First Event: The After Party (Aoi and the Holy Gumball Empire)

Card Capital 2 was experiencing a bit of a lull in the usual afternoon activity due to the many fighters who were tired from participating at the Zoo event. This made it perfect for the incoming squad to come and make some noise without annoying too many other people.

Tamotsu's energy seemed to be running out as they settled into their spot. He sat nearby Jessie and leaned up against him while trying to pay attention to what went on. Back at the reserve Hana had asked him how his sash worked and as they began leaving the dog had begun to attempt an explanation. But he really didn't know how they functioned they way they did, just that they did. So there was really only one thing to ask in respond.

"How do your arms work?" he questioned the idol, for moving the sash about was as natural for him as moving any of his legs. He'd been panting most of his way to the shop from attempting to keep up with Aoi. He was still very much painted up like a tiger as he would be until a thorough bath that night or the next day which almost scared the shopkeeper half to death.

Tsubame meanwhile had tried her hardest to explain to Aoi what it meant to be shonen. She didn't think it would help people play vanguard better but then maybe Jessie was proof that it did. Regardless she wanted to enlighten this poor soul as to the generic nature of shonen action stories and protagonists. This proved difficult due to Aoi's attention span combined with the discussion of cool sounding main stream shows like Phoenix Cube Q, Two Piece, and Your Villain Academia only seeming to excite her. There was to be no expressing how limited and flawed these stories were by nature. She was a lost cause and so Tsubame gave up about half way to the shop.

Upon arriving the girl sat with the group but promptly resumed reading her manga from before, commenting that so many quirky characters had appeared that she hadn't been able to get as far into it during the event as she had planned. The event had been more than she'd been expecting and so she wondered what the next would hold. But these were largely silent musings. She had to gather more data before making any more comments on the tropes these people embodied.

Aoi nyoomed into the scene, having not understood a single thing Tsubame told her along the way. Of course the girl gave up on educating the gumball, she had the attention span of a squirrel and the brains of one too. The squad all partook in their fun conversations on the way, including Hana pondering the difference between Tamotsu's sash and her arms. Though, she'd have to come up with a response later, as she told the kids she forgot to change out of her costume, and left to do so. She would come back, of course, acting as the chaperone for the gang that headed into Card Capital Two. With the exhaustion from the event, the store wasn't overly filled with other people, making it a great hangout spot for them to be obnoxiously loud without getting yelled at.

"Hey, Ves." Jessie called out to the young blonde as he checked the payload of his FICA score. The young blonde had participated as an employee of the event, so she didn't have to do anything like them. Even so, she had tagged along, and looked toward the brunette as addressed. "Would you actually wanna play against Aoi? She's kinda... overwhelming, but she's really good. A lot better than me, so you might have a better time."

"It's true, I am a lot better than Jessie!" Aoi said cheerfully, having gotten her reward for her one gold card.

Jessie gave her an annoyed look. "You know, a champion should be more modest."

"But they should also be confident!" Aoi retorted, beaming as her friend sighed.

"I don't mind, she looks fun." Ves chimed in with a tiny smile.

"I am fun!"

Aoi and Ves proceeded to have a game of Ripples versus Susano'o while Jessie took a seat next to Tsubame.

It seemed the hyper girl and the pudding lover were going to fight it out. Tsubame was admittedly interested to see if they'd cross the threshold of annoyingly shonen in the process. She could only imagine given how frustrating talking to Aoi had been. But more immediately interesting was Jessie who had sat down near her and the tired tiger dog by his side.

"So dinoboy," she started by glancing up from her manga briefly. If she'd caught that his name was Jessie between the various conversations she either didn't show it or didn't care. Dinoboy sounded cooler anyway. Not like you saw many Tachikaze players anyway. "What's the deal here?" she said motioning to Tamotsu who perked up at the girl's voice.

"I know your type. You wouldn't live in such a crazy environment of your own free will and choice. And it's not every day someone gets a talking tiger for a pet even for the more adventurous among us. So what's the story? Someone holding you hostage? Blackmailing you? There's gotta be something deep and interesting here." she said with a sly smile while pushing some of her hair back behind her ear with a free hand. Tamotsu seemed more than ready to let Jessie talk for himself but he was watching intently for the boy's attempt at answering.

Sakuya sat next to fellow Oracle Think Tank player, watching the fight between Ves and Aoi unfold. She recalled her last game against Aoi, and how Aoi's aggressive clan and playstyle had completely overwhelmed her unique build of Oracle Think Tank, much the same way Aoi herself would outpace the shrine maiden at every turn. She was curious to see what the more defensive, resource-oriented style of her clan could do against the Chinese Champion's Aqua Force. She'd already checked her updated FICA score in any event- she'd only received a small boost, having not actually acquired any gold cards in the Zoo event- so the girl leaned in to watch the fight closely, occasionally glancing over Ves' side to peek at her hand, comparing the plays she'd have made with the pudding addict's own actions.

Aoi's playstyle with Ripples reflected her personality considering how aggressive she was playing. Only, thanks to Odysseus' skill, Ves was admittedly finding it a lot harder to defend early and fight back. Although, her expression didn't change as Susano'o was quickly pushed to a corner. The clan leader felt no intimidation playing against a national champion or being carefully watched by another, mostly seeming to not care by her poker-faced reactions to everything. Though, she was eventually pulled into the gumball's endlessly happy personality, which resulted in Ves occasionally mewling with frustration or offering her rare tiny smiles.

It was hard not to feel hyper around Aoi.

At least, not if you were Jessie. "The deal?" The brunette repeated, deciding not to make a quip about Tsubame's nickname for him. Honestly, he was more surprised someone else hadn't been doing it first. As she spoke of Tamotsu, he folded his arms and crossed his legs, getting comfortable and glancing over to his now-tired companion. Though, Jessie found himself getting just as tired as her dialogue was about as ridiculous as he expected. He agreed with her that he wouldn't willingly throw himself into crazy environments... usually, but a wave of confused irritation came over him at the questions that followed. "Well, uh..." Explaining Tamotsu's... everything, would be very hard and time-consuming. "It's a long story, kind of. I'm not being held hostage or blackmailed though, I promise." Easier to avoid the long-winded explanation on wolf spirits that he barely knew of himself.

The bell at the door jingled as Hana Espoir returned, a couple of bags at her arms as she was back into her school uniform-esque outfit. "Hey guys. I brought snacks." The idol greeted, looking toward the cashier for permission - which he gave her - and then set the goods down on empty tables. Various candies and bags of chips - the works. After pouring them out, she took a cup of pudding and approached those at the table. "For you, lil' prodigy. My dad knows this amazing dessert chef, so I had him call the guy seeing if I could get a few cups for you and-"

Expensive, luxurious pudding?! Ves put her cards down, mouth agape with awe as she cooed in wonder. Taking a moment to bask in the majesty of one container of it, the blonde lass hugged the princess. "I love you."

"Ah... Ahahaha..." Hana couldn't handle how straight-faced she was with that statement, only laughing nervously and pudding the child in turn. Thankfully, Ves didn't get absorbed in it for too long, resuming the game with the Chinese champion while they munched on goodies. They were gonna clean up their mess, of course, but after the games. "You guys having a good time?"

"A 'long story' huh? Do I look like I was born yesterday?" came Tsubame's clear dissatisfaction with the answer she'd been given. Jessie even had to clarify nothing bad was going on. Just like someone in the middle of something bad would say. This was all very shady. Well the cardfight wasn't. Aoi's cheerfulness seemed infectious and got some interesting reactions out of Ves in the process. It was enough to make the girl consider cutting these people out of her life here as she didn't want to catch a case of the shonen or even worse, the basic. But thankfully Hana had appeared with snacks.

"I'll let that slide for now but you're not off the hook yet dinoboy. It just so happens that I like long stories." she said before moving to see the spread. She was referencing some of the longer run manga and anime but that wasn't obvious from words alone. Regardless she seemed intent on getting the full scoop at some point or another.

Tamotsu meanwhile shot up the moment he heard snacks. Nothing quite like food to get a dog moving again. He trotted over to the table and stood up on his hind legs while supporting himself on the table's edge with his front legs. Then his sniffer to got work, smelling the different things, seeing what he wanted to eat.

"I've never seen some of these before!" he said as his tail began wagging happily behind him. New food was usually good food. He wasn't particularly picky though. It seemed he was gonna take a while to pick the best smelling thing though.

A short while after Hana arrived with Snacks, Fubuki walked through the door carrying an unnecessarily large amount of drinks for the seven people present, more than enough for each person to have an entire 2L bottle of pop to themselves and still have multiple bottles left over. There was plenty of variety, too. Cola, cream soda, orange, grape, black cherry, lemonade, iced tea that tastes nothing like tea, and even Hill Sweat (official sponsor of Major League Vanguarding) and its special neon-blue Thunderbolt flavour, a promotional drink with Cero's face on the advertising despite its colour which confused the Kaiser himself as much as anybody else outside the company, despite Fubuki's distaste for the drink. On top of that, she was balancing the bag of plastic cups on her head. Quite a sight for those she had walked by on the street.

While most people might think she was late because of how much she was carrying, the real reason she had been delayed was hidden in a metal water bottle attached to her belt. Sadly, one of the habits she'd picked up from Bashiro was his drinking habits, and the water bottle was filled with sake. Fubuki had taken a detour to stop by the liquor store for herself. Nobody else was going to get a sip of it, no matter what.

Unlike Hana, Fubuki ignored the clerk as she walked in, already seeing snacks laid out over the table. She tried to put the drinks down without bothering to wait for someone to assist her, but five of the bottles slipped from her grasp as she tried to do so and the cups fell off her head when she tried to grab for them. She managed to save a couple from colliding with the ground and getting very shaken up, but there were three she was unable to catch on her own.

Sakuya put her hands together when Hana arrived on the scene with snacks in tow- Sakuya herself didn't plan on indulging in so many unhealthy treats, but everyone else seemed to brighten up with the sweet and salty additions. In particular, the delicacy-tier pudding was a delight to Ves, who got quite up close and expressive of her feelings with Hana. The diva seemed to be feeling a bit awkward about it all, but Sakuya could see the childish innocence in Ves' actions, and that just made the scene all the more adorable. "Ah, as expected of Hana-san! Completely surpassing expectations... I hope Ves still enjoys our pudding date later!" She laughed aloud, feeling a sudden need to step up her game for the pudding prodigy's sake. Deciding the mood was right, Sakuya did, after a few moments, decide it would be acceptable to take a few candies for herself, so she reached for one of the bags...

...But stopped inches from it. Some sort of sixth sense had just triggered in the back of her mind, screaming at her that something dangerous was moments from happening. She heard the shop door open behind her, followed by the sounds of a person stumbling. Indeed, that could only mean that something very dangerous, potentially world-threatening, was about to happen.

With almost inhuman reflexes, Sakuya spun around in her seat and shot her hand out, grasping a device she'd pulled from her coat pocket. It was a cylindrical object with a small translucent ball attached to the end of it, and it suddenly extended outwards. Within less than a moment, Sakuya saw the source of the danger; Three large bottles of soda were about to collide with the floor. Something like that could not be allowed to occur when Hana had just brought soda's perfect compliment (even if Sakuya herself had no intentions of indulging in such unhealthy treats). That, and the damage to the card shop could be tremendous.

She whirled the extended staff around with her hand, catching all three of the soda bottles on it by their ridged bottoms. She had to spin and wobble the staff carefully to ensure they didn't just fall off, but with a few moments of concentration and an incredible amount of dexterity, the bottles' safety was ensured, Sakuya precariously balancing them on her staff's side.

It was only now that she glanced back up to the clumsy fool who had almost brought about one of the worst possible fates for a card shop. Much to Sakuya's surprise, it was another face she recognized.

"Fu- Fubu... Fubupls?"

Jessie sighed, not really sure on how to react to Tsubame trying to prod him for details. It wasn't that he didn't want to say anything, it was that he didn't know how to explain everything he knew about Tamotsu... He already felt like he didn't know a lot as it is. How was he supposed to give someone else a story on a mystical wolf spirit? The brunette groaned, annoyed as everyone started rushing over to get some of the goods Hana had brought in. "I'll just have to figure it out." He said to himself, standing and approaching the table of snacks with his canine companion. Hana saw he seemed stressed out on the way, and smiled toward the irate youth while pretending him with a bar of chocolate.

"Relax. Things will go fine." Though the idol didn't know about about the situation, she gave him some reassuring words that seemed to confuse him at first. However, after a moment, he did smile back in seeing how she was trying to help. She gave him a pat on the shoulder, then looked toward the others. "There's plenty for everyone, don't worry." Was another reassurance, offering some food she'd feed her own dog to the energetic pup looking for snacks. Aoi had swiped a bag of gummy bears and chewed happily as she and Ves continued their game. Thanks to Aoi not Striding, even with drawing a card and a fourth attack a turn, Ves was able to bounce back in advantage thanks to Takemikazuchi, and the needed devotion of calling one's entire hand for Militiades' Legion Skills made her a sitting duck to the counteroffensive.

The sixth damage was a copy of Genovious.

"Ah. Aaaah!" The Chinese champion cried out, needing a moment to translate the shock. "I've been defeated..." Aoi sobbed while Ves gave a breath of relief. For a crazy idiot, Aoi is surprisingly strong and Ves had to get lucky in surviving numerous onslaughts. The clan leader was in awe of this goober, feeling how much of a real mood maker she was with the abundance of energy and cheer she radiated. Was a little unreal really, and tired Ves out a bit. Still... being around the gumball caused her to feel the most amount of emotion she felt in awhile.

It was nice.

This is when Fubuki entered the scene, which immediately got the Vanguard Idiot to perk up. "Fubu!!" She yelled some dumb nickname, watching her friend bring in drinks to go with the buffet of snacks. It was well timed too, but disaster desired to strike as the white haired girl stumbled. Five bottles began to plummet toward the earth, threatening Card Capital Two's floor and potentially pissing off the manager enough to kick them all out, until Sakuya suddenly brandished a staff to save two while Fubuki got three. Jessie dove to save the cups, not wanting to drink out of a dirty one since he was sure someone would try to.

"... You guys okay?" The princess addressed those involved, looking out for their well-being, but that turned into her trying not to laugh over 'Fubupls'.

"Fubupls!!" Aoi shouted randomly, worried for her safety and also mimicking Sakuya.

Tamotsu's nose ultimately led him to Hana's hand as the idol had offered the pup some food. This girl knew what the good stuff was. He appreciated that about her. The world needed more people like this he thought. And that certainly wasn't the food excitement talking. On that note he was pretty sure he could smell another dog on her. Maybe he'd already noticed it. He couldn't recall.

"Your dog has it really good eating like this all the time!" he said as he made a few excited circles about the girl. Food is energy and even though he'd only just eaten Tamotsu seemed to forget he was tired. It was probably the left over energy of Aoi's fight helping that along too. His happy little dance was almost cut short by drinks being dropped all over the floor but everyone seemed to be ninjas tonight. That was Fubuki, Aoi's friend. He knew her. Fubuki was nice. He'd have to go say hi when the stress of catching drinks had subsided.

Tsubame meanwhile casually walked into the fray, taking a cup from the top of the stack Jessie had saved and a bottle of soda off of Sakuya's staff as if they were merely serving as the tables for those things.

"Dinner and a show. Ten out of ten service everyone." she said as he poured herself a drink like nothing had happened. She then went over to her next object of interest: the Oracle Think Tank Clan Leader. If Jessie was gonna save his long story then she'd get one out of someone or other.

"So... already a clan leader huh? What kinda training did you have to pull for that or you like one of those naturally gifted people that's born with a super power no one else has for no explicable reason?" she said fairly seriously. It might be clear to a careful observer she was poking fun at the girl but otherwise a fairly normal tone. Considering who she was addressing, Tsubame was already preparing for a pudding related comment.

After placing both of the bottles she caught herself safely on the table, Fubuki retrieved the two bottles still resting on Sakuya's staff after Tsubame took one. "Thanks for the save," she said to Sakuya. "And I'm fine, uhm..." Fubuki turned to Hana, the name of the Bermuda Triangle Clan Leader escaping her. "...Idol girl." That worked well enough, right? With that done, Fubuki unclipped the water bottle from her belt and took a swig of sake before letting out a sigh as she reflected on what happened during the event.

The thing that concerned her most was the woman in red who'd tied for the most FICA points in the event. Her concern was visible on her face, pursing her lips a little bit. Who was she? A Cardfighter nobody had ever seen before showed up out of nowhere and performed at a level rivaling those who had been through the endless nightmare. While she hadn't been able to watch the woman's fight against Chris, obtaining 4 gold cards couldn't have been easy. Fubuki herself had a very difficult time against Varess and knew first-hand how strong Chris was. She didn't even know what deck that woman used. Part of her wanted to ask the others at the party about the lady in red, but... it was a party. Better to hold it off until later.

Fubuki opened up the bottle of Hill Sweat Thunderstrike and took one of the cups Jessie saved, pouring one out for Aoi. She walked over to her friend and handed her the neon-blue caffeinated sugar fizz. "Here," Fubuki said, uncaring of the coming consequences of giving the already hyper Aoi not only sugar but also caffeine.

"Well first things first... I need to improve my deck if I wanna get stronger!" Mirai told herself as she went inside the card shop. The airhead was ready to get to work, bringing along her storage case filled with various Royal Paladin cards to be able to customize her deck to whatever she seemed fit.

Everything was about to go smoothly until she tripped on a chair and her storage box flew in front of her. "NOOOOO!!! MY CAAAAAAAAAARDS!!!" The klutz airhead yelled before faceplanting the floor and as almost all her cards came out of the box. Luckily, its not like they scattered to the four ends of the Earth and all conveniently fell close to where the storage box landed. How does this girl survive in today's society? The world may never know. However this little trip wasn't gonna stop her from her goal of improving. 'Tis just a small obstacle to her steep hill climb to greatness. Funny enough, most of the cards that came flying out are from her favorite subclan, the Seekers.

Jessie's head perked up with his expression of annoyance as Tsubame nonchalantly took a cup and soda he and Sakuya had saved from hitting the ground, with - of course - some snarky remark. To be honest, the girl may not be Aoi, but she was exhausting in a unique way he didn't think was possible. Actually, he spent his time around a lot of tiresome girls now, thinking on it. Well... He'd get over it, he supposed. As loud and crazy Aoi is, he finds himself wanting to stick around her and her dumb antics. Life gets interesting and exciting, as the boy monologued back at Zoo over how Tamotsu had been "infected" by the gumball's invincible cheer too. Would his canine companion have become like this if she wasn't around...? Well, he didn't think too much of it, simply deciding to be grateful as he let Fubuki take one of the saved cups, prompting him to set them down on the snack table.

Ves blinked, staring in quiet awe of the sudden staff brandish and Jessie's surprising reflexes. Then, she continued to blink and stare as Tsubame approached, inquiring of her status as a clan leader at young age. "I don't really train. I play a few games with my sister some times, but they called me a 'prodigy'. I was just good enough to get the title, I guess." The blonde's answer was honest and direct, surprisingly devoid of pudding-related jests while also not picking up on the mocking word choice. "The most I played was with my mom when I was little." Her eyes ceased their widened state, now looking downward with a neutral countenance.

"I-Idol girl...?" Meanwhile, Hana was a bit dumbfounded at Fubuki's response. While she was glad the eyepatched wonder and company were unharmed, it couldn't have been that hard to remember one of her names, could it? She has two: Hana and Isabella... This depressed her a little bit, seeing as her explosive popularity wasn't reaching around enough to engrave her name into the minds of all. Though... Tamotsu seemed happy enough, enjoying the snack and stating her own dog must have the good life. "Ahaha... Well, Labrador does run around a lot like you to burn off everything we give her." The princess bounced back a little, fighting the slight somber hint in her tone to give her own canine's name.

"Ooo, thanks Fubu!" Aoi replied to Fubuki, nodding as she took the cup of a sugar rush bomb in hand. "Hana-san, do you wanna play? Unless Ves wants to give me the runback!"

"Pass." Ves said immediately.

"Boooo, but you're a clan leader! One I never met before! I gotta fight you lots to learn your strats and keep up!"

"C'mon now, gumball. Sure, I'll play you some." Hana chuckled, patting Aoi on the shoulder so they can get to a game. Though the first showdown between Pacifica and Maelstrom ended in the idol's overwhelming victory, the cheerful lass showed so much optimism and enthusiasm, it was hard to feel it would be the same as before. Even so, Hana had no intention of losing, naturally. Aoi loaded up Ripples while Hana brought Pacifica back for the almost-grudge match. As they were going to get started while the entire squad was hanging out with snacks and drinks, some clumsy goof had tripped and fallen, some of their cards flying out in the process. This stopped the duo and others who looked in wonder. Just as Hana was going to check for her well-being, her eyes were laid down upon the cards. "Seeker..."

Yukino's previous Royal Paladin deck.

"Hey, are you okay?! Here, lemme get your cards for you." Aoi spoke up, crouching down to collect the scattered Seekers and helping Mirai up.

Building after building, the snowy haired boy was crossing street after street trying to find Card Capital Two. He held his phone in one hand, as a GPS, and the note from Umiruka in the other, still folded into a triangle. His intense focus onto his phone almost earned him to be the cause of several accidents as he continued to jaywalk as if he was an avatar on Grand Theft. He ignored the rage induced gestures, loud honking and the tires screeching off after a few had screamed for him to get some glasses and to get off the phone.

"It says it's around here..." Seth stood still in the middle of oncoming traffic before looking up and seeing the large sign saying "Card Capital Two". "Oh. Kinda expected it to stand out more." he said as he dashed from the street to the sidewalks of the store. He saw a few people come in and exit, leading him to think that it must be a pretty popular place. Could he really gain something from being here, and would it help him to become a better fighter for his partner's sake? For his?

"As soon as I get what I'm looking for, I'm out." Seth said to himself while staring at the paper, as though he was talking to his branch manager. He pressed his finger tips onto the glass door, giving off a cold mist around his fingerprints. The bell rang from above with the door slowly opening revealing a hall full of people. He did a scan of the room noting that no one really struck out to him except...

"Hm?" the door suddenly stopped at the foot of someone who was on the ground. "Uhhhh...." Seth's cold expression turned into a confused one as he stared at the girl kneeling picking up her cards from the ground. The wintered boy stepped into the store, scratching his head wondering what occurred and why she was on the ground. He sighed and bent forward towards her.

"Need some help?" he said while looking at the spilled cards around her.

Tamotsu knew Hana had to have a dog. And she even gave a name. Labrador it was. That sounded like a breed name not an individual name but he wasn't going to question it as he had for most of his existence gone by the name given to his species. He was admittedly interested in meeting this dog some day and so he circled about the girl some, unsure what he was hoping for. Probably more treats or pets or just attention in general. This meant following the idol to the table where she was about to fight Aoi. At this point he shifted over to Aoi's side of things and watched as some more people showed up, spilling cards over the floor in the process.

Meanwhile, Tsubame was curious indeed. Ves seemed to be a natural at this whole vanguard thing. So no wonder she was the most anime person here. She was the gifted protagonist. Her last comment seemed to resonate with the girl and she stopped her subtle teasing attitude to the whole exchange.

"So, do you still get to come to the other events then? Even though you're a Clan Leader? Or are you gonna be busy doing Oracle Think Tank things?" came the girl's question as she twirled the ends of her hair. "Which one's next, Magallanica was it? We'll get to see the speed demon in her natural habitat so that should be pretty fun. Would hate to not have you there for it."

With her staff relieved of drinks, Sakuya retracted it and stowed it back inside her coat, standing up straight. "Of course. It's good to see you again, Fubuki." She nodded to the girl. She made to take her seat back next to Ves, but the appearance of two others spurred her back into action- More specifically, a second particularly clumsy girl had arrived on the scene, her deck spilling out across the floor, with a white-haired boy coming in only moments after. Sakuya immediately got down and started gathering up the scattered cards, helping the poor girl gather them all back up. When she'd finished, she handed the reformed deck back to its owner with a smile. "Here you are, miss. You may want to keep these in a more secure container next time"

Ves brought her gaze back up, tilting her head slightly as she spoke. "Yes, I only have to do Zoo events when asked. I don't work for the United Sanctuary, so I can join Magallanica." The blonde confirmed with Tsubame on her duties as a clan leader, despite the irregular positioning at the wrong nation for Oracle Think Tank. She looked to the returning Sakuya for a moment before noticing the shrine maid move to help the girl, which prompted her to continue focusing on Tsubame. "Speed demon?"

"Ah!!" Aoi shouted suddenly, launching upward from the crowd of people helping the clumsy girl when listening to the other two converse. "Magallanica is next! I forgot! I promised Umi-san I'd help out with the event... I can't participate as a player for FICA..." The gumball started comically crying, slumping backward onto the wall near their fight table.

"Oh? Jessie, this is a great time to make some progress on FICA then." Hana noted with a giggle. "Aoi and Sakuya got ahead of you, but you did well at Zoo and now Aoi can't even contest you for this one."

"Yeah, you're right!" Jessie chuckled, clearly teasing his friend about him potentially getting a lead.

"What?! No! I must stay ahead of Jessie! Quickly, Fuwatan! Slide me some extra points from Zoo! You're a clan leader, you gotta have the CONNECTIONS! I'll give you a treat if you dooooo~" Aoi energetic and quirky self rambled about childishly until she came up with a plan on the fly. Tempting the spirit canine, she grabbed a handful of snacks once she sat down the cards collected from the fallen girl on the side of the table.

"Hey! He's not taking bribes, you idiot! Besides, I won't let you even if he does!" Jessie shouted.

"That's a lot of confidence in your voice there." Hana mocked.

"Look, he's as hyper as Aoi. Give him some food and he'll do a lot. He was tired when he came here before your snacks, y'know."

"Ahahaha, but it's fun watching these two be goofballs. Though, can't you just pass on it anyway, Aoi? Not everyone at Magallanica has to assist... But you mentioned you promised Director Umi."

"I offered since she always looks sad whenever I swing by her office. I figured helping her take some stress off would make her feel better!"

"Why's she sad?" Jessie inquired.

"It's too early for backstories." Ves chimed in with a line that sounded like it'd come out of Tsubame's mouth. In such a short time - a few hours, really, the girl had officially become a bad influence.

"... I apologize, for them." Jessie said to the clumsy girl and the white haired boy.

Maybe bringing up Magallanica wasn't the best thing to have done. Tsubame was glad that Ves could attend but now Aoi was all over the place, yelling about this and that. Something about staying ahead of Jessie on FICA which seemed totally pointless to the barely motivated Dark Irregulars player in the room. But then something happened. Something unthinkable. Ves had done it. She'd stolen Tsubame's next line. This brought a mix of confusion and interest as the girl shot the pudding lover a death glare. It quickly faded to a smile and laughter.

"You... you're learning. The most anime one here and yet you of all people show the potential. Ves Yamata... a name worth remembering indeed." came an oddly sage like pondering. It was almost like Tsubame had found a pupil or a rival worth teaching or competing against. Except instead of being in anything meaningful it was in pointing out the absurdities of the world and people around her.

Fuwatan meanwhile as he'd been called was close by Aoi as her call came. She was wanting some extra FICA which she figured he as a clan leader could accommodate. He knew that sort of stuff was against the rules and would get her disqualified from the future events so he couldn't do it.

"Aoi... no I-" he started but then the girl grabbed food. She held a decent stockpile of the things Hana had brought. His tail picked up in energy as he licked his chops and eyed the girl's hand intently. "I mean I guess I could mayb-" but it was not to be either as Jessie vehemently denied the proposal.

"I'm sooorrry Aoi I can't dooo it." he said, howling out his o's some for no particular reason. He still really wanted the food though and he began trying to get the girl to offer them to him regardless. A raise of the paw here, an attempted lick at the face there. He'd win her over shortly enough.

What an embarrassing entrance. Mirai was probably gonna ask for help but... not like this. People came to her aid and helped pick up the fallen cards. Mainly her Seekers scattered everywhere.

"Thank you for helping me... I am such a klu--" Before Mirai finished her sentence, she hit her head underneath a table while getting up. The klutzy airhead kept her eyes closed, with small tears coming out from the pain of both the faceplant and table hit. She can just feel all eyes are on her. The embarrassing moment rising up anymore. Looking up, she hid her physical pain with a bright smile, thanking everyone again for the help. "I'm really sorry for causing a scene... I just came here to improve my deck!"

She looked over her storage box with the now recovered cards and mentally said sorry to her Seekers for being so mistreated that way. Especially Thing Saver and Soul Saver Dragon. Though Soul Saver isn't a Seeker unit, it is one of her most favorite dragon cards. The Guardian Dragons of the United Sanctuary being with her almost felt like they watched over her and keep her safe despite how clumsy and stupid she can be.

Mirai almost wanted to go to some corner on her own to remake her deck but at the same time, the group of people that helped her out sparked her curiosity on who they are because they seem like good people!

Seth helped the young woman off the ground while looking at everyone else who came over to assist her and her scattered cards. However, unbeknownst to him, he dropped his triangle folded paper on the ground, flying off into the shop as he pulled her up. She expressed that she wanted to improve her deck and apologized for making a scene.

"As long as you're okay, I'm sure people won't blame you for this incident." Seth said following up with a genuine smile, not one that he usually gets when he's "motivated". However, it was strange to see that Seth was interested in someone's well being, considering he was only focused on himself.

"I'm guess we're here for the same reason then." he spoke to the clumsy girl, being reminded of his purpose for even coming here.

"There's no need to apologize, miss. Even the best of us make mistakes." Sakuya patted Mirai on the shoulder, her hands now relieved of the klutz's deck. "If you've come to try and advance yourself in the game, you've come at a nice time. A few of my friends and I are enjoying a few rounds together, and you'd be welcome to watch or join, if you like." She offered the poor girl, glancing back over her shoulder to check on Aoi and company. She overheard them talking about the upcoming Magallanica event, specifically about how Aoi had promised to help run the event, as opposed to participating herself, which drew Sakuya back into their conversation.

By the time she'd made her way back over, Aoi was already trying to bribe more FICA points out of Tomatsu. "Now now, Aoi, you have to set an example for your fellow players. You should focus on doing your best to make the event a wonderful time for everyone!" Sakuay threw a fist in the air in a cheering motion.

While others moved to help the girl who had fallen, Fubuki stayed on the sidelines and took another swig of sake. No need for her to lend a hand when others already were.

"Oh, Aoi, you're going to be helping with the event as well?" Fubuki said when Aoi mentioned it. It was nice to know Aoi would be participating in the event as well, but it was also a little concerning and a little disappointing. Fubuki wanted a chance to fight Aoi during the event, and Aoi didn't exactly seem like the type of person you wanted helping you run an event. Umi must be short on hands. Her concern only worsened when she watched Aoi try to bribe a clan leader for more FICA points, earning a facepalm and a sigh from Fubuki.

"I'm sure Umi will compensate both of us for helping out with the event. As long as you do your job," she said to her friend, walking over to give her a pat on the back. "By the way," she continued after turning to the two newcomers, "You can help yourselves to the drinks. I probably brought too much."

"Everyone is loud." Ves said with a tiny smile, looking toward Tsubame who seemed to be in awe of her calling out the "anime-ness" of the situation. "You are too." She spook with a somewhat dull happiness that was cute in a simple way... while casually insulting or complimenting her. She seemed so proud of herself to the point where Jessie started laughing hysterically at the tables being turned.

"Baaah!" Meanwhile, Aoi was having her own episode, still giving treats to Tamotsu as he had to turn her down. Though, she and Hana perked up with a little surprise as Mirai's head hit the table. While they were going to ask if she was alright, it seemed like she was... She mentioned coming here to improve her deck too, which was nice for seeing another earnest player. "To improve your deck, you must improve yourself! So buy a better deck case!" The gumball gave a tip, mimicking Tsubame's sagely tone of voice. But, it was when her two friends being fellow national champion Sakuya and Fubuki spoke up is when she went back to being a child. "Bwaaaa, but I don't wanna set an example, I want points!"

"I cannot believe you just said that." Jessie said as the antenna at his hair drooped down again, in shock of her lack of morals.

"Wait, compensate?" Aoi calmed down instantly, looking to her eyepatched bestie. "Ha! Then I shall come back with a vengeance!!"

"What makes you think the compensation is FICA points?!" Jessie pointed out, and Aoi stopped.

"... I didn't think about if they weren't points."

"Do you have an on button for your brain at all?"

"Oh hush you. Though, Fubu, I didn't know you were gonna help too." Her brain did turn on to at least pick up on the 'as well' in her wording. "You and I have to make a stand for Aqua Force players! We gotta show 'em what's what!" The enthusiasm Sakuya showed through lifting her fist did reach Aoi, just a delayed impact... But, Aoi did raise up her fist to cheer with the shrine maiden. "You know what, you're right, Sakuya! I will set an example! I would have never come to the realization that I had to do this if not for you two..."

"... Every day you amaze me." Jessie was completely bewildered.

"... Improving Seekers is a little difficult, but a grade one unit recently came out that may help some. A grade two too, if you'd like." This left the princess to address the clumsy lass with some actual advice, ignoring the gumball's jesting with a few laughs over the usual back and forth Aoi and Jessie end up having. "I'll be at Magallanica too, you know. You guys should try your best." Hana said not only to the others, but those around in Card Capital Two in general. The chance to fight against the Bermuda Triangle Clan Leader - the first Japanese national champion - was too good to pass up. It was also Jessie's chance to pay her back for their first fight here. "I don't play Aqua Force like you two, but I'll still do my part."

"Careful, her energy is contagious. Talk like that and you'll end up like her." Jessie quipped, sarcasm pouring from his voice as he took a glance back at Tamotsu as proof of the infectious bubble of giddy glee.

"Hahaha... Aoi, are we gonna play?"

"Yeah yeah, let's play!" The child of potential quickly assorted herself as they began playing casually. "You guys that came here to improve, watch my Vanguard and you'll see what you can do with some effort and belief!" She added, hoping Sakuya's invitation to the duo of new faces would be accepted as she showed off.

Hana was pretty sure Pacifica would win again though.

"Dont worry Aoi!" a cheerful pup said through bites of snacks. "I wasn't gonna do a lot at the next event but I'll come find you and give you a really good fight to cheer you up!" said still tiger Fuwatan Tamotsu. "Though I might just tackle you instead. I dunno yet. We'll have to see when we get there." he said, having finished eating in what felt like the blink of an eye. He trotted over with the gumball again to the fight table now that her and Hana were finally gonna get to it. Apparently Hana was gonna be helping with the Magallanica event too. The pup didn't know if he wanted to challenge her. She seemed really strong and that's both exciting and scary. Something to figure out as he watched the two fight he supposed.

Meanwhile, Tsubame's world was falling apart over three simple words. You are too, spoken by Ves in regards to her having been called anime. Tsubame was being anime. To the point Ves could point it out to her. What had she been doing? This was unforgivable behavior.

"I was careless..." she said with an utter look of defeat across her face. She'd let these people get to her instead of simply observing and poking fun at their nature. This would never do. If this progressed any further she'd have to start watching mainstream shit. The very thought made her shiver. Now she had to take drastic action. She did what any sensible person would do and took out her phone. And began typing. A whole lot. Clearly the solution to this was blogging. She had devoted followers who would help her purge herself of this vile taint that had set in.

"These people... are..." Seth said to himself, trying to process what was unfolding before him, aside from the young woman who fell earlier. It was weird for Seth to be surrounded by so many people at once who were like him except more talkative, enough for him to remain silent and observe his surroundings and each individual person. A few of them who went on about an event at Magallanica, another who offered him a drink that Seth inadvertently passed on due to being in his own thoughts. However, his first impression of them was that they were...

"Weird." as he opened his mouth and a cold mist sprayed out from his lips along with his word of choice. Hm? He looked at his hand and noticed that his paper from Umiruka was gone. Guess it made sense for him to say weird out loud. Oh well, he continued to listen in on everyone while pulling out his phone checking his messages. No way to tell Umiruka that he made it to the Cardshop safely and, as usual, no messages from a certain someone - an ongoing issue for weeks which made him make an annoyed smirk, showing his fangs.