Despite being a bit harsh to the small alien a few seconds ago, Twisted Fate smiled again when the goddess had greeted him. He quickly nodded his head before saying,
"Howdy."
Twisted Fate was known for his supernatural luck, so it was unknown as to what would happen if Kofuku's aura of misfortune collided with T.F's aura of fortune.
This can't be good.
Zim's shouting was now becoming very irritating. T.F wanted to shove a red card down his throat but didn't want to lose his cool when there was a lady around. He decided to ignore Zim. Instead, he talked to the goddess because he wanted to know more about the situation.
"So... what did you lie about? I'm not sure whether you lied about somethin' crucial or he's just bein' an immature brat."
Back at the bar, a certain seductress smiled pleasantly where she remained sat atop the bar top, happily swinging her legs over the edge of it before hopping down, smirking at Michiko and Hatchin, as well as Lucifer and Jason as she did. "Please do wait a moment. I'll be back shortly," she assured, beginning to sashay out with a wink over her shoulder at Qrow and Roman as she passed by, before making her way to the stage, happily grabbing her Weirdest Chapter Award from company with a wink. "Thank you, thank you."
And then back to the bar she went, hopping right up on the counter.
Jason eventually woke up from his sudden spill, though he had a massive headache.
"Ah shit..." Me muttered as he slowly stood up while keeping one hand on his head. He then looked over to Twisted Fate and then to Lucifer. "Agh... either of you know what the hell happened? Did I get drunk again?" To be completely honest, Jason wouldn't be surprised if the ladder turned out to be true. It wouldn't be the first time Jason got drunk and passed out.
As he arose, Jason heard feminine voice before turning to a girl who looked no older than around eighteen. "Who's the kid?" Jason pondered aloud.
Trying to compose herself, Ilona dropped her chin against the table and massaged her temples. If she was lucky, maybe Shiki would give her a few minutes to process everything that had happened. She kept her guard up, however, worried he would approach. And, at first, he didn't. She would feel a nudge against her back, flinching in response, only to see that this encounter was just a false alarm.
"O-Oh, Sir Toboe, it's only you. Hello, friend," she said softly, reaching out to stroke his head. "Do you sense I'm distressed? Well, fear not, any distress is due to a blunder that is mine alone to bear... as are most of my life's circumstances," she added with a disheartened laugh.
Shortly after speaking with Toboe, another individual would approach. But this time, it wouldn't be a false alarm.
Despite his joking, semi-light tone, Ilona would flinch much harder at the sound of Shiki's voice than she had after Toboe nudged her. Not saying a word while he would talk, she continued to pet Toboe's head as a way to, well, calm her anxiety over the situation. He wasn't being harsh, and she certainly wasn't upset, but Ilona still couldn't help but be embarrassed. She hardly even reacted when she would feel him poke her forehead.
After a little while of letting his words settle, however, the time traveler would relaxed her shoulders and fold her hands in her lap before picking her chin off the table. She wouldn't be able to look at him right away, but she did manage a smile and a small chuckle.
"Hate you?" Ilona asked, as if it were the most absurd statement she had ever heard in her life. "I was worried you would hate me; I'm glad you don't. I should've figured you wouldn't. You even told me that you care about me just now. As a person and not just because I'm the product of two people you respect from a Murder Game. Although, I feel I should say there is no need to apologize for not giving me what I want. I've... never wanted anything from you." The girl shrugged her shoulders. "How could I ask something of a person who has given me so much already?"
Ilona closed her mouth and fiddled with her hands shyly. Part of her wanted to clam up from this point forward, but considering the fact this was all out in the open already and Shiki was open-minded to the idea of them speaking, she didn't allow herself to quiet down entirely.
"You've stuck up for me when others looked down on me. You tried to cheer me up and inspire me when I felt lower than a human being. You've always been on my side, and fought with every ounce of your spirit during the Civil War just for my sake. And even before all of that I considered you a hero. So, as I said, I feel as if you've given me a lot." Pausing to anxiously play with her hands for a moment Ilona would add, "I think you know, after what I said, that I don't hate you. It's pretty obvious now that hate is far from what I feel when it comes to you."
"And... you've always been the one to say that you understand how I feel, so I'd like to return the favor now. I do understand how you feel, and I accept your feelings. Just as you have, I've lost a lot and I had closed off my heart for fear of losing more. I'm different. Growing up, I never fit in anywhere or related to anyone, but once I met you that feeling changed. It scared me, in fact," she said, chuckling nervously. "My whole way of life before meeting you revolved around detaching from every single acquaintance, friend, and family member I knew because they didn't relate to me and I didn't want to hurt them. But... you're not like the others."
"I looked at you and for the first time saw someone I could relate to, someone I didn't feel I could hurt, and someone I couldn't so easily see my self detaching from. It intrigued me, but frightened me at the same time. That's why I never wanted to tell you. You finding out tonight was more of an accident due to my big mouth," she said, smiling sheepishly. "Accident or not, however, I will use this as an opportunity to present you with proof of what I'm saying."
Reaching into her coat, Ilona would pull out her journal. She sat in on the table in front of her, laying her hand atop it. She brushed her fingers over its leathery surface a couple times before speaking again. "Remember when I said I would write letters to you and all of my other friends after Civil War's end? I did, but I never sent them. I wrote them to help myself feel less alone, but I tore them up afterwards because I still felt certain I should detach from everyone. However, there were letters I couldn't rid myself of: the ones I wrote to you. I kept them. They're all right here in my journal. Day after day I would attempt to talk myself into getting rid of them, but I couldn't. Silly, yes? But I digress; this was the proof I wanted to tell you about. You've been a unique presence in my life, one like no other, and difficult to push away."
Sighing, Ilona added, "Yet, despite all of this, I'm still embarrassed. Shouting at you was never how I intended to express what you mean to me. If I could do it over I would've said..."
Finally looking up from where she had been staring down at the table, Ilona would meet Shiki's gaze. Moving her hand off her journal, she rested it gently over the top of his own, tracing her thumb delicately along his knuckles. "I like you, Shiki, and I care about you because of who you are as a person. It matters not to me that you have money or that you're popular with other women. I don't care if you have a shortened lifespan, an alternate, more sinister personality, or powers of a god. Strip all of those things away, the good and the bad alike, and I would still care for you as much as I already do. That... is the undeniable, complete and absolute truth. And what you choose to do with that truth is fine with me either way. I know you're not ready to hear this now, because of all you've been through, so I respect that and appreciate you listening. But, always remember, I'm on your side no matter what and how I feel is a door I will always keep open should you ever choose to revisit it."
Keeping her hand over his, Ilona would quiet after speaking. Although she had been embarrassed, inwardly, she was now just relieved that they had a chance to talk... and without Anna around.
Toboe let Ilona pet her, a look of worry crossing his face as she spoke, then when Shiki approached and Ilona flinched, he let out a small growl of warning as he turners his head to face Shiki, fur on end. He eventually calmed down as Ilona continued to pet him and things seemed to settle down a bit. He stayed as a form of comfort as the two talked, his head eventually coming to rest on her lap. He saw Ilona as part of the pack and only wanted his friends to feel well, and hoped that however her conversation with Shiki went made her feel better. If not? Shiki better stay away from Toboe's fangs.
Harper smirked whenever Senna asked if she was trying to make a move on her. She thought that she was making it obvious, but perhaps this was Senna's way of flirting? Probably not though. "What would ever give you that idea?" Harper whispered in a sly tone as she continued to rock back and fourth to the song with Senna. "And I think that it's working, seeing as we've gotten this far." Harper stated as she still maintained her smirk. When the song began to reach it's final notes, after a good four or five minutes of slow dancing I might add, Harper would lock eyes with the soul reaper yet again. "You ever kissed a girl?" She asked with confidence, hoping that all this effort and flirting would amount to something. @Klutzy Ninja Kitty@Gummi Bunnies
Although Senna had caught on that Harper was flirting, the soul reaper still wasn't entirely paying attention. Against her better judgement, she peered over Harper's shoulder, trying to look and see what Blake was doing. Half distracted, she wouldn't realize that Harper had asked the question because she actually might've liked to kiss her. "Yes, actually," Senna said, recalling when Setsuna had kissed her during the Murder Game she was in. "Why do you ask?"
Although Senna had caught on that Harper was flirting, the soul reaper still wasn't entirely paying attention. Against her better judgement, she peered over Harper's shoulder, trying to look and see what Blake was doing. Half distracted, she wouldn't realize that Harper had asked the question because she actually might've liked to kiss her. "Yes, actually," Senna said, recalling when Setsuna had kissed her during the Murder Game she was in. "Why do you ask?"
'Is this girl just clueless?'The bluenette thought to herself as Senna oh-so-obviously wasn't catching on to all the not-so-subtle hints that Harper was giving out. "Y'know what... fuck it." Harper said aloud. Before giving Senna the chance to react or even question what she had just said, Harper leaned in and planted a kiss right on Senna's lips.
Although Senna had caught on that Harper was flirting, the soul reaper still wasn't entirely paying attention. Against her better judgement, she peered over Harper's shoulder, trying to look and see what Blake was doing. Half distracted, she wouldn't realize that Harper had asked the question because she actually might've liked to kiss her. "Yes, actually," Senna said, recalling when Setsuna had kissed her during the Murder Game she was in. "Why do you ask?"
'Is this girl just clueless?'The bluenette thought to herself as Senna oh-so-obviously wasn't catching on to all the not-so-subtle hints that Harper was giving out. "Y'know what... fuck it." Harper said aloud. Before giving Senna the chance to react, or even question, what she had just said, Harper leaned in and planted a kiss right on Senna's lips.
Lapis commented as she and her brother watched the sudden kiss initiated by Harper. While she anticipated that this was going to have an effect on Blake... he only sighed at it. Blake's seen Senna kissed by someone else a couple of times already, so it wasn't really that drastic of a blow. It was more of an inconvenience at this point. But that didn't seem to click in Lapis's head.
"N... Now's your chance, Blake! Go get 'em!"
Despite appearing smaller in stature compared to Blake, Lapis managed to shove him over to the pair without warning to him.
"RIN! This isn't the time to be shoving me into situations when I can't stay stuff about ___ ! Seriously?!"
Blake felt horrified as he was shoved over towards the pair, bumping into both Harper and Senna abruptly.
"E-Er... sorry about that. Just going to... haha, go over to the bar!"
Blake laughed nervously before trying to slip away from this embarrassing moment.
Having eventually returned from her fetching of a snack and assault on the security guards- who's bodies now laid unconscious out in the hall on the floor -Tarlotte could only give Add an incredulous look. "....Mwhat a weirdo."
Shaking it off, the rather petite female puffed out her cheeks and chest and straightened up, finally taking the time to glance down at the awards again now that she had gotten her goal of beating the shit out of those stupid guys out of the way. Once again, there seemed to be a drastic shift in her attitude as she spoke into the mic, seeming much more bright, cheerful, and adorable than usual as she shined a bright and surprisingly sincere smile, for what was typically a small ball of absolute rage and offense for the majority of the time. Buttttt even so.
"Meow then~" she purred, tail once again flicking as she read. "Meow that those stupid mean humans are outta the way and I got a sameowich, time to resume. Next is Meowst Impressive Lurker! Nomeownations areeeeee...
Chris Lang - DBZ7 - Hazel-rah - Krieg
With the winner being Krieg! ...Hmph. That's a weird name."
Yes, the demiboi among men, the author beyond writing, thE PUSH TO THE POP-- Krieg, everyone. The absolute madman who's off in freaking college making things out of his life, and still managing to lurk and pop by with mad skill even through it. Crazy props and I hope you become less lurker, more common sight as the opportunity arises for you!
"...Meow, I dunno what a lurker is, but it sounds stupid. What's next, anyways?" Tarlotte muttered to herself, evidently displeased. But whatever. "Hmph. Next is Sir/Meowdam Posts-A-Lot... Whatever that means. Nomeownations are...."
Atomyk - LuckycoolHawk9 - Verite - Josh M
...with LuckycoolHawk9 being the winner. ....Who would even want to be a hawk, anyways, meow??? Hawks are stupid! Birds are almost as dumb as humans, meow!!"
Woah, Lucky won this??? It's almost like he replies crazy fast to virtually everything and-- oh, wait, he does. Seriously, I don't know how you do it, man. LEND ME YOUR AMAZING POSTING SPEED SO I CAN ACTUALLY GET EVERYTHING DONE THAT I NEED TO! ...But no, keep up the good work and you'll be the next Hermes. Good job, and congrats!
Sighing with disappointment at the choice of a bird, Tarlotte shook her head, once again flipping the awards away, Teresa having snuck away from Josh for a bit to grab dat funniest rper award because Sav's other chars were busy, momentarily looking less amused until she found the next award needing announced. "And... Sir/Meowdam Posts-R.... Umm... P-posts r..... ela.... elibora..... elevator...." she fumbled, tripping over the words as she miserably failed to read them off. "--Elaborate! Sir/Madam Posts-R-Elaborate! Nomeownations are,
Atomyk - Azuremoon - Klutzy Ninja Kitty - Verite,
and the winner is Klutzy Ninja Kitty! ...Nnn, this person again?? I can't stand it, is she meowcking cats?! Meow!!!"
Seven words, including these ones: Hella. Deserved. I mean, everyone on the list deserved it, but it's no shame that this one was received by you, @Klutzy Ninja Kitty , and you wholeheartedly deserve it. You always flesh out your posts with great detail, leading them to be extremely engaging and always a fun read. It's hard to skip your posts, both due to their length, and due to the obvious detail and effort and just all-around greatness you put into them. It's clear you always execute your characters and writings and everything else you do in this group with great care, so all I can say is keep up the great work!
"Boring... Ugghhhhh... Hm?" Amidst her complaining, Tarlotte found her curiosity piqued by the next award. "Sir/Madam Posts-R-Weird? Ha!" she suddenly exclaimed, actually snickering. "Hahaha, I bet that weird girl with the stupid haircut and red eyes gets this one!!" she exclaimed, totally oblivious to the fact that Zinnia was totally aware of her presentation. But then, even if she knew that, she wouldn't have cared. "Nomeownations are...
Archwar - Bomb - Crow - Gwazi Magnum
...and the winner is... Bomb?" A pause. "What kind of name is Bomb???"
Do I even have to say anything on this one? @Bomb himself said he steals the show on this one, and I totally agree. It doesn't get much weirder than 'bad dumpers', sadist neps, and hipster Pokemon. I guess all I can say is, as a weird person myself, be proud of your weirdness. Embrace it. But please don't get toooooo carried away. : |
Silently, Tarlotte wondered if this 'Bomb' guy was the one who played that annoying old hag Zinnia. She was pretty sure they did and, with that satisfying thought in mind, she continued with her previous bright smile. "Meow, meow... Alright, next is Sir/Meowdam Posts-N-Vain! Meow, meow~!" she cheered, contentedly. "Nominations are...
Atomyk - Jeremi - Verite - york
And the winner is York! Congratmewlations, meowwww~"
Once again, not terribly surprising, as you don't get too much attention for how great your posts are, @york . All I can really say is keep up the good work and hopefully the spotlight comes soon!
"Hmm... Boring, boring...-- Ooh. RPer Most Missed, huh? Looks like nominations are... uhhh..."
BarrenThin - CCC Kouhai - Krieg -Mari
...bare and thin? That's stupid, too! But it looks like that's the winner... BarrenThin."
I personally miss all of these guys aghhhhhhhh. But I can see why @BarrenThin is the one that won this. Definitely a great guy and fun to write with. I know last he checked in, he was doing great, so here's hoping that's still the case and things are going well! If you're reading this, we miss ya, buddy!
With those last couple of awards not thrown aside, but reorganized in her hands, Tarlotte was surprised to find she already only had two remaining awards left unread in her hands, her ears twitching with mild astonishment. "...Huh. Mew left. I guess that leaves Best New RPer up next. Nominations, meow!
Kaide` - Mason Moretti - Otto - Yun Lee
with Yun Lee being the winner! Congratmewlationssss~"
G-g-g-good-- thats some--- th-thats some g-g-g-good sh-shiieeeettttt--- yeahhhhhhh---
Memes aside, I'd be a liar if I said this wasn't well-earned. Like, extremely well earned. I wish I'd been as good a writer as you when I started out, or even now, @Yun Lee . The fact you got this award just proves how great a writer you are, and I couldn't be happier to have you in the group. I so look forward to writing with and seeing more of you in the future!
Instead of actually throwing the last few awards aside, Tarlotte appeared to have been rearranging them in her hands as she read, leaving only one remaining unread in her pile of four held in her hands. "Alright, and finallyyyyy.... The Best RPer award, meow!" she exclaimed with cheer, tail waggling as she squinted at the award. "Nominations....
I think everyone saw this one coming, haha. How could they not? No matter what you might think, @Atomyk , I'm quite confident-- and this award only goes to further prove --that everyone enjoys you very much, both in and out of character. Your writing is incredible, sure, but it doesn't hold a candle to how wonderful you are when you're just being you as, well, you, and not some character. Put simply, you're a pleasure both in and out of character and I hope to see more of you again soon! Keep up the amazing work!
"..."
With that out of the way, Tarlotte went silent, merely staring down at the now-read-off awards in her hands.. Surprisingly still smiling as she did so. It remained like this for a long few moments, before suddenly, with a loud and hearty laugh, she threw the awards in her hands up in the air, striking a playful pose.
"Ahahaha, thanks everyone, nyaaaa~ Congratmewlations to those that one, and thanks for listening, meowww~!" she cheered, for once looking sincerely happy and genuine and pleased as she stood there adorably, laughing cheerfully, and--...
"...."
That voice....
Instantly, all joy from moments ago vanished, Tarlotte's expression going deathly serious as golden eyes narrowed and scanned the admittedly massive room, a sense of dangerousness and sharpness suddenly about her. When her eyes landed on the source of what she had thought she'd heard, she suddenly let out a sharp growl, arching her back like a cat, actively on all fours to do so. "Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr not mew again!!!! What the hell are you doing here?!" she hissed, obviously absolutely seething, the look in her golden eyes alone enough to tell that much. "I'm gonna make you pay, you dumb, ugly human!!!! MEOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!" she exclaimed, suddenly leaping out into the audience with surprising grace, considering how blinded by rage she seemed by the sight of Zinnia alone.
When Tarlotte would jump out into the audience, Zinnia would stand up from where she was sitting. She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head before jumping back to dodge the mangey feline. Afterwards, she would let out a laugh at her rival. "Hah! You missed me!" the woman teased, sticking her tongue out at Tarlotte.
Really dialing up her teasing game, Zinnia would turn around and slap her own ass in a taunting manner. "C'mon, can't you do any better than that? Catch me if you can, crazy cat!" she said with a laugh, actually seeming to enjoy this. Jack had wandered off somewhere and she was actually happy she was able to get into mischief without him watching.
Meanwhile, Joshua would again move over to Teresa, bothering her yet again. It wasn't as if he had any other ideas of what to do. There wasn't anyone else he knew that he could approach and bother, and he wasn't really interested in mingling when he didn't have to. Believe it or not, Joshua wasn't the most social of people. He didn't have to interact with guests in parties not thrown by Shibuya, so he chose not to in this case.
"Rather chaotic in here, isn't it?" he questioned, starting off with a rather casual tone. Of course it was chaotic. Any event that involved Murder Games at all seemed to be chaotic, whether they were canon or non-canon.
Anyhow, It didn't seem as if he were going to tease her, at first, until he would smirk and eventually add, "Be a dear and go fetch a drink for your boss, hm?"
'Is this girl just clueless?'The bluenette thought to herself as Senna oh-so-obviously wasn't catching on to all the not-so-subtle hints that Harper was giving out. "Y'know what... fuck it." Harper said aloud. Before giving Senna the chance to react or even question what she had just said, Harper leaned in and planted a kiss right on Senna's lips.
Lapis commented as she and her brother watched the sudden kiss initiated by Harper. While she anticipated that this was going to have an effect on Blake... he only sighed at it. Blake's seen Senna kissed by someone else a couple of times already, so it wasn't really that drastic of a blow. It was more of an inconvenience at this point. But that didn't seem to click in Lapis's head.
"N... Now's your chance, Blake! Go get 'em!"
Despite appearing smaller in stature compared to Blake, Lapis managed to shove him over to the pair without warning to him.
"RIN! This isn't the time to be shoving me into situations when I can't stay stuff about ___ ! Seriously?!"
Blake felt horrified as he was shoved over towards the pair, bumping into both Harper and Senna abruptly.
"E-Er... sorry about that. Just going to... haha, go over to the bar!"
Blake laughed nervously before trying to slip away from this embarrassing moment.
The girl was so focused on Blake, wondering what he may have been up to, that she couldn't have predicted Harper's flirting would lead to a kiss. It was funny to think that, before she had ever joined a murder game, she had never been kissed before. But now, she had been kissed by four different people. What was this multiverse coming to?
While she wouldn't pull away or even slap Harper, mostly because she was too surprised to move, Senna would jerk back frantically after the kiss, placing a hand over her mouth defensively. "H-Harper, I-- I knew you were flirting with me, but I didn't think you would kiss me. I'm not mad, I'm just not really ready to, um, move on to dating someone else right now. I only just broke up with Blake and it still... hurts," she said, placing a hand over her heart. "I don't mind being friends though until I am ready to move on. The dancing was cheering me up a bi-- Ack!"
Senna would cut herself off, surprised when Blake would be shoved into Harper and herself. She opened her mouth to say something, only to end up closing her mouth and frowning when Blake would flounder with his words and suggest he wanted to go to the bar. "Why, so you can avoid me?" Senna asked Blake, folding her arms against her chest.
As Cheza smiled towards Ryan and told her that it was a nice name Toboe's keen hearing picked up Ilona's seemingly sad tone, but not her words. Turning to find the princess he spotted her and approached, taking on his wolf form to better comfort her.
"...?"
He gave a small huff and nugded her gently with his nose, but would leave her be if she wanted time to herself. Otherwise she was stuck with him.
"She is still young....and naive at that..but she did save me when the Fang dictated that I should die for my weakness... Her kindness has......changed me..." Jaffar spoke to Azura in his usual tone explaining his reasoning for protecting this girl.
Lapis commented as she and her brother watched the sudden kiss initiated by Harper. While she anticipated that this was going to have an effect on Blake... he only sighed at it. Blake's seen Senna kissed by someone else a couple of times already, so it wasn't really that drastic of a blow. It was more of an inconvenience at this point. But that didn't seem to click in Lapis's head.
"N... Now's your chance, Blake! Go get 'em!"
Despite appearing smaller in stature compared to Blake, Lapis managed to shove him over to the pair without warning to him.
"RIN! This isn't the time to be shoving me into situations when I can't stay stuff about ___ ! Seriously?!"
Blake felt horrified as he was shoved over towards the pair, bumping into both Harper and Senna abruptly.
"E-Er... sorry about that. Just going to... haha, go over to the bar!"
Blake laughed nervously before trying to slip away from this embarrassing moment.
The girl was so focused on Blake, wondering what he may have been up to, that she couldn't have predicted Harper's flirting would lead to a kiss. It was funny to think that, before she had ever joined a murder game, she had never been kissed before. But now, she had been kissed by four different people. What was this multiverse coming to?
While she wouldn't pull away or even slap Harper, mostly because she was too surprised to move, Senna would jerk back frantically after the kiss, placing a hand over her mouth defensively. "H-Harper, I-- I knew you were flirting with me, but I didn't think you would kiss me. I'm not mad, I'm just not really ready to, um, move on to dating someone else right now. I only just broke up with Blake and it still... hurts," she said, placing a hand over her heart. "I don't mind being friends though until I am ready to move on. The dancing was cheering me up a bi-- Ack!"
Senna would cut herself off, surprised when Blake would be shoved into Harper and herself. She opened her mouth to say something, only to end up closing her mouth and frowning when Blake would flounder with his words and suggest he wanted to go to the bar. "Why, so you can avoid me?" Senna asked Blake, folding her arms against her chest.
Harper was a bit disappointed whenever Senna said that she wasn't looking for a relationship right now, but she completely understood. She needed time to get over Blake.
"Nah, you're good." Harper said with a smirk before lightly punching the soul reaper on the shoulder. "You're really cute, no matter what your ex-douche thinks." Just as Harper said that, Blake shoved passed them rather rudely, at least as that's what it looked like from the punk's point of view. "Speak of the devil..." Harper muttered under her breath as Blake made his way over to the bar. "You need to work on your kissing some too." She said flirtatiously.
"She is still young....and naive at that..but she did save me when the Fang dictated that I should die for my weakness... Her kindness has......changed me..." Jaffar spoke to Azura in his usual tone explaining his reasoning for protecting this girl.
Bowser, deciding he was bored with his current conversation, began to walk around the room some. Eventually he came across the cowboy and just began to laugh at him.
"Pffft.... BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You look- you look dumber than a bag of rocks. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The Koopa King said through his hysterical and obnoxious laughs.
Reaching into her coat, Ilona would pull out her journal. She sat in on the table in front of her, laying her hand atop it. She brushed her fingers over its leathery surface a couple times before speaking again. "Remember when I said I would write letters to you and all of my other friends after Civil War's end? I did, but I never sent them. I wrote them to help myself feel less alone, but I tore them up afterwards because I still felt certain I should detach from everyone. However, there were letters I couldn't rid myself of: the ones I wrote to you. I kept them. They're all right here in my journal. Day after day I would attempt to talk myself into getting rid of them, but I couldn't. Silly, yes? But I digress; this was the proof I wanted to tell you about. You've been a unique presence in my life, one like no other, and difficult to push away."
Sighing, Ilona added, "Yet, despite all of this, I'm still embarrassed. Shouting at you was never how I intended to express what you mean to me. If I could do it over I would've said..."
Finally looking up from where she had been staring down at the table, Ilona would meet Shiki's gaze. Moving her hand off her journal, she rested it gently over the top of his own, tracing her thumb delicately along his knuckles. "I like you, Shiki, and I care about you because of who you are as a person. It matters not to me that you have money or that you're popular with other women. I don't care if you have a shortened lifespan, an alternate, more sinister personality, or powers of a god. Strip all of those things away, the good and the bad alike, and I would still care for you as much as I already do. That... is the undeniable, complete and absolute truth. And what you choose to do with that truth is fine with me either way. I know you're not ready to hear this now, because of all you've been through, so I respect that and appreciate you listening. But, always remember, I'm on your side no matter what and how I feel is a door I will always keep open should you ever choose to revisit it."
Keeping her hand over his, Ilona would quiet after speaking. Although she had been embarrassed, inwardly, she was now just relieved that they had a chance to talk... and without Anna around.
Shiki silently listened to all that Ilona had to say, taking it all in, occasionally raising an eyebrow here and there to her words, such as when she had taken out the letters that she had never sent to him. And once she was done, Shiki found himself... unsure of what to do or say. But then, he was no stranger to not knowing what to do.
So as always, he winged it with his natural (non)charisma.
"Y'know... I'm really not quite sure what to say to all that. No one's ever had that much to say to me, about me before. Hard enough to take all that in, let alone try to figure out how to respond to all that, but..." Shiki began, trailing off a little with an awkward chuckle as he scratched the back of his head, before clearing his throat, "Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for caring for me. That's all I could ever ask for," he said with a smile, patting Ilona on the head affectionately like he would his younger sister.
"I think it's good that you wrote those letters, even if you didn't want to send them to me. You don't... have to give them to me if you don't want to. In fact, I think it'd be better if you held onto them. Sensei always told me that memories and mementos are just as important as the people they represent as well, so I don't think it's silly at all. After all, it's only natural to do these kinds of things for people important to you, right? You shouldn't be embarrassed of who you care for if they're people you believe are worth it, after all," he said. Before Shiki had even realized it, he said more than he believed was even on his mind. With that, he cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses once again.
"In any case, not to cut this short, but I need to head back to the stage. Ms. Kirigiri gets mad pretty easily, even if she doesn't look the kind to be like that, but... I'm glad we could talk like this to clear the air. See you around then?" He asked cheerfully as always, before standing up.
Bowser, deciding he was bored with his current conversation, began to walk around the room some. Eventually he came across the cowboy and just began to laugh at him.
"Pffft.... BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You look- you look dumber than a bag of rocks. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The Koopa King said through his hysterical and obnoxious laughs.
The pat on the back and reassurance from Ilona seemed to make Ryan regain her bearings and thus, her smile, green eyes shining as she regarded her friend of so many lost years. "Right, sorry, haha.. Bad habit, I guess," she replied, unintentionally apologizing yet again. But Ilona's comment about her own gullibility only further reassured the blonde woman, who let out a small giggle. "Wow, sounds like I've missed a lot," she mused, smiling despite feeling a small bit of pain from that fact. She really had missed... everything. And that? That was extremely painful, though she was endlessly happy to be together again.
"So what you're saying is that you're both naive, gullible children. Hmph," Weiss finally interjected again with a sigh. What a pain... Not to mention, it seemed a crowd was gathering, something she wasn't too fond of. "I'd rather not be caught up in such trivial exchanges. Should you need me, just call," she stated, before promptly walking off with pride and grace, leaving a slightly bewildered and dismayed Ryan to rub her neck, before awkwardly speaking up. "...I didn't mean to upset her..."
Ah, well.
Doing her best to shake it off and bounce back, Ryan nodded when Ilona said she didn't remember the details on Claiming. "Oh, it's alright. It has been a long time, and I still had years to go before it happened, last I saw you," she assured, sniffing briefly. "But... I'd be happy to go by either name. Rid still calls me Ryan, so did Gil, last I saw him. I... Wouldn't mind if you did, too." That was true. Heck, more than she wouldn't mind. She'd be happy to be called that again. Her mother, Lena, Reece, pops-- They all called her Aurelia now, her new name. And she was okay with that, don't get her wrong. But still, Ryan just had a sense of familiarity and comfort, coming from Ilona's lips. Something she missed.
But as Ilona continued to go on, Ryan's seemingly ever-present smile faded, forehead creasing with concern and seriousness. "...Lona," she murmured, hands still gently on her shoulders, applying a gentle reassuring squeeze. "That doesn't matter to me. If having trouble come to my world meant seeing you again? I'd happily endure it. Even if only a few moments together meant disaster for me... I'd be happy to go through it for you. And that's my choice," she assured, finally letting her hands fall away, wiping one last tear away as her smile returned. "So don't worry. Please.. And never think you have to go this alone. Ever."
Of course, again, she'd gone to help Mason after all that.
"I'm glad," she spoke, gently, to his claim he felt better. His summoning of his aura earned a mildly surprised look from her, briefly, before she smiled once again. "Wow," she awed at the faint, beautiful glow, eyes shining as she observed. But his words snapped her out of it, leaving her mildly embarrassed she'd been caught up in the beauty. "Ahh, really? I've never had anyone say they could feel it before... Aside from a bit of warmth, anyways," she mused, thoughtfully. His words about rambling, however, only earned a small laugh. "Oh, don't worry. I'm certainly just as bad, I admit... It doesn't bother me."
As for his offer to meet Cheza, she was slightly surprised by the sudden offer, but she did want to make sure he was really fully alright... And it was only polite to meet her, after all. Besides, she always was a social butterfly. Meeting new people was a blast. "I'd love to!" was thus her eager reply, as she followed Mason quietly, offering a polite wave to Cheza and Toboe as they arrived. "Oh... Pleased to meet you, as well," she offered, giving a small bow of her head, almost awkwardly. "I'm Aurelia. But you can call me Ryan, if you'd like, anyways."
As Cheza smiled towards Ryan and told her that it was a nice name Toboe's keen hearing picked up Ilona's seemingly sad tone, but not her words. Turning to find the princess he spotted her and approached, taking on his wolf form to better comfort her.
"...?"
He gave a small huff and nugded her gently with his nose, but would leave her be if she wanted time to herself. Otherwise she was stuck with him.
"Aurelia, this is Cheza. She's a special little flower," Mason said with his face beaming.
Yet as he continued to speak, his face grew red and his words became mumbled. "Well, I mean that literally. She is a flower, but in human form, which leads to paradise, but only for wolves. It's all, like everything else in the multiverse, a little complicated.
"That is not to say she isn't like a flower. She's just a very pretty flower. Well, I mean she's more than just a pretty flower. I mean she's my friend and I like it when she's pretty and she smiles, but we haven't really talked about taking things farther. I don't want to hurt the flower.
"Not that I would hurt any sweet girl on purpose! We are just really different people, and that's okay, but I don't want to make problems. You see..."
Mason, somewhat frantically, hazed down to where Toboe was and found him there no more. His head whipped around the room to search for him, and he saw Ilona equally floundering in her conversation. He nervously turned to face the two girls."Oh, dear Sun,"he thought in a silent prayer,"You work for Ilona, so could you save me from my own stupid mouth?"
His saving grace stepped up behind him, peering over his shoulder at Cheza and Ryan. She sported a sparkling blue evening gown, with matching shoes, purse, and hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail. "Mason, dear brother, who are these two nice ladies? They seem to not have drinks or snacks. Maybe you could fix that? I believe there's a table of refreshments."
Mason opened his mouth to fire a snappy comment, but all that came fron his mouth was a "Sure." He made a beeline for the bar.
Macy smiled and giggled a small bit at the idea of bailing Mason out. If she existed in Canon and wasn't essentially dead, she wouldn't let Mason live this moment down.
Instead, she decided to finally become a part of this party. "I'm so sorry to be late, but it looks like Mason's antics had gotten me caught up. I'm Macy. In simple terms, I'm Mason's sister. I'm more complex terms... Don't ask, won't tell. In any case, it's a pleasure to meet you two..."
Macy looked at Ryan, but somewhat puzzled asked her, "Alright, for real this tine, have we met before? Or is it brain damage from Mason's concussion?"
When Tarlotte would jump out into the audience, Zinnia would stand up from where she was sitting. She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head before jumping back to dodge the mangey feline. Afterwards, she would let out a laugh at her rival. "Hah! You missed me!" the woman teased, sticking her tongue out at Tarlotte.
Really dialing up her teasing game, Zinnia would turn around and slap her own ass in a taunting manner. "C'mon, can't you do any better than that? Catch me if you can, crazy cat!" she said with a laugh, actually seeming to enjoy this. Jack had wandered off somewhere and she was actually happy she was able to get into mischief without him watching.
Well, that dodge only seemed to infuriate Tarlotte even more, not to mention the taunting. "Mmmmmmmmissed mew?!" she demanded, practically seeing red as a glow began to emanate from her, hair on her neck standing on edge and her ears and tail rigid. "As if!! I was... I wasn't aiming for you! Meyeah, that's right, I was just... Getting off that stupid stage! Meow!" she declared, despite it being a lie. Though, as the taunts continued, she snapped.
"....I'M GONNA MAKE MINCE MEAT OUT OF YOU, YOU HEAR ME, STUPID GIRL?!?" she roared, clenching her fists as she prepared to leap again. "MEOW, MEOW, MEOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!"
Meanwhile, Joshua would again move over to Teresa, bothering her yet again. It wasn't as if he had any other ideas of what to do. There wasn't anyone else he knew that he could approach and bother, and he wasn't really interested in mingling when he didn't have to. Believe it or not, Joshua wasn't the most social of people. He didn't have to interact with guests in parties not thrown by Shibuya, so he chose not to in this case.
"Rather chaotic in here, isn't it?" he questioned, starting off with a rather casual tone. Of course it was chaotic. Any event that involved Murder Games at all seemed to be chaotic, whether they were canon or non-canon.
Anyhow, It didn't seem as if he were going to tease her, at first, until he would smirk and eventually add, "Be a dear and go fetch a drink for your boss, hm?"
Ugh. Her plans of escape, ruined. But luckily, it seemed Joshua was actually just making... normal conversation, this once. Which, ironically enough, put her on edge, possibly more than his odder conversations and openers. Most likely because there was no way he really was just going to be casual with her. Ever. No, it was always a game of taunting and making the other uncomfortable with them. "...Yeah," she muttered, despite her discomfort, after a few moments. "Almost like it's a party with lots of people, or something," she remarked in addition, sarcastically. Of course it was chaotic. Idiot Josh.
But then was the punch line that she knew was coming.
Groaning outwardly, she rolled her eyes, glaring daggers at him. "Looks to me like you've got at least one foot, and at least one hand. How bout you get it yourself?" she suggested, sassily. "I'm not your slave."
"And we're back, everyone! Please settle down as we present the remainder of the General Games awards!" Shiki announced once he stepped onto the stage again alongside Kyoko, the two of them holding a number of envelopes like before, "Shall we get started then, Kirigiri-san?"
"Mhm," Kyoko simply nodded, before clearing her throat, "Now then, to start things off, leaving off from the Best Prologue, we have the Best Game Epilogue following up immediately, with the nominations going to..."
The War of the Universe - Restless in Rapture - Monokuma's Awakening - Genesis
Kyoko opened the envelope and quickly scanned her eyes over the certificate, before speaking again into the microphone.
"And the winner is... Genesis. Again."
I always wondered what the difference was supposed to be between "Best Ending" and "Best Game Epilogue." Maybe we should think about taking that out next time if it seems redundant to people.
"Didn't we just present that award?"
"That was Best Ending you're thinking of."
"Great. In any case, next up is Best Traitor Kill Overall! The nominees are..."
Max Caulfield's Drowning - Welcome to the Falls Saber's Magic Show - Welcome to the Falls Alice Twilight and Scott Lang Double-Kill - Genesis Azura and Cullen Double-Kill - Genesis
"And the winner for this goes to... Max Caulfield's Drowning, as seen in Welcome to the Falls! ... Ah, who did that again?"
"Who knows?"
"Aren't you the detective here? Shouldn't you at least figure it out?"
"Sherlock Holmes only picked cases that interested him."
"Ugh..."
I could pull a Kanye right now but I won't.
Not yet, anyway.
"Moving on, then. Next up is the Best Death Overall, at least, the non-Traitor-kills, that is. The nominees are..."
Nier's Very Strange Death - Restless in Rapture Bolin's Accidental Death - Monokuma's Awakening Ilona's Explosion - Civil War Travis Touchdown's Rocket Murder - Genesis
"And the award goes to... Bolin's Accidental Death, as seen in Monokuma's Awakening. Go figure, I was there for half of these nominations."
"Well, there are only four."
Yeah, that was something else indeed. Monokuma's Awakening was full of all sorts of crazy and memorable moments, one of which of course being Bolin's death.
"Ahem. Anyway, next up is Funniest Moment!" Shiki exclaimed when Kyoko didn't seem to feel the need to respond to him earlier. Story of his life.
"The nominations are as follows..."
Sans / Garnet / Joestar Final Attacks on Elliot - The War of the Universe Honk honk - Monokuma's Awakening Tarlotte's Tantrum - Monokuma's Awakening Eating the magic food - Valen-Not-Fine
"... The heck is honk honk?"
"Don't ask," Kyoko said firmly with a scowl that almost seemed to come out of nowhere, the young woman vibrating a tad. Shiki pursed his lips and gulped, his curiosity only heightened, but he decided not to say any more on that matter.
"U-Uh... Sorry then. Anyway, the winner is... the Sans / Garnet / Joestar Final Attacks on Elliot, as seen in the climax of The War of the Universe!"
Sono chi no sadame and all that.
I'd also like to give a shoutout to @DBZ7 since he did some of the Joestar collab with me, notably the Jonathan and Johnny parts, but not to the point where I'm not gonna pretend I didn't end up deciding to just write up the rest of the latter half of the post myself eventually.
Lazy bastard.
"I'm just glad that won and not... something else," Kyoko grunted.
"Like... uh... that other thing?"
"Anyway," Kyoko said, clearing her throat as she ignored Shiki, "Our next award is, in stark contrast, for the Saddest Moment. The nominees are..."
Carol killing the Little Sister - Restless in Rapture Wanda's Death and Proceeding Trial - Monokuma's Awakening Ilona leaving to train with ODMA - Civil War Aftermath of the Final Battle - Genesis
"... And the winner is the Aftermath of the Final Battle in Genesis."
"Really? Huh. Didn't seem that sad. On the contrary, seems like one of the happier moments if anything."
"Maybe it's referring to when everyone was on the verge of death at the hands of Diablo, if you're maybe thinking of the pod scene."
"I still would have thought--"
"You thought wrong."
"Right... Women are always right, after all."
It's getting really hard trying to find ways to comment on my own event, but uh, yeah, thanks again.
"Ahem. Anyway, next up, we have the Sweetest Moment. The nominees are..."
Pool Party - Monokuma's Awakening Kyoko's Sacrifice by typing in her own name - Monokuma's Awakening Shiki's Exchanges with Ilona - Civil War Alukei Kiss - Genesis
"And the winner is... the Alukei Kiss in Genesis. Huh, would ya look at that? The one nomination that neither of us were in at all and it won."
"A natural part of life."
You two really are the trademark romance duo at this point, huh. Congrats, @Sen and @Hana.
Fun fact, in Monokuma's Awakening, during the Pool Party, after Kyoko was playfully dragged into the pool by Wanda, I was prepared to make a post where she gets mad and splashes Wanda and a little splash fight ensues, but then the update happened, I think.
Or maybe I was too lazy to get it out in time.
"In any case, up next, we have Weirdest Moment. The nominations go to..."
Final Fight against Elliot and Bane - The War of the Universe Rant kidnapping Tomoko - Monokuma's Awakening Monokuma Army in the Final Battle - Civil War Disregard for Human Life - General
"The heck does Disregard for Human Life mean?" Shiki asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Maybe it's the part where not a lot of people reacted to the deaths since it's all become humdrum. Or the Civil War deaths. Or both," Kyoko shrugged, before clearing her throat, "In any case, the winner is Rant kidnapping Tomoko."
Well. I guess that scene was pretty weird. Here you go then, @ShiroKiyoshi and I suppose @Nater Taters as well.
"And with that, we come to our final award for the General Games category! It's... the Best Action Sequence! The nominations are as follows!"
Battle with Bill Cipher - Welcome to the Falls Battle between Rapture and Columbia - Restless in Rapture Battle to defeat Mother and save Junko - Civil War Fight with the Avengers - Genesis
"And the award goes to... the Fight with the Avengers, as seen in the beginning of Genesis! ... Huh, I woulda thought the fight against Diablo would have at least gotten nominated first."
"Maybe they really liked Ant-Man."
I really did not expect that to win, but hey, that was still something @Atomyk and I GM'd so I'll take it. Nice.
Looking back, I probably should have used Falcon instead of Ant-Man since that would have made more sense within the context of the MCU, but I mean, if we were using Wanda and yet also putting in Ultron as a villain that was still around, I guess anything goes.
Of course, "anything goes" is pretty much standard fare for the Murder Series in general, I'll bet.
"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is that for the General Games awards! Please take this moment to let the winners claim their certificates, and stay tuned for the next batch of awards, which will be the General Characters! Thank you so much for your time!"
Charismatic with that "normal boy" routine as always. Just like Makoto... Guess these protagonist types really are all the same.
And with that, the two representatives stepped down, letting the winners claim their prizes in the meantime.
Toboe let Ilona pet her, a look of worry crossing his face as she spoke, then when Shiki approached and Ilona flinched, he let out a small growl of warning as he turners his head to face Shiki, fur on end. He eventually calmed down as Ilona continued to pet him and things seemed to settle down a bit. He stayed as a form of comfort as the two talked, his head eventually coming to rest on her lap. He saw Ilona as part of the pack and only wanted his friends to feel well, and hoped that however her conversation with Shiki went made her feel better. If not? Shiki better stay away from Toboe's fangs.
Shiki silently listened to all that Ilona had to say, taking it all in, occasionally raising an eyebrow here and there to her words, such as when she had taken out the letters that she had never sent to him. And once she was done, Shiki found himself... unsure of what to do or say. But then, he was no stranger to not knowing what to do.
So as always, he winged it with his natural (non)charisma.
"Y'know... I'm really not quite sure what to say to all that. No one's ever had that much to say to me, about me before. Hard enough to take all that in, let alone try to figure out how to respond to all that, but..." Shiki began, trailing off a little with an awkward chuckle as he scratched the back of his head, before clearing his throat, "Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for caring for me. That's all I could ever ask for," he said with a smile, patting Ilona on the head affectionately like he would his younger sister.
"I think it's good that you wrote those letters, even if you didn't want to send them to me. You don't... have to give them to me if you don't want to. In fact, I think it'd be better if you held onto them. Sensei always told me that memories and mementos are just as important as the people they represent as well, so I don't think it's silly at all. After all, it's only natural to do these kinds of things for people important to you, right? You shouldn't be embarrassed of who you care for if they're people you believe are worth it, after all," he said. Before Shiki had even realized it, he said more than he believed was even on his mind. With that, he cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses once again.
"In any case, not to cut this short, but I need to head back to the stage. Ms. Kirigiri gets mad pretty easily, even if she doesn't look the kind to be like that, but... I'm glad we could talk like this to clear the air. See you around then?" He asked cheerfully as always, before standing up.
Shortly after speaking, Ilona would move her hands back onto her own lap, nervously picking at her fingernails.
Dear Sun, I can't really tell if that went over well or not. He became awfully quiet for a moment...
Hearing Toboe growl at Shiki, Ilona would find herself shaken from her thoughts. Seeing how protective he was, she couldn't help but utter a small chuckle.
"Worry not, dear friend, Sir Shiki would never harm me."
Not intentionally, anyhow. Oh, sweet Shiki, how you know not what you just... did.
"Ah, I never did intend to show you my letters. I really have had enough embarrassment for one evening," she said, a shaky laugh escaping her lips. Her words seemed to suggest that she had disregarded his suggestion that she shouldn't be embarrassed. So much for any progress that had been made. "I just wanted to tell you... to get it off my chest. Anyhow, yes, I wish not to hold you up any longer. Ah ha ha. Go ahead, go ahead. I've stolen enough of your time already. Good luck presenting the next set of awards," she said, unintentionally sounding eager for him to go. She would then hold a small, faux smile on her lips that she struggled to keep in place, waiting for him to walk away so she could drop it. He was dense enough so surely he could be fooled by a fake smile, right? At least, she hoped so. She wanted him to continue being happy and cheerful like he was now. Ilona didn't want him to notice that something was... off.
Wait for it.
Just a little longer.
Annnnd....
He was gone along with her smile.
But why had she been so eager for him to go?
It was because she didn't feel any better. In fact, she felt worse now. But why? Just a moment ago, Ilona felt fine. She felt better than fine, in fact. It wasn't anything Shiki had said or she had said that caused her change of heart either. No, words had nothing to do with how she felt. This feeling of Ilona's revolved around non-verbal actions akin to the old saying 'actions speak louder than words.'
So, the final piece to this puzzle would be answered by one question: What action stripped Ilona of the peace she had found? It was something silly and insignificant. An action nobody would've blinked twice at. Why, it was simply a little pat on the head. That's all it took to burst her bubble.
Here I stand, a nineteen-year-old adult, and he pats me on the head as if I'm an infant. In his eyes, not an equal, but a child, a little girl with a crush. It's the same feeling Sir Minato gave me, only back then I actually was a child and he was justified. The truth is, Shiki doesn't take me seriously and that, I fear, is the most humiliating outcome that could have possibly occurred from this.
While Ilona wanted to melt into a puddle on the table, she quickly straightened up, sheepishly smiling at Toboe. She sucked her emotions back in and composed herself, not wanting him to see her upset. He had just threatened Shiki, after all, and she didn't want him to start anything on her behalf.
"Don't bite him, okay? Please don't bite him," Ilona pleaded to Toboe, honestly feeling as if she might cry. She tried with all of her might to hold back any tears, however, and would instead replace any cries with stammering like a helpless, broken record.
"D-Don't okay? No matter what. Don't bite him. Just please don't bit him. D-Don't bite... no matter what... no biting..."
Is it a lack of makeup or my clothing, perhaps? Or maybe it's my loud voice? I don't know... what makes me seem like a child to him? What if... others see me this way too?
Standing up like a zombie, Ilona suddenly moved away from Toboe and toward the bar where Mason was at. Had she known Mason was over there she probably would not have gone, but with how distracted she was the blonde wouldn't notice him.
Lucifer looked over at Jason. " Well, that was one round of fainting for drinks. You aren't exactly a lightweight, but that is the first time I had seen that," he said, holding the award for LuckycoolHawk9 before teleporting to the user across dimension. " I swear, I missed all the fun stuff."
Stiles who had overheard Lucifer when he mentioned fun stuff. " That wasn't fun. That crazy mouse was trying to kidnap her and it was insane."
"O-Oh no, are you hurt, Kofuku-chan!? Don't worry, I can help with that, I think!"
Esper immediately realizes that the glomp hurt Kofuku a little. With the mustering of his care, he begins pecking the misfortune goddess with all of them kisses, just straight up ignoring everyone else nearby them.
