The Blinder
COOKING COMPETITION
Azure did a samll curtsy and walked off, patting James on the back. "Good job, you're not as pitiful as you act!" She sat on a barrel, sitting down and slowly, tick by tick, turning her headphones back up, slowly allowing the silence to be cracked more and more by the throning crowds. Her mouth was a thin line as she slowly adjusted to it.
edited 4th Jul '17 2:22:58 PM by TroyandHawk
Good to be back
Fairgrounds - Knight Demonstration
Suzune nodded to Marvin in affirmation "Yes, it kind of wa....." but she was interrupted by people starting to cluster around her, in response to this new found attention she began to blush and sway dropping her sentence partway though as her more emotional response programs picked up. Even if they were trying to be respectful she was not quite used to being focused on like this..... or well more accurately it has been a long time since she had. Giving a few quick glances to the suits between the shuffling people internally she began to question the issue of compatibility. "U-Ummmmmmmm" she began to try to call attention to herself with a bit of noise, before pulling her long white hair to the side, and using one of her fingers to open up an access port on her neck, it wasn't really her primary one but it was the only one she felt comfortable displaying in public.
Fairground: Cooking Competition
The results were out, and Dia Rayfer was quite pleasantly surprised. Sincerely and encouragingly, she called to James as she applauded.
"I knew you'd be able to do it, James."
(Ah, James. Your cooking's always impressed me.)
Notably, Dia appeared to be smiling. A bit moreso than her faint smiles that she had when she was happy. And given her personality and nature, it was rare for her to smile like this.
She turns towards the three winners, bows politely, and replies in a formal, encouraging manner. She was still smiling, although it was back to her faint smile this time.
"Congratulations. All three of you really did an excellent job there."
...eheh
Lizard Metabolism
Varyag?, Operation Is A Go
The mulletman watched the entourage of Razorgrrls escort Fiona out of the crowd before touching the small node at his earlobe. "This is Oven. Turkey is out and ready to be served." He muttered quietly before following behind the entourage, using the crowd as a shield. Like a true tracker he remained not too close to his prey; his job was to observe the movements of the Phoenix.
???, Location Unknown
Somewhere else someone else was doing the same thing with the binoculars. The other person awaited a command, for now on standby. He presumed that they would not be sniping the Phoenix in broad daylight for no good reason; rather he was here to act as a deterrent. The provocation was on its way and all it took was for the Turkey to fly onto the Plate.
If things were to go to pot, he had batteries ready.
"Plate", Vis A Vis The Phoenix's Entourage'''
Completing the selection of secondary foodstuffs for the freshly-prepared turkey was an exquisite caesar salad and baked potatoes sliced into neat tokens. A simple and effective dish.
A group of rowdy men clearly enjoying the revelries grew up in the midst of the entourage's path, spanning wide with a bunch of broad-shouldered gentlemen clearly looking for a fight if someone were to look at them funny. They were perfect actors for the play in question.
Pushing one's way through would be a chancy proposition alone, and impossible in such a tight-packed group, but at the same time, trying to walk around them was bound to slow the group down a lot.
How do lizards fly?
Monday, Ventus 18, Fairgrounds
Where Isabel was standing, it was very obvious that Duncan wasn't the only one with merchandise or fans.
Where she was standing, she could see tables all loaded with things on sale; everything from t-shirts to sticker sheets of their insignia, little Scroll charms representing the Winged Wonders of MISN, sets of figurines of the Dorm Sakura residents done up in the adorable Mistrali chibi style to even a very professionally-made action figure of Halle Wulfen that transformed into a monster truck.
From a doujin starring their own Ragnaros Remington to a garage kit of Suzune in a do-or-die aerial battle to even balancing gewgaws of Selene on her board or Morgan in flight, it was all a showcase of how visible so many of them had become.
And of how cleverly people were skirting intellectual property laws. Sensing Isabel's interest, one of the salespeople sidled up, with a battered old tablet of her wares. "See something you like, Miss?" asked the young woman, who looked to be her age.
In another part of the fair, where Varyag and his outdated haircut was observing, he watched the Razorgrrls fume and look ready to start a fight. Many of the girls were reaching into their skirts or under their tops for their allowed hand weaponry until Fiona murmured something that calmed them down.
In direct contrast to the rowdy louts, the Razorgrrls merely grit their teeth and began to split up, taking the time to ease their way through the crowd. Regal and polite, Fiona looked every inch the ruler of her little flock.
Monday, Ventus 18, Fairgrounds, Area Close to Knight Arena, Beacon Academy, Vale
The engineers around Suzune could not have been faulted if they all let out a group 'aah'. But seeing as they were the honored crew of Knights, they hid their wonder and helped the gynoid into her seat.
It was as if they were preparing for her arrival for quite a while. Murmuring quietly in between asking Suzune for her consent, she was fussed over like a favorite niece as they attached the main plug into her socket at just about the same time her own flesh-and-blood friends were eased into the seats.
They were each given a thorough course of what to expect, along with waivers to sign in the event of unpleasantness. "If you run into trouble," it was explained. "All you need to do is physically reach and yank on this lever." Marvin, Scarlet, and Suzune each felt their hands guided towards levers a little lower than their right hands. "Other than that, it's a bit like a VR game. Any questions?"
Monday, Ventus 18, Fairgrounds, Cooking Arena, Beacon Academy, Vale
In James' life, he could tell when someone had been thwarted. Over the cheers of the crowd and of Professor Oobleck's delighted pronouncements, he saw Cabral's gaze go wintry.
But before she could say anything more, the tall chef stopped herself. "Well, you are rather young. Beacon should count itself lucky to have such a sterling young man as a student! And Vale is lucky to have a Hunstman like Master Croire! A big hand for your winner!"
She took his hand in a steel grip and raised it high, just as she slipped something into his pocket. "In case you change your mind," was all she muttered to him.
Still clapping, Master Sangria grabbed a more conventional mic. "Well, seeing as there is still so much food, it is a shame to let it go to waste. Who wants a treat, hey?"
And the cheers became riotous as the wiry Faunus rolled up his sleeves and reached for cooking implements.
edited 18th Jul '17 5:18:22 AM by KR_Vandal
Omega Overlord. Or superjwren329. Either or.
Cooking Arena.
Giving a slight, if weak smile at Azure, he waited until she walked off before giving a sigh and shaking his head. ...yes, act. This...was nothing more than a fluke. Next you'll be acting like that other girl and asking why I'm scared of other people. James sighed, recalling another girl who was at Beacon with a similar attitude to the feline.
Although those thoughts were quickly interrupted with Dia's attempt to congratulate him, making the young man give a weak nod "T...T-Thanks, Dia. I don't really think...I-I deserve this, but...if that's what t-they say, it's...their choice, I guess. I-If I had more time to make w-what I had in mind, it would've felt more like I deserved the wi-"
Cabral's gaze made him stop in his tracks and avert his gaze, looking somewhat apologetic, but he wasn't going to back down as he tried to give a small smile before having his arm nearly pulled out of it's socket and for now, reluctantly accepted the cheers and praise, deciding to look at whatever the woman with cold piercing eyes gave him later.
"..."
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.
RPW Tent
Creative types, there you go. Halle was one of those, probably. She tilted her head towards the islander girl with the undercut, eye zooming in to catch the details of her face and indicate acknowledgement. "Yes," she said, "get me to the seminar. Sounds cool, is that about designing matches or just looking at how wrestling storytelling works?"
Cooking Competition
Not even a full second passed before Cerise was barging through the crowd with her arms outstretched, all caution thrown to the wind.
"Me!" she said. "Me me me! Me first!"
Jean rolled down her sleeves and stepped away. She'd been tilted by two encounters and performed poorly, placing third. A sobering thought that all her effort to appear as a model student could be undone by the appearance of the wrong person at the wrong time.
As she stepped away from the group, headed towards the surrounding crowd with the intention to disappear into it, she stopped to point at James without looking back.
"Fine," she said. "You win."
Cooking Competition
Cinnabar pushed through the cheering crowd, trying to get a better view of where his new acquaintances were. Seeing Azure sitting on the barrel, he walked up to her, stopping about five feet away before saying, "Hey, nice job in the competition!"
Monday, Ventus 18, Fairgrounds, Cooking Arena, Beacon Academy, Vale
Even as Cerise fought her way to the head of the line, Sangria's smile never wavered. "Plenty enough for everyone," he announced. "Worry not, my dear." His eyes scanned the clamoring crowd then the rack of cutlery, before turning back to his wife, who looked like a Valkyrie surveying a battlefield.
"My love," he began. "It appears my own skill may not be enough." His heart in his eyes, the boyish chef reached a hand out to the statuesque Cabral. "Will you help me?"
Cabral was once more tying her hair into a knot. She was fairly thrumming with suppressed energy, reaching for a rolling pin and Sangria's hand. "Maybe just this once."
And what happened could only be described as magical. With their own crews flying to their sides, they cleared the detritus of the contest and began a battery of cooking the likes of which had only been glimpsed at in special documentaries and manga.
Every ingredient, mundane and exotic, every tool and appliance set to broiling, frying, or searing. In the midst of it all, both master chefs worked like the very avatars of culinary expertise. The smell coming from each stove, pot, and plate was the very essence of heavenly.
Being first in line were Cerise, Dia, and Lara, who were offered plates of Cabral's own Queen of Breakfast
, a dish once served to Alice of Vale herself.
Monday, Ventus 18, Fairgrounds, RPW Tent, Beacon Academy, Vale
"Everything about the business," responded Halle's new friend who was named Faye. The tank-like girl's visual scanners picked up a noticeably low level of Aura as well as the amazing definition of her back through the tank top as she waved at her to follow.
"How the business goes, merchandising, coordinating matches to even making sense of how stories work, Philes'll get you started." She led her to a smaller tent, which had a majority of crew in black shirts running around or hunkered over sound equipment, monitors, and computers. As well as a long table surrounded by monitors were an ecletic mix of people were listening to a man
◊ in a nice suit.
"The thing to remember, most of all," said Mickey Philes to his audience. "Is that we are telling stories. An' stories live or die by how a character engages the audience. Think of it as a comic book, a soap opera, a play, it all don't matter. It all evolves, it engages, it draws you in. And that's where the magic is."
edited 18th Jul '17 5:22:59 AM by KR_Vandal
Fairground, cooking competition
Miss Rayfer tries to encourage James further.
"Do not worry, James. I clearly see that you put all your effort in it, and that certainly helped."
Well, this certainly was a spectacle. Seeing both chefs work together instead of bickering like earlier was a nice refreshing change. The final result was also something that was way good, indeed.
(...That is amazing! Both of you should indeed work together. That looks like the quality of food back at home, perhaps better!)
Dia did a polite bow as she received her plate of the "Queen of Breakfast".
"Thank you."
Having taken her food on her plate, Dia began to slowly and gracefully eat and savour the food. It was... one of the best stuff she had ever tasted, thanks to being made by two master chefs.
As soon as she had finished her bite (talking with your mouth full was bad manners), her eyes brightened up and she did a faint smile of approval.
"This is amazing. Both of you did a great job."
...eheh
Combat mode, engage
Knight Simulation.
"Nope, no questions from this corner." Scarlet chirped happily. "I just wanna get into it already. Haven't had any time to enjoy the fair yet. Still got tons of stuff to get around to today." She explained with a grin.
-dramatic music ensues-
The Blinder
COOKING CONTEST
"I lost." Azure said matter of factly, standing up. "If you want you can go try some, I'm not getting near that crowd."
She wasn't bothered that she lost, it was more a fact of how self-depriciating and pathetic she found James. A man with that talent? How could he be so cowardly?
Good to be back
Is this your power, Yagami?
Fairgrounds - We Mecha Now
Marvin found himself being huddled into the pods, and put into a rather tight outfit which he had no problems with wearing like a second skin. Really, this whole thing was just interesting to the snake faunus, wasn't every day that one got to experience something like this after all. "No thanks, think I've got a pretty decent idea, and I can figure it out as we go anyway." He said with a grin and a nod to the attendant.
"I am nature's weapon. You are unfit to carry on your species, and I shall ensure that you do not do so!" - Charles Darwin, XCOM Sniper
Selene and Axl
"No problem!" Selene said as she took the excited young girl into her arms. "Hiya." She made a slightly silly face to entertain the young Jade.
Knight Arena
Suzunue shook her head no, "No questions here" she replied bracing herself a bit for the simulation to come.
edited 17th Jul '17 3:47:43 PM by Imca
Rise Above Fate
Rasslor tent
In Raggy's ring, Donovan simply beamed at his opponent before saying "I like your attitude kid!" and throwing a wicked jab directly at Raggy's face with remarkable speed and force.
On the other end of the RPW grounds in Gage's ring, the masked man known as El Justo was bouncing around the ring with some extremely fancy footwork, jeering at his opponent "Oh come on perro, I know you can do better than that!" the masked man would punctuate this by swinging a low kick at Gage's head as he continued to dance around his downed opponent.
Meanwhile, Duncan was moderately concerned by his opponent's bravado, he was confident to the point of setting Duncan on edge, no easy feat by any stretch of the imagination. As the bell rang, Duncan decided to forgo the usual handshake he'd go for at the beginning of a match and went straight for the collar and elbow tie up, attempting to make use of his notable size advantage early on.
Lizard Metabolism
Raggy, Fightin'
The blow came fast, but Raggy managed to actually block it, the blow stopping on his forearm. He replied with a wild kick right for his opponent's face, meant to knock him right back on the mat.
Plate, Yeah, You Better Run
"Ya, you... you better run, ya fuckin' delinquents." One of the merry revelers growled at the passing Razorgrrls. "Ya only... -hic- look tough, ain't ya? Bunch of posers. Just ya wait... they'll g-get ya good, them pigs..."
The intention was to provoke Razorgrrls into a fight. No amount of Beacon's protection would be enough to justify a situation where they swung first. To that end, the Plate's mission was solely to try and get them via verbal means. If that wouldn't work, this phase of the operation would concede and the group designated to the observation of the Phoenix would remain on that. If not, well... phase 2 would commence.
How do lizards fly?
Monday, Ventus 18, Fairgrounds, Knight Arena, Simulation Pods, Beacon Academy, Vale
The squire nodded at their responses. "Very good." At his nod, the engineers backed off and closed the pods with hydraulic thunks.
In semi-darkness sat the three Hunters-in-training, the helms heavy, and the suits (in Suzune's case, the plugs) snug.
And gradually, the complicated insides of the pods began to whine to life, the simulacrum of the various mechanisms blinking on with information and data.
While it might have been esoteric to her mortal friends, Suzune would now understand the near-wizardry needed to interface a sentient brain with a TAG from the information.
Suddenly, the vista changed. All three were standing in the wintery wastes of Western Atlas. The atmospheric conditions, a 3D mini-map of the terrain on the bottom right of their HUD, even the way snow crunched underfoot, the rattle of munitions in their hoppers, and the whisper of the gret blades in their hands . They were tall, gigantic, armor-skinned.
They were a lance of Atlasian TA Gs. In a copse not too far from their positions, they heard the terrifying bray of an edge of elephantine Goliaths.
Monday, Ventus 18, Fairgrounds
Bristling almost as one, the Razorgrrls almost turned to hurl insults back at their tormentors. But at a word from Fiona, they stilled their rage.
Of all them, only the Phoenix turned, looking each man square in the eye. And pursed her full lips and whistled a curious three-toned note.
In frightening clockwork, each girl in the formation spun on her heel and flung her hand out, small kunai flying from hiding places to nail the drinks in their grasps, even a flask where it was poorly pocketed. Not a single projectile missed or even went wide, each landing harmlessly upon their target.
Fiona blew them a cocky kiss. "I dunno about Beacon rules, but I'm pretty sure drinking ain't allowed on any school grounds." In another coordinated motion, each girl slapped a rounded portion of her own anatomy before sashaying off, strutting proudly.
Monday, Ventus 18, Fairgrounds, RPW Tent, Beacon Academy, Vale
Colt's own arms locked around in mirror to Duncan's own, the Highlander's strength even putting him on the back foot that made the grin melt fractionally.
Until he began to push back, then his arms snaking around Duncan's neck and rolling him over his side in hip toss that set the mat juddering. Quick as an adder, Colt pinned him as their referee began to pound the three count.
Gage came to rest with his head on the second turn buckle. And just as El Justo's foot landed, the delinquent caught the incoming foot with both hands and hurled him back with explosive strength.
Clasping the rope with both hands, he popped into a standing position, flying at the masked man and trying to catch him with a brute forearm. It was a highly telegraphed move, easily ducked by El Justo. Until Gage let his momentum carry him behind the masked man and suddenly leaped back in a move known as a pele kick.
Monday, Ventus 18, Fairgrounds, Cooking Arena, Beacon Academy, Vale
With the improvised competition now over, the participants and all those around were not free to enjoy the food and the rest of the festival at their own ease.
edited 31st Jul '17 2:10:13 AM by KR_Vandal
Omega Overlord. Or superjwren329. Either or.
Cooking Contest.
Frowning a little at defeated Jean, he wasn't sure what to say. Thinking of the words was difficult to say the least. "...All t-things considered...it was probably pretty close...m-maybe there'll be another time we can cook together...without it being a contest, since, w-well, I am a little curious on how your cooking tastes, t-to be honest..."
And Dia's comments were simply making him feel even lower as the boy gave a curt nod and nervously tried to leave before the crowd's attention turned back to him.
edited 20th Jul '17 8:33:29 PM by TheRealWren
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.
Cooking Competition
Cerise dragged the plate of 'Queen of Breakfast' towards herself eagerly and hardly even bothered to follow Dia's example. Cerise was too much of a philistine to offer anything other than "Ish good!" between mouthfuls of food.
Jean stopped for a moment, looking back, and paused. She smiled. That settled it, then. She really was defeated in every single way, including in humility. Jean took off her glasses.
"Maybe," she said, "But I doubt it."
She turned back around and disappeared into the crowd.
Fairground
All this crowding around her was getting Dia slightly nervous.
(I don't want to risk getting kidnapped)
From the corner of her eye, she could see the impending showdown between the Razorgrrls and Varyag's group. Part of her really wanted to stop this... but then she remembered Gage telling her about "seeing a bunch from the old neighbourhood" and
(Not worth risking this.)
Miss Rayfer silently scowled to herself as she moves away from the cooking contest area with grace. She'd probably try to find Gage right now... but not before her eyes caught something of interest.
(Oh my gosh! Is that me? And a few others of us? Wow, even the delinquents are cute! And I can't believe they managed to make Iris and James even cuter than they are!)
The fan merch booth.
...eheh
Near the cooking contest
Cinnabar shrugged, "probably in a bit, wanted to congratulate you and James on your performances. Speaking of, did you catch where he was heading afterwards?"
He had tried to keep track of James, but he needed to talk to Azure for some reason, although... he couldn't quite remember what it was. He'd spoken to someone, someone who knew her... oh, right! Well, best let her respond first, then relaying messages.
The Blinder
Next to Cooking Contest
Azure seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when he said he was looking for James. It was great, not being seen as a fragile little waif, but at the same time? It was terrifying. She turned, sniffing the air like a dog before pointing.
"There." She whispered before quietly adding, "And thank you Cinnibar." Might as well try to actually befriend this one.
Good to be back
Cooking Contest.
James nervously stepped forward when his name was called, his face burning bright shade of red yet he felt an unpleasant chill. With the big speech of standards to be met and things to strive for, the youth felt even worse.
...And with the winner being announced, he simply froze yet his mind was racing, so many things being said at once. This wasn't what he wanted to happen. Compared to all of the others, he was really nothing. ...And too much attention...all of the eyes staring in his direction made him shuffle several steps back as if trying to flee, with Cabral getting closer than he'd like made his face burn all the brighter not helping matters in the least.
"N-Non, merci. Je..." The young man managed to meekly stammer out, his voice weak and uncertain, practically shivering, yet...he paused for a few moments and took a deep breath as the lens of his goggles shone for a brief moment, obscuring his eyes as Croire managed to correct himself "...While the offer is tempting...I think...I may have to decline...I've...got my hands full here at Beacon, even things have been...quiet recently." He remarked, giving a weak smile. " ...Besides, with my current attire...people would probably confuse me with a waiter rather than a chef."
edited 4th Jul '17 6:58:06 AM by TheRealWren
Hope you weren't expecting anything witty here. Maybe some day.