[Open]

[basesteal]

Who: Yoichi Kuramochi basesteal & Various
When: Various dates... Throughout July
Where: Various
What: Kuramochi's out and about
Rating/Warning: PG-13 bc Kuramochi is a potty mouth

---

[ A; shop area ]
[ Kuramochi wasn't involved in whatever a handful of people went through, but with the weird elemental effect thingy going on, He's a little more moodier than usual. He needs distractions, so he decides he would go acquire a CYbuddy.

What specific animal he should get, though, was still up in the air as he's now at the shop, gazing at all the choices. He wants something cool-looking, but he keeps glancing at the tiny cheetah one sitting off to the side... ]


[ B; working ]
[ It's one of those days where the other person who was supposed to be working their shift doesn't show up. Kuramochi was supposed to take off early, but now he's stuck acting as the store mascot for the entire day. He's tired from not getting proper sleep, so this mishap is making him grouchier than usual.

Thankfully, no one needs to hear him talk or see his glaring face while wearing the mascot suit, but if he gets stuck with moronic customers trying to mess around with him, he'd end up giving them a kick or two from behind...

Feel free to call out on his rude behavior while he's on breaks. ]


[ C; baseball practice ]
[ It's been a month since he first ended up in Cerealia. And during that month he's gotten a chance to work up his own schedule for training even without a baseball team to have proper practice with. He's been having morning and afternoon runs, as well as swinging practice whenever he doesn't have anything going on aside from his various part-time jobs.

From time to time, his CYbuddy would be nearby distracting him from his practice as it attacks his leg. ]

...Hey! Watch it!


[ Closed to Zono sweated; apartments, early July ]
[ When Yoichi first ran into his teammate, he wasn't sure if he'd end up in the same place after the ViViD. For all he knew, the whole encounter might have been the virtual reality, just like with the senpai yelling at the fellow vice captain. So Yoichi was definitely surprised to see Zono still around even after the ViViD event ended. And naturally, he offered to share the apartment space. He didn't exactly go to contact Miyuki about it, but with how they ended up in this strange place, Yoichi figured the captain wouldn't disagree with this. Since he hasn't taken a look at the contacts list, he doesn't know Seido's captain no longer is around in Cerealia.

So now they're at their apartment, letting Zono in as he opens the door. ]

Here's where we're stayin'. The Cerevice kinda does everything with the layout shit, so if you got some specifics we can change around once Miyuki comes back from wherever the hell he's at.


[ Or Wildcard! ]

Comments

C; pre-Interlude

[babermetrics]

[His compulsion to call out to the dude getting mauled (okay, mildly harassed) by his . . . that's not a cat . . .

Aaanyway, his compulsion to approach this guy isn't far removed from the compulsion that leads him to hang around the baseball fields some days in the first place. He likes being outside, he tells himself. He's bored, he tells himself. It's not because I wanna play baseball or anything! he tells himself. And yet here he is anyway, taking yet another walk that just happens to have him in the vicinity of the batting cages, again.

It doesn't mean anything.

He could totally choose not to engage with some dude who obviously likes baseball, too, but that isn't the choice he makes. He's drawn to say something, no matter what he wants to think the reason is. Admittedly, a guy taking swings with a miniature cheetah hanging around him? Is a much better reason than he might have made up himself if he needed an excuse. It's, like, an actual compelling thing to discuss!

So he veers in that direction, crossing his arms as he gives this bizarre scene a once-over and snorts.]

Dude . . . you oughta be thanking that thing. You've got the choice here between friggin' baseball and a tiny cheetah and you're standin' here with a bat in your hand! It's, like, an intervention!

[basesteal]

[ Cheetahs are totally cats! Just not the usual domestic types...

Kuramochi's a little worked up trying to keep the CYbuddy to calm down, so when he hears someone talk to him, he lets his punk side show without hesitation as he turns to Leon: ] Ah??? You got a problem??

[ No, that's not what he meant to do. He did make sure the cheetah was out of the batting cage and therefore out of harm's way. ] Tch... I ain't trying to do my batting practice with a cheetah tryin' to gnaw my leg off. The little guy just keeps butting in!

[babermetrics]

That's what I'm saying! Embrace it, man. What's so great about batting practice anyway?

[HA! Ha ha! Ha. Well, no, he'd never liked the "practice" part, so he can say that without feeling like the huge hypocrite he is.

He wanders a little closer, drawn by the siren call of badass animal, even if it's a fake one.]

. . . Maybe not literally embrace it though, huh? That thing looks like it could take some faces off, even if it's kinda runty.

[basesteal]

Dude, if I can easily get a group to play ball, I'd totally do that than just practice swingin' a bat by myself.

[ He's been thinking of asking the networks if anyone wanted to play baseball, he just hasn't gotten the chance to do that yet.

But speaking of, though... What's this guy doing at a place like this? ]

Batting practice's just to spend time, man. What're you doin' here if you're not gonna make use of the space, huh?

[babermetrics]

[Zing. Dammit. He glowers a little, avoiding eye contact—which means looking at all the baseball gear instead, fantastic—and rubbing the back of his neck.]

I was just on a walk 's all! S, so I happened to walk by, so sue me!

[And then, pretty much immediately giving away that maybe he kind of a little pays attention to baseball-related happenings in the colony, without missing a beat:]

Actually, it ain't like you'd be the first. There was this guy here before who set up a whole game and everything. 'Course, people signed up who never even heard of baseball before, so it was totally pathetic to watch, buuut that was a while ago now.

[basesteal]

[ Kuramochi blinks at the reaction, not exactly expecting it. Huh...

He's not going to question about it for the moment, though. He's not the type to pry into most things. Instead, he's reminded he was told of this baseball game being set up before, so he focuses on the topic at hand instead. ]

I got someone telling me that a couple weeks ago too. But seriously? Never heard of baseball before... That's kinda sad.

[ And if it's been a while, it'd probably be a nice refresher for those who's been stuck here for a while, right? Kuramochi takes a mental note to start working on setting up a game. ]

[babermetrics]

Yeah, tell me about it!

[Not! That he's disappointed or anything! It's just that everyone knows what baseball is, in his experience, so people not knowing is just kind of pathetic! And, okay, there's also the aspect that anyone who doesn't know what it is isn't going to be impressed by Leon's skill at it. That legitimately sucks ass, even if he's Over baseball.]

But I think it's 'cuz we've got all these people from different worlds and times, y'know? It's not like baseball even existed five hundred years ago! Probably . . . or, like on Neptune, or whatever. Not knowing what it is is like the least crazy thing I've heard here, but it's still pretty crazy.

[But this is still bugging him.]

So it's totally pointless to practice anyway! You've already got the advantage, right? If it's between you and some Neptune dude who never picked up a ball before, who needs it? Not like you're goin' up against me or anything, ha ha!

[Ah. He tipped his hand. Oops. There it is, just out of his loudass mouth, because he couldn't hold it back.]

[basesteal]

[ Kuramochi goes quiet for a moment, listening to what th Leon has to say. ]

Dude, I dunno what kinda place you're from, but practice ain't completely pointless. It's pointless to practice when there's no one else around, yeah, but how the hell are you gonna improve without it?

[ But that last bit does sound like a challenge... Kuramochi's face breaks into a smirk as he places his hands on his hips. ] What, you play ball too? So you did have a reason for passin' by here!

[babermetrics]

C'mon, do I look like a jock to you?

[THE CORRECT ANSWER IS NO. He crosses his arms, embarrassed and maybe avoiding eye contact at this point.]

I don't play anymore! I gave all that up! I mean, playing! Not practice, 'cuz I never did that part in the first place. It's boring as hell . . .

[And yet he's still engaging in this conversation, and not as inclined to end it as he wishes he were. Dammit.]

I never got anything out of it anyway. Like, who cares as long as I win the game?

[basesteal]

Hey, who cares if you don't look like one? [ Kuramochi himself looks like a gangster even without his hair bleached blond by some people anyways...

But he goes quiet as he hears Leon's excuse and gives a scowl at that. ]

...You sure sound like an asshole who never lost anything. And if you never got anything out of it why the hell are you wanderin' around the grounds anyways? This place ain't small enough to force you to come over this direction for just a walk.

[ Is Kuramochi a little ticked off? Maybe. Some people don't even get to play ball even if they wanted to, especially back at home. Heck, he almost ended up in that position because of his own foolishness just before graduating middle school. ]

[babermetrics]

[Is Leon an asshole who never loses anything? . . . Well, yeah. Kinda. He recognizes this reaction, in fact; it's not like he didn't get it plenty back home, usually from guys he'd just beaten out on the diamond. He crosses his arms and rolls his eyes, yeah, sure—

buuut the second part catches him up some. God. Shut up! Don't point it out! He goes a little more embarrassed than standoffish, bristling.]

I never said I—I mean, yeah, I did, 'cuz I didn't! I told you it was a coincidence! It ain't like I miss it 'cuz I never get to do it anymore or anything like that! Not even a little! I never said that!

[How convincing.]

[basesteal]

[ Kuramochi gives you another look. The frown's still on his face, but now he's just giving you a look that clearly says he's not convinced. Instead of saying anything he goes to move out of the batter box and heads to where the other equipment is stored to take out two gloves and hurls one at Leon's direction. ]

Well if you're gonna stick around then at least make some use of the equipment.

[babermetrics]

[He's not expecting to have a glove pitched at him, but he lifts his hand to catch it effortlessly—and, to his deep embarrassment, feels a little thrill go through him at the feel of it in his hand.

This isn't his fault! Right? He's totally being pressured! He can't help it if some dude is roping him into this. It's not like he's doing this because he wants to play baseball or anything, so it's fine!]

—What, you want me to pitch you a few? What position d'you play anyway?

[basesteal]

I play shortstop. But it ain't like I can play my position without a full team anyways. Plus it ain't lookin' like you're gonna leave any time soon.

[ At least form that line Kuramochi now knows this guy used to be a pitcher for whatever team he played. ]

I ain't catcher material so I ain't gonna do proper catching, alright, mister pitcher?

fifteen minutes late, starbucks, etc

[sweated]

[Kenta's been trying to come to terms with what seems to be his new life. Almost everyone here is a stranger and while the people he's met so far seem nice enough, none of them are familiar. It just makes him extra glad for friendly familiar faces, and that's how he's choosing to class Kuramochi at least. Miyuki's a whole other thing but Miyuki's also conspicuously absent from the apartment.

Well, more or less. Kenta'd think Miyuki was just another game-induced hallucination or simulation if not for the poster of him in the apartment. Kenta glances between that and Kuramochi as he takes in the rest of the apartment.]

Even for Miyuki, that's ridiculous.

i hope you got me a mocha frappuccino

[basesteal]

[ When Miyuki first put that dumb poster up, they had an argument. It ended with Kuramochi giving up because it became so stupid and ever since then he chose to ignore the existence of the poster. So until Zono decided to bring it up Kuramochi was going to keep ignoring it.

When the poster is brought to attention, Kuramochi glances at it before waving it off. ]

That shitty glasses put it up. And if I try takin' it down I wasn't gonna hear the end of it so I chose to ignore it for a while. Complain about it to that shithead when he gets back.

[ Speaking of him, though, where the heck was Miyuki? Kuramochi gives a sigh to start flipping through the contacts list so he can message the catcher real quick. ] Dammit, where the hell is he...

always

[sweated]

[Kenta would've argued with him too, especially considering the poster looks professionally done. What did that cost? He knew Miyuki was cocky but to go out and get something like that done, then display it in the main area of the apartment... it's a good thing Kuramochi was the first roommate here and not Kenta. (Though in the end he'd probably have given up too.)]

At least it's quieter than the real thing.

[Kenta makes his way into the kitchen proper--clean, orderly, and it's no surprise to see the fridge filled with good things because this is Miyuki's place after all. Kuramochi's statement is a little odd but it's not like Kenta has any idea, either.]

He was there in the desert but I never saw him on the beach after.

[Which is probably for the best. Memories of that swimsuit have him sticking his head back in the fridge again.]

[basesteal]

Quieter, sure, but it's just as annoyin'... It feels like you'd hear him talkin' if you stare at it long enough.

[ And that's exactly what Kuramochi is going to avoid doing as he keeps his gaze down at his CereVice. He goes well past the 'M' section and raises a brow before going through it again...

He feels something heavy start to settle in his stomach. ]

...Hey Zono, mind lookin' through your little computer shit for that shitty glasses' name for me, will ya?

[sweated]

I hope not. The last thing we need is two of him talking...

[His answer trails off, distracted by pulling up the contacts on his CereVice. With seemingly no pitchers here to keep him busy, Miyuki'd be even more bothersome.

If he was here to begin with. Kenta scrolls through the list twice then looks over at Kuramochi. His friend does not look like he's having better results.]

What does this mean?

[basesteal]

[ Seriously...? Just when a familiar face shows up, the captain disappears. He's heard from other people when they first ended up here that there had been people here before but had turned back into codes for one reason or another, but to have it experience to someone he's familiar with made it frustrating, not to mention scary.

He draws a breath in before letting it out slowly before speaking up again. ]

...It means he's not here anymore. You remember the lecture shit you had to sit through after that virtual game shit? They were talking about how we're just made up of codes...

[ He hopes he doesn't have to go on further than that. ]

[sweated]

[It's not until Kuramochi explains it that the potential gravity of it hits home for Kenta. Miyuki's gone but he's not just gone--]

What does that mean? Somebody here just hit delete and now he's floating out there somewhere?

[He's not sure if it's more frightening to consider that or the alternative--that Miyuki's been sent home, back to the planet Kenta saw before, scorched and lifeless. He and Miyuki may have had their differences but he'd never want that for anyone, let alone someone he considers a friend.]

Can we undelete him somehow?

[The answer seems pretty obvious but he's got to ask.]

[basesteal]

[ Kuramochi bites down on his lip, not sure what to say. He doesn't know what these guys are capable of, they were able to get them to come to existence once again with their technology, it wouldn't be surprising if they can undo it. ]

....Hell if I know... There's people who's been here longer than both of us, and if they knew they would've brought back all their friends, wouldn't they?

[ He's upset about this. He isn't sure if he wants to punch or kick something, but he can't do that in front of Zono. ]

[sweated]

[It's clear this is getting to Kuramochi. Kenta hovers a little bit closer but doesn't do much more than that--Kuramochi looks as likely to knock him over as he would be to accept a hand on his shoulder and Kenta's still getting his bearings here.

It'd be nice if Kuramochi had an actual answer for him but they just have to take what they're given, it seems.]

You'd figure... [He frowns deeply, scowling at the floor.]

So what, he's just gone? It doesn't make sense, he was just here.

[None of this really makes sense but this particular point has him both concerned and scared. It's bad enough he's been yanked here without so much as a heads up, but knowing the reverse could happen at any second too? No thank you.]

[basesteal]

[Kuramochi draws out a sigh, trying to force his tensed body relax. It's not fair taking out his frustration Zono, especially when he just only arrived here.]

...Maybe think of it as some sci-fi shit, except it's real here? If we're made out of some weird-ass code, something must have happened to that to make shitty glasses disappear, right?

[At least he's not completely alone. If Zono hadn't shown up and Miyuki still left, Kuramochi wasn't sure how well off he'd have been.]

...Sorry for the shitty welcome, Zono. Guess it's more important for you to get some livin' space here.

[He's going to have to keep himself busy so he doesn't think too much about it.]

[sweated]

[If fair was a factor then they wouldn't be having this conversation. Luckily for Kuramochi, Kenta's still too disoriented to pick up on any hostility coming his way. He does listen to Kuramochi's reply, though.]

So the same thing could happen to you or me tomorrow.

[It makes his blood run cold and is really not the way he'd want to start life in a weird digital world, with the full knowledge of the big delete key in the sky or whatever. Kuramochi's comment about a living space jerks him out of his contemplation of that potentiality, though.]

I'm not taking his room.