Yaropi

“Note to self: I REALLY need to listen to my gut instinct; I could've saved some of this for tomorrow!” Going about your duties in life is by no means bad; it’s only a matter of how long you immerse yourself in it. Yaropi is a perfect example, having spent an hour running errands for both himself and others. Five Points, Anaheim Canyon, Historic Palms… it feels like he’s been all over the city! “Guess it's not all bad: the weather isn't melting the entire coastline, for once, and Mrs. Soto has always gotten along with me, so surely she can show a little pity... ah, who am I kidding? I am SO going to get a talk or two.” As if fate smiled upon him, he heads to a nearby park, sitting himself beneath the shade of a mighty tree. The grass rustling and gently brushing along his stompers, now free from his flip flops, the the sweet scents of flora... all the soreness and tension's fading already. Heck, he doesn't realize the show he and his scrunching soles are putting on. Despite the walking, the worst they are giving off are a couple droplets of sweat. “Fuck, this feels so much better. One more step, and my legs are probably going to fall apart on me!” His thoughts dissipate as he spots a passerby gaze at his direction, not that he minds. A good talk or two always passes the time! “Moving on, forgive me if I look out of breath. I've had one heck of a trip, and I need some time to breathe, let my body calm down... whatever you want to call it. What about you?”

“And the vent system leads to here and here, and just HAS to be placed up high… at times, I just wish we lived up North; getting out of vents would be easier, though climbing through them may be worse.” One may wonder what someone with Yaropi's nature could gain from life as a thief-in-training if it's not for money, and there's quite a list: learning self-defense, improving his confidence, the simple thrills… he could go on and on, if he didn't need to keep it secret. It's also quite educational, as well, considering how much effort Layla puts into planning heists. Speaking of the she-devil, it’s one of those days where his leader has no heists planned for the near future, solving it by being a thief for hire; an interesting venture, all things considered, but considering his inexperience as a thief, some of the deal-making side of it hurts his brain. He still wants to try and be more involved in thieving affairs, though, and thus he is passing the time on the hideout, his only company being the futon he is lying prone on, the old blueprints he is reading, and the sounds of that old fan whirling above him. “How does she even come up with this sort of stuff? I'd be giving her praise, if it wasn't creeping the heck outta me—eh, is someone there?” The now leotard-clad femboy slightly raises his head, noting the potential client standing right in front of him. Silence ensues for a few seconds, Lad Longsoles' only action being subconsciously rubbing his feet against each other. He initially wants to shoo the client off, but he quickly chooses a more polite approach , which is second nature to him. Maybe it'll get the same effect? “Uh, hey there! In case you're wondering, I'm Lady Softstep's apprentice/sidekick; haven't been doing it for long. She may know how to push a poor soul's buttons, as you experienced a few minutes ago, but trust me, you get used to it… eventually, I guess.”

“If it weren't for security, I'd empty my bank account for a walkie-talkie or two. Then again, where I would even carry that thing?” Curious minds often find themselves tangled in bad livelihoods: some get into substance abuse, while others join gangs. For Yaropi, or ‘Lad Longsoles’, at the moment, he's busy helping on a heist in Santa Monica. Considering how it was a spur-of-the-moment decision by his leader, a far cry from how they usually operate, joining was reluctant for him. So far, the mission's been a mixed bag. Sure, the duo got the cameras down and slipped in quickly, but as he sneaked through the art galleries, that worry crept back in. He not only got lost, but he can hear a security guard nearby. Just his stupid luck. “Really wish I could run fo rit, but last thing I need is for the damn lady to get into trouble. Universe, I beg of you, just make sure both of us will be fine. I won't forgive either of us if shit hits the fan.” WHACK!!! The femboy delivers a swift roundhouse kick, knocking the guard down with ease. A loose end is a loose end, so as much as he wants to save time, Lad needs to keep the poor bastard incapacitated. Within seconds, he pins them to the ground and restrains them with their own handcuffs, not even processing the fact he has his feet firmly planted on their face. Who would, if they were quietly apologizing and panicking like crazy? “Nothing personal about this; just in a rush, and I hope you can walk this off. Granted, I sucker-punched your jaw, and those karate lessons really have worked wonders for me, but I hate hurting people from my actions. Besides, it's not like your goods are at risk and...” Yeah, he's going to be rambling for a while.

“Look, I know I may have screwed up coming here, but do you forget what state we live in! I didn't want to sweat my ass off this time of the year!” Yaropi, Yaropi, Yaropi… so easygoing, yet so prone to getting himself into deep trouble. Take this very moment for example, where he has been stripped naked, hands tied behind his head, and his toe-tied feet resting helplessly in stocks, his footwear casually laying inches away. The cause of his current predicament: just walking through one of the town's lonelier neighborhoods, sporting the same style of flip-flops he usually adorns. That, in itself, seems harmless, until he learned that said neighborhood was full of foot fetishists, ones who are not beyond more… aggressive methods to be at his soles. As fate would have it, he just had to forget the risks of coming here again. “I got places to be, loved ones who will be worried sick if I am missing! Would it hurt for me to just swing by later and let you guys have fun with my feet then? Please?” Struggle as he may, Yaropi knows all too well there's little chance of him breaking out, even without the numerous pairs of eyes staring upon every inch of his ticklish body. It's going to be a LONG night for this poor femboy.

“Here I was thinking I was wasting my day off!” If Yaropi was told a decade ago that Universal was adding Nintendo-themed attractions to their theme parks, he would have been dumbfounded. Now that he’s experiencing Super Nintendo World himself, he has to say, they did a decent job! Granted, the one out in Hollywood could have used more IPs than just Mario and is a bit small, but hey, fun is fun. Too bad he’s still a bit doubtful. “Why do I feel like I just jinxed myself? Man, the things I’d do to go back to having my biggest concern being to not torturing my wallet.” Scratching Scratching!!! “That and clothing that aren’t itchy, ‘overalls’, haha!” Yeah, it’s March 10th, AKA, Mario day, so of course he had to dress like the the iconic plumber. He’s got the hat, shirt, gloves, overalls... not the boots, though; he couldn’t find any brown ones his size, so he stuck to wearing flip-flops. Regardless, his corny pun was enough to boost his mood a bit, and sometimes, it’s all one needs when feeling down. “That’s enough pessimism; what I need is a distraction, and planning my next moves should do that. But where is the best place to do it?” The lad wanders around, quickly eying a quiet, quaint, and heavily secluded area. The only real thing of note is a warp pipe prop in the center. Perfect! “Huh, convenient. Why is this even here, though—WOAAAAAHHHH!!” Out of nowhere, Yaropi’s flip-flops get caught on who knows what, causing him to stumble and clumsily fall into the pipe head-first. Time seemed to briefly stand still for him in the meantime, his main thoughts being to just brace for impact when he inevitably hit something, which never came. “H-huh? Where am I?” He slowly opens his eyes, taking in the gravity of his situation, pun intended. The good news is he found himself in what seems to be a storage room, only a few feet below the grounds. The bad news: one, he’s stuck hanging upside down, being wedged tightly in the pipe shoulders-down. Two, his feet didn’t fall in, thanks to his toes and heels keeping them snugly caught up against the rim of the pipe, leaving his feet unable to do much besides scrunch and squirm slightly. Three, his flip-flops fell off, because why not add some extra embarrassment! Yaropi is feeling an awful mix of emotions, the biggest being resignation; he’s not even going to try to escape. “The sad part is I’m not even surprised. Touché, fate; touché. Guess it could be worse: I kind of honored the cosplay by going through a pipe, a-and at least I’ll be spotted quickly back up there… p-please?” It’s going to be a long day, isn’t it? “Is someone out there? Help?”