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Valentine's Day: Fishing for Love (Yukiko x Dante) [Fin]
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Post by Sakurin on Feb 22, 2018 20:27:52 GMT
Indeed, Yukiko was sitting on a bench, trying not to panic. Everything was going off the rails! Everything was going wrong! She had worried about this! Now what is she going to do!? She was staring at the ground and pulled on her hair, as she tends to do when panicking!
As for the short girl, she stuck out her chest even more and huffed. "Me? I am Mizuko Katagiri, a good friend of Yukiko's! Why I was in that box? I'm an adult, it's none of your business what I do with my spare time! But when I saw how your date with my dear friend went off the rails I just -had- to intervene!" She looked back and forth between brother and sister. "You're both being very immature right now! Why are you meddling with your brother's affair? And why are -you- asking such frisky questions, young man? You should both be ashamed! Despite both siblings likely towering over this short gal, she still radiated the confidence of a woman much taller.
Yukiko didn't even look at Dante when he suggested going elsewhere, she was way too focussed on trying not to panic and run away! It would be so unfair and rude to run away! She tried to think happy thoughts, to think of nice music, but everyone could easily tell she was -quite- troubled.
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Post by Dante on Feb 23, 2018 10:36:42 GMT
What started out as a regular date had spiraled into chaos. Mizuko stood up for Yukiko, calling the Palladino siblings immature. Yukiko was noticeably overwhelmed by the conflict. Dante is angry that Judith has interrupted his date, but for Yukiko's sake, he does his best to control himself and deescalate the situation.
"Look sis, I know we don't always get along. We're always at each other's throats, trading insults. But deep down I know how much we care about each other. Can you blame me for being protective of my younger sister? Yukiko is a very kind person, and I would like to get to see her again. I'll try to be a better brother to you."
Judith was still upset with Dante, but she could see that he wanted to make amends. She felt kind of bad for crashing his date.
"You're right, we do care about each other. From the looks of it, Yukiko seems like a sweet girl. If you start showing me more respect when it comes to my career and the guys I choose to date, I can respect your privacy."
Judith turns her attention to the girl puffing out her chest.
"But you on the other hand, Mizuko... you sure talk big, short stack. I wonder if you can back it up."
While Judith was less upset with Dante, this young woman had struck a nerve with her. Who is she to be scolding them? Her ego had been bruised, and even if it complicated things for Yukiko and Dante, Judith was going to stand her ground.
"I'm not going to let you talk to my brother like that. So you better shape up or back up that big mouth of yours." "Judith, this isn't wise..." "She started it. I'm not backing down."
Dante regrets not coming up with a better excuse to get out of the house. Had his sister not followed him there, they wouldn't be in the middle of this conflict. Dante's chances for a second date were looking slim, but he wasn't going to give up. No woman no matter how short or blonde was going to ruin this for him. Hopefully for Dante, Yukiko would calm down, and get another chance to warm up to Dante. I guess this is what happens when awkward single people look for love. Was there still a chance for romance?
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Post by Sakurin on Feb 24, 2018 13:40:35 GMT
Yukiko finally relaxed, her breathing normalizing itself. Seems that the conflict between the siblings had calmed down, thanks to Mizu's intervention. Why her partner was here, she didn't know. Did she follow her? It was a very Mizu thing to do. The Betamon would swim the entire length of the Shibuya River it it means her tamer could find some happiness...or at least what Mizu considered to be happiness. Of course, now there was the problem of the Digimon having roused the ire of the sister. If there is a fight then her Holosuit might give out...!
Mizuko, now, propped up her chest and gave Judith a look. "Oh, you wanna go? You wanna beat up a random lady? Sure, go ahead! Let's take this outside!"
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Post by Dante on Feb 26, 2018 18:07:17 GMT
Fortunately, Yukiko was able to calm down. Good news for Dante. However, Judith and Mizu were about to get physical with each other. Yukiko's perky friend suggests that her and Judith take this outside. The failure pop idol wasn't going to back down.
"Oh, you wanna go?! Certainly."
Dante knew he had to step in. As Judith turns to head towards the exit, Dante steps in front of her and blocks her path.
"Let me by, brother. Her mouth wrote a check that her butt can't cash." "Why don't you both take a moment to cool down? Violence isn't going to fix this." "Oh, it will fix it alright. I'll fix her up good." "If you just sit down and talk for a while, maybe you will realize that you have more in common than you thought."
Judith wasn't having any of Dante's pacifism. She places her hands on Dante's shoulders and knees him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. Dante hunches over and collapses to the ground, gasping for air. Judith turns and looks at Mizu.
"I'll be waiting outside. Prepare yourself."
Judith steps over her brother and heads outside. Dante struggles to sit up and start breathing normally again.
"Ah... damn... my sis is tap dancing over every, last one of my nerves today."
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Post by Sakurin on Feb 26, 2018 19:08:52 GMT
Mizuko watched Judith leave, doing the two fingers at her eyes and then at her gesture. Once she had left, she sighed and turned towards Dante and Yukiko. "Oh, dear, I am so sorry everything went badly, I really hope you can fix things. If you need anything else, just call me~" She waved, and left. She'd need to come up with a good way of kicking this bitch's ass without breaking her hologuise...
As for Yukiko, she wasn't looking at Dante, instead looking down at her feet. She was no longer shaking and hyperventilating, but she was clearly still very much embarrassed and disheartened. She reached for a CD on her pile, pulled it out, and put it in, seeking a certain song: "Dictation being forced in Afghanistan Revolution in South Africa taking a stand People in Eurasia on the brink of oppression I hope it's going to be alright
'Cause the music plays forever ('Cause it goes on and on and on and on and on) Yeah, I hope it's gonna be alright (Alright, alright, alright, alright)"
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Post by Dante on Feb 28, 2018 6:33:25 GMT
Well Dante had envisioned their date possibly going badly, but getting dropped by his sister wasn't quite what he had expected. Judith had left, and Yukiko's friend Mizu looked to be preparing for a fight. Little did Dante know, but Mizu is actually a Digimon wearing a holosuit, which means punching would solve this, as it would break the disguise. Yukiko puts on some music that Dante hasn't heard before. Something about revolution and oppression. Wormmon would like this song.
"Okay, I'm embarrassed but I'm feeling better. Sometimes siblings are quite a burden."
Dante tries to compose himself and goes back to flipping through CDs. There was still a chance they would continue seeing each other after this. Maybe one day they would look back at their eventful initial meeting and laugh. Dante finds an old CD he remembers seeing when he has really young.
"Eh, I haven't heard this song in a while."
Dante plays the song Doll Parts by Hole. Dante is a big fan of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, so it only made sense that a little Hole would be in his playlist as well.
"Ya, they really want you, they really want you, but I do too. I want to be the girl with the most cake. I love it so much it just turns to hate. I fake it so real, I am beyond fake. And someday you will ache like I ache."
A little slower paced than most of the songs Dante likes, but he didn't mind since he was still recovering after that cheap shot. Considering the song has to do about feeling inadequate about appearance when it comes to relationships, it fit the eternally lonely Dante well. He puts back some of the albums and sits down next to Kiyoko.
"Quite the fun date, no? Listening to music, girls with attitudes getting in the way. Now if we just had some wine, we could really get into some trouble."
Dante smiles at Yukiko, letting her know that he was being humorous, or at least he thought so. He could tell she was upset with some things that happened, and he wants to show her that it's okay when things get a little crazy.
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Post by Sakurin on Feb 28, 2018 13:05:58 GMT
Yukiko did not look at Dante, preferring to look at her feet. It was clear she wasn't mad at him, or blaming him. Rather, she seemed dissatisfied with how things have gone, and how she's shown her worst when she let her nervousness control her. "I...guess siblings can be bad...I...wouldn't know..." She kicked her feet back and forth, listening to the song Dante had put on. Not her style, but she didn't want to complain about a song that so clearly loved. "I'm...I'm sorry, I c-could have handled this better...b-b-but I always get overpowered by situations...th-then I do s-stupid things, or freeze, unable to act. I s-should've spoken up for you, but I couldn't...a-and I should've told Mizu to not get involved..." As silly as these words seem, Yukiko was clearly serious. It seemed she was blaming herself partially for this madness. "P-p-perhaps we really should go elsewhere, s-so that we can make up for the lost time..."
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Post by Dante on Mar 1, 2018 5:55:22 GMT
The circumstances had lead to Yukiko feeling upset. Finally she opens up a bit to Dante, but it seems like she is partially blaming herself for what happened. Dante sits down next to her on the bench and stares over at some albums, thinking to himself for a moment.
"You don't have to blame yourself. These things happen. Believe me, it's not the worst thing my sister's done to me this month. I'm sure your friend was just sticking up to you. I see how anxious this is making you. It's kind of like that for me, when I'm out and about and I have to deal with inconsiderate people. I see people treat others poorly, and it just gets me so mad. It's never easy, but I've had to learn how to control those emotions. Because when I don't, I'll react and make everything worse. I guess we've both got our own struggles to deal with."
Dante had never opened up to someone like this, let alone to a girl while on a date. Maybe he felt safe talking to Yukiko. She wasn't like his friends, who were often arrogant, rude, and selfish. If anything Yukiko was in the opposite direction. Too afraid of doing the wrong thing or something unpleasant happening.
"Maybe we should go somewhere, get something to eat and relax. We should check up on your friend and my sister to make sure they don't start brawling in the streets. I guess my sister's lack of success has really gotten to her if she's become so prone to violence."
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Post by Sakurin on Mar 2, 2018 12:00:41 GMT
Yukiko nodded. Dante opening up to her wasn't anything unusual to her. People seemed very comfortable talking to her about their problems once they got to know her a bit. Ayumi always tells her when she felt her self-loathing boil over because someone asked her why she was so pale, or because everyone in class was swooning over a male J-Pop Idol and she could not understand why she was the only one who wasn't interested in the guy at all.
"B-bottling up emotions doesn't help you, either, though. Th-that just makes things much worse. You build and build and build and then one day you'll explode...a-and that could be a much worse catastrophe. Th-the best way to deal with your emotions is to talk them out. T-tell the people that anger you that what they do makes you unhappy. If they truly love you back then they will understand and change. And if they don't...well, then you need to look for other friends... ..and other people being jerks, y-you can stand up for the victims, but not with anger, th-that just makes the jerk people do it more, they're sad and react like obstinate little children when confronted with their wrong-doings...I speak from experience..."
The girl sighed, then began blushing again. J-j-jeez, she's opened her mouth and gave unwanted advice again! She needs to change the topic, pronto!
"A-a-a-ah, yes, we better go elsewhere, to relax...a-a-and because I don't wand the store owners to get mad at us...yeah, w-w-we better check up on those two...Mizu doesn't know what restraint means, and often rushes ahead without pondering the consequences..."
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Post by Dante on Mar 3, 2018 6:14:02 GMT
From the sound of it, Yukiko and Dante were in the same boat when it came to confrontation. There was only so much one could do when dealing with rude people out in about, but when it comes to family and friends, it's often best to talk things out. Yukiko also mentions that bottling up emotions isn't good either. All things in moderation.
"You're right, Yukiko. Maybe I should sit down and talk to Judith about some of these things. As long as she doesn't get aggravated. Most of my friends are so thick-headed to talk things out with, haha. That's probably why they think I'm so sarcastic and bitter when things go wrong. Let's go deal with your friend and my sister's issue, then we can have a nice relaxing meal."
Dante stands up, and sees his sister waiting outside. He takes 2 CDs that he likes over to the register to buy them. He would have felt bad for hanging out there listening to music for free and not even buy anything. When Yukiko is ready to leave, Dante heads outside to hopefully deescalate this growing beef. He felt guilty, because if he would have been a better brother, Judith wouldn't have followed him and wouldn't be so upset. As he is walking towards the door, he leans over and says something to Yukiko.
"Pretty, and smart. I sure hope I can meet expectations."
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Post by Sakurin on Mar 3, 2018 20:33:29 GMT
Yukiko relaxed. Seems that Dante didn't mind her speaking her mind. Must be bad to have someone who gives you trouble in your very house. As she was an only child, she only ever had support back home.
"Ah, y-y-yeah, we all got different ways of coping, even if the sardonic route is a downward spiral... ...ah! Yes, w-we should go and stop them before anything bad happens!"
Yukiko got up, straightened her dress, and decided to take along a CD too. Can't have all this nonsense happen and then just leave! "90" by 808 State, she's wanted this one for a while! Yukiko felt confident for once since things seemed to be looking up...but then she was dealt a critical hit with a compliment. She had absolutely no idea how to handle those!
"E-e-e-e-e-e-e-eh? P-p-p-p-p... ...uuuuuuuuh, th-th-th-thanks??"
She turned beet red once more, looking down as the two made their way looking for the sister and the Holosuit.
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Post by Dante on Mar 4, 2018 9:13:18 GMT
Through all of this, Dante was getting to know more about Yukiko's personality. Though it was hard for Dante to focus at all with Yukiko working that red dress. The duo takes their CDs and heads outside. When Dante complemented Yukiko, she responded with her usual nervous demeanor. Dante felt bad that he was making Yukiko uncomfortable, but at the same time he wanted to express his fondness for her. He didn't really know how to show his appreciation without slightly embarrassing her.
When they get outside, Judith is standing there waiting with her hands on her hips.
"Hmph, so is your pint-sized friend going to back up her big mouth?" "This isn't the time to go looking for fights, sis. Look, there's something I want to talk to you about later. Why don't you stop for lunch and go home? It isn't fair to Yukiko for me to put our sibling rivalry ahead of our first date." "It's always about what you want. Well I want to vent my frustrations, and that Mizu's got it coming."
It didn't seem like reasoning with Judith was going to work. Dante's heart sank at seeing just how aggressive his sister is behaving today. Was she bottling up stress and reached her breaking point? Maybe Mizu wouldn't show up to fight, and they could continue on with their date. Still, Dante has a strange feeling that another debacle was waiting around the corner. It was as if the universe had determined Dante's love life to be a painful one, and the cosmic powers that be wouldn't allow him to have a happy relationship with a lovely young lady such as Yukiko. Dante sighs, and looks down at the ground, then tries to change the subject to get Judith to calm down.
"You know, I would think an aspiring idol would be interested in getting to know more about music. Yukiko has a vast knowledge of music, and you could pick her brain, find out what people are looking for in music."
Dante's ploy seemed to work, as Judith switches gears for the moment.
"You may be right. But it's easy to tell what people want. Just look at what's popular. Some dolled up bimbo with a generic sound that becomes incredibly popular because the songs are catchy."
Dante thought about sharing his feelings, but he didn't want to escalate things. He didn't agree with Judith's negative outlook, and that's saying something considering Dante is usually the first person to be a sourpuss.
"Why don't you give my sister a few tips, Yukiko?"
Dante looks Yukiko in the face and smiles. Just being on a date with a beautiful young lass, he was having difficulty containing just how happy he is. Family squabbles, that's a daily occurrence. But a blossoming relationship, that was something to be excited about.
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Post by Sakurin on Mar 4, 2018 11:23:46 GMT
Yukiko was relieved when Mizu was nowhere to be seen outside. Usually she would've expected her to keep talking trash. Maybe she had realized the folly of trying to fight in such a crowded spot and then risking being exposed? Regardless, this was a good turn of events! And it seems Dante got his sister off her revenge plan by appealing to her dreams of being an idol! But...sh-she is going to give her tips? Yukiko grew red again, caught off guard. She had no idea about idols, only about the English music from the past her dad raised her on! She fumbled with her hands, trying to come up with good advice regardless!
"A-a-a-ah, w-w-well, th-the most important part is b-being yourself! I-I-If you try to imitate what you think people like y-you'll lose your unique qualities, making it hard to s-stand out, a-a-and you just make y-y-yourself unhappy! A-a-and m-m-m-musically, i-i-it helps to branch out, too...k-k-knowing what's popular on music is g-g-good, b-b-but just following a leader robs you of uniqueness...m-m-maybe l-l-l-look into other pop? M-m-m-maybe try and add influences of other genres t-t-to your music? T-t-t-try to strike your own note, d-d-don't look at what others do!
Was this good? Was this bad? Oh dear, she's not good at this!
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Post by Dante on Mar 5, 2018 5:52:34 GMT
It appears Mizu might not be getting into a fight with Judith after all. Now Judith could cool off, and Yukiko and Dante could continue on with their date. Yukiko had some pretty good advice for the amateur idol. She should do her own thing, not just imitate a hundred other acts and blend in with the crowd.
"That's a good idea. Judith, you could take your career in an entirely different direction. Give the fans something that no one else is giving them. Make your own unique sound and style, then wait for them to come to you."
Judith ponders for a moment with her hand on her chin. The direction of her career so far wasn't looking good, so why not change her tune?
"You know, I'm actually going to try that. Come up with my own sound. Otherwise I'm never going to stand out. Thanks, Yukiko. I'm glad my brother has finally found a girl with smarts."
"Does that mean you won't fight Mizu now?"
"Well, if they show up, I'm down for a fight. But if not, I guess I'll grab a bite to eat, then go home and work on my music."
"That's good to hear. Alright, Yukiko, where do you want to go to eat? Just the two of us."
Things were starting to look up. Not just for Dante's new relationship with Yukiko, but his often rocky relationship with his sister. Surely they were out of the fire now, and they could enjoy the rest of their date without distractions.
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Post by Sakurin on Mar 7, 2018 17:42:54 GMT
To say Yukiko was relieved as an understatement. She felt like a billion weights had been lifted off her shoulder. With Dante's sister placated, and Mizu's no-show, it seems that the problems had solved themselves.
"Ah, s-s-s-sure, l-l-l-let's eat, I know a great Fusion Cuisine place down in Akihabara, th-they serve great Yōshoku cuisine..."
Having been raised half-western, Yukiko had a taste for western cuisine, and knew better what tastes good than with purely Japanese food. Hopefully her taste was right and Dante would enjoy this, too...
...though where had Mizu gone? She couldn't have just vanished into thin air...
..around the corner, hidden well from sight of anyone nearby, a de-holosuit'd Mizu watched the scene and chuckled. Hah, that big mouthed brat will wait until her legs fuse into her hips! She woulda fought her, but she prefers to decide herself who sees her beautiful true form and who doesn't!
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