(no subject)

[midget]

[ Anybody entering the lobby late at night will find a little girl set up there. She has a huge flat-screen TV set up on a wall, a Zboz 1080 set up in front of it, and she's sprawled out on a couch, cordless controller in her hands. She has a huge bowl of Cheetos set up on a coffee table in front of her and an open 12-pack of Paradisa-brand cherry cola.

The logo is a buffalo, if you were wondering.

On the screen is a guy in a futuristic suit of powered armor, vaguely reminiscent of the many Freelancers and future-military guys around the castle. It's set on an obviously alien planet, and the character is running around and shooting aliens.

The journal is open on the table in front of her, picking up the sounds of lasers and aliens screaming and the munching of Cheetos. After a few moments, she speaks up. ]

This game is totally unrealistic. [ Munch, munch. Lasers fire. Aliens die. ] There's not enough explosions.

[ Yeah. Open in person for anybody who wants to watch her play Ring: Stretch, or grab another controller for multiplayer. There is multiplayer, right? Whatever, there is now. Also open over the journal of course, if you'd rather yell at her for being loud and obnoxious over the journal. ]

Comments

Action

[noblefive]

[Yep. Totally walking in on this and pausing to watch over her shoulder.]

What's unrealistic?

[See the dude? He looks like one of the team-members in the game! Spooky, huh?]

\o/

[midget]

[ Your futuristic armor all looks the same to her, okay. ]

This. Where are all of the tactical strikes and air raids?

I want more explosions.

[noblefive]

[It mostly is. Jorge's is the better model, though.]

Maybe it's not that type of game?

[midget]

[ Technically, York's is the best model. It was upgraded by Tony Stark. ]

Probably not. Still makes it unrealistic.

[ Look! More aliens die. Man this game is... something. ]

[noblefive]

[We'll have to test that. :| Freelancer armour isn't up to the right spec as SPARTAN armour.]

I don't think it's--

[Trailing off.]

What game are you playing?

[midget]

[ It's awesome okay. ]

This is.... Ring: Stretch?

It was popular a few years back where I'm from.

[noblefive]

[If there was any indication that the 7'8" armour-clad man found that amusing, it was very well hidden.]

Huh. It looks... oddly familiar.

[midget]

[ Suddenly Eva pauses for a moment to look up at him.

An idea hits.

It all makes sense now. ]

Cosplayer?

[noblefive]

What?

[midget]

The armor. Is it for real, or is it based on the game?

[payback]

[Oh hey what's awesome about being back in the castle: she can hang out with people now.]

What're you doing?

[midget]

Playing video games. What does it [ oh, almost got hit by an alien there. Eva pauses mid-sentence for a moment to duck behind cover and shoots some shots at it. Two shots miss, then a headshot. Yeeeeah!

Okay, back to Rin. ] -look like I'm doing?

Want a soda?

[payback]

[She climbs over the back of the couch to sit down next to Eva, and reaches for a handful of cheetos.]

Yeah, that sounds good.

[midget]

Ever had cherry cola? Best invention of the twentieth century. [ Hope you like the eyeless buffalo on the can, though, as Eva hands one over. ]

[payback]

[Rin holds the can up instead of popping it open right away. Squinting at the label...]

Where did you get this?

[noblefive]

It's real.

[midget]

The kitchen. [ Pause. ] Don't worry, I've had it. It's safe enough.



I'd avoid the microwave, though.

[midget]

...Huh.

[ And with that she unpauses her game to blow up more aliens. ]

[noblefive]

Mind if I join you?

[payback]

[Ah well. She cracks it open. Pchhh.]

Oh, right, that idiot today did something awful to it, didn't he?

[midget]

[ Eva manages to give a shrug, making room on the couch. ] Sure.

Just... try not to destroy the controller or anything. We can wish for more, but they're a pain to calibrate to the system.

[midget]

I wouldn't say he did something awful to it.

He just used it to unleash a sealed, ancient evil.

[ ....That's not awful to Eva. ]

[noblefive]

[He's just going to sit on the floor... Half-a-ton of metal and super-soldier isn't good for the springs.]

I know how to be careful. How'd you play?

[Considering he has the potential strength to ground the controller to dust? He'd better be.]

[payback]

Well... [sippp]

What are we supposed to do about that?!

[midget]

[ Yeah, Eva, too. Except she's not a giant guy in a suit of armor, so it's easier for her to gauge her strength. ]

It's simple enough. You use the shoulder triggers to fire, and... [ INSERT EXPLANATION OF THE GAME'S CONTROLS HERE I GOT NOTHIN'. ]