( viens ) I'm worrying about the future now.

[balzams]

Characters: Latvia (balzams) & open
Date: 14^th August
Rating/Warnings: None
Summary: Not wanting to hurt anyone in this so called game, Latvia tries his luck at the arcades.

[This was not what he signed up for. The company was supposed to solve all his problems, not force him to make problems for others. You think he would have learned by now but desperation hindered his ability to think rationally more than a whole bottle of whiskey.

In an adamant refusal to hurt anyone and with the positively absurd rules of joyball, Latvia found himself trying his luck at the arcade. His luck that was okay-ish at the best of times and downright dreadful at the worst of times. Some kind of competence at video games would have been useful about now. He wasn't going to cause any trouble for anyone else though, if this was the kind of challenge he had to face then so be it.

Latvia tries and tries again, slowly getting the hang of the game he's currently playing but ultimately fails repeatedly. In a fit of frustration he bangs his fists against the control panel]

Dammit!

[For anyone counting he's spent 25 joy points on the game so far. The graphics are making him dizzy from focusing so long. Figuring it's probably best to take a rest you can find him sitting on the pavement outside reevaluating his life choices]

Comments

[8fold]

[ On the other hand, Vriska had no qualms about hurting people to get ahead in this game. Joy was joy, right? Of course she wanted to be happy, and who cares how she got there! The end justified the means. Besides, anyone she hurt would get over it eventually.

Being okay with how the game was run didn’t mean Vriska was only going to stick to stealing her points, though. The challenge of the arcade sounded pretty fun as well. The games were probably boring in comparison to SGRUB, but at least they were something. Besides, she’d never actually played in a real arcade before -- that was some weird, human thing. Too bad John wasn’t here to play with her. They’d probably have TONS of fun.

Oh well. He was missing out. Probably still trying to save the world and all of that.

The man on the ground outside of the arcade was kind of weird, though. He even looked kind of sick. Better figure out what his deal was. ]

What’s your problem?

[balzams]

[He barely looked up at her, he just grumbled down at the pavement]

Nothing...

[Complete lies but there was always an awkwardness in sharing his problems with strangers. Latvia's eyes flicked up, only for a moment just to catch a glimpse at who had spoken before falling back down. It was only for a second. He stared back up at her, an obvious mix of distress and confusion on his face]

[8fold]

[ Wow, this chump is a sad excuse for a guy, isn't he? Just mumbling and looking mopey. ]

Did you lose all your joy already? You ain't going to make it if you're already on the ground, looking like some sad, defeated sack, you know. But you probably already knew that.

[balzams]

I-I just needed a break, that's all. I still have plenty of points but... I just don't know how long they'll last.

[All the while he's talking he doesn't stop staring, mostly at the horns on her head but occasionally you'll see his eyes drift off to other places]

[8fold]

[ She's ignoring the staring for now, even if it does put her off some. ]

Maaaaaaaaybe you should try something you're actually good at. Just a thought!

[ She grins, the expression cruel. ] Or do you just suck at everything?

[balzams]

I'm not bad at everything, I'm just bad at video games...

[He manages to tear his eyes off her and goes back to staring at the ground]

But I don't want to hurt people so it's my only option.

[steelchairs]

[ Okay, so going to the arcade seemed like an okay idea at the time. Hell, maybe he'd even find someone to pick on during that time, since it was the only thing this place seemed to provoke. He was finding happiness in others' misery.

He should have been done with the bully shindig!

But who's this kid? He looks so frail, like a kicked puppy or something. Even so, is that slight determination in his eyes? ]

Anything good happen with you so far?

[balzams]

[Latvia looked up at the source of the voice and started to tremble just a little. The people he'd spoken to recently had been less than pleasant and this guy looked especially scary. He was certainly a good deal taller at least]

A-a little... I've managed to win one of the arcade games so far, b-but they keep giving me a headache.

[steelchairs]

[ Kanji was used to getting that sort of reaction out of people, but this kid (or so he appeared) had him a little concerned. His response included a rub at the back of his neck. ]

Chill out, I'm not gonna' break your nose or anything.

[ In regard to the games' difficulty, it earned a short glance and an awkward smile. ]

Pfft, yeah. These games have been kicking my ass, so I'm taking a break from them.

[balzams]

[While he didn't exactly 'chill-out' completely, he was still shaking a little, the initial fear reaction did seem to ease up a little]

I just hope I don't run out of points.

[Latvia gives a slightly awkward laugh before falling back into a serious unease]

But it's the only mission where you don't hurt people so I'll have to take my chances...

[steelchairs]

Run out of-- huh?

[ He has to laugh a little. ]

C'mon, don't be paranoid. Why are you so afraid to hurt anyone?

[balzams]

I'm not afraid, I just don't want to.

If I knew this was expected of me from the beginning I never would have signed up.

[techissexy]

[ if there's one thing claudia understands, it's tech. even though the games are hard, they're not impossible, and for everything, there's always a solution. even though she's said she'll do anything, and as committed to bring back everything she cares about as she is, it's still easier to do the missions that don't require antagonizing anyone. ]

Not so good at the video games? There's a trick to all of them, if you know where to look. [ since it doesn't require hurting anyone, she doesn't see the harm in helping. if anything, more points for the pool to snag later. ]

[balzams]

Not really...

[He rubs at his eyes, looks up and smiles. Even though he was bad he had managed to catch a lucky break, so far he was down 47 points with two wins and some solid attempts at a third but he kept having to step outside and let his headache dissipate every so often]

Are you good at these sorts of games? Can you show me?

[After all, there was no point in playing if he was just going to go broke in the process]

[techissexy]

[ a shrug, quick and careless. ] I've got nothing better to do; I've gotta take a break before I go for four and five - it's like they say, staring at a screen for too long will make you go blind. [ better than sucking you in or giving you a computer-to-human virus, but hey, still sucks. ]

Besides, seeing you sigh on the corner just makes you an easy target to lose the rest of your points. And then where would you be?

[balzams]

[It was just as he'd feared. Latvia was pretty much a grouchy old man when it came to technology. He would always have a vastly superior opinion of the old ways, no matter how inconvenient they could be at times. It was something he was slowly adjusting to though, in this day and age it was hard to avoid.

At the last comment he quickly jumps to his feet and sorts himself out. Really, he had't been thinking of that]

Y-you're right. I would be much worse off. Thank-you for offering to show me though.

[techissexy]

[ well he's in for a treat then, because she's got experience in dragging grouchy old men kicking and screaming into technology. even if they aren't usually wrapped up looking her age.

she shrugs again. it's no skin off of her back to help, and it's not like it's difficult for her.]

No big. Kinda cheap of them to make them all so hard, so that you get part of the way through and give up. I get that it's supposed to be difficult, but they're not going to get anywhere if we don't have any points at all.

[balzams]

I guess not...

[He feels a little hesitant. The more time he spends here the more it seems like this is just a scam to ruin them. With the elaborate set-up Latvia almost wants to beleive that it really isn't so bad but he's been through enough broken promises to know better.

Too bad he still can't recognise them until it's too late]

So what kind of a trick is it? Do you have to change something on the inside? I wouldn't know how to do something like that.

[chemistries]

[Kon, on the other hand, has already wrangled every joypoint he possibly can out of these machines. One-armed or no, games were easy, yeah? You just had to understand how they worked, pay attention to the traps and pitfalls and have relatively hand-eye coordination.

And so, having become bored with the arcade, he's on his way outside to smoke and stare at the sky when he passes Latvia. Wow. That's. Really pitiful. The poor guy looked so upset.]

Maybe you should take a break. [He leans against the machine, tucking his cigarette behind his ear like a douche and offering unsolicited advice. Also like a douche.]

[balzams]

I'll take a longer one later. I just have to win a few more games...

[Getting to his feet he locks his fingers and stretches up in an attempt to loosen the stiffness in his arms and back. Latvia had been constantly in and out of the arcade, only taking breaks when his head started spinning or he was dangerously close to hitting something.

Looking over at Kon he glanced him up and down and gave an anxious smile, just to be polite]

Thank-you for the concern though.

[pneumonia]

( oooh guess who's right next to him sucking on a candy he gave her. )

Why are you playing that game?

[balzams]

[Latvia gives a small smile at the semi-familiar face]

Ah, hello Shiro.

[He scoots over just a little to give her (and himself) some more room]

It's a little difficult but if I can win five games I'll win more joypoints. I'm almost done, I just need to win one more game.

[His eyes definitely look a little strained but now that Latvia's almost done with the take he feels a little more relaxed than before]

[pneumonia]

Is that so?

( she moves away from him and begins to jump up and down. )

Go! Go! Go! You can do it!!!~♫

[balzams]

[With a nervous smile he takes in a deep breath]

I hope I can. I just need to stay outside a little longer, my head is still spinning.

[It's the last stretch, he needs a clear head more than ever to prevent needlessly wasting Joy Points on attempts he could have won]

[pneumonia]

( is that so? she grabs his head with both hands. )

Did it stop spinning?