Insert Coin Bar And Grill
"You wanna be where you can see troubles are all the same, you wanna go where everybody knows your name."
One of the most central locales in Videoland, the Insert Coin has become a sort of neutral ground, a bar where all can meet and communicate. A simple wooden bar runs across the back of the room, tables and chair scattered throughout, room here for nearly any of Videoland's denizens. Drinks are cheap here, and only slightly watered down, and most people seem to get along. Fights are not welcome here, however... people with combat in mind are pointed to the broom closet that leads to the hidden basement...
Contents:
Servbot
Tron Bonne
Gim
Black Mage
Karaoke Stage
Pinball Machine
Obvious exits:
Out leads to Downtown.
Stairs leads to Fighter Club.
Black Mage shrugs. "You don't need a voice for this, that's why it's Karaoke!"
Tron Bonne blinks. "Good point."
Black Mage grins, and heads back towards the bar....
Gim ignores the negative chatter as he continues to flaunt his b-boy styling, walking the thin line between bringing down the house and bringing down the stage with his antics. But he keeps upbeat, even as he tries to keep his breath as he song continues. Dang, this is a long song.
Servbot looks confused for a moment, not understanding.
Like the lone sheriff of a one-horse town, a figure pushes in through the doors of the Insert Coin...and says nothing. Lady A, the eldest of Gamemasters, enters agressively but quietly, turning the heads of those patrons closest to the door, before they blink, and go back about their business. Lady A turns to the side immediately, walking over and taking up a booth on the far wall of the bar.
The party has...not arrived.
Tron Bonne whispers to her Servbot again, this time being more detailed and with some gestures towards Gim.
Black Mage is tending the bar, and has noticed yet another female to enter into his clutch.......er....into the bar. Yeah. Popping down and heading to the Lady's table, he waves. "What can I get you?"
Servbot blinks, understanding, then starts moving towards the stage.
Gim finally ends his performance as the music fades out, striking a pose on stage, arm raised high, yo-yo in his hand. He then blinks as the crowd fails to react. "Aw, come on, you guys gotta be more alive than that!" He throws his yo-yo out a few times, then pockets it under his hat, walking up to the bar.
Servbot dodges to avoid the yo-yo. He then stops, blinks, and looks about in confusion, as the reason for his ... whatever he was going to do, has now ended.
Lady A turns her head and looks over at the Mage. ... Recognition sets in. "Me?" she asks, sounding a bit incredulous.
Black Mage grins. Well, at least you think he's grinning. "Well, you're in my bar. You're at a table in my bar. And since you're sitting down, you've either got an amazing tolerance for karaoke, or you want something to drink."
Tron Bonne looks at her watch. "Darn, shouldn't've spent that long in town ..." she mutters. "I have to go now. Thirty-two, c'mon."
Black Mage waves. "Come back any time. We're always open. Literally."
Lady A is actually pretty used to this. Ever since her reappearance as a Gamemaster, it seemed like half the active heroes and anti-heroes wanted to buy her a drink. Her, and Princess Toadstool. At least she got a lot of free drinks. "I didn't know it was your bar," she says. "Surprise me."
Princess Toadstool arrives from Downtown.
Princess Toadstool has arrived.
Servbot #32 recieves a /clear/ order! He races towards the pirate princess as she goes to leave. "Yes, Miss Tron!"
Tron Bonne takes Servbot.
Tron Bonne reaches the exit and says, "Well, so long." She then leaves entirely
Black Mage nods to Lady A. "Well, not exactly -my- Bar. I just happen to be tending bar at the moment." Slipping past Servbot #32, he heads to the bar, fixing something...impressive. Or at least that seems to be.
Tron Bonne escapes into a warp zone.
Tron Bonne has left.
Gim vaults himself onto a stool. He waves to the Gamemaster as he spins around on it. "Yo. You look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?" He then signals to BM, a few coins in his hand. "Yo, my man. Give me a soda or something."
And with a sort of shy quietness comes in a young girl, with long blonde hair (styled in a ponytail), and dressed in a tight fitting white T-shirt, a part of denim shorts that are cut off very short, and a purse with 'I (Heart) SimCity' written on it! She looks like an ordinary young random girl!
And that's the whole point.
In reality though, this young femme is none other than Princess Toadstool, out testing her disguise to see if anyone can tell her apart from any other ordinary girl.
Black Mage stops his drink mixing for a second, and mumbles a spell. Suddenly, a large magical hand appears, taps a Shoggoth's Old Peculiar, and floats it over to Gim, collecting the coins on its' way back to the register. Then, he heads towards Lady A again, drink mixed. It appears to be tall...blue....and...um....glowing? Setting it onto the table, he sends a quick spark of energy at it, and it leaps up with a small man in red armor appearing above the drink, screaming for a moment before being engulfed in flames.
"One Burning Fighter. Our house specialty." Then, BM locks the eyes of Female Seeking onto the new arrival. "Can I get you anything, miss clearly single and highly availble?"
Lady A looks over to Gim, and nods. "Most likely, yes," she says. "Lady A, but I've yet to meet you."
Gim snaps his fingers, righting himself before he does so. "OH YEAH!! One 'f dem gamemeisters or whatever! I've heard 'a ya! Name's Gim, yo-yo master of Popstar and breakin' freak supreme. Nice ta meetcha!" He extends his large hand out in friendship, seeking a handshake.
Princess Toadstool looks up and blushes a bit, then tries to suppress her nervousness. She's not used to showing off this much leg. >.> Well, intentionally, anyway. Some perverted people do try to peak under her dress, but they're soon met with cold steel to the face, "Oh... just something to drink... mild, preferrably." She glances over at lady A... although she doesn't know the gamemaster personally, she has heard of her reputation and see a picture of her.
Black Mage nods to the princess. "Mild, huh? Okay....let's go with this." Snapping his gloved fingers, the floating hand draws another stein of Shoggoth's Old Peculiar root beer, and brings it over. "Pretty girls get the first drink free. Gamemasters or not."
Lady A is being offered a handshake, but her attention drifts to the antics of the very unusual concotion on her table. She blinks at it, then, when the light finally settles, leans forward and experimentally breathes in the fumes. "...Thanks. I hope it's not too toxic." She pauses, then remembers the other conversation. She returns Gim's handshake, if a bit stiffly...mostly due to the apparatus strapped to her arm. "Breaking, like...dancing?" she asks. Old lingo is good.
Princess Toadstool smiles politely and nods, then takes a seat and takes her drink, "Thank you." Well, that was rather nice of the dark, shadowy, omnipotent sorta character. She quietly takes a sip of her root beer and looks around... we'll, except for the obvious passes, nobody has really noticed her yet... a wild change from attracting every eye when she stepped in while wearing her 'formal' clothes.
Gim nods enthusiastically. He then pushes himself up on his one hand and starts twirling on the stool, going into several leg swings and headspins before pushing down with his hand again, stopping in the same position he started. "See!"
Black Mage ooooh, baby. She called me Omnipotent! Then, he turns around and bows to Lady A, the hat still somehow managing to never move. "Nothing really toxic. Just a drink."
Lady A smiles a bit at the dance. "Classical moves." Raising a brow at the Burning Fighter, she says to the Mage, "I'm going to take your word for it..." then lifts it up for an experimental sip. She sets it down again, and blinks, chewing a bit on her tongue. Clearly this isn't intended to be a 'sipping' drink.
Princess Toadstool takes another sip of her drink and sort of blends into the background... maybe she should keep this disguise for when she needs to get away from state business...
Gim grins in the best way he can without a mouth, or little else to make an expression with. However, he manages. He finally sees his soda on the bar and jumps up, grabbing it quickly with his long arm, and downing it in some opening, carfully conealed by his hat. He quickly replaces it on the table, then blinks at the newcomer. He waves cheerfully before spinning himself on the stool, then landing back down on the floor. "So, who want's to hear some more beats?"
Black Mage doesn't make 'sipping drinks', really. He then heads back to manage the bar, keeping an eye on things, and wondering just how well Karaoke machines explode, in worst case. "You've had a turn. See if anyone else wants to."
Princess Toadstool has disconnected.
Lady A takes a more adventurous gulp of the drink she's been offered. "Maybe after I finish this," she mutters.
Black Mage says, "Exxxcellent."
Gim just "Awwww..."s and leans against the stool, waiting for someone to head up to the stage so he can go after them.
Lady A, for the record, takes her time with a drink of this potency. She's about halfway finished. ...Pokemon are really lousy at following the bouncing ball... she muses to herself, as a Charmander takes up the mike. ...or is that two of them? Whoa.
"Chaaaaaaaaaar, char char char char maaaaaaaaaaaander....."
Street Fighter Ryu arrives from Downtown.
Street Fighter Ryu has arrived.
Jason arrives from Downtown.
Jason has arrived.
Lady A is sitting in a booth on the side. She's working on drinking a very large drink as it's been prepared by Black Mage. There is karaoke here... Lady A made a sideways comment about singing herself, but at the moment she actually looks a bit sleepy.
Black Mage is at the Bar. For he is...THE BLACK MAGE. And bartending. Yeah.
Street Fighter Ryu enters in the bar, holding his dufflebag in both hands as he looks about. He waits near the door, the Street Fighter apparently waiting for someone.
Doctor Robotnik smirks as he looks around before heading over to the bar saying, "Get me some vodka.", he chuckles for a bit as he sits down on his usual stool
Black Mage looks up at the new arrivals, eyes glowing. "Anyone else want things?" Sending the Eggman a shot of Vodka courtesy of a touch of magic, he looks to take care of the rest.
Engineer continues drinking said drink. He looks at all of the others entering the bar, but pays them no mind. He's used to these wierd characters now, and simply keeps drinking the ale.
Doctor Robotnik looks to the glass then the rest of the room, chuckling for a bit as he takes a sip of his drink remaining silent as he thinks
Dual arrives from Downtown.
Dual has arrived.
Mortimer McMire arrives from Downtown.
Mortimer McMire has arrived.
Black Mage seems to have gotten...well...bored. As such, he is wiping down the bar with a large cloth. It in fact seems to be someone else's cloth, which is why he's smiling. It even has "FIGHTERZ SWORDZ POLISHIN CLOTH. NO TOUCH!" embroidered on it.
Lady A stares down the bottom of what must've been a very tall drink. It's gone now. All gone. Black Mage made it for her.
Jason wanders into the bar, looking all... well... exuberant. Like a 14-year old.
The doors of the bar open as a four foot tall figure enters the room. After glancing at the pinball machine to make sure he still has the high score, Mortimer McMire climbs into a seat near the center of the bar.
Sonic the Hedgehog arrives from Downtown.
Sonic the Hedgehog has arrived.
Looking towards the bartender, the eight-year old says, "I'll have a cream soda. Heck, anything non-caffienated that isn't root beer."
Street Fighter Ryu nods to himself as Jason walks in. He has no problem with inviting a kid to join him for a drink. More so when Ryu almost always drinks milks and juices and will make sure his company does the same. He looks at all of the starting to file in and begins to move to the bar. "Milk please... And I'll pay for whatever the kid is going to have," he offers.
After several children stroll into the bar, there is a collective pause in the conversation. At that point, as is one of his divine talents, Dual punts the door open with his boot, lugging his usual massive duffle bag of artillery around with him on his back. One of his Sarge (tm) brand pixellated cigars floats in front of his face, generating intermittent whisps of neatly rendered smoke. He pulls his goggles down around his neck as he steps in, squinting as he looks over the bar.
The Dark Gamemaster generates something akin to a self-satisfied grin as he moves over to the bar, bag clinking with the cacophonous sounds of gunmetal contacting gunmetal. He works the bag off his back and slings it next to a stool -- conveniently nearby Lady A, though not /right/ next to her -- and plays it cool, settling in at the bar. He looks up and down the bar to see if anyone is going to cause any problems before rumbling a greeting to Lady A.
"Hello sweetness -- always brightens my day to see the loyal opposition enjoying a drink at the local bar."
Black Mage blinks, flipping the cloth over the bar rail. Milk isn't exactly common, but okay..... With a swirl, he manages to find some beneath the fridge door, and sends a glass down to the Figher. Then, he takes a look over at Dual. "Nice bag. Keep it zipped shut, or you'll get to learn how to break the speed of light with your clothes on."
Doctor Robotnik looks to Mortirmer as he enters saying, "Greetings Mort, hows life treating you.", he checks his watch for a few seconds as he recieves a report nodding as everything seems normal back at the lab before he takes another sip of his drink
Jason grins as he gets up to the bar. "Um, I don't want anything major... just an icee... with triple syrup." He grins the grin of someone about to get very, very hyper.
Muttering to himself, Morty says or Dual, "Well, if it isn't mister Unintelligent Brute himself." He then turns to Robotnik and says, "Fine, just peachy. My Mini-Mangler is still missing, and I don"
Engineer seems to have taken in a few drinks. He's waving the almighty wrench around absentmindly, and listens to the song playing on the jukebox. Bah. He hates that song. Getting up, he walks over to said jukebox... but not before watching Dual walk right by. (Man, he looks like he's seen some war, also.) Engineer thinks, as he watches the guy take a seat. Shrugging, he switches through the jukebox, looking for ... Heavy Metal. What else?
"don't have the resources to complete the Mangling Machine Mk-2."
Mortimer McMire fiddles with his wrist computer. Looks like he's playing Paddle War again, the hoizontal variant of Pong.
Lady A suppresses her initial reaction. Which would be 'huh?' Instead, she blinks... and squints, at Dual. (...Damn you, Black Mage.) She stis up in her seat, from where she was leaning forward onto the table. Right: sheriff, one horse-town, all that. "Good to know I was able to CHEER you," she says back at Dual, bitterly.
Doctor Robotnik nods to Mort but says nothing as he finishes his drink before looking to the bartender saying, "Another shot if you don't mind and have anything to eat?"
Street Fighter Ryu takes the milk offered to him, then turns to watch Dual speak with Lady A. He watches carefully, being a bit defensive of his friends. More so when the seem to be massive. He turns away long enough to get the money to pay for both drinks from his dufflebag, then merely resumes his guard duty.
Street Fighter Ryu has disconnected.
Mortimer McMire pipes up, :Any chance of me getting that drink any time soon?"
Dual graciously ignores Mortimer -- who will be the recepient of a stiff beating in some point in the future, provided Dual remembers on top of the other hundred or so people on the `Pity List'. Black Mage gets a dangerous smile but nothing else; he doesn't seem apt to start a fight in the middle of a neutral bar. Time and place and all. Instead, he seems to be more interested in talking to (or is it at?) Lady A. "I'd almost think you weren't happy to see me."
Red Mage arrives from Downtown.
Red Mage has arrived.
Black Mage hrms. Triple syrup? Oooooookay.... Working to make the Icee, a magical hand dives from the ceiling to refill Robotnik and fetch a menu. Not too much fancy stuff, but fairly good looking for what you find in a bar. Dual gets equally ignored. Mainly because if people aren't blowing up the place, he doesn't care that much. But Jason does get his Icee in a moment.
Engineer frowns. Aparently, the jukebox dosn't seem to be working right. It won't switch to the B rack. Oh well, he can fix that. Out comes the wrench, and after checking to make sure he has scrap metal, gives the jukebox 3 loud whacks from his wrench. After skipping slightly, the machine switches to the B Rack. Gotta love TFC logic, fixing anything with a wrench swipe.
Gim leans against a stool, trying to wait for someone to go up onto the Karaoke stage. He still wants his second turn up there, dangit, and for that, he has to wait for someone else to actually get up there. "Man, we need some tunes up in here right quick." He then peers around, finally noticing all the people in hre. "Whoa, when'd they all get in?"
Mortimer McMire mutters, "I suppose that the neanderthal thinks he doesn't have to put up with facts because he's in league with her most royal arse, Mother Brain." He smirks, now wondering how he'll be able to insult Lana with his next blow.
Yet another patron enters the bar, though not making a quite as flashy entrance as Dual. The front door swings open with a creak, to reveal the champion of Mobuis, the blue streak, the one and only, Sonic the Hedgehog. The blue blur steps inside as the door swings shut behind him, his eyes quickly scanning the room. Noticing something large and egg-shaped, he walks up behind his nemesis, saying loudly, "Hey Eggman. Finally showing your face again, are you?"
Red Mage teleports behind the bar from somewhere, and grins. "Hey, BM, been a while. How's the bar been holding up?"
Black Mage shrugs. "Other than the guy beating the jukebox into submission, and the karaoke being atrocious, not too bad."
Doctor Robotnik's eyes widen for a few seconds before quickly turning around, "Sonic, remember that this is a neutral zone and what are you doing here?", he adjusts his glasses as he focuses on the hedgehog
Lady A raises her left hand a bit, rubbing the thumb and forefingers together tensely. Her right hand sits on the table, hidden by the weapon strapped to her arm. But she's not the type to start a fight in the wrong place, either. "Gee. Imagine that," she says to Dual.
Mortimer McMire continues, "Of course, the alternative isn't much better. That airhead of a princess, Lana, couldn't think her way out of a wet paper bag..."
Jason sips gingerly at his super-Icee, watching the goings-on with definite interest. Hey look... another kid. He wonders...
Still engaged in a fierce game of Paddle War with his wrist computer, Morty growls at the machine as he loses another point.
Sonic the Hedgehog smirks, finding some satisfaction in making his enemy jump like that. "I've just decided to come in here for a drink or two, maybe a chili-dog. I didn't come here to start anything. But if you wanted, we could always take this outside..." adds the hedgehog, his smirk getting a little bit larger.
Dual is generally civil. Unlike his Gamemaster peers in Mother Brain's service, Dual has a set of rules of engagement he follows. Under the right circumstances, being in Dual's company is entirely safe. The confluence of those factors, however, is relatively rare. He looks towards Mortimer as he continues to run his mouth, taking out a pen from his jacket pocket and writing something down on a napkin -- CUT A SWITCH FOR MORTY -- before putting it into his pocket. He turns, then, and is about to go back to being all greasy towards Lady A when he hears Red Mage come in. This stops that thought pattern cold as he turns back towards the bar, gaze tracking to the two magi.
Ironically, Dual and the Lady A are on the same page... in a roundabout sort of way. Overhearing the nearby conversation, Lady A stands up from her seat. Pretty steady, really, she lightly pushes Dual out of her way. "Pardon me," she says. Then, she sits down right next to Mortimer. "Say that again?" she asks him.
Doctor Robotnik shakes his head saying, "No need Sonic, I am not in the mood for a fight. While I didn't here any comments on my latest triumph, you were an eye-witness.", he chuckles again as he picks up his glass and quickly downs the whole thing
Red Mage coughs, and glances at Dual. "Eep."
Dual doesn't mind Lady A nudging him over. He has this tendency to get a one-track mind, y'see. He stares at Red Mage, cigar rotating to the other side of his mouth. Lower-quality rendered smoke puffs out of his nostrils, his slate gaze unyielding on the Red Mage.
Street Fighter Ryu just shakes his head, merely continuing to listen and sip his milk. Ryu would much rather maintain strong bones then get caught up in insult flinging. Putting down the glass, he looks over to Mort. "Hey, Jason, you know that guy?"
After his unusual repair job, he makes his way back to his seat, and sits down. Heh. Anyone want to RP with the shy Engineer? <.<
Black Mage looks up at Dual, hat brim flipping upwards. "Can we help you, pal?"
Morty quickly covers his tracks. "Nothing, nothing, just saying how Lana is doing an excellent job managing her forces. Heh heh..." As much as he hates sucking up to lesser beings, McMire has a strong respect for Lady A, due mainly to the fact that she's probably the only person who could beat him at Pong (though he hasn't played against her). Of course, she's also very intelligent, and that deserves respect in Mortimer's book any day. He just has a habit of starting on a tirade about how everyone is less intelligent than he is, then continuing without taking notice of who's around him.
Red Mage starts casting. His spell finishes, and he is surrounded by a shield of energy. Then he hides behind BM.
Gim peers around, flicking his yoyo out and about, wondering when someone will put some music on. Finally, he packs up his weapon/toy, places it within his hat, and wanders about. Lotta people about. Gim's gonna need to know who's who so he can address his potential audience properly.
Sonic the Hedgehog's smirk turns into a glare at the doctor's comment. "You keep making 'em and I'll keep breaking 'em, Egghead. I doubt you could call such cheaply made robots a triumph." Moving on, Sonic finds an empty space at the bar, some distance away from Robotnik.
"Your buddy has this problem with starting ^*!^ he can't finish," Dual directs to Black Mage. "Why don't you ask him?" He still doesn't make any aggressive movements. He knows the unspoken rules. He's no cheater.
Lady A squints a bit, again, this time at Mortimer. Of course he's lying. "You're Morty, right?" she asks, sounding conversational.
Red Mage coughs. "We did finish it. You kicked my ass from here to Popstar. Do you want your blood back? You can have it if you want it."
Jason shakes his head. "No, I've never met him... thought if he's not just talking to the Gamemaster, and really hanging out with them, then I might know where he is. There's a guy that age on our side, too."
Black Mage snorts. "Red's a lot of dice and character sheets. And he can be fun to abuse. But he's -my- fun to abuse. You have a problem, bring it to me. Otherwise, you can have a drink on the house, and that'll be it while you're in here." Ignoring Red, he makes a mental note to put Red into a vat of Mt. Dew, later.
Doctor Robotnik frowns as he watches Sonic as best he can before looking back to the bartender, "A ham and cheese sandwich and some meatballs for now. While one more shot."
"Yes, that is correct," Mortimer says. Normally, he would move his hand closer to his pocket, where his Vorticon Death Pistol is, but since his hands were already in full view, that would make him more suspicious than he already was.
Good God, please not the Mt. Dew. Not after last time sir.
Take it. Take it, Like it, and Love it.
Street Fighter Ryu nods. "Really?" he offers to Jason, hmming to himself. Despite the ways of Videoland, he has had, has, and will have a problem with young kids fighting. Bad enough that a schoolgirl or two are in the Street Fighting Circuit.
Jason shrugs. "I dunno... I think having guys close to my own age around is great. I haven't seen Mike Jones around in forever. Keen was the other kid's name. Nice guy, but I still dunno what the heck he wanted to do with the microwave oven."
Dual snorts. "What, you think I'm Fighter? I like this bar too much to lose my welcome here. Enhance your calm." He plucks the cigar off from its hovering in front of his face and gestures with it like a baton. "I'm still pretty ^*&ing pissed off. You'd be too if you'd been jacked from behind for ... what was it? Blood? This sick freak wanted blood." He looks right at Red Mage. "WHY did you want my -blood-, you sick freak?"
Lady A leans over and looks at Mortimer's wristgame. She smiles a pale smile. "So what are you playing?"
Black Mage blinks, and turns on Red Mage. "WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT SUCKING BLOOD FROM PEOPLE WITHOUT ASKING?"
Red Mage teleports a vail into Dual's hand. "It was for an experiment! I was trying to find out if Gamemasters had a different magical energy balance than regualr mages!" He hides behind the bar.
Engineer looks around, while sipping ale. He notices Gim. .o(....) He gets up and start to walk over, but then facepalms. "I must remember that people wearing blue are not enemies..." He mumbles outloud, while looking at the drink he's carrying. He puts it down. "I think that'll be enough for me. Get me a water, whichever you two are in charge." He directs to whichever Mage is paying attention.
Glancing at his wrist computer, Morty saw that he had lost his game while he had been looking at Lady A. "Well, it -had- been a game of Paddle War. Similar to Pong, except that the paddles move horizontally, and the ball bounces vertically. I'm rather good at it, having no other ways to occupy my time whilst traversing the universe looking for truly intelligent life." He eeps as he realizes that he just slipped with another insult. "Er, that is to say, those with drastically higher than normal intelligence."
Gim blinks as the Engineer advances on him...then just walks away. "Whuh? Whazzat 'bout?" Shaking his head, he walks over to the pinball machine. "Yo, guys, this thing workin'?"
Doctor Robotnik waits for his order as he listens to the nearby conversation, shaking his head as he looks around
Street Fighter Ryu nods to Jason, then looks over to Red, Black, and Dual as they seem to continue to get louder. "Excuse me for a sec," Ryu says calmly before standing up and moving to the Gamemaster and the two mages. "How about everyone just calm down... It's clear that Red Mage is sorry about what he did... How about people just let the matter drop? I mean, it can't be too serious, can it?" Aww, isn't that cute, Ryu's trying to play peacemaker. It's not like he knows that Dual will remain calm or anything like that.
One of the hands finally comes out of the kitchen with food and drink for the Eggman. Good thing that once BM gets a few things going, he doesn't have to concentrate on them.
Lady A rests her right arm on the counter, the hand beneath the Pong paddle tapping fingers. She nods tensely at Mortimer. Well, at least he had the good sense to be nervous. "Sounds like a good game," she says. Looking over to the bar without missing a beat, she then says to Red Mage, "Just about anyone else might have been more agreeable. Is there some reason why you couldn't just ASK?"
Red Mage blinks. Ask? Ask? He facepalms. Then starts pounding his head into the bar. It's less painful than what Dual did to him, but it still hurts.
Dual startles a bit at the sudden appearance of the vial in his hand. He snarls and stuffs it into his opposite pocket, putting his hand back on the counter while ashing his endless cigar.
"Different magical energy balance, bull^*!^. All that ^~(& was was a straight-up jack. I would have -sold- blood to him if he wanted it that bad, for ^*^'s sake. Not like I give a ^*(! what you magical pooftas do with your time. All I wanted was to have a goddam martini in peace and I get jacked. That's bull^*!."
He puts his cigar back in front of his face, where it locks back into position, while looking at Ryu. He stares at him, mostly in disbelief, and then seems offended. "Why the ^*!^ does everybody think I'm Captain X today? Am I wearing his nasty-ass cologne? No. Do you see Dracula and I sitting around having wings and beer while playing trivia? No. I like this bar, I don't wanna get banned. So step off me, these guys and I are having a conversation. Christ."
Black Mage sighs. This is going nowhere. "Fine, fine..."
Engineer gets up, and walks over to Gim. He might as well tell him the truth. "I'm sorry... Umm..." He tries to find the right name for a sneaker wearing robot with a yo-yo. "Sir, but I'm usually used to shooting and killing anything wearing blue." He looks up over at the pinball. "Yea, I bet it works." He takes out his wrench again, and give it a few good whacks, just to make sure it is working. Is Mort paying attention to his precious pinball machine? "There."
Sonic the Hedgehog sits at the bar for a few seconds, but he doesn't stay long. Considering the company here, he decides that he'll be better off in a diner back on Mobius. Sonic races out of the bar quickly, making his way to a nearby warp zone and vanishing.
Red Mage looks at Dual. "You want your martini? I can make your favorite exactly."
Mortimer sighs in relief as Lady A turns her attention away from him... just in time to see the pinball machine get a few good whacks. He cringes, but stays in his seat. The guys an engineer, so wouldn't his whacking the thing be repairing it?
Street Fighter Ryu blinks at Dual, hmming as he nods. Speaking calmly as he usually does, he offers, "Then I appologize for interupting you... It merely seemed that things had a chance of getting hostile that all. I am sorry for jumping to conclusions." Ryu still has some of his concerns about the Gamemaster, but he lets the matter drop seeing as Dual has a point. Turning back to Jason, he takes his seat to return to his milk. As he sits, he finally lowers his own dufflebag and places it near him.
Doctor Robotnik takes a bite of the sandwich before looking around, he chuckles for a bit as Sonic leaves the bar saying to himself, "There he goes again. Good thing I had the defenses on full alert while I'm away."
Hoping that Lady A is done, Morty turns and sees his cream soda, slowly losing its carbonation. He grabs it and takes a sip.
Lady A doesn't much feel like another drink. She watches the dark Gamemaster out of the corner of her eye as he gives his rather inappropriate speech... despite what he SAYS, she still doesn't trust him. "Challenge me some time," she says suddenly, to Mortimer. Thought he could get away that easily?
Dual, king of inappropriate comments, mutters to himself about people in general. He puffs on his cigar through whatever quantum singularity keeps it in front of his face yet somehow a part of his player-skin, thinking. He looks back at Red Mage, then Black Mage, then Red Mage again. "Yeah, maybe I would. But if it's adulturated in any way, I swear to God you'll wish for a beating just *ten* times worse than you got last time."
Jason blinks, watching quietly. It's never broing in here.
Mortimer McMire nearly drops his glass of soda. Challenge Lady A, the undisputed master of Pong, to match? He might be able to get a few points off, but surely even one as skilled as himself wouldn't last an entire game. Or maybe he would... "Alright then, perhaps some other time."
Red Mage grins. "How do you like it?"
Dual settles down a bit, a cloud of pixels oozing from his lips. "Extra dry, shaken, not stirred. Two olives."
Street Fighter Ryu finishes the glass of milk, then hrmms as he looks to the broom cloest door. He debates it for awhile, but decides to wait a little before going into the Fighter's Club to make sure that things are going to continue to go (somewhat) smoothly.
Red Mage chants, casting a Level 9 Create Mixed Drink to make just this ONE martini. And God help me if it isn't correct.
Black Mage shrugs. "Fine, fine..." Getting the vermouth, he moves to mix the martini up. "I'm guessing he likes it Dry as his sense of humor."
*poof* A Martini, Extra Dry, shaken, with two olives appears on the bar next to Dual.
Dual looks down at the martini when it appears. He picks it up, sniffs it, and takes a sip. Dual savors the taste of the martini, letting it rest in front of him as he says, "A fine martini."
Red Mage sighs in relief, and lowers his shields.
Lady A says, quietly, to Morty "Any time." Then, she seems to zone out.
Black Mage finishes another, and leaves it for him. "We try." Then, he goes to look if anyone else needs things.
Doctor Robotnik continues to eat saying nother as he checks his watch for a few seconds, nodding as he taps a few keys
Red Mage grins, and looks around. "WHO NEEDS DRINKS?"
Morty holds up his glass, "I do."
Dual drinks the rest of the first martini, enjoying the olives last. His display takes on a wobbly discolored aspect, which he patiently waits to pass while he pulls the second martini in front of him.
Red Mage falls over. Deus Ex 40...
Street Fighter Ryu eyes Jason for a second to make sure that alright and seeing that he is okay, he moves over to Lady A. "You alright here?" he asks, setting the mug that once had some milk in down.
Red Mage looks around. "No one needs drinks?"
Red Mage blinks over to Morti. "Whatcha need, short stack?"
Mortimer McMire hands Red Mage the glass, "Anything non-caffienated that isn't root beer. Cream soda will be fine."
Lady A glances over at Ryu suddenly. "Oh, I'm fine," she says. "No need to ever worry about me."
Red Mage hmms a moment. "No booze?"
Mortimer McMire says, "I'm only eight."
Dual's vision normalizes. He begins drinking martini #2, mumbling to himself.
Engineer watches Gim play, and then is turned away. "I'd like a water!" He says to Red, before getting back to his seat.
Red Mage nods. "Good point." He hops behind the bar, and fills the mug with good ol' Sprechers Orange Dream Cream soda. God knows where he got that from... He blinks the mug back to Morty.
Street Fighter Ryu nods slowly to Lady A. "You got it," he says showing the faintest concern before he speaks back to Jason. "You think you would be up for looking around in the Fight-" He pauses as he remember the rule about no talking about the club and finishes with "Around the 'you know where' while I see if there are any decent fighters to spar with?"
Black Mage just goes back to polishing the bar. Easier for the moment.
Jason blinks, looking over at Ryu. "Looking around? For what?"
Quickly draining his cream soda, Morty thinks that he might as well get over this quickly, not wanting the pressure hanging over him. He goes through the movements of checking his wrist computer. "Lady A, I've got nothing to do now, you think you could play some Pong?"
Doctor Robotnik finishes his meal and pays before leaving taking the nearest warpzone back to the fortress
Doctor Robotnik escapes into a warp zone.
Doctor Robotnik has left.
Lady A nods to Ryu, and starts to stand up from her seat. ...When, suddenly, she hears another query at her other side. Ooo...torn. She DOES badly want to beat this kid at her own game. "Wellll?" she seems to be primarily questioning the Street Fighter first.
Red Mage grins, and looks at Morty. "I'll take you if she won't!"
"Don't spank him too hard, sweetness," says Dual to Lady A, turning slowly towards her; vision still discolored and shaky from martini #2. "Otherwise you'll use him up for the week and we'll have to find other sport back at the ranch." He smiles sloppily before turning back to the bar, allowing the haze to wear off after its pre-determined duration lapses.
Engineer drinks the water, and then overhears something about fighting. And heck, he's drunk enough to accept a challange! "What's this I hear about a fight?" He says, while walking over to Lady A's general direction.
Mortimer McMire shakes his head at Red Mage, "You'll probably pour all of your points into your blunt weapon skill or something."
Black Mage just points at Engineer, then at the "Clock" that hides the "Staircase". And perhaps a "Lay-zher" is involved.
Street Fighter Ryu shrugs faintly to Jason. "I'm not sure... I just figured that you wouldn't up for fighting outside of your tank." Once again Ryu makes the mistake of basing things in his world. Like the idea that kids aren't as skilled a fighter as men and women who spend their entire lives training. "If you aren't up for going down, it's no prob." He glances back at Lady A, chuckling faintly. "You can do what you want... If you want me to wait for your 'match' to get down before we have a different fight... Up to you." He gets his bag, seemingly preparing to head down to the Club.
Red Mage cackles. It's always a good night when Fighter Club is involved! He takes off his apron, and teleports out of the room.
Red Mage heads towards Fighter Club.
Red Mage has left.
Engineer looks to Black Mage, and then to the short door. "We're going to fight in a broomcloset?" He asks Black, before Red mage goes through the door. Oh well, it worth a shot.
Black Mage says, "Trust me."
"Well...good luck, then." Lady A looks to Mortimer. "Come on. Why not?" A few steps toward the exit, though she doesn't even bother to LOOk back at Dual when she says, "And don't call me 'sweetness.'"
Engineer heads towards Fighter Club.
Engineer has left.
Mirty says, "Lead the way, Lady A."
Dual laughs quietly but says nothing else to the Lady as she departs.
Jason smiles. "Ah, I don't have my armor on me... I think I'm gonna finish my icee and head back."
Street Fighter Ryu nods to Lady A. "Same to you," he shouts out. Looking to the cloest, he waits for Jason's response before going down. After all, he isn't a fan of just leaving someone he invited. "You got it, Jason. Well, thanks for coming down. It was an honor to meet you," he offers with that usual lack of pride.
[Travel to...]
Pong The heart of Videoland lies here, according to the sages.
This simple black asphalt court is very center of the realm of Videoland, the smooth surface centuries old, as the people here reckon time. Designed for what appears to be a very simple game, the Pong arena is flat and rectagular, with white walls on the long sides of the court. A simple white stripe runs down the middle of the area, and dispensers outside the court provide small white balls in a variety of shapes and sizes for use in the oldest game in Videoland. It is here that divides the light and dark sides of Videoland, and it is here that some of the most intense games are played, though violence is unknown here. If there is a problem... it is settled with Pong.
Contents:
Rules: Pong
Obvious exits:
East leads to Twisted Metal Demolition Grounds.
West leads to Kart Raceway.
Up leads to Cloudy Sky.
Mortimer McMire arrives from Cloudy Sky.
Mortimer McMire has arrived.
Walking into the arena behind Lady A, Mortimer McMire asks, "What are we playing to? I'm used to twenty-one points, but of you have a preference then that's fine by me."
Lady A steps out onto the field, taking up position at the side which is nearest to Hero Territory. She scuffs her hightops a bit on the court, as if to check her traction. "Twenty-one it is."
Mortimer McMire heads to his side of the field. `I wonder how you play if both are on the same side?` he thinks. "Why don't you serve. Ladies first, as they say."
Rules: Pong
OK, here's the rules...
1. Decide how many points you are going to.
2. Choose Server/Scorer.
3. To launch the Pong Ball, Attack eachother with +trivials.
4. When someone hits, a point is scored. Miss, and the ball is ICly deflected back to the shooter by the opponent, who makes another +trivial attack to see if it hits or misses.
5. RP to Taste.
Most Important Rule: Have Fun!
Lady A looks down at the ground, then up again. When she looks up, her eyes look very grey, and very intense. "If you insist." Reaching out with her left hand, she catches the round white ball as the court provides it. Then, she tosses it up into the air...and with a solid SMACK, serves it across the white divider.
Lady A strikes Mortimer McMire with her trivial SERVICE! attack.
Mortimer McMire barely has any time to react before the speeding Pong ball zips past him
Lady A - 1
Mortimer - 0
Lady A scuffs her foot again. ...Really it almost doesn't seem fair, but, he IS a brat. "Second serve," she entones. This next hit is not quite as powerful as the first, just a good solid whack over the line.
Lady A strikes Mortimer McMire with her trivial Pong Serve attack.
And again, Mortimer misses. He should have known better than to challange an expert on her home turf
Lady A - 2
Mortimer - 0
Lady A cracks her knuckles. Well, she does get competative when it comes to Pong. The toss of the ball again, and the serve, a third time, straight down the middle.
Lady A strikes Mortimer McMire with her trivial Pong Straight Serve attack.
It's amazing, really. You master a video game like Paddle War, but when you're playing it in real life, you instictuvely duck when something is heading straight for you. The ball sails over Morty's head.
Lady A - 3
Mortimer - 0
Lady A is competative at this game, but...now...it doesn't seem like she's trying as hard. She tosses the ball up, and knocks it over the net. Child's play. "Little hard for you, isn't it?" she asks.
Lady A strikes Mortimer McMire with her trivial Soft-edged Service attack.
Mortimer McMire feels like an idiot now. The ball sails past him, just out of reach. "I'd be winning if I'd served first, you know! Stupid common curtosies..."
Lady A takes a step back. She stops. "You're right...it's hardly fair. Go ahead. Just serve."
Mortimer McMire says, "I feel like I'm cheating by doing that... Oh well!"
Mortimer McMire misses Lady A with his trivial *BLIP* attack.
Mortimer McMire says, "Dangit..."
Lady A reaches back her arm, and, WHAM! Slams the pong ball right back in Mortimer's direction, almost without remembering her previous courtesy.
Lady A strikes Mortimer McMire with her trivial Pong RETURN attack.
Mortimer almost blocks the ball! Almost as in he would have blocked it, but it's high speed and his small size means that he ended up being carried with it. Very embarrasing. Hopefully, no one saw that.
Mortimer McMire staggers back up, "I'm okay..."
Lady A has another ball in hand already, tossing it up and down as she waits for her opponent to rise. "My serve again," she says calmly. "Be ready." Up with the toss, down with the paddle.
Lady A strikes Mortimer McMire with her trivial *Blip!* attack.
While he is up, he's still out of it. The balls passes right next to Morty
Lady A - 6
Mortimer - 0
Lady A shakes her head. "Please be ready." She waits a good long moment. Then... another serve.
Lady A strikes Mortimer McMire with her trivial Pong Service attack.
Mortimer McMire watches the shot go wide, bounce against the wall, and fly past his other side. "Is it too late to forfeite? I think I've been embarrassed enough..."
Lady A takes a step back again, lowering her paddle arm. "You can forfiet if you want. It's why I asked you to challenge me if you wanted, rather than the other way around."
Mortimer McMire says, "Well, at least I have a goal to aspire to -other- that domination of the universe. Beating you."
Mortimer McMire smirks as he walks off the field.
a beams of blue light streaks from the heavens, encasing the young genius in its glow. The beam narrows and disappears, as Mortimer is teleported to the Omegamatic.
Mortimer McMire escapes into a warp zone.
Mortimer McMire has left.
Lady A doesn't leave just yet. She stands, as she watches Moritmer walk away. "Maybe in time!" she calls out, after him. Looking down at the new Pong ball that's already prepared in her hand, she simply smiles. "Maybe in time."'.