April 7th - Welcome Party

[cartesio]

Welcome Party

Though you've never seen the casino before, it is easy to find today. This is partly attributable to the music spilling from open doors right into the town. The people of Cartesio have made good on their announcement - doubtlessly, there is a party going on here.

Anyone entering will be confronted with a friendly citizen pulling them aside to inform them of their dress rental service. Though it is called 'rental' there is no actual fee to be paid. The townspeople have simply brought a collection of suits and cocktail dresses into the casino foyer and they are offering to lend them out for the occasion. A folding screen to get changed behind is provided as well.

Once you venture deeper into the casino, you'll find yourself in a surprisingly spacious room. Tables that might normally occupy the open space have been pushed to the wall and filled with various buffet foods. Though you might be tempted to spend your whole afternoon trying out the various local specialties, the rhythmic music from the speakers tries to lure you to the dancefloor. A few locals are already swinging their hips to the beat.

Though if you're simply looking for the main highlight of a casino, you won't have to look long either. Across from the buffet, you will find a wide variety of game machines. Pachinko, slot machines.... even a few odd-one-out games that look like they should rather belong in an arcade. Try your luck, try your skill! If you prove successful, an employee is waiting to hand out various fun goods to you.

There are quite a few townspeople in attendance on this party, but there is a silent understanding that you tourists are the VIPs here. Anywhere you go, any game you want to try, the citizens are quick to move aside for you and let you have the maximum amount of fun.

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Comments

vague CS/2 spoilers!!

[doublelammy]

[buffet]

[Millium has found a cute blue party dress that she'll be wearing around for the day. She looks every bit the part of a little lady...

...too bad, then, that there's nothing in this world that can make her act like one.

She's taken a seat and has a number of plates strewn in front of her. She's cheerily making her way through one now, face and hands a mess as her dress is only protected by the napkin she made the smart decision of tucking in at her neckline.

There is a veritable mountain of food on the plate she's working on, and another plate sits close by with a second mountain of food. There are three other empty plates on the table.

Where the heck is she putting all this food...?!]

[games, a]

[After cleaning herself up from her meal, Millium makes her way over to the games.

Being thirteen and from JRPG Germany, has absolutely no idea what she's looking at with most of these. She wanders among the machines for a while, examining them with wide eyes and taking in the sights and sounds.

Eventually, she'll wander over to the arcade games, attracted by the bright, colorful graphics. Her first stop is a skee-ball machine, where upon starting it, she takes a ball in hand and looks between it and the netting over the goals.]

But the holes in the net are gonna be too small to get the ball through...

[She is not aware that you are not supposed to chuck the ball directly at the goals. Someone, please teach this child how to play before she breaks something.]

[games, b]

[Okay, arcade funtimes aside, there's the machines she's been kind of trying to avoid.

She hasn't been in a casino before, but she knows what slot machines are, knows what gambling is. And neither of those things would really bother her, if not for... well.

Memories. She can still see that teasing grin in her head, still feel his hand ruffling her hair. And she knows, she knows they were enemies, she knows she shouldn't feel anything for him after all that he did. It's wrong, especially with her as an Ironblood.

She can still see that smile in his last few minutes, telling her he was glad to have met her.

He would have loved this place, she thinks.

The memories make her chest hurt. She understands a little better now why, but it's hard not to feel like something's wrong. Especially when this whole atmosphere is so lively and happy... the locals wouldn't want her to be sad, right? She doesn't want to be sad, either.

Maybe she'll try to make something of these. She hops up onto a stool in front of a machine, intentionally picking one that goes with a typical card suite theme. It seems fitting, for the reason she's doing this at all.]

All right... [She says, to no one in particular.] I'm doin' this for you, so can you at least not totally ruin my luck today?

[She'll be over here at this slot machine for a while, then, if anyone wants to come by and talk to her. She could probably use the distraction – sitting alone in this feeling isn't the most comfortable.]

[wildcard]

[Feel free to start anything if you have an idea! If you want to chat, I'm available on plurk as needlemouse and I'm needlemouse#1681 on Discord!]

games, a

[robitussin]

[Natalie can't help the small, teasing smile on her face as she overhears the younger girl. She takes a step closer, glancing her way.]

Let me guess. You've never done this before?

[doublelammy]

[Oh, hi there!]

Nope. I haven't seen anything like this before.

You're supposed to get the ball in the holes, though, right?

[robitussin]

Yeah, but you're supposed to miss the net entirely. Like, toss it underhand, not overhand. Make sense?

[doublelammy]

[But the net...?

She's not quite understanding, still, so she holds the ball out for Natalie to take. Show her how it's done!]

[robitussin]

...Okay, sure.

[She takes it without complaint and demonstrates; she's not too skilled at the game, but she makes a decent enough shot that Millium can probably understand the correct way. It might not score too many points, though.]

Got it now?

[doublelammy]

[Oooh...]

I think so!

[She takes another ball, then follows Natalie's example... perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, since the ball goes sailing up past all the goals and bonking off the back, eventually falling and winding up in the bottom-most hole.]

...boo. Maybe with some practice.

[robitussin]

[Another laugh, more surprised, follows that sight, but she gives a shrug.]

Practice makes perfect, or something.

[doublelammy]

Yeah, yeah... Heard that one before.

[Sigh!]

Guess this is actually gonna take a little bit o' strategy...

[She takes another ball, readying herself to toss again.]

games, b

[linearcrash]

[ She's in front of a game with cards, and here's a Nine of a deck coming her way. He reaches up and ruffles her hair as a greeting. ]

Hey, I thought you'd be a lot more into this, yo.

[ Nine is dressed up. ]

Know how to work one of these?

[doublelammy]

[Not having seen him coming, Millium jumps a little at the hair-ruffle, although she's quick to turn and smile at Nine. She's not quite as energetic about it this time, though.]

Oh, hi, Nine!

Yeah, I know how. S'not that hard to pull the lever. These games just aren't that great.

I dunno what he saw in 'em, really...

[linearcrash]

[ It's a little odd. He'll lean against her seat as he looks at the screen. ]

Maybe it's the flashing lights or the whole risk going on?

[ He seems to be considering this seriously for a moment before... ]

Huh? Who are you talking about?

[doublelammy]

I mean, I get the lights part, but... I dunno. Maybe the risk part would be more fun if there were one. We kinda have infinite money.

Or at least enough for Keet to buy out the guns store.

[It's been a week, and Millium has still not bothered to learn Keith's name.]

...Oh. Um... a friend of mine.

He loved gambling. Taught all of us how t'play cards and he kept gettin' in trouble back at school 'cause he kept trying to start up things like bettin' on horses during the school festival...

[It's a little strange. Normally, if Millium were to tell a story like this, she'd sound a lot more upbeat about it.]

[linearcrash]

Keet? Is that his name?

[ Nine has NO IDEA

The story gets a snicker though. ]

That sounds like something that Jack would do. [ It's very strange. He looks at her for a moment or two... ]

Hey, you feeling alright? You aren't sick or anything, right?

vague CS2 spoilers continue

[doublelammy]

It's somethin' like that.

[Read: It is now. Keith is going to be furious when he find out, isn't he...

...oh. Nine's asking if she's okay.]

Huh? Um... no, I don't think I am.

Rean told me it's normal to feel like this after you lose somebody you care about. I thought maybe if I tried doing the things I thought he'd like, maybe my chest would stop hurting as much, but it's not really working.

o7 also vague T0 spoilers

[linearcrash]

Huh. Normally it just feels empty when... [ And then something clicks in. ] Wait. You actually remember people who die?

[ That's different. ]

[doublelammy]

[Well, hot damn. That's different, indeed!]

You don't?

[She blinks confusedly at Nine, then turns her eyes back toward the machine.]

...Yeah. I do. I didn't know not remembering was an option?

Kinda wish I could. Probably would've made my job easier...

games, a;

[kingbomber]

[ Hi here's a familiar surly looking blond. ]

That's not how you play, idiot.

[ He makes a demonstration with the net and all that in the next moment. ]

See? Simple.

1/2

[doublelammy]

[She watches the demonstration, surprisingly quietly.]

Huh.

2/2

[doublelammy]

I guess that makes sense.

...But I think I just thought of a way better game.

[Bakugou better think fast, because she's picking up the next ball to chuck it directly at him.]

[kingbomber]

[ Bakugou catches it, looks her right in the eye.

Then he takes a few steps back without breaking eye contact, and begins to toss it, but a moment before he does, lets loose an explosion that makes the ball speed right past her (over her head, or shoulder IDEALLY) and then crashes into one of the game machines behind them.

Probably either surprising someone or whatever, he doesn't care. ]

Looks like I missed.

[ Bakugou don't be a little shit right back. ]

[doublelammy]

[Was that supposed to be intimidating? Because it isn't.

Instead, Millium's eyes just widen, practically sparkling like a kid's on Erebonian Christmas morning.]

Did you just make that blow up?

[...Congrats on impressing her?]

[kingbomber]

[ Well, shit. Not what he was aiming for.

Also he's feeling a little like it took some wind out of him, which is bothering him a bit. ]

Of course I fucking did. What do you think happened?

[ .....Though... ]

Want another demonstration?

[doublelammy]

[She clasps her hands excitedly.]

Yes!!

[smile smile kyaa~]

[kingbomber]

[ He'll smirk, for but a moment. But then snatch up another ball because he does whatever the hell he wants and toss it before he throws it, copying the same motion.

This time it's over their heads, so it collides with the ceiling. This is fine.

Bakugou hated this place with a fervor, it's true. And he disliked being at parties even more. Still, something like this reminded him of a time when he was younger. When he was praised for his 'talent'. ]

How'd you like that, huh?

[ ... ]

That's just another reason you shouldn't fuck around with me, or otherwise that could've been your face. Got it?