f01-pp Man To Man

[Oscar 0]

 

Construction.

It seemed like that was all he did nowadays. Col flowed through his hands like water through a sieve. No matter how much he earned, he never seemed to have much in the way of liquid cash. It was okay though. It was all for a good cause. People needed a place to unwind. More than that, they needed a place to express their desire. It was easy to forget here. Between the ones and the zeros, passion was a rare indulgence. For most, of course.

Oscar didn’t struggle expressing his passions.

For good or bad, he wore them on his sleeve. Declared his intentions proudly - whether it be with a woman or with a monster that simply needed to be killed. Or a monster that needed the chance to be redeemed. He put much and more of himself into everything he did. Each piece was an expression of some facet of himself. Be it his shop - a greasy spoon that represented his humble start. His airship, his wagon. Symbols of his innate whimsy. Or his newest venture, simple romance.

Newest, other than this one.

He stood in a nearly completed den that screamed sin. Plush sofas and red velvet ropes cordoning off dark corners. Reds and blacks that stood in stark contrast to one another. It invoked opulence. Decadence. Desire. There was no room for whimsy or humility or romance here. A den of vice and pleasure.

At least, that’s what he wanted it to be.

It was all a part of the human condition. Shadows can’t exist without the light, yada yada. But the light needed shadows for disparity. How can one see how brilliant and pure something is without first knowing the dark? And people needed an outlet. A place where they could collide, vent the pressure. Blow off some steam.

That was all well and good, of course.

If Oscar could think of a fucking name.

So he stood in the center of the establishment, scrolling through his contacts for someone who might help those synapses fire. Or, perhaps someone who might do the heavy lifting for him. Mari? No. There was too much history and she was far too taken. Night? Also no. He’d given her the restaurant. His eyes lit up as they fell upon a single name. 

Jomei would do.

They’d barely spoken. Both in the same orbit, but neither really taking the time to speak. They were, at one point and for the slightest of moments, in direct competition. What almost was. A moment that he let slip through his fingers. “Let” probably wasn’t the best term. He felt a spike of something in his chest. The mere thought felt wrong. He didn’t “let” @Lessa go. He just didn’t fight when she finally decided what she wanted.

And he couldn’t be happier.

But the close brush brought certain awkward storm clouds over the shared friendship. It had been hard enough to coax Lessa’s desires into the light. He’d not leave room for any crossed wires or misunderstandings. Oscar was nothing if not crystal fucking clear.

And, really, who else would he want to show a new night club to than the guy who fought with a fucking violin? So the message was sent out:

Quote

To @Jomei
Need a hand with something. Floor One, new black building off the square. Can’t miss it.

 

Spoiler

"Name: Oscar
True Tier: 11
Level: 34
Paragon Level: 67
HP: 1000/1000
EN: 132/132

Stats:
Damage: 24
Mitigation: 127
Accuracy: 3
Evasion: 1
Battle Healing: 55
Loot Die: 5
Stealth Rating: -5
AA 
PHASEVAMP-O: 165
REC: 4

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - <<DIVINE RANCOR>> T4 KATANA - HOLY/HOLY/PHASE/BLIGHT 
Armor/Trinket: 
  - <<TACTICAL UNDER ARMOR>> T4 HEAVY ARMOR//MIT/MIT/MIT/REC
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - <<IVORY GOLD LEAF RING>> T1 TRINKET//ACC/ACC/EVA/EVA

Combat Mastery:
  - Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
  - AOE Shift

Familiar Skill:
  - 

Custom Skill:
  - squabble up. 

Skills:
  - Battle Healing R5
  - Energist
  - Extended Weight Limit
  - Fighting Spirit
  - Heavy Armor R5
  - Howl
  - Katana R5
  - Quick Change
  - Searching R5

Extra Skills:
  - Forgotten King's Authority
  - Meditation
  - Parry
  - Survival

Inactive Extra Skills:

Addons:
  - Ferocity
  - Focused Howl
  - Iron Skin
  - Precision
  - Reveal
  - Stamina

Mods:
  - Detect
  - Impetus
  - Night Vision
  - Tracking

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:
  - <<CRYSTAL OF DIVINE LIGHT>> ID: 236066 x1
  - <<DARK SERAPHIM>> T4 HEAVY ARMOR - VAMP.D2/HOLY BLESSING 2 x
  - <<GLOVES OF CAERUS>> T1 LIGHT ARMOR//3 LD x
  - <<IMUGI'S INSPIRATION>> MASS HEAL x
  - <<Kyūketsuki>> T4 KATANA//ABS.ACC/PHASE/VAMP2  x
  - <<RHINO'S HORN>> ID: 236068 x
  - <<SANCTITY'S RUIN>> T4 KATANA - FROSTBITE/BLEED/BLIGHT/BURN x
  - <<TELEPORTATION CRYSTAL>> x
  - <<TIGER'S BALM>> ANTIDOTE x

Housing Buffs:
  - Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.
  - Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
  - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
  - Attic (Bedroom): +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cannot boost a skill without ranks, or increase a skill past its maximum rank. Cannot boost a skill the user has not learned yet. Ranks obtained using this buff will make the mods of that rank available for purchase. Mods obtained this way are unusable if this buff is removed until the skill is returned to the appropriate rank by way of SP purchase.
  - Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
  - Master Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
  - Master Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
  - Extended Workshop: +2 Crafting EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
  - Ornate Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts.
  - Dining Hall: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed. Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild Totem:
  - Kumatetsu
Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:

Gathering Profession:
"                                                                                                                            

 

Edited Tuesday at 05:42 AM by Oscar

[Jomei 0]

  

Jomei the emerald duelist

Spoiler notes Level: 34 | Paragon: 88 | Tier: 4(13)  Jomei | HP: 1020/1020 | EN: 140/140 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:3 | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:56 | HB: 45 | VAMP-D: 112 | BLI: 32/-20 | LD:3     Equipment: Vicious Mockery : ACC II | Taunt | Blight  Fencer's Regalia - Trepidation: Vamp D II | HB | MIT  Token of Serenity: HB| EVA III   equipped Vicious Mockery Fencer's Regalia - Trepidation Token of Serenity battle-ready inventory Listed Below skills Spoiler Skills Rapier R5 | TECH Spec. Combat Mastery DMG R3 Cloth Armor R5 Charge B Healing R5 Energist MA R2 Howl Fighting Spirit Quick Change Extended Weight Limit Searching R2 Extra: Concentration Survival   Parry Forgotten King's Authority Assault Mode  Lady Luck Meditation Mods Athletics Emergency Recovery Vengeful Riposte Justified Riposte Night Vision Addons Stamina  Focus Precision Nimble Focused Howl buffs Spoiler Buffs Dimensional Backpack +1 BRI slot Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat     Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)     Tasty: Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps.  Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll Item Stash: +1 BRI slot Advanced Training: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.

 

Oscar was a name that he wasn't expecting to see in his inbox. Not that the message was unwelcome, quite the contrary actually. He looked forward to it. Not only did he see Oscar as a stand up guy, but he figured he should probably get to know the man who pushed Lessa to open up to him. While it may not have been 'blind' confidence, trusting a close friend with some ginger he only shared passing words with, Jomei at least wanted to get a feel for where it came from.

So after popping off a quick reply, Jomei made haste to Floor One. 

Back to where it all began.

The Town of Beginnings was one of those places that never seemed to change, no matter how much time has passed. The amount of players wandering about never seemed to diminish, despite how many new faces they had seen sprout from the ground up in record time. But he knew how they felt, he was in their shoes before. The frontlines weren't for everyone, and they all coping with the trauma of being away from their real world lives in different ways. 

Some better than others. 

Today wasn't a day to think about that though. Donned in a much more casual outfit than his usual cloaked attire, he would slide his hands into his pockets and step from the platform that housed the teleport gate. "Black building. Off the square." he would repeat to himself as he scanned the passageway leading out of the center of town. Most of the floor's architecture followed the same color motif, greyish-beige stone and terracotta shingles. The occasional banner or tent would add a splash of color, but, for the most part, they all looked rather conformed. 

So when Oscar said he wouldn't miss it, he sure as hell meant it. 

Trying to steal a look inside through one of the darkened windows was pointless. It was tinted to keep prying eyes off of whatever was going on within. His hand followed the dipping motion of each red rope, tied between sturdy black stanchions to herd people into an orderly line. He nearly missed the figure standing at the door, staring at Jomei with careful eyes as he approached. 

"I'm here to see Oscar." Jomei would state as he finally took notice of the bouncer. As their eyes peered down to a list of names in front of them, Jomei spoke up again. "Jomei."

Like speaking the password to a speakeasy, the bouncer simply nodded and pushed the door open for him to step inside. Jomei returned the nod, with a tight lip smile that silently expressed his thanks. The splashes of red on black and vibrant lights contrasted extremely from the dark exterior. Jomei found himself whistling in awe as he slowly stepped within, taking a long gander at everything. 

"You know, I was never much for clubs. Never really fell into that scene. But this-" he waggled a finger, pointing off at nothing (yet referring to everything) "-This is pretty impressive. Is this your place? I mean, empty, random night club during the day would be an odd meeting place otherwise." he'd chuckle at his own, dry joke.

A hand extended with a proper greeting, "Its good to see you. You mentioned you needed help with somethin?"

Edited Wednesday at 02:38 AM by Jomei

[Oscar 0]

Oscar saw the door open before he heard it. Or rather, he saw the bright light that surged into the building upon his guest’s ingress. He didn’t like the look, light behind shed on his den of depravity. He made a mental note to add a foyer or something. Double doors. No one liked the light shone upon their darkness, after all. He swiveled his head, greeting Jomei with a smile. He’d showed up quicker than Oscar had expected. Not good, really. He’d barely had the time to think of what he was going to say.

Direct approach then.

“I’ve run out of things to spend money on,” Oscar admitted with a shrug. “So we’re going with flights of fancy disguised as philanthropy. How is that rapier treating you, by the way?”

It was… awkward. He’d never had nearly as much trouble speaking plainly. He had to force the words out. Perhaps it would be best to pretend it had never happened. Move on and let the past be the past. But, Oscar vaguely remembered seeing Jomei in the stands at the tournament. Really, it couldn’t have been easy watching another man ragdoll the object of his affection.

So of course it would be awkward. His intended topic was nothing but. Even so, it was equally important. Oscar has all but pushed Lessa into Jomei’s arms. He would never forgive himself if she got her heart broken over a misunderstanding. Oscar would never apologize for the physical. But he understood that he was in the minority in that regard.

“I do. I’m struggling with a name. But we can get to that later,” Oscar said, beckoning for Jomei to follow. To the opposite end of the room, Oscar stepped behind the bar. It was the most important part. A wall of spirits of different colors - illuminated by red light - was arrayed behind him. Oscar tapped his chin, looking up at them thoughtfully. Finally, he settled on a particular bottle and pulled it from the shelf.

He turned back around, setting two glasses in front of him. “Drinks menu first,” he said as he dropped two sugar cubes into each glass. He grabbed a bottle from the bar, spinning it over the back of his hand. Clearly, Oscar knew what he was doing. Three dashes into the first glass. He looked up with a wide grin.

“Little known fact -” he paused, adding another trio to the second glass. “I was a bartender in college.” He punctuated his statement by spinning the container in his palm before placing it down. He reached under the bar, producing an orange and a knife.

“More known fact,” Oscar said as he carved a small bit of the rind off of the orange. He dropped one into each glass before shifting his gaze up. “Got closer than you might think to sleeping with your girl.”

Of course he would have the grace of a bull in a china shop.

But he wouldn’t be so disrespectful as to pussy foot around the subject either.

So he used the time just after the balloon popped to finish their drinks. Muddling the sugar and the oranges, adding the rum and ice. Oscar pushed the glass over toward Jomei before bringing his own up to his lips.

Another disappointment. It wasn’t as good as his adoptive father’s. And the Major wasn’t here to tell him exactly how he fucked up an Old-Fashioned. With a scowl, Oscar set his glass down on the bar. He leaned against it on his palms. Perhaps a bit to blase given the bomb he’d just dropped. Oscar continued.

“And I’m telling you because I know you saw what went down in the ring. And I don’t know how much she told you about the talk we had after,” he said. The temptation wore him down. The drink was still good - just not what he wanted. He took another sip and offered Jomei a shrug. “I don’t want you thinking I’m praying on your downfall or that I’m just waiting for you to fuck up. My little black book is a little too full for that incel shit. But, more importantly, I don’t want you to think I’m a threat. Just a wingman who got a little too close to the sun.”

 

Edited yesterday at 04:39 AM by Oscar

[Jomei 0]

"Came in handy during the Clash." he would admit with a nod. "Went in with my old sword, pop out the other one when they least expected it." Arms rose and crossed at his chest as air puffed from his nostrils. "Honestly, haven't had the opportunity to use it outside of that. Next time I've gotta fill in for damage dealer, I'll remember to give it a few swings." 

Before business was pleasure, and pleasure, in this case, was a fully stocked bar. And no waiting in line. 

Sliding into one of the barstools, he'd sit and rest his elbows on the bar top. Eyes would slowly scan the various bottles of liquor lining the wall. Bourbon, rum, wine - a little bit of everything. Though Oscar made his choice simple, and made the decision for them. Sugar cubes and some bitters, Jomei sat back and watched with intrigue as the obviously trained man went to work. 

As the orange rinds dropped into the glass, so did Oscar's confession. 

It seemed the roots of their little showcase during the Clash were dug down deeper than he thought. 

Olive eyes remained trained on the glasses, deciding maybe it was better to not look Oscar in the eyes. Not just yet. A lot of thoughts ping ponged around the interior of his skull, he'd prefer getting them settled before the wrong thing comes out of his mouth. Even as Oscar pushed the drink forward, he stared down into his drink. The flattened orange peel bobbed back to the top of the dark alcohol as if it was popping up for air. Jomei did the same, slowly exhaling through his nose before bringing it to his lips. 

"A Rum Old Fashioned? Can't say I've ever had one of these before." The bottom edge of the glass tilted towards the ceiling, Jomei drowning half of the contents in one long sip. It burned like hell, but was smooth. Exactly what he needed. "Think I might even prefer it to the whiskey." 

The glass returned to the counter top with a gentle tap, and Jomei took one more beat of a moment before speaking. "I'm not really sure how to respond to that. Wasn't expecting it but.." The drink would find his lips once more, a proper sip this time, and his eyes would finally meet with Oscar's. "I mean, I'm not going to sit here and be mad at you." he chuckled softly at the end of his statement. "I just.. wasn't expecting it." he repeated. "It was before Lessa and I really figured this whole thing out.. not long before.. but still." Shoulders rose and fell with a shrug, before leaning forward onto the bar. "She didn't really know what she wanted.. Had no idea that I wanted her - though, I don't think anyone really did."

An index finger would point forward from his drink, towards Oscar. "Especially you. Yet when Lessa told you how she felt, you put your faith in me.. faith that I felt the same way about her, over your own desires." 

Picking his glass up off of the table, he would gently tap the edge of the his glass against Oscar's. "Definitely sounds like a proper wingman move." He'd offer a wide, genuine smile. 

"During the fight though-" the tone of his voice changed, more casual, "oof, definitely a hard watch. Like I was being stabbed in the gut. But I promised myself I wouldn't let my feelings ruin my friendship with her, so I toughed it out. Told her I almost threw in the towel, but something told me to hang on to a little bit of hope." 

"I really appreciate you talking to her. And I really appreciate you telling me all of this."

"No hard feelings, alright?"

[Oscar 0]

Jomei didn’t know what to say, Oscar didn’t know what to expect. Seemed like they both had the same idea. But Oscar kept silent, letting Jomei piece the words together. As the ginger spoke, Oscar slowly sipped at his drink. There were a few times where he wanted to butt in, but he didn’t. It was a hard thing to be this upfront. Oscar preferred the “rip the band-aid off” approach, but sometimes it went a little sideways. 

He was glad this wasn’t one of those times.

And he was glad that, at the end of it all, Jomei didn’t have any hard feelings.

“None whatsoever,” came Oscar’s reply as he placed his half empty glass down on the table. “I wanted you to hear it from me, before anyone else.”

“I can’t bring myself to apologize for it,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind me saying it. But Lessa is, objectively speaking, an absolute bombshell. You’d have to be blind not to see it. However-” Oscar grabbed another bottle from the wall, setting it down on the counter. He picked up a cocktail stirrer, tapping the edge of Jomei’s glass with it.

“Yay or nay on adding that to the menu? Call this a working heart-to-heart,” he said quickly.

He busied himself with mixing another drink. Limes and mint in a wide glass complete with a little umbrella and a lime wedge for garnish. “I don’t make the best mojito, but I don’t see a whole lot of bartenders. Where was I?”

Oscar straw-tasted the cocktail, tossing the straw away and drumming his fingers on the countertop as his face twisted in thought.

“Ah, right. Can’t apologize for going for it, but I will apologize for the scene. At least how it made you feel. There were a whole lot of heightened emotions during that duel. But I do hope watching me get stabbed in the dick - twice - for my audacity helped just a little bit. Hate to think I took a hit like that and no one benefitted.” He smiled warmly. Perhaps the only time he was happy to take a low blow like that.

There was a moment of silence. Oscar leaned against the counter, enjoying the soft music in the background. Finally, he let out a sigh.

“I have friends, but I don’t really keep confidants.I count myself lucky that Lessa fills that role. There was a time when I kept people at arm’s length. I think I told her that I didn’t want her bleeding heart dripping on my shoes. I wasn’t the best version of myself back then,” Oscar confessed. “I don’t know how much she’s told you - if anything - about my extracurriculars.” How many names I’ve put on the wall. “But I don’t want to be the old version of myself. I’ve come to like this Oscar very much. So I’m hoping I can count you amongst those people I put my confidence in. And I totally get if the wound’s too fresh or you aren’t feeling it. But the lover of my best friend should be my best friend too, you know?”

Edited 1 hour ago by Oscar