RWBYFanon v5

RPG World of Remnant => Everywhere Else => Topic started by: ArosFarron on July 20, 2018, 10:35:31 AM

Title: Beneath the Mask(Riven)
Post by: ArosFarron on July 20, 2018, 10:35:31 AM

Alex sat in a dark room, the only light illuminating him came from a computer screen. No one knew where he was located and he liked it that way. What he did was not exactly legal within the Kingdoms, but he did not care. Having been watching feeds from various places through out the kingdoms for the past week, he found his next contract. Someone he knew was planning something big, and he wanted in. He figured out her name was Maria, or well she went by the name Maria, and that she worked for someone known as "The Lady". He was fasnitated with who she was, or rather the lack of information on her. He was also supprised at the lack of information on Maria, or rather the lack of information on her before she became Maria, save for her name. He decided that would be the way he would show his capabilities to her. He pulled up a nonreply, location encrypted message to be sent to her scroll. He spent all week coming up with a meeting place but he could not think of anywhere other then his normal haunt.

The message was the following
Maria, or should I say Anya Lacrima, I have been watching meetings for some time now. I know that you are the number one to 'The Lady'. I know that meeting her is impossible but meeting with you on her behalf is a possibility. I hope that my uncovering of your old name serves as proof of my abilities, but if not, then I will gladly meet with you to prove them. I left within this document an address for where we can meet. Do not worry about being seen however, I will take care of that. I know how to blend in and work from the shadows at the same time. To prove that I am not lying about my abilities, I have wired 30,000 lein to your account as a way to say thank you for this opportunity. Even if we do not meet, 30,000 is just a drop in the bucket and a gift. The location goes by the name of The Velvet Room, the address is hidden within the code of this letter. Do not bother to reply, as both you and I desire our secrecy. Just show up at the location in a week's time and I will know you got my message and are willing to meet. And tell your employer that my services do not come cheap. Information always has a price.
                                                                                                                                Yours truly
Tarot

He sent the message off with a small cypher to uncover the location, as he was sure that this Maria could not solve an encyption by him without some form of help

Title: Re: Beneath the Mask(Riven)
Post by: Riven on July 20, 2018, 01:27:40 PM

Information always has a price.

Always.

When her Scroll had pinged unexpectedly with a message from an unfamiliar source, she had been only a little concerned. She had done much the same to others, a gentle way of expressing her power and connectedness, so having someone else do the same to her was only mildly irksome. Her automated programs to back-trace and break the encryption, run on the message before she'd ventured to actually open it, came up empty -- that set her on alert. Someone very, very good with computer systems wanted her attention... that could prove risky. She took every precaution she could come up with to protect her data, then opened the message.

When she saw her name -- her real name, the name of the foolish little girl who'd long since been cast aside -- the world seemed to drop out from under her. A feeling of violation rose up like bile in her throat, her hands beginning to shake and her sense of the room around her growing dim. All there was in that painful, gaping maw of a moment was the message, pulling at her against her will like the gravity of a black hole. It was only when the Scroll dropped from her unsteady fingers, clattering onto the floor with a now-broken screen, that she was jolted back to reality.

Several deep breaths and one fully smoked cigarette later, she'd recovered herself enough to confront the message a secnd time. She poured over its contents, alternately furious at this "Tarot" for dredging up her past and herself for somehow leaving that as a possibility. The 30,000 didn't soften the blow any, neither did the fact he was only asking for a meeting. It had been years and years since she'd felt this vulnerable and exposed, and her blood boiled at the thought...

---

One Week Later...



She'd heard of The Velvet Room, of course -- there were precious few things in Mistral that completely eluded her awareness at this point -- but had never actually been. The rumors suggested it was some sort of very exclusive venue, though her efforts to glean specifics had borne no fruit. Not surprising, nor unique; in the dark and elusive corners of Mistral everyone valued secrecy, even if it was just for sake of first impressions. That would make tonight . . . interesting.

She'd toyed with the idea of a disguise, but decided on an alternate course instead. For one of the few times in her life Maria was dressing to draw attention, not dispel it: a close-fitting split-skirt black formal dress with minor jewelry accents in silver and ruby set the stage while an elegant black half-mask (https://image.dhgate.com/0x0/f2/albu/g4/M01/F7/A1/rBVaEFfXrlaAbv8gAAExIt98ZQk594.jpg) retained her anonymity. High heels clattered lightly on the sidewalk as her hair bounced in carefully crafted bobs and curls. To say she was "dressed to kill" was both figurative and literal; it didn't show, and no one but a trained magician would know where to look, but Maria had all of her tools with her. If, as she feared, this Tarot was planning to use what they knew as leverage, it might lead to a fight she couldn't run from. She wasn't out of tricks, not hardly... but neither was she in a generous and forgiving mood.

Information always has a price... and she'd soon find out just what price Tarot would end up paying.

Title: Re: Beneath the Mask(Riven)
Post by: ArosFarron on July 22, 2018, 09:09:18 AM

SCENE MUSIC

The Poem of Everyone's Soul (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU5ierrGKww)

Alex sat in the back of the deep blue colored lounge. It was a private building only for those with permission from the building's owner. Before him, Alex had a small reading in place. He did one of these to himself before every meeting. He saw the woman he believed was Maria, placed his Tarot mask on and stood up from his booth. He walked over and greeted her.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room. I see you got my message. Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Tarot, and you must be Maria. Please, I have a table in the back. And don't worry about being seen, I have that taken care of. You see, my semblance allows me to blend in. You arrived after I had it up, which is why you can see me. I have a booth in the back." He led Maria to the booth and they both sat down. After, he pulled out a small scroll and pushed a small button. He removed his mask. "Well, since I know who you are, you might as well know who I am. My name is Alex. Let's just say, I'm the best hacker you have never heard of. I have to say, getting information on you was a bit of a challenge, but I was only able to find out your name. Nothing else came up within my searches of the databases in the Kingdoms. And even less came up on your employer. But that is not why I am here. I am here to extend a hand. What ever you are planning with the other two you have met with, I want in. You have the muscle and you have the stealth but what you need is the informant. What ever information you need, I can get it. There is one rule I follow while I am getting this information on site, if you send any of The Lady's operatives with me, there will be no killing while I am on site. I do not want people who have nothing to do with what I am trying to get to be harmed. But, that is neither here nor there. If you want proof of my abilities besides figuring out your name, I have pulled up on my scroll information on an urbanization that the Kingdoms kept hidden. It was under weird codename but I managed to get a hold of some of the information and weapons from this group, there is even an interesting weapon involving blood transfusion. It was called Sanguine Alchemy. No idea what it does but there is a brief description on it that says it weaponizes blood while feasting off of the aura of the person. That is some dark stuff, but maybe something The Lady might like. I hope this proves my value. Care for something to drink?" He slid his scroll over to the woman with an image of what looked like robes.

Title: Re: Beneath the Mask(Riven)
Post by: Riven on July 24, 2018, 06:03:32 PM

So, then, this was the Velvet Room. Truth be, she had imagined something in red... the blue, while lavish in its own way, was off-putting. Definitely not her color, and a stark contrast to her attire, making her feel like she stood out even more than she already did. Strangely, however, no one else seemed to notice her entrance in the slightest -- something that Tarot was quick to explain. A perception altering Semblance? In the back of her mind she was already "running the numbers", theorizing on uses and possible weaknesses for something like this. Having come across many an odd and extravagant Semblance in her line of work she was long since used to taking them into account. This one didn't impact her plan... at least, not directly.

Tarot was certainly eager to impress. Maria took her seat opposite him, hands folded across her lap and below table level. She sat, listening without a hint of expression, as this man went on and on. Oh, he was an impressive hacker, she had to give him that, though she took his claims to have found very little beyond her old name with a grain of salt. After all, she'd been part of a travelling circus act -- the star of a key show, in fact. They had advertised, especially on the CCT. And although she had since hired some of the best systems infiltrators money could hire to scrub the net of all traces and references to Fraus' Travelling Circus, the very fact she was here now was proof enough that not quite everything had been mopped up.

Tarot's reference to "the other two" was almost enough to make Maria break her poker face into a scowl. He could have been referring to anyone, of course -- she dealt with a multitude of clients on a regular basis, both the 'talented and looking for work' variety and the 'busy and looking for talent' type, but something in his voice suggested it was the two most notable in recent memory: Petrichor and Bitter. For someone to have that level of awareness of her operations was alarming; being discreet was a must in this business, and having her work history waved in front of her like that brought a touch of angry heat to her cheeks. Thank goodness for the mask.

And then he sat there, dictating rules to her. The arrogance of men never ceased to astound, but to try and tell the foremost broker of information and operations in Mistral how the business was to be done was especially galling. It was sensible to avoid collateral damage, of course -- a trail of bodies tended to create more problems than it solved -- but to limit one's options during a job could be catastrophic, potentially even fatal. Still, she did her best not to react. She took the Scroll from him with one hand, browsing its contents with morbid curiosity. A weapon that could manipulate blood and drain Aura? Even in her agitated state she had to admit, that was interesting.

And finally, the offer of a drink came. "No, thank you." Having seen all she needed for the moment she put the Scroll down, resting one hand on the table and the other on her leg. "You are an impressive hacker, Tarot. You've proven that point, several times over in fact. Someone like you could indeed be an asset to The Lady's business... however, we have a small problem."

The mechanical clink-clank of her weapon unfolding was a soft, quiet sound, but at this close distance he'd be able to hear it. Just in case, however, she made sure to tap the gun barrel of Chant Thrice on the underside of the table to draw his attention. "It is my job to, among other things, filter out which clients are brought to The Lady's attention. While many have something to offer -- talents, Lien, useful contacts -- not everyone is good for business. Some pose far more risk than reward, and some..." She now allowed a cold scowl to split the neutral calm, making her emotions clear. "Don't know the difference between 'can', and 'should'."

She leaned towards him slightly, eyes glaring. "You overplayed your hand. Some things it's best to let rest, and my past is one of them. Now, the only way I let you leave here alive is if you--"

"Maria, stand down."

The voice, as forceful and firm as it was disguised, came from close to the entrance. There, garbed in flowing black and disorienting reflections, was The Lady herself. Maria stiffened, started, and turned her attention that way -- it was all an act, of course, but she knew how to make it seem real. So long as Tarot's Semblance stayed in effect the entire theatrical scene would remain unobserved, and if for whatever reason the effect suddenly broke... well, a good actress knew how to improvise.

"My Lady, I--" Maria began, only for her disguised double to silence her with an upheld open hand. The Lady made her way over to the booth with long, purposeful strides, the very image of poise and focused intent.

"I have heard all that has been said. We will address your... indiscretion later, Maria." Reaching Alex's booth, The Lady cast her gaze his way. "You sought my attention, code-breaker. Now you have it. This business concerning Sanguine Alchemy and the rest is of interest to me. What is your proposal?"

Title: Re: Beneath the Mask(Riven)
Post by: ArosFarron on March 20, 2019, 11:01:25 AM

"I come work for you. That is all. I have the know how to get you the information you need, you have the money and resources. If we work together, I'm sure we both can get what we need." Alex smiled as he clicked a button hidden in his hand. "Call off your bodyguard and I'll call off my assistant. He has both of you in his sights."
He took a small sip of his drink as a small red dot appeared on the chest of Maria.