Participants:
| Scene Title | Games We Play |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Alia finds an arcade somewhere, and drags her workaholic boss there on a … well, he's not sure. |
| Date | August 28, 2018 |
It is amazing what you can find if you look hard enough. Which is likely how Alia managed to find the place she was, much less, convince her accompaniment for the night to try this madness.
Bright lights, bells, digitized voices, kids and adults playing games: a functional arcade, in a suburb not torn up by the war, in of all places, And Alia just grins as she's already picked out her first game to play. “Days off can be good?”
“Are you…” Richard laughs, his head shaking as he steps into the arcade, eyebrows raising a little, “Is this what you had me fly out here for, Alia?” He shoots her a bemused look, “I mean, are we meeting a contact here or something, or…?”
No, Richard, it’s just an arcade.
“All Work, No Play.” Alia grins. Yes she had flown him, as in, in a small little plane, with herself at the controls. No landings in bodies of water today! She does however lead towards a very distinct machine: IT has a title over the top, and it’s decidedly old, though not retro. And wired to it are a pair of what looks like plastic handguns, with a lens in the barrel for those being curious. The title? “Time Crisis” The graphics are PS2 era at best. She digs out some tokens (Yes, she HAD ordered ahead.) “Thought… down time. Might be fun?”
… And hell, she’s not crazy enough to drag him for lazer tag. Or for trying to fence with him. Okay, not yet on the later.
“I’ve got a lot on my plate lately, Alia…” Richard rolls his eyes in mild complaint, although he does follow her in nonetheless. They’re already there, after all! Stepping up to the machine, he glances to her, then the game, “One of those light gun games?”
He didn’t get a lot of video game time in, growing up. The nuns disapproved.
He reaches out to lift one of them, frowning at the pull and weight of the cable attached to it. How’s he supposed to shoot anyone with th— oh, right, video game.
“Always have lot on our plates.” She notes dryly as she picks up the other one…and if Richard found his awkward, it shows that Alia has the bare minimum training to safely use a firearm. Still, tokens go in. ANd the game begins. Some story about setting up a coup to take down an authoritarian regime by a secret agency. Huh.
“you know how hard is to _find_ working light gun games right now?” Alia teases. Yes, she’s full well aware she’s giving RIchard a heck of an advantage here.
“A bit on the nose, isn’t it,” Richard quips as the story’s explained on the screen, frowning at the gun to test its weight and then raising it again, “And I can imagine. I mean, I’m sure we could make one if we really wanted to? We’ve got holograms and shit.”
“Time, money, idea of bullets made of light flying around.” She lists why she hasn’t built one of these things… and it becomes quickly obvious that Alia is _not good_ at light gun games. Oh well. She’s at least good enough to not be a total shame.
“… thought you’d like this better then sword-play. And down time, important.” Alia states, frowning. “Stuck in a rut.” She shrugs, and sighs as she slumps a bit.
“You’re right,” admits Richard as he starts the game as well; he’s a bit better, but he keeps trying to react as if this was a real gun, which gives him a disadvantage, “I don’t get enough down time, really… especially now that we’re on the eighth day.”
Whatever that means.
“Shit, duck— “ Instinct to say, as he shoots an enemy soldier coming up to Alia’s side of the screen.
Alia simply shoots the offending digital entity with the light gun. She’s got shots to spare, and at that range, she can hardly miss. Though it’s in the light that it’s obvious that Alia is, well, blushing. “That, and cheesy, trying to drag you dinner. Doubt I own fancy enough dress.” Yeah, that’s pretty accurate an assessment most likely.
“I doubt we could find a good restaurant,” Richard chuckles under his breath as he continues to play at the game, “Much less one that requires formal— “ A pause, a sidelong look, “Wait, drag me to dinner?”
Is this a date?
Alia refuses to confirm or deny the unspoken question. Or the spoken one for that matter, as she shoots the game sprite on Richard’s side of the screen this time. No, she’ll stick with blushing and being socially awkward as usual. Finally, she makes a quip. “So Space INvaders Scarf and Pac-Man dress it is.” She grins, just a bit.
This may have become awkward. Richard isn’t sure, which somehow makes it more awkward! “Alright,” he chuckles, turning back to the screen and bringing the gun up, “I was always a Double Dragon man, myself… oh, and Contra.”
Alia tilts her head… and grins. Well, _that_ she can work with later. And she’s just good enough at -this- that she’s not absolutely dragging Richard down… though odds are neither is gonna make it to see the game’s ending on this set of tokens. The technopath puts the ‘gun’ down after the lives run out, and shrugs. And yup. Awkward very very awkward. “Maybe we find sidescroller?” She offers. “And game for you, when home.” Richard’s internet bill is going to hate her…
It’s awkward all around! Richard’s own ‘gun’ is set down, and he breathes out a chuckle as he admits, “I don’t know where I’ll find time — I do play some online chess. Got a few interesting playing partners…” A look around the arcade, “Man, this place really does bring me back, though.”
“Chess.” She echoes, a trip down memory lane. A hand to the little bishop charm with an LED notification light set on the top that hangs from a necklace. “Glad for happy memories.” She offers, with a genuine smile. “Maybe, after Yule, schedule some time?” After all, if all goes to plan she'll have someone to help her convince him to do so!
“If all goes well,” Richard admits, a smile tugging up at one corner of his lips as he looks back to Alia, “If all goes well. Of course, if all doesn’t go well we might all be killed and the universe destroyed, so— !”
“You think they have Altered Beast here?”
Alia laughs, as instead she leads to the only beat em up she's seen in the place… X-Men. The big double screened behemoth of a cabinet. “and listen to them yell at us for horrible homecomings?” She teases.
“We be fine.” Alia smirks. “Coffee and donuts.”
-
“Good plan,” Richard replies cheerfully as he slides in the quarters, “We’ll offer the hunter robots, or virus zombies, or whatever we get some coffee and donuts. This plan sounds foolproof. I call Cyclops.”
“For Liz, silly. Banshees for zombies. Me for robots.” She pauses, thinking back to some thing, and picks Storm for herself. “Saltwater?” She finally inquires, since that's the only realty risk left unmentioned at the moment.
“That’s what we hope to reach,” says Richard with a shake of his head, “If everything goes well, we open the door… and Liz and my family are on the other side.” He’s quiet a moment as he focuses on the game, “Speaking of. We have a trip to Kansas soon.”
He never stops working.
Alia simply nods. There is a time for all things, after all. “Figure out timing. After this round.”