Just Like Old Times [Closed - ATTN: Pretzel]

[Dio]

The warm afterglow of excitement lingered long after the crowds had departed the Polohama Dome.  Cleanup crews had come through not long ago, picking up after the audience and clearing debris from the golem fight to ensure the Dome was ready for its next event.  As the last of the golem crews powered down their rigs for the night, Taiyou Hibana ran the results of the last fight again in her mind.

 

“Yuki-san, you were always too defensive,” she frowned.  “You let Kensei get worn down without any counterattack!”

 

There had been a rapid shift to new blood since her stint in the Dome, but they still suffered from the same old problems.  Too defensive, too timid to press an advantage, too willing to poke at their opponent without committing to a real fight.  The only thing shyness gave in the Dome was a busted golem and forfeited winnings.

 

Hibana tilted her head and cracked her neck before spreading her wings and gliding down to field level.  She trotted through the transport tunnels to the golem hangars, her old stomping grounds.  It had been years since she’d set hoof there, but something had always drawn her back.  A few familiar faces waved as she trotted past, which she acknowledged with a nod or a sloppy salute until she finally stopped at the locked doors of hangar 3.

 

“Tetsu-kun, if only they’d listened to my advice in the last fight,” Hibana muttered.  She continued on but saw that the next hangar remained open and lit.  “Hmm?  What's this?”

Hibana trotted over and peeked inside...

[Pretzelparty]

 

That was a bit dissapointing... Hoshi thought Kensei and Yuki had more skill than that. Maybe their potential wasn't fully harnessed just yet. Regardless, it was a very entertaining match at least that's what the noise of the crowds indicated. Hoshi ended the match in her usual style with a swipe of her hat's visor and glint of the pin in the band before she gave the signal for Kuzunoha to finish Kensei off. She swiftly jabbed her hoof forward in a pointing manner with an glare so icy it looked as if it could freeze the sun. With a flurry of incredibly fast punches and a flash of nine glowing tails the final round ended with Kensei falling on his back and with not enough energy or processing power to stand up in time. It was done, "Was fun while it lasted. Just wish you two lasted longer." She muttered to herself, turning her cap backwards before she did an about face and left the battle. 

About and hour ago, that was. The crowds had drained from the stadium, the hangars of the other tamer's were mostly empty, and Kuzunoha's repairs were finally finished, and Hoshi had decided to stick around to keep Kuzunoha Company before his coming rest mode and transportation to the team's personal hangar. In the downtime before that happened, the arena's "Shooting Star" was leaning against the side of the great best of gem, ore, and magic. In her hoofs she held a small book, reading aloud. The book's title... oddly enough was "I am a fox". 

Her reading of this literature was cut short as she noticed the lights on Kuzunoha beginning to dim down until only faintly visible: Sleep mode had begun. A nimble little hop off her partner and she was off strolling towards the door with her book in hoof. She shut off the lights and quietly made her way to the door before she was face to face with...

 

"Hibana-san?!" Hoshi gasped out insurprise. She had heard the old champ had been hanging around to scope out some of the fights, somehow she assumed she would have left already. Hoshi blinked and looked back in the hangar to see if she'd woken Kuzunoha: She hadn't. She slid the hangar doors shut, a sigh of relief escaping her lips before she turned back to Hibana, "Um... Hiya there."

[Dio]

… and collided with a pegasus coming out of the hangar.

 

“Hey what’s the big idea?” she growled instinctively.  It wasn’t until she glared into the pegasus’ eyes that she realized whom she had just -- literally -- run into.

 

“Hibana-san?”

 

“Shirogane… Hoshi…” she said breathlessly.

 

Stars sparkled in her eyes for a moment as recognition kicked in.  Shirogane Hoshi, golem trainer prodigy.  Master of Kuzunoha.  Idol of Polohama.  Also totally…

 

“KAWAII~!” She grabbed Hoshi and squeezed her in a big bear hug, rubbing cheeks with her.  “Oh you’re even more adorable in person!”

 

"Um... Hiya there."

 

“Oh, heh,” she giggled, putting Hoshi down.  She glanced off to the side and sheepishly scratched the back of her head with a hoof.  “Gomen.  Guess I got a bit carried away!”

“I guess you already know who I am,” Hibana said, her usual cavalier air quickly returning.  “So I won’t trouble you with more silly introductions.  But out of curiosity, what keeps you here late?  I thought only the maintenance crews hung out after hours.  The trainers are usually out partying like rock stars!”

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

This was definitely not at all the reaction she thought she was going to get. Usually after speaking her name another trainer would follow it up by challenging her up right. Instead she wound up being scooped up into a very strong hug. Hoshi had heard of the slightly eccentric pilot of Tetsukuma (and also the shogun's personal golem), Hibana had no idea that she was so affectionate. As the air was slowly being squeezed out of her lungs she managed to gasp out, "I'm not... Ka..waii..." before she set back down. With a quick gasp she finished her thought, "If anything, I'd like to think I'm Sugoi."

After Hibana posed her question, Hoshi looked at her dumbfounded. "You guess? I don't think there's a single trainer in the dome who doesn't know who you are! Don't fret about introductions... I'm actually pretty excited to meet you, myself." Her hoof rubbed at her neck as she turned to her hangar. "Well I actually was um... spending a bit of time with Kuzunoha. She's rather fond of stories and I try to keep up with the crew in case there are any incident. Oh! Is Tetsukuma here with you or is he off playing with Raiju?" She asked with a slight smile.


 

[Dio]

“Sugoi you are, then!  With wins like that, I can’t exactly deny you!”

 

"Well I actually was um... spending a bit of time with Kuzunoha. She's rather fond of stories and I try to keep up with the crew in case there are any incident.”

 

“Hah!  That’s the spirit!  I’d love to meet her sometime when she isn’t trying to get her beauty sleep.”

 

“Oh! Is Tetsukuma here with you or is he off playing with Raiju?" She asked with a slight smile.

 

“Ah… well, technically Tetsu-kun is no longer my golem.  He was the property of Team Kyoudo, so he naturally fell back into their purview when I accepted the job in Kyoma.”  Hibana gave an irritated, sidelong glance at the neighboring hangar.  “Not that they’ve done much with him since I left.  Kyoudo’s a trainwreck right now.  I’d slap some sense into that idiot manager myself if I had time to do it.”

 

Hibana ruffled her wings and flicked her tail.  Tetsukuma’s hangar was still locked.  She was here nearly every weekend and she had yet to see him in a fight.  What were those knuckleheads doing?  She’d have to run down some more old acquaintances later.  For now, it wouldn’t do to unload baggage on Hoshi-san.

 

Before she could speak, however, a loud growl emanated from her stomach.  Cheering on the fights and armchair golem trainer-ing was hungry work!

“Hoshi-san, have you eaten yet?  I’m starving!”

[Pretzelparty]

 

 

"Do you still have his personality saved? I'm planning on having Kuzunoha's personality core uploaded to a smaller frame if anything should happen to her or my career winds up cut short... and if you want I could try and talk to team kyoudo. Tetsu-kun is too awesome to be just left to gather dust in a hangar. It's an absolute travesty is what it is!" The Mare stomped her hoof on the ground in her her frustration at the sight of such a great golem being mistreated. In her overt show of her passion her hat had slid down her head and the visor covered her eyes before she flicked it back with a huff. "Um... Anyway." She cleared her throat, "Food... um...."

 

Hoshi fidgeted in place for a moment before looking around to the exit, "Usually I eat at my place. Whe I do eat out it's either a date or, well... with the crew in celebration. Do you know any good places, Hibana-san?"