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LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOO
I was worried the rp died
I had no intention of letting this die, it's just that Jar needed to edit his post first in order for me to be able to follow up on it.
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1 yr ago
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new FFXIV EX fight sucks ass.
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1 yr ago
There's a difference between the ability to be social, and the desire to be social. I function perfectly fine going outside and talking to people, but that doesn't mean I *like* doing either.
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1 yr ago
...dad?
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2 yrs ago
Pepsi and Milk, also known as an affront to everything good in this world. And my tastebuds.
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2 yrs ago
Pilk seems to be trending, so I tried it. Anyone who tells me this is a good drink is no longer a person I wish to associate with.
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Bio
The day that Moss was hanged, eight others were cut down,
And when the graves had all been dug, the queen rode out of town.
And when the graves had all been dug, the queen rode out of town.
(I have a badly written 1x1 check if you want to know what kind of person I am.)
Most Recent Posts
I had no intention of letting this die, it's just that Jar needed to edit his post first in order for me to be able to follow up on it.
It wasn't very far to the duel table, a bit further back into the shop to separate the dining tables from the dueling area, but still with a clear enough shot for all the customers to watch. The hooded man had a mad grin on his face as he shuffled and set his deck on the table. "Ryuka... my Ryuka..." he kept muttering to himself, with 'Ryuka' taking the first turn of the duel. She was very quick on her moves, wasting no time in summoning her monster and setting three cards. "There it is... Ryuka's famous dragon deck! The undefeated dragon maid... I'm so unbelievably happy!" the man kept commenting. He looked down at the deck in front of him.
"That means it's my turn, right? This is great, so great... I draw," he said, picking up the top card. With another wicked smile he immediately placed it down on the table. "I'll set this monster I just drew," he clarified, then reached for his hand. "I'll also take this card right here to set on my field..." he continued. Sliding it forward and down on the table, the holograms projected onto his field formed a T-shape with the two card backs. "Turn end, my lovely Ryuka."
"That means it's my turn, right? This is great, so great... I draw," he said, picking up the top card. With another wicked smile he immediately placed it down on the table. "I'll set this monster I just drew," he clarified, then reached for his hand. "I'll also take this card right here to set on my field..." he continued. Sliding it forward and down on the table, the holograms projected onto his field formed a T-shape with the two card backs. "Turn end, my lovely Ryuka."
"Uhm..."
To say Rui was taken aback by the sudden abrasiveness of the stranger that had stopped her would be an understatement. She didn't really know what to do; Rui had barely come through the library's front door and she was already accosted by a commander wanting to do battle. Lumia hadn't warned Rui about it ahead of time either; though it's not like she had any time to ponder on whether or not that was on purpose. After all, the strange and overwhelming girl who'd stopped Rui didn't give her that. She'd asked to battle, explained how she didn't care about Rui in the slightest and then proceeded to blow Rui off all within the span of about a minute. The other commander was about to walk right past, thinking Rui wasn't up for the fight, so Rui had to act quickly and on instinct. "...Wait!" she said and quickly grabbed the other girl's arm.
Of course, the dead expression in her eyes even as she looked back to Rui didn't give much away. The stranger just yanked her arm loose, but didn't move a muscle otherwise. Rui took a deep breath and tried explaining herself: "Sorry... you were just so overwhelming. Why don't we go to a café or something and talk about it there?"
And, by some miracle, Rui actually did manage to drag the new Commander to a café. It was a reasonably spacious and popular spot, one which Rui's classmates sometimes tried to invite her to. The reason she came there, though, was because the two of them would vanish in the crowd. Two teenage girls coming for drinks or a parfait was nothing unusual, so Rui was certain they wouldn't be bothered. Seated at a table in the corner, the server going around had just taken their orders and left to go prepare. Rui turned her attention back to her adversary.
"Katsuki and... Sunako, right?" she asked, trying to memorize the names she'd been told a few moments prior. Rui took out Lumia and slid her onto the table. She put on a smile to try and ease Katsuki, saying: "I know you said you didn't care, but we have a little time until we get our drinks. I don't think anyone will bother us after that. I'm Rui; this is Lumia."
"H-hi..." Lumia muttered, visibly a lot less at ease than Rui. She was actively trying to not look at Katsuki.
Rui rummaged around in her bag for a little bit, then took out her deck case and put it on the table. "I'm sure people won't get suspicious as long as it looks like we're playing," she explained. Rui didn't bring a game mat with her or anything, but she figured it didn't matter much. She picked up a few cards, put them down in front of her and then grabbed Lumia again. She said: "Hey, how about we add a wager? If you win, I'll leave you alone and will pay for both of us. If I win, you'll stick around for a bit and tell me about yourself."
"Nee-chan?!" Lumia blurted out in disbelief. Why on earth would Rui want to talk to this person?! Rui clearly took notice, glancing briefly at Lumia. Deciding silence was the best response, she quickly turned her attention back at her opponent.
"I'll explain myself in the battle. For now... do we have a deal?"
"You and... Rui?" Natsuko whispered, her grip on Sora's arm tightening ever so subtly as he rambled on about his day. She closed her eyes and patiently listened, a fury bubbling inside her. "That sounds nice," she said in response to Sora's invitation to take the two of them out, but the fury and jealousy bubbling inside her made Natsuko focus far more on the 'Rui' part. All she heard lately was Rui this, Rui that.
Ema lazily eyed up her Commander and then back at Wolf. At first she didn't really get why a guy like Wolf was paired up with someone like Sora, but with how dense the two of them were, they might've actually been a perfect fit after all. "Who knows, nya~? Maybe she thinks battling Sora will make that wish of hers come true," she vaguely told Wolf. "Not that she'll be the one to suffer the consequences of it..." Ema sighed. She didn't entirely look like she was up for granting it, but if her Commander willed it...
"Hey, Sora-kun? Remember what I said the other day?" Natsuko tried swerving the conversation. She gently pushed herself off from him and opened the palm of her hand, showing six golden coins and a single black one. "Six coins, but two losses. This could be my final battle, ever," she explained, a pleading look in her eyes. "I think the final memory must be really important to me... and there's something I really have to tell you."
"Nyaaa~!" Ema meowed in delight as she heard those words from Natsuko. "So you're finally going to do it, Natsuko?" she asked. Natsuko looked down and gave her a nod.
"I can only tell you on the battlefield, Sora-kun," she said while looking straight into his eyes. "So please... battle me!"
To say Rui was taken aback by the sudden abrasiveness of the stranger that had stopped her would be an understatement. She didn't really know what to do; Rui had barely come through the library's front door and she was already accosted by a commander wanting to do battle. Lumia hadn't warned Rui about it ahead of time either; though it's not like she had any time to ponder on whether or not that was on purpose. After all, the strange and overwhelming girl who'd stopped Rui didn't give her that. She'd asked to battle, explained how she didn't care about Rui in the slightest and then proceeded to blow Rui off all within the span of about a minute. The other commander was about to walk right past, thinking Rui wasn't up for the fight, so Rui had to act quickly and on instinct. "...Wait!" she said and quickly grabbed the other girl's arm.
Of course, the dead expression in her eyes even as she looked back to Rui didn't give much away. The stranger just yanked her arm loose, but didn't move a muscle otherwise. Rui took a deep breath and tried explaining herself: "Sorry... you were just so overwhelming. Why don't we go to a café or something and talk about it there?"
And, by some miracle, Rui actually did manage to drag the new Commander to a café. It was a reasonably spacious and popular spot, one which Rui's classmates sometimes tried to invite her to. The reason she came there, though, was because the two of them would vanish in the crowd. Two teenage girls coming for drinks or a parfait was nothing unusual, so Rui was certain they wouldn't be bothered. Seated at a table in the corner, the server going around had just taken their orders and left to go prepare. Rui turned her attention back to her adversary.
"Katsuki and... Sunako, right?" she asked, trying to memorize the names she'd been told a few moments prior. Rui took out Lumia and slid her onto the table. She put on a smile to try and ease Katsuki, saying: "I know you said you didn't care, but we have a little time until we get our drinks. I don't think anyone will bother us after that. I'm Rui; this is Lumia."
"H-hi..." Lumia muttered, visibly a lot less at ease than Rui. She was actively trying to not look at Katsuki.
Rui rummaged around in her bag for a little bit, then took out her deck case and put it on the table. "I'm sure people won't get suspicious as long as it looks like we're playing," she explained. Rui didn't bring a game mat with her or anything, but she figured it didn't matter much. She picked up a few cards, put them down in front of her and then grabbed Lumia again. She said: "Hey, how about we add a wager? If you win, I'll leave you alone and will pay for both of us. If I win, you'll stick around for a bit and tell me about yourself."
"Nee-chan?!" Lumia blurted out in disbelief. Why on earth would Rui want to talk to this person?! Rui clearly took notice, glancing briefly at Lumia. Deciding silence was the best response, she quickly turned her attention back at her opponent.
"I'll explain myself in the battle. For now... do we have a deal?"
"You and... Rui?" Natsuko whispered, her grip on Sora's arm tightening ever so subtly as he rambled on about his day. She closed her eyes and patiently listened, a fury bubbling inside her. "That sounds nice," she said in response to Sora's invitation to take the two of them out, but the fury and jealousy bubbling inside her made Natsuko focus far more on the 'Rui' part. All she heard lately was Rui this, Rui that.
Ema lazily eyed up her Commander and then back at Wolf. At first she didn't really get why a guy like Wolf was paired up with someone like Sora, but with how dense the two of them were, they might've actually been a perfect fit after all. "Who knows, nya~? Maybe she thinks battling Sora will make that wish of hers come true," she vaguely told Wolf. "Not that she'll be the one to suffer the consequences of it..." Ema sighed. She didn't entirely look like she was up for granting it, but if her Commander willed it...
"Hey, Sora-kun? Remember what I said the other day?" Natsuko tried swerving the conversation. She gently pushed herself off from him and opened the palm of her hand, showing six golden coins and a single black one. "Six coins, but two losses. This could be my final battle, ever," she explained, a pleading look in her eyes. "I think the final memory must be really important to me... and there's something I really have to tell you."
"Nyaaa~!" Ema meowed in delight as she heard those words from Natsuko. "So you're finally going to do it, Natsuko?" she asked. Natsuko looked down and gave her a nod.
"I can only tell you on the battlefield, Sora-kun," she said while looking straight into his eyes. "So please... battle me!"
Lumia stayed quiet about her worries for the rest of Sora and Rui's day out. She didn't want to get between the two of them, so acted like nothing was wrong. She commented on the animals with the two of them, talked to Sora a bit whenever they had a small break and was generally her usual self. Lumia was a spectator to all of it and acted accordingly; never making her presence overly loud. When they all returned home, Lumia was hidden away in Rui's bags; after all, Rui couldn't let her parents catch on that she'd been spending her time on a card game, magical or not. Lumia just had to hear the muffled yells of Sora and Rui's parents bearing their wrath down upon the younger of the two. She couldn't see it, but she knew Rui well enough to know that pained expression she often makes when it came to Sora. That feeling of guilt that chews away at her. After all... Rui's wish was sprouted from those feelings of guilt and anger.
Eventually, Rui came to her room and let Lumia out of the bag, perching her up against the side of some books on her desk. "Sorry I couldn't let you out earlier," she apologized with a soft smile. Rui got her textbooks together to start studying, but Lumia just looked away.
"...You two looked happy today, you know." Lumia said. She followed it up with: "Why do you let your family decide your life like this?"
Rui paused for a bit, then turned to Lumia and chuckled a little. "What, are you worried about me?" she asked in a joking tone, trying to both deflect the question and lighten the mood.
"Of course I am! When you're with your brother, you look like you're having so much fun... like you don't need me. But when it comes to Nexus, you... you become a different person. Cold, and vicious... I... I don't think it's a good idea to keep battling like that," she told her commander. Rui's mood darkened again.
"...Sora was smiling, right?" she bounced back to Lumia. "When he defeated Sakura... first, he was concerned, but his mood became better after, right? I think the memory he must've gotten back was a happy one. Something he didn't want to lose again. So if he can get his memories back-"
"But you didn't get yours back!" Lumia blurted out. "When we defeated that girl the other day, your coin turned gold... but you never got a memory back. It's like you didn't want to remember at all. I don't want you to battle like that..." Lumia pleaded with her Commander. Rui didn't answer her back. Not until after a moment of silence, when Rui shot a glance her Avatar's way.
"Maybe you're right. I'll be more careful, Lumia." she eventually said, but the words she promised were hollow.
Come the next day, Lumia was sluggish to rise and shine. Even though, or maybe because it was another one of her days off, she'd stayed up late through the night trying to study. Her parents being out of the house the whole day meant she also had plenty of time to sleep in. Rui would've actually kept sleeping for much longer, but Lumia's voice was desperately trying to reach her. "Nee-chan! Nee-chan!" she kept crying out. It got to a point where Rui couldn't keep ignoring it.
"What is it, Lumia...?" she sleepily said to her Avatar, rubbing the exhaustion out of her eyes.
"There's trouble! A commander is in the house!" Lumia warned Rui.
"...Eh?" Rui voiced back.
Still in her pajamas, Rui rushed out of bed and opened the door of her room. She could clearly hear the voices coming from the living room, slowly shuffling closer to its source. Making sure to stay out of sight, she peered into the living room from about halfway down the stairs.
"Come on, it's fine, just let me stay like this a bit," a slightly needy voice complained to Sora. It was coming from a girl about his age- no, slightly younger. One who had nestled herself comfortably by resting her head on his shoulder and leaning up against him. Rui's face contorted into a scowl; partially from the awkwardness of Sora bringing a girl into the house without letting Rui know, and partially because Rui felt like she should... know that person. Her head began to pound and she crouched down on her knees, one hand holding for support against the stair's railings and the other clutching her forehead.
The pain brought something with it. She felt like she started to... remember something. She pulled the hand on her head away and saw her seven coins, four black and three gold, appear inside it. One of them gave off a faint glow- the one she'd won back from that girl she'd faced a few days prior. "Na... tsu... ko..." she slowly fumbled out, loud enough for the girl in their living room to hear. Startled, she pushed herself off Sora and looked in the direction of the open doorway Rui had previously peered at her from.
"Oh! Rui..." Natsuko yelped, causing Rui to whip her head around. Shoot- she was still in her nightwear! Oh that's embarrassing... Rui quickly stood up and gave Natsuko a slightly nervous smile.
"Ahaha... hi, Natsuko-chan... I didn't know you'd be coming over today," Rui awkwardly told her. In truth, she should have known. Natsuko always came over when Rui and Sora's parents were out of the house. It's just that Rui had forgotten all about it- just like the day prior at the zoo. She didn't know who her and Sora's friends were, up until a few moments back. She didn't even know that Haruto had been a friend of theirs, once, since childhood. She didn't have any time to recall specifics- but if she wasn't wrong, Natsuko had only known Sora since middle school... a few years, at best.
For Natsuko's part, she just puffed up her chest and twirled a bit of hair around her finger. "I'm not intruding, am I? I could come back later, but I don't really want to..." she complained, making her displeasure at Rui showing up known. For her part, Rui didn't suspect a thing.
"Oh! No, not at all. I was just going to study today like usual; you two have fun! I'll just get ready and head to the library so you can be alone," she told the two of them and skipped back up the stairs. As Rui got dressed and packed her books into her bag, Lumia spoke.
"Is it okay for you to leave, Nee-chan? That girl is a commander," Lumia warned her.
"It's okay. I know Natsuko-chan... she's a sweet girl. She wouldn't do anything to Sora," Rui cheerfully hummed. Lumia had her reservations, but being an outside, left the issue to the wayside. Maybe Rui was right and she shouldn't worry so much.
Eventually Rui was all done, ran down the stairs and put on her shoes at the entrance. She couldn't see the living room from there, but because the door was still open, she could yell back: "I'm going out now! Have fun, okay?!" and left the house soon after. She walked along the road, Lumia in hand and scarf covering her mouth for warmth. Rui shot a look at her Avatar. "...The library is a public space. We're sure to run in a commander there," she told Lumia.
"Did you even listen to me yesterday?" Lumia said, unamused.
"It'll be okay as long as you keep me in line," Rui cheekily clapped back. "I trust you, Lumia. As long as you're with me, it'll be okay."
"Nee-chan..." was all Lumia could say back to her. It was so very, very bittersweet to her. She didn't deserve that trust in the slightest.
"I'm not intruding, am I? I could come back later, but I don't really want to..." Natsuko complained, about to grind her teeth in frustration at Sora's sister coming in to ruin the mood she'd been working so hard to build up. Sure, said sister reassured her that she'd be out and about for the rest of the day, but now things were awkward between Natsuko and Sora! Ema, sensing the unease coming from her commander, decided to take action.
"Cheer up, nyaaa. You probably woke her up from a cat-nap," she said, lying down in her card border and letting out a yawn as if to demonstrate. The ears on her hoody even did a little twitch, as if they were the real deal.
"I-I'm not upset! She just... caught me by surprise," Natsuko complained with a pout. Ema just smiles with her eyes closed, playfully mocking her commander. Natsuko soon lowered her again, right next to Wolf.
"So she's the other commander, nya?" Ema asked the other Avatar. The two avatars had been talking about it a bit, though not like Ema had told Natsuko about it. She also, rightfully, figured that Natsuko wouldn't pay much attention to the conversation as long as Ema didn't raise her voice too much. "Well, I don't really care. Natsuko's stubborn about battling Sora, not Rui." she said, one eye open to look in Wolf's direction.
Natsuko, meanwhile, just went back to getting close with Sora. She turned to him with a frown and reached her hand out, brushing some of his hair aside. "You're such a slob, Sora-kun... don't let your hair hang in front of your eye like that," she complained, almost as if she was his older sister and not Rui. Like she was jealous of Rui, registering her as a threat and trying to usurp that role herself. She wanted Sora to herself. To help with that, after cleaning up his hairdo, she snuggled up close again. Rui shouted something about her leaving, but Natsuko didn't give Sora a moment to think or respond. She immediately tried taking his attention away from his sister by wrapping his arm around her own and looking up into his eyes.
"So? Did anything fun recently?" she asked him, a sweet smile on her lips.
Eventually, Rui came to her room and let Lumia out of the bag, perching her up against the side of some books on her desk. "Sorry I couldn't let you out earlier," she apologized with a soft smile. Rui got her textbooks together to start studying, but Lumia just looked away.
"...You two looked happy today, you know." Lumia said. She followed it up with: "Why do you let your family decide your life like this?"
Rui paused for a bit, then turned to Lumia and chuckled a little. "What, are you worried about me?" she asked in a joking tone, trying to both deflect the question and lighten the mood.
"Of course I am! When you're with your brother, you look like you're having so much fun... like you don't need me. But when it comes to Nexus, you... you become a different person. Cold, and vicious... I... I don't think it's a good idea to keep battling like that," she told her commander. Rui's mood darkened again.
"...Sora was smiling, right?" she bounced back to Lumia. "When he defeated Sakura... first, he was concerned, but his mood became better after, right? I think the memory he must've gotten back was a happy one. Something he didn't want to lose again. So if he can get his memories back-"
"But you didn't get yours back!" Lumia blurted out. "When we defeated that girl the other day, your coin turned gold... but you never got a memory back. It's like you didn't want to remember at all. I don't want you to battle like that..." Lumia pleaded with her Commander. Rui didn't answer her back. Not until after a moment of silence, when Rui shot a glance her Avatar's way.
"Maybe you're right. I'll be more careful, Lumia." she eventually said, but the words she promised were hollow.
Come the next day, Lumia was sluggish to rise and shine. Even though, or maybe because it was another one of her days off, she'd stayed up late through the night trying to study. Her parents being out of the house the whole day meant she also had plenty of time to sleep in. Rui would've actually kept sleeping for much longer, but Lumia's voice was desperately trying to reach her. "Nee-chan! Nee-chan!" she kept crying out. It got to a point where Rui couldn't keep ignoring it.
"What is it, Lumia...?" she sleepily said to her Avatar, rubbing the exhaustion out of her eyes.
"There's trouble! A commander is in the house!" Lumia warned Rui.
"...Eh?" Rui voiced back.
Still in her pajamas, Rui rushed out of bed and opened the door of her room. She could clearly hear the voices coming from the living room, slowly shuffling closer to its source. Making sure to stay out of sight, she peered into the living room from about halfway down the stairs.
"Come on, it's fine, just let me stay like this a bit," a slightly needy voice complained to Sora. It was coming from a girl about his age- no, slightly younger. One who had nestled herself comfortably by resting her head on his shoulder and leaning up against him. Rui's face contorted into a scowl; partially from the awkwardness of Sora bringing a girl into the house without letting Rui know, and partially because Rui felt like she should... know that person. Her head began to pound and she crouched down on her knees, one hand holding for support against the stair's railings and the other clutching her forehead.
The pain brought something with it. She felt like she started to... remember something. She pulled the hand on her head away and saw her seven coins, four black and three gold, appear inside it. One of them gave off a faint glow- the one she'd won back from that girl she'd faced a few days prior. "Na... tsu... ko..." she slowly fumbled out, loud enough for the girl in their living room to hear. Startled, she pushed herself off Sora and looked in the direction of the open doorway Rui had previously peered at her from.
"Oh! Rui..." Natsuko yelped, causing Rui to whip her head around. Shoot- she was still in her nightwear! Oh that's embarrassing... Rui quickly stood up and gave Natsuko a slightly nervous smile.
"Ahaha... hi, Natsuko-chan... I didn't know you'd be coming over today," Rui awkwardly told her. In truth, she should have known. Natsuko always came over when Rui and Sora's parents were out of the house. It's just that Rui had forgotten all about it- just like the day prior at the zoo. She didn't know who her and Sora's friends were, up until a few moments back. She didn't even know that Haruto had been a friend of theirs, once, since childhood. She didn't have any time to recall specifics- but if she wasn't wrong, Natsuko had only known Sora since middle school... a few years, at best.
For Natsuko's part, she just puffed up her chest and twirled a bit of hair around her finger. "I'm not intruding, am I? I could come back later, but I don't really want to..." she complained, making her displeasure at Rui showing up known. For her part, Rui didn't suspect a thing.
"Oh! No, not at all. I was just going to study today like usual; you two have fun! I'll just get ready and head to the library so you can be alone," she told the two of them and skipped back up the stairs. As Rui got dressed and packed her books into her bag, Lumia spoke.
"Is it okay for you to leave, Nee-chan? That girl is a commander," Lumia warned her.
"It's okay. I know Natsuko-chan... she's a sweet girl. She wouldn't do anything to Sora," Rui cheerfully hummed. Lumia had her reservations, but being an outside, left the issue to the wayside. Maybe Rui was right and she shouldn't worry so much.
Eventually Rui was all done, ran down the stairs and put on her shoes at the entrance. She couldn't see the living room from there, but because the door was still open, she could yell back: "I'm going out now! Have fun, okay?!" and left the house soon after. She walked along the road, Lumia in hand and scarf covering her mouth for warmth. Rui shot a look at her Avatar. "...The library is a public space. We're sure to run in a commander there," she told Lumia.
"Did you even listen to me yesterday?" Lumia said, unamused.
"It'll be okay as long as you keep me in line," Rui cheekily clapped back. "I trust you, Lumia. As long as you're with me, it'll be okay."
"Nee-chan..." was all Lumia could say back to her. It was so very, very bittersweet to her. She didn't deserve that trust in the slightest.
"I'm not intruding, am I? I could come back later, but I don't really want to..." Natsuko complained, about to grind her teeth in frustration at Sora's sister coming in to ruin the mood she'd been working so hard to build up. Sure, said sister reassured her that she'd be out and about for the rest of the day, but now things were awkward between Natsuko and Sora! Ema, sensing the unease coming from her commander, decided to take action.
"Cheer up, nyaaa. You probably woke her up from a cat-nap," she said, lying down in her card border and letting out a yawn as if to demonstrate. The ears on her hoody even did a little twitch, as if they were the real deal.
"I-I'm not upset! She just... caught me by surprise," Natsuko complained with a pout. Ema just smiles with her eyes closed, playfully mocking her commander. Natsuko soon lowered her again, right next to Wolf.
"So she's the other commander, nya?" Ema asked the other Avatar. The two avatars had been talking about it a bit, though not like Ema had told Natsuko about it. She also, rightfully, figured that Natsuko wouldn't pay much attention to the conversation as long as Ema didn't raise her voice too much. "Well, I don't really care. Natsuko's stubborn about battling Sora, not Rui." she said, one eye open to look in Wolf's direction.
Natsuko, meanwhile, just went back to getting close with Sora. She turned to him with a frown and reached her hand out, brushing some of his hair aside. "You're such a slob, Sora-kun... don't let your hair hang in front of your eye like that," she complained, almost as if she was his older sister and not Rui. Like she was jealous of Rui, registering her as a threat and trying to usurp that role herself. She wanted Sora to herself. To help with that, after cleaning up his hairdo, she snuggled up close again. Rui shouted something about her leaving, but Natsuko didn't give Sora a moment to think or respond. She immediately tried taking his attention away from his sister by wrapping his arm around her own and looking up into his eyes.
"So? Did anything fun recently?" she asked him, a sweet smile on her lips.
Side characters
Aside from Chiharu's early struggles due to Ren's scatterbrained explanation, she'd been holding her own against the Dark Plant without too much trouble. Ren, for his part, had been paying more attention to that duel than his own. Almost like he was disrespecting the Ai opponent, Ren slid a card into his duel disk without even looking at it. It was Insect Armor with Laser Canon, boosting up the 300 ATK Petit Moth he'd summoned a turn earlier up to 1000 ATK. Taking his eyes briefly off Chiharu, he glanced at the change slime and said "I'll use Book of Taiyou to change that face-down monster face-up." The monster revealed by Ren's spell card was 8-Claws Scorpion, who's attack was much too low to withstand Petit Moth. Ren threw his hand forward and commanded his Petit Moth to "Attack that monster!" with the creature obeying so. The canon which was now on its wormy little back flared up and shot right through the scorpion, hitting the Change Slime behind it and causing both to melt away into a goop. Ren could hear Chiharu finishing her own duel, but he didn't get a chance to congratulate her.
"Gngh-!" Ren choked, feeling the crushing weight of Chiharu's arms collapsing his ribs despite being inside of a virtual world. Ren wasn't exactly sure why he could feel the pressure of his friend's grip leaving him to struggle for air, but whatever the case was, he tapped her hands with his own. "I give up...! I give up...!" he choked out, trying to get the overly excitable vice of death to let go of him. Ren coughed a few times when he was released from Chiharu's grip, they had a laugh about it and he praised her for a job well done.
"That was good for your first time, Luna-chi! Maybe next we should-" he said, about to suggest dueling each-other, but was cut off when he noticed something squirming behind Chiharu. Ren stepped around and in front of her, thrusting out his arm to block another Dark Plant from approaching his friend. "Oops... or not. Seems like there's still more coming!" he yelled back at her, powering up his Duel Disk again for another round. Despite his intent to protect Chiharu, more and more monsters started to gather around the cart they were protecting. Chiharu didn't have a choice but to throw herself back into dueling again.
They each finished off another two or three monsters, but the amount gathering around them was increasing at a faster rate than either of them could handle. The monsters started taking them on in a two-on-one, then three, leading to both Ren and Chiharu almost getting overwhelmed by their numbers. Just when the situation started to get dire, though, another person's voice rang out. "From my hand, I activate the spell cards Raimei and Sparks!" it cried, small bolts of lightning and a mild fire igniting one of the Dark Plants Ren was facing. Having come from a blind angle, another person was standing next to Ren with his Duel Disk activated.
Ren was about to ask where the silver-haired gentleman came from, but he got about as far as "Where did you-?" before his saviour cut him off.
"There's no time for that now. Watch out, more of them are coming!" he sternly warned Ren. Together with this mysterious stranger, and the help of a couple of other players who eventually noticed the commotion and joined in the monsters were successfully repelled... after a time. After the exhausting ordeal, the merchant who the players had saved started handing out cards to the participating players. The more monsters they had defeated, the stronger the card reward was. The man who'd helped Chiharu and Ren out approached the duo to introduce himself after it had all been resolved. "Sorry about earlier. I had spotted you two having some trouble from a distance, so I thought I'd come help out. My name is Silver_Bullet, but you can call me Silver if you'd like."
"Gngh-!" Ren choked, feeling the crushing weight of Chiharu's arms collapsing his ribs despite being inside of a virtual world. Ren wasn't exactly sure why he could feel the pressure of his friend's grip leaving him to struggle for air, but whatever the case was, he tapped her hands with his own. "I give up...! I give up...!" he choked out, trying to get the overly excitable vice of death to let go of him. Ren coughed a few times when he was released from Chiharu's grip, they had a laugh about it and he praised her for a job well done.
"That was good for your first time, Luna-chi! Maybe next we should-" he said, about to suggest dueling each-other, but was cut off when he noticed something squirming behind Chiharu. Ren stepped around and in front of her, thrusting out his arm to block another Dark Plant from approaching his friend. "Oops... or not. Seems like there's still more coming!" he yelled back at her, powering up his Duel Disk again for another round. Despite his intent to protect Chiharu, more and more monsters started to gather around the cart they were protecting. Chiharu didn't have a choice but to throw herself back into dueling again.
They each finished off another two or three monsters, but the amount gathering around them was increasing at a faster rate than either of them could handle. The monsters started taking them on in a two-on-one, then three, leading to both Ren and Chiharu almost getting overwhelmed by their numbers. Just when the situation started to get dire, though, another person's voice rang out. "From my hand, I activate the spell cards Raimei and Sparks!" it cried, small bolts of lightning and a mild fire igniting one of the Dark Plants Ren was facing. Having come from a blind angle, another person was standing next to Ren with his Duel Disk activated.
Ren was about to ask where the silver-haired gentleman came from, but he got about as far as "Where did you-?" before his saviour cut him off.
"There's no time for that now. Watch out, more of them are coming!" he sternly warned Ren. Together with this mysterious stranger, and the help of a couple of other players who eventually noticed the commotion and joined in the monsters were successfully repelled... after a time. After the exhausting ordeal, the merchant who the players had saved started handing out cards to the participating players. The more monsters they had defeated, the stronger the card reward was. The man who'd helped Chiharu and Ren out approached the duo to introduce himself after it had all been resolved. "Sorry about earlier. I had spotted you two having some trouble from a distance, so I thought I'd come help out. My name is Silver_Bullet, but you can call me Silver if you'd like."
"Hmm... yeah, I don't know how to help them either." Ren said back to Chiharu. He crossed his arms and tilted his head. "Maybe we just summon our own monsters?" he mused, looking down at his Duel Disk. Ren drew a few cards off the top, said "Oooh, this one has high attack! Let's use you!" and placed the monster in question down on the duel disk. Nothing happened, though. Ren poked his card a few times, tried politely asking it to wake up, even picked it up to place it down again. No matter what he tried, the monster just wouldn't appear. Then, it was like he realised something. Ren balled up the hand holding his cards into a fist and clapped it into his other, open palm.
"Oooh! Luna-chi, the monsters must be duelists too! C'mon, follow my lead!" he told his friend, then dashed over to slide in front of the Change Slime. As soon as the monster saw Ren as a threat, Ren's Duel Disk sprang to life. The card on top of it and the ones in his hand vanished, his deck shuffled itself and the lifepoints on his Duel Disk counted up to 4000. "I knew it! Okay, so, just draw five cards to start!" Ren called back to Chiharu and did just that. He scanned over his hand. "Hmm... if you see a card with a yellow or a brown border, that's a monster! Try picking out one with the highest number next to its ATK and placing it down on the field vertically, like this! I summon Shadow Specter!"
A purple mist creeped up from the floor in front of Ren. It clustered together and a skull was floating in the middle of its haze. 500 points of attack were displayed for all in the area to see. Ren looked down at his hand again. "You should maybe have some purple and green cards in your hand too, but... forget about those for now! Just end your turn after summoning a monster," Ren called back. He wanted to keep it simple for Chiharu and figured the monsters they were facing wouldn't be too much of a problem.
Ren took this moment to take a closer look at the opposing monster, as some symbols and numbers were floating above its head. One of the symbols was obviously a card, but it only had 'x 3' next to it. It turned into 'x 4' once Ren had ended his turn. Next to it was just a floating '500'. When he thought about it he came to the conclusion those must've been the monster's cards in hand and life points. They started with a massive handicap against players.
"Oooh! Luna-chi, the monsters must be duelists too! C'mon, follow my lead!" he told his friend, then dashed over to slide in front of the Change Slime. As soon as the monster saw Ren as a threat, Ren's Duel Disk sprang to life. The card on top of it and the ones in his hand vanished, his deck shuffled itself and the lifepoints on his Duel Disk counted up to 4000. "I knew it! Okay, so, just draw five cards to start!" Ren called back to Chiharu and did just that. He scanned over his hand. "Hmm... if you see a card with a yellow or a brown border, that's a monster! Try picking out one with the highest number next to its ATK and placing it down on the field vertically, like this! I summon Shadow Specter!"
A purple mist creeped up from the floor in front of Ren. It clustered together and a skull was floating in the middle of its haze. 500 points of attack were displayed for all in the area to see. Ren looked down at his hand again. "You should maybe have some purple and green cards in your hand too, but... forget about those for now! Just end your turn after summoning a monster," Ren called back. He wanted to keep it simple for Chiharu and figured the monsters they were facing wouldn't be too much of a problem.
Ren took this moment to take a closer look at the opposing monster, as some symbols and numbers were floating above its head. One of the symbols was obviously a card, but it only had 'x 3' next to it. It turned into 'x 4' once Ren had ended his turn. Next to it was just a floating '500'. When he thought about it he came to the conclusion those must've been the monster's cards in hand and life points. They started with a massive handicap against players.
"Never done the waltz, huh?" Selma asked Chie.
"Mm, no... it's not much of a tradition back in Calcaria," she answered quite frankly. It was true, though; large gatherings like this were quite unusual where Chie was from. Sure, there were the graduating ceremonies, but those just had people sitting in a room listening to speeches. There wasn't much song, dance or socializing to be found. None of the schools she knew of had a flair for the dramatic, in any case. Even if they did, while Chie had heard of what a waltz was, she hadn't actually seen one in action. It was, to put it in a complete package, entirely foreign to her.
When Selma boasted about her experience with the "gentleman's end of a dance," then, Chie could briefly feel reassured. Between her and Crystal, the both of them could probably demonstrate with each-other to Chie what it was like. At least, that was her initial assumption, until it very quickly became clear that that was not wat Selma was trying to hint at. When she turned to Crystal and asked the black-haired Ars Magi to keep an eye out so Selma doesn't step on "her" toes, it was clear that the giant among them was intent on asking Chie out for a dance. Chie wanted to course correct, saying she hadn't specifically been asking Selma out for a dance, but a lump in her throat (as well as a few unspoken anxieties) prevented her from truly speaking up. By the time she'd mustered her courage anyway, Selma had already made her move:
"Milady Masuzu, may I have this dance?" she said in a cool, smooth contralto. Chie's cool face was in stark contrast to the tsunami of curses she threw at herself inside her mind's eye. She just barely managed to contain how flustered, flattered and frustrated she actually was. The thought of booking it straight out of the room came to mind, but instead:
"If you'd be so kind," Chie answered. She shot Selma a gentle smile and took her hand. After she rose from her seat, Chie glanced Crystal's way. She asked her "Don't laugh too hard, okay? It'll be my first time," and then followed Selma's lead toward the dancing area. Chie hadn't taken notice of Crystal being held up by an old acquaintance, but she had spotted Noel and Aoife's swaying out of the corner of her eye. Two Ars Magi were strangely a more common pair on the dancefloor than a mix of the two schools; despite some officer's best attempts, they couldn't seem to get one of the girls to join them. As soon as Chie was done scouting out the competition, she focused her attention entirely back unto Selma. "I'll follow your lead," Chie quietly whispered to her.
As expected, Chie's first few moves were hesitant as Selma showed her the ropes. Despite that, however, Chie wasn't in any way clumsy. She seemed to get the hang of it pretty fast, though granted they weren't dancing at anything nearing a breakneck speed. She didn't exactly master the foreign dance in the blink of an eye, but Chie had enough dexterity and grace to balance herself and not overlap her heel with Selma's toes. It, from Chie's perspective, went much smoother than her lack of confidence would've made her anticipate.
She wasn't sure if it was appropriate to speak up during the dance, but against all better judgement, she did so anyway. "This is maybe a little fun," Chie said. She looked straight into Selma's eyes. "I was a little nervous, but I feel better knowing you're my first." the girl told her dance partner. Chie's expression had softened a fair bit compared to before; her passive expression had made way for a faint, genuine laugh.
Aiya had come to check out what the trouble was. "My Ryuka..." the customer uttered with slight reverence in his breath, shifting his attention away from the other maid he'd been harassing. Aiya asked the customer if he'd had a bad day, if he'd like to talk about it, or perhaps even duel. "Duel..." he muttered, and Aiya could sense a faint change in atmosphere. It was as if the air around the customer had twisted ever so slightly, out of sync with the rest of the room. "Yes... duels... I knew it, you know me so well, my Ryuka!" he blurted out. "I've always been watching every single one of your duels... your grace, your elegance... and you never lose!" he spoke, laying lavish praise on the girl.
The man took out a deck from the pockets of his hood. "These duel monsters you love so much... I spent nights pouring over them, learning everything, so I could challenge you... and then... it came to me...!" he kept rambling with staggered speech. "Let's duel, my Ryuka...! I simply must have this duel!" he near yelled. Outwardly, nothing seemed to be wrong with him, but it was plain for all the staff to see that this wasn't the same person that had come so regularly to the café. And Aiya, just Aiya, could see something faint behind them. The outline of something having wrapped itself around the man.
Whatever it was, a duel seemed to be inevitable either way.
The man took out a deck from the pockets of his hood. "These duel monsters you love so much... I spent nights pouring over them, learning everything, so I could challenge you... and then... it came to me...!" he kept rambling with staggered speech. "Let's duel, my Ryuka...! I simply must have this duel!" he near yelled. Outwardly, nothing seemed to be wrong with him, but it was plain for all the staff to see that this wasn't the same person that had come so regularly to the café. And Aiya, just Aiya, could see something faint behind them. The outline of something having wrapped itself around the man.
Whatever it was, a duel seemed to be inevitable either way.
Ren pondered Chiharu's questions for a little bit. "Blaze was taken, actually... but isn't it cooler this way?" he said with a goofy grin. Then Ren added "I think I did hear something about an event, but it's not until later today. It should be here at the town square," and looked around him again. "This place really is crowded. I don't like that. Let's go where the monsters are!"
Without waiting for any input from Chiharu, Ren ran off into the metaphorical sunset. It didn't take too long to get outside the city walls, at least, not when compared to trying to find their way to the city square. There had been a protective barrier laid out around the city, which he passed through. As soon as he had, the Duel Disk Ren so desperately searched for earlier materialized on his arm. It was a retro design; one of the first ones ever released. "Ooooh. There it is. Now I can duel!" he happily said to himself.
The area he'd found himself in was a long, open grass plane, split in two by a dirt road that led into town. The same kind of carriage that had carried him and Chiharu into Radix came out from behind Blaze, operated by an NPC. They looked to be carrying some kind of goods on the back of their wagon, ready for transport to another location- probably wherever the road lead to. Ren looked back over his shoulder. "Luna-chi! Let's find a spot to duel!" he yelled back. While he wasn't looking, some sounds came from the direction the carriage went in. When Blaze went to look, a couple of monsters such as Change Slime and Dark Plant started to inch closer. The owner of the carriage was panicking and crying out for help. Ren blinked twice, then looked back to find his friend. "Luna-chi? I think this is some kind of event. Should we help?" Ren asked her nonchalantly.
Without waiting for any input from Chiharu, Ren ran off into the metaphorical sunset. It didn't take too long to get outside the city walls, at least, not when compared to trying to find their way to the city square. There had been a protective barrier laid out around the city, which he passed through. As soon as he had, the Duel Disk Ren so desperately searched for earlier materialized on his arm. It was a retro design; one of the first ones ever released. "Ooooh. There it is. Now I can duel!" he happily said to himself.
The area he'd found himself in was a long, open grass plane, split in two by a dirt road that led into town. The same kind of carriage that had carried him and Chiharu into Radix came out from behind Blaze, operated by an NPC. They looked to be carrying some kind of goods on the back of their wagon, ready for transport to another location- probably wherever the road lead to. Ren looked back over his shoulder. "Luna-chi! Let's find a spot to duel!" he yelled back. While he wasn't looking, some sounds came from the direction the carriage went in. When Blaze went to look, a couple of monsters such as Change Slime and Dark Plant started to inch closer. The owner of the carriage was panicking and crying out for help. Ren blinked twice, then looked back to find his friend. "Luna-chi? I think this is some kind of event. Should we help?" Ren asked her nonchalantly.
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