THIS IS TO BE TOLD ONCE ALL TWELVE DEMENSES HAVE BEEN VISITED ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- The scene opens early in the morning with a phone call. (Player) answers, and it is Nash. He seems to be in a bit of a rush, but he tells your group King Akarui is requesting you come down to City Hall for a special meeting. ----- Upon arriving, Nash flags your group down to his desk again, his demeanor seeming a bit more serious. "Right on time! Let's get you inside." He grabs a nearby clipboard, guides you to the meeting room, and opens the door for you. You see King Akarui and Anais already in the middle of a heated discussion. Nash will turn around and freeze in place, looking like he just saw a ghost. But before he has a chance to go back out the door, Akarui points at him. "You. Wait right there. I'll be with you in a moment." Nash visibly gulps and moves a little more inward into the room, standing almost militantly at attention, partially hiding behind his clipboard. King Akarui sighs and returns to his prior conversation. "Anais, you can't expect people to follow these nitpicky rules. Fence color restrictions, hedge height requirements, heavy volume level regulations... I don't care how many complaints you've received, this is nonsense and I won't enforce it." Anais will reply with a whiny tone. "But think of how much it'll beautify the Gated community! It'll be so much more pleasant for the seniors to see, plus you'll get to see a much cleaner and quieter neighborhood!" Akarui will just stare at her deadpan in the eyes. "Okay one, the seniors face the opposite way. Two, I practically live HERE. And three, the people who own those properties can do what they want as long as they don't set them on fire. " Anais will slam her hands into the desk. "Sir, I respect your authority, but I need you to at least take this seriously. The noise complaints and slow self destruction of these properties are going to drive down the value of the district! We'll start losing money when noone wants to live somewhere so ugly!" Akarui will continue to just... stare at her. "You've been reading too many real estate novels. The only places to live are the Gated homes, Residential houses, and apartments. We set those values and you know damn well they won't fluctuate." Anais will try to respond, but Akarui will raise a hand. "That being said... I will have the noise complaints investigated and the general condition of the neighborhood therein given a thorough look. We can discuss the rest on another day. Will that suffice?" Anais will pause for a moment. "... I suppose. But if I get one more noise complaint--" "--I'll be the first to hear about it, yes. Just like the last seven. Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to with our local heroes. Or should I call them... 'Kings of Kings?'" She turns away, and glares at your group on the way out the door, giving an indignant HMPH. She slams the door behind her, leaving Akarui alone with your group. Akarui sighs in frustration, rubbing the bridge of his beak. "My apologies for that one, she is always in some kind of mood when it comes to the Gated community. Thinks it should be some pristine living community." His gaze will immediately turn to Nash. "Now Nash, we've had this conversation before. You know you're supposed to announce anyone coming my way, even if it's just you, specifically for situations like this." You see Nash's ears droop a bit before Akarui continues, "However, your inadvertent interruption gave me the perfect excuse to get out of THAT meeting, so I'm going to let it go. This time." Akarui will smirk a bit. "Just... don't let it happen again." Nash will smile a bit before heading out the door and closing it behind him with a sigh of relief. You hear a sharp YELP from behind the door, then silence. Akarui rolls his eyes. "Great... I was hoping I'd given him enough time to dodge Anais..." Akarui clears his throat. "On to business..." ----- (IF THEY JOINED TF) "First, allow me to be the first to congratulate you on your acceptance into he Thunder Force. After all the contributions you have made to this city, it makes me proud to see you dedicate yourselves by donning the uniform. In fact, Commander Harken and I had a discussion regarding your first assignment." (IF THEY HAVE NOT) "I understand you are technically an unaligned team of 'vigilantes' for lack of a better term, but you've proven to the public that you are here to help. The fact you haven't joined the Thunder Force is a curiosity to many, but I'm sure you have your reasons. Either way, I would like to ask you to work with them on a special assignment." ----- "The R&D lab in the ESSENTIALS district has requested extra security for an upcoming delivery. There is an important shipment for a special project we need to keep safe. And we have reason to believe the Marauders might come after it. Problem is, the Thunder Force are a little shorthanded at the moment." *IF THEY ACCEPT* "Thank you. Harken will brief you on the mission at TFHQ." He pushes his intercom button, asking Nash to escort your group out. A minute later, a disheveled Nash opens the door. His hair is a mess, his shirt is crumpled, and his pants pockets are inside out. For all intents and purposes, he looks like he got mugged. But he keeps his eyes to the ground and simply holds the door open for you all quietly. He walks down the hall with you, fixing his outfit the whole way. His fur and particular choice of long covering clothes does well to hide it, but you spot a few bruises hidden under his fur. *IF THEY ASK WHAT IS WRONG* He stammers some before sighing with frustration. "Anais is very... easy to frustrate. She uh... demanded my assistance in cooling down." *IF THEY RETORT* He realizes what he said. "She just kinda... used me as a punching bag. I'll be fine, she doesn't hit THAT hard, but I might need to visit the tailor on my way out." His eyes widen and he suddenly hides behind you all as you head out of the lobby, passing by a brown wolf girl in a lighter brown postal worker outfit. She is wearing sunglasses indoors, she is blowing a bubblegum bubble, and she is wearing a gold nametag that says COCO. (CONTACTS ROLL) You don't really RECOGNIZE her, but you spotted her delivering mail in the past. He desperately ushers you all forward to get out of the building as quickly as possible. Once he is out of sight range, he will breathe a heavy sigh. "And SHE just scares me." Once you are out by the doors, you see him scurry to his car and take off out of the parking lot in a hurry. ----- *AT THUNDER FORCE HEADQUARTERS* The second you arrive, Harken appears at the front door, clearly waiting for you. "Kings of Kings... please follow me." He guides you through the branch office to his personal office in the back, holding the door open for you. Once you are all inside, he closes he door carefully, but flips the lock audibly loud. "Please have a seat, this won't take long." He sits down in his office chair behind his desk, coated in a foot high pile of paperwork and folders across every inch of it. "I'll be blunt. I would prefer to leave protection assignments to fully trained officers, but we are a bit shorthanded at the moment. Plus..." ----- *IF THEY ARE TF* "As you have prominent combat experience before even joining, Akarui and I felt this would be a suitable assignment for your group." *IF THEY ARE NOT* "The people know you now, and you have earned a modicum of trust on our end. As such, I wish to deputize you for the day, specifically for this job." ----- "Your assignment will be to go to the Research and Development Lab in the Essentials district. We have a large shipment of steel, copper, aluminum, and brass coming in from the Red and Brown demenses, for a special construction project. You simply need to guard it until the end of the day to ensure it is kept safe." "You are expected to arrive in one hour, work an eight hour shift of hourly building inspections one at a time, and otherwise are to stay inside with the containers until the end of your shift. They will be picked up and transported at the end of the day. Afterwards, report back to me here." He will reach into his desk and pull out several small bags full of coins. "Of course, we wouldn't expect you to do legitimate work for free. You will be paid the same as any Thunder Force agent starting out. 25z an hour, 8 hours of work, that entitles each of you to 200z, all paid upfront." "AND, since you are with us, you have access to our uniform selection. Pick some up on the way out, free of charge." "Dismissed!" *WANT UNIFORMS* You are met by agent Binx the Cat, whom escorts you to the wardrobe area, with multiple tables full of gear to match all shapes and sizes. - The first table is full of chrome colored bracers and chest covers - The second table is full of black slacks, boots, and short & long-sleeved shirts - The third table is full of chrome bottom-half face masks, black sunglasses, and folded black & silver long coats - The fourth and final table has chest armor holders and several pieces of replaceable plate armor (but you are each only permitted one) ----- (AT THE R&D BUILDING) The facility is more of a compound, as its fenced in area is essentially four smaller buildings wrapped around one. The buildings themselves aren't particularly distinct, all painted the same aqua blue walls with a deeper blue metal roof. You spot a sign behind the sporadically scorched chain link fence, pointing in five directions. - BASIC RESEARCH (LEFT) - APPLIED RESEARCH (LEFT) - EXPERIMENTAL LAB (RIGHT) - SHIPPING & RECEIVING (RIGHT) - OFFICE (STRAIGHT AHEAD) *BASIC RESEARCH* You spot several people in white labcoats through the windows, many of whom are grouped of and writing formulas or designing mechanical layouts on chalkboards. As you pass by, you ARE noticed, but they pay you no mind. *APPLIED RESEARCH* You spot a mix of people in white labcoats working with people in coveralls or overalls with helmets and toolbelts, both working together to physically build several objects of varying shapes and sizes. *EXPERIMENTAL LAB* You witness several flashes of light from within the windows. When the blinding light subsides, you see a myriad of scientists, mechanics, people in suits, and even Thunder Force officers inside. They look to be testing different pieces of equipment and objects for multiple purposes. *SHIPPING & RECEIVING* This looks like your standard loading & unloading vehicle dock you've seen a million times before, except that it has six different ports available for vehicles, all of which are currently closed behind a steel roll-up door. *OFFICE* You don't see any windows on this particular building, but it is the only one with a door you can access. Inside is very simple, just a concierge desk and a few doors leading further inside the building, as well as doors marked BASIC on the left and SHIPPING & RECEIVING on the right. The walls are a basic white, but the room is well lit, and there is someone waving you down at the desk. A chameleon man with short blonde hair in a red dress shirt greets you at the desk, his eyes flicking back and forth between all of you, his gold nametag reading ELEAZAR. "Oh good good, you made it! Appreciate your time, Officers. Please follow me." He walks you through the door marked SHIPPING & RECEIVING, where you see a large open concrete space with yellow and white guiding lines, as well as several large wooden crates. He walks over to a nearby kitchen table, right next to a small kitchenette built into the corner, complete with sink, cabinets, and fridge. "Your station is this table, the fenced in area is your patrol circle, and this is your main point of focus." "I'd like you to do one round an hour, paired up preferably, while the others stay here and watch the delivery. I assume you brought your own food, but there is free coffee & doughnuts if you like. And feel free to partake of any other foods you are offered, if you feel brave enough." Right on cue, a large flatbed truck-like vehicle suddenly backs in to the facility up to a nearby garage door, and a group of four muscled oxen men unload ten wooden crates, each one emblazoned with a burn mark in the shape of a hand. (NOTICE ROLL) You spot Nash with a clipboard on site, scribbling down information with a smile on his face. And he hasn't seemed to notice you. *IF THEY APPROACH* When he sees you, he LITERALLY jumps three feet in the air screaming "OH FUCK" and flops on his back. "Owww..." *HELPING HIM UP* "Jeez, didn't expect YOU guys to be here... wait, are you the security detail for the shipment?" *IF THEY CONFIRM* "AWESOME! This is so perfect! I don't care what anyone says, Akarui is AWESOME!!!" He realizes he is acting a fool and straightens himself out. "Sorry, I uh... may or may not have overheard about that 'mole' situation, and since you didn't show up until AFTER that started, I gotta assume it's not you guys." "Those intercoms we use are kinda junky, so I hear alot of those private meetings without meaning to. Among other things..." He will lean in and whisper to your group, "...Apparently the King is trying to supplement his height with platform shoes on the sly..." *ASK WHAT HE IS DOING THERE* "Oh, uh, right... so this is kind of a secret, but you know how we got those hydroelectric generators giving Diadem power, right? Well, my dad was an engineer here. He helped create the hole through the Diadem floor like 10 years ago, and he had a dream we MIGHT be able to use that to escape from this place." "But since we're on an island in the middle of the ocean, going out through the hole is a bit of a suicide mission. So, we need a safety vessel. Some scientists and I proposed this idea about two years ago to King Akarui that we could build like... a test submarine and see if it could descend far enough to get out, make it to some nearby land, and then get some actual help!" "And he finally approved it a month ago! Full ride budget and everything! This here is the last of the shipments of raw material we need to make a test sub. We're thinking a twenty man vessel would be enough to get ourselves into the outside world. Can you believe it???" "All I gotta do is get this to the secure location this evening, and we can finally finish building it. We might just be making history." *WHY NOT SOONER* "You would be surprised how hard it is to rent a truck in this city, let alone an industrial flatbed big enough to handle THIS workload. That jackass that runs the dealership is such a pain." He looks up to a clock on the wall. "Oh shoot, I'm out of time. King Akarui only gave me an hour to come check on stuff. I'll see you guys later!" He pauses and turns around with a cheeky grin. "...or if this works, maybe not?" ;D ----- The shift itself goes completely smoothly without a bump in the road. The crates sit there completely untouched the entire time, and you get to meet a few of the mechanics & scientists as they pass through to check on other shipments coming and going. Your rounds are completely uneventful, but the scientists at the facility are nice, at least those that notice you. The mechanics on the other hand give some of you some... 'flattering compliments.' Around 5:30pm, you see an all new flatbed truck pull in to the docking area. This time, you see a dozen much more normal sized men approach, with a human in a leather jacket and slicked back brown hair walking in front. "We're uh.. we're here for the special shipment?" (EMPATHY ROLL VS DECEIVE ROLL) *IF PLAYERS PASS* These guys are not dressed right, are fidgeting like hell, and the one in front can't even look you in the eye properly. One of them will suddenly pull out a gun, aiming it right at (Player who beat roll)'s forehead. All eleven of the others will run in, going for the boxes. *IF THEY RESIST* They will hear a familiar voice shout "DON'T EVEN TRY IT!" They will turn to see LUCKY the ram with the chameleon in his arms, a gold dagger against his throat. "YOU TAKE ANOTHER STEP, BUG-EYES IS DEAD." *IF THEY RESIST A SECOND TIME* A familiar scent of burning ozone will appear behind (player), a gun pressed against (PLAYER's) back. "Braver than I expected. Unfortunate." The rest of the party sees someone new behind you, a man inside of what looks like a modified motorcycle outfit. The shoulders, arms from elbow down, and legs from knee down are layered in thick blue padding ridges. The rest is standard black, including the elongated motorcycle helmet with a white letter A on the front above the shaded eye visor. *IF THAT PLAYER PLAYER RESISTS* The new person will counter, pinning that player to the ground with lightning speed. He will quickly turn to the others and shout "HURRY UP!" *IF ANYONE ATTACKS HIM* (Make a legit ATHLETICS roll, but if they do poorly, recommend they spend a FATE point to improve or redo the roll, you need them to either hit or match this one) He tries to block your attack, but because he was a bit distracted, he wasn't quite able to perfectly stop it. It smacks the front of his helmet, cracking it open to reveal part of his face. You see dark fur, possibly brown or black, and you see a deep brown eye with a small rounded scar under it. He covers his face quickly, then speeds to the truck, the Marauders finished getting the crates inside. The truck peels off into the road at lightning speed, almost hitting a few other vehicles along the way. However, they have left LUCKY behind, still holding the chameleon hostage. "... they just left me..." He suddenly lowers himself onto his knees, staring at the place the truck used to be. "I did everything they asked... I escaped prison multiple times... and they STILL left me behind..." He finally releases the chameleon and the knife, just staring at the floor. "He promised he... he was gonna get me off the island... and he just left me behind... again..." *THE GUY IN THE OUTFIT?* "NOT ACE, HIS BOSS! OUR BOSS! EVERYONE'S BOSS!" He slams his fists in the ground in frustration. "HE PROMISED ME MY FREEDOM!!!" *WHO IS HE* He will look up to your group, tears streaming down his cheeks. "The Crooked King." (Let them determine how the sequence of events goes from here) (Recommend they contact Harken to send troops for a pickup) ----- THAT EVENING THUNDER FORCE HEADQUARTERS HARKEN'S OFFICE Harken is pacing behind his desk, deep in frustration. "This task was supposed to be simple. Material arrives, we guard it, material gets picked up. Instead, tomorrow's headline will read that a hostage situation resulted in the theft of the entire shipment of research and building materials under our watch." IF THEY OBJECT He somewhat loudly places one hand on the desk, rubbing his eyes with the other. "I know what happened. Fact is, you followed your orders perfectly to a tee, you defended an innocent from harm in a hostage situation, and you proved you value lives over cold hard metal. You even re-captured LUCKY, AND got him to cooperate for the first time ever. He has literally given up, and told us everything he knows." He pulls out a folder, slaps it on the table, and pulls out a few documents. "We finally have a genuine profile of LUCKY now. His real name is Levi, and he is the younger brother of the HOA representative, Anais. Which she never mentioned in any of her personnel files, so we are assuming he is estranged." "We also have solid intel on their organization. What we thought were random acts of thuggery were coordinated and strategic from the start. Their overall goal is to cause colossal amounts of property damage in pre-arranged strikes across the city, specifically to spread forces and finances thin on the cleanup. Based on this, we assume their goal is to either bankrupt the city or make it uninhabitable, possibly both." "We have confirmation of an active general, the man with the A on the helmet. ACE, as Lucky calls him. He uses lightning magic to move same as we do, and eyewitness reports claim he physically mirrors our combat style. It is safe to assume he is also the mole within the Thunder Force." "They purposely keep their numbers small and easy to manage, forty actual members, including these Generals, all under the Crooked King. Levi says it's a numerical tier system between two and ten, with no more than four per number. They treat it like a goddamn game." "They send groups of four with the same number as teams with a new entrant in tow, and sometimes add a wild card member. Usually Levi because he has a Regalia, and rumor has it one of the Generals has one too." *WHY NOT ONE TO TEN?* "They refer to ONEs as entry level rookies, they don't even count as members. ZEROs are Non-Marauders, like being a part of them makes you inherently better. And if you're arrested, you're considered a ZERO and have to start all over again." *WHERE IS HIS REGALIA* "It's in evidence. I know you need it to complete your mission, and we will get it to you soon." "The biggest issue is this... Crooked King. Noone knows who he is, but he is the mastermind behind the Marauders. He picks whom to recruit & when, supplies the coin for their weapons, coordinates every attack, dictates the ranking system, and provides them with THESE." He places the gold dagger LUCKY had on the table inside a glass evidence container. "This is career defining evidence. If it were anyone else, you would have a fucking parade in your honor. But due to these... unfortunate circumstances, the public will choose to ignore those positives, as will the media. And I theorize that was the Marauders' plan, to force the population to lose faith in you." IF THEY ARE NOT TF "Worst of all, given you were wearing our uniforms, they will assume you are with us, which doubly complicates the matter." "(Regardless if you are Thunder Force or not,) They will expect some form of punishment for your 'failure' to protect the shipment. And as third commander, I have to take some form of action, if nothing else to show we are not showing favoritism. 'Firing' you would be too harsh, and a slap on the wrist would be too easy." He grabs a handful of papers, quickly scribbles some information down, turns them around, and passes them to your group. "This is a form stating you are being taken off active duty and placed on two weeks paid leave, effective immediately." *IF THEY INTERRUPT* "During this time, all activities, including but not limited to any & all criminal syndicate altercations, cannot and will not be associated directly with the Thunder Force. They will instead be seen as the activities of a group of rogue REGALIA HUNTERS working to save the people of Diadem from their imprisoned fate, no different than those that attempted before." "And if, within those fourteen days, you manage to gather them all and free the people, well... I doubt anyone would care about this debacle anymore, and you may even become... heroes again. But THAT is information I, and the Thunder Force, cannot and will not be responsible for OR associated with during your two week paid leave." He gives you something of a sly smile. *IF THEY ARE TF* "Now this does mean I will require your badges for the next two weeks." He will walk behind you and open the door for you. "You are all dismissed." When you step out of his office, you see the entirety of the Thunder Force now standing at attention, forming two lines on either side of your group, all facing inward shoulder to shoulder, aiming right for the door. Harken stands behind you, in a militant pose. He doesn't say a word, but instead gives a good old fashioned salute. And the other Thunder Force officers around you have joined you in the same salute. Once you leave, the doors slam behind you, leaving you as free agents with a convenient paycheck. (IF THEY GO TO ANY BUSINESSES, THE PEOPLE MAY TREAT THEM DIFFERENTLY) (THAT WILL BE UP TO YOUR DISCRETION) ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- (START THE NEXT DAY WITH THIS SEGMENT) You are met with a phone call the next morning. *IF THEY ANSWER* It is a female voice you don't recognize, asking you to come to the Capitol and meet with the King. He has a favor to ask of you, and requests your presence ASAP. Before you get more than two words out, she will hang up. Upon arrival, you are greeted by a Parakeet woman with a long swooping head of blond hair in a lime green dress sitting at Nash's desk, her gold nametag reading CIRCE, and she does not look happy. "I assume you to be the Kings of Kings, yes? Please follow me." She marches you quickly through the office area and right to King Akarui's door. No kindness, no nonsense, just professionalism. Once inside, you see a concerned Akarui stamping documents. Circe practically pushes you in the office, and shuts the door. Akarui pauses for a moment and drops the stamp, looking up to your group. "Oh good, you're here. So... I heard about what happened at the hostage situation. And your 'punishment' for it." *COMPLAIN* He raises a hand. "I know exactly what happened, and frankly, I'm pleased with what you did. You saved an innocent life, and the life of every person in that facility. The metal can be replaced, albeit it'll take some time. Budget and all that. Which, ironically, brings me to the reason you are here." "Kings of Kings, I know this is a bit pedestrian of me to ask of you, but I'd like you to do a wellness check on Nash. He's not answering the phone, and the Thunder Force has their hands full with actual criminals." "When he came in this morning, I let him know the metal for his project was stolen, and... well, he looked like the sound of glass hitting the floor. I gave him the rest of the week off, but based on what I saw... I'd love some peace of mind." ----- *WHY DOES HE CARE SO MUCH* He grips his chair arm tight enough to make the wood creak. "It's complicated... did I mention I'm an immigrant?" "My team and I, the Chamberlins, came here ten years ago. There was no Marauder threat at the time, so the Thunder Force was just a police force. There was so little to do, they encouraged us to interact with the Demense Masters on slow days. We begged for an actual assignment instead of these do-nothing tasks." "Six months later, we finally got our first REAL assignment. We were asked to guard a pair of scientists, a Mr. and Mrs. Raposa, whom were working on a special project with a small team of other scientists." "When we got there, they asked us to keep an eye on their son, an angsty Goth punk of seventeen. Their words, not mine. I personally took that responsibility, and tailed him everywhere he went. And he was SURPRISINGLY good at getting away from me." "That day... something went wrong... they turned it on, and it exploded... it took both Raposa's lives... And their sone disappeared... I thought he was gone too... In every way imaginable, I failed my first mission... Sound familiar?" "He turned up a week later, in his own home. And he was... different. He looked... broken. But I promised his parents I would keep an eye on him, and him reappearing that day meant I still had a chance to do that." "I walked away from the team, decided to be something far more influential. Ended up in the running to be the next Ruler. It let me have an active hand in all future projects, so I could minimize the risks of THAT ever happening again. And... every ruler needs an aide." *YOU GAVE HIM A JOB AS YOUR AIDE* "He didn't NEED my help for that one, he earned that one fair and square. But I do let him slide on things from time to time." ----- *IF THEY DONT LIVE IN THE GATED COMMUNITY* He hands you a folded document with a stamp on top reading FROM THE DESK OF KING AKARUI. "The guards there are likely to be an issue. This will get you in. Please don't lose it." ----- - GATED COMMUNITY ----- *IF THEY DONT LIVE THERE* As you approach, you see the massive neighborhood from outside the ten foot metal fence. The homes closest to the gate are all at least TRIPLE the size of the homes in the Residential district, as are the properties they sit on, and they only get bigger as you look closer to the center. The lawns are trimmed, the fences are painted, and several have animal-shaped ornamental bushes being maintained by landscapers right now. You finally find the one and only gated entryway, guarded by a pair of Doberman Thunder Force, one brown and one black, both with neatly shaved black hair and sunglasses. They both see your group coming and the brown one asks in a German accent, "How may ve help you today?" *IF PRESENTING PAPER* The brown one will open it so they can both read over it and start sniffing over it excitedly. The black one will wince a bit and shake his head. "Vell, ze scent matches ze king bird, so zis is legit. Danke for ze papers, you may pass." ----- The guards pull open the steel gate on wheels for your group, waving at you as you go by. (EITHER WAY) Before you go more than ten feet inside, Andrei (the black one) calls out "VAIT! (Are you here to visit ze Mr. Nash?!)" He waves a slip of paper at you with a different address than the one you were given. "Ze Mr. Nash is at ze family home due to renovations." Bruno (the brown one) adds "He asked us to tell ze delivery people." They both chuckle at each other with big shit eating grins, and Andrei comments "Ja ja, especially ze pretty little wolf girl~" They chuckle before clearing their throats before Bruno comments "Uh but.. given ze circumstances, I am sure ze Mr. Nash vill understand." ----- When you reach the property you are looking for, all the other homes are put to shame. The house is easily three floors, has a colossal front yard, a massive bird bath, perfectly trimmed bushes along the immaculately painted fences, a multiple car garage with Nash's car parked in front of it, and even a chandelier style light hanging from the porch. *IF THEY KNOCK* It takes a few seconds, but you eventually see Nash greet you at the door, and he looks exactly like how King Akarui described. His ears that were always perked are slumped against his head, his chipper smile looks like it was manually pulled downward, and you could even swear his fur looks less colorful. But at least his hair looks brushed, sorta. When he sees your group, he perks up slightly. "Oh.. hey guys.. you wanna come in?" *INSIDE* The place looks almost too immaculate, the cushions on the furniture all look borderline unused, and there is zero dust on anything that you can see. But the lights are on, even if it is just the living room. (INVESTIGATE Roll) There are no pictures on the walls either, even though there is clear evidence there used to be. The only real furniture is the roaring fireplace and a couple pillows & large couches in front of it. "Sorry about the mess, I uh... kinda just... didn't feel like going upstairs to any of the bedrooms." *MENTION KING WAS WORRIED* "He was.. worried about me? I just thought he didn't wanna deal with me being upset, but.. huh. That... makes me feel better knowing he cares." *ASK ABOUT HOUSE* "Well technically it's not MY house, it was my parents'. I inherited it when they died. It's a bit much for me, so I stay at my own place down the street. But I come here once in a while to keep the place clean and... ya know... remember." *WHY SO UPSET* "My dad... he was an immigrant here, and when he found out he was trapped, he made it his life's mission to get out. One based in science and technology, not magic. He despised the rules as much as Akarui does. He and my mom made the first drill to get out of Diadem. But during their first actual test, the drill... exploded. And they both died. I made it my life's goal to resume his plan, if for no other reason than in their memory. And after the theft, well... the entire project is on hold for a bit until they get a replacement shipment. I just... I waited so long, ya know? I got the approval, then the supplies started coming in, I was so happy. Finding out they got stolen... It was crushing. I fully planned to work through the pain too, just like before, but... I guess King thought I needed a break instead. And he might've been right." *WHY HERE & NOT YOUR HOUSE* "I was having my home renovated, wanted one of those underground car garages put in. I'm afraid my car might get stolen, even in here. The noise complaints Anais has been jumping on Akarui about... those are her trying to get me in trouble." *WHY GET YOU IN TROUBLE* "Got me, but I think it bugs her that Akarui is lenient with me, but treats her poorly, comparatively. She works hard, but she's also a bitch and a control freak. Uh... but you didn't hear that from me." *NO MORE QUESTIONS* "Well... thanks alot for stopping by guys, I honestly feel alot better getting all of that out of my system. I'll give Akarui a call later and apologize. But for right now, I think I just need to... ya know... sleep this all off." He stands up and walks you guys to the door, offering a handshake to anyone that wants it. (NOTICE ROLL) Through the nearby window, you can see him slowly shuffle his way back to the pile of pillows and flop into them face first. *IF THEY WANNA SEE NASH'S REAL HOME* You spot a house in the direction Nash pointed out with several stacks of metal sitting in front of the hole. Each one is covered by a fabric tarp of some kind, and the hole in the ground is easily twice as big as the vehicle he drives.