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

[Adelynn Ryder]

The girl was starting to slip. She was still readily destroying the opponents, but Anna could see she was getting tired. Or perhaps nervous? Either way, she was shaking. The boys were actually getting in a few hits. Unfortunately, it didn't look as though the crowd was going to clear. There were possibly even more people there than before. She could see them placing bets, stacks of quarters lining up next to the machine. Idiots. They're not gonna win. Even if she was slowing down, the reigning champion of their tournament was far out of their league. Anna wanted to play. It was strange really, she usually preferred to play games by herself. But it had been quite a while since she'd seen anyone with that level of skill, and between this girl and the guy at the Third Strike cabinet, it seemed there could be some fascinating battles here. AIs were predictable, people were not. She glanced nervously at the group of boys surrounding the machine. Would they let her join them? They seemed busy setting up some sort of turn order... And even if they were willing to let her have a turn, what if she messed up? Or worse, what if she won and the girl got mad at her? Anyway, playing the game would require approaching the crowd, making herself seen. Even thinking about it made her shiver.

She looked away from the young gamblers, returning her attention to the screen. It was loading. The girl had turned around in her seat, staring strait back at Annabelle. Glaring. Anna realized with sudden terror that she'd been spotted. She hadn't been hiding or anything, but she was so used to going unnoticed that it hadn't crossed her mind that the Blazblue player might see her watching, much less be offended by it. Her face flushed, hands sweating again, and she averted her eyes. I'm an idiot. Of course the girl was offended! She had every right to be. There she was, minding her own business, destroying a dozen or so opponents, and Annabelle had been standing there gawking. Perhaps she relied too much on the fact that other people tended not to see her. What should she do now? Should she run? No, then she would look like a creepy stalker person. Or maybe she already did, standing there watching like that...

Anna felt the glaring eyes leave her as the next match began. Still, she stood frozen. Would it be rude to leave, or more rude to stay? Maybe if she just didn't look over there... She turned back to the Third Strike game. Dudley was still tearing apart the AI opponents. Did that guy know she was there. He'd acknowledged her existence earlier, but that was when she had still been playing Delta 3. Now she had moved, but did he still see her? Would he, like the girl, be mad at her for watching? He still focused on his game, but in her mind he was now glaring too. As were the boys in the corner. Everyone glared, everyone hated her.

The girl was approaching now, two bottles in hand. One soda, one water. Anna pressed back into the wall, her pale skin turning even whiter with fear. Her hands, now drenched with sweat, were shaking uncontrollably. Nobody approached her- ever. Not unless they needed her to do something... or if they were mad at her. Yes, that must be the case. Was she going to yell? Anna certainly deserved it. She imagined the girl yelling, calling attention to their area and broadcasting to the entire arcade what Anna had done. Her head reeled with panic.

But the girl only came up beside her and smiled. She wanted to play.

Anna's muscles relaxed a bit. It wasn't a crowd of angry people ready to tear into her. Just one girl, a nice girl. Another gamer. She didn't usually talk to people, but she really did want to play. And now it was just her, not the crowd of young Blazblue players.

She smiled nervously, speaking in a voice so quiet it could have been mistaken for a whisper. She hoped her anxiety wasn't too visible, but it probably was. “Um... sure... you're good too. I mean, I was watching... uh...” She glanced over at the Blazblue console, still surrounded by the boys. “What game do want to play?”

[Saarebas]

Sun shining, bees buzzing, birds chirping, and dogs barking all just proved that it really was a great day for a run through the park. Arty had a content smile on his face as he jogged along the park path, sweat glistening on his brow. Cardio was always the most relaxing part of his work out and Arty loved every minute of it, it gave him time to unwind and to clear his head. The park was just teeming with families spending time together, friends enjoying a day out, and couples enjoying little romantic rendezvous. The monotonous Irishman couldn't help but smile even wider, all the joy around him was just simply contagious.

While he was lost in his bliss filled thoughts Arty apparently had managed to gain himself a running mate. It was a pretty young lady with brilliant blue hair, there seemed to be a lot of those here in Shine City. When the more than slightly oblivious lug finally noticed his new companion she was waving at him. Did she not want him running with her? Arty understood that, sometimes when he really got into a work out he didn't like being distracted by others. But this thought was quickly waved away when his fellow jogger offered him a reassuring smile. "Oh good, she was just sayin' hello." Arty thought with a inward thought of relief.

Just as Arty was about to return the greeting the girl suddenly stopped in what looked like either shock or pain. Arty instinctively stopped and made his way over to the girl, being a bouncer for so long kind of makes a person worry about others. "Excuse me lass, but are ya okay?" He asked, the concern obvious in his voice. Arty hopped that he didn't come off as intruding for randomly showing care for this girl's well being.

[Specter189]

As soon as he got into the groove, Scott's mind cleared as it sharpened to a razor's edge. His reflexes had naturally dulled slightly as he grew older, as much as it pained him to admit it, he wasn't tournament material anymore. While his synapses didn't react quite as fast as they used to, he had many, many years of Third Strike under his belt. Almost every frame of animation was committed to his memory and running Dudley was second nature. All he had to do was slowly and steadily push his opponent into a corner then his rote memorized combos would juggle his opponent into oblivion. Back in the day he'd get nervous while playing, the sheer desire to win, the fear of losing would cause him to make mistakes. Playing a character that required cool, clinical precision tempered his nerves.

He'd cleared his way to the top of many a cabinet when he travelled the country. Ever since he first picked it up so many years ago he'd often fall into a mood where he had to play Third Strike. Such a lust for combos had gotten him into the tournament scene, he never made it big, but he did learn one very, very important skill.

Each animation of any videogame is composed of frames, individual panes that portray everything in the game world from hits, to movement, etcetera, most fighting games, Third Strike included, run at sixty frames per second. That is sixty individual frames of animation and data in a second, in Third Strike there exsists a system called parries. If a player throws his stick forward during the last ten frames of his opponent's attack animation, all damage will be negated and the character who parried will recover faster than his opponent, allowing him to launch into a combo of his own. In other words, Scott learned how to completely negate attacks a tenth of a second before they hit. Its not foolproof, and it requires a fair amount of prediction, but Scott's muscle memory allowed him to do it without thinking. A well timed parry can completely turn the tide in a fight, he'd seen some of the most insane comebacks through them, and his ability to pull them off was certainly a source of pride.

His mastery of Third Strike did affect his performance in other games, however, and as the years went by live opponents became rarer and rarer. Of course he could still go to EVO and other conventions, but it wasn't enough, he wanted to play Third Strike all the time. Other games such as Blazblue and Persona 4 Arena he'd tried to get into, but the huge array of subsystems turned him off. Other titles such as Mortal Kombat felt too restrictive with their combos. He did try out an interesting title called Skullgirls in a couple other arcades, and he did take a liking to it. In the back of his head he decided to look for it in this arcade later, for now he had a ladder to destroy.

Speaking of which, his last opponent, the empowered and ridculously colored final boss of the arcade mode Gill, was already in the corner. The AI behind him foolishly decided to make a desperate attack, prompting a parry into one final Corckscrew Blow to finish him off. I he familiar fanfare played and he inputted the initals "SAW" next to his score at the top of the board. He stifled a yawn as he stretched his shoulders, standing hunched over an arcade cabinet for a good while left his joints surprisingly stiff, he twisted around partly to get his body moving again, and partly to see if the eyes he felt boring into his back were real or phantoms.

Sure enough, they were real. He caught the gaze of the girl who'd demolished Delta 3 next to him, another girl was talking to her about something, probably a challenge. He was tempted to watch their match, hell he was tempted to challenge the girl himself, she was pretty damn good. He didn't want to intrude in their conversation, so he instead just flashed a smile and another thumb's up before stepping away from the cabinet, silently debating on what he'd do next before finally just figuring he'd stay put. He loved watching skilled players, and was looking forward to seeing her Third Strike game later. After all he had a ton of time to kill until tonight, when he'd finally get to open his bar.

Today was a good day

[MyCatGinger]

Shou Matsuoka

10:45 am

The young professor threw his head back and let the rays of the approaching midday sun reflect off the lens of his spectacles. It was warm outside, and summer was just beginning. A lot of things changed when seasons changed, but Shou was just happy it wasn't freezing anymore. Nevertheless, he had donned a light sweater, cigarette in one hand and the two leads of his dogs in the other. The canines were heavily contrasting in personality, anyone could see. The smaller of them, the Jack Russell, pulled eagerly at the lead, whereas the larger, the German Shepherd cross, trotted ahead of the man at a leisurely pace. Passing by the familiar old lady's house from before, she seemed to be outside already, so Shou gave her a wave. She waved back, and the dogs' ears perked up in response to her presence. Jinxie, the Jack Russell, even yapped happily. But the dogs and Shou had somewhere else to be. It was morning-time, and our professor had overslept, so he had decided instead to take the dogs for a walk.
It was just about then he passed the house one away from his, the house that had been empty for a while, suddenly seeming more alive. Moving trucks had been around for a whole day the day before, and Shou Matsuoka was keen to meet the owners of the house. He debated baking them something as a goodwill gesture, and discarded the idea immediately.

Never let Shou Matsuoka into a kitchen. Ever.

As he passed, he may have noticed the swish of a tail in a downstairs window. Ah, probably his imagination...

Holding the cigarette in the same hand as the leashes, he fixed his earplugs into his ears carefully and unlocked his phone. Tuned into a particular radio station out of equal parts curiosity and some of his younger female students asking him to, he caught the last bits of a broadcast that was on.

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~!

As the tune came on, he shook his head with a tiny smirk. This was Nori Haywood, DJ extraordinaire and as of the last two months, honorary girlfriend of Shou's old, and good, friend, Detective Oliver Holland.
Things had changed a lot from New Year's Eve, when the pair had found Shou slurring his words and driving drunk after an evening with a ghost. A beautiful woman, who much resembled his dead fiancee. A woman whose name still lingered in the confines of his mind, somewhere deep down. Was he just incredibly drunk? Or was she really sent, just for him...?

Amie...

Her name was coming to be synonymous with Alessandra's. The professor sighed as he continued to walk into town, switching the peppy music on the radio out for something from his own playlist. A little more...chilled out.

What's playing?

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Sweater weather, huh...
Summer's just beginning, but I'm stuck in a November night somewhere.

He mused to himself, passing through the evergreen welcoming gates of Shiny Park. Everyone was right, somehow, through all the seasons, this was the one place that seemed the most timeless, despite expecting it to change the most. The trees changed but the crowds majorly didn't as much. It was soothing, like an old friend. Soothing-

"Jinxie, be careful!"

Great. The little dog almost knocked someone over.
"Miss, I'm really sorry for her behaviour, I-" he began, smoke exiting his lips as he looked up to the person who almost fell over his dog. All he knew about her was that she was tall. And...very hurriedly making her way away from him. Maybe she had spied somewhere to sit, or someone she had to meet...
The professor couldn't help but follow the dark haired woman with his eyes, until she sat herself down on a park bench. Aah, normal enough...he shook his head with a little laugh. Maybe he should have taken his earphones out and been a little more attentive to what his dogs were doing...

"Jinxie, w-" he began again, the little dog growling under her breath at an abnormally large gathering of...pigeons. Nothing abnormal, Shou shook his head again. Nothing to worry about. He cooed and knelt down to try and coax the dog, tugging at the end of the lead, to come back to him. "Hey, girl...no, they aren't worth it, I promise. If you're good, I-"
Today seemed to be one of those days where Shou would be cut off a lot.

It all seemed to happen in a split second. From where he was knelt on the ground, a fair distance away, he could see someone. Someone tall...it was the same woman from earlier! Luckily he was mostly hidden, or she just might not have been paying attention to his particular direction. Regardless, it looked like she was on the prowl.
Wait, is she targeting those...

The thought had barely begun to formulate as the woman bound into the gathering of pigeons, which took flight immediately, sending a flurry of feathers all around her. She might as well have been the bird queen at this point, with how they upped and flew about and away from her. It was an amusing sight, and the professor couldn't help but partake in her glee from where he was Ah, sometimes it was the more innocent things in life that one should take more pleasure in...

...but maybe it wasn't as innocent an act for everyone. Not very far from the woman and the pigeons, a girl with blue hair almost collapsed, and a familiar face, a large redhead, consoled her. Shou couldn't have mistaken that face anywhere. It was Artair Grant, Arty to all. Known and loved (well, sometimes, and definitely not by anyone under the age of 21) as one of Club LUSH's bouncers, but also to Shou personally as a former member of a cooking class they took the previous year. Oh, how time flies...

"Is everything alright?" the professor murmured softly under his breath, cigarette stubbed and lost in a convenient trashcan nearby, as he approached the group of people. "Has something happened here? ...do you need assistance, miss...?" he spoke softly to the blue-haired woman. Giving a nod of recognition to Arty, who seemed to have the situation at hand, he stepped away to give the woman some room to breathe.
He turned to the woman with the shorter hair, his face going a little paler at both how tall she was compared to women in the area. Also, how strikingly beautiful she w-
Keep it together, Matsuoka. You can't go gaga for every pretty lady in this city.

"Madame, I..." the professor began. "...could you tell me what happened here, with this woman? Is...is everything alright?"
He was genuinely worried.

@Saarebas@Narcotic Dollie@Jay Kalton

[Silver Fox]

Ashton Griffone

Shine City || Lancom Arcade

Where was she? Was that sign familiar? That building perhaps. Eh... Who knows? Once again, a certain oddly tall firefighter has found themselves completely lost in the middle of the city. Again. Third time this week too, that might just be a record. The crew would definetly scold her if they knew, after all she was supposed to spend her day off having fun. But hey, getting lost could be fun. Ashton didn't really mind much, as it was a sunny day and people were bustling about on their own business. She could feel the warm rays heat up her dirty blonde hair as her long legs carried her down the sidewalk. Walking in no where particular other then foreword. People might look at her oddly if she tried walking backward, despite the slight interest at the challenge. The challenge would most likely end up with her falling or running into something anyway.

Amethyst colored eyes sparkling in sheer glee as she happily went along, glancing to others around her as they passed by. Most she had to look a bit downward considering it was rare to meet someone as tall or taller then her. Her gaze lingered on the cute girls that passed by. Most were a fair bit smaller then her. Had pretty soft looking faces, long cared for hair and wearing their fashionable clothes. Everything she wasn't. It made her slightly look at her reflection of a store window. Face heavily scarred up, wearing her grey shirt and baggy large black coat and her cargo pants and boots. Her fingerless gloves hands shoved in her pant pockets. She couldn't help but sometimes envy those girls who could pull off being so cute and adorable.

Still, despite that, she didn't hate what she ended up looking. It made her 'her' and that's what mattered. Admiring the cute girls was satisfying in of itself.

Pausing in her stride as her eyes caught sight of a familiar landmark of hers, the blonde's lips brightened in happiness and excitement. Her arms raising in a sort of double fist pump gesture. Lancom Arcade was a place she liked to visit from time to time to have a little fun. She often played them when she could, especially as a child. Mostly with Claire though. Though, she wasn't really the competitive player and preceded cooperative. Her and Claire usually enjoyed even making single player cooperative in their own way. Ashton still played some fighting games at the arcade though.

Striding inside, the tall blonde hopped about energetically as her gemstone color eyes brightly shined in anticipation. Going up to the counter, she smiled brightly, elbows pressed against her ribs with her hands waving up and down in front of her near the chin as she hunched a bit over in her excitement.

The man stared at scarred face... Guy. No wait that's a girl. Freakishly tall girl. Honestly who would really guess this giant was a she? Doesn't help she wears boyish clothes and that baggy coat. Right. "Oh hey Ash. Haven't seen you in awhile. Here to play for a little after killing some fire?" the man asked, eyes slightly blinking as he watched the dirty blonde nod rapidly before rummaging in her pockets and slamming down a twenty on the counter.

Staring at it he reached and took it before looking at the firefighter again to see such a serious expression staring at him. Eyes half lidded, lips creased in a tight line as she intently stared. "Yeah yeah I know. All quarters. Geez, I'm going to have to get some more rolls of quarters soon with all these game enthusiasts today." he said as he rummaged through the cash register before pulling out some quarters.

Ashton immiedietly stretched out her hands, her bare fingers calloused from years of use and hard work. Little scars decorating them. Happily taking the coins, she shoved them into her large pockets. Giving a bright smile, she winked with her right eye and gave a thumbs up with her left hand before happily going off to examine all the games a available. Pondering what to play first, her purple gaze flicked about. There were quite a few people in the arcade.

After some deep thought, she caught sight of a familiar colorful stage. A arrow in each of the colorful tiles, being a total of eight. A large screen colorful flashing as similar arrows flew across the screen, flashing with the steps of the players that moved correctly in place.

Awe! Good ol fashion Dance Dance Revolution or just DDR! Something to just have fun and let the body move to the rhythm. With a wide grin, the tall boy looking woman stepped forth on the stage once it was free. Sliding in a couple coins into the machine, she slipped off her jacket and set it on the little railing that decorated the back of the stage. Usually used to help assist those who lose their balance or help assist in tricks. For this session though, it just be used as a coat rack for her.

Unlike her jacket, her grey shirt at least hugged her skinny toned body for the most part. Though her chest was flat as a board, one could at least tell if they paid attention. Stretching her arms above her head as her right foot tapped against the down arrow to scroll through songs, her fingers intertwined and pressed against one another with her palms facing away from her. Stretching them out before suddenly pumping her hands in the air at a satisfying song.

Humming softly she entered the song of choice and difficulty as she took a deep readying breath. Hopefully, she didn't fall off the stage. That would be laughable. As the song started and the arrows immiedietly started flying by, Ashton started to move, her feet pressing against the arrows by mere habit and memory from previous playthroughs. It was a little awkward, as her height made it a bit difficult but still, she was having fun. Her arms bouncing with the rest of her body and she cheerfully smiled but was focused on what she was doing. Having fun and dancing.

Buttefly Expert

[Matsuri]

Aya Kagamine

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• Shiny Park Shenanigans •

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No. No. Absolutely no. This was not good. Not at all. Aya's face went as red as the hat on her head, clearly telling this blue haired lady that was currently poking her nose into the punctured egg sandwich that the interaction that was sure to follow was a no-go. Right now, Aya just wanted to sprint off as quick as her long spider legs could take her (which would be quite far, actually). But also, right now, Aya just wanted to wash away her Saturday beret coloured face and give this lady a totally calm explanation as to why she should, well, piss off, really. Towering over her as best as she could (this blue person being around an inch smaller than Aya didn't make it any easier) and narrowing her eyes into a menacing glare, Aya said,

"H-Hey, you… You forget what you saw! You… need to go! Right now!"

Aya had forgotten how hard it was to act as threatening when she was 'cursing' people off on English. The English language was not her mother tongue, and while she was stellar at reading and writing, speaking was just awkward for her. Surprisingly, she found it more difficult to converse with someone casually rather than tending to customers as a cashier using the same phrases over and over again. Not only that, but it had been quite a while since Aya had spoken to someone directly whilst not behind the counter.

But also, right now, this blue haired lady didn't look like she was going to be saying anything back any time soon. Actually, she looked more like she was about to faceplant into that egg sandwich any second now.

"Are… Are you all right?"

Ah. Her Japanese accent was beginning to make its unwanted appearance too.

And by the looks of things, a colossal man with hair redder than her beret was also making an unwanted appearance. He didn't seem to be concerned about Aya though, looking towards the blue haired lady instead.

That was the morning of her day off ruined, then.

"Madame, I... could you tell me what happened here, with this woman? Is...is everything alright?"

Great. Another invasion. Wait, wasn't that the silvery haired and taller than average man (according to Aya's standards, seeing as she didn't come across men who exceeded her height very often) who's dog she had almost ran over a few minutes ago? Wait…

Had he been watching too?

"Y-Yes, everything is all right. She is just… I do not know… Tired?"

Gah, this has become too awkward…

She glanced away after attempting to make eye contact with the man, tugging her beret down a little. She then stole a look at the exhausted girl and the giant muscleman, looking a bit concerned herself. Not to mention a little guilty after shouting at a girl who was probably on the verge of collapsing.

"You… You are okay, right?" Aya asked. Her head would turn slightly to face the silver haired man, and again to the heavily breathing lady.

@MyCatGinger@Narcotic Dollie@Saarebas

[Knight of Doom]

Amaya was surprised at the voice that came through the radio this morning normally Nick Weston’s suave charms radiated out of it. As of later though, he had been sounding not too great. Perhaps he was sick? Well, it wasn’t really any of her business. Now, the uncertain, shaky voice of Nori Haywood came through the radio. The blond girl recognized the name from the few times she had been dragged to Club LUSH by her roommate Rachel. Of course, once her name was mentioned on the radio, a familiar mix of embarrassment and gratitude filled her. Every time she’s mentioned on the radio, there’s a string of compliments attached. This time, she had apparently served the new radio host without realizing it.

Amaya turned off the radio on her desk and started preparing for the day. She had to go out today to find a suitable residence before the university kicked her out. So, she threw on a cute outfit and grabbed her purse before leaving her dorm room. The emerald eyed beauty decided to walk around Shine Junction, and maybe stop by a couple cafes along the way. Perhaps there might be some flyers up. It wasn’t a very common practice, but one can always hope. Besides is she didn’t at least feel like she was doing something to help her situation, the anxiety would get to her. While, Shine City wasn’t exactly teeming with criminals, Amaya didn’t really want to be homeless for 3 months. Earlier, she had surfed the web, hoping for something, but to no avail.

The preoccupied girl wasn’t really thinking about where she was going, her feet simply carried her away. By the time she realized it, she had to stop in her tracks to gather herself and recognize the place she was actually at. Looking around, it was just another crossroads. Amaya looked over to the store on her right, which actually turned out to be a bar. There was a sign by the door that announced their Grand Opening tonight at 4:00. Free drinks? Amaya registered this in the back of her mind. If Rachel ended up trying to drag her to Club LUSH (For the 5th time this week) she’d have to mention this place. It was a lot classier than a club for sure. This time actually looking around for flyers, the college student roamed around some more. If she couldn’t find anything by lunch time, she’d check the internet again.

[sakurasan]

_{Users: @sakurasan and @Evil Snowman}

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Theme

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The coffee mix up

Mirei happily takes her coffee, glad that she would finally be able to get that morning pang that she needed. She thanked the woman, giving her $10 to cover the drink and a little extra. She had in fact noticed that she could feel eyes on her but hadn't looked over to check just yet.

Her seat was in a small booth as she took a seat and looked forward, realizing that the person that was staring was in her view. She locked eyes with him accidentally. Not wanting to freak him out even though she was the one being stared at, Mirei lifted her right hand, giving him a slight wave along with a sweet smile. Same hair color. She noted. Seeing someone with the same hair color as her wasn't very often.

Seeing the woman wave at him and give him a smile, Theo cringed knowing he was busted. A little unhappy the woman noticed him looking at her, given he hated being stared at. Not wanting to be seen as rude Theo smiled back at the woman given her a small embarrassed smile.
"Crap I got busted. Can't believe I was careless. Still, who could blame me for looking? People look at me, the hair and eyes do draw some interest." he thought looking away quickly hoping she wasn't offended by him looking at her.

She was glad that he didn't seem to uncomfortable with the fact that she waved at him. The last thing she wanted was someone thinking that she was a creep so early in the morning. Mirei looked through her bag and pulled out her current read. "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" which was a splendid mystery novel. She stole one last glance at the male before gently placing her finger in the spot that she had left on and opening the book. Mirei took a sip of her coffee and realized something. This wasn't her dippio that she had asked for. She looked down, studying the cup for a second. "A marocchino..." she muttered, placing a small bookmark which was a tiny crane origami figure and sticking it into the part that she had just started reading. She put the book back into her bag carefully as to not bend any corners.

Mirei stands up, walking over to the cashier. She didn't want to embarrass anyone so she waited until people were done ordering to lean in and speak to them. "I apologize but.. this is a marocchino instead of the dippio." she says, giving them a reassuring smile that she wasn't mad or anything.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Let me go get your order." the woman frantically heads to the back and starts to work on her dippio. Mirei was really craving a crepe right now. A banana crepe with chocolate drizzle and a bit of whipped cream to top it off. But that wouldn't be happening. If she were to eat, she needed to get something proper for the morning. It wouldn't be right to start off the day with a crepe.

A yawn escaped Theo's mouth, it was still far too early in the day for his liking. Once again wishing his cats would cut him some slack, but again he knew that would never happen. Still he wouldn't change them for the world. They after all where best company he had when he was at home. Theo was about to nod off when he heard someone bring her coffee over to him. The young man picking up the cup with so much as a thought, not even bothering to inspect what he had been given. Taking a sip, Theo quickly noticed that his coffee didn't taste right, almost like it was lacking something. It took a moment but he worked out it lack any taste of chocolate, even in the smallest way.
"That's not what I ordered." he thought standing up with the cup in hand.

Going over to the counter Theo noticed the woman standing by the register, but paid it no mind after. Waiting for the person at the register to not be talking to anyone, Theo waved with his free hand to get the cashier's attention.
"Ummm excuse me. I hate to be a bother, but this is not what I ordered. I ordered a Marocchino, this taste like just plain old coffee." Theo stated with a small smile, setting the coffee down in front for the register.
"I'm really sorry! Let get your order." the cashier stated as they went back to get Theo his Marcocchino.
"No worries I'll wait... but while you at it could I have a marshmallow? Please?" Theo asked giving a side wards glance at the woman he been looking at just a moment ago. Only just realized he was standing right next to her. Theo feeling a little guilty for stealing looks at her. But he couldn't help it today the matching hair colour had sparked a mild interest.

She set down the coffee as they worked on the one that she had actually ordered. Mirei couldn't help but notice that there was someone else that had been given the wrong drink. Hm? It was the man that she had seen earlier. The one that had the same hair color as. Mirei chuckled at the coincidence. "I guess you got my dippio and I got your marcocchino, hm? How funny she was the one with the 'plain old coffee' and she had his marocchino.

"Yep it seems so. It's called a dippio? Didn't know the had a nice name for plan coffee. Then again ..." Theo said trailing off as he notice he was starting to ramble.
"Sorry... about that... also staring thing. Noticed the hair colour, sadly having it doesn't not make you immune to the allure." he continued after a moment's pause, giving a small, slightly embarrassed chuckle.

She nods at him. A plain coffee indeed it was but she usually added more to make it a bit more unique. Not today though. Once he apologized, Mirei had a confused look on her face until he began to elaborate. "Oh, it's no problem at all!" she says, giving him a kind smile. She didn't feel like he had to apologize for anything. After all, it was a bit her fault for waving at him and making him feel uncomfortable.

Hearing that this woman wasn't bother Theo let a sigh escape him feeling a little relieved. The it struck him, that he was being what he considered rude and not provided the lady with a name. If only his mother could see him, she'd tear a strip or three off him. Simply because he didn't introduce himself right away.
"Anyway allow me to introduce myself, Theodore Thomas Maxwell. Pleased to meet you." he said looking at the cashier who set a coffee in front of the woman and himself at the same time.
"Sorry about the mix up." the cashier stated giving an apologetic smile. Theo giving a small smile back, which grew when he noticed a pair marshmallows sitting next his cup.
"No worries, mistakes happen. Also thanks for the marshmallows."

"Nice to meet you too Theodore. My name's Mirei Yuwashika." she said, giving him a smile as she looked over at her coffee, taking it in one hand.
Mirei thanked the woman, taking a sip out of her coffee. What time is it.. What time is it.. Mirei glances at the clock at realizes that it's still only about 11:39 which means she still had around a solid 3 hours before she had to head into work.
"Do you live around here?" she asks, turning over to the side and getting a little thing of cream and milk to add to the coffee.

As Mirei spoke her name Theo made a quick mental note of it. Just incase by some twist of fate he might need it again someday, he also didn't like it when people forgot his name so didn't like doing it to other. When Mirei asked if he lived around here Theo looked at her for a moment working out his answer knowing it was a simple yes or no.
"Well I live in walking distance of here but it's a bit of a hike, but one I must say is well worth it." he stated looking at where he had been sat seeing it had been taken by another person.... a teenager.
"Whelp that's a pain, that bugger stole my seat. Oh well. So what about you? You a local?"

She carefully added the milk to the coffee before setting it down. Mirei looked over to where he was looking. She did love children but teenagers were another case. She found them quite evil in her eyes.
"Well, you could come join me at my table?" she asks, pointing to her booth which no one was seated at.

"I'd hate to impose. But if you really don't mind I won't say no. It's be better than trying to convince that "person" to move. I'd rather deal with Krew after I'm 2 hours late with his dinner." Theo stated picking up his coffee cup.

She chuckled, nodding as she headed over to her booth right after adding some cream to her dippio. Meria took a seat near the window, crossing her right leg over the other as she took another sip out of her coffee. "Oh, and I just happened to move over here about... 3 or 4 weeks ago? My job. But it was a nice change of pace." she paused before continuing to speak. "Ummm, do you know the Tower of Takaitaka? I live in one of those apartments so it isn't too bad of a walk. There are taxi's everywhere around there so it's even better." she says, smiling at him.

Following Mirei back to her booth, Theo let her sit down before claiming the seat opposite of her. Sitting down as he set his coffee down at the same time.
"Oh live there. Dam there nice apartments. Done deliveries to the tower a few times. They make my place look like crap ... not that I'm saying you implied that. Just pointing my thoughts ... outside of my head. Still you new to the city? I hope the adjustment to it not been too difficult. I grew up here, so I know most of the city like the back of my hand." Theo stated taking a sip of his Marocchino pleased that this time it was right. Because Theo right now felt that he just made an ass of himself.

Mirei didn't really know what to say when people commented these types of things. So, she pretty much brushed past it. "It's fine. Deliveries? What do you deliver?" she asks him, glad that there was another topic to fall over to.

The moment Mirei asked what he delivered, Theo looked at the girl for a moment before shrugging deciding he'd not care what she thinks of his choice of job.
"Flowers, plants and gardening tools." he stated plainly with a smile.
"I work at The Enchanted Florist, mainly as a cashier but I do other jobs as asked. They are training me to be a botanist so I know quite but about plants." Theo quickly added predicting Mirei would ask where he worked next.

At the mention of flowers, Mirei's eyes light up. "Flowers?" she states, a smile forming yet again but this time out of pure bliss. "There's a flower shop around here? I really need to get out more. I completely missed such a place!" Mirei places her hands together slightly. "That sounds wonderful!" she exclaims once she heard that he was training to be a botanist. She had never met a botanist before. Flowers were a favorite of hers. Especially lilies and carnations. She had placed a lot of lilies on her mother's grave since she loved them dearly. Always going on about how flowers were the most pure and beautiful thing that had been placed on this Earth.

Her father being a classic business man, not many people she met ever had... interesting jobs in her view. Not boring or anything. At least she wouldn't say that. Just... it didn't peak an interest in her to hear about someone speaking about how they're CEO of a big company that sells, let's say, shoes. Besides, it was painfully obvious that her father's friends simply wanted to brag and see who was the most successful and rich.

The moment he heard the question "There's a flower shop around here?" Theo could not help but laugh a little.
"You really are knew to Shine city! Sorry for laughing, but that is the first time I've heard that question asked when I've said what my job is. Anyway if you like I can show where it is, although after I drink my coffee." Theo said taking a large sip of his drink.
"So what work do you do. I told you my job.

Mirei blushed a bit once she realized that she was being laughed at. Well, at least he meant no harm. Mirei took a sip out of her drink once again and fully recovered. "Hmmm..." she looked up at the clock which was now just turning 12 o'clock. "Well, luckily i've got 2 hours to spare before having to head out so sure!" she says before continuing to speak after a question was presented. "Me? I'm a clinical laboratory scientist at Brenner Health." she states, taking another sip. The place was a pretty darn good place to work. Pay was nice, the workers were sweet, and it was actually a fun place to work. The heads over there were content on making sure that they enjoyed their time working there. They gave out gym memberships, onsite food trucks, “Lunch and Learns,” Pajama Days, Chili Cook-Offs and more. Most definitely not a place she'd be resigning from anytime soon.

Hearing Mirei accept his offer Theo tented his fingers give a large silly and evil grin.
"Good, good. This will please my boss. Trust me once you see what we sell you'll not want to go anywhere else for plant related things. You will be turned to the darkside." he said making his tone sounds evil for just a moment. Looking at Mirei for a moment after he spoke before once again shrugging decided if she thought he was weird then oh well. Speaking with this girl had improved his mood and his coffee had woken him up nicely, so Theo was in his normal good mood.

She chuckled at the star wars reference. Having not seen many movies, she was a lost cause when people spoke lines out of newer movies. Movies were nice but she only went to late night ones if she ever could. "Haha, I look forward to it." she says through her chuckle. After that, she began to speak once again. Right before realizing that she was nearly done with her coffee. "What other places are around here that i've totally missed?

Thinking for a moment on her question Theo had no idea what places she had seen so figured he start with the basics and work the way from there.
"Well there is Lancom Arcade, shine aquarium, the ice rink, the park, the tiny snowflake. Also if you're into them there Club lush and the Casino. They're just the the few I can think of off the top of my head." Theo listed off quickly.
"Ya know I'd be happy to act as tour guide for you. If you need someone to show you around." he said very much aware that particular statement could taken for more than it's face value. Not that he cared how she took it.

...Mirei stared with a blank face as he mentioned off a bunch of places that she hadn't even heard of most of them. She was tempted to just ask straight off the bat if there was just a nice bar to go to but pushed that away, not wanting to make it sound like she was an alcoholic. Which she was...not.
"Don't know any of them.." she said, chuckling nervously. However, the mention of a tour guide did interest her. Being quite the idio- innocent girl that she was, Mirei saw nothing suspicious about this offer. She put on a sour expression for a moment, thinking about it. It was Saturday which meant that she worked until around 11:30... Sometimes 11 o'clock. I can't go anywhere today. She frowned. "I can't go out today much since I get off work at around 11:30 but I could go to one place." She turned her frown into a gentle smile now. "Preferably the florist. Thank you for the offer though! I could go out tomorrow... maybe." she laughed, realizing that she was perhaps rambling. Mirei took one last sip out of her coffee. There was none left.

Hearing Mirei say she had to work and wouldn't finish work until around 11:30 Theo looked at her for a moment before nodding
"Well then I'll show to the florist today, then we can work out the rest later. I'm pretty sure I'm free tomorrow... yes postive... don't work till monday... don't have too much homework.... yep I'm free." Theo stated giving Mirei a smile quite pleased she seemed to take him up on his offer. It been awhile since he had company of someone he didn't really know. So this would be fun... well should be fun. The girl didn't seem to think him odd although right now Theo was being what might be considered well behaved. Downing the last of his coffee in a three rather large gulps, Theo sighed feeling quite content the coffee gave him a good kick start so now he'd to go amuse himself for the day.
"Well then... since we don't have a lot of time shall we depart, my fair lady?"

Placing her hands together, Mirei smiles. "That would be wonderful."
Mirei laughs at being called my fair later and nods. "I suppose we shall." she says, standing up and picking up her empty coffee cup. He seemed like a decent man. Unique, that was for sure. An interesting person. Mirei takes his empty cup off the table as well and throws it away in a nearby trash can. With that, she returns, taking her shades off her shirt and placing them over her eyes. She stood out a bit now. Long white hair, shades, heels, and a gently aura. Mirei smiled as she walked over to him. "Alright, i'm ready."

As Mirei got up and threw away her cup Theo yawned and stretched, that little act being a common ritual after he had a cup of coffee for reasons not even he knew. When Mirei came back over and told him that she was ready Theo nodded quickly getting to his feet as his excitement level surged.
"Very well then let's go. It's a little walk, so ya know stay close. I'd hate for you to get lost." he said gesturing for Mirei to lead the way out of the building.

Mirei pouted a little unconsciously at the sight of being treated like a child. "I can follow someone without getting lost.." she mutters, following behind Theo. She wasn't used to people treating her like a kid. Her parents sure as hell didn't. It was more like they were the providers and she was the parent.

Off to The Enchanted Florist!

Mirei quickly got back into her happy and carefree mood as she extended her arms once she was outside. "The weather is so nice today!" she exclaims. Not too loud to bother people around her but loud enough for Theo to hear her clearly. She wasn't trying to annoy the passerby's.

Seeing his new found companion pout a little Theo couldn't help, but snicker finding it cute and amusing. Not hearing what Mirei muttered Theo lead the pair outside watching Mirei exclaim "The weather is so nice today!". Theo smiling although he thought it could be a little colder, or better yet snowing.
"It's not bad, although, I prefer winter weather." he stated casually looking at Mirei.
"This way m'lady." he said gesturing down the street. Slowly heading off in the direction he gestured in, Theo walked slowly until Mirei caught up before moving at a more normal pace.

"Well, of course~" Mirei spoke cheerfully. Winter was indeed her favorite season. Well, she liked all seasons, months, weather, and the latter. Other than February... And lightning. Lightning was a no-no. She wouldn't like to be in her house if it was lightning. Preferably, she'd be in a bar. Drinking. A lot. That's why she always checks the weather and usually heads out to the bar when it's going to rain. Unless it's a crowded bar because she'd hate to be a bother or have to talk to a bunch of people when it is lightning.

Mirei followed behind him, catching up and keeping up at his pace so that he didn't have to slow down for her. I wonder where it is?

The walk to his work was one he had done more times than he had cared to count, even on his day's off Theo often paid a visit to his place of work at least once. Why? As he liked spending time in there and he had several plants he was growing in the greenhouse. Mostly as part of his schooling but he was enjoying applying what he learned at the Academy. So to walk from the cafe to the Florist was easy walk this street turn left here, right there was all second nature to him. Theo expertly leading Mirei making sure to give her verbal direction pointing out landmarks along the way so she'd help remember the route he showed her. Meanwhile Theo somehow got talking about his Cats as he sometime walked them to work.

Once they had arrived at The Enchanted Florist, Theo quickly pulled ahead of Mirei. Turning to face her with his arms spread out wide, nearly hitting someone passing by.
"Behold The Enchanted Florist! The best shop in the city for Flowers, plants and gardening supplies!" he said in a happy tone before taking a dramatic pose.
"You'll like it here, trust me! If you don't ... then I dunno, I'll have to find something to make you like it! Now please after you." Theo quickly spoke his tone going to once again slightly evil tone but with playful undertones. Gesturing for Merei to enter Theo began to wonder what she'd think of his work place, all the while he hoped a particular co-worker wasn't in today or he'd never hear the end of bring a female to the store. It didn't really bother him but hearing about it a lot would get repetitive.

Mirei took off her shades and looked at the place. It looked extremely cute. A nice little place that felt relaxing. "It's beautiful!" she says to him, walking over to a bouquet of asagao flower and bending over as she took a whiff. Mirei stood back up. "Haha, I already love it." she says, a grin on her face. She enters the shop, greeting the workers with a kind smile.

Following Mirei into the shop. Theo gave the cashier a wave, who in response raised an eyebrow. Finding it quite surprising Theo was out of bed at this time on his day off and he brought a girl into the store with him.
"Hi Kat. I brought a new customer, be nice to her alright." he said approaching the cashier behind the register and giving her a light playful punch in the arm. To many this might seem as odd, but this was just Theo's way, normally Theo would have given her a hug that could break ribs but for now he was trying to behave ... well somewhat. Having said hello to the cashier Theo went over Mirei looking at her as she looked around.
"Soooooooooo ... while we are here is there anything I can show you? Maybe trick you into buying? Because you know I should really help my co-worker get a sale That I'll steal because I'll ring it up under my name." he said with a small chuckle aware that Kat who didn't move from the register could hear him.

"Hello!" Meria said as he referred to her. Punching people was something that she had done males do a couple times in her life. She hadn't done it before. The only friends she had were extremely sensitive and only really talked about boys, nails, and the such. But they still talked to her so she considered them close friends. Even if they did make fun of her sometimes.

"Hmmm..." she bites her bottom lip, a habit of hers as she looks around the place. "I'd love to buy a new bouquet of lilacs along with carnations if you have any." she says, a gentle smile on her face as she remembers how her mother always looked beautiful when she was holding a bouquet. She only had lilacs in her house as of now but the combination of the two of them was a good idea to her.

The moment Theo heard her request Theo clapped his hands once, recalling there were some Lilacs around somewhere unless Kat sold them.
"One sec, I'll ask pretty sure I saw some Syringa Vulgaris yesterday. Er... sorry Lilac" he said gesturing for Mieri to hold on for a moment while he talked to his co-worker. Going over to the register, Theo leaned in close to Kat and started talking into a low voice to her about founding the flowers Mieri asked about. Kat looking over at Mieri with a sly grin as Theo asked.
"Oh yes there over there. You going blind from too much drink and screen time Theo." Kat said with a laugh Theo waving his hand dismissively as he went back over to Mirei.
"They over here. Sadly we are out of Dianthus caryophyllus, we should get some later today or early tomorrow. Depends when the owner decides when our crop of them is good to cut, or a one of the local green thumbs brings a few in for us." Theo stated pointing in the direction of the lilacs, which were sat in open near the register next to a bunch of sunflowers. Theo walked over to the Lilacs and picked up a bunch. Offering some to Mirei so she could inspect them, Theo's work persona starting to kick in. His stance shifting to a more professional one. This earned a laugh out of Kat.
"Oh Theo, didn't know you were working today or are you trying to steal the fair maiden's heart." she said sticking her tongue out at Theo.
"Ignore the cave lady. She does stuff like that every time I deal with a lady in the store."

Mirei nodded as she proceeded to look at the flowers. The only flower she could never bring herself would be jonquil flowers. Mirei glances over at the two that were speaking, wondering if they had no lilacs or carnations.
No carnations wasn't good but at least there were lilacs... Which she already had about 5 vases of. Well, she could always use more anyways. "Is that so?" she asked, frowning a little but giving him a reassuring smile. "Well, it's fine. I can always come again. The lilacs are beautiful" She smiles, taking them in her arms carefully, as if they were delicate and could break at any moment. Perhaps she'd put it somewhere in the office.
Hearing someone speak, Mirei looked over at the woman that Theo had been speaking to before. She seemed like a cheerful girl. Fair maiden? Mirei chuckled at this. She was no fair maiden. It was her fault that- Mirei pushed away such thoughts.
"Haha, she seems sweet. It's fine." she says, waving her hand to gesture that she was ok with her words.

The moment Mirei said the lilacs were beautiful, Kat stuck her chest out proudly.
"They should be I grew em I th...."
"With me showing you every step." Theo cut in interrupting Kat knowing it would go to her head and inflate her already big ego.
"So... if you want them Kat will sort you out. I need to go check on my school project while I'm here." Theo stated pointing towards a door on the far wall. Walking into the back of the shop Theo went about checking a set of different plant cultures he had to grow under particular conditions and document their growth. So far it had proven to be interesting, but it was also little demanding, Theo having to come here once a day to check on them. Given he lacked the space to do it at home. Luckily his boss did watch them for him every now and then or if he asked. But she always reminded him it was his project so needed to do the work.

With Theo out of the room Kat looked at Mirei for a moment covering her mouth as she gasped noticing that Mirei had the same hair colour and very similar eye colour.
"Wow you like a girl version of Theo!" she commented looking at the flowers.
"Buying them? Or are you gonna ruin Theo's day.

She chuckled yet again at the girl's confident attitude as they spoke. They were like siblings.
Eh? You're leaving me alone? She nervously looked over at the girl. She wasn't used to girls and honestly, strangers, especially female strangers scared her. But she looked sweet enough so it probably wouldn't be a problem. Yeah, it would be fine. She nodded, "Thank you." she said to him, waving him off.
"Haha, I suppose I do look a bit like him." she said to her. The difference was that her eyes were brighter than Theo's. And darker. Theo's eyes had a more gentle feel to them in her eyes.
"I wouldn't want that." speaking as she chuckled and pulled out her wallet. "I'll buy them, thank you. How much?"

"Yep you sure do! But I'd wager that what got him talking. Given anytime before midday he'd be sound asleep. Most likely recovering from drinking all night." Kat said looking at the back room wonder if Theo could hear him from the back room.
Given he didn't feel her ears burning or hear him calling her she figured he couldn't When asked how much Kat looked at Mirei for a moment.
"For you I'll do $18, consider the discount my way of saying hi and the hope you come back and buy from me and not my co-worker. He's beats me each week in sales, I dunno how maybe it all those fancy latin plant names he knows.
It was at that moment Theo come back all the while given Kat a funny look.
"So you know I only do that on fridays or when I have company and they can keep up with me. AND I don't sleep in, my overlords don't let me." he said with a small laugh.
"As I said please ignore the cave lady.

"Drinking? Are there any nice bars around here?" she asks her subtly.
Ehhh... Mirei didn't feel like she should have to pay less but she knew that people never liked others not taking their kind gestures. She smiled thankfully, pulling out $18. "Thank you then, I'll most definitely come again. Here you are." she says, handing her the money.
Mirei glances at the time and her eyes go wide. Oh crap! "It's already 1:39? I've got to go!" Mirei took the flowers and thanked them, giving a small bow. With that, she took out her notebook, scribbling down something.

Mirei: #242-877-9090

With that, she rips it out swiftly, giving him a sweet smile as she hands the paper to it and giving a smile to Kat as well. She didn't know why, but she might as well give him her number so that they could get in touch again. "Call me? Thanks again!" she says, sliding on her shades and heading out the door with a wave to them both. She didn't mean to be rude but it's work.

"Well beside the Mochavine which has a bar, but I've heard of place called the Cornerstone, that might be alright. Not been their yet as it's new... or is it even open yet? I can't recall which, all I know it meant be close to home." Theo said a little surprised by Mirei when she mentioned the time and that she had to go. Watching her scribble something down, Theo was again surprised when it was her number. Theo smile growing slightly, waving goodbye as she left.
"CYA! have a great day! I'll call you." he stated as Mirei left the shop. Kat looking at the Theo and breaking down into laughter.
"Oh dumb ass you can stop smiling like an idiot now she's gone." Kat said poking her co-worker. Theo looked at Kat and shrugged, forcing the smile down slightly.
"Whelp I'm done here, cya Thursday Kat." Theo said poking the bit of paper as he walked out the door. Pulling out his phone Theo made a note on the calendar app to call Mirei so he wouldn't forget. After all forgetting would be very rude and bad. With that done he started to down the street unsure where he'd go next, not that it mattered. He just walk till he ended up somewhere.

Mirei heading into work

She walks some before spotting a taxi and waving her arm at them. Quickly grabbing their attention as she hopped in. "Brenner Health facility. If you can, in less than 15 minutes please." she said, handing him $20 along with a $50 tip. The man looked at the money and quickly stepped on his gas pedal as she expected.

The ride there was a rapid and somewhat menacing one. The man was indeed content on getting her there in less than 15 minutes as he sped through the small amount of traffic and nearly hit about 5 cars which one of them had kindly stuck up the middle finger at him. Asians were terrible drivers? She didn't know about that since she thought she drove pretty well but this man was proving to be the reason of that stereotype. Not that Mirei was complaining. If she got to work on time, who cares?

Finally, they reached the place and Mirei thanked the man that simply nodded, having not uttered a single word the entire time. She exited the car and walked over to her section, changing into her jeans right before she went upstairs. Mirei greeted the people as she climbed up the stairs who either gave her a simple nod, smile, wave, or didn't acknowledge her existence whatsoever.

Once she was upstairs, she pulled on her personal lab coat and spotted Mr. Yuuei sitting at his table and saw him glance in her direction. Mirei's face light up as she saw him and walked over to his work area which was right next to hers. "Good morning Mr. Yuuei!" she said, chipper but quietly since the people were already working as she pulled on her gloves. Mr. Yuuei was probably the most seemingly creepy person that she had ever met. His naturally grey hair that looked as though a cloud was over it. The large piece of metal sticking out his head which had a lot of rumors going that Mirei didn't believe. Didn't help that he had a natural "Fuck off." expression the first time you meet him with his dark circles that are usually there.

"Morning sweets." he mutters, smiling a bit at Mirei. He was like the father that Mirei never had. Always taking care of her and looking out for her. He was the one that showed her the roped on the first week that she was transferred and the rumors that she had to hear about him were horrendous. A lot of girls think he's like the big bad beast or his nickname: "Frankenstein."

"You're 10 seconds late." he teased, glancing at the clock that he had in front of him. Oh, did I mention that he loved time? Mirei chuckles, taking her microscope. "Well, I went to a flower shop and got a new bouquet of lilacs." she says, pointing over at the vase that was empty before but know had her newly bought flowers placed inside of them. "So that's what that smell was." he mutters, looking up at the flowers for a second. Mr. Yuuei had an extremely sensitive nose which Mirei found quite entertaining since he could smell things that a lot of people don't even pick up on.

"Yep!" she says, a stupid grin on her face. Mr. Yuuei looks at her smile and gives her a genuine smile back as he sighs. "Well, it's good that you had a good start of the day. Now get to work sweets, it's going on 1 minute." She smiled and nodded as she got to work. To start off the day, she had to use a DNA based assay to easily detect bacterial strains directly from clinical samples or from small amounts of cultured bacterial cells, which then improves the sensitivity and decreases the time required for bacterial identification. Well, much to do, much to do.

Mirei was having a good day so far. Meeting a new friend, buying a new bouquet, learning about a new bar, and going to work which was always fun. Hopefully nothing could sour her mood. Well, she did work until about 11 o'clock today so not much could at work. After work, there was for sure one place she was determined to go to. The Cornerstone. She wasn't an alcoholic but she would love to find a new bar to become a usual at. She drank a lot and that was what she was going to perhaps try and not do tonight. Maybe she'd finally limit herself to only 2 glasses. Maybe. Probably not. But hey, she can fantasize, can't she?

[Stern Algorithm]

The alarm went off at 6AM. Shizuka rolled over gently in her bed and turned off the alarm. The memory of having been woken two hours ago by the sound of her drunk roommate returning to the dorm after another night of partying flooded back. It hadn't really interrupted her sleep that much, but Shizuka felt a bit more tired than usual. Well, she'd been feeling 'more tired than usual' for long enough for it to be considered usual. Still, she insisted on waking up early every morning just to maintain her health and good habits. Sitting up, Shizuka stretched, then made her way to the restroom to wash up. Afterwards, she headed to the kitchen and started preparing her breakfast, as well as a lunch box for herself and for her roommate. When she was done cooking and packing the lunches into their boxes, she took a post-it and scribbled a little note to her roommate, then put the lunch box in the fridge. Brewing herself some tea, Shizuka made her way to the dining table with her plate of breakfast and tea cup and sat down for a quiet meal, casually thumbing through her phone to catch up on email updates from her classes or her research professor. Fortunately, it was a quiet weekend with very little in the way of assignments and projects. From an outsider's perspective, the scene of Shizuka having breakfast could be described with the word 'serene'. While this was, for the most part, true, there were a great many things that could be troubling her, that she has simply chosen to not dwell upon. She knew that she needed to just keep moving forward. Finishing breakfast, she put her plate in the sink and left her dorm. Shizuka reached her bicycle which was parked at a bike rack that was reserved for Shine Academy dorm residents. It was still early enough in the morning to not be hot, so a casual, refreshing ride to her workplace would not result in her becoming sweaty and disheveled. Expecting it would get warm later in the day, Shizuka tied her hair up to keep cool.

Tied hair

Shizuka arrived at the bookstore Ink Sparks before opening time. Unlocking the front door, she made her way inside and locked the door again. To keep with the schedule, she wouldn't unlock it again until the shop actually opened, giving her some time and privacy to get the bookstore ready for the day. She did a quick rundown of the shelves, just to get a glimpse to see if anything was misplaced. Sure that everything was in order, she flipped the sign from 'Closed' to 'Open', and took her seat behind the counter. @Haeo

---

It had been a rather uneventful day, though the occasional individual would make their way into the shop and ask for things using slang and other terms Shizuka was unfamiliar with, her apparent cluelessness was usually enough to cause them to leave, certain that she did not have what they were looking for. She had heard that the place used to be a front for shady dealings, but thought that that was long enough ago that people should have stopped coming for those things by now. Other than those incidents, she made a few small book sales, but not much.

As the day wore on, it started getting warm. Surprisingly, it was warmer in the bookstore than it was in the storage behind it. Apparently, the storage had previously housed 'perishable goods' of questionable legality and was installed with better AC than the storefront. This was something she knew Mr. Smith wished to rectify, as uncomfortable customers was bad for business. Shizuka wondered if she would see Mr. Smith today. Granted, as the business owner, his attendance was far from mandatory, but he was much more involved than most business owners, he had to be to get this little shop off the ground.

The shop's internal audio system was tuned to Shine City Radio, the station that the other clerk liked to listen too, and Shizuka never saw a need to change it. But when the 'Naughty Nori's News' segment came up, it reminded Shizuka of 'Weston's Suggestions' and it's host, Nick Weston. Shizuka hadn't seen hide nor hair of him in a while and wondered what he was up to. A slight chill ran down her spine, prompting her to silently pray for his health and well-being.

[Section]

Well, that went great! Eidel thought to herself, beaming inside. And now, with the girl turned towards her, she could get a good look at her. She had blond hair, or perhaps it was light brown? Her eyes were of quite the nice blue-ish grey-ish color and she had clean looking pale skin. It was an appearance that suited her apparently shy demeanor, as she stammered to reply to Eidel, she felt a bit awkward as well. In a way, it almost felt like she cornered the poor girl, who seemed to be quite shy, not unlike herself. Well, she'd make up for it! At least, she hoped she would. Handing her the bottle of water, so cold that she had trouble carrying it, Eidel was about to make a gesture for her to follow and lead her on through the arcade, when she saw a guy get up for another StreetBrawler cabinet, get up, give a thumbs-up and a smile to the girl as he walked away.

A friend? Maybe even a boyfriend? Eidel looked on curiously as the rather good-looking, if not a little scruffy, man walked away and headed to other cabinets. Looking back at his machine, he had left an excellent score and she almost wished she could challenge him. Leaving it all to mystery for the time being, Eidel shrugged and made a gesture for the other girl to follow once again, glancing at things as she walked. She saw which games were open, paused every once in a while, then continued on, until she reached a cabinet with two guitars hanging off it. Eidel wasn't especially good at rhythm games, but she enjoyed them once in a while and they were a good way to relax. And as it currently was, Eidel was beginning to think both her and the other girl needed to relax, the other seemed still quite shaken by Eidel coming to talk to her and Eidel was feeling seriously bad about startling her. She was definitely feeling embarrassed as the adrenaline of winning earlier died down and now she was left quite nervous.

"Uhhh, why don't we play a rhythm game? I'm not... too good, but I like playing them? I-it'll be free!" She flashed a nervous smile and slotted two quarters into the machine and after taking much too long a swig from her sticky can of orange soda for it to appear normal, she picked up the plastic guitar and picked a rather slow song to ease them in. Realizing she forgot to introduce herself, she spurted out a quick introduction, like the liquid that fired out of her soda can onto the floor when she opened it a few moments earlier. "Oh, oh, I'm Eidel, Eidel Shain! Sorry if I scared you earlier... I'm a bit new here. Hope we enjoy this." Giving her a concerned (or was it a concerning?) smile, she fired up a song and hit play.

[Haeo]

@Stern Algorithm

Vern was sitting in the dark. No matter how many times the bulbs were changed, the lighting in Ink Spark Bookstore was always spotty. Some spots were brightly lit and others were pitch black. In fact, the wiring was extraordinarily odd in this part of the building, forcing the lights and certain other fixtures to be placed in certain locations. The register, for example, had to be in the same place on the counter unless he wanted to tear up the foundation to re-lay the main cables and the lights were wired with too much power for standard bulbs. Instead, he had to use a higher intensity spotlight bulb. And so he sat in a small corner on the small balcony, the only second level that the store had room for, with no light while a stack of papers sat on a small table in front of him under the intense and excessively warm brilliance of a spotlight. The only sound was the scratching of his pen on the paper as he filled out and signed one form after another.

He finally owned his own business. It's true, he only owned one. But, time would change that. This little outfit would be the starting cash flow that would fund his acquisitions. So, with that modest plan in mind, he devoted a great deal of time and effort to making it stable, legal and profitable again.

Then the door opened. The store was still closed. Vern looked up from his work. Hidden in the shadows as he was it would be nearly impossible to see him. Besides, even he wasn't usually here quite so early. The fleeting thought of burglary flitted through his mind, as often happens in shady neighborhoods when locked doors are opened. But, it fled as quickly as it had come when one of the clerks he had hired a couple months ago entered and locked the door behind her to begin getting ready for her shift. Vern went back to his work.

Every now and again he would look up and observe how his employee was doing. She was very effective at proving to the persistent that this business had no remaining connection to illegal deals. In fact, the prior owner had sold it to fund his escape from that business. The last news of him that Vern had heard involved a train ticket east and plans to start over. Vern wished the man luck and returned to his work.

It did indeed get warm in this store. Unfortunately, correcting the AC issue was also affected by the power problem. Vern was actually getting quotes for a remodel of the front end. If he could get a bid in the right range then those front windows would be replaced by versions that could be opened, some of the wiring could be adjusted and some form of supplemental AC could be installed. But, for now, Vern suffered with his employees.

His preference for dark colors did not help at times like this. His buttoned up black shirt was open all the way down and untucked. The red of his thin t-shirt revealed a darker ring where sweat had made a mark at his neckline. His black slacks and professional black shoes were things he couldn't do much about with an employee, especially a female one, in the store. Then again, he never considered his boxers to be something worth showing off.

The 'Naughty Nori's News' radio segment happened to come up just as he was signing the last of his paperwork for the day. Surprisingly, this particular corner of the balcony had not been disturbed at all. In fact, Vern was certain that his employee had not yet realized that he was here at all. With that in mind, he stood up and used the small table to straighten the stack of papers. The sound of rustling cloth and paper carried surprisingly well in such a quiet store. With the stack straightened, he lifted his briefcase onto the table and placed the forms inside. With a click and a clack the latches snapped shut and he was done with his owner's work for the day. Now, for a walkthrough of the back and then off for lunch.

But first, he had to descend the narrow wood stairs and have a brief exchange with his current employee. He wore a professional but friendly smile as he reached the ground floor and approached the young lady manning the register for today's opening shift.

It was Shizuka. He had only had to hire eight people to fill necessary positions so he still remembered them all. She was a little shorter than him and a lot lighter but she carried herself with a subtle competence and respectful manner that had impressed him quickly. Her performance had been consistent and reliable, a very productive employee only surpassed by one particular hire in the shipping area who had just a little too much zeal for his job. She also preferred modest attire and seemed to avoid rough and rowdy company. She was also quite intelligent and pretty as well.

While he had a certain professional distance that he preferred to maintain, especially while being so busy with work, Vern had admitted to himself that his opinion of her was extraordinarily high for having only recently become acquainted. Still, perhaps it wasn't just professional distance that kept him from being more open and trying to be a little more than coworkers. It was hard to talk about, but he could feel that she didn't value herself very accurately. She somehow reminded him of a brand new model of family van with all the latest safety features and a used pickup price tag.

But, he couldn't blame it all on what he felt from her. He still had no idea how his neighbor was doing, the first real friend he had made after moving here. They had regular contact for quite awhile, especially after... that night. But then she just vanished. In fact, his other neighbor had disappeared as well. She hadn't been noisy but her absence had made that four story building feel remarkably empty. So, he was mildly concerned about his next door neighbor and solidly worried about his cross-alley neighbor. Sometimes he wished that he didn't care quite so much.

"Good morning, Shizuka." He said. His tone was a little upbeat but too regular to be natural. He was being professional through his worries with a little effort, and that effort showed today. "You've been handling things well. Just, remember to check the balcony during your morning walkthrough, and keep up the good work. I only realized today how easy it is to hide up there. I'm working on a solution, but for now just be a little extra careful."

[Azaria Blue]

@Delta44@BeastofDestiny

Black Coffee

Mimiko turns too Ryoki when she is finished ordering, 'Strait black coffee? Trying ot cure a hangover or is it really that good?' she gave a sly smirk.

Ryoki looks over at the woman who had suddenly addressed her, staring at the lady with wide eyes filled with curiosity. She hadn't seen this woman before - she would've known if she had. Why? Well, that was because...

'She looks exactly like my waifu!' The Raven gasped as she studied the woman a little closer. She was indeed almost a perfect match! All she would need was a little touching up in some places and the resemblance would be uncanny! Thoughts of cosplay crossed her mind and Ryoki almost squealed. Almost.

"Ah, no, it's not quite like that..." She answered when she came to realise the woman had asked her a question. "It's, how should I put it...? A little of both?" The Raven shrugged and sighs. "But the coffee really does taste great. Best in Shine City. I would know, since I've lived here all my life, hehe." That laugh -- more like a chuckle, if you could call it that -- wasn't exactly the most convincing sounding laughter Ryoki had ever performed. 'I must be losing my edge...' She thought to herself as she took another sip of coffee.

'Is that so?' the girl gave a lightt chuckle of her own, her hands folding in her lap, 'I'm assuming you've lived here awhile then,' she turned toward the lady next to her, 'My name is Mimiko, I just moved in this morning. Although I'm not much of a coffee fan, I might try it one day,' her nose crinkled, 'Maybe,' she put out a hand to the stranger and pressed forward a smile. Her responses seemed a bit delayed, she assumed that this was just because the girl needed coffee to function.

Ryoki took the hand of her current companion and shook it gently, however her grip wasn't soft. It was firm. Like a brea-

"My name is Ryoki. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mimiko." Ryoki's response was simple and to-the-point. She found it hard to sidetrack herself nowadays with acts of perversion and ramblings. Conversation always seemed more difficult in most indtances, however this came unnaturally natural to the Raven as one could see her ice-coloured eyes ignite with another sip of coffee. "You say you just moved in this morning, huh? Nice. I think you'll like it here. There's lots to love about Shine City."

In a voice that would make a whisper seem loud, Ryoki added: "And sometimes... Lots not to love..." It would require one to have been listening intently to hear, or to be close, however if either of those qualities checked out then it was definitely audible.

Mimiko blinked and felt a bit heavier from the handshake, 'Yes it does seem very nice, one of the more beautiful cities I have seen,' she gave a reassuring smile. Mimiko was a bit deaf, she would admit but she was quite good at reading lips to fill in the gaps. However, this girl seemed to speak without moving them as if the words just haphazardly fell out so she just added an, 'Indeed,' and hoped it would cover whatever she tacked on to the end. Mimiko then turned her chair toward her new companion and crossed her hands with her arms resting together at the forearm, this girl was quite interesting to her.

'Must have been quite the party last night,' she commented with a sly, almost knowing grin, 'You look like a disaster,' she took a sip of her warm tea. She wondered if this was a normal happenstance or if the girl just begining a career of late nights and partying. Mimiko looked her over - black tresses were coming out of her head like untamable octopus tentacles held down by a single ribbon, her makeup was rushed and her outfit was...well it wasn't that bad. Interesting if anything, which was something Mimiko had much respect for. Ryoki had exhaustion in her eyes with a hint of sorrow as well. Maybe she regretted something from the previous night or perhaps waking up was the most sorrowful thing of them all to do. Mimiko dug through her handbag as she waited for Ryoki to finish speaking.

"Oh, there wasn't a party last night, at least not quite. See, I work at the Casino up in the Heights. Despite getting one of the early shifts, I still don't get home till pretty late. Some other things in life have made waking up a total pain, but alas I've never been much of a morning person to begin with. Mochavine's coffee usually gets me up and moving." She spoke only of truth, making no effort to hide she was going through a rough patch like she used to, before... this. "Do I really look that bad, though? Probably shouldn't have even gotten out of bed..." The woman sighs, one hand resting on her brow as she gently massaged her forehead. "Eh, it's no big deal. I'll touch up later."

Hearing she looked like a disaster didn't do much to help Ryoki's self-esteem, despite knowing the woman sitting next to her was saying such things purely out of concern. Somehow she felt worse than she did when she woke up. 'I bet it's the stupid pills...' She thought to herself somewhat angrily, before relaxing into the stool at the bar and taking another sip of her coffee.

'Calm, Ryoki, calm. This is Mochavine. You can't be bringing down the atmosphere with your negativity!'

This train of thought brought about an unconscious realisation in Ryoki, and, taking yet another deep breath, she puffs up her cheeks before slapping them with her hands simultaneously. "Ow..." Despite the slight pain, it felt good to do that again. Often when Ryoki felt down before now, she would lightly slap herself and tell herself to snap out of it. The effect was almost enough to make her smile again.

"If you need a guide or something to help you around the place, I'd be more than willing to help." She adds with a small nod. "Of course if you're busy or something that's OK too."

Ugly

Mimiko nodded absentmindedly as she listened, still sifting through her purse. She pulled out a couple of dull silver pins and reach up to Ryoki’s hair with a couple between her fingers like a fashionista wolverine. The girl slapped her cheeks and Mimiko looked up with a bit of surprise.

'No, actually, I'm not busy at all,' she brushed some of her new acquaintance's hair up and together, ‘It doesn't look too awful. I will just fix this really quick,’ she slipped the pin up and under the hair. She took a piece around the middle of her head and tucked it under to hide it and installed another pin. She twirled the back around and then fluffed it out. As a finishing touch she straightened and tightened the ribbon.

‘There, much better,’ She leaned back to look at it from afar. She began putting her purse back how it should be. 'You said you worked at the casino? That is quite exciting in itsself,' she raised an eyebrow. The girl definitely had the looks for working at the bar or dealing cards.

Ryoki was touched by this act of kindness. She'd never had her hair done up in such a fashionable way before, mostly just letting it loose and not bothering with clips and pins and the like. She had to admit, though, that it felt nice having it done up. "Thank you..." Her mouth gave way to a genuine smile of happiness, and she looked like she was about to cry. Thankfully for Ryoki she manages to hold back those tears and retain her dignity. "I've not really been good at tying my hair... I don't do it often. You really didn't need to do this, so... thank you. As for the casino, it is rather exciting. You meet lots of new people, make good friends, get lots of money from tips. It's not a bad job, if you swallow your fear of presenting yourself in a bunny suit, ehehe!"

'It was nothing, really,' the girl said with joy sqinting her eyes. It seemed as if the two girls were on opposite ends of a spectrum. Mimiko admired the girls emotion-filled smile and could not help but smirk herself. Her mind was suddenly filled with this girl dressed up in a bunny suit, coaxing her smile to its fullness, 'A bunny suit? You must be quite popular,' she shook her head to shake out some unpure thoughts, 'Although-' she looked up to catch a man staring at them in horror it seemed. Mimiko was readying herself to take up for the girl, Ryoki can wear a bunny suit any time she wants!

Ryoki didn't seem to notice the man's horrrified expression. Her full attention was on Mimiko. Well, at least until the man next to her began eating his waffles...

"Alright sir, here are your waffles!"

'Oh sweet merciful Jesus...' Kyle's body was never more prepared than in this moment as he gazed down upon the light fluffly and goldeny deliciousness that was before him. He carefully poured his syrup, making sure to get into every crevice and dimple in the tasty treat. He cut into its fluffy surface, first seperating the four quarters of the waffle, then with a stab of his fork, he shoved one of the quarters into his mouth and ate happily. His mouth was suddenly filled (stuffed) with a sweet and delicious pastry, though he was somewhat disappointed to find that the syrup was indeed not real maple syrup. He internally sighed as he chewed his food, his cheeks stuffed, it was at that point he heard the woman next to him asking if she looked bad. Kyle's eyes shot over and he took a gander at the lady, sure she looked a bit disheveled, but to perfectly honest...

Kyle with a full mouth of food protested, "Arf u kiddin meh?! U luke gorgus!" ...What in the actual fuck was that? Words? Which he was suddenly at a loss for as the two women suddenly stared at him. Still with a full mouth of food he looked somewhat pancicked as he suddenly brought attention to himself, 'Calm your shit Parker' He forcefully swallowed the mound of waffle down his gullet and took a drink of milk before saying, "Sorry, just...um, what I meant to say was, I don't think you look like a disaster." He gulped a little at his own awkwardness suddenly having complimented a woman out of nowhere only because he oeverheard their conversation. Shameless.

Mimiko scrunched her nose at his interaction and decided to butt out, turning back to the counter and folding her hands on the cool marble. She detested nonsensical compliments. It was quite obvious that he was trying to get her out of the clothes that she had thrown on this morning, despite working late last night. Besides, the creep was eavesdropping - what an attractive attribute. At very least he was not judging her for wearing a bunny costume.

The Raven was indeed surprised by this compliment, seemingly coming from out of nowhere, though it still made her blush a light pink. "Uh... Th-thanks." She says, looking to the man whom had complimented her, before gasping in surprise. He looked familiar. Really familiar. It was hard to forget the face of someone so distinctly different from a majority of the populace, but, just to be sure, she pulled out her phone and scrolled down her contacts list before finding the appropriate number and selecting "call".

Kyle's phone began to ring.

Suddenly aware of a buzzing in his pocket, Kyle excused himself for a moment and answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Kyle... Parker?" Quizzes Ryoki through the phone. "Can you, umm... look to your left real quick? This is Ryoki by the way." States the dark-haired musician in a quiet voice, very much unlike herself. Should he oblige, he would see Ryoki sitting next to him, pointing to her phone... which clearly showed his contact details. "This is you, right, Kyle?" She asks forwardly. "From... Shine Con?"

Kyle obliges, somewhat confused as to why he's being given directions over the phone. He turns to his left and stares straight into the raven haired woman, who's voice was not only coming from her, but from his phone as well...wait a minute...
Raven hair, pretty longish...yellow and black scarft... Shine Con? "Ryoki?" It finally clicks with him as he recognizes the woman from the Shine City Anime Convention the previous summer, "Oh man, it is you, I haven't seen you in like...a year, how have you been?" He smiled a bright and genuine smile, happy to see somone he recognized after being sequestered away for so long by himself.

"I admit, I've been better, but today has been OK so far." Ryoki replies with a faint smile, happy to see that someone she hadn't caught up with in a year had suddenly bumped into her. "I was meaning to catch up with you several months ago, at the beginning of the year, but things got really hectic. Sorry about that." She seems... different from the last time the spoke. True, they hadn't seen each other long last year, and it had been a year since their meeting, but she did seem noticeably less cheerful and... strange. Though it could always be ones imagination.

"Okay is good," He said, looking over the woman, she hadn't changed much physically, though she did seem less...happy? It might have just been his mind playing tricks, but she looked older, like she had seen some things, but he didn't want to actually tell an older woman she looked older. "Yea, the New Year was pretty crazy for me too, so it probably worked out for the best. That being said, we're catching up now haha." He looked around Ryoki to the other woman sitting next to her, noticing she had turned her attention away from the two. "I'm sorry," he was feeling a little bad, "I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation with your friend here or unintentionally eavesdrop on it," he coughed into his fist out of embarassment.

Ryoki looks back at Mimiko. Then back to Kyle. A devilish grin which she hadn't donned in months found it's way to her face as she eyed the two people sitting next to her. "Oh, no worries! I'm sorry I didn't introduce you two, but I just discoveed you're here, sooooooo..." She trails off and leans back so the two could see each other easier. "Mimiko, this here is Kyle, a friend of mine from awhile back. Kyle, this is Mimiko, a new friend and new person to Shine City."

'If only this were an anime or some kind of role-play I could force them together... Mrr grr grr...'

Pain

Mimiko perks up, hearing her name. She turns and her ponytail unceremoniously slaps her in the face, 'Oh, hello,' she began as she pulled her hair out of her sticky lip gloss, 'So he was not just an absolute stalker? I am glad to hear it is so,' she gave him an impatient smile. She offered a hand to him, leaning out of her chair in order to reach.

Kyle raised an eyebrow, 'An absolute stalker? The hell?' he thought, eyeing the woman somewhat suspiciously, 'Oh great, she's one of those high horse types isn't she?' The thought pervaded his mind, but its not like high society ever intimidated him, and at the very least to not be rude, he'd accept her handshake. "Not an absolute stalker, I only do that as a hobby, usually Tuesdays." He gave a little grin and let his hand stay gripped to hers just for a little longer than normal, but not too long; just enough for discomfort.

Mimiko's stomach churned a bit had the instant need to find the nearest source of hand sanitizer. She pressed forward a smile and humoured him with a a chuckle, 'Yes, quite funny...' she trailed off before taking her hand back. She fought the need to wipe her hand off on her shirt. She understood that he was attempting to be humourous, but she also understood that she had the most milk-curtling vibe about him. She cleared her throat and gave the smallest of bows, 'You are quite the comedian but I do suggest you keep your job - that is if you have one,' she was being quite short with him.

The words 'What a total bitch' swarmed in his mind like a nest of angry hornets, though his face was kept composed, his little smile still gracing his lips, he didn't exactly want to cause a scene, but she was making it really hard not to tool around with her uppityness. Still Ryoki was in the middle of the two, and it could get very uncomfortable, very quickly for her if he persisted, so he let it slide, though he'd at least let one truth slip. He leaned his elbow atop the counter, a slightly unimpressed look on his face, "You must make a lot of friends... well at least you made a friend with Ryoki and I." He turned his attention back to Ryoki, "The last time we saw each other was....Lancom Arcade right? We met up with your sister if I remember... OH! How is Mokyu by the way? Does she still DJ there?" Kyle stupidly asked the question, completely unaware of the fate that befell the younger sibling.

The short-tempered man amused Mimiko. He seemed to nearly twitch with the seething anger within him. As he leaned on the counter she was sitting at she refused her body's need to lean away from him, instead she let her face rest in its regular half-smile and used her normal sweet-toned voice, 'I suppose I thank you,' she was not sure how one should reply to a seemingly strange comment. She felt releived when the conversation turned back to the raven-haired girl, turning her body to face her with interest.

Ryoki's head had been darting back and forth between the two for the duration of the conversation, however at the mention of her sister, Ryoki's face suddenly turned grim and she stared blankly at the bar. Well, it wasn't quite a blank expression. It was one filled with pain...

"Say, umm... did you ever hear about what happened at the New Years Ball, Kyle? The, uh... incident...?" She asks. It would be easier on her if he knew already about the incident. It was all over the news so it was unlikely that it was missed by anyone, but she just wanted to be sure of herself more than anything.

Her face suddenly shifted into something...darker... he answered her question curiously, "Yea, I heard there was a terrorist attack or something, I was actually at the ball before it happened, ended up leaving with one of my friends early, she wasn't feeling too well." Fortunately he had pulled her out, otherwise Amity Bellerose would have been the terrorist that caused the terrorist attack. A realization suddenly dawned on him, "Shit, you guys were at the ball too weren't you? Is Mokyu alright? She wasn't too close to the victim was she?" With every word he spoke, he couldn't begin to imagine how much worser he was making this.

"We were... See, she was close to the victim... A little too close..." Ryoki replies, and he could see she was just moments away from turning into a crying mess. Her throat suddenly felt very dry, and the pitfall feeling in Ryoki's stomach returned. However, despite this, she still managed to choke out: "M-Mokyu Mochizukki... M-my sister... w-was the... the... the one k-killed that n-night..." She was now quite visibly shaking, and, in an attempt to calm her nerves, Ryoki gulped down the rest of her coffee. However, it didn't appear to be working. Her emotional state was deteriorating rapidly, it seems, and there was hardly a hope in Hell of anyone stopping it. "I-I'm sorry, I need a minute..." She sobs, wiping her eyes as she removes herself from the bar, and heads into the womens restroom...

Mimiko's expression started at interested, then shifted to shock, and sorrow along with an overall overwhelmed feeling. She felt like several plots were folding out in front of her. A survivor of a world-known event and a victim's family member were casually speaking in a Cafe filled with people moving through the blur of their lives on their way to work. They were discussing these tender moments in front of what was nearly a complete stranger. Before she could think Mimiko's slender hands were already poking through her purse and pulled out a silk handkerchief. As soon as her hands were heading to slip the small square to the broken girl, she was gone.

Mimiko shot Kyle the dirtiest of glares, stood up and dusted herself off then clicked her way through the shop, across the room in a sweeping motion. Between Ryoki's sprint and the way she slipped through, a lot of people craned their neck to watch. The usual chatter had lulled down to a dull hum and a single mug was sat on a plate. She sent them a shot for good measure, saying very clearly, This is none of your business. She did not come in just yet - Ryoki very obviously needed a moment alone.

Kyle stared in absolute horror, he had no idea whatsoever, little Mokyu, that sweet and bounding girl, he felt sick to his stomach, not just because he didn't know, but he had made Ryoki live through that moment again. 'How close was she to the victim?' Dead Center. He felt like he deserved the glare Mimiko shot him, and he felt like a damn helpless fool as she ran off to the bathroom after his friend. Leaning over the counter, a hand running across his head, unbelieving of the storm he had just brewed; he wasn't even hungry for the waffle anymore...he felt awkward, he wasn't sure if he should leave and avoid the humiliation of having made a girl cry, or did he stay and try to make ammends? He needed to at least apologize, though it would be more awkward to go walking into the girl's bathroom. He opted to remain seated and avoid curious eyes, even though Mimiko made it clear it was no one's business, people were still bound to try and rummage through the business; he'd be no part of that today.

Mimiko quietly pushed the heavy wooden door open, although it disagreed and squeaked as it shut. She walked over to the mirror and began taking out makeup and laying it out on the counter. She wetted the hankercheif and added a dab of remover to it before crossing her arms and leaning up against the sink. She knew there was at least one person in here other than Ryoki by the feet on the floor. She waited and made no attempt to make a specticle.

Ryoki was... not in good shape, that was clear. She was doing her absolute best not to sob and cry, but it wasn't exactly easy when the thought of her sister being gone forever was presented to her. It was just... so hard to accept it. She didn't want to accept it! Why did Mokyu have to die?! What did she ever do wrong...? The sweet and innocent little sister that Ryoki cherished more than her own life, just... gone. A crimson red glow was all she saw, and when she turned around to look, just-

... She was going to be sick...

It wasn't a pretty thing to witness, what with Ryoki crying her eyes out whilst trying not to empty her stomach, but it gave Mimiko some insight as to just how difficult things were for her new and presumed first friend in Shine City. Ryoki had suffered a lot in her life, but the loss of her dearest sister... it was almost enough to drive her insane. She could only be thankful that her brother hadn't been caught in that incident also. The thought of Kimasu being shot as well was... well, it wasn't good for one's mental health. But, try as she might to sway the thought from her mind, the image of Kimasu laying down lifeless alongside Mokyu was...

... enough to make her hurl again...

She wanted to scream, to cry out, but the Raven couldn't find her voice. She just wanted to disappear, to fly away, to go back in time and relive a moment that wasn't this one. However, time was a cruel thing, and no matter how hard she wished, Ryoki was not taken away. No happy place to go to; no drug to take her mind off of things; no energy to think any differently or make a change. She could only sit there, in the stall of a bathroom in Mochavine, trying her hardest not to cry in front of others - to try and be strong.

Unfortunately... Ryoki wasn't that strong...

There was nothing Mimiko wanted to do more than rush to Ryoki and scoop her up. She also knew that this would solve nothing. Her stomach flipped and turned from the small sounds that came from Ryoki's stall. She shifted uncomfortably and began to tear up herself. 'No, she thought to herself, 'The last thing she needs is someone else crying or feeling sorry for her. She needs someone to be strong to help pull her up,' Mimiko took a cleansing breath and shook the sadness away. She would be the voice of reason as she waltzed to the stall with the familiar dark shoes. A faint knock.

'Ryoki?' she said softly, her head bowed, listening intently, 'It's Mimiko,' she did not know what else to say. What amount of words could bring back a soul, or put one back together. There was no combonation of English nor Japanese words that could mend a situation like this. Should she say, 'Hey it's Mimiko let me in so I can pretend to know what you feel like and rub my blissfully unscarred words all over yours.' She shook lher head, unable to remedy the situation. She would not force her out of the stall nor herself into the stall. Mimiko needed to be a strong branch that she can grab just before she hits the ground, always there and firmly planted. Not a squishy emotional mess.

It's Mimiko, simple Mimiko. Still here. All you have to do is reach.

[Narcotic Dollie]

---

Calliope was doubled over with her hands on her knees when the pigeon chaser closed in on her. "H-Hey, you… You forget what you saw! You… need to go! Right now!" the other woman commanded, lovely eyes narrowed under long, dark eyelashes. This only caused Calliope to blink up at her in confusion as the ringing in her ears started to die down. Was she embarrassed that she was chasing pigeons? Was that weird behavior? Maybe the taller woman was just worried that she hadn’t done a good job scaring the birds away?

“N-no, it’s fine,” Calliope reassured, her heart rate slowing as she caught her breath. “You, um, did a very good job, ma’am. Your form was lovely, they seemed quite terrified of you.”

This seemed to soften the other woman somewhat, because after a moment she asked, "Are… Are you all right?" The question was marked with a soft lilt that made Calliope lean closer to better understand her. ’Oh, right, I just made a scene, didn't I?’ the blue eyed woman realized, mortified at her actions. “Yes ma’am, I--”

"Excuse me lass, but are ya okay?" interrupted a concerned voice, causing Calliope to look over and see her running mate from earlier jog back to check on her well being. The vet student felt her face grow hot and she straightened up quickly. “No, I-I--,”

"Has something happened here? ...do you need assistance, miss...?"

A white haired man with brown puppy dog eyes made his way over to the group and now she was starting to get truly anxious. This was the exact opposite of blending in, she stuck out like a sore thumb. “U-m...,” she started, overwhelmed by the exorbitant amount of attention.

”Take a deep breath, miss,” Calliope heard someone say and her gaze quickly flitted over to the large tan and black dog at the white haired man’s side. He was panting from the walk, but other than that his muzzle remained motionless. ”There is no need to panic, no one here will harm you,” the dog continued, his head cocking to the side as he continued to watch her. ”Just calm down and try again.”

“Sorry,” Calliope said after a moment, standing up straight and grabbing the hem of her shirt to mop the sweat from her brow. “I just rolled my ankle,” she fibbed, chewing at her bottom lip before adding. “No big deal or anything. I just got...distracted. Yep. Distracted.”

@MyCatGinger@Jay Kalton@Saarebas

[Adelynn Ryder]

"An..uh... Annabelle Wolfe!" she stumbled through her own name.

Anna smiled back at Eidel, noting her also stammered introduction. Perhaps she was shy as well. She seemed very nice though. She'd been very friendly and understanding, leading Annabelle away from the crowd of people, and the she'd even offered her a water bottle so cold it sapped all heat from Anna's hand as she carried it. However, they hadn't managed to escape without Anna being spotted one more time. The Third Strike guy had seen her watching his game. Apparently, her powers of invisibility were severely lacking today. At least he hadn't seemed angry. In fact, he had also been quite friendly, smiling and giving her another thumbs up. She had smiled back, though she wasn't sure if he had seen past her black hood. As she'd followed Eidel to the rhythm games, she'd gotten a closer look at him when they passed. He was attractive, though from his eyes one could tell he'd been staring at a screen for a while. Then again, so had she. As they passed by the Third Strike cabinet, she made note of the score he'd obtained. It had indeed beaten hers- top of the board. "SAW" the initials read. She'd come back to this at some point. By the end of the week, she was determined now to move "SAW" into the second place, replacing the first rank with her own initials.

But for now, she was playing with Eidel. She knew at this point they had two things in common- video games and awkwardness- and as they approached the rhythm games, she suspected they would soon find a third commonality. Anna loved music. It was part of what had drawn her to the theater. Though she'd always been unfit for the spotlight, she envied the soloists in her favorite musical productions. She'd spent many an hour-long shower singing into the device she was supposed to be rinsing herself off with, and several more hours sitting in front of her television, playing with plastic instruments much like the one she now picked up. As a music loving gamer, it was only natural for her to have gotten into rhythm games. Music, she knew, was just as important to the progression of a story as choreographed fight scenes. She pulled the guitar strap across her shoulder, looking at the song title that Eidel had chosen. It was a slower song, one Anna did not know very well, but she remembered liking the sound of it. She smiled again at her game partner.

"Thanks. Next game's on me."

Strumming the plastic guitar, she scrolled through the difficulties. She selected "Expert" and the game began. Slower songs on a higher difficulty meant lots of drawn out chords. She wished these instruments had real strings rather than plastic buttons. It would certainly give her an advantage. Plus, then it would be much easier to memorize how to play them off of the game version. As it was, she'd pick up her guitar at home and only be able to recall colors. "Red, Yellow, Orange" didn't exactly tell her what key the song was in. But pointless complaints aside, the game was going quite well. Eidel seemed to be doing fine on whatever difficulty she had picked (Anna had been too stressed out by introducing herself to pay attention) and she was definitely a good person to game with. Quiet, but focused, and she obviously knew what she was doing.

She's pretty too, Anna thought, though she wasn't sure what that had to do with anything. A moment later, she figured it out though. This was someone she could look up to. She was like Annabelle, but prettier, stronger... willing to walk up to people she hadn't met in an arcade despite obvious shyness. She was an amazing potential friend. Anna had always told herself that she didn't need friends, but playing with other people felt right. She looked over at her opponent as she continued to strum the plastic instrument. She smiled, and even laughed quietly. This was so much fun.

[Section]

Annabelle Wolfe, Eidel pondered the name of the shy girl to herself. It was a pretty name, the kind of name she might find in a book, as if both the first name and last name were chosen by a writer for synthesis. She briefly wondered if she could use "Anna" for short. Strumming on the controller smoothly enough even though she typically wasn't especially good at rhythm games, even if she enjoyed them, she focused on the music, hoping it would help her through the song a bit more, as the song played through loud speakers meant to be audible over hubbub of the arcade, she let her thoughts wander a bit as the streams of color went down the screen. What would she do this afternoon? It was still only around half-past eleven, once they finished the song, would they move onto something harder or play another game? Maybe part ways? Was Anna enjoying this? She had given her a genuine smile earlier, which lifted her spirits, but Eidel was still doubting her choices now; as they say, old habits die hard. Feeling a bit worried, she looked over and her heart jumped when she found the previously admittedly gloomy girl smiling, even laughing, though it was quiet. It felt as if she had seen someone she had known for a long time smile for the very first time in the long time they knew each other, as ridiculous as that analogy sounds, even though they had met only less than a half-hour ago.

In all honesty, it made Eidel quite joyous and bubbly and as the song went on, she transitioned from standing and focusing on playing the plastic guitar to actually dancing and doing her able best to sing along in a low voice. She missed many more notes in her excitement, but suddenly, she was having a lot more fun, probably even more than when she was playing BlazBlue, by a long shot. She almost wanted to beckon Anna into doing it with her, but she didn't want to force her and instead stuck to dancing awkwardly with the guitar (the particular style, titled "el drunko penguino", was a classic dancing technique, mixing Mexican and Scottish styles, inspired by drunk, dying penguins and perfected by Eidel, on her own, far from any eye) and singing quietly as to not bother her partner. She had lost most of the serious focus she had on the game, but she was in an astonishingly good mood, it wasn't like she could help it! The day was finally looking up.

After a minute or two, the song finally came to an end and Eidel stood in front of her screen panting and weakly taking a tissue out of her pocket to clean up the controller and her damp forehead. "Sorry, Anna, got a little... excited there." She smiled bashfully and hung up the guitar as the machine indicated Annabelle's decisive victory, though suddenly, Eidel had stopped caring about winning as she sipped soda from her sticky can. "Wait, sorry, can I call you Anna?" Eidel quickly realized her slip-up and tried to rectify it with a quick apology. She felt very, VERY awkward all of the sudden and looked around, until her eyes fell upon someone serving... Japanese food? She didn't look like an arcade employee and a lot of kids and teens were crowding around her, but she was certainly serving Japanese food. Is she... a weeb? Eidel briefly thought to herself. Or are they weebs? Are we all weebs?, she reflected, thinking about the kids. Nah, they're just hungry. she decided, passing on the philosophy, before turning to Annabelle, with a better smile than before.

"Hungry? We can go get some food, if you want, but we can continue if you're having fun.."

[Stern Algorithm]

"Good morning, Shizuka." He said. His tone was a little upbeat but too regular to be natural. He was being professional through his worries with a little effort, and that effort showed today. "You've been handling things well. Just, remember to check the balcony during your morning walkthrough, and keep up the good work. I only realized today how easy it is to hide up there. I'm working on a solution, but for now just be a little extra careful."

@Haeo

Shizuka was a little startled when Vern greeted her, having assumed she was alone in the shop. His reminder to check the balcony also served as an explanation for where he had been this whole time. "Understood, Mr. Smith, I'll be more vigilant," she replied. Shizuka had known Mr. Smith for a few months since she started working for him. So far, their relationship was simply that of an employer and employee; cordial. But she admired him somewhat. He gave the impression of a man with a complete awareness and control of his body. He seemed to make no wasted movements, every action was efficient, like a man who had programmed and fine-tuned his body like a machine. She didn't know what sort of background would push a man to become like that. She could guess some sort of 'special forces' or perhaps 'martial artist', but Shizuka wasn't the kind of person to guess at a person's past. And it was for this reason that the words coming out of Vern's mouth were so troubling. Despite his control, Shizuka was able to detect a hint of stress, or attempt to hide that stress, in his voice. Although he did just notify her to check the balcony from now on, Shizuka did not misconstrue his tone as one of displeasure or nagging, this tiny oversight on her part wasn't what was bothering him. Shizuka did not feel like Vern was 'taking it out on her' in the slightest. As it was a slow day, there was plenty of time to make conversation, so Shizuka asked, "I don't mean to pry, but is something upsetting you?"

[ClocktowerEchos]

---

---

*grrrroooowwwwlllll*

Akio hated his stomach sometime, actually no, more of his eating habits and appetite. He swore he was hungry when he woke up, walking down the stairs made him want to eat an elephant and now, as he tramped his way down the side walk, he felt like he just eaten a full course meal. He didn't want to eat anything at all and promptly decided to skip going to the cafe. It was like he was fucking photosynthetic and the sun had given him all his food and energy; perhaps Akio's true calling in life was to be a tree or something.

At whatever the case, it was the thoughts of Foam Night that kept him from transforming into a whining bitch. Akio ran through the list in his head. First off (and arguably most important from what Akio had learned) was protection and not the body guard kind. Sinning was bound to get steamy in such a place and he guessed there would be a decent number of people who'd go there for the same reason as he was more or less. Like mother always said, "Chek yo self b4 u Rek urself" (not really though, Akio's head canon of his mother was a lot more interesting than how she really was).

Next on the list was his outfit. This was always the hardest part. How reveling should it be, how elaborate should it be, how colorful it should be, Akio had literally swam through his closet on more than one occasion trying to find the right outfit for these types of sinful outings. He mused, he pondered, he wondered and he thought deeply, trying his best not to walk into stuff. At any rate, he'd need new stockings; all this others where completely destroyed. Perhaps stuffing things in them and going out to walk in them in horrible weather was a bad idea after all...

Removing those thoughts from his head, he threw his arms up and stretched. Oh well, he still had an entire day to think over such. I am going to throughly enjoy this night tonight, Akio thought as the hissing of automated doors welcomed him to a pharmacy.

[Sarcelle Renard]

A weary hand ran through some rather grungy red hair. Reiji looked at his hand, now slick with sweat, with an expression of both disgust and exasperation. Based on the obnoxiously bright sun beating down on him, he could tell that it had to be close to noon already. An exhausted sigh escaped him and his slouch got worse. A long night was turning into an unbelievably long morning, which was leaving the former musician in a rather foul mood. And considering that on a good day he was already rather unapproachable, the massive waves of negative energy seeping out of him combined with his shabby appearance was making some people cross the street rather than walk past him.

The red head barely even registered the concerned and scared looks people shot his way. The only thing that he had on his mind was finding his way back to his rundown apartment, washing off the shit show that had been the night before, and collapsing into what served as a bed, even though that was a bit too generous of a term for it. Truth be told, Reiji should have been back home and asleep hours ago, incubating what was sure to become the mother of all hangovers, but it had been of those nights. You know, the kind where Murphy’s Law showed up, took the wheel, crashed the figurative car that is your life, and then left with the keys. Yeah, the glare he put on for the world had been well earned this time.

It had started out innocent enough. Well, as innocent as getting stinking drunk before 10:00 PM can be, but he liked to believe that was beside the point. The rest of the night was hazy, but more and more of it had been coming back to him as he made his long trek home. The memories came in short flashes, with each one visibly causing the man to scrunch his face up a bit, reliving the moment all to painfully well. So far, he knew that there had been a great deal of drinking (obviously), a fight or two (as evidenced by the new tears in his already ratty clothes), and hopping from one party to another, effectively taking a tour of the entire city. But the sweet cherry on top was when he awoke at dawn, in a small puddle of sweat and regret, in a small kids’ playground in a part of the city he did not recognize with no money for transport and with his janky phone that didn’t have GPS. Hell, he didn’t even know what had happened to his pack of smokes. It was not the worst situation he had woken up to by far, but it was still enough to make what little patience he had disappear like the Dodo.

And here he was, what must have been five hours later, just now approaching the Promised Land that was his crappy one room apartment. Being the stubborn ass that he was, Reiji had refused at every point and turn to ask anybody for directions. Deep down he knew it was an unbelievably stupid, but he had spent the first two hours convincing himself that he knew exactly where he had to go, even as hours three and four ticked by. Had things been different, such as his feet not feeling like they were about to shatter or had he not been drenched in sweat, the guy would have really appreciated the beautiful way the city woke up and came to life. But it wasn’t that kind of day, so instead he simply cursed the place under his breath at length.

The exhausted punk caught a whiff of something familiar. Having moved to the city not too long ago, much of the city was alien to him, but the smell of fluffy and buttery baked goods told him that he was only a few blocks away from his apartment. Summoning what little will he had left and ignoring the protests from his body, Reiji picked up his pace, well past ready to be out of this miserably nice weather. It did not take long for the dilapidated building he called home to come into view, at which point he broke into a dead sprint. The sight of a frazzled, sweaty, scruffy punk tearing down the street was enough to make people clear out of his way.

His face was one of pure determination as he took the steps two at a time, nearly knocking over one of his neighbors on the way. “Watch it!” they moaned, but it sounded so far away that he barely noticed. The key to his apartment slid home and the door was unlocked not a second too soon as he shouldered it open with much more force than was necessary. Relief washed through him, as the longest night had finally come to an end. As the door slammed shut, the schmuck had to resist the urge to sink to his knees from exhaustion and instead make a beeline to the little closet his landlord had the audacity to call a bathroom. It took a lot more effort than he cared to admit to not just get in the shower then and there, with his smelly clothes on and all, but the wait was worth it when the ice cold water hit his skin and washed away the night before in an all too literal sense.

Reiji got out of the bathroom with just a tired smile and towel on. Sure, the little apartment wasn’t much, with the only real furniture being his futon and a small table, but it had working lights, a stove, and warm water every now and then. And for him, that was enough. It may not have felt like home to the guy just yet, but he was confident that he just needed more time. His thoughts turned to the city he had left behind as he collapsed on his futon, wondering about people he was unlikely to see again. Thankfully, sleep was quick to take him before his thoughts could turn to things he’d rather not bother with.

As the darkness took over his consciousness, he couldn’t help but feel like he was forgetting something important. ’Shit…’ he sleepily realized, ’You have work in a few hours…’ Reiji passed out before he could give it a second thought.

[Saarebas]

A blue haired woman suddenly doubling over in pain, another one who gets her kicks by scaring flocks of birds, and sudden visits from a old friendly classmate and his dogs, Arty wasn't even on the clock yet and it seemed that his day was already going to be quite the interesting one. Luckily for the bouncer dealing with bizarre and confusing situations came with the job territory so it didn't take him long to adjust. He ran through what just happened in his head a few more times just to make sure he wasn't being a complete fool and had misread the situation. But seeing as the general consensus was the same as the one Arty had arrived to the building sized redhead was able to reassure himself before he continued. It seemed that his running mate wasn't too worse for wears seeing as she was assuring the small gathering that her little scene had managed to summon that she was alright. Though he was rather satisfied with her answer Arty couldn't help but worried, he had rolled his ankle before and knew from experience that it was a less than pleasant feeling. "Yer sure ya fine lass? I could try and find ya somethin' for ya ankle if ya want.?"

As He waited for an answer Arty couldn't help but let his attention wander a bit from the blued haired girl that was attracting so much attention and onto the silver haired man totting around his two, if Arty had to describe them, amazing dogs. The Irishman immediately recognized him, it was Mister Matsuoka. He was a teacher down at the local college as well as one of the unfortunate souls to have witnessed Arty's earlier attempts at cooking, there were many a ruined pan and burnt apron sacrificed in those days. He offered Shou a warm grin. "Mornin' teach, how have ya been?" He asked, though he still didn't take his full attention off the blue haired girl just in case she did take him up on his offer.

It had almost slipped Arty's mind that all this was caused by someone chasing birds, and that someone was still among the group. It became quite obvious that this girl didn't attend anyone any harm, equally as obvious was the embarrassment she was feeling seeing as one could read it as clear as day on her face. Arty offered her a reassuring smile and a nod, being the ox that he was Arty had many a time made a fool of himself with his clumsiness so he easily could relate to the girl. He hoped that she would get his sympathy even though he couldn't find the right way to put them to words.

[Haeo]

@Stern Algorithm

Vern's smile became a little more natural at Shizuka's response. It was a wonderful relief to have someone as steady as her working here. Though he did wish that he'd been better able to hide his stress. He really hadn't wanted to talk about something so personal at work. He really did try to keep his work and personal lives separate. He knew that his employees had their own lives and worries to contend with. It was bad form to bother them with his own personal issues.

But, he really didn't have anyone to talk to right now. The only two acquaintances that he had, here in Shine City, had both vanished. Yet, how do you explain to a younger woman who is also an employee of a company you own that you are a lonely, nearly thirty, man living in a apartment in an otherwise empty building and that your own neighbors didn't think it was worth your time or theirs for them to let you know that they were vanishing off the face of the earth. Or rather, how do you explain that without sounding pathetic and losing face both personally and professionally.

"Thank you for your diligence, and your concern, Shizuka. But... I'm afraid that there isn't really anything particularly unusual about my troubles." Vern took a breath and set down his briefcase on the floor by the counter. "The simple fact is that there are more challenges than I originally anticipated when I bought this business. Some with the building, some with other personnel. And, a few unfortunate personal coincidences as well. Perhaps I wasn't quite as prepared as I thought I was. But, I'll be alright."

Being honest and direct while staying professional was a lot harder than he had thought it would be, especially since he had a very strong feeling that he could trust Shizuka implicitly with anything he wished to reveal. And, he was so very tired. He had maintained his other job, managing the small portion of the city's public janitorial personnel that maintained the park, as well as taking care of maintenance and cleaning of a three story house, his own apartment on the fourth floor of the same, and the recently vacated apartment next door where his neighbor used to live. He also wasn't sleeping well.

The lighting here in the store and the uniform cap of his other job had managed to confuse the appearance of his face well enough that the dark circles under his eyes had been able to slowly darken without being noticed at either of his places of work, so far. He raised one hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose as the first subtle throbs of a headache began to knock at the backdoor of his consciousness. Some symptoms can't be hidden forever.