theairlock | week 1

Entry tags:

!round 5,
!week 1

week 1

Week 1

[After the reveal of their handsome and well-dressed but stern-looking Overseer on Sunday, the Champions were left to their own devices in investigating the mall to their hearts' content. At around 10 pm every night the lights in all the shops will go down and the sturdy metal grates over the doors of the restaurants will go down. The stores will remain unlocked, though.

On Monday morning, a buzzing alarm chirps at them again from their PIPs at 7 am on the dot. There's also a pop-up message waiting for them: a notice announcing Xander will be holding office hours

Enjoy your week, Champions.]

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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[Okay, he thought that was a gun, but this? This is great. This is the best thing he's seen in at least the last two days.]

Damn, Wakasa, that looks better than bubble wrap. You, uh, need a hand?

[And just waggles his robot fingers. Ohayouuu.]

[ She gives him a grin and bats one of the balloons over to him. For all the popping she's been doing, there's still an uncomfortable amount of them spilling out from the kiosk so she's got plenty to spare. ]

I certainly wouldn't say no. I honestly have no idea how they expected us to sleep in a room full of these things. I was terrified of getting up in the night and popping one on my way to the door.

[ Speaking of which -- bang! There goes another balloon. ]

Sucks that your place isn't an actual bounce house, huh? Though I guess that'd have its own getting-up-in-the-night complications.

[He catches the balloon and sees if he can pop it with his metal hand alone. It makes a dumb rubbery sound and escapes. It surprises a bark of a laugh out of him.]

We just have Dippin' Dots.

Oh, don't even joke. I would've knocked out poor Ushiromiya-san just trying to find the door yesterday.

[ She weighs another balloon in her hand, considering if this one's going to get popped or not and then carefully bats it over to him, just like the first. ]

But we can swap, if you like the balloons so much. Dippin' Dots sounds like a much nicer place to wake up in the morning.

[He grins as he catches his new victim and spins it in his hands.]

I think Ushiromiya-san might object. If not to me rooming with her, then certainly to a young lady shacking up with a healthy, hot-blooded anime protagonist.

[Soma's hair is white, yo. White.]

Hot-blooded, really? He seemed a little shy while we were all getting to know each other before.

[ he got riled up when he was talking to Xander, sure, but Yuuri's fairly sure she hasn't got any plans to run a death game so she'll probably be just fine.

Pop. There goes another balloon. ]

Then again, if anything's going to make him come out of his shell, something like this...

[ she gestures vaguely with her pen-holding hand as if to encompass the idea of this whole Everything going on ]

[For a moment, he gets a distant look, sort of wry, sort of heavy.]

High-stakes situations like this do bring out the best and worst in people.

[He digs in his pocket, but rather than a popping implement, Junpei pulls out a marker with which he begins to draw a face on his balloon.]

Maybe one more than the other, but I've seen both.

[ The School Living Club isn't ever far from her mind -- couldn't be, not with a title like that -- but suddenly her thoughts are more with Touko and her friends. The Degeneration Society and the black and white contrast of them and the Militants.

The best and the worst of people. She remembers Ayaka Kamimochi's vile, sneering face and thinks Don't I know it. ]

You're not wrong. But you can usually get a good feel for which way people are going to go once you've spent a little time with them. Don't you think?

It's a bit too soon to say for sure how things are going to turn out but... I'd like to try and be optimistic about it, at least. What's that saying... "prepare for the worst, but hope for the best"?

...Feels like just a week ago, I might've given you a different answer.

[Or seven months ago. Whatever. Time is a government conspiracy.]

I don't think it's ever possible to predict what people are going to do. But you're not wrong, either. At least... spending time with them, you might be able to get a sense for who they are.

[He lifts the balloon to show her a passable rendering of Xander's eternally frowning face.]

What do you think, did I get his nose right?

Yes! Perfect. It looks just as punchable as the real thing.

[ She certainly hopes you're listening, Xander. ]

I don't know if you'll be able to punch this one, but I'm sure popping it'll be just as satisfying. Or you could stomp on it, if you really want. That's good for getting the angst out, too.

[ ... are... are you having fun with this, Yuuri... ]

[He offers it to her, holding it by the little knot at the bottom, like it's the stem of a flower.]

Would you like to do the honors, ojou-chan? You seem to have more aggression to work out than I do--or at least, more creative ideas for venting it.

Oh, are you sure?

[ She says that, but she's smiling and spinning the pen in her hand. ]

You were the one who did all the hard work. I'd feel bad if I swooped in right at the end and did the best part.

Hey, I may not look it, but I've hogged my share of glory in my time. Be my guest.

[He lets go and gives it a little tap towards her.]

Well, if you insist...

[ She catches the balloon and gives it a quick look over. It is a good likeness for their charming kidnapper which makes it very satisfying to sink the tip of the pen right into his inked forehead.

BANG. ]

... not as satisfying as the real thing, obviously. [ she blows on her hand and lets the burst scraps of rubber flutter into the air. ] But it's close enough for now. I already feel so much better.

[ f--for now, yuuri?! ]

[He laughs and claps. It's more of a golf clap, what with his, uh, manual setup, but the laugh is genuine.]

Brava! Encore, encore, bravissima!

[Mou ikkai! Anyway.]

Next time, we'll make sure to get you something with a little more oomph to it than a pen.

[N-next time, Junpei?!]

A little more oomph... I'd say something like a knife but that might be a bit tasteless, considering the circumstances. If someone saw me just walking around with a knife I'd probably give them the fright of their life...

[ maybe cool it on the piercing damage, huh Yuuri ]

Do you have any better ideas?

...We could see if Moonglow carries spiked boots.

[ oh no. just look at the way her face lights up. that's a dangerous smile right there. ]

That'd be perfect. And if we can't find boots, I bet there'll be something with spikes in there that'll work just as well.

[Oh, oh no, no he is an engaged (?) man, fuck shit fuck.

Crap. Oh well. He's human, humans have physical reactions sometimes, it's fine, it's just physical.]

I know they have heels. Do you do heels?

Hmm, it depends? If they're not too high, I'm fine, but anything more than about three inches and I won't be able to take a step in them.

[ But she's still grinning. Heels sound even better than spiked boots. ]

But if we find something smaller, it'd be perfect.

[ Xander of Nohr absolutely doesn't deserve to get stepped on by Rii-san in high heels but that's what we've got balloons for, apparently. ]

[Wreck his highly marketable ass, Rii-san. Destroy him.]

Let's shoot for the best of both worlds: heeled boots. Get real Nancy Sinatra over it. "These boots are made for walkin'" and all that, what do you say?

[It's not too late to start an Airlocked cast cover band.]

[ if Yuuri won't do it then the Airlocked fandom most certainly will ]

Perfect. You just have to promise you won't laugh at me if I take one step and then immediately fall on my face. Or at least, if you do laugh, you'd better help me up.

[He spreads his arms.]

How about we avoid the problem entirely and make sure I catch you instead, huh? You can't be heavy.

[ She tuts, putting on a mock-scolding expression. ]

Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to comment on a girl's weight?

[ 'you can't be heavy' is relatively innocent, though, which is probably why she can't keep up the kayfabe for long ]

But, if it came to it, then I don't think you'd have any problem catching me. We should be able to get through this without any broken limbs.

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week 1

POP

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