2024-07-07: 'Sweep' Sixteen

• Log: 2024-07-07 'Sweep' Sixteen
• Cast: Ruri Hoshino, Riika Sheder, Eight Orlodhari, Ryoko Subaru, Sheryl Nome, Anita Rosetta, Lucine Azul, Alto Saotome, Yurika Misumaru, Hikaru Amano, Liam 7-020, Marian Cross, Ranka Lee
• Where: United Emirates of Orb
• OOC - IC Date: July 7, UC 0099 (2024)
• Summary: It's Ruri's sweet sixteen! Minato (enthusiastically) and Mr. Prospector (reluctantly) set up a big bash to celebrate this milestone.

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<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        Ruri Hoshino, the Nadesico's littlest crewmember, is turning sixteen. This is a special year! Sixteen-year-olds are eligible to voluntarily enlist in the military, so it's an important milestone towards adulthood; if you're old enough to take responsibility for taking lives, you're certainly responsible enough to move out.

        (There are still some things sixteen year olds can't do, of course. They can kill, but they can't drink. That would be irresponsible.)

        Ruri, of course, has been doing this since she was eleven, so the celebration of maturity that comes with sixteen in their cultures is... somewhat undercut. Wise beyond her years -- and don't ask why that is -- so many of the celebrations of sixteen seem alien, to her, as she looks them up on Omoikane's encyclopedia in the days leading up to Tanabata.

        He has no explanations for her... either.

        But Minato Haruka, the Nadesico's bubblier helmswoman, has noticed her coworker's contemplation. She's set it upon herself to make an excellent sweet sixteen... which will make Ruri happy.

        That's why, when the 7th of July rolls around...

        ... they've bought out an entire arcade for the night. (Mr. Prospector bemoaned the expense. He was overruled.)

        Ruri's strange, gold eyes are wide, as she steps inside. The arcade, as many are, is kept dark in order to make the inviting lights of the games stand out all the more; fairy-lights and coloured spotlights help to lead the way, between the Kanji Fighter and Dozoo Degwa cabinets. (Dozoo Degwa is a puzzle game which has gained a lot of popularity in Orb, in recent years.) There are lower-tech games as well, of course -- like a netted area with a basketball hoop and a bucket of mini-basketballs, just inviting someone to get a slam dunk. There's Whack-A-Bo, complete with rubber mallets, those African birds called 'Chocobos' popping up their heads and taunting gamers into smacking them back down. And then there are the more tangible video games, like the dual cabinets for Burning PT which present very convincing mech cockpits to play the brawler from, or the dancing cabinets from War of Revolution to let people dance to the arrow-led beat.

        And, of course, there's Natural Lychee vs Gekiganger III, the world's greatest fighting game.

        Right at the centre, though, the fairy lights are strung up around a great big banner which declares: 'HAPPY SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY, RURI!', with tables arranged beneath it. One is for snacks and cake; another is there to store birthday gifts, so they don't get lost in the dim excitement of the arcade.

        "I'm surprised," Ruri smiles, and she is. "I've never been to an arcade before... it looks fun."

        "Everything is 'Free Play' today!" Minato says, flashing a V for Victory. "Mr. Prospector took care of everything, didn't you?"

        "Financially, it's a disaster," Mr. Prospector sighs, punching some numbers into his pocket calculator and deflating. When Minato steps on his foot, he straightens up, and adds: "But so long as you all have fun, of course it was worth it!"

        ("I'm not saying that as an accountant," he adds, whispering, to the camera.)

<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.

Riika Sheder, if we're being honest, is a little old to be a part of the main social group of someone Ruri's age... under normal, non-Ruri circumstances, anyway. She's in her twenties! She has a job! (Which has kept her pretty busy lately - not many people who haven't come to the Factory have seen her, and if you don't know what the Factory is you probably aren't allowed to ask, which only makes her harder to find despite the theoretically increased prestige of her new position.) She can drink *and* drive, though not at the same time!

But she's about average for the age of people Ruri works with and knows well, which makes it still a little awkward but less so. Plus, she really does think of Ruri as a friend, even if she's also - in some ways more than others - a kid. Riika has never been great with kids, but she gets along with Ruri well enough.

And so, Riika is here. No uniform today, but a smart blue and white top along with a short skirt and black leggings. It's the first time she's been back to Earth in months; she's spent most of her time lately in space, and her feet are a little sore from being back in the unwavering planetary 1G. She's not showing it, though.

"Happy birthday, Ruri!" Riika smiles as she approaches, having - as she likes to do - gotten there early and looked around. She didn't touch anything, though. Ruri gets first game. "It's been a long time since I've been to one myself. They are pretty loud sometimes..."

Don't tell, but Riika is a known gamer. She just hasn't had time to do something like go to an arcade in *years*. She still doesn't, really, but for a birthday, she'll make an exception.

<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.

Eight Orlodhari would't miss Ruri Hoshino's birthday if she could help it--and as it happens, she can help it. She and her family have come to Orb for the occasion, though she got a sitter for the twins because the very idea of bringing them to an arcade threatened to give her a headache.

But Eight hasn't been to an arcade in ages! She's not nearly as big a gamer as her girlfriend, preferring more physical activities as a rule. But this shold be fun. Eight and Lavnadim walk in together, eyes drawn to the fairy lights and then to Ruri herself. "Happy birthday, Ruri!" Eight's voice is gentle and she's smiling; Lavhi is much more boisterous as he says, "Ruri! Happy birthday!"

Lavhi goes to set down a Box on the present table as Eight makes it over to Ruri first. She doesn't really have time for this either... But part of being the boss is the ability to make time.

"It will be fine!" Lavhi assures Mr. Prospector. "You must invest in happiness! It is morale and team building!"

He beams. He seems satisfied with this answer.

Eight eyes a War of Revolution cabinet before making her way to Ruri. "Is there anything you particularly want to try?"

<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.

Ryoko will try anything that's Free! Especially right now, when she's as near as flat broke as anyone can be.

Which means she just sank her sixth layup in a row at a Basketball game. Ryoko's currently wearing a red sports jersey and a pair of shorts tonight, as well as a pair of trainers.

"Hey... you were right Hikaru. This is pretty fun. I don't know why I never tried this gaming thing before."

She's lying through her teeth, she knows absolutely why she never did. It's because Ryoko was a Tomboy Jock growing up, and she saw Arcades as for nerds and dweebs that didn't have a military future.

"Huh? Well sure, I'm doing pretty well right here, so I'll give another game a shot-"

Precisely Fifty Two Seconds later at Natural Lychee vs Gekiganger.

"So I'll pick this guy that Tenkawa can't shut up about, I guess. I bet I'll do great."

Thirty three seconds later-!

Ryoko in a button mashing frenzy tries to-

"HEY! What's the deal Hikaru! I can't-!" -do anything, "I'm pretty sure my controls are busted!"

Ryoko freaks out a little, as her 'Joe Umitsubame, piloting the Gekiganger III' gets viciously air juggled in a looping infinite combo.

"Wait! Stop! Give me a chance to do-! ANYTHI-!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FmN46XQius


~*YOU LOSE*~
~*PERFECT*~

Ryoko looks at the screen stunned, before glowering at Hikaru. "I bet you're feeling real satisfied with yourself, huh? Just you wait until we play pool again on girl's night."

Which is when Ryoko spots Ruri long enough to call out, "Hey Champ, Happy Sweet Sixteen!"

Before she then turns back to Hikaru... "Well it's free all night right? ... Give me a few hours and I'll definitely catch up."

(She will not.)

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Sheryl Nome has a concert rapidly coming up, and plenty of set-up to do over in the West Africa Community Union, or WA, to prepare for it. But she'll be touring immediately after that, and Ruri had invited her to her Sweet Sixteen--an important age in any girl's life, and the age Sheryl was when she debuted!--so this is her last chance to have a bit of casual fun with her friends before it's back to work. She'll indulge just for tonight, then get right back into rehearsal and preparations.
        
        It looks to be a fun and exciting night, too. Sheryl's never been to an arcade before, and so this is a delightful new experience, as comparatively low-key as it is to her everyday life. She admires the fairy lights with a self-satisfied smile, then looks around at the various arcade games, from Whack-A-Bo to Dozoo Degwa to War of Revolution and more.
        
        "This is so exciting! You really went all-out, Minato," she says. She elbows Alto, who'd arrived with her. "Didn't she, Alto~?"
        
        Since it is a lower-key, more teenage entertainment, and Sheryl is just barely out of her teens, she's dressed down--for her, anyway. Her strawberry blonde tresses are partially tied back on the sides with flowery hair clips, only enough to keep them out of her face; her curls otherwise drape down her shoulders and back. A white off-the-shoulder shirt with an explosion of firework-like color ties off under her bust, showing off a glittery black bikini top. She's wearing the bottom too underneath jean short-shorts, and on her feet are platform-heeled sandals. Is there a pool here? Who knows! If any kind of wet fun happens, Sheryl will be prepared for it.
        
        Likewise, she's prepared when Ruri arrives. By then, she's standing with Minato and the others under the birthday banner, having dropped off her present on the presents table. "Happy birthday, Ruri~!" she lilts as she applauds, smiling brightly for her littlest friend. (Yes, even littler than Ranka.) She winks and adds, "Since it's free play, we've all just got to live it up! <3"
        
        It might be a disaster, but it will be a delightful one.

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

It's Ruri's 16th birthday! Anita isn't going to miss this, naturally. And with the venue so close to home, it's remarkably easy for Anita to show up. An entire arcade... the Nadesico's crew sure knows how to hold a party, that's for sure. Anita - with her companion Haro tucked under one arm because of course he deserves a chance to wish Ruri a happy birthday, too, and a neatly-wrapped box underneath the other - lets out a slow whistle as she walks through the doors, taking a quick look around.

"Might need to come here myself, later..." Anita notes. Her eyes land on several cabinets in particular. They've got a good spread of fighting games... Kanji Fighter's a classic, and she's never touched Natural Lychee vs Gekiganger III before... Maybe she'll have to try her hand at it while she's here.

But that's later, because right now, Anita approaches the present table, setting her box down before approaching Ruri.

"Hey, Ruri. Happy birthday." Anita greets with a grin and a wave with her free hand. Haro's wing panels flap, his eyes lighting up.

"Happy birthday, Ruri! Happy birthday!" Haro chirps.

And with that, Minato and Mr. Prospector both get a nod of greeting as well.

"Hey Minato, Prospector. Thanks for setting all of this up." She offers, with a genuine smile. It's good - Ruri deserves this.

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        Somehow, in all this time, not only is this Ruri's first visit to an arcade, it's also Lucine's, if for simpler reasons of 'country bumpkin'.

        ..... And, when she wasn't, she never really had much interest in going to one.... until now.

        Lucine smiles smugly as a 'PLAYER 1 WINS' appears on the screen on the Burning PT game. "This is a lot more fun than those VR training simulations," she says aloud, yellow eyes shining with predatory glee as her chosen mech, a very female-coded pink humanoid robot with a fencing theme. ".... But I suppose it has to be, or else they wouldn't get any money..."

        The second CPU fighter, however, proves the victor in the second round, raising a humanoid blocky fist in the air over her prone mech. Lucine slumps in her seat. "I kept assuming the pilot would act a certain way... big builds like that are usually so overconfident..."

        It was a given that Liam would be Lucine's +1 guest, not only because of the 'boyfriend' attribute, but because he's seemed to connect well with Ruri on the times they've met. He also knows the 'Nadescrew' fairly well. Dressed in a casual loose sweater over a tank top, as well as jeans, she walks back to the general group. "... This is Mr. Prospector's doing?" she asks Minato, blinking. "... Oh wow... I had thought--" She cuts herself off, sensing the obvious pain in Mr. Prospector's psyche.

        The last thing Mr. Prospector wants is for Lucine to say that she had thought this was *Yurika's* doing.

        Lucine's present sits on the table, having been placed there as soon as she came in. She looks to Ruri. How *would* Ruri's own talents translate here? She can talk to machines, after all.

        "Happy birthday, Ruri! ... I can't believe you're the same age I was when I first joined you guys..." Lucine laments instead. "I just turned 17 when I met you for the first time, even..."

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Alto is definitely not the type to go to birthday parties. But there are some people for whom he makes an exception. And Ruri happens to be one of them, for Alto feels that he and Ruri are similar in ways that makes him like her more than most people he is typically exposed to. As a result, she's about the closest to being a little sister as anyone might get for him.

        So of course Alto shows up. And of course it's with Sheryl. But only because they both live on the Frontier Fleet and were heading the same way and so it made sense to go together. It's not like there's any extra meaning to it or anything!

        The sight of the arcade that they get all to themselves is somewhat impressive. Alto is not a serious gamer. He's only dabbled on occasion. But he's not going to say no to participating. Especially in anything that's competitive.

        Alto oofs as he is elbowed, eyeing Sheryl for a moment before submitting and saying, "Y-Yes. It definitely seems like quite the party..." Not that Alto is all that knowledgeable about what makes a good party.

        Alto eventually makes his way up to the birthday girl. He's just wearing his usual style of dark pants, light shirt with a dark jacket over it. Classic Alto. He gives Ruri a wave and greeting, "Hey."

        Stopping near Ruri, Alto reaches into his jacket and pulls out a present box. Small enough to fit in the palm (Alto's moreso perhaos than Ruri's) it's simple enough to lift the top off.

        Alto hands the gift to Ruri and says, "Happy birthday, Ruri." Inside the box is a fairly non-descript rectangular device. Mostly plain and unassuming, there's a gap around one end which may suggest something that opens or folds or slides out.

        Alto leans in a little to say somewhat quietly, "It's a concealable taser. You're at the age when you're likely to start running into more idiots, some of whom may require more... Aggressive measures to make go away."

<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.

        When it comes to arcades, Yurika is firmly in the War of Revolution demographic of gamer. Which is to say, its own separate lifeform subject to its own rules and idiosyncracies. Indeed, Yurika, wearing oh so summery jean shorts and a blueberry-themed tank top, makes haste towards the absolute first pad she sees, and immediately checks for just how up to date it might be. Scrolling through the song list, and Yurika quickly picks out a reasonably high energy one she likes to fill the arcade for a short while!

        <<Selected: Nami Tamaki - Realize (Difficulty: Medium)>>
        << https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGLoaXD3sNE >>


        And the captain gets right to work! Every so often, she even turns around, hopping in place to answer the occasional bit that comes up! "I'm shocked Mr. Prospector really went *huff* for it, but!" - she turns back around to the screen for a little while, then spins again - "I'm really glad he did! It was a surprise to me too! Ruri deserves something big for the occasion! I can tell that she's *huff* happy we picked it out! Phew-"

        The song's finally concluded, and Yurika wipes some sweat off her forehead, before marching back to the gift-giving. ...Alto's gift certainly concerns Yurika a little, but, seeing Ruri in uniform...Yurika realizes maybe she picked an appropriate one. In her box is...

        A dark blue bomber jacket! "I thought you might look cool with this! I feel like you might start going vigilante mode wearing this and a taser though...hmmm..."

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.

Today is July 7th - which means it's the Nadesico's youngest crewmate's birthday. Hikaru wasn't going to miss that this year... especially not when Nergal went all out and bought out an arcade. Hikaru has experience in this field, of course, though if she's being honest... a massive amount of it is from downloading the games to her PC and emulating them. An actual arcade has such a different atmosphere, doesn't it?

"Happy birthday, Ruri!!" Hikaru waves to the birthday girl, a cheery smile on her face. She's dressed casually, wearing what else but a Gekiganger vs Lychee t-shirt (for good luck!). She quickly and inconspicuously places down a cute little present box where gifts are marked down. And though she gives Ruri time to play first, after that...

She gets right into it with Ryoko, who is decidedly not a gamer at all. "Heeey, that was a good shot," Hikaru ogles, as Ryoko starts killing it in that basketball game already. "It is super fun, though! Maybe you had it in you to be a gamer all along, Ryoko..."

That is, until she crushes her hopes in Lychee versus Gekiganger. "Oooh, you're into Joe? I knew you had good taste, Ryoko!" Well... perhaps it's a welcome change from teasing her about bringing up Akito Tenkawa. "I'm gonna go with Ken in Gekiganger V, then!"

The match is set, then, and... Hikaru can't help it. She locks in, not a sound coming from her for the entire game, except for the intense mashing of buttons, until Joe Umitsubame and the Gekiganger III are blasted away by Gekiganger V's Gekigan Flare finisher.

"Oh, I'm a novice at this one, really," Hikaru tells Ryoko as the victory screen plays, with the tone that could only belong to someone who poured a hundred hours into the game. "If you switched characters to Natural Lychee..." Who's obviously the top-tier fighter in the game, standing above any of the powerful mecha Gekiganger's side of the crossover has to offer. "I bet you'd surpass me in no time~" All it costs is Ryoko's pride.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Liam went to an arcade once, as a child, for a friend's birthday party. In this day and age, he's not really much of a gamer (or is he), and the noise and lights are a bit much for him. Nevertheless, he's here, at Lucine's side as she challenges the CPU to a second match.

        "You put up a good fight," he says, consolingly, once Lucine sees that 'game over' screen. Like Lucine, he's dressed down, in a light sleeveless hoodie, cargo shorts, and sandals. His hair--which was basically red peach fuzz when most of the Nadesicrew saw him last--is now just a bit longer, as is his beard. His present sits next to Lucine's. It's wrapped in paper with a sea creature motif, and it's... squishy to the touch. Like there's something very soft and fluffy inside.

        "Do you think we should go over and tell her it's okay to unwrap our gifts?" Liam asks. "I'm... not sure how much we should be playing." Even if the machine next to Yurika's is tempting. It looks like she's really enjoying War of Revolution!

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Very untypically, Marian has been invited to a birthday party from some old Nergal contacts of hers. It's rare for her to be invited to anything. She's a workaholic, and only really hung out with her squad, and that's only for drinks and food. This is the first time she's been invited to a kid's birthday party...and at an arcade, no less.

So on the way, she picked up some sort of retro game and had it wrapped. She doesn't know what kind of game it is, or what kind of device it runs on. It's just what the clerk at the store recommended her.

When she arrived at the arcade though, she had to brace herself for it. She's a little uncomfortable in situations that doesn't involve the military or fighting. And it's clear to observers with the way she shifts and fidgets as she moves through the crowd.

"H-Happy birthday, Miss Hoshino," she greets the girl of the event. She didn't notice the pile of gifts at the center of the room. So she just...gently, and a little awkwardly, handed the present to Ruri.

While she herself is dressed in a casual pair of jeans, sneakers, a jacket over, and strikingly, a low-cut T-shirt. It wasn't revealing enough for her cleavage to show, but it was enough to reveal part of her large scars just underneath her collarbones.

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        "It is a little loud," Ruri agrees, with Riika. "But that's not so bad. It means everyone is having fun." She's not terribly awkward around all her older friends, at least; she's always been a precocious child, so it's doubtful she'd even get along with kids her age. Of course, she tries her hand at a game of Dozoo Degwa, to start them out -- and she's really quite good at it. "I've been practicing to beat Rena-san," she explains, and surely Riika understands her quest. "And I will, one day."

        There are, of course, people who aren't quite as old as Riika here -- like Alto, Sheryl, and Ranka, who were at least her cool older teen friends when she met them. (Well, she was only technically a teenager, back then. She has grown a little since then -- she's all of 4'8"! That's much more normally short!) She sees two of them approaching, at least, and her expression gentles as she turns to Alto and Sheryl. She's dressed down just like Sheryl has -- which is to say, she couldn't decide what to wear, so she's just wearing her uniform. Terrible! She is wearing a little makeup with it, though, Sheryl might notice. "Do you have a favourite game, Sheryl-san?" She asks, looking around. "What about you, Alto-san?" She's never quite managed to get on a first-name basis with people without borrowing from Japanese to get her a little distance, but she is on a first-name basis with them. They've been through a lot of good times, and some scary ones, too... of course, Alto's always been there to save them, so perhaps he'd know best just how scary it can get. She opens up Alto's gift, only to blink and examine the device, nonplussed.

        It's only when Alto explains it that she realises, "Oh! A taser... it delivers an electrical shock to disable an attacker, right?" She's a little nervous about it, for a moment... before she nods, and tucks it onto her belt. "That should be okay," she decides. "Since it's just to stun them. Thank you, Alto-san. I'll be safer with this."

        Ruri doesn't much like real guns, as Asuka would attest, if she'd actually attended her party. But since she's the Electronic Fairy, isn't it okay for her to use electricity to defend herself?

        Another of her Cool Older Teen friends is, of course... Lucine. (Who has also aged out of the category, by now.) "I'm catching up," she tells her, quite seriously. And because Lucine caught her attention, she also caught the tail end of what Liam said -- so she looks to him, and says, "I want you to play the games, too. They're a lot of fun."

        That's right -- the gaming Nadesicrew has her blessing...!

        She turns, hearing a familiar huff-huff... only to find that Yurika delivers her gift to her hands! "Captain," she says, and her mild expression is pleased, for those who can tell. (Which is most of the people here, frankly.) "What's this...?" She opens it up, and...

        "Haha..."

        RURI LAUGHED

        THIS IS NOT A DRILL

        THAT WAS LAUGHTER

        RURI CAN LAUGH

        "Minato-san did say I should dress up," she says, as she puts the jacket on over her uniform. "I just couldn't decide what to wear. But it fits, Captain. Thanks."

        As she looks over to their other pilots, Ryoko and Hikaru, she happens to catch that ~PERFECT~. She walks up behind Ryoko, and points. "That's the 'throw' button," she says. "The Gekiganger III has a smaller centre of mass than the Gekiganger V, so try throwing your enemy more, Ryoko-san." WHY IS SHE HELPING! "But Hikaru-san is right. I think Natural Lychee would suit you," she adds. "You sound very similar, after all."

        Almost like they're voiced by the same... hey, leave that poor fourth wall alone, hasn't Mr. Prospector battered it enough?!

        When she turns, she sees someone new, though. She blinks, looking up to Marian. "Hello," she says, not quite able to place her. "Um..."

        "They call her the Hero of Orb," Mr. Prospector supplies, adjusting his glasses. "Marian Cross. She defended a major point during the battle in her white MP Nu Gundam. Perhaps you don't remember --"

        "No," Ruri shakes her head. "I remember. There was a squadron who held the Federation back, at an angle we couldn't defend, since the Nadesico was occupied with their flagship... but I thought they died, so I wasn't ever able to thank them." She frowns, lightly, looking from the Nadesico's accountant to Marian again. "I'm glad you're not dead, Ms. Cross. And, thank you."

        She opens the game up, to reveal...!!

        "Oh, it's Pack Haro," she says, and Marian might not have the context to realise that her mild, gentle expression is pleased, but she is, anyway. "This is a game about sending Haro out to collect orbs of power... every new console gets its own version, because everything should be able to run Pack Haro. It's very good."

        Lahvi, Eight, and Anita are who she wanders up to next. "Thank you for coming, Eight-san, Lahvi-san," she says, and doesn't call her an Admiral, in this context. Unlike Yurika, she has enough distance to escape that fate when she's in plain clothes. "I know you must be very busy. I appreciate it. And hello, Haro," she actually smiles, greeting Anita's companion. Haro is cheating; she has a special love for machines. She straightens, and adds: "Hello, Anita-san. I'm glad you're here, too. Is Rena-san busy?" She's a little disappointed by that, but...

        "Haro," she asks, "would you like to play Whack-a-Bo?"

        Does Haro play Whack-a-Bo by just landing on the Chocobos' heads?!

        The world has to know.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        Mmhmm. Absolutely no extra meaning at all.
        
        Sheryl gives Alto an exasperated smile, arms folded over her ample chest, when he goes up to Ruri and gives her a taser for a present. "You are the exact opposite of a party animal, Alto. There's such a thing as a birthday gift that's too practical!" she comments, though the way she keeps smiling might hint she doesn't think that's a bad thing. After all, he has Ruri's safety and well-being in mind.
        
        Besides, he's absolutely right. There's a reason why Sheryl recognizes that taser as a taser immediately, even though it's designed to be unobtrusive and concealable. She wasn't always rich and famous enough to merit a bodyguard--even if Alto's contract has long since run up, and Brera's guarding Ranka these days.
        
        "I don't! I've actually never been to an arcade before, so I don't know what I'll like. But I did spot something that caught my interest," Sheryl tells Ruri as her gaze tracks over to the War of Revolution machine. That's just in time for Yurika to head back from it with a gift in tow, and Sheryl brightens. "Oooh, Yurika! Speaking of! That dancing game you were on looked fun! And I see there's a second pad on the machine you were on," Sheryl says brightly. She grins and winks. "You wanna go another round against me, or is that foul play on my part~?"
        
        Though, Yurika looks pretty tired after her play--but maybe someone else would like to compete on the Dance War of Revolution floor. (Maybe someone else will get voluntold to compete on the Dance War of Revolution floor.)
        
        That'll have to wait for at least a minute, though, because Ruri opens up Yurika's gift and laughs. Laughs!! Sheryl shoots Alto a delighted grin. Their stoic little-sister-type friend is laughing! It's just adorable!
        
        ...Which Sheryl of course doesn't say, because Ruri is Grown Up and would hate to be Laughed At. Coming to her own birthday party in her own uniform is so classic Ruri that Sheryl can't even say anything about that--but she does lean in with a hand raised and winks to Ruri. "Your make-up's on point tonight, by the way. I wonder who taught you~?"
        
        But there's plenty of other guests for Ruri to greet, so Sheryl doesn't keep her. She doesn't pay too much mind to the other guests either, there inevitably being some she doesn't know like Marian and Riika, though she does wave jauntily to the ones she does know, like Lucine and the Two (out of Three) Angels. Then she turns back to Yurika, setting her hand on her hip. "So are we doing this or not~?"

<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.

"A novice!?" Ryoko gives Hikaru a skeptical look, "... You think I was born yesterday?"

Ruri comes in though just in time, "Oh yeah? So I should just - throw her more. ... Sure I can manage that. Nice jacket by the way, real stylish."

There's that comment about them sounding the same and... "Sound the same huh? She must be a real trooper."

However, as Ryoko goes back to the character select, she eventually highlights Natural Lychee...

"Her!?"

She gawks, before whispering, "What the hell Hikaru? You want me to play her? But..." Ryoko withers a little inside as she murmurs, embarrassed, "... she's so girly."

There's a pause... 1... 2... 3...

"Do I really sound like her?" Ryoko asks Hikaru, as she taps back and forth to hear the line 'Magical Princess - NATURAL LYCHEE!' chirpily over and over.

"Guh."

Ryoko Subaru just took a critical hit to the soul.

"You know what? Hold on a second... I'll be right back to kick your ass."

Ryoko fishes out something from one of her shorts pockets. It's just a little gift bag, because she sucks at wrapping things.

"Here. Had one of these for a while way back..."

Inside... is a Neo-Tamogotchi. In color-! It's just a little egg shaped key-chain like thing, that chirps out sounds as a little cat creature.

"... because growing up my Dad was allergic to pets so I thought, 'Hey. Perfect for you on a battleship.'

Ryoko then puts a finger to her chin, looking up, "Though wait I guess you got that Mercat in that tank hidden in the back..." She mumbles, rubbing her head, "But! Whatever! It's fine! It's not like you have to feed this little guy or something-!"

Pause!

"Oh wait, you kinda do. They die if you don't. Remember when mine did- it was actually really upsetting."

...
...
...

"Happy Birthday...!"

Enjoy your true gift, of more ANXIETY that your digital pet might bite it!

<Pose Tracker> Riika Sheder has posed.

Riika's gift is sitting on the table alloted for it. It will be opened... at a later time.

"Oh, yes," Riika says, with a slight smile. She does understand Ruri's quest, and honestly she's pleased to see Ruri do something as... well, as normal as have a video game rival. Plus, it's a game she likes (though that honestly is true of a fair number of them here) and knows (slightly less common), so she can actually talk about it if so inclined.

There are a fair number of other people here too and Riika knows a lot of them. She's pleased to see some for the first time in a long time, all smiles - though she is surprised to see Sheryl here; isn't she a little too famous for something like this? They didn't *pay* her to show up, did they...? She looks like she's enjoying herself, so probably not...

Riika shakes her head just slightly. Alto's gift gets a slight frown. "Is that really appropriate for an arcade?" she asks, more of herself than him - not that she has any particular objection to Ruri having a way to defend herself, but it doesn't strike her as much of a *gift*. It's equipment, nothing more.

But Marian she doesn't know at all, so she gets a quick once-over from behind her glasses, then a slight nod and smile of greeting. She's polite, at least, and she doesn't mind meeting new people, it's all positive!

Riika, though, doesn't challenge anyone to anything. She long ago learned the truth about being a Coordinator: competing with Naturals isn't a good idea. If you win, it's because you're a Coordinator, and cheating; if you lose, you're sandbagging (even though, small as she is, there are quite a number of Naturals who are better at the more physical sports than she is, even if that's a place many Coordinators excel). Video gaming, which is frequently speed, dexterity, and reactions - her stronger points - are places she only competes with other Coordinators.

She'll watch, though. That's always fun, even if she doesn't play much herself.

<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.

"Minato," Eight greets warmly when she sees her. They're good friends! "It's been a while. How have things been?"

She turns, thoughtful, as Marian approaches. Sh remembers too, of course--but she also met her more recently. She's still deciding what she thinks of the other woman, but showing up at Ruri's party is a good sign.

But Eight and Lavhi are togeher again when Ruri approaches. Eight is in plain clothes, some high-waisted jeans and a loose white top over them. Lavhi is in in yellow and brown, a dress shirt and trousers. They're both very casual.

"I am," Eight says, "But I can make time for you. Besides, I have to take breaks too, right?"

"You are welcomee to visit with the twins later," Lavhi says to Ruri, "But we did not bring them to the arade."

Ruri laughed though! Eight smiles.

And the taser--"Yeah, she's old enough for at least some self-defense," Eight agrees wiht Alto. She'd be uncomfortable giving Ruri a gun for obvious reasons, but...

Eight... makes her way to the snacks table. But she'll still be sociable!

Lavhi on the other hand says, "Hmmm! I would like to see the Haro whacking!"

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        "Ah, you should go try it out," Lucine says, seeming to narrow in on Liam's interest. "Ah, maybe Sheryl might compete with you! Everyone'd be jealous~ .... but only once Captain Yurika is finished, of course..." She's literally tugging on Liam's arm, which is Lucine language for 'please do this'.

        But then--!
        
        "Ahh!" Lucine bites her lip to choke an 'awww' response when Ruri puts on the jacket. "That's so stylish on you, Ruri!" And adorable, but she'll not mention *that*. Like Sheryl, she wants Ruru to feel like a proper cool adult!

        And to further that title, every wise adult needs... "A taser..." Lucine tilts her head, owl eyes blinking. "That's a really thoughtful gift." ... Of course she'd say that.

        Ruri spouts some wisdom upon Ryoko, and Lucine considers, looking past Ryoko to the game screen itself. "The Litchee fighter looks really speedy, though, Ryoko... You could sweep in hard and fast, and get as much damage in before your opponent overwhelms you! It'd be just a matter of getting more damage in before that happens!" In other words, how Lucine fights, often needing someone like _Ryoko_ to back her up when the luck of the draw falls against her.

        Ryoko's gift, however, draws a soft gasp from Lucine. "... Ah, I had one of these! ...... I lost it, so it's likely dead someplace back in Nemi Colony..." For once, the mention of it doesn't depress Lucine, but, the combined weight of *two* digital deaths may have the opposite affect for Ruri.

        Lucine's own gift, if and when Ruri gets to it, is a far cry from anything useful in combat, unless... it's the combat of *dance*, and... even that would be a stretch. It's a little music speaker that can connect to a variety of different setups shaped like a little old-fashioned space ship, with a little clear cockpit where a cute octopus hovers. It's not a real one, of course, but, judging by the box's claims of 'I love to dance!' and 'seven different light modes' it seems to function as a room light, as well as a cute little display for the dancing hologram octopus. ".... I thought, maybe, you and Omoikane would enjoy experimenting with it."

<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.

        A simple gift of a jacket makes Ruri laugh - and Yurika's momentarily even shorter on breath than the dancing pad left her. ...Did...was it really that good a present? Yurika just thought it maybe looked neat! It wasn't even one she thought that hard about. ...And yet-

        There are impulses to shove forward and celebrate Ruri's laughter like this wonderful achievement. A barrier broken and shattered! A milestone! She wants to know just why it was so funny - because she doesn't get it herself!

        Yurika's body feels light with these potential actions. It's mixed with all the urges to protect and uplift Ruri. The whole point of this celebration.

        ...but she stops.

        ...The things that are Ruri's own are few and far between. It's something Yurika's always known. Is it really her place to make a laughter she caused, but did not understand, a responsibility of Ruri's to explain?

        Deep breath. Yurika just says, "I'm glad you like it. And that it fits!" A big thumbs up from the captain, who has the unenviable task of navigating conflicting roles as boss, friend, and sometimes-sorta-caretaker - especially given nobody has ever particularly told her to become the latter.

        Instead, Mr. Prospector introduces Marian right when Yurika was wondering who exactly this was - and the captain quickly moves in to offer her hand to the new face. "I may not look it right now, but I'm the Captain of the Nadesico! V!" (the v sign ensues) "You fought on the hardest theater during the battle over Orb, huh? Thank you for your hard work! I'm sorry about everyone you might've lost that day. I look forward to working more with you! ...I wonder what types of games you play, I might go against you in something to get to know you better! Maybe Burning PT?"

        Right around then of course, Sheryl challenges Yurika to a duel on the dancing arena. It's one Yurika surely couldn't win, but a fight that gets her blood pumping all the same - but Lucine offers Liam instead to sate the Galactic Fairy's desire for conflict. And that just makes Yurika more excited. "Hehe. I think Lucy's got a good idea going! I wanna see just what Liam can do going up against you, Sheryl! ...I'm still a bit beat after the last one anyway, so maybe after that round I'll be back up to form!"

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        'Ah, maybe Sheryl might compete with you! Everyone'd be jealous~'

        Liam blinks. Performance anxiety blooms within him like a twisted little flower. But Lucine's asking so nicely, and it wouldn't be such a big deal if he loses, right? "Thanks, Ruri," he says, once he receives Permission to Dance. "You can open my gift whenever you're ready."

        Speaking of gifts...

        Liam's eyes widen a little as Ruri opens Alto's. "That's," he says, "practical?" Kind of grim, and definitely indicative of the times they all live in, but at least it shows serious concern for Ruri's safety.

        Lucine guides Liam towards the Dance, and towards Destiny.

        Liam's package, meanwhile: An exquisitely fluffy blue bathrobe, perfect for lounging in. Wrapped inside the bathrobe are several spheres in a reusable mesh bag, slightly powdery to the touch. The tag--which has been trimmed to remove the price--says they're bath bombs! Add them to a full bathtub for relaxing scents, and a luxurious skin treatment.

        "Ah, yes, of course, Captain," Liam says, flashing Yurika a slightly anxious smile.

        He steps up onto the pad, feet in a neutral position. He takes a deep breath.

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

There's a lot of faces here. She recognizes a lot of them, and many of them get a polite nod of greeting. Her attention quickly moves to Ruri, offering her a smile.

"I'm glad to be here." She replies with a smile - which saddens just a little at Ruri's disappointment. "Yeah, sorry... She was real broken up about having to miss it, too. But, hey, we got you something from both of us."

And, Ruri makes a suggestion to Haro! Whack-a-Bo... It sounds like Lavhi is interested, too.

"Whack-a-Bo! Whack-a-Bo!" Haro repeats, and Anita chuckles.

"Sounds like a yes to me. Come on, let's set it up." Anita says, walking over to the Whack-a-Bo machine. Anita sets Haro down on top of it and then punches in a game... And then, Whack-a-Bo begins!!

...At first, Haro does nothing but watch, eyes flashing, as Chocobos pop in and out of holes in a chorus of 'kwehs' as a jaunty, digitized tune plays from the machine. And then, as if activated suddenly... Haro performs a mighty leap! He bounches upon the head of a chocobo, the 'wark!' sounding his victory - and then with the momentum he bounces again, ricocheting from chocobo to chocobo!

Soon enough, the game comes to an end, and Haro's wings flap triumphantly.

"Victory! Victory!" He announces, as the machine sounds a congratulatory fanfare.

"Hey, good job, Haro!" Anita congratulates with a chuckle and light applause. Haro seems to be having fun, too... she's glad.

She scans the crowd, then, spotting an unfamiliar face who looks a little out of place. She doesn't know Marian by name, but she can tell she looks a little uncomfortable. Anita offers her a small wave.

"Don't believe we've met? Anita Rosetta, nice to meet you." She greets.

Anita and Rena's present, incidentally... is a cushion, taking the form of a blue Dozoo Degwa orb, with its large, soulful eyes. It's soft and squishy to the touch due to its gel-like interior, making it comfortable to hold or use as a pillow.

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Alto actually does sweat a little as Sheryl criticises him on his choice of gift.

        It wouldn't be the first time.

        Thankfully Ruri seems to appreciate the gift at least a little, saying she'll be safer with it. Which is the important part and the whole reason Alto decided on it. Alto reaches out to softly pat Ruri on the head, "That's right. And if that doesn't work, just give me a call. My military Ex-Gear can channel the full capacity of its electrical systems into its hand for an even bigger shock." Alto grins. He's probably joking about that part.

        Probably.

        Ruri laughing actually brings a surprised look to Alto's face. He actually can't recall ever seeing that before... It's quite the sight!

        The question of video games does get Alto to look around now. Admittedly the stuff he usually goes for is typically arcadey and simulation versions of flying games. Shocker. But truth be told there is a more base level to them, which causes him to eye a bank of racing car games, "I suppose I like games where you go Fast..."

        Though right now Alto seems more interested in seeing this supposed dance-off. Sheryl's talent is undisputed, but perhaps there might be some hidden diamonds here? It's even more interesting if Liam is the one who's going to be taking up the challenge. Thus Alto moves over to watch.

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Marian simply nodded at that. There's a lot she could comment on that battle, about how she misses her squad, and her guilt for not- ...but she didn't want to bring down the mood of a kid's birthday party. A kid's birthday party. So she just held her tongue and flashed a simple smile in acknowledgement. While she couldn't tell from Ruri's mild, perhaps a little emotionless expression. She at least seemed to enjoy her gift from what she's able to glean from her words. "I'm glad you like it," she replied, then continue gazing around the room in awe (she's never been to a place like this) and idly rubbing her arm.

She did catch Eight looking at her and offered a slight nod. Though they just met recently, she wasn't surprised to see her here. These are all Terminal folks, after all, as she takes in the crowd. Riika as well, she returned a nod towards. She doesn't move towards either of them right this moment though as Yurika came forwards.

'Why the hell is this woman so peppy,' she thought as the Captain greets her. She even did the V sign, and even sounded it out loud. And she thought she was going too far with the aloof 'I do what I want, I'm the Hero' act while on the base. Though she takes her hand and shaked on it. She thinks the ditziness is a little off-putting, totally unlike what a Captain should act like, but it's certainly a whole lot easier to deal with compared to the stuffy, highly disciplined officers she's accostumed to. "I've...never played games before," she admitted as Yurika mentioned of games. So she just continued to look around awkwardly. Unsure where she should be standing or what she's supposed to be doing right now in an arcade.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        It turns out Yurika is in fact a little too worn out to go another round at War of Revolution, and it sounds like she wants to make a new friend besides--but Lucine makes a suggestion, and Yurika latches onto it, and Liam seems willing, so Sheryl goes along with it too with a smile. (Maybe she is too famous for a small party like this, but she's not here as the Galactic Fairy. She's just here as Sheryl, a friend of Ruri's.)
        
        "Then just for tonight, I'll be taking requests!" She winks to Yurika and Lucine before grinning brightly at Liam. "You're on~!" She steps up onto the other pad just as Alto follows, apparently interested enough to watch this dance-off. Seeing that brings a faint hint of color to her cheeks. It might be unfair to Liam, but if Alto's watching, she can't let herself lose!
        
        So she turns to the select screen with confidence--but as she hovers a finger over the screen, she pauses. "So how do you play this?"
        
        Maybe Liam's got a shot at victory after all...!
        
        As for the present Sheryl got Ruri--as previously stated, it's on the present table. It's wrapped up in shiny dark blue paper flecked with glittering stars, as only appropriate for a Star Festival birthday girl. Inside is a pair of hair clips: pink lace butterflies set within midnight blue artificial flowers in full bloom. They're a great replacement for the hair ties Ruri usually uses if she ever wants to fancy herself up a little.
        
        They also match Sheryl's.

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.

"What I'm saying is if I went online and played some rando, I'd probably get totally creamed!" Hikaru explains to Ryoko, a testament to the terrifying extent of the Gekiganger vs Lychee skill ceiling. "My entire game plan... foiled by the birthday girl..." Hikaru hangs her head down in mock shame when Ruri takes it upon herself to teach Ryoko the controls. "But she's right! You also have a shield on that button over there if you don't want to get combo'd so bad." Hikaru points, helpfully.

Hikaru is still firm in her suggestion that Ryoko play as Natural Lychee, though, giving her wingmate a wink. "Oh, she's a tough one," She nods, though when Ruri points out the voice similarity...

"Oh my god, Ruri, you're right!" She exclaims, as Ryoko plays the line over and over to check. "She sounds JUST like you, Ryoko," She just rubs it in her face. Megumi was one thing, but does Ryoko have a secret voice acting career we need to worry about? "She fights like you, too. You'll see~" Natural Lychee has magical attacks for her finishers of course, but as this is a fighting game, she was adapted into a tiny, yet dangerous grappling fiend.

"Go ahead!" Hikaru calls to Ryoko as she goes to give Ruri her present. "I'm gonna watch the Captain throw down with Sheryl Nome of all people!"

As for Hikaru's own gift for Ruri, she continued the trend of handmaking her presents for her friends and colleagues. This time, she took a break from her writing commissions to put together a cute little keychain charm of two cats - a black cat and a white cat, snuggled together. She remembered Ruri loves cats!

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        "I don't mind it when they're practical," Ruri points out, when Sheryl and Riika question Alto's gift. "And it's okay. There's no reason to use it in the arcade. It's for if something happens to me later." She's so -- she's so -- she's so wears-a-uniform-to-her-own-birthday-party, that's what she is. But hey, Eight and Lucine are on board! And when Alto reaches out to pat her on the head... this time, she doesn't youth roll away. That's the power of his big brother energy -- he can even manage the elusive Ruri headpat. She smiles, again, hearing his joke. "You are very strong in that Ex-Gear," she agrees.

        She is quite stylish in that jacket Yurika got for her, though, so she says, to Ryoko: "Thank you. I'm still figuring out what my style is." Which explains why she goes from sundresses to suits, depending on the day. What she doesn't say is why she found it delightful enough to laugh about, that she'd get stuck on what to wear only for Yurika to offer her something when she got here. It's a nice feeling, and she keeps it inside her heart.

        When Sheryl wonders at her makeup, she taps her finger to her lips. "A mystery," she says, as if they don't both know. (And she interacts with Sheryl so easily, Riika might note -- so this certainly isn't a paid appearance. She'd be way more awkward if this were just a celebrity drop-in...!)

        Ryoko sneaks out from Hikaru's wrath to give her a gift, though, and she blinks as she holds the little blue key-chain in her hands. "Meow...?" She asks, giving voice to what that little kitty monster is trying to say. "She's very young... much younger than Pinnipaw." Pinnipaw, of course, is the mercat which she technically isn't supposed to have on a battleship. But she just couldn't release him onto Magallanica with all the others...!

        Her eyes widen, slightly, when Ryoko keeps explaining -- only made worse by Lucine informing her of /one more death/ on Mars. "She can die?" She asks the pilots, and actually sounds -- well, slightly perturbed, but they can surely tell that by Ruri standards she's /stricken./ "It's okay," she tells the little chirping cat. "I promise that won't happen to you. Tamogotchi... Tama. Do you like that name?" She asks, only for the egg to chirp, "o/`~"

        "Tama, then," she smiles, gently.

        Minato, of course, is far more expressive than her littlest friend here -- so she just outright embraces Eight when she catches her eye. "Ei-eigh! You look great," she says, hands to her shoulders as she pulls back. "Have you been getting some sleep lately? I'm so happy for you! Everything's all the same here," she laughs, and puts a finger to her lip, as she waves a hand. "Paperwork, paperwork~! You'd think we weren't even a battleship!" Poor Yurika knows all about that paperwork, of course. She's been drowning in it worst of all...

        And Ruri nods, quite seriously, to Eight. "You do," she says, of taking breaks. She looks up to Lahvi, and adds: "That's good. It would be too loud for them. But, I got them the bikes you were asking for, Lahvi-san. I asked a mother for advice, so they should be strong enough for the twins."

        She looks over to Marian and Yurika, though, and asks: "Captain, can you really fight in a Mobile Suit, too?" Of course, Burning PT is just a game, but... is that enough to inspire Yurika to drag Marian to a challenge?!

        (There's more that Ruri could say about the Invasion of Orb, certainly, but her birthday party is clearly not the time. She and Marian are united in eliding the sad details, there.)

        "It's okay," Ruri assures Anita, though she is disappointed not to see Rena. "I'll be able to see her later, I bet. And I'm glad you both brought a gift. Come on," she tugs at her robo-hand, to take her over to Whack-a-Bo. "You too, Haro."

        Ruri isn't the most adept at these physical games of skill, but what she can do is predict where the next Chocobo will lift its head, based on the pattern before -- which means that she is able to score points, after a little practice. Haro's learning, too -- with a mighty bounce! "Haro! You did it!" She exclaims, brightly. "You won a victory!"

        Once the 'Bos have been Whacked, Ruri goes to the table... and unwraps a dancing octopus! "Oh!" She exclaims, holding it up. "He dances?" Lucine helpfully explains her gift, and Ruri nods, mildly -- but clearly -- pleased. "Omoikane and I can play Sheryl-san and Ranka-san's music for him," she says. "I'm sure he'll be happy with that. Thank you, Lucine-san."

        And when she unwraps Hikaru's present, she recognises her style immediately. "Hikaru-san, did you make this?" She asks, holding the keychain up. "Thank you. It's very good. I think they'll make good friends for Tama," she decides, as she hooks the keychain into the tamagotchi. Now there are three cats. "She'll have something to aspire to grow into, now," she decides. Hikaru and Ryoko's gifts have joined forces...!

        She unwraps a cushion, too, and holds it up. "This must be from you and Rena-san, right?" She calls over, to Anita. "It's very squishy. It's an interesting texture. Thank you."

<Pose Tracker> Ranka Lee has posed.

A certain other celebrity idol is running late, because Ruri has two celebrity idols who consider her Sweet Sixteenth Birthday Party a major event.

Which means she not only just got off an interview, but a photoshoot after in which she was helping sell 'Starlight Natto' to a more traditionalist, rural crowd in the OCU.

Which means today Ranka Lee looks a little 'Inaka' because she's wearing a plaid, yellow and brown shirt, and a pair of red overalls.

Along with naturally, an orange hair ribbon. "I don't understand why they couldn't move the shoot until tomorrow...!" Ranka had complained.

(Why couldn't they? Maybe someone who promised she'd try - just didn't.)

Still she's on her way, giving her security fits currently when she got out of the car when it got caught in Orb traffic and started to run.

Once she hits the door, Ranka jolts at seeing Sheryl preparing a dance off- "With Captain Yurika!? I'm... not sure the Captain realizes how competitive she is... there's no way she'll hold back."

She does try to wave discreetly, but at the same time is hoping not to distract her, while at the same time noticing...

"Alto's... here with her."

Her eyes fall momentarily, before she clinches her fists, "It's alright." She'll see him all the time soon enough, after the arrangement she just made.

Rather than interrupt the dance off, she beams at Ruri as she runs on up and- "Sorry if I'm a little late...!" And holding her bag forward, with both hands.

Inside is! A Hippo Cow Kigurumi! In Ruri's size! With an attached note 'Pajama Party Soon??? -R'

There's also an Osanshoo-san beret... light-green, with dark black eyes that vacantly stare off, that's sized not to interfere with Ruri's twintail style.

And a gift card.

There's not much on it, just you know, 10,000 gella, for a local highly rated Orb electronics store.

Ranka may not have any actual idea what her net worth really is.

"Happy Sixteenth, Ruri!"

Ranka beams at her.

<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.

Tama!!

Eight hugs Minato back warmly. "Thank you!" she says, and then laughs happily. "I have! I don't have half as much concealer on as I did last month!" Paperwork, though! Eight grins. "For me, too. It's nice to get back to the ship even if it's just to transit here."

Ruri is very serious, and Eight nods right back. She might tell Minato more in private, but not hheree. Instead, Lavhi answers, "You did! That is excellent, I appreciate this greatly. We also have something for you! But it is fine if you open it later." A mother for advice... "Ahhh, good! I shall trust in you and this mother."

Eight at the same time notices Marian looking at a loss. She waves over to Marian, "Check out what they have over here! It's delicious!" Snack table! she's trying to help her out. She isn't sure how she feels about her, but Eight isn't going to ignore someone in social need!!

Lavhi brighens as Ranka shows up. "Hello!" he tells her. "It is nice to see you!"

Eight smiles at Anita. "I'm glad you could make it, at least. Your Haro's really working hard here..."

<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.

        ...It somehow feels like Yurika's disappointed an audience by offering Liam in her place to dance-clash with Sheryl! She has to waggle her hands and promise to Hikaru and Ranka, "We'll face off a few rounds from now, don't worry! I can't totally exhaust myself at a birthday party, that'd be embarrassing!"

        To Marian, gesturing towards the cockpit-like Burning PT consoles. "...Well. Burning PT's the funny case. It's a fun, popular game! ...but everyone kinda knows a lot of its data goes to recruiting piloting candidates, since it's really realistic. It's like mobile suit operating! But for fun! You should be familiar with it...you'd probably win in a match against me, since, well, like Ruri said, I'm not really a pilot..."

        Ruri's inquiry forces her to clarify, "But! I gave a newer Aesti frame a whirl when we went to Gallia IV! I wasn't very good at it, but I've been trying to improve, just in case. Given how much I coordinate with pilots and how little I really operate the Nadesico, I think it's a skill that's useful to have in a pinch!"

        Yurika's grin gets a touch side-canted at Marian. "But yeah! Wanna give it a quick go? Even if it's a kinda foregone conclusion who wins?"

<Pose Tracker> Anita Rosetta has posed.

"Yeah, for sure." Anita agrees, offering Ruri a smile. She knows Rena will do her best. And with that, she allows herself to be tugged over to Whack-a-Bo - where a fierce competition ensues!! It's a close game, but eventually, Haro emerges victorious! He was happy about winning, but he seems even happier at Ruri's praise.

"Good game, Ruri! Good game!" Haro replies, bouncing. Anita applauds both of them, looking pleased, before collecting Haro.

Ruri has others to visit, and presents to check - and Anita smiles as she opens hers.

"That's right! I hope you get a lot of good use out of it." Anita replies. Everyone can use a good, comfy cushion. Eight gets a smile too, then.

"Thanks. I'm glad I could, too." She replies, and chuckles. "Isn't he just? Glad everyone's having a good time."

With that said, she makes her way over to the Kanji Fighter machine. It's been a while since her last match...

<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.

"Yeah. They die- Look it's fine, just - you know, don't forget to feed them for, three days in a row because you lost them on a shuttle ride back during a field trip!"

Thumbs up!

"You've got this!"

She waits for Hikaru to give their gift, smiling at how she does the cats. "Sure, go ahead! I'll catch up."

She does not in fact catch up, because... she can't let herself get beaten like that again.

"... Hard and Fast." Ryoko repeats Lucine's earlier advice, "So, like- I charge in, and give her a Left hook!" She mimes, shadowboxing near Lucine, "Then right straight!"

Ryoko then finally selects Natural Lychee and- "Alright! Get ready! After I practice some- I'm gonna thrash her-!"

Tapping at the controls, Ryoko plays a round by herself.

'Lychee! Sunshine! FRESH!'

The girl on screen poses, waving her wand and firing a projectile.

"Eh? That's..."

'Lychee! Sunshine! FRESH!'

"... that's..."

'Lychee! Sunshine! FRESH!'

"Aagh- come on already! Get in there and punch her!"

'Lychee! Sunshine! FRESH!'

"What's with this!? I don't wanna wand people with pink sparkles!!"

'Lychee! Sunshine! FRESH!'

"...though I'm actually... doing pretty good like this."

Ryoko hereby spends the next half hour practicing the equivalent of... spamming Hadouken. Her foolproof strategy to defeat Hikaru.

No matter how girly it might be.

"Also in no way do I sound like that."

Ryoko grouses, after hearing the line for about the thirtieth time, "You're the one who shouts your attacks, not me... it was just ONE TIME!"

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        There's a crowd forming. Liam glances furtively at Alto, then at Eight and Lahvi, then towards Yurika. (Gas-flame-blue eyes narrow, slightly, as he tries to remember if he's seen the woman talking to her. He doesn't. He only has Ruri's words to go by.)

        Sounds like she's been through a lot, though. He raises his hand in greeting to Marian, before turning his attention to his matched opponent. "Just a friendly competition," he says to Sheryl. Puzzlement crosses his face for a moment. Why doesn't Sheryl know how to--it's a dance game, that's why she doesn't. It's not actually dancing! "See these four buttons?" Liam says, pointing down at the pad he stands on. "There's going to be icons moving down the screen in time with the beat. You push the button with your foot at the same time the icon crosses the line. Sometimes it's two icons at once." Simple enough, at least in theory!

        Oh God, he thinks. Ranka's here, too. He glances back and forth between her and the controls, navigating to one of Sheryl's albums on autopilot. (Wait. Sheryl's RIGHT THERE, it's too late to change it now.)

        The first song starts playing. No notes appear at first--it's just the intro, but it's unmistakable. It's Pink Monsoon.

        Liam stands bolt upright. A glance down at the buttons gives him the directions for proper input. As the song starts, he starts to move--his arms spread bent and held out slightly to help him balance. His legs flow from step to step efficiently, but gracelessly. His input is, by and large, accurate. But he's not dancing.

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        A mystery, Ruri says. Sheryl giggles at their own little barely-a-secret. But it's a moment for them, before they go off to different parts of the arcade.
        
        Ranka's wave might be discreet, but with Sheryl still trying to figure out how one actually does a War of Revolution, she catches her out of the corner of her eye and smiles her way before giving her a big wave, arm sweeping over her head. If Ranka looks a little disappointed to see Alto with Sheryl, well...
        
        Sheryl isn't so big-hearted as to not feel she scored a point over it. Even if there wasn't really anything romantic about their coming together, either.
        
        "Too bad," she says in a c'est-la-vie tone to Yurika. Hikaru and Ranka will just have to wait. Still, she smiles impishly. "But that's fine by me. I'd rather take you on when you're feeling up to it, anyway. <3"
        
        When Yurika goes off with Marian, Sheryl looks back at Liam, who helpfully gives her a brief tutorial. Blinking widely as she sets her hand on her hip, she follows his gesture down at their respective dance pads. "Uh huh?" There will be arrows, and she's supposed to step on the right one in time to the music... She steps on one, then another, then another, experimentally. "Hmm! Okay, I think I've got it! It doesn't seem that hard~."
        
        She lets Liam choose the song--so when he goes to one of her songs, specifically Pink Monsoon, her eyebrows go up as she gives him an arch look. She's not annoyed though; rather, she's amused. She winks over at Lucine and stage-whispers, "Lucine, I think your boyfriend's a horndog."
        
        Her lithe body flows to the sound of her own sensual music. She actually does worse than Liam at button input, because she keeps automatically doing the proper dance steps rather than the steps the game wants her to do; still, she has excellent rhythm and timing. And those hips--by god, those hips. Sheryl might not be doing as well as Liam at the game, but unlike him, she is most certainly dancing.

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

"...s-sure, we can give it a go," she said, looking at the familiar cockpit looking machine. She can do it, maybe. She doesn't know anything about games, but piloting a war machine? She thrives on it.

But before she does, she quickly goes towards the snack table, grabbing a handful of chips and shoves them in her mouth. She nodded at Eight and her husband, acknowledging her trying to help her out in her awkwardness. She didn't want to leave her hanging, at the very least. And offered to join them again after she played with Yurika.

And so she returned to Yurika, and inspects the 'Burning PT' game further. She glances at Yurika a little questionably, but then take a seat in the 'cockpit.' When she did, she reached back in an attempt to put on the harness only to find herself grabbing at air. It doesn't have a harness, of course. Why would a game have one. Maybe she wouldn't be as good as this as she imagined... She forces herself to move and start grasping the controls. They're a little out of place for what she's used to, but eventually it all clicked into place as muscle memory takes over.

...but... 'Select a character?' What the hell is this thing talking about.

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

        Poor Ruri: barely sixteen, and trusted with the life of a digital animal that may not be sentient (YET).

        "Ranka--" Lucine manages to say, before two important things happen: she realizes Ranka is trying to keep a low profile, and--

        Lucine hears the first few notes of a particularly familiar song. Wait, did Sheryl...?

        'Baby pink monsoon~'
        'Lychee! Sunshine! FRESH!'

        No, Sheryl did *not* in fact pick that song. Comparing the emotional notes between the two, and Sheryl's little quip... yes. It is unmistakeable.

        'Lychee! Sunshine! FRESH!'
        'Baby pink monsoon~'

        Liam... is a horndog.

        She's glancing towards Yurika and Marian now, helpfully stammering, "... T-that's... the mech... you select."

        'Lychee! Sunshine! FRESH!'

        Lucine's face is bright red. "... I.... like... the... pink one..."

        'Baby pink monsoon~'

         "... Sheryl... does a lot better at the dancing part..."

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

         Lucine's gaze wanders to another safe spot: Ryoko, as Lychee, firing shots over and over. ".... Huh.... I really do fight like that, don't I...."

<Pose Tracker> Hikaru Amano has posed.

"I did!" Hikaru beams, when Ruri asks if she drew her gift herself. "I don't really draw animals too often, so it was a very fun challenge." She admits, still smiling. "I'm really glad you like it! And..." She looks over at Ryoko's gift, Tama. "We totally didn't coordinate that, but it worked out super well anyways, hehe..."

"Awww," Hikaru complains, when it turns out Yurika backed out of her challenge against Sheryl after all. "Though Liam versus Sheryl sounds like a pretty interesting matchup, too... Well, take your time! I've got to beat Ryoko a few more times first~"

As she returns, Hikaru unfortunately doesn't know the hell she just unleashed upon herself by pointing Ryoko towards Natural Lychee. She picks Ken in Gekiganger V again, and while she expects Ryoko to put up a little more of a challenge this time...

Gekiganger V rushes in, for Hikaru's usual strategy to come in melee with the Gekiganger Sword. Only to be pushed back by 'Lychee! Sunshine! Fresh!' It's the same no matter what angle she comes in from. No matter how perfect her approach is, she has to take some damage from Lychee's magic wand before doing anything.

"Oh, Ryoko..." Hikaru hangs her head down, finally losing a match from sheer accidental bullshit. "Are you griefing me? I didn't know you were so cruel..." Hikaru turns her head, the shine of her glasses reaching Lucine.

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        Alto doesn't actually realise the accomplishment of getting that elusive Ruri headpat. It's not like he hasn't given headpats out before. Though he certainly doesn't make a habit of give one to just anyone. Still, he gives Ruri a smirk at the joking praise.

        As the dance-off is beginning, Alto doesn't actually notice Ranka's arrival immediately, as loud and distracting as the arcade machines are. But when Sheryl waves to her, he does look. Naturally he misses any downward glancing looks, so simply gives her a silent wave in greeting, not wanting to disrupt the competition that's about to begin with shouting over loud arcade sounds. Plus significant greetings should be reserved for the birthday girl today.

        Pink Monsoon ends up being the chosen song for this competition and Alto gives Liam a look. Of course, by now Alto's probably heard it a bunch of times so it's not as big of a deal. Especially since it's not a live concert. Though Sheryl appears to be trying to make it one with the way she's dancing... Which of course means she's not quite as doing as well in the game.

        So of course Alto sees it as an opportunity to tease, "Wow, might this be the first time the Galactic Fairy finally loses?"

<Pose Tracker> Ruri Hoshino has posed.

        Natto... can even Ranka convince people to try it?

        If anyone can, surely it's her.

        Ruri believes in Ranka, and she's pleased to see her, when she runs up. "Ranka-san," she says, happily. (It's happy for Ruri, anyway.) "It's okay. You made it. Thank you," she says, as she takes the bag, and pulls out...

        "Oh, a Hippo Cow," she says, and she's pleased about that, too. "I'd like to pet a real one, one day..." And she reads the note, and nods, still quite serious. "Let's do it," she decides, the pact of the pyjama party sealed.

        She plucks out the Osanshoo-san beret, and fixes it upon her head, sitting merrily between her twintails. "I guess I didn't need to dress up to be fashionable," she says. "Since Osanshoo-san is with me, now, too." And a gift card... which holds more money than she's ever been allowed to handle.

        (Nergal... let's say... takes care of her finances for her. She's their asset, after all, and a minor. They did promise to give her access to her wages when she became an adult, but...)

        It looks like Liam is taking Sheryl on... and Ruri, at least, is the last person to tell him he's playing a game wrong. If that's how he does it, what's wrong with that? Similarly, she doesn't judge Ryoko for hearing the same move spammed a million times in a row. If that's the move she likes... there's nothing wrong with that.

        (There is, however, a wrong choice facing Anita. Only cowards and cretins choose to fight using 'Hi', the two-shield block which abjures all attacks. It's the kanji for 'Day', but the day will NEVER come when Ruri uses it.)

        Izumi Maki, the third Aestivalis pilot, looks up from where she's playing a card game which she appears to have set up independently of anything in the arcade. Are those... the Tarot? "He ain't nothin' but a horn dog," she says, eyelids lidding lazily across her smiling gaze as she looks to the dancers. "Calopus in time."

        She's fine. Just ignore her and maybe she'll go away. But when Ruri unwraps a book of Ancient Zilkhstan Proverbs, she knows at once to say, "Thank you, Izumi-san." There's only one woman that was going to come from, and it makes it especially clear that the pilots weren't coordinating. Hikaru and Ryoko just had similar visions, huh...?

        Ruri proceeds to unwrap... a Haro Accessory Kit! With an extra box of memory taped on top, and a lovely note from the Orlodharis. "Eight-san, Lahvi-san, is this for Archimedes?" She asks, looking over to them. "She'll be happy. She was a little jealous of Harro, when he got his Photon Power battery a few years ago... thank you." Wait, Archimedes can feel jealousy? Is that -- a normal thing for a Haro? That feels like it shouldn't be a normal thing for a Haro, but Ruri doesn't sound all that concerned.

        And then, she unwraps... a bath robe?! Minato leans over, to spy them. "Oh, bath bombs!" She chirps, brightly. "You'll love those, Ruri-Ruri! They're so relaxing!"

        "But I shower," Ruri says. "Baths aren't very good at cleaning."

        "Baths aren't for cleaning your body, they're for cleaning your soul!" Minato declares, patting her shoulder and looking out across the arcade. "You there!" She calls out, to the War of Revolution arcade... hopefully after the song finishes, or else she might defy Alto's prediction that Sheryl could lose. "You're Lucine's beau, riiight? You've brought the best gift of all! I couldn't do it better...!"

        "Um..." Ruri says, a little embarrassed. "But I don't really know how it..."

        "Don't worry," Minato assures her, with a wink, "us ladies can show you just how it works. And we'll make sure no one interrupts you, either!"

        Ruri feels a griefing kinship with Hikaru, in that moment.

<Pose Tracker> Liam 7-020 has posed.

        Oh no. There's no way out of this. Is there any way to explain that he just picked the first song by a singer he genuinely likes, or is--

        'Lucine, I think your boyfriend is a horndog.'

        "I like it," Liam says. His voice is tiny, mortified. Ask yourself, Sheryl: is this the voice of a man who has made out with his girlfriend on the couch while this song plays in the background?

        (It absolutely is. Just look at how Lucine's reacting.)

        Liam glances to the side, searching for moral support. This gives him an eyeful of Sheryl dancing, up close. She's hot. NOW EVERYONE KNOWS HE THINKS SHE'S HOT. Minato's interruption towards the end is like a lifeline. "Yes," Liam says. His body keeps moving as if on autopilot, but more mistakes creep in. Sheryl is catching up. "Lucine's my girlfriend." SEE, SHERYL? "Thank you. I wasn't sure to get, but ah--"

        FINISH

        Liam scores one-half grade lower than Sheryl. He steps off the platform, face bright red, nervousness animating his frame. "You did better," Liam says to Sheryl, without looking directly at her. "Sorry I can't dance. Just rote movement, hitting the buttons."

<Pose Tracker> Yurika Misumaru has posed.

        ...Yurika doesn't exactly know what she's doing in the Burning PT controls either. She says aloud herself, "Select a character? Eh? How do I even do that?"

        The attempt to duel Marian in the time-honored art of simulated mobile suit combat is rammed face first by the over-complicated controls making it a little unclear how exactly you engage with it as a video game to the untested. And so, it appears...

        The trial by fire instead ends before it can even begin.

        "...Marian, I'm really embarrassed, but I don't even know how to get this game started, ahahaha...we'll have to try something else that's both of our tempos, then! ...Wanna watch how Hikaru and Ryoko are faring instead?" Thankfully, the two pilots are really close by, and it's not hard for Yurika to peer over their shoulders. Yurika's only advice to Hikaru, sadly, is the most criminal suggestion of all.

        "If Lychee's the strongest character, you should just play as her and do what Ryoko's doing, but faster!" She's all smiles. She has no idea the terrors she's wrought...

        It also seems like Liam's throwing-to-the-wolves has ended, and Yurika enthusiastically shouts, "You did really good for your first time, Liam! ...I didn't think Sheryl would run into that issue, but I guess that makes several of us." A cheeky little smile down at Marian. "Well, don't feel bad! The idol couldn't get the dancing game to work her way, so I guess video games are a bit of their own thing sometimes!"

<Pose Tracker> Sheryl Nome has posed.

        I like it, Liam whimpers. Sheryl shoots him a merciless smirk.
        
        "Oh, I bet you do," she replies, voice pregnant with sinplications. Just look at how Lucine's reacting.
        
        This also means that Liam starts doing worse, which wasn't really Sheryl's intent--even if she wasn't thrilled to lose to such mechanical 'dancing,' either. She shoots Alto a dirty look. There's a little pleasure at the joke that this would be her first time losing; the rest of her is just annoyed, though. "You get up here if you think you can do better!"
        
        Wait, Alto didn't actually say that much--oh, that's Sheryl, hopping down (with elegance, even, despite the heels) and attempting to push him towards the dance pad. Whether it works or not, she scoffs at Liam's apology. "Just don't be so horny on main. You're embarrassing your girlfriend!"
        
        Which, on top of having nothing to do with Liam just said, is sure to definitely not embarrass both of them again, but Sheryl can be thoughtless like that sometimes. At least Liam's gift had plenty of thoughtfulness--Sheryl smiles over her shoulder at Ruri and Minato. "She's right, you know! A long, hot bath is an exquisite pleasure," she calls over to her. She winks at Liam. "Especially with a good bath bomb! You might be a horndog, but it looks like you give good presents~." She leans in towards Lucine with a conspiratorial grin. "Lucky you, hmmm? <3"
        
        She laughs as she leans back. She shoots Yurika a wry smile as she shouts over at the group, then shrugs. Video games really are their own thing. But, since they are their own thing... "You know what? I'll take you on myself, Alto," she declares, getting up onto the dance pad Liam just left. "Pick your poison! I'll crush you any way you like it. <3"
        
        And the War of Revolution goes on...!

<Pose Tracker> Marian Cross has posed.

Marian nodded. Though it's clear she's disappointed she couldn't operate the game. It's likely the only thing around that she's have any sort of familiarity to. Still she relented, willing to give something else a try.

"Yes...Let's do that."

...maybe socializing and having fun outside of fighting isn't so bad, after all.

<Pose Tracker> Ryoko Subaru has posed.

"You kinda do Luci! But it's fine!"

Ryoko wins by spamming one move-! "Yes!" But then, "Griefing? Sure I'm giving you grief! I thought that was the whole point...!"

Pause.

"Cruel? I'm not trying to be cruel damnit! Hikaru is this like that time you tried to tell me about that whole online gamer scandal and I didn't understand a word of it! Look I just practiced and got better!"

There's a long-suffering sigh, "Whatever, look! We'll just go again!"

~One Hour Later, AFTER Hikaru has trounced Ryoko THIRTY FOUR TIMES IN A ROW~

"JUST ONE MORE ROUND!"

Ryoko has... not stopped projectile camping, she doesn't even know that's what she's doing.

<Pose Tracker> Lucine Azul has posed.

"They're good for relaxing," Lucine explains. ".... You put it in the water, and begins to fizz, and it smells nice. Perfect for reading a paper book, or..."

        'Lucky you, hmmm?' Sheryl's teasing may seem merciless to the naked eye, but it's always with that same undercurrent of reveling in something that *is* good. Because...

        ".... He does," Lucine says, softly, with a soft smile. She knows what Sheryl means, which is why she's still blushing, but she's also laughing. ".... I helped him with the scents, though..."

        Because there's a few nice things about being an adult, for all the things that make it seem scary.

        "... we picked a variety of them. Different scents. You can figure out which ones you like." Lucine nods to Minato. "It's important to treat yourself every once in a while... it's easier to forget to do that, the older you get."

<Pose Tracker> Alto Saotome has posed.

        'You get up here if you think you can do better!'

        Alto sweats again and remains quiet. Because if he says anything he may have to-

        'You know what? I'll take you on myself, Alto.'

        Alto stares at Sheryl. Inside, the part of him that has tried to distance himself from this kind of thing is making him want to firmly decline. Meanwhile the part of him that likes to compete with Sheryl out of sheer stuborness is urging him on.

        The War of Revolution rages not just on the dance pads, but also in the hearts of men.

        Finally Alto steps up. Literally, onto the dance pad, "You're on." He taps through the song list before going for a neutral selection that the two of them would both know.

        Fire Bomber - PLANET DANCE (Duet Version) - https://youtu.be/EnWqPkj50Xo


        And the War of Revolution goes on...!

<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.

"That's right!" Eight confirms, and Lavhi says, "Yes. I thought that because Harro already had such a unique approach, that Archimedes deserved some care as well!"

Jealous... Hmm.

Bath bombs. Eight says, "Jealous," quite freely. Then Lavhi says, "Oh, then I shall acquire some for you as well!"

Eight... laughs a little at Minato's antics. "The hardest part is actually relaxing," she supplies.

She leans on Lavhi. They'll make the rounds, of course.