Learn, to Adapt, to Survive

[a-watchful-gaze]

"Someone new? Does Nox know about this already?"

Yeah, Aesen was definitely worried, and he was on his feet immediately. "Where are they, and what do they look like?"

He was really hoping he hadn't been followed here, although if he was... he had a strong suspicion as to who the most likely culprit was--and that was going to be trouble in itself, depending on the location.

Aesen could only hope that the individual in question didn't wind up somewhere extremely dangerous.

"I'll let the kiddo know you've left, Aesen." Hisao nods--he could tell that this was serious, and needed to be handled immediately.

@magicandcuriosity

[magicandcuriosity]

"Let's see... he's got blond hair, he's definitely got the look of a punkass... I spotted him in the Hunter's Nightmare-"

Jake can't even get another word out before he has to move out of the way - Aesen's sprinting right past him and out the door.

"Oh man..."

Without another word, Jake follows after him. This was going to be one of those kinds of days, wasn't it...?

@breaking-the-boundaries

[breaking-the-boundaries]

@a-watchful-gaze liked for a starter!

“When do things go wrong?”

All he had done was follow Aesen wanting to ask something small. Something so insignificant... But there was a stumble somewhere, somewhere Gladion fucked up. The next thing he knew he had come into hostile territory with people who wanted to kill him on sight. A shot to his shoulder, a few close calls with pitchforks and sickles, and even nearly being it with a goddamn molotov...

The blonde was lucky to have even survived all that. His upper left arm still screamed with agony from that bullet wound, other gashes and cuts decorating him... But he somehow managed to find some sort of sanctuary. It was within an underground cell he somehow managed to slip into, having managed to move the cell door shut and avoid detection from what lurked.

It's cold in this room, but safe, the only place he can hide and get his bearings. A million questions are swarming in his mind and the adrenaline is starting to wear off. He's tried to bandage his wounds with whatever fabrics he's managed to snag during this nightmarish trek. This lets him just lay down and stare at the ceiling, trying to look at his Rotom Phone.

No signal...

A sigh leaves him before he hears something outside. His breathing comes to a stop as he tries to peek through a small hole in the door, daring not to go up to the normal barred window and risk being seen. Heart races as he hopes that whatever threat could be approaching wouldn't care enough to try and check this room...

[a-watchful-gaze]

"...The blood trail leads this way. Let's just hope we're not walking in on a worst-case scenario..."

That was Aesen's voice, although it seems he's not the only person in this place--from the sounds of it, there were two other people with him, and they were looking for something. But how did Aesen even get here in the first place?

Well, that was its own explanation.

Several minutes earlier...

"For the last damn time, Hisao--no, I'm not taking you to see that world yet. I'm still trying to assess just how much damage there is before I even think about bringing you or Jaden along to help in the cleanup. Not to mention that I'd need to let everyone there know about the two of you."

Aesen would be leaning back in his chair as he looked to his husband, although he was clearly irritated with the chuckling the other gave him.

"Oh come on, Belmont. You're just scared that I'll teach some of the locals a few tricks on how to get on your nerves."

"Keep it up, and I'll make sure your next death is extremely violent, Kojima-"

Aesen would suddenly pause as he suddenly heard a knock at the front door to his house, and he would turn his attention in that direction.

"Front door's unlocked. You can come in."

@magicandcuriosity

[magicandcuriosity]

"Hey, Aesen. We've got a bit of a problem here..."

Jake walks into the house, and he's got a serious look on his face.

"I know Yharnam like the back of my hand normally, but today I'm sensing someone here that wasn't here the other day. Of course we know that nobody's come here for the 'miracle treatment' in ages, so this is troublesome."

(next up: @a-watchful-gaze)

[knd-circe-and-persephone]

Breaking the Cycle of Abuse, One Day at a Time...

((Hello hello! This blog is made for infodumping about my KND ocs and rping!))

((This is a side blog, so I'll probably be following other rp blogs with my main @rico189sspamtonhell!))

((Heads up I am in my twenties, not a minor!))

Rules Muses

Fusionfall oc multimuse blog

[oflegendariesandtrainers]

"There was a preamble, but I'm locked by NDA." Soyi snorts.

"Top secret stuff. I'll see if I can message you the details if I get hired on--I'll tell them you're a partner of mine and you're my eyes where I can't have them. That should be enough to give you the basic information, I think."

[magicandcuriosity]

"Y'know what, that's fair." Chase nods. "Guess I'll just wait on that, then. In the meantime, though... maybe I'll do a little bit of sniffing. Get the bare-bones of Cipher's netsec, so I'll know what to expect going in."

[magicandcuriosity]

@oflegendariesandtrainers (x)

"Yeah? Color me intrigued." Chase remarks. "And you said that you were approached with the offer? Was there any preamble first, or did they just lead off with it?"

[oflegendariesandtrainers]

Ding! You have one (1) new message!

Artemisia’s phone buzzes, the notification flashing for several seconds. When opened, the “sender” box displays a glaring red “ROCKETCORPS SINNOH” in bold.

The contents of the message itself read as follows:

“By request of Agent Designate Zeta, of International Relations & Surveillance, the following information has been made available to [ USER ] for the following [ TWENTY FOUR HOURS ]. Please refer to the attached link for full file.

- Release authorized by Rocketcorps Head of Operations, Silver Sakaki”

The attached file lists known public-facing Cipher individuals, their links to Rocket (though many names associated with either side are notably redacted or blacked-out), a handful of the primary politicians and donators to Cipher’s causes, where Cipher’s money goes, where the last known bunker for Cipher’s cold storage is located, and the supplier for Cipher’s Snag Machines.

"Oh, this is perfect."

Soyi would download the file and transfer it over to his computer for both himself and Chilan to sift through.

"Cipher members who are in the public eye, their connections to Rocket... my new friend definitely came through. Maybe I can get that one kid to help me un-redact some of this shit so I can start digging deeper. I'm gonna have fun with these sons of bitches."

He'd nod to his Mewtwo to get the coffee maker started. This was going to be a long evening.

"I know I've got a selfless sort of inclination Doomed by the eyes of the crown Even if I never get exoneration I'll burn this whole place down.

One step closer Calm composure Such a liar"

"Load, aim, fire."

[magicandcuriosity]

Suddenly, Soyi would get an activity ping on his computer - seems someone else has just connected.

"This has got me feeling like a kid in a candy store! So, one day to get as much as we can out of this, huh? I like a good challenge. Lemme see what I can do about this - I'll let you know what I find."

[withinthecards--moved-deactivat]

HEART OF THE CARDS

[musecheerios]

"Hehe...sure. I just don't want you to do everything for me." She holds the hand on his shoulder.

[magicandcuriosity]

"I wouldn't dream of it." Jake shakes his head. "But by the same token, it would be wrong of me to expect you to do everything yourself. We're partners, after all - that means we should be sharing responsibility."

[musecheerios]

She's kinda on the same boat. Even with how lonely she gets, the very idea didn't cross her mind a whole lot. Jake's words made her feel warm and fuzzy inside, and grateful that she agreed to let him stay.

"I..I'm glad too..."

[magicandcuriosity]

Jake shakes his head, chuckling sheepishly. "Look at me... a flustered mess. I could honestly get used to this."

Walking over, he puts his hand on Cere's shoulder. "Once the eggs are done, I can take over for the bacon - that is, if you want."

[musecheerios]

"Thick, please!" She answers. She then starts cooking the eggs sunny side up.

[magicandcuriosity]

"One portion of thick bacon slices, coming right up!" Jake laughs as he continues slicing. "...honestly, a morning meal like this is pretty common in my own house. Can't go wrong with eggs and bacon."

After Jake finishes portioning out the bacon to fry, he sets the knife down and rubs his chin. "...never thought I'd be sleeping over at someone else's house and having breakfast with them the next morning. Even with the handful of friends I've got, I didn't consider the possibility."

"I... am glad that it's with you, though."

[musecheerios]

"Ohh..that does sound good." She agrees, thinking about it. She got up to go and pre-heat the skillet and carefully slathers butter all around the dish.

[magicandcuriosity]

"...oh, right. How do you like your bacon?" Jake turns to look at Cere - he's already cut some thin slices for himself. "I tend to cut mine thin, so they're more on the crispy side. Nothing wrong with wanting thicker slices for a bit of give, though."

[musecheerios]

"Mhm!! She's a good girly..." She said, all in a baby talk tone towards her overgrown pup.

"Yeah sure..! I wouldn't mind the help...thanks!"

[magicandcuriosity]

"You can pre-heat the skillet - I'll get the bacon done up and ready to fry. If I'd known I was staying overnight, I would have brought some spuds - skillet potatoes go great with bacon and eggs."

[musecheerios]

"Yeah...She always growls at more intimidating people. She can see you're a friendly face." She hugs her dog's head, smiling all big.

[magicandcuriosity]

"Aww... sounds like you're a great guard dog, Nipper!"

Jake grins, before stretching again. "...all right, all right. As much as I'd love to stay here on the couch with you all day, we should really get started on breakfast... I know this is your home and all, but I wouldn't mind helping you out."

[musecheerios]

"Hehe...same, actually...it's too cozy." She just buries her face in his shoulder as if a bit embarassed.

Nibbler's tail wagged uncontrollably as she nuzzles the man's palm.

[magicandcuriosity]

Jake sighs, smiling. "...it's definitely not the worst problem in the world to have, at the very least."

"...you know, we never have talked about your canine companion that much, have we? She seems to be comfortable around me, which is a relief - I'd always been more of a dog person than a cat person."

[musecheerios]

She hugs him back. "Hmm...there's either the good ol' eggs and bacon, or pancakes...which one do you feel for?"

Nibbler sniffs Jake's hands when he hugs her human momma.

[magicandcuriosity]

Jake carefully reaches over to pet Nibbler's head.

"Honestly, can't go wrong with some eggs and bacon. Of course, making food requires us to get up, and... well..."

He laughs sheepishly, a pink flush coming to his cheeks. "...I'm not exactly inclined to move too much just yet..."

[musecheerios]

Cere giggles. "Good morning to you too...Yeah, you looked too comfortable."

Nibbler doesn't growl or even squint at Jake upon hearing him speak. Seemed too friendly of a face to earn that.

[magicandcuriosity]

"Seems like you had a good night's sleep... I'm glad that I was able to help."

Jake shifts his position in order to wrap his arms around Cere in a hug. "Now that we're both rested, it's time to tackle a new day - and that means breakfast. What are we thinking today?"

[musecheerios]

Cere smiled, laying back down with him with her dog's head on her stomach. The two will just lay there for a little cuddle session until he wakes up.

[magicandcuriosity]

It would be a while, but eventually Jake would stretch and yawn. Noticing that Cere's arms are wrapped around him, he chuckles.

"What, didn't want to disturb me? Truth be told, I had a bit of a hard time getting to sleep last night... not because of you being there, mind you. It's the whole 'unfamiliar location' thing - you know how it is."