Week 3

[airlockedmods]

[It takes a disturbingly short amount of time for the status quo to be restored. PAL still makes the morning and night time announcements through the PIP on each Champion's arm, and still the Champion unitards are freshly laundered and re-hung each morning in their closets.

There's a new floor to explore, a perverse reward for a trial well done.]

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday



[ooc: Don't forget to to turn in your AC for week 2 and submit your threads for the Benefactors!]

Comments

bowling alley

[serrata]

[ Curious Princess, meet Confused Rii-san, who's also here inspecting everything with a befuddled look on her face. ]

Well, I suppose we did want something to do, but this is a bit...

[ she doesn't even know how bowling works ]

Do you have anything like this back home, Arianna-chan?

[daughterofthemark]

Not to my knowledge. I thought the balls might be cannonballs, but these aren't cannons.

[The question of why there would be cannons in a space mansion anyway is not one she has thought to ask.]

And I don't know what those are. [She gestures to the pins.]

[serrata]

Oh -- well, this is a game we have back in my world, "bowling". You use the balls to knock down the pins and the more you knock down, the more points you get.

I... think there's a bit more to it than that but it's not really that popular where I come from, not any more at least. So I've never played it myself.

[daughterofthemark]

Oh, so it's a game.

[Not cannonballs after all, then.]

...but why are there shoes?

[serrata]

You're supposed to wear special shoes when you're playing -- I'm not sure why, though. But if we asked Diver-san or Larimer-san I'm sure they'd be able to tell us.

Or maybe Church-san or Junpei or -- well, I think bowling is supposed to be American. So anyone who's spent some time in America would have a better idea than we do.

[daughterofthemark]

In any case, there must be a reason.

[She starts looking over the shoes, trying to find a pair in her size.]

Are you angry at Sir Junpei?

[serrata]

Angry?

[ She sounds a little puzzled at that, even as she joins Arianna to peer at all their shoes. ]

Why on earth would I be angry with him?

[daughterofthemark]

[Ah, these look about right.]

You call everyone else things like "Diver-san" or "Arianna-chan," but Sir Junpei is just "Junpei."

[serrata]

Oh-- oh, that!

[ She actually laughs and then shakes her head. ]

No, no, it's just the opposite, really. That's just what he asked me to call him, so I do. It's more...

[ she trails off for a second, wondering how to explain it. ]

Arianna-chan, do you know why I call you that? Or why I call Mai-chan just that instead of 'Kawasumi-san'?

[daughterofthemark]

[Well, she would have accepted "that's just what he asked me to call him" all by itself, but now she's intrigued.]

I cannot say I do.

[She sits down on the floor to change into the bowling shoes.]

[serrata]

Well... where I come from, it's very rude to call someone by their first name right off the bat, especially if they haven't told you to do it. So that's why I use people's surnames -- if they have them, of course. And that's why I call you 'Arianna-chan' instead of 'Arianna-san'. It means we're a bit closer than the others, even though I'm using some of their first names too.

Usually, just using someone's first name without anything attached -- well, it'd mean you're much, much closer than we are. [ ~if you know what I mean~ ] But in this case, it just happens to be what he preferred to be called. So I just call him Junpei.

1/3

[daughterofthemark]

I see. I hadn't realized that had such a meaning. Thank you, Rii-san.

2/3

[daughterofthemark]

3/3

[daughterofthemark]

You like Sir Junpei, don't you?

1/2

[serrata]

[ ...

. . . ]

[serrata]

I-- excuse me?!

[ CALLED OUT ]

[daughterofthemark]

You do! You like him!

[SHE'S GOT YOUR NUMBER

OR RATHER A TOTALLY RANDOM NUMBER THAT HAPPENS TO MATCH YOURS]

[serrata]

I didn't-- I never said-- what makes you think that, anyway?!

[ is this really a conversation she is having right now with Arianna of all people live in intergalactic television ]

[daughterofthemark]

You've been spending much of your time with him, and you're using his first name alone... I hope I can one day be so close to someone...

[sorry rii-san no I'm not]

[serrata]

I-- it really isn't--

[ It really isn't like that is what she means to say but she can't actually make herself say it. Because. Well, Arianna's sort of got a point. She's using his first name like that and they've been spending a lot of time together and to say she'd been relieved when he'd turned up perfectly safe at the trial was a bit of an understatement.

She purses her lips, looking both embarrassed and a little troubled. ]

... Has anyone else been saying anything like that?

[daughterofthemark]

Not that I've heard. Is something the matter?

[serrata]

Well, no it's just-- I don't want to think everyone else is talking about that behind my back. It's embarrassing!

[ It's embarrassing enough for Arianna to be confronting her like this. God help her if it was any of the others. ]

And it's... it's not something we really need to be concerned about, is it?

[daughterofthemark]

Worry not. Your secret is safe with me.

[You know, as long as nobody asks her about it in any way at all.]

But why would it not be a matter of any concern?

[serrata]

Because...

[ Oh, Arianna. You precious, precious cinnamon roll. ]

We've got... more important things to be worrying about, haven't we? Other than who might have a crush on who or that sort of thing.

[ NOT THAT SHE'S ADMITTING SHE HAS A CRUSH OR ANYTHING!!!! ]

[daughterofthemark]

Well... yes, we must dedicate ourselves to more important things, but that doesn't mean there isn't still time for love!

[MORTAL DANGER IS EXACTLY THE TIME TO ADMIT TO YOUR CRUSHES HAVEN'T YOU READ ANY BOOKS]