London

"Yeah, we've both done alright. Not much compared to you and yours though, based on seeing you and hearing what you say about your sis," Ozzy countered. The parallels between them would undoubtedly be noticed eventually, and indeed it would likely be due to the project Nikki had in store. Even without knowing what it could possibly be, Ozzy seemed rather excited about it. There appeared to be no filters between these two; at least Ozzy could attest to their being none on his side.

Nikki's video update would be releasing this very night, apparently. If she hadn't mentioned then, Ozzy would have found out eventually. Whatever platform she was on, he was there with notifications enabled and sent directly to his phone. "I'll be the first to see, like and comment then. Notification Squad's number one player, me. Well... unless we're busy by the time it goes live," he said, understanding by now the many reasons he could be far too preoccupied to watch one of her videos the moment of release. After all, why would he? What would be the point of going out of his way to view her videos, when he could look her directly in the face? Time would tell if his record would remain untarnished or not, though it didn't matter to him at all if it was, considering what the reason would have to be.

Nikki was right; those Aeons were ridiculous when it came to promoting their franchises in various media forms. Ozzy even wondered if they were somehow responsible for Industrial Illusions' production of Age of Eternity. It wouldn't surprise him if that were the case. Moving on though, there was something to confirm. "Bleach, yeah. They started their 12th Division banner earlier this week. It's really hyped, so there's a lot of free Soul Orbs for new players right now. It's a good time to start up an account!"

A laugh escaped Nikki in these moments, if Ozzy thought she and her sister were both doing better than him and his he only needed to look a bit below the surface. Of course, it was easy to appreciate someone from the outside but that was part of what made it funny. "I'm a mess and my sister has a decade head start on us. You're both more than alright, I promise~" she mentioned though she hadn't directly rejected the compliment. Perhaps she'd feel better when she got the rest of her life together, actually, the addition of Ozzy to her life, kind of completed one of her overarching goals in life.

Beyond this according to Ozzy he'd be the first to know of her updates, he was the first person to comment on all of her videos. What a strange declaration to make. "Blimey that's one hell of a statement..." she cut her eyes towards him. She wondered how he would feel if his streak was lost in a moment shared between them? Well, she supposed time would tell, she didn't have any plans directly to distract him, but her own nature was always a bit in flux there was no telling what she'd feel like by the scheduled release of her own video.

What she was feeling right just now, was gamer excitement. Apparently Brave Souls was running a banner and it was one which would make her happy to be the time she was starting. "Shut up! 12th Division is bloody brilliant. I've gotta pull on that... Ayatsuki-taichou is my spirit animal!~" she chimed seemingly excited about getting started. How very interesting that this happened to be a series she was caught up on, and familiar enough with to want to be involved directly with some pulls.

Nikki was a mess? Nonsense! Though none could be called perfect in any literal sense, one could hardly get closer as far as Ozzy was concerned. "Come off it. You're no more a mess than any randomer, even if you think you are. Give yourself some credit," he insisted. He didn't say such things simply because he knew this as a fact in Nikki's case, but he believed anyone who wasn't in an incredible struggle of their own creation showed a certain strength of stability.

He did indeed offer one hell of a statement, but it wasn't something he ever hid. Aside from having absolute adoration for the lass, he was also simply a massive fan at the end of the day. Even though he didn't naturally have an interest in her work, he was infinitely interested in the way she approached said work. As such, he intended to keep himself in the know. "Biggest fan, remember? Couldn't call myself that if I wasn't checking for everything you upload."

What a lucky time it was for Nikki to be a player of the game Brave Souls! She seemed authentically excited about the 12th Division and its characters, even going so far as to name one of them her spirit animal. Now that Ozzy thought about it, he supposed he could understand why such a statement was made. From animal ears to being obsessed with some sort of craft, the two were very similar. "Ayatsuki huh? She's a fun character, and a really solid unit in the game as well! She's pretty busted once you get her Bankai; probably best CC in the game. Well... the funnest, at least. I haven't unlocked it myself yet, but I'm still trying to pull Baiken. C'mon, let's get you set up!" With that, Oliver was hopping off the bed, a hand extended for the young woman. Into the sitting room he'd go, where he'd proceed to pull up the coffee table and get his laptop in order. He hadn't even turned the thing off since taking it from his own suite, so it was a simple matter of plugging it in and opening it... before the screen revealed a wallpaper of Nikoleta herself clad in one of her limited edition jumpers. Without even bothering to draw attention to that, Ozzy double-clicked the icon for the chosen game, letting it load for Nikki's registration.

According to Ozzy she was no more a mess than any other person and as such should give herself some credit. Nikki held up her hands in defense. If he was apt to believe in her, it was now her moral obligation to believe in herself. "Bloody hell, you're going to inflate my head... I'll fall over you know?" she jested, but she couldn't deny his belief in her at all. She was so used to being discounted in such situations, it was surprising to have someone randomly sticking up for her, even if the words were just hers against herself.

Beyond this point, Ozzy claimed that he was simply just her fan, so his statement about being up on her work was one which was probably normal for him. "You do know that's extreme right? Well, I can't say I mind... though it is pretty different to have someone so interested in what I'm doing," she admitted. She was quite certain before this point the only people following her at regular intervals were investors, design students, young models and a metric ton of random men who just thought she was pretty. Ozzy was an entity unto himself in her own mind, and he was all hers... that was going to take some getting used to.

While she mulled over that thought, they came back to their discussion on Bleach and her legitimate interest in the 12th Division's Captain. According to Ozzy she was a pretty good unit in game and though he hadn't raised her yet, she was supposed to only get better. "Brilliant. Baiken's brilliant too, a bit rough and tumble but good core values. I wouldn't mind her either. Let's go!~" she chimed, taking that extended hand and once again feeling that comforting warmth she enjoyed while getting out of bed and heading for that sitting room. Upon arrival she was seated and watching the lad load up his laptop, and though most might have shied away from allowing someone to see their desktop, she was put in plain sight of an image of herself, in one of her limited edition jumpers to boot. "Blimey, I'm pretty sure I don't have that picture of me. You take that stalking business very seriously~" she joked seeming to be fine with the picture while waiting for the game to load. She'd excitedly start her registration typing in her usual ID and setting herself up properly to play this game.

"Fall away," he chimed. "We'll get you picked up and sorted if you do, but that won't stop me gassing you up either way. You don't half bloody deserve it," the young man said further. Everyone deserved credit and appreciation, and none more so than those who dedicated themselves the way Nikoleta Corbyn clearly did. Obviously, she wasn't getting enough... but he'd be sure to fix that.

His methods may have been a little extreme, but so was his obsession. It couldn't be called anything less than obsession, really. Did Ozzy have a problem with that? Not one bit. Since it seemed like Nikki also took no issue, there was nothing that could convince him to change. He'd continue to obsess, to sing her praises to the high heavens, and to absolutely bask in every moment that involved Nikoleta. Speaking of moments involving her, attention was brought to the image used as his desktop background. Was it truly such an obscure shot? He didn't think so; it was one of many images in his folder of... several gigabytes worth of images featuring her. Shrugging over the fact that he even had the picture, Ozzy chose to address his apparent interest in what Nikki did. "Like I said, I'm not really bothered about what you do. I'm interested because it's you doing it. Well, I guess that makes me interested in the stuff by proxy. You get what I mean~"

While Nikki started the registration process for the game, Ozzy decided to reposition himself. He wasn't quite satisfied sitting beside the lass, so he lifted his leg and arm, aiming to slip them ─ and eventually his full body ─ behind her. The couches were large enough that she could easily fit into the space between his legs without settling on the very edge of the couch cushion, and even if that were the case, Ozzy intended to hook his arms around her midriff and watch her game over her shoulder. "Are you used to gachas? If you're super super lucky, you could get all five characters on the banner. Or, you know... if you dish out a few quid, you'll get them too. So, what's a dub other than Akiko and Baiken? You could always lose a roll and get something off banner."

Ozzy went on to make several more outrageous claims. She should probably just get used to these, huh? Her head was already spinning with the idea of keeping him having been made a clear thing she wanted. Him claiming he planned to do nothing but increase her already growing ego by singing her praises and keep her sorted was like a choir hymn in her ears. "Blimey, I'm really gonna believe I'm still dreaming if you keep doing that... Though, honestly... I don't think I could make up someone as good as you~" she mused finding his entire approach outright extreme but being unable to find the words that would translate to discouraging his behavior. She deserved this, right? After a series of bad boyfriends, terrible dates and incidents which made her question her own sanity, she deserved one guy in the whole world who was all about her. So why shouldn't she? Why shouldn't she take him and indulge at every opportunity presented?

While she thought over that point, he claimed he wasn't bothered so much about what she was doing, but instead was just interested in her. So what she did, only mattered by proxy. "Bloody hell, that's hardly a difference," she chided though she was far from upset. Actually she was taking to a great deal of comfort as the man settled in behind her. He wrapped an arm around her midriff even, leaving her a special warmth for her back to fall against even while she did something simple like pull on the gacha of this game. She wiggled herself back against him as he looked on over her shoulder and gave a reply while connecting this account to her google account so she could spend money without having to enter any new information. "Well, I am familiar enough. My luck is absolutely terrible though. It's a huge joke!" she chimed. Knowing the joke between herself and her sister was that her luck in gacha games was about as bad as her luck in choosing men. Ah, but maybe it was time for a change? "A win, besides those two," she gave it a bit of consideration and with that came the ever so gentle bite of that bottom lip. "My next favorite Captain after Ayatsuki is Juri. I'd love her," she concluded, but there were a few other options when she thought about it. "Can't call Raizen anything but a win. I would also take Inuzuri or Tamao. Benihime is also fine, I guess. Basically anyone except Terumi or that former Captain of the 4th. Oh, Saori would be a massive dub." she finished up. She had a pretty good idea of what she'd like, and having finished her registration she was mostly ready to get started.

Still on the idea of him being made up somewhere in her imagination, Nikki presented the claim that she couldn't have been so successful in such an endeavor. How refreshing. That was yet another of those moments which assured him that this could, and would, work. Gone would be the senseless hookups and occasional dates just for a bit of relief and social interaction. This was truly the start of something big, which would only continue to grow over time. At least, that was how Ozzy's mind processed the situation. He would eventually know how accurate his internal musings were. . .

Soon enough, Ozzy was comfortably settled, and Nikki was finishing her account setup. His excitement was growing by the moment. How much would she enjoy the experience of this game? Time would tell. She did seem excited to begin, but there was always a chance of disliking gameplay or other aspects. Regardless, Ozzy now had her ideal list of character summons. If she failed to obtain the character she sought, there were a few other options... though there was a slight issue with those as well. "Bloody hell, pick the rarest drops in the game why don't you?" he said with a laugh. "Han Juri's got a good drop rate at least. Inuzuri and Tamao should be on rate-up soon with Satoshi completing the major banner trio. You could always get one of them, but this game's got a weird system. Right now, your highest chance for a five-star that can be upgraded to six is Akiko. It's a minor banner, so Tatsuya, Benihime, Baiken and Yonsokei are all four-star units with Tatsuya and Baiken as upgradable to fives. Benihime does use Shikai in her ultimate skill, but the transformation comes with the five-star version from the 10th. So... feeling lucky? The game should start you with enough orbs to hit the pity system."

According to Ozzy, Nikki had chosen the rarest drops in the game. This didn't really surprise her, her tastes were far beyond what one could consider normal. She liked good things, and people of good design and nature, especially in Bleach. The characters she'd mentioned had the best aesthetic as far as she was concerned. "My aesthetic taste isn't to be questioned. It only makes sense that they are all rare. Though given my luck I'll only get anything I want after swimming through a veritable sea of disappointment," she said this sentence and it sounded a bit bitter. Maybe her luck could be better in a game than it was in her actual life? After all, Ozzy had found her, and been absolutely perfect for the type of person she was... perhaps if she waited it out, she'd get everything she needed and deserved? But how much would her wallet have to suffer to make this happen? "What is this pity system? Like standard, guaranteed 4-stars every 10 or whatever most normal ones do?" she asked. There was a bit of certainty to be needed, but she'd have no problem pulling away she simply wanted to know what she was getting herself into. She couldn't help but find it amusing and be comfortable within the space of Ozzy's legs. Playing a game with a guy, happily? She didn't know this was possible, but she'd definitely enjoy it. There was a strange amount of happiness in Nikki as she thought about what a situation like this could lead to in the future. This warmth and comfort with a smiling face meant only for her? She could love this right?

"Desire sensor get you, huh?" Oliver questioned, addressing a potential myth that often circulated around players of gacha and RPGs. It was a terrible phenomenon in which the character/item summon or stat roll one wanted, wound up being the exact thing they didn't receive. He'd seen this realized many times himself, collecting every possible character in a banner (some even multiple times) without getting the one he sought. Nikki would hopefully have much better luck than that, but they would both be finding out very soon.

First though, he had to explain the 'pity system' this game had. That was very easily done, and would cover every gacha produced by the Aeons. "Well the guaranteed four-star is always a thing, but Aeon games are a bit better. It's sort of a double-edged sword though, really. Every ten pulls guarantees a four-star, and at least every other four-star is guaranteed to be a character. Every hundred pulls is a guaranteed five-star with the same rules. One other thing, failing to get something from the banner guarantees a banner summon of the next matching type. That's the rules on Aeon games. Bleach is a little different since Zanpakutou are part of the characters, so everything in one pack is a unit. Basically 200 summons will get you Akiko in this case. The fours are a total gamble though. See what I mean about the double-edged sword though? Bit of a trap it is, kinda makes you wanna swipe your card because it'll only take 'this many' more pulls."

Long explanation come to an end, Ozzy settled in by resting his head atop Nikki's shoulder. She certainly wasn't the only one strangely satisfied and comfortable here. Ozzy's grip was kept firm, albeit not restrictive. Watching as the game loaded, he had but one more thing to say. "Good luck! I'd bless your pulls if I could, but... yeah, more of a curse, that."

"Every time, it's fine though... can't be worse than Moe Ninja Girls," she mentioned. That was a heartbreak and a half and took forever to get through, but she was already so invested in it she couldn't really stop playing it. She'd only stopped because she'd caught up to the story content and had nothing else to do. With the idea in mind that she would have to fight the desire sensor, perhaps she'd be best off mentally preparing herself to spend a bit of money. Whatever the case, Ozzy went on to explain how this particular game worked as far as its pity system. Apparently the Aeons games all came with a guaranteed 5-star at 100 pulls. And if one lost the 50/50 it was possible to push past that and guarantee the one you want next time. "Bloody trap and a half, but I guess if you don't win your fifty-fifty you could hold on to the guarantee for something you really want. It's pretty friendly, for those who are okay with heavy grinding. But definitely a trap for those who are willing to spend for instant gratification," she mentioned.

Ah, so all that was left after this, was for the loading to finish. Nikki was familiar enough with these kinds of games that she knew her first mission was to empty her mailbox of all available materials. "Alright, Welcome bonus, bloody, 5 million download bonus, freebie for patch update..." she mused softly reading the bits. "Oh, free upgrade materials given out for this months character birthdays as well... and a free set of crystals for general upgrades. Blimey this game is friendly. It's part of the trap though isn't it?" she questioned almost rhetorically. A chuckle would escape her as Ozzy claimed that he'd wish her luck if it wouldn't have turned out to be more of a curse. "There there, not like I need luck... I definitely have 100 free summons. I'll get something hopefully what I want~" she said pecking the lad on the cheek and beginning her rolling.

"Oohh!~ Got Benihime... Baiken... no Tatsuya and a couple of people I don't really care about but, whatever~" she said confirming all the four stars she'd managed to collect but what she really wanted to see, was the the golden light of a five star character at some 70 pulls. She hadn't gotten pushed all the way to pity but the pit of her stomach dropped as she waited to see what would happen. Then she closed her eyes. "Bloody hell I can't watch! I'm scared...." she said as her heart pounded. "Is it bad... is it a dub? Just tell me it isn't Terumi..." she said softly. How very stressful this situation had suddenly become. What was on the screen? The Captain of the 13th Division, Namikaze Minato.