[OPEN] Summer move forward and stitch me the fabric of fall

[lasergrenades]

Characters: Pepper Potts, Yami no Bakura, Gene Khan, Tony Stark, and you!
Date: Throughout September
Location: All over de place
Situation: Pepper is learning how to fight, investigating things both nefarious and merely frustrating, and rebuilding some bridges
Warnings/Rating: Mention of explosions, trauma, and death/executions. Sparring. More details warnings will be added as needed.

A. Jade Dojo | Mid September | Closed to Bakura 

As he promised, Bakura has been teaching Pepper how to fight with a staff. She's also learned that taking care of weapons isn't quite as glamorous as she might have thought. It's still a neat skill to learn, and it's also nice to have something to focus on that's so totally alien to her, and something that she probably would never get the chance to do back home. Whenever she arrives at the dojo, she never really knows what she's going to be doing that day. The Egyptian seems to like keeping her on her toes.

B. Sky Sector | Right after the Chihuelan executions | Closed to Tony

This is bad. This is very, very bad. Okay, sure, the Chihuelans who had been executed had kind of tried to invade Tu Vushan but executions were all different kinds of no. This is what Team Iron Man was supposed to stop. Pepper has half a mind to fly in stealth mode up to the Justicar and knock a few teeth out, but she'd rather not start a war. Tony might not be so wary. She knows him; the Chihuelans were executed on College grounds, and Tony is probably going to take that really, really badly. She needs to find him. The suit is seeing a lot of use lately, and Pepper is really hoping she won't have to use it on him.

C. Jade Dojo | September 6 | Closed to Bakura

Pepper wanted to go straight to the summoning, do not stop, do not collect 200 juulan, go directly to Shadow Monsters, but Bakura wouldn't let her. There had been some pouting and wheedling, but he didn't budge. She hadn't really expected him to, but it was worth a try, right? Since she now has closer to what would legally be considered a full deck, they can play the card game well enough for her to learn the rules. And she's even been doing her homework! Pepper dutifully flips through the cards at least once a day, and it's a regular part of her routine now.

D. Throughout Keeliai and outside the city | During the Chihuelans 'visit' | Open

Brave Vesperia members had been commissioned to follow the Chihuelans - sneakily - and Pepper is happy to do what she's told. The stealth mode of her suit is endlessly useful, and it means she can move around almost entirely undetected. She isn't totally silent, however, so she has to keep an eye on the noise the armor makes in order to avoid alerting the people she's stalking. There had been others who had volunteered to monitor the Chihuelans as well, and she's been partnered with a few. Being outside the city would be a lot more fun if there wasn't the hint of a threat everywhere they went.

E. Sky Sector | September 27 | Open

A letter arrived for Pepper at the house, which is weird in and of itself. What is even weirder is what the letter says. She's heard about the Dreaming and some of the weird things that come out of it, but she's wary of believing this one. If she didn't write it to herself though, it's a seriously scary thing. She's sitting in one of the public areas of Sky Sector, reading the letter over and over, trying to wrap her head around it in a way that makes sense. 

OOC: If you want a starter hit me up at plurk or PM me! 

Comments

[lasergrenades]

Pepper listens. Quietly. Unmoving except in her expression, which shifts slowly to reveal the sadness she's feeling. She's silent for a moment after he stops speaking, watching him. No tears this time.

"You died, back home," she says almost tonelessly. "Didn't you? I wondered... some of the things you said..." Just like she thought, she hates the idea of him being less than solid. But it's worse, because he'll be something less than a spirit, should he be snatched back to his reality. "At least you know it's different. Maybe that'll keep you here longer."

Pepper caught the comment about Bakura's family, but she decides not to say anything. Bakura's past needs to be taken in small doses.

"And... all this Shadow magic, Duel Monsters... all of that is tied to what happened to you?"

[denyamenti]

"Yes," he answered with a shrug, seeing no point now in not being plain about it. He'd never explicitly lied about being dead, but he'd purposely chosen to phrase some things that obscured it, for Pepper. "I fought the pharaoh again, in a shadow game designed to change the past. It did... but instead of being sealed in the Ring, I was killed in the last attack."

He doesn't address her hopeful remark about being able to stay here longer, but he's quick to counter the last part.

"The game we played used Shadow magic and Duel Monsters, but they didn't cause what happened. Nothing like that will happen to you, Pepper."

[lasergrenades]

"Huh? Oh, no, that's not really what I meant," Pepper says, momentarily flustered. He hasn't used her name, her real name, since they first met over the network, months ago. It strikes her that he's actually reassuring her, that he's concerned. "But thanks. I trust you." She looks down at her hands. "I just meant... well, between the summoning and everything else... I wasn't taking this super seriously before. Not really seriously, anyway."

Pepper glances as the spot where the Milus had appeared.

"It's a lot different watching you than actually being part of it. Scary different. I don't want you to think I'm not totally into this because I am." She turns to him again, curiosity blooming in her eyes. "Did you seriously change history? You're that powerful?"

[denyamenti]

"It's always different, watching from participating," Bakura replies, as though both agreeing with and assuring her observation as understandable. "Besides, I wouldn't waste my time on this if I thought you worth the effort."

He harrumphed a bit, like her awe was unwarranted. "With a very specific set of circumstances, yes," he answered. "It's not something I could do again. Or could teach anyone else, so if you're looking to fix your test scores from school..."

He didn't think she was; he knew she wasn't that shallow (and hers probably didn't need fixing, anyway), but it was a gentle deflection.

[lasergrenades]

"Weeeeeell, chemistry didn't go so well this year," Pepper jokes, glad for a reason to lighten the mood. She smiles at him, almost shyly, for the veiled compliment. "But I'd like to never, ever deal with time travel again, once was definitely enough."

The blue liquid he gave her definitely helped, but even so, she still feels exhausted. Pepper flops backward onto the grass.

"I could sleep for a week. Is this going to get less tiring or am I going to have to learn how to hibernate?"

[denyamenti]

He hopes that she never has cause to deal in it again, but fate is often fickle that way.

"It'll get better," he assures her. "It will become more two way, and that will help as well. Still, you've more than earned the rest of the day off."

[lasergrenades]

Pepper raises a hand into the air with a thumbs up in acknowledgement.

"Cool. I'm not gonna be much of a duelist if I can't stay awake for a whole game." She props herself up on her elbows. "Mind if I hang around for a while until I feel like walking home?"

[denyamenti]

Bakura reclines as well, finding a patch of sun like a particularly smug cat. "Not at all," he answers. He was planning to make the most of the afternoon warmth, knowing it'd be vanishing in the next month or so.