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Owner Pose
Evangeline McDowell     Joytopia! Four floors (plus a mezzanine) of arcade games, cafe, fun, and other electronic entertainment packed into a dazzlingly neon, sea-side venue in the center of Neo-Tokyo's bustling harbor. The place is unusually packed today, with an unheard-of line going out out the door. Granted, it is a short line, but it is being diligently maintained by the fire department. After all, it's a hazard if there's too many people in the place at once and a fire breaks out.
    Why are there so many people? Because it's the day of the 20th annual Dance Dance! Tournament. This contest has been uninterrupted every year here at Joytopia since its inception, where Dance Dance! game enthusiasts come and compete for points and prizes. Not only that, but Joytopia itself is giving away some 2,000 yen worth of free tokens to everyone who enters. Even if you can't dance, just enter for the tokens!.
    And THAT is why Evangeline is here, standing in the short line, tapping her foot impatiently under the late-morning sun. It is a scorcher of a summer day already, and the only solace is the air conditioned game haven so close, yet so far. She does not look dressed do Dance Dance! She looks dressed to dance, in a white, offensively frilly summer dress and big bonnet hat that wouldn't be unusual in a semi-formal ball. Probably /someone/ at UQ Holder had been responsible for this...
Rean Schwarzer Rean's in line for this arcade too, dressed in a white polo and dark jeans, and actually prepared for the heat in this city, unlike last time.

All the talk on the radio comms about 'video games' convinced him to go look into what that was all about. After all, they weren't that much of a thing where he was from, but they seemed to be a thing pretty much everywhere else in the multiverse. It's then that he notices a certain girl in a bonnet in line ahead of him.

"Evangeline?" he asks, leaning out of the line a bit to get a better look at her.
Evangeline McDowell     Evangeline spins and looks backwards down the line, at hearing her name, obviously started out of some kind of personal musings. Perhaps on the subject of vampire nature, or enjoying a fantasy where she, a vampire, is not standing out under the sun. Simple things to fantasize about, really. Before her dress had finished settling down from its swishing, she locks eyes with Rean.
    "... you!" her eyes say. Then she points at Rean, then thumb-points back at the big glass doors of Joytopia (and the huge cardboard Dance Dance! poster there). Questioning look.
Rean Schwarzer Evangeline looks at him like he /really/ shouldn't be here right now. Or maybe she's just surprised someone else showed up?

"Uh...Yeah. I'm here for the dancing game...thing." Rean says, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "Didn't expect you to show up to this, either."
Evangeline McDowell     "Oh wow! Excuse me, I hate to impose..." Someone cuts off Evangeline as she was about to make another gesture. She looks aside, to see a small gang of teenagers a bit older than she is, not in the line and apparently just walking by.
    "?"
    "We love your cosplay! Can we please take a picture?"
    An audible eyeroll occurs, followed immediately by a sort of wicked smile that Rean only saw a flash of. Evangeline sheers out of line, walks back a few people, and... proceeds to pretend to hide behind Rean like she's shy.

    "Hello! Sorry to be bothering you." The photographers follow along and address to Rean, "Is she shy? Sorry for scaring her. We love your cosplay. Can we please take a picture?"
Rean Schwarzer And then Evangeline is waylaid by a bunch of teenage girls asking to take a picture of her. ...Wait, did she just smile at him? And not a normal smile, but the smile of someone about to to do something very sneaky.

And then Evangeline ducked behind him, like she was his little sister or something.
Rean stood there, blinking for a moment. What?

"Uh..." Rean says, quickly looking between the group of girls and Evangeline. "I'm going to have to say no."
Evangeline McDowell     A chorus of apologies and whining noises erupt in front of Rean, but at least the gaggle heads off peacably. The line moves a few steps forward, putting Rean and Evangeline just two back from the front.
    "Thanks! You'd be great as a bodyguard, you know?" Evangeline smiles, as if she had just won something and is being really proud of herself. She stops hiding behind Rean and stands beside him, "You play often? The dancing thing."
Rean Schwarzer Rean sighs in relief as the girls leave. At least they didn't try to force the picture or anything. Eventually, the line moves forward.

"...Thanks." Rean says, frowning. Was that supposed to be a compliment? Because it didn't feel like one, what with being shanghaied into it.

Evangeline then asked if he'd plated the dancing game before. "No, actually. Video games aren't really a thing where I'm from. But I was kind of curious, and this seemed like a good place to start."
Evangeline McDowell     "Good day for it," Evangeline says, "Okay, basic rules of how an arcade works: you get tokens with money. Then the machines take tokens to let you play. Then if you do well, you get tickets. You can go to the shop to buy prizes with the tickets. Got it?"
    Evangeline swirls a few steps forwards as the line moves again, "Our turn! Sacre, I'm glad to be out of the sun. Isn't air conditioning amazing?"
Rean Schwarzer Rean nods. "Sounds simple enough."

They enter the arcade, and all of a sudden it's /cold./ Rean shivers. Evangeline says something about "air conditioning" and it takes a few seconds for it to click that that's why.  "Ooooh." Rean says. "I'm not sure we have this yet, actually. It is amazing, though!"
Evangeline McDowell     "Ahhhhhhh~" Evangeline takes the card with the tokens credited to it from one of the two service-girls standing at the front, greeting incoming customers. She steps past and holds the colorful plastic card up, wiggling it a bit to make sure that Rean understands that he should take the thing being offered to him.
    "Hello, Mr. Customer! Welcome to Joytopia! Here's your free token card for the Dance Dance! 20th Anniversary. If you would like to enter, sign-ups are to your left at Customer Service. Thank you!" The hugely smiling girl, dressed in the red livery of the arcade, holds a card out to Rean with both hands.
Rean Schwarzer Rean takes the card from the service girl and then looks it over. So it wasn't actual physical coins, but a card? He then looks over at the Customer Service desk. He wasn't really here for the competition, but it was kind of tempting. Then again, he was still sort of kind of recovering from the other day, so maybe it wasn't the best idea to get too into a dancing competition.

He sighs. "Ah well. Let's get going, shall we?" Rean says to Evangeline.
Evangeline McDowell     Evangeline makes a beeline for the Customer Service counter... or it would be beeline if it wasn't for all the people walking around and barely looking at her. After half a minute of dodging around crowds and particularly after being bumped by a gang of high-school-looking kids laughing as they go by, her happy, self-pleased body language had faded into more dangerous ones.
    But at least we made it to the counter alright.
    "Are you here for the tournament, honored customer? Please sign here and step back for a photo. You'll be given a number and can challenge for duels! You come in with 100 points. Winning a duel earns you points depending on the level of your opponent!"
Rean Schwarzer Orrrrrrrr they could go to the customer service desk anyway. "I think I'll sit this one out," Rean says.