tabularasa_rp | [Open!] Oh the weather outside, is the same as it always is!

[Kaiba watched casually as the other presumably went over to gather his things, debating whether he should mention that multiple trips would be fine. It would be hard to juggle a tv and the the dvds, cartridges, and system at one time... or is it implied?]

...? [Looking down curiously at the game being offered, it's not a title he knows.]

[Wait. What is this? One day he was going to have to learn not to treat every word or action with suspicion, but some habits die hard. This was likely just an attempt on Amamiya's part to .... get... along? Huh.]

You sure about that? I'll obliterate your high scores... [Just saying, and on second thought.. Ren did say he was a casual gamer but that didn't necessarily mean he was inept. He also had the advantage of prior experience with these particular games. The lure of a potential challenge was enticing. Kaiba was able to pick games up quickly, so he wasn't overly concerned with losing...] Any.. multi-player games in this set?

(It sure was. There's a lot Ren doesn't agree with when it comes to Kaiba, but after a talk he had with Ann, he saw no harm in trying. After all, if she likes him so much, Kaiba can't be all bad.

At the comment, Ren shrugs. The highest scores go by the name of Futaba anyway, with him always almost there with her. While Ren is competitive, he will be impressed if he beats that.)

A few. Do you want to play a match?

(If that's the case, Ren can come by his apartment to grab some soda and snacks for them. He has time before he goes to work.)

I have about an hour before my shift.

[It's weird. Kaiba isn't sure he cares for it, it's not like it was ever his intention to gather a bunch of friends, not even by extension. It's probably fine. The motivation for this is clear, it's to appease Ann. Conversely if he just shut Amamiya down immediately it could reflect poorly on him should it get back to Ann, not that he's overly concerned by that fact she's overlooked so many things she could have taken exception with already.

Wait. Who is this Futaba, sounds like a future rival.]

Why not?

[He could think of plenty of reasons, but he left the metaphorical ball in the other male's court.]

... [Biting his lip, he managed not to smart off. Who cared about shifts in the void, when you didn't earn a thing for your time? An hour was perfect. This way there was a built in timer so this wouldn't go on too long, lest it got irritating.]

That's plenty of time.

(Good job there in not talking, Kaiba. Ren does this so that there's a sense of community in the Void. So what if he doesn't earn anything? It's valuable time he spends with others, sharing his talent learned from Sojiro. That's enough for him.

Ren nods, patting his hands before he excuses himself.)

I'll grab something, be right back.

(And when he returns, he has two cans of soda and a pack of chips to share, leaving them on the nearest surface.)

Let's play.

[In this instance it's better to leave some thoughts unsaid. It's not as if he would have understood the reasoning behind it either, unless this 'sense of community' business was just a front for 'gathering a steady stream of intelligence on void activities'. Still, you wouldn't see him slinging warm beverages to anyone to garner their favor.]

Sure.

[Mildly curious as to what was so important to allow it to cut into valuable gaming time. Still, the invitation had been impromptu so it was a wonder it was agreed to at all. Soda, and chips. Just don't spill anything or get chip dust in the carpet...]

You're on, but don't expect me to take it easy on you.

[The console was already setup, so all that was required was to pop in one of the cartridges.]

Try to make this interesting.

(When Ren gets comfortable on the floor, he offers the other man one of the cans, and if it's accepted, a quiet cheers and clinking takes place. The words make him snort - he has spent considerable time playing these, and while he knows the cheats, he decides against using them.

An honorable victory or defeat.

He won't make it easy for you either, Kaiba. Exactly why the one he picks is the one he played the most.)

[It's accepted but not without silent skepticism. These things are terrible for you.. unlike the metric tons of coffee he downs in a year. Sure. Still, after they are clinked like wine glasses, he sets his down near where he seated himself. What is this. It's looking too... wholesome. Is that the word? Well, remember. It's only an hour long.

Is it really a cheat if it's encapsulated within the game? ~~An exploit, maybe~~. Still, at least this first round will be just a pure test of ability.

Shifting he picked up one of the controllers and awaited the title screen. Just what sort of game has Ren selected? Racing, general arcade style resource gathering, a fighter? Kaiba is all the curious]

(A gulp out of the can before Ren can leave it nearby, cracking knuckles before he can take controller. Featherman Seeker is his favorite game, the one he had recommended Kaiba earlier in the conversation.

He's quiet, focused, but the input comes natural to him with how much he has played it.)

[~~A quick-time event that somehow is co-op?~~ The theming was in the vein of the super-sentai genre and it apparently had a story to go along with it. Something about trying to become the sixth Phoenix Ranger... eh, it didn't really matter. Either way it wasn't seeming like the most competitive of titles available though it might be possible to rack up individual scores.

He doesn't have trouble with something as simplistic as this, his quick reflexes being an asset.]

Why am I not surprised.. that it's a game about heroes...

[Given the nature of the phantom thieves. It said some weird things about Amamiya and perhaps his own idealized version of himself.. or... well.. he might just like heroes. Sometimes analysis wasn't needed]

(I'm totally counting on the idea that there are multiplayer game options.

The comment earns a snort. The game bears similarities with another person, which Ren might be realizing now, but not in the Phantom Thieves perse.)

I'm from Japan. (And quickly, he realizes that it isn't explanation enough for what he means. He continues, then.) A lot of media is about heroes.

(Mangas, games, anime... One can name it.)

[Well, there must be if their are 6 Phoenix rangers. It would be a missed opportunity without multiplayer.

Those similarities were likely lost on Seto, not being infatuated with said person in question, etc, etc.]

... [That nearly draws his attention away from the game, since this would have been the perfect opportunity to shoot the other an incredulous look. For one, he knows Amamiya was from Japan. Secondly, where did Ren think Seto was from with a name like 'Seto Kaiba'? Not to mention that he had prior knowledge of Shibuya existing as well..?] A lot of it is about monsters, antiheroes, and psychopaths too, but we're not playing a game based on any of those.

(Blue calls him Ren-chan, without the prior knowledge of Japan, but with full knowledge of anything else! People can be from all around, drawing similarities from complete different universes. It's not like he has ever talked to Kaiba to know.)

Are you enjoying it, at least?

[It might not have been fair, but this was something Kaiba thought to be evident. He likely should have taken the opportunity to clarify it, but didn't. It's not like Domino, Japan would have been easily recognizable outside of his own verse so it could have been enlightening in terms of comparison.]

Mm? It's an improvement over the nothing that was available before. [Despite it's super cheesiness]

[Needs more monsters] It seems odd that so many of us are from Japan.. [There were plenty that weren't but there was at least a decent-sized cluster of Japanese origin]

(Sure, whatever... At least it allowed Ren to be in the presence of the other, peacefully for once, without a snap from either part. He's pretty satisfied with how this has been going.)

I have had that thought too. (A man full of ticks, a hand goes to his chin as he ponders.) Different versions of it.

(Ren's talking!! Look!)

[It wasn't easy to draw compliments out of Kaiba, especially over games he didn't personally have a hand in creating or forwarding. His actions should speak louder since he hadn't abandoned his controller or ended the session prematurely.]

It's kind of hard to miss. [Ren is talking, and it's weird. I mean sure, he's not saying a lot but he is saying something.]

How many unique versions have you heard of?

Around five or six.

(If assumptions count. Nothing guarantees that Parsee isn't from a Japan like his own, for instance.)

Even among us, there have been discrepancies in time.

(He means the Phantom Thieves, implied.)

Edited 2021-01-03 06:27 (UTC)

[Assumptions count. Kaiba makes them all the time.. cough. ~~With mixed success and failure~~.]

That's what I've heard.

[Courtesy of one pig-tailed birdy that likes to talk. As they proceeded to the next level and the difficulty increased, Kaiba focused on the gameplay exclusively for a few moments. When it seemed to ease up or he was getting the pattern he looked for something else to say.]

Wonder if there's a reason.

[Maybe their opponent was seeking someone specific but kept getting the wrong person? There he goes assuming the culprit behind the void has malicious intent]

I don't know for sure.

(It's almost automatically at this point - his hands on muscle memory alone travelling the buttons of the controller. Rather than to dwell on things they have no control over or knowledge on, Ren simply renews his promise of getting the answer straight from the Void's mouth as soon as he has the chance.)

I imagine Ann has told you about our home. Is yours much different?

[No duh. Amamiya answered as if it had been a question, which it wasn't.

Gamewise, Kaiba couldn't rely on the same method since they hadn't played it enough for memorization to kick in, but he was no slouch on picking it up on the fly. As soon as a backdoor could be discovered to overwrite the programming of the void and release them, they could get their answers when they resumed real consciousness. ~~cough~~.]

A bit. [Likely, an understatement.] As near as I can figure, they aren't that much different, no. The technology and architecture is comparable with some nuances. [There's no metaverse/cognitive world bull in his but he's only discussed that subject with Ann.. so..] Both have modern amenities, cell phones, video games, the like.. only I think mine is more advanced in holographic technology. [Virtual could be on par, courtesy of the aforementioned metaverse] Gaming plays a more prominent role.

Edited 2021-01-07 09:51 (UTC)

(He imagines Kaiba knows about the Metaverse at this point. Not only from his closeness to Ann, but with the memory trading and the trip down to Mementos, it was impossible that he hasn't seen or inquired her about any of their usual activities and knowledge.

Ren listens, nodding to the words and taking a second longer to reply due to the intensity of the game in front of them.)

Holographic technology is not a thing for us at all. (... Gaming? He thought Kaiba was just too interested in his card games, perhaps it's not just him.) How so?

[Open!] Oh the weather outside, is the same as it always is!

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