“Are you just gonna take that Cynthia,” Raijin couldn't help but stoke the flames Mantam had started, “Don't you have any pride asa swordsman, AS A CHEF!?!?”

He pointed at Mantam, his voice now loud and booming like that of a boxing announcer.

"Because she just called you out and challenged your skills of culinary perfection, so I repeat: ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE IT?"

Was he over doing it, yes, Did he care, not in the slightest.

((Double))

"I think I'm more concerned about her insulting me as a blade master." Cynthia said, fanning the ember she had just made in the sticks. "I for one wouldn't be caught dead using a blade less than half my level, so if you can find a level three kitchen knife, then we can talk." She quickly dashed back to the table and grabbed the spices she left there and dashed back, flipping the fish with a flick of her wrist before adding the seasoning. The irony was that when she was doing almost anything else, she used the menus and automatic systems, but with fighting or cooking she couldn't allow the system to help her.

"Besides," She added, keeping an eye on the meal. "I'd like to see you use a knife to cut a fish as cleanly as my sword."

Cattypea leaned up against the wall, deciding not to join in this antics, but merely watching. She could have joined in, could have offered to cook, but decided against joining in that fight. Instead, she just watched them, her spirits, usually quite low, lifted at the simplicity of being around the group. She was smiling slightly, amused at the use of a katana as a culinary tool, but couldn't deny the effectiveness of it.

She loved them. That was it. She had come to depend on them, to depend on the simplicity of their company, of the adventures they had, of merely sitting around in The Cave. That was the simplicity of it. She loved them. So perhaps taking a little bit more time to sit back, watch a fight to cook fish, and hang with good company was worth it.

She smiled, laying her staff down, and she couldn't help it. She laughed, a carefree, happy sound that had an odd hint of music in it. "Oh, I don't know what I would do without you guys, without the game" she said, a somewhat crooked smile forming. "A blade, or a knife, it still makes good fish" She said

"And now, it's Mantam's turn to come up with a witty retort to that epic burn." Raijin was enjoying playing announcer to this little, almost culinary stand off. He knew that Cynthia was hard to bait into things like this, so he doubted that she was going to go for it, but he had his finger's crossed that Mantam would be able to get under her skin, and hit her where it hurts.

Flicking his ear in Cat's direction, he gave a fanged grin to his fellow wildborn, tail wagging in happiness.

"I agree, this group is like, well, like a family to me. The closest thing I'll ever have to one anyway," He mumbled the last part softly, lookong a way from Cat, his ears and tail lowered.
For a second, just a split second, one could see the person who resided in Raijin, the scared boy who would never seek help, even when he needed it. But as quick as a flash, it was gone and Raijin was back in full force, except now his smile didn't quite reach all the way up to his eyes anymore.

"Dark comedy, cold as the ocean..."

A warm breeze drifted into The Cave and found it's way to Marinette. A reminder of the world outside of the cave, a world outside of Paradise, everything outside of the exclave of companionship the group had forged, already in a world already designed to be the perfect escape. The gentle wind reminded Marinette that their lovely cave had no lighting-- it was all natural, well, "natural." Still, the late afternoon sun of Paradise gently illuminated the cave with an orange glow, the smiling silhouettes of people she-- he, Ness did too, they considered allies, crushes, friends, best friends even-- the word 'family' hit hard. It did every time someone here deemed it apropos to use.

The air hit her skin-- the second skin to Ness, that felt just as natural, if not moreso than his own, and it carried that message, that brutal reminder that she and he felt that familial bond with some of these people-- some skill in high school-- that they were his sisters and brothers.

But were they?

That doubt. The doubt persisted with Ness when he had to leave the game for an off day or two a week, the doubt that lay subtly beneath every sarcastic remark Marinette made, the doubt that haunted and predated each of their existences... the sham of an existence they shared. A more preferred skin for the same insecure mind, the only real difference was that Marinette could hide that doubt. The breezy afternoon was warm-- in Paradise they were always perfect, even the storms-- but that chilling thought came with it's comforting gale.

"On that laugh to keep from crying..."

Too many emotions, best go get some air...

Right. She just needed to go and isolate herself for a bit, nothing wrong with that... The Cave has always been a little stuffy, she just needed a little fresh air. She didn't actively sneak as she left the cave, but with everyone else's antics, she probably just blended in. She glided out of the outcrop that was The Cave's entrance, and into the grass and bright sunlight of Paradise, the sunlight of this planet at least. The artificial light warmed her skin, she wandered, looking for a place to settle down, not terribly far from the cave. Eventually she found a place with the shade of the trees but the heat of the sun, the Esquen collapsed on the grass and looked the glowing ball of code. The Paradise sun. Here she didn't have to fear losing her eyesight, not like Ness... She brushed hair out of her eyes to get a better look, another thing that was foreign to Ness...

A new jazzy song overtook her sense of hearing, and she couldn't help but finding herself bobbing her head with the beat, the grass around her, bobbing too, with the wind.

From her inventory, she brought out an Esquen cigar, and lit it with her magic in tune with the music. Ness smoked in real life, but only got to try an actual cigar in the world of Paradise. It couldn't have been a fake approximation, the smokey taste filled Marinette's body better than anything the Earth could possibly offer. With another puff, he snake hissed awake. Anima came slithering out of whatever cranny of armor it hid in and wrapped itself around the freelancer's well worn sleeve. It was sophisticated AI, but the tiny golden serpent still had some mysterious 'daww' factor to it. Marinette filled her virtual lungs with smoke again, and let the music be all she heard for the moment. The pair laid in the grass and simply basked in the sun, the silver smoke being the only indicator of their presence.

Hazard hopped up to his feet upon hearing the request to grab the spices for Cynthia. He chuckled a patted Mantams head playfully saying "Oh cheer up, Im sure youre an excellent cook!".As he passed, he pet Void a little more, being a little more hyper to try and attempt to rowl the wolf up before jogging to where the spices were. After quickly equipping them, he went over to where the campfire was as well as Cynthia/Caroline and set them on the floor next to her. He flopped down as he watched her cook, rolling a rock he had found in his hand. "heh, its like a ninja kitchen when you cook with that thing" he said jokingly to her.

Mantam went over to her pack, and pulled out her precious kitchen knife. She made a show of pointing it challengingly at Cynthia. "I'll have you know," Mantam said, throwing the knife into the air and catching it as it fell back down, "This knife if Level 5." That was a lie. Of course. But Cynthia could hardly tell the difference from the surface. "I think it's fine enough to fillet you Cynthia, while you're still squirming, if I wanted to." Mantam said in the overly exaggerated voice of a villain, grinning.

"Sure it could," Cynthia said, not looking up from the food. "Hey Haz, get me a plate would you?" She asked, flipping the fish again. She finished and set the pan down on a nearby rock while she waited.

"Tell you what Tam, if my Katana can't cut through your knife, then I'll agree that the knife is superior." She said, a glint in her eye, "But if it can, then you have to buy a sword and use it for cooking from now on."

"Now what are you to do, Mantam. Can you put your money where your mouth is? I think you've bitten off more than you could chew." Raijin knew that Mantam was bullshitting about her knife and was curious as to how she would get out off this one. She could always just not take the bet, but he hoped she'd try to trick Cynthia or something like that.

Void walked over to where Cynthia was cooking, and began rubbing on the Fae Blademaster's legs, trying to get some table scraps.

Hazard nodded and went over to grab a plate for Cynthia. He noticed that they only had just enough for each group to have one plate, and he found that amusing. Anything to save a bit of gold huh? He took the plate over and gave it to Cynthia and sat back down, petting Void as he did. "Heh, level five and I have yet learned the cooking skill. I should probably get on that huh?" he said with a sheepish smile. He watched as she went on to cook the fish, adding spices and such before leaning back on his arms and looking out of the cave exit. "It's funny, I am pretty sure you were cooking in that same spot when I decided to come introduce myself when I first got here."

Mantam gave a sly smile to Cynthia. If there was one rule that Mantam always observed when it came to betting, it would be 'Never bet against a magic-user'. Although Mantam's school of magic, Mirage Shifting, focused on the ability to transform one's body, there were a group of System Spells usable by all magic professions, and one that she had picked up on her alt was a spell of Fortification. Although she never learned it on this character, she knew the magic words, and merely had to think it. She repeated the words thrice in her head, and a sheen of protective magic coated her paltry Level 2 Kitchen Knife, imperceptible to a non-magic-user like Cynthia.

Mantam made a show of raising the knife towards Cynthia, grinning, her triumph against her all but guaranteed. Cynthia's Level 4 Katana would not be able to pierce her superior magical barrier. "Enguard," Mantam said in an over-exaggerated voice, befit of a stage actor playing a traitorous villain, "If you dare." Mantam hastily added.

Cattypea watched the continual debate over a knife or sword for cutting up a fish. It amused her, but if the sword worked, then she didn't see any reason for it not to be used. She smiled, then occupied herself by creating a ball of light and moving it about. She thought things like this would help her with her ability to cast spells quickly, but also to change their momentum and direction, as well as enabling her to mix spells together. She concentrated, trying to add flame to the ball of light. It didn't work how she wanted it to, but she imagined it would be a bit of trial and error. She sighed, and returned to watching the others.

She studied them, letting herself just randomly think as she watched them. They were all quite individual, and yet she considered them all friends. She rolled her eyes and said "can you decide which is best and just cook the fish instead of torturing everyone?" She said. She raised an eyebrow, catching what Mantam did even though she didn't use any magic words, but didn't say anything. It was so easy to consider Mantam...almost Like a sister. She hummed and leaned back again to continue watching the show

Raijin flicked his ears as he noticed Mantam's little spell, if only just barely. He said nothing, as Cynthia hadn't forbade the use of magic in the bet. A rather obvious thing to remember when making a bet with a magic user, at least in his opinion.

He also noticed Cat's experiment with magic as well. He used magic himself sometimes, but much preferred to go in close to eviscerate his opponents than blast them with spells. Thus, most of his spells focused on buffing his beast or himself, so he had very little to offer offensively.

"Maybe I should start, never know when it might come in handy."

So he started up the Interpret System and began to focus his mana reserve on a spell he had in mind, one that used the Soul bond he shared with Void.

Focusing on his right hand-where he wore his Xenomaster gauntlet as well as where the Soul bond magic was strongest- he began to shape his mana, which was an ethereal mixture of green and black, into a wolf's head. But just as it finished forming -Poof- it burst as he ran out of mana.

He couldn't help lowering his ears in disapointment. Oh well, maybe next level, when he could put more points into his Focus skill.

He noticed Grey leaving the cave, to do who knows what. Normally, he would call out for him to wait for the food, but the guy hardly ever ate. Well, hardly ever ate real food, that is. Raijin didn't know what was in those packs the Cyborg ate from, but he knew for damn sure it wasn't food, stuff didn't taste edible at all.

Raijin sometimes wondered if the Cyborg had redesigned his taste buds so he could eat those things without barfing, because they were cheap as hell since no one ever bought them. He would not be surprised in the slightest if that turned out to be true.

Cynthia grinned and reached over her shoulder again, not bothering to say the words in her head.

"Wind and wing, the swift prevail. Wind and wing, the swift prevail. Wind and wing, the swift prevail."

As she said the phrase a third time, her katana took on a green film, and suddenly it had gone from it's sheath to an inch off the ground, without seeming to have crossed the space between. A second later, a gust of wind blew past, and the knife, along with it's fortification spell, broke off halfway up the blade.

"Don't feel bad," Cynthia said, resheathing her sword with little flourish, "you challenged a Blade Master to a sword duel, this was the only possible outcome." She turned back to the pan and tilted the finished food onto the plate. "Especially a Bushido user like me." She added, looking at the fish they had.

"It looks like one of us isn't getting any," she said sadly, "I suppose I could go without this time."

"AWWW SNAP" exclaimed Hazard as the knife shattered under Cynthia's sword. He went on to jokingly bow at the blademaster, exclaiming "not worthy not worthy!" to her before falling back and laughing. However her next comment stopped him quickly and look up at her. Hazard frowned as Cynthia said they were going to go without everyone being fed, and he placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "Go on and take it, I had a candy bar already and I am full health, so I really dont need anything." he said with a smile, hoping to receive one in return.

"Hey Cynth, are you including Grey in your calculations, cause he left already." Raijin helpfully informed the blademaster, still a little shocked at how she had busted right through Mantam's enchantment. She coud do some serious damage with that thing. "I'm actually a little worried about you paying me back now."

Raijin would have to keep an eye on her, though with that riduclous Agility stat, he doubt it mattered at the moment. Maybe he should put points in that instead of Focus.

((Double, please ignore. Actual post above this one.))

"AWWW SNAP" exclaimed Hazard as the knife shattered under Cynthia's sword. He went on to jokingly bow at the blademaster, exclaiming "not worthy not worthy!" to her before falling back and laughing. However her next comment stopped him quickly and look up at her. Hazard frowned as Cynthia said they were going to go without everyone being fed, and he placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "Go on and take it, I had a candy bar already and I am full health, so I really dont need anything." he said with a smile, hoping to receive one in return.

Prince smiled as he watched everything unfold. There wasn't much for him to say at the moment so he walked over to Cat and took a seat next to her.

"Quite the show, eh?" He remarked, chuckling a bit. He noticed both Marinette and Grey had left the room but it didn't really strike him as odd so he just let it be. Marinette probably just wanted quiet... as for Grey... the dude was a mystery to him as much as females were. Which made sense consider the guy never revealed his gender, people just assumed it was a male.

He let his hands fall back as he leaned back, his braid touching the floor and his legs spread out. "I enjoy cooking but I also enjoy watching Cynthia cook. She always makes a show of it. Then again, I guess we all make a show of somethings. Egoism, I suppose." He continued, stealing a look at Cat. "Sorry for touching you without permission earlier. I won't do it again." He told the wildborn, smiling softly at her.

For some reason, the young Ki Brawler felt a sort of... emptiness in pit of his stomach... But it wasn't the sort of emptiness that comes from hunger. It wasn't particularly that he couldn't figure out the reason but was more along the lines of not wanting to realize. Ignorance was most certainly bliss all things considered. Outside of Paradise, an empty apartment waited for him. It... wasn't that his parents didn't love him, in fact they probably loved him a bit too much... It was just that.. no one else ever seemed to care. Even when it seemed that they did, it almost always turned out that they didn't. Logan had experienced far too much back stabbing to truly trust anyone anymore, far too much...

"So, what's your favorite animal, Cat?" Prince asked suddenly, turning with a smile to look at Cat once again.