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[IS 1] Conflict of Interest
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Post by Alan Pantell on Sept 4, 2019 16:10:58 GMT
Alan steeled himself. He had been turning over the possible outcomes of this meeting in his head for a while. Afraid, as he should have been, he considered some of the action and attitude displayed by some of the members of Silence to be dangerous.
"I trust," said the tamer to those members, when indicated, "that you know by now, that telling people to be intimidated by you doesn't have the effect you think it does." The boy felt he was starting to get a feel for this army's brand of 'diplomacy' by now. He would turn back to the looming pirate, who was surely higher-respected in some manner, if not officially higher-ranking. "I concede that we do not look strong, and for that matter, I will refrain from asserting that we are strong, as that is for your own standards to decide. Arguing strength is not what we came for. We are strangers to customs on both sides of the law in these loc-"
"Get to the point!" Levi jutted into the monologue so that those hearing it wouldn't have to.
Alan looked off to the side and cleared his throat. He had had that coming. "One claiming to be of the Treasure Hunters gave us this card. He spoke of your group's upcoming raid on Goonberg. Yours-"
He flashed the invitation card of the Rocket Pirates.
"-and someone else's." If he needed not clarify what it was, he would put the card away after displaying it. "Our offer is simply that of assistance. After all, if I had aught else of interest to you, I have little doubt you could take it for yours, though on this matter, it would be rude of me to speak for my ally here. Khm." The young man hid a stifled laugh under a cough.
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Post by Erika on Sept 6, 2019 21:53:20 GMT
After Commandramon’s comment, the Ladydevimon’s smile just grew wider.
Between his intervention and the start of Alan’s, the pirate took a moment to address his attitude, with a very simple fact.
“While it is true that hurting you with you having an Invitation Card is against our crew's code…” She noted, speaking very slowly, while her hand smoothly rubbed the Coronamon’s head. “… dealing with people who make me lose my time is against my personal code.” Her eyes grew bigger. “It is also true that, due to my way of leading this crew, I would be punished for breaking the code, even if I am the captain.” Slowly, bats started to flutter their winds around Imminent Storm, flying around the crew in a menacing way. “But... that would not give you back your lives, would it?” She punctuated that sentence with a grin, one that looked to instaurate pure terror, to demonstrate what a digimon born from the most recalcitrant evilness of the Digital World could be capable of.
Then, both the Coronamon and her captain listened to Alan closely. Once again, a grin was drawn on the vamp’s face, although this time she did not issue any comment, yet. She seemed to like the attitude of the blonde human. It was only when Levi interrupted his tamer that she spoke again.
First, she stiffed a quiet laugh. Not really diabolic but more like… flirty? “Would you look at you...” She quipped, looking at Alan, with her voice taking a more seductive tone. “… You’re very cute.” As she chimed these words, the Coronamon’s eyes widened up. Immediately, the fire beast looked at the captain.
“Master Virkka…” The lion muttered, looking a lot less sassy now.
The crew proceeded to listen to the rest of Alan’s speech, not going unfretted by his mentioning of the Treasure Hunters.
“A-A… Treasure Hunter?” The Shamamon at their side asked in disbelief.
“Ugh! I bet it was Amelie. That bitch…” Looking a bit infuriated, the Coronamon clenched her teeth. This expression immediately turned into one of pleasure, as soon as Virkka started patting her again. “Keep quiet, Lire. Remember we’re not supposed to ask who gave them the card if they don’t want to tell us.”
Immediately, the widest grin they had seen in her face so far appeared in Virkka’s countenance. “Besides…" She chuckled. “… They already brought some very interesting piece of information into our table.”
“… Another Invitation Card?” Shamamon looked fairly surprised to see these guys in possession of not one, but two such valuable items.
“So that group of losers is now planning on getting their filthy hands on Goonberg’s archives.” Just like the Petermon augured, Virkka did not seem to get along well with the Rocket Pirates. “If you ask me, they should be working on getting their pathetic captain out of Grimway.” Once again, Virkka chuckled, Lire accompanying her with a smile.
“You won't think the Rocket Pirates can interfere in our plan, right?” The Shamamon asked, still standing next to Imminent Storm.
Her index finger on her lower lip, while she displayed a pensive expression, the Ladydevimon remained quiet for some seconds. Finally, she ended up answering. “I don’t think so. If anything, that good-for-nothing Krull will be making a mess. The distraction will allow us to get the documents stealthy, which is what we do best~” She clapped her hands repeatedly. “... And that’s just perfect.” Showing a smile again, she chimed. “I knew someone as cute as you could only bring me good news!” While the demon spoke, and out of thin air, a purple, thick smoke started to materialize near the humans. After some seconds, it began taking the shape of Ladydevimon, passing her finger under Alan’s chin.
For the blonde, it would feel like a warm caress, like someone was actually there. With the smoky figure of Virkka swirling around him, while the real one was still at her throne, the captain issued the much necessary question.
“While I know you must love me as much as I love you, precious human boy~" She clarified that for starters. "... I assume you two seek something further than giving me this ~valuable~ information by coming here, right?” As if it were real lips, Alan would feel the smoke figure smooching his cheek before proceeding. “So...! Tell me, what is it that you want? What type of role does your crew play in the Goonberg Heist?”
Then, she added something else. “And, while you are at it, it would be nice if you told me your name, and the name of your crew…
… I am suddenly more interested in you, guys~.”
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Post by Tadayoshi Teppei and Silence on Sept 9, 2019 16:21:11 GMT
Silence was not bowing to the captain's threats. They had her number dialed in: it was all part of the show. If it wasn't, well, that would be her mistake.
Tadayoshi recognized the game this LadyDevimon was trying to play with Alan immediately. It was actually quite clever; he looked like the weaker, less thoughtful one (so Tadayoshi assumed), so she was trying to work him like an asset. Well, Tadayoshi had been on both sides of that interaction (including quite recently, obviously), and he wasn't keen to let that happen. Maybe a more serious-looking person - a digimon, too - stepping in might let the Dusk know these people weren't to be fooled. Tadayoshi tapped Commandramon's arm. "Our sources are our own," Commandramon insisted as an "Amelie" was blamed for this. True, their source was a male, but that was no reason to put any one person in danger. If someone didn't protect their sources, who would trust them to inform them again? "We will not be telling ours." That was more for Alan, the soldier advising him not to let that slip.
"As for what we want, that's simple: we have an invitation card. We accept your invitation. My comrades..." Commandramon gestured to the rest of his party. "...and I are independent contractors. In short, we work for whoever pays us." This was true but not the whole truth: Silence had indeed worked for some shady characters, but while they disregarded the rule of law they did still care about right from wrong. There was even a slim chance an underbelly organization like this had heard of the group. "As you know, we had two choices for the same job, and we chose you. We believe your rumored stealth specialties could use a little... supplemental muscle. If you help us, we'll help you." Commandramon rubbed two of his digits together, symbolizing 'money.' "After all, I understand you're about to be quite rich anyway."
Commandramon didn't say it out loud for safety's sake, but his words had an implication that hopefully the Dusk would pick up on: if Dusk didn't hire this group here and now, maybe the Rockets would. And Silence had valuable intel about the Dusk's plans already. Perhaps another option was to murder Alan and Silence where they stood, Commandramon was confident that was impossible. Heck... with a digivolution, he could level the whole bar by himself.
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Post by Alan Pantell on Sept 9, 2019 19:34:25 GMT
It would seem that Alan had also caught on to the pirate captain's bluff. "I'm no detective, but that sounds like a pretty shoddy reason to fear for our lives. After all, just about anyone could kill me. I'm a 'mere' human!" he chuckled. At this notion, Levi put one foot down in front of Alan, as if to say, "not while I'm around they can't!"
It was upon Virkka's ruthless flirting that the blonde's composure wavered, no doubt to her satisfaction.
"Gh-!"
That she meant to use him was no secret to him, so it was less a matter of gullibility and more a matter of willpower. Furthermore, he had definitely heard that Coronamon call the LadyDevimon "Master," rather than "Captain."
Damn, he liked this captain, and it was all the more reason why he was glad he had someone else here with him. He wouldn't kid himself: if he had been here alone, he was liable to be addressing the captain similarly after an hour, he approximated.
But he was not here alone. Instead, the flustered tamer waved the smoke away... gently. (He wouldn't have wanted to slap it by accident, should it still be solid! That would be unbecoming!) Levi pitched in using his grey ivy cap.
The boy cleared his throat. He would compromise with himself by indulging Captain Virkka somewhat, while maintaining a light, jocular tone, and slowly returning to his formal-esque mannerisms from before. "Though it pains me so to disappoint, Captain, I am sure you would understand if we neglect to give you our names. The one thing you can always trust in these sorts of matters is that distrust is the better option, I would say. That said, for me to know what role we can play in this plan, I would need to know what the plan entails. I maintain that you will need to judge us for yourselves on how we compare, but I am confident enough in our own abilities that I would guess there is a place for us. After all, the informant did say you were looking for assistance, no?"
"Also, my friend here speaks true. We have no official 'crew,' in whatever fashion the word 'official' may apply."
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Post by Erika on Sept 12, 2019 20:29:58 GMT
While the speech issued by both Tadayoshi and Alan had some pauses along the way, Virkka decided to remain quiet until the end of it. It was only when they had finished that she… laughed. She laughed for at least one minute, non-stop. The seemingly incessant shriek was accompanied by some more rubbing of Lire’s head, who only purred and smiled upon the situation. Although the vamp's laugh was graceful, it still denoted some type of mockery. “… Oh…” She finally started to reach the end of her chuckle, removing the tears off her eyes with her index finger. “… Oh dear.” Virkka finally reincorporated. “The person who gave you that card must definitely be a Treasure Hunter. Otherwise, I don’t think you would be underestimating us like that.” For the captain, it seemed to be clear only someone stronger than she could have made her seem so weak. “When I become one of those, I can assure you I won’t undermine my fellow pirates, who are rising to the top. We can be pretty dangerous, you know?” A smile punctuated that sentence. “Hehe…” The Hagurumon, the one who had not issued any word up until now, finally made a sound. “I know, Cronnium.” Virkka seemed to understand the gear. “At least I know what they don’t know, now.” She grinned. After letting out a sigh, the pirate put the final offer on the table. “This is the deal” Rising her index finger, she tackled the first topic. “You know who our crew is, and you know who we are, am I right? My crew is my family. I cannot let anyone whose names I don’t know anywhere near my family.” Changing to a more explicative tone, she continued. “So you’re going to tell me your names, and we’re going to have given the first step towards a marvelous alliance.” To this statement, Lire clenched her teeth. “Of course, I might know your names already. Who knows? I guess we will now see how willing are you to tell me the truth, and how mad can I get when I find out you’re lying.” Once again, that mischievous grin appeared. “If you refuse to tell me your names…” She accommodated herself in that chair a bit better, lying horizontally while she kept petting Lire. Shammamon immediately snatched an apple from a table and threw it to the vamp. After catching the fruit in mid-air, Virkka took a bite out of it, to then make a dismissive gesture with her hand. “… then you can consider this reunion to be over. You might go back to where you came from.” She declared uninterested, her mouth half-full. “I bet you’ll have lots of fun looking for Goonberg’s warehouse. Which, by the way, is pretty obvious you don’t know the location of.”“Hehe…” Again, Hagurumon chuckled. “Now, if you're as smart as you look and you decide to tell me your names, then… I can go on and test your value.” Raising her other index finger, she went on to posit. “For that, you’ll first need to understand I could not care less about the ‘supplemental muscle’ you can bring. Nor if you’re two humans and two rookies nor if you have an army of eleven Machinedramons. We cannot, by any means, try to take a warehouse protected by the Navy by force. They will crush us in a second.” While Virkka spoke, Lire nodded firmly. “Only an idiot like Krull would go for something like that. And if you believe you can do it too then I couldn’t be happier if you go to the Rocket Pirates and work with them. The more dead bodies thrown at the Navy, the bigger the distraction caused.”
While she took another bite at her apple, the Ladydevimon leaned forward. “Now… if you want to work with us, then you’ll have to prove you know how to do a job… silently.” The end of this sentence was accompanied by a snap of the vamp’s fingers. With it, the lights at the eastern side of the chamber turned on. What was previously obscured by shadows was illuminated to reveal some sort of corral. The soil around that area was slightly more rural, and while the darkness still engulfed some of it, there was a creature so massive around the center it was impossible to miss. A giant Skullgreymon went to show this place was a lot bigger than it seemed like. Although it was now lying, fast asleep, it was easy to assume the monster was at least 15 meters high. A bat fluttered its wings and took a fresh, purple apple from the table where Shammamon had gotten the one he threw to the captain a minute ago. Carrying with its legs, the bat ended up flying to the top of the bony monster’s skull and put it at the top of its head, carefully. While the beast snored, Ladydevimon addressed the group again. “If you bring me that apple without waking my baby up, you would have proved you are capable of working with the Dusk Pirates. Then, we can go on to talk about your payment.” Leaning forward again, she moved her index finger from one side to the other. “Oh, by the way... No flying. And no tricks. Only the four of you can participate.”
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Post by Alan Pantell on Sept 13, 2019 4:03:17 GMT
Alan clenched his fist and bit his lips in on each other as Virkka laughed. And laughed. And laughed. It was clear he wasn't doing too hot anymore. Then came the speaking. Oh, the speaking. Now, the boy was beginning to mutter to himself. "Yes. Yes. I know, I know, okay. Please. Stop." the whole time the pirate captain was speaking. It was becoming hard to focus on her words, and while he still did, his mind begged him not to. Finally, at the end, he let himself be heard.
"OKAY!" he yelled, raising a trembling hand. "I'm sorry! You're right! It was a stupid act anyway!" He gulped, and made himself put his arm done. "I don't want you to think I think I'm anything but clueless! I... I didn't know who the Treasure Hunters were when I was approached by one, and I still couldn't say! I know jack shit about Goonberg, that the digital world even has its own Navy was complete news to me! I agreed to follow the Treasure Hunter's instructions to start searching for Astrivia because it sounded like a fun way to explore the world! I put on a brave face because I felt like I had no other choice! All the time, I keep assuming the worst of everything because I keep telling myself it'll somehow prepare me for whatever happens, so when I heard about this crew, I assumed you would be the worst you could be. Just... some assholes who steal and kill on sight. And it's not like I know anything more about you even now, but... anyone who admits to being a... " for a moment, his voice grew hoarse. "...family..."
"For the record, she did open with a death threat..." Levi helpfully remarked.
"So the whole way here I worried... how was I supposed to convince anyone of anything when I couldn't convince myself I'd ever get a card from someone with the authority to decide I'd legitimately earned it. I'd..."
The DarkVeemon from earlier flashed in his mind.
"...assumed I had to act tough, or at least unfazed. That I had to act like I was confident or I'd be culled on the spot. And most importantly, that an organization who works in the shadows would appreciate any and all forms of caution and secrecy. But whether it's pirates... or anyone... that was so stupid of me. 'If I say I don't trust anyone, I'll sound smart!' Bullshit! I hate lies! I hate subterfuge! I don't want to meet anyone on false pretenses! I don't want to betray anybody! I failed to earn my own way into this basement earlier because I didn't trust the person who was testing me! Heck, it probably would have been safe if I had let you keep doting on... wait, never mind that part... I... don't even care about payment. But I want to... not fail something today. That's what I ask of myself."
He'd breath out, having completely calmed down now.
"I'm Alan Pantell." he would enunciate his name with extreme clarity. "And I'm Levi." "I'm going to try my hand at your trial. Less a proof of skills I have, but a crash course in skills I haven't so much as tried out yet." Without a word, the tamer would look to his digivice and switch on his analog jammer to make himself harder to detect. "Don't worry, Captain - if I would have the honor of referring to you as such - as I can assure you with utmost honesty: I hate tricks. But if I do anything you deem a trick, feel free to just... put another apple on there. Or better: have me put the apple back."
Carrying Levi with him, Alan would turn to the SkullGreymon and walk in that direction, moving with decent speed, treading lightly and placing the fronts of his feet wherever on the soil he deemed would make the least amount of noise. Once close enough, we would look for a part of the corral that was at least somewhat climbable and ascend to a height were he had a good, even view of the apple. He retrieved his infini-store while Levi made his way to the other side of the slumbering skeleton's head, and in a toss he had very little confidence he could make on his first try... opened it up and threw it across. If he succeeded, it would capture the apple without touching the top of SkullGreymon's head, and close itself, daintily failing into Levi's waiting hands, and the two would cautiously walk back to the central part of the room together. If he failed... everything would be screwed, and Alan would no doubt cry himself to sleep that night.
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Post by Erika on Sept 16, 2019 21:01:30 GMT
Inside a bar full of dangerous pirates, actually located at the bottom of another bar, with music sounding loud and digimon drinking their lives out, the last thing someone would expect to hear was someone sobbing. Was Shamamon… crying? “This kid…” Apparently, Alan’s speech had touched a cord and someone had been through enough misjudging for a lifetime. Even if he looked kind of silly crying at a moment like this. Lire’s response? She only rolled her eyes, while Hagurumon’s goofy smile remained. However, the most interesting reaction from the ensemble would come from the captain herself. Once again, a wide grin appeared on Virkka’s face. No… it was not the same type of smile from before. This one was different. Instead of mockery, it denoted gaiety. “I knew there was something about you…” she muttered. “The true bravery…” Meanwhile, Shamamon proved it is very hard to talk while sobbing. “… comes from showing your true colors wherever you stand, and being prepared to face a world that might not… like it.” Rubbing his eyes, the ogre repeated some line that he had probably heard elsewhere. “Exactly.” With a countenance full of joy, that somehow didn’t stop being somewhat impish, Virkka squinted. Maybe it was obvious who had said the line the ogre repeated. “Master… it might be a trap.” Lire stared above, looking into the vamp’s eyes. Just like before, the Ladydevimon calmed the lion by just stroking her head. It was obvious she was well prepared for that but… somehow, she wished it wasn’t. Basically, this was a boy completely new in this world, eager to learn more about it. He somehow received a card from an entity he did not even know, and came here looking for adventure. This was… exactly the type of people who composed a huge part of the Dusk Pirates. Virkka had been their master in life, and it was something she truly enjoyed. “In that case…” In a sudden movement, the vamp opened up her arms. “Show me what you’re worth, Alan Pantell and Levi!”And they did. In a strategy that only made use of his digivice and an infini-store, Alan managed to capture the apple on top of Skullgreymon’s head, in a swift demonstration of… value. “T-They did it…” Tears still in the bottom corner of his eyes, Shamamon stared at the development, eyes wide open. “Did they see through the…?”“I think they didn’t… hehe…” Hagurumon giggled. “They are a couple of airheads. Didn’t they even consider how was a SkullGreymon sleeping with so much noise?” Lire asked rhetorically, leaning back and wrinkling her mouth. “I think they actually believed it was a real SkullGreymon.” When the crew looked again, where Skullgreymon was previously standing, there was… “If they had seen through my deceit… that would have made them pass the test. But… with this? No… They actually exceeded any type of result I expected.”“Only Pillomon could sleep with the band playing this hard.” The female Coronamon confessed with a sigh. “The fact that they had not stop, even in the face of such a monster, knowing that, if it were real, it could have shattered them to pieces in a matter of seconds. That raw courage to face what should terrify them, even while they ignore so much… that’s what makes them so… valuable~”On the ground, right at the center of the corral, the little pillow digimon remained fast asleep, regardless of the loud music. “Master…” Even inside the Dusk Pirates’ hideout, even after passing Virkka’s test… a conflict of interest always prevailed when it came to the will of pirates. “You have passed my test, Alan Pantell, Levi.” The Ladydevimon finally declared. “With this, you and your crew are now part of the team I am preparing to steal Goonberg’s files. I hope this new alliance to be absolutely… fruitful~ to us.” Pointing her finger at one of the tables, Virkka made a cup levitate towards her. “And what’s more…” Slowly, the vamp gave a soft, tender kiss to the front side of the cup. As she did, the container, previously bestowing a simple, metallic grey color, turned into a red velvet tonality, while a purple smoke started to come out of it. “M-Master, no…!” Her eyes wide open, Lire stood up, leaving her previously comfortable stance behind. “Oh… hehe…” Hagurumon, still floating at the bottom of the platform, just looked above and giggled again. “You gotta be kidding! She is… making you the offer.” Sharmamon muttered. Once again, the vamp made the now smoky and red cup levitate, making it go to Alan, so he grabbed it. If he did, he would immediately notice the liquid inside was very similar to wine, although it smelled like… something completely different. Something he may or may not have smelled before. While the blonde received it, Sharmamon just stared in disbelief. “… You have gained an invitation.” With her index finger, Virkka pointed at the cup. “I kissed that thinking about you. If you drink it, you’ll become a Dusk Pirates. You and Levi have to drink half the cup each, and then bring the empty cup to me. If anyone else drinks from it, it’ll have no effect. If you take more than two days to drink it, it won't work either once you do. Basically, when we meet again, you must have drunk the content of that cup, or it'll mean you reject my offer.” She explained. “Whatever is your choice, I’ll see the four of you here in two days. I want to give you some time to prepare… and think. Two days from now, come in the morning, back to the Lost Droplet. Show the Weregarurumons that card with the green smoke. They’ll know better than stopping my allies.” Sharmamon extended the card back to the pair. “Our alliance is a fact. Although I still will need you.” She looked at Tadayoshi and Commandramon, pointing at them with that finger. “To tell me your names, otherwise, this is not going to happen.” Now, she glared back at Alan. “Now, Alan~… If you want… we can go hunting for Goonberg’s files as allies… or as members of the same crew.” She punctuated that sentence with a flirty laugh… right before a white, blinding light blocked the sight of every member of Imminent Storm. When it faded, Tadayoshi, Commandramon, Levi, and Alan would find themselves in the back of the same bar where they met that Petermon before, this time in the middle of the night. The proof that none of this had been a dream? The smoky cup in Alan’s hand and the card still releasing the green smoke in Tadayoshi’s. The offer had been issued. Was Imminent Storm going to this heist as a full crew, allied with the Dusk Pirates?
Was Tadayoshi going to this heist as an individual allied with the Dusk Pirates, the crew of Virkka and Alan?
Or were the members of Imminent Storm… taking different paths?Two days to make a decision about an imminent conflict of interest. Congratulations, Imminent Storm! You have completed the first chapter of the Astrivia Plot for your route: Imminent Storm.
Here are your rewards! -12,000 Bits / 20 posts
Both your inventory and the decisions you made during this chapter will carry out to the next one! Thanks for playing! See you at the next chapter!
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Post by Erika on Sept 17, 2019 6:27:27 GMT
Chapter 1: Conflict of Interest for Imminent Storm is over now!
These are the rewards each member of the crew is getting (Astrivia forms are anecdotic and do not need the staff to do anything about them):
-Tadayoshi Teppei and Silence:
12,000 bits!
-Alan Pantell:
20 posts!
-Sinn:
N/A
Rewards Given.
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