Aramani- Land of Bounty

[Scarlet Weather]

Note: Don't forget the person who's running the operation is a comedian. Expect to see a few strange and insane plot twists along the way.

Many years ago, the land of Aramani was a succesful country, and a world superpower. This, however, was before it was forced to fight a series of costly wars, and hire mercenaries in order to supplement its flagging armed forces. With the help of these mercenaries, the war was won- however, the country no longer had the money necessary to pay the soldiers they had hired. Angered, the mercenaries took over and stormed the treasury, only to find that it was empty. With nowhere to go and no possesions to speak of, most eventually decided to remain in Aramani and seek work there. This, however, became the country's undoing. With a rise in population and an empty treasury, they had no way of supporting themselves, and were forced to raise taxes. With the burden of such a heavy tax, many businesses folded and thousands became unemployed, and with no way to find work. That was when the crime wave began- within the space of a few years, Aramani went from economic paradise to dunghill. With no way to keep criminals in check, the government began to despair- that is, until the police arrived. Headed by a mercenary leader, the new police force promised to restore order to Aramani, of a sort, within a year. With the government's consent, they immediately began a campaign to bring in freelance workers, known as bounty hunters, in order to track down criminals. The bounty hunters were paid an amount equivalent to a criminal's "rank" which was based on a point system developed by the police's former mercenary chief. Additionally, bounty hunters had their own rank raised for every criminal they caught- the higher your rank, the more you were allowed to do in order to track down a criminal. The job only required a quick physical and a quick demonstration of talent, and became so popular that former criminals began looking for it. The job had one downside, however- the bounty hunters were forced to pay taxes. Within a few years, the government treasury had been replenished, the police force was the highest organization in the country next to the council of officials, and the police force relied on bounty hunters to take care of their dirty work.

However, a new threat to the land has appeared- a mysterious criminal calling himself DL has issued an ultimatum- either the country surrender itself to him, or he will plunge it into a war that will destroy it. It isn't an empty threat, either- besides being a suspected head of the criminal organization "Russian Roulette", he has captured the plans for the country's defense, and is threatening to sell them to another nation, Plunging Aramani into war once again. Angered and concerned, the country has offered an enormous bounty for the head of this man, and amnesty for any criminal who captures him. You are a bounty hunter, and have just received word of this- are you ready to take the challenge?

Info about Aramani:

Technology, government system, and general info: Aramani is a sort of city-country- it's basically a gigantic city with a few farms in between districts. The city is referred to simply as "the metropolis", while farm areas are referred to as "chow makers". There are several "crime district" areas, where the police never go- these are usually home to either lawbreakers or bounty hunters. Aramani is governed by both a president and a traditional "Council of Elders", both of which are elected by the people. These two branches must be in agreement in order for any law to be passed. Currently, the country is in the hands of the police force, however, as both the elders and president will listen to anything the chief says, effectively making him the most powerful man in Aramani. Aramani's technology is a bit strange- in terms of communications and transport, they are above Earth-Level, but due to the fact that gunpowder was never discovered, the weapons are a bit archaic. Common weapons include air guns, swords, and blunt objects and knives of various varieties. Due to the number of mercenaries hired during the war, Aramani has quite a few cultures within it.

Races: Being on a planet and universe far from Earth, there are a few alien species living in the world of our roleplay. Let's take a look.

Armania: The native people of Aramani, these people are basically humans with incredible Longevity- at fifty, for example, they would appear to be twenty. Unfortunately, they mature at the same rate as they age for the most part.

Garagana: From the land of Gargar in the north, these people are bizarre mixes of human and beast. Known for strength and healing ability, this race is usually the most unaccepted in normal society due to their highly-strung tempers and tribal religions and rituals.

Hiratana: From Hirata in the south, these people are human, but live in a society based around discipline and the martial arts. These people, along with the Armania, are the dominant members of society.

Chi: Let's talk about special powers! The basics- chi is life energy, which every living being is born with, and which grows stronger with age- the longer you live, the more life energy you gather, hence, the more available chi you have. Chi can be replenished simply by resting and eating, or by using an external means such as water from the sacred springs in Hirata, which replenishes it almost instantly. The use of chi cannot be classically taught, as each person's chi manifests itself differently, within one of several broad disciplines. The use of chi is based mostly on discipline- the more you can control your mind, the more you can do with your chi. Chi users usually learn control by meditating until they can summon their chi "aura"- an outward manifestation of their energy. When this is accomplished, they begin experimenting with its use until they can fully manifest it and use it as naturally as they would their body. The uses of individual chi techniques are limited only by the imagination and chi type of the user. Each chi class needs a necessary inborn trait to be within the user from birth in order for them to effectively use that type of chi. Now, on to the disciplines.

Materialization/Manipulation: This class of chi user is able to transform their chi into a solid object of some sort, then control it. This class of chi user usually has the least available energy, but the best control. If the object is broken, the person who materialized it temporarily loses all of their chi-based abilities, depending on the damage done this may last from anywhere between a week and a month. Armania are usually of this class, although Hiratana have been known to use it on rare occasions. For some reason, Garagana have never been able to use this ability, it is suspected that this is because they lack the necessary inborn imagination needed to make their aura into a complex solid object. The necessary trait for this discipline is "Imagination"- without a vivid imagination, the user cannot form a vivid enough image of their chi weapon or object to make it solid.

Regeneration/Reinforcement: These chi users cannot manipulate or launch chi outside of their body, but they can use it to accelerate their own healing process and augment their strength. Most Garagana are of this type, along with a fair number of Hiratana- however, no Armania are able to use this ability, supposedly because they lack the inborn focus needed to use this technique. The necessary trait of this ability is "Focus"- without it, the chi user would be unable to circulate their chi throughout their body effectively.

Barrier: These chi users materialize their chi as a barrier or wall of some sort- be it a stone barrier, a glowing shield, or a wall of flames. Barrier users can also use their barriers to attack by "Rushing" the enemy with them. All races share this form of chi use evenly. The necessary trait for a barrier user is "Determination". Without enough willpower and refusal to give in, their barrier would crumble. They are usually more stubborn then angry.

Destructive: DBZ, anyone? Destruction users can launch their chi as a powerful, destructive burst. This class generally has the most available chi, but the least control. This trait is evenly spread as well, but has fewer users then the Barrier class. Destructive chi requires two qualities-"Determination" and "Rage". "Rage", as it is called, is a name given to a berserk anger that all Destructive users are prone to. Though rare, occasionally a barrier-type chi user will become a destructive user if his anger escalates to the point where he cannot control it.

It should be noted that even though chi users have a specific personality trait that determines their use, that trait is not always life-dominating: Rather, it is simply the most dominant aspect of their personality. (Let me clarify- not all Materialization users spend their lives in a waking dream, but all materialization users are creative and somewhat imaginative.)

Explanations of criminal rank: This ranking system is used to determine the bounty of a criminal.

E Rank: 1-50 points. The basic pickpocket or Dine N' Dash crooks falls into this category. Not worth much.

D Rank: 50-500 points. Now we're moving up in the world. These crooks range from house burglars to low-rank mob people. Not exactly easy to get along with. Worth a fair amount of money.

C Rank: 500-1500 points: Whoah, now we're talkin'! These guys are definitely considered fairly dangerous, and include murderers, gang members, etc. Worth enough money to make a car payment.

B Rank: 1500-5000 points. These guys are definitely scary- if there's a serial killer or mass murderer in the world, they'll be B rank. Worth enough money to make a car and a house payment.

A Rank: 5000-10000: Even creepier then B-Rank, an A-Rank criminal is feared by anyone who knows him. Worth enough money to pay off your car or house for good.

S Rank: 10000-15000: Only S-Ranked bounty hunters are allowed to pursue these with government consent. All S-Ranked criminals can use chi formidably, and are considered a serious threat to society. If you can take one down and bring him in, he's worth enough money to buy your house, car, a fine night out, and a big screen TV, with enough left over to live off of for a month.

Star Rank: 15000+. Star Rank criminals- the most despicable beings on Earth. Only one is currently known- DL has been elevated to this status officially by police. The bounty for a star-ranker is upwards of six million credits.

And Finally, a blurb on phones:

Every bounty hunter has a cell phone issued to them which contains access to a file on all criminals with a bounty currently offered. The phone has text and picture capability, and rings when a criminal with a substantial bounty appears on the scene. The criminal file contains information including appearance, bounty offered, and a list of crimes, past and recent, as well as information on the weapons and tactics of the person mentioned.

It should also be noted that all bounty hunters are at least proficient in some form of martial art, or in the use of one or more types of weapons.

Rules:

1. No swearing. I can't stand it, and there are so many better words to choose from. If you must swear, say "He uttered an expletive", or "'@#$#' he yelled." The same goes for taking God's name in vain. You don't like it? Too bad, I run this rp. Oh, and the word "Hell" is Okay if used in the context of "What the hell?"... for now. If I decide to ban it later, woe betide all who say it.

2. Normal rp rules- this includes no god-modding, powerplaying, etc.

3. No "bunnying" without permission of the other user, and notifying me.

4. My word is law. I say what goes, not you. In other words, no mini-modding OR mini-running the rp. Unless your name happens to have the word "Moderator" beside it, and you have a specific reason for doing so.

5. I want at least six lines in your rp post unless you can say everything you need to in less, and proper grammar. If you can't do this, run the post through a spellcheck on a word processor or something. I want understandable posts.

6. If you have a concern, notify me. I want to hear you.

7. If you enter into a fight with another character, you must use proper "fighting etiquette". This means ending your post with an attack being launched instead of making it contact immediately, especially if said attack could do major damage if it contacts. Likewise, you are not allowed to avoid attacks indefinitely. You and the other player must decide on a winner over PM system before fifteen posts, or I will cut in and decided for you. If the fight is really cool though, I may allow you to extend it for a few extra if you want.

8. Character death is not permitted without my consent, unless the character is your own.

9. If your character dies but you want to rejoin, PM me a sign-up for another character and I'll see if I can fit you in.

10. Romance is fine, but no hentai please.

11. If you screw up in the roleplay too often, I will whack you with my patented ACC bone of justice and then kick you out for good. Your character will die an embarassing death.

12. I reserve the right to refuse you because I don't like you. (.0000000000001 percent chance of this occuring.)

13. And finally, you may manipulate NPCs as long as they aren't connected with the police station ('cause only I can do that), or you aren't using them instead of your main character in the posts. If you do that, I want a new sign-up.

Sign-Up sheet.

Full name: (Can be from any Earth culture, cannot be an anime ripoff.)

Age: (As long as you're above sixteen or its Armanian equivalent, you should be Okay.)

Personality: (most important category- six lines, please, unless you can say everything you need to in less. No Mary Sues/Gary Stus. They will be shot on sight.)

Gender: (It's either one or the other people.)

Race: (No cliche Gargar unless you can do them well, please.)

Appearance: (Pics are fine, remember that your character is a bounty hunter, and is probably a bit eccentric. Do a good job of describing him.)

Rank: (E-S, and make it logical- S Class bounty hunters are obviously more experienced and older then E Class.)

Criminal Rank (If former criminal): (If your character was a crook at some point, give his rank here. Remember, his age has to be logical- he has to be old enough to commit the crimes he got his rank for, and then wait until he has either served his sentence or waited until the statute of limitations on his crime ran out. You should also give us a list of past offenses here.)

History: (Standard four lines, and feel free to keep part of your character's history under wraps and reveal it throughout the rp. If the rest of your sign-up looks good, you can skip this category altogether. Remember to update this section as your character's history is revealed, though.)

Chi Class: (Choose from the above.)

Abilities: (Give a sampling of what your character can do. If he has specific attacks, list them here and explain them in detail. Be logical- an E Class bounty hunter will probably not be able to use attacks of the same caliber as a B Class would. Feel free to add new attacks as the rp progresses, just give them some logic. Feel free to leave blank and update as needed if your sign-up is Okay without 'em.)

Rp Sample: (Show your stuff! I'll only ask for one if I really need it, but if you are weak in other areas, a good rp sample is a great way to change my mind.)

 

[Alana]

Interesting plot. I've been meaning to read this for a while and finally got around to it. :D

Full Name: Kyohaku Musouka (Often called Souka)

Age: 42

Personality: Lazily arrogant and constantly sarcastic, Souka can be a very difficult person to like. She often speaks in a low purr which only adds depth to her arrogant remarks. To most people she's not very nice. The only respect she gives are to people who earn it. It doesn't matter who you are or what you do, if you're scum to her she'll treat you like scum. Even though she's a bounty hunter and rarely gives a second thought to those she hunts, she has a heart. Her main affection is for animals, exactly why even she isn't sure.

Ticking her off is a very bad idea, especially because she has a bad history and carries loaded guns. Apart from anger or smug cheerfulness, it's rare to see emotions from Souka. She's clever and cunning which has helped her reach the hunter rank she is. She's a convincing actor, making it hard to tell if she's telling the truth or not, though she's usually pretty honest. However, being only seventeen in maturity, she does make mistakes and doesn't always think before she acts.

Gender: Female

Race: Armania

Appearance: Around seventeen in appearance, Souka is tall and muscular with tanned skin and blazing red eyes speckled with blue. It's rumored that there is some Garagana blood in her family and the idea is supported by her cat shaped pupils and long, pointed canines. Her long hair is black as midnight with a red streak in the bangs. Her usual outfit is rather suggestive. A tight, black tank-top and black flaring pants with only two strips of black on the upper thighs make up the bulk of her style. She has holsters strapped to both thighs with a loaded gun in each. Her shoes are sturdy brown boots and she has a dagger strapped to her right leg. On both hands are black gloves with no index finger and she has a tattoo of flaming tiger on her lower back.

Rank: B

Criminal Rank: C: She killed a guy in self-defense once then a second in revenge.

History: Souka's parents are Czarina and Karkyo Musouka. Her mother, like her, has cat-like pupils and fang-like canines. It is rumored that one of her great-grandparents was a Garagana, something that Souka has never bothered to investigate though she's sure it's true. Not only does her appearance show some beast-like characteristics, she has a chi class that is almost completely unique to Garagana. If that weren't enough, Armania aren't able to wield the Regeneration chi.

Souka's life was full of rather uninteresting events. Some martial arts training, school, a murder or two, well, perhaps there were some sparks of interest. When she was thirty-five, the equivalent of fourteen in regular human years, she was attacked by a guy while out walking late one night. She always carried a small knife with her for protection and in the struggle she ended up killing him. Later she discovered the guy belonged to a small gang composed mainly of E and D rank members.

Of course they weren't very happy with her and a short while later another member attacked. This time Souka was walking with a friend who was not as cautious as she was and carried no weapons. Her friend was killed and the attacker, now elevated from D to C class, took off. Souka tracked him down, carrying a gun, and took revenge for her friend's death. Shortly after she was confronted by a bounty hunter and captured. After that she joined the bounty hunter ranks and has been working hard in the profession ever since. (A very blah history but it has the necessary info it.)

Chi Class: Regeneration/Reinforcement (Explanation in history. If not allowed I'll change.)

Abilities: (No idea if I'm doing this part right.) Focus -Gives her the ability to circulate her chi through her body.
Amber Glow - The name is something Souka made up. When in use she appears to glow ever so slightly with amber colored light. The ability increases her strength for a short amount of time.
Saiki - Japanese for recovery, this ability quickens Souka's recovery if she's injured.
Purification - All this ability does is heal scars.

Rp Sample: Rataki let out a squeal of delight as she darted from shop window to shop window, examining the merchandise within. All of her money was back at the Pokemon Center but she had already picked out at least ten items she was going to buy. "This, and that, that, oh! I've never seen that before!" She skidded to a halt in front of a window that displayed the latest capture device. A green and grey box only a little larger than a Pokeball. The sign next to it read "PokeBox, soon to replace the PokeBall. Can hold more than one Pokemon at a time and has almost a 99% capture rate!"

"What a waste. No real trainer would bother with such a thing. What's the fun in catching Pokemon if you're guaranteed a capture? You wouldn't even have to battle it!" She glared at the box for a while longer then flicked her light green hair out of her crimson eyes and marched onward. Soon she completely forgot about the PokeBox and became enthralled with many other items.

A beeping from the device in her ear told her that her Pokemon had been fully healed. She turned right around and sprinted past the shop windows, heading for the Pokemon Center. The sliding doors opened instantly as she approached them and she smiled. Though it happened for everyone she was sure it was quicker for her. After all, she was an interregional champion, was she not? "Nurse, I'm here for my...my Pokemon," she paused, placing a hand to her head. I must have run a bit too fast on the way here, she thought to herself.

"Are you all right, Rataki?" The kind red haired nurse looked at Rataki in concern as she staggered slightly, taking hold of the counter to steady herself.

"I'm fine. Got a bit dizzy there for a moment."

"Do you need to sit down?"

"No thank you. I'm fine now." This was not the truth but Rataki wasn't going to let anyone know that she was feeling ill. She would go to her room, pretending to get her money, and lie down for a bit. No one would notice. She accepted her Pokemon from the nurse and turned to head for her room. Another dizzy spell hit her and her head pounded terribly. She leaned against the counter on the pretext of reading a pamphlet laying on it. What's wrong with me? I must be allergic to something in here. I was fine outside.

Deciding that her shopping could wait, she headed quickly for the door. "Are you sure you're all right, dear?" the nurse called after her, "You look pale. Come over here and sit down for a mo...oh!" She hurried from behind the counter and knelt beside the fallen girl. "Are you all right? Rataki? Rataki, can you hear me?"

She couldn't. She had been unconscious before she hit the floor.

 

[Scarlet Weather]

I'll be requiring an explanation, and a watertight one, as to why an Armania can use that particular chi class, but I'm confident that you'll come up with it. So yeah, write up a history and you're ACCEPTED.

 

[Alana]

And zer we go, all finished. ^_^ My history isn't very creative and poorly written, but I hope it will do. Also, I may tweak her personality later on if I find it hard to make her an interesting character as is.

 

[Scarlet Weather]

Alana, I must say that I'm a little surprised, seeing as you thought of a cross-race character, when I didn't even consider the possibility. Your history and RP sample are good, so you are officially and unquestioningly ACCEPTED. And I want to say thank you for being the first to sign up.

 

[Alter Ego]

Nyu, I've been planning to join ever since I saw the corrected version in the Discussion Thread. ^-^ Question, though: should we declare the conventional weapons our characters have or are those fair game for improvisation? Also, I think the third ability might a bit non-materilizationish, so if you've got a problem with it just tell me and I'll edit. ^-^

Full name: Aerin Kreegon

Age: 53

Personality: A smug intellectual above all, Aerin was hailed as a genius of chi-control, a prodigy even, at young age, and the fact that he is annoyingly good at it has done little to deflate his ego. Aerin can certainly not be faulted for being overly modest, rarely passing on a chance to point out his superior intellect and skills. He's not just an empty braggart, however, and is always ready to back his bold claims with very solid results. As far as Aerin is concerned, his position as a prodigy is a fact, and he simply fails to see the wrong in stating it. Blunt insults do little to phaze this bounty hunter as he sees them only as yet more proof of his intellectual superiority over the insulter.

Needless to say Aerin has a certain...way with people: criticism and snide remarks flow out from his mouth on a regular basis, and not even those he respects and considers friends are fully safe from them. He also has no patience for the slow-witted and ignorant, and simply can't stand people with no understanding of personal hygiene. He has consequently gotten into trouble with the majority of the people he has met in his life, but the way he sees it, this is completely natural: after all, a prodigy always inspires envy and hatred among the plebians.

Aerin is well-educated, courtesy of his high class education, and is often a useful source of information...if one can resist the urge to throttle him for the way he presents it, that is. Despite his considerable intellect, Aerin is - however - very insensitive to people's emotions, and sometimes has trouble understanding irrational behaviour.

Why someone of Aerin's disposition and dislike for the dirty and gritty side of life would become a bounty hunter is anyone's guess, but odds are that he wants to pit his wits against the sharpest of criminal minds, and the notorious DL is certainly no exception.

Gender: Male

Race: Armania

Appearance: Despite being a mere average height, Aerin carries himself with a proud posture which accentuates that height to its fullest, making him appear far more impressive at first glance than he really is. Despite spending many years on the bounty hunter's job, he retains a deceptively light frame and his skin - a rather light hue, at that - still remains largely unmarred by scars. His hair is of a chestnut colour, reaching about shoulder length at the and splitting into two long, thin spiky bangs, the longer of which almost reaches his chin, at the front that often obscure his vividly green eyes. The rest of his hair is realtively neat, although a few smaller spikes jut out here and there. Aerin's features are finely chiseled and would make him border on good looking, were it not for the inherent arrogance in his facial expression.

For clothes, Aerin usually wears a dark blue dress shirt accompained by a pair of black slacks and a pair of neatly kept black leather shoes. "We might work with unwashed street scum", he is fond of saying, "but that doesn't mean we have to dress like them.". When walking in the streets, he usually covers these clothes with a long, black trench coat which - while not very discreet either - at least makes his dressing habits a tad less glaringly obvious. Aerin also has a slight problem with longsightedness, and consequently wears a pair of glasses at most times.

Rank: B

Criminal Rank: N/A

History: The offspring of a family of very wealthy businessmen and intellectuals, Aerin's parents originally wanted their son to grow up in their image and take over the family business, providing their 'child prodigy' with the highest class of education available. It soon became evident, however, that the bussinessworld just wasn't Aerin's cup of tea. He understood the theory, certainly, but his temper and dislike for the 'supidity of it all' hurt his performrance in practice. The boy was hardly worthless, however, and soon displayed a considerable talent for manipulating chi, which he then sought to perfect. Realizing what a powerful figurehead such an adept would make, his parents consented, and for the following twenty years Aerin was tutored - as far as such a thing was possible - by an experienced chi user of his chosen type. While Aerin certainly enjoyed learning - once he got over his indigination over the fact that someone was so much better than him - he found the prospect of acting as his parents' public scarecrow distasteful and calmly plotted a plan to get him out of it, discreetly working his way up the bounty hunter ranks behind his parents' backs until he had eventually reached a respectable C rank, enough to announce himself a professional who simply couldn't be tied down in such troublesome times. (NOTE: This is the very brief edition because I didn't want to ramble. More details available on request. :3)

Chi Class: Materialization/Manipulation

Abilities: Being the self-appointed prodigy that he was, Aerin quickly decided that only the materials with the best resistance to temperature and pressure would be fit for his use. As a result, the weapons he creates consist nothing short of crystalized chi, perhaps bearing closest resemblance to diamonds or crystal. Somewhat gaudy though it is, this choice hasn't failed him yet. Aerin also has a dislike for close combat - fools' games, as he calls it - and so his attacks are primarily aimed at finishing opponents off at a distance. Although he is always experimenting on new ways to use his power, the techniques he is currently most fond of are:

Glitterdust: Aerin's first technique. Rather than trying to create a single large weapon like most materilization techniques do, this technique involves the materilization of countless tiny chi crystals, each one razor sharp and invisible to the naked eyes save for their namesake glittering, which he then uses as throwing weapons. Although these crystals are too small to cause lethal damage, they are very efficient in harming more vulnerable parts of the body such as eyes, joints, fingers, and unprotected feet. These crystals are also very light, however, so strong gusts of wind make their use difficult. Also, because the crystals are so small and are sharp in every direction, they need to be materialized in mid-throw lest they cut up Aerin's own hand instead of the opponent.

Shooting Star: Aerin's weapon of choice, the shooting star is a sizeable shuriken consisting of four 3-foot crystal spikes pointing north, south, east, and west respectively with a grip hole in the middle. In the rare moments that Aerin is forced to enter close combat, he splits this shuriken into two single spikes instead. Like all weapons Aerin creates, the shooting star is translucent and glows in sunlight, making it quite the impressive sight when thrown. The brightness also makes it far harder to track its movement accurately, making the weapon harder to dodge. As the weapon is pure chi, Aerin can also call it back to his hand through concentration.

Chi Vision: More of a gadget than a weapon, with this technique Aerin materializes a pair of thin crystaline lenses in front of his eyes. The lenses are extremely efficient in collecting light, improving Aerin's darkvision considerably. They are also hard like all the objects he materializes and so serve to shield his eyes. Finally, these lenses function much in the same capacity as his glasses, making them handy when things get too ugly for his tastes...not to mention the durability of his glasses.

RP Sample: So...do you really need it? I'm mostly asking because it would probably turn out lengthy and I've already spent a lot of typing this out, so yeah. I'll point you towards Eseka for now. Will edit in a fresh one if necessary. :3

 

[Scarlet Weather]

Hell, AE, I've seen enough of your roleplaying that going over your sign-up is basically a formality. So no, you don't need a sample. ACCEPTED in all caps with a smiley-faced emoticon. :) Ah, and conventional weapons may be subject to change. My own character switches so often that if I had to list every one, it would take half the sign-up sheet to do so.[/hyperbole] (I'm annoyed that you remember what a plebian is and I don't... I used to know that...) Anyway, after one or two more join, we can begin, and I'll post my character here right now.

Name:

Aliases: Taiki of the sixteen desert sands of the northern end of the world/Mr. Peebles/Thief King Scipio

Real name: Wyatt Engle

Age: 63

Personality: Contrary to the usual rough faces in the Bounty Hunting field, Wyatt (Or Taiki, as he calls himself in the field), is incredibly outgoing, to the point where he often causes problems for others. He loves drama, and will do anything to be the center of attention, from barging in when it would be far safer to keep hidden, simply because it would be more dramatic, to leaping on tables and declaring his favorite alias to whatever criminal he happens to be pursuing. He often shows off during fights, pulling off moves simply because they "look cool" rather then judging how effective they are.

Taiki has more then a little bit of a mischevious streak, and often pulls pranks on friends and enemies alike. While his maturity level should be somewhere around the age of twenty-six, he tends to act much younger, and acts almost childlike with friends and enemies alike. He's notorious for embarrasing everyone around him, including himself. His antics never seriously harm anyone however, and he seems to treat life as "Just another game". Because of this, despite his experience as a Bounty Hunter, very few criminals are afraid of him.

Taiki is something of a dreamer as well. While he doesn't believe he can fix everything that's wrong in the world, he does believe that by working hard and proving himself, he can change his own life for the better. He places an unnatural ammount of trust in his instincts, and often messes up the plans of others by doing something completely unexpected. Sharper then he looks, Taiki is a formidable fighter and is talented in the field of information gathering, due to his self-described "Magnetic Personality".

Gender: Male

Race: Armania

Appearance: Taiki is easy to pick out in a crowd, due to his self-described "Cape Fetish". He's never without one, though he will discard it if he feels it will hamper his movement. His current attire consists of a brown "Fighter Pilot" jacket, a pair of red-striped, black "Track pants", and his signature headband, which has the word "Sabaku" printed across it, in homage to his favored alias. (Which, by the way, is a completely false name, due to the fact that there are no deserts in the northern country. Taiki came up with it because it "sounded dramatic, and was easy to remember". He's puzzled as to why his enemies never adress him by his full title.) His hair tends to stand up in points that look like they've been styled with gel, and is a light brownish color. His eyes are a startling blue, and tend to weird people out when he shakes them in public.

Rank: A

Criminal Rank: (For everday purposes, E: He was caught peeping in a bathhouse once, and he hasn't yet paid the fine. As Thief King Scipio, he has a criminal rank of S, due to a series of completely bogus thefts that he paid to have inserted into the police database under the name "Scipio".)

History: Not much is known about Taiki's past, or why he always uses an alias. It is known that ever since he was a small child, he has been fascinated by fairytales, and has dreamed of emulating the heroes in them. He also has several years of experience under his belt due to his becoming a bounty hunter only a day after mastering chi. His years of experience in the field have given him a reputation as being the best bounty hunter on the job if you want the target alive. He plans to capture DL in order to use the amnesty he will be given to reveal his identity as Scipio, and watch the reactions of those around him. He has several underworld connections due to his manufactured identity as Scipio, including the friendships of "Zoom Zoom" LaRue, a chop shop owner, and "Elde no Kagi", a famous computer hacker, who helped him manufacture his identity as Scipio in the first place.

Chi Class: Materialization/Manipulation

Abilities: Taiki's first impulse when it came time for him to choose his chi weapon was a sword, but his pratical side managed to win the internal argument for once, and convinced him to choose a chi weapon that would be able to serve in a variety of roles. Thus Taiki's chain came about. The chain basically consists of some sort of object, be it a sharp point, hook, ball, or even gigantic weight made from chi that is connected to some part of Taiki's body, usually his wrist, by a chain. Thanks to this choice, Taiki has found a way to bypass the natural weakness of all materialization users somewhat, as his chain can only be completely broken by completely severing it from Taiki's body. It also allows for multiple types of weapons, as the end of the chain's form is limited only by Taiki's imagination, allowing for a variety of attacks. All are named by the chain's creator, some pitifully obviously:

Taiki's Special: Outer gun: Taiki fires the chain from his wrist (or another part of his body) and impales an opponent or inanimate object with it.

Taiki's Special: Chain capture burst: Taiki fires the chain so that it encircles the opponent, then constricts their body. Taiki usually uses this move to capture criminals.

Blade of Fandavale: Taiki launches the chain from his wrist, then causes the point to transform into a mid-length blade complete with handle- the stereotypic fairytale sword. This technique, while it does demonstrate Taiki's personality very well, suffers from an inablility to do much of anything, as Taiki can't extend the chain for any great distance while in this form.

Taiki's Special: Skyhammer Taiki leaps into the air and causes the end of his chain to transform into a gigantic weight, then drops it. This technique can only be used from the air, as it would be too difficult to wield from the ground.

Taiki's special: Death body Taiki's final move, and one that consumes most of his chi. He launches a small chain from every possible part of his body, each one tipped with a deadly point. The chains can extend outward up to five feet, and are usually fatal when they contact an opponent's body. Taiki doesn't often use this technique.

 

[Alter Ego]

Nyu, I forgot to add Aerin's funky hairdo. *Pokes edits* Anyway, yay for acceptance. ^^ I'll just keep nice and quiet until this begins then, shall I? *Fades into the shadows*

 

[Dark Night]

Sounds pretty interesting! Can I join?
~~~
Full name: Cali Cepreno

Age: 52

Personality: Cali is a little short tempered, she can get annoyed very easily. She's stubborn and doesn't like to follow rules much. She is a bit distant, likes to be by herself a lot of the time. She can sometimes seem to be cold, but she really isn't. As long as you don't annoy her and get on her badside, everthing's good. She's tough and is very determined, if she's going to do something, she'll make sure it gets done. She's relaxed most of the time, or at least it seems that way. She tries to hide her feelings, doesn't want to let anyone get too close, seeing as what happended to her family.

Gender: Female

Race: Armania

Appearance: Cali stands at about 5'5". She's not fat, but she's not super skinny either. She has a sort of toned body, one that you can tell she works out, but not to where she has muscles the size of the empire state building. Her hair is short and layered. It's blonde-white, with blue streaks. Her eyes are a brillant blue, and when she's mad, they turn a dark green. She wears one silver loop earing on the top of her left ear. She wears a very long orange scarf around her neck that hangs down to her knees. She wears a long sleeved black top that goes half way down her midriff, with orange swirls on her shoulders. She wears black gloves. She has two black and silver blades that are strapped to her arm if she needs them. She wears a pair of black cargo capris with rips on the knees. Her shoes are small and lightway. They're black with orange raceing stripes on the sides.

Rank: B

Criminal Rank (If former criminal): (If your character was a crook at some point, give his rank here. Remember, his age has to be logical- he has to be old enough to commit the crimes he got his rank for, and then wait until he has either served his sentence or waited until the statute of limitations on his crime ran out. You should also give us a list of past offenses here.)

History: At the age of seven, Cali's parents were killed by a B-rank criminal. He forced the little girl to watch as he murdered her parents. She had to watch tied up, unable to do anything, as he tortured her mother before he slit her wrists, the red blood pouring out. Her father, he decapitated after he had to watch his wife die. After he'd killed both her parents, she was traumatized, and she didn't want it to happen to her. As he came closer with his knife, she got scared. The only thing that saved her was her stubborness, her very determined will not to end up like her parents, and the chi sheild that popped up in front of her as the killer came after her. He couldn't get past the sheild and by that time, the police had appeared.

One of he women in the police force who had seen her chi barrier, took her in. She was dramatized and was very distant as a child, but the woman helped her to get over it, mostly. She took great care of Cali, and taught her how to gain control of her mind, that she could use the barrier whenever she wanted to, not just have it pop up whenever it felt like it. She also taught her some martail art skills and how to use the two blades that are attached to her arms. Cali became a bounty hunter at the age of 40 and eventually worked her way up to B-ranked criminals. All she had wanted to do was become a bounty hunter for people like that after she'd seen what had happended to her parents.

Chi Class: Barrier

Abilities: Cali uses her barriers a lot when she's going head-to-head with someon. She forms the barriers on her hands and whenever someone tries to kick or punch her, she blocks them with the barreirs. Cali often uses the blades on her arms a lot, she twirls them around, sliceing vitcims or anyone else who happens to want to get in her way. She's very fast, and prefers to attack swiftly, hitting once and knock them out then, she hates getting into long fights.

Rp Sample: (Dark Ninja RP)

Right before Kuroi came back into the room, I'd heard him, he'd touched the doorknob, but stopped suddenly. 'Oh no, he's probably listening to everything we're saying. He sniffed and came out. I turned from the direction Kuroi was coming from and went back to Hachino-sensei.

"..and then for ability training, we'll have a little race to Konoha." I stopped listening to the rest of what he was saying. "Are you serious?! After 2 hours of training we can go to Konoha?!" I just burst out. 'Wow! I didn't expect to leave so soon! This is better than I expected!' I hid my smile and joy as soon as it came, and put on my best calm-looking face. "Sounds great to me!" I said as I bolted right out the door of Hachino-sensei's bright apartment, back into the bleak, dull, grey of Sound.
-----
I was sprinting toward my small apartment, whizzing by blurs of Sound shinobi. 'This is great! The training will be fun, and right after that, we head for Konoha, and the other Dark ninja!' I burst through my door, not even paying attention to how dull and bleak it was this time. I wanted to summon Kurunei, Hitachi, and Hikaru to tell them what was going on, but I didn't want to show them off just yet, espeacially since they had forehead protectors with the Dark symbol on them. I didn't want to deal with the genjutsu to make them look like Sound.

I searched through my closet, throwing things all over the place. 'What do I care, after I see the other Dark ninja, this place'll be gone. It has to be!' I thought as I looked over at the picture of my family, all happy and smiling. "Just for you guys!" I said quietly as I continued to search through my closet for the things I'd need for the trip. I found my clothes, pouch, weapons, and bag, and through them all on the bed, landing in a soft plop. I packed everything, stuffing it into the bag, and attaching my weapons pouch to my right leg and putting my weapons in it.

I sped through the door, grabbing the picture of my family and raced off toward the Sound Training Grounds. As I sped through the bleak village I thought of how, the training sesion would go, and what abilities I'd want to show them. I know I didn't want to show them my telekinesis abilites, then they'd know for sure where'd I come from, except my ability was only to push people away or attack with my mind. I stopped thinking as I reached the Sound Training Grounds. "Jeez! This place looks as barren and bleak as the village!" I set my things down and waited for the rest of the team to arrive.

~~~
Need anything else, I'll put it on!

EDIT: Hope that's better! Sorry about the mistakes!

 

[Scarlet Weather]

Hmm... Dark_Night, I'm going to have to ask for a longer personality section, and RP sample, and for you to switch the word "dramatized" with "traumatized". Until then, PENDING.

Edit: Good improvements. Your RP sign-up was cool enough to redeem the fact that your personality is a little short, so ACCEPTED. One more person, and we can start. *whistles*

 

[Scarlet Weather]

OOC: Alright... pardon my double posting Bijou, but if I don't do it now, this roleplay will never get off the ground. Prepare for the Ultra-Super-Special-Mega-Awesome-First-Post! (No, I haven't been watching Yu-Gi-Oh, the adbridged series on Youtube. Really.)

IC:

Wake up...

The man stirred in his sleep, pulling the blanket over his head. "Five more minutes..." he mumbled.

I said wake up...

There was no response from the man in the cot except his curling into a tight ball, surrounded by white sheets.

OH FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD, WAKE UP YOU STINKIN' HUNK OF PRODUCE!!!

"Gah!" Wyatt shouted, as his "Voice Alarm" clock screeched, causing him to leap into the air, sheets thrown to the side, hands ready to bash in the head of the nearest intruder. Whipping his head from side to side, his gaze finally fell on the small, blue clock-topped speaker on his nightstand. "Oh, it's just you." he sighed, relaxing his arms. He reflected that it was a small wonder he had been so jittery today. After all, he was about to leave his home and go on a journey that could possibly change his life forever. Sure, he had chased down that one guy with the giant sword he had almost had his head chopped off, and true, he was the one who had toppled the so-called "Impenetrable Fortress" He had almost had his head bludgeoned off, and yes, that annoying kid next door always wanted to hear about how he had taken down that one crime boss it was no big deal, actually, he had caught the guy in the shower. Getting him out had been the problem. Cursed security guards, but this was different. Here he was, about to take down a crime boss with the power to blow buildings to pieces, and heaven-knows-how-many flunkies with annoyingly long names and hair down to their shoulders, and he was loving every minute of it.

Mom always said I was crazy, he reflected, as he stepped across the threshold of his small apartment, and maybe she was right.

The small bar he lived on the top floor of wasn't crowded, the only one there was Mina, the bartender. A tall redhead. So pretty, she made his eyes hurt. Unfortunately, she was also Hiratana, and prepared to knock him through a wall if he got anywhere near to asking her for a date. It wouldn't work out anway. The whole "extended lifespan" shtick did have its problems. Still, it was nice to have at least one friend in this city of metal, glass, and terrorist threats. "Yo, bartender!" he grinned, swagggering into the room, his trademark smile on his face, "Is everything ready?"

The woman cleaning glasses behind the the Oak counter frowned, curling her lip, before she turned to him. "Wyatt," she began, "You know as well as I do that-"

"Taiki, Mina," he interrupted, in an editorial tone, "It's Taiki on the job."

She cursed, wringing her hands. "You think I don't know that? We've been partners for three years now-"

"Two and a half." he corrected, still grinning.

"Two and a half then! Jeez, you really have a way of getting under my skin," she continued, her temper flaring up as she set down the glass she had been polishing, turning to grab another. "Anyway, we both agreed that when we had enough money to settle down, we'd become information brokers, and get out of this stupid life of chasing," she cursed again, vehemently "Scum for that weasel of a police chief?"

"Mm-Hmm," Taiki replied, nodding his head.

"And we made about two hundred grand on that last guy we took down."

"Mm-hmm."

"Then why aren't we settling down and quitting? Why are you going off alone on some kind of mission that could get you killed?"

Taiki's grin widened to the point where it almost split his face. "I'll give you three reasons," he chuckled, "And don't interrupt. First, it's a matter of principle. There won't be anywhere to settle down if somebody doesn't bag this guy. Second, most of our money from our last job went to repairs for the building that we trapped the idiot in-"

"Which you smashed in with your chain-"

"And the rest went toward paying the rent on this bar. And third," a light appeared in Taiki's eyes, "I want to see the look on the police chief's face when he finds out that this "Scipio" guy he's been puzzling about for years is me."

Mina sighed. "Then there's no way to stop you?"

Taiki scratched his head, as if in deep thought for a moment, then replied "Mm... nope. Sorry!"

With a dramatic sigh, Mina finally relented. "Go. I left your motorcycle keys and jacket upstairs, in the laundry basket."

"Oh so that's what happened to them." Without another word, Taiki dashed upstairs, yelling "Adios!" to his partner.

Five minutes later...

Taiki zoomed down a little-known byway on his cycle, on his way to the police chief's office, laughing as the wind ran through his hair. Hopefully, no-one would notice the fact that he was driving without a helmet. His fine on that bathhouse incident It hadn't been his fault. He had aimed his skyhammer at a fleeing crook, and it had smashed the wall down. He had looked at the girls for about three seconds. The chief had only slammed that fine on him to be obnoxious. had matured to the point where if he got another, the could possibly take his bike. Fat chance he was going to let them do that.

He continued zooming forward, leaving a cloud of dust behind him.

OOC (again): Yes, crappy first post, I know. I'm high on Yugios. (No, that was NOT a sly abdridged series reference. Really. *Is Shot*) Anyway, if everyone will now begin kindly moving their characters out of wherever towards the police station, where they will receive complete briefing (and make contact), that will be all. Thank you for watching this episode of "ACC forgot to write a good opening post, so he threw together this thing instead".

 

[Alana]

OOC: No worries, mine's going to be even worse. :P

IC: The crack of a gunshot rent the air followed by a loud thud. A smirk crossed the bounty hunter's face as she looked at the large, monster-like figure before her. "This ought to get me a nice bit of retirement money," she said in a soft purr, showing pointed canines as she grinned down at the body of DL.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up..."

A growl caused the cheery chiming from the alarm clock on the nightstand to soften a little. Soon it shut off and was replaced a moment later by a blast of sound. Instantly the girl in the bed threw the covers off her, seized the thing causing the noise, and proceeded to bash it against the nightstand. It was a morning routine. The edge of the once shiny stand was chipped and dented rather severely. Fortunately the alarm clock only received a few scratches because it had been made extra strong.

Once Souka came fully awake, she tossed the box back onto the nightstand and yawned widely. Needless to say, Kyohaku Musouka was not a morning person. It took a blare loud enough for a deaf person to hear to get her up and waking up to that would make anyone grouchy.

"I think I'll get a cat instead," she mumbled irritably to herself as she got up and proceeded to get dressed. This idea lasted until she looked over at the nightstand to grab her gun holsters and saw the chips and dents. "Or maybe not. I don't think cats are so durable."

A good word to describe the apartment Souka lived in would be small; a bad one would be tidy. Clothes, books, a dagger or two littered the floor. All of these things were ignored as the girl trudged over to a mirror bolted to the wall and began to brush her hair. Once satisfied that all the tangles were gone and that there was no black mixed in with the red streak in her bangs, she tucked all but the red behind her ears and headed back to the door.

There she pulled on her boots, snatched a black jacket and keys from a hook next to the door (which was one of the only organized parts of her home), and plucked a black helmet with a fiery red paw print on the front from a second hook. Glancing back at the room to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she noticed the mess. Then she turned, checked both thigh holsters for her guns and her leg for the concealed dagger, and left.

Outside she pulled on the jacket and helmet and hopped on her motorcycle. Decorated in a similar fashion as her helmet, she was very fond of the bike and treated it like her own cub. Anyone who so much as looked like they might cause it harm was likely to receive a dark warning stare from Ouka's unnerving red eyes.

"Dress, armed, ready to go kick some DL tail," she hummed to herself as she started the engine. "This should be fun." She shifted slightly in her seat then pulled back on the throttle and shot off towards the police station. There she would be told everything she needed to know, or, moreover, everything the police could tell her, about the famous DL. She wasn't worried in the least. She had guns and a knife and this guy had a really lame nickname.

OOC: And there ya have it. A post typed up quickly with the threat of a mom turning off your internet access because your room is messy. (Me? Base Ouka's room on mine? Never! :P Hey, at least I plan to pick the stuff up eventually. And there are no knives.)

 

[Alter Ego]

OOC: Attention roleplayers, my hair is making an entry post. *Shot*

Curse you ACC, now I have to practice self-restraint to keep Aerin from saying "Screw the rules, I have money". I hope you're proud of yourself. xP

IC:

In all honesty, mornings were Aerin's favourite part of the day, mostly because there tended to be less idiots about to ruin his mood at that time of the day and - he had to admit - there was something almost beautiful about the way the morning light tinted the factory smog that provided such an eyesore for his view of the city, not to mention violating his sensitive nose. Still, the bounty hunter concluded, such things were to be expected if one wished to leave the coddled sanctuary of home and hearth to experience the harsh realities of the real world.

Okay, so maybe most people wouldn't consider living in an upper class appartment with a personal attendant 'facing the harsh realities' but Aerin had quite quickly deduced that most people were clueless fools who knew about as much about the world's realities as oysterns did about mountain climbing and what - if you thought about it - was the point of heeding the opinions of such people? These were just...circumstances after all, he conlcuded as he sat down by the breakfast table - it wouldn't do to eat breakfast at the same place as dinner, would it? No, of course not. Only an uncultured plebian would ever consider such a thing - it was still him, Aerin Kreegon, standing face-to-face with the cruel world, and like always, the world would soon learn who was in control.

"Your breakfast, sire." his current Jeeves - a somewhat thin-faced old man whose hair had grayed suitably to be considered sophisticated - informed him, recieveing a brief nod from Aerin in response.

Ah yes, Jeeves...he was still employing a Jeeves, but then again...that didn't make him dependent on his parents, did it? It was simply a question of family heritage, right? Kind of like green eyes. Every Kreegon in the traceable thirteen generations of Kreegons had employed a Jeeves. It was like an unspeakable agreement between the two families. Jeeveses were always servile and Kreegons were always dominant, Jeeveses were raised to be servants and Kreegons were raised to be their employers, it was a perfect symbiotic relationship and it would have been folly to break it.

As previously stated, Aerin was still liberated from his upper-class shackles. Here he was, enjoying toast and orange juice like anyone else, the fact that he had bought up a small bakery and had the oranges specially developed for that little extra was irrelevant. A triviality. After all, you could hardly expect a bounty hunter of his calibre to make do with some second-rate produce, could you? Of course not. After all, he concluded as he allowed his eyes to travel across the newspaper that had been placed in front of him, he had to be at his sharpest now that the churning grit of the city had finally spat out a gem of an opponent...his eyes flicked over to the sketch of the infamous DL. Of course, since no-one had seen the mysterious villain's face, the artist had taken certain liberties with the bodybuild. Dangerous villains, it seemed, were all extaordinarily tall and muscular with glowing red eyes and only wore black. Aerin tutted, absent-mindedly adjusting the glasses in front of his green eyes, such lack of creativity...

"Interesting news, sire?" the Jeeves offered in polite conversation.

"Not really." Aerin replied, folding back the newspaper and handing it to the butler, "DL blew something up again, some plebian stabbed another to death in an alley, and everyone is still clueless about everything. The usual. Is my overcoat ready?"

"Yes, sire." the Jeeves replied, bowing ever so slightly again, "Hand-washed and pressed this morning, sire."

"Good." the bounty hunter remarked, rising up from his chair, "And the car?"

"Ready and waiting, sire. Now I shall go and fetch your overcoat, if you please, sire."

Aerin smiled ever so slightly as the butler shuffled away, quite the rare sight considering his usual expression. That was the good thing with Jeeveses...they were always so dependable, not to mention that they were the rare kind of people with enough understanding of both grammar and personal hygiene not be a constant nuisance.

Fast too, the bounty hunter added, as the butler reappeared, placing a black - and very neat - overcoat on him.

"There you go, sire. Is there anything unusual on the agenda today, sire?"

"Nothing big, Jeeves." Aerin replied dismissively, "I've just got a criminal mastermind to catch, so it shouldn't take more than...oh, two or three days above the usual?"

"I shall take that into account, sire." the Jeeves replied, holding up the door as the bounty hunter prepared to leave the room, "I wish you good hunt, sire."

Aerin merely nodded, stepping into the hallway and taking the elevator down to the first floor, stepping out into the streets and into the waiting car a few moments later. It was black, of course, as such cars were expected to be, but narrow enough to make it through most streets. Aerin would have prefered more space, but alas, one had to make such sacrifices at times, just like one had to forfeit the privilige of a private driver as they had such a tedious tendency to sell out. Oh well, the bounty hunter concluded as he turned the key, the engine starting up in a pleasantly smooth way, life was full of sacrifices...

 

[Dark Night]

Sorry for my cruddy post! And for the late post as well!
~~~~
It was 4 in the morning and I was pulling my scarf to cover more of my neck to keep the cold out. My whole body was hot and sweaty from the couple of miles I'd just run, everything except for my neck up. 'Good thing I'm always wearing my scarf! It's always been a lifesaver for me in tough situations.' My mind trailed off from the concrete underneath me and the things in front of me.

I veered to my right to avoid a head-on collision with a black sports car. I heard the tires of the car come to a screeching hault. I lost my balance as I veered for about a minute, almost falling flat on my face. My arms came out underneath me and I was able to catch myself before I scratched up my face. I lifted myself up onto my feet to see an older man standing at the edge of the sidewalk, glareing at me. That was what put me on a roll. "What?! You're the one who's supposed to be watching out for pedestrains!" I yelled at him as he moved closer to me, a furious look on his face. "ME?! ME?! You're the one who was running in the middle of the road, not paying to a single thing that was going on around you!" He countered, still looking mad. "I knew exactly where I was going! You're the one who came zooming out of nowhere in that wanna-be-young sports car! You know, old geezers like you shouldn't be driveing cars like that, it makes you look to desperate to look young!" Of course that had nothing to do with what we were argueing about, but I didn't really care about that right now, I was just mad. "Oh, ho! So we're going to that now huh?!....." the old man couldn't think of anything to say back to me, so he started to mutter and curse under his breathe. 'Ha! I just about always win in an argument!' I thought smugly to myself. I didn't wait for the old man to get into to his wanna-be-young sports car and continued to run, this time, keeping my mind on what I was doing, or at least what was around me.
------
I walked into the house, sopping with sweat. I was breatheing a little hard and was jugging down the water in the bottle on the kitchen counter. I grabbed a small and a big towel from the linen closet at the end of the hall. I opended the door to my room to a nice cool breeze, the air conditionar on the highest in my room. I walked through my dark room to the lamp by my bed. I turned it on and looked about, an average sized bag was lyeing in the middle of the dark room, the now rising sun unable to peek in through my window due to the black cover I had over it. I ignored the bag for the moment and grabbed a fresh pair of clothes and headed for the shower.

As I was drying off, I could hear the phone ringing, and then voice of my adopted mother yelling at me through the answering machine. "Cali! Get you but down here now! All the others are starting to arrive at the police station. I don't know what you're doing right now, but you need to hurry! Get down here!" Lex yelled. I rolled my eyes, and continued to dry off. 'It's not like they start on time anyways.' I put my fresh pair of clothes on and rushed into my dark room to grab the bag I'd packed the night before. It had everything I'd need for this new mission.

I raced out the door, grabbing the keys to my little blue car and headed off for the police station. 'I'll be a little bit earlier than normal, just to make Lex happy!'

 

[Scarlet Weather]

OOC: Ahem... WE HAVE ARRIVED. PLEASE KEEP YOUR HANDS AND FEET INSIDE THE VEHICLES AT ALL TIMES. DO NOT FEED THE POLICE CHIEF. THANK YOU.

IC:

Taiki slipped past the receptionist counter at the bottom floor of the station on tiptoe, strafing the walls. It wasn't his first time here, but the receptionist, who was one heck of an ugly boar-headed Garagana, would probably force him to "pay up" on that whole bath house thing. Not that he couldn't pay. The fine was well within his current budget, even with the recent raise that had been imposed on it. It was the principle of the matter that held him back. The police chief was the most annoying, sleazy public official Taiki had ever met in his life. Was he a genius? Oh, no doubt about it. Was he a turd? Once again, Taiki had no objections with tacking the label on him. Was he the only man for the job? Unfortunately, at this point the answer was also yes. He had built the force and the system from the ground up, and he was the only man in Aramani capable of making it work, for the most part. Anyway, that didn't change the fact that ever since Taiki had made it clear that he didn't care how powerful of an official he was, the moth-eaten excuse for an overgrown turkey had been attempting to force Taiki to bow and scrape for him. Well, it wasn't going to happen. If paying this fine meant giving in, Taiki wasn't gonna do it.

Every floor of the police station looked the same, except the top. That was the chief's office. Everywhere else might have been a section in some office building, except for the various sundry weapons certain officers hung on plaques next to their desks. Not that any of them ever used these weapons. For the most part, bounty hunters did all the work, despite the fact that the chief had assured the public that it was the police force that did it. Yeah. That was a load of rat's tails if Taiki ever smelled one. Taiki's main focus, however, was not on how annoying the police force was with their bragging about their weapons, but on getting to the top floor. And so, without further ado, the moment he made it safely past the counter, he leaped into the nearest elevator and jammed the top button with great aplomb. The doors closed, and the elevator began to rise, as chamber music began to play from its speakers. Taiki groaned audibly. Hadn't the chief ever heard of ska?

At last, the elevator stopped, and the doors popped open. Taiki gazed at the room's scenery. No matter how many times he went up here, he was always dazzled by the sharp contrast with the rather bland and industrial feel of the rest of the building with the almost tribal feelings this room gave off. The walls, instead of being plain grey, blue, and white as they were elsewhere were decorated with fierce shades of red, orange, yellow, and brown, and adorned with mounted animal heads; various hand-carved spears, some with blades over a foot long; and masks of various sizes and shapes. In the middle of this ode to the garagana, sat the chief's desk, a hand-carved object made of rich mahogany. And behind the desk sat the chief, a middle aged Garagana in the traditional blue-and-white police uniform, with his mane-like hair bristling, along with his feline eyes and bared white fangs. His head was bent as he pored over what looked like case reports, but the moment he heard Taiki step into the room, his head jerked up, eyes flashing. "Well," he grumbled, "I might have guessed you would be one of those foolhardy enough to take on this mission. If I'm lucky, maybe you'll get killed." This was a lie. The chief and Wyatt had known each other for ten years now, and despite their antagonistic relationship, they really had grown a little fond of each other, to the point that neither could imagine the force without the other. "Anyway, you're going to have to wait for a while before we get started. We have to let the rest of your squad get here first."

Taiki raised an eyebrow. "Squad? You don't understand. I'm going this one alone."

His eyes twinkling, the chief gave vent to a growling laugh. "Not today, rookie. He had called Wyatt that when the two first met. It was one of his little ways of getting back at his tormentor. This mission is serious. You're going up against incalculabe odds. It is my duty as police chief to inform you that unless you're working in a squad of at least four, you cannot go after DL. It would be unsafe. Now, sit down in that chair over to your left and wait for your team mates."

Taiki gritted his teeth as he walked to the chair the chief had indicated, and sank into it. He was right. It would be unsafe to go after DL alone, Taiki should have realized that from the start. Still, waiting until the last moment to tell him he needed help on this mission was just the sort of thing the chief knew would irritate him. Taiki made a mental note to rub it in the chief's face extra-hard when he found out that his so-called "nemesis" Scipio was in reality a fictional character Taiki had paid to have inserted into the police database. It was going to be a heck of a lot of fun.

 

[Dark Night]

It was 7am in the morning now, and there was tons of traffic.

I sat in my little blue car, honking at the people to get out of my way. 'Oh come on! It's early morning and traffic's already backed up?!' That old man hadn't started out my day very well, and I hadn't run off all of my anger earlier. My temper was rising, and probably the redness in my face as well. "Oh come on! Can't you move any faster!" I started muttering under my breathe as the traffic finally started moving. "Thank you!"
------
I burst through the doors of the Police Station pushing past people to try and get through the crowded room. I past the reciptionists' desk, leaving her behind to yell at me to come back and check in. Of course becuase of my bad mood, I decided that it would just be a waste of time, considering that I'd been here over a million times.

"Cali? Cali! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" Lex said as she rushed over to me, pushing past people as well. "Hey..mom." I said as I smiled slightly as she came up to me, my bad mood still in place. "Oh, real nice way to greet the one who took care of you practically all your life!" She said with a frown. "Sorry!" I said as a sincere apology, my bad mood now disapating, thinking of what had happended to my family. Lex noticed the change of attitude and the generally sweet woman put her arm around me and walked me toward the cheif's room.

The bell dinged as the elevator finally reached the floor of the cheif's room. As we walked toward the room I finally relalized who we were going to see. "Oh great! This is going to be a blast!" I sarcastically said as we entered the ridiculously decorated room. 'I think I like the rest of the building a lot better than this room!' When we entered the Cheif was talking to another guy in the room. "Not today, rookie. This mission is serious. You're going up against incalculabe odds. It is my duty as police chief to inform you that unless you're working in a squad of at least four, you cannot go after DL. It would be unsafe. Now, sit down in that chair over to your left and wait for your team mates." Lex walked up first addressing the cheif as a superior officer. "Sir, one of them is already here." She said as she stepped back and pushed me foward towards the cheif. I waved a unenthusiastic wave and nodded toward him. "Nice to see you again cheif. Long time no talk huh?" He smiled warily and I interupted him before he could say anything. "So, he's part of the squad huh? Who is he?" I knew I'd seen him around, but I didn't know him personally.

 

[Alter Ego]

The police station, Aerin concluded after finally having found a decent parking spot for his car, was still very much its usual self, full of people acting with all the energy - and, he assumed, the collective intellect - of a colony of ants, mindlessly rushing back and forth with their little papers or sitting there and polishing their little weapons, even though most of them looked like they barely knew which end to hold.

The bounty hunter raised an eyebrow as he cast one last glance at the incubator of human stupidity behind him before he stepped into the elevator, chamber music soon pouring out and drowning the bustle beneath it as the device ascended.

'No wonder no-one gets anything done.' Aerin thought for himself, scoffing, 'It's like a jungle out there. But then again...' he concluded as he stepped out into the police chief's rather...quaintly decorated office, '...considering how their leader has it I guess it's appropriate.'

The bounty hunter let his glance travel across the room, vaguely noting the presence of a few other people in the room. Well, they could wait. Aerin's senses still needed to adjust to the huge shrine to Garagna that stretched out in front of them. Sure, the bounty hunter had a mild interest in the culture - mainly the weapons. Few things were as discouraging for would-be muggers as a large garagna knife located very visibly on one's person and it had saved him a lot in gathered cleaning bills for his clothes - but the police chief...he was practically worshiping his culture. Aerin's mind briefly pondered whether to think of this behaviour as eccentric or just plain nutty. Eventually, he settled on the third option: quaint. The chief didn't make enough money to be eccentric, but he wasn't quite crazy enough to be a nutter either.

Finally snapping out of his ponderings, Aerin stepped forward, not granting Taiki or Cali as much as a glance as he adressed the police chief.

"A fair morning to you, police chief." he remarked, for he would not call anyone without a lineage of at least eight pure generations and a paycheck with six zeros 'sir', it was a matter of principle, "I see that you seem to have a...disciplinary hearing going on." he smirked ever-so-slightly at Taiki and Cali, "I didn't know that you dealt with peeping charges" he placed very purposeful emphasis on those words, his glance focusing on Taiki for a split-second, "personally, but do inform me when these delinquents will be leaving so that the meeting can begin. I would like to capture this DL before he disrupts my weekly schedule too much."

OOC: Oh boy, Aerin is off to a grand start I see. xD Oh, and in case you're wondering, I figured that the secretary would have been quite loud with demanding the fine to be paid, so Aerin would have overheard it at some point. ^-^

 

[Dark Night]

I was standing next to my adopted mother, when the new guy came in. 'Oh great! More!' I thought as he came in. But this guy didn't even acknowledge I was there for quite a while, as welll as the first guy who was sitting down. he went to the police cheif first and what he said just about ticked me off. 'Delinquent?! Who does this guy think he is calling me a delinquent?!' "You arrognant little punk!" I yelled as I moved for him, but Lex, knowing how I could get when I was mad, held me back. "Come on, he's part of your team and you're going to have to learn to get along with him, even if he is an arrognant punk." She said, the last part low enough so I could hear it. 'Just like Lex, always tries to make me feel better.' I smiled and relaxed for a bit.

I looked at the guy infront of me. "So, I bet you think you're going on this thing alone huh?" I a big smile crossing my face. "But uh..You get to go on this with these delinquents."
~~~
Aah! Short post!

 

[Alter Ego]

The moment the girl - for Aerin couldn't think of anyone behaving in such a childish manner as a woman - had made a move towards him, the tell-tale twinkle of crystalizing chi had begun forming by his wrist, and the soon-to-be spike had already reached a near-recognizable shape by the time the other female intervened, the furthest particles brushing dangerously close to Cali's neck.

"Arrogant little punk." the bounty hunter repeated, not sounding the least bit impressed as he dismissed the weapon with a discreet wave of his hand, the energy seeping back into him, "If your attacks are as biting and accurate as your insults then I'm surprised that you even got admitted here. First off, calling me arrogant would imply that my superiority over you is a vain pretense rather than the fact that it is. I'm not arrogant, just superior to you in every way." he adjusted his glasses, every motion exhuding the 'I'm so much better than you' feeling he loved to spread around himself, "Second, I seem to be a bit taller than you, so in calling me short, have you considered where that definition would leave you? No, don't answer that." he added, "Judging by your behaviour it is quite clear that you haven't considered any of your actions. Finally, a punk is a ruffian or hoodlum, and considering our appearances and behaviour - particularly the way you would have resorted to violence at the first slight - you might wish to consider which one of us that label is more suitable for." his smirk widened ever-so-slightly, "So you see, calling me an arrogant little punk is as absurd and preposterous as calling yourself a competent bounty hunter, so why don't you go back to pondering your insults and I'll get back to you in a week to see if you've done your homework."

With that, he turned - still ready to draw his weapon if necessary - before adding a final remark in Cali's direction, "Oh yes, don't be afraid to ask your mother for help if the insults involve more big words you don't understand."

"Seriously, chief." he added, adressing his superior, "Surely you don't mean to saddle me with a neighbourhood pervert and a volatile little girl who still needs her mother to hand-walk her? I thought this was supposed to be a capture mission, not babysitting, and I assure you I would be much more efficient without them dragging me down."

 

[Dark Night]

I was a bit taken aback by the other bounty hunters' reaction. It was more that he actually made me feel bad, than the fact that he insulted me. 'He's right. I really do need to control my temper. But the fact that he thinks he's superior, makes him arrognant.' Lex let me go, as she had still been holding on to me eventhough I had relaxed.

I shrugged what he had said off and replied. "Hey, I'll take the word Punk as a complement, especially since I know I'm part one." 'This guy really is about to get on my nerves! I can't believe I'm going to have to work with him! This is not going to be a very fun, or fast, mission.' Once he insulted me again, I tensed up, not willing to get in a fight just hear him talk some more. Lex grabbed me again, seeing me tense up. I looked back at her to reasure her that I was alright, to see that she didn't look very happy at what the bounty hunter had said, she was tense as well. Unlike me though, she could control herself.

"Trust me, it's not like I really want to go with you either. But I'm not as bad as I let on too be. And I highly doubt the other guy is either." I said, a little more angry than I had been. Lex still held on to me, a little more discreatly than the first time. "Come on cheif! You each of us, you should've been able to put us all in a group where there wouldn't be so much trouble between the group members!" I said as addressed the Cheif.