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New on the Scene (Ren Olvry & Gravitas)

"It's an easy thing to change. You know who you're playing from the start, you just don't show it until you need to. Switch around, pick randomly. Most people don't do it, they don't need to, but with players like him, he's going to do it just to intimidate you. He's got something ready for whoever you pick. If you're comfortable with showing it early, there's no need, it's just something else to add to the repertoire," she said, shrugging. The play would be more important, what she was worried about is him knowing and being ready for it. Even so...Hashi would probably underestimate Jax. It might not matter at this point. "It's simple, but not entirely necessary. A flair at the beginning to mess with him. Or, play the confidence gambit. Pick as fast as him and stick with it. Either could work, and I want you to be you," she said, looking to him with a nod.

As if on cue, Amanda reaches over to lift the gamepad she'd grabbed from her things with the computer. "Planned on it, Jaxxy. You're not practicing against the bots or some scrubs online while I'm here," she said, setting it on her lap. It was...really nice. Customized, with her previous branding from her time in the scene, mechanical buttons, specially gripped joystick, it was quite well made. "Gonna try to get those thoughts into action, get that in before the match later. We'll run through it with some of the characters he usually chooses," she said, lifting her phone for a moment. "Be right back, okay? Care get it hooked up for me? Don't get too into the game without me or I'll just have to bring you out of it again," she said, giving a smile and a playful wink, before standing up and setting the pad next to him. She walks to grab a small bag from her collection of them, then heads into the bathroom.
 
Easy enough, sure... not his thing, usually, but easy enough. He'd just have to, well... remember it in the thick of things, along with however many other things. Ah well, that was just part of what his going all-out in focus was for, so that he could stash away a number of things where they were needed there, and they'd already be well on-hand. He had his reasons, at least, even if he still needed a fair bit of work on being able to pull himself out of it when he could've been useful elsewhere...

"R-right," Jax replied with a little nod, watching as Amanda ran off to the bathroom with that little bag. Scratching his head a little as he considered whether he wanted to be dragged out like that, the fox boy picked himself up for now to plug her undoubtedly more expensive fightpad into the still-running console, just to flop back onto the bed and shift his own fightpad back over into his lap. Well, just some... quick combo practice with Lockheed, maybe even working a bit on that trick she'd mentioned earlier, wouldn't hurt, right?

It wasn't supposed to, at least; just a bit of quick practice. But he couldn't exactly help focus, and that was exactly how she'd find him by the time she came out.
 
Amanda came out a few minutes later, the door opened, light turning off, she walked back into the room humming something. The woman set the bag down carefully with some of the others, nodding as she turned to move back to his bed. "All set. Now, I think having you run through a few rounds with me as some of Hashi's mains would be most helpful. Won't be the same but I'm decent enough at-oh." she said. She was moving back over, looking to the screen. Picking up her gamepad, she looked to the fox, sighing as she cut herself off. She set it on the bed, getting onto it and sitting cross-legged next to him. "Hey. Hey. Hey." she said, snapping her fingers at him a few times, not sure what she was expecting.

Another sigh came from her as he kept staring at the screen, at least he was doing well at the practicing. Her head turned from the screen to him, his big green eyes staring at it, not seeing her at all. "Fine. I'll up the ante," she said, suddenly turning his head to her and pushing her lips against his. She kissed him, deeply, jamming her tongue into his mouth and forcing his attention onto her. The kiss went on for a few moments before she pulled away looking into his eyes. "Hi. I'm back. You good?"
 
To his credit, he was at least slightly aware when she started turning his head... at least in the small resistance he provided to try and keep his eyes on the screen. He also wasn't exactly trying to fade out from reality, but... well, he couldn't help it, it was just habit, of a sort. Suddenly feeling her lips against his again wasn't a huge surprise, he could already admit, but feeling her tongue push past his and into his mouth most definitely was. His ears perking up completely vertically, his eyes widening seemingly as far as they could manage... even starting to return the kiss a little as the woman held it, his own tongue brushing back a little against hers before he could really help it.

"Y-yeah... sorry, was just trying to work on a few little things, and I got caught up..." Jax offered with a little nod, unintentionally licking his lips slightly, if only once, the feeling and taste of that last kiss still lingering for the moment. Making some point of distracting himself, the fox quickly took the game out of the practice mode and left it hovering over the 'versus mode' selection in the main menu for now. "So... practice, then, I assume with some of the characters that Hashi mostly uses?" he hazarded, glancing back to Amanda now that that little task was done. "Can't make any real promises, but... I'll try not to fade out so much in case there's anything to talk about or anything like that. Though you don't exactly seem to have any problem pulling me out of it," he suggested with a little grin. "Probably not stuff you'd do with many people in case they tried something stupid, huh?"
 
"S'okay, you're just inviting me to mess with you more," she said, grinning, scooting to sit next to him, legs out in front of her with her gamepad sitting on them. The screen backed out, she joined as another player and got them ready. "Yep! I'll emulate how he plays, fast and hard, and you do your best to counter it, like we talked. Come up with your own stuff, if something strikes your fancy. Don't be afraid of inspiration, worst it'll do is show you something that doesn't work and point you in a better direction," she said, nodding, leaning to grab her drink from earlier, sipping at the water.

Amanda gave a chuckle. "Nope, no problem at all. You see that look on your face when you're totally freaked out or shocked? It's adorable," she said, sipping again as she moves to pick Emoji, a small, robotic character that Hashi often played. "Eh, probably wouldn't matter to me. I do what I need to do. Then again, I probably wouldn't end up in a situation like that, with someone I don't trust. I'm smart like that," she said, sticking her tongue out a bit as she waited for him to pick and go through to the start of the round.
 
Did they talk? Well, he supposed she might have... or he was just forgetting something. Well, it didn't matter; as long as she could help him improve, that was the most important part. Well, that and not losing his head over her teasing, and the more intimate touches he was coming back to reality to, and how much she seemed to be enjoying herself with it. Shaking his head a little to get some of those thoughts out of it, Jax gave a little nod to Amanda's suggestion to just find what works. She'd already given him some little ideas, at least, through the little tip before and the videos... surely he could come up with something.

At her next comment, though, the fox grumbled and bit his lip slightly in embarrassment. He'd pretty much brought it upon himself in the end, he supposed... though he couldn't deny a little temptation for payback when she stuck his tongue out at him. Maybe... sometime later. For now, he had this practice to worry about; for however long it went on, he wouldn't even have known, what with sinking back into his own little reality that involved just the game in front of him. Fast at first, then a bit more slowly, then working back up to faster-paced; loss after loss came for him, but it didn't really matter right now. After all, he was just getting a handle on multiple things, including his own characters, doing a bit better each time, until, eventually...

'Player 1 wins!'

Almost immediately, the fox boy seemed to come back to reality on his own for once, his ears perking up. It wasn't perhaps a terribly convincing victory, but it was a victory all the same, a grin spreading across his face as he took in those words coming across the top of the screen. "Yeah... I think I'm starting to get a handle on this," he spoke. Leaning over quickly, he meant to place another quick little kiss on Amanda's cheek... but instead, whether it was just some sort of instinct, or the little adrenaline rush of finally winning, or whatever else, he wound up placing a soft kiss directly against her lips for a moment or two. His eyes suddenly widening in realization, he pulled back quickly enough, reaching up to rub somewhat furiously at the back of his head in embarrassment. "I-I meant that... to be on your cheek... um... I guess it's getting kinda late, huh...?" he offered, refusing to make eye contact with the woman for now.
 
Amanda played like a pro, clearly she'd kept it up in the meantime since she'd dropped out of the spotlight. She moved quick, striking immediately and taking him out, using Emoji's strengths. They kept going for a while, playing for about an hour. She was calm, patient, being sure to give pointers as they went, whether he'd hear it or not was something else. She knew he was absorbing the actual play, at least. Each time there was something different, a little better here, lasting a little longer before getting KO'ed. Finally, he got around her initial strike and knocked her back, taking her out before she could recover.

The woman grinned, looking over to him. "Told 'ya," she said, head turning and happening to meet his lips as he came up to...kiss her? What? Her brows raised slightly as he shot back and rubbed his head, she swore she could almost see a blush through his fur, but that might just be her. She stared at him for a few moments, before giggling and patting him on the shoulder. "It's okay, Jaxxy. Can't blame you for wanting some," she said, moving away and off the bed, giving a stretch. "You're right, probably get in some more practice and then hit the hay, get a good sleep before tomorrow. Much as they glamorize staying up through the night letting coffee and soda keep you up, sleep's gonna be your best friend. I'ma change," she said, moving over to her things, grabbing some shorts and a baggy t-shirt out of her bag and moving to the bathroom, leaving the door open slightly. She exited a moment later, shirt barely reaching to her butt, the short-shorts poking out and just covering the rest. Her clothes became a pile next to her things, and she came back to the bed, crawling past him and sitting back in her spot. "Kay, go again? I'll change the characters up this time," she said, looking to him.
 
"Th-that's not..." the fox boy muttered fairly uselessly, before simply cutting himself off to grumble to himself in embarrassment. Glad for the distraction and change in subject of the next comment, he gave a little nod, curiously tilting his head as he watched the woman walk off to the bathroom. Changing into something comfortable to sleep in, he supposed... which he'd have to do as well at some point, on reflection. Good thing he at least brought some pajama pants along, just in case... though having a guest staying over in his room was far from what he'd expected.

When she came back out, though, his eyes widened slightly before quickly tearing themselves over to the television screen, where the game was still running. Fine, not just a guest... a very attractive guest. Doing his best to tear himself away from his various, wandering thoughts, Jax gave a little nod to Amanda's suggestion. "Alright... a few more matches, then," he affirmed, making sure to switch up to one or two different characters in the process... even if he struggled just slightly more with the level of proficiency over the main one he generally used, at least he very certainly had some proficiency. After a few matches, though, a wide yawn cut in from the fox, only just managing to bite his tongue at the end of it, if lightly. "Ow... mm... I think I'm gonna get ready for sleep..." he offered. Getting up with a little stretch, he set his fightpad near the TV for now, darting over to one of his bags to grab a pair of dark blue, fuzzy pajama pants before darting off to the bathroom. Coming out shortly later with nothing but that pair of pajama pants on, his upper body fully exposed, he made sure to take care of shutting down the console and turning off the TV first and foremost, if Amanda hadn't done so already. Certain that that was done properly, he flopped down into his chosen, center bed, letting his eyes linger on the woman for now.

"So, um... what do you think? That I can maybe win it all if I keep up with practice?" he asked, a little grin forming on his face.
 
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