II. THE RIDER QUEEN

> Almost has all their drafts done

> Thinks about doing a drabble for the event and all that. 

> “Remembering the dead and thanking them for having touched their lives.”

> Remembers that both of Mako’s parents are dead.

Chiaki Nanami, back in her own world with people who had known her for a while, was always known to have high concentration on a one-track mind. When she was busy with something, everything inside of her was dedicated to that, especially when it came to a video game. Inside her element, everything melted away and she was one with the software and herself. She would stare so hard at her screen, fingers spreading wings and taking off, as if she could see the data processing within. Once she was familiar with a game, it was like she was one step ahead of the programming.

Now, when it was multiplayer on the other hand…well, Chiaki was still focused but she could pull herself out enough to become interactive. That was, of course, the best part of multiplayer, at least to her; the cooperation, working together, being able to talk strategy or just even have a laugh. 

She began to feel this pull when Makoto joined…though it was more of a jerk. She jolted a bit where she stood after seeing a blue cross-hare symbol appear alongside her red one, throwing her only slightly off her vibe. She lost one HP, but she quickly recovered, focusing on the screen again, to the point where she…had no idea who was next to her.

But hey, they were really good…! Except for…

“Hey hey…make sure you take your finger off the trigger if you’re surrounded,” she guided in a gentle voice. Nothing condescending or irritated like some elite gamers would be in this situation. She still couldn’t take her eyes off her actions but there was a sudden warmth to her. “It allows you to do a melee counter that sweeps your enemies back a bit. Like this!”

The game was in first person, but as Chiaki demonstrated, it was still easy and impressive to see her character stop shooting and sweep the gun in a wild arc, pushing back the monsters they were combating. “You got this…!”

♔ Already immersed, the sudden external stimulus startled her a bit. Just enough for her to let out a soft shriek. Makoto had already assumed that almost no word would be exchanged between them in the middle of the game. Luckily, her aim didn’t seem to suffer because of it but her expression definitely changed as she took up that piece of advice. 

Her character found itself in that same situation just moments later and, accordingly, the priestess got her index finger out of the trigger and followed the melee movement in screen in the real world too. Completely unnecesary but part of the whole experience for her. 

❝ Thank you. ❞  She whispered, appreciating the gesture and remembering those times in Shibuya when Akira used to explain her how to properly play. Better times one could say, just different times for her. 

The score screen appeared in front of them after they managed to easily dispatch the area boss, leaving them some time to catch their breath. The phantom thief lowered her controller and loosened up her shoulders as she stared at her left, just to catch a glimpse of her partner.

        ❝  hey … what’s in there?  ❞  cali gestures her arm towards the window of a small cafe.  taking a peek through the glass, an innocent curiosity begins to unravel its thread.  it’s not that she hasn’t seen cafes before when she was a small child, but she pieces together that this city and alerun are vastly different. 

       ❝  i-i mean … do you know what they serve?  ❞

♔ ❝ Hmm? ❞  Makoto had to double check, following the direction of her arm, if she was pointing at a café and asking what they served. No matter how much time she spent outside her apartment, some people in this city were just...  inconceivable for her mind. It was logical that they were, this cursed place seemed to gather individuals from literally anywhere and not just her world but... still. 

         Following the other’s astute intuition, her gaze falls on a rather large dumpster. That thing’s always been there and as far as she knew, never had any dead bodies or anything strange in them… For all that she cared, it was just a normal dumpster, but for the other – It looked like a flash of light and some quick movement before she was… in another outfit with a gun in hand. Violet hues widen and she takes a step back, shock written all over her face. As much as she looked like a normal girl, who knew she could pull a stunt like this?

         “Um… I don’t think that’s a good –” And she fires her gun just as quickly as she pulled it out “–idea…” But it was too late. Something rustles and scurries about. A human? A ghost? A stray cat? Or something else entirely? The teen couldn’t wrap her head around what was going on and her anxiety is through the roof. She didn’t want to witness a murder, or worse, be an accomplice!! With her pulse escalating, she knew she had to do something.

         – and it was probably the stupidest thing she’s done yet. Immediately, she jumps in front of the pointed gun with her arms stretched out, breathing unstable and her features in disbelief of her own action.

         “Stop! W-What if that’s a… person?! Someone could… someone could get hurt!”

♔ Violet’s actions caused her to immediately low the weapon, that was reckless but Makoto didn’t have exactly the intention of shooting again unless it was strictly necessary. Her sight shifted from the teenager to the dumpster again just as quickly while her right hand gestured for her to calm down. 

A figure sprinted from behind the object, clearly running away from them and as it looked, they seemed to hold a metallic object as the reflection of light was perceibed by her eye as they ran beneath the public lights. The priestess didn’t want to think that they were planning on robbing them but it was a possibility after all. 

Her features seemed to set free a lot of built up tension as she realized the danger was over. Either way, that person would’ve had some serious problem facing them with just a knife but the brunette had always been the prevention kind of person. In the middle of that process of coming entirely back to normalcy and standard levels of adrenaline, she realized that she was still Queen and that sight was probably too much to handle for her companion at that hour of the night. 

The same ethereal fire that seemed to inaugurate those ten minutes of pure stress also put an end to it. Makoto’s usual appearance came back and she was mentally ready to start the process (she hoped it was a short one) of soothing Violet.

He paused when the other called out to him, handing his card back. He blinked and sighed in relief. “Thanks. I didn’t realize I’d left it. Thank you, Niijima-san.” He responded, bowing a bit. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost that.”

      ❝ Yep, that’s my brother, Jiro! ❞ he spoke with such pride, the smile on his face bright enough to illuminate the night. When it came to the topic of his brothers, he was always willing to bring up just how amazing they were, brag about their accomplishments– if one didn’t know better, they’d probably assume Ichiro was more like a doting father than a brother ( though that probably wasn’t THAT far off, all things considering ). Hearing that he was making friends was especially delightful, considering their family was still trying to adjust in the new city after all this time. He folded his arms over his chest, giving the girl, Makoto, a nod.

     ❝ I’m glad to hear he’s getting along with people! He’s mentioned Ann-chan a few times to me, but I haven’t met her yet. I’m glad she’s keeping him out of trouble while I’m not around, though. It’s nice to meet you, Makoto-san– I’m Ichiro Yamada, but you can call me Ichiro, ❞ his smile widened in glee as he rocked on his heels a bit.

     ❝ Are you busy right now? Maybe we can walk around the ward and get to know each other. I’m still kind of getting used to this new place, so I wouldn’t mind exploring a little bit. I’m actually wondering if there’s a shop where I can buy some game systems that my brothers and I can play with, or maybe some manga for Jiro. ❞

♔  That look on Ichiro’s face once his brother was mentioned ended up as nostalgic through her lens. Makoto used to have that kind of look when talking about Sae when she was way younger, that sort of selfless, familiar pride leaking out from her words. She was still proud of her sister and held her in high esteem but her coming of age, her journey of self-discovery made her see Sae more as a human being and not that much as an idolized, unreachable figure. She was she and her sister was her sister. 

The priestess would have lied if she replied stating she had something to do. A gentle smile was born on her lips as she finished her cup of coffee and left the money and a little extra beneath the plate.  ❝ Sure. ❞   She agreed as she stood up and left her seat free. 

Shuichi Saihara was not much of a human being, literally. His memories had been rewritten to resemble that of a fictional characters. In general though he was also somebody with little presence, and an inability to speak up for himself. 

When he saw a girl cross his path, he looked down at his feet as he usually did. Going without his hat had been easier in the killing game when there were fifteen other people at most, not an entire city he did not know or understand. 

However, suddenly he noticed something about that girl and turned his head as he walked. By the time he had turned around though she was already gone. So, Shuichi decided to do the socially tactful thing and… follow her around like a stalker because he was too nervous to speak up. 

When he turned the corner and saw her staring right at him, he realized he was not as subtle as following her as he thought he was. “Oh, did you notice me, that’s excellent detective work! Wait uh… that sounds suspect. I’m not creepy I swear I was just… I look…” As he fought and lost the battle to words properly, he reached into his pocket dug out the wallet he saw she had dropped and shoved it right at her. “You dropped this a few blocks back! I’m sorry…”

Was grilled fish and chickpea salad a good idea? Mako was sometimes a maniac of proper diet and relatively healthy meals, especially if she had to cook for someone. Especially if it was someone close like Haru.  

The priestess spent the whole way back from her appartment to the Arquimedes Ward sorting out different options and wondering if they were good enough. Sooner than later, the grilled fish idea showed up and she picked it up almost immediately. Recalling back why he picked it made her doubt it no more. 

Being honest, things would’ve been easier if she knew what Haru’s diet was currently but scarce were the days where the two of them ate together. A swift chill traveling through her spine interrumpted her train of thought, she more or less knew of that feeling. 

Glancing back, Makoto could distinguish a rather languid and obviously nervous guy staring directly at her from a corner. If he was stalking he was the less subtle guy he had met that day. When she was about to confront him, the other party speaked before and before she could reply, the item the other was returning left her speechless. 

@inv1s

        “Hear what…?” she chuckles nervously in attempt to wash away any sort of approaching fear. As much as she loved scary movies, it wasn’t like she was immune to being scared or anything. In fact, it was the opposite – she is easily frightened and her mind would go into overdrive just thinking about what could’ve caused such an… unsettling noise. A witch? A squeaky door?

        Glancing around the dark streets with arms pressed against herself, Violet’s on her tiptoes.

        “Probably just the wind. Nothing to freak yourself out about. Ha ha… ha…”

♔ As much as she wanted to believe that, her mild paranoia was making it difficult to ignore. The priestess was sure that sound wasn’t precisely natural. Reddish eyes scanned their surroundings once more. A metal dumpster right across the street, the entrance of a alleyway some meters ahead, possibly connecting the two appartment blocks around them. A regular set of houses past that aforementioned dumpster, and a twitching public light before reaching the next intersection. 

Even though she was mildly nervous, Makoto was the responsible adult of that pair and she had to fulfill the role of being someone you can rely on. Tension started to build up as she set her sights on the dumpster, and, without any kind of prior warning...

Her right hand grasped firmly her revolver as it materialized along with her thief costume. Almost as quickly as the blueish fire revealed her new appearance, a violent noise shattered the silence. Her bullet, aimed between the dumpster’s lower part and the rough ground beneath served as a warning shot. An effective one as something sounded like suddenly moving behind it. 

♔ ❝ So, your brother is a friend of Anne, right? ❞   Makoto inquired, she got the message behind this guy’s words but just wanted to make sure she wasn’t getting the wrong picture.  ❝ I think I’ve heard her mention him twice or thrice, though. Not a mention of you, exactly. ❞  The priestess wasn’t precisely doubting his intentions at all while she calmly held her cup of coffee. Nobody would lie about something like that and given the fact that she could summon Anat any time, there wasn’t that much risk in talking to a random guy claiming to be a friend’s friend’s brother.