The spot where DragonierMan's and MachMan's groups had been directed to turned out to be the home of a small business district, placed within sight of the main NetPolice Headquarters complex, but not right outside the gates. The sky overhead was blue and pleasant. The net floor here was composed of well-kept sidewalks and simulated asphalt roads, which were undoubtedly composed of something else that would not require the regular cracking and pothole maintenance that real roads did.
While there were many small buildings, each consisting of seemingly an office and an outer shop area, which could be sealed off with a door similar to that of a garage or otherwise opened for business, most of those buildings were currently closed. Only a few appeared to be open: within the range of sight, a small shop for pastries and croissants, and another for coffee and donuts (sort of laughable, given the proximity to the police). No one appeared to be manning the donut shop, although the other had two occupants. The first was a woman in an outfit consisting of a red and white, vertically striped dress with large, puffy shoulders; the chest and shoulders of the outfit were designed out of bread, with a thick, honey glaize over them that made them look quite appetizing. Her curled brown hair and light brown eyes were appealing, but she didn't look like anyone relevant to the mission. The other woman was a short girl with light-weight silver armor over a blue navisuit, as well as a lighter blue beret, matching a cape piece that covered the chest and back of her armor. A short fencing sword hung at one of her sides. Her hair was curly and blond and her eyes large and blue, but her mouth was currently stuffed with a croissant that she was futilely attempting to converse around. Those two would probably be the only ones that would catch sight of any lewd or illicit activities.
Still, that might be two too many. It might behoove the group to relocate once they arrived to somewhere where they would not be so readily visible by those that were not the targets of their display? Then again, that begged the question of how the NetPolice were going to find them... it might be better to have a witness or two to call in the disturbance. If they did want to slip away, they could either risk one of the alleys between the shops or perhaps even duck in behind the counter of the donut shop, which seemed unguarded.
Trap Setup Point
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Aya and Suzume appeared in a flash of light in the middle of the street. The girls took a moment to adjust their eyes to the surroundings. The twins looked like they were out for a stroll in the small business district with their alternate white and red turtleneck sweaters, along with matching black miniskirts. Aya felt better with having pants on, even if the tights beneath her skirt were all illusionary. Suzume, on the other hand, did not mind going bare legged. They were also technically barefoot, but disguised as having fashionable black, strapped sandals. Thankfully their feet were calloused from rough terrain and they didn't mind the hot pavement. Black choker accessories and bracelets, for Aya's right arm and Suzume's left, completed their looks. The outfits looked attractive, but perhaps not as flashy as one might expect, which would lend credence to the whole 'out on the town' vibe.
Spotting the small pastry shop, the twins walked over. "Hello," Suzume greeted the two occupants of the shop. "We haven't been in this store before. Got any specials?" she asked. Aya eyed the croissant hanging from the blue navi's mouth. "I'll take a croissant," she ordered.
Spotting the small pastry shop, the twins walked over. "Hello," Suzume greeted the two occupants of the shop. "We haven't been in this store before. Got any specials?" she asked. Aya eyed the croissant hanging from the blue navi's mouth. "I'll take a croissant," she ordered.
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Several minutes later, Aera beamed in to a similar area on the street. The cyan light that wreathed her body disappeared quickly. Aera looked down at her outfit, giving it a brief once over to ensure nothing was out of place, then began to look around at the myriad of shops as she stepped to the sidewalk.
Dee was right, the majority of the shops were closed. She could see the open pastry shop, however, but she also noticed Suzume and Aya through the window as she approached. She could go to the Coffee/Donut joint, but it looked abandoned, and not exactly a place where someone with her appearance would frequent. In response, she adopted a quick role as the lost newbie (which was mostly factual anyway), looking at the different shops. If any piqued her interest as she moved down the sidewalk, she'd frown or sigh upon realizing it was closed, then look to see if she could find the shop's operating hours, occasionally bringing the palm of her hand up, facing her as time data briefly flashed.
She didn't want to stray too far, and kept an eye out for the rest of the group as they arrived, concealing the action by occasionally looking around, appearing lost. She partially hoped to find an open shop, partially to not clump up with the rest of the group and appear suspicious, and partially to sate her own curiosity.
Dee was right, the majority of the shops were closed. She could see the open pastry shop, however, but she also noticed Suzume and Aya through the window as she approached. She could go to the Coffee/Donut joint, but it looked abandoned, and not exactly a place where someone with her appearance would frequent. In response, she adopted a quick role as the lost newbie (which was mostly factual anyway), looking at the different shops. If any piqued her interest as she moved down the sidewalk, she'd frown or sigh upon realizing it was closed, then look to see if she could find the shop's operating hours, occasionally bringing the palm of her hand up, facing her as time data briefly flashed.
She didn't want to stray too far, and kept an eye out for the rest of the group as they arrived, concealing the action by occasionally looking around, appearing lost. She partially hoped to find an open shop, partially to not clump up with the rest of the group and appear suspicious, and partially to sate her own curiosity.
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The streets were still mostly deserted when Aya and Suzume first touched down; while they were adjusting their eyes, one look at one another would remind them of an important missing element to their illusion. Namely, with Dee not having jacked in directly after them, both were still momentarily clad only in their bikini-style underwear. Thankfully it didn't take but a moment longer for the sorceress to arrive; she gasped, then quickly applied their from earlier, giving them an "oopsie" grin that perhaps didn't make up for the mistake. It seemed as though no one had watched them jack in, so they were fortunate that their cover had not been blown. Escort soon dropped down near Dee; since Dee saw her coming, she was able to immediately clothe her ally this time. The two fell to conversing in the street, so as to keep an eye on Aya and Suzume without actually closely associating themselves with the two.
Aya and Suzume went over to investigate an opportunity to both blend in and score some sweet baked goods. The armored woman wasn't exactly willing to give up the floor, looking slightly indignant, but the woman behind the counter was happy both at the arrival of new customers and for the ability to get a break from the endless chat. "Hello, my name is Cross. Welcome to Crossroads, here on NP HQ street! If this is your first time, you should know that I'm in the business of giving out free samples to new visitors," the woman announced proudly, placing her hand to her chest. In the process, she revealed two things: one, that the translucent glaze-like substance on her chest-bread must not really be sticky, since she'd just pressed her hand into it with no consequences. Two, that she had a relatively sizable bust behind the flaky bread covering. Neither detail was really important at the moment, however. "For you in red, one classic croissant! Do you like yours with honey glaze or butter? And for you in the white, we have two specials: a blueberry crepe with cream cheese topping or a pecan-"
"For ze new girls, I recommend beginning with ze baguette! It will maximize ze value of your free gift! Eat half now and consume ze rest later," the armored woman offered, raising her nose and trying to look like an authority. Even with her nose up and her feet armored, she was still a bit shorter than Aya and Suzume, so it was hard to take her word as a veteran on the subject.
"-Pie," the shopkeeper finished. "You can try either for free with your limited time first customer advantage."
In the mean time, Aera jacked in nearby, but not too near. Dee noticed the arrival and gave her the benefit of immediate clothing. Unfortunately, the stores were all as closed as they looked, but some had interesting offers that she may want to keep in mind for later: things like hand-sculpted jewelry, tech accessories, even chip collections. Then again, there was also a chance this wouldn't be the best place to come back to after they raised a ruckus.
Aera did manage to find another building open, but it probably wasn't one she wanted to stop at. A woman in a white armor, shaped like a one-piece swimsuit and showing off a bit too much of the legs, along with gloves, boots, and a knight's visored helmet, was sitting with her head resting in her hands inside a small booth, looking forlorn. Her appearance made her look around 18 years old in human age, with a bit of a modest chest but otherwise an ideal shape. When Aera happened to pass by and look into her booth, she suddenly sprang to her feet, holding a flyer out and becoming all enthusiasm. "Excuse me, ma'am! I'd like to talk to you for a moment about the NetPolice's Public Safety Division! Do you have time for a brief survey? We're interested in learning the opinions of the citizenry, regarding updated policies and practices, as well as current events!" she announced, not pausing to introduce herself and instead trying to get Aera locked in before Aera could walk quickly by and avoid the awkward conversation.
Aya and Suzume went over to investigate an opportunity to both blend in and score some sweet baked goods. The armored woman wasn't exactly willing to give up the floor, looking slightly indignant, but the woman behind the counter was happy both at the arrival of new customers and for the ability to get a break from the endless chat. "Hello, my name is Cross. Welcome to Crossroads, here on NP HQ street! If this is your first time, you should know that I'm in the business of giving out free samples to new visitors," the woman announced proudly, placing her hand to her chest. In the process, she revealed two things: one, that the translucent glaze-like substance on her chest-bread must not really be sticky, since she'd just pressed her hand into it with no consequences. Two, that she had a relatively sizable bust behind the flaky bread covering. Neither detail was really important at the moment, however. "For you in red, one classic croissant! Do you like yours with honey glaze or butter? And for you in the white, we have two specials: a blueberry crepe with cream cheese topping or a pecan-"
"For ze new girls, I recommend beginning with ze baguette! It will maximize ze value of your free gift! Eat half now and consume ze rest later," the armored woman offered, raising her nose and trying to look like an authority. Even with her nose up and her feet armored, she was still a bit shorter than Aya and Suzume, so it was hard to take her word as a veteran on the subject.
"-Pie," the shopkeeper finished. "You can try either for free with your limited time first customer advantage."
In the mean time, Aera jacked in nearby, but not too near. Dee noticed the arrival and gave her the benefit of immediate clothing. Unfortunately, the stores were all as closed as they looked, but some had interesting offers that she may want to keep in mind for later: things like hand-sculpted jewelry, tech accessories, even chip collections. Then again, there was also a chance this wouldn't be the best place to come back to after they raised a ruckus.
Aera did manage to find another building open, but it probably wasn't one she wanted to stop at. A woman in a white armor, shaped like a one-piece swimsuit and showing off a bit too much of the legs, along with gloves, boots, and a knight's visored helmet, was sitting with her head resting in her hands inside a small booth, looking forlorn. Her appearance made her look around 18 years old in human age, with a bit of a modest chest but otherwise an ideal shape. When Aera happened to pass by and look into her booth, she suddenly sprang to her feet, holding a flyer out and becoming all enthusiasm. "Excuse me, ma'am! I'd like to talk to you for a moment about the NetPolice's Public Safety Division! Do you have time for a brief survey? We're interested in learning the opinions of the citizenry, regarding updated policies and practices, as well as current events!" she announced, not pausing to introduce herself and instead trying to get Aera locked in before Aera could walk quickly by and avoid the awkward conversation.
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Aya squinted at the selections as she listened to both navis. "I'll have my croissant plain, thank you," she said after they were done talking. "Oh, those both sound lovely Ms. Cross," Suzume said about the choices that she'd been given. It was a hard choice to be sure. "Um... I guess... I'll have... the... blueberry crepe!" she finally selected, her finger passing between the two pastry choices before finally selecting the blueberry crepe. "And I'll order a baguette to go. Assuming you have one with black seeds," Aya commented.
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DragonierMan appeared in a flash of light on the outskirts of town and began trying to sneak in. Taking to the back alleys he removes his armor and lets it fragment into data. Then he activates VeeCross. His hair darkens from gray to black. His eye-color changes from gray to brown, gaining some color. His outfit stretches across his body, forming into a black ninja garb with thunderbolt motif. No showing of skin, besides his eyes and the space between his eyes, can be seen. He sticks to the shadows as he winds his way through the district, trying to stay out of sight while he searches for a good lookout point to view the action on the street. If necessary, he would run up the wall like some sort of spider to perch on the rooftops.
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DragonierMan appeared in a flash of light on the outskirts of town and began trying to sneak in. Taking to the back alleys he removes his armor and lets it fragment into data. Then he activates VeeCross. His hair darkens from gray to black. His eye-color changes from gray to brown, gaining some color. His outfit stretches across his body, forming into a black ninja garb with thunderbolt motif. No showing of skin, besides his eyes and the space between his eyes, can be seen. He sticks to the shadows as he winds his way through the district, trying to stay out of sight while he searches for a good lookout point to view the action on the street. If necessary, he would run up the wall like some sort of spider to perch on the rooftops.
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Aera was pleased to find a place that was open, but the small booth didn't seem to be a shop, instead it had an oddly dressed Navi in white armor. Aera's presence was apparently a welcome sight, because the Navi jumped at the chance to encounter her. The Navi's demeanor and request seemed benign, so Aera merely showed mild hesitance as opposed to attempting to escape. That said, she was still surprised by her eagerness to get information for a survey.
"Um... alright I guess? Appears I have free time now, since everything seemed to be closed today..." Aera responded, sounding mildly frustrated she wasn't able to find any open shops, like a shopper denied her potential spree. "Is this survey from the Police? If so, do you know if they could do anything to keep the shops open longer or something?"
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Mach and Vector warped in a few minutes later, leaving the SP-armored Navi mostly alone in the street. He non-chalantly moved towards one of the shops, his eyes scanning the area discretely thanks to them being obscured by the visor over his face. He stopped at one of the shop's closed door, then spun on his heel to lean against the door. Once he did so, he opened up a small window, which was simply his email interface. [[i]"Keep your eye forward, or hide it if you can, Vector,"[/i]] Mach transmitted to his SP. The glowing eye on the visor remained focused on the email screen, then faded off like a diode without power. [[b]"Done, sire."[/b]] If prying eyes were watching, they'd only see the Navi apparently checking his email. However, he utilized the chance to get eyes on Dee and Escort on the street corner, as well as Aera with some white-armored Navi further down the street.
He couldn't see Suzume or Aya, but he could hear and see activity in the pastry shop past Escort and Dee, it was possible they were inside. He could get to work from his current position, but he wanted to get eyes on DragonierMan's SPs, while giving the aforementioned Navi time to find his "perch" in the shadows to provide over-watch. He considered using his Invis chip to allow him to travel freely for a time to get comprehensive situational awareness, but the SP covering his body would remain visible, thus making the attempt futile. [[i]Well, I'd assume a pervert would "scope out" his targets first, so time to move,[/i]] Mach concluded as he closed the window and started to make his way down the sidewalk opposite the pastry shop. If he passed an alleyway, a small projector drone would've materialized as he walked by. It would remain stationary in the air for a moment, then slowly retreat into the shadows and find an unobserved corner before projecting a perfect copy of the armored Navi, which would then walk about, trying to trace its master's movements behind the stores.
As he moved, he continued to scan the area, though his head was mostly caged forward. He wanted to pass by the pastry shop and get eyes on its occupants, then to the coffee shop. If it was still empty, he would've silently stepped inside. If no one appeared to be working, but sounds were heard in the back, he'd calmly ask "Excuse me, are you all still open? I'm looking to get a coffee to go, if at all possible."
"Um... alright I guess? Appears I have free time now, since everything seemed to be closed today..." Aera responded, sounding mildly frustrated she wasn't able to find any open shops, like a shopper denied her potential spree. "Is this survey from the Police? If so, do you know if they could do anything to keep the shops open longer or something?"
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Mach and Vector warped in a few minutes later, leaving the SP-armored Navi mostly alone in the street. He non-chalantly moved towards one of the shops, his eyes scanning the area discretely thanks to them being obscured by the visor over his face. He stopped at one of the shop's closed door, then spun on his heel to lean against the door. Once he did so, he opened up a small window, which was simply his email interface. [[i]"Keep your eye forward, or hide it if you can, Vector,"[/i]] Mach transmitted to his SP. The glowing eye on the visor remained focused on the email screen, then faded off like a diode without power. [[b]"Done, sire."[/b]] If prying eyes were watching, they'd only see the Navi apparently checking his email. However, he utilized the chance to get eyes on Dee and Escort on the street corner, as well as Aera with some white-armored Navi further down the street.
He couldn't see Suzume or Aya, but he could hear and see activity in the pastry shop past Escort and Dee, it was possible they were inside. He could get to work from his current position, but he wanted to get eyes on DragonierMan's SPs, while giving the aforementioned Navi time to find his "perch" in the shadows to provide over-watch. He considered using his Invis chip to allow him to travel freely for a time to get comprehensive situational awareness, but the SP covering his body would remain visible, thus making the attempt futile. [[i]Well, I'd assume a pervert would "scope out" his targets first, so time to move,[/i]] Mach concluded as he closed the window and started to make his way down the sidewalk opposite the pastry shop. If he passed an alleyway, a small projector drone would've materialized as he walked by. It would remain stationary in the air for a moment, then slowly retreat into the shadows and find an unobserved corner before projecting a perfect copy of the armored Navi, which would then walk about, trying to trace its master's movements behind the stores.
As he moved, he continued to scan the area, though his head was mostly caged forward. He wanted to pass by the pastry shop and get eyes on its occupants, then to the coffee shop. If it was still empty, he would've silently stepped inside. If no one appeared to be working, but sounds were heard in the back, he'd calmly ask "Excuse me, are you all still open? I'm looking to get a coffee to go, if at all possible."
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Aya and Suzume shrugged off their momentary half-nakedness easily enough and engaged the shopkeeper in conversation, placing some orders. "One plain croissant, one blueberry crepe, and a baguette with black sesame seeds to go. Give me just a moment to prepare!" she encouraged the others, moving to the back of her shop in order to use various appliances. Some of the appeal of the project was clearly that she made it to order, although whether such a thing had value on the net was probably up to one's individual interpretation.
The two girls were now left alone with the blue-beret-wearing, armored girl, who seemed happy that they followed her instruction. "You girls have good taste! I come shopping 'ere all zhe time on my days off. Zere's no snack as satisfying as a pastry from Cross's shop!" she proclaimed. "Allow me to introduce myself! My name is Garde. I'm with ze NetPolice Department of Public Security. Zis area 'ere is my jurisdiction, which I patrol vigilantly on a daily basis. No crime gets past me! Of course, you two are seeing it on an off shopping day right now, so zere isn't much for Garde to guard-e," she chuckled, licking her gloved fingers now that she'd finished her croissant, although she was still talking around it.
Far off, DragonierMan activated his VeeCross to get into the spirit of being a shadowy stalker, like the ninja he was emulating. Doing so would allow him to blend into the shadows. The rooftops would make an excellent perch from which to watch the streets; seemingly, he'd be alone up there, as he saw no other figure atop the buildings. On the other hand, if anyone was watching from the NP HQ, he would stick out like a sore thumb. It was hard to imagine, they kept constant watch on the rooftops from their windows over there, though. It was ultimately up to him whether he'd rather risk detection from the alleyways on the ground and suffer poor visibility down there, or risk detection from the HQ building from atop the roofs, but enjoy the satisfaction of a good vantage point.
Aera had entered full passive aggressive mode, finding that she was apparently not going to be doing any shopping on this trip. The girl in white looked at first pleased that she'd been able to get Aera's attention, than apologetic and perhaps lapsing into 'PR mode' once she realized Aera was dissatisfied. "Oh, this is a commercial sector! It is not up to the NetPolice as to what hours they decide to keep, you know?" she laughed, scratching at the nape of her neck as she made her awkward explanation. "You've caught the market on a bad day, I'm afraid. Today's an off day for most of the sales people, which means that the only places that are still open are those that see business from the NetPolice themselves on a regular basis. If you head down that way, you can find Cross's pastry store- it's open every day- and also a coffee shop that's part of a chain. If you go further away behind those buildings there and through the alley, I think there's also a dance club that stays open all day... and some other small vendors who operate on irregular hours. They basically open up any time they have something to sell; it's sort of like a flea market. Most of the other shops sell things like clothes, accessories, custom GMOs, chips, programs, or handicrafts, and you'll find that they're closed today."
That description would probably give Aera a full idea of her options; unfortunately, the girl in white only intended for that to be a small tangent before she got to the meat of why she'd called Aera over. The woman cleared her throat, then began again. "My name is DimensionGirl White, of the DimensionGirl Protection Squad, a subgroup within the NP Department of Public Security! Yes, the survey I hope to administer is from the NetPolice Department of Public Security, mostly polls regarding recent changes to policy based on current events, and potential future subjects of vote. If you're interested, we can start right away?" she asked again. "Your answers will, of course, be recorded for the purpose of our survey results."
MachMan began to execute a complex pattern of movements based on his imagined stalker pervert behavior; Dee watched him out of the corner of her eye, seeming to struggle not to laugh at how involved and thorough he was being with his character. Escort had her back to him and thus saw none of it.
He stepped into the donut shop, Donut Dreams, and found it empty... until a man's deep voice came from a speaker in the corner of the shop, which looked to be an intercom. "I serve the Dream Master," it spoke quietly. "I've observed some of your movements and have an offer for you. The people demand titillation and the opportunity is upon us. I recommend that you look beneath the cash register. There, you will find a weapon capable of destroying the outer-wear of women on the net. Please strike all targets that you can using that weapon. If you do, you will be rewarded 500 zenny per target," the voice instructed. This seemed awfully shady and like it would be a bit of an unnecessary sidequest, but then again, MachMan might have a particular idea of how he'd like to proceed. He could see a wrapped silver box beneath the cash register, marked with a black diamond pattern, presumably containing the weapon the voice had mentioned. Of course, this was NP territory... it was possible the NP weren't above a little entrapment, and therefore, he'd need to tread carefully. "Do this thing and help us to make our dreams come true!"
DragonierMan could faintly hear the same voice that was speaking to MachMan coming from nearby his far away location, although he couldn't make out the words. It seemed to be coming from the building below him, which looked to be a station for a small talk show broadcast outlet rather than a shop. If he was interested in checking it out, it would probably require breaking and entering, though; the front door and shutter were both locked tight, and the next easiest way in was probably through one of the glassed in windows on the third floor, which overlooked most of the other buildings, since they tended to only be one or two floors high in most cases. Then again, it would be easy enough to ignore the voice as well.
The two girls were now left alone with the blue-beret-wearing, armored girl, who seemed happy that they followed her instruction. "You girls have good taste! I come shopping 'ere all zhe time on my days off. Zere's no snack as satisfying as a pastry from Cross's shop!" she proclaimed. "Allow me to introduce myself! My name is Garde. I'm with ze NetPolice Department of Public Security. Zis area 'ere is my jurisdiction, which I patrol vigilantly on a daily basis. No crime gets past me! Of course, you two are seeing it on an off shopping day right now, so zere isn't much for Garde to guard-e," she chuckled, licking her gloved fingers now that she'd finished her croissant, although she was still talking around it.
Far off, DragonierMan activated his VeeCross to get into the spirit of being a shadowy stalker, like the ninja he was emulating. Doing so would allow him to blend into the shadows. The rooftops would make an excellent perch from which to watch the streets; seemingly, he'd be alone up there, as he saw no other figure atop the buildings. On the other hand, if anyone was watching from the NP HQ, he would stick out like a sore thumb. It was hard to imagine, they kept constant watch on the rooftops from their windows over there, though. It was ultimately up to him whether he'd rather risk detection from the alleyways on the ground and suffer poor visibility down there, or risk detection from the HQ building from atop the roofs, but enjoy the satisfaction of a good vantage point.
Aera had entered full passive aggressive mode, finding that she was apparently not going to be doing any shopping on this trip. The girl in white looked at first pleased that she'd been able to get Aera's attention, than apologetic and perhaps lapsing into 'PR mode' once she realized Aera was dissatisfied. "Oh, this is a commercial sector! It is not up to the NetPolice as to what hours they decide to keep, you know?" she laughed, scratching at the nape of her neck as she made her awkward explanation. "You've caught the market on a bad day, I'm afraid. Today's an off day for most of the sales people, which means that the only places that are still open are those that see business from the NetPolice themselves on a regular basis. If you head down that way, you can find Cross's pastry store- it's open every day- and also a coffee shop that's part of a chain. If you go further away behind those buildings there and through the alley, I think there's also a dance club that stays open all day... and some other small vendors who operate on irregular hours. They basically open up any time they have something to sell; it's sort of like a flea market. Most of the other shops sell things like clothes, accessories, custom GMOs, chips, programs, or handicrafts, and you'll find that they're closed today."
That description would probably give Aera a full idea of her options; unfortunately, the girl in white only intended for that to be a small tangent before she got to the meat of why she'd called Aera over. The woman cleared her throat, then began again. "My name is DimensionGirl White, of the DimensionGirl Protection Squad, a subgroup within the NP Department of Public Security! Yes, the survey I hope to administer is from the NetPolice Department of Public Security, mostly polls regarding recent changes to policy based on current events, and potential future subjects of vote. If you're interested, we can start right away?" she asked again. "Your answers will, of course, be recorded for the purpose of our survey results."
MachMan began to execute a complex pattern of movements based on his imagined stalker pervert behavior; Dee watched him out of the corner of her eye, seeming to struggle not to laugh at how involved and thorough he was being with his character. Escort had her back to him and thus saw none of it.
He stepped into the donut shop, Donut Dreams, and found it empty... until a man's deep voice came from a speaker in the corner of the shop, which looked to be an intercom. "I serve the Dream Master," it spoke quietly. "I've observed some of your movements and have an offer for you. The people demand titillation and the opportunity is upon us. I recommend that you look beneath the cash register. There, you will find a weapon capable of destroying the outer-wear of women on the net. Please strike all targets that you can using that weapon. If you do, you will be rewarded 500 zenny per target," the voice instructed. This seemed awfully shady and like it would be a bit of an unnecessary sidequest, but then again, MachMan might have a particular idea of how he'd like to proceed. He could see a wrapped silver box beneath the cash register, marked with a black diamond pattern, presumably containing the weapon the voice had mentioned. Of course, this was NP territory... it was possible the NP weren't above a little entrapment, and therefore, he'd need to tread carefully. "Do this thing and help us to make our dreams come true!"
DragonierMan could faintly hear the same voice that was speaking to MachMan coming from nearby his far away location, although he couldn't make out the words. It seemed to be coming from the building below him, which looked to be a station for a small talk show broadcast outlet rather than a shop. If he was interested in checking it out, it would probably require breaking and entering, though; the front door and shutter were both locked tight, and the next easiest way in was probably through one of the glassed in windows on the third floor, which overlooked most of the other buildings, since they tended to only be one or two floors high in most cases. Then again, it would be easy enough to ignore the voice as well.
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Suzume and Aya listened as Garde introduced herself and the surrounding district. "If Cross' has the best pastries in the district, why is the place not busy today?" Aya asked. "Do these 'off-days' happen often?" Suzume asked. Sure, it was good that the place wasn't so crowded that there would be little to stand in the way of their dastardly plot. However, Garde could potentially hinder their plans. "Has there been any noteworthy crime in the area recently?" Aya asked. Suzume feigned shock. "I hope not! I would hate to have my day ruined by some creep."
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DragonierMan attempted to stealthily cling to the side of the building. That way he wouldn't be seen on ground level or on the roofs. Ignoring the sounds from the speaker in a nearby building, he pressed himself as close to the building as he could while still being able to move. Then he crawled until he could poke his head around the corner and view the street from above. Once he found the girls, he would lay there, clinging to the side of the building above street level, and watch them silently from his perch.
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DragonierMan attempted to stealthily cling to the side of the building. That way he wouldn't be seen on ground level or on the roofs. Ignoring the sounds from the speaker in a nearby building, he pressed himself as close to the building as he could while still being able to move. Then he crawled until he could poke his head around the corner and view the street from above. Once he found the girls, he would lay there, clinging to the side of the building above street level, and watch them silently from his perch.
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Aera let the girl speak, though it was apparent to have no control over the situation, she still sounded politely apologetic. Maybe spokesperson techniques were part of the job requirements? The Navi also offered Aera a few options for what was open, the only new info being there was a dance club nearby. "Ah, I understand," Aera replied, appearing to calm down a bit more, as if the reality of no shopping was finally being accepted.
The Navi, now introduced as DimensionGirl White, moved back to business at hand and requested if Aera would like to participate. Aera felt if she remained in place for a bit, it would make it easier for the rest of the group to keep tabs on her, all under the guise of completing the survey. "Alright, seems fair since you helped bring me up to speed, sorry if I got a little rude..." she trailed off with a meek tone, as if she was late to realize her bad attitude.
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Mach's question was answered with an alarming answer from the intercom speaker in the corner of the room. Not only did the voice prompt him to do the EXACT THING they planned mere minutes before, it also offered payment for each target hit. Thankfully Vector's armored visor concealed the shock on Mach's face. Either this was a case of seemingly impossible coincidence, or something went very, very wrong. The voice made it obvious Mach had been observed, possibly as early as his entrance to the area. He quickly regained his composure, and put his hands up slightly as he made a step backwards. "Woah now, you have an interesting offer, but I'm just looking for a coffee," He responded, feigning ignorance.
He was about to send an alert message to General Yasu, but he hesitated. [[i]If I'm being watched, could they be able to intercept transmissions as well? I can't risk revealing the NS's involvement, especially if this "Dream Master" has access to a mole within the NS itself. It's way too convenient to be coincidence, but how the hell would they have the time to set this up when it's been less than a half-hour since I brought up this plan? Besides, there was no one else there besides my team, Drago's, Dee, and Escort. Could one of them be an informant?[/i]] Mach's mind was going a mile a minute as he tried to listen to the voice's response while he contemplated the possibility of a security breach within the NS. A nagging thought in the back of the head grumbled "why do all of these missions seem to get FUBAR'd as soon as we show up?"
The Navi, now introduced as DimensionGirl White, moved back to business at hand and requested if Aera would like to participate. Aera felt if she remained in place for a bit, it would make it easier for the rest of the group to keep tabs on her, all under the guise of completing the survey. "Alright, seems fair since you helped bring me up to speed, sorry if I got a little rude..." she trailed off with a meek tone, as if she was late to realize her bad attitude.
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Mach's question was answered with an alarming answer from the intercom speaker in the corner of the room. Not only did the voice prompt him to do the EXACT THING they planned mere minutes before, it also offered payment for each target hit. Thankfully Vector's armored visor concealed the shock on Mach's face. Either this was a case of seemingly impossible coincidence, or something went very, very wrong. The voice made it obvious Mach had been observed, possibly as early as his entrance to the area. He quickly regained his composure, and put his hands up slightly as he made a step backwards. "Woah now, you have an interesting offer, but I'm just looking for a coffee," He responded, feigning ignorance.
He was about to send an alert message to General Yasu, but he hesitated. [[i]If I'm being watched, could they be able to intercept transmissions as well? I can't risk revealing the NS's involvement, especially if this "Dream Master" has access to a mole within the NS itself. It's way too convenient to be coincidence, but how the hell would they have the time to set this up when it's been less than a half-hour since I brought up this plan? Besides, there was no one else there besides my team, Drago's, Dee, and Escort. Could one of them be an informant?[/i]] Mach's mind was going a mile a minute as he tried to listen to the voice's response while he contemplated the possibility of a security breach within the NS. A nagging thought in the back of the head grumbled "why do all of these missions seem to get FUBAR'd as soon as we show up?"
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"Probably because none of ze o'zer shops are open today," Garde murmured, placing one gloved hand to her chin and crossing her arms. "As good as ze pastry shop is, one mostly comes to such a shop while on o'zer business, no? So zere isn't much traffic to take interest in it today." She chuckled, then shrugged with her palms upward. "Oui, ze occur precisely this day every week!" she answered, sounding a bit sarcastic. The conversation took another turn that Garde was happy to follow, moving her arms so that her hands were placed at her hips. "I am happy to report zat, under ze watchful vigilance of moi, who is like a faithful falcon for ze NetPolice, the crime rate here is lower zen ever! Ze last crime I remember intervening to stop was months ago, when some mafioso brazenly attempted to trap me and one of my underlings. Ho ho ho! Ze folly! My graceful swordplay made swift work of zem!" she boasted, puffing her chest out and pounding her fist against her breastplate. "I can say with one hundred percent certainty zat nothing untoward will happen to you two girls today!"
Having found a safe spot and not feeling overly concerned by the noise from below, DragonierMan settled on a happy medium between the roof and the alley that would not expose him from all sides, at least. Now he just had to rely on having a strong grip.
The white-armored girl who'd engaged Aera chuckled, then smiled. "Quite alright, citizen! Thank you for agreeing. Allow me to lay out some policies that have been enacted based on recent events across the net. After each of them I'll ask you whether your response to them is highly favorable, favorable, indifferent, negative, or highly negative, and you simply answer one of those five with any additional feedback that comes to mind!" the DimensionGirl continued, summoning up a remarkable amount of enthusiasm for what seemed like strikingly dull subject matter. "Feel free to come inside and take a seat, if you like!" she offered, although Aera might be wise to refuse. Doing so would take her out of visible range from the other girls. "Topic one, then! In the past, all shopkeepers in this district kept hold of a member list related to known NetMafia threats who might be operating in the area and were advised to contact the NetPolice if they spotted any malefactors from that list in the district. We have recently expanded our coverage to include other black-listed individuals, such as those of the Blessers organization or Right of Operations Templar. What do you think of the increased list of to-watch individuals?" she asked, now having seated herself at the booth's window.
MachMan was receiving inquiry of his own otherwise, though his was certainly not coming from the NetPolice, unless someone was trying to trap him into something. "Is that so? You arrived here in a short time frame from the attractive women that jacked in here moments ago, and you observe them from a distance, but you say you just want coffee? Didn't you come here to stalk them?" the voice murmured. It seemed likely that the voice was being distorted through some technology, a classic trick by those wishing to keep their identities hidden. "The NetPolice presence in this area is weak. I can tell you are powerful. Use your skill to help others achieve their dreams. That is the goal of the Dream Master: fulfilling the wishes of the masses. Here in their backyard, the NetPolice may seem like a majority, but really, they an insignificant minority. You should help the majority achieve their wishes by stripping those girls of their clothing. It's the right thing to do. Keep in mind that if you don't accept my offer... someone else will. That is the way that the majority's will works, isn't it?"
Ironically, the question that MachMan asked himself was exactly the type of conspiracy Cabal had historically been interested in, but that coincidence wouldn't be enough to summon her. The group would have to put their plan into motion, one way or another. Dee and Escort were still playing tourist out on the streets, chatting with one another, but Dee had her eye discretely on the coffee shop that MachMan had disappeared into, unavoidably antsy as she waited for him to set events into motion.
Having found a safe spot and not feeling overly concerned by the noise from below, DragonierMan settled on a happy medium between the roof and the alley that would not expose him from all sides, at least. Now he just had to rely on having a strong grip.
The white-armored girl who'd engaged Aera chuckled, then smiled. "Quite alright, citizen! Thank you for agreeing. Allow me to lay out some policies that have been enacted based on recent events across the net. After each of them I'll ask you whether your response to them is highly favorable, favorable, indifferent, negative, or highly negative, and you simply answer one of those five with any additional feedback that comes to mind!" the DimensionGirl continued, summoning up a remarkable amount of enthusiasm for what seemed like strikingly dull subject matter. "Feel free to come inside and take a seat, if you like!" she offered, although Aera might be wise to refuse. Doing so would take her out of visible range from the other girls. "Topic one, then! In the past, all shopkeepers in this district kept hold of a member list related to known NetMafia threats who might be operating in the area and were advised to contact the NetPolice if they spotted any malefactors from that list in the district. We have recently expanded our coverage to include other black-listed individuals, such as those of the Blessers organization or Right of Operations Templar. What do you think of the increased list of to-watch individuals?" she asked, now having seated herself at the booth's window.
MachMan was receiving inquiry of his own otherwise, though his was certainly not coming from the NetPolice, unless someone was trying to trap him into something. "Is that so? You arrived here in a short time frame from the attractive women that jacked in here moments ago, and you observe them from a distance, but you say you just want coffee? Didn't you come here to stalk them?" the voice murmured. It seemed likely that the voice was being distorted through some technology, a classic trick by those wishing to keep their identities hidden. "The NetPolice presence in this area is weak. I can tell you are powerful. Use your skill to help others achieve their dreams. That is the goal of the Dream Master: fulfilling the wishes of the masses. Here in their backyard, the NetPolice may seem like a majority, but really, they an insignificant minority. You should help the majority achieve their wishes by stripping those girls of their clothing. It's the right thing to do. Keep in mind that if you don't accept my offer... someone else will. That is the way that the majority's will works, isn't it?"
Ironically, the question that MachMan asked himself was exactly the type of conspiracy Cabal had historically been interested in, but that coincidence wouldn't be enough to summon her. The group would have to put their plan into motion, one way or another. Dee and Escort were still playing tourist out on the streets, chatting with one another, but Dee had her eye discretely on the coffee shop that MachMan had disappeared into, unavoidably antsy as she waited for him to set events into motion.
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"Thank you for the offer, but I'll stand. This dress seems to wrinkle really easily, I was actually looking for a store to get a replacement or repair, since I can't seem to resolve this bug." Aera politely declined DimensionGirl White's offer to take a seat inside, mostly to stay in view of the rest of the group. Undeterred, the Navi proceeded with the first question, prompting Aera to listen quietly. She'd never heard of the Blessers or Right of Operations Templar, and made a mental note in case they were brought up again.
"Hm... I guess I should say... indifferent? I mean, I like the idea of keeping a watchful eye on criminals and mobsters, but what keeps a regular Navi, like say... me, from ending up getting "black-listed?" Seems like a slippery slope to me..."
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Mach didn't have much choice but to engage the voice, and start to warm up to the idea. "Okay, it's creepy that you've been spying on me. However, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious of what those girls are wearing underneath." He continued scanning the room, looking for any sort of camera or anything of interest that could help him out now or later. "Though you claim the NP presence is weak, I'd rather not get put in the slammer for something like this. If you can provide some 'assurance' I'll walk away from this without a criminal record, or say... make it 1000z per girl, then you'll have yourself a deal." [[b]"Sire..."[/b]] Vector piped up in protest. [[i]"I don't like it either, but if we 'play along' we may still be able to accomplish the mission,"[/i]] Mach replied, causing the SP to return to compliant silence.
If their answer was acceptable enough, Mach would've approached then opened the box to reveal the weapon he'd been tasked to use. He'd give the weapon a good look-over, trying to ascertain how it worked. He didn't plan to actually use it; he feared the unknown weapon may have effects beyond stripping a target's outerwear, and he wouldn't test it on one of his comrades or an innocent bystander. It was very likely the entity behind the voice would see he struck targets without the use of their weapon, likely cancelling payment, but securing the weapon could prevent others from accepting their offer, and provide useful data to the proper people. Regardless, the entire situation screamed "trap," but there were no immediate alternatives that didn't jeopardize the mission.
If there was nothing else relevant being said by the voice, Mach would've calmly made his way out of the coffee shop after attempting to put the weapon back in its box and take it with him, to keep it concealed until it was "needed." If he had immediate eyes on Dee and Escort, he would try to put his plan into motion. He wanted to make either one or both of them his first targets, then use his speed to disappear, only to strike Aera a few moments later to spread the confusion.
With that plan in mind, he approached the pair, preferably down the sidewalk or in some fashion that made his path seem coincidental. Making a bee-line towards them would be about as subtle as a Metool trying to fix a window with a mattock. Still cradling the box under his left arm, he would've tried to nonchalantly retrieve the squirt gun from the container on his lower back as he approached. If he managed to get within range, he would've paused a moment before quietly saying "Ladies~" to get Dee and Escort's attention (which he likely already had, they would've been watching his movements since he arrived). As soon as they looked towards him, he would've aimed the squirt gun towards Dee before pulling the trigger. He tried to swipe the weapon to the side, to get both Dee and Escort in the relatively brief shot of water.
Mach was curious to see how the effect would work, and would've watched their clothing somehow disappear while under the guise of lecherously looking them over in their underwear. To further complete the perviness, Mach faked a grin and simply said "Nice, heheheh." to voice his "approval" of their choices in undergarments. Hopefully before they could make a non-reflexive reaction, he would've sped off, trying to intercept an alleyway or some sort of path out of sight. He had to make his way over to Aera, but hopefully without being seen.
"Hm... I guess I should say... indifferent? I mean, I like the idea of keeping a watchful eye on criminals and mobsters, but what keeps a regular Navi, like say... me, from ending up getting "black-listed?" Seems like a slippery slope to me..."
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Mach didn't have much choice but to engage the voice, and start to warm up to the idea. "Okay, it's creepy that you've been spying on me. However, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious of what those girls are wearing underneath." He continued scanning the room, looking for any sort of camera or anything of interest that could help him out now or later. "Though you claim the NP presence is weak, I'd rather not get put in the slammer for something like this. If you can provide some 'assurance' I'll walk away from this without a criminal record, or say... make it 1000z per girl, then you'll have yourself a deal." [[b]"Sire..."[/b]] Vector piped up in protest. [[i]"I don't like it either, but if we 'play along' we may still be able to accomplish the mission,"[/i]] Mach replied, causing the SP to return to compliant silence.
If their answer was acceptable enough, Mach would've approached then opened the box to reveal the weapon he'd been tasked to use. He'd give the weapon a good look-over, trying to ascertain how it worked. He didn't plan to actually use it; he feared the unknown weapon may have effects beyond stripping a target's outerwear, and he wouldn't test it on one of his comrades or an innocent bystander. It was very likely the entity behind the voice would see he struck targets without the use of their weapon, likely cancelling payment, but securing the weapon could prevent others from accepting their offer, and provide useful data to the proper people. Regardless, the entire situation screamed "trap," but there were no immediate alternatives that didn't jeopardize the mission.
If there was nothing else relevant being said by the voice, Mach would've calmly made his way out of the coffee shop after attempting to put the weapon back in its box and take it with him, to keep it concealed until it was "needed." If he had immediate eyes on Dee and Escort, he would try to put his plan into motion. He wanted to make either one or both of them his first targets, then use his speed to disappear, only to strike Aera a few moments later to spread the confusion.
With that plan in mind, he approached the pair, preferably down the sidewalk or in some fashion that made his path seem coincidental. Making a bee-line towards them would be about as subtle as a Metool trying to fix a window with a mattock. Still cradling the box under his left arm, he would've tried to nonchalantly retrieve the squirt gun from the container on his lower back as he approached. If he managed to get within range, he would've paused a moment before quietly saying "Ladies~" to get Dee and Escort's attention (which he likely already had, they would've been watching his movements since he arrived). As soon as they looked towards him, he would've aimed the squirt gun towards Dee before pulling the trigger. He tried to swipe the weapon to the side, to get both Dee and Escort in the relatively brief shot of water.
Mach was curious to see how the effect would work, and would've watched their clothing somehow disappear while under the guise of lecherously looking them over in their underwear. To further complete the perviness, Mach faked a grin and simply said "Nice, heheheh." to voice his "approval" of their choices in undergarments. Hopefully before they could make a non-reflexive reaction, he would've sped off, trying to intercept an alleyway or some sort of path out of sight. He had to make his way over to Aera, but hopefully without being seen.
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Suzume and Aya listened as Garde told them that all the shops were closed, but that they were perfectly safe with her around. "Is it a holiday?" Aya asked. "Why would almost all the shops be close on this fine day?" Suzume asked. It seemed strange that the digital landscape would have days where almost all the shops were closed. Although, it could be that the NetPolice put some sort of curfew into place. But then why would the pastry shop still be open?
Suzume then perked up, acting relieved at the reassurances of Garde, as befitting Suzume's earlier scared outburst. "Well, at least the threat of danger is no longer on my mind now that you are here. That is a relief," she breathed. "And since you patrol this district, perhaps you can give my sister and I here the tour? Seeing as how we are new to the area and don't really know our way around."
Currently the antics of MachMan wasn't loud or boisterous enough to draw the attention of the twins. So they continued their act while they silently thought to themselves on what to do with Garde should the time come. Either to distract her or to somehow cause her to call for backup to the right people.
Suzume then perked up, acting relieved at the reassurances of Garde, as befitting Suzume's earlier scared outburst. "Well, at least the threat of danger is no longer on my mind now that you are here. That is a relief," she breathed. "And since you patrol this district, perhaps you can give my sister and I here the tour? Seeing as how we are new to the area and don't really know our way around."
Currently the antics of MachMan wasn't loud or boisterous enough to draw the attention of the twins. So they continued their act while they silently thought to themselves on what to do with Garde should the time come. Either to distract her or to somehow cause her to call for backup to the right people.
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"Hm, that is problematic," the DimensionGirl in white murmured, taking a moment to look the dress over. "That's a pretty unusual bug to have. I wish I could help. Unfortunately, we DimensionGirls rarely appear out of costume, so I don't have a lot of experience with other costumes," she admitted. Those thoughts were but a short intermission before she got around to her first question, which Aera answered simply enough. She began writing down the answer, staring downward at first, but eventually lifting her head to meet eyes with Aera again. "Of course, it's only natural that the citizenry would be concerned about our selection criteria. I assure you, the black-listed individuals are only those from registered criminal organizations, such as the Net Mafia and ROT, the Terror Girls, other criminal and terrorist organizations, those types of people. We all choose our lifestyle and, unfortunately for them, if they choose to go down that road, that means they don't get to shop in our fine market district. Hopefully their ill-gotten gains make up for the lack of tasty croissants!" she joked.
"Alright, subject number two..." she continued. "Recently, as you might know, the Neo-Shogun Empire has become an increased presence on the net. It's well known that a large portion of their membership consists of women, who dress in uniforms designed to appeal to the opposite sex. While some of the NP have taken stances against this, we have no official opinion as an organization. However, a portion of our client base have expressed concerns that the DimensionGirls themselves are equipped with gear that is specifically designed for that same purpose. An appeal has been made to have us switch to more conservative uniforms, modeled after DimensionMan's own, which includes an under-suit. What do you think about that motion?" she inquired, scooting forward in her chair a bit as she asked. "I mean, that's a bit ridiculous, isn't it? There's nothing scandalous about my uniform! It's the same one that DimensionGirl White wears in the comics, after all!" She recrossed her legs, perhaps inadvertently highlighting the bare section that ran from the thighs of her boots to the crotch of her swimsuit-style uniform.
In the pastry shop, Garde raised one eyebrow. "No, no holiday. It's just like an off day for zeir work, sort of like how flea markets might not assemble every day or how your favorite restaurant might stay closed on Sunday, you know? Right now, ze only shops zat're open are ze ones zat are most frequented by NetPolice, who patrol zis area regardless. You see, Cross' store is especially popular with ze fellows in ze force!" she explained. "Zere's also a dance club but... er... I'm not sure why zey stay open zis day," she added, shrugging absently. The girls continued to butter Garde up more than the fresh-baked bread Cross sold, which had the effect of making her continue to shine brighter and grow more confident. "Of course, certainly! Alzo', like I said, zere is very little to see zat is open at ze moment," she answered.
"Not until you girls have enjoyed your snacks," the shopkeeper chuckled, bringing them the first time gifts she'd promised; the crepe sat in a small, plastic-topped box, while the croissant was presented in a cute, red-and-gold striped wrapper. The baguette she'd wrapped and bagged inside a red carrying bag. "And you can enjoy the baguette as another special, one-time referal bonus from Garde here," she added, giving a quick wink. "She is one of my most dependable customers, after all."
"If it's a referral bonus, zen shouldn't I get it?" Garde asked, pointing to herself hopefully and looking hungry again. Cross rolled her eyes. Garde's tour would never actually come to pass, however, as everyone's attention would soon be diverted...
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"Serving the dreams of the people always carries a certain degree of risk. I cannot fully reassure you that you will not be targeted by the NetPolice. I can assist you, however... I will cause a disturbance on the other side of the district that should draw the minimal NetPolice presence away from the area you now inhabit. That will give you some time to make your move," the voice reassured him. "As for the reward, I suppose it's a small price to pay to see dreams made reality. Now go," it finished, before growing silent.
The weapon that was hiding beneath the counter was significantly more impractical than the water gun MachMan had been planning to use: it was a slingshot, which would stick out like a sore thumb as he walked around. A number of small, clear blue spheres sat inside a pouch that was also included, likely the projectiles. Unfortunately, they didn't look like they actually contained water, or he'd probably be able to make a pretty slick act, pretending to use one while actually allowing Dee to use her water magic. Regardless, he felt a bit too wary to actually use the device. Rather than using it, he'd head back outside carrying the box under one arm.
Although the voice had promised him some disturbance, it wasn't really clear if they were following through on their part (nor if MachMan actually wanted a disturbance to draw the NP away, as he sort of needed an audience). No obvious disturbance was drawing anyone out of the area.
Dee and her friend were right where MachMan expected them to be and easily positioned for him to approach and get a shot off. Escort slowly looked over her shoulder as he approached, perhaps unable to do otherwise thanks to her keen senses, while Dee watched his approach the entire time... It was slowly becoming clear that acting might not be one of Dee's greatest talents, as a smile spread across her face, an expression not befitting of the situation. "Yes, sir? Oh, goodness!" she cried out in a giggly voice, holding out her hands to stop the water from blasting her too directly. Regardless, it accomplished its effect, causing mist to stream from her body at roughly the point of impact, continuing across to evaporate the smokescreen of fashionable clothing she'd been putting up. She would very quickly be left standing in the middle of the street, wearing only the blue lingerie the others had seen her in earlier. Ironically, the water had barely hit her, but her body was actually somewhat moist with the dampness of the mist she'd been using to hold the illusion.
Escort, on the other hand, did nothing to block the attack, but made a better show of shivering and acting surprised when it hit her. The cheongsam, pants, and arm warmers vanishing all together was quite a sight; when they all disappeared, he'd see that her body was much the same as Dee's, slightly wet from the illusion. What wasn't the same was her reaction: unlike Dee, she was perhaps too good of an actor, and looked grossly offended by what he'd just done. "How dare you attack my friend and me!" she scolded, turning to face him and scowling in a way that looked more vicious than she'd ever actually appeared on mission before. "You'll pay dearly!" Instead of allowing him to escape immediately, she ran after him, the ground thundering beneath her feet in a sound that wouldn't have seemed out of place if she was a charging rhinoceros or stampeding elephant. If he'd had time to watch, he'd see quite a spectacle; her breasts heaved up and down, swinging with impressive force behind the thin wrap that covered them, looking almost supernatural in just how extraordinary a sight they were, in real life or on the net. When he applied his full speed, however, even she was not able to keep up with him, although it looked like she was trying. She skid to a stop and nearly blew a crater into the side of one of the shops with the force of her impact as she came up short, missing her target. "Damn! I won't let you get away from me!" she roared. It'd be impossible for anyone watching to tell she was acting, on the plus side. On the down side, he'd also have lost the element of surprise.
In a hidden alleyway, MachMan was safe from the pursuit of Escort, but it was clear that the NP in the area were now converging to find out what had happened. It might strike him now that he'd never actually heard how he was going to receive payment after he used the weapon he'd been given.. At least he could take solace in the fact that looping around the alley to where Aera was standing would be simple.
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Both Garde and the DimensionGirl had sprung into action due to Escort's voice and run out into the street, each hastily excusing themselves from the girls they were speaking to. "What's going on here? Is zere some sort of crime?!" Garde cried, looking for evidence. That didn't take long, as Dee was still standing in the middle of the road, wearing a silly smile and little else besides her underwear. Escort, clad in her fundoshi wrap, slowly freed herself from the wall she'd nearly burrowed into. "Sacrebleu! What ze hell is happening? A-Am I in danger? Zut alors, I should have put in more time at ze gym!" she complained, perhaps louder than she meant to. Of course, if she knew what MachMan's weapon really was, she'd know she was in no danger from it.
Escort, apparently bound and determined to keep acting the part of a rational and highly pissed off victim, but not wanting to put them on MachMan's actual trail, pointed towards a different alley than the one he'd vanished into. "There was a pervert! I believe he went in that direction... I tried to chase him, but I lost him..." she complained, glancing again at the cracked wall.
"... I'm actually not sure if the destruction of property isn't relatively equivilant to his crime... B-But regardless! We'll find him!" the DimensionGirl claimed. "And um, you!" she cried, turning and pointing towards Aera with a determined expression, before dropping it and making a pleading frown. "Please wait around for me to finish the survey? Pretty please? I'm not going to hit my numbers at this rate!" she sobbed, before heading into the alley that they'd mentioned. "Do you think we should call some of the others to help?"
"Nonono! Perish the thought. Such a small time criminal as zis is not worthy of their attention! I will be more zan enough to stop this miscreant!" she announced, confidently pressing one hand to her chest while smirking to the girls who'd been praising her earlier. It was likely that their words had gone to her head and she didn't want to look like she wasn't up to the task, although her immediately calling in back up might have inspired more admiration in her sense of duty than her deciding to handle it by herself. "Come here, you heinous criminal!" she called out, placing one hand on the hilt of her thrusting sword as she entered the incorrect alley.
"I'll cover your back," the DimensionGirl added, waiting at the entrance of the alley, which would give her a view into the street. Escort made a show of searching for the criminal while Dee stuck close behind her. The contact was causing Escort's face to become red again and her eyes to wander.
The pastry shop owner motioned to Aya and Suzume from behind her counter. "Come back here, girls. We can hide while we wait for the threat to pass, if you want," she offered, which was a kind gesture, although ultimately a bit silly, considering they didn't have a store-front they needed to watch and would theoretically be just as well served to simply jack out.
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DragonierMan would have a fine view of the action and would notice no additional activity from the tower. From his current position, he'd heard all the words the voice had spoken to MachMan, but he could also tell that they'd done nothing to actually follow up on making a distraction for him, assuming the distraction was supposed to come from nearby the building he was clinging to.
"Alright, subject number two..." she continued. "Recently, as you might know, the Neo-Shogun Empire has become an increased presence on the net. It's well known that a large portion of their membership consists of women, who dress in uniforms designed to appeal to the opposite sex. While some of the NP have taken stances against this, we have no official opinion as an organization. However, a portion of our client base have expressed concerns that the DimensionGirls themselves are equipped with gear that is specifically designed for that same purpose. An appeal has been made to have us switch to more conservative uniforms, modeled after DimensionMan's own, which includes an under-suit. What do you think about that motion?" she inquired, scooting forward in her chair a bit as she asked. "I mean, that's a bit ridiculous, isn't it? There's nothing scandalous about my uniform! It's the same one that DimensionGirl White wears in the comics, after all!" She recrossed her legs, perhaps inadvertently highlighting the bare section that ran from the thighs of her boots to the crotch of her swimsuit-style uniform.
In the pastry shop, Garde raised one eyebrow. "No, no holiday. It's just like an off day for zeir work, sort of like how flea markets might not assemble every day or how your favorite restaurant might stay closed on Sunday, you know? Right now, ze only shops zat're open are ze ones zat are most frequented by NetPolice, who patrol zis area regardless. You see, Cross' store is especially popular with ze fellows in ze force!" she explained. "Zere's also a dance club but... er... I'm not sure why zey stay open zis day," she added, shrugging absently. The girls continued to butter Garde up more than the fresh-baked bread Cross sold, which had the effect of making her continue to shine brighter and grow more confident. "Of course, certainly! Alzo', like I said, zere is very little to see zat is open at ze moment," she answered.
"Not until you girls have enjoyed your snacks," the shopkeeper chuckled, bringing them the first time gifts she'd promised; the crepe sat in a small, plastic-topped box, while the croissant was presented in a cute, red-and-gold striped wrapper. The baguette she'd wrapped and bagged inside a red carrying bag. "And you can enjoy the baguette as another special, one-time referal bonus from Garde here," she added, giving a quick wink. "She is one of my most dependable customers, after all."
"If it's a referral bonus, zen shouldn't I get it?" Garde asked, pointing to herself hopefully and looking hungry again. Cross rolled her eyes. Garde's tour would never actually come to pass, however, as everyone's attention would soon be diverted...
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"Serving the dreams of the people always carries a certain degree of risk. I cannot fully reassure you that you will not be targeted by the NetPolice. I can assist you, however... I will cause a disturbance on the other side of the district that should draw the minimal NetPolice presence away from the area you now inhabit. That will give you some time to make your move," the voice reassured him. "As for the reward, I suppose it's a small price to pay to see dreams made reality. Now go," it finished, before growing silent.
The weapon that was hiding beneath the counter was significantly more impractical than the water gun MachMan had been planning to use: it was a slingshot, which would stick out like a sore thumb as he walked around. A number of small, clear blue spheres sat inside a pouch that was also included, likely the projectiles. Unfortunately, they didn't look like they actually contained water, or he'd probably be able to make a pretty slick act, pretending to use one while actually allowing Dee to use her water magic. Regardless, he felt a bit too wary to actually use the device. Rather than using it, he'd head back outside carrying the box under one arm.
Although the voice had promised him some disturbance, it wasn't really clear if they were following through on their part (nor if MachMan actually wanted a disturbance to draw the NP away, as he sort of needed an audience). No obvious disturbance was drawing anyone out of the area.
Dee and her friend were right where MachMan expected them to be and easily positioned for him to approach and get a shot off. Escort slowly looked over her shoulder as he approached, perhaps unable to do otherwise thanks to her keen senses, while Dee watched his approach the entire time... It was slowly becoming clear that acting might not be one of Dee's greatest talents, as a smile spread across her face, an expression not befitting of the situation. "Yes, sir? Oh, goodness!" she cried out in a giggly voice, holding out her hands to stop the water from blasting her too directly. Regardless, it accomplished its effect, causing mist to stream from her body at roughly the point of impact, continuing across to evaporate the smokescreen of fashionable clothing she'd been putting up. She would very quickly be left standing in the middle of the street, wearing only the blue lingerie the others had seen her in earlier. Ironically, the water had barely hit her, but her body was actually somewhat moist with the dampness of the mist she'd been using to hold the illusion.
Escort, on the other hand, did nothing to block the attack, but made a better show of shivering and acting surprised when it hit her. The cheongsam, pants, and arm warmers vanishing all together was quite a sight; when they all disappeared, he'd see that her body was much the same as Dee's, slightly wet from the illusion. What wasn't the same was her reaction: unlike Dee, she was perhaps too good of an actor, and looked grossly offended by what he'd just done. "How dare you attack my friend and me!" she scolded, turning to face him and scowling in a way that looked more vicious than she'd ever actually appeared on mission before. "You'll pay dearly!" Instead of allowing him to escape immediately, she ran after him, the ground thundering beneath her feet in a sound that wouldn't have seemed out of place if she was a charging rhinoceros or stampeding elephant. If he'd had time to watch, he'd see quite a spectacle; her breasts heaved up and down, swinging with impressive force behind the thin wrap that covered them, looking almost supernatural in just how extraordinary a sight they were, in real life or on the net. When he applied his full speed, however, even she was not able to keep up with him, although it looked like she was trying. She skid to a stop and nearly blew a crater into the side of one of the shops with the force of her impact as she came up short, missing her target. "Damn! I won't let you get away from me!" she roared. It'd be impossible for anyone watching to tell she was acting, on the plus side. On the down side, he'd also have lost the element of surprise.
In a hidden alleyway, MachMan was safe from the pursuit of Escort, but it was clear that the NP in the area were now converging to find out what had happened. It might strike him now that he'd never actually heard how he was going to receive payment after he used the weapon he'd been given.. At least he could take solace in the fact that looping around the alley to where Aera was standing would be simple.
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Both Garde and the DimensionGirl had sprung into action due to Escort's voice and run out into the street, each hastily excusing themselves from the girls they were speaking to. "What's going on here? Is zere some sort of crime?!" Garde cried, looking for evidence. That didn't take long, as Dee was still standing in the middle of the road, wearing a silly smile and little else besides her underwear. Escort, clad in her fundoshi wrap, slowly freed herself from the wall she'd nearly burrowed into. "Sacrebleu! What ze hell is happening? A-Am I in danger? Zut alors, I should have put in more time at ze gym!" she complained, perhaps louder than she meant to. Of course, if she knew what MachMan's weapon really was, she'd know she was in no danger from it.
Escort, apparently bound and determined to keep acting the part of a rational and highly pissed off victim, but not wanting to put them on MachMan's actual trail, pointed towards a different alley than the one he'd vanished into. "There was a pervert! I believe he went in that direction... I tried to chase him, but I lost him..." she complained, glancing again at the cracked wall.
"... I'm actually not sure if the destruction of property isn't relatively equivilant to his crime... B-But regardless! We'll find him!" the DimensionGirl claimed. "And um, you!" she cried, turning and pointing towards Aera with a determined expression, before dropping it and making a pleading frown. "Please wait around for me to finish the survey? Pretty please? I'm not going to hit my numbers at this rate!" she sobbed, before heading into the alley that they'd mentioned. "Do you think we should call some of the others to help?"
"Nonono! Perish the thought. Such a small time criminal as zis is not worthy of their attention! I will be more zan enough to stop this miscreant!" she announced, confidently pressing one hand to her chest while smirking to the girls who'd been praising her earlier. It was likely that their words had gone to her head and she didn't want to look like she wasn't up to the task, although her immediately calling in back up might have inspired more admiration in her sense of duty than her deciding to handle it by herself. "Come here, you heinous criminal!" she called out, placing one hand on the hilt of her thrusting sword as she entered the incorrect alley.
"I'll cover your back," the DimensionGirl added, waiting at the entrance of the alley, which would give her a view into the street. Escort made a show of searching for the criminal while Dee stuck close behind her. The contact was causing Escort's face to become red again and her eyes to wander.
The pastry shop owner motioned to Aya and Suzume from behind her counter. "Come back here, girls. We can hide while we wait for the threat to pass, if you want," she offered, which was a kind gesture, although ultimately a bit silly, considering they didn't have a store-front they needed to watch and would theoretically be just as well served to simply jack out.
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DragonierMan would have a fine view of the action and would notice no additional activity from the tower. From his current position, he'd heard all the words the voice had spoken to MachMan, but he could also tell that they'd done nothing to actually follow up on making a distraction for him, assuming the distraction was supposed to come from nearby the building he was clinging to.
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DragonierMan continued to cling to the side of the building where he lay and tried to stay out of everyones' way. After all, his job was to be a spotter and to act only when the rest of the group needed him. Using the contact information MachMan gave the twins at the end of the last mission, he sent an 'all-clear' signal to Mach's mind-link. There was nothing coming into or out of the area that they needed to concern themselves with currently. He could continue to douse the girls.
Drago didn't really care about whether there was a distraction elsewhere.
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Aya took the red carrying bag with the baguette and her croissant while Suzume took her crepe box. Garde's plea for the baguette did not fall on deaf ears however, as Aya's plan continued to unfold. Aya did not really care for the baguette, but assumed rightly that it could be used to further manipulate the NetPolice officer. She was even about to give it to Garde, as yet another way to 'butter her up', but stopped as the mission proceeded into its second phase. Garde and DimensionGirl White, whom Suzume and Aya had not really seen or met, rushed off to go apprehend the criminal.
Then Cross made the suggestion that they hide while the problem sorted itself out. "I believe we'll be fine. There are two officers chasing the creep after all," Suzume said calmly to Cross as Aya bit into her croissant, having set the bag down beside herself. "Do you have a fork?" Suzume asked while pointing to her crepe. "It is hard to eat a crepe with your hands." She then looked around to see if there was a table for her and Aya to sit at. And if there was one nearby, the two would head there with their pastries and red bag to finish eating in peace.
Also they needed to stay out in line of sight of Dee, and to make sure that they were targetable by Mach's weapon.
Drago didn't really care about whether there was a distraction elsewhere.
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Aya took the red carrying bag with the baguette and her croissant while Suzume took her crepe box. Garde's plea for the baguette did not fall on deaf ears however, as Aya's plan continued to unfold. Aya did not really care for the baguette, but assumed rightly that it could be used to further manipulate the NetPolice officer. She was even about to give it to Garde, as yet another way to 'butter her up', but stopped as the mission proceeded into its second phase. Garde and DimensionGirl White, whom Suzume and Aya had not really seen or met, rushed off to go apprehend the criminal.
Then Cross made the suggestion that they hide while the problem sorted itself out. "I believe we'll be fine. There are two officers chasing the creep after all," Suzume said calmly to Cross as Aya bit into her croissant, having set the bag down beside herself. "Do you have a fork?" Suzume asked while pointing to her crepe. "It is hard to eat a crepe with your hands." She then looked around to see if there was a table for her and Aya to sit at. And if there was one nearby, the two would head there with their pastries and red bag to finish eating in peace.
Also they needed to stay out in line of sight of Dee, and to make sure that they were targetable by Mach's weapon.
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Aera nodded along as DimensionGirl explained the selection criteria. The Terror Girls were brought up as an example of a blacklisted group, which in all intents and purposes was appropriate. "Ah, I see, thanks for the clarification."
DimensionGirl's next question was prefaced with something that could be problematic, but the overall theme of the question proved to be rather... trivial. Aera half expected her to get questioned on her opinion of the NS's activities, etc. Maybe they're just throwing out soft-ball questions at first before betting to the deep stuff? Aera canted her head slightly as she gave DimensionGirl another once-over before responding. "I've never seen the DimensionGirl comic, but I think the NetPolice should look professional." She paused, then changed her tone in expectation of disappointment or offense from the NP officer/spokeswoman. "But I'm not saying wearing a... creative outfit is bad either, if you're trying to get some publicity. Right?" Aera concluded with an apprehensive smile, still trying to keep in character.
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Mach was fairly unimpressed by the "weapon" provided, as it looked like a simple slingshot with some special ammo; part of him expected more from a shadowy organization. Undeterred, his first strikes hit their marks, but he immediately found himself being chased by a convincingly pissed off Escort. This wasn't be the first time he'd seen some very convincing acting from the amazon-esque Navi, but Mach couldn't help but feeling he really offended her. When bravely running away, he took a glance back to see if she was left in the dust. To her credit, she kept up pace to an impressive degree, even with her thundering footfalls and her tremendous breasts seeming they were on the verge of bursting from the thin-looking wrapping keeping them at bay. Mazer watched on with awe, half of the sight seemed ridiculous due to her outfit and heaving anatomy, but the other half terrifying to behold. "Bombshell Freight Train" came to mind.
As eye catching as she was, Mach was simply too fast and zipped into an alleyway to escape her warpath. He didn't pause once he was out of sight, he kept moving towards Aera's position. Keeping his footfalls as light as possible, he cruised down the alleyways with ease, glancing out at the side paths that lead to the street in which he started, to see if others were pursuing. Once he passed Aera's position, he made a quick check of his weapon before hanging a sharp 90 down an available side path.
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Aera heard Escort's voice roar from down the street, grabbing both her and DimensionGirl's attention. Aera turned in place before leaning forward to peer down the street. By the time she looked, Mach had already dashed into the alleyway, leaving Escort nearly careening into a wall. [[i]So it's started... Bet he's after me next...[/i]] she pondered while trying not to blush. She'd already seen Escort's odd undergarments, but her aggressive body language was nothing like the quiet, meek Navi she saw in the shed. Aera tried to look confused as DimensionGirl responded, and met up with who appeared to be another NP Navi to confront Escort about the alleged "pervert." DimensionGirl then pleaded for Aera to stick around to finish up the survey later.
All she got in response was a tentative nod from the SP before she gave chase down the alleyway. From the corner of her eye, she saw a two-tone blue and navy blur streak out from a different side street directly towards her. She stiffened up and took a step back out of reflex before she realized it was Mach, but it was a fortunate side-effect that kept her in character. "Gotcha!" Mach said in a slightly raised voice as he pulled the trigger of the squirt gun pointed squarely at his SP's back. She likely felt the water hit her back, and would've let out a startled shriek regardless of the status of her illusion clothing.
With hopefully 3 of the 5 now exposed, that would've left only Aya and Suzume. He could go back into hiding to ramp up the confusion, but if he attacked the pastry shop now, the responding NP could work to his advantage. If there were other patrons, it would be odd how only the newcomers in the shop were affected, unless his attack was cut short by the NP giving chase. He decided to go for it while the NP were busy on their wild goose chase, and made Vector aware of the plan as he dashed past the likely exposed, and heavily blushing, Aera. [[i]"Going after Aya/Suzume next; once I get them, don't dispense any more water. Act like you're out of ammo."[/i]] [[b]"Understood."[/b]]
Not wasting any time, he dashed to the pastry shop's entrance and slipped inside. His head swiveled to quickly locate Aya and Suzume, he also caught sight of the pastry-themed shopkeeper. "Ooh, twins! My lucky day..." he muttered, not sounding at all out of breath though he'd been previously dashing about. He raised the squirt gun and pulled the trigger, firing a stream of water towards the two SPs, sweeping the weapon from side to side in an attempt to douse them both. If he managed to hit his marks, he would've feigned a chuckle before he turned towards Cross. "Now, let's see them buns," he said as he pointed the gun towards her and pulled the trigger. Mach barely heard the empty *click* of the trigger over the voice of his NetOp's pained sigh in response to his pastry pun. Hopefully Vector didn't allow the trigger to work, making the squirtgun non-responsive.
Mach looked down at the weapon, then gave his own pained sigh. "Damn, just as it was getting fun," he said before he turned and tried to run off, hopefully in the opposite direction of the NP and make his escape. All he needed to do was get out of sight long enough to get airborne, teleport, or a combination of both.
DimensionGirl's next question was prefaced with something that could be problematic, but the overall theme of the question proved to be rather... trivial. Aera half expected her to get questioned on her opinion of the NS's activities, etc. Maybe they're just throwing out soft-ball questions at first before betting to the deep stuff? Aera canted her head slightly as she gave DimensionGirl another once-over before responding. "I've never seen the DimensionGirl comic, but I think the NetPolice should look professional." She paused, then changed her tone in expectation of disappointment or offense from the NP officer/spokeswoman. "But I'm not saying wearing a... creative outfit is bad either, if you're trying to get some publicity. Right?" Aera concluded with an apprehensive smile, still trying to keep in character.
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Mach was fairly unimpressed by the "weapon" provided, as it looked like a simple slingshot with some special ammo; part of him expected more from a shadowy organization. Undeterred, his first strikes hit their marks, but he immediately found himself being chased by a convincingly pissed off Escort. This wasn't be the first time he'd seen some very convincing acting from the amazon-esque Navi, but Mach couldn't help but feeling he really offended her. When bravely running away, he took a glance back to see if she was left in the dust. To her credit, she kept up pace to an impressive degree, even with her thundering footfalls and her tremendous breasts seeming they were on the verge of bursting from the thin-looking wrapping keeping them at bay. Mazer watched on with awe, half of the sight seemed ridiculous due to her outfit and heaving anatomy, but the other half terrifying to behold. "Bombshell Freight Train" came to mind.
As eye catching as she was, Mach was simply too fast and zipped into an alleyway to escape her warpath. He didn't pause once he was out of sight, he kept moving towards Aera's position. Keeping his footfalls as light as possible, he cruised down the alleyways with ease, glancing out at the side paths that lead to the street in which he started, to see if others were pursuing. Once he passed Aera's position, he made a quick check of his weapon before hanging a sharp 90 down an available side path.
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Aera heard Escort's voice roar from down the street, grabbing both her and DimensionGirl's attention. Aera turned in place before leaning forward to peer down the street. By the time she looked, Mach had already dashed into the alleyway, leaving Escort nearly careening into a wall. [[i]So it's started... Bet he's after me next...[/i]] she pondered while trying not to blush. She'd already seen Escort's odd undergarments, but her aggressive body language was nothing like the quiet, meek Navi she saw in the shed. Aera tried to look confused as DimensionGirl responded, and met up with who appeared to be another NP Navi to confront Escort about the alleged "pervert." DimensionGirl then pleaded for Aera to stick around to finish up the survey later.
All she got in response was a tentative nod from the SP before she gave chase down the alleyway. From the corner of her eye, she saw a two-tone blue and navy blur streak out from a different side street directly towards her. She stiffened up and took a step back out of reflex before she realized it was Mach, but it was a fortunate side-effect that kept her in character. "Gotcha!" Mach said in a slightly raised voice as he pulled the trigger of the squirt gun pointed squarely at his SP's back. She likely felt the water hit her back, and would've let out a startled shriek regardless of the status of her illusion clothing.
With hopefully 3 of the 5 now exposed, that would've left only Aya and Suzume. He could go back into hiding to ramp up the confusion, but if he attacked the pastry shop now, the responding NP could work to his advantage. If there were other patrons, it would be odd how only the newcomers in the shop were affected, unless his attack was cut short by the NP giving chase. He decided to go for it while the NP were busy on their wild goose chase, and made Vector aware of the plan as he dashed past the likely exposed, and heavily blushing, Aera. [[i]"Going after Aya/Suzume next; once I get them, don't dispense any more water. Act like you're out of ammo."[/i]] [[b]"Understood."[/b]]
Not wasting any time, he dashed to the pastry shop's entrance and slipped inside. His head swiveled to quickly locate Aya and Suzume, he also caught sight of the pastry-themed shopkeeper. "Ooh, twins! My lucky day..." he muttered, not sounding at all out of breath though he'd been previously dashing about. He raised the squirt gun and pulled the trigger, firing a stream of water towards the two SPs, sweeping the weapon from side to side in an attempt to douse them both. If he managed to hit his marks, he would've feigned a chuckle before he turned towards Cross. "Now, let's see them buns," he said as he pointed the gun towards her and pulled the trigger. Mach barely heard the empty *click* of the trigger over the voice of his NetOp's pained sigh in response to his pastry pun. Hopefully Vector didn't allow the trigger to work, making the squirtgun non-responsive.
Mach looked down at the weapon, then gave his own pained sigh. "Damn, just as it was getting fun," he said before he turned and tried to run off, hopefully in the opposite direction of the NP and make his escape. All he needed to do was get out of sight long enough to get airborne, teleport, or a combination of both.
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The twins shrieked in surprise as they were doused with water, fleeing the bakery and onto the street while trying to cover themselves with their hands as their clothes began to melt off. Acting like two scared young women running from a pervert. "Someone! Anyone! Help! Help!" Suzume called out to no one in particular. Though hopefully their target, Cabal, would come to investigate. "Who uses a weapon that can dissolve clothing?" Aya shouted in anger and bitterness, also calling out more to the mystery that might bring out Cabal. "This guy is insane!"
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"Right, creative! It's great publicity!" DimensionGirl White answered, seeming to latch on to the one positive affirmation of her costume's purpose that Aera had given, before rushing off to join Garde.
Cross stared back at DragonierMan's ninjas, perplexed that the two girls didn't seem more bothered than they did about the encroaching menace of the shopping district's pervert. She'd already been prepared to put the shutter down, but couldn't do that with the two of them still standing at the bar. "You're probably right... I guess I should trust the NetPolice since they butter my bread and all... Pun not intentional," the owner sighed, crossing her arms beneath her as she leaned over the desk to watch events unfold. Aya and Suzume managed to find a table to sit down and enjoy their food; Cross pointed them over to a counter with napkins and utensils. The fluffy, whimsical, alternatively glazed and cream-covered snacks seemed to somehow fit the ridiculousness of the scene.
MachMan left Escort as quickly as he could and made his way over to where his own SP was waiting at the NetPolice officer's booth. If anyone was hoping that there'd be some amusing tension between the navi stripping his SP, they were left unrewarded, as the disappearance of the illusion surrounding Aera left her wet and embarrassed, but didn't seem to make much of an impact on MachMan himself. The DimensionGirl turned around, seeing that she'd been too late to stop the latest criminal act, and called out to Garde. "He's not in the alley! He just got the girl who approached my booth," she warned, motioning for Garde to come out. "That coward! He's targeting civilians!"
"Twould seem so! Ozerwise, he definitely would not have passed up ze opportunity to see me out of my armor," Garde agreed, emerging from out of the incorrect alley she'd been led into. "Zere's only a few targets left! We'll watch zem and apprehend him as soon as he shows his face again! Everyone, form up around me!"
The order was too slow; almost by the time she'd finished calling it out, MachMan was on the two remaining civilians, firing the last of his water out on them and dissolving their clothing into a fine mist. Expecting to be next, Cross grabbed a rolling pen, holding one hand on the handle and the other at the length. "Just you try it!" she warned MachMan, but he was out of ammo and the counter was still separating the two of them. He took the time to make his escape.
"I'm going after him!" DimensionGirl cried out again, summoning a sword onto one arm and creating a portal in front of her. "Garde, you call reinforcements!"
This appeared to be the moment that the group was waiting for. Once reinforcements were called, Cabal would undoubtedly get wind of the request, its nature, and respond by jumping into the mess herself to find out more about the net-wide conspiracy she was investigating. "Ahem! Um, let's hold off on zat," Garde answered, crushing the hopes of MachMan and the others. DimensionGirl (and Dee, who was nearby) reacted with skeptical expressions. "Er, there's no need to bo'zer zem with something trivial like zis, no? Zis is juvenile delinquency," she explained, flourishing gracefully with one hand to show how lightly she was treating the situation, "and not a serious issue that requires back-up! The two of us should be more zan enough!"
"What are you saying? Even if I catch him, we might need more than just me to take him down and you're... er... not exactly useful in a situation like this. Can you even follow him?" she asked, placing her free hand on her exposed him at the high-cut of her swimsuit-armor.
"Comment oses-tu!" Garde replied indignantly, moving her hand to clutch her breast-plate. "Of course I can handle it! Listen, 'zink of what a mockery we would make if we were to request assistance against zis lowly troublemaker!"
Dee looked upset, approaching and grabbing Garde's arm. "What are you waiting for? The five of us are standing here, shivering in the cold, and you're worried about embarrassing yourself? Don't you think we're pretty embarrassed?!" she asked, although she didn't ostensibly look affected at all by having to show off her lingerie.
"T-Two officers is standard in a situation like zis!" the curly-haired officer defended, freeing her arm. "Please don't interfere, civilian! Now, if he, for instance, had an accomplice, then I believe we would all be fairly concerned. Or, if, for example, he was also stealing girls' underwear, or possibly touching zem inappropriately. Why, as it is, zis is no'zing more zan a little... swimsuit competition! Yes, or somezing like it!" she announced, turning her eyes up towards the sky in a guilty way, like she couldn't quite make such a ridiculous claim while maintaining eye contact.
DimensionGirl White pressed her palm to her face hopelessly. "Well, even if you're not going to help, I'm still going after him! Everyone, stay with Garde while I track him down!" she ordered, indicating that all of those affected so far ought to huddle together around her fellow officer. The fact that they should probably instead jack out didn't seem to occur to her in the heat of the moment. "Oh great... I've lost him now."
"If he comes back over here, I'm going to wallop him," Cross added, brandishing her rolling pen threateningly but staying behind her shop's counter.
"If I see him again, I'm going to break his spine over my knee," Escort contributed, looking especially vengeful as she took up point around Garde. Dee looked from side to side awkwardly, trying to draw out moving towards Garde, if she could help it, as she knew MachMan wouldn't be able to do much further if all of them were securely protected by the NP officer.
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DragonierMan heard the sound of two people talking now inside of the radio station; both of the voices belonged to women, one of them monotone and the other one quite mirthful, but he still couldn't hear what they were saying. Regardless, he might choose to continue to make it none of his business, especially now that he had the extra concern of watching for potential reinforcements to arrive, seeing as MachMan had completed enacting their plan. That said, he didn't see anyone on the way...
Cross stared back at DragonierMan's ninjas, perplexed that the two girls didn't seem more bothered than they did about the encroaching menace of the shopping district's pervert. She'd already been prepared to put the shutter down, but couldn't do that with the two of them still standing at the bar. "You're probably right... I guess I should trust the NetPolice since they butter my bread and all... Pun not intentional," the owner sighed, crossing her arms beneath her as she leaned over the desk to watch events unfold. Aya and Suzume managed to find a table to sit down and enjoy their food; Cross pointed them over to a counter with napkins and utensils. The fluffy, whimsical, alternatively glazed and cream-covered snacks seemed to somehow fit the ridiculousness of the scene.
MachMan left Escort as quickly as he could and made his way over to where his own SP was waiting at the NetPolice officer's booth. If anyone was hoping that there'd be some amusing tension between the navi stripping his SP, they were left unrewarded, as the disappearance of the illusion surrounding Aera left her wet and embarrassed, but didn't seem to make much of an impact on MachMan himself. The DimensionGirl turned around, seeing that she'd been too late to stop the latest criminal act, and called out to Garde. "He's not in the alley! He just got the girl who approached my booth," she warned, motioning for Garde to come out. "That coward! He's targeting civilians!"
"Twould seem so! Ozerwise, he definitely would not have passed up ze opportunity to see me out of my armor," Garde agreed, emerging from out of the incorrect alley she'd been led into. "Zere's only a few targets left! We'll watch zem and apprehend him as soon as he shows his face again! Everyone, form up around me!"
The order was too slow; almost by the time she'd finished calling it out, MachMan was on the two remaining civilians, firing the last of his water out on them and dissolving their clothing into a fine mist. Expecting to be next, Cross grabbed a rolling pen, holding one hand on the handle and the other at the length. "Just you try it!" she warned MachMan, but he was out of ammo and the counter was still separating the two of them. He took the time to make his escape.
"I'm going after him!" DimensionGirl cried out again, summoning a sword onto one arm and creating a portal in front of her. "Garde, you call reinforcements!"
This appeared to be the moment that the group was waiting for. Once reinforcements were called, Cabal would undoubtedly get wind of the request, its nature, and respond by jumping into the mess herself to find out more about the net-wide conspiracy she was investigating. "Ahem! Um, let's hold off on zat," Garde answered, crushing the hopes of MachMan and the others. DimensionGirl (and Dee, who was nearby) reacted with skeptical expressions. "Er, there's no need to bo'zer zem with something trivial like zis, no? Zis is juvenile delinquency," she explained, flourishing gracefully with one hand to show how lightly she was treating the situation, "and not a serious issue that requires back-up! The two of us should be more zan enough!"
"What are you saying? Even if I catch him, we might need more than just me to take him down and you're... er... not exactly useful in a situation like this. Can you even follow him?" she asked, placing her free hand on her exposed him at the high-cut of her swimsuit-armor.
"Comment oses-tu!" Garde replied indignantly, moving her hand to clutch her breast-plate. "Of course I can handle it! Listen, 'zink of what a mockery we would make if we were to request assistance against zis lowly troublemaker!"
Dee looked upset, approaching and grabbing Garde's arm. "What are you waiting for? The five of us are standing here, shivering in the cold, and you're worried about embarrassing yourself? Don't you think we're pretty embarrassed?!" she asked, although she didn't ostensibly look affected at all by having to show off her lingerie.
"T-Two officers is standard in a situation like zis!" the curly-haired officer defended, freeing her arm. "Please don't interfere, civilian! Now, if he, for instance, had an accomplice, then I believe we would all be fairly concerned. Or, if, for example, he was also stealing girls' underwear, or possibly touching zem inappropriately. Why, as it is, zis is no'zing more zan a little... swimsuit competition! Yes, or somezing like it!" she announced, turning her eyes up towards the sky in a guilty way, like she couldn't quite make such a ridiculous claim while maintaining eye contact.
DimensionGirl White pressed her palm to her face hopelessly. "Well, even if you're not going to help, I'm still going after him! Everyone, stay with Garde while I track him down!" she ordered, indicating that all of those affected so far ought to huddle together around her fellow officer. The fact that they should probably instead jack out didn't seem to occur to her in the heat of the moment. "Oh great... I've lost him now."
"If he comes back over here, I'm going to wallop him," Cross added, brandishing her rolling pen threateningly but staying behind her shop's counter.
"If I see him again, I'm going to break his spine over my knee," Escort contributed, looking especially vengeful as she took up point around Garde. Dee looked from side to side awkwardly, trying to draw out moving towards Garde, if she could help it, as she knew MachMan wouldn't be able to do much further if all of them were securely protected by the NP officer.
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DragonierMan heard the sound of two people talking now inside of the radio station; both of the voices belonged to women, one of them monotone and the other one quite mirthful, but he still couldn't hear what they were saying. Regardless, he might choose to continue to make it none of his business, especially now that he had the extra concern of watching for potential reinforcements to arrive, seeing as MachMan had completed enacting their plan. That said, he didn't see anyone on the way...
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DragonierMan had an open comm line with Suzume and Aya. He heard the exchange with Garde and the others. It looked like they needed to add a second villain to the mix to get the NetPolice to call for reinforcements. DragonierMan opened an internal comm with all of his associates. {In order to get them to call in reinforcements, I will need to play the accomplice. Stand by for my entrance.}
With that he leapt down silently from his perch directly at the gathering, activating his Blinder battlechip just as he was spotted by Garde. Immediately his Dragon's Resilience signature kicked in and cleaned his vision. And while everyone was blind, he ran around and quickly tried to grope as many butts and busts as he could before the blindness ended. Retreating as fast as he could away into another alleyway. Running up the walls, but keeping off of the roof.
The twins cried out as they were groped. "There are two of them!?" Suzume cried. "We're surrounded by perverts!" Aya tried to grab Garde and shake her while they were recovering their sight. "Where is that promise of protection? You better call for reinforcements right now or so help me I'm lodging a complaint against you to your employer for not taking your job seriously."
With that he leapt down silently from his perch directly at the gathering, activating his Blinder battlechip just as he was spotted by Garde. Immediately his Dragon's Resilience signature kicked in and cleaned his vision. And while everyone was blind, he ran around and quickly tried to grope as many butts and busts as he could before the blindness ended. Retreating as fast as he could away into another alleyway. Running up the walls, but keeping off of the roof.
The twins cried out as they were groped. "There are two of them!?" Suzume cried. "We're surrounded by perverts!" Aya tried to grab Garde and shake her while they were recovering their sight. "Where is that promise of protection? You better call for reinforcements right now or so help me I'm lodging a complaint against you to your employer for not taking your job seriously."
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Aera couldn't help but look helpless from where she stood, trying fruitlessly to cover herself up with her hands. Seemingly lost, she somewhat followed Garde's instructions to form up with her, but she only got so far. Back in the pastry shop, Mach grinned at Cross's attempt to defend herself with a rolling pin, noting her willingness to stand up against her aggressor. However, he focused more on his own escape, which appeared to be easily obtained due to the general confusion of the NP response.
As he disappeared from Garde and DimensionGirl White's sight, he received a quick status update from Mazer. ["Looks like you caused a stir, but the rapier-wielding NP Navi is writing it off as a 'juvenile delinquency'. Looks like you need to step up your game, buddy."] Mach sighed in disappointment before he responded. [[i]"Alright, I'll ramp it up a bit."[/i]] As he got out of sight, he decided to separate from his SP. [[i]"Vector, detach and stay low, I'm going to head back in with Invis to 'stir the pot' for a bit."[/i]] Vector quickly begun to disengage from the Navi, indicating his comprehension of the tasker given to him. The fractal SP reformed nearby, and Mach tossed the box to him. He caught the box with ease, then scanned the immediate area before retreating into a darkened corner.
[[i]"Requesting Invis, I'm headed back in,"[/i]] Mach requested. Though he had nothing beyond a guess, Mazer trusted his Navi enough to buy in to his plan, and slotted in the requested chip dutifully. ["Uploaded, good luck."] Mach flashed a brief thumbs-up before his body rapidly begun to blend into the background before disappearing completely.
Relying on that chip, Mach briefly checked himself over to confirm full invisibility as he moved towards the street. He received a communique from DragonierMan announcing his arrival into the fray, which Mach didn't entirely dispute; a second player would ramp up the severity of the situation. As he neared the exit of the alleyway, a bright flash burst from the street. The light quickly subsided, followed by panicked cries, ones he immediately identified as Aya and Suzume. Still transparent, he silently dashed in to the street towards the group.
He saw the group gathered around the two supposed NP Navis, with Aera somewhat behind. Unfortunately for her, she proved to be a perfect target: a lone outlier from the rest of the group. As he approached, Mazer chimed in. ["I think Drago goosed some of them in the group. I would step it up from there."] Mach didn't entirely like the idea, but at least his target was as enticing as one could get. He tried to make his footfalls as quiet as possible as he crept up towards Aera, before he sent her a quick message. [[i]"Sorry about this, Aera."[/i]]
She received the message, then felt the latch of her bra detach, causing her eyes to go wide in shock. The crimson on her face became even a deeper hue as she felt her bra fall away, then be pulled from her chest by a seemingly invisible force. She cupped her modest, though noteworthy, breasts in her hands in an attempt to cover herself. All she could manage was a startled cry, which she oddly struggled to keep from becoming a moan. Her sky blue bra flicked from her chest and seemed to be pulled away by a phantom force, then flew away towards one of the alleyways. Left alone without a top, she could barely keep herself standing upright. "H-Help... please..." she said in a flabbergasted tone.
As he disappeared from Garde and DimensionGirl White's sight, he received a quick status update from Mazer. ["Looks like you caused a stir, but the rapier-wielding NP Navi is writing it off as a 'juvenile delinquency'. Looks like you need to step up your game, buddy."] Mach sighed in disappointment before he responded. [[i]"Alright, I'll ramp it up a bit."[/i]] As he got out of sight, he decided to separate from his SP. [[i]"Vector, detach and stay low, I'm going to head back in with Invis to 'stir the pot' for a bit."[/i]] Vector quickly begun to disengage from the Navi, indicating his comprehension of the tasker given to him. The fractal SP reformed nearby, and Mach tossed the box to him. He caught the box with ease, then scanned the immediate area before retreating into a darkened corner.
[[i]"Requesting Invis, I'm headed back in,"[/i]] Mach requested. Though he had nothing beyond a guess, Mazer trusted his Navi enough to buy in to his plan, and slotted in the requested chip dutifully. ["Uploaded, good luck."] Mach flashed a brief thumbs-up before his body rapidly begun to blend into the background before disappearing completely.
Relying on that chip, Mach briefly checked himself over to confirm full invisibility as he moved towards the street. He received a communique from DragonierMan announcing his arrival into the fray, which Mach didn't entirely dispute; a second player would ramp up the severity of the situation. As he neared the exit of the alleyway, a bright flash burst from the street. The light quickly subsided, followed by panicked cries, ones he immediately identified as Aya and Suzume. Still transparent, he silently dashed in to the street towards the group.
He saw the group gathered around the two supposed NP Navis, with Aera somewhat behind. Unfortunately for her, she proved to be a perfect target: a lone outlier from the rest of the group. As he approached, Mazer chimed in. ["I think Drago goosed some of them in the group. I would step it up from there."] Mach didn't entirely like the idea, but at least his target was as enticing as one could get. He tried to make his footfalls as quiet as possible as he crept up towards Aera, before he sent her a quick message. [[i]"Sorry about this, Aera."[/i]]
She received the message, then felt the latch of her bra detach, causing her eyes to go wide in shock. The crimson on her face became even a deeper hue as she felt her bra fall away, then be pulled from her chest by a seemingly invisible force. She cupped her modest, though noteworthy, breasts in her hands in an attempt to cover herself. All she could manage was a startled cry, which she oddly struggled to keep from becoming a moan. Her sky blue bra flicked from her chest and seemed to be pulled away by a phantom force, then flew away towards one of the alleyways. Left alone without a top, she could barely keep herself standing upright. "H-Help... please..." she said in a flabbergasted tone.
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Garde's call for everyone to gather around her had backfired, with all of them becoming an easy target for DragonierMan, who had just joined the fray as a second unknown malefactor. He first unleashed a blinding flash of light; the loud swearing in a foreign language by Garde, as well as the not-so-foreign language, by Dee, proved that it had worked. Once its effects were confirmed, he moved in to grab all of the squishy lady fat that he could manage to, going for quantity over quality with his touches. He very narrowly ducked a swinging fist from the blinded Escort, who seemed to be taking her role quite a bit too seriously. The fist that had missed him moved straight through a nearby signboard, knocking shards of metal against the opposite wall and leaving it fragmented beyond recognition in the blink of an eye.
The officer, for her part, was quite a lot less effective in offering up a threatening retaliation, brandishing her sword but having no idea what direction to point it in. "S-Stay calm, s'il vous plaît! Every'zing is still under control!" she informed everyone in vain, as it clearly wasn't. DragonierMan had managed to grab a handful of Dee's sizable, familiar breasts, Escort's toned yet voluptuous chest, and even the identically shapely bums of his own SPs. He had even managed to get hands on Garde, although her armor stopped that from being much fun. "DimensionGirl, do you have eyes on zem?!"
"Negatory, I'm still pursuing the first attacker!" her ally barked back from the alley where she'd gone after MachMan. In truth, there was no effective way to pursue him. Her portals gave her a unique way to combat his speed, but nothing she had could help her locate him while he was cloaked in invisibility. "You, in the light blue! Approach the others!" she advised, although that was a questionable command, given what had just happened. Besides potentially ineffective, the order was also too late, as MachMan plucked away his own SP's bra, in an alarming bit of mission-mandated sexual harassment. "O-Oh geez," DimensionGirl murmured, watching the bra float off and attempting to teleport after it, but finding it hard to pinpoint just where to zip to. Thankfully, most of the others had been blinded by DragonierMan and were unable to catch a peek of Aera's new upper-body nudity, for the brief moment before she covered herself.
"What? What?! Did zey get you?" Garde cried out, still shielding her eyes with one glove and rapidly pointing her sword in different directions, threatening to skewer those who had assembled around her.
"No, worse: they've started taking underwear. So now we have the extra operative, the inappropriate touching, and the theft of underwear you asked for. Now can I call reinforcements?!" DimensionGirl groaned. "Oh, it's over... I'm getting reprimanded again for sure..."
"No, no, we can still salvage this! We'll call ze reinforcements, but we'll capture the targets before any help arrives! Zen we will 'zrow zem at ze feet of ze rest of ze department!" she announced, before whipping out a small radio from empty cyber-space. "Hello?! Zis is Garde of Public Safety! We need reinforcements, dès que possible! Public Safety, Justice, Prosecutions, whichever! We could even use Tech, the enemy has technology that evaporates clo'zing into mist! So far he has not targeted moi, but I assume zat is simply an oversight and will occur any second now!" she railed. "ASAP, s'il vous plaît!"
The Neo-Shogun officers had finally heard what they'd been waiting for: Garde's request for reinforcements, which would, supposedly, include a visit from Cabal, who they would then question for information on leads inside the NP. For now, though, they'd have to keep on the move. DragonierMan's position was still unknown, but, ironically, taking Aera's non-invisible bra had allowed DimensionGirl White to gauge MachMan's position and follow him. She was now hot on his trail, seemingly cornering him in an alley while his invisibility began to fade off. "I've got eyes on target!" she announced, ridding herself of her arm-blade before summoning a silver, sci-fi pistol and pointing it towards him, mid-run. "Stay right where you are! Kneel, hands behind your head!" the woman commanded authoritatively. Of course, this wasn't exactly the end for MachMan. He would likely understand that he had the NP forces here outgunned to start with, but even that besides, he could probably think of at least one escape route the supposedly dead end failed to block off...
Back with Garde, Dee was looking somewhat frustrated, perhaps because the plan hadn't gone off quite as nicely as she'd pictured it in her head, or possibly for another reason. For her part, she was ostensibly looking around for either DragonierMan or MachMan herself. Escort was still acting the part of one enraged very convincingly, posing a threat to all inanimate objects around her... hopefully just inanimate ones, anyway. The blue-clad officer had put away her sword and pulled out an old fashioned musket, which she was busily loading, an odd feature to be required of anyone on the net, for sure. Cross was still holed up in her shop, though she joined the others in expressing her frustrations. "I hope you know, you no-good bastards are never getting a free croissant from me!" she taunted them, holding up one of the buttery, glistening, twisted pastries to demonstrate what they were missing out on.
MachMan needed to get out of DimensionGirl's clutches, obviously, but DragonierMan had the option to either continue tormenting the NP or keep silent and out of sight. The call had already been made, so ostensibly, there was no reason to incite further trouble. On the other hand, Garde seemed quite incapable of stopping him from doing whatever he wanted.
The officer, for her part, was quite a lot less effective in offering up a threatening retaliation, brandishing her sword but having no idea what direction to point it in. "S-Stay calm, s'il vous plaît! Every'zing is still under control!" she informed everyone in vain, as it clearly wasn't. DragonierMan had managed to grab a handful of Dee's sizable, familiar breasts, Escort's toned yet voluptuous chest, and even the identically shapely bums of his own SPs. He had even managed to get hands on Garde, although her armor stopped that from being much fun. "DimensionGirl, do you have eyes on zem?!"
"Negatory, I'm still pursuing the first attacker!" her ally barked back from the alley where she'd gone after MachMan. In truth, there was no effective way to pursue him. Her portals gave her a unique way to combat his speed, but nothing she had could help her locate him while he was cloaked in invisibility. "You, in the light blue! Approach the others!" she advised, although that was a questionable command, given what had just happened. Besides potentially ineffective, the order was also too late, as MachMan plucked away his own SP's bra, in an alarming bit of mission-mandated sexual harassment. "O-Oh geez," DimensionGirl murmured, watching the bra float off and attempting to teleport after it, but finding it hard to pinpoint just where to zip to. Thankfully, most of the others had been blinded by DragonierMan and were unable to catch a peek of Aera's new upper-body nudity, for the brief moment before she covered herself.
"What? What?! Did zey get you?" Garde cried out, still shielding her eyes with one glove and rapidly pointing her sword in different directions, threatening to skewer those who had assembled around her.
"No, worse: they've started taking underwear. So now we have the extra operative, the inappropriate touching, and the theft of underwear you asked for. Now can I call reinforcements?!" DimensionGirl groaned. "Oh, it's over... I'm getting reprimanded again for sure..."
"No, no, we can still salvage this! We'll call ze reinforcements, but we'll capture the targets before any help arrives! Zen we will 'zrow zem at ze feet of ze rest of ze department!" she announced, before whipping out a small radio from empty cyber-space. "Hello?! Zis is Garde of Public Safety! We need reinforcements, dès que possible! Public Safety, Justice, Prosecutions, whichever! We could even use Tech, the enemy has technology that evaporates clo'zing into mist! So far he has not targeted moi, but I assume zat is simply an oversight and will occur any second now!" she railed. "ASAP, s'il vous plaît!"
The Neo-Shogun officers had finally heard what they'd been waiting for: Garde's request for reinforcements, which would, supposedly, include a visit from Cabal, who they would then question for information on leads inside the NP. For now, though, they'd have to keep on the move. DragonierMan's position was still unknown, but, ironically, taking Aera's non-invisible bra had allowed DimensionGirl White to gauge MachMan's position and follow him. She was now hot on his trail, seemingly cornering him in an alley while his invisibility began to fade off. "I've got eyes on target!" she announced, ridding herself of her arm-blade before summoning a silver, sci-fi pistol and pointing it towards him, mid-run. "Stay right where you are! Kneel, hands behind your head!" the woman commanded authoritatively. Of course, this wasn't exactly the end for MachMan. He would likely understand that he had the NP forces here outgunned to start with, but even that besides, he could probably think of at least one escape route the supposedly dead end failed to block off...
Back with Garde, Dee was looking somewhat frustrated, perhaps because the plan hadn't gone off quite as nicely as she'd pictured it in her head, or possibly for another reason. For her part, she was ostensibly looking around for either DragonierMan or MachMan herself. Escort was still acting the part of one enraged very convincingly, posing a threat to all inanimate objects around her... hopefully just inanimate ones, anyway. The blue-clad officer had put away her sword and pulled out an old fashioned musket, which she was busily loading, an odd feature to be required of anyone on the net, for sure. Cross was still holed up in her shop, though she joined the others in expressing her frustrations. "I hope you know, you no-good bastards are never getting a free croissant from me!" she taunted them, holding up one of the buttery, glistening, twisted pastries to demonstrate what they were missing out on.
MachMan needed to get out of DimensionGirl's clutches, obviously, but DragonierMan had the option to either continue tormenting the NP or keep silent and out of sight. The call had already been made, so ostensibly, there was no reason to incite further trouble. On the other hand, Garde seemed quite incapable of stopping him from doing whatever he wanted.