04. [video] Fortune

[mech_and_mutt]

[When the video begins, Red's already slumped back into the pilot's seat of his airship, his weary posture and tired limbs looking like they'd already long-since given out on him. He's breathless and panting- and not even in a particularly dog-like way- while sweat somehow manages to run off of his fur. Or is that just water? It'd explain why he was in his blitzball outfit. And all those bruises.

And yet, somehow, his face is the biggest, toothiest smile most people would ever have seen from him.]

..I... did it.

[He pauses, reaching beside him to grab a hold of a metallic water bottle with an oddly familiar logo on it, and ravenously gulps from it a few times between heaving breaths before using the rest to douse himself.

A few seconds of a more familiar canine head-shaking, water-flinging dryoff later- and a quiet ugh from the offscreen moogle- he catches his breath enough to continue.]

Starting lineup. Dragons. Cloud City.

[...and then, as if he suddenly remembered he was actually broadcasting this--]

Uh-- I'm Red. I play Blitzball. For the Cloud City Dragons. It's a great sport. Come watch me sometime. ...cause I just got promoted!!

[He manages a fistbump for a few seconds before his fist quivers, and with a weak groan his arm soon goes limp. Yup. That muscle was probably pulled.]

...So yeah. Tryin' to think of how I should celebrate. Any ideas?

...Y'know, after I get some rest.

Comments

[mech_and_mutt]

Yeah, right. Who could compete with you?

[He gives a quiet laugh, in no small part a response to Mocha's distant, quiet groan from offscreen. What a corny line.]

I'll pass. If I'm gettin' a roommate, it'll be for a better reason than to practice havin' guests.

[mythmaker]

Would you like to know? I'd be happy to tell you sometime.

[She's perfectly happy sharing that little story.]

You aren't lonely there, are you? Isn't that reason enough to have one?

[mech_and_mutt]

Yeah, but nobody wants a bad roommate! It takes a special someone to--

[...Yeah, he's just going to stop right there before he embarrasses himself further. He fakes a clearing of his throat.]

...So you said you had a story about your rival?

[mythmaker]

Special someone?

[That's the same word she uses to describe her own destined lover. Has Red found romance? Whoever the lucky girl is, she'd love to meet her.]

That's right. When we were starting out, we went to perform on a show but were told our appearance was canceled. They'd hired 'Jupiter' instead. Back then, they outmatched us in every way.

[mech_and_mutt]

[That was just a coincidence. It definitely wasn't because he was thinking about what sort of person he'd invite to live with him if it wasn't so terribly forward.]

Jupiter was tryin' to bury their competition, eh? How'd'ja end up getting off the ground?

[mythmaker]

We did it by being ourselves~. Everyone has something special about them, and we let that shine. The same can be said about us 'Heroes,' too.

[mech_and_mutt]

I should've known.

[...That was Azusa for you. Here he was expecting some sort of flashy act of oneupmanship, but instead he gets something wise and kindhearted.

The world just seemed like a better place every time she opened her mouth.]

You always make it seem so easy, too.

[mythmaker]

I do?

[That's news to her. Of course, she's always oblivious to certain aspects of herself and she knows it.]

It wasn't easy. Before Ryuuguu Komachi, I would get turned down after auditions all the time. Back then, me and the other girls were trying our best, but we spent most of our days sitting in the office waiting for work.

[mech_and_mutt]

But it was just a matter of time before you hit it big, right? What was your big break back home, anyway?

[mythmaker]

Smoky Thrill. It's a song with a funky name, right? We debuted on a talk show and everything. It was magical~.

[mech_and_mutt]

[Talk show... well, that was either radio or television, and either way the point was the same.]

And the rest was history?

[mythmaker]

The rest was hard work. At our next big concert, I was so ill that someone had to cover for me. Ufufu, but I think that was for the best...I got to see something wonderful.

[mech_and_mutt]

Really? What'd'ja see?

[Something worth getting sick and missing a concert over...?]

[mythmaker]

They couldn't cancel the event, you see, so instead of my purple waves we had an entire sea of green~.

[But she knows that makes absolutely no sense.]

My manager, Ritsuko...she used to be an idol. She performed in my place. All of her old fans showed up, waving her color in the audience. When I watched the playback, it was beautiful.

[mech_and_mutt]

[So... green hair. Got it. Probably.]

Wow. All of her fans were still stickin' by her and going strong, huh? How long had it been?