thenearshore | [closed] so if you don't rate, just overcompensate

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[closed] so if you don't rate, just overcompensate

Who: Davesprite and Homura
When: July 31st
Where: A trendy cafe on the Near Shore.
What: Prayer 49, a.k.a. the orange bird and the magical girl vs the tryhard date

[On a personal level, Davesprite has nothing against tryhards. Sometimes he tries a bit too hard, when he can be bothered putting the effort in, and he likes to think everyone has some level of tryhard in them deep down.

But when they start creeping the hell out of other people with it, there's a problem. Davesprite overheard the girl frantically trying to call someone else in to save her from the date on a supposed trip for extra milk for her coffee, and though he could quite easily get rid of the guy himself, that would mean revealing himself to the entire cafe. So, he may or may not have called in one of the most theoretically offputting shinki he knows given her propensity for carrying around guns and grenades.

He may also have slightly overstated the significance of this prayer, but oh well. Time to point out their creeper.]

That's him. Hair slicked so hard back it looks like he carved it out, designer torn-up jeans. Guessing the cool American exchange student turned out at least 70% less cool than advertised.

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This is what you called me for?

[She's more inclined to just let the girl deal with the weirdo on her own. But since somebody called on her(?) to help, she won't just leave. Even if she doesn't know why Davesprite thinks she's a good idea, she'll watch the girl and the guy for the moment.]

We just have to make him go away? Correct?

Hey, if it makes you feel any better, it's because I have complete confidence in your ability to get rid of someone's date. [That...isn't as much of a compliment as he seems to think it is.

Davesprite nods, flicking his tail as if to draw a cross over the guy's face.] Yeah. Preferably without clearing the entire cafe, or I would've just gotten someone's attention and suffered the Neon Orange Cryptid Sighted In Local Cafe, Occupants Freak The Fuck Out tabloid headlines.

I've never felt more praised. [As dry as ever.

But she does tilt her gaze towards Davesprite.]

They'd be screaming immediately... It would let her get out of the date easily enough.

Good, because I put my ripe orange little heart into that compliment. [Deadpanning right back, because of course.

Davesprite ruffles his wings a bit.] It would, but I'm pretty sure we're not supposed to draw attention to the weird shit here even if people go all Eternal Sunshine on it five minutes later anyway. If we can find some way to get him away from the table and into...I don't know, the men's room, or somewhere I won't have any more than one or two witnesses at best, then I'm cool with the freaking the shit out of him method.

I can tell.

[Girls are probably supposed to look out for girls. Even if somebody else's problem doesn't bother her at all. Well, she's here already. The sooner they get this guy away from the girl, the sooner she can go home to her gods.

She'll step closer to the girl focus her attention on the guy across from her.]

Hey. You.

[Homura's not made for this socializing thing. But she also looks like she's considering murdering this guy.]

[Once Homura decides to approach the table, Davesprite glides across the roof to settle down near the back of the cafe, where a little corridor leads to the bathrooms and out the back. It's as private as they're likely to get, and he gives a little thumbs-up as if to indicate Homura should try to get the guy over there if she can.

The girl notices Homura approaching the table first, and her hands twist into her skirt a bit as she smiles awkwardly. She doesn't know if this scary-looking girl is here to help, but intentionally or not, she might be her key out of this date.

Though the guy is obviously sweating a bit at the look on Homura's face, he tries to play it cool for now, leaning back on his chair and leering at her.]

What's up, sweetheart? I'm a little busy right now, but maybe I can pencil you in.

[Her eyes narrow and she looks even more like she's going to kill him. That particular aura around her practically screams murderous intent.

Homura ignores the girl beside her. The dumb teenaged boy is.]

I'm barely a teenager.

[Actually, she has no idea. But if she can succeed in making this man incredibly uncomfortable then she will.]

I'll call the police.

[As much as Homura's increasingly murderous intent has the guy slowly edging away as much as he possibly can from her - the girl, while looking a little concerned herself, seems more grateful that ire isn't turned on her - the threat to call the police seems to get him more than anything. He raises his hands a little defensively, looking around the cafe to see if there's anyone likely to back him up.]

Look, my bad, see, no need to get the police involved, right? But I got a date to get back to, and I dunno that I like your attitude, and...

[He trails off, seemingly having run out of steam to keep up the cool facade under the brunt of Homura's aura.]

[She narrows her eyes and steps forward. For being somebody so short, she can convincingly maintain an incredibly menacing aura. It's unnerving, to see somebody so young seem so focused.

Everybody else in the cafe seems completely unconcerned with this guy. They aren't even aware that Homura is here.]

I don't know if I like yours.

[She puts her hand in her pocket, slowly pulling out her phone.]

[That makes the guy start waving his hands just about immediately, because the idea of having to explain something to police in a language he's barely fluent in isn't sitting well with him.]

Alright, I get it, can't we just get out of your hair, or talk about this, or something? [At this point, he starts appealing to the girl on the date with him.] Come on, d'you want to go somewhere else?

[The girl bites her tongue enough not to lie out a yes, but still doesn't seem quite settled with saying no, possibly because of just how menacing Homura is coming off. For his part, Davesprite is mostly just leaning out of the back corridor and trying to keep an eye on the situation.]

[There, that's what she can press on. This guy is scared, and Homura doesn't have anything against threatening him further.

She spares a sidelong look at the girl next to her.]

If you leave us both alone, I won't call the police.

[The girl shrinks back a bit at the look, but once Homura makes that statement, she seems to realise for sure that she's here to help, and relaxes a little. The guy, meanwhile, looks like he's halfway between being pissed off and knowing better with that threat hanging over his head.]

Hey, come on - is that all you came over here for? Why's it your business anyway? [Granted, a lot of this is bluster; he's already standing up, not willing to risk her actually calling the cops on him, but he seems to be taking what opportunity he has to mouth off before he goes.]

[Homura's terrible at explaining herself, and she doesn't do that here either. Somethings don't change even in death.]

Yes.

[And she acts like she never even heard the second question. The man is leaving, she's essentially done her job, more or less. And her hand is on her phone.]

[As the dude seems to take the hint and rather sourly starts backing off, he keeps casting glances back at the girl - it doesn't seem certain that he's not going to hang around and try to wait for her. So as he leaves, Davesprite slips out of his hiding spot, stopping by Homura on the way.]

Keep an eye on her for like a minute, I'll send this asshole packing so fast he'll leave a fucking dust cloud.

[With that, he slips out of the cafe for a moment, darting off in the direction the guy walked when he left.]

I have complete faith in you.

[Davesprite can definitely fill the role of some kind of ghostly monster to a normal human. She's certain of that much.

For now though, she'll take the seat across from the girl at the cafe, glancing out the window to check if she can watch whatever Davesprit is going to do.]

[She might not catch the action itself since it happens in a side alleyway, but she'll definitely catch the effects. A few moments after Davesprite vanishes from sight, there's a scream from behind the shop, and a few people turn their attention that way before the sound of racing footsteps comes around to the front of the cafe. There goes the would-be date, fleeing from view like the hounds of hell are on his ass.

Davesprite waits for things to settle down a bit before he comes back in and nods over to the girl, who's now hastily finishing her drink and starting to pack away her purse and phone.]

I'm thinking it might be worth watching her home, just in case that guy thinks hanging out near her house is going to work for him.

[The scream is perhaps overly satisfying, but she doesn't think about it too much. If he's gone, then that's fine with her.]

Isn't that stalking?

Fine. We'll make sure she gets home unaccosted.

I mean, it's better us stalking her than that guy stalking her, because if he creeped her out enough to need to pray for help, I don't really want to know what he gets up to in his spare time.

[Honestly from the look of him it's probably largely being a tryhard (and not the good kind), but that's not always as benign as it looks.

As soon as the girl's bag is packed up, she gets up and starts heading out, so Davesprite glides after her, beckoning to Homura.]

[She gives a little shrug and follows him out. It's probably true that this guy would come back and bother the girl, but he probably won't do much.

Since the threat of calling the police was enough to have him take off.]

Fine. I don't have anything better to do right now.

That makes two of us. I was mostly hanging out with the local crow collective before this started going down.

[Davesprite drifts casually out the door, then to the left to follow the girl's path. She's at least not going the same way the guy went running, which is a good start.]

So you spend time with your relatives.

[It's nice to be part of the Far Shore at times like these. Nobody's trying to talk to them.]

Yeah, everyone needs a little good family time now and then. Chatting it up, plotting the downfall of humankind, the usual.

[The girl's route isn't difficult to follow, it seems - she's very intent on getting home quickly.]

I'm sure humankind can do that on their own.

[She watches her from a distance, but so far, so good.]

Yeah, but there's no rule saying we can't help it along. Principle of the thing.

[Also, he has met at least one person here whose world fell to birdkind, so he's totally aiming high.]

Seems like wasted effort.

[But she likes keeping her effort very concentrated. Davesprite is just lucky that she wasn't doing anything today.]

It's a Chekhov's gun, you gotta put in the effort now so it can pay off spectacularly later on.

[It makes sense. Totally. He's definitely not making shit up as he goes along.]

I thought those were for plot threads.

[Not to worry, she'll prod at what he makes up.

Mostly for the fun of it.]

Yeah, but what is life but everyone's own personal plotline playing out across months and years. You gotta get philosophical about this shit.

[This is a very serious suggestion from a very serious person who makes very serious arguments.]

Must you?

[She's just playing along at this point.]

Hey, philosophy is important, we've all got a Descartes or an Aristotle buried in us somewhere.

[The girl is slowing down a bit, so they're probably getting close to their destination.]

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[closed] so if you don't rate, just overcompensate

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