open mingle post;

[payback]

Who: Everyone on the waystation!
Broadcast: n/a
Action: open to everyone to tag into
When: October 11, 2014

[It sure is a lovely day actually pretty much indeterminate time period out here in the vast darkness of space, isn't it? I bet everyone's enjoying themselves, getting a chance to get off their dinky little ship and stretch their legs. Even on this shitty, empty little waystation.

Where are you, droot flooters? What are you up to? Stay out of trouble, now.]

[ooc: hi everyone! I thought I'd give this a try and see how the game liked it. What we have here is a mass mingle post. Rather than everyone making a bunch of different posts about landing on the station, everyone is invited to post a parent comment with their character out and about, doing something. Everyone else is invited to look at who's posted, tag them, post their own parent comments, thread jack, tag around and generally have a grand old time! It should hopefully be a nice low-pressure way to do some action tagging with each other.

Please tag in if you feel so inclined! Don't be shy to tag around!]

Comments

[broroona]

a.

[While everyone's out and about doing actual useful, healthy things, Baroona's standing in front of an arcade fighting machine, watching as various fights play out, showcasing the characters' special moves. While some of the movesets are plainly ridiculous, he can't help but be intrigued by the ones he doesn't know. After a quick glance around to make sure no one's watching, he starts to practice them, following the movements closely and studiously.

Until someone inevitably comes up behind him, that is. Then he'll clear his throat and pat the machine as if he knows what he's doing with it, faking cool.]

b.

[You know what sucks? The future. You know what sucks about the future? Vending machines. It's an odd problem, really. Baroona's had trouble with machines before for being too complex but this one is almost too simple. It's just a lonesome box, staring at him, filled with miscellaneous treasures-one of which he desperately needs. The problem is, he has no idea how to get to them, even after a good half hour of careful examination. Before, it had told him to put his money in, so he had, yet when he had pushed the numbers for cigarettes they refused to fall out. Caught on something inside, maybe. It didn't matter, really. The point was, Baroona didn't have them, the machine did, and he was doing his best to turn the tables.

Even if that meant kicking the damn thing. Or shaking it. Or reaching up the slot-someone please just give him a hand.]

option b!

[amarant]

[ Oh, someone's trying to find a way to get the machine to work. ]

...would it be easier simply to break it?

[broroona]

[Baroona pulls back, sighing. He seems nonplussed by the fact that she's wearing a skull on her head.]

Maybe, but it might hurt the cigarettes. I've already tried breaking the glass.

[amarant]

[ Finally, someone who isn't freaked out. ]

If you can't break it, it must be strong... do you think that I could help?

[broroona]

[He looks her over and deigns her too bizarre to be normal.]

Yeah, probably. [He steps back, gesturing to the glass.] Go ahead. Be my guest.

[amarant]

I'll see what I can do...

[ Well, not to break it, but...maybe using magic to shake the ground just under it would work... ]

[broroona]

[Even after all this time, magic still unsettles him. Instinctively, he startles back grasping for weapons that aren't there. The reminder sends a pang of loneliness through him that he covers easily, relaxing upon realizing the affected area won't hurt him.]

A bit of warning next time. [He sighs as if exhausted, running a hand through his hair that stops short once the carton of cigarettes makes a slight movement. Perking up, he takes a cautionary step towards the machine, eyeing the ground nervously. Expecting it to move once again.] I think you got it to move a bit.

[amarant]

--ah. I'm sorry about that. I didn't realize you could sense it.

[ She stays still-- as if waiting for him to let her know if it's fine to continue. ]

screams can he not sense it did i heck it up

[broroona]

[He waves it off, more embarrassed than he should be.] It's fine. I'm just... new to this.

[Stepping a bit farther from the machine, he gives himself a moment's preparation before gesturing to the machine.] Go ahead.

aaa no worries no worries!!! ofc c:

[amarant]

Ah. That's fine.

[ Alright, this time she'll hopefully be able to keep it up until the cigarettes fall out of the machine... ]

a!

[catamite]

[being elven, Nel is kind of naturally a sneaky walker. so he manages to catch a good bit of the guy throwing punches in front of the machine, while he tries to figure out why he's doing that.

he finally clears his throat when he's got a guess.]

Um... actually, you play by starting the game, and then you push the buttons and stuff...

[just trying to be helpful]

[broroona]

[It's less helpful and more embarrassing. Pride saves him somewhat-helps him straighten his back and clear his throat, lift his head high. He's careful, of course, not once turning around to expose his embarrassment, steeling his voice so there's no waver of insecurity. If not for the hesitation in pressing the buttons directed, he would have exuded confidence. As it is, nearly his entire image is shattered the instant the button triggers an announcer shouting the title of the game. Startled, Baroona pulls away with a near-yelp. Luckily, he catches himself and chokes it down, though his cheeks still burn in embarrassment. Keeping his face turned away from the stranger, he coughs again, grumbling:]

... I knew that.

[catamite]

[he just stands there awkwardly and watches--until he's caught quietly cupping a hand over his mouth to keep a surprised laugh from leaving his throat. it would be terrible to laugh right now.

he's left not really knowing what to do, but he should probably do something... so he just kind of blurts out--]

--Do you want to play?

[broroona]

[Surprise is clear as he turns and blinks at the question. Opening his mouth to speak, he pauses and reconsiders before sighing and shifting to the side on the machine. Keeping his eyes low, he grumbles:] ... You'll have to teach me.

[catamite]

Well... I don't really know either.

[shyly scooting up beside him, and then turning and tilting his head a little to finally see the guy's face. and offer a defensive smile.]

So, I guess we're going to learn together.

[broroona]

[When put like that, Baroona seems relieved. Tension seeps from his shoulders and he hesitates before briefly meeting the stranger's face. Spreading his fingers across his set of buttons, he smiles thinly.]

Sounds even better.

[Text flashes on the screen and interrupts what touching moment they might have had. Baroona has to squint and lean forward to read it and even then it takes him a fair minute to parse the text.] It's telling us to press start? [He presses a button experimentally.] Which one's start?

[catamite]

[Nel doesn't do much better in the reading department. a large part of it is the fact that he doesn't even try, but the results are the same.]

Oh! [he knows this part, though.] Start is always the big red one.

[which he then mashes down on]

b

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[he's just going to... watch this... from a few feet away, before he decides that he really needs to intervene before he hurts himself. or the machine.]

Okay. It's a venting machine, not a bad husband.

[broroona]

[Would it really be all that bad if the machine was hurt? Baroona frowns.]

It's a thief. [Shoving at the glass again, he grumbles:] It took my money.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

Yeah, well, if you break it then no one's going to be able to use it.

[he saunters forward, like he belongs here, and raps that same glass with the back of his knuckles.]

Did something get stuck, or what?

[broroona]

You've got eyes, don't you?

[He gestures to his carton of cigarettes still stuck in the wire coils.] Like I said, it's a thief.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

I wasn't watching you the whole time...

[but he looks in, sees the carton, and... shrugs his shoulders. and smiles.]

Okay, so on a scale of one to ten, how much creepy shit are you willing to deal with today?

[broroona]

Just some of it?

[Did he just smirk? Was he just flirting? Who knows. Mysteries of the universe. Sighing, he dances a few cautionary steps back.]

I'm in the sky, I just saw a clone of a close friend and I live my life with an audience-[Again. He shrugs, letting his hands flap noisily to his sides.]-You really think you're creepier than all of that?

[An ample distance away, he nods to the machine.] Be my guest.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

Ah, well. You got me there. I don't know if I can really compete with the clone thing.

[and then, like it's nothing, he casually bites down on his finger so hard that it bleeds. he crouches down near the door of the thing, gesturing with his injured hand, as a... thin tendril of his own blood slithers through the slot and tugs on the coil.]

The audience bit is also pretty weird. Not sure how I feel about that one, yet.

a

[aberrant_type]

[Aw, that little combat dance routine of his sure is cute. Of course Hange is there to observe him and she'll apply some well-meant encouragment!]

You almost got it! Try it again.