Shizuka sighed to herself as she shuffled her deck.  Her last opponent underestimated her due to her gender, and became a bit sore when he lost.  As he walked away, Shizuka secretly let herself smile a bit; whether he underestimated her or not, she enjoyed the satisfaction of winning, and wasn't going to let her victory be spoiled by thoughts of the sexism that pervaded gaming culture.  Still, she mostly tried to keep her satisfaction to herself, she won and lost modestly, knowing that people often took victory and defeat pretty personally and emotionally.

[quote=@Dynamo Frokane]
[i][color=00aeef]Nice to see you again Shiz, I know we only met the once, breifly but its good to see a familiar face since leaving school, hows things? you still work at the Shining Kettle? You look great by the way, a few months can change someones appearance a lot, and youve definately gotten the better end of the deal![/color][/i]
[/quote]

Shizuka did a quick double-take as she pulled her hat a bit lower over her eyes.  On retrospect, what she had on didn't count as much of a disguise, but something about being recognized here by someone she had met before was a little embarrassing.  [color=a187be]"H-hi,"[/color] Shizuka said, slowly regaining her composure enough to turn her head up and look him in the eye.  [color=a187be]"I still work there, though I'm sorry to hear that you've left.  I hear you on the radio sometimes, so I assume you're still pursuing your passions.  Do you play Wizardry?"[/color] Shizuka tried to ignore Nick's comment on her beauty; she considered herself average at best, and hypothesized that maybe the hat and glasses gave her a 'certain something' that she didn't normally have.  Other than the initial shock at having been recognized, Shizuka felt a little less awkward talking to.  Granted, last time was super-awkward because of what she wanted to talk to him about, but this time he was someone familiar, and this casual atmosphere relieved the tension somewhat.

[quote=@MyCatGinger]
"Bit late for you kids to be up playing cards, isn't it?" he spoke soft and low, and in the same motion of sitting down on an empty seat before the pair, picking out a little white cylinder and unwrapping it quickly before placing it between his lips.
His first had been a cigarette, earlier in the park on the way. They helped him settle his thoughts.

"Don't know about you, but a place like this on a Thursday night really makes you feel life's bittersweet clutches."
Here, he smirked.
"Hello, Shizuka. And Nicholas, it's been quite a while."
[/quote]

Shizuka pulled her hat lower, blushing.  Wizardry had become something of a guilty pleasure, it was like she was a different person at the card table.  While there wasn't anything wrong with Wizardry per se, being caught playing it by a professor, Dr. Matsuoka no less, made her feel as if she was doing something wrong.  [color=a187be]"I-I'm sorry, Matsuoka-sensei, it's just a harmless little hobby... I-I've finished grading the students' last assignment, so I'm not slacking off or procrastinating..."[/color] Shizuka tried to explain, hoping that he wouldn't think that playing a 'trivial card game' was somehow beneath her as an academic, that her devotion to her classes and chosen field of study would not be called into question.  Shizuka knew Dr. Matsuoka was not that kind of person, but she was a bit flustered and knew that a lot of people were judged harshly for lesser offenses.