[Audio] You have died of dysentery.

[wallcrawler]

Who: Peter Parker and all you bored Flooters
Broadcast: Audio
Action: At the Iskaulit's arcade! Because look, drifting is kinda boring
When: Today!

[Space travel was still definitely cool, but Pete'd started getting a little restless. So, he'd gone and visited the Iskaulit for a bit and see what he could find to help kill the time. It only took him a little bit of exploration before coming across the arcade, and...well, from the sound of things, that's had some mixed results.]

So, anybody know who to talk to about getting some new games for the arcade? I'm fine with the classics, but Asteroids just feels... weird when you're actually on a space ship playing it.

[Also a little like tempting fate, and no thank you, he is not about to jinx his involuntary space adventure.]

Also? I'm not really sure where the Flootgon trail is, but losing half the party to... space dysentery seems excessive. It's only been ten minutes!

[No he has no idea what any of the weird-sounding diseases in this game are, he can only assume they're more or less analogous to the same ones found in the far more familiar version of this game.

And that frustration soon gives way to an exasperated sigh and some grumbling under his breath, because no, this game's not done.]

...aaand there goes another one. Because of course no one boils any water, just drink it straight from the fever swamp!

[Yes, he's still playing. Because at some point, morbid curiosity just takes over, and you have to wonder just how far your small group of pixelated pioneers can make it before they're all wiped out by poor hygiene and sanitation choices.]

Comments

[pidge_out]

We'd have to make the entire fleet vote once we've made our picks, too.

[Pidge snorts through her chuckles, playfully rolling her eyes even if Pete can't see it.]

You're on, then. First to top the pre-generated Top Ten scores should get a prize.

[wallcrawler]

Well, unless that prize is a cheap stuffed animal of undetermined cuteness, how 'bout loser pays back the winner's tab?

[Please don't bankrupt him, Pidge]

Unless you've got some reason to think we'd get the votes back soon, anyway.

[pidge_out]

No, most people are probably so busy with their own issues that they wouldn't even notice the poll. Paying back the tab sounds good to me.

[No backing out of it now, Pete. Pidge makes no promises of mercy.]

[wallcrawler]

Cool, I'll see you soon then!

[He'll just be...trying to choose games wisely for a bit. He's used to having to keep track of multiple things at once, so maybe Asteroids and Tetris is his best bet at avoiding humiliation here...]

I'll be sure to keep the tab low for you!

[...famous last words]

[pidge_out]

[Oh, if Pete could see the smirk on Pidge's face.]

You sound pretty confident.

[wallcrawler]

Shouldn't I be? What's the fun in going into a challenge expecting to lose? Kinda hard to work up the right motivation that way.

[But no he definitely is starting to get a bad, bad feeling in the pit of his wallet.]

[pidge_out]

[Meanwhile, Pidge's wallet is already feeling a little fatter.] Right. Let's hope you're not biting off more than you can chew. [And she's totally heading over there to at least get a look at what kind of machinery she'll be working with.]

action!

[wallcrawler]

[Hey, not like he has to pay rent or anything. He loses, he still gets some video game company- he's not seeing the downside, here. He wasn't kidding about it being dead, either- unless she's the type to mistake him for one of the robots, he's definitely the only one around.

Although things really aren't going so smoothly for him on the arcade front. Turns out most of his skill dealing with multiple objects flying around him comes from an early-warning system entirely incompatible with video games. Go figure. He's already gone and lost his last life to flying debris- again, for the sixth time- by the time Pidge shows up.]

Okay, full disclosure: I might not be the best tag team partner if you ever get that Asteroids tourney up and running.

[But hey, he's... almost there! He's only a few hundred points away from the bottom rung! Progress!]