tabularasa_rp | (Open) November Catch All

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(Open) November Catch All

Who: Haru Okumura and you!
What: November Catch All Post
Where: Various Location
When: November
Content Warnings: Nothing really? Maybe vague Persona 5 Royal Spoilers

A. Merlaut Apartments

[All things considered, Haru had expected this world to be more chaotic. Granted, after everything she gone through, a change in scenery wasn't a bad thing. As she wandered around the lobby, there were so many thoughts running through her mind. How much longer was she staying here for? What was happening in her world right now? What about her other friends? She wasn't sure but she knew thinking such things wouldn't do her any good.

With a heavy sigh, she figured she might as well introduce herself to anyone else around here.]

Um, excuse me? I know this is an odd request but do you know where I can buy fertilizer?

The Heavenly Blanc Bar & Café

[It was odd how comfortable she felt in this café. There was always something about the smell of coffee and the atmosphere that always calmed her down. And yet, this was also different from the café she knew back home. The addition of a jukebox and a pinball machine was a nice touch.

Feeling curious, she made her way to the pinball machine. As she stared at the strange equipment, it was certainly nostalgic to see these as she played one when she was younger.

Should anyone look by, they could see the determined look on Haru's face even as she continues to lose!]

C. Aoba Shibumenosaki Underground Academy - Gymnasium

[As Haru looked at the gym equipment, she couldn't help but be impressed. To think, there was such variety in this school! She never thought she would be allowed to try them with her father around! It wasn't becoming of an heiress to attempt to lift such heavy weights or even try the treadmill.

Hoping no one would be around, she just had to lift one the heavier weights. If she could lift heavy bags of fertilizer, a 40 pound weight should be nothing right?]

You can do this, you must try! [She said to herself before attempting to lift it!]

D. Wildcard

[Surprise me! If there's a prompt you'd like me to write, let me know! Feel free to ping me at

rosemotifs!]

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[All Haru could do was just stare in awe. Was this how gamers must feel whenever they see how well they're doing and the score keeps going up? It was a sight to behold now that she was seeing in person!

With a huge smile on her face, she simply must cheer him on!]

I see, it isn't any different from coffee. There are differences must take into account before engaging in a game!

[Haru, you're taking this too seriously]

Especially when the stakes are high as you try to beat the high score!

[There was something about the thrill of of watching the numbers climb higher as you narrowed the gap between your score and some faceless opponent. Kaiba debated briefly who in the void could have achieved the top position- but he honestly didn't have a guess. He wasn't thrown off by Haru's support as he was used to garnering that sort of response from his fanbase even if he hadn't expected her to get so invested.

In some small way he felt a greater appreciation for the softspoken girl since she was clearly able to appreciate the merits of competitive play.]

Precisely. Now you're getting it.

[Also taking it too seriously.]

Losing is never an option.

[After an extended period of time, Kaiba finally relinquished the machine for her to try again... after his was the new high score to beat, of course]

[The more she saw the score get higher, the more excited Haru became. She just wasn't use to seeing other people play something quite like this. However, the moment Kaiba returned the machine back to her, she gave a rather surprised look.

How was she able to beat such a high score?]

Ah, I'll try my best! [Suddenly, she felt intimidated. She didn't know much about him but the fact he could score so easily?

Try as she might to look determined to start a new game, she couldn't erase how nervous she was right now.]

[It was evident that she was getting swept up in it, but really this was nothing for someone with his swift reflexes and years of practice on like machines. I mean- before turning his attentions more towards duel monsters Kaiba had played competitively in the arcade scene. The establishment he frequented was linked to a global server so he wasn't just the top ranked gamer in Japan, but in all the world at that time.

Honestly, he didn't expect her to. Eyes narrowing he studied her approach and picked up on her apprehension]

You're not going for perfection, at least not yet.

[If that was at all encouraging]

[As much as she wanted to say how she had quick reflexes, she couldn't keep up as he did. She knew she wasn't going for perfection but she had to prove herself somehow to him!

Pulling the lever, she kept her eye on the ball. Waiting for the right moment to fall, she made sure landed at a certain spot on the flapper. As it reach toward the end, she quickly clicked it before the ball hit a target.

That's when her eyes immediately lit up]

Goodness, I can't believe I did it! I hit a target, that's amazing! [Although, she shouldn't be too proud of herself before the ball comes straight back down!]

[Had he known what she was thinking, he wouldn't have fully understood this need to prove herself. At least not to him. Still, it would have been an endearing thought that she had some level of pride. ~~Maybe, Haru wasn't so bad..~~.

Kaiba watched her as if he were a stern professor overseeing a practical exam. It was oddly pleasing when she nailed the first hit, and he gave the slightest of nods, not wanting to split his focus too far from the ball in progress.

There was a childlike sense of wonder as she celebrated her small accomplishment.]

You did- [Almost sounding like he'd warmed up to her.. but then he also realizes the error] .. but you're about to lose it all. [The ball slide from the table and into the receptacle designed to catch it, clacking against the sides of the tube as it went. Sigh.] …. At least you're getting the idea....

[Even without saying anything, she could already feel him watching her like a teacher. This was the same kind of feeling she had when she took ballet classes.

The feeling of wanting to someone to improve and yet, be strict about it. She didn't mind, she was glad to see someone who wanted to help her out! Of course, before she could say anything else, that's when she realized what she had done!]

How embarrassing! I didn't mean to do that! This game is certainly a lot more complicated than I thought.

[She mumbled to herself before looking back at Kaiba] But thank you, you didn't need to help me learn how to play this.

[Ballet was something that took a lot of dedication and discipline. If she'd reached any sort of proficiency he would have been marginally impressed, even though that sort of thing wasn't his forte. ]

I didn't think you did it intentionally, you got distracted.

[Answering it as if it had been intended for him to hear and not just impromptu lamentation]

Mm. [Nodding to that as an acknowledgement, for once not taking this as an opportunity to bolster himself in some fashion. He didn't really want it getting around that he was capable of being helpful.] Just keep at it, practice is what you need the most. Improvements will come in time.

I suppose so, I wish to partake in this activity because I knew a lot of my friends did the same back home.

[She said before attempting to pull the lever once more. As her eyes were placed on the metal ball once more, she was more focused on what she had to say next rather than the game.

As she watched the ball roll down, she attempted to hit it with her flapper. She wasn't sure if she would be able to hit the targets but...] To be honest, that is the reason why I'm trying to learn so I can be closer with them.

Heh- I should have known.

[Making it sound as if her reason was both pointless and a wasted use of effort. Kaiba didn't place much stock in friendship but he enjoyed a challenge. Someone improving at the only available arcade game could be a thrilling addition for him, but it didn't sound as if she would be all that competitive.]

Why go to all that trouble? [Meaning that sincerely, as he found a position to take up where he could support the wall and fold his arms]

If they're such great friends, then you shouldn't need to adapt for their benefit.

[Arguably the worst person to give someone advice about the subject however this time he wasn't too far off the mark. A true friend should accept you for who you are, not who you try to be.. that being said there's no harm in trying new recreational activities either]

[At this point, she wasn't focusing on the game anymore. As she watched the ball roll between the space, she looked at him in shock.]

Oh no, I didn't mean to suggest they weren't terrible! They are good friends and that's why I want to learn more about them!

[Admittedly, she had joined the Phantom Thieves late compared to the rest of the group. With this, there was so much to learn about them and how much she wanted to be their friend.]

There is so much I don't know about the world around me and I want to learn more so I can spend more time with them.

[She said before looking back at the machine with a fall frown. She hoped she didn't mean to imply they were terrible to Kaiba]

[Unsurprisingly her focus shifted fully to the subject he was less interested in. She really didn't need to defend them.]

Uh huh...

[Frowning as he looked past her and to the pinball machine. It didn't take a great leap of the imagination to guess which friends she was referring to, but there was only one of those he was that invested in.]

You make it sound as if you were completely sheltered until recently...

[Just an observation]

Do what you want.

[That was enough to make Haru lose focus completely as she stared at the older boy with wide eyes. Feeling surprised, she didn’t know what to say back to him and looked rather dumbfounded.]

Was it really that obvious that I was?

[She mumbled to herself] Not that I was trying my best to hide it but I’m surprised you found out that quickly.

[It's evident from her reaction that he's hit on a subject that's too close to home. Was it supposed to be a secret?]

Not until you started talking about 'needing to learn more about the world around you'.

[Haru was on the meek side, sure but that could have been attributed to other elements like having recently been ripped from her dimension and deposited here, or just being of a more gentle nature to start with]

[With a shrug]

I'm usually fairly observant.

[When he gives someone the time a day, not when he's just tolerating them for a short duration]

So what's your story?

[Haru wasn't sure if she should explain herself or not. Looking down at her hands, it felt rude to discuss her own situation to someone else whom she just met. While she had no problem discussing to Kaiba, it was more how guilty she felt for telling him something when she hadn't done anything in return to help him.]

Let's just say my father is particularly picky about whom I interact with.

[She would leave it at that as she wasn't sure how he would react to her being the heiress of a wealthy company.] Based on who they are, he places emphasis on their social background.

[If Kaiba could have read her thoughts he would have scoffed, like he would ever need help from anyone else. The very idea. Besides, the fact that he'd asked should have been all the permission she needed to unload, though he wasn't one to divulge much information himself so he couldn't blame her for holding back]

Sounds familiar.

[His step father had been equally picky on that point. About the only people Kaiba interacted with were instructors or potentially useful business connections. He could still recall being paraded around at those stodgy social networking functions to make Gozaburo look good. ~~Basically as one heir to another, it might have helped~~.

The last part made him consider her further. Although it still wasn't an uncommon practice to encourage a more secure match for a daughter, he wondered if there was more to it.]

It's practical, but it sounds like he's been too noticeably restrictive. [Ever the pragmatist, I mean- really.. you should aim higher. That had him briefly thinking to Ann and how she wasn't really in his league..........

cough.

Well- he was successful enough to choose whomever to spend his time with. Still, he straightened his posture and added the following:] Glad I'm no longer in a position to be ordered around like that. Being your own boss has endless advantages.

[The moment he heard that, Haru felt as if he could relate to some of her problems.]

I apologize for being rude to assume this but it sounds like you are familiar with having a parent like that as well.

[There was something she wanted to say too. Based on his words, it sounded like he was aware of what it felt like to be part of a wealthy company. However, she didn't want to assume that when they just met. Instead, she just looked at him with soft eyes before giggling a little.]

Indeed, my father was practically picky about whom I interacted with as he felt the need to surround myself with likeminded people. I suppose you can say he say it didn't it our brand or how it would taint our family name.

[She didn't know where this conversation would go but she felt the need to at least make herself. She just hoped Kaiba would understand where she was coming from.

Perhaps a more subtle approach to see if he was from a business oriented family would be more appropriate for Haru to find out.]

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(Open) November Catch All

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