Persona: Fallen Paradise (RPG Thread, PG-13)

[storymasterb]

XVI - Alistair Blake
Jasmine Cafe, 7th Street
20.7.2012

"Alistair, customer!"

Having just finished serving the young couple their food and headed back to the alcove, Alistair stood, stretching his arms out of sight of the customers before walking into the main room. He saw the new customer almost immediately, a tall man dressed all in black. Shirt, jacket, jeans, boots and gloves, all were deep black. With short-cut dark brown hair, the newcomer looked almost like some army tough from out of town, immediately at odds with the typical resident and atmosphere of Misty Springs.

Navigating the maze of tables with a menu in hand, Alistair came to the man's side. Though he might have been somewhat intimidated, he hid it behind a neutral smile, holding out the menu.

"Welcome to Jasmine Cafe," he said in a soft, polite tone. "Your menu." He paused, glancing out of the window as a group of chatting girls passed. As they walked out of view, a look of slight sadness crossed his eyes, accompanied by envy. Friends just being together, possibly even walking home together, taking their friends back home to meet parents and siblings...

Forcing himself to snap out of it, he turned his attention to the sky. It was a remarkably sunny day for Misty Springs. Usually clouds covered the sky, or mist engulfed the town, or some other form of weather intervened. It was certainly unusual to have whole days nice, warm sunshine, even in this time of year.

He snapped himself back to the customer, suddenly aware he was ignoring him. "I'm sorry about that. I'm Alistair, and I'll be your waiter for today." He paused, trying to think of something helpful to say. "I've heard that the tuna sandwiches are especially good lately, and they say the fruit salad is wonderful." He paused. "So... I haven't seen you in town before, and it's a pretty small town... are you new here?"

(Damn it waiter-customer situation for making it hard to think of any sort of conversation starter.)

[Monster Guy]

XIX Leonardo "Leo" Silverstone
Misty Springs, 4th Avenue, Sunset Bakery
July 20th, 2012

As Leo and his sisters made their way towards home, Leo passed the Sunrise Bakery, one of the Bakeries in town. He never understood why this town had two bakeries, and why they just so happened to be relatively close together, but somehow, they both manage to stay in business despite the competition. He saw some friends of his in the window, and thought he'd pop in to say hello, as well as take the opportunity to get a treat for the family. "Hey guys, I'm going to make a pit stop over there to get some things." He said to his companions, while pointing to the store with his thumb. "Mind coming along?" He didn't really wait for an answer though, as he started walking over there anyway.

Lucy, the youngest sisters, nodded and happily followed her brother. Lilly, the oldest sister rolled her eyes. "As if we have a choice." she muttered under her breath.

As he opened the door, Leo's nose was greeted by the scent of freshly baked bread. Leo waved to the others. "Hey guys, how's it goin'?" He went up to the counter, to take a look at what was on sale.

Meanwhile, Lilly boredly took a seat at an empty table to wait for her brother to finish. Lucy took a minute observing another girl in a yellow dress, and the flowers she was wearing in her hip and hair. "Ooh, you look pretty!" the twelve year old girl blurted out.

Leo turned around to see who his sister was talking to. "Oh, hey Cari. Nice to see you. Congratulations on getting voted Prom Queen by the way." He smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "That's my sister by the way. Sorry if she was bugging you or anything."

Lucy stamped her foot, crossed her arms, and pouted. "I wasn't bugging anyone!"

[Blivsey]

XVII - Louise Henrietta DuBois
Misty Springs, Sunrise Bakery
20.07.12 - Friday Afternoon

Louise reddened slightly as Diego explained that yes, that time would be all right, and "karaoke" was basically singing as a social activity, but no, that wasn't the plan for tonight as she had implied, but plans were instead rather relaxed.

"That sounds great," Louise replied, nodding. Karaoke sounded like something that she would love to do, and any sort of leisurely night would make for a fine way to kick off the summer. "Ah, so should I - welcome!"

Mid-sentence, she turned from cleaning to greet another girl from school, just older than she was and surprisingly tall for a girl. Though the name was escaping her, Louise was pretty sure that she recalled her as being prom queen or something. She did appear rather smiley and friendly, but the two had never really crossed paths socially, and now would not be the time for that, either, so she continued focusing on cleaning out the spaces under the shelving. Best to actually do her job, at least while the clerk had nothing better to do than watch her.

No longer than two minutes later, another student stopped through, this time with a pair of girls in tow - his younger sisters, by the looks of them. Louise gave him a quick wave, knowing him to be one of Diego's friends, Leo. He seemed reasonably popular, and so knowing him had been helpful as a new student, not to mention his refreshing liveliness. From one old customer to a crowd of six inside of ten minutes - all of this activity all of a sudden! She could imagine some of them stopping by on their way home from school, she supposed, but she wasn't expecting it to be a popular stop or anything. And apparently it wasn't with one of Leo's sisters, who promptly took a chair as though being she was being taken on the most boring errand of her life. Now, it wouldn't do to have such a gloomy person sitting around in the shop!

"Hello. Are you Leo's sister?" she asked, casually working a bit closer. Then, chancing an attempt at humor, she added, "You do look alike, but you're too pretty - I can't be sure."

[SoulMuse]

(That worked fine for me.)

XV: Ian Blackwood
Misty Springs: Jasmine Café
Friday, July 20, 2012

"Welcome to Jasmine Cafe," A young man said, approaching. I didn’t recognize him. So I figured he had to be one of the school kids that worked here over the summer "Your menu." The waiter handed me a menu, which I took a glance at. When I looked back up, he seemed distracted staring out the window at something. I waited patiently, already having decided what I wanted.

"I'm sorry about that. I'm Alistair, and I'll be your waiter for today." The young man told me, seeming to snap out of his musing. "I've heard that the tuna sandwiches are especially good lately, and they say the fruit salad is wonderful." He paused. "So... I haven't seen you in town before, and it's a pretty small town... are you new here?"

I couldn’t help but chuckled slightly. He was correct, the fruit salad here was always good, and while I didn’t care much for tuna, the tuna sandwich was good as well. “Unless I am much mistaken you attend school for the better portion of the year, at the same time I work, so it is doubtful you would have seen me.” I replied.

“I have lived in Misty Springs for two years, so I would not say I am new. I just avoid people.” I wasn’t sure why, but something about this guy made me more open than usual. “Well people also tend to avoid me…” I trailed off.

[storymasterb]

XVI - Alistair Blake
Jasmine Cafe, 7th Street
20.7.2012

"Ah, that explains it," Alistair mused. "Yeah, I go to school... just finished for the year, actually." There was a short pause as he thought. "Avoiding... it's strange. I've never really tried to avoid people, but at the same time I don't like getting too close, necessarily. It's just... awkward." He paused. "I'm sorry, you don't need to hear all my little issues, right?" He paused, and there passed a short silence.

"So... are you doing anything much over the summer?" he asked. "I guess I'm not... since this is just a dull little town where I'm holed up for the whole time." He paused. "Why can't anything big ever happen here? It feels like you have to leave to do anything exciting, or important."

He glanced back to the customer. "Again, sorry... just my little problem with this place. So... are you ready to order?"

[SoulMuse]

XV: Ian Blackwood
Misty Springs: Jasmine Café
Friday, July 20, 2012

I chuckled softly when Alistair mentioned feeling awkward around people, but he didn’t seem to here it.

"So... are you doing anything much over the summer?" he asked. "I guess I'm not... since this is just a dull little town where I'm holed up for the whole time." He paused. "Why can't anything big ever happen here? It feels like you have to leave to do anything exciting, or important."

He glanced back to the customer. "Again, sorry... just my little problem with this place. So... are you ready to order?"

“Don’t worry about it.” I waved his concern away. “I don’t really suppose I am planning on doing anything much this summer.” I admitted. “I only work two days in the summer, since some of the school kids take over the rest of the time, so I guess I am going to end up at home watching TV and forgetting to buy groceries, like usual.” I shook my head.

“I have lived in a number of cities, and frankly, most of them are just as boring.” I paused. “Except for New York when the Twin Towers went down. That was…not pleasant.” I pushed that memory aside. “Fact is Alistair, you don’t really want interesting things to happen in anywhere. In the modern world, interesting is synonymous with a number of other things, and none of them are good.” I paused, realizing I was getting just a little to friendly with this guy. “Anyways, I will take a fruit salad.” I told him.

[DVB]

I- Diego Vendrix
Sunrise Bakery, 4th Avenue
20.07.12 - Friday Afternoon


"That sounds great," Louise replied, nodding. Karaoke sounded like something that she would love to do, and any sort of leisurely night would make for a fine way to kick off the summer. "Ah, so should I - welcome!"

Diego turned around and he recognized Carina. She was all right he supposed. He didn't know much about her. He just smiled and waved in return as he watched her pick up some garlic bread. He couldn't help but be reminded of Scott Pilgrim.

Garlic bread was delicious.

Diego then turned and smiled more. It was Leo and his sisters. "Hey man, how is it going?" Diego said as he smiled and nodded at his friends and waved at his sisters. So Carina was Prom Queen, huh?

"I didn't know you were Prom Queen. Then again, I didn't go to prom," Diego said to Carina as he shrugged his shoulders. He had a few ideas of who he wanted to ask, but they politely said no or others he didn't ask because he was shy.

"Well, I am just waiting on Krystal before I go over to check on Alyssa," Diego said. Alyssa was another friend of his. He had heard of her tragedy and tried his best to listen to her. He also wanted to ask her out for the prom, but never got to do so. He also wanted to ask Krystal, his best friend, but also never did. Maybe because he wa starting to like her more than a friend...

Diego stopped that train of thought.

Jannike was the first person he asked and who politely said no.

Diego was still in thought...

"Hey Leo, remind the details of your party again?" he asked.

[storymasterb]

“Don’t worry about it.” I waved his concern away. “I don’t really suppose I am planning on doing anything much this summer.” I admitted. “I only work two days in the summer, since some of the school kids take over the rest of the time, so I guess I am going to end up at home watching TV and forgetting to buy groceries, like usual.” I shook my head.

“I have lived in a number of cities, and frankly, most of them are just as boring.” I paused. “Except for New York when the Twin Towers went down. That was…not pleasant.” I pushed that memory aside. “Fact is Alistair, you don’t really want interesting things to happen in anywhere. In the modern world, interesting is synonymous with a number of other things, and none of them are good.” I paused, realizing I was getting just a little to friendly with this guy. “Anyways, I will take a fruit salad.” I told him.

It surprised Alistair how formal the man he spoke to seemed. Despite his tough guy-ish looks and youthful look, he had a rather formal way of speaking, and what he said sounded remarkably wise and informed. He supposed maybe this man wasn't quite what he had at first glance taken him to be.

"So we're both going to be stuck in this boring town, huh?" he mused. "Watching TV... at least we have the Olympics. That's only two weeks or so though... not too much of a distraction." He smiled slightly. "Well, if you forget your groceries, you can always come in here to eat. I'll be around most days, so if you want to talk again... I'll be here."

"The Twin Towers, huh... I can't remember it," he said. "I was too young, I guess. They say you'll always remember where you were on that day, but I just can't. I see your point though. War... crime... I guess 'interesting' does end up meaning 'dangerous' in the end, somehow. I dunno. I guess I just want this place to be interesting in a way which doesn't just appeal to people who are retiring. It feels a bit stifling being here once school's out. Even though we have two months of freedom, it feels wasted when we're staying here in town." He paused, until the man spoke once more.

"A fruit salad... good choice," he smiled, taking note of the man's order. "I'll get that for you... uh... sorry. I never asked your name."

[SoulMuse]

XV: Ian Blackwood
Misty Springs: Jasmine Café

I decided that against my better judgment, this guy was worth talking to. He seemed intelligent enough, not moody and angsty, and could listen to someone talk. It made a serious improvement from some of the people here.

“Sorry about that. My name is Ian.” I told him, inclining my head slightly as a way of greeting. Of course, we had been talking, so that gesture was sort of pointless.

While I waited for my order to be filled, I stopped to consider what I was going to do with my summer. He didn’t really know it, but Alistair had raised a good point, there was nothing, literally nothing interesting in this town. I suppose I could listen to Abigale blather on, but that would not do anything except make me want to put Alex in her bed. Which could be kinda funny.

[Ysavvryl]

VI- Carina Dawson
Sunrise bakery

They did have some nice crusty breads that would make for good companions to spaghetti... and to the homemade tomato sauce her grandmother and mother would be making. Wondering how much to get, Carina pulled out a loaf that was about two feet long, with a nice golden-brown crust. Well if they had leftovers, they could make French toast in the morning, or croutons for salads. This would do.

“Ooh, you look pretty!” a girl's voice said from the side. Smiling, Carina glanced over and saw a preteen girl nearby, with a familiar face nearby.

It was her friend Leo. "Oh, hey Cari. Nice to see you. Congratulations on getting voted Prom Queen by the way." He smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "That's my sister by the way. Sorry if she was bugging you or anything."

The girl pouted and stamped a foot. "I wasn't bugging anyone!"

“Of course not, cause you're just adorable,” Carina said, giving her a quick hug. “I'll have to give you some tips later on. Hey Leo.” She bopped him on the head lightly with her loaf. He was a really good friend, although she'd never seriously considered him as a potential boyfriend. It just never seemed like the right timing or situation. Besides, she liked him as a friend and didn't want to risk losing him. “Thanks! Your help was just invaluable, I hope you know that. I should knight you for it. How would you like to be Sir Leo of Yeast?”

Then one of the guys who had been in here came up to them Diego, she thought he was called that. “Hey man, how's it going?” he asked of Leo. Then he looked to her. "I didn't know you were Prom Queen. Then again, I didn't go to prom," he then shrugged.

She grinned and pushed thoughts of that jerk aside. “Yeah, it was wonderful! Goes to show that you don't need huge assets to get people to like you.” Then she winked at the boys. “I mean money, of course.”

Unfortunately, Diego was too distracted in some thought to react in a fun way. "Well, I am just waiting on Krystal before I go over to check on Alyssa," Diego said

“Oh yeah, I wonder if I should go get some cupcakes from her,” Carina said, half thinking aloud. “But I was kind of thinking of something else.” She waved at the clerk to get his attention. “Hey, I'm just getting this loaf for now, thanks.”

"Hey Leo, remind the details of your party again?" Diego asked.

“It'll be fun,” Carina said. Or maybe she should go by the supermarket and see if they had anything ready-made for dessert. She pulled her wallet out of her bag and got out a few bills to pay for the bread.

[GoldenHouou]

OOC: Will post about Dani a little bit later.

---

XII – Cesaire Moreau
Friday 20th July, 2012
Misty Springs High School / Town
Afternoon

The bell signaling the end of a yet another school year rang, and immediately each and every otherwise levelheaded student turned into a wild animal rushing to the door as if there was fire on their heels. Cesaire’s classmates poured into the hallways in seconds, joining the steady flow of students conversing with their friends as they distanced themselves from their classrooms, eager to get outside in the sun. The summer plans of those running past Cesaire’s classroom reached his ears, varying from swimming to travel to mountain-climbing to rotting inside playing their favorite JRPG.

“How typical,” Cesaire mumbled to himself as he sat still in his chair, tapping his pencil against the table’s surface like he had been doing for hours now. “Too bad nothing they do really matters. They’re gonna die anyway. Nobody’s gonna care if they climbed a mountain or ate genuine sushi in Japan this year once they’re dead.”

As the clock ticked and the hallways cleared out, the tapping sound from the pencil became audible. It was the same sound everyone in his class had had to endure throughout the day, bar the actual final exam during which everyone had needed to be silent as a grave.

Speaking of the final exam, this was supposed to be the very last ever for Cesaire. He had been held back a year once before, so he was repeating his final year now – and apparently next year as well; he had blown his last exam. Well, he had known he would blow it the second he saw the questions and realized he had studied the wrong subject. That’s what he got for showing up at school only half the time, he supposed. He never knew what was going on and he never bothered to ask.

The hallways were quiet now, so Cesaire forced himself to stand up and pick up his things. The surface of his table was laced with small, grey dots from his pencil, but he opted not to stay and wipe them. Someone else’d do it. Probably. Didn’t matter, he had more serious matters to attend to right now; he’d need to start preparing for the make-up exam in a few weeks. Because, though there was no job he would have wanted to take after graduating, nor any solid plans he would have made up for the future, another year sitting inside a dusty old classroom repeating the same cycle of school – sleep – study – fun stuff – school sounded too much even for him. Yeah, there was no point in having fun when you were going to die anyway, but torturing yourself on purpose? Definitely too much.

Cesaire threw his bag over his shoulder and walked through the now-empty hallways, trying to dodge each and every sunray that poured in from the windows. God he hated summer. It was always so sunny and bright and… it seemed like night was always over before it began. He never had anything to do during summer either; nothing ever happened in this boring little town. Nothing exciting, nothing that would have made things move. Everything was constantly at a standstill, each day a repeat of the last. Things would change once he graduated, but the change wouldn’t last for long. Eventually he’d adapt new daily rituals, and instead of being a part of the faceless student body, he’d become a part of the faceless adult population. But that’s how it was everywhere, he figured. You went to school, graduated, went to work and suffered through it until you were too old and wrinkly to move. And then you’d die, and nothing you did would really matter. Some would realize that upon their death beds, and some would continue denying it until their last breath, but nothing would change. Anything they might’ve built in life would get destroyed in time. Buildings didn’t last. Celebrities changed. No matter how awesome a discovery you made, someone would eventually come and beat it. Records were broken. Memories would fade. A thousand years from now, nobody would remember a single soul alive today.

“Thousand years, huh…” Cesaire mumbled to himself, cocking an eyebrow and chuckling dryly. “Wonder if I’ll still be alive then.”

Wouldn’t it suck if I were? He mused as he walked. All old and wrinkly and in pain. Old age better succeed in killing me before that.

Cesaire snapped from his grim thoughts as light suddenly burrowed into his eyes, prompting him to raise an arm to shield his vision. Oh. He was outside. Well great, now he couldn’t avoid the sun anymore.

Sighing, he fished a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and slapped them on, looking around. Now, if he wanted to ace the next test, he’d need a little bit of help. During his two years’ stay in Misty Springs, Cesaire could count the number of residents he had talked with only using the fingers on both his hands, but luckily for him, among them was a girl that had acted as his tutor before. She was two years younger than him, but despite the age gap he didn’t feel ashamed to be taught by her. Mainly because, well, if all you do is study, of course you end up better than someone who only opens a book once per month, ages be damned. Apparently nobody had told her smarts or grades didn’t matter in afterlife. Oh well, she was helpful and the cost was reasonable. He didn’t mind her. Didn’t mind if she could be a tad… odd at times. ‘Cause hey, pot and kettle and all that jazz.

Figuring he had wasted enough time thinking, Cesaire set off from the school grounds, looking around as he walked through town. Now where’d he find her? The most ideal thing to start with was to visit her home he supposed, but after turning only a few corners, Cesaire realized that’d be unnecessary. Exiting a local market, carrying a large watermelon in her arms was no other than Nodoka herself.

Hastening his steps but still somehow not making much noise, Cesaire walked up to her (or, rather, as it looked like to onlookers; stalked behind her), only stopping when he was a mere inch from her back. Having never really learned the proper way to greet someone, he brought his face next to hers all of a sudden, whispering in monotone: “I need you right now.”

[storymasterb]

XVI - Alistair Blake
Jasmine Cage, 7th Street
20.7.2012

"Well, Ian, I'll go and get your order," Alistair said, striding away through the maze of tables. He came to the counter. "Ian at Table Eight wants a fruit salad."

"Coming right up," the woman behind the counter said, moving to a worktop on which were bowls of fruit. She masterfully began to cut up the ingredients, tossing them into a bowl. "You've been chatting to that guy for a fair while. Getting friendly with him or something?"

"I thought you liked us being friendly with customers," he replied. "It motivates them to come back, you said."

She chuckled. "You smart alec, you. Well, so long as your gossiping doesn't get in the way of getting people served, it's fine." She retrieved a bottle from the worktop, splashing some kind of dressing onto the salad, before putting it down and handing the bowl to him. "There's that order."

"Thanks," he nodded, moving back through the tables to Ian. "And here's that salad you ordered." He placed the bowl down on the tabletop with a smile. "So..."

He considered briefly, gazing out of the window once more. People passed now and then, but most of the students had already passed by. The day was winding down to its finish, and besides the odd person wandering to the bar, the streets would likely be almost empty soon. Then he'd head home, try to get in without walking into a likely drunk father, and just stay in his room, an outcast in his own home. That was how it always was. There was the distraction of school, usually, but holidays leeched that away and left him with nothing but work and home in an endless cycle. There were friends he could go hang out with of course, but no-one ever really felt like hanging out. There was a park in town, a little bit of untamed waste which the town authorities took a lawnmower to whenever someone complained the grass was too long, but it was a more kiddy place, playground and all. There was also a pool beside it, not that anyone ever really went in there much even this time of year. Besides that, Misty Springs was too small and out of the way for anyone to consider setting up a cinema or anything so entertaining, and if someone ever made the suggestion they'd likely be drowned under a wave of objections from the elderly residents, who tolerated the bar on the condition that the sheriff and his lackeys investigated the origin of every piece of drunken graffiti scrawled onto walls and every broken window. Not that the sheriff usually had much else to do, considering homicidal maniacs tended to stay out of town, along with rapists, vandals and arsonists. The last piece of crime he had even heard about was some kid shoplifting a stick of gum, for heaven's sake. It was just that sort of dull little town.

His attention came back to Ian. "I wish I was still a kid," he said. "At least then I could find things to do. Playing in the park, soccer, throwing stuff at that weird guy's house... y'know, the one who lives on the edge of town..." He smiled at the memory. Oh, sure, it had gotten him a telling off from the sheriff, but it had been fun to toss stones and junk at the house in the hopes of stirring the place's mysterious inhabitant into the daylight. "As things are all I really have are work and home. Most of my friends are heading out of town to places, so it's probably going to be just a bunch of people I hardly know left here..." He sighed. "I know this place is a retirement town, but it doesn't have to make everyone else here feel dead too."

[GoldenHouou]

VII – Danijela “Dani” Cernik
Friday 20th July, 2012
Misty Springs High School / Jasmine Café
Afternoon

So this was what her new school looked like.

Eh.

“Yeah, it’s fucking official; this year’s gonna suck!” Dani growled to herself, throwing her back against the bench’s backrest in protest. She was sitting some distance from Misty Springs High School, watching as students frolicked out of the building to finally enjoy summer. Hah! Like they could possibly enjoy anything in a shithole like this.

Dani’s family had insisted she’d spend a year abroad as an exchange student to broaden her horizons or learn tact or manners or whatever the fuck their ulterior motives were, and after minor complaining, she had agreed. Hey, she was told she’d get to go to America of all places! Who’d miss a chance like that? Big cities, junk food, large roads to car race on and, most importantly, vivid night life with lots and lots of criminals to beat up. It had sounded like a dream come true, so imagine her disappointed when she had been dumped in the middle of nowhere to live with the elderly and the boring. She had come here a few months earlier to get a feel for the place but really, one month was enough to make her want to jump the first plane back home; she had already climbed every mountain climbable, already been to every popular place to hang out, already checked out the ‘bad neighborhood’ – if it could even be called that – and now, after weeks of procrastination, she had checked out the school.

Sighing and gnawing on the edge of her sunglasses, Dani leaned forward again. Well, at least there was some talk about a “curse” around, and she always had something to do once she got back to her new apartment. She might not have been able to bring her beloved race car with her over here to Yankee Land, but that hardly mattered – she had already, eh, ‘acquired’ a new ride. Damn rich bitches probably wouldn’t even notice it missing. Not that it mattered, as it was hardly recognizable anymore; taken apart and half-painted over, it was nothing like it used to back when she grabbed it. The place she stole it from was way far away too, no way they would come after it all the way here. Wouldn’t be worth it, they could just buy a new one with their pocket money or some shit.

Ugh.

Standing up, Dani brushed her hair from her face and gave one final glare at the school. Well, whatever. Time to get back home and continue tuning up her darling. Just thinking about the car made her want to be with it. She couldn’t stand all this distance apart, especially not when the poor baby was still half-covered in sickly white. Seriously, who the fuck had a white car? That was like going to McDonalds and ordering a burger with just the bread roll.

Shaking her head Dani started to walk away from the school building and back home, figuring she might as well buy some more paint on the way. Black and red, mostly. Oh, and the hamburger comparison made her hungry too, she’d need to see if she could catch a bite somewhere while she was at it.

On her way, she came across a small café. It wasn’t Burger King, but hey, it was there and she was hungry, so without stopping her stroll she headed inside, slamming the door open as she entered. There weren’t any customers inside, just some lovey-dovey couple probably after some mountain air or some shit, and a guy dressed all in black. Oh, and the waiter. Waitress, rather; she refused to believe anyone in such a sissy profession was a man.

“Yo, waitress!” Dani called out as she walked inside and towards the waiter, recalling she had visited the place before. “I want a ham sandwich. With cheese. A lot of cheese. Seriously, you better not get stinky, ‘cause the more cheese I find in my sandwich, the less likely I am to smash your head through the counter.”

She stopped some distance from the waiter and the black-clad freak he was conversing with, her hands on her hips.

“Got the order?” She grinned, cocking her head. “’Cause I haven’t got all day.”

[SoulMuse]

XV: Ian Blackwood
Misty Springs, Jasmine Café

I accepted my food from Alistair wordlessly, and began eating with a sort of measured efficiency. I had finished most of the meal by the time Alistair started speaking again. I listened to him closely, as I was somewhat curious what he would have to say.

I finished my food, and was considering how to answer him, when the door was slammed open, and this girl stormed in. I took in her appearance as she stormed up to Alistair, calling out something about an order.

Standing at almost five nine with her boots included, with an athletic build, I might have considered her attractive. Until I looked just a little closer, taking in the more subtle cues that could tell you so much about a person, a memento from my father, in all his infinite wisdom had passed along to me.

A pair of mint green eyes, each dancing with a desire to start a confrontation, a stance that told me she would be willing to follow through with a fight as well. Her clothing screamed hooker, at least to me, although her well toned build told me it wasn’t that likely. Well, that and the fact I doubted she was older than me. I pushed back my chair, pulling few bills out of my pocket. I doubled the cost of my meal, and placed it on the table.

Before I stood however, I did something one of my friends from a few years back called, freezing over. What the guy had meant at the time was that, I seemed to have this process of literally becoming the next best thing to a human ice cube, losing my emotions and generally becoming unpleasant.

“Good day, Alistair.” I stood smoothly, keeping my voice calm, and frigid. “I will see you some other time. And do keep the change.” I added the last part, and made to leave. As I passed the girl who had walked in, I observed. “You are lucky this town is all retire folks. Walking around like could attract the wrong sort of attention, you know.”

[Manaphy Mare]

II-Drake Lune

"Alright dear! We're having a Special right now, so I can double your order if you want." The bakery's owner, Alyssa, said as she pulled out the five rose cupcakes.

Drake thought for a moment. On one hand, that would be almost a dozen cupcakes, which would be too much before a tournament. On the other hand, he didn't need to eat them all beforehand. before saying, "Sure, why not. I could probably snack on them during the tournament."

Drake picked up his cupcakes and sat down at a nearby table. He still had two hours before the tournament and decided to check his deck. As he went through his deck he stopped briefly when he saw one of his Amazoness Tigers. That card had saved him on several occasions, he couldn't even begin to count how many of his duels he would have lost if it wasn't for this card.

Drake was broken from his thoughts by a scent filling the air followed closely by Alyssa saying, "Attention everyone! The Flavor of the month has just went into the oven. The first one to guess it will get one for free!"

Drake sniffed the air of the bakery and thought. He knew that there were several tournaments this moth and he knew that Alyssa knew a lot about most of her usual customers. "I smell chocolate, peach, and a hint of brandy, I'm guessing they're inspired by the Amazoness Tiger and Amazoness Queen. Maybe a brandy infused chocolate-peach swirl?"


"Hey, cutie. You lookin' at me? Wanna drink?" Said one of the other customers as she approached Drake.

"Huh, oh. I um," Drake stammered briefly as his cheeks began turning red, "Maybe one. I have a tournament in a little over an hour and I need to keep my head clear." He paused before saying, "Haven't I seen you around school somewhere?"

[Raiden193]

Sorry for the abrupt post, I'm currently unpacking my room at the moment, so this is all you might hear from me for a bit. Also, since Aika's outfit will be changing frequent, I'll be make sure to take note of her different outfits as the story progresses. Let's get along, everyone.

XVIII - Aika Ichigawa
Senna's House
20.7.12
Current Outfit:     Spoiler:- Aika's Sundress:

Show Spoiler

 

 

"... GizELLE?"

Aika was confused. For starters, she had woke up in an unfamiliar bed in an even more unfamiliar room. Even more awkward, she had thought she heard a rather nasally sneeze. This had to be GizELLE, she had gotten a bad cold ever since the two of them arrived in Misty Springs. Speaking of which... when was that? Aika remembered GizELLE mentioning that they would be staying with a friend of-

"WACHOO!!"

Oh, there she was.

"Oh, There you are."

"Where else, Ai? We've been here for a couple of days now."

"That part I know. I was just wonder.... "

Silence.

"... Aika?"

"... wonder..." and just like that, she fell back asleep. It wasn't long before GizELLE roughly shook her awake again. "U... Uwah."

"Aiiiikkaaaa! I get that you're in a bed, but you should at least attempt to control your sleeping habits."

"Sleeping..." Then she remembered the stain on GizELLE's leg, and in turn, she remembered everything that happened before. GizELLE was sick in bed, so Aika decided to attempt to make her some breakfast. The juice wasn't hard to pour, and she warmed up some bacon and eggs Senna left in the fridge (Senna was taking out GizELLE's luggage from the car). The last thing to handle was the soup, and just as she picked up the pot to pour some into the bowl... she fell asleep. She didn't know what happened while she was asleep, but GizELLE somehow got a stain on her leg, most likely from kneeling down next to her.

Rather mindlessly, she groped around for something, something which assumed wasn't there. And she was half-right, for she noticed a sheep plushie propped up against the bed. Picking it up almost too gleefully, she noticed that "Dolly's" zipper was half undone, exposing some of the brown fluff inside her. Doing it back up, she clutched "her" tightlly as she made her move and talk, "Goood morning, Dolly! Well, how do you like Misty Springs? I just can't wait to see what new friends you'll make! Woof woof, aroooo~!"

"Aiiikaaaaaa... WACHOO! How many times do I have to tell you that sheep don't bark?"

More silence.

"Speaking of- WACHOO!- friends..." GizELLE continued as she eyed a suitcase full of Aika's dresses. "Why don't you walk around town? Look for some friends and go somewhere or something?"

"No."

"I probably won't be able to take you, since I've got this annoyingass cold, but..."

"I said no." GizELLE seemed oblivious to her problems, as she was rummaging through the suitcase looking for a certain outfit.

"I know! How about- WACHOO!- you get Senna to take you somewhere?"

"GizELLE, I said no."

"And I'm not letting you say no." GizELLE held up a rather cute-looking dress. "Now put this on while I look for the sewing machine. WACHOO! Friggin' cold..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Streets

    Spoiler:- WARDROBE CHANGE; Aika's Loli Outfit:

Show Spoiler

 

 

"Seriously, that GizELLE..." a well-endowed Brazilian woman murmured to herself as she eyed Aika's dress. "What's your mother thinking when she makes these...?" Aika as oblivious to this chatter, seeing as she fell fast asleep a bit after she left the house. By the time she got into the dress, it appeared to already be evening. "Y'know what this is missing? A plushie. D'oh, you already have one!" As she rambled on about the downs of colour contacts and other such accents about her outfit...

"Nnn... Senna?" Aika woke up in a daze, Dolly in one hand and Senna's arm in the other. Luckily, Senna was a bit more loose about her carrying plushies around.

"Oh, you awake hun? Well, we're just about to cross the street, hold on tight 'kay?" Senna talked a bit too fast for Aika to catch what she was saying, but she had at least managed to hear the word "street". In reaction to that, she walked over to the street lamp to press the button.

"Keep it simple." she said as she was about to press the button, but-

"Hey Aika, do you think we should get something for your mom?" Senna abruptly chimed in as she used the inner camera on her iPhone to check out her overall appearance. "She's been stuck in bed ever since she got here, it's the least we can do, right?"

"She's not..." Aika had to cut off her thoughts for a second. Senna referring to GizELLE as her mother was both correct yet incorrect. Well, critically speaking, she was more of a mother than her actual parents, seeing as she barely knew them. For a bit, she decided to stop thinking about it and just continued her conversation.

"... Alright."

"Good! Now let's go to the marketplace and get some fruit! You can get some for yourself too if-" Now tuned out of Senna's frequent banter, Aika returned to the street lamp and resumed her button pressing duty.

"Keep it simple." she muttered as the wind blew past her.

"Aika?"

"Hm?" Aika turned towards Senna, only to be greeted by a rather blinding flash. "Gh!"

"Sorry, that pose just looked too good! I had to get a quick snap!" Her former photographer definitely wasn't going to let up now that Aika was once again in her sights. Dolly and Senna in hand, she carefully attempted to waddle her way across the street. "Stay steady, Aika. You too Dolly! Hehehe~!" By now, the sun was just about to set. From the young loli's perspective, going out at this time was rather pointless. The only benefit of this was that the sky... didn't look so bad. Yes, those words may be a bit subdued, but she truly wondered why a remote town like this would have such a sunset.

Aika's trance was disturbed by a red demon on four wheels.

"Watch out!!"

"?!"

Senna quickly pulled Aika towards her, sending Dolly flying into the air. The red Mercedes had stopped just before it was about to hit the both of them, but even so, the three had already dashed to the side; well, one of them flew, but-

"Gh... I'l show that dumbass..." Senna grumbled to herself as she made a mad dash towards the Mercedes and pounded on its window. Not that Aika didn't care about Senna's feelings, but she wanted to block out as much of her sailor-mouthing as possible. She had problems of her own, after all. Dolly had flown across the air, but she didn't seem to land anywhere. As she was about to call for her lost friend, the air was filled with the sound of cars blaring their horns.

"Shut up guys! It's not my fault this bastard sucks at driving! And you, what are you drunk or something?!"

Feeling around on the street, Dolly was nowhere to be found. Now crawling on the sidewalk, her hands felt... something. It wasn't Dolly's fleecy fluff, but... something... foot-shaped. A foot?

"Hey... 'this yours?"

(OOC: Because only I would make a street a location. e.e Anyone wanna' find Dolly for her?)

[*Jean Grey*]

XIII. Jannike Mortensen
Cosgrove's, 12th Street
20.07.2012

"Huh, oh. I um...maybe one. I have a tournament in a little over an hour and I need to keep my head clear." The pretty, white-haired boy replied. Jannike noticed his face was turning pretty red too. Aww, how cute...like a little boy. A little boy who apparently did not seem to be as innocent as he looked. She liked that.

"Haven't I seen you around school somewhere?" He continued, before pausing. Jannike's grin widened. Alright with drinking, huh? This boy was a nice catch. She was sick of too many a righteous ham refusing her drinks. Here...this was a real man, at least to her. She opened the can, before handing it to the boy.

"Name's Jannike...call me Janna though, sounds less foreign and weird. You may know me as the one those prudish school officials kicked out of the prom. Just for a fucking bottle of Peppermint Schnapps. Stupid? Yeah, they're definitely stupid." She said, introducing herself, before tucking a lock of blonde hair behind her ears. The incident only happened a month or two ago. She had decided to bring Blaine along and conspired to spike the fruit punch with alcoholic drinks. They ended up getting busted before they could even carry it out and were both forced to leave the prom.

"I like you, m'boy. So fucking cute like a little boy, but never passes up on a good drink...just like any real man with balls. Go on, drink! I can assure you that it would calm those nerves of yours." She continued, winking at him with assurance as she finished her sentence.

[storymasterb]

XVI - Alistair Blake
Jasmine Cafe, 7th Street
20.7.2012

As Alistair waited for Ian's response, the cafe door burst open, and in stormed trouble on two legs, in the form of a girl. Alistair inwardly groaned even before she started to speak.

“Yo, waitress!” Dani called out as she walked inside and towards the waiter, recalling she had visited the place before. “I want a ham sandwich. With cheese. A lot of cheese. Seriously, you better not get stinky, ‘cause the more cheese I find in my sandwich, the less likely I am to smash your head through the counter.”

He blinked ever-so-slightly. This was new. Ironic considering he'd just been talking about how dull the town was, now this girl stepped in with an attitude out of another place entirely. She had to be from out of town, he supposed.

"I'll get that for you right away," he said, though it was extremely unlikely that the woman behind the counter hadn't heard the order considering how it had been made. As he turned, he noticed Ian rising to leave, his entire demeanor suddenly changing to become rather more frigid and hard.

“Good day, Alistair.” I stood smoothly, keeping my voice calm, and frigid. “I will see you some other time. And do keep the change.”

"Uh... good day," he repeated, watching Ian go. He took the bills Ian had left behind, noticing immediately that he had paid double the price of what he had ordered. But before he could call after him to point this out, Ian was gone. Alistair stood there for a moment, staring past the girl out of the cafe, before snapping back to reality. "Ah.... right, I'll get your order." He moved to the counter, not quite sure how to deal with this new customer and just resolving to get her served in the hopes that she'd leave without causing much trouble.

"You heard that order, right?" he asked, passing the notes from Ian over the counter.

"How could I not?" she chuckled. "Ham sandwich with plenty of cheese, coming right up." She quickly made it, handing the sandwich on a plate to Alistair. He navigated the tables once again, coming to the girl.

"Your order, with plenty of cheese," he said quietly, placing it down on the table. "Do you want anything else?"

[Monster Guy]

XIX Leonardo "Leo" Silverstone
Sunrise Bakery
July 20 2012

"Of course not, you're just adorable." Carina said, giving Lucy a hug. "I'll have to give you some tips later on."

Lucy clapped her hands excitedly, "Yay!"

"Hey Leo." Carina bumped him lightly on the head with a loaf of bread. "Thanks! Your help was just invaluable, I hope you know that. I should knight you for it How would you like to be Sir Leo of Yeast?"

Leo rubbed the back of his head and grinned. The two had been good friends for some time now. Things never really developed beyond friendship, but Leo never really had a problem with that. Some people do tease him about it occasionally, but he was never bothered by it. "Your welcome! It was my pleasure. And I glady accept the title." He quickly bowed. "It'd be an honor to serve you your majesty." After the clerk was finished with Carina, Leo signaled to the clerk, and picked out some garlic rolls for dinner, as well as a box of muffins that would be for dessert that evening. "I'll take these please." He said as he handed him some dollar bills, and the clerk handed him his purchases in a brown paper bag of a size big enough to carry everything.

Then his friend Diego walked up to him. He was relatively new in town, and Leo was one of the first people that spoke to him. They got along well, and became friends rather quickly. "Hey man, how's it going?"

"Things are going pretty good so far."

Then, Diego turned his attention to Carina, I didn't know you were Prom Queen. Then again, I didn't go to prom." He shrugged.

"Dude, you should've gone! It was a lot of fun. You don't really need to bring a date, I didn't, and I had a good time."

"It was wonderful." Carina added. "Goes to show that you don't need huge assets to get people to like you." She winked playfully at the two boys. "I mean money of course."

Leo giggled. "She's right you know."

"Hey Leo, remind me of the details of your party again?" Diego asked him.

"Well, it won't be untill Monday evening. Mom doesn't want me having wild parties while she's away. And I don't intend to break that rule. To be honest though, I still don't really have anything planned yet, heh. I'll figure that out when it comes."

Meanwhile, as Lilly was sitting at a chair waiting for Leo to finish so they could finally leave, one of the Bakery's emoloyee's approached her. "Hello, are you Leo's sister?" She asked.

"Yes..." Lilly answered with contempt. Her tone of voice made it quite clear that she did not like being refered to as Leo's sister. "I'm Lillian." The next thing the girl said took her by surprise.

"You do look alike, but you're too pretty - I can't be sure."

Lilly wasn't really sure how to answer that. "Oh... um..." After a short pause, she finally answered, "Thank you..." then there was an even longer pause as she tried to figure out what to do next. She didn't have to do anything though, Leo waved to her, signaling it was time to leave. Lilly quickly got out of the chair, and went over to him. She wasn't entirely sure if she should wave good bye or not.

"Well, bye everyone. See you all later!" With his free hand, held open the door for anyone that wanted to walk out. Once they did, Leo and company made their way back to their original destination. "So, who's your new friend?" Leo said to Lilly teasingly as they walked.

"No one... Just someone trying to make conversation I guess..."

"Riiight."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Lilly snapped back.

"Oh nothing." Leo answered. "Come on, let's go home.

[Aura Of Twilight]

III – Krystal Storm
Misty Springs Elementary School
20.07.12

It was as if a large weight had lifted from Krystal’s shoulders as the final bell finally rung, signaling the end of another school year. With the finals done with, her stress levels had gone down immensely, almost nonexistent even, and she could at last relax at the promise of summer vacation waiting for her beyond the doors. As she left the school, she breathed deeply, savoring the air that filled her lungs with each passing second. If she had spent any longer inside, she probably would’ve gone insane, or worse, her head could’ve exploded from an information overload.

Resisting the urge to picture that thought, Krystal pulled her keys out of her pocket and pressed the unlock button as she reached her midnight black car. Hearing the click, she slid in and started the ignition, only pausing to grab a bottle of orange juice from her bag before leaving the parking lot. Like usual, today she was supposed to pick her little sister, May, up from school, which wasn’t very far from the one she was currently leaving.

Once at her destination, Krystal had barely stepped out of the car and onto the sidewalk when she spotted a familiar set of brown curls already beginning to head her way. Within moments Krystal felt small arms encircle her legs accompanied by a happy exclamation of, “Sister!”

She laughed, kneeling down to gather the small child in her arms. “How was your last day of school, pumpkin?”

“Gooood. We did fun stuff like kickball and freeze tag all day and even got to go under a para..para…” May seemed to be struggling to say the word.

“Parachute?”

May nodded. “Yeah! It was a bunch of different colors and looked like a biggg mushroom in the air. “She said, waving her arms around in an exaggerated motion.

Krystal could only giggle. “Sounds like it was fun.” She paused, grinning as she put May back down. Now it was time for the surprise. “You’ll have to tell me all about it on the way to bakery.”

The little girl’s eyes went wide with surprise. Due to Krystal’s diabetes, they rarely got to go there ever, even in the summer. “The bakery?”

“Uh-huh. It’s the last day of school for the both of us, so I figured we deserved a treat for the occasion.” And by we, Krystal meant May of course. One bite of any of those delicious looking pastries would more than likely send her into a coma.

“But what if…what if daddy finds out?” May said with a frown.

Krystal winked. “It’ll be a secret between you and me. No one will find out on my watch.”

That seemed to reassure the little girl, who nodded as she replied, “Alright.”

As she led them to the car, Krystal suddenly wondered if Diego, her best friend, would be there. He had a fetish when it came to the bakery, making him a regular customer. Maybe some of her other classmates would be there too.

Sunrise Bakery, 4th Avenue
20.07.12 - Friday Afternoon

Upon entering the bakery Krystal immediately smelt the familiar scent of fresh baked goods within her nostrils, inciting a small growl to come from her stomach which luckily no one could hear. This particular establishment happened to do that to a lot of people it seemed. There weren’t a lot of customers in it within the moment, but she recognized that most of them were or had been students at the high school. But where was…?

Both her and her sister spotted him at the exact same time. “Diego!” May cried, running toward said person to give him a hug.

Ah. There he is. Krystal thought. She sat in the chair next to him. “Hey everyone.” She greeted.