Let me Crawl Inside Your Veins (Wide Open)

[bridge_princess]

Who: Parsee bridge_princess and You!
What: February Open Log
Where: Pretty much anywhere
When: February (after the 8th)
Content Warnings: Body Horror, Blood, Roots and flowers growing in things like lungs and other places they don't belong. Probably some serious self loathing here

Prompts below!

Comments

[forwearemany]

Parsee is their friend: she was, as far as they were concerned, permitted anywhere they were.

"Affirmative." Their headflaps lift. They will gladly let her handle this task.

[bridge_princess]

She nodded over and went behind the bar, glad to have something to do. It gave her a feeling of normalcy, ending up behind the bar once again, handing out drinks like it was the first party that they'd ever had. Pulling a few bottles over, she raised an eyebrow.

"So... what do you want?"

[forwearemany]

They consider. Booze, though they drink it when it feels appropriate, has poor taste and little effect. Coffee is bitter unless diluted with a considerable amount of creamer.

"Tea?" That, on the other hand, usually tastes good.

[bridge_princess]

"Tea I can do." She took the pot and put it on the heat after filling it with water. It would take a little bit for them to get that boiling, but that jut gave them a chance to talk for a minute. She opted for an english breakfast. Nothing too strong.

"What have I missed?"

[forwearemany]

"Acknowledged. Thank you."

They'll find a spot to sit at the bar and watch her. What has she missed? Not much, honestly. They consider the changes they have seen.

"A new species of flora has appeared. The Market now includes arcade games--the bathouse showers now require playing games to operate. Earthquakes are increasingly frequent. Michelangelo's David has regrown additional mushrooms. We have made considerable progress with the creatures that resemble Geth."

[bridge_princess]

"You mean the berries? I might have had a run in with one since I came back." Ugh, too spicy. Way too spicy. She hadn't yet tried the other ones.

...wait...

"You... have to pay video games to take a shower in the bathhouse? The heck?!?" No, all of the other things were gone because that was just too weird to not mention. "Why is that happening now?"

[forwearemany]

"Uncertain, however, there is also a scoreboard on display in the baths."

If she looks she will, perhaps somewhat predictably, find that Legion is one of the people consistently at or near the top. Others might find this development annoying, even cruel, but for Legion it's an incentive to actually bathe for once.

[bridge_princess]

"You know, I probably shouldn't get into gaming quite as much as you. All those high scores, I might just get my jealous streak back." She said it with a laugh, mostly because she could feel a pang over something so miniscule and unimportant. But it wasn't so bad. She could handle this. It almost felt like a healthy kind of jealousy.

"Do people ever put in stupid names on those?" she knew the answer. It didn't take a rocket scientist to guess.

[forwearemany]

"Competition is typically treated as part of enjoyment." Though, admittedly, excessive competition is treated as a barrier to it.

Would Parsee go so far as to destroy enjoyment in the game? It is entirely possible, they think: such attitudes are a part of her nature.

Still, they do not believe she should exclude herself.

[bridge_princess]

"Yeah that's pretty normal for humans. They like to compete. It just gets weird with someone like me, I think." She wouldn't destroy the game. She'd be more likely to destroy her competitor. "Heh... but if that's what yo have to do to take a shower, I'll have to figure something out won't I?"

[forwearemany]

"There are additional showers in the gym locker areas." She can always go there, if she's that worried about the games.

They still think she shouldn't exclude herself, but it's her right to choose.

[bridge_princess]

"Oh, well that's not so bad. Just weird then instead of trouble." she was a little grateful to realize that, and might not have looked because she assumed the worst as always. "But... I might... give one a try."

[forwearemany]

Their headflaps lift slightly. They appear ... pleased? At least, it's not the same sort of headflap lift movement they do when startled, questioning, or anxious.

"Perhaps you will beat our score." It's entirely possible: Legion can dance but they aren't the best at that kind of game-their body is bit too large and heavy. Someone smaller and lighter like Parsee can probably out perform them with a bit of effort.

[bridge_princess]

"Hah, you are the exact opposite of me sometimes. I'd be worried about folks beating my score, but it kind of sounds like you want me to do it." And deep down she expected that Legion almost certainly meant it.

[forwearemany]

"We are not beaten often." A lot of games can be reduced to algorithms, or, for videogames, use algorithms that Legion can innately grasp. Playing with others, particularly organics, provides an element of uncertainty, but their knowledge and reflexes give them a unique advantage. They tend to prefer more cooperative play, such as acting as support in Galaxy of Fantasy raiding parties, for this reason, among others.

Losing is a novelty.

[bridge_princess]

"Haha," she started laughing a little, smiling at him rather genuinely. Oh, that was rich, because she thought she'd just realized something about Legion. "You mean that legitimately losing, fair and square, at one of these games is so rare that it's almost like you're winning a little?" That was kind of priceless and deep down she loved it.

[forwearemany]

"It is a novelty."

Or, in other words, yeah, kind of like that. It can get awfully boring, winning all the time.

[bridge_princess]

"It's going to take a lot of work mastering one of those. Have you ever had anyone beat your scores before?" She had trouble believing it with Legion's reaction times. It would take an impressive feat.

[forwearemany]

"We are currently in continuous competition for the top score with multiple individuals." Several people who are either very good dancers or just very determined in this world.

So yes, they have been beaten at games before.

[bridge_princess]

"Well, at least you've got some games going already." She was NOT much of a dancer, but she was definitely determined. Hmmmm, but which one to try. Which one to ...

"Do you have any recommendations for me? My hand coordination's really not that great."

[forwearemany]

"The shower games are rhythm based and require dancing. Hand-eye coordination is useful but not necessary for play."

They don't really have any particular recommendations, unfortunately.

"The arcade also offers games, though few are functional."

[bridge_princess]

"Hmmm. Dancing? As long as the hand positions and posture aren't that important like some traditional dances, I could probably handle it. My fingers don't work quite as well as most people." She shrugged. "It's why a lot of those arcade games are frustrating to me."

But yeah, she could handle Dance Dance Revolution just fine. She just needed to practice.

[forwearemany]

"Acknowledged." They don't ask about why her hands don't work so well.

"There are games that do not require strong hand coordination, though selection is currently limited." Right now, there's not much of anything to play at all. Perhaps in the future?

[bridge_princess]

It was an old thing with her. She was long used to it. "It actually doesn't even matter if there's only one game, and I hate it. I'd probably get focused on beating your score if I started practicing it. Kind of funny how the way I work helps a bit at times, when you know it's there."

[forwearemany]

"...Acknowledged." They wonder: is it important for a Hashihime to have things to envy, and others to compete with even when it's not necessary for continued survival, the way that Geth need the presence of others, even when isolation does not result in death of self?

Is encouraging her to try to beat them beneficial, or harmful? Their headflaps ripple as they consider it.