Sector 16: Ready Player One

[Camleen]

Our Main Clan Page!​

Sector 16: The Distracted Globe, Neonoir, Locus


The Distracted Globe. One of the hotspots of the OASIS, the Distracted Globe is a zero-gravity night club. It seems to be open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, and always has a crowd. Players come here to dance, socialize or just hang out and watch others dance and socialize.
Technology and Magic are allowed in this part of the Sector.

Neonoir

"There were hundreds of cyberpunk-themed worlds spread throughout the OASIS, but Neonoir was one of the largest and oldest. Seen from orbit, the planet was a shiny onyx marble covered in overlapping spider-webs of pulsating light. It was always night on Neonoir, the world over, and its surface was an uninterrupted grid of interconnected cities packed with impossibly large skyscrapers. Its skies were filled with a continuous stream of flying vehicles whirring through the vertical cityscapes, and the streets below teemed with leather-clad NPCs and mirror-shaded avatars, all sporting high-tech weaponry and subcutaneous implants as they spouted city- speak straight out of Neuromancer."
Technology only in this part of the Sector. No Magic.

Locus

Another of the 'themed' worlds residing within the OASIS, Locus is a planet completely comprised of a 'steampunk' culture. Fans of anachronistic technologies or retro-futuristic inventions have truly found a place of their dreams here. The legacies of Jules Vern, H.G. Wells, Stephen Hunt and Paul Roland (amongst so many others!) live and breath here on Locus.
Technology only in this part of the Sector. No Magic!

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante Castenallos found himself in what appeared to be a dingy, grimy restroom of a dive bar. The walls are covered in graffiti of various slang in multiple languages. There was also random strands of code written on the mirrors, stalls, and walls. He looked into the dirty mirror and saw someone who was a stranger, yet very familiar to him at the same time. It was himself, his avatar in the oasis. His avatar resembled his physical form somewhat with changes to the face and hair. In here his hair was short and blonde and he was clean shaven. Here his body was in top condition and appeared to be much like the other dime a dozen heroes in the virtual world.

He was dressed in NCR veterans armor from the hit series Fallout. Consisting of a scuffed up combat armor chest piece, some black faded jeans with armor plates, military boots, and to top off the ensemble was the trademark faded duster where instead of the letters NCR on the shoulder there were the letter DC for his game name. He had a helmet with the face-mask stored in his inventory for when he wanted to disguise himself, though he was quite conspicuous with it on more so. His peacemaker revolver was on his gun belt while his model 1887 shotgun was on his back. He had a high powered sniper rifle he kept in his inventory along with his other supplies.

Dante walked out of the bathroom of the bar and was glared at by some of the more tech looking players. Some on this world only strive to appear the most technologically advanced and did not like someone like him with such archaic means. He was often called a cowboy in the city. Very well then, he was a cowboy on a steel horse.

Dante walked out and pulled out hat appeared to be a black set of keys before clicking them. His mount appeared. It appeared to be a classic 1990 fat boy Harley Davidson motorcycle. The same time that Arnold rode in the second Terminator movie. Dante got on the bike and revved the engine loudly and took off. He took off down the rode for a moment before pressing a button on the bike. The bikes wheels transformed to form hover-pads and soon the bike took to the air and went through the somewhat vacant sky streets. Dante loved the oasis, but there was a reason for him to be here. He was here on a contract. Today Dante was going to kill a man.

 

[Ms.Ezra]

Dante's contact was another player with the username 4Way_Slicer or just 4Way to his friends. Which were now in short supply, as he now has a bounty on his head put on him by a Mr. No-Tell-Moe. He was far from being very high on the Bounty Board, as there are thousands on it at any time.

His Bounty Card reads as follows:

Name: 4Way_Slicer
Level: 25
Bounty: 84,000 Credits, Dead
Payment Contact: Mr. No-Tell-Moe
Conditions: Claimant must present video recording of themselves fulfilling contract before receiving payment. Claimant has all rights to any drops from subject.

The picture attached was of an avatar similar in appearance to the T-800, though it was more like the exoskeleton of the T-800 had been grafted onto his body from head to toe with the addition of two longer arms.

Even the most cursory search for the username yields the player participating in arena battles using only bladed weapons, the extra arms literally giving him more of an edge over those without. In more social settings, he is always seen trading in the swords for martini glasses and putting on a posh suit and top hat over all those cybernetics. And always somewhere on Neonoir, where a cyborg can blend in the easiest.

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante was one to analyze a situation for all forms of possibility before going into action. It had been something that came naturally to him due to his real world condition. He recognized that there was a significant that the mark knew he was on the chopping block. Though appeared to be confident enough with himself to still go out to lavish events. Sometimes even in the PvP areas of NeoNoir. It was almost as if he was challenging people to fight him. Dante was reviewing the information he had compiled while his bike auto drove though the sky-way. He was a little unsettled from the idea of facing someone with so many levels above him, but was taking advantages he could collect.

From the Mercenary Marketplace website he was able to purchase a specialty ammo for his sniper, shotgun, and pistol. These rounds did corrosive damage to their targets. This would hopefully break the outer layer if he hit into the exoskeleton. He also procured a belt of five emp grenades that would scramble any tech mods he had. Dante would need to get close if he wanted to use these. Though he hopes it didn't have to come to that. 4Way was cocky if anything. He released on his blog that he would be partying at Nexus. By the way it looked he was going to make the appearance grande, leaving him open. Dante had from the point 4Way got out of the car he would be in to the point he entered the club. It was similar to a red carpet walk so there was some wiggle room.

Dante had found a decent idea for a vantage point. NeoNoir was covered in sky scrapers, but the placement of these buildings left a line of sight to the club from a motel typically used for people to indulge in their carnal desires. Dante would rent a room and make his way to the roof as the security at a love motel was rather lax. Here it became a matter of waiting. He would have his hoverbike in idle in case he had to give chase, but for now he had to prepare himself.

 

[Ms.Ezra]

Dante would not have to wait long before he saw 4Way's vehicle come roaring through the skyway to The Nexus. This was his luxury ship brought out only for such as occasion as this. He steps out dressed in a shimmering silver tuxedo with matching top hat, twirling a cane as cameras went off and the light bounced off all around him. He presses a spot on top of his ship, and in a puff of smoke it collapses into a small capsule. A piece of technology from Toriyama, what's called a 'Dyna-Cap' that can hold most anything for easy storage. Used by those who favor tech over magic that can do the same. He pockets the capsule, and gives the paparazzi a flashy bow as he swaggers towards the Nexus doors. For all appearances, 4Way has no concern for the metaphorical target on his back.

"Oh 4Way!" one of the paparazzi, a busty female in a form-fitting blue sequin dress and short blonde hair approaches him with a camerabot hovering behind her. "I'm Stay-Cee with Total Live Feed, and I gotta ask you just one question, if you got the time for me." She asks, winking at him with her back to the camerabot.

"Stay-Cee, I got plenty of time for a beautiful woman." 4Way winks back and stands still, not at all shy about letting his gaze wander to take all of her in.

"Great! People wanna know how you can be out here, in the spotlight, when you're on the Bounty Board with eighty-four thousand credits?" She asks and 4Way scoffs, tips his hat.

"How? Because I've leveled up twice since that bounty went up. Three punk bounty hunters tried me, failed, and I'm ready to keep it up until I'm Level 99 and untouchable." 4Way looks into the camerabot with a cocky half-smile "Hear that? Come try me, if you got the balls."

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante sat himself on the roof with his high powered sniper rifle pointing at the door of the nexus night club. He set the sniper on its stand to keep it stable. He was taking into account various variables that might present itself when the time comes. Dante was a good shot. His sniping skill was one of the four stats he had at the moment. He was sure that he could make this shot, but he didn't allow himself to get cocky. Getting cocky leaves room for human error. Something he couldn't afford to have, though it would seem that his target would be full of himself as he soon arrived. Dante would watch the feed from the news on his side screen as he would check his scope for 4Way.

Dante saw how 4Way collapsed his ride into a capsule and walked down the carpet like a celebrity. Dante has taken the liberty of recording the news footage as well as footage from his sight. He would hear the reporter trying to get the attention of the fighter to ask her questions. It was a good thing that 4Way was a sucker for a pretty face. Dante was waiting for the right moment to strike. That was when he saw it. When 4Way was making his taunt was when Dante decided to strike.

Dante's mind was calm. He took in the environment through his scope and had his sights aimed on the head of the arrogant fighter. If he hit the mark he knew people would clamber for the dead man's possessions. They could have them for all dante cared. Dante knew that the fate of people's lives were dependent on his shot. If he were to miss his shot it could end the life of the reporter or some other bystander. This made him more determined to hit his mark. With the corrosive high caliber round loaded into high powered rifle Dante slowly and calmly squeezed the trigger, his sight on the head of 4way. There was unmistakable crack in the air as the high powerful corrosive damage round exited the barrel. Now it was up to his skill, the round, and even fate to decide if 4Way would die this day.

 

[Ms.Ezra]

The OASIS alters the trajectory of the bullet ever so slightly to simulate wind, curvature of the planet and all other possible factors. Dante's skill is enough to have compensated for all this so it remains on its intended trajectory.

Unfortunately what one cannot account for is how their target can move when trying to impress or flirt. 4Way reaches out, pulls Stay-Cee close by the hip, and spins her around. He thinks of something cool and clever to say, but it's for naught; he spins her unintentionally into the bullet's path. It hits her in the neck, and she barely has time to even gasp in surprise at his actions before she scatters into a pile of coins. The crowd screams in unison, and scatters for cover. Dante receives + 10 XP for his accidental kill of the Level One Stay-Cee.

4Way watches the coins fall through his arms a moment, but then whips his head around(in fact his head twists around entirely while his body remains motionless) and zeroes in on the origin of the bullet that had almost taken him out. His eyes glow bright red, and in a moment he sheds his tux for the battle-ready exoskeleton beneath. The two extra arms snap out and ignite a red lightsaber before he sprints off in a zig-zagging line towards the hotel where Dante is currently perched, using the hoods and roofs of vehicles parked on the street or even still in motion like stepping stones.

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante had everything planned, but he knew better than to assume that things would go smoothly. It still hit him hard to realize that his shot was blocked by an innocent bystander... Stay-Cee. Dante would have to remember her name so he could compensate her somehow. That is if he lives through this encounter. This would be a tough fight. 4way is a few levels above Dante, but Dante had range and firepower on his size and he was about to throw half that advantage away.

Dante loaded his rifle into his inventory and check to make sure his revolver and shotgun were loaded with the appropriate ammunition for the job. This was why he got corrosive rounds for his other guns. Once his was loaded up he saw that 4way had cleared some distance between them. Dante proceeded to hop on his bike and rode it off of the roof to the streets and drove. He wasn't running away from 4way, but running towards him. Dante couldn't run from this fight and he knew it. Dante was prepared to die today, but not before taking 4way with him.

Dante still had the belt of grenades over his shoulder like a bandolier. He pulled out his revolver and aimed it at the psycho fighter and fired three shots at him as he got closer. Dante would stop his bike at a four way intersection and waited for 4way to come towards him. He was going to settle it here on the streets. Dante had his gun aimed at the fighter and waited for him to get within distance.

 

[Ms.Ezra]

Dante's fantasy of a showdown in the middle of the road, like the ones in spaghetti Westerns and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly was not to be, for now. 4Way sees his would-be assassin stop in the intersection, and when just out of his firing range leaps from the top of a red and white Gran Turino to the top of an A Team van and holds on while flipping the bird at Dante. He wasn't about to meet an enemy head-on when there are plenty of other options. He looks back to see how far behind Dante is, sabers up and ready.

The driver of the van has taken immediate notice of his unwanted passenger and accelerates while also swerving through traffic. This is no deterrent for 4Way, as he only needs to activate the magnets in his feet to stay on.

Now Dante has to contend with a fast-moving and swerving target.

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante gritted his teeth as he saw his target zoom away on an A Team van. 4Way giving him the bird really did it for him. Dante hopped back on his bike and drove down the road at full speed. Dante had his shotgun holstered in his bike. Dante would aim his revolver at 4Way and fired six rounds of the corrosive damage rounds at 4way. Three of the rounds hit their target.

As Dante got closer he switch from his revolver to his lever action shotgun. Dante pointed at 4Way as he was driving right behind the van. "Face it 4way. I'm the closest anyone has come to killing you. You pissed off the wrong people."

 

[Ms.Ezra]

4Way manages to block/destroy the first three rounds with swipes from his lightsabers. But three make it past his defenses, as the swerving motion of the van has the same effect of distorting his own abilities. "GODDAMN!" He screams when the first round to make it through hits one of his extra arms, the right one, putting it out of commission and making him drop the lightsaber. The second hits his main left hand, completely destroying it and the red lightsaber it was holding as well.

The third is the luckiest shot, for both shooter and target. 4Way yells out when it hits him in the stomach. The corrosive effect eats away at the metal and some of the flesh beneath. 4Way's eyes are an even brighter red when Dante gets closer and pulls out his shotgun.

"Not close enough, wannabe!" He screams and chucks his two remaining lightsabers at Dante. Dante himself is able to avoid them. The same cannot be said of his bike. One of the sabers cleaves off the front wheel. In that same instant, 4Way disengages his magnets to leap off the van further away from Dante. He runs down an alley, using the short break to replace his weapons. The left hand he'd lost becomes a two foot long serrated blade, and the remaining hands each hold katana. Less flashy, but in his skilled hands just as deadly.

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante did his best to swerve away from the oncoming lightsabers. He was fortunate enough to do some damage to the terminator styled fighter whole avoiding damage. His hoverbike was a different matter. The front of the hoverbike was sparking and grinding against the street.

Dante had to bail and leaped off his bike and saw it crash into a side of a building. He ran towards his bike and digistruct it back to its pocket size. He would need to get some serious repairs.

From there Dante ran towards the ally he saw 4way run into. Dante grins as he sees 4way re-armed himself. "For a wannabe I have you running scared you coward. I have done my homework and know exactly how to combat you. I know your strengths and weaknesses. You think those mods make you strong but it's a crutch."

Dante held his shotgun in one hand and pulled an emp grenade from the belt he had around his shoulder. Dante tossed out the grenade and anything electrical sparked and dimmed. He began to fire at 4way with his shotgun with corrosive rounds. He might not have time to reload so he had six shots in the shotgun and six in the revolver to finish this. With the alleyway there was limited area and therefore greater likelihood any shot from the shotgun would hit. Dante would kill this mark of it was the last thing he did.

 

[Ms.Ezra]

4Way sees Dante coming at him down the alley, and uses the power of his legs to leap high up. At first it was just to get into a downward slash on his opponent. It just so happens to spare 4Way a crippling blast of EMP as it carries him just high enough and at the right time to avoid it.

He comes down as the EMP dissipates, but finds he has avoided the fire but still falls into the frying pan. He screams as he takes the full brunt of a couple rounds to his legs, crippling the metal parts but they protect his flesh allowing him to still stick the landing.

Not that this gives him any advantage in what follows. His katana spin in a blender-like fashion, but that renders said weapons useless hunks as they are hit with the corrosive rounds. He tosses the nubs of metal aside and rearms with similar weapons as he charges Dante. The serrated blade which had replaced his lost hand, is itself now destroyed leaving the appendage useful only for a hard hook to Dante's right ribs as he goes in for a vicious slice-and-dice with the rest.

4Way's health meter now shows he is down to half his HP.

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante was a bit proud of himself. He was reducing the arsenal of his apponet down to his basic and was slowly disabling his targets advantages. Though 4way's constant reveal of more blades could be troublesome. He was half way dead. His resistance had to be due to that metal plating.

Dante didn't have much time to think on this as he felt a right hook hit his side. His NCR armor provided some protection but a blow like that in real life could of cracked his ribs. It shows when Dante saw himself take five damage. Dante needed a way to get past the armor. That is was Dante remembered there was an open spot. 4way took a gut shot with the wound still exposed.

Dante needed to gamble on this one. Dante would duck the first blade attack. He used his left arm to block the second blade attack, dealing 10 damage but it could of been worse. As the third blade would begin to come down, Dante drove the barrel of the shotgun into 4way's exposed gut wound and pointed upward. Dante shot off the last two shots of corrosive ammo from his shotgun into 4way as he felt the final blade attack go into his shoulder. The NCR ranger armor could handle only so much. "I don't care if it kills me 4way... you are dying today."

 

[Ms.Ezra]

For a moment 4Way thinks he has turned the tide on his would-be assassin just as he has the others when he sees his katana pierce through Dante's left arm, possibly crippling that arm. He was intent on shredding this guy for all the damage he's been dealt. He is so focused on the man that he forgets to disable his weapons first. If he had thought to do that, a swipe of one blade could have destroyed that shotgun before he felt its barrel in the open gut wound.

It was in that moment the red eyes of 4Way change from a menacing leer to wide saucers as he realizes I really messed up.

The rounds shred the organic core of 4Way and his meter hits zero. 4Way doesn't even have time for one last word to his opponent before he disintegrates into a pile of coins at Dante's feet. Dante receives +2500 XP for his victory against the higher level 4Way_Slicer. Should he decide to claim the coins it would be 3,256 credits total, and two Dynacaps as well. One was the ship he had driven to The Nexus, while the other contains a high-end futuristic motorcycle.

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante wasn't sure if what he did would be enough. That why when he saw his target turn into coins and items he breathed a sigh of relief. He took the moment to use his right hand to obtain the money and items dropped. His left arm had been crippled by that serious blow. He leaned up against the nearby wall and pulled out two stimpacks. He injected both of them directly into his shoulder and pushed down on the injectors and yelled out in pain as he felt his flesh and bone mend to it's original condition.

Once he was healed up Dante would stop the recording he had started. Dante put it through an automated editing software that would only show the footage of the chase and the final confrontation, finishing with Dante putting two rounds in his target's guts. Once the video was completed, Dante would attach message with it and send it to No-Tell-Moe.

----
Mr. No-Tell-Moe,

Attached is a video file of the pursuit and execution of 4Way_Slicer as requested. Please send the reward to my account at [email protected]. It has been a pleasure working with you and if you are in need of my services, feel free to contact me.

Dante_Castellanos.

---

With that message sent out he should be expecting his wallet to be significantly fuller in the coming hours. Dante would take this downtime to repair his armor and his bike. Dante would use the high-end motorcycle to make these errand. His armor was an easy fix from the repair shop. Dante would request that his armor to cosmetically look like new pieces were sewn on or welded as needed. He thinks that armor should look battleworn and his was.

His hover Harley would take some time as he did not want to pay for express repairs. He would have it delivered to his starship transport, The Dirty Wastelander. Which was where he was heading. The Dirty Wastelander is a Dynamic class light freighter from the old republic era of star wars. One of its famous iterations is the Ebon Hawk.

Once Dante was on his ship he would sit and relax in a bar/lounge area he had converted from the cargo hold. Since most cargo was digitized in the oasis the room was left without a use. Dante would sit at a table with a Nuka-cola Quantum. The glowing blue drink was one of his favorites. While sipping on his drink, Dante would check his mail to see if he had gotten paid yet. The only message he received was a mass send from a familiar name, Damagi. She was supposed to be a rising star in the competitive fighting circles. Her message stated that she was invited to take part in early access to Yautja Prime. Now that would be an interesting challenge. It said she was looking for people to team up with her. Dante decided to throw his hat into the ring.

The video message he sends to Damagi starts with him sitting at the table of his lounge drinking his Nuka-Cola Quantum. He takes a drink before speaking.

"Hello Damagi, my name is Dante Castellanos and I hear that you are looking for some people to join you on an early trip to Yautja Prime. So I figure I would tell you why you need someone like me. I was given the title "True Veteran Ranger" For being one of the first five hundred people to 100% complete all the faction missions for the NCR Rangers faction. I am one of the best shots with a revolver, lever actions, and of course my 50 caliber sniper rifle. Her name is Beatrice.

I also specialize in being a combat medic in the field. I use no magic whatsoever so I will not be hindered on this planet. I have recently taken up Mercenary work and Bounty Hunting. Check the news feeds on Neonoir if you get the chance. My latest target was a arena fighter by the name of 4Way_Slicer. Me talking to you should make it clear who won. I won't take up more of your time so I will leave you with some highlight footage of me in action. Action speak louder than words and all that.

Anyways if your interested send me a reply, or better yet come visit me on Neonior. I would love to see your lovely face in person. I'm sitting in my ship at night city hanger bay. Look for the ship named The Dirty Wastelander. Until then stay beautiful."

With that Dante would raise his glass and give the camera a wink and a devilish grin before ending the message. He would send a montage of footage featuring him fighting Deathclaws, yao guai, radiers, supermutants, and most recently 4Way.

With that done, Dante would sit and drink his glowing beverage as he looked through some weapon catalogs. He would need to do some shopping soon.


@Ms.Ezra
@Camleen

 

[Camleen]

Iria's ship had left Sector 13, and was now approaching Sector 16. It's a fairly short trip. Enough time for her to go potty in the real world and get a snack and a drink. And as she comes back to her avatar, Neonoir is just coming in sight. And as it comes into view, the space around her starts to get more and more populated by other spaceships coming and going from the planet. Some just stay in orbit, others are actively moving to or from. Ships of all makes, models and genres. Many of them share the cyberpunk asthetic associated with Neonoir; many of the ships looking like they were cobbled together from a scrapyard, some looking as if they would fly apart if they even attempted to get anywhere near gravity. They all aren't like that, but many are. And then there's Iria's ship. A heart shaped craft painted a bright red with red and pink glitter in its wake. It's a small ship, big enough for 3 people (4 if you're really really friendly). It has no offensive weapons, just shields. But it's major advantage is its speed.

In many aspects of her life in the OASIS, that is her thing. Being more defensive minded. Perhaps that's why she and Damagi have always been a good pair. Damagi is all about bringing the pain, and Iria is all about backing her up. So that aspect of her ship is suiting for her. If she gets into trouble, there are few ships that can outrace or outmaneuver her small ship. They've used it as a distraction before: A bright red ship pooing pink and red glowing glitter is bound to get attention.

Her gaze moves towards Nenoir proper now. The world looks like some onyx orb against the black, its surface one big interconnected grid of life and faux life. Iria has never been big into the whole cyberpunk thing. She likes the look of cyberpunk things, but it doesn't really go deeper than that.


But… when in Rome… do as the Romans do.


She doesn't have a cyberpunk skin, persay. But one of her goals is to have a skin for her avatar suited for every single sector. As Damagi would attest to, Iria loves playing dress up whenever she can. So while she won't look as cyberpunky, her Stormtrooper armor will have to do. She is going to stand out down there. White, green and pink armor against a backdrop of dark colors, bright neon and things seeming like they could fall apart. She's heard the term 'narc' before, implying her clean armor makes her seem like some kind of authority figure or something. But she just likes her stuff to be clean and shiny and pretty. Hence why she paints so much of her gear.

Her ship goes on autopilot to land, and Iria opens up her HUD. She scrolls through menus to her music section, and she loads a playlist. 'Cyberpunk'… something to get her in a Neonoir frame of mind. She has playlists for most every world she's been too.. one of the little things she likes to do for herself. The music starts in her ears as her ship lands, and the cockpit hatch slides open. With a deep breath she pushes herself up, and hops up onto the ledge of her ship. Her Stormtrooper helmet materializes in her hands, and she slips it over her head. Hopping down from her ship, it suddenly reduces in size to that of a small toy, which she scoops up and inserts back into her inventory.

Iria's Cyberpunk playlist is mostly electronic, synthwave and trance beat. The kind of music she has to be in the mood for. Lots of Daft Punk, Juno Reactor, Niky Nine, Sequencer, Jules Field and Unitra.. to name a few. She strides away from her ship, her eyes scanning left to right as she enters one of the habitat areas. Where she knows she'll find a marketplace.

And she's about to start her search in earnest… when she hears a familiar voice behind her. "Hey, Iria." She stops on a dime, freezing, and then turns. "Hey 5P1D3R." just pronounced 'Spider'. Her voice from under the helmet is slightly muffled, a bit more electronic in nature. As she speaks, a female avatar seems to come out of nowhere and steps up behind 5P1D3R. Iria's head tilts a little to one side, looking at her, and then back to the man. "Relax, she's just a pal. We're goin on a hunt. So I need funds." He holds his hand out to Iria, motioning her to give him something. Iria glances down, and her helmet dematerializes from her head as she looks back to him. "I don't.. have a ton of credits, 5P1D3R. I only came here to b-" she is cut off as he speaks in a firm tone. "Don't care. I need money. You don't want me to go into this with low level gear, right?" Iria just shakes her head slightly, looking down and away from him. "So give me credits. Whatever you got on ya." Iria keeps her gaze down, her brows furrowing as she seems to be thinking about what to do. "Trieu!" he calls out angrily. She flinches and moves to him, and she transfers 39.4K in Credits to him with no further hesitation. He smiles under his mask, and nods to her. "There ya go. You can make this back in no time. Just rent yourself out as a healer or some shit." She nods quietly, and then he speaks once more as he leans towards. The lower part of his mask opens and he kisses her forehead lightly. "I love ya, gal. Now go on and have fun. I'll let ya know when we're done." Iria halfheartedly smiles up to him and nods. He turns and strides away, the woman in tow. Iria stares at her until they are out of sight.


A series of low range blips comes from the back of her armor, and she just mutters. "Not now, please." She then turns, her helmet rematerializing back onto her head, and she heads towards the market area once more. At least the helmet will hide her scowl and the tears rimming her eyes.

Iria wanders along the different market stalls, finding… all kinds… of things. Mostly related to science fiction. Specifically the cyberpunk genre, obviously. She sees a ton of stuff she would love to get, but now her funds are even tighter. So she can't spend like she usually does. "Okay Arty, time for work." She stops and glances over her shoulder. The small disc on the back of her armor detaches, and then floats there. Thin appendages fold out from it, and it's softly glowing red eyes look towards her. It beeps and squeels gently, as if sounding excited. Iria nods to it "Yep. I said we were getting something for you. I mean I hope we are. Gotta find it first." She looks down to her gauntlet, and a small screen materializes on it. She scrolls through different sections of the screen, and then lets out a soft "Ah ha". She looks to her companion/scout droid Artemis as she speaks. "Okay babe, we need a Factor 4 Filtered Scan Module. 1124. Go find us one, I'll keep lookin here." The droid's whole body tilts forward, and then it rises into the air and zips off. The tilting thing is its way of nodding, which Iria thinks is cute. She turns then, and she heads deeper into the market place, her hands folded behind her back as she looks along the wares. She tries to keep her thoughts happy, she tries to think of the mission and team (that is yet to be), and what they might need. How she might be of use to them. She doesn't think that's possible, though. She'll probably just end up cannon fodder.

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante was easily bored looking through the catalog of weaponry. It was time to go out and get himself some armaments for the upcoming trip to Yautja prime. He was confident that Damagi would want him. Even if she refused he needed the gear. Even without the bounty in his account he had some decent funds on him. In his real like he helped people with various programming jobs. He put almost all his real world money into the oasis.

Dante decided to take his new Bike he got from 4Way and drive it to the markets. He needed to pick up his hover Harley from the shop anyways. Dante was lazily looking around the shops and the marketplace. It was dirty, neon lit, and everyone looked like they had a bone up their ass. It was Neonoir alright. Though there was an exception to the rule that he saw. As he was in the nearby. Someone dressed in bright white, green, and pink stormtrooper armor was walking. This was unusual as it seemed like pink was a nonexistent color on Neonoir except in hair. The stormtrooper armor definitely caught your sight. Like in those photos where one of these things just doesn't belong here.

Dante was a little interested in the owner of the armor. They must not spend much time on Neonoir except maybe at the Distracted Globe. He would follow casually through the crowd. His dirty Veteran Ranger armor kept him blended in the crowd. He decided to wear the helmet and mask. The eyes of his mask glowed a dim red as he followed.

He kept his distance when he saw that the bright stormtrooper was stopped by someone. He heard muffled conversation among the chatter of the market. When the stormtrooper took their mask off he was caught a little of guard. It was a woman who appeared to be a drow elf of some sort. She wasn't bad on the eyes, though that was common here. Dante couldn't hear the conversation, but he saw how it left the Elf. You can tell a lot about somebody's walk and hers signaled that she was left in a worse mood.

Dante really had no personal investment with this person, but he was off the clock and was was bored. Dante would continue to follow at a distance. It was easy to keep track of her in her armor.

Dante decided to finally move in when she sent her robot away. He walked up to the current stall she was at. He dematerialized his mask and turned to look at her. "Love the concept, but it kind of makes you a beacon out here. I'm personally the one for thinking armor should look like it has seen battle. Look at me. I look like hell cause I've been through it. Though dont get me wrong yours looks nice... I'm Dante by the way. Sorry for bugging you. I'm just a nosy person and you look like you could use a drink... or a hug if your the affectionate type."

Iria would see a six foot tall man with short cut blonde hair wearing a grin on his face. His armor was that of the NCR veteran ranger. His armor looks to be patched up in places with leather, metal plates rewelded together and some plates added. On the right shoulder is the two headed bear insignia for the New California Republic, but as opposed to be a regular military patch it appeared to be made of gold and the bear made of onyx.

"Now I can probably give you the drink. The hug may take some convincing."

@Camleen

 

[Camleen]

Her mind still lingers on the encounter with 5P1D3R, and she's happy she had this excuse to get away from Damagi. She genuinely did need to buy something, which gave her a convenient excuse. If Damagi ever found out about 5P1D3R, it would be bad. For him, that is. Before she would even have a chance to say something, Damagi would dust him.

2 sides of her life. And she doesn't want one side to find out about the other.

Iria looks at the small wares available before her, and she finds herself smiling a little. She has taken her helmet off, the tears have stopped for now. She picks up a pair of chopsticks, and they glow a ghostly blue as she handles them. She giggles a little, turning them in her hand. They're cute. Setting them down, she sees there's various cans of neon spray paint, some of it actually having a glowing effect. She's always wanted to experiment with painting, even if it is just spray paint. A few items from Ghost in the Shell… she likes that.. and a sticker that says 'Hack The Planet'. Right on.

And as she browses, she's vaguely aware of someone pulling up next to her. When she's in these zones, she doesn't really watch her back or anything. She feels safe enough. So when someone speaks to her, her eyes widen a little and she looks towards him. Her head tilts up slightly, and she just watches him silently for a moment or two.

"Way you're not." That didn't come out like it did in her brain.

She shakes her head a little and looks down towards the market stall once more, tucking a strand of red hair behind one of her pointed ears. "I'm not" she starts, stops, and then starts again as she looks back towards him out of the corner of her eyes.

Where's Damagi when you need her?

"Armor really isn't my thing. Neither is this place." She shakes her head quickly, looking down again. Not to survey the wares, just to not look towards him. "I mean it's cool and all. But I'm more used to… ya know… robes. Magicky thingies. I only broke out the armor cause we're goin to a no magicky zone." She looks back to him as she smiles faintly. "And I painted it, I wanted to show it off. But I don't usually wear it… so I'm not keen on armor protocol." There is a specific theme to the armor, rather to the paint scheme. But thus far no one's been able to really put it together. "Yer not buggin me, Dante."

Dante… Devil May Cry, the first game was good and then they weren't. Dante… author of the Divine Comedy. Dante's Peak… bad movie about a volcano with that cute guy from Goldeneye.

She glances down his armor, not recognizing it specifically. She knows of the game the armor originates from, but she wouldn't be able to recognize that armor specifically. "While I appreciate it.. I don't really drink." She says with a barely seen smile, her half open eyes looking towards the market stall. "And I don't think my boyfriend would approve of me hugging some dude I just met on Neonoir of all places." She grins faintly to herself, but she speaks again. "But… if you're bored… you can have a drink and I can tag along while I wait for my mighty hunter to get back." She shrugs a little, shifting her weight on her feet. "I mean I could go for a fizzy or somethin." Iria shakes her head a little, nervously her finger taps her thigh "I'm not used ta people.. ya know.. just talkin to me. I mean just me." She looks back to him. "That sounds awkward. I swear I'm not weird."

Fibber, fibber. Thine pants ablaze.

"Oh oh.. oh I'm Iria, by the way. Sorry, shoulda lead with that."

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante looked to Iria and smiled. It was interesting to see someone who didn't mind him kind of intruding on their time. Most people on Neonoir liked to play the part of a grungy lone wolf. Of course Dante was like that too, but this was a night change of pace seeing someone so bright spirited.

"Ah so your into the whole gather a party, kill monsters, and take the loot thing. That is pretty cool. I bet your like some awesome healer or super destructive summon goddess. I sometimes find myself in magic zones. I'm just lucky that my peacemaker is considered low tech and passes by the filters. These cyberpunks hate wild west stuff."

With that Dante pulled out his revolver to show Iria as of he was trying to peddle it on the streets. It was black and looked as though it came straight out of a western movie.

"Other than that I don't really go into magic zones. They seem more party oriented and well... well I guess they aren't meant for a friendless loser like me. So I just wander around the sectors. Never really staying in one place for too long."

Dante didn't know why he let that last part out. Perhaps it was because he was comfortable with the fact that he really didn't have anyone in the real world or the oasis. He was a solo player. While that isn't really special it was apart of who he was.

"I think that it's cool that you painted your own armor. I'm not exactly the best at crafting. Screw armor protocol. Just do what makes you happy that's the point of the oasis. I may even commission a piece from you if you take them."

Dante saw her grin and mention a boyfriend. He wasn't sure if she was telling the truth or not. Was that who he saw giving her a hard time? Either way he decided to play it smooth and playboy like. "So boyfriend huh. I guess that means I have some competition... I'm kidding, or am I? In any case I welcome the company."

Dante opened up his inventory and took out two bottles of Nuka-cola Quantum. It was a soda that glowed neon blue in the glass bottle. He handed one to Iria. He took a big drink out of his.

"It's nice to meet you Iria. You should get used to people talking to you. You are an interesting person. Also it's ok to be weird. Weird is exciting and cool. Normal is too boring, especially here... forgive me for asking though. Was that your boyfriend who you were talking to before? You don't have to answer if you don't want to. After all I am just some random guy on Neonoir looking for someone to have a conversation with. Man that sounds kind of sad when I say it out loud."