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Aeon - The Odyssey


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What was this now? The presenter had called a girl from the crowd on stage, and they were talking about her team. Probably a publicity stunt, something to show that pro teams were interested in battleships. Good for the game, to get people more interested, and more publicity for the team itself. Seemed like an easy enough arrangement to make, it was a plus for both parties involved. It seemed this Team Odyssey was recruiting, and... oh dear. Based on Melanie's reaction and immediate typing on her phone, it seems she had been hooked in by the little show, and Monika could almost feel the followup coming... there it was.

"A team? I'm... not so sure. That's a lot of... publicity." Monika replied, biting her lip a bit. That aside, she wasn't sure she'd even be any good on a properly structured team. Her play style was very... solo queue, for lack of a better term.

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"Well, I 'ave juste applied, and I will be dragging you around today, Monika, donc... You should try to muster up some bravery to match your good looks~" Maybe some small compliments here and there would give the girl the push she seemed she needed. And Karina... Had just done the same thing. "Zen, when I go up to meet wis 'er, we can all go togezzer, non? Sree good players for ze price of one Melanie? Zat sounds great for any team, I would say~ On top of zat... I sink I 'ave a deal zat zey will not be able to say no to~"

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Zeke had gotten caught up in the crowd when they all converged on the stage for the presentation, simply going along with the flow of the crowd and ending up near its center as a result. It was a lot easier to get pushed around when you by yourself. Luckily he was still tall enough to get a good enough view of the stage from where he was. And he was glad for it too when both Matsuo Moto and then Felix Lis, the Silver Bullet himself, came out on the stage. He held back his, instinctual at this point, urge to look to turn to one of his teammates and freak out about this being totally amazing. Before he could get too down and the dumps the actual presentation started, enthralling him and making him forget about his worries as long as the trailer played.

When the trailer finally ended his heart was beating a bit too fast. It had been a bit too realistic for him; he'd been all too easily able to insert himself into the last frame's pilot seat.  Woah. Calm down there, buddy. It was just a trailer. Deep breathes... If only the team had stuck together longer. Just long enough to see the trailer here in person with him. He was sure they'd have been revitalized and would've found their passion again. Although he did receive the same message as everyone else, he couldn't bring himself to look at it right now. It'd just stir the pot even more. Instead, he remained focused on the stage, watching as some girl was called and climbed up. Now, just what was this about?

A promotion for her team? Maybe today was his lucky day after all; though he'd be competing with everyone else here who thought that they were good enough to make this girl's team. He didn't bother looking her up and sending her a message; his was sure to be buried amongst all the other ones that she was going to be getting. He was more of a people person anyway. He kept his ears peeled for any information about where'd they be meeting later. If he didn't hear any, well, then he'd send her a message.

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"It's not a matter of bravery, it's... I just like to keep a low profile." Monika began, pausing for a moment before continuing. She supposed that wouldn't make much sense to someone whose job it was to put themselves out there and entertain, really. Still, she couldn't help but chuckle at Melanie's followup.

"What are you gonna do, sponsor them?"

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Melanie looked over at Monika, it wasn't a matter of bravery? Why would someone so adorable want to stay out of the eye of the public? She didn't have to say a word in response though, Melanie simply flicked her phone back over to the Frame Ops store, scrolled to the buy section on the special edition battleship package, and held it down for Monika to look at. "Oui."

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When Melanie flashed her phone as her first response, Monika's eyes scanned the page... special edition... 99,999c!? As the verbal response came to affirm, Monika looked at Melanie with an incredulous expression.

"But that... that's almost a hundred thousand credits! How can you afford something like that...? I've heard of streamers making a good amount of money but... yeesh..." Monika managed, with a bit of difficulty. For a moment she considered throwing off her shackles and giving it a shot, but mechanical skill alone didn't make a good stream. You had to be entertaining, and that was... well it was more difficult than being the top solo queue player in frame ops, at least in her mind.

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Melanie cocked an eyebrow, her hat twitched a moment. "I get over ten sousand viewers on ma streams. I am not small time... Zis will be a large bit of ma savings, but I am committed to zis game... And eet ees ze easiest een to a team zat I can possibly bring to ze table. I 'ave no reason to buy somesing like zis wissout a team, donc... Ze solution, eet ees simple."

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Interrupting Venitus's rambling session was the entrance of a third figure onto the stage. Hitomi was her name, and he thought he had seen her before, or at the very least heard the name. The pieces all came into place once he had heard her team name, that being Odyssey. Of course, I subbed for one of their team members a couple times. Granted, that was months ago, and I doubt the team is very similar, but I do remember Hitomi. Well, recall would be more accurate, I don't think we talked much. Either way, it would be advantageous to undertake this venture, especially after that whol- PING. The sudden notification noise startled Venitus, bringing him back into reality. It was some gameplay footage, with some information. He would have to observe it later, it would probably prove fortuitous. What he was more interested in was the price of these absurd new ships. His heart sank when he saw them though, as they were absurdly pricey. I know I need to keep up with the meta and all, but to blow a ton of quid on this right now? Yeah, that isn't happening. Ahh whatever, don't let being poor keep you down Venny, it never has in the past. The solution to this quandary is staring me right in the face.

With that, Venitus scanned back through his databases. I'm positive I have her data somewhere in here, I always keep at least the contact info of all my old contractors. Ah, here it is. Seeing as this wasn't a particularly formal setting Venitus saw no reason to apply a full formal application. That would certainly come later. For now, a quick, polite message will do, get the details on where to actually apply, and see if he can get himself out of this rut. He swiftly opened up whatever app the data would bring him too, he never bothered to keep track of which messenger app was which since there was a new one or add-on to an old one practically every week, and sent her a small message.

"Hey Hitomi. I doubt you'll remember me, it's been almost a year at this point, but I'm Venitus, I worked with your team as a substitute for a while. Anyways, if you're having some troubles with the team I'd be glad to fill in a spot."

And send. Easy enough. Now, let's quit daydreaming and get to work. Venitus had realized in the process of finding Hitomi's info that he lacked data on Felix, which is something that would be nice to have. With that, he started scanning the man, while listening to hear if anything else important was said.

Edited by DarthR0xas
fixing timeframe
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"Kind of hard to keep a low profile when you're the top player of the moment..." Karina couldn't help the quip, side-glancing Monika with a bit of a judging expression --though perhaps that was just how her neutral face looked--. "If you don't want to join a team, then don't mind me taking your place eventually. I'm sure I'll rise leaps and bounds with an organized team. Fight better enemy teams too. Bonus." Boastful as ever, Karina seemed decided that she would make the cut. "So, I guess her team will decide on auditions or something... unless she's up to talking as soon as this presentation ends." Karina honestly wasn't sure how to proceed on that end.

Well, as long as it wasn't technically over, she'd keep holding Mewlanie up.

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I wonder how much we have left in the budget…  Friedrich pondered as he watched the gameplay footage of the Independence II.  As much as he would like to buy the Premium edition now, it was important to make sure Father didn’t catch on.  There was also the possibility that some Frame Ops teams were here to find new recruits, which only sparked his excitement.  Perhaps I cou-

The buzzing of his phone snapped Friedrich back to reality.  He quickly checked his messages only to find a traffic update for the local area.  Right, bad idea.  Too easy to risk blowing my cover.  He quickly checked the time.  It hadn't even been 10 minutes since Nicholas left and he was already starting to get impatient from the excitement.  He rose from his seat, grabbed his briefcase, and started heading downstairs.  Perhaps a walk will calm me down.  I should really be close by when he gets here, anyways.

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Well if this wasn't obviously a publicity stunt to the crowd by now, then they were probably busy browsing the warship catalog. Hitomi was already getting notifications, so she was glad she'd left her phone on its more discreet settings. The poor thing actually decided to stop bothering her after the first few messages came in, apparently figuring out the new, temporary trend. Hitomi had no idea how many messages she actually had coming in, but her gut told her at least a dozen so far ... With this convention being broadcast more or less everywhere, Team Odyssey's fifteen minutes of fame had begun.

If coming out and facing the crowd was nerve wracking, then rejoining them was downright overwhelming. It was made all the worse for Hitomi when she noticed people getting slightly reorganized further back. She could see a few individuals trying to get up to the front where she'd been. Naturally, someone, a young man likely in his late teens, he'd already been near the front, and he muscled his way up to Hitomi once she was back in what passed for the 'front row,' just behind the railing ...

"There's more to come," Matsuo promised, just as the warship highlights wrapped up and the Battlenet logo--and obvious placeholder--returned, "but first, please give a warm welcome to Battlenet's own ... Kirara~"

Hitomi groaned inwardly. Why'd he have to do the accen-!

"You're BB, right?" The young man asked Hitomi with a friendly smile.

She could feel this guy's confidence, but something about him just felt ... off. Her suspicions only grew when he skipped what might have been an awkward attempt at a handshake in such a packed crowd and placed his hand on her shoulder. Hitomi couldn't take her eyes off that hand, and kind of wished her father hadn't just left the stage with Felix. What terrible timing ...

Meanwhile up on the stage, rather than coming out from either side like Matsuo and Felix had, Kirara appeared up on the displays. She was a girl right out of early cyberspace, with glowing blue eyes, bright colored hair, and lines of light running the length of her limbs and torso. Like Hitomi, she was of Asian descent, however she was clearly older, her figure more developed. "Welcome to Batcon 2405, everyone! It's Kirara, calling in from ... mmm very close by, actually~"

"You got my app, right?" The 'hand' man asked as Kirara got the con goers engaged, again.

"... your what?" Application? What, like the ones she was constantly getting, right now? The ones she hadn't had a chance to even check yet? Really? "I just got off the stage--and no, I don't have any augs." Not that she couldn't afford A.R. implants, but Hitomi felt the people arguing against putting devices in their heads just to stay on top of every little blip in cyberspace had some good points. There were some people out here that just didn't live in 'reality' with the rest of humanity anymore.

"Pch," The man rolled his eyes but his hand stayed right on Hitomi's shoulder, and her eyes stayed fixed on it, "I sent my app to you guys practically yesterday ... you know, before it was suddenly a thing. So," he leaned in closer and lowered his voice, "when you mentioned Odyssey up there, I figured I'd come say hi before the rest of the randoms do."

Hitomi almost missed everything he'd said thanks to how annoyingly close he was, but once her brain registered everything, the implications were clear. He was one of the two applicants she'd mentioned to Linus. "So you're ... Bel Belim ...?" Please?

"Hah, what a stupid name," the man laughed, "Nah, BBabe. I'm Motherloader."

Run.

"We're heading into Battlenet's biggest and best season yet," Kirara said, hopping back a few steps from the frame, "but let's not forget all the incredible fights we've seen along the way!" Suddenly another frame appeared beside Kirara and she reached over and grabbed the thing with both hands, pulling it in front of her. "In fact ..." she tried not to laugh, "here are some of my favorites! Enjoyyy~"


There was no escaping Motherloader. About all Hitomi managed was getting his hand off her shoulder. After that, she tried to check her messages while Kirara regaled the audience with what were admittedly some of the best moments during last season. Hitomi almost wanted to thank Kirara for distracting Motherloader with some of the really good ones ... almost. Unfortunately, at some point, there was a kill clip from solo that was so ridiculous, Motherloader, along with quite a few others, began laughing hysterically. Hitomi only vaguely recalled her right eardrum hurting more than the left, and Motherloader yelling about an E grade weapon.

Hitomi tried to use the time to separate out those interested in joining from those just sending compliments or critique on her looks or what happened up on stage. A couple were a bit difficult to read at first. Some seemed ready to prove themselves in the more hands on approach through a match. She also got a hold of Linus' waypoint. Reluctantly, she put together a mass reply with that waypoint for the people that looked like potentials, having only read the first twelve messages from start to finish. Once she sent the message out, Motherloader started focusing in on her again. He seemed so sure he was going to be on the team. Admittedly, Hitomi wasn't helping that perception. She hadn't flat out said no, reason being, she finally realized what was off about this guy. It wasn't confidence she was sensing from him, but arrogance, and that oh so dangerous sense of entitlement. As much as she wanted to put Linus' suggestion into action and just ignore him, that was a lot more difficult when he was standing right next to her. Telling him he wasn't the kind of player they were looking for right here and now meant putting up with whatever his reaction was for the next ... fifteen, twenty minutes? Hitomi promised herself she'd let him down gently as soon as she had enough space to actually slip away afterward ...


Beggars couldn't be choosers? Well, Team Odyssey wasn't here at Batcon to 'beg.' They were here to build. As soon as the first day's main event was over, Hitomi did her best to get to the cafe Linus had picked out. Naturally, Motherloader followed her the whole way, not content with her carefully worded rejection. It wasn't all bad, though. The guy was so arrogant, he was playing bodyguard, perhaps without even realizing it. While Hitomi hurried toward the cafe, her creepy knight kept heading off anyone trying to get close and talk to her. Now, if he would just stop dropping his imaginary status as a member of Team Odyssey, this would be a decent arrangement. Getting him to go away eventually might turn into a scene, though. As they closed in on the cafe though, Hitomi hit up on an idea, one that would actually be kind of fun for her.

... the cafe was packed, or at least the outside was. Peeking inside, it was clear that the staff members were trying to keep the establishment as comfortable as possible for their customers. Unfortunately there were plenty of early hopefuls, or at least curious people surrounding the table and obscuring Linus completely. Still, given the situation, Hitomi didn't need to see him directly to know that was their table. She also didn't need to even look over her shoulder to know Motherloader was still nearby. He was probably going to try to take a seat at their table too, wasn't he ...?

"Inertiaaaa!" In the last leg of the journey, Hitomi carefully squeezed through the last barrier of people crowding the team's table. To her surprise, Felix was there with Linus. "Oh, Sensei!"

How many of the people were here to see him and how many were here to check out Team Odyssey was a little unclear at the moment, but Hitomi would put money on Felix having a much bigger share of the crowd, particularly the people peeking in from outside.  She quickly took a seat at the table, hoping not to hold things up, any longer. "Alright, I'm here! First order of business, stop crowding around the table! Second order of business, if you're here for Sensei, get on that side and if you're here to ask about the team, come over to this side," she indicated her right and then her left. To Hitomi's surprise, Motherloader hadn't gotten through the crowd in time, and only reappeared as they began to split into two distinct groups. "B-by the way, Linus," she whispered to her teammate, "He found us. It's him. Motherloader. ... couldn't ... escape."

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Kirara? Melanie rolled her eyes, if they were just going to get that idol up on stage, she didn't need to be up here, anymore. "Alright, Karina, you can let me down, now. Sank you again for letting me borrow your shoulders." Her Ticks followers had appreciated the proper coverage, and it was good for her publicity. And at least so far, no one had bothered her, despite the tail... Hopefully things stayed that way.


What an unruly crowd... Melanie had dragged Monika along to see this team Odyssey, letting Karina head off to handle recruitment her own way. That said, there were a lot of people trying to crowd the small little table. She'd managed to wrangle the tail back into her sweater... But... I'm going to 'ave to show off ma ears for zis, aren't I? Eet ees not like ma face ees enough to be recognized... Eef any of zem know moi. Franchement... Time to, find some bravery... Not really noticing, she'd begun to squeeze Monika's hand in line, trying to get some courage from the shy girl, whatever courage she had to spare.

At least they'd gotten there early, and were next to speak to them. Melanie took another deep breath and waved lightly at both Hitomia and Linus, sitting across them at their little table. "Bonjour... I...  Ahem, uhm... Zis ees razzer 'ard for me, I 'ave never... I don't, really, go to conventions. Ahah..." Nerves were strong... And there was a line, so she couldn't really spend forever. Monika would be next, too. "Aweille! I can do zis... Bonjour! Je m'appelle Melanie de la Croix, ma username een Frame Ops ees Mewlanie. I am a platinum player een solo queue, and, a streamer on AesserSync... One of ma sponsors wanted me to join a team, and so, 'ere I am. Yours looks razzer promising... Ehm."

Easy part out of the way. Hard part... Melanie reached a nervous hand up to her hat and slowly slipped it off, letting her ears twitch freely, and ending up looking at the table. "Donc, ehh... Zere are, zese, I 'ope zey are not a problem for joining ze team, and... E-Eef you are willing to 'ave me, I will... One moment..." She flipped through her phone to the buy screen again, gently turning it to face them. "I will pay for ze special edition of whichever ship you want for ze team. Zere are a few ozzer bells and whistles, mais... Well, 'ere ees my application. I 'ope eet ees enough to get moi past ze first meeting." Small sigh... Breathe, breathe, breathe... Her ears folded down just a bit, matching the mild distress she was going through. Monika had fallen in the face of her persona, and she'd known Karina already... Having to sell herself like this to strangers in a public place, this was hard. No monitor to hide behind and keep her safe.

Edited by SnakeMomMelissa
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With Kirara appearing on stage, Melanie seemed about done with the presentation. After she had dismounted Karina, the rambunctious cat-girl streamer had dragged Monika along with her in order to see the team, whilst Karina had... gone off to do something, or other. They had lost sight of the blonde rather quickly in the swelling crowd.

***

Monika was still rather unsure about actually applying for this Team Odyssey, but it became clear as they approached that she had some reason to be here, at the very least. Melanie's earlier boundless charisma and outgoing spurt appeared to not be exactly the norm, as Monika found her hand being thoroughly squeezed as they eventually made it to the front of the line, and Melanie began to make her case to this Hitomi Moto and her associate. As cute as the little self-pep talks were coming from the French girl, it certainly was a different look for her. How could she sit on the shoulders of a complete stranger without being embarrassed in the slightest, but have her nerves flare up over something like this? Even though her hand had been released by this point, she didn't need the vice grip to tighten to tell that revealing her ears seemed to be a healthy source of Melanie's troubles.

Speaking of the ears... she had figured that might be the case after the tail, but actually seeing them in person? Well, they were pressed down against her hair due to nerves at the moment, but they were positively adorable. It wasn't difficult to understand how she had garnered herself a following. Placing a supportive hand on Melanie's shoulder, the Belgian gave her a gentle squeeze.

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Helena weighed the opportunity to join in this Team Odyssey, her endless streak of playing solo queue with random stranger, some good, many pretty terrible was indeed getting stale. An organized team constantly practicing and actually communicating with each other seemed like a critical step towards actual recognition in the community...and easier to hide behind the team name if things turned sour.

 

Squeezing around in her diminutive form, the dusky skinned girl knew opportunity seldom rang twice...and team formations tended to be limited. Unfortunately, her short stature meant many others already ran past her with superior strides. So the girl pouted as some cat girl started speaking to Hitomi, some four people away.

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A familiar ringtone went off in Friedrich’s pocket.  This could only mean one thing: Nicholas was waiting outside which ALSO meant he brought that with him.  Better not keep him waiting.  Friedrich began to head to the entrance, where the rented limo was waiting for him.  The earlier trailer was still playing in his mind as he walked to the car when an idea hit him.  There might be a better way to find out who to sponsor!

“Nicholas,” Friedrich addressed his slightly-annoyed companion with a small, triumphant grin, “I might have a solution to our little problem.”

***

Geez, that’s a big crowd…  Friedrich observed the gathered crowd outside where Team Odyssey was taking signups; holding a different briefcase, which contained a few completed applications.  He had swapped his darker overcoat for a lighter shade and was now sported a red cowl with the visage of a hawk.  A few people were staring at the odd sight, but all that mattered was that no one could discern his identity.  No one had decided to talk to him, understandable so, as they were mostly focused on the ever-growing crowd.  Shame, I would have liked to try out the voice changer I made…

However, that didn’t matter now.  He joined in the crowd; application in hand.  It was going to be a tough battle; both to get through the crowd and to be accepted, but surely, they would be willing to take him on; despite the disguise.

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Even with Melanie's thick French accent adding an extra layer of complexity to the exchange, Hitomi was picking up the gist of things: Melanie de la Croix, or 'Mewlanie' as far as Team Odyssey was concerned, had some incentive from a sponsor to join a team. The timing seemed to be just right to land her here, following up on Hitomi's hint about recruiting new team members. Before she'd decided how to respond, Melanie's hat came off, and these feline-esque ears came out. Hitomi heard plenty about people having extensive modifications made to their bodies in the past, even seen pictures and video. The mod crazes had passed for the most part, and moved mostly underground, so seeing it in person was somewhat novel. It was also far less extensive than some of the mods Hitomi had run into. There were way too many people out there trying to look more like varan. This cat girl thing ... she could handle for the most part.

"... huh."

Aside from the shyness in public, what kind of person was Mewlanie? A streamer, someone with some hefty body mods, and timely, she definitely seemed like she would have a noticeable effect on the team and its image. It was obvious she wasn't anything like Motherloader, but there was probably something just as bothersome on the other end of the spectrum, some opposite extreme that was just as bad for the team. Hitomi was still feeling optimistic about the French feline frame pilot, though. Mewlanie said she had reached platinum while solo, which meant no matter how meek she was at the moment, she wouldn't hold back the team. Just the opposite, if anything.

"She seems alright," Motherloader shrugged as he took a spot next to Hitomi and bent forward over the table a little. He wasn't just acting like a shoe in, he was acting like he had real influence.

Hitomi found some choice words for the pest when Melanie made an offer they couldn't refuse, not unless they were stupid or actively avoiding the warship modes altogether. "Wait, really? Anything on the list?" If she could afford body mods that didn't leave her dependent on medication, then ...

Suddenly, someone further back in the bulging line said, "No way! You can't make that offer!"

"Err ..." Mewlanie and the motherload would have to wait a moment, Hitomi realized. "Yes, actually," she rose up from her seat and called back, "she can! No one said how many people we're signing on, and I still want to do some try outs at the arcade after this, so just relax!" Those try outs weren't a new idea, but they would be a perfect opportunity to give Motherloader the boot and have fun while doing it. It ... seemed like the right way to go. Kind of.

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Now she was definitely in the spotlight... And who was this guy supposed to be? Was he a team member? Hitomi seemed bothered by his presence, but... She didn't want to make any assumptions. Monika's little touch of assurance was appreciated, and it did help, but the crowd getting upset over her offer shrunk the gesture considerably. Her ears folded down just a tad more, nice as it was to see Hitomi clearing things up.

"Ahh... O-Oui, any, of one zem. I 'ave no reason to buy one as a solo player, mais, eef I 'ave a team, zen, I would not want to miss out on ze best I can afford. And I can. Afford eet, zat ees... So, er... Uhm, sh-should I discuss ze, extra? Or, uh... Talk, after zese arcade tryouts? I 'ave no problème going srough a test to show zat I know what I am doing." She was confident enough to play, as long as no one poked at her ears, or anything.

"To be, ehh, brief. Ma sponsors are software and accessories, Vicware and Xenowear... So eet would be sings like, ehm, wearing zeir 'eadphones, 'elmets, or 'eadgear, while playing... And I would 'ave to stream every official match we 'ave. Zere ees ozzer contract sings, ben... Nossing you would 'ave to deal wis directly, just, srough moi. I... I 'ope zat ees not a problème, I... I am very must interested in your team. I mean... 'Ow often can you meet ze daughter of someone who works for ze game, non? Not to mention 'ow much fun you seem to talk to, wis 'ow you were going on, on stage... And, ben lâ, you 'ave ze Silver Bullet, right 'ere... Eet ees all, very impressive." Melanie managed a smile, Hitomi's setup was definitely enticing. How they even had free spots for recruitment, Melanie had no idea... Still, here they were.

"I 'ope zis ees not a bad impression... I am, juste... V-Very nervous. Normally I 'ave a screen to talk srough, so... Ahah..."

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The sudden uproar definitely caught Friedrich’s attention.  Paying for a special edition of any battleship?  That was one hell of an incentive.  Now I really wish I checked the budget before I came here.  Thankfully, Hitomi’s announcement of tryouts reassured him that he wouldn’t have to match that deal.  But still, he was curious as who would make that kind of offer.  He peeked over the heads of the crowd in front of him to find….cat ears?  That was something he didn’t expect.  Thinking back, he had heard of a Frame Ops streamer who had those features, but he couldn’t think of the name.  Friedrich couldn’t help but wonder what Hitomi’s reaction would be when it was his turn, given the odd mask.  They seemed impressed with the girl at the front, so hopefully they wouldn’t be too put off his outlandish appearance.

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Zeke folded his arms as he waited in line, somehow pretty close to the front. Because he'd been too stubborn to bother to message Hitomi he hadn't received the message about where they were meeting and only through luckily following some of the other applicants did he find the meeting place.  Boy, I have learned my lesson...  He was a bit bewildered by the offer from the current applicant that seemed to cause a bit of a fuss. Any special edition of any battleship? That was some bargaining chip. But, more importantly, that really had been Mewlanie he'd seen earlier! Maybe he could actually get her to sign something... It'd be better if they both made the team though, Eva would probably like bragging rights that her (favorite) brother was on a team with her favorite streamer over any signed merch.

Speaking of teams, some of his team's fans had spotted him as he was on his way over. They'd asked where the rest of the team was, but he wasn't able to bring himself to tell them the truth of the matter; instead, he'd said they split up to find food and hurried on his way. They hadn't really handled their disbandment that well, he was mostly to blame on that front, and they'd left a lot of people wondering what state the team was in. But, with him standing in line for a team application, well, it'd be hard to not realize what was going on.

Edited by Ursali
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"Hola, Odyssey team! Battlenet name Doctor_Flambre here @ BATCON. Me gutsa mi join ur FO teen. Si Gold 4 solo Q charger player, up comin talent w/ 13000 RP on Nueva Tenochtitlan serve her that u hav. Por favor contact me & we will hav 1-on-1 chat session, am @ BATCON el chaco BTW. Sorry my English is very bad k."

Vvvoommm~! The chime played as Makala sent his application. He had already left a skid mark on Battlenet's slate mucking up shitstorms as [ Code of Conduct ].

Whether or not Mewlanie would be applying, joining the pro circuit was a long discarded prospect for the Mexican wallflower. There was something uncomfortable imagining him rubbing elbows with the likes of Felix or Hitomi. He couldn't believe he might've just sent the mods a nonstop ticket to troll prison. Yet needed to hang onto her tail, wherever it seemed she might go.

---------------------------

A tear drops into a frosty swirl. Makala stirs his straw around his iced café mocha, head downcast in resignation. He was so close to finally speaking with Mewlanie, but now that chance to meet IRL may never come again. If it was anyone who deserved her, it must be the one who kept vigil of her every stream time, and held the undisputed top donor spot. At least he could drown his sorrows in frappé.

Perhaps checking his Mi7ts vLeague would take his mind off the subpar con. Taking out his phone, checking the status of his layers of VPNs, he authorized the homebrew app.

It was off-season. No wagers were being held, but the boards were bustling with speculation about the new expansion as it pertains to the meta.

"Battleship Bundles stat analysis - Independence II Day 1 matchup projections (WIP)"

"Frames no longer main solo?"

"Independence II booking presets now open @ 290CR min! Place 100CR+ potluck draw chance!"

He wondered how the new season will end up fixed. To think he had a chance to bolster demand on his own games too. The Battleships expansion was already rearing its ugly head.

Tilting his head up, he couldn't help but notice his stool at the counter was a few feet away from one of the party-sized tables. Spilling out after the showfloor closed, a congregation of players were huddled around some, familiar individuals? Looks like Hitomi Moto was front and center - it must be the Odyssey tryouts! Even moreso, it was none other than Mewlanie herself speaking to the Battlenet heiress! Looks like the cute redhead from her earlier entourage was still tagging along to boot.

Mewlanie seemed to be stammering through a presentation, the tip of her tail twitching. This awkward posture was a far cry from the happy-go-lucky French streamer he held ardor. But were those, her kitty ears?

"She's gone... neko mimi modo neeee~." Makala's blush resurfaced. He chalked up this stroke of luck to his dedication. Alright, Batcon 2405 will be epic failzorz, so add Feel Mew's Kitty Ears on the #1 checklist! But they're curled back. Poor giiiiirl! She's... she's, I really hope she's okay. She looks like she needs someone to help her, cute thing. Just don't be weak, that's the most common advice people give. What sorta drink would a girl like her like anyway?

Edited by Sarki Soliloquy
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Linus had been a bit surprised when Felix had dropped by before the initial trickle of hopefuls, as Hitomi presumably relayed the meeting place to any and all interested. He'd given the veteran a broad smile and got a barista to fix him up with something as they chatted for a few moments until the trickle became a stream, and he had to turn his focus to the other matters at hand.

When Hitomi had squeezed in, Linus gave her welcoming nod and sighed, partly in relief that things could well and truly get started, and partly in anticipation of the struggle ahead. She went ahead and helped ease into things by suggesting the eager fans divide themselves into an orderly fashion, which was a good start, but there was probably a bit more that needed to be done. When she whispered the bombshell about the Motherload, he winced. Definitely more than needed to be done.

It was easy to recognize just who the mysterious Motherload was, when he plopped down and acted like he was in charge and capable of passing judgement. And Linus knew that needed to be headed off immediately. Time to act.

Stepping up from his seat, he addressed the crowd, and slowly walked the length of the line and back, making sure everyone could hear him, and that everyone felt paid attention to. At the start of the first pass, he gave the poor girl in the front a comforting pat on the head, gentle of course, especially since the ears. "No need to be so nervous."

"I'm Linus, and you all obviously've already seen Hitomi by now. Just so everybody is clear, we are the two founding members of Team Odyssey, and the only ones making the team admissions decisions. Don't get discouraged or excited if anybody else tries to tell you 'You're in' or 'You're out'. Not even if it's the Silver Bullet himself," Linus shot a glance at Felix and then winked, "Sorry old man, you know how it is. Though if you do have a personal recommendation, by all means, pipe it through to me or Hitomi." Hopefully that shuts down annoying hangerone number one effectively enough.

By this point, he'd made it to the back of the line and was turning around to start the return journey toward his seat at the table. "And like my co-founder said, we do have several openings," he stressed, "It's not just one spot, assigned by first come first serve. We'll be looking at all comers, so again, even if you're all the way back here, don't fret. We hear you, we see you." Hmm, how about a little more humor? "Even if you're hiding under a flashy hood or mask, haha."

He made his way back up the line to get back to the table next to Hitomi, standing beside her putting a hand on her shoulder and giving her a reassuring squeeze. "How do you want to divide the labor here, partner? Think we should split up and one of us take charge of the face time one on ones, with the other evaluating performance at the arcade, try to cut down total time? There are a lot of people here, after all. Or do you think it'd be better to be together on everything, from start to finish?"

Edited by Balcerzak
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If Melanie felt nervous in a cafe like this, she should try being up on that stage. Then again, if she was a popular streamer, being stared at by hundreds of people probably wasn't that big of a deal for her, right? She did mention something about a screen; she was probably used to interacting from the comfort of home, with no physical risk. That seemed fair. And again, she really ought to try being up on that stage. Hitomi was certain that would make a tiny interview like this much easier. "Oh it's fine," she smiled, thinking of Motherloader for a brief second. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mewlanie. If the tryouts go well, I look forward to working together." With that, Hitomi offered her hand for the nervous streamer to shake.

Linus took the opportunity to clarify the situation to everyone, even making his way further back in the line to make sure everyone could hear him. Once it was clear that no one needed to rush things or try to beat each other out just for an audience, Linus got back to their table and gave Hitomi some reassurance, as well. He also came up with the option of splitting the work a little to hopefully save some time; one of them could handle this cafe portion, and the other could handle the tryouts. Hitomi couldn't even describe just how tempting that was, the thought of messing around in one of the arcades for a bit, and really getting to know these new people. The sooner they got started, the sooner she could show Motherloader that he had to be more than just a descent player to be on the team.

Interestingly, Motherloader hadn't said anything since Linus addressed all the hopefuls, and was now just quietly observing things. If he was going to stay like this, then maybe keeping the current meet and greet like it was would be the better option. After all, the more people they brought to the tryouts, the more fun they could potentially have. This was a team sport, after all ... and to be honest, Hitomi couldn't get rid of the mental image she had of Motherloader trying to secure his spot on the team only to get blocked by the Great Wall of BB and then immediately taken out by Sicarius. As far as she was concerned, the good ol' shield and sword combo would counter whatever solo shenanigans were inflating Motherloader's ego.

"Honestly, I'm torn," Hitomi smiled through a small wince, "but if we want things to go faster, we can split the line again and each take half."

"I'll take one," Motherloader shrugged.

It seemed like he didn't care one way or the other, but Hitomi figured he was just saving face. "We've got this," she said through clinched teeth, "Thaaanks."

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With the presentation finally over, and the crowds somewhat dispersed, Venitus started to consider what to do next. The next big event wasn't going to occur for a while. He wasn't going to just stand around, and he really wasn't in the mood to go into that large line of people trying to sign up for Team Odyssey. Although he was hungry, and it was taking place in a cafe. He could probably just wait there, get some food, and wait for that line to disperse. Brilliant plan Venitus, now I just need to actually get into the cafe. Problem with that is that the area around the cafe was incredibly cramped, although he could see that there were a few open tables left. He tried to be polite about forcing his way through, but after a while he got tired of saying "excuse me, pardon me, coming through". Do these crowds ever end? Hopefully those tables will still be open when I get inside, there are a surprising amount of pe-

His train of thought was abruptly ended as he ran into someone. He hadn't been watching where he was going. "Sorry sir, wasn't paying attention, I didn't mean to run into you." he said, while taking a look at the man he had come into contact with. Humanoid, smaller than him (although most were), with a cool looking jacket that had the logo of The Sable Order. Actually, he looked incredibly similar to one of the teams members, uncannily so. He might be the real deal, and even if he isn't whoever this guy is might be flattered by my mistake, so here we go. "Hey, you're, uh, Sirius right? I think I've seen your team play a couple times, from what I remember it was a great show. It's always nice to meet another professional. Oh, my name's Ventius, by the way."

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Things were fine, then? Melanie flinched a moment as a hand hit her head, paying too much attention to Hitomi to realize her interview partner had gotten up. He was rather conservative about the stolen pat, though... Didn't even go for the ears. How nice. And he took quick control of the situation with the lines, and recruitment... "'E seems reliable." A smile had found its way onto Melanie's face, and she seemed to have done well enough with her offers and promises. Breathing a sigh of relief, Melanie didn't hesitate to shake Hitomi's hand. "Merci beaucoup, 'Itomi. No reason to be nervous, oui?" She was good at the game. Likely better at most of the people here. Would that carry over into team play? She'd worked with random players in specific game modes before, but not an on mic team, trying to coordinate against another. It would certainly be an eye opening experience.

"I will, er, wait around 'ere until one of you are ready for ze tryouts, zen. Again, merci. I 'ope to be playing wis you bose, soon." She made sure to say both, glancing at Linus, and completely ignoring this other guy... Linus had been rather clear that he and Hitomi were the only people here for this, and whoever this guy was, he was obviously bothering Hitomi as well.

"Leave ze girl alone, oui? We will all 'ave our turns... Eef you are good enough, eet will show." With her bravery spent on that comment, towards unknown meathead, Melanie gave Monika a smile, as she got up. Hmmm...

"Oh, by ze way. Zis ees Keizerin. Eef you know anysing of solo queue, ze name should ring bells. I 'ope she can make eet onto ze team, as well~" Content with that moment of mischief, and feeling more and more confident as people hadn't continued calling out her offer, Melanie turned her sights on an empty table away from the mess, sitting down with a sigh and pulling out her phone.

'Looks like Mewlanie ees going professional, mes amis~ Team Odyssey ees looking quite promising!'

Send, and flop. "Ayoi... Why do people 'ave to be so 'ard to speak to een public... Hahhhh..."

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Noticing an opening, Helena swooped to the momentarily vacant seat before Hitomi. The very act itself had involved breathing exercises, some self pinching to work up a fury. There were lots of people around her, she was not going to let them deter this little shut in from opportunity!

 

"Hiiamhelenaprofilenamemay13slaughteritiswithgreatpleasureandhonourtosignupforteamodysseyiwillshowyoumyworthinthetryouts. Cheers!" the little girl smiles weakly and bows before rapidly vacating the seat for the next hopeful as she shrinks back into the crowd. I think that went, well...I kept my face straight when I said...what I said.

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