destinystrings | Paradisus Perditaque

Paradisus Perditaque

Paradisus Perditaque

☢

What: Closing Arena Ceremonies
Where: Aries Arena & Televised
Summary: 1/24/10AC
Warnings: This could get serious...but who knows.

The last week and a half had been, at best, an insane blur of lights, colors, Persona and celebrations.

And while your own victories have been appreciated by the population, you are, after all, Visitors. No playing in the main competition. Not even proper brackets, you were just lucky to be allowed to be IN the tournament as a main show at all! It was a great honor, and you should accept it as such.

That's show business for you.

The main news that had been on everyone's lips was that the longtime champion, Blue Sky Dragoon, had been beaten by his long-time rival, Royal Red Lion for top honors this year. Red Lion (real name Bunrakuken Karube, although they couldn't say that in public due to the new rule this year) had created the biggest upset since the event's creation ten years ago. For him, it was a monumental victory, as it meant he would be, more or less, the hero for the city for the next year. For Blue Sky Dragoon, it meant his reign of five years had finally come to an end.

Needless to say, the second place contestant looked rather bitter as he was ushered into the podium for the main division.

In the end, there had been no interruptions. The entire Games had gone off without a hitch. Your efforts had been appreciated during the course, however, and you were all invited for the final closing ceremonies. Kiyoshi Suou was still on alert, unwilling to relax even a little.

For the most part, closing ceremonies were trivial, and, dare we say, boring. The energy from the tournament had been slowly declining, and by the third national song and a kabuki reenactment of the final battle between Dragoon and Lion, most were trying not to doze off.

And yet...you...as Visitors. There's a strange feeling around you. It's not the lack of energy from the civilians, no.

Something isn't right.

Unfortunately you can't prove that and you can't stop what's going on but...you can try looking around. But you should probably be as discreet as possible, all things considered. While you can't just search the arena during the ceremony, there is still the underbelly of the stadium, athletes you could talk to, policemen on the job...

...it's like trying to finding a needle in a haystack.

[OOC - Alright timeline of events: Tonight is going to be just mingling, assessing the crowd and seeing what you can find. Create closed or open posts, or just watch the show and comment between yourselves. We have some NPCs that can talk with you (anyone who has an NPC, or was given NPC info for this log are free to have them be around), or you can talk amongst yourselves; this is, after all a celebration, although an apparently boring one.

Once this post is done, there will also be a mod post going up with a few additions about what is going to go down tomorrow, and some announcements! Our tentative hour for the main event will be the 24th at 6-7PM EASTERN tomorrow. Be there!]

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Minako, overall, was almost disappointed by how quiet everything has turned out.

Not that peace was a bad thing at all. It would be better for everyone if nothing did happen during the entire event. But at the same time, the longer things go on without a hitch the more she worries that they're missing something important.

It was so much easier when she could plan her fighting schedule around the moon phases...

Her unease at the situation only grows worse as the closing ceremony continues, and she finds her gaze shifting over the crowd, scanning the unfamiliar faces. There were people she recognized, but just as many whom she didn't, and any one of them could be part of the enemy. Finally, she starts to patrol around the edge of the crowd, outwardly perfectly normal and unarmed, but with her Evoker within easy reach inside her shoulder bag.

Edited 2013-01-24 07:14 (UTC)

There's a polite, faint cough from her side, almost close enough to be coming from her shadow before Pharos materializes from thin air first appearing as faint impression before the edges of his body solidified, like usual. He had been reminding himself lately to at least make the attempt at giving them warning before abruptly appearing; it wasn't his intention to alarm them, after all.

He had been sticking close to the Arisatos' for the majority of the Grand Prix, save for when he had wandered off to observe the matches that had people he was interested participating. His loose, bare-toed sandals were light on the ground. "Uneasy, dearest?"

Don't think he doesn't noticing Minako wasn't patrolling unarmed, and was scanning the crowd restlessly.

The cough helps... but she isn't sure what to think about Pharos following her here, of all places.

She knows he's not human. And she knows he isn't really a little boy. But, much like when she was around Ken, she worries more about him than she does her other friends. He'd probably just disappear if a fight broke out, but still.

She answers his question with a small smile. "It just doesn't feel right."

If Minako happened to make up her mind to, for example, jump on a spaceship and fly up to Saturn in the midst of a world-devastating alien invasion, Pharos would follow her there without hesitation as well. The arena swollen with people wasn't such a bad deal even if he was aware of what unsafe events could possibly proceed here.

He knows she worried about him, even if to what extent he could never quite pinpoint without another example to reliably compare it to. So he leaves it be.

"Yes, this kind of quiet rarely implies peace." He remarked with a glance towards the throngs of people crowding in front of them, before smiling back up at her. "I doubt they'll wait forever."

That's really very sweet, Pharos. Stalkerish, but sweet. She appreciates the sincerity of his devotion to her.

"It doesn't seem likely. If they've waited this long, whatever they've planned must be dramatic."

He's straightforward enough in that aspect of his relationship to her at least. Rather like a child in all honesty.

"I wonder what it'll be? Hopefully nothing too dramatic."

As long as he doesn't start calling her Mom. 'Big sister' would be acceptable, though.

"I hope so too, Pharos-kun. No one needs something like that."

He already has a mom, that's good enough for him. Introduce the concept of her being his big sister on the other hand, he wouldn't calling her that.

"I imagine they will not care about that."

Sigh...

Maybe she will, eventually.

"That's why we're here, though. To make sure they can't do any damage."

Shinjiro's eyes are as alert as hers are, though his position is more stationary. He's leaning against one of the entrances to the arena. It's easier to see who's going in and out of the arena this way. He doesn't really give a damn if he looks suspicious himself. He'll move when he feels like it.

His seat isn't too far from here, just down the stars and next to the isle. He might go back eventually, but if something happens, he doesn't want to be caught in the initial congestion and panic. He'll spot Minako eventually, patrolling around, and once she's close enough, he'll move from his spot and approach.

"Not finding anything, huh?"

Shinjiro is probably one of the more suspicious looking people here, to be honest. It seems as though some of the random audience members agree from the way they glance at him. The thought amuses Minako too, as she closes the distance.

"Mm, not yet. It's too quiet, though."

This is only a little bit literal, with all of the spectators falling asleep.

Edited 2013-01-24 20:55 (UTC)

Whoever the hell thought a kabuki reenactment was a good idea is a moron.

"Yeah." Though he hopes it stays that way, but he has plenty of doubts, and he feels uneasy. Almost unnaturally so, but that's probably just the circumstances. "It's now or never, I guess."

Minako lowers her voice a little, now that they're standing side by side. "Something just feels strange... have you noticed?" She's not sure if it's everyone or just her, but it's not like any simple hunch she's had before.

He considers the question with a slight grimace. "Could just be nerves, but..." he looks up, scans the crowd again. "Yeah, something feels off."

Well, that was an interesting statement...

"You're admitting you're nervous?"

Not. Saying. A. Word.

He walked into this himself.

She grins, and wraps her arm around his. "Don't worry, it's normal for guys to get performance anxiety."

This conversation is now far more entertaining than watching the kabuki play.

Performance anxiety?

What does that have to do with—

He shoots her a sharp look. It might have been almost scandalized, once upon a time, if he were not goddamn determined to keep his face devoid of any emotion she could jump on. He doesn't even know how some of these responses she cooks up even come flying into her head.

He may have walked into the lion's den, but he hopes he's not dumb enough to continue to.

"I'm fine," he says, perhaps a little more firmly than he needed to, especially when he knows she's just teasing him at his own expense.

He's just fine, he'll have her know. On all counts, thank you very much.

Edited 2013-01-24 23:12 (UTC)

Maybe she pushed it a little too far, but getting him to make faces like that in public is too much fun. She squeezes his hand in a placating manner... while still grinning.

"I know." On most counts. The counts that have nothing to do with the possible battle today, because she's pretty sure he does have some uncertainty about that. She does, too... which is why she's making these jokes in the first place.

That "maybe" he can see written all over that mad grin of hers tells him she's not very sorry at all. But she's right, as she often is. Though uneasy, would be the word he'd use. Something just feels wrong. And you don't usually start to feel like this for no reason. That not knowing is what's causing his nerves to fray—far different from the crippling paranoia from October.

And really, if Anoli is going to make their move, they're going to be doing it soon. Make their statement and leave their mark, if they can.

He squeezes back.

"You'd better." He keeps his tone light. He doesn't joke around, not really—and even when he does, it's dry—but he can lift some of the gravity out of his voice, though it does little to dispel the uncertainty.

But nervousness certainly isn't going to stop him from performing anything.

It's different from a lot of things... Different from the unease leading up to full moons, or the tension before a big battle. It was closest to the feeling of fighting in Tartarus for the first time; uncertain of what could happen next, or how dangerous it might be, but also impatient to find out.

"You're welcome to make sure of that, later."

And now she's brazenly flirting with him in public when there could be a terrorist attack at any moment. The SEES leader certainly has excellent priorities.

Minako obviously has excellent priorities, and flustering him is clearly one of them.

He looks away quickly, face reddening. If she wants him to flirt with her (a game he'll always lose within a few replies anyway), she shouldn't try to derail the train before it starts. They're in public, in case she hadn't notice. He's pretty sure she can be subtle when she wants to be. This, in his opinion, is not very subtle at all. He sure doesn't feel like he's been subtly flirted with.

She's not even trying.

If he had the presence of mind to, he might have mentioned that he earned himself a free night's stay at the Amagi Inn a few days ago, if she wanted to, you know, get away from the dorm (and his apartment) for awhile, but that wouldn't be very subtle either.

Edited 2013-01-27 22:20 (UTC)

She can be subtle, but when did she ever claim she wanted to be?

She'll never stop being amused by making him blush. Of course, if he'd been the one to bring up this topic so suddenly in public, she might have blushed, too. Maybe.

Though she will cut him a break, for now. "But we can discuss that later, too." Maybe then he could bring up the inn.

Edited 2013-01-27 22:50 (UTC)

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Paradisus Perditaque

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