estoria | [semi-open] it's all fun and games

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[semi-open] it's all fun and games

Who: Flynn Scifo

fatalstriker and you!
When: 2/01 IC
Where: The Arcade
What: Two overgrown kids play games and act like dorks. Come join them!
Warnings: None for now!

a. ViViD (closed; yuri&flynn)

[it really was one hell of a monster.

matching brucis in size and ferocity, there was no way that yuri was going to sit back and let this one go. foolish? yeah, maybe. taking on brucis had been a monumental effort that took the whole party to wear down. he'd loved every minute of it, of course, but that doesn't mean that here and now in the middle of ViViD level, is the right time to take something of that size on. especially not when it’s just the two of them (well, three, now that repede is tagging along); no mages or dedicated healers, or krityans with a penchant for battle.

...but there he goes. headlong into battle, barreling towards the monster with little regard for what flynn wants to do or whether or not it should be done at all. he works on the assumption that getting knocked back will result in in flynn casting first aid, or repede using a potion. it doesn’t seem much like repede minds, barreling in at yuri’s side. not that it matters much, because in one of those funny twists of fate that only yuri could manage, he blindsides the monster.

slash, slash, slash. it continues for a bit, and then the artes start.]

Azure Storm! Tiger Blade! Dragon Swarm! Tiger Blade! Shining Fang Drop! [yep, he’s gone and done it. he’s managed to work himself into overlimit, and the artes just keep coming in a flurry. it’s not just those, but others too: brutal fang, divine wolf - flood, and some repeats. it never seems to end. it’s almost like a fury, one where he never uses his most powerful arte, but still stunning the monster, keeping it totally staggered as he wails on it. even repede is awed by the display, letting out a whimper before sitting down and watching.

...maybe he needs to be stopped, but hey. when has that ever actually mattered to yuri in the past?]

b. air hockey (open; joint tagging)

[fun as ViViD and beating stuff up is (when yuri isn't being an annoying showoff), other games DO exist. no day of unwinding and pretending CERES doesn't exist for a few hours could be complete without going to other parts of the arcade and partaking in all the fun games it has to offer. similarly, no outing between the two of them could be complete without a little friendly rivalry. today's battle of choice? THE MOST ULTIMATE AIR HOCKEY MATCH EVER.

of course, a little wager might have gotten made regarding lunch and certain accessories, but that's only something to worry about when losing happens. repede goes off a short distance away and plops down to rest, being completely uninterested in the antics of his two idiot humans, while said humans move toward opposing ends of the table to begin. the match starts off simply enough. puck comes out, one of them slams it and into the hole it goes. nothing too noteworthy, really. as the points go up, however, the time between goals also starts going up. seconds become minutes and then the amount of minutes keeps increasing.

final goal time rolls around only TWO HOURS LATER. both boys (because they really can't be called men) are intensely focused, sweat glistening on their foreheads as they slam the puck back and forth with all the intensity of a life and death battle. neither one of them wants to lose to the other and they plan on keeping this going for as long as goddamn possible. maybe you come by to watch the show or to wonder how that air hockey table is still standing after two hours of abuse or maybe you wanna play air hockey and these two assholes having been hogging it for way too damn long. sorry about that.]

c. around the arcade/food court (open with yuri)

[it must be a day ending in y, because yuri’s lost another competitive bet with flynn. really, maybe a day will come when he wins—when he beats flynn at something, whether it’s a game in the arcade or a full blown spar. today? today is not that day though. and since he lost the bet, he’s got double duty in winning flynn’s gratification.

and that’s exactly why he’s sauntering over to buy lunch while wearing a party hat and stick-on mustache.

should this be embarrassing? probably. is it? well, no. not really. it’s not the first time he’s donned some strange accessories, sometimes at the most inappropriate of times. even though he can hear the whispers of people passing by and watching on with amusement, he doesn’t seem to be bothered by that.. no, he’s more bothered that flynn is wandering around victoriously over it. at the window, he orders the basics: two hamburgers and fries, two drinks.]

Oh, and put a lot of hot sauce on one of them. As much as you can. [listen, he said he’d buy lunch. he never made any promises that he wouldn’t pay flynn back in his own way. of course, anyone who was witness to his defeat may realize what he’s up to and try to talk him out of it —or encourage him. or maybe they just want to laugh at what a fool he looks like right now. either way, yuri’s not too fussed about it, snerking to himself a bit as he waits for the food order to come out.]

d. around the arcade/crane game (open with flynn)

[ah, it's good to know that somethings never change and that all is right with the universe. guess who won today's air hockey game? none other than the white knight commandant himself. flynn can't help but feel smug after coming out victorious. winning, getting a free lunch AND having a picture of yuri in a silly get-up: smug and happy. okay, maybe yuri winning and coming on top and all that makes him super happy, but after all the shit that happened recently, victory and laughter was just what the doctor ordered.

with the loser best friend off to buy food, flynn's left to his own devices for a little while. killing time in an arcade shouldn't be too hard and finding said time killer takes only a few moments of searching. he stops in front of a familiar sort of game, if not one he's really ever had a chance to play (poor kids don't waste money on games, sadly): the crane game. various toys and accessories are among the potential goodies. hmm it looks like a decent challenge. how many of the things inside can he get?

the answer: A LOT. within a few minutes time, a sizable amount of the toys and knickknacks no longer remain inside and instead litter the ground next to flynn. it took a few tries to figure out the timing and a few other things, but now the guy has become a crane game wizard!! maybe that's enough. easy as it'd be to empty this, leaving some for the other patrons only feels right. ...wait. realization suddenly hits flynn as his eyes dart to the floor. uh, what is he supposed to do with all this stuff? whoops.

to whoever happens to walk by, he calls out.]

Excuse me. I was wondering if you'd like any of these? I don't really need them.

[prime example of why just because you CAN do something doesn't mean that you SHOULD.]

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[With a match this intense, it's only a matter of time before it attracts a large crowd, him included. It was also only a matter of time before his devious, money grubbing side kicked in and started a betting circle among the shadier folks around.

Better do your best boys, he needs a new pair of boots.]

I'm hearing 20 on the blonde, 20 on the blonde. 30 on the long hair? 30 on the long hair. Anyone else?

[Sano is an Adult. No, really, he is. Okay, so he's an Adult when he's not around Shinpachi and Heisuke, but...well, with Heisuke gone and Shinpachi somehow not being his shadow today, this means Sano is behaving.

And exploring, as he is wont to do when he gets a little bored. The city is very big, much bigger and busier than Kyoto, and it seems that whenever he goes out and takes a different turn, he finds an entirely new world to learn. Today, it's the arcade. And it's loud. And it's flashy. And though he's gotten used to such things from being here for so long, it's still a little jarring.

But he can't help but think that Heisuke would have loved this place. Why didn't he do more with his friend when he had the chance...

Shaking his head, he wanders around some more, staying out of peoples' ways, until he watches the tail end of the THE MOST ULTIMATE AIR HOCKEY MATCH EVER and sees the loser don...interesting loser accessories. He looks ridiculous, really, but Sano can't help but smile. He doesn't even know these kids, but it's obvious they're friends and that's something Sano can get behind.

Don't mind as he follows you to the food counter out of curiosity, Yuri. Also don't mind as he gently elbows you in the side.]

Excellent choice, kid.

If you're gonna go taking bets on us, we better be getting a cut of the deal!

[...leave it to yuri to find time to call that one out in the middle of a very heated game of air hockey. but hey, he likes money too, and he's not all that interested in someone else making money off of him that way.

the morality is definitely a bit gray around here.]

[fortunately, yuri's an easy going guy, and in a place like this, perhaps even a little more so than usual. it's been tough to kind of just let things go in light of recent events—or maybe in light of any events that involve CERES.]

Kid, huh. [yes, that is the part yuri is focusing on here. it's probably a bit harder to see the mildly amused smirk under the moustache, but it's there. the two of them aren't so different in size or attire; maybe sano is a wee more on the muscular side, but yuri's nothing to scoff at, either. and the ripe old age of 21 doesn't make him feel like much of a kid when he's already seen the worst of the world and its politics.

but hey, he can roll with it. it's not as if he and flynn were the paragon of maturity during their game, even if that's somewhat out of the norm for the both of them.] And here I thought the moustache would make me look older, not younger. My youth'll be envied by men everywhere, huh, old man?

[yuri, please.

he's going there, tone light as he leans against the counter casually. what do you mean, don't lean against the counter while you wait? whatever, yuri does as yuri pleases!]

[ Shuu hasn't exactly been watching. Human antics aren't all that interesting to him - not on that sort of level, anyway - but he did notice the two of them looking pretty intense as he was passing by on his way to somewhere else.

Except by the time he head back an hour or two or so later.. they're still at it. Seriously? What could be so fun that two boring guys like them (or so he's declared them in his head, anyway) would be so occupied with something like that?

He walks closer to take a look, but then, thanks to Yuri and Flynn's less-than-gentle handling of the puck, it manages to fly off the table.

And straight at Shuu.

This in itself isn't a problem - he's a demon, he can handle this much. He grabs the thing out of the air with his bare hands like it's nothing.

But see, that is the problem.. it means Yuri and Flynn are going to need that thing back if they want to continue their match.

Which involves getting it back. From Shuu. Yeah, good luck with that, fellows. Especially since he's just curiously staring at it now. ]

[Jade simply happens to be strolling through the arcade following his own ViViD session when he notices two familiar faces, whom he met in somewhat serious circumstances.

They are engaged in a very intense air hockey match.

He shakes his head with a sigh and then approaches the table, standing to the side of the center of the table and greeting them with a tsk.]

My, my... I feel a tension that could be skewered with a blade. So this is how the young and able-bodied make do with their time...

[okay, so maybe they may have gotten a little too intense about things. it's just hard to help, when they're both competitive by nature, especially when it comes to each other.

so when the puck goes flying off the table, there is that brief "oh shit" moment, since yuri doesn't really have any interest in people getting hurt on his watch over this. he's not looking for a fight, just an intense competition to let off steam. there may be the barest bit of relief in his expression that it's caught—until he sees that it's shuu with the puck in hand. this guy. sure, not the worst person that he could be forced to deal with by any means, but in his experience, shuu acts like a bratty kid. it just kind of makes things a hassle.]

Gonna stare at it all day, or can we finish our game here? [he doesn't waste much time in asking, but despite his words, yuri's tone remains pretty light... if not just barely winded from the intensity of the game.]

[for better or for worse, yuri's pretty good at holding up a conversation even in the heat of something this intense—granted, if he can do it while slaying monsters and corrupt politicians, there's no reason he can't do it during air hockey, right?

he can't really afford to look away from the table for more than a glance, but it's hard to miss jade; he's a familiar enough face since they've already spoken, and his words are just ripe for yuri to snap back with.]

Better than going out and skewering an old man, right? [which he says with a smirk. not that he even thinks jade is old at all... maybe he's just too accustomed to teasing people who call themselves old so easily.]

[ Well. She was going to go for a round of air hockey against some poor soul, but that's before she finds it occupied by a really fierce cou-- oh wait, that one's a guy. ]

... I feel like I walked in on a really private moment here.

I hardly think it's appropriate to place bets on strangers!

[or at ALL, in this case. a very pointed look which implies precisely that gets sent yuri's way after flynn slams that puck in his direction. them betting together is one thing; him being treated like a race horse is another. cut or not cut, flynn approval will not happen so stop playing into it.]

[make that an oh shit moment times two. granted, flynn's takes a sec to come due to having to process the puck no longer being on the table. what? when so competitive, the mind focuses and flynn's may have focused a taaddd too much. the lack of a puck to hit is thoroughly confusing. it was just there. now it isn't? one can almost see those mental gears turning while attempting to solve this mystery. ...oh. OH. his eyes widen and his head snaps in the direction it flew.

luckily, no puck related injuries happen; unluckily, shuu. please let this go smoothly and without shuu's usual antics. then again, dealing with him means a brief break. between the rapid breathing and the sweat waterfall on his face, a couple seconds to breathe are nice. since yuri already said what needs to be said, albeit in about the least polite way possible, flynn says nothing and enjoys the short rest.]

[don't be jealous that he's got a more fabulous head of hair than you, yang.]

It looks that intimate, huh? Guess we should make it look more like a show. [okay, so yuri doesn't really think it looks anything like that. this is just how they are: fiercely competitive, even when they're making fools of themselves.

...but it's a little more fun to play along, especially if it'll keep flynn on his toes.]

[huh. doing something private? how could that be when they were in a public space? the comment almost goes over flynn's head.. almost. then the best friend chips in with that intimate comment and bam. first comes a blush and then a glare directed at the annoying guy playing along.]

N-no it's nothing of the sort. We're only playing a game.

[and don't be vulgar, says the glare aimed at yuri in-between puck hitting (which is also a definite NO on the show suggestion, sorry). having pretty hair does not give him the right to make inappropriate commentary.

...but do they really somehow look like they're doing something intimate? is this like yuri's whole spiel on being nice amounting to flirting?? is flynn's knowledge on that stuff really so lacking???]

[ Your hair will never hold a candle to hers, Yuri. ]

Hey, I'm not gonna judge if you drag out the foreplay a little long.

[ Yang. Yang, no. But she's found someone who rolls with it, and someone who's easily flustered, which means the chances of Yang wandering off to find something more entertaining are rapidly dwindling. ]

So who's [ topping ] winning, anyway?

[which of them is the hair model again?]

Careful now, we may end up breaking him if this keeps up. [of course, what yuri says and what he means are probably miles apart.

because really, teasing flynn is one of his favorite things on earth, and seeing him get flustered over what it literally nothing just makes it even more comical. #bestfriends]

As for winning... huh. [he eyes the scorekeep at the side of the table; it's tied. but that may not last long if he has it way. no better time to try and one up the score in his favor than when flynn's distracted, right? so he's making a pretty hard shot—one that's probably a bit of overkill for what they're actually doing here.]

[ At least both of them are having a very accurate assessment about how easily - or rather, how NOT easily - they're going to get that thing back with Shuu being.. well, Shuu.

He sure doesn't show any signs of throwing it back or anything (although that might be for the best, it'd be a little too tempting to just smash it straight against someone's head). Instead he studies the puck a little bit, and when he speaks up he doesn't even look at either of the guys. ]

Is this really that much fun to you guys..?

That's what I said. Kid.

[Sano leans back on his own, though out of the way of the waiting customers, hooking his thumbs into the waistband of his jeans as casually as ever. He doesn't know how old this "kid" is, but he does know that looks can be deceiving. Hell, Heisuke looks like he's still in his teens, but he's actually, what, twenty-three now? So it's possible Sano has just made an ass out of himself, but this guy doesn't actually seem all that offended.

Hopefully.]

Nah, the moustache works. It's the hat that gives you away. Too flashy for an adult, you know.

[Old man, though. Sano sighs. Why does everyone attack him with that when Shinpachi has him beat?

Okay, so just by a year, but that still counts!]

However, your youthful vigor is inspiring. Really, I don't know how I can get out of bed every morning when all my bones creak constantly.

[He shoots this guy a crooked smile.]

Look forward to that.

Not everyone thinks killing a man in thirty seconds is the most fun way to spend their time.

[listen, from his past interactions with shuu, this is the assessment he's come to. shuu is a big baby who seems to find everything boring aside from violence and swift deaths. of course, he's also partially being facetious since he doesn't actually know if that's how shuu spends his time.

but it doesn't sound like a bad starting point, even if it's probably going to give flynn the wrong idea. and possibly make yuri look somewhat hypocritical.]

Not much fun in being an adult if you forget how to have a little flashy fun once in a while.

[even if that takes the form of a really stupid hat after losing an equally stupid wager. sometimes, it's kind of hard to tell whether flynn and yuri bring out the best in each other or the worst—right now, it's probably the worst, since they were acting more like teenagers letting loose than a vigilante and a military commandant.

still, yuri's not fussed by it at all. if anything, he's amused that sano's got the sense to play along.]

Is that all you old men ever complain about? Creaking bones, every time you move. You must sound like the floorboard of an old house when you get out of bed. Can't imagine what a long walk would do for you. [except that he can. considering that raven did nothing but complain about being an old man at the ripe age of 35? yuri's heard it possibly too often. granted, that's what makes it easier for him to tease about it right now. it's not that much different of a dynamic, at least in that one particular aspect.]

[Steven had come into the arcade for the same reason he went to any arcade: to have fun. As he bounced from game to game, he couldn't help but notice the start of this air hockey battle. Periodic glances turn into long periods of staring. And running out of time on the game he was using, whoops.

He just walks toward them, finally. No matter how much time this game has left (and that's definitely more than he expects), it's gotta be worth watching if it stays like this! Steven gets to the middle of one side and looks back and forth at Yuri and Flynn.]

Are you guys air hockey pros or something?

Pros? Nah.

[his tone of voice is a whole lot more casual than... well, just about everything else right now. there's not much room to take his eyes off the game, and he's slamming into the puck at every opportunity to try and prevent giving flynn an opening to score.

it's ridiculously intense, but there's still a smirk on his lips.]

Though here, we probably could. Whaddya say, Flynn? Up for a career change?

[contrasting even further with how intense the match is would be flynn giving a laugh at that comment. exhausted and continuing to fight with all their strength, but still cracking jokes and laughing: only them.]

I'm up for it, but are you sure you could keep up?

[to emphasize that last part, the next slam comes harder than the one before it (maybe ending in a small dent where it bounces off the table, whoops). somehow flynn still has additional strength to put in. sheer stubbornness at not losing without one hell of a fight might be a factor.]

[rude as shuu is, yuri being rude back won't fly with flynn. ...regardless of how true that assessment about shuu's hobbies might be.]

Yuri.

[the name gets accompanied by the usual 'flynn look of disapproval'. don't be rude. once having said that, his gaze turns back onto the one holding up their fun little match. unlike either of them, mr. white knight has actual manners.]

It is. The game itself isn't too difficult, but it's challenging against the right opponent.

Dr-drag out the--

[deer caught in the headlights describes his face to a t. all attention to anything else suddenly flew out the window. d-do they really look like... that......?

only luck as strong as flynn's would have him block right where that puck is going. then again, maybe the guy's just that good that he can block while temporarily brain dead. the world may never know which. his brain resumes its usual activities within seconds and shows it by how that flush deepens to a charming beet red tint. what sort of a person says things like these to strangers?!]

P-please refrain from making such inappropriate commentary.

[his poor prude heart can't take much more!! SO MOVING ON TO A MORE PROPER SUBJECT...]

So far, it's a tie.

[though he may not often say as much, especially not during a battle, flynn enjoys watching yuri fight. unorthodox as some of the artes and how they're performed are, the way the man executes them is worth an occasional glance.

or sometimes more than glance, like today. flynn had originally been battling alongside yuri but then overlimit hit and the tagteaming became soloing. rather than butt in, he opted to step aside for a moment and let this show go on. for the first few minutes, watching is fine and enjoyable!!

then more minutes pass.

and more minutes.

and more...

that enjoyment of watching the best friend battle has by now evolved into annoyance. every time flynn believes the combo will end? it keeps going and going and goddamn, how many butchered dragon swarms are necessary in one combo? how is this still one combo?? flynn sighs heavily as another burst arte comes. is this the end? please, for the love all that is good and holy, let this be the end.]

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[semi-open] it's all fun and games

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B!

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B for being late

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a. late to our own log bc i am that awesome