Stern Algorithm

Shine City II: The Next Season

Hearing the girl--Shizuka, Zac reminds himself--comment that she did, in fact, work there and wouldn't be wearing the maid outfit if she didn't, laughs and says, "I thought it looked familiar! I'd have known right away, had I been here before." Opening the menu, he says, "Honestly, if it weren't for my poor sense of direction, I doubt I'd have even found this place. Luck sure has a way of working, doesn't it?"

After a few moments, he decides to take Shizuka up on her suggestion, saying, "I think I'll try that parfait you mentioned. As for the flavor, go ahead and surprise me." Handing the menu back to her, he gives her a friendly smile and says, "You might wanna get used to seeing me, here, especially if this parfait's as good as I'm hoping." Assuming I don't get lost trying to get back here! he adds silently.

@Daxam

"Yes sir, I'll get you a 'surprise' parfait," Shizuka replied, having the Tropical Parfait in mind as it was her personal favorite with pineapple and mango. She was a little more at ease, Zac exuded a friendliness and innocence that suggested he had thought nothing of the incident at the park and that he wasn't here to pick on her or prank her because of it either.

He turned to Shizuka, eyeing her eagerly as he spoke.
"I'll have... two cups of coffee! Extra black! Extra bitter! Aaaand... four eclairs!" He stated giddily, handing the menu back to Shizuka.

"Ahh, this place is so nice!" Livius flopped backwards in his seat. "I'm a pastry chef at the Tiny Snowflake. And a pretty good one!" He added on. "Although... I wonder if this place pays more." He then gave a short chuckle. "If the boss saw me down here, he'd be sure to strange me!" Strangely, he sounded excited about that. "Aaanyways, less about me, more about you." Livius was a person who moved quickly, in all senses. His emotions, his gestures, and what he spoke about all shifted incredibly rapidly. It wasn't unusual for others to have trouble keeping up with his antsy, active attitude. "I feel like I recognize you. From somewhere. Maybe I've seen you around?" Livius seemed momentarily puzzled by the thought.

@Oz

"Two black coffees and four eclairs," Shizuka repeated, taking his order, and assumed he was going to share half his order with Zac. While Shizuka felt relieved concerning Zac, she was still a bit suspicious of Livius; something in his mannerisms suggested mischief, even if benign. "I-I'm a graduate student at the Academy and I TA a biology class. Perhaps you've seen me on campus? Assuming you go to the Academy as well." Shizuka asked, hoping this was the reason he had seen her around, otherwise it might be a little creepy. She left them for a little while to give the order to the kitchen but returned to the front to wait for the barista to make their coffees. There weren't any other customers so she hovered nearby in case they called her.

As he was preparing the coffee, the barista said, "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation earlier, but if you're looking for a job, I could offer you something."

Shine City II: The Next Season

"I have an idea of what I want, but I don't suppose a menu could hurt," Zac says, smiling as he turns to look at the waitress. When he looks at the girl, his brow furrows before he realizes why she looked familiar. "Oh, hey!" he says with a grin. "I didn't know you worked here." Holding his hand up to the girl, he says, "I'm Zac. You ran off before I could introduce myself."

@Daxam

Shizuka closed her eyes for a few moments in disappointment; in her fluster, she had forgotten to give her name immediately after welcoming them to the cafe, a staple of her job as a waitress. "Sh-Shizuka..." she replied, returning his handshake somewhat awkwardly while holding her platter close to her chest with her other arm; in a way it felt like a shield in this slightly uncomfortable situation. Her mind was going a hundred miles a minute; Zac claimed he didn't know she worked here; does that mean he didn't actually follow her here from the park, or was he lying for some reason? After her embarrassment, Shizuka wondered if he was just here to play a prank on her. Shizuka wasn't normally this suspicious though, and tried to calm down and give Zac the benefit of the doubt. "Yes, I work here, I...I wouldn't be wearing this outfit otherwise..." Shizuka responded. She didn't dislike her uniform and hoped her statement didn't sound too critical of it, but she wanted to explain herself and not be remembered as some wierdo who would go out in public in such an attention-grabbing way.

"I'll have a menu." Livius had no idea what kind of food the place served. But he wasn't a terribly picky eater. He was more interested in the little show unfolding before him. By the look on the girl's face, she didn't seem very comfortable at the moment. He wondered what type of encounter they had before. Fun, fun~ He might actually wind up sticking around.

@Oz

"H-here you go," Shizuka said while handing menus to both of them. "I recommend the parfaits, though if you want something lighter, we have traditional French pastries, like eclairs and cream puffs," she suggested. Shizuka eyed the other man, wondering whether he was really just here for some food. It didn't seem like these two knew each other so it was strange for him to sit down next to Zac. She tried not to make too much small talk with Zac about what happened at the park because giving extra attention to one patron was an almost guaranteed way to piss off the other patron(s) at a table.

The Village of Soren (a 1x1 Harvest Moon/Rune Factory-inspired Village RP for FaithfulMuse and Stern Algorithm)

"Oh," Malkas replied, a bit crestfallen, "That's a shame, as you can see, Soren is a small village, so we could do with more people. Anyways, let me give you a room." He led Freya to the inn half of his house where Teann was manning the registration desk.

"Welcome to Soren," she greeted, as Malkas gave her the details of Freya's stay. She had been assigned the room across the hall from where Illithor and Talila were staying.

Evolution of Conflict: A Sci-Fi Mecha 1x1 FaithfulMuse and Stern Algorithm

"Th-Thank you, what's your favorite book?" Tera asked.

Shine City II: The Next Season

@Daxam
@Stern Algorithm
My apologies, but my replies may be late!! I have to go to the doctor's...

@Oz

You're health is far more important. I wish you the best.

Shine City II: The Next Season

Nick was strolling through Shiny Park just basically killing time before the arcade tournament started, he decided to check his phone and realized that the lovely Shizuka had just text him back! Nick felt himself grinning like an idiot and calmed himself down as he began to text back

Sounds awesome Shiz! Can I meet you at the Shine City Aquarium at 2:30? I'll try and wear something nice haha! see you there xx

Nick realised he didnt have time to change when he saw it was already 1:10pm! Time flew so fast, he was daydreaming about the upcoming tournament so much that he missed his radio show he was supposed to do. Hopefully he will be able to get in on the retro gaming tournament after seeing Shizuka today, Nick absolutely LOVED being this busy, it made him feel more important. He breathed in some fresh air and began to think about his dating life...

(hmmmm I dont know if Shizuka likes me in the same way that I like her, maybe she's just open to hanging out as anything and doesnt see it in a dating away at all....sadly there is only one way to find out......Maybe she likes someone else? Theres been a large influx of attractive guys into Shine City lately...maybe someone is with Shizuka now......maybe someone is with Nori now...)

Nick shook his head in frustration for even thinking about her, he had to keep his mind on task... busy day today, he popped out some lime flavored bubble gum and began to start up his radio broadcast app on his phone, but then decided against it. He could feel his mind getting bogged down with memories about her....and decided to check his BookFace page for any cute girl friend suggestions.

So who's online.....hmmm Ayane Lawson? wow nice picture, definately add! I wonder if she knows who I am?

Nick began grinning to himself again as he indulged in social media, starting to make his way towards the Aquarium early.

@Dynamo Frokane

Hi boss, just wanted to say I saw your post, but I won't be having Shizuka react to it yet IC, since I don't want it to be 1:10pm yet in Shizuka's timeline, meaning she can't have gotten Nick's reply text yet.

As for how she feels about Nick, it's purely platonic right now, and since she knows he admires women regularly on his radio show, it will be pretty hard for him to convince her that she's 'special' to him. She also has a deeply ingrained modesty that almost comes off as a sense of inferiority; she simply doesn't think people are attracted to her because she's not outgoing.

Shine City II: The Next Season

Shizuka made her way back to the Shining Kettle, out of breath from the anxiety and embarrassment of what had just happened.

"So, did you find the kid?" The barista asked.

"Y-yes..." Shizuka replied, "He's safe and reunited with his mother."

"That's good to hear, you did good, Otonashi," the barista concluded.

Shizuka nodded and made her way to the worker's area in the back to catch her breath, calm down and regain her composure. She heard the charming ring of the bell on the door, signifying that a customer had entered. Shizuka steeled herself, put on a smile and headed back to the storefront, hearing the bell a second time. Picking up a tray and a notepad, she headed to the one occupied table, which was rather curious, as the two didn't seem to have entered together. She didn't let it bother her as it could be they were friends planning to meet up here.

"Welco..." Shizuka stopped suddenly, recognizing the man from earlier in the park. She wondered why he was here and if he had followed her. She also wondered now who his friend was. She decided to remain professional and pretend nothing had happened. "W-welc-come to the Shining Kettle. Would you like menus or do you already know your orders?"

@Daxam @Oz

Shine City II: The Next Season

@Stern Algorithm Hope it's alright, I'm sending Zac Shizuka's way (though he doesn't know it) ^^

@Daxam

Not a problem, in fact, I was counting on it, considering he was looking to get a cup of coffee at Mochavine, I figured his poor sense of direction would cause him to end up at the Shining Kettle anyways.

The Village of Soren (a 1x1 Harvest Moon/Rune Factory-inspired Village RP for FaithfulMuse and Stern Algorithm)

Reas gave Freya a somewhat accusatory glare for having withheld her name earlier and giving it freely now.

"Well, glad to have you, Miss Freya," Malkas said, "We've got free rooms at the inn, so you're more than welcome to stay. How long were you planning on staying, if you don't mind my asking? Because if you've got nowhere else to go, you're free to stay as long as you'd like." Malkas couldn't help but try to convince people to become part of Soren, though some questioned his willingness to just let anyone stay. In this case, Reas was one such person, already having qualms about Freya.

Evolution of Conflict: A Sci-Fi Mecha 1x1 FaithfulMuse and Stern Algorithm

"Well," Tera's eyes shifted around a bit, "Zanoss is blamed for escalating the Race Wars by advocating for...Quantum freedom. B-but Zanoss isn't a supremacist, he doesn't believe that Wildtypes or Ascendeds are beneath Quantums, at least, that's the feeling I get from his books. Y-you won't tell anyone I read his work, will you?"