Reserved spot for an Amaya/Aoi interaction. (Before anything gets too far.)

_{Collab with: @Stern Algorithm@BeastofDestiny@Rekaigan@lovely complex}

---

---

As Shizuka sat there, not touching the food or the blue drink she had previously gotten from the bar, she notices Kazuma showing her a message on his phone again, "A friend of mine invited me over to her house for tonight, she said I should bring someone with me. Would you like to come along? She said we're going to play games and sleepover." Though Shizuka didn’t have any alcohol in her system, she wasn’t thinking with her usual frame of mind. Normally, she wouldn’t want to inconvenience anyone, or she would be cautious and find such an invitation extremely dubious. Instead she said, “I-I suppose I could take your friend up on her offer. I need a place to spend the night.”

Kazuma nodded in response, getting up from his seat. He gently took Shizuka’s hand and guided her out of the venue. As they left the building, Kazu lifted the mask off his face and let it sit on his head as he took in a deep breath of the cold air. He felt the chill embrace him as they walked toward the street. Everything felt better already. It’s as if the party never happened. He waved down a taxi, ushering Shizuka into the backseat before getting in after her. He showed Amie’s address to the taxi driver, ”Alright kiddo, I’ll take ya there.”. He quickly texted Amie, ”Almost at your place.” it read simply. The tone of it was ambiguous due to the lack of expression in text form. It wasn’t long before they made it to Amie’s house.. Or rather mansion. He didn’t expect his new friend to be so… wealthy.

When Shizuka and Kazuma arrive at Amity’s mansion, Shizuka is quite stunned; she hadn’t expected Kazuma’s friend to live in such an opulent estate. She treads lightly as she approaches the front door, almost afraid that she’ll get something she can’t afford dirty or damaged. Strangely enough, Shizuka has kept her helmet on; something about what happened at the New Year’s party has made her feel an inexplicable sense of shame, and keeping the mask on has helped her deal with it somewhat.

---

Glancing at the time, Amity wondered if Kazu and his possible friend(s) were arriving any time soon (not having checked her phone). A crazy night of games and revelry would ensue and she couldn’t wait! Curiosity fell upon the little idol as she walked out onto her balcony. By pure dumb luck, she saw a taxi car drive into her unreasonably long driveway. Something she knew her trio (Liam, Luke, Renee) wouldn’t need to drive. Giddy inside, the idol raced passed Kyle and yelled over the music, “THEY’RE HERE!” While the two friends had waited, they brought an abundance of alcohol and snackage into her bedroom (premade sandwiches, a lot of junk, and water, for when people started feeling sick). They also set up beer pong just in case everyone wanted to break the ice with that game first. She had music playing throughout the entire mansion (who knows where they’d end up tonight).

The current song that was playing:
As an idol, who loved to dance, Amity took it upon herself (ever since she was little) to learn as many dances as she could. She even knew some Seyoncè and Justin Kimberlake grooves. Kyle would know this very well, since in America she danced in front of him on numerous occasions for the hell of it.

During the time they waited for Amity’s friend to show up, they had prepared for a night of fun up in her room, though there was the potential to go downstairs and do other things as well. After they set everything up, they basically sat around, continued to drink and just talked with each other. Most of the topics were about random things, like how her work was going, memories of high school together, that one time Kyle got pantsed and immediately turned around and gut shot the unlucky bastard who did it to him. Good times.

He forgot how nice it was to just hang out with a friend of his, and the possibility of making more friends, like this Kazu person she invited was exciting. The prospect of it all had Kyle’s mind slipping in and out of reality. It wasn’t until Amity exclaimed at the top of her lungs that their guests had arrived and she bolted past him that concern and instinct brought him slamming back to earth.

Going to her stair railing, the idol slid down it like the hyper, drunkard she was, almost slipping off but no worries! Her landing was stable, for the most part. Before the new arrivals had the opportunity to ring the doorbell, Amity reached for the knob and swung it open abruptly. Her ice eyes gleamed under the front porch light. Along with her cute, small red kimono pajamas the idol wore light pink, thigh high stocking socks.

Kyle chased after the young idol, nearly having a heart attack as he saw her go sliding down the stair railing. His running speed picked up and it wasn’t until he saw her safely stumble to the ground that relief washed over him and he quickly jogged down the stairs just as she opened the door. Presumably the male was Kazu, though he was curious about the kimono clad….Silver Fox?

The bass resounded through her mansion as if a dance party had been happening all night long. Without a second thought, the idol pounced on Kazuma excitedly, “Kazu~! I’ve missed you.” She couldn’t help but stay in his embrace for a moment or two, it was warm and comforting to her.

Just before Kazu could even press the doorbell, the mansion door swung open. And before he could even react, a pink hurricane pounced on him. He soon felt the warmth of a smaller body pressed against him, he wrapped his arms around the pink haired embodiment of energy, whom he knew to be Amie. Her scent was sweet. Sweet Peas? A good choice, he thought, trying to hold back the urge to actually sniff her. Her clothes were soft. Silk. He liked the feeling of silk.

And with that, Amity pulled away from Kazuma and started introductions, “Oh how rude of me… Welcome to the Shitty Night Club! Well, me not as bad as him though.” She gestured to her best friend, ”Oy! Rude.” The American’s brows furrows and she continued, ”Either way, hello, hello! Welcome to my home. I’ll give a tour after game night. I’m…” Giving a little twirl and an exuberantly adorable pose as if pictures were being taken for a magazine (with an added peace sign in the end), Amie simpered, “Amity Bellerose! International pop icon.”

Kazu’s eyes went up and down Amie’s form when she had pulled away from him. He could feel his face go a slight shade of pink. Her outfit looked amazingly beautiful on her. He’d be lying if he was to say that he wasn’t slightly aroused as well. He shook his head slightly, attempting to banish gutter thoughts. Thankfully, something she said distracted him, Pop icon? that would explain a lot. Amie’s outfit when they first met. Her driver. Her mansion. It all made a lot of sense now. But that didn’t really change Kazu’s view on her. She was a good friend, a beautiful one at that. As his mother once told him, never judge a book by it’s cover. But he could damn well love one because of the cover and contents together. He couldn’t help but give her a bright smile as she did her pose though.

Kyle was somewhat curious to see how the two new guests would react to the ‘pop idol’ introduction. At this point most anyone who was a fan of hers would be screaming and/or drooling all over her, but he was pleasantly surprised to find the exact opposite of a reaction. Perhaps she had already told this Kazu fellow about her career and heritage, or maybe simply, he just didn’t give a fuck like Kyle; either way he already liked the guy.

Breaking out of her pose, the idol shrugged nonchalantly like it was not a big deal at all to meet a celebrity (did she even tell Kazu she was a pop icon?), ”That’s besides the point. This is Kyle, he’s American. Kyle, this is Kazuma, he talks by phone, unless you learned sign language over the years.” She briefly gave Kazu a small phrase (one out of maybe three?) she learned over the week in sign language, ”I’m glad you came.” Sure, she didn’t teach herself the basics and just watched UsTube videos for phrases but she would learn soon enough. When Amity wanted to learn something she would, even if it took her years. Learning another language probably wouldn’t be terribly hard, especially since she knew more languages than the average human.

Kazu gave Kyle a nod, tapping onto his phone for a moment before showing him a message. ”It’s nice to meet you.” it read. He was taken aback by Amie’s use of sign language, he didn’t expect her to have learnt any already, but he figured that she used UsTube to learn a little. ”Thank you for inviting me!” he wrote onto his phone, giving her a grin. He didn’t know if she knew how to understand that if he signed it to her, so just in case.

”Yo,” Kyle raised his hand nonchalantly before bringing it back down. So Kazu was a mute then? That would explain while he was looking through Amity’s UsTube channel that her feed was littered with a few of those ‘how to epic sign language’ videos...though some of those ended up having the guy smash a shit ton of eggs and pour gallons of milk everywhere.

Tilting her head and giving a puzzled stare, the idol brought her attention to the girl standing beside Kazu and wondered if she would remove her mask. Tonight would be a strange drinking night if the young lady kept her mask on. Allowing her attention to solely focus on the other girl, Amie approached her carefully (knowing very well the newcomer probably felt a little awkward) and gave a soft, accepting stare, “Sorry if I seem a bit... much. I’m just so happy for you all to be here. I’m glad Kazu was able to bring someone. It’s even better that you’re a girl!” Scratching her head and realizing she didn’t have any girlfriends, excluding Renee (and her maids), Amity sighed at the thought. Unfortunately, Amity and Kyle’s ex, Julia, hadn’t talked since before the break up and obviously (referring to the incident with Nori earlier this evening) Amity scared females away.

“You can call me Amie.” The idol urged, in hopes that calling each other by nicknames would be a good start for a growing friendship.

“I-I’m sorry,” Shizuka said, coming out of her shock at Amity’s revelation, M-my name is Otonashi Shizuka.” She introduced herself formally and bowed. “I didn't know Kazuma’s friend was so famous.” While Shizuka had heard of and seen Amity, she wasn't much of a consumer of popular media so she was slightly unfamiliar with Amity’s work, but she hoped it wouldn't show. However more pressing than that, Shizuka took her helmet off, took out the hairpin that she was using to keep her hair up, and shook her hair loose. ”You were at the Shining Kettle a few weeks ago, right?” Shizuka recognized Amity from before. She didn't know who she was at the time because she wasn't that familiar with celebrities (and because Amity was in disguise) but seeing her again up close was enough. ”You were playing with a little girl...Lucille…” Shizuka’s voice dropped off. Thinking about Lucille made her think of Alban. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness and frustration even though she mentally chided herself not to, that there was nothing there, that they were just friends.

Kyle watched as the kimono-clad girl removed the helmet to reveal her face, instinctively his first thought went to ”She’s cute,” before immediately banishing it and listening as the conversation went on.

The idol’s brows furrowed as she took note of an underlying sadness in Shizuka’s voice, especially in the end when she mentioned Lucille. If they were given a moment alone, just girl to girl, the pink hurricane would inquire further but for now, Amie was going to turn Shizuka’s frown upside down (with alcohol)! Determined to change the subject as soon as possible, the idol agreed, “Yepp! That was me and if I do remember correctly, you’re a Veterinary Science student at Shine City Academy, yeah?” She realized how creepy that sounded... ”Sorry… I may have eavesdropped on your conversation…” Her face was apologetic and if her cheeks hadn’t been already pink from alcohol, Shizuka may have seen her blush. Yet, this showed how great of a memory Amie had when she wanted to remember something. Her mouth suddenly dropped when the rest of Shizuka’s words at The Shining Kettle made its course through her brain.

”I’m also a teaching assistant for Dr. Matsuoka in Biology. I’m glad you’re…”

Bringing her mouth back up and acting like she wasn’t just surprised with the thought, the idol stared deeply into Shizuka’s eyes and grabbed her soft hand (the one that wasn’t holding a helmet), “I’ve decided. We’re going to be the best of friends.” Earnestly, Amie wanted to know Shizuka and it just so happened that her future bestie might know someone related to Shou or perhaps Shou himself?

“I-it’s okay,” Shizuka reassured Amity, besides, conversations at a cafe couldn’t really be expected to be private. So as not to make it seem too one-sided, Shizuka added, “I remember you ordered a caramel frappuccino with...well, I guess I don’t remember the rest, but I think it's admirable, to always know exactly what you want.” When Amity grabbed her hand, Shizuka wanted to place her other hand over on top of Amity’s, but she was holding the helmet which she didn’t exactly want to drop, so she just gave Amity’s hand a gentle squeeze in acknowledgment. Becoming best friends with a pop idol was not something Shizuka expected to happen tonight, heck, it wasn’t something she expected to happen in her entire life. Shizuka took Amity’s offer of friendship seriously. While anyone could say ‘let’s be best friends’ without really meaning it, something about Amity didn’t seem that shallow to Shizuka. So far Amity didn’t seem to treat her friends or Shizuka as ‘playthings’, as ‘lesser’, or as ‘fans’ for their lack of fame and wealth. While Amity seemed to revel in opulence, it wasn’t the insecure, in-your-face way that some rich flaunted themselves. No, Shizuka could tell that this was all Amity knew and she couldn’t be faulted for it, that there was an innocence to Amity’s wealth.

"Thank you. I guess I don't like to keep people waiting." Amity's face softened. This woman was filled with kindness, truly beyond anything the idol knew a person was capable of. The idol could tell that Shizuka's heart was gold. The way she spoke, held herself... the idol wasn't dumb, this was probably the first time she's been in a situation like this. Amity would keep an eye on her tonight, at least until she herself lost her own inhibitions.

It wasn’t until the two newcomers were finally let in and the door was closed that Kyle immediately whipped out a couple of shot glasses from his pocket. Bottle of Bacardi 151 in hand he poured the shots and handed the bottle to Amity.

”Right, first rule of ‘The Shitty Night Club’ is to begin getting shit faced, and this rum will start off the night for you two, cause you definitely need to get on our level.” He handed one shot to Kazuma, the second to Shizuka, briefly stopping and smiling at her as he gestured towards her helmet, ”I like your helmet by the way, very cool.” He took a couple of steps back and pulled his wool hat down so it covered his right eye and in the best, deepest and gruffest Daniel Hater voice he could muster he said in English, ”(IRON GEAR!)” Making sure to emphasize the line as much as possible, with his fist clenched towards his chest for dramatic effect. He then began laughing, ”Haha, sorry, bit of a geek-gasm there.”

The idol blinked confusingly but her drunken smile never faded away. Anything video game related flew right over her head.

“Th-thanks…” Shizuka replied, “I won it in a raffle at the arcade, but unfortunately, I’m not that familiar with the game it's from.” She hoped Kyle wouldn’t judge her negatively for not having the same interests and being a ‘poser’ for wearing a helmet she knew nothing about.

Relieved that she wasn't the only one who didn't understand the reference, Amity made a hidden fist pump (already taken a strong liking to Shizuka).

Looking at the shotglass, she figured it wouldn’t be a problem as it was only her first drink of the night, having missed (avoided) the chance to sample the strange blue concoction that had turned Alban into a completely different person. However, Shizuka had only had experience with beer in small quantities, sake at formal events (so not a lot), and recently, a glass of wine. She had no experience with hard liquor. With a certain degree of abandon, Shizuka drained the cup only to have the liquid assault her mouth and throat. Though she managed to drink it all down, she started coughing, her eyes watering from the intensity. Shizuka doubled over, holding the empty shot glass to her stomach and taking long, ragged breaths. She could still feel the fumes burning through her nose as she straightened up. “Th-this is...rum?”

With widen eyes, Amity went closer to Shizuka to offer support if she needed it, "I definitely need to keep an eye on her tonight..."

”Ha-ha, no worries, you'll have to play the game sometime, the stealth tactics are pretty unique and fun, especially the original for its time.” Even drunk Kyle could tell a few things about games, but he was more concerned with her reaction to the shot of rum. He wanted to ask if she was going to be alright, but when she straightened herself out and asked about the rum he instead answered her question. ”Well, it's 151 specifically, helluva lot stronger than normal rum.” He scratched his head, ”You'll probably be feeling that really soon, but trust me when I say that if you can handle a shot of that, you'll be able to drink most everything we have upstairs.”

Kazu didn’t get much time to take in the interior of the mansion, since he was immediately given a shot glass the moment he walked through the door. He took the shot glass and looked at the alcoholic liquid, before shrugging and downing it as a shot should be. He was pretty alcohol tolerant, but his friend back in Japan had once recalled what Kazu had done during a party. Something about him sitting on the couch with a bunch of drunk girls around him, swooning apparently. He didn’t remember any of it, so he assumed his friend was making stuff up. Let’s hope it wasn’t true. The alcohol tasted quite good. But Sake would always be his number one go-to. Ice cold sake. Now he wanted some.

Kyle clapped his hands together, ”Right, why don’t we take this upstairs? We’ve got booze, food and games for all!”

”BUT! Before any of that” The idol exclaimed proudly.

“You two need to get into some comfy clothes!” Amity looked up at her best friend and asked, ”Kyle, can you bring Kazu~ to Liam’s room? And I’ll bring Zuka to Renee’s!”

Kyle nodded and gestured for the mute fellow to follow him, beginning the climb back up the stairs.

Kazu nodded back at the American, following him up the stairs. He wondered what they’d give him to wear. His clothes were pretty comfy, in his opinion anyway.

---

Renee’s wardrobe was elegant to sexy, entirely filled with designer brands, and conservative for the most part. Her assistant would always say, “Clothes enhance a woman’s beauty, may it be simple or filled with intricate designs. Nevertheless, clothes will always be just pieces of fabric. Without a woman’s personality, our outfits are meaningless.” The clothing selection was quite a contrast to Amity’s closet (which was filled with frills, lace, and cuteness) but it made sense since Amie's style was far different than her assistant's. With little to no struggle, the idol found a light beige, satin outfit that she thought would look great on Shizuka. As the idol assumed, simplicity looked gorgeous on her new friend. Though they were alone, Amity felt like it was too early to inquire about the sadness in her voice from earlier, so she decided to keep the talk to random chit chat hoping Shizuka was beginning to like her.

Shizuka had willingly followed Amity to the wardrobe. While the rum was strong, Shizuka wasn’t completely drunk yet, maybe a little buzzed. But it did slightly remove her inhibitions, making her more compliant to Amity’s suggestions. Shizuka was unable to maintain her usual, formal demeanor and spoke quite a bit more freely, and was more willing to impose on Amity’s graciousness instead of being the reticent and undemanding guest that propriety would have dictated. Shizuka tried the nightwear Amity offered. While she normally would have refused to change into someone else’s pajamas, or be seen in nightwear in front of two boys, she was buzzed, and the clothes were modest enough to fly under her current modesty radar.

@Daxam

"After seeing you dance at the club, I didn't expect to see you waltzing, Sabine."

"Now where have I heard that voice before?"

Sabine was, honestly, a little anxious. She had let her feelings come out too quickly. It wouldn't have taken a 10 year-old to know how desperate she must've sounded at the time, but...

...well, he did say yes. Perhaps a plus; perhaps not. She considered leaving early to recollect herself and avoid getting left off in the middle of the dance floor, but it appeared a certain magician had whisked her away from the fresh night air.

"Dancing's fun, really. It's like the one thing besides drugs that you can really do stuff with other people that doesn't involve purposely..er, 'beating' people. No competition, no goal but to see if you and your partner are happy. Waltz just...isn't in style.

She took the taller man by the wrist and dragged him off to the side as the next song came rolling in. They were clammy now; she had a weird feeling in her gut ever since her last dance partner waltzed his way off to his intended mistress.

It was like she wanted to pound her head until she had dropped a good 30 IQ points. Maybe she'd go fishing for shrimp with an amputee and marry a blondie, some real goldilocks like Nori...

...okay Sabine, stop fantasizing about her. Bad girl.

"But I'd guess you'd want a spin with me here, huh? I would...if my legs weren't jello. So...how about some hor d'oeuvres?"

Right...food...Zac was nice enough to let her calm down, right? She could feel the blood in her body pulse as alcohol seeped into her veins.

She had forgotten to eat, hadn't she?

The brunette slide on a barstool, and ordered a glass of water as she scanned the rest of the room to search for a few waiters and servers. But...dammit, why did they have to wear masks too, of all times?!

The Weatherman

That fucking bitch. How was she not dead! He torched that place, burned it down to the ground, he heard the screams! Oh, how he wanted to snap her neck and tear her eyes out. But this time...

He pulled the bolt back on his Ruger M77 bolt-action sniper rifle, loading the .270 cartridge into the chamber.

He had to make some head wounds. He wanted that bitch dead. He wanted that bitch dead. No one lives. No one lives. No one lives. No one lives. No one lives. NO ONE LIVES. NO ONE LIVES. NO ONE LIVES.

How his fingers trembled with bloody eagerness, with violent trepidation, with murderous joy. This blonde DJ was attending a party tonight, right in the middle of town hall. All these windows so many targets.

SO MANY PEOPLE TO KILL BUT HE COULDN'T CHOOSE WHICH ONE. HE LOVES THE GUESSING GAME.

The clock was approaching midnight, and he could see her through the blackened scope of his sniper rifle. That blonde hair, that pale skin, the way she carried herself with a sort of mix of fear and boldness.

He flicked the safety off his weapon.

It wasn't raining.

But for Nori Haywood, he would make an exception.

You little runt. Time to die. Time to die. Time to die. Time to die. I'm going to POP YOUR NECK OPEN AND SUCK THE BONE MARROW FROM YOUR SKULL!

The night was cool. It was a new year. A new victim. A new era of death and violence and killing.

It was so beautiful, how the cross hairs lined up so perfectly with her neck. That pale, beautiful neck. But how was he supposed to snap her neck...

IF SHE DIDN'T HAVE ONE.

I'M GONNA MAKE YOU BLEED OUT IN FRONT OF THE ONES YOU LOVE. HEAR THEIR GORE, SMELL THEIR SCREAMS, SLICE THE MEAT FROM THEIR EYES AND MAKE THEM WATCH THE END. Die. Die. Die. DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!

A gloved finger on the trigger, a quick jerk, a flash from a smoking barrel, the boom ringing out into the night like a shriek of death.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

He pulled back the bolt, the a wisp of smoke emitting from the tip of the tip of the shell, the smell of gunpowder in the crisp winter air.

"Happy New Year, You CUNT. ENJOY THE FUNERAL!"

He slung the rifle over his shoulders, turned.

Gone.

---

The Countdown Begins...

---

'It ends like a fairy tale...'

The thought whisks through Ryoki's mind once more as she turns to address the man in which she was mostly certain of as being the man she'd been searching for all night (if one could call sitting at a table with another man "searching"). He wore a different suit from last time, adorned a mask that partially covered his face, so Ryoki only had voice to go by.

Thankfully, she was a good listener.

Something she would regret in the end...

She greets the man with a kind yet knowing grin, one that clearly shows a hidden motive. The classic flirtatious greeting; a smile and a wink; the crossing of legs, and the sipping of a glass. The raven speaks of her experience so far at the party, shooting off rapid fire questions in retaliation about his attire, where he's been and which lucky ladies he's had the pleasure of dancing with. Not to mention the innumerable sexual references and innuendos. She giggles like a child...

Such innocence never lasts...

Comfort fills the air. Contempt. Perhaps it was her sister's kindred presence, and Yutaro's familiar and calming aura that made her feel this way. With the dancers dancing, and the musicians playing to a slow and unfamiliar tune, Ryoki's mind slowly entered a state of relaxation - calm. A calm she hadn't felt in... awhile, actually. She couldn't remember a time in which she wasn't so filled with solitude. Perhaps it was the coming of the New Year that made her feel this way? Perhaps it was the company, or the atmosphere in which she found so, so pleasant. It was soothing; unnaturally calm, like...

'Like death...'

'No,' Ryoki thought, 'now isn't the time for such thoughts. It's time for a New Year - a new start! More importantly, Kimasu and Mokyu's birthday is tomorrow! I shouldn't be focusing on dumb stuff like that. Stupid Ryoki!'

Yet, the crack of a gunshot would dictate otherwise...

Not a thing was out of the ordinary. The dancers were all still dancing, and the recent song change had caught the attention of the raven. However, as much as she wishes to look away, her eyes are caught on Yutaro - fixated. Captivated, even, perhaps for the first time since they met. She clings on to his every word as they spoke; she's entranced, to put it simply. Such a dangerous situation for her to be in someone else's grasp, yet she couldn't help it. What an interesting turn of events...

Even so, fate was a cruel mistress...

And so came the offer of a dance - the one thing Ryoki had been hoping for the entire night. The night may still be young, yet Ryoki had been looking forward to this since... well before their arrival. Curiosity fueled her; she was interested in seeing just what the casino dealer was capable of when it came to dancing. Though her forte was dances of a faster pace, Ryoki wasn't afraid of testing his abilities in the more slower, classical dances as well. One last sip of the clear liquid within her glass, and she stands.

...

...

...

'...Blood...'

Before she knew it, Ryoki was on the ground. She wasn't quite sure how, but she was. Her ears were ringing. Was it a concussion? What just happened? Her head felt foggy - strange. She was perfectly awake, and certainly didn't feel any different, save for an accelerated heart rate. Somewhat at a loss, she pulls herself up. 'Strange,' she thought, 'the music wasn't playing... and the dancers aren't dancing... Just what are they looking a-'

The bloodied corpse of Mokyu Mochizukki

A gasp, with hollow breaths. Just what was she looking at? A painting? No, this wasn't a painting - this was... real. This was something right in front of her. That red liquid was... blood. And the person whose blood it belonged to -- the person whose neck had been shot straight through, creating a demonic display of copious amounts of blood, like a fountain -- belonged to... a girl. A girl who looked very familiar... A girl who she couldn't stand to see hurt, or better yet dead.

And she screams...

...

Another angel returns to Heaven tonight...

Ryoki was on point as always, easily identifying Yutaro and trading blows in their oh-so-innocent banter. Yutaro was surprised to learn that the girl he had greeted wasn't a friend, but actually Ryoki's sister. There wasn't much of a resemblance, but he was no geneticist so he didn't question it, but instead decided to treat her sister with delightful cordiality; it was important to make a good impression on the family after all. Ryoki inquired about his activities thus far in the evening, and he figured it was best to explain the mishap with Kyle and Sabine now rather than later, and the two shared several laughs before he finally asked her if she would like to dance. He was certain that the waltz with Sabine, while enjoyable, would just be a prelude to the fun he would have tonight. He was curious to see what Ryoki could do on the dance floor, and even more curious to see if she was willing to open up the "advanced rulebook" she had alluded to on their last date. But, most of all he was just happy to see her happy face again after their long week apart...



A distant crack of thunder. A warm mist. Yutaro wiped the moisture off his face to find his fingers painted bright red. Silence followed by horrified screams. Yutaro looked over to where Mokyu was sitting and his face turned white. He didn't scream, or rather he couldn't scream; the grizzly sight of blood gushing out of a young woman's neck choked his voice and tied a knot in his stomach. The warm mist on his face was blood her blood. He began to tremble as his stunned brain slowly processed the horror that had just unfolded. And than a scream brought him back.

Ryoki... he couldn't even begin to comprehend what she was feeling right now, if she was even feeling at all. Her shrieks of horror may have just been a primal instinct to scare off whatever predator may still be lurking, or they could be echoing the realization that her dear sister was gone forever. Yutaro had no idea what to do. What was the right thing to do in a situation like this? Was there even a right thing to do? His body seemed to move on his own, acting purely on feelings even more fundamental than instinct. He wrapped his arms around Ryoki and held her tight though his own arms were trembling. He cradled the back of her head, and brought her face down to his shoulder so that her eyes would be blocked by the padding of his bloodied tuxedo. "Don't look..." he muttered, stroking her back but expecting no results. "Don't look Ryoki... God, please don't look..."

He couldn't fix what had just happened, and he had no words that could calm her down. All he could do was take that nightmare out of her line of sight, though it may have already been burned into her mind. "Just don't look..."

@Delta44

Arty had seen a lot of things as he worked the door to the party that night. He had seen drunkards stumble out and up chuck into the streets, a few more than frisky couples hop into cabs together, and even a few fights between people who could barely stand up let alone throw a punch. "Just a few more hours." The mountain of a Irishman thought to himself with a slight shake of his head. He was dying to rip his suit off and set fire to the damned mask, the original interest in it had died as soon as he realized it had become quite the chore to breath through. "Who wears this stuff fer bloody fun?!" Arty had to resist the urge to shout as he pulled at his collar. The only thing that was getting him through at this point was the thought him being able to raid that glorious bar after all this was done. "Ohhh Bick ol' boy I'm gonna rack up quite the tab fer ya." The thought of him getting back at his less than stellar boss by partaking in the Irish pass time of drinking ungodly amounts of alcohol couldn't help but put a smile on Arty's masked face. "Ya just have to make it to the end of the year Arty." The bouncer said with quite the hearty chuckle at his own little pun, which may have seen odd to whatever party goers were passing him at the time.

It is jarring how quickly things change. In one moment Arty was blissfully dreaming of pints paid out of his penny pinching boss's pocket the next he was snapped back to reality by a sound that made his stomach turn. "No it can't be..." Arty half mumbled though the second he said it he knew it was a lie, there was no doubting what he had just heard. Shite shite shite shite shite..." He cursed under his breath as he quickly stormed inside the party and it didn't take long to find what he was looking or rather what he was praying for what wasn't there. It was a small looking girl laying sprawled on the ground in a forming pool of her own blood, Arty couldn't fool himself with this one that poor girl was gone. "HOLY SHITE- No no Arty, job first!" Arty thought to himself as he managed to swallow back the sick feeling in his stomach and regain his composure. He made his way through the crowd of on lookers and to the body, which was currently being cried over by another young woman who could only be described as devastated. Taking a deep breath Arty took another step forward and spoke to the young fellow that was now doing his best to console the crying girl. "Get her out of here lad, she doesn't need to see this." He said as gently as he could allow himself to be at the moment before he walked forward towards the body. Taking another breath to steady himself Arty removed his jacket and slowly and carefully draped it over the small girl's lifeless frame, she deserved so much more than to be gawked at in horror. With that done Arty turned back to the crowd and shouted out in a booming voice that cut through the panic in the air. "EVERYONE VACATE THE BUILDING IN A ORDERLY MANOR! STAY AWAY FROM THE WINDOWS AND ASSIST THOSE WHO NEED IT IF YER ABLE!!" After watching a good number of people start to make their way to the exit Arty pulled out a cell phone and got a hold of the Shine City Police. He wasted no time reporting the incident and remained on the line until he was sure he gave all the details he could. "How could I have let this happened?" He thought to himself as he took of his mask and let out a defeated sigh.

Slipping onto a barstool next to Sabine, Zac chuckles and says, "It's no problem. I'm just glad I finally found a familiar face...so to speak. I wanted to thank you again for letting me crash at your place awhile back, anyway."

Seeing her looking around, he realizes she was probably looking for a waiter. He takes a few moments to look around before turning back to her, opening his mouth to ask if she was okay, when he heard a sound he never would have thought he'd hear in a place like Shine City. In fact, a sound he never thought he'd hear, period.

Was that...a gunshot? he thinks, turning back around.

He quickly scans the crowd as screams fill the ballroom. Between the people crowded on the floor, he catches glimpses of crimson amidst the sea of black and white, masks barely concealing the looks of horror on the guests faces. "EVERYONE VACATE THE BUILDING IN A ORDERLY MANOR! STAY AWAY FROM THE WINDOWS AND ASSIST THOSE WHO NEED IT IF YER ABLE!!" a bellowing voice sounds above the horrified clamor of the party-goers.

Knowing the two of them wouldn't be any help, and that he honestly didn't know what he could do, Zac rests his hands on Sabine's shoulders and, gently guiding her toward the exit, he says, "Come on...let's, uh...let's get out of here..."

@Verdaux

Reserved for Nai/Vern because... *sigh* You guysss~