WELCOME TO THE AUCTION [ OPEN LOG FOR ALL ]

[zauneyete]

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

Comments

[makesascene]

[Unfortunate news; all teenagers like this.

Leo takes a sip of his drink, mentally noting that for later. Okay, so, he wants to avoid having this guy realize he snuck in.]

People here are desperate for any kind of history after they've had so much of theirs swept away by kaiju. [He muses back.] You could probably sell them almost anything if you framed it just right. Make them think they're getting something to hold onto that means something.

[zauneyete]

[ Silco's chuckle is a little amused. ]

Why, wouldn't that be quite the idea...

[ Asks the guy who frequents the black market and sells kaiju parts with increasing frequency. ]

You could get into running scams yourself, you know.

[ A Beat. ]

So sorry, I mean historically-motivated auctions.

not here.

[misclassed]

[ its not a scam. you bitch. ]

[makesascene]

I feel like running historically-motivated auctions is more your territory than mine. I wouldn't want to hone in on your territory. [He's being a respectful turtle about this. He hasn't realized this is Jinx's dad yet, but, he is still playing nice enough. Jinx is cool, so clearly he dad has to be too.] I'm more an idea guy anyway.

[zauneyete]

Oh, you think this is my territory?

[ Leo, honey, no... no he is not cool. ]

It's not.

[ Well, more accurately: his territory is anything that the law doesn't think he should do. Don't worry about that! ]

You're an idea guy, are you? So you... think of things and then make others do all the work for you to make it happen?

[ Now who does that sound like... ]

[makesascene]

Hey, you're pretty involved, feels like a fair assumption. This is already Big Mama adjacent, and she loved these things. She mostly dealt with the Yokai hidden city though, not above ground stuff. [His dad dated a crime boss, its fine. Leo doesn't think the information is too important overall. Not like anyone here will ever meet Big Mama.]

Kinda. [He toys with his glass absently.] I like seeing what people are like, and building around them. Better to see what someone can do, and nudge them in the right direction. Sometimes all you need is just the right push to get what you need done.

[zauneyete]

Underground things, hm? That does sound a bit like my speed.

[ Yeah, you know, sometimes your rat dad dates a crime boss. That's fine! It was probably cute, too. ]

That's not unlike what I do, you know. Nudge people in the right direction, look at their strengths, and weaknesses, and make sense of what they can and cannot do.

Put them in the right place for the right moment, yes?

[makesascene]

My read wasn't exact, but close enough for a first try. I'll keep working on my vibe checks. [He jokes idly back with a flash of a grin.]

I mean, yeah. [He's maneuvered his brothers around in situations to ensure their survival without them picking up on it. Wear a big smile, make some jokes, be loud enough they don't realize he's getting them out of danger.] A lot of the time, they get so distracted by the details or how dangerous something is. Let me take care of it. You do what I need you to do.

Someones gotta have an idea of the bigger picture at play, you know?

[zauneyete]

Oh, I quite agree.

[ He appraises Leo a little more seriously. Plenty of people have said that they were full of ideas, but the precise skill in execution is so often lacking. ]

Most people stop with ideas, you know. They barely even consider taking that next step, of making those ideas reality.

It's a little like what I do. Though I'm at a bit of a much larger scale, I suspect. A part of running an organization, of course.

[makesascene]

[He should probably be wary of saying this much to the guy whose had a hand in setting this up, but... Leo is feeling his drink a little. Not enough that he's tipsy or drunk. Just a slight shift. Buzzed maybe?

He seems to realize that at the same moment. It is enough that he sets the glass down, nudging it out of his way towards the bartender. He has enough sense to cut himself off.]

Oh yeah, it's easy to have a billion-dollar idea, and talk about it endlessly. A lot harder to actually do it. [Leonardo agrees readily.] You need a shove for those kind of people.

Running an organization must keep you busy back home. [His Big Mama guess was right at least. Even if the two probably deal with different things.] I can't say I'm near that level, not even slightly. I just move things around when I can tell there is going to be a disaster. I know what they can handle, what they can do. My brothers just don't see things clearly enough sometimes. Being a 'hero' is nice, but not worth dying for.

[He learned that lesson already. His big hero move worked, but, it was his only option.]

[zauneyete]

No, it isn't. Too few people understand that.

[ After all, people Always sacrificed themselves for some big, flashy moment, but then what was left? A big damn hero would always be a big damn hero in memory, in the end. Nothing left but death. And maybe one thing in front of them eliminated, but what about everything else?

What about the next, and the next?

No, Silco saw no good in sacrifice like that. ]

Too often, people look right in front of them, and that's all they can see. The vision is far more valuable than people think it is. [ Now see, Silco gets it. Some people are uninterested. Some are just good at one thing. Take Jinx, for example, with her wild and free attitude, with her need to explode. Her vision is in items, in things. Put metal and a welder in her hand, and that's where she sings. But people? She could care less about manipulating. Policy? Society? Why bother.

That's what Silco was for, after all. ]

And visions can be better at crafting different things, don't you think? Someone has to guide people.

[ Says Silco, a man with a reputation for being absolutely unliked. ]

[makesascene]

People like the dramatic story of the hero but don't really... think about what happens after. People get left behind, and for what? [He can't help but think about his own argument with Donnie about the topic. How angry Donnie was with him, and how Leo wasn't really happy about his choice but knew it was the only option. He did the hero move but knew what it would cost. Understood implicitly, he was giving up on his own life to protect everyone. He didn't want it but knew it was what could be done in a lose-lose situation.

That didn't stop the guilt, though. Maybe it never would.

Guilt is a funny thing, something that burrows deeply under your skin and makes itself at home.] Are you even a hero if you just left everyone broken after you died?

[The disguised turtle sticks his tongue out briefly at the thought.] Trying to get people to even look left or right is already a struggle. Getting them to see everything feels almost impossible sometimes.

[zauneyete]

Hah, there's no such thing as a hero. Not really.

[ Silco's own opinion on such things had... complications buried beneath them. There is a deep hatred of heroes, because the ones he's known, the ones that people see as good men were the same ones that had done the unforgivable. He'd been the victim of such things, after all. He knew what heroes did.

They took the credit, they took care of the unpalatable, and they survived, and what of what they eliminated?

Why, they became the monsters, to return another day. In the wake of heroes, there had to be monsters left. ]

Just fools and monsters. Some do what they think they must, some simply lash out and see the path to getting what they want, so they act.

[ A beat, and then: ]

The point, of course, is that only those who look at it all Can see it. Not everyone can. If they did, perhaps the world would have no need for people like you. Or me.

Then they would just have those heroes they so prize.

[makesascene]

[Leo would like to believe in heroes. When he and his brothers only had each other and watched movies all day, heroes were easy to believe in. Now it just feels all jumbled up.]

I think we both know, even in that hypothetical, a world of just heroes wouldn't last more than a day. Big heroic last stands, stirring speeches, promises for better days... but no actual plan. No actual foresight.

Just, like you said, lashing out.

[zauneyete]

Reacting.

[ He points it out. ] That's all they can do. React to the injustice they see.

And that's the problem, isn't it?

What is it they actually see, versus what is. They need direction.

[ A shrug. ] Well, soft direction, yes? No need to tell them.

[makesascene]

[Leonardo does pause to mull that over, at least.]

Yeah, it is. [He couldn't disagree with that if he tried. He understands how these things work.] It's always reactions. Not, actual long term planning. The bad stuff happened, so try to stop more of it from happening. It's like a trying to badly plug a leak.

I wish it was that easy. My brothers at least get annoyed when I don't explain every step to them. Like... just do what I'm saying, this doesn't need to be a conversation. I've gone over all the angles already.

[zauneyete]

[ The problem with being a leader amongst siblings. Or siblings-like. Silco had often had to deal with that from his former compatriots, until he... you know. Got two killed, killed another, and then personally stabbed and murdered the last in a fit of revenge.

Now everyone listens to him.

It's the little things. ]

If they get annoyed, then perhaps they need softer direction. Or to convince them that it is their idea in the first place.

[makesascene]

That's how I used to handle it, but I was told it was "manipulative" and "we need to know the plan too, Leo." [Those are definitely finger quotes going on.] So, I changed tracks.

I wouldn't put them against anything they couldn't handle. I understand the stakes so they don't need to.

[zauneyete]

[ And this is why you should have employees and not family members, Leo. Trust him, he knows. ]

Ah, of course. Nobody likes to find out that they were acting according to plan, hm?

[ A shake of his head. ] If anything, they should thank you, though knowing one of your siblings... I can see them resisting on principle.

[makesascene]

They're happy when the plan works, until they realize I gave them a nudge in the right direction. Then it's a lot of picking apart something that worked perfectly fine. [Biggest eye roll on the planet from a teenage boy.]

Lemme guess, you know Donnie? [He has more of a rep than Raph does.] Yeah, he's a genius in a lot of things, but, sometimes he needs someone to subtly get him in the right place.

[zauneyete]

As is so often the case, geniuses are good at what they specifically do.

[ Silco, be careful, someone (jinx) might hear and take offense. ]

Like with most things, in retrospect, there will be plenty of... calls. That lead one to thinking there was a better way. More information, more about what could have been.

We can only act on the information we have in the moment, once you start worrying about the could have, or would have — or letting others do so — weakens the strength of the decision you made when you had to.