[Gaki Amabie]

Sidney Ridley
outfit inspo - link - 
mask but imagine gold and green trim

Suitable for her?! Gaki held back an annoyed squeak, crossing her arms together as she watched Sid once again move away. Space invaders, he was actually going to do this. Arms crossing and uncrossing, Gaki watched both Sid and the girl intently. It was decent, there was much to learn, much to be seen but- Gaki's gaze kept drawing back to the girl and she found herself scowling. She was going to have to dance with her- and she was cute. Was there a cheat code to dancing? They had no affection levels, it was neutral, which meant if she mucked up...

Gaki no! You're a princess right now! Her hands moved to trace the edge of her elf ears, attempting to relax herself as Sid and the girl returned hand in hand. "Mediocre at best." Her words were harsh, or at least sounded that way, but Gaki had no idea what to do. "I believe, Sir Sid, that she is... a good candidate for this." 

Her mouth was dry? Was that normal? Moving to take a sip from the punch brought to her and standing up as regally as she could prefer, she moved to offer an arm to the girl, a deadpan expression on her face. "...L-Let me try!"

The girl looked uncertain but eventually moved from Sid to link arms with Gaki's, whos face flaed up twenty shades of red before settling. Right- okay- she could... totally do this. How did dancing work??

tVdS2toop_

Gaki had no idea how dancing works- apparently spending most of her time indoors had really done a number on her. That and the girl was cute, cuteness being Gaki's greatest weakness. Stiff, shaky, and she refused to meet the girls gaze, this was a disaster waiting to happen. They were just awkwardly stepping at this point. The girl attempted to say something to her but that further distracted Gaki, she jolted and her heel slammed right into the girls foot- who let out a startled scream and attempted to let go of Gaki.

However, that in turn made Gaki lose her balance because she was leaning heavily on the girl to keep herself upright, and with a loud cry Gaki found herself failing the level, falling straight onto her. Gaki was terrified, and quickly moved to stand up, what did she do?! Program Gaki had stopped responding. Her gaze flew to where Sid was then back to the girl on the floor.. she just... she had to help her, right?!

Gaki moved to offer a hand, averting her gaze as she girl struggled. "...I told you, you're mediocre. I o-only fell because of your incompetence in the dance skill!" Defensive, and unsure what to say she just wanted tohelp this girl up and try again, she could get her skill up! She just needed more practic-

Was the girl attempting to flee?

[Sidney Ridley]

Sid watched as Gaki moved, and slowly they walked to sit back down again. Their eyes stayed on the dance floor, though, curious, uncertain. Would she manage to sweep the girl off her feet? They hoped! But as the seconds ticked on and the awkward steps were made, Sid slowly bit their lower lip. Oh no… C’mon cuz, play it cool.

Oh shoot— The scream had Sid sitting upright. Oh shoot oh shoot oh shoot— Suddenly both were falling, and Sid was standing up. Closing the distance, they were scrambling for ideas of what to say. But that put them right in line for Gaki’s oh so eloquent fuck up. And sure enough the girl was scrambling back, turning away, and running. Sid could see the tears in her eyes even then. Oh shoot…

Sid stared for a moment before looking back towards Gaki. The hairs on the back of their neck were raised, and they fidgeted uncomfortably under the armor. “Gaki-chan that was mean…” they finally stated awkwardly.

[Elayne]

Sidney Ridley - Congratulations, agility increased!

[Gaki Amabie]

Sidney Ridley
outfit inspo - link - 
mask but imagine gold and green trim

Gaki was mortified as she watched the girl run off, hands balling into fists at her side as she awkwardly stood there, staring after her. She hadn't said anything bad- being mediocre just meant being a little below good, that's why she was chosen! Room for skill improvement?! As Sid came over and claimed it was mean Gaki could only turn around and pout at him, hands crossing over at her chest, "No! It... wasn't mean! I was just pointing out the obvious, what else was I supposed to say?" 

A huff left her lips as she moved to grabs Sid's armour, back to the side of the fray and away from all the hip-bumping strangers. "Ack- It's because her affection level wasn't raised beforehand, obviously." She tried to push away the guilt- the girl had literally been crying afterall, and she was really cute too! "We need a new tactic, or else the skill won't be able to be raised- we gift them food beforehand to get their levels at least into the green, that way if there's a slip up they still have the core levels fulfilled and won't run away..." She trailed off, hesitant, and moved to adjust her fake ears, "A-And don't call me Gaki-chan! We're not in Kanto anymore, and i'm not a kid- i'm Princess Amabie!"

[Sidney Ridley]

Sid could only… frown— behind the helmet that couldn’t really give a good read on their facial expression but yeah— “….” You should have said sorry. But they couldn’t say that as easily then. Before they could figure out what to say, though, they were being carted sideways. “….” Sigh…. They wished they knew what to say exactly. Where was the command prompt screen when you needed it? The last part, at least, earned a small chuckle. “Princess Amabie-chan then,” they answered.

As they got to the edge of the dance floor again, Sid turned and leaned up against a wall. The armor was starting to get hot even in this reasonably cool room. They were also pretty sure it was caused by this intense feeling of… stress. “We should… consider dancing together…” they slowly thought that over. “Perhaps build your skill before attempting again…” Progress; they just had to be making progress.

[Gaki Amabie]

Sidney Ridley
outfit inspo - link - 
mask but imagine gold and green trim

Hmmph. Gaki was sure Sid was a few levels higher when it came to the dance skill, if their show with the mediocre female NPC from before had been of any indication. But raising her skill with somebody who would probably... not run away was a decent idea! A chance at renewal, a new series of quick action events that she surely couldn't fail- especially not when given another chance like this one!

Her hands moved to her hip now, and a slight grin settled on her features, regret from making the girl cry gone- it was just her storyline after all. "That sounds like the best way to get experience points towards upping my skill, sir Sid!" Her eyes skirted to the dance floor, eager to improve her skill once more and... probably step on a few feet. Two, to be precise. "Where would be the best location to carry out this quest?"

[Sidney Ridley]

As Gaki grinned, Sid smiled softly behind their helmet. Ah good, they were glad she took that one up. At the question, though, they looked out at the sheer number of dancers around. “Hmmm…” As their gaze fell to the corner and they didn’t find anyone immediately there, they made a small gesture. “How about over there as not to…. Bump into others?” they suggested. Baring Gaki was fine with it, they’d extend their hand and slowly lead her out.

Coming to a stop at the desired location, Sid then turned and clasped both of her hands. “So the first step is a step to the right…er….uh… your right, my left,” they corrected a bit awkwardly. Considering how tall they were, they were fine with being the masc in this case. “And then left and then forward for you. So right, left, up, and then down, and then right again.” There yeah that was easier to explain in that logic.

[Gaki Amabie]

Sidney Ridley
outfit inspo - link - 
mask but imagine gold and green trim

Oh! Sid was the best at choosing strategic spots! The girl nodded enthusiastically, determined for the new parts of her quest. An empty spot, perfect for quick time practice and skill enhancement. This would go find, and work perfectly! She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of getting Sid to teach her before- or maybe she had just assumed Sid's skills were too high above her own.

Whatever the case, she practically bounced on the spot as Sid grabbed her hands, ready to show her the ropes- but Gaki got confused. Very, very easily- it was like learning how to play a new game and it's it's controls.  Too many lefts and up downs, she couldn't get the combo right! Her hand's gripped Sid's tighter and a frustrated noise left her lips.

"Sir Siiiid- slow down, I can't keep up with the mechanics!"

[Sidney Ridley]

Sid stopped moving briefly. “Ok,” they answered moving a bit slower than before, repeating the steps as they moved. Left, Up, Right, Down. They kept up the pace slowly matching whatever she needed then reasonably well. “Don’t worry, Lady Gaki, this is a tutorial; you can repeat it as many times as you need,” they stated with a small nod (as much as they could nod with his helmet being situated the way it was but yeah). “So focus on practicing.” And hopefully she’d be good enough to take another shot at dancing with a cute girl or something.

pbfI38Vap_ - Agility

Somehow, they were just moving pretty well that night in general, it seemed. Good on them.

[Gaki Amabie]

Sidney Ridley

A tutorial! Why hadn't she thought like that- she'd just assumed it was another quest! She just had to... memorize the patterns, and apply them- like you would when learning a new special attack or combo. Tutorials were easy- she could do this. Very hesitantly, she moved to follow Sid, a pout present on her features due to her hard concentration.

Left... right... wrong! Again! Left..up.... le- right! Yeah, okay... again. Left, up... right... down... the patterns almost there! Keep your head up, Gaki! She took a deep breath as she moved, really just... trying her best. How did Sid manage to keep up?! They were doing so good, despite the metal armour they wore.

3E0q6yosp_

It seemed Gaki was slowly getting the hang of it! She almost stumbled a few times but quickly caught herself. Viewing it like a tutorial must have really helped. "...A-Am I doing it right?" a headtilt, as she peered up at Sid's helmet, "I haven't fallen yet! B-But am I graceful enough? Not that I care or anything..."

[Sidney Ridley]

Sid too wondered how they were managing to have such a smooth time of it. Perhaps Lady Luck was just with them that day. At Gaki’s question, Sid smiled a little. “You’ve got the combo down,” they encouraged.

“Just remember, it’s all about timing. Think of that rhythm game we were playing the other day.” That one had been a bloody nightmare and prompted Sid to buy an entirely different keyboard just to work it correctly, but they (and Gaki) had managed it. Everything else would be child’s play by comparison.

“My lady, I do believe you have become even more beautiful and graceful than before,” they spoke raising their voice to come with a more rustic knight air. “Level up.”

[Ebblow]

Sidney Ridley
Your dancing tutorial, while aiding Gaki, makes your body quicker to find the rhythm and move with it! +1 Agility Skill added!

[Gaki Amabie]

Sidney Ridley

She had the combo down?! Yes! Gaki would have cheered if it wasn't so out of character for the role she was currently playing- though she did let out an excited squeak instead, obviously perfect for a princess. It was kinda like... she was princess daisy or something, the more excitable kind- that was a reasonable cover up- right? So it was about timing combos perfectly with each other, like a matching foot, matching swing... looking at it that way...  

It actually made sense! "...We smashed that rhythm game." Came her voice, a small sly smile overcoming her features, Gaki was getting a little bit of confidence, and so added in her own little twirl amidst the combo, her eyes sparkling as she managed not to trip over! 

Oh- she was good enough for a level up?! She could upgrade her princess outfit, then- if this was a game- uh...  Gaki let out a victorious laugh, "Am I of a high enough level to sweep a maiden off her feet- not... n-not literally- but... like dance!" There was a pause, "Can you help?"

[Sidney Ridley]

Sid grinned a little behind their helmet. “We did,” they assured. They were proud that she picked that up so quickly, and hopefully that meant she’d get in at least one good dance that night. At the question, they gave a small chortle back. “Perhaps you might try a low level knight, my princess. As we saw the fair maiden casts some very powerful spells on you.”

They slowly looked around again, their eyes searching for anyone who ‘would not distract’ as Gaki had so plainly put it before. “How about the up and coming Pawniard there?” they asked making a gesture to a young, thin man who was very unobtrusive but dressed to the nines in a Pawniard inspired costume.

[Gaki Amabie]

Sidney Ridley

Oh Sid was right! A low level knight might be an easier target when it came to skill upgrading, they weren't as cute as stylish and they didn't make her lose her focus. Gaki nodded in understanding, pushing a hand to her cheek. "...the maidens do cast a level ten spell, when i'm only level six at most- it blocks the senses." A headtilt, "a low level knight would be my best bet at achieving a proper skill up..."

Her voice trailed off for a moment and she blinked, "...You're gonna dance with a fellow knight, right? Or maybe a princess who's skills equal that of your own" Her eyes took in the dance floor before flicking back to Sid's, and she grinned almost cheekily, "...first to fall or break from the dance with another person has to solo raid the level 200 dungeon- with only wooden armour."

Now that was settled, her gaze went to the Pawniard. Non-threatening. Somebody who would probably mess up and hopefully not run away. That was fine, Gaki could learn frther with this stranger and show off her new upgraded dance stats. "They'll do."

She rushed over without another word and tapped them to get their attention, why was talking to a knight even more threatening? For a second she struggled with words before puffing her cheeks out and all but shoving her hand towards them. "Dance." It was posed as more a command, and for a second the Pawinard was takne aback... and slightly scared.

But eventually they took Gaki's hand.

O0dhEJigp_

The tutorial must have worked wonders, because suddenly Gaki was doing the steps like she'd known them for years, left, up, down, right, she even got so caught up she'd began to do impromptu twirls, this.... this was the power of a level up. The Pawinard stumbled a few times, but managed to keep to her rhythm, though Gaki still felt the need to show off her upgrade more.

Improvising on the spot, like using a series of moves that had never been sliced together before, she found herself leading the knight into some sort of waltz, getting carried away with the princess act. The pawinard had gone to say something but Gaki had all but glared and shushed him- she was having her level up moment here, 'scure you.

Eye's searched over the strangers shoulders for Sid, and a soft smile graced her features, eyes sparkling- because she damn well was totally winning this, right?

[Elayne]

Congratulations Gaki Amabie! Agility increased!

[Sidney Ridley]

A small smile pulled on Sid’s features as Gaki spoke. “I am,” they gave a small head tilt. Their eyes flicked upwards searching the floor for any signs of a suitable knight or something in the sa— “Or a Dragon…” they said eyeing a woman dressed as a Salamence. Gorgeous… They were lucky to have a helmet when they looked back towards Gaki. “How cruel,” they smiled a little. “What a challenge.” But of course they were not going to turn it down for anything.

Watching Gaki rush over and start her dance, Sid hesitated a moment before heading over towards the Salamence woman. They spoke quickly, assuredly, and she seemed to like them well enough. They both headed out on the dance floor thereafter. From the corner of Sid’s eye, they watched Gaki. Good Arceus… how…. No, they’d be happy for her. Pleased even. She was doing well.

q9gUTWDgp_

Sid could not compare to Gaki. Their steps were well practiced, but they had none of her princess flare. Still, they held time with the Salamence and had a rather fun time of it. After the song had ended, though, the Salamence was ready to get on to something else, and despite themselves, Sid let her go just fine. Standing up against the side wall, they watched Gaki dance for a while. How wonderful.

[Gaki Amabie]

Sidney Ridley

The dance went for a while, mainly because every time Gaki felt it was a good time to stop the Pawinard wanted to keep dancing- a quick glance over her shoulder had let her know that she'd won the battle against Sid, and her small level 6 body wasn't capable of strenuous dancing, especially when she'd only done pre-planned dancing at the gala in LARP's before. Still, she was a princess, and had to act like one! A spin here, a polite smile there... The stranger was looking at her in wonder, at least until he managed to get a word in.

"Y'know, sweetheart... t-this is pretty hot, you're great at dancing." Gaki almost choked, oh fuck no. He was not... she could have ripped away from him right then and marched back to Sid, but instead she couldn't find words, her face flaring up, and instead she stumbled slightly. The stranger saw this as a good sigh, and continued, "How about I take you out for dinner afte-"

Gaki's face turned to that of a grimace and she stepped back, removed her hands from the strangers and sending a harsh glare, "...f-feral." Her hands rested  on her hips for a moment as she stumbled over words to say, "t-that's not how you talk to  a princess at all! what kind of fucking idiot breaks character during a dance like this?!" The man stared at her now, eyes wide, kinda confused, and Gaki quickly turned on her heel.

"I-If I was an actual princess... i'd... uh.... f-feed you to the wolves for speaking in such a manner!" And then she was escaping back to Sid, her face red and looking fairly displeased.

"Siiiiiid...I hate normies."

[Sidney Ridley]

With the music blaring overhead, Sid couldn’t hear what was being said to Gaki, but they could see how her posture and overall body language changed. As she stumbled, they frowned. Was she getting tired? What was— Oh. She was pulling away and yelling something now— Sid caught the phrase ‘breaking character during a dance like this’ and could only guess what had caused it.

Either way, Gaki was marching down their way now, and Sid was shifting from one foot to the other. “Gaki what’s—“ Normies – “Wrong…” Ah. They knew it in that singular word. A small sigh escaped from them as they looked back to the Pawniard who was still standing out on the dance floor clearly taken back by the statements. Their eyes dropped to Gaki again, and a soft mumble escaped from Sid. “Eto…ettoo…” they sighed softly.

“That’s unfortunate…. At least you were able to level up your dancing skill several times over…” they tried to be reassuring as to not ruin her night completely. “Maybe it’s time to rest, though?” Or maybe even start the maze perhaps… They’d wait a bit to ensure Gaki was fine first, though.

[Gaki Amabie]

Sidney Ridley

Gaki had a telltale pout on her face and crossed her arms infront of her now, "The knight both called me sweetheart and hot, that's breaking... a least 70 royal court rules, Sid!" She continued to mumble out, looking fairly annoyed for a few seconds. Both times she danced she'd only be let down, so she probably should just... not anymore- unless she wanted to dance with.. a pretty girl but- no! Her levels had been raised substantially, right?

Sid was right, at least she was able to get the level ups, "All thanks to your tutorial, Sir Sid, you're a knight who's gone through substantial training after all-" A pause, and her pout faded slightly as she glanced at Sid, "But you're also a knight who has to raid the level 200 dungeon by themselves, so ha!"

Time to rest? Oh... actually yeah, her stamina skill wasn't very high and she could feel her bones just aching... The girl nodded, "Unfortunately my stamina skill is quite low... a rest is probably in order- what else have they got around this royal gala?"