InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Give me all your bananas."

Shirai Reizo | 白井雷三 (some_other_dog) wrote in disappear_rpg,
@ 2009-08-01 03:01:00

Entry tags:

kou, kozue, misaki, mizushima noriko, reizo, toshimi

It's all fun and games..
Who: Reizo and Noriko and whoever else (open)
What: Arcade fun
Where: In the arcade
When: Friday after the trip
Why: Because video games are serious business.

The arcade was as packed as it ever was during a Friday: nearly 3/4s full. Crowds of teens and young adults swarmed the halls of the large store, churning and boogieing to the jumbled beat of what sounded like hundreds of machines. The electronic altars all boomed and pulsed, giving it their all to draw in customers. All the glitziest and newest were set strategically in the back of the store, their vibrant signs and reputations funneling most clientele back towards them. The front was full of older machines, some positively ancient in comparison, all sitting and twinkling hopefully in the effort to catch the eye of a passerby. Some were lucky to have semi-loyal fan bases, but most just sat patiently, waiting for anyone to stop by to play them.

Reizo sat at one such dinosaur, one hand idly turning the steering wheel and the other holding his phone up to his ear. He mumbled into the phone, face pinched and grumpily staring back at him from the glassy screen of the machine, protested ineffectually, and finally snapped his cellphone shut. He unfolded out of the seat of the machine and walked away. The game’s new game/continue screen hung on for a few moments, hesitated, and switched back to its credits screen with an almost mournful report.

The towering boy shoved his phone moodily into his front pocket and began craning his neck to search the crowd for anyone familiar who might have some cigarettes to graciously give him. He’d intended to just bum them off his buddy tonight, but he’d just been informed he would not be showing up. Reizo scowled as he stalked through the alleys of the games, eyes flicking from face to face until they settled on someone he thought he recognized.

His pace picked up and he breezed through the pocket of free space that magically opened up around him even here. Everyone seemed to recognize that frame and shock of white hair-- or at least the scar. The hair and monstrous frame came to a stop behind Noriko’s seat and Reizo leaned in over the top of it, one eyebrow cocked as he watched the screen and hissed low when she barely managed to avoid an obstacle.

“Pretty good at this game, huh?”

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mizushimanoriko
2009-08-01 07:14 am UTC (link)

Noriko settled back in the seat of one of the many racing games within an arcade, waiting patiently for a challenger to appear. When one had, she put in two coins to the game then settled back, hitting the gas pedal as she sifted through the many styles of cars. After finally finding her usual, she settled back and watched as the numbers flashed down from three to one. Once the "GO!" appeared on the screen, she shoved the gas pedal down to the floor, yanking the clutch by her thigh to another gear once she had reached a certain speed, continuing this pattern as she threaded in and out of the cars.

When she reached a curve, she tapped the break, drifting around the curve before she switched gears and took up speed again. It continued like this for the next lap, she barely noticing as Reizo stood behind her until he spoke up when she had reached her third lap.

"Oh, I suppose," came her reply, unusually quiet as she concentrated on the game. She moved the clutch into fourth gear as she neared the finish line. She crossed it, taking first place in under two minutes. She moved the wheel as she put in her initials, tapping the break once she was finished before she twisted to look up at Reizo.

"What's up?" she quirked a brow, not seeming the least bit frightened by his appearance like the others in the arcade seemed to be. Oh, silly kids.

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some_other_dog
2009-08-01 07:34 am UTC (link)

He kept his eye on the screen throughout the display of racing game prowess, then cast it towards the one who’d been beaten handily. It was an appraising, hopeful look; he’d seen the way she was looking at him out of the corner of his eye, recognized it immediately for what it was, and hoped he’d see some cigarettes in the boy who’d just lost to her. He found nothing telling in her opponent, other than a half-suppressed flush at either being beaten by a girl, or losing so easily.

He craned his head down to star at the girl, dark eyes sweeping over her face and lips splitting into as easy and pleasant as a grin he could afford her with the angry stripe of a scar marring it. He cringed inwardly, already figuring what this encounter would be like. She would be too big for her britches and he’d want to murder her, but slapping a girl in a crowded geek shop was bound to get the police called on him. The otaku were too safe in their uniformity to be singled out by Reizo as the one who called.

Still, there was always the worry of him finding her later, and he may as well try.

“You’re that girl I see sneaking smokes up on the roof sometimes, right?” He asked, the aim obvious and his grin shifting into something sleek and terrifying. His eyes went flinty but his voice stayed soft and cordial, about as saccharine as someone like Shirai could make it, “I’m out of cigarettes and I figure you got some.”

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mizushimanoriko
2009-08-01 07:49 am UTC (link)

She hadn't even bothered to look at the other boy she raced as he toddled off back into the crowd, her attention on Reizo as he seemed to get closer to her, just inviting himself into her bubble. She just raised a brow, staring up at him, not bothering to jerk back or move closer. She supposed he'd be the kind of guy to knock the shit out of her if she were to give some sort of witty remark but... for some reason she didn't really care.

Because, you know, she was totally up for ruining his already trashed reputation. But, not really. Because it wasn't as if she had the best, either, and she supposed that there had to be some good to this kid anyways.

As he smiled, she gave her own sweet and warm smile, one that someone would literally choke from due to all the sugary-sweetness. Seriously. Of course, there was a wry look of humor in her dark brown eyes as she continued to peer up at him, like this were all some how amusing to her. Which it was.

"Yeah," she was always one to help out a fellow smoker in need but she at least wanted some fun out of it. "Win at this game and I'll give you a pack as a token of my failure." she continued to smile, even as she said the last bit.

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some_other_dog
2009-08-01 08:05 am UTC (link)

His grin faltered for a second, but it was noticeable. Some of the wolf disappeared, replaced by a moue of distaste in that moment. He recovered quickly with a shake of his head and an exasperated sigh, casting a baleful eye down at the controls of the game, the screen, and then finally down at the girl challenging him. The grin faded completely and he sighed again, the irritation palpable.

“I ain’t any good at this sorta thing. What’s the incentive when there’s no way of getting the prize?”

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	mizushimanoriko 2009-08-01 08:10 am UTC (link)
	Noriko sat up on her knees, crossing her arms over the chair and resting her chin in them as she looked up at Reizo. She pondered over his question for a moment, tilting her head slightly and making a face as if she were really in thought. "Mm, a nicotine patch," came her reply, sinking back down into the chair. "It'll help with the cravings." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

some_other_dog
2009-08-02 12:07 am UTC (link)

His smile was stiff and unnatural, like stopping before it bloomed into his normal rictus grin strained him greatly, and regarded her in quiet for several moments, eyes boring into hers as he considered her proposal. He’d never actually used a nicotine patch before, nor did he particularly want to, but anything was better than nothing until he could find some new mark. Not that this was a complete failure yet.

He took the seat with the grandiose of a beaten man and stared sullenly at the screen. He took the wheel in one hand and tasted a pedal with a foot, glanced down to make sure he was hitting the right ones, and reclined back into the seat with the thought that maybe if it were a motorcycle instead of a car..

“So a pack if I win, a patch if I lose,” he said more to himself than her as he gave the controls another doleful looking over. He found his resolve and slotted a token into the game and gripped the plastic wheel and stick shift.

“What’s your name?” He asked overtop the announcement of a new racer.

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anthesphoria
2009-08-02 09:06 pm UTC (link)

Kozue had dropped her suitcase off at the dorms after they'd gotten back to Iburi, and immediately headed out on the town to do some shopping. Get a snack. Something to make up for a whole day, day and a half, during which she had been subjected to real honest-to-goodness nature. Some kind of pampering: anything. One manicure later, she was wandering through the town, trying to figure out how to occupy herself for the rest of the evening. Call a friend? Call an ex?

The arcade doors were wide open, to draw in more customers with the loud sounds of laughter, cheers and video game sound effects. Kozue paused, hearing it, and stood in front of the open door, peering in the dark-and-neon environment. She could play a game or two, she guessed. It would kill some time - but would it be fun? Would they have any of those games that Ishinomori was so obsessed with?

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thrown_to_winds
2009-08-02 09:44 pm UTC (link)

After a somewhat confusing bus ride back to the dorms, Toshi had checked her email only to find a message from her uncle. Apparently, he was considering purchasing a popular Iburi arcade. He'd emailed her asking if she would go investigate and send back her impressions. Unfortunately, he seemed to have forgotten that he rarely [if ever] sent her any spending money and her parents were still earning minimum wage. Toshimi didn't blame him--he was a busy man, after all.

She figured that even if she couldn't play any of the arcade games, hanging around and observing them was free. The building was loud and crowded, but Toshi supposed that just meant that people were enjoying it. For a minute she stood outside the entrance, looking in and wondering if they had any of the 2-D kind of classic games she liked. She shook her head, reminding herself that she needed to save her money if she wanted to eat anything except instant noodles. Then she noticed someone else standing there, watching as well. "Good afternoon, Kondo-san," she greeted. "Are you going in?" She gestured towards the open doors.

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anthesphoria
2009-08-02 09:52 pm UTC (link)

"Oh, hello, Nawanaka-sempai," Kozue said, bobbing slightly. That... was her name, right? Oh, damn, Kozue hoped so. She brushed a curl back from her face, rising again. "I was thinking about it - I haven't gone here since middle school. What about you? Are you headed inside?"

She glanced in; would they have the same games that had been there two years ago? The dancing one? She liked the dancing one, and the Taiko drumming game.

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daioujou
2009-08-02 10:13 pm UTC (link)

Kouchisei had hoped to get home from the library quickly, and though he should've taken the nearest bus route he sometimes liked getting on a few stops later; it was nice to walk at dusk. He could listen to his music and look at the shops. He adjusted the headphones in his ears. Often, he upped the volume to the detriment of his hearing - which was he was now switching the player off, rolling the headphones around it and placing it inside his coat pocket.

He looked at the arcade, at the posters of games and neon lights, and thought how much fun these places would be if they had games he liked. He liked Emergency Room, and how he used the motion sensor. Except those games weren't popular here.

His expression was followed by a twitch when he saw - and heard - Toshimi and Kozue standing outside the arcade. A twitch, and he was hurriedly searching for a place to hide. That lamppost looked good.

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anthesphoria
2009-08-02 10:29 pm UTC (link)

Kozue looked up in time to see Oubai looking at them - she missed, at first, his turn to look for somewhere to hide. "Oh, fancy meeting you here, Oubai-sempai - would you like to join us inside? I mean," she backpedalled, looking over at Toshi. She didn't really know the other girl - in fact, hadn't talked to her outside of Paradise. That was too forward, far too friendly for people who were more like... sports teammates, really, than friends.

"I'm sorry, that is, if you'd like to. I don't want to presume anything, but it would be fun." She tried her best to not look completely embarrassed - really, this was too forward for her.

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daioujou
2009-08-02 10:43 pm UTC (link)

Confronted by Kozue, he felt his heart jump in his chest. It had lodged in his throat, making it difficult to breathe. He forced himself calm, looking over at the arcade. This was too strange, too soon to be going out with other people. But he was curious. The arcade would be enjoyable - if only for the spectable of people making idiots of themselves. It was amazing how video games rose tempers or calmed them. He hoped his father wouldn't mind his staying out. It was far more interesting than sitting at home watching television...

Well, he supposed he'd better ring...

Except it was awkward ringing the old man sometimes, and there was an audience. A text. Far simpler and easier, and less embarrassing. It was what he'd have done before Paradise, so...

His expression moved down and he pressed the call button. He really needed to appreciate his father more. Four rings, and it was answered. "Dad, I'm going to be back late. Nine pm, probably. Is that all right?"

They couldn't hear him being asked if he was all right from the other end of the line, or why he was going to be late. "I'm going out with some friends." A pause. "... I'm not sure what to do, really. As it is, I'll be getting the bus home."

And he ended the call.

"Uh, sure."

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pinksunbeam
2009-08-03 02:35 am UTC (link)

Misaki had come there earlier in the afternoon to try to work out some "stress" as Kiriko had called it. Thankfully the day had been a shorter one so she had managed to go home and change into something other then her uniform. Her fingers were flying over the keypads and joystick as she fought against some zombies in a horror game.

Misaki's eyes poured over the game as she watched the score to see if she could beat the leader, who she figured had to be Toru, and furrowed her brow some. Working her game she paused when she heard voices behind her and blinked.

"Oh hello everyone, what are you guys doing here?"

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anthesphoria
2009-08-03 04:43 am UTC (link)

Kozue waited through the phonecall, interested, vaguely impatient, and her face breaking into a smile, as she realized he was going to join them. "Thanks for changing your plans for us, Oubai-sempai." She glanced at Toshi, wondering if the other girl would join them. They could get to know each other better, and maybe that would make all this Persona stuff go a bit smoother. Develop team rapport and all.

She looked up, hearing a familiar voice: "Misaki-chan, hi. I think we all just bumped into each other." She took a step or two into the door, looking at the console at which Misaki was playing: "What's that that you're playing?"

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thrown_to_winds
2009-08-03 07:21 am UTC (link)

Not wanting to stare, she'd been looking at all the surroundings during Kouchisei's phone conversation and had noticed a pink head at one of the front machines, but didn't realize it was Misaki until she'd turned to face them. She gave the younger girl a wave. "Aoi-san, good afternoon," she said, "I guess we all had the same idea today." Well, except for herself, Toshimi thought, but that was unimportant.

She walked towards the machine Misaki had been playing at, giving it a look. It didn't look like she'd abandoned the machine in the middle of combat: the action had stopped. "You can just pause this game?" Toshi wasn't in the habit of going to arcades, but to her it seemed counter-intuitive to allow players to stop in the middle while other people were presumably waiting to play. Wasn't that bad business sense? She placed a hand on her hip, thinking.

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	pinksunbeam 2009-08-03 05:51 pm UTC (link)
	"Oh House of the Dead 2, and no there's no pause, I just play this game a lot when I'm not feeling very happy and know about the glitch in the corner. It pauses the game, and there's a quick trick to taking it off the glich." Misaki cheerfully explained and rubbed the back of her neck. "So who else is there?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

anthesphoria
2009-08-05 08:19 pm UTC (link)

Kozue's eyes went a little wider at Misaki's admission; she played this game when she was unhappy? She hadn't dropped that by accident, surely... So what was wrong? Perhaps she was upset about something that'd happened on the trip.

"It's just the two of us and Oubai-sempai, right outside--" she turned, looking for Kou. He'd finished his phone call, right? So had he followed them inside?

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pinksunbeam
2009-08-06 11:41 pm UTC (link)

"Oubai-sempai's here?" Misaki looked suprised. Theh turned and noticed that the gitch was coming undone so she quickly turned back to the game. "I'll go help you get him in here. I just have to defeat this boss."

Suddenly a very nasty looking killer in a chicken costume came up and started to slash at Misaki as she shot at him till the fell to the floor and vaished. The sign "You Win" in bright blue letters came up and she let out a sigh. "He was easier this time then last time. But I still didn't beat the score."

Misaki blushed some, "So um...would you two like to play some of the UFO catcher games? They're a lot of fun."

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...o__o I assume I reply to this, the thread was taken over.

mizushimanoriko
2009-08-08 06:15 am UTC (link)

Leaning back, Noriko spun the wheel slowly, seeming to take her time to choose a car. Once chosen, she picked out the stats then waited for Reizo, looking over at him with a brow quirked. Oh, him.

"Noriko," she replied. "I could ask your name to be polite but it's hard to mistake you with the rumors going around." her tone was flat and could have been mistaken for boredom.

She shifted her attention back to the screen as the countdown began, wishing she could smoke within the arcade. That would be interesting, although she was sure she'd get ash all over herself. She took off when the digital woman waved her little digital flag, switching gears.

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