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>>42907652

To say Southtown as a city's been through a lot is an understatement, especially after that orbital laser strike nearly destroyed everything near the turn of the 21st Century... Only now, after further riots when the first Female Mayor in history was elected (As well as being the youngest person ever to hold that office) nearly brought the city to its knees, has Southtown rebounded and its citizens find a sense of peace and calm. All the more ironic that the "Second Southtown" sister-city built after the laser strike languishes into a lazy sense of chaos less than 20 Miles to the East... Though that could mostly be a consequence of the less-than-humanitarian wishes on behalf of "The Howard Connection" and it's batshit-insane CEO (Who STILL wants the United States government to grant Second Southtown "City/State" status despite god-knows how many rejections).

Still, some things feel like they'll never change: Southtown Maulers will always struggle and under-perform in the NFL, no matter how good their team looks on paper (Especially now that their head coach got been fired, five of their best players are either retiring or getting placed into Free Agency and the star Quarterback got arrested for drunk-driving AGAIN just last night). There will always be con artists trying to make a quick buck any way possible, some through drug-dealing & protection rackets but many through offering bullshit "Self-Defense Classes" that only teach you how NOT to fight (For every Kyokugenryuu Dojo, there's at least 50 Saikyo-ryuu's preying on the rich & clueless).

>"Hey!"

Speaking of which, street fights and illicit underground Martial Arts Tournaments will always be the spectator sport of choice among most of the populace despite what the hacks at the South Town Gazette print and no matter who ascends to power in the underworld, there is always going to be at least a few gangs milling around, looking to pillage & plunder innocent bystaders.

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>>42907739

>-"Hey you! Just shut up and empty your fucking pockets!"

Just like right now...

Son of a bitch.

You turn around and see 3 guys standing before you, all dressed in over-sized hoodies and baggy clothes that cover their faces and hide their body shapes to an extent. One of them's wielding a good-old-fashioned "Louisville Slugger" Baseball Bat, while the other two look like they might be hiding stuff in their pockets... Guns? Knives? Who knows, but you can never be too careful nowadays, even with some of the strictest gun laws around...

All you know is that you are Andrew Draco, and you never asked for this kind of life.

>(Roll 1d20 for Options A-C)

>A. Spot these guys like $20 each and see if they'll leave you alone.

>B. Try to talk your way out of it.

>C. Run Away. You don't have time for this shit; You've got places to go & people to see today.

>D. Beat the shit out of these fuckers. You can take'em. (Roll 3d20)

Rolled 11, 15, 16 = 42 (3d20)

>>42907775
>>D. Beat the shit out of these fuckers. You can take'em. (Roll 3d20)

Make an example of them

Rolled 18, 2, 15 = 35 (3d20)

>>42907775

>D. Beat the shit out of these fuckers. You can take'em. (Roll 3d20)

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>>42907895
>>42907925

Silly me, I forgot to add my contact pages & pastenins at the end of my last post.

>Rules: http://pastebin.com/XfCGjiZh
>Draco's Moveset: http://pastebin.com/EPPzSkBb
>Teams Bracket: http://pastebin.com/rzSNWQ1N
>QM Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeaselThat

Also, Option D will take this vote unless others join in shortly...

>>42907895
>>42907925

>DC Checks Pass, easily.

Had to completely reinstall 4chanX; Sorry for the delay.

>>42907775

Anywhere else in the world, a scene like this would have you calling the cops while trying to deal with these guys in a peaceful, calm fashion. In Southtown, the police practically pull up and cordon off the street and spectate while you get the shit kicked out of you... Which is when you nod to the officers that are just on the other side of the three guys in front of you.

It figures that they're not going to do anything as a crowd's starting to form around the four of you, waiting to watch an all-too-rare daytime brawl in the middle of the street. Well OK, you've lived in this city long enough to know that the cops aren't completely useless; They're just going to wait until the fight is over before they'll do anything. Then they'll send in some ambulances, maybe make an arrest if someone take things too far but that's getting rarer by the year.

Your feet just touched the ground from the flight a few hours ago and it feels like home already.

"Well, at least they're not little girls" you think to yourself as you crack your knuckles and get down to business. Lucky you're wearing the big-ass "They Live" shades Kazunori gave you as a gag gift, because between them and your long hair & beard, most people couldn't recognize you. Well, you know for a fact that citizens of Southtown don't car, but what would the sponsors of your Indycar team think about this kind of thing?

That's when you think you spot the biggest one in the shade , trying to look like he's just checking his phone instead of eyeing you.

OK. No mercy for these clowns.

You run towards the guy with the bat and counter his lazy-looking swing with a Commando SAMBO-Inspired Suplex, the bat flying out of his hands when you kick him hard in the stomach. Christ, is he done already? And he thought h was a gangster?

Hell, you're just getting started.

>>42907775
>E. Put Quest in the subject field

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>>42908557

FUUUUUUUUUUUUU- Haven't done this in 3 months, please be gentle.

>>42908497

You get up and stretch your neck for a second, a nice crack or two sounding like a homerun you hit in highschool and give the guys a second to leave quietly.

They start to circle around a little, but you don't sweat or fidget; You're used to fighting in crowds. You instinctively move to the right and dodge a guy with a knife and elbow him in the shoulder, then counter with your grab that you call "Pay Up". A quick kick to his midsection rockets him into one of the cop cars and gets a rise out of the crowd and the third guy backs away a little...

>Wat Do?

>A. Wait for him to rush you down, then try to block any of his strikes so you can use the "Demon's Fist" counter-attack. (Roll 2d20)

>B. Run in and destroy this guy with a "Send'em Home Slide", into a Sawblade Uppercut (Roll 3d20)

>C. DEADLY RAVE!!! (Roll 3d20)

>D. Tell him to fuck off before you break him in two. (Roll 1d20)

>>42908627
>>B. Run in and destroy this guy with a "Send'em Home Slide", into a Sawblade Uppercut (Roll 3d20)

>shout "FUCKHEAD" As he rockets into the distance

>>42908627
>New KOF Quest from Weasel
>No Katja

>>42908627

>B.

Rolled 2, 4, 19 = 25 (3d20)

>>42908756

Just fuck my shit up fam.

>>42908756

It's better than having no quest at all

Rolled 12, 4, 10 = 26 (3d20)

Always nice to see you Weasel.

>>42908627
>B. Run in and destroy this guy with a "Send'em Home Slide", into a Sawblade Uppercut (Roll 3d20)

Draco has quite a movest, actually... But this seems like the kind of combination perfect for taking down low-level hoodlums like these.

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>>42908756

It's only for this session.

Also, my router's on the fritz again, so I hopped down to town and will currently update the quest from a pub until further notice.

>>42909234
>>42908773
>>42908660

DC Check: Passes, but only barely

>>42908627

You have to admit, it's refreshing to just focus on self-defense and not give a damn about public image, or ethics or that kind of shit. Ever since you unloaded on Andy Bogard in Brazil, the press have been calling you a monster and most of the interview requests you had gotten from winning races and fights in "The Infinite Match" started to dry up... But like all good things, this is gonna have to end soon, because you can see Jean-Claude Gabriel looking like he's tapping his foot. Not a good sign at all...

You run towards the third guy (Who now has... A golf club? The Fuck?!), but go into a foot-first slide that almost completely avoids his swing, then power through the smack to your head and knock him in the jaw with a crouching "Strong" punch. From there, you hit him with a few "Weak" jabs before landing your improvised uppercut, the "Sawblade".

You hear yourself yell "FUCKHEAD!" as he rockets into the distance, landing on top of some guy's SUV and setting off an annoying car alarm that nearly drowns out the applause from a few people as you get back down onto your own two feet.

Damn, that felt good.

Finally, your tax dollars get to work and start calling in ambulances and breaking up the crowd, Gabriel finally come out of the shadows. "Your skills are as brilliant as ever, Andrew. You really had to hold back from doing a number on them, eh?" as the Police actually make a few arrests for once in a blue moon.

>A. Nod, then ask him what's up? You haven't seen him since you had to fly out to California on Thursday.

>B. Shrug & admit that "They just do't make street gangs like they used to Gabe."

>C. Ask him what he's doing here.

>D. Write-In dialogue.

>>42909640
>B. Shrug & admit that "They just do't make street gangs like they used to Gabe."

>B. Shrug & admit that "They just do't make street gangs like they used to Gabe."
>C. Ask him what he's doing here

>>42909640
>>B. Shrug & admit that "They just do't make street gangs like they used to Gabe."
Also, FERK YER!! Weasel is back! Sorry I missed up till now.

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Goddamn, I feel like I'm drunk just from the smells of this place...

>>42909733
>>42909888
>>42909912

You shrug and admit "I'dunno, they just don't make street gangs like they used to Gabe" with a forlorn sound in your voice as the crowd scatters off.

"Yeah... Well, that was why I had you & Kazahaya scare them all off though" he says, his voice dropping a little low while he beckons you to walk with him.

You oblige and hear him admit "Hell, it's why I had the two of you infiltrate that "Water Margin" group and destroy it from the inside..." and nod. Why he's bringing up something like this in fucking broad daylight on a bustling city street is beyond you, but whatever.

"So... Why are you here?" you ask.

"Oh, I was just in the neighborhood" he replies. "I was going to call and ask to talk with you about a couple of things... But I guess I won't need to."

OK yeah, he probably found out that your flight came in earlier this morning and tailed you from the airport... Still, You have your reasons for keeping him in the dark for so long. The amount of bad press the last Indycar race you ran had would be cause for concern alone, nevermind the fines you racked up...

"You sound like you wanted me to take on another job, or something" you mutter, careful not to let your voice hang on any one word for too long.

Gabriel pauses as you walk a couple of blocks down and end up at a busy crosswalk, the local citizens around you unaware that a "Fight"/slaughter went down just a little ways away... Just as he admits "If I did, would you be mad?"

>A. Yes. Gabriel gave his word to you that you're "Free", and less than a year later he's doubling back on that?

>B. Pause and tell him "I guess I can never let this go life, huh?" and ask him what's the job.

>C. Maybe... Let him tell you what the score is and see if it's something you can stomach.

>D. Discuss it somewhere private; You don't want facts about your shady, regrettable past out in the open.

>>42910292
>>A. Yes. Gabriel gave his word to you that you're "Free", and less than a year later he's doubling back on that?

>>42910292
>A. Yes. Gabriel gave his word to you that you're "Free", and less than a year later he's doubling back on that?

>D. Discuss it somewhere private; You don't want facts about your shady, regrettable past out in the open.
>C. Maybe... Let him tell you what the score is and see if it's something you can stomach.

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>>42910344
>>42910385

You get an impassive look on your face as a "Highlight Reel"-of sorts of all of the shit you've had to deal while "On the job" flashes before your eyes, your energy levels spiking a little bit. You calm down a little and tell him "I would probably jam my fist so far up your ass, everyone would think "Wow, that is the most fabulous-looking puppet I've ever seen" with a smirk.

Saying that to anyone else in the whole-wide world probably would've gotten your, well, their ass kicked right there. To Jean-Claude Gabriel, he looks at you and asks "... Really?" after quite a long pause.

"Up to my shoulder, Jean" you tell him, your words spat out at him with venom.

"... Just checking" he finally says as the crosswalk goes green.

"Look, can we at least talk about it somewhere else?" you ask while walking with him across the street.

Jean rolls his eyes, then gets out his cellphone and makes a call. little less than 5 minutes later his Rolls-Royce Phantom rolls up. "Want to join me for some lunch?" he asks.

Normally you'd make a smart-ass quip about how you'll take your chances out on the street or how you couldn't pay the tab, but you can't pass up free food from the boss (Especially when you couldn't shake those punks down for money after your little "Fight"). shrug and hop in the back with him, stretching the seat as far as it'll go for maximum comfort as Gabriel lays it all down on the line for you:

"Some new recruit from the Southtown Times wants to do a piece on you, see what you're like over the course of a normal day or two. She'll follow you around town, get a feel for the "Unfiltered" Andrew Draco as you go about a normal day... That's the job."

>A. "... Really?"

>B. Let out a sigh of relief and apologize for snapping at him like that.

>C. Nod silently and see what else he wants to talk about.

>D. "Can't I just bust up a fight club or something? I can't stand dealing with reporters."

>E. Write-In Dialogue

>>42910950
>>B. Let out a sigh of relief and apologize for snapping at him like that.
Because your usual jobs mean me breaking something or someone.

>>42910950
>B. Let out a sigh of relief and apologize for snapping at him like that.

>B. Let out a sigh of relief and apologize for snapping at him like that.
>A. "... Really?"
>Ask for info

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>>42911040
>>42911058

Andrew "Mad Dog" Draco, the most machismo-laden man in Motorsport OR Martial Arts... Baby-sitter to some reporter for a day?

You can almost live with that.

You let out a sigh of relief and simply ask "Really?"

"In hindsight, I should've phrased it better" Jean admits. "And those Agents are toothless anyway; Three of my tech companies supply them warmed-over NESTS leftovers..."

You pause at that. Again, it's not like Jean to just pop off about something as big of an impact on him (Or the city) as NESTS... Feels like he's getting too complacent in his position as "Savior of Southtown". Or that he trusts you with info like that; Being his bodyguard for 5 years does that.

You change the subject and tell him "Sorry for snapping like at you."

"Not a problem."

"Who's interviewer?" you ask.

"Some girl with an English accent, maybe Australian... I only spoke to her over the phone."

... Son of a bitch, this sounds like the kind of shit that Katherine would come up with just to get close to you. "Does she have legitimate credentials?"

"Well, she did a couple of interviews during the North American Tag-Team Tournament" he says. "She seemed nice enough of a girl over the phone to me."

You take a moment to think about it, then try to ask "Do you think she's... Well, you know...?"

"Not a chance" Jean replies as the car pulls up to a stop at some trendy-looking bistro, the diners out on the front patio looking like textbook definition "Hipsters". "Besides, NESTS only made 8 pairs of that girl due to irregularities in how her DNA was sequenced and time. At best only 2 individuals, maybe 3 remain."

Huh... OK then. Guess she really is gone... That's a load off your shoulders & conscience.

You clamber out of the car and see some girl with a ridiculous-looking top-hat and wild hair beaming at you & Gabriel.

"Mistah Draco! Katie E.O Greenwich sir, official reporter of the "The Infinite Match" for the Times!" The girl says as she holds her hand at yo

>>42911783

... God fucking damn it, Gabe got you again. It's not even Noon yet and you can't wait for the day to be over. That's a new record for you.

>A. Grin & bear through it and shake the girl's hand, then invite her to sit with you & Jean-Claude Gabriel.

>B. Shrug and try to be cordial. All the eccentrics and crazies you've met in your life, this girl doesn't seem to bad.

>C. Just sigh out an "OK" and don't even try to pretend that you're going to shake her hand. This is strictly a professional gig.

>D. Something Else...? (Write-In Action)

>>42911886
>B. Shrug and try to be cordial. All the eccentrics and crazies you've met in your life, this girl doesn't seem to bad.

>>42911886
>B. Shrug and try to be cordial. All the eccentrics and crazies you've met in your life, this girl doesn't seem to bad.

Female Speedweed FTW.

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>>42911951
>>42912007

Your face contorts into some kind of weird half-smile as you shrug, then shake her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Once you take her hand, however, she starts shaking it vigorously like an overexcited schoolgirl. "Can I ask you some questions to get the interview started?"

You spot Gabriel looking like the smug motherfucker that he is and motions you to follow him inside. "Let's get a chair inside first."

The place is crowded, right at lunch with some weird-ass folk-rock quietly playing through speakers hidden behind some dense foliage. Not your kind of scene at all, but if Gabe wants to eat here of all places then the food must be good (Fucker studied to be a chef, after all). He orders for the three of you while muscle past a few of the patrons, that Katie chick still holding on to your hand while slide into a table with a booth.

"Sorry about that" you tell her as Jean casually walks towards the two of you, the crowd parting for him like the Red Sea for Moses... The hell does he do that? Still does it after all these years you've known him.

"Katie, I have a couple of things I want to talk to Andrew about before I can let you have him... Is that alright?"

"Sure!" she nods as she gets out a tape recorder and Jean turns back to you, a serious look on his face.

"What the hell happened at Fontana on Saturday?"

Ah shit, the Indycar race... You figured he'd go after this first. It made all of the major media outlets, which is a first (They only give a shit about the Indy 500 most of the time).

>A. "You want the long version or the short version?"

>B. Explain in detail what happened, how it happened and why Indycar's CEO is a goddamn control freak sociopath in as logical a way as possible (Roll 1d20 fo Diplomacy)

>C. "I raced hard out there, some of the other drivers didn't like the moves I made, Mark Miles hates my guts. What else do you need to know?"

>D. Answer his question with another question (Write-In Dialogue) (Roll 1d20 for Bluff)

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>42912581
>B. Explain in detail what happened, how it happened and why Indycar's CEO is a goddamn control freak sociopath in as logical a way as possible (Roll 1d20 fo Diplomacy)

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>B. Explain in detail what happened, how it happened and why Indycar's CEO is a goddamn control freak sociopath in as logical a way as possible

Meanwhile Katie starts to forget her questions and starts being as clumsy as humanly possible

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>>42912674
>>42912713

Wellp, the pub I'm at is setting up for dinner, so I have to leave... Going on break for up to 1 Hour, votes while I'm gone will go towards the next update.

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>42912581
>B. Explain in detail what happened, how it happened and why Indycar's CEO is a goddamn control freak sociopath in as logical a way as possible (Roll 1d20 fo Diplomacy)

Katjia is best girl.

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>>42913146

Indeed. That's why I gave up on the others, honestly.

>>42912713
>>42912674

OK, back from my drive. Option B takes the vote, updates are on the way shortly. Had to pass a grisly car accident, but whatever, I'm fine.

Good to see you back, Weasel.

>>42913933
How do you run into so many car accidents?

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>>42912674
>>42912713
>>42913146

DC Check: Passes.

>>42914283

I live out in the boonies, where rednecks in lifted trucks try to hooligan their way around twisty roads like they were Ken Block. 9 times out of 10, an accident happens.

>>42912581

You eye Jean down for a second, the tension between the two of you rising and notice that Katie girl is starting to get a little uncomfortable out of the corner of your eye. Just as you're about to give the two of them your side of the story, your food arrives and the table gets a little time to "Breathe": A club Sandwich for you, something that resembles meat for Gabriel (Figures; The man can't live without eating something dead once a day) and a salad for Katie.

...Which becomes a tossed salad when she fails to grasp on to the bowl tight enough and watches it slip down onto the floor.

"S-S-S'orry 'guvnah! I'll get t-that right away!" She practically yelps while having a cute little blush on her face. Man, if it weren't for the horsehair under her hat and the scar... Whatever, now's not the time to ogle the reporter-lady (Girl? Sounds young enough to be a girl) and you get back to Jean's question.

"Well, the whole thing started up on raceday morning, before the official drivers meeting. I get a text for some emergency driver's association meeting behind somebody's hauler early in the morning, I drag my ass up to attend it to save face and listened to several drivers admitting that they didn't think going ahead with the race was safe."

"And that's why you called them all cowards on live TV, from victory-fucking-lane?" Jean asks.

You pause, think over your words as Katie gets her tape recorder ready. "...Yeah. Because all them went out there and raced the whole distance anyway in spite of what they said. Also because personally, I feel that by going ahead and racing with the rest of us, those guys are to blame for whatever happened next. Not their crews, not the series, not the fans, not the sport."

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>>42914486

Jean takes a moment to consider your words while Katie tries to balance eating her food and jotting down notes for the article (And gets ranch dressing all over recorder in the process) as you continue on a little rant about that day's events.

"Hell, that guy said Power that "Someone’s got to take responsibility for how this day has panned out." So I ask this: Why is it not the driver that should take that responsibility? No one is forcing them to be in the car. The courage of a driver is not to push his or herself or their car past its limits; Courage comes at seeing where the limit is and having the common sense to say "I'm not crossing that line", knowing that decision could quite possibly mean your career is over. If you believe, as a driver, that the risk officially outweighs whatever the reward will be, you have the RESPONSIBILITY to stand up and say "no."

"We're all told at some point in time that we can no longer play the children's game, we just don't... We don't know when that's gonna be. Some of us are told at 18, some of us are told at 40, but we're all told" Jean finally says, quoting some movie probably...

... Fuck yeah. He gets it. And then that reporter chick killed the vibe with a frankly-stupid question:

"Uh, w-where's Font-, uh Fon-ta-nah?"

You sigh, then drolly tell her that it's a suburb out in Los Angeles and the track was located where an old steel mill resided before quickly getting back to Jean.

"That's right... That's exactly right. A DRIVER needs to know when that point is and say enough is enough. After Fontana, what I'm seeing from Power, TK, JPM and others are that they're guys that while GOOD enough to be in the car, don't have their head in the game enough to be safe at it anymore. Because the minute you start second-guessing yourself and others at 220 mph is the minute it's time to get off the track. If you don't think it's safe, you go to your boss and say you're done."

>>42914785

>"Uh, w-where's Font-, uh Fon-ta-nah?"

You have made her cuter than I could have imagined, well done

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>>42914785

Katie finally puts her fork down and starts writing furiously as you conclude "Those guys are smart enough to know that but are too afraid to do it... And THAT is why I think these guys and what they've said come off as cowardly after Fontana."

Jean pauses at that, Katie beaming at what you said before she asks "Wo~ow... What it's like, g-g-oing so f-f-a"

"I'm like a fighter pilot" you tell her, saving her the embarrassment of constantly stuttering. "Except my jet has wheels."

"Really?! A w-wheeled jet?"

"Yeah... My dad was an actual fighter pilot too. Nearly was a certified Ace from doing missions in Vietnam for The Jolly Rodgers" you tell her with a sense of pride.

"Not to cut you off, Andrew, but I frankly don't care about all of what you said" Jean finally says after getting a couple of bites from his Chicken Prosciutto.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't get me wrong, Andrew, that race was one of the greatest things I've ever seen. If every oval race was like that and they had a few more on their schedule, I'd invest in the series directly and market the hell out of it like KOF."

"Get the fuck out of town, really?" you ask, incredulous.

"Yes really! The company that's sponsoring you now wants to do a damn OVA based on that race alone" he says, adding "Christ, when I told them you speak Japanese they want to voice a character in both languages."

Fuckin'A', who said Indycar's not even on the sports radar in America? Or the international community even?

"What I want to know is... How the hell did you get suspended from the paddock?" Jean asks in a "Cold" voice.

Oh... OH. That's right, the fallout from Fontana... Damn, you were just trying to forget that.

>A. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

>B. Fuck it, Just tell him. If Jean believes you, he believes you.

>C. "Legally, I can't talk about that in public right at this moment. Something my lawyer said."

>D. Answer his question with another question (Write-In Dialogue) (Roll 1d20 for Bluff)

>>42915030
>>C. "Legally, I can't talk about that in public right at this moment. Something my lawyer said."

>>42915030
>B. Fuck it, Just tell him. If Jean believes you, he believes you.

You need to a quest about racing, because if it were like this I would support it.

>>42915030
>>B. Fuck it, Just tell him. If Jean believes you, he believes you.

Give Katie a scoop

Cuz something tells me that you wont end up answering any of her questions

>>42915030
>>A. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
>>C. "Legally, I can't talk about that in public right at this moment. Something my lawyer said."
He wouldn't believe it. Even if he would, can't tell him.

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>>42915166
>>42915200
>>42915226
>>42915133

Tied between B & C right now... Fusion? or Tie-breaker through a 1d2 Roll?

>>42915342

Fusion.

>>42915342

Intrested in seeing Fusion

Holy fuck everyone here is a tripfag, wish my audience was this invested

>>42915428

We've seen this thread grow for a long time. A lot of people left after the whole "Acupuncture gone wrong" thing happened, but those that stuck around stuck around for a reason.

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>>42915393
>>42915428

Fusion it is.Currently typing up the next post... Also, you guys are awesome for sticking around after so long, goddamn.

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>>42915133
>>42915166
>>42915200
>>42915226

You weigh up the possibility of telling Jean-Claude Gabriel, the guy who basically writes your checks and keeps your dream alive the whole truth about why you've become persona-non-grata in Indycar after 3 wins in 4 races when Katie pipes up and asks "W-When did you g-get started in r-r-acing-g?", again getting freaked out the heavy vibe between you & Jean.

You shrug and explain "I was like 7, 8 years old. My dad had divorced my mom and I was bouncing around foster families when the courts decided that she wasn't fit to raise me. I ended up in one family that had the dad race ovals on dirt, so that's what I did right up until the local short track closed down" to ease the tension in the room.

Hell, you're so used to life turning upside down that you're cracking jokes and talking about your life story while the sword of damocoles hangs over your neck... Which Jean inches cloer when clears his throat and asks "Well?"

"Legally, I can't talk about that in public right at this moment. Something my lawyer said."

"You have lawyers on this?"

"Well yeah, I'm gonna try and appeal it. Even if I can't drive, I want to own the team and go to races still" you explain, adding "Besides, You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me" Jean says, nearly getting Katie to bolt out of her chair.

Fuck me, he's serious... And from past experience, you don't fuck around when your ex-boss is serious. You sigh, then get up and lean into his ear and whisper what happened, Katie trying to stick her tape recorder (Tape? Who the fuck uses that when a phone works better?) while Jean tries to swat it away from her...

Then he stops you finish telling what happened. The look on his face is one you can't quite describe, but you've seen before: A complete mix of confusion, despair and rage... Sweet, sweet rage.

"... Why the hell are you involved in this sport?" Jean finally asks after a long pause. "Because even I wouldn't do something like that."

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>>42915826

You take a moment to think about it, which becomes a long, long pause when Katie asking to get up and use the restroom. You wait for her to come back when you finally say "I want to save it, Jean. The same way you wanted to save KOF from that Chinese company that wanted to leach off of its legacy to make Pachinko Machines & Shitty Mobile Phone ports of old games."

Jean takes his time to process your words and Katie once more picks up the torch. "H-h-how did you get into fighting?"

You shrug and tell her "When I lived in this town, you had to fight. Every day. At first, I wanted to be a boxer, but got into wrestling when I was in middle school."

"Oh? Like the W-W~W-E~EE?"

You get a flat look and reply "Nah, ACTUAL grappling. Like in the Olympics."

"You were in the o-o-" Katie starts to say before Jean cuts her off.

"Fair enough, Andrew... Fair enough", pausing to finish the last of his just-about-cold meal. "Well, my time is money to a lot of people and I can't run a charity for much longer... So I'll ask you this: Why didn't you immediately fly back to Southtown?"

... Fu~uck, he knows. Well christ, of course he knows; Outside of Katja Hartkern and the failure of some of the biggest names in KOF History failing to advance in "The Infinite Match", you're one of the biggest stories he's got. Of course he'd have tabs on what you're doing...

So, you tell him just enough the truth to try and get off the hook.

"I had an opportunity to meet with the head of a very, very large company for a possible sponsorship for next year. The catch was I needed to be in Munich to meet with him face-to-face" you tell him.

"And?"

"... And what?" you ask, Katie practically hiding under the table with her tape recorder peeking upwards.

"What about the girl?"

"What girl?"

"We both know who she is" Jean coolly says. "And we know you went to Germany after your last race. It's why you took two red-eyes to get back to the states this morning.... I just want to know why."

>>42916325

>A. Lie some more. You're in too deep now (Roll 1d20 for Bluff)

>B. Fuck it, come clean... You need to spare yourself the embarrassment in front of the Times reporter.

>C. Quietly get up, curtly tell Gabriel that you'll see him at the fight later tonight, grab Katie and storm off.

>D. Answer his question with another question (Write-In Dialogue) (Roll 1d20 for Bluff)

>E. Hello, operator? NOW I'VE LOST IT.

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>42916392
>>A. Lie some more. You're in too deep now (Roll 1d20 for Bluff)

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>42916392
>A. Lie some more. You're in too deep now (Roll 1d20 for Bluff)

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>42916392
>>A. Lie some more. You're in too deep now (Roll 1d20 for Bluff)
Lies not working? You need to LIE HARDER.

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>42916392
>A. Lie some more. You're in too deep now (Roll 1d20 for Bluff)

>>42916403
>>42916414
>>42916457
>>42916779

You're panicking now, but your expression doesn't show it. Hell, you don't even WANT to love her, but goddamn it, she's seeped into your veins and you can't shake it... Fuck, why couldn't NESTS make some clones of her? Or that one tan chick she's teamed up with.

"Dude, it was Crimson Horse energy drink" you tell him, emphasizing the brand name. "They swore off American Motorsport years ago; The fact they're even talking to me shows how big this opportunity is for my team and for Indycar in general."

"You talked with Mr. Matezisch personally?" Jean asks.

Well shit, OF COURSE he'd know the name of Crimson Horse's CEO... Probably from his dad. Fuck it, you're in too deep now; Better just keep going.

"Well yeah, we talked. He's upset at how his teams in F1 have been going this year and he's serious about quitting. You and I both know the WEC's too damn expensive for some third-party company like his, his experiment in NASCAR failed... Indycar's the last place he can go that's still attractive enough for him and he knows it."

"How's his son doing with his piano lessons?" Jean asks as Katie's hand is still shaking her hand up on the recorder.

"Great, great" you quickly say, then finish the last of you sandwich.

"Well that's... That's good for you Andrew, really. but I want to give you some advice before I leave."

Ah great, another one of his damn speeches... He could be that "Cutey-Honey" chick Kazahaya won't admit he likes with all of the ones he does.

"When I first saw you fighting in Japan at the first Shukumei No Tatakai, you stood out to me. No, you shone like a beacon in my eyes."

"Well, I WAS practically the only white guy in that tournament aside from Weasel" you mutter, but Jean doesn't hear you and keeps going.

"I thought, "That's the next face of The King of Fighters right there, and he'll never make it to a tournament because he's not a pretty fucboi twink that girls and gay guys alike could crush on."

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>>42917057

"... Was that before, or after I let my hair go long and grew a beard?" You joke "Peanut Gallery"-style and hear Katie giggle a little (Equal parts nervously & happily).

"It doesn't matter. The point is that I took you in, gave you a way to find your feet as my bodyguard and personal assistant, helped revive a fighting tournament that had been languishing for nearly a decade..."

"And its all working out now, right?"

"You've gone beyond what the pundits my media companies recruited or what the public expected, that's for sure" Jean admits. "I'm rambling, but... But the road you want to walk down isn't going to rise up, I told you that you have to take that road and grab it with both hands. Remember?"

You nod. That tournament was your first great success as a fighter and helped Gabe get past the medical long enough to last until the semis... That's when Katie asks "Shu... Shu-Kuh-May-No... Kah-Tah-Kay?"

"Road to the Final Victory" Jean tells her. "It's a Japan-only knock-off of the King of Fighters... I think died out a few years ago when Terry Bogard won it."

"Your point, Jean?" you ask, slowly getting ticked off by where this "Speech" is going.

"There's going to be a time in my life and in yours when there's no one out there asking for your autograph at the mall or a racetrack, there's no lights or cameras following you... And whether you walk away, or limp away, or whether they even roll you away in a wheelchair is up to you."

Jean's standing up now, but trying not to make much of a scene (Or as little as one as possible) as he concludes: "I'm only going to ask you this once, Andrew... And I want an honest answer: Is this unhealthy obsession with destroying every aspect of Andy Bogard's life worth losing your soul?"

You take a long pause at that, long enough that Katie slowly gets up from under the table and looks at you like she wants to go as far away from here as possible. You don't blame her; Gabe actually can be scary when he wants to...

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>>42917377

"... Gabe, you're a self-made-man who crushes other people's hopes & dreams daily, you gave up on having any kind of relationship with your family the moment you got your inheritance and You're practically an Atheist... And you're asking me if it's worth it to destroy someone else's life to "Save my Soul?"

"Is it?"

...

===

>End Thread

Thanks for playing everybody! I'm glad y'all showed up for this and I'm thankful that I could get through it without too many hiccups... I plan to run later this week, as early as the 7th and no later than the 9th. And the glorious return of Katja Hartkern will be at hand on that day. Guaranteed.

Until then, check my Twitter for updates and take it easy!

>>42917513

Thanks for running. This was actually kind of fun... I can't wait for Big Black Thunder to come back though.

>>42917513
Great thread Weasel

IF YOU WANT TO SEE MORE OF KATIE AND A BUNCH OF OTHER BOZOS FIGHT, JUST FOLLOW ME FOLKS, WEASEL APPROVED

THERE'S NO POINT OF ME BEING LESS SHAMELESS THAN I AM RIGHT NOW

https://twitter.com/NightmareGoose