Operation 30 | [Video/Action]

[orlokbutterfly]

[Video - Nova City PSA]

[The feed opens up to show the office of the Guardian Skyrise with Gale (decked out in a new outfit, because of course he is) sitting on his desk with legs crossed instead of in the chair like a normal (professional) person. Music was playing in the background, which was probably wildly unnecessary for a video that was essentially a PSA, but hey. Gale will go stir crazy if he has to do boring shit in silence. Behind him on the filing cabinets is every past Guardian figure ever released, all in differing individual ridiculous poses... but if you look real close behind the others, the two former Attleton Guardians Blaze and Cassian are busy reenacting a certain scene from the Lion King, with the rubbish bin conveniently right beneath Cass.]

Gooood evening, citizens, friends, lovers and everything in between. [Yep. Real professional.] Strap in, folks, cuz I've got quite the announcement for ya. First off, I'm proud to announce that Ayame and Enno have joined Yang, Grievous and myself on the Nova City Guardian Team. In addition to them, I will be considering candidates for a fifth deputy position, funded right out of my own pocket. If you have any interest, by all means, pay me a visit at the Guardian Skyrise and we'll talk. Secondly, I've been surveyin' the city for new potential WayPoint locations for the past month, so I'd like to say we're well on our way to getting those implemented sometime in the near future.

[He claps his hands.]

That said! I'm here to announce some very minor changes to the bounty licenses here in Nova. Firstly, if any of you newbies get excited and take up a bounty here before you have a license, don't fret! We ain't interested in punishin' ya for something that minor, but you will be required to apply for one once the target is turned in. If you deny the application, then any future Nova bounties without a license will be illegal and therefore grounds for trouble with the law. And no one wants that.

[Don't give him more work, guys. The licenses already annoy him.]

Secondly, the subject of wounded bounty targets has been a hot one on and off since the newspaper article on the subject a few months back. [He shakes the exact March issue it was listed in for emphasis.] Many of us on the current Guardian team were previously, and are currently, bounty hunters ourselves, and we're well aware that injuries are a necessary evil dependin' on the nature of the target. But, sometimes hunters get a little self-righteous and go overboard to cause unnecessary damage where it ain't called for. So! After extensive talks with the deputy team, we've agreed that if we have any reason to suspect that any force or injury on the target was overboard or unnecessary, then the case will be thoroughly investigated. And, if we deem that, yeah, you went a liiiittle too far, punishment will depend on the severity of the case. This will be anywhere from fines, jail time, temporary or permanent removal of your license, or working the 2 to 8 AM shift at After Life.

[That last one was probably thrown in for humor.... maybe.]

We discussed the possibility of a three strike system, but deemed it too unreliable given how wildly different each bounty case can be and one punishment across the board can be seen as unfair to those who do follow the law. In short, do us all a solid and don't horribly maim your quarry, yeah? We'd appreciate it.

[And the feed cuts.]

----

[Action - Wildcard]

[Hell's bells, Guardian shit was stressful. No wonder he didn't care much for the field, but strangely, he did have some sense of enjoyment out of it. Maybe deep down, even the slightest bit of pride. But after the shit in May, he knew he had to manage that stress as best he could. He's content with leaving that whole deal secret.

So, he still makes it a point to find some time to be out and about while still maintaining Guardian things with relative ease. He may be taking time to look over one of his three clubs, sitting with his german shepherd Gunner and a certain big ass bird in a park (much to onlookers' awe and confusion), or who knows. He might even be found in some arcade for some DDR. Throughout the week, he could be anywhere from the Skyrise or Nova City, to Genessia City or Everglade. The boy gets around.]

Comments

[solar_flare]

[Yang's on the other side of the room, behind Gale and out of the camera's range, holding her communicator in hand as she watches the broadcast. Awww yeah, she got a mention! Go Team Nova!]

[Her attention keeps flicking back to his action figure collection. ...Poor Cassian. Her expression softens when she notices the Mercury figure. Oh yeah, he got one of those too, didn't he? She never did get to find out why he had a fish tail for an alternate form, but she realizes the ache in her chest isn't so tight anymore. It's just a good memory, and her fears of having a different Mercury show up never materialized into reality. It's safe to say she's doing better.]

[When the broadcast is complete, she grins and shakes her head a little. Not bad! Gale's putting in some serious effort, and she's glad about that. Speaking of effort, she promised she'd move last year's files into storage, didn't she? Pocketing her comm, she strolls over to the file cabinet, hefts it easily into her arms, and walks off.]

[It pays to have someone super buff on your team of deputies, even when it's peaceful.]

[After Yang's taken care of the file management, she dusts her palms together and returns to the office. Gale's still there, she notes, and holding...a photograph? What's that about? She moves closer and notes that Gale's in that photo along with a couple of women. Judging the nostalgic look on his face, she's going to go out on a limb and assume that's NOT his old harem.]

[She casually drops an arm onto Gale's shoulder.]

Doing okay, boss? You seem a little bummed.

[orlokbutterfly]

[Gale felt a little bad having Yang move all of those files (even though he knew someone of her strength had no difficulty with it), but unfortunately he had to sort through those and this year's files, so any small favor was a great help in that area. Geez, for a city so tech heavy, why did they still have paper work? (For records in case of data loss, duh Gale.)

He did allow himself to get sidetracked when Yang had left. By now he'd moved into his chair with his feet propped up on the desk and staring at that photo. Having let himself get lost in thought, he hadn't noticed Yang come back in until her arm was on his shoulder. He gave a quiet laugh, pulling his legs off of the desk and placing the photo down.]

Hah, yeah, I'm fine. Just let myself get a bit distracted.

["A bit" distracted was certainly an understatement. Even though he had a smile plastered on his face, there was that hint of sadness in his eyes still that he couldn't hide despite how much he tried.]

Thanks for takin' care of those documents, by the by. Never in the world would I have thought there was so much damn paperwork in this place.

[solar_flare]

That's the curse of being a Guardian. Why do you think I never campaigned for the job?

[She winks. That's not the reason, but it's more entertaining. Another glance at the photo, and there's just no way that's a harem. The girls look almost exactly like Gale. One even has his eyebrows!]

Come on.

[She claps his shoulder and straightens.]

Time to clock out. Why don't we go grab a bite and you can tell me about your family? If you're up for it, we can go dancing too. Whaddya say, boss?

[orlokbutterfly]

I've made a terrible mistake taking on this job, Yang. Save me from this paperwork.

[He leans back in his chair dramatically and drapes his arm over his eyes. He quickly ditches the act and sits back up, his eyebrows lifting slightly in curiosity. He could make a joke about if Yang was asking him out on a date, but that joke is gone from his mind when she mentions his family. He briefly glances back at the photo before taking it and tucking it in his coat pocket as he stands up.]

Sounds like a solid plan to me. [He hesitates a moment and shakes his head.] Not sure what you'd wanna know about family, though. Can't say there's too much to talk about.

[It seemed like an odd thing to ask about out of the blue like that, but he could only assume she figured out those were his sisters in that photo.]

video;

[mynameisallen]

[Now Allen knows he should really get a licence when he has the time. He knew the one he has done wasn't Nova City based anyway and now he had been pondering over which city that was.]

Nova City... That's the one where everything is advanced, right? I'll be planning on getting the licence as soon as I am able to and when I am not working.

[orlokbutterfly]

That's the one. Ain't gonna find a city more advanced than this one.

[Unless there's one behind a subarchway, but those don't count.]

It's a quick process [thankfully] so whenever you get the time, swing by the Skyrise and one of us here can get you set up.

[mynameisallen]

I will do, though... I apologize if it takes a while for me to get there.

[He is still learning how to use the GPS.]

I tend to get lost easily if I don't know a place well enough and only recently learned about GPS

[orlokbutterfly]

[He gives a small laugh.]

If that's the only problem, I could always pick you up. I take a trip to Genessia and Everglade often anyway. Then you won't have to worry about gettin' lost on the way here and you'll have your license whenever ya need it.

[Not that it's hard to use a GPS, but hey, some people are less tech heads than others.]

[myfayevalentine]

*After Life wasn't Faye's usual choice for an after work drink, but it was just one of those days, and plus she knew it was likely she might not have to pay for a single drink while she was there.

So enter Faye in her business woman's outfit, making a beeline for the bar. Honestly, fitted suits were never comfortable, so it makes sense to loosen a button on her shirt - she won't be dealing with any customers now. Soon as she gets to the bar, she plonks herself down and puts her handbag on the counter next to her. Now she just needs to figure how strong her drink will be*

[orlokbutterfly]

[Gale was taking the opportunity himself to have a break at After Life. It wasn't until he was on full time as a Guardian that he realized how much he came to miss the atmosphere of nightclubs (there was a good reason why music was always playing at the Skyrise office now, so it was definitely one of his go-to places to unwind.

And how does Gale unwind? By poledancing, of course. Not many cities can boast that they have a poledancing Guardian.

Once the song was over he was off the stage, approaching the bar as he stretched his arms behind his back. His eyes fell on that particularly well dressed woman he was very familiar with, dropping his arms at his sides and stepping behind the bar to take over while the usual bartender went to take their break in the back.]

Well look who it is. I don't see you around here often, doll. What brings a finely dressed lady like you in?

[Yeah, it's pretty much guaranteed that she won't have to pay for anything while she's there.]

[myfayevalentine]

*As Faye sat down she took a look around - was that Gale on that pole? He sure was a poser, but she had to admit who it is. She even joins in the applause as he heads to the bar*

Clearly, I'm here to be a finely dressed lady, part of the decor to encourage a finely dressed clientele.

*Then she grins and leans forward, resting her elbows on the bar*

Or maybe I'm lost and looking for a drink to soothe my soul?

[orlokbutterfly]

[He may be a poser, but at least he can have fun. He chuckles, leaning on the bar across from her.]

Puh-lease, you're too gorgeous to be 'part of the decor'. But, you came to the right place for finely dressed staff to hook you up with a good drink.

[And he takes pride in his own outfits. And 'finely dressed staff' can be a funny remark seeing that one of the other bartenders doesn't bother to wear a shirt. Which Gale, of course, is perfectly okay with.]

So, what can I fetch for ya?

[Video]

[wonderland_vogue]

[It's still odd to her to think of him in that position. And even more so trying to be somewhat professional.

So in turn is the ridiculous Lydia perching her phone on a banister of some sort while she's stretched out on some sort of couch. Just ignore the ever present pheromosa in the background looking unamused.]

Congrats, again, darling~

Though I'm surprised you didn't announce some work business elsewhere, too. But Everglade isn't the most liked of places, now is it?~

[orlokbutterfly]

[It's even more odd for him, but that's also precisely why everyone who goes to his clubs are well acquainted with how he actually acts. This "acting professional" shit is exhausting.]

Why thank you.

[He laughs and shrugs.]

People would probably yell at me if I mixed club business in with Guardian business. Besides, I wouldn't want to go and steal your thunder on that front, now would I?

voice

[despairunending]

That's a lot of deputies. Is Nova City really that much of a headache to handle?

[Not that she's interested - politics isn't her thing, officially - but understanding how political structures work here is still a useful thing for her to know.]

[orlokbutterfly]

It's less of a headache and more that it's a massive city that is an awful lot of work for the standard team of three people.

[Look, he's good, but he can't be in multiple places at once.]

Former Guardian Weiss divided the city into sectors, so havin' a bigger team to take care of each sector makes it easier on everyone involved.

[despairunending]

Huh. So what, each sector mostly takes care of itself? I mean, I admire the devotion to delegation and tackling unemployment but that's gotta be some major screening you're doing for these people.

[Which she is absolutely expressing as a concerned citizen of Nova City and nothing else.]

Action

[zenoh]

[ It took Ayame some convincing to join the Nova City Guardian team, and even more time to herself just deciding. It was Satsuki's withdrawal to the Guardian team that gave her the push she needed, and some part of her that missed the life of being a soldier. Hell, sometimes she still thinks that's all she's good for, whenever things get too quiet and she's alone with her thoughts. Finding a distraction in sewing up her first new outfit upon her return, Ayame makes a comeback as a soldier with her hair up in an elegant bun and her body clad in a new combat armor. Actually putting it on felt like a new beginning. Before she reports for duty, she walks around the Skyrise to get a better feel of the new threads with a big smile on her face.

Heading to the Guardian's office, it seems Gale isn't around yet. So Ayame waits for him to return, looking around the office to notice the photograph and the action figures. She smirks at the familiar sight of Troy in his armor and whatever pose Gale decided to put him in. Ayame then catches her reflection at the corner of her eye, causing her to stand in front of the mirror to see how the new suit looks on her... which quickly devolved to her admiring herself and how the suit fits her curves and show off her legs. She feels immense pride, she wasn't going to lie. Making a few poses, she fixes the obi on her waist a little to make more breathing room for her breasts, which she cups in her hands when she hears that sliding door open ]



...!

[ Her hands fly to her back as she stands stick straight and her feet together. She clears her throat in an attempt to compose herself and ease the embarrassed blush on her face of being caught touching herself ]

I'm just- Ahem. Reporting in, Guardian Reinhardt.

[orlokbutterfly]

[He certainly hadn't meant to get into the office somewhat late. He'd only gone off on a short patrol to kill some time (he even chose patrolling over hitting up After Life, how responsible!) but apparently that's when some thieves decided they wanted to do something stupid in front of the friggin' Guardian.

So, there Gale was, a tad later than he would have liked. He let out a dramatic sigh when he stepped in before looking at Ayame in mild confusion when she suddenly composed herself. He gave a quiet laugh, waving his hand dismissively.]

Please, just Gale. "Guardian Reinhardt" is too stuffy and proper for a guy like me.

[He waited until the door slid closed behind him before he put a hand to his chin, admiring Ayame and her new outfit.]

Damn, you're lookin' good. If we aren't careful, I might just get distracted on a job. [He winked.] Now what's that blush for, doll?

[zenoh]

It's nothing. You just caught me in an embarrassing position that my old habits kicked in when you surprised me.

[ That wink would have made her blush harder if she isn't composed a person as she is. Being caught basking in her own vanity was not a good look, and is detrimental to the image she wants to exude. But Gale is a friend, and didn't make a joke about it, so she can at least be at ease now. A little. Her cheeks remained pink and her eyes glanced to the side for a brief moment before mustering the final ounces of composure needed to look Gale in the eyes. Taking a breath, she clears her throat once more and steps away from the mirror ]

You have an interesting display of... toys. I recognize Dantes over there. Seeing it made me wonder what he could be doing now.

[ Ayame said while observing Gale from head to toe, eyeing that new outfit he's sporting. She would have commented on it, but she'll let the topic of their mutual friend be their focus for now. ]

[Action]

[cursed_analysis]

[He certainly does get around. Thankfully Arro has caught him at the park and while he does give Yveltal it's due in regards to attention, he his quick to redirect it to the man of the hour.]

Why, Guardian Reinhardt~ What a pleasant surprise this is, I adored your first announcement. Though in one case, I do think your choices for Dep--...Well, I will say things will get done, surely. It's refreshing to see someone speaking out in a serious way on the bounty issue other than former Guardian Andor.

[In a way that seemed effective, anyway. He makes a bow for the man out of respect.]

[orlokbutterfly]

[Gale was fluffing up the feathers on his giant death bird like it was an adorable fluffy pet when Arro came over. He looked over his shoulder and quietly laughed, shaking his head.]

Ah, you're sweet, but I'm just doin' my job. And please, just call me Gale. The whole "Guardian Reinhardt" is too stuffy for me.

[Plus it's easier to figure out who doesn't like him if they insist on calling him just 'Reinhardt'.]

Since it was brought up in the debates again, somethin' needed to be done. I'll be the first to admit that bounty hunters can get a wee bit crazy.

[But he won't admit that he was part of the 'maiming bounty targets' problem. Look, at least the ones he did it to deserved it.

He does quirk an eyebrow, placing a hand on his hip and tilting his head to the side.]

Somethin' up with one of the deputy team? Be honest, I won't be offended.

video.

[beamsmagicalgirls]

[Yes, the stupid March issue already happens and figures, people abusing the bounty system. But here's Seventeen, being a ranger most of the time. He's no party freak like certain people. Thankfully he's also helped with the bounty issue, the hard drive theft. He had to claim it since he's the only one with the Nova license.]

Hey, took you long enough to use that idea. Anyway, congrats Guardian.

[orlokbutterfly]

[Being a party freak means he knows how to have fun, thank you very much.]

Not so sure it counts when the team agreed it wouldn't work so well.

[A "one size fits all" solution very rarely, if ever, works.]

Thanks. And also thanks for helpin' take care of that jackass thief. I'm sure the local androids can rest easier now thanks to you three.

[beamsmagicalgirls]

He was a nuisance, that's all. Give more credit to the other guy.

[Aka, he doesn't need the spotlight.]