rising higher

ʚїɞ - Fern's attention traveled to the tablet when it was pulled out, but her eyes lingered on the stranger's face for a maybe a little too long as she'd struggled to remove it. Something Fern herself didn't quite catch the significance of, even though she had been captivated by her for a moment.

"Hmm..." She stared down at the code once she pulled her eyes away from the woman. When she felt confident, she made direct eye contact with her. While pointing at the line that seemed like it was giving her trouble. "Unless you want your project to do a backflip, you should probably remove that line. Also, your code could be more organized. A tag isn't going to close properly sooner or later if you aren't more careful."

#learnspells #learnspells5 #event: ofiuco u #probably someone out there yea

"Oh I didn't clean it up that well did I..." There were other things that Rapi did need to do before submitting it all. But it didn't cross her mind that condensing and cleaning it to make it coherent for the one checking it would've probably sped things up. But at least it didn't seem like it was causing too much trouble.

"...And I wouldn't have noticed that line either. I guess they weren't wrong when everyone said getting another set of eyes might help make things easier."

Not that she should've doubted her fellow colleagues and classmates. Especially seeing how skilled Fern was to begin with on a subject like this.

"Thanks." Rapi said trying best to avoid the eye contact before almost immediately failing, locking eyes only to look back towards the code just as quickly. "This probably would've taken me a few days of tearing my own hair out to find out the solution. And you did it in well, a few minutes. Crazy stuff hoenstly."

@powerofinheritance

ʚїɞ - "Rapi... I have no problems with watching you go for a run, but is jogging together really a "date idea"?" Fern was a mage. She was fit enough for that, but usually she could rely on flying for speed, she didn't need to sweat it on the ground like Stark did. That was to say that she wasn't very muscular and she didn't have much stamina. Plus she couldn't run in her dress, so she was still wearing shorts and a tanktop.

A combination of clothes you wouldn't often see her in. At least it was evening so there weren't many people in the park.

"I probably won't be able to keep up with you..." There was a chance Rapi had a plan. Like she wanted to take her somewhere with the jog, but Fern was so workout-adverse that she couldn't help but try and make excuses.

#learnspells #learnspells6 #you gotta cook fern or else you are going to get cooked

"Is it not a good idea to try and stretch out everything while it's still bright out in the day? Even more so with someone you like a lot?"

On one hand Rapi's thought process wasn't completely wrong. Nice weather along with a lovely evening was perfect for something like this. It just only hit her in the moment that Fern certainly didn't do anything really physical.

"Still you're probably right. I couldn't think of many places that we could go out together. Not anywhere that wasn't really overly fancy again. So I thought coming out here would be a nice change of pace..."

"O-oh, well. Thanks. That's, uh... well, I'm just happy to help," you say, forcing a smile.

Of course she didn't mean it. It's not her fault you're like this. Why are you still here? Is it because you have some vague hope, some thread you're clinging onto that you might be able to go back to school someday? Is it a money thing? You could always move back in with your parents, even if it would suck. Or is it a... uh...

Why are you still here? Where do your parents even live?

You flinch back, hissing at the pain that runs up your hand; you weren't paying attention, and you overfilled the coffee cup. Distractions aren't good for your health, so you try to focus as you finish the order and bring it back to the front.

"Here you go! Coffee, apple pie, and a milkshake! You're all set!" you call out. But when the red-haired girl comes to the counter, you lean in.

"Hey, can I ask you a weird question? Do you remember what you were doing, um... before this? Not before you came to this restaurant, I mean before you came to school. I-it's okay if you'd rather not say."

It felt almost on cue when her order was called to be ready that Rapi approached the register to pick up what she bought. Although waiting for her on top of everything the girl ordered was a question that threw the student through a loop.

"...W-Where was I before this? Do you mean before I came to campus?" She was home of course. Rapi graduated high school and went almost instantly into the engineering field they so desired...

...Or at least that's what she thought. The moment her mind focused on graduating high school nothing seemed to be there. A memory like that couldn't have just flew away. How could anyone forget the time they graduated? But as she kept backpedaling the so called "weird" question didn't seem as weird in hindsight. In fact they might've been onto something really weird.

"I...don't really know." As if she needed more confusion in her life. "I was about to say I moved in here from my home. But home..."

Where was home?

"...Maybe I'm overworking myself? Is that why I don't remember?"

unrequitedhero

"Aha! I knew it! So you were buying something for..."

"..... eh? Hold on now-- what do you mean 'more glamorous'? Fancy and expensive clothes don't make your appearance, it's your looks! And mine are perfectly glamorous, if I do say so myself.."

Though his excitement dwindled some from Rapi's comment, Himmel's break in his usual calm and collected character did seem to settle eventually; clearing his throat as he not-so-obviously flipped his bangs forward, as if trying to prove a point.

It probably wouldn't help much, but he had to express himself better, if Rapi couldn't see it!

"I'll admit, I don't know Fern as well as her master does; there's quite a stretch of years between us.. but from my experiences with her, I believe I can understand." Momentarily, his attention turned back to the table of jewels before them; running his fingers down a particular silver chain with a locket attached to the end. It was intricate, carved with subtle patterns, and shone in the gentle sun of winter. "She's headstrong, isn't shy to say how she feels.. it's what I'd expect in someone raised by two of my greatest friends."

He chuckled fondly at that.

"She wears quite a few silver pieces.. perhaps she would enjoy something similar? Though, with what I do know about Fern.. I think what will matter the most to her is that you put so much thought into wanting to make her happy. Above all else, that will be the greatest gift you could give to her."

"I'm somewhat surprised that she mentioned me to you.. you certainly don't have to give me context, but I'd be happy to know your name, since you already know mine."

#unrequitedhero #unrequitedhero1 #its all good never a rush lmao

"...I mean everything I knew dubbed you "Himmel the Hero". And the heroes in my world either are a bunch of explosive spandex wearing group of individuals or something else all together. If what the world's biggest Hero fan in my world is anything to go by."

And yet maybe he had a point. Looks usually were the thing most people shot for. Anyone could throw on fancy clothes and potentially grab the part. But decent looks always complimented a good outfit real perfectly.

"Still it's nice to put a face to the name, regardless of what one may have thought about them before. Remembering someone's legacy is also well, important to me personally." Especially when there was a somewhat more pressing matter on her hand, one that she didn't think was going to easy even with the advice of one person here. "But that does sound like her a lot. About how I'd describe her too."

Although what came after was just that little bit of help the Nikke might've needed with a gift.

"...That does sound a little bit more simpler then I thought. But it would definitely be a very Fern gift and response for sure."

starmament

⠀⠀⠀⠀“What exactly do you think idols do on their days off? Carry neon signs that say 'look at me, I'm a pop star'?”

⠀Anis pops open a soda with a satisfying pbsst, shaking her head with an amused half-smile despite her smartass retort. “I've seen a couple of concerts while I've been here. Pretty good, too— buuut when it comes to idols in the mainstream... Yeah, I really can't tell. I haven't looked at the charts in years, even back in the Ark. … As for my singing, well...”

⠀Honestly? It was too painful.

⠀Deep down, despite all the time that passed, there was always this lingering fear of recognition— and even if her face wasn't a dead giveaway to most people, she always worried her voice would be a different story. Pretty self-centered, isn't it? Thinking her voice would stand out in a sea of wannabe popstars...

⠀⠀⠀⠀“Youuuu might have caught me when I was doing laundry or something. But how often am I actually doing laundry?”

#starmament #starmament3 #yeah it was pretty rough LMAO #shit went from like 0 to 100 to 900 in about 2 chapters #then the other half went from 900 to 9000 in about 3 more chapters

"Do you? I mean if you are wearing a shirt with TT Star on it they'd assume it was you right? You're pretty recognizable I'd feel..."

After all when everyone had their eyes on the Ark's "Star" it was a little hard to hide away no matter where one went. At least Rapi felt she had the benefit of the doubt being part of the other more "military" crowd. But even then...surely she had some of her own fans.

Probably.

"Oh, that was you singing when that was happening? I would've sworn you put on some music before you got in the few times you actually were folding anything." Maybe that was a little bit more on the nose then she wanted.

"Still if that's what I should go off of it wasn't bad. Not that I was outside listening or anything but what I did get was pretty catchy."

farcadekitty

⏵"I... see." Grace wasn't really a military girl. She was CIA but she didn't really work with anyone from the military specifically, she was just a data analyst. The closest brush she'd had with them was when it came to Chris Redfield's unit... and she owed them her life. "Well... I can't say that absolutely absurd weapons are all that strange where I'm from either. Pretty rare though." How else could she even begin to describe Leon's Requiem other than "absurd"?

"And I'm not sure if we have any that could bust down a tank... Don't quote me on that, though." Could a standard rocket launcher do that? She felt like if someone could accomplish it, Leon could.

#ordinarygrace #ordinarygrace1 #that's really unfortunate but I understand

"Well at least some things never seem to change no matter where people come from." She couldn't imagine seeing a normal person lugging around a weapon like she did. But maybe people out there were really built different as some people would've put it.

"Though its probably for the best people don't just have weapons like that out and about. I doubt the majority of civilians or people living their daily lives need to deal with something that needs that much extra firepower. And if they did well..."

Whoever was supposed to be defending them wasn't doing a very good job to say the least.

"Rare however doesn't mean there isn't any. Anything interesting? Or not so much."

Did you offer too many choices? There's some weird buzz in the fast food world about "eliminating difficult choices" for customers, as if choosing between nuggets or burgers is really difficult. All it probably means is that stuff is gonna get cut and people will get mad at you as if you made the choice. But back to the matter at hand.

"Coffee and an apple pie, alright! Sounds like a nice way to wind down to me..." you say, punching it in on the register. Actually, coffee at night sounds like a great way to make it a long night, but that's not your business.

Oh, and the milkshake too. You hesitate for just a moment, hoping it's not too obvious as you add it to the order.

"S-sure, all three. A nice reward after all that hard work, right? I remember those nights of crunch doing storyboards or finishing up critiques. All those hours. All that effort. Not like it mattered. Look where it got me."

Stuck. You're stuck. You're here until midnight warming up pre-made pastries and making dairy-adjacent desserts while other people filter in and out as they continue their educations. Like they're teasing you through the bars of your cage.

You blink, remembering where you are.

"I-I mean, coming right up! It'll be out in just a minute, haha!" you say, hurrying away before you make it more awkward.

"Ah I didn't mean to make it sound like that." Although she could definitely see it come off that way. Being stuck here was not something Rapi would've wished upon anyone. But someone probably had to do it, otherwise it'd all be automated like those videos always talked about. Which was a real crazy feeling to think about for someone in that field...

"Still from people like me thank you. I know that isn't much but in times like these when they're practically working us to the bone each week having something like this real convenient is a lifesaver."

At the very least she could hope they understood that much. Without coming off too much like "that" again...

ʚїɞ - "Strange because of my qualifications? Not necessarily. There are probably people that are easier to communicate with, though." Fern didn't utter those words in a self-depreciating way, she just simply recognized that it was the common opinion about her. It didn't really bother her at all, it was just the way things were whether she cared or not.

As it turned out, the request was more or less what she had expected it to be. "Ah." She didn't really care much about robotics or engineering, but her own studies were integral to the field. It wasn't uncommon for engineers to lean on the programmers to help with their problems.

"Show me the code." If anything, she would just treat it like a puzzle. But it sounded like she had coded herself into a corner and there was a fatal error somewhere in there that she hadn't caught.

#learnspells #learnspells5 #event: ofiuco u #pull up that coding guide fern you got this

"I suppose that's true..." Still Rapi was here rather then anyone else that would have been far easier to talk with. So maybe she was a fool for not going to someone more a little "social". Or maybe this was the perfect individual for someone like her.

"R-Right here." Only then did she finally jump into action by pulling up her tablet of notes, plenty scrambled across the screen before finally enlarging one across the whole screen.

"It's somewhere around this line. At least that's what screams right in my face every time something does go wrong. So my guess is its in the general area..."

ʚїɞ - There wasn't as much suspense as Fern had thought there might be after she'd posed the question. Somehow she thought the more likely outcome would have been Rapi agonizing over an answer before letting her down, but the opposite occurred on both fronts. If she had been a more expressive woman, maybe she would have given more than a smile. But Rapi had spent enough time with her by that point that she probably realized how much that smile meant.

"Honestly, this is only the second time I've ever been on one. I'd say it's more personal than the first one I had." Stark cared too much about making things enjoyable for her that he'd forgotten to be himself. Rapi wasn't making that mistake. "But I think you're doing a little better, actually... You might have a slight advantage because we only just decided it was a date, though?"

She probably hadn't been looking for that much feedback.

#learnspells #learnspells4 #you will pay for the crimes (you won't)

"I'll take that small victory then. It's a good start going on the same path with you..." Considering her 0 opportunities to be on a date or even schedule one it worked out for the Nikke as well. Although when one's only chance was when your other squad mates managed to shadow you at every turn the bar could only go higher.

But at the very least it felt good. And she hoped Fern saw it the same way she did...

"I always thought the way people thought dates were in movies and books were blown a little bit out there. The whole method of doing every little thing and being dragged everywhere. Something like this is well, it's a lot nicer. You really get to enjoy the moment with the one you wanna be with. If that makes sense."

"The first time I got this weapon it was in a pretty desperate situation. Honestly I didn't even know how I did most of what I did. It just came naturally to me like everyone thought it would..."

And without it the fight with one of the Beasts would have not nearly been as simple. But once she managed to settle down back at their base it all began to hit her rather quickly. Just how absurd the weapon she inherited was actually from a design perspective.

"...I'll be real I have no idea what they were thinking. If she was still around I did want to ask. But I think I'm pretty sure I know the answer."

Because it "looked cool"...

"You seem to know what I'm talking about. Someone just doing things for the sake of doing them."

@feranmut | s.c

#feranmut #feranmut1

"For a place that drags a lot of people here I think I've only met a handful of idols. Or maybe they weren't trying to be that noticeable in public..." It was possible given the sheer volume of people in Spirale. But then again Rapi was sure she would've heard at least one or two loud blaring areas and gone to investigate. But that number was currently zilch.

At least for now. Things could always change after all...

"...Come to think about it I don't think I've ever heard you sing even once. Not even a little slip up when no one else was paying attention. How'd you manage to do that before you decided to return?"

@starmament | s.c

#starmament #starmament3 #casual conversation with these two honestly

the 3.5 anni is coming up so here's another starter call for her! They'll be on the smaller side to start off & going to cap it at 3 /w/ castmates exempt

#isola rp ad

"Oh yeah, the last-minute crunch. I remember that," you say, laughing. "Can't say I miss it. Nice to not have to, uh, worry about stuff like that anymore."

You try not to trail off uncertainly, because in a way, you do miss it. You miss classes and learning and the promise of a brighter tomorrow, but it... it just didn't work out. No point in dwelling on it.

"One coffee!" you say, shaking off the thoughts that cloud you. "For dessert, we got ice cream, milkshakes, and I think I still have some of those apple pies. Or you could do one of those flavored iced coffees? Like, I got frappes on the machine."

Maybe you should find a nice coffee shop to work at. Wouldn't that be pleasant? You wouldn't have to deal with the smell of grease or the daily lunch rush, you could just be the main character of one of those toothless cozy sim games. If only.

"Oh, wait," you say, frowning. "Ice cream machine broke earlier. Sorry, just the other stuff. Milkshakes, apple pie, fancy coffee. Oh, and cookies. Almost forgot about those."

You glance over your shoulder at the menus displayed above you, because there is a special offering as well. It's not very... good, but it's an option.

"Well, they do also have that special milkshake. You know, for that one movie? JPop Devil Killers? It's got some boba pearls in it. If you like that kind of thing," you say, trying not to frown.

Ice cream did sound somewhat intriguing until the hope was dashed almost instantly when she heard the machine had broke. Odd given for as long as Rapi could remember that machine practically never worked. Even the day it was installed she could've sworn all the buzz was that it managed to fall apart within a few mere hours. Surely someone had to be capable of having it work for longer then that.

"I'll get an apple pie too. And well..." A milkshake did sound good but then they continued on with the talk. It was a movie Rapi heard about, although it was probably harder to find someone who didn't shout to the high heavens about it. It had been awhile since she got one of those bobas too, even if her friends were more obsessed with it then the student was.

"I guess we can try that too yeah. All three then. A coffee, pie, and the milkshake. What could go wrong? "

farcadekitty

@powerofinheritance

⏵ "That's... a pretty big weapon. Are you military...?" It was hard not to notice the bulky firearm the redhead was carrying around, if that was even what it was. Grace couldn't imagine carrying something of that size by herself, which made her wonder if the owner was even human herself.

"It looks a little overkill for infected... Is it like a tankbuster maybe? But what would you need that for around here!?" Were there big and scary things she hadn't even seen yet?

#ordinarygrace #ordinarygrace1 #a few times here and there

"...You could probably call what we did military. Though it was more operations from one individual rather then" It wasn't technically wrong but what all the Nikke's were fighting did amount to one large military presence. Even if one may have not gotten that from just how much work the Counters did.

"It's an absolutely absurd weapon that I inherited from someone. You couldn't pay me to tell you what was going on through her mind when she requested it outside of "make it look cool"."

Which she supposed Red Hood did succeed on somewhat...

"Still I guess it could bust down a tank. Maybe even a building if it was all working out properly."

ʚїɞ - With half of her laptop screen being coding lines she was working on, and the other half being a tips video for a new hero shooter she had gotten into, Fern hadn't even noticed the redhead that had been approaching her until she had already spoken up. Her eyes flickered from the screen to the woman only once before flicking back. "You're coming to me for advice? Strange..."

She knew the sort of reputation that she had. Her peers usually avoided her and she understood why. She wasn't exactly the best at socializing and tended to keep to herself. People usually only approached her when they wanted to use her, and that was doubly so when it was someone as pretty as this one.

"What is it? I'll make it short so you don't need to worry about spending too much time with me." She still wasn't looking at Rapi.

#learnspells #learnspells5 #event: ofiuco u #understandable the deal has to go through

"I-Is it strange?" From everyone she asked beforehand it seemed like the decision most people agreed was for the best. Otherwise Rapi would've still been sitting around how best to approach all of it.

"There's a piece of machinery I'm trying to get to work. A large hand for those who are struggling to make full use of their own ones. Only problem is despite making it myself the software used to help calibrate is, well, not exactly easy to get right."

One of these days she'd sit down in front of a computer and figure it all out herself. Unfortunately today is not that day...

"I don't need it 100% accurate off the bat. At least 90% so I can do tests myself."

@powerofinheritance

Only one more hour. Then you can close. Then you can go home. One more hour. Sixty minutes. It's been a long day. You got yelled at three times. You had to clean up someone's throw-up. You ran out of fries for a few hours. How does that even happen? What fast food place doesn't have fries? Long day.

Your smile's a little forced as a girl close to your age comes in; she probably had some night classes or a late night at the labs or something. There's some things you miss about school, but you don't miss that. At least, that's what you tell yourself.

"Hello, welcome to McSpiral's," you say, unable to stop a little bit of tiredness creeping into your voice. "Late night, huh? Looking for dessert? Or maybe, uh... something to keep going? We got coffee."

"It's what happens when the report you thought was finished isn't actually finished." The annoyance in Rapi's voice was more then present, even if she was trying to hide it from the employee that didn't need her ire. If anyone did it was the classmate that insisted something should be changed at the last minute. Even when she had double checked all of the formulas and papers down to the last period.

But why would anyone listen to her...

"Just a coffee is fine. Though what's the dessert you got for the evening?"