Scholastic Forums » Rhythm Access (A Forumfic)

meerkat · 7/27/2020 3:20 pm

KLJFDKMLASCFJ AJR!! yES

great chapter!! i love the dynamic between jack and kat hehe-

Jack · 7/27/2020 3:22 pm

I love the dynamics between Jack and Kat!! And we get some drama with Riri as well 😳

kaori · 7/27/2020 5:57 pm

so THAT'S what you meant by the nicki minaj incident

amazing chapter! can't wait to read the next one

Time · 7/27/2020 6:23 pm

Drama... What could have possibly happened?

Ngl this chapter kinda made me sad with not them talking with each other. Idk really why though.

But still amazing job nonetheless!

riribunni · 7/28/2020 7:39 am

Chapter Ten
[now playing: Blush by AIKA]

honeybeebi → nectarblossom_
nectarblossom_: I BROKE MY COMBO
honeybeebi: AGAIN???//???>>
nectarblossom_: yea (((((((((((
honeybeebi: unrelated but im SO sorry sorry i cant talk rn,,, i have an important thing to get to cant use my phone. text u 3 hrs from now or smthn!!!
nectarblossom_: ok!! seeya hndfjksfhsjfksh

Lia shut her phone off, slipping it into the backpack she had brought. Today was the day she had been anticipating for a while: the day that the auditions for new fighters were held. She had gotten news of it after watching the festival and immediately asked her parents to apply. Her parents agreed, if not a bit reluctantly.

It was cold outside in the long line, the mask over her mouth and nose providing a little bit of warm from the nippy breeze provided by the water. The bowl-shape of the stadium loomed in front of her, the noon sun making the shadow of it cast over the bridge. She was merely a few feet away from the door.

Another slow trickle forwards and Lia was finally at the turnstill. A guard stood in front of it, glaring at the younger. Although, glaring wouldn't get him an extra few inches in height, seeing as Lia was taller than him by a stretch.

"Fighting name?" the guard questioned, voice flat if not a little aggravated.

"Kaida," Lia said, adjusting the black mask over her nose.

"Verification code?" The guard asked, scowling.

Lia shifted her shoulders back, evening out her posture and looking down at the guard. "392645," Lia responded, her voice more composed than before.

The guard huffed, pressing the button behind him. The turnstill unlocked with a clack and Kaida bowed her head in a nod, pushing through and walking into the large opening area.

The room was packed. Filling the whole room sat loads of people— some standing, some practicing basic movements, and a few were even rehearsing what they were going to say to others.

All Lia was looking for was an empty chair. Lo and behold, there one sat; in the middle of the third row of seats that looked eerily similar to what would be held in an airport waiting area.

Darting over to the chair quickly, Lia nodded an acknowledgement to the two sitting next to her and rested her backpack in her lap.

"...which is why I think that logically, you should be called Morty on stage," the person next to Lia said. Lia turned her head to the side, watching the two with masks over their faces as well. One had their bangs draped near where their eyes would be, the slivers of pupil peeking through all dark gray. The boy to the other's side was shorter, with bright cyan hair tied back into a ponytail.

"My name is Mortum Flos!" the cyan-haired one squawked, arms flailing. "It's not like your latin name is any better!"

"Exspira is like, half the pain of that," the one with bangs shrugged again. Out of the corner of their eye, the person deemed Exspira made eye contact with Lia. Lia immediately averted her stare, looking away and becoming rather interested in the floor all of a sudden.

"Oh, you weren't here ten seconds ago," Exspira said, leaning forwards. "Hi, I'm Exspira! Short for Exspiravit. Call me Spira, Exy, whatever, really. And this—" Exspira jabbed their thumb over their shoulder and pointed at the cyan-haired boy again-- "Is Morty."

"For the third time," Mortum Flos groaned, leaning over to look at Lia from around Exspira. "My name is Mortum Flos, not Morty."

"Nice to meet you, Spira and Morty," Lia said with a grin, throwing up a peace sign for no particular reason. "My name is L—Kaida. My name is Kaida!"

"It's great to meet you as well," Mortum Flos said in return, nodding. "Are you nervous?"

"A tad," Kaida said with a shrug. She looked up at the odd square pattern of the ceiling, lights in a checker-like pattern on the roof. "It's a bit nerve-wracking, but I'm sure it'll all turn out fine. Have you heard anything about the auditions?"

"I heard that maybe one of the top three fighters would show up for a visit," Exspira said, leaning forwards in their seat. "I hope it's Solamoon. She's so cool."

"She is!" Mortum Flos gushed. "I was so happy when she won during the festival, oh my god. That final move that she pulled was legendary."

"I was lucky enough to watch it in person," Kaida beamed, looking back at the others and fixing the high ponytail she kept her hair in. "It was soooo amazing!"

"I wish I could have afforded tickets," Exspira sighed. "I had to watch at home on my phone after my mom wanted me away from the television. Bad for my eyesight," they said, deepening their voice in an attempt to mimic their mother."Understandable," Mortum Flos said with a nod. "Sitting too close to the TV is damaging, like the thorns of a dew-covered rose."

"Dios mío, you sound like my mamá," Exspira groaned, sliding down in their chair. "Don't be such a buzzkill. And seriously, what's up with the poetic jabber?"

Mortum Flos gasped in shock, firing something at Exspira in Spanish. The elder responded just as quick, words flying faster than a machine gun. Mortum Flos seemed to back down after that.

Exspira turned back to Kaida, who was staring at the duo in shock. "Do you two know each other?" Kaida asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Absolutely not," Mortum Flos said, examining the black nail polish painted over his fingernails. "The lunatic just came over and started talking to me," he continued, tracing the rhinestone on his thumb nail with his pointer finger.

"I am no lunatic!" Exspira said, turning their nose upwards. "I am merely more elaborate in thought than you."

"Bet you failed the poetry unit in ninth grade," Mortum Flos said, eyes reading smug as he leered at Exspira.

It was Exspira's turn to gasp in offense. "You take that—"

"Exspira for auditions?"

Exspira leapt up from their seat, giving a two finger salute to the others. "Thaaat's me, ladies and gents! I'm outta here!"

Lia watched the elder bolt over to the door, jogging up to the ventus folk handler who was at the double doors.

"I hope you perform well in your audition," Mortum Flos said, turning to Kaida. "You're before me when it comes to auditions."

Kaida gave a grateful nod. "You too!"

~

[now playing: Get Your Wish (DJ NOT PORTER ROBINSON REMIX) by Porter Robinson]

Exspira held her breath as she pushed open the door to the fighting arena floor. All battles had been cancelled that day, opting for the open stadium floor to be used as the floor for the performers to carry out their auditions. The vampire shifted the domino mask on her face, grateful for the break from the stuffy face-mask that they had to wear into the audition waiting room.

"So, Exspiravit, correct?" the first judge at the table said. A table had been situated on the floor, the area being in a smaller portion of the stadium, completely and entirely walled off.

"That's my name," Exspira said. "But you can call me Exspira or Spira for short. Whatever works for you, doc."

The judge hesitated before looking downwards, turning the paper in his hands. "Your application form says that your powers are enhanced strength, speed, and...ESP? Why was this placed here?"

"I have poor eyesight, and the ESP was a genetic adaptation," Exspira said, standing tall, chest puffed out in confidence. "Which is why I have a request for the fighting portion of the audition."

"Go on," the judge said, shaking their hand. "Get it out now."

“I'd like to perform the fighting portion of the audition blindfolded, if you don't mind."

The three judges looked at each other in shock, one whispering to the others. "Is that...is that legal? Can they do that?"

"Nothing in the audition handbook prevents the action," Exspira said. "I've done my research."

The judges shared another quick word, debating with each other before the first judge came to a conclusion. "Very well. However, if this proves to be disappointing, remember that you will go down in the audition history books as an example to others."

Exspira's neutral expression contorted into a smirk, the fighter cracking their neck. "Bold of you to assume I would lose."

"Your weapon?"

"Chain whip," Exspira said, stretching their right shoulder. "I won't need it much, though—"

Something in Exspira's core set them off. They could feel the presence of someone dashing up behind them, the person was in the air, jumping—

Exspira slid to the side and grasped the person's ankle, causing them to fall head-first instead of tumbling into a roll. The attacker groaned in pain while Exspira merely grinned triumphantly from above.

"A sneak attack," Exspira proclaimed, looking up to the judge panel. "Dirty play, no?"

"Fighters have to be ready no matter what the dire situation," the second judge said, unfazed by the attack or the fighter’s response. "The blindfold and chain whip have arrived, please get ready to fight."

Exspira turned to the side, glancing at a different handler from before. In the handler's hands were a basic chain whip and a long strip of dark fabric, just as Exspira had requested.

Exspira took both items with both of their hands, bowing their head as they accepted them. The fighter dropped the chain whip to the ground, shifting their hair as they tied the blindfold around their eyes.

"Ready?" the third judge called. Exspira could tell exactly where they were, exactly how far the table was away. Exspira nodded, using their foot to kick up the handle of the chain whip and toss it into their hand.

"Oh, I was born ready."

"BEGIN!" the speaker shouted, and Exspira could feel the footsteps pounding on the floor around them already.

The fighter struck their whip out in the direction of where two attackers resided, hitting the fighters in the gut and sending the duo flying. The blade of a sword was coming, a blade that Exspira could sense the texture of the metal with from an hour away. Exspira quickly ducked, sending a whip at the attacker's ankles.

We're just getting started, Exspira thought to themselves, pushing themselves up into a cartwheel and landing a solid kick to the person in front of them. They sent an extra kick to the gut, using the one foot they had planted on the stadium floor as a launchpad to get moving and start charging towards the fighter who was about roughly their size.

Even though no music played in the stadium, Exspira could feel the dull thrum of the residual bass in their headphones that they had left at home. Music was blaring in their head as they continued to rain down attack after attack.

Exspira loved every second of it. The adrenaline that came from sending a punch to someone's chest, the feeling their wrists got when they sent a whip flying at the legs of an attacker, they were all filled with pure energy and adrenaline.

The fighter was pretty sure they had lost track of time. Whether it had been minutes or seconds was beyond them, merely focusing on each fighter that came to attack them in their mind.

Something felt off. There was no presences active; Exspira couldn't feel their motion or waves anywhere.

"...Exspira, you have passed the fighting portion of the test."

Exspira screamed.

~

The next portion of the test passed like a breeze. Exspira was what lots looked for in a fighter: sociable, easy to hype up a crowd with, and had a smooth way of picking things back up where they left them.

"We'll contact you with your results in the coming week," another handler said, escorting the vampire out of the stadium floor and through the exit to the locker rooms. "Change and dispose of the domino mask. Please wear the same mask that you wore as you entered the building."

"Gotcha," Exspira said with an easygoing nod. As soon as the handler had left, the fighter made a noise that sounded like a combination between a dogwhistle, a scream, and a panicked dolphin. Exspira couldn't fight the little victory dance that they performed to themselves, chanting "I did it" over and over to a non-existent tune.

"Oh, Exspira!" a familiar voice said, tapping the fighter on the shoulder. The fighter jolted out of their victory dance, returning eye contact with Kaida.

"Kaida! I have no idea but I am 99.5% sure I made it," Exspira gushed, grasping the other girl by the shoulders. "What about you?! Do you think you got in?"

"I hope so," Kaida said with an awkward chuckle. "I accidentally got struck by a sword once, but other than that, I think I did...reasonably well, to be quite honest."

"Ohh, I hope we both make it! And same for Mortimer," Exspira squealed, draping dramatically against the lockers.

Kaida snorted a laugh. "He's gonna kill you if he heard you call him Mortimer."

"Eh, he'll get over it. He totally made it, though," Exspira grinned.

Kaida nodded in response. "Yeah, I bet he did," she said, taking out her high ponytail. Looking at the locker, the girl paused before turning back to the vampire.

"I hope we both make it into Rhythm Access," Kaida said, holding her chin high. "But if the scenario comes where it's time for you and I to battle, remember that I will strike you down on the spot."

"Impressive, especially coming from someone who's six foot and barely looks like they could kill a fly," Exspira teased, earning a scowl from Kaida. Exspira shook her hands back and forth, in a poor attempt to reassure the other. "I kid! I kid. Don't worry, I'll take you seriously in battle."

Kaida grinned, shaking out her feathers in her wings. "Good! Now, go get changed. I'll see you around, alright?"

Exspira beamed, waving to the other as they slid to their locker, pulling out their stuff. "Seeya, Kaidie!"

"Don't call me Kaidie!"

"We'll see!"

~

Meanwhile, Mortum Flos was having a breakdown on the floor of the exit.

"Oh my god, oh my god, this is actually happening, you're the sunset in the flesh," Mortum Flos stammered, desperately trying to recollect their composure. "Wow, okay, alright. Hello, fair maiden, I'm Mortum—"

"Nice to meet you," Solamoon interrupted with a smile, and Mortum Flos almost found it hard to make eye contact with the other fighter. Upon looking at the other's closed eyes, Mortum Flos wrinkled his eyebrows together. Solamoon had deep bags under her eyes, concealer layered over the signs of obvious lack of sleep.

"Good luck, and we hope to see you around!" Bunni said, gently pushing the male on the back and gesturing for the other to leave.

"Ah! Yes, yes, I'll see you around," Mortum Flos called over his shoulder, adjusting his mask and scurrying out the front door. Solamoon looked out of it...whatever, could just be the lighting in there.

Bunni watched with keen eyes as the fighter scurried away. "You're tired, aren't you?"

Solamoon let out a scoff. "Pfft, what? Me, tired?! Noooooo, never. Never heard of her. Nope."

"How many of those weird hyper-caffeinated strawberry-green-tea sugar drinks have you had today?"

"None of your business," Solamoon said, her smile a bit more terrifying than normal. The sky-themed fighter would rather pass out on the floor than tell the poor excuse of a gremlin child that she had drunk four of them.

Bunni shivered in response. If Solamoon had one thing scary about her, it was the fact that her smile could make someone cry more so than her frown. "Alright, well...if you need any help, I'm always here for you, okay?" Bunni said, running a hand through her hair to ruffle it loose. "You know you can take leave from the fights, no one will—"

"If you're trying to trick me into taking a break so you can hold the number one fighter position for longer, it's not going to happen," Solamoon said, pausing her words to shake hands with another fighter and wish them good luck.

"You and I both know I don't care if we exchange places for a bit," Bunni whispered to the other, waving goodbye as more and more fighters-to-be trickled out of the locker room exits. "I just don't want anyone else touching our spot."

"I'd trust Abyss to get up there," Solamoon said, high-fiving a fighter that passed and repeating her empty-sounding 'Thanks for coming!'. "She's pretty dedicated."

"She's too in her own head," Bunni said, returning the dramatic bow that another fighter gave her. "If she keeps that uptight mentality, she won't get far."

"What about Concerto?" Solamoon suggested. The fighters had stopped their responses to the other fighters, and the flood had drawn down to an asocial trickle of people.

"Good kid," Bunni said with a nod. "She knows a lot about the game and dirty tricks, I'm surprised. But she's rather quiet on stage."

"She was talking all about your scythe when you threw the blade," Solamoon said. Her mouth opened to say another sentence, but the bell tolls signaling that it was six o'clock in the evening chimed.

"It's already six?!" Bunni exclaimed in shock, looking at her wrist to find no watch. "Oh, right. I don't wear a watch." The girl quickly pulled out her phone and checked the time. Sure enough, there read a bold "6:00PM" in white, plain font.

"That's when they said we got off," Solamoon said with a nod. "Ready to head back to the lobby?"

Bunni gave a relief-filled groan, stretching her arm above her head. "You have no idea. Hey, I'll order you another one of those tea thingamajigs for you, if you want. I'll even try it."

Solamoon rolled her eyes. "Sure. I'll kill five minutes in the lobby to down it, but that's it. If you start any sort of antics, I'm finishing my drink in a pod and leaving."

"Isn't stalling in the changing pods against policy?" Bunni questioned, lifting her pointer finger up.

"With you, I have genuinely stopped caring."

"Ouch," Bunni giggled, clutching her chest in mock hurt. "Your words ail me."

"You'll get over it, medieval goblin-woman, " Solamoon said with an amused smile. "Now come on, I want caffeine."

"You're not gonna sleep if you drink another one of those."

Solamoon turned to look Bunni dead in the rabbit-mask eyes. "Do I look like someone who fears the gods of this plain of existence?"

"...Let's get you that drink, then."

riribunni · 7/28/2020 7:39 am

i don't care about the emoji that occured in the top bit please i cant edit this whole thing again

xenon · 7/28/2020 8:01 am

I LOVE EXSPIRA they are an ICON
also Solamoon's gonna have a heart attack fsjgdhf

fantastic chapter! thank you for one so soon after the last! we stan a legend

SongOfStorms · 7/28/2020 8:17 am

morty! mortimer! heh i love the nicknames, and the new friendship between exspira, morty, and kaida!

the fight assessment for exspira was also really, really fun to read! and yeah, i agree with xenon, solamoon's gonna die from having so many strawberry green teas--

great chapter and keep up the good work!

riribunni · 7/28/2020 9:09 am

thank u guys 🥺🥺 solamoon goes into cardiac arrest from caffeine, more at 11

exspira is THE literal legend

chanchanchan · 7/28/2020 9:29 am

solamoon mood djnddnnd heartbeat? Dying

kaori · 7/28/2020 10:25 am

oh my goodness i love this so much

words can not begin to express how much fun i have reading these every time you post

riribunni · 7/28/2020 10:41 am

@Chan the real caramelldansen meme is just solamoon passed out on the floor from caffeine overload

@Kaori 🥺🥺🥺🥺 thank u bro

SpecterTheGreat · 7/28/2020 11:09 am

Heck yeah Exspira!!!
Do I sense new friendships 👀👀👀

Solamoon needs to practice more self-care haha

riribunni · 7/28/2020 11:24 am

EXSPIRA MADE THEIR DEBUT BIG HAPPY
yes u do 👀👀👀

meerkat · 7/28/2020 12:26 pm

aaaah new fighter friendships!! they’re all icons and i love them-

solamoonnnnnnn she be havin a heart attack dndjdbjdbdjs get some sleep sister

great chapter hehe!

EchoDraws · 7/28/2020 12:39 pm

EJNFKQKTN2KNFME THOSE NICKNAMES ARE BEAUTIFUL JSJ4JKFKQKTJ

I sense some friendships 👁👄👁

aaAAAHHHHH yEs

Time · 7/28/2020 4:32 pm

I just found this little sliver of reception to say this.

Great Chapter!

But I'm literally running out of complements to say, if I keep on going I'll just be saying the same things, if I'm not already doing so. Help I need more complements

riribunni · 7/28/2020 9:35 pm

@echo m o r t y

@meerkat solamoon deserves more sleep but i feel like its necessary to share i almost wrote her name as salmon

@time thank u !!!

meerkat · 7/28/2020 11:23 pm

LKDMFJLDS SALMON-

also yes she does deserve more sleep ahaha

riribunni · 7/28/2020 11:44 pm

au where everything is the same but solamoon is replaced with a salmon

meerkat · 7/28/2020 11:53 pm

ahahahaha yes-

HungryCat1 · 7/29/2020 5:48 am

Dang bunni is coming out with new quality chapters faster than a Naruto runner storming Area 51

riribunni · 7/29/2020 10:57 am

Chapter Eleven
[now playing: Interstellar Love Story by D-Real]

Thunderstorm cursed whatever in her deemed that going to Riri's house on a weekend was a good idea.

The duo had gotten along fine at first in school, socializing choppily but getting the ideas across to each other. Thunderstorm had observed a few things about the girl: she hated not wearing a mask over her face, she had what appears to be a slight caffeine addiction, and always had bags under her eyes.

Thunderstorm's leg bounced a bit faster as she watched the next train stop pass. She knew she was bound to get off in two stops. There was a part of her that was grateful that she was getting off at this station. It was the closest to the bakery that her parents liked the most. She had memorized the route, to be honest; thanks to her parents sending her off to get bread for the family when they had first moved into the neighborhood. Her headphones were the only thing keeping her grounded on the train and not two steps away from a freak-out session in a train car full of strangers.

The train pinged again, signaling they had passed another stop. Thunderstorm stood up from her seat, brushing out her yoga pants as she made her way over to the train door. Her fist clenched the metal bar near the door, her other hand gripping her messenger bag.

The cabin slowed down to a stop and the doors slid open, giving Thunderstorm the time and room to get out. The elemental readied her tap card as she went up the escalator, tapping the card and walking out and down the flight of stairs outside.The address that Riri gave me... Thunderstorm thought to herself, drawing out her phone again and flicking open the home screen. her eyes skimmed over the numbers and words again. The street name sounds familiar.

Thunderstorm observed the scenery around her as her map navigator in her ears chimed a helpful "stay straight for another 100 ft, then you have arrived."

Coming up in the distance was the EarthBlossom Bakery; the one she had grown familiar with taking the train to every few days or so to pick up loaves (or occasionally, wake up at the crack of dawn to buy a croissant for breakfast). Thunderstorm couldn't fight the smile over her face as she checked her watch. There's still a few minutes till it's time to meet Riri. Stopping inside wouldn't hurt...

The elemental drew to a stop in front of the bakery. Lifting a hand to pause her music, she froze.

"You have arrived at your destination," the navigator said in her ear. Thunderstorm pressed the off button on her headphones, slowly removing them and staring up at the sign. Strange, she thought. She pulled up her phone and compared the two building addresses again. Instead of a 551, there was a 550 as the sign number. That’s weird. Maybe an error?

She quickly made her way over to the neighboring building. The sign in front said 552. Is it really the bakery? Thunderstorm opted to go inside, determined to investigate.

Opening the door, Thunderstorm was given an uppercut to the face with the smell of fresh-baked bread, sugar and vanilla. The warm cream-toned walls and earthy oak tables and wood accents made the room feel all the more cozy, the blossoms taken care of by the bakery owners blooming in the natural light of the cafe.

There was no line, which Thunderstorm was eternally grateful for. She ignored the quick glances thrown by the current customers, focusing on walking to the counter. The silver bell sitting on the counter labelled "ring me!" was quickly pressed, sending a cheerful "PING!" through the bakery air.

A shout of "coming" rung from the back, alongside the clatter of a bowl being set down. Out rushed a middle-aged man, with a bit of flour in his hair. "Oh, hey, Thunderstorm! What brings you here?"

"Hello, Mr. Bellman," Thunderstorm said with a nod and a smile. "Uh, just a class project. I think my phone got the wrong address, it brought me here..."

"Wait a minute. Are you here for Riri?" Mr. Bellman asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

Thunderstorm blanked. "How...how did you know? Wait, Riri?! Riri lives here?"

"She mentioned a friend coming over," Mr. Bellman said with a casual shrug. The man opened the pastry cabinet and pulled out a brownie and croissant, placing the two on one plate and handing it to the younger. "You can go on upstairs, her room is at the end of the hall past the living room. Use the brownie to lure her out."

"O...kay?" Thunderstorm said, accepting the plate. "Thank you for having me, pardon the intrusion."

"No intrusion at all, kiddo," Mr. Bellman said, pointing towards the wooden door to the left of the actual entrance, the door covered in ivy and baby breath flowers. "Just go on up there. Take off your shoes when you hit the stairs, alright?"

"Gotcha," Thunderstorm said with a nod. "But, what about payment--"

Mr. Bellman waved the other off. "Hush, no paying this time. Now, go do your project."

Thunderstorm fought the urge to battle about payment. The argument had occurred a few times before, resulting in discounts for her family. The elemental walked over to the door and twisted the door open, thanking the door silently under her breath for not creating an obnoxious squeak and drawing attention to her.

The staircase was made out of oak and was walled with the familiar cream walls, just like the bakery. There was a small square of flooring, a mirror placed on the wall to the left and the staircase to the right. Shoes were lined up neatly on a little rack. Thunderstorm easily recognized the platform mary janes that Riri wore on the rack as she removed her own converse, slipping them off and placing them next to the rack, balancing the plate in one hand.

The stairs made subtle noises as they shifted, the elemental trying to walk up the stairs as quietly as she could.

The stairs twisted upwards and revealed a rather open landing, with a kitchen facing a living room and dining table in the corner. The furniture in the living room had signs of being lived in, blankets and cushions draped over the seats. The kitchen was lined with spice racks, pots and pans, with a combination of spoons and ladles dangling over the kitchen island.

Thunderstorm treaded through the room, careful not to step on any of the carpets on the floor. Sure enough, there was a hallway near the television, and at the end of the hallway there was a (closed) door. Thunderstorm kept her pace, making her way over to the closed door before stopping in front of it.

The door definitely was Riri’s. A space invaders alien was taped on the doorway, with a little wooden sign with obvious wear to it reading “Riri” in loopy font with hearts around it.

Thunderstorm hesitantly lifted a hand, knocking on the door twice. Just as she was about to open her mouth, she got a shout of Japanese as a response.

“What?” Thunderstorm asked, baffled. There was another groan, and Thunderstorm heard ruffling in the room before the door creaked open.

“Ohirugohan wo tabetakunai; mama, I’m not in the mood to eat—“ Riri rambled, looking from the creak in her door frame before freezing.

 “You are not my mother.”  

Thunderstorm coughed into her fist. “I am definitely not.”

  “One moment, please,” Riri said, keeping her expression flat. Riri slammed the door in the other’s face, leaving a baffled Thunderstorm standing in front of the door with a plate full of baked goods.

Y’know, like an idiot.

Thunderstorm heard various noises erupt from the room. There were loud thuds, what sounded vaguely like a cat screeching, the rustling of fabric and the clatter of plastic bottles. What the heck was Riri even doing in there? 

The door reopened, this time to twice the distance it was before. There stood a Riri with her mask on (despite not being outside), wearing what seemed to be an oversized hoodie, a skirt, and fuzzy socks.

“You said next Sunday,” Riri said, staring at Thunderstorm. “This is not next Sunday.”  

“This is definitely next Sunday,” Thunderstorm said. “You confirmed that it was today three times, remember?”  

“I did?” Riri said, looking more confused than Thunderstorm herself. “When did I say that?”  

“Uh, yesterday, over text message, and Wednesday in class.”  

Riri cursed under her breath, moving back into her room quickly and returning with a laptop and charger tucked under her arm. “I can’t remember doing that,” she said, shutting her door behind her and making her way back down the short hall.

“Did you seriously forget that we're doing this today?" Thunderstorm said, following the other girl.

"I had obligations," Riri said, moving over to the wooden dinner table and setting up her laptop.

Thunderstorm scoffed. "Like what?"

Riri grimaced, focusing on typing on her laptop. "Obligations. Now, sit down, we have work to do."

"Right, right," Thunderstorm sighed, clearly miffed by the other girl's actions. She opened her messenger bag and pulled out her own laptop. "Do you mind if I join the wifi network?"

"Guest password is on the TV stand," Riri said, not looking up from her laptop and making a shoo-ing motion at Thunderstorm. Thunderstorm let out a frustrated breath of air, moving over to the television stand, picking up the card labeled "WIFI PASSWORD" in rather obvious, bold font.

"I didn't know your parents owned the bakery," Thunderstorm said, sitting back down at her seat. She motioned to the plate on the table. "Your dad told me to bring up a brownie for you to 'lure you out'?"

Riri groaned, backspacing on her computer. "He makes that joke all the time. I hope he didn't make the bread puns again..."

"It's fine," Thunderstorm said, opening the coding studio program on her laptop. "I know your parents fairly well."

"You do?!" Riri exclaimed. After a second, she seemed to realize how loud her exclamation was. "Uh. I mean, you do?"

"My parents love the bread here," Thunderstorm said with a nod. "I'd visit pretty often to pick up some. Or a croissant."

"Ah," Riri responded. The duo fell into silence again, the room filled with tapping.

"...So, got any plans for the game?"

~

[now playing: Two Time by Jack Stauber]

It had been six hours, and Riri Bellman was ready to smash her head into the table.

It wasn't working with Thunderstorm that made her want to smash her head into a table. Working with Thunderstorm wasn't hard. The other shared many similar thoughts as the earth elemental, and both of their knowledge of coding was at the same level.

It was going through the code that they worked on together that gave her a headache. They had made an error in a line of code an hour ago and still couldn't figure out where it was.

"I think I might scream if I see another else-if statement," Thunderstorm said, sighing as she slid deeper into her chair. "Should we just...put it off for now? I think I've gotten radiation poisoning from the screen."

"You know that can't happen from looking at a screen, right?"

"Shush, let me die in peace," the water elemental groaned, pressing her hands onto her eyes. "What time is it?"

Riri slipped out her phone, bunny-shaped bell dangling from the earphone jack. Thunderstorm lifted a hand to look at the source of the jingling. "Uh...oh, it's like, five pm," Riri said, checking the time on her phone.

"Dang, it's getting late," Thunderstorm said with a sigh, stretching in her chair. "Nice rabbit charm, by the way."

"Oh! Thanks," Riri said. Thunderstorm saw the girl's eyes crinkle from a genuine smile. "I got it from a gacha machine by the arcade!"

"That's neat," Thunderstorm said. The cartoonish rabbit head seemed to taunt Thunderstorm, making her grimace. She opted to avoid looking at the charm, sitting up in her chair and stretching instead. "Say," Thunderstorm said, her sentence cut off by a quick yawn. "Do you want me to head out soon?"

"It's up to you," Riri said, pocketing her phone. "I don't particularly--"

"Riri, there you are!" a motherly voice said. Both elementals turned to see a taller, older woman with brown hair similar to the asocial gamer.

"Hey, mama," Riri said, shutting her laptop. "Everything okay?"

"Super short notice, I know," her mother said, untying her apron and hanging it on the hook near the door, "But we're totally out of molasses and bean sprouts, could you run to the store?" Riri's mother seemed to only then notice that Thunderstorm was there.

"Snowstorm!" her mother said with a wave. "Did you become friends with Riri? My, what a small world!"

"Ah," Thunderstorm said, looking at Riri. Riri returned the stare with the most unsuspicious "I don't know" gesture she could muster.

"We're just working on a project for school," Thunderstorm responded, turning to look at Mrs. Bellman. "Thank you for having me."

Mrs. Bellman made a soft "pssh", letting her hand go limp with a dramatic flap. "Oh, no trouble at all! Now, Riri, about those bean sprouts..."

"I'll go, mama, it's okay," Riri said, standing up from the table and pushing her chair in. "Thunderstorm, you were considering leaving, were you not?"

"She's not staying for dinner?" Mrs. Bellman questioned, sounding mildly offended. "You didn't invite her for dinner after staying here all that time? Oh, let me clutch my pearls, dear goodness--"

"I am so sorry about her," Riri said, wincing in Thunderstorm's direction. "She's a bit of a drama queen."

"Only when one is wronged!" Mrs. Bellman said with a shake of the fist. "Hailstorm, dear, would you like to stay for dinner?"

"My name is Thunderstorm," Thunderstorm said, scratching the side of her face in an attempt to relieve some of the awkwardness. "And I really don't wish to intrude--"

"Please stay for dinner!" Mrs. Bellman exclaimed. "We're eating stir-fry for dinner, you're not allergic to meat, right? If you're a vegetarian we can do tofu, or..."

Thunderstorm looked at Riri again, who just shrugged in response.

"I'll stay for dinner, ma'am."

"Great!" Mrs. Bellman exclaimed, rushing to the fridge, tearing a piece of paper off of a magnetic notepad and shoving it in Riri's direction. "Be back by seven, have fun!"

"...Alright," Riri said, picking up her laptop. The girl turned to Thunderstorm, jerking her head in the direction of her room. "I'm gonna go get my purse. Gimme a sec."

"'Kay," Thunderstorm said, nodding at the other as the brunette trotted off.

Mrs. Bellman rustled in a cupboard for a second, pulling out a glass. "So, Snowstorm, you've visited the bakery often, huh?"

Thunderstorm gave another nod, this time to the elder Bellman. "My parents love your bread, so they insist I come here to purchase it instead of a grocer bakery."

"How sweet," Mrs. Bellman said with a smile, filling her glass with water. The duo continued their activities in silence, Thunderstorm checking the time on her phone.

"I'm surprised Riri even let you in the house," Mrs. Bellman said with a chuckle. "She's a real stubborn one."

"Ah," Thunderstorm said. Her tone screamed "I don't know how to respond to this situation".

The soft padding of feet down the hall caught Thunderstorm's attention, watching Riri jog back into the room, adjusting her mask.

"Ready?" the earth elemental said, motioning towards the door. Thunderstorm responded with a "yeah", getting up and moving towards the stair entrance.

"See you in a bit, kids!" Mrs. Bellman exclaimed, watching the duo make their way down the stairs.

The elder woman turned once the kids were gone. She shifted the image of a young woman with a black and gold costume and mask behind the fridge, grinning at the image of her younger self. Not quite time for guests to know about that.

~

The market trip was efficient. Neither girls could find anything relatable to talk about on the way there, so they filled the awkward spaces with ideas for their game. They were in and out in no time; Riri navigating the store to make the trip as quick as possible.

Dinner passed like a breeze. The bakery had someone else employed to handle the last batch of customers, giving the Bellman's room to eat dinner as a family. Riri actually took down her mask to eat the meal, her family forcing her to keep it off at the dinner table.

"Thunderstorm, what do you do in your spare time?" Mr. Bellman asked with a smile, taking a bite of his stir-fry.

"Well, I listen to music, and I code a bit too," Thunderstorm said, taking a sip from her water. Looking back up at the family, she continued. "I also theorize in my spare time."

"Theorize? Well, isn't that interesting," Mrs. Bellman said, leaning further into the table. "Do go on."

"As of late, I've been focused on theories revolving around Rhythm Access," Thunderstorm continued with a nod, taking the last bite of her stir-fry and swallowing.

"Oh, like the founding of it?" Mr. Bellman said, placing his fork horizontally on his bowl-plate.

"More like the fighters," Thunderstorm said, folding the cloth napkin in her lap. "Specifically, Bunni."

Riri started coughing from choking on her water. Mr. Bellman stared into the distance with wide eyes.

Mrs. Bellman set her fork down gently and turned to Thunderstorm. "What about her are you looking into?"

"I want to find out who she really is," Thunderstorm said, her face falling. "Her...psychological approach to things interest me."

"Lovely," Mr. Bellman said, eyes skimming over the table, looking for an escape from the conversation. "Oh, we're all finished! Alright, well, why don't you two clear and Riri can do the dishes?"

Thunderstorm nodded. "Sure," she said, standing up from the table and grabbing her and Mrs. Bellman's plate. "Thank you for the meal!"

"Oh, no problem!" Mr. and Mrs. Bellman chimed, watching the duo bring dishes to the sink.

"We're going to wrap up downstairs," Mr. Bellman said. "I'll tell Ark you said hi, Riri."

"Thanks, dad," Riri called, not turning to watch the adults walk downstairs. The girl pulled her mask back up, turning on the faucet and starting on scrubbing a plate.

"Do you need me to dry dishes?" Thunderstorm asked. She was fidgeting, looking out-of-place by not doing anything.

The question seemed to take Riri by surprise. The girl muttered a "sure" and threw the dish-drying towel at Thunderstorm, who caught it quickly. Thunderstorm took the clean plate that Riri had finished washing, starting to dry it. In the corner of her eye, a picture of a beaming seven-year-old Riri and her parents furnished a windowsill.

"What's up with Bunni to you?" Riri asked, focusing on scrubbing a rice paddle. The brunette had her eyebrows raised, listening intently for a response.

"Her actions at the festival baffled me," Thunderstorm said with a sigh. "She just seems...strange. How did she even see through that mask?"

"Dunno," Riri said, placing the rice paddle in the drying rack, focusing on the rice pot next. "But you should be careful. I heard that someone who tried looking into the fighter's true identities got arrested."

"Arrested?!" Thunderstorm exclaimed, clearly startled. "That's a new one."

"Yeah, well, privacy invasion doesn't go over well," Riri said, handing the pot to Thunderstorm. "He flat-out stalked someone. Followed a fighter home from their changing pod, got his battle status revoked."

"...Dang," Thunderstorm whispered, placing the pot on the countertop. "Well, it's a good thing that I have better morals than that, right?"

Riri gave an amused exhale, focusing on scrubbing another plate. "Right."

The duo continued to wash and dry dishes, the conversation lulling into an odd silence. Thunderstorm looked around the room in-between drying dishes, noticing things about the area with each glance. Like how there were flowers growing just about everywhere, there were vines hanging in short lines from the ceiling, how baby breath blossoms were arranged in a vase on the island counter, and how there were only pictures of Riri from when she was in elementary school displayed.

"Thanks for coming over for dinner," Riri said, shutting off the faucet. "You'll get home safe, correct?"

"Yeah," Thunderstorm said, hanging up the towel where Riri had grabbed it. "I know self-defense if all else fails."

"Don't get hurt," Riri said, hanging up her own apron next to her mother's, running a hand near the nape of her neck to loosen the hair resting there. "We still have to work more on the project and I'm not editing on my own."

"I won't," Thunderstorm said, walking down the stairs, Riri following. The two exchanged brief goodbyes and Riri immediately retreated to her room, throwing herself on her bed and flicking on the wall lamp above her bed. She crawled over to the shelf on her wall, opening up one of the books and pulling her special phone out of it.

She was about to turn on the phone she used only when she was Bunni when a ping from her normal phone caught her eyes.

Thunderstorm: I got home safe, thanks for the food!

Riri sent a thumbs up in response, shutting off her phone again and resting her head on her pillow. The thump of something landing on the bed next to her caught her eyes, and the girl lifted her head to look at her cat.

"Hey, Steve."

xenon · 7/29/2020 11:07 am

STEVE
also ts really said "i'm looking for bunni's identity" to riri's whole family huh
great chapter & soundtrack as usual!!

SongOfStorms · 7/29/2020 11:16 am

"well, it's a good thing i have better morals than that, right?"
stalking is a... rather low bar to compare yourself too, ralts. you might have slightly better morals, but the key term here is slightly
aLSO TWO-TIME YESSSS THAT'S A GOOD SONG

anyways loved the chapter! ts n riri's developing friendship and ts going "hey im looking to see who bunni is" without realizing that bunni was in the same room was great!
also steeeeeeeeve. ive only known him for two sentences but i love him already. a good cat!!

great job as always!