➤The ✭ Perfect ✫ World ➧➧➤

[Hiddochi wolf]

((Hehe, that's fine. razz
I feel like this soundtrack suits the RP's current atmosphere quite nicely... ))

She heard a distant chiming the moment before the messenger arrived. Layla stepped away from her creation, expression icing over again into her cold, business-like demeanor. Never before had the public seen their leader with any sort of vulnerability. She grabbed down her cloak from the hook, quickly tied it around her shoulders, then stepped out past the man. She gave him a glare, "I'll have questions for you later..."
Layla turned on her heels and hurried down the hall, into a lavish computer terminal. She headed straight for the beeping monitor, glanced absentmindedly at the contact number. Northwest. She hadn't exactly expected this call, but never did she doubt the possibility of it. She clicked Accept, then waited as Lukas came into focus.
"I am assuming you've heard, then..." Layla started, her voice low but harsh as usual, "Trust me, Vine; I would never do such a thing without my reasons. You know of my close relations with your faction, and it was by no means an easy decision on my part. But this... this action of Northwest has drawn the line. I cannot allow such behavior to go without retribution."  

[Okami Ameras]

Lukas's blue eyes have Layla a weary look.

I see Innocent until proven Guilty is still alive and well, hmm? He spoke quieter then usual, and he was forcing his voice to be a bit higher pitched. His voice was downright scary to someone not used to it. He only spoke normally to Northwest members. If you're wondering how we found out, one of our watchers noticed the activity around your city. No one has called us, but the sudden hurried repairs to your mechs says trouble is on the way... for somebody. And we figured it was us.

He sat back.

At least hear us out before you come marching in on our little forest. It was an accident, nothing more then that.  

[Hiddochi wolf]

Layla gave her closest equivalent to humor, "So I won't have to sacrifice one of my own for not being careful enough." She crossed her arms and also relaxed her posture a bit, silence ensued as her eyes strayed from the screen. She could practically feel Aerilo watching her with disappointment, could almost hear his words; "Justice is only justified when it has been rightfully served. Unheard pleas lead not to justice, but to shame."
The monarch's iciness faded, revealing an oddly soft side of her. Her hand clutched tightly around the quartz heart. When she spoke again, it was in a genuine, vulnerable tone, "Only for Spirit do I listen, as I know this would not be of his will any other way. Should I detect any falsity, our attack is justified."  

[Okami Ameras]

The man knew. His eyes held honesty and he started to speak, for him and his Faction.

My Northwest member heard an alert that a West member had gotten into the coding layer of the Simulation. My Northwest member knew that if the wrong piece of coding was messed with, then the world would rip apart and everyone, Chip users and serum users alike, would be trapped inside. She went to investigate, and slipped past Genesis and Metamorphosis, who were repairing the hole in the layer. But, a Incidental got in there too. Thanks to the Western member, the Caretaker Nemesis was being re-instated in the coding layer. This same incidental had gotten tortured by Nemesis about 12 hours or so earlier, before the Caretaker had been erased. As the two faction members argued, the incidental approached the re-forming robot. My Northwest member told the Western member to leave and she would take over; He did so, right before the incidental punched the reforming Nemesis, which triggered the security. My Northwest member couldn't prevent it; the incidental herself had realized afterward that it was a reckless action and if she had known that would happen she would have stayed away from the reforming robot.

Lukas took a deep breath and continued.

My Northwest member after that, tracked down the girl in the real world, and called a council meeting. We were told what happened. The Incidental herself was recently dragged out of the Simulation for the first time by Nemesis. Her actions were caused by anger, a great deal of stress, and a massive amount of shock.  

[Hiddochi wolf]

Layla listened, and truly wanted to believe this man. She saw and heard truth. But perhaps her own pride would be her undoing. Several times did she open her mouth to speak, but couldn't produce adequate words. The silence dragged on and on. Eventually, the woman just abandoned the monitor altogether without canceling the transmission, vanishing from sight.
She didn't go far, just to a desk on the other side of the room. She let out a tired sigh, head held between her hands, propped up on the tabletop. This job was sometimes too stressful for a single entity... she resented holding the faction's sole responsibility. It was then that a distress signal from West sounded off on another monitor.  

[Okami Ameras]

Lukas watched the woman, the most sincere look of honesty in the man's eyes, and on his unshaven face. He was one of the most honest Faction leaders, by far; everyone knew this. He valued honesty and trust above anything. It was how he became the unofficial leader of the council and of Northwest. When she stood and left, he put his elbows down onto the table and ran his fingers through his crimson hair. All he could do is was wait. North was Northwest's closest ally, and probably the same held true for North as well. He had a feeling that these ties were something neither could afford to break.

He looked over and noticed a brass ball sitting on a nearby table. He picked it up and started bouncing it in his hands and playing with it as he waited.

~~~

The young man from earlier peered into the monitor room and headed over to the ID.

It's from West.

He clicked accept.

The screen opened, and it showed a young man with black hair and bangs of gold. He had deep amber eyes that were almost a gold color. He wore deep blue armor and a tattered blue scarf.

North Faction.  

[omgIisonfiyah]

"God damn it, pick up already!" Dante shouted at the monitor. Layla had to pick up, if she ignored them then the West was screwed royally. "Devon, have you found out what happened to Chris yet?" Dante barked over the radio, if things were as bad as he had figured then war was coming. Then the call went through and someone else answered the call. "Hey you listen good, this is important! One of ours just went missing a little while ago and something feels wrong about it. I think they might be back and out for payback." Dante said over the monitor.

"Okay, why the hell would that happen, who messed with what?" Virgil asked, not really understanding what was going on.  

[omgIisonfiyah]

((Sorry if this is me going a little too far. I can edit if you want someone else to do the important talking thingie.))  

[Okami Ameras]

((I don't know what her offical title is, so 'Her highness' will have to do until otherwise noted))

The Young man's golden eyes widened. Today hadn't been a good day for him, and it looks like was about to get worse. He then straightened and saluted.

Her Highness Layla is with another call. I will inform her when she is finished.  

[omgIisonfiyah]

"Oh hell no, you go in there right now and tell her that Dante Christian told you to break decorum and interrupt her call. And then you give her the message I just told you, either that or bring her in here. This is too God damn important to wait!" Dante barked at the monitor. He didn't want to be doomed just because Layla was taking another call and some dude was afraid of being punished for interrupting her.  

[Okami Ameras]

The young man gave Dante defeated look before walking out of the terminal. He then noticed Layla, who had just walked out of her conversation with the Northwest representative.

He saluted and stammered.

D-Dante C-Cristian r-requests that he speak with you right away Ma'm! O-One of West's m-members have been k-kidnapped!

((Random tektek o the little woobie I just created. ))

~~~

Meanwhile, Lukas was still waiting. He was tossing the ball back and forth in his hands, spinning it around on his fingers, flicking his wrists and catching the brass ball with his fingertips. He had always been fond of brass.

((And a tektek of Lukas! ))

 

[omgIisonfiyah]

Dante sighed when the peon ran off to give Layla the message. Good, because Chris cannot and will not wait for help. Dante thought to himself. He may not care about a lot of things, but the guys he served with were like family and family didn't get left to die.  

[Okami Ameras]

((Bumparooni))

 

[omgIisonfiyah]

((Humpity Bumpity))  

[Hiddochi wolf]

Layla's attention immediately shot to the second monitor, where Dante's call was directed. She passed by Lukas, again vanishing from sight, though he would still be able to hear everything said. She waved off the attendant, then hunched forward in front of West's monitor. Her eyes flared with urgency, "Someone in your group has been taken... Are you certain it wasn't the act of Caretakers? Any potential suspects?" She paused as something occurred to her. Northwest. Her eyes strayed to the first monitor on her other side, to the bored Lukas. Something didn't seem quite right to her. She stepped back far enough to be seen on both webcams simultaneously, "Please open your alternate channels respectively; I'm going to connect the signals. The three of us have some things to work out."
With a few keyboard commands, the two screens spliced together. Northwest's and West's displays would also appear the same. Layla sat down ahead of them, all iced over again. Though her eyes were fixated on one whole monitor, it was clear that it was Lukas whom she was addressing, "You say the simulation was incidental, and I have no reasons to doubt such a thing, but does this timing not seem all too perfect? It cannot be coincidence."