Light watched as Saturn exited the dark room.

"To think they wouldn't even search me... Rookies", he thought as he reached for his pocket knife. He could not move his hands a lot, but he was still able to reach into his back pocket and attempt to slowly begin cutting the ropes with the item his kidnappers missed.

Very slowly.

"This usually works better in movies," he grumbled.

“What exactly do we want to do with him now?,” Princess Moon asked her comrades, wondering why they kidnapped him after all. “I mean, is he of any service to us?”
 
Not waiting for an answer, she turned around and opened the door again, already going down the steps. “I’ll pay our poor victim a visit,” she shouted her announcement to the group, disappearing in the darkness of the room.

---

“Hey you,” she approached him when she arrived, hearing strange noises coming from his direction. “What are you doing there?”

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Addelyn said as she walked down the stairs. He had been too easy to grab, in her opinion. What was his game?

"What's the commotion down there?" I yell annoyed. Stomping down the steps and glare at the boy holding the small pocket knife. "I thought you guys patted him down before putting him in the car?!"

"Give me that." I say, gesturing to the knife.

"I was driving, don't blame me," Addelyn said. Really, did they expect her to do everything around here?

Unfortunately the mysterious kidnappers returned before he had managed to fully cut the ropes. Light watched as they began arguing with each other. "They don't seem to get along very well," he thought to himself. That could be useful.

"Are you done figuring out who's the most incompetent kidnapper, or do you need me to vote?"

“Hey! No remarks from the peanut gallery,” she snapped at Light from out of the corner, offended by his comment. “Actually you’re the most incompetent here...you made it so easy for us to kidnap you.”
 
Hoping that Addelyn and Saturn would stop discussing now, Princess Moon went back to the corner of the room and settled back.

"Exactly!!!! You trusted me! I mean how can you trust someone who carries a Glaive that can end the world! Also, you just stood there and let us kidnap you as if you wanted us to kidnap you. Now that is incompetent."

"They have a point," Addelyn said, smirking. This was going to be too easy. She stretched her arms above her head lazily as sh kept her eyes on the captive.

"It was too easy, wasn't it?" he agreed. "If you don't think you should be concerned..." he trailed off as he tilted his head, looking at each one of them.

"Quite a crowd we've gathered here. Isn't this the point where you tell me to what I owe the um, should I say pleasure? That's probably stretching it, but anyway..."

"I believe I can answer that."

A light shone from atop the stairs as the door opened, and a long - totally beautiful and gorgeous-like wow~- silhouette preceded an imposing figure as she strode confidently down into the basement.

Kyralih, no, Mob Boss Sailor Uranus! had arrived, her new title made evident by the pinstriped fedora perched dramatically on her head.

She glanced cooly over to her crew, nodding her head slightly to show her appreciation. "Good job, on getting him here, everyone," she commented, coming to rest right in front of him, "I trust the ride wasn't to... uncomfortable?" Her grin was cat-like beneath the fedora's shadow, cast by the single hanging bulb in the middle of the room. "But let's cut to the chase, shall we?"

With a snap of her fingers, a chair was in front of her, and she twirled it around on one leg to face in the other direction, and sat backwards on it, resting her arms on the back of the chair as she regarded him. "You're here because my Girls tell me that you've got a knack for roleplay, and we wanted to see more of you 'round these parts, so we thought we'd deliver a - well," she paused, smiling again as she leaned closer, "Shall we say, a more personal invitation."

She leaned back, her blue eyes still on him, "Isn't that right, Girls?"

CrystalSetsuna strolled down the stairs casually, hands in both of her pockets. She swiftly walked to one of the darker corners of the basement, half in shadow and half in light, and she casually leaned against both of the walls at their joint comfortably, legs slightly crossed at the ankle, the picture of ease despite being late. She was dressed in comfortable suit pants, yet she wore a kimono styled long sleeved top that could have easily doubled as a dress on its own and heels.

Her brown hair was left loose as usual, long like her known favorite senshi, though missing the trademark bun, stretching further than most women would care to deal with. It was apparent though that her favorite month was fast approaching, as she wore a jack-o-lantern trinket with an evil grin on the side of her hair, and a little booklet titled “Halloween Event Ideas” peeked from her back pocket, full of its own dark secrets unknown to many.

Her right hand was pulled out of her pocket, and her fingers nimbly began playing with a small wicked looking silver skeleton key with slight tarnish, flipping it this way and that and doing little tricks that seemed to amuse her, the key clinking softly against the sapphire ring on her finger as it moved yet never fell. A slight smirk twisted over her lips as she half purred as she spoke. “My apologies for being late, but terror isn't going to cause itself, now is it? My business is handled for now.”

“Now..” She leaned forward more off the wall to stare at Light through slightly narrowed brown eyes, her smirk growing a bit more as she now responded to Uranus' question. “I don't know about the rest of you, but I've certainly been hankering for some new blood around this place. But is he suitable? Can we be sure he won't....crack under pressure? I wonder what blood type he is...” She laughs, not showing any sign of if she is serious or joking.

As Sailor Uranus, aka the Mob Boss, made her entrance , I change my location in the basement. I walk behind Light and place a hand on his left shoulder lightly,

"Are you done?" I ask sarcastically towards My Boss regarding her highly dramatic entrance.


"Anyway, we have scouted your talents, and want a good explanation as to why you haven't joined the Silver Millennium Mob yet. Our scouts tell us you are an excellent specimen, and would fit in with us roleplayers perfectly." I squeeze Lights shoulder a bit harder now. "I can guide you and the lovely daughters of our little mafia family down here can show you the ropes of our unique system. We invite you to mingle with our followers here in the Silver Millenium"

I let go of Light's shoulder and take my place next to Sailor Uranus, along with plucking the fedora from her head. "This looks better on me, and you know it."

As the fedora is plucked off her head, Sailor Uranus shoots Saturn a glare and a warning, "Watch it, toots." She doesn't make a grab for the hat, though, instead she leaned back in the chair, smiling haughtily, "You're just jealous your entrance wasn't nearly as grand."

OOC:

The door at the top of the stairs opened once more, just wide enough for another person to slip in soundlessly. Dressed in all black, she almost blended in with the room, as if she were not meant to be seen. Her steps down the stairs were light and silent, and once she arrived in the room she quickly faded into the shadows.

From there, she assessed their capture. This was the elusive target she had set a trap for and lured in with a rather careful strategy. Place an enticing promise, a taste of the dark side, in a more brightly lit and easily accessible environment to see who had the knack for it. And lo, he had bitten the bait and was now caught like a fish on a hook.

She was curious how he’d react to their offer. She knew from experience that these people can be… very persuasive.

And then another one entered.

"So it's finally time for the main star to appear, right?"

But wait. Where was she?

There was no way he was wrong. His deducing skills had never failed him. There was only one who could have been behind all this.

"An invitation, huh? Quite the elaborate plan. But nothing less from the role-play elite I do suppose."

He watched as another one of them showed up. Is she... No. Not her. He vaguely knew of her though too. Seems to be living up to her recently-awarded title perfectly, he had to admit.

But as the door slightly opened one last time, he felt it. He felt her presence.

He could sense her watching from the shadows. After all, he had always been one to watch her from the shadows himself, during his secret trips to this foreign to him zone.

But there had to be a reason he always lurked in the shadows, hadn't there?

Once again, he considered the girls one by one. Their attire, their movement, their posture. Their words. And even this plan on itself. He could feel the creativity flowing from each and every one of them.

In contrast, even his thoughts were so... simple. Mostly factual, actually. There was a world of difference between them.

He could never be one of them after all, could he?

Addelyn could see the doubt flickering through him as he took each one of them in turn. Glancing towards her boss, Kyra, she wondered how they could reassure him. She knew he was good; hadn't seen anyone that good in a long time, but how to convince him?

Bubbles entered, soft and silent, and crept down the stairs behind her. Kyra didn't turn. Watching Light carefully, she noticed the subtle changes on Mercury's arrival, how he seemed to relax, almost as though he had been expecting her and was relieved that she had finally arrived, but there was some trepidation there still, if she wasn't mistaken. She tried to use this to her advantage. "Are you surprised to see Sailor Mercury?" she asked rhetorically, her voice smooth and calm, "Many don't know that when she stepped down from her moderator position with us, she continued working for us from the shadows, offering suggestions, running events... but you suspected, didn't you, Light?"

"Mercury," she spoke just a little louder, "What is your favorite part about roleplaying? And what do you find most difficult, in yourself and in story building?"

She hoped that by having Mercury answer these questions, with Light obviously knowing about her skill as a roleplayer, evident in her prose and the various awards she had won this year alone - including best overall roleplayer - that the game wasn't always easy, and that it took some time for players to find their voice, to get comfortable with their characters, and to grow in their styling, characterization, and creativity. There were many others here to whom the question could have been addressed, but he seemed most familiar with Mercury's work, so she thought Mercury's answer might be most effective.

While the others told him the reason for the abduction, Princess Moon still stood in the rear corner of the room, this time, however, with a friendly smile on her face. Without saying anything, she hoped it would make him more relaxed and encourage him to join them.

It seemed she was unable to hide from the spotlight.

Not someone who liked to bask in it herself, preferring to stay in the shadows especially in new situations and in this sacred inner sanctum she always felt like she was kind of trespassing on, Mercury nevertheless noticed Light’s attention on her. He was not surprised to see her there—in fact, he seemed as if he had been waiting for her. From many games of deduction and detective skills played with him, she knew he was a shrewd person and must not be underestimated, and indeed she hadn’t even tried to hide her involvement in setting up the trap that had eventually captured his interest. He must know she would be here.

Still, by her nature she was more reserved, and felt a bit anxious about being put on the spot by their supreme awesome leader Sailor Uranus. Small nervous bubbles suddenly appeared around her and started floating up toward the ceiling, which she quickly dissolved by waving her hands frantically. Way to ruin the cool points.

“Ahem, well,” she began, stepping a little bit into the light—and towards Light.

“My favorite part. Where to begin.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. Her posture relaxed as she let the happy thoughts flood her mind. Her passion, her wonderful world of words, where everything was possible. All you have to do is simply think it. That’s it.

“My favorite part is that… this world we all live in… it has limitless possibilities. You can create all kinds of stories, play with what-ifs, explore the uncharted territories of the past, present, and future. Change any existing relationship or make up new ones. You can even travel into all sorts of other worlds and just… slip into someone else for a while. You must have a favorite character, right?” She beamed at him now. “A certain villain whose mask you like to don, perhaps? Well, in our would, you can literally be him for a while. Isn’t that amazing? You can be anyone you want to be. I know people say that in the real world too, but here… it means literally. And that… that is what I love the most about it. Escaping to these wondrous other worlds. Being other people, walking a mile or two in someone else’s shoes. You can even try limitless shoes! All the shoes in the world.” She blushed when she realized she was now babbling about shoes. “Metaphorical shoes, that is.”

She thought about the second question and her glow seemed to dim just a tad. “But it’s not always easy. It’s not easy to be someone else properly. Like acting, it takes practice. You can’t always mimic them perfectly. Though, of course, you can come up with your own characters too. That’s a whole ‘nother possibility to explore! A whole other world that opens up before you that you can play with to your heart’s content with less boundaries.” She thought fondly of her favorite original character, a certain plucky young senshi.

“But make no mistake. Sometimes there are parts you struggle with, whether it’s inspiration, or disconnect with your character or partner, or just not knowing how to express what you’re trying to say. I won’t lie; the struggle won’t ever really completely cease. It will always be there. God knows there are some days where I just try to write a post and all my brain says is ‘Nope’. But that’s the point of us all being here. We learn from each other, and become amazing together. Everyone here is willing to help you every step of the way.”

Finally, she settled on one last message. “But know this; it takes one to know one. Meaning, I know good writers. I know people who just have that… that spark. And yours is so bright everyone here can see it too. Otherwise we wouldn’t have bothered concocting all this elaborate plan just to get you here.” She leaned closer and whispered in a lower tone, “We don’t do this for just about everyone, you know. Feel special.”

She stepped back and smiled encouragingly. “We all believe in you. The only thing left is for you to believe in yourself.”

Mercury.

The one who had done the impossible - lure him out of the shadows and into his first attempt of something he never expected to even try - she was now out of the shadows herself.

Light noticed the small bubbles floating around her and smiled. Of course... In this world... He momentarily glanced at the light bulb hanging above, an idea forming in his head, and returned his attention to her as she addressed Uranus' question.

Limitless possibilities... It was true. Hadn't several of those limitless possibilities caught his interest in the past? But it was one thing to read about them - could he really try them himself?

Light barely managed to suppress a giggle as Mercury began rambling on and on about shoes in her excitement, until she abruptly stopped herself. She then continued with the second part of the question - the most important one. He could already see how roleplaying can be appealing, but is it for everyone? What if one is simply not creative enough?

He was mildly surprised to learn that even she struggled at times. Logically, he had already figured that this is likely true for each and every writer. She never really showed it though.

"To believe in yourself..."

That would probably be the hardest obstacle to overcome. Still, he couldn't help but feel flattered by their attention. By her words. Even though the doubt remained.

But in the end, it doesn't hurt to try, does it?

Light closed his eyes and stayed silent for a moment, considering what to say. He casually placed his hands on his knees, revealing that they had been free for some time now - there were only a few strings of rope left uncut when his knife was taken away and he had slowly managed to scratch through them as well. But he just had to wait for that one person.

"Well...", he began and exhaled deeply, looking at no one in specific.

"Maybe."

"I still believe that some people just have it and some people simply do not. I still doubt that I could ever be good enough, honestly. No, I know that."

"But... But maybe that doesn't matter. If it's something that is done for fun... Maybe that doesn't matter at all. And who knows, in time I might at least be decent."

"I do feel honored about all this attention I have to admit though. Save for that potato sack." He glanced at Saturn. "I wouldn't have expected you to go to such lengths about it."

He finally turned his attention to Mercury, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Now let's start exploring those limitless possibilities, shall we?"

With a snap of his fingers, the light bulb in the room when out, the room turning pitch black. By the time the light source returned, only a letter could be found on the chair he was held at before.

Letter:

Listening carefully to his words, Princess Moon sighed when he said he wasn’t good enough to join them. Those people with their inferiority complexes… He had it too and it was a shame that he was badmouthing is own skills that much. She already wanted to speak up when suddenly the tone of his speech changed.
 
‘Now let's start exploring those limitless possibilities, shall we? ’
 
Did that really mean…he would join them? Already starting to smile, Princess Moon shrieked when the light turned out. What was that?
 
“Light?”
Surprised that he wasn’t there anymore once the light returned, Princess Moon called for him, eventually spotting the letter on the chair. “Hm?”
Curiously the tot of the group walked towards the chair, taking the letter into her hand and started to read it to the group.
 
“Sooooo, does that mean we can brace ourselves for his return?”

She watched him with apparent amusement, seeing the...what would she call it? The shock and awe, the amazement, the feeling of inferiority. Well she couldn't blame him. They were all the leaders in their own right in this place, they were suppose to be considered among the best, the cream of the crop, the cats meow..though that might be tooting their own horns just a little.

But she did see how he almost came to life when Mercury entered. She glanced between them, flipping her key a bit more excitedly as she giggled softly. “Oooh, it looks like someone might have a crush.” She teased, a legitimate smile on her face before she quickly replaced it with her little aloof smirk. She had an image to maintain for now.

She leaned back into the corner, listening as Mercury explained her reasons, and the undeniable truth to them. Things that applied to all of them indeed, which made them human under their facade from their positions of authority. Not that anyone really needed to know that right? She watched as Light obviously mulled over her words, lost in his own thoughts for the moment. The only sign of her anxiousness for his answer was that she stopped flipping the skeleton key and held it firmly in her hand.

And then it came. At first she scowled in disappointment and began leaning forward, but stopped mid-motion as he continued. She tilted her head inquisitively as she spoke, giggling momentarily at the mention of the potato sack, which gave her a very sporadic craving for a loaded baked potato, and then she saw the mischievousness. And then he was gone, replaced with a letter.

She raised her eyebrows a bit then broke out laughing, standing up right as she walked from the shadows. “Oh very nice! You were right, this one has such promise. Even I see potential in him for my event to come. Which gives me inspiration by the way. Great potential. I can see us being friends. I think he will definitely come back...and if not. Well, no reason we couldn't kidnap him again right?”

She smirked playfully then turned to the stairs. “We gave him a taste of the nectar...like any of us, he'll get addicted quickly. Maybe he's not ready to quit just yet. He's a leader of the game section, right? Maybe he's playing with us now. I’m going to do a little hide and seek and see if he's still here.” With that, CrystalSetsuna walked up the stairs and began wandering, poking here and there to see if the rare male member of the forum was indeed still there. She had nothing really better to do after all.

****Locked****