Rosanna felt like the luckiest girl in the world, she had the day off! after a long and boring week at the Mochavine Cafe She finally got to take some leave and was enjoying it at the lovely Shine City Aquarium. She was thinking about what a crazy past few months its been, so much partying so many guys....hahahah, it was nice to just slow down and take in the beauty of the city, and the lovely deep sea ocean exhibition tunnel in the aquarium. Although being single was great she couldn't shake the lonliness, she made a few casual acquaintances in Club Lush but no one she could really get close to. She noticed as the weather was getting colder there were more couples about. She reached out to her online friends on BookFace and made a status update.

Single and Lovin it, while chilling in the aquarium on my day off wooo! Though some of the squids are pretty handsome...might not be single for much longer XD XD #DeepSea #HusbandMaterial

Rosanna smiled to herself as she gazed at the squid and jellyfish, becoming more and more hungry for seafood....hmmmm, I wonder if the Tiny Snowflake still serves crab....

"Thank you, have a good night!"

The bell above the door let out a small ring as the door closed, "Finally, closing time." Kyle thought as he walked over to the door and flipped the sign to close, twisting the deadbolt locked before making his way out back to grab his things. The break room behind the store front was small and quaint, it had a refrigerator and microwave for food, a counterspace and sink the corner, in the middle of the room was a folding table with a couple of chairs and on the opposite wall was a closet with a cubby space for personal belongings. Kyle grabbed his wallet, keys phone and headphones, placing them in their respective pockets and the headphones around his neck. He donned his jacket next, a leather jacket hoodie combo, nice and warm for the cold winter ahead, his signature green skull cap helped too.

Having gathered his things, Kyle made his way out of the back room, his boss, Mr. Hiroshi was at the register, tallying up the day's deposit and totals. The old man perked his head up at the sound of the opening door, his bald head and round spectacles reflected from the light shining above.

"Good job today Kairu-san," his boss said.

Kyle didn't ever think the old man would ever get his name right, but he just kindly smiled and replied with, "Thank you Mr. Hiroshi, same time tomorrow?"

He laughed, "Of course my boy, have yourself a good night and have fun out there all right?"

"Will do Mr. Hiroshi," Kyle waved off as he made his way over the store entrance, quickly unlocking it he opened the door to the chilled air and stepped outside, "Night boss!" And with that Kyle closed the door behind him, locking the deadbolt behind him and walked away down the street. Kyle shivered slightly, he pulled his hat down tighter, put his headphones on and played music. Though his mind and soul craved music, it seemed his stomach had other intentions and his mind began rummaging through what he'd want to eat tonight. He could go home and make food like he usually did, but he wanted to go out tonight, just where to....

A name ran through his mind, he'd heard it mentioned plenty of times, but in the time he'd spent in the city so far he'd never actually visited the restaurant. Hm...something new and different wouldn't be so bad, what was it called again...oh right "Tiny Snowflake"

The cold Thursday evening found Shou wrapping the thick royal blue scarf he wore more tightly around his neck. His fingers were white as bone as he gripped onto the leashes of both his dogs, Romeo and Jinxie, as he stepped out of the Mochavine Café. The cold gust of wind hit him right in the face and made his teeth chatter.

Though, it wasn't that cold yet. Winter would become colder, still. However, Shou hated the cold. It always left him paralysed, hibernating and useless.
Coffee was his saviour in dark days like these, and he was grateful to have his free hand wrapped around one of the Mochavine's soothingly hot, infamous coffee-to-go cups.

While he was there, he warmed his hands, soaked up the atmosphere, chatted with the pretty waitresses, not much else. If it was the weekend, he might have considered going to the casino and curbing his itching for a good game of Poker.
But it was not, so as he stared blankly at the little cloud he just exhaled, he wondered what to do with himself.

Tomorrow was Friday, another weekday and thank goodness, the last. Shou was particularly irritable on Thursday evenings. The weekend seemed so unfairly far, but he would persevere.
The two dogs stared up at their master intently, and Shou, broken from his little train of thought, nodded apologetically to them with a soft, deep-voiced chuckle.

Maybe today was just one of those days to spend walking around Shine City's central square. There was always something new to see in winter (arguably, in summer too, but...) and it never proved to be a bore. However, perhaps he would leave Jinxie at home where it was warmer, and in her stead bring Romeo, better suited to the cold.

Which is just what he did, later finding himself standing right before Shiny Park. It looked so different in the evenings, and especially in winter.

Nevertheless, with an eager Romeo by his side, he proceeded to walk through the gates, to the sound of couples and anyone just enjoying the weather out that late.
Who knows whom he would meet?

All day. It took all day.
Akane pulled her scarf up over her mouth as she let out a shiver from the cold. She hated the cold and her misery was only amplified today as she trekked back towards her home from the library. With all her research notes done, she could finally leave the library. As she traveled her gaze fell to the windows of numerous stores that she passed. Slowly, Akane withdrew a pair of headphones from her bag. She settled them on her ears, over her hair and pressed a button on the side of the headphones. The relaxing sound of a piano filled her ears as she continued on her trip back to her dorm.

It was relaxing to walk in the late evening like this. Akane enjoyed just peering about the city and simply looking at the night sky, at least until a little dog hopped up against her leg. Startled, Akane smiled under the bright red scarf covering most of her face. She followed the little guy's leash up to meet the eyes of a man to whom she gave a quick nod before continuing on her way.

I wonder if there's a pet store around here... I could use some... Akane paused in thought for a moment. Cats... I could use some cats. Like five of them should suffice. Her smile melded into a smirk as she continued down the sidewalk. It was only a few more moments before her peaceful music was interrupted once again, but this time it came from a buzzing in her shoulder bag. Akane's hand curled around her cellphone as she pulled it out of her bag, the bright screen illuminating her face and making her squint. An alert from another girl in her dormitory. Apparently there was a problem or some sort of renovation and they wouldn't let students into that section of the dormitory.

Akane let out a long sigh as she spun disappointedly on her heel. Off to the the cafe then. Akane figured some shops would start closing now, but Mochavine should still be open. It wasn't long before she arrived at the quaint little cafe and bar. She took one of her usual seats towards the window and ordered a simple cup of tea. She would have withdrawn a book as well, just to have something to do, but Akane had done enough of that today. Which made her think: With all that done, she had a weekend ahead of her with no homework to do. It would be a rather boring weekend lest she find something else. Contemplating her plans, Akane continued to sip her tea and peer out into the city.

Molly gazed out at Shine City as she took a sip of her tea. It burned her tongue a little, but this was a normal part of her routine; she was always too impatient to let it cool. The view of the city was gorgeous from her apartment with the buildings shining their lights into the darkness. The beauty of it was not lost on her. She could still remember the grimy, dingy streets of New York, though she was only ten when she left them. In many ways, she owed everything to that move. It was coming overseas that inspired her to learn about new cultures, and birthed her love of history. Her parents had been supportive of her dreams, though for a while they did try to convince her to join the family business- an investment and accounting empire that spanned generations of Quentins, and had just begun to go international. Ultimately, though, they just wanted her to be happy, and they sent her to Shine Academy with full access to her trust fund.
Lucky me, She thought as she turned to face her empty apartment. She had been in town for a year, but she had not met many people, and she often felt lonely. Winter break was fast approaching, and she was hoping to find a reason not to return to the countryside to visit her parents. She loved them, but they were usually too busy to spend a lot of time with her, and she would much rather have access to some lovely shopping if she was going to be alone anyways. She suddenly felt the need to get out of there, so she pulled on a coat and began her adventure.

The cold bit into her as she walked around the city, but Molly didn't mind. The park was always lovely at this time of day, so she made her way to it. She followed the paths, seeing the occasional couple absorbed in conversation. She jumped and turned her head at the sound of a bark nearby, and searched for its source.

James Avery exits Shine City Academy and looks up at the twilit sky. It's not even dark yet and I'm already done with classes. What am I supposed to do with all this time? He moves off to the side of the path to make sure he isn't in anyone's way and ponders for a moment. I suppose I could finish even more of the homework early, but then I won't be able to do it later... Was I just wishing for more homework? What's wrong with me? He eventually decides to head home so he can at least be warm while he figures something out.

James enters his dark, empty dorm room. Nobody's home, as expected. He's had terrible luck with roommates. At the start of every year he got a first-year who partied hard for a few months then dropped out. He had two separate people move in during each mid-year, but the first one graduated soon after and the second had some kind of family emergency so he had to leave. James lights a jar candle near his bed before setting his laptop on the ground near his desk and hooking it up to his two monitors, keyboard, mouse, and headset. I suppose since I have the time I'll get in some early study for finals. He sits down and opens BookFace before getting to work. No internet connection. That's unusual. The dorms here have pretty good uptime. I guess I'll play some Bombsweeper. James is given another reminder that whoever lives above him is a klutz as a loud thud echoes briefly through his bare rooms. It is immediately followed by some rather loud conversation. On second thought I'll think about a project or something at the park instead.

James sits down in the shade of his favorite tree, or rather where its shade would be if it still had leaves and the sun hadn't set, and opens his notebook. After a fair amount of time but little progress he notices a large dog being led by a tall man not far off in the distance. Appropriate pair, those two... He feels familiar. I've seen him somewhere, I know it. After a few moments he realizes who it is. Uh oh. He was the one who taught that Biology class I neglected for Algorithms. James lifts his hood to cover his red hair and considers for a moment how the conversation would go. Well, I was only a few points behind the highest grade on the final. Maybe that compensates for not doing so many of the assignments? Either way I haven't been around a dog for a while. At least that would be nice.

While everyone else was huddled up in jackets and scarves and hats, etc., there was one young man who seemed to think he had no need for any of that. Dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, Zac Yoxall jogs down the sidewalk, grinning despite the chill in the air. "What a gorgeous day!" he says to himself as he takes a right turn, crossing the street.

In truth...he had no clue where he was going. He had been in town for a couple of weeks, but every time he bothered to sit down to try to memorize the map, he had decided his time was better spent going out for food, surfing the Internet, or playing video games. He knew it was a problem...but he couldn't be bothered to care too much.

Taking a sudden left, crossing yet another street, Zac finds himself wondering about something that should have been at the forefront of his mind the whole time: I need a job. In truth, ever since he first moved out to Shine City, he had had three jobs, all of which lasted about three or four days before he got bored. Now, he was running low on money, the one thing that concerned him even in the slightest, and even he knew he couldn't go without work forever.

Stopping to take a breather at a stoplight near some cafe, Zac sighs. For a moment, his face was drawn in worry, but it quickly passes, replaced by his usual grin. "Ah, I'm sure something'll turn up," he says with a grin. Glancing at the cafe, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet. "I think I can fit a quick drink into the budget," he says, closing his wallet as he heads into the building. As he heads toward the door, he looks at the sign. Mochavine? he thinks. Neat name.

Slipping inside of the cafe, Zac notices it wasn't all that busy as he orders a coffee. However, what really captures his attention is the brunette girl with a red scarf sitting off by herself. Hello, there, he thinks with a grin as he takes the coffee from the barista. From there, he walks over to the girl. "Hi," he says with a friendly smile. "Might I interest you in a magic trick?"

@OppositionJ

"Aw, looks like you've made a friend." Shou smirked to himself. There was a little girl with her mother, father and older sister in the park in the evening, with the child enjoying a piping hot, sweet snack, and the family dog being quite excited to meet Romeo. Shou flashed a smile at the family, who returned his smile, the wife, a beautiful woman in her early 30s, glowing with joy. Her husband's expression matched. They were the perfect happy family, enjoying a winter day out in the snow.
He diverted his gaze with a melancholy look in his eyes, but smiling still, instead focusing down at the two dogs in their brief greeting. Romeo was fawned over and circled by the other dog, barking excitedly, and he even returned one or two, low and gruff. It wasn't characteristic of the dog to bark unless threatened, after all. It was best for him as a guard-dog, too.

After the brief interaction with the couple, Shou wished the family a good night and they did the same, before they both went on their separate ways, Romeo's tail still wagging in the lingering moment. With the gentleman lost in his thoughts, and continuing to walk on, a brief flash of red caught his eye before quickly being concealed from his sight again. It stood out so much in the cold, and Shou did not know too many redheads...
His own eyes searching for where it came from, he did not find a face. No, instead he found a very familiar hoodie with the hood pulled down, and a figure trying to hide himself from the professor.

For most other redheads he knew, Shou would be unable to put name to face. However, this particular young man had been such an...interesting pupil, Shou could not help but quietly pinch the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and his thumb. He was still smirking, though.

Mr Avery, I realise you are trying to avoid me. No, you have been all year, actually. However are we going to remedy you not doing your assignments? Only God knows where you get your smarts enough to pass my class, and with flying colours.

Inhaling softly, he lifted his head and continued to walk on. Initially, he thought it was aimlessly, but he had a bit of a goal. If he wasn't to approach the boy himself, he definitely would make it so he'd come speak to him.
And Shou had just the idea. Not fifteen steps away, he could make out the figure of a dark-haired girl in a heavy coat. Though he doubted himself once, or twice, or admittedly thrice before approaching her, he managed to steel his resolve and approach her after all.
Of course, this in any other circumstance would have been terrifying for the young lady. However, perhaps the presence of Romeo made things a little better, curiously going to lick the young lady's hand.

There was barely two and a half feet of distance between the two of them in hardly any time. He could almost feel the warmth emanating from her, though he didn't so much as know her name. Stealing a quick glance at her, his heart settled. She was a student he had seen at the academy, however only occasionally. He didn't remember her as a biology major. However, the fact alone that he had at least seen her before, and she hoped he knew who he was, made him breathe a little easier.
Sometimes teachers got to have their fun, too.

Shou spoke softly, his voice in a lilting, deep chuckle as he gestured, barely looking the woman in the eye, at James where he stood with his hood pulled down.
"Pardon me, miss. Correct me if I'm wrong, but is that gentleman over there a friend of yours? If he isn't now...I presume he wants to be. Look at how he's hiding his face from you. Maybe you should go over and say hello?"

(@Cirrus@Ivory)

Molly was watching the family walk out of sight when the gentleman approached. He looked young, with bright silver hair that could only come from dyeing. Something about him seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place him. She raised her eyebrows at him, a slight smile playing across her lips, when he spoke. His voice was mesmerizing, quiet and low in a way that pulled you in closer so you could hear. It was a moment before his words registered in her mind, as she had been thinking about his voice, like the biggest dork in the world. If she had been prone to blushing, she might have, but as it was she just gave the man a confused look. "Are you the official town matchmaker?" She asked with a chuckle, but she gazed past him at the person he had pointed out.
The boy blended into the darkness, and it took her eyes a few seconds to focus in on him. There was something quite mysterious about the way his face was hidden, and she did want to know what he looked like. This was the weirdest wing-man play she had ever experienced, but she wanted to play along. She nodded wordlessly at the man before her, and scratched the dog's ear before she left them. As she neared the boy, she saw more of him. Pale skin, a flash of orange hair, the glint of glasses.
"Hello." She said, as she knelt onto the ground, ignoring the wet that seeped through her jeans. "I'm Molly, and I was told to introduce myself to you." Her smile was big and sincere. It was about time she made a real effort to make friends.

@MyCatGinger@Cirrus

Akane found herself rather entranced within the music as she sat idly in the coffee shop. Fingers tapping the table in a speedy manner. As if her hand was on a grand piano, Akane subconsciously allowed her hand to elegantly flow across the table. With the occasional sip of tea, she continued her little routine as if no one was watching. Of course, this little show was interrupted rather abruptly as Akane was approached by another patron. He couldn't have been much older than Akane herself.

She sent a startled glance in the man's direction. With blank look, her hand snaked up to the side of her head to remove her headphones while her opposite hand flattened her hair that might have been ruffled from them. Then, with a quick hand, she paused her music, hiding her phone within her shoulder bag. Akane let out a "Hmm?" as her blank stare was then directed to her new acquaintance. "Yes, hello..." She said quietly before he continued in offering her a magic trick. She was never good with words. It was a bit awkward, how she spoke, but this was normal for her. "Uhmm, yes sure. Go ahead." An inquiring look crossed her face as she turned towards him while simultaneously pushing her cup towards the other side of the table to clear space in case he was to use the table.

Well that's one way to meet new people, Akane thought. She was a bit uneased, shifting in her seat. She was never one for social situations, but if someone wanted to approach her and she didn't even have to try to make small talk, Akane liked them already. She figured she would just let this guy do his trick and he'd be off. Just in case, she gestured to the seat across from herself as he prepared his trick, offering him a seat should he want to sit.

@Daxam

Lancom Arcade was largely unoccupied, the flashing screens advertising themselves to thin air. Behind the prize counter, a dishevelled man sat slumped with a cup of coffee and some worn out book absentmindedly pulled from the shelf, pretending to read and trying half-heartedly to focus his eyes. He murmured aloud no nobody, closing his eyes wearily.
"Urgh, why do I even bother? This lousy weather's driven everyone to their home consoles - who am I supposed to be putting on an act for? Waste of electricity running these things, they're completely redundant..."

When his eyes opened, two shining cherry orbs were watching him earnestly. The man jumped with a start, spilling his coffee all down himself. He sheepishly held the book in front of himself as a shield to hide the stain, smiling unnaturally in a bid to make the customer feel welcome. "Err, h-hello... there!", the man stammered, trying to ignore the scalding feeling of the coffee soaking into his wrinkled shirt - he was sure it was making the fabric stick to his skin. "How may I he-"

A delicate voice interrupted. "Bunny~...!" The girl's lace-gloved hand indicated towards a plush white rabbit that was wearing a pink t-shirt with a red heart printed in the center. It was only then that the man noticed a tangled pile of prize tickets sitting on the counter, most of which were still attached in long lines. From this it seemed as though the girl had been binging here for hours, mostly on one machine. For a moment he merely sat staring at them, before he slowly raised his head to look at the customer properly. He really must have been out of it. The girl was positively wreathed in frills and ribbons - she was so pink it hurt. Wearing such old-fashioned, garish clothing... Ahh, the boss had mentioned people like this. Some customers were anime fanatics who loved to cosplay - people like that were often synonymous with gaming, so he would have to get used to this sort of ridiculous attire. Starting to numb to the burning coffee, he commented coolly; "You people sure have fun dressing up in your little outfits, huh? Who are you supposed to be? Ehh, what's that one my niece likes... Navy Moon?"

At these words, the girls soft, smiling expression stiffened a little, her voice lowering in tone but nonetheless polite. "Um, sir, forgive me but I believe you are mistaken~... The show you are thinking of is Sailor Moon, and I don't believe myself to even remotely resemble any of the characters~... Not even Chibi Usa~!" She quickly bit her lip. It slipped out. She was supposed to refrain from discussing such things with people that had no interest in it. She hastily added; "I-I'm not cosplaying, if that's what you meant~... Um, could I please have my prize now, sir~?" Returning her attention to the plush, her eyes widened and sparkled. "B-b-b-BUNNY~...!"

The man grimaced openly, too tired and irritated to bother acting polite any more. "Alright, take it e- Hold the phone. Have you... been here all evening?" Seeing her nod with her eyes still fixed on the rabbit, he said no more and took it from the shelf, shoving it in her widespread arms in exchange for the bundle of tickets. Business was business, even if it came from...
The man yawned, returning to his 'reading'.

The girl contained a squeal of joy, cuddling the bunny plushie tight. Completely forgetting the man's comments, she twirled around and started toddling through the arcade. Just as she was wondering what to do next, something shimmered at the edge of her peripheral vision, making her stop mid-step and turn her head. A brightly-coloured claw machine with revolving windows hosting an array of tiny badges stood at the far end of the arcade, where she had been spending her evening thus far. She has already spent hours collecting little trinkets she didn't even particularly want, unable to refuse the pink bunny mascot from cajoling her into buying more and more plays, in bigger and bigger packs (which didn't actually offer any discounts for buying in bulk, BUT COME ON THERE ARE FLASHING LIGHTS AND THE NUMBERS LOOK SO ENTICING~...). Even so... Maybe just... o-one more game...
The girl made a dash for the machine, recklessly plunging more tokens into the slot and wrestling with the claw for the hard-to-reach badges (which the bunny mascot had OH-SO-KINDLY chosen to RESET THE POSITIONS OF in her two-minute absence).

Yowzzaaaa I think I'm gonna be eating ramen ALL MONTH now! What up Listeners its Nick Weston on Shine City Radio here live from the Players Casino and Ive just been worked over on the Poker and roulette table by a bunch of high rollers from Upscale Heights remember everybody, nobody ever got rich doing student radio.... Now If youve been keeping an eye out you'll notice that every girls (and a couple of guys) favourite teacher Dr Shou Matsouka has been walking his super cute dogs this evening, don#t think that if you pet them he will let you off any homework, but they are adorable enough want to approach even if it means confronting a teacher!!! and I'm tell you guys if you like brunettes then be sure to say hi to Molly or Akane two of the new girls at the academy!! Super smart looking, maybe brush up on your general knowledge before attempting a conversation!!!!

Yaowzaa now its time for Weston's Suggestions Did you know that the Lancom Arcade is having a lock-in games tournament on all 3 nights of the weekend? Yep all the most popular games are going to be on show as all of us gamers battle it out for the Lancom 1st place prize which is rumored to be a 1989 original Monkey Kong Arcade machine! so I want to see you all there if you can make it, so you can see the beautiful Sakura destroy everyone at Fighting Street 2, dont underestimate her boys! Thats Nick Weston Signing out, leaving you with this song as you coast throught this super chill evening..



Nick switched off his Podcast app on his phone and took a deep breath, he loved the show but he wasn't kidding about getting his ass beat at poker, he was really broke and decided to leave the casino, early, hoping to grab something to eat in Shine City Junction....well something he could afford at least.

When he had approached the girl, Zac noticed her hand moving in time with the music that was doubtlessly playing from her headphones, flowing elegantly across the table, as if there were an invisible set of piano keys beneath them. Wonder if she plays piano? he wonders to himself as he sits down and pulls out a sealed deck of cards. "You'd be surprised how much I spend on playing cards," he says with a chuckle. "I just find people are more likely to believe in the magic if it's a fresh deck."

After unwrapping the box and slipping the cards out, he quickly shuffles the cards together. Been awhile since I tried this trick, he thinks to himself as he bridges the cards together. Hope I'm not too rusty. When they were shuffled to his liking, he places the deck on the table and spreads them out, much like a blackjack dealer at the casino. "Pick a card," he says. "Memorize what it is, then place it back in the deck. Be sure not to show me."

@OppositionJ

Amaya stood at front of Tiny Snowflake in her kimono. During cold weather, it was very warm, however, during the summer it had been a bit hot for her tastes. Business was slow. Not many people wanted to go out during these festive times. To the bored girl, if it's going to be cold, there should be snow. Usually, at the academy, dorms would have snow sculpture contests against among the residents. Plus, it was always a nice surprise to get caught in a snowball fight with people you don't even know because someone "accidentally" throws a snowball at you. Except for the part where your things get snowy, and if you're not careful, wet.

Lately Amaya had been working lots of hours. She needed to earn even more money to buy presents for her friends and family. Unfortunately, this means she has less time to spend with her friends. But, hopefully, the presents will make up for it. She was planning on going all out this year. The blond was going to get the perfect present, even if it cost her a small fortune (which isn't much for a college student). Let's see, she needed a present for Rachel, her roommate, Devin, a good friend... Oh! and she needed to get a present for the secret santa exchange in her book club.

She'd probably need to get presents for her professors as well. There's nothing wrong with sucking up a little, especially right before finals. The number one teacher on her gift list was Dr. Matsouka for obvious reasons. She had a few classes with him, and would in the future as well. Of course that and the fact that she got along well with him. It didn't hurt that he was attractive. Amaya tended to work hard in the classes she enjoyed, and earned very good grades, but for the classes she didn't like, well, at least she passed.

Suddenly, the waitress's attention was diverted to the sound of a small bell and gust of cold wind as the front door of the Tiny Snowflake opened. Quickly, she smiled and straighted her posture. "Welcome to the Tiny Snowflake, how many are in you're party?" She recited.

Kyle had looked up in his phone the location of the Tiny Snowflake on his smartphone and was pleased to find out it wasn't too far from his work place. Even if he hadn't looked it up, it didn't seem like a difficult location to find, the signs and decor fairly obvious even from across the street...how had he never been here before? Shrugging it off the boy made his way across the street, careful to use the walkways and signals before crossing himself.

As he approached the building itself he could start to smell some wonderful foods which he could only assume was coming from inside. So far it seemed like a good choice, and based on the menu they posted up outside the food was incredibly varied too, everything from the oriental to western. The menu was full, but not overwhelming and the prices were reasonable, especially on his salary. Smiling to himself Kyle made his mind up and bridged the gap, he opened the door and it was accompanied by a small bell. A young woman wearing a kimono stood at attention, her posture straight and her voice calm, "Welcome to the Tiny Snowflake, how many are in your party?"

"Ah, just one this evening, thank you."

He briefly observed the woman before him, "Blonde hair, pale skin, fair features, a kimono to boot...damn she's pretty. I mean...most Japanese girls I've seen look pretty in a kimono, but...maybe its cause she's standing in front of me? I don't know, but..." It was at this point that Kyle noticed she was already walking away with a menu in hand, "wait, was she talking? Did she say anything? Shit...maybe I should pull my head out of my ass and actually follow her to my seat."

@Knight of Doom

Akane straightens up in her seat as the man sits across from her. Her eyes were directed towards his hands as he moved to open the fresh deck of cards. Her quizzical look switches to a smile as he explains himself. Magic was never something Akane got into herself, but it was always fun to see someone perform on the streets and the like. She brought an elbow up onto the table to rest her chin on her hand as she gave him an enticed stare.

Akane seemed a bit impressed as he shuffled the cards so well. He's definitely practiced. After she is asked to pick a card, Akane lingers for a moment, looking over the spread of cards. She settles, much like everyone ever, for one of the cards in the middle of the spread, just to make sure he hadn't stacked the top and bottom parts of the deck somehow. Akane pulls the card along the table before bringing it to her face, much like a poker player would do as he was dealt. After giving a quick glance, she recognized the Queen of Spades, one of her favorite cards. She gave a quick nod before replying with an, "Okay. I've got it." She slid the card back across the table placing it a few cards over from its original location.

"The rest is up to you," She said jokingly as she tapped her fingers on the table once more, though this time, much less rhythmically. She tried to go over how he would proceed in the trick in her head. With another sip of her tea and a flick of her eyes up to meet the gaze of the man, Akane focused her eyes on the deck of cards, waiting for her new acquaintance to proceed. Let's see if he is truly able to impress.

@Daxam

James, glancing sideways beneath his hood, keeps his eyes on the instructor's legs to see if he approaches. He does not and James is relieved for a moment, but before he can relax completely another set of legs comes into view. The two stop in close proximity and James catches a glance of long hair as the figure bends to pet the dog. I've heard Matsuoka has a way with women even when he's not walking a dog. Poor girl must be swooning. Then she starts to walk in his direction. Wait. Why would she be walking towards me? I certainly don't look approachable right now. Maybe she's just one of those people who walks around talking to people at the park. Pretty rare to see them after dark, but I guess it wouldn't be impossible. Or maybe Matsuoka noticed me and sent her? Why would he do that? The woman reaches James and kneels on the snow.

"Hello. I'm Molly and I was told to introduce myself to you."

Sounds like he did send her here. What's he up to? I'll need to be careful. James looks up to see a pretty young girl with a beautiful smile and his eyes soften. Nobody smiles like that when they're up to trouble. Could Matsuoka simply be playing wingman? No. It's more likely he's trying to use her to force me to look his way. If he isn't I have nothing to lose by avoiding eye contact with him and if he is then I don't suspect I'm going to enjoy what happens. Best to play it safe.

"Good evening, Molly. I'm James," he says with a light smile and in a calm voice that only slightly betrays how surprised he is by the situation. He looks into her eyes as he speaks, in which he sees just as much sincerity as her smile. I should probably move the conversation somewhere else before asking who sent her. Can't have her making me look at Matsuoka. James closes his notebook, which is open to a page full of crossed-out flowcharts and lists, and notices that Molly is kneeling in the snow. "There's no reason to get yourself wet in this weather. We should head somewhere we can talk comfortably," he suggests as he shifts to his feet and picks up the small, black tarp he was sitting on. He shakes it gently with one hand (away from Molly, of course) and tucks his notebook between his arm and chest before quickly folding the tarp into a triangle three times and stowing it in his front left hoodie pocket, from which it sticks out slightly. As he is folding the tarp he asks, "How does Mochavine sound?"

(@Ivory@MyCatGinger)

Shizuka stretched at her desk in her dorm room, looking at the pile of graded homework assignments, the last the class had to turn in. All that was left was the project, and then their final exam. Shizuka had made herself an early dinner to help her power through grading the assignments, which she'd return to the class tomorrow so they could use it for review. Looking at the clock, Shizuka saw that it was still quite early. Leaning back in her seat, she stared at the ceiling, feeling that the semester had gone by rather quickly and uneventfully; her birthday having passed without much fanfare. In her heart, she had wanted to meet people, but had been fairly unsuccessful and awkward, though she did have a run-in with the radio boy, Nick Weston. Most unusually though, she had picked up a new hobby.

---

Shizuka walked into the Lancom Arcade wearing a newsboy cap, a scarf, and her reading glasses. She noticed after a few visits to the arcade that she stood out less if she wore her glasses. She didn't need them to see, since she was only mildly far-sighted and needed the glasses for reading, but they didn't impair her ability to see farther away. One might think that it was unusual for her to need reading glasses, since that was usually a symptom of old age, but if the eyes are a window to the soul, then maybe it made a bit more sense as Shizuka had an unusually old and traditional soul than others her age. Yet here she was, surrounded by the trappings of modern culture, the noisy machines around her made with technology that was younger than she was. It was weird and exciting; none of this existed during her parents' generation, let alone her grandparents'. She found the gaming tables, taking a seat at an empty table, and pulled out her deck. At the beginning of the semester, she had met two guys who introduced her to this collectible card game, Wizardry: The Collective. At the time, one of them had lent her his deck to use, and it had been themed around the metal element, one of the six elements of the game, the others being fire, water, air, earth, and plant. Probably because of that first experience, Shizuka had also made her main deck metal element. Many who she had played against were surprised she chose metal, believing that her gender would make her choose a more 'feminine' element, as if elements had genders! While female gamers were not super-rare, they were still a minority, and Shizuka could tell; sometimes desperate guys would approach her awkwardly, or else underestimate her skill, but it wasn't something that had yet gotten out of hand or become too much for her to handle. Maybe she'd play a few casual matches and head home.

Amaya gathered a menu and silverware before leading the bespectacled male to an open seat towards the center area of the restaurant. She hadn't seen him around the academy's campus before which meant he might not be a student. Nonetheless he had a nice demeanor. The kimono clad girl put the menu and silverware down at a table meant for two.

"What would you like to drink?" She asked, raising her pen to the notebook in her hands. "We have coffee, tea, water, Pepsi products, and a variety of alcoholic beverages," Amaya listed a few drinks off the top of her head, just to provide an example. Obviously there was more on the menu, but she wanted to keep it quick and simple. Plus, she didn't want to memorize all the drinks, especially the alcoholic ones. They tended to have weird names.

Speaking of alchohol, Rachel was pestering her about her birthday already. It was at least a week and a half away! She wanted to go to Club LUSH to celebrate. Amaya wasn't a big fan of large parties. She preferred quaint ones with friends. Quality over quantity. Quickly realizing she was at work, Amaya ripped her mind from its wandering.

@BeastofDestiny

As he waited for the girl to select her card, Zac notices how she went for one of the cards in the middle. Smart move, he thinks, though his face doesn't change from his friendly grin. Harder to stack the middle in my favor than the tops. Though, it isn't impossible. When the girl replaces the card, a few spots over from where she had obtained it, Zac sweeps the cards back up into a deck and goes through the motions of reshuffling it. Looking at the girl across from him, his hands continue to shuffle the cards, making few mistakes. "My name's Zac," he says, that ever-present grin unwavering. "Mind if I ask what yours is?"

Zac had always had an affinity for card tricks, from the simplest, 'Is this your card?' to the more complicated transplants, where the the person being shown the trick would suddenly find a card in their pocket. However, this trick was a favorite of his, one that he had created when he was 13 years old, which he had spent months studying great magicians to grasp the concept, then another couple of years to perfect. By the time he was 15, he had finally mastered it.

After a minute of shuffling had passed, Zac holds the deck in his hand and pulls the top card off. "Is this your card?" he asks, holding up a two of hearts. He knew it would be the wrong card. In fact, for the trick to work, it had to be the wrong one. On occasion, he would accidentally pull the correct card out of his deck. Even if people were legitimately impressed, he would merely sigh, disappointed in himself...for all of two minutes, when he would be back to his normally happy self.

@OppositionJ