Futuristic Dormant Hearts

[Kiroshiven]

As the song came to a close Umi felt weird, like weirder than usual. Something had happened and now, well she wanted to get a clearer image of what happened. But to do that she had to let her mind travel further, to get lost in a song that even she held a connection to. And the atmosphere had to be different. Slipping her keyboard back into her bag she stood and looked around. A bit off in the distance she saw a husk that wasn't half buried, but standing looking out over the distance, at least, that's what it looked like. Without hesitating the girl began to run towards the colossus with her mind focused solely on finding out exactly WHAT had transpired as she played. "I've gotta know." She muttered as she turned around one husk and collided straight into another body which led to her falling flat on her backside.

As she looked up she saw a boy she recognized from class. He was the one that had "resting bitch face" as some of the others called it. Umi just thought he was having a bad day, every day. "Connor?" Her voiced asked as if she was still trying to place the name, but before he could even answer Umi had another idea. He lived at the gym, he could be her partner for the climb, a sort of safety net should she fall. Springing to her feet she grabbed hold of Connor and began to drag him off towards the husk. "Come, come." She spoke as she pulled him along, seemingly he was letting her do just that and when they arrived at the construct she pointed towards the husk. "Climb with me. Safer in pairs." She didn't feel the need to articulate, her excitement about what she had envisioned or what she would find out cutting any other train of thought from her mind.

Grabbing hold of the vines, Umi began to climb. She didn't really think Connor would follow her, but she hoped he would. He was probably one of the few boys she knew that would have the strength to catch her if she started to fall without tumbling to their death right alongside her. "Gotta…" She grunted as she started to get midway up the leg. "Reach..." another grunt. With her bag dangling at he side, the climb was more excruciating than her usual ones in the city. Also, the damn goliath was a lot larger than anything she'd climbed to date. After reaching about halfway she looked back to see if Connor was following.

Soviet Panda
P.S. Thanks again for letting me control Connor a little bit.

 

[GasMaskie]

You could practically hear the BGM starting up.

"I don't find you weird at all."

Morgan brought his gaze downwards and carefully grabbed hold of one of his wrists before turning his back on the girl. He took a deep breath as the silence continued to hang in the air. For once, the boy's voice seemed apprehensive. His haughty confidence had vanished in the blink of an eye only to be replaced by a frail timidness that befitted his small frame. The pale boy spoke once more.

"Ever... ever since the first time I laid my eyes upon you, I couldn't help but be entranced. From your distant silhouette to your sweet voice, my heart has been entangled in red string. To tell you the truth, something like this wasn't planned." His arms shifted slightly as he tightened his grip around his hand. The young man continued.

"I had considered simply leaving, but I found you here and I felt that I could no longer put it off. That, if I continued to hold these feelings within me, I would surely explode. And so, I've come here to tell you this. Ida Sommers, I'm completely and totally enamored by you. Please go out with me." His voice gradually increased in volume as that confidence swelled in a crescendo.

A beat.

"...Not." The young man tilted his head back at an angle - as stone-faced as ever. He raised one hand and pressed the pause button on his phone - cutting off the BGM loop. He blinked as he continued his unflinching gaze before turning around once more and returning to his normal posture.

"...It seems I still have much to learn about comedic timing. Along with emoting - it seems no matter how well I can manipulate my voice, my straight face gives it away. It's truly frustrating, that gag worked out far better in my mind." At this point the young man had already begun jotting down notes in that pocket-sized book of his. The furious movements of his pencil only slowed when he looked up at her for a moment or two.

"I did mean what I said at the beginning, however. Everyone deals with ghosts one way or another - crying about it is a perfectly healthy response." Satisfied with the amount of notes, Morgan slid the notebook inside one of his pockets and straightened his tie.

"As for your question, I simply followed a whim and wanted to talk to you. Nothing more, nothing less. A complete stranger who invites hatred such as myself is unfit to serve as a shoulder to cry on, or as a noble confidant. I suppose, on a day like this that others have made such a big deal out of, I thought that doing something out of the ordinary would be fitting. Well, I suppose getting to see a Husk in-person is quite a break from the norm as well, but conversing with you seemed like an interesting notion."

(Re: Coin )

 

[Hextremus]

"K.C. huh? Nice to meet you."

Otto hummed thoughtfully as he continued carving the Latin palindrome. Her following attempt at humour didn't affect his expressionless face at all. Contrary to popular belief, Otto did have a sense of humour. Or at least, he understood what humour was and could appreciate a good joke. This was not a good joke. But her awkward chuckle and rapid change of topic suggested that he could pretend to take her seriously as a joke in and of itself. That'd probably be funny. But first, the SATOR Square. He listened to her next question while finishing up the Square, sitting back on his heels and running a finger over the carving as he responded.

"Normally I plan ahead for situations involving other people, but there's nothing readily available here for me to use as an excuse to avoid social interaction. Because of this, I am willing to offer you some social interaction of your choice."

He paused.

"I mean to say that I'll accompany you on whatever you want here. And it's not a crossword, it's a 2D word square containing a five-word Latin palindrome, which admits four symmetries: identity, two diagonal reflections, and 180 degree rotation. It's an interesting phenomenon."

He rose to his feet after explaining what the SATOR Square was, brushing dirt and grass off his pants and adjusting the cuffs of his blazer before turning to face Kori and slipping his hands into his pockets.

"Where to, Beautiful?"

[Interaction w/ QizPizza ]

 

[Entity.Eclypse]

Laying on this husk had possibly been one of Mochi's better ideas. Though it wasn't the most action-packed experience in her life it was calming to an extent, continuing to gaze at the puffy vapors gave way to a story.

Drifting by lazily was one large cloud, it seemed complete with small amounts of darkness in it. After a short duration the cloud split into four different ones, three were lighter and fluffier looking. The last was darker and seemed to be slightly more distant from the rest of them, in the matter of a minute two clouds had stretched into nothingness and left the two clouds which were opposite in coloration. Both seemed to linger there, tasting the sky for a few minutes. The darker of the two darkened even further, becoming gray in coloration. This was when the clouds converged into a larger group, becoming a sheet and disappearing into it. Dark swirls remained among the sheet before the singular white cloud burst away once more and returned to the open sky.

Seeing this gave her a sinking feeling, the same she'd had when her pastillage had been shattered into hundreds of pieces by her mothers clumsiness one night. The whole thing had almost resulted in violence, had it not been for her box-cutter still being in her room. The metal hull of the husk felt oddly inviting to her, she couldn't help but feel like sinking into it, though... She was lying on the side of the head, so it wasn't as comfortable as it could've been. She heard blades of grass crunching off a short way... It was probably just a smaller animal so she wasn't all too worried.

This was until someone entered her secluded location, the sound of footsteps creeping ever closer to her resting place caused a sigh of annoyance to break free of her sealed lips. As the harsher tones rang out from the males voice, she physically cringed, her stomach sucking inwards and drawing the rest of her torso in slightly, this wasn't because the sound but rather that every adult that tried to counsel her did that same action. Peering off from the top of the husk, she was revealed to nothing but a tuft of brown hair. This was when followed up by a greeting which she hadn't expected, the person seemed to be reclusive with their speech. Maybe this could be worth her time after all. This led her to sitting up quickly, black pigtails accompanying her journey upwards momentum carrying them the whole way.


He seemed normal enough, as normal as one could get in a controlled environment. "Hiya. Things are going pretty swell, y'know. Sitting on a husk. cloud-watching." She spoke and then paused for a moment as if to study the male. "How about you? You seem a bit. dejected maybe?" this was said with an almost analytical tone. But the analyst seemed far too careless or maybe just disinterested in her body posture. Slumped forward slightly and looking down a bit at the brown-haired individual.


"To take a lighter tone-" She hopped down cutting her statement short for the moment before picking up right where she left off. "What kind of cakes are we talking here? Coffee Cake, Cheesecake, Snack Cake, Rice Cake, need I go on?" Ironically the known rebel of infamy seemed highly knowledgeable on confectionery sweets and baked goods.

Interactions: dwif

 

[Coin]

The longer Morgan went on his tirade, the more Ida completely zoned out. Her head tilted on axis and her jaw drooped slightly and just when she thought he was done, he kept going on. It wasn't that she was flattered, taken aback, or stricken, but rather she was just so very confused. For a moment, she considered interrupting Morgan to make sure he was speaking to the right person, but just couldn't find the right time or words. And the music? Had he always had a few screws loose?

When he delivered the punchline of his joke, Ida's left eye twitched involuntarily. Of course it was a joke -- a poorly executed joke, but a joke regardless. As much as Ida wished she wasn't entertained, Morgan's attempt at humor did succeed in taking her mind off of frivolous memories of her sister. Silently, Ida thanked Morgan for that much at least.

"We'll only have one bicycle ceremony dedicated to us in our lives," Ida nodded, her voice was barely louder than the soft breeze. She'd elected to not even acknowledge Morgan's jest. "It's only one day in thousands, so you've got the right idea doing something to make a memory of it."

Ida folded her hands behind her back as the smile returned to her face, this time more genuine than the last. The sights and sounds of the other teens in her class having fun and climbing atop stoic Husks made her optimistic for days yet to come. They were that much closer to being adults, that much closer to freedom. She had every reason to be happy, but Ida still couldn't quite shake the feeling on unease and tension that lurked from below the surface.

((Re: GasMaskie ))

 

[QizPizza]

Kori "K.C." Chang
"Normally I plan ahead for situations involving other people, but there's nothing readily available here for me to use as an excuse to avoid social interaction. Because of this, I am willing to offer you some social interaction of your choice. I mean to say that I'll accompany you on whatever you want here. And it's not a crossword, it's a 2D word square containing a five-word Latin palindrome, which admits four symmetries: identity, two diagonal reflections, and 180 degree rotation. It's an interesting phenomenon."

"Huh, I didn't notice. That's cool!" The way he talked was a bit strange. Kinda like how one of the elder adults would speak. The boy then got up from his crouched stanch and faced Kori. He adjusted his blazer's cuffs and then slipped his hands into his pockets. Combined with the lack of his beret, he looked oh-so-cool. It was annoying to a certain degree, but at least it seemed that his attitude and his heart was in the right place. Maybe he secluded himself because it was the "cool" thing to do. A lot of their class's boys sure seemed to think so.

"Where to, Beautiful?"

Kori couldn't help but blush and cringe at the same time. Blush because no guy other than Corey had ever called her that, even to entertain her, and cringe because Otto actually went along with it. At this point, there were two options. Either Otto was actually into her, or her actually had a sense of humor. Kori really hoped that it was the latter. Anyways, what were they going to do? They could climb the Husk, but she was a bit scared of heights, and that was what a bunch of the other kids were doing. No fun in that. "Hmm... How about we go and find some of the others? Either that, or we can just talk. I don't really have any other ideas. I was hoping you would."

Interacting: Hextremus

 

[Lucem]

Staring down at his watch as he stuffed the notebook inside his blazer, Alex looked at the ticking hands for a few seconds before nodding to himself. Not much time had passed since he eagerly began sketching the awe-inspiring machines that surrounded him, but several pages had already been filled. Putting every last detail into his drawings and his memory, he'd look forward to moving from paper to wood and metal. However, that could wait until he arrived home tonight. Right now, there was something more important.

Stretching his arms and giving one last appreciative look at the Husks that had served as models, Alex took hold of his bike's handlebars once again and began to work his way through the grass. As much as he loved his hobby, the young man also cared a great deal about the friends that were waiting for him. It wasn't quite time for everyone to arrive at the meeting point, but getting a head start seemed like a good idea. During all the excitement, everyone had gone off on their own, so it was hard to say if some of them were already there. Deciding on a place to get together beforehand was a pretty good idea, considering that everyone was likely scattered at the moment.

As he made his way through the valley, Alex wondered what his other friends were doing right now. He was sure that some of them wanted to get a look at the Husks right away, but considering how many of them were around, it wasn't exactly a great way of pinpointing their locations. Regardless of where they were, he could at least say for certain that Jeremy and Cain were together. Those two made a nice pair, almost always sticking close to each other.

While thinking about the whereabouts of his friends, Alex spotted a familiar face, black hair and golden eyes coming into view just as the name filled his thoughts like the others. The moment he recognized her, the boy's face lit up with joy, the previously neutral expression quickly changing to the warm and calming smile he usually wore. The reaction was similar to that of the one he made when something related to his interests came up, but it was still noticeably different. While he liked all things mechanical and electronic, a face like the one he had now was reserved for the friends he cherished.

"Hey!" Calling out to Kori, Alex raised a hand into the air, waving as he got closer. He had known the girl for a long time, their friendship formed years ago. They shared similar interests, so it wasn't very surprising that the two got along, but there was something else besides a like of games and engineering that they had in common. Both of them had struggled when it came to the relationships they had with their parents. While Alex didn't like to talk about himself or his personal issues very much, knowing that he wasn't alone in that regard made things easier when he first tried changing himself for the better. He wasn't sure if it meant as much to her as it did to him, but it was something that he would always be thankful for.

With his tires leaving behind a faint trail, Alex noticed that Kori wasn't alone as he got closer. Although, he still recognized who the girl was with. The smile persisted as he stopped in front of the two, easing his grip on the handlebars as he looked to his friend. "Glad I found you. The valley starts to look a little like a maze after a while." He spoke with cheer in his voice, but it was softer than a tone that often came with overwhelming excitement. Like his expression, it was calm, almost soothing in some ways. It was how similar to how his mother used to speak.

His eyes drifted toward her own for her a brief moment, blue staring curiously at bright yellow. She wasn't wearing her glasses. It was likely that she had just taken them off, but he still hoped that she hadn't lost them somehow. It would be bad if she had to walk through this place and bike to the meeting point with blurry vision.

Of course, not one to be rude and ignore people, Alex turned to the boy next to him. Still wearing a gentle smile, he offered a small wave along with his greeting. "Hey, Otto. It's nice to see you again." He made sure to keep things simple. Alex didn't know much about his classmate, aside from the fact that he was the son of their history teacher, but he was aware that the boy often preferred to be alone. He wasn't the only one. Many in their year preferred solitude over being around others. Like with them, Alex did his best to respect Otto's preference while remaining friendly. As much as he would've liked to have a better relationship with him and the rest of the more withdrawn students, he didn't want to make them uncomfortable. Although, with that being the case, he was curious about how the two ended up together like this. Maybe it had something to do with their height. It was a bit of a funny coincidence for the tallest boy and the tallest girl in their age group.

QizPizza
Hextremus

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

Unsurprisingly, Jeremy's worryings came to no avail. Vic was already darting up that dead titan like it was nothing more than an overgrown backyard tree, and on top of that she was even trying to entice him up there with her. A classic reversal. This was definitely one of the moments where he saw why the powers that be had lotted her up for Prosecutor duty. Impressive if you asked him, despite her own dismissiveness towards the role.

Certainly a brighter career path than another that came to mind.

"As usual, I'll pass! Make sure not to fall, that thing makes the town's buildings look like dollhouses." He knew better than to push a point with her. Either he'd end up being convinced to see things her way or she'd end up with more conviction in her goal than ever. Or both. And seeing as the last time she'd coaxed him up a building he'd broken his arm, Jeremy was perfectly content with staying safely and snugly earthbound.

"How about I go give the place a scout on the ground level?" As Vic scaled further and further up the metal giant, Jeremy's voice raised louder and louder. If he could claim any talents as is own, one of them would definitely be talking up a cliff, after all the practice he'd gotten. "I think we should be close to at least one or two of the others, don't you? Maybe one of them'll be nutty enough to get up there with you." A few names came to mind, though he'd be surprised if they weren't already scaling a Husk of their own, there was still a chance he'd catch one of them in the middle of preparations.

That said, he really hoped he was right about people being nearby. If Vic somehow managed to take a tumble off of that thing, he doubted he'd be able to get her back to the colony on his own in any sort of timely manner. He, also, couldn't really make much distance from her if he wanted to actually be able to keep a track of her wellbeing too.

Parting ways for a moment, Jeremy set out to get a lay of the mazelike valley that they'd be spending the day in. Beyond the Husk was, unsurprisingly, just as overgrown as it was. Unfamiliar plantlife ran its way up and down the hills, into the cracks of both rock and metal alike. He wondered, just how long would it take to clean up this place? He'd seen his parents tackle some absolute disasters of yards before, so he didn't think it would be beyond them if they had the time, but...

It also raised the question of why exactly this place even existed, didn't it?

Judging by the carvings of love and boredom he'd spied on the surface of the odd Husk or two, it wasn't like the things were indestructible. The adults were pretty clearly not fond of the things either, so why even keep them around? Tradition, maybe. Or was the land just not worth the effort? Mentally, he shrugged and dismissed the thought. He'd probably find out when he was older, right?

Ah.

Were those voices he heard?

His pace picked up a bit as he began to navigate his way towards them and an eagerness began to highlight his expression. Now that he thought about it, maybe going back with a group would be a good way to get Vic off of that Husk and down on the ground to chat. Hell, if it was Alex then maybe they'd even be able to get something fun going. Like maybe he could dra-

As he stepped out from behind the foot of a Husk that'd found itself splayed out across the valley, a head of white hair came into his field of view.

Er.

Was it too late for him to turn around and try again?

simj26 Coin GasMaskie

 

[dwif]

Sebastian was taken aback by the response. The initial shock came from someone else knowing about baking, he was expecting a simple acceptance of the cake but this could be a chance for him to open up about his passion. What caught him most off guard that this was a girl. Sure, he'd spoken to girls his in the past but never one on one. Then it struck him, this was chance to knock another item of his bucket list of things kids should experience. A childhood romance.

Sure, she wasn't what he'd consider "his type" but she was conventionally attractive. A little rough around the edges, but a lasting relationship isn't what he was looking for, he just wanted an experience.

He adjusted his posture, to make himself look taller and made futile attempts to flatten his hair to look more presentable before replying to her question. "Uhh... It's just a simple lemon drizzle cake". This was his chance to make his first move. "But they won't be anywhere near as sweet as you". As soon as those words left his mouth he cringed. Why would he does this to himself? Does he want to make himself suffer?

Trying desperately to brush over that comment, he followed with "So, I never introduced myself. I'm Sebastian. Most of the people I work with call me Shit-for-brains, but I'd honestly prefer it if you stuck to Seb".

Interactions: Entity.Eclypse

 

[Soviet Panda]

Connor had decided to walk his bike when something, or rather someone, collided with him. Being caught by surprise, he stumbled back a few steps, but he thankfully didn't fall over. Who know what Stanley would do if he found out Connor had already gone and gotten it all scratched and dinged. Then again, having someone grab a hold of him and pull him in the opposite direction did help. In fact, Connor had to take a step forward to keep from falling flat on his face. And that step lead to another, followed by a third, then a fourth. And he continued like this, one step in front of the other, until they reached a Husk. He was then promptly told to start climbing so he could catch her if she started to fall.

Shrugging his shoulders, he lets her start the climb first and follows shortly after. The vines provided plenty of spots for both his hands and feet, making the climb relatively easy. However, it exercised a different set of muscles that he did not often use. But onward he climbed, making sure to steady his capture, Umi he remembered her name was, when she needed it. They were nearly at the top, his muscles screaming at him to stop, when he felt something. He grabbed something that was not a vine. It was smooth. Yet his hand fit into it perfectly. He hoisted himself up a little further to get a better look at what his hand was wrapped around, not considering for even a second it might have been something he shouldn't be holding on to. However, what he saw looked like a handle. And whats more, now that he looked, he could see a faint outline.

"Hey! I found something!" He shouted, giving the handle a gentle tug. It moved, but not by much. So getting a better grip on a vine, he gives the handle a hardy pull. There was a soft screech of rusted hinges, and the hatch became obvious, though still effectively closed to him. Certainly this last one.... The rusted hinges finally decided to give and the hatch flew open, Connor nearly tumbling down the Husk he had worked so hard to climb. But he held on, and after quickly latching his other hand onto something and calming down a little, he looked into the now opened hatch, decided it was safe enough, and crawled inside.

 

[Inactive User 002]

Hexa couldn't believe how unbelievably stupid she had been having wandered off all frustrated not paying attention to where she was going. Ending up with her being in the middle of forest lost not recognising any of her surroundings. She didn't even have her bike with her having left it at the entrance to the forest, which Hexa had no idea what direction that was in. Letting out a huff of frustration Hexa plonked herself on the ground. Hexa wondered to herself what she should do to get herself out of this mess.

Unfortunately after a good ten or twenty minutes maybe more Hexa really couldn't tell, she hadn't come up with anything. Best idea she could think of was to just continue wandering around the forest until she found someone or found the way out. Admittedly she could try to climb one of the tall trees or Husks to peak above the canopy, however Hexa knew she wasn't a good climber nor was she really good at any physical activity. Walking and on rare occasions running was the most exercise she ever got.

Walking along she had her headphones on but only covering her right ear so she could still pay attention to her surroundings. Hexa didn't want to miss a chance at overhearing someone or far worse have a wild animal sneak up on her. Jazz played into her right ear as she walked finding the soothing and relaxing jazz fit her surroundings. Unlike the usual rock she listened to in her room. Every few minutes she let out a large hello to check if anyone was nearby. However Hexa imagined some of the other kids would be more than happy to let her wander around the forest. Finally loosing her cool Hexa shouted at the top he lungs "where the bloody hell is everybody?!"

(Open for interaction)

 

[Entity.Eclypse]

Mochi made use of the small break between their conversation and quickly acknowledged the males change in posture. Based on the fixing of his hair she could tell what was going on with this situation, he was attempting to look better, and it wasn't working. Instead of responding by appearing more presentable herself she leaned up against the husk, using a small crevice of the face to provide her a stronger support. When he first began speaking she raised an eyebrow at the mention of a lemon drizzle cake, specifically because she wanted to place him on a scale with his baking.

As soon as he began to utter the next part of his statement, the raised eyebrow was greeted by another in a bit of surprise, she brought a hand up to her mouth to hide a grin. This was merely to cover up her stifled laughter from the pitiful flirting. Leaning forward she released a short humor-filled groan. She had almost blocked out his introduction with her laughter but contained herself thankfully. "Names Mochi, infamy is included. Good to meet you Seb." She gave her own introduction while returning to the location of the Husk. She could tell when he flirted that he didn't truthfully mean such, just because of how he seemed to act after.

"I'm guessing that you're either desperate, or someone dared you to try flirting? Whatever the case you didn't quite hit the mark, you did give me a good laugh, though." Her arms moved up and crossed atop her chest. She knew where her box-cutter was in the event that he became aggressive but he didn't look the type. She took a minute to examine him, possibly sizing him up, maybe just attempting to see more as to how this person was.

Heaving a sigh from her delicate appearing frame, she returned to stand once more, her eyes seemed to take on a colder gaze towards him. She cocked her hip out to the right and quickly placed a hand atop it, striking a rather typical pose. "You don't seem like a bad guy, though. Despite being a little... careless looking." That might have been a bit harsh. "If you want to talk though I won't object to it. I have a question though" A pause for dramatic effect.

"How confident are you in your cake Sebastian?" She held an expression that rested somewhere between confidence and posing a challenge.

Mentions: dwif

 

[Kiroshiven]

Umi huffed as, thankfully, Connor had come along but as she neared the summit of the Husk her companion had found something. "What?" She cried back only to have the screeching sound of rusted hinges being pulled open completely negate her voice. Umi's eyes went wide in awe as she watched Connor open up the husk but also started a hasty decent when he nearly fell. He was supposed to be there to catch HER not the other way around. A sigh of relief washed over her as she watched Connor finish opening up the husk and climb inside. "They did mention the husks were piloted by people." Umi muttered to herself as she slowly climbed herself into the husk behind Connor.

Inside was not exactly an easy place to be with the husk. There were no lights other than from the door behind them and with the sun being the opposite side of that, it meant there was very little for her to see. She stretched her hands out into the darkness. "Connor?" Her voice was a mixture of anxiety and excitement, unsure of which one was more prevalent. "Connor, can you see anything?" Umi's hands brushed against metal that contoured and eventually against what felt like leather. "I-is this the cockpit?" Umi's voice began to tremble. She was now certain that she was more excited than anything she could've imagined. "WE ARE IN THE COCKPIT OF A HUSK!" Her voice echoed loudly within the room. "I wonder if it still works? Could we get it moving? Where might we go if we can?" Umi felt around in the dark again until she grabbed hold of the boy and hugged him. "Connor, you're just amazing! Thanks to you, we're the first people in a husk in CENTURIES."

Unable to contain herself, Umi let go of Connor and twirled about inside the cockpit before feeling around for the controls. "Just gotta figure out how this thing starts up." She mumbled as she tried her best to locate anything that might activate the colossus and begin and adventure like she couldn't even possibly have dreamed of.

Soviet Panda

 

[dwif]

"How confident are you in your cake Sebastian?"

This is what he was really looking for. In that moment he realised that he didn't really care for having the usual experiences that kids have. He wanted to be challenged, and here was that challenge. Maybe she was more of his type than he thought, but that didn't matter now. He was more than confident in his baking, it was pre-war recipes he was using that provides a unique enough flavor to impress anyone. He had to make it more interesting, and at the same time it could be an opportunity to learn something about his new friend. "Do you enjoy betting?" Replied Sebastian, his energy rising to a level making almost a completely different person.

He paced towards the girl at an almost unsettling speed, only made worse by the slightly crazed look in his eyes. Stopping just short of her he crouched to be at her eye level "If you ask me it's not too interesting if I tell you how good they are, or you just decide for yourself. We need to put something on the line. Something big." He was speaking at mile a minute at this point, dead set on getting his conditions out before she could interrupt him. "You say I look careless... and that's true to a point, I'm just bored with the minutiae of everyday life. But this is an opportunity to try something new. For both of us to broaden our horizons. But you should know that the one thing that my carelessness doesn't extend to is my cooking." He paused for a second to look directly at her to see if she was keeping up.

"So, how about this? Since I'm confident enough that I'll win you can choose both of our wagers. I win if you want seconds, and you win if you don't. Easy right? Just make sure the wagers are good, something that will really make a difference to the person. So you in?"

Setting down his bag he produced 2 small cakes and handed them over. It was down to her now, all he could do was wait for a response.

Interaction: Entity.Eclypse

 

[_Line 213]

Soviet Panda Kiroshiven



Past the hanging vines and deeper into the darkness was a small chamber, big enough for only a handful of people, yet offering enough room to stand. The light of the midday sun barely pushed through the overgrowth at the mouth of the entrance, the majority of the light within the long-abandoned cockpit coming from small patches of glowing fungi, living off of some unseen source. Moss carpeted much of the ground, though the darkness made it difficult for plants any more complex to grow.

Indeed, nothing had disturbed this chamber for years upon years; save for plants, it was all but barren, the forgotten controls at the far end of the room sitting, seemingly rusted in place. Dangling cords and wires of myriad sizes hung from panels in the ceiling, the largest nearly the width of the girl's hand, and ending with connectors that appeared hastily torn away from whatever they once clung to. And yet, oddly enough, there was nothing within the chamber that seemed to fit the pattern of the connector.

What seemed like a seat was present at the far end of the room, separated just barely into two portions, one lower than the other. If two people were supposed to sit upon the structure, the build of the seat forced them rather close together, almost to the point where the occupant of the lower seat would be forced to place their head against the chest of whomever sat above them. There was no mistaking the necessity of two pilots; the closest thing that seemed to be a set of controls involved two cylindrical clamps, sized perfectly for arms; small handles even glinted from within the ancient metal tubes. Perhaps, in another age, it would have been bright. Majestic, even. Yet now, it commanded little other than what onlookers were willing to give it. All was still within the chamber, even with the hatch open; the plant life at the entrance proved to be more than capable of shutting out the lazy wind.

The initial intrusion of the two children proved no disturbance, as not a single light flashed, or mechanism whirred. In some ways, it was more akin to being within a ruin or a tomb than something which once moved and flickered with life. The echo of Umi's voice bounced across the aging metal, barely pushing into the air beyond the entrance. As her excitement grew, however, the aura within the resting machine seemed to shift slightly; the previous feeling of lifelessness almost seemed to fade somewhat, replaced with a light spark in the air. Yet, perhaps it was simply the thrill of being within a forbidden Husk, or the pleasure of lifted spirits.

 

[CerpinTaxt]

That was a rather quick offer of friendship

Luka had watched as this girl scrambled and babbled as she backed away. He must have really startled her, but she seemed to have bounced back rather quickly. He didn't even seem to have noticed her having called the large machine nearby 'Mr.Husk'. "Ah..I didn't mean to startle you." He stayed where he was for the time being, not really want to come out of hiding quite yet. "I'm sorry." He tightened the grip on his book, shifting uncomfortable where he stood as his eyes moved away from her. Maybe he did have a chance of making a friend today.

He took a deep breath and then stepped out from his failed hiding place. "I'm Luka. I..doubt we ever met. No one ever really spoke to me during classes before?" He sounded like he was asking a question at the end, though it certainly wasn't one. He let out a small frustrated exhale, unhappy at his attempts at small talk. What was he supposed to say? He'd never really held much of a conversation with someone before. "I um..I like books. I was coming down here to read, I didn't really think anyone else would be here. I hope I was not disturbing you." He set a cautious foot forward, focusing on the husk she stood by. "Were you..talking to it? I could hear talking, I wasn't sure if someone else was here." His focus went on her out stretched hand.

Was he supposed to shake her hand? He certainly wouldn't mind it. She seemed nice, and apparently not put off by him.

That was a nice feeling.

It wasn't the somewhat pitying look of his mother, comforting him after his failed attempts to play with the others or just try and bond with someone. It was a look that gave no hint of judgement, or disgust. She didn't seem to pity him for what he couldn't control. She didn't seem to want to avoid him for how he spoke.

She seemed kind.

"I..I think it would be nice if we could be friends. Maybe."

Cosmos

 

[Cosmos]

Hachi was at first taken aback by the boys quietness, awkwardly chuckling a little as her hand remained outstretched and a small bead of sweat found itself dripping down the side of her forehead. Her cheeks flustering a light pink as she tensed a little when he once again began to speak, blushing ever so slightly more at the mention if startling her she quickly shook her head.

"N-No not at all it's fine! I uh- guess I just didn't think anyone else's going to be out here to ya know?…." She replied in a timid manner. Thinking back over his past few questions she blinked innocently and thought with a slightly puzzled yet curious expression.

"I think I have seen you before actually, but I uh-…. Well I guess you could say people don't notice me very often either~…." she softly replied with a slightly softened smile and saddened expression before perking back up quickly.

Extending the hand a little more as he shook it in return she grinned brightly at his acceptance of her offer, eyes practically shimmering with awe at the words as she jumped up and down a little once before giggling awkwardly once again, "S-Sorry about that I just well haven't made many friends really or ages!" she continued, realising how sad that could sound she quickly changed the subject back to the topic of talking to the husk. Giving a small nod she chuckled as she clasped her hands together behind her back, her fingertips tied together meeting just at the hem of her skirt as she turned on her toes a little, looking backwards and up at the husk in the glowing light.

"Yeah…. I know it sounds silly but I think they can hear us, ya know?…. Well, I think everything can in a way, everything from buildings to trees, they might not be able to show it or ever say something back, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't care for them- Oh! I completely forgot about my own name!? I-I'm Hachi, Hachi Ren. Though I suppose most people know me as Michi's sister more than anything~"

She finished with a look back at the boy cheerfully, tucking a few strands of light coloured blonde hair from her face to reveal totally her bright pink eyes.
​

CerpinTaxt ​

 

[Hextremus]

"K.C., my idea of socialising is sitting in an alley and painting a variant on the SATOR Square. I find it strange that you would expect any form of ideas for how to kill time from someone like me."

Otto tilted his head to one side, face still remaining expressionless despite the inquisitive tone in his words.

"Talking is fine, even though that is not something I can say I specialise in. But I can try."

He drew one hand from the pocket it rested in and ran it through his black hair, sighing quietly and closing his eyes for a moment to enjoy a cool breeze that blew past them. It pushed his blazer back and ruffled his loose tie slightly, lowering his hand from his head once the breeze passed and slipping it back into a pocket. However, before either of them could say anything else, a male voice called out nearby. Otto glanced around to find its source and settled on a boy rolling up to them on his bike. He looked happy to see Kori. Otto? Not quite.

Otto kept quiet and expressionless as the boy greeted Kori. Now that he was up close he could recognise him as Alex, a student in the history class taught by his father. One of his dad's so called 'not bad students'. Not a friend, but definitely someone he knew better than most other people in his year. He nodded respectfully in greeting.

"Good evening, Alex. Nice to see you too. I was just explaining something to Beautiful here after she walked into me, so if you wish to spend time with her I won't be a third wheel. We seem to have run into a roadblock on ideas to pass the time, in any case."

Again starting with a good evening despite the afternoon sun lighting up the sky overhead. Just a quirk, perhaps.

[Interaction w/ QizPizza & Lucem ]

 

[GasMaskie]

Naturally, the genius had noticed the feminine boy emerge from a Husk's foot. Morgan directed a cold stare towards the hairdresser's little brother. The word velociraptor might have come to mind with the predatory nature of his glare - as scrawny and small as he was, the young man was more than intimidating enough between his frank rudeness and wit. Maybe he'd even think his chastity as a maiden (male) was in danger under the weight of Morgan's gaze. He broke eye contact a few moments later and brought a gloved hand to his chin as he looked to the Husk once more and then back to the girl.

"I'm surprised you didn't even blush. Perhaps you're the kind of girl who receives confessions of love all the time then? Well, that's beside the point. Though, the more I think about it, merely talking with you isn't enough to leave a scar in my mind. A person only remembers about 10% of the conversations they've had in their lifetime. Quite a shocking statistic, isn't it?" He paused as he closed his eyes and began to sift through his memories.

"Well, it's shocking if only because I made it up. But my point still stands - just doing something like this isn't exciting enough to withstand the sands of time. Something like your face with eyes still red after the fact, is more than enough to remain within my mind until the day I die but that's due to entirely different reasons. Thus, I've decided - I want to make a strong memory of today. Your concession to my viewpoint has left me in quite the good mood." He had offhandedly tried to recall just who that boy was - he could recall a few still images wherein the shorter boy was near or engaging with that short-haired girl. She wore... spats? The spitting image of a tomboy that you'd find in one of the more crude books that he sold. Still, he couldn't place a name to the face. It wasn't necessary information anyways.

Morgan opened his eyes and turned on a heel. He brought his arm up towards the sky and slowly lowered it until his pointer finger rested on his focus - the Husk.

"A strong memory needs strong stimuli. Context is important as well. Why don't we act our age and do some exploring. Husk exploration to be precise. It's quite rare to see what the interior of a Husk cockpit looks like, correct?" He clasped his hands together after finishing his proposition. An innocent curiosity he had wanted to satiate - as well as a simple way of confirming the information in a recent book he had acquired.

"Of course, a certain stray puppy is more than welcome to come along too. The more the merrier, after all." He spoke loudly enough for Jeremy to hear him but continued to stare at the Husk before him. Perhaps she had noticed, but he had gone out of the way to sound as sinister as possible with those innocent words. With his already negative and gossip-prone reputation, he could only imagine the sorts of scenarios that Jeremy would run through his head over the nature of his sudden interest in the Husk.

Though, if it did start moving, it'd certainly make his task here far easier.

(Re: The One Eyed Bandit , Coin )

 

[Entity.Eclypse]

She got to decide.

Though it could have been a great idea, it could just as easily be one that someone came to regret faster than they could spell it. A smirk came to her face, she didn't even seem put off by his hastened approach. "Oh? Careful with what you say there. Overconfidence is just carelessness in disguise." She held a glint to her eye that spoke of mischief. Her plans were simple, manipulate the wager to her advantage. If he objected then the wager was called off as a whole, she could use his own words against him after all. Moving slightly she now held the cakes, one in each hand, with the first test. She squeezed them slightly, not enough to imprint or damage their form.

The consistency was softer but firm enough to stay together, a slight dryness around the edges but the drizzle would make up for that in consumption, that alone let her know the result of this wager. "So you want a large wager then... alright. If I eat both cakes, then I'll kiss you. I don't mean like your mother did as a child either, I mean the kind that causes the heart to race. However-" With this she walked at a slow pace, circling him. "If I win, then you have to kiss the next person we see of my choosing. Not just a peck either, I'm meaning you hold that embrace until you're breathless. Memorable enough right?" With that she stopped back where she started and raised an eyebrow curiously.

"If that's not good enough tell me. I'll eat the first of these while you think on it." She suggested and lifted one cake towards her mouth but stopped short of it. Examining the cake closely now she gave off a small smile before looking back at him, "I guess you're not wrong. The drizzle is evenly distributed, points for presentation." That was the last she said before opening her mouth and biting into the baked good.

The cake divided from its portion without much resistance. Immediately the heady scent of lemon flooded her senses, to most this would likely mask the dryer undertones of the bread-like exterior, but the airy taste was detected without much difficulty by Mochi's palette. The scent lingered for nothing more than a fraction of the time she had used to take the bite. A light hint of moistness resided to the interior of the cake and she could tell this even easier as she began to chew. The richness of the cake was honestly praise-worthy, it wasn't a sharp taste but it held a much more mellow flavor. The icing was of course to credit for this, but the threads of citrus weaved their way throughout the sweetness giving a sharper flavor. It easily penetrated and fulfilled the taste buds desire.

Mochi continued chewing and the flavor brought her back to her own cooking, it reminded her of an earlier taste she had created herself. While it did have some reflection of that it held something different, a curious taste, something ancient. This finished her taste of the first bite; it was tasteful to say the least. She swallowed. A nod was offered at this, her tongue escaped to her lips for a moment to clear the remaining icing. Half of the small cake had been consumed since it wasn't more than a few bites large to begin with. The scent of lemon came faintly from the half-consumed cake.

She gave little thought to eating the other half of it, though she seemed to be pretty controlled since she didn't show any form of eagerness in eating it. Rather she seemed to be finishing her judgement on it. Upon swallowing that piece she returned her gaze to the male, "Well you do have talent that's for sure. I won't deny you of that for a moment." The other cake remained in her hand untouched by any mouth. "Though with sweets like these. I don't typically eat them in large quantities."

Mentions: dwif

 

[dwif]

He struck the girl with a questioning glance. Did she really think so highly of herself that a kiss from her would be a worthy prize? But he had been clear in setting the rules, she accepted the bet and followed the rules he set so he had no choice but to accept. "Sounds interesting I guess. I'm going to be honest I was expecting something much worse, so I'm fine with my penalty." Everything was out of his hands now and all he could do is wait for her judgement.

He eagerly watched her eat the small treat, he hadn't been this invested in something for quite a while. It was refreshing. Despite his competitive nature, deep down he was fine with losing this bet. He had a chance to have someone who knew something about baking try his cakes, that was good enough for him. She took her time eating the cake, savoring and analysing each bite something that anybody else that had eaten his cakes had done. But he had to keep up his confident facade and show that he was still invested in this bet.

Leaving her to finish the cake, he gathered his belongings and began to inspect the nearby husk with little interest. What was wrong with him? In front of him was a relic of ancient history and he was more interested in someone eating a cake. He didn't know how long he could keep feigning interest convincingly. He tried to sneak a glance to see how much longer he'd have to wait for the outcome of this bet, he caught her eating the last of the first cake, he waited for any signs of her interest in the second cake.

Her initial response was complimenting his abilities, although he didn't really care about this it was nice to hear it from someone who knew something that knew anything above the basics say it.

"Though with sweets like these. I don't typically eat them in large quantities."

There it was. The conclusion to their bet. He turned around to face her fully, lowering his head and letting out a forced sigh. "Looks like I've lost. Well, I guess it's my fault for stacking the odds against myself." Closing the distance between the two he continued to speak "Though if you ask me it's not over while you still have that one with you. But I'll count it as a loss and I'll take it graciously. So let's go find my first kiss." He continued to walk back towards the entrance to the valley where more of their peers were sure to be found, "Thanks." he called back over his shoulder "For today I mean. It's been fun."

Entity.Eclypse

 

[Coin]

Following Morgan's dead stare towards the Husk to see what he was looking at, Ida just about locked eyes with another boy who had shown up just beyond her peripheral. This time, it was a slightly more familiar face, Jeremy -- innocence incarnate. Ida gave the newcomer a disarming smile and a small wave to ease the deer-in-headlights look off of him. Before she could invite him to join, Morgan began another one of his monologues.

Ida did not imagine herself having such a strange conversation when she woke up that morning. Morgan seemed to have no shame and no filter when it came to speaking. She couldn't tell yet if it was courage, or cluelessness. Receiving confessions of love all the time? Ida mentally scoffed, musing what kind of person she would have to become to collect the admiration of boys and girls of her age on a regular basis. Of course, it wasn't like she desired that kind of attention anyways. She preferred the subtly of her life, blending as a bit of a wall flower.

Her smile quickly faded into tight frown, not because Morgan had implied that they should pry open the cockpit of a Husk, but how he had called Jeremy a stray puppy. Ida could handle the mismanaged jokes and crude attitude, but Jeremy had done nothing to warrant such condescending and threatening tone. If it went on further, Ida couldn't just sit idle.

"That's if we could even get a hatch open," Ida pointed out. "Husks were meant for combat, and I'll bet they'd be bolted shut at very least. That's not even considering the fact that it could be rusted close after so long in the elements."

Ida would be lying if she said she wasn't at least curious to see how the old war machines worked. She and her sister always imagined the inside to be filled with computer screens, levers and, wheels -- all under the careful operation of a very skilled pilot. They never did find out.

"But, I still think it's a decent idea," Ida relented with a sigh. "I have always wanted to see the inside of a Husk."

((Re: GasMaskie , The One Eyed Bandit ))

 

[Cosmos]

Hachi smiled.

 

[QizPizza]

Kori "K.C." Chang
"Hey! Glad I found you. The valley starts to look a little like a maze after a while."

"Hey, Alex!" Oh thank goodness Alex found them. He could up in conversation much better than Otto for sure. Besides, it was nice to have someone she considered a close friend. Alex was something of a second brother to her. He was no Corey, but Alex's circumstances and interests were similar enough that the two of them could've been siblings. Maybe in another world or under slightly different circumstances. Kori entertained the thought for a few moments before Otto broke her train of thought.

"Good evening, Alex. Nice to see you too. I was just explaining something to Beautiful here after she walked into me, so if you wish to spend time with her I won't be a third wheel. We seem to have run into a roadblock on ideas to pass the time, in any case."

This was getting old for Kori. It was somewhat entertaining the first time, but now that he called her "Beautiful" in front of another person, she was just embarrassed. She would've slapped the boy, but she gave him the benefit of the doubt and hoped he was actually taking her earlier statement seriously. If he was trying to joke around with her, she could only blame herself for thinking that he had no sense of humor. Some kind of karma. Either way, the situation could be worse. It could've been one of the girls that found them first instead of Alex. Oh gosh. If one of the girls, especially Hexa, heard that, then Kori would never hear the end of it. Rumors would fly around and everyone would think that she was in a relationship with Otto. Nothing against Otto, but that just wasn't the kind of reputation she wanted. "Otto, can you please stop calling me that. I was joking earlier."

Hextremus
Lucem

 

[Entity.Eclypse]

The loss had been taken without much contention as it seemed, and while she didn't mind this she had expected some form of heavier retaliation. Gripping the rubber of the handlebars once more Mochi began to walk beside her bike and Sebastian.The beret which previously rested lopsided on the seat, now rested atop her head as it had supposedly done earlier on in the day.

Clicking her tongue Mochi began to walk after him. "What's with that look you gave earlier? You were the one who put me on the spot so I decided on the wager quickly." She spoke with a hint of carelessness. Their retreat, of course, meant leaving behind her bike, stupid hat, and the husk. Though she wasn't exactly frustrated, she wasn't the keenest on having a wager not exactly be a rewarding one. "I guess you're not satisfied with the idea of a maidens first kiss. Some people are just insatiable." She stated this with a joking tone of course. There was no reasonable way someone could say that with any shred of seriousness to their being.

"Also there's no need to thank me for anything, I didn't have anything better to do anyhow." A shrug made it's way to her shoulders, hands out to the side. One looking a little more awkward as it held the second, uneaten, cake. Replacing her usual jacket was the ceremonial blazer, and instead of remaining unzipped and looser like her jacket. It held to her form as though some form of adhesive had been applied. On hand was off the handlebars giving an oddly lopsidedly appearance as she walked with cake in hand.

Moving closer to the male, she placed the other cake back in his hand. "Bets off. No point in me picking who your first kiss is." She stated with more of a demanding tone than one of suggestion. Taking a moment she examined the males face further, as if she had been configuring the pieces of a jig-saw puzzle to make it more... appealing. "I figured you would have had your first kiss by now. I mean you're not really harsh on the eyes, plus you can bake better than half the population in the colony." She snickered with a hint of cruelty to her tone.

They were bound to run into someone sooner than later.

Mentions: dwif