Scene #576: Hi-score Hardships

Owner	Pose
Kaori Jira	There was a lot to get used to about this new world, not just the strangeness of humans themselves and their weird habbits, their wonderful foods, their odd customs. There was their own entertainment too, ways to fill their time...that had lead her to this arcade. Wrapped in her black leather jeans, her off-the-shoulder deep red shirt and her hair down. Right now? She was busy staring at the glass cabinet in front of her for the crane game. She was not having success. R "This claw is problematically weak..."
Takumi Yoru	A petite, slender girl with blue hair and matching eyes cruises along the sidewalk on her skateboard. Baggy jeans with skater shoes, and a similarly baggy shirt with the words 'I BITE' across the chest make up her outfit. She weaves through the crowd, narrowly missing passing folks with a smirk on her face. Also, the kid is smoking a cigarette. Underaged smoking in Japan remains an issue in 2023, and this kid seems to be one of the people falling into that category. She seems drawn by the loud sounds of the arcade, and her board slows just outside, before she kicks it up into her hand and flicks the butt of her cigarette into the gutter. She keeps her board under one arm (The scuffed underside being made up of the white, pink and blue of a trans flag), and she meanders into the arcade. She takes it all in with eager eyes, like someone who likes the stuff, but hasn't been here, specifically. She steps up beside Kaori and peers up at her. Four inch difference. "Well, yeah. How else are they gonna get your money? I mean, people get good at these things, but it takes a lotta practice."
Onihime	There is a tailor in Juuban that Kureha's father insists they use; one of the few in all Tokyo who 'does proper work', according to him. This particular Sunday evening, Kureha has been getting some of her winter kimonos re-sized; the last time she wore them, she was a bit more thin and frail - and probably a good half inch shorter. But the measuring is done and the clothing has been left with the experts, and the girl walks briskly along the Juuban street with her attendant in tow. Ostensibly they're going to get back in the car and go home, but as they pass the arcade... Kureha stops. The woman very nearly runs into her before stopping as well. It seems to dawn on her what's about to happen, but she's powerless to stop it. "Lady Kureha, we should really be going back, this isn't-" Kureha is already walking briskly into the arcade, only to slow down when she starts actually taking it in. All the sights. The sounds. The different machines. The... grumbling girl at the crane game. That in particular seems to get her attention, and she watches in silence from a near distance.
Kaori Jira	To be fair, it was perhaps a miricle that the taller girl was wearing appropriate clothing, so a fancy kimono was very much not the thing for Kaori. Herself, she was still glaring as she looked at the crane with the bubbling anger almost literally glowing. Consideration of a small-scale rampage comes to a blink as she hears the voice beside her and looks down. "Why do they not simply allow you to pay for the soft toy?" she questions, looking down at Takumi. "Is that not what the other stores do?"
Takumi Yoru	"It's a game," the blue-haired girl replies. She turns to point at the various games, both those with prizes, and the normal video games. "Folks play them to have fun, or compete. These ones...well, they're partly about getting your money, and also that sense of...I dunno...satisfaction you get when you finally WIN. It's addictive. It's like 'gambling for baby'." That makes her grin a bit. She glances back over her shoulder and spots the even shorter, fancy seeming girl watching the two of them. She winks at her and wiggles her fingers in an unconventional wave. "What about you, huh? Wanna try your hand at it? See if you can win the lady a prize?"
Onihime	Kureha is, quite suddenly, addressed. This was not in the plan! However, crimson eyes blink, and the shorter girl frowns faintly. Not irritated, but simply thoughtful. "...I think I shall pass," she decides, taking a few steps closer. Mostly to get a closer look, but also to make it a little easier to converse. "It is a format too ripe for scams. They could have the claw set to run underpowered, or magnet clips on the prizes. I would rather simply buy them." Her attendant is still walking to catch up, but it's going to be a moment or two just yet. Despite her sour response, though, she's peering at the machine curiously... not to mention Takumi and Kaori. "...if you know or suspect it's a scam, why do you still try?" she adds, to Takumi in specific.
Kaori Jira	"This is not -fun-," Kaori begins, glaring deeply at the metal claw that once more lost its grip on the small dragon plush she was trying to obtain. "This is just...dumb!" Perhaps already looking like a delinquent in her attire, Kaori might genuinely be considering smashing the case, the claw and taking the toy that had inexplicably caught her eyes with its tiny claws and adorable fangs. One statement however brings a furrow of the taller woman's brow as she looks to Takumi. "You gamble for your children? I did not think there was any natural predators to humans here." Maybe Japanese wasn't her first language? Truth be told the Kaiju turned teen was still having trouble with the blending in thing. Kureha's comment beings a lift of her hand, a point of agreement, "See? That only makes sense. I thought this merely designed to let you select, not a trap to steal..."
Takumi Yoru	"I don't," Takumi replies. "Not my kinda game. But lotsa folks love it. And they -do- win. Eventually." And just like that, a crowd of girls cheer a few machines down, as one of them wins an absolutely adorable Sanrio plushy. The blue-haired kid points, as if for emphasis. "Now...me? THAT'S my game." She points past the shorter girl at a row of the new Street Fighter 6, with various kids and adults gathered about to exchange virtual violence. "I totally clear house as Poison," she adds, looking proud. She turns back towards Kaori, then. "No no no. I mean...it's like 'intro to gambling'. Not literal baby gambling." She grins a bit lopsidedly. With her baggy clothes and skateboard, she absolutely looks like a delinquent, too. Just one more clued-in to modern Japanese youth...because she IS one.
Onihime	Kureha looks between the taller girl and the... ''much'' taller girl, with a neutral expression, nothing of her thoughts showing on her face. She does, however, jump in mild surprise at the cheers. There's a brief stare down that way, then a turn back to Takumi and Jira... just in time for Takumi to point towards a different game entirely. There's a bit of whirling going on here, but for her first time in an arcade, that's not terribly surprising! "...I find that to be a bit more fair," she decides after a few seconds of staring at the fighting game cabinets. "You pay your money for a set amount of time. You get your match as promised." She seems to be seriously considering it... only that's about the time her attendant catches up. A severe-looking woman with glasses and a nice suit, she seems to catch where Kureha's gaze is turned, and opens with an immediate, "Absolutely ''not''. If your father caught you playing a game about beating each other up..." Kureha's expression remains neutral... except that both Takumi and Kaori can probably see her eyes harden, just a bit.
Kaori Jira	"You pay money to fight...a pretend fight, on the screen, with pretend warriors...?" Kaori begins only to tilt her head. Well, it still seemed silly, but it probably -was- more her speed and slightly less headed towards imminent frustrated vadalism. "What do you win if you are victorious?" Suit woman arrives and Kaori blinks, looking the woman up and down with a raised eyebrow that practically screamed 'judging' even though she was likely to get it in kind. What sort of parent wouldn't want their child to know battle ans build strength?! Humans were truely weird!
Takumi Yoru	Takumi's expression softens a bit as she hears the attendant. "Oh, that feels familiar. My dad always had someone monitoring -me- too. But I got away from all that. Decided to live life for myself. You should consider it." She knows nothing about Kureha, but she seems to have no issue telling her how to live her life, or at least offer a suggestion. She looks to Kaori, then, and cocks her head, taking her in curiously. "That sums it up, yeah. It's safe, and fun, and competitive. And you win a sense of accomplishment. I mean, there ARE tournaments, and there are people who make GOOD livings off of games like that. I'm not that good. I just think it's a fun time-killer. Though my main time-killer is skateboarding." She holds her board up.
Onihime	The attendant is actually slightly shorter than Jira, but somehow seems to at least have the fortitude not to flinch under that stare; most of her attention is reserved for Takumi, though. Despite keeping her face neutral in the same way Kureha does, she somehow manages to convey offense through sheer, subtle body language. "It sounds as if your father simply wanted to keep you ''safe'' and ''respectable''," she says; her eyes are locked on Takumi, but it couldn't be more clear she's speaking to her charge as much as she is the other girl. Kureha has yet to look at the older woman. She's still staring at the Street Fighter cabinets... until her eyes finally shift sidelong to Kaori. "...It isn't about the victory. It's about the challenge. The same reason martial artists spar, race car drivers race." There's a certain amount of understanding there that doesn't at all seem to befit a tiny rich girl. The attendant doesn't think so, either. "Hnf. You don't need a 'challenge' of getting beaten up. Or pretending to. You-" It's now that the girl finally looks at her 'handler' directly. "Yozakura. You know full well that father would approve of me taking a 'proper' martial art like kendo." There's a bit of stammering.
Kaori Jira	Sparring was actually something that Kaori understood...once she'd learned what the word ment anyway, but the same magic that brought her here and had her in this...strange tiny form with no tail and a lot less strength seemed to have benefited Kaori in learning language somehow. She didn't understand it, but then she wasn't a sorceress. "How could one be proper if you are learning how to fight?" She might be a princess, but the princess of 'monsters' clearly had a very different upbringing. Back to Takumi and now there was frowning as she reached out to poke at the board. "This is...an odd toy in itself."
Takumi Yoru	The blue-haired girl outright smirks at the attendant, and she takes a couple steps towards her. "My dad is a piece-of-garbage criminal who wanted to make me into his mirror image. The last generation's idea of what's 'proper' has absolutely nothing to do with us." She glances aside at Kureha and grins a bit. "I just got into the Radiant Heart Academy. Already put my name on the list for Kendo. One of the only decent things my dad ever taught me." She's lieing about her relationship with her father, but one of the other things her dad taught her to do extremely well is lie. Subterfuge is key. "And yeah. Competition," she finally adds, as if to emphasise what the other girl said about the fighting game. "Honor and stuff. Competitions are all about it. Nothing like an actual street fight, but they aren't trying to mimic a street fight. It's about honing yourself and dedicating yourself to something. All sports are like that. Like...skateboarding looks like a silly pasttime to some folks but it takes -work- to be good at it. I practice for HOURS when I have the time, repeating a trick over and over until I get it down. Self-improvement." She arches an eyebrow at the poke to her board and smirks a bit. "How about I show you a trick on it, then you can try? See what an odd and simple toy it is yourself?"
Onihime	It's a question that actually gives the attendant - Yozakura - pause. Especially after Kureha's pointed statement. She manages, however, to muster up a response. "Kendo is more than just a fighting style; it's an elegant art with a storied, refined history. Kureha's father simply doesn't want her getting embroiled in... base pastimes." Which seems to include associating with Kaori and especially Takumi, to judge by the look starting to creep onto Yozakura's face. "If you have escaped difficult circumstances, then you have my sympathies. But Kureha's father is a legitimate, well-known businessman, and she is his sole living heir; he owes it to her to look after her as the future of his family and business, and ''she'' owes it to ''him'' to act in a manner that elevates her family." Once again, it's body language that tells the tail; the subtle shift and tension in her figure gives away that Kureha's entire experience has been soured by the woman's arrival. "...We're leaving, Yozakura." She's already walking off, at a brisk pace. "I tried to warn you this place was-" Yozakura doesn't even get to finish her thought before Kureha cuts across with a simple, "Do not speak to me right now."
Kaori Jira	"Art and history burn," Kaori counters lightly, "if you lack the power to defend them." In its own way, the idea of being a sole heir with a responsibilty to a crown? Well, that wasn't so strange to Kaori...but they very much had very different ways of achieving it one suspects. With Kureha being drawn away there was a frown on Kaori's lips that remains as she looks back to the board. "Show me...at least you are not attempting to rob me to do it."