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

[zauneyete]

[ that knife is honestly the opposite of his gay knife i swear to you ]

I can assure you, I can't do this fast enough to get multiples out.

[ But he does know how to pry out a bullet. That's probably the most logical thing that she's seen about him recently. Then again, with how shady he looks...is that a surprise?

The knife, he uses it to pry out the bullet, his good eye twitches only slightly. The other, completely inert. It pops out and plops to the ground with a bloody smear. ]

[mace_pray_love]

[ngl, when i got this notif in the wee hours of the morning, I read it as silco popped out an eye, and I was like, 'whoops, that's not good, sir.']

If you want me to take over, I can.

[As soon as the bullet comes out, Jessica holds out her hand over the wound and begins her chant.]

By the power of Althena.

[There is a flash of divine light, and the bleeding flesh begins to knit together. Isn't that handy? Jessica makes sure to focus the healing only on the one bullet wound for now. It wouldn't do to let the Goddess's power close up the second bullet wound yet.]

cw: man this is kinda gross i guess

[zauneyete]

[ just don't ask how he treats his eye ]

Right, I'm fine doing that myself.

[ He sneers, even while she starts chanting and healing, and lo and behold, it starts to knit together. It hurts. It hurts a lot, because the muscles are moving in real time to reconstruct, but it's unfortunately...

Very effective.

His jaw clenches, and he starts to work on the next, but it's lodged funny, and he's digging one-handed at his arm to get it out, nimble fingers twisting the knife to try and get it to pop, but he's clearly actually having difficulty with this one, as the knife leaves a mess on the exposed forearm, digging into the puncture hole. ]

cw: blood

[mace_pray_love]

What are you doing? Just... give me the knife!

[Jessica brooks no protests as she commandeers the pocket knife from Silco. He can't just dig around there willy-nilly, he's making things worse!

Jessica grits her teeth and makes a cut in the flesh so that the wound can open up and can yield the bullet more easily. Better one clean slice than the butcher job Silco was doing to himself.

She plucks out the bullet, then puts her hand over the bleeding wound to bring the flesh back together and put pressure on it, resigning herself to getting all covered in blood. She prioritizes speed over gentleness. Silco would probably just sneer over being coddled anyways, and the quicker she can stop the bleeding, the better.

She starts up another chant.]

In the name of the Goddess.

[zauneyete]

What are you —

[ He hisses out, and there's a... something in his gaze, like a caged animal, the moment she takes the knife out of his hand. He should have been able to hold onto it, but he doesn't, and she's quicker and stronger than he could hope to be.

His fingers reach out to yank the knife from her, as soon as the bullet is out of there, and he cuts his hand slightly when he does so, before he snaps it shut. ]

Do not take that from me again.

[ Not even a thank you?? ]

[mace_pray_love]

I'm TRYING to help you, you bozo! I'm not gonna keep your stupid knife!

[Why is everyone in this dumb world so obsessed with knives and swords? Silco just cut up his hand more snatching it back.

Hmph, next time she should just let him mangle his limbs, the thankless jerk. She won't, though.]

You'd better stay still now. I'm not done yet!

[zauneyete]

[ His jaw grinds, annoyed. ]

Fine. I'm not moving, now that I've recovered my property.

[ It's with a peevish snap to his consonants.

Sometimes you are a paranoid old man who is extremely paranoid and worried about people killing you.

He's the normal one. ]

[mace_pray_love]

[The ABSOLUTE NERVE OF THIS MAN, to treat his healer like some common THIEF. And not even a good thief at that! The prayer of cleansing is snapped out between bared teeth.

At least any potential infections are nipped in the bud?

She follows it with a similarly testy prayer to soothe pain, which should hopefully provide some relief for Silco.

And if he stays still long enough, the final prayer Jessica chants is one for minor healing, to take care of the knife cut and bite mark on his hand.

She goes to wipe away the sweat from her brow, catches herself as she sees the blood still smeared on her hands, and reorients to use her forearm instead. The divine healing comes from the Goddess, but it taps a resource of Jessica’s to use, and she stubbornly cast multiple spells in rapid succession to prove to this grumpy old man that she’s a good healer, actually.]

[[if this is too for one tag, lmk and I can break it up more]]

naw you're good lmao

[zauneyete]

[ Silco looks like he's going to bolt at any minute, but the moment the pain is gone he settles long enough for her to finish.

Look, when your daily medical treatment involves injecting drugs into a place I have to CW for, this is like a walk in the park.

And as she finishes, he bites out a: ]

How easy your people must have it.

[ YEAH... that's his version of thanks??? He stands, and shifts his leg slightly. It's healed. At least he won't need to seek out Dr. Spim later. (Ugh) ]

Adequate work.

[mace_pray_love]

[That doesn't sound like thanks to Jessica, but it's also not an insult to her, if that's what Silco was aiming for.]

We do, because of our Goddess's blessing.

[As Silco rises, Jessica straightens up from where she had knelt down beside her patient.]

It's more than adequate and you know it! [HMPH.] And it's available for anyone that needs it, if they ask.

[And if stubborn would-be hermits deal with pain and injuries on their own because they're not willing to ask for help, that's on them.

Jessica looks down at her blood-smeared hands, then at the chaos of the party around them. Forget this, she's finding somewhere to wash up before she tackles anything else.]