[Nexus] Inside 55

[Recaiden]

[Ruined Rec Center]

99 shrugs as she gets up out of the pool. "Yours might be closer. It's outside the city a ways."

Then she has to laugh. "Are you sure you don't have a mark? You haven't heard of people having a sign hidden on the bottom of their foot or the back of their neck that they never could see? And you, you weren't clumsy when you transformed."
"I think it's just a title, anyway."

[The Alexandrian]

[Abandoned-Looking Factory]

Zefir will lead her out to the last place they visited outside. There he will need some time to look over a map. Maybe there is a small town close which hey can visit. inside and Riverside might be dangerouse.

[Abandoned-Looking Factory]

((To the Outside thread next post, then?))

Alexis shall follow Zefir! While Zefir is examining his map, Alexis wanders off (but not far off) to explore part of this sector! She smells the fragrance of a flower in bloom and sneezes, perhaps accidentally lighting any dry plants in the vicinity on on fire with the jets of blue flame that rocket out of her nose.

Whoops!

[TechnoScrabble]

Red Zone

"Sometimes the lady calls this one Sir Sketch, make armour. This one loves it so," his pencil-thin mouth spreads into a wide smile of square, stark white teeth and a pink tongue in a black hole with no depth.

[Earl of Purple]

Red Zone

"Then Sir Sketch name you. Now what you? Princess wemic." In case Sir Sketch was wondering. Though I'm not sure Sir Sketch has the imagination necessary to wonder.

[Beans]

[Ruined Rec Center]

99 shrugs as she gets up out of the pool. "Yours might be closer. It's outside the city a ways."

Then she has to laugh. "Are you sure you don't have a mark? You haven't heard of people having a sign hidden on the bottom of their foot or the back of their neck that they never could see? And you, you weren't clumsy when you transformed."
"I think it's just a title, anyway."

[Ruined Rec Center > Streets]
As they manage to get outside, Seiner shrugs.
Mine then... as for a mark, I've looked at the bottoms of my feet. As for my neck or back, maybe you can check that when we get to my house, I dunno... I just wanna relax after that mess.
She turns to 99, leans over and plants a quick little peck on her cheek.

[Recaiden]

[Streets of Inside City]

"Lead on. Sure, I'd look for you if you like." Due to the influx of new blood in her system, 99 blushes a bit at that, and hugs the other girl closer for a moment. "Agreed. Put some distance in our minds between us and that."

[Beans]

[Streets of Inside]
Blushing back with a shy smile, Seiner starts heading for home.
Your clothes are sort of... got stabbed a bunch, and I don't think they're regenerating vampires too. Want me to see if I've got something that'll fit? She looks her friend over, trying to see if anything she has will fit the blonde well enough.

[Recaiden]

[Streets]

And 99 follows, nodding shyly. "That would be nice. This outfit is probably beyond repair." They're not terribly alike, but 'fits poorly' is a good sight better than 'cut to rags'. "Just till I can go get some of my own clothes." She wouldn't want to impose on Seiner's hospitality.

[Beans]

[Streets > Seiner's House]
Eventually Seiner points to a cozy little house tucked away between a drugstore and a used-book store.
Here we are, hon. We'll find you something nice, I think... do you get cold, by the way?
She opens the door, ready to transition threads.

[TechnoScrabble]

Red Zone

"Then Sir Sketch name you. Now what you? Princess wemic." In case Sir Sketch was wondering. Though I'm not sure Sir Sketch has the imagination necessary to wonder.

"This one thanks lady, this one loves to be Sir Sketch," Sir Sketch bows, "Lady Princess Wemic, Sir Sketch at service. Sir Sketch best and noblest, favorite of lady's making, this one hopes."

[Earl of Purple]

Red Zone

"Wemic not name, wemic type. Like human, rock, house. Prettier than all." If one likes to go the extra step in pursuit of catgirls, yes, she is quite attractive, though she's far more feline than human, and if one saw only her head, they'd know she wasn't a human.

[Recaiden]

[Leaving the Streets]

"This is a nice place. No, not easily. Very deep cold could hurt, but not like the living do." 99 carefully steps in through the door to the Home Thread. This is Seiner's place, best to let her do most of the talking and deciding.

[TechnoScrabble]

Red Zone

"Yes, yes. Lady Princess pretty, strong, soft fur, golden mane," Sir Sketch nods enthusiastically. There's nothing but happiness and honest intentions in his voice.

Spoiler

Show

[The Red Zone]

In the course of a day or two, the Red zone is practically overrun by advertising. The worst parts get the best of it - the slums, the tenements, the alleys crowded with homeless folk. There are posters plastered on every street, billboards built on every run-down rooftop, ads played on every TV in every storefront or apartment.

Strange, pale, beautiful people with glowing eyes or ears hand out fliers on street corners. Buses drive by with animated placards running across them. Whole condemned buildings are suddenly turned into gigantic promotional graphics, holographic or illustrated, with sound or otherwise. The poorest Zone is flooded with the kind of commercial propaganda that would put Las Vegas to shame.

So what do all these blurbs, broadcasts, promotions and proclamations have to say?

Elexxion!

Spoiler

Show

"Do you feel like you're getting old too quickly? Have deadly diseases or disabilities ruined the life of you or someone you love? Do you long for the beauty and physical freedom of a lost youth? Make an appointment with Elexxion!"

Elexxion can HELP!

"We offer the latest cloning, genetic engineering and prosthesis technology known to man! The wealthy or mystical elite of the Nexus won't be the only ones with easy access to immortality."

Coming soon to the Red Zone!

For one day only, you'll be able to obtain an augmentation FREE OF CHARGE! Be it a new face, a new limb, or the cure for a tenacious illness, we're giving them away! And if we can't fix or improve it, we'll provide a discount for your personal clone-body! No money? No problem! You can work off your bill at our state-of-the-art augmentation clinic, or even sign up for organ donation with our Pay-by-Pound system!

Be better! Be beautiful! Be bulletproof! Be Elexxion!

Cases of life-threatening disease will be prioritized. Non-human results may vary. Limit one (1) free augmentation per individual consciousness.

On and on and on. One commercial might provide an example of Elexxion's clone process, and how it works. Another might show a before/after scenario, where a disabled little girl receives a new pair of legs and goes running into the on-screen executive's arms. Still another describes and displays a facial reconstruction, transforming a disfigured applicant into a woman with the looks of a supermodel. They're very informative - Elexxion wouldn't want to scare anyone away with vague promises of surgical perfection. Contact information of all sorts is included with every ad.

They're determined to back up all their talk, and with the amount of time and money sunk into this campaign, they'd better.

Garrett is wandering the Red Zone, one hand in his pocket running over his casting stones, when he sees the advertisements.

"...Perhaps. What do you think?" he asks nobody in particular, and waits for a moment, as if listening to the thin air.
"Indeed, I would hope that as well. Let's see."

He approaches the Elexxion setup, wondering if maybe this could be the answer to a problem that has plagued him since birth.

[Shadowcaller]

[Pokemon Park]

Another...

Another sleep charm?

Really?

Ardent heart staggers as she feels the magic worming its way into her mind. She tried her hardest, really she did. But after blasting that evil bird she doesn't have anything else nearby that will really resonate with her magic.

Sure she could try throwing rocks. But her soul glyph ties her to the heat of the forge, not geology.

With an exhausted sigh consciousness leaves her mind again and she collapses.

Pokemon Park

The Seviper also falls asleep, letting go of I's leg. Though, given the size of its teeth, I might wish it hadn't- those fangs would have been plugging the wound, preventing blood loss.

[Pokemon Park]

"God! It's killing me!" 'I' moans as Seviper let's go, clutching her leg, her pokemon, Storm, having fallen asleep as well and landed on the ground near Ardent heart.

'Y' let's out a relieved sigh, that had gone much better than expected. Still, both 'T' and 'I' was unable to move and one pokemon had fainted and the other one was asleep. She needed to call on reinforcements and clean this mess up.

The pokemons wouldn't be asleep forever though and she really didn't want to deal with that ratticate again so it would be best to cut their loses and get out of here. She kneels down before 'I'. "I know you're in pain but you got to recall Storm and send out another pokemon to drag you out of here. I'll let Princess drag T out while I catch the ponyta."

"Urk..." I manages to say but doesn't look like she will be able to do much else.

"Fine then I'll do it." 'Y' grabs a pokeball from I's belt, returns Storm to it and then sends out another pokemon from I's belt. "Help your trainer out of here and try to bind her wound."

The water pokemon nods and then starts to drag the wounded grunt out of the park while Y grabs an empty Ironball out of her own belt. Ironballs were much like pokeballs but with a greater chance of catching the pokemons, but they would also decrease the friendliness of said caught pokemon

She then throws it at Seviper in an attempt to catch it and will repeat the same procedure with Argent Heart.

[Rebonack]

[Pokemon Park]

Ardent Heart's body dissolves in a flash of red light more or less like one would expect from any pokemon being caught. Previously she had been able to fight her way free, but this time? Between the sleeping charm and her bone-deep exhaustion she has lost any ability to fight back.

The ball twitches once, twice, thrice, and falls still.

Of course, the sleeping raticate can't be caught. Some other trainer has already captured it!

That's just how things work.

Unless of course Team Iron has made some kind of eeeevil pokemon stealing ball!

[Earl of Purple]

Pokemon Park

Seviper is caught! The familiar feeling of being sucked into a pokeball wakes the poison-type pokemon, and its struggles far harder than one would expect, eventually managing to break free. Now, it's really pissed.

Its first act is to Dig into the ground, burrowing into the soil where it can't be hit by most moves. Next post, it will emerge.

[Shadowcaller]

Pokemon Park

"Um..." 'Y' runs!

More specifically, 'Y' runs in the direction of the Iron Ball she caught Ardent Heart in and grabs it before continue to run. Princess was away carrying 'T' and she didn't have any other pokemons so there is little choice.

[Rebonack]

[Pokemon Park]

Ardent Heart has been foalnapped!

Though she really isn't aware of what's going on, what with being unconscious and all.

Joey is still down for the count after being taser'd.

But Rattata is starting to stir!

You know what that means?

That means it is time to run away because that rodent has a mean streak a mile wide!

[Earl of Purple]

Pokemon Park

Seviper can learn Dig- but only through TMs. This Seviper has a grudge against Trainers, and recognised the sensation of being pulled into a pokeball.

The Seviper erupts from the earth in front of the fleeing Y, hissing as it attempts to head-butt the Team Evil Grunt.

[Shadowcaller]

Pokemon Park

'Y' saw the Seviper dig underneath the earth and when she feels the vibrations underneath her of the snake pokemon digging she quickly changes directions to avoid it as it emerges.

[Rebonack]

[Pokemon Park]

Rattata is finally awake again!

He decides to just kinda keep watch over his fallen trainer.

If any of the grunts get close they'll be in for a world of hurt.

And Ardent?

Well...

She's inside a pokeball.

Not really much she can do about that.

[Earl of Purple]

Red Zone

"Am lady, not tom. No mane. Toms have manes, ladies have no mane." It's more like short human hair than a mane, whereas on a male wemic it's more like a mane, extending further down the back and including a beard and moustache.

Pokemon Park

As the Seviper emerges from its hole, it hawks up a vivid purple blob of sludge and spits the Sludge Bomb at the fleeing Y. If it hits, it may hurt quite badly, and also contains a contact poison- though it's unlikely the poison actually has any effect.

[TechnoScrabble]

Red Zone

"Golden hair for lady Princess, then?" Sir Sketch offers, "Is pretty both way."

[Shadowcaller]

[Pokemon Park]

All the grunts are in one way or another moving away from Joey's rattata as fast as they can, 'Y' included. She doesn't even stop when she gets a big blob of poison at her even though it hurts like hell. No matter how much it hurt, stopping would likely make it hurt worse.

So she continues running like hell.

[Rebonack]

[Pokemon Park]

Welp!

Looks like a clean get-away.

...relatively speaking.

If you're willing to ignore all the grave bodily harm.

Joey just kinda lays there in the grass. Hopefully the snake pokemon doesn't decide to eat him or something. That would probably upset his overpowered pet mouse.

Fear the OP mouse!

[Earl of Purple]

Red Zone

"Thanks to Sir Sketch. Who looking for? Said lost." The wemic smiles at the compliment.

Pokemon Park

The Seviper Screeches as it chases the fleeing Y. The other trainers are currently disabled and unable to react, and this one has a pokemon the Seviper put under its protection. Although, I have no idea how fast a Seviper can slither, so Y might be able to escape it.

Or Y could trip on a rock, which won't hamper Seviper; no feet to trip.

[TechnoScrabble]

Red Zone

"Sir Sketch was lost from lady, but now lady has find Sir Sketch, is good!" Sir Sketch beams, "What does lady want to play today?"

[Earl of Purple]

Red Zone

"Princess is lady, yes. Not lady Sir Sketch look for, no. Not-same lady. Other lady, pretty wemic lady." Princess still doesn't actually know what Sir Sketch is. She knows who he is, but not what.

[TechnoScrabble]

Red Zone

He's a living drawing, a sort of plaything/servant made by a princess in some far off land I just thought up.

Sir Sketch looks crestfallen, a strange look to pull off with no eyes.

"But...lady...Always lady, must be with lady, listen to lady."

[Earl of Purple]

Red Zone

"Where lady house? Where lady live? Or lady name?" Princess, unfortunately, is unaware she's talking to a subservient magical construct.