Minako Ikeda
Location: Control Room Arena
Interacting with: Gianna Daniels, Eliana Lovelace via text, Cecilia Lovelace via email (@lovely complex), Kayla Styles via text (@BeastofDestiny), Amy Stevenson via text (@Lasrever)
Mood: Angry → Determined
To all outward appearances, save to those who were especially well-trained in reading body language, Minako was the model student. Eyes forward, hands loosely clasped behind her back, an expression of focused attention on her face. If one had been paying attention to her, they might have caught the brief flicker of disapproval when Sylvia Vargas entered the room, but otherwise there was no indication of any reaction what-so-ever.
Inwardly? Minako seethed.
That disrespectful… arrogant… stuck-up… undisciplined... poofy little… BRAT! Oh, how Minako very much wanted to smack her. She had never had the displeasure of meeting Sylvia in person, but she certainly knew of her. The eldest child of the Vargas family, and their greatest source of shame. The girl who got everything she ever wanted, and acted like the world owed her something. In most circumstances, Minako would have paid her no mind at all, someone who was simply not worth wasting her time on.
But this? To act so disrespectfully, and so publically, towards a teacher? And more importantly, towards her friends? No, she hadn’t missed the cracks directed towards Eliana and Gianna, and it infuriated her in ways that went deep, igniting things that Minako kept buried. Visions flashed through her mind, of Sylvia bound and bent over her knee. Exposed, vulnerable, begging for a mercy that was completely outside her power to obtain, and entirely within Minako’s to give or withhold. This girl acted like she owned the place, like she was untouchable. This wasn’t an adult who was getting ready to enter the world. This was a spoiled child.
What angered Minako the most, was that there was nothing special about Sylvia. Wealth tended to imbue that quality in people, that they were superior to others. Hell, she had grown up with people like Sylvia, her own uncle and cousin were practically just like her, if not so brazen in their opinions. As the saying went, power corrupts. There would always be people like Sylvia, and part of her father’s lessons was learning how to deal with them, because as often as not they were not worth trying to do anything about them, unless they were an obstacle. Then, you found a way around them. It was simply a matter of vision; people like Sylvia didn’t have any.
But now, as she made her way towards the polling booths, Minako knew that right now she had an opportunity to indulge herself. When she had first walked into the Arena control room, she had been largely ambivalent about the Tournament. It was interesting, yes, a chance to test herself against the other students, and she would certainly put forth her best effort. She had practically promised as much to Ms. Lovelace, and Minako always kept her promises. But ultimately, wherever she placed in the Tournament was not of real importance to her.
That hadn’t really changed, except in one respect. As Minako stepped up to one of the booths, she immediately wrote down one name at the very top, and circled it. People like Sylvia Vargas believed that the world owed them. The world owed them nothing, and sometimes they needed to see just how small they were in comparison. It was a lesson in respect that Minako would be more than happy to teach her.
1. Sylvia Vargas. The manner in which she spoke is unacceptable in ANY circumstance. Attending a school such as this is a privilege that should be earned, not a right to be bought, as I am sure she did. I am NOT going to lose to someone like her.
She tapped the pencil on the desk. The question was, how? Defeating her in the tournament would be ideal. She had no doubt that if Sylvia lost, she would raise a stink with her parents, but there would be nothing she could do. Her family was influential in its own right, and even if Sylvia did manage to get the school to make things difficult for her, well, success was the best form of revenge. She would have no power over Minako.
The problem was, however, she didn’t know much of anything about Sylvia’s powers, which was a disadvantage. Of course, given how new Minako was, there were only a handful of people who even knew what her own powers were, so that placed them on an even playing field. What Minako needed was information.
A small smile played about her lips. She wasn’t going to stoop to her father’s level, not unless she absolutely needed to, but she did have resources she could use. Allies who might help her. And she needed to talk to them anyways. Reaching into her skirt pocket, she pulled out her phone.
To: Gianna
What is the soonest we could meet? There is something I need your help with, and a secret I need to tell you. It’s important.
Hope your day is going well.
To: Kayla, Amy, Eliana
I think we would do better in the Tournament if we worked together. We can help each other train, share information that we have learned, and if we make it to the free-for-all, we could help each other. Does that sound good?
Also, there is something I need to tell you all. It’s important.
To: Ms. Lovelace
Subject: Confirming the rules
I just wanted to make sure I correctly understood everything. The referees will intervene if a combatant is in danger of becoming seriously injured, but otherwise we are free to fight in whatever manner we choose?
Also, what are the rules regarding tools and weapons in the battles?
Arigatoo Gozaimasu
Minako Ikeda
What is the soonest we could meet? There is something I need your help with, and a secret I need to tell you. It’s important.
Hope your day is going well.
To: Kayla, Amy, Eliana
I think we would do better in the Tournament if we worked together. We can help each other train, share information that we have learned, and if we make it to the free-for-all, we could help each other. Does that sound good?
Also, there is something I need to tell you all. It’s important.
To: Ms. Lovelace
Subject: Confirming the rules
I just wanted to make sure I correctly understood everything. The referees will intervene if a combatant is in danger of becoming seriously injured, but otherwise we are free to fight in whatever manner we choose?
Also, what are the rules regarding tools and weapons in the battles?
Arigatoo Gozaimasu
Minako Ikeda
With that out of the way, she slid her phone back into her pocket and turned her attention back to the slip of paper. Besides Sylvia, Minako simply didn’t know enough to decide if there was anyone else that she especially wanted to fight. She knew that she didn’t want to fight Kayla, Amy or Eliana, but asking to not fight someone was likely out of the question. Turning her head, she looked over the small crowd of teens and pursed her lips, then turned back to the booth.
2. Avalon Middleton. It would be beneficial to test myself against a more experienced opponent.
3. Amelia Carstein. I do not know what she is able to do, but she seems to be an intriguing person to test myself against.
With her choices settled, Minako dropped her paper into the ballot box and returned to her friends, stopping to pick up her backpack and walking with a great deal more natural confidence and purpose than she had when she had first come in. No matter what this Tournament would bring, she had a goal now. And Minako Ikeda always excelled at her goals.