[Jack Orion]

Jack frowned for a moment, his body starting to untense a little bit as the mastermind spoke in his head. Judging by Retsu's own response, it looked like he gave them all some sort of half-assed comment. His adrenaline starting to die down, Jack would take a deep breath, letting himself relax a little bit. All that talk from someone like this clown... A low chuckle and a shake of the head would show more than enough of how the fox boy felt about that comment, but he always was one not to beat around the bush about things.

"Shit, you really are just an idiot, ain't ya? All that talk, all that dragging people into your little game...and yet."

He would swipe at the bubble around him, figuring now would be the time to be rid of it. As he would start to walk towards the next area, his more trademark smirk would form on his features. He was starting to get a clearer picture of what this guy was about, and needless to say, he was just disappointed at best. "'I want you to realize your own potential'. Spare me the sanctimonious bullshit. If I wanted to be better than either Retsu or Noa, I would show that to them. Hell, Retsu I kinda already did. But you? You're nothing but another wannabe big shot villain, same as the rest of them. Congratulations, you used the results of another villain's stunt to pull off your bull. What, am I supposed to be impressed? Learn the deeper meaning of dreams or whatever it is you're trying to pull?"

He shook his head, chuckling again. "You don't even know the first thing about me, pal. Don't even bother pretending."

With that, he would move on, his confidence slowly returning. He got caught off guard between the whole dream world and Quirk swapping nonsense. He would snatch the fireball token that would spawn in front of him, squinting a bit at it before shrugging it off for now and striding forwards. He was getting a hang of everything now - nothing was going to stop him. At least, that was what he thought.

Then he realized where he was.

He basically ignored a lot of what Aika was saying for the most part, remembering that this was where he was before everyone got pulled into the Dream World. He was holding a bit of a presentation about Quirked animals, explaining how they tend to differ a lot from Quirked humans and such...using Opal and Lapis as examples.

It wouldn't be long before he would spot them, luckily at least still together. He would give them a low whistle, clapping to get their attention. "Opal! Lapis! It's okay, I'm here!" he called to them. Opal would whine and yip at Jack as she ran towards him as fast as her stubby legs would take her. Lapis, ever the calmer of the two, approached him with a bit of caution, recognizing the voice but looking him up and down, taking in the new appearance. What, was this another Kupo, the lynx thought?

A quick sniff later, and Lapis would quickly start licking at Jack's face and hair, purring loudly. Jack laughed happily, at least glad to see that his beloved pets were safe. Overhearing some of Retsu's stuff, he would raise an eyebrow up at the sky. "I pick these two. If you got a problem with that, come down here and say it to my face." he challenged, more than willing to fight this guy over these two. 

---

Tl;Dr
-Laughed at Aika's comments, calming down and challenging his viewpoints and viewing him as another wannabe big shot.
-Snatched the fireball token, starting to come back to his senses after all the shocks thus far.
-Realized they were at the petting zoo, remembering where he was before everything went down. 
-Found Opal and Lapis, comforting them and choosing the both of them as his companions.
-Challenged Aika to contest his pick of two animals instead of one, more than ready to fight him over it.

[Arataki Noa]

Instead of a more public announcement, Noa experienced the weird sensation of their host speaking directly into her head. Honestly it was not the kind of message she was expecting to hear, and upon seeing the reactions of the other two, they probably didn't hear something favorable. This whole thing was far too suspicious for her to trust kind and hopeful messages from their mystery host. But at least all she got out of it was mild confusion. The other two were taking their messages pretty badly as far as she could tell. She took note of the message and the token as they moved on.

After successfully clearing the first area, they were now at a location with a lot of animals. Aika Ao thought it would be funny to speak to them through a goat. Just like the first course, what they were meant to do here was again vague. Pick an animal? Were they going to protect it or transport it? In that case it would be smart to choose something small. Was it going to assist them with a challenging task? In that case the play would be to pick something physically capable. With not much info to go on, the wrong choice could potentially screw them over.

While Noa was momentarily lost in thought, the other two made their selections. A goose and, two animals with Quirks? She couldn't think of a better word to describe them cause at first glance they didn't look normal at all. They certainly didn't appear to be farm animals either so she was wondering how their host would take this creative interpretation of the rules. As for the goose, all she could think was 'why' exactly? But anyway she had to make her own decision. In the end she felt she ought to go with the latter idea she had. If the next challenge needed an animal then she wanted a strong and reliable partner.

"I'd like the Shetland pony if you don't mind"

She would say, addressing the talking goat. It was small and cute, but deceptively strong for its size. And if it was from the petting zoo area of the park then it was definitely trained. It was either the pony or one of the dogs, but she had this urge to pick something she could ride. Fingers crossed that she chose correctly.

TLDR: Noa was surprised by the message but isn't fully trusting it at the moment. She is equally surprised by the animal choices of the other two and at this point has given up on using them as references. Her pick for this round is a pony.

Bakiri Retsu ,Aysu ,Jack Orion

[Aysu]

✧ JUST A DREAM AWAY ✧

Dream World?, 7:00 pm

Retsu: "I am all around you! There is no where for me to go. I'm the air and the sky and the very bubble that you're on!" He'd laugh, the echo being inside Retsu's head and all around her. "Perhaps if you prove yourself worthy, I will show myself properly. For now though, you have work to do!" As Retsu picks a goose, the goat version of Aika Ao looks and nods. "A formidable foe for sure. I think that you chose well."

Jack: "I see. You think that I want to be better than you, better than all of you? No, I am here for fun, and to see people go out of their comfort zone to do things they wouldn't. Do you think that people from all over Japan would have came together for anything else other than an amusement park or some tragedy? Though you may think I'm being malicious, this world that you entered is not to harm you, but to trust yourself and who you are without your stupid little quirks. You are nothing and everything without them, especially for those like you that carry their weight on their reality that they matter because of their powers." The speech was soft, mellow, but not condescending. When Jack picks two animals, Aika just shrugs and doesn't say much about it. "That's fine, at least you picked something that you are close to, good idea."

Noa: It seemed that she didn't mind too much about what he said, which was surprising. To be fair, she had been the one that he had said the nicest things to. "Your willingness to think without blowing up is something I commend you for." As Noa picks a horse, the goat nods in agreement, thinking that it was great choice as well. "Nice choice for this."

With each of them picking out their chosen animals, Aika Ao the goat would look at the three contestants and look with approval. "You have all chosen your animals, not based on what you would do with them, but for other reasons. You all had no idea of I was going to ask you to ride them, to carry them, to act like them... But you all picked what spoke to you, and I commend that greatly, more than you know. A choice made from the heart is a true one." The speech seemed perhaps out of place without knowing what was going to happen next, but Aika Ao was a weird person, or goat.

"Now, you may all be wondering what you are going to do with these animals." The goat would go around and look to each of the animals, his eyes glowing red for a moment. "You are to discuss with them and create a performance. You'll be presenting it to... Well..." The goat would look back to the rest of the animals in the area, and in a pop of smoke they would be transported onto an imaginary stand. Each of the animals would turn into those that all three of them saw as those that judged them. Their old teachers, their parents perhaps, those that stood in their way, bullied them, ignored them and more. They would scowl, arms crossed and judging.

"You have five minutes to come up with something to impress them!" The goat would point his hooves to the stand, and then back to them. "Good luck!" With a smile, the animals that they chose would look towards their companions in anticipation.

Rules and Information: Your animals and you have to make a performance to impress those that have wronged them in the past. P.S. Your animals can talk to you!

TLDR; Everyone picks an animal, Aika Ao makes it so that the animals they chose can talk to them. The other animals are teleported into a spectator area and become those that have wronged them in the past. You have 5 minutes, or most likely 1 post, to think of something!
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------

OOC: Welcome to Dream World Part 2! First of all thank you for signing up!! I'm so excited to tell this story with you all! Remember you have to post at least ONCE per round, but you can skip one round if you have to. A second skip will result in no tokens being given. There are going to be 8 - 10 rounds total and I will announce when we have reached the halfway point, as well as when we're nearing the end in our designated Dream World discord channel.

Remember to include a TL;DR at the end of your post! <3

Additionally, if you want to plan a cool character moment ahead of time, like making a heroic sacrifice or setting up a team attack, but want to keep it a surprise to the other people in the thread until it happens, feel free to sneak into my DMs so we can plan out the details! This is not mandatory, but I want to make sure every character shines and looks their best during this thread!

The next round will begin on 016/04/2024 @ 5pm PST

Music Mood:

tag: Jack Orion Rin Bakiri Retsu

[Bakiri Retsu]

The echo got to her. People messing with her head without her being able to fight against it was one of the things Retsu hated the most. It awoke in her a cold kind of anger. One that didn't prompt another stream of fire so much as it caused her mind relentlessly pursue on a single goal. Removing the source.

As Aika Ao continued talking Retsu could tell he was using the carrot and stick method. She restrained herself from doing something she'd regret, utterly ignorant to how different the mere thought was from her usual ways. She wouldn't forget his actions however. Oh, she'd continue playing along until she got her hands on him alright. The moment she did though...

Later, Retsu reminded herself as she paid attention to the rest of his words. A performance wasn't exactly what she'd been expecting. Perhaps in hindsight she should have. The center of this whole operation had been a Grand Stage after all. The further into his explanation he got the more confused Retsu was. How was she supposed to discuss things with a goose? Could it understand her? She supposed the other one seemed to have done so. Retsu scratched her head before shrugging. Nothing to it, she'd have to give it a try.

Her gaze was drawn to the smoke cloud. She froze when she saw the audience. So many faces that looked familiar, even if she barely remembered the majority of them. People she'd crossed on the street, nameless figures that had given her looks when she was out shopping, faces of opponents from her youth she only vaguely recalled and more. It was amazing the stands could fit them all. Some she did recognize easily. Rui sat in the audience right next to her brother, the expression looking almost uncanny on her features. Facade, Elias and Azazel sat not far from them; Each more condescending than the last. Even her parents sat amongst the crowd. They were observing the other contestants, pointedly avoiding ever looking in her direction.

"Huh, those really are realistic."
 
She tried to muster up her anger but the shreds she could manifest were simply siphoned into her hair. It left her feeling a familiar emptiness. The fact that she couldn't fill it with fury or let herself see red to blank out the truth made it even worse. Retsu shook her head. She couldn't afford to get caught up on it. She only had five minutes and holy hells she couldn't believe she was playing along with this. 

"Roite. Let's make things clear. Ah dun' lahk you and you dun' lahk me. The sooner we're done with this shite the sooner we ken both go our seperate ways, yeah?"

"Honk."

"So let's put our heads tagether and... what the fook am I even saying. Roite, ah'll come up with somethin'."

"Honk."

"Roite, so, uhm. Ah ken throw chunks a' hair at ya and ya ken dodge 'em in midair as a stunt with explosions behind ya?"

"That's a stupid idea."

"Huh?"

"Honk."

Retsu squinted in suspicion. The goose stared back with a feigned mask of innocence that couldn't hide its malice. 

"Roite then, fookhead. Here's what we're gonna do..."

---

Wings of fire spread behind Retsu as she shot through the air, higher and higher until she was little more than a dot in the sky. She hadn't know whether it'd work at first but five minutes had been more than enough time to prove that the bubble wasn't the sole thing responsible for her flight. Her new quirk was perfectly capable of doing so without it. Convincing the goose had been far harder than figuring out how to fly. Even now she was still half convinced it would screw her over partway through.

One final flap of her hair brought her as high as she was willing to go. The moment of weightlessness at the apex of her flight was almost intoxicating. Fear mixed with joy, pride, giddiness and a dozen other feelings she didn't have the time to dwell on at the moment. Not that she tried. She was wholly focused on taking the sensation in.

Then came the drop.

Her skin prickled with cold sweat. Retsu didn't let it stop her. As she fell she reached into her fiery mane, pulled and threw. Orb after orb joined her descent until it looked like a veritable meteor shower was heading right for the stage. Down below she could see two white wings spread in a threatening display. Its head reared back and despite the distance she swore she could see its chest inflate from where she was moments before it let loose.

"Honk! Honk! Honk! Honk!"

The echo filled the air, a sonic boom visible in the sky as it spread in a half-sphere right towards her. Every single one of the orbs detonated upon contact briefly turning the sky into a violet tapestry of fire. Only one streak pierced through it like a falling star, shining so brightly she was barely visible amidst the flames. 

Fire roared around her so loudly she could barely hear her own thoughts. Retsu's smile spread so wide her cheeks hurt. Down below a white blur rose to meet her, its wings flapping to put them right on a collision course. At the very last moment they both swerved, passing each other so close she could feel its pinions grazing her. With a flap and a twist Retsu flew back up as the goose flew down. They spiralled around each other like a double helix as they circled the area until they were both behind the stands. From there their paths split, Retsu going left and the goose going right. When they were both on opposite sides they turned once more and flew towards the middle in an arc. Up and then down they flew, both of them heading straight for the ground to land right in front of each other.

Retsu hit the stage in a three-point landing, hand and knee on the ground, while the goose kept its wing wide open in a threatening display the moment it landed. Slowly Retsu stood, but a single thought going through her head.

'Fook, hero landings hurt like hell.'

As one they both turned to face the audience. Their expression wasn't something they'd planned yet in their own ways their faces showed the same thing. A challenge. As if they were daring the crowd to say something. It wasn't even a warning that they'd face their combined wrath if they did so. It was a promise.

---

TL;DR:
Retsu's anger turns cold at the thought of Aika Ao being in her head. The anger sputters out into a numbness when she sees the audience. After a rough start the goose and Retsu manage to coordinate to put on a show, blanketing the sky in fire and performing an arial chase before landing in the center of the stage and turning towards the crowd, daring them to say anything.

Tags: Aysu,Arataki Noa,Jack Orion

[Arataki Noa]

Performing arts were not exactly Noa's forte. Her singing and dancing skills were pretty average. She had a bit of artistic flare when it came to manipulating her quirk as she considered it part of her training in control. But with her quirk being swapped into a different one, she probably wasn't going to be able to make a performance with it that would satisfy her in the time that they had. In that case she could only lean on her physical ability. As for what her partner for this section could offer in turn, all she could do was ask. The host did say they could talk right?

"I'm going to be honest with you. Performances aren't my strong point. Do you have any talents worth showcasing? I'm thinking that I'm just going to have to complement you."

"That's a shame. I'm sure you have what it takes to be a star, but if you insist on basing the performance on me, it can't be helped. I'm fairly confident in finding my way around an obstacle course. How is your riding skill?"

Noa was pleasantly surprised that the partner she ended up choosing was understanding and cooperative. With her current quirk, setting up obstacles for a short course should be more than doable. As for her riding ability, well she wouldn't have chosen a pony if she didn't know how to ride one. She wasn't an expert by any means but she was pretty sure she could stay on a horse without any trouble at all.

"I want to say it's passable but perhaps I can give myself more credit in that you probably wouldn't be able to buck me off your saddle without falling over yourself. In which case we both lose. I can also make a course for us with my quirk."

The pony laughed. "Sounds promising. Alright lets go with a course then. Also, I'll hold you to that claim!"

The two continued with their discussion, plotting how the run would go. Noa would clarify things such as how high and how far her pony partner could jump. They would also experiment with a few tricks such as Noa attempting to stand on the pony's back while it was moving. Her best time with that was thirty seconds. Soon it would be their turn to put on a performance.

The area they had to work with was pretty small. It was pretty much the size of a dog show course, but there was not much they could do about that. With her quirk, Noa set up multiple rings of fire around the area. There were also a few ramps leading up to long stretches of flames meant to be jumped over. It wasn't a difficult course at all so they couldn't go for an exciting angle for the performance. Instead they would focus on elegance: a perfect execution with poise and grace. They wouldn't be the flashiest show but they would be the smoothest and prettiest.

And then they would begin. The first part of the track was consecutive flaming rings. They were spaced uniformly so when the horse and rider jumped through, they did so at a steady beat and rhythm. You would think that Noa had been doing this for years, but really it was the pony doing the heavy lifting here. She was just making good on her promise to stay on their back confidently. The next part was the first ramp over a 5 meter 'sea' of flames. The pony began to speed up to get a running boost and the pair was able to clear the distance with room to spare. Noa was starting to feel good about their show.

The next part was just a stretch of flat ground. As for why that was so, it was because it was time for Noa's contribution. The pony didn't stop moving but slowed down a bit to allow the rider to stand on its back. The impromptu balancing act was then followed by Noa generating fireballs from her hands and proceeding to 'juggle' them while standing on the horse's saddle. She maintained this act for about twenty seconds and then threw the fireballs forward to light up a new set of rings that was coming up on their track. As she sat back down, the pony sped up again, leaping through the flaming rings consecutively at a pace faster than earlier.

Finally the last ramp was upon them. This time what awaited beyond it was a seven meter 'sea' of flames. It was a staggering distance, especially for an animal that wasn't quite a full sized horse. But the pair was going to employ a bit of a trick to get over it. Speeding up once again, the pony leapt as high as they could. Meanwhile Noa would give the both of them a bit of a boost with a stream of flames shot from her back. This would be the roughest part of their performance as there wasn't really much time to practice. But the most important thing was that they made it to the other side and the end of their course.

Slowing down to a light gallop, Noa and her partner would turn and walk towards the stands for the final judging. It was a very surreal experience though. Why? Because the crowd of faces staring at Noa to judge her were all her own face. After all, she was the one person who was most judgmental of herself.

TLDR: Noa would go with an obstacle course run for her performance with her pony partner with a few fire tricks. At the end of their performance, she would be judged by a crowd of Noa's.

Bakiri Retsu ,Aysu ,Jack Orion

[Aysu]

✧ JUST A DREAM AWAY ✧

Dream World?, 7:00 pm

The goat would smile at the reactions that were given by each of his players. So far, he had hoped that he had kept them on their toes and given them something to truly think about. It may have been too easy to simply think that things were going to go as they wanted to, or that whatever Aika came up with for his plan was going to be easy. Wiht their reactions, he assumed that none of them thought that they would be preforming to those that doubted them throughout their lives. It sounded silly, it was silly, but this wasn't reality.

After the instructions, Aika would leave them be. Casually, he would go to mingle with the fake versions of the people that the three of them held dear. They'd talk about the weather, about the new fashion trends, about what was happening with their families. If any of them listened in, they'd be able to tell that Aika's conversations were pretty much nonsense; it was a bunch of jumble about things that didn't make any sense because there was no sense to be made.

As Retsu went first, Aika and the audience watched with intent. Both parties were silent, with crossed arms and grimaces clear on the faces of many people in the audience. They were waiting to be impressed by something to show really any emotion other than disgust. Would Retsu be able to pull it off in a way that was valuable for her? With her performance finished, the audience was dead silent, but only for a moment. Like the crackle of a fire, it started to rise even more, becoming uncontrollable cheers. People whistled and roared. "That was so badass!" a man would shout out. "OMG wow, I never knew a villain could be so amazing, I'm sorry I doubted you!" a woman would scream. "Wow are you a cannon because you blew me away!" a slightly older voice would echo over. Finally, most of the faces would turn to whoever Retsu cared about most. They'd nod to her, giving their approval. Perhaps in the real world, such things would have never been said to her; here, just maybe, Retsu could realize that everyone could be on their side and a fan of who they were. "Amazing display little play and... Goose!" Aika would shout in his goat form, clapping his hooves together like hands.

After Retsu cleared the stage, it was Noa's turn. Once the crowd settled, it seemed that the faces in the crowd that were for the young lady were much more intent. Their faces were much more disapproving, perhaps showing the inner strife that Noa had with herself. With Noa deciding to do an obstacle course, Aika was surprised by her willingness to cooperate with the animal that she chose. Even if it felt like the easiest solution, not everyone would trust their lives to a beast they had known for less than a few minutes. With her performance done and underway, there was again silence. Just like the performance with Retsu, they once again would jump and scream for joy, clapping and whistling and yelling praises towards her. "You're enough!" a man would yell out. "I'm sorry I bullied you, you rock!" a younger girl would echo after. "I wish we could have been friends!" an older voice, perhaps a teacher's, would boom over. Finally, it seemed that many of the faces would change to whomever Noa cared for the approval of most. In that face, they would all smile back to Noa, gently clapping. "You did it, you believed in yourself."

"Thank you for that show, lady Noa." Aika would nod as well, his voice seemingly louder than the rest. "It seems that we only have one left to preform." His gaze would fall onto Jack, wondering what he had next. "In the meantime-" the goose and the horse that had been beside them seemed to disappear into another little token, plopping into each of their hands. "-they're yours now, speak to them whenever you want while you're here, they're a part of you."

Rules and Information: N/A

TLDR; With Retsu and Noa getting a great reception, they await for Jack. The animals become tokens that each of them can talk to and keep.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------

OOC: Welcome to Dream World Part 2! First of all thank you for signing up!! I'm so excited to tell this story with you all! Remember you have to post at least ONCE per round, but you can skip one round if you have to. A second skip will result in no tokens being given. There are going to be 8 - 10 rounds total and I will announce when we have reached the halfway point, as well as when we're nearing the end in our designated Dream World discord channel.

Remember to include a TL;DR at the end of your post! <3

Additionally, if you want to plan a cool character moment ahead of time, like making a heroic sacrifice or setting up a team attack, but want to keep it a surprise to the other people in the thread until it happens, feel free to sneak into my DMs so we can plan out the details! This is not mandatory, but I want to make sure every character shines and looks their best during this thread!

The next round will begin on 23/04/2024 @ 5pm PST

Music Mood:

tag: Jack Orion Rin Bakiri Retsu

[Bakiri Retsu]

Retsu panted in exhaustion as she stood before the audience. She had no idea how to react. Cheers, whistles and roars weren't something she was used to. It felt wrong. Looked wrong. She couldn't even imagine those expressions on the faces before her. For a moment it was almost like she was looking at herself from a third-person view, standing stunned and with her mouth open amidst a barrage of applause. Was this what heroes experienced all the time? No wonder the quirked up lunatics pursued success with such fervor.

As with all good in her life the joyful crowd did not stay for long. One by one they faded away into nothing until but a few approving faces remained. Rui sitting next to Lylyana flanked by Sho on one side and for some reason herself on the other. She assumed it was herself at least. Without the eyepatch she hardly recognized herself. No, that excuse was simply deluding herself. It was the rest she did not recognize. Her features for sure, but the smile was different. Softer. Less marred by mania and obsession. Was this what approval looked like on her features? She'd never seen it. Not in pictures nor in the mirror. 

What truly made it so she hardly recognized 'herself' however was what she was wearing. A desaturated purple top with frills around the sleeves, shoulder area and more above a stylish black dress skirt. All of it was accentuated by accessories she wouldn't have worn in a million years. Retsu didn't understand what it meant. What was the dream trying to show her?

What she could have been had she had a quirk? What might have been had she applied herself properly? What she could be if she let go of her anger?

It left her with a bitter taste in her mouth even as the seats showed different faces for the next act and a token appeared in her hand as a sign of her success. Stepping back to let the others have their time in the limelight she lost herself in contemplation. What was wrong with her today? Something felt off. No, perhaps that wasn't the correct way to put it. Something felt right and she didn't like it.

---

TL;DR:
Retsu is stunned by the response of the crowd and loses herself in thought.

Tags:Aysu,Arataki Noa,Jack Orion

[Jack Orion]

"Oh, for the love of God please just shut up already..."

Jack grumbled in annoyance, the man's preaching about the whole 'choice made of love' nonsense getting to him. Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. When you literally bring his damn pets into this dreamscape what did he expect? Hell, that by itself started to anger Jack more as he thought about it. What about the rest of these animals, too? All just minding their business, all just going about their day just for this clown to bring them into his game.

Sickening. Every last bit of it.

This feeling intensified as their 'host' would go on to explain what their next activity was. A...A what? A talent show? For a fake audience??? Jack's eye started to twitch violently at the lunacy of it all. Even moreso at the prospect of both Noa and Retsu just being on board with it, the animals even talking back to them. He looked around himself, really just taking in the Dream World for the first time since he got here. This perverted sense of reality, this charade... Jack grit his teeth in response, but said nothing yet. This was all so, so wrong. Every fiber in his body felt sick.

He would look to both Opal and Lapis, raising an eyebrow at them. "...Speak." he said, curiosity getting the better of him. "Hai hai!"  "Please don't do anything stupid." Jack's eyes narrowed at them, snorting just a little bit in amusement. Yeah, they talked, but it was definitely them. "Since when do I do anything like that?" he joked back, a bit of a malicious grin starting to form on his face.

This aside, he would watch Retsu's and Noa's performances with a frown. Watching Retsu parade around with a damnable goose, then watching Noa ride around on a magical-looking pony. Jack clutched his hands, enough to the point where even blood started to drip. Even moreso when the 'audience' would start to praise them for their performances. He almost lost himself in his thoughts before the realization that his turn was up.

"I REFUSE!!!"

Jack's bellow would sound all around the area, like it didn't just come from someone the size of a preschooler. Gritting his fangs, shaking with anger, he would glare at both Retsu and Noa. "Look at yourselves! You, the 'great' Bakuretsu, lowering yourself down to doing showtunes and acting like a damn ballerina! How're you going to make the world bow down when you can barely take yourself seriously at the first sign that you weren't in control?! I thought you were pathetic enough before, but even you have to see the lunacy in this!!! And you!" he snapped, looking at Noa, though he paused after a moment, his expression softening a little.

"...Okay, I don't really know you that well so I really can't give you too much grief here. But c'mon, you're a UAU student, just like me! Have some pride in yourself rather than kowtowing at someone like this!" he exclaimed, shaking his head before looking up at the sky. "And let's not forget our 'benevolent' host here! Making us act like his playthings for his own damn amusement! Acting as if he's a god, just because he managed to piggyback off someone and catch everyone off guard!"

Snarling at the sky, a fire even hot that Retsu's quirk blazing in his eyes, he continued. "I don't care how many times you put me back to play your stupid games, it won't change a damn thing! I refuse to be someone else's fucking toy! You may have invaded my mind and altered my body, but there's one thing an Orion always keeps! HIS PRIDE!!!" he shouted, standing defiantly still. "You got that, you self-inflated egotistical freak?!"

---

Tl;Dr
-Getting more annoyed at Aika's rambling, telling him to shut up
-Realizing what it was he wanted them to do, Jack started to actually become aware of the situation they're in.
-Thought about the fact that even animals were brought into this twisted game.
-Tested both Opal's and Lapis's attitudes, at least relieved and infuriated that it's actually them.
-Watched Noa's and Retsu's performances with disgust.
-Called out the both of them for kowtowing to Aika, though was a little softer with Noa due to the fact he didn't know her that well.
-Exclaimed he refused to take any more part in this, keeping his pride despite everything.

[Arataki Noa]

When Noa heard the instructions for this last task they performed and the 'objective' to impress allegedly people from their past, she figured there were a few things she could check using it. The first was whether or not the mastermind was genuinely able to peer deep into their psyche to arrange the so-called judging crowd. Because if that was the case, then there was no point in plotting against the villain since they could practically read their minds. The result? The resounding cheers and positive messages all but convinced the girl that whatever their host could 'see' was surface level. If the host could truly read their feelings and memories, then Noa was positive that the judgment she would have gotten for her performance would have been an entirely different reception. Naturally she kept these thoughts to herself and gratefully accepted the token and 'praise' for her supposed job well done. For her, the real prize was the new knowledge on what they were up against.

Noa was in the middle of pondering her next course of action when the third member of their little party went on an angry outburst. Well, this wasn't exactly new. The two other strangers had been mad and noisy from the start so she was just going to tune them out again since they didn't seem to be helpful or cooperative. Imagine her surprise when, despite minding her own business, the little boy actually thought to address her directly. It was something about being disappointed... to which Noa couldn't help but make a certain face unconsciously.

What was this idiot talking about? Noa didn't particularly care about anyone who had a death wish, but since it seemed like they were going to continue being annoying, she might as well say her piece now and get it over with.

"Oh, you think this is kowtowing? I see. Thank you for your opinion. But I disagree."

"If you are open to getting my opinion, I suggest participating in earnest. I'm sure you value your pride more than your life. But if you are a hero student like you claim you are, surely you don't value your pride more than the lives of others?"

She would not elaborate further. If the simpleton couldn't figure out on his own why he was potentially endangering innocents with his actions, then he was a lost cause.

Noa would proceed to walk over to the side to continue thinking about the new info she got from this task. She wasn't really in the mood for babysitting at this time.

TLDR: Noa gets suspicious about the results of the performance but keeps her thoughts to herself. Briefly responds to Jack with her disagreement on his views before walking away without waiting for his reply. She can't be bothered.

Bakiri Retsu ,Aysu ,Jack Orion

[Aysu]

✧ JUST A DREAM AWAY ✧

Dream World?, 7:00 pm

Ah, Jack refused? The goat would blink, looking at Jack and feeling a bit unsure. "Why do you think that being okay with preforming is bad? Do you think that making the best of any situation is... shameful?" The goat laughs, still on the stands, annoyed. "I don't think you're getting the point of all of you being here." Aika would eventually turn back into his human form, the one that they would have seen on the television or in the newspapers. He was tall, easily over 6 and a half feet, with a suit of red. He'd get closer, looking to Jack with suspicion and confusion. "I am not forcing you to do anything. I'm telling you how to win at this 'game' that you see before you. If you want to get out of here having learned something, I'd listen to me and look at what your allies are doing. If you want to stay here, stubborn, thinking that you're the best at everything, you're welcome to do so." Looking over to Noa and Retsu and smiling, he'd make sure that his appreciation was seen. "These two ladies are able to understand what this place means for them- this is your time to do anything and everything you'd want with no judgement."

As Jack refuses, he looks to the town girls and motions them forward to the next area. "Jack, you do not get a token, therefore you fail this challenge. Let's move on." As he says this, those that had prepared for Jack's performance dissipate as they were never real in the first place. He would walk with them, whether or not Jack follow or not, to the next area. On the maps of Retsu and Noa, there would be a check mark for both the first and second area. The third area would be a huge food court area. There were still vendors, offering takoyaki, ice cream, hot dogs, and other festival foods. "As your reward, please take a moment to drink and eat up. I promise, this will not harm you in the slightest, but is your thanks from me for understanding the meaning of this place." He'd say this to Retsu and Noa, bowing a bit, before looking back to Jack. "You however, do not."

Rules and Information: N/A Retsu and Noa are able to eat or drink anything that they would like to from anything that they want as a reward. Since Jack did not complete both locations, he is not able to participate. If Jack attempts to eat or drink anything, they will disappear before it can be consumed.

TLDR; Aika is disappointed in Jack. He tells him that he is missing the point, and congratulates Retsu and Noa for understanding what they need to do. As a reward, Retsu and Noa are able to get access to any food or drink they want.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------

OOC: Welcome to Dream World Part 2! First of all thank you for signing up!! I'm so excited to tell this story with you all! Remember you have to post at least ONCE per round, but you can skip one round if you have to. A second skip will result in no tokens being given. There are going to be 8 - 10 rounds total and I will announce when we have reached the halfway point, as well as when we're nearing the end in our designated Dream World discord channel.

Remember to include a TL;DR at the end of your post! <3

Additionally, if you want to plan a cool character moment ahead of time, like making a heroic sacrifice or setting up a team attack, but want to keep it a surprise to the other people in the thread until it happens, feel free to sneak into my DMs so we can plan out the details! This is not mandatory, but I want to make sure every character shines and looks their best during this thread!

The next round will begin on 30/04/2024 @ 5pm PST

Music Mood:

tag: Jack Orion Rin Bakiri Retsu

[Bakiri Retsu]

Her mood was already shot before Jack's rant began and the blustering fool certainly didn't make it better. His entire spiel just reeked of naivety. Retsu would have pitied him if she didn't despise him so much in this very moment. What the hells did he know? He probably had some kind of quirk that let him just cruise through life as if the world owed him success. It disgusted her. 

Sure, raging against the machine wasn't something she disliked but the dude had picked the weirdest hill to die on. Not to mention moment. There was fighting back and then there was throwing a tantrum. Attempting to throw out words when you had no way to do lasting harm was the latter. Retsu scoffed in disdain and shook her head. She'd seen his type before. Stubborn, arrogant and utterly unaware of their own limits. They tended to die the moment they ran into something they couldn't handle, bashing their heads against the impenetrable wall until they broke. Faces flashed through Retsu's mind. Faces of people she'd seen in the crowd moments before. Of people she'd buried herself. When you lacked the unfair advantages he'd clearly had you either rolled with the punches until you found the right time to fight back or you met a pointless end. Anyone that had survived long enough in a position like hers knew that. 

She wasn't even gonna waste words on him. He wasn't worth the air it'd take.

Putting his performance issues aside she focused on what really mattered. Finding a way out of this place and making those responsible pay for what they did. With every word Aika Ao spoke the scales of priority tipped just a little more towards the latter, consequences be damned. Their time to do anything and everything they want with no judgement? What a riot. Did he not just summon a literal crowd to judge them? 

Retsu's hand twitched towards the pistol hidden beneath her jacket when Aika Ao approached. Here he was, in the flesh. Exactly the opportunity she'd asked for. One bullet just might be enough to end him. Any other day she wouldn't have hesitated. Now though? Who knew whether killing him would get them out of this place or simply rid them of the means to exit. Not that she trusted that he'd just let them out of course, but that didn't mean she was gonna take even dumber risks. Oh, she wouldn't fight the inevitable confrontation on his terms. Now just wasn't the time to set it off yet.

"So, does 'is fook up mean we're gon' be stuck 'ere longer?" Retsu asked the man as they walked, more to gauge his reaction than out of any expectation of honesty. She was rather sure she'd get an answer meant to 'motivate' her to continue playing his game. No, it wasn't what he said that she'd be paying attention to. It was what he'd leave out that she'd be sussing out.

Either way they had to get out of here as soon as possible. The longer they stayed the more likely it was they'd make a mistake that would get them wholly trapped within his schemes. Case in point, this food court. She impassively scanned the booths. The aromas wafting from them were positively mouth-watering. Sizzling resounded bringing to mind childhood memories of carefree days attending festivals and the clamor of spatulas against cookware sapped the tension from one's bones. 

It was a veritable feast compared to reality's famine. Retsu could smell it. The flowery scent of this dream carried a distinct undertone of bullshit.

As far as she could tell she had two options right now. Either get rid of everyone in her way and complete the rest of this by herself or struggle through trying to cooperate with her temporary 'allies'. Retsu let out a sigh like a dying tractor. Without knowing the next challenge offing them now may well be a death sentence. The first of the two she went to was Noa.

"Yo. Fancy y'rself Persephone?" Retsu asked with a nodded greeting. Ever since joining ENKI she'd been reading up on myths here and there. She wasn't interested in repeating that one's mistake. After all, Aika Ao had only said the food wouldn't harm them and it was clear that he didn't exactly see staying in this place as harmful. One was at their most vulnerable when they thought they'd won. Retsu had seen celebrations go wrong all too often and wasn't gonna drop her guard during this victory banquet.

Which meant she had to go talk to the second person on her list fast. She could just imagine him scarfing down whatever he could get his hands on out of spite. Truly, she should just shoot him and hope for the best. The only reason she didn't was in case the next -and she was hoping final- challenge needed all three of them. Truly. It didn't have anything to do with the fact that she subconsciously saw herself in him. Not at all. That wasn't why she was giving him another chance, if anyone asked. 

"Yo, jackass," she greeted him, utterly ignorant to the pun. "Ah dun' give a shit 'bout y'r grudge with that clown. Hells, ah wanna off 'im too. Dun' fookin' forget the first priority's gettin' the hells outta 'ere though. Foite 'im all ya want. Jus' think 'bout where y'r gonna foite 'im first. Think a' who ya ken get killed if ya go fer 'im 'ere." 

With a sideways nod she gestured towards the two pets beside him, hoping he at least cared more about them them than he cared about punching Aika Ao in the face. She gave it about 50/50 odds. With a shrug she turned away and stepped closer to Noa. If all else failed there was still Plan B. Bombs.

---

TL;DR:
-Retsu responds to Jack's speech with a look of disdain and refrains from replying to him
-Also refrains from shooting Aika Ao just in case it'd get them trapped here
-On today's episode of things Retsu is paranoid about: food
-Cryptically warns Noa about the food and tells Jack to consider the collateral before he picks a fight with Aika Ao
-Prepares herself for Plan B: carpet bombing everything that moves. Because hypocrisy is in right now and self awareness is for nerds.

Tags: Aysu,Arataki Noa,Jack Orion

[Jack Orion]

Jack's eyes narrowed at Noa's response. Quite frankly, he wasn't exactly worried about either Retsu nor her - if anything, he figured that the both of them could handle themselves in a worst-case scenario. Even so, it was clear her response it strike a bit of a nerve with him, though his eyes still burned with that prideful look. "Considering it's my pride that let me live to begin with, and knowing that the two of you can handle yourselves, I'm not all that concerned in that regard, no. Especially given where we are." he said flatly, leaving that thought open as she would walk away from him. If he was right in his thoughts, Aika would only have as much control as the trio would let him have - meaning defiance, no matter how much he tried to hurt them, was arguably their best option. Especially given the alternative.

Nonetheless, his defiance would bring the ire of their host, as expected. His little goat form would give way to the man that was keeping them here himself. Despite the absolute size difference between them, all Jack would do is smirk at him as Aika would go on about everything he was doing wrong. Music to his ears, if he had to be honest. "Pot, meet kettle. I dunno about you, but the only person I think I'm actually better than is right in front of me. Well, and the psychopath over there, but then you two are in the same boat anyway. You're just the one with a bigger head at the moment."

As they would walk, Aika would reveal Noa and Retsu's prize - an all you can eat buffet. Oh, brother. Jack rubbed his temples at the sheer stupidity of it, especially as Aika would tell Jack he couldn't have anything. He can't lie, the smell alone was intoxicating. He just had enough common sense to also smell the bullshit from a mile away. It also looked like Retsu had the same thought as him, making a comment to Noa about Persephone, which basically summed up Jack's thoughts on the matter as well.

Ignoring the little fair there, Jack would turn back to Aika. "Remember what I said earlier, about not pretending to know exactly who I am? Do you know what I was doing before all of this? I was given a presentation at that very petting zoo we were just at about Quirked animals. Not because of some bullshit obligation or whatever, but because I wanted to. You're claiming that you wanna make a place where people can do whatever, and yet I already live that kind of life in reality. And if that were true, you'd let me cause as much damage to this place as I want, no judgement, right? Face it, bub. You're a narcissist with a God-complex in charity-mens' clothing. Nothing more."

With that, Jack would turn away from him, facing Retsu as she would come up to him.  His face scrunched a little bit at her greeting, commenting "Bad pun.". Nonetheless, he would hear her out, surprised that she was being reasonable about the whole matter. "I get that, but I think you're both missing a massive point here. A few, actually. The biggest here being that should we submit, should we let him do his thing, that A: we're going off the assumption that he'll even let us go, which given a psychopath like him is unlikely to begin with, and B: that he'll try to do this again. I'm sure you remember well enough, but I don't exactly give villains what they want, regardless of what they threaten."

Jack was about to put his money where his mouth was pretty quick as Retsu would then try to motion towards Opal and Lapis. He would look over to his side at them, but then blink when he saw nothing. He looked around himself frantically, his breath starting to get faster. Where were they?! They were just there a moment ago, weren't they?! Where are his babies, his family?! Who-

Jack's blood suddenly went cold as he would slowly start to look back at Aika. The look in his eyes would have been able to cut through solid steel, the sudden silence being thick enough to be poked with a needle. "...Where are my pets?" he asked, his tone hushed as he would start to approach Aika. His teeth bared, claws quickly coming out of his fingers, Jack would suddenly lunge at Aika, aiming to get right in his face as his feet claws would dig right into his chest, his hand raised as he would prepare to slash at him if he didn't give him a good answer. "WHERE THE FUCK ARE THEY?! ANSWER ME, YOU CHERRY TOMATO LOOKING FUCK?!?!"

---

Tl;dr

-Jack would comment back at Noa that wasn't particularly concerned, given worst case he figured they could handle themselves.
-Would fire back at Aika, noting his complete hypocrisy on the matter, saying the only people there he thought he was better than were him and Retsu.
-Shared Retsu's general thoughts on the 'reward'.
-Continued to bash Aika, calling out that Jack himself already lives his life without judgement, and were his statements true he shouldn't have a problem with Jack's attitude.
-Would bring up his thought process to Retsu, pointing out that defiance could very easily be their ticket out of here rather than trusting Aika on his word.
-Looked around frantically for Opal and Lapis, realizing they're gone.
-Lunged at Aika, ready to outright attack him as he demanded to know where they went. Depending on his answer, things were probably about to get messy.

[Arataki Noa]

What she wouldn't give to have been grouped with cooler heads for this challenge was the prevailing thought in her head as they were led to a food court area. Apparently this was part of the rewards for accomplishing the task earlier. Naturally, the uncooperative one was being excluded from partaking. Now Noa wasn't exactly hungry and she understood why the other lady was skeptical about what was being offered. But she had other ideas going on at the moment and this an opportunity to test one of her theories.

"I appreciate the warning but I could use a bit of an energy recharge after everything we've done so far. This quirk I got stuck with isn't exactly easy on the stamina."

That was a lie. She had quite a bit left in the tank but she needed a believable reason to do what she wanted to do next. She would reach for a hotdog from one of the stands selling them and take a huge bite. There wasn't any immediate effect as far as she could tell. Nothing unusual about the taste either aside from being pretty delicious and obviously good quality hotdog. It was just as you would expect from a place calling itself a dream land.

Unfortunately, she wouldn't have time to peacefully 'enjoy' her little snack as hot heads once again prevailed in the little exchange between the angry kid and their mystery host. This time however, they were resorting to a more direct means of defiance. Not on Noa's watch. Just as Jack would make his advance towards Aka Ao, the girl would respond by shooting perhaps the biggest blast of fire she had ever done today. The roaring flame would be impossible to ignore and cut right between Aka Ao and his attacker forming a huge fire wall several feet tall and wide. If that was enough to stop him, Noa would then proceed to address Jack once more.

"I didn't want to have to do this, but you don't seem to be capable of thinking things through and keeping your cool. Stand down, little man."

TLDR: Noa follows everyone to the food court. Thanks Retsu for the warning but eats something anyway to test a theory. Sees Jack about to attack Aka Ao so she intervenes by creating a giant fire wall between the two of them. Sternly warns Jack to behave.

Bakiri Retsu ,Aysu ,Jack Orion

[Aysu]

✧ JUST A DREAM AWAY ✧

Dream World?, 7:00 pm

"Not much longer, I promise. You only have one more challenge." Aika Ao would answer Retsu's question in full honesty. "I just wanted to give you a bit of a reprieve from it all." He crossed his arms around his front, looking down at her with a smile. "It's a lot of emotions I'm sure you all have, and it isn't my intent to upset you or to scare you." Out of everything he had done, he hadn't hurt them. To show his resolve, he would grab a bit of candy from one of the stands, what looked to be some small candied cherries, and plopped them into his mouth. "I'm unsure if any of you got to try any of these foods, they're quite good. I spent a lot of time looking for some of the best treats around all of Japan to add in for this festival, yet many people go with what they know. It's a shame really, every person worked equally as hard to get their food ready, yet some goes unappreciated." He'd sigh, finishing up the last of his cherries with a swallow.

Looking over to Jack, he raised an eye. "A god complex? I'm not that stupid. As I claimed, I just wanted people to enjoy this place for what it is. When you looked at Dream World, it was cluttered with people- the actual journey is lost when you have to avoid screaming children or trash on the ground. If you were doing a presentation, then that's great! I'm sorry that I pulled you away from it, but sadly I had no knowledge of what exactly you were doing, only that you were all here." He'd shrug a bit before continuing. "If you want to break the place, you're welcome to, but I'm not sure what that would accomplish. If you have some underlying anger issues, I suggest you try to resolve them before you leave." With a wink, he'd try to position himself in the middle of all of them.

As Noa ate some hotdog, Aika would smile. "See, it's quite good right? They even have cheese ones!" He'd grab just that for himself, munching down on it beside her. "It's the little things that make this place enjoyable, like a good meal, enjoying yourself without care, and believing in yourself." With a sigh, he would finish up his hot dog. Just as he was about to address the group with the next little tidbit of information, he turned to see Jack lunging at him. Aika would put his hands up in surrender, before being surprised to see that Noa was deescalating the situation. "Ah, your animals? Where do you think they are?" It was a sly comment, but he gave Jack a few moments to think about it before giving the answer. "Not here, of course. You didn't complete the challenge, so they didn't stay. The real versions are fine, if you even believe me." Putting his hands down, he'd step a bit away from the wall of fire, looking towards all three of them.

"Well, unless someone wants to attack me, should we head to the next area? It's going to be yummy!" He'd lick his lips, rubbing his hands together before jauntily starting to walk off. As he began, he would point to a sign at the end of the food court. "You see? Eating competition!"

Rules and Information: N/A Retsu and Noa are able to take a few snacks if they like, but otherwise Aika is prompting them to the next and last event, an eating competition.

TLDR; Aika talks to each of them and answers some questions, before directing all of them to the last event.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------

OOC: Welcome to Dream World Part 2! First of all thank you for signing up!! I'm so excited to tell this story with you all! Remember you have to post at least ONCE per round, but you can skip one round if you have to. A second skip will result in no tokens being given. There are going to be 8 - 10 rounds total and I will announce when we have reached the halfway point, as well as when we're nearing the end in our designated Dream World discord channel.

Remember to include a TL;DR at the end of your post! <3

Additionally, if you want to plan a cool character moment ahead of time, like making a heroic sacrifice or setting up a team attack, but want to keep it a surprise to the other people in the thread until it happens, feel free to sneak into my DMs so we can plan out the details! This is not mandatory, but I want to make sure every character shines and looks their best during this thread!

The next round will begin on 07/05/2024 @ 5pm PST

Music Mood:

tag: Jack Orion Rin Bakiri Retsu

[Bakiri Retsu]

With a shrug Retsu acknowledged Noa's reply. If she was willing to risk being stuck here after the game ended that was her choice. It wasn't any of Retsu's concern. Besides, who knew? It might even end up benefiting her. Making sure to keep an eye on whether it did anything for the fire quirker Retsu went to talk to Jack before returning once more to the least annoying of her temporary allies. Her stride halted no more than two steps into her way back as a burst of fire left her eye.

If Noa hadn't intervened right that instant she'd have put a bullet right between Jack's eyes.

 In fact, she was still considering it. There were limits to stupidity and his had gone from room temperature intelligence to downright suicidal behaviour. Retsu wouldn't have cared if it didn't affect her as well -hells, she'd have loved to see just what his attack could have accomplished- but unfortunately chances were they were in this together. As the last of the fire left her eye and set her hair further ablaze she hissed out a long breath through gritted teeth. She didn't know what to think about the next challenge. If her earlier thoughts about Persephone were correct participating would screw her over but she had the distinct feeling it wasn't the case. No, there was something about Aika Ao's methods that she couldn't quite put a finger on but made it unlikely going along with his challenges would be what did them in. Not in this way. That left two possible options for her to consider.

The first was that the eating competition was against each other. It was messed up but it made sense. Both Noa and herself only needed one more win to be free of whatever the hells this place was. If there was any time perfect to pit 'former allies' against each other it would be now. The second possibility however was that it'd be collaborative. The three of them against whatever conjurations Aika Ao could magic up. Retsu's eyes twitched. If it was the former she could get away with shooting Jack -it'd even be beneficial- but if it was the latter offing him now might get them stuck here for longer. It'd be just her luck too if all future challenges after that needed three people to collaborate. She wouldn't even be able to call the ringmaster out on it, there wouldn't be any evidence that it wasn't the plan all along. 

Retsu's teeth grit so hard her gums bled. Somehow, she'd have to convince the moron to work along with them until they'd heard the challenge. She could always still shoot him if it didn't turn out to be collaborative. It'd be incredibly cathartic. Enough to waste a few magazines just to keep shooting the prick for a bit longer. For now however Retsu would give cooperation one final shot before resorting to giving him one final shot. That didn't mean she had to be happy about it though.

"Yo again," Retsu said as she crouched to be at eye level with Jack. "Stop bein' a fookin' idiot for one gods damned second and listen. Ya just saw him pull y'r pets in here and then make 'em vanish again. Ya think he can't do worse? If ya care the least about those fookin' things then ya oughta put y'r stupid-ass pride aside for one dang second 'fore you get both a' 'em -'nd us- killed. Ya do realize ya might've already gotten 'em killed bah now, roite? Every single stupid fookin' move ya make from 'ere on out just ups the chances y'r naht gonna see 'em alive again ya dumb piece a' shit." 

With her hair burning brightly behind her back-lighting her face it must've made for a terrifying sight as she loomed over him. Especially given how furious her expression was throughout the entire rant, her features twisted into a scowl and fury burning in her eyes. 

"Ya think ah was missing the point? That ah believe he's gonna let us go if we play along? D'ya really think ah got this far bah trustin' and doing what people wanted? Fook nah! Ya want in on a lil secret? Pick the roite tahm ta foite back or end up in a shallow grave, 's just 'ow reality works. Now ah'l be noice and give ya one fookin' warnin'. The next tahm ya try anythin' the only thing that'll be goin' through y'r mind is a bullet, capiche?"

Normally she wouldn't have bothered listening to his reply. Even she herself wasn't aware why this time she was staying just long enough to hear his response before returning to Noa and making her way over to Aika Ao's next destination. Nor did she put much thought into it. There were far more important matters to take care of. On the way to the eating competition she turned to Noa.

"What d'ya reckon this one's gonna be 'bout?"

If taken at face value it'd be a dumb question. Retsu had the distinct impression Noa would be able to understand what she truly meant.

---

TL;DR:
Retsu reminds Jack of what a dumbass he is and gives him an ultimatum before heading to the next competition, on the way there she asks Noa what she thinks about it.

Tags: Aysu,Arataki Noa,Jack Orion