SURVIVE!

affiliated with isola radiale | indie friendly Sleepy Hollow (Mistwood) || Supergiant

[liketorchwork]

     // @petalbursting​  |  SpiraleFES

          “Alright, so that makes five emergency trips to the dentist in one night...“

     Honestly, Candy Camouflage has been quite the sideshow lately. The past couple of nights, Torchwick swings by across the street to see how long it takes for an impatient loser to bite into the wrong bar. ... Or table. Rumor has it some tables in that place are also edible. He did get a glimpse of someone sinking his teeth into the door handle-- and that one is the fifth fool that just headed out. So far, that one is the crowned winner for getting some laughs out of Roman Torchwick.

     But alas, all good things must come to an end. This time, it was brought about by the arrival of a certain red robed pain in the ass-- or rather, her exit from the establishment. Guess she got in there before Roman showed up... and now she’s coming out with a bag or two of the “fake” goods-- even some of the slots on her belt for sniper bullets are filled up with... stuff you’d never want to jam into a gun.

     She looks so over the moon right now, so content with her assortment of prizes. It’s pretty sickening, honestly.

          “Honestly-- is this really the dignified legacy you want spreading around here, Red?“

[liketorchwork]

          “Ya know, while I am glad to see my bar still here... The cobwebs are kinda overkill. It’s gonna take me all week to get it decent-looking again...“

     ... Hm. Or maybe he should toss up some job ads around town? Get his staff back up to snuff and make them do the dirty work-- two birds with one stone.

[liketorchwork]

     // @sanpatron​

          “Ah... this is just-- really sad to look at.“

     From what he’s been able to gather, it’s been about a year since his last marvelous appearance in this dreary city. And not even word of “another” Torchwick to take his place, which tends to happen to others from time to time. A year without the masterful schemes of Roman Torchwick to keep this city interesting, such a massive loss for these poor citizens... Even so, he’s noticed several differences from the time away from here. The Cotes ward is almost unrecognizable-- and it has an uncanny resemblance to that Fantasia place from a while ago. Not only that, a few new places have popped up on smaller island just north of the main island. Certainly worth checking out, but first he wanted to check on an old co-worker...

     And despite all of the changes this city’s had, this one damn store feels like he never left. The same fashion, the same shirts and shoes that were “on the rage” last year? He kept using the tip of his cane to look through the racks of clothes, so many of them looking no different from his last visit.

          ”That bozo’s gotten really bad about keeping up with the times. Yikes.”

[liketorchwork]

          “A museum, eh...?“ When was the last time he’s walked through a glorified storehouse dedicated to “the arts”? It almost feels like a lifetime ago, the last time he swept through a museum for any art worth more than the dust it was collecting on its own...

     Maybe he should give it a shot. For old time’s sake, see if that old school urge tries to shake up around the fancy paintings and sculptures.

[liketorchwork]

     Name?! The nerve of these dust-for-brains to give him a copy-paste congratulations like some middle manager for a run down business!!

[liketorchwork]

     // @sustray​  |  Optimization  |  Teamwork Makes the Steam Work

          “Uh-- are you trying to get caught??” Roman’s not gonna let all this progress go to waste cause of her slip up! They’re over halfway done with this little quest, yet she’s starting to get sloppy. Granted, the steam and heat in this place is pretty killer... Even with his white coat taken off before the start of this job, Roman’s got a decent sweat building up. His handkerchief can only swab up so much, so they better wrap this up faster before this gets out of hand.

          ”I told ya to space out the gimmicky illusions-- now look at ya.” Seems like the brat thought she could fall back on her Semblance any time one of those creepy androids got close, but she’s really pushed her luck by doing so. Roman leaned more over the railing to get a better look at his temporary partner from the next floor down, the next stage of his plan ready to go.

          ”Alright, listen. The three bots up ahead? I’m pretty sure they’re gonna go up to this level in a bit. When they do, slip on over to the next valve down there-- got it? I’ll manage up here... And you better not trip up on me-- I didn’t bring my Scroll over, so I won’t be able to get pictures.”

[liketorchwork]

sustray​:

            ❛   Would it even stick out if it wasn’t untouched ? The whole place is spooky, capital S.   ❜

          “-- That’s kinda the whole point of my little sanctuary, Captain Obv--“

          “... The hell are you wearing?“ Great, another wardrobe change while he was away.

[liketorchwork]

          “Huh... Here again, eh? Guess it could be worse... But my place better be untouched by the time I get there.“

[liketorchwork]

          “Think I’m gonna stay at the bar for a few days... Woke up feelin’ waaay more sore than I expected.“ Good thing he had the place built with a hidden bedroom just for his personal use.

[liketorchwork]

     // @notyourpocket​  |  Security Breach: Part II

          “So... You gotta be the Doc I’ve heard so much about.“ Boss has been hyping up this medic for quite a while now. A shame that it’s taken this long for the two to finally meet... But now’s a good of time as any to correct that mistake. Roman was planning on using one of the old Saints warehouse hideouts to rest up for a bit, get away from the scuffling before one wrong move got him killed. He’s even got blood stains on his nice clothes... Was it his own blood though? Hard to tell. But whether or not he was actually suffering any wounds, exhaustion was evident-- even an amateur could tell. Maybe this meeting was a lucky break in more ways than one...

          “Roman Torchwick... at your service. ... You got a light, or am I up for a ‘no smoking’ lecture? I’ll pass if it’s not the former.“

[liketorchwork]

     // @moonbeam-power​  |  Security Breach: Part II

     These Grimm just keep on coming... What nuisances, all of them. But that was perfectly fine with Roman Torchwick... For as annoying as they may be, there were still perfectly suitable punching bags that he could let loose on-- and free of moral repercussions as a bonus! So let the Beowolves keep coming... They just keep disappearing as they get too close to Roman. Whether they get beaten to death or blown to bits, the thrill was still pretty addicting. It was almost like a dance... but that was more Neo’s thing, honestly.

     One particularly sturdy Grimm was his current focus, the dark creature constantly on the receiving end of a flurry of jabs from Melodic Cudgel. The poor bastard was too dazed to even fight back, yet Torchwick refused to give it a moment to relax. By the time the massive beast finally fell back, its open maw quickly felt the cold steel of his cane being jammed inside. And with one pull of the trigger... BOOM! Debris of the road blew all over the place, and the Grimm was fading away into dark mist.

          “Ah... This really is therapeutic.“

[liketorchwork]

     // @sendousha​  |  Security Breach: Part II

          “... So that’s how it’s gonna be, huh?“ Up until now, Stingy Jack’s has had a rather miraculous run throughout this whole ordeal. Disaster after disaster struck the wards, and now monsters were dropping from above to cause trouble. And despite all of that... Stingy Jack’s remained relatively untouched. Every evening he came by to check on the bar, and every night he was oh so pleasantly surprised!

     But not tonight. This time, one of the windows was busted open... Seems like someone-- something crawled inside... With an annoyed huff going past gritted teeth, Roman took swift steps to reach the main door. One hand quickly reached for his key to unlock the place, the other gripping his cane tightly-- ready to knock out any feral creature that tries to jump at him. He wasn’t even being cautious about it, simply keeping his Aura up. A quick turn of the wrist unlocked the door, then the criminal mastermind popped the door wide open to survey the damage.

          ”Alright, come on out--!”

[liketorchwork]

      // @colchiste​  |  Security Breach: Part II

          “... Another witch?“ Ever since his time spent with Cinder Fall, Roman’s become somewhat... disillusioned with the idea of magic. Now the mere idea of a “powerful woman with magic” leaves a terrible taste in his mouth. So as grateful as he is to see the flying, hooded figure dishing out powerful beams of light to take care of the pesky Grimm ahead of him, Torchwick will have to show his gratitude with one foot backed away. The odd woman eventually touched down on the surface once again, and her hard work is rewarded with a few resounding claps from his hands.

          ”My, my... Excellent work here. Would have been nice if you left a few for me, though. Can’t help but feel a little disappointed when I miss out on the fun.”

[liketorchwork]

     Super Duper Last Minute Event Time!! Starter Call for Part 2, hurry and get it while it’s hot!!

[liketorchwork]

hushedblade‌:

It was almost impossible to be unaware of the chaos running rampart on this island– which, for the record, was just the sort of chaos that Neopolitan preferred. She figured that the only way to be ignorant of what was happening was to be willfully so. Neo fashioned herself to be the opposite sort; she was quite intrigued, and was further content to note that so was the only person she trusted in this entire city.

The sound of glass breaking caused her to smirk– she wondered who would clean up that little mess, as it certainly wouldn’t be her (or Roman for that matter, if she had to guess). Oh, well, that wasn’t of much importance now, was it? No, no, the destination of her red-headed friend was, so Neo had no problem silently falling in line behind Roman.

          “-- Ya know, Neo? I was just thinking that I needed something to distract me for a while. This place hasn’t given us a good excuse for a big brawl in a really long time, it feels like. It’s about time we get something new... Something to shake things up from the usual run ins with Little Red and her gang of brats.“

     Roman twirled the hook of his cane around his finger a few times, eventually gripping the handle to place the full cane against the back of his neck. Both hands now had a firm grip on the handle... and it’s not long before the downpour began to reach them. The coasts of Golden were flooding at a rapid rate, so of course that would make a mess before the two even reached their destination.

          “....... I really hope we get to kill someone.“

[liketorchwork]

sanpatron‌:

A laugh winds up escaping him once Roman proposes helping those poor fools out. “ How sad is it that with all these powers and resources at their disposal, we’re the ones who have to clean up their little messes. ” This whole situation is practically comical in a way. Interesting too given the arrival of these Null douchebags. Seemed to be like there were people just as powerful as the Stars apparently are. Hell, maybe even more so.

“ You think we could hold this over their heads as blackmail? ” Out comes another laugh. “ Y’know, I really don’t take kindly to these Null people wanting our benefactors to be arrested. Sounds to me like cop talk, eh? And I’m pretty sure I know just what exactly our stance is when it comes to the law. ” Were these people actually a police of some sort? Who’s to say. It’d be something to figure out later on, cause for now there was business to attend to.

Oh man was this gonna be a long one.

“ Alrighty then. Let’s call up the usual and have ‘em meet over here at the penthouse. We’ll figure out what to do with the boys once we got a plan ready. Make sure t’ bring whatever weapons you got and I’ll see ya soon. Oh, and don’t forget your mask. Just in case. ”

          “Hm, not really sure what good our masks will do right now-- not like anyone really cares about stuff beyond the current problem... But yeah, just in case. I’ll go on and head your way, I was just... wrapping up business at the bar. Eh-- what little business was left when this mess started, at least. Catch ya later.“

     With a swift tap to end the call, the phone was put away before Roman finally stood up, one hand still holding a full shot. It only took a few seconds to down the rest of it before he just... tossed it aside, making it break against the wall. He’ll clean it up later, assuming nothing happens to the bar later. The owner finally made his way out, grabbing his trusty cane and hat near the door on the way. Giving the door a hard shut before locking it, Torchwick began his long walk over to where Boss wanted everyone to meet. This was gonna be a very busy mess to focus on... The least they can do is make it fun for him.

[liketorchwork]

sanpatron‌:

Ah, feels like it’s been forever since the entire island was on the brink of destruction again. It’s sort of weirdly comforting in a way. A very very weird and unhealthy way, sure, but you tend to pick up bad habits when you’re a notorious criminal who continuously avoids death over and over again.

One of the days it’ll get him. One of these days.

Anyhow, seemed like it’d be a smart idea to call up his second-in-command and get his input on the latest in a long line of hellish nightmares that always plagued the island. Surely Roman must have some kind of plan, or at least the basis for one.

“ Hey. You catch that whole spiel? Sounded interesting. Pretty sure it’s gonna wind up setting the whole island on fire again as usual. ”

@liketorchwork​

          “Yeah... interesting’s a good word for it.“ What this essentially means is that his bar is gonna be down for a while... and likely gonna wind up as property damage in all this mess. Fantastic! ... Eh, it’s not like anyone important is working for him there anymore-- it’ll all work out by the time this whole mess dies down. Even so... this is his precious side show-- he can’t help but worry a bit over the inevitable. But he’ll push those thoughts aside for now, pulling the phone away as he downed the last shot ready at his bar. It’ll be a while before he comes back here, most likely... so gotta make the most of it now.

          ”Well, I for one am not a big fan of these NULL weirdos just barging in here and making a mess. Think it wouldn’t hurt to lend a helping hand to our... generous patrons this time. Maybe they’ll feel a little grateful for once-- think so?”