Persona: Fallen Paradise (RPG Thread, PG-13)

[storymasterb]

Spoiler: Players and Characters

I – The Magician: Diego Vendrix + Merlin (DVB)
II – The High Priestess: Drake Lune + Anne Frank (Manaphy Mare)
III – The Empress: Krystal Storm + Gabriel (Aura of Twilight)
IV – The Emperor:
V – The Hierophant:
VI – The Lovers: Carina Dawson + Undine (Ysavvryl)
VII – The Chariot: Danijela Cernik + Typhon (GoldenHouou)
VIII – Justice: Rochelle Wattson + Angel (TheSequelReturns)
IX – The Hermit: Matthew Clark + Nidhoggr (storymasterb)
X – Wheel of Fortune: Nicolas Harley + Nostradamus (Billy May)
XI – Strength: Alyssa H. Lovelock + Valkyrie (CandleReaper)
XII – The Hanged Man: Cesaire Moreau + Ankou (GoldenHouou)
XIII – Death: Jannike Mortensen + Skoll and Hati (Jean Grey)
XIV – Temperance: Nodoka Hirano + Tsukuyomi (TheSequelReturns)
XV – The Devil: Ian Blackwood + Astaroth (SoulMuse)
XVI – The Tower: Alistair Blake + Mordred (storymasterb)
XVII – The Star: Louise Henrietta DuBois + Jeanne (Blivsey)
XVIII – The Moon: Aika Ichigawa + Arianrhod (Raiden193)
XIX – The Sun: Leonardo Silverstone + Phoenix (Mon1010)

Misty Springs High School
Friday 20th July, 2012
4:00 PM

As the final bell of the school year rang out, the high school was engulfed in a tide of conversation. Students poured from every door, engaged in conversation with their friends, heading out for the delights of summer vacation.

From one door, Alistair Blake emerged. As usual dressed in black, he strolled down the steps onto the grass of the playing field, accompanied by another young man and two girls.

"So, what're you doing for summer, Alistair?" one of the girls asked.

"Work, and hanging out around town, I guess," he replied. "Not much else to do."

"Yeah, since we're holed up in this dull little town," she muttered.

"I'm not," the other girl said. "I'm heading over to London for three weeks."

"Olympics?" Alistair asked, receiving a nod in answer. "I kinda wish I could go. It'd be nice to be able to watch it all properly instead of on the TV."

"Well... I would try and see if you could come, but our plane tickets are booked and they're pretty expensive these days..."

"No, it's fine," he smiled. "I can live with it. Town's a boring little place, but I'll find something to do. I hope you have fun in London."

"Thanks."

"So, what are you two doing?" Alistair asked, turning to the other two.

"Heading off to Hawaii," the young man said. "Parents think we could use two weeks of sunshine and beaches, heh."

"Yeah, we all know what you're really looking forward to, Michael," his sister muttered with a roll of her eyes. "Plenty of women in bikinis. Typical."

"Hey, it's not just that! I mean, there's the sun and the sea and the sand... and stuff!"

"Right..." she deadpanned.

"Anyway, I need to go. Time for work," Alistair cut in. "See you all around." As his friends said their goodbyes, he strolled away across the grass, sachel slung over his shoulder.

IX-XVI​

Misty Springs, Matthew's House
Friday 20th July, 2012
4:12 PM

The house was dark and silent around him. Beyond its walls, he could hear the banter of the high school students, leaving for their summer vacation, but he just sat in his chair and blocked out the noise, fingers tapping on his keyboard.

Matthew gazed to the side, away from his laptop's screen, and to the photo next to it on his desk. It showed a younger him, stood smiling in the sunshine with a young woman embracing him. He stared at the photo for a moment, sadness plain in his eyes, before looking away, back to the laptop. He thought for a moment, and then stood, walking away through the shadows of his house to the kitchen. Light shone in through the windows, illuminating the room somewhat as he poured himself a glass of apple juice, taking a sip as he gazed at the outside world.

After a minute of looking out at the sunlit town, he turned and walked away back into the shadows of his own world. This was all he needed. This sheltered cocoon from the grief and pain lurking in the sunlight and the outside world.

(From here, just post your characters' actions after school breaks up. Once we've had that, and possibly some interaction, the supernatural shenanigans shall begin.)

 

[Blivsey]

XVII - Louise Henrietta DuBois
Misty Springs, 4th Avenue
20.07.12 - Friday Afternoon


Louise traversed the sidewalk at an energetic pace, practically bouncing every few steps. By all appearances, the last of her exams had gone every bit as well as she had hoped (despite the drastic change in curriculum she found at first) and as such she had been sent on her way, not to return for quite some time.

Yes, classes were done, and for the next few weeks, the students would all be part of the crowds about town, already indistinguishable from the rest. That was, except for her - not needing a uniform for school had sounded strange yet liberating at first, yet here she was in a blouse and skirt. Habits were hard to kick, so it turned out, and so it felt not compulsory, but comfortable to wear her old uniform every day. Perhaps she would adapt over the break. Maybe not.

In any case, today was a Friday, which made it a day for the bakery. And there it was, just up on the next corner under a yellow awning marked "SUNRISE." Twenty steps down the road and through a door, she greeted the clerk, today the cheery but worn-looking woman who had just returned from maternity leave. Her sunny demeanor was both a boon and a problem - Louise could hardly keep up with her speech, just managing to catch the last of her words.

Very slow day. No kitchen help needed. Tend to the store-front.

"Yes, ma'am," she replied, inclining her head slightly before slipping past the counter to the employees' area. Moments later, she emerged in a simple shirt, pants and an apron and bandanna in matching pink. Snatching up a rag and spray from the closet, she swung back around and made a mark of the windows outside. Cleaning was admittedly a bit dull, but it was at least a somewhat relaxing way to spend the afternoon.

Besides, perhaps someone interesting might stop in.

 

[DVB]

I- Diego Vendrix
Misty Springs, 4th Avenue
20.07.12 - Friday Afternoon

Diego Vendrix was relieved school was over. This was not like his old school. Had things been different, he would have been trying to figure out what to get his brother for his birthday. At the same time, he would be complaining there wasn't much to do.

Diego had been taking care of his place with his parents leaving for a business trip few days ago. His pattern consists of going out and taking a trip to the bakery. One of the benefits of moving were new friends, one of which was a French student, Louise. He was happy here though. He could walk to where he needed and wanted and often spent time on the computer so he never really sought things to do.

What mattered was who he did it with.

"Afternoon Louise. How are you doing?" Diego asked as he ordered his usual baked good, a mille-feuille.

She was just one of his good friends he met here. Also, the girls here were nicer and the guys are also nice. It wasn't a bad place.

 

[Liltwick]

XI-Alyssa H. Lovelock
Misty Springs, 12th Street
20.07.12

A young, light copper haired women looked outside of her shop, as if she was waiting for something. She looked from side to side, her leather jacket moving with her, and sighed. She went back into her shop and pulled out the muffins from the oven. They were Pumpkin Spice, a little out of season, but melancholic memories were floating in her mind. She put down her straw hat, and flipped it over, as a tip jar since the regular one was already full from the day. She was waiting for the High School kids to arrive, as it reminded her from her days in High School.

She set the muffins into the cooling rack, and took one to sampling. She bit into it, and found the texture was still a little battery. The pumpkin was also not showing up, she somehow under-cooked them, so she propped them back up into the oven. She looked at the rock, and saw that her Rose cupcakes were just sitting there, not ordered or touched all day. She was worried, as it was normally her best selling product. She took one, and examined it, everything was perfect. The bread was cooked all the way, the light rosy pink frosting swirled around to perfection, and the fondant rose was perfection.

She then bit into it, and it tasted better than normal, and she then finished eating it, and threw the nicely designed paper into the trash. Cosgroves, her bakery and one of the best in the small town, has been open for three years now. It sort of helped her not think of the past, but sometimes she still got memories.

Alyssa, you need to stop badgering yourself, but that's really odd... Everything but my signature has been sold out, and I'm making my Pumpkin Spice because I knew the wonderful children had an awful test today. Maybe if I put them half off for them? I think that might work... As I always bake enough so I don't have any leftovers, and If I do, they're always half-off the next day. I'm glad I made that decision to add the fridge, and the small deli portion. Oh well... Alyssa though as she took off her leather jacket and set in on her chair, showing the sleeveless, strapless dress she normally wore, and then spaced out again. She then snapped back to reality and put on a happy smile as she heard the door's bell.

"Hello, welcome to Cosgroves. How may I help you? Also, just to let you know, my Signature Rose Cupcakes are half off right now." She said with a sweet smile as she tool her customers.

 

[SoulMuse]

XV: Ian Blackwood
Friday, 20th of July, 2012

I walked up the sidewalk to my house, although I still sometimes though of it as Grandfathers. I pulled the keys out of my pocket, and unlocked the three locks on the front door. The only reason I had three was to prevent someone from getting in, and my snake killing them. No a situation that I wanted to be in, mostly because then people would bother me, and I didn’t want to be bothered. The locks clicked open, and I pushed the door open, stepped inside and locked it again.

I moved into living room and collapsed on the couch, glaring at the TIVO unit. “Turn on.” I grumbled. Before I could get up, or get a remote, the phone rang, startling both my pets, my rabbit bolted from under the table, and my snake suddenly hissing, and baring his fangs over in the corner. I glared at the device and picked up the receiver.

“Hi Ian!” A perky voice came from the other end. “How was work?” I glared as best I could at the device.

“My day was fine, Abigale, now leave me alone.” I snapped. My snake, Alex hissed and darted forwards, eyeing the phone. My rabbit, Lola simply settle down in the corner and glared at me haughtily.

“You don’t sound like it was fine.” Abigale shot back. “What happened?” I hung up. That girl just didn’t know when to quit. Yeah, I might have had a bad day, but did she really think I wanted to talk about it?

“You know what?” I told Alex. “She probably does think I want to talk about it.” Collapsing back on the couch, I grabbed the TV remote and pushed the button. Maybe some stupid television show would improve my mood. I wasn’t optimistic.

 

[Monster Guy]

OOC: I made one minor change with Leo. He's now 17, and will turn 18 in the RPG. (Specifically 3 game days.) Mainly, so his zodiac sign can be Leo. xD

--
XIX Leonardo "Leo" Silverstone
Misty Springs, walking home (Leaving the street they're on ambigous so I can run into someone later, or someone can run into me.)
July, 20 2012, 4 PM (Not posting the minutes/seconds. )

As per usual, Leo was in a cheerful mood. It was the last day of school before Summer break. After a rough day of final exame, class was over. Which meant no more school for three months. However, the thing he was more excited about was his eighteenth birthday coming up in three days. Sure, that meant he'd be a legal adult, but birthdays meant cake, and presents, and usually some kind of celebration was involved. Who wouldn't be excited about that? He was humming a cheerful tune as he walked, while being accompanied by two girls, his sisters.

"You know Leo, we can walk ourselves home." Said the oldest of the two girls, interupting Leo's humming. "Our house is practically five steps away from the school."

"I promised Mom I would look after you guys while she's away on her weekend business trip." Leo answered. "And I intend to keep my word. Besides, I'd never be able to forgive myself if something bad happened to you guys."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh, because we really need to be looked after. In a town this small, you never know when a crazed gunman is going to come out in broad daylight and kill us all. And you'd be able to protect us from a crazy man with a gun. Oh I feel so much safer with you around." Her words were dripping with sarcasm.

"Exactly!" Leo replied, without the smile ever leaving his face. "As your big brother, that's my job."

The younger girl simply laughed as the older girl slapped her forehead with her palm and sighed. "You guys are funny." She said in between her giggle fits.

"That was sarcasm!"

"I know." Leo answered smugly. "Still doesn't change anything though."

---

OOC: Did anyone notice there are two bakeries in Misty Springs?

 

[TheSequelReturns]

Misty Springs, Main Street
Friday 20th July, 2012
After School


A line of students in uniform had been parading happily away from the local schools all afternoon. To Nodoka Hirano, they looked like they had finally been set free from some arduous imprisonment and released out into a bold new world. Or at least, that was the melodramatic way of seeing it. In fact, if you looked closely, many of them almost looked bored. It was as if they suddenly found themselves the owners of hours of free time with not the slightest clue of what to do with it. Honestly, that was probably closer to the truth than her earlier poetic statement.

In a way though, she was getting out of her own obligations with that final school bell as well. Her tutoring job would most likely drop, if not stop altogether, during the summer. So who knows? Maybe she'd find herself with that same forlorn look in her eyes as she found some spare time to ponder over.

As she usually was on a nice day such as today, Nodoka wore a yukata. Her choice today was a nice bright one, covered in a pattern depicting a spring time pond, complete with water plants and even goldfish. It was probably a tad colorful for her age, but Nodoka still had a liking for that particular one. Besides, its not like anyone here would call her out on it. She had to be the only one in the whole town wearing one. She gave the large white bow on her obi a small tug, keeping it even and level. Even if she was the only one, it was still no excuse not to look her best. It really was a nice summer day after all.

She thought about stopping by one of the local bakeries, her grandmother always appreciated fresh bread, but today called for something a little more special. But what? She could always make tea, but her grandfather was every bit as much of a tea master as she was, so it would hardly pass as special. Nodoka could cook, but she couldn't compare to her grandmother's home cooking. Fresh bread or other baked goods had become a weekly staple, so that was probably out as well. Watermelon perhaps? It was a bit cliche, but it would come as a bit of a surprise. How long had it been since her grandparents even bought one? She gave a small nod, absent-mindedly straightening her hair afterwards. That would do. Nothing like a bit of childhood nostalgia to brighten up a lazy summer day.

Her decision made, Nodoka set off towards the local marketplace. Hopefully, they would have some fresh watermelon today. It always was a bit of luxury in a small town like this.

 

[Blivsey]

XVII - Louise Henrietta DuBois
Misty Springs, Sunrise Bakery
20.07.12 - Friday Afternoon


Louise's hopeful speculation ended up being more prophetic than speculative - not even halfway through wiping down the front windows, a familiar classmate showed up. Diego Vendrix. Probably at least mostly Mexican by descent, but definitely American given his mannerisms. She had seen him several times before - just once or twice in the school halls, but more frequently than that because he regularly came to get pastries. He was, like Louise, relatively new to the city, and so the two had found reason to talk to each other and become friends of a sort. He did, at least, make for friendly company when he stopped in, as did many of the locals, she found.

"Afternoon, Louise. How are you doing?" he asked, trying to make small talk as the clerk fetched his mille-feuille.

Louise smiled and tilted her head slightly. "Well, life keeps going. I can't complain, especially because it's now summer." Given that the usual temperatures Misty Springs in other seasons could be as much as thirty degrees less than she was used to, summer was going to be the most comfortable season for her. Besides, she now had weeks off to explore the nearby mountains, catch up on her books, make some friends, nearly whatever she wanted! What was there to complain about?

"What about you? Do you have any plans for the summer?" she asked idly, wiping off a nose-print left by some curious child. It was an innocuous yet layered question - on one hand, it made for good conversation, but on the other, it might give a better idea of what passed for a normal summer vacation in America besides the sightseeing vacations that her classmates had been gloating about.

 

[DVB]

I- Diego Vendrix
Sunrise Bakery, 4th Avenue
20.07.12 - Friday Afternoon


Louise smiled and tilted her head slightly. "Well, life keeps going. I can't complain, especially because it's now summer."

Diego smiled and nodded. "Yeah. This was different from where I used to go to school. About now, I be counting the days until my brother's birthday and when i go back into school," Diego said, a bit surprised at the irony. He liked Louise. They were both new and he liked her accent. He wanted to travel to France sometime.

"What about you? Do you have any plans for the summer?" she asked idly, wiping off a nose-print left by some curious child. Diego wondered. "Well, I was always a strange one. I never had alot of friends so I would either play video games or go on the computer when my familt didn't go on vacation or spend the day out. With my parents on work trips and my brother in military school, I am thinking I will be able to have some real fun with my new friends like go up the mountain, play some games together and all sorts of stuff. Since I am going to be studying film, I am thinking of also getting a summer job for school and film stuff," Diego said before he thought of something.

"Well I been thinking of maybe karoaoke or something. Krystal and I been planning to meet at my house. If you can get out of work, you can come out of work. Leo is busy with stuff. You can hang out with me whenever you want," Diego said with a smile. Having been a loner by force as a kid, surrounding himself with his friends and talking was such a joy. He happily paid and got his pastry before sitting down and eating.

 

[*Jean Grey*]

Jannike had to repeat a year, so she's supposed to be in Leo's grade. XD Fresh out of 11th grade and going on to 12th. XD

XIII - Jannike Mortensen
Misty Springs High School
20.07.12

For Jannike Mortensen, tests were finally over...finally. She despised math and was glad that she was getting a break from it for the time being. As she walked out of the school, she tugged on her leather jacket, and reached into her bag, fishing out her wallet.

Hmm...still a lot left, as usual. Hey, I guess a celebration is in order! This shit's over after all!

It was a perfectly good idea. School was out and Jannike did not have to worry about getting caught drunk. Tests were over and that alone was a good reason for a nice bottle of Jack Daniel's or perhaps, some beer. After that, a good pastry or two. Approaching the parking lot, she slipped on her shades as she spotted her motorcycle. Quickly heading for it, she then placed her bag and mounted before starting it up. It was a warm day, and she did like to feel the wind in her hair as she rode, so she opted not to wear her helmet.

She cruised through the streets leisurely as the summer breeze ruffled her blonde ponytail. After catching sight of the bar, she sped up a bit before stopping right beside it, at the same time looking at the window. Not so many people.

Figures. They probably want their fruit juices or shakes or somethin'

Jannike stepped inside and headed for the counter, perching on one of the bar stools. Her favorite bartender, a cute guy named Blaine, approached her from behind the table. She knew that she could trust good old Blaine, who never had to ask for her age. He was twenty-two, but looked so much younger than her with his smooth face, shoulder-length chestnut hair and slightly small stature. Anyone who saw them together would think she was above twenty-two in fact.

"Janna! The same, as usual?" He greeted her, to which she grinned.

"Yeah, two cans of Heineken, one bottle of Jack Daniel's." She replied, pushing a hundred-dollar bill to the bartender. She then took her drinks, placed them in her bag and left, but not before she grinned at Blaine one last time.

Fortunately, there was a bakery nearby. Cosgrove's...one of her favorites, especially in the cupcake department. As she stepped in, she was greeted by an announcement...a pretty cool one in fact.

"Hello, welcome to Cosgroves. How may I help you? Also, just to let you know, my Signature Rose Cupcakes are half off right now." The lady behind the counter announced. Jannike grinned. Perfect, just perfect.

"Half off, huh? I think I could use five of the mini size. Never heard of them making anyone fat yet." She said, winking at the lady, whom she knew as Alyssa, as she held out another bill.

"Keep a hold on it first though. I might just eat an assload." She jokingly warned before taking out one can of Heineken and opening it. Beer and cupcakes did go together after all.

 

[Liltwick]

XI- Alyssa H. Lovelock
Cosgrove's, 12th Street
20.07.2012

"Half off, huh? I think I could use five of the mini size. Never heard of them making anyone fat yet." She said, winking at the her. She recognized the girl as Jannike, a good costomer of hers. She took the bill and put it in the register.

"Keep a hold on it first though. I might just eat an assload." She jokingly warned before taking out one can of Heineken and opening it. Alyssa knew very well that the taste of beer did complement her cupcakes, a little yeasty flavor and the malt added a nice combination with her secret batter.

"Alright then , I will. I'm still surprised that not a single one has been sold today." Alyssa told her with a worried expression as she started to prepare them as she took another larger one for herself. She bit into it and sighed, lost in memories again. When she finally snapped back, she finished putting the cupcakes on the tray, and then looked at the girls.

"They're ready whenever you want them, alright?" Alyssa told the girls as she started to count tips. Everything she earned from the cash register went to improvements to the store and the community, and she took a quarter so she could still live, so the tip jar was basically her lifeline, and the good thing was that everyone knew better to steal from her.

"Anything else girls? I've made Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes to celebrate the High School being out, since I know that's one of the more popular flavors." She said with a warm smile, happy her food can be enjoyed. She finished the second cupcake she was eating, and threw the wrapper into the trash can. She soon got a lot of kids from the High School coming in, and she was almost out, until she decided to get out her secret weapon, Ice Cream Cupcakes.

Depression does give me some of the most creative ideas...

 

[Billy Mays]

X - Nicolas Harley
His Apartment, 12th Street
20.07.2012 - Friday Afternoon

Nicolas watched TV while lazily lieing on his couch, like he did most afternoons. There was absolutely nothing for him to do during the day, the only time he could ever do anything interesting in Misty Springs was at night. Sometimes he'd go to his favorite bar down the street and try find a nice girl - or guy - to spend the night with (if you know what I mean), or on nights he wasn't in the mood for that, he'd just get hammered and wake up the next day in the dumpster outside his apartment. Other times, he'd get invited to one of his friends' houses for dinner and to play some blackjack. Some of his more well off friends already had their own house; sometimes even families. Others, mainly the ones he went to high school with, still live with their parents. As much as he loved his mother, Nicolas couldn't bear the thought of spending his adult life there, so he moved out at the first chance he could.

So he could find plenty to do at night at least, but during the day...not so much. Sometimes Nicolas wondered why he even bothered with being awake during the day. The reason he could think of is that none of the stores are open at night so he'd eventually stave himself, or have to resort to stealing.

He has heard alot of the high school students got out of school today. A shame none of them would be too old to drink, since last time he checked the legal drinking age is 21 (although he started drinking at 17), so it was doubtful he'd see any of them at the bar. But still, the older ones are at least over 18, and 18 just so happens to be Nicolas' favorite number.

Suddenly realizing he was hungry, Nicolas slowly got up and made his way over to the kitchen. He opened up the fridge, but to his dismay, it was empty.

"Crap."

He looked down at his current attire; a simple t-shirt and jeans, and shrugged. He was only going out to get some food, he figured he didn't need to dress to impress for something as simple as that. Nicolas put on his shoes, got his keys and wallet, and went out the door. He went through an eagle-eye view of the town with his mind, which isn't too hard considering how small it is, and tried to find the closest place that sold food. It bothered him that there wasn't much choice with fast food resturaunts in Misty Springs; if there was one thing he missed about LA, it was getting a Big Mac from McDonalds.

Then he remembered that there was a bakery right down the street. He had gone their once or twice, usually when he was drunk and for whatever reason has a severe craving for cupcakes, but he figured it could do for now. It was so close, he wouldn't even need to get in his car. Unfortunately he had no plans with any of his friends tonight, but thankfully for Nick the bar he likes to go too makes food too, and has some pretty damn good hot wings, so a pastry or something like that would satisfy him for now.

A few minutes later...

Nick entered the bakery, and immediately could smell the baked goods on sale. As he approched the counter he immediately took notice of both the girl at the counter and the one currently ordering. He felt the tall blond who just ordered was familier though...regardless, Nick was getting mad at himself now for not wearing his suit. But then he thought, how could've he known he'd meet TWO hot chicks on such a simple trek as this? Well he knew he couldn't stand idlely by now. Besides, he'd seen the girl at the counter before, and he felt it was about time he'd try to make a move on her.

"Hey. A dozen of..." Nick eyed the counter, and spotted one labeled Pumpkin Spice. He always did love his mother's pumpkin pie. "...those Pumpkin Spice cupcakes, please." He wasn't planning on eating all of them, but saving some and eating them some other time couldn't hurt.

Alright Nick, now make your move.

"So, how's your day been so far? Been pretty busy, right? Name's Nick, by the way." Nick said to the girl at the cash register. If this didn't work out he could always try the tall girl with the goth clothing, although he wasn't a fan of that style of clothing himself.

 

[storymasterb]

XVI - Alistair Blake
Jasmine Cafe, 7th Street
20.7.2012

'I'd like to make myself believe, that Planet Earth turns slowly...'

"Alistair! Customer!"

"On my way," he replied, shrugging himself away from the wall and the radio on the shelf, out of the small alcove in which the waiters could sit and wait for more customers to arrive. He saw the new customers immediately as they sat down, a young couple, probably from out of town seeing as he didn't recognize them. Hurrying to their table, he stood with two laminate sheets, the menus.

"Ah, that was fast," the man said.

"Your menus," Alistair replied, smiling as he handed the sheets to them. "Please, just call me over when you've finished ordering." With that, he turned to walk away.

"Hey, wait," the woman called. "You live around here, right?"

He turned back to them. "Yes, that's right."

"Well, we're new to town, and we were kind of wondering if you could tell us about all the landmarks and stuff," she said.

He stood for a moment, pondering this. "Well, to be honest with you, there's the mountains and not much else. The town's pretty small and we don't have much here. There's the schools, some bakeries, a couple of cafes... not much, really. Unless you want to go looking at the museum, I guess, but I've never really been in there."

"Hm, okay," the man said. "Well, we're here because we wanted a change of pace, and it was cheap to come up here. My mom used to live here before..." He looked down at the tabletop, voice trailing off.

"I... I'm sorry," Alistair said.

"Oh, it's... in any case, she left us the house, so we figured we might as well come up here and use it for the holidays," he said. "Since we can't afford anywhere else, really. Recession and all."

"Yeah... well, just call me over when you're ready to order," he said, walking away back to the little alcove in the corner.

(If anyone wants to come in the cafe for moar interaction, feel free.)

 

[Blivsey]

XVII - Louise Henrietta DuBois
Misty Springs, Sunrise Bakery
20.07.12 - Friday Afternoon

Louise kept a steady, interested smile and moved to the last of her job. We was going to play computer games over the summer? That would never do. Summer was for being outside, after all! You could stay inside and do that all day when it was all rainy or disgustingly cold.

Fortunately, she wouldn't have to be dragging him out-of-doors, because his list didn't stop there. Next he suggested tackling the mountains. Now, there was an idea! There had to be a half a dozen mountains within range of town for them to scale - that would keep them busy for some time. If she wanted, she could even go with new and different people each time, maybe have a picnic...

Then he suggested something entirely foreign.

"Carry... a key?" Louise furrowed her brow and tilted her head in the opposite direction. Why would he need help carrying keys, of all things? No turning of that phrase would make any sense, so it must be a social shorthand for something. Nothing bad, probably, since Diego was normally a good person and he was inviting others. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to try something new.

"I don't understand, but I can come at 8:00. Would that be okay?" she offered, not breaking conversation as she returned to the closet for a broom.

 

[DVB]

I- Diego Vendrix
Sunrise Bakery, 4th Avenue
20.07.12 - Friday Afternoon

"Carry... a key?" Louise furrowed her brow and tilted her head in the opposite direction. Diego looked confused before his eyes lit up. He forgotten for a moment she came from other parts. He hoped she like to sing.

"I don't understand, but I can come at 8:00. Would that be okay?" she offered, not breaking conversation as she returned to the closet for a broom. "Yeah, that would be all right. Also, karoake is where um..." Diego said as he tried to best describe it. He knew the word itself had Japanese origins, but translating... hm...

"Karaoke is where people are invited or go up to stage and sing the words of a well-known song. The song plays without words and the people sing the words off of a screen," Diego explained to her the best he could. "We're not doing that today. We're just going to be relaxing and maybe some other things today," Diego said as he shrugged his shoulders.

He continued eating his pastry. He had already gotten Leo his gift.

 

[Manaphy Mare]

II-Drake Lune
Misty Springs High School

Drake strolled calmly out of the school while most of the other students rushed as far away from the campus as they could. He was currently nose-deep in a book as he navigated around the other students. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a black corset with a plaid skirt, he recognized that as one of the typical outfits of a usual at his favorite bakery. Speaking of which, since school was out and he had entered a tournament later that day in the same area, why not stop by. Her cupcakes, after all, were a bit of a good luck charm for him. With his destination in mind he instinctively made his way through the streets towards the bakery, not marking his place and closing the book until he had arrived at his destination.

Cosgrove's
The bell rang as he stepped through the door of the bakery. his outfit for the day was a light green polo and khaki pants. As usual, however, he also had his duel disc on his right arm as well as his deck box on his left hip.

"Um, hello Alyssa," he said in his usual, timid tone, "I've got a tournament later today, so I guess I'll have the same as usual." He pulled out his wallet and handed her a twenty saying, "I'll probably have another rose cupcake after the tournament, I hope."

Drake usually celebrated entering the quarterfinals with one of the larger rose cupcakes at Cosgrove's, but there had been several times when he would make a mistake he couldn't recover from. All he could do was hope.

 

[Ysavvryl]

VI- Carina Dawson
school parking lot
Friday after school


The was the last day of her last year of high school. While graduation proper would be occurring later on, this was a freeing moment. The sky was wide and blue, full of so many possibilities for the future. The sun put down its golden rays over everyone, being a delightful warmth instead of an intense heat. The trees and grass were green and vibrant, there were flowers in bright colors, and the scent of civilization wasn't all too noticeable. Off on the horizon, there were mountains that could be dealt with...

But right here right now, she had to deal with a rather different moment of freedom. A much harsher and infuriating one. “No, you're not getting a second chance,” she said sharply, with her hands on her hips. “How'd you think you were going to get away with that anyhow? Word gets around fast and soon everybody knows how much of a thoughtless moron you are.”

“Well you were the one who kept cutting me off,” he said. He being a guy who possibly looked like Casanova and definitely acted like him. “We've been going out for five months now and you always run off when I...”

“Hello?” she interrupted him, tugging at a red crocheted bracelet around her right wrist. It was chastity oath bracelet, something that some hopeful teacher had done a few years ago. And she'd worn it every school day since. “Did you think this meant nothing? I'm not easy. But that doesn't give you the right to go inviting some other girl to a motel out of town.”

“You wouldn't go with me after prom,” he said, leaning on his nice sparkly clean green car. At least, it have been sparkly clean. Now one of the windows had a frowny face drawn on it in red lipstick. So did three other windows and the passenger side mirror. “You're the one being a cold-hearted ***** about this, Carina.”

She glowered at him. “Does love mean nothing to you beyond kissing and groping? If you want to keep fooling around, then fine. But you won't be touching me at all. And I hope the town's blood curse falls on you next!” She stormed off.

“What the **** are you talking about?” he called after her. “There's no such thing as a curse.”

She spun around to face him again, briefly making the skirt of her yellow dress swirl up. “I'm talking about the one that keeps killing people around here.”

He rolled his eyes. “That's because ninety percent of this wrinkle-infested town is about to croak at any minute.”

Really? Yeah, most of the residents of Misty Springs were old, but she'd met some interesting old folks here. Besides, “Well then how do you account for that gory massacre at the orphanage, huh? How else do you explain a crazed gunman coming into a sleepy old town like this? And all the deaths of people who aren't older than fifty? There's an unholy curse around here, and I hope that it goes after self-centered jerks like you.” Then she turned back around and headed out of the school parking lot. He threw another insult after her, but Carina wouldn't give him a single regard or care anymore. Not one bit.

Although, there was part of her that was glad she could cut things off. He had been pushing her, getting a little too close. And he hadn't made it easy to get away from him. At least, not until his eyes and pants started wandering away.

But, now what? Carina didn't want to get all depressed over a jerk like that, but it was upsetting to find that he'd been cheating on her. And it was the start of summer, for goodness sakes. A time of freedom until she started up a more difficult (but more interesting) course in education. A time when she didn't want to be tied down to a job. A time when she wanted to be in love and always have someone close to be around, to do things with even when those things were nothing. It should be fun and exciting, although one always had to make excitement around here, one way or another.

That is, unless her heart was going to dwell on things that she really didn't want to think about...

A blast of chirpy happy music brought Carina out of her thoughts. Pausing a moment on the sidewalk, she grabbed her cellphone out of its pocket in the school bag hanging at her side. It was the house phone, so she answered. “Hey Mom.”

“Hey dear. How's summer starting?”

She kept walking along, slower now. “Awful. The dimwit jerk was trying to win me back, but I gave him a solid piece of my mind. Would've given him a solid piece of my fist too if I had to.”

“Now now, I know he's being a jerk, but don't resort to violence first.”

“I didn't. But I'd like to.”

Her mother chuckled. “I know how that feels, trust me. Listen Carina, I thought I'd gotten everything for dinner, but it seems I forgot the rolls. It's spaghetti and meatballs tonight, so could you stop by Sunrise and get some bread?”

Well that was brighter note to the day. “Ooo, can I get a French loaf for garlic toast?”

“Sure, that'd be wonderful. And you should buy something for dessert, something you like. It is the end of high school for you, after all, and you could probably use something nice to make up for not getting to punch him.”

Carina laughed. “Oh Mom, I love how you think! Sure, thanks. Do I need to get back home soon?”

“No, just be back at least by quarter to six. Have fun, Carina, but don't do anything reckless.”

“I won't. See ya.”

“See you later.”

So she got to pick out a dessert today... great! She was usually careful about treats. After all, if you wanted to stay looking fabulous, you had to take fabulous care of your body. And she could use all the help she could get there, even if she happily made fun of herself for being flat-chested.

As she walked by one of the storefronts that had well reflecting glass, she took a glance at herself. Her belt was hanging slightly crooked on her waist, with the large red silk poppy on her left hip; it was supposed to be that way, as she'd pinned it there this morning. In her brown hair, she wore a wide yellow headband with a matching poppy on the right side of the top of her head. A yellow clip three inches from the bottom of her hair kept it together and out of the way. And she'd added yellow bow clips to her black shoes. Still looking good.

She walked into the Sunrise bakery and took a deep whiff of the nice yeasty bread smells that this place had. The other bakery in town smelled a lot sweeter. Noticing a couple of other teens she recognized there, she put on a bright smile and confident expression. Never let others guess at your worries unless you know enough to worry about them. “Hi, how's it going?” she asked, heading over to check out what kinds of bread good for garlic toast were available today.

 

[Liltwick]

Alyssa H. Lovelock
Cosgrove's 12th Street
20.07.2012

"Hey. A dozen of..." A boy who just came in eyed the counter, and spotted one labeled Pumpkin Spice. "...those Pumpkin Spice cupcakes, please." He looked like he was getting them to go, so Alyssa got them and started to box them.


"So, how's your day been so far? Been pretty busy, right? Name's Nick, by the way." Nick said to the her. it was obvious he was trying to hit on her, by the quiverness in his voice, and the confidence he had. Alyssa put the box on the counter

"That will be 14 Dollars please. Also, it's fine, and it has. I think I've seen you before, I think during on of the events the school held, but I'm a little to old for you." She told him with a lightly laced sweet voice, but still stern. SA she waited for him to pay, she heard another, more familiar voice as the door's bell rang

"Um, hello Alyssa," he said in his usual, timid tone, "I've got a tournament later today, so I guess I'll have the same as usual." He pulled out his wallet and handed her a twenty saying, "I'll probably have another rose cupcake after the tournament, I hope."

"Alright dear! We're having a Special right now, so I can double your order if you want." She told Drake as she pulled out his usual, five Rose Cupcakes, they're a little pricey, but because the ingredients were so rare around those parts, people didn't really care about how much they had to pay for their cupcakes. Two dollars for the regular cupcakes was a steal, as they were normally priced as four. Alyssa also went to the oven and put in another batch of cupcakes. She then handed the two boys their Cupcakes

"Attention everyone! The Flavor of the month has just went into the oven. The first one to guess it will get one for free!" She exclaimed excitingly about it. She always loved obsessing over her customers, but not to a stalker point, but it probably was also the motherly nature she had, and the hubris that her Cupcakes were the best in the state. She normally did this, and for once in a long while, her eyes were actually shining, not dull as they normally are. She continued serving and such, and waited for guesses as the sweet, tropical aroma wafted through out the room.

 

[SoulMuse]

XV: Ian Blackwood
Misty Spirngs: His House
Friday, 20 July, 2012

I sighed, nothing was on TV at the moment, and seeing as how I finished my recordings last week, I decided that I might as well eat something and go to bed. I got up from the couch, and made my way to the kitchen, both rabbit and snake following me. Pulling open the refrigerator, I scowled we I realized it was empty of anything that looked appealing. The cabinets suffered a similar problem. Nothing looked worth eating.

I sighed. “Lovely…now I need to go buy food.” Alex hissed. I flicked a glance towards the snake. “Yeah, yeah, I will buy food for the two of you as well.” I groused.

I left the house, locking it securely behind me, and headed back into town. First on my order of business was getting something quick to eat, or something along those lines.

I meandered through town, before coming to a small café I occasionally ate at for lunch during the school year. It was a nice quaint little place, and had good sandwiches. I stepped inside, and made my way over to a table, sparing a quick glance at the couple already there.

 

[*Jean Grey*]

Jannike Mortensen
Cosgrove's, 12th Street
20.07.2012

Jannike gulped down from her nearly-empty beer can as she finished the last mini cupcake she ordered. Closing her eyes, she then opened them again, still finding herself aware of her surroundings. She had a high tolerance for alcohol, but she did not want to get a DUI and have her actual age discovered. There would be no Blake to make her look older, after all. Two more people entered the bakery, both males. The older of them already started hitting on Alyssa, who quickly dismissed his moves. The younger however...now he was cute! She was still hungry, and she definitely had to cover up her beer breath somehow, perhaps head to the nearby cafe and get some coffee. However, a sweet scent wafted into her nose. Almost like...some summery flavor.

Man, perfect. Just perfect.

"Attention everyone! The Flavor of the month has just went into the oven. The first one to guess it will get one for free!" Alyssa announced. Jannike looked at the oven, her stomach still grumbling. She definitely saw a few mini-sized ones inside, the size she preferred. The smell was very...tropical, reminding her of a beach...or a beach bar. Free? She guessed that it had to be some kind of pineapple. Pineapple ice cream? Pina Colada? Or something that wasn't pineapple like...banana?

In the end though, she decided to go for her pineapple-based hunches.

"Uh...Pina Colada! Pineapple ice cream! Um...Sex on the Beach?" She started guessing, the last one literally coming out before she could even think twice. She grinned, waiting to see if she was correct. Any alcoholic cupcake and beer breath could easily be washed down by coffee anyhow. Waiting for the others' answers, she turned to face the younger guy, smirking. She saw him around school sometimes, though she was pretty certain that he wasn't in her class. Not like it mattered, he looked like he could use a good drink after all.

"Hey, cutie. You lookin' at me? Wanna drink?" She said, keeping up her smirk as she took out her second can of beer and held it out to him.