[EFFECT ROOM] The Red Thread of Not-Quite-Fate

[hyperhero]

[This room is definitely one that you wouldn't expect to find in a school, considering that it appears to be a gigantic cafe. Plush carpets, cushioned chairs, a whole bunch of fancy drinks and snacks...

Someone put a dating cafe in the school!]

((OOC: Here's how it works! The room is based off the idea of the red string of fate from Japanese/Chinese legend. On stepping into the room, your character will find a thin but completely unbreakable red string tied to their pinkie, with the other end tied to someone else who's come into the room. The red string persists even if you try to leave, and won't disappear until a full day later. The thread itself will lengthen or shorten depending on the proximity of the two characters, but it won't let you get more than a room's length away from each other.

Here's the complication: the Gods are kind of sort of drunk off their asses, which means that the red string could tie you to literally anyone. Your worst enemy, your brother, your father, Old Man Jenkins... it's one of those things where you're lucky if you get your soulmate! Furthermore, the strings can (by player choice) actually swap around repeatedly, so your character could end up tied to one person all day or have to deal with being tied to five different ones through it!

For characters who don't know about the legend, there's a paper pinned to the wall by the door that explains it (at least, the actual legend, not the drunk-gods part). While the paper can be ripped up, it'll just regenerate a minute or two later.

And yes I purposefully picked the most inappropriate journal for this))

Comments

[fluffydeathdealer]

[So it seems the boy can learn... that's something, at least.]

Hold on a minute.

[He goes to head into the apartment and pauses. Oh right, the thread.

Tug tug.]

I need you to come in so I can get the disk.

[hyperhero]

[Judai can learn very well, in fact, if Bakura ever cared to try. It's just that his attention has to be held to learn, and that's the difficult part.]

Right!

[In he comes.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

[Slipping the Duel Disk on, he slots the cards in, pausing with his back turned to Judai.]

Hey... Judai. How would you feel about dueling on the roof? I can show you how fun a game of darkness can be.

[hyperhero]

Eh?

[Oh right, he wanted to do a friendly game like that, for no risks.]

Ah, sure thing! Just no ghosts besides you, right?

[fluffydeathdealer]

That's right. The spirits won't even come near it. I promise.

[hyperhero]

Let's go check it out, then!

[He really believes you, Bakura. This kid seems to swing from stupid to sharp like a pendulum.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

Come on, then.

[He grins almost playfully.]

Feel like running?

[hyperhero]

Wanna race up there?

[Judai grins back, that bit of competitiveness flickering in his eyes.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

We can't get too far apart because of the thread, but I'm game.

[Heh... how childish. But he feels almost youthful right now. How strange... maybe that energy really was contagious.]

Ready when you are!

[hyperhero]

Alright! In three, two, one...

Go!

[RUN!]

[fluffydeathdealer]

[He hurls himself after Judai, feeling a rush of rare amusement. There was something of a high to competitions like this, that filled even his grouchy soul with pleasure. Physical exercise usually did. Even in this weak body, he could push it to its limit like this, racing through the halls.]

[hyperhero]

[And Judai is pretty quick on his own feet. The thread seems to be forgotten, the only thing on his mind beating Bakura to the roof. If the Spirit wanted to mess with him, it would be easy enough to just stop and grab.

Otherwise, he flies up the stairs.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

[He deliberately lets the thread catch on the railing, tugging Judai backwards.]

[hyperhero]

[There's one major problem with your plan, Bakura. When the thread catches, it yanks Judai backwards and has him falling down the stairs.

You are below him on the stairs.

CRASH!]

[fluffydeathdealer]

Oof-!

[A bundle of white and red hits the floor at the bottom of the stairs in a messed-up heap.]

[hyperhero]

Ow.... that hurt.

[Judai isn't even really sure which of them is on top or bottom or if they're just tangled in a really awkward position.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

Heh... Forgot about the thread.

[It's a lie, but a casual one. Though disentangling himself from Judai is proving... diffcult.]

Jeez, this thread's even in my hair.

[hyperhero]

I thought it was a lot shorter than this...

[Just twist your leg like... OW OW okay, that did it. Separating from Bakura now!]

You okay?

[fluffydeathdealer]

It seems to grow longer when we're further apart. How weird...

[He picks himself up off the ground, awkwardly.]

Of course.

[And that's him off up the stairs again.]

[hyperhero]

[Wha--hey! No you don't!

Judai is right up the stairs after him. He's not losing if he can help it!]

[fluffydeathdealer]

[In much the same way, Bakura wasn't about to let Judai win easily. If he was going to, it'd be a challenge.

Up and up...

And out!

Who won?]

[hyperhero]

[It looks like...]

Aww, man!

[Bakura, but a head.]

Phoo! You got me!

[fluffydeathdealer]

[Bakura throws his head back and laughs. It isn't his usual sarcastic laugh, but a laugh of pure amusement. It's almost a happy laugh. Odd, isn't it? Seeing him happy.]

Too bad! But you know, I feel a lot better for it.

[hyperhero]

[Odd, maybe, but not a bad kind of odd. Judai flashes him a grin and a thumbs up.]

Heh! Maybe we should race around more!

[fluffydeathdealer]

[And he returns it, looking every inch an ordinary boy. It's only half an act. His mood has definitely lifted, despite the thread and the presence of Judai.]

Heh heh... I don't mind. But didn't you want to duel?