Tentative interest in this, here.
Sen
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JULY 12TH 2015, SUNDAY
Evening
It'd been a while. To all of it. Studying, Rokurou, Mako, worrying about school. Exams were tomorrow.
He and Mako hadn't talked much since that day at the arcade. Well, they texted and stuff and all that, but they hadn't really... done anything together since then. Maybe he was trying to rush it-- the chemicals in his head screaming for treatment. That was all love was, right? Just a series of fires in your brain, but it really felt like a lot more to Sato.
"Hey," Rokurou muttered, erasing everything he'd just written. Sato narrowed his eyes as he watched the numbers fade away; most of it was actually right, it was just a few things that had been forgotten. Maybe he should've said something before Rokurou erased it all, but then again, he was too lost in thought to think of words. "How'd you do this one?"
Sato sighed, picking up a mechanical pencil and scribbled everything they had just done again. "You were on the right track, you just forgot the exponent rules again. It shouldn't be that hard, Rokurou." Rokurou knit his brows and watched Sato write out the actual answer. Nothing seemed to click in his head, so after a moment of praying, Sato pointed to where Rokurou had messed up originally. "Right here-- two similar terms multiplied together add together their exponents. Come on, this is middle school stuff."
"Sorry I don't remember stuff good," Rokurou huffed, leaning back and staring down the remaining questions Sato had written out. "How're you so good at this stuff?"
"Because I study, Rokurou."
"I'm pretty sure I'm naturally a piece of shit and you ain't, bud." Rokurou said, leaning forward once again. "It's hopeless, man. I'm not passing this."
Sato, at this point, was visibly frustrated. Studying was a lot more obnoxious when you were trying to tutor someone who could barely understand why a negative times a positive is a negative. Maybe Rokurou was right, maybe it was in their genes to be good or bad at math, but something in Sato couldn't stomach the notion. At the very least, he wouldn't let such a thing stand in their way of passing a stupid exam.
Sato looked up from the papers suddenly, eyes snapping directly to Rokurou's. The sudden directness surprised Rokurou, causing him to left his eyebrows out of amusement. "I don't really care that bad at math at this point, the fact is that you have to pass this exam and I'm not going to let all the studying we've done together go to waste because you got upset. We will both pass this regardless of whether we're 'good' or 'bad' at it. The only thing we need is you to belief in yourself for fucking once in your life, okay?"
Rokurou couldn't help but give a wide grin at this, and Sato suddenly felt his face go red. That was definitely too much. But...
"Okay, okay," Rokurou chuckled, picking up a pencil once again. "I'll try, but I still think this is a waste of time."
Once Monday started, the entire week was nothing but exams and studying. The more studious students would of course, study all evening in preparation for the next subject. The less serious ones might also do a bit, but ultimately, the evenings were recovery periods for a lot of people. Rokurou would've fallen into the latter if had not been for Sato forcing him to study together.
The first exam was Math. Sato, of course, excelled here; he was confident he didn't get a single question wrong. Rokurou, on the other hand, almost cried when he got out of the exam. Key-word almost. The following exams followed the sequence of Japanese, English, History, Science, and Literature. Rokurou reported that he did best on the English one, which was both surprising and disappointing. Sato felt confident about all but Literature. He had forgotten to really study for it much at all and found himself having to cram as hard as possible on the night before. If there was a place where he lost most of his points, it was definitely there.
Soon enough, though, exams were over. For what felt like the most cathartic of all the times, everyone rushed out of the room as soon as possible, flooding the halls in staggered bursts. Anxiety permeating the school with the scent of nervous sweat and the tears of students who knew they failed. All that remained between them and the dreaded results was Sunday, but Sato didn't really realize that until Monday. As soon as he got home, as far as he was concerned, he woke up Monday morning.
JULY 20TH 2015, MONDAY
Noon
July 20th meant two things to the students of Warakuma High: One, school was finally over for the summer and they had weeks of break to enjoy! And Two, exam results were posted. For some they were a beacon of their accomplishment, but for some they were a damnation to hell. It wasn't the final test at least, so anyone could still raise their marks with the rest of the school year, but Sato doubted any significant change could be made in half a year-- after all, the third-years were graduating by the end of it.
That realization hit Sato like a truck. He'd been so focused on getting good marks so he could go to medical school for his family, but after everything that's been happening... All he knew was that the path he'd been on was no longer the one he walked, and while it may have concerned him normally, the only part of the future he could concern himself about was the cult and the mirror world. It was like bleeding out on the road and worrying about the kid you left at daycare.
That was pretty a ham-fisted metaphor, Sato thought. Or was it a simile?
Anyway, Sato found himself arriving at pretty much the same time as everyone else. The crowd around the noticeboard was huge, but Sato slowly made his way in as people left once they got their results. Once he could see, Sato checked a few things first: Several people had failed, mostly in the lower grades. Most notably, Noboru, who was being dragged away by the remedial teachers as everyone watched. He had failed apparently, just by a point. Would that conflict with mirror world stuff? Either way, second of all was Mako-- he did pretty well at a 95, but was outclassed by other students who scored significantly higher. Not bad. Third was Rokurou... Sato felt his heart beating as he searched for Ishihara on the list, but felt the relief flood over him once he saw the 82. The same result as the midterm.
Sato oddly found himself less concerned about his own mark, but he was still pleased to find that familiar 97. Considering the finals were harder than the midterms, Sato was pleased with the result. All that studying had paid off for both of them, even though he still felt a bit of bile rise up in his throat when he saw Ayano's 99. That was better off left uncommentated, though, as he was trying his best to move on from... all of that.
A lot of people stepped to the side to discuss in groups, and Sato even recognized people he knew from class or from the investigation team. He spotted Kotori, Rui, and that guy that had just recently rescued, Katsuro, chatting together, but he decided against it, seeing as it felt rude and they were underclassmen anyways.
Whatever. Sato quickly decided that he'd much rather go home and watch some shows anyway. Self-care and all that.
Evening
It'd been a while. To all of it. Studying, Rokurou, Mako, worrying about school. Exams were tomorrow.
He and Mako hadn't talked much since that day at the arcade. Well, they texted and stuff and all that, but they hadn't really... done anything together since then. Maybe he was trying to rush it-- the chemicals in his head screaming for treatment. That was all love was, right? Just a series of fires in your brain, but it really felt like a lot more to Sato.
"Hey," Rokurou muttered, erasing everything he'd just written. Sato narrowed his eyes as he watched the numbers fade away; most of it was actually right, it was just a few things that had been forgotten. Maybe he should've said something before Rokurou erased it all, but then again, he was too lost in thought to think of words. "How'd you do this one?"
Sato sighed, picking up a mechanical pencil and scribbled everything they had just done again. "You were on the right track, you just forgot the exponent rules again. It shouldn't be that hard, Rokurou." Rokurou knit his brows and watched Sato write out the actual answer. Nothing seemed to click in his head, so after a moment of praying, Sato pointed to where Rokurou had messed up originally. "Right here-- two similar terms multiplied together add together their exponents. Come on, this is middle school stuff."
"Sorry I don't remember stuff good," Rokurou huffed, leaning back and staring down the remaining questions Sato had written out. "How're you so good at this stuff?"
"Because I study, Rokurou."
"I'm pretty sure I'm naturally a piece of shit and you ain't, bud." Rokurou said, leaning forward once again. "It's hopeless, man. I'm not passing this."
Sato, at this point, was visibly frustrated. Studying was a lot more obnoxious when you were trying to tutor someone who could barely understand why a negative times a positive is a negative. Maybe Rokurou was right, maybe it was in their genes to be good or bad at math, but something in Sato couldn't stomach the notion. At the very least, he wouldn't let such a thing stand in their way of passing a stupid exam.
Sato looked up from the papers suddenly, eyes snapping directly to Rokurou's. The sudden directness surprised Rokurou, causing him to left his eyebrows out of amusement. "I don't really care that bad at math at this point, the fact is that you have to pass this exam and I'm not going to let all the studying we've done together go to waste because you got upset. We will both pass this regardless of whether we're 'good' or 'bad' at it. The only thing we need is you to belief in yourself for fucking once in your life, okay?"
Rokurou couldn't help but give a wide grin at this, and Sato suddenly felt his face go red. That was definitely too much. But...
"Okay, okay," Rokurou chuckled, picking up a pencil once again. "I'll try, but I still think this is a waste of time."
Once Monday started, the entire week was nothing but exams and studying. The more studious students would of course, study all evening in preparation for the next subject. The less serious ones might also do a bit, but ultimately, the evenings were recovery periods for a lot of people. Rokurou would've fallen into the latter if had not been for Sato forcing him to study together.
The first exam was Math. Sato, of course, excelled here; he was confident he didn't get a single question wrong. Rokurou, on the other hand, almost cried when he got out of the exam. Key-word almost. The following exams followed the sequence of Japanese, English, History, Science, and Literature. Rokurou reported that he did best on the English one, which was both surprising and disappointing. Sato felt confident about all but Literature. He had forgotten to really study for it much at all and found himself having to cram as hard as possible on the night before. If there was a place where he lost most of his points, it was definitely there.
Soon enough, though, exams were over. For what felt like the most cathartic of all the times, everyone rushed out of the room as soon as possible, flooding the halls in staggered bursts. Anxiety permeating the school with the scent of nervous sweat and the tears of students who knew they failed. All that remained between them and the dreaded results was Sunday, but Sato didn't really realize that until Monday. As soon as he got home, as far as he was concerned, he woke up Monday morning.
JULY 20TH 2015, MONDAY
Noon
July 20th meant two things to the students of Warakuma High: One, school was finally over for the summer and they had weeks of break to enjoy! And Two, exam results were posted. For some they were a beacon of their accomplishment, but for some they were a damnation to hell. It wasn't the final test at least, so anyone could still raise their marks with the rest of the school year, but Sato doubted any significant change could be made in half a year-- after all, the third-years were graduating by the end of it.
That realization hit Sato like a truck. He'd been so focused on getting good marks so he could go to medical school for his family, but after everything that's been happening... All he knew was that the path he'd been on was no longer the one he walked, and while it may have concerned him normally, the only part of the future he could concern himself about was the cult and the mirror world. It was like bleeding out on the road and worrying about the kid you left at daycare.
That was pretty a ham-fisted metaphor, Sato thought. Or was it a simile?
Anyway, Sato found himself arriving at pretty much the same time as everyone else. The crowd around the noticeboard was huge, but Sato slowly made his way in as people left once they got their results. Once he could see, Sato checked a few things first: Several people had failed, mostly in the lower grades. Most notably, Noboru, who was being dragged away by the remedial teachers as everyone watched. He had failed apparently, just by a point. Would that conflict with mirror world stuff? Either way, second of all was Mako-- he did pretty well at a 95, but was outclassed by other students who scored significantly higher. Not bad. Third was Rokurou... Sato felt his heart beating as he searched for Ishihara on the list, but felt the relief flood over him once he saw the 82. The same result as the midterm.
Sato oddly found himself less concerned about his own mark, but he was still pleased to find that familiar 97. Considering the finals were harder than the midterms, Sato was pleased with the result. All that studying had paid off for both of them, even though he still felt a bit of bile rise up in his throat when he saw Ayano's 99. That was better off left uncommentated, though, as he was trying his best to move on from... all of that.
A lot of people stepped to the side to discuss in groups, and Sato even recognized people he knew from class or from the investigation team. He spotted Kotori, Rui, and that guy that had just recently rescued, Katsuro, chatting together, but he decided against it, seeing as it felt rude and they were underclassmen anyways.
Whatever. Sato quickly decided that he'd much rather go home and watch some shows anyway. Self-care and all that.
May I start off on Route 12? If not, Shibuichi Temple, please.
You're free to do what you want, but just for the record, you'll be going it alone for a while if you go up Route 12 because nobody really active is going that way I think. Correct me if I'm wrong, though.
-> @Shadeflare123 @Deos Morran <-
GM: @MechonRaptor
GM: @MechonRaptor
Soon the group of three trainers and their pokemon slowed down a bit to a more reasonable pace as the light dimmed and the dust grew heavier. It was eerily silent too, apart from the vague rumble of machinery deeper into the ruins. It was eerie-- everything else already left, by the looks of it. Did the pokemon that live here think the place was gonna collapse in on itself if nobody could stop the machinery...? Hopefully that wasn't gonna happen with them in it. Or well, like, at all. The ruins were ruined enough.
The ruins themselves were spectacular visually-- the ancient architecture was amazing to look at, art on the walls gave cryptic insight to past culture, and the collapsed arches and pillars weirdly added to the look. It was disappointing to see the more interesting and presumably more historically important parts of the ruins inaccessible due to cave-ins and whatnot, but at least it made their path linear. There wasn't much of a question where the gang could've gone, really. It pissed Nov off a bit just thinking about these kinds of things, though. He wasn't much of a history buff or anything, but it still sucked not being able to take in the cool sights! They couldn't delay at all if they wanted to save the ruins from whatever the enemy's plan was, and it wasn't like they could focus much anyway.
After a bit of navigating past a few frustrating dead-ends, the party found themselves standing before a giant stone door. It took all three of them heaving to get it to crack open, but once they did, it practically flew open with a cloud of dust blasting into them. More importantly though, the sound of machinery became significantly louder now that it was open-- they were getting close, but there was still the hall before them to deal with. Nov cleared his throat and waved the dust out of his face once the cloud disappated. It would have bothered him more if they hadn't just dealt with pretty much the exact same scenario but worse; sandstorms in a tight corridor weren't too intimidating anymore.
He gave the others a moment to recover from the blast of sand before continuing forward, but they were soon stopped again by a discovery: the road forked three ways. One was a sloped hall downwards, one just continued forward, and the right had stairs climbing upwards. This was... concerning. Going down the wrong path would be a major time-waster, so maybe it would be best not to go as one group?
Nov thought about it for another minute before turning to the others. "We can't waste too much time if we choose wrong here, so maybe we should split up. I dunno if they meet up later or something, but at least that way one of us will have to find the right way." Without waiting for the others' responses, Nov casually walked over to the right side with the staircase. "I'll take this path. You two can take the others, and we'll meet up later, yeah?"
| Zamak Ruins |
I fundamentally misunderstood the message.
I'll probably post... like, soon. Ish.
I'll probably post... like, soon. Ish.
-> @Shadeflare123 @Deos Morran <-
GM: @MechonRaptor
GM: @MechonRaptor
After a moment of consideration, the researcher decided to let the group of teens take a shot at dealing with the problem at hand, for one reason or another. Whatever it was, though, Novis apparently had it, and as the lady began to talk, he stood up a little straighter. His face shifted from the angry look he had to a much more... entertained expression. He was as excited as he was before, but in an instant, the focus shifted from petty revenge to a determination to help. Or maybe it was a determination to win, an equally petty urge to show off? Who knows.
Regardless, the trio listened attentively as the researcher lady quickly-- well, not that quickly -- briefed them on what was up. Apparently, after having sneaked in among tourists, a group of malicious thugs started to scare off the civilians and everyone else so that they could use their machinery without opposition. By the sounds of it, they were using Pokemon to hold back anyone that was trying to interrupt them. Of course, that meant they needed the strongest trainers possible, and enter the Three Escavaliers!... or something like that. Either way, Nov was filled with emotion, fists clenched and eyes burning up. By the looks of it, the others were fired up as well. Nothing was gonna stop this party of angry teens!
"Forget the Yamask!" Nov shouted, throwing his arm out dramatically and pointing further into the ruins. Nier barked to accentuate Nov's point, shooting out small embers from its nostrils. "I'll deal with it later. For now, we gotta stop those thugs! I doubt the security's gonna stop 'em before they start breakin' shit, so it's now or never!"
Rox was similarly pissed off, but in a much angrier way. Nov found it almost entertaining to watch her go off like that, shouting about the "abominations" they were gonna go mess up. He couldn't help but laugh as she charged off without delay; the energy was clearly lost on her two Pokemon, who struggled to even keep up. "C'mon, Aiden, let's go!" Nov pointed towards the ruins before jogging off after Roxy, Nier instigating Zorex to follow with a bit of rough-housing.
As the group progressed into the ruins, Nov couldn't help but notice how it grew a little harder to breath. The muggy, dust-filled air felt stagnant in his lungs, and even though he was glad to get out of the sand-pelting breeze outside, the walls blocking any wind created an oppressive atmosphere. Regardless, that wasn't important. A little musty air never killed anyone, but the same might not be true for Roxy soon...
| Zamak Ruins (Entrance) |
[Later that night. . .]
It was chilly, for early July. It was still bordering 20 degrees, but the humidity felt piercing combined with the cool breeze. The sky was clear besides some rolling clouds, and the moon, despite waning, still looked full. Sato couldn't really say why he wanted to go look at it, though. It wasn't anything special, but maybe it was just the concept of moon-watching that appealed to him. Spending the evening alone together, silence blanketing them. The shrine was devoid of life apart from these two clockwork hearts.
It all... This whole thing felt like a blur, really. Sato's head was still pounding, hands still shaking. He didn't even remember what they had said back in the arcade, just the feeling, the warmth, of Mako. Crying in the back of arcade was so stupid, but he couldn't help it. It took all he had to not start crying again even now. Maybe it was the kiss, maybe it was the embrace, but it was just... a lot of firsts, and it was hard to keep up with the night. Maybe it was the honesty that struck him the hardest; none of it was a lie. Chests cut open and beating hearts showing.
Was that overly dramatic...? It was apt, at the very least.
It was weird, the fluttering in his stomach. Sato had felt it before, of course: the nerves, the heat in his heart, complete lack of a desire to go home. This type of thing wasn't new to Sato. But, infatuation and school crushes couldn't ever hold a candle to this. The ferocity of it, the concoction of new and old feelings, was overwhelming. Those eyes felt like a riptide pulling Sato into an ocean of Mako, those hands sirens dragging him under the surface. All of that, and they were just sitting together on the steps to the shrine.
He didn't want to seem like a baby about it, but watching the moon, Sato felt a million emotions he'd never felt before. Like his chest would explode with butterflies flying out, leaving a crimson stain on the velvet sky they were watching. What a stupid thing love was, to make someone think that exploding wouldn't even be that bad.
"We should head back soon," Sato muttered, but instead of moving to get up or anything, he just leaned onto Mako's shoulder again. It didn't feel as cold that way. "It's getting late," He said, but it didn't really matter. He could just sleep in class.
... Aren't exams coming up?
Oh, well. They'd rather study eachother anyway.
Steven is a fucking H U N K.
Sato was glad Mako wasn't exactly confident about whatever the hell this was that they were doing, but he couldn't help but frown at Mako's thoughts on the mirror world. "I agree, but... maybe it's just me, but you never quite get used to how it feels. This whole thing feels like a dream, but I don't think I want to wake up from it... Kind of like you..." Sato said, unsure of what he was really saying. He didn't want to stop talking, keep the conversation where it was. Whatever they had now, Sato would be glad to cling onto it, but that's not how people worked. Fate had a way with moving on, and time was a train that didn't wait. In other words, there was no reward worth having free from risk.
Sato felt like he had to say something, but the words he knew couldn't express what he felt. That was okay, though, because Mako found something worth saying, and as he listened, it was like falling from a building. Except instead of the ground, Mako waited for him at the bottom. The air felt like it was rushing despite the stagnancy, his heart rate pounding faster than it ever did before.
"It's so loud in here, Mako. I have so much to say right now and all I can hear are these stupid arcade machines." Sato still couldn't look at the other boy. He knew that he wouldn't be able to think if he tried to, and saying what he had to say right now was too important. "Everything changed when I joined the investigation team, and then everything changed again when I met you, Mako. I'm so sick of change, I'm sick of this god damn cult, and I'm sick of risking my life for people I've never met. But... If it meant spending another day with you, I'd do it all again. I want to make one last change with you."
That was all he could think to say, but it still felt like not enough, so Sato mustered all his courage and fell into Mako, wrapping his arms around him.
"We've never seen eachother's shadows... but thank you for trusting me, Mako. Thank you for giving me a chance." Sato whispered, just loud enough for Mako to hear. His fingers clutched onto the back of Mako's shirt, afraid of fate taking it all away. The moments passing felt too short and too long at the same time, in the same way long days melted into short years.
"The moon isn't full or new or anything tonight, but do you want to watch it with me tonight? I don't want you to leave me today." Sato broke away, smiling to himself like the love-struck idiot he was. He felt the tears running down from his eyes, and rubbed them away with the heel of his hand. "Sorry, I just... I don't know what I'm saying anymore. Just... just tell me what to say, Mako. Let's talk some more."
Sato felt like he had to say something, but the words he knew couldn't express what he felt. That was okay, though, because Mako found something worth saying, and as he listened, it was like falling from a building. Except instead of the ground, Mako waited for him at the bottom. The air felt like it was rushing despite the stagnancy, his heart rate pounding faster than it ever did before.
"It's so loud in here, Mako. I have so much to say right now and all I can hear are these stupid arcade machines." Sato still couldn't look at the other boy. He knew that he wouldn't be able to think if he tried to, and saying what he had to say right now was too important. "Everything changed when I joined the investigation team, and then everything changed again when I met you, Mako. I'm so sick of change, I'm sick of this god damn cult, and I'm sick of risking my life for people I've never met. But... If it meant spending another day with you, I'd do it all again. I want to make one last change with you."
That was all he could think to say, but it still felt like not enough, so Sato mustered all his courage and fell into Mako, wrapping his arms around him.
"We've never seen eachother's shadows... but thank you for trusting me, Mako. Thank you for giving me a chance." Sato whispered, just loud enough for Mako to hear. His fingers clutched onto the back of Mako's shirt, afraid of fate taking it all away. The moments passing felt too short and too long at the same time, in the same way long days melted into short years.
"The moon isn't full or new or anything tonight, but do you want to watch it with me tonight? I don't want you to leave me today." Sato broke away, smiling to himself like the love-struck idiot he was. He felt the tears running down from his eyes, and rubbed them away with the heel of his hand. "Sorry, I just... I don't know what I'm saying anymore. Just... just tell me what to say, Mako. Let's talk some more."
-> @Shadeflare123 @Deos Morran <-
GM: @MechonRaptor
GM: @MechonRaptor
The lady said that they couldn't enter the ruins on grounds of a 'situation', and that only served to rile up Novis more. Her eyes flicked between her and the ruins, suggesting an honest worry, but Novis was focused on getting revenge on that Yamask for kicking them while they were down! Besides, there was no way they were about to just sit there and wait for the route to unblock itself, or Arceus forbid, go around the stupid ruins!
"Whatever it is, we can handle it! We'll crush anyone that gets in our way, I promise!" Nov shouted, and Nier was also spinning in circles excitedly, ready to fight anyone despite have almost no idea what was going on. "If they're messing up the place, it's only going to hurt you more if you don't let us at least try! We're bonafide Pokemon trainers after all!... ma'am!"
| Zamak Ruins (Entrance) |
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