Hello yes this is cat

Mouse is the clear pick. The odds that Mau rolled a 2 or 3 are only 1/12, and even if he did... it's 2-3 points. If he rolled something like a 10, we need to lessen the gap between our scores by guessing right. A difference in his favor isn't optimal no matter how much it is, but the stats don't lie here.

Choose Mouse

>>1024438
Ugh, 4 is a terrible roll. Only 8.3% chance for the opponent to roll 2-3 which would prevent them from gaining points by calling mouse (the only reasonable situation where they would lose), and we only gain 4 points from winning.

I think 6 and 8 are the numbers where you can mess around by calling the opposite role just from pure probability. Maybe 5 or 9 depending on how close the opponent is to winning. For now...
Mouse.

Watch Mau's face from here on. It's like poker, if you can figure out how high the opposing dice are, you can avoid losing. Also, see if you can fake him out with a bluff at some important point.

Oops I got mixed up: the opponent would only lose if they got 5 6 or 7 (maybe 8) and chose mouse. 2 or 3 they would win and we'd lose.

How often can we "Lucky Guess"?

Mouse this sucker.

4 is very low, yes, and even if he beats us outright, he won't get ahead by much. This game will be decided with a few "Cat"-related upsets, I'm sure. Pick Mouse, given the assumption that we have limited uses of LUCKY GUESS. Not a great round, considering he'll likely win a decent Cat total unless he fucks up and bets Mouse on a 5 or 6. Maybe glance at the terrarium between rounds, see if there's something off.

Radio 2022/02/25(Fri)19:02 No. 1024691 ID: a70a13
File 164584452991.jpg - (387.20KB , 960x960 , Panel 39.jpg )

>>1024447
You have 1 LUCKY GUESS per game, unless specified otherwise.

You think about your situation, and decide that it's highly likely that calling MOUSE is the way to go. There's just not enough chance that he's going to be below you.

You nod over to Mau as he lifts the small wall between you, the both of you calling your rolls at once.

"MOUSE." You declare.

"Cat." He calls.

Mau has rolled a FIVE, one point ahead of you, meaning both of you have won the round.

Currently MAU is winning by a 1 point lead.

You try to read your opponent's face but it's like he's this impenetrable wall of stoicism. Any facial expressions he makes are muted and small, simple blinks as he stares between you and his side of the wall. While you're looking around you glance to the terrarium next to you, seeing Mau's pet snake inside. You don't really know much about these creatures, but you're pretty sure he's sleeping? He's moved over to your side of the table though, as he rests on the log in his little glass box.

Regardless, it's time for the next round. You roll your dice.

Radio 2022/02/25(Fri)19:03 No. 1024692 ID: a70a13
File 164584462765.jpg - (228.41KB , 960x960 , Panel 40.jpg )

You rolled a seven.

This might be...good? At least it's higher than a four.

What action will you take?

>A. Use "LUCKY GUESS" ability for a hint.

>B. Declare CAT or MOUSE

Ah. The snake is helping him cheat. It's pointing to whoever's higher.

Cat.

...actually, we don't know that for sure, do we? Twice could be coincidence. Maybe this is a good time to use LUCKY GUESS.

>>1024694

Y'know, while I recognize Mouse to be the safer pick if we have no information on what he rolled, I'll go with Cat because I also think the snake is part of a cheat here.

> ODDS
7 is dead center, which is actually worse. Both options are equally likely, here, and there's even a significant chance to tie.

> SNAKE
That snake has moved since the last round; that it's "sleeping" is suspicious. I'm sure Kinesis would have pointed it out if Mau used an active ability. Ergo, we can conclude that the snake is helping Mau on its own, if at all. He probably has a passive ability that gives him that kind of rapport. We can rule out the snake telling him directly, then. We might be able to wager "Cat" here to test our theory.

cat

Radio 2022/03/02(Wed)10:57 No. 1025159 ID: a70a13
File 164624745254.jpg - (398.49KB , 960x960 , Panel 41.jpg )

While a small part of you wants to use lucky guess, you hold off on it until next round. For now, you nod to Mau as he raises the little wall between you.

"CAT." you call.

"Mouse." He responds.

Mau has rolled another FIVE, one point behind you, meaning both of you have won the round..

Currently YOU are winning by a 1 point lead.

You're really not sure what's going on at the moment, but there's a certain glint in Mau's eyes that you didn't notice before...

Something is going on here, and you think it's time Lucky Guess came out.

You roll your dice.

Radio 2022/03/02(Wed)11:02 No. 1025160 ID: a70a13
File 164624776206.jpg - (225.43KB , 960x960 , Panel 42.jpg )

You rolled a nine.

You've gotten an even higher number which is definitely a good sign, but right now your focus is on figuring out what the power difference here is.

You activate LUCKY GUESS, and the spirits are in control now.

What information would you like?

>A. See One of Mau's Dice.
>B. Investigate the Snake.
>C. Know If Mau Will Call Cat or Mouse.

B. If the Snake is helping him cheat, we take advantage if we rolled higher and call him on it if we rolled lower. If not, then we play the odds and follow our intuition to keep things in our favor.

Seeing one of his dice isn't very actionable - at worst (a 6), there's a 50% chance calling Cat is wrong, and our result is high enough that calling wrong in either direction will be costly if he guesses right. All that knowing that die result does is turn up or turn down the heat, despite our call still being the same in all but one of the results.

Meanwhile, we already know he's cheating, somehow. The snake's just the most likely medium he's doing it through. And what can we do, either way? We can think up a countermeasure between rounds, we can act like we already know the ruse and call him on it. But in any case, getting magic confirmation doesn't help us this round unless... we pick Option C, and call the opposite of what he's planning.

I suggest asking Kinesis for something big and flat between rounds; see if blocking the snake's line of sight does something.

B. If it's a red herring then we need to know now.

Radio 2022/03/05(Sat)20:12 No. 1025421 ID: a70a13
File 164653992089.jpg - (335.96KB , 960x960 , Panel 43.jpg )

You glance over to look at the snake next to you, seemingly sunning itself on the log inside the glass. Immediately your head is full of knowledge you didn't previously have, and goes as such:

The snake in question is a ball python, and appears to be about three feet long.

The snake has 20 stripes along its length, and those numbers have not changed since the beginning of the game.

It's eyes are definitely closed, and has no way of visually seeing anything, but does have pit organs as it is a snake.

You figure that the information could be important in some way, but you're still not quite sure. Your hands are sweating, or rather they've BEEN sweating the entire game, but still you keep rubbing them together under the table to try and calm yourself.

It looks like you need to figure out what to do next, you could declare CAT or MOUSE, or decide to do something else entirely with your new information.

Where do we go from here?

Count the stripes and see if they move or change as a way of communicating.

If the snek is perceiving us, it's through the way our hands have warmed the dice, considering we're not directly touching the insides of the pips, for the most part. If we're going to foil the snake, our best bet is to just lay our arm between the snake and where we plan to roll. Maybe start doing that now.

The unfortunate fact is that, regardless of whether we can figure out how he's cheating, this doesn't tell us anything about what we should do in the current round. We'll need to declare Cat just to play the odds as well as out of optimism (since in a "perfect" game by both parties, whoever has more Cat results wins).

Pit organs for those unaware:

"What is commonly called a Pit Organ allows these animals to essentially "see" radiant heat at wavelengths between 5 and 30 μm. The more advanced infrared sense of pit vipers allows these animals to strike prey accurately even in the absence of light, and detect warm objects from several meters away." -Wikipedia

If the dice are warm enough, either by design or by our warm hands heating them, then the snake COULD still see the result using its pit organs, even with its eyes shut.

So here's the rub: We may not actually be able to rely on its positioning. We assumed that was how it worked before, and while we did guess right we can't necessarily confirm that we were right for the reasons we believed. It could be something else. Maybe they can communicate mentally, some sort of pet and owner bond. We can't prove that isn't the case.

I think we should call Cat for this round, but just to be safe we should try to trick him. Rub your hands together under the table again, and then try to subtlyplace the tips of three of your fingers on the die that has a three face up. If we're lucky, the snake will project this to Mau as 12, and he'll call Mouse even if he rolled higher than a 9. Request that the snake be taken away following this round.

You could foil the snake's heat senses by covering your dice...
Do the dice feel hot?

Oh, do keep in mind your own facial expression. It changed, unlike Mau's.

Wait, what's keeping players from changing their dice after rolling them? There's a wall in the way so how would the opponent know?

>>1025421
This is a longshot, but check the one dot on the dice. It could be an IR light. Given the distinctive silhouette of the dot, one could tell the orientation of the dice (and thus what number is facing up) just from seeing which way the dot is facing.

>>1025464
It is also the only dot big enough to potentially have an IR light backlighting.

If the one dot is the trick (and I feel that's likely, since it's non-standard) then it'll be difficult to fool the snake, because the orientation of the dot is important and a finger can't copy the little ears on it.

We could... scratch at it? Flake off some of the likely-IR-material to change the orientation, which would make the snake make mistakes.

I got it.

Say you are parched. Ask for a glass of ice water. If they refuse, glance over at Kinesis and see if he will help you get that drink.

Once you have the drink, place it between the dice and the snake. Try to get at least one die to land between the glass and the snake.

Radio 2022/03/09(Wed)05:47 No. 1025732 ID: a70a13
File 164683362021.jpg - (433.04KB , 960x960 , Panel 44.jpg )

It hits you slower than it should've. Of COURSE the dude could have heat vision or some shit, why would we sit next to his big stupid ass snake tank otherwise? I mean, you guess it could be because this just seems to be the only table in the room but STILL.

You consider your options, feeling the eyes of Mau across from you. His expression has stayed neutral but there does seem to be a slight glaze to them, like he's not actually staring at you. Your hands gently move across the dice without flipping them, examining how they seem to be structured. It seems they're just normal die with indentations to indicate numbers, nothing too fancy.

Regardless, it's time to make a decision and you can't put it off any longer.

The wall is lifted between you two and you declare your rolls.

"CAT." You announce, trying to keep a steady face.

"Mouse." Mau replies as flat as ever.

Mau has rolled EIGHT, one point behind you, meaning both of you have one the round.

You are now sitting at TWENTY points, with Mau at EIGHTEEN.

This next roll is going to decide things, like it or not, so with a glance up to Mau you ask a question.

"Could I please have a glass of ice water?"

You see his eyes glint for a moment.

Radio 2022/03/09(Wed)05:50 No. 1025733 ID: a70a13
File 164683381708.jpg - (251.49KB , 960x960 , Panels 45.jpg )

Mau seems to hesitate for a moment, gears turning in his head.

"I'm not sure I have any." He replies in an excuse that is incredibly lame.

"Tap water and ice will be fine, please. I'm feeling dehydrated." You respond, eyes glued to the man. Your opponent glances between you and Kinesis, who's simply standing against the wall and smiling in his very Kinesisy way, before sighing and relenting.

Standing up he moves to his kitchen and returns with a glass, offering it out to you quickly.

It's definitely cold, and you quietly place it between you and the snake who has yet to move.

Picking up your dice, you scratch a little at the ONE on the die, but it seems that the coloring is completely dyed into the plastic, not a coating or anything. Regardless there doesn't seem to be any altering or manipulation.

You roll your dice.

Radio 2022/03/09(Wed)05:53 No. 1025734 ID: a70a13
File 164683402366.jpg - (356.55KB , 960x960 , panel 46.jpg )

You've rolled a six.

Any thoughts about the numbers you've gotten are taken away by the sudden movement you see across from you. Mau's face displays the most emotion you've seen from him, eyes wide below his beanie and shoulders rising up to either side.

His mouth is crossed in a grimace as you realize that you landed your dice right in front of the glass of water.

He's totally BLIND to what you've got.

You glance back down to your dice, contemplating your next move. Your last roll is right in the middle, figures. You've used your LUCKY GUESS for the game so all that's left is...

>A. Declare CAT

>B. Declare MOUSE

That's not actually right in the middle: the possible rolls for two six-sided dice go from two to twelve, so the middle roll is seven. Assuming both of your dice rolls are random (and I think we should, there's no indication he's using loaded dice), he has a better than even chance of having a higher roll than us.

>B. Declare MOUSE

Mouse!

If he rolled lower than you, then even if he calls it right he can't hit 24, so you're guaranteed one more round.

If he rolls higher than you, then the very worst you can do is tie, which would mean you both get what you want. You get your information, and you will stop using the name Boss. But frankly, unless he rolls super high he's very likely to call Mouse out of paranoia. It's a safer bet, if he's right then bare minimum you tie, and he doesn't lose. If he's wrong, then at least there's a chance that you don't get the points you need to win this round.

If he's actually sweating, that means he rolled close to the middle. Sucks to be him, I guess. Declare Mouse, because 1: seven is the dead-center result (since it's physically impossible to roll a total of one, keep in mind) and 2: You'll tie or get another round in the absolute worst-case - and, of course, you can totally declare the game a draw because you never agreed to what happens if both cross the finish line in the same round; since your wagers aren't mutually exclusive, you should lay down "both" as the result before he has a chance to say it's "neither" (or "higher total" or "closer to 24" if he has either of those on you).

Can you trigger a latent ability by accusing him of cheating?

>>1025769
If Skill gains aren't partially based on abstract EXP or something, then yeah, calling him on it in a moment of confirmation while accurately describing the cheat could trigger something - maybe we get to name a penalty or something. (If we need to include "How are pit glands able to perceive the orientation?" in our explanation, we can explain that our hands warmed the sides, missing the insides of the pips - the "one" on these dice are particularly distinctive for determining orientation.) That Mau is trying to cheat in a magically reinforced wager could be what tips it over into acting as another Skill. (Plus, I imagine this might be Clero's first experience dealing with an out-and-out cheat (that he caught in the act).)

If some abstract experience point/class level system does exist in this setting to Clero's knowledge, then I think we should say nothing and spare Mau the indignity, at least.

Ask him what's wrong before you call MOUSE

Radio 2022/03/15(Tue)12:09 No. 1026336 ID: a70a13
File 164737136934.jpg - (448.98KB , 960x960 , Panels 47.jpg )

There's no experience point system to abilities or anything, it's a little more...individualistic? When you realize something about yourself, about how you want to approach things and solve problems, sometimes a little bell in your brain starts ringing and you can do something new.

It's hard to MAKE it happen, it just naturally occurs.

Anyways, you figure that MOUSE is the best way to go, but before that you glance across to the now squirming man across from you. "What's the issue Mau? You look kinda...sick."

Mau doesn't look up at you, instead he's clearly sweating and grimacing at his dice, then the snake, then to your glass of water, and any form of poker face on him is gone. "N-N-N-Nothing...nothings wrong." He replies in a mess of stutter, licking his lips in an effort to keep calm.

It's time to reveal your dice, and like that you raise the wall, declaring at the same time.

"MOUSE!"

Both you and Mau have called mouse.

Mau has rolled SEVEN, one point ahead of you, and you have won the round.

YOU have won the game!

"W-Wait!" He exclaims nervously. "I-I panicked, I mean I-"

Kinesis steps up from behind you.

Radio 2022/03/15(Tue)12:13 No. 1026337 ID: a70a13
File 164737158050.jpg - (671.39KB , 960x960 , panel 48.jpg )

"Come now my friend, you know better than to be a spoil sport."

Kinesis looks across at Mau, and it's obvious that his ability is in full swing. "You used your snake as a second pair of eyes and even after figuring out that advantage you still want to draw this out? Not very sportsmanlike."

You feel your own eyes starting to shine, something you can't see but you can feel, and you realize the lock and chain has finally been set. ANTE UP has been resolved.

Kinesis' voice is still going. "Now, let's keep this brief so we can all go on with our lives shall we? Clero, would you do the honors?"

The two of you briefly make eye contact before you nod, a sense of pride across your partner's face as you finally get your well earned information.

"Tell us about Boss. What's your connection to him, and where and why did he dip? And...you don't have to answer but how did the snake work?"

Radio 2022/03/15(Tue)12:20 No. 1026339 ID: a70a13
File 164737203149.jpg - (409.52KB , 960x960 , Panel 49.jpg )

Mau looks away from you two, silently moving to open the snake container before letting his pet quietly slither onto his arm. He holds it gently as the little guy stares up at his owner's face.

"I-I...I'm not good with words but okay." He responds, his tone somehow more tense but more real than his stonewall before.

"...I'm a beastmaster, I can...connect with certain animals. Loops here has a special bond with me and I c-can sometimes use his heat vision. I could tell how you were holding the dice and what side landed up...I'm sorry, it wasn't alright to do I..."

He goes quiet for a moment, unsure of what to say. Kinesis leans over the table gently. "My friend, please. We're not trying to hurt anyone. Tell us what you know."

Mau nods gently. "I don't do well w-with people, and...and Boss was really patient. We met in school and we were friends and he started a business...he didn't talk to his family besides a foster sister he had, her name is Columbia. When we both grew up he started his business and he kept it downlow, didn't wanna get involved with the system..."

He paused again. "He stopped by here before he left. He was scared, wet with s-sweat and panting like a d-d-dog......He said something was really wrong and he was leaving the city, and he wanted to tell me before it happened. He hugged me, and before I could get answers he was gone, alright? I don't know why he left, but I know that something was seriously f-f-fucked up."

You know that he's telling the truth, ANTE UP doesn't allow lies.

It seems you got your information...now what?

> JUST ONE MORE THING
Considering Mau seems one of the more in-the-know people about the 'work' aspect of Boss's life: "Just the one business? The building contract-work? Can you recall anything about his business - aside from its lack of officiality - that might have gotten him into trouble with someone?"

I assume Kinesis will get right on the sister hunt, either here or later.

Also, do reassure him that you aren't with whoever it was that spooked Boss, you think, and bid him good day.

> SCENE DEBRIEFING
Once you're outside, maybe voice twinge of fear you got: "What do you think Boss was talking about with Mau, there? What's 'messed up' about this city that most people don't know?"

> NEXT COURSE
Well, as much as I want to grill Lime about the full extent of the work these people did, our job is technically to "find Boss." Ergo, if anybody knows where, exactly, he went, it'd be the sister. "I assume you'll need time to track her down?" Do voice your opinion about Lime, though, even if you know it likely won't reveal anything relevant to this particular job.

>>1026339
Well tell Kinesis that Mau is telling the truth. Later, you'll want to tell him that your ability only works once a day.

Ask if he knows where Boss would go, and how you can contact Columbia.

>>1026340
>Something wrong with the city.
He could have meant that, but if you look how it is worded, to me it almost seems like Boss did something to himself that went awry and he left the city to avoid collateral damage.

Radio 2022/03/21(Mon)04:10 No. 1026847 ID: a70a13
File 164786101193.jpg - (598.48KB , 960x960 , panel 50.jpg )

You glance back to Mau for one last question. "Is there anything about his business that could make it...shady? Something that would get him in trouble with someone?"

He thinks on the question a bit, before slowly shaking his head. "Y-Yeah. He had a habit of hiring...not people with the cleanest record. Nothing s-serious but usually folks who couldn't hold a job and had...trouble in the city. He felt bad for 'em. Nothing ever happened before 'cept s-some arguments he told me about but he treated them w-well..." He looks up into your eyes with a grimace. "I always told him it'd get him into something, but I didn't w-want to be right."

"And what about that sister...Columbia?"

"I'm n-not gonna lie, I have no idea...he didn't like mixing friends and f-family."

That certainly might help fit a piece into the puzzle, but that's just about all you think you're getting out of him.

You nod your thanks to him before glancing between him and Kinesis. "And as far as we're aware, we're not with the people that spooked your boss, Mau. We're just trying to help...we wouldn't hurt him for no good reason."

He still seems hesitant to fully trust you but what's done is done and the two of you make your leave.

At the door, Kinesis offers Mau a small business card, presumably with his information on it. "If you need anything or have any other information you can call me, alright? Or even if you just need help, I'm around." He smiles somewhat genuinely. "And by the way, I really like Loops. He's a good little guy."

Mau seems to brighten up just a tiny bit from the comments on his snake, going from about dour to something closer to confusion. With that, he simply nods and closes the door, leading you two to walk yourselves back outside.

"So new ability..." You put into the air.

"Yes, I noticed my friend." Kinesis responds with a slight grin. "It seems this job suits you more than you want to admiiiit~"

You hate that this dude reads you like a book, especially when he gets all sing-song'y about it, but you can't exactly turn him off.

"Looks like I can use it once a day, and somehow I can tell everything Mau said is the truth. It's like a contract, y'know?"

Your partner ponders the rules of your powers for a moment, nodding his head in contemplation. "It may not be the best tool to use right off the bat, but in a pinch we might have something. Good to have in the arsenal, at least." He continues walking with you, his expression shifting to a serious consideration. Before you can ask he's already monologuing. "Wellll, it looks like I'm going to be doing some digging, or rather sending it off to the backround department. They handle the info search of these sorts of things, so until we can find this Columbia girl, the two of us are off the clock until tomorrow."

He glances down to you with a serious glance, and you realize he's expecting you to respond with something. He kind of took your first question out of your mouth, so only thing left to add is: "So what was Mau talking about back there? What's messed up in this city that most people don't know?"

Kinesis actually stiffles a chuckle, which gets him a glare from you. He finds his composure but still manages to grin. "Well I suppose I could say the crime and the drugs and all those things, but isn't that a bit obvious? Things like that happen everywhere, I mean...there's NOTHING special about this city." He places a hand on his chin, fingering his scruffy facial hair for a moment. "But if I had a say in it, it's the Class System."

You raise an eyebrow.

"Oh come on, Clero. You're what, 26? You know how the world goes. You get your class, your family and school know, and suddenly you're being put on a path you didn't ask for. Is it successful? Maybe! Does it make you happy? Who cares!" He actually seems to flare up for a moment, his head fins starting to flick in irritation. You never thought that your boss would feel this way. "Aaaaaand as it goes, some people end up on the unhappier side of things, it gets messy, and now we have crime...we all like to act like it's so many individual problems in the world and not just one weaving web related to each other...feh."

Before Kinesis could go on, your phone begins to chime, and you're kind of glad that the politics are being put aside.

Radio 2022/03/21(Mon)04:27 No. 1026851 ID: a70a13
File 164786202394.jpg - (452.61KB , 960x960 , panel 51.jpg )

You open your phone to see that it's 3:00 PM in the afternoon. The notification you received seems to have come from none other than your roommate.

Con-Con: HEY BBY!!!! Don't forget we have PLANS 2NIGHT!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3
Con-Con: I got us tickets to a TONE SHIFT show at HEAVY ROTATION!!!!!!
Con-Con: MEET ME THERE AT 6 and we can ROCK OUT :D :D :D :D
Con-Con: I'm even wearing PANTS!! PANTS!! P A N T S!!

You wince in mild discomfort at the texts in front of you, mostly because someone needs to take that shift key away from him, but regardless he has you pegged. Tone Shift is your favorite band and its been awhile since you got to hang with them. How can you say no?

Cleroro: Alright, cool. I just got off work so I'm heading home and getting ready. Meet you inside there.

Con-Con: ALRIGHT MY D O O D!!! Hope you had a BOMB ASS FIRST DAY \(owo)/


You are going to shoot whoever invented that emoticon.

You glance back up to your boss, gently clearing your throat to get his attention. "Well if we're done today, I'm gonna start heading home. I got plans tonight and I gotta get ready but...see you tomorrow at the same time?"

Kinesis beams in that way that only he seems to be able to, reaching out to pat your shoulder at least twenty times. "Indeed my friend indeed! Go on and have a fun time, just remember to keep all that info we have updated in that file you made and we'll be golden! I will see you around then!"

You nod and quickly slap all the info you've learned today into the case file on your phone, glad to be filling that info in so today doesn't feel like some weird board game fever dream. You wave to Kinesis before going separate ways, walking to your apartment and trying to disconnect your 'crime sleuth' mentality for a moment.


CASE FILE UPDATED[b]

Radio 2022/03/21(Mon)04:28 No. 1026852 ID: a70a13
File 164786211387.jpg - (424.34KB , 960x960 , panel 52.jpg )

It takes about a half hour but soon enough you find yourself home. It seems that wherever Conway is, he's not here, and for once the apartment is quiet as can be. You make sure to savor this moment. After a chance to just shower the day off and get yourself decompressed from work, you shrug off your outfit and move to the bedroom.

Radio 2022/03/21(Mon)04:29 No. 1026853 ID: a70a13
File 164786219921.jpg - (428.65KB , 960x960 , panel 53.jpg )

HEAVY ROTATION was a club you used to go to a lot before you met Vinegar and she founded PRIMA. It's mostly a goth and raver club but honestly anyone with alternative taste is welcome there.

You figure if you're gonna go to the show, dredging some of your older clothes from back in the day is a viable choice, so the question is in the air...

Whatcha gonna wear?

> PLANS
Ah, shoot. Check if you have enough time to be with Conrad and meet with Vinegar. Do you have the afternoon and evening available to you? Text Conrad and say you want to head to PRIMA at some point, too - you promised Vinegar you'd actually tell her what's up as soon as you could.

> OUTFIT
Whatever you wear, aim for more "techno raver" than "goth," as I think you'll be visiting multiple clubs today.

>>1026853
Fuck, it would be awesome having like a full black and white suit with like some kickass sci-fi glasses, but that would break the lore cuz we would have worn the suit part to the interview.

damn

Suggestion 2022/03/21(Mon)13:43 No. 1026884 ID: 798908
File 164789543095.png - (460.62KB , 960x960 , max.png )

>>1026853
it's not a proper rave without properly questionable mad max fashion choices

>>1026884
We need to dress at least somewhat modest, since we gave our roommate shit for not wearing pants.

Suggestion 2022/03/21(Mon)15:18 No. 1026889 ID: fc1eab
File 164790109254.png - (511.50KB , 960x1200 , Chum Drum Bedrum.png )

I feel like this fits the aesthetic.

Suggestion 2022/03/21(Mon)15:26 No. 1026891 ID: fc1eab
File 164790157754.jpg - (426.99KB , 960x960 , SteveTax.jpg )

Lets just get this out of the way.

Himitsu 2022/03/23(Wed)17:43 No. 1027103 ID: 629f2e
File 164808261826.png - (693.84KB , 960x960 , Clero Paperdoll.png )

My take on what Clero should wear.

Donut 2022/03/23(Wed)17:53 No. 1027109 ID: 8483cf
File 164808323271.png - (522.90KB , 960x960 , NoisyDoll.png )

CLOTHES BEAM

Radio 2022/03/26(Sat)22:45 No. 1027403 ID: a70a13
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It takes a little digging but soon enough you've found a few pieces that you forgot you even had. You start with a zippered tank top, and pair it with your favorite LUCKY SEVEN JEANS.
After that, it makes sense to grab your thigh boots, which match perfectly with several pieces of jewelry including your bangles, pocket chains, and spiked bracelet. You pop in a spiked earring, thanking yourself for keeping your piercings clear even if you don't wear them that often, and wah-la!

You glance at yourself in the mirror, not bad!

Thinking on your plans, however, you realize you still have to try and tell Vinegar what's going on as soon as you can. You decide to text her now and just tell Conway that you wanna go to PRIMA after the concert, he's usually down to go wherever.


CLERO: Hey hey Vin, I'll try to hit up your bar later tonight. Conway is taking me to a concert at Heavy Rotation, we're seeing TONE SHIFT...unless you're gonna be there?

It takes a moment but you get a response.

VINEGAR: Nah, I'm just gonna do my thing at the bar, but say hi to Po for me alright? Haven't gotten to take her out lately, she's been busy.

CLERO: Yeah no worries, I got you covered, see you later tonight.

VINEGAR: See you then.


Well, that seems better at least. With a sigh you check the time and find it's 5:30 PM. If you choose to do anything else before heading to the club you're bound to run late, should you head straight there?

Be responsible and head straight to the club, like a loser.

Head straight to the club, but check your dating apps while you do. Play the field!

ever heard of fashionably late?

unfortunately, I can't think of anything we can do, so, whatever, lets just go.

Radio 2022/03/31(Thu)21:15 No. 1027815 ID: a70a13
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With nothing else to do, you flick the lights of your apartment off and head forward into the streets. You got a show to catch!
Unlike the commute to your new job with Kinesis, the walk to Heavy Rotation is actually pretty easy. It might be because both of you are located in THE SHANTZ, which ain’t the BEST neighborhood in town, but hey it’s not like you’re going to be getting mugged around here.
Regardless, you quickly notice that those ROKI posters from earlier today were in fact not just an anomaly you wished you hadn’t noticed. Walking through an alley that normally has a variety of band posters and party fliers strewn across the walls…it looks like it’s all ROKI. What the fuck is with this? A part of you wants to rip that shit off the walls and stomp on it, but a quick check of your clock shows that you don’t have Vandalism time on your hands. For the moment though, you shoot the closest poster a dirty look before moving on.

Radio 2022/03/31(Thu)21:16 No. 1027816 ID: a70a13
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After escaping the linear maze of frustrating posters, your walk only takes a few more moments before you’re staring at the club. The place was some kind of industrial building at one point, you’re pretty sure it was some kinda shoe factory or something? Regardless, the place has been gutted of machinery for years now, and has become the homeland of most punks and freaks in the area…which kind of explains why you’re here.
You can see the line up front to get in, various people wearing raver gear, spiked collars,and violent amounts of eyeliner. You’re pretty sure one person is just in leather gear. These are your people, alright. In a weird way this kinda environment feels like home.

Radio 2022/03/31(Thu)21:16 No. 1027817 ID: a70a13
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Before you get in line you look around to see if you can find Conway, but it’s not looking like he’s around out front. With a shrug you make your way to the back of the line, only to feel a tap on your shoulder.
“Cler, Cler! Sorry I was around the corner, did you wait long?”
You sigh and let out a breath of relief, turning around to face him. “Yeah no worries, I just got he-”
You stop mid sentence as you see your roommate standing there…
Are we gonna react calmly to what you’re looking at, or be spazzy?

I'm feelin' spazzy today.

Spaz because we remember that our last instruction to him was that we would only come if he was wearing pants.

WE REGRET TELLING HIM TO WEAR PANTS

>>1027828
this guy's out here in nothing but a pair of leather chaps isn't he

fuckin miracle he ain't busted on indecency charges

Let’s go be a total spaz 2013 style

Let’s go be a total spaz 2013 style

Radio 2022/04/05(Tue)15:36 No. 1028317 ID: a70a13
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"What do you think? I had trouble finding pants in my closet but these were perfect right?!"

Your eyes glance over Conway's outfit from top to bottom, really focusing on the fact that somehow the dude managed to find a pair of fucking see-through pants that show off his damn thong even further.

Part of you recognizes that it's not like....the WRONG place to wear this kind of getup but on the other hand this feels like a fucking loophole.

And also he's kind of hot like this?

A U G H

You can tell that Conway is staring at you despite not being able to see his eyes, as he tilts his head curiously.

"I even did my hair kinda different to match...does it look alright?"

Radio 2022/04/05(Tue)15:41 No. 1028318 ID: a70a13
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You don't think he looks BAD but by all means you're taken off guard and it's not like you had a good poker face to begin with. You feel a few beads of sweat run down your face as you finally spit out.

"A-A-Ah, yeah!"

You sound like a busted motorboat but you still keep going, why are you like this??

"Y-You look like a uh...like uhm...a cool genie?" You try to offer the best compliment you can even though you know your roommate can tell you're fucking up. You KNOW it.

Conway considers your words for a moment before snorting out a laugh. "Cool genie, I like that! You're funny, Cler." He seems to have found your 'compliment' at least somewhat appeasing, or whatever the Conway equivalent to that is. He moves ahead of you as he notices the line moving. "C'mon man, we're almost in, this is gonna be fucking rad!"

You sigh and place a hand over your head, running over your mowhawk and feeling the tightened hair SPROING back up like a spring. Looks like the night continues!

Radio 2022/04/05(Tue)15:45 No. 1028319 ID: a70a13
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The inside of HEAVY ROTATION is just as industrial as the outside. From head to toe the place is a concrete slab with wires and pipes breaking up the cement. The lights are a thick red and the noise inside, though not at its peak quite yet, is heavy and full of bass. People across the room are talking, dancing, or making their way to the concert space behind the bar. The usual suspects seem to be hanging around and as expected neither you nor Conway seem to be standing out too badly.

"A'ight dude it's gonna be a minute till TONE SHIFT makes its way out, so we've got a minute. What do you wanna do first?" Asks Conway who seems to be sticking with you for now.

You consider your options, you could always grab a drink first at the bar. The bartender looks somewhat familiar so it might be a slightly easier conversation than your next option which is to mingle with the other club goers. You could also just make your way to the dancefloor and party for a little bit....or find a spot against the wall and chat with Conway.

Either way you've got time to kill until the show starts.

What do you wanna do?

Anything interesting on the tv monitors? Check it while talkin to Conway

Early evening clubs are basically an excuse to socialize while drinking and scoping for hotties. Hit the bar and talk with Conway. Dance floor is for later.

>>1028351
This

>>1028317
>roommate
k, so your roommate is just a pervert. Got it.

--

So, are you gay then? Is your roommate gay? Are they trying to send you a message?

>>1028381
...does your roomate's potentially feminine tendencies give you strange feelings that even you don't truly understand?

Grab a drink. It's gearing up to be an interesting night and ya gotta grease the wheels for a smooth ride.

>>1028381
Hey, he avoids pants regardless of Cler's presence. He's just not a proponent of the whole "pants" thing. He's doing his best.

Having said that, the bartender might be nice, but you can also talk to Conway. Does he drink? What's he like?

Most important, of course, are the Whys

Radio 2022/04/28(Thu)14:28 No. 1030703 ID: a70a13
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Listen, you don't have an issue with Conway or his...lack of pants or anything. It's more just that he's really sorta...floaty through life and it makes you anxious?

You don't have a better way of explaining it, and the more you word it out the worse it sounds.

And as for the gay thing? You're non-binary they/them and all that. You kinda just date whoever seems right.

Glancing at the TV Screens you can see that they're currently blank. It's been awhile since you've been here but you're pretty sure those are for people who can't make it into the main concert area whenever they've got live bands playing. You shouldn't need those since you got here early, though.

You decide to move yourself and Conway to the bar, quickly finding a seat in front of the bar tender.

"Well well well well well well WELL" The bartender quips, their face, er, mouth lined ear to ear(?) in a grin. "What a sight for SORE EYES! Clero, it has been one hell of a while and is that Conway right there next to you? Didn't know you two got along together!"

It has been awhile indeed, so long that you've totally forgotten what the hell their name even is, but as if by magic Conway pipes up.

"Haha, you know me Xenia, I know every dang person in town!" His face is cocked in a wide smile and you realize that you're the only person in this conversation who seems to have visible eyes. Conway seems to continue "Just grab us two beers, whatever's best on tap alright? Tonight's on me."

Xenia flicks the two of you a peace sign before wandering over to grab some glasses.

Radio 2022/04/28(Thu)14:34 No. 1030704 ID: a70a13
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As your drinks are being prepared, you shift yourself to the left, focusing back on your companion. "So...what's been up dude?" You offer out. You've always had a hard time talking to Con, but if your awkwardness was noticeable he doesn't point it out.

"Not much not much, just been keeping a float like usual. Doing the odd jobs, helping people, oh! Yeah I met a cute chick the other day and I gotta date coming up so that's exciting!" His tone is smooth and sprightly, the usual joyful bout of smiles from him. You're not sure Conway has even ever frowned in front of you.

"A date? That's cool man, really cool, hope it goes well...by the way, didn't know you knew ah...Xenio was it?"

Conway snorts and tilts his head at you. "Xenia, Clero. And yeah, she's cool. We met awhile ago when we got stuck under an awning in the rain. Then again you know me, I know EVERYONE."

That indeed would be true, it seems that whenever you mention someone in your circle, Conway is already in the know...you figure it comes with his Class or something. Otherwise he's just weird like that.

As you ponder this, your drinks are quickly served by Xenia who quickly moves onto the other customers.

"Didn't know you liked to drink, Con." You pipe up, sipping at your beer. It's a little too bitter for your taste but hey the damn thing was free, right?

Conway nods his head a bit and takes a gulp, licking his lips free of the foam. "I don't do it often...alcohol and me aren't always the best of friends but I don't think a beer is gonna hurt me. I used to be waaaaaay worse about it though."

"Oh... Well, I'm glad you've been doing better, then."

Seems like the sort of thing that'd be rude to pry about.

"Oh, you keep mentioning that you know EVERYONE, right? How far does that go?"

>>1030704
...you do know your roommate, right? Have you not been living together for very long? Seems like you don't really know much about them.

Nah, one beer is fine. assure him at most he'll feel a buzz. But let him know you'll make sure he'll keep it light with the beer as long as you're here if he wants.

Well, hey. We don't need alcohol to have a good time tonight. We're here to hang out and enjoy some good tunes.

Which also might be a good time to learn more about your roommate. Ask Conway how he met his upcoming date?

Radio 2022/05/13(Fri)14:37 No. 1032129 ID: a70a13
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"Oh... Well, I'm glad you've been doing better, then." You and Conway have only been living together for...3-ish months so far and in that time you'll admit you haven't put a lot of effort into connecting with him. Your brain has just been in different places and the endless smiles he offers always just made you a little jittery. It's not a good excuse but it's the truth, but all of this is to say you most definitely DIDN'T know that Conway might've had a drinking problem.

You take a moment to think of where to take the rest of the conversation and settle on asking about his upcoming date. "So where'd you meet this girl you were talking about? The one you're going out with, I mean."

Conway nods his head and turns himself closer to you, reaching a hand to toy with his bands a bit. "Oh yeah! So like, I have these buddies Tread and Taunt and we were doing some window shopping stuff. They said that there was this place their friends worked and when we went in it was like, this cool ass antique store right?" He takes another sip of his drink before he continues. "So we go inside and said our Hi's and stuff and get to know their friend, her name's Shein by the way, and then we ended up talking some more 'cuz I bought this cool music box that she was thinking of getting, and we swapped numbers and started textin' and long story short we hit it off and we're going swimming later!"

Despite the explanation being short, you're reminded that the way Conway socializes seems somewhat inherently complex, if just by the nature of his...friendship chain? You never actually stopped to ask him how in the hell he seemed to know all these people in the first place...maybe that'd be worth investigating?

"Well I'm glad that you clicked with her Con...Oh, you keep mentioning that you know EVERYONE, right? How far does that go?"

Radio 2022/05/13(Fri)14:46 No. 1032130 ID: a70a13
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He perks up at the mention, seemingly surprised? Was it your question? You're not sure, but he seems to slip back to his usual collected self. "Ah, yeah well like...I don't know EVERYONE but it's definitely more than the usual people." He takes his last sip of beer, letting the empty glass clink back down onto the wooden bar as he considers how to explain.

"Okay so...it's a class power kinda right? So most people can only recognize so many people, right? Like you could only handle 150 friends in your life, and maybe remember a couple thousand names and faces off the top of your head and with a little help, yeah? So...I don't really work like that? Like obviously I can't be friends with EVERYONE but like, when I meet someone it kinda gets stored in my head. It can be a name or a face for starters but like, once it's there I can just recall it like looking through a dictionary."

He thinks for a second before pulling a napkin from nearby and grabbing a pen from who fucking knows where and begins doodling. "So the more I know about someone, the more gets tucked in their file, and I also can remember a person's relationship to someone else so like..." He pauses and starts drawing arrows between the various crudely drawn faces on the napkin. "So I'm here right? and I know you, and Vinegar, and Xenia. I know that you three all know Poster, and I know that Poster and Xenia know a couple people that come to the bar like Zippo and Pascal." He seems to finish off the chart and hands it to you, and it takes a few moments for you to fully understand everything he says. "Most people would usually forget this kind of stuff, but I just...don't."

"Damn." You respond back bluntly. That's genuinely impressive and you never would've expected it from CONWAY of all people. You wonder for a moment what kind of Class would let him do something like this, but the question stays pulled back in your throat. You know that's not something you bug someone with, not anymore anyways.

Radio 2022/05/13(Fri)14:54 No. 1032131 ID: a70a13
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"Con, that's like...really cool, man." You offer him a small smile, a genuine smile, and switch your weight to face his direction. Maybe it's the beer in your system but the big guy seems a lot more real than you've ever thought of him before. I guess this is what learning about people is like?

"Well, I'm glad you think so, dude. It definitely comes in handy sometimes...hah." His smile is still there but his laugh isn't super convincing. This is the first time your roommate has ever shown himself to be anything other than super-duper fun times and you genuinely aren't sure what that means for him. It takes you a minute to find your next words but you finally grab them.

"Hey, if you want I can kinda...keep a check on you tonight? Make sure you stay light with the beer so you don't have any issues. We don't need booze to have fun tonight right? Just like, you and me." You offer your assistance to him, hoping this wasn't the way to bring the mood down at the party, but instead you feel the warm touch of your friend's giant hand on your back, seemingly supportive in nature.

"Hey man, I would actually really like that. It can be tough doing this stuff on my own and all that shit but like...yeah. Thank you Clero." His smile isn't the usual bombastic grin you've found yourself accustomed to but the smaller arch on his face seems more honest, more real. It seems you've made a real connection with Conway, and it's nice.


Well, it seems you two have already had a deeper talk that you expected, and in the time it took to discuss dating and class powers and possible alcoholism, it's been about a half-ish hour. Do you wanna keep talking with Conway, or do you wanna do something else? Dancefloor is still open, other people are around, the night is young!

Remember, you still got a second club you need to visit so you can apologize and explain to Vinegar. I assume you don't need to worry about that until after the band starts playing?

Either way, you should stay (relatively) sober until then, so make this the last (alcoholic) drink either of you have here.

Head out to the dance floor with Conway and see who you meet.

Disagree. MORE DRINKS WITH CONWAY he's a cool dude

good talk, but looks like (significant amounts of) alcohol's off the table. Celebrate the good talk with dances

Bust a grove on the dance floor with Conway. Maybe you can learn more about each other by talking about bands and music you each like?

Radio 2022/05/26(Thu)16:23 No. 1033674 ID: a70a13
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Remembering you still have to visit Vinegar at Prima Materia later, you do a little math in your head and confirm that even if you stick around for the whole concert there's more than enough time to head over there afterwards.

You make the executive decision that drinks are expensive but dancing is free. Getting up from your barstool you turn to look at Conway with a grin. "Dude, let's go to the dancefloor, it'll be fun!" At first, it seems that Con is somewhat off-kilter from your apparent excitement, which is fair considering you're kind of a mess most of the time, but even then he warily stands up to join you.

"Alright man, we ARE celebrating you-" He responds, though his tone is less enthusiastic than usual. "But I'm kind of a crappy dancer so uh...sorry if I'm kinda awkward?"

In all the time you've known your roommate, you never would of thought that he'd be the type to be nervous about a DANCE PARTY, but it goes to show you that people are more complicated when you give them a chance to talk...or give yourself the chance to talk to them, rather.

You offer out your hand to Conway, the thumping beats of the music filling the air as you both walk closer, and tentatively he accepts your grasp. "It'll be fun, I promise! Listen, I think they're playing some shitty scene music, we GOTTA do this! Just stick with me, alright?"

Conway nods and soon enough the two of you have found a comfortable place on the red-lit dancefloor.

Radio 2022/05/26(Thu)16:29 No. 1033677 ID: a70a13
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You're pretty sure the song playing is called THICK BABIES and it's just the kind of horny nonsense garbage that gets you in the mood to rock out! It's been months since you've hit up a nightclub, and already you're experiencing the return of the beat in your body. Thick resounding thumps in the floor and walls pound in your ears, and soon enough your arms and legs are swinging to the beat.

Looking over to Conway, he indeed seems to having a little trouble getting into the swing of things, so to speak. His arms are angled somewhat awkwardly and he doesn't seem to know what to do with his feet...but still he's trying to smile.

"Just keep your eyes on me, Con." You offer up to him, your face more grin than his, as you sway yourself back and forth to the rhythm surrounding you. It takes time, but eventually your roommate loosens up, joining your fluid motions as the two of you jam out to the increasingly edgy bullshit this club thinks is music.

Your pocket chains and jewelry jangle against your body while you move, little pulses of energy in your wrists flicking out as the world really shrinks down to just you and Conway in the moment, and suddenly a thought hits your head.

"So like, what kind of music do you like, dude?"

Radio 2022/05/26(Thu)16:33 No. 1033678 ID: a70a13
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Conway seems to think about your question for awhile, the two of you still banging to some trashy baby goth shit, until his mouth opens back up to respond.

"Honestly I'm kind of a music omnivore. Never really got too into any scene so I just kind of listen to stuff that I've picked up along the way. Guess I listened to country in highschool though?"

You actually take a moment to PFFFT at his response. Never in a million years would you've expected that from your pantless wonder of a friend, the plot keeps thickening! "You with country??? Oh my god that's fucking gold, please tell me it was tractor bro country!"

Conway actually blushes and nods, letting an embarrassed laugh out. "Ahhhh yeah it was a fucking weird time for me man, but what can I say? I really like that Woodly guy that was around a couple years ago but then he got kinda hate-speechy and I jumped that train...but outside of that?"

He thinks for a moment. "I really like Ro-"

Radio 2022/05/26(Thu)16:34 No. 1033679 ID: a70a13
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...

Radio 2022/05/26(Thu)16:35 No. 1033680 ID: a70a13
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!?!?!?!?! :O :O :O :O :O

Radio 2022/05/26(Thu)16:36 No. 1033681 ID: a70a13
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Conway has suddenly stopped talking and is gaping his mouth open like a person who forgot how breathing works. It doesn't take much context to realize he's looking at something behind you, even if you still can't see his damn eyes under those bangs. Keeping your feet bouncing to the rhythm you glance over your shoulder to see what he's looking a-

Radio 2022/05/26(Thu)16:37 No. 1033682 ID: a70a13
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Oooooooooooooooooooh Shit.

Radio 2022/05/26(Thu)16:39 No. 1033684 ID: a70a13
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"CLERO? OOOOOOH SHIT!"

TRACK 1 HAS ENDED. PLEASE FLIP SIDE TO BEGIN B SIDE.

https://questden.org/kusaba/quest/res/1033686.html