[Rail IC] Academy City II: Electrokinesis Is Love~

[Duos]

Yori's PDA beeps again. He slides it out of his pocket and sets it on the table next to the stack of paperwork he's finishing up. After finally filling out the last form in the set, he taps the file on the table to realign the pages and slides it back into his satchel. He taps the PDA and checks the picture it's displaying. His eyebrows arch almost imperceptibly, and his eyes flick up to the laughing child and her poker-faced friend before narrowing.

"I really do hate kids..."

Yori exhales in annoyance. Well, best do this quickly. He places a few quiet calls to the right people from his cell phone in the corner, and waits as the diner slowly starts to empty out, the patrons slowly trickling out the door to other, more urgent business.

One of the waitresses quietly flips the sign on the door over from OPEN to CLOSED, then disappears into the kitchen.

And Yori sits in his booth, eating his hot pot and sipping on his drink, silently watching the girl and the boy eating their dinner, and waits.

[Atrum-Persavor]

"I didn't know you until about two hours ago either, but I know the Pure Streets." Ren continues, completely ignoring Moroe.

"Both of them." He adds cryptically, as if it were an afterthought.

"And relax, I'm not a threat. On the contrary, I was hoping I could help you out a little. Contrary to what you might think, you could do quite a lot. To answer your other question, anything relating to Judgment and the Pure Streets is… my business, to some extent."

Ren smirks. "I suppose it’s worth mentioning that invoking a few exception clauses - go look that up on the City Penal code- saves me a lot of time and paperwork, considering I can’t catch any Pure Streets members when they assault Skill-Outs. Which brings us back to this. You can have a copy of the evidence from this to use as you see fit, and I save myself about six weeks of scurrying about. I’ll terminate the bugs once I get the data I need.”

“Oh, and here’s your nasty sharp bladed object back. I made it more family-friendly. To reiterate, I'm on your side. I just don't like being stabbed.”

Ren tosses Shougo’s kunai, now missing its bladed edge, back to him before placing his own hands into his jeans pockets.

[Anyr]

Moroe didn't know what was worse: Being ignored by Ren, or being protected by Shougo. The way he kept trying to shield her from danger was both sweet and annoying; It was also incredibly obvious. No wonder so many people thought they were sweethearts. Moroe defied his wishes by doing some steps of her own, putting her beside him instead of behind. She was done playing 'damsel in distress'.

"The police of this city really are pathetic. You refuse to break the laws which protect people like the Pure Streets, but happily turn a blind eye while others do your dirty work. When are you going to realise that law and justice are two completely different things?"

[Atrum-Persavor]

Ren raises an eyebrow.

"Really? I figured I was breaking a few laws, I just broke them in a safe way. Second, Anti-Skill has no evidence on the Pure Streets. I don't have any solid evidence either and it's my word against his, because his cronies pop flashbangs in my face when I try to catch them. Naturally, you assume that Anti-Skill is all-knowing and omniscient and know that that beansprout is up to no good. It doesn't, and has no reason to suspect that he is."

"And seeing as you already know my face... Judgment is an auxillary support force. We help with civic work around the city, and we're not supposed to go after criminals without Anti-Skill backup and approval. This is actually considered vigilante justice."

Ren looks at the roof for a moment, before returning his gaze to Moroe.

"I suppose you know this already, but there is precious little justice in this world. My help is yours if you want it. I only came out to tell you this as a courtesy, really. My original plan was to tape a message to the wall."

[AnimeKid]

[After the Cafe Scene]

Tobio left the cafe after bidding the rest of his new friends goodbye. He shouldered his backpack as he continues down the street. It was now very late in the evening. The sun is beautifully cascaded against the orange sky. Tobio smiles at the peaceful image before he reached into his backpack and retrieved and ice cream sandwich. He bit into the frozen treat as his skates clacked down the street.

He looked over his last few day in Academy City and smiled fondly. He had some many friends now. Things were looking up. He grabs a lightpost and uses it to slingshot around a corner.

__________________________________________________ ____________

Crocell jumped another fence as he continued running. He turned down an alley and instinctively jumped onto a dumpster and kicked off it to grab onto a pipe built into the building. He quickly climbed up it with practiced ease before jumping onto the roof of the building across. He runs across the roof before jumping to another building and runs across it before he jumps off the side in a somersault.

As he comes near the ground before his goes splat he produces flames from his hands and feet in a jet fashion to slow his fall and land safely with a roll. He stands up panting before reaching into his pocket and pulling our a towel to wipe the sweat from his face. He then sees the neon sign that reads Mahjong parlor. Now Crocell didn't know how to play Mahjong but a parlor was as good a place to wind down as any. So with that he enters the establishment to see what it is all about.

[Anyr]

The parlour clearly wasn't a reputable one. The smoky interior had a shabbiness to it that couldn't be disguised by the low light level. Still, as unhealthy as the air was, there wasn't any real danger in it. This was no wretched hive of scum and villainy; It was just a normal establishment that was having a bad run of luck. Many of the tables were empty, but enough people sat playing at the others to keep the parlour in business.

"Perfect timing! Hey stranger, your seat is right over here."

A customer as shabby as his surroundings called out to Crocell. He sat with two other people at one of the tables, obviously waiting for a fourth to fill it. They looked encouragingly towards the new arrival, beckoning him towards them with welcoming smiles.

"Don't worry, we don't bite. Care to join us for a casual han-chan or two?"

[AnimeKid]

Crocell shrugs his shoulders as he walks over to the trio. He takes a seat and looks at all of them taking details and facial expressions. He also develops a tick mark at being the shortest one of the group. He clears his throat as he says, "Nice to meet cha, names Shiota Tsubasa but you can just call me Crocell. Still I'm surprised. I didn't expect to get invited to a group so quickly."

[Anyr]

In this case Crocell's height complex had extra reason to flare. The scruffy gentleman sitting opposite him was much taller than the average teenager. Combined with the considerable layers of muscle that he'd built up, he should theoretically have been an imposing figure; Yet somehow he wasn't. Like the parlour itself, there was no real threat to him, beyond possibly a light beating in a brawl. He gave Crocell a nod of welcome, then started pressing buttons on the automatic table.

"Kiyoshi Jirou. Always happy to welcome a new face. Don't worry, we play a pretty standard game around here. Only house rules are open Tanyao, Yakitori, Akadora and Mangan Tenhou. Okay, let's get this show on the road!"

As if on cue, four walls of tiles rose from the table's depths, signalling the start of the game. Without hesitation the three other players began drawing their opening hands. Jirou kept up his friendly demeanour, while secretly sizing up the new arrival. Easy mark, experienced pro, or somewhere in between? By the end of this first wind, he'd know the answer to that question.

[AnimeKid]

Jirou can easily tell the Crocell is not very experienced by how hesitant his is in drawing. As far as he can tell he only knows the base rules. The things that anyone could look up on Wikipedia. It would not be out of place to classify him as an easy mark. However he does not seem perturbed. Was he simply good at keeping his cool or did he think this game was just for fun. Either way the strangely attired boy would not be much of a challege unless lady luck started blowing him like a two hundred yen whore.

[Anyr]

Jirou did his best not to smirk. Though the stranger's money was safely snared now (whether he knew it or not), there was no sense in tipping him off too early. In practically every other area of Jirou's life he was hot-headed and impulsive. Only when playing this game did he understand the value of restraint. For now he held back, letting the first wind pass smoothly and casually.

"So, how's life been treating you lately? A lot of folks around here use this game to get away from their troubles; Not me, though. I'm just here to do what I love best."

This, at least, was true: Jirou did indeed love beating large amounts of money out of suckers.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Shougo glowered, agreeing with Moroe. Judgement and Anti-Skill really were useless; they came now, getting in the way. Where were they when his father was getting beaten to death!? Where were they, in the wake of his loss, hiding that monster within their ranks!? Where were they, when they would have mattered!? He was unaware of the blood rushing to his face and the temper he was losing.

"So why are you even trying to help me? Judgement-san. You don't even know what's really happening, do you? Of what do you know what's happened!? Why weren't you there when-"

"Hnh. Time's up."

And then Shougos' mother appeared down the flight of stairs, carrying a tray of tea in her worn hands and humming slightly. The humming ceased once she took stock of the presence of Shougo and Moroe apparently staring at nothing. Ren had vanished in a moment, the light around him bending and shimmering as he spotted Koizumis' feet descending quickly down the stairs.

"Oh. What was all the yelling about, Shougo-kun?"

Shougo immediately ceased his rant, his flustered face, previously red with rage returning to impassiveness with incredible speed, adopting, once again, that bashful tone even as he inwardly gaped at Rens' sudden disappearance. So that was his Esper power...?

"We were, I was, uh, practicing for a play I was part of. Ishimaru-senpai wanted to see it and..."

He promptly slapped himself mentally. That was a terrible lie, there was no way his mother would fall for something so incredibly obvious .He did not 'join' plays; he was not a very social person, and his mother knew that. Soon she'd call him out on it, and then everything would turn into a mess. Maybe he should just have told her the truth? That a Judgement Esper randomly showed up in their home and said he was on their side, and that they were off on a dangerous mission to exact revenge later today? That was probably more believable than that ridiculous falsehood he just concocted, and-

"Oh! That's lovely, Shougo-kun."

She smiled.

"I am so happy to see you getting more involved in school and clubs. And on your first day out of hospital, too! You must be feeling extra lively. In any case, let's have some tea, shall we?"

She set down the tea set and began pouring.

"So, Ishimaru Moroe-san, Shougo-kun, how did you two get to know each other?"

Shougo glanced at Moroe out of the corner of his eye, not knowing how to explain it. Sure, he could have told her the truth and said 'by fighting half the school alongside her', but for some reason, he didn't think that would sit well with her, nor would it improve his chances of being able to travel to Daisukes' party that night.

[AnimeKid]

Crocell shurgs as he looks at his hand. Not to great but he could work with it. "Not much actually. I came in here to unwind after my parkour training run. The freedom of being able to run anywhere and everywhere is pretty exhilarating once you get the hang of it. After all. Fire can't be contained.

You can control it for a while sure, but eventually not matter how long it takes it will run free. Such is the nature of...well nature. Just like you cannot hope to control a tornado, you can only endure fires burning embrace." After that Crocell calmly draws a piece from the wall he grimaces as he throws it onto the table showing that he drew a summer season tile. The second wind passed by violently, and turbulently.

[Anyr]

{OOC: Kudos on looking up a few of the actual rules of Mahjong. It's not at all necessary for the scene, but it's a nice touch. Howevvveerrr, it looks like you've been learning the Chinese version, rather than the Japanese one that would be used in Academy City. Japanese Mahjong doesn't use flower or season tiles.}

"Wise words, friend. ['Endure fire's burning embrace?' What a putz.]"

Jirou waited semi-patiently while the winds shifted into the proper alignment. In the meantime, he subtly upped his playing speed, in order to pressure everyone else into playing quicker as well. In theory each player could move at their own pace; In practice, though, years of social conditioning would tell them that it was rude to hold up the game, especially at a table where everyone was being so considerate. At last the game gave Jirou what he'd been waiting for: The coveted dealer position, which vastly inflated any wins gained while holding it. It was then that his time spent observing Crocell paid off:

"Riichi!"

Halfway through the wind, Jirou brazenly announced that he only needed one more tile to win. In exchange for giving the other players early warning (as well as a few other things), his hand increased in value. Normally this would have been a very stupid move. His hand was already great, but hard to complete. Declaring a Riichi would cause his chances to plummet, because any experienced player would immediately stop dealing risky tiles. But Jirou knew that there was one player at this table who wouldn't see the danger; Who wouldn't sense the way that this game's flow had just changed.

"You'll deal it. You'll deal my winning tile, won't you? Everyone else is bailing; They've given up on winning this wind. But newbies like you can't see past their own noses. You only care about completing your own hands. You'll keep climbing that hill right to the top, even if it leads you straight off a cliff..."

----------------------------------------

Moroe took a sip of her tea, mostly to buy time. While half of her mind continued pondering Ren's intrusion, the rest of it tried to concoct a story. Mrs Nimori was clearly (and legitimately) interested in the identity of this strange girl who her son had brought home, so the lie needed to match up with the person who Moroe appeared to be. So, what did Mrs Nimori already know (or think she knew) about Ishimaru Moroe?

"Let's see: I'm polite and eager to please. I visited her son in hospital, supposedly because I felt guilty about leaving him alone. I'm either interested in his Ninjutsu and plays, or pretending to like them in order to please him. I spent a lot of money on his medical bills. I call him 'Nimori-kun'. I'm left handed.

So with all that in mind, the best disguise would be a nice, kind person who has a...crush...on..."

No. No no no no no. There way no way that she was going with that angle. No matter how perfectly it fitted, casting herself as Shougo's love interest was not an option. Instead, she'd simply...er...respect him! Yes, that was it. She'd be an admirer of his, who looked up to him as a good, noble person. Which, fortunately, he was.

"Nimori-kun lent a helping hand when I needed it most. I was having a lot of trouble with my schoolwork, you see. It had got to the point where I was in danger of failing the whole class. I was too embarrassed to ask for help, but it must have been pretty obvious, because Nimori-kun approached and asked if anything was wrong. Then, when I told him, he promised to do whatever it took to turn things around. He helped me study and encouraged me every step of the way. Thanks to that, I was able to pass the class with flying colours. You've really raised a wonderful son, Mrs Nimori."

[AnimeKid]

Crocell in fact hadn't recognized the change of the game. He only knew enough to play you basic game. However one thing that was sharp were his instincts. He could tell that Jirou was leading him on. Not consciously but subconsciously. His body and mind started moving on their own. His eyes gained sort of a manic spark to them. Why hadn't he been playing this game?

He didn't quite know what was going on but he could feel it. His inner fire was stoked and ardently enflamed. Jirou would note that his style became faster as he did, he looked like he wasn't thinking much, merely grabbing and discarding tiles at random. He did not back out like most smart players would have done and instead continued onward his eyes seeming to become golden slits from excitement. It was like a match between a dragon and a tiger. When Jirou calls Riichi Crocell knows that he has to act immediately

Knowing that any discard could mean the game Crocell grins as he looks at his hand. He only needed one more tile. He followed his gut after all what did a cliff matter when you could fly, IPPATSU! (One-Shot!)" He then draws from the wall. Just like a rookie he was relying on a luck-based yaku. He looks at the tile and grins "Tsumo!" He lays down his hand to reveal a 3 kongs of 5 bamboo, 4 dots, and 7 characters and dragon eyes.

(This good or does Crocell need to lose?)

[Anyr]

{OOC: That's perfectly fine. Oh, and since you're putting so much detail into Crocell's hands, I'll sometimes add optional nitpicky rule notes. Since these will only be of interest to those who value pinpoint Mahjong accuracy (rather than the semi-cinematic summarised version we're using for the scene), they'll be spoilered, so as to avoid annoying anyone who doesn't care about that.}

Spoiler

Show

Ippatsu is only for hands which get completed within one round of the claimant declaring a Riichi, and before anyone calls. If this were a real game, Jirou could have got an Ippatsu, but not Crocell. Also, Kans/Kongs must be declared in advance (even when closed), because they increase the size of a player's hand and create new Dora. Thus, while 'Three Kans/Kongs' (San Kantsu) is indeed a valid Yaku, it would have been visible to the other players before the big reveal.

Jirou's eyes widened in pure shock. The gloating speech he'd been composing vanished from his mind, now useless in the face of this incredible luck. With an effort he choked out some congratulations for his opponent.

"Nicely done."

"You have got to be kidding me!"

He and the other players all begrudgingly reached into their point drawers and tossed their payments across to Crocell. Being the dealer, Jirou paid the most. Somehow he was now trailing behind the worthless worm who he'd been about to crush. This could not be permitted. Okay, no more messing around; From now on, Jirou would be giving this game his undivided attention.

[AnimeKid]

Crocell looked at the board as he pants heavily. The exhilaration he felt just refused to leave him. He was a man on a mission now, and his mission was to win. Of course his rational mind told hi this was impossible, so instead he settled on being a major pain in the *ss. He makes sure he is a graceful winner as he shakes hands with each of the players, "Thanks Jirou, I really felt into it there. I trusted my gut and it didn't let me down."

In his head however, 'Ha take that! Shiota Tsubasa may be a newbie but he is no ones sucker. Besides, I'm actually the one that can afford to pay my debts.'

With that a new game starts. Crocell went first this time. Upon looking at his hand his face turns ugly. His hand was absolute and utter trash. Deciding to play through he drew and discarded a dragon tile. His eyes bored into Jirou's before the seemed to become slits again. The beast had been awakened.

(OOC: Sounds good. I was trying my best to make the scene enjoyable. This way there was an upset that can teach Jirou an entertaining lesson about never underestimating an opponent and he can still claim beginners luck when Crocell's losses start piling up. Also how should Tobio run into GATE?)

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Moroe would have known that that was the wrong thing to say, the second she had bothered to glance at Shougo. Already, a thin bead of sweat was making its' way down his brow. What she hadn't realised was that Shougo was not exactly performing very well at school, and that his mother knew this. He also referred to her as 'senpai', indicating that she was his senior. While his mother was normally a rather trusting individual, this tale seemed a bit...strange to her, especially considering Shougos' last school report.

She set her cup of tea down.

"I see."

The tone in which she had said it; the flat tone, with just a hint of skepticism and a slightly raised eyebrow, set off alarms in Shougos' head. She knew that he wasn't telling the truth, and he knew that she knew. There had to be some way he could salvage this situation, he thought to himself, before she began asking very inconvenient questions. While his mother was certainly very trusting, she was far from stupid. Before he opened his mouth again, Shougo shot a look at Moroe, as if to say 'I'm sorry'.

"A...Ah-You don't have to lie for my sake, Ishimaru-senpai, um, you see, mother, the situation was kind of reversed...It was she who came to help me. She's, um, really smart and nice, she's not even in my class...But she decided to help me nonetheless."

There was a pause as Koizumi took this into consideration, trying to discern the truthfulness of that statement, as Shougo (and likely Moroe) finished their tea. When they did, she finally spoke, breaking into a wide smile.

"You really are a lovely girl, Moroe-san. I must thank you for helping my son with his schoolwork. Are you two going to stay for much longer?"

This time, Shougo responded before Moroe could say anything. He disliked lying to his mother, but at that point of time, there appeared to no other alternatives. And this web of lies appeared to be likely to cause him trouble in the future; especially if his grades did not suddenly improve. So he decided he'd just tell her the truth. He could work without his tools.

"We were, um, just about to go to her place, actually..."

"Ah. I see. Please take care of my son, Moroe-san."

The implications that she was suggesting flew right over Shougos' head, even as he stood up and offered Moroe a hand in doing the same. If Moroe followed along, Shougo would have walked out of the door, rolling his eyes at the unexpected inconvenience. As he did so, his mother called out to him.

"By the way, Shougo-kun, your kunai is broken."

[Anyr]

Moroe accepted Shougo's offered hand, though only to avoid looking rude. She was anxious to make a graceful exit after her little slip-up. Once she and Shougo were safely walking down the street together, she gave him a sincerely apologetic wince.

"Sorry about that. I should really have played it safe there, instead of telling that elaborate fairy story. It's just that, well, you seemed like a perfect fit for it. It's so easy to picture you coming to the aid of some struggling student like that. Even though they never asked, you'd be there for them anyway. Whether it was doing homework, finding a lost ring or...I don't know...fighting off a mob of crazed enemies on a school rooftop? Yes, that sounds exactly like something you'd do..."

...With that a new game starts. Crocell went first this time. Upon looking at his hand his face turns ugly. His hand was absolute and utter trash. Deciding to play through he drew and discarded a dragon tile. His eyes bored into Jirou's before the seemed to become slits again. The beast had been awakened.

(... Also how should Tobio run into GATE?)

{OOC: Again, that's up to you. Just send him to an area where you'd like to have a dangerous encounter, and I'll make one to match it.}

The dragon barely had time to hit the table before it got snatched up again.

"Pon!"

Jirou reached out like lightning and pulled it away. A second later it and two others came to rest on his left side. Just a few turns after that, he struck again.

"Chi!"

A sequence of Pin tiles joined the dragons. Each hand in a game of Mahjong had its own tempo; It's own optimum speed at which it should be played. Time and again, Jirou had seen newbies burn up a slow hand with quick calls, until it became worthless, or sit there letting a fast hand wither to dust. He wasn't about to make that same mistake. This was a fast hand with a capital 'F', and he played it as such. Crocell's trash collection didn't stand a chance. Before he was able to wrestle it into shape, Jirou was already laying down his tiles in triumph.

"Ron! Chun Hon-Itsu Dora 1; 40 and 4; Mangan!"

Jirou smirked. This was how things were meant to go. He hadn't taken any points from Crocell, but thanks to this win he was back in the running again. Now to retake the top spot and start the real fun...

[AnimeKid]

Crocell grits his teeth. He expected to lose that hand with what all he had, but Jirou did it so quickly! All he could do was watch! Well he never let a setback stop him before and he sure wasn't now! The next 2 rounds Crocell loses as he sweats, apparently the side players had gotten their second wind. Both of them were making it hard for Crocell to score let alone win. Jirou had caught up and taken a large lead at this point. Crocell sweats as he tries to think of a way to win. It was going to be his turn soon and he had a decent hand. He had one meld of red dragons and another of 5 dots but he needed something more.

His time came when his moment came when the person before him discarded a green dragon. "Chi!" Crocell powerfully swept up the green dragon tile for the open meld with his other two that he needed. He then drew the tile for his turn and his eyes sparked as he said, "Tsumo!, shōsangen!" He laid down the melds of Red dragons and 5 dots, and eyes of white dragon to join his open meld of green dragon a smile on his face.

__________________________________________________ ____________

Deciding that he still had some day light to burn Tobio decided to to swing by the docks. He had and obstacle course that he built there to keep his skating skills frosty. Now that he thought about it he really needed to practice his ice skating skills, lest they get rusty as well. He would do that tomorrow to ensure that he didn't start slipping up. He would probably practice with his tonfas as well. His father would be furious if he found out that Tobio had been slacking off in his absence.

The sun is just barely lowing itself over the horizen when he arrives. Getting into a ready position, and taking out a stopwatch he had on him, he counts down in his and when he reaches zero he shoots off like a bullet through the course. Various twists and turns sharpen his cornering and timing. improvised hurtles and crates force him to perform various tricks to move on. After about 1 min 15 sec Tobio finishes the course and hits his stopwatch. Checking the time he nods satisfactorily to himself. He managed to shave 3 seconds off his record.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Shougo sighed.

"It is fine, senpai. If only it weren't for that damned Judgement fellow-Never there where they are needed and always meddling where they are not wanted."

He then said nothing for a little while as he walked, absorbing what Moroe said as he followed her to her house. When he spoke, his voice was a little weak, a little uncertain; a little shaken, and a little embarrassed, all at once.

"Thank you, Ishimaru-senpai, but...That would not be me. I am too weak and too cowardly to always do what is right, all the time. It is only my father-"

A pang of pain in his voice, as memories of his father ran through his mind; of his endless optimism and boundless compassion and strength, of his booming laughter and his mothers' wide smiles, of the pride he wore back then. All gone-Broken, and even once vengeance was taken, they were not coming back. But at least they would be able to move on; they would be able to make more good memories, free from Daisukes' vindictive grasp, even though the future was still uncertain.

Another breath, as he gathered his thoughts.

"No, senpai. I am not brave. My father was. It was his voice telling me to help you that day-Not my own."

He looked at Moroe again, a thin smile forming on his lips.

"But you are, senpai. You are brave. Everything that you said about me is false, but is true with you. You helped me though you did not even know me-Gave me hope when I had none. Though my father may not be here, I can still draw strength from you."

He then looked away, coughing, and realising how cheesy what he just said sounded. He really had no way of repaying her. Not for the miracle she had acquired, just for him. But he could try; and he would, every day of his life.

[Terry576]

Yori's PDA beeps again. He slides it out of his pocket and sets it on the table next to the stack of paperwork he's finishing up. After finally filling out the last form in the set, he taps the file on the table to realign the pages and slides it back into his satchel. He taps the PDA and checks the picture it's displaying. His eyebrows arch almost imperceptibly, and his eyes flick up to the laughing child and her poker-faced friend before narrowing.

"I really do hate kids..."

Yori exhales in annoyance. Well, best do this quickly. He places a few quiet calls to the right people from his cell phone in the corner, and waits as the diner slowly starts to empty out, the patrons slowly trickling out the door to other, more urgent business.

One of the waitresses quietly flips the sign on the door over from OPEN to CLOSED, then disappears into the kitchen.

And Yori sits in his booth, eating his hot pot and sipping on his drink, silently watching the girl and the boy eating their dinner, and waits.

The duo continue eating, and Yori might notice that the boy looks oddly... familiar, despite his now messy hair and suit. It's his eyes, the distant emptiness that dwells in them. They have no soul, and he glances right at Yori as he takes his next bite of noodles.

His eyes do not widen with recognition, but the slight incline of his head imply that he has seen Yori, but doesn't deem him a real threat. The slight twitch of his lips as the man stares down him and his charge vanishes as he turns back to her, taking another bite, looking with disinterest as she babbles on.

"Oniichan, can we go to the arcade after this?? Or how about going to the movies before we go back to see oneechan!! It'll be fun!"

She's an innocent little girl, untouched by the ravages of human nature. Her head tilts to the side as Hajime stares at her blankly, his head leaning on one of his hands, and she pouts at him.

"Stop ignoriiiiing meeeeee!"

"Hn."

"Is that a yes? Oniichan, is that a yes?"

"Hn."

She glares at him, annoyance visible in her eyes as she humpfs and crosses her arms.

[Anyr]

Moroe didn't reply. She simply walked on in silence, trying to ignore how warm she suddenly felt. That warmth, however, was soon eclipsed by a worry which had been growing for quite a while. She'd kept pushing it away, because she hadn't wanted to hear it, but now it had grown too large to ignore.

"He's too close. I've let him get too close. I'm supposed to be a stranger lending a hand, not an emotional crutch for him to lean on. If he gets any more attached, it's going to hurt him when I have to pull away."

Lost in thought, Moroe was surprised when her feet stopped moving of their own accord. She looked up to find that they were standing right outside her home. If it hadn't been for that handy multitasking ability, there was a good chance that she'd have walked right past it. Still slightly preoccupied, she unlocked the door, and was greeted by a gust of cold air. Instead of a cozy, welcoming entrance hall to greet her very first invited guest, there was just one corner of a cold, dark and draughty mechanics' workshop. Moroe gave Shougo a sidelong glance, trying to judge his reaction.

"Here we are. Home sweet home."

She then quickly ushered him upstairs, before the ground floor could embarrass her further. Soon they were standing in her room, which, while not exactly welcoming, was still a big improvement. She slid gratefully into her personal chair, before belatedly realising that she was probably supposed to have welcomed her guest in first.

"Er, make yourself comfortable. I think there's a spare chair over there somewhere..."

Crocell grits his teeth. He expected to lose that hand with what all he had, but Jirou did it so quickly! All he could do was watch! Well he never let a setback stop him before and he sure wasn't now! The next 2 rounds Crocell loses as he sweats, apparently the side players had gotten their second wind. Both of them were making it hard for Crocell to score let alone win. Jirou had caught up and taken a large lead at this point. Crocell sweats as he tries to think of a way to win. It was going to be his turn soon and he had a decent hand. He had one meld of red dragons and another of 5 dots but he needed something more.

His time came when his moment came when the person before him discarded a green dragon. "Chi!" Crocell powerfully swept up the green dragon tile for the open meld with his other two that he needed. He then drew the tile for his turn and his eyes sparked as he said, "Tsumo!, shōsangen!" He laid down the melds of Red dragons and 5 dots, and eyes of white dragon to join his open meld of green dragon a smile on his face.

Spoiler

Show

'Pon' is for calling three of the same tile, 'Chi' is for sequences, and 'Kan' is for quads.

By this point Jirou's mask of friendliness had completely vanished. While he still took care to hide his true emotions during actual play, they were on full display in the spaces between rounds. When he won, he practically oozed smug superiority; When the other players fought among themselves, he sat back and smiled enigmatically, as if they were puppets dancing at his command; And when someone dared to cut their imaginary strings and upstage him, he sent them a glare which practically screamed 'How dare you'. Crocell of course earned one of these for his hand full of dragons. The little newcomer was proving to be quite a nuisance.

Jirou surveyed his next hand with disappointment. It wasn't exactly bad, but he'd been hoping for something much better. Ah well, nothing to do but make the best of it. Thus he played on and slowly shaped the hand into something that might become worthwhile. Around halfway through the round, though, he started to feel uneasy. A quick survey of the table identified the source of this as the player on his left. The man hadn't made any calls, but his discards felt dangerous. Jirou knew what that particular pattern of play probably meant.

"He's in Tenpai; One tile away from winning. His hand's closed and he hasn't declared a Riichi, but he plays like someone who's already got everything set up. He's running silent with something big, hiding in the flow."

Rather than letting his annoyance at this trap get the best of him, Jirou quickly saw how it could work out to his advantage. Even though Crocell had a little basic intuition, he was clearly incompetent when it came to reading discards. If Jirou simply got out of the firing line, there was a good chance that Crocell would take the bullet for him. Making sure not to let any of these thoughts show on his face, Jirou abandoned the hand he'd been building and played a safe tile. From this point on, he'd simply be letting Crocell run through the hidden minefield, and hopefully blow himself up.

[AnimeKid]

Crocell indeed had not read the discards well, if at all. His instincts had given him some insight into the players but not into their playing styles. Crocell only had one open meld of 4 bamboo and had been trying to obviously go for another. However it seemed that his luck had been a little sour so far. He knew that the player Jirou was watching was close to winning, he just didn't know how or why he was taking so long. Content to capitalize on hi opponent's apparent waste of an advantage he drew from the wall and withheld a smile as the tile he drew completed another meld, this one of 7 Kanji, and discarded his north wind tile.

[Anyr]

Deciding that he still had some day light to burn Tobio decided to to swing by the docks. He had and obstacle course that he built there to keep his skating skills frosty. Now that he thought about it he really needed to practice his ice skating skills, lest they get rusty as well. He would do that tomorrow to ensure that he didn't start slipping up. He would probably practice with his tonfas as well. His father would be furious if he found out that Tobio had been slacking off in his absence.

The sun is just barely lowing itself over the horizen when he arrives. Getting into a ready position, and taking out a stopwatch he had on him, he counts down in his and when he reaches zero he shoots off like a bullet through the course. Various twists and turns sharpen his cornering and timing. improvised hurtles and crates force him to perform various tricks to move on. After about 1 min 15 sec Tobio finishes the course and hits his stopwatch. Checking the time he nods satisfactorily to himself. He managed to shave 3 seconds off his record.

*Drip*

A drop of liquid fell past Tobio's shoulder. Then another. A third one landed on his watch, marring the surface with strangely thick, semi-transparent goop. At this point, some analytically minded people might have conducted a careful examination of this strange substance, in order to ascertain its identity; On the other hand, people with an ounce of common sense would have simply looked up. Both would have reached the same conclusion about the liquid: It was saliva.

But the ones who looked up would have had far more chance of dodging the drooling mass of claws and teeth which then descended upon them...

[AnimeKid]

Tobio did indeed look up. His eyes then promptly widened in horror as he quickly jumped forward in a roll to get away from whatever it was that was attacking him. He came to a stop and swiftly got back to his skate-clad feet. He hadn't expected for something to attack him here. Especially since he had no trouble out of this area before. Deciding not to dwell on the fact he turns so that he can get a good look at whatever or whoever attacked him.

[Anyr]

The creature landed with a sold thump in the space formerly occupied by Tobio. Even as it rose from the ground, it was already twisting around to face him, in one unceasing motion. With a low, rumbling growl that sounded like it belonged in an engine, it bounded towards Tobio on four well muscled legs. In the confusion there was little time for detailed observation, but three facts about this animal were clear: It was big; It was agile; And it was very, very angry.

[AnimeKid]

Tobio grits his teeth as he skates away from the beast, which follows him hot on his tail. Tobio face falls into a look of extreme concentration as he thinks to himself, 'Okay then it's go time!' With that Tobio takes off his backpack and swings it around in front of him in order to reach inside. He does so and pulls out something he didn't know if he would need today or not. It was a pair of tonfa's that his father gave him for training, and in case of extreme situations, self-defense.

He then tosses his backpack to the side as he tries to lead the beast around and back to the obstacle course. THis was his domain and he would make full use of it. Tobio first weaves gracefully through the stacks of crates that made up a sort of maze. Hopefully this would slow the creature down. If so He would then take the time to concentrate and activate his powers to try and chill the beast to temperatures of -50 degree's celcius. He was holding back cause he didn't want to kill the beast, but merely drive it off.

[Anyr]

Tobio's tactics succeeded in widening the gap between himself and the creature. It gradually fell behind as it was forced to swerve (or occasionally smash) through unfamiliar terrain. Then, just when it was starting to close in again, it got hit with a dose of Cryokinetic power. The beast yowled in anger and confusion, feeling its body temperature dropping but unable to understand why. Its desperate cry bellowed past Tobio, then echoed back the other way, seeming almost louder than it had been the first time. No, wait. It was louder. How could an echo be louder than the sound which caused it? Unless-

A crate somewhere behind Tobio suddenly splintered into firewood. The returning cry wasn't an echo; It was an answer.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Perhaps a little unexpectedly, Shougo would have looked positively intrigued by the various bits and pieces of modern machinery around Moroes' home, peering around every corner and taking in every bit of technology, oh-so-familiar to Moroe, with the eyes of a child. Even simple things, like a television set or even the ceiling lights, seemed to fascinate him. Following Moroe up the stairs as if in a daze, it took him a while to respond after she had spoken.

"Amazing..."

He coughed, a little embarrassed about his lack of familiarity with modern technology.

"Thank you for inviting me here, senpai. Do you...Have a map of the area? I know the way there, I could plot it out."

Shougo was clearly was not familiar with GPS or web-based maps, either, as he began scanning her room, looking for a map of some sort, ill-at-ease, if grateful for being allowed into Moroes' room-He vaguely remembered his father saying something about indecency, but he couldn't exactly remember why this was the case. Compounded with this, he was itching to ask that one question that had been on his mind since she the day he met her. The end result was him looking awkwardly at everything and anything in general-The books on her wall, the gadgets on her desks, the posters on her wall (if she had any); anywhere but at her.

[AnimeKid]

Tobio's eye widen as he hears the crate splitting open. There were more!? This was not good. Well if they wanted to hunt him he would not make it easy. Tobio hits the brakes on his skates (leaning forward on the rubber stops) and turns towards the beasts as he stops restraining his aura of cold. his training from before pays off as his aura drops the area in a 50 foot radius to a chilling -30 degree's Celsius.

His eyes seem to flash as he looks towards the no doubt charging beasts. His eyes flicker upward as he looks at a crane that was holding up a half a dozen crates. Using the heat that his Aura of Cold provided him with the channels the heat that he has robbed the area of into the rope holding the crates up. The rope spontaneously bursts into flames to hopefully drop the crates on the beasts. If there really were more of them then he could afford to hold any punches.