september catch-all

[feisticuffs]

🧙 WHO: Jade & anyone!
⚔️️ WHAT: Quests, other open prompts.
🕒 WHEN: Early September.
🗺️ WHERE: Various
⚠️ WARNINGS: Sexual themes/content involved in the Hot Knights quest.


i. hot knights

a. undercover
[There had never been any question as to whether or not Jade would take this job. The description alone brought back countless too-vivid memories, the bright reds and golds of the casino at Octagonia still burned deep into her memory, along with the cries of those who had been captured to become food or playthings for monsters— or, in many cases, monsters themselves. Indeed, there is no question about what needs to be done for these Celliwig knights, and while the predicament she had found herself in upon storming Octagonia on her own should give her pause, it doesn’t. Instead, it only fuels her further, driving her to make use of her experiences in that place to get in and get out undetected.

She opts to go undercover. At last, that costume some power had seen fit to have accompany her to Camelot as some kind of cosmic joke will finally be put to good use.

It’s mildly unsettling how quick the establishment is to take on new talent, but Jade has already decided that this is the best way to gather the information necessary to free the captured knights without causing more ruckus than she absolutely has to. And, should things fall apart and the situation ends up requiring a more direct, violent approach— well, win-win for her. She’ll take that, too.

Of course, being undercover means actually having to do the job, though as a new ‘employee,’ she’s fortunate enough to end up waiting tables. She approaches the table she’d been pointed towards by the bartender with a tray of glasses, collecting herself and letting her lips curl into a sly smile as she does so.]

Hey, there. First timer?

[Regular patron, fellow would-be knight-rescuer, familiar face, or some combination of the above? You decide.]

b. rescue
[Once she has the opportunity to break away from the main floor of the club, Jade spends every free moment she has trying to figure out the layout of the building, mapping out escape routes in her head. None of her breaks are long enough for her to make as much progress as she would like, but once her shift is over in the early morning hours, she quickly sets to finding where the Celliwig knights are being kept. Whether the owner of this place means to use them as talent or keep them as pets, it doesn’t matter— she intends to see each and every one of them set free, and any other unwilling souls who have found themselves trapped here, besides.

Why, of all things, must places like this be constants between worlds?

Once the captives are located, she starts making quick work of the bonds holding one particularly despondent-looking knight— he shies away from her when she first approaches, assuming her to be in league with their captor, but she quickly shakes her head as she frees his wrists.]

Keep it down! I’m getting you out of here!

[Here to help out, or maybe a captive yourself? Whichever the case, better get out quick before drawing too much attention.]

c. wildcard
[Maybe you, too, have chosen to go undercover. Maybe you’re among those friends Jade has informed of her whereabouts— just to be safe— and want to make sure she’s not getting in over her head. Perhaps you’ve found yourself in a compromising position in trying to take this job on for yourself, maybe even caught the eye of this establishment’s monster madame while trying to help the captured knights? Whatever it is that’s brought you to this monster-run strip club, it probably won’t be easy to get out alone and unscathed. Time to join forces!]

ii. shear determination

[Jade hadn’t fully appreciated how tall a single foot wasn’t until she saw these sheep in person. Even aside from their fire-breathing abilities, she can see why even experienced sheep-shearers might have trouble with these— a cautious approach was going to be necessary.

She exhales as she collects herself, folding her arms in front of her as she gamely looks to her partner for this particular quest. No time like the present!]

Well, then. Any thoughts on our plan of attack?

[Caution should definitely be at the forefront of their minds, she thinks. If they do well here, it will be well worth it— the pay being offered is nothing to sneeze at.]

iii. national mushroom month

[Normally, Jade is inclined to take the more active sort of odd jobs that pop up throughout Camelot— typically those that require a rather physical solution in the interest of playing to her strengths, but the simplicity of gathering mushrooms for National Mushroom Month had appealed to her in a way she couldn’t quite explain. As a result, she now finds herself at the edge of the Dusklight Woods with whoever else has seen fit to volunteer for this particular task, gathering and sorting mushrooms depending on what’s fit to eat and what’s better off being sent to the apothecary.

She pauses to give one an experimental sniff after picking, looking thoughtful for a moment.]

This one is safe.

[Into the growing basket of edible mushrooms it goes. Something about foraging reminds her of some of the warmer moments in her childhood; there hadn’t been many, to be sure, but she and Rab had spent so much time on the road fending for themselves that there had certainly been many instances in which the only thing they had to eat was whatever they could find for themselves in the wild. A faint smile pulls at one side of her mouth as she approaches the next cluster of mushrooms; when she had been small, she’d always hated chores like these, but Rab had managed to spin things by turning foraging into a sort of game, knowing that speaking to her competitive nature always put the princess in better spirits.

Fond memories are interrupted as she investigates the next bunch, recoiling and wrinkling her nose as the scent marks them as clearly not safe to eat.]

Ah— apothecary, for these. [She makes sure to put it in with the appropriate findings, then looks to whoever is gathering alongside her.] I think it’s been an even split so far. Find anything particularly interesting?

iv. shining karaoke

[Jade’s work at Shining Karaoke typically keeps her in the kitchen, but tonight the establishment’s public bar had been a bit short-handed, and with the security portion of her job being typically light given the nature of the business, she had been quick to offer her help. It was good for her to keep busy, especially lately, and over the last few months she’s found herself quite at ease with the bar’s general ambience.

She smiles and approaches any newly-arrived patrons who may head towards the bar, leaning against it with one arm as she inclines her head to greet them.]

Looking to make use of a room, or just here for a drink?

[Either way, she’s happy to help.]

Comments

[gunmettle]

[ He tilts his head at her in that way he does where he’s amused or incredulous about something, though it’s more the former, this time. ]

I don’t recall agreein’ to be your date.

[ Some of the tension has gone from his voice, at least, so it’s clear he’s not really bothered. If anything, he’s grateful to have been given an out. ]

I’ll be fine. Let’s just worry about the job, yeah?

[feisticuffs]

Didn't you?

[Her tone is dismissive enough that paired with a smile, it's clear she's only giving him a hard time— and all things considered, barely that. It's an out if he needs it, but she doubts he will. She'd asked him along because he was capable, not because he was another person who would need protecting.

... well. Probably not.]

Trust me. I haven't stopped worrying about the job before we got here. This one hits a little close to home.

[Hence her determination.]

They let me keep my phone on me— if you see anything out here, let me know. Security should be changing shifts soon, so I think that's our window.

[gunmettle]

[ He agreed to be her battle date, maybe, which is a very different thing. At this point, he would relish the chance to throw some punches because all the attention is making him antsy.

Thankfully, he’s a difficult man to read, so his discomfort comes across more like stoicism. ]

Same goes for you. Let me know when it’s go time.

[ With that, he’s content to let her go on his way. The casual observer will probably assume he’s rejected her like he has every other person to approach his table. ]

[feisticuffs]

I'll be in touch soon.

[She leaves him to his own devices in the meantime, and the stretch of time that follows is without incident— if she's caught the attention of anyone backstage, it's been done quietly.

Until it isn't.

It isn't Jade herself that breaks the silence between them, but a chair that goes sailing through the air and crashes to the floor just beside Juzo's table, followed immediately by a familiar figure dropping to the floor to slide through the crowd while two monstrous-looking bouncers try to push their way through in pursuit.]

Hey, it's go time!

[Shouted in passing, rather than a text.

This is fine.]

[gunmettle]

[ At some point after Jade departs, another denizen of the bar sidles up to him. An impossibly delicate-looking woman, who even Juzo thinks is pretty in a way that he can’t quite pin down. Perhaps if he were better versed in this whole magic thing, he’d recognize the fey for what she is, and the glamour that drifted around her like a sweet-smelling breeze. It makes it hard to focus, harder still to respond when she asks him to accompany her to the back of the club for some private time.

He gets the “no” out eventually, at which point she pouts, and blows a fistful of glitter in his face. After that, well. He doesn’t remember much. The world started to swim and eventually went dark, and when he comes to, he finds himself in a small, dark little room, his hands bound behind his back – and he’s not alone either. There’s a handful of other men – the missing knights, he’d wager.

Shit. Some help he is.

All this to say, when Jade blows by Juzo’s table to collect him, the Resolver is nowhere to be found. His drink remains, untouched, and a dusting of magicked glitter adorns the table’s surface.

She’s on her own, at least for now. ]

[feisticuffs]

Juzo, could you—

[She finally whips her head around to search for her partner in this venture, expecting to spot him at his table, only find it empty. The glitter is eye-catching enough that she can quickly put the pieces together— he was rather to the madame's current tastes, after all.]

Oh, hell.

[She sighs heavily as she grabs hold of the edge of the table and springs back to her feet, turning just in time to jam her elbow into the gut of one of the bouncers as he catches up to her, then turning sharply into an uppercut before she grabs hold of him and throws him directly into his partner, sending them both flying so that they crash into a table and end up in a heap among a number of chairs.]

Guess I'll have to do this part myself.

[Well, time to put those breaks she spent mapping the back corridors to good use. She has a strong suspicion she knows exactly where Juzo's been taken.


Ten minutes later, the door to the room in question is kicked off its hinges, revealing an extremely harried-looking Jade and, just past her, the unconscious body of another security guard sprawled on the floor.]

Juzo!

[gunmettle]

[ It turns out to be a good thing that it takes Jade a while to get to him. He spends a good few minutes shaking off the effects of the magic, trying to clear the fog from his mind. He’s been drugged before, knocked out, but this magic shit is on a whole different level. His extensions don’t fight it the way they would something physical.

He hears the commotion in the hall long before Jade bursts into the room, and he tries his damnedest to snap the restraints keeping his hands bound. Yet another reason for him to miss his usual strength, because his efforts yield little but sore wrists.

Soon enough, the door goes flying, clattering to the floor at Juzo’s feet. He’s embarrassed as hell to be caught like this, but manages to keep it out of his tone. ]

Good news, found the missing knights.

[feisticuffs]

[Well, at least he seems to be taken this in stride. The fact that he's able to offer even a deadpan response is far better than she'd expected, given she can only imagine what someone must have tried to do to him in order to force someone of his size and strength to cooperate.

It could very possibly be worse. She exhales heavily, propping a hand against her hip.]

You certainly did. Nice work.

[She steps over the fallen door to circle behind him and inspect his bonds, crouching down to quickly put herself to work loosening them.]

I knew I shouldn't have left you alone— you're exactly the boss' type!

[gunmettle]

[ It still feels a little like his head isn’t quite attached to his body, like he’s just woken up from a nap that’s left him groggy. It’s not the worst or the most harrowing out-of-body-but-not-really experience he’s ever had, but it’s sure damn annoying. The fairy lady probably had to use some potent stuff to get him back here. ]

Lesson learned, huh?

[ He’s starting to really dislike being certain people’s “type”.

Juzo’s restraints appear to be plastic zip cuffs. There’s a bit of magic in them to strengthen them, but nothing so extreme as making them indestructible. He cranes his head to get a look at her as she tries to pull them loose. ]

Got a knife? Otherwise, I can snap ‘em if you let me borrow some of your magic.

[feisticuffs]

Lesson learned, indeed.

[She's already reaching for the knife she keeps tucked in her belt for blood magic when he asks, though the explanation that follows does catch her interest, even as she brandishes her long-bladed dagger with its blue and silver wrappings on the hilt.]

I always carry one— never know when I'm going to need to tap into blood magic, though I aim not to. You can borrow magic?

[She's been so focused on getting a handle on her own, she hasn't given much thought to many of the other types. She presses her lips together in a moment of focus before cutting cleanly through the ties, rendering that second option unnecessary, though should he need it, borrowing magic isn't necessary out of the question.]

You should be able to pull free now. Can you stand?

[gunmettle]

Siphoning, I think it’s called.

[ “Borrowing” works just as well, for his purposes.

The instant his restraints snap away, Juzo brings his hands around and takes a moment to move his arms and roll his shoulders. It doesn’t hurt, but man is being cuffed a pain in the ass. ]

Damn pixie magic knocked me for a loop, but I’ll be okay. How much time do we have until someone comes lookin’ for you?

[ He has no idea if she stealthed her way back here or not. No one seems to be chasing her for the moment, so that works out at least. ]

[feisticuffs]

Well, about that—

[Before she can answer in full, there's indistinct shouting in the distance, with the words "She went that way!" managing to carry above the rest.

She clears her throat, lifting her fist to cover her mouth in the process.]

I may have left a bit of a trail fighting my way back here. I got caught earlier and there was a bit of a brawl in the club. I thought I'd bring the party to you, but you, of course, were gone.

[And now here they are.]

Think your head is clear enough to throw a few punches, big guy?

[gunmettle]

[ Ah. Well. That sure answers that question. He moves to get to his feet, and to his credit, he only wobbles a little bit. Without thinking much of it, he reaches out to rest a hand on her shoulder while he waits for the world to stop tilting funny. ]

Yeah, I can manage. You wanna work on cutting our guys loose?

[ Juzo, in the meantime, is going to poke his head out of the room and move to the unconscious guard Jade left in the hall. He’d rather not borrow magic from an ally if he can help it – this guy is fair game, however. He rests a hand on the guy’s arm and pulls power into himself. All at once, his Extensions flare with familiar strength, and the fog seems to dissipate from his head.

Much better.

And none too soon, because a trio if bouncers round the corner and spot him there. “Hey! What are you doing back here?” ]

Damn, you mean this isn’t the dancefloor? I was hoping you boys would wanna tango.

[ Yeah, he’s fine. ]

[feisticuffs]

[If the situation weren't so dire otherwise, she might actually take a moment to tease him about the fact that he'd managed to touch her without losing his sense of composure— but the moment isn't right for it, and instead she grabs hold of his forearm for just a moment to help steady him before she nods.]

I'll get them free. You just buy me a little time.

[They part ways, but she keeps a close eye on him even as she begins to make her rounds, making short work of the first pair of restraints she comes across and causing the knight within them to fall to his knees afterwards in relief, shaking his wrists loose.

"Thank you, my lady—"]

Save it, you can thank us afterwards. Let's just focus on getting you out of—

["I was hoping you boys would wanna tango."

She can't help grinning to herself as Juzo prepares to square off against their pursuers. Yes, indeed, he's just fine. Making the most of the time he's willing to stall for, she picks up her pace, steadily working her way through the assembled knights one by one.]

[gunmettle]

[ He leaves Jade to work on freeing the knights in the other room, stepping over the fallen body of the guard as the three goons rush him. Juzo feels much more at home in his body with magic coursing through him to power his Extensions, and it shows in the way he moves, fluid and quick as he sidesteps the first guy’s attempt to deck him. ]

You got two left feet.

[ Breezily, as he lands a blow on the back of the man’s neck, right at the base of his skull, that sends him to the floor in an unconscious heap. The second asshole meets the same fate in much the same way. The third guy has some brains because he tries to blast Juzo with a stream of fire, but Juzo just winks out of existence and reappears behind the bouncer to lay him flat too.

That done, he peers back in on Jade and the knights. ]

You doin’ okay in there?

[feisticuffs]

It's coming along!

[She's moving through the captives as quickly as possible, and while many of them are in poor shape after being kept prisoner, a few seem to have enough fire left in them that they appear to be preparing to fight back rather than run.

Well, that would certainly even out their numbers— though given what she's glimpsed of Juzo's efforts, he's doing quite well for himself.

She looks up as she cuts the last of the knights free, and notes that the hallway behind Juzo sounds suspiciously quiet. Had he really made such short work of them?]

Done already? You really are good at your job.

[Even if they'd run into the hiccup of his getting captured, she's incredibly grateful to have brought him along for additional muscle. He's excellent at what he does.]

[gunmettle]

I get by, when I’m not catchin’ a barrel-full of pixie dust.

[ He’s very good at his job, in fact. He wouldn’t be able to make a living – such as it is – throwing punches if he weren’t.

Juzo stands watch in the doorway while Jade works on freeing the remaining prisoners and getting the ones who are a little worse for wear on their feet. Their comrades are happy to support them, leaving Juzo and Jade free to knock some heads if needed. ]

Good to go? Only a matter of time before the lady of the house realizes her bouncers are goin’ missing.