[Wolfe]

It is the time of snowflakes and hot cocoa! That's right, it's December which means that everyone is in the spirit of giving and playing nice! In the spirit of peace and good will, Gordon Greene of the Great Grin Toys company has made a special announcement.

"Following the recent events of the White Nights Festival, I feel deep remorse for the children who have been scarred by this tragedy. A seemingly innocent celebration meant for fun has ended in disaster, effectively putting the good people of Mistral in a state of panic and fear! Well, I for one will not stand for this! As we speak, my amazing helpers at the Great Grin company are hard at work going from door to door delivering a special present to each and every good boy and girl of the Ground District free of charge! I hope that you all enjoy your holidays and don't forget to share what you got on our social media!"
#Greatgrin#Holidayspirit#JusticeforMistral

Following the announcement, couriers will be arriving to the neighborhoods of the Ground District to deliver wrapped bundles of gifts to be nestled safely in their homes. However, not all is what it seems. On the morning of the "Nondescript Winter Holiday" the gifts will seem to mysteriously activate at once and begin to assault the good people of Mistral with deadly ordinance!

The event will start on this very morning just before these toys unleash havoc. It will be up to you, the players, to deal with this threat in whatever manner you deem fit. Who has committed this act of terror and why?

SPOILER: Click to show

269 total words to Dessen.

This event will have the standard 150% XP modifier for both PCs and DM.

First off, Heroism is disabled. Second, DM will post every 3 days regardless of who posts or doesn't post before then. Event will run until January 9th. Dice rolls are done with a ten-sided dice like every other roll and system we have.

You can create 2 problems for this event per character involved in the event and cannot create a problem with a difficulty more than 10 higher than your skill to prevent people throwing up impossible problems for anyone to solve. Even if your character only has a 10% chance of success, you need to pitch problems that they can theoretically do.

If you introduce a problem, do not have to try and solve that problem in the same post (but you can!). If you try and fail to succeed at a problem, the number that you rolled is added to the final total when determining the outcome of the event. This can be represented IC by making progress and chipping away at something, making it perhaps easier for someone else to finish the job. If you try and succeed at solving a problem, what you roll up to the difficulty of the check is added to the outcome total. If you rolled a 15 and the difficulty level was 10, you'd add 10 to the total plus ten from solving the problem. This 10 would be added to the Outcome Points (OP) tally at the end of the event to determine the final result of the event.

Solving a problem gives OP to the difficulty of the problem towards the Scenario Outcome, as well as a bonus of 10 points for solving the problem, in other words.

I as the DM am not resolving issues, you're doing it using the roll of the dice and success/failure to inform how you want to succeed fail. All I'm doing is tracking RP gain and providing a list of problems and which ones are solved at the end of every round and potentially adding more problems if there's a lull. If you don't write out how your action gets resolved, nobody is unless another player makes something up for you.

[attr=class,basictable]

Outcome Rank	OP Required	Outcome
S	600	Not only is the threat defeated, but the Great Grin company is sued for everything that they have! All assets are seized and the Ground District receives a much needed monetary boost for suffering such a terrible ordeal!
A	500	The attack, while terrifying, brings the people of Mistral together. Whether through fighting together, following the story on social media, or helping in any way...this attack will unite everyone under a common cause regardless of faction or species to instill a feeling of hope and camaraderie.
B	400	The threat has been subdued and the "Nondescript Winter Holiday" is salvaged as the toy company spins the situation as an unfortunate malfunction in the assembly process.
C	300	Minimal collateral damage is sustained and the Great Grin company offers recompense to the District, assisting in repairs and rewarding those who helped with damage control.
D	200	Many homes lie in ruin from the terror attack, leaving the already poor people of the Ground District even worse off and without any holiday cheer.
E	150	The toys have managed to slip out of sight and escaped after committing several fatalities, skulking in the dark waiting to strike any unsuspecting stragglers who stay out past their bed time.
F	100	Many casualties are reported, the holidays are ruined, and the Ground District is left in severe disrepair. Everyone's' presents are destroyed and the Great Grin company hires the best lawyers possible to avoid monetary backlash, seemingly getting away with ruining the holidays.

[Berwyn Rhodes]

When Berwyn had heard that a company called Great Grin Toys had promised to pledge a bunch of toys for the holidays, the giantess was truly rather impressed by the gesture and wanted to honestly do something that was in season to help out. She felt horrible after the White Nights festival and wanted to do something to put eberyone's minds at ease. Being pro-active and reaching out to the company, she got herself and some other students to act as couriers for the toys. To show that not everyone at Haven was scary. The company couldn't promise that Berwyn was going to be teamed up with her fellow students when she made her 'special delivery', but that didn't matter much.

Because what honestly had happened was horrible enough.

Great Grin Toys wanted to deliver a batch of toys to the 'Sunshine Orphanage', as honestly...who wouldn't want orphans to have toys. Well, apparently one person. The first crate the company send was stolen before it could be delivered. Almost leaving the kids without toys, this wasn't going to be great PR. So, they worked over time to ensure that another batch of toys was ready, even if it was delivered later than most kids got it.

Berwyn was carrying a sake of toys wearing a Santa costume without beard. She had been delivering toys this way for days, calling herself 'The Jolly helper'. It was still early in the morning, and she and some other people where on their way to the orphanage with the toys being carried in one way or form. The street where the orphanage was located was too small for a car. While Berwyn could honestly carry all toys herself if needed, sharing the burden would ensure that they wouldn't potentially break if they were all huddled together in her sack. Coming up to the orphanage, the building was quite in a sorry state.

It was a sizeable enough building in the middle of a small street. A sign that read 'Sunshine Orphanage' and some worn-out flowers painted on the wall of the building were enough of an indicator. While being as safe as the Ground District was going to get, this area was still not a safe place for a child to play safely outside without supervision.

Berwyn gave a last look to those who were with her, and smiled. "We do this for the kids guys! Best behaviour!"

And with that she entered the building, jolly helper of the holidays. With a sack filled with last-minute toys to brighten up the day of orphans! Whatever could go wrong!

---

No Problem yet, just intro on my part

---

435 words

[Raul Adalwulf]

There was a gentle nip of chill in the air as Raul and the other academy students approached the orphanage. It didn’t bother the hulking huntsman in training very much, despite the fact that his solitary concessions to the weather were an open sleeveless jacket of red wool accented with big fluffy white trim, and a pair of candy striped green and red tights. He wasn’t even wearing shoes, but he had tied some bells around his ankles, and it made each step jingle musically. Raul thought that he looked really silly, and he liked it a lot.

Ever since what had happened in the Garden Club with Bianca, he’d been uncharacteristically concerned with how he looked.

They were here to give presents to all the children after all, because that would make them happy, and it wouldn’t be very helpful if they were all scared of him. Granted, his ridiculous attire didn’t much make up for the fact that he was more than seven feet tall with wolfish proportions and uncannily bestial features, even for a Faunus, but he was making an effort. It didn’t seem fair though, Berwyn was as big as he was and no one seemed to be scared of her. Berwyn was really nice though, so he was happy that no one was scared of her. Maybe if he was as nice as she was, no one would be scared of him.

Raul decided that he would just have to try and be extra nice to all the children.

His tail, a bushy gray protrusion that was half as long as he was tall, swished back and forth vigorously at the thought of all those tiny smiling faces. The little brass bells he’d affixed to the tip of his tail jangled merrily as if to add to the expression of joyful anticipation. Matching bells were carefully tied to the scruff at the tip of each ear and rang periodically as his large fuzzy audials flicked back and forth, valiantly attempting the impossible task of taking in the myriad sounds of what was going on around him. He had to consciously keep his head still to keep the bells from being distracting, but he liked them nonetheless.

His posture was one that anybody who had experience with hounds might recognize as alert, attentive, and curious. He was standing as straight as his peculiarly shaped skeleton would allow, seemingly ignorant of the weight of the huge bag of toys and treats slung over one shoulder that was nearly twice as large as he was, unbowed and unconcerned by the burden of his duty.

His ears stood up straight as posts as they twitched to and fro, tuning in to the others and tracking their positions, freeing his eyes to take in all the sights of pretty colored lights, of fresh snow, and garlands and wreaths seemingly everywhere.

Meanwhile his nose picked out amidst the usually choking odors of the Earth District, those scents he’d come to associate with the season. Wood smoke, pine branches, hot chocolate, and a hundred others he’d never learned names for.

In the far distance he could hear singing from another group of travellers who were going door to door and singing for the people inside, and it was a such a magical idea to him that he wanted to run off and join them. While closer by he could hear the chorus of chiming bells that accompanied every step, and it was such a happy sound that it was hard not to jump around and dance just to make the bells sing even louder.

All told, it was a feast for his senses, and even the brisk embrace of the seasonal cold only amplified the experience so that no single sense was neglected, except for taste, but he would never get to the orphanage if he stopped to smell and lick every little thing.

He took it all in with an almost feverish desperation, as if he was afraid he’d miss some crucial detail of the happy sights and smells around him if he allowed his attention to lapse for even an instant.

It took all his self control not to run ahead and explore. He wanted to climb up to the highest roof so that he could seen and hear more of the district, and he wanted to stick his head through every window and see and smell what was inside. He wanted to smell every wreath and garland hung on every door. He wanted to roll around in the occasional patches of undisturbed snow. Simply put, he wanted to frolic. The only thing keeping him in line was that he’d been looking forward to this assignment since it had first become an option, and he couldn’t wait to reach the orphanage and meet all the little kids and give them their presents and make them all happy.

When they finally passed through the big iron gate that lead into the home, he emitted a low plaintive whine of excitement, and practically scampered, a mode of locomotion made totally absurd by his hulking physique, up behind Berwyn, because he was so eager to be inside as soon as possible.

868/868

[Nina Rivers]

NINA RIVERS

---

Hark now, hear the sailors cry,
Smell the sea, and feel the sky,

---

Nobody had informed Nina that she would be spending her Winter Holiday with a couple of giants.

But it was pretty cool, nonetheless. She had hardly really interacted with Berwyn outside of the Haven chatrooms, and she only recognized Raul by his quite distinctive scent, but not through any real interactions with him, which was something she hoped to rectify as she trailed along behind him and Berwyn, clad in a colorful reindeer outfit, complete with cherry red facepaint on her nose, a hulking sack of gifts clenched betwixt her powerful chompers, dangling over her shoulder.

It tasted like old burlap!

Which made sense, she supposed, it was an old burlap sack. Still, it was a satisfyingly weird taste, but not too unpleasant. At any rate, she was way better equipped to haul toys around this way than with her arms, so she didn't mind the taste too much, as long as the kids were going to have a good time.

Which they were!

She was sure of it.

Between the giant Santa, and the lupine super-elf, they were the ultimate trio of winter-time joy. And it was all the more fun as they walked to the orphanage! She watched as her fellow Faunus stopped periodically to sniff at assorted things, prompting her to stop and give them a whiff as well, even taking the initiative here and there, smelling a few things before he did, and inviting him to check them out as they went along.

Luckily, Berwyn was a woman on a mission, so they actually did make it to their destination on time, in spite of the plethora of delightful olfactory distractions along the way.

She flashed a salute and what looked like a smile at their fearless jolly leader, through the wad of toy sack between her pointed teeth. "Ou 'o' i' 'ossh!!" Huh. Maybe she'd have to drop the sack if she wanted to talk to any of the kids inside the orphanage... She was kinda just unintelligibly mumbling through the burlap at this point, which was less than ideal for spreading cheer!

She could figure that out once they got going, though.

In they stepped, and the little group was greeted by the sight of a whole bunch of excited little dudes and dudettes, some human, some Faunus, older and younger, some a little scruffier than others, but all absolutely thrilled to be getting free toys from the oddball band of misfits decked out in goofy costumes.

All except for one poor kid...

A little rabbit faunus girl shuffled her feet awkwardly, and clutched at her blanket, staring up at the students hesitantly, eyes misty with the beginnings of a crying fit. As each student passed the threshold into the orphanage lobby, the girl's eyes widened more and more, until she could no longer fight her fear.

"Waaaaaaahhh!!! Scary monsters, oh no!!! Aaaaaahhhh!!!! No, no, no, don't let them in, they want to take us away and eat us!!!"

Bold words for someone who probably didn't even know her ABCs yet...

But, at least among the younger orphans, her words were definitely taking root, as some of them began to eye the students suspiciously. And even a handful of older kids, while too old to really believe they were orphan-eating monsters, were nasty enough to play along, to rile up the little ones even more.

Kids can be so cruel...

---

Let your soul and spirit fly,
Into the mystic.

---

566 words | 566 total words | :D

♥

New Problem: Scary Santas!? (Social: 7)

[Chloro Smoke]

we are the lost and the silent    tags: Too Many   WHERE THE SKIES END -- STARSET  outfit: As described words: 479/479 How on earth did Berwyn even MANAGE to persuade Chloro into this was beyond her. Probably the part where she was helping orphans. Chloro sympathized with them, as she was once one herself. Technically still is but whatever. She did her part for the community down here in the Ground District, but she definitely was late to the party. Having debated whether or not she should just ditch the giantess to her Christmas assistance with that strange toy company, or to suck up her pride and wear the damn elf costume. Unfortunately, her pride to help kids was the triumphant one and she donned the costume and departed the dorms. She knew she was already late when Berwyn and co. were no longer at the meetup point. Thankfully, she knew the first stop was a nearby orphanage, and she definitely managed to catch up by the time they were at the door. When she crept closer, she could hear some commotion. She thankfully opted to carry nothing with her, so she can keep up her communications with her notepad and pencil. The scene around the gates were beautiful to say the least. She remembered this from her times with the streets herself, and she felt oddly at home. It also helped she had been here before to help with the gathering of food for the kids. Some would call her a sap for the children, and those she'd punch. However, this said commotion began picking up again, with some of the kids inside becoming scared? That was strange. Just who did Berwyn find to bring with her? Whatever, she hoped she could do something about it. Rather abruptly from behind, she shoved her way past Berwyn, some tall guy with strange ears and definitely a strange attitude around him, and a smaller girl with pointed teeth. That would be the issue here. Her hair was tied up into her signiture pointed ponytail, as it also gave off a hint of recognition to those who knew her, and those who have heard about her. Already writing out a small message, one of the other kids gasped and picked up their voice from the fright this pointed teeth girl had given them. "O-Oh! It's Chloro! She's with them! They don't mean harm right?" Chloro gave a small warm smile to the children, writing out a small note and holding it up to Berwyn to read aloud whilst she knelt down and gave the intial child who got scared a warm embrace, kissing their forehead. Some of the other kids that recognise her gather around the knelt Chloro, smiling and chatting away with her, and she would be writing as much as she could to get to each child and talk to them. Note: "Don't worry, these giants are with me and we're here to spread some cheer. No scary people here. ♚ Made by SYLVIA of SA and GS ♚

Attempting Problem "Scary Santas?!" (Social Difficulty 7)
Using Charimas - E
Dice Result 8 + 1 = 9 (Success)

[Sinopia DeStellanova]

The White Nights Festival was a disaster and she couldn't get Alina's reaction out of her head. The holiday clearly meant something to her friend, and having the festival destroyed like that made her sad. Thus, she spend the next few weeks researching Mistralian holiday traditions in an effort to learn about the festival so she could try to do something to cheer Alina up. They were too busy getting everything setup for the refugees and starting training for her to do something in time for that, but she could at least do something for this winter holiday. She couldn't justify spending money on decorations, but she felt okay splurging a little on food. Food was a necessity after all.

At first, she thought about making the kinds of food people at during the White Nights celebration, but ultimately decided against it. She wasn't sure if Alina would want that shoved back in her face for one, but for two, if that was celebrating the founding of Mistral, did the people in Kerch even celebrate it? Would it be weird to do something so potentially capital-centric? She didn't want to ask anyone, so she decided to play it safe and use this winter holiday that was common in the region. Which mean she was going to need a ton of ham, goose, carrots, and potatoes for the main dish, then some ingredients for fruit cake, pudding, cookies, and hot chocolate. Trying to make a feast for a group this large was going to be difficult, and she wasn't actually sure if she had the kitchen space. She'd figure something out. As much as she wanted to surprise Alina, she might need to borrow her semblance to cook this much food.

She took care of the shopping the day prior (and did her best not to choke when she saw the bill), and stashed it all in a building she converted into a freezer for stuff like this. She just needed to move it all some place where she could actually cook it now. Fortunately, she got up really early today. Yesterday was one of those days where she went down for a nap after lunch and didn't get up until 4AM the next day. That was the downside to using coffee to help combat her insomnia; or rather to make it so she could stay up even when she only got about three hours of sleep. Eventually she crashed pretty hard. But it worked out in her favor today because she could get everything ready before everyone got up! Then she could start cooking and hopefully have a nice feast for everyone ready by around 4PM.

It took awhile to move all those boxes to the kitchen area. Normally she kept that place pretty clean, it was always the first place she tackled when her anxiety swelled enough to give her the urge to clean something because people ate there, but now there were all these piles of boxes and meat everywhere. Her arms felt a bit like jelly and she really needed some water. She started moving to get some when she decided that she'd been working hard and had earned a quick treat. Rather than just get some water, she decided to make some hot chocolate. With a small smile on her face, she started to look through the boxes to find the mix.

That smile was gone with in minutes. No matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find the hot chocolate mix. She was sure she got some. It was really annoying to carry inside too because it was so dang big. Buying in bulk let her save some money, and she was pretty sure this would be popular. If not, it at least kept well and she'd drink it all eventually. It'd be hard to miss a box that big, and it had a big, brightly colored label on it. Where the hell did she put it?

Frowning, she started retracing her steps. Did she drop it somewhere? Was it still in her car? Did someone find it and open it to get some early? Or did someone steal it? She wasn't sure what could have happened to it, but making sure she didn't put it down somewhere after getting distracted seemed like a good place to start. Unfortunately, the Kozak base had gotten pretty big in recent days, so it'd take her awhile to comb the entire area.

She was too tired for this, but she really wanted some chocolate.

---

756/756

New Problem: The Hot Chocolate Is Missing (Obstacle 8)

[Bianca Sabbato]

With a wet sound and a muted howl of pain, my unnamed spear emerged on the other side of a small grimm. Not a really dangerous one, unless in large numbers. And probably attracted by my own presence more than the proximity of a human settlement as large as Mistral city.

The thing was small and stubby. And fashioning no limbs beside two heavily specialized legs whose only function seemed to be to carry the weight of its frontal jaw towards its helpless prey. A creep. If I had it right.

Anyway. It hadn’t been the first. I killed 3 creeps, 2 ursae, and 3 beowolves since I arrived here. These last ones were the ones that had me a tad bit worried since I didn’t know if they tended to travel in packs.

But considering that I had found no further beowolves in the 3 hours that I had been here. They were either a small pack or stragglers from a larger one that would most likely not miss them.

8 grimm didn’t seem like a lot, but just a single beowolf could claw his way through a shit ton of civilians before they could stop him... Yes, it was scary to think about it. But a regular civilian didn’t have the slightest chance of beating even the weakest of grimm.

Considering that. I wouldn’t take any chances with one of them crossing the line and ruining the festivities for everyone. So I had established a pretty wide patrol route, and every thirty minutes or so, I gave one more round to see if I could find something.

The snow was falling at a consistent rate now. Not harshly so, but enough for the cold to be a legit problem that would legit eat at my aura if not threaded carefully. Luckily, I was prepared.

Besides having picked up a longer tunic (one that reached almost to my ankles. And was provided with sleeves) I had donned a white arctic coat that reached down to my calves. But since I didn’t want to take any chances of the cold creeping on me. I also had a pure white paenula to offer a little extra protection to my head and higher body.

For my legs, some working boots had been in order. And thigh high socks to complete the outfit. Those were also white...

...I liked white. Okay?

Oh. Of course. I also had procured myself a nice tail warmer that fitted my size just right. It was decorated with a cute ribbon at the end, and even though at first I was tempted to rip it off for practicality purposes... The thing was simply too damn adorable for me to resist. Feel free to judge me however you want... And of course. Take a guess as to what color was it.

Anyway. The other measure I had taken was to build myself a nice fire next to a hollow oak tree I was using as a refuge. And I was more than happy to see it appear in the distance since it signaled I had finished my current patrol route and I could rest and warm myself up for a few moments. Helped keep my aura reserves high and avoiding exhaustion.

Sighing in relief. I realized the small meal I was roasting had not burned or been stolen by the wildlife in the time I left it unattended on an asado-cross.

I had managed to get the jump of a small deer getting inside the range of my semblance. So now I was ready to enjoy a well-cooked dinner of venison with a bottle of wine I had brought with me on a small backpack currently resting inside the tree.

Plus, my range seemed to have improved now that I didn’t rely on Nereida for obvious reasons. So that was a neat bonus, even if I had to take a mass-produced spear from the school armory to serve as a replacement. And I still wasn’t used to the difference in weight, but any pointy stick was a spear at the end of the day.

Sitting down to eat next to the fire. I delighted myself in the savory taste of the meat and how well it went with a hearty swig of wine straight from the bottle.

Yes, this was nice. I was intending to keep vigil until sunrise. So I needed to be relatively comfortable as the long hours washed away.

After finishing my meal, I would cut out a piece of the meat, cover it in wine, and bury it at the foot of the tree. A little something for lady nature, so she would keep me company and, with any luck, don’t send a blizzard my way. Whatever I didn’t end up eating over the night, I would leave for the forest animals to reclaim.

It was something I remember my family used to do. And even if the details were fuzzy, I wanted to at least keep the sentiment alive. Even if the exact rites had been lost.

I still had a couple minutes before my next shift. And I was now regretting not bringing my violin. Even if a part of me knew the weather would probably ruin the wood and be detrimental in the long term... Still. It didn’t mean that I couldn't have a little fun without it as well.

-After darkness comes the dawn, after winter comes the spring...♫- I began to sang softly as I watched the snowfall.

I wasn’t nearly as good with my voice as I was with my instrument. But some things do get translated from one discipline to the other. And I was doing it for myself anyway.

The wine and food had put me in the mood for a little goofing around.

And it appeared like it would be a peaceful night of killing some grimm, and waiting till the sun had kissed the horizon. I was just about to get to do that when a figure in the distance caught my attention.

It appeared human-shaped and approaching me as deliberately and openly as only someone who wanted to be seen could do.

I waved at him to show I wasn't a threat. And waited for him to come closer. No one would be so stupid as to attack a person strong enough to go out in the snow hunting for grimm, unless they were suicidal. So this stranger was probably coming with friendly intentions.

And a new smile graced my face when I saw who it was. He was dressed differently, and now carrying both a hunting rifle and an impressive piece of game hanging on his shoulders. But there was no mistake.

-Indy!- I called out with excitement. Approaching the man and giving him a quick half-hug if he let me.

-My man! How is it going? Pretty well, as far as I can tell. That’s a nice hunt you got there, pal. Is it for you, or are you selling it?- I asked him with genuine curiosity. I didn’t know he was a hunter, but it kinda fitted his personality as far as I could tell.

-Anyway. I was just hunting some stray grimm, wasn’t expecting to see you here, but it sure is a nice surprise. Do you wanna something to eat? Drink? I have plenty, so don’t be shy-

After a couple minutes of small talk, I was about to excuse myself and go on another round when, on the edge of my vision, I caught sight of something a little worrying.

Smoke. Coming from the city. It wasn’t a large wildfire or something like that, but still enough to be worrisome.

With a frown, I stood contemplating my options for a second. I could simply wait and hope the firefighters could fix the issue themselves... But something sat wrong about this. Some gut feeling told me this was no mere firework accident.

-Huh, smoke... Better if I go take a look at that. It may be nothing but... You know. Better safe than sorry-

Frowning. I put out my fire and decided to go take a look. I didn’t know if Indy was interested in coming, but I wouldn't reject his company if he wanted to do so.

---

1379 /1379 Words

---

New problem: Investigate the Smoke Coming From the City (Obstacle 9)

[Russet Bruin]

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the Ground District entirely...

'Twas the Winter Holiday morn, in the Iron Wolves' quarters,
Not a weapon misfiring, not even the mortars;
The socks, they were hung, by the bed posts with care,
For uniform inspections, in the cool morning air;
The recruits, they were nestled, all snug in their beds,
While visions of plum vareniki danced in their heads;
And Russet in her tank top, her bike in the shop,
Was flexing her brain cells, making toy guns that go "pop!"

Yes, it was that time of year alright.

And Russet had decided to take up the job of arming the neighborhood's good little girls and boys with a veritable armory of cap guns- all perfectly harmless, unless you like, stuck it in your mouth, or ate the caps or something. It seemed like a fun idea, and it was at least not as dangerous as giving them all real guns! She'd even gone to the length of buying neon orange paint for the muzzles, so that it was obvious they were just toys. Which was also useful to her, considering the shelves on the other side of her work table housed the very real weapons she was working on for the scouting parties that would eventually be making Grimm hunting runs out near Kerch, as well as around the perimeter of the Ground District from time to time. It would be pretty bad if she managed to get the two mixed up, so the paint was definitely a good idea...

Though, before she got to that point, she had to finish building them first. She was done with most of them, but she had a hankering for an early morning snack, and after slaving away in the workshop all night, she figured she'd earned it.

And the snack in question was absolutely going to be some hot chocolate.

Truth be told, Russet had always loved the holidays. Who didn't?! Winter Holiday was awesome, it kicked SO much ass! Back when she was living on the streets as a kid, she remembered strangers giving her presents. New clothes, a few toys, some soap, some food.

Hot chocolate.

She might have been pretty damn miserable back then, after her mom kicked it, but those little special mornings, once a year, made it all feel okay again. And now she wanted to give back, and she was able to! It was like one of those cheesy movies she'd been watching lately, ever since figuring out how the TV worked.

Hopping up from her stool, she leaned back to stretch her shoulders and pop some especially crunchy vertebrae- man, sitting up all night did not do wonders for the spine, at all. But it was all worth it.

The whole workshop, while normally used mainly for working on cars, and storing the Kozaks' handful of vehicles, was littered with piles of scrap parts, tiny cap gun ammo belts, crafted painstakingly by hand, and the unmistakable smell of sulfur, which was strong as fuck in the enclosed space of the garage.

And beside all of the piles of miscellaneous salvaged and scavenged scrap metal and old pre-war firearm bits, there was a huge stack of boxes, delivered earlier in the night by some toy company. She'd gone ahead and signed for it, since she was up anyways, and didn't want to wake up the top brass for something as mundane as a bunch of toys. Maybe they could pass them along to the Kerch refugee kids? And whatever was left could always go towards the local homeless urchins. The idea brought a warm smile to her face.

"Mmm, okay, time for a treat!"

This elf had indeed been toiling away in her workshop for far too long. So long, in fact, and so absorbed by her work, that she hadn't even noticed a bit of movement from some of the boxes, earlier in the night. And one of them was open, no less. Almost as if something were alive, within them... And something had gotten out...

Not that she would know!

Unconcerned and unaware, the biker made her way towards the door, heading in the direction of the kitchen. Along the way, though, she came across a familiar friendly face, which prompted her to stand a little straighter and flash a bright grin and a salute in the fox faunus's direction, as Red approached.

"Mornin' boss! You're up awful early. Or maybe real late, haha. Hey, do you know if we got any hot choc-"

Whhhhrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!

Suddenly, Russet's attention was grabbed by a loud mechanical noise, as a fast-moving object zipped by, a big box sitting on top of it, secured by a... plastic ladder? Was that a firetruck? A very small firetruck...

What the fuck?

Luckily, her reflexes were pretty good, and she managed to stick her leg out as it passed, activating her Semblance just when it bumped into her. The box of hot chocolate clung to her leg as the friction strengthened drastically, allowing her to casually swing her leg up to hackey-sack the box up into the air, and then into her hands.

"Huh... Hey, whaddaya know! Hot chocolate! I was just going to go see if we had any in the kitchen, haha! Sick!" She turned to glance behind her as the firetruck continued zipping around of its own accord. Followed now by two more little speedy toy vehicles, all moving in seemingly random directions away from the workshop.

She scratched her head and turned to her fellow Kozak in confusion. "What the hell's goin' on, d'ya think? Somebody got a remote control somewhere pullin' our legs? Wonder where they're going..." Or what else they'd stolen- a few more little vehicles came zipping out, and while some were carrying stuff like cups and plates, or loose tools, or other random junk, a few were carrying much more concerning cargo; notably, some of the guns from the workshop!

"Whoa, hey!!! They're stealin' our shit, boss!!" Ah, fuck, and she hadn't even thought to grab her gun from her room... At least she had her knife, in case the gun thief showed himself! Immediately, Russet bolted off in the direction of one of a police car hauling a pair of revolvers.

What kind of Winter Holiday prank even was this!?

AURA: 99% // WC: 1054 // TWC: 1054

Attempting Problem: The Hot Chocolate is Missing (Obstacle 8)
Skill Used: Semblance (E: Obstacle/Obstacle)
Roll: 10 + 2 = 12 (SUCCESS!)

New Problem: Runaway Cars! (Obstacle: 10)

[Deleted]

Whose brilliant idea was to go out, in the middle of the goddamn winter, to go hunting just as the snow started to fall. Hell, even better, whose bright ass idea was to not walk back to the city?!

Oh right, it was his.

Ah well, it had paid off in the end anyway. Accommodating the dead deer across his shoulders, Escarlata huffed as he heaved his way through the increasingly thick snow.

This was not a great idea in the end. Why did he even kill such a big dear, to begin with?! With all of the winter clothes he was wearing, his rifle, spare ammo, and with the goddamn dear now on top of all that, he was way above his carrying capacity.

Would he even be able to return to the city at this rate?

He huffed yet again. He wasn't gonna lie, ditching the deer at this point looked like an idea worthy of a prize.

But on the other hand, he had spent so much energy and time hunting down this little fucker to just give up now that the deed was done. Besides, it would be a waste to just drop so many kilograms of perfectly fine meat only because he was getting tired.

His old instructor on the army would have kicked him in the ass so damn hard if he could read his mind right now.

Trekking through the snow at an increasingly slower pace, Escarlata suddenly stopped on his tracks as his ears picked up a faint noise coming from somewhere nearby.

Closing his eyes to fully focus on his hearing, Escarlata slowly tumbled around as he tried to gauge from where the noise was coming from. And after a couple tries, he finally did.

Hauling ass to where the noise was coming from, Escarlata did his best to try to see what the hell was making sound in the middle ass of nowhere during a snowfall.

"Kid?" He asked confusedly at the mention of his name in a voice he clearly remembered. "The fuck are you doing here?" He asked as she gave him a half-hug. Not that he actually wanted to allow it, but his mobility was seriously reduced by the deer currently on top of him.

"Uhm? Oh yeah, it's for me," he replied, finally not tolerating the weight anymore, he dropped the deer to the ground with a loud thud. Rolling his shoulders a little bit to ease the pain, he looked at her little camp with a slight smile on his face.

'Not bad at all...'

Just as he was about to ask what she was doing all alone in the outskirts during a snowfall when she answered it before he could even open his mouth.

"Hunting Grimm, uh.." He muttered. Either this girl was suicidal, delusional, or... He looked at her... A huntress-in-training. He took a little look at her campfire... 'She has been here for a while...'

She was not bluffing nor lying. He shook his head to refocus himself as she offered him drinks. "Yeah, thanks, kid. This damn thing," He nudged the body with his foot. "Was heavy as hell."

Taking one of the offered drinks from her, he sat down and started some small chat with her. Slowly letting the time creep by as he rested.

But as he was about to excuse himself to return to the city, his nose caught a very... distinct smell in the distance. Standing up, he looked around for the source of it until he found it.

Coming from within the city, a streak of smoke was rising up from somewhere.

Turning towards Bianca after she declared her intention to go, Escarlata briefly looked at the deer on the floor. Eh, fuck it. If they left, most likely a predator will be attracted to the smell of freshly killed flesh.

"Wait for me, kid," He said, grabbing the rifle dangling from his chest and checking it's mag. Nodding to himself, he threw it across his back and walked up to her. "I'm coming too."

Following her into the city, Escarlata tried his best to look at anyway for him to reach faster into the place from where the smoke was most likely coming from. But after a short search, he gave up and decided to just follow Bianca at ground level.

And after a short jog through the Ground district, it wouldn't be long before his eyes would be drawn into a rather... unsavory scene.

In one of the uncountable alleys, a group of no-good fuckers was beating up a poor bastard while another one checked whatever he was carrying before they made the jump on him.

"Oi, mates, this cunt is only carrying fucking toys," The punk checking the guy's back said, grabbing a toy from within for show.

"You fucking kidding?" Other of the punks asked with a sneer. "Shit, mate, what do we do know?"

"I say we kill his arse for making us waste time," A third punk said, kicking the man hard in the gut who barely replied in response.

Something within Escarlata simply couldn't stand up to see this. Stopping abruptly on his tracks, he took a knee as he readied his rifle in the punk's direction.

"Hey, assholes!" He shouted. Bringing his rifle to bear. "Either leave that poor bastard alone or else!" He wasn't actually planning on shooting at the assholes, since anyone with a right mind would just run at the sight of a rifle being pointed their way.

But then, Escarlata saw something he didn't before. Gang tattoos.

Without a word, the small group of... 'One... two... three... four... five... six... yes six,' thugs turned towards Escarlata and looked at him with a predatory grin on their faces.

Slowly walking out of the alley with an assortment of blunt weapons, they looked at him before doing their move.

And Escarlata couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, this had been a bad idea.

But it was already too late.

---

WC: 1,005/1,005

---

Attempted Problem: Investigate the Smoke Coming From the City (Obstacle 9)
Using: F Speed as main skill, E Acrobatis for extra dice.
Result: 5+0 (5). Failure

---

New Problem: A group of Thugs are threatening our local friendly hitman! Help him save that poor man! (Combatants Difficulty 6)

[Alina Rybalka]

[nospaces]

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[attr="class","nikki101"]WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT VIOLENCE BREEDS VIOLENCE

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[attr="class","nikki102"]BUT IN THE END, IT HAS TO BE THIS WAY

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[attr="class","nikki109"]The Kozaks had expanded quite a bit in their short time in Mistral. The rash of publicity had led to interest and more importantly opened doors that were completely unavailable to them before. This meant that in order to keep those doors open, Knight had to work much more and have much more face to face contact with those various contacts to keep things running smoothly. In practice, this meant that a good chunk of her business days was spent in meetings. If she was less willing to delegate work, her entire day plus around four hours on top of that would be mired in meetings, just due to the size and scope of the organization at this point. [break][break]

There were a lot of things she could just get summaries on and trust others to do, but there were a lot of things left that she couldn’t. Things like physical security assignments were things she still did, because she had to compensate for the fact that many of her people were green as grass and raise the numbers of patrols far higher than most thought necessary. She’d rather have people bored than dead, and especially with the killer still on the loose physical safety was at the absolute top of her priority list and also that of many of her contacts who wanted to use her people as additional protection. They were being used as a security service more and more from smaller jobs like being a bouncer in businesses to security on property, because with the spotlight on them so heavily recently it would be a colossally stupid move to be caught stealing or something. [break][break]

And it would have been, but frankly the culture she had helped create in her group made that unviable. If they were going to actually rely on each other to stay alive and needed to have a base level of trust with each other. They didn’t have to be best friends, but knowing for a fact that your supposed ally wouldn’t go rogue and do stupid shit behind your back made it a lot easier to focus outwards at threats without rather than wasting time looking inward for threats in your own ranks. This experiment wouldn’t work if there were internal divisions this early on, and she did everything in her power to avoid them. The heavily militarized style of the Iron Wolves worked out in her favor in that respect, because it let her completely rip apart cliques and force people to work with people they didn’t know or even disliked to ensure they were capable of doing so. [break][break]

What also helped, frankly, was the fact that she didn’t need strong people… she needed people who could be reliable and follow directions. Those with egos too big to work well with others were dropped, and so were the ones too selfish to put their own feelings below other people’s lives in the hierarchy of needs. Both of these types were baited publicly and humiliated, made examples out of. Anyone who thought they were too good for the group was ripped a new one in front of everyone with how completely and effortlessly Knight could dismantle even the most juiced up bully who was used to getting their way with force their entire life. Some took the correction and became better people for it, but others imploded on the spot. Those that imploded often tried to get others to leave with them, but the public nature of the event discredited them in the eyes of all but those too far disconnected to reality to be useful to the cause anyway. [break][break]

At the end of the day, a top-down structure where one person was ultimately in charge only worked if people actually followed orders. That meant that she had to create an organization where people followed her orders, and Alina wasn’t picky on how she did it. Some people were convinced with facts, with statistics. Those were the easiest, because it was easy to objectively show why she was doing major moves. Some people were convinced by words, and with emotion rather than sense. Those were harder, because the faunus had never been an exceptional orator. She had certainly gotten better, but those types were largely those she helped rescue from Kerch rather than the new group. Others only understood the language of violence, of domination and power. They could be leashed if proven to be less powerful, but unreliable otherwise. Depending on how unreliable they were, these were allowed to stay for the most part. She had no problem smacking down some upstarts every so often to keep them convinced that following her orders was something in their self-interest, frankly. [break][break]

It was a system that worked and worked well enough to already catapult them to controlling much of the Ground District either physically or through the loyalty or at least cooperation from many of the smaller factions. The smaller gangs and criminal organizations actively avoided the Kozaks at this point, mostly due to the fact that the first one to do so was torn to shreds and the second one was reduced to being forced to make a public apology in the Kerch Square and endure that humiliation as one of the larger groups that was meant to be a huge issue for the Kozaks moving forward. Alina just exiled them after they lost their dignity and their credibility, not giving a single fuck about what happened to them afterwards. She took all their weapons, equipment, cash, and resources and kicked them to the curb as a living example of a once-feared group who fucked with the wrong people. Funnily enough, nobody else had tried the Kozaks since. [break][break]

The Peasant Party was still preaching about their dumbass nonviolent protest method for achieving a better Mistral, but people were buying into that line of defeatist bullshit less and less these days. They had tried to stay within the system and got kicked down every time they got any momentum for years, and the fact that their poster girl turned mass murderer didn’t exactly help their public image… especially when their chief rival was the one to save the Wind District from the threat of that rampaging poster girl. They put all their eggs in the Holly Hock basket and got absolutely burned, and it served them right. The Kozaks were built around one person as a stopgap, to consolidate things and get people trained up to take over the organization themselves so that once Alina was out of the picture the cause didn’t just die immediately. The Peasant Party had years to build a network and a generation of leaders for the Ground District and failed to do so over and over and over. [break][break]

Alina had built in a couple of months what they and many others had failed to do in a decade, and she wasn’t done yet. She couldn’t be done yet, because she had accomplished exactly zero of her goals. She may have traded her armor in for a suit most days, but the goals were always the same. The first step to those goals was consolidating power and becoming the undisputed power in the Ground District, far enough above every other faction that nobody could contest their claim to running the show. They hadn’t gotten there yet, but they were within striking distance of doing so with only a few notable and stubborn holdouts refusing to work with them or in the case of the Peasant Party and their affiliates actively working against their growth and advancement. They could have worked together, had the Peasants been less prideful and stubborn. They could have combined resources and shared, had they been willing to listen to reason. [break][break]

They didn’t know it yet, but they were going to be cannibalized for resources and lose everything but their most ardent supporters as the Kozaks devoured their entire organization whole and used the resources they once wielded with far more effectiveness. Poaching their member base had already started, and with enough massaging it would turn into a full blown hostile takeover that would eliminate them as a competing power entirely. Once that happened, the diehards would have no ability to influence anything and would be ignored due to the fact they ceased to be a threat unless they decided to publicly recant and decide to participate in the new community at large. Alina didn’t really hold grudges and was quite adept at turning old enemies into allies by simply removing their other options except for leaving the area entirely, living in anonymity without glory or attention, or throwing their lot with the Kozaks. The diehards always craved glory and attention, though, and would wither and die without it. It was a weakness that the faunus was good at capitalizing on, again and again and again. [break][break]

She was still dressed in her work clothes, or more accurately her schmoozing in the Wind District clothes. It was a wool three-piece suit, dark gray with a mid-gray pinstripe with red lining running down the ensemble. The jacket was double breasted with a double back vent, two flap pockets, two inside chest pockets, ticket pocket on the right, peak lapels, and six buttons in the front with five on the cuff. The trousers had a squared front extension waistband, a flap watch pocket to the front, angled side front pockets and jetted back pockets to go with eight belt loops around the waist. The single-breasted waistcoat had paisley lining, a buckle back, two front jetted pockets, a double back vent, and a five-button front. [break][break]

She had dismissed the others who had come with her to those meetings and was walking back alone through the Ground District and stopped for a moment to admire the changes that had taken place. Abandoned and nonfunctional buildings had been transformed into houses and structures with a purpose. Small shops, gyms, living quarters, training facilities, repair shops, community kitchens, laundromats, the whole works. The quality wasn’t the best due to the lack of accessible good materials, but it was functional. It was something, and they had built it largely from scratch. From the water and sewage lines, to the power grid, to the community farms, to the schools that had opened up and the regular trainings in all sorts of random shit springing up almost daily they had built something from nothing and that was nothing short of a goddamned miracle. The general population had largely been shielded from the pressure of the rush of activity, and things were even starting to settle down and become almost… normal. She allowed herself a rare smile at that thought, with the comfort of her schedule slipping into a routine giving her a sense of stability that she hadn’t felt in a long while. [break][break]

For whatever reason, she didn’t register the moving toys to be a threat at first. She thought it was odd that they had some supplies on them, sure, but she figured they were remote controlled by someone fucking around with them. Alarm bells didn’t go off until she saw a flash from the front of it and a loud bang, unmistakably that of a gunshot which wiped the smile off of her face in an instant. The white-haired faunus raised her hand to incinerate it, but the toy vehicles turned around the corner before she was able to complete the motion. She tried to run after it to get a visual again, but she was too slow and by the time she had turned the corner it was already out of sight… somewhere she couldn’t see. [break][break]

Fuck. That gunshot had caused some panic to all in earshot, especially because this was a residential area. Civilians were going to be panicking, and Alina didn’t have time to deal with that at the moment due to having actual physical threats running around. This was a clever way to fuck with them, and she didn’t know how many of those toy cars were running around or what the level of threat was. She needed to start incinerating them, but didn’t even know where the fuck they were. Fuck. This could be really bad. Really bad. [break][break]

Attempting Problem: Runaway Cars! (Obstacle: 10) [break]
Using Skill: Stealth E (+1) [break]
Roll: 5 + 1 = 6 [break]
Result: FAILED [break][break]

Introducing new problem: Calming the Citizenry [break]
Difficulty: Social 10

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[attr="class","nikki103"]2038 words

[attr="class","nikki103"]ASCHE SYNDICATE

[attr="class","nikki103"]2038 TOTAL WORDS

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NOTES

A Semblance, D Weapons, B Dust Enhancement, C Durability, C Agility, C Martial Arts, D Stamina, D Exhaustion

PHARAOH LEAP CREATES

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[Sinopia DeStellanova]

When she left the kitchen she still looked a bit half asleep and grumpy because she didn't have her morning coffee yet and now she was out wandering around because she did something stupid with the hot chocolate she wanted. Or at least that was the only logical explanation that crossed her mind. Who would want to steal that of all things, especially when they could just make a cup when they wanted? She looked around the area with half-lidded eyes with her hands in her pockets right up until she heard someone else.

Her ears perked up when she heard footsteps, and she paused for a moment. She never dressed as nicely as Alina did, but she still wanted to make a good impression on those around her. She was actually important now, and it felt strange. It felt like there was a magnifying glass on all of her actions, and it stressed her out. That was part of the reason she tried to avoid being seen too much. She wanted to have a presence, but as long as that presence was just her being useful and helpful as opposed to a leader type like Alina, then it'd probably be okay. For now. She hoped. She could work her way up to having a more leader-like presence once she knew she wouldn't fuck it up.

In the mean time, she fixed her posture, rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, and smiled. It was a small pleasant smile, appropriate for a morning greeting. Her arms dropped to her side instead of being stuffed inside her coat pockets, and she waved when Russet came into view. Being called boss was still really uncomfortable, but she could deal with it. She'd have to get used to it eventually.

"Good morning. I was just--"

Speak of the devil. Before she could finish the hot chocolate literally drove up to them. She blinked, wondering if she was somehow still asleep or had hit her head on something, but her arms were sore enough from carrying a bunch of heavy food that she was pretty sure she was awake. Quirking a brow, she watched the firetruck drive off and Russet nab the box of hot chocolate. At first she wondered if someone was trying to help her carry stuff and just had a weird way of doing things.

"I don't know--"

That went out the window once she heard a gunshot and saw some toys carrying around stuff most people really shouldn't be messing with. She didn't mind when people went into the main freezer to get something. She didn't mind when someone went to get some extra blankets. She got slightly miffed when people took some building materials for their own projects because then she had to retake stock for the larger ones, but she didn't mind that much. Guns and the heavy vehicles required special permission because they were legitimately dangerous. People weren't supposed to just walk into the armory and take stuff.

Boss huh? She supposed she should show it occasionally, even if it made her heart feel like it was going to pop.

"Russet! See if you can find a good vantage point and see who's controlling them."

She thought about doing it herself, but she figured that she had an easier time chasing things than most. Ignoring the firetruck, she went towards the ones carrying guns. She wasn't sure how much the person controlling them knew about her, but taking sneaky routes between buildings or going around corners wasn't going to do much to slow her down. She just went right through the buildings. It didn't take long for her to catch up to the first one and scoop both the toy vehicle and the gun off the ground. She hoped that would be the end of it. After all, how many remote controlled vehicles could one person control anyway?

Another whirr caught her ears, so she turned to chase that one. It lead to the big courtyard and once she saw what was there, her draw dropped. There were dozens of them, more than she could count because of how fast they were moving. They were all carrying random supplies, some dangerous, some not. But considering how flammable, lethal, and potentially explosive some of those supplies and weapons were if not handled correctly, this could get really bad.

---

730/1486

Attempting Problem: Runaway Cars! (Obstacle: 10)
Using: Semblance C
Result: 4 + 4 = 8 (Not Solved)

[Kimmie Loxley]

WORD COUNT: 1001

Total:             1001

TAGGED: Fluffy

...Quite honestly, the attempt to stand up to the rap goddess should do nothing but incur divine wrath. This affront to her existance nothing more than a fly buzzing in front of a violent wind. Yet, for the divine creature, such an action could also be met with curiosity and bemusement. Afterall, what knowledge did the fly posess, that would warn it of the inevitable destruction that would befall it? Although, the feeble attempt was amusing enough to make Kimmie the destroyer chuckle with a childish glee, punishment needed to be dealt. Dealt out in spades. Confidently and with wind in every stride, the pink haired female stepped over to the microphone on the stage, shaking her head. It was a small karaoke place, currently set up to allow rappers to have a go at each other, with the audience deciding the winner. Having just taken up a bet against the pinkette was a small brunette with tattoos and piercings. An attempt to be tough and intimidating. Keyword, attempt. For it had very little effect on the actual badasses. A facade would never amount to more than the bark. The rap was where the bite was at, and the bite of the brunette was insignificant. This youngster who dared attempt stand upon the same stage as Kimmie herself was soon going to experience a rappers worst nightmare. Stage fright, fear and open humiliation. That thing which occured when you encountered someone you had no right to stand on the same stage as. Kimmie would be certain to make this half-drunk brunette walk the walk of shame, all the way home. Though, not only was the brunette lacking skill when it came to the art of rapping - she also lacked the dance moves to truly take the stage and make it her own. Something Kimmie also outshone her in significantly.


Kimmie had long pink hair, reaching down to just below her butt. The girl's eyes were jade with a gentle emerald glow that could be seen in the dark. In the middle was a red plus symbol, which indicated to onlookers precisely what Kimmie was looking at, kind of like a crosshair. Atop of her head, two short horns protruded. From her rear, a lizard like tail in red, clearly making the girl look like a devil or demon. Appearance wise, Kimmie was in way too skimpy clothing for this time of year. A simple red tank top, a size too large for her frame. Loose black pants, ending in a pair of high heels, also black. Over her shoulders, she had a black jacket. Though, even if she wore it properly, it would leave her midriff bare still.  


Grasping the mic, softly, as if disinterested, Kimmie looked over to the other girl, chuckled, before turning her attention to the crowd. As they audience decided the winner, speaking to them was far more appealing than trying to rap insults directly at the brunette. Flicking her hand, the beat came on, and the smackdown was to begin. "Yo, yo..." Catching her beat, the girl was moving around on the stage, using her body language to imply just how superior she was to this brunette. Slithering around like a snake, her movements made it so difficult to take your eyes off of her, as the rap itself began. "This be notin' more than a simple sitch, all bark, no bite came from that witch - bitch. To my homies here its clear to see, bitch's tryin' hard to have swag like me, yo!" With the sheer difference in skill between them, the brunette was wiggling nervously at this point, getting her stuff and preparing to leave. Obviously, with an attitude as if she was too good for this place. Something that Kimmie naturally wasn't going to let the girl simply walk off with. So Kimmie approached, to the audience's gasp. They loved the fact that a bad bitch was getting up in the face of another, potentially starting a catfight.


"Got up, now get down, bitch, I wear the crown! Walked left, wobbled right, leaving here with stage fright. Sit down, listen up, then take a knee..."


As the beat cut out, indicating the end of her round, she calmly looked out to the audience to finish her verse. "You'll never be even half as great as Kimmie." Releasing the mic, it fell to the floor with a loud metallic clank, as the audience began laughing and cheering openly. The other girl, as per the agreement to their little bet, slammed her hand with some money onto the table, as the bartender merely nodded, preparing something for Kimmie to drink. Out the door long before Kimmie even had a chance to comment on anything. Shrugging disinterestedly, as she walked over to get her drink, there were several claps onto her shoulders. Chuckling, Kimmie grasped the glass, rose it into the air, brought it to her lips and took a serious sip.


Just another day in the world of plenty. The taste of alcohol was warm, encompassing, gentle. A soft sigh left the girl's lips, as she casually scanned the area of the bar. One of these days, something interesting had to happen. The only way that Kimmie could think of getting through the wall of getting started in a musical or entertainment career, was to keep doing small things like these. Eventually, someone would notice. Eventually, enough of a reputation would be built up. Once that happened, doors would open. One simply had to keep grinding at it. Keep working at it. The dreams would be met. The future would be plastered with her face and name. All for her family, who had their dreams stolen away from them. All for the music beating through her body, heart and soul. Lifting the glass to her lips again, the light tipsyness was building, with a soft red color on her cheeks. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was cheering with herself. To the future!


--- Nothing new, merely roleplaying!!

[Argent Steele]

I know you got hate in you. Most do.
Trick is to use it, 'stead of it usin' you.

But you know this. Vengeance is a motivator, not the motive.
Don't hunt 'em 'cause you been wronged.
Hunt 'em 'cause what they did was wrong.
There's a world of difference there, kid.
One makes you selfish. The other makes you a hero.

And I see a hero in you.

❝

Bundled up in a white coat, with his face tucked into a black scarf and his hands deep in his pockets, the snake Faunus quietly made his meandering way through the busy streets of the Ground District, all but invisible among the crowds already thronging the cobblestone paths. Warm light spilled out from nearby shops through open doors and glass windows, each and every one hawking their wares and their holiday deals. The occasional tinkle of a bell as someone entered or left, the distant songs of a chorus of children singing, the shouts of carriage drivers moving through the middle of the street - by all accounts, it was the perfect, idyllic setting that he'd always read about in story books. And yet, even so...

Coming to a stop at the side of the road, Argent raised his head, turning his gaze from the path underfoot to the store in front of him. It was a dingy affair - tucked away in a small niche between a candy and Dust store. Ice had formed on the glass and melted away in the morning, taking away dust and grime with them, trailing little streaks of dark grey down to the pavement. An unassuming wooden sign read The Fool's Library above the door, but what really caught his eye were not the small books piled high in the window, but the simple stand of graphic novels on display. Velvetina, issue #136. Flarestorm, issue #67. The Adventures of the Brothers Eldritch, issue #3. Grimm Inferno, issue #21. His gaze trailed past them idly until they landed on the final comic on display, in the very last slot on the stand. Diamond Duster, issue #28.

Ah.

It was suddenly hard to breathe, even though he'd barely exerted himself. There was an emptiness where something used to be, and it only ached harder with each passing day. Sometimes, he could lose himself in the routine of everyday life, keeping himself from dwelling on it with the minutiae of the day to day. But as it had just been, like a sudden storm at sea, it was liable to return in force and crash down on him with enough force to break his makeshift raft apart and drag him down into the deep again. Unbidden, his hand rose from his pocket to press up against the glass, as if by reaching out he could grab ahold of her again - but the cold burning against his fingers reminded him sharply of reality - of the emptiness beside him where she used to always be.

"She needed to hear it," he said aloud, as if he could convince himself through hearing the words instead of thinking them. He looked at his reflection in the glass, blurred and not altogether there, and thought it apt metaphor for how he felt now. She did need to hear it. And he was the only one whom she would listen to. He knew that. But to see her like that, to have her turn all of that on him...

It still hurt.

Sighing, he turned away - only to bump straight into someone walking behind him. Blinking away the momentary moisture that had snuck into his eyes, Argent looked down to see a familiar face, albeit one he hadn't been expecting.

"Rose. Oh. Sorry. I was... somewhere else for a moment."

WHISPER OF THE WYRM (SEMBLANCE): [RANK C]

SERPENT'S BENEDICTION: SPEED OF THE SCYLLA (SPEED) [RANK E]
SERPENT'S BENEDICTION: DANCE OF THE DRAGON (AGILITY) [RANK C]
SERPENT'S BENEDICTION: GLARE OF THE GORGON (MARKSMANSHIP) [RANK E]
SERPENT’S BENEDICTION: WINGS OF THE WYVERN (ACROBATICS) [RANK F]
SERPENT’S BENEDICTION: TALONS OF THE TARASQUE (MARTIAL ARTS)[RANK F]

OUROBOROS (WEAPON): [RANK E]

@ ● 556 words ● 556 total words

MADE BY MIZO

[Hinata Tsurya]

❝Show me colors of the sky,

But all I see is gray❞

684 w./ 684 w. total

The holidays were such a busy and bustling time, oh my! All of the people were out and about, buying gifts for their loved ones and spending time with one another. It was really cute to just watch the sweet looks on their faces! Whether it be a nice couple huddling together to keep warm or children laughing as they tossed snowballs at each other. But a luxury of sight seeing was lost on Hinata during this time of year, as many patrons flooded into the warm coziness of "The Heaven's Gate" establishment.

Now, you would assume that this time of year would bring a sense of good will towards those around you right? Well, sadly that was not always the case. People get cold, which leads to them drinking to get the feeling of warmth, and that in turn leads to getting very hammered! That meant rowdiness and fights that caused broken tables, smashed chairs, and shattered mugs that only made the owner of the bar furious!

It was pretty often that Hinata would use her semblance of light to separate brawlers or even set aside some time to sing, which also calmed them down. She enjoyed doing this the most, since it was something that the girl enjoyed doing and it beat sharing drinks with the more...forceful patrons.

Today was not much different. Hinata was glancing up from cleaning a mug at the bar, following the news story on display. A kind old man was giving out presents to the kids in the district, which she thought was the sweetest gesture! The people here didn't have much and this time of year was unfortunately quite a burden on someone's mental state, so it was so fantastic to see a rich person doing a philanthropic notion for a change.

Her auburn hair was neatly brushed, though she could only afford to cut it herself so the edges were frayed and uneven. She did have a nice frilly pink dress with white tufts along the fringes, though, which was a gift from her momma that practically ran this bar. Her nearly knee high leather boots thunked against the warped wooden floor as she practically squeaked in shock when a patron barked for a drink.

"Coming! Sorry! I will be right there, sir!"

The place was really hopping and all of the peace from earlier was but a faded memory. They were loud and starting to get rowdy again...there was going to be a fight. Hinata glanced over and saw a pair of girls draw everyone's attention and...then they started to climb on stage. HER stage! Hinata's eyes widened at this, fearful that they were going to wreck the single most important spot in her tiny little miserable existence!

She couldn't get through the crowd that was forming...all she could do was watch in dismay as the battle commenced. And honestly, the tattooed girl was very underwhelming. Like she couldn't even keep up with the rhythm due to...was that stage fright? Oh wow, that is quite embarrassing. Poor girl.

The girl with the long pink hair though? She exuded confidence in how she carried herself, so much so that she disregarded her opponent and completely tore her ego apart. And the way she sang was...peculiar to Hina. Wholly different from what she was used to performing herself and it intrigued her deeply. Not only did the crowd seem in good spirits, but they were all back to being calm as well! All from this one girl!

The way she dropped the mic after declaring victory sent chills through Hina's body and she couldn't help but squeal in excitement! After the girls settled their transaction, Hina grabbed a bottle of liquor and strode up with a giddy grin plastered stupidly on her face.

"Wow! That was so amazing! What was that, by the way? What you were doing just now with the words? I...have not seen that style of music as of yet."

Her words were fast, light, and very excitable as Hina held the bottle up to offer.

"Oh! Right, would you like a refill?"

No Problems yet. Just RP to start.

© SETHANIEL OF adox 2.0 + WW.

[Wolfe]

End of Round 1

Problems:

Nina (One problem remaining): Scary Santas!? (Social: 7)
OP: 7 from Chloro and 10 from solving for 17 total.

Red (One problem remaining): The Hot Chocolate Is Missing (Obstacle 8)
OP: 8 from Russet and 10 from solving for 18 total.

Bianca (One problem remaining): Investigate the Smoke Coming From the City (Obstacle 9)
OP: 5 from Escarlata

Escarlata (One problem remaining): A group of Thugs are threatening our local friendly hitman! Help him save that poor man! (Combatants Difficulty 6)
OP:

Russet (One problem remaining): Runaway Cars! (Obstacle: 10)
OP: 6 from Alina, 8 from Red


Total Outcome Points to date: 46

Total RP per character:

Nina: 7RP (Chloro solved problem)
Chloro: 20RP (Solved Nina’s problem)
Red: 8RP (Russet solved problem)
Russet: 20RP (Solved Red’s problem)
Escarlata: 10RP (Attempted to solve Bianca’s problem)
Alina: 10RP (Attempted to solve Russet’s problem)
Red: 10RP (Attempted to solve Russet’s problem)

SPOILER: Click to show

128 words.

128 total words for Wolfe.