rave
/rav/
verb
1. talk wildly or incoherently, as if one were delirious or insane.
2. speak or write about someone or something with great enthusiasm or admiration.
Hippy
hip·pie
/ˈhipē/
noun
(especially in the 1960s) a person of unconventional appearance, typically having long hair, associated with a subculture involving a rejection of conventional values and the taking of hallucinogenic drugs.
life
/līf/
noun
1. the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.
"the origins of life"
2. the existence of an individual human being or animal.
3. a particular type or aspect of people's existence
4. the period between the birth and death of a living thing, especially a human being.
5. vitality, vigor, or energy.
6. (in art) the depiction of a subject from a real model, rather than from an artist's imagination.
Magic
mag·ic
/ˈmajik/
noun
1. the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces.
2. mysterious tricks, such as making things disappear and appear again, performed as entertainment.
3. a quality that makes something seem removed from everyday life, especially in a way that gives delight.
4. something that has a delightfully unusual quality.
mag·ic
adjective
1. used in magic or working by magic; having or apparently having supernatural powers.
~Plot Stuff~
Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, there existed an otherworldly arcane essence that existed by the name of Magic/Magick. This essence was a variety of things. Lush and in great abundance, full of life and a energy that science had become a pale reflection of in the years that followed. However, it was also an essence that harbored a wicked face as well, bound to attract misfortune and death to all who were able to understand and or obtain it if not tamed properly. The secrets of this essence falling into the wrong hands would bring nothing but catastrophe.
And catastrophe it brought, those hundreds a years ago. One that thrust magic into an era in which it had began to fade and a new form of energy created at the hands of man became the new. The world in which magic had come from became a myth, magic itself became a myth as time progressed and left it to fade and never be seen again.
Or perhaps....what isn't seen isn't truly gone. And perhaps...the world thought to be myth is much more than just so. But what is certain is that what has lurked in the veils of shadows within the darkness, behind illusions of people, places and things. Forces that had managed to slip into the ages of the new world. Those of good. Those of evil and malice. Those of...magic. And perhaps...hope. But...will the newest of generations derived from those hundreds of years be able to face what comes?
And so we fly ahead in time to the present, where villages have become cities of tall structures, and dreams of flight have become a reality.
Kyung-ha stood up shortly after Abel spoke, returning the bow to him. She nodded while processing the information. "Oke, Oke." The mother said, walking to the door with him so she could hold it open for him. "You know my phone and my house. Stay safe. And no too much sugar in your diet!" She exclaimed out of nowhere. She followed her statement with a sigh. "Sorry about today," Kyung-ha apologized again, "Next time will be better, promise." She nodded at him with a genuine smile.
* * *
Around ten minutes or so later, Kore had spotted the familiar car down a few blocks from her work place. The pink-haired woman paused her music, unplugging her earphones and saving them into her cheetah-print backpack. She tipped-toed to the driver seat side, her eyes wide as she stared into the window, spotting Leonard sleeping peacefully. Kore smirked almost crazily when a thought occurred to her. And that's when her pupils dilated in sync with the volume of the music inside Leo's car blasting fully.
"Yes..next time." Abel's voice didn't portray the doubt that he had about this, nor did he bother to relay it himself. Instead he gave Kyung one last nod before he was out the door and on his way down the stairs that would take him back to the first floor. He could only rely on her to keep Yoon in check for now. He knew what would have to be done if otherwise, and he knew that he would have no authority over the order. For now, he figured that he would take to using the resources at his disposal to survey the city to see if there was more information to be gathered.
"Yeah, of course" Sammy said with a grin on her face, "Karaoke could be a lot of fun. And Mason's gotta be here so he can drive you home. Oh, I wonder what we can sing"
"If they don't have anything by Velvet Underground, I'm out" Mason said casually, taking another sip from his glass. Sammy stuck her tongue out in a joking manner before turning back to Raven with a smile, "You'll be there with us, right Rave?"
Leo was immediately jolted awake as he sat up, a muffled scream being heard as he immediately hit the eject button on his radio, the cassette tape falling to the floor as he could be heard shouting, once again muffled, "What the fuck!?". He turned toward the window, spotting Kore standing there as he rolled down the window, a tired look on his face as he spoke sternly, "Must you ruin everything?"
"Well–uh–I-I dunno," Raven was starting to answer until she remembered that she literally had just told Dean that she would be there. Shit– "I guess–I mean, if you guys want me to," she stammered, which was ironic considering that she was the one who had brought them there to began with. "
Kyung-ha smiled at Abel's response, relieved to know he agreed that there would be a next time. She watched him disappear in the hall before closing the door slowly, locking it while reflecting on today. Have I gone soft? She thought to herself, a small frown distorting her face. It couldn't be. Sure, she went from slicing monsters into bits to clipping people's toenails, but she didn't think she had changed that much. Even the way Abel looked at her today, she felt... different.
"Mamaaa, can I have icecweam?" Little Sangeon asked, showing her his empty dish to prove he did in fact eat all his food.
It took a couple seconds for Kyung-ha to snap back to reality. "H-huh?" Her head turned to Sangeon, who repeated his question. "Oh..." Kyung-ha cleared her throat and nodded. "Yes, of course." She forced a chuckle as she watched her son get up excitedly to fetch his favorite treat. Meanwhile, she cleared the table and took care of all the dishes that were used today.
* * *
Kore's pupils returned to normal, smiling innocently at Leonard as he rolled down the window. "Whaaaa? It was funny!~ For me, of course." She giggled. "You must be quite desperate to want to hang out with someone like wittle ol' me." She babytalked.
Sammy could sense this sort of uncomfortable awkwardness coming from Raven. She looked back at Mason, who was also getting a sense for it as well, more so than even Sammy could imagine, but Sammy turned back to Raven and added, "Hey, no reason to be nervous, Rave. That Dean guy seemed pretty impressed with you singing. I have faith that you can pull it off tonight. Don't let us distract you, okay. We aren't hard to impress. I mean... shit, we live in a van and stuff. You just go and be yourself. Let loose and have fun, all that good stuff". Though Sammy couldn't understand Raven's true reasons for worry, she still spoke to her from personal experience in the hopes of helping, even giving her a reassuring smile in the hopes of it working in some way
"Don't talk like that. You're not a kid... You're not a kid, are you?" Leo said, in regards to the photo from before, but rather than linger on it, he just dropped it with a wave of his hand, putting a cigarette to his lips and lighting it before he spoke, "Besides, you know that this isn't anything involving "hanging out". I need info on this town, you got info, and I'm willing to make a deal to get that info. This is strictly business, okay? Are you in or are you out?" Leo was already prepared to drive off, setting the car into drive with his foot just barely against the break, but unlocking the passenger door as he waited for her response
"Hmmm, why? Did ya like it?" She asked with another innocent smile of hers. She let him finish talking before abruptly plucking his cigarette from his mouth and plopping it into hers. Kore inhaled the tobacco before blowing it to the side. "In, out, up, down––" She swayed her hand dismissively. "How am I supposed to show you around town if you're driving?" Her perfectly arched brow lifted, insinuating she wanted to drive.
"Don't you worry, I can get around just fine with you navigating" Leo responded, not moving on that an inch. If there was anything he would refuse to let people touch, it was his car. He slowly lifted his foot off the peddle before he added, "Now if you're coming, I would suggest getting in fast. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow and I'd like to get at least two hours in before I gotta go to the office tomorrow. The sooner we start this, the better"
"Uuuuggghhh, fineeee." Kore rolled her greyish-blue eyes as she whined. "You're lucky I'm so nice." She inhaled some more smoke and blew it purposefully into Leonard's face. She chuckled to herself before making her way on the opposite side of the car, opening the door and sitting in the passenger's seat. Her presence filled the automobile with a blueberry-coconut scent. She fastened her seat belt, lowering her chair some and resting her hands behind her neck. "All ready to go."
Raven bit her lip, looking away from the two and instead using her shake as an excuse to be distracted. Fucking Dean, like come on bro! She thought to herself irritably, cracking open the can of sugar that awaited. She went on to pour some of it into the shake, using her straw to stir it.
Oddly enough, it was there where she sat just a few months prior. It was one of her nights off, and she had decided to stick around during the closing hours to give a helping hand around the place. Dean's parents were the owner's, good people in her opinion. She was drinking what would soon became her usual. She remembered Dean commenting on how "disgusting" it was suppose to be. She had given him the old "Don't knock it til you try it." in retaliation.
At some point she wandered into the bar and karaoke room to sweep the area while Dean was taking care of dishware. Her being her, she found herself wanting to joke around while she was alone for the time being and "test the microphone". At first she only did a few horrible Jim Carrey impersonations to entertain herself. It had been a rough day, and like on most days her thoughts wandered away. A song that she knew came on and she just sung the lyrics. Dean just so happen to have caught her in a moment of vulnerability. Not to mention that her voice was just another thing that she didn't exactly hate, but was just skeptical about liking in general.
"I don't really sing..or anything," She lied. "Dean's just good at bein' a hype man." She said, reminding herself once more to deal her salt to him. "A-anyways, arcade, anybody?" She suggested, changing the subject.
"hmmmmm" Sammy hummed quietly in thought as she gave it some thought, trying to decide if Dean was really just exaggerating everything or is Raven was just shy. But in case it was the latter, Sammy didn't dare push it harder. She just gave a nod and replied, "Okay, if you say so. Let's go and have some fun"
The was a faint look of excitement from Mason at the mention of this, as if this is what he had been waiting for
Leo felt a gagging sensation at the sudden scent that he had found overpowering his car. Knowing the presence was from her, he was more than prepared to take another puff of smoke to the face just to get passed the atrocious smell. He kept the window down on his side before he got the car moving, trying not to puke as he spoke, "So... So where should we head to first"
Kore flicked some of the burnt cigarette out the car through the window, inhaling another puff before answering his question. “It depends, my dude.” That was all she said for a couple more minutes before adding onto her response. “I meaaan, are you trying to eat some Peruvian food? Watch a movie? Go to an escape room? Karaoke or shoot a gun? Learn how to surf or visit an aquarium? Go to Disney and ride a rollercoaster? Shop for groceries or go to the beach?” She listed out all possible options while cracking open her energy drink.
"Necessities, Kore" Leo said, though just calling off for the next week and going to those places did sound like a good way to relax. He had to push the thought out of his head before he continued, "Stuff like food, where most young types go so I can keep an eye out for where those magicians are and all that stuff, whatever the fuck they call them. Need to make sure we don't have a repeat of last night. I'm sure you heard all about it." Leo shook his head as he made a turn left before continuing, "If we can keep that from happening again in a short amount of time, the better. Those kids have no idea what they're up against, so having someone there on the scene to take care of the situation can hopefully prevent more travesty"
Raven slid off of her chair, taking a moment to drink some more of her shake so that she could pour more Monster into it. This was also done so she could throw the can away sooner so that she wouldn't have to carry it around with her along with her cup. And so she tossed the can into the trash after drinking away the last gulp, heading out the door that they came in and across to the other entrance.
~
[Meanwhile in[???]]
[The Heart and The King]
"Is it not time we intervene? The strings of destiny are trembling. The evils of Gaia are beginning to grow., and the strength of our foes is a ever so filling grail. If we take initiative now we may still save her. She does not have to perish a victim to the Laws of Fate!"
"We are not to cast ourselves into the waves of fate's providence. Those were the wishes of the mother and father."
"Mother and father have been preparing us, forging us for these very moments and thou believe that standing by idly is a choice of lawfulness? A choice made rightfully a king? Has thy divinity been tainted? What foolishness has overcome you dear brother!"
"None at all! A king is aware of why actions are made to be. A grand king is aware of repercussions and when sacrifices are necessary Ka Pūn! Thy heart sows to thy wrist and beats for the world and stars, end this nonsense at once !"
"We are just as much knitted into the fabric of faith as they! Are we not heretics to our own being if do not prevent what we can?!"
------------
[Months Later, in present time Egypt]
Ka Pūn opened her light emerald eyes to stare at the sky, the sun of the western desert beating down on her dark skin and the hot sand sinking between her toes. The light of the sun brought a dim shine to the coils of vibrant reds which bordered into a scarlet-pink in some areas, sprouting from her head like brilliant vines of fire. Her body was hugged by garbs of pure white that were cuffed with gold at the wrists and went untainted by the sand. "My deepest apologies," She apologized to the sky, most importantly to the night. However, her eyes could see well passed the blue of the sky. They searched the stars that were still visible to sight of her caliber. I must hurry. She pulled the tan scarf around her neck to where it was a bit more snug, continuing on her mission across the dunes of sand.
In the distance she could sense that the presence of an awakened evil was absent from the place in which it had been imprisoned by the likes of the natives of the old.
Sammy noticed the return of the awkward silence, stretching a bit this time so that she could have some time to think of a response before she spoke up yet again, "Uh, hey, Rave, so I take it you're quite the gamer girl, as they say."
There was a faint gagging sound from Mason at the mere mention of that word as he followed them out the door. Sammy turned to him with a playful scowl before continuing, "What sort of stuff are you into?" Sammy, however, was not the biggest person who followed gaming in any way aside from her PSP and the occasional times they were in a store with a display for her to mess around with for a few minutes as Mason shopped. But she wouldn't deny that there was something fun about it
"Ya know, you're pretty bad at your job." Kore chuckled while crossing her legs and taking large sips from her energy drink. "You shouldn't even be hanging out with me." She added, licking her lips afterwards. "And of course I heard about it, I was there and I practically lost my job." She poked her tongue out in thought. "However, I must admit that some people did have the crack of the night," Kore chuckled before glancing at Leo, "What? Too soon?" She rolled her eyes with a small scoff. "You want a place where young teenagers hang out? Hmmmmmm~ That sounds pretty... pedophelic." She giggled. "This would be muuuuccchhh easier if you let me driiiive~" She made an attempt to suggest it again.
"What are you, my fuckin' boss now? I don't need a lecture on how I do my job. I do it how I please and if the Constables don't like it, tough shit. I've been managing just fine for the past twenty years, I think I can manage fine another twenty. And besides, I already checked the records, they're all above the age. The only thing creepy in this car you working in that line of business you do when you look like you should be in high school." Leo said as he placed a cigarette into his mouth this time, making sure to quickly light it before the light above them turned green as he added, "And didn't I say nobody touches this car but me? I'm not insured on this thing, so you can forget about that dream, lady"
Kore used her free hand as a puppet to mimic Leonard's rant, crossing her eyes as she did so for some entertainment. When he finished, she rolled them softly. "You have your business, I have mine." She smirked. "Besides, I already met one of those gifted kids or whatever," She said with a bit of distaste lingering in her mouth. "She's like, 3 feet tall and doesn't have any social cues, soooo she's a goner." Kore accurately described Yoon. "But I guess she's pretty for a Korean." Kore tapped her chin lightly in thought, thinking how she hadn't stopped by the gas store for a while. She shrugged, turning her attention back to Leo with that signature smirk of hers. "Ya wanna know where kids like to hang behind their parents' back? Sure. Where to first, the skatepark, arcade, some trap house? I know plenty trap houses."
Similar to the act of Mason gagging, Raven herself cringed at the term "gamer girl", not too fond of the term herself. She found it stupid if not just a little degrading to the existence of the gaming community, which she did consider herself a part of. And so with Sammy's question, she felt like she had a lot more room to talk without feeling too uncomfortable. "There's a lot that I like, and a lot of it is thanks to this stuff." She gestured to the arcade machine around them as they entered the room, the first one to their right being a rare original Sonic the Hedgehog edition. "This place has almost all the oldies. From Street Fighter to Mortal Kombat to Dig Dug and Pac Man. They even have Asteroid and Rampage Gauntlet!"
Mason was left stunned once again as he looked around in amazement. Sammy couldn't help but to snicker as she saw him before joking, "Maybe Mason is the real gamer girl here."
"Don't ruin this for me, Sammy, please" Mason said, not taking his eyes off the scenery. He had never been to one of these himself, having only heard people discuss it. He didn't think it would be like this. It felt like a place just made for him. Sammy looked around as she turned her attention to a cabinet of Street Fighter III: Third Strike. She had to admit, though she was far from the best at fighting games, she admired the game for it's visual work and art design. She gestured the two over and asked, "Hey, why don't we start with this one."
"I dunno, Sammy, a bit complicated for newbies. Why don't you play something more up your ally, like Donkey Kong Jr."
"How about I shove Donkey Kong Jr. up 'your' ally?" Sammy joked before turning to the machine, "Come on, it'll be fun. Can't be that difficult"
Leo gave a sigh at her remark, though he was just thankful that she was at least cooperating in some way. He leaned forward as to concentrate on driving as he responded, "Already know the one you have on her. Names Yoon Park, daughter of one of our own, in her early twenties. Has a shitty attitude and a bad eating habit from what I've realized, but she's got potential. Needless to say, she's definitely Kyung-ha's kid. We've got Abel watching her for the time being, a straight and narrow lil shit, but probably one of the better guys on the force. But damn does he talk in big ass words for my liking." After he finished his on style of a report, he turned to Kore and added, "You're the queen of going behind people's backs. I'll let you decide where to go. The faster we get to the stake out point, the better."
Raven looked over to the machine that Sammy suggested that they try first, and she scoffed a little humorously when she saw that it was one of the three Street Fighters that they were present. "Uuh, you sure you want to play this one? Dig dug is a pretty good and easy game for casuals. Still has a buncha replay value to it too, especially you played it as a kid. It's practically a swing of nostalgia."
"Maybe, but Mason already threw the first insult, now I gotta defend my honor. I promise it will be quick." Sammy said as she immediately turned around, patting her pockets down looking for a quarter
"Yeah you can say that again." Mason replied, already having taken out the quarters from his pocket and letting them slide in with a loud clinking noise. Once the game started, and their characters were picked, it took only a single minute before Sammy had lost, only having gotten a single hit throughout both rounds. Sammy turned to Raven and replied, "These machines are broken, Rave."
"Excuses, excuses" Mason said, having learned all he needed from the constant videos on the game. Though he knew if he went up against someone mildly skilled, he'd have no chance, so he was lucky it was someone as bad as Sammy. Sammy gave a playful pout before speaking, "Let's just play that digging game already"
"Yoon Park, hm?" Kore repeated the name, already pulling out her phone and searching for her on instagram. It didn't surprise her to see she had a private profile, but her filtered link reassured the woman it was indeed the one who frequently passed by her store. She sent in a follow request. "D'aaaww, don't make fun of binge-eaters now, it's not like they can control it." She joked. "However I do wonder what else fits in that tiny mouth of hers. It's so small but fits so much food." Kore tapped her chin in thought with a devious smirk, her eyes squinting into the profile picture to get a better look. But then her smirk turned into a confused frown once she listened to the rest of Leonard's report. "Abel? Who the fuck names their child Abel?" She took another sip of her energy drink. "Unless he has a brother named Cain and a mother named Eve then why the fuck---" She stopped herself and rolled her eyes. But then her sharp ears heard the last of Leo's words. "Queen of going behind people's backs? Awww, what makes you say that? That paints me in a bad light, ya knooowww.~" She said in her baby voice, following her statement with a chuckle. "Whaaat, is the big man having trouble deciding?" She pouted.
"Wait wait, hold up," Raven put a finger up. "I think I know how to fix the machine. That was a pretty good win you got there Mason. How about we go a round or 2 before we just up and leave." And though she gave him a smile of friendly competition, under it was a laughing beast of arcade win streaks. She already knew all the combinations for the character she would pick. And though she didn't seem like the type, she had quite a bit of knowledge on the game herself.
"Keep whatever it is to yourself" Leo responded at the mention of her mouth, already getting a bit disgusted by the conversation. Doing his best to get the thoughts out of his head, he added, "Besides, I have absolutely no clue where any of these places are, or whatever the fuck a trap house is. Sounds like a hellhole to me. You're just here to point me in the direction. I'm not used to working in places like Florida. I do small town stuff, places that don't drive me nuts with these mass gatherings and shit." Leo turned the car onto a highway now to hopefully get more closer to the downtown area as he added, "So if you could stop with the innuendos for a second and tell me which way to go, I'm appreciate that"
Mason looked over at Raven, his brows raised a bit in curiosity before he shrugged, "Sure, why not. Beating on Sammy was a good warm up. I could use a bit more of a challenge."
"Whatever" Sammy responded before turning to Raven, "You'd better kick his ass.". Of course, Sammy didn't really expect much from Raven. To her, she didn't see Raven standing a chance against someone as passionate about fighting games as Mason was. But Sammy was sure to peek over, hopefully able to learn something from the match
"I'll try," Raven replied to Sammy with a bit of a smirk while she cracked her fingers as she stepped up to the machine and pulled her sleeves up from over her palms just a little. She slid some quarters from her wallet into the machine, selecting none other than Ryu as her character to run her rounds with Mason with. Her smirk was a small knowing grin. "Ready when you are big guy."
Kore giggled mischievously at Leonard's reaction to her response. "Oh come on, freedom of expression now, mmkay?" She defended herself. "Besides, you're lying if you're telling me you wouldn't hit." Kore said vulgarly about Yoon. "I know men your age are just as horny as pre-pubescent boys." She snickered. But after a while, she sighed and gave in. "Fiiiineee, I guess old guys like you enjoy old fashioned games n shit, so how about you drive to the Arcade? You're bound to find their people your age or 13 year olds, no in between. Ehhh, maybe early twenties if they're depressed millennials working for minimum wage and snorting coke up their asses one way or another." Kore yawned. "Hmmm, you'll go straight from here and in I think six blocks you'll take a right." She relaxed back into her seat, inhaling deeply the last bit of the cigarette until it was nothing but a bud. She flicked it out the window and blew rings with the smoke, watching them dissipate into the air.
"I'm not gonna think about an old friends daughter like that!" Leo said. He admitted, he himself was an absolute degenerate, but he had some standards when it came to those he respected. He shook the thought out of his mind and just continued to drive, not daring to egg her on any longer. He remained completely silent, following the directions given to her as he took a long drag on his cigarette, the ashes falling slowly to the car's flooring as he did his best not to speak to her for the remainder of the drive, something he would have difficulty doing as she continued to speak
Mason stepped forward, remembering the ethics of how to taunt in order to get a proper combo going. With this in mind, he picked his character Q and hit start, letting the match come to a start. Sammy had to peak over Raven's shoulder to get a good look as the match started. As she peeked over, she could see this smirk on Raven's face, a bit shocked at the sudden shift in her tone. Something about it, the way she held her confidence, brought a thought to Sammy, "She can't really be this good, can she?"
The moment the game started fingers were moving rapidly, starting the match off with the character's most known move: hadouken. As the fireball was drifting across the screen, she was already using the air punch to her advantage and easily scoring two hits within the first couple of seconds. However, there was no letting up once she got started, quickly continuing onto a combo that started with a low kick advanced into Ryu's uppercut. The moment Q landed and went through the falling and recovering animation, she was on him again. She hit him with another uppercut, her hands shifting quickly between the buttons and using up her filled gauge bar to deliver the next level version of the fireball before bringing it home with a spin-kick until–
"Perfect!"
The first round was done and over with in the span of two relentless HP draining combos.
Mason stared at the screen in total shock, Sammy doing the same. The both of them could only respond in a single response "Holy shit!"
But as soon as Mason got out of his shock, he responded, "Hey, I was just going easy on you. Let me just turn it up a bit." That was Mason at his best. He already told himself that he could never beat a pro, but the last thing he was expecting was Raven being this good at the game. But with him getting serious now, he leaned forward toward the screen, his fingers lightly tapping the surface of the buttons, waiting for the next round, already thinking of a plan to block and taunt before starting up a vicious combo
"Heh, yeah I guess I just got a little lucky is all," Raven snickered when Mason said that he had been going easy on her. "I guess I better crank things up too."
Round 2. Fight!
Raven was completely focused on the screen, and as soon as the word "Fight" flashed across the screen, she was already tapping the left button to have her character dash at Mason's. She found it odd that he didn't use Q's special since it had arguably some of the best attack range. But she welcomed the fact that he didn't with open arms, using him blocking as an opportunity to use a grab to put him towards the corner. Next came a combination of a low kick, then midpunch and then a heavy punch, these three being used to transition into a red hadouken, which then was followed by the spin kick like before. However unlike before, once Q was stunned in the air she juggled him with two neutral air punches. And though Mason would be able to get in two hits–she felt a little bad for not giving him much of a chance– she was able to end the second round quickly with her favorite of Ryu's special moves: shin shoryuken.
K.O. The words popped up onto the screen.
"Good game Mason, good game." Raven said, patting him on the back.
Mason could only step back a bit from the machine, his hands brushing passed his hair as he looked on, eyes wide, mouth agape, the only sound coming from him was a long, empty sigh of utter defeat. Sammy, however, let out a lid cheer, a bit too loud as a few people looked over as Sammy raised her hand in the air, "That was awesome, Rave! You destroyed Mason's entire hopes and dreams!" Sammy held her hand out, waiting patiently for a high five, a bit of laughter coming from her as she had watched the entire match with excitement and was not disappointed by the show
Sammy's laughter brought out Raven's, who gladly highfived her in a playful celebration of her victory. "It was mostly luck," she still said despite it being a complete landslide win for both rounds. "I mean to be fair, I was using a overpowered character anyways. I'm sure that Mason could've beaten me if I had anyone else." But how true this was was a mystery, because she knew that Ryu wasn't the only person she had mained either. She took a drink from her shake. "Next game?"
"Uh... You guys go ahead, I need to sit down and... check a few messages" Mason said, going back to the dining area. The match having exhausted him, and making him question where he went wrong in his execution, pulling his phone from his pocket on the way out to check over videos in secret.
Sammy put her hands in her pockets, laughing again as she spoke, "Well shoot, I was having fun watching Mason get beat. But I was really hoping not to end up on the receiving end. Oh well". Though it was clear that Sammy had already accepted that she was going to lose all the time. As long as people were enjoying themselves, she didn't see any reason for her not to as well. She asked, "What do you recommend?"
Raven thought over for a moment, first wanting to go ahead and take the Dig Dug route. But by the time she made up her mind, she had already come up with something better. "Wanna check out the After Hour room in the back? It's pretty much another arcade except more..modern, I guess would be the right word." Plus there were places to sit there and standing up for longs periods of time for anything that wasn't work wasn't really her forte. The energy drink and shake helped with keeping her not a zombie, but her legs were still sort of sore from the run.
"Oooh, after hour room, huh? Sounds ominous" Sammy said with a joking tone, but she gave a nod, her hands back in her jacket pockets as she stepped back from the machine, "Lead the way, Pro" Sammy responded with a smile. Though she did enjoy Mason's company and cracking constant jokes did make her laugh, it would be nice for her to get to know Raven more rather than continuing to pick on Mason
"An old friend or an old crush, eeeeh?" Kore teased without knowing the context. She was bopping her head to inaudible music she thought about, using her fingers as drumsticks while tapping at her thighs. "I'm surprised you've lasted this long here, last time I saw you, you smelled less of cigarettes and was determined to retire. Oooh, the irony~" She giggled.
Leo gave a roll of his as he pulled off of the highway, not bothering to answer her first question, and pulled into the downtown area, answering her other question, "Well it's nice to know that you remember that. As to answer your question, being a human means you gotta work and follow the rules of society, as in getting a job. Sorry we can't all have fun like you"
"Hmmmm~ I'll take your silence for my first question as a yes! Oooh, is she married? Don't tell me you're planning on committing adultery. I may not be human but I do have my morals." She lied, clearly being one herself who committed those sins. At the last of his words, she chuckled. "FoLLoW RuLeS oF SoCiEtY--" She mocked him. "Whaaa? Oh Lele, don't go categorizing me with the rest, I have a job!~"
"Yeah, about as ominous as this shake," Raven snickered at Raven's thoughts on the name, shaking her cup. "Me and Dean came up with the idea of their being a sort of upgraded alternative to the classics," she explained while they were walking passed Megaman and though mentioned-before Donkey Kong. "We were brainstormin' stuff that would be pretty awesome for a modern arcade to have and we came up with all of it during the closing hours. I eventually dropped the idea, but he kept it going. I helped too though...in a way," she decided to say, deciding to play it safe. And by "in a way", she secretly providing a lot of the consoles and one of the sofas, though she just told them that she managed to find a really good price on everything that she had gotten. "The name's all him though," She added.
Kore mocked him again with her hand serving as a puppet to act out his rant. "Yeah, yeah, I get it old man." But at his explanation about money, she rolled her eyes. "Uuuuh, pretty sure we all need money to survive, dork." Her gaze went to him. "Which reminds me, a shrimp alfredo here is around 40 dollars, so I'll be waiting for my money. I take paypal, venmo, or cash." She smiled innocently.
"Huh, not too bad" Sammy added with a snicker, crossing her arms with a nod of confidence, though it was possibly just as a joke as she proclaimed, "I bet this place doesn't have a blue PSP like I do. That's right, complete with Persona 2 and Crisis Core, baby. I know my stuff." Sammy was not much of a person into games, though she admitted to having a soft spot for classic RPGs. Of course, she would never casually admit this to anyone she couldn't trust to keep a secret, which is why she added, "I mean, yeah, Mason bought them, I just like the music in it, that's all"
"Oh yeah, I remember you saying something about the Persona games yesterday–" Raven was saying when she heard Sammy say something that was weird. Or so she thought it was something she heard.
It came in two different ways, the first being Sammy's initial thought of RPG games. The second way that it came to Raven was that Sammy almost seemed embarrassed about liking them. Both came in something that sounded like whispers.
Raven, not knowing that Sammy hadn't actually relayed any of this to her, felt like it was her turn to make Sammy feel a bit more comfortable for a change. "Hey, there's nothin' wrong with the classic RPGs. I don't know if you've heard of Chrono Trigger but it was pretty straight. Planescape was kinda cool–and Baldur's Gate was the shit back when I was a kid which was totally a classic by my standards."
Sammy couldn't help but straighten up a bit as she put her hands into her pockets, clearing her throat a bit at the thought of it, before she spoke up, "Uh... yeah, Baldur's Gate was alright. I played a little bit of the second one. About a couple hours. Like...... fifty hours or so" Sammy said, feeling a bit embarrassed about mentioning her amount of play time with a game from her childhood, clearing her throat again, "But, uh, that's just a possibility, you know. Games are fun and all, but I got keep up my image, you know. Gotta keep my cool style and all that" Of course, Sammy would never admit to her enjoyment of the thing, seeing it as something that people considered too "anti-social". Only one who knew of her immense love for the medium was Mason, and he swore never to tell anyone, no matter how tempted he was.
Leo, at the mention of the price, immediately slammed his foot on the break, almost causing a crash behind him as the car behind him slammed on the horn, a faint shouting of slurs could be heard, but was ignored as Leo turned to her and responded, "Forty dollars for some fancy Olive Garden crap?! Why can't you just eat at a Wendy's like the rest of the world?" Leo said, giving a sigh before he answered, "I can get you there and you can use the company card. I'll consider this business expense for getting information and hope that it works out"
"Whaaa? You think I keep this body skinny and voluptuous by eating Baconators every day?" She rubbed her hands through her tiny waist with a grin. "Maybe. But hey, I like to treat myself now and then." Kore shrugged. "And sorry no, I need a direct deposit to my account. Or you can lend me your card and I'll give it back... eventually..." She smirked mischievously. "Anyway, you're gonna want to make another right turn in the next block. Should be at the very end of the street to your left if I remember correctly."
"You'll be fine with just getting the company card. I doubt that lowers the quality of your shrimp skimp or whatever you call it" Leo responded with a bothered tone, already feeling the need for another smoke as he turned at the left end of the road, moving just slightly above the speed limit now
"Whatever." Kore mumbled grumpily while finishing the last of her energy drink. "And it's Cajun Shrimp Alfredo, you uncultured swine." She snickered, crushing the empty can in her hand with ease. Kore yawned some while starting to pay more attention in the buildings that surrounded them. "Oooh, there it is!" She abruptly announced, pointing at the decorated outlet at the very end of the street.
Leo gave a nod as he pulled into the parking spot, giving a nod, "Alright, good. All that we can do now is wait and be patient." Once that was said, Leo wasted no time pulling the book he had stored in his glove compartment, taking it out and starting to read it immediately. Kore could quickly see that it was less of a book and more of a graphic novel that he was reading, only giving the illusion of a real book
Raven frowned a little as Sammy explained that having to keep "cool" image. She could definitely relate one way or another to having to have a image to keep up. After all, she was a considerably different person by night. There were also things that she just didn't let be known about herself, because she knew all too well how people were.
But then her frown deepened some when she "heard" what the quieter voice of Sammy thought about gaming. And it was there that she disagreed completely, and even took some offense to it–though she didn't show that she had been offended of course. And though she was basically a poster-child for the word "antisocial", she didn't feel as if it were the sole reason that she rarely left her apartment. "H-hey, not everyone who plays videos games are hermits. I don't think having it as a hobby makes people.."antisocial"," she said while getting out of the way of some people who she assumed were heading towards the door.
"Oh, no, I don't think that at all. I think people who do that can be pretty cool and chill and stuff." Sammy said, feeling like she made a mistake in her response. Of course Raven would take some offense to that, Sammy thought. She just saw her beat on Mason with no effort. Sammy shook her head and continued, "I just get this feeling that others would assume that. I'd like to do it more often if I could, it's just... not that easy. Hell, all I got is that PSP and some weird mod Mason has on his laptop, but that's for him and him alone, so I'm just stuck with what I got, ya know. I'd like to know more and be... less ignorant, if you get me" Sammy was doing her best to keep her image up while also not wanting to add any more to Raven's offense, already feeling the need to run back up to get Mason and make the situation less awkward.
