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 Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2024 7:03 pm
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Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2024 7:52 pm
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tab tab tab tab where Castle, Balcony ⇒ Ballroom●●●mood Nervous●●●company Mokuba ⇒ Juno●●●rank 0●●●special Gala Dress
tab tab tab tab tab Notes ---
one wo ——————————————————— on ○ ღ ○
 To say Airi was nervous would be downplaying what she was feeling. Nervousness was just the foundation of whatever cocktail of anxiety she was drunk on. Airi didn't attend events like this; Mokuba never forced her to go to any big social gatherings hosted by partner companies the way other parents might've. This was her first one That combined with the fact that it was the opening event of her first ever step into the dueling spotlight and....Could anyone really blame her for taking some time on the balcony to herself before she got into it?
"Anxious, are we?" Airi jumped, turning to look at Mokuba who looked guilty, holding up his hands. "Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you."
Airi took a breath to calm herself before offering her best smile, but Mokuba knew her better than that and shook his head. Encouraging her to be open and honest with him.
"I'm just....There's so many people inside. I know I don't have to talk to all of them, but how to choose who to talk to?"
She really should've brought Emi with her. She was an introvert, too, but she was always very good at picking who to approach and who wasn't worth it. Sadly, Airi hadn't thought of inviting any of her friends from school; none of them cared for Duel Monsters in any capacity and wouldn't enjoy the tournament.
"Also, Uncle gave me his signatures and I love it, but what if I'm not worthy of it?"
"Trust me when I say there's no one more worthy of the Blue-Eyes than you, Airi, but this isn't about being worthy. Seto didn't give you his monsters so you can prove your place among us; he gave them to you as a show of support. It's...The Blue-Eyes brought the two of us a lot of comfort when we were kids. He's probably hoping it'll do the same for you."
Wait, really? It was that simple? Airi didn't know if she really believed it, but Mokuba had no reason to lie to her about Seto's motivations. That certainly relieved some of her stress. And, Mokuba clearly noticed because he smiled at her.
"Why don't you go find Ninjin or Juno? Yua's also here somewhere, I think. It might make the gala more comfortable for you. I'd offer to stay myself, but Seto and I have a lot to do for the closing event tonight."
"What is the closing event?"
He, of course, didn't answer. Instead, he laughed and walked away, calling her sneaky for trying to get tournament secrets out of him. Well, it was worth a shot. After taking a couple more minutes to herself, Airi went inside. It took a bit to find anyone, but she did manage to spot Juno wandering around as if looking for someone himself. Was he looking for a friend or did he just get separated from his family? Whatever the case, she hoped he wouldn't mind her interrupting.
"Good evening, Juno."
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Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2024 8:03 pm
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tab tab tab tab where Castle, Ballroom●●●mood Nervous●●●company Juno●●●rank 0●●●special Gala Dress
tab tab tab tab tab Notes ---
one wo ——————————————————— on ○ ღ ○
"I am...okay. You look great as well."
Too stiff. Airi had to try to be less formal. This was Juno, not a stranger. Being surrounded by so many unfamiliar places probably played a role in her falling into the heiress persona.
"Yes, there are. I'm surprised at how many people there are. I knew Father and Mutō-san sent out a lot of invitations, but I wasn't aware it was so many." And, apparently, this wasn't even half of the people that received an invitation. Most of them refused for one reason or another. "Did you invite anyone? Other than your parents, I mean."
Though, she wasn't sure if Yūgi and Anzu would count as Juno's personal guests since they were always going to be there anyway due to Yūgi's part in planning the tournament. As for her excitement....Airi wasn't quite sure. She wasn't not looking forward to it, but maybe she was just too nervous to feel excited about it. That was a very deep answer, though, and not something she wanted to say at the gala where anyone could hear.
"I am very eager to get my name out there. Oh! Uncle gave me....Hm, never mind. I think I want it to be a surprise for you, too."
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Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2024 8:15 pm
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tab tab tab tab where Castle, Ballroom●●●mood Apologetic●●●company Liàng Juān●●●rank 0●●●special Gala Costume
tab tab tab tab tab Notes ---
one wo ——————————————————— on ○ ✴ ○
 Kaiba Corporation's events were typically very over-the-top, full of explosive holographic displays and exaggerated dramatic speeches. Ninjin would know; he's been to more Kaiba exhibitions than anyone needed to be to. Sure, from what he knew, Mokuba was nowhere near as overdramatic as his brother had been, but Kaiba Corporation had a standard of turning things into a show that wouldn't be quickly forgotten. So, standing in a very calm ballroom was somewhat of a culture shock. Really, the closest thing to dramatics were the costumes some of the guests opted to wear. Some of the outfits were out there, too, like the clothes the magician was wearing; guy looked like he belonged on a fashion runway.
"At least he's fully dressed," his mother had said when Ninjin pointed him out to her. He'd never felt so betrayed. And, Issey had the audacity to laugh! Traitors, the both of them. How could he dress up as a Frankenstein monster if he couldn't show off the stitching that held its body together? Besides, it was just his shirt that was missing. It wasn't the first time he'd be without a shirt in public and it wouldn't be the last. Not as long as beaches existed.
After a little while, Issey decided he wanted to dance with Yua, so Ninjin found himself alone. After it became clear they were off in their own little world, as they should be, he decided to mingle. He spotted Airi and Juno talking, but didn't want to interrupt them. Instead, he went in the exact opposite direction. Which may or may not have been the right decision because he almost bumped right into a staff member. Ninjin was able to quickly sidestep out of the way to avoid toppling into them, but that sent him tumbling into another guest. Thankfully, neither of them fell, but it was still embarrassing.
"Sorry! Are you okay?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2024 4:58 am
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tab tab tab tab where Castle, Ballroom●●●mood Giddy●●●company Random guest●●●rank 0●●●special Gala Costume
tab tab tab tab tab Notes ---
one wo ——————————————————— on ○ ♤ ○
 "So, I obviously had to point out the mistake; that's what they hired me for. Usually I'll let little things slide, but it's a pretty big mistake to miscount how many deities make up the Ennead. But, when I told the curator, he completely dismissed me? I'm talking full-on eye roll and acting like I exist just to ruin his day? It was so weird because we were working so well together just the day before!"
"Wow. What a jerk!"
"I know! I was so confused! I ended up having to ask management for a different curator. I still, to this day, don't know what that guy's problem was. It was such a bad experience and completely ruined my first, and probably only, time working for the freaking Smithsonian."
"That's so awful. All that trouble just to tell them their poster was wrong." The woman shook her head, clearly offended on his behalf. "How many are there?"
Eros blinked.
"Pardon?"
"The Ennead. How many deities are a part of it? You said the poster only listed seven. Was it a big difference?"
"Oh. No, it wasn't. There's nine, so seven wasn't too bad. But, it was very prominent poster that contradicted the exhibit's displays, so it needed to be fixed. It was especially important because they had some big name Egyptologists coming to see the exhibit."
"Really? You know, my family is vacationing to Washington next summer. I'll have to check out this exhibit. And, if I see this Henry, I'll make sure Grandma gives him a good whack with her shoe."
He laughed, imagining the sight of a random elderly woman smacking the curator for seemingly no reason as her granddaughter cheered her on from the side. It would certainly be a story for the other visitors to tell. He wasn't going to tell her not to, but he did make sure to tell her not get her and her grandmother banned from the Smithsonian. He'd feel bad if they got into trouble because of him.
"By the way, I've been meaning to ask, but what is your costume supposed to be? It's very unique."
"Oh, this? It's my personal interpretation of Hermes. Pretty cool, right? Cost a fortune to get made, but it was worth it."
He was actually super excited to show it off to the others. He'd been super secret about his costume, mostly because he didn't want to risk the mood being spoiled by being potentially scolded for wasting so much before he even got to wear it. Eros should go find them, but truth be told, he wanted to see how long it took the to realize it was him.
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