[IC] Shine City 3: Summer Sequel (Always Accepting)

[Narcotic Dollie]

---

“Okay,” Nori started, squirming to get more comfortable in Oliver’s lap. “You’ve gotta be quiet as a church mouse, Ollie. Seriously, no snarky ass comments. I can't screw up my first broadcast.”

“Hey, you're the one who wanted to play this cutesy ‘sit in my lap’ bullshit, Nori. I was in the middle of something.”

“Hush,” she huffed, turning her head to plant a quick kiss on his bandaged cheek. “I’m nervous and I want you here, and the only way to stop you from wandering off is to sit on you. So suck it up, Holland!”

“Wandering off?” Oliver sputtered, cocking an eyebrow at her sudden cheekiness. “What am I, five?”

“I hope not,” she responded, wiggling flirtatiously. “But seriously, you can go if you need to, I just…” She trailed off, her face flushing a bit before she pressed on. “I just wanted you close, okay? For moral support and all that mushy bullcrap.”

“What is this, a Japanese dating simulator? That has got to be the most sappy excuse I've ever heard to get me to stay put.”

“UGH! You’re the worst. Just go, you asshat.”

“I would,” Oliver began, a shit eating grin beginning to form on his bandaged lips. “But you just had to have that extra french fry, huh?”

“I WILL MURDER YOU IN YOUR SLEEP, OLLIE, I KNOW WHERE YOU KEEP THE BULLETS NOW!”

“Jokes on you, I keep all my guns in the attic-”

He paused.

“Ignore that last part.”

“Mhmm,” she hummed, standing up so he could get up and do whatever it was he needed to. “Go on then, I’ve got this, darlin’.”

“Don't you wanna sit down first, kid?” Oliver smirked, pulling out the chair.

She shot him a suspicious look before her features softened as she settled back into the now vacant seat. “Alright. Thanks Oliver, that was actually sort of sweet of you.”

He waited until she sat down, before suddenly cackling like a madman and rushing in front of her, plopping down on her lap instead.

“SON OF A MOTHER--!”

---

What’s up guys, this is DJ Haywood with Shine City Radio! It’s 10:48 AM, the sun in shining, the birds are chirping, and I have not had enough coffee to deal with all of this madness yet. Seriously, somebody needs to bring me a cup with a double shot of espresso or I might die. I’m here at Shine City Investigation Services, so just drop it off at the front door. Remember, we’ll find your lost pet for you or catch your man getting dirty with another lady, so don’t be scared to give us a call!

*Clears throat* Now that I’ve gotten that shameless bit of self promotion out of the way it's time for Naughty Nori’s News! If you haven’t heard already it’s nightcore and foam night down at Club LUSH so...*nervous chuckle*...if you’re ready to get wet you should slip into something sexy and swing on by! You might want to get there early though, because it’s sure to be packed and those lines are the worst. Luckily we’ve got our big, strong bouncers Arty Grant and Megaera Kastrati standing by, so at least you’ll have something nice to look at while you wait! Last I heard they were both very single…*Cough*

Or maybe clubs aren’t your scene? In which case I pity you, but I understand. How about stopping by The Tiny Snowflake? I was in there yesterday and the prettiest waitress helped me...um, I think her name was Amaya? I'm not sure but her eyes were this gorgeous green color and she looked adorable in that kimono. Anyways, you should check the place out if you’re craving traditional Japanese food.

I gotta get out of here guys, the struggle for caffeine is real. I’m gonna leave you with this song in the hopes of perking everybody up. DJ Haywood, out~!

The Jamz

---

_{This post was co-written by the wonderful @Bozo in the role of Oliver Holland! For all you newcomers out there he was set on fire in the last game and now looks like this.}

[Adelynn Ryder]

Annabelle Wolfe worked in the shadows. She moved behind the glow of the spotlight, and if she did her job right, nobody ever knew she was there. As such, bright lights had a tendency to make her feel out of place. Yet as she approached the Lancom Arcade, the flashing bulbs only served to fill her with excitement. She always felt at home here. It was strange really, considering the number of people, but she couldn't help but smile when she stepped through those doors. It was crowded and bright, the kind of place Anna usually despised. But it was also full of machines. There were newer consoles lined up along the walls, usually surrounded by teenagers. Those were okay, she supposed. She'd taken apart and rebuilt every one of the systems lined up there (although not those specific ones of course, she was no vandal) and they had been quite interesting to look at. She'd watch the teenagers sometimes too. They were loud and passionate, reacting with great emotion to every small change in their situation. As for the games they played, however, they weren't nearly as interesting to Anna. There were some good ones of course, but she'd found that a lot of the newer games involved less strategy and more button-mashing.

The older arcade machines, the ones she truly loved, were further inside. It was for these that she risked pushing through the crowds despite her social anxiety. Not that she really had anything to worry about. Nobody noticed the slim girl in the black jacket as she slipped past them. This was Anna's superpower. If she didn't want to be seen, she wouldn't be. Actually, even if she did want to be seen, she probably wouldn't be. Her uncanny ability to blend into the crowd wasn't exactly something she could switch on and off. As she walked, she felt invisible. Good, she thought. They don't see me. She kept walking, past the card players and several other gamers, too enraptured in their activities to observe anything in the world around them. As soon as she came to the arcade section, she let out a sigh of relief. It must have been a slow day. This area of the place was empty.

Anna scanned the rows of games, wondering which she should begin with. She'd mastered all of them at one point or another. Though she was not great at the newer games, these she knew well. The initials “AJW” Could be seen scrolling across the high score screens as the machines awaited their quarters. Anna reached into her pocket. How many did she have? Seven. She'd blow through them quickly if she wasn't careful, and she had an entire afternoon of time to kill. She paced up and down the isles for a couple of minutes, alone in her thoughts. As she passed by each console, she thought about patterns that came up during the different levels, about how much time she could spend before using another of her quarters, about how the insides of those machines must have looked... she'd never had the privilege of tearing one of those apart. As far as personal use went, they were WAY too expensive. Still, as she thought about disassembling them, her hand instinctively went to the pocket where she kept her knife.

She stopped, looking over the nearest console- StreetBrawler Delta 3. A fighting game. She's played this many times before, clearing the easier difficulties with all of the characters, and some of the harder ones with a select few. Yes, this one would do nicely. She could get lost in all of the different combinations of attacks, spending hours here on this one machine. And it wouldn't make her pay to keep playing unless she lost-which almost never happened. Besides, she liked fighting games. The distinct styles and precise movements reminded her of the choreographed sparring she'd found so fascinating in college. She approached the console. There were two sets of controls, as with most fighting games, but Annabelle could only choose one. She liked seeing the fight through different sides, and never picked the same one twice in a row. Last time she had chosen the place of player two, so this time she went with player one. Dropping her quarter in the machine, she set it to one of the higher difficulties, selected her favorite character, and began racking up KOs.

[Azaria Blue]

Mimiko surveyed the still-unpacked boxes from the doorway of her apartment with her hands on her hips. She had taken out everything she needed in the kitchen and bedroom as well as a few outfits. She hung them on a rolling rack and decided to finish the rest of these some other time - she had not realised how difficult moving was until today. Before she thought of it as pulling belongings out of boxes and setting them nicely. Mimiko had believed that she could use the rest of the day to plan out how she would decorate. This would never happen as she was exhausted, and she had not even moved in the heavy furniture.

Just then her cat jumped off of a bookcase with a slide and fell to the ground. Mimiko quickly made her way over to her, putting out hands, 'Pip, are you okay?' she asked in her soft-and-sweet tone. The cat scattered across the room and hid in the maze of boxes. She sighed and began moving a box out of the way, 'You're alright Pippy...' she looked through the spaces between. Her eyes caught a glimpse of two greyish eyes staring right at her, 'Oh, there you are. Please do come out,' she scratched her fingers on the top of a box to coax her curiosity.

The cat had not liked the move one bit. She did not like the car ride, she did not like the new place, she did not like the sounds of neighbours. Mimiko wondered if she should just send someone to fetch the cat and take her back to her parents' place. She would decide within the week. She checked to make sure there were both food and water out then tossed a catnip mouse under the couch for Pip to find later. She realised that the cat was more moved in than she, her entire box of toys, scratching tree and litter box being already accounted for. She just nodded at the box heap then stepped down the platform to the hallway space.

It was a nice day, the warm sun shined through the window by the entry door. This morning was a bit chilly as they were unpacking but it seems as if the sun had a problem with that. She slipped on her flats and tapped the toe on the stone floor and grabbed her purse, 'I shall return later, Miss Pippers. Please refrain from peeing on my clothes,' she called out as she headed for the door. The sun was summer-bright, blinding light reflected from the newly planted pink flowers in her small garden. She squinted as she pulled out her sunglasses and slipped them onto her nose.

'Good day,' she nodded at one of her elderly neighbours. The old woman was out fetching the mail, 'Oh, welcome to the neighbourhood,' she looked up with a sweet smile. The woman had been watching them this morning when they were unpacking and Mimiko would have done the same. It is always good to know what type of neighbours you have. It was only a five-minute walk to get to the city centre. It was a quaint city if such existed. It did not sprawl into the sky, it did not cut into the landscape. Instead, it seems to build on and around itself. The only location she really knew was the library and school as she had been shown around it before. She decided to stroll around and see what she could find.

She came across a rather serious looking cafe and peeked inside. As the bell rang behind her she noticed that it was more of a bar that was open during the day too. She looked at the sign 'Mochavine, very cute,' she admitted to whoever cared to listen.
The person behind the counter walked up to the register, 'Hello and welcome to Mochavine!' the twenty-year-old teeny bopper squeaked, 'How can I help you?' the smile was sickeningly fake. Mimiko did not know if she should feel sorry for her or not.
Instead, she smiled, 'Hello there. Do you have any suggestions? I usually get tea, and nothing too sweet,'
The barista thought for a moment, 'Do you like chai? Many customers say that we make it spicy and subtly sweet,' she turned her head with the same smile.
'Sounds fantastic. Mind if I sit at the bar?' she said as she took a seat before getting 'permission.'
'Of course, make yourself at home!' she said as she scurried to the machine. She worked quickly but clumsily. It was quite cute, but she realised why this girl worked days and not nights. Nights were for sexy prowlers and days were for bubbly, smiley girls. She was probably a bit nervous as well, this was likely her summer job.
'Take your time. I'd rather have it done right,' she said not bothering to say it more nicely. The girl behind the counter nodded and apologised profusely before she continued to work.

Once Mimiko finally received her drink she stirred it with a spoon and gave it a taste. She nodded thoughtfully.
'It is quite spicy but it feels like there may be a little something missing,' she thought for a moment, 'Plenty of ginger but I like mine with more fennel seed or cardamom, I'll be sure to ask for that next time.'
The girl behind the counter swallowed and nodded, 'I hope it tastes good as well, if not I can make you another one,'
Mimiko shook her head, 'No no, I've been here long enough. Besides, ginger is good for the blood,' she attempted to spare what conversation may be left.

[Section]

Condition at the beginning of the day

Physical Condition: 3/5, tired.
Emotional State: 2/5, annoyed, pessimistic, lost.
Clothes: Blank white T-shirt, [Roen x Final Fantasy XV] Noctis Military Blouson (open), black exercise shorts, knee socks and Feiyue "Fe Hi" trainers.

Eidel Shain was not in the best of moods, she might even be in the worst mood she had in quite a while. After all, waking up way later than planned while also having said wake-up covered in sweat and actually feeling even more tired than when she went to bed would certainly put anyone in a terrible mood. Today, she had planned to explore Shine City and get to know her new home. Hm. "Home" sounds strange. she thought to herself with a scowl. And as she made up for lost time by wandering around through the new place, she felt less and like she was discovering a new home, but instead wandering around without the slightest direction. The girl, dressed quite darkly, coincidentally like her mood (So edgy she remarked silently with a wry smile), had already walked the same streets quite a few times in the last hour or so and she felt little motivation at this point to follow the itinerary she had written for herself on her phone. Even though it would probably put her on track and help her find her way to discovering more of the city, it wouldn't do a thing for the feeling of being totally out of place. It was a hot summer day and even with the short sleeves of her blouson and her not so lengthy shorts, she felt hot, irritated and wanted to go home. But where was home? It wasn't her small apartment near the Shine City Academy, no, not yet. She had only been there for one week and it still felt about as homely as a hotel room, and not even a good hotel room. No, more like a hotel room that one would reluctantly choose because all the others are either filled or too expensive, with the walls having holes in them, paint peeling and a strange smell wafting from the shower. She had covered most of the blemishes on the walls up with posters and had sprayed copious amounts of air freshener in the bathroom to make things a bit better, but even now, she didn't feel so safe and comfortable at home.

Shine City, it was, fittingly enough, a city that seemed to glitter before her eyes. Most of it was clean, the buildings were modern and the streets were nothing if not colorful. People seemed friendly, some smiled at her when she glanced at them and Shine Junction in particular was the sort of place she had always dreamed of visiting, with many shops, many interesting looking people, many things, so much of everything. But she still felt wrong and every so often, she'd stop and leave the world around her to focus on her phone, giving herself the excuse that as a member of one of the most hardcore parties in one of the more popular smartphone RPG's, she had to regularly check in and give her contribution to any quest or raid the party was working on. She'd stay leaned against a random wall for about twenty minutes or so just tapping away, feel a bit more positive afterwards and then continue walking only to find herself feeling lost all over again. Even with all the fancy stores, nothing seemed to particularly interest her, never spending more than a fleeting moment window shopping and the constant bustle had her feeling quite dizzy.

Then, she came to the sort of place she had only dreamed about. In fact, it was one of the reasons she had initially decided to move to Shine City. Standing before her after turning a corner like some sort of cathedral of technology was Lancom Arcade. As she stared in sudden realization of where she was, she instinctively reached into her pocket and reached for her wallet. Damn it, she winced as she saw two 20's gazing back at her. No quarters. This wasn't going to keep her from venturing in, as she finally felt a tinge of motivation. Walking with a new brisk vigor, she only paused for a fraction of a moment when she was shot with cool air from the AC of the arcade, then continued with the same vim as soon as she was through. Slamming the twenty on the counter, she tapped her foot in impatience but with a blush as she surprised herself with her excitement. It only took a few seconds for the man at the front desk to give her back twenty quarters, a bill of ten and a five, though it felt like an hour to Eidel. She felt almost angry with him for taking so much time, since this was her first chance at recovering this day. However, the situation only made her blush more, as this sort of passion was the sort of thing that she always felt a bit embarrassed about.

Her first goal was to find herself an opponent and a game. Though she typically was quite shy unless it was a group, with communication between individuals being her weakness, game opponents, even in person, were another story. Wandering through the aisles, she passed on light-gun shooters, vertical bullet-hells, dancing games and eventually found herself in her promised land; rows of fighting game machines to both sides of her. However, most potential opponents were already playing and she wasn't the kind of person to invite herself into someone else's game. Stalking past people, mostly teens and people around her age, and with decidedly average skills, Eidel paused when she saw someone at the cabinet for StreetBrawler Delta 3. A girl, it seemed and one also quite a bit taller than her, she was piling up KO's against CPU characters who were stringing together respectable combos (or at least attempting to, most of the time, due to the skill of the player) and lining up an exorbitantly high score. Somehow, this felt attractive to her and something seemed mighty competitive about the girl, even if she seemed to fade a bit into the scenery. However, StreetBrawler was definitely not a game she was very good at and something within Eidel wanted her to win. She'd have to fight on her own terms and on home field against someone as good as her.

With a scan of the aisle, she made reconnaissance of the area. By some luck, directly behind her hoped opponent was a row of six cabinets for one of her favorites, BlazBlue Continuum Shift, arranged two by two for three sets of two opponents. Still blushing at her own rashness, but still feeling compelled to grin, she hatched an idea. Though it was an older game, already with a few sequels, Continuum Shift was still a fairly popular game that people tended to like, at least when it came to the console version she fervently played with a fighting stick at home. If she could get some people playing and beat them, she might attract the attention of her hoped opponent. With the advantage of playing an Arc System Works game, she might, even probably win. Arc System Works had a certain style of fighting game and it was a style that Eidel knew by heart. Heck, it was probably one of her few hobbies.

She stood in front of the center cabinet and cracked her knuckles as the demo reel played.

Operation... Regicide, begin!

Watching the aisle, she waited until a group of a few youths walked by and dropped precisely eight quarters on the ground. At the sound, a young man turned around and knelt to help her grab the coins. "S-sorry." Eidel stammered and the stranger shook his head.

"Don't worry about it!" He smiled a very wide grin that made the girl blush even more. "Were you gonna play BlazBlue? Wanna do a round?"

"Why not..." Eidel laughed inwardly, despite her awkward demeanor. It was an impish laugh, that only she could hear. The poor man had fallen into her trap. His friends gathered around and the two sat down. Selecting her favorite character, Noel Vermillion, she got comfortable on the stool and within minutes, she was onto a new opponent after an Astral Finisher ended a rematch. A couple of people, seeing the fires of competition, stopped when they walked by the machine and started watching and soon, cheers and boos were being made.

Gathering attention, Operation Regicide continued, with Eidel deftly moving and playing with the controls, similar to her homebuilt fighting stick at home. Only once in a while, she'd glance at her hoped opponent, waiting for attention. She was going to strike down this queen and save her day.

[ClocktowerEchos]

---

---

As he woke from his cradle, Akio yawned and stretch and lazily swatted at his alarm, the cheery voice of Nori Haywood resonated through his room. She was on about something about single bouncers at LUSH, Akio added a new note to the myriad number of reminders and self-pings to remember that fact. Once the radio alarm had been silenced, his music alarm followed soon after, playing some track from his endless playlist. Akio made no moves to turn that alarm off, instead relishing the fast beat and synthetic voices.

Looking around, it seemed that he was alone this morning, at least the money was left on his nightstand. Rolling over, Akio grasped at the bills and counted them out, not too bad for a night, was actually kinda fun too which was always a welcomed addition. The sound of bills flipping through his feminine fingers was music to his small ears. Humming to himself as he safely tucked away his ill gotten gains, his voice following the music without him noticing.

Forcing himself out of the messy sheets, dragging limb by limb on to the floor, Akio sort of fell on to slender jello legs. His room was a mess as per usualy, smelled a bit too. Spinning around in a small circle, he danced to the nearest window and jolted it up to air out his room. It took him a minute that he was still naked before he thought he should do something about it.

Taking advantage of his current lack of clothing, Akio whisked off to the shower and washed himself with some fragrant soaps; a special homemade mix of several different shampoos and containers foamed up in his brown hair to keep it as soft as possible. He only spent a few minutes in the shower, nothing too extravagant ever happened during his morning showers, that was kept for night time when he had more time on his hands or just wanted to enjoy the hot water for longer.

Once his wet body had stepped out of the shower and had a towel run over every part of it, the trap danced over to his closet to pull out something to wear. Rummaging through the forest of fabric, Akio eventually pulled out black short sleeved t-shirt, embalmed with some artistic golden Celtic symbol and paired it with some short red shirt. A pair of black silk stockings made their way past his knees around stopped around his mid-thigh.

As he slipped on his boots and slipped on a light, shawl-like jacket, Akio debated what to get at Mochavine. Mornings like this after he worked his part-time job always left him unwilling to make something for himself. Grabbing a purse as he left, Akio began humming to himself again, he would have to check in to the Casino again in the morning before getting ready for the night. Then again... he wanted to see if he could get a gig at LUSH, Akio heard some rumors about the manager that there that left him feeling he might have a pretty good shot at working there.

Then he remembered something that he heard while half awake from Nori on the radio: nightcore and foam night at Club LUSH.

Akio chuckled to himself as he made his way on to the street. N&F Night was always fun, all the people and the music, all the backroom "fun" that he had previously indulged himself in. It seemed that he might have to get his rave game on for such a special occasion, time to get creative then. But first, coffee, a man trap needs his morning brew after all to work.

[Delta44]

Ah... Dreams... How Ryoki longed to have normal ones again. Under the effects of her anti-depressants, she rarely got dreams nowadays, and those that she did usually resulted in nightmares. Usually she woke up before things got to be unbearable, though. She always seemed to be able to wake herself a moment before then... Just before her whole life flipped upside down. A moment before... that moment, when the nightmare would truly begin.

... Cue the really loud alarm clock...

"GAH! EVERY GODDAMN TIME!" Yelled the Raven as she was forcibly woken from her bleak slumber, heart racing from the incredibly loud and obnoxious alarm clock. Instinctively her hand reached over and slammed down hard on the device - the machine had seen much punishment in all of it's time with Ryoki. It was probably a good thing it was manufactured to take abuse, otherwise that poor alarm clock would've broken looooooong ago.

... It had been awhile since Ryoki had used her old alarm clock. Admittedly, it was probably a dumb idea, but she was beginning to find reasons to get out of bed in the morning, now. Hell, even keeping up with a schedule nowadays was hard; Ryoki, for the past couple of months, hasn't been keeping up with the world in the slightest. Learning to become busy again was... hard. And it also made her feel guilty for not keeping up with the world. But then again, who could blame her?

With a sigh, the Raven sifts a hand through her hair, staring up at the ceiling. Her hair had grown in the months since The Incident, and she hadn't bothered to cut it. The last time her hair was this long, she was cosplaying at that one anime convention held in Shine City. Thinking back upon the memory, Ryoki was tempted to smile - at the very least, the edges of her mouth crooked upwards, however it wasn't necessarily a smile. Smiling came hard to her nowadays, at least genuinely. Everything was really quite difficult... She used to be able to accomplish so much... Now she could hardly work...

Ah, work. A reminder rang out through her head as she remembered the Boss's kindness. 'I need to thank the Boss later...' She thought to herself.

Yutaro also came to mind.

'... And him too...'

Inhale... Exhale...

Sitting up, Ryoki looks around her room. It wasn't the apartment room she'd come to know as home for the past couple of years. It was her bedroom. The room she'd grown up in, all throughout childhood. Home. Even though she wasn't quite used to waking up in her bedroom, it was still familiar to her. Her eyes wandered the rather open area, retracing how she would always go about getting up in the morning - her autopilot. Up and early, out the door to have a relaxing morning shower. Then, back to get dressed, touch up, do a quick solo on whatever instrument she felt like that morning, and then off to the tutoring. Or instead, in her last year, to school. Life back then was so simple... Why did it have to change?

Medicine. Right. She needed medicine. God, she felt like a mess...

Pills stood atop her bedside table, out of place, and, quite frankly, unwanted. However, they were needed. Ryoki knew that. Unscrewing the lid, she quickly picks out the correct amount before swallowing them down with the provided glass of water. No doubt her brother was behind that. She would always catch the maids and butlers sneaking into her room at night, yet when it came to Kimasu, the boy was like a fox, or better yet a ninja. No doubt his lessons in dance had taught him how to inadvertently sneak without making a sound.

Almost a smile... Almost.

With a yawn, Ryoki got up, stretching. Her walk over to her dresser could only be classified as "zombie-like", and the manner in which she was conducting herself could be described similarly. Feeling lazy, Ryoki simply picked out the first top and pants she could find and threw them on. Satisfied with her randomised choice, she walked over to the mirror, simply opting to brush her hair, before giving a nod of satisfaction. 'Good enough.'

However, as she began making her way over to the door, she felt something was... missing. It didn't take the Raven long to figure out, as she quickly strode back to the mirror and took the yellow and black scarf which had been unceremoniously tossed onto it. The previous night truly had been exhausting; the casino had been getting pretty busy, what with the whole animal thing becoming a hit and it becoming summer time. Speaking of which, wearing a scarf in summer wasn't always the smartest of ideas, but the heat didn't really bother her so she didn't mind, though others were oddly rather concerned. As she was about to leave for the second time, however, her eye caught on to something... important. That item of importance was none other than Mokyu's hair ribbon.

It had been given to Ryoki as a means of remembrance, however it hadn't been touched since it was given to her. She eyes the ribbon for what felt like minutes, before looking away. Then she looks back. Then away.

'Just put it on you stupid girl!'

She hesitates. Then, in a swift motion, Ryoki snatches the piece of fabric from the table and studies it closely. She looks about ready to tear up, however manages to keep herself composed, at least... somewhat. Quickly, she takes some of her hair and ties it up similarly to how Mokyu used to when she was... around. Using the mirror as a reference, the procedure actually takes several minutes, due to Ryoki not knowing how to tie up a ribbon and also having to fight the urge to completely break down. However, given some time, she manages to fashion the ribbon so it looks halfway decent in her eyes.

As she looks at herself in the mirror, a tear rolls down her cheek.

Déjà vu.

'It's just like... back then... with Nanna...'

It was difficult not to see the similarity between the aftermath of the two most tragic deaths in Ryoki's life. Aside from the difference in intensity, the past couple months had been a very familiar cycle to her. Well, aside from getting hospitalised, however that was one of the only differences. Standing before this mirror again, as a lone tear crept down her cheek - that was the moment that felt so, so familiar to her. Wearing something the dead once wore to remember them by... it made Ryoki just a little shaky.

Inhale. Exhale. Breath. Breath in... Breath out...

'Breath, Ryoki... Breath...'

That was the best she could do: keep breathing. To stop breathing, Ryoki knew, meant death, and that meant that she would become an angel in the skies too. True, the idea was appealing, however after her first attempt to reach the heavens, she knew that doing such a thing herself would be disrespectful to the dead. The hospital trip also gave her some insight into how much her own life meant to others... She had to keep living. After all, Mokyu would always catch up to her whenever they played games together and she died, telling Ryoki to keep going ahead -- to keep living -- and that she would reach her eventually. Despite the fact the words were spoken in a virtual world over voice chat a long time ago, they sure as Hell had their significance now. It was almost prophetic for her to have said such things in the countless MMOs the two ventured through together.

By now, tears were streaming down Ryoki's face and she was quite visibly crying, her heart aching. She felt like she needed to vomit, and made sure to rest herself close to the small bin in her room just in case, however no disgusting stomach substances were thrown up. Just an unbearable sadness and feeling of horrible grief that persisted for another thirty minutes...

Once she had calmed down a bit, she got up and took several deep breaths. Her eyes, no longer watering and able to see through, looked over at her alarm clock:

10:54am.

If she stayed her any longer, she wouldn't be able to go for her morning coffee. God knew she needed one of those right about now. And what better place to go for coffee than Mochavine? She'd only recently just started visiting again. She hadn't performed there in absolutely ages, though regulars and the wonderful staff whom she knew instantly recognised her as she stepped through the doors two weeks ago. It was hardly a professional greeting from the staff at Mochavine, but the welcome was warm and genuine. Plus, she got free coffee out of it, which was nice. The generosity really was cherished by the oldest Mochizukki. She knew she was missed, but...

As she steps out of her room, Ryoki aims to clear her mind. 'People miss you, Ryoki.' She assured herself. 'They really do. Not just the people at Mochavine, or the family, or friends. It's a bigger picture than that... the fans. They miss you, too.' The air is silent as she effortlessly navigates the home of the family mansion, greeting whomever she met along the way with a nod and a growing smile which refused to be whole. 'Lot's of people miss you, Ryoki... They don't want you to leave. Don't be so selfish. And, more importantly, don't beat yourself up over it.'

She unlocks her phone and looks at her contacts as she made her way toward the door. Many of the people there she hadn't spoken to in ages. Today, she needed to change that...

But first... coffee.

---

It was 11:19am when she arrived at Mochavine. The wonderful fragrance that wafted throughout the bar-shop was invigorating to anyone who stopped by, that was without question. The place never seemed to change, even though she was gone for such a long time. In a sense, it was kind of like paradise: a utopia which forever stayed beautiful and great. She had so many fond memories of the restaurant that if you asked her to recount all of them, it could take hours for her to go over them all. It was almost like a second home to her. After all, it's been her past, present, and continues shaping her future to this day with it's absolutely astounding coffee!

Strolling up to the bar, Ryoki took a glance around. Faces new and old could be seen everywhere she looked, as they went about their daily lives, fetching a late breakfast or early lunch, or just something to keep them going. Memories could be seen as though they were being replayed right in front of her eyes, however one specific memory caught her attention as she glanced at the bar...

"I see I've met a fellow coffee purist. So, is this damage control from last night, or do you wrestle with every morning?"

Yutaro...

The memory brought a smile to Ryoki's face -- a genuine one, mind you -- as she boldly strode up to the bar and took a seat. The bar seats were always more comfortable to her, for some reason, even more-so than the chairs provided at the tables. She smiles softly at the current barista and states, in a calm and surprisingly non-depressed voice:

"I'll take your finest black coffee, please."

[Specter189]

A faint, fuzzy sort of noise droning in the back of his ear gave Scott the first inkling that he might -in fact- be awake. His heavy eyelids groggily opened to find his body splayed out on his couch, an empty takeout box on the floor next to his resting spot caught his attention. The man's early morning thoughts raced and scattered about trying to discover its importance while he stretched his limbs.

I never get take out

This sudden realization jolted his train of thought towards its destination at a lightning pace. He never got take out unless it was a special occasion, there weren't any holidays he was aware of this month, nor was his birthday yesterday. Which means...

Oh shit today's opening day isn't it

A sudden burst of energy coursed through his limbs as he jerked up and stumbled over to the small callendar he kept hanging in the otherwise austere room. Sure enough all the days were marked with a red X leading up to one date circled with the words "OPENING NIGHT" written in bold and underlined far too many times. The previous day's events came back to him with a crystal clarity, he'd been able to install the sign he'd commissioned for the building. Today was finally the day he'd get to open up shop. This thought proelled itself through his mind like a torpedo as he scrambled about tidying up his apartment. The portable radio which was the source of the noise that woke him up was blaring some peppy ubeat song. He grudgingly admitted to himself that it had an alright beat as he switched to play CD's in annoyance. His precious copy of The Essential Daryl Hall & John Oates was already loaded and began dispensing sweet, sweet blue eyed soul. He cranked the volume up to the max and scrambled into the bathroom to take a quick shower, singing along to the lyrics of Las Vegas Turnaround as he washed. As soon as he was satisfied with his overall cleanliness he bolted out and into his tiny bedroom as quick as he could, throwing on a clean pair of dark blue jeans, a white buttondown shirt, his beloved pair of Interceptor black steeltoed boots and a nice looking charcoal vest. His appearence presentable, he took a quick look at the time on his phone, it was just shy of 11:00.

Lot of time to kill he muttered to himself as he headed to the main room and reached into the refigerator, grabbing one of the legion of cans of various sodas that lined the door's storage frame and dominated two of the three interior racks. In one smooth motion he cracked it open and downed a swig, Cherry Dr. Pepper, today was a good day. While savoring it he pondered over what to do today. He was in a better mood than usual, feeling very jittery with butterflies in his stomach, there were a few things he could do to calm his nerves.

Didn't that arcade have a Third Strike cabinet? his thoughts queried his memory, the cool head that a fighting game required often put him in a state of calm, especially one as technical as Street Brawler III: Third Strike. Regardless of whether or not they did have it, heading over there was still something he could do to kill time. Thus Scott rifled through his belongings to find spare quarters, quickly accruing a nice little pile of about ten. He casually shoved them into a pocket as he took the time to scan his apartment for any last thing he might've forgotten about. Quickly spotting a portable chalkboard with the words GRAND OPENING 4:00 PM FIRST ORDERS ON THE HOUSE" written surprisingly neatly on it.

The radio turned off, the chalkboard in one hand and a fresh can of soda in the other, Scott set off to begin the day proper. A short walk down the stairs and clever application of foot to door handle later and he emerged into the bright, bustling sprawl of Shine City. The sudden assault of bright light and loud noise helped him swing back into his usual mood.

"Why's it always got to be so damn hot out" he grumbled to himself as he plopped the chalkboard down in front of the bar. From there he began his long walk to the arcade, longing for the sweet release of air conditioning. Everyone he came across always seemed so damn cheerful that he couldn't help but think that they all were hiding something. Fortunately he didn't have to ponder long before reaching his destination.

Normally he avoided places like this, the roaring clamor of conversation and loud electronic beeps and sounds as they fought to stay louder than the other grated on his nerves. A lot of arcades reeked of tobacco which always put him on edge. However, the games themselves were worth it, ever since he'd been a kid he'd loved fighting games, and nothing beat a solid Arcade's lineup of cabinets. Steering clear of the newer additions and heavy crowds, Scott ventured to the back corners where they kept the older machines. One could always expect a small amount of old school vets like him back in these rows stubbornly refusing to move on to newer more polished systems. Once he finally rounded the corner into the row he was looking for, he spied a small crowd gathered over a Blazblue cabinet, seemed a small tourney was going on, one particular player was kicking all kinds of ass though he couldn't quite get a look at them. He nonchalantly strolled past them while searching for his target, finally finding it next to a Delta 3 machine. There was a girl at the helm ripping apart the AI. Stepping up to his own cabinet of choice, he gave her a nod of approval and a thumbs up, he'd never quite gotten into Delta 3 but he respected skill whenever he encountered it. Regardless, he had his own game to butcher, so without further adieu Scott inserted his quarters, popped his knuckles, selected his main man Dudley and set to work climbing the highscore ladder as high as he could.

[Narcotic Dollie]

---

Calliope was minding her business and tying her hair off into low twintails when Sonya hopped up on the bed. “Don’t start,” the girl ordered, giving the feline a sideways glance.

“That’s what you’re wearing, yo?” the fluffy cat said, but her mouth never moved. ”You look like a fecking nun. What, are you worried showin’ a little leg is gonna cause a riot or somethin’?” she bemoaned, whiskers shifting as her nose twitched. ”Those sweatpants are shit. Hold on girl, Imma about to hook you up.”

“Please, Sonya, not tod--where did you even get that?”

“What, you gonna narc on me? Snitches get stitches, girl, remember that. Now shut yo mouf and get yo ass in these shorts,” Sonya commanded after she tugged the article of clothing out from behind the pillow. Calliope wasn’t really in the mood for another argument with the cat so she obeyed, pulling off her sweatpants and yanking on the running shorts.

“Alright, they’re on. That’s it, seriously, I’m just going jogging,” the blue haired girl said, giving the feline a quick scratch behind the ears before she started down the stairs.

“Wait! You’re not even gonna put on some mascara? Some blush? You’re too pale, woman, bitches gonna think you anemic or some shit!”

“I’ll see you later!” Calliope called, her sneakers thudding softly against the old wooden steps as she descended to the main floor of her little townhouse. Simon, who had been curled up in the window sill, jumped down and greeted her by rubbing against her leg.

“Good morning, madame,” she heard him say, but once again his mouth remained motionless. “Going on your run?”

“Mhm,” she responded, crouching down to sweep a hand over the short black fur of his back. “I’ll be back in a little while. What do you do if the zombie apocalypse happens when I’m gone?”

“That’s highly improbable,” he grumbled, yellow eyes sliding shut as he leaned into her touch. “...and in all the literature about it that you’ve subjected me to I’ve never heard of the undead desiring the flesh of animals. But if it happens, I promise we will meet you at the predetermined rendezvous point.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Calliope answered as she rose and padded over to the door.

”Of course, madame,” he said, blinking languidly after her. “And do try to interact with your fellow humans, won’t you? Our demise is imminent and we’d like to know you have secured a long term companion before we pass on.” The woman stopped and gave the black cat a quick nod before hustling out the door, being sure to lock it behind her. She stuffed the ear buds into her ears and set her smartphone to play her running mix. ’Bad Moon Rising’ started and Calliope tucked the phone into the strap of her sports bra before making her way at a slow pace towards Shiny Park.

The temperature had begun to rise now that summer was in full swing and the vet student had already begun to sweat by the time she made her first loop around the park. There weren’t many people out this morning and very few squirrels or birds, which suited her just fine. While she loved animals deeply, Calliope sometimes grew tired of the their constant chattering in her head. Not all of them were as well spoken as her pets, and the constant, ’FeedMeFeedMePetMePetMeTHROWTHESTICK’ was enough to drive her mad on some mornings.

Well, madder than she already was, anyways.

---

Calliope’s Outfit

[Woundwort]

Megaera Kastrati
Club LUSH

Kastari had seen alot of shit in his time-he’d seen what happened when some chucklefuck put a goddamn reporter in charge of the night’s watch (answer-he took advantage of the incompetence and filled the incompetent moron’s sleeping bag with whip scorpions...and then he’d recorded it and put it up on youtube, to great acclaim). He’d seen what happened when some inbred, hicksville, southern-fried idiot turned commander was put in charge of a mixed-unit attack (answer, they end up raiding an empty airport whileCaptain Idiot yelled about running in a “serpentine pattern”).

And last but certainly not least, he’d seen what happened when some insane genius smuggled a full grown tiger into base camp (answer: he drove a bitching Humvee through the capital city with the world’s most badass passenger hanging his head out the window and trying to take bites out of bystanders while the police looked on dumbstruck).

Kastarti stared at the radio, nestled in a cranny in the back rooms of Club LUSH. He’d just been punching in for the day. His morning whiskey still fresh on his breath.

The ex-merc sighed. All the shit he’d seen…..and done….and to others….and been nearly convicted for…..and bribed/blackmailed his way out of….

…..and yet, Nori goddamn Haywood had somehow managed to summon down just enough trouble to make him doubt he’d be able to partake in his traditional end-of-shift ritual (growl at the remaining customers, flip off the manager behind his back and nestle himself in a corner and eat cold pizza, followed by smuggled in booze). Foam and nightcore night. And the conniving radio host had mentioned him by name, and mentioned he was *single*. If anyone tried to serenade him, he wasn’t going to be held responsible for what happened next. And god have mercy on the bailiff and arresting officers who would try to hold him responsible. No jury in the state-no the nation would convict him.

Hell, if they did, it wasn’t like he could stab/punch/shoot/insult his way out of it. Hopefully.

Well. He could still deal with this. He just had to be as unpleasant and monosyllabic as possible, and generally channel his spirit animal when it came to situations like this. That spirit animal being a possibly rabid, aggressive, cat. He connected to that concept on a spiritual level when it came to dealing with the shifty mischievous radio hosts who took an interest in his love life. Something about being a bundle of ill-concealed rage lashing out at vague shapes and colors just….spoke to him.

The ex-merc finished punching his time card, hypothetical scenes of violence that would make a Clint Eastwood movie green with envy flashing through his mind as he did so. Yep. Just had to channel Crazy Edd the Rabid Tomcat and everything would be just fine.

A patently serene (and terrifying) smile worked it’s way onto the forcibly retired merc’s face. Yep. Just fine. Tonight was going to be just fine.

Somewhere, a fortune teller got a chill up their spine, and couldn’t quite say why.

[Verdaux]

---

10:39 A.M.

Thump.

With a tired sigh, Sabine slumped and collapsed into the softness of her goose-down blanket, and stared at the white ceiling. Cool to the touch, the white fibers of the blanket contoured themselves along her spine; nerves tingled as goosebumps rose all over her body, pushing her sweat into the crevices of cotton or skin, or the air. A lazy sweep of the legs knocked over her spherical voyeur : an emotionless, slightly adorable plastic ball that was the webcam. Fortunately, the dozens of twisted, plush tendrils that lined the carpet floor like grass cushioned the fall.

The all-seeing eye would be spared today.

Four hours of following every request to the letter would make one lethargic; Sabine, even with her young age and experience, would be no exception. But the fake moans, the playful teases, the rehearsed jerks of the hips and shoulders all paid enough for dinner. After all, Shine City was a bustling city - cheaper living than in the suburbs, if you could pay for the premium prices.

Her hand slid up the white expanse of her bed to grab at her hair, to give it a soft tug until the stiff, frayed tips abraded the hundreds of ridges that were her fingertips. Like her life, her hair was smooth initially, but something cut off abruptly the hopes of having luxury for so long. A lazy slap of the radio flipped on the intermission.

What’s up guys, this is DJ Haywood with Shine City Radio! It’s 10:48 AM, the sun in shining, the birds are chirping, and I have not had enough coffee to deal with all of this madness yet. Seriously, somebody needs to bring me a cup with a double shot of espresso...

A smile unconsciously slid across Sabine's face. Though she had a pang of envy for her rumored boyfriend, Nori was nice enough to occasionally order the nam tok or some other food that Amaya would charge quintuple for. So the two were acquaintances en-route to becoming friends. And yet, Sabine still had the same worries that she had given off an uncomely first impression.

She wasn't as nearly as sure if the same could be said for a certain Kyle Parker either. He had gone a little quiet in the past months, but it wouldn't be too hard to imagine him hooking up with that sweet pink-haired idol. They had known each other longer than anyone else in Shine City, after all.

The sweat would be dried off, and on went the moisturizer, the deodorant and the perfume. Today's choice of wear was the same grey spandex shorts she had for three years, followed by a plain white T in the most literal sense, completed with a grey, coarse lay-knit cardigan.

Breakfast was quick, simple, and cheap. An A-grade egg (as opposed to the standard AA or AAA-grade eggs that came in jumbo-sized and all) crackled against stainless steel before popping against piping hot oil, sending painful droplets of the stuff every which way that was possible. The flip of a spatula changed the display of bone-white and gold into a canvas of golden-brown over-easy. A dash of salt and pepper sprinkled little stars of black and white across the gentle slopes, before a rain of finely chopped green onions drew a crown around the raised surface of the yolk. This went with last night's excess rice, all of which rested on a white porcelain plate.

...now that I’ve gotten that shameless bit of self promotion out of the way it's time for Naughty Nori’s News! If you haven’t heard already it’s nightcore and foam night down at Club LUSH so...*nervous chuckle*...if you’re ready to get wet you should slip into something sexy and swing on by! You might want to get there early though, because it’s sure to be packed and those lines are the worst. Luckily we’ve got our big, strong bouncers Arty Grant and Megaera Kastrati standing by, so at least you’ll have something nice to look at while you wait! Last I heard they were both very single…

Okay Nori, now you've sold it. It was one thing to be pining over that goddess with hair like the sun's rays, but the reminder that she could grab a glimpse at the two Titans guarding the gates of Olympus itself?

Hot damn.

Though...did she have time to go to the party?

Perhaps. Though she was saving up for a new swimsuit in the event of a rumored beach-side rave in the coming months, spring break was ending or beginning for the students. If she changed the menu a bit to make spring rolls, she could earn enough for maybe two sets by the end of the vacation.

11:39 A.M.

6 batches of varied musubi, onigiri, okonomiyaki, and takoyaki were ready for Lancom's kids. Sabine scarcely knew where the money had came from, but each and every single Saturday day she turned up, a crowd would come handing quarters and dollar bills without reserve. So long as she played on with their fetish for all things Japanese, a late-night rave wouldn't be out of the question...

[Adelynn Ryder]

The cabinet area was becoming rather crowded. On the few occasions Annabelle glanced away from her screen, she could see a group of boys crowded around a BlazBlue console. They're losing, she thought. She kept her eyes on her own game; punching, kicking, and jumping to interrupt the AI's predictable combos, but she could still hear them. The arcade itself had always been noisy, but her proximity to them allowed her to hear their voices above everything else. That, and they were incredibly loud. She could hear them over the sounds of her own cabinet. These young boys obviously weren't the most noble of losers. Young male voices groaned and cursed. She'd seen a girl walk over there too, she remembered. Indeed, every time she looked, Anna saw the female at the controls. She must be the one who's kicking their asses.

Annabelle had nothing against boys, but she couldn't help but smile to herself. It was nice to see another girl dominating the game.

"Damn, this chick's insane!" One of the boys gave up, heading back toward the newer consoles. On her own screen, she delivered a final blow to the animated opponent. The fallen AI screamed as it collapsed in slow motion, background flashing in oranges and yellows which indicated she'd finished with a special move. "Perfect," the screen announced, her own character striking a victory pose. It began loading the next fight, and Anna took this opportunity to look over toward the BlazBlue game again. Sure enough, the same girl was quickly destroying the young man she played against. He moved the joystick frantically, pressing every button on his side of the board. Well, he's screwed. Anna couldn't help but wonder how she'd fare against such an opponent. It would be an interesting battle. Sure, her StreetBrawler skill was unsurpassed, but BlazBlue was a whole different story. It was still a fighting game- something she was decent at, but it's controls had an entirely different feel to them. On the leaderboard for that particular cabinet, Anna was only ranked in the seventh place. Even then, she had to admit that had been a lucky game. As she began her next fight, she found she was actually contemplating joining their little tournament.

But that would involve human interaction. What if they thought she was rude for approaching them? Or what if the girl didn't let her play? It was a ridiculous thought, she knew. Most people she'd observed at the arcade were incredibly friendly, and considering the current situation she doubted the girl would refuse the competition. She looked like the type who would enjoy a good match. Still, the thought of getting up from this station, walking over to that crowd of people, and actually speaking to them was absolutely terrifying. Illogical as they were, her fear kept her bound to the joystick of StreetBrawler Delta 3. Besides, she told herself, she was on her way to a new high score here. She'd go over there when she was done. By then, perhaps the rest of the boys would have abandoned their futile desire to beat that woman. Anna had held the top rank on this machine for as long as she could remember, but today she felt pretty lucky. Maybe if she kept this up, she'd be able to beat her own record. "Perfect", the machine announced again. Yep, it was a definite possibility.

She focused her attention on destroying the next fighter. They were becoming more difficult now. So enraptured was she in the game that she barely noticed the brown-haired man approaching. As she took down a computer-generated martial artist, the man took his place at the cabinet next to her. Third Strike, she knew without glancing away. She knew the layout of the arcade pretty well by now, especially this particular section. The loading screen again gave her enough time to look up. He had noticed her score and nodded, giving her a thumbs up before looking to his own screen. Apparently this guy knew a high score when he saw one. She nodded back, hands starting to sweat. She wasn't used to people acknowledging her existence.

Now that there was someone so close to her, the atmosphere seemed to shift. Her hands continued to sweat and tremble as she played. It was just anxiety, she told herself. He probably wasn't looking at her. But it felt like he was. She locked her eyes on the screen, refusing to let this shake her. She'd played this close to other people before. Not often, but she'd done it. After all, this place got so crowded sometimes, it was impossible to find a lone machine with nobody around. After faltering for a moment, she went back to kicking the computer's butt. “Perfect!” the console declared. She smiled. The numbers in the corner climbed.

Then she heard it again. But this time it didn't come from her game... it was still loading. The announcement came from the cabinet next to her. Anna couldn't help but look over at its screen. The man had chosen Dudley as his combatant. The mustachioed boxer was striking a victory pose. She watched closely as his next match began, boxing gloves jabbed into the ribs of his new opponent. Judging by the movement of the AI, it was also set to a higher difficulty. She returned to her own match, but kept finding herself distracted by the other game. The numbers on his screen were climbing too, not as high as hers, but she'd been here longer. She tried to remember what rank she had obtained on that machine. Second? Third?... Possibly both. She spent so much time here that a couple of the boards were completely filled out with her initials. What had her score been?

Anna didn't play Third Strike as often as Delta 3, but she enjoyed the game. And she definitely knew how it worked. This guy was really good. He's gonna beat me, she thought. She remembered now, her score had been second. But this man was already almost there, and would likely soon surpass it. For some reason , she found herself feeling competitive. Whatever he ended up scoring, she'd beat it when he left.

She punched out another guy on her console, and it launched into the credits. Strange... she hadn't noticed that she was coming to the end of the singe player progression.


“Continue?” It asked. She'd won, so she wouldn't have to pay again. All she needed to do was press the button. But she was having more fun watching these other people play. She let the timer run out, ending the game and revealing that she had indeed beat her own record. “AJW” The letters already came up on the screen. Apparently nobody had played since she'd come in the day before. With the new consoles out front, these old machines were starting to lose their popularity.

But it seemed she was not the only one who still came to them. Judging by the skill of the man at the Third Strike cabinet, and the girl at the BlazBlue one, it was not an entirely dead art. She took a step back, leaning against and unoccupied machine from which she could see both of their screens. She watched not only the screens, but their hands, wondering if perhaps she could learn something from them. Both were doing incredibly well. Video games were awesome, but now it was time for people-watching.

[Takashi]

Morning used to be the beginning of something great: a new day of possibilities, meeting new people, and having all kinds of fun at work. Now it was simply the end of something abhorrent. Even with sleeping pills the images crept into his mind; a distant pop, a scarlet splatter, screaming, crying. Over and over again the dreams would repeat to the point where Yutaro knew exactly when the shot came. He knew what note of what song marked the end of that poor girl's life. He knew that if she moved at that particular moment, she would still be here. If he had started dancing earlier, if she would have gone for a drink, if if if... so many ways she could have lived. But the only possibility he relived was the one where he sat there, blissfully unaware of the tragedy only moments away, until it all came to an end.

Yutaro groaned and looked over at his clock. There was no point in trying to get back to sleep at this point. The sun was up, and his biological clock was telling him he no longer belonged in bed. However, his body was stiff and tired from the restless night. He stretched and forced himself out of bed, walking past his coffee pot and over to where he kept the caffeine pills. Screw coffee. It was too much work to heat up water, pray the the grind he had tasted good, and sit there sipping the hot beverage when all he really wanted was to wake up. He threw the caffeine pills back with some water, as was now a part of his morning ritual. Pills to force him to go to sleep, and then another set of pills to undo what the other pills did. Sure, sounds healthy.

Then his gaze moved to the letter from his parents on the table. He let out a heavy sigh. Right, he had forgotten about that. They knew that something was wrong, especially his mother, but he hadn't told them what happened. Talking about what happened wouldn't change what happened, so he saw no point in it. The caffeine started kicking in, he splashed some water on his face and he put on the smile everyone was used to seeing. Nobody questioned familiar things.

One thing that hadn't changed was that he still hated being cooped up in his apartment, so he decided to go out for a morning walk through the town. He had no plans, really. He didn't work until later, so his mornings were usually free. He was free to just walk through the streets and let his thoughts wander. He wondered how Ryoki was doing... No, that was a stupid question. He knew she wasn't doing well. She wasn't talking to him or doing much of anything; sometimes he even wondered if she was still alive. Not, that he could blame her after what happened. But still, he hoped that things were starting to look better for her.

"Whatever fortune has raised on high, she lifts but to bring low," he muttered to himself. He had said those words to another unlucky person at the ball. Perhaps those words were a curse, a secret incantation for a dark spell that brings misfortune into the world. Or, perhaps they were just a simple truth, realized through generations of misfortune befalling the great. However, right now, Yutaro wished those words were wrong.

[SkeankySnack]

Early morning, a time where most normal people woke up, or night owls remained slumbered, the light of day a bane to their existence. The young American, was nowhere within that spectrum, having suffered a terrible lapse of sleepless nights caused his schedule to become, just the worst. He'd woken up at 4 am, fortunately on a day off, and flopped on his couch to binge watch whatever the hell was playing on his television, he didn't particularly care. Now at close to 11:00, he was still sitting there, TV blaring some random show he didn't quite catch the name to, smoke hanging in the air, a combination of incense and illegal carcinogens. Today the little pothead was feeling elated, a nice contrast to the months that had preceded this day.

After having one hell of a roller coaster start of a New Year, a consistent night of highs and lows, particularly starting off low, Kyle had traversed half of Shine City and back to his friend's mansion. There the two had gotten absolutely blitzkriegingly drunk and invited a couple of others to come and join them. Not much was remembered that night, he barely remembered the faces of the people who had come over, more concerned about the pounding headache from the night before, his lack of memory and the hopes of a message illuminating his phone; a response to a message he had sent, a response that never came. Her golden orbs lingered at the edge of his mind, a hazy memory of something he once looked upon and thought, 'This is something I want to keep seeing.' ....That lane of his life was closed now, it left its scars from the sudden stop, though for all he knew, it was probably for the best.

Kyle rubbed his eyes, attempting to banish the memory and his stomach began to protest him, clearly having been awake for 7 hours was finally enough for it to say something about food. Well he was too damn lazy to even think about making breakfast, it was definitely a day to go out and eat. Stretching, he pulled the bong from the top of his coffee table and took a nice long rip, the smoke billowing like a chimney as he exhaled. Packing up his things, he quickly showered, brushed his teeth and pulled on a pair of jeans and a red short sleeved button up shirt, before slipping on a pair of sandals and walking out the door. The air was still fairly cool, a leftover from winter, but it was definitely nice enough out to wear lighter clothing.

---

The walk wasn't too long before he made it in front of the Mochavine Cafe, he debated whether or not he really wanted to enter, but decided he was being stupid and went in anyway. The place hadn't changed at all, it was still just as busy and bustling as it always was and the smell of coffee filled the air. He wasn't much of a drinker of the stuff, but he really enjoyed the food here, and that was exactly the reason the munchies had called him to this place. Making his way past the crowds, his eyes briefly lingered on the bulletin board before persevering and moving forward. There were only a few seats available at the bar, so he moved in quickly, making sure not to disturb the raven haired woman @Delta44 sitting next to the unoccupied space.
He looked up at the menu board, running a hand through his neatly trimmed and buzzed hair, he knew what the summers were like here and wanted to be prepared for the heat, so he took early precautions. Soon enough the barista came for his order, "Hi there, what can I get you today?"

"Hm...I'm thinking something sweet and filling...do you have any suggestions?"

"Well we did just get a new waffle maker-" No further words had to be spoken as Kyle's eyes widened at the prospect of a fluffy, filling, delicious belgian waffle. The barista paused slightly as she took in the American's expression, "Would you like syrup with that?"

"Yes to all of that, and a glass of milk with it?"

[Saarebas]

"Ha ha, that's my lass!" The red headed behemoth said with a hearty laugh as he listened to the rather rustic looking radio that sat on a small coffee table in front of him. The grinning mountain of a man was no other than Artair Grant, or rather as everyone has come to call him simply Arty, and he was currently reclining his massive frame onto the couch in the living room of his modest apartment. He was enjoying the morning broadcast of Shine City radio just as he always did, though today was more than a bit special given that it was the feisty voice of the fiery DJ Haywood emanating from his radio this time. The young DJ had been quite excited about her upcoming take over of the radio station and Arty couldn't help but hear no end of it whenever the two met up at work. "I'm goin' to have to congratulate her tonight." He thought happily to himself, though the idea left a slightly bitter sweet taste in the Irishman's mouth. The only reason Nori was able to make such a great debut on the Shine City air waves was because Nick, the former host, had gotten himself into some serious trouble. "Poor lad..." Arty thought aloud with a sigh.

With some help from the lively songs that Nori was masterfully choosing and the small fur ball that was Nessie cuddling up to him Arty was able to pull himself out of his sorrow filled thoughts and regain his usual joyful demeanor. "Oi Nes, it is going to be a long day." He said as he gently scratched behind the cat's ears, who was currently curled up in Arty's lap. Arty was of course referring to LUSH's notorious Nightcore and Foam night, it always served to bring in a large crowd which meant that Arty was going to be doing a lot of denying tonight. The allure of club music and dancing in a room full of foam never failed to conjure up hordes of teens trying to sneak in, if only Arty was paid in the amount of fake IDs he saw a night, he could live like a king!

Letting out a chuckle at his own thoughts the giant turned his attention to the tiny feline mewing in his lap. Okay wee one, it is time to start the day." Arty said as he scratched the kitty's chin before carefully setting her to the side of him on the couch. He then stood and stretched out his bare form, letting out a earth shaking yawn. The next few moments consisted of him taking himself into the bathroom, hoping into and taking a quick shower, drying off, then going to get some clothes. It is a good thing the bouncer lived alone, otherwise someone would of got quite the eyeful.

The walking building of a bouncer reemerged from his bedroom dawning his work out gear, a simple dark green sleeveless T-shirt and black gym shorts, and a gym bag slung over his shoulder. He walked back over to the couch where Nessie was still contently curled up. He gave the cat a quick, but soft stroke. "I'll be back later Nes, be a good lass while I'm gone." He cooed to the cat who purred under his touch. With that done Arty set out of his apartment and the building it reside.

The second Arty's massive sneaker covered feet touched the side walk outside his apartment building he started his jog. The giant red head running down his street was a common sight for its residents, ever since moving in Arty had been running this same trail almost daily. It was a rather simple one that lead all the way from Arty's apartment all the way to his gym. Arty ran a few blocks before he got to his favorite part of his run, the little detour he took through Shiny Park. The big lug always like going through the park, the fresh air and smiling faces always refreshed his spirits and drove him the rest of the way through his work out.

[sakurasan]

---

---

The extremely maddening and blazzing alarm turned on. An irritating mosquito sound resonated in the flat apartment that she lived in. Thank god for soundproof walls because she knew that a lot of people would be complaining if she didn’t have them. The noise wasn’t that of your typical alarm clock after all. It was a high pitched frequency that practically screamed “FUCK. YOU.” in a tone that could make one feel as though they’ll rip their eardrums out. But she couldn’t wake up without that wonderful noise. She tried. She even tried a $100 alarm clock that had some sort of flying drone on the top of it which you had to attach back to the top of the alarm if you wanted to shut it up. Mirei slept through it like a baby.

She rubs her eyes before standing up and walking over to her closet with her eyes closed and instead stubbing her toe at the corner of her bed. Mirei winces, a little squeaking sound coming out of her mouth. She’s awake now, that’s for sure. If the alarm didn't do it, this did. Stepping on a lego may be a bitch but she'd choose that over stubbing her toe any day.

Mirei shakes it off slowly as she resumes to heading over to her closet, taking out a simple an outfit. She had to work later and she always kept jeans over there so that she didn’t have to wear it when she went out. No matter what anyone said, jeans weren’t all that comfortable. They were rugged and itchy when she walked everywhere in them. I don’t have to work until 2pm today so I should be able to get a quick bee- coffee while i’m out. Drinking beer before work wasn’t advisable at all.

Picking out a nice blue skirt that would go well with her summer heels. She didn’t know why she didn’t find heels uncomfortable. Then again, they weren’t that high so who knew how it would feel to wear 6 inch heels instead of 2 inch. Her top was a plain white top which was nearly a tank top that wasn’t anything special but simplicity has it’s own charm. Mirei also had on a light blue undershirt beneath it that showed. Mirei brushed her hair for a short time but not much since it wasn't that tangled to begin with. Applying some light lip gloss to her lips so that they didn't feel dry.

Walking over to her bedside to grab her phone, Mirei accidentally presses the ON button for the radio. How about stopping by The Tiny Snowflake? I was in there yesterday and the prettiest waitress helped me...um, I think her name was Amaya? I'm no- Mirei shuts off the radio, shaking her head at the loud noise. Seemingly nice girl every morning but today I need a coffee before I listen to someone so chipper straight off the bat. Grabbing her small brown bag which only held a wallet, book, some cash she shoved in there, a small notebook, and now her cell, Mirei took her keys off of the dining table.

Guess i'm ready. The flat she lived in was a pretty nice place. After all, her salary wasn't the lowest ever and was satisfying at $52.25 an hour. She was in a good mood today. Right before she left, she grabbed a sun hat off of a rack along with a light cardigan. Looking forward as she walked out of the room and down some as she realized that there were people out. Mirei locked the door quickly, putting her keys into her bag and looked a bit towards the ground yet again. However, she knew that it would be best to get rid of the bad habit of looking down so instead she looked forward, not at anyone but simply minding her own business as one should and attempting to not attract any attention.

---

11:22

Walking down to Mochavine wasn't bad since it was close but not too close. She had on her shades as she walked in swiftly. The wonderful fragrance made her feel calm as she walked up to an open cashier, taking off her shades, revealing her bright red eyes and allowing her shades to hang on her shirt. "Hello~ Good morning to you." smiling sweetly as she spoke to the person. "I'll take one dippio please." she says, already beginning to pull out her wallet.

[Matsuri]

Aya Kagamine

---

---

• Proceeding to Shiny Park •

---

---

With the morning sun creeping through the wooden blinds and beaming at Aya's eyelids, the woman woke up from her well deserved slumber, not exactly in the best way she had hoped the night before. After reaching for her phone and poking at it, the time displayed on the slightly cracked screen made Aya sigh. She was hoping her mental alarm clock would kick in on this special day, just like every other day (surprisingly), but it seemed that on this special day it hadn't. Springing out of bed, Aya delved her hand into the large wooden crate in the corner of her room, rummaging around for a second or two. Then, out came a dark red wool beret, along with a confused face expression from Aya.

"Wool… A sweaty morning in the park it is, then."

It was a bold, heavy hat, so a bold, heavy coloured outfit would have to do for today.

After brushing her messy hair which accurately resembled her current life in a nutshell, Aya shuffled through her apartment door and into the outside world. Fresh air and some actual space would be fitting for a day off like this.

No one was going to ruin Aya's day off.

Donning a loose beige top, a deep red skirt and some brown boots and black leggings, Aya's morning stroll in Shiny Park began. She continuously adjusted her red wool beret as she walked, whilst also taking in the surroundings she'd seen many times over. The quaint feel and the light breeze would set Aya's messy mind at ease for this peaceful day off.


Hands full with hurrying days,
Mind cleared of drifting days,
Eyes red nowadays,
Sight gone black tomorrow.

Another small poem emerging from Aya's subconscious as she walked. Her pace seemed to be much slower than before, and she found herself tripping over air (as well as someone's dog one time) more often than normal. Maybe it was time to take a seat on a bench instead. Reaching into her satchel, she grabbed her newly bought notebook and began to write. Simply just those same words she had conjured up during her morning stroll. Aya let the sounds of the barking dogs and the panicking owners and the whooshing frisbees and the shaking trees shy away from the flourishing words taking control of her mind.

It was then when Aya began to feel her wool beret increasing the amount of sweat on her forehead, as the sun's rays where shining down brighter than ever. The woman had pinned her long side fringe to the side this morning to prevent such things from happening, but it seemed her autumn season outfit hadn't been the greatest idea on this hot summer's day. Aya decided to literally deal with it, though. She never betrayed her not so fair choice of hats.

A few minutes later, a flock of pigeons came rushing in after a little girl had sadly dropped her egg sandwich on the grass nearby. First five, then ten, then twenty, then soon Aya could count about thirty-five pigeons pecking after the eggy bread. It wouldn't take long for Aya's childish instincts to come out and play, especially with the thirty-something pigeons beginning to grow even more for just one piece of bread. Well, technically two.

Score.

She made no sound placing her notebook and pen back into her pocket, nor did she make any sound approaching this bird bonanza. She crept forward and stayed silent, waiting for the right moment to finally do it. Then, breaking into a sprint, she parted the party of pigeons and watched as they flapped their wing off into the sky. One of them had actually collided with her nose, and another one had missed dropping a poop on Aya by an inch, giving a whole new image to the saying, 'scaring the crap out of someone'. She would've been pretty pissed off if one had the decency to crap on her new beige top, but nevertheless, chasing pigeons away from an unprotected egg sandwich never got old. And it would never get old no matter how old Aya got.

She just hoped that nobody had laid their eyes on her after her little intrusion of a pigeon's brunch.

[Dolerman]

Nicholas Weston

Shine City Rehab Clinic

Hey Shine City, Nick here....I'm....I'm still not allowed out, the orderlies have only given me 2 hours exrcise time a day, and boy....I wish I had my GameStation Vita cause I'm going....kinda...FUCKING crazy in here....haha...sure wish I could see you all now....Arty...Professer Shou....Shizuka....................Nori.....I'm so sorry.. I uh *sniff*...crap..*sob*...we are having technical difficulties folks...

Nick was in his room, he had been up since 6am and had been 'broadcasting' his radio show into his PlayPocket Color, which had ran out of batteries weeks ago. He would broadcast every morning just to try and stay sane but it probably wasnt working anymore. They wouldnt even let him have his bubble gum anymore so occasionally he would chew on his clothes, but that would only last a few seconds. He opened up his curtains which gave him a harsh reminder of where he was and why.

Nick's Room

He wanted to broadcast again, he wanted to be a radio host once more, and atone for his behavior. He picked up his empty handheld and began to speak into it, obviously with no one else able to hear him but the orderlies outside his room.

W...Weston's Suggestions....Nick advises you crazy guys....not to get involved with drugs and....dont fall for girls who only see you....as a friend....and...appreciate the simple things in life....what I wouldnt give to just go back to the Shine City Aquarium...and be at peace watching the sea creatures....and....I'm sorry....guys....more difficulties...

Nick began choking up on his tears a little and threw his handheld down in frustration. Some of it was withdrawal but most of it was disappointment in himself. One of the Orderlies came to his front door after hearing the noise.

Mr Weston, are you feeling okay? do you need to moved to a secure unit?

Nick shuddered at the idea of a padded room, his voice became quiet and docile.

No nurse, I'lll be okay, sorry for the commotion.

I'm not a nurse, I'm an orderly, and its breakfast time, you should com downstairs and eat now.

I'm not hungry, I wanted...I wanted to ask about visitation again...about people seeing me..

The orderly folded her arms and sighed.

Mr Weston, I'm afraid weve already told you that your parents have decided to stop contact with you, we could try calling them again...but..

Nick grimaced at the idea of seeing them again.

No, not them, someone else. I was wondering if the centre could contact someone I used to know...Nori Haywood

The orderly lowered her head and shook it slowly looking at Nick with confusion and pity.

I know a lot of young men like to think they know attractive female celebrities on the radio but lets be honest Nick, I'm sure someone as famous as Ms Haywood wouldn't have time to come somewhere like here just to see you.....I'm just being honest....You should come and eat something.

The orderly left Nick alone as he crawled up into a ball hearing what she just said.

Nick slowly reached over to his handheld and put it to his face like a pillow.

Yeah...Nori Haywood is too busy to visit a nobody like me.....I'm sure she has a b-b..boyfriend...now....Nick Weston.....Signing.....Out..

Nick began to sob into the floor as one of the patients next door played his music box......

Goodbye Nori,Goodbye Nick

[Section]

As it turned out, Operation Regicide was not going well.

It had been over fifteen minutes since she started playing and though she had gone through about eight opponents, each asking for a rematch, she still hadn't faced the adversary she hoped for. And now, she was starting to slip. A missed block had one of the better opponents launch into a combo and Noel lost half her health before Eidel ordered her into a ruthless attack on her opponent, juggling him in a ruthless series of hits when he tried to start the same combo over again. In the rematch, she had a nearly perfect win, but clenching the controls and breathing shallowly, she was starting to get dizzy. At some point, she started confusing the characters and cursed herself when a red-colored Jin made her think she was fighting Ragna and mess up. Plus, she was running out of opponents. And those who were left were actually starting to make bets. This was not helping her steadily mounting stress. Finally, in between a shift between players and an exchange of quarters between the boys, with some landing on her controls as part of bets she hadn't really agreed to but certainly wasn't against, she turned in a fury towards the cabinet directly behind hers. To Eidel's fair amount of shock, it was empty.

Instead, the woman who had been playing before was now leaned against the wall and watching her. "Damn it, stop gawking and actually play, I need an actual challenge!" she almost wanted to yell. Instead, she found herself glaring. Sometimes, despite her not being especially good with dealing with people at times, she could still find herself being impatient and very, very, very wroth. Still, she wasn't going to explode, not here. Instead, she looked down her last opponents and noticing the small tower of coins on her cabinet, she sighed. I guess subterfuge was not the way to go, she muttered inwardly. Still, she had fun, she supposed and smiling, and adjusting her seat to make her butt a little less sore, she decided to at least finish this pseudo-tourney and then maybe she'd challenge her, fair and square. Even a friendly match of StreetBrawler could be fun, Eidel was garbage at it, finding it slow and sluggish with not enough movement compared to Arc System Works' titles, but since she was already being spectated, there was no point making a show of her skills by playing a game that she was good at.

Soon enough, an Astral Finisher, with Noel dancing around her opponent, Hakumen, and firing enough bullets to make an A-10 Warthog nervous, she had ended her last opponent and after standing and shaking the sweaty, damp hands of the boys, she stood up, stuffed the pile of quarters into her blouson's pocket and let the cabinet fade back into the anime opening of Continuum Shift as she courteously took a tissue from one of her pockets and wiped down the stick and buttons on both sides. She tossed it into a rubbish bin as she walked away towards a vending machine and bought herself a pair of cold drinks. Not knowing what her hoped-opponent would want, she decided just to get a bottle of water and some Fanta for herself. Reflecting on the story she had heard of Fanta being invented in Nazi Germany as she returned to the older style cabinets, she found the girl still at the same spot as before.

Eidel stopped for a moment and wiped her brow with yet another tissue, then adjusted her hair, which proved quite useless as her style never really needed much adjustment. She had chosen it precisely for that reason, after all. Something shocked her, however. Why am I being so bold? she realized, even if she was shaking a tiny bit. She thought it over for a moment, hesitating and doubting herself, but eventually she just decided it was adrenaline or a winner's rush and kept walking. Standing near her as she watched another game, at an angle which hopefully wouldn't startle her too much, Eidel made a point of entering her field of view slightly and waved with a friendly, if a little weak, smile.

"Hellooo. I saw you watching my game and I saw yours earlier. I'll treat you to a game if you want?" She gestured to a small pile of quarters in her free hand and offered her the water bottle. "Of course, if you don't want to..." Eidel doubted herself anyway and trailed off.

[Evil Snowman]

Theodore Maxwell

---

Theodore's Apartment

It was dark in the one room apartment, thick heavy curtains blocking out nearly of the suns early morning light from the apartments windows. A lone figure soundly slept on the king sized bed, wrapped tightly within the blankets blissfully unaware he was being watched by two sets of hungry eyes. What did these eyes belong to? Humanities lord and master, the very creature that had been worshipped by humans since the long fallen kingdoms of the ancient world. These eyes looked at the sleeping figure in disgust, how dear this lesser form of life sleep when it had duties to perform. Duties the higher creature wanted ... no that needed to be performed. Why? Because it would please them, it would sustain them until to night where the duty would be performed again. Thus, pleasing the higher life forms once more until the morning. A never-ending cycle that was under took every day without fail, but the morning duty was always neglected and late. Almost like the lesser form of life liked feeling the wrath of it masters, wrath that was being plotted and very soon those plots would be acted upon.

The eyes blinked in unison. Moving from their perch on the bench in the kitchenette. Moving slowly thought the darkness towards the bed, the sleeping figure muttering something about a thing the lesser life form often called Susan, not stacking enough costing it a game. Whatever it was dreaming off this soon wouldn't matter as it was time for the lesser life form to perform its duty. The owners of the eyes jumped onto the bed. Slowly approaching the lesser beings head, making sure not to touch the creature not wanting to give it satisfaction of the holy fur. Once at the head the eyes looked at each for a moment waiting for their moment to strike. That moment came seconds later as the lesser creature rolled onto its back exposing the face. The owners of the eyes raised a forward limb and in perfect unison stuck the creature in its gaping mouth. Both limbs entering the hole causing the creature to open its eyes startled.

---

The wake up call this morning was not what Theo had been expecting. Not expecting his furry overlords to hit stick their paws in his mouth, for what had to be the third time this week.
"Come on you guys, gimme another five. Its still too early in the morning. Theo said rubbing his eyes wishing his overlords would let him sleep in just once. Well aware this wasn't going to happen, this fact being hammered down the sound of a hungry meow and strangled attempted at a meow.
"You'd think I never fed you two ." Theo stated in reply to his cats meows. Sitting up Theo rubbed his eyes again as his feline masters looked at him expectantly in the dark. Theo very much aware what his furry masters where waiting for and very much aware denying them for long was a very bad idea.

Reaching for his bedside table Theo flicked on a small lamp, the apartment filling with a dull light. With the lamp on Theo climbed out of bed followed by his furry masters. Both of them dashing over to a pair of bowls on the floor near the fridge, this act stating their demand. Giving a small chuckle at his cats Theo moved to a cupboard in the kitchenette. Opening it, he pulled out a purple box with a cartoon cat on it, the cats given another meow and strangled attempt at the sight of the box. With a sigh and a smile, Theo moved over to the bowls and started to pour a small amount of the boxes contents into the bowls one by one.
"There you go, my little furies. Grow big and fat, so one day I can devour you! MWHAHAHAHA!" Theo stated in a happy joking tone, although he was ignored by his now busy cats. Shrugging Theo began to job of opening his apartments curtains, the suns light flooding the room.

No longer needing the lamp Theo turned it off wishing he didn't have such thick curtains, but sadly it was something his normally easy to deal with landlady was very anal about. Stating if he changed them she'd throw him out on his ass for breach of contract. Whatever it was about Theo hated having to use the lamp each morning, but unless he moved it was something he'd have to live with. Which would before a while given Theo liked his apartment even if it was a little old and in a slightly rundown building. Given Theo was now awake Theo fault his caffeine addiction demand sating. Theo responding to this by going back into the kitchenette. He opened the cupboard, where he kept a tin of instant coffee only to discover when he opened it the tin the completely empty.
"Oh I need to go buy coffee again. Really need to stop putting empty tins back in cupboard." he thought setting the empty tin back in the cupboard. Going to his wardrobe Theo got quickly pulled out some clothes for the day. Getting dressed into a pair of jeans, black shoes and a brown t-shirt with an angry rabbit holding a coffee cup on it and the words "it's too early, please stop talking." printed on the front.

Once dressed Theo grabbed what he needed to go out wallet, keys and phone being the three basic must haves for him, each going into there designated pockets. With the basics on hand Theo went to the elevator that doubled as his front door and pressed the button to go down, having no other option given he lived on the top floor of the building. After a wait Theo though was far to long, the elevator arrived at his floor and at his command took him to the ground floor. Normally he'd go to the buildings basement where his car was kept, but he felt like walking today. It was a little warm, but it was his day off so time was not really something he was concerned about.

Thoe's first stop this morning was the Mochavine Cafe&Bar, given if he couldn't have his morning coffee at home he'd go to what he'd call the best place in the city. Even if it meant a little bit of a walk, Theo didn't care after all why should he didn't have a single commitment today. Although he'd most likely stop by his work later to check on his school project. By the time he had arrived at the Mochavine he saw a woman who like him had white hair just finishing the process ordering whatever it was she wanted."Intresting, it's rare to see another white haired human. I'd wager she has the same eye colour to boot, but meh not important. I have an addiction to placate" he thought, moving forward in the tiny queue that had formed behind the woman.

When it was turn to order Theo ordered himself a Marocchino and took a seat at a a empty table. The entire time he kept stealing the odd sly glace at the white haired girl. Theo willing to admit to himself he did find it interesting to see someone else like him.

[Narcotic Dollie]

---

She was on her third lap now and Stevie Nicks was halfway through crooning, ‘Go Your Own Way’ when Calliope noticed she was joined by another runner. His ginger hair was the complete opposite of her own blue tresses and he was huge. At five feet and eight inches she wasn’t exactly what most people would consider short by any means, but this man made her look like a midget!

’What’s the proper protocol when somebody starts jogging next to you?’ she thought, mind racing as they fell in at an even pace next to one another. ’He’d want to at least be acknowledged, right? That’s a thing that people enjoy,’ Calliope finally decided between pants, raising a hand to give him a quick wave. ’Wait, what if he thinks I’ve waving him off? Is that rude? She hesitated, then gave him a large, possibly manic looking smile. ’Crap, I showed my teeth! Animals think that's aggressive, do people think that as well? He doesn’t think I’m going to eat him now, does he!? the woman fretted, turning her head to wipe the sweat from her brow onto the strap of her tank top. When she straightened back up she gave him a smaller, hopefully less creepy smile.

’Nailed it,’ she thought proudly. ’I’m passing for normal!’

The stranger kept up with her brisk pace, which caught her off guard some what. It wasn’t often that the big, body builder types focused on their cardio at all. They passed a large hemlock tree just in time to see a tall woman in a red beret...stalking a flock of pigeons? ’...Is that normal?’ Within the blink of an eye the other woman charged forward and Calliope only has a split second to brace herself before it happened.

”FLY, MY BROTHERS, SHOW THEM THE MEANING OF HASTE! SHE WANTS OUR TASTY TASTY BIRD MEAT, DO NOT GIVE HER THE PLEASURE OF DEVOURING IT! WE MUST GO QUICKLY, MY FRIENDS, EMPTY YOUR BOWELS LEST YOUR FECES SLOW YOU IN YOUR RETREAT! AIM FOR HER HEAD AND TEACH HER THE MEANING OF FILTH AND DESPAIR! SHE WILL RUE THE DAY SHE ATTACKED OUR FLOCK! DEFECATE ON EVERYTHING SHE HOLDS DEAR!”

“Ah!” Calliope exhaled, coming to a stop to rip her earbuds out and rub at her ears. The flock leader’s shrieking continued to ring out shrilly as the birds made their getaway, causing the blue haired woman to wince slightly. The vet student squinted down to try and figure out what had the birds so worked up, only to see that they had been pecking at a egg sandwich. “Sick,” she murmured under her breath, her chest still rising and falling rapidly as she tried to get her wind back. They had been eating eggs! While they hadn’t been fertilized, the pigeons had still been eating the children of their avian cousins, in a weird way.

Ugh, that thought made her queasy.