[OPEN]

[papillonprincess]

Who: Kuroyukihime and anyone with no plans for the afternoon (heck, even if you do have plans...)
What: Shopping? Video games? A teenage girl being a teenage girl?
When: 5/1, morning to noon
Where: Around town
Warnings: none

--

A. Trying her luck | A local arcade

[ She's been there all day. If you passed this particular arcade, you might have noticed her peering at one of the game machines or hard at work at the ufo catchers. But it's the ufo catchers you'll find her at -- along with an assorment of small, soft toys near her bag that's been set down by her feet. Apprently, she's been very busy. There's all manner of plushie in that pile: from unicorns to penguins to monkeys to pokemon and they're all about the size of one's hand. But somehow, she's still unsatisfied. She's still on this claw machine, concentrating on guiding the claw to snag another toy from the pile. There doesn't seem to be anything she's aiming for in particular. Maybe she just really wants to play?

Either way, the minute the claw's snagged one of the toys in the machine is when she'd notice anyone in her near vicinity. ]

Excuse me. I wonder if I can trouble you to take one of these?

[ Motioning to the pile of plushes. But as she does, she notices that whatever's been snagged by the claw isn't quite going to make it into the delivery chute. She does manage the smallest pout though when it falls back into the machine. ]

---

B. Choosing luck | Shopping street

[ After managing to pull herself from the arcade, she can be seen walking down one of the local shopping streets. She wanders from stall to stall, seemingly in search of something. She's scrutinizing everything from t-shirts to phone charms to kitchenware, all of which she's quick to reject. Clearly nothing's met her standards. She finally stops at a small stall that's stocked with small trinkets and it's there that she seems to find what she's looking for. ]

Excuse me.

[ And calling to anyone near her. She'll approach if you're close enough, holding up two things: A braided leather anklet with a butterfly charm or a necklace with the same charm. Neither of which look remotely feminine but rather small, classy looking numbers with the charms made from pewter... or at least that's what the lady who manned the stall claimed. ]

If you were to get something for a boy, which would you pick?

--


C. Getting lucky?

[ After a series of texts, she finally manages to coax him out to meet her. Sure, their first meeting was rocky but she was determined to make up for it. After all, neither of them were at fault for their actions. There was something in the air that made them both act in ways they didn't want to.

While her watch told her she was on time, she wasn't quite sure if she was. After all, she did get distracted by her little arcade stopover and probably did take longer than usual trying to find the perfect gift -- just a small token to show she meant what she said and that she'd rather not have any bad blood between them. So she'd decided to wait on one of the benches at a nearby park. Her attention was mostly on the crowd, watching people as she sipped at the bottle of water she'd bought from a nearby convenience store.

Gosh what was she doing? Surely this might be too much... or perhaps could be read as something different altogether. But she set her bottle down, patting her cheeks as if to strengthen her resolve. No backing down now, Hime. You owed him this for the poor first impression. After all, he seemed like a nice boy albeit inebriated when you first met him. He can't be all that bad. ]

Comments

A

[shortnsweet]

Hey, Hime-chan!

[ If Hime turns her eyes away from the machine for a moment, she'll spy a blond-haired boy running up to her. He's the same one who helped her out at the cherry blossom event, when she was feeling slightly off. They only spoke for a short amount of time, but he's greeting her with the impression that they've known each other for years.

And when she offers him a plushie, his eyes light up even more. ]

Oh wow, really?

[ Nagisa squats down in front of the pile, looking at each of them and being careful to make this decision wisely. But once he sees the penguin one... well let's just say that one was destined to win from the start. ]

This penguin one's super cute!

[ Standing, he turns the doll to face her, then moves it back and forth in a waddling type motion. ]

Quack! Quack! ...or something like that. I guess that's more of a duck noise, huh?

[papillonprincess]

It is. I wasn't even aware penguins did make sounds.

[ She can't help but chuckle at his antics. From their last conversation, Nagisa seemed like a cheerful boy and that sort of cheerfulness was welcome in circumstances as dire as theirs -- at least where shinki were concerned.

She does step away from the machine, smiling back at him. As far as she's concerned, her little business with the claw machine is over and done with. Attention back to the company at hand. ]

Then you may have it. Consider it a thank you gift for staying with me a while during the cherry blossom viewing.

[ Picking up her bag though and slipping it over her shoulder, along with the rest of the pile. She's already got half a mind to save one of these for Katniss when she gets back. ]

So. What brings you out and about today?

[shortnsweet]

I'm pretty sure they do.

[ Hmm, he'll have to look up some vids on penguins being cute later. ]

But hey, thanks. Maybe I could take this one, too? For Sako-chan.

[ He leans down again, picking up a pair of fuzzy dice that one would hang from their rear view mirror. Sakon's a fan of gambling, plus dice are his vessel form. He'd probably love them!

Tucking the two stuffed toys under he arm, he glances around the main arcade room. ]

I heard the food court in this place made really good anpan. I thought I'd check it out.

[papillonprincess]

[ She nods at his first question. All of them are free game save for the stuffed cat that looks like Buttercup. That one's going into her bag and coming along for the ride, peeping out of the top of it.

Anpan... yes, there were some vendors setting up shop earlier when she first arrived. The smell was unmistakable, really. A pause as she turns her wrist to check the time. ]

I might have passed the same food court you were talking about. Last I saw, the anpan vendors were still getting ready. They should be open by now.

[shortnsweet]

[ Hey, if no one else wants the rest, Nagisa will take them off her hands in full. Nothing better to make a hammock bed even more comfortable than a bunch of plush toys. ]

Let's go then! Come on! If we get there quick, we won't have any line to wait on!

[ Because obv there's gonna be a huge rush when they first open up. Nagisa grins widely at her, beckoning her to follow as he hurries towards where the food stalls were being set up. ]

[papillonprincess]

[ Mental note: Nagisa always runs on 150%. But she appreciates that sort of enthusiasm and follows after him. ]

I still have some time before I have to meet up with someone anyway so... alright, anpan it is. Lead the way, Nagisa-kun.

B!

[redstray]

[ Eric jumps a bit when he's called to and this weird girl coming close and showing trinkets in his face. It probably wasn't the strangest question he's been asked before, ]

Uhm...the necklace?

[ You caught him so off guard he answered, good job! ]

Why butterflies?

[papillonprincess]

[ Score! Finally! Someone who noticed her. It takes some getting used to, this not being easily detected by near shore residents bit.

She does consider the necklace a moment. He did look like the type who wore them... ]

I thought they suited him, that's all. He did seem to be fixated on beauty so... what better?

[ And maybe half because she was drawn to the very same imagery herself for some reason. ]

[redstray]

[ Yeah, being noticed is definitely something to get used to, though it's kinda nice how not many people can see him, less often does he get bothered.

He tilts his head as he looks at the charm. Beauty huh? ]

It does...look plain though. Are there ones with a better colour? Like purple and red...might make it more noticeable.

[papillonprincess]

[ Oho. Now there's an idea. ]

Purple and red... yes, I think that would fit him rather nicely. I'll have to go see.

[ A pause before she turns back to face him. ]

I'm sorry. How rude of me, after you've been so kind to offer an opinion. Your name?

[redstray]

[ He watches her ramble a bit before being startled when she turns around adn asks for his name. Oh yeah, that was a thing. ]

Oh uhm...It's Eric. Yours?

A

[very_goodman]

[As a horrible otaku weeb, Barry spends a lot of time in arcades trying to win various cute plushies himself. And he's not very good at the crane games in particular, so he's all too happy to pounce all over the offer.]

For real? Any one I want? For free?

[He's already excitedly digging through the pile.]

[papillonprincess]

Absolutely.

[ She does pick up one particular plush though: a small cat. That one's coming home with her. ]

The only payment I'd be asking for, of course, is your name and the assurance that whatever you pick will go to a good home.

[ She's only half serious about the second bit. Maybe. ]

[very_goodman]

Lemme see here...

[He's not interested in cats. It's all magical girls all the time with Barry. And eventually, he holds one up like it's the discovery of a lifetime.]

Aw, man! This one's totally rare! What a find!

[papillonprincess]

[ It was? Fancy that. ]

That was a little harder to catch than the others but I'm glad to know it's of some value.

[ Peering over though. ]

Where's it from?

random magical girl name generator go

[very_goodman]

It's from Jewel Princess Chika-chan, except this is the alternate color costume she only wears in episode twelve when the bad guys corrupt her heart, before she breaks the spell by remembering the love she has for her friends!

[He thrusts the doll toward her so she can see.]

See? That's why she's got these angry eyes.

A

[redotiertwo]

[Well, Kuroyukihime is recognisable enough after their first meeting at the cherry blossom picnic, though Davesprite wasn't entirely expecting to next see her trying out one of those claw machines that everyone knows are rigged.

Not that it seems to be affecting her any. As it is, when Kuroyukihime indicates the pile, he looks from her to it and back with an expression so neutral it borders comical.]

Okay, clearly you're not hurting for arcade change or the mad skills to actually get around the general level of rigging fuckery those machines have on them. [As the current toy drops, though, he corrects himself.] Most of the time.

[papillonprincess]

I did say we would be meeting again, didn't I?

[ She does offer him a smile back, her arms folded behind her back. Sure, she only meant it as this being such a small world and Davesprite being such a recognizable figure. Stepping away from the machine though. That's enough distraction for one day. ]

My success rate is probably a 70-80% chance. It's all a matter of finding the right machine. Is there anything you want to keep from my haul or would you rather I picked something out?

[redotiertwo]

Yeah, guess I should've seen that one coming. No way in hell we don't have gods of fate and suddenly relevant, vaguely prophetic parting words here to throw a wrench in.

[Because "small world" is clearly way too simple an excuse for something like that. An arcade seems like a pretty specific place to run into each other again.

He has to quirk a brow at that statement of success rate, because he's pretty sure it's meant to be <5%.]

Damn, you sound confident you're beating the shit out of the usual probability rate on those things by a good ten times over. [He's about to turn down the offer of something from the haul, but with things back at the temple how they are right now, he rescinds that thought and eyes up the pile.]

If you've got any awesome birds hurting for a home, I could pass one on to Hajime.

[papillonprincess]

As I said, it's a matter of finding the right machine.

[ Despite the row of ufo catchers, she's only attacked two - maybe three of them. This one, she decides, is probably one of the rigged ones. That was her third attempt and nothing's come of it. ]

If you come early enough, you'll find that they're still calibrated properly. Some of these claws are stronger than the others and over the course of the day depending on how many people get lucky, they get recalibrated.

[ Just an observation. But at his request, there's a thoughtful hum before she looks into her pile before offering him a roundish looking thing that seems to be a fattened nondescript bird of some sort. It has small wings and tiny cloth feet. Definitely 'bird' enough as a basic description. ]

Will this do?

[redotiertwo]

[That actually makes a hell of a lot of sense, and even as a game sprite himself, Davesprite has to admit he hadn't put that much thought into the odds. Hell, it hadn't even really occurred to him that Kuroyukihime might be an experienced gamer, but he gives a brief whistle of admiration.]

Explains that confidence level, then. I'm damn near ashamed to say I never thought of that myself, though arcade gaming isn't really my deal like video gaming is, not that strolling down casual as fuck to the arcade is really an option looking like this.

["Looking like this" limits a hell of a lot of his options doing anything much on the Near Shore, but at least people don't notice him if he keeps to himself.

Giving the fat plush bird a seemingly critical inspection, Davesprite reaches out to take it between his talons.]

Yeah, seems like the kind of cute blob bird she'd lose her shit over.

[freestyle_chrysalis]

[ Being as intoxicated as he was with his first meeting with Kuroyukihime was everything but beautiful, but fortunately for him the other was willing to give him another chance to fix his damaged reputation with her. This time, Rei made sure that there was no way for him to screw up this time. Rei was dressed in a rather decent outfit that he carefully selected to help boost his chances. Red pants for renewal and a white button down shirt for rebirth, topped with a dark purple vest for majestic vibes. Hopefully this would give him a better look then when he was blithering about drunk as a skunk.

Nervously plucking at the buttons on his vest, Rei headed to the park to meet up with Kuroyukihime.]

[papillonprincess]

[ She leaned back in the bench, deciding to turn her attention up to the sky. Five minutes. If he didn't show up after five minutes, she was going back to her god's temple and calling this a failure.

But she did notice the movement off the corner of her eye. With a small smile, she got up and smoothed her skirt down. Oh good. He did come. ]

I'm glad you decided to take me up on my offer.

[freestyle_chrysalis]

[With the slight prodding from Kuroyukihime, Rei couldn't help but blush as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. So far, he isn't doing so well with Kuroyukihime is he? Stripping in front of her, and now giving her the illusion that he didn't value her time? Two for Two, Rei. Wanna strike again?]

"Forgive me.... I was a little lost and wasn't quite sure where you wanted to meet up." Rei answered, his usual self confidence lacking as his purple eyes refused to lock with hers with an extended amount of time.

[papillonprincess]

Perhaps I should have been more clear. I'm sorry if my directions were vague.

[ Stepping closer, offering him the smallest apologetic smile before pulling a small box from her bag and handing it to him. ]

Here. I wanted to get you something. A show of no hard feelings between us.

[ She'd decided on a bracelet that matched hers: woven black leather, silver butterfly charm with purple and red insets on the wings. ]