Something Else Other Than Bathing
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Post by Narukami Akira on Sept 17, 2011 23:30:00 GMT -6
I nearly chuckled at Whitey's literary analysis of my name and our fair companion's. Is that some kind of a hobby of his? I don't really mind about my name, since my parents gave it to me. However, there's one time I got kinda sensitive about the name Akira when I was in grade school, as I found out it's a common name for both boys and girls.
Dango Daikazoku... I don't think I know about that, but it still sounds vaguely familiar somehow. Kinoshita's description makes me think it is some kind of a toy franchise, probably an obscure one. I, on the other hand, have grown up with mecha models, especially mobile suits.
"Oh, is that so? I didn't know..." I uttered after Kinoshita finished her line. "You two really like them, right?" I ask my two companions nonchalantly. If they know where those kind of cute toys are sold, maybe I can get some for Kana-chan.
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Post by Mizukami Ayumu on Sept 18, 2011 19:57:04 GMT -6
"I have yet to know if I like them... I'm trying to find out about them right now..." he answered, thoughtfully. He had heard that Furukawa-senpai was fond of the aforementioned mascots, though he couldn't remember exactly where he heard that, if from Furukawa-senpai herself, or from somebody else, but that didn't matter anyway. What mattered was that he found out just what they were. Kinoshita-san's been helpful. "Anything else you know about them?"
A really large family of... dumplings, huh? Ayumu pondered about that. He might have seen them somewhere before... there were some shops who still sold merchandise of mascots for children, even those that weren't that popular anymore, but he couldn't remember where. He sighed a bit. He should really put more effort into keeping track of things.
On a different note... he felt talkative, since their reactions were rather short; while he usually played the silent character, he did not feel comfortable with communal silences, and when he felt he wasn't being too prying, he did his work to break the ice.
"With me being Mizukami, and you being Narukami, Narukami, we only need a wind god to round up a storm." he said, bringing up his observations about their names again. He hoped he wasn't getting any of the names' meanings wrong; it was better to know that you do not know than to not know if you do know. Forgetting was one thing; confusing real and false knowledge was another. He wondered if he could chuck bookmarks into the places in his head.
"So, will you come with us?" He repeated the question to Kinoshita-san, since it seemed his comments had momentarily preoccupied his companions. "And Narukami-san... I don't really know where the game room is, so maybe you could lead us." He didn't like repeating things, and maybe he was wrong that they had forgotten, so he hoped they weren't offended.
They seemed such nice people, too... though it seemed, like most, that they were on a different wavelength... the normal wavelength. Well, maybe I am right, and maybe I am wrong... I've just met them, after all.
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checkmate Guest
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Post by checkmate on Sept 20, 2011 7:47:50 GMT -6
A relieved sigh escaped her lips when she heard their replies. She has never been good around new acquaintances. Mayumi tensed up too easily and panics over the slightest mistakes. Either I get rid of this or I’ll be detested by all.
“I’ve seen them in shops and advertisements a couple of years back and… I guess it’s a girls’ thing,” she beamed. Whenever she see a new item that’s really cute appearing in shops or adverts, she can’t help but to research a little about them.
"Anything else you know about them?" She pondered over the question for a short moment before replying with an apologetic smile, “I’m sorry, but that’s all I know about them. I’ll inform you if I’ve came across any information.”
It was nice to know that they had managed to start a couple of conversations. Although they were short and related to different topics, it was a good start. A short silence took over and Mayumi felt a little queasy. It wasn’t long before Mizukami broke the silence with another invite.
Mayumi laughed softly and responded. “yes, please.”
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Post by Narukami Akira on Sept 20, 2011 21:14:40 GMT -6
"Round up a storm, eh? Sounds quite cool..." Whitey's info makes me think of myself as some kind of superhero. The only thing's missing is sparks coming out of my hand. Thanks to him, I currently have even less reasons to be sensitive about the name my parents gave me and not end up like a certain guy named Kamille Bidan.
After reassuring the other two that I know the way, we proceed to the second floor. That's where our destination is.
Nice, the ping-pong table is free for now. I grab the two rackets, and throw one to Whitey. "Let's get this show on the road, shall we?" It's been quite long since the last time I played this game with somebody else. "Kinoshita-san, will you be the ref?"
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Post by Mizukami Ayumu on Sept 21, 2011 23:00:38 GMT -6
"Ah."
Ayumu almost caught the racket thrown by the other male. Clumsily he juggled it, and at the last moment, when even he thought he would lose it and it would fall on the floor with the most chiding of clatters, he managed to grab it, though his grip was awkward, and he was holding it with the slapping end. Or whatever the part of the racket that's used to... slap the ball... is called.
He had fallen silent. He felt a little embarrassed, but then, he'd told Akira he wasn't really good at this, just a while ago. He turned his eyes down to the ground for a short while. Hopefully he didn't think it was one of those self-effacing exaggerations. He adjusted the racket so that he would be holding it with the handle.
He'd been... rather surprised that the game room was near... nearer than he had expected. Right now, though, he was thankful that no one else was around; perhaps everyone had chosen to dip in the hot water almost immediately, and had stayed there up to now.
He... well, he had wanted to see Furukawa-senpai, but it might compound his embarrassment if he would see him here. Not that he was a cool sort of person to begin with. Akira probably would be cool if... there was just something missing, though he couldn't point it out.
But he was nice enough. Akira seemed enthusiastic with playing, and he couldn't turn him down. He wondered if Kinoshita-san would like to play... he sent a fleeting glance, with a hint of pleading, at her. Well, if she does want to, she would say it... if she doesn't want to, or she doesn't say it, I guess I'll grin and bear it. He tried a few practice swings, and felt unsuited to them as he did so.
"Please take it easy on me."
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checkmate Guest
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Post by checkmate on Sept 26, 2011 8:32:06 GMT -6
Narukami seemed to be really upbeat about the match with Mizukami and a broad smile flashed across her face. The atmosphere then was calm, soothing and warm. Slowly, without even her realizing it, the nervousness and low self-confidence from before has vanished into thin air.
"Kinoshita-san, will you be the ref?"
The brunette’s hazel eyes widened slightly before she nodded and replied with a toothy smile, “with pleasure!” Kinoshita turned around to take a look at Mizukami. She thought that she had heard him release a short “ah”. A puzzled look appeared on her face and she continued walking, unsure of what to do at that moment. Perhaps she has misheard it or it was just a yawn. Or perhaps there was more than meets the eye. But then again, who was she to ponder and try to guess what the other party was thinking about when she, herself, is just an acquaintance?
It wasn’t long before they had reached the game room. Her heart thumped so hard that she was affirmative that everyone could hear her heartbeats. She was excited. It has been a pretty long time since she had participated in a game. Although she’s not really partaking in it, she was involved in it – as a referee. And that was good enough.
With a wide beam, she passed Mizukami a ping pong ball. “Do your best! I’ll be sure to catch anyone that made a foul.”
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Post by Narukami Akira on Sept 28, 2011 18:12:33 GMT -6
Am I a bit too into this? Looking at Whitey struggling to catch the racket, I feel like I was trying to show off here. Hence his request for me to be easy on him makes sense after all. However, I'm not sure if I can be easier to him than I currently am, since my ping-pong skills are elementary at best. I don't see ping-pong tables as many times as the mats in aikido dojos, after all. Well, better make this quick and simple.
"Alright then, the rules are as usual, but we will make this short. Whoever reaches fifteen points first wins, ok?"
Looks like Kinoshita is ready to perform her duty as the ref, and she's given the ball to Whitey. Well, in this kind of match where both competitors are amateurs, who goes first does not really matter.
I ready my pose and racket, preparing to strike back:
"Ayumu-kun, let's rumble!"
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Post by Mizukami Ayumu on Oct 2, 2011 5:27:32 GMT -6
He caught the ball, having focused a bit more this time. He might be a little uncoordinated, but maybe he could do this if he put his mind into it. After all, he had never tried, in a truly serious fashion. He wasn't quite sure what would a truly serious fashion be.
He exhaled silently, looking at the ball. For a moment he considered it with a grim gaze, as if handling it was a matter of life and death. He tossed it, experimentally, gingerly, into the air, and then caught it. He tried it again, a little higher this time, and when it fell, it almost slipped through his fingers. This is supposed to be a game. A game is supposed to be fun. he supposed. But being so intent on having fun might not be fun at all. Maybe it is best to just do it naturally... but I'm not sure what 'naturally' means, too.
Maybe it means not thinking about it. He tossed the ball a little less carefully this time, and caught it, and paid no heed, or at least tried to, to not measure how much more he should have erred for the ball to have fallen. He went to the table, observing it, and did the motion he had done three times already: send the ball up.
"Here I go."
As it went down, he did one of his not-so-graceful swings, and it bounced, by some spurt of luck, first on his side, then on Narukami's side of the table. Whew. Hopefully that was the right way to do it... he thought, as he watched for his roommate's move.
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checkmate Guest
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Post by checkmate on Oct 8, 2011 5:15:08 GMT -6
Mayumi's eyes fixated on the ball, ensuring that she had played the referee correctly. She held her breath as the ball bounced from one side to another, taking quick relieved breaths when the guys had managed to hit the ball.
It was interesting to watch them hit the ball to and fro with quick, accurate movements. Both of them were good in Ping Pong and neither of them had showed any weak points. Her eyes widened with awe as she tried to catch up with their movements.
"Wow," she exhaled softly. She had never been good in any sports in particular and it was kind of amazing to see two good players before her, having a good match.
(OOC: I'm sorry that I took such a long time and my reply is so short! ;A;)
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Post by Narukami Akira on Oct 8, 2011 7:15:47 GMT -6
Looks like I still need more training on my senses. Despite being humble all the time, Whitey has managed a neck-to-neck match me. And right now he just scored a his 14th point by deflected the ball and make it bounce just past the net, near the left corner, totally out of my reach. It's 14 for each now, and I have to finish this.
Whitey serves the ball, and it goes slowly to the left. Time to use my powerful backhand strike! I hit the ball with all I've got, sending it back to the other side.
Another revision for me: do not underestimate any of your opponents!
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Post by Mizukami Ayumu on Oct 8, 2011 9:44:03 GMT -6
OC: Mayumi, Akira: Next time, maybe you could talk about what happens in a fastforward with your threadmates before you do it... it might be seen as a bit of godmoding. But anyway, for now, it's fine. He wondered how he was keeping up.
He was mostly following Akira's pace, and he felt rather pressured; while Akira definitely wasn't the most fantastic opponent, he could feel, with that awfully pessimistic certainty, that he was definitely better than him, with this racket game.
Somehow he had managed to block the ball from going out of bounds from his area, somehow his hand, and consequently, the racket, would be in the right position... and then he'd get a little scared, and the ball would go flying through him, and it would be Akira's point.
And then sometimes, he would get a point, too.
He wasn't altogether sure how he did it; he would just be blocking and blocking, in that fortuitous manner described above, and then, perhaps, Akira would slip up, or he'd get a lucky shot, or something. Well, he might be underestimating himself a little too much, but he just simply didn't mix well with sports, or at least he thought so. One's frame of mind affects one's performance, and Ayumu felt a little anxious with every second a rally got longer.
He did appreciate the sense of excitement that he was able to reap. After all, that was where the enjoyment from sports was derived, although he would probably much enjoy that suspense from a spectator's point of view... and it was too late, as Narukami 'rumbled' with his special... well, it seemed special, he did a different move from usual... strike, and the ball hurtled past him. Ayumu had failed to catch it.
He grinned, wiping his brow. "You win?" he asked. Akira might want to continue... it wasn't all that bad, though stopping now and finding something else to do wasn't bad, either. Maybe he should try doing things he didn't usually do sometimes. It might enrich his writing.
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Post by Narukami Akira on Oct 11, 2011 10:39:35 GMT -6
Due to Kino's request to skip her turn for now since she doesn't know what to post, I think it's my turn now. That was more thrilling than I expected, especially a game only with the purpose of killing time in mind. Maybe that's the excitement competitive sports can bring to all people, even amateurs like us
I can't help but give Whitey a sincere compliment: "It was a great match, and you have potential, Ayumu-kun."
There's still quite plenty of time until dinner. What should we play next. There are various choices, from a pinball machine to arcade fighting games, then something caught my sight. A UFO Catcher machine fill with globular plushies in all kinds of colors.
"Hey, is that... the Dango Family you guys were talking about?"
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Post by Mizukami Ayumu on Oct 12, 2011 20:00:35 GMT -6
"Potential?"
The white-haired boy was a little bemused. Well, he couldn't deny that, since he had managed to survive such an intense game, with the margin between their scores rather small and narrow. He grinned, a little nervously, putting his free hand at the back of his neck. He felt a bit pleasantly embarrassed, if that even made sense. While he'd always been appreciative of compliments, the unexpected ones have a taste of their own.
"Thanks. You were really good too." he said, for lack of a better words to describe Akira's performance. While he had managed by a bit of luck and instinct, the other boy probably had more skill. "I think I was mostly lucky, but if you say so." His fidgeting, which included tossing the racket absentmindedly and catching it again, and the temporary looseness of his tongue, belied his emotions.
While Akira seemed to take interest in things he wasn't really interested in (and he wasn't even sure if he'd take interest in the things Ayumu were interested with), he felt that Akira was a friend, in some way or another. Though perhaps that might be a little too much to decide just a few moments after meeting...
He nodded when Akira asked about the catcher machine... the sort where you put in money or tokens or whatever and then you have a chance to pick a doll or something. The dolls did look like the ones Furukawa-senpai sometimes doodled; he had felt a little shy to inquire about them, even if he was almost sure she'd be very informative if he would just ask. That may be a good choice, the machine, for a game, next, though just like ping-pong, he wasn't sure how good he would be. Well, but maybe he hadn't used up all his luck today...
There were still the arcade fighting games, which, while old, had piqued Ayumu's attention. That was more of his style. He wasn't particularly good with them, but he did like playing them once in a while, and perhaps he wouldn't feel as awkward about a match in it compared to the ping-pong match before. Pinball machines... meh. I guess the catcher machine wouldn't be that interesting if the Dangos weren't in it.
"Kinoshita-san." he said, vacating the space from the end of the table. He felt a little guilty that he and Akira were the ones that were mostly enjoying. After all, they had invited her. Maybe she would like to challenge Akira to ping-pong? You can't be too sure about what people can do. Then again, I'm not really sure how feasible that idea is... what do girls like to play with, anyway? "What would you like to do?"
He could always try the arcade-thingies with Akira later. It seems they still have plenty of time.
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checkmate Guest
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Post by checkmate on Oct 16, 2011 6:57:22 GMT -6
The brunette stare in awe as the guys finished the match with Narukami's amazing shot at the end. It was a well-played match and absolutely fabulous to watch them enjoying the match with such spirit. At the end of the match, both of them thanked each other which displayed strong sportsmanship that lay within both of them.
Narukami mentioned about the Dango plushies in a nearby UFO machine and through the corner of her eye, she noticed that Mizukami seemed interested at the mention of "Dango".
They are surrounded by machines of all sorts and she had never seen half of them in her life. Mizukami's question broke her train of thoughts and hints of red and pink appeared on her cheeks once again. Although they had introduced themselves and spent some time together, her shy personality hasn't lessen one bit.
She pondered over the question for a moment as her eyes flickered past the clock on the wall. It was about fifteen minutes to six, the assigned time for dinner.
"I-I guess I'll return t-to my room for a quick shower before dinner," she replied nervously, hoping that she didn't sounded too rude. "Thank you so much for the game. It was fun!" She ended on a slightly happier tone with a small smile before she bowed a little and returned back to her room.
(OOC: I'm really sorry! GCSE are only 12 days away so I'm pretty cropped up lately... I've decided to leave the thread so that you guys are able to continue without with ease. ^^" I'm terribly sorry!)
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Post by Narukami Akira on Oct 28, 2011 17:07:36 GMT -6
Looks like the girl took off. Even though a part of mine is a bit relieved that she left the scene, I still feels that it's quite a pity she couldn't have stayed a little bit longer.
Now, with 15 minutes left and only Whitey here, we can only play something that is quick. Looks like that crane machine is a viable choice, and I really want to get them for Kana-chan. She loves cute fluffy little things like bunnies and stuff. That's the least I can do for her.
I check for some changes in my pocket. Ok, with this amount of money, I probably have 3 goes at most. Well, better try it than never.
I turn to my companion: "Hey, let's try the UFO Catcher machine. If your luck hasn't run out, maybe you'll get one of those dangos."
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