Kaiba catches the motion, nods, then turns his attention elsewhere. Yuugi is obviously meant to follow him up onto the stage, while Isono guides the children to their seats. They fill about two of the rows, a respectable number. At the center of the stage, some distance back, there's a table, but no playmats, and certainly no Duel Disks for either he or Yuugi to put on.
So then it begs the question: Why does he care if Yuugi has his deck with him?
Once the kids are seated, Kaiba walks to the front of the stage, arms crossed. Unlike most adults, he doesn't have to demand for a hush--they're all very attuned to his presence.
"Welcome!" he says, but it's barked out in such a way that it's hard to tell that it was meant in a positive manner. "You know who I am, and you know I do very little without a reason!! But why are you here? The answer is simple!"
Then there's the gesticulating. An arm thrown out in a sweeping gesture, the other falling to his side.
"This day, you will spend on the premises doing as you please, and you will be fed and provided with entertainment and amenities for the next five hours. You should appreciate such bounty--a bounty that those such as yourselves have been disallowed for some time, am I right?"
He pauses then, lets the children mutter amongst themselves, come to any conclusion at all. He waits until the first one finally speaks their mind--
"What would you know about it?!" a young boy asks sharply, and the others gasp and stare, some even scooting away from him as if somehow, Seto Kaiba will incinerate the dissenter with his gaze. "You're rich! You have everything you want, and if you didn't, then you could buy it!"
And at that, Kaiba laughs, loud and derisive, enough to make the kid flush in frustration.
"IS THAT SO?" he shouts, before effortlessly hopping off the stage and moving in closer. "You must think that all of this was handed to me, then. Then you'd be WRONG! I, too, was once left nearly alone, with no one but my brother in the world!! We stayed at an orphanage for years, because there were people who refused to adopt us both!
The system is shoddy at best, harmful in truth, with the way that it treats orphans like pets to be chosen and adopted based on such arbitrary criteria as age, or aesthetic!
I am rich, with everything that I want, because I refused what fate had in store for me! I challenged a man to a game, and with my resourcefulness, I was able to strike a deal hinging on my victory! But it was a deal with the devil, for my 'father' was barely anything of the sort. What I have, I took, by hook or by crook. No one will hand you your happy ending, do you understand?"
Now he's standing in front of that kid, glaring down at him, but the usual ice is barely noticeable. He's just...chastising, not humiliating.
"To lose stability. To lose those who loved you, and who you loved in turn, it's a deep cut. But collapsing in on yourself isn't an option. Giving up is a coward's path!
Like I said," he begins, now addressing the crowd again as he leans against the stage. It's a more relaxed position, something open. "No one will hand you your happy ending. Not even I can do that. But what I can offer is this."
His arms open wide, gesturing to the entirety of the area. Not just the stadium, but what's beyond it.
"No child should go without games, or entertainment. Not as I have. Never again. Hope lies in these walls. Strength and fortitude against the ills of the world, and so I tell you now--if your custodians will not allow you in these doors for the pitiful excuse of not being able to pay their way in, know that you may join me again, just as you have now, and you WILL be allowed your simple joys! This I will promise you.
The only thing I ask for is your time, and...mheh heh heh...I also ask for your participation."
So saying, he smirks and glances out across the rows.
"Check under your seat. There should be a clipboard with two items: A worksheet, and a set of personal questions. Fill your name in on the first sheet, then complete it as far as you like. If you don't want to participate, then I don't really care, but the name is required.
I'd rather know who has the courage to seize their own glory in this room. You have five minutes to work, so GET STARTED! If you need assistance, then ask my associates, or myself."
no subject
So then it begs the question: Why does he care if Yuugi has his deck with him?
Once the kids are seated, Kaiba walks to the front of the stage, arms crossed. Unlike most adults, he doesn't have to demand for a hush--they're all very attuned to his presence.
"Welcome!" he says, but it's barked out in such a way that it's hard to tell that it was meant in a positive manner. "You know who I am, and you know I do very little without a reason!! But why are you here? The answer is simple!"
Then there's the gesticulating. An arm thrown out in a sweeping gesture, the other falling to his side.
"This day, you will spend on the premises doing as you please, and you will be fed and provided with entertainment and amenities for the next five hours. You should appreciate such bounty--a bounty that those such as yourselves have been disallowed for some time, am I right?"
He pauses then, lets the children mutter amongst themselves, come to any conclusion at all. He waits until the first one finally speaks their mind--
"What would you know about it?!" a young boy asks sharply, and the others gasp and stare, some even scooting away from him as if somehow, Seto Kaiba will incinerate the dissenter with his gaze. "You're rich! You have everything you want, and if you didn't, then you could buy it!"
And at that, Kaiba laughs, loud and derisive, enough to make the kid flush in frustration.
"IS THAT SO?" he shouts, before effortlessly hopping off the stage and moving in closer. "You must think that all of this was handed to me, then. Then you'd be WRONG! I, too, was once left nearly alone, with no one but my brother in the world!! We stayed at an orphanage for years, because there were people who refused to adopt us both!
The system is shoddy at best, harmful in truth, with the way that it treats orphans like pets to be chosen and adopted based on such arbitrary criteria as age, or aesthetic!
I am rich, with everything that I want, because I refused what fate had in store for me! I challenged a man to a game, and with my resourcefulness, I was able to strike a deal hinging on my victory! But it was a deal with the devil, for my 'father' was barely anything of the sort. What I have, I took, by hook or by crook. No one will hand you your happy ending, do you understand?"
Now he's standing in front of that kid, glaring down at him, but the usual ice is barely noticeable. He's just...chastising, not humiliating.
"To lose stability. To lose those who loved you, and who you loved in turn, it's a deep cut. But collapsing in on yourself isn't an option. Giving up is a coward's path!
Like I said," he begins, now addressing the crowd again as he leans against the stage. It's a more relaxed position, something open. "No one will hand you your happy ending. Not even I can do that. But what I can offer is this."
His arms open wide, gesturing to the entirety of the area. Not just the stadium, but what's beyond it.
"No child should go without games, or entertainment. Not as I have. Never again. Hope lies in these walls. Strength and fortitude against the ills of the world, and so I tell you now--if your custodians will not allow you in these doors for the pitiful excuse of not being able to pay their way in, know that you may join me again, just as you have now, and you WILL be allowed your simple joys! This I will promise you.
The only thing I ask for is your time, and...mheh heh heh...I also ask for your participation."
So saying, he smirks and glances out across the rows.
"Check under your seat. There should be a clipboard with two items: A worksheet, and a set of personal questions. Fill your name in on the first sheet, then complete it as far as you like. If you don't want to participate, then I don't really care, but the name is required.
I'd rather know who has the courage to seize their own glory in this room. You have five minutes to work, so GET STARTED! If you need assistance, then ask my associates, or myself."