[Day: Monday, Dec. 21, 2081. Time: 9:45 p.m.] [You are all in a discreet van parked about a block away from Nebelheim Park, a domed park in a nice part of town in Berlin. Woot. The party begins at 10:00, but Hector Cayil won't be arriving until 10:30, which gives you just enough time to get into your respective positions. Except Roseli. She's not here for some reason.] [Go ahead and describe yourselves whilst I work out some of the more finer details and AFK a bit.] [Session Start] (I can't describe myself! Heinrick didn't say what clothes he got me.) (Bah. Go ahead and describe yourself. I'm not going to do *all* the work. :P Even though...well, I'm doing all the work.) (Get IC ;p) ( Back ) * Luana gets out of the van, currently wearing the same uniform that the other waitresses will be wearing. She also blonde with bright green eyes and sporting a faded tan. Her facial features are more angular than usual, and she's wearing a minimum of makeup. * Keiko is dressed in very practical clothes, because she's supposed to be a newsgirl. Which means that she is wearing a teenage version of the little black dress. Which means that she's actually showing off leg for once... ever. And her hair is braided. But she's still holding her duck, looking uncertain. [Luana's wearing a bunny suit.] (She will never respect herself again.) (Poor Luana. Good thing it's not her body.) * Hotaru sits in the van with a large purse clutched to her chest. She's wearing a pale blue dress that seems to have been made from plastic and a bit of makeup designed to bring out the paleness of her genemodded skin and hair. She also has a matching pair of wrap around sunglasses and has a stylus tucked behind one of her ears. * Heinrick steps out of the van and adjusts his suit. It's a nice grey wool 3-piece with a 4 button jacket. His glasses in this case are more normal and not the usual blue-tinted ones he wears. He has a maroon tie showing beneath the jacket and black dress shoes with it. [Nobody is assassinated in between descriptions.] * Keiko rubs her collar, which is also still on, and murmurs loud enough for Heinrick to hear, "I don't want to leave Kiyoshi behind." * Heinrick adjusts his collar slightly. "Can you work it into your character?" * Keiko looks at him funny a moment, then looks down. "Not... really." She bites her lip a moment, and then carefully places the duck back inside the van. * Heinrick nods slightly. "If we all arrive together, there might be some suspicion. I suggest we spread out our arrivals at different intervals. I would suspect the workers would be arriving first to set up." * Keiko nods slightly. ( I just realized I'm going to need like 4 channels x.x ) * Luana nods. "I'll be going, then. Excuse me." She hurries off to the park. (Probably not. We can either split and be in two areas of the party or do everything here.) ( You can, but can I? :P ) (I don't know!) ( I don't either! ) (We'll find out!) ( Ok.... Well, for now, Luana and logger into #MC4part2 ) ( And for convenience sake, I'm going to describe the park now. ) [It's a park! With liek trees lol.] (Gonna do the run home during this. Keiko goes last!) (Real trees still exist in the future? Liek, woah) * Heinrick looks at the rest. "Everyone is clear on their roles?" (This isn't Shadowrun.) (Or Futurama?) * Keiko nods, and smiles very faintly, bringing up a notepad in her left hand, and brushing her hand back past her ear. "Hanako Arai, yes." *** Signoff: Keiko (Quit: Rush rush.) [The park! It's about what you'd expect. There's one large entrance to the dome with a line of early-comers dressed in fancy clothes waiting to be let in. Sure enough, there's a guy in a tux at the front behind a podium with a holocomputer, taking names. Or he will be, anyhow.] [There's also a valet service, taking snazzy cars to a nearby parking lot.] [And there's a side entrance, where a bunch of white trucks are clustered around.] I ... I am a toymaker. Kohana Yoshitoku. * Heinrick looks at Hotaru for a moment and sighs. "Good memory. But you may wish to either make your speech smoother or come up with an explanation." [The park itself is pretty roomy. There's a cobblestone path down the middle of a wide lawn. There are trees spaced out in small groves, and a fountain near the center. Towards the back end of the park is a large stage, and behind that an alternate entrance.] [And there's several small buildings in the park, most of which are being used by the catering service.] ( That's all you need to know, me thinks. ) * Hotaru tilts her head. "A reclu..." She trails off a bit and then tries the word again. "Reclusive toymaker." * Heinrick straightens up. "Perhaps you can play off the timidity, yes. Anyhow, we will all reconvene here around 12:30. If all goes well. Same with arriving, we leave at separate times. I will be the last to leave though to make certain that everyone is out." * Hotaru nods. (If we have more time next time, the girls really ought to act out scenarios in the holoroom.) * Heinrick adjusts his suit. "With that said..." He heads over towards the line. (Probably a good idea. I'm not sure we would have had time with this, since we figured it out same-day.) [Heinrick gets in line behind a fat man and a woman trying to act twenty years younger than she looks.] ( I'ma say no, you didn't. Because damned if I'm making this harder on myself :P ) (No we didn't have time you mean?) * Hotaru edges out of the van next and is remarkably steady on heels as she makes her way to the line. *** Keiko (Mechalink@ip68-13-21-94.om.om.cox.net) has joined channel #mc4 [Hotaru gets there after Heinrick, with a good 3-4 people in front of her.] * Heinrick takes out his pipe and asks the people around him, "Do you mind terribly if I smoke?" [It's about now that the line breaks out in a hubbub; apparently, they've started letting people in.] [The fat guy turns around and smiles at Heinrick. "Not at all, good sir. Might I offer you a cigar?" He holds out a tiny silver case.] * Heinrick chuckles slightly and waves it off. "Quite alright. I'm a pipe man myself. But all this waiting around can be trying on a poor man's nerves." He lights up his pipe and puffs a couple times. * Keiko isn't actually that steady on her heels. Stupid heels. She tries to keep a steady face on, and is probably another few steps behind Hotaru. [The man nods. "Yes yes, of course. It's a bit much, such a long wait for some electronic mumbo jumbo, don't you agree?"] * Hotaru doesn't try to make conversation with the people around her and concentrates mostly on trying not to huddle in on herself and stand up straight. [The woman inserts herself into the conversation. "Dreadful things, these 'video games'. They corrupt our youth."] * Heinrick raises an eyebrow at that slightly and then settles, taking another puff. "Profitable industry though, I'll give it that." 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Luana (2d8) and gets a natural 7 for a result of 7. [The man nods. "So it would seem. But if it wasn't, we wouldn't have to be here, now, would we?" He smiles and holds out a hand. "Heinrich Angles, at your service. This is my wife, Lovey."] (XD) (One of -us- should have been named Lovey!) (Should have been Lovely. Lovely Angles.) (XD) * Heinrick holds onto his pipe with one hand and sticks out his other. "Aldrik Farber. That's quite an interesting name. Angles did you say?" [Heinrich shakes. "Yes, sir. Grandfather was British, you see. Harry Angles, of Tenemekenna Industries, you know?"] [Meanwhile, the line moves, and fairly quickly, too! You begin to approach the guy up front, so I don't have to keep making stuff up here.] (Should I do a knowledge roll or is it not important?) ( Nah, I just made it up :P ) * Heinrick nods and takes his hand back into his pockets. "Indeed. A fellow investor then." (And we can just say "continue to make small talk" if you'd prefer. :P) * Keiko looks like she's alert, just not taking. Maybe she's one of those observational reporters. [They do!] [Meanwhile, a man behind Hotaru comments none-too-quietly to another man. Also behind Hotaru. "Dude, is that chick wearing shades?"] * Hotaru shives slightly. [His companion responds. "How bizarre." The first one reresponds, "Totally. Guess there's all sorts of weirdos at a high-brow shindig like this, man."] [Heinrich gets to the man in front of the door. He (the man) holds out his hand and says, "Name?"] * Heinrick glances back at the hubbub for a moment. I mean who wouldn't? (Heinrich or Heinrick? :P) * Hotaru tries to ignore it. [Heinrich fishes two tickets from his pocket. "Heinrich and Lovey Angels."] ( Angles ) [But the man checks the tickets, checks the computer, and nods. Heinrich turns around and smiles at Heinrick. "It was nice to speak with you, Mr. Farber. Perhaps we'll talk again later."] * Heinrick nods slightly. "You as well." He puts out his pipe and stashes it so he's ready. [The couple smile at Heinrick again as the go on through. And now Heinrick's at the door! The doorman holds out a hand. "Name?"] * Heinrick reaches into his pocket and pulls out one of the forged tickets, acting all natural-like as he hands it to him. "Aldrik Farber." [He takes the ticket and checks the list. Finding nothing wrong, he admits Heinrick.] * Heinrick makes his way in! [Inside, the park is exactly how I described. People are breaking off to find their own spaces and talk.] * Hotaru nerviously digs her invite out of her purse. [Hotaru arrives at the doorman shortly after. He gives her a long, hard look. But he doesn't say anything beyond, "Name?"] Kohana... Kohana Yoshitoko. * Hotaru holds up her invite for the doorman. [Hotaru is shortly admitted, because... dude, this is taking a long time. Once inside, she spots Heinrick and Luana. But not together.] [And then Keiko gets there. Zoom! "Name?"] * Heinrick is busy schmoozing! Because it never hurts to schmooze. One would almost think he's actually social! * Keiko will be up next! She'll already have her invitation out, and hand it to the man. "Hanako Arai." [Keiko goes in, too.] * Hotaru makes a beeline for the neares serving girl with refreshments, is it Luana? Who knows. [It's not.] [But Hotaru finds herself approached by the guy who was talking about her. "Yo!" He's twenty-something, with kinda spikey hair and a short stubble of a beard under his lower lip. He's wearing a nice suit, but still looks out of place. "I have to ask... Why the shades?"] [There's another guy with him, one who doesn't stand out quite so much.] * Keiko clutches her pad of paper tight as she looks around, scribbling notes now and again. She is wandering around the room in a somewhat random pattern, but really, she's more just keeping her mind open. And a tight grip on that pad. * Hotaru looks down at her feet for a moment and then jerks her head up to look right at him. "I.. when..." She holds out one of her pale white arms. "They... My eyes came out too sensitive to light." [He blinks. Then a lightbulb clicks on over his head. "No way! You've been modded? That's rad, man." He seems to have no trouble referring to Hotaru as a man.] (He must be blind.) * Hotaru nods and points to her hair. "Real color now." ["Wow. That's awesome. Here I thought you were-" his companion elbows him. "Ow!"] * Hotaru tilts her head to the side for a moment and then asks. "Were?" * Keiko glances over the room, her eyes briefly going over a 30 year old man, before coming upon a bunny girl. She asks the girl, "Non-alcoholic?" ["Ah, nevermind. So hey, I'm Daniel. I'm a ... well, you might say a professional gamer. I came to hear from the man himself."] [The girl points Keiko to the outdoor bad. "You can get a soda or some water there." Incidently, Keiko sees Luana chatting with a waitress over there, too.] * Keiko nods and replies, "Domo," before heading over that way for some water. * Heinrick looks around for a waitress as he keeps up with the small talk, seeking to grab an appetizer or two. Uhm, that's good? I'm Kohana. I make dolls. Er... ["Dolls, huh."] [His companion rolls his eyes and says, "Yo, I'm gonna go-"] * Hotaru nods. [Daniel brushes him off without glancing at him. "Yeah, whatever, man." To Hotaru. "Well, that's pretty cool."] ( Gimme a mind roll! ) 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Ten (2d8) and gets a natural 8 for a result of 8. (made) ( Actually, that should be soul ) ( My bad ) (Made by more) * Luana smiles at Keiko when she walks over. "Hi, can I help you with something?" [Hotaru gets the feeling that he doesn't REALLY think it's "cool".] (But, he does think girls in strange outfits with big boobies are cool ;p) ( That is the impression Hotaru gets, yes. ) * Keiko says in a professional voice, "I was looking for water?" And then the mental contact comes as she thinks, ~Any clues?~ Sure, just one second. [Meanwhile, Heinrick is also approached by a 30-something woman. "Quite a show, huh?"] * Hotaru takes a step back. "Thanks?" * Luana goes behind the bar to get a glass of water and thinks, ~Not much yet, just some gossip.~ [Daniel looks somewhat flummoxed. "Uh, you're welcome. Hey, why don't we head to the bar and get something to drink?"] (Brb, sorry, just one sec.) *** Signoff: Luana (Quit: Trillian (http://www.ceruleanstudios.com) * Heinrick looks somewhat distracted for a moment, eyes towards wherever appears to be center stage. "That is for certain. Is all this commotion really necessary?" That... yes. That's good. Thank you. [The woman shrugs. "Hector Cayil seems to think so."] [Daniel grins. "Alright."] * Heinrick grabs a nearby drink and turns to the woman. "Any idea what he has planned for us tonight then?" ["Apparently, a bragging party followed by a brief demonstration."] * Hotaru glances around. "Where?" ["This way." Daniel leads Hotaru towards the bar.] * Hotaru follows. * Heinrick takes a sip and lets out a slight smirk. "Bragging party. And what does he hope to accomplish by that?" ["Plublicity."] * Heinrick nods slightly and glances around to see if there's any famous figures here that he'd recognize. [There's a bunch of famous people who aren't at all important to this mission.] [But it doesn't matter, because at this point, the monitor behind the stage comes on, and a big booming voice calls, "People, if I can have your attention, please: Hector Cayil has now arrived."] * Heinrick takes a sip of his drink and watches. He's always loved a good show. [There's also two smaller monitors off to the sides, so anyone not close to the stage can see Mr. Cayil as he speaks. But the big one shows black. It's on, but it's black. ] * Hotaru freezes for a moment and then turns her head to look at the stage and the screens. *** Luana (user@24.152.207.156.res-cmts.eph.ptd.net) has joined channel #MC4 (Sorry that took so freaking long.) (Someone catch me up?) * Keiko takes her glass of water from Luana and thinks back, ~Well, it is time for the announcement anyway...~ "Thank you," she says, before drifting inside to pay attention. [A man walks up to the podium. Flashes from cameras go off as he strides across the stage. For a man in his mid-forties, he's aged well. His hair is blond and still thick as ever. He's got a smile that almost shines. And his eyes are a piercing light blue. They almost seem to sparkle. He's wearing an expensive-looking gray suit, and a signet ring with a thick red stone. He waves to the crowd as he walks, and they applaud back.] ( That get through? And gimme awareness checks. ) 2d8-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Keiko (2d8-2) and gets a natural 11 for a result of 9. (Any particular sense?) (Make on mind.) ( Sight, I spose ) 2d8-6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Heinrick (2d8-6) and gets a natural 3 for a result of -3. (Damn) 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Hotaru (2d8) and gets a natural 12 for a result of 12. 2d8-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Luana (2d8-4) and gets a natural 4 for a result of 0. (Oh wait...) wiffed.) (That's supposed to be -8) (^^;;) (*smacks Heinrick*) (Ow! Hey, don't you *want* your guardians to be aware?) [Hector is followed on stage by two women. Ye what make thine rolls knoweth two more are at the stairs on the sides of the stage.] [Of the two that walk on stage, one is in her mid 30s, tall, with blong hair tied in a pony tail. The other has short brown hair. Both are wearing shades and black suits.] ( And that's all you get out of that. ) [The woman next to Heinrick pulls out a notebook. "Here it comes."] * Luana puts the tray back down on the bar and waits patiently. * Keiko approaches the stage and pulls out her notepad too. * Hotaru doesn't move. * Heinrick talks quietly to the woman. "The girls are a bit much. They are...?" [The big monitor does turn on this time. Showing... surprise! Hector Cayil "Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming. I hope you're having a wonderful evening. Unless you're from a rival company, that is." The audience laughs.] [She scribbles down notes as she responds. "Those are his bodyguards. They're deadlier than they look." She frowns. "But that's strange, there's only two of them?"] * Heinrick glances at her. "How many are there usually?" 2d8-5 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Hotaru (2d8-5) and gets a natural 11 for a result of 6. [Hector Cayil continues to speak. "As you probably already know, Emperor went on sale earlier today. So, why hold this presentation after the console's been released, you ask? Simple. We at Cayiltech have been forced to keep quiet about our little project, less some rival company get a hold of the revolutionary technology Emperor is based on. But this has led to less press than we'd like. Of course, Emperor is still heralded as the best in video game consoles ( That get through? ) (cut off after best in video games consoles) to date..."] ["But just how good is 'the best'? You know Emperor is good, but how good? Well, we're here to answer that question tonight."] [Suddenly, ninjas appear! Seriously! But not on the stage. On the monitor. The audience mumbles in surprise and confusion."] ( -" ) (If it doesn't bend the laws of quantum physics, I'm outta here.) [Hector Cayil blinks, he himself looking surprised, then turns around and looks at himself on the monitor. Monitor-Hector glances left and right at the ninjas.] [Real Hector turns back and smiles. "Oh, excuse me a minute." The ninjas charge, and monitor-Hector defeats them with amazing, over-the-top, probably downright impossible martial arts moves.] [Real Hector sighs. "Those ninjas, always getting in the way." But the audience is murmuring excitedly.] (Ahh, for a second there I thought you ment that the Ninja were on top of the monitors, not on the screens. ^^;) [Even the reporter next to Heinrick seems surprised. "Wow. Was that on the console? It looked so real."] * Heinrick adjusts his glasses. "I'm still trying to figure that out." [Hector smiles. "You've just witnessed a taste of Emperor. This:" he gestures at the Hector on the monitor, "Is me, preforming impossible feats at the touch of a button. But you wouldn't know that just from looking, would you? It looks like I'm speaking directly from live TV. That's the power of Emperor."] ["Our ad campaign says that Emperor will revolutionize the console for ten years. It's the truth. No other console on the market comes close to the power of Emperor. But don't take my word for it.] [The monitor switches to a trailer for some sort of space flight game where a star fighter is frantically doding so many lasers in a battle with literally thousands of enemy ships on the screen.] * Keiko scribbles on her notes, while her eyes flick around the room from time to time. [It switches to another Wall of Fire trailer, doing similar with one warrior against thousands of soldiers.] [And then there's a complicated 3D puzzle game that looks impossible to understand at first.] [Then the Emperor logo appears: It says "Emperor" and there's a crown over the E] [The audience gasps, evidently impressed. Daniel is all like, "..... Duuuuuuuuuude." to Hotaru.] [Cayil smiles "Any questions from the reporters in the audience?"] [Hands go up almost imediately.] * Hotaru nods, because it seems like the right thing to do. [Hector picks one! A young man in a tan coat, with a camera around his neck. "Hans Bachmann, Deutsche Sun. That was all gameplay footage?"] [Cayil nods. "Full-motion videos are a thing of the past. We no longer need FMVs, we have FMGs. Full-motion games!"] * Heinrick doesn't ask questions yet. Because he's not a reporter. [Another reporter raises a hand, and I'ma stop naming them all. :P "Why was the online play delayed?"] [Hector flashes his winning smile. "Originally, we wanted to make Emperor a Christmas surprise. Obviously, we can't sell the console on Christmas Day. It would be too late for families to buy it. Instead, we planned to open our servers for Germany on Christmas, with the rest of the world following on New Years. However, I have some good news. Due to already popular demand and our hardworking technicians at Cayiltech, we may have the servers ready even sooner ( That get through? ) (even sooner) ."] ( :P ) (So close!) [And another reporter asks, "Why will Germans be able to access the servers before the rest of the world?"] [Cayil pauses before speaking, smiling. "You all know my relationship to the Chancellor, I'm sure. As we grew up, the way Wolfgang treated me..." he pauses again. "... meant a lot. I'll never forget all he's done for me. ] ["And now, as my brother strives to lead our country through its present difficulties, I want to show my support for him. What better way, than to bring a little happiness to the children of our great nation?"] [Another reporter raises his hand. Then he speaks without waiting to be called upon. "So you support Chancellor Bauer's stance on genetic modification?"] [And before Cayil can answer, another says, "Do you have any comments regarding the EU's opposition and threat of economic sanctions?"] [The reporters begin talking all at once, until Hector holds up his hands. "People, please." He adops a McCoy voice. "I'm a singer, not a politician." There's some chuckles.] ( PRetty exciting, huh? D: ) (People arn't making me talk! I'm for this!) (It's not my time to shine! Keiko's the reporter!) [Cayil speaks some more. "Seriously, I don't know much about politics. But I know my brother. If he believes what he's doing is right, I support him. But let's not change the subject, hmm? Are there any other questions related to Emperor?"] * Keiko frowns a little. This is getting too political. At the topic change, she raises her hand! [Cayil points at her!] * Keiko speaks up in a quiet voice, "Mr--" and then raises her voice. "Mr. Cayil, this is very complex stuff. How fast do you anticipate third party games coming online? Have you had any luck getting Copperware on board?" ["Copperware? That's a rather specific company, no?"] * Keiko smiles slightly and explains, "I have a friend who is a big fan of their games." ["Ah, I see. Well, we don't have any contracts with Copperware yet. Since we've kept a low profile, third party companies are still unsure about us. We have a few third-party games coming out: Wall of Fire, of course. And Kirby Crystal Road; what kind of console doesn't have a Kirby game? But for right now, most of the games are Cayiltech's own."] ["Of course, we expect that to change very soon, now that Emperor's made its debut."] (Clearly Sony and Microsoft were both evil in this universe) ( They're not evil already? :P ) (..what Brett said.) (Sony's video game division's only questionably evil!) ["Any other questions?"] [A man raises his hand, and is picked. "How do we know that little show you gave at the start was authentic, and not some pre-scripted thing?"] [Hector smiles. "Good question. How about I prove it to you?"] [Some men emerge from the back, carrying the console, a table, a chair... They set up pretty quickly. Then one of them hands Hector a slip of paper. Hector reads "Ticket holder #14254. Could you please come on stage?"] ( /me rolls a die o: ) ( Meh, what the heck. It's one of you guys. You can pick. Anyone but Luana. ) (Having Hotaru up there would be -hilarious-.) (Alphabetical order!) 1d3 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Keiko (1d3) and gets a natural 2 for a result of 2. (Hotaru it is!) (XD) (Hotaru is an excellent choice.) [Hotaru wins!] [Wether she likes it or not!] (I hate you all with a burning passion.) [The side monitors suddenly zoom in on Hotaru!] * Hotaru 's arms start to shake. [Daniel gapes. "DUUUDE! Oh em gee! Dude, that's you!!] * Keiko looks at the monitor a momeent, then groans quietly to herself. [The entire room turns to look at Hotaru.] I ... I. * Heinrick looks at the monitor and tries not to look too surprised. [Hector Cayil gestures. "Come on up, don't be shy. You're going to get to experience Emperor firsthand."] * Hotaru looks like she's about to run for a second, but freezes again, and the strides firmly to the stage. [The audience cheers. "Go for it!" "Congratulations!" etc.] [Daniel gives a thumbs up.] * Hotaru ignores them as she sweeps up to the stage. [Hector smiles his winning smile at Hotaru. "What's your name, miss?" His teeth shine. *ting!*] * Hotaru grins back, or at least bares her teeth at him. "It's Kohana Yoshitoku." [He maintains his grin in the face of hostility. "Well, Miss Yoshitoku, you're going to be the first person ever to play our demo Gamaroth, a hitherto unheard of Cayiltech game until just now."] What sort of a game is it? [The monitor explodes (not literally) in a fanfare of lights and music. A titlescreen pops up, with the word "Gamaroth" in bright yellow, a sword underlayed beneath.] * Hotaru flinches slightly. * Keiko moves closer to the stage. Probably not within 10 meters, but closer! ["It's one part puzzle, one part action, one part stealth. Gamaroth is a fictional planet where swords and sorcery collide with technology. Right now, the evil Zorlok Empire has just smashed the small but willful Federal Union. But hope remains, as a surviving warrior of the Union gathers allies while evading capture."] [He points at Hotaru. "That warrior is none other than you!"] Hmph. The Emperor to smash the Empire. [Just then, one of the bodyguards approaches Hotaru with a flashlight-like device connected to a black box, connected to the console. She pans it up and down Hotaru, and the *poof!* Hotaru appears on the screen. Only, she's wearing form-fitting platmail and has a greatsword AND a futuristic-looking rifle strapped to her back. ] [Cayil starts awkwardly. Then he chuckles at the audience. "Yes, how about that?" They chuckle back.] * Hotaru waves an arm at herself on the screen. * Heinrick watches Cayil's reaction curiously. Curiouser and curiouser. [Monitor-Hotaru doesn't wave back. She stands still, breathing, and occasionally taps her foot and folds her arms.] ["Anyhow, this is only a demo version, so it won't cover some of the parts that come before. The level you'll be playing through has you start in the command center of the Union. Your mission is to make it to the exit alive."] * Hotaru lets her arm drop. "Nice, where's the controller?" [Cayil directs Hotaru to the table. The Emperor sits there ominously, like a great void of evil that... Ok, it's just a box with a controller sticking out.] * Hotaru walks over to it and picks up the controller, turning it over in her hands to find all the buttons. [Meanwhile, the reporter near Heinrick whispers, "Don't you think it's odd?"] [It feels great to hold. Hotaru doesn't have to make any awkward movements to get at any of the buttons.] * Heinrick glances at the reporter for a moment. "Oh? What do you find odd about it?" Not bad. [Cayil speaks "You have a vibro-sword and a plasma rifle at your disposal. In the normal game, you'd only have a phase gun and a vibroknife, but you'd have been able to learn some spells... But again, this is only a demo."] [The reporter peers at the game. "Sword? Gun? Cayil was always against violence. Why is he advocating it now?"] Very well then. * Heinrick pushes his glasses up his nose. "Change of heart? People are prone to that from time to time. Violence sells..." [The reporter frowns. "Yeah. I guess money is more important than principles to him."] [The screen flashes "Push start!"] * Hotaru glances down that the controller and hits the apropriate button. * Heinrick turns towards the reporter. "You seem to have been following Cayil for some time then. Why so concerned?" [The screen sends up a cutscene. Energy blasts fill the air as armored troops fire at ground and flying vehicles. One man chants something, and another man's face catches fire and burns him alive. Another man chops through the side of a tank with a sword similar to the one Hotaru had. He dismembers the people inside as they frantically try to escape, blood and limbs flying everywhere. The audience gasps.] [The woman winces. "Ugh. Did you see that? That's why."] * Heinrick glances at the screen. "I do see what you mean though. Any other ideas for the change of heart?" [The fighting continues. A sinister looking man wielding two very large swords singlehandedly takes down a unit of about 12 troops in a quick, bloody battle. The camera focusses on his eyes, one of which has a large scar over it. Then on his mouth. He smirks, then hefts one sword over his shoulder and strides towards an important looking building.] * Hotaru gives it a distasteful look. "A splatterhouse I see. I have to stop him?" [As if to answer, the screen shifts to a room full of computers. Hotaru is there! Along with two other guys in the same form-fitting armor. One of them shouts, "It's no good! They've broken in! They -Aaagh!" The door explodes inward with a purple light. He's caught in the blast, and falls, his left arm clutching the burnt bones where his right arm used to be.] [The other man in the room tries to draw his pistol as enemy troops rush in, but he's vaporized as soon as he does. The camera hones in on Hotaru. And suddenly she's in control!"] * Hotaru moves away from the door and hits buttons until she finds the one to switch to riffle. [There's, oh, three enemies in the room. One has an axe surrounded in a purple glow, the others have rifles.] ( Gimme a gaming roll! ) 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Hotaru (2d8) and gets a natural 9 for a result of 9. (missed mind by 1 ;_; Luana should have gone) [Hotaru finds her rifle! But she also finds the jump button and jumps straight up, making an easy target. A purple light flies from one of the guns, and monitor-Hotaru screams, her face a mask of pain. Her voice is Hotaru's own.] [But the HUD says she's still standing, so...] [The reporter grimaces. "I wish I knew," she says to Heinrick. "Ugh, I don't know if I can watch this. It's a little TOO realistic."] * Heinrick eyes that slightly and responds quietly. "How do you "scan" a voice?" He says it quietly enough that probably only the reporter hears it. * Hotaru speaks flatly to the sprite that just shot her virtual body. "Die." Then she goes for buttons she hasn't hit yet for fire. [Hotaru was shot in the left arm. Her hud has a lifebar for both arms and her legs, as well as her body. Her arm health goes down by about 40%. Her body health also decreases, by about 15%.] ( Gaming roll! ) (Can I sub computers, or just pray to myself here?) [The woman says, "Your guess is as good as mine. Something else Emperor can do, I suppose."] ( Nope. Gotta be gaming :P ) (Oh me, protect me in my gracious light...) 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Hotaru (2d8) and gets a natural 8 for a result of 8. (Onna de dot!) * Heinrick rubs his chin. "Ah. But of course." [Hotaru's sprite yells "Yaaah!" and blasts the enemy, who screams, trying to cover the enormous burnt hole in his stomach with his hands. He falls to the ground.] Does he have any enemies? I would hate to invest in a company someone else is trying to shut down... ( Go again, I'm not running this like normal combat or it'll take too long. ) * Hotaru moves farther away from the guy with the axe and takes shots at the other riffle goon. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Hotaru (2d8) and gets a natural 8 for a result of 8. ["Well, I'm sure those who oppose the Chancellor don't apporve of Cayil, either.] [He drops, too, in another brutal mess.] * Heinrick takes a sip of his drink. "Someone in particular in mind with that statement?" [The reporter laughs. "Everyone knows the French President hates Bauer for undermining his authority in the EU."] * Hotaru starts to circle around the room to get at the door for her first shots at the glowing goon. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Hotaru (2d8) and gets a natural 10 for a result of 10. (Wiff) * Heinrick chuckles. "I would be impressed if the French President was attempting to shut down a game maker for that though." [The axe guy rushes up and takes a swing at Hotaru, hitting her other arm. Blood gushes out as her health meter drops more, and monitor-Hotaru gives another scream.] * Hotaru hits weapon switch, jump, and attack in quick succession. Death from above has always been a winning plan. * Keiko shudders a little herself, arms wrapping around herself. ["I wouldn't say shut down. He can't really do anything to Cayil directly. But he certainly denounces video games. That could hurt him in the long run, though."] 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Hotaru (2d8) and gets a natural 7 for a result of 7. (Made by 1) * Heinrick sips his drink some more. "Anything Cayil's said towards the French President though?" [Hotaru brings the sword down in a verticle cleave, and is slices right through the man. He falls appart in two halves, blood spewing everywhere.] [The waitress next to Luana looks like she's going to throw up!] * Heinrick looks at the screen. "Have you considered asking how he gets the...gore so lifelike?" * Hotaru switches back to the riffle and peeks out into the hall. [The reporter shakes her head. "No, Cayil really does try to avoid politics." Then she blinks. "I... no. It never crossed my mind to ask."] * Luana hurries back to the bar for a small trash bag and a glass of water, then offers them to the waitress. [The hall is empty! For the moment. Well, empty of life. There's some dead Union soldiers around.] [The waitress does throw up. "Ugh. Thanks. I can't watch this anymore."] ( I'm gonna speed this up a little, if you don't mind. Gimme another gaming roll, Hotaru.] ) * Hotaru keeps going. (And her player wishes that she'd played enough games to know to loot the bodies for ammo and health ups.) 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Hotaru (2d8) and gets a natural 4 for a result of 4. Why don't you head to the back? It's not like we have anything to do right now anyway. (Made lots) [The waitress nods. "Okay, thanks." She does that, still looking sick. ] It's fascinating. If it's a FMG as he says... * Heinrick doesn't seem particularly disturbed by the scenes of gore. Freak. [Hotaru plays through most of the rest of the level adequetly, arriving at the lobby of the building. There, she sees the man with the scar from before. "So, there's still one left, huh? Not for long." A second health meter appears; obviously, he's a boss.] * Luana is paying more attention to people's reactions and the bodyguards than the game itself. [The crowd at large seems torn. They're awed by the detail of the game, but also seem revolted at the sheer violence.] * Hotaru moves to some cover and shoots at him. 2d8 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Hotaru (2d8) and gets a natural 9 for a result of 9. (And uh... doesn't make it) [Let's just say... The battle's short and brutal. After a few hits, Hotaru is cut in half at the waist. Eww. The scar-man walks up to her while she's still breathing and smirks. "Better luck next time." He then pins her upper half to the floor with his sword. GAME OVER appears in bright red letters.] [Hector Cayil's grinning widely. "Too bad, Ms. Yoshitoku. The Zorlok Empire wins this round."] * Hotaru shrugs. "They seem to belive in reincarnation. I wouldn't let me stay dead." ["Well, good. Then some day soon, you'll have a chance for revenge. Jaunary 20th, in fact, when the game comes out in stores!" He winks at the crowd, and they laugh, but it sounds somewhat forced now.] ( That plate mail don't do jack ) (/me is getting tired) [Cayil turns back to Hotaru. "Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Yoshitoku. I hope you enjoyed seeing the power of Emperor in action."] I don't particularly enjoy the sight of this bodies intestins. Is there some way to turn that off? [It goes off, as if on cue.] [Some of the reporters raise their hands, but Hector Cayil doesn't call on anyone for questions. Instead, he says. "I'm sorry, folks, but it's getting late and I have a long flight back to Bremen. I do hope you enjoyed the presentation. Feel free to stick around for refreshments over the next hour."] * Hotaru sets the controller back on the podium and makes her way down to the audiance. [Attendants escort Hotaru whilst others take care of the technology.] * Heinrick turns to the reporter. "I'm sorry, I never caught your name..." [Cayil smiles again at the audience. "Thank you for your time. Everyone, please have a good night." The audience applauds as he walks off stage, trailed by his bodyguards.] * Luana gets back to serving drinks. [She smiles. "Helens Grosman, of GBB news. And you're...?"] [Luana bumps into Lisl. "Whew. That was something, huh? Hector Cayil's even more charming in person."] * Hotaru tries to cut through to the far side of the park, and doesn't offer any reporters who try to get an interview with the playtester more than a scowl. ( He has a 25 in CHA ) [Which they do.] * Heinrick smiles back at her slightly. "Aldrik Farber. I'm just a small firm owner, but I was definitely thinking of increasing my holdings in Cayiltech. After tonight's demonstration..." You're a fan of his? [But that doesn't stop Daniel from catching up. "Dude! OMG! Man! Wow! That was incredible! Wow! Awesome! I wish I was up there."] So you've been a long-time follower of Cayil? Or is it more the Chancellor? [Lisl nods. "Have you ever heard him sing? You should. He's like Elvis and Elton John combined."] No, I No, I'll have to download something by him. Which song is best? [The reporter nods to Heinrick. "You could say that. Although it's more like I was assigned."] * Hotaru would glare at him if she had eyes, instead she keeps pushing on. ( Meep. Well, song titles shouldn't be too hard. Hmm ) [Lisl thinks for a minute.] * Heinrick raises an eyebrow. "Assigned? How so?" [Then she responds. "Well, there's his big hits 'Seedy Grass', 'Nectarade', 'I Got $20 and a Full Tank of Gas', and 'Zepplinman'. And I'm partial to 'I <3 You' and 'Timebox'."] I'll remember those, thanks. Wow, the man's got a lot of talents, doesn't he? [The reporter shrugs. "Grumpy Editor. I'd rather be doing news on some of the recent terrorist attacks, to be honest."] How interesting. Any in particular catch your attention? * Keiko licks her lips nervously and rubs her stomach a moment, before writing a few more things on her pad and then looking for the restroom. [Lisl nods. "Uh-huh. There hasn't been a star of his calibur in a hundred years."] [Keiko spots it!] ( Does Keiko pat her head at the same time? ) (No.) ( Damn ) [Keiko arrives at the restroom. It's clean!] * Luana shakes her head and laughs. "God, how's anyone else supposed to measure up to someone like that? But it gives you someone to look up to, I guess, right?" [Lisl nods. "Yeah. I hope Emperor does well. I'm not really into games, but Mr. Cayil seems to have his heart riding on it."] It's kind of weird, though. Isn't he a pacifist? And then he picked a really gory game to show off. [Lisl nods. "It is a little strange...." She grins. "But it makes sense. I mean, kids don't like games unless they're violent, right?"] * Luana grins back. "My cousin won't touch a video game unless the rating is for people over his age. He's twelve." [Lisl nods. "Yeah, see? Hector probably hates the idea of making such a violent game, but he has to or nobody would buy it."] True. [People at the party begin to filter out.] ( 'Cause I gotta end this soon :P ) ( Seriously >.> ) ( Eh, let's call it here. ) [It's called!]