Scene #7562: Back to the Streets

Owner	Pose
Cantio	The coordinates given by Cantio are easy enough to reach, leading those coming to join her there towards a recently-built parking lot facing the ocean at the edge of a large city. The purple-haired girl is standing right in the middle of that lot, surrounded by pallets and crates full of Cadenza-branded food, water, and medical supplies. The city surrounding the parking lot doesn't look too hard off, but Cantio explains that the city around that lot isn't the place where the supplies are being distributed. Instead, it's being distributed further below. Indeed, there's a rather inconspicuous lever off to the edge of that pile of stuff, and she'll wait for everyone to get on board before activating it. Shortly afterwards, the ground starts to shift, revealing that it's actually a giant platform as it goes downwards steadily beneath the surface. Thankfully, it's not a particularly long ride down before the platform stops again. Even before the steel doors open, though, the foul sewage-y smell of the underground city makes it obvious that this area kind of sucks. It doesn't look like it's seen better days, as everything is rather dingy overall, especially with the leaking water pipes running overhead all throughout this area. Burning barrels are scattered about, providing a source of heat and cooking fire for those gathered around them as well as numerous vents in the ground pumping out a gross amount of heat. There's plenty of small buildings scattered all around the place, but it looks like whoever built this city didn't actually plan any of it out in favor of just digging out a bunch of space and throwing up buildings later. People in little more than burlap sacks wander from place to place aimlessly, scrounging around in and around garbage cans. Cops stroll on by looking just as miserable, if better dressed. People in blue and red outfits wander the streets as well, occasionally slipping into buildings after being checked over by shady folks in dark face masks or tougher looking folks shouldering baseball bats "Well.. Um. Here we are!" Cantio announces with an awkwardly upbeat tone, trying to sound chipper despite the everything. "I'll work on getting us set up here. We should be able to get a lot of attention with the speakers from here, but I don't know how far this place stretches out if any of you wanted to inform anyone out of range." As Cantio speaks, she gestures at all the wood and Concord/Cadenza signage laid out, undoubtedly intended to be put together so that there's a proper place to actually distribute the supplies. She sniffs once, visibly gags, then clears her throat. "And thanks for coming. It's... I'll make up for last time with this. And lunch'll be coming in later, so that should be a nice cap to all this once we're done." It's time to get to work! Or not. There's plenty of setup work to be done, people to gather, room to explore, questions to ask, places to rob... Cantio would be pretty unhappy with the last one, though.
Yang Xiao Long	Yang comes rolling up on her bike, the deep thrum of the engine announcing her well before she appears. Dismounting, she keys something into one of her bracelets, sending the bike peeling away again to a 'safe' location so it isn't in the way. The blonde brawler looks over the crates, then to Cantio. She grins, big and broad at the purple-haired girl as she gets in position on the platform while it lowers. "You can't really account for random acts of alien. Don't beat yourself up over it too much." The smell makes the blonde gag as well, "Brothers, what the hell died down he--- ooooh." she begins, then trails off as she takes a look around. "I'll... uh... I'll start setting up the distribution center..." she stammers and moves to start picking up the bits of wood nearby and begins setting them upright, hoping that at least someone else comes to help her put together whatever this is meant to be.
Brooklynn Bailey	Brooklynn arrives with a small squad of her own soldiers. Six of them and herself, are armed with what looks like ramshaked armor that could have only come out of scavenging a city. Though weapons are kept locked on in holders they didn't leave them at home: after all, protecting the supplies is just as important as making sure they get out. Brook nods to Cantio as things are set up...and the ride down takes them to where they were intended. The smell is not something too awful for Brook's group...this kind of thing is common enough where they are considered. When tasks are laid out, the group starts grabbing signs and pulling out tools they had on their persons. Brook herself stays to help put together the distribution and keep an eye on the supplies. "Yeah, making sure the goods are safe is probably a first good step...desperate people make bad decisions."
Candy	At first there's the rumble of a motorcycle far older than what this parking lot might usually accomodate. It looks like the grandfather of most that'd be here--the seat is all weird. So is the gas tank, the handlebars seem stubby too, and the stand is a whole-ass thick metal rectangle that has to be pulled out and under the rear wheel--which, by the standards of today, is a really slim rear wheel. The rider tosses aside a newsboy cap and goggles. Candy isn't tall. But he's taller than Cantio, at least. His skin is on the warmer side of taupe, and his dark hair passes his shoulders easily--that, the button nose and the slender frame might enough to mistake him for a girl, until he speaks. Hooking his thumbs under his suspenders, he taps one of the crates with the toe of a dusty work boot. "What's that?" Cadenza's logo. "Your calling card?" A little sleight of hand and he's got a literal card between his fingers, after a flick of the wrist. He chucks it and it sticks into the wall as if it were a knife, winking at her. "That's mine. Candelario Maria Estevez de la Fuente. Candy for short, ah?" With that done, he steps onto the elevator. "Seems like you got the supplies covered. It does smell like shit, though--here, in case anybody's not used to it." He grew up on a farm, and he's been to some pretty stinky places--but for anyone who needs it, there's a crate of bandanas with strong smelling spices to keep the worst of it at bay. It appears after he throws the two of Spades, the card burning up, smoke billowing wildly outwards to reveal the crate. With that done, he's gonna take a look around the place--are there any Watch sympathizers here? They'd probably know the place well. If their help is going to last, and be more than a token gesture, then he needs to get an accurate accounting of its ills. So he strolls through the first level of the underground city, checking doors, walls, landmarks and the like for the usual signs and symbols. If he can just make contact...
Hibiki Tachibana	In for a penny, in for a pound, as they say. After all the punchy-fighty times with Cantio and then lending a hand when her attempt at doing things differently ended up in an extremely weird island adventure, it's only natural Hibiki is here this time too - obstensibly just to make sure nothing freaky happens, but she keeps it to herself that she really appreciates what the other girl is trying to do (ulterior motives or not) and is glad they get to work together some more. She slightly regrets it after getting a whiff of the smell though, prompting her curl her nose and tug the collar of her zipped jacket up. "This place is..." Hibiki stops short when she realizes she doesn't have anything particularly nice to finish that off with. Her head tilts upwards to try and see exactly where and how far up the ceiling of the place is, though from the state of the buildings down here, she can't imagine anyone would bother ever building one high even if they could. Makes her wonder exactly what the whole point of it is. But those are questions for a little later, since they have work to do right this second. Taking a deep breath of the freshest air she can manage, she gives Cantio her best attempt at a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "What Yang said. Let's just focus on what we can do today. I'm sure these people'll appreciate it." For her part, since it looks like the construction is handled, Hibiki opts to head further away from the elevator down what passes for the street, intending to handle the 'informing people out of range' part and see a little bit more of the place in the process. Once she thinks she's found a good spot, she cups her hands around her mouth. "OI! WE'RE SETTING UP A STATION FOR FOOD AND SUPPLIES OVER THIS WAY! TAKE IT SLOW THOUGH, WE JUST GOT HERE!" Let nobody say Tachibana Hibiki isn't ridiculously straightforward. Or loud. Really loud.
Persephone Kore	It's hard to guess what Persephone would look like from just her mannerisms on the radio, but now that she's here in person on her inaugural mission, it's impossible to imagine her as looking like anything else. Tall but emphatically "friend-shaped", her resting expression is the kind of serene smile they draw saints with in religious iconography. She dresses like it's twenty degrees colder than it really is, bundled up in a knitted white scarf and Concord-orange arm-warmers over the sleeves of a thick black keyhole sweater. Slightly messy, straight black hair hangs down to her shoulders, framing an 'ambiguously brown' face. She's dressed for a cozy day by the fireplace, not for the rigors of the undercity. This is humanitarian aid. It's the easiest, least complicated possible start to my Concord work. Why do I feel a little disappointed? It isn't beneath me. Was I braced for things to be harder? Did I want them to be harder, for some reason? "Cantioooo!" she says cheerfully, giving her coworker a wave in greeting. "It's me, Persephone! I'm not sure how I'll be able to help, but I'm sure we can figure something out, can't we?" The other arriving Elites get a friendly wave and an introduction, too- it's transparently obvious that she's very new on the block. They descend to the undercity. Persephone's expression is immediately chagrined and queasy. "... A little grim, isn't it?" she says, finishing Hibiki's trailing sentence of her. "But that's why we're here." People really live in these kinds of conditions. I knew how much Sapient Heuristics had been sheltering and pampering me, but... it's different to see it in person. Even so: chin up. Don't flinch. Keep smiling. These people deserve your sympathy, not your gawking. Off to the side, there's a shimmer of distortion in the air followed by a flash of light. A nearly thirty-foot-tall slender and elegant machine of bridal-white plastic and metal materializes in the least cramped space between buildings it can find, forced to hunch over even so by the low ceiling; Persephone, totally unalarmed, hops up onto its lowered palm and then vanishes into its cockpit with a similar little flash. The Psi-Responsive Alter-Ego "Queen in Veils" is a little like an angel and a little like a doll and not very much like a giant robot at all. Its long 'hair' twists and flows and fades around it like wispy black smoke; its ball-jointed limbs have little evidence of machinery in them; it is wreathed in vertical slats that descend from a 'crown' floating above its head to obscure its form in strips, lending it a kind of mystique. Its face, or lack thereof, is impossible to make out. As it makes its way out of the alley, still hunched over and with its back scraping the ceiling, a transformation flows over the undercity in an aura spreading outwards from it. Grass and wildflowers grow wherever they can, even from the trashcans and cracks; moss grows in most of the places where it can't, ignoring the likely-toxic conditions and fatal lack of sun. It's beautiful in a wholesome, serene sort of way. And it definitely makes things smell a fair bit better. "I think this is an improvement," Persephone muses from inside the cockpit, her voice synthesized by the doll-mech with remarkable fidelity. "I'll take a little walk around! It'll help to spread this, and I'll see what I can see."
Cantio	YANG: "I guess not, although... Something about all of that still feels off." Cantio replies to Yang with a thoughtful frown, glancing upwards briefly before remembering that she's just staring at what is hopefully not a sewer line. It is probably a sewer line. At least there's plenty of corrugated plastic around to help redirect most of it into not-everyone's-heads. Getting the stuff setup is a relatively simple matter, at least, thanks to the handy instructions taped to each board, rod, and other assorted parts that'll make putting all this stuff together a relative breeze! BROOKLYNN: "Yeah, I... I want to believe that this'll help them get back on track, at least." Cantio says to Brooklynn next, shifting around a sign to see if it's going on straight. Brooklynn and her soldiers will notice that the majority of the people down here aren't so crazy as to challenge obviously armed guards with nothing more than their fists. They loiter within eyesight, of course, curious about what this whole thing is all about. BROOKLYNN/SCENE: Not everyone's smart, of course, as someone wearing a rather conspicuous white and black striped shirt with a black bandana mills around the crowd. Spotting his target, he moves through the crowd, and snatches... It's not clear what he snatched, but it was apparently stolen from someone in the crowd itself as he hasn't gotten anywhere near the stands being setup. He's also quick on his feet in scurrying away deeper into this underground slum area, but nobody seems interested in giving chase. CANDY: "Calling..? Oh! That's the logo for my city. Cadenza, Amethyst City of Songs." Cantio recites to Candy with an appropriately song-like lilt in her voice for the last part, breaking up the dreariness for a moment before watching the card getting embedded in one of the walls. "Candel... Oh! Candy, yes. It really smell kind of..." She doesn't finish that thought. She can't say anything too bad in front of these people if she wants to raise their spirits, after all! That smoke coming out of the card has her looking moderately concerned, though, until it reveals the crate of scented bandanas. "Ah, good idea. It wouldn't hurt to pass any extras of those out with the food and stuff, too." HIBIKI: Cantio chuckles, resists the urge to inhale again, then nods at Hibiki. "I'm sure they'll appreciate it, and then..." She doesn't finish that statement, either. Luckily, she's not left alone with her thoughts for too long as the yelling commences, practically reverberating through the underground city's walls and drawing cautious looks from even previously closed doors.
Cantio	HIBIKI/SCENE: Some of them close back up, but others remain open as more people start to approach the steadily-finishing setup. In addition to more of the homeless people gathering around, there's also some slightly better off people coming by in stereotypical clothes that (probably) indicates their professions: Bartenders in vests, shopkeepers in aprons, and even a few of those color-coordinated people stop by while making vague staring-based threats at each other. PERSEPHONE: "Eh? Oh, Persephone! Welcome, thanks for coming. We'll need all the help we can get to make sure everyone gets something, so anything's appreciated." Cantio says to Persephone with a light chuckle, looking up at her and taking note of the height difference. A moment later, it might look like she's trying to straighten her posture a little more to not look quite as short. When the machine appears, some of the bystanders stare in awe as it's used to start beautifying and unsmellifying the area. Others, understandably, are freaked out by the thing and back up considerably, although they seem reassured when they can finally smell something that isn't rancid ass. PERSEPHONE/SCENE: Others are, less understandably, driven into a rage by the sight of the machine. Notably, the people in red and blue. Despite most of them being unarmed and a few only carrying knives at most, they start shouting incoherently at Persephone and the machine before rushing forwards, apparently intent on punching and stabbing it into submission. They aren't superpowered by any means, though, and it's entirely likely they'll break their knives or hands before doing any real damage. The crowd, meanwhile, just continues watching their antics with the same tired stares. The few cops that pass by, meanwhile, start yelling at the color-coded people to get down before running in to start beating them with batons. It'll probably be a one-sided fight if left as is.
Yang Xiao Long	Yang's pretty good with her hands, and soon enough has a passable little building set up. She then starts lugging crates into a more protected area... And then those colour coordinated people start attacking Persephone's big robot thing and the cops start going in to beat on them. "Guys. GUYS! How about we all calm down before I beat /all/ y'all asses?" she bellows while deploying her gauntlets. "Ember Celica beats fist, knife and baton, so cool it."
Brooklynn Bailey	"Perhaps, but I may also have an offer for them as well. We'll see how many actually take it, and instead want to continue on free handouts.." or scrounging. There is a moment where Brooklynn has to talk to Hibiki about shouting 'free stuff' around an area with so much poverty. This is about the time that Persephone and her hole in reali-I mean, FRIEND SHAPED PERSON existence is seen for the first time by Brook, who gives her a friendly wave. "Well, nice to finally get to meet you. Not exciting, I know, but it's still good all the same," She continues, "Brooklynn, by the way, if you couldn't tell by my actual voice instead of my radio voice.." Of course, this is interrupted by GIANT ROBOT. There might have just been a tiny bit of stars in her eyes because she was ultimately intrigued by the one time she read a comic she found. It still has a treasured place in her box of stuff. However, those same eyes also catch someone stealing from another. With a sigh, she leaps up and over the group, seeing that people are already handling the color-coded gangs. Brook isn't super fast, but she can basically go on forever, and also she can fly. She tries to catch up with the thief, and if she can drop in on him from above. Not DIRECTLY on him, but in a blocking pattern. Flames would rise up behind him, aiming to cut off escapes. "Would you like to explain yourself?"
Persephone Kore	The Queen in Veils is repeatedly beaten around the shins, knees, and lower slats by the angry red-and-blue mob. "Hey, please stop?" Persephone says, frowning gently from inside the cockpit. "You're not doing much, but it's really not cute!" The mech's structural materials are, surprisingly, possible to scratch or dent with a sufficiently coordinated assault, but it seems to passively bend itself back into shape; it regenerates much faster than the mob's able to damage it. I could tell them to stop. They'd listen- they'd have to. But that would be sort of rude, wouldn't it? ... I should let a more experienced Elite pacify them. But why are they acting that way in the first place? Persephone shuts her eyes inside the cockpit, broadens her psychic senses, and attunes herself to their stories; the bits of psychic dross and narrative residue that everyone carries through their lives. She's trying to glimpse pivotal moments in their pasts, formative events that left their fingerprints on the way they are now. In other words: "Why are you the way you are?" From the outside, it mostly just looks like the Queen in Veils is being incredibly patient with the little men beating on its shins.
Hibiki Tachibana	<J-IC-Scene> Brooklynn Bailey says, "...Maybe...wait for things to get set up first?" Even though all's well that ends well, and there's not a stampede of people rushing down the station-in-construction, Hibiki still admittedly feels a little sheepish about the whole thing. Right. Communication. That thing she wants to be better at. Somehow, she lingers on that more than the actual 'yelling about handouts' part. At least people down here, now that some more of them are coming out of the woodworks, don't seem as bad off as the place initially made her think. That helps take her mind off internally smacking herself. The other thing that helps that is when some of the crowd starts smacking Persephone's 'Queen in Veils'. "...Uh." She's honestly not sure what to make of it at first, but after a few seconds of them smacking away and then what looks to be the police getting involved, Hibiki's brow furrows and she starts forward. "Hold on, I'll help get them to back off." She can't imagine Persephone can actually do anything about that herself in something so big - maybe, she has no idea what the terraforming, angelic giant machine could actually do - but she quickly inserts herself into the chaos along with Yang. "Hey, hey! Calm down!" She's not sure what these PALETTE-OPPOSED INDIVIDUALS have against her, but despite likely being shorter than a majority of them, she's surprisingly good at getting in and grabbing their arms mid-swing, and lightly shoving them back one by one. She's also stepping in on cops harmbatonning them down with 'bro ease up' motions, questioning officer and civilian alike as she moves through them and tries to defuse things. "What's the idea? I know it's kinda surprising, but come on! Also, why the heck is it just you red and blue guys!?"
Cantio	YANG: Getting the crates into position is easy enough with her general beefiness and Cantio's drones flitting this way and that to get things arrange. Sadly, her ultimatum is met largely with indifference by the gang members and cops alike. One of the red guys even gets knocked right into her, and his instinct is not to apologize, but to whirl around and just start throwing hands at her instead. This, of course, leads to one of the cops going after that guy, possibly even taking a swing at Yang by proximity while shouting at both of them to 'stop resisting'. BROOKLYNN: The thief is weirdly fast on his feet, but still only by human standards. He ducks into an alley before finally slowing down, just in time for Brooklynn to land in front of him while cutting off his escape route with fire. "Wha...! G-get outta the way! I sto-bought this fair and square!" As if trying to prove that, he takes out something thatooks kind of like a yellow USB stick. "See? It's mine, so get your own!" He looks ready to fight, but he just keeps jerking back and forth as if trying to intimidate Brooklynn while also not backing up into the fire. PERSEPHONE: Unfortunately, the gangsters are about as receptive to her request as they were to Yang's: Not in the slightest. Despite how ineffectual their stabs are and how much they're hurting their hands punching the mech, they keep at it up until the cops get involved. As she probes in their minds, she'll realize... These gangsters have never seen a robot they actually liked. People in robots? Shot them and beat them up along with their dealers. Robots in suits? Destroyed their hideouts and left them open to getting attacked by the aforementioned people in robots. Naked robots? Broke their televisions. Not quite the same thing, but it's clear they've never had a good experience with a robot or robot-adjacent person. HIBIKI: Like with Yang, she's not making much progress stopping any of the brawling going on with words alone. They're listening, but they seem to be at an impasse of constant violence, and grabbing them by the arm results in them trying to draw her into the fight as well. The gangsters are far more blatant about it and going as far as trying to stab her, but the cops aren't particularly careful about where they're swinging those batons with the gangsters in such close proximity.
Yang Xiao Long	Yang instinctively grabs the thrown punch, squeezing the fist in her hand as she stares down the poor sod that brought noodles to a gun fight. Her eyes shift baleful red as the cop wails on her, meeting nothing but her Aura like some kind of semivisible shield. "Stand down. Both of you. Now." she says in a low, dangerous tone. "Before I lose my temper and use one of you to beat the crap out of the other one."
Candy	Candy utters a low whistle. Even tucked in between alleyways searching for meeting points, it's not difficult to see the Queen in Veils rising over the rooftops. "Well, shit. I can hear them beating on that thing from here. Patient, that one." He smiles, turning around--and he just so happens to find it. That little lantern, drawn in chalk. A door, guarded by a bouncer. It's easy enough to make contact, but his questions, simple as they are, only draw a frown when he has his answers. >Why are so many people rummaging through trash? 'Whaddaya mean? This is the slums, buddy!' "Well of course it's the fucking slums, ah? Any asshole could see that. There's a reason it's like that, you know. Always a reason." >What do the people here actually need? 'Money! Doesn't everybody? They want it to move Downtown.' "Nobody needs money, my friend, they need what it can buy. What else?" 'Well... I guess they need medical supplies, clothes, and... food. Real food! Not Fud.' "Now we're getting somewhere. The slums, they happen because someone somewhere else thinks there's a bottom and a top, so they make the bottom to be the at the top. So the people Downtown, they live the high life while the rest of you go searching in the garbage cans. Then they put the uniforms down here so you don't try to steal a taste." Candy titters, shaking his head sadly. "See it all the time," he opines, sliding his thumbs up and down those suspenders. So Cantio probably has the medical supplies, food and clothes covered. That girl with the robot is prettying the place up. Hibiki, the blonde girl and that Brooklynn from the radio--they're all handling the people in the red and blue, beating near-uselessly on that robot. So what's left? Well, obviously something that's gonna help these people stand on their own two feet. Something that will eliminate the uniforms, and keep them from being at the mercy of the wealthier citizens downtown. He's made himself a literal soapbox to stand on, an old-fashioned bullhorn to project his voice, and... "Hey, anybody that's tired of digging in the fucking garbage for food, anybody that's tired of how they run this place, come step forward and let's do something about it! By the end of today I wanna roof over anyone's head that wants it. I want everybody here to be able to work with their hands and make something, and I want all of you suckers with real, warm food! I don't want nobody going without nothing, no more!" Building supplies. Foodstuffs to prepare their own meals. Chemistry supplies to synthesize medicine without needing to rely on supply chains controlled by others in the city. Old-fashioned rotary telephones to put in their houses to communicate with each other, with bulky radio equipment affixed to the back that changes their method of connecting to one another. "There's not gonna be no slums, no more. And if those richies in Downtown don't like that, they can come down here and die of the jealousy, when they see how pretty we're gonna make this place."
Brooklynn Bailey	Brooklynn actually looks impressed at the thief, he obviously saw that she flew ahead of him, created fire behind him, and is seemingly unafraid and obviously saw him steal. Here he is simply ready to fight her, and this causes a small smile to dawn on her face. "Whatever you maybe, I can not say that you are no coward. I obviously saw you stole it...and I wonder, how much is that going to get you? A meal for tomorrow? The next day? Maybe a week?" She asks a question that aims for his very soul backed with her ability to integrate her question in a way that he has to answer honestly. "Are you tired of living on scraps?" She says, stepping to the side, "Your bravery allows your crime to continue...but I would like to use it for something better. So either you may leave, with that...or you can hear an offer that will give you a life that is far better than this."
Persephone Kore	These guys are going to keep beating on my ship as long as it's deployed. Yang and Hibiki can handle that, but... we didn't come here to rough people up, did we? Even in self-defense! I should put it away. But there's one last thing I have to do first. The Queen in Veils straightens up- at least, as much as it's able to do without hitting its halo-crown on the ceiling- and holds out one hand, palm up. The air between its fingers ripples with an enormous telekinetic energy. Nearby buildings groan with the tidal stresses of Persephone's psychic force, like the hulls of ships caught in storms. Something big is about to happen. Inside the cockpit, Persephone closes her eyes peacefully. She isn't straining. It has to be effortless if it's going to be perfect. I know what I have to do. I know exactly how. My mind, body, and soul are in alignment. What comes next is the easy part. Dust and air are pulled into an impossible vortex in the Queen of Veils' outstretched hand. They start to glow an incandescent orange as they expand and contract in stages- compress it, then add more mass, then compress it again, over and over; gravity that wants to eat itself and pressure that wants to supernova, perfectly counterbalanced. When she is done, a tiny new sun floats in the center of the undercity, bathing the wildflowers and the grass in its gentle yellow rays. Then, and only then, does the Queen in Veils dematerialize. Persephone is left floating in the air where its chest-cockpit once was. She slowly drifts down to the ground, lets out a soft exhalation, and smiles up at her stellar creation. "There. Now the plants will be okay!"
Hibiki Tachibana	So they don't like machines, according to Persephone. If they've had nothing but awful experiences with them, Hibiki can't really blame them for immediately thinking the same when another one suddenly shows up on their doorstep, especially when it looks as out of place as it does /and/ does some extremely weird stuff. They look like they've been through a lot and a half down here, so it'd be wrong to hold that against them. What she can hold against them is the fact they can't just stop, whether it's asking nicely or threatening them. The reality that solving things non-violently is so damn hard in any world gives her a good smack in the face yet again, and she's forced to twist her body out of the way of the gangster's stab when he comes in--delivering an elbow strike into his stomach before kicking low to knock him off his feet. She really doesn't want to transform; that's escalating this way more than it needs to be when they came here for goodwill. The most she can do is disable as many of them as she can, whether it's disarming redshirts (and blueshirts) of their weapons and potentially consciousness if they're particularly rough, and more defending herself from cops than actually hitting them back at risk of starting something they probably don't want to get mixed up in. That won't stop batons from going flying out of hands, though. "Cantio, maybe we could use the speakers to tell them we're only here t--" She trails off and stops when the brand new sun starts shining overhead, drawing her attention up for a moment--and as the Queen in Veils disappears, Hibiki gets it together and takes a few steps back to warily defend Persephone, in case anybody here takes offense to her being a dirty robot rider even after the machine is gone. But she sure hopes getting their first taste of sunlight will stop them in their tracks even if nothing else does.
Cantio	CANDY: With some digging, Candy gets quite a bit of information about the layout of this underground city. It's pretty standard for a city with a slum section at all, and perhaps the strangest thing is the fact that the worst part of the city is actually the one closest to the surface. Nobody really knows why the Downtown area is physically above Uptown, though. That's just the way it is here, although nobody here has actually seen either of those places. As if fired up by his shouting, Cantio pulls a floating drone over to her face to follow up on his words. "That's right! We might not be from around here, but we're here to help all of you have better lives. Believe in us, and we'll get this place fixed up in... Not a very long a time!" YANG: It's clear from the moment she catches that fist and baton to the hand and back, respectively, that these gangsters and cops alike aren't doing much better than the people in the depressingly brown clothes. They're only slightly better fed by virtue of having their own to squad up with, but there's not much strength in any of it. There's a moment of hesitation as they stare at Yang, glance at their compatriots that are still fighting, then back at Yang. They swallow, they take one more swing, and then they brace as if waiting for the promised return swings. They might not stand a chance against her, but they're still trying to save face. BROOKLYNN: "S... Seven bucks! And what's it to you?! I've...!" The thief looks visibly freaked out as the fire draws closer, halting in his repeated back-and-forth steps when she asks him that piercing question (and also messes with his head for good measure). He looks at the thing in his hand, then at Brooklynn, then... "... Whaddaya got?" He asks, slipping the thing back into his pocket and looking a fair bit calmer than before (notwithstanding the fire). "You already saw what I'm good at. You... What? You know a place that'll actually hire someone like me?" He asks skeptically, inching closer just to try and stay ahead of the fire while people from inside the building start to come out and, predictably, freak out over the fire and start running away in a panic. HIBIKI: To be fair, she did give them a chance to stop earlier. When they don't stop, though, they quickly realize that they've made a rather terrible mistake. Gangsters go down, cops lose their batons, cops go down when gangsters capitalize, and those gangsters go down when they get too enthused by not having cops beating on them any more. Not all of the gangsters go after Hibiki, though, as some of them are starting to wise up by the second or third punch. It's still a small minority, but it's better than everyone brawling all at the same time.
Cantio	PERSEPHONE: The banging of fists and scratching of knives might as well be white noise for as little as they're doing to the Queen in Veils. Just as well, with how peaceful Persephone looks while she does something the people watching don't quite understand. The strange light forming in the machine's hand have even the violent ones holding back, and the rest of spectators display their questionable intellect by staring right at it, but the effects are rather immediate. The slums are no longer dark, and the plants will flourish given enough care and time. SCENE: As the fight between cops and color gangs continues with no apparent end in sight, a curious thing starts to happen. The pleasant smell of the greenery and spices, the previously unknown sunlight, the inspiring words, the heartfelt if somewhat less inspiring from Cantio, the willingness to get right in to stop the fighting, the efforts taken to stop even a petty thief, and the somewhat terrifying facetanking don't go unnoticed by the spectators. Neither does all the food, medical supplies, and clothing neatly laid out on those stands. They murmur to each other quietly, some wondering if that's what the outside is supposed to smell like, if that's what things in general are supposed to smell like, and if all this setup really was intended for them instead of 'those people downtown'. Apparently, that's enough to spur the slum dwellers to action. Action does mean fighting, of course, but the crowd is actually selective about their targets. Even if they aren't particularly skilled at it, there's enough of them that they quickly overwhelm the gangsters and cops alike through sheer numbers, punching and kicking them into submission in short order. "Very good work! Very, very good." A mustachioed man proclaims with a pleasantly hearty laugh, stepping out from behind one of the small crowds to approach the Elites more directly. "Strangers like yourselves don't come around often, and the ones that do usually make more of a mess of things instead of... Well." He gestures at the crowd that's now watching the Elites with a considerably lighter look on their faces. "This might be the break we need to fix the slums... Maybe even the city. But I need to know: Are you all in?"
Yang Xiao Long	Yang takes the final swings, even giving a bit of a grunt from the baton hit before she just folds her arms and scowls. "Was that meant to do something?" she asks, looking from the ganger, to the cop, to the others now being beaten into submission and back. She just shakes her head, then gestures to the distribution stands. "Go, get something to eat, and stop being so damned stupid." she looks to the others being cowed. "That goes for all of ya. Stop being so damned selfish. The world only gets better when you help each other!" She then looks over as a new voice speaks up, the new guy getting a quirked brow from the brawler. "This place reminds me too much of what could happen back home if everyone went out for 'emselves. So yeah. I'm in."
Brooklynn Bailey	"I am giving you the chance to stand on your own two feet. I am building a society in my world, from the ashes of the old. It is better than what you have here, but you will be fed and provided for...given that you work," She says firmly. "It is not simply by people wielding big weapons and screaming that a war is won. We need people with your skills, and your bravery, to make it work," she says, and with the same effort as the flames came into being, she snuffs them out. "You may leave and get your seven dollars. I will not stop you, but I see something bigger in you. I can provide you the chance you never had before...and of course, reward you for that service. I leave the choice in your hands...but if you wish to join, then meet me back at the elevator. If you have people you trust or wish to bring along...they too will be welcome." She turns to leave the way she came. "I will not promise you luxury, but I will promise you a place, a purpose, and the ability to achieve that luxury yourself."
Candy	Did she just make a sun? No shit... Candy's gawk lasts only a moment, before he capitalizes on it. "There, you see!" He calls through the bullhorn, pointing excitedly at the sun Persephone has just made. "You show me someone downtown who can buy a sun with money, and I show you someone who paid way too fucking much, ah?" The firebrand grins crookedly, brushing a lock of dark hair astride and wrapping his free arm around Cantio's drone. "You gotta think about what you deserve, my friends--those piggies downtown, they will tell you 'oh, you are not working hard enough to have what we have.' But look at you! If hard work pays, show me a rich donkey, ah? And show me a Downtown-er that works hard." "You--oh, hi." He releases Cantio's drone and steps off of his soapbox to extend a hand towards the mustachioed man. "In? My friend, I have been 'all in' since I was eight years old. Call me Candy." His handshake is firm, his palms callused from hard work. "The people up here, they work hard so the people Downtown and Uptown can laze the whole day away." His brown eyes burn brightly. "We will fix that, and you ask me, we start with the uniforms."
Persephone Kore	Persephone, now de-meched, doesn't seem too concerned with defending herself. She doesn't flinch away from the fight or raise her arms defensively. Instead her eyes follow the fray, and especially Yang and Hibiki's movements, with a little concern and a lot of wide-eyed admiration. She trusts them completely to protect her. And they do! Look at them. They're so brave! ... I wonder if I could get away with patting Hibiki's head for this? Ahaha. Better not to push it. When the burlap-clad citizens end up subduing the combatants and the fighting finally settles down, she rewards them both with a beatific smile. The emergence of the mustachioed man, though, makes her face drop to a more contemplative expression. Someone else who wants to help these people? ... But I'm not sure we can trust him. If he wants to improve their lives too, why are they still living like this? Tampering with other people's minds is a little rude, but Persephone can't help taking a little peek. She tunes herself to the frequency of his thoughts and feelings, letting them pass through her: who is the mustachioed man at heart? What does he really want here? What does he think of them? But regardless of what she uncovers, she responds in the affirmative, squaring her shoulders just a little and smiling a smile that's more serious than her usual. "I want to help," she says, and Really Means It. "I can't stand things being this way. You can't either, can you?"
Hibiki Tachibana	Hibiki's hope was that the sunlight would inspire the gangsters and cops to calm down--so she's actually extremely surprised when it's the /crowd/ that it instills with the desire to put an end to the fighting, leaving her slowly lowering her fists away from their defensive stance and blinking in a rather stupefied manner as mob violence is put to a good use for once. But with nobody dead and the underground city made into a place of greenery and light all in the span of maybe ten minutes, she thinks she can live with this--Persephone is...something else. Brooklyn really said it. That's about the only way she can describe it. Briefly, there's an odd pang of something in her chest. Compared to what the other girl did here, these fists of hers... She shoves that right back down where it came from for now though, mainly because a man most mustachioed is approaching them directly. Now that things are calmed back down again, she plants her hands in her jacket pockets and glances between him and then the people around them when he draws attention to them, noting the looks on their faces. "You're asking us if...?" Can't say she has to give it a lot of thought, even if she's really not sure who this man is just yet. Someone who wants to make things better, but hasn't had the ability to? Or something else? After a moment, she straightens up and gives a single nod. "...If I can help, I want to do what I can too. I think everyone down here deserves to live better than they are now. We did come down here to give out aid anyway, so..."
Cantio	YANG: That's good enough for those two. They're even spared a beatdown by the other locals by virtue of nearly everyone being generally intimidated by her yelling and visible non-reaction to getting struck, but it does keep things from exploding near her. The lucky gangster and cop join the other slum dwellers that have started to form an orderly line to get some much needed everything, although they're still keeping their eyes peeled in case anyone gives them weird looks. Sadly, many of the slum dwellers are also avoiding direct eye contact with her. Intimidation certainly appears to be effective on the people here! BROOKLYNN: "That sounds... That sounds real fancy, don't it? Well.. Fine, why not." The thief sniffs once and tugs on the front end of his bandana lightly, letting some of the built up heat out while stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I'll see if I know anybody that wants out. But most of 'em... Their homes are here, ya know?" He spits off to the side, jerking away moments later when the fires just disappear. "Most of us can't even make it up there. Not when that suit took office and started shoutin' about... Tch, who even remembers? But... Hell, not like it's any better with the mayor down here, either." He rubs his face, then starts walking away while sparing one more glance backwards. "I'll see ya at the elevator." CANDY: "This sun's pretty big." "Way bigger than the ones here!" "It kinda hurts to look at." Geniuses, these people are not. Still, they manage to find humor and inspiration in Candy's words as the gears start to move, a sense of understanding visible on their faces. Even the drone looks inspired despite having a completely blank stare in its digital eyes, and the mustachioed man laughs as he takes Candy's hand to shake it firmly. "Candy, eh? I've been called 'hey, you' all my life, so it's better than mine!" He laughs, and he nods slowly in approval when Candy speaks of where he intends to start. He looks to Cantio who takes a moment to think it over before giving him a 'yeah, actually' kind of sideways-starting nod. PERSEPHONE: Probing into the man's mind, she discovers quite a few things: He's not the first one. The first what? He plans to reveal his identity in a long line of successors to his current title, that he's genuinely hopeful about the Elites' presence. There's also a powerful underlying greed in his heart, one of someone hoping to ride others' coattails to success. In this case, success means a change in power. Not to him, but to the Elites here. No, he'd be much more comfortable directing things from the sidelines. "It's been this way since I came here, so a change... Yeah, I could go for a change. And I think you might just be the people to do it."
Cantio	HIBIKI: "That explains all the equipment. Ah, don't let me hold you up from that, then." The man laughs again, moving over to one of the supply stands as he looks up at the signage. "So many names... But people'll remember these names. And yours, if you pull this off. I mean, you've already gotten this many people cheering for you!" Nobody's cheering, but they definitely look happier. The admiration is evident, and some of the people on line are already imitating some of those elbow strikes. SCENE: With the Elites (minus Brooklynn) present to affirm their willingness to work with him, the moustache-bearer in purple with the weird sash on moves behind one of the supply stands as Cantio takes that cue to start the distribution of stuff as that line of people shows no signs of shrinking. "You can call me the Resistance Leader. The current one, anyway." He explains after a moment. "As you've seen, this place is a mess. Always has been, thanks to the downtowners claiming all the housing and the uptowners living off their 'investments' and 'stocks' and 'borrowing off their 401ks' or whatever that language is." "We used to get by fine enough here with the scraps from the surface coming down, but lately, the Mayor's been making a mess of things. Sicking the cops on us, letting the mob strongarm more people into living here instead of downtown, letting his goons test mind control devices on us, raising the price of cheeseburgers and beer..." "We need a new Mayor, and you're the people that can fill those shoes. Er. Hat. I'll send you the details later, but I've got..." He taps on his nose, as though that might actually mean something. "... Contacts. We need to keep the Mayor from figuring out what we're doing until we've gotten access to the Mayor's Village. Then..." He shrugs. "How you take over from there is up to you. You can force a special election if you can afford it, so that's one way. Whoever controls the hat controls the city, so it'll have to be one of you at the end of all this."
Brooklynn Bailey	Brooklynn nods once towards the man as she walks away, "I can not fault people who want to stay with their homes my aid will not vanish because they choose their homes. I am here just to offer a different path, so I will see you there." She takes time to look up at the sun, watching it with a strange fascination. This is before she kicks it back to get back to the main group to help again. "Sorry, what did I miss?" she asks, and assuming she gets there in time gets the information from the 'Resistance Leader'. "Interesting..." she says, thinking about it.
Persephone Kore	Persephone's expression remains contemplatively neutral as she stares at the self-proclaimed 'Resistance Leader'. Her face is built for smiling, so it looks inherently wrong to see her without one. No, there's something else here. Something deeper. He stands to gain- but so does everyone, right? So why does this feel different. What is there to-- Oh. That. That's what. She turns away and reaches up to key in her radio, her expression carefully neutral. "He isn't the first Resistance Leader," she says on the airwaves. "The previous one is now the Mayor. And he got there on a tide of blood."
Yang Xiao Long	Yang joins the distribution group, helping hand out the packs of 'Stuff' to people as they approach. Then the mustachio'd guy says something that gets the blonde all boiling again. "He WHAT!? That's inhuman! Everyone has the right to a cheap, tasty burger!"
Cantio	"Tide of...? Oh. Is that what you meant by...?" Cantio asks as she turns to the Resistance Leader, the latter already starting to nod. "Whoever controls the hat." He repeats himself, somewhat solemnly, somewhat matter-of-fact'ly. "And until the Mayor's deposed by election or other ways, cheeseburger prices will continue to rise. As if Fud wasn't already expensive enough..." Cantio: "And the mind control devices? Is that the Mayor's fault, too?" Resistance Leader: "What? No, that's just an uptowner thing. Downtown, too, but most of the people that even make it that far from here can't even afford slaves." Cantio: "... What." Resistance Leader: "What?" Cantio: "... Right."
Hibiki Tachibana	This guy's a smooth talker, that's for sure. But it's obvious he's not lying about how bad the situation is down here. Getting by off things the ones above don't need, stuck down here, at the mercy of...wait, what was that about mind control devices? Cantio's mention of things never being simple suddenly hits a lot harder now. "So it's the Mayor who has the power to fix all of this, huh...?" Now that there's an orderly line ready to actually take their stuff, Hibiki joins the others in helping distribute things out while she listens and thinks over it, and also grabs one of the bandanas Candy left behind earlier even though she's kind of gotten used to what little slum-stench remains. An expert box-mover, she certainly is. Though after seeing some of the people copying her, she ends up nearly dropping one and glancing away with an expression that's 80% embarrassment and 20% trying to hide looking kind of happy about that. "...Anyway," she starts while moving some supplies up to the front to get herself back on track. "What's this 'special election' supposed to be, anyway? And by that, I guess I mean...what makes it special?"
Candy	"What, even your parents call you this? That's sad," says Candy, placing a consoling hand on Hey You's shoulder. Resistance Leader at least has something to it. "I will tell you 'how we take over.' It's like this--you don't need a new mayor. Anything a mayor can do by himself, all of you can do working together. Besides--the mayor is how things got this way to begin with, you know?" He shrugs his shoulders, kicking the soapbox away. It disappears, evaporating like water. So does the bullhorn, when he tosses it over his shoulder. "Is that right?" he asks Persephone. "Well, color me surprised, ah?" Candy turns his attention from her, back to the Resistance Leader, getting into his personal space to idly check his weird sash out. "No cops, no mayor, and certainly no fucking soldiers." He smiles warmly, nodding with certainty, releasing the sash. "You can all protect yourselves. You each know what you need, and you have each other to help you get it. We start by getting the cops off your throats. And that," he says, gesturing to a cop getting supplies, "Is a good start. But, bottom line, we do whatever we have to do to get those badges off, and get those batons turned the other direction. Even if it means the station goes like the fireworks." He pantomimes an explosion with his hands.
Brooklynn Bailey	Brooklynn hears what the resistance leader is putting down, however, Persephone makes a very good point. The oddity in the bravery of the people here. Being one thing, that comment about slavery. How the people lived here. Brooklynn frowns, and then speaks up again, putting the force of will into her voice, "Why are you offering the leadership for yourself, instead of taking it for yourself? Speak the /truth/."
Cantio	Hey You nods sadly, but he seems to appreciate Candy's gesture! "No mayor at all? That won't work, I'm afraid. Someone has to make the calls, and someone has to authorize the shipments. The orders. The contact with the surface." He says with another sigh, although he does look over at the cop getting supplies next to a gangster. "Although..." "You do have a point about getting rid of the uniforms. If only they made clothes out of more comfortable stuff that weren't uniforms..." He mutters, prompting Cantio to whistle and hold up a pack of I <3 Cadenza t-shirts. Yes, those are included in the supplies, and they're already being used almost as soon as they're being distributed! "... Huh. You people might have a point there. They get money and weapons, though, so it'll still be a hard sell. Then again, you /were/ able to get all these people on your side, so... Who knows? Maybe you'll be able to get yourselves elected at this rate." RL laughs, then turns to Hibiki as she asks for clarification on that. "Oh, it's simple enough in theory. You go to the Mayor's Village, pay the election fee, and then the Mayor and the higher ups in the village head to the park to see who's got more public support and votes to gain legal rights to the hat. It's all automated these days, but tradition is tradition. I mean, unless you just do what he did to get the hat." Brooklynn, meanwhile, gets a genuine laugh from RL. "Ah, your friend here already explained that. The last Mayor got in through violence and taking the hat from the last Mayor. I'm not cut out for that sort of thing even if I do get a swanky security detail." Indeed, RL looks out of shape even by the most generous standards. There's no (TM) on these shirts.
Persephone Kore	For her part, Persephone evidently feels Pretty Much Done with complex political nuance and mind-reading and terraforming for the day. She finds a nice supply box to perch on elegantly, beaming at the carryings-on with an eyes-closed smile that's almost-but-not-quite a laugh, and starts telekinetically helping out. No gestures, no intense concentration, not even a glance- things just move on their own around her. It's no coincidence that she's set up not too far from Hibiki. When the magical girl nearly drops her box, she breaks out in a real, sincere giggle. It's not condescending- Phony really does think it's cute! There was definitely something earlier. For a moment, she seemed... upset? But I don't want to corner her on it- I feel a little rude for even noticing. I'd better pitch it soft. "Hey, Hibiki," she says melodically, waving a little friendly wave during a convenient lull. "You did really well there, didn't you? It's hard to be gentle to people when they aren't being gentle back. Are you feeling okay now?" Implicitly: what's wrong? Want to talk about it?
Candy	"Oh, it won't? We will see about that," says Candy, as a lollipop appears in his waiting hand. This is that premium Great Depression shit. We're talking real sugar. He's smiling confidently--the smile of someone who already knows what their Angle is going to be. He'll just have to make sure no one would ever want the job. Then... Then, ho HO! They will find a way to get those shipments without any fucking mayor that sits and sits and sits, and eats and eats and eats. And since, apparently, having goons to order around is a big draw, and since the cops are already a problem, AND since some of them are already taking up the offers of free stuff... "For starters--EY!" He threw the bullhorn away, so he's just shouting. "COPS! Tell your friends--any cop that quits the force for good gets a month's supply of the Cheese Burgers!" He says it as two words because he's never heard of them. "Cantio sets you up with comfier clothes," he says, jerking a thumb towards the t-shirts. A nod towards the Resistance Leader, "...and you still get to keep the weapons if you teach the townies how to use 'em." "Step right up if you think I'm bullshitting!" Hooking his fingers into his mouth, he whistles, jumping up and waving the meandering cops over excitedly. His silky hair bounces with his hopping, but if pressed, yes--he will absolutely stop time, hunt around trash cans and fridges to find out what in the fuck a cheeseburger is, and fabricate a month's worth for any cop who dares. This is the Nice Way. He always tries to start there, when he can.
Hibiki Tachibana	"I'd rather not if we could help it," Hibiki murmurs in response to just doing as the current Mayor did, while helping hand off a non-trademarked shirt off to another eager citizen. They sure don't know what Cadenza even is, but people wear shirts like this all the time without caring what's written on them, so as long as it's comfy. "But if we won over the people down here," she echoes what RL just said a moment ago, with a bit of a thoughtful tone to herself. "Maybe we could manage something like that...if the mayor gives it up peacefully, anyway." Which he very well might not, given how he got it himself. Hm. Head-hurting politicking aside, the moment she realized Persephone caught her stumbling (literally), that embarrassed expression she had doubled up for several moments before she eases up and ends up chuckling just a tiny bit. Laughing at herself in the good kind of way, seemingly, maybe from just how genuine the other girl's giggle was. Actually being asked that though, Hibiki doesn't look to have been expecting. "--Ah. Well..." Is she just asking, or did she...pick up on that? She's not entirely sure. But whether she did or not, after a moment of hesitation, she decides being honest about it is what she wants to try to do. Leaning up against a stack of crates, she speaks slowly. "...I'm fine. Nobody got hurt that bad, after all, so it's more than I can say for a lot of other times. But..." She's not looking at Persephone, but down in front of her feet, taking a second to find what she wants to say. It's not hard to get the idea she doesn't do this kind of thing often, and is pushing herself to do it. "...What you did was really amazing. You gave these people two things they never could have had otherwise - just like that." One of her hands comes up near her chest, and her focus goes to her palm. "All I did was hit a couple guys. I guess I was just thinking...when it comes to my hands, whether they're open, or closed fists, they can still only manage little things like that. That's all. Shouldn't you be the 'hero' here, not me?"
Cantio	EVENTUALLY (in some non-descript amount of time) the supplies are distributed, and things seem even lighter than before. People's bellies are full, cradled in the most comfortable t-shirts they've ever worn (while still disgustingly naked underneath), and the local clinics even have fresh over-the-counter medication and medical supplies to keep people relatively healthy. The artificial sun is shining, and things still smell pretty good even with the occasional sewage drip. ----- Candy's offer catches some eyes and ears. The cops nearby perk up immediately, although there's plenty of skeptics already approaching him to take him up on his boast. "Come on, nobody's got that much dough or meat in their pockets!" "Yeah, but did you see those boxes? Imagine how many burgers could fit in just one of those things." "... Yeah, but I need to see it to believe it!" For the slum dwellers, meanwhile, their eyes are lighting up with cheeseburgers dancing around them. They most certainly aren't thinking up ways to get onto the police force, then resign immediately in order to get themselves some free cheeseburgers. When Candy does his time stopping shenanigans, it'll take a bit of time to actually find a cheeseburger. It'd be faster finding one in a store than a garbage can or even a fridge, but there's just barely enough in this area to scrape together a week's worth for a regular person. Then again... Considering the area, that might as well be a month's worth of cheeseburgers for how much they cost now. When he shows up with even that many burgers, though, the cops stare at him in amazement before leaving. They won't all be quitting right away, but there's definitely going to be some of them considering it. "Do you think it'll work?" Cantio asks Candy, passing off a box to a masked person before turning to him. "How did you get so many burgers together in such a short time, anyway? They weren't in..." She pauses, then lowers her voice. "... Are you able to do /that/, too?" ----- "Violence is... It's not the ideal solution, no, but sometimes it's only practical one." Cantio replies to Hibiki despite not being directly addressed, smiling a moment later as she passes off another box full of stuff. "But if today was any indication, we might actually be able to do something more than that. It'd be a nice change of pace from the usual."
Persephone Kore	Persephone uncrosses her legs and leans forwards, resting her chin in her hands. Her expression sinks to a tiny, sympathetic frown as Hibiki pushes herself to open up. The magical girl is looking down at the ground, but Persephone is staring at Hibiki's eyes anyway. It's totally unfair that I get to be this way. I didn't work for it at all. And I'm too selfish to feel guilty about that. But everything I have, other people deserve too. That's the dream of Sapient Heuristics, isn't it? "You want to help people," she says gently. "You feel frustrated that you can't help them more. How many people would feel content just to do 'the best they can', without trying to push past that and do even better? The fact that you feel that frustration means you're a hero, Hibiki." She reaches out for Hibiki's open hand, aiming to take it lightly by the wrist. Her sympathetic frown shifts into a slight, hesitant smile. "That feeling is true, though. You're allowed to feel it. I'm not going to lie and tell you you should be content with what you have." "Do you want me to share, Hibiki? I really could."
Candy	-Trash can lids rattle. Their contents are undisturbed, even when there is a burger inside. -Entry bells for stores... they don't jingle. But there's a stirring. -Fridges make that distinctive 'fwip' of the seal being broken, but none move. No burgers are taken from these. Instead, the 'month's worth' promised is conjured on the spot. The Four of Spades is thrown down, burns up, smoke billows out. It reveals a wooden table with a checkered, waxy tablecloth, atop which the aforementioned supply is placed. He even plated them and made them in a little pyramid, because he's extra like that. "I see you thinking about it," he says. "Think about how much the mayor gives you to put the boots to your neighbors. I never knew anybody that wanted to do more work for less pay," he says. "So think about that, too." He chomps decisively on that lollipop after he says it, hopping down. If any others want to take him up, he'll be in town. And if there's still enough left for this place to have a district... With a finger-gun towards them, he vanishes. There's a playing card tucked behind one of the trash cans outside the precinct. He opens it up and tosses the candy-less stick into the trash with a smile.
Hibiki Tachibana	In her thoughts as she is, Hibiki doesn't actually notice Persephone reaching out towards her until it's already happened. She blinks and looks down towards it, and then up at the other girl's face--surprised, but she doesn't pull away. And her eyes only get wider when she hears that: 'Do you want me to share?' As easily as she made the greenery and even a sun, could she...do that too? She's telling the truth. It's almost funny to think about. This girl...really is way too kind, offering up something like that completely seriously, to someone she just met today. It reminds her of someone close to her. Her expression is hard to read as she's left to soak in Persephone's own way of reaching out to help her, the validation of what she's feeling, the chance to not have to feel like what her hands can hold is so limited... "You want to help people. You feel frustrated that you can't help them more." "The fact that you feel that frustration means you're a hero, Hibiki." ""You're not grieving for them. You're just grieving that you couldn't save them. It's different." "...Sorry, Persephone. I'm really...not that much of a hero." When she finally says something back, it's quiet, and with a small and apologetic smile as her gaze goes off to the side. "I don't think I ever could be. I'm...a little too selfish for that." She stays like that a moment longer, pursing her lips, then looks back to her properly. And she speaks up more properly too, with a bit more energy in both her tone and her face. "Thanks. I mean it. But if I accepted that right now...I feel like I'd be doing it for the wrong reasons. And ignoring what I /do/ have." Her free hand comes up to her chest, right over where the pendant beneath her jacket sits. If she were reading Hibiki right now, she certainly seems genuine about that--though it's still mingled with some guilt and a host of other roiling emotions underneath. "Cantio is right," she says, glancing up towards the one responsible for them all being here. "We all managed a lot today, so I shouldn't be standing here feeling sorry for myself." It's less that she's gotten over it, and more that she's just accepted that as how it is. "...And I guess I /was/ able to protect you, Persephone. So let me think about it...and see how much these fists of mine can do here. And I'll give you my answer after we get this place a new mayor."
Persephone Kore	Persephone's expression doesn't fall as Hibiki rejects her- instead, it blossoms back into that warm, heart-meltingly patient smile she always seems to wear. "That's a very mature reason to say no, Hibiki. I'm impressed! Almost as much as if you'd said 'yes'," she adds, sticking out the tip of her tongue briefly in a teasing kind of way. "Let's call that a deal, though. Mostly because I'm really looking forward to working with you more!" Don't I sometimes wish I could shed this mantle? Don't I wish someone else could be Sapient Heuristics' figurehead, and not me? ... But it isn't that I don't want the power. I just don't want the responsibility. Are we alike, or different? I don't know. Something occurs to her distantly as she lets go of Hibiki's hand, and a bittersweet undertone creeps across her still-smiling expression. "Although," she says. "I'm selfish, too, you know. But nobody asks if you deserve something when you already have it. Right?" No. We're different for sure. I wouldn't mind being stronger if I weren't Heuristics' strongest. I wouldn't mind it if not for the weight that brings. So why does she?