semi-closed || this game was never so involved before

[complementing]

WHO: Minako and friends!
WHERE: All around the city
WHEN: Anytime during July, with the exception of the 9th and the convention weekend
WHAT: Bingo catch-call log!
WARNINGS: A little bit of Persona 3 Evoker usage, but otherwise nothing of note.

I won't be trying to fill any more of my own card, but if you'd like Minako for one of yours, especially for a 'stranger' one, check out my plotting post and definitely don't hesitate to PM me or message me on Plurk at raynestorm! I love new CR for her ♥

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OTHER THREADS

[complementing]

• lemonade stand/rumors with RYOJI
• swingset race with TATSUMA
• ode to Janet with SOUJI
• jump rope with KURT
• mermaid in a fountain with MIKLEO
• random phone call with SENA
• sandcastle building with AKI
• firefly catching with ELIZABETH
• servant for a day with YUKIKO
• costumes at a fancy restaurant with PENELOPE
• stealing an item with JAKE
• operation game with LUCIAN
• time with a friend of a friend with ELEANOR
• roller skate race with VERA
• authority figure prank with TAKUMI
• share a difficult retrospec memory with YU
• spread a rumor with RIN
• random phone call/wear a cape with AKIRA
• painted nails with NOAH

CLEO; FORGE A CONTRACT

[complementing]

[What was originally supposed to be a meet up for lunch instead became a discussion about the bingo cards. Minako has hers between her fingers, listing off some of the challenges for Cleo to hear.]

Go fishing in a public fountain, have a pillow sack race...some of these are really ridiculous, even if they're harmless. But what really takes the cake is the middle square. [She scrunches up her face.] I might leave that one blank, honestly.

[cattack]

[Cleo stares at her own, sighing. She is half-tempted to crumple it up, throw it away, and pretend it never happened, but...]

What is it? I guarantee whatever it is, it is better than mine. I thought center tiles were supposed to be a free space, but... They must not want us to be able to accomplish this so easily.

TERRA; DISPLAY OF POWER

[complementing]

[If she counts the number of her friends who know about her Persona powers, it's...a surprisingly large amount, given that in the other Minako's world, it was supposed to be a secret of sorts. But she thinks it's a good thing. She doesn't have to keep secrets here, so she can tell who she likes.

And it's about time that Terra found out too. So she's invited him out to meet her on the beach, late at night when nobody else is around. Or rather, when nobody else should be around, except if last month was any indication, someone will always be around anyways.

But this time she's prepared. Terra is protective of those he sees as part of his small circle, and she knows he's going to have a bad reaction once she explains this-- possibly the worst out of all those she's told so far. So she has Koromaru with her this time, and as soon as Terra arrives, she pushes her friend down into a sitting position and plops her dog into his lap so he can't move.]

There! Stay, Korochan.

[lingeringwill]

[Terra wraps his arms around Koromaru protectively because that what you do when there's a dog in your lap.]

...This is already going far differently than I expected. [Petpet]

What's...up?

YOSUKE; (THE SHITTIEST) REGISTRY GIFT

[complementing]

[Minako has MANY ISSUES with buying Jim a gift, the first and foremost being "he doesn't deserve anything, not even a gag gift". But getting something really cheap in order to fill the bingo square isn't so bad when compared to, say, some of the other things on the card.

(Go up to a stranger and pretend to have memories of them from another lifetime? That's so cruel.)

She heads into the Towers with a hard limit of five, maybe ten dollars if the gag gift is worth the money, and then spots her kohai wandering in as well just ahead of her. She picks up speed and playfully pokes the small of his back as she approaches.]

Hi Yosuke-kun! Here for a summer sale?

[youraffection]

[ He'll admit that there are maybe a couple prompts on the bingo card that might be amusing. Maybe. Maybe. But this? This just proves it to him that all this is for Jim's amusement and potential financial benefit. Or his poor attempts to woo Janet. Yosuke isn't even sure if he feels sorry for Janet or not, but he really doesn't want to be wrapped up in this.

But, it's too late for that.

Yosuke stares in front of a display and...sighs. Towers. It's busy, usually, but at the start of the season there are tons of promotions going on. Something on there has go to be on Jim's registry, right?

So wrapped up in his own misery, Yosuke doesn't notice his senpai approaching until she tags him. Yosuke straightens immediately, jumping a bit in surprise before turning around. ]

--O-oh! Hey. I didn't see you there.

[ Duh. ]

Erm...sort of...

[ He looks back to the display with a sigh as he rubs his neck. ]

It's this stupid bingo card! So I hope it's on sale.

SORA; PEACH POPSICLES

[complementing]

[Summers in America are much kinder to her than summers in Japan ever were, especially since it isn't even that humid here, so she feels fine just wearing a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Maybe a cute sunhat if she feels like she has to stand out in the sun for some reason.

Sora, however, looks like he's dying in his soccer uniform when she goes to pick him up. Minako shoots him a sympathetic look and cranks up the AC even higher up in her car.]

Hey Sora. How was the competition?

[destiny_key]

[Dying is an understatement, Minako. It's easily the hottest day of summer thus far, and never has Sora been more glad for the end of a game. After shutting the door and clicking in the seatbelt, he leans back and tries to stay on this plane of existence.]

Not bad. We came in second.

[That's slightly a lie, but the part about coming in second is true. It's probably obvious from the mud on his clothes, but things could've gone better.

It's also days like these that makes him wonder again if he should stop playing. It's summer soccer, not school soccer, so if he wanted he could choose to be done in August. But he doesn't want to let anyone down, either.

JAMES; FOOD EATING CONTEST

[complementing]

[Grocery shopping falls on her shoulders this week, and Minako is definitely taking advantage of post 4th of July sales to stock up on hot dogs and chips. She isn't sure if her roommates will be sick of it by now, but Minako can definitely eat more. There's just something so fun about drizzling condiments all over the top of the dog and mushing that first bite into your mouth.

The only problem is...]

Hmmm~ Three packs of ten, or four? I could eat five just in one sitting, I bet.

[frostythehitman]

[ Did somebody say the word 'bet' within earshot of James Buchanan Barnes?

IT SURE SOUNDS LIKE IT

He was here to help his dad gather supplies for the 4th of July potluck on base, but he ends up stopping by Minako. ]

Oh yeah? How confident are you about that?

ARIA; RETROSPEC SLAP

[complementing]

[It's a rare moment of quiet at the Confectionary, which means that Minako is behind the counter, inspecting her bingo card with her face scrunched up in mild exasperation.

The first people who comes to mind when she thinks of those who have gone into Retrospec are 1) Chloe, who is in France now, and 2) Dante, who she isn't very keen on speaking with at the moment. She knows there must've been more people, but she has no idea who they might be.]

And anyways, some of them might not want to say they've been in there just so they don't get slapped. I wonder if I'll have to leave this one blank...

SHUJI; CHOCOBO RACING

[complementing]

[With Kiyomitsu's amazing sewing skills, Minako's Sakuya dress is finished well before the actual convention weekend. She's sent progress pictures to Shuji, of course, which apparently means that word got out about the newbie cosplayer Sakuya, which somehow means that she's ready for her big cosplay debut, and one thing became another until Minako finds herself in full costume at the Churchill Downs Riding School, posing with Shuji next to pair of chocobos for a photo shoot.

Even with all the experience she has smiling, she feels like her face is uncomfortably and permanently frozen into place. When the photographer finally calls for a break, she turns to hide her face in the chocobo's soft feathers, massaging her cheeks.]

I didn't realize photo shoots could last this long...

[thesettingsun]

It's a pain to set up for a photo shoot twice, so they want to get in as many shots as possible now in case some of them turn out bad.

[Shuji feels like he's going to die. His Syaorin cosplay looks fantastic! ...but it's also hot, and he's been standing outside for a while.]

At least I don't have to smile as much as you do.

[Thank god for tsunderes.]

NOCTIS; FRIEND OF A FRIEND

[complementing]

[The inside of the Confectionary is nice and cool for various reasons-- the part-timers would revolt inside the bakery if the AC weren't on, for one, and it draws in customers who want a respite from the heat outside, for another. There's the fact that the boss hates the heat herself, too. But the most important reason out of all of them?

It prevents the cupcake frosting from melting. Especially when the cupcake frosting isn't actually frosting, but ice cream instead.

Minako is at the tail end of her shift, prepping a batch of the vanilla ice cream frosted cookies and cream cupcakes for her coworker when she hears the happy jingle of the door opening. Wiping her hands, she smooths down the skirt of the uniform and steps up behind the counter.

Hey, this guy looks a little familiar...where has she seen him before?]

Welcome to the Confectionary! What can I get for your sweet tooth today?

[kittycaterer]

[ Noctis doesn't often go out on his own. He prefers not really going out much, if at all. But he'd definitely gotten a case of the sweet tooth on his way home, and he figured stopping by to see what Recolle's baking traditions have to offer.

He walks inside, hoodie zipped up and hood over his head. His hands are in his pockets, taking a look around. It smells fantastic in here.

Noctis looks to Minako, who greets him in the most bubbly of fashions. Awkwardly, he gives a lopsided smile. ]

Uh, yeah...

Just... Looking to see what's good.

CEDRIC; LADYBUG CATCHING

[complementing]

[Up until now, Minako and Cedric have really only seen each other at the gym, and their work out schedules are never quite so aligned that they finish at the same time. Which means they've never hung out after they see each other at their sweatiest.

But today, that changes! At Cedric's invitation, they're at the park and ready to go searching for ladybugs.]

Hmm, so I guess we should figure out where we're most likely to see them first, huh? Do you know off the top of your head?

[posidon]

[The Olympic swimmer seems to be particularly excited for something as mundane as catching ladybugs. Maybe because he never actually considered it before, but that's besides the point. What matters is that they're going to catch some!

He even went onto the internet to research where to find them. This was very serious and it would be sad if they came up empty handed. Not that he's going to keep whatever they catch. That'd be cruel.]

I looked it up online and it said lush plant growth. Alfalfa, clover, and grains like wheat and corn are apparently popular to attract them. I don't know what alfalfa is, but finding clovers shouldn't be a problem. Right?

SOREY; SPARRING

[complementing]

[They'd mentioned doing this before, and now that they've actually made arrangements to practice in the Utsuki Dojo, she realizes that she doesn't quite know to what extent Sorey knows sword fighting.

That'll be easily gauged soon enough, she supposes, as she swings Velora in some kata forms to warm up.]

Do you want to use practice weapons, or...?

[openhanded]

Actually... [He sets his bag down. It's his usual kendo training bag, so it's a little heavy, but he doesn't seem to care all that much. He's used to carrying it around.] I brought a bokken, but I got something else too.

[He takes something else out of his bag-- an old-fashioned leather scabbard that looks handmade. The sword's hilt is a strange shape, and it's wrapped so it's easier to grip. There are also beads and feathers dangling from the end.]

It doesn't have a sharp edge on it, but it's the same sword I used in my memories. Would it be okay if I used it?

[He unsheathes it to show her; the blade is definitely a weird shape. Not the kind of thing made for killing someone. He runs his finger along the edge to demonstrate that it's purely ceremonial.]

FUUKA; SACK RACES

[complementing]

[So Minako is in the market for some new bed sheets. She is also in need of filling out a bingo square. Alas, it's rather difficult to ask another Retrospeccer to compete with you in a sack race when only normal civilians are around.

She'll give it another fifteen minutes and see where that gets her. In the meantime...yup, she's just laying on the display bed, closing her eyes. Totally not napping.]

[yamagishi]

[Meanwhile, Fuuka happened to be nearby as she looked around for a few things! Now that she was getting ready to start college, she needed to be ready for everything! However, with so much happening all at once, it was rather difficult!

And this was no exception as she saw Minako laying around on the display bed.

...Should Fuuka really ask at this point?] Um, is everything okay? You're not feeling ill, are you?

DAVID; FORGE A CONTRACT

[complementing]

[Post kickboxing gym workout, Minako is showing David the bingo card on her phone, as well as an enlarged version of it on a sheet of paper, with names penciled in in various squares.]

It feels weird to say I'm kind of enjoying filling the squares in, but I am. What about you, are you in on this?

[negativism]

Hm?

[ David runs a hand through his hair, his fringe flipping back into his face before he lets out a huff to blow it out of his eyes after it falls back into his face. He looks over to her phone, pulling out his own and unlocking the screen to look at the digital card - and frowns. His isn't even filled in at this point, only with the center square prompt of "be someone else's Bodyguard for a day". ]

Yeah, kind of, I guess? Not sure how to really feel about it.

DAVE AND RYOJI; REGAIN SWAP SHENANIGANS

[complementing]

[Amidst all this bingo madness comes a moment of seriousness. Minako's new Persona Kartikeya is an electric type in comparison to the other two-- in other words, a completely new type of Persona that she needs to get used to. Which means a lot more training sessions. It's back to the beach for late night training sessions, this time with Ryoji attending. But first...]

Let me try summoning Thanatos really quick?

[For her own curiosity's sake she wants to see what will happen when she attempts it, since the connection is still there even though Ryoji is human right now. Minako raises her Evoker to her temple and pulls the trigger.]

I summon you!

minako --> ryoji --> dave?

[appraiser]

[ For the entire time he'd been able to change into Thanatos, he was not human— he didn't have to so keenly feel any of this, steeling himself with nerves on fire, heart hammering in his chest, hands damp and feverishly clenching and unclenching at his side, as if he were the one staring down the barrel of the gun and not just watching from the sidelines; he'd taken for granted how he never had to experience any of these things Minako must suffer through every time she takes the Evoker in hand, because he was Death and never had to face death.

But now, it's a queasy stomach and shallow breaths that pulse within him instead of a Shadow smothering his soul— is his soul— was? He can no longer feel Thanatos, and for a brief moment, there's hope, regret, profound sadness rolled all up into one. The next moment, "I summon you!" and there's the light that announces Thanatos' manifestation into the world. ]

VIKTOR; BALLADS

[complementing]

[Like she told Ryoji earlier this month, summer time is ReVA time! All of the community events are starting to wear her down, especially when some of them are hosted over the span of a few days. Minako loves the work, but needs a break, so what to do?

What she always does when she's stressed, of course! She knits at home for a couple of hours, and then heads to the karaoke place for some good quality singing time. Alone, of course, since that's her usual MO when it comes to karaoke.

Hmm, time to try a Leona Lewis song! The room is quiet as she scrolls through the list, so it'd be pretty easy for someone to mistake it as empty and theirs...]

[viktorymaker]

[ Viktor doesn't usually go to karaoke places, and when he does it's always with a big group of people or for an important reason. Take tonight, for example! As a part-time private investigator, the jobs he gets are not always glamorous and life-altering; sometimes, an insecure husband just needs to know if his wife is cheating on him when she leaves for "karaoke nights," and that's what he has to find out.

Viktor was doing a good job tonight at first, things were going smoothly, but at some point he got a text from Yuuri, and when he looked up after a short exchange (that wasn't really as short as he thought), the woman was nowhere to be seen.

He checks all the rooms to no avail, asks at the front desk and finds that no one really pays attention to who comes and goes, and then Minako's room is the only one he hasn't checked. It's silent, so it has to be a free room. Someone who wants to sneak around wouldn't want to raise suspicions, they'd put on some music for the sake of appearances.

Viktor opens the door to Minako's room fully intending to come in and take a seat in an empty room, to rest and regroup. He's already taken two or three steps into the room when he realizes that he's not alone]

---Ah. Is this room yours?

[ . . . Do people really rent karaoke rooms alone? ]

JAMES; KITE FLYING

[complementing]

[Minako is used to getting freebies from ReVA. They're always buying things to use for this or that event, after all, and sometimes they just don't have space in the storage room for the handful of extras that get thrown into a bulk order. This time around, Mina's freebie is a kite.

She's never actually used one before, so as soon as her shift is done, she's off to the park to fiddle with it. It's a breezy enough day for it, hopefully!]

Flyyyyy!

[frostythehitman]

[ Embarrassingly, James never did get the hang of kites. He feels as though every summer, his dad brings him out to a park to try and teach him again, but so far he's been pretty hopeless. He's not sure why and it's honestly starting to get frustrating.

Of course, his dad came out here with him to try this, along with his sister, but they're off getting ice cream right now, leaving James alone to stew with his kite.

Which is when he spots Minako with hers. ]

Hey! How are you doing that?

YOON-SUNG; PRANKS

[complementing]

[Another day, another shift at the Confectionary (before it gets wrecked this week), and Minako is prepping the machine for a new batch of coffee, humming as she goes. She turns when the bell chimes at the door opening, her customer service smile pasted on again.]

Welcome to the Confect-- oh! Hi Yoon-sung. I didn't know you had a sweet tooth. Or are you here for coffee instead?

ack! i lost this one sorry!

[vendettastool]

I have a sweet tooth. The problem is that my PA also has a sweet tooth and he ate all of my snacks before I got to them.

[ As much as they argue over some things, he doesn't mind a lot of the crap his PA throws at him, though he does draw the line at stealing his tasty sweet beans cakes. Unfortunately the usual store nly makes them once a day and he couldn't get any more, so he was here in an attempt to try to get something a little nice for his morning splurge. ]

Is there something you would recommend?