Collab Post
@Animelover_princess@Nevix@Driving Park@NarayanK
Vermilla FlaxelleTaking a deep breath, Vermilla decided to grab some food.
She didn't think of what to eat when she went to the expo, but as time went on, she steadily remembered that she didn't have breakfast. Some people often asked her if she didn't like to eat, and she would almost feel offended, considering, she too, enjoyed food.
She never spoke up about that, though.
Looking around, she unconsciously curled several strands of her blonde hair as her gaze moved between several stalls. She stopped as an inviting scent locked her attention to a noodle stall.
This will do for now, she thought as she walked over to the stall, albeit somewhat hurriedly. Sitting down at one of the seats available, she froze as she glanced through the menu. A thoughtful look fell over her as she wondered what to eat.
The expo was far from a long event to her at the moment- but some food would seriously not hurt at this time.
"I would like the spicy... 'shoyu' ramen, please," she spoke carefully, and much to her relief, her words weren't left in the dark.
Vermilla waited for her food to show up. As she did, she occasionally glanced around, taking note of the other stalls surrounding her. Not all of them were food stalls- in fact, there were quite a handful of stalls that sold souvenirs and the like instead.
Mark NoxusMark rolled his neck as he leapt on spot, huffing and puffing. And he continued to do so, getting faster and faster with his... jumping.
In fact, he started getting unnaturally fast with what was presumably a warming exercise. After moving like a fast-forwarded video, he stopped abruptly and rolled his arms.
"Well, now I forgot what to do."And he did for a moment. He then remembered he was here to meet someone. It wasn't anybody suspicious- in fact, he was here for an old friend. A friend much older than him, actually, but they had not only been partners at one point, but also rivals.
With that said, he was nowhere to be seen. So Mark decided to wait for any phone calls that could come at any moment, and went off ahead to tour around some of the stalls.
On his way, his eyes glimmered when he found a rather adorable-looking mascot keychain.
Now that I think about it, my neighbor's kid got a new phone recently, he thought as he went over and took a good look at it.
A few moments later, he asked the stall owner,
"'ello. How much for this Sanic keychain?"
Ryuu YamauchiRyuu ran across fields of flowers. Around him, dozens of people followed him, their feet light in the glowing white fields. A soft wind brushed against their bodies as they ran, talking about how they-
-don't like anime, he thought, utterly dejected as he sighed in defeat.
Ryuu hated to admit it, but in a massively open and public expo like this, he was bound to be overshadowed by not only other stalls that weren't as embarrassing as his, but also by perhaps OTHER anime stalls. He definitely wasn't the only one who liked it, but perhaps it had to do with that "curse" that old, sniffy guy always talked about. Something about being unlucky in terms of appealing to others in the public.
Well, at least HE didn't smoke crack or randomly beat everything up in sight. Besides, he never really had a reason to fight people aside from when they wanted to cause mischief. Mischief involving guns, that is. In his store, of all places.
Why would you try to rob an anime store, though? He thought, biting his lip in both anger and confusion as he shook his head.
Just why?Man, I'm starving.Getting up, he kicked over his chair, scaring off some people around him as he wondered why nobody approached him. He soon started walking, completely ignoring the stall he had set up. It's not like anybody was gonna steal the ugly thing, anyway. On his way, he took out his wallet and made sure he had enough money for some cheap food- he had to eventually pay for that taxi, anyway.
The woman idly waited in the building, watching the minutes go by. She knew something was imminent, whether it was from her or not. Either way, chaos
would be victorious. As long as she was free to roam as she pleased, she would ensure that was the case. After all, what other reason was there for her to exist?
However, the chaos was not due for another few minutes, and Eris was bored. Even a goddess of chaos succumbed to the cruel mistress that is boredom sometimes. So, to combat this, she decided to walk back out in the square. She knew she stuck out like a sore thumb because of her height and general aura, but she didn't care much. In her present environment she was at her most powerful...assuming things got violent, which was her goal. But for now, she walked and idly scanned the various attractions scattered about the square while wading through the moving sea of people.
- Andromeda -the gorgon weaved her way through the crowd and out into the square. she wasn't entirely sure where a good restaraunt was around here. She also didn't want to ask anyone as she had yet to get over her near crippling fear of attention. so she looked around, trying to see where other people were going, trying to guage line-lengths of places she could see. everywhere looked very busy, which was to be expected, this was the world's fair. that didn't make her feel any better about having to deal with the lines.
she was looking towards a place that looked like it might be a good place when, as was her lot, she ran smack into someone. a very solid somone who did not move at all when the gorgon bounced off of them and dropped to her butt on the side-walk. she let out a tiny curse and looked up to apologize.
"I'm terribly s..." she trailed off as she made eye-contact with the woman, made actual eye contact. Her veil must have fallen off because it was no longer obscuring her vision, which meant the woman in front of her was looking right into Andro's eyes, the same eyes that had killed people.
The gorgon's hand flew to her mouth but it only took her a second to realize the woman wasn't petrifying.
"What...?"
Eris knew she was likely to bump into people in the square - it was an inevitability. She was prepared for that, but she was less prepared for someone to crash into her, fall over, try (and fail) to apologize, and look up at her very confused grey eyes that were most certainly abnormal. She tilted her head as the woman continued to stare.
"May I help you?" she asked tersely, before turning and walking away without waiting for a response. She was ready to retire back into the building.
- Andromeda -The gorgon stared in shock as the woman just walked away. What was she?! Andro had never actually had someone meet her eyes and not turn to stone. It occurred to her that Lucifer probably could have but she certainly never faced him herself so she doesn't know. Just how powerful was that woman she Andro's eyes did nothing?!
She heard gasps of shock coming from around her and her eyes snapped to see that at least 3 people had petrified around her and she instantly closed her eyes and reached into her bag where she knew she'd put her sunglasses and threw them on and jumped to her feet. People had given her a wide berth all of a sudden and she chose to ignore the statues facing her as she decided she had to tell someone. Whoever that woman was she was up to no good. But who the hell could she tell?
The people around her were getting angry so she choose a direction and started running, really hoping she found someone to help her before someone called the cops on her. The gorgon ducked back into the convention hall, she couldn’t just go to a police officer and tell them a woman’s walking around immune to her deadly stare. She needed to find someone she knew. Maybe go back and find Aileen? Or she saw Ryuu earlier, Where was his booth again?
As she pushed her way through the crowd she saw the large sign for Carmen’s booth and stilled for a second. Would Carmen help her? She was the first person she’d found that she knew. She looked around then hurried forward. She didn’t want to rush the line but this was important so she called out
“Carmen!” She forced her way a little forward
“Carmen! I need to talk to you!”The other people in the line grumbled a bit as the gorgon tried to get to the front of the line. Carmen heard her and looked up from the pamphlet she was signing. She recognized Andromeda and chuckled a bit to herself before motioning with her free arm for Andro to come forward.
"Lots of people need to talk to me apparently," she said when the gorgon reached her.
"I must admit I enjoy it. But what brings you here? Oh, it's good to see you by the way," she said, sliding the pamphlet back to the waiting customer, taking another one, and looking down to sign it while talking.
Andro sighed in relief when she was motioned forward, apologizing profusely as she made it up to the counter.
“Hello, thanks. I don’t know who to go to” she looked around
“I don’t even know for sure what’s going on, but you gotta listen, something’s wrong, something’s very wrong” she would have tried to met the woman’s eye if she wasn’t still freaked by the fact there were a bunch of statues outside
“I met someone’s eyes and they didn’t die! Do you know what that means?”Carmen blinked at Andro.
"Were they wearing sunglasses...???" She laughed at her own joke before looking down again.
"Do you mean like...your actual eyes? As in they should have become a statue but they didn't? That would certainly be something, wouldn't it! You've gotta stop waving those around though, I think Kora has enough statues as it is." She chuckled again, entertaining herself as she continued signing various bits of paraphernalia.
"What did they do when they didn't die? Were they astounded at the gift of not-death? I certainly would be."”Yes as in my actual eyes! It was an accident!” She had to admit Carmen being so flippant was quickly getting on her nerves.
“I don’t know what to do! No one should be able to do that!” She let out a frustrated sigh at Carmen’s last comment
“I don’t think she even realized what happened, she just glared at me and walked away!” She looked around
“What do I do? Who do I tell? Something has to be going on if some kind of immortal is walking around the world’s fair!” Her posture softened and her voice dropped slightly
“What do I do?”Carmen sighed.
"Wwwwell," she said, drawing out the first part of the word,
"you're right about one thing. If everything happened as you say it did, I would have to guess the person in question was some kind of magic apparition...or maybe a deity. I'd be more worried about the second one, but I don't really know how to tell. It's been too long since I had to know any of that, you know. Do you know how long it's been since I played my trumpet in anger?" She paused.
"Well, you probably do actually, since it was in the Academy, naturally. ...oh dear, I've gone off topic again, haven't I? So anyway...I'm not sure there's much we can do. Tipping off security wouldn't accomplish anything because they'd be child's play for a being of that stature." She thought for a while, as she went through another round of signatures.
"You know, Edric is around here. He'd probably love the opportunity to play detective, if I remember him well enough. Maybe he could find something out...I wonder if any other Athalians are around. Ah well...if this gets violent, we'll all end up fighting together anyway. You know how we work, dear." And with that, she looked back down to focus on her task at hand. But, while doing so, she eventually said
"Say...you said it was a 'she', did you? What did she look like?"Andro sighed softly and nodded as Carmen spoke, she didn’t have anymore way of telling who the woman had been then Carmen did right now.
“Yeah you’re right, normal security won’t be able to do anything...” Though she suddenly stopped to blush when the woman brought up Edric. Andro had had quite the crush on him when they went to the academy together. Was he around? She glanced to the sides a little sheepishly before getting herself back under control
“Uh yes, maybe Edric can help me, and I know we’ll fight together. We haven’t given up all the other times some unspeakable creature has attacked, no reason we would now”Andro was almost startled when Carmen spoke again, asking her about the woman
“Uh, she was tall, very tall, pale, red-brown hair...” She had to stop and think- was she remembering right? She felt like she was and it was a slightly odd description
“Red eyes too. Well-proportioned, disdain for everything in her expression.” The gorgon looked up
“Does that sound at all familiar to you?”Carmen noticed the gorgon's reaction when she mentioned Edric and a small, devious grin briefly formed on her face. She filed the information she deduced from her observation away for use later and moved on to Andro's next point.
"I must admit that description doesn't do anything for me", she replied.
"I've met far too many people with disdain for everything in their expression, but the red eyes, height, and the small little detail that she didn't turn to stone make me think this someone is not your garden variety jaded individual." During this time Carmen had been fitting a customer with an outfit, and as they left she noticed she was temporarily without a line of people waiting their turn, so she took the opportunity to put up the "away on break; check back soon!" sign on the front of her booth and step out from it.
"Well dearest Andro," she said as she turned to the gorgon, her attention fixated solely on Andro for the first time today,
"why don't you and I go find your love interest and see if we can't do something about this little situation, hmm?" Without waiting for a response, Carmen dramatically turned with a flip of the hair and began walking through the square in search of Edric.
While Vermilla was being helped by a haggard-loking man in a too-big apron, a bored, younger man was speaking with Edric.
"Is that on the menu, sir?" The man said, yawning.
"Well, no, but-""Okay, I'm going to have to ask you to look at the menu."
"Alright.""And pick something off of it."
"Okay, yes, I want noodles in broth with-""No, I mean, look at the menu, and pick something off of it."
"Well, it's not on the menu, but-""And there's the issue." The man said, clearly frustrated. Edric sighed.
"Alright, alright. What about the, uh, tonkotsu?""You want that spicy?"
"No thanks." Edric said, but he was almost positive the man raced back into the stall's kitchen before he heard him. He looked down and scratched the back of his neck, before realizing that he wasn't the only person waiting at the stall. He nodded at the woman, with a friendly smile, and was content to let that be the end of it. Azamor, who'd been blessedly silent for a few minutes, decided to spring into action. Edric didn't often keep his guard up against him, anymore, because it was rare that the demon ever attempted to seize control. He felt himself pushed out of the cockpit, so to speak, and was helpless as Azamor examined his reflection in the metal of a napkin holder. He slicked back his hair, gave himself some fingerguns, and turned on his heel to face Vermilla.
"So." He said, voice noticeably different than Edric's, to anyone that knew Edric.
"You like spice, huh?" Edric cringed, inwardly, and was thankful that, in all the Expo's crowds, he'd never see this woman again. Probably. Maybe. Though he was technically out of a body at the moment, he swore he could fee sweat bead on his neck. He started fighting for control, but Azamor easily fought him off.
Vermilla glanced at the man next to her.
He didn't seem to be trying hard at being rude- his smile gave that away pretty easily. That didn't change the fact that he seemed extremely awkward for a first impression to her. It wasn't unrelatable, however- she sort of understood how it felt to try being natural with others. Especially strangers.
So rather than wonder why he acted stiffly, she instead nodded back. The man eventually asked her a question that came from left field.
Blinking in silence, she stared at the man who suddenly had a curiosity about whether she liked spice or not. Glancing at the menu, she turned back to Edric and nodded once more.
"I do, actually," she decided to answer honestly.
"I haven't eaten it much, admittedly, but I've tried them several times recently."Slightly tilting her head as she turned to face him more directly, she asked,
"I apologize if I come off as insensitive, but may I ask who you are? I'm a bit... off with remembering names."She doubted she would meet anyone at the expo later, but this person was the first one to speak to her in the entirety of the expo. A conversation at the food stall was still admittedly less lonely than eating alone.
"Well, I know a thing or two about spice." Azamor had plastered a stupid grin on Edric's face, and Edric sighed (inaudibly, of course).
"They call me the Ed-meister, but you can call me-" Edric made one, last, desperate push to regain control of his body. To his surprise, he managed it. Anyone who'd been studying him while he was talking might've noticed that his eyes softened and widened, and most apparent, the way he started slouching again.
"-Edric. Call me Edric. Sorry about that." He shook his head, trying desperately to think of a way to undo the damage Azamor had done. Before he could come close to thinking of a solution, however, he felt himself yanked back within his head.
Shit."Alright, what's your name?" Azamor non-chalanty leaned against the noodle stall's counter, but it was lower than he anticipated, putting him at an almost 45 degree angle with the floor. It took a bit of upper body strength to keep himself propped up, but to stand up straight would be admitting defeat.
Edric was a bit odd, admittedly. At one moment, he seemed extremely confident with his words, but then he deflated rather quickly for whatever reason he had. Giving him an observant look, she stared at him as his confident attitude returned rather quickly.
Maybe he's bipolar? She thought. It seemed plausible, though something about his personality felt unnatural. He had yet to present himself as hostile, however.
"I'm Vermilla." she responded, taking a moment to put her attention back to the conversation.
"Vermilla Flaxelle. I... come from a small family."Glancing at the stall itself, she added in,
"Aside from that, though, I'm not really sure what I'm doing here. I guess I'm just lost again."Not stating her actual purpose of being at the Expo naturally was rather challenging, but she at least gave him a somewhat complete response. She had come to visit the Colonel and pay him her gratitude for supporting both her and her family during her service at the Intelligence Agency. After the expo, returning to her family and perhaps helping them with their restaurant business would be nice. Her circumstances had been odd up to this point of her life, but the complicated things were finally seeming to shut themselves at a pit nobody would really need to come across.
Living a normal life sounded boring, but it was a good start for someone like her.
Seeing how he didn't want her to call her Ed-meister, she resorted to "Edric" as she asked,
"Do you come to these kinds of expos often?"
"Not as often as I'd like." Edric said, back in control for a moment.
"I've been to smaller ones, all over the place, when I was passing through." He felt Aza rear back up, but he was ready this time, and managed to hold onto control.
You're no fun.
You're an asshole.
Oh, wow. We can both state facts?He fumbled for a moment, searching for words to continue the conversation, but he was saved by what he could only assume was divine intervention.
"Hey, man. Your noodles are ready."
Edric almost sobbed in relief. Normally, he liked talking to people, but Azamor had a way of throwing him off-kilter. He turned to Vermilla and managed a goodbye.
"I'll, uh, see you around." Then he turned on his heel, snatched the ramen out of the cook's hands, and handed him a wad of bills. Then, he walked briskly away, shaking his head. 17 years, he'd lived with Azamor. The demon was hardly hostile (not anymore, anyway,) but there were certain things that he didn't think he'd ever get used to.
Vermilla blinked as she opened her mouth to say something, but the man had already run off.
...That was odd, she thought, staring at him as he walked away. Looking at her bowl, which had been served to her just a moment ago, she wondered if she had to do anything with his behavior.
She didn't really do anything though.
There were certainly odd people around, though odd didn't always mean terrible. She knew that quite well.
With that said, the food was pretty good.
Bluetommy,
Danyel,
Ookawa,
Musoka,
Simple Unicycle,
Plank Sinatra
