No Crying in the Club (Arcana Virus)
-
Stalling. Everything was stalling. It had been far too quiet lately for Rei, in the chatroom, with Nebula, with his own life.
It was making him restless, like the calm before the storm does, agitated and fidgety as he awaited for some kind of change. He was forcing himself to remain on edge, lest he'd let himself be consumed by the same false safety blinding everyone around him.
It was deep in one of those moods where he'd found himself messaging that accursed doctor again. He was running low on his Dark Chips, as sparing as he was with them, giving him a perfect excuse to seek some kind of distaction. Not to mentionhehis navi couldn't manage without them anymore. It was inconvenient, but the benefits of the dark power for them both were undeniable.From the doctor he got just what he'd asked for. Rei's and Celestra's next target was decided. It would be the unicorn.
With some looks into the chatlogs and the chatrooms ever helpful portal feature, it wasn't difficult to figure out where to find them and create a plan based on that...
+++"Celestra, if you'd be so kind as to fetch our guest"
After exiting the portal Rei had found himself somewhere in Kingland. Atleast, that's the country the architechture matched. He was currently trying to lay it low, standing by some buildings not too far from the Offical Center of the area, keeping an eye on his PET and his navis actions.
Celestra, meanwhile, was getting their little party started. Far too long out of action, this time they were going to make an impression. They were definetly getting that vault.
With no reason to be subtle about attempting to break into the institutions carefully guarded networks, she focused on doing any damage she could to raise the alarms. Her only goal was the attention of the security.
She didn't have to wait for long. Almost immediately a security navi appeared. Currently trying to claw through the firewall, Celestra pulled away her arm, some loose pixels falling from the shallow gash she'd left.
Standing ahead of her was an unicorn navi. She grinned, unable to believe her luck. It had to be them.
Or maybe it wasn't luck. Maybe they'd already figured out they were having visitors.
"AceBellerophon, I presume?"
Celestra stepped out of the shadows, slowly approaching them."I'm not here for a fight. I came here to talk"
-
Aon didn’t answer right away. How dare this beast come here and declare terms. The fact that their worst assumption had been correct, along with her putrid aura made them nauseous…as close a feeling as they could in any case.
“You picked a poor way to go about it. I don’t talk to reprobates who need to scratch at the door to be let in for attention.”
This one was from the chatroom too. There were a few self-proclaimed Darkloids in there, regardless, her appearance ruled out all but one option. Still, they weren’t about to act as if they knew, or cared about who this was and what they had to say here…where they could be caught out.
“You’ll just have to send me fan mail like everyone else!”
They snapped forward at a run, loading in a sword to swipe a wave of energy to send ahead at the intruder in an attempt to hold her at bay before they could close the distance.
-
Celestra grinned. They were about as resistant as she could have expected.
"I have just a select few words to relay from my operator to you"
When the swords aura came at her she leaped back, barely dodging the attack. Celestra was eager to make this a fight, but she had to remind herself this wasn't the time. Not yet atleast. She'd be free to do anything later. Anything for the vault.
"Consider this a warning. We know who you are, where you work.... so he'd appreciate it if you oblidged", Celestra kept circling them from a distance, but made no move to attack, "name the place. We can talk there. And who knows? If it goes well you might even get a reward"
Suddenly a Battle Chip was loaded to her. Dark Thunder. A purple, almost tinted black, aura appeared around her. Celestra's claws dug to the floor. She was eagerly taking in the dark energy, even as all of her systems screamed inside her in opposition to the further corruption. It was standard prodecure by now, never greater than the delight of absorbing a Dark Chip.
The thunder attack rolled forward towards Aon, but she wasn't expecting it to hit.
What mattered was that the bait was set. As soon as they had a deal she could take her leave. Everything would be settled later.
"You can forward the details by messaging a certain rose."
-
It was exactly as they feared Dealing with the chatroom had left them open to be tracked. There was nothing that could conceivably be done to prevent someone from coming through without contacting someone with the technology. How long were they going to be able to keep things straight?
They weren’t about to let themselves get caught out having this kind of conversation openly with the enemy though, so Aon continued their advance, attempting to cut off Celestra’s circling and ignoring her threats.
She released the warning shot and they side-stepped the crackling dark energy easily– and evidently they were meant to.
That chip. The one that had called to them. DarkThunder. They didn’t need to be hit by the attack for it to affect them in one way or another.
She was keeping her distance, only loading an AreaSteal was enough for Aon to close the gap. They needed to get in close, to hiss under their breath so that only she could hear. “You’ve got some fucking nerve. I have an image to maintain here. What makes you think I’m going to converse or agree to anything openly?”
Just the proximity to this beast, freshly coated in dark aura was enough to get their Cleanser running hot and their mind to start swimming.
Pressing a hoof to her middle, they kicked away from her to put enough space between them for them to lash out with their blade.
“So, you’ll let yourself out and cover your tracks like a good dog, won’t you?”
-
Celestra stepped back with Aon suddenly appearing in front of her, pulling her head back as if to take distance.
"You don't need to", she hummed, also with a quiet tone. She then leaned closer to them: "But if you really care about that little reputation of yours, I'm certain you know what's the right thing to do"
As Aon dashed off to attack, she moved to counter the blade with her arm. With the boost from the Dark Aura still empowering her, a swipe of her claws easily swatted off the blade.
She flashed them a grin one more time, complete with a mocking look in her eyes. It was clear she believed everything was still going her way.
"I'm expecting to hear from you later"
With that, Celestra logged out, leaving like she never was there, like that attack on the firewall just now had meant nothing.
+++
Rei was already waiting for her. He was nervously tapping his foot, keeping his eyes closely on the events unfolding on his PET, hoping everything would go according to plan. Even when he could follow all of Celestras actions from the sidelines, he still never quite trusted her.
"Well?" was the first thing he asked as Celestra returned with the log out.
"I've handed out the 'invitations'. It's up to them if they follow through."
He clicked his tongue. He was desperate to have this to work out. He needed the vault from that horse, no matter what.
He gave a good look to the Offical Center at the distance, before turning around to wander further into the city. He'd be staying here until he got what he came for. -
The right thing to do.
Aon scoffed as the beast let itself out. They would have liked to have made more of a show of it if she was going to leave the logs in such a state. They would need to edit them themselves.
The reality that it was it was going to be harder and harder to keep these chatroom affairs under wraps was crushing. They pushed down Meiru and Roll’s advice– the idea that they should just expose it all and get help from their coworkers. That would only put them more directly under the lens of the magnifying glass as well.
They could handle this.
Placing their hand on the firewall, restoring the damage and withdrawing the alarm, Aon couldn’t help but feel a set of eyes on their back.
They would just have to delete the logs and–
“Aon? What was all of that?”
Quickly swiping the console they were working on away, they turned to meet Thorn.
“A chancy little upstart.” They lied. “Empty threats, practically no damage. Working alone. Clearly only figured out a way in and had no idea what to do once they did.”
There was clearly something going on here that Thorn was only catching the barest corners of. As soon as she found the right words to argue, they died on her tongue once she opened her mouth. Blinking aback at what imperious aura radiated from their coworker (more than usual) with just a sharp cock of their head.
“Ah…ok…”
+++
Their coworkers knew something was up with them now. The best course of action would be to minimize any more suspicious activity– by being signed out. It wasn’t hard at all to secure an enthusiastic yes from Blaire either.
Once that had been arranged, they went about making the arrangements with their wannabe blackmailer.
[MSG:
] I have no idea what you think we have to discuss, but if you insist on compromising my place of work then I’ll just have to pull you up from the root, won’t I?
[MSG:] You can have your dog meet me here on the private server. I’m sure you’ll have no issue getting in. If you make this a public affair I simply will not comply.Aon had spent a good amount of the rest of their day labouring over where to set this up– and as much as they loathed the idea, if they were going to be signed out the best bet would be a place they knew they might end up. A place where their chaperone would well be distracted.
The coordinates that Rei would receive would belong to a warehouse bar on the fringes of town.
Meeting kids behind a store lot to fight at night and now this. Surely things could only be uphill from here. They had to convince themselves that somehow plucking this one weed would alleviate the bigger problem.
-
Rei waited, waited and waited for the chatroom ping. It was starting to get on his nerves, frustration growing in him as he awaited for a message that may never come.
He needed this to work out. It was the best chance he'd gotten to prove himself to Nebula. The better asset he could be, the more he'd gain in return. For increasing loyalty he'd be rewarded greatly in Dark Chips and- he mustn't get distracted, he can't let himself forget the greater goals he's working towards.Through the day Rei kept circling around the city to pass time, taking in new sights, feeling vague nostalgia towards the unmistakeable aesthetic of Kinglands buildings. But he never kept his eyes off his PET for too long.
When he finally saw that longed for notification, he squeezed his PET in his hands. He wasted no time replying.
[MSG:
] Apologies, was my partner too harsh on the approach? I promise, what I require is something important. I wouldn't waste your time for nothing when I can see you're quite the busy one.
[MSG:] I'll agree to whatever terms you place, fret not. A private server is plenty fine.Though Rei acknowledged this could be a trap, he wasn't even slightly concerned. He'd been prepared from the start for this to get ugly - and so had Celestra. There was no way the vault would be handed over easily.
"Well, looks like you have your meeting place. You know what we're after, don't you?" he asked his navi.
"Of course. I'll make sure the vault they possess is brought to Nebula", Celestra replied.
"Good dog!" Rei couldn't help a jab at her, even when it got him a murderous glare in return.The location they'd received was on the outskirts of the town. It was by pure luck Rei was on the right side of the town, the distance an easy walk. But what stood out was the place being marked as bar on the map. Really, of all places to end up..?
Last time he'd gotten called to a place any similar it had ended the utmost poorly. He felt a faint ache on his leg, remembering the messy Dark Chip scam gone wrong somewhere behind a diner.He felt like his plans had been scrambled a little by this. He wasn't sure how he'd exactly make this work-
"I'm not the most knowledged in humans", Celestra spoke up, "but I don't think you'll be fitting in at our destination. Is that fine?"
Rei scoffed, well aware he'd be standing out like a sore thumb.
"It's too late to change appearances now", he shook his head.
If their target had any operator aware of their navis situation he'd be immediately clocked as suspicious. Well, maybe in general he'd be seen as a little suspicious. It was an issue he'd have to deal with later.He and Celestra made an agreement to split tasks. Once in, he'd plug in Celestra and let her handle the deal, with some occasional help from him, while he tried to find out if there was anyone connected to Aon in the real world. As their destination loomed closer, their next hurdle was becoming actually being let into the club.
-
“I’m glad you’re starting to branch out, broadening your horizons. I’ve been hoping you would.” Blaire expressed while putting herself together in the mirror of her sun visor.
“Is that so?”
She was a wholly different person away from work. Aon wasn’t unfamiliar, they had gone home with her before. They were in awe of how easily she could swap to a more extroverted personality like flipping a switch. Maybe they were a little envious as well.
Blaire could be whoever the hell she wanted to be off the clock. No public image to uphold away from her little cubicle at the lab.
“I think everyone wants to see something they’ve made go above and beyond you know? And they gave me some tight guidelines with you.” She scoffed a bit, licking stray lipstick off of her teeth before snapping the sun visor shut. “You don’t really have a lot of room to grow yourself the way they have you set up. I wish I had more say in that.”
“I’m fine. Really.” Aon lied through their teeth. At least…they had been before the chatroom…before the Starliner. Half-truths were starting to become their specialty.
“Though you’re right. My coworkers can be a bit stifling.”
“I think it’s nice that you want to spend time together outside of work, but I think it’s more beneficial for you to be able to meet new people and socialize on your own.”
With Blaire finished up, they made their way into the venue. She waved off the bouncer she was well acquainted with, as he struggled with carding an altogether strangely dressed individual, but that was none of her concern.
Once they were in, they came to an agreement that they would go their separate ways, with Blaire checking in if they needed to leave by the appointed time. She plugged Aon into the club's network before bagging her PET and hitting the floor.
Aon skipped right over the public network and into the private one, positioning themselves against a wall to keep their surroundings about themselves.
The visuals of this compspace weren’t much different than they could assume the main club space looked like, dim with the occasional flash of neon colours. Distant music thrummed at a low level as if they were in an adjacent room physically.
It made them regret this choice even more. The last thing they needed while suffering withdrawals and anticipating some bullshit was the droning in the background. Low and rhythmic and familiar.
-
Through much explaining, technical issues, lies and perhaps some manipulated ID's Rei managed to convince his way to the club. And he was certain the struggles of this mission were merely beginning.
He ran his hand through his bangs and sighed deep as he took a good look at the shabby club broad in front of him. For all he tried to insist he was openminded, places like these always gave him the ick. The people, the noise, the athmosphere. All of it filled him with disdain.
Rei wasted no time plugging in Celestra to the local network, leaving her to find her way through it. As for himself, he headed straight for the bar counter. It'd be the best place to observe who comes and goes - and to get some information too.
He tried his best to remain confident, even when he could see everyone glaring at him, even when he could already feel the obnoxious music beginning to irritate him. This would definetly be a test of his social skills, one that no amount of his experience with maintaining popularity and status at high school and university could have ever prepared him for.
Celestra meanwhile was making her way to the agreed private comp space. It didn't take long for her to find the place, and inside a familiar unicorn navi was already waiting for her.
A smirk passed Celestra's face. She swished her tail and took a few steps towards Aon. "We meet again. This time we can actually talk."
The bright flashes of neon and the distant music felt rather distracting. This really wasn't where she'd ever expected to be while blackmailing precious data out of someone. Of all the places to meet, couldn't they have thought of anything more.... tactful?
"Let us get straight to the point. I'm here to ask you about the vault you possess."
-
Blaire was in her element, elbow propped on the bar while she kept up a conversation with the bartender she was clearly familiar with.
Once her drink was in hand, she turned, to see that strangely clad fellow from earlier. What was up with that anyways? One of those regency romance fantasy balls that were popular about now? Renaissance faire perhaps? She did recall there being one held this weekend. Maybe he came straight from the venue.
Regardless of whatever his deal was, he was clearly looking uncomfortable while doing his best to appear otherwise. It wouldn’t hurt to try and help him break the ice.
Though, her idea of being helpful kind of just, spilled out and came off more pointed than anything.
“You just come from the renn faire?”
+++
At least she didn’t make them wait. The timing was almost perfect, actually.
Aon scowled at the swish of her tail paired with her smirk. Again they found themselves nearly reeling at the dark aura just diffusing off of her. They were really regretting their choice of atmosphere now.
The corner of their lip curled slightly. Of course they knew what this was about, but the confirmation of it being about that stupid vault was bait they couldn’t refuse.
“Haha oh I see. That coward couldn’t reach out to me again himself? That’s cute.”
Pushing themselves off of the wall they stood at a cocky little slant, one hand on hip.
“Well, I’ll tell you just as I’ve told him. I don’t have it anymore. You’re wasting everyone’s time.”
