Re: Paladin HQ // Floor 0 (Ruins)

**Emu Queen** Sun May 11, 2014 3:09 am

Paladin HQ // Floor 0 (Ruins) - Page 2 __layout_zpse948848d

Paladin HQ // Floor 0 (Ruins) - Page 2 Masky_zps256fe12d

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Masque audibly squeaked when Charles grabbed his head-- he attempted to pull himself away, but- Charles had a seriously iron grip. "Pssh, why would I even have money--" His gloved hands clung onto the keyboard-- bECAUSE GOING BACK INTO THE CLOSET WOULD BE BAD. HE WAS FINALLY FREE. "I aLWAYS need the internet! Leggo--!" aND THEN CAME THE MISTRESS TO SAVE THE DAY. Masque did the squeak thing again-- as well as the clasping his hands together thing, but in a more fanboy-ish way rather than a genuinely intrigued way this time. "hELLO MISTRESS--" Except she seemed to be focusing on Charles a lot more... which was kind of disheartening... so, Masque calmed himself some- quietly adding, "Hi I`m here too--" He stayed even quieter after that-- just sort of... let those two talk out their frustrations out. His presence was an elephant in the room, though...

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

**Amazing Pan-Sensei** Sun May 11, 2014 4:26 am

Paladin HQ // Floor 0 (Ruins) - Page 2 Paladi11

Charles Paladin
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Charles eventually let go of Red Masque "I tire of this game. Will you please just stop f-" and then Mistress. Charles let out a great big pained sigh, he had gotten quite sick and tired of annoyances interrupting his work "Xiu..." he muttered, slowly turning to The Mistress. He glare dot the woman, his hands clasped behind his back as he stood directly in front of the woman "Good news...? There is no good news when it comes to the like of you. What... did another one of your wild plans end with a crazed blonde obtaining two nukes again...?" and of course, Red Masque general attitude just made Charles want to barf, he slowly turned his head to Masque, glaring to the masked man "You. Stop. You're embarrassing yourself..." he muttered, his voice blunt and uncompromising. Then, the gates opened, the ones that separated the elevator to Floor 0 from... well, Floor 0. From it, a Paladin guard walked out "Sir! There's been a-! Who are these people...?" the guard immediately began to look to The Mistress and Red Masque. Who were these strange people? Why were they with Charles? The woman looked so... familiar, as if she was an inmate or something. Charles let out a sigh "This is getting tiring... its so expensive to train new security these days..." he muttered to himself before bringing up an arm pointed towards the guard. Seconds later, a bullet fired straight out of Charles' sleeve right into the guard's heart, killing him. He saw too much. And now that that was over, Charles looked back up to The Mistress and Masque "Where were we...?"
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"I am Charles Paladin, Founder and CEO of Paladin Industries, and I have big plans for the world..."
Charles Theme- L

**The Hidden Spring** Sun May 11, 2014 5:00 am

Paladin HQ // Floor 0 (Ruins) - Page 2 Mistress2_zps59af5cdc

The Mistress

"OH, that was a thin-Masqueyy!" The Mistress Squeaked and hugged him. "I see you there, you can't hide from me!" she grinned. "Trust me darling, with a body like your's, mmmm...can't resist, ANYWAY!" she turned to Charles. "Oh no, you'll like this good news. It's this." she handed him a check. "This is compensation for the little...incident...on my part while we were staying here. It also includes a massage package, I threw that in there myself, from my personal staff, cause darling, you NEED it." she smiled. "Plus, those funds can help with Paladin research and things of that sort yes? I know it's not a 1,000 peoples souls, but it's a start...so...what do you think? Impressed?" she grinned and giggled.

**Emu Queen** Sun May 11, 2014 5:49 am

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"What`s that--" was Masque`s ever eloquent response to Charles telling him to stop. He studied Charles` form for a moment- then copied him, folding his arms diligently behind his back. He watched the back and forward between the pair before him-- and seemed to be the only person in the room who truly grew uneasy as a lost security guard wandered in.
He immediately looked to Charles, but by the time he did-- the male was already gunning the other down. Masque produced a quiet, surprised whistle-- bUT THEN MISTRESS HUG. Screw copying Charles- he automatically threw his arms around the woman in turn, and seemed like he was about to say something-- but then she did first, and that actually... kind of managed to stun him into silence. Once her attention was back on Charles, he kept to himself again, just being all blushy and flustered and fanboy-ish by his lonesome. He heard something about Black Dragon massages though, and that got his interest a bit... never mind that the souls of a thousand people were also mentioned-- because massages were more important. Especially if it was the Mistress who was talking about said massages---then they were really important---

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

**Amazing Pan-Sensei** Sun May 11, 2014 4:28 pm

Charles Paladin
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Charles rose his eyebrow, literally giving Mistress a 'really?' expression as he saw the check handed to him "Are you seriously trying to impress the multi-billionaire with a check...?" he asked, looking almost disappointed in her. Letting out a sigh, he seemed to soften up just a bit "Well I suppose its better than what you previous offered for compensation..." Charles ignored Red Masque's shenanigans, he could never understand how that man never took anything seriously. Its like this was all a joke to him "Besides...." Charles gave Mistress an incredibly stoic face "If you tried to give me a massage... I'm afraid you'd break your hands on my hard metallic exterior." was that Charles attempting to make a joke? Well now you know why he never tells jokes! Charles took the check anyways, because, well, free money. He was a business man, and in business you never turn down the chance to make a profit "I could care -less- about the lives lost... what I -do- care about is the utter disregard for authority and destruction of order that your plans always bring about! I know Masque was gone, but why didn't you at least tell me you were going to try something like that!? Just as it seemed like order was starting to return, two cities are wiped clean off the map and Super Criminal -freaks- come out of the wood works!" Charles then looked to Red Masque, giving him an inquisitive look "Don't you have anything to say about this!?"
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"I am Charles Paladin, Founder and CEO of Paladin Industries, and I have big plans for the world..."
Charles Theme- L

**The Hidden Spring** Sun May 11, 2014 9:27 pm

The Mistress

"That's why it's not me doing it! Trust me sweetly, you need it." she gave Charles a little kiss on the cheek. "I know dear, and it was a little disregarding, but I didn't know Kraveikins was gonna go THAT far. That was the only thing I didn't foresee." she said, and looked at Charles. "So, how's it going? We haven't chatted in a while dear." she said.

**Emu Queen** Sun May 11, 2014 9:56 pm

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Masque actually snorted as Charles` joke-- he apparently found some kind of humor in it. He was still quiet-- he waved a bit once Charles said his name, in some attempt to exert his presence into the room further. And then Charles actually turned and asked him a question- to which he paused a beat, looking down, as if in thought-- before he looked back up, curtly answering, "If he`s not gonna use the massage thing, can I have it--?" best answer. And then the Mistress asked Charles how he`d been-- and Masque promptly answered in the male`s place. "I`ve been so stressed lately-- Charles keeps putting me in closets," He looked at Charles- or, one could assume he did, considering he turned in the CEO`s direction. "Make him stop that. Save me, Xiu-" He seemed quite eager for the Mistress` attention-- but, in a... not serious kind of way. It seemed almost a bit belittling... though, knowing Masque, maybe he didn`t notice that--

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

**Amazing Pan-Sensei** Sun May 11, 2014 10:21 pm

Paladin HQ // Floor 0 (Ruins) - Page 2 Charle11

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Charles nearly face palmed as Xiu and Red Masque persisted on the subject of massages "Ugh..." so instead he just let out a distasteful groan, it'd be giving them too much power to show any more than that. Then The Mistress asked how Charles was, oh, a semblance of a normal conversation? Charles was all for that "Well I-" and then Red Masque spoke "..." he glared to the man as he started talking about stress... and being kept in the closet "And you keep trying to get out of the closet! Why don't you just stay in the closet and keep quiet!? It's much easier for the both of us that way!" he yelled to him, followed by grumbling "Why are we always meeting in my territory? Do you two have any idea how irresponsible this is!? I have to kill anybody that see's you two! Ahem..." Charles tried to keep his composure, he wanted to calm down "Okay... okay... how about we speak about business...? There is much we must discuss about our future plans..."
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"I am Charles Paladin, Founder and CEO of Paladin Industries, and I have big plans for the world..."
Charles Theme- L

**The Hidden Spring** Sun May 11, 2014 10:41 pm

The Mistress

"I mean, why don't we go to a place to discuss things. That's not a big deal right? Let's say I'm an honored guest! After all, I am!" she smiled and winked at Masque. "I might borrow you later." she said. "And hey, I was trying to make small talk. I even brought a present! Can't you see what I am trying to do?" she was being dramatic. Oh Mistress.

**Emu Queen** Mon May 12, 2014 6:28 pm

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"I AM A FREE SPIRIT, CHARLIE--" And then Charles brought up the fact that the two of them were, in fact, the reason behind so many confused Paladin guards taking bullets to the head-- which caused Masque to actually pause a beat in consideration. Since... that actually hadn`t occurred to him before--? "...Hm-" And then the Mistress brought up the point of perhaps going elsewhere to discuss thing- and the prospect caused a tinge of unease to develop upon the masked male`s shoulders. Before he could voice his opinion on all of that- she mentioned borrowing him later, to which he quickly replied- "I`m not sure that would work-" albeit quietly- because now he was focusing on the keyboard again while he awaited Charles` response on the whole changing location thing. Pressing buttons was really fun wow--

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

**Amazing Pan-Sensei** Mon May 12, 2014 8:50 pm

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Charles looked to The Mistress with a fair share of aggression in his eyes "You know I can't do that. Unlike the two of you I've kept a public face... I've been the the beacon of light the masses need to have some hope in a devastated world like this. They fear you Xiu... but as for I... as far as they know I'm the last hope for this planet..." and that's exactly how he wanted it. That's what he promised to be, to an old friend that had passed away a long time ago "And as for you..." Charles turned to Red Masque, glaring to him "You've got to be more careful... what will happen if people see you!?" total anarchy, that's what. And that's all he had to say about that, Charles turned back to The Mistress, aggressively changing the subject "I believe the next phase of our plan can now be initialized... you should begin to contact your Clan in China... we still have two more pieces of Heavenly Treasure before our plan can reach the next phase..."
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"I am Charles Paladin, Founder and CEO of Paladin Industries, and I have big plans for the world..."
Charles Theme- L

**The Hidden Spring** Mon May 12, 2014 10:34 pm

The Mistress

"I know that. We've been trying out something in China, trying to speed up the process a little bit...it's been messy to say the least." she let out a sigh. "But yes, I'll give them a ring, so how process is going, and then figure out how we can keep this going a little bit faster." she said, and then smiled at Charles. "I'm on top of things, as per normal. And do people really fear me? Goodness that's awful! I want to go out and hear the people adoring me. Oh well, a girl can dream." she giggled.

**Emu Queen** Tue May 13, 2014 11:09 am

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Masque had honestly been in the process of zoning out again, as well as looking around for floorboards to crawl into maybe- up until Charles seemed to address him once again. The male turned to look over his shoulder, for some reason doubting that Charles` words were truly aimed at him-- but, seeing nobody else behind him, he inquired. "Who? Me? Bah, I`m no one special~!" He hopped up and promptly took a seat upon Charles` keyboard, twirling his parasol between gloved fingers and idly swinging his dangling legs about. He made a very vague attempt to follow their conversation-- but, he was also kind of distracted by everything else ever. However, he did seem to pick out little bits and pieces of context. "...Clan in China--? Does that mean the cat`s coming--? Is he here now-- is he in the room with us-- I don`t pay taxes for this--" He asked, eyebrow raising very prominent in his words.

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

**Amazing Pan-Sensei** Tue May 13, 2014 3:12 pm

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Charles walked over to his computer node and deactivated it, firstly because he wasn't using it, and secondly because he didn't want Masque touching it. When he heard more of Masque's sarcastic quips, Charles scowled to Red Masque and muttered "Silence... no more games." before returning his attention to The Mistress. He expected the Black Dragon to be here soon, they were crucial to the plan "Good. Paladin Industries and Black Dragon need to keep up the image of hostility for just a little bit longer... then... everything changes." Charles was sure of this, for the past few months he'd manipulated the denizens of this prison and others for this single goal...
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"I am Charles Paladin, Founder and CEO of Paladin Industries, and I have big plans for the world..."
Charles Theme- L

**The Hidden Spring** Tue May 13, 2014 3:16 pm

The Mistress

"I hope you're right darling. It would be cruel of you to do otherwise." she said, and pulled a phone out of her boobs. "I'm making that call now. Cuse." she dialed the number. "Oh hun, the reception in here is dreadful! Ew. I am not okay." she sighed and decided to just check on her other data. "Oooooh! Charles darling! More good neeeews! My new officials will be ready soon. Oh, the news gets better and better!" she giggled.

**Amazing Pan-Sensei** Wed May 14, 2014 6:32 pm

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Charles simply stood there was The Mistress made her call, as she finished, the man nodded to her "Good. I expect an exceptional show from your subordinates... absolutely no mistakes can be made now." Charles then began to walk, right past Red Masque and Xiu. He continued to walk, calmly walking away from the scene "Now... Its time I get back to my work. You two should show yourselves out... and don't be seen... I don't want any more trouble..." with those words, Charles took the elevator upwards, soon it would be time.
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"I am Charles Paladin, Founder and CEO of Paladin Industries, and I have big plans for the world..."
Charles Theme- L

**The Hidden Spring** Wed May 14, 2014 7:17 pm

The Mistress

"You're such a tease deary. Love you!" she called, and showed herself out, not seen by the cameras or crew. (exit)

**Emu Queen** Wed May 14, 2014 8:07 pm

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Masque watched the remainder of the interaction between his two comrades- having fallen into considerably dense silence. He sat leaning on the computer Charles had deactivated-- and soon enough, he was the only one left. He paid no goodbyes, or spoke a single word as the Mistress and Charles left his view-- only remained still, enjoying the calm provided by the silence.
"... Things are changing quickly..." He murmured to himself- his voice lacking it`s usual lisp, or cheery tone. The masked man tucked his parasol under his arm, shaking his head to himself. "... Much too quickly..." He left the room at some point- and, for whatever reason, not a single guard or Paladin employee noticed him as he disappeared once again within the Walls.

(EXIT)

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✗ The Red Masque`s Theme ✗

**Amazing Pan-Sensei** Fri Aug 22, 2014 10:50 pm

Paladin HQ // Floor 0 (Ruins) - Page 2 2011

Paladin HQ // Floor 0 (Ruins) - Page 2 Charle10

Paladin HQ // Floor 0 (Ruins) - Page 2 Layout15

~~『ROIVAS RUOY MA I』~~
██████▇▇▇▇▇▇▆▆▆▆▆▆▅▅▅▅▅▅▄▄▄▄▄▄▃▃▃▃▃▃▂▂▂▂▂▂

Charles and Jo (Also hopefully Smile unless he got lost or something) walked out onto Floor 0, truly the two had gone full circle on this adventure "Ah... finally... HOME!" Charles walked to the center of the room, to the very cell Jo was held in, the door opening on its own as he approached it, and as the man stood in the center of it, the entire room changed into a complex set of screens and consoles watching over the whole city. However, the screens seemed to be sets of flashes to the human eye, indeed the screens were transferring visible data at a rate so fast that only a machine could keep up with it. Charles opened his arms wide as wires floated up through magnetic energy and connected to his arms "Welcome everyone... to the very center of The Collective!" he announced quite happily... and out of character. One would figure he had come up with a way to rid the internet of all its porn forever with that attitude "Kraven used Arma with this system to reek carnage on the world... but starting today... none of that matters. A new world... history is washed of its sins...'' Charles seemed lost in his own thoughts for some time until he suddenly turned to Smile "I want you to guard the path to this cell Smile... I will leave one of the CP units with you for back up..." then he looked to Jo "And you... stay here guarding the system... you are the catalyst for the dawning of a new era... you will be needed soon enough..."
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~~『pOOƃ ɹƎ⊥∀Ǝɹƃ ƎH⊥ W∀ I』~~
♕ ♕ ♕
『All according to plan...』
Charles Theme- Final Hours

Akikazemoon Fri Aug 22, 2014 11:52 pm

Paladin HQ // Floor 0 (Ruins) - Page 2 Smile50_zps92bf7d69

Lukas Reinhardt
Smile
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"Vhat is it zhat matters most to you in life...? If you don't fight for it vith all your strength, can you really call yourself alive...?"
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As the three of them entered the chamber, Lukas felt a distinct sense of wariness come over him. This didn't feel like a place where normal people should be treading...then again, if Charles had the power to exact such massive damage upon the human race all on his own--could he even be considered a normal human anymore? Apparently not, considering that there were now wires going into his arms--that man wasn't normal. Not in the slightest. Lukas didn't like this--his thoughts kept darting back to those that they had left in Highend, particularly Jasper and Rommel. He wanted to focus on the here and now, but it was difficult. Thankfully, he managed to hear Charles giving him a job--and he looked up at the man, then nodded to him, moving to place himself in the area that he'd been told to guard. He wasn't sure who Charles was expecting to attack them...after all, they were in a fairly secretive place, right...? Still, this was his job right now--for the sake of finding his sister, he would do it.

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Lukas' Theme - Dominus Deus Sabaoth

**Emu Queen** Sat Aug 23, 2014 11:12 pm

Paladin HQ // Floor 0 (Ruins) - Page 2 B7743bbc-3749-4e49-a2a8-a4f81d2f723b_zpsad595112

ＪｏｓｅｐｈｉｎｅＢｅａｕｍｏｎｔ
❢ ＱＵＥＥＮＣＡＬＡＭＩＴＹ ❢

i want to get stronger
because our world is very cruel
it`s advisable to remove withered flowers
[ ♔ ♚ ♔ ]

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For a few solemn moments, Jo was wondering if this was some sort of trick-- a trick to get her back in that cursed cell. Her steps had grown hesitant, expression betraying her fear-- she didn`t want to go back in there. Her relief over being finally separated from Tate was short lived at best, and near overwhelming, considering the pulsing pain in her head had come to something of a subtle halt-- though her thoughts remained scattered and nonsensical. Still, she didn`t seem to notice much at all- and even as she had begun to fear for her life on the walk here, she never once wiped the manic, lop-sided grin off her face.
Despite her feat and pain, she was... happy. So happy... She didn`t realize what Charles had promised, that being the destruction of mankind as a whole-- but, she seemed convinced that everything Charles wanted was reasonable enough. Even if she knew she herself was no where near in the right place right now, for whatever reason... she knew she had respected and sympathized with Charles before-- what should change now? His sudden change in age didn`t seem to even occur to her, either-- Charles was Charles.
The walkway leading to Floor 0 frayed her nerves- she recalled several months ago being handcuffed and bleeding out profusely as a result of Paladin`s attack on her in the Graveyard. She`d been shoved into this very cell, thrown onto the ground-- where it took days for her to stand back up again. She hadn`t even tried to get up... the thought that Vulture Team may have been out there still fighting, the fact that Ryder may have very well been defeated by Kraven for good weighed her down like a ton of bricks-- it wasn`t until she was re-approached by a robotic male in a suit and tie who granted her momentary clarity from her grief that she was able to stand back up on her feet.
Here they were, all over again, after everything. Rivals they may be, but in the end-- a shared desire for the greater good, and a furtive glance at the bright future ahead of them brought them right back to the same place.
Jo didn`t dare reenter Floor 0`s cell, her old cell-- she stood directly outside the doorway as Charles walked on in. She tried to peer in, and get a glance at whatever was being showcased on those screens- however, the imagery upon them only made her head flash in white pain. A hand flew up to the area again, fingers clenching on it`s heat, her frustration building as she gritted her teeth-- never the less, she listened to Charles` words, eye lighting up as she did.
She didn`t find his change of attitude strange or out of character-- they were about to fix the world...! Fix humanity, reverse the Cataclysm-- humanity was so beautiful, it deserved so much better than this... and here, they had a way to fix it-- why wouldn`t he be happy? As her order was specifically given, however, her smile at last twitched down-- a look of vague confusion taking it`s place as she tilted her head some, and took her step forward back into the old cell. "What... do you mean, 'needed'...?" She asked tentatively, keeping her gaze centered on him-- she didn`t dare look around the room, nor up at the screens. "If there`s anything you want punched for the greater good, I can do that...!"

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♔ Jo`s Theme - Blumenkranz ♔

**Amazing Pan-Sensei** Sat Aug 23, 2014 11:56 pm

~~『ROIVAS RUOY MA I』~~
██████▇▇▇▇▇▇▆▆▆▆▆▆▅▅▅▅▅▅▄▄▄▄▄▄▃▃▃▃▃▃▂▂▂▂▂▂

Another CP unit was awaiting Smile at the other side of Floor 0, he tipped his hat over to Smile, greeting the German with a conniving smile. It was sort of unclear whether each of these units was a separate individual or if they shared some sort of hivemind, it didn't help that they all acted the same, which would lead someone to believe that they were in fact operating under the same mind. Leaning against a wall next to the entrance into the room, the man spoke "I'm sure you know it... your friends will be here... they will try to stop me... and they'll try to kill you." he spoke to smile with a clean smile on his face "I hope you know... if they try and stop me... I expect you to kill them." the man tipped his hat over his eyes "Or at least try. I'm sure you can be somewhat useful sometimes... right?"

Charles stopped looking towards the screens, turning away, and from the floor behind him rose a chair "Of course Josephine... as I said, you are INSTRUMENTAL to fixing the world! You are not working under me, you are working with me!" he told her as wires rose up, grabbing Jo and bringing her over to the chair. Upon placing her upon the chair, metals claps caught Jo's arms and legs, keeping her tied to the chair. Metal hands emerged from the back, grabbing Jo's head and keeping her eyes open wide as they rose her head to stare at the constant flux of rapid information flowing into her head. It was an unnerving experience, Jo would feel uncontrollable pain in her head as the constant flux of images sent information to her brain. Way, constant, constant war. Charles stood by her side as he looked to the screen as well "I'm sure you see it... I'm sure you understand Jo... this... is war... we like to pretend that before The Cataclysm the world was perfect. That the world experienced even a semblance of order. The truth is far from true..." Charles muttered to her "1914... the world was engulfed in war... why...? Petty human politics... millions dead. And why? WHY!? Even I can't answer that..." he spoke as images of death, war, and pestilence flashed in front of Jo's eyes "The funny part is... hahahaha... they tried to do it AGAIN! I wouldn't let them... so... so I... fixed it..." images flashed of the Freedom Society massacring thousands, possibly millions all around Europe and Asia "Under the guise of patriotism... I made sure to eliminate... weaken, and control the masses... all over the world.... of course... I had help..." images of Heavenly Treasure activating, which would bring about Doublethink, and Uncle Sam ruling the world with an iron fist flashed "Unfortunately... that experiment proved to be a failure... there was a glitch in the system... so I moved on to my next plan... unfortunately... it to proved to produce... unfortunate results..." flashes of the Catalcysm flashed before Jo's eyes at a constant rate, faster and faster these images seemed to make an impression on Jo's eyes as they burned themselves into her mind. It was strange, it was more than seeing images, it was as if Jo was experiencing the emotions and energy of all those who had suffered through these events.
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~~『pOOƃ ɹƎ⊥∀Ǝɹƃ ƎH⊥ W∀ I』~~
♕ ♕ ♕
『All according to plan...』
Charles Theme- Final Hours

Akikazemoon Sun Aug 24, 2014 12:30 am

Lukas Reinhardt
Smile
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"Vhat is it zhat matters most to you in life...? If you don't fight for it vith all your strength, can you really call yourself alive...?"
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Lukas looked to the man who had been waiting for him in the hallway, raising an eyebrow when he saw that the man looked just like Charles. Being as it was that he hadn't been around for the reveal of the Charles-bots back in the Heavenly Treasure room--this was at least mildly confusing. Still, he didn't have much time to react to it, since soon enough, the man was talking to him. After having heard what he had to say, Lukas frowned, replying bitterly,
"Zhey're not my friends...I don't make friends..." Even he could tell that he could no longer put in as much sincerity with that statement as he had used to. He looked away, a troubled frown upon his features. "...I can be plenty useful. I've just been...unlucky. Don't take me so lightly." He wanted to believe himself as he said that--but it was difficult. His experiences with the task force, while they seemed to have injected new emotion into him, had also seemed to have sucked away some of the stone-cold confidence that he had forged with that old emotional wall of his that had come crashing down. Perhaps it was due to how much difficulty he had in fights--and how his cybernetics had never seemed to work as they should have. He had never quite understood that...and it had constantly been a subject of worry to him. He knew that he could do better--he knew that. And he was going to have to do better now, if he expected to get what he wanted. "Killing zhem von't be any problem...zhey're all probably half-dead by now, anyvay." He had almost said dead--almost. Something deep down within him was truthfully hoping that the others were alive--and also hoping that they would stay far, far away from this place. Not just for his own sake--but for theirs. It wasn't safe here...and continuing to fight against a force this powerful could never end well...

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Lukas' Theme - Dominus Deus Sabaoth

**Emu Queen** Sun Aug 24, 2014 5:00 am

Paladin HQ // Floor 0 (Ruins) - Page 2 Jo55_zpse4cfcad5

ＪｏｓｅｐｈｉｎｅＢｅａｕｍｏｎｔ
❢ ＱＵＥＥＮＣＡＬＡＭＩＴＹ ❢

i want to get stronger
because our world is very cruel
it`s advisable to remove withered flowers
[ ♔ ♚ ♔ ]

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The chair suddenly rising up from the ground was cause for confusion on Jo`s part-- she mentally noted that the chair would have been a nice edition to this cell when she lived in it for two months. She offered a very nervous, strained and visibly fearful grin at his words, nodding some and pretending she understood- however, this falsified smile soon fell as the very wires Charles had been connecting to his skin began to rise-- floating midair.
Jo`s muscles tensed, eyes widening- and instinctively took a step back, intending to get away as quickly as possible-- when the wires suddenly flew forward in a flash and coiled tightly around her limbs. They tightened some, ensuring there be no room for a struggle (despite Jo`s frantic, thrashing efforts), as well as ensuring that several purplish red bruises were left dotted along her fair skin-- before they suddenly pulled right back, flinging her limply across the metal room she had been avoiding so desperately.
Soon enough, she was dropped right into the chair that had arisen prior- and she was panicking. Her gaze flickered over to Charles, her breathing now shortened, stuttered, and frantic-- the look in her eye begged for answers, and before she got any sort of response, metal clasped tightly over her free limbs with a loud 'clamp'.
Her breath quickened into hyperventilation, loud alarms blaring in her head that threw her panic into very familiar depths. The sensation of being trapped, caged, at the mercy of the man above her-- it brought back unwelcome memories that played in the back of her mind, those of rusty scissors and pseudo-religious ranting of Angels and sins. "Ch-Charles, wait--" She cut herself out as robotic hands flew toward the sides of her already throbbing head, it`s plates sliding against her heated skin painfully. She gritted her teeth, grunting against the pain and making a slight attempt to wiggle out of it`s grasp- just as it locked her head upward, forcefully craning her neck and ensuring her eyes trained directly upon the screens leveled above her.
The constant flickering of images at first was nothing but harmful to her headache and sight- she made several attempts to turn and squeeze her eyes shut, but to no avail. Despite her strength-- it was nothing much against a machine of this caliber. At first, it was nothing but painful-- until her brain began to forcefully register what exactly she was seeing.
"FUCKFUCKFUCK--!!" She cursed, wildly thrashing around against the restraints marking her skin-- the images before her sent a rapid influx of information straight into her already heavily damaged mind, causing it all to crash and rotate heavily within her skull like a small hurricane. The unruly, violent pain spreading through her was finally enough to get her to ungrit her fangs, a loud cry of agony abruptly ripping it`s way out from her lungs. She saw, heard, felt nothing but constant war and conflict-- blood, violence, crime and petty violence. What she had spent so long trying to block out, trying to fight against...
Emotion hit her like a speeding truck-- she could feel everything felt in those years upon years of war and suffering. Air was caught in her throat, she couldn`t breathe, couldn`t register anything that wasn`t absolute carnage and disarray-- tears bubbled and poured down the sides of her face, an effect from the impact this particular brand of torture had on her. The wave of pure, unadulterated grief and misery that overflowed her senses was quite possibly the most painful thing she had ever experienced-- before her were war crimes, mothers losing their children, the politics that started all this... and, why...? Why...?!
And, the next thing she saw... were super humans. Heroes revered by the public... like... like she was, back when she wore white and worked for Paladin... slaughtering innocents, mercilessly cutting down billions upon billions of people at a time. Again, Jo tried to close her eyes, but to no avail-- her breath was coming out in ragged, painful bursts of air between her sobs, her entire body shaking between the restraints like a dead leaf stuck in a tornado. "Wh-why...?! S-Stop... i--...!" Another influx crashed onto her mentality before she could finish- and yet another prolonged scream, dripping with despair, saturated in depression bursted from her.
"I`m--sorry--! M-Make it-- S-STOP--!" The emotions lethally injected into her bloodstream, the emotions of each and every person who had suffered at the hands of war, at the hands of the Freedom Society-- they seemed to momentarily make her sane. But, as always-- control was slipping. The typhoon of emotion crashed through the walls of her mind and the remains of her coherency, breaking down even the slightest levee that Jo`s subconscious had built to battle this unnatural effect that had begun so suddenly.
She didn`t understand... she`d spent so long worshiping humanity. Each and every one of the foes she`d been fighting for so long... what she left the comfort of her home to confront head on, to see if it was really possible to save humanity from everything-- how was something so beautiful capable of such... atrocities...? It was... almost as if she hadn`t even really known what she was fighting for... she didn`t know they were capable of this. Bile rose in her throat, the fact that she had been so blind-- it physically made her sick. It just... it didn`t make any sense... "Just... s-stop...!"

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♔ Jo`s Theme - Blumenkranz ♔

**Amazing Pan-Sensei** Sun Aug 24, 2014 2:07 pm

~~『ROIVAS RUOY MA I』~~
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Charles couldn't help but snicker at Smile's words "Not your friends huh...? We'll see about that..." Charles would like to have brought up the bombs as a way to instill discipline... but for whatever reason they weren't working. This should have been obvious based off the fact that he didn't use them on those who didn't choose his side at Heavenly Treasure. But no one had brought it up, so perhaps they thought he hadn't used the bombs simply to toy with them. Though the matter that they weren't working in the first place was interesting... Charles couldn't care less. At this point the bombs mattered little, there was nothing that could stop him now. A few moments after Smile's response, Charles seemed to let out a light laugh "Oh dear... excuse me..." he spoke,, a rather dark smile on Charles face as he looked to Smile "I'm sorry... it's just... your accent..." Charles paused for a moment before continuing "If you were to tell me a hundred years ago that the Germans would still be on this Earth I would have laughed it off... it's rather disgusting how your people managed to survive this long... of course, I hold nothing past you. Just because you were born to an inferior culture doesn't mean I respect you as a person..."

"I'm afraid neither of us can stop now Josephine... we've passed the point of no return..." Charles muttered back to Jo in a dark voice as she thrashed about and called for him to stop. He seemed to be getting a sick and twisted pleasure from all of this, he had a smile on his face that seemed to mock Jo, to look down upon her for what she was. Of course, she couldn't see it, he was behind her, looking to the screen as well "Let us not forget that you don't need to look to others to see the suffering that this world produces..." flashes of No Man's Land appeared before Jo's eyes. Back to the very first days she had experienced with the likes of Elliot, Akuryo, Ivy, even Duda "And to think that at the time... you thought of them as little more than criminal scum... all good things come to an end..." images flashed before Jo of her friends all dying one by one. Duda, Akuryo, Henry, at one point most of Vulture Team... even Claus "And of course... others suffered..." images of the suffering that Ivy had gone through whilst under David's control, Elliot being sent into a comatose state, Bunny's fate at the hands of Jade, unfortunate event after unfortunate event seemed to play out before Jo's eyes as she experienced every single moment. Patting Jo on the shoulder, his smile seemed to widen as he continued "Even figures from your past proved to be out to make you suffer..." images of Jo as a child played, her with a man who babysitted her back in Scarlet City, only to show the discovery he had made about his own fate, and his eventual transformation into The Inquisitor. Mario Falcone as a young man, he just wanted a life of his own, and though he had been given a daughter, he had lost a wife, obsessed with keeping order in his city, Mario became The Don. Hal Innsmouth living together with his family happily, acting in a way Jo would be genuinely unfamiliar with, he was kind, genuine... until the day he returned to find his family slaughtered. Yuri Dragovich, a spoiled middle-class child who just wanted to be a writer, his life was destroyed in a matter of minutes, his mind seemed to slowly descend into madness, yet he kept hope that he could change the world. And then the wars happened, fighting side by side by the Freedom Society, he watched as US soldiers slaughtered, tortured, and rape millions in China. Father Death emerged from the innocent young man. Xiu, an innocent courtesan of the Emperor... though a strange sequence of events she found herself raised above that of the Emperor... yet her long life came at an unfortunate cost. She lived for hundreds of years, experiencing everything the prior names had experienced... ten fold. She had fought for the chance to change what she saw as a cruel world... and Jo had a part in ending that. And then there was Charles Paladin, a young man in 1988 that believed in Justice, law, he always wanted to do the right thing. As the years passed... crime and war broke him down, he realized that he had to stoop down to the level of his enemies to win, but he always tried to be courageous. Yet try as he may be, he simply died of disease, a great man humbled by his own humanity. A feeling of absolute despair conquered him as he realized that he had accomplished absolutely NOTHING in life. Years spent in an effort to save the world from itself... a lifetime dedicated to justice... lead to nowhere. There was only an ounce of hope... Charles Paladin created a series of AIs, capable of learning and acting just like human beings... and set them out to continue his struggle. He could only hope that they would accomplish what he could not. The last thing he saw was the face of himself as a spry 21 year old.
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~~『pOOƃ ɹƎ⊥∀Ǝɹƃ ƎH⊥ W∀ I』~~
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『All according to plan...』
Charles Theme- Final Hours

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