headphone actor

“Wow?! It’s that close?!” Pidge stared down at the street, instantly wanting to dart over to the electronics shop. But she couldn’t, after all, it was impolite to end a good conversation like this. “Oh, I never got my hands on the newer ones. We did have a Wii, but my brother and I usually played it together. After he left for a mission, it just felt strange to play it without him…”

“Yeah, I seriously went to a mall in space. Not really that great though, lots of things were overpriced. That console I got was SO many gak. It took a lot of time of pond-searching with Lance to get enough.”

“Yeah,” Takane smiled, appreciating the other’s enthusiasm. “They probably have more there, seeing as they’re so cheap.” She wasn’t about to complain though. Any system she didn’t have to dump out all her savings for was a blessing. “Ah, yeah that’s understandable. I’m mostly a PC gamer but consoles and handhelds are good for sleepless nights.” Which were almost all the time. “Now’s a good chance though, yeah? Might be way cheaper here.”

“Whoa.” Still, trying to wrap her head around the fact the girl before her had gone into space was...wild. And the fact that there was a mall in space? Was she from the future or something? “That’s...that’s something.” This place was full of all kinds of people, wasn’t it? “That sounds pretty awesome though, a mall in space...but I guess things like that are bound to be overpriced..” 

          {♠} —; “Ah, is that so? Well it’s too late for that now then, isn’t it! Face the world and watch it with your ears! Listen with your eyes to the beautiful sounds and colors that everyone produces. Or don’t, it could be disastrous in the end for you.” 

          {♠} —; He met the girls aggressiveness with his own cool, sly words. Like a snake he’d twist the situation to suit himself. Watching others struggle between keeping up with him and responding … it was much too amusing.

          {♠} —; “Anamanaguchi? So you’re into electric rock kind of music?” he asks cautiously, making sure his answer was right. “Loud music, yet you’re such a quiet person. Why’s that? Too shy to be loud yourself? Are you hiding yourself from people?”

Her scowl darkened as he went on, feeling herself growing more irritated. “If you’re implying I’m not paying attention to my surroundings, I’m still making sure I don’t run into anything.” The point was to keep people from talking to her when she didn’t want to interact with anyone. Like right now. 

And really, his attitude was only making her even more irritated. That sly attitude...well, she was just as guilty of being mischievous sometimes. 

“Yeah, the louder the better.” Really, she liked Anamanaguchi’s sound because it reminded her of video game music, the older kinds. But it was also good for drowning people out. “I’m not shy, I just don’t wanna talk to people when I get in a foul mood,” she almost growled. “If I was hiding from people, I’d be shut up in my room like some eighteen year old virgin NEET.” Ah, that was specific, wasn’t it? Get rekt, Shintaro.

.. So yes, he may have panicked during that last bit. COnjuring a line of things that could end horirbly, but knowing himself, it would.. Possibly turn out fortunate. As other things tend to turn out for reasons not even he knows. WIth that, swallowed some air before attempting to move. Nope. No he is.. Still too tired. His legs and arms are too burned out to even move. What grand times he’s in. “ .. Can’t say I don’t agree on that, lass. But eh, you won’t be calling the.. ” He paused. Due to the fact that he can mysteriously read, which is.. Unsettling as all fuck, but he has taken notice of certain things. Such as the guard force being.. Dressed in mostly blue. What were the word for htem, though. Erh. “ You wont be sending the guards on me, aye? ” Fuck it, he can’t remember. And basing on his judgement it seems that the young woman will get what he means anyway. “ Anyways I. I honestly thought this was some sort of.. Fuck, apartment building? Haven’t seen a school this fucking huge in – ever. Big accomplishment you all have here. ”

“I mean, maybe, depending on what you’re up to,” she answered with a frown. Who the hell even scaled a building? She was pretty sure the guy wouldn’t be running away any time soon, at least. If he could still move after scaling the school building, then he was inhuman or something. Takane let out another sigh, glad she was calming down a bit now. Still, this situation was so weird. 

She massaged her temples, unsure if she should laugh or just shake her head. “I, uh, I’m pretty sure there’s a sign outside that mentions this is a school,” she continued, slowly moving to pick up her chair. “I guess it’s an accomplishment, but where I’m from they’re all about this big.” Was it really that impressive? 

“Looks like both of us agree on the same point of view there, huh? It’s nice to hear someone who also agrees on hard work paying off in the end, as…biased as that might sound. Wow! I probably could have phrased that better, pft.” An amused laugh or two aside at his own bad wording, he nodded firmly at her next statement.

“I wouldn’t expect you to: go at me with everything you’ve got! Otherwise, it wouldn’t be ‘fun’ for you, right?” He was focused now, on making sure this would be fun - okay, he knew it’d be inevitable he wouldn’t probably last five seconds in a match with her going for an ‘All Out Attack’ - to excuse the dorky terminology. Thank goodness for internal thoughts not being audible!

“Pick the game? Well, since this conversation started about that ‘Featherman’ game, seems only fitting to start with that, right?” That, and even if he lost at Featherman, he’d have fun too just experiencing the game, even if he was playing it cool to keep his love for Featherman quiet.

Takane couldn’t help but laugh at his words and nodded. “Yeah, it pays off,” she nodded. “I mean, my reason for practicing is basically being awake longer than I should but games are fun.” It wasn’t the worst hobby she could have, anyway. She’d gotten good enough to play in tournaments, too, so that was something. Not that she’d been able to do that in a while. 

Her grin widened at his words, a determined expression crossing her face. “That’s a good attitude to have,” she stated. “After all, going all out is the only way to play a game against other people. If you give it your all, you won’t have any regrets about it.” At least, providing the opponent wasn’t a high and mighty guy, though she knew that was just a front by now. 

“Alright, that sounds good to me.” She stepped up to the game, selecting the versus option. Now came the choice of what character to pick. Well, as Ene, she’d always been in blue, so she made her choice based on that. “Alright, I’m ready when you are,” she grinned. Hopefully she could remember the usual combos.

   [⚔️] “ A costume?! Surely, you’re not suggesting that I’m a fraud, are you?! “

   Someone of Darkness’ rather unusual social norms was quite accustomed to being insulted. As a matter of fact, she encouraged it! However, it was an entirely different issue when it came to the nature of her profession. Her role as a crusader was something she carried with unyielding pride, and for someone to cast aspersions on her livelihood felt more like a personal attack than a subtle jest – a proverbial black-eye to her identity.

    Why couldn’t this young lady give her a real black-eye instead?

     “ So, you think I’m a joke? That you can spit all over my integrity? Besmirch everything that I stand for? Discredit all that I know is righteous and true? This ‘costume’ as you like to it call it is crafted from pure adamanite, and was smelted to perfection by the finest blacksmiths in Belzerg – and no, I do not wear it for ‘fun’. I wear it because it is my duty as a crusader to protect and serve. I am the shield of the people, and that is absolute. But if you still wish to cast doubt, then allow me the privilege to prove you wrong. “

     Releasing a deep breath after exerting herself with her brief monologue, Darkness remained quiet for a few seconds. Completely still in her stance, as she idly scanned her surroundings, almost as if she was awaiting an incoming presence. A hand raised to the other’s face, in case she would speak up, her ears perked as she heard a faint sound in the distance.

     …

     …

      …

      Choo-choo!

      “ …And so the beast heeds my call! “

    Wasting little time, the blonde eagerly followed the sound with essential vigor in her step. Whether the stranger tagged along, she cared not – there was still a point to be proven.

“Uh, well, I dunno, are you?” Takane responded, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, where I come from, people don’t dress up like that unless they’re going to a convention or something. Or like, on a movie set.” Her head was spinning though, as the woman went on. 

It was like she really believed she was some kind of knight. But there weren’t really knights anymore in modern times, right? But then again, she’d randomly woken up here, back in her human body, so who’s to say that didn’t happen to other people? But then again, that would mean there were places where people actually dressed like that and...now that was just too crazy.

Even though she’d seen some pretty crazy things in her life. 

“Are you an RPG character or something? That just sounds like the expensive kinda armor you buy in a shop before you go take on the final boss.” But she was going on, calling herself a crusader. Man, this was a giant headache. She sighed, opening her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by a shrill whistle. 

“Wait, what?!” Her eyes widened as the blonde started off. “Where are you going?” What the hell was she thinking? What could she do against a train?

“Oi! Hold on a minute! You don’t need to go that far! Can’t you just beat up a robber or something!?” Were there even robbers in this place? It seemed pretty peaceful. Even so, she took off after the woman as fast as her legs would carry her, praying she wouldn’t end up having an attack. Actually, maybe if she had one, it’d stop the woman from whatever she was trying to do.

And by the slightest sign of life, he’s up. Albeit, he struggled to even get up. His arms too exhausted to even move anymore, no matter how mych will he has, the seemed to have used up all of his stamina. Now undable to run away. The floor muffles anything else he said, due to have flopped onto them. Of course, he could totally understand where the twin-tailed girl’s panic was comigg from. Giving her a heart attack? That was his thing. Without responding for.. Maybe, a minute. He finally attempted to push himself up. Ooonto his lap. But then unmoving. Sweating as he looked around the room but flails his arms tiredly at the woman in front of him. “ Stop, no, this is – fine. DON’T, DON’T EXECUTE ME PLEASE? “ Where exactly did Silvian actually think he was by how serious he seemed by the last bit of his sentence.

Was he even okay? But really, who the hell scales a school building and climbs in the window? Already she felt a headache building, as if she wasn’t already tired enough. Then again, when was she not tired? Clearly this place is full of strange people. And cosplayers. So many cosplayers. At least, that’s what she was telling herself. 

She grimaced and rubbed her temples, breathing a heavy sigh. “Look--what the hell--no. Ugh.” What the hell was this guy even going on about? “First of all, do I look like an executioner?” she asked irritably, gesturing to herself. A thin teenager of average height with dark circles under her eyes? Hardly much of a threat--probably.

“Really?! I thought it would cost hundreds! Usually when I try to find them online they cost five hundred! It’s pretty ridiculous… Do you remember what store sold it specifically?” She was just about ready to take notes in her tablet on hand, though the mention of the other consoles from the other sparked Pidge’s curiosity even further. 

“What kind of game systems did you have anyway? I got this one from a mall in space - sadly I can’t even play it because I can’t connect it into the TV!”

“Yeah, I was pretty surprised too, but I guess this place works differently.” Her meager student wallet was glad for that. “Especially when it comes to the older, popular stuff. I remember wanting to get another copy of a game I’d lost and they wanted a hundred for it online. It’s crazy.” But a good way to make money, she supposed. If someone wanted it badly enough, they’d be willing to pay that kind of money.

She couldn’t remember the name of the store exactly but she could at least remember enough to give directions. “I don’t remember the name but it was a used electronics shop a couple blocks back that way,” she continued, jerking her thumb over her shoulder. “Ahh...I had a bit of everything back home. Well, not so much the wii. My grandparents mostly used that to stay in relative shape.” It was a little funny to be honest. “I had up to the PS3.” And then things had happened so she hadn’t been able to get the PS4...

“Makes sense: if you’ve been practicing a long time, of course you’d be super good at gaming - it’s like how anyone practices something they want to get good at over and over, right?” He was pretty sure he understood that well, despite not being as much a game-lover as this stranger clearly was. She echoed that same sentiment and earnt a cheery nod from the young man, before the conversation moved on.

Back to the topic of Featherman and that if the game wasn’t good, the fans would be let down…he certainly hoped for other fans’s sakes (if not his own expectations) that it was a good game, then! Though, he knew saying that aloud would be a sure-fire giveaway to him actually adoring the show himself, so he merely nodded and kept his ‘interest’ seeming vauge.

“Oh, you wouldn’t mind me playing against you? I’ll do my best to give you a fun match, then!”

He didn’t doubt for a moment she’d beat him quite easily, but, well! If he was going to lose, he was at least going to go down trying his best, and trying to make things fun and equal for both sides. …Huh, kinda ironic he should think that, given a ‘scale’ often balanced at level if nothing was in it…the scales were oft associated with justice.

It was funny, almost, but he shook any bemusement off and stepped forward.

“That’s exactly it,” Takane grinned, pleased to see he’d caught on. “Doesn’t matter what it is, as long as you practice, you’ll get really good at it.” Of course, one had to have the drive to practice and get better. Well, she hadn’t really been motivated at first, but games were fun, so it was easy for her to get sucked in.

Though there had been a time where she had been free to bounce from electronic device to electronic device--but that was in the past now. 

Her grin widened at his enthusiasm, and she nodded. “Looking forward to it! Don’t think I’ll go easy on you though,” she laughed. Man, it felt like it’d been ages since she’d been able to play against someone else, so she was bound to be a little rusty, but she was sure she would regain her skills quickly enough.

“Tell you what, I’ll even let you pick the game, since I’m so generous,” she added the final part as a joke, but really, she didn’t mind. Whether it was a first person shooter, or a fighting game--any game was fine in her book. If he wanted to try giving this Featherman game a spin, well, that was fine too.

Hm…that kind of vague answer just really made him super curious, in all honesty - but if someone gave a vague reply, it was usually a hint they didn’t want to go further into detail regarding a certain topic. So Ken decided the more polite thing to do would be to nod and accept it for now. He definitely wouldn’t forget how curious he was though!! Because maybe later she might be willing to talk about it, if he was lucky.

Though, if she didn’t still want to talk later - he could accept it.

Perhaps his childish side just got naturally inquisitive when someone gave vague responses as that, hah. “You’ve only had one whole loss in your whole time of playing? Wow…that’s amazing that you’ve got such a record.” Though, the musing about not liking losing was a bit concerning. He was polite, though, and chose to not comment on it.

At very least, the other agreed on him regarding his words with Featherman being so popular it got a game. Despite himself, he couldn’t help but nod in agreement with the girl’s musings. “I hope so too - it’d be a little sad if it didn’t live up to the potential, right?” The offer of being shown a thing or two was an exciting one, though.

“O-oh? You wouldn’t mind me watching on, really? Awesome!”

“Yeah, I’ve had a lot of time to get good at it,” she laughed, rubbing her neck. Plenty of nights she couldn’t sleep, even though she felt exhausted because her body just wouldn’t let her. “If you wanna get good at something, you gotta practice.” And really, games were the best when her illness wouldn’t let her get anymore sleep. It was a good distraction from being tired all the time too.

But he did have a point. “Yeah, I mean, the fans of it would definitely be let down if it wasn’t as good as they were hoping.” She’d had her own fair share of lackluster games. But she still played them--mostly for nostalgia. And sometimes, they had good moments, despite poor gameplay. But sometimes that was just how things went. MMOs were fun through.

          {♠} —; With various methods, Ouma’s attempts at bothering the girl got him closer and closer to his goal. At first he just tugged on them gently, then he started chucking objects to attempt to knock the headphones away from her ears. Eventually with enough goading, it seemed the girl finally snapped at him and he backed away briefly.

          {♠} —; “Oh—oh! Was I bothering you?” he asks, grinning. “I’m sorry! I just didn’t want you to miss out on anything! If you keep listening to stuff like that then you’ll end up ignoring everyone around you!” though he knew that was probably her goal.

          {♠} —; “What were you listening to anyways?”

She grit her teeth, eyes narrowed. She didn’t trust that grin on his face one bit--something about it just spoke volumes of his true intentions. She recognized that look because she’d worn it herself plenty of times. 

“Yes,” she all but growled out, trying to keep her voice level--and failing. “And that’s the point,” she added. “I didn’t want to deal with people.” But she had no choice now it seemed. The universe really had it out for her, didn’t it?

A sigh left her lips, ruffling her bangs. “Anamanaguchi, actually. Good for being loud without having the volume too high.” To ignore her surroundings better.

When the stranger asked if he was sure, Ken gave the most convincing-looking nod that he could muster. “Yeah, I’m sure!” H-hopefully it was convincing enough the other didn’t catch on, though. The last thing he wanted was for the entire city to know his secret and then proceed to not take him seriously. Yes, he knew the side of him that loved Featherman was a part of him - he accepted that side of himself. Yet he was just very nervous about being taken seriously.

Thankfully for the young man, the other seemed more preoccupied with the thought of having a go first, musing that such an action wouldn’t be fair to everyone else. “Seeing you play must be like watching a master at work from the sounds of things, huh?” It certainly didn’t sound like an empty boast: he kinda wanted to see this stranger play now with words like those! Ah, but that too might risk his secret being found out.

If he showed too much interest in the Featherman-related game. The other spoke, drifting his focus away from that topic, he then musing: “Yeah, I didn’t expect it either? I guess it must be really-well-loved by a lot of people who enjoy it to become this big.” 

Must have been her imagination then--but she couldn’t help but chuckle as he continued. “Yeah, well, something like that,” she responded. She could have said she was kind of famous, but she really didn’t want anyone else to know that she was the one that was behind that embarrassing handle. And yet, she’d somehow managed to keep it from spreading through school that one time...she’d thought for sure her social life was over.

Not that she really had one to begin with.

“I’ve only been beaten once,” she continued, remembering that sour-faced kid who’d been their last challenger of the day. His attitude had pissed her off, but he definitely had the skill to back it up. Not that she’d admit it--that guy probably didn’t need any praise. “But I don’t like losing, so no way I’d let that happen again.” But then again, who did?

“True.” It was almost sad when she thought about it. Some things certainly deserved better game adaptions than they got, usually only given a terrible one that people would buy anyway just because they were fans. “I just hope it’s a good game for the people that like it, y’know?”