2025-08-09: The Money Palace
- Log: 2025-08-09 The Money Palace
- Cast: Ren Amamiya, Ann Takamaki, Yusuke Kitagawa, Makoto Niijima
- Where: Kaneshiro's Palace, Shibuya, Tokyo
- OOC Date: August 09, 2025
- IC Date: June 23, 2012
- Summary: The Phantom Thieves make their way through Kaneshiro's Palace to prepare their infiltration route to the Treasure.
MONAD: A party led by Ren Amamiya has begun the event Kaneshiro's Palace.
(|======================== Monad - Kaneshiro's Palace ========================|)
-==== Round 1: Bank Entrance - Taking the Scenic Path - Challenge Level 1 =====-
| Approach Options: Proficiency or Charm |
| Conditions: Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1 and Smooth - Charm Up L1 |
-==== Challenge ===============================================================-
Getting to Kaneshiro's Palace is difficult, given that it is a flying bank.
However, all it takes to enter it is find someone who is indebted to Kaneshiro
or possesses something that he wants -- whether a person traveling with you, or
one of the cognitively-created ATM machines with arms and legs wandering the
darkened streets of a cognitive version of Shibuya.
Now, though, you need to enter. The front door is risky, as there are a large
number of those cognitive people -- all ATM's -- standing in line to enter.
Fortunately, you see a few ways in along the side of the building. There is a
set of large, golden statues of pigs -- almost a statue garden -- along the side
of the building. There are also ledges and windows, along the side, which lead
inside.
There is a security guard here -- a masked Shadow, walking to and fro, that
looks quite serious. You dont want to alert it... though you might be able to
talk it into leaving.
(|============================================================= Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
The Phantoms have gained strength, prepared, and gathered, first at their base in the walkway at Shibuya Station, then at the cognitive Shibuya that forms the basis of Junya Kaneshiro's Palace. Getting onto that floating bank is easy enough, now that they and especially Makoto Niijima are "clients" of his. However, after their flashy entrance and escape last time, waltzing in the front door is not a wise idea. It's not even just because of how they'd instantly get mobbed by Shadow security once they entered.
"Busy day today," Joker observes of the line of ATM people waiting to get inside from a spot to the side of the entrance, veiled by cognitive trees and bushes. "That's good for us, though. It means security--" That is to say, the security guard-shaped Shadow that's walking up and down the line, peering at each incoming client in open suspicion. "--has their eyes in front. We just need to find a way in from the side."
His masked eyes climb the side of the building where ledges and windowsills abound--but there's a suspicious set of golden pig statues nearby. One of them looks like it could be moved, even--but can they do that without alerting the Shadow guard to their presence?
Then again, maybe alerting them is exactly what they need to do--just alerting them in the opposite direction from where they are now.
MONAD: Either that's not a player, they're not in the room with you, or they already have the maximum party size.
AS: Ann Takamaki has readied for combat as Carmen! She is now fully healed!
MONAD: A party led by Ren Amamiya has begun the event Kaneshiro's Palace.
(|======================== Monad - Kaneshiro's Palace ========================|)
-==== Round 1: Bank Entrance - Taking the Scenic Path - Challenge Level 1 =====-
| Approach Options: Proficiency or Charm |
| Conditions: Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1 and Smooth - Charm Up L1 |
-==== Challenge ===============================================================-
Getting to Kaneshiro's Palace is difficult, given that it is a flying bank.
However, all it takes to enter it is find someone who is indebted to Kaneshiro
or possesses something that he wants -- whether a person traveling with you, or
one of the cognitively-created ATM machines with arms and legs wandering the
darkened streets of a cognitive version of Shibuya.
Now, though, you need to enter. The front door is risky, as there are a large
number of those cognitive people -- all ATM's -- standing in line to enter.
Fortunately, you see a few ways in along the side of the building. There is a
set of large, golden statues of pigs -- almost a statue garden -- along the side
of the building. There are also ledges and windows, along the side, which lead
inside.
There is a security guard here -- a masked Shadow, walking to and fro, that
looks quite serious. You dont want to alert it... though you might be able to
talk it into leaving.
(|============================================================= Monad 1.1 ====|)
MONAD: Ren Amamiya has acted with Thief Talk toward Bank Entrance - Taking the Scenic Path! Diligence and Smarts!
<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.
"I'm -so- never getting used to a flying saucer bank. Oh god, I hope I never have to."
This is Ann, grappling with the potential bleak future of roving flying banks chasing after debtors. Luckily -- despite all the other terrible things banks have invented, the capacity to become a mobile floating fortress is not one of them.
She takes small solace in this as she and the rest of the Phantoms scope out the entrance to Kaneshiro's Palace, a frown on pink lips as she eyes the security guard. "Hmmm... we could use a distraction to keep anyone on the inside occupied too..." Panther surmises, having chased out any flying pig thoughts of the grim future from the forefront of her mind.
She pauses like this for a time, arms folded beneath her chest, one bend at the elbow so she can pensively cup her chin -- before her eyes widen with the hidden eyebrow raise--
"Ah! I got an idea!"
-- of REVELATION.
"Hold on just a sec. When you see the sign, let's move! You'll know it when you see it."
And with that, Panther sneaks off. They might see her, leaning in, whispering -hot gossip- to the ATM-people. Whatever she says, it begins a chain reaction of ATM-people whispering to OTHER ATM-people about HOT GOSS until it gets, inevitably, to the right one--
"THEY'RE DOING DEBT FORGIVENESS TODAY!?"
--to make an unconscionably big deal about this.
The shout ripples through the cognitive throngs like wildfire through the driest forest. And just like that, they start rushing the security guard EN MASSE as Ann very rapidly skips towards the others making a rapid motioning with her gloved hand.
"Let's gogogoGO--!"
MONAD: Ann Takamaki has acted with Girl Talk toward Bank Entrance - Taking the Scenic Path! Empathy and Friendliness!
<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.
The time has come to secure their route into Kaneshiro's palace, and Yusuke is eager to get started.
After all, their raid on Madarame's palace was glorious - a living artwork composed of individuals working in synchronisation. He hopes this one will be even more spectacular.
Studying the scene, Fox slips into the shadows away from the line of 'walking ATM machines' queueing to be fleeced, and, of course, finds himself drawn to the statue garden. He walks up and down the line of pig statues - there's something off about them, some discrepancy that's alerting his keen artist senses.
He motions to Joker that he's going to case this angle until he figures it out. It feels like it's just within his reach... almost...!
MONAD: Yusuke Kitagawa has acted with Deft Brushstroke toward Bank Entrance - Taking the Scenic Path! Specialty!
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
This isn't like their first entrance into Kaneshiro's palace, where they could walk in the front door and ask to see the manager- not that there's a front door to walk through anymore, just a big barrier of yellow security tape from when Makoto cleared the path last time. Besides, such a simple solution appeals to Makoto anymore. No, this time she's trying things the Phantom way. Unlike last time, she's not nervous, she's not scared, but rather... she's excited. Eager. It's like she can feel Johanna's engine revving to go.
"Kaneshiro must be cashing in on his victims." Queen says, positioned near Joker and surveilling the crowd. She's gotten more than one reminder notice from Kaneshiro by now, so it seems that he's pretty forceful about collecting debt.
And then Panther suggests a distraction. "It's a good idea, we just need-"
Now, Queen's preference would have been to take a moment to plan, consider the option, and coordinate. That is, apparently, not how the Phantom Thieves work. Instead, Panther just improvises and they're off. That's...
Fine. She'll adapt. Her eyes move to one of the pig statues that Joker suggested, and as the signal goes, Makoto joins in the sprint towards the target. "We don't know how long that will last, or if the guards will start shutting it down violently." Queen's voice is analytical, as she tracks the group, making sure everyone keeps up. As such, she stops before a pig statue- one Joker ID'd as potentially movable. "This one. I can feel a draft underneath it." At this point, forcing it seems the simplest and most straightforward option. She signals for the other Phantoms to join up. "Doesn't this seem strange to you?" Makoto asks, looking at the stature, her eyes fixing on a raised placard. Surely, the security can't be this weak...
MONAD: Makoto Niijima has acted with Responsibility toward Bank Entrance - Taking the Scenic Path! Diligence and Efficient!
(|============================= Monad - Results ==============================|) -==== Bank Entrance - Taking the Scenic Path - Round 1 ========================- Ren Amamiya Proficiency Success Thief Talk Diligence and Smarts Fatigue: 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ann Takamaki Charm Success Girl Talk Empathy and Friendliness Fatigue: 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yusuke Kitagawa Proficiency Success Deft Brushstroke Specialty Fatigue: 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Makoto Niijima Proficiency Success Responsibility Diligence and Efficient Fatigue: 0 -============================= Party Conditions: ==============================- Starting Conditions: Clumsy-2 and Smooth-2 Final Conditions: Clumsy-1 and Smooth-1 -======================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 1/6 |= | =====================================================- (|============================================================= Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"Oh?" Joker turns to Panther when she declares she has an Idea. He nods once. "All right. Make it happen."
When she sneaks off towards the ATM people, he half-turns towards Fox as he inspects the pig statues. It seems like he's got an idea of his own. When Fox gestures to him and Queen joins him in inspecting the statues, Joker gives them both a nod of acknowledgement back. It dawns on him that if there's something up with these statues, they should've figured that out before sending Panther off into the wild, but there's something fun about chaos, too.
Good timing. When the ATM people shout AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS about debt forgiveness and absolutely SWARM the guard, and Panther comes rushing back, that's just when Queen has noticed the draft under the statue. They have very little time to get this done. Joker rises and hurries over to it as Panther approaches.
"Kaneshiro's the kind of guy who thinks everyone else is stupid. It's probably fine," Joker says, just before SMASHING a kick into that statue.
It slides backwards, revealing an underground passageway that presumably leads deeper inside. Joker grins. "Good senses, you two," he tells Fox and Queen before heading down.
Now, 'probably' is not very confidence-inspiring, but all the same, they've got their way in--assuming Joker's right and it isn't actually a trap. Just in case, though, Skull and Mona will hang back and follow at a remove to keep their exit strategy secure and ensure the team can fall back if need be.
MONAD: Yusuke Kitagawa has drawn a new Challenge!
(|======================== Monad - Kaneshiro's Palace ========================|)
-==== Round 2: Laundering Office - Finding Key Cards - Challenge Level 2 ======-
| Approach Options: Charm or Academics |
| Conditions: Bothersome - Charm Down L1, Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1, |
| Educational - Academics Up L1, and Smooth - Charm Up L1 |
-==== Challenge ===============================================================-
Once you've gotten inside, your infiltration of the bank's frontmost area is
fairly straightforward, if lengthy. You need to skirt along the entrance proper
-- fortunately, while Shadows guard the area, there are numerous furniture
pieces (tables, benches, and chairs for a waiting area) and columns to hide
behind.
Then, you find a set of stairs leading upward. There is an elevator there... but
it requires a keycard.
The other path forward is a door in the back of the bank's entrance. This is
marked, in large capital letters, "LAUNDERING OFFICE." It seems that Junya
Kaneshiro's subconsciousness is quite shameless.
The laundering room proves to be a large, white set of offices. The hallways can
be twisting and turning, more than an ordinary office would be. The offices need
to be searched -- to find a keycard that opens the way to the elevator. Desks
are scattered about the offices and may need to be overturned... and it may be
necessary to think like a banker about where such a keycard might be stored.
(|============================================================= Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.
As luck would have it, the pig statue did not just hide an unusual cavity in the garden, but that cavity became a tunnel, which in turn deposits the Phantom Thieves in the foyer, behind a partition that cuts them off from the guards' line of sight. From there, given the way the shadows seem to cling to the furniture and corners in Palaces, it's easy enough for them to begin to case the area - especially with the crowd of ATM-people causing a distraction.
They don't have long until the guards shut it down, though, so they'd best make it quick.
Stairs leading up to an elevator... that requires a keycard. Dead end, unless they find it.
The extremely blatant 'LAUNDERING ROOM' sign prompts a disdainful grunt from Fox - that is not, fortunately, audible to the guards over the commotion. By the time any of the shadows turn around to look at the rest of the lobby, the door has already silently shut behind the Phantoms.
The twisting, winding corridors of the offices are impossible and baffling... but oddly familiar again, to Yusuke.
"... Escher-esque," he mutters, walking in one direction and then another. "Logically impossible, but... something about the angles. There may be a way to navigate through."
Carefully, he begins to lead the way through the office floor, pressing his left hand against the wall.
MONAD: Yusuke Kitagawa has acted with Student of the Greats toward Laundering Office - Finding Key Cards! Smarts and Efficient!
<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.
Does Ann know she just overturned any attempts at formulating a sound strategy for their approach?
Judging by the way she flashes Makoto a V-sign and a wink and a "Pretty clever, right??" odds are reasonably in favor of,
of course she didn't consider that. Not even for a single. Second.
they needed queen to shape them up so bad they were going to die for sure like this--
But anyway, everything works out! Ann's (CONTROLLED) chaos distracts the guard, and some of the one's posted within, and soon enough she's smoothly sliding into that tunnel with a pleased bounce to her step, hands clasped behind her back as she sneaks through with the others past the cavity, through the tunnel, and into the bank proper.
Into the...
"'LAUNDERING... OFFICE.'" Panther says, expression flattening. "This guy is such a..." A pig, she wants to say, and then she recalls all the -literal golden pigs slathered across the bank-. Her frown deepens.
"... weasel." There. She's not giving him the satisfaction of naming him a thing he's clearly proud of!!
Through the maddening maze of mundanity they go, a labyrinth of labor that has Ann's head spinning and her spirits plummeting just trying to search. Eventually, the cat burglar just pauses in the middle of their exploration to place a hand to her masked forehead and sigh, long-suffering.
"Is this what a work office is really like?" she asks no one in particular. "... I seriously never want to get a day job."
Her poor heart couldn't handle this humdrum beehive layout...!
Oh well. She should try to think like a banker, right? Or think like a Kaneshiro, which, first: gross. But second...
...
... ...
no she just can't do it
So instead, she does the other thing:
"Queen, you have to know where they keep keycards in a bank, right?? You're, like. The smartest one here! You can do it!"
~<3 Provide Moral Support <3~
MONAD: Ann Takamaki has acted with Charm toward Laundering Office - Finding Key Cards! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
Makoto sighs. "...You're right." It's a little embarrassing that that logic holds true, especially here, when Joker points out the obvious. "I suppose we should take advantage of that." Makoto can't help but stare a bit at Ann's pride. "It worked, and the idea was good," Queen starts, her voice authoritative, "but in the future, you need to communicate your plans. Running off on your own without talking about it puts us all at risk." Like, say, when a certain student council president did exactly that with Kaneshiro, and got them all into this mess.
Laundering, huh. "...A whole department dedicated to cleaning his dirty money. So much for seeing himself as a respectable businessman." At least she and Panther are on the same page. "I would have have gone with 'piece of scum' myself." Makoto says, that anger she felt as Queen a long, long way from gone.
Yusuke describes the environment as Escherlike, and Ann seems to be crushed by it, Makoto, however. "...I don't think it's too atypical. It reminds me of Sis' office, just... exaggerated."
Someone here had to be a normie in some regard, eventually.
As Yusuke starts awalking around and Ann... cheers Makoto on? Butters her up? Either way, Queen can't help but feel embarrassed. "I... that's..." She coughs, looking around. "...Each employee with access to the elevator would have a keycard in a real bank. Look for signs of seniority, or evidence of a security guard or a person who transfers the physical money. Try and rule out desks that look like they belong to lower ranking workers. That's my suggestion."
With that said, Makoto goes into search mode, putting her experience of having seen the working adult's world more than once to use.
MONAD: Makoto Niijima has acted with Study Guide toward Laundering Office - Finding Key Cards! Smarts and Patra!
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Considering the kind of man they're dealing with, Joker can't say he's shocked that, on the other side of that underground tunnel, they come up in a Laundering Office. He frowns at the sign, but Panther and Queen say as much as needs to be said.
Queen says a few other things that need saying to Panther. Joker holds back a smile. Queen said she didn't think she'd be good at wrangling hostile newbies, and maybe she'll turn out to be right about that, but she's definitely good at lecturing people--even if it's something very close to what she did before. Call it, optimistically, learning from her mistakes.
From there, they sneak and hide and skulk, until they reach a dead end that could be opened up into a path forward if they just could find the key card...
Joker is not familiar enough with art and has not known Fox long enough to understand what Escher-esque means. Fortunately, Fox provides a cliff-notes definition. He looks up and through the corridors of office spaces.
Is this what a work office is really like? Joker makes a face as he looks it over. "Hear, hear," he murmurs to Panther. "Feels like a slow death in here." Which only makes it that much more horrifying when Queen says this is normal, actually, just exaggerated.
A slow death... Something you'd want to escape from. Joker frowns as this thought sparks in his mind; he follows the trail it leads. A key card would mean getting out of here, right? If this is like a prison, then the key card is like jail keys. Where would they keep the jail keys? Near the person in charge, right? Who'd be in charge in a place like this? The person with the biggest, most important-looking desk, right? ...Is there a desk like that in here? Or would it be in another room entirely?
(Look, every time his dad dragged him to the bank on business in the hopes that he might pick up something, Ren made a point of paying as little attention as possible as his own tiny form of childhood rebellion. All he's got on his side right now is basic logic, which may or may not even apply in a world like this.)
Either way, it's not like they've got a lot of other places they can search. Queen makes a similar suggestion, far more eloquently, and Joker nods agreement. "Let's do that, then. Everyone split up--we'll cover more ground that way. If you find a keycard, raise your arm and signal to the rest of us, and we'll re-gather."
With that, he'll take up the corner of the room that the others haven't taken, excluding any sorts of lower-level-looking desks. Between Queen's suggestions and each of them covering different ground, hopefully they'll find what they need in no time.
MONAD: Ren Amamiya has acted with Academics toward Laundering Office - Finding Key Cards! Base! (|============================= Monad - Results ==============================|) -==== Laundering Office - Finding Key Cards - Round 2 =========================- Ren Amamiya Academics Success Academics Base Fatigue: 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ann Takamaki Charm Success Charm Base Fatigue: 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yusuke Kitagawa Academics Success Student of the Great Smarts and Efficient Fatigue: 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Makoto Niijima Academics Success Study Guide Smarts and Patra Fatigue: 0 -============================= Party Conditions: ==============================- Starting Conditions: Bothersome-2, Clumsy-1, Educational-2, and Smooth-1 Final Conditions: Educational-1 -======================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 2/6 |== | =====================================================- (|============================================================= Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.
Between the impossibly-turning corridors and the sheer oppressive environment of an office space tuned specifically to making stolen money disappear, well, it's no wonder that a team of teenagers who mostly have a troubled relationship with the idea of 'conventional' careers would be disoriented.
Fortunately, between Queen's familiarity with the mundane version of spaces like this and Fox's ability to rationalise 'impossible' space as though it were simply drawn onto a canvas, they eventually manage to get a sense for how the offices are laid out - which means searching the desks becomes a much simpler matter. Joker looks at the keycard as the first target of their heist, thinking of it as a treasure that needs to be protected and narrowing down where employees might keep them based on that, while Panther's natural effusiveness keeps their energy up for what would otherwise be a slog.
With four people splitting up to check the access levels and clearances of the employees, finding the keycard was only a matter of time... and so far, nothing has spotted them.
MONAD: Ann Takamaki has drawn a new Challenge!
(|======================== Monad - Kaneshiro's Palace ========================|)
-==== Round 3: Underground Vault - Outer Ring - Insert Yen. No. More Yen. - Challenge Level 2 -
| Approach Options: Guts or Understanding |
| Conditions: Educational - Academics Up L1, Hard - Understanding Down L1, and |
| Terrifying - Guts Down L2 |
-==== Challenge ===============================================================-
After retrieving the keycard, you start to make your way back to the elevator.
On the way, you notice something shown on a small digital readout by the door
leading out into the front of the bank: "R=C=0, I=1, H=2"
The elevator leads down into the Palace. It goes far, far down -- long enough
that it might make your stomach drop and give you some concern. When it opens,
you find yourself inside of an enormous circular room. Ahead of you, there are
circular walls.
You realize, then, that you are /inside/ a massive lock, and the curving walls
ahead of you must be manipulated. To do that, there is a panel with a 10-key
numeral pad (like a touchtone phone) and the word "RICH" over it. Entering it
makes the wall slide along, until an opening is revealed...
...and a new keypad, with the word "REAP" over it. Fortunately, there is a
stairwell here.
The stairway leads down into a dimly lit set of hallways. You manage to dodge
the guarding Shadows on patrol here, but you come to a golden statue of a pig at
the end of the hall. Its eyes gleam red and it prints out a piece of paper from
its mouth:
INSERT YEN.
It has a slot for yen. You can insert yen, but this proves difficult. It seems
to want more and more of your hard-earned money. Another option might be
smashing it. When it is satisfied -- or destroyed -- you find a tablet
underneath it.
The following note is engraved on it: "P=1, E=9, A=3."
(|============================================================= Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.
Ann receives one (1) lecture.
"W-wait -- oh I guess it really could've gone bad huh, whoops--"
It's super effective!
(no but seriously how have they survived up until this point (the answer is channeling lupin iii's sacred ghost from the zeitgeist))
Still, at least she's able to admit when she's wrong -- and it doesn't seem to dampen her spirits much, either, if the way she fires off a salute to Makoto and Ren's suggestions regarding the search for the keycard. "Got it!"
Soon enough, between the four of them, they're eventually able to find the keycard; letting Ren take the lead with it, Panther settles into step towards the front of their group; as they pass by that digital readout, she blinks, pauses, and squints. This looks like something worth remembering--
"Ugh. Is that a math problem...?"
Or worth dreading with every fiber of your being!
Eventually their way forward leads to the deep, unsettling plunge of that elevator (how big is this bank, seriously--?) until the doors hiss open to a...
"... um. Wh-what is this??"
The huge, labyrinthian sprawl of safety deposit boxes in a chamber that suddenly makes Ann feel so incredibly small in the overwhelming face of relentless, monolithic capitalism.
"... Jeez... this is like... one of those garden hedge mazes, except depressing," Panther murmurs as they make their way through. The code is not solved by her; it only clicks -after- the fact, whoever does solve it. The second, well.
"Wait. We don't know what A and P are, do we? So what..." Ann frowns. She frowns big. "Ugh. There's a stairway there. Maybe...?"
Down the stairway they go, maneuvering past patrolling and stealthing their way towards the end of the line. "This -has- to be where the Treasure is, right?" Panther asides to the others in hushed tones as they go. "A big vault like this, and the vibe here is -totally- different. This just feels like a place where you'd want to hide something..."
Something big. Something important. Something--
--guarded by cute little gold pigs demanding all your money.
INSERT YEN.
Ann squints. She frowns. "Uhhh..." A second passes. And she sighs.
"Okay. I've got some crepe cash on hand. Just gimme a sec. --And turn around!"
What follows is Ann, getting her money out (the location of which will forever remain a mystery because, just, where), and offering 1 yen coin.
INSERT YEN
And then another.
INSERT YEN
... and then another.
INSERT YEN
"I swear to god this better be the last ti"
INSERT YEN
"OH MY GOD! I'M GOING TO DESTROY THIS THING! Gold isn't bullet proof, right?!"
Someone might want to.
... Help out.
MONAD: Ann Takamaki has acted with Roses Have Thorns toward Underground Vault - Outer Ring - Insert Yen. No. More Yen.! Bravery and Focus!
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
Makoto did not expect a salute, but at least she hasn't made another fight. And of course she's good at lectures, she's student council president! That job is like forty percent lectures by volume. She has so many lecture based feats now.
A slow death, huh.... Makoto had never thought of it like that. It's what she strived for for so long, after all. But... She can't deny some truth to that. At least she doesn't have to linger with that thought too long as Joker recommends splitting up and they find the keycard before too long. Even if Fox, Panther and Joker all have their own problems with it, Makoto's approach was almost the opposite. The few times she saw Sae at work, she'd absorb every little bit of information she could about the prosecutor's office. At least that's coming in useful.
Makoto looks at the problem Ann finds, and pauses. "...Not exactly. It looks like a simple cipher to me, not algebra. Let's take note of it." ...Makoto does not have a notebook in this outfit. That's a problem. "Or memorize it, at least."
Indeed, when they come to the RICH gate, Makoto looks at it, then to Joker. "Try 0102." Maybe she's jumping in a little quickly, if Joker is right about Kaneshiro's low opinion of everyone else, it probably IS that simple.
And as Ann presupposes it's a hedge maze, Makoto thinks about it. "...No. This is a bank. It wouldn't have something like that. It would have a vault though, and this layout... It's a giant lock. If we line everything up, that will give us a clear path."
Unfortunately, they meet a new solution. A piggy bank. Makoto frowns at it, as Ann starts inserting yen.
"...There's no such thing as 'enough' for Kaneshiro, Panther. He's greedier than the pigs he has laying around here." She growls. "Far filthier, too."
And as Ann asks if gold is bulletproof, Makoto has a dark smile on her face. "It isn't. In fact, gold is a very soft metal. Heat resistant but soft. It might not break... but it'll bash in pretty easily." Her tekko materialize on her fists as she steps forward.
"Why don't we take back your crepe funds the hard way." Makoto says, advancing towards the pigs with violence in mind.
MONAD: Makoto Niijima has acted with Black Belt Talk toward Underground Vault - Outer Ring - Insert Yen. No. More Yen.! Bravery and Empathy!
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
It really is amazing that they haven't gotten killed yet, isn't it? Especially after Shadow Madarame tricked them with a fake Treasure... Their heist that time was so brilliant, too.
Keycard get! With that out of the way, it's a simple matter to move on--especially since they haven't been detected yet. Everyone's spirits are still up as they take the elevator down into the depths of the Bank of Gluttony. Joker noted a digital readout by the door. R=C=0, I=1, H=2... Hm. That feels important.
"Seems more like a code to me," he comments to Panther, which is basically what Queen said but less eloquently. "I got this." After all, he has a journal for exactly this purpose! (Well, technically it's for keeping track of what he does to make Sojiro's job as his volunteer parole officer easier. Ren absolutely does not share the whole thing with him.) He jots it down, and the group moves on.
And on... and on... and on... This is going WAY down. Outwardly, he remains calm, gloved hands tucked into his pockets, but inwardly, he starts to worry a little. Skull and Mona are still split up from them. What if they get jumped while they're split up by this incredibly long elevator ride?
Fortunately, they eventually make it to the bottom, where circular walls greet them. There's words, and numeral pads, and stairways leading even deeper down. Queen recommends a solution to the first lock that greets them; Joker inputs it, and in they go. He gives Queen an appreciative smile as they delve deeper in.
"Yeah. Just one giant tumbler lock," he comments to Panther and Queen. Line them all up and the lock opens... and there the Treasure will be, most likely. "Figures that the heart of a bank would be a vault."
They are soon blocked by a golden pig demanding their hard-earned moneys. Joker frowns. "Feels like Palaces tend to have this kind of gaudy decor," he comments to Fox. Madarame was easily the worst about it, but Kamoshida and now Kaneshiro definitely love their gold.
Meanwhile, Panther inserts yen. Inserts yen. Inserts yen-- "Do you really think a greedy guy like Kaneshiro would be satisfied with crepe money?" he says, dubious. "We probably could feed money into this thing all day and never get anywhere."
Which means... Queen remarks on the same, and comes to a certain conclusion. A sharp grin cuts across his face. "Bullets would be way too loud," he tells Panther. "But blunt force, and maybe some cold steel..." He nods to Fox. "You're up, Fox. Help Queen cut this thing wide open."
Assuming of course that Queen doesn't beat him to the punch--literally.
And if any of the guard Shadows lurking around here come running when they hear all that violence? Then that'll be time for bullets. Joker's already drawn his Makarov handgun in preparation for a potential shootout once the alarm goes off.
MONAD: Ren Amamiya has acted with Warning Shot toward Underground Vault - Outer Ring - Insert Yen. No. More Yen.! Specialty!
<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.
A massive sequence of safe-deposit boxes, forming, according to Queen, a giant lock. Fox nods as they solve the first cipher. "Simple enough," he agrees with the others as they descend further.
The gaudy, golden pig statue, hungry for yen, taunts them. Fox is, quietly, thankful that Panther volunteers her crepe money, because all he has to contribute from his wallet is a starving moth.
Even so, it's fairly apparent that this statue's gluttony is far more than any of them can satiate. A part of him can relate, a little... but they're going to have to try another way.
Joker points him forwards, and he nods, stepping up as his saya materialises at his side. He nods to Queen as she settles into her own stance, and shifts his grip on the katana, ready to draw. "On three?" He asks her, tensing and letting out a long breath.
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
MONAD: Yusuke Kitagawa has acted with Snacking Arts toward Underground Vault - Outer Ring - Insert Yen. No. More Yen.! Patra and Efficient! (|============================= Monad - Results ==============================|) -==== Underground Vault - Outer Ring - Insert Yen. No. More Yen. - Round 3 ====- Ren Amamiya Guts Success Warning Shot Specialty Fatigue: 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ann Takamaki Guts Success Roses Have Thorns Bravery and Focus Fatigue: 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yusuke Kitagawa Guts Success Snacking Arts Patra and Efficient Fatigue: 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Makoto Niijima Guts Success Black Belt Talk Bravery and Empathy Fatigue: 0 -============================= Party Conditions: ==============================- Starting Conditions: Educational-1, Hard-2, and Terrifying-2 Final Conditions: Hard-1 -======================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 3/6 |=== | =====================================================- (|============================================================= Monad 1.1 ====|)
MONAD: Makoto Niijima has drawn a new Challenge!
(|======================== Monad - Kaneshiro's Palace ========================|)
-==== Round 4: Undeground Vault - Middle Ring - Security Cameras - Challenge Level 2 -
| Approach Options: Proficiency or Academics |
| Conditions: Hard - Understanding Down L1, Shuffle - Draw 1 Minor Arcana., |
| and Skillful - Proficiency Up L1 |
-==== Challenge ===============================================================-
The second pin pad, once the numbers for REAP are entered, causes the circular
walls to shift again. This opens forward another way, which leads even deeper
into the room-sized lock. You're approaching the center of that room, and
realize the center must be where the heart of this place is.
The next pin pad is ahead. This one has the text "HUGE" over it, and there is
another stairway leading down into shadowed corridors.
You begin moving through the corridor, until you come to a stop in a hallway.
There are seveal security cameras lining the hallway. They blink and flicker,
leaving spotlights on the ground. You'll need to move when they flicker off --
and reach the end of the hallway, where you spot a tablet like the other you've
seen before. Being caught by a camera will alert the Shadows nearby to your
presence.
Once the camera-filled hallway is crossed, you can examine the tablet for the
following clue: "U=A, G=P."
(|============================================================= Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.
There are some moments where the phrase Put the Fear of God Into You become palpably, viscerally understandable. Rare moments. Staring down the path of an oncoming tornado. Being face-to-face with a Great White Shark with nothing but a cage to separate you. Being anywhere within a ten mile radius of a home city when their football (and/or american football) team won. Or lost.
And perhaps, just perhaps, the way Ann Takamaki turns to look at Ren Amamiya, sub-machine gun in hand, when he says Do you really think a greedy guy like Kaneshiro would be satisfied with crepe money?, full of quiet intensity like the distant cosmic inferno of the sun itself?
"Everyone. Should be satisfied. With crepe money."
may well be one such moment.
Perhaps it's a good thing Junya Kaneshiro is not here.
Thankfully, the Wrath of Ann is subdued a few moments later with Makoto's suggestion, and Ren's follow up. "Huh? --Oh!" She blinks -- and then a big grin plasters across her face.
"Okay. Time for Operation: Make Piggy Squeal!"
... how does it somehow seem even more terrifying when she's in a good mood about it--
Regardless, she steps aside for Yusuke and Makoto.
And in
three
two
one!
The gold piggy bank is ANNIHILATED by the expert violence of Queen and Fox, tekko smashing and katana carving in two phenomenal blows that leave it just a torn and harrowing, sparking carcass of its former self. Just... it's gone, man. It's gone.
"Yay!"
And here is Panther, happily bouncing her way past, swooping down, and stuffing her hands inside until --
"Here it is! My coins!"
She lifts up, triumphantly holding her yen, smiling so bright her eyes squint shut.
While she cheerily guns down the one of the first Security Shadows that come rushing in with the BRAKKABRAKKABRAKKA of her SMG joining the chorus of Ren's own firepower.
"Let's goooo~!"
And off she goes.
But not before kicking the wreckage of that piggy bank while it's down.
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
And Ann calls Makoto someone who shouldn't be pissed off. Weirdly, Queen can only appreciate it, and Ann declaring an operation name gives her a manic grin. "Gladly." She says, and nods to Fox when Joker makes the suggestion. "On three." She agrees, and lets Fox set the pace.
Did you know the X-Slash is a classic for a reason? (The reason is it's super fucking cool, even if one of them is using blunt objects.)
Makoto is silent for a few seconds as Panther celebrates retrieving her cash, watching huh. ...Jeez. Maybe Makoto was really jealous of how much fun it seemed like those three were having at school.
Oh thank goodness, Joker has a notebook. "P is 1, E is 9, A is 3." She notes to him, as she sweeps a tablet out of the wreckage, showing it to Joker-
Joker and Panther have covering their backs in the wreckage covered, but Makoto can't help but feel a little left out of the violence. "Next shadow we come across, I want first crack at it. A stationary target like that isn't as satisfying."
Another pin pad, another password- if Joker needs help, Makoto will chime in, but she's pretty sure he has the logic now. They keep moving forward, Makoto taking point when suddenly she holds up a hand for everyone to halt.
"Security cameras." She whispers back to the group, looking ahead. "There's no power supply to them so we can't cut them off. We're going to have to sneak through." Makoto frowns. There's a few cover points there, places to hide, but it's going to be difficult for all four of them to get through at once. "...Joker, I suggest you take the lead, then Fox, then Panther, then me. Once Joker gets across, we can coordinate the timing from both sides. We'll move to your signal." There is an unspoken question there, though. 'Do you approve of the plan?' He's the leader, after all, not her. And Makoto doesn't get in position until Joker says yea or nay.
MONAD: Makoto Niijima has acted with Study Guide toward Undeground Vault - Middle Ring - Security Cameras! Smarts and Patra!
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Panther turns to Joker with a certain intensity in her blue eyes. He takes an involuntary step back and raises his red-gloved hands in alarm (surrender?). "Everyone should. But remember: this guy is a weasel and a piece of scum. Of course he wouldn't appreciate crepe money."
Joker, no, you're supposed to use Diplomacy on the Shadows, not your teammates!!
(no this is exactly the time to use diplomacy)
At least she's satisfied with getting her money back. He grins to see her good mood about it, not to mention what she dubbed this particular sub-mission. The two of them take down the guard Shadows when they rush in--the new passcode numbers are theirs--he makes a note of it--
Bloodthirsty, he does NOT tease Queen, because Queen doesn't take well to being teased. Both she and Fox did look incredibly cool with that X-Slash, though. The pig is less than dust now. "All yours--if you can beat him to it." He quirks a smile at Fox. "He had to deal with a stationary target too."
The REAP code is simple enough. But there's still another code they need to input: HUGE. At least the codes are easy to figure out, but it's a lot tougher to actually get the numbers for those codes. ...Well. Comparatively speaking. For this, they need to get past a whole bunch of security cameras. He observes them from the shadows along with the others. No power supply, huh... Queen might frown, but he smiles. It wouldn't be any fun if it were too easy, would it?
"Sound plan--but look." He points to a certain object on the other side of the hallway. "There's another tablet. Chances are good it's got the code we need. We might only need to send one person across and back." He nods to the others. "I'll go first. If I need help, I'll signal you guys over to follow in the order you suggested."
Once the others agree, he steps forward to the edge of the security camera lights. He takes a moment to study their patterns; then he moves, boots light on the floor as he steps deftly from spot to spot in opposite time to the blinking spotlights.
Even one misstep means they'll all get caught. Even so, Joker's grin hasn't faded a bit, body and focus rapt on his task. Queen's right; whether here or at school, he really is having fun.
Once he's on the other side, the tablet greets him with the code--but it looks like the hallway loops around to the side where they couldn't see from the other end. Joker gives it a thoughtful look, then signals to his friends to come on over too. If they're going to explore it, they're going to do it together.
It means additional risk to get everyone across past the security cameras, but he's not going to leave them behind, any more than he expects any of them would leave him behind.
MONAD: Ren Amamiya has acted with Thief Talk toward Undeground Vault - Middle Ring - Security Cameras! Diligence and Smarts!
<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.
Fox takes a moment to examine the remains of his and Queen's handiwork, sheathing his blade. "Agreed," he says to her. "The satisfaction of striking a target trying to evade you is a superlative feeling." There is a look in his eye - wild and eager.
When Joker makes 'first crack' at the next Shadows a challenge, Fox grins. "Hardly a fair contest - unless we agree," this back to Queen, "to leave our Personas out of it until the blow is struck?"
That will have to wait, though - they must navigate the flickering spotlights. Joker goes first, of course... but does not return, despite having suggested it.
"... Something else is over there," Fox guesses, and moves after their leader, attempting to match his movements step-for-step.
<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.
"Oh! Oh my gosh! I'm -so- sorry, Queen, I didn't know! Next time we see some Shadows I'll -totally- clear the way for you! It's so cool when you do those motorcycle tricks!"
And this is Ann, going from the fusionic fury of the sun to having supportive pow-wows about future violence.
She's large; she contains multitudes.
... Including multitudes of approaches towards violence. Look; shut up. It totally counts!
Thankfully, Joker's successful Emergency Diplomacy Rolls and the subsequent annihilation of the piggy bank has gone a long way towards mollifying Panther; she even flashes their leader a thumbs up of approval when he whips out the notebook! "Oh, good plan! All these codes are getting seriously confusing. I don't know how anyone is supposed to remember this! I guess that's why they have the notes. ... But what happens if a security guard doesn't have the yen for the piggy bank...?"
Ann puzzles over the logistics of a place that in no way functions on any real world logic before she ultimately just shrugs it off.
"Oh well. Guess it doesn't matter now!"
And just like that, she's over it.
Off she goes as they all banter. She looks pleased as punch at how well everything seems to be gelling (and, as the competition between Yusuke and Makoto is announced, she lifts a gloved hand and asides to Makoto, Very Conspiratorially, "just give the word and I'll totally distract Fox for you!"). Soon enough, they make their way to that long hallway with its security cameras, the timed flickering bringing a blink of alarm to Panther's masked features. "D-does he not even do maintenance on his security cameras?? How cheap is this guy!"
Still, Queen has a plan. And for a second, Ann seizes up. Oh no. It's like a marathon. She's -terrible- at marathons. And she always lost at red light green light!!
"Umm... I'm not sure--" she starts to pipe up, but then -- Ren saves the day! (??)
"--Oh! Yeah! That's right! I'd help but for some reason my toes are kinda hurting..."
SMASH CUT TO ANN KICKING THE PIG WRECKAGE WITH ALL HER CHEERFUL MIGHT (SHE DID IT TWICE!)
"Go ahead Joker, you've got this! The key is to not get caught!"
And so Ann intends to stay back, providing her helpful (is it though) strategic advice. Except... Joker doesn't immediately return. And when he does--
"H-he wants us to come over there too--??" Panther half-whines, but it's a moot point. Fox is already going, and, well. "H-hang on, Fox--!" She doesn't want to be left behind! So she squares up in what is probably the world's worst sprinting form, grits her teeth,
mutters "oh god is it three seconds or am i counting the seconds too fast -whyyyyy- do they have to flicker like that"
and then just goes for it.
"Ow ow ow my toooes--!"
MONAD: Ann Takamaki has acted with Proficiency toward Undeground Vault - Middle Ring - Security Cameras! Base! MONAD: Yusuke Kitagawa has acted with Deft Brushstroke toward Undeground Vault - Middle Ring - Security Cameras! Specialty!
(|============================= Monad - Results ==============================|) -==== Undeground Vault - Middle Ring - Security Cameras - Round 4 =============- Ren Amamiya Proficiency Success Thief Talk Diligence and Smarts Fatigue: 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ann Takamaki Proficiency Success Proficiency Base Fatigue: 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yusuke Kitagawa Proficiency Success Deft Brushstroke Specialty Fatigue: 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Makoto Niijima Academics Success Study Guide Smarts and Patra Fatigue: 0 -============================= Party Conditions: ==============================- Starting Conditions: Hard-1, Shuffle: Coin-0, and Skillful-2 Final Conditions: -======================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 4/6 |==== | =====================================================- -==== Loot So Far: ============================================================- Items: 0, Money: 1, Gear: 1 (|============================================================= Monad 1.1 ====|)
MONAD: Ren Amamiya has drawn a new Challenge!
(|======================== Monad - Kaneshiro's Palace ========================|)
-==== Round 5: Underground Vault - Inner Ring - Electrical Box Sabotage - Challenge Level 3 -
| Approach Options: Proficiency or Academics |
| Conditions: Educational - Academics Up L1 and Fairy - Subtract 1 Fatigue on |
| success. |
-==== Challenge ===============================================================-
You enter the numbers for HUGE on the third pin pad. This causes the walls to
turn again, leading into the penultimate ring of the massive lock-room. Here,
once again, you see a pin pad and a stairwell leading downward. The pin pad has
the word "GOLD" written over it.
The stairway leads down into a crowded storage room, filled with crates and
dusty boxes. This makes a maze in and of itself. When you look at the crates,
you see they're labeled "JUNK" and "TRASH." If you open one, it's filled with
mementos like cheap toys, notes, and other sentimental objects. These are not
what Kaneshiro cares for or feels a need to hoard.
Fortunately, you spot a way to navigate through the room of crates. You discern
a way to leap across several crates, to a corner where a metallic tablet like
the others gleam. However, there are also security cameras pointing at the top
of each crate... and these /don't/ turn off.
You need to find the power source, by sneaking along the floor -- and
considering where the wiring might have the electrical box in this room. If you
find it, you can smash it. Just be careful of the Shadows on patrol!
After getting through the maze of crates, containing discarded memories, you
find a tablet on the wall. It has the final clue: "L=U+G, D=G, O+H=10."
(|============================================================= Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
So Joker does have survival instincts. That's good to keep in mind for the future. Or would be if Makoto realized what he wasn't saying. Still, Joker declares a race between her and Fox, and Fox states an extra condition. "That's fair." Makoto says, her eyes ablaze. Maybe competition fires her up a little too. "Let's see who's quicker on the draw, then." Her revolver materializes to her hand, where she spins it before 'reholstering' it, where it vanishes. Iaido against Fast Draw sure is a competition to watch.
Makoto shakes her head. "You don't have to apologize for covering us while we took care of the piggy bank. All the same, I appreciate the offer." When Ann leans over to conspire with her, and offers to distract to distract Fox, well. ("I'll think about it. I want to see if I can beat him myself first.")
"He probably does, but not by his own hand. So he presumably thinks whoever maintains them and watches them is as stupid as everyone else." Joker adapts her plan, and she watches him go with that wild grin on his face. It's a little infectious, if she's honest. This is, as dangerous as it is, possibly more fun than Makoto has ever had in her life.
Still, if Panther's hurt, Makoto frowns. "Did one of the shadows clip you?" She asks, concerned. She thinks. Maybe she should summon Johanna, but a Diarama is a lot for a small injury. And then Joker calls them, and Fox is off. "Go. I'll be right behind you."
Somehow, the four of the make it clear to the other side, despite Panther's precious toesies suffering a debilitating injury, sight unseen by the cameras.
"Joker, what do we have ahead?"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
See, Queen? You can have fun, too! Some friendly competition in between inter-team cooperation is just the thing to get your blood pumping, isn't it? (Especially if you've got Panther on your side to help you cheat... Though naturally Queen would want a fair-and-square competition first.)
%R Either way, Joker looks on in approval at Fox and Queen before he moves on past the security cams. Fox comes after with grace and dexterity; Panther... manages, somehow, despite how sore her little piggies are from kicking little piggies; Queen follows with speed, and at last all four are across.
As it turns out, the side corridor is a shortcut back to the next lock. The door shuts behind them, ensuring they can't go back the way they came, but good to know it's there? Soon they have the code in, and there's one last lock left.
"Kaneshiro probably doesn't care about that," Joker comments to Panther about what happens if a guard Shadow can afford the INSERT YEN or not. He looks forward at the final code: GOLD. "This is probably the last one," Joker observes.
What's ahead from there? As it turns out... a maze of an old, dusty storage room. Joker kneels in front of one of the crates and cracks it open; he frowns at the "junk" and "trash" inside. Toys and notes...
"A life like this is just sad," he murmurs, putting them back.
As circuitous as the route is, though, there's a glitter of metal across the room. Joker catches sight of it, then points it out to the others. "Another tablet--and more security cameras," he says. And these ones are staying steadily on.
"These ones do have a power source--you can see the wires," he adds, tracing them through the air with a finger. "If we can find the source, we can take it--and those cameras--out."
He considers this for a moment. There's some Shadows on patrol... With Panther's feet injured, it could be tough to sneak past them. Fortunately... He quirks a smile at his friends. "Fox, Queen--go ambush those Shadows and take them out. Panther, you trace those wires back to the source; I'll watch your back and take out the power source when you find it."
In other words, Fox and Queen get to go in for their Shadow-slaying competition, and Panther gets to avoid exerting herself and her injured piggies too much.
MONAD: Ren Amamiya has acted with Proficiency toward Underground Vault - Inner Ring - Electrical Box Sabotage! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.
Queen produces her revolver and Fox's grin widens. He shifts his stance, a rifle appearing in his hands as he turns it over in consideration... before he hoists the weapon over his back and that scarlet saya reappears at his side. Iaido versus Quick Draw it is.
"Stripping away everything else about his victims but their wallets," Fox comments on the contents of the 'TRASH' crates. His grip tightens on the saya, the leather of his gloves creaking against the wood.
The opportunity for the contest comes sooner than expected, as Joker picks out Shadows on patrol for himself and Queen to intercept. He nods once to Joker, then to Queen, and immediately breaks off into the shadows of the crates.
Quickly and quietly, so as to not arouse suspicion. As he draws close, he hops up on the crate behind the shadow, and leaps over it, twisting in midair to perform an upside-down draw cut aimed at the guard's mask.
Hopefully his strike is true, and the cognitive shape the Shadow is forced into will collapse into mush and ichor as its mask slides apart.
MONAD: Yusuke Kitagawa has acted with Proficiency toward Underground Vault - Inner Ring - Electrical Box Sabotage! Base!
<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.
Did one of the Shadows clip her?
"Uh... yeah, probably!"
If only Panther's wrathful enthusiasm could be contained.
Fortunately, it all works out; as she makes it to the other side -without- alerting everyone on the floor to a bunch of thieves thieving about, Ann lets out a vocal sigh of relief, making a mock gesture of wiping her masked forehead as she does.
"Waaay too close for comfort..." she mutters.
Giving an errant little kick of her stub-toed boot, the leather-clad cat burglar is swift to catch up to the rest. Through the door they go -- as it shuts, Ann looks back with a slow frown. "-So- inconvenient," she critiques, before turning her attention towards that final code. Kaneshiro doesn't care, huh?
Ann stares at that final code, GOLD, for a long time.
"... Then I guess we just have to take what he -does- care about."
It's a sentiment Panther feels even more certain of than she already did by the time the make it to that labyrinth of lost items. Ann lets out a little, alarmed "whoa...!" as she looks around, sky blue eyes widening with surprise; when Ren opens up one of those crates? She's there, peeking over his shoulder. She stares at all those sentimental mementos for a while, as wide-eyed surprise slowly gives away to narrow-eyed anger.
A life like this is just sad.
"... Yeah," she utters flatly. This man... Yusuke puts it better than she ever could. Someone who can only see value in someone's monetary worth...
"It's pathetic."
She refuses to even tolerate a world where people like this have all the power.
So, with resolve in that blue gaze, she turns --
--and looks at the -aggro crag of crates with cameras-.
She sags. But only a little.
"... At least they're not flickering this time..." Look. -Look-. She doesn't like timing things out. Life is too spontaneous for exact timing!!
Thankfully -- Joker has a solution for everyone. Panther blinks -- and then smiles, giving a swift nod of understanding. "Mm! Got it!"
And off Ann goes to start her careful tracking, calling out (quietly) as she does, "Go, Queen! You've got the eye of the tiger! -- And the thrill of a fight!" in a reference she is sure she's perhaps the only one who will understand, but the -sentiment is still valid-.
"Give it your best, Fox!!"
she adds
because that's not contradictory
she's just -that supportive of her teammates-.
MONAD: Ann Takamaki has acted with Proficiency toward Underground Vault - Inner Ring - Electrical Box Sabotage! Base! MONAD: Missing an action from at least one player.
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
Makoto can't help but pause at the boxes Joker investigates, looking around at a few more. This is what Kaneshiro described as worthless, as pointless, as trash. It's so much like...
A life like this is just sad.
For some reason, Makoto stops, staring a little overlong at everything Kaneshiro has discarded and thrown away.
You don't need to think about such unnecessary things.
Isn't it about time you grew up and acknowledged our situation!?
"...Sad, huh."
Evan as Yusuke and Ann expound on Kaneshiro's faults, Makoto doesn't really want to think about this anymore, letting an old action figure fall back from her hand into the box.
Joker, thankfully, give her a good reason not to think about this. "...First one to finish their target, then?" Adding her own terms to the match, given they each have a target. "Understood."
Makoto doesn't know what the Eye of the Tiger is, but the Thrill of the Fight *that's* what Makoto is seeking out. Yusuke moves faster, going straight to the air, but Makoto is using her brain. To ambush her shadow, she'd have to go the long way right now, due to where it's standing.
Or she can give herself a shortcut. Her revolver returns to her hand, and she looks for an unsteady shelf or crate, and finds what she's looking for. She fires, and the crack of gunfire gives way to a collapsing shelf, to draw the Shadow's attention behind it-
And the Makoto drops behind it, to drive a fist into approximately where a Shadow's liver would be, before moving to wrap her arm around the giant guard's throat, and put all her wait into a reverse tumble while it's recoiling from the strike from behind- if that goes to plan, her finishing blow is a simple one, with less elegance and more brutality.
She places her pistol to the back of the Shadow's head, and pulls the trigger, aiming to shatter the mask from inside.
I guess student council presidents DO all perform Executions, Fox.
MONAD: Makoto Niijima has acted with Responsibility toward Underground Vault - Inner Ring - Electrical Box Sabotage! Diligence and Efficient!
(|============================= Monad - Results ==============================|)
-==== Underground Vault - Inner Ring - Electrical Box Sabotage - Round 5 ======-
Ren Amamiya Proficiency Failure
Proficiency Base Fatigue: 1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ann Takamaki Proficiency Success
Proficiency Base Fatigue: 0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yusuke Kitagawa Proficiency Success
Proficiency Base Fatigue: 0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Makoto Niijima Proficiency Success
Responsibility Diligence and Efficient Fatigue: 0
-============================= Party Conditions: ==============================-
Starting Conditions: Educational-2 and Fairy-0
Final Conditions: Educational-1
-======================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====-
-==== Reach: 6/6 |=====| =====================================================-
-==== Loot So Far: ============================================================-
Items: 0, Money: 1, Gear: 1
(|============================================================= Monad 1.1 ====|)
(|======================== Monad - Kaneshiro's Palace ========================|)
-==== Round 6: Infiltration Route Secured - Sealed Chest - Challenge Level 1 ==-
| Approach Options: None |
| Conditions: Revelation - The best result. |
-==== Challenge ===============================================================-
The last pin pad, with GOLD written over it, causes the roo to turn one more
time. This causes the lock to unlock -- and you see a large elevator ahead, as a
circular column at the center of the room.
You're through here before many others. You see a locked treasure chest nearby.
Inside is a plethora of weapons and equipment, matching the aesthetic of this
place. Maybe you find an upgrade... or something of interest to a savvy buyer,
like Iwai or Peacock Silk.
You take the elevator downward. This one, thankfully, doesn't need a keycard.
When it lets out, you find the lowest level of the vault. There are stacks of
gold bullion, sealed vault doors with promised riches, and more.
...but you aren't alone here.
TO BE CONTINUED... in Reservoir Dogs on August 15!
Final Loot: 1 boxes of Money and 1 Pieces of Gear!
(|============================================================= Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Then I guess we just have to take what he -does- care about.
Joker flashes Panther a smirk. He doesn't voice his agreement; he doesn't need to.
That's even more so as they all look into those crates of "junk," except this time, none of them are smiling. Fox might be more eloquent about how he says it, but Panther's one-word assessment hits the nail on the head.
But even more than either of them... Queen seems disturbed. As she stares at the junk and echoes him, Joker's gaze lingers on her. Then he rises to his feet and tucks his hands in his pockets.
"He won't be keeping that up for much longer," Joker assures them. "We'll make sure of it."
From there, the four of them carry out their sub-mission. Panther tracks the wires back as she whispers her encouragement to both of the competitors. Joker follows her, but gets momentarily distracted by the competition he's encouraged.
Fox's maneuvers are as beautiful as they are deadly; he cleaves through that guard's mask in an instant. But Queen... her quick draw is but a distraction so she can go in to beat the living hell out of her target, before pulling her gun again and opening fire execution-style.
Damn. Damn. He stares for a moment before tugging at his collar. That's chilling to watch, and yet, somehow it's suddenly awfully hot in here...
Ahem. ...He'll leave it to Fox and Queen to decide who won between the two of them. At least the Shadows are out by the time he gets to taking out the power source. The codes are theirs for the taking, and soon they're back at the final lock. GOLD: input, and the last lock opens.
"He sure loves his elevators," Joker comments as he steps forward. There's a treasure chest here--locked, but he's got lockpicks on him, naturally. It's the effort of but a moment for him to open it up and grab a couple new weapons--conveniently, a whip and a set of knuckles. He holds them up, then tosses them to Panther and Queen, respectively.
"Just in time for an upgrade," he comments with a crooked smile.
Skull and Mona catch up with them around then. Together, from there, they take the elevator down. The vault within has piles of riches... and most importantly, a hazy blob of a Treasure. Mona loses his shit squealing over it--but it still needs to take form before they can steal it.
"...But now we've got our infiltration route locked in, so we can come back later," Joker tells the group. "Good work, everyone. Now let's get out of here."
<Pose Tracker> Yusuke Kitagawa has posed.
Yusuke lands in a crouch, back to the Shadow he just cut, and slowly sheathes his black blade.
"The curtain falls."
click.
A violent spray of ichor erupts from the Shadow as its mask splits in twain. It dissolves into ichor as he stands up, and turns to check on his contest rival's performance.
... It looks like they pulled it off at about the same time. He hopes Panther or Joker caught the photo finish.
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
"Right." Queen responds to Ren's assurance, but that's all she says on it.
Instead, she's focused on the moment of euphoria that enacting that perfectly, as the ichor splashes onto her mask. She stands up, repeating that gun spinning trick before once again 'holstering' and turning to see if Yusuke has finished his own prey.
The answer is: so it seems. Their eyes meet at about the same time. It must have been close to identical timing.
"So. Who won?"
You did this, Joker. You made it a contest. Live with your consequences.
(Joker will declare a winner indeterminable and therefore these two are just going to have to go head-to-head again. But that rematch is for another time.)
Still, as Joker opens the chest, Queen leans forward to see what's there- and is rewarding by having a new pair of knuckles- huge hunks of metal, possibly the same thing the vaults are made of, with large circular bolts. She takes a second to feel their weight in her hands, try them out. ...Yes. Yes, she likes these. "Perfect."
Joker declares it's time to exit, though. "Got it. We've still got the hard part, right?"
She's looking forward to it.