“Ahh, I can’t believe that I couldn’t take down that Flame Hair,” a certain cool-dressed blonde griefed to herself, slumped over the controls of an UFO catcher, in a certain well-crowded arcade, staring at a squid plushie she had snagged instead of the phoenix chick she wanted, while listening to a few songs. Not that she could say this was a bad haul as well. Still what annoyed Itsuko was, how could she lose to a glass cannon such as Burning Blossom? “Well, yeah, I guess this doesn’t matter now. Next time I’m gonna make her eat her own tee—” Itsuko said, talking to herself again— a habit that she seemed incapable of dropping— when she was interrupted by the rumblings of a needy stomach. One that wasn’t her own, by the way.

“Hey, you,” Itsuko said, coming from behind the machine Moe was slumped over (Was that such a common thing on arcades?). “Are ya ok? I mean, ya seem a bit down and all that. If food is what ya wanna have, I know a cool stand close to the Academy. Ya don’t need ta worry ‘bout money, t’ll be my treat,” realizing that she may have sounded a bit creepy, despite her million dollar smile and her loaded Okinawan accent, Itsuko quickly pointed to the plushie she won. “The thing is that I won this lil’ guy after trying for so long and I wanna celebrate, but I can’t ask a boy, they would get weird ideas, y’know? But ya seem to be ‘round my age, it won’t be problem, right?” The blonde kept her smile on, even if she had lied about her motivation, she still wanted to hang out with someone around her age. It couldn't be bead to try to make a new friendship over some cheap, totally unhealthy, but thoroughly delicious street food, right?




“Hah! I don’t know about you, but we could use a little extra food,” Eins said cheerfully, still clinging to Eris’ shoulders, when Kanbaru commented that they might not have enough space for desserts. “I mean we have a way to go before we get to ‘that’ level.” The direction of the the gaze of the Older Reinhardt twin— that is, Kanbaru’s well-stacked chest— made it clear what her message was supposed to mean.

“W— well, I suppose we should go now, right? Before the food gets cold?” Eris said, breaking the awkward mood set by Eins and her ‘playfulness’. “By the way,” the Younger Reinhardt said, as she motioned for them to begin walking, dragging Eins if need be, “You don’t need to worry about that, Miss Kanbaru. The fight, I mean. I realize that Eclipse Princess’ reputation precedes me, people seem to have this idea that I— no, we,” Eris said, pointing to Eins, “are some kind of monster. Like a berserk beast out of the depths of Hades.”

“But, the thing is that we just like the game as it’s, I mean, a game” Eins quipped, “What’s the issue with that?”

“Then again,” Eris took the word once more as the three exited the public area and got into the residents’ lobby of the tower the twins lived in, quickly making it to the elevator, “I think I can see their point. With how society works these days, people that can take Deep Ground as a game are rare. And, I do realize that we may have condemned a few to a life in the gutters, while— in their eyes— nothing that happens inside that ‘game’ will change the fact that Eins and I are from a privileged background. It’s easy to breed hate when society pressures you to think like this.”

“It’s a sad fact,” Eins said as they made it to their apartment’s door, “that some have so much while many have so little. But you understand— that’s how it is, how it always have been, right? People like us, have the obligation to help others, that’s only right. But it doesn’t mean that we are obliged to forsake that which our ancestors fought for, that’s a big disrespect. People who ask for others to do this, don’t know the weight that comes with being nobility.”

“Furthermore, Deep Ground is but a farce,” Eris said as they got into the living room/kitchenette, the first room right past the door of their small, yet very luxurious apartment, “there’s no way the world can produce enough resources to provide a stable living for all. It only promotes Social Darwinism, but based on our skills to kill one another on a video game. If you never do anything of your life, but play well, you still can get into a job where you’ll never have to worry about anything, despite having no qualifications for that function. That’s just… wrong.” For a moment, Eris remembered about Cassandra, thinking that she had to send her a message before going to sleep. After all, the redheaded never replied Eris' earlier message, which was beginning to worry the youngest of the Reinhardts. Yet, for now, she would entertain their current guest, Eris thought, after all she was having quite a deal of fun. Hopefully, Cassandra was having it too.

“Oh, but—” Eris suddenly halted her discourse, while placing the lukewarm boxes on the microwave, before turning to Kanbaru with a slight blush in her face. “I’m sorry that we went on such a tasteless tangent.”

“I guess we just opened up to you quite easily, heh?” Eins jested. “Maybe it’s because 'something' on you remembers us of our mom, I don’t know what, really, but anyway. Let go back to a more friendly talk and forget about Deep Ground, or big problems.”

“We’ve been doing pretty much a monologue, so... why don’t you pick a subject this time?” Eins asked, as she motioned Kanbaru to the couch, where they could wait for their food to be reheated, in a more comfortable position.

Huh? Who was this nosy goody-two shoes? Tilting her head upwards more, Moe’s first instinct was to shoot a death glare and tell that person to buzz off before they got a fist sandwich. Her magenta eyes softened, however, when it turned out that it was nothing but a blondie who was even more bored than Moe. After all, you had to be either hella desperate for friends or hella bored of life if you made it a thing to pick up randoms in arcades when you couldn’t even fuck them.

Oh, no, apparently, she was just happy she ‘won’ a cute plushie that probably cost more in change and effort than it took for the store to purchase from a warehouse. Amazing, and was she trying to show off how popular she was with boys, implying that she literally had no girlfriends to hang out with? Moe snorted, before peeling her face off from the machine.

“Yeah, you look like the type to have boys all over you,” the pink-haired girl remarked flatly, “and piss off all the other girls with your popularity. Don’t care enough though. The arcade’s giving me a headache now, so why the hell not?”

Hopping off her chair, Moe brushed a few strands of hair out of her face, before a cheeky, toothy smile emerged, one fist raised up to her new acquaintance. “Name’s Yumekawa Moe. Whisk me away, sweet prince. I hope your treasury is great enough for a princess-size meal!”

Free food always served as useful bait for the carnivorous being that was Moe, especially when her parents were both Spartan niggards.

Kanbaru wasn't taken aback that the twins had an interest in her egregiously developed chest. It was a mixed bag of fortune that genetics bestowed on her, as much as her back would begrudge their existence upon her chest, and they did prove to be universally disarming in conversation. Or, to quote a homosexual she once knew in her youth, Though we may not pine for those they are attached to, everyone likes breasts.

The conversation, or perhaps it would be more aptly called a declaration of values on the part of the Reinhardt's, continued through the mall and all the way into their home where the bluenette was led to sit with a courteous smile glued to her face, nodding her head in all the appropriate places.

"You really don't need to apologize. Believe it or not, this is a fairly common thing for me, though I think you're the first in a while to outright state the maternal influence." Kanbaru said, hefting her assets to playfully punctuate the statement. "I won't begrudge you for your beliefs or actions, because at the end of the day, we all still live in a world of unlimited wants and limited resources. Whether there is DGO or not doesn't change the fact that some process will exist to sort those with initiative from those that don't. Heck, the issue I care for is that there is no further challenge afterwards to test the successful, but you're right. Let's leave the serious talk for another time."

Because if Kanbaru got in on the debate, she'd likely find all manner of reasons to take issue with the game, and she'd rather not dive into that degree of contemplation. Contrary to her counterparts before her, there was no safety net waiting for her and if Kanbaru wanted to maximize the opportunities presented to her in life, then she couldn't discredit the influence of Deep Ground out of hand.

"Anywho, on to less volatile discourse, Eins!" The bluenette whirled upon the older sister, leaning forward to affix her before Kanbaru's maternal charm. "You've only recently come to town, and considering your involvement now, I take it you are sticking around for awhile. Care to share any interesting tales from back home? I bet Eris would be interested to hear what's happened in her absence too."

It seemed an innocent enough topic, and it wasn't like anyone else had a chance to talk with the latest Reinhardt to show up at Purple Crown in all the war time drama.

@KoL

---

"This may be a university city, but standing around the park late at night is still dangerous for one's health."

Cassandra's absent minded traipsing across the city hadn't just brought her to the park, but also before a bench. And beneath this bench was a peculiar student now covered by a blanket as though he had been sleeping there. Rufus' head was turned, boring into the resolute student's visage with eyes clear despite apparently resting at the late hour.

"I mean, if you have a whole black widow thing going on and just want to lure some chumps into a clean cut case of self defense, that's one thing, but you'll catch your death from the cold if you don't at least put on a sweater. Maybe get a poofball hat, since most body heat is lost through the head anyway."

"Oh, and don't worry about me. I won't be anyone's witness, if that's what you're thinking. The Authorities are more likely to chase me for vagrancy then ask for testimony, and I'd just run for the exercise either way. Who needs a gym membership when I can call the police for free, right?"

@ReaptheMusic@Caits

To: Erika Mitsuki
From: Chiyo Kuroke

Eh? Who the hell is this? If you want an autograph, go sign up like the other losers. Otherwise, find someone else to annoy

Your Queen

Chiyo took one look at the message before immediately replying on instinct and throwing her phone away. Honestly, it was idiot after idiot who wanted to see her and make sure she was “ok”. Bullshit. She knew they just wanted to rub her condition in her face. All of them did. The great and mighty White King brought down by a few head pains. How unsightly….whatever. Maybe she would visit this Erika chick later since she was already pissed off enough.

As for the rest of the Kings, they were scattered out and about. Michael had logged off the game once Azga was gone, wondering where Erika went. Figuring she went home, he too departed the school to mull over the day’s events though he knew damn well something was going on. The left over scrunchie laying in his palm was evidence of that, and only made him more suspicious of the recent events...and all the more worried for Erika. He would need to contact the Blue King immediately. Speaking of which, Bel continued to be led away by Yuuno, the sound of squelching footsteps getting louder when none other than Alex caught up to them.

Eyes blinking, she stared at the boy for a moment or two before slowly grinning. “Thanks Jukey! See “You Know” what I tell you? He really does have a big dumb heart :3” Bel said, sliding into the jacket. It made her slightly warmer, which was still better than a few seconds ago. Entering the Student Council room however made her grin drop a few degrees. It was a reminder as to what had just transpired.

When Yuuno brought in the change of clothes, Bel followed her, but not without a parting wink to Alex. A few warm garments, some snacks, and Yuuno’s explanation later gave Bel plenty of time to think things through. So the Blue City had fallen then? They needed to contact the Red King as soon as possible to discuss a counter plan.

“You should probably check on your cousin as soon as possible “You Know”. I get the feeling she’s not in the mood to talk to me after…well…I guess I kind of went crazy and tried to attack her ;3” Bel said. It was awkward trying to put it to words without feeling guilty and she wasn’t quite sure how it had happened herself. Perhaps Alex could fill them both in as a witness.

Nearby their position were the likes of Masae and Aderyn freshly out and about enjoying their lovely, sappy, yuri get together. It seems some people could indeed find solace in these dark and troubled times. Whether or not they were running from responsibilities or just trying to relax….was really not the concern of a certain shark-toothed blonde.

Having left Rufus to his ductaped position on the school toilet, Dana really had nothing else better to do. Oh sure, she should probably check in with Yoshino’s mom or something, but she could probably make it back in time for dinner. Probably. And speaking of dinner, she just so happened to be listening to mention of a ramen shop. Out of pure luck. And coincidence.

“Whoah, whoah, did someone say free ramen?” she said loudly, rushing over to walk beside Aderyn. Where she had been hiding all this time was…actually, did anyone honestly care? Probably not. “Hey, hey, you wouldn’t let a poor and broke student go without food, right, right? How about I pay you back too. Free of charge, oh ho!” Dana said, eyeing whichever girl looked like they would yield to her intentions first.

---

---

Erika padded her way from the train station, heading to the park. After not too long, she slowed to a walk, then as she approached the perimeter gates giving way to the park, she stopped. Her hands clasped together in front of her chest like she were praying as a deep sigh pulled itself up from inside of her. Briefly she contemplated if she should call Michael and say things to him that she really wanted to but if she did that now, it might give him trouble later on. As she considered this, she heard a chime from her phone, signifying she'd received an email. For now though, she ignored it. Erika would rather focus on preparing herself mentally for her task at hand.

Alright.

She lifted her head up and straightened her shoulders. She'd dedicated herself to this. With a small, albeit nervous smile on her lips, she turned the corner into the park. Her smile almost immediately dropped. Oh, great, people here at night. And one of them was homeless, judging by the blanket. Erika looked over her shoulder, grimacing. What if something really suspicious was already going on here? Well, then again, considering what she was up to herself, maybe she was in good company. As she made her way towards them, she slowly realized that she'd seen both of them before at Purple Crown Academy and struggled to find their names.

The black haired boy with the long hair looking a bit like a stray cat on his park bench's identity completely eluded her. She'd seen him around with the other students just hanging around, he reminded her of the kind of people her brother would prefer to hang out with, but she'd never seen him in class or anything. As for the girl with the red hair she was... she was... Erika squinted in thought. Cassandra, that was the name. She thought, anyway. Maybe Erika should just wait near the entrance, her steps pausing mid-stride.

She swiveled her body around, taking a look at the park as best as she could from her point of view. Other than the two meeting at the park bench, it didn't seem like anyone else was around. It was a bad idea, but Erika just had to know. She stepped toward the two at the bench, her fingers playing with the leather strap of her purse around her shoulder.

"Excuse me," Erika stepped up to them, pushing her dark curls out of her face. "You both attend Purple Crown, right? Have you seen um--" She only barely stopped herself from saying the White King's name. She hesitated, then began again. "You wouldn't have happened to see any of the other students from our school here, have you?"

Masae Kanegawa

Walking along towards the ramen shop, Masae held on tightly to the plushie that Aderyn had given her. She did not want to lose it or let it get dirty by accidentally dropping it after all. The night was descending now as they emerged out of the school but it wasn't that bad. You could barely even tell that a war was going on in the digital world. Which was probably for the best really. It meant that Aderyn would have to focus on it less.

However Masae did not let their walk be in silence as they proceeded along at a slightly slower pace to accommodate for her roommate having to use crutches to get along. At least it was a pretty good night out without rain or inclement weather, so they could take their time. She thought for a few moments before shifting to another topic. One that would probably be a bit more fun. "Hm...Actually, I hear that a new movie came out recently based on some old video game. I think it was called 'Tiberium Wars' or something like that. I was planning to go see it sometime, if you'd like to come along too."

Before she could go on though she found herself interrupted by someone coming up from behind them without warning. An eyebrow rose in confusion as the blond haired girl seemed to latch on to the promise of free food, going on about how broke she was or something like that. Which was unusual, since as far as Masae knew most of the students who attended the Academy weren't exactly on the far side of the income scale. She didn't look familiar either, but given how big Purple Crown was that was hardly unusual.

Well, she wouldn't reject it out of hand. They could always just give her some money to buy her own food if they wanted. "Pardon my asking, but how are you planning to pay us back when you just said you don't have any money?" What, was she going to give them something in DGO instead? That said, she waited to see what the stranger would have to say to that.

@TheWindel@Mega Birb

Carnel sighed as he thought back to the recent events in DGO, particularly the encounter he had with Eclipse Princess. The more he did so, the more he felt unsatisfied about it. Not about the fact that it got interrupted early on, but by how powerful she seemed to him. It was more than just the level and equipment quality difference; she most likely had more experience in PVP combat than he did as well. If he were to face her again, Carnel doubted he would have come out on top. It was a depressing thought, really, but that was reality. He was weak. Of course, he would need to get stronger, and he undoubtedly would, but would it be fast enough? Would he make it before he reached 18 and got removed from Deep Ground?

If he went by along his current pace, chances were that he probably wouldn't. The time he was spending in the Bruisers was fun, and at times even insightful in doing business, but he was not making fast enough progress. Levels were coming slow, and he doubted he had enough resources for trading for useful equipment.

Carnel sighed again. DGO was down for maintenance right now, so there wasn't much he could right now to help his character. He needed to experience real life as well, anyway. Getting dressed in proper outdoor clothing, Carnel stepped out of his room to get some fresh air. As he walked, he called his part-time job for any work he could help with. After a short discussion, however, it was clear that he would have to just have to wait until his next shift. That too was disappointing, but it was not unexpected. He briefly wondered what he would do with the free time he had, then decided to wander around for the time being. Perhaps inspiration would strike him somewhere.

Walking along a path, Carnel closed his eyes, letting the sun warm him up. It was quite relaxing, being able to clear his mind a bit. It almost made him forget about his troubles. Walking into someone, however, quickly jarred him from his thoughts. After stumbling a step back, Carnel moved closer and said to the girl, "Apologies for that, I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you alright?"

@Caits

After his defeat at the hands of Burning Blossom and the temporary shut down of DGO, Angus stayed back with a few other students to help clean up after the festival. The sudden attacks had forced to people to drop what they were doing to log in, and as a result there was a ton of half eaten food and other litter surrounding the abandoned booths. Seeing a place where everyone was together having fun now in such a ruined and empty state, it was almost a perfect reflection of DGO’s current state. A state he helped put it in.

Quietly working, Angus couldn’t help but wonder, was it really all worth it? Sure a united DGO would be great, but the guilds had gotten along just fine before. Was there really a reason they all had to join into one? And even if there was would Chiyo be the right leader? Angus had only negative feelings towards her and many others shared those views. But Kenji seemed to think it was smart to align under her, and Angus had never doubted him in the past.

As he was dumping a pile of discarded cups and snacks into the trash, he noticed a couple exiting the school. He immediately recognized one of them from the dunk tank, although now she was sporting a pair of crutches while the other one was holding the bear she had won. The sight brought a smile to the scot’s face as he watched the two discuss plans for ramen and maybe a movie. The fact that those two were able to carry on and be happy despite all that happened was-

“Whoah, whoah, did someone say free ramen?”

OH SHIT IT’S TRASH GIRL!

Without a second thought Angus dropped to the ground and put his back to trash can in front of him desperately trying to hid from the shark toothed drink thief. If she was here then her other strange companion couldn’t be far. How did he keep running into these guys? Angus only hoped he was quick enough to avoid being seen by either of them.

@TheWindel@Flamelord@Mega Birb

Alex mumbled a ‘thanks’ at Bel’s comment about a big dumb heart before he followed along silently, well apart from the echoing squelching steps of his damp shoes. Arriving outside the Student Council room, Alex moved to follow the girls in, but stopped abruptly at Yuuno’s reminder that Bel was going to have to change… then Bel winked as she passed throwing his thoughts into all sorts of chaos Why did I try to go in? I knew Bel would have to get changed and, well she's a girl. Was she playing with me with the wink? Well, I’m glad Bel’s all teasing again. Also Bel seemed to appreciate my coat… How long do I wait? Should I knock? Do girls take longer to change? They won’t just leave me out here rig-.

Yuuno letting him in, Alex’s eyes passed over the Student Council room, not really knowing where to sit, or even if he should. The third cup of tea however solved that issue for him and after waiting for Yuuno and Bel to take their seats and claim their cups, he followed suit claiming an empty chair, nodding a little too quickly at Yuuno’s assertion that everything seemed to be going a little bit wrong.

Yuuno’s status report to Bel stopped Alex from reaching for a rice cracker. Squirming in his seat, legs crossing and uncrossing, hands cradling his cup of tea, Alex took a small sip. Burning his tongue, Alex bit the inside of his cheek to hold in the yelp his face contorting into a wince, appropriately timed with Yuuno’s unfortunate update to Bel that he admittedly only half listened to as wars were usually above his pay grade. Especially since he didn’t have a pay grade. This left Yuuno’s query about his identity to catch him off guard.

“Oh? Me? I’m Alex. Alex Coleman. I’m Bel’s… friend? I hope anyway. It’d be rather embarrassing if we weren’t friends.” Pausing for thought, Alex recalled his speech he made to the crazy Bel about friends as his face turned a shade crimson

“Well, maybe we’re not? I said some mean things to you, Bel, when you told me to choke the girl next to the Prez. Well, not you Bel… the not you that got very upset at me before leaving your head. And I woke up all bruised today, so maybe the other you just doesn’t like me. But yeah. "You" dragged me backstage and wanted to interfere with whatever the Prez and the other girl were doing. Choking, specifically. I wasn't okay with that and it looks like you're not okay with it either, so that's good.” reaching for a rice cracker, Alex sat there looking between Yuuno and Bel.

"So... is Bel still the Blue King? You can't login, does that mean someone else is Blue King now? Or does the Blue King not exist anymore since you can't... pass it on? How does this work?"

@TheWindel@KoL

Cassandra looked up at the sound of a voice, seeming to be a little perplexed for the moment, before she gave a small smile, one corner of her mouth twitching up, and she said, with that random confidence that seemed to strike rarely "you could consider breathing dangerous for ones health as well, and yet we all do that. If you went around scared of your own shadow, what will you ever accomplish? Sometimes...the greatest thing we can do is face fear" although Cassandra herself hadn't even considered the late hour, such had been her inner turmoil. She gave a laugh and shook her head.

"I don't think you could find someone further away from being a black widow then me. No, I was just out walking. Didn't realize I'd gone so far" she said quite truthfully, taking a moment to study the person addressing her. Had they been sleeping there? It seemed strange, but then...it wasn't really the strangest thing she'd ever seen. "I don't have a poofball hat" if she was going to be entirely true, she didn't really have a sweater either. She'd left her jacket on her desk, hadn't given it a thought. She gave a shrug. "thank you for your concern, I don't really plan on getting attacked. But what about you? Sleeping out here?" Cassandra couldn't seem to help herself, concern entering her voice, as she watched him.

She glanced over as Erika approached, giving her a kind smile, rocking back on her heels. The smile soon faded a Erika's question "yes, I go to the academy and no, I haven't seen anyone else around. Bit hard to tell you, if you want give us their names, we could help" she said, of would have. Her sentence was cut sure on "names" as someone crashed into her, sending stumbling back from her standing position, she just barely managed to keep from falling on her backside, and looked to the boy that had crashed into her. "I'm fine, thank you. It's alright"

@Scarifar@ReaptheMusic@Lonewolf685

After the servers of DGO went offline for the third time that week, Aaron had been awoken from his digital adventure back to the Red City's sanctuary in a rather rude fashion. On the plus side, however, there was still enough light out for him to go out and do something with the now free time he had. The American slowly rose out of his bed while stretching, and made his way to the bathroom. The last shower he had taken had been that morning, and while he hadn't done much strenuous work for the day, he was pretty sure you could smell him if you were in close enough range. And so he stripped down and stepped into his shower, washing away the actions of the day the best he could.

A short amount of time later, he was out and dressed in his usual peacoat, scarf, and jeans. He gave himself a quick check in the mirror before heading out, locking the door to his dorm behind him while he typed out a message to Emma.

To: Emma Fujioka

From: Aaron Fletcher

Subject: You Free?

Message: Hey, I'm heading down to the park since Deep Ground's down again. I'm gonna stop by the cafe first, let me know if you want something while I'm there.

With the invitation sent, Aaron started to descend the flights of stairs that would eventually lead him down to the lobby of Purple Crown's dormitories. At the landing, he casually strode his way out into the cool Autumn night with his hands in his pockets, leaving him to his thoughts. For one reason or another, he started comparing the culture of his home to the culture he lived in now.

Most obviously was the food, America was still all about convenience, and some of that had spilled over into Japan at this point, but there was a lot that was still original in this ancient land. Seafood, for example, was done a million times better over here than in the States, were it cost a small fortune to get fish that wasn't deep fried. In this foreign land, it was everywhere and didn't break the bank to get some. That was just one of the pros of seeing the world, it seemed.

It took a little while to cross the campus to Purple Crown's semi-famous cafe, and the sun was setting quite slowly on that cool Autumn evening. The American couldn't help but smirk at the shenanigans Emma would probably try to get away with in a park in relative darkness, though it was wiped from his face as quickly as it came as he moved off to the side and awaited a reply from his girlfriend.

---

---

With Deep Ground now offline, Jiro had little to do besides wake up in the dressing room behind Purple Crown's auditorium. He got up from his slumped-forward position beside a table and stretched, back arching in the movement and legs extending so he stood on his toes. A short moment later, he dropped back to his normal height and shook the numbness out of his arms. He turned his head far to the left until he felt a satisfying pop in his neck, then to the right for the same effect, before walking out of the room and into the deserted halls of Purple Crown. While he made his way for the exit, he sent out a mass ping to the other Strykers, specifically those he fraternized with frequently.

To: Asahi Goroshi, Shiro Kawabata, Kosuke Kimura, Akane Himura

From: Jiro Katsurou

Subject: Rape and Pillage

Message: If anyone wants to hang out for a bit, head to the arcade. If someone volunteers to let us crash at their place, I'll cook breakfast.

With that message away, he pushed open the main doors with a wave to those present at it and made his way down the street to another building, specifically the one that housed Purple Crown's Arcade.

---

---

“Whoah, whoah, did someone say free ramen?”

"Ugh, shite..." Aderyn mumbled under her breath while a shark-toothed girl made her presence known to her and Masae. She had hoped to go get dinner alone with her date, though it seemed fate had other plans. Well, so be it. The girl took a moment to turn around on her crutches before facing the shark-toothed Dana. "Well, how can you pay us back, first of all? I'd gladly pay your way if you're able to return the favor somehow." She had put on a convincing facade of pleasantry in order to avoid some incident, though one would be able to see the cracks in it if they looked hard enough.

Finn was a little bit annoyed. Fighting a tank was a once in a lifetime opportunity and it'd been spoiled by his worst enemy: crowd control. Still, he wasn't as annoyed as he could've been - the snacks had helped to calm him down. Although he wasn't particularly annoyed anymore, he was rather bored. Thomas had gone home already and the rest of his friends were cleaning up after the festival. And he was beginning to feel a bit thirsty...

Out of the corner of his eye, Finn spotted the perfect thing - A cafe. A Purple Crown professional one, to be precise, rather than the festival fare he'd been having so far. Finn entered and went to the counter, ordering a vanilla milkshake. You could always tell the quality of a cafe by the quality of their milkshakes. As Finn waited for it to be done, he spotted a vaguely familiar figure appear outside the window. Finn narrowed his eyes at the black haired figure. Aaron Fletcher, someone he vaguely knew in relation to Emma from the Newspaper club. He didn't know him particularly intimately, but he knew him enough to at least wave or say hello. Which obviously meant that he should go further.

Finn turned to the counter and asked the girl to change his order.
"Sorry, but can you give me that milkshake to go?" He asked.
A few seconds later he had his vanilla milkshake, and he walked outside to where Aaron waited. Finn crept up on the boy slowly, trying not to alert him to his presence, before suddenly jumping forward.
"Aaron, my man, my brother, my super special little guy, it's good to see ya!" Finn said, draping his unoccupied arm over the boy. "What's a stud like you doing in a place like this?"
@Mega Birb

Seeing that she was unhurt, Carnel gave off a courteous smile and responded, "That's good to see." It was then that he noticed the others around, a girl with rather frilly hair and a fellow who didn't quite seem like he belonged. Carnel wasn't sure what to make of everyone, seeing the diverse bunch, but it wasn't like there was anything bad to say about them. Addressing everyone, Carnel asked, "Am I intruding on anything? I can leave if I have to." From the way everyone looked, however, it seemed like his presence would not be unwelcome.

@Caits@ReaptheMusic@Lonewolf685

The other girl, who introduced herself as Yumekawa Moe, was a bit more aggressive than Itsuko thought at first, yet the blonde thought, “Well, why not give it a shot? What's the worse that could happen?” Though, she chose not to mind the snide remarks about her looks, it was a normal thing by now, Itsuko learned to be oblivious about it.

When asked about funds, Itsuko waved it off with a cool smile. Money wasn't really a problem for her (or ninety percent of Purple Crown's student body, for that matter), but still, she wasn't going to go out of her way to point the fact that her pockets were a bit too deep for her own good. “Don't worry 'bout that, I got it covered. Why don't we go out now, before the place closes, eh?”

“By the way, have ya heard about it?” The blonde asked as they were on their way to a certain ramen stand close to the Academy. “They say that an idol will be transferring to the Academy for a few days, I wonder who she's?”




“News from home?” Eins asked reflexively. “Well, I was at the hospital for a lot of time, so I don't know about much small talk, but, let me see...” she said nonchalantly, bringing a finger to her chin and furrowing her brow in thought. “When you think about it, Europe— no, the whole world is quite calm these days, but... Oh yeah, how could I forget!”

“There was the Oktoberfest, how silly of me to forget about it. Hehe,” Eins said while chuckling, “I was discharged just a couple days before it. It was as great as ever. In fact, I even brought you a gift, Sis. Please, wait over here for a bit,” the older Reinhardt Twin said, excusing herself before disappearing into Eris' bedroom, no doubt to fetch whatever gift she brought to her sister.

On the kitchen, right over the corner, the sound produced by Eris gasping in shock would be noticeable, even from Kanbaru's position at the living room (not that it was that far away to begin with). “Ho— how could I forget about the Oktoberfest?” Eris asked herself out loud. “The Festival was so packed that it just flew over my head. Damn, we should have done an Oktoberfest themed café, instead of a maid one. I have to make a note for next year.”

“Now that I think about it, Miss Kanbaru, do you like these kinds of festivities? If I'm not wrong one of our reports said that you were one of the few Purple Crown players logged in during the Festival. You don't strike me as the anti-social type, so... If you don't mind me asking, was there any particular reason for it?” Eris asked as she came to the living room, bringing their now hot food. All they needed to is wait until Eins came back, holding the (no doubt quirky) gift she had for her sister.





“Well, I guess this will make do,” Emma said to herself as she turned off the computer she was working in on the Newspaper Club, after the shutdown of Deep Grounds servers. For some... really timely maintenance. “Man, that was a packed day, but I guess I covered it all and still got time to kick those Cabbage Heads' ass. I guess I should go back home and get some sleep—” The redheaded continued talking to herself, as she made her way down the corridor before a message from no one but Aaron crashed her train of though. “Well, never mind that. I guess I have a sudden date with Nixon. I wonder what he's thinking, to call me to the park at such an hour? Hehehe.”

The smirk on Emma's face as she sent a simple “Get me a hot chocolate, then. With lots of cinnamon, please. I'll be at the park before you even notice. By the way, Nixon, did y'know? Looks like a super idol's gonna come to Purple Crown during a tour, they say she's also a really powerful Ivory Mask. I swear, what's up with those guys and their fanciness? It's like every celebrity around has to be on their Guild, geez!” message back to Aaron, said that she had quite a few ideas of what might come to pass on that night, though.

On her way out of the academy, Emma observed a curious scene unfold before her eyes, between a quirky trio of girl, who were being spied by a suspect looking boy. “Heya, guy,” she said, coming from behind Angus. “What's happening over there? More importantly, why is a lone guy spying on three ladies at a time like this?” The redheaded girl asked shamelessly as she gazed at Angus.





“I see,” Yuuno replied to both Maribel's and Alex's statements. “You are just a friend of Bel-sama, huh? Seems like I misunderstood the situation, then.” Given the way her words sounded introspective, it was hard to appraise what was going on Yuuno's mind. After all, that had been quite an info dump for most persons to take at once.

“I already tried to, Bel-sama, but I cannot talk with Shino,” Yuuno replied to Maribel's question about contacting Yoshino, with a visibly worried look on her face. “I'm really getting worried. I mean,” she said, turning to Alex, “you were there, weren't you? Don't you know what happened to Shino? She— she shouldn't have disappeared if what you said is true. But I can't find her anywhere.”

Yuuno took a few moments to calm herself, however, when Alex questioned Maribel if she would cease being the Blue King, Yuuno propped herself up, pushing her chair away from her with a rattling sound. “That cannot be!” She said out loud, “Bel-sama is the only Blue King I'll accept! She cannot cease to be, I refuse to believe on this!” Yuuno shouted, glaring at Alex with a vengeance.

Alex’s description of events was disturbing, especially since Bel didn’t remember it too clearly. She knew she had did something to Yoshino and what looked like Retsu Goroshi, but the extent of which was only revealed now. It only made her frown deeper as she sipped her drink, raising an eye at Alex’s question. Before she could even respond, Yuuno was already up and arms.

“Whoah, whoah, calm down you two. Sheesh, I know I’m popular but come on >:3” Bel said, placing her cup down. “That being said, you do have a point Jukey. As of now, I’m still the Blue King though word of my inability to log in isn’t public. It’s best to keep it that way, don’t you think?” Right then. The time for discussing was coming to an end; soon enough, they needed to start to taking action.

“I don’t know about Chiyo’s whole deal, but something weird is definitely going on around here. If you can, contact Retsu Goroshi, 'You Know'. Shino’s been hanging out with her a lot lately so I wonder if they’re together right now. That, and if there’s anyone who can fix my log-in problem, it’s that weirdo,” Bel said, turning to face the other two. “There’s something other than Chiyo working here and whatever it is, it’s the thing that made me crazy the last few days. We can speak with the Red King more about it once he responds to my message.”

Farther away, Dana’s reply to the questioning was a big fat grin. She didn’t expect them to actually call her out on the paying bit but that could easily be avoided. “Hey, hey, there’s no room for doubt! We students gotta stick together, right?” she said, though her red uniform sort of poked holes in that statement alone; weren’t Purple Crown’s uniforms…well, purple?

“Anywaaaaaay, I can pay you back real right and spiff. Totes yeah. I can give you free dumpster diving lessons, maybe a coupon for that smoothie place in the mall, ooh, ooh, how about a free day to spend with me! Oh ho, that’ll be fun! See, see, help a poor student out and…oh look!” Dana said, suddenly cutting her own words. She snapped her head in the direction of Angus.

How she could know he was there was a question in on itself. Though maybe she had some kind of trash can seeking ability? Probably. “Yo, Yo, look! Another poor student in dire need of sustenance too! Oh please Miss and Miss, you have to feed us. We have nothing left to live for, oh ho!” Dana said. With dramatic flair, she let her knees give out and almost stumbled, clinging to Masea as if she was a beggar.

---

Masae Kanegawa

Masae waited for the unknown girl to answer her question, one that was essentially reiterated by Aderyn as well. Her frown deepened at the same time, not exactly pleased right now. For someone claiming to be from here, she still seemed to be very suspicious. It wasn't even just the uniform, but her demeanor as a whole. So needless to say she was wary of getting scammed.

The response they eventually ended up getting put a further dampener on her beliefs, as she viewed the offers with incredulity. Dumpster diving? Spending a day with her? How were either of those things suitable payment for being bought a meal? And what sort of person would have the money to attend Purple Crown but not have enough money to buy food? She had half a mind to just walk away then, though she knew that it would not have solved the problem.

The other student hanging around was unexpected, but given that he was talking to someone else whilst pretending to hide from them, she didn't give him much attention for now. "Somehow I doubt it," she replied, shaking her head. With a sigh she reached into her pocket, fishing out a couple dollar bills. "Look, I don't know who you are but we're not treating you to a free meal with us. Take these and leave us alone." She tossed over the small handful, not much but enough to buy something off the dollar menu at a fast food place. It was an acceptable sacrifice for getting rid of the annoying girl as Masae tried to shake her loose.

@TheWindel@Mega Birb@Awesomoman64@KoL

"Oktoberfest? Ahh, that's the German festival with all the drinking and dancing. Sounds fun, though I think basing the café on it would have just attracted the wrong sort of crowd looking to get a bit too tipsy on campus." Kanbaru said with a nervous scratch of her cheek, feeling a bit self conscious about not knowing anything substantial about the event. She didn't think they'd take offense to her ignorance but she'd still make a mental note to look it up later.

"Oh, you noticed that. Nah, I'm not anti-social. It's just..." Kanbaru paused as her face scrunched up, seemingly at odds with itself to find the proper response. There'd be a great deal of answers she could give, valid through and through, but there was something in particular... "Well, I'd missed out on a lot of the big events in DGO lately. There was a lot of EXP out there for everyone but me, and I needed to make up the deficit if I wanted to be relevant. Besides, it's a good chance to network with the people who actually are too anti social to show up to festivals. When they can't blend into crowds, you'd be surprised how much easier it is to approach certain people."

"Heh, the glory of anonymity I guess. Sigh, and it looks like things turned out for the best in the end. If I wasn't online at the time and if we hadn't met each other relatively alone, we wouldn't be sitting here now. Would rather be on the side with competent company and a chance for good engagements in the future then the one that couldn't even man its own walls properly."

@KoL

---

Rufus may as well be dating the sentient love child of a shark and trash can, yet he still had to wonder what was in the drinking water to make such peculiar students. Clearly something at Purple Crown was doused with mutagenic chemicals because there can't naturally be this many fascinating people in one area naturally.

"I've been here for an hour but you lot are the first I've seen. Breathing is dangerous if you are concerned with choking on airborne pork in a food fight, but you know there have been like two stabbings this month here, right? " Students really were wrapped up in their own worlds if they didn't even have time to watch the local news while loitering in a coffee shop. "And I'm not sleeping here. This is just the best place to see the constellations. Less light pollution in a park, and I've got the Big Dipper lined up between these two slats. If I were sleeping, I'd be up in that tree to avoid stabbings."

"And the wild dogs. Surprising number of negligent pet owners just let the animals run feral in the city. And if you believe old man Igawa down by the Good Will, there's coyotes looming around the outskirts, but I'll believe that when I see the homeless roasting one over a burning barrel." The boy under the bench said, pulling out a baguette he'd purloined from the dumpster of a bakery as it dumped the days unsold product, and tore off a few bites as yet another weirdo walked in a subsequently into Cassandra.

"Nah, you aren't intruding. I think my presence derailed their black widow killings anyway. Soooo, I don't think there is enough room under this bench for everyone, but I have bread, a blanket, and there is a beautiful night sky above us." He rolled out from under the bench, bread stuffed under his arm like an umbrella while the blanket was held as though a coat, his poise paradoxically refined while still looking like a vagrant. "Who wants to see the sun rise while we're all still unplugged from silly games that allow for elementalist witch doctors with infinite powers? Oh, and I hope you don't mind my smell. Someone tried to bathe me using only a toilet, but I've long mastered the art of escaping from duct tape."

@ReaptheMusic@Caits@Scarifar

Oh, tough skin eh? Nice, nice. Moe always did like someone who could take a punch, even if it was a verbal one that was basically half a compliment as well. And, like basically everyone else that mattered in Purple Crown Academy, of course the blondie was going to have complete confidence in the depth of her coffers. “Sure sure,” Moe chimed along, following after Itsuko with her arms trailing behind her. Maybe in a duo, the juxtaposition between ‘cool’ and ‘cute’ would be enough to convince the store owner to give them discounts due to attractiveness?

Naw, perverts like that would probably already be routed out of the vicinity of Murasaki City, considering how many abnormally good looking young students there were. All of them had a screw loose, of course, but still. Attractive crazies were better than ugly crazies.

Letting out a low whistle as a particularly handsome individual walked on by, Moe blinked when Itsuko suddenly spoke up. “Sorry, what was that?” she asked, an eyebrow raised. An idol coming over for a few days? What was this, an exchange program? Or maybe…

“Wow, she one of those eternal transfer students that just float around schools beating up the student body while they have no idea how her avatar works, and then transferring again once they figure out all her tricks?”

Moe tilted her head to the side. That was pretty negative, even for her.
“Or is she just planning on making her solo debut here? Dunno who though. Maybe just some no name member from KGS116? Probably would be on tabloids if she were anyone big.”

As far as he could tell, Angus had yet to be seen by Dana or any of the other ladies. Just as he let out a small sigh thinking he had been successful, a voice sounded behind him. Completely taken by surprise Angus practically had a red exclamation appear above his head. He hadn’t been expecting some random person to see him let alone confront him about "spying". Either way he had to act fast before anyone else noticed the scene.

”Wha-? Hey! Get down will ya?” Angus whispered as he reached over to Emma’s arm and pulled her down behind the trash with him. ”I’m not spying. I’m hiding.” He motioned for her to follow as he peeked out from the side of the trash. ”See the blonde? A real loon that one. Been running into her and a friend of her’s all weekend and every time the occurrence something stranger. I assume you’re aware of what just went on in DGO, so I hope you’ll understand I’m in no mood to deal with-”

Before he could finish the words, Dana suddenly turned to Angus making direct eye contact. It was like something out of a horror movie, the way she gave a sharp maniacal upon seeing him. Panicking Angus quickly ducked back behind the trash despite the fact he knew the jig was up. ”Ah hell. She’s spotted me.”

@KoL@TheWindel@Flamelord@Mega Birb

Kosuke shuddered awake in a cold sweat. The nightmares... they'd been coming more and more frequently in recent days. It was a nightmare of one of his greatest fears, besides spaghetti; although he couldn't really say much about that situation. It was a dream of becoming a faceless salaryman and then getting drunk one night and walking into oncoming traffic and dying by getting hit by a truck full of angry seals and then somehow his blood was bolognese. He wasn't sure what part of it he feared the most.

Obviously, it was his mind projecting the worst since DGO was down for maintenance. The last time this had happened it was during his blank episode so he had no idea if he'd even slept that time. Anyway, the dream wasn't a DGO exclusive. It began with his sister, telling him what his future was going to be like if he never tried in school. That night was the first time he'd had the nightmare and it had only developed and grown stronger since then.

He got out of his bed, sunlight streaming in through the windows. So apparently he'd been sleeping for 12 hours, and his back felt it. He needed to go somewhere, preferably one with digital stimulation with optional physical activity.

"Guh, arcade it is..."

A few minutes later and he was sulking in a corner of the arcade. Well, he'd needed to go out but he never liked going out. The arcade was still okay by normal standards, but Kosuke needed to wake up some more before his mind fully registered that. He leaned against the cool metal of an arcade machine, but any observers around would say that it looked like he was trying unsuccessfully to fuse with it.

Maybe that wasn't too far from the truth. An inkling in his soul told him he might have a long day.

---