Strike 2 [video]

[acebrotective]

[Who's glad that the curse is over with? This guy right here. It's much easier to do damage control on something intangible like fear after the fact than to try and defend people from it and, honestly, it made him feel totally useless.]

Yo, Vatheon's been pullin' some nasty tricks. First yours truly here slept through a friend's birthday, then this whole...shit [that's about all he can say to describe it] with the...fairies? Had to happen too. Now I'm just noticin' a good chunk of pals from my world are gone! I'm sick of this, man, who wants to go hit up the arcade? Or get some comics? Maybe hit a few balls in the park, seriously, somethin' needs to happen besides all this doom and gloom over here.

[There's a pause as he looks for a way to filter the broadcast before becoming too impatient to do so and sighs.]

Hey, Yukari, happy birthday. Left you somethin' in your room, didn't wrap it though, sorry.

[And it's kind of weird, too. Hey, giving girls bunnies is Akihiko's thing in another universe.

Either way he switches off the feed.]

Comments

[silvite]

What is an arcade or a comic?

[acebrotective]

Uhhh...

[Oh dear, it's one of those fabled people from old timey times.

Or right out of a JRPG, either way.]

A comic is a book written in pictures and an arcade is a place where you can play loads of games. Uh--video games. They're electronic games, not like chess and stuff.

[silvite]

Video games? I have heard of games but not video games? A comic book sounds very interesting though.

How do you acquire one?

[acebrotective]

Video games are games you can play onna screen, like this SFC here. [He waves a hand at the screen as an example.]

Comic books--oh, dude, you can get those any old place. The library, a bookstore--but there're stores that just sell them too.

[silvite]

Oh, really?

I would like to experience this, if possible whenever you are free.

video;

[contemptibility]

[... Right. This was Minato's friend, wasn't he?

...

Though—is that a... stuffed pig?]

... What is that?

video;

[acebrotective]

Ohey, Hannibal! Where you been? Sheesh.

[Wait he asked a question? Yes apparently.]

Yuka-tan's present. It's a doll. What, y'never seen a doll before?

video;

[contemptibility]

[He's been called worse things, so he normally doesn't care what people call him, but 'Hannibal' doesn't even make any sense.]

... My name is Tiir, and weren't you the one who was asleep?

[This conversation is confusing already.]

I have, but not one shaped like... that.

video;

[acebrotective]

[Ignoring!]

It's a pig, dude. What, you sayin' pigs can't be spheres if they wanna be?

[doormat_hikari]

An arcade does sound pretty fun.

[acebrotective]

That's what I'm talkin' about! Whoever heard of a problem that goin' to the arcade couldn't solve, amirite?

[No, he's not, and he very well knows it. Just going one place for a couple of hours still leaves the problem sitting somewhere else until one gets back.

But he can pretend.]

[doormat_hikari]

Games can help with a lot of problems

[ though ryou usually is playing card games, not arcade games. ]

[acebrotective]

Yeah like being a distraction when your senpai's giving some long boring lecture.

video;

[tsundyne]

[. . . Figures he'd sleep through all that, but at least that way he was safe. She's glad to hear from him at any rate, and definitely glad that she decided to check the network on her way home.

She picks up her pace a little when the feed clicks on.]

. . . You went into my room?

[The point






Yukari's head--]

video;

[acebrotective]

[...What, really, Yukari?]

Only for a second. I didn't, like, go through any of your stuff or nothin'. Who do you think I am?

video;

[tsundyne]

An ace defective, that's who.

[An ace defective who regularly leaves his room unlocked!! Not cool. But that aside, she does remind herself that he said there was something in the room for her-- a present.

That had to make up for things somewhat.

Heh, she smirks a bit.]

I'll be home in a few minutes, though . . . I'll take a look once I get there.

['And god help you if you didn't shut my door,' she thinks. But then again, there aren't too many people left to break into it . . .]

video;

[acebrotective]

Yeah well see if I ever get you a birthday present again. You're not gonna get any of this cake either.

[Both of those things are a lie, of course, but he can pretend he's serious.]

video;

[keepsthefire]

... I'll go.

[Anything to get his mind off the shit that happened last week. Even though it's all gone away, Rin still seems more on edge than he usually is.]

video;

[acebrotective]

[For all of his faults in other areas, Junpei is at least good at getting peoples' minds off of things.]

Rin, m'man! Been a while. Ain't seen hide nor whacky hair of that brother of yours, but I have been runnin' into a cat a lot. Since you're all up on demons and such, I figured maybe you might know 'bout it. He's a little nekomata, likes drawing and pork buns?

[That aside...]

Anyways, we can set up a get together for this Awesome-o Run, or just say screw that and go whenever. Either's cool with me.

video;

[keepsthefire]

... Kuro? Yeah, he's my familiar. He likes food would be closer to the truth but yeah, sounds like him.

[He does smirk a little at that, glad to hear that Kuro is making friends even if not everyone can hear him.]

I've got a couple of days off, so whenever is fine with me.

video;

[acebrotective]

Kuro? I've been callin' him Nekomacchan m'self. [And he'll probably continue to do so since Kuro sounds too close to Koromaru.] That's cool, guess I've been hangin' out with your cat buddy lately!

[And confiding things he doesn't usually, but...let's...not get on that.]

I...ain't got anything goin' on. The senpais are gone, my best bro's gone, Yuka-tan's always high strung these days. [Shrug!] We could go like right now if you ain't got nothin' either.

STUPEI /o/

[machiavellingly]

[He'd seen some remainders of the curse and stayed safely hidden in his apartment. He hadn't wanted to involve himself just yet.

But still, if isn't someone else whose IQ seems below average. How fun. What a child he thinks he is. But he smiles anyway, Lelouch can be friendly even if he doesn't think he'll like you.]

I'd be happy to play a game of chess with you, if you'd like. My name is Lelouch Lamperouge... and you are?

LEDOUCHE! \o\

[acebrotective]

[Uh-oh, Junpei's pretentious jackass radar is going off. He probably speaks French, too.]

Chess? Not my style, man, if anything Shogi's where it's at.

[Yeah he's played Shogi. He spent a lot of time without a social life in middle school, so sue him.]

Name's Junpei Iori. I'm guessin' that you're new here. [And that he's foreign. What the hell kind of a name is Lelouch? Lamper...lamper...Lamcchi???]

sobs why are there just terrible plays on words with our names ;w;

[machiavellingly]

I know how to play Shogi as well.

[And he does, of course, keeping up that amiable smile. He learns about others by playing games with them when he's in a situation like this.]

I am, yes. I take it you're not? I'm sorry for your loss, all the same, it must be difficult losing your friends -- that being said, I will do my best to offer some sort of distraction.

[That part is genuine. He knows what that feels like all too well.]

fun fact: this username would have been acedefective but it was taken :c

[acebrotective]

Oh, cool. Guess we can play some time. Might be a little rusty, tho', s'been a while since junior high.

[And Junpei doesn't know how to be anything but genuine, so he just shrugs. He's sad about his friends going home (especially in the case of Minato there have been some very strong hints that he's no longer among the living) but--]

Don't worry about it, Lulu. They got important stuff to do back home. My best bro especially, being our leader an' all.