ᴅʀᴀɢᴏɴꜰʟʏ. ❜

SCREW THE RULES. MY FATHER HAS MONEY.

[dracgus-deactivated20170609]

She's been inching closer little by little. At four years old, Setsuna is just tall enough to peer over the top of his desk if she stands on her tiptoes, which she is. Finally, after several minutes of skirting the edge of his desk, her small hands touch the arm of his chair. She blinks owlishly up at him; waits ever patiently for him to pay attention and then, lifts her arms expectantly out towards him. ( azurelegacy )

     Despite an initial lack of visible reaction,  the child’s presence did not go unnoticed for long.  However immersed in his work the CEO appeared to be  —blue eyes fixed per usual upon the laptop’s screen without sparing a glance elsewhere—  he had by now grown accustomed to Setsuna’s antics,  as well as memorized the sound of light steps upon carpeted floor that had become almost expected at this hour.  In the same manner,  it was not hard to guess what the child sought,  soon becoming evident once he noticed,  from the corner of his eye,  small hands that came to rest upon the arm of his chair.

     The sound,  constant and monotonous,  of fingers tapping smoothly across keys would come to an end soon enough;  blue eyes once fixed on the screen flickering away to focus then on bright ones that blinked expectantly up at him.  Perhaps as expectantly as the action that came next—  a silent request in the form of small arms and one that he swiftly understood,  being by now far from a stranger to gestures alike.

     ❛   Very well.   ❜   Giving in after merely a moment,  Seto leaned forward to lift the child into his arms with a learned ease;  Setsuna’s light weight having become as familiar as Mokuba’s back when his brother had been but a young child.     

     For a moment he would pause,  arms loosening their hold around the smaller form as his daughter’s fingers curled into his shirt,  burying her face into his chest soon after as she usually did.  Only then did the CEO’s hands return to the keyboard to resume his work—  Setsuna now comfortably settled in his lap.   // @azurelegacy

[azurelegacy]

moodboard: kaiba setsuna.

[azurelegacy]

father.

     The cards scattered across the living room’s floor were the first to greet him—  however unsurprising such sight was,  recent events considered.  There was little to be found within the impassiveness of his blue gaze as it lingered for a moment longer;  a short lapse to be interrupted by a hand which came to rest upon his shoulder,  forcing his attention elsewhere and toward the one who now stood at his side.  The look in Kisara’s eyes was soft as only she could manage,  silently encouraging him to do what he had already decided.  It would serve no true purpose for her to offer words of comfort to their daughter,  when they both knew it was his opinion and her fear of an unfavorable reaction on his part at her performance that weighed heavy on Setsuna’s mind.

     Thus why he found himself standing in front of his daughter’s room moments after,  the door emitting a soft sound as he opened it,  before he came to stand in the doorway.  And without a doubt,  the sight of cards scattered across the floor was one he would prefer over the one now before him,  Setsuna’s words as vulnerable as her current position.  He was certain she continued to replay the last duel in her mind,  endlessly so.  He would know,  after all.  He’d done that himself each time he’d faced defeat at Yuugi’s hands.      

     Admittedly,  what happened that day wasn’t the result he had expected and certainly not one he had wanted either.  He would lie if he said he was pleased.  It was unavoidable.  But the only thing that truly succeeded in eliciting an emotion akin to disappointment was the sight he had before him now.  He wasn’t a complete stranger to defeat,  and to this day Yuugi still kept the title he’d once coveted.  Yet defeat was naught but an obstacle to be overcome.  Stand again,  try again;  become stronger.  In and out the dueling arena,  it was this what he wanted her to learn. 

      ❛   Enough of this behavior.   ❜   Albeit stern as circumstances demanded,  his tone did not carry a hint of its usual coldness.   ❛   You will gain nothing from sitting here,  wallowing in self-pity over what cannot be changed.   ❜ 

        It was easy, in the seclusion her room provided, to let weakness seep in; faint dampness collecting in her eyelashes, which she blinked away the moment the door had opened. She could cry on her own time, in her own space; but the thought of her dad seeing her in tears--- over the loss of a duel--- would have been worse than losing the duel itself. 

        The sternness of his voice is what draws her out of her curled position; she took a deep breath, subduing the well of emotion that threatened to spill over in the form of tears. Kaibas were not supposed to cry over something as trivial as a duel. After the brief moment of collecting herself, she straightened her postture into something at least resembling the confidence she’d always admired in her father. As much as a part of her would have liked to roll over, perhaps scream into her pillow, she knew he was right. Lingering on the mistakes she’d made would not change what had happened out on the duelling field, would not change the outcome. Still, it took a great deal of effort on her part to finally lift her gaze so that she could meet his own. 

        He wasn’t mad--- at least, she didn’t think he was mad. Observant as she was, it was still a little difficult, even for her, to read him sometimes. He was the master of keeping his emotions under wraps, where she was prone to cracking under pressure. His gaze was as harsh and glacial as it had always been, but it was his voice that told Setsuna he was not angry; and that, at least, made her relax a little.

        ❝I’m sorry,❞ she said at last; though she wasn’t sure what she was apologising for at that particular moment. For losing the duel, and subsequently the tournament? Perhaps. For wallowing? Maybe. For letting him down? Definitely. Her gaze slowly averted to her hands, closed into fists, in her lap. Find your edge, Setsuna.  ❝I’ll... I’ll do better next time.❞ Firm and resolute. There was no point in adding anything further that wouldn’t come off as excuses. Making excuses for her mistakes in a duel would have been just as disappointing as the self-pity percolating her thoughts just minutes earlier.

[azurelegacy]

yuugi.

              It occurs to Yuugi, perhaps belatedly, that Setsuna’s father probably doesn’t know that she’s there —— he can’t imagine that Kaiba would have a particularly good reaction if he did. For all that they had been through throughout the years, there was still traces of animosity that remained. Yuugi wasn’t sure if that would ever go away, if going back in time, being business partners, and TIME ITSELF didn’t wear it away gradually.

             He bears no ill will, however, and never has. He’s always willing to help anyone, but in particular the daughter of a friend. Friends, in this case. His head tips and his eyes widening follows closely behind as she admits what she’s there for, in particular. A part of him is surprised that she’s asking after advice to DEFEAT HER OWN FATHER in a duel, but the surprise is muted. Far away. For all the years that have passed, he still remains the King of Games, as well as the only person who has ever defeated Kaiba Seto.  Young duelists seek him out for advice on occasion, and his surprise had worn away long ago.

         ❝ Your dad isn’t an easy opponent by any means, ❞ Yuugi smiles wryly, though he still looks at her with all of the warmth and gentility that he could possibly manage. ❝ He has a brain for strategy and excels when it comes to a lot of games, not just duel monsters, ❞ he pauses, and his gaze turns more considering. ❝ You’re plenty smart yourself, though. As smart as he is. Some of the best advice that I can give anyone when it comes to dueling, even dueling your dad, is to believe in yourself. ❞

       The advice Yuugi gives her isn’t exactly something she expected. It is a world away from the sort of advice her father would have given her on beating an opponent; it’s wrapped in sentiment and heartfelt sincerity. Kaiba Seto is not a man of sentiment--- he never would have said something so comically simple; not because he didn’t believe in her, because he did, but because her father was the sort of man that didn’t show his emotions very often. Setsuna knows this well.

      Still, she has to smile a little at the subtle compliment Yuugi gives her. It’s always a pleasant surprise to be told she’s as smart as her dad--- she’s always thought her father to be the smartest man in the world, and that wasn’t just because she was his daughter and inherently biased ( although that was true, too ); she genuinely didn’t know anyone who could match him in intellect, which was why he was such a challenging opponent in Duel Monsters. In any game, really, because Yuugi was right--- Kaiba Seto excelled in plenty of games besides Duel Monsters. Setsuna knew that better than anyone. She’d been absolutely demolished in Chess more times than she could count.

      ❝Believe in myself...❞ She repeats the words quietly with an odd quality to her voice, as though it’s the first time she’s ever head of such a concept. It’s not, of course; but, compared to her parents, Setsuna hadn’t quite yet embraced all her potential self-confidence. ❝My dad told me once that you liked to talk about the... the heart of the cards? He said it was nonsense--- no offence--- but... I think I understand it. Better than HE does, anyway.❞

[azurelegacy]

headcanon 002.

duelling.

Setsuna duels with a Winged Beast deck, however this wasn’t her initial deck to start with. In the beginning she tried to duel with a deck much more similar to Seto’s; featuring powerful, dragon-type monsters and power-boosting spell cards. It only took a handful of duels for her to come to the conclusion that this was not the right deck for her and scrapped it in favour of building a deck more suited to her tastes and style of duelling. Aside from the fact that it didn’t suit her, she also didn’t want her duelling to be a mirror image of Seto’s--- she wanted to create her own deck, completely hers and unique to her style and strategies. Thus, her current deck was born.

Despite her deck being different, she does have a very similar duelling style to her father. She largely relies on strategy and anticipating the moves of her opponents; however, the key difference between her and Seto is that Setsuna also holds a fair bit of sentiment for her cards. Her cards, especially because it’s her own deck and not a copy of Seto’s, are very special to her--- she trusts her cards--- and she knows, from studying past duels between Yuugi and Seto, that this key difference may just be the advantage she needs to beat her father at his own game.

As an addendum to this, duelling her dad is always a bit of a spectacle, publicly or otherwise. They get really into it and because of that, it’s the ONLY time Setsuna is allowed to get away with smack-talking her dad ( something she’d never do outside of the duel arena ).  

On the duelling field, Seto treats her as an equal--- she is his opponent first and his daughter, second. He never goes easy on her, which she’s grateful for-- even if it’s mildly aggravating too. As much as she’d love for it to be easier to defeat her dad in a duel, she would never be satisfied beating him if he weren’t playing at his best.

[azurelegacy]

                               ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴡɪɴɢs ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴛᴏ ꜰʟʏ.

[atsumusmiya]

[frivolous-wonderer]

Visit Original Link

[azurelegacy]

I wanna be stronger Than the me of yesterday Watch over me I can make it (I can make it)

[azurelegacy]

azurelegacy:

s…………….. starter call? starter call.

[azurelegacy]

daisuke.

             ❝ What I always do, ❞ he shrugs like it’s nothing when it isn’t really NOTHING, per say, because he feels a soft pang of disappointment every time he has to part with an animal, but it’s honestly just standard at this point. He’s been doing this since he was young and it’s the same song and dance, and maybe one day he’ll learn, but he’s been unwilling to give in just yet.

                 It’s pretty silly, honestly, and he’s not sure why he’s so determined when it comes to this sort of thing, but he is. Daisuke always knows what the outcome will be, but he wants to try anyways. He can’t imagine a day that he’ll give up on trying to bring strays home, and he’s not sure what’ll have happened to him to make that day come. So he persists.

             ❝ I’ll say my sad goodbyes, ❞ he’s being a bit OVER DRAMATIC but it’s the best way that he knows how to amuse and sometimes it’s nice to get Setsuna to smile. He lifts the small kitten and touches his forehead to hers, grinning softly before squishing their cheeks together.  ❝ Then I’ll take her to the local shelter and check in every other day to make sure that she gets adopted into a nice home. ❞ The same song and dance.

       His tactic works. The corners of her mouth lift into the barest hint of a smile, amusement glimmering in her eyes. He’s persistent, at least, which she can admire, even if she doesn’t wholly agree with his methods. With their moms being friends, she’s known Daisuke and his siblings for most of her life; she knows that this is far from the last time he’ll pull one of these stunts--- though it’s in her nature to be the voice of reason and try to dissuade him. It’s always futile in the end. Daisuke will do what he wants until his parents say otherwise.

        With a sigh that could have very well sounded like surrender, Setsuna finally steps forward. She stretches a palm out, bends at the knees, and gives the kitten an awkward pat between the ears. Okay, she is pretty adorable. Under her fingers, Setsuna can feel the soft vibrations her purring. Her gaze softens; it’s the German Shepherd all over again. ❝If it weren’t for your mom, I think you and Yuugi-san would have an entire house full of animals.❞ The sad part is she’s not so sure that’s an exaggeration. 

        ❝...If your mom lets you keep her, can I help?❞ Setsuna isn’t entirely sure why she feels compelled to ask. Perhaps it is some old, buried disappointment that still lingers for not getting to have her own pet. But the offer is there. ❝I mean--- if she needs to get shots or whatever, I can pitch in. I have allowance money and my dad can’t necessarily say no; it’s mine to do with what I want.❞ 

[blair-essentials]

[azurelegacy]

headcanon 001.

Setsuna’s style is very much influenced by old, vintage glamour. She loves the elegance and class of women like Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, while still throwing in her own modern touches with beaded embellishments around collars and hemlines. Her wardrobe reflects an expensive, refined taste. Nothing is second-hand or store-bought from chain retailers. 

In addition to this, her eye for fashion has resulted in binders full of magazine cut-outs from various couture fashion lines featuring the latest trends, colour schemes, and fabric samples. She also has a sketchbook filled with some of her own designs--- though she’s never shown them to anyone. 

[azurelegacy]

daisuke.

            Okay, so, there is definitely something to be said as to his BAD HABIT regarding animals. Well, strays. Daisuke is drawn to them no matter what situation he’s in —— walking to school and there’s a stray dog in an alley? He’s definitely going to stop to make sure it’s okay. Late to dance practice and there’s a cat up in a tree? His instructor is just going to have to deal, because that’s takes top priority. He get’s it from his dad, okay? That automatically means it’s not ALL BAD. Really, it’s a good thing.

             Not that his mom particularly agrees but, well, she married his dad, didn’t she? Ergo, she’s at least kind of used to it. Kind of. ( maybe he’s a bit more listless and intent about it, to be fair. )

          ❝ She’s not an it, and you’re gonna make her self-conscious, standing that far away, ❞ Daisuke says, holding the cat close to his chest, scratching under her chin adoringly. Setsuna has a point, he really should ask his mom first, but. Well. Easier to ask for forgiveness than plead for permission, right? That kinda how he OPERATES.  ❝ It’ll be fiiiiine, though, trust me. Just look at her face —— who could say no to that? ❞

        Whatever softness might have been in Setsuna’s expression flatlines the moment Daisuke opens his mouth. She doesn’t get it. Not really. Logically, she knows there’s no reason for a cat to feel self-conscious. The very idea of it is ridiculous. Therefore, she feels unsympathetic towards her friend’s efforts. ❝I could. My dad DEFINITELY could.❞

     She’d tried, once, when she was ten with a German Shepherd that had tried to follow her home through the park. Setsuna never begged for anything, but she’d all but cried when Seto put his foot down and told her absolutely not. Kisara, at least, let her take the dog to a shelter where it could be properly adopted out. She never tried bringing home an animal again. 

     Setsuna folds her arms, making no effort whatsoever to close the distance. Besides the fact the cat was in dire need of a bath, she was positive it would leave evidence of fur behind on her uniform, which was unacceptable. She’d take her chances offending the creature. ❝Well, I still think you should ask first.There’s always the chance she’ll say no, and then what will you do?❞ Because if he thinks for one minute SHE’S going to take it home, he’s seriously mistaken.

[azurelegacy]

        Without a doubt, Setsuna would have been strung up by the ears if she even so much as considered bringing home a stray animal; especially if she did so without first consulting her parents. Maybe that’s why she’s so confounded by Daisuke’s current predicament. Suddenly, it’s becoming quite clear that Hikari’s complaints hadn’t been an exaggeration. 

        It’s not as though the kitten is mangy. It’s actually rather cute--- for a stray, at least. The poor thing is underweight and hardly looks old enough to be without its mother. 

        ❝I don’t know about this... shouldn’t you ask your mother first?❞ It is not coincidence that Setsuna keeps several feet of distance between herself and Daisuke, eyeing the kitten which had now taken up residence in his arms. She wrinkles her nose a bit. ❝You don’t even know if it has a disease.❞

@danceloved | didn’t ask for a starter but is getting one.

[azurelegacy]

a couple years of up-all-night and a few thousand diapers later that mistake he thought he made covers up the refrigerator oh yeah, he LOVES that little girl

mama’s waiting to tuck her in as she fumbles up those stairs she smiles back at him, dragging that teddy bear-- sleep tight BLUE eyes and bouncing curls and he smiles

there goes my life there goes my FUTURE, my everything “i love you, daddy, good night”  THERE GOES MY LIFE

“There Goes My Life” - Kenny Chesney

[themotivationjournals]

You are beautiful because you let yourself feel, and that is a brave thing indeed.

Shinji Moon (via themotivationjournals)

@boargored

(via bowofbenbulben)

[azurelegacy]

yuugi.

                 Inventory wouldn’t sort itself, and considering the fact that he’s the only regular employee at the Kame Game Shop, the job naturally fell to him. Well, that was a bit of a lie —— there were other employees, but the schedule was rather SPARSE and it’s not like he particularly minded doing this kind of work. It’s what he did for his grandpa before the shop had fallen into his possession, and it’s like breathing, doing this sort of thing. In some ways, it’s SOOTHING.

                So he finishes the section that he’s on when he hears the bell and wipes off his hands and doesn’t quite take his time, but he’s not in any particular rush. Whilst a customer coming into the shop is something of a surprise ( it’s a small family owned game shop, after all, and his own notoriety can only draw so much butt hey’re still afloat nonetheless ) but seeing Kaiba Setsuna is another surprise in and of itself.

              Still, he smiles widely without hesitation, because it feels as if it’s been forever since he had last seen this girl ( though surely it couldn’t have been THAT LONG in the grand scheme of things ) and, well, it’s just in his nature, isn’t it?  ❝ Good morning, Setsuna-chan! This isn’t a bad time at all, ❞ he’s guileless and gentle as always and comes out from behind the counter, only to lean back against it. ❝ You don’t have to be so formal with me, though, honestly. What can I do for you, today? ❞

        Setsuna has seen pictures of the Game Shop from years ago, when it was run by Yuugi’s grandfather. It is in much the same condition now as it was then; the same paint, the same shelves, the same layout; dust collecting in the corners and covering decades worth of memories. Only the merchandise has changed, evolving with the game of Duel Monsters itself. 

        She steps a bit closer to inspect the cards under the glass counter; still quiet and contemplative. It is only after Yuugi’s insistence she needn’t be formal that Setsuna finally allows herself to relax, facial expression softening into something almost fond. She likes Yuugi; likes his family. They’re sweet and welcoming--- whatever animosity might have existed between her father and Yuugi ( moreso for the former than the latter ), gratefully doesn’t exist when it comes to her. 

        ❝Well, I was hoping I could get your help with something,❞ she starts. Her hands, which had been clasped together, start to fidget a little nervously. A part of her wonders if she should even be doing this. It’s too late now, though. She’s here and Yuugi’s listening. ❝I wanted your advice... about duelling. About duelling my dad, actually.❞