Kintsugi Plays Fallen Hero: Rebirth

Well, it is our motivation—why do you* think we should become a villain?

* general "you"

 

> …impatient to get the show on the road.

"I guess I'm just impatient," you say with a deep sigh. "This feels like it's taken forever." Too long have you been caught between moments, unable to finish the step you started taking years ago. Caught in the no-man's-land between action and inaction.

Yeah, it almost feels like it's been a month since we last saw Mortum, not two weeks.​

"I can understand that, but I swear I've been pushing forward as hard as I can without compromising quality."

"I know." You sigh a little because it feels worse the closer you get. You want the waiting part over with so bad that you could scream.

"In that case…how about continuing this discussion somewhere more pleasant? Let's say, over a drink?"

　‣ "I hope you're not just being a cheapskate here. I was expecting dinner…."
　‣ "I thought you had a job to do."
　‣ "Business or…pleasure?"
　‣ Is it wise to talk about this in public?

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 25% / Obscurity: 75%
████████████████████
Arrogance: 11% / Anonymity: 89%
██▒█████████████████
Ruthlessness: 49% / Empathy: 51%
█████████▒██████████
Daring: 45% / Caution: 55%
████████████████████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Fine.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: old friend.
Ortega and Josie: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 40%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 49%
█████████▒██████████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

> Business or pleasure?

 

> "Business or…pleasure?"

"Business or…pleasure?" You give her a questioning look. Dr. Mortum is hard to read without your telepathy; you are not sure what her intentions are.

"Well, both, of course." Dr. Mortum smiles widely, white teeth flashing. "Why separate the two? What do you say?"

　‣ "Yes, I'd love to."
　‣ "I have time for a drink, I suppose."
　‣ "Sorry, but I will have to decline."
　‣ "No, let's keep this purely professional."

What do we say? Do we—or does Barbie—have time for a drink after work? ​

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 25% / Obscurity: 75%
████████████████████
Arrogance: 11% / Anonymity: 89%
██▒█████████████████
Ruthlessness: 49% / Empathy: 51%
█████████▒██████████
Daring: 45% / Caution: 55%
████████████████████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Fine.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: old friend.
Ortega and Josie: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 40%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 49%
█████████▒██████████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

> Love to

 

> "Yes, I'd love to."

"Yes," you answer, surprising yourself. "I'd love to."

"Perfect! Now, my apologies, I need to refit the blindfold before we leave. I'm sure you understand."

"Of course." You don't protest as she puts the blindfold back on, because secrets and the need for them are something you understand intimately. In fact, you would hazard that you have more of them than she could ever guess.

> A Car Ride Later

The car ride takes a lot longer than you would have guessed. You suspect this is because Dr. Mortum never drives the straight route anywhere, as you can feel the turns, even if you can't see them. It takes half an hour before you are allowed to remove the blindfold, and another hour before you are both seated in a booth at Joes.

You feel…

　‣ …odd. When was the last time I did something for myself?
　‣ …interested. I'm sure Dr. Mortum has a reason for this excursion, but what?
　‣ …awkward. I am playing a role here; I can't slip up.
　‣ …annoyed. I am only doing this to manipulate her.
　‣ …nervous. I shouldn't be, but my heart is racing all the same.
　‣ …excited. I thought she'd never ask me out.
　‣ …happy. I look forward to getting to know her better.

So why have we come here, exactly?

For those wondering about the grayed-out options, we've had Josie maintain enough emotional distance from Barbie to not think of this as doing something for "themself" or get carried away with the dokidokis. (The last option being disabled doesn't imply anything; it's just slightly clumsy implementation of separate options for "flirting" and "friend" relationships.)​

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 25% / Obscurity: 75%
████████████████████
Arrogance: 11% / Anonymity: 89%
██▒█████████████████
Ruthlessness: 49% / Empathy: 51%
█████████▒██████████
Daring: 45% / Caution: 55%
████████████████████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Fine.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: old friend.
Ortega and Josie: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 40%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 54% (+5)
██████████▒█████████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

> Interested

 

Just what is your game, Doctor?​

> …interested. I'm sure Dr. Mortum has a reason for this excursion, but what?

You can't help but feel somewhat curious, as you are sure that Dr. Mortum has an ulterior motive for inviting you here. But what can it be? Sure, she has flirted with you before. But right now, she should be focused on finishing the suit, not personal matters.

Right? That's what you're telling yourself, and you were of the impression that she was a professional.

So, there must be a reason for this drink, for that smile. She wants something out of this; the only question is what…

(Our game, as always, is 5D chess.)​

"…Penny for your thoughts?"

"Huh?" You tear yourself away from your internal world, giving Dr. Mortum an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I was a hundred miles away."

"I can see that."

"I was just…" You surreptitiously scan the room, looking for something plausible that won't reveal too much. That's one of the things that annoys you in this body: without your telepathy, you have little idea how much of your inner turmoil people can see. Hopefully none.

"I see them too, ma chérie…" It takes a moment for you to spot what Dr. Mortum is talking about: the argument growing at one of the central gaming tables. A massive, scarred Latina with implants all over the back of her skull is arguing loudly with a sharply dressed Asian man in a suit. "Not the smartest fight to pick."

"Why?" You sip your drink, watching the scarred woman. You don't have to be a telepath to see the rage boiling inside her, while the man remains calm and in control. No fear there. You've seen them both around before, but can't place the faces.

"He works for Hollow Ground, comes down here sometimes to slum it. Perhaps he likes the ambiance."

Hollow Ground. You've heard that name whispered at Joes more than once. They seem to be a major player in the criminal underground.

>

"What are the chances that this will escalate, you think?" You sip your drink, pondering the odds. It's not unlikely; fights break out at Joes now and then, the unwritten rule being that you shouldn't use offensive powers. If you do, chances are you'll end up banned or worse.

"Seventy-eight percent," Dr. Mortum answers without hesitation.

"Did you just make that number up?"

"Of course, ma chérie. Did you expect me to answer 'somewhat likely,' like some hack?" Dr. Mortum winks at you.

"And what are the odds of it escalating to disturb our drinks?" You keep looking at the table with a faint frown, not sure how you feel about the prospect of a bar fight.

The rest of the players are slowly inching their chairs backwards in preparation for violence, and you spot Rosie there as well. Looks like she'd been making good use of her latest paycheck.

"If it starts, around fifty percent, depending on how fast the bouncer steps in. You know that with these people, escalation is inevitable." Dr. Mortum sighs, as if she's the lone adult in a room of unruly children.

You should feel the same; you should be above this sort of excitement. But for a moment, you're tempted to go over there and get into it. It's not a wise move, but you've been playing it safe for so long that sometimes the urge to just do something rash becomes overwhelming.

Perhaps that's why you liked working with Ortega; it was anything but dull, and her recklessness spoke to that part inside you that longed for action. That was one of the reasons you put on the mask in the first place, wasn't it? To feel the freedom in the moment?

Well, one of the reasons.

　‣ I'll just ignore the growing commotion and keep talking with Dr. Mortum.
　‣ I'll go over there and try to defuse the situation before it escalates.
　‣ Rosie looks worried; I'll go over and check what's going on.
　‣ A bar fight would liven things up—time to throw some gasoline on the flames.

Ah, villains. Never a dull moment.

This is a casual night out, so I doubt Mortum would mind if we stepped away briefly; should we try to nip this thing in the bud before it disturbs us, or get the deets from Rosie? (Even in this kind of mood, we still don't quite have the nerve to stroll up with the full intention of causing a fight.) Or would we rather keep our head down and stick to enjoying our drinks?​

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 25% / Obscurity: 75%
████████████████████
Arrogance: 11% / Anonymity: 89%
██▒█████████████████
Ruthlessness: 49% / Empathy: 51%
█████████▒██████████
Daring: 45% / Caution: 55%
████████████████████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Fine.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: old friend.
Ortega and Josie: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 40%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 54%
██████████▒█████████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

Hmmm. Mortum bright us here for something beyond drinks, we suspect, and hasn't yet said what... Do I smell a trap? A hero-detecting trap? I'm leaning towards either sticking with the good doctor, or checking in with Rosie, rather than direct intervention.

 

I want to see what's up with Rosie!

 

I vote we ignore it because I think this is funny.

 

After a brief, tense inner struggle between our ever-present paranoia, the human emotion known as almost-friendship, and the urge to grab popcorn, we settle on a first step:​

> Rosie looks worried; I'll go over and check what's going on.

"I won't be a moment," you say as you rise from the table, giving Dr. Mortum a confident smile. "I just need to pull Rosie out of the frying pan."

"I would have thought she could take care of herself, but as you please." The look on Dr. Mortum's face betrays little but curiosity, as if she's wondering how you're going to pull that off.

So are you.

As you saunter over towards the table, you get a closer look at what is going on. The table is full, every seat taken but for the two vacated by the people arguing.

It's a busy night, and people are always up for the chance to win—though as with any game of chance, most walk away broke. In a bar like Joes, frequented by villains and henchmen alike, games of chance always require special consideration. The telepathic dampeners may stop any psychic abilities from invading people's privacy, but there are plenty of physical powers that could interfere with the game. How do you stop someone with x-ray vision from seeing through cards, or someone with telekinesis from manipulating the fall of dice?

The solution to that is 'Quantum Roulette.' At first glance it seems like normal roulette, but instead of a ball and a spinning wheel, the numbers are generated by a small quantum generator and projected holographically. Since quantum decay has resisted any attempt by science to apply logic or control to the process, this gives a reasonably foolproof randomness to the game.

Not that it stops people from arguing about the outcome. Loudly.

"I don't care—this stinks!" The tall, scarred woman doesn't have much money in front of the seat she has vacated, a sure sign that things are not going well for her.

"Mecha." Rosie reaches out to touch her arm, but she shrugs her off with an angry growl. "Don't start anything…."

"It looks like she already has." The tall Asian man who is the focus of her ire pushes his chair back and stands up as well. He's solidly built under the suit, a suit you would deem too expensive for these surroundings. Someone's slumming. The single earring adds a touch of style to his conservative exterior.

"You're damn right about that, Jake." Mecha's hands are clenching and unclenching, but whether a blow or a grab is coming you are not sure.

　‣ I turn to Mecha, gesturing towards her seat. "Are you gonna argue or play?"
　‣ I turn to Jake, gesturing towards his seat. "Are you gonna argue or play?"
　‣ I strike up a conversation with Rosie, getting a feel for the situation first.
　‣ I'll sit down in Mecha's vacated seat.
　‣ I'll sit down in Jake's vacated seat.

Well, we at least have names now. Did we want to get the low-down from Rosie first, or should we step in to help(?) before things escalate further? …Or grab a seat to try out the new Gambler Barbie, I guess?​

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 25% / Obscurity: 75%
████████████████████
Arrogance: 11% / Anonymity: 89%
██▒█████████████████
Ruthlessness: 49% / Empathy: 51%
█████████▒██████████
Daring: 45% / Caution: 55%
████████████████████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Fine.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: old friend.
Ortega and Josie: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 40%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 54%
██████████▒█████████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

I mean, we did come over here because of Rosie, I feel like the thing that makes sense is to get the low-down from her first. plus, do we really wanna jump into the situation with no further knowledge at all?

 

Achievement unlocked: basic short-term memory of why we came over here!​

> I strike up a conversation with Rosie, getting a feel for the situation first.

No point in jumping into this blindly. Rosie is a friend of sorts, so you might as well use that to test the waters.

Nobody else is showing any signs of interfering—in fact, the other players have slowly started to collect their money, just in case things get out of control. The croupier is an old man with a bland face; he's patiently waiting for things to resolve themselves, though you wonder if he has a panic button for calling in the bouncer if things get too bad.

Rosie looks like she's trying to defuse the situation but has little idea how. Mecha looks like she's searching for an excuse to pound someone into dust. And Jake? Jake doesn't look worried at all.

That worries you because that either means he's got a good mask on, or he's really as confident as he comes across. Working for Hollow Ground gives him more clout than most minor villains in this room, but is he prepared to push that advantage? You're not sure.

What you are sure of is that Mecha will snap soon. You can see her face darkening another shade, her already narrow eyes becoming dark slits of fury as she keeps ranting at Jake, accusing him of cheating somehow.

"Hey." You give Rosie a smile as you approach the table, pointedly ignoring the argument. "How's your luck running tonight?"

"Not bad. At least, not as bad as…" she makes a face in Mecha's direction, keeping her voice low.

"I heard. As did the rest of the bar." You keep your voice a loud stage whisper, strong enough to cut through their argument, as you continue.

　‣ "I wish they'd take things outside. No need to ruin everybody else's evening."
　‣ "What's their beef anyway?"
　‣ "You wanna come over and have a drink? I think this might blow up soon."

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 25% / Obscurity: 75%
████████████████████
Arrogance: 11% / Anonymity: 89%
██▒█████████████████
Ruthlessness: 49% / Empathy: 51%
█████████▒██████████
Daring: 45% / Caution: 55%
████████████████████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Fine.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: old friend.
Ortega and Josie: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 40%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 54%
██████████▒█████████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

‣ "What's their beef anyway?" Give us the beef, give us the beef, we want the beef with extra deets please

 

The tea, please!​

> "What's their beef anyway?"

"What's their beef anyway?" You ask the question with a pointed nod at Mecha.

"She thinks Jake is cheating," she whispers, looking between the two of them.

"Are you seriously saying she thinks Joe runs a crooked game?" You give her an incredulous look, voice raised enough so that other people are sure to overhear. The croupier doesn't bat an eye, his face still devoid of emotion.

"No, I'm not," Mecha interrupts with a snarl. "I'm saying he is cheating!" She points directly at Jake, her cybernetic finger digging into his chest. For a moment, you think things are about to explode.

Instead, Jake brushes off his shirt, straightening his suit with a frustrated sigh.

"Wait," you say, looking between the two of them. "Let me get this straight…."

"I don't see how it's any of your business," Mecha snaps.

"You're loud enough to make it my business," you retort, staring her down.

"She's not wrong about that," Rosie mutters quietly.

　‣ "Are you really saying someone working for Hollow Ground has to stoop to cheating?"
　‣ "Sounds like you just want to pick a fight."
　‣ "He's not the one running the game," I caution her.

I'm sure someone who kept up with underworld gossip could very intelligently namedrop Jake's boss. Since we are not that someone, let's just decide how best to address the matter at hand.​

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 25% / Obscurity: 75%
████████████████████
Arrogance: 11% / Anonymity: 89%
██▒█████████████████
Ruthlessness: 49% / Empathy: 51%
█████████▒██████████
Daring: 45% / Caution: 55%
████████████████████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Fine.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: old friend.
Ortega and Josie: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 40%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 54%
██████████▒█████████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

Perhaps our tactical expertise is recommending another coin flip?

 

Yeah I'm not sure what the real difference between these is

 

Mentioning fight seems direct enough to start a fight, speaking with caution seems a little defusing?

 

Pretty much. "Sounds like you just want to pick a fight" is telling Mecha she's the one making trouble, and could be either an attempt to get her to back down, an attempt to provoke her, or just an expression of annoyance. "He's not the one running the game" is an attempt to reason her into dropping it without a fight.