tabularasa_rp | November Catch-all

[With a casual flip, she sends it into a little pocket that exclaims COLLECT THE TREASURE and flashes and beeps for a few seconds.]

I've played Po -- uh. Poogeymen Pinball Ruby. Love that game.

[As it continues to flash, she chances a glance over.]

Wow. You're on this like white on rice, huh? You some kind of gaming junkie, kid?

I’m watching. You talk a big game, you litt—-

[Cool it, Iwaizumi. No making children cry over pinball just because you’re frustrated that you for some reason give a shit.]

I’m watching. [He repeats himself. He’s cool! He’s calm! He’s watching.] Who you calling kid, anyway? You can’t be more than ten years old. [If that.]

...Yup. That's me. Ten years old. Haha!

[Her laugh is a tad bit unpleasant as she bites her tongue in concentration. Five more pockets light up around the table and in short succession, she launches the ball at each of them.

1... 2... 3 -- whoops, just barely missed. There we go. 3. ...4. Aaaaaaaaaaaand -- ]

Oh, no fair! Nothing happened when I hit the button! Aughh!

[that's not true at all
the first ball drops out of play]

[Why does she sound like she’s lying when she says that?]

Ha! Nice try, kid. [You. The child. Clearly the child and not him.] Alright, put that second ball into play then. Let’s see what you’ve got.

[He can’t deny that it is a little exciting to see her play a more than passable game, though. She really must get around on that “Nantindo SD”.]

[Lie? Her? What a terrible accusation.]

That... was what us pinball experts call a warm-up.

[everybody in every sport calls it a warm-up.]

Second ball. May I point out I am about a fifth of the way to your score already?

[Wait how many balls do they get. Is it five. She thinks it's five. If it's not five, that will be embarrassing.]

[Oh, so you’re a pinball wizard and a mathematician? he feels like saying. Instead, he just leans forward over the machine and smirks.]

You only get three balls.

I MEANT FIVE FIFTEENTH.

[It's not five/fifteenth. But that's fine.]

Math is a meaningless human construct anyway! Second ball!

[Ker-plonk. The second ball goes spinning away, and she recovers from her momentary fluster to send it bouncing around the table again smoothly.]

Anyway, it's the long game that matters. Racking up the bottom tier combos is small fry - I'm gunning for all the mystical sea charts and the pirate's true treasure.

[Viridi sniffs as the game flashes ENTER THE HIDDEN COVE!!!!!!]

[Ah. So not a mathematician then. Iwaizumi’s eyes widen a little at the hidden combo she unlocks.]

Hidden Co—

What the hell is that?

[No fair???]

It's the cove where I get 100,000,000 points for every second I can keep the ball in the game!

[that's definitely not true
but this guy doesn't know that
regardless, Viridi's score does start to rocket up as she hits some levers and blinking bumpers - at one point, the board declares that she's found the MYSTICAL COVE SEA CHART]

I'm doing amaaaaaaazing ~

Look, all the little pirates are coming out and doing a dance!

[some kind of tinny, terrible sea shanty is playing, too.]

[Somehow his irritation has only been made worse with the addition of yet more irritating things - like this pirate song for example (and Virdi’s rapidly climbing score).]

Yeah, whatever. You haven’t won yet, kid. And your score definitely ain’t going up by 100 million.

Save the showboating for when you’ve got something to brag about.

[It’s a weird shift to go from desperately wanting the ball to stay in play to desperately wanting it to slip through the levers - come on, come on...]

They're literally doing a show on a boat.

[Viridi gestures at her dancing pirate LED lights.]

I feel like that calls for showboating. You're just jealous you don't have skills like these.

[Viridi idly does that one thing where you balance the ball in between the two flippers when they're all the way up.]

So what should I name myself when I beat you...? What name did you put in?

[“Showboating” - Iwa wants to remain irritated - he really does - but...when you right, you right. He actually laughs, which is a super annoying thing to do when you are trying to intimidate the competition (even if the competition is a ten year old girl?)!]

Shut up and put your money where your mouth is, you little twerp! [Said with a sudden fondness - the joke was funny, okay?!]

It’s Iwa - memorize it. I-W-A. [He prefers Iwaizumi honestly, but the scoreboard only allows for three characters.]

I'll be J-X-B.

[pause for effect.]

Because I'm one step ahead of you any letter you look at!

[Viridi's raucous laughter is such that she loses her grip on the buttons and the ball unceremoniously plunks into the hole. She doesn't even realize for a moment.]

Oh -- wai -- darn it!

I was distracted!

[Goddammit— Why is this little kid so fucking funny? You are making it really hard to be annoyed by you right now! Luckily, Virdi is distracted by her own joke long enough to flub the second ball - and her score still has a lot of room to grow before it beats Iwa’s.]

Having a little too much fun there, are ya? [His grin is positively shit-eating.]

You know, in most sports there’s a rule against gloating - especially before you’ve won the game.

Auuuuuuuuuughh!

[She really
can't even blame anyone
which is her usual go-to for any situations like this]

That's it! No more Miss Nice Viridi! Don't make a single peep; we're playing this ball in Silent Mode! No distractions! Only winning!

[Silent Mode begins awkwardly with Viridi boring a hole through the pinball table with her laser gaze.]

[He doesn’t remember agreeing to those terms, but very well! If she wants a silent round, then he’ll give her a silent round - and I’ll come out on top anyway, he thinks. His game should speak for itself afterall - and that’s not exactly a quiet score he’s got racked up there.

[This won’t stop him from watching her very intently though. You ever notice how the back of your neck starts to tickle when someone stares at you too long? Is that getting annoying yet, Virdi? Is it? Hmmm?]

[No!!!!
Your staring only makes her stronger!!
She's fueled by hatred and spite and the need for attention so it works out

The beeps and boops and chimes of the table are all that break the silence as Viridi bites her tongue and continues to play with an admittedly high level of skill. As the game asks her to spell out the letters 'PIRATE' or 'ENTER THE RAMP!!!', she completes the tasks with only a few errors.

Soon enough...]

Ultimate Challenge: Find all 10 Secret Barrels for the Pirate's True Treasure!

[And across the board, 10 points light up.]

Ha!

Ha-ha!

I'm nearly there! I can taste the victory!

Hey! Whatever happened to making it a silent round, huh?

[Is someone getting irritated that they’re about to be schooled by a little girl? Maybe.]

I said you're not making a peep. I get to do whatever I want.

Speaking of which, can it!

[she specifically lost the last ball because she was too busy talking and not the other way around
but that's unimportant]

Just sit back and watch.

[1... 2... 3...

momentary pause as it gets caught in a cluster of bumpers

4... 5... 6... 7...

Viridi's making some kind of weird 'nnnnnnn' concentration noise under her breath now.

8...

plinkplinkplinkplinkplinkplonk

9...]

This is it! The Forces of Nature seize their greatest victory! I am... the Pirate Queen!

[10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The board goes wild with lights and sound.]

What kind of rule is that?!

[Iwa watches in frustrated amazement as the little creep actually beats his score - and not by just a little! And in one go too! Why the little...

[The frustration doesn’t last long though - at least not on his face. Iwaizumi is all about the thrill of competition, after all, and he’s never been a sore loser (at least not outwardly). Even so...]

Yeah, yeah, so look at you then. Lucky break, I think.

[Still, this little pinball excursion is...probably the most fun he’s had around this place - and with some snot-nosed little brat at that. A small smile tugs at the corner of his lips.]

You’ve got skills, you little brat. Who’d have thunk?

I did!

[...technically true]

Just like I said all along.

[Viridi doesn't even bother to keep playing - the ball plonks into the hole the moment she's attained the PIRATE'S TRUE TREASURE YAAAAAAAR, and she turns with a triumphant expression.]

Hm ~

Don't worry too much about it. It's not every day that you get to compete against a goddess.

[The way she drops the game as soon as she beats his score pains him, and he looks it for a split second, but quickly bounces back with a highly sarcastic snort.]

Right. A pinball goddess, are you?

You played a good game, but don’t you think that’s going a little far?

No, pinball-head. I mean I'm a Goddess.

[She rolls her eyes as if this were obvious to everyone.]

I don't wear these accessories just to be fashionable, you know. I mean, they are, but. Can't you see the divine radiance seeping out of my pores?

[that's actually just sweat]

You had the honor of losing to the Goddess of Nature! You should really be proud.

[He raises his eyebrows. Yeah, okay.]

The Goddess of Nature, huh?

You’re like six.

[Before he was saying you were ten. Did you just get demoted?]

It's a form I take on to be more familiar to you pudding-brain humans!

[Viridi screeches. ...The sound registers just below the upper threshold of human hearing.]

Cannot believe I have to justify myself to all of you people. ...And worse - the worst kind of human!

Teenagers!

Edited 2020-11-13 00:46 (UTC)

November Catch-all

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