synflux | WELCOME TO THE AUCTION [ OPEN LOG FOR ALL ]

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WELCOME TO THE AUCTION [ OPEN LOG FOR ALL ]

WELCOME TO THE REDD ROOM

Neo Tokyo is a glittering and shining city that still prospers despite continuous kaiju attacks and natural disasters that plague it. However, there's more to Neo Tokyo than what meets the eye. Below its sparkling surface, there is another world that also flourishes out of sight for most. The people who live in this version of the city meet in the shadows and deal under the table, using cunning and power to secure their means. Instead of papers and feeds, this world receives news in the form of whispers and connections.

Rumors have been flying for months. They talk about long lost masterpieces, valuable information, and a certain recently discovered sword. The shadows whisper and share their opinions, making it known if they believe there's any credibility to the stories and if there's really anything to gain. While plenty is still unknown, what is known is that these rumors are beginning to converge and soon a name, a place, and a date will be chosen.

Those with enough money to live well in Neo-Tokyo rarely earn it honestly, and those with strong personalities all know who is the best broker of deals: Madame Redd. A divorcee who’s always found wearing a red-fox stole, she’s a wealthy arts dealer known for her keen eye, and propensity to occasionally sell fraudulent paintings to the unobservant client. She’s a sharp, witty woman who always seems to have a scheme up her sleeve, and hosting an event like this truly is where she’s at her most comfortable.

In a world where everything is done with technology, Redd opts for something more traditional. Securing an invitation means obtaining a simple, nondescript red card. With no name, address, or information on it, it's clear that having an invitation doesn't mean you'll be able to find the venue. However, by scanning the card with the right settings, a microchip embedded in the card will provide them with the information they need before wiping itself clean. Arrive to the venue, show your card, and pay your entrance fee.

To enter the gala, you need to pay a fee that proves you're serious. After all, this isn't a child's game. This is where the adults come to have fun and spend their hard won earnings. You will be prompted to scan your eye so they can read your implant and extract precious personal information. After uploading and submitting your identity as collateral, you'll finally be let in.

You are formally invited to the auction.

The gala

The Entertainment
Upon entering the venue, the invited will find themselves in a large, dimly lit room. The lights are low, obscuring corners and leaving plenty of areas out of sight. There's a veil of smoke in the air that occasionally flickers as lines of holographic light activate, displaying hologram menus and programs for the guests to peruse. There's plenty of plush and comfortable seating, chairs, and even private alcoves and rooms for any attendee to make their way into. Madame Redd runs a high-class establishment, that's catered toward any taste one can imagine.

At the front and center is a stage where a virtual singer with teal hair sings original songs and takes requests, providing vintage and modern tunes. As she sings, she dedicates her music to her fans and it's almost like her likeness shifts. She's the perfect idol, able to become the exact person you admire and love down to their appearance and voice. Even their mannerisms are the same and their songs draw you in, like a siren, making you want to devote yourself to your idol.

The Libations
The Bar is one of the few places that is brightly lit. Spotlights shine on the liquor shelves, showing off a wide array of spirits ranging from common and popular favorites to rare bottles that probably cost more than what the average salary is in the city. Be careful, but feel free to peruse the menu.

— Menu —

SONIC BOOM. Makes your hearing better, like you could hear secrets shared across the room. A fat-washed bourbon old-fashioned

THIRD RAIL. An electric lemonade that fills the drinker with the feeling that they need to yammer on incessantly. Like lightning on the tongue

LET'S DO THE MIND WARP AGAIN. A spicy tequila drink, it makes you more perceptive of the emotions of others to the point that you can get a sense of them empathically.

FATHER WINTER. Makes the area around you drop several degrees, to the point that glasses are frosted. A boozy mint hot chocolate.

VAMPIRE'S KISS. Makes consumers want to drink blood, and tastes of red fruit juices (and alcohol) (real fangs not included, but the drink comes with a pair of plastic fangs)

MOTHER EARTH. A red sangria that makes you feel like you're basking in a too-warm summer's sun.. It also makes you feel more impulsive and violent. Oops!

BURN DOWN FOR WHAT. Like having a redbull and a Celsius at once. Hyper enough that you might feel like you're moving faster than everyone else — and you might be! Several liquors topped off with LILITH-brand energy drink, served on fire with a high-proof float.

RIFT CORRUPTION. they SAY drinking could affect you in any number of random ways – truly dangerous! Really, it’s a virgin mocktail.

BEE POSITIVE. Will be able to communicate telepathically with other people who'd drank the same drink, a honey and gin concoction.

PLANTS DOWN. The aphro one, made with smuggled pollen. It’s a sweet and fruity drink that makes you think about lying down and having fun on the beach.

GILTTER. A drink with iridescent shades of purple, blue, and green. The bartender may challenge you to a round of dice to pay for drinks for everyone at the bar before serving.

coding

The menu contains some surprises

High Stakes Games
At some of the tables, you can put down your bets and play a round of cards or throw some dice. The stakes vary at each table, with some betting cash fortunes and others are more creative. At certain tables, people play for the thrill. They make dares that losers have to carry out and invite everyone to take a bit of risk. Some of these tables have clear shots lined up in simple glasses. After each loss, losers have to take shots, and while this might seem like a mere drinking game, it's more complicated. The shots have a sharp, tingly taste and a strong burn when it goes down. Not long after consumption, the loser will temporarily lose a sense.

However, it is not limited to the traditional five senses. You might also lose more metaphorical senses. You're playing a drink roulette and there's no telling what you might lose.

Traditional senses: Touch, taste, sight, hearing, smell
Perceptual senses: Balance, pain, space (spatial awareness), time
Abstract senses: Humor, justice, duty, honor, belonging, purpose, urgency, direction, judgment (common sense)

Effects can stack, so playing too long could be disastrous. Fortunately, the effects are also temporary and will usually wear off after a short amount of time. Every person is different so it depends on each person. Still, a lot can happen in a short period of time, and this is a dangerous environment to be vulnerable in, so it's best to drink responsibly.

The Back of the House
In contrast to the shiny, chromed-out and minimalist curves and neon lights up in the club and VIP section, the back of house or the alleyway and loading docks behind Madame Red’s club is darker, betraying the seedier underbelly of her establishment. Outsiders who feel uncomfortable in their skin on the best of days, and even worse when asked to polish up for an event can still make it in.

However, if Outsiders go that route, they will be informed that they’ll also need to keep their eyes and ears peeled in case of danger. Madame Redd has been helping with the rumors of this legendary missing Muramasa for months, and people are very interested in it. She’s not certain that there might be an attempt to steal it, but she is concerned, so Outsiders will need to listen in on conversations as they serve or act as security. However, if you’re acting as security, you’ll be required to wear a fox mask, to remain anonymous to everyone.

And in fact, while some members of the party are busy playing the game on the floor, the Outsiders helping out with the back of house will start to hear rumors from some of the rougher-looking staff members. From the rumors, they’ll discover that some of the staff corridors are being used by certain entities to get closer to the treasure being auctioned off tonight. After all, some elements want to keep the mystique, and what’s more exciting than a recently recovered ancient sword, than if it goes disappearing. So several of Neo-Tokyo’s crime syndicates are vying to steal it. Outsiders can choose to pit them against one another, redirect them using their positions as staff, coordinate with their fellow outsiders in the party proper, or even just straight up fight them! Anything goes, but Madame Redd’s directive was clear: This should not impact the Auction itself. No bringing the fight to the main floor!

THE AUCTION

The Auction
And what a main floor! The organizers clearly have gone all out for this special art auction – there’s holographic displays of everything from paintings to jewelry to the swords themselves, each identifiable with an ocular implant stating the object name, providence, and current bid. Much of the bidding is happening anonymously, but there are signs amongst the crowds on the floor of who might be attempting to outbid who. Outsiders are, of course, welcome to bet their Kryptos on just about anything under the sun, though the rarer and finer the object the more likely they are to be outbid. But there are some small art pieces that are feasible for Outsiders to win, should they choose to try.

Finely crafted silver bracelet with a heart charm from maker “Theophania”
A corner of Van Gogh’s “Scream” - something’s off about that
A certificate of ownership for a digital png of… you’re not sure, a monkey? Or is it a grape with a bored expression? Someone tells you that you can use it as an ‘icon’. (People have not used digital icons in at least 100 years)
“Girl with A Pearl Earring” – closer inspection reveals that the pearl is a red and white orb from a popular children’s cartoon from the beginning of the millennium, but did you look that closely at it before you won?
Colorful folder with a wild cat design, comes with a set of matching stickers
A hand crafted statue of a woman in a compromising pose and very little clothing. She looks heavily stylized and more like an animated piece
A glass rose
A nice lacquered box with a real pearl inlay of a nice ocean-related design
A pair of thick plastic shoes in something called ‘sport mode’
A painting with rectangles of color
Three smaller tantos (one listing for each)

Time for a Bidding War!

When someone wins an object (ten minutes go by without any bids), the staff will bring the individual into the back room where the real items are – proudly displayed and very securely guarded. No one is taking any chances. Well, there is one object that seems to be gaining a lot of attention, including significant press in the lead-up to the auction itself.

The one item not tucked away is the one that several Outsiders have been checking in on: Muramasa, Aventurine, and Silco, namely. It’s in the center of the main auction area, with appropriate mood lighting giving the blade a dangerous glow. A pressure-sensitive railing surrounds it, and if any Outsider so much as touches it, they and anyone around them will be ushered into a small room to be grilled by security. Yes, even if you accidentally did it. Getting out of questioning proves to be a time-intensive process, especially if you’ve indulged in any of the unsavory options of the evening.

Good luck!

The Heist Begins! (And where did Asaboo go??)
The highlight of the night is the betting war over the star of the show – the genuine “reclaimed” Muramasa sword, perfect and pristine. Madame Redd stands next to it as she tells the story of how it was found and brought to her by a secret faction within LILITH, as evidenced by Asaboo guarding it as well. She adjusts her fox-fur stole and expresses that it’s a great honor for her to present it tonight to auction to the highest bidder, someone who truly appreciates art, and history. The bidding commences, with several clearly Yakuza types offering increasingly large sums for the item.

That is, until a woman stands and offers an exorbitant amount, with a striped stole around her neck, her tone is laid back and belligerent. Madame Redd hisses out a soft oath to any outsiders who are nearby, but the woman laughs when one of the bidders folds, and she offers him a loan to keep going, if he’d like. A few escalations later, however, and the sword is indeed taken by the notoriously wealthy loan shark and arts dealer (and Madame Redd’s ex) Tammy Nook.

As the auction concludes, it’s time to indulge in the rest of the night's festivities – except the power flickers – and as the lights lift again, the sword is missing – along with Asaboo, who wouldn’t let go of it. Everyone will have to track down the thieves, since they can’t have gotten far, right? As Outsiders start spreading out to find the thieves, they’ll encounter new security that hadn’t been there before: humanoid machines that shift and jerk...until they project holograms of other Outsiders over their bodies. They’ll have to determine friend from foe, as those uploaded identities are now a danger, and they’ll have to fight their way through these false outsiders to try and keep chasing after the thieves! Someone had better save the sword (and Asaboo!) so it's time to fight your way through!

CODING BY

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

If it were me, it would be far more artful than simply stealing faces. I would have just had the item disappear and nobody would be the wiser. This is flashy.

[ An annoyed sneer. ]

A message.

Since my involvement was not made secret.

[ And "Mister Fissure" has been making waves in the criminal underground. ]

So yes, I think someone is trying to create a little friction for me. Stealing the source of all of our funding seems like quite the way to send a message, don't you think?

[ His gun finally holstered, he puts his hands in his pockets, fingers fiddling with his lighter inside. Something to do with his hands. ]

( Mister Fissure. )

A native, do you think? I doubt an Outsider would really act against you. It's hardly anyone's style. And I don't think we know anyone with this particular tech. ( In the chaos Geto muscles them through the space, gaze ticking over people. Friend or foe? Does it really matter? )

Which are you more concerned with? The sword? Or our missing companion?

[ Don't make fun of his very clever and cool name!! ]

No, I can't imagine any Outsider would show any interest in stopping my business, especially like this. It's too subtle.

[ Most of them would be more...explosive. Aggressive.

And then a beat. ]

What missing companion? I'm interested in the sword. That's what we just sold.

[ poor asaboo... ]

Oh, of course.

( They make it to security, but Geto is not sure of the still milling slightly high-key crowd. He looks to Silco, then to the door. )

I can break us through, but do you want subtlety this time or no?

[ He sighed. ]

Redd is going to take it out of my cut.

[ BUT... ]

But, I would rather that than mess around with waiting for her to unlock it. Why don't you break through.

[ Before they catch too much attention as potential upstarts. ]

( He has absolutely played animal crossing, just so we're aware.

His mouth twitches once, but then he's heading to the door. There's a shiny handle, a little keypad. Geto wastes little time, hand on the metal and the force of a quick jerk splintering the wood. It opens wide immediately after, Geto's smile cheerful. )

You can send this mystery patron my way, if you want.

( And then a little wave, after you. ) Are they the one in charge of the security?

[ I hope geto liked the tom nook/redd fanfiction then.

He watches as he simply twists, and the security measures are gone. He doesn't look it to Silco, but clearly, he's stronger than he looks.

He does take the lead, and steps through. ]

They're in charge of the entire venue.

I suspect that this means that these are not a part of her own security. An invading force, perhaps. Likely after our very valuable item.

( Jujutsu prowess, don't worry about it. )

Someone that knows enough about the Outsiders to use our faces? Isn't that a little worrying?

( A glance over his shoulder behind them before he trails after Silco, a hand briefly under his jacket to touch the edge of Playful Cloud. )

Do you trust your business partner, Silco-san?

[ As they move in, Silco looks over his shoulder with a quirk of his lips. ]

I know that she understands good business, and wouldn't be foolish enough to betray me.

[ And then, with a twitch of his lips: ]

But there's a reason why I was exempt from the entrance fee.

[ As if he would let anyone. ]

I don't think I've ever seen you kick up a fuss about something.

( Apart from the dubious time he was controlled by the rift, but he doesn't think that counts. )

Especially not VIP perks.

No, certainly not. If I wanted her destroyed, it wouldn't be like this.

[ He sure as heck wasn't the one causing this either. ]

I'd just destroy her from within, taking her business and redirecting it elsewhere until all of her funds are leeched from her organization, a slow bleeding out, and then when it's all done...

[ A tight smile. ]

I'd send someone to pressure her to leave me her property, and then kill her.

A fuss. [ He scoffed. ]

( There is stunned silence, and then there is laughter. )

Ah, all right then. Remind me not to get on your wrong side.

( Except he knew this already. He knows Silco's calibre, he knows the mettle of his spine. It's why they ( so far ) have not mixed business with pleasure. Geto is just the bum that hangs around. )

Was it this? Or was there a worse slight somewhere?

[ Silco's lips curled into a slight, self-satisfied smile. ]

We'll see if it's this. [ So far, she's known not to stab him in the back.

So far. ]

Depends on if she is trying to double up on the payments. Not that I doubt she would given that she seemed to know the winner. She may want to make off with the money and double her earnings.

[ There's going to be a computer at the end of this, he knows it. He's looking for the security room. ]

( It's an intricate scheme, he understands that. It makes him glad he's no longer a part of that kind of effort. He doesn't mind helping Silco out though, scanning halls as they pass. )

Ah, greed. I see. I understand.

( A noise, a hand motioning. )

Down here? There's a light.

Of course you do. We know how easy it is to succumb to such things.

[ Silco follows his hand, before his steps slowed, and he watched.

There's no movement, which is good, but... ]

Do you have anything that can look?

( He holds a hand up almost instinctively, the curse that he's calling oozing to the ground between them. It's a flat kind of creature, many legged. A little like a centipede, but covered in eyes. It crawls towards the door at speed, slips under the ever slight gap. It's silent for a moment, and then Geto hums. )

One.

( A pause. )

Asleep on the job. The curse can't do anything to him, it's not the kind made for combat. How do you want to proceed?

Asleep.

[ He says, derisively. ]

I would have thought Redd ran a tighter ship than that. [ Honestly? He's not mad, he's just disappointed. He gestured. ]

Well, I suppose the only thing to do is guarantee he stays asleep. Let's go knock him out.

[ He won't kill him, which is for Madame Redd more than the man himself, but he pulls the thick knife out from within the folds of his suit, the one from Tezcatlipoca, and starts heading toward the door. He'll deal with this himself if he has to. ]

( He gets something of a jaunty half salute in return, Geto's lazy insouciance giving him the aura of someone having a grand old time. If his gaze flickers to the knife it's only to appraise it. A better choice than a gun, he thinks. Maybe he should see how far Silco's come in his ways.

He at least gets the door, the curse creeping back out silently, skittering back the way they came so there's less chance of an ambush. The guard is like he said, asleep tucked in front of an embankment of computers. There's a light flashing, but if there should be sound it's very absent. Geto slinks into the room without another word, then raises an eyebrow at his very best friend.

Don't worry, babes, he's got your back! )

[ Leave it to Geto to have all of the capability in the world to handle this much more swiftly than Silco, and let him do the work anyway.

His feet are silent, toe first, he walks with an assurance, and he lifts his arm with the pommel of the knife, and doesn't even look back at Geto. He keeps his half-unblinking stare on the man, before —

The pommel of the knife slams down, connecting with the back of his head, and he goes fully limp. Slipping the knife back into his coat, he tips his head back to look at Geto with a half-smile, before his leg lifts to kick the man off the seat. ]

Lazy fool.

Which one?

( The guard or Geto? )

Ah, you're more than capable, Silco-san. I wouldn't want you thinking that I think otherwise. ( He's just being a very good friend. ) Now what? The cameras? ( Coming around to loom behind the screens. ) Are we hoping that our friend was too preoccupied with the theft to remember all of these?

Oh, we both know you enjoy your leisure, Geto. That's hardly a surprise.

[ A twitch of a sharp smile, and he gestures at the guard — who is now passed out on the ground — before he takes the seat. ]

If they are that foolish, yes, we'll use the cameras.

However, I assume they are at least intelligent enough to block that. No, I'll be taking it to look into it for later.

[ Silco's getting.... better(ish) with computers. Enough that he can navigate them well, enough that he can start downloading the data. See? Better! ]

( He laughs. It's a bright sound. The lazy cat energy is very dearly cultivated. Of course he gets his bursts of energy, there are claws attached. But he'd much rather only bother when he has to. ) Next time I'll knock out some thugs for you, I didn't know I had to work for it.

( Maybe. Maybe not. It will depend on which part of him wins the eternal war. )

I thought you'd be chasing down the culprit.

Why, I don't have to.

[ He indicates a camera, where some Outsiders are already chasing them down, Asaboo still hanging onto the sword. ]

You know how the Outsiders are. They're so willing to play hero, that all I have to do is watch.

[ He's typing away to find the directory now. It's not... great. He isn't a great typer. He's chicken pecking his way through the keyboard, but he's at least getting somewhere. ]

( Briefly he considers the fact that Silco may have orchestrated all of this just to get here, but if he has then Geto probably doesn't care all that much. Whatever it is, as long as it doesn't impact the people under his protection then it's fine. He starts doing what he usually does in these situations anyway - nosiness making him rifle through the drawers. )

The thing about heroes is they're often very stupid. But eh, if you want to risk the sword then by all means.

( There's nothing in this place. Not even some ill-gotten booze he can pilfer. A shame. )

Was the sword the only thing legitimate? There were probably easier items to steal.

The sword legitimate?

[ He says it with a little half-scoff. ]

It is legitimate in that it is crafted by Muramasa, but we have spent several months... selling it as a long-lost relic.

I'm sure you can imagine the excitement.

WELCOME TO THE REDD ROOM

The gala

THE AUCTION

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