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

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Elizabeth had always had certain tics that gave her mood away. Messing with her hair was the one of the most obvious; it was an excuse to look away and keep her hands busy when she was uncomfortable. Not a trait that was unique to her, really, but it made it clear to Hitomu that she wasn’t thrilled with his offer. "You really think someone like me has any business even being there? My rating has been in free fall for years now."

Hitomu laughed. “Nobody cares about your SRS Lizzie,” he said, swatting his hand at the air like he was physically swatting her excuse away. “Besides, if you don’t deserve to be there, who does? We took the regional championship twice with you on the team.” She still wasn’t convinced. “Just this once? I’ll never ask again if you don’t enjoy it.” He wasn’t trying to be pushy, but he was done just sitting back while his friends struggled. 

"Maybe just this one time. It's uhm," Elizabeth continued to nervously fidget in place, clearly beginning to crack a bit under the question. "It's just a lot of time commitment, you know? The last duel team function I even went to was right befo-"

A voice he didn’t recognize interrupted her. "H-hey guys. Sorry if I interrupted something. Mind if I sit down? I uhh, actually wanted to ask you both some things."

Hitomu turned to face the newcomer. It was an underclassmen; skinny, about his height, with a ragmop of blonde hair with the ends dyed green like some kind of reverse frosted tips. Hitomu thought it looked sorta goofy, but he didn’t really have room to be judging people on how they dyed their hair considering his own vibrant red streaks. 

“You’re alright man,” he assured the younger boy with a warm smile, taking the initiative when he looked over and saw Elizabeth freaking out. “We were winding down anyways.”

Thankfully Elizabeth found her voice after that. "Oh, Hi Yushiro. It wasn't much of anything. Take a seat,” she said, then looked across the table at him. She had gathered herself but was still full-blown panicking on the inside. 

So this was Yushiro. Hitomu had seen him around campus once or twice without realizing it, but he hadn’t ever really conversed with the guy before. “I take it you’re Yushiro?” he said, extending a hand for Yushiro to shake. “Between Lizzie and Hattie, seems like the girls in my life can’t stop talking about you, so it’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Hitomu.” He dropped his hand back to his side. “Congrats on making the team, by the way. I was actually just asking Lizzie if she wanted to swing by for the meeting today. She used to beat me all the time back when we were freshmen, so I figure she could show you all a thing or two, you know?”
 

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“You’re alright man. We were winding down anyways.”

"Oh, Hi Yushiro. It wasn't much of anything. Take a seat,” Yushiro nodded, and slid in next to Elizabeth.

“I take it you’re Yushiro?” he said, extending a hand for Yushiro to shake. “Between Lizzie and Hattie, seems like the girls in my life can’t stop talking about you, so it’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Hitomu.” 

Hattie... He must have meant Jun. "Jun had something to say about me?" Yushiro asked, slightly surprised that he was worth mentioning. "But yeah we've met a few times before." he continued, leaning over and shaking Hitomu's hand as firmly as he could. "I get coffee from you a lot."

“Congrats on making the team, by the way. I was actually just asking Lizzie if she wanted to swing by for the meeting today. She used to beat me all the time back when we were freshmen, so I figure she could show you all a thing or two, you know?”

"Thanks, though to be honest I'm still not sure if I'm actually good enough to make the cut. I got beaten pretty badly last week." As he was speaking it dawned on him that Hitomu might not be the best person to voice those reservations to, and instead, Yushiro decided to change the subject. He turned to look at Elizabeth. The girl wasn't nearly as put together as she had been the last time he saw her-just jeans and a tank top with her hair up in a ponytail. Even still, he couldn't keep himself from admiring her for a moment. Liz was gorgeous, even when she didn't clean up. As shallow as the thought was, sometimes even Yushiro was surprised by his good luck. "But uhhh, that's actually part of why I came over here." Oh right: the actual reason he was here. Almost instantly, his nerves came back, but he tried his best to force himself to power through. "I uhh... Actually was wondering Liz i-if" He stuttered for a moment, realizing he'd called her Liz instead of her full name. Gosh, was this awkward. "you wouldn't mind helping me practice for my match on saturday. Y-you know, if you're free later and you're not burnt out after practice." Hooo boy. That almost couldn't have come out worse. What was he even doing? Making an absolute fool of himself, and in front of his new team captain, to boot. What a way to torpedo your social life. He could feel his cheeks getting rosy again, despite his best efforts to fight it. Why couldn't he just say what he really meant to say. Was a "Hey I really wanna hang out with you again, wanna do something later?" so hard?

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"She used to beat me all the time back when we were freshmen, so I figure she could show you all a thing or two, you know?”

He's such a knob. Was all Elizabeth thought to herself. Was this his way of talking her up in front of Yushiro? By making her seem like some sort of expert duelist? That was so perfectly Hitomu; frustratingly good at shifting gears when it came to getting down to something emotional.

Elizabeth fiddled around with her fingernails a bit while the two talked, seeing as the meeting, conversation at hand in general, didn't much suit her. That was, until, she felt the sensation of a stare. She didn't look up, but she could tell Yushiro's eyes were on her. In that strange, animalistic way, she could feel his gaze sweeping around the curve of her bust and down her ribcage, into her lap. Elizabeth had become somewhat accustomed to it; she knew she was an attractive girl for her age, and he was only human, but something about it disappointed her. A frightened pang shot into the back of her brain:

What if it was only her looks he was after?

Elizabeth shook the thought from her brain the best she could; it was often hard for Elizabeth to date. Most of the time when she dated, it was the musclebound freaks of genetic nature that inhabited the gym with her. It was almost purely a physical relationship, full of guys who were after her body or sought to use her as some sort of trophy. The thing was, Elizabeth never really found muscles all that attractive; there was something naturally submissive about dating someone who was twice the size of her dainty figure, and that never gelled much with her. She hadn't quite taken Yushiro for that type, or at least she hoped.

"you wouldn't mind helping me practice for my match on saturday. Y-you know, if you're free later and you're not burnt out after practice."

Elizabeth snapped back into focus and looked up in a panic for Hitomu; he was gone. Elizabeth's heart dropped as she realized what had just happened. There really could not have been worse timing for that, but there was nothing she could do about it now. The best she could do was make it up to him sometime later.

“Did … did you just ask me out?" Elizabeth looked up with a shy smile; she felt responding to him in the same way he did in her apartment was the only way she could possibly be cheeky in this scenario. One on hand, she felt miserable for Hitomu, but on the other, the blood rushing quickly to her cheeks was an obvious sign that she was at least pleased to have Yushiro (clumsily) asking the question.

"Or, well, I suppose ask me in, really. Well I'd be glad to play some more cards Yushiro." She looked longingly at the space where Hitomu used to be; another missed opportunity wrapped its coiling tail around her chest, squeezing just a bit tighter than last time.

"But uhm, I hope this date comes with us being able to talk a little more than a week at a time?" Elizabeth swung her legs out from the bench, seeking to stand up quickly and meet him eye to eye, rather than looking up at him, "Its just, I really enj-"

The sensation of tendons grinding together due to the light swelling in her kneecap felt like buckshot being blown through her leg. Elizabeth put one hand out to brace herself and one towards her knee in reaction, only to catch herself and shake off the pain. This had happened before; a day off and some tea would do the trick, but it hurt like nothing else while it was happening. It wasn't until the pain faded that she realize she was leaned fully into Yushiro, hand on his chest, faces separated by mere inches when she looked up, if that. Up close, she could not help but to notice the color of his eyes...

Elizabeth quickly shot off of him, beat red from embarrassment, "Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to assault you there. I fell at the dance studio before, I guess my knee is a bit worse than I thought." She tried to play it off with a subtle laugh as Elizabeth had just now observed the developing lump in the middle of her pantleg.

"What I was trying to say was... I really enjoyed our previous date, I've been looking forward to the next opportunity to do so."

The breezes through campus had definitely stopped; Elizabeth could feel sweat beginning to cling to her forehead, the humidity trapping it into her pores.

"The meeting doesnt start for about an hour." Hitomu's voice rang out in her head.

Oh bollocks, Hitomu. I aught to text him and apologize for all this.

"Well hey, listen, if I'm going to come to this duel team meeting for Hitomu and then go off somewhere with you I'll need to freshen up a bit. Sweaty tank top isn't exactly my preferred state of fashion. See you at the meeting later?" Elizabeth offered her arms open for an embrace of some sort, teasing her hip to the side to allow for a quick, non-committal hug, if that's what he opted for.

Regardless of the outcome, Elizabeth would make her slightly belabored way back to her dorm to get changed for the meeting, rolling around potential texts she could possibly send to Hitomu to apologize for having to sit there for whatever amount of time he was exposed to that for. It always came back to her having to admit that perhaps she was actually looking for a relationship of some kind with Yushiro, which felt rude to admit to Hitomu in and of itself. Finally, something came to mind:

To: Tomu

From: Beth

Sorry about that. I didn't even know he worked there; the last thing I would have wanted was for that to happen in front of you.

Elizaberh hung her head back in the sky as the message sent, disappointed with herself.

Not good enough, Beth. He doesn't care about your love life. Boys don't even think about that kind of garbage.

One more try, and then she would leave it be. If her and Hitomu's track record were anything to follow, this would be the last conversation they have for a week anyway. Then it would be back to hoping Yushiro texts and Ashley calls with something to bug her about.

To: Tomu

From: Beth

Listen I don't know how to say this elegantly. I'm making you Toad in the Hole this weekend. I have mum's recipe and everything. I'll save you a plate. It's not healthy to hold this stuff in. Trust me, I know.

She knew he would at least be tempted by the offer of her mother's cooking, and that was the best she could do. There was only one problem...

"Hi, mum? Sorry for bothering you at work... so you have your recipe for Toad in the Hole? I know we've made it at home but I've got a knackering. What? No, no I can't come home for it..."

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“... I’ve gotta go get ready for the meeting.”

BGM

The water that poured from the showerhead was blisteringly hot. Hitomu rested his head against the wall and let it cascade down onto him; he hadn’t even bothered to turn on the cold water, instead choosing to scald himself with what little heat the decrypted water heater could muster. “Psychic spies from China try to steal your mind’s elation,” he mumbled along with the radio, “and little girls from Sweden dream of silver-screen quotation.” Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was old music, from long before the human race had been shepherded into a dome, the type of music that no one could figure out what it meant because so much of the context had been lost to time. 

Still, hot water and abstract music wasn’t enough to stop him from dwelling. He had bolted as soon as he saw where the conversation with Yushiro and Lizzie was going. He hadn’t thought it would bother him all that much, at first, so he was taken completely off guard when it hit him like a punch to the gut. 

Elizabeth Hall—infamous Hall twin, party animal, “I’m not looking for anything serious” Elizabeth Hall—was closer to a serious relationship than him. The thought wasn’t a rational one. It was unfair to Lizzie and also ignored how much she had changed after Todd’s death, he told himself, to no effect. It didn’t change how he felt. He and Tess had always been the steady couple. Todd and Elizabeth had laughed at them for years (especially Todd) because they acted more like a married couple than high school students. It had, at some point, become as much of a part of his identity as his hair or his cards. 

Hitomu sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. Already a week had passed and he wasn’t any closer to figuring out the question that had haunted him since the break-up: who was Hitomu Amaya without Tess? The Captain of Blue Yonder’s duel team? Yes, but he had never identified with that role so much as it was thrust upon him. An aspiring pro duelist? Was he still ‘aspiring’ if he had already been signed? Regardless, again, the statement was true but it was never what he pictured when he thought of who he was. Such a huge amount of his sense of identity had been derived from Tess. In hindsight, it seemed kind of selfish of him to put that kind of pressure on her. 

His phone went off as he stepped out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked over to the counter to grab it and check his messages. Can steam mess up a phone? He wondered to himself as he held it up. The screen had been fogged over by a layer of moisture and droplets of water were dripping from the edge of his case, thanks to the blanket of steam that was obscuring his bathroom. 

His lips twisted in displeasure when he wiped off the screen and read the message. She felt guilty about his abrupt exit. That was the last thing he had wanted. He looked up at the ceiling and blew a wet bit of bangs out of his face, thinking about how to respond, then punched in a quick message and set about donning his Duel Team uniform. The uniform hadn’t changed much since the last time he had worn it a few weeks ago; a blue-and-white jacket with their mascot on the back, white jeans, and a sturdy pair of blue boots. Hitomu finished up by drying his hair, brushing it back and stuffing it into his Chasden beanie, then spritzing on his cologne and deodorant.

Something about dressing up made him feel better. It was easier to beat up on himself when his hair was a mess of grease and his clothes were wrinkled, but a hot shower and nice clothes brought with them a level of confidence that he couldn’t deny. 

He stepped out of the bathroom and checked the clock - 4:40. Only twenty minutes before he needed to be in the gymnasium and there was still stuff left to do. Primarily he had to carry the box of uniforms and all of his supplies over with him. It was a task that would normally require two trips, but luckily, he had selected a vice-captain to help him out with things like this.

He shot a quick text to Jun and started to pack up the last of his stuff into boxes.

FROM: Hitomu
TO: Jun
Can you swing by my dorm and help me drag all this stuff to the gymnasium? Running late, but I snagged us a helper for the today. 

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~~Alison: 8000 || Saison: 7000~~

Saison was a bit, well, confused as she drew her first card. "Okay, so these Hecate cards kinda, popped off more than I expected. They kinda draw out advantage just as much as your Fortune Ladies do" she commented.

"Yes. I will say I kinda enjoy it, since they're as much a challenge keeping track of all these spells as it does with my own deck" Alison nodded. "Regardless, it is your move."

"Right. I uhhh, hmm. Okay, I know some of these cards. So I will use Fortunate Fortune to search out that Fortune spell that isn't really one in name. Which is, uhh...?"

"Time Warp."

"Yeah. I'll add and activate Time Warp, letting me Special Summon out Fortune Apprentice Null. I remember her from your duels, cause I'm going to tribute her to bring out Fortune Lady Fire!" Saison over-dramatically declared, placing the card on the field. "And because Null is also a Fortune Lady-but-not-really, her effect activates. So, I'm going to target and destroy... umm... I'll destroy Yellow Hecate."

Alison looked down at her field and picked up Yellow Hecate, studying. "Okay, I'll chain her effect. So I will banish Hecate's Poison and then discard Crossroads of Hecate to destroy Yellow Hecate and one card you control, so Fortune Lady Fire" she declared. "Then it says I can add two Hecate cards to my hand, so I will make claim to Hecate's Gateway and Hecate's Coven."'

"It does?" Saison asked, grabbing the card and reading it. "Huh, it does. Well that's good to know. It also says she has a protection effect too, so I should be able to end on her quite often right?"

"Sounds logical. You could also include Royal Magical Library, to increase your ability to draw since all the Hecates can Special Summon themselves anyways."

"That's a good idea and... can we stop dueling?" Saison asked.

"Oh, why?"

"Well," Saison began, "I kinda think it might be better if we all talked about the deck instead of like, getting my butt kicked by it. It sounded kinda fun, but yeah, this is kinda a drag."

"It's a bit of an anticlimax, but I'll accept that. I'll take your surrender" Alison nodded, grabbing all of Saison's card and shuffling them.

"Thanks. Honestly I probably wasn't going to last next turn anyways" Saison giggled as she gathered up Alison's deck.

Nodding, Alison herself noted the bottom card of her deck. "This field spell mentions a monster called Gorgon, but I don't remember seeing it in the deck. Is it a boss monster you never acquired?"

"Gorgon? Oh. OH!"

Rushing over to her bag, Saison retrieved six cards and handed them to Alison. "Ah, Gorgon is a Fusion monster, and this Hecate here is an Xyz monster. I see now. Guess you conveniently forgot to give them to me to increase your chances of winning huh?" she teased.

"Oh come on Alison, I'd never do that. I just got so excited I forgot to grab the extra deck cards" Saison giggled.

"Still sounds kinda cruddy to me" Toni spoke up.

"Well what do you know jerk?" Saison counted, poking her tongue out.

"Some days I think nothing" Marcus added in.

"If you three will cease squabbling, I think we should look over the deck. You have plenty of powerful cards, and there are ways to increase your means of getting cards. There's Royal Magical Library, to let you draw a card for every three spells you use" Alison suggested.

"You could probably use Royal Decree or even Jinzo, since you don't use traps they won't affect you while stopping your opponent" Toni suggested.

"There's also Allure of Darkness too for more draws, since the Hecates are all DARK monsters" Marcus added.

"Oh! The Hecates are also level seven, so I could Sacred Sword of Seven Stars to draw more cards too, and the banish won't hurt since I think there's a spell that returns banished Hecate cards to my deck" Saison recalled.

"With Boon though you should probably ease up on the draws, since you have plenty to work with. Allure and Sacred Sword are good choices though, and I think one or two Jinzos might help, since you can easily use Hecate monsters as tribute fodder" Alison commented.

"I like that idea. Man, it's amazing how many different card choices I could add in here" Saison mused.

"Oh! Have you guys heard about a new Dark Necrofear card coming out?" Toni remembered.

"Yeah, Cursed Necrofear I think they called it" Marcus nodded.

"I'm thinking maybe I could try out a Necrofear deck again, using these new support cards for it" Toni decided.

"That'll be so cool! You'll be the spooookiest duelist in the school" Saison giggled.

"Hey, the Lord of Darkness needs to get his fear-factor on" Toni boasted.

"I look forward to seeing the Lord of Darkness reign supreme once again" Alison smiled.

 

Spoiler

Fortunate Fortune
Normal Spell
Add 1 “Fortune” card from your Deck or GY to your hand, except “Fortunate Fortune”, “Accumulated Fortune”, “Ominous Fortunetelling”, or “Fiendish Fortune”. During either player’s turn: You can banish this card and 1 “Fortune Lady” monster from your GY to target 1 “Fortune Lady” monster you control; increase its Level by 2.

Time Warp
Quick-Play Spell
(This card is always treated as a “Fortune” card.)
Special Summon 1 “Fortune Lady” monster from your Deck, but banish it during the End Phase of this turn. During either player’s turn: You can banish this card and 1 “Fortune Lady” monster from your GY to target 1 “Fortune Lady” monster you control; increase its Level by 2

Fortune Apprentice Null
EARTH
*
Spellcaster / Tuner / Effect
(This card is always treated as a “Fortune Lady” monster.)
This card is treated as not having an Attribute. Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can Tribute this card; Special Summon 1 “Fortune Lady” monster from your hand, Deck, or GY. You can only use this effect of this card’s name once per turn. While this card is in the GY, except the turn it was sent there (Quick Effect): You can banish this card from your GY to target 1 “Fortune Lady” monster you control; increase its Level by 3.
ATK: 0 / DEF: 2000

Fortune Lady Fire (errata'd)
FIRE
**
Spellcaster / Effect
This card's ATK and DEF are equal to its Level x200. During each of your Standby Phases, increase the Level of this card by 1 (max 12). When this card is Special Summoned by the effect of a "Fortune Lady" card: Destroy 1 face-up monster your opponent controls, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's ATK. If this card’s Level is 7 or higher, once per turn (Quick Effect): You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; destroy it.
ATK: ? / DEF: ?

 

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MM6dyYE.png?1

Jun had been making her way to the duel team's meeting spot when she had gotten a text from her captain. The girl wasn't exactly surprised by the contents of the message, though raised her eyebrow as she saw the last part of it. All the same, the girl sighed as she quickly pivoted to change directions from the arena to the dorms. She didn't really want to carry a bunch of stuff, but she was unfortunately strapped with the duty of duel team pack mule, surrogate captain and...well, there was probably some other third thing. All the same, the girl sent a text back.

From: Jun 
To: CapToon

sure im on my way

True to her word, Hitomu would, after not too much waiting hear Jun's presence be announced. Without knocking on the door,  the girl simply barged in and with a long exaggerated wave she shouted out, "heyyyyyoooo Captain!" Walking inside, the girl looked around to see the set of boxes that needed to be carried. Looking to her Captain, whom she had seen was in his full duel team attire - she herself in her regular clothing with an official Blue Yonder pin on her hat as the only thing to show her team spirit - the girl's eyes then darted around the room. Looking back to him, the girl asked, "soooo, who's this mystery helper of yours?"' 

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Hitomu, to his credit, didn’t jump when his door suddenly flew open. "Heyyyyyooo Captain!" Jun shouted, flapping her ridiculously long sleeves around wildly. "Soooo, who's this mystery helper of yours?"' 

Hitomu continued shoving things into the box in front of him. “They wouldn't be a mystery helper if I told you they were, now would they? Glad to see your as excited as ever though,” the Toon duelist said. He shoved one last hat into the box and then sealed it with a tape roller, then climbed up to his feet and dusted his hands off.  “Whoo! Okay, ready now. There’s five boxes so if you carry two we should be good.” He gestured to the pile of boxes on his couch, three filled with uniforms and the rest stuffed full of card binders and whatever else he thought might be useful. “I can carry the ones with all of the uniforms, if you wanna grab those two smaller ones on the side. Speaking of uniforms…” He glanced at the pin on her hat. “Cool pin. Forget the rest of your uniform at home or something during move-in?”

Jun walked over to the boxes and began picking them up, shaking her head. "No, it's in my room. My dorm's just on the other side of campus from my last class."

Hitomu shook his head and lifted his three boxes. They were stacked high enough to completely block his face. “You gotta be more prepared Jun. When I was your age, my last class was on the far end of the campus too, so what I used to do was hide my uniform beside that tree on my way to first class every time that we had a meet.” He very precariously stumbled his way out of his dorm, holding the door open so that Jun could follow him. “That way, I could just put on my uniform as soon as I woke up from a nap, since that was the tree I always went to hide and sleep in when I was skipping class.”

He laughed awkwardly, attempting to rub the back of his neck out of habit and almost dropping the boxes. “I, uh… I forgot how that story ended. Don’t be like me Hattie! Study hard, do well in class, and prove that the next generation can be better than a tree-napping class-skipper like your Captain!”
 

Edited by Cheshire Toon

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Hiraku

"No!" Gabriela said with as stomp of her foot. "The fact that you even suggest something like that is absolutely unacceptable. I don't know how things are in your country but it is the most natural thing for a princess such as I to be given an escort. Normally it would be more than this but I graciously offered you and Melissa the honor of doing it yourselves. Is that not right?" Gabriela said, turning towards the other girl that was with her. "This is simply the proper way to do things, yes?" 

I would expect as much, but…” The other girl said quietly, after a few vague gestures. An “um... No, never mind. Um." And then she fell quiet once again. “I’m sorry I’m not much help.

Hiraku sighed. It probably wouldn't do him much good to make the situation much worse. They were going to the same place, after all, and it wasn't a place that he could get away with his usual behavior. Simply ditching them and going there by himself would also be sure to cause its own drama once the strange girl arrived late. As much as he hated it, Hiraku decided that it would be best for himself to take the route of least resistance and cut his losses.

"Alright alright, calm down. If you're lost you can just tag along. I'm going to same place," Hiraku said with a sigh. "But don't sweat it, these halls can be confusing sometimes. I know I got lost a bit in my first few weeks." Hopefully this wouldn't be so much that the girl would think they're friends or anything; just enough to get her off his case and leave him alone in the future. "Just a word of advice, I think we're doing a meet in front of the school today. I don't think they've usually done one at this time of the year, but I think the prez might be pulling more strings than I'm comfortable realizing. So, you'll probably be in front of the school dressed like... that. Just so you know."

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I’m sorry I’m not much help.

"Nothing to be sorry about; your willingness to escort me is proof enough of your loyalty." Gabriela told the girl with a grandiose sweep of her arms.

"Alright alright, calm down. If you're lost you can just tag along. I'm going to same place," Hiraku said with a sigh. "But don't sweat it, these halls can be confusing sometimes. I know I got lost a bit in my first few weeks."

Maybe...he wasn't so bad? He actually was sounding rather nice at the moment actually. Gabriela smiled. Perhaps this was working after all. This could indeed be the ticket to making friends!

Just a word of advice, I think we're doing a meet in front of the school today. I don't think they've usually done one at this time of the year, but I think the prez might be pulling more strings than I'm comfortable realizing. So, you'll probably be in front of the school dressed like... that. Just so you know."

"T-To what are you referring to?" Gabriela asked, refusing to look directly at the boy. Her costume may be unusual but it, and the school uniform, was all she had... "This, er, that's right this is the height of fashion back home! I don't expect the people here to understand our refined tastes though."

She then linked an arm with Melissa's, only to let go awkwardly moments later, and cleared her throat. "Well....let us be off then!" She declared. The girl followed after Hiraku, gesturing for Melissa to do the same, as he made his way to the place they were meant to meet with the others.

She paused and turned around as she heard several mechanical clicks. But she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary so, with a shrug, she continued on her way.

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MM6dyYE.png?1

Jun listened to Hitomu's story as he tried to chastise her about responsibility and all that. Of course, while Jun would've probably ignored his story, she was actually left more confused then anything else by the end of it. Making her way out of the door of his room, the girl said, "right right Captain, I'll do my best to not end up like you." Her tone, naturally, conveyed a very disinterest in it. However she smiled as she jokingly said, "I suppose I can keep my uniform in my room then." 

As the two walked to the meeting place, Jun complained aloud. "Man, we should really have some kind of staff bring these boxes to the gym instead, it is their property after all." Realizing something the girl said, "oh, I heard you also got accepted to a pro team. Are they a cool one? They got a cool uniform? Think they'll make you carry all of them around too?" 

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Hitomu kicked his door shut with the back of his foot, not bothering to lock it as he followed behind Jun’s shadow. The boxes in his arms were stacked high enough that he couldn’t see anything, so he was doing his best to navigate with his peripheral vision and just stay behind his fellow captain. “Man,” said fellow captain started, “we should really have some kind of staff to bring these boxes to the gym instead. It is all their property after all.”

“They sorta do,” Hitomu said. “Well, you and I are that staff. They expect the Duel Team Captain and the Vice-Captain to handle all the scheduling and organizing. That’s why our names and pictures are put over the rest of the team in the yearbook--whoa!” Hitomu nearly walked into Jun, who had suddenly stopped, and one of the boxes slid off the top of the pile and fell onto the sidewalk. 

Jun didn’t miss a beat. "I heard you also got accepted to a pro team. Are they a cool one? They got a cool uniform? Think they'll make you carry all of them around too?" 

Hitomu set the other two boxes down on a nearby bench and laughed. “Man, word travels fast around this place.” He bent down to pick the fallen box up and sit it back on top of the pile. Thankfully the Scotch tape he had stretched over the top had prevented all the clothes from spilling, but one of the corners had caved in. He turned back to Jun. “I signed with Chasden about two weeks ago. Their standing isn’t the best, but I think they’re a cool team. They for sure have the best mascot; look!” Hitomu gestured to the beanie he was wearing. Masked Chopper was front and center, wielding his cleaver, with big bubble letters below it spelling 'CHASDEN CHOPPERS'

He picked the boxes back up and resumed walking. “They weren’t the only team to give me an offer, but I was raised rooting for them, so the chance to play for them is basically a dream come true. How about you? Think you’ll be rooting for them now that your dear ol’ Captain is gonna be dueling for them?”
 

Edited by Cheshire Toon

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Sai sighed to himself as he walked out of the bathroom, dressed in his full Magician outfit. Today was the day they'd get the club up and running... but to be honest, he wasn't so sure about this. They needed a fourth person, and not someone flaky like Kyouko, someone who would dedicate themselves to the club. But where could they find someone like that? He looked around for the past week, but no one really seemed interested in it. His phone suddenly started buzzing, and Sai looked down at his phone.

Kamen Rider:

Good morning everyone. This is Kazuraba Souji, and I want to welcome you three to the Entertainment Duel Club! Today, I want to not only get to know you all, but I want to get a gauge at everyone's Dueling styles.

Kamen Rider:

We will be meeting in Room 24 in a few minutes. Don't be late!

Well... Sai didn't really need to do all that... He and Souji knew each other's styles very well... they could probably actually play as the other if they needed to. It wasn't that hard, after all, not in a full body suit like Souji used. Sai managed to walk in just as the two began to start talking.

"I'm sooo excited for today, you don't even know!" The newest member, Hoshiko exclaimed, placing her hands on her lap. She leaned in towards the boy. "Sooooo, what do you have planned for today~?" Was she... was she flirting with Souji? No way, there was no way a... well, not true. Souji was cool. He could probably actually get a girl to flirt with him.

"Hoshiko." he said nodding at the idol. "Once Sai and Kyouko get here, we're going to get to know each other...as well as the Duel styles we're dealing with." He took a seat and leaned back in it, propping his feet on the table and throwing his hands behind his head. "Myself and Sai know about each other and our respective styles already, but I want everyone here to know what their clubmates and teammates are dealing in." He snickered slightly, waving his hand in the air dismissively. "What I'm going to hope to accomplish is to figure out where everyone needs assistance in working with. Each one of us can help another to perfect our own styles of Dueling, therefore, effectively making the Duels we're in a lot more entertaining and enjoyable to watch and be apart of. You get what I'm saying?"

"Totally, but there is something important we need to talk about real quick," Sai commented, leaning against the door post, being very confident, like he usually was in costume.

"Sai my man. What can I do for ya?"

"Look, I'm gonna be honest. I asked Kyouko to join us due to desperation, but it seems clear she's not really gonna stay in the club, and if we fall under four, we risk losing the club," Sai explained. "So, I think we need to find a fourth member, and soon,"

"Hmmm, well I don't believe ya." Souji initially dismissed the idea. "That Kyouko girl, she had that look in her eye...and it's a fierce look. The type that shows that she has what it takes." However, he paused and started drumming his fingers along the desk, immediately muttering. "...however, on the off chance you are right about this...we may not have a choice but to find someone else."

"Right, and since we know each other so well, I think I can skip the little pow wow and get straight to it," He said with a shrug. "And since I'm now a Master Magician instead of my mild manner alter ego, finding a person will be as easy as magic," He held up a card. "Also you might want this back, I was going to use it for a trick, but decided against it," He said as he threw the Elemental Hero Dark Law back to Souji.

"...I hate you..." Souji grumbled, catching Dark Law and immediately putting it back in his deck. "As for you being Sorcerer Supreme or whatever, you reigned in Kyouko, so I trust your judgement. But! We won't skip this 'pow wow'. Why? Because you and I know one another...but, the idol has no clue. So we won't be skipping the preamble for this. Nice try, Sai."

"Fine, fine," Sai muttered as he sat at the table. "So, Mr. Fearless Leader, what shall we do for this preamble?"


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The school day was over, and the club wasn't meeting at the moment due to the fact that Akira and Katsu were actively debating over what to do about the merging of the clubs. They just weren't sure what to do, so Akira decided to kill a few birds with one stone.

Right after school, he went jogging.

Far from the school, far from the others, he jogged, lost in thoughts all alone. In his thoughts, that let him look around. The city was clean, the air was amazing, and people lived their lives in peace. However... something just felt... off, at least to Akira. They lived in a dome, a pretty little prison, one that was slowly but surely running out of space. It wasn't... too much of an issue for now, but it would be, some day. What where they doing about it? As far as he knew, nothing.

He looked up at the sky... well, it wasn't really a sky, it was a dome ceiling. Did the dome simulate how the sky really look? He had no clue. What was the sky like? What was the outside world like? It had been thousands of years since the original disaster that drove everyone into the domes... perhaps there was life out there, struggling to survive. He had no clue, and there was really no way to find out...

These kind of questions really kept him up at night.

He stopped, looking at the distance that laid before him. If he kept jogging, would he hit the edge of the dome? How long would that take? Hmm... maybe he knew what he was doing next summer. Still, he should head back now... leave these kind of questions for later...

And so he jogged.

 

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“You’re selling yourself short.” Was Raven’s response as he produced his own duel disk from within his coat. “But if you really want to know the reason I sought you out…” he paused, “It should become clear as we play our game. Now, why don’t we go somewhere more spacious and less conspicuous?”

“Here’s fine. I’m on a bit of a time crunch right now, so I’d rather not go anywhere if it’s not along my way.” Kyouko nodded toward her opponent’s duel disk, not really eager to get the duel started so much as wanting to get it out of the way so she could get back to her day.

“That’s… a decision you might come to regret. But as you wish.” Raven again went into his coat, and Kyouko could see him fish out one of what appeared to be several decks from a series of pockets within, which was then promptly inserted into his active duel disk. As he did so, the sky over their heads began to take on the familiar magenta hue of duel space. “Ladies first.”

“Alright then.”

BGM

Kyouko drew her starting hand. Not that impressive, but she would probably be able to work with this. Probably. “I’ll start by setting one monster face-down, and ending my turn!” This deck wasn’t all that suited to taking the first turn, but she had something in mind.

“Underwhelming.” Raven said as he drew his own first card. “I suppose I’ll start with this.” He placed a monster card in attack position onto his duel disk. “This is Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 4.” The silvery bird-dragon appeared in front of him, still, composed, and decidedly not animated.

ATK: 1600

“And after setting a card face-down, we’ll go right into my battle phase. Horus,” His monster obeyed, taking flight and blasting Kyouko’s card with a jet of pitch-black flame. Kyouko could feel the heat, and stray embers singed the leaves from the trees nearby and scorched the grass. “I should warn you, I won’t be pulling any punches. Prepare yourself.”

“Spooky,” Kyouko commented, cold sarcasm clear in her voice as she reached to draw her card.

“Uh uh, not yet. Horus is a Level monster, and since it destroyed a monster this turn, it gets to level up.” Raven placed Horus Level 4 in his graveyard, and took Level 6 from his deck, placing it in the monster zone as the beast on the field disappeared into an orb of intensely hot black flame, emerging a few moments later larger, and with a longer wingspan.

ATK: 2300

Kyouko drew her card after the overgrown chicken got even more overgrown. Two monsters and a bunch of spells. Just what she liked to see. “I activate two spells from my hand: Catalyst Field and Herculean Power! First, I’ll use the effect of Herculean Power. While you control a monster and I don’t, I can special summon a level four or lower gemini monster from my hand. I choose Blazewing Butterfly!” On the field in front of her, a butterfly with wings made of fire appeared.

ATK: 1500

“Normally, gemini monsters are treated as normal monsters and don’t get effects unless you summon them again while they’re already on the field. But not if I activate the equip spell Supervise to it, to turn Blazewing Butterfly into an effect monster!” As Kyouko put her next spell down, the butterfly near her began to emit a red glow, signalling that its effect was primed and ready for use. “Which means I can use its effect, tributing itself to summon another gemini monster from my graveyard. I choose the monster you destroyed, Heavy Knight of the Flame!” The butterfly went up in a column of flame, singing the ground beneath it, only for it to be replaced by a burning skeleton in a chariot when the column subsided, having the same glow the butterfly had until just recently.

ATK: 1800

“Even better, the monster summoned by Blazewing Butterfly’s effect becomes an effect monster. And because Supervise was sent to the graveyard when I tributed my butterfly, its effect also activates, letting me special summon a normal monster from my graveyard. I’ll take my butterfly back as well. I said you could take on the Duel Team for a challenge, but that doesn’t mean I’m a pushover myself.” Her deck was just a bit… old, was the only problem. But still perfectly functional.

“Were you a pushover my dear, I wouldn’t be interested in dueling against you. Now please, continue.”

“Maybe I will. Battle phase! I attack your dragon with Heavy Knight of the Flame, and activate its effect! If this monster attacks a special summoned monster like Horus, I can banish it!” The chariot burst into flame as it charged into Raven’s monster, opening a gate of fire behind the monster as it rammed into the dragon and pushed it through with it, before emerging from a similar gate back near where it had started the charge. “And that leaves you wide open to a direct attack. I attack with Blazewing Butterfly!” The butterfly lifted up its wings, and with a mighty flap, scattered handfuls of embers in Raven’s general direction.

Raven: 8000 -> 6500

“I end my turn.”

“Now that's what I was expecting.” Raven rather nonchalantly brushed a few embers off of his coat. “I draw.” He looked over his hand, as well as the trap card he’d chosen not to activate during the previous turn. Plenty to work with.

 

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The girl looked at the beanie her captain was wearing as he pointed it out, only now seeming to actually read and notice what was on it. Given how Masked Chopper was pretty much an honorary toon monster, given how frequently appeared alongside her captain, the choice in teams seemed obvious in hindsight. Though, that would only be if Jun knew they existed, and in spite of her goal of making it pro she knew shockingly little about the scene and teams themselves.

All the same, at Hitomu's comment she said, "well at least for your first year. After that, I'll be on my own team and then well," the girl thought for a moment as she kept walking. "Oh, I know! I'll still root for you. That way, when I enter the scene and beat you I'll get even more famous," the girl giggled to herself as she said this. Looking back to him she said, "joking aside, sounds like you got a fun job lined up after you're done here Captain."

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Souji wasn't too thrilled about hearing Sai's concern. The strong possibility that Kyouko wouldn't be faithful and attend the club meeting? But she had that fierce look in her eyes. She had to be serious about joining this! After all, this was the avenue for her to stop being harassed by the swimming team, according to her.

"So, Mr. Fearless Leader, what shall we do for this preamble?"

"Hmph, it's simple." he said, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair. "I'll start us off."

Souji took his deck box and put it on the table before him, opening it and showing off a few of his cards, namely his Mask Change cards, Shadowmist, and his Masked HERO Fusions. "Firstly, my Dueling style is one where I put myself as one of these...a hero. More specific, an action hero. I use the Duel Space to put the spotlight on a hero that the audience can root for. Unfortunately, in my state..." he paused, sighing. "...given that most people hate my guts and I hate theirs...most anyway...annnnnnd the fact that my social skills are as flat as Duel Monsters card...it's no wonder why people wouldn't specifically root for me. However, the mask comes into play."

He moved his hand over and held up Mask Change. "This allows my HEROs to wear a new mask in order to be something else. In the same vein, my Kamen Rider outfit does the same for me. Putting on a mask allows me to give the people what they want: a heroic champion to cheer for." Souji then put Mask Change down and picked up Shadowmist. "But, a hero always has allies. With my style as an Entertainment Duelist, in the vein of being an action hero, Duel Space allows my HEROs to always back me up."

With a sigh, he moved the cards back into his deck box. "When I Duel, I want it to be as action packed as possible. You most likely noticed this right away, Hoshiko." Then another sigh escaped Souji's lips. "That said...now comes the hard part. I'm opening the floor to you to critique or suggest ways my style could be better. Once the suggestions are out of the way, Hoshiko will explain her style of Dueling."

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Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you -- who are you to judge your neighbor?
-James 4:11-12 (NIV)


Things were going well, all things considered. Despite bungling every moment she’d been expected to speak, despite how poorly Hiraku seemed to regard Gabriela, he’d still agreed to help set them in the right direction. Melissa felt a little bad about judging Hiraku based on his reputation rather than -

Gabriela grabbed Melissa’s arm, causing her to flinch and derail her train of thought. The contact disappeared just as quickly, but the derailment remained. Her thoughts instead drifted towards something Gabriela had said before. “Your willingness to escort me is proof enough of your loyalty,” she had said.

Loyalty. It was a concept Melissa associated with the routine. She went to church every Sunday because -- among other reasons, of course -- Melissa was a loyal member of the congregation. If she went elsewhere, if she shopped around, a lot of the same descriptors would still apply to her, like quiet (of course) or pious (she hoped!), but “loyal” would no longer be one of them. There were other, similar considerations too. Melissa imagined two lovers promising to always be loyal to each other, or a knight swearing their service to a king. But no matter how she framed it, each scenario involved someone who’d otherwise be lacking.

Who was the lacking person? Melissa assumed Gabriela meant her, which was fair enough.  But as her mind wandered on, she realized that even the groups never really were treated like groups in those scenarios. When Melissa was loyal to the church, it never felt like she was really “loyal” to the other specific members of the congregation, or to the ushers or anything like that. To Father Gregory, maybe, but again, that was a single person.

So “loyalty” meant two people, each needing the other. Both of them were mutually getting and receiving something. Melissa was happy enough just being of help to someone. It probably wasn’t exactly true but she didn’t want to- she just didn’t want to think about it. And Gabriela?

More words stuck out to her: “I would love the company of course,” Gabriela had said. But that would mean -

No, no, no. Gabriela had been the one to chase after Hiraku in the first place, after all. And even before that, she’d been the one challenging Hitomu (Of all people, Hitomu!), or before that, announcing herself to a crowd . At the very least, there was a self-assuredness there that Melissa could barely fathom.

It was just a wayward thought, anyway. Meanwhile, Hiraku and Gabriela were heading off, and Melissa quickly scurried after them.


It wasn’t the place they were going to try next, though Melissa was thankful that it at least had been on her mental checklist. Hiraku pushed through the doors first, with Gabriela and Melissa following dutifully after.

Melissa scanned the room. Most of the faces looking in their general direction seemed more interested in Hiraku. The few that were looking past him seemed more disappointed or expectant than anything else. As she continued to look, she didn’t see Hitomu anywhere. That was probably what they were looking for.

Hitomu not being there meant something else as well: “We made it,” Melissa said. On time, or, at least, not later than its leaders. She hadn’t known what time everything was going to start, but she was glad for Gabriela, at least.

I, um,” What else was she supposed to say? “Have fun” or “Good luck” were the nice, good options, though they felt a little superficial. Was there anything better?

It came to her eventually, though there were more steps involved. She had to riffle around for a pen and paper, and she could feel some rising awkward tension as Gabriela watched, as the distance between her last phrase and the now increased, but she ended up with ten digits in a hasty scrawl. “If you, um, if you need anything else,” Melissa said as she gave her phone number to Gabriela, “give me a text. Or a call, I guess. I won't always be able to help, obviously, but I'll definitely try.

She made sure to thank Hiraku again for helping them, too (did she thank him before? She must have, right?), and watched as they both joined the crowd of people waiting for whatever was going to happen next.

What was going to happen next? Not for the duel team, but for Melissa? She left the building and simply continued to stroll around campus. It was a nice day for it, after all. So she wondered and wandered, and for now, at least, that was enough. If there was anything else, she’d take it as it came.

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Did … did you just ask me out?" Yushiro's face turned a bright red. He was nervous already, and Elizabeth teasing him only made it worse. He didn't even notice that her cheeks were also getting a bit rosy. "Or, well, I suppose ask me in, really. Well I'd be glad to play some more cards Yushiro. But uhm, I hope this date comes with us being able to talk a little more than a week at a time?"

At once Yushiro felt stupid. And sorry. The fact that she was still giving him the time of day was a small miracle, let alone saying yes-wait, SHE SAID YES. A wave of relief and excitement washed over him. Maybe Jo was right after all.

"Its just, I really enj-" A pained look flashed across Elizabeth's face as she put her feet back on the ground and lost her balance. Reflexively, she stuck her hand out to catch herself, and Yushiro felt her palm come to rest on his chest. When she turned, their faces were mere inches from one another. Yushiro's heart raced as they stared into eachother's eyes for what seemed like minutes. For a few moments, he found himself getting lost in her face; her big, beautiful grey eyes, and her lips....

Then she turned away, her face now bright red with embarrassment.

"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to assault you there. I fell at the dance studio before, I guess my knee is a bit worse than I thought." Elizabeth laughed softly, obviously trying to break the tension. "What I was trying to say was... I really enjoyed our previous date, I've been looking forward to the next opportunity to do so."

"Honestly, me too." Yushiro finally replied. At this point, he felt like he owed her some sort of explanation. "I didn't mean to ignore you last week, its just..." He paused, inhaling. "Well, I guess I I'm nervous. Super lame, I know." Now it was his turn to laugh. "Actually, unless you're really looking forward to staying in and playing cards with me, why don't I make it up to you? Wherever you wanna go, whatever you wanna do, lets do it. My treat." Internally, he couldn't help but laugh at himself.

For her part, Liz seemed to be thinking about something else. At last, she responded. Well hey, listen, if I'm going to come to this duel team meeting for Hitomu and then go off somewhere with you I'll need to freshen up a bit. Sweaty tank top isn't exactly my preferred state of fashion. See you at the meeting later?" A little non-committal, but Yushiro took what he could get. Then, she opened her arms after she finished speaking; an obvious invitation for a hug.

"Yeah, definitely." He leaned in and embraced her, squeezing her tightly and earnestly, though not so strongly as to make Elizabeth think he was trying to cling to her. It was the kind of hug he gave his friends and family; emphatic and caring. After a couple of moments he pulled away. "Take it easy on your leg, ok?"

----

About an hour later, Yushiro found himself outside the building in which the team was supposed to hold their first practice. Alone. For a few moments, he started getting nervous again. Was he sure he was in the right place? Was he late? Where was everyone? Thankfully, the approach of a familiar pair assuaged his fears. He saw Jun and Hitomu, both encumbered with several boxes, walking in his direction.

"Hey, you guys need a hand with those?!" he called out as he made his way toward them. Sticking with the captains for the time being was probably a good idea; less awkward than standing by himself, at least.

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"Once Sai and Kyouko get here, we're going to get to know each other...as well as the Duel styles we're dealing with." Souji took a seat and leaned back in it, propping his feet on the table and throwing his hands behind his head. "Myself and Sai know about each other and our respective styles already, but I want everyone here to know what their clubmates and teammates are dealing in." He snickered slightly, waving his hand in the air dismissively. "What I'm going to hope to accomplish is to figure out where everyone needs assistance in working with. Each one of us can help another to perfect our own styles of Dueling, therefore, effectively making the Duels we're in a lot more entertaining and enjoyable to watch and be apart of. You get what I'm saying?" 

"Ah~!" She said, nodding as she placed one hand on her cheek. "Ok, when the others get here I-"

It was then that she noticed that a cloaked figure had been here for a while. Sai and Souji talked to each other, and Hoshiko could tell they had been friends for a while. They seemed to be worried about Kyoko, as she wasn't even there, and were thinking of trying to recruit another 4th. Hoshiko was more than willing to help look for another. For a moment, she considered maybe trying to get Melissa into this. It would help the girl break out of her shell and show the beauty that she had within. She'd have to message her later, though, as it seemed that Souji was also eager to start them off, as he started without their missing member.

After Souji finished his introduction, Hoshiko applauded the rider. "What a wonderful introduction!" She said with a small giggle. "Critiques, huh..." She said, placing her hand on her chin. She had to think hard about this, as she didn't have any immediate criticisms. "...maybe your duels go by too fast? I can't really think of much, to be honest." She said, before letting Sai make any comments he wanted to.

Then it was Hoshiko's turn. Excitedly, she stood up, doing a small twirl and a flourish, as she turned to the two boys. "My name on stage is Rose, although you are free to call me by my real name - Hoshiko." She said with a bow. "It is a pleasure to be here with you two." She reached into her bag and pulled out a fancy purple deck box. "My duel style is to set up an elegant dance between me and my opponents. The back and forth action between the two sets the rhythm for the performance." She reached into the box, pulling out a Shaddoll Fusion with some cards behind it. "Much like Shouji here, my deck revolves around Fusion Monsters. Instead of heroes, however..." With some swift hand motions, the cards fanned out, revealing the 6 El Shaddoll Fusions alongside the spell. "...I make marionettes that act as dancers!" She said proudly, before fanning the cards back together into one stack. "The more controlling part of my deck allows me to both set the tempo of the game..." She turned to Souji. "...or play reactionary to my opponent. Either way, no matter who leads the dance, I make sure it is a wonderful one." She put the cards away, pulling out one final one. "To tie into the whole duet theme I like to go, I also have the ability to occasionally use my opponent's monsters for my dancers." She said with a slight giggle, before putting the card away. "Together, me and my opponent, we make a beautiful dance."

"Any questions?"

 

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A quick tie of the shoe later, Akari was leaning against the hallway wall, using her phone's camera as a mirror to inspect the damage from her fall. Luckily, there wasn't any sort of injury she could see. Her hair was looking a bit more messy though, but with her hair brush all the way back at her room, there wasn’t really a lot she could do about it. The best she could do was straighten with her hand a few times and call it done.

 With that out of the way, she was off on her search again, although at a much more careful pace. As she arrived at the next room, she looked in, and was at once confused. In this room were three people; one of which wore some sort of robed outfit. At once she thought occult club, but before she could move on, her eyes stuck on the face of the girl in the room. She knew her, not personally, but she knew her. It was Hoshiko, the idol duelist that was in that match against the Kamen Rider. Was this the entertainment duel club? It had to be, right? Well, with only one way to find out, Akari gently opened the door and slipped inside, just in time to catch the edge of something that Hoshiko was saying.

 ". . .me and my opponent, we make a beautiful dance."

 "Any questions?"

 There was a question on Akari’s mind, and although it felt rude to interrupt whatever conversation they were having, she was going to ask it. “Um, is this the entertainment dueling club?” She slightly waved as she introduced herself. "I'm Akari Ito, by the way"

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"What a wonderful introduction! Critiques, huh...maybe your Duels go by too fast? I can't really think of much, to be honest."

Duels...go by too fast? Souji thought, putting his hand to his chin for a moment. Maybe Hoshiko was on to something. After all, recently he hadn't been able to use his own Duel Skill, so perhaps maybe slowing the Duels down might actually be a good idea to implement into his style of Dueling.

"My duel style is to set up an elegant dance between me and my opponents. The back and forth action between the two sets the rhythm for the performance. Much like Shouji here, my deck revolves around Fusion Monsters. Instead of heroes, however...I make marionettes that act as dancers! The more controlling part of my deck allows me to both set the tempo of the game...or play reactionary to my opponent. Either way, no matter who leads the dance, I make sure it is a wonderful one. To tie into the whole duet theme I like to go, I also have the ability to occasionally use my opponent's monsters for my dancers. Together, me and my opponent, we make a beautiful dance."

He nodded after hearing the idol's explanation on her own Duel style. It was something he could see out front, given his Duel against her for that Exhibition Duel. Not only that, her speech and usage of phrases during that Duel now began to make sense. It also showed a lot during the Duel with the Shaddolls. Especially on how she utilized the Field Spell of hers in order to have those greedy little shadow hands to stop my monster's advances. A bit of work with that in Duel Space, and she has my monster's on a literal string. It's...quite genius.

As Hoshiko finished her explanation and opened the floor for critique, Souji couldn't get a word in edge wise as another player had entered the room.

“Um, is this the entertainment dueling club? I'm Akari Ito, by the way."

A few blinks were had on Souji's end as he looked at the blue haired young lady, before glancing at Sai, then back at the girl, then at Hoshiko, and finally returning to the girl. He slid slightly towards Sai and whispered in his ear. "...okay Sorcerer Supreme, I'mma need you to stop with this 'Abracadabra! Club Members!' magic... Actually scratch that...you are DEFINITELY this club's lucky charm! You mentioned new members and here they are." he muttered, before standing up.

"This is the Entertainment Dueling Club, Akari." Souji nodded, clearing his throat slightly. "I'm Kazuraba Souji, this is Sai, and Hoshiko. You actually came in at the best time. I was having the club members here explain their Duel Styles and to get critiques on them. If you wish to join in, then grab a seat and tell us."

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“Let's get started with this: another Horus the black flame dragon LV 4.”

ATK: 1600

“And next, a spell: Level up! Which lets me summon Horus LV 6.”

ATK: 2300

“Now, before you fall asleep on me, let’s make things interesting, shall we? Horus, attack Blazewing Butterfly!” On command, Horus let loose a jet of black flames, enveloping its target completely and setting the grass nearby on fire- the non holographic kind.

Kyouko: 8000 -> 7200

“And let me guess,” Kyouko deadpanned. “Your oversized pigeon is about to get even bigger.”

“That’s correct. Two more levels bigger, to be precise.” On cue, Horus sprouted a pair of arms from within its metal wings.

ATK: 3000

“And now, let’s activate a trap card. I hope you’re familiar with Royal Decree?” From the hologram of his face-down card, the image of the king appeared, and from underneath him rose his castle. “If not, allow me to explain what kind of predicament you’re in. Horus here allows me to negate any spell card that’s played, and with royal decree, the effects of all other trap cards are negated, which leaves two thirds of your deck useless.”

“So I’ve got to get out of this with just my monsters?”

“That’s correct. Which, if I remember correctly, tend not to have effects. Seems you’re in a bit of a bind. I set two cards face-down, and end my turn.”

“I draw.” Trap card. It was a nice card for a bit later, but it wouldn’t do her any good right now, would it? “Yeah, it’s a pretty tight grip you’ve got on my deck right now. But you neglected my other monster. I attack with Heavy Knight of the Flame!” Just as before, the chariot-riding skeleton charged forward, sword of fire ready to strike down.

“Did you think I wasn’t prepared for that? I activate one of my face-downs: Book of Moon! This quick-play spell card sets your monster in face-down defense position. Sorry about that.”

“Tch.” Kyouko put her monster face-down. She could put the monster in her hand down if she wanted, but Horus could just kill that one too. “I set one card face-down, and end my turn.”

“That’s what you get for underestimating your opponent. Now, I draw.” Raven looked over his hand. “Let’s start this turn with a field spell. I activate Molten Destruction, to increase the ATK of all FIRE monsters by 500, at the cost of 400 DEF!”

Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8: 3000 -> 3500

“And now, battle phase. I attack your face-down Heavy Knight with Horus.” At Raven’s command, the dragon scorched Kyouko’s face-down monster with a stream of black fire, aimed directly at Kyouko’s monster, destroying it. “And now, I end my turn.”

“My turn. Draw.” Kyouko drew her next card. Another monster. Something was coming together in her head, but it wasn’t ready just yet… “I end my turn.”

“Leaving yourself wide open to attack? How curious. I draw.” Raven looked at his hand. And then Kyouko’s. She had to be up to something. Best to play it a bit safe, especially when he was so close to winning. It was best not to overextend right now, just in case. “I attack directly with Horus the Black Flame Dragon!”

She barely had time to move out of the way before the ground where she was standing just moments ago was set ablaze, leaving only a blackened and charred patch behind. “Watch where you’re aiming that stuff!”

Kyouko: 7200 -> 3700

“You’re running out of life points. Better come up with something quick. I end my turn.”

“I’ve got some ideas alright. Draw!” Kyouko wasted no time grinning ear to ear at the sight of her card. “And it looks like you’re about to find out what they are.”

BGM

“Your Horus monster negates the activation of spell cards, but doesn’t do anything to the effects of spells that are already on the field. I learned that one from somebody on the duel team. Which means I can activate the effect of Herculean Power, to summon the Level 4 Tuned Magician from my hand!”

ATK: 1800

“Next, I’ll Normal Summon another Level 4 monster: Evocator Chevalier. This is a FIRE monster, so he enjoys the extra power from your Molten Destruction.”

ATK: 1900 -> 2400

“But that’s not what I want him for. Using the effect of my own field spell - Catalyst Field - I can normal summon a gemini monster once per turn, in addition to my regular one. I normal summon Tuned Magician again, to have it gain its effect!” As a distinct red glow formed around Kyouko’s monster, she continued “Its effect is actually pretty bad. All it does is turn it into a tuner monster. But that’s still good enough to let me tune my Level 4 Tuned Magician, and my Level 4 Evocator Chevalier, to make a Level 8 monster. I synchro summon Black Brutdrago!” Behind Kyouko, the visage of a hulking black dragon formed, glaring at Raven’s own dragon with a savage look in its eyes.

ATK: 3000 -> 3500

“Next, I activate his effect. By discarding the Phoenix Gearfried in my hand, I’ll destroy your Royal Decree!” With more of a prolonged snort than a roar, Kyouko’s own dragon exhaled a wave of fire aimed directly at the king and castle so proudly erected on Raven’s side of the field, burning it down completely.

“Impressive,” Raven commented.

“We’re only getting started. I said I’m on a time crunch, so let’s finish this already. Battle phase! I’ll start by attacking your Horus with my Black Brutdrago!” With a deep grunt, Kyouko’s dragon charged forward, forcing its way through a jet of black flames fired at it to tackle and ram Horus, destroying both monsters. “When Black Brutdrago is destroyed, I can special summon any gemini monster from my graveyard, complete with its effects. I choose Phoenix Gearfried!” Where the dragon was standing not long ago, a towering knight, clad in shiny white armor appeared, with that distinctive red glow around its body.

ATK: 2800 -> 3300

“Next, with your Royal Decree gone, I activate Call of the Haunted, to bring back my Black Brutdrago from the graveyard!” Just as before, the brutish black dragon appeared behind Kyouko, this time accompanied by a ghastly purple smoke rising from its body. “Looks like that field spell did more harm than good, huh? I attack directly with both Black Brutdrago and Phoenix Gearfried!”

Raven: 6500 -> 0

As the magenta sky dispersed around the two, returning to the “natural” environment of Ambrosia, Kyouko asked “Now, was there anything else you needed to waste my time on, or can I go now?”

 

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Des Lacooda Cigarettes: Take A Fresh Draw On Life!

 

"What a crock of s***." Elizabeth scanned over the front of the pack of cigarettes she produced from her bag, running her delicate fingers over the golden foil that was etched into the cardboard. Ashes sprinkled down from her face to her fingertips, causing her to yip slightly from the heat. As she removed the cigarette from her mouth, tapping the ashes to the ground, the irony began to cross her mind. The most humor she could derive from her addiction to nicotine is how painfully aware she was that it was bad for her. She knew that one day it would take her lungs, then her skin, then her hair, and eventually her life. She knew that if she continued, dancing would become harder and harder to do until smoking just became more preferable to going out at all. She knew that people would look at her strangely every time she excused herself, thinking quietly: "Doesn't she read the box? That stuff gives you cancer!"

 

The thing was: those worries always faded first when she inhaled that cloud of toxins. She would tell herself all sorts of things when she was done being in public: "I'll have two before I go to the duel team meeting. One on the secret walk back to my place, and one in the shower before I shampoo so nobody can smell it in my hair."

 

It was always the newest strategy. Mints, change of clothes, beanies, hats, coffee. Whatever she could do to feed her addiction without further damaging her already strained relationships. Some days Elizabeth was even proud of how well she had planned these things out. But… I'm not addicted. I just do it to take the edge off. Liar. She was always trying to convince herself of something.

 

Still, there was some truth to not caring much for the "addicted" lifestyle, if ever there was such a thing. Having spent a lot of time thinking about grieving and why people do it, Beth had always thought there to be 3 ways to grieve: Go out in a blaze of glory, shut down and become a hermit, or be strong and get better. There wasn't much guess work in figuring out which one Elizabeth had decided on, but there was in fact a time where she had felt the best way to heal was to be around people. Constantly partying, constantly out, consistently being sapped dry of resources by the leeches that tend to populate those crowds, and consistently going home in a haze to cry alone in her pillow. It wasn't something Elizabeth could live with and when her looks started to fade as a result, she panicked and decided to keep all the pain to herself.

 

The irony was never lost on Elizabeth. She never tried to take her own life directly after Todd passed, but when it became apparent that was the direction her life was taking, she took everything in, repressing it instead of choosing to be a wild child. But what was there to make of this? Elizabeth took another drag from her cigarette. It was slower, but she knew the result was all the same.

 

Just easier to pretend I can quit when I'm better. she flicked the remainder of her cigarette's ashes onto the curb in front of her apartment. It was only when she finally entered the apartment did she really begin to think about what she had just gotten herself into that evening… and how much her knee was hurting; When on earth did that start pulsing like that?

 

Beth quickly hobbled over to her bed, removing her jeans. She winced at the sight of her own kneecap, which had gone from her usual shade of cream color to mixtures of red, purple, and other colors knees should probably not be.

"Christ… that better just be an ugly bruise. I can't go through another sprain.

 

She laid back onto her bed in slight agony as she remembered what it was like the first time she had sprained her kneecap. It was shortly after Todd had passed, and right about when it felt like the world was conspiring against her. When she wasn't partying, she was dancing or working out at the gym, simply because she couldn't stand the thought of being alone with herself and her own thoughts for more than a couple of minutes at a time. When you put your body under that much stress, however, things are bound to give, and Elizabeth, despite her particularly good training regiment, was no different. What was only a couple of weeks on crutches felt like 40 years, staring at her ceiling and chain smoking the day away. That was when the grief had really set in, and it was largely why Elizabeth is the way she is today. Another sentencing to the inside of her own 4 walls and…

 

Beth shook her head, refusing to give the thought any credence. Slipping some sweatpants on, Beth went to the porch and grabbed a plastic lawn chair to sit on while she showered. Some hot water and some time off of it should do wonders… But what should I even wear to this duel team meeting?

 

She immediately opened her wardrobe and pulled out her old duel team jacket. She smiled just a bit; fashionably speaking it was a complete mess, but the REGIONAL CHAMPION 20XX, 20XX patches on the sleeve of her old uniform provided a beam of pride not even Beth's cold, angry heart could shelf away. Elizabeth groaned, putting the hanger back in her wardrobe.

 

"What on ambrosia are you thinking Beth. You're going to look like a loser wearing a jacket for a team you're not even on. Let's stay a little sporty without going for the 'football father that cannot let go of the golden era', can we? Oh, something like this. Beth pulled out a soccer-style jersey with the Blue Yonder logo and sponsoring school clubs on it. In all honesty, it was a rather fetching design, apart from the fact that the old captain's name was on it from when they had somewhat of a fling during their first championship run. "Still, it would go well with-" Elizabeth stopped cold in her tracks and applied her palm directly to the center of her forehead.

 

"It doesn't bloody matter what your tits look like with the pushup if you're wearing a jersey that has another man's name on it to your date!!" Beth threw the jersey to the ground; when had she become so awful at this? "Let's just start from the beginning Beth." She looked up at the clock: 48 minutes until the duel team meeting. That was plenty of time for her to get a quick shower and put her hair in a beanie or a hat of some sort.

 

Beth made her way to her underwear drawer; now on most days she would just pick whatever was on top and be on her way. However, today was a bit different. It's not as if she intended on having Yushiro, or anybody else for that matter, discover what her underwear looked like that evening, but as her mum always told her:

 

"If you want something good to happen to you, you need to start by looking good from the inside out!"

 

Beth rolled her eyes, "Yes mum, I know, I know." she reflexively alleviated the nagging she imagined to herself as she rifled through her undergarments. Laces, ribbons, patterns and colors of all kinds strewn about her room until she settled on two pieces that matched without being too obvious or making her feel undercovered. She nodded in satisfaction at work and turned her attention back to the wardrobe. Elizabeth briefly pondered just how shown out she wanted to be for her date with Yushiro, and perhaps more importantly, what she would be able to wear at a duel team meeting that would also be appropriate. She quickly ruled out dresses and skirts; with her knee looking the way it did she would need to put it in a wrap, and there’s no matching that to any type of shoe. Elizabeth stood there for a moment, snapping her fingers, hoping to allure the physical embodiment of an outfit idea into her brain. Certainly, it must have worked because soon after her ritual she sprang into action.  She snatched a t-shirt from her drawer: one she had laboriously cut the middle out of so she could display her toned midsection. On the gray t-shirt was a simple artist’s rendition of a Cyber Dragon, her brother’s favorite card. She figured pairing that with a pair of black, low-rise skinny jeans would give enough of a sight for sore eyes while keeping things reasonably professional and duel team focused. A pair of skater’s sneakers and a Blue Yonder beanie hat later, and her outfit was complete. A punkish look would be different enough for Yushiro to catch some looks but normal enough that, aside from her abs, should go without too many looks.

 

Beth snatched her plastic chair, wiped it down quickly, and dragged it into her shower, placing it into a spot where she could rest her knee without having to cramp up her body in other places. She twisted the knob on her shower, quickly opening up the way for scalding hot water to rain down upon all that was inside of the tiled walls. That wouldn’t be Elizabeth quite yet, as she hadn’t turned on any music yet, but she wouldn’t be bothered by the heat. To Beth, nothing was more relaxing than attempting to sear the skin on her bones with water alone. Finally, after putting on music that seemed to more closely resemble an angry riot than a melody, she hobbled over to her chair and took a seat. A slight groan exited her mouth as the pain shot through to her toes, but that pain quickly faded as the heat began to swarm around the afflicted area.

 

Inside her shower, there was nothing else to do other than face her own thoughts. God, I can’t believe Hitomu roped me into this meeting. The things I agree to sometimes. she sighed, leaning her head back into the chair, And Yushiro… bloody hell Yushiro. I’m way in over my head on that one. Elizabeth grabbed for a bottle of shampoo, running the soap through her hair as she pondered, He doesn’t know anything about me. The way he looks at me, talks with me about Duel Monsters, I sometimes wonder if he even knows I had a brother. Maybe he doesn’t care. It’s so unfair of me to expect affection from him when I haven’t even been on a date since... Elizabeth stopped.

 

Come to think of it, I went on a lot of dates last year. But… he’s different somehow. I’m more than a spotter at the gym for Yushiro. I’m not even sure Yushiro goes to the gym.

 

"He's something brand new." Elizabeth finished up her shower and turned the water off, letting it drip from the faucet for

several moments before moving a muscle.

 

Something felt different, and Elizabeth froze, trying to solve the feeling. Was it anxiety? No, no, she wanted to go out tonight; if it was anxiety she would want to stay in bed all night. It wasn't excitement either; she somewhat dreaded the idea of having to regulate herself to a duel team's schedule again, no matter how long the offer stood for. No… it was something much more sharp than either of those feelings:

 

Fear? Yes, that was the feeling. It was gripping the bottom of her spine and clawing it's way up the vertebrae, digging into her lungs and heart as it climbed. But why? She didn't have time to think about it now.

 

Elizabeth simply shook her head and jumped out of the shower, preparing herself into the outfit she had laid out for herself. She groaned audibly upon discovering her cigarettes on the desk. She didnt remember to take a smoke before her shower, and she couldn't do it now, she would reek of nicotine! "Ugh!" Elizabeth slammed the door behind her on the way out to her duel meeting, with her decks, a notebook, and various nic nacs for her date in her bag.

 

The walk went off without very much curious introspection, a departure from Beth's normal day to day. But just as she was about to approach the door, that feeling of fear had revealed it's true origin:

 

You're going to forget him, moving on like this.

 

The thought felt like a knife stabbing it's way through her brain and froze her in place, hand still on the door handle. She could feel that familiar soreness of a crying bout coming to her chest, so she would spend even more time frozen to that door handle, trying to suppress it, hoping nobody came to the door to notice it before she had time to collect herself.

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Hitomu, with the help of Jun and eventually Yushiro, made it into the  Duel Hall just a few minutes before the meeting was planned to start. 

The Duel Hall was one huge, circular room on the inside. The walls were painted a soft, bluish-white hue, most of them hidden behind exuberant posters and plaques, while the floors were lined with plush saxony carpet whose color, to Hitomu, brought to mind a quality coffee creamer. Two huge sectionals dominated the leftmost corner of the room, arranged around a coffee table and a massive television, oftentimes used by the duel team to review in preparation for matches. Five top-of-the-line holographic duel tables took up the center of the room, though only one of them was currently turned on and flashing through a display of monsters and their abilities and effects. Standing lockers lined the farthest wall, different numbers painted on the front of each one of them. There was also a door that Hitomu knew lead to what was probably the cleanest bathroom in the school. 

Hitomu lead Jun and Yushiro over to the sections and sat his stack of boxes down on the table. “Don’t tell me we were the last ones to get here,” he groaned, scanning the crowd. Gabriela, Yushiro, and a handful of other rookies had all made it, as had the veterans of the team. Lizzie wasn’t among them. “Every year. Somehow I’m late to the first meeting every year.” He laughed, his face turning red. Punctuality was never his strong suit. “Well, give me a second to get everything set up and we can go ahead and start. Jun, give me a hand.” He unstacked the boxes and then started unpacking and arranging things on the table. 

It didn’t take more than a couple minutes with the help of Jun. Several binders were spread out across the coffee table; the binding on the first read “MONSTERS”, the binding on the second read “SPELLS”, and the binding on the last one read “TRAPS”. Behind those were a stack of stout books, short but rather thick, of which the title read “BLUE YONDER: DUEL TEAM - CODE OF CONDUCT”. Two boxes remained on the table unpacked, but the captain made no move to unpack them. 

“Alright, cool. We’re ready.” Hitomu dusted his hands off and, without further adieu, produced a stool from somewhere behind the sectional closest to him and sat down where everyone could easily see him. “Sorry about the wait. First thing’s first, we’ll probably have an old friend dropping by here at some point during this, so don’t freak out if someone you guys don’t recognize comes in. With that out of the way… How we all doing today? Excited to get back to the best part of school?” Hitomu paused long enough for a couple people to groan or roll their eyes at his icebreaker. He ignored them, still smiling. “Okay, okay, I’ll get to the point. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Hitomu Amaya, Captain of this merry band of misfits. Anyone who was on the team with me last year though knows I use the term ‘Captain’ very loosely.” The veteran members of the team laughed or grumbled in affirmation. “Usually you’ll see and hear more from my vice-captain, Hattie, way more than me.” Hitomu nodded towards Jun. “She’s great by the way. If you every need any help she’ll be your best bet.”

Hitomu drummed on the edge of his stool with his fingers. “What else… I’ve been a member of BY’s Duel Team since my freshman year, when I was fifteen. I was a part of all three of the Relay Teams that won regionals the last few years, and then a bunch of individual tournaments that I can’t remember. I think I mostly recently competed in the Talent Cup that Industrial Illusions hosted for high school students. I’m not really sure, but if you’re curious, you can just look the records up on one of the holo tables over there. I think that just about covers it though. Any questions any of you want to ask me? If not, I’ll just go ahead and jump right into the mandatory Conduct review we have to do every year.”

He gave everyone a moment to speak up before moving on. He was trying not to rush through things; the memory of his freshman meeting still made him cringe with how uncomfortable it had been, so he wasn’t trying to replicate it for anyone else.

Edited by Cheshire Toon

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In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
-Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)


For the first time in a long while -- not since that morning, as far as she could remember -- Melissa opened up her phone and checked on the Community Service group chat. It had slowed down since earlier when she’d had to mute it, but that didn’t mean there weren’t a bevy of messages from phone numbers she didn’t have that probably at least needed to be skimmed just in case any of them did have relevant information.

Boy do I love writing papers. Someone ask me how much I love it

doing homework on a wednesday wow what a narc

lol

p sure thats not what narc means but okay

They did not.

It was a nice feeling, just walking around. Melissa didn’t even put in headphones or anything, she just focused on putting one foot in front of the other and keeping an eye out in case she was about to run into anyone. Or, if she included Gabriela from earlier, anyone else. She didn’t have a specific route in mind, either. Every so often, she’d turn left or right, but only because that was where she felt like going in that specific instance. If there was a pattern, some grand design behind her route, it certainly wasn’t hers.

“Idle hands are the devil’s plaything.” Again, that phrase came to mind, and again, Melissa ignored it. It wasn’t like she was completely idle. Her meandering route had led her past several posters advertising the weekend’s festivities, and it was starting to dawn on her that she might have to take part in some way. Like, would she have to run a booth? A bake sale? Volunteer?

Melissa reopened the group chat. Typing a message out would mean interrupting the in-depth conversation on exaggerated insults and their etymologies, but her need took precedence.

Hey, does anyone know if we’re doing anything as a club this weekend for the festival? she typed.

She got a response only seconds later:

lol who is this?

She tried again, sending a similar message this time only to Connor. Are we doing anything for the festival this weekend?

It took significantly longer for Connor to respond, and Melissa spent most of the intervening time alternating between checking her phone and telling herself -- reassuring herself, even -- that he’d get to it as soon as she stopped checking. But every time she slipped her phone back into her pocket, she’d feel a buzz and the cycle would only continue from there.

Her walk had taken a different sort of mood than it had when she had started. Long, meandering turns this way or that were replaced by sharp jags and the occasional stop-and-start if she was absolutely sure she had gotten a message that wasn’t from the group chat. 

When Connor did respond, it was a meager five syllables in as many words. Nope! Just go have fun the text said. Melissa wasn’t sure what to make of that. Was this another one of Connor’s pushes to get her to “come out of her shell?” Or was it an admission that he couldn’t, that no matter what he did, Melissa would inevitably end up longing to cloister herself away from it all.

The more Melissa pondered Connor’s message, the more she wondered if she’d have to confront him about any of it. It seemed rude to do so over text, but the next time she was sure she’d see him was at the next club meeting, which wouldn’t be until after the festival in question. So there wasn’t really any resolution. The matter just dropped.

Melissa realized she’d been going in circles. Or maybe it was just one giant circle, but the point was when she looked up from her phone, she was out near the duel team’s meeting area again. Not much had changed in the intervening half-hour (at most); possibly the biggest difference was that there were fewer people outside. Which actually made sense once she'd thought about it. The meeting had probably already started at that point, so everyone was probably just inside. Melissa even spotted Elizabeth right as she was about to go in. She had a hand on the door’s handle, and…

And Elizabeth didn’t move. To be more specific, she wasn’t moving. As soon as Melissa realized this, she did the same, stopping dead in her tracks and just staring at Elizabeth, just willing her to start moving again. It didn’t work -- because of course it didn’t work, why would it? -- though it did at least confirm Melissa’s growing suspicions.

The approach was easier this time, at least, physically. Melissa was less concerned with whether or not she should and more with what she was even supposed to say. Her go-to of “Are you okay?” had served her well, but she still remembered how Elizabeth had reacted only a week ago (not to mention how she herself had reacted after that, though she didn’t want to think about that part…). So that was out of the question, but what else was there?

Her brain could only think of call-of-the-void-type options, the kind she dared not say, but still for some reason thought of. “It’s a pull door, actually,” for example. Or “It’s probably not going to say, ‘Who’s there?’, you’ve just got to open it.” Or even just a simple “Boo!”

“Hi” was too casual. “Excuse me” was a bit too impersonal. “Let me get that for you” didn’t really address the prob-

Elizabeth,” Melissa said, which was good enough. She could only wish that Elizabeth also heard her silent plea, the prayer in her head that revealed her intentions, if only to whoever in Heaven was listening.

“Talk to me, Elizabeth,” Melissa thought. “Please.”

Edited by radio414

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Hiraku

"T-To what are you referring to?" Gabriela asked, refusing to look directly at the boy. "This, er, that's right this is the height of fashion back home! I don't expect the people here to understand our refined tastes though." Hiraku rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, and Melissa shuffled about awkwardly. "Well....let us be off then!" She declared.

The trio soon found themselves at the duel hall, where Melissa parted ways. The team was about as large as it had been in past years, though only about half the team were regular faces. Hitomu, their "esteemed" captain, began the meeting by introducing himself and how the team itself was likely to not interact with their captain terribly often, and then proceeded to list his accomplishments. At this point, Hiraku's attention began to divert to anything else but at the topic at hand. This was one of the most insufferable parts about being on the Duel Team, made even worse now that the lucksack Yushiro was on the team as well. It was unfortunate that this was a necessary evil in order to make it to the top of the leaderboards-- the duel team got to enter a lot of tournaments that were either a lot more difficult or impossible to enter as a freelance solo player. Of course, being on the team meant that Hiraku couldn't act how he wanted when he wanted, or else it meant "breaking the code of conduct" and getting kicked off the team, but he sure as hell skirted that line as much as he could.

"Any questions any of you want to ask me? If not, I’ll just go ahead and jump right into the mandatory Conduct review we have to do every year.” Hitomu finally wrapped his opening spiel, and without missing a beat while simultaneously still leaning against the nearest wall/sideboard and staring off to space, Hiraku's hand shot up.

"Yeah, can we just skip right to the conduct review and get it over with?" Hiraku said with a sigh. Anything to get this stupid meet and rally out of the way as soon as possible.

 

 

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      Though the forecast was showing it would be a dark and stormy night, the skies seemed to only be overcast at the present mid-day time. And yet in spite of these bleak looking skies it did little to abate the activities and excitement of the people of Camellia. Though the big city didn't know much in way of rest today was especially abuzz with activity as the people had all filed into the new - several year old - Aspect Stadium, the main hub for all things Blue Rose would be broadcast. The reason was simple. Today was a day for introductions, for promotion and for showcasing. Each and every duelist partaking in the Blue Rose tournament had been called to the new - though in reality five year old - Aspect Stadium; the building where all duels for Blue Rose would be held. All thirty two of them were to listen to the announcer for the event tell them all that was expected for the tournament. The rules, code of conduct, the long and storied tradition and history of the both the tournament and the sport. And finally for the viewers at home a short introduction of each of the players, simply stating all of their names, decks and what province they were representing. When all was said and done, the group was dismissed from the tournament hall and free to go about their business. 
      Upon exiting the stadium proper, they would see a crowd of people who had all been waiting for them, some fans of the sport and some reporters and journalists looking to interview the duelists. Naturally some of the participants were more popular than others, last year's third place being swarmed the moment that she had left the building, and they would deal with their fans and crowds in their own way. The group of tournament participants would be able to spend the rest of their free time however they wished for the day, knowing full well that tomorrow was the start of the games proper.
      Iris, for her part, didn't particularly feel in the mood to do any press for herself as well. Smiling and waving to all the people who had called out to her, Iris merely continued her way forward and managed to get past all of them. Looking up to the sky the girl frowned, thinking that the gray skies wasn't the best of omens for the coming tournament. Not to mention it was neither sunny nor raining, making her ever present parasol nothing more than a fashionable accessory. Sighing to herself, the girl continued to walk into the unfamiliar city proper, thinking that surely there was something to pass the time with. 
       
    • By LordCowCow
      Hello......hello. Again? No, that's not right. Hello for the first time, for you at least, everyone. I hope this message gets through. You see...there have been some problems in my universe. Oh, right, there's multiple universes. Don't worry you'll understand eventually. Anyway something has gone horrible wrong. And the only hope we have is...all of you.
      No pressure. Well. Perhaps a small, just a tad, a smidgen really, bit of pressure.
      I, we, really need your help. You won't be alone and, even if you find yourself in the unfamiliar, take heart that you have comrades. You will fight together. Live together. Argue with. Forge bonds. Perhaps even more. At least...I hope so.
      Perhaps you'll just kill each other. This isn't an exact science. It's not even science at all, not really, actually.
      But that's enough from me. There's plenty more to say and I, while I'm a wonderful orator, would take far too long to explain it all.
      Rules
      Premise
      Setting
      Applications
      Accepted Apps
      If you do join please be able to stay dedicated to somewhat frequent posting. I want this to work and not just be a "fun thing to play around in for a month then leave" so be sure to pick your character carefully. They're gonna be with you for a while. If you're unsure about anything let me know. I'll try and point out anything I see as problematic but don't feel down if I do it's kinda just my nature.
      Lastly I won't have a solid limit on number of players but if I feel it's too much I'll make a limit.
      Well...there you have it, let's get this going!
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