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| Owner | Pose |
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| Ishirou | Trade City, Multiverse. One thing someone can say about the King of Heroes, without a line of profanities, massive frustration, or a 'but you're an asshole' is that he knows how to make a statement. The Closet of Babylon stands in the midst of Trade City, a spot purchased right in the middle of its commercial district. Trade city was once a megacity, but with the Closet, it's boomed into becoming Trade City. People flock for worlds to be here, and because of the Closet's draw, the business around it has boomed. Ruby-Red banners hang down from the walls of a gorgeous Mesopotamian palace, clashing with the drab skyscrapers around it. The Ruby-Red banners are lined with glittering gold threads, announcing the building as the Closet of Babylon. At the front is a rotating glass door, made of silver and diamond judging by the way they feel in hand. The carpets just inside are luxurious, plush crimson. Inside it opens up, with attendants. There is food and drink. The store is set up like an opulent hotel. Staff members dressed in white robes with stitching finer than most modern luxury garments are here to do this job and just this job. There are elevators. Fountains spiral around them with an elegant flow of sparkling water, fancy lighting flickering around them. On every floor, there are clothes. Upfront, the new Collection released by Gilgamesh is being shown off by models. The models are almost all white-haired. There are no cash registers and attendants with golden tablet computers with the CASGIL logo on the back (which is just a picture of Gil's face). This place screams the highest quality. There are no price tags on anything. If you have to know how much something is, it's too expensive. The place is busy, with people coming and going. However, one section of the store is set aside. Ishirou sits in it, nervously looking around. All this effort for him is making him feel watched in ways he's the one used to do. He's also in an ugly sweater that looks warm, but very comfortable. The sweater is puke green. He wears a pair of shorts, that goes down to his knees. He's got a pair of black boots, on, and nearby is POD. POD today is wearing a bow tie and a top hat. A tiny monocle is sitting where an 'eye' should be. -Hello, today I will be hosting the first-ever, Dress Up My Minion competition.- "Did he really call it that..?" Ishirou complains. -Affirmative. The rules are simple. Please provide an outfit that Ishirou can use to host an upcoming tournament that the King of Heroes is hosting for Lilian Rook. Participation in this is required to be in that tournament.- Ishirou's face is beet red, and behind him, there are dressing rooms. His hands move to cover his face shaking his head in all of this. -The best outfit will be declared the winner, and worn by Ishirou. There is no penalty for losing, other than the shame of not having the best dress sense in the Multiverse. Also, a word from the sponsor of this event: 'Go away mongrel, I'm busy.' Error, this unit did not receive any more voice clips or any instructions.- |
| Kale Hearthward | It starts with the cape. The cape is the centerpiece of this fit, and thus the most important thing to get right. Kale actually turns his nose (well, beak) up at what's on offer at CASGIL. "This isn't the right shade of white," he complains, looking over the racks of capes. "The fabric on this one isn't right, and the embroidery on this one is... just wrong. Oh hell, someone get me some fabric and some space, I'll do this myself..." The rest of the ensemble *does* come from the rack, though. Kale's a blur of motion, dancing between displays of suits as he seeks precisely the right charcoal black. It comes down to an agonizing back and forth between two suits that are seemingly identical, before Kale covers his eyes with one hand, spins around, and points at one of the two randomly. Accessories! Kale's delving amongst the jewelry displays now, asking to see this piece or that - and picks out a watch and a signet ring. Hats! Kale, carrying the small pile of items he's assembled so far, stands at the entrance to the hat section (well, one of the hat sections) and... does nothing. He stands there, for several minutes, gazing at nothing, before shaking his head. "No hat." Onward! Canes! "Okay, do you have a blacksmith on call? Yes? Good -" Kale sketches out something and shoves it into the clerk's hand. "Remember, the spirals go *counter* clockwise, okay?" Finally, Kale returns to Ishirou. "Alright. Get ready to declare a winner." KALE'S OUTFIT FOR ISHIROU: Ishirou is wearing a charcoal gray suit, with a white undershirt (no tie). He has white gold cufflinks on his wrists, a white gold analog watch on his left hand, and a similarly white gold signet ring on his right. Clutched in one hand is a gold-handled chestnut cane, with a counterclockwise spiral motif. It does not contain any sort of hidden sword, but it's sturdy enough that he could likely clobber someone with it. Finally, he's wearing a white hand-stitched cape over one shoulder. It billows dramatically whenever he turns or walks. |
| Metaphor | Observe, a woman who looks like she feels extremely out-of-place here. Her large, blatantly synthetic frame is easily visible towering above clothing racks, as she wanders anxiously through the store, a particularily designed tie in hand. She's wearing something snappy and semi-formal, short black skirt and waistcoat over a rolled-sleeve white shirt. A white beret with an orange medical cross insignia serves to somewhat clash with the accent lines on the side of her monitor. This is Metaphor, and she obviously regrets a certain quantity of the choices that led her to this store. She's been waving attendants away as she browses with staccato bursts of "Just looking" and "-yes, finding things fine. It's fine", until eventually she winds up in Ishirou's section and quickly hurries over. Thank god, someone I know. This speed-walk promptly stops short as the announcement is made, and she just sort of hovers at the periphery of whatever cleared area he's in, ECG nondescript as always. She looks at the tie. She looks up at Ishirou. She looks over at everyone else with their outfits prepared. She looks back at the rest of the store. <J-IC-Scene> Metaphor says, "...I didn't... realize this was happening, should I- I'll go find something. What colors do you like?" <J-IC-Scene> Ishirou | POD says, -Error, Ishirou is unable to state his prefernences, as per the rules of the contest.- <J-IC-Scene> Metaphor says, "That's... huh. I'll... check for teal, then?" Metaphor sizes Ishirou up for a few seconds, idly rubbing her fingers against the tie she's been holding, before giving a slow nod and moving back into the endless acres of wares. She looks a lot more driven, now, sudden confidence likely a worrying sign to the man of the hour. Her fashion sense is fine right now, right? |
| Futaba Nuki | Even after looking up the place online to get a better idea of what to expect, Futaba still feels off at the Closet of Babylon. It's not so much the legions of beautiful people in beautiful clothing with beautiful food since she's had plenty of that back home already, and the lack of price tags is just a thing she's used to seeing already, but... Really, what's someone supposed to wear on an outing to find stuff for someone else to wear? She can't wear anything too casual, or it'd make Ishirou look like he's in bad company. She can't wear anything too flashy, either, or she'd just look like she's showing off (in the bad way). Showing up dressed like someone that works for him would be rather tacky, too! That means Futaba just opts for the safe option today: A sports jacket and skirt combo that would almost make her look like a regular city worker if not for the big leaf on her head, the giant bushy tail coming out from under her skirt, and the mask-like markings over her eyes. Instead of taunting Ishirou over getting bullied by his own POD, Futaba squats in place as she gets a better look at him and his current wardrobe. She shakes her head lightly, then holds her thumb and index finger across her chin. "What kinda energy do you want for this, Min-uh. Mister Ishirou? You want something flashy, something cool, something muted? If you're hosting a tournament for Miss Rook, then..." She taps her chin a few times, standing up briefly to turn her tail into a chair so she can slouch back against it. "Are you gonna be an announcer, too?" Most of her questions aren't going to change what she's getting for Ishirou, anyway: A dark gray suit and pants combo with purple interior and a faint flowery-motif on the back in a slightly lighter silver. Gold seams line the sleeves and the front of the jacket, and the buttons of the jacket are also gold, but the vest included with the set has silver buttons instead. A gold bow tie is also included to round out the whole set with the white dress shirt underneath. |
| Ozhira | The Beast stalks. This is Ozhira's first time in Trade City and their first time in the Closet of Babylon as well. Upon passing through the entrance, they stop and look upward, jaw slightly agape at the shining opulance of it all. There's an urge to slither up the walls and across that shiny ceiling. But they resist. Today they hunt something else. Today the Beast hunts Fashion. Their gaze lowers towards Ishirou. There might even be a moment of making eye contact. Either way, when someone passes between the pair-- the Beast has disappeared. Five identical Ozhiras slip out of camouflage colorations some distance from that spot, each one marked only by a differently colored necktie. At the same moment, the assembly of creatures trot off different directions throughout the store. One by one, each Ozhira returns with an article to construct a complete outfit. A fine black peacoat, black with red trim and epaulettes. On the right breast is a circular patch depicting a set of sharp-toothed jaws. Underneath this is a breezy white silken shirt with pressed-in white vine designs on the collar and cuffs. The pants are pressed slacks with sharp creases, the side-seams outlined with red stripes. Shiny black leather shoes and a red silk necktie wrap up the look. The fifth Ozhira is-- missing. They may be found in the jewelry section, transfixed by sparkling things. One by one, the present Ozhiras merge together in a rather sudden but clean process. The single remaining girl holds the whole ensemble out for inspection. |
| Hibiki Tachibana | The Closet of Babylon truly never stops being...uh. Extra. Extra enough that it's even made the city around it extra now. As expected of Gilgamesh. It's not Hibiki's first time, but she's never been the kind of person to 'ooh' and 'aah' at crazy levels of opulence past the initial phase of it anyway, so most of that is kept to a minimum on entering. She's much more interested in seeing Ishirou himself - though thinking about it, she's never been the type to worry all that much about what she's wearing. Isn't it a little surprising she'd care about what someone else is, even given the reason behind all this? It is, actually. Which is, of course, why she's not the one leading the way. It's someone who patently would never join a tourmanent, so there's only one reason they would be here. "Ishiroooooou!" It's the one and only (as far as anyone knows) Miku Kohinata, of course. Stepping into the reserved section of the store, she's dragging Hibiki behind her with one hand and happily waving in his direction with the other, albeit it's a bit messy given she's holding something. Specificcally, one of those neat little plastic garment bags for storing clothing, which makes it pretty easy to get a glimpse at her selection for him. His outfit consists of a lightweight black sweater, with the fringes of what seems to be a plain white shirt beneath it. It's the kind of comfortable ensemble that one could wear around the house, tidied up into something more professional by the lower half - a pair of relaxed-fit pants in dark gray, belted and finished off by a pair of black, casual-lean dress boots. Not a single bit of the extravagance that one would expect from Gilgamesh's official commentator doesn't seem to be present, until one looks at the burgundy scarf that goes with it. What seems to be a capital 'I', handstitched in gold, can be seen on the end that hangs off from the front. "She thought you'd want something that fits the occasion but isn't. You know, uncomfortable. Or /too/ over the top." Hibiki helpfully chimes in on the approach, seemingly not bothered by being the one following this time. "I thought really hard about what you would look good in, but also what you would like! And I definitely didn't want to miss the chance to see you in what everyone else picked out!" She gives one entirely non-judgmental look over his puke-green setup, followed by a giggle. "It's also nice to take your mind off things for a while with something like this, isn't it?" |
| Petra Soroka | Petra tries very hard not to gawk at the opulence of the Closet, after handing off the Kana to a valet. Even as she forces herself to be casual, her eyes glitter at the luxury of the decorations, and she absently wanders towards the fountains and statues to admire them. She explores other clothing sections of the store, getting lost in the high quality fabrics for some time, but eventually, she starts getting self conscious about her tomboyish outfit sticking out, and trudges over to where Ishirou is. At some point during her browsing, she tied her bomber jacket around her waist, thinking it looked cuter, so her shoulders are exposed by her overalls and top. Looking through the men's formalwear section, Petra rapidly gets bored. Men dress so uninterestingly, so she decides to help with Ishirou's daily fashion too, forgetting about the point of the challenge. <J-IC-Scene> Petra Soroka ominously says, "Do the rules say you have to try on every outfit?" <J-IC-Scene> Ishirou |POD says, to Petra, -Affirmitive, he has to try on every outfit.- <J-IC-Scene> Ishirou says, "...oh no..." <J-IC-Scene> Petra Soroka clears her throat. "Nice." Upon seeing Ishirou's pitiful state, with his ugly sweater and shorts, Petra feels vindicated with the hangars of utterly unrelated outfits she brought for him. Though, looking at the fairly standard suits that everyone else has... she tries to slip her suggested outfits onto the hangar rack without making it obvious that she's the one that put them there. Petra's Outfits For Ishirou: Outfit 1: Ishirou is wearing fishnet tights under black jeans with large holes torn in them. The scoop neck top is loose, the hem of it barely reaching the waistline of the jeans, but the fabric is bunched up in front to expose his midriff. Under the small shirt is a fishnet top, extending down to wrap around his palm. There is not a choker, because Petra couldn't find one. Outfit 2: Ishirou is wearing a maid dress. |
| Father Berislav | "Oh, my goodness." Father Berislav, for once, has shown up someplace sans cassock. Apparently, this isn't a matter of pastoral care. Instead, he finds himself staring at the imposing presence of the Closet, wearing a white v-neck tee with quite a low cut, beneath a loose, unbuttoned pink short-sleeve button-up. His hands are buried in the pockets of caramel short-shorts, and his bright red hi-tops are hard to miss on his way in. Approaching POD and Ishirou, the off-duty priest beams, brushing a lock of silver hair behind his ear and extending the other hand in greeting. "Hello! I'm Father Waters Berislav. It's good to finally put a face to a name, Ishirou." So... each person here is to come up with an outfit for Ishirou, for hosting the tournament. "Let's see..." He peruses what's nearby, frequently glancing back towards Ishirou. "And he's not allowed to state his preferences, is he. Well..." "Something stately and dignified, I think," he says, heading for a selection of blazers. "But also, just slightly ostentatious. Oh! Let's start with this," he notes, running over to a spring green tie. Then, smiling wide, he bounces over to a very dark pair of glossy dress shoes with slate gray accents. From there, a green-grey cashmere blazer and mathcing slacks. A lavender dress shirt contrasts with the suit and the tie, bringing it all together. |
| Kale Hearthward | Kale stares at Petra's outfit number two. His beak forms a tight line of grimacing. "Excuse me for one minute." He stalks out of the store, and returns, literally a minute later, a garmet bag carefully held in hand. KALE'S OUTFIT FOR ISHIROU #2: Ishirou is wearing a *fancy* maid dress. |
| Petra Soroka | <J-IC-Scene> Kale Hearthward says, "Little vagrant girl, do you even know what accessories are? Actually, do you even know what *clothes* are or are you just aping what you've seen other people do?" <J-IC-Scene> Kale Hearthward says, "She's decided to be here, to step into the big leagues. If she wanted out, she could have just sent in a pair of blue jeans and an apology note." <J-IC-Scene> Petra Soroka says, "What the hell are you talking about? Of course I fucking know how to dress myself. I've probably put more thought into my outfit today than you've been capable of doing in your life." <J-IC-Scene> Petra Soroka says, "Step into the big leagues". Jackass. We're in a clothing store. Get your head out of your ass." <J-IC-Scene> Ishirou |POD transmits, -Please remember that duels and fighting are not permitted in the closet. Local regulations do not premit these things in the city's district. Please settle your dispute in the contest for maximum efficency.- <J-IC-Scene> Petra Soroka says, "I mean, if he's fighting Lilian, I won't get a chance to." <J-IC-Scene> Petra Soroka says, "He'll be knocked out in the first round." <J-IC-Scene> Kale Hearthward says, "The only way I'll be knocked out in the first round is if you're standing upwind." Petra is, for seemingly no reason, assaulted by someone she's never met before. Face bright red and glaring around at the gathered elites, she settles on the one she doesn't recognize and storms over to him. Thankfully, this process of elimination does get her to Kale. "What's your *fucking* issue? I've never even met you before! Are you just mocking me because you expect that I'm an easy target? Because you think I'm *homeless*? For your *fucking* information, I'm *not* anymore, and if I *was*, you'd be the most pathetic Elite in the Multiverse for trying to pick on me." Her tirade is all-encompassing to the point that she doesn't greet or even acknowledge Bikki, Berislav, or Futaba. |
| Ishirou | Ishirou stares at Kale as he runs around...deeply nervous about what he's going to dress him up in, and how uncomfortable it'll be. Thankfully, Metaphor distracts him from that, "Oh hi...uh yeah, sorry this became a thing because of Lilian..." he says, rubbing the back of his head embarrassed. Worse now that she's taking it...deadly seriously. Futaba's question is starting to be answered, but POD interjects. -Error, Ishirou is not allowed to provide assistance with this based on the rules set down by the King of Heroes and Dame Commander Lilian Rook on the basis of 'Ishirou's fashion taste is terrible and he needs better outfits that aren't something he picked for himself.' Please refrain from asking him questions in this contest.- Ishirou looks withering at POD who is /BULLYING HIM/. POD looks vaguely smug, somehow. She doesn't, but you feel it. Ozhira comes by. Again. And Again. And Again. This confuses the Ishirou, who...of course, has the bright idea to try and scan her to figure out how she's doing this! Miku shows up with Hibiki and distracts him. "Miku! Hi! Good to see you here.." he says, genuinely meaning it because she's likely to not do something awful to him. "Aw...thanks I can't wait to try it on.." Then Petra. "...What did I do to you..?" he asks, staring at the selection. This look withers when Kale brings in the second outfit for his lineup. To the Father, he sighs, "I dunno, after this I am sure my dignity is going to be evaporated.." |
| Stanley Padgett | Wisconsin is here. She was here the whole time, alongside her two young escorts, Cassin and Denver. The girls are maybe... later entries to the competition, but no less enthusiastic about things. That said, this is a LOT of clothing on offer and there is a LOT of shopping that's got to be done. Thankfully, they've got Ishirou's sizes and what he usually looks like and it's all neat and orderly and written out and... Denver had some IDEAS. OUTFIT #1: Ishirou is dressed in a 1940's cut men's casual attire. This means a pinstripe short sleeved camp shirt in green and white, a handsome looking cravat, comfortable sea green slacks, and a slouch hat. OUTFIT #2: Wisky has picked a VERY fitting waist coat and shirt, in salmon and grey, with a fashionable silk tie. The pants are cleanly pressed and khaki, and there's wingtips to finish it off. |
| Kale Hearthward | Kale absorbs the tirade, looking taken aback, and literally taking a step back as if from the force of it. "... Oh dear. I hadn't realized..." He reaches into his vest, and pulls out a business card and pen, on the back of which he writes something down and then presses into Petra's hands. "There we go - directions to the nearest Commonwealth-run food pantry. I'm sure once you get some food in you, that grumpiness will just evaporate, and you'll be in a much more civil mood." |
| Metaphor | Metaphor is back relatively quickly, moving through the building with a slightly hunched, driven stride best described as that of a vampire killer. A vision has obviously been seen, as she directs the occasional staff hand, blazes through sections only stopping for a moment to grab something correct, carefully comparing a few articles (but not for too long). She hasn't had much opportunity to give fashion advice to someone who will listen, so it's obviously immediately exciting. It doesn't seem to have registered in her mind that this is the prerequisite for a tournament; and anyone who has interacted with her would know her stance on that. Ignorance is bliss. She arrives back with an armful of clothing, seeing the active... dispute and steering somewhat clear of it for the present. She's practically bouncing on her feet waiting for Ishirou's reponse to her outfit. Ishirou is in a short-sleeved teal button up with a tailored black sleeveless formal jacket on top, almost close to an understated corset, with a few silver buttons along the sides. The somewhat taller collar is matched by a cravat, with a small and simplistic silver brooch. This continues down into a matching half-skirt over black shorts, the front of the skirt open and only continuing down to a bit below the knee, and the lining done in that same teal. A short black mantle is draped across his shoulders, with teal 'cybernetic' design inlay and a silver chain holding it together. He has black ankle boots with a few straps along the front and more buttons, and a pair of fingerless gloves with a similar inlay to the mantle. All of it seems to keep his arms and legs relatively unrestricted. Useful! |
| Hibiki Tachibana | "And I'll be happy to see you in it! Ahahaha...you really have quite the selection to pick from, don't you?" Miku almost definitely has her thoughts on the pair of maid dresses as she says that, though it's difficult to tell if her tone is one of sympathy or if she might be looking forward to it a bit herself. Hibiki, meanwhile, gives a tenuous glance over towards where Petra and Kale are going at it - Miku does as well, with a turn of her head that's only just enough to peek back that way, but it's the blonde who gives Ishirou the 'one moment' finger raise and moves over. Where she goes to interject between bird and girl, closing her eyes while placing a steadying hand on Petra's shoulder from behind. Probably because she knows what's coming. It's to Kale she speaks up to, though. "...Not necessary, Kale. I'm gonna ask you once to stop antagonizing her, thanks. You guys are gonna have plenty to fight over already in the tournament, since only one of you can get what you want, right?" |
| Futaba Nuki | POD answers Futaba's questions by not answering them, and she sighs dramatically before nodding. "Alright, something announcer-worthy, then. This kinda outfit should be flashy enough to get you some good looks from whoever's watching, but not too flashy so you're not distracting from the fights!" Just in case, though, Futaba adds a little bit extra to her outfit for Ishirou: A dark gray suit and pants combo with purple interior and a faint flowery-motif on the back in a slightly lighter silver. Gold seams line the sleeves and the front of the jacket, and the buttons of the jacket are also gold, but the vest included with the set has silver buttons instead. A gold bow tie is also included to round out the whole set with the white dress shirt underneath, and a silver pocket watch with irregular gold lines is included for additional flair. The growing spat between Kale and Petra, meanwhile, catches Futaba's attention. She greets them both with a friendly wave, but there's clearly some STUFF going on she's not willing to stick her nose into. Or she is, but in the more literal sense than the figurative. Futaba gets up, approaches Petra, then... Actually stays a fairly safe distance away to just sniff the air with light twitches of her nose. She's got a better sense of smell than most, after all! It doesn't take long for her to hold up a hand, and... "She's good." Thumbs up! She actually seems to approve of Petra's scent, but she doesn't break social norms and goes right back to sitting on her own ~~ass~~ tail-turned-seat. |
| Father Berislav | "Oh, now, don't be dramatic," says Berislav with a little laugh. He is pointedly attempting to ignore the exchange between Kale and Petra. "Think of it as an opportunity to broaden your horizons. If you find that you don't like a particular outfit, then you've left the experience with more knowledge about yourself and your preferences. Besides--" he smiles warmly. "One foray into fishnets isn't enough to define you." "Oh, goodness!" He exclaims, hands clasped together, bouncing on his heels briefly, silver eyes aglow with approval as Metaphor selects her outfit for Ishirou. "That mantle is just perfect. I wish I'd thought of something like that for him." |
| Ishirou | POD is helpful, Futaba. Ishirou tries to ignore the fighting between Petra and Kale. This is just a powder keg waiting to go off. To the Father, "Uh...I guess you're right. Oh I guess this is really the first time I've gotten to meet you outside of your /VERY AWESOME/ mech. Hi!" he says, with an offering of a handshake. To Miku, he gives her a smile, though strained by the situation. "I do..." he eyes Petra's outfits. "I...do..." Metaphor's outfit actually surprises him, looking at it and each individual piece. "Wow...you're really good at this. You sure you didn't miss your calling?" he says, chuckling at his joke. Whiskey gets a blank stare, as he checks out her outfits, "You certainly have a style! Though I guess retro can be good.." |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin cheerily gives a thumbs up. "Young fellas got to look their best and nothing says STYLE like vintage looks. Though... I was used to these myself, back during the War..." |
| Ozhira | With their gift offered, Ozhira leans back and lifts a hand to their mouth, tapping their lips in thought, "Were we, meant to do more than one?" The beast hesitates, then dismisses the thought. Kale-Petra War has attracted their attention instead. They recognize Petra from a brief encounter before, and so the creature gravitates in her direction. While Futaba is fairly respectful of personal space-- Ozhira is not. They just sort of, slide into place just behind the pilot's left shoulder, half a pace away. There is no obvious scenting activity. Their voice just kind of comes out, "Smells of, bone and blood. Like all humans. This is, normal, we think." Evidently the finer points of scented shampoos and soaps are lost on the Devourer in the Dark. Scanning Ozhira produces some unusual results. At a glance, they appear to be human. Bones and organs in the right places. But each subsequent scan is-- slightly different. Like things are moving around more than they really should be. Shifting in subtle ways. Never quite the same, like a Magic Eye picture. |
| Petra Soroka | Petra's hand plunges towards where the pocket of her bomber jacket would be if it wasn't tied around her waist, instantly escalating towards reaching for her gun. When her hand just wraps around air, she stops and blinks for a moment to recenter herself. Hibiki puts her hand on Petra's shoulder, and though she jumps at the touch, she relaxes soon after, her awkwardly floating hand returning to her pocket. She takes a half step back, putting herself in line with Hibiki, radiating just a tiny bit of smugness. "Yeah. Don't worry, Bikki, I'm better than getting wrapped up in the random insults from some pompous creep who thinks *canes* look good." Relaxing, Petra effortfully, casually, turns away from Kale, to give her attention to Ishirou. And Miku, who she really doesn't want to give a bad *second* impression to, too. "Miku! It's nice to see you again. I like your taste in outfits, the scarf is a really nice touch." She turns to Futaba too, and waves. "Hi! Futaba. It's good to meet you in person, finally." She pointedly ignores Berislav. Belatedly, Petra draws her eyebrows together in confusion. "Bikki? What did you mean by, "only one of you can get what you want"?" |
| Kale Hearthward | Kale's hand twitches when Petra goes for the gun she doesn't have. It's only when she pulls out nothing does he relax. He *also* pointedly goes to chat with someone else. In this case, Futaba. "Hey there. Your outfit's looking good," he says, examining her choices. "I think-" He pauses. "Wait, only one of us?" he also asks Hibiki. |
| Metaphor | At the compliments from Ishirou and Berislav, Metaphor rubs the back of her neck somewhat sheepishly. "I just, uh, watch a lot of... shows. Shows with fashion. Uh. Glad you both enjoy it." And then, as an aside to Ishirou, "...are you the one judging the outfits, or is Gilgamesh?" Her attention is pulled away as she starts looking around at the other contestants. They know each other. Odd one out. Though it's hard to tell if she's looking at something unless she turns her whole head, Kale and Petra might notice that pulsing screen boring a hole through the back of their heads, if only for a few seconds. Danger. Petra's motion to draw has her already two steps closer and reaching into her own bag - until Hibiki breaks it up, and they both turn away. Metaphor hovers in this incredibly tense stance for a few seconds, mind racing, before awkwardly completing the motion by pulling out a blue eyepiece and slotting it onto her face. Another glance around the combatants; she can see a broad 'Health Bar' above their heads, now; before relaxing slightly and standing near Berislav. These aren't just coworkers. Need to keep an eye out. |
| Futaba Nuki | Ozhira's curious way of sniffing Petra has Futaba snickering at their... Everything, actually. It's not long before she gets tired of just sitting around, and she starts following the stranger around idly instead. It doesn't take long for her to get distracted by the fishnets, though, and she nods slowly at Berislav's provided wisdom. "... They really do look itchy, though. And with those pants... Would that be a waste? I mean, unless you were wearing shorts?" Futaba suggests, then raises an eyebrow at Wisconsin. "Is it vintage? I thought vintage was more..." Wait. She can't tell how old Wisconsin is just by looking at her. Time to smoothly turn away and greet Miku and Hibiki instead. "Hey there! You're Mister Ishirou's friends, too? Wow, we're gonna get all kinds of styles going on today..." Futaba whistles lightly at their approach and, without missing a beat/trying to keep attention off Miku trying to defuse the Kale and Petra situation, just puts on a shit-eating grin. "Wow, Mister Ishirou. I didn't think you'd be this popular with the girls." Thankfully, the situation does seem defused with Petra and Kale (both) greeting her (hopefully at separate times). "Hey, Petra! Kinda weird we haven't already, but... Now we have, and now I know who I'll have to face in the tournament sometime!" Sounding confident, she looks Petra over once before giving her a playful tap with her tail. "Better keep your eyes open when we do, though." Turning to Kale next, Futaba grins widely with an intrigued look given towards his own choices. "Hi, Mister Kale! Great minds think alike, yeah? I was thinking wrestling announcer, but with a bit of fancy flair in case he ever needs to get into the ring. The maid outfit, though..." She scratches her cheek, looking a bit more uncertain there. "Is that gonna work for that? I mean, maybe in general..." |
| Hibiki Tachibana | Ozhira gets a slow turn of the head from Hibiki, and a raised eyebrow. She's entirely unsure that the amorphous predator brand of sniffing is going on until the comment comes out, at which point she looks down at herself as if to ask if /she/ 'smells of bone and blood'. Fortunately, things are defused(?) for now, so she's free to scratch at her cheek a bit awkwardly and let out an exhale, as things turn back Ishirou-ward. Miku also seems pleased that that whole thing has quieted down. Petra gets a warm smile. "Thank you, Petra! I had to do a bit of stitching, but I'm really glad with how it came out. I'm loving everyone else's choices, too!" Metaphor's ensemble in particular gets her attention and a slightly wider grin, as does Berislav's, before she looks back to the other girl. And lowers her voice conspiratorially. "Between you and me, I think the 'punk' aesthetic is something he'd surprisingly wear /really/ well," she mentions on her first outfit of choice. And at both Petra and Kale catching onto her comment belatedly, Hibiki briefly goes still before gripping onto her jacket collar and gives it a brief adjustment, as she often does. "I mean. Only one of you are going to be able to win the tournament, right? So you should save any fighting with each other for the arena." Quick save. And one she's hopefully going to avoid being scrutinized over thanks to Futaba's timely introduction. Another good save. "Ah--yeah, that's us. Hibiki - and that's Miku. Nice to meet you. I think I've heard your voice over the radio before, come to think of it..." "Ishirou's very popular with the boys, too!" |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin looks over to Futaba, and holds up both thumbs. "Oh, vintage is... yeah, well. This was they style when my keel was first laid down, so I gotta go back to it, you know?" That would make this lady at least... 70? "Fashion's a cycle sure, but some things just look cool no matter who they're on." Denver, meanwhile, wanders over towards Hibiki and salutes a bit. "Love the scarf, by the by. Black on black with accents is a good look. Though, I gotta admit, he looks like... an executive somehow. One of those quirky ones?" |
| Futaba Nuki | Finally getting a chance to get a better look at Metaphor, meanwhile, has Futaba circling arund her a few times as well as taking a look at her provided outfits. "Whoa... Good colors. And a lot of neat little details around here... I didn't know a robot could do that!" She remarks, sounding somewhat awestruck by everything she's seeing there. "Watching fashion shows, designing cool outfits... Are you gonna be in the tournament, too?" She sounds vaguely hopeful. |
| Ishirou | Ishirou can hear you Miku because his head turns towards her. He doesn't say anything, but enhanced senses are not always good. Though at her other question, "Am I really? I think it's just the one.." he says, thinking about it. Ozhira's scans come back...horrifying. However, she seems friendly and...isn't a monster. ...Then again, even if she is one, it isn't exactly fair to judge her based on what's down there. He makes a sigh, "Thank you," he says to her. Ishirou also notices something, looking at Kale's maid outfit, he pulls the collar back. "Kale...why are your initials on this?" he says, holding his maid outfit up. |
| Father Berislav | "They're not uncomfortable," says Berislav to Futaba. "But they can be a bit coarse, compared to more traditional stockings." How does he know that? Hibiki gets a brief, but grateful glance from Berislav, when Petra isn't looking. "I'm Father Waters Berislav, as you may have heard earlier," he says, to Hibiki. "I was a Watch asset long before I was anything resembling an Elite, so it's quite a pleasure to finally meet you in person," he beamingly adds. "Have you met Buttercup?" His head tilts slightly with polite interest, silver bangs bobbing. "I think you two would get along." 'What did you mean by only one of you can get what you want?' The priest is conspicuously quiet. Rather than offer any insight into this, he turns to Metaphor. "Your voice is familiar," he says. "You wouldn't happen to be the Not-Doctor?" |
| Kale Hearthward | Kale gives Ishirou an odd look. "So that people know it's mine, if I lose track of it?" "That's kind of a silly question, to be honest, Ishirou." |
| Ishirou | "Why do you own a maid outfit?" Ishirou asks again, tilting his head at Kale. |
| Kale Hearthward | The odd look intensifies. Kale looks from the Maid Outfit #2 to Ishirou, then back to the Maid Outfit #2. "Because I look good in it," says Kale. "I mean, like, why do you own any clothes? This is starting to get kind of existential? Are you sure you're okay, Ishirou?" |
| Ishirou | Ishirou pauses...looking down at the dress and then back up at Kale. "I don't think this will fit me.." he thinks outloud. "I just was surprised you'd ware something like this...but okay, I am curious what you look like in it now." |
| Metaphor | Metaphor tenses a little at the scrutiny from Futaba, at first as a continuation of her slight fluster from the compliments towards her outfit (ECG picks up rate slihgtly) before straightening a little at the robot comment, voice dropping just a bit more flat. "Can robots do what, exactly? And... what's this about a tournament?" She then promptly startles at Berislav's comment, groaning quietly as she slumps a little. Public band. Recognition. Don't you want that? She turns her head slightly, giving Berislav something like a side-eye, but without the eye component. Tension. "That's... yes, that's me. Greetings. How is... , uh- are, you holding up." Somewhat strained. Fingers tap on a belt lacking standard tools. Only serves to increase tension. |
| Ozhira | The Beast is stalked by the Ninja, for however long that lasts before Futaba gets distracted. Ozhira seems to catch Hibiki's glance in their direction, though, and offers a-- rather disastrous smile filled with sharp teeth. They tried. When Ishirou thanks them, the creature lets out a shockingly bird-like chirp, swinging their hands behind their back and folding them. Ozhira leans forward just a bit like this, the smile becoming much more...genuine?, if short-lived, "Oh. Thank you. We tried. We are new to this." To Metaphor's scan, the Devourer's healthbar is... a little glitchy. It seems to occasionally shatter apart into millions of smaller health bars for one frame of animation, now and then. They are Many, indeed. Much like Ishirou's anatomical scans, it's Pretty Cursed. |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin's bar comes back as "Mostly undamaged" and Metaphor can tell the woman's got a perforation in an internal bulkhead, but that's nothing to be worried about right now. Denver's likewise mostly unharmed, but there's a hitch in one of her screws, so she's not at top speed. |
| Kale Hearthward | Kale waves, demurely. "Oh, I *couldn't*, not possibly," he says. "Tonight's all about you, Ishirou, it's your *debut*. As an announcer, I mean." "If I went and got all dressed up, why, I'd steal all the attention away from you, when you're getting ready to try on all of these outfits, and nobody would want that, right?" Kale's HP bar is looking pretty good, albeit his 'max HP' is about 10% shorter than it should be. |
| Hibiki Tachibana | "Oh--thanks," Hibiki flashes a grin for the first time since stepping in here, over to Denver. It might only be slightly strained while Ozhira's own one is still fresh in her mind. "Really, my friend deserves all the credit, but I'd say it came out great. If I was Ishirou, I wouldn't wanna be commentating for hours in some stuffy suit." A pause, before she remembers present company, namely with a flash at Wisconsin's selection. "Uh, not that there's anything wrong with those. Just not my speed. I dig the retro aesthetic too. You don't see that back home." Another collar adjustment. Her eyes meet Berislav, first for understanding and then for the greeting, smile still on her face. "You too...uh, Father?" For whatever reason, the term seems like it's a bit awkward for her to say beyond just being unsure of how to best refer to him, but she skips past that. "I've heard your voice a ton lately, but no substitute for actually meeting face to face. Still, I've heard enough that I can probably say...thanks, for doing what you can." The mention of Buttercup gets a raised eyebrow, what looks like a moment of thought, and then a tilt of her head. "One of those sisters, right? I think I've heard her a bit...but I haven't gotten to meet with her yet. What makes you say that?" You'll learn in time, Hibiki. For now, she also turns towards Metaphor after. "Oh, yeah--from the Union Busan. Right?" Her 'health bar' is a little lower than topped off, likely because of some still-present minor injuries. Miku, in the meantime, has been watching the back-and-forth between Kale and Ishirou with all the grace of 'someone standing right on the sidelines and politely smiling'. She finds a nice time to lean in. "Speaking of, which are you thinking of trying on first, Ishirou?" |
| Petra Soroka | Petra's health bar is green, like a poison status effect, draining and reasserting its previous state in a hectic loop. It seems to actively resist being read, angling itself with perspective tricks to try to make it hard to precisely measure it. It's far from full, but it seems upset that you'd even ask. Petra beams at Miku, clapping her hands together. "You stitched that yourself? That's amazing, it looks just as good as all the stuff here!" Petra whispers back with just a bit too much energy, "Right? It'd be *so* cute. I've never seen him wear anything remotely interesting, so I thought I might as well have fun." Petra is visibly doubtful at Hibiki's cover-up, pouting. Her eyes flick over to Berislav, though, and she chooses not to comment, instead humming in response to Futaba. "Mmm. Yeah, I hope we get matched up together. What do you do, actually?" Petra looks disbelievingly at Kale, and opens her mouth to be judgy. "Why would you try to give Ishirou your *own* maid outfit? You aren't even suited for one. You've got all the wrong proportions, like trying to dress up a broomstick. Are you sure your idea of 'fashion sense' isn't just from jerking yourself off in the mirror?" |
| Wisconsin | Denver giggles at Hibiki. "Don't worry about her, she's just... she has fond memories of back then. Not all of us do, so..." A shrug. "I knw I'm saying that and I wanna put him in a very smart lookin' suit but knights should look their best. AND Paladins." |
| Metaphor | A slow nod to Hibiki at the recognition. "Yes. Thank you for your help with... all that. You and the rest of the combatants were really something." Her decision to not include herself within that list seems intentional. Visibility. Metaphor's gaze eventually drifts back to Ozhira, lingering, piercing... she relaxes. She's seen something like this before. A good friend. She looks elsewhere, almost conspicuously, a gesture of intentional acknowledgement-non-acknowledgement. Most of the people are glanced over. She's gotten somewhat okay at temporarily ignoring minor injuries. Had to. But her gaze locks on Petra, subconsciously leaning forward just a little bit. It's unpleasant, but... stable? Though there's a sense of mute horror to the idea of something causing that, she opts against bringing it up (obvious reasons), eventually breaking to look elsewhere. Her hands keep running across empty spaces on her belt, though; even more fervently now. Tension exudes. |
| Father Berislav | "Oh, I'm quite good, thank you!" Berislav smiles brightly, hands clasped together before him. "I have to say, I quite enjoyed our conversation the other day. You should come to service at some point, if nothing else than for the novelty of the idea." He really seems more amused than anything, when it comes to her previous surprise at his 'fandom.' Berislav picks up on Hibiki's unfamiliarity with the form of address, laughing lightly and waving a hand dismissively. "My first name is fine, if you don't care for the honorific. As for Buttercup, I think she's someone who uses fighting to express herself. From what I know, you struck me as being similar, in that regard, if you don't mind me saying--" Petra's remark towards Kale draws a look from Berislav. Polite chastisement, maybe. "Now, Petra," he says, tugging gently at the hem of his v-neck. And that's all he says, for a good moment, letting it seep into the air. It could mean a lot of things--'are you armed for the swordfight you're picking?' Or maybe 'is there a hornet's nest in the Multiverse you haven't kicked yet?' It's only after he's given it time to percolate that the priest finishes the rest of the thought. "If you exhaust all of that energy here, you won't have any left for the tournament," he says, pleasantly enough. Turning to Metaphor, he offers a brief explanation. "There's to be a fighting tournament held by Gilgamesh, with Ishirou here commentating. Selecting an outfit for him is a kind of entrance fee, if you will." |
| Futaba Nuki | "Really? Huh... Guess I'll try it, then." Futaba replies to Berislav with a slow nod, seeming to take his own knowledge on the matter at face value rather than worrying about the how. Strangely enough, she actually squints (and perks up) more when she hears him speaking to Hibiki about Buttercup for some reason. "Never thought she'd be into churchy stuff..." She comments idly with a curious tone, then turns back to Metaphor with a broad gesture at the clothes. "Picking out outfits! I mean, besides just colors. The... The stuff mixes good, it looks like. I always thought robots were supposed to be more.... Beepy." She gestures at Ishirou afterwards. "Oh, the tournament? That's his deal, I think. Something to do with impressing Miss Rook or something while everyone watches. Pretty cool, right?" Futaba's health bar, to note, is also perfect! Weirdly perfect, too, like something's pushed her bar up from brown at the end to a violent yellow, then pushed it past that just to mix in some silvery notes. Petra asks, and Futaba answers. "I transform! Like..." She gestures at her tail that is currently functioning as a true, lifting her legs up to lay across it as it effortlessly turns into a couch. "Neat, huh? I can do all sorts of stuff with this. And you've got... Gun?" |
| Kale Hearthward | > "You aren't even suited for one." Kale bristles. His hands twitch. He doesn't need to reach for a weapon. That's less of a blessing and more of a curse in this case - attacking Petra is a mere arcane gesture away. It'd be really easy to send her flying across the room - maybe aimed towards one of those nice windows, or towards that glass case holding the jewelry, or hey, that up escalator is perfectly lined up... maybe Petra would start falling down the stairs forever if he got it *just* right. It's all very, very tempting. Visibly, gradually, he calms down. "Huh." He turns to give Petra his full attention. And he smiles. "Well, it seems you know a lot about maid outfits, then! If you're that sure of all of that, that is." "It occurs to me, if you aren't going to retract that and you want to put your bustier where your beak is... we need to have a little maid off." |
| Futaba Nuki | "When what was first...? Wait. So you're..." Futaba squints at Wisconsin from her self-couch, not quite catching the ship lingo all that easily before nodding in agreement with the rest of what she's saying. "It does! I know some people are even trying to get those pants with the big leg openings back, and I bet there's even some people trying to bring back those big clocks." Judging from her goofy grin, it sounds like Futaba might actually approve of some of that older goofier fashion. |
| Ishirou | Ishirou just stares at Kale. "Alright sure," he says, with a look of 'okay boomer'. Miku asks a very important question, and he actually has to think. "Well...gosh I'm...hm. Actually, I'm thinking of trying on Metaphor's first...it's really nice. After that, I'm tied up between yours and the Father's. But remember, my judgment isn't a factor in this.." he says with a reserved sigh. He just continues to stare blankly as Petra and Kale continue to hate each other. To Whiskey he thinks about her in this sort of outfit. He nods once, "I can see it..." He's also very glad for Father Berislav keeping things cooled in the room...until... Maid off. Ishirou's eyes widen, "Maid off..." he says, wistfully. He also side-eyes Futaba. "No, I am announcing for it...and it's a good way to get combat data. Geeze.." |
| Hibiki Tachibana | Petra is pretty right to doubt, and Hibiki does feel pretty bad about that - but she'd rather not risk poking any sore spots or starting anything else. There's only a momentary grimace before she shakes her head entirely to herself, before looking back to Metaphor. "Don't knock yourself, either. Without you, a lot of people would've been...a lot worse off. That's for sure." And then to Denver, who she definitely seems pretty comfortable around after the good first impression, "Well, you're not the only one who wants to see him in a suit, from the looks of it...a knight, though?" She gives a questioning look at that, before it's back to Berislav. "Waters...Waters." It sounds like she's trying it a couple times before relenting. "...Nah, I guess I'll try to stick with Father. Maybe put your last name on the end of it. But...fighting to express herself, huh?" Hibiki looks down at her hand for a moment, then continues. "...I don't mind one bit. I really wanna chat with her sometime, actually." "Mmm! I'm not any kind of expert, but I wanted to do a little bit more for him than just buying something, if that makes any sense." Miku, sunnily replying to Petra, either didn't know or simply didn't pay any mind to Ishirou's lack of control over any of this. There's the impression she entirely understands wanting to dress him up like that. And then the 'maid off' becomes the center of focus, and both girls turn to blink between Petra and Kale both. "Uh...hey, look, didn't you just say that today is all about Ishirou? We shouldn't take over with something like that--" Miku, however, seems to be appraising Petra with an unknowable look. Rather than saying anything to her directly, immediately, she catches Ishirou's wistful comment. Smiling once again, "Is that the sound of wanting to make it a three-way battle, Ishirou?" |
| Petra Soroka | Petra crosses her arms and tenses her shoulders when Metaphor stares at her, even without turning around to see that she's staring. Being read registers unconsciously to her, invasive and uncomfortable. She bristles at the expected chiding from Berislav, then half-way relaxes, still tensed up in irregular ways. Petra opens her mouth to respond, lifts up a bandaged hand to gesture vaguely, then drops it and turns away. She's radiating weird vibes towards Berislav, and can't decide whether she wants to ignore him, be mad at him, or act pleasantly. Futaba gets a curious look, and Petra rubs a knuckle into her cheek in thought. "So, like, weapons and stuff too? How heavy--" Bad question. "That's really neat, I bet you've got a super creative fighting style to use that. And, uh, yeah. Gun. I can use it for, like, close combat stuff, too." There's no mention of the Kana. Maid off. Petra cycles through a range of expressions all at once, trying to process the direction this has gone. "I'd never lose to a fucking self-obsessed freak in women's clothing." She blurts out, then bites down on the knuckle of her finger to stop herself from continuing. "But. I'm not wearing a maid outfit. It's not happening. I refuse. But not because I wouldn't look good in it." |
| Futaba Nuki | Petra asks about her transformation abilities, and Futaba grins widely as she nods. "Uhuh! I've got ninja stuff, too, so I've got all sorts of tricks and cool stuff I can pull out whenever. Never tried using a gun, though. Not my style, although using it up close..." She strokes her chin, then slides over to where Petra is (literally). "Do you whack people with it? Because I hear it really hurts, but it's so... Short. Is that practical?" The prospect of a maid battle between Ishirou and Kale has Futaba intrigued, especially with that wistful look on Ishirou's face and that intensity coming from Kale. "This could totally steal the show... Well, if it's part of the tournament. But if it's done as part of the lead up..." Sitting up finally, Futaba claps her hands together. "We should make sure everyone knows about this, too. Then we can have some real stakes on who gets acknowledged!" She sounds eager, but in an innocently curious/competitive way rather than anything else. "But who's gonna be the ref? I mean, we need to make sure it's fair, right?" |
| Kale Hearthward | > "I'd never lose to a fucking self-obsessed freak in women's clothing." Kale crosses his arms. This seems fine. After all, she's clearly leading up to accept, and- > "I refuse." ... Less fine. "Then let me make this more formal." He reaches over towards his maid outfit, currently arranged on a mannequin alongside the other outfits, and takes something from it... ... and then very quickly, whirls around, and swings it at Petra's face. If it connects, it doesn't actually hurt - actually she'd barely feel it. ... It's a glove. A lacy maid glove. "Petra Soroka, as you will not recant your words, I issue challenge," says Kale sternly, glaring at her. "If your claims stand, then I will put the lie to them via action and deed. Do you accept, or will you let what shreds remain of your honor wither and die in the breeze?" |
| Ozhira | Kale issues his challenge with a frilly glove. In the aftermath of the swing it dangles-- oh so tauntingly. Across the room, Ozhira stares at it like a cat staring at a cattail wand, their pupils shrunken to tiny focused pinpricks of Animal Attack Mode. They seem to be actively resisting the urge to attack something small that's moving around a lot, though cannot take their eyes off it. Any anatomical scans of Ozhira get substantially more nightmarish when they're like this, and it only ceases when they visibly relax. |
| Metaphor | "Beepy." The tone is withering. Metaphor sighs, rubbing both sides of her monitor, before continuing in that strained tone, "I am... politely assuming that you are not from somewhere with... positronics. We're people. Thoroughly. Remember this." She pauses, and her coiled anxiety diminishes just a little while responding to Berislav. Just a little. "...if you give me a time, then I'd love to." An explanation to a beleagured moron. "...ah. Does this... enter automatically? I am not a..." She pauses for a few moments, seemingly struggling to find the right word. "...fighter. I don't fight... people." There's subtle emphasis on that last word. "Not usually." Any relaxation she might have been slowly reclaiming is fully and violently shattered at Kale's motion followed by Petra's outburst. Almost faster than a standard eye can process, she's pulled out an orange belt-mounted bag from her duffel (fitting inside despite incorrect dimensions) and latched it to the more decorative belt on her skirt. It's like staring at a gunslinger; a hand hovers over the bag, but does not draw. If someone was only glancing at her, or didn't know her methodologies, they might just presume she's worried about her belongings. Bag matches beret. Outfit still good. She sure seems to be processing this well as a third party, standing across the room! |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin and Denver both perk up at 'beepy' but go back to their own convos. Denver smiles to Bikki and puts her hands on her hips, as the MAID CHALLENGE goes on. "...you know, there's an entire wing of our fleet that are maids. Well, not OUR fleet, it's the Brits. The Royal Maids, even." She pulls up a tablet pad, and shows off some of the girls in their various... starts of maidly dressing. Denver stage whispers. "Frankly some of them show WAY too much skin, but that's just... one knight's opinion." |
| Wisconsin | Wisky scoffs at Futaba. "No no no, that's from the 70s. I didn't like the 70s. Too much... new stuff. Though, now is Too Much New Stuff too, but I can hardly complain." She holds up her arms, to show off the leather vest and the tassled dress. "I look straight out of... well, some place in the midwest, so..." A giggle. "Leave it to the fancy schmancies in New York and SanFran for the LATEST duds." |
| Petra Soroka | Petra is slapped with a lacy maid glove. Her lips part in a tiny little "o", and she stands dumfounded, blinking in shock. "You... can't be serious. Do you have some fixation with me? You're one of Lilian's, right? Did she put you up to all the harassment you've been giving me?" Petra looks around helplessly at the other Elites. "I can just, like, walk away from this, you know. I've got no stake in you or your freakish obsession. None of my... 'honor' is on the line, here." It is extremely important to her to see how everyone else here reacts to her trying to back out of this. |
| Father Berislav | Berislav nods at Hibiki, smiling bright. "I'm sure she'd like that, too." The weird vibes from Petra seemingly pass through or bounce off of the priest, but his silver eyes do flick towards her bandaged palm. At least she was able to muster the will to bandage it. Berislav's face is a stone mask of pleasantry when she calls Kale a freak. At least she stopped herself from saying something worse. Even if it did apparently take an expenditure of will on her part. "I'm sure it's fine if you'd rather not fight," he reassures Metaphor. "I'm not used to fighting, shall we say, recreationally, myself, so I do understand. As for service, well... there is the daily office during the week, but if you want the full experience, Sundays--" A formal challenge is issued. Hm. What is there to even say? Inwardly confused, he masterfully keeps his composure, maintaining a pleasant, polite little smile, hands now folded behind his back. "That's very true, Petra," he says, encouragingly, against his better judgment. "The point of making a challenge like that is to manufacture stakes. You're no less honorable for declining, because it was never on the line in the first place." |
| Ishirou | Ishirou stares at Miku, "Please, no.." he says with a whine, "I don't need to be dressed up any mooooore.." he says, complaining sightly about wanting to be involved in a three-way between Kale and Petra. "Also I think they'd just beat me up a lot.." When someone says Beepy, he frowns. "Robots with the ability to think and feel are people," he says in a tone that reads 'this is not up for debate. Then there was a duel thrown. A maid off between the two...he has sparkly eyes thinking about this. Which should give you his answer, Petra. |
| Metaphor | Metaphor just stares at Petra (ECG slows). A slight tilt of the head to acknowledge Berislav. Speech is faster, quieter. "Recreationally. Is this normal? This isn't just martial arts. Is it just martial arts? Daily, sundays, right. Scheduling. Consultation with logistics. Mornings, right." Statue-still. Unnerving, in comparison to her constant tics. |
| Futaba Nuki | Metaphor's and Ishirou's reaction gives Futaba the distinct feeling she might have just said something really rude. "Never heard of that word before! But.. Uh. Sorry. My bad." She apologizes with a quick downturn of her head. She struggles to come up with something to say and fails several times before finally snapping her fingers. "I'll make up for it sometime!" That's the best she can come up with for now. It's genuine and sounds as such, if nothing else. Wisconsin gives Futaba a better look at her outfit, and the tanuki nods slowly while trying to piece it all together. "I think I get it, yep! Your style is... Older than the 70s?" Wait. If it's before that, and you're from the midwest, that means..." It takes a while, but eventually, Futaba snaps her fingers again. "Cowboys! Uh. Texas!" Her attention gets snagged again by the maid challenge from Kale to Petra, and her eyes light up. "A three-way..." She sounds entranced by the thought, and her attention there only shifts again after hearing Ishirou's plea to Miku. Naturally, Futaba starts laughing, then gets up finally to throw an arm around his shoulder. "If they're both beating you up, that just means they see you as a bigger threat than each other. It's not a bad thing!" And then she squints at Ishirou from close up. "... How strong are you for them both to want to do that, anyway?" She's totally sizing him up now. |
| Kale Hearthward | > It is extremely important to her to see how everyone else here reacts to her trying to back out of this. I mean, I really hope you're not looking at Kale for your social cues, but alright... "The way I see it, you have three options. Accept, obviously. Or you can recant your words, and I won't have a reason to issue challenge anymore." Kale crosses his arms, lacy glove still gripped in one hand. "Or - yes, you can refuse. And to me, at least, you'll have proven that your words have no weight to them - that you're not willing to back them up. That your words have no value - less than no value, even, because at least one can relax a moment during silence. I can't speak to what it would mean to everyone else, but that's what it'd mean to me. You're a child, throwing a temper tantrum, not to be taken seriously now nor never." He leans in. "In other words..." "... You're full of hot air." Kale said a slur. |
| Hibiki Tachibana | Oh. That happened. To be honest, Hibiki is entirely slack-jawed for about several seconds after the gauntlet is officially thrown down, and it's only Denver speaking up from beside her that gets her to snap out of it and respond while unable to decide if it's her or Petra she wants to keep her eyes on in the seconds after. "Royal Maids...? Wait, aren't you guys sorta like the opposites of Midway or something? Like, fighting on the seas and all that stuff, why do you need--" Maids. That's a lot of maids on that tablet. Her eyebrows raise at a few. "...Geez. Yeah, I'll say." A quiet agreement with 'too much skin'. She is, once again, snapped out of all of that by Petra catching up and casting glances at the rest of them for support, and she meets the other girl's eyes briefly. There's an inhale and she straightens up. This is...hmm. Well, beyond the shellshock of this happening in the first place, her thoughts on it are pretty straightforward. If only everything else could be. "Uh...I was against this becoming a thing in the first place, but I think Father Berislav," she's getting marginally more used to it, "...has a point. I mean, I'd probably be kinda ticked off if that happened to me, but that kinda thing about honor duels hasn't been done in ages, right...?" Amid all of this, Miku has shifted from a dramatic hands-over-mouth at the challenge to seeming to contemplate something. Ishirou is in good hands (by her standards) now when it comes to Futaba. So after Kale's own appraisal of her trying to back out, and a moment of thought, she actually squares up her shoulders a bit and furrows her brow. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, Petra. That goes without saying, and no one else here would hold it against you. But- I honestly think you're more than capable of showing him up and proving every last word wrong!" It's said so entirely genuinely it almost hurts. And her own thoughts about this maid-off completely aside, of course. |
| Father Berislav | "Is it normal?" Berislav repeats the question, tapping an index to his chin. "I can't really say," he admits after a moment's thought. "For me, fighting is a means to an end. A way for me to influence events towards a desired outcome with force." "As it turns out, that's only one reason why it might be done, within the circles that you and I find ourselves. There are people who use it as a means of expression, like I mentioned before. And of course, fighting for fun. Out in the Multiverse, people who *can* fight may be one, both, or all three. So, maybe it is normal, after all." He shrugs. "As for the tournament," he says. If the statue-still manner of the not-doctor bothers him, he doesn't seem to show it. Maybe he's maintaining his calm in the hope that it spreads? Certainly, Petra and Kale have given plenty of cause for that tactic, however effective it's been. There is another brief, grateful glance towards Hibiki, before he continues. "I would assume, if Gilgamesh is holding it, that it won't strictly be limited to the martial arts, even if that's admittedly a very broad descriptor. What I do is a martial art, but Hibiki is also a martial artist, and Lilian Rook is, too, but our styles are very different, if what I've heard about them is true." |
| Petra Soroka | Well, Berislav is supportive, that's good. Ishirou seems excited, which is bad. Futaba... doesn't directly comment, but just from what Petra knows about her, she seems like she'd judge her for this. She forgets Metaphor is even here. Bikki is reassuring, but Miku.... Miku's encouragement strikes Petra deeply, somehow feeling more insulting than Kale's ranting. Especially when remembering what Candy said days earlier. <X-Watch-Chatter> Candy says, "You give it some time to cool off. Then you get gussied up, find a maid outfit, and you put it on, and you send that picture to Lilian, and she will be so angry she will forget all about the other thing. And she'll like it, too, but she won't say it out loud." It's an uncomfortable feeling, much broader than the potential judgement of her peers. It's not her style, first of all. Petra hasn't worn a dress of any kind in a decade, especially not a cutesy one. The pant legs of her overalls become claustrophobic, suddenly hyperaware of their presence. But the thought that it might make Lilian happy is even worse, invasive. It burrows into her brain and echoes, until Petra feels like whether she accepts or declines the challenge hinges on that question alone. While this train of thought is derailing, catching fire, and spilling thousands of barrels of toxic chemicals inside her head, Petra's eyes have slowly slid past Kale, vacantly staring through him. She doesn't absorb a single word he says, like he's not even there. It's probably to her benefit, to worm her way inside Lilian's head with this, right? Somehow. Will Lilian even be there? She probably will. She has to be. Degrading herself to make Lilian feel... something, probably advances her goals, somehow. "I'll do it." Petra blurts out, after multiple minutes of silence. She blinks at Kale, having forgotten he was there. "What are you looking at?" |
| Metaphor | As Berislav keeps talking at her, Metaphor slowly lowers her slightly-raised arm hovering above her bag, before a quiet griiind-click emanates from her chest (ECG skips a beat / Tension drops / Weight shifts back to heels). She sighs, rubs the sides of her monitor again, then crosses her arms. Like a held breath released. Her voice is still somewhat quiet, but far less stilted. "That... makes sense. I suppose I would... fall under the first category. It's not quite... fighting, though." If she has any clarifications to what that means, they are not forthcoming. A few seconds of somewhat awkward silence. Then, almost a whisper under breath, "How can you and... the others be so calm? Amidst..." A slight nod towards the duo. "...something so close to... blows, I suppose? Two near-draws, verbal..." A slight shift in tone. Somewhat veiled displeasure. "Who even is she? I've only heard her... getting into arguments. Receiving arguments." |
| Kale Hearthward | "..." "..." "..." "..." Kale blinks, and finally stops staring blankly at Petra. "Wait, what?" No, no wait, Kale had already changed his mind about what he wanted. She was either supposed to just chicken out or admit that she was wrong, or- Wait, no, she can't possibly beat Kale in any sort of dressing competition, much less maiding. She couldn't possibly. Not her. So... ... This has to be some sort of trick. Yeah. She has... she has to have some sort of edge. Does she know something he doesn't? Kale knows Japanese style and French style, is there some other style that she knows that she'll mandate, as the challenger, leaving him low and windless? Kale narrows his eyes. "I see." Yeah. That has to be it. All this reluctance was an act, to make him say those things and double down, so that it'd be a bigger upset when she revealed her true skill level. Very clever, Soroka. Very clever indeed. This day, you've earned Kale's respect, begrudging though it may be. This leaves Kale in a bind. She clearly has the upper hand here, with some conniving genius plan percolating in her mind. He can practically see the gears turn. If he proceeds forward, he'll be flying straight into her cleverly laid trap... but he has no other option, does he? His fashion honor is on the line here, in front of everyone - damn her. She was supposed to be this homeless idiot Watch girl, not some secret fashion genius. What was her backstory, anyway? Kale doesn't know it. Was she some fashion savant that got chased into exile and obscurity by a rival, and has been hiding away her true power all this time, and he just happened to be the one who she's starting to reveal herself too? Why him? Was it because she thought he was an easy target - or is he a challenge she can't help but take aim at, even at risk of revealing herself? This... feels dangerous now. Whatever reason she has for playing the idiot in front of him, either he's stumbled across a crack in her facade - or she's chosen to reveal it purposefully, for whatever reason. He needs to plan his next moves carefully. "I... see. Well, as the challenged, you can set the terms if you so wish, otherwise there is a standard mode of contest we can use." Steady, Kale. Don't act as though you've figured anything out. Make her make the next move. Still, despite all the danger, he can't help but be a little bit pleased with himself. He's starting to figure Petra out. |
| Father Berislav | "It isn't always easy," Berislav admits to Metaphor, on the subject of keeping calm. "But almost always, it's necessary, when tensions are high and passions are inflamed." His voice slightly softer, to drift under the conversations of others, he clarifies further, leaning slightly closer to her. "I would rather be the air, in such a situation, than another voice shouting through it." "Air will take the shape of whatever container it's in. It can grow thin, or be packed tightly. It can find its way into or out of the smallest cracks. It can exist at rest, or it can move so quickly that it shakes your very bones and sets your ears to ringing." He offers her a warm smile. "We're both caregivers, simply of different kinds. You wouldn't pontificate on everything a patient's condition *might* be, and cause them undue stress--and I don't allow my emotions about such exchanges to influence my mien." Leaning away, he entertains her second question with one of his own. "Who, indeed?" he asks, his smile taking a shade of the cryptic. He straightens the hem of his v-neck again. "I've only spoken to her once or twice. Most of the rest of what I know is hearsay from my time as a Watch asset. Can one even answer a question like 'who is she?' Not totally, I would imagine--not when you ask it in that way, putting so much weight upon 'who.'" He lifts a hand to his chin once more, tapping on it thoughtfully. "If I were to *try*... based on my interactions, I'd say that she's someone who demands a lot of herself, but meets those demands. And when other people dismiss that, she doesn't tolerate it." |
| Metaphor | Metaphor nods along to Berislav, an arm moving to passively rest against the side of her neck. "It's... greatly appreciated. I'm not... good at that, or, uh, stopped being good at that. You have... quite the fortitude. Mentally." As he continues speaking, her attention drifts more towards actively listening. She doesn't even register the battle of wills ongoing. However, as he continues discussing Petra, she seems to subtly grow more and more awkward, ever so slightly rocking back and forth on what constitutes her heels (running blade). She obviously doesn't want to interrupt him while he's on a roll with his speech, though there's a moment during his thoughtful pause where she moves a hand subtly, in preparation of speaking. He starts back up before she talks, though. A few moments pass after he finishes, she gives a low hum of recognition, and then, with palpable hesitation - "...was more... wondering name, but, uh. That's... good to know?" Way to go, leading him on. Could have clarified. Now we're both awkward. |
| Father Berislav | "Oh," says Berislav. The corners of his mouth twitch upwards. A laugh, suppressed. "You meant her," he says, nodding towards Petra. "That's Petra," he says. "She's doing her best." |
| Petra Soroka | Petra blushes, her brain finally catching up to what her mouth proclaimed. "Um. Uh. R-right, as the challenged." Oh my god this is going to be the worst day of my life I'm never going to hear the end of this I really hope Lilian is there I hope no one sees me Why is this fucking bird staring at me like that oh my god what did I promise to do Dazedly, Petra wonders out loud, "There's a standardized rule set for maid competitions?" She shakes her head. "Whatever. We'll iron out the details later. Today is supposed to be about putting Ishirou in maid outfits, not ourselves." Once Kale's attention on her is broken, and the conversation ended, Petra buries her face in her hands and moans. "What the hell did I get pulled into? This is so fucking stupid, oh my god." |
| Metaphor | A beat after the clarification, Metaphor executes upon what he (rightfully) held back, bursting out in a giggling fit and holding her screen with one hand. She hastily turns away from the rest of the group, but doesn't stop that quiet laugh for a good few seconds. "I- she sure is, isn't she? She sure is. We all are." She shakes her head slightly, then wheels a bit towards Berislav again. "Weekdays work, right? I'll be there." Dissolution. Ambient atmosphere. A moment to breathe. "I... thank you, Berislav." Her tone feels... normal. A smile where one isn't possible. |