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Post by Vapovile on Oct 18, 2015 17:52:34 GMT
The afternoon sun shone brightly down upon the California coast, paving way for yet another warm day in the region. Inside of a familiar seamstress's house, Haruko sat on her tan-colored couch with a black Wii U classic controller in her hands. On the TV screen directly in front of her, a colorful cart racing game split the TV horizontally across the middle, with her playing as Link on the top screen. They were on the third lap, and were fast approaching the finish line. She was currently in 2nd place...but that was about to change. "Hahaha, gotcha!" She calls out as she tosses a red shell at the person currently in the lead. Kate was also playing the game, though she was currently in 3rd place and was playing on the gamepad screen, meaning it was harder to see where she was on the map. She sat a little ways away from the couch on top of a comfortable, cushioned chair and had a soft footrest out front. --- Farther north in Washington state, the rainy Seattle weather fell down onto the city and it's inhabitants. People walked along the busy, hilly streets in raincoats, holding umbrellas, and a few wearing... these. Among the tall buildings of the city was one particularly normal-looking office building that rose 40 stories into the air, covered in tinted glass that made it near impossible to peer inside. The layout also seemed pretty normal, covered in uninteresting grey stone around the glass window panes. There wasn't even a sign in front of the structure, as if nobody owned it at all. Little did people know...that this building was the headquarters for one of the most powerful Hidden World organizations in the world; the Hidden World Intelligence and Containment organization, or HWIC. The front door is always locked from the inside, requiring people to either swipe their ID cards to get in, or press a button to talk with someone and gain access. Inside, the front lobby looked pretty standard; a glossy brown tile floor, tan walls lined with various pictures of landscapes and people, and a reception desk on the far wall. Once checked in, they'd be directed to one of a few elevators hidden behind a wall for security measures. The structure of the HWIC headquarters is broken up between the three departments; Enforcement, Intelligence, and Research and Development. The top 3 floors were reserved for the administrative staff, including the president Aria Miyata's office at the top floor. Floors 37 through 30 were reserved for the Enforcement division, including their various training rooms, meeting rooms, and other various facilities. Floors 29 to the lobby were for their Intelligence division, each floor filled with dozens of people working on computers and monitoring different areas and people that could pose a threat to society. Finally, the building had 10 floors underground reserved for the Research and Development division. Due to the secretive nature of most of these experiments, they required as much privacy as possible, especially if they were doing tests. Not many people get to see what's down there, even most of the Enforcement and Intelligence employees don't get to see unless it's to give a report. On the lobby floor, there was a meeting room set up in the back that was the entry spot for all new employees. They'd be interviewed by the head of the division they wanted to join at least, and sometimes even the vice captain, and even more rarely...the president herself. Alex Miyata and Sarah Albane, the captain and vice captain of the Enforcement division, respectively, were preparing for another interviewee that should be arriving at 10:00, 5 minutes from now. Alex wore his normal black suit, purple undershirt, and black tie. Sarah also wore a suit, but her's was a more traditional black suit, white undershirt, and red tie. "So, Theo is this next person's name? His history seems...interesting." Sarah remarks, scanning through the Intelligence division's notes on him. Alex merely crosses his arms and glances at Sarah. "He is an odd one, but we give everyone a fair chance. I mean, we did hire you after all." He remarks, smirking at her. Sarah replies by punching him lightly in the side of the arm. "And she only hired you because you're an ass." She gives a similar smirk to him, and both nod their heads at each other. Now where was the person they were interviewing? |
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Post by HungryHunter on Oct 19, 2015 1:12:04 GMT
Marceline walked up the path to Haruko's house. Her face was gaunt and her dress stained and wrinkled. She had called Haruko to say she was coming, but hadn't really said why. It was better to work this out in person. Holding her hand was Cosmina, with similar weariness pierced through with joy at visiting Haruko. And even more at what might happen. Her little white dress was little cleaner than Marceline, but at least she smelled better. The two walked up the the door and Marceline gave a half-hearted knock.
Inside, John gave Haruko a mock glare. "Oh, you'll get yours. I shared my blue shell from when Kate was winning!" He dramatically pushed the button before wrinkling his nose. Ew. The next second, the doorbell rang. "Do we have any friends who smell like mint and death?" He muttered to Haruko.
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A sky of rain and clouds didn't cast many shadows, but it cast enough. A tree's shadow conveniently fell across the intercom box and its button. Maybe not important to most, but very helpful to something that should not be seen. Something that could have been just the shadow of a leaf pressed the button. "Greetings. My name is Theo. I have arrived for my interview."
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Post by Vapovile on Oct 19, 2015 11:41:44 GMT
Hearing the knock and John's comment, Haruko presses the pause button and leans over to John. "Yes. You've met both of them before, you'll see." And with that, she strolls over to the door and opens it, seeing both Marceline and Cosmina waiting outside. She greeted them both with a smile, not having seen either of them in months. "Hello! Welcome again! Come on inside, we were just playing some games." Stepping to the side, Haruko motions for both of them to enter, closing the door once they stepped inside. "There are some leftover chocolate chip cookies on the counter if either of you want one." She says to both of them. Walking back over to the couch, Haruko sits back down next to John, clasping her hands together and looking at Marceline. "So, you said on the phone that you wanted to talk to me about something. Do you want to talk privately, or can Kate, John and Cosmina hear this as well?" The seamstress asks, not sure how serious of a matter this was. --- "Gotcha. Come on in." A feminine voice rings out from the speaker on the wall, followed by a soft 'click' of the door. Once inside, Theo could see a woman sitting at the front desk, clicking through some web pages that had his description on it.  "Welcome to the HWIC. Your interview will take place in the meeting room back there. Need to do anything before heading inside?" The woman asks, standing up and walking around the desk to lean against it's side. She looked to be in her mid 20's, with a business casual shirt and skirt on to look professional. Contrary to what he may think, she wasn't actually the secretary. She was a prominent Enforcement agent who was told to show the newcomer the interview room, since the HWIC's headquarters is by nature a secret and having a full time secretary would be a waste. |
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Post by HungryHunter on Oct 21, 2015 22:29:06 GMT
"Hello." Marceline spoke with hesitation and slowly stepped into the house. "Haruko!" Cosmina bounced through the door in an explosion of enthusiasm and hugged Haruko. Marceline took it slower and more nervously, rhythmically brushing her filthy hair over her missing eye, even though there was already an eyepatch there. "Uh... well it effects all of them, but I think at least Cosmina needs to stay out of the discussion." Cosmina found it hard to pout with a cookie in her mouth and instead flipped Marceline off, earning a glare that devolved into more of a confused look.
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A four armed giant emerged from the shadow and quickly walked to the front of the building. It was better not to have anybody get a good look at him out here. He entered and found the receptionist with one glowing eye. "I cannot call anything of importance to mind." He responded to her question.
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Post by Vapovile on Oct 25, 2015 4:38:42 GMT
Nodding her head, Haruko frowns at Cosmina slightly. "Cosmina, could you wait upstairs please and close the door? We'll call you down once it's over." What were they discussing that Cosmina couldn't hear? Just what was Marceline thinking about?
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"Alright, good luck in there." She says, knocking on the door twice, then opening it up for him to step through. Once inside, he could finally see the layout of the meeting room. It was a large, clean boardroom style room with dark wood floors, grey walls lined with various light fixtures, a large plasma TV in the back that nearly expanded from wall to wall, and a wide rectangle table in the center with a single black leather chair pulled out. On the other side, Alex Miyata was sitting in his own, fancier chair with Sarah to his left, a black laptop in front of her to take notes on.
Motioning to the chair, Alex nods at Swallower. "Welcome to the Enforcement interview. Have a seat and we can get started."
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Post by HungryHunter on Oct 25, 2015 5:20:09 GMT
Cosmina swallowed a chunk of cookie so she could actually pout. "Alright. Say yes though! Please!" With that cryptic request, she spun and jumped up each step with her full weight, stopping to look around at the top. Which door to go in--Haruko's room! She ran in and closed the door like she was ordered. Downstairs, Marceline winced every time Cosmina impacted a step, only relaxing when the door was gently closed. She glanced around and sat up, rubbing her skull like she so often did. "Haruko... I can't raise Cosmina. If you can, take her." John gagged on his cookie and gave her a bug-eyed look through his coughing.
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"I am grateful for your encouragement, but fortune will not be necessary." He walked through the available door, ducking low through the doorway. When he saw his interviewers, he bowed deeply, two hands clasped together and others swept to the side. "Greetings." He looked at the available chair with one eye and furrowed his brow white his two front eyes studied the suited humans. It looked like they had found a throne of appropriate size for comfort. He sat and folded two hands, placing the others on the armrests.
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Post by Vapovile on Oct 25, 2015 6:30:16 GMT
Say yes? To what? Did she already know the request? Wincing as well with every step, Haruko breathed a sigh of relief once all the noise stopped. Last thing she needed was for Cosmina to slip on one of those steps and come crashing down. Leaning back again, Haruko faced Marceline as she said her request.
Her eyes widen as Marceline finished her sentence, luckily she wasn't eating anything at the time. Take...Cosmina? Haruko looked over at the stairs, remembering Cosmina running up them and likely going into either her or Kate's rooms. Then she thought back to all the other times Cosmina had been with her. The time she went to the Christmas party, the rescue party for John that freed these two as well, the little town in France where she repaired the both of them from their miserable state...they did have quite the history together already.
Kate, meanwhile, nearly dropped her controller in surprise. She had been living here as an only child for about a year now, and was enjoying not having to share stuff with any other sibling. Internally, she was dreading this very idea. On the other couch, Haruko glanced over at Kate, then to John, and finally back to Marceline. "Wow...this is sudden. But if she'd like to become a part of the family, I'd love to have her. What do you two think?" She patted John on the back, trying to help him get the cookie out of his lungs so he can speak again. Instantly, Kate glared up the stairs, then back to Haruko. "No! I don't want her here!"
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Sizing up Swallower as he entered, Alex extends his hand out for a handshake across the table. "Nice to see you could make it. I'm Alex Miyata, captain of the Enforcement division. Pleasure to meet you." Sarah stayed in her seat, monitoring Swallower as he was prompted to shake hands. This was one of Alex's first tests for new hires; giving a decent handshake. If it was too enthusiastic and hand-crushing, they'd be docked points, as they don't need overzealous cowboys out in the field. If it were too weak and limp, they'd also lose points, as that may indicate a lack of confidence and a potential to not represent the organization in a professional manner.
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Post by HungryHunter on Oct 25, 2015 17:16:53 GMT
John coughed and properly swallowed. "Come on Haruko, you've got Kate." He gave Haruko a disappointed look.
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Swallower looked at the hand for a second. Oh, right, handshake. Human thing. "Greetings. I am Theo." He managed to refrain from listing all his own titles. He wasn't sure how long he had here, and many of them weren't appropriate for this setting. He took Alex's hand in a careful grip, not sure of what force the human could take.
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Post by Vapovile on Oct 25, 2015 23:46:20 GMT
Frowning slightly, Haruko glanced between Kate and John. not expecting this kind of a response. "Why not Kate? Don't you want a little sister?" "No! Besides, she's really rude!" Kate responds back, remembering all the pranks she pulled at the Christmas party. Looking over at John, Haruko addresses him as well. "My house is big enough to fit more than just myself and Kate. Plus, Marceline can't take care of her. Would you rather her go to some packed adoption home where she will be miserable?"
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Nodding, Alex releases his hand and sits back down into his chair. Sarah had already given him points for the test, and was ready to move on. "So, tell me Theo. Why would you like to join my division on this day? What makes you qualified for the job?" Alex asks, Sarah already prepared for the response. This was another judge of character, to see what their motive to join was. They were a organization that prides itself on arresting people, rather than the BHA, which didn't mind if people were brought back dead or alive. As such, they couldn't have people wanting to join just to take revenge, or other personal reasons that may get in the way.
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Post by HungryHunter on Oct 26, 2015 0:33:52 GMT
Marceline groaned when the request was immediately shot down by two out of three people. Well, fuck. "You said Arthur liked kids. Let Marceline ask him. She has issues and he's a more experienced parent. He can handle her better." John suggested, now sweating. Marceline was picking up something weird from him. He sounded... scared.
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Swallower cleared his throat. "I have over 30 trillion years of experience with battle and leadership. I can sink into darkness to be undetectable. And anything I swallow I can later release. As for why I want to join, I have found myself incapable of doing justice in my own right and have found your attempts admirable. I wish to add my own strength to yours." He spoke eagerly and confidently, like he had rehersed that specific reply.
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Post by Vapovile on Oct 26, 2015 14:53:19 GMT
Softening her expression slightly, Haruko could sense a change in his tone. More...scared? And looking at his face, tiny beads of sweat had begun to appear. Lightly grabbing his right hand to try and calm him down, Haruko looks at his face. "I've been with Kate for about a year now, so I have plenty of experience. Are you alright? You seem kinda...stressed right now." It was obvious something about the idea of taking Cosmina in terrified John, and if she could figure out what it was and reassure him, he may change his mind.
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Raising her eyebrow slightly at the level of experience he claimed to have, Sarah quickly typed down some more notes into her computer while Alex nodded his head slightly. "Pursuit of justice is an admirable goal. Now..." Opening a folder placed on the table, Alex takes out a colored photograph of San Francisco, with a small island being surrounded by a gigantic black void descending from the sky. "This is a photograph of your first entry into this world. Would you mind explaining what your intention was here, and what exactly changed your mind about wanting to destroy this world?"
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Post by HungryHunter on Oct 26, 2015 22:18:21 GMT
John let out a long breath. Just being in the same room as one of them... the scent filling his nostrils. He gratefully took Haruko's hand. "Haruko, these two are the ones that caught me for Marika." Marceline gave him a long look before abruptly getting up. "Fuck this, I shouldn't be in here while you're talking." She walked around the corner and shoveled cookies in her mouth. She was way too hungry. Damn she needed to start that job with Smith.
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Swallower deeply sighed, so deeply it manifested merely in rattling the table. "I'm afraid my intentions were indeed destructive. I wished to devour your solar system to feed my world, but my plans came to naught. After my failure, I was reduced to a mere part of a monster's mind. But it was during this time that I gained perspective. The beings of this world are not so beneath me that I can do what I wish to them. I am deeply ashamed of my long life filled with harm and wish to repent of it, and to help defend a world I may have destroyed may give me some peace."
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Post by Vapovile on Oct 27, 2015 9:16:46 GMT
Nodding her head, Haruko waved at Marceline as she left. "I understand that...but both of them were being controlled by Marika at the time." Sighing to herself, Haruko recounts one of the events that happened that day. "When I came home that day, I saw my door was blown right off it's hinges. But when I looked on the ground...there was a small letter written by Cosmina that told me that they kidnapped you, and that she was sorry. But with the note was a small white key, a key that led into the Kaspa where you were being held. If it wasn't for Cosmina risking her life giving me that key, you might not even be here right now." Pausing for a moment, Haruko decides to go a step further. "And if you're still not convinced...Arthur and I were the first to find her in Marika's Kaspa. It was a pitch black room filled with mindless zombie dolls, and Cosmina was up on a shelf...with her legs bolted right through the frame. She cried the entire time that Arthur and I took to get past the zombie dolls and avoid her sonic blasts, not wanting to hurt us at all."
Looking up at the stairs for a second, then back at John, Haruko continues with a softer expression on her face. "But that has changed now...we rescued both of them from that nightmare, and Iris managed to remove Marika's control over their strings. She helped us on that day...so can you reconsider?" Kate was silent through it all, becoming less defiant when she heard about the leg bolting part. She still hated the idea of letting Cosmina in...but wanted to see what John was about to say.
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Smiling at his response, Sarah typed up some more notes in her laptop while Alex rested his arms on the table. "The solar system...impressive claim. Your words sound sincere...we do need people who are honest in this division. Spending all that time trapped in the monster's mind must have been traumatic indeed. Now...let's discuss something a little more pressing." Sifting through the folder once more, Alex takes out numerous photographs of individuals moving around a sandy beach, with fire erupting in some of them and burning wooden houses included in others. Upon closer inspection, Swallower could see that they were all pictures of the demon gods that invaded Nassau when they went back in time for Warden and Ariana. "These are photographs taken by Sarah, when a simple mission to retrieve two individuals from the past was invaded by these monsters. We have intel to suggest that you may be related to them. Who are these people, and should we be concerned about the possibility that they may come to this time as well?"
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Post by HungryHunter on Oct 28, 2015 20:29:46 GMT
John scowled. "And you believed all that? They both lied about everything before. What's to stop them now?" He pointed at the corner where Marceline had wandered. "You think they haven't killed people before? All those parts in the ice had to come from somewhere. But they only cry when they have to hurt you? How could you fall for that?"
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Swallower shuddered. "It was the epitome of unpleasantness. Huntsman's objectionable nature is greatly underestimated by most." He tilted his head and grumbled at the photos. "From your left to right, these are the Master of Games, Song of Summer, Collector of Beauty, Heart of Spring, Harvester of Autumn, and Master of Games lacking his glamor of humanity. They are my siblings. Mindless, fragmented things with simple goals. They can come here, but it's entirely unlikely. The Master told me he let them enter any universe at will, and most of them are more interested in finding black holes to toy with and specks of stars to steal than dealing with such things as humanity."
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Post by Vapovile on Nov 1, 2015 2:21:01 GMT
Haruko frowned more at John, not liking how dismissive he was being. "They were being controlled by Marika that entire time! They wouldn't want to do that now that they are free. And plus...Cosmina's just a kid! A kid who was a pivotal role in saving you, like I said before." She was getting slightly more angry with how this was turning out.
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Typing all the names down onto her computer, Sarah looks up as Alex jots down a few notes of his own. "You say they are mindless, yet you also say you are related to them. How is it that you have more complex goals than simply wandering the universe? What separates you from them?"
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Post by HungryHunter on Nov 1, 2015 5:16:38 GMT
John's voice rose with Haruko's. "Kid!? She's a bunch of kid parts! She was made to hurt people!" In the other room, there was a noise and Marceline's head leaned back around the corner, eye wide.
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"Mindless may have been an imperfect term. Simple. They are simple. Singular minded. They can only comprehend a single thing, and base their goals around is. We are all fragments of sapient universes, and they only have one fragment. Then some of us are more complex, many fragmented. Multifaceted. I am but one part of a greater whole." Swallower hoped he wasn't loosing them. This wasn't a simple thing to explain.
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Post by Vapovile on Nov 2, 2015 8:32:54 GMT
That last sentence stunned Haruko for a few seconds. A bunch of kid...parts?! "JUST a bunch of parts?! You don't even think Marceline and Cosmina have humanity?!" She honestly couldn't believe what he just said. It was one thing to not like someone, it was a totally other thing to completely dehumanize them down to just killers. "Cosmina is my FRIEND! We rescued her from a maniac who only wanted her to be what you just said, but she clearly is something more! Why do you even care anyway? You don't even live here!"
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"I see...one final question in that case." Alex leans forward in his chair, and places his hands on the desk between them. "Our division frequently has to engage hidden world enemies, and lives have been lost on the job. So my question is, are you willing to risk your life to protect the people of this world?" This was the big question. If Swallower couldn't give a definitive answer here, perhaps a non-combat division like Intelligence or R&D would be more suitable.
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Post by HungryHunter on Nov 2, 2015 15:57:33 GMT
John glowered. "Yeah, I don't live here, and I won't be coming over if she is!" Marceline ducked back into the kitchen and covered her ears. God dammit, the noise...
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"Absolutely and entirely!" Swallower unhesitatingly declared. "Protecting the innocent is worth a million of my lives."
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Post by Vapovile on Nov 5, 2015 3:08:52 GMT
"So that's it, huh? Your own paranoia influences you more than the ability to spend time with your girlfriend?" Haruko glared at John with eyes filled with anger...and disappointment. "So is this really where it ends? All because you don't have enough compassion for a little girl?" In her mind, Haruko knew this was probably the end. If this was his breaking point, there is no way he'd be able to stay with her if he was this immature. But who knows, maybe he'll come to his senses.
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Closing his notebook, Alex stands up and gives Swallower a small smile. "Very well, you've passed the interview portion of the training. Congratulations." Holding out his hand once more, Alex prompts Swallower to accept his handshake once more as a friendly gesture. Sarah had already closed her laptop, and was seemingly ready to leave the room.
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Post by HungryHunter on Nov 5, 2015 5:03:24 GMT
John scowled. "I guess it is, if you can't see that thing's not a little girl!" John stood and grabbed his coat off the couch. Not looking back, he paused at the door. "Don't call me. Don't come over. I won't pick up and I won't answer the phone. It's over, Haruko. Have a nice life." And with that, tears in his eyes, he stepped outside and slammed the door behind him.
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Swallower accepted the handshake once more and smiled in his own jarring way. "So I am hired?" One eye watched Sarah's movements, another on Alex's face.
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