WXer

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

---

The ice queen's gaze was just as chilling as her stonecold heart. At least that's what Kazu thought as he momentarily froze when Sakuya had locked her eyes on him. "Y-you too..." he managed to mutter as a reply to her scolding. "I"ll, uh, see you at the gates when you two are done talking." he would softly speak to Noriaki, averting his sight to the ground and walking sheepishly away. Upon reaching the doorway he would turn around in a dramatic fashion with wide eyes while making an X mark with both arms, trying to non-verbally warn Noriaki while the student council president couldn't see the cheeky slacker behind her. It wasn't a good idea at all to be on the prez's radar, transfer student or not. While Kazu wasn't superstitious before, that Taoist booklet that kept him company in the hospital certainly spoke of curses and those vicious school rumours circulating around definitely had something about Sakuya catching the eye of harbingers of misfortune. At least, that's what he thinks he heard during the assembly earlier while half asleep.

Outstandingly, Noriaki was not fazed at all. Kazu definitely needed to ask him how he did that later on. For now though, would go on ahead of his new friend and head to their agreed upon meeting area. While not as crowded as earlier, the school was still bustling with activity as people headed to the school clubs. Unfortunately, the promisingly talented Asakura was still not cleared to play sports otherwise he would have signed up to be the star ace of any Hinotori High sports team that would be lucky to have him. At least an element of suspense is still there for the spectators, he supposed. These thoughts of splendour would whisk him away to the entrance of the school before he knew it.

However, Kazu still didn't know where to take Noriaki and, in his pursuit of not trying to expend more effort than he had to, he had decided to leave it to his companion. "So, where exactly are we headed broski? I mean, where do you want to go... Brain's really pre-occupied, y'know?" he would ask once Noriaki would arrive.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

---

As Miss Momoji ended her opening address to the class, Kazuyoshi took the opportunity to start dozing off. Barely responsive, he had narrowly missed the first attendance prompt before wildly raising his hand in order to catch his teacher's attention from the back. "I'm here, that's me - Asakura." he would state in a drowsy voice, suppressing a yawn with his hands afterwards. At least his name was near the top of the list and he could go back to skulking behind Noriaki's seated figure. Kazu had hoped that being hidden out of sight would lead to him being called on less but this did not exempt him from class participation at all. He even began to suspect that their new homeroom teacher had started to single him out for passage recitals in order to shake the lethargy out of him. To her credit, Kazu was wide awake by the time lunch time rolled around though his mind was now filled with details of class syllabi.

The day was pleasant enough that spending their free hour in the classroom was simply unacceptable. So, Kazu would grab his lunchbox and sprint to the roof the moment Miss Momoji would dismiss them as he wasn't about to test her patience twice in one day. The sea of students that flooded the hallways did not deter him from making his journey, bumping into the unsuspecting and stubborn without even looking them in the eye. After all, he was still one of the young kings of Hinotori high, right? To his dismay though, his lunch was not fit for royalty as it was cold hardboiled eggs and soggy toast. Certainly a sharp departure from the bento boxes that Ayane-chi would prepare for the both of them.

After consuming his lunch alone and then cloud gazing for a few minutes more, Kazuyoshi would make the reluctant trudge back to the classroom. As he arrived back at his seat, Kazu had a few choice words for his new acquaintance. "Aight, you're not ditching me next time. If I'm gonna be sucking eggs on the roof, might as well be with you next to me." His seatmate definitely had a level-headed response to that which Kazu merely shrugged off. At least they were in the home stretch now and they can finally leave this day behind them. After a few more introductory material readings, they were finally done. However, before they could leave to actually go enjoy their lives, the queen of discipline and good manners had coerced his good friend Noriaki into an interrogation.

Though the young lad's spirit wanted to meet the she-devil head on with energetic bravado, the body was unable. Sluggishly, Kazu stood up and leaned against the nearby classroom wall as Noriaki handled himself. Quite impressive of him to not stumble against Sakuya, Kazu had thought. Wanting to capitalize on this, he would walk towards the pair and once again put his arm around Noriaki's shoulder while locking his sleep-deprived eyes to those of their school president. "Senpai, I'm gonna need you to stop hitting on my good friend Noriaki here." he would state with a callous smirk. "'Sides, I got him. Gonna show him around the area and have a good time, yeah?"

Gundam 0094 (Invite Only Roleplay)

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Disker's inquiry was met with the standard fare he had become accustomed to from the Cathartes' pilots: Scaling from solo sincerity to ludicrous dismissal, with confident caution in between. At the extreme latter end of the scale was, of course, Ezmy but Disker already knew to expect that from her. He played along with her quip, smiling and nodding at her before breaking into a scowl. "Not illegal weapons, you muppet. I meant they're using old weapons. Think post-30 Bu- Mid 80s." A slip of the tongue, Disker had to bite his lip. The incident he was about to refer to was never made public knowledge but would definitely incense any Spacenoid that knew of that massacre. A legacy treasured only by the Titans in their suppression of dissidents.

As Disker suspected, their Federation guest confirmed that it was indeed an early Titan mobile suit that committed the assault. "Titan Marasai, huh?.." While this piece of information did answer his early question, a dozen more took its place. "I mean, I guess that shouldn't be a problem for our MS team if we went but we'd need the old man to sign off on it." Disker would state, acknowledging the pilots' proposal to sortie out for a hunt. He was confident their combined experience would make short work of any jag piloting a discontinued mass production unit. However, wherever there's cannon fodder, there's bound to be an opposing cannon aimed directly at you.

"My only concern is the fact that our future playdate might be packing more Titan relics, some of which we are not able to deal with. Not with our current firepower." The exotic arsenal designed by the mad geniuses of the purged Federation elite was deadly. Some were able to blast targets with beams beyond the horizon, some able to precisely dissect targets with wire-guided beams up close, and even some more nullified beam attacks altogether. Who knows what they were gonna encounter but Disker suspected it was coming for them soon.

RWBY: Chasing Shadows

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This was Rio's first battle against the Grimm. No fantastical story or training dummy could have ever prepared him for the rush of adrenaline that he had felt just now. The tactics of teammates and his own quick trigger finger had seemingly won them the fight. No one was visibly hurt and, after inspecting himself for bite marks, he could include himself in that count. Yet, his heart was still racing even as the creatures in front of him started to dissolve from their fierce, monstrous figures into a shapeless ooze that looked like it belonged at the bottom of a saloon spit bucket.

A sigh of relief would soon escape Rio's tensed body as it became clear that they had repelled the initial wave of Grimm but his fingers were still frozen in place as he gripped his weapon. Instead of easing his hold, his hands merely kept shaking even as he actively made an effort to relax. Soon enough, he had resorted to a few full breaths but this would come to a halt upon hearing Nivea's caution against the apparently toxic air. In his sudden panic, Rio instinctively covered his nose with his right forearm while rummaging through his pockets with his free hand for the kerchief that his mother prepares for his daily wardrobe. At least his vise on The Boatman's Due had loosen.

Finally covering his mouth with his makeshift mask, Rio had to focus and inform his companions on the strict timetable that his Semblance had given him. "I'm all fer sticking away from walls but we need t' move if we wanna catch 'em." Protected by the thin strip of fabric and against the caution of their handler, Rio would take another deep breath to focus in on the runaway targets. A clayish rouge of energy would manifest and envelop itself around him as the distant pitter-patter of water droplets hitting the unlit distant ground of the abandoned bunker became as thunderous as a roaring river to the Huntsman-in-training. "My Semblance is tellin' me that they're less than a click away - I'll resume takin' point."

Again, Rio's impatience would not wait for any possible objections from his team. They had a mission that needed to be accomplished and standing around this dark pit waiting to get ambushed again was not gonna get results. He would resume his earlier brisk pace once more, advancing towards the darkness in pursuit of the Grimm he managed to mark earlier.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

---

"Hell yeah, broski!" Kazu would enthusiastically reply without a second thought, completely missing the inflection in his classmate's voice. His sudden high spirits would quickly subside though as he realized the implied infidelity in the response, wiping away his smile and replacing it with a gnarled smirk. Luckily, he wouldn't have to stew about this for too long as Hoshino-san revealed his name and where he had just come from. That distinct Osakan accent certainly caught Kazu's attention. Perhaps this was why rumours had circulated about Noriaki? Didn't seem like that big of a deal however.

As Noriaki extended his hand, Kazu was quick to grab it. Instead of a customary and expected handshake though, the overly familiar Kazuyoshi would pull himself in to bump shoulders with his seatmate while patting Noriaki's back with his free hand. After a brief moment, he would release his hold and lean back on his seat. The smile had returned on his face, realizing that after months of no social contact, he had finally made a friend outside of his previous clique. At least, he hopes so.

"Kind of straightforward of you to offer that, yeah? But hey, if you're free later, I can show you around the cool the places around the neighbourhood." Again, his mouth spoke faster than his mind could think. No establishment within the immediate area could really be considered cool. Still though, this was a welcomed distraction from Kazu's present reality. Maybe they could just wander about and pass the time?..

It dawned on him that it's been quite a while since he just hung out with a person that wasn't Ayane or without his bike. What the hell could you possibly do around here after class with such limited options?

---

@Asura

RWBY: Chasing Shadows

---

To lead a blind charge into the maw of the unknown, one must be brave or ignorant. Luckily for Team Frisk, their guiding vanguard exemplified both traits. The only knowledge Rio really had of these Atlesian bunkers pertained to their role as set pieces in the backdrop of the stories set during the Great War. True to its age, the abandoned outpost's decades of disrepair and band aid fixes to its supporting framework were easily spotted even as a faint lantern was their main source of illumination. The stench of the rooms they had explored, however, did not smell like that of an abandoned tomb. Rather, it besmelled like that of a butcher house backroom that never bothered to bleach its blood soaked boards, his brain reckoned. The lack of bodies and bones were disturbing though but not enough to deter him from pressing onward.

As they explored the dwellings of the bandit interlopers, Rio would use the tip of his halberd to tap the doors and fixtures. Keeping his uncle's words in mind, a crafty bandit would have definitely left a trap in the form of an enticing gift. To his relief and disappointment, the junk piles were exactly as they seemed as none of them triggered an alarm, explosion, or snare. Still, he wasn't going to be shifting through the garbage. Who knows what the hell he could catch from years of gathering bunker bacteria. Rio would merely stand by as the other rummaged through the assortment of debris, tensely gripping his weapon as he remained alert.

His patience would be quick to run out though as Rio would continue delving haphazardly into each subsequent room without questioning or confirming with the rest of his team. The sooner they were out back in the heat, the better. This particular line of thinking continued to dominate his thoughts as the still air got colder, making each breath he took shallower and harder. It felt damp, causing his throat to start itching. The desire to spit had to be stifled due to present company, causing a clearly audible gulp from him to break the silence. Was it possible to be allergic to this black sludge they had just now stumbled upon? Certainly something to ask Miss Lanatae when they come back topside.

Rio was now lost in his thoughts, getting himself into an automated rhythm as they continued on. However, this daydream-like daze would be broken instantly as the demonic laughter startled him. As the source of the disturbing dissonance revealed itself, it took Rio a good split second before realizing that it was rushing towards him. "What in t-" he would state as the beasts started their assault. Instinctively, he would do a wide sweeping slash with The Boatman's Due while also using the weapon's momentum to jump back a step. While this might not have slain any of the Grimm, Rio had hoped that the Water dust infused in his halberd's edge had marked his targets.

As Saffron took the initiative and put herself at the front now, Rio would reconfigure his weapon into its compact gunnery mode. Activating his semblance, the presence of water droplets on the targets in front of him would hopefully guide his aim true as he started blasting them, starting with the ones closing in on Saffron.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

---

There had never been a school assembly meeting that captured Kazuyoshi's attention and today's was no different. He struggled to stay awake, leaning back on his worn-down chair with his arms crossed and his head down. Aside from them trying to be hype rallies for the most boring thing on Earth, the fatigue was setting in from his lack of sleep which offered no moment of reprieve. The well-structured speeches of the assembly sounded like random cacophony to him. Yet, even in this drowsy state, he couldn't ignore the snippets of malicious whispers from the surrounding students. The brashness of these catty chatterboxes were probably stirred on by Kazu's exposed vulnerability, being openly excluded by his clique and looking like a sleep deprived deadman. As a consolation prize though, it seems his summertime mishap wasn't the only featured selection from the rumour mill's specials. The student that sat near him had quite the buzz about him though Kazu was sure the details were probably exaggerated since the people were bored from this student council-led crucible. This lull would soon be broken, however, as school president Nakano-san drew attention to the missing students once again at the end of her speech. The principal's flustered response would be enough to seal and steal the conversation away from Kazu's misfortune, causing him to smirk and applaud. Looks like something compelling did happen after all, jolting his internal battery with unexpected interest. As the principal dismissed them, Kazu tried to muster what energy he could to get to his new homeroom class assignment.

It seems lady luck had given him another boon. Upon arriving at the entrance of class 2-A, a quick scan would reveal that Kaede-chan wasn't in the room. The last thing he needed was for Ayane-chi's best friend to passive-aggressively maltreat him for the majority of the school year. That'll just have to be an after school special, he gleefully thought to himself. Still though, with none of his faux friends in this class, Kazu now had the freedom to choose a seat without having to consider social obligations or follies. With great consideration for his drained state, he dragged himself to a window seat at the very back of the class. Conveniently, the student in front of him seemed tall enough to shield Kazu from the prying eyes of the teachers if he so chooses to rest his eyes. Before he would even attempt to do this though, introducing himself to his seatmate was imperative.

"Yo, buddy. Keep that posture straight, yeah? Chicks dig a sharp stature." Kazu would state in a strained voice after tapping his classmate's shoulder. As he would do that though, the addled Asakura would soon realize that his new acquaintance was none other than the transfer student who managed to capture the imagination of the gossip grapevine. A piece of work, as one of those jabber-jaws put it. That was the only detail Kazu could recall at the moment but his blue-eyed batchmate could pass for the part. He also gave off a standoffish aura though Kazu wondered if his rap sheet could back up his rep.

"Call me Kazuyoshi, by the way. New to the school, yeah?" Caution would beat out his curiosity as Kazu opted not to ask details during the literal first time they would speak to each other. If he weren't to open up though, perhaps participating in the canard colloquy would be a better option in knowing more about Kazu's new friend.

---

@Asura

Gundam 0094 (Invite Only Roleplay)

---

Among the personnel on board the Cathartes, perhaps there was none as valuable to the Federation and Zeon remnants as the boy currently in front of Disker. Technically, Marlowe was now an adult but the childlike wonder from his youth never faded. Disker had the displeasure to chronicle this when he was among the ranks of the Titans as an experimental mobile suit engineer. While he wasn't one of the doctors pumping the lad full of mind-altering chemicals or psychologically reprogramming him to push beyond his physical limits, perhaps he could have done something to stop it back then. Not just for Marlowe but also for the rest of the unfortunate souls bound to the greed of the fascist warmongers considered to be the Federation's elite.

While he can't change the past, Disker can certainly try to make amends now. "Let's have a look kid." he would state with mustered enthusiasm. Upon a quick glance, it was clear that the spherical mechanism was more than just a juvenile's toy. There was too much circuitry and intricate wiring that laid beneath the surface panels. Fascinating to the inquiring mind but not enough to distract him from the matter at hand. Disker would hand back the deceptively heavy device to Marlowe before continuing to walk towards the salvage bay.

"Tell you what, come along with me to salvage and we'll see if we can borrow the tools needed to get that thing back on." the engineer would state, already a few steps ahead of Marlowe. Said tools were already in his personal quarters but he needed to ascertain some overlooked details of the scavenging team's latest sortie. Ready to slip ahead even further, a muffled yet familiar voice from a nearby source had told someone to "grow up" that prompted Disker to respond with "Invite goes out to you too, Eibril." Marlowe probably couldn't recall everything Disker needed so he would rope any who had gone out during the sortie, including the nearby Amagaida Xerda.

The enigmatic pilot had skills unmatched by even those her senior but this most likely the meant the worst. A common trend in the Augusta Labs recruitment efforts were to target traumatized youth, particularly orphans, for their research effort. Of course, it wasn't advertised as such. Under the guise of humanitarian relief efforts, the Titans had promised that they would help the abandoned children readjust to peacetime as part of their campaigns to maintain order in the Earthsphere. While Disker couldn't be sure, he had a feeling Amagaida's upbringing certainly had to have been similar. Still, he approached her with the trepidation in his voice as they didn't have much of a personal rapport. "Pilot Xerda, if I may ask you to accompany us to salvage. I have a feeling either we or the assailants missed something and hired guns usually come back to finish the job."

By the time they would arrive at the ship's wreckage collection and processing area, the scrapper crew would have gone through most of the initial screening process. All the serviceable materials would be placed to one section of the holding bay while the the rest would be hoarded near the jettison port in case they needed to make room, in the hopes that they can either readily replace the damaged junk with better quality scraps or hold on to it to find a buyer desperate enough to spend money on melted ceramic composite. Regardless of either future scenario, the damage marks of the latter scrap heap was what Disker needed to examine.

"Did any of you get a good look on what caused this?" he would ask, taking a closer look at the scorch marks on one of the melted alloys. His sharp eye once again quickly came to a conclusion. "Because who ever jumped our guests are certainly packing tech that shouldn't be in service right now."

Gundam: Ascend to the Stars

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Port Algec

Briefing

---

Listening in on his Centurion's informal meeting was somewhat underwhelming. Roose had thought that military officers would immediately go into sharing war stories, like the hired guns out on the Empire's outer border would when he used to operate around Armen. The complaints about mediocre food did make him want to interrupt and point out how the countryside was just filled with wild boars roaming the forests, waiting to be hunted and made to delicious pork steaks. Yet, Roose metaphorically bit his tongue and leaned back on his chair. Interjecting into his superior's personal conversation was probably not the smartest thing to do.

As he was settling in, Roose could not help but notice Skye's loud prompt at someone over in the back. In fact, half the room probably noticed. While the irony of her calling someone a kid was definitely not lost on Roose, he knew that she would most definitely be an authority on knowing who belongs to a military briefing, civilian or otherwise. However, as Amaya introduced herself as a doctor, Roose figured that they might be essential to the operation as a consulting operator or in another supporting position. It took quite a brave effort to actively invite Skye's contempt though. And perhaps it takes that, boredom, and stupidity to get in between both of them as Roose would do. Making his way towards Skye's side, he had this to say.

"Now, now Skye. Obviously Doc Yashia here is gonna take our blood pressure or something before we head off to space. Carius Tadmoore, by the way." he would state, extending his hand out to shake the doctor's.

Midnight Sun: Last Song Over the Horizon

So this was paradise. Finally away from the terror and uncertainty of a dysfunctional post war society, replaced with boredom and mundanity. Well, as mundane a military academy that turned kids into soldiers could be. It was an odd sensation for Seiichi to be in since he had always gazed upon the military structure as a civilian observer but now he would be a bolt screwed inside the machine, supporting one of the pillar foundations of the Confederacy's future.

Paradise was paralyzing. Each day's lecture he is subjected to somehow manage to be more boring than the last. While he had met each academic requirement, Seiichi acknowledged that he merely inserted the minimum effort to check off the requirements. This latest assignment about the late Taiyōtawa would meet the same fate as the rest of his work as Seiichi had already planned to write it out at the eleventh hour before the deadline. Scheduled procrastination helped bring joy to his life, the same way the lunch period stole all of it each day. He couldn't quite understand how the other students could stomach the synthetic sustenance paste, let alone look at it. As they were dismissed by their instructor, Seiichi would be in no rush to get the cafeteria as he chose to be one of the last out of the classroom. Unfortunately, he still needed to eat and would reluctantly go to the cafeteria.

One of the only benefits of artificial nutrition compounds is the fact that the last scoop of goop is just as good as the first one. Cold or hot, the grey matter served by the cafeteria affected Seiichi's grey matter the same way. Prior to this, he had only seen this type of food being served to the garrison soldiers and the poor citizens of his homeworld during the war time rationing. He, along with the rest of the upper class of Oppnaris, had access to food with actual flavor and texture. The farmlands under Kapteyn's Star did not produce much but the fruits of its harvest placated his mercurial tendencies. Fortunately, one of the other benefit of this slime's staunch structure was its application for architectural art pieces. Perhaps today he would form his villa from memory.

As Seiichi sat down at his preferred table, the fellow students in his lunch group had already finished up and started chatting among each other. He would flash them a quick courtesy smile before returning to his neutral expression, not even stating a hello to anyone there. His relationship with them had been established as one of tolerated co-existence as he never bothered to learn their names and he was certain they didn't as well. It seemed pointless to make niceties with others you'd probably only interact with one hour everyday. Heck, he barely remembered his household servants' names and they served Seiichi for all three meals each day. Speaking of which, the final form of his food had finally been achieved. To his disappointment, the paste did not hold his villa construct intact for too long.

A slope of slop for Seiichi Cepheid's subsistence solely sustained.