//TESTDRIVE.EXE

[reparator]

"I'm the reason half of you are drunk at the moment." (CEO-SAN, NO...) "I'm the reason half of you are drunk at the moment." (CEO-SAN, NO...)

//TESTDRIVE.EXE The lights flicker overhead, music blaring from the speakers as you step inside, every sound drowned out except for that hypnotic tune. The walls are painted in an array of hypnotic colors, saturated to the point where your attention doesn't know where to land, and all kinds of screens hang from each corner, showing flashing images of ads, gadget after gadget appearing in a second to show you the best of what Ceres has to offer. Dancing bodies flank each side of the large ballroom, bodies with eyes that look hollow and their faces too symmetrical. They'll occasionally glance at you and smile, maybe even engage and offer to take you to one of the private rooms in the back. However, their words are interrupted when the lights suddenly turn brighter and focus on the center where a raised platform sits. A man appears in the center, one hand raised to silence the music while the other holds a microphone. "It's been some time, hasn't it? As you may or may not know, I am the CEO and founder of CERES, Julius Vincere, and you can say, I'm the reason half of you are drunk at the moment." He chuckles lightly before continuing, "For a second there, I was worried we wouldn't make it, but I placed my confidence in all of you. I knew you'd surpass my expectations when I first brought you here, and you were able to utilize our tools to perfection. As you may have suspected by the gallons of champagne being passed around at my behest-" He pauses to reach out for a glass, snatching it from one of the wait staff passing by before raising it to the crowd. "We've finally obtained our first victory here on Cerealia. The colony is ours completely and will be fully functional from this day forward. Please enjoy all the luxurious amenities we have put together, and join me in journeying towards a new and better future. Together, we will expand our territory here and reach even further horizons. And by all means, don't be shy with the staff. They're also here for your entertainment." He gestures around the room, smiling before taking a sip of his champagne. Applause echoes from the crowd while Julius steps off the stage, handing the mic to one of the staff before pausing for pictures and interviews from reporters. You stand in the crowd as the lights dim once more, lost in a sea of people and wondering where to go next.

//SCENARIOS.EXE PHASE I [ 1801 ] The screens lining the walls inside even extend into the bathrooms and the back rooms, playing commercial after commercial, all CERES themed, as you mingle with the other guests, but occasionally, the image transforms into a flash of something else. It appears for a split-second. There's the face of a woman, lips parted in a soundless cry. She looks to be in pain, fingers pressed to the screen. It's so quick that most don't register it, barely even notice it's there unless they focus. The party continues without incident, otherwise. Because it's a pretty damn good party, isn't it? There's plenty of food, strong drinks - hey, no one under seventeen is allowed to drink - and many decorative people. Just ignore that feeling of being watched! You're just so good looking, after all. PHASE II [ ???? ] A room sits in the back with several helmets characters can wear to upload themselves into ViViD, a state of the art virtual reality game, and enter one of the game stages to participate in a team mission. They can sample a few minutes of gameplay as they enter a short battle with one of the NPC creatures. They'll quickly become familiar with the state-of-the-art technology as all pain and wounds experienced inside will feel real and will appear on each character's body. But what an awesome game it is. With amazing digital quality surround, it's a world like none other... but be careful not to fall too fast! (Those monsters even smell real, don't they?) Feel free to talk to Vidia, the game host, if you need help getting things going! PHASE III [ 2134 ] The evening is wearing on, the dance floor is becoming more crowded. The music seems oppressive by now. People are feeling charged with adrenaline, or feeling the intensity rise in the mood. Maybe a new partner is the right choice to go with- or maybe you can talk to a wallflower. But one thing is for certain... The loud vibrations disguise the fact that something is moving over the vents. You can hear it in the background, the rustling sound that agitates your ears. But hey, maybe it's nothing, right? After all, it's just a party... Maybe you'll want to go into the back rooms for a bit to... explore your new friends? The rooms (and your companions) are quite pretty and cozy, and can be adjusted with holograms to create a room for your desired mood. After all, it's a little too noisy when you're not alone, but the sudden silence might get oppressive too... [ Feel free to get intimate or just get out of the party and sleep off the drinks, but remember, anything above PG stuff must go into your own journals and under NO circumstances will unwanted propositioning be allowed or any non-consensual activity lest you want to be locked in a cold box on top of a huge ice cube for the rest of the night. Naked. Please use your own discretion, the minimum age for intimacy is 15-16. ] PHASE IV [ 0243 ] In the quieter corners of the party, it becomes more ever-present until something falls on your eye. It's red. Warm... As you gaze up, you see a dead body faced down, the half-sliced face lying against the ventilation screen. The body's eyes remain open, staring down at you. Screams and sounds of shock sound, and the party halts. As the security filters in to investigate the body, the rustling only grows louder. It's then that they suspect something is in the vents. It's crawling avidly across the ceiling, and lights fall one by one, exploding against the ground. There's barely a moment to register the chaos before the last knight of CERES appears. You can choose to run. You can choose to engage. The knight won't let you leave its sight alive. But you know you have to do something. Be it protecting the innocents there, or fighting off the creature that seems to only be there to harm you and your friends, old and new. And you do want to protect this place, because it's just been won... don't you? BONUS [ whyo'clock ] There's a ball pit hidden in one of the auxiliary rooms. All invited parties are given a maximum of one hour to have fun time in the ball pit. They must not exceed their one hour or they will be forcibly removed by the security droids. Please keep all food and alcohol out of the ball pit. Do not have any genital parties in the ball pit. The ball pit is sacred to CERES. [ The party will be long, so take your time enjoying each scenario... and dreading it. At the end of it all, things will be calmed down and you're free to enjoy the night as you please. Remember to keep things PG (the FAQ below elaborates!), and absolutely no forcing any R-rated things with anyone below 15-16 (so be sure to ask their age, right?) or the droids will have a little fun chasing you around! Do enjoy the pretty views of the gorgeous digital city though. Which seems strangely quiet, but at this late hour, why not, right? ]

//RUN.EXE Welcome to CEREALIA's first test drive! Please forgive our appearance as we are going through the final stages game completion. While most pages are under development and/or hidden from the public eye, please don't feel discouraged, since knowing everything doesn't always make the experience. Your characters will know as little as you. For your convenience, we have compiled a mini-FAQ - please read it thoroughly before playing. Thank you! FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS HOW DID MY CHARACTER GET HERE? You may have been just been doing their day-to-day activities - be it swimming or fighting demons - but the next moment, a crack and blinding light - now you're here, in your best attire, celebrating. The memories of your at-home activities fade away like a fleeting dream, and it's replaced with the feeling of happiness. ( You haven't forgotten your past, just that anything you were doing seems far too distant to be important. ) Must be something in the air. You can't remember clearly fighting for CERES, and whatever this Julius Vincere is telling you might be complete bullshit for all you know, but something influences you to play along anyway - if you think about it long enough, perhaps you had fought for CERES after all...? WHO/WHAT IS CERES? WHAT IS CEREALIA? You mean... you don't remember? After all the help you gave it? WHAT FORMAT CAN WE USE FOR THIS TESTDRIVE? Action (brackets/prose), video/voice, and texting are all available via your CEREVICE at this moment. Most functions are currently undergoing a system update, but as long as it is still connected to the Auralia Network, it will be available for communicative uses. WHAT IS ViVID? An amazing VR game! The demo version of ViViD will be here to play, aren't you excited? It's played with headsets that immediately allow you to experience full-body simulation, without having to move out of your seat! You can enjoy the demo world, design your own, play alone, play with a team, but remember, the boss must be beaten! Please check the phase ii thread for details and interactions! SO... PHASE III? Sexy things can happen, you're getting hot and heavy on the dance floor, and there are rooms in the back that can be decorated to your mood, after all. REMEMBER, the age of consent is 15-16, please use your own discretion and don't upset people. For the test drive, any situation that goes above PG (beyond kissing/grinding/light making out... We're lenient) must go into threads in your own journals. Any creeper behavior or unwanted advances will get an IC boot into the Frozen Locker with "Let it Go" on repeat. POWER LIMITATIONS? Actually, no, the characters don't have any of their abilities locked or otherwise suppressed. More info will be i the official FAQ, but so long as you don't destroy the entire game ( and we trust you can use your powers responsibly— as does CERES! ), limitations are nonexistent. OKAY, WHAT ABOUT PREVIOUS GAME MEMORIES? It's completely acceptable to bring a character that has been in a previous game to Cerealia! THE NAME LOOKS FAMILIAR. . . Yes, a loosely related setting concept with a place called CEREALIA was pitched for an ExitVoid phase before the moderators decided to close the game for good. A few of us got together with the original pitchers of the idea since we thought it really awesome and with a lot of potential and decided to try our own thing with it! ARE THE GAMES RELATED? Nope. Not at all, it's been rehashed from the ground up and built to stand on its own as an original place and game. We'll keep coming back to this, so don't worry.

Comments

Megumi Yukimura ★ All Phases Whatever / Original [ Exitvoid CRAU ]

[mistified]

phase i.

[ Parties suck. Actually, parties without food suck. But most importantly, parties that like to pick her off from where she's supposed to have escaped suck even more. And what's all this about a won battle, anyway? It might be that or... she honestly can't remember. It's bad enough her stomach is grumbling and there's no one she can recognise and that pretty boy CEO looks like he'd do better working a pole than being a CEO but la, la, la, thoughts she'd like to keep to herself.

Though she can see the food in one of the corners of the room, a huge, almost seemingly endless buffet line. Excuse her, after all that suffering that big escape caused? She needs to fill her stomach. And pretend she didn't just see flashes of scary women that look like they belong in wells and scaring people to death.

... Yeah, food is good. She'll just look around, hoping she can recognize a face or two with her mouth full. ]

phase ii.

[ This sort of reminds her of home, even if the little digital girl there is grating on her, but then again, home just seems so far, far away at the moment that it's a relief to experience some working technology again.

So far so good, though, but she's not going in without a partner. She can barely fight on her own normally except for punching someone for self-defense. And she kind of died miserably the first time she tried. Bloody game. So, feel free to help her out here! ]

phase iii

[ Okay, now she definitely hates parties. Mostly because she can't dance and like hell is she getting stuck between these idiots who think they can with their junk poking everyone. That's an exaggeration, but it might as well not be...

Still, she's not one for grinding against strangers, even if others are, and she is trying to escape to somewhere quieter. This party is nuts. For now, though... She does stumble upon one of the rooms, trying to avoid that strange high that everyone is experiencing. If only she could go back and get some food, though... She still wants to figure out why she's here and what kind of battle she fought that's warranting this celebration.

The curse of being a memory loss figure from the start, she supposes... But for now, rooms. Beds. BEDS. Actual beds!! Excuse her, she's going to flop onto one and glance at anyone that tries to come in with a vicious look. ]

Room's taken! Find one of your own!

[ Unless they're someone she recognizes. Then there will be a double-take. ]

phase iv

[ Of course this had to happen, didn't it. It's bad enough they're somewhere they don't recognize, but to have a monster flying in and totally ruining the decor here!! Not that that's her problem, but there's people who can't take something like that on.

So don't mind her- she's going to be working on healing and shielding the and trying to get them out of the way while the big folk with their fancy attacks and prowess handle what they can't. ]

Why can't a party ever end in a good night's kiss and an even better sleep, geez!

[ Because not everyone is lucky enough to be that optimistic, perhaps... ]

bonus

[ Anyone in the ball pit is going to get her glaring angrily at them and anyone that remotely attempts to suggest she's too old for one will get a ball in their face. Yeah, how'd you like that. At least she'll give a warning before it flies. ]

Heads up!!

[ Honestly, why else would you be in a never-ending ballpit anyway? Aside from not knowing why you're in one? Yeah, thought so. ]

phase i!

[nostatus]

[ There isn't enough place for two people at this food table, okay. Not when Shinpachi is involved, anyway, and not even on purpose.. it's just that he's such a glutton for this kind of stuff - especially since the memories from before feel a little more distant, as if they're not as important - so when he spots the food table, he's all over it too.

And just as Megumi goes to grab something from it, his own hand shoots towards it as well since he's not looking while grabbing the food.

What he does realise though is that there's someone there when he actually touches her hand. His gaze snaps up from the food he was already munching on, right to Megumi's face - and then he realises it's a girl on top of everything. Oops. ]

Uh-- y-you just take it! [ Sano'd probably hit him for taking food a girl wants too, huh.. ]

[mistified]

[ Shinoachi, in love and war, there is food to be considered. Food that is way too precious to simply hand off to the enemy. And in the battle of love and food, food will always win. Always.

Which is why the love and delight of her stomach being threatened is only going to incur a very dirty look towards him, and that threat is holding her hand and that is just a big no no. ]

Is that why you happen to be guiding my hand to it? I know perfectly well what I can take!

[ And she gestures with her gaze to their hands, move or she's breaking it. Though lucky for Shinpachi, there's a brief flicker of recognition as she pauses and stares at him curiously. ]

Do I know you? You look familiar... Wait! Don't tell me. You're a food hog, aren't you??

[ No, he's more familiar than that but... Why? Come on Megumi, put that broken memory to work. ]

[nostatus]

[ What's up with this woman, she's quickly moving up on the list of scary women he's met in his life.. even the slightly weird laughing octopus lady was nicer than this, and he's pulling his hand away without even hesitating. No, ma'am, he'd like to keep that another day, thanks...

Were he a little less occupied with the fact he just got threatened over food by a girl, he might have contemplated where she seems slightly familiar from too, but nope, his mind is trying to process this dent in his dignity. Try again later. ]

I'm not a food hog..! [ He totally is. ] I just-- wasn't lookin', that's all! An honest mistake, yeah?!

[ Trying to cover up his tracks here before Sano realises he was being rude to a woman and knocks him into next week.. ]

Not like I tried taking food from you before, don't think I'm some sorta strange guy! [ Or he'll have to start sulking. ]

[mistified]

[ Yeah, she'd better be scary, Shinpachi!! Not that she's at all capable of hurting him especially with those lovely muscles of his, but even so... she keeps her expression scary, since with her own size, it's important to let guys know who's boss. Still, at his comment, she can't help but want to push it, too. ]

Oh yeah?! So how many mistakes did you end up making to get that mountain of food? I call BS!

[ Actually, that mountain of food looks REALLY good... the moron grabbed all the good stuff! Granted, there's a lot, but can he really eat all that?! ]

You may as well have taken it from me! I wanted those steak sandwiches!! Come on, hand them over! They're still refilling the trays and I'm still hungry!

[ Familiar or not, steak-thieves had to pay!! ]

[nostatus]

[ NOT HIS STEAK SANDWICHES?! He's never had them before and they're already his favourite now, you can't do this to him.. you can't take it away from him.. he'll call Hijikaa-san, okay!!! ]

O.. oi, you can just grab anything else that's left, right?! There's still some on the table over there, why do you gotta have my food?! [ He sounds so flabberghasted.. mostly since he's not used to dealing with women like this.. he's not great at dealing with girls in general, but this is the ultimate "what do" situation, really. ]

Phase I

[mermaiding]

[She's hungry, yes, but the buffet feels wrong to her. Just accepting food easily, laid out for anyone to take--where's the thrill of sinking your teeth into a wiggling fish and the satisfaction of killing and eating it yourself?

For that matter, there seems to be little in the way of fish--or at least, the kind of fish she likes to eat. The raw, still-living kind. Oona turns her nose up at it and spends a few moments watching Megumi just grab food. Humans, man.]

Is it actually good? [She looks skeptical, eyeing the table again.] No fish. Bah.

Re: Phase I

[mistified]

[ Dunno, Oona, the idea of something wiggling in her mouth doesn't sound very appealing outside of fiction where other people are doing it. That's what she'd say if she knew, but all the same, for now, she's pretty preoccupied munching on the delightful raw fish on rice that they have as forever, endless platters here. Oh heavens above and stomach below, if there was enlightenment of the digestive variety, she's pretty sure she'd be reaching it right now.

If she wasn't distracted by the question, which makes her pause mid-bite and turn to look at the pretty little girl before she gulps it down completely. ]

Of course it's good, wouldn't be stuffing it all down if it weren't, would I? [ Honestly! However, at her remark, she blinks, before pointing to the platters there. ]

What do you mean there's no fish, though? Those cold cuts and that sushi, those are fish, unless you're looking for stew. I saw some down that line...

[ And with a glance at her- ]

You're not used to buffets, I take it?

[mermaiding]

[Oona wrinkles her nose and looks skeptical] That? No. Not fish. Whole, like... [She spreads her hands apart, trying fruitlessly to gesture in a way that might indicate 'real, raw, live fish,' before she quickly gives up with a throw up of her hands.]

Fresh caught, still moving. These do not even get the best parts. [Despite her attempts to appear tough, her shoulders slump in defeat. She'll probably have to suck it up anyway.]

No, not like this. Food not as easy to come by where I am from. [Oona speaks a bit slower and more deliberately then, choosing her words carefully to throw together a coherent, longer sentence.] Never been to this... buffet.

[mistified]

[ Oh, one of those. Guess this one really likes going super organic or something... whatever those hipster food guys do. Though there's something in the way the girl speaks that makes her suspect she's not entirely... here. And by here she means real and by real she means-

Oh, never mind. It's just slightly odd but nothing off-putting. She shrugs and gives her a grin. ]

You could always try one of the aquariums. They've got live fish in there, but you don't want them pooping in your mouth or something.

[ She jabs a thumb in the direction of the wall installations, where there are some interesting looking fish swimming about between the partygoers. It's pretty snazzy, really. Maybe if someone got the top off, they could get to the tank, though they're not big enough to fit a human. ]

What, were you born on a faraway island or something? Don't hear of people eating things that raw, you know.

[ Technically, she'd be able to tell that she's a mermaid, too, seeing as her powers can scan a body before healing it, but that requires touching, and Megumi's in no hurry to make contact just yet. ]

bonus.

[penetrating]

[ He doesn't even understand what the point of this is. Some new training device? Maybe their commander finally developed a sense of humor, and this is his idea of a practical joke. Yeah, he doubts it. The day that guy decides to lighten up is the day his own hair falls out, so what gives? He's stuck swimming in the middle of a bunch of brightly-colored balls, and moving only seems to make him sink deeper. Wait, didn't Queen once talk about something like this... something having to do with quicksand? This doesn't look like quicksand, though.

It's just a bunch of plastic balls, so why does it act like quicksand? Is it some kind of illusion? ]

What the hell am I standin' in? Yo! Is anyone listenin' to me! Who stuck me in here?

[ In spite of remembering Queen say something about not struggling to avoid sinking, he sure as hell isn't standing still and waiting here all day for someone to pull him out. He's got to find the others and meet up at the rendezvous point, which is definitely not in a giant tub of balls. ]

Argh! Screw this, I'm climbin' out.

[ He reaches outwards to try and find something to dig his lance into before realizing he's not alone. There's some lady stuck inside, and he's about to ask if she needs any help, too, before a ball comes flying and hits him in the face. ]

Oi! Didn't you see me here?!?

[mistified]

[ She's in a ballpit, does anyone really think she's going to care who she hits at this point. Still, when she hears that guy yelling, it's all she can do to hold back from swinging yet another ball at his face because of his stupid question. ]

I told you to duck, not take it with your face!!

[ And it takes her a moment to realize that the guy is holding a weapon. A really, bloody HUGE weapon. ]

Woah, careful with that thing!! Do you want to take someone's eye out?! It's just a bloody ball pit, oi!

[penetrating]

[ Oh yeah. That. He'd forgotten he'd woken up with it out and ready for action, and he's not the type of guy to go around poking civilians, so he immediately makes it dissolve in his hands and disappear from sight. ]

I didn't have it out to fight! I just happened to be holdin' it when I showed up here. Where the hell is 'here' anyway?

[ He looks around, still unsure what the balls are. At first, he thought they were bomb creatures, but they weren't moving or growing. So now, he just assumes they're a bunch of pointless balls that still may or may not be acting like quicksand. ]

Hey, you didn't see anyone else with uniforms like this, did you? Where did everyone go? Ace! You're not trapped in here, too, are you?

[ He starts moving aside some balls and looking around, momentarily forgetting the ball to the face, too. He's more concerned about the fact that he apparently warped dozens of miles away from his mission in like a milisecond. ]

[mistified]

How should I know? I just ended up here somehow, too. This place is nuts.

[ She grumbles- the guy is totally taking the fun out of the ball pit here. She hasn't been in one in... ever. But at his question, she blinks as she absently gathers some balls into her arms as she slides herself down. ]

There's been a few people in and out of here, and those spray things keep cleaning the place up. Pretty cool though. But I don't think there's an Ace in here. And- wah!!

[ She might have connected with his leg while wading through because the next thing she knows, it's tugging under hers and she manages to drop right onto him- drowning him in the balls and tangled in the mass of wriggling madness. ]

Hey, get your leg away from my foot!! And keep your head up, do you want to choke?!!

Phase III

[pure_confidence]

[ Peggy stopped in the doorway after Megumi's outburst and it only lasted a minute before she quickly walked into the room and shut the door, bracing it so it couldn't be opened (and thank goodness there's a lock). ]

My apologies, but I ask that you bear with me for just a moment.

[ and her smile is tight as the door handle began to rattle and someone started banging on the door, demanding entry. Men. There's just a few that can't quite seem to take no for an answer. It's a shame she didn't punch him in the head, but she had been attempting to avoid a spectacle. ]

[mistified]

[ The yelling is usually reserved for guys because goodness knows, they deserve it, but when the owner of the voice turns out to be a lady- a lady with an accent like hers (never could get rid of the whole "English Girl" title that her friends liked to tease her with... never mind that she's certain if she ever went back to Britain, no one would be able to place a location on her...)

But it does make her sit up, finally fixing her stare on the lady before her before freezing completely.

She's... gorgeous.

Oh this is a fantasy she's pretty sure a guy would love to have. What does she do... she frets a little before quickly sitting up though the banging on the door distracts her and she gives the door an evil glare as though it'll somehow make that person go away. But, she shakes her head in a gesture of 'it's fine' before stepping up and making sure the door is locked. And it gives her a chance to check the lady out before she gives her a sheepish grin. ]

Wouldn't blame a guy for trying to hound you, Miss. Want me to box his face in?

[ She can do that! ...and then run away and hide but she can totally break his nose! ]

[pure_confidence]

There's no need. I'm afraid I've already given him a few things to think about already.

[ Such as a drink to his face before she had stalked off, hoping, he would have the good sense not to follow and force her hand to more permanently destructive means. But Peggy took a deep breath and turned her back on the door, ignoring the man on the other end as she took a look at her temporary quarters, smiling in satisfaction. ]

You've got quite the cozy room here, Miss... [ Peggy cocked her head, hair swaying lightly around her shoulders as she gave Megumi a closer inspection of her own. ] I'm Peggy Carter, but please, just call me Peggy. I would imagine after this we could almost call each other friends.

[ Almost, after all. Peggy didn't know a single thing about Megumi. Well, maybe she did know a few things already. Megumi had spunk after all. ]

[mistified]

Well, the sod's clearly not getting the message- [ She begins to say, when a series of knocks and a pleading 'Aw, come on, Queenie, just a little-' comes through, which makes Megumi turn around and in a voice much louder and sailor-like than a girl her size should ever be able to manage, she yells- ]

Sod off, bloody nuts for brains!! You wanna die?! Beat it before I come out there and kill you!! [ And almost immediately, back to her normal voice, she smiles as though she didn't just roar through the door at some random guy- ]

Sorry- and it was the nicest looking room I could find! Eating takes a lot out of you.

[ Oh, she has a cute name to go with that face, and she lifts her hand in greeting. ]

Megumi Yukimura. Just Megumi. And I'd be rightly stupid to reject an offer of friendship with a comrade-in-arms.

[ That gets a small laugh from her at her own words, oh she kills herself. Though she blinks and rubs the back of her neck awkwardly. ]

You're from England, then? It's been a while since I've heard anyone from there. Unless you're from some alternate universe that has english accents- er. Why don't you sit down, first. Sounds like you've had a wild night already, Peggy.

bonus

[iaijutsu]

[Saitou has no such suggestions about her being too old for this; he's been sitting quietly in the middle of the ball pit, studying everyone around him and their reactions. From the intense but still somewhat lost look on his face, he hasn't been making much progress in understanding what the purpose of all of this is.

At that warning, though, he ducks neatly, just low enough for that ball to whizz harmlessly over his head.]

Exitvoid CRAU woo

[mistified]

[ Oh, good dodge!! That gets a laugh out of her as she picks up another ball, though when she sees who it is there... well.

A loud sigh escapes her. ]

Really, Saitou? You're not even going to try hitting back? Come on, put those reflexes to good use!

[ But, to be helpful, she does wade in closer. ]

You're never played in one of these before huh.

[iaijutsu]

I have never seen one of these.

[Is it that obvious?

...well, yes, unfortunately, he's sure it is. At least he has a perfectly good excuse!]

[mistified]

[ Even someone who's never seen these things ought to realize they're harmless or... well. She's not sure how she'd react if she was from the bakumatsu era herself. What did they do for fun around then anyway? Outside of drinking and being suggestively intimate with their same-gendered peers of course.

Hee hee.

For now, though, she focuses on the balls in front of him and scoops them up. ]

You play and swim in them, of course! You can't just stand there. Come on, dive in! The balls are just fine. Just don't take any into your mouth. That wouldn't be good.

[ Oh she kills herself. ]

Phase III

[corvis]

Gilbert hadn't exactly expected an open room to have someone suddenly yelling possessively over it the second he took a step in to look around and, so, he almost leaves as fast as he comes in.

Actually he does even take one step out to leave but is prone to doing a double take himself as soon as he realizes half the reason he's moving so fast is he recognizes this voice!! and her bossing around that he apparently is getting way too used to?!

"H-HEY, what kind of woman leaves a door open in a place like this when she's all alone? Someone's going to think it's an invitation, damn it!" And he just so happens to glance behind him as he says that and there is someone looking in all interested-like and Gil just takes a slow deep breath and









SLaMS THE DOoR IN ThEIR fACE.

"See what I mean?!" he turns back and points accusingly at the now closed door. But, that's old news now so he folds his arms over his chest annoyed and passive aggressively slams his back against the door for good measure when there's a light (polite even) knock. "Anyway, I've been looking all over for you, geez!"

I'm laughing too hard aslfkhafh [1/2]

[mistified]

[ And she recognizes that frantic, sort of lunatic-like voice as soon as she hears it, sitting up when the door slams before staring in shock.

Well- she didn't expect to see him on this world either, but-

She can't help but feel a flush of joy, that's quickly followed by a huge wave of amusement that she stifles under her incredulous look at his behavior, before she finally stands up, arms behind her back as she slowly moves up to him. ]

Were you, Gil? How sweet of you to worry about me in a world I have no reason to be in... and how bold-

[ She keeps her voice low and playful as she reaches out and carefully clicks the lock of the door in place while leaning juuust close enough to make him uncomfortable. ]

Makes me think you're the one with the ulterior motives here. Whatever will I do...

[ 2/2 ]

[mistified]

[ And in a complete 180 of her attitude just now to put a somersault to shame, she suddenly reaches out and grabs Gil by his collar and slams him back against the door (a feat, considering their height difference there) and glares at him. ]

You wanker!! I can deal with them just fine!! When the devil did you get here?! What is this place anyway?! I thought we'd escaped Zelien!!

[ Because shaking him will obviously give her the answer- regardless of how touched she is that he was looking for her at all, but all embarrassment does have to be hidden in the best way she can manage.

And yelling at him for it does that really well. ]