ic Barking Raven Arcade (Open)

[Poncho]

May, 2024

 

The school year was slowly winding down. In the next month, Claremont would be finished for the year. The seniors would be moving on, and everyone else would be moving up. A new batch of Freshmen would be moving in.

 

The Barking Raven Arcade, in Riverside, was offering discounts on tokens for the last few weeks of the School Year; a strategy to get bored students in and maybe make them think about spending their summer playing on the flashing screens. For students who were burnt out on studying finals or projects, Barking Raven offered a reprieve.

 

The arcade was a fairly large fixture on Dikto street; a broad building with two stories and an open central area once you entered through the doors. It had both games one could play for tickets- and a massive wall of prizes- and competitive arcade and single player games; it had cabinets of shooters, racing games, DDR, and fighting games alongside basketball games, skeeball, and the like. It was a place for everyone, despite the turned down lights, and it offered all you could want for a day where you didn't want to think about school work anymore.

 

Michael had started sending texts beginning in the morning. It had been free to spread to anyone at the school; after all, it was easy for one friend to tell two friends and so on. In that way, it was known within Claremont that there was an excursion planned out to head to Barking Raven and take a break before the very very end of the school year. He had also been clear that if anyone didn't have the spare cash but wanted to go, he would pay for their arcade adventure.

Michael himself had arrived not long after ditching his Claremont uniform for a very simple t-shirt and jeans combo that looked almost nothing like Michael Adon, and he was currently blasting zombies on a House of the Dead machine. His constantly around friend Sam had decided to camp on a Street Fighter VI Machine, where she was playing Juri against anyone who decided to try and go a few rounds.

[Dracostern]

Cerebral and Cerebellum

 

A lot had happened over these past few months. The twins had settled in quite well all things considered. They might not have been here for the full year but it definitely felt like it, and while they might not have gotten to know a lot of the seniors that well, bar a few, they would still miss their seniors. Knowing this and the reason for the arcade meet up even the introverted Iris was willing to go...without her brother having to convince her. 

 

So here they were entering the building, both wore casual outfits, matching this time, jeans and a comfy purple t-shirt for them both. Thankfully they were able to spot Michael and Sam already and made their way over. "First to arrive I see?" Daniel stated with a wide grin as he eyed the game Sam was playing  Street Fighter VI.

 

While Iris waited at the side for her friends to finish their games, Daniel would indeed challenge Sam, he was a bit of a fighting game noob, but he was willing to try with his Ryu!

[The Sailor]

Torpedo Lass II

 

Mizuki walked into the arcade... wearing her favorite sailor collared shirt with jeans, sneakers, and a bomber jacket with various aviation patches. Seeing a lot of the custom arcade cabinets alongside the manufactured ones gave her a grin. But it was the flight simulator set up in the corner that caught her attention... as it was running Ace Combat: Emerald Skies... the first of the series based on real events, including a certain test pilot sucked into intrigue and danger. Mizuki wasn't interested in playing the story mode though, she already had a save file and had beat the game... she was hunting different prey online. After signing in for an hour time, and plopping down some cash without Michael knowing she sat down. Noticing there was a second seat and screen set up recently. Seems finding the consoles needed was getting easier for the arcade's management.

 

She booted up and loaded her save and started searching lobbies. She didn't want to get noticed yet... there was a certain player she was hunting for.

[Thevshi]

Timeout

 

Bernadette had let Michael know that she was not going to be able to make the outing at the arcade. It was likely not too much of a surprise, given the redheaded Senior’s incredibly busy schedule. Beyond just the normal end of year stuff as a graduating Senior, the Irish teen spent a fair bit of time with the other members of the Young Guardians (which of course included her boyfriend). But really, everyone at Claremont knew there was a much, much bigger demand on Bernadette’s time, the ever-increasing popularity of her band.

 

In just the two months since the band had played at the Midnight Hour (which had been one of the few opportunities for many of the Claremont students to see them perform live), Bernadette and her band had traveled to Japan to perform and had shows up and down the Eastern seaboard. In addition, the band had announced an upcoming album of original music and at the end of April had released an original single from the album. Accompanying all this was an ever-increasing number of media appearances, the majority of which fell to Bernadette. In fact, just this month she appeared on the cover of Seventeen. 

 

However, while Bernadette was unable to make it, Lawrence had indicated he would be there. Since the return trip from Fiji that had ended up with the Claremont teens being split up into two different pocket timelines, Lawrence had been a bit more withdrawn than normal. While he was as involved in classes as normal (barring a few times he was out of the country with his parents), his free time was mostly spent with Mizuki, or Baz and Parker. Michael had also heard that the blond teen had been logging a lot of extra time in the Doom Room as well.

 

Not too long after Mizuki had arrived, Lawrence appeared as he made his way through the maze of games towards the group. The teen was dressed in a blue T-shirt and jeans, giving Michael a small smile as he began to make his way forward. He glanced over to Iris and Daniel, his fellow Red Team members, and gave them a small nod and a grin as well.

 

At first it was not apparent, but it soon became evident as Lawrence drew closer that there was a teenage girl following alongside. The blonde girl, who appeared about fifteen, maybe sixteen, was dressed in a grey skirt and white blouse. For those that had ended up in the 2007 pocket timeline, there was a strong resemblance to the teenage version of Lawrence’s mother that the group had seen at the Halloween festival, before everything had started going crazy. However, unlike the teenage Velocity, the blonde girl accompanying Lawrence seemed much more understated, with minimal make up and not seemingly trying to do much to accentuate her natural looks. While the girl was trying to give a neural expression, she seemed to be rather uneasy, though whether it was the loud, overstimulating environment or something else was hard to tell.

 

"Hey Michael." Lawrence said with a warm smile as he came over to the other teenage boy. "Small group so far." He noted, spotting Mizuki over at the flight simulator. "Oh, this is Lynn." The blond teen added, indicting the teenage girl who had come to a halt beside him. "She is starting at Claremont in the Fall, so my mom thought she should come along and meet some of the current students."

 

"Hi." The blonde girl replied simply. Now that she was closer, Michael could see another resemblance to Lawrence and his mother. The teenage girl had the same bright blue eyes that seemed almost to burst with energy.

[Dracostern]

Cerebral and Cerebellum

 

Upon hearing Lawrence speak, the twins both perked up somewhat. They both considered Lawrence a good friend, and he was their team mate, time travel shinanagins aside, they enjoyed hanging out with him...when they could of course. Even Daniel could notice that he had not been the most social with the rest of them. Not completely closing himself off, but there was clearly something bothering him. Still he was here now, and with a new friend! That was good to see at least. 
Daniel would look over at the new duo for a moment, only for his character to take a fatal hit in the game he was playing. 

"Damn it- Errr....hey Lawrence! Nice to see you! Give me a moment!" He quickly focused back on the game, that he was currently losing, but Iris would move as she was not occupied by a game at all. The young woman made her way over to Lynn and Lawrence and she nodded her head. "Hey. How are you doing?" Straight faced as ever, her eyes shifted to Lynn and they narrowed for a moment before she shook her head. "And it's nice to meet you Lynn, I'm Iris. The dork's Daniel." And she jammed a thumb towards her twin. "How are you doing?"

[Poncho]

Michael was sad to hear Bernie couldn't come, but he expected it. He was really impressed with how ready she was for the next stage of her life. She had been a big help to adjusting him to Claremont itself, and he was never going to forget that, but he also knew it was very likely their paths wouldn't cross that much in the future; she had her own team, she had her own goals and job, and he was still finishing his education. They might meet from time to time, but they'd not be fellow students anymore. So he was very supportive and very positive for everything Bernie did, and he bought her music and wore her shirts when he could. He'd always be a fan, and he'd always enjoy their friendship and the time they stopped the Maestro, but he knew there was only so much time in one's life. So he was happy with what he had with his friendship with her and Charlie.

 

"HAHA! GOT YOU DANIEL!" Sam said, slapping the cabinet in victory and pumping her fist. "Whose next!?" she barked, cheerful and bold at her continuing dominance over her little slice of the arcade. For a girl who often seemed outcast and alone at Claremont, this was one of the places where she seemed to be spreading her figurative wings cheerfully.

 

Meanwhile Michael was smiling at Lawrence and his new friend. He had his same cheerful disposition. Lawrence might have been away for a bit, but Michael considered him his friend. While he hadn't been spending time in the Doom Room, he had been putting in his own effort; Michael had been pushing his own limits every day, harder and harder, and he was starting to actually not be- to his mind- a drag on his friends when trying to save the city. He looked between Lynn and Lawrence and nodded.

 

"It's nice to see you Lawrence. I'm glad you're doing okay." he said directly to him, as if Lawrence hadn't been missing at all. He wasn't going to make it weird or awkward, he was just going to be the supportive friend, the same thing he'd promised to be on that beach several months ago.

 

"And, Lynn? It's nice to meet you. Are you his cousin or something? I'm Michael Adon, one of Lawrence's classmates. That's Sam, she's also one of our students." Michael extended his hand to shake it, and at the same time, Sam herself turned to wave.

 

"Yo, newbie! You play Street Fighter!? Let's go some rounds! If you don't know I'll teach you."

[Thevshi]

Timeout

 

Lawrence gave a small smile as Daniel's distraction caused his character to die in the game he was playing. The blond teen then focused back on Iris and Michael. "Yeah, been doing fine, just had a lot on my mind." He responded.

 

"I am doing okay." Lynn responded to Iris, though her expression did not really make it seem she was okay. Unlike Lawrence, Lynn's accent was fully American, with perhaps even a trace of a Jersey accent. At Michael's question about her relation to Lawrence, the blonde girl momentarily froze, a dark expression crossing her face.

 

"Or something probably covers it." Lawerence replied as he gave Lynn a concerned look.

 

Thankfully Sam interjected, taking Lynn’s attention for a moment before she looked back to Michael. "Nice to meet you Michael, Iris." The blonde girl stated as she shook Michael's hand. She then somewhat reluctantly moved over to Sam at the Street Fighter game. "No, not really." The younger girl replied to the question about whether or not she played the game.

 

Lawrence watched her a moment before looking back to Michael and Iris. "It is a bit complicated, but she is, more or less, my half-sister, from another timeline." He stated in a low voice that was not likely to travel far over the noise of the arcade.

 

Over at the Street Fighter game, Lynn gave a resigned sigh and listened as Sam explained and showed her the controls for the game. It was quickly apparent that the blonde girl had very good hand-eye coordination, and incredibly fast reflexes.

[Dracostern]

Cerebral and Cerebellum

 

Iris would nod towards Lynn and watch her head off before turning to Lawrence and raising her eyebrow. "Nothing is really...normal...with you is it?" Well normal is never going to be a thing for them. But still, at this point she basically expected some more dimensional or time based shinangins with him. Hopefully Lynn can adjust to this dimension. 

 

"Regardless. There is no need to concern yourself, we can help her adjust just fine to this timeline. Might I ask what happened to her own? Or it is a...sensitive subject?" She wasn't expecting a reply from Lawrence. Should he want to however, talking to Iris telepathically can always be an option.
 

Meanwhile. Daniel was making his way over to the group before pausing and scanning the Arcade. Was anyone else here? He thought more would have come.

[Poncho]

"Ah, I see. Well, I hope we can be welcoming to her. And if she needs anything you can't manage, don't be afraid to ask me or Sam for help, we want to give a hand."

 

"Don't sign me up for stuff I didn't agree to!" Sam yelled over her shoulder as she played with Lynn. She was clearly impressed with the younger girl's speed and reflexes. "Ah, you're really good Lynn!" She said, apparently deciding seemingly on a whim she was fond of the younger speedster. She could be a bit mercurial after all. "Don't worry about Michael, he's the world's most perfect square. If you ever need anything, trust me to help you out." She grinned as she helped her learn. She could respect her skills, at the very least.

 

Micahel looked at Iris and Lawrence after that outburst and offered a vague gesture of acceptance at this.

 

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, any friend or sibling of yours is someone I'll look out for, no questions asked." He said with sincerity. He knew abiut Collapse now, he'd seen the monsters that dogged Lawrence first hand, but his voice was just as confident that if this was related, he'd not even need an explanation if he needed help.

[Thevshi]

Timeout

 

Lawrence gave his friends a faint smile as they offered to help Lynn with adjusting to being in a new timeline. The blond teen focused on Iris as he responded, continuing to use a low voice so Lynn would not hear. "It's gone." He didn’t add any detail, trusting that what he had reveled on the beach during the Fiji trip would explain well enough.

 

His expression softened slightly as he continued. "Right now, the main thing we've been told is just giving her time and be understanding and supportive. Beyond just the trauma of it all, there is a lot to adjust to. While her timeline was very similar, there are differences in events and people. And if that was not enough, she left her timeline in the early half of 2030, so what is similar here is like reliving her past."

 

Over at the video game, Lynn seemed to have gotten the hang of the controls and at least the basic moves of the character she was playing. "Thanks, I guess." She replied to Sam, giving the faintest trace of a smile that quickly faded. She paused a moment and then looked back over to Sam. "Sorry, I was never much of a gamer, and the last few weeks have been….difficult."

[Dracostern]

Cerebral and Cerebellum

 

Iris narrowed her eyes for a moment when Lawrence mentioned that Lynn's home timeline was gone. However she would not ask questions as she might have an idea of what happened...at least the broad stuff, if what Lawrence had told them at Fiji applied there. "I see, well I shall be here for her as well. Daniel also. She'll be in good hands." She confirmed with a nod.

Daniel, would blink as he didn't notice anyone new come into the arcade. His eyes swept over to the Ace Combat game and he blinked. Was...was that Mizuki? When did she get here? She seemed to be busy however and so he would not bother her. Instead he moved back to Street Fighter and just watched the girls. "You know you're doing pretty well umm...Lynn was it?"

 

[Poncho]

"Well don't worry, Lynn. I'll teach you everything you need to know. If you're just starting Claremont, then I'll keep an eye out for you. Though I guess if you're related to Lawrence you're probably used to the fancy schmanzy stuff, so that probably won't be as much of a culture shock for you as it was for me. So how about instead whenever you get bored of that stuff I'll help you sneak out. Turn you into a real delinquent." Sam said with a cheerful grin. "Daniel! Do you want to play some!?"

 

Michael continued to keep his attention on Lawrence, listening with a nod.

 

"Got it. We'll do our best then. Do you think she's being tracked or something? Her relationship with you might make her a target...not to put unfortunate thoughts into your head, but given how intune with all this stuff, I assume you've already put it in your own head at some point. If she is, well...I'll do what I can, at least. So don't try to hold it all up on your own. We're in this together." he finished, smiling in an attempt to be comforting. "And Daniel and Iris are doing their best to, eh?" he said with a grin at Iris.

 

"Mizuki's over there. Do you wanna try playing some games with her? I don't know how much time you've been spending with her lately, I know it's been a little while since we've seen each other."

Edited May 29 by Poncho

[Thevshi]

Timeout

 

"Umm, thanks." Lynn replied a bit uncertainly to Daniel as he commented her playing. "Yeah, that's right." She then added, confirming his question about her name.

The blonde teen then looked over to Sam, as slightly uncertain look on her face. "You could say that." She replied to the older girl’s comment about being accustomed to the wealthy lifestyle Lawrence was part of. "Mansion in North Bay, penthouse in the Wading Way, pretty much the same thing." But even as she said that, Lynn seemed to freeze, as her character died in the game. She turned away slightly, wiping one hand at her eyes. "Sorry, something in my eye." She said. Sam could tell she was not a very good liar.

 

A short distance away, Lawrence gave Iris a small smile as she mentioned her and Daniel being willing to keep an eye on Lynn. "Thanks." He replied before turning to Michael. "Believe me, not only have I thought about that, so have the Atoms and my mom and the rest of the Freedom League."

He paused a moment before looking over at the younger teen. "When members of the Atom Academy found her in Z-Space, she was being pursued. But since arriving in our timeline, there has been no sign of anything like that. But of course, that hardly means anything when dealing with entities that see time very differently."

 

Lawrence looked back over to Michael and Iris, giving them one of his charming smiles. "Another thing to worry about eh?" He added.

 

The blond ten the looked over to where Michael had indicated Mizuki was, his smile widening. "Now, if you two will excuse me for a moment." He said before making his way over to the game she was playing.

Lawrence leaned up against the outside of the game, looking in at Mizuki, who was intensely focused on the screen in front of her as she flew her current mission. "Hey there." He said with a small grin.

[RocketLord]

Spaceman

 

Late, as almost always, Parker walks into the arcade. He is breathing a bit heavier than normal, but nothing that wouldn't be caused by running. He is in a white t-shirt and a pair of dark grey, almost black cargo shorts that reach just below his knee, as he moves to catch up with Michael and Iris for now. He spots Daniel, Sam and Lawrence, but you have to start somewhere.

 

"Hey Iris and Michael, sorry that I'm late. I got into some trouble on the way." He didn't feel like he had to explain the kind of trouble to them. "Is everything alright? The atmosphere is a bit more serious than I thought it'd be."

Edited 51 minutes ago by RocketLord