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[open] 001 | Let's get ready to rumble!
WHO? Open to all! Nochilles and Mordred signed up but feel free to jump in. PVP encouraged. :)
WHAT? Ryuji is staging a riot in a local bar; Jean-Baptiste Robert Lindet is present, struggling to put pen to paper a list of accusations against the monarchy
WHEN? Prior to the speedup of the National Convention, 1792
ANYTHING ELSE? Every good riot has to have two sides! Monarchists vs Revolutionaries. Ryuji's prepped the list of accusations and some inspirational literature via Sargent Gramps
WHAT? Ryuji is staging a riot in a local bar; Jean-Baptiste Robert Lindet is present, struggling to put pen to paper a list of accusations against the monarchy
WHEN? Prior to the speedup of the National Convention, 1792
ANYTHING ELSE? Every good riot has to have two sides! Monarchists vs Revolutionaries. Ryuji's prepped the list of accusations and some inspirational literature via Sargent Gramps
So, you're in favor of the king?
Who doesn't like to play the villain every now and then, right? Ryuji's worked all night on this task, and he's put all his passion into coming up with a short list of motivations to help you get "in character." Distributed prior to the riot and via message, he's put some of this together, mostly around what he's heard by some of the headier, more established patrons of the bar in their heated debates:
>@all #monarchists
>@enterthedragon
-Is a king judgeable to begin with?
-Even if he's guilty af, is it ok that the people looking to bring him to court are doing it out of a hate boner for the dude instead of doing what's right?
-It's illegal to bring a king to trial
-These people are hella religious and think that the right to rule is kinda like god's gift to french people
Let's light a fire under Lindet's ass and get this shit going!
[Ryuji's been reading up some of the works by Marat and Sieyès, provided by the benevolent Totally-Not-A-Greek-God Sargent. Most of it goes way over his head, but he's picked out a few things to point out to share with the rebels, fueling some motivation to help get these guys riled up just as well.]
>@all #revolutionaries
>@enterthedragon
-The dude went and disbanded the government on a whim. He doesn't give a shit what the people actually want and basically said that it was completely in his right to do so.
-He's taxed the hell out of everyone, making it impossible to make ends meet. Look around you, almost everyone is poor as shit and angry about it
-A country is only as good as the hard people who work every day to make it that way. The elitist assholes who are at the top survive by exploiting them, giving them no hope to make their lives better. This dude said it best: "What is the Third Estate? Everything. What has it been hitherto in the political order? Nothing. What does it desire to be? Something."
-We gotta do something to stand up for ourselves or we're gonna be slaves for the rest of our lives!
A. The pre-work
[Ryuji met with all of you outside the bar the night before. Lindet isn't in attendance tonight, but with some extra intel, he knows that he'll be there the night after. He's explained the plan in full detail. Stage an all out fight at the bar in front of him, be as passionate as you can about it. Achilles has expressed extreme pessimism at Ryuji's efforts, which has only fueled him to become more riled up, and as he explains how this is going to go down, he's moving around energetically and explaining the plan in great detail. He's so deeply into this, that even his enthusiasm might be contagious- and he goes on to describe how it has to begin "with a monarchist pulling the first punch." His eyes light up at the thought of it.
Finally. Some action in this boring ass mission.]
B. FAITO!
[Ryuji's eyes wander around the room. The operatives are in place, and it seems like the plan is about to go off without a hitch. He's dressed in simple clothes, no explicit paraphernalia that would suggest he supports either side, working tables as he was hired to do. He takes some drink orders, wipes down some tables as customers leave. The place is booming tonight, tons of people around, and an impish grin spreads across his face like wildfire.
It's a little while before Lindet arrives, and Ryuji shows him to his seat. He's tried to give the man a theater view for the bar fight that's about to sprawl outwards, and as he serves up a glass of wine, he heads back towards the bar itself. "Accidentally," he bumps into someone, apologizing profusely.
That's the signal.]
b
If nothing else, she's keeping her head down to hide her youthful face, and wearing something a little more inconspicuous than her usual military garb. When she sees the signal to go, she... jumps on the table and throws her drink at the richest looking guy in the bar. ]
Hey! Your ideas about the king are stupid! [ Covering both her bases, right? ]
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"He's hysterical!! Someone get a doctor!"
Some from the crowd cry out, though rather than working themselves into an uproar, it seems like they're stirring more than anything. After all, this kind of thing probably happens pretty frequently, and people have started bar brawls over less.
Seeing the window of opportunity, Achilles (in his disguise -- complete with a damn WIG) jumps up, standing tall without the added height of being on top of a table like Mordred. ]
This young man is right, you know. All of you have to be fools to criticize the king! Without him, France would be nothing!
[ THERE YOU GO!! UGH... He wants to tear this stupid wig off so badly. ]
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What the guy with the bad hair said!
[ Funnily enough, that could apply with or without the wig.
She throws her former seat across the room, watches it shatter against the far wall with an impossible to miss bang. Now that she's got everyone's attention, she can start rallying them.
... Or just baiting them into a fight. The first person to tell her to sit down, she punches. When she sees two people who look like they're having an argument, she shoves one into the other. The atmosphere in the bar is changing fast, slowly becoming more chaotic. ]
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His body doesn't respond to the impact, like it did nothing to harm him, and he gives a manic grin. The... guy pretty much is flung across the room and a fist fight breaks out among the men. The women clamour, though a few stay behind to trade blows. Achilles is in the middle of it all, bulldozing through the quickly swarming crowd.
Maybe he's indulging his violent urges... He certainly doesn't have to do this much to instigate a riot.
He'll find you eventually Mordred. Just don't take off too soon. ]
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She grins when she sees him, looking pleased with herself. ]
I think it's working.
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Fuckboi.]
These people enjoy a good fight just as we did back in the day.
[ Please rip off his stupid wig. ]
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Don't you fucking dare take that wig off]
ryuji lmao
[ No, she won't miss a chance to insult the French. Eat a historical dick Lancelot.
She pushes away someone who runs at her without even looking at him, like swatting a fly. Then she grins back at Achilles. ]
That wig really suits you. Maybe you should bring it on the next mission. [ Heh. ]
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Slicked back... He looks so good with his hair slicked backâ„¢. ]
I'm not too fond of the look.
Ah... Wait a minute. Is that your type, Saber?
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[ Are they fighting or flirting? Mordred's definitely the former, but Achilles............
Her ponytail (and lack of wig) keeps her from getting all gross and sweaty like him, though a few strands have come loose. It only makes her look wilder, somehow. ]
That guy has to be seeing all this. Think he'll mention the two great warriors who started it all? [ Wait, she accidentally included Achilles in that. ]
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Rider and Saber might get lost in the records, you know. We might as well be anonymous faces who helped to start a revolution.
[ It's not glorious, but Achilles is learning to appreciate doing what a hero is obligated to do, rather than doing something with the motivation of appearing as a hero. ]
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He's right, though: they probably won't be remembered for this. Nor are they supposed to be, given COST's goal of being subtle, not leaving a mark behind on history already written. But she just shrugs. ]
That's fine. It's fun, so who cares about anything else? [ They'll remember, after all. She can hear someone coming up behind her, and deftly steps out of the way, shoving him towards Achilles instead. ] Catch, Rider!
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Hey, Saber!! Maybe we could go get some dinner together after this? [ He's just going to slam his hand against anyone who dares approach, casually knocking out various guys drunkenly trying to attack him as he asks this poor, clueless girl out on a "date". ]
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I prefer to eat alone. Why don't you just give me the money and go somewhere else? [ Ice cold. Good thing she's too stupid to realize what he's actually asking of her. ]
a
Heeey. [ His hand is...reaching out to Ryuji. Like he's trying to grab him. He quickly realizes how awkward it looks before amending it and pointing his finger at the fellow. ] You there. Would the phrase, "enter the dragon" mean anything to you?
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Ryuji turns around, looks at the state of the man before him, and smiles warmly for a second. He has a guess at who this could be, judging from their conversations, but he's definitely going to play around with him a little bit.]
No clue what the hell you're talkin' about, dude.
[Arms above his head, he stretches upward a little and fixes his posture. From that angle, his collarbone implant is mostly visible. Good thing that Ryuji has absolutely shit posture otherwise.]
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was waning. For all that humor that Ryuji had intended his way, Eren wasn't there to have any of it. Though it was good to know that it was a fellow COST operative in front of him. He figured as much. ]
Leave the joking for later. Dude. [ Eren does a once-over of the boy. He looks about as young as he had expected. ] Seems like you're way ahead of me in getting off your ass and doing something. Can't call you a slacker when you're pulling off a stunt like this.
Guess you just had to find something you're good at.
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Usually, Ryuji isn't the type of person to rise up to try and meet someone's expectations, but he promised Eren that at some point, he'd come to find a purpose on this team, and he meant it. Disability or not. He just casually wraps an arm around him, giving approximately no fucks that he looks exactly like the type of guy who doesn't want that sort of personal space bubble ruined, and jokes with him lightly.]
Yeah, I had a great drill instructor. You should meet 'em some day.
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That's in poor taste. [ It really isn't, but Eren means it humorously. ] You've done well to get this far. I'll be leaving before the fun begins, but I did want to see your face beforehand. It was only right. And I needed to get my introduction out of the way.
[ He turns his head to look at the fellow, empty expression like always. ]
My name is Kruger. What is yours, dragon man?
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Ryuji's an earnest, straight forward guy, and if there's goodness in his veins, it's because he's had the right friends to keep him on the right track. That sort of thing is something everyone should get a chance to experience.]
Huh? Like. Freddy Krueger?
[He lets go of him, examining him up and down- it's all in a light hearted jest, but- god, does Ryuji love really bad horror movies. The reference probably goes straight over his head.
Most of his jokes have lately. He's going to have to curb the modern world references.]
Nah, I can't believe that shit. Nice to actually meetcha in person, though. Name's Ryuji. Ryuji Sakamoto.
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I probably won't stick around for long. Just until your party gets started. Wouldn't want to get caught in the crossfire with this leg of mine.
[ Pointing to the topic of an earlier conversation, he shows no desire for sympathy, simply resigned to it for what it was. Perhaps Ryuji expected something different than a complete lack of a leg. Eren would have to apologize if that were the case. ]
So, do tell me how much time I have to enjoy your company.
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He doesn't seem morbidly turned away by the infliction in Eren's tone to check out his leg, though. It is what it is- until you have to do something about it and shake up the roost a little bit.]
It's cool. Even if you just wanna stick around and watch, you're more than welcome to. Don't go thinkin' just because you don't got two legs that you can't run the joint.
[Infinite amounts of confidence and equal amounts of unencumbered optimism- that's him. He's vulgar, to a fault, but honestly?
His leg had been ruined too. It's not like, a gentleman's club, or anything. And, of course, Ryuji still had his. And it still fucking hurt like hell from time to time, but it's not going to stop him from running. Rebuilding. Trying to make the world a better place. Kamoshida didn't take something away from him. He gave him something that he would treasure for the rest of his life:
Rebellion.]
Ah... huh. Maybe like a half hour? It's kinda hard to tell without smartphones.
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Don't worry about it. [ His hand removes itself from his chin before tapping his temple twice. ] I've got an acute sense of time. Comes with the job. Gotta be on point, and all.
[ Eren finds himself stumped on what to say after all this. Smalltalk would be trite and he wasn't about to give Sakamoto his life story. Better ask him for his. This would surely work. ]
We're out of earshot of the rest. Or rather, they can't hear us over the uproar. [ He does a small wave at all the folk mingling and lingering. ] So, tell me what your life was like before coming here. You know what I mean.
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Damn, you're a human metronome-thingy, then.
[What was his life before coming here?
Fuck, well... that's a loaded question. Where does he even begin? How does he explain the cognitive world? These were all things he barely understood, so trying to formulate words that matches the description for the other is really tough for someone like him to do.
So, he shrugs.]
It was kinda messy.
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[ Thankfully, he was equal parts initiative and patience. It gave him the advantage of not having to open up himself, while at the same time learning what little he could about his fellow agent, if you could even call this kid that.
There was little in the way of him gaining the upper hand. ]
Take your time.
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He looks around the other people lined up and nods his head toward a more secluded section that he doesn't have to worry about how crazy this (or he) actually sounds. But of course, he doesn't know anything about Eren- or the world where he comes from. Friendship is a two-way street, so if he's going to explain some things, there'll be a point where Ryuji wants to hear his backstory too.
Besides, he's naturally distrusting of anyone older than him. Eren's no exception to the rule.
When they're aside, he scratches the back of his head.]
Where I'm from, there's somethin' called the cognitive world. It exists like... uh... kinda under the real world? I dunno, this is some trippy shit. But just before I joined COST, a god decided to merge the cognitive world into the real world so that he could control everything.
... I know this sounds kinda crazy. [Ryuji just looks at Eren, gauging whether or not he's looking on with any tick of incredulity. More than anything, Ryuji is a beast of affection and confirmation from others, so it's kind of important to him.]
But since the cognitive world is just like... all the fucked up thoughts of the world, people stopped believing that we existed, so I kinda just... disappeared.
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Most would be terrified. [ Eren might have been. There wasn't a lot of fear left in him at this point. There wasn't much of anything, actually. ] Were you here for Valmy? Before that battle began, I was assigned a mission which necessitated the capture of a certain assassin, who doubled as a Regency spy.
If you were around for it, her "disappearance" was rather painful. Was yours?
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Or maybe it was his resting bitch face. Who knows?]
I dunno, man. I was just... gone. The god who was controllin' everyone made the world stop believing in me, and then. Nothing. No white light, no flash of my life before my eyes. There's nothin' to be terrified about. There wasn't anything. [Which, to say the least, was... weird. Like a span of his life just stopped happening. He looks up at Eren at this point, blankness written on his face, like... he didn't know how to explain it any better.
Was there supposed to be some amazing afterlife moment or something? He didn't know.]
Nah... I wasn't here for Valmy. The dudes at the bar talk about it non-stop though. [His eyes grow wide, though- Eren really apprehended a spy? That's... that's pretty freakin' cool.]
Wh..what happened to her?
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I relieved myself of her to the commander and left her to deal with it. After what I believe was some form of torture and interrogation, we were allowed to witness her return to nothingness.
Have you ever pulled the stopper out of a bathtub? The way the water swirls and disappears into the drain? Now imagine there is no hole through which it escapes, and yet it still vanishes from sight. That is what happened to her.
[ Eren neither sighs nor shows any sign of regret. There's nothing to feel. He's simply stating the facts of what had happened as best he can. ]
I believe I still retain some articles of her clothing. It didn't fall victim to her fate. Strange. You would think that if she never existed, no one would have had her clothes in the first place.
[ Is this a joke? That's up for Ryuji to decide. ]
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What the fuck?
[That has to be the weirdest thing he's ever heard of, but, hey. This is pretty much what he signed up for. But.
Eren, why are you keeping girl's clothes.]
I... uh. They can do that? What did they do? Go forward in time and make sure she was never born or some Terminator shit like that?
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[ There had to be a point to him saying this, and it took Eren a few moments to fully come to terms with it. It's enough of a pause that both of them have time to consider their new reality, and Eren makes full use of it before firmly continuing. ]
What I'm trying to tell you is this: it's a cruel world out there. Your jaw might drop at something like that... [ Eren's finger pushes Ryuji's chin back into its proper place. ] But it's run of the mill for what we're going to do. Get used to it.
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Could he hand someone over to the Commander, knowing full well that their existence was going to be erased, something that he experienced himself? Ryuji's expression turns more sour, more aggressive. It's not that he's mad at Eren, he knows that this is some sort of mentorship forming, that he's trying to bring him up to terms with the reality of the situation, but.
It still sucks. He closes his mouth.]
I know. You don't gotta throw it in my face like that. I ain't some war-hardened super soldier, but I get it. And if it comes down to it, I'm gonna take every step I can to makin' sure that I'm puttin' more good into this world than not.
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Eren lays off anyway. ]
Well, you've got a good heart. I wouldn't want to see it shattered. [ Eren's doubt extended both ways. To Ryuji, and to himself. ] Just keep that all in mind. You don't have the look of a guy who's as far gone as your average soldier, but when that time comes...I'll come and remind you how you started out.
[ Somewhere, a musical fanfare plays...does the "ware wa nanji" thing happen after the first social link? Whatever the case might be, you've gone and bonded yet again. Go figure.
Eren, for what it's worth, continues after taking a deep breath. He sighs. ]
Well, I think I've gone and run up the time. I'll have to take my leave. Try not to take any hits to the head, Sakamoto. You might end up crazier than all the rest of us.
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Don't worry too much about me, man. My heart's gonna be okay. [He can really only hope for the best here. Not knowing what lays ahead, of course, he doesn't know where COST will take him or when he'll start turning into an "average soldier."
It's kind of sad, really.
That future is going to come rather quickly, isn't it?
He looks at Eren and sees youth, but also sees some of that brokenness. It's... well, it's not fair, right? Life isn't fair.]
Holdin' ya to it, then. Keep me honest here.
[He reaches out and touches his shoulder again, giving him a pat.]
Tch. This skull's thick as they get, dude. Seeya 'round. Don't go doing shit I would do.
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EREN
Trying to escape an honourable battle?
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Nothing of the sort. [ He tilts his head knowingly. ] After all, it hasn't even begun.
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Don't abandon your comrades; that's in poor taste.
[ And just to teach him a hard-learned lesson, he reaches for his belt, lifting him with ease above his head.
And chucks him into the middle of the crowd.
Happy rioting. ]
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...or so he thought. Blast and drat, this green haired fellow just had to ruin it all. Eren's sense of balance kicks in at the opportune time, giving him just enough of an angle to land on his feet.
He's downright infuriated. He's going to exit out the back door, even if there's another exit right beside him. That green-haired bastard sure could throw. And, shoving folks out of the way, left and right, becoming more and more aggressive with each step, he finally returns to where he was just two minutes ago.
Behind him was a clearly laid out path of people who had, in fact, been laid out by Eren. He'd done one hell of a job flipping them with every technique in the book. His face wears a grimace as he opens his mouth with grit teeth and a loathsome voice. ]
I'm back, asshole. How's that for an honorable fight? [ He points a finger at the door, staring through the man. ] I'm leaving.