Yu-Gi-Oh! Skies [IC/PG-16]

Zai · October 29, 2019

“Joy. Another one.”

“And he’s just getting started.” Yushiro replied as he stared down the newest monstrosity before him.

“And I’m just getting started,” Hiraku said with a sneer. “I activate the effect of The Will of Daedalus. By detaching a material that’s a Level 5 monster, I get to destroy 2 cards on your field. So let’s get rid of those bothersome facedown cards.”

“Guess I’ll just have to play these a little earlier than expected! I chain both of my set traps: Graceful Skull Dice and then Re-dyce-cle! The latter lets me bring a Speedroid tuner back from the grave, and as for the former…” As Yushiro spoke, Daiko Duke returned to the field in defense mode. “I roll a die, and the ATK of all your monsters gets decreased by 100 times the result, while the ATK of mine gets raised by an equal amount. Roll it you two!”

The cherub and gremlin from graceful skull dice hefted a giant die above their heads and dropped it. It bounced across an invisible floor, spun on a corner for a moment, and landed on 5.

“Nice! A delta of 500 for both sides. That means change by the way, just in case you thought you were the only one who was going to do some schooling this game.”

“I need to teach you some better lines kid.”

Hiraku stood there silently for a moment. His expression remained unchanged but his eyes darted from his hand to the field a few times. “Fine then. I suppose this will just be drawn out a little longer,” he said. “I’ll set one more card and end my turn. You know I was hoping this duel would be more interesting, but I’m afraid that if you can’t liven things up I might just cut it short. We do have a party to attend to, after all!”

“He says, as he ends his turn. Would be a little bit more intimidating if you actually managed to do something that round.” Yushiro drew his next card, and looked at the board. For whatever reason, Hiraku had neglected to attack Den-Den Daiko Duke, leaving Yushiro with two monsters on the field this time. Misplay or not, he had to seize the opportunity.

“You want action? Fine. I normal Summon Nitro Synchron, and next, I’ll activate panchingo-kart’s effect. I discard a machine-type and destroy one monster on the field. Guess who.”

“Sorry, but I’m not so sure about that one,” Hiraku said with a smile. “I activate the trap card Dark Sacrifice. It negates that effect and lets me send a level 3 or lower DARK monster from my Deck to the Graveyard. I’ll be sending another Khalko.”

“Great. Guess that one fizzled. Well, go-kart’s still got some usefulness in him! I tune it with Nitro Synchron for a level six synchro summon!” The familiar stars and synchro rings appeared, and out of the flash of light, Yushiro’s old ace appeared. “Place your bets everyone, because here comes Nitro Booster!”

ATK: 2300

“And because I used nitro synchron to summon him, I get to draw another card.” Yushiro looked at it, then set it on the field. “And next, I’ll discard Speed Recovery from my hand to increase Nitro Booster’s ATK by 500!”

ATK: 2800

“Now punch Will of Daedalus in his ugly face! Nitro Bullet Burst!” Nitro Booster gave Yushiro a thumbs up, then hit the invisible floor at top speed, gliding across the field with the wheels on his feet. The hubcaps on the top of his hands burst loose as a torrent of blue flames shot out from them, and he spun around and jumped for the monster before him, fist outstretched.

The Will of Deadalus took the fist directly to the face, clutching it before shattering into a cloud of triangles. But behind him, was Hiraku’s second trap turned face up. “When you destroyed him, you let me activate Reformation of the Crucible, which lets me summon a Crucible monster from my Graveyard and draw one card. I’ll bring back Talos, Giant of the Crucible in defense position.” Hiraku then drew his card as the giant was revived into the centre of the field. “As well, when Will of Deadalus is destroyed, I get to add a Crucible monster to my hand from my Deck. So I add Kabeiriko to my hand.”

DEF: 2300

“You just keep on coming, don't you? Well, enjoy Talos while he lasts, because Nitro booster’s second attack is up next! Or did you forget that my buddy here can knock out two monsters per battle phase?”

“Why do you think I put him in Defense Position?”

“Good call. This would hurt a lot more otherwise. Take him out Nitro Booster!” Not missing a beat, Nitro Booster landed back in front of Yushiro, and leapt up again, though this time he made a lap along the walls of Maiden hall, giving everyone present an up-close view of his polished chrome (And making sure to give Elizabeth Hall a personal thumbs-up from his duelist as he passed her) before kicking off of a support beam and landing a wicked uppercut on Talos, sending the giant flying. Talos shattered as he hit the skylight, raining smoke and virtual debris down on the field.

“It may only have been for 1000 damage, but at least I put a dent in him. And it didn’t blow up in my face this time.” Yushiro wiped a bit of sweat from his brow as his synchro monster returned to his side of the field. “That’s it for me this turn. You’re up!”

“And that’s your ace?” Hiraku said. “That’s all you got when I give you a chance to turn this around? Pity. Well, I guess playtime’s over.”

Yushiro took a glance down at the Nitro Booster card on his duel disk, the scratches from its run-in with the pavement the other week were clearly visible. “Got a problem with my choice of monsters, do ya? You know Nitro Booster’s a heck of a lot less ugly than the freakshows you’ve got over there!” It was kind of lame, sure, but Yushiro felt the need to defend one of his favorite cards.

“Oh no, no problem on my end. It’s yourself that you should be worried about. First, I Normal Summon Kabeiriko, Mount of the Crucible and activate his effect. I can send a LIGHT Crucible monster from my Deck to my grave and inflict 800 damage. I choose to send a second Talos from my Deck.”

ATK: 1500

The muscle-bound demon that stood on the field with its shoulders hunched took a deep breath through its toothy maw and let out a mouthful of rancid, purple smoke in Yushiro’s direction. He choked and coughed- the stuff wasn’t entirely fake this time.

LP: 7200

“Next, because I control a Crucible monster, I can summon Kuanos from my hand.”

ATK: 1500

“Finally, I activate Forged in the Crucible, which lets me banish two fiend monsters from my grave for a Fusion Summon. So, let’s welcome back a dear friend who’s just -dying- to see you again! I banish one of my Talos and my Keledones from my Graveyard to fusion summon the Fury of Daedalus!”

A portal opened on the ground and one by one not one, not two, but four dragon heads rose from the portal, connected to a central, four-legged eldritch body. Once the creature managed to pull itself from the portal, all four heads let out a deafening roar.

ATK: 2800

“Not this thing again!”

“You’ve seen it before?”

“I almost lost to it last time.”

“Now then! Once per turn ol’ Fury here gets to return up to four of my banished fiends and gain 800 attack for each, but while I say there’s no kill like overkill, I’m afraid it will be an underkill either way. I return my banished Khalko to my deck for Fury to gain 800 ATK until the end of your next turn.”

ATK: 3600

“Now that’s how you do a stat boost! Now can you see why your Nitro isn’t enough? Actually, why not a demonstration?” It was obvious by this point that Hiraku simply enjoyed listening to himself talk. “Fury? Why don’t you teach that Nitro Booster a lesson.”

One of the four heads inhaled as a ball of energy collected in its mouth, while simultaneously the humanoid body on the central mass gathered its own orb of energy. At once, both volleys of energy were unleashed in the direction of Nitro Booster, who turned around and gave Yushiro a reassuring nod before disappearing into the light.

LP: 6700

“Now, I’ll let my other two monsters have their way. Kabeiriko? Take care of that stupid tuner, then Kuanos can attack directly.” One by one the monsters leapt at Yushiro, first Kabeiriko taking a flying leap attack at Den-Den Daiko Duke, then Kuanos lunging at Yushiro with a swipe.

“Not so fast! Activate trap! Magical arm shield!” When the trap activated, the shield appeared on Yushiro’s left arm. As Kuanos lunged, a spring arm shot out from the shield, grabbing Kaberiko and pulling it to Yushiro’s side of the field. “Kuanos’s attack target now becomes kaberiko!”

“Hey, you didn’t… you know, lock your card out, did you?”

“What? No, I didn’t, but it's not even your turn, what are going to-”

Soundtrack- Yushiro's Theme

“Or at least, it would be! I banish Re-dyce-cle from my GY, which lets me synchro summon using a speedroid tuner I control, and a monster on my field, and guess where Kaberiko is!” Before Hiraku could answer, Kaberiko disappeared, becoming four stars surrounded by the synchro rings created by Den-Den Daiko Duke.

“A little luck, and a lot of will! Carry these wishes on your shimmering wings, and slash through the skies! Synchro Summon! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!”

A massive burst of light shot out from within the rings, and out of it flew the sleek, serpentine form of Yushiro’s new dragon, rivaling Fury of Daedalus in size.

“What?!” Hiraku cried out, his facade finally cracking. “Where does a player like YOU get a card that rare?!”

“A good friend gave it to me, and I’ve been saving it just for this match!” Clear Wing let out a roar, loud enough to make the building shake. The dragon was ready to fight, and it was then that Yushiro noticed the lack of Zetsuei’s voice in his head. He smiled; his new companion must be out on the field in a body of his own. “Now, because all of that went down while you were declaring an attack, you get yourself a replay. So whaddya say, wanna try your luck?”

Hiraku looked at Yushiro stupefied, then laughed. “You really think one disturbed battle is going to be enough? Fine, whatever. I can just end you next turn. You’ve got one card in your hand and a monster too weak to destroy mine. I’ll set one card and end my turn.”

"This Duel's far from over, Hiraku! Draw!"

radio414 · October 31, 2019

“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.”
-Matthew 12:36 (NIV)

Gabriela laughed and called Melissa funny. Which was odd because she wasn’t trying to be. Like, funny how? At the risk of derailing her train of thought, funny how? Like a clown? Was she just meant to play the fool, acting for Gabriela’s amusement? That itself was a weird thought, one that broke through Melissa’s barriers because it was probably true, wasn’t it? Why wouldn’t it be?

But before Melissa could ask Gabriela about it, Gabriela was already somewhere else, declaring her inevitable dominance over everyone in the entire school (which seemed a bit excessive) before whipping around and challenging Melissa.

“Perhaps we could have a duel sometime. I would like to see which of us is faster.”

As if that helped. Didn’t she just say that she didn’t often? That she tried to get them over with as quickly as possible? This was a trap, and Melissa had fallen right into-

“Oho? Well, you have a long way to climb to reach his throne, o princess of darkness.”

Oh, Jes- NO

Had Jun been there the whole time? Melissa tried to run through everything she’d said, wondering what Jun had overheard and what Melissa had only said in her head. The line blurred real quick, which only made Melissa more nervous.

There was a duel happening in the background. Melissa didn’t care. More specifically, she didn’t care about that one, but now that Jun was here…

”Nothing says true friendship like a friendly duel between friends. Friendly,” Jun said. She did a little motion with her arms but her sleeves obscured most of it. What was that supposed to mean?

Melissa imagined word getting out. She imagined word spreading all over campus and then all of a sudden she was thrust into a spotlight she was in no way ready for, and branching off from there was an endless array of possibilities. Most of them were bad.

But on the other hand? If she said no? Word would probably get out anyway, and while “Melissa the Coward” or whatever unfortunate label the greater high school consciousness deigned to give her wasn’t by itself worse than the occasional “weird nun girl” she already got, the additional infamy was not something she wanted to deal with. Not with her (worryingly) increasingly growing list of acquaintances who were infinitely more sociable than her and who Melissa wasn’t entirely positive they wouldn’t gossip. Ashley Rendleman knew who she was!

And…

And also Gabriela would probably be disappointed. And Melissa would be disappointed in herself. Past all the fear and worrying, Melissa did want to spend more time with her without the hubbub of a dance. Something on her terms.

“I guess…” Melissa said, her voice still hedging a bit even if her mind was as close to made up as it was going to get. “But, um, not at an arena or anything like that. Maybe at CoffeeCards? Or at one of our dorms?”

She looked back. “Also, hi, Jun. Enjoying the show?”

yui · November 1, 2019

"Well, you know me. I'd be rich to pry for information from you. Hope the entertainment club serves you well. It was never my game, but I suppose neither was the duel team."

"Doing something you don't want to so you can avoid doing something you want even less, or something?" Not much of a way to live, was it? Not that Kyouko had room to talk, given that was exactly what she was doing. Remembering the look of shock on the swim team captain's face was still satisfying, though. It probably would be all year. She really wished she'd taken a picture of that so she could look at it when she was feeling down. But that wasn't here or now. Here and now, a duel was starting. Hadn't she seen those two guys before? One of them was that Double Down kid, right?

...yeah. Looking at how they'd started out, it was the same kids. Double Down was the blonde, and the kid with the white hair was...

"Are you at all close to Hiraku, Kyouko? I've never much talked to him. Seems like a bit of a thorn, but I'm not sure I'd like to much take a chance on dueling him. I've heard he's rather accomplished."

Was that his name? "Never met him," Kyouko answered as the boys proceeded with their duel. Pointing at the blonde, she continued "Last I saw of these guys, that one forced a tie. I only caught the end of the duel though, so--"

“A little luck, and a lot of will! Carry these wishes on your shimmering wings, and slash through the skies! Synchro Summon! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!”

Hmm? This seemed like a losing position for blondie, but now? Things were getting interesting. Enough so for a small smile to crack its way onto Kyouko's face. "What about you?" she asked in return. "Are either of these boys important to you?"

LordCowCow · November 2, 2019

"Oho? Well, you have a long way to climb to reach his throne, o'princess of darkness."

Wait what who why? Gabby almost fell out of her chair in her haste to turn and look at who had just come in. It was...Jun, right? Yeah, the second in command as it were. And the girl who had actually brought Gabby to the registration desk for the duel team.

She wasn't sure how to feel about her. She seemed friendly but she also seemed to be friendly to everyone and something about that was almost too suspicious.

But it wasn't as though Gabriela could afford to turn down any friends at this moment.

Of course Jun had interrupted them at a rather awkward moment.

“But, um, not at an arena or anything like that. Maybe at CoffeeCards? Or at one of our dorms?”

"D-Dorms?" Gabriela said, with a nervous waver in her voice. As in their rooms? Why? Melissa seemed to be moving rather quickly through all...no, this didn't mean anything. It just meant she wanted to spend more time with her. Alone. In a bedroom.

"Yes, CoffeeCards that sounds, erm, a fitting stage for us to have our duel. After all I cannot be seen dominating a subject so publicly, right? Ahaha...ha."

To Jun, Gabriela nodded firmly. "Maybe not as long as you might think. My powers are much greater than you give me credit for! I would say I'm only a step or two behind in fact!" Why? Why was she digging herself a deeper hole. Sure, she had to be good to earn her place here, but did she really have to be the best?

Thinking back on her roots, and the way she had entered the school, she thought perhaps she really did. After all why would they bother with her if she wasn't that way?

Her eyes turned back to the duel just as she heard the name of that dreadful card. "Graceful Skull Dice"

She frowned. "Is he really going to rely on something like that?" She said. She didn't care much about the card he summoned, despite the crowd reaction, as she didn't really know of its value. Even if she did it would only confuse her even more why he would use a card that gave the duel to chance. There was a clear bitterness in her voice when she followed it with, "A tactic like that is the absolute worst."

Skaia · November 3, 2019

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Jun smiled as the two girls talked about setting up their duel, slightly amused at Gabby's reaction to the proposition. As Gabby then turned back to face Jun, the girl couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's declaration and confidence. "Oh? Well, I look forward to seeing you climb up." Putting a hand to her chin, the girl briefly smiled again saying, "oh, if you get better than me, then you can probably be the captain instead. And then..." Jun briefly thought about what life would be like with a smile on her face, being freed from her responsibilities as both vice captain and captain, being able to sit around freely and simply show up to duel on the team.

As the duel progressed, Jun let out an "ooh," with the rest of the crowd as Yushiro brought out his new ace monster. Looking to Melissa, answering her previous question, the girl said, "this duel's been fun so far. Shiro is certainly making it more interesting than I was expecting." Then looking towards Gabby, as she made her comment she simply said, "hmm, seems so. He used a few chance cards when I played him, but, it tends to look like luck is on his side anyway, so I guess it's a kind of skill?" Jun didn't really sound too convinced as she said that last part, but all the same, she didn't really have much of an opinion on the boy's cards herself.

radio414 · November 5, 2019

Melissa wondered if she was supposed to continue the thread of the “next date” while still in the middle of the first one or not. It seemed… off? Somehow? Like, she could understand talking about when they were supposed to meet next at the end, in front of one of their dorms or something, but when there was still so much more time left in the night? Ignoring everything else (and there was a lot of else -- for example, that had to be in the upper echelons of social faux pas, right?), she was worried that one of them might forget by the time the night was over.

Gabriela, thankfully, soon after pivoted back to the duel, deftly guiding Melissa’s attention back to, you know, the thing they were actually supposed to be looking at. “Is he really going to rely on something like that?” she said. “A tactic like that is the absolute worst.”

You would even cast lots for the fatherless and barter away your friend.
-Job 6:27 (NIV)

Melissa didn’t know what to think about Graceful Skull Dice, actually. Jun seemed pretty quick to accept it as part of Yushiro’s strategy, but that was Duel Team talk, probably. What about scripted duels between entertainers? She’d been hoping that she’d be able to start with those so she’d only have to focus on the “entertaining” aspect. You know, the part she was garbage at.

The point was, luck-based cards like that, couldn’t those throw the script somehow? Or did each duelist just have to have a flowchart memorized, with forks at every dice roll or coin toss? That seemed… complicated, to say the least. The alternative was probably setting the number beforehand, though, which itself probably ran the risk of breaking the audience’s immersion. Could she fake surprise or disgust at the result of a die she already knew the result of? How many people could?

And that was ignoring the biggest question, which was: if you were scripting out a duel, why even use luck-based cards at all?

Then something clicked. She still didn’t know what to think or anything like that, but her brain had decided to ignore the question altogether and shift course to the other aspect of Gabriela’s declaration: her tone.

Melissa was pretty sure she’d never heard Gabriela act with such disdain before. Sure, there was the standard air of nobility over the lower class that she had basically all the time but this one seemed different. Something personal. And Melissa was worried it was her fault.

The thought wouldn’t leave either, no matter how hard Melissa tried to keep it down. So she couldn’t “ooh” and “ah” with the crowd as Yushiro pulled out a big Synchro monster. She kept her lip bit and started running through everything she’d ever said searching for something that might have offended Gabriela. Something that might have soured her mood.

Was it the food? Gabriela hadn’t gotten a lot to eat at dinner and it seemed like so many advertisements were always like “Hungry people are angry people.” And that could probably be rectified pretty easily, like, the bar probably had some sort of snack and failing that, some nonalcoholic drink would at least have some calories, right? But Melissa imagined walking up to someone and being like, “You look angry, have a peanut,” like, that certainly couldn’t go well, could it?

What else could it be? A thought struck her. Maybe she’d only noticed it now because she hadn’t been the best at paying attention. Maybe it had been subtler before and because Melissa hadn’t picked up on it, Gabriela had increased the intensity, and now Melissa was left to deal with the consequences.

The knot in Melissa’s stomach got a little tighter. It had to be her fault -- it had to be -- and being unable to find the cause only made things worse. Something she said at dinner? No, dinner had been great. Calling out her loss to Hitomu? No, Gabriela would have said something if that were true, right? Her failure to adequately prepare for the duel they were now watching? Ashley had done most of that and… And…

“I’m sorry, I think I need to use the restroom,” Melissa said.

She stood up. Deep, measured breaths were starting to fail her now, which meant escape was the only option unless she wanted to ruin Gabriela’s night even more than she probably already had. She quickly shuffled past Gabriela (and gave a quick nod to Jun) and scampered off.

The restroom wasn’t soundproofed at all. That wasn’t to say that Melissa expected that of her restrooms, but the noise of the crowd certainly didn’t help. Otherwise, it was fine. It had porcelain toilet bowls and sinks and smelled like it had been cleaned that afternoon. She wasn’t picky, especially not now.

Her mental search had broadened. Now that she was staring at herself in the bathroom mirror, it was easy to reflect on things, and the entire day was now up for review. No, not just that day, any interaction. Every interaction they’d had. And every other moment Melissa had spent out and about. Ever. It wasn’t even gradual how quickly all those thoughts turned into a barrage, a monsoon of nitpicking and hyperanalyzing. Why did she wait until the day of to buy corsages? Why had she done the bare minimum of coordinating? Other people thought her flower looked terrible, didn’t they? Why did Jun show up all of a sudden, had she heard anything private? And Ashley…

Ashley…

Ashley…

Everything about Ashley Rendleman and how Melissa had handled that particular encounter now flooded her memory because everything about it had gone wrong. From what was said to how it ended to the inevitable aftermath to-

Someone entered the restroom and it was all Melissa could do to flee into a stall and just start sobbing. She was leaning over the toilet bowl in case something came out. Fortunately, nothing did, but it was a small fortune now. Between gasping for air and sniffling and feeling her heart pound like a drum in her chest, she could barely even think, anyway, so she couldn’t even recognize how lucky she was she hadn’t lost her din-

“You’re probably too good for him anyway,” the other person in the restroom said.

And there it went, between coughs and spit. Melissa flushed the toilet, but a second lurch left her staring at some remnants until she managed the strength to pull the plunger again. And even after that, the image was firmly in her mind now. She was a mess and she knew it. Why did she think tonight, of all nights, was going to be different?

Melissa imagined spending the entire night there in that one stall, only coming out when the night custodian demanded that she did, before wandering in a daze back to her dorm room and never leaving. It just wasn’t worth it. If -- if -- Gabriela didn’t hate her, wouldn’t she now, after all this? And if she didn’t find out, wouldn’t she find out through Ashley Rendleman’s chain of gossip? “Watch out for that mess,” Melissa said to herself. “You don’t want to be- you don’t want to have anything to do with her.”

In that moment, though, as soon as she uttered those words, Melissa experienced a moment of clarity. There was one person that both already knew and could maybe, just maybe, bring her back from this.

She swiftly pulled out her phone. She was operating on blind hope now, like, it probably wouldn’t work, but she had to try.

To: Elizabeth
From: Melissa
Hey, this is Melissa. Can we talk? I don’t want to say it’s urgent but...

I’m in the restroom.

It was only two messages, and they looked so small now that she had sent them. Melissa kept staring at the screen, mumbling to herself sentences like “Come on…” or “Pick up, please…” There wasn’t a read receipt yet, which meant there was still hope. But as the moments -- they were probably only seconds, unless… -- ticked on, the hope started to fade away, and nothing replaced hope quite like dread.

She sent two more -- final -- messages and then the tears came back.

I don’t know how many restrooms there are in this place, actually. Look for the crying girl one of the stalls.

Please.

Edited January 6, 2020 by radio414

LordCowCow · November 7, 2019

Gabriela's eyes widened as Jun mentioned becoming the captain. Was that possible? If so...wasn't that what she wanted? If she was at the top no one could question why she was here, after all, she'd have earned her place.

"He used a few chance cards when I played him, but, it tends to look like luck is on his side anyway, so I guess it's a kind of skill?"

Gabby winced as Jun said that. She almost didn't catch Melissa's words of departure. Though it was impossible to not notice the girl leave.

She stared after her for a bit, frowning. Was it because Gabby was upset? Did she do something wrong? No, that couldn't be, Melissa wasn't the type to abandon someone just for something like that. She must just have to use the bathroom...the reminder was unfortunate as Gabby just remembered it had been a while since she used the bathroom. Though following Melissa would just be...weird. Not to mention she didn't know where the bathroom even was.

In either case she was now left alone with Jun and the girl must be expecting some kind of response.

With the distraction of Melissa leaving the girl had almost forgotten what she was upset about. But looking back at Jun brought it all back. "Luck isn't a skill." Gabriela said bluntly. "It's pointless and relying on it is just a curse..." she hesitated, feeling herself growing defensive, indignant, and that wasn't how she wanted to present herself.

"W-well, it's not my business if he chooses such a poor strategy. It only strengthens my claim of before. I would never let such a thing defeat me! I wonder if this Hiraku is someone who would be rattled by chance."

Skaia · November 7, 2019

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Jun gave a wave to Melissa the quiet girl made her way out and went to the restroom. The scene seemed very familiar, and Jun couldn't help but think that Melissa had a habit of excusing herself every time they were together. Maybe she was prone to stomach issues? Well, it didn't really matter to her at the moment anyhow, and so Jun's eyes quickly shifted back to Gabby as the girl continued to speak as well. While Jun had not really paid attention to the change in Gabby's tone the first time luck was brought up, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when she brought it up again. The girl didn't really press it as she seemed to back pedal back into her usual regal demeanor.

Still amused, Jun shrugged. "Well, it would be pretty bad for him if his luck ran out." The girl then smiled as she wondered just how a match between her two rookies would go, but simply continued saying, "as for Hiraku, well..." Jun trailed off. As a matter of principle she never had anything nice to really say about the boy, aloud at least. In spite of his generally unpleasant attitude and her antagonistic feelings towards him, she still had to go along with the facts. And the facts were that he was the third starting member of the duel team for a reason. He might've come off as arrogant as well as easily annoyed, but Jun had known that he could be counted on to keep his composure in any duel he actually cared about...aside from against Hitomu. As such, the girl pondered for a moment before smiling again saying, "well, you'll see for yourself."

Cappuccijoe · November 7, 2019

"What about you?" she asked in return. "Are either of these boys important to you?"

What an interesting question. Beth pondered it for a second, either because she didn't know the answer or because Beth was extremely focused on the duel, her brain kicking into overdrive with every move made. She was trying to predict and create probabilities for the gameplay in real time, and as his scratched up- wait, is the hologram altered because of their collision a week or so ago? How strange.

Alterations aside, she was hardly sure of his chances. But back to the question at hand: was Yushiro important to her? Was Hiraku? She admittedly didn't know Hiraku very well, and she could only assume the budding relationship betwixt Yushiro and herself meant they would be more frequently at daggers drawn than any sort of meaningful friendship or otherwise. So that was solved, but the question of Yushiro.... well that was a bit harder to answer.

Relationships were so difficult to qualify at this stage of infancy; were they important to each other? Hard to say, although she did quite like having him around most of the time. He was rather off at the time of their meeting a few moments ago, but they had still shared a night under the stars fairly recently.

"Important? I'm not sure. That's a pretty tough question to answer." she made a mental list of the people who are and who have been important to her. The obvious names popped up immediately:

1. Ashley

2. Todd

3. and 4. Her parents.

5. Hitomu

That was about where the list petered out, except for her last serious relationship, and, despite her unwillingness to admit at the time and after it, her former love: Kyata.

In a way it was unfair to compare the two; Kyata was hardheaded, competitive as anything, tall, strikingly muscular and likely on a fast track to the pro scene at some point in his life. After all, you don't become the captain of the Blue Yonder duel team and not find your way into the pro duel scene in at least some capacity. No amount of teenage drinking scandals and car wrecks was going to change that. Kyata was important to Elizabeth because he felt like the last link in a chain between her and the rest of an unstoppably strong duel team turned friends. Perhaps friends for life; that was until Kyata shattered the chain into pieces, of course.

And really, if Elizabeth was being honest with herself, Yushiro wasn't any of that. But there was one thing that they had in common, and perhaps what had her attracted to him: his passion was undeniable. You could say what you like about Yushiro, but there was no argument to be made about whether or not he cared enough to put his heart into things.

"Important? No, not quite. But I am curious to get to know Yushiro a bit more. He's been rather kind to me for my time in knowing him." Elizabeth felt a buzz on her hip: it was her cellphone ringing.

Hey, this is Melissa. Can we talk? I don’t want to say it’s urgent but...

I’m in the restroom.

Elizabeth cocked an eyebrow in confusion at her phone. She had a few interactions with Melissa, enough to consider them friendly, but if it was constipation Melissa was struggling with, Beth thought it better to perhaps contact a school nurse at the even-

I don’t know how many restrooms there are in this place, actually. Look for the crying girl one of the stalls.

Ah. Right then. Elizabeth looked up at Yushiro's duel. He had just summoned Clear Wing, which was shocking to her, sure, but also signaled that this game would surely be entering its downswing to the finish.

Well Beth? How important is he to you? she looked back down at her phone as Melissa made an additional plea for her attention. Liz began to squirm in place, running her fingers through her hair; how the hell was she supposed to make a decision like this?!

She looked up one more time, then back to her phone, then up again. She found her brain searching her knowledge of the hall's layout, and where the lavatories would be located.

"Bloody hell. I'm sorry Yushiro." she grabbed whatever things she may have left on the counter and made her way towards the one bathroom she could think of near the seats. She figured she would start there. If she was watching the duel that's where Melissa would be.

After no more than 2 or 3 minutes, Beth tucked her head into the bathroom, gently smiling but showing urgency while passing through the crowd of people in the hall and near the stadium who had perhaps wanted to catch up with her as she passed by. She stood near the sinks for a moment, giving an inconspicuous peek under the doors with her eyes, looking for perhaps a clue that Melissa would be in one of the stalls.

Beyond shoe color, it was the light, restrained whimper of a crying girl that gave Melissa away. Locating the stall by its sound, she approached Melissa's stall, or at least what she hoped to be Melissa's. Beth closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose; she always hated this part.

Beth lightly tapped on the stall door with her middle knuckle, "Melissa? I just got your message. Are you decent? Can I come in?" She supposed the answer to either of those questions weren't important, but she was unsure of what to say otherwise. She only hoped that perhaps Beth would get lucky enough to rally Melissa back to the duel in time to get to see the ending. Win or lose, she promised Yushiro she would be there.

Edited November 7, 2019 by Cappuccijoe

yui · November 10, 2019

"Bloody hell. I'm sorry Yushiro."

And then she left. Kyouko had a pretty good scope of how important this boy was to her. Important enough that she felt the need to apologize for leaving during his duel, if nothing else. If he wasn't important like she initially said, she probably wouldn't have felt the need to do that, right? If she substituted into that situation herself and somebody like Jun being the one dueling, Kyouko would feel obliged to watch all the same. Whatever business she suddenly had to attend to must have been pretty urgent.

But at the same time, it wasn't Kyouko's business at that point. The most attention she gave it was a passing thought of Hopefully it goes well. Whatever it is.

Kyouko retrieved her phone from her pocket again. No new texts. It wasn't like she was expecting anyone to contact her in the first place, but that didn't stop her from checking often. Maybe getting in contact with Jun wasn't a bad idea. Yeah.

These two are really going at it, aren't they?

And, send.

radio414 · November 23, 2019

When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.
-Job 2:11 (NIV)

Melissa had gone from leaning over an open toilet bowl to sitting on a closed one, and yet even in the short time it had taken her to perform the actions necessary to transition from one to the other, she had hardly taken her eyes off her phone. The read receipt had come through. She saw it, with her own eyes, how the little text at the bottom of her screen had flickered from “Sent at:…” to “Read at:…” and now all that was left was the interminable wait. No response had come.

How likely was it that one would? Like, there weren’t any other girls huddled in the stalls -- everyone else was a normal person. There were so, so many things Melissa could imagine wanting to do besides talk through a stall door at someone and yet she’d still sent the message in the bottle out there.

It was stupid. It was stupid and she hated it and she hated that she’d done it. But what else could she do? Melissa clutched her phone a bit tighter. Her only relief was that, after the “You’re too good for him” girl, nobody else had come in. Nobody else had to deal with her.

Until the door opened. Someone walked in. They stopped at the mirrors, though, so hopefully, if it wasn’t Elizabeth, they’d only be there for a little bit. They were probably just fixing up their makeup then. The crying girl was probably barely a distraction. Still, Melissa tried to shut up, though a few whimpers and a few gasps for air still escaped.

They knocked. “Melissa? I just got your message. Are you decent? Can I come in?”

“No, don’t!” Melissa said. She was decent, yes, but that didn’t mean she wanted Elizabeth to see her how she was. And yet, she was still relieved that Elizabeth had come at all. “Um, if- could you just lean against the door or, I don’t know, just be there.”

In any other instance, she would have waited, but the question she’d been meaning to ask was already there, and she was ready to just get going. “I don’t- is this what you meant when you said I had baggage? I just- I keep thinking about that. I’m sorry, um, maybe it’s not related to why I’m here but I…” The sentence never finished.

Elizabeth put her hands up as if she were being told to freeze in place by a bobby, in acknowledgment of Melissa's panicked request.

“I, well, I'm not really sure why you're here, it's hard for me to say.” She leaned her hip against the stall door, crossing her legs, “My baggage is from emotional trauma; it's something heavy that I always carry around even if I'd rather leave it home. Hell, his face is plastered on half the walls in this bloody academy. If you've got something like that that's brought you here… then I suppose so.” She rifled through her purse, looking at the contents. She thought, briefly, about a quick dart; normally that's what she did in the bathrooms when she couldn't get outside. She figured the action would be read as insensitive though, and closed her purse again.

“You don't have to answer me if you don't want to, I won't leave until you're ready, but… What happened that's got you in here?” Elizabeth heard the roar of the crowd; something exciting must have just happened. She cursed internally; the duel was ending much faster than she thought.

Melissa’s outburst didn’t even miss a beat. “I don’t know!” she said. “I don’t know of anything like that. I told you that, I think, on Wednesday or something. I’m just…” She managed a few breaths. “I hoped you knew, honestly. Because you said it.

“At the same time, um, at the same time if I say it, if I say I’ve got baggage, I don’t know, what does that make yours? I’m sorry, um, I shouldn’t have brought it up maybe, but you know what I’m saying, right?”

She wished she could pace. Or stare at herself in the mirror. Or splash water on her face. But she also didn’t dare come out. It was the same reason she didn’t want Elizabeth to come in, really. And now that she’d said things she already regretted (and probably would at least for as long as she’d be in the stall, if not the rest of her life), that certainly wasn’t happening anytime soon.

“I’m sorry, Elizabeth,” Melissa said again. “I- I wish I knew what was wrong. If I knew what was wrong, I could deal with it.”

Another beat.

“It’s the same answer to your second question, I guess,” Melissa said. “I don’t know. I can- this one I can kind of guess, but it’s like, am I sure? No. I’m not sure, Elizabeth. You’re, um, here’s what happened happened though:”

Melissa went about describing just about everything that had happened since she’d left Elizabeth outside the Duel Team meeting. She touched on being invited to the Entertainment Club and what happened there but spent most of her time talking about Gabriela. “You’ve met, I think,” Melissa said. “Or if you haven’t, um, I think you’ve seen her? I think you’ve been in the same room a couple times at least. She was also at the Duel Team meeting. That’s why I was there, actually.”

She talked about all the things she did after Gabriela asked her to kickoff. She talked about how she prepared and color matching and the corsage shopping and dinner, anything and everything that she could think of. Including Ashley. Especially Ashley. “I didn’t realize you knew each other,” Melissa said. “That you were friends. If I knew, I probably would have taken it all better. You didn’t- that doesn’t mean you should have told me, just that I wish I’d known.

“That’s a lot, I know. And saying ‘you asked’ isn’t an excuse, but, like, I can kind of draw a line through it all? Because it’s happened before. But- I don’t know. I’m sorry. That’s what I’ve got. If you can make more sense of it than I can, please.”

Elizabeth couldn't help but chuckle, “Christ, mine's a bit more like a cargo plane some days.” She stood up fully, “But, it's never fair to compare one's plights. I've never walked in your shoes. It would be foolish to assume you've had it better.”

Then the rambling came. Elizabeth was kind, interrupting occasional points and story markers with “Yup”s, “Sure”s and “Right then”s to show she was paying attention. That was until Melissa got to her best friend,

“Ashley? Heavens Melissa, you haven't got a thing to worry about with Ashley. She gets a bad reputation, but she's no more harmless than a housefly. If you're worried about showing up on every screen on campus… that's not really her game unless you're a duelist. She just likes to keep herself involved in the goings-on of campus life. She can be intense though, I get it. I've known her for years now and she's been one of the best people I've ever had in my life. When I was… bad, well, worse.” Another roar from the crowd. She leaned her head back and looked to the fluorescent lighting above in partial agony,

“She never let me sink. Even when I didn't want to swim. But what's this about Gabriela? I can't say I know her. I'm sorry I can't be of much help in that regard. But of your concerns…” she thought to the struggles she and Yushiro had had of late getting on the same page, of the struggles they would have when it came to light that she had missed his duel the same way he had missed hers: something had come up. It reminded her vaguely of what Hitomu had described of his end with Tess… Beth shuddered and shelved the thought.

“I've come to learn that people aren't very good at showing their intentions. Perhaps she's got some baggage of her own that she's not quite ready to share with people.”

Melissa couldn’t help but imagine someone choking on a housefly, despite Elizabeth’s reassurances. Like, what if a fly flew into someone’s mouth and they couldn’t get it out? And when Elizabeth said “Unless you’re a duelist”, well, she didn’t go through the first Entertainment Duelist meeting again, but she couldn’t help but squeak out “But-” That was it, though. She didn’t actually protest, she just made the imitation of one.

And when Elizabeth asked more about Gabriela, she paused. “She’s great. I thought- I think, um. I think she’s great. She puts up with me, and I know I shouldn’t be thinking like that but, like, I- yeah. You do too, at least I think, if you came in like this. I’m sorry, this probably wasn’t how you wanted to spend your Kickoff.”

She was starting to feel better, though. A few more breaths and she was even willing to stand up in her little stall, and not even lean over the toilet bowl. It probably wasn’t her fault, she supposed, whatever happened with Gabriela. There was still that niggling fear, but it had gotten better. And while she felt bad that she’d pulled Elizabeth in here, that was fine for now. She was better, at least for now.

The crowd roared one final time, one much longer than any of the cheers before it, as Melissa finally pushed through the stall door and collapsed into Elizabeth’s arms, embracing her in half of a hug and half of just kind of hanging on. She held it for a long moment -- probably longer than was comfortable or necessary -- and then went over to the sinks to wash her face. Before she did, though, she turned back towards Elizabeth one final time and smiled.

“You can- Thanks, Elizabeth. Hope you have a good rest of Kickoff.”

Zai · November 25, 2019

Yushiro looked over the two cards in his hand. It wasn’t much, but there was definitely enough there for him to make a play. “First I’ll banish the Speed Recovery I sent to my GY last turn to return Speedroid Terrortop to my hand, and then I’ll normal summon it! Say hi!”

Terrortop returned, spinning triumphantly, if such a thing was possible. Clear Wing looked down at it and let out a gravely huff that could almost be construed as a laugh. “And when terrortop gets summoned, I can add a Speedroid from my deck to my hand, and I choose another Taketomborg! And guess who’s taking the field next?” Yushiro fished the card from his deck and placed it immediately on the field. “I’m sure you can guess what the next part’s gonna be.”

“Just get on with it,” Hiraku groaned. “Of course I don’t know in that bargain-bin budget deck of yours.”

“One of my ‘bargain bin’ Synchros. One that’s gonna hurt. I tribute Taketomborg to special summon Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice from my deck, and when the Dice comes out, I can select a speedroid I control and change its level. Terrortop becomes level four so I can Synchro summon…” Out of the rings and the beacon of light emerged a massive blade, with a humanoid robot seemingly riding the hilt. “Hi-Speedroid Chanbara!”

ATK: 2000

“And this is supposed to hurt how?” Hiraku said, unimpressed. “You can take out my tuner but it won’t be enough to win, and you still have the Fury of Daedalus to contend with. Two thousand attack won’t help you there.”

Without saying a word, Yushiro played the second card in his hand.

ATK: 4000, Level 4

Hiraku stood there, looking at the card “Hi-Speed Re-Level” on the field. He didn’t have a witty retort, but he stood there stoic as he looked over the cards on the field and the lifepoints. “Alright then,” he said. “On with it.”

Clear Wing-no, Zetsuei looked back at Yushiro for a moment. They were both relishing the moment. “Battle Phase! Chanbara, cut Fury down to size!”

ATK: 4200

A moment later, the blade was stabbing through the face of Fury of Daedalus’s nearest head, splitting it neatly in two as Chanbara flew through it at high speed. It then repeated the maneuver with the other three before Fury finally shattered.

LP: 7200

“I activate Fury’s effect. When he’s sent to the Graveyard I can add one crucible card from my graveyard to my hand, and I choose my fusion spell, Forged in the Crucible,” Hiraku said, plucking the card from his graveyard without looking.

“And now the double tap! See, Chanbara can attack twice. Show Kuanos what that means!” Without stopping, Chanbara flew through Kuanos as well.

ATK: 4400

LP: 4300

“And lastly, Clear Wing, why don’t we introduce you to Hiraku personally? Dragon Slash Mirage!” On command, the Dragon took off, flying upward and then, seemingly, disappearing in a haze of afterimages. An instant later Clear Wing reappeared behind his target, arm outstretched as if it had thrown a punch, while simultaneously, a shimmering white slash mark cut across Hiraku’s body. It stung a bit too, enough to leave a mark.

LP: 1800

Hiraku was left with a set card and nothing else. When the smoke cleared, he could be seen giving Yushiro a scathing glare. “You’re going to regret that,” Hiraku said as the disk indicated it was his turn. He draw a card and looked at it, and in the deathly silent arena he laughed, very loud and very hard.

“Did I just break him?” Yushiro thought to himself as Hiraku laughed for what was arguably far too long. At last Yushiro spoke aloud. “What’s so funny?!”

“Oh, nothing! But let’s just say luck isn’t on your side as well as you think!” Hiraku said, wiping a tear from his eye. “But first, let’s say hi to a new friend! Remember that fusion spell I added to my hand? Well I’m activating it again.” Hiraku placed Forged in the Crucible back on the field. “If I’m summoning a Daedalus fusion monster with this card, I can banish materials from my Graveyard as well. From my Graveyard I use the Fury of Daedalus and the Will of Daedalus as my materials.”

The two past monsters rose from a portal in the field and immediately began to combine in a well of red light in the middle of the field. “Given purpose, an endless rage that will not rest until all before it is laid to ash! Fusion Summon! Level 11!”

As the light cleared, a massive, clawed foot slammed down on the field. As it came into view the Wrath of Daedalus stood as a massive, four-legged dragonic beast whose many tails ended in a series of even more heads, each roaring and filling the arena.

“The Wrath of Daedalus!”

ATK: 3300

Hiraku stood there, looking at the monster proudly. “But I’m not done,” he said, without taking his eyes off the creature. “I activate the card Pre-Preparation of Rights, which lets me add a ritual spell to my hand as well as a monster listed on that card. I choose these two.” Hiraku held up two cards in hand, but quickly put them to use. “I then activate Evolution of the Crucible, which lets me banish monsters from my graveyard as materials. I banish Talos and Kuanos from my Graveyard.”

Same as with the fusion spell, both monsters rose from the field, but instead burst into flames, one yellow and the other purple. “Surpass those around you and rise above all others! Stand proud with the world beneath, and display your perfection! Ritual Summon! The Ambition of Daedalus!”

Different than the other bosses, Ambition stood on two feet with an armored, and rather humanoid appearance, yet gilded and highly regal. Sheathed through its armor and neck extended two, massive, golden halberds. Its feet touching gently on the field, arms hanging by its sides, the Ambition of Daedalus quietly stared down at Clear Wing, tendrils of smoke floating lazily from its jagged, glowing mouth.

“You know it’s not often that an opponent will draw out my ace monster, at least you have that to be proud about!” Hiraku laughed.

“Can’t say I didn’t see this coming.” Yushiro didn’t flinch. He wouldn’t. At least not yet. “Do your worst!”

“My worst? Okay, don’t say you didn’t ask for it! I activate the effect for Wrath of Daedalus. By returning two of my banished monsters, he gains 1000 attack. I choose Talos and Kuanos to return to my Graveyard.”

“Definitely your worst! I activate Clear Wing’s effect, which negate’s Wrath of Daedalus, and then-”

“Did you think I was just going to fall for that?” Hiraku interrupted. “I chain the effect of Ambition! By banishing a dark monster from my Graveyard, I get to negate the effects of one of your monsters and it loses 1000 ATK!”

A portal opened and the Ambition of Daedalus thrust its arm inside, gripping one of the fiend monsters in its claw. The smaller monster shriveled up as purple lights ran up the monster’s arm and into one of the halberds, that began to glow. The Crucible monster turned to ash and the Ambition of Daedalus drew the glowing halberd, hefting it with both hands and holding it up high. Tongues of purple flame lashed across Clear Wing, and soon Ambition was returning the halberd to its rightful place.

ATK: 1500

“Of course it wasn’t gonna be that easy…”

“There we go, now the stage is set! Battle! Wrath of Daedalus, cut that third-rate dragon down to size!” Each of the giant monster’s mouths began to glow brightly as it took aim at Yushiro’s ace monster. “By the way, did I forget to mention that the battle damage he deals is doubled? Have fun!”

Yushiro winced as Wrath fired. Clear Wing avoided the first blast, but was caught mid dodge by the rest. The force of the impact slammed the dragon into one of the support beams of the building, and the hologram shattered.

LP: 1100

“But I don’t think you’ve been punished enough!” Hiraku said. “So, now it’s Ambition’s turn to break your stupid toy. Ambition, attack his Speedroid!”

The Ambition of Daedalus spread its arms wide as red lightning crackled in its palms. Even with Chanbara’s attack boost it would be enough as the streams of lightning played across the walls and swept through the synchro monster, leaving nothing but a shower of particles. As Chanbara went to his graveyard, Yushiro banished it.

“When Chanbara’s destroyed, I get to add a banished speedroid back to my hand- I’ll take Panchingo-Kart back.”

LP: 700

“And now you’re hanging by a thread with not a card on your field, and barely a thing in your hand! Why even bother take another turn? Against these? You should just surrender on the spot! Save yourself the trouble! I end my--”

“Effect, activate! I discard the Kuribohrn in my hand to resurrect a monster that was destroyed by battle this turn, and I’m bringing back Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!” As quickly as it had vanished, the dragon returned, the spirit of the white Kuriboh watching over it as it materialized on the field, and it looked none too pleased about being destroyed. “I didn’t come here just to give up at the end! I came here tonight to prove a point. To prove to you, and every other person watching this game that I deserve to be here! I’m done being your punching bag, Hiraku. Now end your turn so we can finish this duel!”

“Fine! I end my turn!” Hiraku shouted back. “But that stupid dragon won’t be enough! Draw your last pathetic card!” Zetsuei roared back at him, clearly more insulted than Yushiro was.

“Just you watch!” Yushiro closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and drew his card, hoping that it would somehow allow him to pull out a win. He gave it a look. “Alright, here goes nothing. First I’ll play this spell card I just drew. It’s called Shock Surprise. By banishing both the Taketomborgs in my GY, I get to destroy two cards on the field, and I choose both of your Daedalus monsters.”

“I activate Ambition’s other effect! By banishing a Light monster from my grave, I protect my fiend monsters from destruction for the rest of the turn!” Ambition once again reached into a portal and pulled out another of the Crucible monsters tightly, though this time a yellow light drained from the monster into the other halberd as it crumbled to dust. The Ambition of Daedalus then drew the halberd and held it up as a golden light washed over it and Wrath.

“Alright then. Your pal Ambition have any more surprises for me?”

Hiraku only glared. It would be stupid for Yushiro to let himself be baited by any old effect again, but it meant he was in a tough position.

“Good. Next up’s a normal summon: remember Panchingo-Kart?” Once again the speedroid was on the field. Clear Wing looked pleased to have a little company. “Anything to say to that?”

“Yeah, like ‘don’t forget Ambition’s effect lasts the whole turn’ before you toss a card hoping to get rid of him or anything stupid,” Hiraku growled.

“Too bad. That was your last chance to stop me from winning.”

Soundtrack- Yu-Gi-Oh! Skies Theme

Yushiro couldn’t contain himself anymore, and a wide, confident smirk appeared across his face. “This whole game, all you’ve been focussed on was destroying every card I put on the field. You like sitting back behind those huge monsters of yours. Rubbing it in, trying to make me feel small. So I let you, and each time you did, you put more cards in my graveyard- cards that kept me in this game up until now. And last turn, well… you put a game-winning combo in there. Let me show you!”

Yushiro fished Den-den Daiko Duke out of his graveyard. “I can banish Den-Den here to special summon another Speedroid Tuner. I wouldn’t have had anything to do with it before, but since you were kind enough to destroy Chanbara last turn, I got another monster out, which means I have just enough for one last synchro summon. The Tuner I Summon, is Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!”

“Just get on with it,” Hiraku said.

“When Dice is summoned, I can target a Speedroid and alter its level. Go-Kart goes to level 3, so I can make a level 4 synchro summon. Say hi, Armory Arm!” One more time, through the rings and light, a monster appeared on Yuhsiro’s field. This time a floating, mechanical gauntlet.

ATK: 1800

“I’m sure you’ve seen this card in the bargain bin before, but in case you forgot, Armory Arm can equip itself to a monster of mine for a 1000 point ATK boost. Try it on, Clear Wing.” The dragon stuck out its claw, and Armory Arm slid over it, sprouting a sixth finger to accommodate Clear Wing’s own extra digit.

ATK: 3500

“Now knock Ambition’s block off! Vigorous Right Fist- Fukuryu!” Instead of afterimages, Clear Wing flew straight for Ambition as a field of golden energy formed around Armory arm. The punch hit with such force that Ambition smashed into the opposite wall, and had it been more solid, would have left quite the dent in it.

LP: 1300

“And Armory Arm has an extra effect attached to it, doesn’t it,” Hiraku said, glaring at Yushiro.

“You bet. You take damage equal to the destroyed monster’s ATK. And that’s game.”

LP: 0

Hiraku had already turned around and was storming off from his platform as his lifepoint counter drained to zero, and the winner was announced in a flashy display, the banquet hall erupting in a deafening chorus of cheers.

Yushiro hopped onto Clear Wing’s tail as the dragon looped back around, and flew over toward Hiraku’s end of the arena. “Hey, wait!” he called over, offering his hand.

Hiraku paused at the doorway and turned, shooting Yushiro one more glare. “This isn’t over,” he said, opening the door and disappearing through it.

“But… It was a good game.….” he said, his hand still outstretched.

LordCowCow · November 26, 2019

Something felt wrong. Was that really it?

"well, you'll see for yourself."

Jun's words had caused Gabby to expect Hiraku to pull off something incredible that would show how much of a gap there was still to the top. But he had lost! Was the duel team not as strong as they had been made out to be? If that was the case it was even worse that she had gotten in despite having lost her match wasn't it?

The ending of the duel left a sour taste in her mouth. When she looked over at Jun she couldn't hide her concerns immediately. It shone on her face for a moment before she snapped out of it. "Ah, perhaps I missed it. What was it that you wanted me to see? This does not bode well for your land if this is the show the people of your land can put on." She was trying hard to sound less concerned and more haughty. After all, she was meant to be a princess of darkness, a duelist that had great powers, she couldn't let herself show shaken confidence. "Though I suppose this means that my ascent to the top shall be even swifter."

Then she said something that she was certain to regret sooner rather than later. "When I duel next you will see powers like never before!"

Skaia · November 29, 2019

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Jun had given a golf clap at the ending of the duel, watching as Clear Wing had pummeled Hiraku's fiend. The duel, as it had turned out, had gone beyond most of her expectations. And while she was expecting Hiraku to win, that Yushiro won, and as convincingly as he did meant one thing in particular. Jun now had all the ammunition she needed to lord over Hiraku, thus proving her superiority over her younger teammate. Jun was not an inherently competitive person, nor did she actually enjoy flaunting her skill or authority in the face of people. However, there was always something amusing about doing it to Hiraku that made Jun feel the need to.

All the same, as Gabriela had turned to the girl and gave her rather disapproving comment about the match as well, Jun couldn't help but be at a loss for words herself. That Hiraku had lost to Yushiro certainly did not bode well for them - or boded incredibly well for them if the boy had indeed grown as much as he did since his try out. All the same, Jun didn't really have an answer for Gabriela, instead just stammering out a, "well you see - uh, upsets happen sometimes. And it's always best to uh...be prepared for them. Or something. But at the end of the day, all that's important is that you have fun with it." The girl gave two, sleeve covered, thumbs up to the girl at the end of her clearly untrue answer.

Waving that comment off, the girl then clapped her hands together and said, "well Gabby, I can't wait to see how you've grown since your duel against Captain. In fact, I can't wait to see what dark princessly powers you unveil in your next duel on your road to the top!" The girl exclaimed this, pointing her finger to the sky and standing up from her seat for emphasis. She stood like that for a few moment before finally chuckling to herself at the over the topness of both herself and the freshman, before recovering and pointing to sleeve covered finger guns at the girl saying, "looking forward to it."

radio414 · November 30, 2019

Melissa stared at herself in the mirror. Despite feeling, you know, a little bit better about things, she still looked like a mess. And that was even if she ignored how smudged her makeup was getting. That could be washed off with enough elbow grease, and she felt like she had to wash her face anyway, but the telltale signs of a mess went deeper than that. It was apparent in her posture and her face, and the nice dress and flowers did little to conceal it. Gone was the prepared -- almost confident(!) -- girl from the beginning of the night; she’d regressed back into her natural state.

What was she supposed to say to Gabriela? “Sorry. I’m fine,” didn’t seem to cut it. Not tonight, and not to her. The “sorry” part, sure, that could stay, but she didn’t want to glibly dismiss Gabriela’s concerns if she had any.

If she had any. Because despite Elizabeth talking her down, Melissa still had that lingering doubt that she was mad about something she’d said.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’”
-Luke 15:21 (NI-

No, that wasn’t right either. Even if changed the wording to make it make more sense, all the other words… it still felt too dramatic for a thing she’d been trying to convince herself she hadn’t done. But at the same time, she didn’t want to imply that any of what had happened was Gabriela’s fault. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. It just happened.

Her makeup wasn’t being particularly cooperative. Melissa supposed that was because of a mix of the only-tepid-instead-of-hot water and a lack of any wipes or other equipment. It was better, but it wasn’t better better, if that made sense.

“People aren’t very good at showing their intentions,” Elizabeth had said. Melissa kept coming back to those words. Maybe she needed to tell Gabriela hers?

Melissa mouthed the words “I’m doing this for you,” at her reflection. That’s what she’d been telling herself every hour of every day ever since Gabriela had asked her, after all. But it felt weird to say; it was starting to feel like an excuse.

But that left her with nothing, didn’t it? This was something she’d spent half a week on, she had to say something, right?

Right?

The makeup problem was as solved as it was going to be until she got home. The other problem, well…

It was strange. Now that she’d calmed down, Melissa felt both resolve and a sense of confusion. And while the confusion had been winning, she’d still managed not to have another breakdown (would Elizabeth even tolerate a second bathroom meeting or would Melissa have to pull herself out of that one?). It was the resolve, now, that guided her out the door and back into the rest of the world.

The duel had finished in the meantime, and a large portion of the audience had started filing out into Kickoff’s various other areas. Melissa didn’t see Gabriela among any of the faces she’d seen so far, though. Was she still in the stands? She’d have to fight through so many people going the opposite way to check…

And yet, she kept moving. It took a bit, but people seemed to flow right past her without giving her a second glance. Or maybe they did but she didn’t notice, like behind her back or something. It didn’t matter to Melissa. Her mind was made up.

Melissa reached the top of the stairs and immediately spotted Gabriela, right next to- was she still talking to Jun? It felt like she’d spent days -- no, weeks -- in that bathroom and yet once she came back, well, the significantly shorter time scale finally hit her.

If Gabriela was mad at her, she was probably still mad. Melissa kept going anyway, though. She finally had something to say.

It started, though, when she reached her date, by not saying a word. Melissa simply pulled Gabriela aside, away from Jun and wrapped her up in as tight a hug as she could manage. The enormity of what she was doing finally hit her, and the tears returned. “Sorry,” Melissa whispered into Gabriela’s ear. “Sorry. Sorry.”

She released Gabriela from the hug but still kept her close. “I don’t- I do want to talk about what happened,” she said, “but, um, I don’t know what I’m supposed to say other than that right now. I think people are setting up for the dance, though. Do you want to- do you want to still do that?”

LordCowCow · December 1, 2019

"well you see - uh, upsets happen sometimes. And it's always best to uh...be prepared for them. Or something. But at the end of the day, all that's important is that you have fun with it."

"I don't understand, are you part of the duel team for fun? I was led to believe they were the elite of the school..." her words trailed off near the end. Was the duel team perhaps not as strong as she thought? Then again, were that the case, perhaps it would be easier for her. It meant that she really did have a chance to be at the top. Even if it almost felt like a hollow victory.

"well Gabby, I can't wait to see how you've grown since your duel against Captain. In fact, I can't wait to see what dark princessly powers you unveil in your next duel on your road to the top!"

She was so...lackadaisical about it that Gabby almost didn't catch the first thing she said. "My name is Gabriela!" She huffed. "And you know that includes beating you, too, right? D-don't get too comfortable or else!"

Soon after she was pulled off to the side by Melissa and hugged tightly. The first thought that came to mind was "Is it happening?" Though what "it" was she wasn't so sure.

The words that followed startled her.

“I don’t- I do want to talk about what happened,” she said, “but, um, I don’t know what I’m supposed to say other than that right now. I think people are setting up for the dance, though. Do you want to- do you want to still do that?”

Did something happen? In the bathroom? Gabby couldn't think of anything that went wrong. Perhaps she threw up because of the food earlier. It might've been good that she hadn't eaten much of it after all...

Wait, did Melissa say dance? Oh she was very much not ready for that! Should she go to the bathroom to buy time? No, that would seem strange especially right after Melissa came back. Oh no, oh no, this was bad. She felt her palms dampen slightly from perspiration and she started to squirm awkwardly in place. "I...yes." She squeaked out. "Let's do the dancing thing." Despite her words Gabriela didn't move from her spot. And in fact seemed even more stiff than before. "With the music. And the closeness. And moving."

But no, she couldn't let this get to her. She had to be strong. She took Melissa by the hand, tossed her head, and forged a path towards the dance floor. "Come, lost lamb, let us partake in these festivities!"

Chaos Sonic · December 1, 2019

f8OzT6y.jpg?1

“Now knock Ambition’s block off! Vigorous Right Fist- Fukuryu!”

How many times was Souji going to rewind the footage to see this final turn pan out? It seemed like five times, but he sort of lost count after five and it might've been a lot more than that. Nevertheless, this Duel was something he didn't expect with the outcome. By all accounts, Hikaru should've won given his style and methods of Dueling. But what he saw out there today...Yushiro and his insane luck, coupled with the fact that he had a card that was very rare: Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. And the insane luck...was that a Duel Skill of his?

I haven't seen a card like that before...only in old articles of a few Duels, but up close and personal? It's on another level! he thought, finally sighing as he stopped the footage. Souji had gotten what he needed tonight: the costume design from Kyouko and the footage of the Duel for the Club. He had the right to go back to his dorm right now, but he decided to remain.

Was it because he was the Entertainment Duelist Club's captain and/or leader and needed to set an example? Could possibly be it, but then again, far as he could tell Kyouko and Melissa were the only ones here tonight. Sai, yeah right, that was a whole different chestnut. And Rose, well he didn't know exactly what she was doing but it was obvious she didn't want to be apart of the festivities.

Regardless, Souji found himself yet again at where the mysterious masked bartender was and got another drink, doing his best to rewatch and view the footage of the Duel. He definitely needed to have some sort of topic to discuss in the next club meeting.

Edited December 1, 2019 by Chaos Sonic

Cappuccijoe · December 3, 2019

Elizabeth held Melissa for a moment; she heard the crowd cheer for a much, much longer time than normal. In that moment, she felt her heart sink like a rock into the bottom of her stomach, threatening to burst through the bottom of her torso and burrow into the earth. Elizabeth smiled meekly in return to Melissa's thanks and quietly excused herself. Beth was sure she had said something, although it was impossible to recall what that was after it had happened. She walked outside of the lavatory and looked up: the duel was over, and both parties had already walked away. She didn't even get to see the final play. Who won? Was it close? It felt as if her hearing was starting to fade as she frantically searched for any answers, any way she could cover up- no, lie to Yushiro about her attentiveness. She felt terrible.

This day was, well it was supposed to be somewhat romantic, she had thought. The worms had already been wriggling about in the pit of her stomach all afternoon at the thought of having to make appearances for her classmates at such a large gathering, let alone for a potential significant other. Sure, Elizabeth had been present at the occasional party, but that was typically at Ashley's fervent requests and she would spent a good amount of the time getting quickly drunk and smoking through a pack of cigarettes on the balcony or porch. But now was truly the worst possible scenario for someone like Elizabeth: she was expected by people, and she was supposed to be involved in the event, and she had missed the outcome of the very event she was going to have to talk about all night! She stopped herself from feeling resentment towards Melissa: it wasn't her fault, she needed a shoulder, and Beth would sooner die than allow that sadness to fester; she'd been there far too many times on her own. But what she had said of Melissa's formerly good timing had all but seemed to fade.

Was she sweating? It was deathly hot in this building, she thought. Elizabeth quickly grabbed for her phone and called for the one person she knew could get her out of this mess:

""Hey, Ash? Could you do a big favor for me darling?"

Ashley was clapping wildly in the wings of the stage, rushing out to announce the winner and get the festivities started. After she had said her piece and capitalized on the glory of what had been a strangely brief duel that took practically no time at all to set up and get through, Ashley took a moment to bask in her own glow.

"By god Ashley you've done it again! Oooh I can just see the look on the director's face now!~" she spun on her toes to the other side of the conversation she was having with herself, now hunching over and broadening her shoulders to make herself appear larger and more manly:

"Well Ms. Rendleman, it pains me to say this, but you've put on another stellar event, the student body looks thrilled with your work and we're lucky to have you here." She spun back to her side with a curtsy,

"Why thaaaank YOU Headmaster, but isn't there something you're forgetting?" Back over, this time with a skip,

she sighed, feigning sadness, "Here is a million zillion dollars for your next programs." Just as Ashley was about to continue her victory roleplay, she heard her phone going off; she didn't bother looking at who it was; she already knew the answer to that question,

"Beth!!! You're interrupting something VERY important over here! Ashley whined, even throwing her spare fist down, as if it were a full blown temper tantrum,

"Hey, Ash? Could you do a big favor for me darling?" she blinked, Elizabeth sounded... like she usually sounds. Did something happen? Ashley blamed herself for leaving her alone for so long,

"Well... sure, I guess. What's up babe? Did you see your man take care of business?

Elizabeth chuckled, shuffling over towards the wall, "Well, that's just the issue innit? I did NOT see that! A friend of mine had an emergency; she's alright now, but I've got to talk to him tonight about this duel I've not seen a lick of, what do I do?!

Ashley could only sigh, massaging the bridge of her nose, "I'll be right down there to run a little interference until the slow dancing starts and you two can get to smacking lips, but if he asks you about 'technique' or whatever it is you competitive duelists talk about, just try to avoid the topics without blowing your cover! I'll see you soon! Meet me at the foot of the stairs going up towards the duel arena!" Ashley hung up and immediately started trotting her way downstairs, of course taking every opportunity to shake hands and talk up the event along the way to avoid lamenting the loss of her monologue too heavily.

Avoid the topic, huh? How do I avoid the only thing we have in common? she stared up towards the duel arena, feeling like more of a failure than anything after that phone call. She looked towards the door, thinking of how easy it would be to just ignore everyone and go back to her apartment and smoke the day away; it's worked before for less, why not today?

Even still, her feet moved themselves towards the foot of the stairs, as per Ashley's direction, and the thoughts had begun to populate: Perhaps we could talk about the weather, or where the hell he got that Clear Wing from- No, that's dueling. No dueling. Okay, they could talk about... his class schedule, or something.

This thought process was stopped dead when she reached the foot of the stairs:

Yushiro.

Were Elizabeth bot already pale by nature, she surely would have been now. Come to think of it, going to the stairs of the place he was going to be was an incredibly stupid decision! They locked eyes, and now it was too late for Elizabeth to run.

Edited December 3, 2019 by Cappuccijoe

yui · December 6, 2019

It wasn't usually a word Kyouko earnestly used, but the final turns of the duel she'd just witnessed could only be described as impressive. Whoever had picked out the duelists for this exhibition duel deserved props. Probably Jun. Speaking of which, Kyouko took another look at her phone.

0 New Messages

Must be busy. Figuring out whether or not to text her again was a situation in its own right. It wasn't like Kyouko had particularly wanted to come here in the first place, and only showed up because Jun asked her to, so it made sense the two would hang out together now of all times. But if Jun was having an important conversation with someone, Kyouko didn't want to pull her away from that either. The situation was such a perplexing one that Kyouko could still hear that final turn again if she listened. Again. And again. And a rewinding sound.

Wait...

Kyouko looked a couple seats down the bar. The club captain was here again, with a camera, rewatching the final turns of the duel over and over again. Well, her options were him, Jun, or that weird barkeep. And with that in mind...

From: Kyouko
To: Jun

As Kyouko started typing up the next text she would send, she got up from her seat at the bar. It seemed that with the duel over, the dance event proper was starting. Kyouko for one had no interest in dancing, and even less interest in being asked by someone else to dance. Instead, she made for the stairs. This place had roof access, right?

Good job picking those two for the exhibition duel. If you aren't busy, we should meet up on the roof.

That wasn't too intrusive, right? Right. Send. Now then, up to the roof.

Meanwhile, those who chose to stick around inside for the Kickoff proper would find themselves with an array of things to do. Aside from the other students around to mingle with, the bar from which one could order drinks, and other things that were already in place, the dance floor was now opened up with the duel having ended. Anyone who had brought a date to the event was sure to head there eventually, right? A few tables for dueling had also been laid out, for those looking to hone their skills tonight. And for those who weren't so good with crowds but didn't want to bother with the roof, word was getting around that the school's unofficial food truck - Fast Food - had returned to school grounds for tonight's festivities.

radio414 · December 7, 2019

You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
-Ecclesiastes 11:9 (NIV)

The fact that Gabriela had been startled by Melissa’s apology was encouraging, even if Melissa’s first instinct was to apologize again for startling her. It meant maybe at least some of her fears had been unfounded. Or Gabriela was just being nice. Melissa really tried to focus on the former, though. Elizabeth’s advice still played over and over in her head, and though her words got fainter and fainter with every echo, the message did a much better job of sticking.

“Yes,” Gabriela said. “Let’s do the dancing thing. With the music. And the closeness. And the moving.”

Melissa smiled. There was something else Gabriela said too, but that was less important. “Well, let’s get down to the dancefloor first,” she said.

A few other couples and groups had arranged themselves around the floor, though there was still a rather large amount of space left open. Melissa assumed that that was there wasn’t any music yet; a balcony had been commandeered and a deejay was still in the process of setting up. She wondered if they were planning on using the school’s speakers -- the ones in the ceiling pointed straight down at the auditorium -- to help with the sound, though surely the deejay would have speakers of their own specifically chosen for occasions like these, right?

Melissa took the opportunity to address some of Gabriela’s concerns. She’d prepared for this, and just because there was that slip in the middle there didn’t mean the words didn’t come flowing out of her when she was ready. “Okay, so at dinner, we talked mostly about slow dancing, um, that’s probably going to be, like, a quarter at best of what’s going to happen, though,” she said. “The idea is the same, though. The drumbeat’ll- um, the basic idea is that you count probably to four over and over and then start doing moves to match each count. So, like, um…”

She went through the motions she’d prepared earlier. “So if I’m standing like this, then one is stepping to the side and bringing my arms up like this, right? And then on two, I snap my fingers --” She demonstrated the sound “-- and then get ready for three, where I step the other way and on four I snap again.” Another snap. “And then, I guess you just keep doing that, or some other motion until the song ends

“It’s silly, I know, and you’re probably not like me like this but it’s easy to think you look stupid doing stuff like this if you’re not- if you haven’t done something like this before. But the thing everyone told me last year when they were trying to get me to do this was, um, nobody really cares. The only one who would is me and I won’t. I promise.” Melissa gave a wry smile. “I’ll probably be wondering who else is looking at me, to be honest. But, um, give it a try. Just, uh, one.” She stepped, arms up. “Two.” Snap. “Three.” The other way. “Four.” Snap. “One-”

The deejay cut in. They’d finally set up, apparently, and after a little feedback, the music finally cut in, starting with a chorus even Melissa knew.

If our lo~ove is tragedy
Why are you my remedy?
If our lo~ove’s insanity
Why are you my clarity?

Melissa mouthed a “Ready?” at Gabriela, though she wasn’t sure if Gabriela saw or heard that. Still, she started counting, going through the motions again. One. Two. Three. Four. One. Two. Three. Four.

This was the final hill she had to climb, right? This was what all her efforts had gone towards, right? She just had to guide Gabriela through a set and hope that she had fun in the process.

One. Two. Three. Four.

Melissa could barely admit it to herself, but she was almost having fun too.

Skaia · December 8, 2019

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With Melissa coming back and her two underclassmen making their way out of the arena and to the dance proper, Jun simply gave a small wave to the girls as she made her way out of the arena. Thinking on what to do next, the girl figured that she could also just get going to the dance herself and find random people to pass the time with once she was there. There was her club members, though Gabby had just left, she never really enjoyed hanging out with Hiraku and she couldn't help but feel like it would be difficult to hang out with the person who had just made a comeback victory. There was also Hitomu, but she had a feeling that finding him amidst the chaos and whatever other tricks he might've been up to would be difficult.

It was at this point that Jun had realized that she had forgotten something, something that her phone had punctuated as it buzzed. Pulling it out, she saw that Kyouko had texted her, the girl smiled as she began to text back. She didn't really get where her roommate had figured that she had picked out the duelists for the duel, but she wasn't about to correct the girl's misguided praise at her. And so with a quick reply, the girl messaged back:

be there soon koko :salute:

Making her way to the rooftop the girl saw her roommate waiting for her, and so she waved at the girl saying, "heeeey there, Koko!" With a smile on her face, the girl then waved her hand again saying, "sorry for not meeting up with you earlier. I got lost in the crowds and then the duel started, and I couldn't miss my underclassmen facing off against each other, especially with two others watching it so close by! Oh right! Did you see it? What a shock of duel that was right?" Stopping her flailing sleeves, with a grin she then asked, "so have you been having so far tonight, Koko?"

LordCowCow · December 10, 2019

“Well, let’s get down to the dance floor first,”

Gabriela blushed. Yes, that would be a good first step. And step they did. Right into the war zone known as the dance floor. She was trembling slightly and her eyes darted back and forth. Seeing couples coming out onto the floor. She couldn't help but notice how most were the "classic" male and female. She had forgotten about that for a while but she had to wonder if some of them thought this odd...

The concern didn't last long. Melissa explained the basics, so incredibly simple that Gabby could hardly believe it, and the music kicked in.

When Melissa mouthed 'ready' what else could Gabby do but nod? Something clicked into place as the two of them started to move to the music. It was loud. Probably too loud. But something about that made it feel all the better.

She could feel the music. Pounding away in her chest as steadily as her heart. There was an energy around them. Dancers moving in their own rhythm, hardly any of them matching the other pairs, but everyone was smiling. Enjoying themselves. Gabby realized she was smiling too. Soon she didn't know what anyone else was doing. She didn't want to look anywhere else but forward. Soon the music didn't match her heartbeat anymore. Her heart was going much too fast for that. This was fun, right? That's what this feeling was. Nothing but that mattered.

Gabby moved a bit too far to one side. So when she went back to the other side she stumbled. Fell forward. Right into the other girl.

yui · December 11, 2019

Up on the roof, away from the event proper, it really did feel like Kyouko wasn't at Kickoff. Neat. The campus view was nothing to scoff at either! From up here, she could see that the Fast Food truck had also arrived on the scene. Some students were gathering there, presumably for a bite to eat without the crowded atmosphere of being inside. It was nice up here, though.

"Heeeey there, Koko!"

And now Jun was here too. All the better. Kyouko turned to greet her roomie with a wave of the hand.

"Sorry for not meeting up with you earlier. I got lost in the crowds and then the duel started, and I couldn't miss my underclassmen facing off against each other, especially with two others watching it so close by! Oh right! Did you see it? What a shock of duel that was right? So have you been having so far tonight, Koko?"

That all made sense. The reasons the two weren't able to meet up until now. Being in something popular like the duel team sounded tough. Hopefully the club Kyouko wound up joining wouldn't meet the same fate. At least, not this year. After that point, it wasn't her problem. For now, answering Jun's questions seemed like a good thing to do in the here and now. "It definitely surprised me at the end," Kyouko admitted. That kid - the blonde one - seemed to have a knack for big finales, if Kyouko's whole two duels she saw him in was anything worth looking at as a sample size. "Not really something I would have believed if you just told me about it, so I guess seeing that was fun." Definitely fun. Something was bothering Kyouko, though.

When did that smudge get there? This was part of why she didn't like wearing these things. Kyouko briefly removed her glasses to wipe them off, continuing "I also got to drop off my costume design to the entertainment club captain. Not sure what the final product will look like, but I can try to keep you updated on when I'll get to try it out if you want."

radio414 · December 15, 2019

Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
-Jeremiah 31:13 (NIV)

At the exact moment Gabriela stumbled, Melissa had a realization. Hugging Elizabeth in the restroom and hugging Gabriela just after had been two entirely different experiences, and yet, although she understood that with a certainty that surprised even her, she still found it difficult to mentally enunciate the exact differences between those two moments. As far as she remembered, she’d been in more or less the same headspace both times, but…

Maybe she’d held Gabriela a bit tighter than she had Elizabeth? But if that was true -- and Melissa wasn’t entirely sure that it was -- that was only part of it, she felt. And it was a small part, a part that barely allowed her to make any actual progress towards understanding the actual “why” of it all.

Gabriela was falling now…

How much did she value knowing each of them? Melissa knew the answer in regards to Elizabeth at least almost immediately. Who else would she have called out to when she trapped herself in the restroom? Who else would have been able to talk her out of it? Nobody else had come to mind then and nobody else was coming to mind as she thought about it now. That still didn’t explain the hug, though.

Melissa instinctively opened her arms to catch her falling date. It took her a few more split-seconds to realize what exactly was about to happen, and only then did she brace herself. At the exact moment of collision, Melissa let out a soft -- even soft for her -- “oh,” and Gabriela’s momentum sent her back a step as well.

The world seemed to freeze; the music even faded out and the deejay started going through their introduction and hyping up the crowd. Their words were unintelligible to Melissa. She was still trying to process what exactly was happening.

This embrace was different, too, though it was different in the same unexplainable ways.

Time resumed quickly enough. In fact, it seemed to come in right as the next song started. Melissa felt no closer to figuring anything out, but she released Gabriela from her hold and asked, “Are you okay? You’re not dizzy or anything, are you? Do you need some water?” She remembered that there was a food truck outside, too, if Gabriela needed food.

The lyrics kicked in on the overhead speakers:

Right now, I’m in a state of mind
I wanna be in like all the time...

LordCowCow · December 16, 2019

Falling was a strange sensation. At first you're standing on solid ground. Holding yourself up. And then the next gravity is pulling you towards the floor. Despite not changing in weight you almost feel weightless at the moment. It was scary.

But she didn't hit the ground. Because Melissa was there. She managed to avoid her face meeting the floor because Melissa was there to catch her.

The sudden stop was still a shock. Gabby didn't really register what had happened right away. She felt warmth. A soft, gentle, warmth. And then she was righted and let go of.

“Are you okay? You’re not dizzy or anything, are you? Do you need some water?”

"Um." Gabriela didn't answer right away. She was a bit confused. The source of the warmth was gone yet the heat remained. Finally nodded. "I am fine. Thank you..." She took a deep breath. "Were you in my land you'd be greatly rewarded for keeping my royal self free of harm. I shall be sure to tell my f-my parents. If ever you find yourself in my country you will be an honored guest!"

Then her stomach growled. And she remembered how little she had eaten today. "Ah yes! I must partake in nourishment! Dark power such as mine takes much energy you see!" She was blushing but she placed her hands on her hips and attempted to stand tall, though her height made that difficult, as she waited for Melissa's response.

The truth was she had no idea where one would get food in this place.

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