Shin Megami Tensei Persona: Dissonant Strain (Private RP)

[NeoAC]

'Well, that explains why they're in the same group I guess...and the stuff that was going on in the common room the other day.'

Shiori was slow to leave the room, trying to figure out what exactly she wanted to do with herself now that there was no trip to the tunnels tonight. She had mentioned shipping earlier, but that was more of an all day thing. Something to be made an event out of. Besides someone might be able to come with if she waited until tomorrow.

'Well, I might as well head down to the gym and practice some more. If Coach says I'm going to have to play the two, I've got to get that jump shot falling from a lot farther out.'

She got up, waving goodbye to Rin and Hikaru, and headed down to the locker room. Her exercise stuff was still in there from earlier, so she wouldn't have to run back and get it. 'Yep, this is a good plan. I'll just do this, kill time until supper, work on some of those stupid math problems and that'll be my night. Fun stuff.'

 

[ShadowFolk]

Kumiko grimaced. How could she forget that Mori was captain of the boy's soccer team? She bowed to him anyway, wanting to avoid any sort of trouble with him. Shortly after her arrival, a few others from the girl's team entered her field of vision and was the greatest excuse not to have to talk to the scary individual. She started to stretch and do warm up activities with her team mates.

 

[Cinnonym]

And then Eber joined the field: resplendent, to the females, in his uniform that had been cleaned and pressed for this first practice especially. He stretched in the north half of the field where the boys were gathered, making friendly with his new teammates, and then he separated from the herd to face-off with Mori Takuya.

"Oi, 'Captain-sama'." The German grinned, bracing his hands against his knees, "How about a quick game?"

------

Isoroku led his friend back to the boys' dormitories, completely passing anything even remotely resembling sports or athleticism. He wasn't even sure how Kojiro could handle being on a team of... anything. It was distasteful in his opinion. He was one of very few who shared it, apparently.

"Okay, look," he said after he shut the door to his room behind himself, "So, technically I didn't ask you to come see my weapon collection. Though, you can if you want. It'd be kind of redundant. Anyway--You're worried about your grades, right?"

------

Hikaru watched the athletic field from the third floor window and, after a time, returned to her paperwork.

 

[Rosen2012]

Takuya watched as Fridmund way his way around the field, socializing like the oaf he was. But then he came up to him, and challenged him... Oh it might have seemed like he was just being 'friendly' or wanting to practice, but Takuya was no fool. His spine tingled with the delightful image of kicking the ball so hard it broke Fridmund's nose.

"I'd love a game." Takuya stopped dribbling the ball and lined up across from the freshman. "Five points sound good to you?"

----

Kojiro was a bit surprised, "My...grades...well yeah. I'm not a genius, I have to study just to keep afloat." He scratched the side of his face. "B-but if we're gonna study, we could have brought Rin, you know..."

 

[Cinnonym]

Likewise, Ne Zha was burning brightly just beneath his skin. He beamed a smile at him.

"Whenever you are ready, Mister President."

------

"No, dipshit, we couldn't have brought Rin because she's genuinely intelligent and a do-gooder and all that. Come on, Kojiro, think about it for a minute. I haven't stayed awake through a class since the semester started. Now, be honest and level with me for a second. Do you really think I'm a smart guy?"

Isoroku waited a moment for the answer, then shrugged it off. He moved toward his laptop on the desk. "Come on. I want to show you something."

 

[ShadowFolk]

When the group of females started to giggle amongst themselves and pointing across the field, Kumiko didn't even have to look to know that Eber must have showed up. And she was quite right. He stood out with his height and blond hair. Mori did as well with his bright red color. Both of them could be picked out from a mile away. For two people that hated each other, they were often seen together.

"Ladies, we have practice to be doing." she spoke as if she were in charge, but even so, her eyes were glued as well. 'Wonder if another fight is going to break out...'

Finally tearing her eyes away, she got back to the basic drills.

 

[Rosen2012]

Takuya smiled. He raised his foot to kick the ball and started forward toward Fridmund and the goal. With ever step he took his mind mulled over possible approaches, possible fake outs, how far he would have to be for an accurate shot, ways Fridmund could interfere. He never took his eyes off the freshman, but as he drew close, his eyes...their eyes...were trying to tell him something.

Something...in Fridmund.


-----

Kojiro opened his mouth to answer but was cut off, he followed Isoroku to his computer. "What are you showing me? Some sort of study program?"

'Ugh, it probably needs a new version to run...there's no way this will help me...'

 

[Cinnonym]

Yes, Eber's motives for the scrimmage were not wholly innocent. He stood his ground while Mori charged toward the goal, and when he was just close enough, he made his move. Mori faked left, but when his foot moved to recover, the ball was no longer there. Eber twisted around. They didn't have the whole field to play with, but a shared goal didn't hurt his feelings. His foot swung and connected with the ball, popping it up off the grass and sending it hurtling past the Captain's head to the goal beyond.

His instinct was infallible.

------

"Ha! Yes, a 'study program'." Isoroku's laptop booted up the program the faculty used to record their data and send emails to one another, and logged into the closed network to which it connected. Most of it was a jumble of symbols and numbers en masse at first glance. He found the second year classes taught by the teacher he'd logged in as, and then 2-B. Yoshida, Isoroku. "Let me show you how I get my studying done. Here's the pop quiz from this morning." According to the gradebook, the student had gotten a dismal sixteen out of a hundred points. With a mere keystroke, it became ninety-eight.

 

[Rosen2012]

Takuya could have cut out his own tongue with his teeth. 'Damn! How did I become distracted! I had a lay out for him catching my fa- No. Forget it.' The senior turned on his heels and moved until he was neck and neck with the freshman. Styx again was tugging at his mind, but he refused to be distracted.

Distraction is a mistake only fools and loser make. Takuya moved his legs as if he was planning to kick the ball out to the side, but instead swung his foot back at and angel and knocked into backwards between the running freshman's legs. he stopped running and picked up the now free ball, still cursing his partner for her constant attempt to foil him.

It was grating on his mind.


----

Kojiro's expression over the next few minutes changed from confused, to shocked, to confused again, once more around to shocked, and then settled on 'What the fuck'. He pointed at the screen...

"I-Isoroku...You....you're in the teachers grade book...y-you're in the teacher's fucking lesson plan and grade book!? What the hell!?!"

 

[ShadowFolk]

Sooner or later, Kumiko was the only one actually doing any practice on the female side of the field. When she took notice, all of the attention was on the battle of egos on the opposite side. She wiped her brow and looked on. From the sounds of it, Eber had his own personal cheer leading squad. Girls were bouncing up and down, chanting his name. He sure knew how to steal her thunder, but Kumiko was impressed and just like that, she was cheering for him as well.

 

[Cinnonym]

Maybe he should've listened to Styx. Or maybe it wouldn't have helped. Mori had successfully gotten the ball from underneath his feet, but rather than be upset with the other boy's goal, he seemed to be content--As though it had been his plan all along to let him catch up. To reap the drama from the crowd.

He waited for it to be tossed back to the field by an attending student, and then drove himself at it again with vigor. His dribbling was tight and controlled, and he wouldn't give Mori a single route in.

------

"Shut UP, Christ, do you need to tell everybody in town about it!?" Isoroku whispered harshly, eyes darting around his room. The tight coils of Leviathan around his brain were akin to the knots in his stomach. "You're worried about your grades. I can fix that. Don't you think saving the world is a little more important than biology and sentence structure?"

 

[Rosen2012]

Takuya after the freshman. He was good. Surprisingly good. If this had been any other situation, he would have been thrilled to have someone this good on his team. However this was Fridmund. And he had come to hate Fridmund. Immensely.

Takuya grit his teeth and pushed himself to catch up with him. He couldn't get a nudge in edge wise, he'd have to try and time intercepting his shot when he kicked for the goal.

-----

Kojiro shoot his head. "W-well... I mean..." He rubbed the back of his neck. What does one say about a situation like this. Yeah...certainly...saving lives was more important but...but...

"L-look, Isoroku...I can't just...suddenly be smart...I mean. People will wonder..." He sighed, but he didn't have time to study on his own either really. "I don't want to shoot up the list, staying a float is fine. Its all I really need."

'What am I saying!?'

 

[Cinnonym]

Eber's foot drew back for the goal. Here was Mori's opening. Yet when he closed in to take it, he rebounded off of thin air. The ball sailed between the posts.

You can't outLuck Fortune.
You can't outTrick the Trickster.

------

"Shit, no one wonders anything. You think they do about me? They don't care." He turned in his computer chair to face Kojiro, see what he could do about solidifying his trust in him and complicity in the matter at hand, "You're in the same boat as me. If you lose your scholarship, you get put right back into the crap boat with your family, and there are no second chances after that. Now on top of that, you have to go on some quest or whatever and save the day? All you need to get through is a steadily passing grade. So. Do you want in or not?"

 

[Rosen2012]

Takuya felt his leg connect with nothing, and then stopped as he watched the freshman make the first goal.

'The....hell...' And again Styx roared in his ear. It was loud, angry, weary. Something had stopped him from kicking. He glanced Fridmund, something else was there...

"Nice job." He smiled, but his eyes were scanning him over. "You're very good..." He walked forward to retrieve the ball, still watching him. Still watching for 'it'. "We could have...quiet the season..."

----

Kojiro shook his head. When had he told Isoroku about his scholar- Oh right, he's in the school's computers. It doesn't matter if he told him, he probably looked it up himself.

"Okay okay...I'm in the same boat as you, but I don't want people to think I'm a genius...Look, just, don't suddenly make me stand out okay? You can keep that spotlight. The last thing I want on top of all of this shit is for Mori to start calling me up front to poke my brain too okay?"

 

[NeoAC]

Shiori was trying to concentrate on making her shots, but the roars from outside were too great. Everytime she would put one up, another chorus of squeals would come and throw her off. 'What is going on out there?'

She tossed the basketball underneath the hoop and opened up the door to the outside, nearest to the field she heard the noises coming from. There were a bunch of soccer players out on the field, watching two of them playing one on one with each other. She could barely make them out from the door.

'Who is that...is that Soda Kid? And Mori? Fuck. That actually is a good matchup. I hope Soda Kid is kicking his ass.' Interest piqued, Shiori left the gym and joined the crowd of spectators watching this contest.

 

[Daren58]

Rin gave a quick in return to Kojiro. "Alright just call me when your ready to meet up." Rin grabbed her bag and made her way of out the room as well. She decided to take a rather slow pace as she tried to decide where she should work on her homework at.

'Hmm perhaps the library would be best. That way I can just have Kojiro meet me there when he calls.' Nodding to herself she began heading towards the library though she kept her pace slow as she went. Things had been a bit hectic as of late and Rin was enjoying the quiet walk to the library. The school halls were mostly empty right now with everyone either back in the dorms or in clubs.

Finally arriving at the library she opened the door and entered the room. Glancing around she noticed a few other students. Rin settled on a table farther away from people so she wouldn't be too distracted while she studied. She honestly didn't feel like studying to much today, but she couldn't let herself slack off.

'Besides once Kojiro gets here at least it won't seem as mundane.' Walking over to the table she pulled a chair out and sat down, laying her bag on the table. Opening it up she pulled out what she needed and got to work.

 

[ShadowFolk]

Kumiko squinted her eyes.us Takuya clearly had an opening and she knew that. She was expecting the ball to end up anywhere but the goal. Mori kicked at the ball and damn well should have connected with it.

When the girls around her shrieked and squealed for the German she played along, clapping. Kumiko quirked a brow.

 

[Cinnonym]

There it was--when he lifted a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow, for the briefest moment he looked like a different man altogether. Then, as quickly as it had come, it vanished.

"I am just good with my feet, Captain-san." He turned to take in the crowd that had grown around them, propping his foot up on the ball. "...Oi! Mizushima-senpai!" Eber kicked the soccer ball up, dribbling it on a knee. "If I win, you will let me take you out tonight, ja?"

------

"I know what I'm doing. If you're at least smart enough to agree, you'd better be smart enough not to go run your mouth off about this, Ishikawa, I mean it." A few keystrokes had him into Kojiro's grades. He altered the score on the pop quiz, bringing it up a single letter grade to a perfectly average "C". Then he exited the program, as though the longer he was in the more likely he was to get caught. "Don't worry about tests and homework so much anymore. Just worry about whatever the shit is under the city."

 

[ShadowFolk]

Kumiko smiled, shaking her head. She was eating up the jealous cries from the girls in the area. She'd be out of her mind to turn down that offer. Pretending to think for a moment, then bringing her hands up to her mouth she shouted across the field. "I guess you better win then, huh?"

 

[Rosen2012]

Takuya watched the freshman, arms crossed and scowling. 'Gloating fool...makes one goal and he thinks he's won....'

Styx hissed his ears, she was upset that one goal was even allowed to happen. Its not that he needed her, he had always been excellent at soccer before. However her clawing and nagging was driving him wild. She wanted to help....because the freshman was getting help...

He smirked, "He can't even play the game without supernatural powers...I guess the infamous Fridmund is weaker than we thought..."

Well, they say to fight fire with fire. Takuya called to Fridmund to get back in the game, Styx fell in line with him.

-----

Kojiro watched his grade change, and just gave a small nod. "Th-thanks, Isoroku. I won't tell any one..."

He gave another nod. Isoroku was right, they didn't have time to focus on this stuff...he didn't either. But he felt suddenly as if more of a burden was put on him, not lifted. Maybe if he at least puts up a good front of making it look like he's studying he won't feel so guilty...

"Uhh...Well....I know we don't have to, but I'm gonna go meet Rin to study...want to come?"