estoria | open; nothing fascinates humans more than the truth

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open; nothing fascinates humans more than the truth

Who: Karin Miyoshi and you!
When: 8/11 IC, 7/23 OOC
Where: CERES Gymnasium and CERES Game Center
What: Two prompts for the price of one! Karin decides that avoiding school (and therefore Togo and Yuna) is the best way to deal with Not Being Okay. Training at the gym and doing some ViVid seems like a good idea.
Rating/Warning: Nothing to warn for off the bat!

01. CERES Gymnasium

[ If you're a regular at the gym then Karin is probably a familiar sight by now. She's been coming at least once a day since she arrived here and it doesn't look like today's going to be any different from her usual routine. Boot up one of the treadmills and run far longer and at a far faster pace than you'd expect from a girl her size and age. Spend an hour or so swinging around her bokken then take a shower and head out. Sometimes that's the last you'll see of her and sometimes she's back again a few hours later. Either way, she's definitely a regular.

Things don't seem to be going as smoothly as usual, though. Karin's doing her usual jogging on one of the treadmill when something goes wrong. Either it just stops running or it jams. Whatever happens, it results in Karin shooting forward and smacking into the front of the machine with a painful sounding thunk.

Bright red, she peels herself off and tries to straighten up before looking around hastily. If she catches your gaze, she'll go even redder and splutter out - ]

Wh--what's so funny, huh?!

02. CERES Game Center

[ So. ViViD, huh.

Karin's only real exposure to the game so far has been the levels she'd had to work her way out of to get to the rest of the colony. She's really not all that interested in ViViD itself but... it might be a good distraction. Could eat up some time at least.

If you're passing her by while she's squinting at some big ViViD-centric poster, you might hear her mutter to herself - ]

So how's this even supposed to work, anyway...?

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[Ever since Mabel had started working on her new sweater store, all she wanted to do was just take a break! And what bette way to do that than to go over and play a few mindless video games?

However, when she saw a certain somebody was having trouble, she couldn't help but march right up!]

By going straight into the game! All you do is put on some headgear and boom! Instant video game land!

[ Karin jumps a bit - she'd mostly been mumbling to herself and hadn't expected an answer but hey if someone wants to get her started on all these fancy video games she isn't going to say no. ]

So it's just headgear? I was thinking it'd be a little more full-on... but it's just some fancy hat?

[ well it's probably a little more complex than 'fancy hat', but still. ]

Oh trust me, it's a lot more than just some ol' fancy hat! The moment you get in, it's almost like you're in another world!

[With that, Mabel wasted no time in running toward said headgear and holding one right up in the air!]

C'mon, let's go already! I know you really really want to try it!

[ Karin follows her, buffeted along by the girl's enthusiasm more than anything. She's reminded a little of being dragged along to everything and anything by the club and for a moment it makes irritation coil in her belly.

But she shoves it aside. She's too curious about this CERES stuff to snap at some stranger. She nabs one of the headgears for herself and turns it to and fro in her hands like she's suspicious of something. ]

You just... put them on...? And then what?

[As Karin started to put on the headgear, that's when Mabel started to push some controls in front of them. Granted, the ViViD was still a little difficult for her to get use to but hey, as long as she gets to have fun?

It was completely worth it!]

And then we wait for the magic to happen! In 5...4..3...2...1....! Ta-dah!

[Behold Karin, you'll see the magical screen before them that allows you to choose whatever game you want! Between a cooking game, a shooting game, and whatever the heck that game is, anything is possible!] What do you think? Looks pretty cool doesn't it?

[ Karin flinches a bit. Her only real experience with CERES tech so far has been the creepy horror hospital so she's not really sure what to expect. This... seems innocent enough so far, though. ]

... yeah. Looks pretty cool, I guess.

[ she doesn't want to sound too impressed, after all. ]

So what kinda stuff do you usually play?

Edited (way to drop most of the words in there claire) 2016-08-07 09:48 (UTC)

Weeeeelll....!

[She said before making sure said arrow pointed to the last option below!] Between you and me, I think maybe we could probably use something a bit more fun! How about this game?

[Should Karin look at the option, she'll find out that it read "Cooking Mother".]

You feel like baking something today because I sure do!

... Baking? Seriously?

[ Her words definitely seem like they should be coming out exasperated but she just sounds bemused more than anything. She gives a little sigh but it's clear that there's a bit of a smile on her face. ]

Sure, why not. Can you actually bake though?

[ because KARIN SURE CAN'T ]

Of course! If you want, I can even bake a cupcake mountain! And I'll even decorate the entire thing in pink frosting with sprinkles on top too!

[Yes, she's serious about that! With a smirk, she clicked that option and they'll suddenly find themselves in front of a table. With all the ingredients before them, she nudges her brand new friend!]

You think you're up for the challenge?

A challenge, huh?

[ It's hard to tell if that's the worst or best possible thing to say to her but either way, it turns her bemused smile into a sharp little grin. ]

You think I'm not? Let's get on with it.

[ karin calm down all you're doing is baking cupcakes you are an embarrassment. ]

Then let's do it!

[With that, Mabel just pushed on the straight button and right away, the instructions popped right before them!]

First, we're going to need a bunch of eggs! Because if we're going to get a high score, we need to make a cupcake mountain! We gotta get started right away!

[ Karin goes ahead and rolls up her sleeves. It’s probably not necessary since her hands in here won’t be carrying any germs but she figures the point of all this hyperrealism is to play along a little. ]

So how many do we want? Or should I just go ahead and start cracking all of them?

[ these cupcakes are probably going to be more shell than egg honestly ]

As many as we can! I don't think they're going to taste it, I think they just care how many cupcakes we bake! I'll get the butter ready, you just crack all of them!

[With that, off Mabel went to see exactly where the butter went! Of course, once she found it, she immediately started to butter all the baking pans as she could! However, little did she know, Karin probably wasn't going to do quite as good of a job as she thought....]

Oh, they're not tasting them? Then I guess...

[ ... she looks down at the eggs with a furrowed brow and then snatches them up and just starts cracking the yolks into the bowl as fast as she can. She's absolutely going for speed over care here and that means that a whole lot of shell is going into the bowl with those eggs. Lovely. ]

[At this point, Mabel didn't even care if she was making a giant mess! If the judges weren't going to taste the cupcakes (or so she thought! It's been a while since she played this game!), then all that mattered was how fast they were going!

Although, she couldn't help but raise a few eyebrows at the egg shells in the bowl!]

Whoa, you gotta be careful! You can't put egg shells in there, the judges might see that!

[Pause] ...Even if it might give it a really cool appearance!

[ She gives a dismissive handwave. ]

If they're not gonna eat them then they won't be able to tell if there's eggshells in here or not. As long as the outside looks good and we make them fast enough, we'll rack up enough points. It's all about speed, right?

[ ... she's still cracking eggs with one hand as she says all this, by the way. ]

[She did raise a good point but...]

You think we can bake it all and stuff all the shells inside? Or maybe we can just decorate the entire thing with frosting...

[She said before she was deeply pondering about this. As she got the flour out, she simply stared back at the other girl]

But seriously, tell me when you're ready and we'll get the mixing ready!

Huuuh... Let's see! It's totally not the cute girl who became a living slapstick cartoon. Definitely not.

[Hiro who was floating idly in the air had watched the whole thing and laughed a bit.]

You're not hurt, are you?

[ Karin goes letter box red and her flustered expression makes way for a bit of a scowl. She shoves herself away from the machine and gives it a feeble kick. Just enough to express her frustration but not enough to really do any damage. She's mad but she respects all this fancy workout tech way too much to throw that big a tantrum. ]

No, I'm not. But it's not my fault I went flying like that, anyway!

[ not that he accused her of being that clumsy, but still. ]

This stupid thing jammed. Doesn't anyone here know faulty equipment is, y'know, dangerous?

If you kick it, then it's only going to get even more faulty.

[It was a good thing that she wasn't hurt, though. He'll be floating down onto his actual feet. Not often that you see a teen working hard at the gym if you had to ask him.]

Technology can be pretty wacky here, anyway. There was a strange day where the soda machines got possessed by ghosts and started shooting drinks at people.

... Ghosts.

[ Karin turns to give him a Look. It's the face of a girl who's trying to work out if she's being messed with or not. ]

There's ghosts around here? Soda machine possessing ghosts?

And the ghosts that try to kill people. It only happened twice so far.

[In contrast to her Look, Hiro gives her a hard poker face. It made it difficult to tell if he was just screwing with her.]

But given how spirited you are, I don't think they'd wanna possess you.

[ what the hell, CERES. big weirdo aliens are bad enough but murderous ghosts is about where Karin has to draw the line. ]

Well I guess I might as well believe anything at this point. Things can't get a whole lot crazier than this, can they?

[ she huffs. ]

So. Ghosts and aliens. What else? Werewolves? Vampires?

[ she says it like it's a joke but... well. who knows with CERES. ]

You owe me a soda for jinxing us on proxy~!

[He says rather carefreely.]

Well, demons could make things worst. Wouldn't be the first time I've tackled some of 'em.

Only if the machine spits it out at you when we get there.

[ charming. ]

You really think we could end up with demons here? Aren't aliens and ghosts and whatever bad enough?

Hope not! But hey... It'd be easy to kick their asses and move on. That's how I handle things.

[ That makes her pause for a moment. She gives him a look that makes it clear there’s some mental readjustment going on and cocks an eyebrow. ]

So you fight demons? Seriously?

[ her tone is that of disbelief but there’s a curl to her lips that make it clear she’s fishing for details. ]

So what, demons show up around here that often? Like pests or something?

Yup. Slaying demons and demon-spawning aliens is one of my many specialties.

[He puffs his chest out a bit in pride whenever he says that. It was painful sometimes, but he couldn't deny that he had fun with his world-changing adventures.

If it wasn't for the trials, then he wouldn't have evolved into a more motivated person.]

It wasn't around here, but back home. You ever play post-apocalyptic RPG games? My role was being the hero of it!

[ That makes her stop.

She'd been grinning before like she was playing along with it but that makes her give him a curious look. She's never played RPGs before but... an apocalypse...

After a moment, she pipes up in a voice that's trying just a tad too hard to be casual. ]

So what, you were some kind of RPG superstar back home? Is that a real job?

More like a hobby. At first, I didn't really do it 'cuz I wanted to... But it became fun.

[He actually had a lot of feelings towards everything and it wasn't always fun. But Hiro kept that all to himself... There was no need to go into his delicate feels right now.

His expression does shift as there's something a little more somber in his smile.]

But being a hero isn't always fun. You'll fall and cry a lot along the way.

[She'll hear a voice behind her, as this shady old guy sidles up totally unannounced. Because approaching like a normal person is overrated, in his book.]

Ya go inside, pick what kinda game you wanna play, and the stuff in there will do the rest. Do a good job and ya can even win a bunch of credits and get prizes. Pretty neat, right?

[ ... she'd protest the sudden approach because seriously, that made her jump -- but that can be put aside for now since it looks like she's got deets to dig for. ]

Wait, you can get paid for playing these? How much are we talking?

[ she'd kind of assumed prizes were a given since this is an arcade but straight up getting paid is a little unexpected. ]

Oh, it adds up if ya play a whole lot. And if you're good at it.

[Raven shrugs and, relaxed, links his arms behind his head.]

Ya earn points from each game, and ya can swap the points for regular credits and get paid that way, or get prizes, whichever ya prefer.

[ There's a pause following that. And then she grins. Looks like he's talking her language. ]

So what kinda games are there? There's probably something for everything, right? Anything adventure-y, maybe beating up monsters?

[ because if there's any game here Karin could ace, it's that. ]

Sure there is! There's the action-adventure stuff, and then there's the... whaddaya call it...

[He scratches his chin for a second, before it comes to him.] Arr-pee-gees. They're a little more strategic than the action stuff, but still pretty fun, if you're into that.

[Raven would know, being a JRPG character and all.]

Good.

[ That grin. That grin is the one of every overconfident teenager who's ever decided to go hands to hands with someone way bigger and probably stronger than they are. ]

Guess if I'm not gonna be in school then I might as well make some money while I'm here.

[ and it's something to be useful at. something she already knows she's good at. what's the harm? ]

[Rock Lee frowns as he watches her and quickly shakes his head.]

I- I find nothing to be funny, I swear!! Are you alright, Miss?!

[ She growls as she hops off the machine and jerks her foot back to give it a bit of a kick. Petty, yes, but it makes her feel a little better. ]

I'm fine. But even if I wasn't, it's not like it's my fault I fell, anyway!

[ ... not that he even suggested that, Karin. defensive, much? ]

A-ah... I see! [Actually, no, he just looks baffled by her response, but he keeps on trying to speak.]

It is alright! You will do twice as well next time! I am sure of it!

[ She fixes him with a hard stare. ]

You really think I'm gonna get back on one of those things? They're busted! I'm not running on busted equipment. I could actually get hurt!

[ ... actually she's just too embarrassed to get right back on in case she gets flung right off. ]

Ack! [Lee shrinks back.] I... I apologize! I did not mean to ask you to take such a risk! I will try to find someone to repair it, then. I promise! And.... You can try a different machine in the meantime! Won't that be great?!

And get tossed off again? Yeah, no thanks. I'm taking a break.

[ and then going back when everyone has hopefully forgotten about her making an ass of herself. ]

Are the vending machines safe or are they gonna start freaking out on me too?

A break could be very helpful... [He sheepishly chimes in.]

Ah! I have not heard of any problems with the vending machines. They may work perfectly fine!

No problems...

[ suddenly, she squints at him. She wants a drink, but she wants to make sure the vending machines aren’t going to spit a can into her face.

... ]

You want a drink?

[ karin NO ]

Eh? Ah... I suppose that I am very thirsty! All of my workouts today have built up that thirst. B-but is now truly my time?!

Well if you're thirsty there's no point in not having a drink. You need to be properly hydrated if you want a workout to actually do anything for you. Otherwise you'll just start retaining all your water.

[ do NOT get her started on this because she will never shut up ]

You are right!! [Lee starts tearing up.] For the sake of hydration, which is so heartfelt and youthful... I must do this!!

[With a renewed determination, Rock Lee bolts towards the vending machine!]</small.

[ and Karin just... casually ambles after him with a little smirk on her face. Foolproof. ]

Yeah, yeah, go ahead and do it. In fact, you go ahead and get your drink first, okay?

[He stops right at the vending machine, but then he looks back at her dramatically.]

But... Miss!! I do not want to let you go without your own drink for a moment longer! Your needs should come first! So, please... please let your drink come first!!

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open; nothing fascinates humans more than the truth

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