Salvage Station: The Resistance (Escape from Club Apophis, 49)

(click to enlarge)

STORYLINE: "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kyra gripped Romance’s arm.

Romance stopped at the heavy iron hatch leading down into the Resistance headquarters. "Relax. Neither of us is easy to kill. You don’t win wars by playing it like a mortal."

He brought the thick heel of his combat boot down hard on the rusted metal. The booming impact echoed into the vast, hollow chamber beneath them.

Kyra’s grip tightened, her metal knuckles glinting in the dim light. "Do you think they’ll know where Lisa is?"

"Definitely." He paused, looking at her worried face. "Maybe. No. Yes. If anyone does, they will."

The hatch groaned open, spilling pale yellow light across the mud like an invitation into a grave. This was the first time he had entered feeling like his true self, rather than just playing a role.

As they descended the metal ladder into the subterranean office, the air grew thick with the smell of mold, burnt coffee, and old paper. Condensation ran down the concrete walls, and water dripped somewhere unseen in the dark. The tunnel vibrated as a sonic hover train raced by on the surface above, rattling the buzzing fluorescent lights. The sound of Echo’s voice hit them immediately.

"But if the barrier operates on a closed frequency, couldn't we theoretically invert the signal? Or what if we bypassed the main junction completely?" Echo was pacing furiously in front of a desk covered in blueprints, firing questions in rapid, relentless succession. Romance noted how the weakest member of the Jae Won team now seemed like a tiger, already bloody from battle. He wondered what had changed her.

Behind the desk, Hwan rubbed his temples, exhausted. Hwan used to look like a man who could disappear into a crowd. Now the Resistance clung to him like heavy chains. Romance had watched him spend months moving people, supplies, and secrets into place, trying to outplay monsters who had been cheating for a thousand years.

Hwan's office was cobbled together from salvaged junk. Used coffee cups littered every surface. The trashcan overflowed with them. Stacks of maps covered the desk. Diagrams plastered the walls next to a calendar detailing human ration lists. Hand-bound ledgers crammed the shelves, carefully labeled with the name of every person who had gone missing in The Pen. There were even crayon drawings by children tacked with love onto the side of a rusted filing cabinet.

Romance looked away before Hwan caught him staring at the drawings. He leaned back against the concrete wall, folding his arms and watching with deep amusement as Hwan shot him a desperate, pleading look for help.

Echo froze mid-sentence and spun around. She gasped.

His sleek, elegant K-pop idol aesthetic was completely gone, replaced by a street-level nightmare straight out of the badlands. Gone were the immaculate designer suits and the polished, practiced smile. He had styled himself like someone who slept in abandoned train stations and started fires to stay warm. The Resistance was his tribe. It felt good to finally express his rage. His spiked hair defied gravity, and his heavy fur-lined coat was painted with black graffiti that read: Power is not given, it’s taken.

"Whoa. You look different," Echo breathed.

Romance chuckled, a low, rasping sound. He could say the exact same about her. "I’m done pretending."

Echo tilted her head, trying to process the shift, before her eyes darted to the figure shrinking behind him. "Is that you, Kyra?"

Kyra nodded, stepping out from the shadow of Romance's heavy coat. “I’m repaired. Thanks to Romance."

Romance found her quietness strangely endearing. Gone was the malfunctioning cybernetic cheerleader he had purchased at the auction. Faint brass gears ticked visibly beneath the synthetic skin of her neck, and heavy, industrial copper wiring snaked along her collarbone. She looked raw, sturdy, and unmistakably analog. A work of art.

Romance squeezed her hand gently, his thumb brushing her carbon fiber palm. For all that she had survived, he felt the immense weight in her grip. And it was warm. His eyes softened when he looked at her.

Echo looked from Kyra to Romance, then back to Kyra. Romance knew exactly how they must look to her. They were no longer an idol and a toy. They looked like a couple forged in a warzone.

Kyra avoided Echo’s gaze for a second, then looked up long enough to notice the swollen brand across the girl's chest. Her smile faltered. "Are you hurt?"

Echo's hand instinctively pulled the shirt closed.

Romance recognized the gesture immediately. She wasn't trying to hide the wound. She was trying to hide what it would do to everyone else.

"Yes," Echo admitted. "The Resistance had medicine to help me. It doesn't sting as bad now."

Hwan cleared his throat loudly.

The room's attention shifted back to the desk.

"As I was trying to explain to Echo," Hwan said, tapping a heavy finger against a map of the city. "Long before Monstrum arrived, this land already had its own supernatural people. We lost the war against the invaders. Monstrum formed a pact with the government. All supernaturals were imprisoned in the Forbidden Zone. Monstrum claimed the Forbidden Zone as sovereign territory. In exchange for solving the rogue monster problem, Monstrum was given endless business opportunities in the human world."

Echo furrowed her brow, her logic snagging on the details. "But I’ve seen MasterGin, Romance, and you move outside the zone."

Hwan sighed and looked at Romance to explain.

Poor Hwan. He must have been answering questions like this all day.

Alright, Romance thought. I will help on this. He dug into his coat pocket and slapped a sleek, black passport onto the desk. A serpent swallowing the sun was embossed on the cover. "There are exceptions for the Zone elites and management. As for the Jeoseung Saja, like myself, we are too important to cage. Without us, Wandering Ghosts would flood the human world. We get free passage as long as we only guide souls and never consume them." Romance flashed a wicked, sharp-toothed grin. "But we didn’t make any promises about not eating Monstrum."

He licked his lips and winked, his eyes shiny with mischief. There was one asshole in particular he was going to relish.

"Are there any further questions?" Hwan added dryly. He looked at the cracked concrete ceiling, silently praying there were not.

Echo ignored him, turning her focus entirely to Kyra. "Are you okay? I mean, really?"

Kyra nodded. She patted her side, where the faint, rhythmic ticking of clockwork could be heard. "Analog power source. The Zone can't touch it. I'm not running on their energy anymore." She looked up, her quiet voice turning urgent. "Do you know where Lisa is?"

"No," Echo said. "But I know where we are all supposed to meet back up."

Romance pushed off the wall. Hwan straightened up from his maps. Both of them were suddenly very interested.

"All the students of Jae Won are planning to attack the ceremony?" Hwan asked.

"Well, we don’t exactly have a plan. Or we didn’t before we scattered. But we are supposed to reunite at the Safe Zone."

Hwan sat very still for a moment.

"The Sewer Safe Zone." He stood up abruptly and grabbed his heavy jacket from the back of his chair. "I know the place. Follow me."

He paused, his hand freezing on the collar of his coat. He turned back slowly and placed a heavy palm on Romance’s shoulder. "Actually, no. I am sorry. You stay here and wait. There is something down there you should not see."

Romance searched his friend’s face, his punk bravado dropping into genuine shock. "I’m not staying here. What are you trying to hide from me, old Dokkaebi?"

Echo made a soft sound, drawing their attention. She reached into her pocket. "I think he means this. I’m certain this letter was meant for you."

Romance looked from Hwan to Echo. Then back again. Something inside him went cold.

Echo held it out further.

Romance forced a puzzled smile. He tried to brush it off dismissively.

Then he noticed that neither Echo nor Hwan was smiling.

The fluorescent lights buzzed into the silence.

His smile faded.

He snatched the folded paper from her hand and began to read.

The cocky smirk vanished completely. His jaw tightened. His gold eyes scanned back and forth across the page, going wide. His next breath never came. The paper trembled softly between his fingers.

A flash of Sophia dumping water on his head, her laugh so infectious. He had never loved her more than in that moment.

Echo reached out, gently touching his hand. “I’m so sorry. Sophia’s body is where we are going."

The paper stopped trembling.

Somewhere above them, another hover train roared overhead.

The room suddenly felt impossibly quiet.

On him, Romance:

Jacket, belt: Oracle - Armageddon Jacket, Belt, LegacyA, yellow [mesh](Salvage Station)(299L)

Necklace: SIGMA - Spike necklace [Unskinned M][mesh](Salvage Station)(320L)

Hair: TRASH - Ignite Hair - Fatpack [mesh](Salvage Station)(1000L)

Earrings: BADa - Cross B Earrings [mesh]

Nose Chain: Garmonbozia - Write me - Nose Chain - Black [mesh]

Goggles: MILKBATH - Axel Goggles - Unrigged [mesh](399L)

Tongue: The DeadBoy Narius Tongue (Bento)[mesh](699L)

Collar: Artificial Hallucination +AH+ Misaki Collar M [mesh](349L)

Piercings: STOIC - HEART DERMAL PIERCING SILVER [mesh]

Pants: AVEC TOI Kai Pants, Turmoil, LegacyM [mesh](595L)

Boots: L&B Swear Havoc Ops Boots, LegacyM, Black [mesh](499L)

Brooch: Schelm - 2.Devil Heart Straight Barbell [mesh]

Waist Piercing: SOLIAC - Waist Piercing - LEGACY M ATHLETIC [mesh]

Eyes: Gloom - Savage Fantasy Collection - Sclera 03 - Yellow M [BOM]

Tattoos: HISS - PATTERNS FACE ROMANCE [BOM](250L)

Head: LeLUTKA - Kane Evolution [mesh](3990L)

Body: TheShops - [BODY] Athletic Meshbody (Legacy)(m) (1.7.1) [mesh](5000L)

Pose: Le Poppycock - Hip hop hooray

On her, Kyra:

Mask: Waffle Science & Research Lab - [W] Dental Phantom [mesh](Salvage Station)(499L)

Cap: KROVA - PILOTKA [mesh](Salvage Station)(499L)

Bodysuit: Eudora3D - Harker BodySuit Legacy, set 2 [mesh](Salvage Station)(225L)

Boots: Eudora3D - Harker Boots, set 2 [mesh](Salvage Station)(225L)

Pouch: Blue Blood - Witch Survival Pouch - Legacy F [mesh](Salvage Station)(149L)

Tattoo: RaptorJenny - Mk4 / Stain, Neck fade [BOM](Salvage Station)(349L)

Hair: MINA Hair - Echo [mesh]

Collar: Naberius - Untamed Collar [mesh]

Skin, tattoos: SOMEONE - Machina NOVA, Gold [mesh](1000L)

Head, eyes: LeLUTKA - lel EvoX LILLY 3.1 [mesh](3990L)

Body: TheShops - Meshbody Legacy (f) Special Edition (Basic) 1.2 [mesh]

Pose: Stiff Pose - SPGF15P1

Setting:

Bedroom: Eclectica - Wasteland bedroom set[mesh](Salvage Station)(850L)

Suitcases: Eclectica - Vintage Suitcases [mesh](Salvage Station)(75L)

Floor Screens: Eclectica - Wasteland Floor Screens [mesh](Salvage Station)(120L)

Bedroom: Eclectica - Wasteland Bucket- yellow [mesh]

Hatch: Bykee - The Nowhere Co. Hatch [mesh](Salvage Station)(349L)

Hanging Lamp: Bykee - The Nowhere Co. - Lamp [mesh](Salvage Station)(249L)

Flowers: Blue Blood - Irradiated Petunias FATPACK [mesh](Salvage Station)(399L)

Bunker: FallenGods - BW BUNKER 313  [mesh](Salvage Station)(890L)

BONUS IMAGES: inworld raw shots, hi-res, midday sky:

Fantasy Faire 2026: The Watch of Requiem

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STORYLINE: On the windswept hillside of the Fairelands, a lone crow hopped across the mossy ground, his talons clicking on paving stones. A cold breeze ruffled his feathers. Something about it felt wrong. Black Beak tilted his head, surveying the silent crypts and towering spires of Requiem. He had carried many souls gently to the next life. He knew the difference between a quiet passing and something darker. He cawed loudly in protest.

Dark clouds were gathering overhead.

He took flight, soaring through the flying buttresses, higher and higher he climbed. Caw. Caw. The Harpy King had felt it too. His enormous shape shadowed against the angry sky, white feathers gleaming in the last rays of the golden sunlight. With a thud, his sharp talons gripped the tallest spire, overlooking all the Fairelands. He raised his scythe. His screech ringing off every ancient stone below. The alarm was raised, the Unweaver was coming. 

Black Beak landed gently on the King's armored shoulder. Caw Caw. Together they watched as the Fairelands stirred and readied once more for the Battle of Life.

Welcome back to the biggest event in SecondLife, The Fantasy Faire! 

It's not to be missed! And all for a good cause, raising money for The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. You can read more information about it here, look at the shopping guide, see the schedule of events, daily reports from the event, roleplays, jail and bails, live performances, Faire radio, tabletop games, LitFest, the interactive Hud based Quest game, and more:  FantasyFaireSL website.

This post was inspired by the gorgeous and gothic Requiem sim created by Fallen Gods with it's crow, the movie The Crow, and cool items for sell at the Faire.   ...From Air are the ornate Opium glasses, in silver or gold. They are mod, so you scale and adjust them for the perfect fit.   ...From Schelm are the Seiryu Earrings and matching Scythe. The Earring are unrigged for you adjust for a perfect fit. The scythe includes a hud with a 2 poses, and texture changes.   ...From Poet's Heart is the romantic Reina Crown. I used the fatpack version which includes many texture options.   ...The aura energy effect is Limb Swirls by Starlight Designs. Just add to your outfit, change the color options, and watch as magical energy animates around your avatar.   ... Black Beak is the American Crow by CKit Falconry. He is Animesh, and includes a hud for triggering animations, and poses. Plus you can name your crow too.   ...From past releases are items I have been itching to show, and finally got the chance.   ...Aii's Harpy collection is gorgeous, with fits for men and women. The body feathers, arm feathers and feet include a hud for changing textures, and to show and hide certain parts. Matching it is the body jewelry with the same options. And then add to that the Wings plus their jewelry. It's just so much fun, and stunning.   ...Adding elegance is the AURO Virtue material shine. I used it without the chainmail BOM layers, because I wanted it to be a lighter color. It worked great!   ...Adding motion is the Haruka hair for Argrace.

On him, the Harpy King:
Glasses: Air - Opium, gold, [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Ben Tom Roi)
Scythe: Schelm - FF012 - Seiryu Scythe [mesh] (Fantasy Faire: Heian)
Earrings: Schelm - FF014 - Seiryu Earrings [mesh] (Fantasy Faire: Heian)

Crown: Poet's Heart - PH Reina Crown, fatpack [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Requiem)

Aura: Starlight Designs - Limb Swirls [mesh](Fantasy Faire: Aventurine Promenade)

Pet: CKit Falconry - American Crow [animesh] (Fantasy Faire: Ben Tom Roi)

Outfit: Aii - Galewing Harpy - Full Harpy Avatar, Jewelry [mesh]
Wings: Aii - Galewing Harpy - Wing,  Jewelry [mesh]

Hair: ARGRACE - Haruka - Misty White [mesh]

Shine: AURO - Virtue - Masc [BOM, Applier]

Head: LeLUTKA - Logan Evolution [mesh](3990L)

Body: TheShops - [BODY] Athletic Meshbody (Legacy)(m) (1.7.1) [mesh](5000L)

Pose: Poseidon - Ranger 2

Location:

Fantasy Faire 2026 - Requiem by Fallen Gods

BONUS IMAGES: inworld raw shot, hi-res, midday sky.

Midnight Order: GIN AESTHETICA (Escape from Club Apophis, 30)

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STORYLINE: Old Seoul looked different from above, like a glowing circuit board designed by a madman and dropped into the dark past.

Romance rested his forehead against the cool, tinted glass of the hovercar. The low, soft rumble of its turbine slipped into his bones. Gangnam slid past in layers of aggressive light and chrome. The streets were cleaner than he remembered, scrubbed of humanity, louder with commerce, hungry for attention. Every surface was a screen; every face on the sidewalk had been polished for an audience that never blinked.

His breath fogged the glass, erasing him. When it thinned, a human face stared back like a ghost from another decade. His hair had gone dark, black as faded ink, longer than it had been minutes ago. Only the tips still clung to pink, like a bad memory refusing to let go. The glamor was not broken. It was exhausted.

He had overextended himself in Kyra’s rescue, enchanting hundreds of Monstrum instead of weak, disposable humans. The cost pressed in now as a dull ache behind his eyes, a weight in his limbs, the city suddenly too loud, too bright, too close.

He had been an idol trainee here. Back when the buildings were shorter. Back when idols still pretended to be human. Back when he believed fame would save him.

It didn’t.

A massive hologram pulsed against the smog-choked skyline.

NEW YEAR. NEW YOU. Designed for the life you deserve.

GIN AESTHETICA™ rose beneath the slogan, pristine and obscene. The headquarters of the monster who had hollowed out his homeland and sold it back, piece by perfect piece.

Romance sighed, fogging the glass again before the climate control erased it.

This was a dangerous game. If his plan was going to work, he needed to pass inspection. He needed a pick-me-up.

He pulled out his halo phone and logged into a burner account.

User: Mira Bio: Club organizer. Devoted fan. Founder of the Romaniacs.

The profile image was perfect. A middle-aged woman with soft cheeks, kind eyes, and a haircut that chose practicality over vanity. Someone you trusted with small complaints and unguarded truths.

Someone safe.

He typed: "Still on for coffee? That café you like, near the giant billboard?"

The reply came almost instantly.

Helga: "Yes, of course. I’m just across the street now. I’m wearing a blue coat."

Romance smiled faintly.

Helga. Loyal. Lonely. Careful with money, careless with hope.

The car descended, settling with a whisper of displaced air and the hum of anti-grav stabilizers.

“We have arrived,” the AI announced, voice empty of anything resembling care.

Romance glanced out through the dark glass. The café glowed warmly at street level. And there she was. Blue coat. Phone in hand. Scanning faces for a friend who didn’t exist.

His reflection stared back at him in the window. Beautiful. Hollow. Ready.

“The things I do for love,” he murmured.

The hermetic seals hissed open. Romance stepped out into the street, his pink hair tips catching city light as it stirred in a breeze that smelled faintly of coffee.

Streetlights kissed the silver embroidery of his formal suit like sparks on cold iron. Burgundy fabric clung and flowed, regal and restless, as if stitched from the memory of applause.

He had taken two steps when sharp heels clicked against cement.

A nurse emerged from the plastic surgery clinic.

Blond. Impeccable. Terrifying.

Her uniform had been reinvented into high-fashion couture. Seams sharp as scalpels. Luminous white fabric cut with authority. A gold serpent brooch pinned at her collar caught the streetlamp glare, its diamond eye unblinking.

Paine. MasterGin’s personal assistant.

“Thank you for coming, Master Romance.”

She bowed deeply. The words carried across the sidewalk, slicing cleanly through the traffic noise.

Helga froze.

She turned, eyes wide. Confusion collapsed into disbelief.

“Did you say… Romance?”

Silence stretched.

Romance glanced from Paine to Helga, pulse skidding. Then he laughed, warm and effortless, the sound of someone who belonged exactly where he stood. He stepped forward, angling his body between the nurse and the woman.

“No,” he said lightly. “The real Romance would be ancient by now, wouldn’t he? I’m just a model," he gestured to the clinic. "A celebrity impersonator. DJ Romance.”

Helga followed the movement. Understanding settled across her face.

“Oh!” Relief bloomed into a smile. “Mira set you up for this, didn’t she? That rascal.”

She laughed, then softened. “You carry his style beautifully. You really do. I always liked him best in the early years. When he sang to rooms, not stadiums.”

Her smile turned wistful. “Before Romance was Romance. You have excellent taste.”

Something sharp flashed behind his eyes and vanished.

“Thank you,” he said, inclining his head politely.

She hesitated, cheeks warming, her phone lifting uncertainly. “May I… if it’s not strange… could we take a photo together?”

Romance’s smile deepened. The kind that ruined lives gently.

“Of course,” he purred. “Allow me.”

He took the phone, stepped close, and drew her in with practiced ease. The camera loved him. Loved her more for standing beside him.

She gasped when he showed her the image.

Romance did not release her.

“You know,” he murmured near her ear, voice brushing skin, “we could give your friends something better to talk about. How about a kiss?”

She flushed scarlet, entranced. She shyly offered her cheek.

Romance cupped her chin instead, and drew her in.

Their lips pressed together. A kiss deepened just enough to steal her breath. Her knees weakened before she understood why. The phone flashed again and again. Her life flowed into him. Warm. Bright. Threaded with memory. Her love for the man he had been burned sweetly in his lungs.

Delicious.

A sweet sip to be savored. It hit like a vintage year, bright and reckless. For a fraction of a second, faint blue light bloomed where their mouths met, hidden beneath the camera strobe.

“Enough.”

Paine tore the phone from his hand and deleted the images with surgical precision. Unapproved evidence erased with a click.

Helga swayed, grasping the hovercar for balance. Hands trembling. She looked older all at once. Drained.

Romance exhaled, irritated. A wisp of faint blue smoke curled briefly from his lips. His skin gleamed brighter now. His hair shone. His feral eyes sharpened into smoldering amber. For a moment, the world felt edible again. He could almost believe he was in control. Almost.

He smoothed his cuff. "Do you want a good photoshoot,” he said coolly, “or not?”

Paine snapped her fingers. Two men in lab coats appeared immediately, guiding Helga inside with murmured reassurances. A seat. Water. Monitoring.

Romance watched them go. The fragrance of her life still swirled around him, bright as fruit and just as rotten. For a moment he wanted to run after her, to give something back.

Instead, he swallowed the craving and let it become power. He had to be cold; Paine was watching. If he met her gaze, she might see the desperate animal scratching under the facade.

Her sacrifice will not be wasted, he told himself, the lie tasting like ash. It is fuel for a higher cause.

Mask in place. No guilt. Only resolve.

He shouldered his bag, the one with the devil-horned heart charm, and entered the clinic through doors of quartz and sterile luxury.

Inside, sound vanished into a hush that pressed against the ears. There was no reception desk. No signage.

Glass cases lined the space, displaying garments beneath the Apophis ATELIER mark. Clothing designed not to hide alteration, but to celebrate it.

Jackets cut for shoulders beyond human geometry. Dresses engineered to honor augmentation rather than disguise it. Trousers generous where flesh had been rewritten.

This was not indulgence. This was infrastructure.

“Greenroom,” Paine said sharply, pointing. “Makeup and wardrobe shortly.”

Romance sank into the chair before a smart mirror. The lighting shifted, flattering by force. Micro-corrections flickered across the glass.

ID: Pending.... DJ Romance Acceptable. 27% facial imperfections.

He rolled his eyes. An old ache tugged at his chest. He closed his eyes, breathed, and failed to make the yearning leave.

He pulled out his halo phone. He watched the status dot beside her name until it flickered green again.

Mira: "Hey Helga, did anything exciting happen?"

Her icon lit immediately.

Helga: "Mira OMG you will never believe—"

The phone vanished.

“Pink, cheap, and far past its expiration date.”

Romance froze.

The voice came from behind him, close enough to chill the skin at the nape of his neck.

In the mirror, something pale unfolded into the room.

MasterGin.

Not in a lab coat. He wore a sheer white tunic that clung like fog, open at the throat, draped to frame the sharp line of his collarbone and the cold arrogance of his chest. Gold chains crossed him in deliberate geometry, more jewelry than restraint, each link catching the light like a sinful promise.

He held Romance’s halo phone between two fingers, as if it had offended him personally.

“Bubblegum Relic,” Gin sneered savoring the words.

Then he closed his fist.

Metal shrieked. Glass cracked. The device collapsed like tinfoil, crumpling into a glittering ruin that fell to the floor.

Romance stared at the debris, jaw tight.

MasterGin leaned closer.

In the humming mirror, his smile hovered beside Romance’s reflection, a beautiful predator sharing the frame.

“If you ever feed in front of my clinic again,” Gin said softly, a low, deadly purr, “I will have you recycled into a cheap pink vinyl pressing of the worst music ever recorded. Do I make myself clear?”

Romance kept his gaze on the mirror, locking eyes with MasterGin.

“I wonder what would happen to your empire in Seoul,” Romance said, voice low and controlled, “if the locals learned what really goes on at GIN AESTHETICA™.”

MasterGin leaned in, presence collapsing the space, forcing Romance smaller. Then he straightened abruptly.

“First offense,” Gin said, as if mercy bored him. “You didn’t know the rules. I will allow it.”

A hand slid onto Romance’s shoulder.

Then, without warning, it snapped to his jaw.

MasterGin’s claws hooked under Romance’s chin and yanked his face upward—not toward him, but toward the mirror. Hard.

The chair creaked. Romance’s breath caught. They stared together at the reflection. Two monsters.

Gin tilted Romance’s head left, then right, studying him like an expensive object that had begun to tarnish. His thumb pressed into Romance’s jawline with just enough force to hurt.

“Excellent glow-up,” Gin admitted, the compliment almost an insult. “How much did you take?”

“One year,” Romance said, refusing to flinch. “She won’t miss it. Her last five would have been Alzheimer’s.”

Gin’s eyes narrowed in the mirror.

“You can tell that by looking?”

Romance’s lips curled faintly. Sweet. Poisonous.

“Yes,” he said. “And not just humans.”

Something tightened behind Gin’s gaze. Interest, threat assessment, or both.

He released Romance abruptly, as if bored of the sculpture.

“Feisty,” MasterGin murmured, almost pleased.

He drifted closer behind Romance, close enough that his breath warmed Romance’s neck. In the mirror, their faces aligned, predator and pet.

"Do you know what you are?” he asked softly.

His nails pressed in. A sting. A reminder.

“You are a contagion.”

Romance swallowed. Not fear. Recognition.

“When humans love you,” MasterGin continued, voice velvet over steel, “they do not simply adore. They submit. They volunteer. You make slavery feel like devotion.”

He leaned closer, eyes bright with interest now, almost reverent.

“Proof delivered live on my doorstep. I watched the security feed.”

Romance didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.

“My kind requires proximity. Physicality.” Gin whispered. “But you... You only need a digital signal.”

Romance met his eyes in the glass, unflinching. “I can turn your brand into a theology. But I need payment.”

MasterGin’s grin widened. “So yes. Your New Year campaign.”

He tapped Romance’s cheekbone, as if testing firmness. “You will pour that curse into the lens until they beg for my scalpel like it is salvation.”

His grip tightened.

“And if you do it perfectly,” he murmured, “I will grant your Kyra an appointment. I will assess what remains of her flesh to see what can be salvaged.”

MasterGin’s eyes narrowed, almost playful.

“Disappoint me… and your one billion won doll stays broken. Forever.”

He extended his hand, the hand that made monsters beautiful and vain humans slaves.

Romance stared at it.

For a moment he saw Kyra as she lay dying. Helpless. Ruined. But beneath the ruin, he saw the outline of forever. Not a victim. Not a doll. A bride. A blade. A beginning.

Then he took the hand.

“Deal.”

MasterGin released him. “You look thin. Bring your best face to the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony. Drink ten years.”

With a sharp click of heels, he sashayed away, his feather-light tunic dissolving into the clinical light.




Midnight Order is open! This round is even larger and packed with all that is dark and awesome. Seriously, look at that image above. Wow. Stunning. It's not to be missed.

On Romance is Pendulum's Illuvion suit. It has lush PBR materials that dazzle. It comes with several texture options. It's an entire outfit including boots. Perfect for formal events, and just being fabulous. Romance's interesting hair change was inspired by the Lorna Hair by Ni.Ju. The wildcard hud includes a texture that is black with pink tips, which gave me the idea that his glamor failed.

On MasterGin, is the stylish 1920s Erte-like gossamer Loana's Gown. The top is semi-transparent. The gown comes in several texture options. Added to his harem-chic is the Justiciar's Livery Chain by Requisition. It's unrigged and has PBR texture hud. From Buffy's is the Galina choker, part of a full outfit with a fit for Legacy Male. From Lex is the Bat of Hell earrings, incase anyone forgets MasterGin is quite a vampire.

On him, DJ Romance:

Suit: PENDULUM - ILLUVION.Suit, Legacy M [mesh](Midnight Order)(1600L)

Hair: NI.JU - Lorna Hair, wildcard [mesh](Midnight Order)(300L)

Tattoos: HISS - PATTERNS FACE ROMANCE [BOM](250L)

Rings: MANDALA - Sinra Rings season-3-HD, Legacy M [mesh]

Brooch: Schelm - 2.Devil Heart Straight Barbell [mesh]

Earring in mirror: RavenBell - Starlit Earrings, Moonlit [mesh](350L)

Hair in mirror: NoMatch - NO_TENDERNESS [mesh]

Head: LeLUTKA - Kane Evolution [mesh](3990L)

Body: TheShops - [BODY] Athletic Meshbody (Legacy)(m) (1.7.1) [mesh](5000L)

On him, MasterGin:

Robe: REBIS - Loane's Gown, Legacy M, white [mesh](Midnight Order)(300L)

Choker: BUFFY'S - Galina Choker - LGM [mesh](Midnight Order)(1333L)

Necklace:  REQUISITION - Justiciar's Livery Chain [mesh](Midnight Order)(350L)

Earring: LEX - Bat of Hell [mesh](Midnight Order)(249L)

Belly Strap, belly ring: Aii - BlackMage, Athletic, Belly Straps, Navel Piercing [mesh]

Claws: L'Emporio&PL - Oblio Vampire Claws male [mesh](350L)

Hair: bonbon - tame hair, naturals [mesh](439L)

Shine: BLAXIUM - Sweaty Body Shine [applier]

Head: LeLUTKA - CAMDEN 4.0 [mesh](3990L)

Body: TheShops - [BODY] Athletic Meshbody (Legacy)(m) (1.7.1) [mesh](5000L)

Pose: 3M - gogogo_A_7

Setting:

Chair: Midwest - Ash Recolor Pack - Armchair Cream [mesh](199L)

House: Fanatik - Sky Tower [mesh] (3800L)

Door PBR: Erfe Design - Medusa Floor PBR  Material, black [PBR]

Room PBR: Erfe Design - Maldives  Marble Material, ivory [PBR]

Chair PBR: ARTSY - Velvet Fabric 0 [PBR]

Skyline: AXON Skybox - Cyberpunk megapolis [mesh](50L)

BONUS IMAGES: inworld raw shots, hi-res, midday sky :