• If you were supposed to get an email from the forum but didn't (e.g. to verify your account for registration), email Wes at [email protected] or talk to me on Discord for help. Sometimes the server hits our limit of emails we can send per hour.
  • Get in our Discord chat! Discord.gg/stararmy
  • 📅 February and March 2024 are YE 46.2 in the RP.
Status
Not open for further replies.
Planet Yamatai
Kyoto
Kakushi Nekoba
Game Area


Akahana’s cyan gaze shot wide open.

Alastair Belmont? Here? During Girls' Festival?

The Snowy Neko suddenly felt very lightheaded, to such an extent that her alabaster features turned a distinct cherry red which was easily apparent due to their snowy hue. The memory of her unwittingly kissing him during her first few hours on the YSS Kōun briefly manifested in Akahana’s digital mind in perfect resolution, capturing all of her emotions from the captivated state she had found herself in the moments leading up to and during the kiss, to her humiliating embarassment moments later.

Briefly stunned, Akahana’s digital mind registered her drink leaving her hand, at which point her reflexes kicked into overdrive to catch the glass before it could hit the ground. Nevertheless, some of the liquid made a splash as she did, running over her freshly-manicured stiletto nails in the process.

Deep breaths.

Quickly calming herself, Akahana found her gaze pulled towards the statuesque, platinum blonde Neko dressed in a fashionable white bodysuit. Her presence was far more commanding than even her stature would suggest, compelling the short-statured Analyst to observe the scene as the towering Neko seemed to mock Akahana’s former Captain to his face, perhaps making him the butt of an inside joke.

Akahana couldn’t prevent a smile from manifesting across her features as she moved next to a dark brown-haired Neko, who her digital mind registered as Asakura Yuri. The Analyst offered her a cordial wave as she set her drink down and pulled a napkin out of the nearby dispenser to dry off her hands, before cleaning them with a wet wipe pulled from her purse so that they wouldn’t get sticky.

“Asakura Yuri? Do you mind if I sit next to you?” The Snowy Neko asked. “I’m Akahana, by the way.” She added, before extending her hand out towards the brown-haired Neko in greeting.
 
Game Area

At what Aiko had said, Hoshi smiled giddily and without restraint, wondering if she should add some kind of jab as well. But then she realized it would only fan any flames that Alastair was likely to respond with. She covered her eyes with her hands and sipped her mai tai, trying to blend into the background of everything.

When the analyst arrived, Hoshi tilted her head to get a good look from under her cupped hands. If there was one person she loved, it was a black panel.

"Snowy Neko, hellooo," Hoshi said in a drawling whisper that pulled the last word like warm taffy.
 
Planet Yamatai
Kyoto
Kakushi Nekoba
Game Area


"Snowy Neko, hellooo," Hoshi said in a drawling whisper that pulled the last word like warm taffy.

A brow twitched.

Akahana shifted her gaze towards the source of the languidly-spoken voice, her eyes widening upon meeting a blue-haired Neko of slight, yet athletic build looking in her direction. And yet, even next to the statuesque blonde she was hard to miss, her big pink tutu dress causing Akahana’s eyes to sparkle with equal parts envy and awe.

“Snowy Neko? Me?” Akahana asked, before sweeping her gaze across the bar to look for others like her. One could never be sure! However, once she was finished, her brows snapped together as the realization dawned on her that she was being…

Addressed? Advanced upon? Passed at? Hailed? Even with her digital mind racing to analyze what the blue-haired Neko had said, Akahana was slightly indecisive.

“Oh!” Akahana continued. “Uhh, hello.” Akahana replied with a friendly wave. “Mhmm, I love your dress.” She added, without missing a beat. Naturally, owing to the Neko's disguise, the Analyst was unaware of the fact that she was speaking with a starship captain of quite fabled stature!
 
Kakushi Nekoba
Game Area
Yuri blinked her eyes as Alastair Belmont had arrived. She’d looked from him, to Aiko, who she noticed was smiling in that oh so familiar mischievous way. “I’ve heard of you too! Alastair, a member of the Famous Belmont Clan, my aunt told me about you, she served aboard with you on her first ship, the Kaiyo 2. She told me a lot about you when I was a few days old.” She said to him, before she turned her head as another she had never met before had arrived. She had to admit she was cute in appearance, so snowy.

She couldn’t help but wonder if they created her from snow, but she chose not to ask this. “I don’t mind if you sit here. My, I must be famous if you know of me!” She giggled before turning her attention, back to the others, still unaware of Aiko’s and Hoshi’s true identity. “My aunt told me a lot about the crew of the Kaiyo 2. She really respects Rei-Sensei, and hopes she could spar with her again sometime.” Her words might actually reveal the auntie of whom she spoke of.

She glanced back to Alastair a moment, and recalled he was captain of a ship, though she had heard confusing things in that regard.
 
Planet Yamatai
Kyoto
Kakushi Nekoba
Game Area


Was she famous?

Akahana turned her gaze back to Yuri, now taking a closer look at the dark brown-haired Neko’s tawny features, if only to figure out whether or not she was! Unfortunately, Akahana’s skills as an Analyst were more geared towards identifying military hardware based on tiny, inconspicuous features, than picking famous people out of a crowd.

Akahana frowned. She might have to work on that.

All the while, the Snowy Neko took a seat at the table, shifting herself into a comfortable position as she did. With that done, she offered Yuri a brief, yet grateful smile. So far, this was turning out to be quite the evening!
 
Kakushi Nekoba
Game area

"Aye, I also hear they taste different too. Though I am not one to kiss and tell." He said with a big smile as he shot a glance towards Akahana. It had not slipped his mind the events when he first met this crew. Though things never did seem to get resolved from that incident. Hearing this person knew well of him caused him to flash the Belmont gaze. "Ah yes, I have been keeping busy now that I am off on my own. Sadly I am no longer Hoshi's side kick. Having learned much from her it was time for me to leave the nest. It almost brings me to tears now that I am no longer her student, her young padawan, the peanut butter to her jelly, the milk to her cereal."
He then turned his attention towards Yuri, another one of his fans. "Your Aunt you say, And who might this be?" He asked in a curious voice. Then he overheard her name being called out. He let it roll around his mind for a moment, Asakura Yuri, where had he heard that name before. "Uh...you wouldn't be speaking about a miss Kiyo would you? Oh gosh if that is true what are the chances of running into family of old ship mates." He then paused and looked to the one who was staying quiet. "So would these two also be family?" He asked leaning down to try and get a better look at Hoshi.
 
Kakushi Nekoba
Game area


"Thank you," Hoshi said to Akahana. She stood up a little, showing off the full fit. She had on a white and pink dress made up of frills on its short sleeves and at the bottom of the white petticoat that voluminously held out the pink bottom of her dress. Between the pink suspenders was a giant bow on her chest that matched the bows on her knee-high pink boots and holding up half of her hair at her crown.

She took a long time to look at Alastair, but when she did she hid her face behind her mai tai as she sipped it and pointed to the blonde with the red jacket and said, "That's my sister."

"We have a lot of beautiful women here tonight," said one of the girls on stage, getting everyone's attention. "A lot of beautiful people are here... Oh, also a Belmont." She did a little wave to Alastair.

The other girl -a redhead- took over, saying, "Separate categories, though. Certainly. Thank you to everyone for coming out tonight for a good time. Nowadays there's so much to bring us down. Look at all the disasters we have to deal with: Kuvexian fragments are still at large, Mishhuvurthyar are terrorizing our former Emperor, and the last season of Magical Girl Aeternalis." Her words ended with a deadpan look into the crowd as she referenced a TV show whose last season had flopped.

"With all that going on, let's take this opportunity to settle back and enjoy ourselves," said the first girl- a girl with yellow hair and golden eyes. "You'll have three minutes after each question to talk amongst your group and come up with answers to the trivia questions. Write them down on your answer pages. After three minutes, we'll ask a new question. At the end of all of the questions, whichever team has the most right answers will get tonight's special prizes!"

"Got it? Gooood," said the redhead. "First question is: Everyone knows PNUgen made the Nekovalkryja. But what was the program name for making the Warmaiden and Geshrin genomes? Bonus points for the company name PNUgen went under at the time."

The sunny-colored girl repeated, "What was the program that made the Warmaiden genome called?"
 
Kakushi Nekoba
Game Area


Hoshi gave a version of the answer Aiko would have given to Alastair's question, and the clandestine Ketsurui was glad an outright lie had been avoided in the maintenance of their cover once again. All Neko shared in the sisterhood of soldiery, after all, not to mention their existence as artificial tools of war and Yamatai's defense who were generally created in vast batches at cloning facilities. A perfectly evolved family of warriors to protect a perfectly constructed Empire.

"Are you joining our team now, too?" Aiko asked the table's newcomers, with Akahana having already shuffled up beside Yuri while Alastair still loitered as he inspected Hoshi, hidden beneath her volumetric mask. The princess and her captain had chosen a pretty large booth to sit at and sip their drinks despite there only being two of them, so there was still plenty of room without things getting too cramped. Plus, it was no fun for the Belmont to take heckling from some trivia night host so allowing him to sit with a whole gaggle of nubile Nekovalkyrja seemed like the least she could do for an old shipmate.

"Do we have our answer in any case?" Aiko asked, knowing it herself but not wanting to take all the glory so quickly. This game already seemed quite easy, but she supposed — as she took a long sip from her own tiki cocktail that didn't even taste much like alcohol — the point was to spice up simply hanging out at a bar more than anything else.
 
Yuri smiled with a big grin on her face as Alastair realized whom the aunt she mentioned was, and she rewarded his answer with a cute smile and a nod of her head. “Yup!” she said before glancing at Akahana as she noted that she hadn’t answered. Though in truth, she suspected she likely would have been famous cause of the connections she had. Her mother surviving on a Kuvexian held Hanako’s world, and all the new dangers there, and Kiyo a member of the Kaiyo 2, and a Samurai in all but name, and body. “No! But they are new friends, but could be family if they’d like to be!”

Her attention went to the hostesses and thought about the answer. She was certain she’d learned this in school growing up. She turned and whispers to her team. “I know it was supposedly PNUgen Corporation but I don’t remember what other name it went under, or what the program asked about,” she said with a frown. She felt ashamed that she couldn’t answer and thought it would disappoint her mother.
 
Kakushi Nekoba
Game area
LYNIRA


It was one of the rare opportunities Lynira had to get out these days since the meeting with Airwin and she would make sure to enjoy every moment. The aqua haired Norian walked into the game area right as one of the festivities participants mentioned a Belmont. Her ears twitched as she looked around for any sign of the one she knew of. Perhaps it was a different one and not the one her boss's sister had encountered. Otherwise she did not know much about him. At the mention of ongoing trivia she realized she should probably find a table to slide into right quick. Her pitch black eyes looked around for a table with an empty seat and to find and any way to avoid the alleged Belmont presence.
 
Planet Yamatai
Kyoto
Kakushi Nekoba
Game Area


Akahana’s gaze was drawn to the blue-haired Nekovalkyrja as she stood up to show off her outfit. The Snowy Neko’s eyes suddenly morphed into metaphorical hearts as her jaw fell open, hands laid flat against her alabaster cheeks in the process. While Akahana didn’t think the outfit would give off the same kawaii effect on her frame due to her larger build, it was certainly worth admiring when worn by someone who was much more ideal in that regard!

However, with the beginning of the trivia night, Akahana shifted her attention to the stage. Being from Vicky, the Analyst knew a lot of things. However, her knowledge pertained more towards raw intelligence and seemingly insignificant details which could potentially reveal the positions of entire fleets when set within the right context.

That should be ideal for trivia night, right?

Within a flash of a second after the question was delivered, Akahana transmitted a polite request for telepathic exchange with those present at the table. Upon being accepted, it would reveal the following:

//NH-1 PNUgen?// The Snowy Neko posited via telepathic transmission. //I don’t know the name PNUgen went under. Was it their full name—Pagoda no Uesureya Genetics Corporation?// She added, along with a kawaii emoji of a frowning whale.
 
Kakushi Nekoba
Game Area

Alastair perked up when offered to join the group. It would be nice to hang with those who knew some of his past crew mates. It would also give him time to get to know the few sitting at the table. His gut was telling him something about them was familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Thank you, I would very much enjoy being on your team. I can test my vast knowledge and win us whatever it is they give for winning these things." He said as he took a seat next to Aiko. He then looked over towards Yuri. "Ah very good, nice to hang with friends of my past crew mates. Its almost like old times." He said with a smile.

Alastair listened to the question, his chin rested on his thumbs as he leaned into his hands. As the question was laid out, his mind started to process like a Nasa computer trying to calculate the mass of a black hole. He knew this from his early days of his education. The original, the one that started it all before the neko come into power. "I believe this was designated NH-1 for the program." He said with confidence.
 
Kakushi Nekoba
Game area
LYNIRA


Lynira thought she had found a table and started walking towards it when she stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Alastair join the table. "Not today, not tomorrow, not ever," she thought to herself with a nose wrinkle as she turned to the table to the left of the one Belmont sat at. She slipped into an empty seat making sure to tuck the back of her little black sundress beneath her as she sat. Her attention turned to listen as the others at the table chatted about the question. Hopefully they would not mind her tagging along. The palm of her hand cupped her forehead as she sighed momentarily. Delicately her hand moved to cup her chin and cheek while watched the other around her hoping for a chance to be of some use. If anything she was happy for the chance to get out and meet some new people or pick up some new knowledge from this trivia event.
 
Kakushi Nekoba
Game Area

The yellow-haired girl came to the table and set down a long piece of paper and a short pencil.

Hoshi grabbed them as she whispered back, "No, it wasn't PNUgen at the time." Near the top, she wrote down 'Bonus: Uesureyan Horizons' as she looked to Aiko as she passed the paper. "You know the project name?"

With the paper gone, she sent Akahana a dancing little fox on its hind legs with flowers blooming around it and took a long swig.

"It wasn't NH-1, that is the product name but not the program name." Hoshi looked between Akahana and Alastair as she spoke. "Maybe I'm wrong, though. I'm sure of the company's name at the time because I recently indexed a lot of Uesureyan history. Not really your normal school-taught stuff. They were called that when they were the company to come from Nepleslia to colonize Geshrintall. Most textbooks just call them 'a colony ship' or whatever, but that was the company name before they made it big."

"What are you drinking?" She asked Alastair more directly, then pointed to her funny little cup with its pineapple and umbrella shooting out the top, "You're legally obligated to get me another one of these when you get yourself something."
 
Kakushi Nekoba
Game Area


Aiko had been lost in her tiki cup's eyes, grinning with amusement at its quaint design compared to fancier cocktail crystalware that could show off a bartender's colorful alcohol concoctions. The little Delsaurian whose arms gripped around a cactus as it sat atop a bramble of the same smiled back at her from its perch. Its sandy yellow ceramic glazing reflected the dim lanternlight that warmed Kakushi Nekoba's halls and gave the lizard a pair of flickering pupils that danced on its otherwise flat peepers. Not accustomed to drinking at all, and following Hoshi's order to feel the booze's effects, she'd already sipped down her entire Mai Tai and left her new clay friend's insides empty while silly considerations as to his personality swam in the princess' head.

When Lynira stopped and gave a yucky look at Alastair, Aiko had just peered up from her mug's face and caught it. She watched the Norian girl in black divert to the booth next door and wondered what that was all about, but soon had her attention grabbed by Hoshi's prompt paper pushing. Now just buzzed enough to comfortably disregard a small measure of her usual propriety, Aiko accepted the answer sheet from her captain wordlessly and drew it closer by walking her fingers across its surface flat against the table until it had slid to lay in front of her. Quickly but no less deliberately despite her Mai Tai having taken effect, Aiko wrote down the answer "Project Perfect Evolution" in her finely practiced Yamataigo script and then nodded to Hoshi.

"There," the princess finally said to Hoshi, having been quite silent for some time now. "And Belmont-shoi has to get me another as well. I have emptied Delsauria-san's brains of his thinking power as you suggested."
 
Kakushi Nekoba
Game Area
Alastair seemed happy to meet a family member of the crew. She thought he seemed like a nice guy though her attention went to the group she was with, and at that moment Yuri wished she did extra studies in school, or find information that would have helped her here now. The former youngling pushed herself to calm down, and allow her facial expression to return to a neutral expression. She didn’t want to look panicky, not for this anyways. Her head turned to Aiko and watched her drink the drink with the cute little Delsaurian artwork and smiled. That addition was her idea. She’d thought from her experience growing up that it would help with the sales.

Her attention switched to Hoshi, since she was speaking and as she was, she learned what the much older woman had known. That PNUgen wasn’t the company, and that NH-1 was the product name. And as she spoke to Alastair, she turned her head to Aiko, who she saw was writing something. This caused Yuri to look closer.
 
Kakushi Nekoba
Game Area


"One minute until the next one. It'll be a different category but no easier so get those thinking caps on!" said the mahogany-haired girl from the impromptu stage on the wooden dart section.

"Awfully quiet, little cub," Hoshi said to Yuri as her blue eyes lingered on the little Neko with busy eyes and a shiftless mouth. The captain's pink finger reached towards the paper Aiko had written on, underscoring the words the blonde had written with her own peachy finger so that the proprietress' daughter could see them easier. "Rings a bell, but it's not like it's in my digital memory."

"Hopefully we get the next one too. Besides medicine, what's your forte, Yuri?"

"Aika-sama," Hoshi leaned her head as she spoke. "Have some food before the Shoi has a chance to grab you another drink." She pushed the bowl of fruit the direction of her sister in arms and popped a cherry in her mouth. She let her tongue ruminate on the fruit around the pit as her brain did a bit of the same. "Do you think these were imported from Delsauria or do you think those little rascals would think this squidgy boy a little... Uh, what's the word you use for me, again? Do you think they'd think they're like that?"
 
Kakushi Nekoba
Game Area

Alastair looked at the young lady who he had not figured out was Hoshi. Was an interesting thing to say to him considering he knew of no law that required him to bring someone a drink. The only thing that would make sense would be if he was on duty and this was an order from a superior officer. His one eye brow lifted, if this was in fact someone of higher rank. This could be a good chance to rub elbows. "I shall grant your wish of another drink. Same goes for you as well." He said looking towards Aiko. "And what name does the young lady in white with blue fair skin go by." He said with a big smile. "First, the drink, then we can share details." He winked and walked over towards the bar.

Alastair was in a good mood. He had not expected to run into a group this pleasant. Plus his interest was most peaked by the one giving him orders. This felt so natural, almost as if this was not the first time she had given him an order. He could almost put his finger on it but did not wish to just start guessing blindly. He grabbed up a tray of drinks and brought them back to the table. "Here, something for everyone." He said as he placed the tray onto the table. He picked up his drink, a blue lagoon. "So how shall I be greeting everyone here?" He asked of table though his gaze was fixed on the one in white.
 
Planet Yamatai
Kyoto
Kakushi Nekoba
Game Area


Akahana took a long swig of her Moon’s Nectar, her eyes suddenly widening as she processed what the blonde-haired, bodysuit-clad 33A had written on the paper, along with her blue-haired companion:

Uesureyan Horizons? Project Perfect Evolution?!

"Rings a bell, but it's not like it's in my digital memory."

“My thoughts exactly!” Akahana huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest, a playful frown manifesting across her alabaster features. At the very least, she was glad to have picked a table with such knowledgeable Neko. If anything, she could ride their tails for some sweet prizes.

"So how shall I be greeting everyone here?"

“I’m Kanzaki Akahana.” The Snowy Neko added with a light wave, jumping on the opportunity to introduce herself to the group. With that done, she floated out of her chair and shifted her attention to Alastair to offer her former Captain a casual bow, before hovering back into it. Then, Akahana’s luminescent gaze turned towards the drinks which Alastair had (presumably) purchased, before covering her mouth as a frown suddenly manifested across her features. It went without saying that she didn’t want to show ingratitude towards her former Captain's generous gift, but a part of her digital mind wondered whether it was appropriate for men to buy women drinks on Girls’ Day…

Akahana blinked, then shrugged her narrow shoulders before accepting a mai tai from the tray, a wide grin splayed across her features as she did!
 
Last edited:
Kakushi Nekoba
Game Area


"Next question is pop trivia," said the sunny girl.

The maroon-haired woman said, "Aethersperm is widely popular for their pornographic performances and mildly mentally hazardous albums, but what is the name of the heavy metal band that fleetingly competed with them for popularity?"

"Hint: the band name is two words that start with S and C, respectively."

"You can call me 'Sir'!" Hoshi said with a devilish grin. "Akahana is a cute name. Where are you stationed?" While she waited for responses from Yuri and Aiko, she drew a chibi Neko winking on the answer sheet. She had flowers behind her ears and a long hime cut.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
RPG-D RPGfix
Back
Top