2172/Playing The Court

Playing The Court
Date of Scene:	30 November 2016
Location:	Plot Room #1
Synopsis:	Kukai is having a nice walk through the park when he meets a pretty girl! Who then challenges him to play tennis against her. And Kukai can't turn down a challenge, even when it turns out she's one of the best tennis players in Tokyo. Fortunately Kukai has a backup plan...
Cast of Characters:	Kukai Souma, Mari Katsu, Haruna Kurosawa, Suzuki Natsume

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Kukai Souma has posed:
It's a pretty day in King Penguin Park, even if it is growing colder and colder every day. Thankfully Kukai had grabbed a heavy coat before he left for a long day of patrolling, and headbands are surprisingly warm. Daichi, similarly, has found some longer pants and a heavier sweatshirt instead of his normal tennis outfit, and is riding on Kukai's shoulder, invisible and undetectable to all the normal people.

Kukai blesses the park mentally again. Only place where he could find a takoyaki stand selling bags of fresh, hot, carryable takoyaki next to a drink stand with a big selection of warm drinks. Between those and the jacket he was almost sweating, despite the chill breezes.

It also allows him to continue patrolling, walking along the paths on the south end near Clover Street, with Clover Tower in the distance. That made this sort of a working lunch, yeah?

Mari Katsu has posed:
    It's Winter! Or at least approaching winter. That's good enough for Mari, at the very least. Most people dress warm for winter, but Mari? Mari just loves the cold air a bit too much for her own good. Not that Suzuki had been letting her be so open and free with that love latley, at least insisting that she dress warm enough to not show up a popscicle, but where most people wrap up, Mari is.. dressed in slightly heavier than normal clothing. Right now, she's dressed in a short sleeve wool shirt, and a slightly thicker and longer than normal skirt, along with some warmer leggings and actual boots. The warmest part of her outfit is probably her wool hat that she has pulled down over her head in the back, with a suspicious little 'lump' visible beneath the fabric.

    Currently, Mari had decided to step out and get some practice in - even in winter, there's never a bad time to practice. At least for Mari. She had even decided to give Haruna a ring and invite her along, since it had been quite some time since they spent much time together.. It just seemed like a good idea to do. Spend some time with a friend, and practice in the most rediculous way possible...

    Which is probably how Kukai finds Mari, by the 'thwip, smack, thwip' of a tennis racket rapidly hitting a ball back and forth against the side of some trees near a bench spot in the center of the park. Each time she returns the ball to her 'opponents' the speed of the ball increases a bit more, and always impacts a different tree so that she doesn't fall into a rythym of just hitting the same return.

Haruna Kurosawa has posed:
Mari invited her along somewhere!? Of cours she wants to go. Corvus comes along too. Corvus is currently in his human form- which looks like a boy just a little younger than Haruna with white hair done in a manner that down to a curved sharp point somewhere in front of him. He's looking down at his hands and bending his thumbs.

Stupid opposable thumbs.

Haruna and Corvus arrive. Haruna is wearing a teal green jacket and a warm winter hat. Corvus is wearing a jacket and earmuffs and still staring at his hands and thumbs. bend bend bend.

"Hiiii Mari-chan!~" she sings out when she gets close.

She then looks over to the right. And says.

"Huh..." she says.

"Is that Kukai?" she asks.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai can hear the 'thwip, smack' rhythm in the distance as he approaches the bench area. It's... familiar, but for some reason Kukai can't place it. All he can think is that this isn't the right place to hear it. Still, it isn't being accompanied by screams or yells of terror, so it's probably not a youma.

He walks around the corner of a tree line to see the bench area and the girl with the tennis racket - that's what the noise is! Wow, she's good. He stops and watches her work for a few seconds, completely missing the call of somebody calling for somebody else. He does, however, hear his name in the clear winter air, and looks over, right at Haruna and whotheheckever the kid is. That's Haruna. Well, she didn't open by changing form and throwing the kitchen sink at him since she got the drop on him, so he grins and gives her a wave, attention split between her and the girl with the tennis racket.

Mari Katsu has posed:
    For whatever reason, once Haruna calls her name, Mari smashes the tennis ball back at the closest tree and lets the return come back to her racket at an angle that launches the ball into the air. Then she turns around and rushes over to Haruna to give the other girl a sudden and friendly hug!

"Haruna-chan! It's been way too long since we just got out to chat like this!" Mari calls out to the other girl as the tennis ball... miraculously falls down and 'thwips into her backpack next to the bench - wether it was planned or not. Then attention is called to Kukai and Mari just blinks before she turns her head to look at the boy in silence for a moment, before she tilts her head slightly and smiles walking straight up to him and offers her hand - the one without the racket, to shake his. "Sorry. I hope I wasn't being rude. When I'm practicing I kind of tune everything else out unless someone calls my attention directly.." There's a brief moment where Mari goes silent before her hat 'shifts' in the wind. "Oh right. Mari Katsu! It's a pleasure!"

Haruna Kurosawa has posed:
Haruna Kurosawa beams! "Yup!" she says when Mari does her tennis trick and she beams at that because Mari is the best at Tennis Things! (Tennis Things!)

She grins. "Oh. This here is Corvus." she says. Corvus waves a bit. "Corvus is still getting the hang of having thumbs."

"I hate them." he insists.

She watches Mari head over to Kukai and she head tilts and follows along. "Hiii Dachi, Hiii Kukai." she says.

"Um..." she says.

"Mari's good at Tennis things!" she insists. "I bet she's way better than you even!" she helpfully insists.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai leans back from the smash, letting out a little 'huh' as the ball returns and goes flying off into the air. He looks up after it, and then back just in time to see Mari's arms around Haruna, leading him to almost miss the ball dropping into Mari's backpack. Wow. That's some talent. Daichi, sitting on Kukai's shoulder, lets out a little whistle.

Kukai grins at Mari as she looks back at him, then reaches out - whoops, that one's got the takoyaki, that one's got the warm tea. There's a moment of juggling, and Kukai gets both items into one hand to shake Mari's hand. "Hello! No, no, I wouldn't have bothered you for anything, that was a heck of a show! I'm Kukai, Kukai Souma. It's very nice to meet you."

He looks at Haruna and then grins faintly, looking down at Corvus. "Thumbs are... nice. Wait, oh. Corvus?" Back up to Haruna. "Hello Haruna. So.... we're cool, right? I think we talked recently." Daichi hops up and waves to Haruna. "Hiiii!"

Kukai gets a grin on his face when Haruna talks about Mari being good at tennis things. Aaaaand then she has to say THAT. Kukai's face goes still, and Daichi's eyes go green. He looks straight at Haruna for a second and grins. "...Is that some kind of a challenge?"

Mari Katsu has posed:
    There are names being thrown around that Mari doesn't have faces for. At least until Daichi catches her eye.. or at least her peripheral. She doesn't let on at first, instead filing it away for later. The praise from her friend causes Mari to blush a bit before she rubs the back of her head and laughs.

"Oh come on Haruna-chan. You totally say that everytime someone new meets me.. I just practice alot." She replies, trying to keep her modesty in check. Even if she's getting a bit fired up from Kukai's similar praise. "Ahaha~! No no... It's nothing that special. Really!" She replies then grins. "Okay maybe a little special, but I'm trying to cut back on bragging. I promised coach." She states then smiles.

    Then the elephant in the park is being addressed - Corvus is being discussed rather openly and.. there's Daichi... It's not enough to just out herself as a precure but there's enough oddities going on to at least assure her she's in enlightened company. Of course... That's when Kukai perks up because of Haruna's cheering and asks if there's a challenge being issued, to which Mari shifts her stance a bit and grins. "...Maybe. I'm always down for a round or three."

Haruna Kurosawa has posed:
Haruna Kurosawa smiles at Kukai! "It's not a challenge if it's...."

"/a fact/." she says with suddenly narrowed eyes. Yes. It's a challenge. Totally a challenge.

"But really, she is very good!" she beams. She head tilts. She huhs and ohs. "Well I don't wanna punch ya in the nose right now. So it's a start." she insists.

"But you should know that Sayaka kinda wants nothing to do with Virtue after all that stuff." she says.

She purses her lips a bit and head tilts. She grins. "You two should do Tennis things then!" she insists.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai has maybe picked up a tennis racket ten times in his life. There just wasn't enough time in the day. Not that he didn't enjoy it - one on one competition on the field? Sign him up. - but it wasn't exactly something he practiced as much as he should. Daichi, though? Daichi loves tennis. Love, love love. So when he hears this he cheers and bounces up and down. "All right! You heard her Kukai, you've been challenged!" Kukai grins and nods, turning to look at Mari. "Right! We'll have to find a tennis court and another racket and I'll show you what I'm made of! Unless you have another idea?" He rubs the back of his head. "Where is the nearest court? I don't think there's one in King Penguin Park..."

Kukai awws at Haruna's words. "Well.. that's good. And Sayaka will have to make her own mind up. Right now, though, we have a challenge to do tennis things!"

Mari Katsu has posed:
    Mair just smiles a bit before she gives a thumbs up. "Season isn't really in, but I usually have full access to Verone Academy's courts for practicing whenever I want. Perk of being team captain i guess. Or maybe they just don't want me to get rusty." She states with a slight snicker before she smiles. "Seriously though... Court isn't a problem, as long as you don't mind a bit of a walk." She adds with a smile before she turns and puts both hands behind her head, lacing her fingers together as she does.

"By the way..." She pauses, tapping the 'lump' in her hat and it...squirms a bit. "...Don't sass me, I know it's cold and you'd rather stay in there, but you should at least not be rude."

    The response is a small 'huff' before a small shape darts out of Mari's hat and perches on her shoulder, a tiny little fairy that looks quite annoyed to be out in the cold with her arms folded and already shivering as she bows, then immiediately dives back into Mari's hat, only visible as a pair of eyes peering back out at Kukai.

"...That was Raquel. She's my partner. We've been together for a while... Figured I should at least introduce you both." She states before she grins. "She isn't fond of the cold though so don't expect her to be too active at the moment...

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai grins and nods. "I know the feeling. I'm glad I can practice basketball inside, but soccer? People get annoyed if I kick a ball around inside the gym, and it's not the same not being on the grass. I can practice outside, but then I have the problem of having to run around in pants and a jacket and that's hard, even for me." He nods. "Sure, lead the way. Walking, running - I'm good with both."

He looks up at her hat as it squirms and she.. talks to it? And then the little fairy pops out and he ohs, the sound echoed by Daichi. "Aaah! OK. Gotcha! Well.. it's nice to meet you, Raquel. If it's too cold out here, then you can stay where it's warm. And maybe get Mari to get you a jacket or something?" He grins, nose pointing up just a little.

Kukai nods at Mari after a moment. "Well. Y'know, I'm not too shocked. You're really, really good with your racquet. That'll just mean I don't have to go easy on you!" He grins, hands behind his head and stretching.

Mari Katsu has posed:
    Mari just gives a bit of a grin before she nods. "Usually she does have winter clothing.. we just kind of took off this morning without thinking about it. It doesn't bother me that much usually." She states as she turns on her heels and starts walking towards the school.

"I'd be disappointed if you did." Mari states before she glances back. "I'd rather you give it your all rather than take it easy on me. That way if I lose I can at least hold my head high and say I was beaten fairly." She walks along with a thoughtful expression before she makes a W with her index finger and thumb on both hands. "After all, look at this." She states as she shows Kukai her hands. "You can't make a W without at least one L." She states before sepperating her fingers to show two L's turned on their sides with both hands. "...Corny, I know."

    The fairy in Mari's hat just sighs a bit and shakes her head a bit, making a rustling noise before she giggles.

"Mari... Maybe you should just stick to inspirational speeches about never losing. They suit you better than practical advice." Raquel quips back from under the hat.

"Maybe, but it's true you know. I had to practice alot before I got to where I am."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai nods, then lets out an amused snort, following along beside her. "It bothers me. If I go out after October in anything but long pants and a jacket I have to hop from store to store or house or whatever."

Kukai nods after a moment, listening to her, then looks down to the W in her hands, then the L. "...Super corny. Real, and true, though. I don't win every time I go out, but I do everything I can every time." He grins. "I will try not to tease you about your finger-Ls and Ws though."

Daichi hops over onto Mari's shoulder, light as can be, and strikes a pose. "Hey! Everybody needs to believe that they're going to win! If you think you're just going to lose, you won't try as hard as you can, and you'll lose hope, and hope is everything!" He peers in under Mari's hat at the eyes peeking out at him. Kukai just chuckles. "Well. Yeah. What he said."

Mari Katsu has posed:
    Mari just starts to chuckle at that before she winks. "Oh, don't misunderstand." She tilts her head and winks. "I don't think there's any way I'll ever lose, ever. Victory is what I strive for - heck, in some ways it's what I am. You'll never catch me giving up before the final results are announced."

"Corny..." Calls out Raquel again before she flutters back out of Mari's hat dressed in warmer clothing herself, the tiniest of tiny little jackets and wearing a... collar or key ring attachment that she snaps to Mari's own collar and 'plops' down on Mari's shoulder looking like a little plush toy ornament.

Mari just rolls her eyes a bit. "Look. It's not a lie." She states before she waves her hand and smiles continuing to walk along. "Well, anyway... It's jsut something silly I heard on internet videos, one time."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai nods. "Well. You'll lose at some point. What's important to remember is how to get back up and keep going. You can't lose heart, even if you lose a match. And yup - never give up!" He walks along besides her, seeing the school in the distance.

Daichi blinks, staring at Raquel for a moment, before lunging in and hugging her, giggling, all tiny and friendly and all that.

"Oh, please. The ones you made and posted, I bet. It's good, in the long run, even if people wanna be jerky about it. You gotta do you, I think is the phrase?" Kukai's attention looks over at a teriyaki stand as they pass, then looks back to Mari. "And hey, you're gonna lose one right here today!"

Mari Katsu has posed:
    Mari just snickers a bit as she walks past the Teriyaki stand and pauses for a moment before she smirks. "You know, you're right about that. I did kind of forget that, for a while... Things are looking up though, and I think I can follow that advice." She pauses, rubbing her shoulder a bit. "...I missed out on a good bit of last season, you know. Coach let me keep practicing, but competitive was out. Managed to kind of... shatter my arm. ...It's better now, i heal remarkably well." She states while rubbing the back of her head and giving a slight snicker. "...Reasons." She mumbles under her breath before she shakes her head. "Still... Things worked out in the end."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai ends up a step or so in front of Mari as she stops, looking at her. "Well. It's hard, you know. Special skills and friends and all that or not, we're still human, and that means we have a hard time. I'm glad things are looking up for you, though."

His eyes scan over to her shoulder, and then he nods a little more slowly. "Yeah. I heal real fast too. I was..." He rubs his chin. "Well I was on the news because the abandoned diner I was 'walking past'-" He raises both hands, making parentheses marks with his fingers. "-blew up with me inside it. I was sort of in a coma for a week, and in the hospital for another week or so after that, and then I spent a month or so taking it easy."

A small chuckle comes out. "Not that I wasn't apparently getting into trouble while I was still out of it, though. Which was fun. Ended up getting stabbed by a shard of dark magic afterwards, which was a thing." He nods towards the school. "But I'm in one piece after all! So yeah, things work out. And I'm glad they worked out for you."

Mari Katsu has posed:
    Mari just smiles a bit before she nods. "They take some time, but things usually do work out if we work at them. Though.." She sighs and shakes her head. "I guess I wasn't expecting things to become so active when I first moved here from the country." She snickers a bit then shgus. "...I guess at the very least I'm lucky enough to be making such good friends like Haruna-chan and Suzuki-ai. I'd probably have lost it by now if not for them. Not to mention Naomi-chan and everyone else." ... "Honestly.. I'm dreading having a particular conversation with my 'superior' ..it's a loose title but I guess he is kind of my boss in a way. Haruna-chan warned me about it, and I kind of just brushed it off but..." She pauses, considering what to say before she shakes her head a bit. "....Well, to make a long story short. I'm doing a thing my 'boss' probably won't approve of, maybe even forbid me from doing, but... it's not a 'bad' thing. ...infact i'd wager it's probably one of the best things in life. But for some reason we are forbidden to do it."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai nods. "Things trend towards working out, but working out doesn't mean it'll do it for us, or that we don't have to put the effort in." He sighs and then nods. "...Yeah. A couple years ago I was all wrapped up in my own issues, dealing with people, paying attention to Guardian things..." He nods towards Daichi. "And then a girl approached me and said 'would you help me with something a bit bigger?' and then there were witches and labyrinths and youma and monsters and aliens and some days I feel like my hair should be pointing straight back because of how busy and insane it gets. So I know what you mean."

He hums, rubbing his chin, eyeing Mari from one side. "...Taking what I know about Haruna, and what she'd warn you about, and who you've got as a friend, and how I only know one or two groups with bosses, I'm gonna take a wild swing here and say your boss is a guy who goes by the name of a primary color, and that it's the same thing he fusses at Haruna about, which is part of the reason she's working for the bad guys. Am I right?"

Mari Katsu has posed:
    That description prompts a snort from Mari, a humorous one before she shakes her head. "Guess I could have just went ahead and dropped the subtility thing..." She mumbles before she nods her head. "...Yeah, that's pretty much the situation. I haven't really told Blue-sama that I've fallen in love... not that he probably needs to be told.. But he hasn't approached me with the "You aren't allowed to fall in love" thing yet either." She sighs and closes her eyes before it clicks with her what Kukai had said and she turns to look at him more directly. "Working for the bad guys," She pauses. "...I knew she was trying to remain with the one she loves, but it's progressed to that point...?" A look of concern flashes across her features for a moment before she glances to one side. "...Should I be more cautious around her? How far has this gone?"

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai grins. "I'm sorry. I'm friends with Tadase and I kinda know a bunch of people. I make a habit of sticking my nose into things while being as not-nosy as I can get. So yeah." He listens to her talking, then shrugs. "Maybe he won't. The rules may be different for you. And... so far I don't know -why- he does that. Or why it's so bad."

He then nods after a moment. "I don't... y'know, I don't know if she's really working -for- them, but I worry a lot about Haruka. I..." He rubs his cheek, sighing. "So... I may have really, really, really pissed off Hannah at one point. We're over it now, but Haruka had a screaming fit at me during it, so I don't know what's going on. But I know that I'm dealing with another offshoot of Eclipse, and they're enough of a pain in the butt, even when all of their troops are distracted. I dunno. Maybe I'm just running my mouth."

Kukai pauses for a moment, then reaches over and pats Mari's shoulder. "What I'll say is this. If she's your friend, then trust in her and believe in her until she gives you reason to think otherwise. I've seen a lot of troubles that all started with people not believing in one another and it spiraled outta control. Hope, you know? Have hope that she's not going to be rotten. Because so far she's been pretty good."

Mari Katsu has posed:
    Mari just grins a bit as she gives a thumbs up to Kukai. "Don't misunderstand.. Even if Haruka had gone to those extremes.. I'd still love her, and consider her my friend.. But at the same time, that'd be the exact reason why I'd punch her till she got her senses back. I'm not losing any more friends to that kind of thing. Not now, not ever." She smiles a bit and looks back towards the school. "...Cure Victory, by the way." She states in a low enough tone that passers by can't 'hear' her, before she looks back with a little grin. "If you didn't catch the subtle hint I tossed out earlier, anyway." She smiles a bit then and looks back down the road. "..Haruna's got a good head on her shoulders. she'll be fine."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai listens to her, then laughs. "I can't punch people. I mean, I don't like it. I can hit them with my skateboard, though. That can be fun. That's pretty much exactly right, though." He grins at her, then nods, responding in the same low tone. "Sky Jack. Nice to meet you."

He laughs. "Subtle as a tennis ball to the face. Still, though, it's nice to meet you." He nods. "Yeah. Haruna'll be ok. You know who won't be?" He waits a beat before continuing. "You. Because I'm about to run circles around you on the tennis court!"

Mari Katsu has posed:
    Mari just grins a bit for a moment as they make their way onto Verone's tennis courts and she pauses to stretch slowly before she pops the joints in her neck and smiles. "Sounds good.. If you're going to give it everything you've got, then so am I. It's high time I push myself back into my usual step anyway.. Enough rest and recovery." She states before rotating her right shoulder once and giving a firm swing of her racket that causes a 'whoosh' of air. ...If what Kukai saw in the park was 'rest and recovery' just what was Mari holding back...? "Got any preference on serve or recieve first?"

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai follows her out onto the court and stretches as well (because stretching before strenuous activity is good forethought.) before looking around for a spare racquet. "Yup! And yeah, it'll be good for both of us to work hard." He looks over at Daichi, who's sitting on her shoulder. "C'mon over. We're about to go to work."

Kukai thinks, mouth screwing up for a second. "I'll.. ah, recieve." His eyes go over to Daichi again for a moment before his eyes focus back onto her with renewed concentration.

Suzuki Natsume has posed:
     Was there someone suddenly in the stands?! ... Well, no, not really. She'd actually just calmly walked up and spotted Mari, seemingly getting ready for a tennis match. As such, Suzu quietly made her way over to sit, seemingly intent to quietly watch and not disrupt Mari's focus! ... Likely this would have the opposite effect, of course. As it's Suzuki, after all.

Mari Katsu has posed:
    Mari smiles and nods her head as she steps over and picks up her tennis ball and starts bouncing it over her her racket gently and glances back to the stands, pausing for a moment as she sees Suzuki and slowly smiles as her cheeks redden a bit. "Suzuki-chan.. You've seriously got to stop 'sneaking' up like that." She comments offhandedly before she smiles again and looks back to Kukai. "Alright then. I'll serve first. Let's have a good match, Kukai-san."

     Then Mari gets quiet, letting the tension build as she observes the 'layout' of the field, kukai's positioning, and her own. After standing in utter silence for a few moments.. the tennis ball is tossed up, then launched over the net to the other side by Mari's first serve!

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai looks over at the stands for a moment to see another girl sitting there, and Mari's cheeks are reddening steadily. "Ah! Hello! Friend of yours, I take it. Sneaky friend. Gotcha." He grins, nodding to her, then turns back to Mari. "Yup!"

Kukai focuses as well, bouncing on his heels, before reacting to Mari's launch! Aaand then the truth comes out. See, Kukai hasn't really played tennis in a long time. Despite his natural speed, despite his active response to her serve, despite his familiarity to bats and the like in his hands, he is no match for a trained, skilled player, which is described perfectly in how he lunges for the ball and hits it with the back of the racquet, launching it well off towards one wall on his side of the field.

Kukai stops for a second, grumbling, then goes over to pick it up and prepare to serve it back. "That's one for you.."

Suzuki Natsume has posed:
     Suzuki looks towards Mari with a curious look, tilting her head. "I wasn't... trying to sneak? I just was trying to not disrupt your soon to be match." Suzuki says with a slight shift and blush of her own. Look. She didn't mean to be sneaky! She just was naturally a bit quiet!

     Kukai gets a look and she mumbles, "I'm not really sneaky! ... I'm pretty noisy in fact, most of the time! ...W-wait no that came out wrong. I'm uhm. Just... not... loud." She says with a quick nod towards Kukai. "I'm Suzuki Natsume, it's nice to meet you." She adds, a bit more refined and less awkwardly. And then the play happens! And she falls relatively quiet again, just watching.

Mari Katsu has posed:
    Mari just smiles a bit, glancing back at Suzuki - infact she might actually be a bit distracted, listening to Suzuki explain herself.. So much so that she completely misses her first point as the ball bounces off the far wall. A few moments pass before she gets called back to attention when Kukai calls out to her and she just smiles. "You're a bit out of practice, but I can see potential in your movements Kukai-san." How she saw that throught he back of her head is anyone's guess. Keep your movement more fluid and a slightly firmer grip on your racket." She adds before she moves into her own 'ready' stance. "As for you Suzuki-chan. I know you're not sneaky. I just enjoy picking on you because it's adorable."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai coughs and then arches one eyebrow as she calls him 'out of practice'. "... Maybe." He grips his racquet and then nods, sure of himself, listening to her advice and both wanting to follow it and wanting to prove that he's able to beat anybody in any challenge he's put up to.

He takes a moment, then holds the racquet tight and tosses the ball up into the air, swinging the racquet hard and launching the ball towards her side of the court!

Suzuki Natsume has posed:
     More teasing! Ugh! Suzuki shifts a little bit in place, her cheeks flushing a bit more, clearly flustered and unsure how to respond! "Y-yeah well, you do crazy stuff with tennis balls!" Yep. That's her comeback. Totally effective. Really. Huff!

Mari Katsu has posed:
    Mari just blinks a bit at the shift in Kukai's dmeanor after her comment.. apparently she tapped a nerve. Then.. Suzuki yells out the thing about tennis balls and Mari just blinks a bit as the ball whiffs right past her head. "H...hEy! Don't just say something like that...! You don't realize how bad that sounds!" Mari calls back before she blinks and slaps her forehead slightly when she realizes she kind of zoned out and let the ball go past her.

"...Okay. time to get serious." Mari states as she picks up the tennis ball and bounces it onto her racket, rolling it around the rim slowly. "... Fifteen all, Kukai-san. Time to get my mind focused and take this seriously."

Of course, as she says this, the ball is still rolling around the edge of her racket.. until her racket dips backwards and the ball bounces onto the racket strings, bouncing once, then twice.. and on the way back down from the third bounce, the ball is served, sending it flying across the net and back at Kukai.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai lets out a whoop of success as the ball goes zipping past Mari, and then laughs for a moment as she fusses at Suzuki. "It does not sound bad!" He grins, bouncing on his heels as she recovers the ball.

Kukai grins. "I thought you were already serious, Mari..." Then she starts rolling the ball around her racquet. That's a neat trick. Then she's bouncing it on the racquet strings. That's.. maybe a bit more. And then she launches the ball at him and he acks, swinging at the ball and ending up sending it into the net on his side. A small part of him thinks that the fact that he intercepted it at all was amazing. "Aaah... 30-15 to you?"

He rubs his head, still thinking about something apparently, glancing over to Daichi who's cheering from the sideline, before tossing up the ball and swinging hard at it until the last moment, giving it a lighter than expected thump to barely get it over her side of the net!

Mari Katsu has posed:
    Mari keeps her focus on Kukai as he picks up the ball for his serve... and once the ball is hit, Mari is already in motion to rush the net and return the 'light' serve with a lob to set Kukai up for her next move. During this motion, Mari's hat puffs up and Raquel shoots out of her hiding spot to fly over and perch on Suzuki's shoulder. "You've got to focus. Try clearing your mind!" Mari calls out to Kukai who seems distracted. "But if you need to talk about something, let's talk!"

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai lunges forward, barely able to return the lob and bounce it back towards Mari's side of the court. When her hat pops up and Raquel begins talking to him, Kukai glances over at her - this may prove detrimental to his ability to return the next shot. "I'm fine! I'm just intent on winning the challenge!"

Mari Katsu has posed:
    Mari slowly grins as she watches Kukai return her shot and rushes forward to smash the tennis ball back across the net to spike it towards the other side of the court away from Kukai. "You're going to have to focus a bit harder too then!" She calls back as she returns the volley back to Kukai, and moves back to her original position placing her left hand over her right shoulder again. "Tch.. still a bit sore, but at least I can use it without detrimental effects..."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai sees Mari moving out of the corner of his eye and shifts, trying to lunge over and hit the spiked tennis ball back at her, nearly falling off his feet as the ball slides past the tip of his racquet, taking a few steps and wobbling as the ball bounces off into scoring position for Mari.

Kukai lets out a slightly angry growl and grasps his racquet, before looking around for Daichi. "Daichi! Chara Change!" Daichi blinks, standing up from the sidelines, then grins and zips over towards Kukai, vanishing as a headband appears on his head, holding his hair up, a metallic green with a big yellow five pointed star on it next to his ear.

Kukai grins and moves over to pick up the ball, holding out his racquet with one hand and bobbling the tennis ball on it as he reapproaches Mari and Raquel. "OK! Now you're in for it! Ready..... GO!" He launches the ball into the air and then slams it towards her side of the court, suddenly all agility and aiming skill!

Mari Katsu has posed:
    As the ball scores another point on Kukai, the athletic pretty cure just grins a bit.. Both because she's excited she got the point and because her new friend is pushing her so hard! ... Of course that doesn't really change when Kukai's disposition changes and her head tilts in curiosity.. Was he really about to unload on her with he transformation to boost his physical abilities? That was something Mari hadn't ever considered - conciously. Alot of her 'attacks' and various moves in tennis shares alot of simularities, but transforming during a match.. That was a completely alien concept to her.. maybe even bordering on cheating!

    Giving a slight grin, the girl settles in and shifts her stance, letting her back leg take most of her weight while preparing to move more fluidly.

"...Alright, I have to hand it to you.. You're the first person that's ever done /that/ on a tennis court..." She comments, not really admiting one way or the other if she approves or not just yet. Still, it wasn't like this was some official match, and the possibility of taking Tennis to a whole other level... That more than anything was making Mari antsy.

"Alright.. Let's see just what i'm up against...! Your serve!" Mari calls out to Kukai, just as the boy launches a serve across the net at a quicker speed than before. To Kukai's surprise, Mari actually goes for it, and sprints at quite literally the limit of her own natural agility to meet the ball and nearly makes it! This time however, Mari is the one that has to hustle and dive for the ball, her own raquet just barely catching the tip of the ball but not managing to return it as she hits the court on her side and slides, the ball bouncing aimlessly out of the court on her side.

"Tch.. Guess that was to be expected.. Still not good enough to return something like that without help..." She mumbles to herself before slowly pulling herself back to her feet and taking a moment to brush off her skirt. "...I'm still not going to give in and admit it just yet though..." She tells herself in a stubborn tone as she leans down to collect the ball and moves back to her position on the court, watching Kukai carefully to judge his movements. "If you're going to go this far, don't you dare hold back, Kukai-san!" she calls out as she starts bouncing her ball on the edge of her raquet again.. It might almost sound like she's being accusing of Kukai when she says it that way, but before the boy will have time to respond, Mari is already launching another serve across the net.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai isn't exactly superpowered right now. Maybe just about 'as good as a human male teenager who plays sports all the time' can get. It's more like his body's more reactive and fluid as he moves, even more agile and limber and faster than he was. Kukai grins back at that shifting stance, and then moves as she actually catches the ball and almost returns it!

Still, though, the ball bounces over to one side and out of the way as Kukai leaps and cheers - his first point! "Woohoo! OK, now we've got a game going! C'mon, you're going down, now! Nobody challenges me and wins!" Blatant falsehood, because Kukai has lost challenges before, but one of his other downsides when he's in a mood like this is running his big mouth. He bobbles from foot to foot as she moves back into position, then laughs and points his racquet at her. "I'm not holding back anything! You just bring it on- whoop!"

The ball is already blazing across the net, and Kukai shifts to one side, bringing his racquet around and swinging it to barely catch the ball and send it back towards her! Something about the way he moves looks so fluid and right - but there's one major problem. Kukai still doesn't know the strategy and movements of tennis. If she can catch him out of position (which he seems to move to often, filled with energy and almost nervous amounts of activity) she can probably blast another point past him..

Mari Katsu has posed:
    The initial burst of energy and shock aside... Kukai is still moving 'normally'... At least as far as Mari can tell.. It gives her enough time to catch her breath and re-examine things before she gives a bit of a grin listening to him carry on and brag. A wide little grin that she doesn't back away from putting on display, despite her usual 'laid back' attitude.

"Is that so? No body?" The girl's face cracks a bit of a smirk as she watches Kukai's movements, returning the ball with a swipe as she starts a back and forth volley with Kukai. Now that she's moving, she doesn't seem to have the trouble she did initially keeping up with Kukai, but she isn't pushing to score a point, just yet.

    "You're pretty good...! But you're still a bit wet behind the ears..." She admits to Kukai in a slightly less intense tone, not wanting to have to point that out. "...I don't know exactly what you did, but the increase in activity and energy is making you push yourself /too/ hard. You're leaving openings...!"

    A point Mari attempts to drive home as she does something a bit unexpected, and flips her racquet so that she's holding it upside down and spins to hit the ball in the opposite direction she would normally, attempting to throw Kukai off with the strange and sudden shift in the way she plays.

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai laughs and then nods, giving her a big thumbs up as she grins at him. "Yup! Nobody! Well. Not that I'd say!" He returns the volley she sends at him, feeling the joy of activity and action and movement, only half listening to her. "Whaddya mean wet behind the ears?" He is having to move more than she is to return the volleys, but then she flips her racquet and the ball goes zipping off in the whole other direction!

Kukai responds quickly but it's just not enough - he dives for the ball and it slips past him entirely even as he falls flat! "Dammit!" He lies there for a second, then hops up, grumbling to himself and picking up the ball from his side of the court. "... Ah. So, um. What's the score? What're we playing to?" He looks a little unfocused, trying to figure out how to beat her now.

Mari Katsu has posed:
    Mari gives a slight grin as she steps over and holds out her hand to help Kukai to his feet as he hops up and smiles. "Actually, that was game.. At least as close as I want to call it, for now... We've been at this for a while and we probably could both use a break." Mari replies before she gives a slight grin. "You're good. A perfect natural.. A bit of practice and you'll be a threat to just about anyone... M yself included. Just one more reason I have to keep pushing myself." Mari says before she quietly lifts her hands behind her head and smiles looking up at the sky. "...That was something else. Never expected you to go all out like that.."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai frowns, taking Mari's hand and getting to his feet. He eyes her, juggling the tennis ball in one hand, then rolls his eyes and hands the ball over. The headband pops off and Daichi poofs into existance on Kukai's shoulder and Kukai leans over, resting his hands on his knees and taknig a deep breath. "Whoof. That was hard..."

He looks up at her and then grins weakly, shrugging and standing up, offering her the spare racquet back. "Well... sorry. Somebody says 'challenge' and I get kinda... invested." He looks over at Daichi, then laughs. "Crap. I guess I lost, didn't I? Damn. That usually doesn't happen! I guess I've been playing with my friends too much."

He smiles and nods at her comment about practice. "I wish I had the time. Maybe I'll squeeze it in at some point. Things are kinda quiet right now. Well... so, hey! You won, so I guess I owe you some kinda prize or reward or something. Wanna go get a snack? I'm starving all of a sudden."

Mari Katsu has posed:
    Mari just grins a bit before she quietly shakes her head. "No, no, don't mention it.. I get pretty invested myself.." She mumbles something while rubbing her shoulder then gives a bit of a grin. "..A prize, huh? I've already got a pretty big prize, but..." She stops for a moment then gives a bit of a grin again. "Well, we're friends now, so we'll play more.. don't expect me to take it easy on you when we do though.. I can't afford to, if I'm going to be the best tennis player in the world..." She states before she quietly grins, then slowly looks to one side. "...You know I keep saying that, but with how busy we've been..." She states, refering to 'work'. "...I wonder if i have /time/ to pursue my own dreams and goals." She continues, mostly to herself before she frowns and slaps her own cheek reassuringly. "No. None of that. Of course I do. It's just a matter of knuckling down and doing it."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai nods. "I mean, if you're gonna play, best to feel it." He stands up fully and then whews, grinning. "Ok, I'm fine with that. And sure, I guess we can play more at some point." He nods, then grins. "Well. I'm gonna be the best sportsman in the world, so I guess I can let you be the best tennis player. I'm taking over basketball and soccer and snowboarding, though. And maybe some other stuff."

He nods, then sighs. "I actually talked that over with somebody I care a lot for. I realized that... we do horribly dangerous stuff. It's kinda scary. And so... you never know when something bad is gonna happen. Not just death, but getting put into a coma or magically teleported away or magically brain wiped or ... all sorts of things. So every day that I can manage, I make time, both for myself and for my friends."

Kukai nods and reaches over, patting Mari's shoulder and grinning. "Right! Best not to think about whether it's good to - just do it and relax. The world won't blow up without somebody calling us first, and then if we rest during that, then we deserve what we get. If we have a chance to rest, we should take it."

Mari Katsu has posed:
    Mari just snickers a bit. "You make it sound like I need you to give me permission to be the best." She replies in a joking tone before she gives a thumbs up, then turns, smiling. "...Magical Brain Wipe..." She mutters a bit then grins. "As if... Anyone who tries that mess with me is going to get a tennis racquet shoved down their throat..." She replies before she smiles. "...In all truth, though... for the longest time, I contemplated not coming back to the city.. call it a bad premonition..." She states before she frowns in silence. "....Worrying what might h appen to your friends and loved ones because of what you do to help the world... isn't the best feeling."

Kukai Souma has posed:
Kukai grins and then shrugs. "Weeell, y'know, I could still start practicing tennis. I might catch up to you sooner than you'd think!"

Kukai listens to her mutter, then laughs. "Ooh yeah? That's probably the best way to deal with it. And ... I know what you mean. Really, though. This is the best place to be if you're gonna be doing anything. Premonition or not, it's where you gotta be."

Kukai shakes his head. "Don't worry. If you're doing good things, then you're doing the right things. It'll be all right." He pats her shoulder again. "There'll be people to back you up, too."