expiationnet | 002=VIDEO [ forward dated to March 10th ]

002=VIDEO [ forward dated to March 10th ]

[ It's an evening like any other since the beginning of the blackout ─ since the last rays of sunshine have disappeared behind the horizon already, there are few people left on the streets, whatever little light there is still around coming mostly from candles in the nearby windows and an occasional brazier a person or two may stop by to warm up on their way home.

Even so, it shouldn't be difficult for anyone familiar with Aldrip to recognize the area shown in the video feed despite the surrounding darkness ─ and that's doubly true for those who have been through their "sentencing". The building displayed is, without any doubt, the City Hall, the very same where the Council (supposedly) dwells and casts their judgement upon the Chosen. The person filming this, whoever they are, approaches the main entry to the building before stopping right before its doors. They reach out to it, but instead of placing their hand on the knob as some might have assumed, they press their palm against the surface of the door instead. It's at this point that the mysterious figure speaks up, and those who know him will surely have no trouble realizing who it is. ]

... Restriction 666 released, dimensional interference field deployed.

[ Multiple elaborate magic circles start appearing from beneath his hand, their blue light illuminating the area and making it easier to see for those who haven't recognized the place yet. Paying them no mind, the voice continues: ]

IDEA Engine, linked. BlazBlue... activate.

[ An ornate crest flashes in front of him, and then the screen is filled with blinding light. What follows is a loud sound of an explosion, but it doesn't come just from the recording ─ no, anyone in Aldrip will probably be able to hear the almost deafening, sharp noise. The whole thing only lasts seconds, probably, but it might feel like it takes longer than that for the light to finally fade ─ and once it does, the area is completely unrecognizable. Where the City Hall stood just moments ago, there is nothing but a sea of fire and rubble. Surely, there are screams, too, and people rushing in to see what was the cause of the explosion ─ but their voices are drowned out by the sound of falling rocks and crackling fire.

Finally, Ragna turns the charm to face him, appearing completely unfazed like he didn't just raze a building to the ground. ]

The sentencing's been called off. I'm done playing their games.

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[Naoto has only been here a week. People had mentioned things would go from calm to chaotic in the blink of an eye but...]

Please tell me you had a plan before potentially starting a riot...

[This is going to be suffering.]

And who, exactly, do you think would start those? The locals?

[ The man scoffs, clearly unconcerned. He also doesn't address her question directly, because his "plan" goes pretty much as far as blowing the City Hall, everything else be damned. ]

They'll stay where they belong if they know what's good for them.

[ He has absolutely no qualms about making very public threats like this, and if any of the Aldrip's residents have a problem with what he's done... well, let's just say he's not above adding some more "murder" to his list of charges. ]

[She was sticking to audio. It was her first time using this charm thing and she'd rather not have her face seen in connection to this.]

And what about the other...prisoners who might be attacked in retaliation?

[ That's fine with him, he doesn't particularly care. Though he has to raise an eyebrow at the idea of the people of Aldrip "retaliating" in any way... Sure, they might grumble about it, but he can't even begin to imagine them lifting a finger to do anything about it instead of leaving it up to the Council to deal with everything. ]

You don't know much about the people here, do you? As if they have the guts to attack us. The worst they can do is talk behind your back and look at you funny.

If you can't handle a bunch of country bumpkins being impolite to you, then you're beyond saving anyway.

I've been here a week... [She sighed. Rethinking about the things she'd heard. Were people exaggerating? Or was this man's sense of danger skewed? She was leaning towards the latter with what he'd just displayed. ]

I was under the impression that they were more aggressive when provoked, are they really that impotent?

[ Huh... Okay, he'll cut her some slack then. Not that he enjoys acting like a goddamn tour guide for newbies, but it's slightly less annoying than dealing with the preaching from people who should know better by now.

Ragna raises his eyebrow at that; his definition of danger might not line up with everyone else's, but "aggressive" is not the word he'd use for people here... not the ones in Aldrip, at least. ]

... They really are. A while ago, some of them got shot at. They know the prep, but they won't do anything about it without the Council's blessing. Hell, I'd be surprised if they can piss without their overlords' permission.

[ He's gonna keep the details of the shooting vague, though, because there's no way he's throwing Jinx under the bus for it. ]

The snake people tried to kill us once, but they had to resort to playing dirty. They're not much to speak of in a fair fight, and they're under home arrest anyway. The guys who blew our fuses... probably the worst of the bunch, but that incident aside, they keep to themselves.

[He couldn't see it, but she was narrowing her eyes at that. Because that was just strange.]

They didn't even arrest them? [When she'd first arrived, she'd been told it was some kind of open-air prison. It was strange hearing that there was no enforcement at all.

She really wasn't sure what to make of them being so passive.]

What happened with the ones who caused the blackout?

The locals? Nope, they did nothing. Now, the Council's a whole different thing... they're the ones calling all the shots. It's almost like the people living in Aldrip are just props in their little play.

[ And using people like that doesn't sit right with him, so that's one more reason to take down the Council if you ask him. ]

Ketsora peeps? They bailed. And before you ask, no, no one went after 'em. They got away with is scot-free.

[ Granted, their actions were in retaliation for something else... but that doesn't give them the right to drop an EMP on them and leave. ]

Has anyone actually met the council? In person? [Because it was beginning to sound like they hadn't. That these people were pulling the stings from a distance.]

Ketsora...That's the town south of here, isn't it? Did they leave a message or was it unprovoked?

Define "met".

[ Because while he might have done so, it's only on a technicality; he still couldn't tell her anything about them, even if he wanted to. ]

Some of us got to meet them face-to-face... supposedly. They do something to your memories afterward, so you don't actually remember anything other than vague voices and feeling judged.

[ Which is playing dirty, if you ask him... but at the same time, it also gives him an idea of what they might be. He hopes this whole mess gives him some kind of confirmation...

As for the other guys, well. ]

Their message was a warning. "Don't mess with us," basically.

[ Granted, they have a good reason behind this, but he's not bringing that up just yet. ]

As in spoken to them physically, with them standing in front of one's self. [Because from what scraps Naoto had heard, she was beginning to think they weren't really there. That these wardens had decided their prison might be too dangerous to be present. That they might be issuing orders through a phone or computer.

Her face twisted at his answer.]

Memory alteration... [There was a weary sigh. Someone had already mentioned that.]

Do you remember their ruling afterward?

Can't help you there, then. ... 'Sides, I highly doubt they even have a physical form in the first place.

[ Something like that would probably only be seen as an unnecessary disadvantage from the point of beings who are capable of so much more. ]

You sure do. They tell you you've gotta "do better" and complete some inane task like planting trees and holding hands with people to improve yourself. Which is total bullshit if you ask me.

[ He may be exaggerating slightly? But only slightly. Either way, he sees no reason why completing those sentencing tasks could achieve anything. ]

[Well that was reassuring. Naoto wasn't sure if that was a possibility here but if it was... Were they even dealing with a living being to begin with?

There's a noise after he mentions the punishment. Her hands covering her face as she just silently contemplated for a moment.]

...That was not what I was expecting their terms to be.

[She'd been expecting, you know, an actual punishment.]

You'd think.

[ It's flat-out insulting when you stop and think about it... the idea he could make up for literally destroying a world by being nice to people is beyond ridiculous. ]

If you ask me, that right there is the proof that all the talk of atonement is bullshit.

[Given they've made up her crime, she was starting to think they made everything up on the spot.

He got a little huff of a laugh at that.]

It seems so. It doesn't make sense how this place would function.

All the more reason to get off our asses and actually do shit instead of waiting for this to magically resolve itself.

[ Some might have suggested starting with something less... drastic, but for Ragna it's go big or go home. ]

[Sighing at that.]

Maybe so...But it'd have been nice to have a warning. Something like this would be more effective if we were organized.

Hate to burst your bubble, but I don't do this "teamwork" shit.

[ First it's "we need to organize" and next thing you know you'll be telling him Power of Friendship is a thing. No thank you. ]

You can still work alone and warn people...

[She wouldn't. But she wasn't going to argue about 'safety in numbers']

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002=VIDEO [ forward dated to March 10th ]

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