For acutelatios or any other mod that happens to see this: If you believe I still need to add more to this disclaimer, please tell me. I'll do so as soon as possible.
Welcome
This will be the thread for the wRHG battle between me and TwitchyPidge. Below you will find our battles, but there's something I'd like to add. On a whim, I ended up creating two extra pieces related to my version of the battle. I'll give a brief explanation of what they are about in a moment, but the important thing to note is that they are entirely optional and should not be taken into account when voting. Only consider the main story. The other two are there if you're interested. Feel free to comment and critique them, of course, but don't use them as reasoning behind your voting choice. However, since copying them from the file would end up breaking the character limit for a post, I have to leave them as simply links to Google Docs. I could post them in the Original Literature section, but they're not relevant enough to be posted sepeartely. They're just extras.
For reference, here are our gladiators (descriptions taken from our lovely Hall of Warriors):
SJCRPV's Gladstone - Pixels | Skilled Martial Artist | Electric Tonfas | Semi-fingerless gloves
TwitchyPidge's Janice - Shapeshifter | Contortist | Whip and Chain | Extensive Medical Knowledge [ | Expert Identity Thief ]
SJCRPV's Side:
This happened before the main story. It's just a quick excerpt of a conversation Gladstone and Selena had regarding Janice.
Selena is pissed about Janice (OPTIONAL)
Google Docs
Main story (Note: Just want to drop a thank you to a friend of mine for giving me the idea for this plot)
Spoiler (Click to Show)
- Did you find anything else about this bitch? - Came a stern voice from behind, quickly revealing herself to be Selena, who wasted no time sitting on the other side of the table. The slouch in her posture and the more than obvious dark bags beneath her eyes would tell anyone just how tired she was; but if any doubt remained, how carelessly she took her laptop out of the sack on her shoulder, and how she looked at her friend confirmed it all. Gladstone had already expected her to be this way. He had tried to convince her for the past week to give up on finding information about a recently returned woman who, for all intents and purposes, did not exist outside of the RHG. But it only served to spur her further against the wall of nothingness that was Janice. It worried him.
- Nothing beyond what we already know. - He provided in a similar tone. - Cirque de Nuit, shape shifting, under Sabine’s supervision. Nothing else.
The tired techie audibly groaned as she brought one of her hands to her face and let the other fall on the table after moving halfway. She dragged every word coming out of her muffled voice:
- How is it even possible? This is unreal!
- Unreal or not, - Gladstone remarked with a chuckle, grabbing his glass to prepare another sip. - that’s all we have to work with. So let's make the most of it.
- It’s what we had to work with ever since we started! - She refuted, dropping her other arm down to look at her friend in annoyance. - We tried to make the most of it.
- And it caused you to become obsessed with it.
- I’m finding all there is to know about this doxy, whether you’re with me or not.
Were she not as tired as she was, her tone would have carried actual threat, but the level of determination Selena still revealed was applaudable.
- Alright, alright. - He conceded, raising his hands in submission. - I’ve been trying to talk you out of it because it has actually been affecting your health, but now that Sonia, somehow, let you come, I have no other option but to help you, right? If anything, it’ll at least bring you back to normal.
There was a brief moment of ponder before he asked in curiosity.
- How did you convince her, anyway?
Selena did not provide. Her expression reverted to a worrying grin as she straightened her posture slightly and chirped.
- Oh, I gave her the same tender, loving care that she gives you and she eventually became putty in my hands. She has such an adorable face. - Selena stopped for a brief moment before bursting into laughter at his reaction. His cheeks glowing red as he looked away. - I’ll never get tired of that! I just told her since that woman can hide her tracks so well, we could get her to work for us too.
- You... must have been quite convincing. - Gladstone commented with a raised eyebrow, not having fully calmed down just yet but suspecting something out of his squad mate. - I’m sure I could have handled it on my own if all we want is to recruit her and even then, if I actually required you to help me, you could have just told me what I had to do from home.
Selena stretched her body during a yawn, trying to keep herself awake the best she could, almost punching the waiter who moved towards them after noticing the new occupant at the table. With a quick but surprised apology, the exhausted techie simply asked for coffee, continuing the conversation supporting her weight on her crossed arms after he’d left.
- And that is what you’re going to do. Go to Cirque de Nuit tonight and strike up a conversation with her. Give her a bit of your charm. - She added with a tinge of mocking. - I’ll go to the police department during that time and get inside their network to see if I can find anything about Janice in their private database.
- Wait, you’re not coming with me? - He inquired with surprise - Why not get the information you want straight from the source?
- Because I nicked a password from one of the computers that won’t work by the morning. And I don’t have any guarantees that I’ll get another anytime soon so I best get to use it while I can.
- Couldn’t you have left a backdoor when you last went there with Elena and access it remotely? - Gladstone questioned, now curious as he took yet another swig.
- No, because the moment I were to activate it, they’d notice the outgoing traffic logs and trace me.
- Through Tor? - Came Gladstone with a raised eyebrow as the waiter brought Selena her coffee and awaited his payment.
- Through Tor. No system is infallible. - Selena replied as she tore open the sugar pack and poured it into the coffee. - Oh and Seb, could you be a dear and pay for the coffee? - She still added with a cheeky smile as she started stirring the drink - I’ll make it up to you, ok?
- Are you so tired that you forgot your wallet? - He chuckled, to which Selena stuck her tongue out playfully before ingesting some caffeine. Quickly finishing his own drink, he paid the waiter and the two talked for a while more before she claimed a few hours rest would do her well and they both went their own ways.
Cirque de Nuit was a hard place to miss. Its outside is decorated in the same fashion as the opening of a circus tent flap. Red and white stripes, cloth supported by strategically placed poles and little flags at the top peacefully moving to the wind. It’s business seemed to be going well. There was a fair number of people moving at the entrance. Some waiting for friends, some just out for a smoke, more simply coming in and out. Activity was something which the club did not lack. All to the beat of a music loud enough to be clearly heard even well into the building’s opposite street.
Gladstone felt nowhere near close to his comfort zone. He was never fond of nightclubs, finding them to be places with too many people in too small a space with too loud a music, but he had to resign to it. With a deep breath and a pixel sitting snugly inside his hair, he made his way across and into the building, where the inside, besides deafening to Gladstone’s unaccustomed ears, turned out to be much larger than what appeared on the outside.
The place could be divided into four different areas. The right, and, to some extent, the far front before the stage, had quite a number of tables. While the ones ahead were a bit more traditional, all of them allowing, initially, four seats, the ones on the right were a bit different. They were small, white, cubic and not of that great a quality, looking to be functional more than anything. The need for such came from the red and white striped U-shaped couches around them. It made for both easy access and, for the less polite, a nice footstool.
Practically all of them were occupied by groups of varying size, sex and age; drinking, talking and laughing.
At the center there was a large dance floor, where the colours of the squares on the ground twisted and turned with the rhythm, along with the array of theatrical lights. The nightclub was by no means well illuminated; it was quite dim. However, it certainly had a semblance of a light show going on.
Beyond the dance floor and the numerous people dancing on it, there was a large stage adapted to hold high platforms, ropes, swings and other equipment that formed the basis of a circus show. Tonight however, a band occupied the floor. Gladstone had no idea who they were, but their music didn’t seem all that bad. At least from what he could discern to be their music. The crowd appeared to be enjoying it but, besides overly loud, on a sound table to the side there looked to be a DJ remixing the band’s music as they played it, adding some electro and dubstep to the initial more rock style of the song.
The last area, the left, held a bar. A long, wooden drinking table that spanned for a few good metres, allowing it to hold about a couple of dozen people and the signature illuminated wall behind it, filled with several different bottles.
Of the two tenders working behind it, there was one who Gladstone recognized. Sabine. He already knew she worked there, but seeing her made him feel a lot more comfortable. At least now he had a safe place to return to in this nightclub.
- Seb? Hey! What are you doing here, cheré? - Noticed a pleasantly surprised Sabine with a quick glance of his arrival, preparing a drink for another customer while she spoke.
- Hey. - He replied in a similar tone, getting comfortable in his seat and leaning towards the counter. - I just thought a change of pace would do me well.
The Iwa, after delivering the glass, turned to Gladstone. The hands on her hips and the raised eyebrow elicited a chuckle from him.
- Don’t fret, I was going to belie it if you had fallen for it anyway. I’m just here because I need to keep an eye on someone.
- And who might that be? Maybe I can help you.
Politely, Gladstone shook his head:
- I appreciate it, but it might not be necessary.
Sabine looked as if she suspected something, but decided against voicing it; opting by changing the subject instead with a teasing smirk, her arms stretched against the counter.
- Alright then, what can I get you, Mr. Watchman?
- Just a beer, for now. - Gladstone replied, his mouth curling enough to match hers.
As Sabine pulled a glass to fill his drink with, another woman joined the conversation, leaving an empty serving table next to her colleague and leaning right next to him.
She held a similar height to Gladstone, meaning she was somewhat shorter than Sabine. Her hair was both fiery red and long, curling enticingly along her back and complementing her seductively bright emerald eyes marvelously. The body underneath her tight dark jeans and low cut shirt looked well developed and her smile was inviting, if a bit mischievous.
- Hey, Sabine, you know this boy? - The new arrival asked with curiosity as she took a good look at him and widened her smile.
- Yeah. Sebastian, the leader of that clan I was in. - Sabine replied casually before noticing her look. The Voodoo Queen quickly warned after delivering the beer. - And don’t you try to get your hands on my friend! You have enough boy candy as it is.
- The thought hadn't even crossed my mind. - She blatantly lied, the Iwa clearly not falling for it. - Besides, if he's old enough to come here, he's old enough to decide for himself, isn't he? I'm Kaye, by the way. - She finished, extending a hand to greet him.
- A pleasure. - He greeted back with pleasant smile, taking the handshake. - And is your boy candy usually already taken? - Gladstone asked as his lips turned into more of a smirk before taking a sip of the cold drink.
- Perhaps. - The smile she responded with gave it away quite clearly that she probably knew some were, but both played possum. - If they are, they don’t tell me. Anyway, I need to get ready. Stick around and appreciate the show, Sebastian. You’ll have to tell me all about this person when I get back. For you to come and immediately try to shoot me down, she must be quite the lady.
All Gladstone gave was a confident confirmation before Kaye bid them farewell, leaving him alone with Sabine yet again.
- Leave while you can. - Was Sabine’s immediate warning. - She’s more dangerous than you think.
- Don’t wo-- - He coughed to cut himself off from what he was about to say when her face started to frown. Sabine had unofficially prohibited him from uttering those two words to her since the last time he ignored her warnings. - I’ll be fine. - Was what he ended up going with as he politely smiled and drank a bit more. - I already have someone. What incentive do I have to go for another? I’m not that kind of person.
- Don’t even come near me if she’s sleeping next to you by the morning.
Sabine actually looked rather annoyed with Gladstone. She wanted him to understand the danger Kaye posed to him, but he seemed to think little of it. This was especially annoying because the last time she warned Gladstone of some kind of danger, he ignored her and walked right into it.
His insistence on making the same mistake had the Iwa sighing, mumbling “Idgit” before continuing dismissively.
- Fine. Do whatever you want.
Gladstone tried to assure her once more he’d be alright and that he was listening to her, but she didn’t seem convinced and soon after, it was time for Kaye’s performance.
The previous music ended, the lights went out and the club went quiet for a few moments before focus was given to a gorgeously dressed Kaye. Her shirt and jeans from before gave way to a long and glistening red dress; open with just the right amount of cleavage at the top to catch someone’s attention, but not so much that it was overly provocative. At the same time, it was also open on the bottom side to easily allow the exposure of her leg and high heels, while her arms were covered by elbow-length purple gloves. All of it worked to heighten the sensuality of her aura without making it shocking.
The regulars of the place knew what was coming and quickly started cheering and whistling up until the music started, which by then the noise quickly died out and everyone paid attention to the show.
It was a slow song. A mixture of both jazz and blues