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!

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[ There's a brief slight widening of his eyes at her vehemence before everything in Yuta's expression gentles in a way he simply cannot help, smile widening with a genuine warmth that lightens the perpetual shadows on his face, heartened by her staunch defense and the fact she sees in Muramasa what he does. (Someone kind with a good heart.) Perhaps no wonder when he knows what Muramasa did for her, but it's really good to see all the same. ]

I'm sure that, if he were still alive, he'd be one of the best people I know of.

[ A finger is raised to his lips for only a second or two in a gentle, playful reminder of the pretense they're under before his hand is dropped and he shrugs his shoulders, swiftly moving along to her next question. ]

Who knows, it could be for the thrill of owning something supposedly dangerous or maybe just wanting to own a piece of the legend for the sake of it. More than anything, I think for them it's just a status symbol whether they believe in the stories or not.

[Her brow furrows.]

I dunno if I’d go that far. [she grumbles. She knows a lot of really awesome people.

But she’s reasonably sure Muramasa isn’t bad, so she’s willing to knock some skulls together if she overhears people smack-talking him.]

That sounds like a big waste of money. It sounds like they’re not even gonna use it.

[ He can't help but laugh a little, soft and a touch sheepish, partially under his breath. A thread of fondness in his voice along with the amusement when he speaks again. ]

He was probably a lot kinder than he seemed at first glance.

[ But then again, Yuta is very biased. It's not every day you cut off someone's arm and they welcome you back with all the love in their heart and let their home be yours too despite the awful harm done; Muramasa has successfully made himself a subject of Yuta's unyielding devotion in doing so. He knows exactly what lies beneath the gruff exterior and that makes the statements easy and true to make. ]

Yeah... Most likely they'll keep it just for show. It's a shame, but at least the beautiful craftsmanship will still be appreciated.

[ Or at least he hopes so. He knows what effort went into it since he watched the blade be made. ]

Is that so?

[Sounds like someone's got a historical crush, huh? She wonders if Yuta is one of the boys who hangs out at Mr. Muramasa's forge all the time and does his errands for him.]

Well, at least the maker...er... the guy who found it... will get a big payday. Because he's pretty terrible at making money most of the time.

I know his apprentices remembered him fondly.

[ Yuta's attachment probably runs far deeper than it does for the rest of those who have found themselves under Muramasa's tutelage, but he's certain they would all have nice things to say about Muramasa, too.

Although he can't help but laugh a little, wry and sheepish, at what she says next. ]

He is, isn't he? It's a good thing he has someone looking out for his finances or else I'm not sure he'd ever make any money.

Oh, is that what all this is about? [She gestures around herself to indicate the whole swanky gala. She was wondering how one of Muramasa's swords got here of all places.]

Good job to the accountant. He'll be able to buy all the... whatever it is that likes.... [She honestly doesn't know Muramasa would even spend his kryptos on. She was trying to get a 'thanks for helping with the shrine' present for him earlier, and struggled to figure out anything that the man would want that he wouldn't just make for himself.]

Oh no, this was all set up by a well-connected friend.

[ A quick correction that Yuta hastily throws out because he cannot take credit for any of this since he's technically Muramasa's accountant. He's only a teenager, after all, and a jujutsu sorcerer; none of this is even remotely in his wheelhouse. Everything he's been learning about managing finances and pricing Muramasa's work fairly has largely been done on the fly and on late night insomnia binge researching. It is far from his forte and this is not his scene. It's Aventurine he'll have to thank for helping set up Muramasa with more kryptos than they'll ever be able to spend if the bids he's been hearing are anything to go by.

Yuta is simply here to help as security and.... ]

The accountant is just ensuring that he gets a fair cut of the money. [ A beat. ] Although he doesn't want for much and will probably think it's absurd.

Well, even if he doesn't really want the money, at least it led to a nice party for all of us.

[Hopefully Muramasa is enjoying it too ~~even if he has been forced into a shirt~~]

Have you tried any of the drinks yet?

That's true, I'm glad people are enjoying it.

[ Neither master nor apprentice are enjoying this shindig very much themselves, working out of their comfort zone and having to wear uncomfortable suits on top of that as they are, but other Outsiders seem to be having fun and that's good enough. ]

Ah, there's only one drink I can have on the menu since I'm not of drinking age.

[ Yet clearly old enough to walk around as security with a blade on his hip. ]

But I can recommend it. Despite the scary name, the Rift Corruption is just a mocktail and it's quite nice.

Oh, right. Drinking ages are a thing here.

[Although the bartenders didn't seem bothered with it earlier. Jessica considers offering to help him sneak a drink, since she was already able to get one earlier in spite of her also being underage, but those serious, weary eyes of his... he'd probably just refuse.]

Why'd they give it such a sketchy name? Nobody's going to want to order that, even if it ends up being tasty. It sounds like it'll have way more weird effects than the others!

They're not as strict about them here, but yes.

[ It might not be a thing on other worlds or different times so Yuta isn't judging any of the younger people around who have decided to indulge while they can, but Jessica's got him pegged; he's too much of a(n overly) responsible square to go for it himself. Even drinking age aside, he's on the job here. It won't do to have his first taste of alcohol when he has to stay alert and ready for anything as security.

(Too bad then that he's going to make a really dumb mistake later.)

At her protest he laughs a little sheepishly. ]

I think that's the joke, making the most harmless thing sound like the most dangerous... It is a bit of a shame if it does deter people though.

They must be trying to push the more expensive drinks by steering people away from that one.

[What an underhanded hustle! Jessica would much prefer an honest tavern that's upfront about their offerings, even if it has less variety.]

They don't even need gimmicky drinks to get people in the door! Their singer is good enough to bring in plenty of business.

[ He hadn't particularly given the drinks much thought, too focused on the job and identifying potential trouble as he's been, but... ]

It wouldn't surprise me if that's true.

[ This whole thing is shady business with shady people that Yuta wouldn't normally care to deal with unless deemed truly necessary. (Which, in order to make sure Muramasa gets what he's owed, Yuta has.) He's glancing away, scanning the room as he speaks of the majority of tonight's patrons within it as a way to both indicate them and still do his job at the same time. ]

This is meant for the kind of crowd that would do anything to turn a profit so maybe it's only fitting.

[ Hustlers hustling each other, he means. He intends to look back at Jessica, but the little group of yakuza he'd been guiding earlier intently advancing on some new arrivals catch and hold his attention instead, making him sigh before he can think to stop it. ]

[Jessica hears that sigh and follows Yuta's gaze. A group of troublemakers, she assumes. Most of the people at this party are the trouble-making type, after all. Thus the sketchy drinks and weird gambling antes.]

Do you need to go yell at them to behave?

[She won't keep him if he's got to get back to work.]

[ These people keep being a handful and it's tiring. Unfortunately, as much as he would like to just socialize among fellow Outsiders instead of dealing with them, he has a job to do. Yuta tears his gaze away from the brewing trouble to give Jessica a look that's wry and apologetic. ]

Sorry, it does seem like it'll need some intervening.

[ He's not one to yell, but he has his ways of wrangling. Having an eerie presence, the face of a potential serial killer when he lets his expression go flat, and a sword on his hip help to sell the image of someone who doesn't need to shout in order to command respect in the room despite being a teenager. It's no doubt about to come in handy in a minute or so.

But before he goes to attend to the matter, he takes a moment to drop all pretense and lean in to speak to her on a more personal level in a quieter voice to avoid anyone overhearing. ]

I'm Okkotsu Yuta from the Revelation team. If you run into any trouble or if there's any help you need, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

[ He'll be easy enough to track down on the network with his name and team given. ]

[Jessica's voice goes similarly low.]

Jessica Alkirk, Redemption team. If you get hurt or poisoned, I can fix you up.

[She gives him a cheery smile, then lets him go get back to work. Surely those hooligans will be the worst of the trouble at the party and everyone else will have a good, peaceful time!]

[ The cheery smile is returned with an easy one of his own. ]

Likewise— [ He'd love to elaborate that he's a healer as well or at the very least finish introductions properly with an "it's nice to meet you" but there are raised voices coming from the direction of Trouble now and he has no time. So a polite bow and a hasty bid goodbye is what Yuta has to settle for. ] Ah, I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening.

[ And off he goes, good-natured smile fading to be replaced with his dead-eyed down to business face as he turns away. Time to intimidate some thugs into behaving which will definitely be the worst of tonight's problems, right? Right. ]

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WELCOME TO THE AUCTION [ OPEN LOG FOR ALL ]

WELCOME TO THE REDD ROOM

The gala

THE AUCTION

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