[IC] Shine City II: The Next Season

[BlackRose]

Having recovered from the mornings events Ayane had gotten herself back up out of her bed and had just been sitting on her couch playing her guitar along with whatever songs came on the radio. After a while she'd stopped playing, sighing as she lent back remembering everything and daydreaming the different scenarios of what she should of or could of done in her head before reconciling with herself that it was over and done with.

"Bored..." moaned Ayane as she looked at the masses of books she's already read at least twice over, "guess i could go see if there's a new fashion mag is out..." she hung her head at her own comment "...need money", she put her guitar down and started rummaging around the room for any money she might of left laying around "come on... just some change they ain't that expensive" after nearly knocking everything off the table in the center of her room she found a little loose change from some previous shopping venture "Sweetness!" almost singing the word as she said it. Still dressed from earlier Ayane slipped back into her shoes and headed back-out locking her door behind her as she did so, "Well my luck cant get any worse today... i hope..." briefly fearing she just jinxed herself before choosing to ignore it, Ayane continued on wandering towards Shine Junction stopping at every clothing store window along the way admiring the displays "Man that would be so awesome to own... oooh! that ones cute too!" each time she got excited about the cloths however she noticed the price ranges which promptly brought her back down to earth at each store window.

Ayane slowly made her way along the street due to her wishful window shopping when she ended up passing the arcade which had many people coming and going "too busy, bet it's totally crowded inside" she stopped to check the little change she had then looked along the street to the small shop where she was heading, when she heard a slot-machine in the arcade burst into music immediately grabbing her attention someone had won a crap ton of cash from it as they yelled "jackpot!". Ayane looked at the store in the distance then at the change in her hand again "i did say my day can't get any worse..." despite the groups of people Ayane wandered in and took a seat at one of the machines not near any of the other players, & practically threw all her change into the machine before hitting the spin button to her supprise the machine spat out five times what she had "awesome!" she paused for a moment not moving from the machine & noticing the arcade had gotten a little quieter as groups of people had wandered off elsewhere, which made her feel a little more relaxed "i guess a few more goes couldn't hurt" Ayane smiled to herself as she put more coins into the machine & kept trying her luck, completely forgetting where she was originally going or why.

[Narcotic Dollie]

Nori was still busy trying to look everywhere but Kyle when she felt him carefully place his hand on her head. The blonde peered up at him cautiously through her lashes and saw him looking down at her, a sweet little smile plastered across his face. He then gave her hair a gentle tousle before saying, "Hey, of course I still want to get nachos with you, it'd be rude of me otherwise to change plans at the last minute."

"Yeah, okay," the petite girl agreed, giving a little grin in return. She was grateful that Kyle was being so understanding, because even though she would never admit it out loud, Nori had actually been pretty lonely since her roommate moved out. "Thanks," she murmured, so quiet he might not have heard, before ducking out from under his hand and swatting at it playfully. "Alright, alright, enough with this sappy stuff. Let's go get those nachos!"

---

After a ten minute walk they finally made it to the arcade. Pushing open the door, Nori was relieved that it wasn't nearly as packed as the Mochavine. "I'll put these up after we eat," the blonde informed, leading them back to where the concession stands were. Nori placed her order for nachos and a bottle of water as she handed over her payment. The worker passed her the food and she told Kyle "I'll grab us a seat." The tattooed girl gave him a quick pat on the arm before heading over to the small section of tables and chairs set up by the window.

Nori sat down and nibbled on a chip as she waited for Kyle to join her. Her eyes lingered on the old school 'House of the Dead' machine, the blonde's hands twitching as she thought about playing it. It was her absolute favorite game in the whole building.

"So," Nori started as Kyle joined her, licking at a trail of cheese that had started to run down her hand. She really should have gotten napkins. "You were telling me what brought you to Shine City?"

@BeastofDestiny

[MyCatGinger]

"The arcade!" Shou's eyes lit up. And here, he laughed. "What all you kids nowadays do! I'm guilty of being there some myself, actually. You see, my fiancée-" he began, and a smile that previously reached his eyes got caught in his throat and his expression wavered momentarily, before he shook his head with a little chuckle and smiled back at Akane, a cocktail of thoughts and feelings in the flecks of his brown eyes.
"...I can be a sucker for the gaming tournaments there."
He paused, quickly adding, "Unfortunately, I'm not very good. There's this one kid topping all the best games there. If I ever meet them, I have to congratulate them. They go by a peculiar tag..."

As if on cue, at the very mention of Akane's success at cooking, the silver haired man heard his stomach quietly, but grumpily, rumble. "I'm sure it comes with time. I take cooking classes at the academy myself, every Sunday morning. Mrs Green runs them." he referenced the culinary department's biggest asset and a sweet old lady who loved to teach and cook so did both. "If your sweet tooth ever needs a good fix and the Mochavine is too far a reach, I'm sure she's always ready to blow your mind."

And, like clockwork (albeit very slow clockwork of a clock that took nothing short of forever to chime) finally his black coffee arrived, along with a generous slice of strawberry cheesecake. His favourite, just the way he liked it. He quietly thanked Rosanna under his breath before gently pushing the plate towards his conversational partner. "Please, Miss Takumi. I'd feel bad eating it by myself now."

And as he went to lift his coffee, he noticed some hurriedly scrawled digits on the napkin and registered them as a phone number. He was sure as hell confused, but what choice did he have? He would have to later ring up the number and ask who it might have been. And if it was not meant for him, but for Akane, that would be inherently embarrassing...
He took the napkin nonchalantly and thrust it into the pocket of his dark jeans.

"Seven cats, mmm?" a jocular smile played at the professor's lips as he lifted the steaming coffee cup to them, and pressed his lips to the hot liquid after gently blowing over the surface. It was hot and freshly brewed, just the way he liked it. He took a lengthy drag and relished the taste for every last drop of the sip he took before setting the cup down again.

If Shou Matsuoka was a machine, then coffee was his fuel. He immediately looked more alive, and less like the silver haired skeleton with the sunken eyes from earlier. He sat up in his chair and stretched out, still a little haggard definitely, but coming to life slowly.

"Cats, or any pet, are a wonderful idea. I own two dogs, actually. A German Shepherd cross and a Jack Russell. They're both charming, and have without a doubt, made me a happier man."

Maybe the coffee didn't do him what the acquisition of magical powers would have, but it certainly picked him up. Looking around the room, he begun to appreciate the little cafe more and more with each little drag of coffee he took. There were so many happy people, coming and leaving and-

Wearing the exact same hoodie as James Avery.

He only just kept from doing a double take. Yes, it was difficult and he may have been hallucinating, but the particular black hoodie was a dead giveaway. James Avery stood outside the Mochavine and probably was completely unaware his professor was inside. He was checking his phone, of course. Those kids...

His attention focused outside the window the pair were sitting by, his eyes, catlike in their nature, followed James' movements. He mumbled softly to both himself and Akane. "There's a student who can really wear out my patience sometimes, and surprise me right after. James Avery...sigh. He's got a little reputation with me, Miss Takumi. I only wish he was as conscientious as you."

Cautiously, Shou's fingers gently drummed against the glass. He would have to speak to James soon. Very, very soon.

@OppositionJ
@Cirrus
@Dynamo Frokane

[SrslyAnArtist]

Ryva Silverstone

Ryva skipped along the sidewalk happily, her one year old pup trotting besides her. She'd finally gotten to meet her favorite band, Panic! At The Disco earlier that day, and she was still thrumming from the excitement of meeting them, and getting the lead singer's cell number. And it was pure chance that she happened to do a little happy dance in front of the Mochavine after setting her guitar down, where a professor and several others crowded inside of it. She bounced on her feet, did a backflip, and then promptly did a swirl. Moose just sat and wathced his owner, content to watch her make a fool of herself.

"I met Brendon Urie," she told Moose. "And it was amazing!" She waved at the professor, blew a kiss at Rosanna. Then she kneeled and gave her pup and good scratching behind the ears. Deciding to just enjoy the sun, she sat against the front of the window and picked up her guitar. She thought fro a moment before deciding to play Panic! At The Disco song that matched her mood.



She'd forgotten to close her guitar case, so she was surprised when people tossed money into it as she walked by. Seeing as how she didn't need it, but she decided she'd put it in the tip jar for the Mochavine after she was done. She went on to play more songs, singing along as she did, and Moose just lay besides her, panting happily, wagging his tail at one young boy who stopped for a moment to pat him, before his mother dragged him away.

@MyCatGinger

[Knight of Doom]

Amaya wandered around, looking through small shops, large name brand clothing stores, and various other kinds of stores that littered Shine Junction. She held a few bags in her hand as a result of her shopping. So far the blond had gotten presents for most of her family and Rachel. She still needed that secret Santa gift, Devin's, and Professor Matsuoka's. She honestly didn't know what to get for them. Taking out a small piece of notebook paper, Amaya read over the "Likes" part. Let's see, they like fuzzy socks, sour candy, photography, chocolate (no nuts, I'm allergic :D), vintage things, and gardening. The green pen was slightly smudged at the end. The slender girl was freezing at this point so she made a quick decision. Gardening. She remembered a small floral shop on the way here, so she turned around to head towards that general direction.

After a bit of searching, Amaya found the cute shop named The Enchanted Florist. There weren't many people which made sense, but she went inside anyways. It was 10 times warmer inside which gave the freezing girl some relief. She was wearing a white turtle neck sweater with a black winter vest, however, her legs were only cover by her jeans, leaving her susceptible to biting wind that bypassed the fabric easily. Rubbing her hands together, Amaya looked around to see what they had. She was no gardening expert, but she has had her own share of failed attempts of growing some indoor plants. Those usually didn't go very well with her energetic roommate. However, before she made the attempt there was a lot of research that went into the initial stages. That, and her biology class usually helped. Speaking of biology, was Prof. Matsuoka into plants or gardening? He was a biology teacher, but that didn't necessarily mean he's into plants. Oh well, it's best to stick with what you know. She'll probably get him tea and/or coffee plus somethings for his dogs. She wandered around aimlessly, looking for something adequate for her secret Santa, yet still affordable and wouldn't bankrupt her.

[Oz]

@Daxam @Stern Algorithm

Livius grinned crookedly over at Zac. The dark-haired young man seemed to be rather amiable. Which was positive. But Livius liked to pester grouchy people as well. People who were colder tended to be snappier--therefore easier to get interesting reactions from. Friendlier folks were rarer to find in crowded cities, where everyone hustled and bustled and had somewhere to be. In an easygoing gesture, Livius leaned to place his chin onto his hands, giving Zac an intrigued gaze. Although the latter wouldn't be able to tell. Livius's eyes were mostly obscured by thick, tousled hair. The eyes weren't the window to the soul, in this case. Regardless, he figured that not introducing himself would be a rude thing to do. He found that people in Shine City tended to be friendlier than people in most other cities. It was odd, considering how utterly crowded Shine City seemed.

"I'm Livius." He quipped quickly. "You looked pretty lonely here." His tone was mildly teasing. "And I was bored. So I hope you don't mind me sitting here. I like to meet new people." With that, he gave a small yawn. "You seemed to be pretty intent on what you were reading. I hope I didn't interrupt you?" He stated, in a mildly troubled tone. It was a farce, of course. Livius had a habit of taking what he wanted. He was a thoroughly skilled liar and actor. Not many could tell when he faked his smiles and tones. People were easy to manipulate that way. It was a subtler gestures and tones that tended to really fool them. Of course, Livius wasn't someone who manipulated and lied left and right. Wasn't in his moral code. Not that he had a strict moral code he followed. As long as he didn't get caught, it was fine, right? He rarely ever broke the law, either.

Before either of them could really manage to say anything, a young, sheepish girl who worked at the cafe came up to them. Quietly, Livius watched the interaction between the two. It appeared that they had a run-in earlier. Immediately, Livius decided that he shipped them. He had recently learned that shipping meant pairing people up romantically... What a convenient code term. Maybe it was his imagination, but Livius could perhaps see a glimmer of interest within Zac. An amused grin settled on his lips as he watched the interaction between the two.

"I'll have a menu." Livius had no idea what kind of food the place served. But he wasn't a terribly picky eater. He was more interested in the little show unfolding before him. By the look on the girl's face, she didn't seem very comfortable at the moment. He wondered what type of encounter they had before. Fun, fun~ He might actually wind up sticking around.

[SkeankySnack]

His gesture seemed to work, a small smile crossing her lips and as barely audible as it was, he could almost hear a thank you coming from her lips. Then she left the vicinity of his hand, playfully pushing it out of the way. "Alright, alright, enough with this sappy stuff. Let's go get those nachos!" Kyle's smile widened at the return of her gusto and he wanted to match that energy with her, "Hell yea!"

---

It didn't take them too long to reach the arcade, Kyle had never been there before, but damn was he surprised at how big the place was. He felt like a kid in a candy shop, there were some classic games he recognized, having played them back in the states, but there were a lot of new ones he didn't and that meant a new potential game to fall in love with. So many games to play...so little time... Nori led them to a small concession area, wanting to eat before putting up more of her flyers. She ordered her food, giving him a quick pat on the arm and letting him know she'd grab a table for them.

"Sounds good," he nodded to her before turning to the person running the stand and placing his own order. As the person got Kyle's nachos ready, they inquired, "So, got a hot date at the arcade huh?"

"A hot...date?" Kyle turned to look at Nori, absentmindedly eating away at her food, she was definitely a hot something, but a date...hm...maybe that wouldn't be so bad. Kyle chuckled before returning his attention back to the vendor, "I don't know, might be."

"Might be, huh?" The person gave Kyle a cheeky grin before handing the food to him, "Well whatever it is, all the more luck to you friend."

"Thanks," Kyle took his leave, making his way over to Nori, she perked her head up, "So," she started before unceremoniously licking at a glob of cheese that was rolling its way down her hand; Kyle kept a straight face through it. You were telling me what brought you to Shine City?

As he sat down, Kyle started explaining in as serious a voice as he could muster, "Well you see, I came here originally because I heard that the hands here were really tasty, I guess I just didn't realize that you had to eat your own hand." He stared at her, his face slowly curling into a grin until it reached shit-eating level, "Is the nacho cheese optional or..?" At this point he could barely contain himself as he started laughing. It took a little bit, but by the time he calmed down he was ready to explain.

"No, no, but in all seriousness," he got in another tiny chuckle before continuing, "I actually came here to study at the University, but...after about three semesters of doing that I guess I just realized....school kind of sucks and I flunked out." He scratched at his head a little, "Probably not a good first impression, but I guess what I really wanted was to just...work, be more productive with my life, I could have gone home and back to the States, but this city kept drawing me back. I eventually found work with Mr. Hiroshi at the glasses boutique not too far from here, 'An Eye For Fashion', its great because I get to work on this trade and I get to work and learn and I think I was just getting sick of all the sitting an-"

Kyle abruptly stopped, for two reasons, the first being he felt like he was rambling on, but the second got him curious. Throughout the entirety of their conversation he couldn't help but notice that her eyes kept flicking over towards the arcade floor. Interested as to what got her attention he swiveled his head in the direction her eyes kept facing, there weren't too many people around, there was a lone girl playing slots, but other than that nothing seemed to..."Holy crap is that House of the Dead?! Wait..." Something seemed to click in his head as he turned to face Nori again, a grin wide upon his face, a probably twinkle in his eye, "You want to go kill some zombies...don't you?"

Her expression was the only answer he needed, "Alright then," Getting up from his seat, Kyle grabbed their now empty nacho platters and tossed them in the bin. He then returned to Nori and grabbed her hand, unable to contain his excitement "Come on!" He pulled her out of her seat, half-dragging her over to the machine before telling her to wait so he could grab some coins from a dispenser. Pulling out a couple of yen notes, he deposited them into the machine and in return it spat out arcade tokens, which he immediately brought over, giving half to Nori Kyle started depositing some tokens into the game. He unholstered the light gun from its station, testing out the iron sights on the fake weapon before saying, "Ready when you are."

@Narcotic Dollie

[LovelyAnastasia]

Kaori Tatsumia

@Knight of Doom

---

The door's bell rang, signaling a customer and Kaori sprang up from her stocking and pricing. Her first customer! The blonde woman who looked around the flower shop's flower already held a few bags, probably holiday gifts if Kaori had to guess. She was taller than Kaori, slender and had beautiful flowing golden hair. Yupe, she had been right. Shine City had a downtown population of entirely beautiful and unique people. Even in just a turtle neck with a vest and jeans this woman looked graceful and serene. Like one of the neo-classical paintings of an angel, but in modern clothes.

"Welcome to The Enchanted Florist!" Kaori's voice rang out warm and cheerful over the soft classical music, "Where we'll help you make the arrangement of your dreams!" She gave a small laugh, relieved that she had remembered all the words correctly. Stepping around the counter, she stood with her hand in front of her and her head tilted slightly to the side. The young redhead's spring green eyes gleamed warmly, as if it were the middle of spring and not winter. In her sunny yellow apron and in the store full of blooming plants and flowers it was an easy thing to believe.

"I'll be your personal Florist 'Fairy' today," she said with another light laugh, "My name is Kaori. How may I help you today, my lady?" Going with the theme wasn't necessary but it was a bit of fun she hoped would help ease the tension of the woman's holiday shopping.

Truthfully she felt a bit silly saying such things, but it was the holidays and if it took something that made her sound silly to help brighten her customer's spirits, then she was willing to do it. Tomorrow was Sunday. She'd have her music lessons for a good portion of the day. Then Monday was classes. Most would think she worked far to much, but Kaori understood why she had to do it. Her parents wanted her to follow her dream of being a musician and she wanted to ease the financial burden such love like that had placed on the family. Music lessons and musical instrument upkeep wasn't cheap.

Working was rather fun anyway. Helping people, showing them new things, helping them understand more about the things they already liked... That was the great thing about working in a place like the Enchanted Florist. The young girl smiled brightly. Yes, and she also got to meet so many kinds of shining people. Just like the one in front of her. Today really was turning out to be a remarkably wonderful day.

[Narcotic Dollie]

"Well you see, I came here originally because I heard that the hands here were really tasty, I guess I just didn't realize that you had to eat your own hand."

Nori tilted her head and quirked a brow, not quite grasping fully what he was talking about at first. ’He wants to…eat hands? Like, he’s a cannibal? Jesus Christ, is he EATING people!?’ The blonde swallowed thickly, almost choking on her nachos, and tried to nonchalantly take a sip of her water. ’Be cool Nori, you’re gonna be alright. You’re in a public, well-lit place; surely he isn’t planning on murdering you here. Maybe it’s an American thing? Or it got lost in translation? Or maybe HE-REALLY-EATS-HANDS-OH-SWEET-LUCIFER-I’M-TOO-YOUNG-TO-DIE-WHY-DIDN’T-I-LISTEN-TO-MY-MOTHER-SHE-TOLD-ME-NOT-TO-TALK-TO-STRANGERS-AND-NOW-HES-GOING-TO-EAT-MY-FLESH-STRANGER-DANGER-IS-REAL-PEOPLE—‘

"Is the nacho cheese optional or..?" Kyle cut her slightly psychotic mental rant short, laughing with a big, goofy grin plastered all over his face. Nori chewed at her bottom lip for a moment before she finally understood that he was teasing her and then she laughed too, partly because it was actually quite funny, but also because she was genuinely relieved he wasn’t going to pan-fry her hands in a cream sauce and have them with a nice glass of wine.

Kyle then told her about how he traveled abroad for higher education, but apparently he hadn’t felt like he was cut out for university. The blue eyed boy stopped to scratch his arm here, a nervous trait they both shared it seemed, and Nori hooked one of her feet together with his in a show of support. He continued on about his job at the glasses shop in town, and Nori was paying attention, honest, but she felt her gaze being pulled to the House of the Dead because she needed to play it…

"You want to go kill some zombies...don't you?" Kyle asked suddenly and Nori flushed, knowing that she had been caught. He didn’t seem mad though, so the DJ nodded and flashed him a sheepish smile. “Alright then,” he said, pushing back from the table and for one disheartening moment Nori thought he was going to walk out on her, but then he tossed their trash, came back, and took her hand in his. "Come on!" he exclaimed, pulling her over to the machine and then leaving her there for a moment so he could go get tokens.

As Nori waited for him to return, she noticed a pretty girl with black hair cut into a feathered style sitting at one of the slot machines. Nori leaned over and told her excitedly, “We’re about to murder all these zombies.” When Kyle came back the golden eyed girl accepted her tokens and slid a few in the slot, before straightening back up. "Ready when you are,” the other youth declared, to which Nori replied by firing at the screen, effectively starting the game.

They proceeded through the first level with minimal life loss, because they were badass like that, but by the time they had started the second level Nori felt like they needed to up the stakes a little. “Wanna make a bet?” she asked while firing the gun off screen to reload the cartridge, murmuring a quick, “Thanks” as Kyle took out an undead who tried to rip her face off while she was distracted. “Whoever makes it to the end with the least amount of civilian casualties and the most amount of points and tokens wins,” she explained, gut shooting a spider zombie that had flung itself down from the roof by Kyle’s character’s head. “If I win, you have to come see me during one of my sets at Club LUSH. And if you win…” she trailed off, screwing up her nose while she tried to concentrate on two things at once. “…I’ll give you something sweet,” she added ambiguously, waggling her eyebrows provocatively, even though she was pretty sure he was too busy to see it.

“Do we have a bet, cowboy?”

@BeastofDestiny
@BlackRose

[Stern Algorithm]

"I have an idea of what I want, but I don't suppose a menu could hurt," Zac says, smiling as he turns to look at the waitress. When he looks at the girl, his brow furrows before he realizes why she looked familiar. "Oh, hey!" he says with a grin. "I didn't know you worked here." Holding his hand up to the girl, he says, "I'm Zac. You ran off before I could introduce myself."

@Daxam

Shizuka closed her eyes for a few moments in disappointment; in her fluster, she had forgotten to give her name immediately after welcoming them to the cafe, a staple of her job as a waitress. "Sh-Shizuka..." she replied, returning his handshake somewhat awkwardly while holding her platter close to her chest with her other arm; in a way it felt like a shield in this slightly uncomfortable situation. Her mind was going a hundred miles a minute; Zac claimed he didn't know she worked here; does that mean he didn't actually follow her here from the park, or was he lying for some reason? After her embarrassment, Shizuka wondered if he was just here to play a prank on her. Shizuka wasn't normally this suspicious though, and tried to calm down and give Zac the benefit of the doubt. "Yes, I work here, I...I wouldn't be wearing this outfit otherwise..." Shizuka responded. She didn't dislike her uniform and hoped her statement didn't sound too critical of it, but she wanted to explain herself and not be remembered as some wierdo who would go out in public in such an attention-grabbing way.

"I'll have a menu." Livius had no idea what kind of food the place served. But he wasn't a terribly picky eater. He was more interested in the little show unfolding before him. By the look on the girl's face, she didn't seem very comfortable at the moment. He wondered what type of encounter they had before. Fun, fun~ He might actually wind up sticking around.

@Oz

"H-here you go," Shizuka said while handing menus to both of them. "I recommend the parfaits, though if you want something lighter, we have traditional French pastries, like eclairs and cream puffs," she suggested. Shizuka eyed the other man, wondering whether he was really just here for some food. It didn't seem like these two knew each other so it was strange for him to sit down next to Zac. She tried not to make too much small talk with Zac about what happened at the park because giving extra attention to one patron was an almost guaranteed way to piss off the other patron(s) at a table.

[Delta44]

Once again Yutaro gets the sweet satisfaction of Ryoki's feminine grace as her hand gently gazes over his as she takes his business card. For a moment, she looks pleased with herself, as though proud, though this reverts back to her laid back nature within a moment. She smiles at him cheeky-wickedly, as though she had just pulled some sort of joke and was rubbing it in. "Ahah! Now why would I do something like that when I could have you all to myself, hmm?" She asks with an almost impossibly natural wink as a young lady, one Ryoki recognised as a worker here, passed them by. Ryoki took this as her signal to leave, finishing the remainder of her coffee like a shot of scotch.

Setting the cup gently on to the bar, she stands and tucks the business card into her breast pocket, giving it a quick glance to affirm her suspicions. "I think it's about time I took my leave. Sorry to be leaving so soon, honey, but there are still things I need to do today and I just can't afford to sit here and chat all day. That being said, most days of the week I'm free, and I actually frequent the casino you just so happen to work at, so I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other soon." She says in that playful teasing sort of way as she tucks in the bar stool in which she was seated, leaving a healthy tip on the bar as a friendly gesture to Mochavine's staff. "Thank you for listening."

She debated with herself mentally for a second whether or not she would give him a goodbye blow kiss, but felt that might be pushing her boundaries a bit to far (should she not have already passed them...). So with those parting words, Ryoki bids Yutaro farewell, signing off with a gentle wave as she made her way out of Mochavine and back into the city streets.

'Well, he certainly was interesting... I wonder: when will we meet again, Yutaro Otamura?

---

Now out and about on the busy Shine City streets, Ryoki made mental note of all the things she had left to do before nightfall. First off, she had to get something for her parents. After all, their anniversary is just around the corner, so she figured why not get them both something special as a sort of "Thank you" present? Of course, in Shine City, there wasn't much that came to mind save a vacation or a free pass to the pool... Wait a minute... what's that smell...?

"!!!"

At that moment, it hit her: flowers! What simpler and more dignified gift to get two loving parents than the best flowers she could afford? It was excellent! The idea was flawless- no, perfect, even! And the number one flower shop in Shine City was, without a doubt, The Enchanted Florist. With that, Ryoki begins her trek towards the flower shop, still lost in thought as to what else she was going to do today.

[Daxam]

Hearing the girl--Shizuka, Zac reminds himself--comment that she did, in fact, work there and wouldn't be wearing the maid outfit if she didn't, laughs and says, "I thought it looked familiar! I'd have known right away, had I been here before." Opening the menu, he says, "Honestly, if it weren't for my poor sense of direction, I doubt I'd have even found this place. Luck sure has a way of working, doesn't it?"

Taking a moment to look from his menu to Livius, Zac adds, "Oh, and it's nice to meet you, Livius. You probably already know, but my name's Zac. It's nice to meet you. And don't worry about that notebook, I was just making some notes on a sort of project I'm doing. Hopefully, it'll land me a job so I don't have to leave sooner than I want to."

After a few moments, he decides to take Shizuka up on her suggestion, saying, "I think I'll try that parfait you mentioned. As for the flavor, go ahead and surprise me." Handing the menu back to her, he gives her a friendly smile and says, "You might wanna get used to seeing me, here, especially if this parfait's as good as I'm hoping." Assuming I don't get lost trying to get back here! he adds silently.

@Oz@Stern Algorithm

[SkeankySnack]

Nori fired her gun at the screen, starting the game, the heroes make their cinematic entrance and the action begins immediately. The first area was always the easiest, just a way to give the player a feel for the game, for Kyle and probably Nori though, this was just a refresher course. By the time they reached the second level, she had given him a proposition that he just couldn't refuse and his lips curled up into a devilish grin, a competitive spirit fired within him. He wasn't sure exactly what this 'something sweet' was, but from the tone of her voice, his mind could only imagine and that served only to embolden his resolve.

"Do we have a bet cowboy?"

"I think we do, but riddle me this first," In quick succession he popped off three head shots in a row on a small group of zombies approaching them, "Is it going to suck more if I win or if you lose?"

Kyle was being a bit cheeky, but it was to keep the competitive fires in both of them going, he had a feeling she'd get amp'd up from his trash talk considering she started the challenge. Besides, if he was going to be earning something sweet in the end, he wanted to EARN IT and the only way he was going to do that was if she was playing her best too. The race was on for the most points and the most lives saved, out of all his gaming experience, first person shooters came to him the easiest, the added benefit of the gun's heft in his hand only served to improve his skills. Games like this required quick reaction times and a quick trigger, not too quick as that could end an innocent's life.

The two of them were able to navigate the second level fairly easily as well, the hanged man taking a decent toll on their life before they progressed onward to level 3. Things here were starting to get tricky, Kyle having to focus on the enemies, the innocents, and SO MANY FLYING AXES, WHAT THE SHIT?! Nori probably wouldn't have noticed, she'd be too distracted by the game, but a little tic had sprung out of Kyle, he had this consistent habit of being so into a game, that his mouth would hang open slightly, his jaw would pop open and close with every shot he'd made. Sometimes people noticed, sometimes he'd get a little embarrassed about it, but right now he barely noticed it, right now there was the game and the girl.

By the time they had made it to the end of the third level and it's boss, they had reclaimed some of their lost health back from the civilians they saved. Looking up at the score, the points were fairly close to one another, exactly what he wanted and now, he REALLY wanted to win. Unfortunately, neither of them were going to win the game as the boss thoroughly wrecked them into the ground. Sighing comfortably in their inevitable defeat he holstered the light gun back, waiting for the score board to come up. The final tally showed they both had collected an equal amount of tokens and had the same amount of civilian casualties, when it came to the score though, Kyle came out on top. If Kyle had to guess, the amount of flying axes he shot out of the air might have tipped the scales to his advantage, but he was damn impressed at how well Nori had played. Even more important though he just had a ton a fun with another person, it was an extremely refreshing change of pace for him.

He turned to face Nori, a smile on his face like he'd just had the time of his life, words failed him as emotion and energy took over, "Man that was so awesome! I did so awesome and you did so awesome! That was just... Awesome! And totally amazing dude!" He raised his hand up to high five her, lost in the feeling and completely forgetting he'd just won a bet against her.

@Narcotic Dollie

[Oz]

Livius was someone who was thoroughly fascinated with human relationships. Watching the one-sided tension between Shizuka and Zac was pretty amusing overall. He would say something to the girl but he did't want to act out of line. Yet. He was so excited about finding a new friend, that he hardly browsed the menu! Livius was an odd young man--who could turn from a salacious miscreant to an innocent, excited child within a moment's notice. The complexity of his thoughts could go from solving "e=mc2" to "Wow! I want a cookie!" within two seconds. He turned to Shizuka, eyeing her eagerly as he spoke.

"I'll have... two cups of coffee! Extra black! Extra bitter! Aaaand... four eclairs!" He stated giddily, handing the menu back to Shizuka. Four eclairs, while being an immense amount that no person should ingest in one sitting, made Livius happy. Dietary health could be damned, only for one, short meal. These days, most of Livius's meals consisted of the four food groups: pastries, ice cream, cake, and cookies. It was an absolute wonder he stayed alive. However, the amount of exercise he got was more then enough to keep himself fit. Zac sure seemed to be a cheery fellow who never missed a beat. Livius would have fun seeing how far that attitude could go. "Project?" He quipped excitedly. "Engineering? Painting? A plan to assassinate the mayor? Baking?" The small tidbit about the mayor was slipped into his prodding questions easily, slyly. Livius quite enjoyed seeing how many funny reactions he could pull from people.

"Ahh, this place is so nice!" Livius flopped backwards in his seat. "I'm a pastry chef at the Tiny Snowflake. And a pretty good one!" He added on. "Although... I wonder if this place pays more." He then gave a short chuckle. "If the boss saw me down here, he'd be sure to strange me!" Strangely, he sounded excited about that. "Aaanyways, less about me, more about you." Livius was a person who moved quickly, in all senses. His emotions, his gestures, and what he spoke about all shifted incredibly rapidly. It wasn't unusual for others to have trouble keeping up with his antsy, active attitude. "I feel like I recognize you. From somewhere. Maybe I've seen you around?" Livius seemed momentarily puzzled by the thought.
@Daxam
@Stern Algorithm

[Knight of Doom]

As Amaya looked around, she noticed a lot of flowers and bouquets set up in nice arrangements. Most stores like these had some tools for maintaining flowers and such, however, what if she was wrong? The brown eyed girl wanted to get all her christmas shopping done today, so she didn't have to worry about it. However, there was only so much time in a day. Plus, she still hadn't had lunch, yet. A familiar tightening in her stomach had reminded her.

"Welcome to The Enchanted Florist! Where we'll help you make the arrangement of your dreams!"
A cheerful voice piped up from the back of the store. Amaya looked up to she a cute redhead with shining eyes. The older girl couldn't keep a smile off of her face as the next cheesy line came from the brightly dressed employee. "I'll be your personal Florist 'Fairy' today, My name is Kaori. How may I help you today, my lady?" Amaya giggled at her words.

Honestly, she was surprised that such a cute shop has adorable employees as well. She should definitely come here more often. Especially since the customer service was good as well.

Her first instinct was to decline, but she stopped herself before the wrong words came out of her mouth. Amaya nibbled on her lower lip for a brief moment before giving in and asking for help. "Ah, actually I'm looking for a present to give to a friend. She's very much into gardening, and I was wondering what to get her." The blond girl responded, making her way towards the counter, a bit uncertainly.

@LovelyAnastasia

[Takashi]

Aww, was it time for her to say goodbye already? Yutaro felt like he could chat and flirt with Ryoki all day. It was a cruel woman who tantalized a man like that with allusions to things that could be, only to walk away with all the power in her hands. Indeed, Ryoki had gotten the better end of the exchange, obtaining two means of contacting him should she have such a whim. Yutaro would simply have to wait, or else pace in front of Mochavine like an abandoned mutt waiting for her to come back for either coffee or a performance. For the first time in a long time, he felt out of his element; Yutaro was used to being the one making all the moves and more or less being in control of his relationships. However, there was something exciting about having that control taken away from him, or rather never given to him in the first place. You're setting yourself up for heartbreak with this one, said a voice in the back of his head, which Yutaro promptly silenced.

As Ryoki got up to leave, Yutaro rewarded her for the fun chat by putting on his most charming smile. "Alright," he said in a bright voice reflecting only the joy of having met her and not the disappointment of her departure. "I'll see you around then." At this point he would normally tell girls he liked not to be shy, but he didn't think Ryoki would have that problem. He felt like he made it pretty obvious that he was in to her, and any more would just make him look desperate. He returned her wave and relished in the sight of her bewitching stride as she walked out the door. He took the last sip of his coffee as well, but decided to wait a bit before departing himself. He was probably overthinking it, but he didn't want to seem like a stalker, leaving right after she did. Besides, there was still one other manner to attend to...

His gaze flicked briefly over to Rosanna, who was still busy taking orders and working the register, and then back down to the napkin. Oh, what a mean idea it was that somehow barged into his chivalrous mind... but seeing as how Rosanna probably had no shame in flirting with five guys at once, perhaps it was fitting. Stealthily, Yutaro unfolded the napkin once again, and did something with the number that few people dared to do these days: he memorized it. Then, he got up out of his seat and headed over to the garbage pail near the exit, waiting for Rosanna's eyes to fall on him. He made sure she was looking, but broke eye contact immediately to make sure she didn't realize that he was even aware of her. Let her think that he was still on cloud nine after making a beautiful new friend. He dabbed his lip with the napkin one more time, crumpled it up before Rosanna's eyes, and tossed it in the wastebasket. It was definitely out of character for him to do something so mean, but in the game of love, the winners were those who stood out. Who would Rosanna remember, the five guys who kept her napkin scribbles as a sacred treasure, or the one guy who tossed it away?

@Delta44 @Dynamo Frokane

[Narcotic Dollie]

"I think we do, but riddle me this first," Kyle started, cheesy 90's style, pixelated gore flying everywhere as he took the heads off of three uglies. "Is it going to suck more if I win or if you lose?"

"You're awful cocky," Nori pointed out, lips twitching up into a small smile as she saved one of the scientists from being eaten alive. "But the real question is, do you have the skills to back it up? Because I was born with an arcade pistol in my hand!"

---

The score was basically tied by the time they finished the third level, with Kyle in the lead by just a few points, but Nori didn't like those odds. Not at all. She needed to win and she wasn't above playing dirty to do it.

It was time to call upon the power of the twins.

"It's a little warm in here," Nori complained, making a big show of fanning herself while giving Kyle the side eye. He seemed thoroughly absorbed in the between level cutscene, but the blonde was pretty sure she would have his attention in a second. "I'm just going to take off my sweater," Nori hummed innocently, peeling her sweater over her head to reveal the flimsy white tank top underneath. "That's sooo much better," the florist sighed in an over the top sort of way, making a big show of stretching her arms over her head and pushing her chest out a little more than strictly necessary, because, you know, reasons. 'Lets see him focus now,' the blonde thought gleefully, golden eyes darting over to find...

...Kyle still completely enraptured in the cutscene.

'Oh,' Nori thought, glancing down at her chest and frowning. The DJ didn't have the biggest game in town, true, but that plan typically had a 100% success rate, and now that it had failed she wasn't sure how to proceed. 'You let me down, ladies,' she thought sadly, shaking her head and picking up her gun right as the level started.

In the end they both ran out of tokens and had the same number of casualties, so Kyle's higher score put him out a head. "Man that was so awesome! I did so awesome, you did so awesome! That was just... Awesome! And totally amazing, dude!" The American exclaimed, holding his hand up for a high five. Nori accepted it with a smile because he really had earned it with all those head shots. She was pretty sure the other youth had been a sniper in his previous life.

"It was fun. You can be my player 2 any time," Nori answered with a wink. The tattooed girl bent down to pick up her purse and fished through it for a moment, before pulling out a snickers bar. "Your prize," she explained, smiling so hard one of her dimples started to peek out. Nori took his hand in hers and placed the candy bar in it, taking her other hand and guiding his fingers so they closed around it. "Something sweet," she explained playfully as she rocked up onto her tip toes and gave Kyle a quick peck on the cheek.

@BeastofDestiny

[LovelyAnastasia]

Kaori Tatsumia

Today's Theme Song Sung by Kaori

@Knight of Doom

---

Kaori grinned warmly as she saw a smile grow on the blonde woman's face. She had even earned a giggle. Ahn~ What a cutie, she thought to herself as she tilted her head to the side with a grin. Something in her just couldn't resist seeing adorable people, no matter the age, smile and laugh. Her cheesy lines had really been worth it when reward with such a beautiful person's musical laugh.

Watching the blonde lady nip on her lower lip, Kaori waited patiently with a smile. It really was no trouble to wait. There was no one else in the store at the moment, so she had plenty of time to think. But the young red haired girl perked up in delight when the pretty lady decided to let her help.

"A Christmas present for a gardener!" she pressed her hands together in excitement, "We have lots of things for tending gardens! Flower garden, veggie gardens, herb gardens~" She walked around the to join the blonde woman on the other side of the counter, motioning for her to follow. "Here, towards the back!" she hummed, "Decorations, how to books, tools, gloves, aprons, even sun hats!" Kaori giggled softly, "The ones with humming birds on the ribbon are my favorite."
"Do you know what kinds of plants your friend tends to?" the young girl asked, "If you do it may help you narrow down some of your choices!" Looking over at the taller woman, she grinned warmly and waited patiently. Her first customer and she was helping them with holiday shopping! Getting gifts for others was always a bit different from shopping for oneself. To get something for someone else was always a nice surprise for the other person. That moment when they opened their gift and grinned brightly at their gift... The best part was when they'd look up with that warm sunflower smile and say 'Thank you very much! I love it!' Kaori always liked that part the best. Those smiles were always so warm and made getting though the bustling cold crowds all worth it.

Ah, she'd have to start thinking about what she was going to get her parents for Christmas. Perhaps she could look online tonight and cross reference all of the savings she had at the moment. Oh, and maybe her first pay check from this job would come in one time for her to get her parents something really really nice. Her mom had been saying her feet were killing her lately. Maybe one of those fancy foot massaging hot bath things. And her father's back had been aching a lot more than usual. Oh, one of those nice fuzzy heating blankets might help with that! Ah, now she was getting really excited. Beaming up at the blonde woman, Kaori waited eagerly to her what she had to say.

[Stern Algorithm]

Hearing the girl--Shizuka, Zac reminds himself--comment that she did, in fact, work there and wouldn't be wearing the maid outfit if she didn't, laughs and says, "I thought it looked familiar! I'd have known right away, had I been here before." Opening the menu, he says, "Honestly, if it weren't for my poor sense of direction, I doubt I'd have even found this place. Luck sure has a way of working, doesn't it?"

After a few moments, he decides to take Shizuka up on her suggestion, saying, "I think I'll try that parfait you mentioned. As for the flavor, go ahead and surprise me." Handing the menu back to her, he gives her a friendly smile and says, "You might wanna get used to seeing me, here, especially if this parfait's as good as I'm hoping." Assuming I don't get lost trying to get back here! he adds silently.

@Daxam

"Yes sir, I'll get you a 'surprise' parfait," Shizuka replied, having the Tropical Parfait in mind as it was her personal favorite with pineapple and mango. She was a little more at ease, Zac exuded a friendliness and innocence that suggested he had thought nothing of the incident at the park and that he wasn't here to pick on her or prank her because of it either.

He turned to Shizuka, eyeing her eagerly as he spoke.
"I'll have... two cups of coffee! Extra black! Extra bitter! Aaaand... four eclairs!" He stated giddily, handing the menu back to Shizuka.

"Ahh, this place is so nice!" Livius flopped backwards in his seat. "I'm a pastry chef at the Tiny Snowflake. And a pretty good one!" He added on. "Although... I wonder if this place pays more." He then gave a short chuckle. "If the boss saw me down here, he'd be sure to strange me!" Strangely, he sounded excited about that. "Aaanyways, less about me, more about you." Livius was a person who moved quickly, in all senses. His emotions, his gestures, and what he spoke about all shifted incredibly rapidly. It wasn't unusual for others to have trouble keeping up with his antsy, active attitude. "I feel like I recognize you. From somewhere. Maybe I've seen you around?" Livius seemed momentarily puzzled by the thought.

@Oz

"Two black coffees and four eclairs," Shizuka repeated, taking his order, and assumed he was going to share half his order with Zac. While Shizuka felt relieved concerning Zac, she was still a bit suspicious of Livius; something in his mannerisms suggested mischief, even if benign. "I-I'm a graduate student at the Academy and I TA a biology class. Perhaps you've seen me on campus? Assuming you go to the Academy as well." Shizuka asked, hoping this was the reason he had seen her around, otherwise it might be a little creepy. She left them for a little while to give the order to the kitchen but returned to the front to wait for the barista to make their coffees. There weren't any other customers so she hovered nearby in case they called her.

As he was preparing the coffee, the barista said, "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation earlier, but if you're looking for a job, I could offer you something."

[Daxam]

Zac chuckles and says, "No, nothing like that. Though, I should be thinking of some new recipes to try..." As Shizuka walks off to give their orders to the barista, Zac pulls out his notebook and shows the cover to Livius. The cover of the notepad simply says the word 'Tricks.'

"I'm a magician," he says with a grin before slipping the notepad back into his pocket. "I use this notepad to write down thoughts for future tricks and whatnot. I'm working on one right now, my first escape, that should hopefully put me on the map. If not, it'll at least hopefully get me a job. It's a variation of Houdini's famous Milk Can Escape."

Slipping the notepad back into his pocket, he adds, "I can't say anything more, or else I'll risk spoiling the act. But, trust me, if I can find a place that'll let me perform, I'll advertise as much as I possibly can, so you'll just have to show up to see it in action."

A few moments later, Zac notices Shizuka hovering nearby, as if waiting for himself or Livius to need anything else. Zac was about to include her in on his and new friend's conversation when he heard the barista speak. Turning to the man behind the counter, Zac grins and replies, "Honestly, I'll take anything I can get, right now. I'm running on the last of my savings."

Jokingly, he then adds with a chuckle, "Though, I have to warn you. I don't think I'd look as good in a maid's uniform as Shizuka or any of your other employees."

@Oz@Stern Algorithm