Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

**Date Completed:**Ongoing
**Previous Role-Play**:
**Users Involved:** User:Katokonia, User:SparklinLex, User:CuriousGerado
**Setting:** Svarga
**Characters Involved**:
* Jakko Esperanq +
* Empra Lorelei /
* Saturn Rezka -
* Saleiiya -
* Serenity Nova +
* Kawasaki Alistar
* Glow Stella +
* Meraki-17 /
* Crestfall-21 /

**Metrics**: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?/Metrics

**Lucky Number Seven**

"*We all know that the people of Svarga live well, and live great. We pride ourselves in our hobbies, and we all get to do the things we love. But sometimes, that love is cut short by a lack of one simple thing. Money! Money Money Money! Sure, the government gets us what we need to survive, but don't you ever find yourself wondering if you could just have a little more? WELL HERE'S YOUR CHANCE! With the sponsorship of our beloved Empra Lorelei herself, Arcadia invites YOU to come on down to Sky Casino TOMORROW EVENING to join a tournament of legends! Tables will be flipped, and so shall they turn, as here at the Sky Casino we are proud to announce the very first Ascension Drive!*

*The rules are simple. Each floor of Sky Casino will have a theme, and a game that goes by that theme. Winners get to move up floors, battling their way to eventually reach the top floor, where one final challenge will stand between them and a grand prize of not one, not ten, but ONE HUNDRED MILLION RUPIS!!!*

*Check out the website displayed on the screen to SIGN UP NOW for a CHANCE to WIN IT BIG!"*

--kzzt--

Saleiiya turned off the screen as the promotional video reached it's conclusion, looking around the room to see reactions within the other two watching with her. Saturn Rezka sat rigidly in front of his desk, his chair facing towards the giant TV screen that the promotion had just been playing on. He looked at Saleiiya, who was looking at him intently waiting for a response, while also harboring an almost accusatory look in her eyes.

Rezka motioned to speak, but before even a word had even emitted from his helm, Saleiyya slammed him with a harsh, firm voice, simply stating "No."

"I haven't even said anything yet, and you already deny what I was to?" Rezka asks, though he knew that she knew exactly what he was going to say. It wasn't as if he was poor by any means, no, in fact he was one of the richest men in Svarga. Both through his own creations and by the activity of his company, Phanta Borea, he had established himself as one of the Fortune 5, a lucrative title granted only to those lead thinkers within the nation, who gained access to the policy-making and legislature over the entirety of Svarga.

But 100 Million Rupis was a substantial amount of money, even to him. He was curious as to why the Empra Twins would be willing to part with such a large sum with little economic incentive to do so, though he reasoned that perhaps it was simply Lorelei's nature of being a gamer and gambler herself that she would be willing to take the risk of it all being transferred into the hands of another. Anyways, it just so happened that Rezka had been working on a project as of late. He was attempting to develop a new type of Bygoid, one that could serve as a companion rather than simply a technical function, and he just so happened to be approximately 100 Million Rupis short of the funding needed to fully develop the project to it's maximum.

Across the room, Saleiiya was tapping her foot impatiently, knowing that she didn't have the power to stop Rezka from doing this tournament she considered a waste of time and effort even if she tried. She retorted to Rezka's comment, "I know what you were going to say. You want to join this tournament right? Please sir, think of the time that could be spent working on the project at hand instead of on a tournament that you might not even be able to win!"

At this, Rezka's tail burst out and slapped the ground beneath his feet, as if it were irritated. He himself, though, appeared to have not changed in demeanor whatsoever, as he responded, "So what would you have me do, then, my dear Saleiiya. Opportunities like this don't come very often. In fact, we should consider this a stroke of fortune if anything, seeing the timing."

It was true, the announcement had coincidentally interrupted the background musical ambience that had been playing earlier, when Saleiiya and Rezka had actually been discussing ways to effectively fund the project for creating the companion Bygoid without having to divert funds from other projects more relevant to national security and energy solutions, where Phanta Borea's bulk of operations were currently being done under. It was almost uncanny the timing of it, and Saleiyya hated to admit it, but maybe it was a great opportunity.

"But sir, I still don't see it wise for you to participate yourself. A Technarch would be an odd one standing at a place like that, and surely you wouldn't want to place yourself at the Empra's whims in practice?"

*"A fair argument"* Rezka thought. "I don't disagree with you..., but it's not as if I would ask you to participate either. No offense to you yourself, but those of your kind may find trouble accommodating the wild stimuli present at such a rambunctious place."

"Cough Cough"

The voice came from the entrance to the room, where a man with a top hat leaned against the door frame in a cool pose. It was an automatic doorframe, so it opened after a few seconds, leaving him stumbling to regain his composure as he almost fell due to the sudden motion. He then spoke aloud, acting as if nothing had happened, "A fine day Mr. Saturn," then eyeing Saleiiya, "and to you too milady." He said with a wink. He walked closer, his identity being revealed as if it hadn't been obvious already.

The man was Jakko Esperanq, standing proud and whimsically aloof as he tapped the walking cane in his right hand on the ground. "I couldn't help myself but overhear your earlier conversation, as well as perhaps the speech given by our friend in the box," He pointed to the TV, as if referring to it, then looking at Rezka, "C'mon old pal, let me have a crack at it. I don't think most people in this country of yours know me all too well, so it'll be like a great espionage! I'll earn you your money, and in return, all I ask is that you give me a starting bid so that I can have myself a jolly old time!"

Esperanq twirled his cane, then rested it on his shoulder, awaiting a response.

While Saleiiya was noticeably surprised at the quirky entrance that had just intruded upon the room, Rezka was noticeably unfazed by the introduction. In fact, he simply sighed, as he took out a small box from a drawer on his desk. Placing it atop the desk, he signaled for Saleiiya to open it.

Saleiiya walked up accordingly, opening the box. Within it was a giant pile of large blue coins, inscribed on each a giant R, the symbol of the Svargan Rupi. Saleiiya took a single coin out of the box, and closed it, walking forward with the coin and motioning for Esperanq to open his palm and take it.

Rezka closed the box, and told Esperanq "On that coin is more than enough for whatever entrance fee Arcadia charges to join this tourney of theirs, in fact, it's more than enough for anything you should need money for during your time there. When you need to pay for anything, let the registers scan the coin. There's a system in place that will subtract from it's account accordingly. And need I mention, Esper," as he eyes Esperanq through his helm, "Don't spend more than you have to with that, and PLEASE don't lose it."

Esperanq chuckled lightheartedly at the remark, "Oh don't you worry about me old chap, I have the eyes of a hawk, the ears of a fox, AND the grip of a coconut crab! Fear not, it's safe in my hands. Now then, miss secretary?" He looked at Saleiiya, "Would you be so kind as to provide upon me a map of some kind to get to this 'Arcadia' the man in the box spoke of?"

Saleiiya hesitantly pulled out a pen from her pocket, obviously taken aback by Esperanq's demeanor. She clicked the buttom while having the point face the ground, and from it, instead of a pen point coming out, instead spewed forth a hologram of a map of the city. "Look closely. So right now we are here, ok?" She points to their current location, and begins to draw a line towards the nearest metro station, "You need to go to this metro station and find the **B-Line** towards Arcadia. The metro ends on the bottom floor of the mall, so after that all you need to do is go up and find the first floor of the casino. It should be the 44th floor if I recall correctly. Do you need me to write this down?" She looked up, to find that the automatic door was closing, and that Esperanq was already gone.

Rezka called to Saleiiya, still sitting behind his desk. "Don't worry about him, he'll be fine, probably." Rezka's voice actually wavered for the first time in a long time, at least to Saleiiya's memory, and it was very obvious that he didn't think everything would go as smoothly as he said that it would be. Saleiyya was about to remark, though Rezka cut her off,

"Get some rest, tomorrow we're going to my theatre to watch the tournament live on stream." He concluded, as he got up, and walked out of the room.

**Consider It Greed?**

*"--and a grand prize of not one, not ten, but ONE HUNDRED MILLION RUPIS!!!*

*Check out the website displayed on the screen to SIGN UP NOW for a CHANCE to WIN IT BIG!"*

The promotional ad for the tournament had come on during the ad break for one of Serenity Nova's favorite TV shows. But arguably, this was a much better intrigue than anything she had been thinking of on her show, as she processed the information. *"ONE HUNDRED MILLION RUPIS!?!?!?"* Such a number was insane to her, something she wouldn't achieve in a lifetime, no, ten lifetimes of working as she had been.

She was currently staying in a grand hotel in the Jana District by the metro station. There weren't many hotels here, though it makes since since the entire country of Svarga had been off the radar for a long time before more recently it had become visible to the world. Nova was a pirate, well, still is a pirate, but has recently fallen in love with the country of Svarga, completely in awe and inspired by it's technological superiority compared to many places she had traveled before.

She was staying in Jana District in a hotel right by a metro station that conveniently led to nearly every location in the city one could want to go. She spent a lot of time exploring Svarga, and was able to pay for the hotel room by negotiating with the owner of the hotel to let her stay in return for some exotic trinkets and treasures she had with her from her journeys on the seas, an offer which the man gladly accepted. It seemed that the people of Svarga were passionately curious about the outside world, and were keen to get their hands on anything they could from outside, even though in Nova's opinion, this place had it better than most.

But back to the point. *"ONE HUNDRED MILLION!!!"* Nova screamed inside her head again. She grabbed a nearby pillow hugging it for dear life. With 100 Million she would try to buy truckloads of the technologies here that she fell in love with, and maybe even she could weasel in a spot for herself in an actual residence in the country, becoming a real citizen.

Nova started laughing giddily as she packed up a bag and fondled a coin in her pocket, taking it out to inspect it. When she had arrived, she had been instructed to convert some of her Beli into the Svargan Rupi, which was a currency that was apparently tracked through the scanning of the type of coin she now had in her palm. She didn't really understand how it worked, but that made her all the happier to accept it.

Smiling, Nova placed the coin back into her pocket and grabbed the keycard to her room, alongside the small pack she had bundled an assortment of "necessities" into, before promptly heading out of her room and closing her door.

She headed downstairs, nodding an obligatory "see you later" to the owner of the hotel, who was at the front desk, before leaving the building to head towards the metro station. She skipped as she headed over, excited to see what was in store at this "Ascension Drive." It sounded exciting, full of surprise, and better yet, there was MONEY on the line.

--

Esperanq finally made his way to the nearest metro station, which had taken him an unnecessarily long amount of time. He had gone in the wrong direction twice, and had to resort to begging one of the locals to lead him to the metro, who luckily obliged him. He called back to his guide, thanking them, before he headed on into the station.

The place was massive, even though it was allegedly just a local station and not one of the larger ones. Needless to say, Esperanq was actually somewhat mesmerized. He had been to Svarga before, obviously during the Celestial Pirates' initial contact with the island, though it had been a long while since he had walked the streets and seen the fruits of the civilization that stood here. Large maps showing the train lines were displayed neatly at easy-to-access points, and glowing signs displayed a very punctual schedule by which the trains adhered.

*"Arcadia...where is Arcadia..."* Esperanq thought to himself, as he began to pace back and forth. He caught a glimpse of the sign that said "to Arcadia," but what that sign also said was that the next train left in 1 minute. Esperanq could have simply just taken his time and waited for the next train that would inevitably come, but instead he opted to break into a mad dash for the platform.

He ran towards what seemed to be some sort of rotating barricade, leaping over it, in his wake leaving a very confused guardsman who called after him "HEY WAIT!" Though Esperanq didn't stop. It did catch his attention for but a moment, though, and as he turned his head, he barreled directly into another person that was walking at a brisk pace towards the platform.

The person happened to be one very startled Nova, who sprawled onto the ground from the force of the impact. Quickly pushing herself up, she stood crouched over Esperanq, who was still lying on the ground. "What the hell do you think you're doing??" She asked him angrily, obviously peeved by the fact that someone had decided to plunge themselves into her back.

Esperanq lifted himself off the ground, muttering in mild pain. He stood up, straightening his clothes and fixing his top hat, "I do apologize miss, I hurried to folly it would seem, and perhaps 'twas not within best of judgement." He smiled charmingly at Nova, before suddenly two guardsmen and a small flying object appeared before him.

"You didn't pay for entry!" Stated the first guard, "Get off the platform or consider yourself a criminal." The second guard simply stood there as backup, though the flying object, which was in actuality an observation drone, seemed to be peering inquisitively at the interaction.

"Payment? Oh, um..." Esperanq shuffled through his pockets vigorously, finally finding and producing the blue coin Rezka's assistant had given him earlier. "Is this the payment you speak of perchance?" He offered the coin to the guard that had spoke, hoping that it would solve the problem.

The guard's eyes widened, quickly pulling out a registration device to scan the coin. Upon completing the action, a satisfying beep was heard from the device, as a small light on top of it turned green. At this point the drone flew away, though the two guardsmen began murmuring to themselves. After a short moment, the second guardsman asked Esperanq, "You wouldn't happen to have stolen this would you?"

"Stolen? Heavens no!" Esperanq laughed, "I obtained this coin from a dear friend of mine, though perhaps it wouldn't be in best interest for me to lay down a name here and now, surely you understand?" He persuaded, beckoning with his hand for them to give him the coin back.

"Oh, uh, right then. Here you are." The first guardsman gave the coin back to Esperanq, as the two began to walk back towards their posts, muttering amongst themselves with what seemed like bewilderment from the encounter. Esperanq smiled, placing the coin back into his pocket loosely, and began to turn around. when he heard an announcement. *"Train to: Arcadia now departing, thank you for your continued support of the Metro!"* As from a short distance away a train could be heard leaving the station. Esperanq dropped to his knees, as if questioning his life's purpose.

A sigh was heard to his side, "Man, you made me miss my train..." Nova grumbled, irritated, though her irritation was quickly replaced by curiosity, "But hey, how did you manage to get one of those blue coins? Those are usually only given to the upper class here, and no offense, but you don't look like you fit in at all. Are you rich or something? I can see someone rich getting the wiggle room to get a blue coin upon entry I suppose.." She trailed off, staring at the man who was still sitting on his knees in a depressed way.

Esperanq looked up solemnly, "Ah, are you perhaps referring to me miss? No, I was gifted this by a dear friend of mine, luckily it seems to have resolved the problem at hand. You are correct in assuming that I am not from here, and I do again ask for pardon for my intrusion earlier. I was in a hurry to get to my train, though it seems that is has since departed." He referenced the departure message that had played, his voice's tone matching that of his body, though Esperanq slowly began to pick himself up off the ground.

"Um, yes I was referring to you. Honestly, I don't really care that you pushed me anymore, it's fine." Nova flashed a slight grin, "But you said you missed your train? Were you maybe also heading to Arcadia?"

"Arcadia! Yes, the one and only." Esperanq tipped his hat as he motioned for Nova to walk with him towards a bench by the platform to wait for the next train, "It seems to be the location of quite the gambler's delight, or so I was informed. A gambol to reach the top! It sounds like a fun way to spend time, and maybe raise a bit of coin as well it would seem!" He stated enthusiastically, his dejected state completely disappeared.

Nova's eyes lit up when she heard this, following Esperanq to the bench, "Me too! Though honestly I might be more in it for the money than the actual games or whatever activities they'll be having us do themselves." She plopped herself onto the bench, making note of the time until the next train being about 6 minutes. "Hey, anyways it doesn't look like it'll be that long until the next train, so no need to worry since the event is being held tomorrow." Nova smiled again, this time holding it as she asked, "What's your name? It looks like we might be spending some time together in the near future... My name is Serenity Nova, you can call me either Serenity or Nova, whichever floats your boat!"

"Jakko Esperanq, charmed. As for nicknames and the like, feel free to refer to me simply as Jak, or Esper. Like you, I'm favorable to either." Esperanq smiled warmly, as he took a seat beside Nova, "As for the grand event, do you have any actual information on the specifics of it? Or shall this simply be a ride upon the wave until we crash into something sooner or later?" Esperanq mused, tapping his feet cheerily.

"To be honest with you, all I know about it so far is the ad that's been circulating today. I was actually going to ask you the same, but I guess neither of us are in the know here." Nova laughs. She liked Esperanq's demeanor, even though their introduction had been a bit rough to say the least. "Since you seem to be a little bit lost when it comes to the rules here, not to sound rude, but seeing your earlier antics I figure I might try to explain some of them while we have time."

Before Nova was able to begin speaking, an announcement was heard overhead. *"Train to: Arcadia is now arriving, please stand behind the yellow line."* "Well it would seem our ride is here!" Esperanq rose to his feet, offering Nova a hand, "How about you tell me all about it on our way to Arcadia?" As he helps Nova up, he begins strutting towards the train, which had just arrived, and approached the door. "Open Sesame!" He laughed, as the doors opened as he spoke, though not by his own influence. "Come along now, we must find only the best of seats!"

Nova followed suit, walking towards, and then into the train. She looked around, spotting Esperanq, who had already found himself a nice pair of seats that faced each other with a small table in between them, and went to go sit next to him. When she sat down, she pulled out a pen, then clicked it to show a holographic projection that shone onto the table. It displayed a map, but with the wave of her hand and a short command, it quickly changed to a blank screen. "This is one of those fancy hologram pens that everyone here seems to have, by the way. It displays via hologram whatever we need to know about the city, from maps to stores to prices at a restaurant. It's super convenient, we should buy you one if we get the chance later." Nova went on to discuss all the general information she had learned so far about the city over the course of the trip, which was more than enough time as the distance between where they got on and Arcadia was one of the farther routes available.

As the two approached the inner city of the Bhuvar District, when looking outside the windows the scenery changed dramatically. A more subtle vibe turned into an over-the-top one, with lights becoming brighter and more available, dazzling various logos, slogans, and patterns alongside nearly every building. A bit away was a massive building with a giant flashing image that read *"Be Prepared! Tomorrow the event you've all been waiting for is LIVE--"* Though that was all that could be read before another building blocked the path, and soon the metro dug itself underground. Esperanq turned back to face Nova, who had been playing on some sort of tablet for the past few minutes, and made a strange notice. "Nova, that pin of yours, for some reason it seems so familiar..."

Though as he asked the question, the metro started coming to a halt, with an announcer voice saying *"The train is now approaching, please see your selves to the marked exits shortly."* Listening closely, Esperanq managed to hear on the outside of the train, another voice was saying *"Train to: Aeros is now arriving, please stand behind the yellow line."* He noted to himself that it would seem that he would have to take this same train to return, as he vaguely remembered Rezka always talking about something called "Aeros."

Because of the sudden shift in events, Nova didn't quite hear what Esperanq had said regarding her pin, and didn't give an answer. As the train stuttered smoothly to a halt, Nova led Esperanq out of the train and towards what he referred to earlier as a "barrier."

"Now look Esper, take out your coin and tap it on one of the circles on these bars." She motioned towards one, then pulled out her coin and tapped hers as an example, the path suddenly opening in front of her. She headed to the other side quickly, then called back to Esperanq, "Come on, your turn."

Esperanq fumbled through his pocket to pick out his coin, then tapping it onto the scan-pad with as much hyperbole to his movements as possible, as he then twirled forth past the now-open gate. "Well then, we're out! Now what? Also might I add, this place is absolutely massive!" It was true, the station here was at least 10x larger than the one they had entered to get here, and there were rows upon rows of escalators leading up towards a silhouetted light beyond.

"Nice moves hotshot," Nova smirked, "But yea, right now we're on the bottom floor of Arcadia itself, hence the name of the station..." She remarked smugly, as she pointed towards one of the long escalators, "For now let's just go up, this should take up to the mall."

"Ah yes, if I recall correctly, the casino stands atop the grand mall that is Arcadia," Esperanq walked towards the escalator, past Nova, then turning to face her as he got on, "Well then, we have until tomorrow, what do you say we check the place out?" He offered with a hand drawn, though Nova was too far away to physically take it.

Hopping over to the escalator, Nova caught up to Esperanq and took in the scenery around them. It was breathtaking to say the least, a beautiful soundtrack played as she could overhear the bustling mall overhead. It must be exceptionally busy due to the upcoming event, and she couldn't wait to see it with her own eyes. The escalator was taking forever though, and she was becoming noticeably more and more impatient, before she decided to just begin walking up the escalator to reach the top faster.

When Nova reaches the top, she would be able to see a large open indoor space, lined with rows of cafes and restaurants, with both indoor and outdoor seating, and a large central area adorned in lush greenery and a huge fountain in the center. It was surprisingly contrary to what one might expect of the Bhuvar District, as it was almost entirely lacking in the flashy neon lights that made themselves well-known outside, and instead almost felt as if it was a naturally lit afternoon, albeit being inside. The ceiling was tall, and large elevators could be seen spread along the walls, leading to the floors above.

Bird chirped musically, and the all-around feel was very relaxed here, with kids playing around the fountain, and friends and couples enjoying the atmosphere at tables eating a variety of food, some recognizable, but many more entirely foreign to those who had not been here before.

As Esperanq reached the top after Nova, he remarked, "Well I certainly didn't quite expect this!" Before spying a particularly tasty looking meal someone was feasting upon. He quickly strode over to them, asking what they ordered and if their rating of the platter. Upon hearing a positive review, he beckoned Nova to come join him at a table to try out the dish.

Nova walked over to the table and took a seat. She hated to admit it, but she had no idea what the food that they were getting was, despite herself claiming to be knowledgeable about the culture here. She let Esperanq order the food, humming as she waited, staring off towards the fountain.

After a short while, the waitress brought out two plates full of a delectable-looking collection of a large, avienesque meat, sitting amidst an almost soup-like liquid, though rather than being free-flowing, the liquid was gooey to the touch. Esperanq thanks the waitress, and began to dig into the gooey substance hungrily, finding that it was an incredible mixture of sweet and savory flavors, and after trying it alongside the meat, it seemed that it was meant to be used as a condiment.

"Wow, that looks super yummy~!" A girl had approached them, looking like she was about to drool. She had pulled out a chair and held out a plate as some sort of peace offering. "Can I sit with you guys? I'll let you have some of my meal, okay? I haven't even touched it yet!" Her blonde locks were flowing elegantly with a breeze as she radiated with warm positive energy that almost seemed overbearing. Her plate looked like it was about to overfill being compiled of petite fried vegetables stuffed to the brim with various meats and cheese that one could devour with one bite. "I thought it looked good, but I didn't expect to have this many. Feel free to have a couple. I won't mind!"

"Oh? Well hello there young lady! Yes! Of course! 'Tis a delightful gourmet, surely it's better shared." Esperanq chimed, accepting the girl's attempt to join the table, "Oh my, that is quite a lot you have on your hands there. Just set it down in the middle, me and this lady here," he pointed at Nova, "both ordered the same dish, but you can take some of mine." Esperanq nodded slightly, flashing a charming smile. "My name is Jakko Esperanq, this here is Serenity Nova, who do we have the honor of joining us on this fine eve?"

The girl laid her plate on the table and made a respective bow, even doing a curtsy with her dress. "I am very pleased to meet you! You can call me, Stella!" She giggled incoherently and moved to take her seat. "I've been enjoying the sights and meeting with some friends of mine. This place sure doesn't give a girl a moment to breathe." Popping one of her fried treats into her mouth, she fixed Esperang a wide smile. "There's that big casino event going on soon, right? None of my friends had the time to
accompany me, so I was afraid that I would have to go in by myself." Stella then clasped both of her arms on the table with her head looking down. "Will you please go with me? It would be more fun with more company!" The joy that was emanating from her very presence started feeling rather intense, suggesting that a denial to her request would not end cleanly.

Nova took a huge gulp of water, then letting out a refreshed "ahhh." She looked at the newcomer, she looked very refined, almost like a young princess. "Of course you can come with us!" Nova exclaimed, "But honestly we don't really know how it's all going to play out yet..." Nova drifts off, laughing slightly.

"Ah, thank you so much! Don't worry how the event, okay? The mystery is going to make it so much more interesting to partake in!" Stella looked over Nova and fixed her with a bright expression. "But, forget about that right because you are just so pretty! Where are you from? That outfit is just so beautiful and your hair is so nice." Her look was getting more intense as she drew closer to Nova. "Can I hear your beauty secrets? Pretty please?"

"What? Oh, um, uhhhh..." Nova was obviously taken aback by the barrage of questions and compliments, blushing profusely as she stuttered to respond, "I don't have any secrets..haha...just regular old me..but uh, as for where I'm from, well, somewhere very far away..." Nova's expression dimmed a little bit as she let out that last part, but it was quickly masked as Nova turned to Esperanq. "So uh, I finished my food," motioning to her plate that was completely spotless, "would you like to go head upstairs now?" She addressed both Stella and Esperanq with her question.

Esperanq took note of Nova's offer, then responded by quickly gulping down the rest of his food in as gentlemanly a manner as possible. He then waved for the attention of a waitress, "May we have our check please?" he asked, though in response the waitress gave a quick giggle before responding, "Just tap the pad on your table before you leave." Then walking back towards the kitchen. *"Pad? What pad?"* Esperanq thought, before noticing that, surely enough, there as a small pad-like installation at the edge of the table. He assumed that the waitress had meant to tap his coin, so he tried that first, with a satisfying beep and a blue light lighting up from the pad upon his tap. He was happy that it worked, though he had been prepared to try other things as well had it failed. Esperanq prompty stood up, and said, "Shall we go then?"

Esperanq began strutting towards one of the elevators, when suddenly a two figures appeared before the three. They were both girls, though something seemed off about their make, and they had guns slung on the shoulders.

"Sorry to interrupt you all my good travelers, but we are going to have to take this young lady off your hands." One of them stated, pointing towards Stella with her remark, "I can either list the inquiries here, or we can do it in private, up to you ma'am."

Stella slowly rose, walking towards the two armed girls. They both looked very similar, perhaps being sisters, and their color schemes were near-synonymous. They wore what seemed to be a casual uniform, consisting of black and yellow coloration, and each had long, brown hair as well.

Stella looked at them, asking, "May I at least know who is going to escort me away?" Almost demanding the information, though the two promptly responded, much to everyone's surprise.

"Meraki-17 of Arcadia Security, a pleasure to meet you." Followed by her partner saying "Crestfall-21 of Arcadia Mall Security!", now would you kindly relent in any resistance you may be planning on starting? We don't want any trouble."

"Well guys, I think this might be it for me today, hope to see you around sometime though!" Stella sighed, as the two escorted her out of the mall, and out of sight.

Esperanq stared for a moment wondering what this was all about, though he resolved to continue towards the elevator.

"Well alright then...guess she's gone." Nova said, hopping over towards Esperanq. "Anyways, it's actually getting late, so maybe we should find rooms to bunker down in for the night? Some stories up there's a hotel floor, though I'm not sure about prices. I think that a lot of the people that're going to be at the tourney are going to be staying here, so we can size up the competition as well."

Esperanq pressed the button to the elevator he had walked towards, hearing a zooming sound and a \*ding\* as a door opened in front of him. "Hotel? I had been planning on staying up all night in all honesty, though perhaps a rest would be beneficial...what to do... what to do..." Esperanq thought to himself placing a hand on his chin, "Well how about this, do we have a way of contacting each other?"

"Um...actually I don't think so, here hold on." Nova rummaged through one of her pockets and pulled out a mobile K-TA1, "Do you have one of these? we can communicate with them." She said, asking Esperanq.

"What kind of sorcery is that thing?" Esperanq responded, obviously not having one of his own, "I believe I've seen them before, though, you can talk through them just like the Den Den Mushis, no?" Esperanq had remembered seeing Rezka use similar machines, in fact he had an inkling of a feeling that this is the sort of thing Rezka would have been the one to make.

"Uh huh, well ok how about this, we'll go find one of these for you, and then we can rendezvous tomorrow?" Nova asked, offering to help Esperanq get a phone.

"I would be ever so honored if you would aid me in this endeavor, madam." Esperanq chided, "So where then shall we go?" He stepped into the elevator, welcoming Nova to join him, as other passengers began to board as well.

"Of course!, I think the technology shopping center is a few stories up, let's just head to one and see if we get lucky?" Nova asked, actually not knowing what floor K-TA1s would be on, even though her proclaimed cultural expertise might have said otherwise.

"Oh?" Esperanq noticed that the buttons leading to the floors were labeled on the elevator, pressing the two he thought were most likely to have these "phones" Nova spoke of. The floors he pressed were, in ascending order, "Mature Gadgets" & "Bygoid Centre." He hummed afterwards, quite innocently.

Nova didn't notice what buttons Esperanq had pressed, but the moment the elevator door opened on the Mature Gadgets floor, she grabbed Esperanq by the wrist and shook her head slowly telling him to wait until the next stop. She had no business, nor did she want any business, on this floor.

Esperanq struggled for a moment to exit the elevator, though he relented as Nova's grasp refused to budge. He peeked to what was actually on the floor they had arrived on, his eyes widening in a cheeky smirk for a moment, before he turned to Nova, letting out a small huff of a laugh, "Well I do believe that this isn't what we were looking for!" He exclaims, as the door closes and the two continue traveling up.

It was a couple minutes before they arrived on the floor titled "Bygoid Centre," where this time Esperanq didn't wait for Nova's approval before exiting onto the floor. He strut forward, looking around at the vast room and all it's marvels. There were rows upon rows of what appeared to be machinery, yet some were actually interacting and conversing with customers, rather than simply sitting on the shelf to be bought.

A staff member walked up to Esperanq, and asked "Is there anything I can help you with today sir?" Which Esperanq responded to with a sly look on his face, "I have come to find a K-TEE!" He barks triumphantly whilst tipping his hat. The employee blinked a couple times before asking Esperanq, "Sir, are you referring to the K-TA1? If yes, I can lead you to where they are shelved?"

Esperanq didn't blush at his mistake as some might, instead charmingly agreeing to the staff member's proposition, as he followed the staff member's lead, calling over to Nova to tell her to follow him.

Nova exited the elevator, surprised at Esperanq's charisma and lack of pride regarding his error. She quietly moved to follow the two as she looked around, eyes wandering around the store to see all that it had to offer. She hadn't been to this floor of Arcadia before, and it was awe-inspiring to Nova, as someone who held deep fascination for the culture here.

Esperanq hummed as the worker led him to the K-TA1 selection that the store had to offer. There were rows of different models and designs, some large and some small, some even talking amongst themselves in active conversation. "So here are all of our K-TA1s, here in the Bygoid Centre. We have stationary K-TA1s that are great for keeping in your homes, and we additionally have recently received the latest batch of mobile K-TA1s, that let you call at your convenience, anytime, anywhere!" The worker pitched, holding up one of the mobile K-TA1s. "What would you like sir?" He asked.

Esperanq simply walked over to the worker, and took the one in the worker's hand. "You grabbed this one, and so shall I! It must be one of the best of the crop! Where shall I pay for this marvel?" Esperanq asked, as the mobile K-TA1 wiggled to fit snugly in his hand. It was pale blue, and had a face that kept fluctuating between sad and happy states, as if it was unsure what to feel.

The employee was momentarily shocked by Esperanq's immediate choice, but quickly collected himself, answering with "Right this way sir."

Leading Esperanq, and subsequently Nova, to a register area, the employee directed Esperanq to produce a mode of payment and tap it on a round pad-like device that had a red eye protruding from the center of it.

Esperanq pulled out the coin Rezka had given him, and motioned to tap the eye-pad just as he had done at the metro station. As the coin reached the pad, the eye receded down to flatten the pad for the coin to fit into. It magnetically snatched the coin from Esperanq's hand, before a blue light flashed on the pad, followed by a green one. The eye began to slowly lift itself again, indicting for the coin to be removed.

The employee looked on with mild awe at the blue coin, before waving to Esperanq and saying, "Have a nice day sir, we hope that you had a great experience today at the Bygoid Center!" Before walking off to help another customer.

"Well look at you! Here I thought you were an idiot that needed a helping hand with everything around here." Nova teased, standing behind Esperanq and waiting for him to ready to depart. "Well? How about we get that thing set up for ya, and I'll give you my contact information?"

"I'll let you handle that bit, don't fancy myself all to great with these gadgets." Esperanq replied, poking the K-TA1 as it gave a mechanical wheeze, before going silent once again. "Here, have a look." Esperanq handed his newly purchased Bygoid to Nova, asking her to do what she had said.

Nova grabbed the Bygoid, fiddling with it for a couple minutes dexterously before handing it back to Esperanq, "Here ya go Esper, looks like I'm your first friend on your brand new phone!" She said with a smile, "I set a custom ringtone for when I call you, its one of the song from that one band I can't remember the name of. Anyways, I'm going to head up to the hotel, I'll see you around!" She bubbled, giving Esperanq a wave and rushing over to slide in-between the closing doors of one of the elevators. It stuttered as she sandwiched herself through, and the other passengers looked at her awkward attempt at getting in, but it worked out. She gave a last quick "good-bye" wave to Esperanq, as the doors closed and she disappeared from sight.