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Zoey Boey female Member

straggler

STATUS: im 26 now 10 mos ago
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10 mos ago
Current im 26 now
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1 yr ago
is this thing on
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2 yrs ago
Cassandra Cain
3 yrs ago
im 24 now
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3 yrs ago
Back home. I need a breather, lol.
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Spider-Man is my favorite superhero

Most Recent Posts

In World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover) → 3 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Sakura Level 11: 52/110
Location: Charge Partitioning back streets -> Walking around the Low Tier.
Word Count: 1,927
Points Gained: 3
New EXP Balance--- Level 11: 55/110




Sakura sat up on a public bench along the streets of Esaka, setting her feet on the seat and placing the rest of her on the top of the back.

”...and some people don’t like the idea, of that, I think. Not being the ‘real’ version of themselves? But I have a hard time seeing it that way. Just because I don’t remember what I’ve been up to all this time, doesn’t mean I’m not the real me. I remember my entire life before all of this happened, you know? Feel the same feelings about it.” Sakura said.

”But what I have been, what all of us have been, is stuck. This world, and almost everyone in it, unable to grow, and to build a future. That’s what taking memory away does.” Sakura looked up the sky.

Then she rubbed her chin. ”If I had to guess, I’ve probably been fighting around Esaka all this time, occasionally running off to find Ryu-san. Probably getting smoked occasionally in tournament fights that go too far without anyone realizing, or picked off by the dangers of the outside world. Until the Seekers came along, that was probably my loop.” She shook her head and chuckled.

”Heavy stuff, huh, Ei-san? But then again, it’s possible this is the first time I’ve been put in the world, too. I have no idea if there’s a way to know for sure. Regardless, I’m free of it now, and I intend to be a part of the team to win it all.” Sakura said. ”Smash Galeem to bits and restore everything to the way it was.”

”Sorry. I started rambling. Where was I in my, like, explanation? Or do you have any questions? At this point I’ve heard the spiel like a dozen times.” She scratched her head.

All the while, Ei listened with an expression of utmost solemnity, with all the gravitas of a judge in court, as she stared out across the fishscale-shingle roofs of the Low Tier, like a shoal of carp endlessly circling the rest of the city. Beyond it lay a beautiful natural landscape, particularly in the west where the cherry blossom trees atop the twin peaks of Mount Yongou bloomed in radiant pink abundance.

After a moment, Ei gave her thoughts. “You admit your life has worth, and that you deserve to live. I feel the same way. Yet you fight on toward a goal that will end in self-destruction.” From the way she said it, it sounded less like a critique and more like an admission that she felt perplexed.

“There are many things wrong with this world. To change and to grow are synonymous with being alive, and being robbed of that…it is not the same. Yet, I can see the logic.” Her gaze settled on a couple little, round birds as they came to rest on an eave nearby. “There are certain things all of us hold dear. Things, places, people we love, perhaps grew up with. But time goes on. Heroes grow old and wither away, replaced or forgotten. Once glorious realms change hands or fade into obscurity. Old favorites never return.”

Ei’s expression turned downcast. “I’m sure there’s some part of us all that pines for those lost loves. That would pay dearly for their return and continuance. That yearns to witness them in new stories, to see growth and change, to see them shown to fresh eyes and experience the recognition they deserve. Even if none of it is truly authentic…it tastes good enough. It still satiates the longing. The nostalgia. Fills the holes those lost loves left behind.” Ei paused thoughtfully. “Maybe that’s what Moebius really is. A wistful…craving. A dangerous dream.”

After a moment, she gestured to the city. “And here, all those things can return as many times as they please. A grand toybox of playthings that never tarnish. Here, their fond memories mean that all their lost loves can live on, and on, and on. Even if it’s not quite the same.” Ei shook her head, then gave an awkward, somewhat resigned laugh. “Haha…really makes you think, huh?”

Sakura dropped from her perch and casually flopped her head against Ei’s lap as she started to lay on the bench. ”It’s like when you finish a really good anime or something, and you’re like, ‘man, I wish i could wipe my memory and watch it all over again!’” Sakura said.

”But then it’s like, if you actually could, wouldn’t you just do the same thing again? And then it’s like you’re just sitting there watching the same thing, over and over again. You’ll never finish it. And then it’s like, if you never finish it, if you can never reflect on it, you never really watched it at all.” Sakura said.

For a brief moment Ei seemed startled, or at least surprised, by Sakura’s choice of headrest. After a few seconds, though, she smiled and tousled the girl’s short brown hair, like a grandmother might do to her grandchild. “That’s certainly one way to put it.”

Sakura smiled and pointed a finger up at Ei. ”And what do you mean, self-destruction? Worst case scenario I get my memory wiped. Already had it happen who knows how many times. What’s one more?” Sakura raised an eyebrow.

”Lost loves, lost places, forgotten memories…” Sakura shook her head. ”I’m not even twenty! I’m barely getting started over here. And my little brother probably doesn’t even exist right now. And my parents, my friends, all have so much more to give, too.” Sakura made a dismissive gesture. ”Nuh uh. Nope. No way. This whole thing is a universal karmic scam.”

That got a chuckle out of Ei. “Well…if there’s anything I do know, it’s that I want you to keep living, miss Sakura. If not for this world we would have never met, but now it’s like we’re friends. And it’d make me happy to keep doing…you know, friend-ly things with you. Despite the, er, circumstances.” The lady brightened up a little. “Oh, like dango! I passed a dango stall this morning…well, I did a lot more than pass it, I suppose. No matter, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind a repeat customer. Or a brand new one, if…you’re interested?”

Sakura smiled, and sat up straight to look at Ei. ”Dango? Here? How’d I miss that?” Sakura said. ”I’d love to!”

A beat.

”If you’re buying.” She added, flatly.

Ei winced a little as she smiled. “Well, eheh, it’s only fair.”

The two got a move on, quickly losing their view of the gorgeous Mount Yongou in the distance. In its place they received the full experience of wandering through the Low Tier, an unpredictable maze of narrow, irregular cobbled streets and blended architectural styles with few to no identifiable landmarks. Given the sheer size and cluttered chaos of Esaka’s downmost district, it was no wonder that Sakura had managed to miss a solitary dango cart somewhere. The greater mystery by far was how the newcomer Ei managed to internalize its location–clearly the lavender-clad lady had her priorities straight. It did take a while to actually track the cart down again, but the friends didn’t mind getting a little lost together. Wherever they happened to go, they found hole-in-the-wall restaurants giving off tantalizing aromas, little shops selling unique knickknacks, and street fights between gimmicky Low Tier fighters working off some steam. This place was nothing if not diverting.

Eventually, the two did find their destination, a rustic wooden stall tucked away in a hazy little alley where the mochi pounders could swing their mallets in peace without accidentally clobbering any passers-by. The stall, run by a handful of sentient cats, offered a plethora of colorful, steamed, glutinous pounded rice spheres on sticks, and visitors could choose any three dango they wanted to slot onto their sticks. There were dango covered in syrup, coated with sugar or sesame seeds, glazed, smeared with nut paste, wrapped in seaweed, grilled, fried, charred, rolled in flour, filled with veggies or tofu, flavored with mugwort, and more.

Ei went for a time-tested favorite: the classic pink, white, and green hanami dango. She also got three of them. When she asked how much she owed, however, the felyne behind the counter stiffened up for a moment, rubbed its eyes, then clapped its paws together. “Actually, mew are in luck! You’re our hundredth customer today, so we’re treating you to five sticks of dango on the house. Paw-lease enjoy!”

“Wow, how lucky!” Ei glanced at Sakura. “That means you get two! Which ones do you want?”

”Yeah! What? That’s crazy.” Sakura said. Something about this was suspicious. Did people act weird around Ei, or was it just her imagination? But it was impossible to turn down free food.

”Um, thanks?” Sakura said. ”I’ll have the Hanami Dango and the Mitarashi Dango. Sakura said, pointing up two fingers. ”Please!”

Sakura held the sweet treats, one stick in each fist. ”I’ve never gotten any free stuff like that, before.”

When the martial artist turned to address Ei, she found that her friend had already disposed of an entire stick’s worth of dango, causing her cheeks to bulge out comically as she worked her way through the chewy treat. “Shee, it’sh not all bad.” Realizing her bad manners, Ei held a hand over her mouth as she quickly swallowed. “Er, my apologies. I guess my sweet tooth is showing.”

”Impressive stuff, Ei-san.” Sakura said sagely.

Since the alley was a bit steamy and humid thanks to the dango cart, the two left the side-street with their spoils and stood out in front of a small grocery store where several monochromatic people of different shapes and sizes were shopping. Ei wasted no time in scoffing down another dango, but as she chewed her gaze wandered above the buildings toward Esaka’s higher tiers. Once she finished, she cleared her throat and gave Sakura a curious look.

“So…if your friends are going to be taking the fight to Consul R, are you planning to challenge Esaka’s consul, as well?”

”I…don’t know.” Sakura admitted. ”Right now, I’m just focusing on winning the tournament.”

”If the Consuls get in the way, we’ll go through them if we have to. IF there’s any plan to, y’know, take them out early, then I wouldn’t know.” Sakura said. ”...I don’t even know which one is Consul R. I’m pretty sure the spooky lingering person in all of those broadcasts is the Consul assigned to Esaka, though.”

Ei nodded, nonplussed by the news, or lack thereof. “Oh, R is the one I told you that rumor about earlier. Well, in any case, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you guys. And if I see Esaka’s while wandering around, I’ll come straight to you.” Somehow, all her dango had disappeared. In fact, Ei was already looking back in the direction of the steamy alleyway, maybe considering another round. After a moment she abandoned the idea with a longing sigh and gave her friend a faint smile. “Heading back up to watch some more Pools matches I guess. See you later, Sakura.”

Sakura huffed. There was something melancholic when a hangout session with friends was coming to an end. Even when you would certainly see them and do it all over again.”...Alright! I’ll see you around! Wish me luck. I hope this candy doesn’t get in the way.” Still holding onto some of her dango, Sakura waved with it and walked backwards waving a little after it had become unreasonable to continue to doing so.
In World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover) → 10 days ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Sakura Level 11: 51/110
Location: Retrocade - > Charge Partitioning back streets
Word Count: 3,762
Points Gained: 4
New EXP Balance--- Level 11: 55/110
ft. Pit - Level: 8 - Total EXP: 377/80


At the request of her friends and allies, Sakura was to find out more. Manipulating Ei-san into giving her more information was starting to feel bad. She had no problem lying to bad guys, but friends? Not so much. But Pit was right. This could be valuable information.

After the last exciting game, Sakura used some of her money to buy the two of them mysterious arcade sugary beverages.

”Hey! Um. Ei-san.” Sakura began casually. ”Would you rather be enveloped in a comfortable ignorance? Or, like, uh, be confronted by a harsh reality?” Sakura asked, making slow, deliberating gestures with her hands.

”Just, like. Hypothetically in general. I have a secret that I’m not sure if I should tell someone.”

Ei accepted the soda and took a liking to it straight away, her facing practically lighting up as the refreshing, saccharine drink graced her tongue. The question that Sakura chased it with did not net such an immediate positive reaction, but Ei chose to roll with it, presuming that this rather random style of conversation was simply a social norm she had yet to experience.

“Hm. That’s rather simple,” Ei replied off-handedly. “No matter how pleasant it might be, a lie is a lie. Ultimately, the act of deception necessitates a victim, and I do not intend to be anyone’s victim.” She paused a brief moment for another sweet, carbonated sip. “Reality, meanwhile, is something we must all come to terms with, however harsh and painful. Overcoming reality’s cruelty is the wellspring of all strength.”

Sakura nodded mutely. ”...Okay! Wow, good answer. Follow up question.” Sakura offered her a sip of her own drink. ”Between the two, what’s your favorite flavor, red or blue?”

Although never one to turn down a sweet drink, Ei took a much more delicate, reserved taste of Sakura’s drink compared to her own. She smacked her lips lightly and narrowed her eyes while staring off into space, as if engaged in an extravagant wine-tasting. “Both are intriguing. They don’t remind me of any fruit or natural flavor in particular. Were I to choose one, however, I think blue is my preference.”

”They’re supposed to be cherry and raspberry.” Sakura said. ”Buuut, you’re probably still right about no natural flavoring.”

”Well, Ei-san. Have anything else planned for the afternoon? Or can I borrow you for one last thing?” Sakura asked.

The lady smiled pleasantly. “Nothing more than wandering around the Pools to view more matches. If you have something else in mind, I’d be happy to accompany you.”

Sakura stifled her instinct to take a deep, preparatory breath. ”Great! In which case, we should meet up with another friend of mine. We like, uh, sparring.” Sakura began. She stood up and began to lead the way, tapping her Link Pearl.

”Hey. Pit-san. It’s me, Sakura. You remember that thing we talked about at Frame Advantage? That activity? Well, I have someone who might want to be involved in that thing we were gonna do. Do you think we could meet up somewhere?” Sakura asked. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face, her heart rate ticking up. Sakura cleared her throat, surprised at the extent of her anxiety.

It took a minute or two for the angel to reply, simply because he wasn't on his own this time. He could have been chattering with other Seekers, or... gathering his thoughts in order to realize what it was that Sakura was hinting at. When his response did come, it was with a tone that was not quite eager, not quite serious, but certainly willing to help.

"Oh, yeah, yup! That thing! Wink!" Which he must have said to make sure Sakura knew he was winking on the other end of the connection. "Where are you now? We could meet in Low Tier, or just outside the city?"

”Uhh, Low Tier.” Sakura said. ”The power company, Charge Partitioning? There’s some quiet infrastructural type areas around there we can meet up at.” Sakura said.

"Charge Partitioning, got it. I'll find my way there now! See you there!"

”Great, okay. See you there.”

By the time Sakura and her new acquaintance arrived, they'd find that Pit had gotten there first. The power company itself would not be their arena, but it was a good place to meet up first due to the hollow metal tower that stretched up from one end of the building. It was not even tall enough to reach the lip of the wall that separated the Low Tier from the Pools, but it was more than good enough to use for a better vantage point than the structure-crowded streets. Pit was perched on one of the beams, one wing curled over his head to shade his face from budding sunshine and the last few raindrops as he spied the area. Once he spotted Sakura and the stranger, he waved from his spot before hopping down and gliding over to them.

”Pit-san!” Sakura waved and jogged over. ”Pit, this is Ei. Ei-san, this is Pit.” She introduced them to each other, then tried to casually wipe her hands off on her jacket.

Not nearly as nervous as Sakura, Pit smiled and stuck out his hand for a greeting. "Nice to meet you!" he chirped.

“Good afternoon,” Ei replied with an affable bow of her head.

He gave Ei a once over to see if he could spot what Sakura saw in the woman that made her want to free Ei. She was probably really strong, since looks could be deceiving. Or maybe she was just really friendly and had some other cool power. Speaking of looks, though Ei seemed to be really pretty, the dark glasses she wore obscured her face - on top of being an odd choice for a rainy day.

"What's up with the glasses?" he asked directly with a tilt of his head. "It's not that sunny yet... oh! Are you like incognito?"

Ei tittered, one hand held to her mouth. “Although they are called sunglasses, it’s not the sun they guard against specifically; it is brightness. The clouds veil the sun today, but they were still quite bright, practically white in color. So, as counter-intuitive as it might seem, it is not so strange to wear shades on a cloudy day.” She pursed her lips in an apologetic smile. “Of course, it doesn’t help that I tend to spend most of my time in dim lighting inside. I’m something of a shut-in, in fact, so l’m seldom out and about. Sakura has been kind enough to show me around Esaka.”

"Huh. I guess that makes sense," Pit said. He really had no reason to refute it anyway, though it was a much more boring explanation than having a secret identity. He switched gears quickly, shooting a grin at Sakura. "Yeah, she's a great tour guide isn't she!"

Her rundown on the city's culture, the tournament structure, the yokai, and everything else had been pretty invaluable, plus she'd been nice enough to show some newbies around the dojos that first day, Pit himself among them. But, gassing the street fighter up for her guide skills was not the point of the three of them getting together right now. Sakura herself looked more like the sooner they got their plan over with the better, and Pit didn't disagree.

He turned slightly glancing over towards another road a block away, headed towards a quieter area where shops and houses gave way to chain gates and industrial buildings.

"I think I found a good spot for... um, our activity!" the angel said. This time he did not wink, visible or otherwise, but he did look from Sakura to Ei as the awkwardness of their roundabout way of alluding to beating someone up started to sink in. Pit had freed three people in Esaka so far, if he remembered right. One had already been in battle, but the other two he'd challenged himself. If Sakura wasn't being forthcoming, maybe Ei wasn't a fighter after all? "...do you like fighting, Ei? Like sparring and stuff?"

The lady clasped her hands behind her back as she considered the question, her long indigo braid waving in the light breeze as she walked alongside the others. “I don’t necessarily enjoy fighting myself, and prefer to watch others compete, but I do have extensive military training. Even if I tend to take a more passive administrative role, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to keep my skills sharp.” She tilted her head slightly. “Is that the ‘activity’ you have in mind?”

Her answer seemed to dispel any hesitation in the angel, and in reply he nodded animatedly. "Yeah! Glad you're up for it! That'll make things so much smoother, right, Sakura?"

”Yeah- yeah it will. Haha.” Sakura said. ”I really have no idea how strong Ei-san is.” Sakura said, and while her back was turned to Ei, as they all walked, she widened her eyes at Pit to impress the statement upon him. One way or the other, she really had no idea. Pit seemed to pick up Sakura's silent message, but as he wasn't worried he only gave her a shrug back.

Then she lightened her tone again. ”And, as a fighter, I’ve been really eager to find out. I guess I was just worried that…I dunno, it would be weird to just do it with you alone, Ei-san.” Sakura said with a weak shrug. ”And if you weren’t up for it, I’d fight Pit-san here instead!” She said. That made sense! Right?!

"Oh yeah, we never ended up sparring together after we said we would," Pit said, recalling their conversation on the first day in Esaka. Sadly now still wasn't the best time for that.

Ei winced slightly as she smiled. “Well, after seeing Sakura’s combat prowess in tournament, I’m rather apprehensive. But I’ll do what I can.”

The trio made their way through the street, eventually ending up in a slightly wider area penned in on one side by harsh steel infrastructure. It was probably as good a place to secretly battle and do some friend hearting as they could find on short notice.

Pit looked around before turning back to the girls. "I don't think we'll bother anyone fighting here."

“People here often fight in far more obstructive places than this,” Ei murmured.

”Yep. This is pretty much what I had in mind.” Sakura said. She stopped and turned and folded her hands behind her back. ”Ahem. So. Ei-san.”

”Fighting hurts and all, but it's a lot of fun. We don’t go all out during spars, of course. Just see what we can do. If you knock the other person off their feet, that’s probably a good time to pull back. But really, we’re all pretty tough, so don’t sweat it.” Sakura said, settling into a comfortable routine.

The lady nodded. “Of course. I’ve spent many hours in the training grounds in Inazuma City. When we spar, we seek not to hurt, but to hone one another.” Standing tall, she held out her hand, and in a slight yellow flash summoned a wooden bokken to hand and adopted a defensive stance reflexively. “My hand-to-hand is very rusty, so I hope you’ll permit me the use of a blade.”

”I didn’t expect it, but I’m happy for it.” Sakura said with a stretch.

"Fine with me!" Pit said, summoning his own weapon. He passed the grip of his bow from hand to hand, fairly casual with it. Even if Ei turned out to be a lot stronger than she implied, with both himself and Sakura taking her on he didn't think it would be an issue. Not to mention if they had to get serious fast to bring her into anti-brainwash range, one friend heart would be all it took to get the woman back up to full health.

He spread out from the others, making a rough triangle that implied this might be a free for all even if the two Seekers would actually be teaming up. Maybe it was a little unfair, but ground rules were less important than destorying new friends and potential allies.

"Everybody ready! Round one... fight!"

Sakura let out a deep breath and got into her fighting stance. Fighting Galeem’ed up people was both predictable and chaotic. The unknown factor of how Ei’s behavior might change when the Curse began to influence her was why she brought Pit along.

”Here we go!” Sakura made a direct beeline towards Ei, her sneakers pounding the street until she came close. Then she shifted right and zipped in. Sakura swatted at warding bokken strikes and ducked away from offensive pokes. The flesh of her forearm met the solid weapon with satisfying, echoing clashes.

After the two exchanged hits a few times, Sakura got a feel for what was going down, the rhythm of the battle. Like always, the worries of the world melted away in a fight. Almost all of them. Sakura became a little jealous every time her angelic friend swooped in to take her place in close combat, or distracted Ei with pressure from his ranged attacks - the latter more frequent. . She began to muscle Pit out of the fight, and put herself between Ei and Pit so he wouldn’t be able to hit Ei without shooting Sakura in the back. Or at least that was her plan, but the light arrows being able to twist around her only slowed them down a little.

Ei fought methodically, but she struggled to keep up at times, so keeping Pit in play to distract Sakura was in her best interests. The lady’s swordsmanship exhibited clear skill, with quick reflexes and disciplined techniques, but she fought like someone who spent a lot more time practicing than fighting in the field. Her attempts to create and maintain space meant that Ei ended up retreating a lot, stuck on the backfoot and unable to properly dissuade fast-paced aggression. For now, the only supernatural ability she seemed to possess was some kind of blitz strike that allowed her to momentarily disappear in a flurry of slashes, but she would always reappear at the exact spot she vanished from. Despite Ei’s efforts, Sakura and Pit definitely had the momentum advantage.

“You’re both so fast,” she found time to gasp, her elegant appearance already somewhat disheveled by all the action. “Won’t you cut me some slack?”

”Yeah, Pit-san!” Sakura said, an edge in her voice. She sent a big fireball his way in case he wasn’t getting the message. One might argue Sakura was giving conflicting signals throughout this whole operation.

He had been more or less oblivious to the street fighter's pushiness, so her sudden turn on him was definitely warranted. The fireball exploded in his face and he fell back with a yelp, tumbling over once before popping back onto his feet not much worse for wear save the new smudges. The forced reset had Pit blinking at Sakura, who could focus entirely on her fight with Ei now, but it still took a couple seconds for him to actually grasp what had her worked up. She was a true martial artist, so of course she'd want to face an opponent herself and test her strength in a fair fight!

"Alright, alright! Slack it is!" Pit called from his new place on the sideline he'd been pushed to. He flopped down into a cross legged sit, his bow still in hand but the dull side thrown back to rest on his shoulder. He also threw out a friendly jeer. "But I'm swapping in if you start losing, Sakura!"

”Fine!” Sakura called out.

But Ei would find that even with one opponent removed, her spar with Sakura would not be any easier given the girl's renewed focus. The blows against the elegant lady began to pile up, and soon she was within that nebulous heart-range.

Looks like it was time to call it early. Sakura stepped in like she was going in hard, only to glide out of range. When Ei flinched, Sakura put her weight into a harsh kick to the leg to sprawl Ei onto the ground. Instead of withdrawing like she said she would, Sakura dashed forward. With an acrobatic aerial cartwheel over Ei, she produced a Friend Heart and plunged it into Ei’s back as she arced over her.

”Hup!!” Sakura landed on her feet, skipped a step, and turned around to watch with wide eyes if her gambit had worked. ”..!”

“Guh!” The sudden impact that smushed her against the ground forced a guttural, very unladylike grunt from Ei. It also sent her sunglasses skittering across the street. When the swordswoman gathered herself and pushed herself up with her arms, however, the eyes that shot a bewildered glance Sakura’s way were a lustrous amethyst purple, vivid in color and deep enough for a man to drown in. She blinked a few times as the afternoon sunlight hit her unshielded eyes, but after a moment she adapted and withdrew into a sitting position. “I…what? Whoa.” Her brow furrowed as her mouth hung slightly open until she swallowed. “This…”

”Yeah.” Sakura rubbed the back of her head and smiled sheepishly. ”We’ve all been there. Welcome to ‘harsh reality,’ Ei-san.” She gave Pit a subtle, grateful nod. Then glanced towards Ei’s distant sunglasses.

”Sorry for tricking you with this whole setup. But I couldn’t call myself a true friend if I kept you in the dark, could I?” Sakura said, sitting down next to Ei on the ground. Her brown eyes met with Ei’s. Any color was better than that horrible dull red, but purple suited Ei especially.

”Turns out, we’ve all got a big, big problem named Galeem. That big pillar of light that zapped us all into this made-up world, and has been wiping our memories over and over again ever since, while its curse keeps us blind to reality. That creepy thing’s got us running around like dolls in a playhouse.” Sakura sighed.

”Me and my friends and allies are here in our plan to stop it. I- I’m not asking for your help. I just wanted you to be yourself. Even if things are…weird now. Sorry about that, too.” Sakura looked away.

After a moment, a reassuring hand descended upon Sakura’s shoulder. “No need to apologize or worry about me. I’ll be alright. I’ve lived a long time. Such firm foundations are not so easily shaken.” Ei’s expression was as serious as an earth-shattering revelation deserved, and a little conflicted, but she gave no signs of despair or depression. “I should thank you, rather, for showing me the truth. I do mean what I said earlier about truths and lies. And…I appreciate what you said about being my friend. Really.”

Ei stood, then extended a hand to help Sakura up in an unnecessary but nice gesture.

Sakura smiled up at her and met her hand with a mighty clap. She pulled up. ”That’s good to hear, Ei-san.” Sakura said.

Pit stayed quiet and let Sakura do her thing, at least until both girls stood up. Then, seeing that things had gone well, he got to his feet himself as his face broke into a wide grin. He dismissed his bow and went towards them in a curve so he could scoop up Ei's sunglasses on his way and hand them back to her.

"Another successful freeing! Nice job!" he said, holding his hand up to give Sakura a high-five. "You too, Ei. Some people take it really hard. Glad your brain's back in the right place!"

Since she had shown she was able to handle herself, Pit considered inviting her to their current short term mission. After a moment he decided it wouldn't hurt to at least fill her in.

"Most of us are on the way to meet up and fight a bad guy that's helping Galeem keep everyone stuck, if you want in," he said. "Doesn't hurt to have more hands on deck! But we'll be fine either way! And when we get back, we can answer any questions you have. There's usually a lot of those."

Sakura was less eager. ”Like I said, you don’t have to help us. It can get pretty dangerous.” Sakura paused. ”...Right now we’re trying to defeat the Consuls who are, like, Galeem’s evil minions. I wanted to ask you more, earlier, about what you knew about this meeting coming up. A Consul coming to town?” Sakura asked.

”But, uh, yeah, if you have questions we’ll be happy to answer them, too. Obviously.” Sakura nodded emphatically.

Ei seemed mildly taken aback by the news. “Oh, that? You guys work fast. Nothing I’ve heard about any consul endears me to them, but if they are as bad as you say, it sounds like you’re doing the right thing. Sadly, I’m not sure I’d be much help on the front lines…but I wish you the very best of luck.” The matter of the Consul led into a question about where Ei got her info, which elicited a furrowed brow as if she were trying to remember. “Um…that’s all I heard, really. I must have just heard about it in passing.” She gave a shrug of resignation, aware that her response wasn’t very useful. “Consuls are an enigma. Shady and mysterious, but brazen and authoritative. It’s only natural that the rumor mill would concern itself with their comings and goings. Right?”

Sakura nodded. ”Okay, good to know. No worries.” She let out a sigh. ”Phew. I’m glad that went okay.” Sakura set a hand on her hip.

”Thanks for stopping by, Pit-san.” Sakura gave him a clap on the shoulder. ”I was so nervous.” She admitted with a little laugh.

"No problem, happy to help!" he said. Though if he didn't want to be late meeting up with everyone else though, he would need to get going again soon. "Are you gonna stay in the city too, Sakura?"

”Esaka? Uh, yeah. I’m still fighting in the tournament, I don’t wanna miss my next match.” Sakura nodded.

That was fair enough, Pit knew the World Warrior bracket was filled to the brim. He gave Sakura a nod of his own, then waved to both her and Ei as he left the two of them to themselves. "Alright! Good luck! And don't worry about us - we'll see you guys later!"

”Um...” Sakura looked at Ei. ”So…yeah! What’s the phrase? Walk and talk. Would you like to walk and talk, Ei-san?”
In Tales From the Spider-Verse // Book One: Spidroin → 1 mo ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Somewhere in the Bronx the night of Saturday, October 4th.






—



In Tales From the Spider-Verse // Book One: Spidroin → 1 mo ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
In World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover) → 2 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Power Stone Games: Extra Stage II

Friday Morning
Location: Esaka's Mid-Tier, Forbidden Kingdom
Word Count: 1864 (+3 exp)

Therion, Rika, & Juri
@Yankee@DracoLunaris@Zoey Boey


The participants (and their hidden fifth) were not technically locked into the extra stage, but the two men positioned at the only exit made it difficult to leave - especially when Dragunov slammed the shop’s door handle with the butt of the handgun, breaking it off. There wasn’t much choice in whether Rika and Therion were going to ‘play’ in this round or not. Fury, the man with the minigun, took a single step forward, hoisted the weapon up so its barrel was just above waist level, and grinned widely as he spoke the first word that either G-Corp contractor had said since entering the games grounds:

“DIE!!”

It took all of the nuance out of him and his partner’s business here, not that the lethal weaponry hadn’t done that already. Fury held the trigger down, spraying bullets at the Seekers he could see as the feeder rapidly ate up the long ammo belt.

Even as he moved to pull the trigger, Rika was already moving, used her maneuvering thrusters to boost forwards and put herself between Therion and Fury as best she could. Bullets slowed around her as they flew, a few bounced off of her energy shielding, but it was clear that wasn’t going to be enough.

Then she brought up her purchased panzer lance and started, of all things, parrying the bullets, deflecting the rapid fire shots to the side with her melee weapon even as it was dented and battered by the blows.

Despite the absurdity of this, Dragunov took it in stride as he strode forwards, looking to get an angle on the girl to shoot her in the side, which her cat-eared partner was not going to let happen.

Therion had backed off when the gunfire started, his full retreat halted only by realizing Rika had a plan when she stepped in front of him, half-baked through it was. So though technically held down with the ship girl for now, he was in a good spot to see Dragunov reposition - and to chuck a fireball his way.

Therion's wildfire spell blazed bright, consuming the mute's field of vision as it hurtled towards him. He was unconcerned by this, as seasoned fighters in Esaka were all well used to dealing with fireballs. He simply raised one arm to swiftly stop the flames, then moved to flick them away into nothingness when he felt something much harder and sharper than magic sink into him. Throwing knives, thrown after the spell and concealed by its path were embedded in Dragunov, two in his right forearm and one in his bicep. Therion had bet on the man dodging the fireball rather than blocking it, and if he had the knives would have been centered around the vital spots in his chest. Dragunov raised a brow. "..."

Fury's manic grin hadn't faded as he gradually shifted from covering the area to focusing his fire only on Rika, his eyes wide and eager to break a hole in her defense and turn the girl into mulch. The reach of the minigun was still wide but the hail of bullets got more intense now that the target was narrowed down, really putting Rika's ability to the test. It also gave Therion just enough of an opening to exploit.

The thief dove out from behind Rika's protection, and in the split second after Fury spotted him but before he could turn the gun on him, Therion pitched the pitfall seed. Its light weight combined with Therion's expert arm meant it connected immediately, poofing out of existence when it touched Fury's chest but also inexplicably sending him to the ground. No, into the ground. He sank up to his belly button so fast that the barrel of the minigun flew up, chewing into the shop's brick wall behind the Seekers and destroying the camera mounted on it. Fury made a noise of outrage as he struggled to escape.

Though if the Seekers wanted to take advantage of the man's downed state, they would have to contend with his partner while doing it. Given weapons to work with, Dragunov pulled the throwing knives out of his arm and threw them right back, two for Therion and one for Rika, though soon after he raised the pistol at the latter to try to finish taking that earlier shot.

Rika used her featherfall rune to leap into the air to avoid the knife, before aim-gliding up there, slowing her fall as she brought her batter lance to bare. She pointed it towards the ground-stuck Fury, and then crushed a trigger on its handle beneath a finger of her gauntlet.

From the tip of the lance, an anti-tank missile went flying towards the trapped would-be assassin, while the shipgirl herself was sent flying backwards from the recoil, turning what had been an easy target into a much trickier one. A round flew past where she was, and then one aimed at where she would be was slowed too much by her dated sunglasses granter aura to hit her.

Then she smacked into the back wall, dropping the now scrap metal lance which clattered to the floor as she grabbed the wall, clinging to it for a moment.

Below her, the battle did not slow down. Her missile struck Fury just as he'd dropped the minigun in order to use both arms to force himself out of the hole, the man himself looking up at the noise with an expression of surprise that quickly morphed into something more like excitement. His manic grin could be glimpsed for a moment before the explosion swallowed it up.

Immediately beforehand, Therion had dodged the first knife and caught the other by the handle. He spun it into a reverse grip and darted for Dragunov. The G-corp affiliate let him approach while he shot at (and missed) Rika, after which he stowed the pistol and met Therion's imminent assault with his fists. Therion slashed at the man with swift movements, though Dragunov proved to be an agile evader. The thief seemed to be getting nowhere until the Russian threw one fist forward that brushed aside Therion's knife-wielding arm, and in the next moment a point-blank Fugetsu formed from Therion's free hand and burst between the two of them. Intending to start a round of debuffing, Therion struck first with Abate.

Even slowed, Dragunov was no slouch. He didn't allow another one of Therion's weakening skills to touch him as he twisted out of the way of the next, flowing from that motion into a powerful left hook. The punch caught Therion by surprise, staggered long enough that Dragunov's follow up of a knee strike with his right leg easily connected and sent Therion stumbling back.

And at that point the dust and debris from the exploding missile began to fade, and in center stood a muscular silhouette. Fury -injured, alive, and inexplicably in one piece- swiped at the lingering dust cloud to dramatically clear the air, belting out a laughter-like roar. "Raaaaaaaahahaha!"

He picked up one of the wooden crates around the arena and chucked it at the shipgirl like she was a fly on the wall he wanted to squish, forcing the girl to leap to the side evasively as it smashed against the wall and a random item fell out.

The brute bent to pick up the minigun and use the last of its ammo up when something stirred in the corner of his vision. A spider descending from the ceiling, looking to punish him. Falling like an anvil, Juri picked her moment and drove her foot into the back of Bryan’s neck to crush him into the floor. Pinning him, she twisted her foot to crack his neck, and then flipped off him to kick him in the skull and knock him away.

That oughta make him sore. ”Didja like that? There’s plenty more where that came from. Why don’tcha play with me, instead?” Juri asked, beckoning him back towards her with her finger.

He wobbled to his feet after the surprise assault, flexing his neck the opposite way to release a satisfying pop before rubbing at it with one hand. Fury turned to look at the newcomer, eyes flicking up and down her body with a smile. Perhaps he sensed something in common between them. "Han, right?" He cracked his knuckles, happily disregarding the ship girl to take on a more interesting opponent. "Hahahaha, come on then!"

He wasn't the only one surprised by Juri's sudden entrance. "Juri?!"

”I’m popular with all the boys today!” Juri crowed. Juri rushed forward and began engaging with Bryan.

In the middle of contending with Dragunov (which mostly meant doing his best to keep away from the man while looking for an opening to strike back), Therion glanced her way for just a moment. Where the hell had she even come from? The thief supposed he was glad to see her either way if it meant that he and Rika had backup.

Dragunov moved to rush Therion down, but in an effort to catch the Russian off guard Therion drove toward him in kind. His body glowed with his Battle Boost, amping his strength and reducing damage against him just before trading blows. They were both glancing, Dragunov's fist grazing the thief's face and Therion's dagger -replacing the smaller throwing knife- scratching Dragunov's side. But while Dragunov whirled around to continue fighting, Therion disengaged again. He kept moving forward, vaulting over Bryan while the man was focused on Juri and tapping his palm on the man's bare skin to set his Armor Corrosive. If Juri was looking to make this guy hurt, then she'd be even more successful at it with Fury's defense lowered.

When he landed he found that Dragunov had caught back up with him thanks to a peculiar low roundhouse, the fighter's leg raised as he spun and then slamming down like a scorpion's tail that struck Therion's kneecap, crippling the limb. Therion let out a pained hiss as he went down, and not a moment later Dragunov flung him away with a straight kick to his chest.

Dragunov looked over his shoulder at Juri. He was still slowed, so rather than take her on in melee at the same time as Fury he reached behind him to grab the pistol tucked into his waist band. At least that's what he intended to do, but his fingers touched only air. He blinked when he realized the weapon was missing. "..."

”As if!” Juri had already reacted, even if the threat was null. She managed a kick on Fury’s face and spun, the resulting whirlwind sucking both of him and Dragunov towards her, before she slammed both of them away. Juri, because she had waited, of course, was fresh. At that point she realized that someone, probably Therion, had disarmed Dragunov without his notice.

Juri scoffed. ”Not that I’m scared of whatever peashooter you had, anyway. You ugly mute freak. C’mon, I’ll take you both on.” The arrogant Spider smirked, her stance low as she got ready to go on the attack once more. In Juri’s mind, things were about to get serious.
In World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover) → 2 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Sakura Level 11: 51/110
Location: Retrocade
Word Count: shortt
Points Gained: 1
New EXP Balance--- Level 11: ??/110

–

Despite her apparent shyness, Sakura found Ei-san was a good game partner.. Sakura only had more wins overall because of her experience, but once Ei got the hang of the game and its rules, the winrates evened out between them. Sakura was very impressed. Skee-Ball, Air Hockey, Pinball.

The only exception were, unfortunately, the actually fun games. Not that Skee-Ball and Air Hockey and Pinball weren’t great, but Ei-san was having real trouble understanding how to operate the vehicles in racing games. Sakura didn’t even have her drivers license, and teaching people how to drive was more difficult than she thought. At some point she couldn’t even remember which one was the break and which one was the gas, she had gotten so turned around with instruction.

While she was having a good time hanging out with Ei, at some point Kasugano Sakura had to excuse herself. ”I will be right back. I… have to use the facilities. By myself.” Sakura said, totally inconspicuously.

Sakura hurried into the Retrocade’s bathroom and made sure she was by herself. Huddling up in a stall she put her finger to her ear and activated her cool linkpearl to talk to the rest of the seekers. ”Hey all, Sakura here. I am reporting in to say I got a piece of info. Apparently, a new Consul is going to be meeting up with the ones here in Esaka. Someone short and ill-tempered from the north and west? So watch out for that. Okay, that’s all I got. Sakura out!” She reported in. After a brief pause, she nodded, satisfied. Halting only to wash her hands, she rushed out of the bathroom to rejoin her friend.
In Young Justice → 2 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
The Incorrigible Iceburn!




“Of course,” Pei said in her ‘Li’ voice. Lower, smoother, flattening out the Rhelasian accent and some of her own scratch. “If anything, you and I are behind the times. Today, I’m playing catch up.” She said. Pei decided Li was the type to respond to authenticity with authenticity of her own. At least, it seemed like Origami was genuine in that moment. Now would be a bad time to lie, and she hadn’t held her punches on some of the others.

When the interaction ended, and Pei realized she had ‘done well’ in Origami’s eyes, she let out a pleased, girlish giggle.

”Teehee~!”

By the time anyone looked back at her, she was completely stone faced once more, glaring in return.

“...”

After the recovery, Pei offered a pleased raise of her eyebrows towards the enigmatic Red X. His character seemed to have the most lore, which was awesome. Hopefully not dangerous.

On the aircraft ride over, Pei googled what ‘Fulgora’ meant. Ah, okay, that makes sense.

”Your real alias kinda sounds more evil than Fulgora, now that I’ve seen what Fulgora means. I guess ‘Fulgora’ has ‘gore’ in it though, which is pretty ominous.” Pei said. Pei remembered the first time she met Cora- on the jet ride over to the island. She offered Cora an encouraging nudge of the elbow. ”Hey. See you on the other side, huh? Thanks for watchin’ out for me.” Pei said with a smile. Then she looked over at the newest member of the team, (Pei had already started thinking about Origami in such a way) and shared the smile with her without much thought. For some reason, perhaps the unusual circumstances, this act made Pei shy. She looked away and cleared her throat to start putting on her new Meilin Li character.

---

By the time the aircraft landed, she was as in character as she was going to get. On the inside, she was nervous, but she was going to make sure her mask didn’t sleep. It wasn’t hard to play pretend. Especially when it came to something as important as this mission.

Once there, Meilin looked around. She recognized everyone from the dossier, but some of these villains needed no introduction. Meilin gave Fulgore a glance. “Don’t try to enjoy yourself too much, party animal.” She replied sarcastically.

Grabbing a drink of ice cold water, Meilin took a sip and surveyed the field. She needed an ‘in’. Something light and casual. As a fraud, she had nothing real to offer these people. Shimmer, Mammoth, and that group were already spilling secrets all on their own. Meilin thought about leaving that to an eavesdropper. But she thought she had an ‘in.’ A chance to make a good first impression, perhaps. The other alternative was the mysterious Cheshire. When she considered who else might approach Cheshire, Meilin thought she herself would be one of the better options.

It was right around then when Meilin Li and Cheshire’s eyes met, only for a moment. Meilin raised an eyebrow. Cheshire was like a perched cat overlooking everything. The choice was made for her, then. Meilin let the ghost of a smirk dance not across her lips, but her eyes, and turned away. Her eyes flitted about, and she found the stairs. Someone like her, all by her lonesome, not even trying to talk to someone. Could she be the buyer? Or here on the buyer’s behalf? Or maybe she was just bored. Meilin thought she could relate.

As Meilin walked over, she turned her head halfway towards Fulgora. With a dismissive wave of her hand, she told her bodyguard to keep her distance. “I’ll not be shackled to you.” She said. “Don’t eavesdrop.”
Finding the stairs to the upper floor, Meilin Li weaved slowly, casually, through the disparate crowds, not trying to hide her approach from Cheshire. Indeed, she was being wry about it.

“You seem keen.” She said, as she approached. “Or bored.” She leaned against the balcony, back first with the back of her elbows against the railing. Pei supposed someone could easily push her over. Whether Meilin was ignorant of this fact, or self-assured that no one would dare touch her, Pei would let Cheshire decide.

“May I ask which? Or are you the only one allowed to size people up?” Meilin Li asked. As she did, she looked back down at her drink and took a sip. Ice cold.
In World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover) → 2 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Sakura Level 11: 048/110
Location: Retrocade
Word Count: 1790
Points Gained: 3
New EXP Balance--- Level 11: 051/110

–
At any given moment, the Retrocade could be counted on to supply a constant, yet unpredictable stream of background noise. Tires squealed and engines roared from the racing games, shooting games belted out a torrent of cartoonish gunfire, crane games gave off cheery carnival music, and bowling balls struck down pins in sudden, loud clatters. Smoothing back her indigo hair, Ei tried to shut it out and concentrate. She took a deep breath, adjusted the grip of her thumb, index, and middle fingers on her pusher, and with a deft motion gave the puck its first strike. Clack!

The game was on. It quickly became apparent that Ei's delicate and dignified appearance belied surprising dexterity and hand-eye coordination. Her eyes were sharp, and movements even sharper. Her pusher moved with the grace and precision of a chef's knife as she focused mostly on defense and quick returns rather than geometric trickshots. Of course, given who she was up against, her natural talents were by no means a guaranteed win. Sakura's excellent physical condition and motor skills translated to air hockey quite well, so their game was pretty competitive. For now, though, it was still just a game, with neither side taking it too seriously. Clack, clack, clack, clack!

Sakura giggled though her teeth, setting them on her stuck out tongue as she ramped up her effort to keep up with Ei's pace. Sakura was extremely competitive by nature, but she could afford to match Ei's effort with something like air hockey.

Unlike Ei, though, making the puck do unusual, crazy things was Sakura's favorite part of the game. "Winding Mountain Path Attack!" She called out with gusto, smacking the puck into a wall at high speed. It bounced back and forth from wall to wall as it zipped towards Ei.

"Super Hook Strike!" When the ball came her way again, Sakura fired it nearly at the far corner, so that it would bounce right towards the goal at the last moment.

"Nice!" Sakura was enthused everytime Ei sent the puck back towards her.

After a few surprisingly tense, back-and-forth moments, someone finally scored. Ei reacted impulsively to one of Sakura's trickshots, too fast if anything, and slid her pusher out too fast as the puck zipped by. That left her goal open as the disc then rebounded off the rink's edge and disappeared into the slit. For a split second Ei just stared, not sure what had happened, before the clink of the disc in her receptacle confirmed her suspicions. "Oh, rats." She pulled the puck out of the machine's underbelly and placed it back on the table, none too bothered. "Let's try again. I have plenty of fight left in me!"

Taking a moment, Ei studied the air hockey rink like a battlefield, though the real battle was reading her opponent. With very few elements in play, this was a mind game as much as it was an arcade game. She felt like she had a pretty good read on Sakura as a person, but what she'd do was a different matter. A test of her reflexes, then. Ei didn't necessarily shine in the scramble, but a decisive first strike? That she could do.

Striking like a bolt of lightning, the lady sent her puck hurtling across the board, bouncing twice with near-perfect precision. "Storm the front!"

Sakura swept her puck across, squeezing the puck against the rim, where it unfortunately clattered right into her own home goal. "What a neutral skip! Are you sure you aren't a fighter?" Sakura asked with a smile, putting her puck back on the table.

Then she swung her pusher forward, missing the puck entirely in a kind of feint move. She pointed across the table at Ei to see if she flinched. "Ah?"

Ei tensed, but stopped just short of actually reacting. She couldn't suppress a wry smile as she shook her head. "You're mean."

Sakura tapped the side of her own head. "It's a mental game, Ei-san!" Sakura swung her pusher around the front of her puck for another fake, did a full circle, and smacked her puck forward. The end result was a hit that was less than impressive as the puck floated towards Ei. The street fighter admitted it with a cheeky shrug.

"Hey, what's that behind you!" Sakura pointed over Ei's shoulder.

"Nothing but my past!" There was a chance that this softball was some sort of triple-layered trick, but if it really was just an ordinary fumble, Ei wanted to take advantage. As the puck glided her way, Ei quickly set up her next move, then unleashed a calculated swipe. Her puck zipped forward, just off-angle enough to slide by Sakura's defensive strike. It bounced off the far wall just an inch or two away from scoring, hit Sakura's pusher from behind, and bounced right back into the goal.

"Wah!" Sakura let out a small noise of alarm.

"Yes!" A sudden surge of giddy, almost adorable glee overtook Ei, which she did her best to stamp down as fast as possible as she cleared her throat and straightened her hair. "Ahem! I just mean, this is quite fun."

The puck clattered into Sakura's holding area where she could grab it. Sakura smiled, though her brow furrowed. "...Nothing but your-?" In the heat of the moment, Sakura's brain shorted out.

"Oh, I get it! Right." She lightly smacked her own forehead and retrieved her puck. She was happy to see Ei so happy, but, Sakura's pride demanded she at least keep up with her opponent.

Once Sakura retrieved the puck, the game continued, and it wasn't long before the momentum turned back in the martial artist's favor. Ei didn't sweat it, though, and in fact she did not attempt to repeat her more impressive feats from before. Once Sakura got a couple more goals and the two really got into the rhythm of the game, neither managed to score for a while. That gave them both a chance to talk and try to distract one another, playing into the mental game Sakura mentioned. For the most part it was just casual chatter, but out of the blue Ei mentioned something worth her friend's attention.

"Oh, did you hear the rumors?" the lady asked. "One of those Consuls is supposed to visit Esaka today, probably to meet with the city's own. Supposedly it's that short, ill-tempered one who rules to the north and west. Very clandestine. Can't help be curious about whatever they're getting up to, right?"

"Really?" Sakura stood up straighter, ceasing her prowling stance over her end of the table. Another Consul. Getting a little nugget of info like this, Sakura couldn't help but feel a little foolish she hadn't even wondered if Ei might know anything about anything like this.

"Yeah, I do really wonder." Sakura said. Then, she switches gears. Something about asking questions like this made Sakura uncomfortable, but she had to try. "Like, what do you know about those Consuls, anyway?" Sakura asked.

"They're pretty mysterious, but, aren't they supposed to be ruling the world?" Sakura asked. The thought of trying to Friend Heart Ei passed Sakura's mind. But what if, for whatever reason, Sakura couldn't close the deal? That would be a worst case scenario. She put the idea out of her mind for now.

"Not much, I'm afraid." As she continued to smack the puck back and forth, Ei mulled over the question. "I suppose. Every city has a mayor, and every nation has a sovereign, but the Consuls do seem shadier than most. No elections, no accountability, no checks and balances that I'm aware of." She pursed her lips as she chose her words carefully, perhaps wary of some sort of surveillance. "I've seen my fair share of dictatorships, but if the Consuls truly do rule from the shadows, I...can't say I have much faith in their governance."

"Hah. Yeah. Me neither." Sakura nodded. "Not to mention their boss." She said, her tone souring as she made a loud series of clacks with the puck as she ricocheted it from rim to rim.

"Ping ping!" The kinetic action cheered her up again almost immediately. Sakura checked the score. "I wonder how much time we got left on this thing."

"Boss...?" When Sakura directed her gaze toward the table's electronic scoreboard, Ei saw that she currently had three points to her friend's four. That was not the realization that surprised her, though. "Wait, there's a time limit?" She pulled the puck out from her receptacle and slapped it back down on the table. "Ready yourself then, Miss Kasugano. I have not lost yet!" With determined vigor she wound back and sent the puck bouncing toward her opponent, sacrificing defense for power. One way or another, this would be over soon.

"At the arcade? There's always a time limit, Ei-san." Sakura said. That had been so obvious to her she hadn't even thought to mention it. Sakura squared her shoulders. "I'm ready for you!" Any chat about Galeem could wait. Sakura and Ei were playing a serious game, now!

With a block that sent vibrations shooting up her fingers, Sakura met the oncoming puck with her pusher. The force of the block and the speed of the puck sent it careening back towards Ei! When defense and offense blurred into one, air hockey quickly spiralled out of control.

Alas, it was all for naught. After a few seconds of high-speed action, the air hockey table abruptly went dark, the air current from its surface shut off. Ei let out a groan of disappointment as the puck slid to a stop in front of her; she tried to bat it back at Sakura, but it barely got anywhere before the friction halted it again. "We can count that as your win," Ei declared. "But I'd like to go again and even the score."

Sakura let out a sigh of relief, and then pumped her fists. "Good game!" She said.

As for Ei's request for a runback, Sakura nodded vigorously. "If you want! I'd never one-and-done someone."

"Loser gets first puck." She said, leaning forward and making sure the puck was at Ei's side before the air ducts turned back on. Why ruin a good time with politics?!
In Tales From the Spider-Verse // Book One: Spidroin → 2 mos ago Forum: Casual Interest Checks
In World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover) → 2 mos ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
Sakura Level 11: 045/110
Location: Pools -> Retrocade
Word Count: 1837
Points Gained: 3
New EXP Balance--- Level 11: 048/110

–

In between matches, especially with the rather packed schedule that was typical for a World Warrior competitor, it was always a good idea to stay warmed up. Friendly sparring wasn't really a thing in Esaka due to Galeem's curse, which tended to turn every altercation into a life-or-death struggle, but there were other ways to keep oneself ready. A number of the Pools tier's bigger rest areas offered a Mokujin training dummy or two, which could be adjusted to do things like block or jump in for combo or anti-air drills, and any stages that happened to be vacant were perfect for drills.

Of course, some fighters stayed in the zone by talking strategy with one another, or by chatting with fans. Today's bouts were all still qualifiers, but with the herd thinned by several rounds of Pools matches the stronger, more high-profile competitors were more prominent. Most High Tier duelists had a retinue of fans in their corner for each match, and even some Low Tiers who'd managed to stay afloat for this long had managed to amass a loyal following. That went for Sakura as well, and among the mixed bag of people and yokai who showed up to cheer her on, she could count on one steadfast supporter to have her back: the elegant lady with the indigo braid, Ei. Sheltered from the rain by a lavender wagasa, yet still clad in her pixellated sunglasses, Ei was by no means loudspoken but still made her presence known with radiant smiles and gentle claps whenever Sakura pulled off a win.

In the wake of yet another victory, Sakura found herself hounded by a couple of yokai, some trying to get her autograph and others asking entirely too personal questions about her relationships with Karin and Ryu. When Ei strolled up to greet the street fighter, however, the yokai shied away, most bailing on the spot. Ei gave them a bemused glance, then gave Sakura thumbs-up. "Well done, Miss Kasugano. How are you holding up? Anyone else would surely be tired by now."

Sakura brightened at Ei’s approach. Fighting was fun, but the crowds, even the ones on the smaller side like in mid-bracket Esaka matches, were always a bad match-up for Sakura. Given her gregarious personality, one might be surprised to find her so introverted in the face of public scrutiny. Sakura tried doing autographs but didn't have a pen, and once you give out one autographs well, everyone wants one, right?

As for the questions, Sakura could be heard stumbling over her answers or deflecting with her fallback 'no comment!' response.

As Ei-san approached, and the yokai scattered, Sakura let out a sigh of relief.

"Ah, ahaha..." Sakura rubbed the back of her head as Ei-san approached. Sakura appreciated the polite yet steadfast support of her new friend, but was a little embarrassed to have been found in need of rescue like that.

"Oh, I'm- I'm having a blast!" She said, genuinely, with a vigorous nod and a return of two thumbs up. "It's just times like this in particular I wish Karin was here. Or Asuka-chan. She would just tell everyone to scram, and they'd listen to her. Or Ryu-san has this, I dunno, air of dignity and humble grace about him that means even the most overbearing of strangers hesitate to mess with him." Sakura trailed off, thinking about her hero again.

"...I guess you have the same power, Ei-san!" Sakura brightly added after a moment of thought, referring to how the yokai scattered when she approached.

The lady tittered. "Hmhm, maybe! Though I didn't say much of anything. Maybe they just don't like me." Her eyebrows rose above the rims of her sunglasses as she raised her free hand to her face. "Wait, I don't smell or anything, do I? It's easy to lose track of the days sometimes, heh...I really don't get out as often as I should."

"I think the yokai would let you know if they didn't like you." Sakura joked.

"Or, if you, uh...smelled." Sakura said.

It was difficult to tell if Ei was joking or not, but the nervous shadow that passed over her flawless features soon passed. Her gaze shifted upward as she looked beyond the pandemonium of the Pools toward the overcast sky, to the curtains of distant rain and streaks of sun falling across the Fields of Gold, and to the darker, more tumultuous clouds behind the peak to the east. Was a storm brewing, or were the clouds about to part?

"Wind blows, rain falls, and the strong prey upon the weak," she said solemnly, her voice soft. "It can be such a cruel world. But there is beauty to be found too, I think."

Silence fell for a moment, and Sakura followed Ei's gaze out to the vistas beyond. It was beautiful, like always. Sometimes you had to really stop and pay attention to it to appreciate it, though.

The view had Ei feeling existential, Sakura guessed. "Uh, yeah. I think so, too." She looked over at her. "You okay?"

Her question seemed to take Ei by surprise. "Um...." Her high pitch and slightly furrowed brows, and hesitation to meet Sakura's gaze, seemed subtly indicative on their own. "I'll be fine," she decided after a moment before finally turning to Sakura. "It is what it is, right?" An apologetic smile crossed her face. "Sorry, didn't mean to zone out. The way people kill each other here, I don't know if I'll ever get used to it."

Ei used her fingers on her wagasa's handle to spin the canopy back and forth. "I don't suppose you'd know of anything fun to do? Something that could take my mind off...things. I don't mean to monopolize you, of course. I just haven't managed to make any other acquaintances." Her eyes wandered to one of the yokai that had remained in the area after giving her a wide berth. "It seems like most people behave the same way. Like I'm an outsider."

"Oh. Yeah..." Sakura said, trailing off. Wait, how did she know about that? Wasn't the killing and respawning kept secret under Galeem's curse? Was it because she wasn't from Esaka? That must be weird. The only other alternative was impossible, though Sakura did wish she could see through Ei's sunglasses at the moment.

"If it helps, they all like, come back to life, and stuff." Sakura said, clearing her throat. "But yeah, it's pretty weird."

Sakura dismissed any of Ei's guilty concerns. "Hey, don't worry. It's nice to have a friend outside the group I'm with." Sakura said. "There's an arcade not too far from here, the Retrocade? It has lots of cool new arcade games. You play video games, Ei-san?"

The suggestion got Ei curious. "Those words aren't familiar to me. I'm happy to try most anything, though." Smiling, she gestured broadly to the surrounding area. Since she didn't know where they were going, 'anywhere but here' seemed to be the right direction. "Please, lead the way!"

"Follow me!" Sakura beckoned with a grin. She skipped a few steps forward before turning around and walking backwards to warn Ei: "I hope you have zenny on you."

--

As promised, Retrocade was a large arcade venue, with a dark interior thanks to its black-painted walls and reddish galaxy-pattern carpet. A mix of hanging spotlights and LED strips (often tinted with vibrant neon colors) provided much of the illumination, although the dozens of arcade cabinets generated plenty of visual and auditory stimulation. In addition to the cabinets, there were other attractions like crane games, racing games, dance pads, and air hockey. Like most Esakan establishments, Retrocade had its own designated fighting arena, but in a neat twist this one made use of screens and projectors to simulate a variety of backdrops. The arcade machines in here could accept either zenny or Retrocade Cards, which could be stocked up with credits at special terminals by spending zenny, and once guests finished a session their tickets could be exchanged in a prize shop.

Upon entering, Ei seemed rather overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds, each designed to be as loud and garish as possible to steal customers' attention away from the other machines. It also had to be pretty hard to see in here because of her choice in eyewear. "Whoa," she murmured, feeling quite out of place. "This is..."

"Oh yeah," Sakura said, smug, hands on her hips as she surveyed the field. "This is an American style arcade. But the fundamentals are the same all over the world. The arcade is as rad as it gets."

Deciding to spare Ei-san the experience of challenging a fighting game pro like herself, Sakura pointed out a few other things instead. "Air hockey, dancing, light gun. Monster games, space games, sports games. Win tickets, and get prizes!" Sakura said. "Or skip the middle man and try to grab a prize right from the box with the crane game. It's totally rigged." Sakura nodded sagely.

"You see anything here you might be good at?" Sakura asked. "Unsurprisingly, I like the fighting games and the table sports the most. But you can pick anything."

Ei listened at rapt attention as Sakura pointed out the different sorts of entertainment that the establishment had on offer. When she mentioned the crane games being rigged, the lady absorbed the tip with an entirely too serious expression, as if she'd just received grave news about some tragedy. "Despicable. No honor." It was a lot to take in, but having someone to help her make sense of all the stimulating new technologies seemed to help.

When asked what she might be good at, Ei considered her options. "Shooting, racing, not exactly my cup of tea." She turned herself away from the strident sounds of virtual gunfire and squealing tires toward the clack, clack, clack of two players at an air hockey table. Intrigued, she sauntered closer toward an open table. When she ran a hand across the table's surface, she could feel the tiny jets of air almost tickling her skin. "I could give this a try." She turned toward Sakura with a determined smile. "My reflexes are pretty good, so don't underestimate me."

Sakura grabbed a pusher disc and slid it across the table for Ei to grab. "You have good taste, Ei-san. This is a timeless game." The puck itself soon joined as Sakura gave Ei first hit, as it were.

"In case it wasn't obvious, you have to hit the puck into the other persons goal." Sakura said. "And, uh, put some zenny in. The air part of air hockey is going to turn off if it isn't appeased with coin." Sakura said. "...You are rich, right?" She teased.

"Uh..." Ei smiled sheepishly. "A bit? I mean, I'm happy to cover us." She pulled out enough zenny to satiate the table's slot, then took up her pusher. Once the table lit up and air flow began, the game was on.
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