Molly felt a rush of pleasure- she had been focusing on her school work so much lately that she had almost forgotten how nice it was to interact with someone. James was certainly attractive, and being introduced to him by a stranger was starting to seem like it could be a stroke of luck. He seemed familiar to her, and she thought maybe she had seen him around school. It was a big place, and drew a surprising amount of Americans, but she was almost certain that she had seen that hoodie around town before. "Mochavine sounds wonderful." She said in a slightly strained voice as she pushed herself into a standing position. I need to work out more. She noted. She had never been to the place, but she was pretty sure it was a coffee shop.

"How old are you?" She inquired as they fell into step beside one another. "I'm nineteen, and I go to the Academy..." She occasionally pulled a leaf from shrubbery along the path, and ripped it apart section by section. Her fingers were getting colder, and she was glad they were going someplace warm. She thought about the boy's tarp as they walked- he had clearly brought it with the intention of hanging out in the park for a while. She no longer thought that he was there to run pick-ups with a silver-haired man, his surprise at her approach had changed that. But he did change his plans for her. She had only spoken a few sentences with the man, but her mind was spinning with a million possibilities and outcomes, in the way that only one prone to overthinking can.

@Cirrus

The kimono-clad girl led him to his table, she had thankfully (hopefully) not noticed whatever stupid look was on his face while he was lost in thought. As he followed behind he took in the atmosphere of the restaurant, low lights, traditional oriental decor and there weren't too many patrons; the place was fairly quiet, save the background music. Kyle was led to a table for two and unzipped his coat, draping it over the chair before seating himself. He was still in work uniform, just a simple blue collared button up shirt with khaki slacks, comfortable, casual and professional.

"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."

Kyle pondered for a moment as she began listing some of the alcoholic drinks. He wasn't too familiar with alcohol as he didn't drink often, but he did like sake and one of the brands she listed caught his attention, a buddy back home recommended it to him. "I'd like a glass pour of Isojiman sake, warm please." a sort of reaction kicked in and he reached for his wallet, pulling out a small laminated card and presenting it to the waitress, "Here's my ID."

@Knight of Doom

"Mochavine sounds wonderful."

She's awfully willing to head somewhere with a stranger. Maybe her brief interaction with Matsuoka was unrelated and she was really sent by someone else who told her plenty of things about me? No. That couldn't be it. There's not a single person in this city who knows plenty of things about me to tell and even so they wouldn't have known that I was at that spot. It must've been Matsuoka, but what could he have told her to get her to do this?

"How old are you?" Molly asks, breaking James' jumbled thoughts, "I'm nineteen, and I go to the Academy." Oh. It all makes sense now. Matsuoka is probably a familiar face to her and she might have seen me at the Academy so he probably wouldn't have needed to say much. Agreeing to Mochavine makes sense, too. I think that's how normal students interact with one another, anyway.

"I'm 21 and I'm a student there as well," James responds while getting a better look at her face. Odd. I don't remember seeing her at the Academy and I'm absolutely sure I would remember a face like hers. I haven't been looking around at people much recently, though, and considering her age she probably hasn't attended for long. "I'm majoring in Computer Science. How about you?" I think this is the first time I've spoken with a female student, or any student, really, outside of group projects or class discussions. It's nice, but it would be much nicer if I wasn't nervous enough to be shaking a little -- or maybe that's the cold? James touches his hands to the back of his neck for a moment to warm them before he puts them into his hoodie pockets. Molly pulls a leaf from a shrub. I guess I'm not the only one who's nervous. He continues to watch her as she rips it apart. It's kind of cute, odd as it to use that word to describe someone plucking off part of a living organism and systematically tearing it to pieces. I'll need to thank Matsuoka later... somehow.

@Ivory

Nick Weston was starving, he really wanted to go into the Tiny Snowflake and get some tasty japanese food while getting to look at the equally tasty Amaya but his wallet had taken a real pounding at the Casino, and he could only afford a small bag of popcorn, so he went to the place where the snacks were the cheapest the Lancom Arcade. The place wasn't totally empty but far less busy than it would be on a Saturday when Nick would usually get playing. He knew that he wasn't any good at Fighting Street 2 so after grabbing his dollar bag of popcorn he headed over to the tabletop section and started playing his Handheld version of Middy-Kong Racing. Taking time to munch on his popcorn in-between.

After a few races he heard someone say "Goddamnit, not again a metal deck?".

Nick turned quickly to see the source of the complaining, it was the Otaku nerds play Wizadry, they were getten beaten by a girl....a pretty girl...wait is that Shizuka?!

Nick was stunned, he hadn't seen this young lady in a while, he had to apologize to her a while back for constantly mentioning her in his radio show, but he was happy to see her again. Nick had since dropped out of the academy and was doing radio full time. It had only been a couple months but somehow she looked even better....Nick didn't waste any time, suddenly his grumbling stomach went silent, he didn't have time to be hungry anymore.

I guess metal decks are still as OP as they were back in the 3rd edition, I prefer Wood/Nature sets myself, gives me more options...

The Otaku nerds were still grumbling but moved out of Nick's way when he walked over to Shizuka, they didn't want any more social interactions after getting beat by a girl. Nick sat down next to Shizuka and smiled.

Nice to see you again Shiz, I know we only met the once, breifly but its good to see a familiar face since leaving school, hows things? you still work at the Shining Kettle? You look great by the way, a few months can change someones appearance a lot, and youve definately gotten the better end of the deal!

Nick was in his element, smiling chatty, and talking to a pretty girl, his pathetic bag of popcorn could wait.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rosanna was so hungry she got a taxi from the aquarium to the Tiny Snowflake instead of jogging like she usually would, although she didnt look tooo casual she was hardly dressed as nice and she would like to be for a resturant, just her normal attire.

After blowing the Taxi driver a kiss like she always did she walked into the Tiny snowflake slowly to take in the amazing atmosphere, it truly was one of the best places to eat in Shine city. She was shown to her table by one of the waiters, and felt a little sad when she had to say she only needed a table for one. She took her seat and her mouth started watering at the menu, she would have to get the lobster for sure, and she was ready to order 2 seconds after sitting down. She looked around for some service and then saw the prettiest employee in the resturant Amaya. And she was serving someone....A guy....he's got these small glasses on and a bit of student style, but damn he has very cute face...and passion red hair!! Hnggg whats his name? <3.

Rosanna quickly gasped at why she was talking to herself, and why she couldn't take her eyes of him. Suddenly she looked closer, his eyes, they were all over Amaya, not that she could blame him, she was very pretty, but Rosanna didn't care, why should Amaya get all the male attention. The few times Rosanna spotted Amaya in the Mochavine, she had to put up with all the attractive guys drooling over her, now it was happening again with Mr hot-smart-looking stranger. She had to do something....

Ummm excuse me, I'm ready to be served...umm you Kimono-Girl, can I get a salad starter and a can of Dr Pepto please? Ive been waiting here for at least 10 mins

Rosanna smiled to herself as she called out across the restaurant.

"Akane. I am Akane. Nice to meet you, Zac." She replied. Just the quick name exchange and his magic opener were really good ways to make Akane open up. Akane met his smile with one of her own as her hands fidgeted atop the table. She still occasionally sipped her tea. Akane's eyes were now much more focused on Zac than his card trick as he continued to shuffle and reshuffle his deck. Akane was never one to be awestruck and dazzled by magic, but it was an interesting skill, and it was a good opener for talking to girl apparently. Akane was happy with it.

"So you are a magician? How long have you been practicing your hobby?" She asked, making small talk as he prepared his trick. Perhaps she should have waited for him to finish the trick before calling him a magician. After all, he could completely screw up the trick, but despite all of that, Akane kind of enjoyed Zac's company. It was more human interaction than she normally had, and more than she would have had sitting alone at home. Just talking to Zac was good enough for her, even without the magic.

Her smiling expression turned to a rather blank one as he revealed the top card accompanied by the age old line: 'Is this your card?' Akane was smart enough to realize that it might have been part of the trick, of course. "Nope, wrong card!" Akane replied, cheerfully. She was of course, expecting more, but perhaps she was wrong. Maybe he was an amateur who hadn't practiced enough. "Is that all you've got?" She said. Of course, she meant no harm by this. Akane was merely poking fun at her new acquaintance. A smile quickly returned to her face to signal her feelings. She looked up to him, scanning his face. He still seemed rather happy with her response. There was definitely more to his trick.

"I've been practicing this since I was ten," Zac says as he sets his deck down. "So...about twelve years, now." As a waitress passes, he flags her down and asks, "Could I get a plate or a saucer, please?" The woman gives him a confused look, wondering why he wanted an empty plate, but tells him she'll be right back with it. Zac nods and smiles at the waitress before turning back to Akane. "I started off teaching myself magic when I was ten," he repeats. "It was just something I wanted to learn how to do. And when there's something I wanna learn, I do what I can to learn. That's why I can do magic and cook pretty well."

Just then, the woman returns and sets the plate in front of Zac. He thanks her and, as she goes on her way, Zac holds the card up. "Now, you see this is just one card," he says. "The two of hearts." He turns it to it's side and adds, "No card behind it, no card inside of it, just a single piece of...whatever these things are made of." Setting the card on the saucer, he holds up his arms and says, "Now, as you can see, there is nothing up my sleeves. It'd be kinda hard to hide something in a t-shirt, anyway."

Picking up his coffee, he pours some onto the saucer, drenching the card. When he was satisfied, he picks the card up out of the coffee-filled saucer. He counts to three, then flicks the card, which immediately becomes dry as a bone. Smiling triumphantly, he shows the card to Akane. "I ask again," he says, showing her the Queen of Spades, free of any coffee stains. "Is this your card?"

@OppositionJ

"The town matchmaker? Hardly..."
The professor chuckled to himself, shoving his hands into his pockets and giving her a sideways smirk , head still facing the general direction in which James was. Of course, just one glance wasn't quite enough.
Her personality was warm and comforting, despite the cold. Something about her commanded warmth itself. He'd have held her attention for a chat for longer if she hadn't done as he said, and made her way to James, and-
Huh, wait, he's standing, and he hasn't even looked my way yet.
Wait, they're lea...ving?
Goddammit, Avery!

Shou watched with his eyebrow raised and as nonchalant a look he could manage as the girl with the innocent eyes and vivid personality despite the cold walked away, side by side, with the ginger haired boy. Truly, he was in disbelief that the entire interaction worked out without so much as a glance in his direction.
...James Avery was the very best at avoiding him, though, that much was clear.
The odd part was, he was the very best at avoiding most everybody. So it was a curious thing to watch him walk a path, side by side with the girl picking leaves off shrubs, and Shou could not help but shake his head and smile. He reached down and ruffled the fur of one very patient German Shepherd cross, whose tail thumped softly, happily against the ground.

Go get her, kid.
Maybe she'll be good for you, heh.

He took a final sip from the coffee to go, and upon realising it had gone cold, grimaced in disgust. There was little worse in the world than cold coffee.
So he disposed of the cup, and with Romeo wordlessly by his side, the man in the trench coat and the royal blue scarf continued to walk down the central path of the park.

Me, a matchmaker? H-hardly...

--------------------------------

"Ah, yes. The more lively side of town."
Shou gazed through the windows of the buildings, tall and letting light out, from the casino to the stores (he made a note to come back to his glasses store of choice, An Eye For Fashion) and happened upon the Lancome arcade. There was always a dull buzz about the place, but it was probably from the electronics inside. He was about to pass this building by, too, before noticing two familiar faces in the window, sitting by a table that wasn't far off.
Should it have been anyone else, it would have been odd to approach them, but Shizuka was in there. And, with her, an ex student of his. Beloved Nicholas Weston.

Giving the signs a check, thankfully there appeared to be no such rule against pets (Shine City was stellar for that) so he walked through the door and, after being momentarily debilitated by the fogged up glasses he had to suffer through, he propped them up on his head before embracing the feeling of the warmth of the building, and making his way to where his students were, Romeo nearly bounding over at the recognition of familiar faces.

"Bit late for you kids to be up playing cards, isn't it?" he spoke soft and low, and in the same motion of sitting down on an empty seat before the pair, picking out a little white cylinder and unwrapping it quickly before placing it between his lips.
His first had been a cigarette, earlier in the park on the way. They helped him settle his thoughts.

"Don't know about you, but a place like this on a Thursday night really makes you feel life's bittersweet clutches."
Here, he smirked.
"Hello, Shizuka. And Nicholas, it's been quite a while."

@Stern Algorithm @Dynamo Frokane

An exasperated cry of frustration rang throughout the arcade, followed by the beating of little fists on the glass of the cabinet.

"Kyaaa come onsies I SO had that~! How unfairsies~...! This thing is rigged~! I swear- ...ooh~!"

Sakura's little tantrum had dislodged a couple of trinkets, and she scooped them up from the prize slot without a trace of guilt. She'd only been after one of the badges that fell, but these things had a tendency to yield either more than someone wanted or not at all. In any case, she'd been trying for about half an hour to coax the little flamingo badge out of a particularly hard-to-reach section, and would've won it fairly if gravity hadn't been conspiring against her and made it fall from the claw's lax grip half a second too soon. The absence of shame was largely due to the fact that nobody was around to see her behaviour, but if nobody else cared she decided she wouldn't either. She slipped the unwanted frog badge along with the other dupes into a "dud" section of a pink heart-shaped handbag with a large bow on the front, ribbon and lace trimming. Her newly acquired bunny plushie was tucked in one arm while she cradled the flamingo badge in her hands, giggling contentedly to herself. The ones that were hard to get always seemed shinier than the rest, and Sakura LOVED shiny things.

Satisfied with her eventual victory and disinterested in any of the badges that were left, she was on her way out when a flash of blue tore her eyes away from the pink acrylic and she immediately forgot about it. She had no idea who it was, nor did she care. She had a thing for blue hair. The girl subconsciously drew in on herself, lowering her head and clasping her hands together, wringing them anxiously while casting him discreet little glances. She pouted in slight disappointment when she noticed that in fact his hair was only half blue, but purple wasn't a bad accompaniment. It wasn't until she got nearer that she even realized there were others beside him. A girl she didn't know, and a teacher she wasn't the student of but recognized from her visits to the staff room when she had been looking for her own teacher. From what she could tell, the teacher was bothering them. It was evident in the boy's thinly veiled scowl. Sakura would never normally approach anyone. Never. Even if she was the one to be approached, she'd turn away and want nothing more than to shut herself away and hide. But if she could actually be of use to someone...

"U-um, Mr. Teacher Person Sir~...? I'm sorry to interrupt~..."

Her eyes darted to the boy and widened when she saw he was looking back, her cheeks instantly flooding a deeper shade of pink. She lowered her head once more, turning away from him to address the teacher. Sakura was hopeless at interactions with anyone, but at least a person of some authority was professional enough to usually know how to deal with her in a formal manner, which was always a little easier than casual conversation. She continued to stammer with her eyes fixed on the dogs, who were looking up at her with the cutest, shiniest eyes she had ever seen (which was most likely down to the cabinet screens they were reflecting).

"Could... could y-you please take a look at an essay I wrote~? I've been working on it for several weeks and I think I've done all I possibubbly can to improve it over time, but I'm not sure it's worthy of submission~..."

Shizuka sighed to herself as she shuffled her deck. Her last opponent underestimated her due to her gender, and became a bit sore when he lost. As he walked away, Shizuka secretly let herself smile a bit; whether he underestimated her or not, she enjoyed the satisfaction of winning, and wasn't going to let her victory be spoiled by thoughts of the sexism that pervaded gaming culture. Still, she mostly tried to keep her satisfaction to herself, she won and lost modestly, knowing that people often took victory and defeat pretty personally and emotionally.

Nice to see you again Shiz, I know we only met the once, breifly but its good to see a familiar face since leaving school, hows things? you still work at the Shining Kettle? You look great by the way, a few months can change someones appearance a lot, and youve definately gotten the better end of the deal!

Shizuka did a quick double-take as she pulled her hat a bit lower over her eyes. On retrospect, what she had on didn't count as much of a disguise, but something about being recognized here by someone she had met before was a little embarrassing. "H-hi," Shizuka said, slowly regaining her composure enough to turn her head up and look him in the eye. "I still work there, though I'm sorry to hear that you've left. I hear you on the radio sometimes, so I assume you're still pursuing your passions. Do you play Wizardry?" Shizuka tried to ignore Nick's comment on her beauty; she considered herself average at best, and hypothesized that maybe the hat and glasses gave her a 'certain something' that she didn't normally have. Other than the initial shock at having been recognized, Shizuka felt a little less awkward talking to. Granted, last time was super-awkward because of what she wanted to talk to him about, but this time he was someone familiar, and this casual atmosphere relieved the tension somewhat.

"Bit late for you kids to be up playing cards, isn't it?" he spoke soft and low, and in the same motion of sitting down on an empty seat before the pair, picking out a little white cylinder and unwrapping it quickly before placing it between his lips.
His first had been a cigarette, earlier in the park on the way. They helped him settle his thoughts.

"Don't know about you, but a place like this on a Thursday night really makes you feel life's bittersweet clutches."
Here, he smirked.
"Hello, Shizuka. And Nicholas, it's been quite a while."

Shizuka pulled her hat lower, blushing. Wizardry had become something of a guilty pleasure, it was like she was a different person at the card table. While there wasn't anything wrong with Wizardry per se, being caught playing it by a professor, Dr. Matsuoka no less, made her feel as if she was doing something wrong. "I-I'm sorry, Matsuoka-sensei, it's just a harmless little hobby... I-I've finished grading the students' last assignment, so I'm not slacking off or procrastinating..." Shizuka tried to explain, hoping that he wouldn't think that playing a 'trivial card game' was somehow beneath her as an academic, that her devotion to her classes and chosen field of study would not be called into question. Shizuka knew Dr. Matsuoka was not that kind of person, but she was a bit flustered and knew that a lot of people were judged harshly for lesser offenses.

If there was one thing that kept casinos running, it was the fact that people never knew when to walk away. The gentleman sitting across from Yutaro at the blackjack table had bought in for 100, and had somehow managed to transform that into 300. That was 15 minutes ago. He lost a little, vowed to stop once he won that back, lost a little more, and now he was down to his last chip. Of course Yutaro had nothing to do with it -- that was just the way the cards came -- but as a dealer, his players' luck branded him as either a demon or a saint. Today was one of those demonic days, but what the players didn't understand was that it was just as bad for him as it was for them. After all, nobody tips a dealer that they lose to no matter how charming his smile was.

The gentleman had a hard 16 against Yutaro's 6, a pretty crappy spot to be in. Given all the low cards that had been dealt the past few hands it would probably be better to-- "Hit," the gentleman said, tapping lightly on the table. Well, at least Yutaro could confirm that his player was no card counter. With a showman's grace, he flipped the next card from the deck and revealed... the queen of hearts. A bust. With a humble shrug, Yutaro finished dealing to the other players, then scooped up his last chip. Rule number 1 of gambling: the house always wins.

Perhaps that fact was what drew Yutaro to this business in particular. He had always loved games as a kid, and loved winning money from games as a young adult. But casinos were unique in that they stacked the odds against the player, and yet the player never felt cheated. Statistically, most people who step inside the casino lose, yet everybody who steps inside thinks they will be the one to win. If that wasn't a perfect business model, Yutaro didn't know what was. And, no matter what state the economy was in, people always manage to scrap together cash for two things: booze and gambling.

When Yutaro's shift came to an end, he stuck a dollar in a slot machine and pulled the lever, as was his ritual. The lights flashed and the wheels spun... but he had no luck today. It wasn't that late yet, so he decided to take a little walk through the streets to unwind after work. Shine city had a pretty good night life, and you never knew who you might meet.

Nori huffed as she struggled for a moment to lock the front door of the Enchanted Florist and keep the papers under her arm from flying away in the wind, blowing out a relieved, "Finally," when the mechanism slid into place. Fishing around in her purse the part time florists pulled out a roll of scotch tape and proceeded to adhere a copy of her ‘Roomate Wanted’ flyer by the front door. Once the job was finished, the tattooed girl glanced up at the apartment above the shop, her eyes lingering on the window to her old roommate's room.

"Nori-chan, my publisher just called and Funimation wants to buy the rights to, 'From Afar'. They want to make it into an anime!" Kameyo exclaimed quietly as Nori walked into their shared apartment.

"No way!" Nori squealed, dropping her bag on the ground and pulling her friend into a bear hug. "That's so great, darlin'!"

Kameyo squeezed back tentatively before moving back and flashing one of her trademark nervous smiles. “Yeah, it is, but…,” the blue haired girl trailed off sheepishly, twirling the end of her pigtail nervously. “…my publisher wants me to move to Tokyo so I can be on hand for the production,” the artists finally finished, looking down at Nori with an expression of apprehension and worry.

“Oh,” Nori blinked, her brows rising in shock. “That sorta sucks,” the blonde admitted, before continuing, “…but I’m really happy for you Kameyo. You’d be crazy not to take this chance.”

The blonde shook her head and forced herself to look away from the window and started walking towards The Tiny Snowflake. It had only been a month since Kameyo had moved out, but Nori had to find someone to fill her spot fast. Business at the shop had been slower now that warm weather was gone and there weren’t as many flowers available, so the owner had to cut back on Nori’s hours. The fact of the matter was that the DJ couldn’t afford to rent the space much longer by herself.

After about a twenty minute walk, the short girl found herself standing outside the door of The Tiny Snowflake. She ran a hand over her grey sweater to smooth out the wrinkles, before pulling the door open, a bell chiming softly as she did so. The restaurant was almost completely empty, with only a pretty kimono clad waitress taking the order of a lone customer. Nori tucked her hair behind her ears and leaned against the front counter, waiting patiently for the other woman to finish up so she could ask to put her, ‘Roommate Wanted’ posters up outside the building.

---

Akane's eyebrow quirked as Zac flagged the waitress. She was smart enough to realize this was part of his trick, of course, but it was an odd thing to do still. She shrugged this off for the moment and continued to converse. "You must be pretty good! Or at least, we will see about that." She smirked peering towards the waitress as she walked away. "And you can cook too?" Akane spoke with a slight bit of sarcasm. She was still impressed, of course, but she was never one to be serious about, well anything."You sure get around."

Akane flicked her eyes towards the waitress as she neared the table, returning with the plate. With a bow of her head in thanks, her gaze fell back upon Zac. She gives him a nod as he continues to explain the build up for his trick. Her expression was rather blank. She had little idea of what to expect. I mean... It's just a plate. Akane started up the tapping of her fingers once more as she watched Zac's setup.

As Zac poured coffee atop the card onto the plate, Akane couldn't help but smile. Now that was more interesting than simply pulling her card from the top. With his quick count Akane rose an eyebrow. He was good. At least better than the usual 'pick a card' magicians trying to pick up girls. It took her a moment to even realize that it was the Queen of Spades he revealed. Akane then brought her hands together in a quiet clap that continued on for a bit. She was impressed. Without a verbal reply she simply nodded as she spoke.

"That certainly was a new spin on the usual card tricks." Akane paused once more, but this time to sip some of her tea. She was looking with impressed eyes at her new acquaintance. "I see your practice has paid off. You had me impressed."

Amaya picked up the card and gave it a quick once over to make sure it wasn't a fake. They usually weren't, but sometimes the owner likes to send in someone with a fake ID to test the employees. "Alright, I bring that out in a minute. Then I'll take your order." She smiled, handing it back to the dark haired customer, their fingers brushing against each other lightly. However, Amaya didn't think much of it. Things like that happen all the time. She's learned to ignore it. Quickly, the waitress scribbled the order down and went to the back to grab the drink and heat it up. As the drink was warming up, Amaya looked over the restaurant to see one of her co-workers leading an attractive woman to a table. She had curves in all the right places. Unfortunately, Amaya wasn't gifted in that area. She didn't mind too much, but it would have been nice.

Finally the sake was warmed to a generous degree, so she grabbed it and served it to her frequently destracted customer. "Here you are, sir." Amaya said, placing it in front of her. "What can I get for you today?" Listening patiently, she wrote everything down.

Then, as she was returning to the kitchen to deliver the order a voice called out. Ummm excuse me, I'm ready to be served...umm you Kimono-Girl, can I get a salad starter and a can of Dr Pepto please? Ive been waiting here for at least 10 mins Amaya looked around to see that the attractive girl she had seen earlier was addressing her. She could sense the annoyance in her voice. A sense of dread and fear filled the waitress. When customers weren't happy, no one was happy.

"A-Ah yes, um, I get that for you as soon as possible. A salad starter and Dr. Pepto correct?" The kimono clad girl flipped the page on her notebook to jot the other order down, before scurrying off. She gave the orders to the head chef before getting a glass of Dr. Pepto to the caramel colored girl. "Here you go, ma'am. Your salad should be here in a bit." Amaya's smile was a bit strained, but she managed to do all that she could for the irritated customer. She retreated to the back to wait for the entres to be finished.

Nick wasnt sure what it was, but something about Shizuka's tone of voice was just enchanting, it was very cool and neutral voice with just a tiny touch of nervous awkwardness which was just incredibly cute to Nick. He could listen to her talk all day...and night. He knew even if she was as keen as he was, she wasn't the type to flirt back, so just hearing her polite response was a lovely thing.

Hey you know Shizuka, it means a lot that you still listen to my radio, its what I want people to remember me by even if they cant keep in contact....but umm you still have the same number right? No reason we cant go for a drink sometime, I'd want to stay in contact with you. Also we could have a game of Wizadry! I'm not as good as I was in high school but I think ive got the skills to take on a metal deck...I'll call you this weekend?

Nick was a confident boy, but his face was heating up as he spoke to Shizuka, something about her made him feel very young and inexperienced in talking to girls, and she was so mysterious, he really wanted to find out more about her too. But that wouldnt be happening tonight...

Oh hey Prof. Matsuoka, I see you haven't got any fangirls following you today, the Wizadry table must of scared them off, haw haw.

Nick wasn't too happy with the arrival of Professor Cock-block Shou and his excellent timing, he knew on some level the teachers were dissapointed in him dropping out, because he had promise as a student and was well liked, but since turning 20, Nick knew that radio was the only think that could keep his attention anymore, and he hoped his teachers would understand.

Nick decided it was time to head home, as he wasn't going to flirt with Shizuka infront of his ex teacher, he pulled out some lemon flavored bubblegum and began to to snap and pop away as he got up to leave.

Later guys, Shiz, I'll call you you soon okay?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(Time Skip)

YAOWZA I cant believe I slept this long! it's already 11:14AM on Saturday I need to get my butt down to the Lancom Arcade to see if my Super Crash Bros skills are still up to scratch or if I should just try focusing on the retro corner getting a high score on Moshi-Moshi's Island! Watch out for the super cute Sakura Kuroiha! I couldn't quite believe it myself but apparently she is single! I thought for sure someone would have snapped her up by now! Yaowza! Now its time for Weston's Suggestions I know how much my listeners LOVE movies so with great pleasure I'm letting you know that tonight, the amazing Aoi Iwatais making an appearance at the Shine Aquarium to do an autograph signing to promote her new movie Drowning In Deep Love And apparently the opening of a new events centre will be revealed! Too much excitement for one day folks! I've gotta get to the Casino and see if I can win back some of what I lost on Thursday, that devilishly handsome Yutaro Otamura isn't going to take it easy on me! Now I leave you with this track, for you to go out there and find someone! this is Nick Weston signing out!



Nick pulled on his cargo slacks and threw on a green jumper with the Monkey Kong Logo on the front, he picked up his ePhone and texted Shizuka.

Hey Shiz, dont think I forgot about you, can we meetup later on today? Are you free?

Nick's left hand was fidgeting with his sleeve nervously.

When she handed him back his ID their fingers touched and in that moment Kyle thought, "soft." and nearly dropped the damn thing. Slightly flustered, face feeling heated, he looked up to see the waitress walking off and breathed a sigh of relief, "good she didn't notice...". Gripping the frame front in one hand he took off his glasses, placing them on the table before pinching the bridge of his nose and rubbing his eyes.

"(Shit I need to get a hold of myself.)"* Kyle whispered under his breath. He normally never made an ass of himself, but he was feeling a bit drained, retail itself was exhausting, couple that with a professional trade and sometimes it can be more a nightmare. Despite the exhausted feeling he enjoyed the work and he only had to work another day then the weekend would be his. All that time and he'd have plenty of it for rest and relaxation, speaking of which, he needed to pick up... Pulling out his phone he flipped to a familiar contact name in his phone and began texting.






Just as he finished texting the waitress came back out with his drink and pulled out her notepad again to take his order. He had a pretty decent idea as to what he wanted, but he couldn't just pick one specific thing so he ended up ordering...

"I'd like the Sushi Sampler please." He smiled politely at her and went back to his phone as she started walking off. Another voice called out from across the room, looking up to see where the commotion was coming from he saw a lone girl sitting at another table at the other end of the restaurant. Wait when did she even get there? Turning his head towards where she was looking he saw his waitress and felt her discomfort from across the room as she hurried out back to appease the patron. Kyle crinkled his brow and couldn't help but feel slightly put off, "Well that was rude...poor girl..." Feeling his heart sinking slightly he sighed, "She deserves a bit of an extra tip, especially if she's getting hassled like that, no one needs that crap in their lives."

He sighed and leaned back in his seat, his food coming out shortly afterwards.

---

Breathe in
Breathe out

A funnel of smoke bursts into the air as Kyle takes a drag from his trusty pipe and exhales. He relaxes into his couch, the familiar Euphoria of a good high filling him, mind, body and spirit. He inhales the air the smell itself intoxicating enough, though others would just think it toxic. He opens his eyes and listens to the music playing around him, slowly feeling the numbness settling into his legs and nerves. Smoking weed was extremely illegal in Japan, were Kyle to get caught with it he'd undoubtedly be deported from the country, but the drug itself was too good to pass up, even in this country, that of course meant prices were high, but so was the bud and so was he. He smiled at that, but in all seriousness he knew that what he was doing was risky, because of this he did take necessary precautions to ensure that the smell wouldn't attract any unwanted attention. This being said, he was done smoking for a while and placed the pipe back in its secure box underneath the couch.

Getting up and making his way to the restroom he gazed into the bathroom mirror and inspected his eyes...good they weren't red. Kyle had intended to not smoke too much as he wanted to actually go out and do something, as to what though he couldn't properly decide. Brushing his teeth, he decided that perhaps his best option was to just wander the city aimlessly until he found something to do...

His stomach suddenly growled at him, "perhaps breakfast would be best...I haven't been to the Mochavine in a long time...why not?"

Gathering his coat, hat and gear he walked locked up his small apartment space and made his way outside into the cold, his headphones quickly came on and were already playing music.



* Parentheses symbolize the character using English

@OppositionJ

Zac grins and sits back, leaving the Queen on the table. "That's not even my best trick," he says. "I have some that involve cutting the card in half, burning it, and a dozen other ways. And my talents aren't just limited to card tricks, either. I can make things disappear, reappear, the whole nine yards. The one thing I can't do, but I wanna learn, is escape magic."

Taking a sip of his remaining coffee, he the time his mouth was occupied to study Akane. She seemed to be somewhere around his age, if not some years younger. The bag next to her implies that she was a student, so she must have at least lived in Shine City since before the start of the school year, which would mean she's been here longer than Zac. Maybe she knows somewhere I can get some work? he wonders as he sets his coffee down.

The young magician smiles at Akane again and, deciding to wait on asking about work, he chuckles and says, "I'm sorry. Pretty rude of me to keep going on about myself, huh?" Leaning forward, he then asks, "What about you? You have any hobbies or anything like that?"

Never one to sleep in, Yutaro woke up bright and early and made himself a simple breakfast of rice and miso soup. Sure, he could have made something a bit tastier, but it seemed a bit frivolous to spend so much time cooking just for himself. His shift didn't start until later in the evening -- his casino liked to keep him for the night shift on the weekends since that was when they were the busiest -- so he found himself with quite a lot of free time on his hands. While he ate his breakfast he turned on the news, which was more or less a glorified advertisement for Aoi Iwata's little appearance of the aquarium today. It was hard not to have heard about Aoi, but Yutaro had never seen any of her movies. He was less of a "Drowning in Deep Love" guy and more of an "Chainsaw Zombie Massacre" guy. But, he supposed that either would make a decent date movie.

Breakfast ingested and news ignored, Yutaro decided to go out for a bit of coffee. He figured that there would be a decent crowd on a Saturday morning, so it would probably be a good place to kill some time while chatting with friends and making a few new ones. Maybe if he was lucky, that cute barista would even be there. He knew it was probably just her job to flirt, but it didn't make it any less fun. So, with plans thus made, Yutaro put on his signature gray coat and headed down to Mochavine.

It was still pretty early when he arrived, and plenty of people were probably sleeping off their Friday night hangovers, but he was sure the place would liven up in a little bit. If one thing was true about humanity, it was that they ran on coffee. So, Yutaro took a seat at the bar and waited to see who he had the pleasure of being served by.

Saturday. After a week of going about her daily life, it was on Saturdays and Sundays Ryoki felt she could relax just a little bit more than usual.

And by a little, it really meant sleeping in till ten or eleven AM rather than waking up at eight and drugging herself on coffee.

Though even as her ten AM alarm went off, she still could barely bring herself to exit her humble abode; her safe haven of solitude; her extremely comfortable and warm, snugly, cozy bed. Practically dragging herself to the kitchen of her small apartment, Ryoki fumbles as she puts on a simple, pre-recorded tune from her stereo, not bothering with the fact the song was looping over and over. In a way, it was actually helping in waking her up.

Feeling sluggish still, she began to make herself a coffee, staring out the window as the coffee machine did it's work. 'I'm so tired... I stayed up late last night recording the remainder of my script for that anime, and then... Oh god, I don't want to think about it.' She thought to herself, just as her coffee machine ticked, signifying that her messiah-juice was ready. Despite her energetic outlet from daytime till midnight, Ryoki can't stand mornings, no matter what time it is she has to wake up. It wasn't that she particularly disliked them; it was more of a matter of not being able to handle them so well.

Even so, all it took for her was one black coffee and she was good to go. She wasn't going to perform today, and couldn't be bothered with working on her music. After all, it was her day off! She knew she couldn't lounge around in her home forever - that's what Sunday was for. Saturday's were days of reluctant adventure and going out to have a good time, be it at the club, the arcade (you're never too old to go arcading!), the casino, or even just hanging around at Shine Junction. And thus, Ryoki was going to spend the day out and about, just after she had one last coffee...

"... Plot twist! My day's been ruined!" The black-haired girl exclaims to herself in fake joy as she stares into the empty coffee jar. Feeling a twinge of regret in her heart, Ryoki sighs and goes to get dressed in her regular day-by-day attire: a button-up white shirt with her slightly frilly black skirt, black stockings and high heels. And of course, the main piece: her black and yellow scarf which never left her side. It was something she always wore. It was something she kept precious to herself. After all, it belonged to her grandmother before she passed away - a figure Ryoki always looked up to and respected.

Fully dressed and mostly ready to go, Ryoki turns off the stereo and heads out of her apartment, into the streets of Shine City and making her way to Mochavine Cafe and Bar. After all, where else was she going to get a killer coffee capable of waking her from her dreaded, sleep-deprived self? She could also get some coffee beans there, too, which was what she really needed in the first place. As she passes through the streets with effortless familiarity, Ryoki thinks to herself how she would possibly spend the day. Of course she was going to visit the Junction, but there were other activities which would be more exciting later in the day in which she could participate in. There was the casino, and the club, restaurants, and...

---

... Pretty soon, she found herself outside of her destination. Ah, she absolutely adored this little place. It was where everything all started for her, after all. Where she got her first venue, and got her first fans (that weren't her parents). Of course, she wasn't anywhere near as good twelve years ago compared to today, but even so, they were fond memories. As she enters, Ryoki inhales deeply, as the lovely aroma of coffee wafted through the cafe. Without skipping a beat, she takes a seat up at the bar. She just had to get that daily fix.

"One black coffee, please," she tells the bartender, smiling at with that same old pervy grin of hers. "No cream, thank you...!" And winks, before giggling to herself.

Saturday. It was always a day filled with adventure.

Shou's eyes widened in surprise at the manner in which Shizuka began to panic, and he held up his hands to reassure her that everything was fine, and he wouldn't have had her head if she hadn't marked the papers (he'd have done it himself anyway worst case scenario). Romeo rested his head on her lap, blinking up at the young woman affectionately. He was, if not Shou, the receiver of most of her affections.

He smiled both innocently and nonchalantly (or was it knowingly?) over at Nick, who began to grow increasingly more fidgety. Something about the moment was peculiar, indeed, and just as he mentioned the lack of fangirls around the professor, when he went to interject, a bouncy little lady with pink hair so bright it startled Shou a little came into view.

...she was so young, he only just caught himself from asking why she shouldn't be at home this late. It was nearing 9:30, in the evening, after all. Fortunately, after a handful of seconds of staring with his mouth slightly agape at how to answer the question, it registered where he had seen her before. She was a student of a colleague of his, and often made rounds around the staff room asking for them.
Ah, I...see now.

"A paper, at this hour...?" he began, glancing at the girl blankly. It was definitely odd, but for some reason, be it his politeness or otherwise, he could not have turned her down. "...I suppose I could look at it, young lady, but I'm sure Ms. Fay would be better suited to such a task. You're one of her students, are you not? I'll convey it to her tomorrow if you hand it to me."
He gave her a reassuring smile, followed by a tiny wink as he gripped the stick of the vanilla cream flavoured lollipop he was having between two of his fingers. "We'll make sure she gets it before the weekend, so you won't get in trouble, little lady."

"Shizuka, I-" he turned back to the girl and upon expecting to find Nick still there, found the seat beside her absolutely empty. Romeo had gone to inspect this new girl's hand, sitting at her feet and being quite large compared to her petite frame. His tail thumped quietly against the ground.

"...I see." Shou murmured, resting his cheek in his palm and his elbow on the table. He gazed right at Shizuka, who still seemed stiff and nervous in her chair, and after a moment of hesitation he leaned in closer.
His voice in a soft, husky whisper now, he could have almost kissed her, but that did not seem to be his intention.
Incongruous with his voice, his facial features actually remained...worried?
"It's very late, Miss Otonashi. I would be gutted if I were to let anything happen to one of my students, this late. Would you allow me to walk you home, at the very least?"

---

Saturday, 10:30 AM.

Shou woke up with a raging headache.
...again. Fridays were those days where you'd let loose irresponsibly and inevitably regret it every Saturday. Every single Saturday.
His routine was pretty usual, but Saturdays were one of those exception days where he had the liberty to do as he wanted. After Friday night gambling and staying out way too late and a glass too many at the casino, he never thought he'd get accustomed to this feeling, but in an odd way, he did.

The morning consisted of odd jobs, like sating one's hunger with measly sandwiches and becoming more...presentable. His disheveled hair had a mixed reputation amongst his students. It was either loved or hated and noting but absolute.
This morning, he preferred to style it a little better.

After a quick shower and a lazy throwing on some casual clothes consisting of a scarf, beige turtleneck and a pair of dark jeans, and a cologne with a woody scent, he took a quick espresso before leaving the house with his car keys in tow, and two dogs well fed and left to spend the day relaxing as well.

A bad habit as it had become, he was itching for something from the Mochavine. Anything, really. It was one of those places that kept you coming back.
...and he never did see the cute barista, April, ever again. It was disheartening and he had only hoped she had moved on to something better, living a happier life.

Parking the car quite close by, he shoved his hands in his pockets and shivered against the lingering cold, before pushing the glass doors open and being met with the ever present warmth of the cafe and bar.
What he hadn't anticipated, however, was the noise.

The place looked completely packed!

He stood there, a little stunned, not finding a single table free. Frankly, that really was not in his plans.
There were lots of seats where he could join someone else, though. Many men and women occupied single tables.
Maybe he could...

Perhaps I should wait for someone to seat me. I'm sure they'll have something, anything, free. If not...goodness, will I really have to sit with someone for something to...eat? What a Friday...winter must be bringing in so many tourists, too

The cold winds brushed against his face, but he didn't mind, he felt alive and the air smelt and felt fresh; it was a good feeling. He did notice however that his vision seemed slightly off, reaching up for his face he realized at this point that he forgot to put on his glasses. Kyle mentally slapped himself, but just as quickly let it go, he did this all the time and fortunately his vision wasn't SO bad that he needed his glasses, not like the high myopes that frequented the shop. Sighing slightly he pushed on further down the street coming to the ever familiar sign of the Mochavine cafe.

Considering how late in the morning it was, Kyle wasn't too terribly surprised to find the place packed full of patrons all getting their morning fix of coffee, bagels and (Kyle's personal favorite) scones. "Morning." Kyle nodded to the man standing by the entrance. Looking around, the bar itself already had a few patrons lined up against it and the tables were either full or were single tables with a free seat opposite of another patron. He personally didn't mind going up to a table and asking if there was a spot free, but judging by the man standing by the entrance still, this was a "wait to be seated" establishment. With this in mind he decided to just stand by and strike up a conversation with the gentleman.

"Pretty packed today, not too surprising though, weather is beautiful out there." He looked over towards the man, bright silver hair, spectacles on his face, look of casual professionalism...he looks familiar...Kyle goes through his memories of a time when he went to the academy, a roommate mentioning a silver haired professor...

"Don't you work at the academy?"

@MyCatGinger