. Try to be friendly and open to either of them asking you questions, though you shouldn't provoke them if they don'ttalk to you right away...>C. Ask them "U Wot M8?" and go off on them, using your Austrailian Accent to threaten them with violence if they try anything around you...>D. Something Else... (Write-In Vote)>E. Switch Back to the waking World as Jean-Claude Gabriel & Kazunori Kazahaya.
>Banchou Fiona & Tsuyako MatoiShut up and take my money OP.>>30941172 >B. Try to be friendly and open to either of them asking you questions, though you shouldn't provoke them if they don'ttalk to you right away...Be friendly. It'sian Anime clichse 101, right?
>>30941308Stupid fucking tablet keypad...
>>30941172>B. Try to be friendly and open to either of them asking you questions, though you shouldn't provoke them if they don'ttalk to you right away...STRAYA CUNT is probably a bad idea this early.
>>30941172 >E. Switch Back to the waking World as Jean-Claude Gabriel & Kazunori KazahayaFUCK this highschool animu shit; I want to run South Town!
>>30941172>>B. Try to be friendly and open to either of them asking you questions, though you shouldn't provoke them if they don'ttalk to you right away...Must resist urge to go full yob.
>>30941308>>30941491>>30941985You take a little bit of time to let your heartbeat slow down, sweat starting to pour down your face as you grab a waterbottle from your bag and take a sip of it. "Never gonna do that again, christ" you think out loud, then ask "Do you want a sip?", offering your water bottle over to the girls sitting to your left, now recognizing on second glance that they're supposed to be Fiona Graves & Tsuyako Horikawa.Fiona looks over and grabs the bottle out of your hands, then downs it in one incredibly long hulp, wiping her mouth with her forearm before handing it back you and saying something you don't understand... Though Tsuyako offers to translate for her."She says that you look like you ran all the way out here" Tsuyako replies."Yeah... I think I covered like, a Mile or something in about 5 Minutes" you wheeze, repeating "And I'm NEVER going to do that again first thing in the mornin' I swaer on me mam."Sorta-Fiona looks up at you and smiles, her eyes pools of green filled with admiration as she holds her hand out and shakes yours, the name "Brunhilde" in between the odd, almost nonsensical sounds her mouth makes."She's happy to respect someone dedicated to fitness as you seem to be" Tsuyako says, then tells her "I'm Nadeshiko Yamamoto; Nice to be an acquaintance.""Katherine Hart; Nice to meet the two of ya" you reply, a strange taste of copper in your mouth for a second that you try to hide, but can't as "Nadeshiko" picks up on it and asks "You alright?""Yeah; Just felt like I tasted somethin' funny" you reply, then note that blood's coming from your hand. Your eyes widen at that, though neither "Brunhilde" or "Nadeshiko" seem to mind (Or care) and go about their normal business, Brunhilde almost stone-faced in her set expression while Nadeshiko curiously "Girly" inspite of her short brown hair, though you spot a small red streak in it as a part of you wonders why you'r bleeding when you don't seem to have any wounds?
>>30942932>A. Try to hide your hand before anyone else notices, then IMMEDIATELY look for the acting nurse to see if you can't this bandaged up or something...>B. Try to experiment with your bloodied hand; Maybe it could lead to some "Truman Show"-Levels of peeling back the fabric of the dreamscape you're in? (It IS your imagination making it bleed, after all...)>C. Get up in "Brunhilde" & "Yamato's" faces over what they did to you, threatening to call up your homeboys right now to prepare for a "Proper" rumble...>D. "Bail Out" of this dreadful dream and wake up in the real world as Katja Hartkern, then try to possibly go back to sleep or something...>E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)>F. Switch Back to the waking World as Jean-Claude Gabriel & Kazunori Kazahaya "Beat the Bricks out of" Avery... (Please Specify whether to be in Control of Jean or Kazunori with this Vote)>Pic Related: "Brunhilde's" Eyes...
>>30943111>A. Try to hide your hand before anyone else notices, then IMMEDIATELY look for the acting nurse to see if you can't this bandaged up or something...
>>30943111>>A. Try to hide your hand before anyone else notices, then IMMEDIATELY look for the acting nurse to see if you can't this bandaged up or something...I have no idea what's going on. This pleases me.
>>30943111 >A. Try to hide your hand before anyone else notices, then IMMEDIATELY look for the acting nurse to see if you can't this bandaged up or something...
>>30943285>>30943296>>30943674Option A takes it by unanimous decision! Unfortunately, I have to commute home... Next update's on the way ASAP.>Pic Sorta Unrelated, yet awesome all the same.
>>30943861Back from my commute; Got stuck in a gun battle between Cops and drug Dealers, but made it through without a scratch...>Pic Related: Fiona Graves at 15 Years old (She has Hazel eyes, if you're wondering).
>>30945615You don't just casually say you survived drug warfare, dude.Aren't you sick and taking a sabbatical?
>>30945676I'm starting it tomorrow and going to resume Round 23 on Sunday, maybe Monday at the latest... Plus, it wasn't as though I had bulltes whizzing past my car or some crap like that; The cops had quardoned off a street corner and arrested some guy about 8-10 car lengths ahead of me, so I figured "No Harm, No foul" in talking aout it...Anyway enough /r9k/; UPDATES RESUME!>>30943285>>30943296>>30943674You look at your hand seeping some kind of red, blood-like substance and scramble to try and find a way to hide it in case anyone notices... Though you thankfully aren't stupid enough to try and sit on your hand, lest anyone think you're on your period or something.Desperate, you take out your second piece of still-warm toast and put your hand on it, rubbing it around like you were spreading jelly and then see thatit's mostly gone... You shrug, the taste a small bit of it left to find that it WAS jelly ( Strawberry, in fact) and munch your toast quickly, not wanting to get in trouble or something as the bus pulls up to a stop, with a few girls getting off and a guy with an odd-sounding theme song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puV7bgNb8CE) being played by two dudes holding boomboxes behind him getting on.You crane your neck and wonder "What's wrong with his face?" as you watch them strut down the aisle, though you recant that as you realize that they're all wearing wrestling masks, his two other homeboys with more intricate-looking ones as they seem to crowd around the back and take the three seats ahead of you, "Brunhilde" & "Nadeshiko".You idly wonder if that's supposed to be Ramon up there in front of you as the song seems to drone on and on, repeating once before Brunhilde asks something in that odd sotra-language you can't understand, the wrestling highschoolers all catcallig her and Nadeshiko in a rather rude Spanish as a part of you wonders if they'll start a fight...
>>30946392However, before multicultural tensions could rise, the bus stops out in front of a suitably imposing castle, the driver up front droning "Academy of Cliches, last stop! Academy of Cliches, las stop!" and everyone on the bus standing up and making for the exit, slotting behind Nadeshiko as she whispers "Brun-san might need your help a little bit later dealing with those jerk-offs ahead of us... You in?">A. Accept and get to class; You can't be late for your first day of school now!>B. Decline and state that you aren't really much of a fighter... (Roll 1d100 for Bluff)>C. Decline, but tell her that you want to take those guys on yourself a little later...>D. Tell her that you need a little bit of time to consider it, then look around to get to class for your first day at this odd-looking place...>E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)>F. Switch Back to the waking World as Jean-Claude Gabriel & Kazunori Kazahaya try to find out what had happened to Avery & Patty, possibly calling up their supperiors via their mole within Seth's Unnamed Agency.>G. Wake up and resume control of Katja Hartkern on 5/22.
>>30946768>>D. Tell her that you need a little bit of time to consider it, then look around to get to class for your first day at this odd-looking place..."I might be available to lend a hand. Guess we'll just have to wait and see."
>>30946768 >C. Decline, but tell her that you want to take those guys on yourself a little later...If we fight them ourself, maybe Not-Fiona and Sorta-Tsuyako will help out and respect us more or something?
>>30946768>D.I don't quite know why Katja's thinking of an SNKP-Ized Rival Schools.... But I like it!
>>30946768>D. Tell her that you need a little bit of time to consider it, then look around to get to class for your first day at this odd-looking place...I mean, she LOOKS like she can handle herself. We probably will, but we'll keep it in mind.
>>30946905>>30947407>>30947541You think over her offer and reply "I might be available to lend a hand. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see" as you step off the bus and walk around a little, admiring the imposing architecture as this place feels more like a fortress rather than a school... Though you don't stay around TOO long and walk up the steps to the front entrance and into a small forecourt, a few students still milling around though it seems that most of them have already gone to class.You spot and walk over to what looks like a receptionist's desk with a guy that looks suspiciously like "The Wind" sitting at it, his feet up on the desk itself and his face buried in what looks like some Untranslated Fantasy Manga with Half-Naked Women on the cover.You clear your thoat, hopefully loud enough to distract him long enough to get you registered and checked in, though it takes you to actually "Fake" having to clear your throat to get him to put the book down and ask "Can I help you?""Yeah, I'mma new student 'ere" you tell him, putting your book bag up on the counter-top."Name?" he asks, then turns around in his "Swivel Chair" to open up a filing cabinet drawer marked you could see was marled "Fresh Meat"."Katherine Hart, mate" you reply, that same taste of copper in your mouth and a small, almost split-second flash of you lying in a pool of blood with a smile on your face filling your vision before everything goes back to "Normal".You keep your wits about you as you try not to scream in terror as the man you assume is Kazunori Kazahaya says to himself "Katherine, Kay, K-A-T here we are", then hands you an envelope filled with stacks of papers inside (Some with intricate designs and diagrams)."In there's a schedule, your Student ID, a voucher for your uniform, your dorm key and a map of the school. Wearing the uniform is optional, as is staying in the Dorm and don't rely too much on the map" Almost-Kazunori explains.
>>30948024"Why not?" you ask, directly referring to the map at the bottom of the stack."Cuz the school is always changing" he replies, the explains "One day Principal Bernstein and Vice-Principal Gabriel will have one of their little "disagreements" and suddenly the entire second floor's been so badly levelled that it needs to be totally rebuilt... Kinda renders the map moot when the damn thing is usually out of date by the end of the week, right?"You raise an eyebrow at that and ask "Really?""Yeah... Oh, one more thing; You don't like the type, but stay out of the ventilation system.""The... The ventilation system? Why?" you ask, though a part of you immediately regrets doing so as Kazunori points behind you.You turn around only to come face-to-face with a guy that looks like the Ninja that tried to kill WAY back at The Kagura Clinic hanging upside down out of an overhead ventilation duct, pointing to a set of stickers that read "Ghetto Ninjas 4 Life"."Because we called "Dibs", that's why" he says beore doing some odd, almost gang-sign like hand gesture before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.You honestly don't know what to say to that and frankly don't feel the need to even acknowledge what you justsa, though Kazunori holds up his wrist and points to a watch on it, telling you "Well, you'd best get going missy; First class starts in ten minutes."You "Snap-Back" to his attention and tell him "Thanks!" before running down the halls of this so-called "Academy", a part of you not wanting to be late for your first classes of the day with another side of you starting to wonder "What kind of insanity will greet me next?" with an almost gleefull look in your eyes...
>>30948493>A. Actually continue through the Academy as Katja and go through your first class.>B. Skip over most of the first part of the day but continue this dream as Katja, time returning to "Normal" just as "Brunhilde" & "Nadeshiko" plan to take down the Luchador Students.>C. Wake up as Katja and wonder if you should write this shit down; You could pitch this particular dream to an artist and start up a web comic or something... (Roll 1d100 for a Perception Check IE How much you remember)>D. Time-Skip to 5/22 and simply wake up as Katja Hartkern.>E. Something Else... ("Write-In" Vote)>F. Switch Back to the waking World as Jean-Claude Gabriel & Kazunori Kazahaya continue searching for Bizuki Iijima.>Pic Sorta-Related: Before Fiona Graves became dead-set on Pro Wrestling, she allegedly trained in gymnastics, her story being re-told in Manga form as a series called "Airmaster" (Though the author was thought to have DRASTICALLY changed the MC's personality to suit "Target Readers").
>>30948541>A. Actually continue through the Academy as Katja and go through your first class.Well, we're already here.
>>30948541 >B. Skip over most of the first part of the day but continue this dream as Katja, time returning to "Normal" just as "Brunhilde" & "Nadeshiko" plan to take down the Luchador Students.Non-Stop Action FTW. Also, if what happened at the end of that Manga really did happen to Fiona Graves, then she has a daughter running around somewhere? Or was that part of the "Changed for Target Readers" bit?
>>30948541 >F. Switch Back to the waking World as Jean-Claude Gabriel & Kazunori Kazahaya continue searching for Bizuki Iijima.As Jean-Claude please.
>>30948670YES... As in "Yes, the author basically took Fiona's story and changed just about EVERYTHING", including the whole "Getting raped by the guy that had been stalking you for nearly three years, but nearly killing him through the power of sex" part that pretty much killed any interest in revisiting that Manga from me...>>30948582>>30948778And it's yet another TIE... next two or more from these three options (A, B & F) will win, unless another option gets a flod of votes of course!
>>30948883Switching to B.
>>30948582>>30948670You got lucky as your first class was remedial Japanese, more-or-less acing it and getting a real kick out of seeing Takuma Sakazaki wearing a rather disheveled suit and tie along with somewhat "Dorky" glasses... However, the rest of the classes didn't seem to go as well for for you, barely getting through History without any hassles and only just managing to squeeze through Math by the skin of your teeth before an hour Lunch was declared.You look through your wallet and think about looking around for a place to grab a quick bite, though Nadeshiko & Brunhilde find you and put a stop to that, Brunhilde asking you somethig in what sounds now to you like her native tongue (Whatever it may me), with Nadeshiko translating it after she's done."Brun-san wants to know whether you want to fight with us in a 3-on-3 match with Los Luchas.""Er... Well" you start to try and chicken out, though Brunhilde senses the seeming desperation in your voice and says something to you, the words and sounds not meaning anything to you but the sheer force behind her more than enough to get her point across to you...Though once again, Yamamoto Nadeshiko explains "She'll be awfully upset at you if you decline the chance to fight alongside her... You have to know that not many woment have so far since she arrived."A part of you wants to say "Is that just you? Or the fact that you come off too strong for your own good", but hold your tongue as that bombastic theme song from earlier could be heard off into the distance, almost like the toll of a bell or the klaxxon shriek of a warzone approaching you."C'mon Katherine, tell us! Do you want to fight or what?!" Nadeshiko asks as that name, for whatever reason, seems to only panic even more, your heart feeling like it's going to beat out of your chest as a certain part of your brain remenices to the very first fight you had while sparring in The Kyokugen Dojo you had gone to in Osaka, Japan as a wild-eyed Teenager...
>>30949502All the while, panic seems to set in as that music gets closer, a part of you wanting to run, yet your legs feel like they're stone pillars that every ounce of force you push into them seems to not allow you to move... Even worse, you start to see images and hear names you don't recognize and people you don't know, all of them seemingly wanting you to either quit or fight as "Los Luchadors" arrive, a sizeable crowd from interested students following them around; You CAN'T back down anonymously now that there's just so many students around that seem to defy logic, most of them seemingly really into watching a fight unfold as Nadeshiko & Brunhilde hold their ground against them.>End Updates===I want to thank the participants for sticking out for so long with this thread. Unfortunately, the sickness I have been fighting and the lack of creativity stemming from it means that I must take a 3, possibly 4-Day Sabbatical to get through this and recharge my energy and enthusiasm for running this Quest day in and day out.As such, Round 23 of The King of Fighter's Quest (Abbr. "KoF Quest" on Twitter) will begin at 9 AM PST, Noon EST on either 3/23/14 or 3/24/14... Until then, Good Night and rest up!
>>30949632Rest well, will be looking out for the next Round
>>30949632Hope you get better OP. I'm looking forward to the next session!
