#ikesen gamer au

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

AFK - Level 36

I'm baaaaaaack! Hello everyone! Hope you're all doing well and hanging in there. Life has been a little crazy, but i'm happy to report it's been productive :) Please enjoy the next chapter!

Master List

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse & @ihavenotfallenyet

Warnings: none? If you find anything let me know though.

Level 36

You were spending way too much time at the convenience store near your house. For whatever reason, Masamune's seemingly endless jokes made it easier to ignore the pit you had in your stomach. Sure, there was probably a better way to handle whatever that situation with Ieyasu had been, but now that you had been avoiding him this long, it almost felt like you couldn't say anything. Taking a deep breath, you decided on a bag of chips you'd yet to try and turned to head to the register, only to yell out in fright.

"Would you stop doing that!" You relaxed when you realized it was just Masamune.

"Nah, it's fun to watch you jump." The man chuckled and patted you on the shoulder. "Got any plans for dinner Friday?"

"Uh, no?" You looked at him skeptically as you shifted your weight, so the things you were holding sat more comfortably in your arms.

"Cool, stop by, and I'll feed you." Without going any further, Masamune walked off towards his register.

"What's the occasion? You don't feel so sorry for me that you're trying to take me on a date to cheer me up, are you?" You scowled.

"Lass, do I seem like that kind of guy?" Masamune leaned over the counter.

"Yes, but also no?" You replied as you placed your snacks on the counter.

"I'm offended. Here I am trying to get you to try this new dish I've come up with, and you're questioning my character." Masamune threw a hand to his chest in mock offense.

"Fine, what's this new dish?" You asked, a little curious.

"Can't tell you. It's a surprise." Masamune smiled proudly down at you. "Just meet me here around seven, and we can go chill in a park."

"The park?" You cocked your head to the side.

"Trying to avoid giving you murdery vibes by not inviting you back to my house." Masamune jokes. "Since you've already questioned my character once tonight."

"I hate to break it to you, but a nighttime picnic in the park has equal amounts of murdery vibes as going to an acquaintance's house for dinner." You barked out a laugh.

"Acquaintance!? And here I thought we were good friends, but I guess you're right. Still, I wanna eat by the reservoir, though." Masamune smiled brightly as he handed you your change.

"Sounds good to me. See you Friday then, friend." You gave a little wave before heading home for the rest of the evening.

That's how you ended up staring at your closet, wondering how much effort you had to put into your outfit tonight. It was technically a picnic, but Masamune had said it was just a casual thing. You knew better than to show up in your work scrubs for multiple reasons, but you were torn between comfort and looking halfway decent. In the end, you decided on a loose pair of jeans, so your legs didn't get itchy in the grass and your favorite hoodie before walking towards the store.

When you arrived at the convenience store, Masamune was already standing outside, dressed nearly identical to you, with a picnic basket in hand.

"Hey there!" You gave a wave and jogged in his direction, "We're twins today."

"Great minds think alike. You all ready to go?" Masamune asked.

"I think so unless there's something you think I'll need." You quirked your eyebrow up at him.

"Nope, I've got everything we could ever want in this basket." Masamune lifted it, so it was right at your eye level.

"Oh? That's a pretty magical picnic basket." You snickered as you tried to grab for the latch.

"Hey, I think not." Masamune pouted as he snatched it away from your hands. "What do you not get about the word surprise?"

"Technically, if you showed it to me now, I'd still be surprised." You countered him.

"Yes, just not at the right moment. Life's all about those little moments, Lass." Masamune scolded you.

"If you say so."

"I do." Masamune encouraged me.

After that, the two of you walked up the hill towards the park in comfortable silence. You had to admit it was a nice night for a picnic, not a cloud in the sky, a gentle breeze, the temperature wasn't too hot or too cold. With a smile on your face, you helped Masamune unfold and lay down the blanket in the spot near the reservoir he had picked.

"It really is nice. Do you come up here often at night?" You wondered aloud as you took a seat.

"Eh, it depends on my mood." Masamune shrugged. "Today's too perfect to pass up, though."

"That's true. I like the way the stars reflect off the water." You admitted.

"I thought you might." Masamune gave you a wide-toothed grin. "Alright, Lass, close your eyes. No peeking."

"I thought you were trying to avoid murdery vibes tonight?" You chuckled as you did as Masamune told you.

"I am. I almost gave you a blindfold but thought better of it." Masamune snickered.

There was a shuffling noise, and you assumed it was Masamune pulling the food out of his magical basket. The familiar sound of bento boxes unclipping and the smell of something savory made you smile. You were excited; this was exciting. If Masamune was as good with actual food flavors as he was at mixing exotic chips and soda's this mean was bound to be a fabulous one.

"Alright, Lass, you can open your eyes now. Your excitement soon turned to mild horror and anxiety when you realized what was going on. This was a setup, and the one person you least expected was sitting directly across from you. When your eyes met his green ones, you saw him flush and look away.

"Told you, the basket is magic. You kids have fun!" Masamune shouted as he ran back down the hill. He was leaving you alone in the park with Ieyasu.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 33

This chapter took way longer for me to write than I anticipated but it was so much fun and really picked up steam at the end! It’s starting to get really fun fam! 

Master List

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Warnings: Casually crude langage

Level 33

Excitement washed over you as you put your controller away and turned your TV off. You were told to eat a fun snack. Since you had eaten all of your left-overs for dinner and your chips were wiped out well into the tournament, it was time to go to the store. Without a second thought, you slipped into some comfortable footwear, grabbed your keys and wallet, and headed out to hit up the local convenience store.

As predicted, it was just late enough that there weren’t hoards of people lined up inside the little store waiting for a quick and cheap ready-made dinner for the evening. You walked right in and headed straight for the snack aisle, quietly looking over all the options. After picking out your favorite candy and the least offensive flavor of gourmet chips, you grabbed a bottle of tea and walked up to the check-out counter.

“I see your terrible taste in chips hasn’t changed.” You recognized the cashier from your last potato chip adventure and laughed.

“Why is it that every time I make poor snack decisions, you’re here to give me grief?” You snickered as you put your items on the counter.

“Just doing my job. It’d be a crime if I let people go around making bad snack decisions all day.” The one-eyed brunette jokes.

“Alright then, you’ve piqued my interest.” You gestured towards the snack aisles. “What does a good snack adventure look like?”

“Depends on the situation, lass.” The young man leaned over the counter, and you got a glimpse of his name-tag, Masamune, was it?

“I didn’t realize that mattered.” You quirked an eyebrow up at him, wondering where this was going to go.

“Of course it matters!” Masamune took mock offense and slid out from behind the counter. “So tell me, what’s the occasion?”

“Celebratory; won a tournament.” You conceded, following him back to the snack aisle.

“Oh? Didn’t take you for the sporty type.” He teased

“For the record, I play a sport, emphasis on the singularity there but still. A sport is a sport,” You answered, giving him your best side-eye in the process. “Second, I need to know what gave you that impression. Third, it was a video game tournament.”

“Lass, I’ve seen you run into the bike rack outside the shop seven times. You’re either not sporty, or you’re not very observant.” Masamune finished his thought by grabbing a bag of chips off the shelf.

“Should I be concerned that you’re watching me that closely?” You wondered out loud.

“Nah, I watch everyone who walks by or comes in.” Masamune shrugged, “Free entertainment.”

“Fair.” You replied. Following him through the aisles as he put back the snacks you picked out earlier and meticulously scanned each shelf for a new set of treats.

To say you were skeptical was an understatement. The mixture of treats coupled with the oversized Slurpee who’s flavor had long been obscured by the multitude of syrup added to the cup was the furthest thing away from anything you’d pick out for yourself. You didn’t even bother to hide the question in your gaze as you followed him back to the counter.

“Don’t look so horrified; you’re in the presence of a culinary master.” Masamune wiggled his eyebrows and walked you to one of the open tables in the back. “Here.”

“Thanks, what do I owe you?” You asked, plopping down in the chair he had pulled out for you.

“Not a thing, Lass. It’s on the house.” Then he winked, er, blinked (?), and walked back behind his register.

With your evening snack now finished, you found yourself oddly satisfied and surprised. Maybe he was some sort of odd culinary wizard working part-time at the local convenience store. A smile on your face, you traveled towards the counter to thank him.

“Enjoy yourself?” Masamune teased as he leaned on his elbows.

“I did.” You teased as you finished the last few sips of your drink. “I may require your expertise another time.”

“Wonderful! Another satisfied customer.” His smile was bright as he continued. “So tell me, Lass, what game did you win?”

“Technically, I beat the game ages ago, but the tournament was hosted in the online portion of Endless Isle.”

“Ohhh! Nice! I play that game! We should do some multiplayer or something sometime.” Masamune exclaimed excitedly.

“Oh yeah? That could be fun.” You needed some more friends in-game. “Here, give me some paper, and I’ll write down my handle so you can add me later.”

Without wasting any time, Masamune pulled a piece of receipt paper and grabbed a pen. He was offering them both to you with a smile, one that faltered for a moment before his face contorted, and he let out a strangled laugh.

“What the hell? My username isn’t that weird!” Your face burned bright red as your mind began to race.

“I’m not going to be able to add you, Lass.” Masamune managed between breaths.

“Why not?” You puzzled as he began scribbling on the same piece of paper.

“You’re going to have to unblock me first.” His laughter never faltered as he held up his username ‘OneEyedDrag0n.’

“No way.” You balked before you matched his laughter. “Who would have thought the ax-wielding maniac worked at the local convenience store!”

“It’s part of my cover. I have to remain unassuming Lass.” Masamune smirked as you laughed harder.

“Oh, my gods. For the love of-” You shook your head, but the smile never left your face.

“Does this mean I’m unblocked?” Masamune asked.

“Yes,” You sighed. “On one condition.”

“Oho? What might that be?” Intrigued, Masamune humored you.

“I’m going to need you to be my personal snack picker-outer.” You beamed.

“How did you know?” Masamune threw a hand to his chest. “That’s my dream title. I’ll happily oblige!”

“Oh, don’t be an ass.” You barked out a laugh, before wishing him a good night and heading out of the store.

Waiting until she was no longer in view of the store, Masamune picked up his cell phone and made a phone call. Ieyasu didn’t answer, which was about what he had expected, so he left a voicemail.

“Yo, I just met your little online buddy. Did you know she’s your IRL crush? Can I be your wingman? I think I should be your wingman.”

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 30

How is everything going for you all! I’m trying to stay on top of this story but some things are happening at work :) May the creative winds be with me 

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Warnings: none

Master List

Level 30

“I just need to make sure you don’t think I’m your girlfriend.” You started, trying to keep your cool and eye contact with Yoshimoto. 

“That much was apparent, especially after how many ‘not dates’ we had to go on before you admitted they were indeed dates.” Yoshimoto chuckled. 

“Okay then,” you found yourself breathing a sigh of relief as you relax into your chair. “so, you’ve seen the ad for the next tournament, right?”

“I have, it looks to be a good one,” Yoshimoto remarked, picking up the menu. 

“Agreed, you think we’ll have a better shot of winning this one?” You smiled as you bounced in your seat, excited by the prospect. 

“Ah, about that.” Yoshimoto placed the menu silently back on the table. “Rose and I shall be participating together for this one.”

“Oh? I guess that makes sense. With her being on your team and all.” You responded, sure you were disappointed, but it made sense.

“Agreed, that plus I’d hate to pull you away from your work. I’m sure Dr. Tokugawa demands much of your attention.” You noticed the casual malice in his tone as Yoshimoto mentioned Ieyasu, and you tried not to bristle. 

“Okay, I’ve told you already that time away from work isn’t an issue, so why do you insist it is unless it’s not about the work but who I’m working with?” You asked, fighting to keep your tone even. 

“I can only imagine the type of scrutiny he puts your data through; even then, I am aware of your previous feelings for him, so I’d hate to get in the way of anything happening now.” Yoshimoto shrugged as he feigned being nonchalant. 

“Excuse me.” Your blood boiled. “First off, my work has to be scrutinized; it’s a screening test for minimal residual disease—a major prognostic factor in survivability. Secondly, I’m literally here, with you, on a date. You’re being dismissive as hell. Thirdly,” You paused in your tangent, not sure if you wanted to finish the thought.

“Thirdly?” He pressed venom in his eyes

“I’d don’t like these nasty and baseless assumptions or being patronized. He’s not even the only doc on the project! You know what? I’m done. I’m leaving” And you did, picked your purse up and hastily handed the waitress your share for the meal you’d never eat on the way out. 

After that, you didn’t speak to either of them. You were going out of your way to ignore all attempts at communication from both parties. The only real plus side to the whole situation was that not talking at work propelled your project forward all the faster. In the span of two weeks, you’d run nearly twice as many samples, and all results matched what current institutions already using the panel were putting out. If you kept up this pace, you’d be validated by the end of the month! Excited, you shot off a quick email notifying Dr. Togo and Tokugawa of your progress. 

It only took a moment before the phone in the office started ringing. The caller ID didn’t give you much to go off of, and this was either a physician, a wrong number, or one of those weird collect calls trying to tell you that you’d overpaid your electric bill again. As if the hospital’s electric bill was any of your business. 

“Flow lab, this is (YN).” You answered, pausing to wait out the game of phone roulette. 

“(YN), hi. This is Dr. Togo. Are you and your supervisor available for a meeting this afternoon?” Markio asked. 

“I know I am. I can ask Haru and see what’s on her calendar for the day.” You suggested. 

“That’d be great. Here let me give you Ieyasu and my cell numbers. Just start a group conversation once you hear back from Haru, and we can plan something out.” Mariko chirped happily. 

“Will do.”

You waited with a pen and a sticky note for the number, you didn’t have the heart to tell her you already had Ieyasu’s. It was a quick conversation. The only pause was you making sure to read the numbers back to her before she ended the call. As fast as you could, you left the tech office and headed out to find your manager, who was conveniently not in her office. After a quick search of the lab and a survey of your coworkers, all of whom had no idea where Haru had gone, you sent her a message. 

Mariko called ←  Wants to have a meeting ←  U free this afternoon? ← (h) → Sure (h) → Does 2 work?

With confirmation your manager was free, you sent the first message in the group chat. 

Hi, (YN) here. We’re free to meet this afternoon at 2. Will that work for you both? ← (i) → Yes (m) → Sounds good! Thanks (YN) (m) → See you all then!

Jittery, you fought to hold your concentration enough to compile all your data into one document to present. Maybe it was because you had such short notice to talk about your findings or because it was always a little weird talking about your research to others? You weren’t sure, so you swallowed the lump in your throat and ignored the way your heart jumped in your chest as you and Haru rode the elevator up fourteen floors to your two o’clock meeting.

Fortunately, the room was empty when you arrived. Giving you the time you needed to set up and pass around the data you had printed out for people to look at and take notes on. The glass door creaked open behind you, and Mariko chirped a hello as Ieyasu sauntered in beside her. Your eyes met and, not knowing what else to do, you smiled in greeting. To your surprise, he smiled back.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 32

Oh my gosh I didn’t think I was going to ever finish this! My week has been insane! Hope you guys are all doing well, enjoy the update :)

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Master List Here

Happy Reading Honey Bees! <3

Level 32

It had been a productive couple of weeks, excited over the recent developments you took off for home, hoping Edo would be online. Your research was going well, but you’d managed to have an intelligent conversation with the super cute doctor at work, and you had to tell someone. Sure, Edo was one hundred percent not going to enjoy the gossip, but you were sure he’d listen or at least pretend to.

With your game console turned on, you put in an order for a pizza and made your way to the couch to get comfortable. Not even five minutes had gone by before you got a rush of notifications on your phone, all thanking you for signing up for the partner’s battle tournament that was happening tomorrow. Confused and concerned, you stared at your phone, wondering if there had been a glitch, or worse, someone you were trying to avoid has signed up and listed you as their partner without saying anything.

Crap.

You couldn’t log on faster, the moment the game loaded you dove into your game’s notifications looking for clues on who could have possibly signed you up. Then your controller vibrated off of your lap.

EdoPorcupine5661 → Hope you’re free tomorrow. If not we’ll find a time to destroy my meddling friends… Well that may solve one mystery ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → There’s more than one? Yes actually. First question ← WildCyt0m3try What meddling friend do I need to thank with a smack? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → OneEyedDrag0n, turned around for five minutes… Sounds like a wonderfully chaotic friend you’ve got ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → That’s one way to put it. Next Question! What were you going to do if I wasn’t free???? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Forfeit? That would have been the only option….any other questions… What’s our plan? ← WildCyt0m3try

For the better part of three hours, you and Edo put together a strategy that would hopefully cover all your bases. Not that you could predict what every other player was going to do, but you had the advantage of understanding what the major contenders were going to do, which would hopefully give you both a leg up in the tournament. It wasn’t until you had logged off and were crawling into bed that you realized you’d been so concentrated on purchasing new equipment and salves, telling Edo about your week had utterly slipped your mind. Oh well, maybe you’d be able to slip it in tomorrow.

When your alarm went off the next morning, your first thoughts were those of confusion. You didn’t have to go into work, did you? Aggravated, you smacked at your phone until the noise stopped, and you rolled yourself right back over in bed. It wasn’t until your eyes were closed, and you were nearly asleep again that you remembered you had a tournament to attend. Thanking the gods you didn’t have to be anywhere physically, you shot out of bed and ran down the stairs to turn on your console. While you are waiting for the login screen to pop up, you scrounge around your kitchen, looking for anything that would suffice for a decent breakfast. Finally, settling on a comically tall glass of chocolate milk and a bowl of your favorite cereal, you settled onto the couch and readied for battle.

EdoPorcupine5661 → I was beginning to wonder if you’d show. IM NOT THAT LATE OMG! ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Oversleep? Coffee? Boyfriend? First off, good morning to you too sunshine ← WildCyt0m3try Secondly, I’m not late, so even if I did oversleep we’re good ← WildCyt0m3try Third of all. I DON’T HAVE A BOYFRIEND. ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → So you asked, and he got mad and ditched? Has anyone ever told you how pessimistic you are? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → All the time. What about it? As long as you know lol ← WildCyt0m3try I’ll have you know, he said he knew we weren’t exclusive. ← WildCyt0m3try Said with how long it took for me to agree even to date he knew better ← WildCyt0m3try Then proceed to decide how much free time I was going to have based on work commitments ← WildCyt0m3try I forgot my chill pills that day so yanno...haven’t spoken to him in a hot minute ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → sounds like you What’s that supposed to me? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → That you didn’t deviate from my perceived opinions about your character That literally sounds worse… ← WildCty0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → It isn’t, I just complimented you Pffff, if you say so ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 →  I do. Now let’s get ready. Roger that best friend ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Stop No, you deserved that ← WildCyt0m3try Also, I mean it <3 ← WildCyt0m3try Now let’s kick some digital ass! I want that prize!! ← WildCyt0m3try

The tournament bracket was released early that morning. Your first battle wasn’t until round three based on their tiering system, and for that, you were grateful. Sure Edo had already come up with a pretty solid plan, but it was nice to see who you could potentially be facing. Fortunately, you knew OneEyedDrag0n wasn’t participating today, so you didn’t have to worry about being surprised by a wayward ax again. The plan was to trick people into being overly confident for as long as possible since Bow Knight and a Pegasis Knight didn’t look like a problematic duo to overcome. That’s why this was going to be fun.

After hours of competition, it boiled down to the final round. You weren’t sure if you were excited or terrified of this. Everything had gone according to plan; you had managed to keep the extensive and unexpected arsenal of weapons and magic hidden just long enough to get you through the less challenging rounds. If everything went the way you had expected it to, the two would be facing off against Kenshin and Sasuke, a formidable duo.

EdoPorcupine5661 → Ready? I think so? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Not good enough, you’re either ready, or you’re not. I’m ready then ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Good

When the controller vibrated, signaling the start of the battle, you sucked in a breath. Part of the tournament was about getting around the map and collecting specific items. Navigating the map was easy enough with Edo a mounted unit and yourself a flier, but you didn’t want to get too cocky. Sasuke had picked up the lockpicking skill in his previous class, meaning he’d take any treasure he could get to without fail or need for a key, and Kensin’s unit had enough brute strength if your dexterity faltered once you were a goner.

The idea was to split up and take any treasure in your immediate area, once those were in hand the both of you would mount a generally weak attack on Kenshin. Sasuke would hopefully round back after completing the collection mission, which is when Edo planned to break off and corner him—leaving you to deal with Kenshin by yourself until Edo could take out Sasuke. The entire plan hinged on Sasuke being sent to open all the treasure chests and Kenshin being too excited to fight either of you.

Fortunately, it seemed to be working. Your fingers furiously tapped at buttons, trying to will the game into cooperating with your skillful button mash. It didn’t have to be pretty right now; it just had to be a useful distraction. When Kenshin finally landed a hit, you sucked in a breath; quickly, you ran the scenario. You were stuck between healing yourself or bet on your stats and take another crack at Kenshin.

Decision made, you closed your eyes and held your breath, hoping your lance would activate its ability. You didn’t want to look, having decided you’d keep your eyes closed until the next turn you waited. It wasn’t until your phone started vibrating off the hook you thought to look around. Kenshin’s avatar was no longer visible on your screen, and the more you looked, the more you realized that nobody’s stats were available anymore.

Oh gods, had your wifi crashed in the middle of the tournament? Panic rose in your chest, but it was shut down quickly when WINNER flashed across the screen in bold. What? That couldn’t be, right?

EdoPorcupine5661 → Well done Thanks? I honestly don’t know what happened though ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → I hit him with a long-range bow skill, and you delivered a critical hit Oh, really? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Don’t believe me? Not really. ← WildCyt0m3try I’m convinced this is a fever dream ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Who’s the pessimist now? Still you ← WildCyt0m3try It will always be you lol ← WildCty0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Whatever EdoPorcupine5661 → Don’t forget to accept the prize money I wont ← WildCyt0m3try This was fun. It’s been a good week ← WildCyt0m3ty EdoPorcupine5661 → I guess it has EdoPorcupine5661 → I’m getting off now Same, enjoy your evening! ← WildCyt0m3try Eat something fun to celebrate :) ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Sure EdoPorcupine5661 → you too I guess…. Awe, you do care!! ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Whatever

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 27

How’s everyone doing? Does it feel like summer yet? Can anyone else believe that it’s actually June? Cuz I don’t lol Hope you’re all doing well!

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Master List here! :)

Warnings: Medical speak

Happy Reading~

Level 27

Yoshimoto had taken you on a few more dates after your day-trip, and aside from the almost constant teasing from Shingen online and Yukimura at work, you were having a good time. It was still a little awkward, but you were convinced that it was because you were an awkward person; it had nothing to do with the teasing. You were an adult; you could handle being teased by your friends, right?

Either way, work was a welcomed distraction. As of July, your institutions had been ranked second in all of Japan for general pediatric care, and your Hematology/Oncology and bone marrow transplant division were awarded best in the nation. Meaning volumes had increased exponentially, and you were beyond busy.

More patients meant more procedures and more tests, and this past week had been particularly hard. You’d gotten no reading done, and your research for test development had all but been sidelined for at least the past two weeks. With a heavy sigh, you finished your last analysis of the day and made your way into the lab to clean up your bench.

“(YN) can you come here for a minute, please?” Your supervisor, Haru, asked, poking her head around the corner.

“Yea, be right there.” You turned off your aspirator and pulled off your gloves, wondering what it could be this time.

You had been on bone marrow procedures the week before, and with an average of five procedures a day, you wouldn’t be surprised if you had messed up something important. Leaving the lab, you rounded the corner and headed to your boss’s office, surprised to see Ieyasu sitting at her meeting table.

“Shut the door and have a seat and we’ll get started,” Haru stated, and you died a little inside. What exactly had you done?

Doing as you were told, you took the seat directly across from Dr. Tokugawa and waited for someone to start talking.

“I’d like to use your test.” Ieyasu started, pushing a folder in your direction.

“With?” You asked before you could stop yourself, thoughtfully thumbing through the research articles inside.

“Dr. Tokugawa and his team have been doing a great deal of research in relation to AML treatment and are looking for a reliable test for MRD,” Haru spoke. “He came to see what we had.”

“I’m looking to enroll high-risk patients on a drug’s new study arm, the results so far look promising, but the institution has to be capable of running its own MRD.” Ieyasu leaned back in the char and folded his hands together.

“I’ve been working off of split samples for almost a year now; we’re close to validation, though, so it shouldn’t be a problem.” You offered, starting to feel a little giddy.

“What do you need my team and I to do to get this thing validated?” Dr. Tokugawa asked your supervisor, turning his attention to her.

“I can go speak with our head hematopathologist and (YN) can go over the panel with you to make sure the markers are what you need,” Haru explained. “If not, we can add fluorochromes or another tube to be validated with the rest of the assay.”

“Good. (YN), I’ll send you a meeting invitation. Please bring all the relevant material.” Ieyasu smirked and bowed before heading out of the room.

“Oof, you’re going to have fun with this one.” Haru jokes, reaching for her phone to call the Hemepath.

What she didn’t know was that you might have a good time. This was going to be a challenge, a fun nerdy challenge that had you intrigued and excited. Which made sitting at your desk and waiting for the email that much harder, but in twenty minutes, what you assumed was the time it took Ieyasu to walk back to his office and log back onto his computer, the email invitation came through.

Quickly, you accepted it and wandered back into your supervisor's office. “Noon tomorrow, I’m meeting with Dr. Tokugawa and Dr. Togo to go over my data.”

“Sounds good, need someone to go with you?” Haru asked.

“Nope, I’ll be good. If I don’t come back though, assume I’ve been eaten and help yourself to my snacks.” You joked, heading back to your desk to finish up for the day.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 29

How is everyone doing!? Here’s the next chapter for AFK, hope you enjoy it!

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse @ihavenotfallenyet

Master List

Warnings: None?

Level 29

That’s how it went for at least two weeks; anytime you brought up your research, there was an issue or a casual comment made to look considerate, and you weren’t here for it. So you’d stopped answering text messages after one, particularly infuriating evening. As it stood, Yoshimoto thought you’d be ‘too busy’ to join him out, so all you were doing was proving the point he continued to keep making. No harm in being the bad guy when he’d never given you a chance not to be in the first place.

You had logged on to Endless Isle, hoping that it would help you blow off some steam. It turns out you were more frustrated than you’d given yourself credit. Work was a nightmare lately, with the new ranking, test development, and personal life all colliding. Rose wouldn’t leave you alone about Yoshimoto, which was more than a little obnoxious. If she thought he was so awesome, maybe she should date him instead.

Additionally, while the panel work was complete on your assay development, you didn’t have time to write up the review or the paper for it. The validation process had started, but for whatever reason, coming across samples, you could run in the lab was difficult. After a week of no samples, you decided to volunteer to go to the OR to make sure you got enough. That was going okay until one of the procedures went nearly three hours late, and you got in a fight with the CRNA in the room.

First, she thought you were the physician, which was wild because if she was that mouthy with an attending, you didn’t want to know how she talked to everyone else. Fortunately, you didn’t have to wait long to find out. After interrupting you numerous times, then trying to roll you right under the bus in a conversation with the actual physician you maybe, totally yelled at her. Something that amused both the physician in the room and your supervisor when you notified her of the incident.

Logging on was supposed to have helped you blow off the extra steam that had been building for the past week, but it wasn’t helping. The dungeons were either not hard enough or too difficult, making for a generally frustrating experience. Aside from that, you had marked yourself as away so nobody could see you were online and playing. The last thing you wanted to do was deal with people right now. That is until you got a gift request.

* EdoPorcupine5661 has sent you a gift. Will you accept?*

After more than a little thought, you changed your status and accepted. It wasn’t long before you were rolling with laughter. What the hell was that? That was so random.

I need an explanation ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → For? What you just sent me. ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Though you could use it The Secret Book? ← WildCyt0m3try Wait ← WildCyt0m3try I’m gonna equip it! ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Do what you want I usually do. ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Do I really have to ask? Ask what? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Why did I have to fish you out of the void with an item equip? Oh, didn’t think you cared about stuff like this? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → You’re right. I don’t. Let’s go.

Before you could ask where you were going, the field warped as the game moved you out of town and into a new tactical map. You’d heard about this map, and had been meaning to get on and try it with Yoshimoto or Rose. Unfortunately, both of them were so butt hurt lately that you’d been avoiding it and them all together.

It didn’t take long for you to figure out you probably needed to stop playing these side story maps when you were frustrated. Everything was challenging, and you were the right amount of frustrated that it was hard to keep your focus. You were starting to regret not telling Edo what was going on. Maybe it would have been a good idea to vent before the match.

EdoPorcupine5661 → Clearly, this map isn’t difficult enough to soothe your frustrations. Unfortunately, it’s difficulty may be adding to it… ←  WildCyt0m3try I’m sorry, I think I’m gonna get off ← WildCyt0m3try No use wasting your equipment when my heads not in the game ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Or you could talk about it I’ll think about it… ← WildCyt0m3try The people I’d usually talk to are the one’s I don’t want to talk to ← WildCyt0m3try So I’ll just go take a bath and wallow ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → You’re more problematic than I initially gave you credit for Thank you lol ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Not a compliment. Says you :P ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → At least that much is clear I got a new project at work ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Let me guess, the person you’ve got to work with is terrible? No! ← WildCyt0m3try Actually, I kind of like him. ← WildCyt0m3try That’s the problem tho ← WildCyt0m3ty EdoPorcupine5661 → You certainly have an odd definition of the word problem *sigh* It has nothing to do with him ← WildCyt0m3try I told the guy I’ve been dating and he’s been short with me ← WildCyt0m3try Worse, my friend agrees with him ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Ah, jealous boyfriend !! ← WildCyt0m3try Not my boyfriend, dating. ← WildCyt0m3try There’s a difference ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661→ Is there? Yes ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Does he know there is? I...hope so? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Maybe you should start there? Thanks ← WildCyt0m3try For the record, you’re pretty alright, friend ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Can we burn that record? Nope! ← WildCyt0m3try I’ve got fireproof paper just for you ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → That’s problematic Sounds like you’re the one who needs to rework their deffinitions ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Clearly Omg I can hear you rolling your eyes! ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Stop it EdoPorcupine5661 → Go talk to your “not boyfriend” Yes sir! <’ (^.^) ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → What is that supposed to be? I’m saluting you! Duh! ← WildCyt0m3try I’m off to problem solve! ← WildCyt0m3try Laters buddy~ ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Please don’t call me that

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 31

Holy moly I almost didn’t finish this one in time lol! Work has been insane, we’ve seen a pretty severe uptick in cases when I live and it’s made life a little crazy. I’m also developing a diagnostic test of my own so I’ve been busy at work :) Lots of busy! Hope you’re all doing alright!

Stay safe out there!

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Warnings: None?

Master List

Happy reading!

Level 31

“This looks good.” Ieyasu complimented, flipping through the data booklets you had printed out for the physicians to follow along.

“It really does, have the Hemepath’s had a chance to look this over?” Mariko asked, looking between Haru and yourself curiously.

“Dr. Ikara has it in his possession. Once he’s looked it over, someone from the review board will be able to check the data and hopefully give us the green light.” Haru answered.

“That’s promising. Do you have a date that this might be completed by?” Dr. Togo pressed.

“Nothing affirmative. It depends a lot on what is on Dr. Ikara’s plate. He’s on service, so he’ll be busy with cases, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be able to look at it.” Your manager suggested.

“I know he doesn’t want to send these tests out anymore, though, so there’s an incentive to look at it sooner rather than later.” You offered.

“Good. You’ll contact us once you know the results?” Ieyasu asked.

“We will. I’ll let everyone know once I know.” Haru smiled, finishing off the meeting.

Clean up never took long, it was mostly pushing the chairs back in and making sure you only grabbed the chords you brought with you. The last thing you wanted to see was another email about meeting equipment being “borrowed.” Shaking your head, you tucked your laptop under your arm and turned to hit the light switch, only to discover you weren’t alone in the room.

“Dude!” You exclaimed, nearly dropping the computer in your possession. “Maybe cough or make a shuffling noise next time. You scared the hell outta me.”

“Dude?” Ieyasu raised an eyebrow, “Is that how you address all potential threats?”

“Are you insinuating you’re a threat? Do I need to call HR?” You snickered, a hand involuntarily resting on your hip.

“By all means. While we wait for them to respond, can I ask you about this gate?” He offered the dot plot data you’d given him earlier.

“Sure. What would you like to know?” You put your laptop down and took the packet from his hands.

“Explain the gating strategy.” Ieyasu shifted until he was standing next to you.

“So, I should start by saying we’ve compiled all the data points from each tube into this plot here.” You flipped to the front page of the analysis and pointed to the forward and side scatter gates. “Once compiled, we can place an anchor gate over the population in question and use it to highlight all the data points.This helps us isolate those populations in each tube simultaneously.”

Ieyasu nodded along to your explanation. He stuck to asking a few questions here and there about markers of choice and if different markers could be available for better sample isolation. It hadn’t been a long conversation, but a group of people started to assemble outside the door.

“Think they’re next?” You asked, gesturing with your eyes towards the door.

“Probably.” Ieyasu shrugged, turning his attention back to the data. “Are you busy right now?”

“Uh, no. Not really. Why?” You wondered aloud.

“Let’s continue this talk elsewhere.” He didn’t give you time to respond before turning and walking towards the elevator.

You scurried after him, cursing the terrible cell service available inside the elevator as you attempted to notify your supervisor of where you were going. It wasn’t until you were halfway to his office that your message finally sent, and just as you were about to put your phone away, you crashed right into Ieyasu’s back, with enough force to cause you to wobble back a few steps.

“Honestly, you’re a danger to yourself and others.” Ieyasu scolded, pulling his keys from his pocket.

“When I run into poles, I expect them to ring, not reprimand me.” You joked, surprised when he smiled for the briefest of moments.

“Anything to drink?” he asked, motioning toward the little coffee machine on his desk.

“No, I don’t do coffee. Thanks, though.” You bowed your head and took the seat on the other side of his desk.

You’d never looked around Ieyasu’s office before, despite having been in here countless times. Your eyes swept the room, as they did you took note of all the books on the shelf, wondering if they are as organized as you assumed they’d be. There were a few small plants on his desk and in the window that looked out over the construction site for the hospital’s new building.

“Nice view, you got there.” You smiled, relaxing back into the chair.

“Sure.” Gently, Ieyasu set the cup down on his desk and folded his arms. Was he blushing? “So you don’t drink coffee?”

“I don’t drink caffeine.” You shrugged. “Can’t sleep when I do. That or my heart feels like it’s going to explode.”

“You’re telling me this,” Ieyasu gestured in your direction. “is naturally occurring?”

“Precisely.” Puffing your chest up as you laughed.

“Terrifying.” His face remained even.

“Thank you. I try.” Leaning forward, you placed your papers on his desk and flipped them, so they weren’t upside down for you. “So, what do you need to know?”

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 28

Why are there so many chapters! What is happening!? I hope you guys are at least enjoying them all! 

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse and @ihavenotfallenyet

Master List

Warnings: none?

Happy reading! Hope you’re all well honey bees!

Level 28

With all of your documents now added neatly to the file Ieyasu had provided yesterday, you marched yourself from your lab towards the meeting room outside the BMT offices. Laptop in hand, you quickly set the place up and made sure your connection was excellent; the last thing you wanted was any technical difficulties.

Dr. Tokugawa and Dr. Togo arrived right on time and took seats that faced each other but were still in line with the screen. You started with a greeting that was largely ignored and kept on rolling with the critical information. A vast majority of the info Ieyasu and Mariko needed to know was about the markers being used. If even one of them were potentially affected by the drug study, you’d have to add a tube of additional markers to the assay or revise one of your tubes—neither of which you wanted to do at the moment.

“Very well done (YN),” Dr. Togo complimented, “the marker combinations work out perfectly. I especially like the addition of thirty-eight and one twenty-three to a few of the tubes.”

“I’ll agree, it’s very comprehensive and takes most of the drug studies available into account with your choice in markers.” Ieyasu followed his colleague.

“Ah, for that, you’ll have to thank the hematopathologist team. They picked the markers.” You deferred, making sure to give appropriate credits.

“Either way, that gating strategy is yours, is it not?” Ieyasu quirked an eyebrow as he stared you down.

“It is, I was trying to make the data points easier to differentiate, so I chose gates that pulled the monocyte and myeloid populations apart from each other and the rest of the lymphatic cells.” You answered.

“It’s wonderful.” Mariko smiled at you from her spot across the table. “I’m hoping you had time to read over the drug study information?”

“I did go through it last night.” You nodded, “It’s an interesting paper.”

“We’re hoping to start enrolling patients as soon as possible. How long do you think it will take to get this specific test validated?” Ieyasu pressed.

“That depends. Since we’re currently in the process of validating it, I’ve been running split samples. Could we start off by acquiring samples for me to run? I can cross-check them with the results from other institutions who’s tests are already validated.” You paused, “If we do this with each patient who has an AML diagnosis, I should get enough data for the pathologists to look at by the end of the month.”

“Sounds great, we’ll look forward to hearing from you soon then.” Mariko grinned as she made a motion to stand.

“We’ll meet back up in a month.” Ieyasu nodded in your direction, following his co-worker out of the meeting room.

You guessed that meant it was over? Breathing a sigh of relief, you sent a message to your supervisor before unhooking all your equipment and leaving the meeting room. That hadn’t taken very long, but sometimes that was a good thing. They knew what they wanted and needed, which meant you had unambiguous instructions for once. Excited, you shot off a text message to Yoshimoto and hustled back to the lab to fill Rose in.

→ Got a new work project! → Excited to tell you all about it :) Wonderful news. I look forward to hearing about it. ←

The excitement faded though the more details you gave Rose, you didn’t understand why it was such a big deal that you were working with Dr. Tokugawa. Your not a date, date crasher, as Rose fondly referred to him. Markio Togo was also on the project, and you’d already had more correspondence with her than your current date’s supposed love rival. First, you’d been annoyed, but not the only thing you were worried about was that Yoshimoto would be upset? Why would he, though? Ugh!

Groaning to yourself, you took an angry sip of your water and waited for your date to arrive. This would never have been a problem if you hadn’t talked to Rose, it’s like she enjoyed pulling you out of your comfort zone. YOu were so wrapped up in thought you didn’t even notice when Yoshimoto sat down.

“I thought it was good news?” He tried, leaning towards you cautiously.

“AAHHhhHh!” you yelped, nearly spilling your drink as you apologized frantically to all of the startled dinner patrons throughout the restaurant. “Don’t do that. You scared the crap out of me.”

“I can see that.” Yoshimoto chuckled as he gently folded his hands on the table. “So, news?”

“Oh, right. So, I uh, our lab got picked to run tests for a new treatment drug.” You started.

“That’s fantastic; I assume that’s going to keep you busy at work?” Yoshimoto shared a genuine smile.

“It should. It has been. They want to use the assay I’ve been working on for the past year to look at disease levels in patients.” You explained.

“If it’s good news, why do you look so sour?” Yoshi pressed on.

“Eh, it’s just sort of weird? You spend tons of time developing a test and working on getting it validated, but when people ask to use it, or you get to see it in action doing a cool thing, it makes you feel a weird mix of pride and horror.”

“Oh, do explain.” He cocked his head to the side and listened.

“Clearly I’m smart enough to navigate my way through assay development, but sometimes you just sit there and wonder why they let you do stuff that’s as important as this. Yanno?” You posed the question, not expecting an answer.

“Well, I can assure you I’m more apt to trust something a friend recommends. I’m sure your test is magnificent.” Yoshimoto complimented. “Besides, they wouldn’t have picked it if they didn’t see some practical use for it.”

“That’s true, Dr. Togo and Tokugawa know what they’re doing. You don’t become experts in a field by poking around doing nothing all day.” You sighed, body relaxing a little after the pep talk.

Though the roles seemed to be reversed now, where you had been able to relax, Yoshimoto seemed to have been wound a bit tighter. You cursed that Rose had been right and tried to play it off. If you kept going and tried your hardest not to be awkward, it wouldn’t get awkward. Right? Wrong.

“Dr. Togo? Dr. Tokugawa? Are you going to be working with them closely on this project.” Yoshimoto asked.

“Probably, though, I don’t know why I’d see them any more than I already do, though, maybe for development updates and data review meetings.” You shrugged, sensing the weird atmosphere. “They’re a weird team, but they balance out nicely, where Ieyasu falls short in most social situations Mariko picks up the slack. Meetings are interesting, but productive.”

“Ah, I see.” Yoshimoto was short, but his tone was light as he continued to listen to what you had to say.

“I’ve been tasked with getting the test validated by the end of the month, so as long as I have enough samples, they plan to keep me busy.” You chuckled, rubbing at the back of your neck.

“A shame, I had planned to ask you to several engagements.” Yoshimoto stated.

Was he pouting? It was literally going to be a month, and it’s not like you were going to take up living in your lab while you worked on the project, so why was he acting super weird? Was it just because you had mentioned Ieyasu? Suddenly you were agitated all over again, this wouldn’t have been a problem if Rose had kept her mouth shut and hadn’t told anyone who you’d been crushing on, but you also didn’t understand why it was a big deal in the first place. You’d been going out with Yoshimoto hadn’t you?

“You can still ask me about those engagements, you know.” Your face fell, and your voice showed your agitation.

“I don’t believe it wise to get in the way of your work.” Yoshimoto sensed the change in mood and moved forward, trying to close some of the space.

“It’s not your job to decide what does and doesn’t distract me from doing my work. It’s never been a problem before, why would it be a problem now?” You asked, tone cold.

“Right you are. Shall we order then? I’ll let you know about the events as they come.” Yoshimoto smiled, but you were too over the conversation to return it.

“Whatever.” It was the last thing you remembered saying the rest of the meal.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 24

How’s everyone doing? We still hanging in there? Hopefully this gives you something to look forward to :)

Warnings: None?

Tagging: @ihavenotfallenyet @loudartanimeeclipse

Master List provided here

Level 24

You had finally settled into the reality that you weren’t going to be able to take part in the partner competitions coming up next month. Since your usual partners were going to have to pair off with someone on their team, it was pointless asking any of them to pair off with you. You shrugged mentally and kept wandering around the open town square. With everyone at the sign-up boards, the shops were empty, which meant you’d hopefully be able to score some useful weapon upgrades.

RoseW@aterHeals010 → So @WildCyt0m3try you wouldn’t happen to be doing anything next weekend, would you? RoseW@terHeals010 → My call weekend? Uh, I don’t think so. ← WildCyt0m3try Why? ← WildCyt0metry RoseW@terHeals010 → You’ve seen the stuff about the partner events going on, right? I can cover ← WildCyt0m3try RoseW@terHeals010 → You’re the best! Yoshi is going to be so excited! He loves fighting with you. Wait...what? ← WildCyt0m3try RoseW@terHeals010 → You said you could cover the fight the week I’m on call… I thought you wanted me to cover your call! ← WildCyt0m3try RoseW@terHeals010 → Oh, no, I need that call money my dude. Sorry. RoseW@terHeals010 → You’re the best! I’m off to get you registered and tell Yoshi! Wait! Rose! What are the details!? ← WildCyt0m3try RoseW@terHeals010 → Don’t know yet. Gotta go. RoseW@terHeals010 → You’re the best RoseW@terHeals010 → K byeeee~

You sat there blinking at your screen until your chat marker showed you as idle. What even was that? It was like the universe had over delivered on your wanting to participate in the tournament, despite the ‘luck’ you were suspicious. You had already gone on a date with Yoshimoto, why the hell was Rose pushing this so hard? Rolling your eyes, you wandered past the market stalls before deciding you just needed to log off and go to bed.

You spent the next two weeks wishing Rose would ask you to switch call weekends with her. It’s not like you didn’t want to participate in the event, and there was nothing wrong with playing with Yoshi, it just felt like a bizarre setup. Maybe that was only you, though? Perhaps you were making this whole thing way weirder than it needed to be. That had to be it. Right?

So when it came time for the tournament, you had bucked up and invited the man to your house. Your living room was clean; all the random papers, mail, and books that didn’t have a home now hid in the laundry room out of sight and mind. An entire pizza, soda, and more chips than either of you were going to eat decorated your coffee table as you fidgeted nervously and wondered if your outfit was too casual.

When the doorbell finally rang, you paused your thoughts, jumping straight off your couch. Maybe you shouldn’t run to the door. The last thing you wanted to do was look crazy; If only your mind would slow down to match your feet. You signed, taking a deep breath before opening the door and smiling.

“Hey, welcome.” You greeted Yoshimoto.

“Thank you for having me.” His smile was bright, and you felt your heart tumble to your stomach.

“Of course.” You nodded, maybe a little too vigorously, stepping aside to let him into your house.

“Everything alright?” Yoshi asked as he slipped out of his shoes. “You seem a little tense.”

“Just nervous.” You responded without thinking.

“That’s normal before an event such as this.” He offered, quietly following you to the couch.

“Right, the competition,” you laughed nervously, knowing he’d probably pick up on it, but you still found yourself hoping he had enough sense to leave it alone. “That totally makes sense.”

“I guess that would cause nerves as well. Though, I was referring to this being the first date in your home.” Yoshimoto shared the brightest smile, and a fire burned across your cheeks as you blushed.

“So this was a setup then?” You mumbled, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Not at all. You’re the one who invited me over, remember?” Yoshi’s smile was warmer now as he dipped his head down, placing himself in your line of sight. “Would it be so bad if it was, though?”

“I-” You paused momentarily, a smile creeping across your face as you took his outstretched hand and agreed. “I guess not.”

Just when it feels like you can relax, Yoshimoto pauses. You watch in awe as he lifts your knuckles to his lips, planting a feather-lite kiss there.

“It’s always such a pleasure fighting at your side.” He says as he lowers your hand to your side. “May we reign victorious once more today.”

It was going to be really hard to ‘reign victorious’ when all you could concentrate on was the tingling you felt all the way to your toes. You did your best, though. As predicted, it was much easier to fight when you didn’t have to worry about communication errors. Playing in the same room meant that you had a shared screen and experience, it also meant that you had to share the couch. While his hip pressed directly against yours had originally been distracting, you found the further into the tournament you got the more the world fell away.

“I’m not sure how that worked, but I’m not going to argue with it.” You mumbled after landing a hit; you only had a twenty-three percent chance of completing.

“I’m very certain it has to do with your character’s superior dexterity.” Yoshimoto offered, engaging with an enemy to the far left.

“Still doesn’t’ mean I’m any less surprised when I actually get the hit.” You giggled, nudging his side with your elbow. “It’s like when you somehow manage to make the critical even though you’ve only got a three percent chance of activating it.”

“What can I say. Clearly, I’m lucky in most aspects of life.” He turned his eyes off the TV and looked directly at you, that stupidly charming smile on his face again.

“Would you shut up and concentrate?” You blushed and gestured towards the TV. “Now is not the time to flirt.”

“If you insist, though I must know,” Yoshimoto’s smile was warm, but his eyes told you he wasn’t done teasing you yet. “when is a good time to flirt?”

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 23

This has been a crazy year fam. We’re well into May and I’ve not left my apartment except to go to work and the grocerty store. I hope you’re all staying safe and healthy and that this has given you something to look forward to each week :) I’m trying my best to keep up with my writing while I go to work! Thank you guys for doing what you’re supposed to, whether it’s continuing to go to work, or staying home to the best of your ability. As a healthcare worker I appreciate you guys!

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Master List Here or check out Ikesen AFK tag

Warnings: None? Maybe some language?

Happy Reading! <3

Level 23

You were deaf; Rose had squealed so loud when you told her about what happened after she left your place, you were sure your ears were going to be ringing for the next week. 

“Could you maybe not do that? I’d take your ridiculous happy slaps over the screeching.” You grimaced, trying to put a little extra pressure on your ear. 

“Whatever. When are you going? Where are you going? Oh my gosh, I’m so excited you’ll have to give me all the details.” Rose beamed as her hands drummed on the table like an overexcited toddler. 

“I don’t know; I don’t know, and not if you’re going to act like that every time I tell you something.” You sighed, drinking from your water bottle. 

“Boo, you’re no fun.” Rose pouted, moving to lay her head down on the table. 

“Never said I was.” You snickered, patting her outstretched hand before being distracted by the seat to your left being pulled out. 

“Afternoon.” Was all Ieyasu said before he began to unpack his lunch.

Startled, Rose sat up straight in her seat. You may have laughed at her, but you weren’t sure your reaction was much better. Though you’d gotten into the habit of staring at him lately, so it wasn’t entirely out of place.

“There’s no more tables.” Ieyasu was as blunt as always, and you bit back a laugh as you watched Rose swivel in her seat to look around the overcrowded cafeteria. 

“Happy to have you.” Rose said, sending an evil smile in your direction.

“From the way the conversation stopped, I’m not sure I believe that.” Ieyasu sighed as he bit into his sandwich, waving a hand dismissively. 

“No trust me, I didn’t want to continue that conversation.” You sighed, relaxing in your seat a little as you picked at your cheesy breadsticks. 

Curious Ieyasu quirked an eyebrow up but didn’t say anything else. Instead, the three of you ate lunch in relative silence, which was only a little awkward. Idle chatter picked up between you and Rose, mostly about how Michael had gotten into the habit of not disposing of his used cuvettes in the biohazard waste. 

“I can only assume talking to him hasn’t helped?” Ieyasu asked, picking at his bag of chips.

“No, he goes; Oh yeah, I’m done with those. You can throw them away.” Rose said, mocking your other co-workers’ tone. “How about no? You come to throw them away.”

“I’ve taken on a more passive-aggressive approach.” You leaned into the conversation, a smirk on your face. “I let him fill up all the racks and just leave them like that until we run out.”

“Oh? Doesn’t that mean you run out of racks?” Ieyasu wondered, leaning back in his chair. 

“Nope, I clear the rack I’m using and just keep filling it when I need it. Which means Michael’s only option is to search for an unused rack before he realizes he has to clean his old stuff.” You look over at him, proud of yourself.

“The only reason that works for you is because you share a lab rotation with him. When I’m in the lab, his crap is all over, and he’s on marrow’s, so he never comes out to check.” Rose sighed, slumping in her chair. 

“What about talking to your supervisor?” Ieyasu asked as if it was the obvious solution.

“She asked if I wanted to get into a fight over tubes.” You mimicked her tone. “At the time, it wasn’t as big of a deal, but now, yes, I do want to get in a fight over tubes. I’m not your mother, dude.”

“Erin told me last week he told her it was time to call for back up after she lost her second biopsy.” Ieyasu said with a headshake. “You’ve got to try at least three times before you call for someone.”

“hE dId wHaT?!” Rose screeched.

“Told a physician she needed to call for backup. Apparently, he didn’t have all day.” Ieyasu shrugged. 

“Oh my god. He’s insane.” You breathed out. “Giving critique when it’s asked for is one thing. Straight up telling a physician, she needs to call someone.”

“He was the talk of the office.” Ieyasu smiled, and Rose bumped your foot with a knowing smile. 

“I’m sure he was.” You barked out a laugh, nearly falling out of your seat. “What a dumbass.”

Once your laughter died down, there wasn’t much to talk about. Instead, the group of you sat in much less awkward silence.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 25

I’m finally getting back to work in a more normal capacity so hopefully that means I’ve got a little more time to write :) How is everyone doing? You still hanging in there?

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Master List Here or check out Ikesen AFK tag

Happy Reading! <3

Warnings: none

Level 25

You were disappointed. It wasn't like you did terrible in the tournament, but doing so well for so long just made you more certain you'd win. Then again, you were always sure of yourself when you got this far, but there was a reason other teams had made it to that point too. With a sigh, you put your controller on the coffee table and leaned back against the couch. 

"It may not be a victory, but I still had a wonderful time." Yoshimoto leaned back, offering you a smile as his arm made its way around your shoulders. Smooth.

"Same, though I would have loved to have beaten Kenshin in that last round." You snickered, "Would have been the ultimate f-you."

"It would have indeed." After looking around the room, Yoshimoto heaved a sigh and moved to stand. "It's late, though; I should head home before transit shuts down."

Quietly you nodded and followed him towards your door, offering him a goodie bag and a soda for the road. He refused both, but only after assuring you, he was much too full even to consider eating anything else tonight. His shoes on, Yoshimoto, now took a step out of your front door and turned to face you. 

"Are you free tomorrow night?" Yoshimoto asked, a gentle smile on his face. 

"Yea, why? Got something in mind?" You countered, feeling a little more confident with his straightforwardness. Not that that kept you from blushing. 

"I'd like to take you to dinner." His tone remained earnest, but you couldn't help but notice the way the moon framed his silhouette as he leaned against your door frame.  

"Okay, I'm off at three-thirty. Send me the details when you've got them." You smiled, starting to feel a little giddy. 

"I shall." Yoshimoto bowed politely and leaned in. The ghost of a kiss placed against your cheek before he bounded down your stairs. Leaving you to stare at the empty street while his parting words played over and over again. "Enjoy your evening. I'll look forward to tomorrow."

You followed his directions explicitly. After making it through work without managing to tip Rose off, you now found yourself navigating the streets of Kyoto as laid out to you by your date. Yoshimoto hadn't sent an address, claiming it was more fun if you didn't go the quickest path, which was way more like him than you'd ever admit to him. Though you never expected to end up at the station. 

"You made it!" A proud looking Yoshimoto exclaimed as he stood from where he was seated.

"I did; you could have just told me to meet you at the station, you know." You smirked up at him, not bothering to hide your amusement as you approached. 

"I could not. Your commute is much shorter than mine, and I refuse to have you waiting for me." He smiled sweetly as he fished in his pockets. "Besides, you mentioned you're not from around here. Consider it an unguided tour of the lesser-known Kyoto."

"Thanks." A sheepish smile played across your face as you stepped closer towards your date. "So, how about now? Can you tell me where we're going?"

"Kanazawa." Yoshimoto offered you a train ticket. "I have some business there. I was hoping you'd accompany me as there is a restaurant I'd like to take you to."

"That sounds good to me, though, hasn't anyone ever warned you about mixing business and pleasure?" You cocked an eyebrow up at him as you took the ticket. 

"I'm an artist (YN), that's all I ever do." Again, the whisper of a kiss graced your knuckles—the sensation sending a shock of pleasure up your spine. Doing your best to hide how flustered you were, you bit your lip and hid your eyes behind your hair as best as possible, quietly following Yoshimoto to the platform.

The trip to Kanazawa was a good two hours by train, which meant you had two whole hours to wish you had brought a book. Not that the scenery outside the window wasn't gorgeous, but your gaze kept wandering between it and the unquestionably attractive man seated next to you. At this rate, you were going to die of frustration or boredom before you reached your destination, which was unfortunate since you were genuinely curious to see what Yoshimoto had planned. 

"You sure you can't give me any more hints about dinner?" You asked. 

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore." He smiled, looking away from his book and in your direction. 

"What if I don't want it to be a surprise anymore?" You countered.

"Then I'd say you're much more impatient than I imagined." Yoshimoto leaned in as he teased. 

"I never claimed to be patient." You took his challenge and leaned in yourself. Both of you now hovering over your shared armrest. 

"Of that, I am aware, though, that doesn't make me any more likely to tell you." He smirked as your noses almost brushed. "I find you incredibly adorable when you pout." 

There was the blush, was your face on fire? That had to be the only valid explanation for how warm your face felt right now. At a complete loss for words, you backed away and immediately moved, so you were facing the window again. How were you supposed to respond to that anyway? Gods, this was embarrassing. Unable to think of anything else to say the both of you rode in silence.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 13

IT’S A LEAP YEAR! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL THOSE LEAP YEAR BABIES WHO ONLY GET TO CELEBRATE ONCE EVERY FOUR YEARS! Aren’t leap years wild? Can you imagine being born on a day that only pops up every four years?

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse​

Master List here or check the tag Ikesen AFK

Warnings: mentions of alcohol

Happy Reading, T~

Level 13

For a Friday, work had been incredibly slow, so slow you nearly blew your door off the hinges in your rush to get home and logged onto your game. There wasn’t anything crazy exciting going on, but you didn’t want to chance missing EdoPorcupine again. You were determined to sit around and wait for him to come on-line all day if it meant you could apologize for last night.

After what felt like an eternity on the loading page, you were finally logged in. Sitting around and waiting had sounded like a good idea, but the practical application was always messier than the theory. There was no guarantee that your new friend would even log on today, and if he did, you weren’t sure he’d want to talk to you after you didn’t show up last night. Especially when you had given no warning you weren’t going to make it, not that you had any way to actually tell him you’d be late, but still. You felt bad. 

Your quickly spiraling thoughts were interrupted when the list of online players to your right refreshed, and a little green bubble popped up next to EdoPorcupine5661’s name. Yes, excellent, now to jump on him before he could log off or disappear into a quest. 

I’m so sorry! ← WildCyt0m3rty 

EdoPorcupine5661 → What for? It’s not like I expected you to wait around for me forever.

Huh? ← WildCyt0m3try 

EdoPorcupine5661 → I’m talking about yesterday. I stood you up.  EdoPorcupine5661 → Sort of, I had a reason.

Well damn. I actually no-showed too. ← WildCyt0m3try Got stuck at work. ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine5561 → Good. We’re even.  EdoPorcupine5561 → Shall we begin?

Yes please! ← WildCyt0m3try Lead the way Sensei ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine5661 → Only if you never call me that again

Okay! ← WildCytometry What should I call you then? ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine5661 → Edo

Saying you were struggling was the understatement of the century. As promised, the monsters in this field were manageable, and you’d be able to come back on your own and train your bow skills when EdoPorcupine wasn’t able to make it. That was nice and good, but the grinding was driving you insane. On any given attack you did, at the most, five damage; That’s if you were lucky or had a weapon advantage. 

The battle was literally dragging, and you felt bad that your friend was subjected to the torturously slow pace. He just kept typing, “it’s not like I’ve got anything better to do.” over and over again. At first, it had been a little off-putting, but the more it was used, the more you felt it was his way of not having to admit he was enjoying himself. 

Despite his generally sour attitude, Edo, as he’d requested you call him, was a surprisingly patient teacher. Giving you pointers and items to make sure you got the most out of the maps you were being carried off to. With a bit of practice, you were sure you’d have this new weapon’s stats up to par with your lance skill. 

With the monster maps all cleared out and your training bow nearly broken the both of you decided to stop the grinding and head off on a few quests with several others from Team Azuchi who had logged on throughout the evening. You were having fun and with some good back-up, were even able to use the steel bow you had picked up in an earlier raid in battle. A shining moment for you if you did say so yourself. 

OneEyedDrag0n → Would you look at how Kitten purrs. Proud of yourself over there?

Of course! It was a great shot! ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine5661 → It wasn’t bad.

See! Wasn’t bad! That means I did great. ← WildCyt0m3try

4myLord → Looks like Wild’s got Edo’s sour personality down to a tee. 

EdoPorcupine5661 → Sour? Who’s sour?

B00kOfLife7 → He’s not sour, that’s just how he shows his affection. Isn’t that right @EdoPorcupine5661

EdoPorcupine5661 → No, I’m sour.

OneEyedDrag0n → You’d do anything to argue with him! lol OneEyedDrag0n → How’s that make you feel @WildCyt0m3try? Special?

Of course, then again, my mother always told me I was special. ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine5661 → Something tells me that’s not what she meant.

Guess you’ll never know ← WildCyt0m3try

B00kOfLife7 → Why not? It’s an easy enough fix. You just have to ask your mother.

EdoPorcupine5661 → Except I don’t know her mother… EdoPorcupine5661 → It’s trouble enough knowing the rest of you lot in person, the last thing I want to do is meet a stranger's mother. 

OneEyedDrag0n → What about meeting...not a strangers mother?

EdoPorcupine5661 → If she’s anything like your mother, than no thank you.

4myLord → Fair point, but I’m sure @WildCyt0m3try has a very nice family

Thanks for trying to save my ego @4myLord, unfortunately, I have to report my family is the screaming the opposite of me. ← WildCyt0m3try

EdoPorcupine → Oh, so they are normal?

Terribly so. ← WildCyt0m3try

You were laughing out loud, you hadn’t had a conversation this crazy with online friends in ages. Sure the banter between Rose and Yuki was always exciting, but Kenshin or Shingen usually cut in and ended it quickly. This seemed to drag on for as long as it remained entertaining and light-hearted. From what you had gathered, everyone on Team Azuchi knew each other, having all gone to college together, the real kicker was that they had gone to the same university as you. Even crazier, you probably had seen a few of them around campus unknowingly, assuming they were your age. 

The plan was to log back on after you had finished your dinner and run through a few missions with Team Kasugayama. Rose had messaged you just before you had logged off, letting you know they had made plans to get on this evening. A large part of you wondered what sort of job Yoshi held that they had to start their team quests around 11:30p every other night, but that also wasn’t any of your business. 

“I’m here, are you guys ready to go?” You asked over the microphone.

“About time,” Kenshin mumbled behind a chorused yes from the rest of the group. Making you laugh. 

The communication lines were quiet for a long time, nobody really talking as they played through the more challenging map. Happy with the damage your lance wrought upon your enemies, you were beaming. This was so much more satisfying than your earlier grinding kills. 

“So, I see we’ve added some wings to the group?” You heard Yoshi ask through the mic. 

“See, and you’d know that if you had come to karaoke last night. Though, I’m happy to report that I’ve been pleasantly busy.” The unmistakable pride in your voice carried through the otherwise quiet chat. 

“Ah, I was wondering why Shingen hadn’t given me a hard time about that yet. They sent you to do the dirty work instead.” Yoshimoto laughed

“Nope. I volunteered.” You stated, drawing out the vowels in your response. 

“Either way, I quite like the aesthetic it adds, not only to your character but to the team as well.” Yoshimoto complimented. 

“Oh, I mean, I know I look good, but I'm happy it makes the team look equally as awesome.” You snickered into the mic realizing the two of you were in your own private chat window. 

“So humble.” There was a soft tisk to his voice that he tried to use to hide his own laughter. 

“And here I thought you enjoyed my confidence.” Choosing to sound wounded. 

“Oh, hush, I’ll have none of that.” Yoshimoto’s was scolding before it turned serious yet soft. “Your unabashed confidence is what makes you so stunning.”

“What do you want?” You rolled your eyes knowing full well he couldn't see you and continued to fight your way through a group of soldiers who had been hiding in a thicket off to the group’s left. 

“I want to know where you got that bow.” 

That explained the private chat. Yoshimoto wanted information, and he wasn't sure he wanted everyone else to have the intel yet. It was a well-known fact in your group that you were also a registered single player and often competed by yourself, but that still wouldn’t explain how you had managed to get your hands on anything other than a training bow. 

“A friend.” You answered as cryptically as possible. 

“Oh? I’m a friend, I didn’t give that to you.” Yoshimoto’s tone was suspicious.

“You’re right, maybe we’re not friends after all.” You feigned surprise and tried to bite back laughter when he scoffed audibly in your ear. 

“You’re something else. You know that?” He sighed as you snickered.

“I know, had a whole conversation about it today.” You couldn’t hide the amusement in your voice as you continued on. 

“Oh? Yukimura picking on you again?” Yoshimoto’s voice remained light as he teased.

“Not today, I’m actually on another team. Play with them when you guys aren’t around.” You stated matter-of-factly

“Cheating on us, are you now?” 

“I couldn’t help myself. If it makes you feel better, they’re definitely my side hoe.” You tried to remain as serious as possible, despite the turn in the conversation. 

“Alright, that’s it.” laughter filled the speakers of your headphones, and you found yourself laughing along with him. “How is it that I’ve not yet had the pleasure of meeting you in person?”

“You work terrible hours and never show up to sing with us.” You replied.

“You don’t want to hear me sing,” Yoshimoto assured you.

“And now I do.” 

“How about this? I’ve got work in a gallery late tomorrow night, stop by. I’ll see if I can pick you out of a crowd.” Yoshimoto suggested. 

“Sounds like my kind of challenge.” Excited, you agreed. 

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 17

Hey there Honeybee’s! It’s finally spring! The solstice has come and gone but i hope you flourish just like the flowers blooming outside do!

Master List is hanging out here!

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse

Warnings: If you read this on AO3 the language isn’t censored!

Level 17

You sigh with relief as you relax into your couch, heated blanket turned on and ready to accept you into its warmth. It had been a long month, and the influx of new leukemias had not made it any better. Sure, you were busy, and it went by fast, but it was mentally taxing, and you wanted nothing more than to forget about real life and dive headfirst into this game again in earnest.

Sure, you had been playing Endless Isle when you were free, but more often than not, you chose to spend your free time napping, eating, or relaxing in a bath. Especially with the pressure you were starting to feel in-game. Initially, being on the two teams had been fun, something to help you use your time more efficiently. When one group couldn’t play, you’d join your other friends, if that wasn’t an option, you’d play on the single-player mode. Now that tournaments were starting back up, both groups wanted your undivided attention.

The evening had started off pretty standard, Yukimura and Rose fought until Shingen tried to break them up. This always resulted in some remark from either Sasuke or Yukimura while Rose laughed, and Kenshin scoffed. Yoshimoto would then go off on some sort of random tangent utterly unrelated to the argument, which would successfully change the subject, but always lead into another kerfuffle.

That was all you wanted out of your evening. Something familiar and happy that didn’t make you feel like the world was suddenly crashing in. Your generally peaceful evening didn’t last long though, the moment some of your other team members began logging on for the team event, it hit the fan.

You had been asked to join Team Kasugayama first, you were technically already making headway through the team challenge when you got the message from B00kOfLife7 that they were waiting for you. It should have ended when you declined the invitation, but it didn’t. After nearly an hour of dealing with sly remarks about “betrayal” from 4myLord, it escalated to a new degree on both sides when Betrayal_is_real04 outed your other team’s name in the Team Azuchi group chat.

OneEyedDrag0n → Hey, maybe give the lass a break huh? It’s not like she was supposed to know they’re dirtbags. 4myLord → How would she not know? She’s been playing with them! 4myLord → Beyond that though it compromises our strategies! How do we know she’s not telling them what we’ve been planning? Maybe because that’s rude? Also I’ve never told you about their plans, why would you just assume I’m dirty enough to share yours? ← WildCyt0m3try Betrayal_is_real04 → This could work to our advantage though. Our little mouse could become a rat for us? How about no… ← WildCyt0m3try What the heck you guys. It’s really not that big of a deal, I don’t know why your wigging out. ← WildCyt0m3try D3vlK1ng → Our Fireball is right. As it stands we haven’t had any trouble making headway in the tournament. She’s clearly not leaked any of our tactics. THANK YOU! Gods…at least one of you is sane ← WildCyt0m3try

Just when you felt you were making some headway, the public chat opened up to a literal storm. This was garbage. Absolute flaming garbage and you wanted to know precisely what you had done to deserve the past month you had been given.

God_of_war → You should watch who you associate with @WildCyt0m3try Excuse me? ← WildCyt0m3try 4myLord → Funny, I was about to say the same thing… You were literally about to put my head on a spike a minute ago @4myLord... maybe now’s not a great time to get defensive about me? ← WildCyt0m3try TigerOfKai681 → he was threatening you Princess? Can’t have that now can we? Braves6Coins → I knew you guys were trash, didn’t think you would stoop that low tho OneEyedDrag0n → Not quite sure what you’re going on about? Kitten here is a fine asset to our team, we’d never hurt a hair on her head. Fine_as_art1156 → Ah, so is this who you’ve been playing with on your downtime then? @WildCyt0m3try. Yes, I’m not sure why it matters so much to you all though? My free time is my free time. You both needed a pegasus so I’m not sure what the problem is… ← WilyCyt0m3try 4myLord → Beyond them being heathens, nothing much RoseW@terHeals010 → Uh, maybe we should all calm down a little? Nin-Nin0217 → Agreed, this seems to be getting out of hand rather quickly. Betrayal_is_real04 → @WildCyt0m3try pick one. Uh, no? ← WildCyt0m3try D3vlK1ng → It’s not a bad idea. It would certainly alleviate some of this stress. TigerOfKai681 → For once that team of yours has come up with a sound idea. B00kOfLife7 → My plans are always well laid out thank you. God_of_war → This is idiocy. @WildCyt0m3try pick. RoseW@terHeals010 → Uh guys, maybe we should just leave her alone? Fine, eat dirt ← WildCyt0m3try

*Are you sure you would like to leave this team?*

Without a second thought, you clicked yes, ignoring the continued bickering and the constant vibrating of your phone. You could be unagreeable too.

Betrayal_is_real04 → a traitor indeed. Fine_as_art1156 → What are you blathering on about? She clearly chose your team? B00kOfLife7 → she most certainly did not. RoseW@terHeals010 → she left both teams your nitwits! I told you to stop but NOO nobody listens to the priestess. TigerOfKai681 → I listen to everything you say my sweet healing goddess. RoseW@terHeals010 → oh shut up for once *RoseW@terHeals010 is offline* Braves6Coins → hey could you maybe tone it down a bit @TigerofKai681? Now we don’t have a healer either… Nin-nin0217 → Work should be fun tomorrow.

You logged out of the public chat, refusing any and all attempts to contact you. You felt a little agitated and way too petty to deal with any of them right now. Instead, you made your way out of the square, it was time to find some single-player missions for yourself.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 18

Hi guys! How’s life? Hopefully March treated you well. We’ve officially entered April (which is a wild thought). Here’s to hoping this new month is more wonderful than the last!

Tagging @loudartanimeeclipse

Master List here, or check out Ikesen AFK in the tags

Warnings: none?

Level 18

You were being petty. For the past month, you ignored and refused every single attempt to message or contact you in and out of the game. Rose was the only exception, as she was your co-worker and had attempted to stick up for you. After nearly a month of feeling annoyed, you thought about quitting, this was supposed to be for fun, an outlet that had turned into a constant source of fatigue.

Finally, you put your mind to a task. Story mode. Excited and your eyes on a new prize, you hammered it out, finishing the final chapter in a few weeks without a hitch. Now what? You joined in raids with unknown players, jumped into maps and quests by yourself. Most of the time, that went okay, other times you just rage quit because who designs a battle to be that infuriating?! That was it, you were logging off for the day.

Just as you had made up your mind to finish your activities and trade out your items in the shop, your message box pinged. Interesting, you had blocked everyone but Sasuke and Rose from last month’s group chat. Your eyes went wide when you saw the name pop up again across your screen.

EdoPorcupine5661 → Hi

He hadn’t been there that day! You forgot to block him! Crap!

EdoPorcupine5661 → Partner event in ten minutes. Meet me at the bridge if you want.

You waited for another message, but it never came. At least they weren’t hell-bent on harassing you, that in and within itself gave them brownie points. After thinking about it for way too long, you shrugged and rapidly transported to just outside of the bridge. You didn’t want to be tricked into an ambush by a former team. When it proved to be just Edo, you walked over and jumped into the event.

The map itself was challenging. The both of you were transported to a dungeon that was not only crawling with opponents but pressure levers and teleport points. There was a certain bit of strategy involved, and that meant being careful of your weaknesses, out-maneuvering the other challengers in the dungeon, while also praying you didn’t accidentally send yourself unguarded into a den of overpowered monsters.

Thanks for the invite ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Sure. Do we have a plan ← Wild Cyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Don’t hit the lever next to the green teleport square. Beyond that, don’t die. Roger that ← WildCyt0m3try

Beyond the first few messages to flush the plan out, it was silent. Edo had never really been much of a talker, and for once, you were thankful someone had nothing to say. The both of you advanced forward through the map, hitting the levers that came into view and making sure Edo was close enough that they could see when you chose to use a teleport tile on the floor.

EdoPorcupine5661 → That one. Don’t hit that switch. Sounds good ← WildCyt0m3try Can I ask why? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Huge monster dungeon on the other side. We’d have no chance. No chance indeed. ← WildCyt0m3try Do i wanna know how u know that? ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine → Tried the map with OneEyedDrag0n earlier. His curiosity has me down almost 6000Q and two bows. Well that’s a yikes, we’re just gonna avoid that one then… ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → See I knew there was a reason I liked playing with you. I’m flattered! ← WildCyt0m3try I’d send you a swooning emoji if I could ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine → Don’t. It’s a win-win. You’re not annoying or incompetent and it’ll annoy the living hell out of everyone else that I played with you. Watch out, they’ll brand you as a traitor ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → You’re acting like their childish behavior bothers me. It does. You’re literally always annoyed with them lol ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Shut up Never ← WildCyt0m3try EdoPorcupine5661 → Bye Byeee~ ← WildCytometry5661

You smiled as the tiny green ball by Edo’s name went dim, and the chat room suggested he may be offline. Despite the fact that you were still working through this partner event. Oh well, you wouldn’t bother him. That had been fun and engaging. The mission now successfully clear, you split the earnings and rewards and logged off. Sitting on your couch, you couldn’t help but hope he asked you to play again sometime. Until then, though, you really needed to find another team, hopefully with far less serious participants than your previous ones.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 26

What cracking everyone? How are you all holding up? Everyone doing okay? My state’s started to lift a few of their restrictions so life seems to be picking back up. Anyone else able to go out and do a little more? Hopefully some of you have been able to get back to your normal routines!

Tagging: @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Master List Here :)

Warnings: 4th wall break lol

Happy reading everyone~

Level 26

You had never been to Kanazawa before, so the fact that you were on a relatively spontaneous trip on a Friday afternoon had you giddy. Most museums and parks were going to be closing by the time you arrived, but you’d never been opposed to just wandering a city at night. Maybe that’s why your mom was always so worried about you? You chuckled and swayed a little closer to Yoshimoto.

“So, where are we headed?” You asked as you left the train station for the bus stop.

“I’ve got to pick up a few things for a new project.” Yoshimoto smiled as he pointed to the Higashi Chaya District marker on the sign near the pick up point. “Then we’ll get food.”

“Sounds awesome.” You were about to say more when the bus pulled up, right on time, and the two of you shuffled in and took a seat in the back.

You knew a Chaya was a teahouse where geisha typically performed, while most of them sat on what would have been considered the outskirts of a town they were still well-loved and visited. This particular area had been trendy during the Edo period and thankfully spared in the second world war from the firebombing, meaning it still held a large part of its historic integrity. Kanazawa was supposed to have at least three of these districts, all well preserved and mostly open to the public. Maybe you were going to get some kick-ass historical tea experience.

“You look excited?” Yoshimoto wondered aloud as he leaned closer to you.

“I am.” You affirmed, nodding your head and trying to keep up. The last thing you needed was to get distracted and lost, either Yoshimoto would miss his appointment, or you were going to get left behind.

Slowly, the old wooden buildings began to change shape and color, when Yoshimoto stopped in front of a store with a rich plum-colored banner and brilliant gold lettering you froze. Hakuza?

“We’re here.” Yoshimoto smiled down at you as he walked through the entrance and bowed to the women staffing the front desk.

Hakuza wasn’t your average tea shop; that much you had gathered. The moment you walked in the door, all you saw was gold, gold leaf was everywhere. Curious, you followed Yoshi until he stopped at one of the many standing cases around the store. All manner of things were being sold here, you had your pick of jewelry, beautifully adorned dishes and artwork, statues, though you were the most intrigued by the cakes.

“Interesting is it not?” Yoshimoto asked as he leaned down to see what had caught your attention.

“Ah! Imagawa-san!” The both of you turned when you heard his named called so formally. “Welcome, welcome. Who might this be?”

“Hello Higashi-san. This is (LN)(YN); she is my date for the evening.” Yoshimoto bowed in greeting, and you matched his gesture.

“What a pleasure, (Imagawa-san I’ve got your order already for you if you’d like to come back and take a look?” The older man gestured towards the back, a friendly smile on his face.

“Of course. Thank you.” Yoshimoto walked towards the back, just before they both turned your way.

“(LN)-san, do please look around. If you have any questions, either of my daughters would be happy to help you.” Before you could respond, though, both of them disappeared into the back.

It was clear, based on the machines showcased in the back of the shop and the wares on display, Hakuza specialized in the creation and use of the gold leaf. Now, all you wanted to know what Yoshi was planning on doing with it. You hoped he showed you when whatever he was working on was finished.

“Excuse me, (LN)-san?” The older gentleman, Higashi-san as Yoshimoto had called him, peaked his head around the corner and waved a hand at you. “This way, please.”

Not a single thing could have prepared you for what you laid your eyes one when you rounded the corner. It was very clearly a room for tea ceremonies, but the entire thing was covered in gold leaf! The walls, the table, even the teapot and instruments, and utensils were gold plated, all in amazing contrast with the bright red tatami flooring. When Yoshimoto chuckled, you snapped back to reality, hoping you hadn’t caught any flies with your mouth hanging open like that.

“This is amazing.” You whispered, careful as you inched closer, trying to get a better view of the room.

“Isn’t it.” Yoshimoto’s smile was bright as his eyes crinkled. “This is a replica of the Golden Tea Room created in the 16th century by Toyotomi, Hideyoshi. Isn’t it grand?”

“Maybe a little too grand? How did anyone get anything done in that room? It’s way too shiny.” You shook your head, still unable to grasp exactly how they had managed to cover the shogi with the leaf without a single crease visible.

“Not a fan of something so lavish, my dear?” Higashi-san chuckled as the three of you began walking back towards the front of the shop.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong it’s beautiful; it just doesn’t feel like a good idea?” You offered. “Think about it, you’re just out of the warring states period, you’ve taken power and mostly unified Japan, and you’re going around bringing people into your golden tea room? There’s going to be tons of awe but also lots of jealousy. It feels like a bad idea to me.”

“I can see your point.” Yoshimoto’s brow creased as he thought about it.

“Either way, it was wonderful to meet you (LN)-san, and it’s always a pleasure doing business with you, Imagawa-san.” All of you bowed to one another before Yoshimoto and yourself exited Hakuza.

You walked in silence back down the road you had just recently traveled, so maybe that wasn’t what you were expecting, but it was still really cool anyway. Like a tiny piece of history wrapped up and disguised as a city. Unable to contain your pleasure, you smiled and skipped ahead of Yoshimoto before turning and walking backward to take a photo.

“Wait, I wasn’t ready. You should have told me you wanted a photo.” He blinked as the tiny black bag in his hand, swayed with each step.

“And you should have told me to wear a kimono, so now we’re even.” You smiled and showed him the picture you’d taken. Making sure to keep your phone just out of reach so he couldn’t delete the image.

“So it would seem.” Yoshimoto smiled at you and rocked his head to the left, gesturing towards a small looking restaurant. “What do you say we stop for some actual tea?”

“Sounds like a good idea to me. Think they’ll have that cake with the gold leaf on it.” You wondered aloud.

“I’m afraid not.” Yoshimoto smiled as he raised the banner flap for you to enter ahead of him.

“Well dang it. I guess I’ll just have to get by without it.” You joked, feigning dissatisfaction before heading in and taking your seats.

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Level 19

AHHH, how is it already April 10th? What is happening! Why does time move so fast! Does anyone have any plans for this upcoming summer yet? 

Tagging @loudartanimeeclipse, @ihavenotfallenyet

Master List here or check the tag Ikesen AFK

Warnings: Average video game violence

Level 19

It had only been a week, but something told you, you had made a grave miscalculation with these people. You could deal with dark personalities; you worked at a hospital. Not everything was sunshine and rainbows all the time, thank god for that, but these guys took things to a whole new level.

Apart from one of them being the worst troll you’d ever seen. The other two spent the entire game trying to dismantle other teams to get ahead of the curve, instead of just playing the game. It was so frustrating; you groaned when your screen lit up in the corner, letting you know the group chat was active.

Hiding_In_plain_sight44 → This one will be for all the marbles. Hiding_In_plain_sight44 → I talked one of those pretty shop keepers into telling me what group our enemies are fighting in. M@dMonks → Wonderful work, now those egotistical madmen will get their just desserts. WhiteBeardless0589 → I don’t care what event raid we’re in so long as I get to mess up someone’s k/d ratio. Do I even want to know who you’re talking about? ← WildCyt0m3try M@dMonks → it’s nothing, you’ve joined at just the right time. Oh? ← WildCyt0m3try Why does that make me nervous? ← WildCyt0m3try WhiteBeardless0589 → Good instincts kid Gdi! Seriously, wtf are you planning now? ← WildCyt0m3try I refuse to participate if you’re just going to terrorize a bunch of pre-teens again… ← WildCyt0m3try Hiding_In_plain_sight44 → We’re going after a few old rivals. That’s all. Again, why do I feel like that’s “not all?” Huh? ← WildCyt0m3try WhiteBeardless0589 → It’s just those morons from Team’s Kasugayama and Azuchi. WhiteBeardless0589 → They need to be taken down a peg or two anyway. M@dMonks → Exactly, teams like that just prey on the weak with no consideration for other players. M@dMonks → We’re going to get ourselves into their tournament group, and you’re going to help us obliterate them Me? Obliterate? You can’t be serious… ← WildCyt0m3try Hiding_In_plain_sight44 → We know you used to be on both their teams, it’s perfect. You’d know all their fighting styles. No, I don’t. Besides, what if they’ve changed things around in the past two months? ← WildCyt0m3try M@dMonks → They wont. They’re not that smart. You’ve clearly never played with any of them… ← WildCyt0m3try Hiding_In_plain_sight44 → If it makes you feel better, I used to play with Team Azuchi. You wouldn’t be the only double-crosser. No, you can leave me out of this ← WildCyt0m3try

Why, why did you always end up playing video games with such ridiculous people. Your frustration began to show through when they, namely M@dMonks, began to argue and threaten you. That was a hard no, in less than two minutes you left the group and headed towards the single-player portal, only to be stopped mid-walk.

Your old teammates surrounded you, M@dMonks stood in front of the group as the rest of the team blocked you from leaving the lobby. Were they going to try and keep you from leaving? What was the point of that? It wasn’t until four Assassin class members lunged at you that you figured it out. They were going to try to take you out and loot your bag. Oh hell no.

The simple solution would have been to save and just log out, but because you were embroiled in the middle of a fight, the system’s menu was locked. Assholes. You did what you could to dodge and deflect, but it became quite clear they weren’t going to let you go.

“If it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’re gonna get. You pissed off the wrong chick.” You growled openly into your mic, drawing the attention of others in the multiplayer lobby.

By the time you had cut down most of your old team, a crowd had gathered. Why wouldn’t they, though? A single lance wielding unit, ambushed by a large group of assassins headed up by a Dark Bishop and a War Master. That was definitely a spectacle. It was going okay, you still had a few more swings, and from what you knew of M@dMonks and WhiteBeardless0589’s stats, it should be enough to get you out of this situation. 

What you hadn’t taken into account was Hiding_ In_plain_sight44’s theft ability. Had you really let him take all of your lances but the one you were using? Your grip on your controller tightened as your grit your teeth. That left you with a very dinky training lance and a bow, damn. You were so over this, wanting nothing more than to be done with all of these overly dramatic boys you unequipped your weapon. Bracing for the next few hits and the deep cut into your pocket, but it never came. Instead, a fire spell lit up the screan, hitting M@dMonks square in the chest.

“You really should be more careful with who you associate with.”

“That’s pretty rich coming from you.” Your voice was flat, as you responded.

“You also agreed to meet, remember?” Yoshimoto snickered as he dealt magic damage to the rest of your assailants.

“How could I forget? You and my coworker bickered the entire walk to the store.” You verbally poked back at him.

“Give me three minutes. You just want to log out, right?” Yoshimoto’s voice was serious but remained light.

“Yes, I’m so over people.” You groaned into your mic.

True to his word, after two minutes and fifty-six seconds, the battle had been completed, and your menu was unlocked. The both of you may or may not have stopped to loot the paralyzed avatars of your previous teammates turned assailants before heading into a private lobby. Any eye for an eye, served them right. Besides, you only grabbed what they took from you. 

“So, what was that about? Any specific reason you were a target of the world’s largest assassin guild?” You could hear the smirk on Yoshimoto’s face as he asked.

“If you’re just going to patronize me, I’m going to leave.” You sighed.

“I would never, so tell me what happened.” Even though his voice was jovial, you could hear the concern.

“I played single-player for a while. Beat the story mode, did a few group missions here and there with some friends and some rando’s.” You paused, thinking about the past month or so. “One of those randoms invited me to join his team.”

“Oh, and who was said Random if I may ask.” Yoshimoto did nothing to hide the amusement in his voice.

“Hiding in plain sight, forty-four.” You sighed, knowing exactly what Yoshi was about to say. “You don’t have to say anything, I already know.”

“If you already knew why did you join that team?” Yoshimoto asked.

“I didn’t know when I said I would join; I just found out today.” You sighed, over the whole ordeal already. “Yanno, right as they jumped me?”

“Ah, I see. Always getting yourself into the oddest predicaments, aren’t you?”  Yoshimoto laughed as he continued to question you.

“So it would seem. Anyways, thanks for the help. I appreciate it.” You said gratefully, quickly sending him a tiny bag of goodies you knew he could use to fuse more spells.

“I don’t need any of this.” He responded.

“At least let me do something to say thank you.” You tried.

“Dinner?”

The line was quiet for a little bit, had he just asked you to go back out together? Maybe Rose had been, right? Well sort of right, perhaps that night at the gallery was supposed to have been a date. A date with Yoshi.

“Or not, that’s fine too. I’ll just take these and-”

“Sure.” You interrupted him. “I could use some time to hang out with friends again.”

“Great. I’ll message you then?” Either he didn’t mind that you emphasized the word friends or he didn’t catch it, because his response was completely even.

“Deal! Thanks again for the help.” You chirped, making quick work of ending the conversation and logging out.

This would be interesting.