Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth (for Soul_of_Kia)

Spars, workouts, and other such gym rp's go here. There are many different LAW gyms stationed throughout Japan.
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Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth (for Soul_of_Kia)

Unread post by Crossedes »

June could surely make it work this time. Her old promotions had rosters that were too small and filled with people who saw wrestling more as a hobby or a generic sport than as a way to mold a whole new persona as she did. She had asked around so many times for people to join her, but she had only ever managed to recruit one other wrestler. She had left after two weeks because she got a new boyfriend. Go figure. But, with a roster as big as the League's, June knew she could find them - those ever-elusive creatures that she had come to believe were only a rumor. Her prey. Her goal.

Wrestlers who would want to play Dungeons and Dragons with her. She even offered to be the DM.

And June knew she should just... start asking. People rarely saw ads posted online, least of all wrestlers, and she wouldn't get much attention trying to pin something up on the League's bulletin board, either. Who looked at a bulletin board? Besides, she knew that was the way to attract the people who only wanted to show up for a session to eat and tap on their phones all night. It seemed time for some active recruiting, and as she wandered back through the locker rooms and into the hallway after her post-workout shower, dabbing some water out of her ears, it seemed the time to make small talk with the few people gathered since she had already spoken to a few of them earlier. The hall sat between the men's and women's locker rooms... seemed like a good place to get the attention of most people.

"You heading home, June?"

"Yep! But... question for anyone and everyone," she said to the ten or so around. "And this is random, but... anyone here play Dungeons & Dragons or want to try it? I'm looking to get a wrestling group going. I'll hoooost!"
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Re: Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth (for Soul_of_Kia)

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Fresh from the gym showers, young Rai Kamiya was sitting on a bench, a towel wrapped around his waist as he opened the locker he rented, pulling out his gym bag, unzipping it and pulling out some gym shorts and a tank top, forgoing wearing underwear this once as he pulled his shorts on, allowing him to drop the towel and slip the yellow tank top over his slim body. He was only going back to the LAW dorms after all, where he'd only just recently moved too after being signed by the promotion as a Young Lion, leaving his mothers home for the first time in his life. It's not like he needed underwear just to catch a taxi back home.

...Huh. Speaking of home. He pulled his phone out of his bag, quickly signing into Cashapp and wiring his mother some money. Just enough for the electric bill. Despite not having a match yet, Rai was still signed to LAW, and was already receiving a salary, and his poor mother, who he barely got to see growing up due to her working multiple jobs, desperately needed the break. Now, thanks to a deadbeat dad using his connections to get Rai into LAW, he could use the money they paid him and help pay her bills way more than the kind of part time job he could expect to get in his teens, allowing her to finally cut back to one job, with reduced hours, and finally have more time to rest and do the things she wanted with her life. It made Rai proud, to be able to help her out, after all she had done for him in his life, and while he hadn't had a debut match yet, it motivated him to train and do his best to build himself up the card. Higher position, better pay, better chance to make life better for his ma.

Good boy Rai.

With that done, he loaded up his bag, ran a hand through his blue-dyed hair to make sure it was dry, put his shoes on and headed out into the hall, where a few other men and women, all wrestlers he might have to fight one day, ran around each other to get to their destination, and started to make his way to the exit to hail a cab.

and then he heard the call. Dungeons and Dragons...No fucking way.

One of the reasons Rai had been picked on so much in high school, (aside from being only 5'4'', undersized, too adorable for his own good, and a total pushover for bullies), was Rai was total NERD. D&D, star trek, early anime, video games, both retro and new, Lord of the Rings, you name it. If it was a fantasy, sci fi, or horror series, he was ALL about it, even the obscure stuff when he could find it, like the movie "Krull" or the "Wheel of Time" books. He rarely got the chance to express this love, especially with a group, because...well, because whenever he did he got beaten up for it.

But there were WRESTLERS who played DND!? He turned around, looking to find who was calling...and stopped in his tracks. THATS WHO WAS HOSTING!? She was blonde. She was thick. She had BOOBS! She was...one of the most stunningly attractive women Rai had ever seen in the flesh. She looked around for a few seconds after her announcement, and seemed to look disappointed as she put her hand down, as the few others around them simply ignored her call, and she turned, starting to move away...

Rai shot his hand up. "I play!" He called out, trying not to sound too eager, as he walked up to the blonde woman, eagerness shining in his eyes anyway as he shot his hand out towards her. "I'm uh...I'm Rai!" He said, looking up at the taller woman and trying to ignore that his face was on damn near equal level with her boobs. "I'm new, I just got signed this last week, haven't even had a match yet. But uh, I totally play DND, I've done a LOT of solo campaigns for practice, and I've done a small group like...once or twice."

Well...once, with a nerdy girl he was trying to hit on. Her mean older brother picked him up and threw him out of their house, telling his sister she couldn't date "nerdy losers".

Jerk.

Ignoring the memory, Rai offered his hand out in greeting to the woman. "Kamiya's the last name. I'd be happy to join in if you'll have me."

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(Note, don't have casual wear attire for him yet, so this will do XD)

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Re: Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth (for Soul_of_Kia)

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The question went over about as well as she expected. Most people didn't regard June with the same "shut up nerd" energy that they used to since the summer she had turned pretty and bigger than ninety percent of other people, but she could see the same old inner eye-roll on a few faces. The ones that weren't outright opposed just looked indifferent or like they planned to let her down easily. June sighed and beat them to the punch, eyes lidded with expected disappointment. "Let me guess - no. Alright, you guys go binge your housewives show or whatever," she said, in good humor, as she turned to depart.

But she heard one voice call out. June turned to find him, and... didn't. It didn't sound like the voice that belonged to a musclehead, so she was expecting a smaller guy. But after she spotted him between two of the bigger women, she had to acknowledge it - he was a smaller guy. He could have passed for a guy who needed to plan for homecoming in a couple of months, but he wouldn't have been here among the sea of half-naked women and lawsuits waiting to happen if he was so young. She couldn't judge... when people could only see her face, they assumed June was anywhere from sixteen to twenty.

She took his hand as he stuck it out, almost forgetting what she herself had asked as the thoughts raced through her head. "Hey! I'm June." And boy, did his story sound like her own. June had enjoyed a handful of healthy groups, but life got so busy and groups were so hard to maintain sometimes that she had ended up doing a lot of solo campaigns... and playing a lot of Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale to get her fix. But most importantly, he was enthusiastic. People who enjoyed tabletop killed for people who were enthusiastic, and her countenance brightened the more he talked.

Sure, she could ask him fifty questions and turn his interest into an interview. Some people did that, but that was not June's style. It helped when she could throw people out of games by... actually throwing them. "Then you're in!" she blurted, though she did pause and tap a finger to her chin. There was one thing... "Unless you play 2nd Edition. In that case, we can't be friends." The sly look on her face said she wasn't entirely serious, but... who played 2nd Edition?

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Re: Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth (for Soul_of_Kia)

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Ah crap. He was too small for her, wasn't he?

He could tell. There was that look on her face, for just a moment, when she saw him. The same look that LAW officials gave him when he came into to sign his contract. That look that said "But...aren't you just a kid?"

It always bugged him. His small stature was the cause of a lot of misery he'd had to deal with in his life, from bullies, to being denied part time jobs at fast food places, even being denied access to certain school sports or work programs, being constantly assumed to be younger than he was or seen as too small, all because he had the misfortune of being born a few months premature.

Granted, it also didn't help that he literally WAS still in high school just a couple of months ago. His dads letter came literally the same day as graduation, so he supposed he couldn't help that even as a signed Young Lion, his appearance threw people off.

He had honestly been expecting a rejection, and was just preparing himself to accept it, when her face brightened, and she said he was in, his own face brightening up, eyes sparkling with excitement as he realized she'd accepted him! EEE!

He then raised an eyebrow and made a face as she mentioned 2nd Edition. Egh.

"Heh, yeah no way. Everybody knows what a garbage fire 2nd Edition turned out to be. I learned on the 4th Edition, and I've dabbled a little on the 5th, though not as much as the 4th. Thank you for accepting me though! Where do I meet you, and should I bring anything? I've got my own dice, and a few little custom maps and figurines and some other stuff, though I'm sure you've got stuff already. I could...help spring for pizza or snacks?" he asked excitedly, trying to offer something, anything, that might increase his value to stunningly beautiful June and make having him join more worth her while!

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Re: Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth (for Soul_of_Kia)

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June gave Rai the age-old "good man" nod and a wink. Success, he didn't cling to antiquities like some players with their holier-than-thou attitudes. The paladin had no problem accepting those types too if it meant she had wrestlers to game with, but if she could avoid them... "I don't totally hate it because some of my favorite video games are based on it, but if I had to listen to people trying to figure out the numbers behind thac-o at a table I might thwack-o them." She pushed a fist into the opposite palm a few times to emphasize the point.

4th Edition. She hadn't done much with it, but she could work with that if he knew his 5th Edition rules. Of much more interest was how excited and invested he continued to be - though heck if she could keep up with everything he told her. June blinked through the onslaught of explanations and expectations and raised both hands once he finished in surrender. "Uh... I don't even have things sorted out yet! Wrestlers aren't exactly the world's biggest D&D fans, so I don't have it all sorted out yet. Tried not to get my hopes up." She shrugged, sure he understood. All big tabletop fans went through the same struggles. But that didn't mean she didn't take his enthusiasm as encouragement.

"Do you need to go anywhere? My apartment's just down the street, and that's where I was thinking I'd host it. I've got some time to get things hashed out on the walk over!" Inviting a man to her apartment after a minute of meeting him wasn't something she would normally do, but given his size, she figured she had a pretty good chance to ward him off. But he didn't seem odd. What sort of stalker could get this excited about D&D? "And to shake you down to tell me if you know anyone else who would join. Blackmail." She waggled her eyebrows.

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Re: Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth (for Soul_of_Kia)

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It had only been a minute or so, so far, and Rai was pretty certain this was the single most pleasant interaction he'd ever had with a girl in his life, and it was here, in a job where the girls jobs was literally to beat him up. Life was funny like that sometimes.

Though apparently he might have been TOO enthusiastic, as she put her hands up and mentioned that she wasn't set up yet, the teen nodding in response and trying to control his eagerness as he replied. "Fair enough, I get you. I just meant that, if there's anything you need to help set things up, I've got plenty of material I could bring is all, I'd just need to pick it up from the LAW dorms."

Her next sentence though, made his eyes widen in surprise, and he stood a little straighter. "Y-your apartment? Your hosting it at your a-apartment?" He stammered, awkwardly rubbing the back of his dyed blue head and looking a little nervous, chuckling a little. "No girls ever invited me to he-Uh, n-nevermind, what I meant was..." He shook his head, realizing what he was about to say would reveal himself as an even bigger dork than he probably already seemed to be, and changed his topic. "I just meant uh, I don't need to go anywhere, I'd be happy to go with you and help set things up!" he said cheerfully, that eager smile on his face again, legitimately excited about the prospect of a game, though her next bit made him blink a couple times. "Shake me down?" he asked, giving June a once over, looking at her from legs up to her head, as if only just noticing the obvious size difference between them, and not sure if she was kidding or serious about actually shaking him, something it looked like she could totally do. "I'll uh, try to think of someone, but I'm pretty new here, so you're kinda the first person I've met so far..."

Of all the days to go without underwear...

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Re: Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth (for Soul_of_Kia)

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June squinted at him. Maybe... maybe she had been right to wonder about his age. She knew they wouldn't let any kids into the building, much less train among the wrestlers, so she had no reason to doubt. She was probably looking at him with the same doubt that made his being invited to a woman's home - even for a group game - such a big deal. She decided to let it go, perking back up without missing a beat. "I am. I actually may have a... table for playing. I had it custom-made for when I ran a game, and it's better than what you'll find in the gaming stores around here." Nevermind that she had that table carved five years before and had never gotten a chance to use it. Didn't seem relevant.

The only disappointment she could spot was that he said he was new, too. She stuck a hand on her hip. "Darn... I've only been here a couple of months myself, so I don't know many more people than you do. And that's usually the reaction I get when I ask around." She gestured at the disinterested party further down the hallway. "I guess before we get ahead of ourselves... do you want to ask around? I hadn't expected to find anyone today, but I was going to keep trying. I'll take tracking down one enthusiastic person as a sign to keep it up! And it helps that I get to say I already have one player."

She threw a thumb down one hallway. "I'll go this way and you go that way?" She pointed as she switched to his directions. "Ten minutes and we'll meet back here?"

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Re: Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth (for Soul_of_Kia)

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Rai blushed and got a small frown on his face, looking away from June when she squinted at him. He recognized that squint. His age was being called into question again. That was a dumb faux pax, revealing that he had never been invited into a girls home before. In truth, he had gone all of high school without so much as a single date, and was still a virgin, not that June needed to know that detail. Like so many other unfortunate events or accidents in his young life, he size was partly to blame for it, with most girls either simply not interested in someone his size, which he couldn't blame them for, or because they thought he was younger than he was.

Even as understandable as it could be...it could often get annoying to deal with. After all, it wasn't his fault he was born pre-mature.

Then June perked back up and kept talking, and Rai's blush faded as he realized that, whatever doubts had just went into her head, she had banished them, increasing his appreciation for the tall blonde bombshell. Then she mentioned her custom DND table and his eyes widened, sparkling with enthusiasm at the sound of it. "You have a CUSTOM table!? Oh, I'd absolutely LOVE to see it! I've been wanting my own custom table for YEARS, I even took woodshop courses for a few years because I was thinking of building one myself, but, ya know...wood and machinery are expensive and all that...and I've no idea how to actually build one. "

He giggled at his own comment before she continued, suggesting they split up and meet back in 10 minutes with whoever they could grab. He nodded in agreement, and off they went.

Ten minutes later:

Rai returned to the hallway where he had parted from June, and this time, he was not alone, as with him was a young adult girl, about 18, with short, rainbow colored hair, clad in a white leotard and leggings and tennis shoes, looking about the same age and height as he was, a bright smile on her face when she met June upon her return.
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Rai: "Hey June! I found someone!"

Rai said, sounding the happiest he'd have sounded all day as the skinny girl stepped forward, offering fist bump to June while speaking cutely. "Hi there! I'm Dash, Dash Sealgair, the twink here told me you were looking for people to do a DND run, and I'd LOVE to join in if your looking for members!" She said with sheer excitement in her voice, showing a sheer enthusiasm only matched by Rai's own.
Last edited by The_Soul_of_Kia on Fri Sep 15, 2023 3:06 pm, edited 4 times in total.

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Re: Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth (for Soul_of_Kia)

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"Yeah, no one could get me to sit in a woodshop long enough to build one." And that came from someone who lived and breathed these games until she found her way to wrestling as a healthier second love. She sometimes curled up in embarrassment realizing how much time she had wasted not even playing, but thinking about playing tabletop and getting to roleplay. Come to think of it, she should have expended all her ideas on writing a book rather than daydreaming, and she would have a lot more to speak of it. "But it's great. Dice towers and organizers built in, a huge place for a map, I keep it stocked with pencils for notes, the whole works!" And who could blame her for wanting to make use of something so grand!?

She hadn't expected much telling Rai to help her search people down... but she finally found someone who perked up right in the middle of exiting the showers. Yes, June had asked people in the showers. Florence Timmons didn't strike her as much of a tabletop enthusiast as Rai had initially, but the woman talked a good game and sounded excited. The woman, having barely remembered to throw her clothes on before they walked back to where the blonde had met with Rai, was explaining her idea to June when the paladin spotted Rai approaching - with someone else in tow. June could have squealed at the sight. Three was enough to start!

Oh, and Flo was still saying something. "-not the biggest rule-knowing sort of player, but that's what you're for, right? And besides, I know what I want to play, and she's gonna be hot.

June gave her a thumbs up, and that seemed to appease her as Rai introduced his catch. Cute, young, much like him. June got the feeling that everyone here was younger than her, but she didn't mind. She felt more at home among the college-age people than she did the people creeping toward thirty like she was. Most people her age seemed to have lost their twinkle of imagination. "Nice to meet you, Dash! I'm June," she greeted, extending a hand. "I love the hair. And this is-"

Flo stuck her hands on her hips. "Flo! And I'm gonna be the hot tiefling." She couldn't have sounded prouder.

June nodded. Good enough. "And this is Rai, Flo. So... everyone free? It's not like I'm going to say no to anyone, so we might as well drop by my place and figure out when we want to meet and things like that."
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Re: Gather Your Party Before Venturing Forth (for Soul_of_Kia)

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The rest of the day had went fine. Rai met the cute and excitable Dash and the complete and utter knockout that was Florence, gotten to see June's apartment, properly geeked out over how AWESOME her custom DND table was, the group made their plans to meet on the weekend, and went separate ways.

Now, a few days later, having taken a taxi to the same apartment and now standing outside June's door...Rai felt...excited, but...nervous too...

This was...pretty brand new to him. He was about to be part of a group...as the only guy....with three women one a super cute girl his own age, and the other two...Supremely beautiful older women.

It was fine. He could do this. These girls just wanted a game, not to tease or bully him, all he had to do was be himself...and have fun....and obviously, don't get a stiffy.

Clad in a pair of gym shorts, with underwear this time, and a tank top and tennis shoes, and carrying his old school backpack with him, that contained his dice and custom figurines and a few other accessories he might want to show off or compare with June's supplies, as well as a homemade lunch and large water jug, He ran a hand through his naturally brown hair, having not dyed it like he usually did this day.

He took a deep breath, vefore hearing footsteps approaching, turning to see he was being joined by Dash, the cute, small teen fighter he had met in the gym, who, upon him loudly asking if anyone in the room played DND, leapt off a treadmill she had been jogging on and ran up to him with frightening speed and excitement to say yes.

Clad in sandals, a mini-skirt, and a tank top, Dash clearly had no problem dressing in a way that caught the eye, showing a clear confidence in her looks that Rai was starting to be envious of, the two teens making small talk about the weather abd their cab rides over, before Rai, taking one last deep breath to center himself, knocked at June's door.

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