[AQ] The heart of the cards [Junko/Takeo]

[Takeo]

[LOW LEVEL]

Pool, Pool, Po--Wait, Other Pool.

Description: The Second year’s arcade lounge has plenty of games--and the students running it are in part expected to play with guests to entertain! Be it other attending students, adults, or even… hunters.

+ Play a perfectly respectful host, regardless of who you’re in front of: +1 Guardians, +2 Faberge, -1 Roost

+ Try to fish for information from your guest: -1 Guardians, +1 Faberge, +2 Roost

+ Your nerves are a bit frizzed. Passive-aggression is coming out: +1 Guardians, -1 Faberge, +1 Roost

+ Attend as a guest!: +2 Guardians, +1 Faberge, +1 Roost

Requirements: At least 1 Second year participant, tag for Admin mod if hunter attendance.





There's a few people Takeo needed to talk with. Ever since he was corrupted, no, even before that, the former captain of the kendo club had been neglecting his duties as a friend. There were so many friends he hadn't seen or talked to in months, and he felt the duty to catch up with them. But there was one particular friend he felt the most obliged to make up to: Kinjo Junko.



Junko was one of his first friends in second year, she was also the first member of his kendo club. Always besides him, always willing to support him and lend a hand, she was his right: when he was a Prince, she was his knight.



And yet he had turned out to be less grateful than he should've been for her sake. The last time he saw her, amidst his corruption, she had cut her hair. When did that happen? What occurred to her to take such a rash decision? How many fights had she fought all this time? He needed to know, and he needed to find a way to repay the missed time.



It was his turn at one of the game tables of the second year's event. He was given a few boxes of cards, for poker or blackjack, whatever it was that his guest wanted to play with. There, he got the idea to be frank and upfront with his friend: he would text her first, and test the waters for a bit of bonding time.


“wanna make some bets at strip poker against banchou.” Was his first text, followed by a sticker of ‘James’, one of LINE’s mascots, swinging a cup of wine while crossing his legs.



“Let’s chat for a bit if you feel like it. I’m at the table nearest to the entrance.” He texted next. Takeo had the bad habit of making inappropriate jokes to crack the ice, but such was the Banchou that he hoped his Junko would remember, and hopefully, also wished to talk with.

[junko ୧( ॑ധ ॑)୨]

With some amazing stroke of luck, this second year was off duty from the event. For the moment anyway. Her stroke of luck seemed to continue as she got a message on her phone from someone she had heard from in what seemed to be ages...Takeo. Even the messages before his most recent was a constant reminder of how long it'd truly been since the two had last spoken on...decent terms. She stared down at the phone, holding her breath as she opened the message. Still slightly wary that the moment she laid eyes on it everything might simply unravel back to what it had been for such a while.

She smiled softly, letting out a soft breath. Yeah...that was the Matsuo, Takeo she knew. She quickly typed up a response, getting a bit excited. It was so refreshing to speak with him like this again. With both he and Miuna in the state they'd been in, it had felt like some large piece of the school had been missing. Things just hadn't been right without either of them in her life even just for a short while. With Takeo's return, things were slowly being put back where they belonged. She..just hoped Miuna's return would follow behind.

"wouldn't be much of a bet if i win!!!

i'll head over asap !! see you soon!!"

She sent the message off, sliding her phone back into her pocket as she nodded her head. The table nearest to the entrance. She definitely wanted to speak with him again, she was almost aching for things to be how they used to be. She'd missed those times so much, she couldn't wait to make up for lost time.

[Takeo]

Takeo was relieved to see that the wait for a reply didn't take an eternity; most importantly, he got a reply in first place. That alone was a reason to celebrate. His face was illuminated by a smile, a tiny toothy grin full of expectation for the arrival of his friend. Half open eyes looked down at his screen, wondering if he should message her any further, but he saw no need as her confirmation sealed the meeting.

He was abnormally excited, tapping the table as if it were playing bongos; but he was grateful for that feeling. It meant that Junko was still someone valuable for him, regardless of the time, regardless of their circumstances. But still... Coup she bare with the person he was right now? If someone should feel disappointed by Takeo, it should be Junko: he had ruined his reputation as the strong, capable captain, and leader of the kendo club. He was also no longer charming, in terms of his presence, no longer had that attractive, caring aura he once had. Both were skills he acquired with Ousuke’s aid, and for better or worse, that side of him was dead.

Takeo prepared the table by asking a classmate to do him a favor, to get him melon bread and juice from a vending machine on the first floor. He had some spare change for the lunch of that day, and he would spend it wisely, by ‘pampering’ his guest with something nice to munch while they have their little chat.

As Junko would walk into the room and take a seat by the nearest table to the entrance, would she accept the kind of man his friend was now? A worn off guy, with a weak smile, but tired eyes with circles under the lids, and a tad longer disheveled hair that covered his forehead. Would she be alright if he was no longer the prince... That she looked up to once upon a time?

[junko ୧( ॑ധ ॑)୨]

She hadn't seen him in...what had seemed like ages. She knew he'd be different. She knew even if he didn't look different...there was no way he'd come back from all of that without feeling different inside. She knew that, it was a fact she'd come to terms with but it still hurt. To know that her friend wouldn't be the same as he'd once been before was a fact that stung...

None the less, she was still excited to see him once again. To have him message her was uplifting and she could feel herself slowly growing more and more thrilled to be seeing him once again. It wouldn't be like old times, it didn't have to be like old times. She was fine with that, as long as she saw him.

She sat in the closest seat she could get to, wearing possibly the biggest smile she'd had in quite a while as she fidgeted in her chair. She scanned the room for her captain, oh captain. It took her a few minutes but...there really was no mistaking Takeo. She knew exactly what he looked like, even after he'd been worn down by everything that happened. There was just no missing him. She quickly perked up in her seat, one hand in her lap and the other rapidly in the air as she waved it back and forth. "Takeo-chan! Takeo-chan! Takeo-chan!" She called out to him softly, making sure she wasn't too loud due to her excitement but she couldn't help but call out. She'd just gotten even more riled up after actually seeing him after so long. It was actually him. It was Takeo.

[Takeo]

...And there was no mistaking Junko, either.

Standing by the closest tabel to the entrance, there was Takeo, waiting for Junko. She was only a few steps from him, but the arcade was too busy, with people coming and going constantly, to have seen her when she walked in. 'Takeo chan' was quite an endearing term; it had some shock factor, like 'gap moe'.. he didn't look like someone called with the 'chan' suffix, but for Junko, he could endure anything. He'd even learn to apreciate it, but it was something that his old would be self could have appreciated more.

Takeo stepped away from his table, to walk across the sea of guests and hosts of the arcade, making zig zags and turns around 'round the crowd, to finally meet with Junko's figure, waving her arm with so much eager at him. It was such a refreshing feeling, like a warm welcome. "Hey." He couldn't even think of something better, something more witty to say, just a 'hey', in a timid voice.

"Been a while, hasn't it?" He stated the obvious, reaching out to hold her by the wrists. Takeo played with her arms, swinging her, like cute girl friends sometimes do, for the sake of getting a smile out of her. Next, he motioned towards his table, where a box of cards was ready, waiting for them. "I got you melon bread, too. Let's play a game." Slowly, he tried to pull him towards him, as if trying to test her trust, would she let him take the lead again? It was inevitable to feel aprehensive.