(no subject)
WHO: Kitty, Nao Yuuki, Sara Pezzini, Illyana (towards the end)
WHERE: An Arcade in San Dimas, California
WHEN: Saturday Evening, January 20th, 2007
WHAT: A trip to an arcade where a new game system is being demo'd goes horribly horribly wrong.
WATCH FOR: .. Everything?
Aah, the hustle and bustle of San Dimas! The surfing! The malls! The BOYS! At least one out of two of those things has brought Kitty here today. That and her own feet. But she's not alone today, oh no! In fact, she's got a victim (sorta) with her! Namely, fellow housemate and friend, Sara Pezzini. "See, what did I tell you? The styles here aren't half bad - but I'm not sure if they're more or less expensive than the ones in New York. And check it out," Kitty adds, making her way down the hall and pointing at a store, "Celebrity Circus." Which apparently sells faux clothing that celebrities wear. Further up ahead there's an arcade section which Kitty had wanted to poke around in - yes, she's a geek, but a cute geek! And Lockheed her 'cat' was left at home with Illyana.
Though she's older than her housemate, Sara can enjoy a good time just as much as the girl that people accuse of being her younger sister. "Not bad, Kate." the detective admits, pulling down her sunglasses as she looks at one of the mannequins dressed in a black dress that looks like it was made from PVC tubing and rubber, and nudges her hip against Kitty's. "That one would get the boys attentions while letting them know that you're looking for a man." she teases playfully.
Unlike Kitty, however, Sara is wearing her 'pet', if you can call the Witchblade that. Her right arm wears the pretty barcelet, red stone flashing in the light now and again.
he surfing, she's oblivious to. The malls, they're not bad. But the boys...-that's- what drew Nao here! But not for the normal reasons a teenage girl seeks out boys. For her they're just lambs to the slaughter. <3 It's too early to start that though. If she starts picking out victims before nightfall that means she has to tolerate them until then! And that's just asking too much of her. So instead the redhead has decided to pass the time in the arcade. It's easy to spot her -- she's the girl with the 64 oz. Big Gulp standing right beside the sign that reads 'Absolutely No Outside Food or Drink'. Yeah, she's a rebel baby! Only playing games with just one hand isn't getting her very far. "Mou." Nao sighs as she dies yet again. Nao steps back and blinks in surprise at a boy who'd been watching her play. A few bats of the eyelashes and she gets another quarter deposited into the game for her! Nao smiles sweetly at him before turning away once more. "You can go now." She loves geeks. They're always so eager to please!
The difference between THOSE geeks and Kitty? Is Kitty has a -brain-. Those guys are ... just pathetic. Following Sara's glance, Kitty's eyebrows raise slightly, "Whoaaaah. That is -nice-. Probably breaking all sorts of laws wearing something like that on a public street, am I right?" She grins, leans forward to check the price tag, and visibly winces. "Now -THAT- should be illegal." She grumbles, moving on, and pausing only long enough to whisper, "Too rich for -my- blood." Emma doesn't pay her -that- much.
"Hey, let's check out the arcade for a bit, I hear they're demoing a new system." And lest Sara protest, Kitty reaches to tug her ahead by the wrist! There is no escape! >:E -- ahem.
Meanwhile in the arcade, where Nao has the gamer geeks twined around her little pinky, there seems to be an area being set up in a corner of the room. Four enclosed games, much like those in flight simulators or racing games, are connected to each other. Slightly behind the display is a large screen which has the demo for a game called 'Extraction' currently on the game title. Nao's gaming has caught the attention of one of the men setting up the system, (that or her looks; pedo freak.) and he waves, "OI! Miss! Miss over here!" Despite the fact that he break Nao's concentration!
"The Arcade?" Sara's face pinches up in the requisite protest. "Oh come on, I thought you said you were interested in real mens, not boys playing with their electronic phallic stimuli." she starts to tease just as she's grabbed by her wrist and tugged along. Fortunately, Kitty's not a demon, so the Witchblade doesn't get all defensive on her phasing butt.
Dragged past the food court, Sara looks longingly at the corndog on the stick place - oh she could so go for a footlong right about now. And into the bleeping, blipping Den of Geekery that is the Land of Oz Arcade. "Really, Kate, this is your type?" she asks, arching an eyebrow at her. They so need to have a woman to woman talk if Kate says yes.
Nao sucks on her straw, which results in that annoying 'empty' sound. Sigh. The cup is given a toss towards the nearest trash can when her gaze falls across the man waving in her direction. Hmm. He's older than most of the boys here. Probably married. And yet he's waving at a young girl... Perfect. Nao's expression instantly becomes coy as she glances around before pointing at herself. "Me?" What could he possibly want with little ol' her?
And what could she possibly want with his money once she and Julia have him all tied up in some unlit spot outside the mall? Regardless, the sound of her onscreen death behind her is still slightly annoying. The HiME frowns before strolling in his direction, waiting to hear which line he'll use on her.
Kitty Pryde makes a face and waves a hand. "Oh Good GOD no Sara, give me a -little- credit. The day I find a halfway worthy guy in the arcade is -- is.." Kitty doesn't get to finish what she was going to say, when the cacophany of blips and lights and suchlike gets her attention. For a second, she's perfectly still - and then turns to Sara again, "Anyway, no." Now come along! "This just happens to be the only place they're demoing that system up there," She points where a crowd is already gathering.
As Nao approaches, the businessman leans over with a smile, "You like games eh? I see you're pretty skilled! How would you like to be personally selected to test out our newest system?"
At this, a few people complain, "That's not fair! We've been here since the arcade opened!"
The man naturally ignores them. "It's the first stage in gaming arts; completely realistic, virtual reality where it puts YOU in the game! Whadayasay?"
His assistant is already unhooking the rope, gesturing Nao inside. >:E
"Who else wants in? Wait - you there in the back!" He points at Sara, "This game is good for families too! Why don't you and your sister come on up here?"
"Aw man, this is WEAK dude, we've been here since-"
"Shush!"
"I'm trying to!" Sara teases, "But you're the one dragging me here..." the cop pauses for a moment as she lays her eyes on a police simulator shooter. Oh, she school the whole lot of them on that. But then another Kitty tug gets her moving again.
"Is this what we're looking for?" she asks as she glances towards the setup. "What, in the game?" she asks, frowning a little. Sure, she knows Virtual Reality, it just still sounds creepy coming from a nerd.
Blink. He just asked her over to play a stupid video game?! Nao scowls and is about to tell him what he can do with the demo -- that is until she hears the protests. She got chosen over them? Hmm, maybe she wasn't completely wrong about this guy's intentions after all. "Why not?" She smirks and shrugs her shoulders. Sometimes being a girl really is teh win! And the way he describes it does make it sound a little more interesting. Virtual reality? She arches a brow and looks a little doubtful. But something about this game has people excited or they wouldn't have waited so long to try it out! Nao nods and steps inside but not before glancing back to see who else is being chosen. Two more girls. Score two more for the planet Venus!
Kitty Pryde makes a face, "Humor me, 'Sis'." Kitty laughs. She saw that glance too! She totally did! "Fancy a game? Or hey, I think we can rent a room for laser ta-" and that's when the showman calls out to Sara. Biting her lower lip, Kitty turns to Sara, and clasps her hands together, "Oh Gee golly GOSH, Sis, Can we Can We Can we?" How she's managing not to laugh, no one knows.
Still, she gives a quick affirmative nod. "Yeah. And look, they've got someone else taking part. If nothing else, we can think of it as a social experiment. Three girls in the den of geekery."
As Nao steps inside the area, the elder man, whom we'll call Carl, attempts to sling an arm around the smaller girl's shoulders. Freak. "We have our first challenger! Once those young ladies join us, we'll be able to begin." And oh the -glares- the trio get from the gamer geeks in the room. From the looks of the pictures on the gaming stations, there's a lot of shooting to be done in the game as well! That should make Sara feel better, right? "What's your name little lady?" Carl adds, glancing to Nao.
Sara smirks. "Sure, sis." the cop teases playfully, willing to play along. After all, this would be great at bars and stuff - better to get the practice in now, right? As she starts forward, he pinches Kitty on the side, and smirks.
"No taunting the geeks, sis." she whispers playfully. "You get them too riled up and they may explode where they stand."
Nao glances up at the man as he puts his arms around her shoulders. No matter how 'real' this virtual reality is, nothing could possibly compare to her punishing him for real! She sighs before studying the two other approaching females. If looks could kill they'd all be in their graves right now! She for one loves it. Nao blinks when Carl asks for her name. "Juliet." It's a situation that just warrants an alias. She places her hands on her hips, idly waiting for Sara and Kitty. "What the hell is this thing anyway?" And she hasn't even heard of the game either? Blasphemy! The gamers will probably want to burn her at the stake for that.
Kitty Pryde's giggles end in a small squeaks with a jump at the pinch on her side. Tilting her head to catch the whisper, Kitty mock-pouts, "Awwww, you never let me have any -fun-." She chuckles, "But you have a point."
In any case, Kitty can't help but look a LITTLE smug as she struts (yeah, STRUTS) past the despondent gamer geeks with Sara, up to join Nao. And when her name and Sara's is asked, she beams, "I'm Kate, and this is my sister, Sara," Oh she's getting a -kick- out of this. Illegal levels of fun! Just like ol' Carl- who's going to get punished for his own illegal levels of fun. =.=
"Welcome to the game, Juliet, Kate, and Sara," Carl announces - only to pause and /stare/ at the redhead.
There's a long silence, and then the crowd explodes into panedmonium.
"DUDE! She doesn't even know what the game IS!"
"SO UNFAIR!"
"She doesn't deserve the honor of playing on the VR500!"
"We demand a change!"
"GIRLS DON'T GAME!"
"This is MESSED UP!"
Grumble grumble grumble.
Kitty stares at the grumpy geeks, and asides to Sara, "Mildly put out aren't they?" Understatement. Meanwhile, Carl is ignoring the complaints in favor of explaining the system to Nao, very carefully. He'll even pat her hand a few times, condenscendingly. she is a girl after all.
"This thing, little lady, is the VEE ARR five hundred, the latest in gaming industry. No longer will you have to bother yourself with wireless controllers, or controllers at all! Memory cards will be a thing of the past! The VR Five hundred has the power to reconstruct any game, for any old system, ANYWHERE, and all you need is one of these babies," He points at the seating enclosure behind him. "We're currently working on a prototype helmet to make it more affordable for gamers, but there are still a few bugs we have to work out."
"You think?" Sara says back to Kitty, before offering a reassuring smile to Juliet. If said creepy dude tries to make a move, Sara has a set of handcuffs and is not afraid to use them. Even if in the end.. that really helps Noa.
Glancing at the helmet, Sara glances at Kate. "If this messes up my hair, sis, you are so redoing my braid." The Witchblade seems a little edgy around Noa, but the artifact can't quite figure out why.
Nao arches a brow and starts glancing around uncomfortably. What the...?! Are they gonna start rioting or something! She recoils a little which unfortunately only puts her more firmly in Carl's half-embrace. She catches Sara's smile and studies her curiously as the man rattles on. Hmm, that's an interesting bracelet she's wearing. She approves of the red glow! "Yeah, VEE ARR five hundred, miracle worker. Let's get this started." She turns around, ready to get settled into the thing and give it a test drive.
They just might! And that won't be pretty! "Now now, calm down!" Carl calls to the crowd, "Let's be men about this and let the ladies have some fun." When Nao recoils, Carl takes this as his cue to tighten his arm around her a bit. Don't worry, he'll protect you! (Yeah right.) As for Sara's concern, Carl chuckles, "Ah, you needn't worry about that, little lady! THOSE helmets aren't.. ready yet. We'll be using the seating system," (of the ever changing name because the player can't for the life of her remember what they're called. XD) "Just put these on," These being a clunky looking visor that probably -will- mess up the hair, ".. climb inside and buckle yourself in. The game system will do the rest." That's supposed to be reassuring! And each girl will have a separate station to sit in. The screen at the front is clear, so they'll be able to see each other, but that will quickly become darker to show a screen of the game in question. And also, the 'doors' of each individual seat close, pitching the area into total darkness, save for the 'game screen'. Hope you're not claustrophobic!
Slipping the visor on, Sara can already feel it tugging on her hair. Oh for crying out Pete. As she settles into the seat, she buckles up and is secretly glad she wore her blue jeans. There's no need to give any of these guys a reason to get a panty shot, after all.
"Okay, so I guess we just sit here and look pretty." the Cop comments to the other, before throwing a wave to Kate.. and then is sealed in the little dark cube. "..." She's not scared of the dark. She's more worried about Dork Patrol right outside.
Nao would be willing to crawl into just about anything at this point if it gets her away from Carl. She shrugs his arm off and enters the game first. "Finally." She sighs once she's settles. The visor is eyed before she picks it up. "If this thing is so great, couldn't they make it a little less ugly?" She mumbles to herself before sliding them on and staring at the screen. Now she knows why they chose girls -- to pretty it up! She settles back and has to be reminded to buckle up again before she actually does it. Even Nao jumps a little as the door closes and it's just her in the darkness. The darkness part is fine with her, she just doesn't like the feeling of not being able to escape. "This better be worth it..." Or else she's so demanding her money back! Wait...
Kitty Pryde waves back! And fortunately she's neither afraid of the dark nor claustrophobic. She tosses a wave towards Nao as well, before her little area is sealed off and darkened. Admittedly it makes her a -teeny- bit nervous. Over the speakers installed inside the enclosed seats, Carls voice can be heard, "Now don't be afraid girls, this won't hurt a bit. It might be a little nauseating at first but.." Actually that's so right. The part about them looking pretty and prettying up the clunky helmet. After all, cute women are used to advertise cars all the time!
Nonetheless the screen in front of the girls suddenly bursts into a kaleidoscope of collor, lines stretching outwards with a sense of motion. And each occupant might feel like they're lurching -forward-. And when they blink? One minute they were in the seat, and the next they seem to be in a sterile white room.
A mechanical voice echoes into the atmosphere, "Player 1: Juliet, has arrived. Player 2: Sara, has arrived. Player 3, Kate, has arrived. Welcome to........Extraction. Please set Game Mode." Not very impressive at the start is it?
Outside meanwhile, Carl turns to the crowd, "You see? There they are," on the screen, "But they can't see or hear us without the use of this device right here," he pats the game terminal. Picking up the microphone, he ahems with an air of self importance, "How are you doin' ladies?" :D
"..oh yes, this is impressive." quoth the Sara, who is clearly not impressed. As she folds her arms around her midsection, she looks around. "So, I guess we just stand around here and look pretty." Not that Sara can't pull that off very well, anyway.
Carl's words nauseate her more than anything. Nao knows a pervert when she hears one! But then it's like the game explodes right in front of her eyes and Nao has to slap a hand over her mouth. She almost lost her Big Gulp! And all for a sterile white room? "You'd think with as great as this thing is supposed to be, they could do better than the robot voice." At least give them a real person! Game mode? Hmm. "Expert." Nao shrugs nonchalantly. "Trying not to die of boredom." The redhead responds. Geez, some people really lined up for this? Lamers. She's obviously of the same opinion as Sara -- so far.
Ahem. The fact that the girls aren't very impressed with the game is a bit .. daunting for Carl. They're not supposed to be ho-humming it! They're supposed to be in awe! Grumble. And when Nao sets the mode as -EXPERT-, right when Carl was about to set it to Novice, he almost has a heart attack. "Er - are you sure you want -'
"Setting Game Mode: Expert. COmplete."
"Ah crap." He slaps his head iwth his hand, then leans against the terminal. Right next to where his assistant set his coffee.
The cup tips.. tips.. FALLS over, spilling java love all over the keys. "Oh CRAP!" The board crackles a few times, then goes FFZZZTT with smoke coming up from the terminal."
"AH CRAP!"
And the room the girls are 'in'.. explodes. Literally, it's like someone set off a nuke right beneath their feet. Having not expected -THAT_, Kitty lets out a shout as she's tossed through the air with the greatest of ease, landing smack into another body. "Oof!" The surroundings? Seem to be a mall, with a few people milling about, shuffling along. But something seems a little..strange.
"OOF!" Sara is smacked into by her little 'sister', and the cop's reflexes kick in to hold her steady. "..Kit, you okay?" she asks, looking at her in concern. And then, after a pause - "...you need to lay off the Strawberry Pop-Tarts." Sara teases her.
And then she takes a longer look around the mall, "Whoa, are we back outside?" she asks. When did that happened? The detective frowns. Something doesn't feel exactly right here.
Nao taps her foot impatiently. But that tapping stops at the first 'ah crap' from the outside. That doesn't sound good. And then it repeats and even gets louder. "Okay, that does! Let me out of this thing!" She's got better things to do than waste--
Does she smell smoke?
An alarmed cry tears from Nao when her surroundings explode with such force. And she's flying? But that's impossible! Nao knows she hasn't really gone anywhere, it's just an illusion! But it certainly feels real. She scrambles to her feet when it comes to an end, glancing around the mall before blinking at the other two girls. "Are you for real or a part of the game too?" Nao isn't sure who to trust. But that's nothing new.
"I'm good, I'm great," Kitty answers woozily. "That .. was totally unexpected." Nngf. She gets to her feet again, rubbing her head, "I don't thi-HEY!" Kitty protests the insinuation that she's been eating too many pop tarts! "Wait.. did we get thrown out of the game?" Frown. "I guess we should head back to the arcade to let that guy know we're okay." Spotting Nao, and hearing the question, Kitty is about to respond when her eyes widen and she points. "Behind you!!"
Behind Nao? Are two mall-dwellers, turning to grab onto Nao and bite >:E And not in the lovey dovey way, but more in the I wanna eat your tasty brains!' way. From behind they looked totally normal! But up front, their skin is so decomposed that it's practically melting off their bones. The arrival of the two other girls gets the attention of the rest of the mall denizens, who start to close in with like minded hunger. They MUST be in the game still, because ... well.. their powers aren't working. After all, they don't have such powers in this game. THere aren't any visible weapons either - but! There are hovering little balls juuuuuust out of reach near the broken escalator.
Meanwhile
Braaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiins.
Sara grins innocently at her sister, then blinks at Nao. "Yeah, I think we're real.. are you?" Just in case, she reaches out to poke the redhead, just to make sure. "Okay, so what, they want to watch us go virtually shop? Laaaaame."
That is, until Kitty's cry is heard by the Detective. She blinks, in confusion, because usually, right now - the artifact would be /screaming/ at her. And it's not. And for some reason, Sara finds this very creepy. "Look out!" She snaps, before stepping forward.
And as she gets into range, she snaps out a high kick and then follows it about as she spins on her heel and snaps it out towards the zombie, trying to nail it to the side.
"I'm real!" Nao protests the poking before leaning back. She must be related to Natsuki! But then she's quickly thinking on something Kitty said. Were they really thrown out of the game? Nao blinks at that idea before frowning angrily. If they were then heading back to the arcade sounds like a good idea to her too! "I'm really gonna give him a piece of my mind!" Which is ironic since others are about to be after a piece of her mind. The redhead pauses and lifts both slender brows at Kitty's sudden change in expression. "Are you about to puke?" After that ride she couldn't exactly blame her. But then she shouts her warning, causing the HiME to turn around just as she's being grabbed. "H-hey! What the...!" It's her turn to go wide-eyed as she gets a better look at the two mallrats that just grabbed her. Eww! Allow Nao to introduce them to her friend moisturizer at some point. She screams as one bites into her, as much from alarm as any pain. Nao lifts a hand, planning on slicing through her attacker with the help of her summoned Element. Only there is no Element. A cold chill races through Nao's body. Her confidence lies in her HiME powers but without them she's as helpless as any normal girl. But normal girls still have knees. Nao brings hers up into her attacker's family jewels, ahem "I. Hate. Zombies!" Each word is emphasized by another stanza from the Nutcracker.
Funny Nao should pick that particular piece of music, because that's exactly what happens. CRACK! and .. though the zombie doesn't have family jewels per se, the attack is effective enough that its brittle and decomposing bones cause it to go DOWN. The second zombie is introduced to Sara's heel, sending the creature flying into a conveniently placed weapons rack. The rack falls over, and something shiny drops to the floor.
Oooh, Shiny. GET IT!
Kitty meanwhile, is playing keep away with the zombies, darting through the crowd - more than a little disturbed that she can't access HER power either. But fortunately, Logan's training pays off. A head comes sailing in the direction of the two girls - duck or catch!
"It occurs to me, we probably should have figured out how to play the game before we agreed."
And on those words, a shimmering light appears as a translucent holoman appears in the midst of the crowd. "My my!" Smile smile, "Looks like you're in a pickle! Would you like to go through the tutorial and learn the rules of the game?" SMILE.
The zombie head flies past Sara as she steps backwards, another zombie shambling in towards them. That is until she sees something shiny. Oooh, you always get the shiny stuff. It's treasure or power ups...
...so she dated a gamer geek in college. It was a pre-requisite of dating. Really. SHUT UP. >.>
Then she hears Mister Information show up just as she curls her fingers around the shiny. "Yes, for God's sake yes, give us the tutorial!" the detective calls out quickly as she prepares to defend herself if she has to.
Nao pulls her arm back when the zombie crumbles to the floor. But a quick glance reminds her that they're by no means out of the woods. The other girls are fighting their own fights but they'll all outnumbered. And while Sara was lucky enough to duck the flying head, Nao is just unlucky enough to be the one to catch it. She blinks down at it, momentarily in shock before screaming and dropping it. What's worse...she thinks she went on a date with that guy once! >.<;
Nao's attention is also grabbed by something shiny. That's important, right? Things like that always have a purpose in a game! The redhead is about to rush towards it when the holoman appears to help them. Skip the credits, they need the important stuff!
"Understood!" Beam! "Loading Tutori--tu--tut--tut--tutor--tor-tt-t-t-t-t-tt-t-ttti-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-"
"That doesn't sound good." Kitty remarks unhelpfully, scooting over to the two.
"Beginning Stage 2! :D" The holoman announces. Hey! What about the tutorial!? But the surroundings suddenly go swirly, color bleeding out and then back in - and this time the stage doesn't look to be from the same game at -all-. The mall is replaced by three long platforms with three six foot long slabs of beef on one level, above being a long leaf of lettuce, on the platform above -that- is a long slice of tomato. At the top level is what appears to be a large burger bun. And below the level the girls stand on, it another one.
"I believe I speak for us all when I say, 'What the hell..?'" Kitty takes two steps, "Why does this game seem familiar?" Between each 'level' by the way, there are two sets of ladders!
And just as Sara was grabbing the shiny thing (tm) too! The detective pauses as she hopes the tutorial starts.. but instead, they find themselves in the land of two all beef patties, and the special sauce isn't all that special. "..wh..where?" Sara starts to ask..
That's when from behind Kitty, a Hot Dog carrying a fork starts to sneak up on her. "...Sis, LOOK OUT!" she yells to the young mutant. Sara wanted a footlong, but this is Soviet Mall, apparently, where HOT DOG EAT YOU.
Nao tenses, keeping her eyes on the zombie mass while waiting to hear anything that will help them. But instead all she hears is the mangling of that word. "We didn't ask you to rap about it!" The redhead snaps while scooting closer to the two players. Stage two? She didn't mean for it to skip that far ahead! When things start changing around them she reaches out for whoever's nearest and latches on. "What next?" She mutters under her breath. Whatever she was imagining though, it can't top the reality. Or virtual reality. "...." Kitty can repeat the 'what the hell' on Nao's behalf!
When Sara shouts out her warning to Kitty, Nao's almost afraid to look. But you know she has to! And when she sees a hot dog carrying a fork... "I'm so gonna kill that guy!" Carl. Nao starts running for the nearest ladder to climb up.
(OOC) Kitty Pryde says, "DJ Holoman! :D"
(OOC) Sara Pezzini says, "It's the tutorial remix!~"
(OOC) Kitty Pryde LOL
(OOC) Nao Yuuki laughs. XD
(OOC) Sara Pezzini says, "P-P-Pr-Press Z to target. Press Z, Press Z, Press Z to target. Press Z, HEY LISTEN!"
(OOC) Nao Yuuki would buy the CD!
(OOC) Kitty Pryde HOWLS
Wow! At least they don't have a mall full of zombies to contend with, huh? HA ha ha.. ha ha.. ha haha..ahaa.. "Ahahaa..." Kitty murmurs weakly. And then Sara's call of warning gets Kitty to whirl, blue eyes widening, "Whoah! Oh. okay let's be cool man.. I'm a vegetarian, I swear!" Out of instinct, she looks for something to defend herself with, and comes across.. "Pepper? o.o" Eh, works for her! She hurls it, and the hot dog is stunned for a few seconds, sneezing. "Run for it!" Kitty calls to Sara, quickly darting up the ladder after Nao. And across the screen, here comes an egg! Ohgod!
Oh no, the Egg totally cuts off the Sara from the ladder. She backpedals a few steps, and smiles weakly. "I can't use her excuse, I love you with diced ham, peppers, onions, and cheese." the cop says honestly.
And then she turns and takes off in the other direction, stomping all over the hamburger patty. Ick. The smell is overbearing, and it's all squishy and greasy as she runs by it.
She may not be a vegetarian, but this may turn her into one. DAMN YOU, KATHERINE PRYDE. She likes her meat! >:(
Nao steps back as Kitty comes up the ladder, expecting Sara to follow her. Only she doesn't. She looks back down the ladder and blinks as the woman is being stalked by...an egg. You can insert a pretty big curse word right here. Come on, they're in the middle of a food fight -- literally!
Don't blame HER, blame Carl! -- oh wait, Kitty -did- drag Sara into the arcade didn't she? Nevermind, she totally accepts responsibility! But only as far as bringing Sara to the arcade. The rest is all on Carl. "Sara!" Kitty calls. Onoes! Penned in! As Sara runs one way, the beef patty drops down onto the bun below. Once on the second level, Kitty runs in the other direction, tromping all over a lettuce leaf. It wobbles, and collapses onto the first level, squishing the egg and hot dog flat. This leaves a ladder clear!
"Never in all my years did I ever think I'd have to run from a HOT dog and an egg." She huffs, "Come on up Sara, I think we're clear for now!" There aren't any hot dogs and eggs in sight at least.
Meanwhile Outside the guys are two parts laughing and two parts cheering the progress of the girls. Not that the trio can hear that inside the game. Carl on the other hand, CAN hear their death threats, and he's sweating in the process of trying to fix the problem. He isn't having much luck yet.
The fanboys would probably enjoy this more if Sara could go Witchblade. But she can't. NEENER. As the lettuce leaf forms a bridge, Sara runs across that as well, dropping it down to the next level. And then she heads up the ladder to join the others.
Ewww. "Hamburger with hot dog, egg, pepper, all we need is chili. Gross." Sara comments to Kitty and Nao as she joins them.
Meanwhile, Nao has had her eyes closed /convinced/ that she's asleep and dreaming. The only problem with that is she doesn't really sleep much. o.o; But if she /did/ she'd probably have dreams that were just this insane! She peeks an eye open just as Sara joins them and sighs. Well, at least they're all safe for now. "I'd rather deal with the zombies than this!" Giant hamburgers, being chased around by eggs and hot dogs? Eww! Though she'd better be careful what she wishes for...especially until they manage to get the game fixed.
"Hi there!" Tutorial Man is back and badder than before! .. or not quite. "Congratulations on clearing Level 2!" SMILE SMILE. "Beginning Stage Select, Level Three!"
KItty flails, "Now wait just a damn mi-" is as far as she gets before the surroundings start to blur. Again. There's the sensation of -falling-, and below the ground rises to meet - but fortunately you don't go splat! The first thing to notice though, is that.. the players are no longer human. They're frogs. Frogs with a mission. To cross a VERY BUSY STREET. There are four lines, and then there's a fast moving river with logs and lilypads - and across from that, the safe zone.
"Son of a *Ribbit*." Says Froggy also named Kitty.
Toad!Sara just stares at Kitty. "If it didn't look dirty, I'd so tail whip you, sis." the Witchfrog comments to her as she looks over at Nao, and croaks for a moment. "You okay?" she asks her, before looking at the street. And across the way. And all the way to where they're headed.
If there's a female frog that needs saving - that's all Kitty.
Green is a redhead's best color but this is taking it too far. "*Ribbit*" She answers Sara before sighing. She eyes the traffic and the river on the other side. Dammit, that's gonna take some effort. And then something else dawns on her. "Ne...what happens if we get killed?" In the game, she means. But with virtual reality this /real/... Nah. Nothing bad could -really- happen to them, right? "Guess there's just one way to find out." The HiMEfrog croaks before leaping foreward. No matter what they can't just sit there!
(OOC) Kitty Pryde says, "Time to find out indeed :D +flip a coin and hope you're lucky! :D"
Sara Pezzini flips a coin and gets heads.
You flip a coin and get heads.
Nao Yuuki flips a coin and gets tails.
(OOC) Nao Yuuki c.c;
(OOC) Kitty Pryde says, "...ooh.."
(OOC) Kitty Pryde says, "Sorry Nao."
"And if I wasn't afraid I'd get stuck to you, I'd stick out my tongue." Kittyfrog glances at Naofrog, and frets. "I'm.. not sure. I've played this game; if virtual reality goes as the games do, we get three lives I think. After that..." Well she proably doesn't want to know. Nonetheless, Kitty starts to hop after Nao - only to stop short as a particularly large 16 rig truck comes bearing down on them. "Aah! Watch-"
*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*
Splut goes Nao-frog. "....oh god.." Kittyfrog is momentarily frozen in place - in the middle of the road - as she stares at the froggy remains. But! Behind them, back on the safe side of the road, Naofrog reappears, her figure blinking a few times.
... but something that wasn't there before suddenly is. A tall pole with a button four frogs high, and a sign that reads, 'Push Button and Wait to Cross.'
Sara stares in horror as Frogged!Nao is splatted. "Juliet?!" she calls out from the other side of the street, after artfully dodging a few sport cars, and squeaks. "Maybe if one of us finishes, the rest of us can get through?" Sara starts to ask. Then pauses. "No, we all have to. Come on Nao, you can do it!" Don't make them recross the street to get back to you.
Nao hops but is frozen in place at the sound of the big rig's horn. *SPLAT* Fortunately she literally never knew what hit her. Nao blinks a few times as she reappears at the side of the road. "Okay..." So that answers that! In a way. But what happens if she loses all three lives? She's really not very good at video games! But now she's pissed! And nothing's scarier than an angry frog. >.<; She's about to jump again when she notices the pole and what the signs says. "Hey! Maybe if we can reach that button!" That's what it says to do anyway!
There are reasons why one shouldn't stop in the middle of the road! Quickly she retreats lest she become a green smear on the ground as well. "You wait there, Sara! Juliet and I will be right across!" She hopshops over to to the other frog, "Where did that pole come from?" Oh nevermind. "Okay, get on my back - I'll jump, and when I'm at the top of my jump, you jump too.You should be able to make it - but I think you've got only one shot." Maybe it's a special feature? She doesn't think frogger ever had that in the original game though. Too bad. But the minute Juliet hits that button, Kitty's highhopping it across the road to rejoin Sara. >.< At least they're getting a lot of exercise?
And Sara remains on the other side of the street, hopping back and forth nervously. This is her 'little sister'. And as much as she's mad at her about getting them stuck in this nightmare.. she's still worried. Darnit. She's so springing for the alcohol after this.
Well, except for Nao. She's underage. :(
So is Kitty, technically. :D
Sara Pezzini will drink alone, then!
Kitty Pryde and Nao will drink too, dangit! They'll need a drink after this. :D
For once Nao is actually willing to take orders! But Kitty sounds like she knows what she's talking about. So she does exactly as she's told, which results in a mad dash across the highway. o_o; At least Sara won't have to worry for long at that speed! Nao feels her little froggy heart pounding furiously. "Nao." Followed by a ribbit. "My name's Nao." And not Juliet. They've seen each other as frogs so she can probably give them her real name!
And oh yes...Nao will need a drink once it's all said and done.
WHERE: An Arcade in San Dimas, California
WHEN: Saturday Evening, January 20th, 2007
WHAT: A trip to an arcade where a new game system is being demo'd goes horribly horribly wrong.
WATCH FOR: .. Everything?
Aah, the hustle and bustle of San Dimas! The surfing! The malls! The BOYS! At least one out of two of those things has brought Kitty here today. That and her own feet. But she's not alone today, oh no! In fact, she's got a victim (sorta) with her! Namely, fellow housemate and friend, Sara Pezzini. "See, what did I tell you? The styles here aren't half bad - but I'm not sure if they're more or less expensive than the ones in New York. And check it out," Kitty adds, making her way down the hall and pointing at a store, "Celebrity Circus." Which apparently sells faux clothing that celebrities wear. Further up ahead there's an arcade section which Kitty had wanted to poke around in - yes, she's a geek, but a cute geek! And Lockheed her 'cat' was left at home with Illyana.
Though she's older than her housemate, Sara can enjoy a good time just as much as the girl that people accuse of being her younger sister. "Not bad, Kate." the detective admits, pulling down her sunglasses as she looks at one of the mannequins dressed in a black dress that looks like it was made from PVC tubing and rubber, and nudges her hip against Kitty's. "That one would get the boys attentions while letting them know that you're looking for a man." she teases playfully.
Unlike Kitty, however, Sara is wearing her 'pet', if you can call the Witchblade that. Her right arm wears the pretty barcelet, red stone flashing in the light now and again.
he surfing, she's oblivious to. The malls, they're not bad. But the boys...-that's- what drew Nao here! But not for the normal reasons a teenage girl seeks out boys. For her they're just lambs to the slaughter. <3 It's too early to start that though. If she starts picking out victims before nightfall that means she has to tolerate them until then! And that's just asking too much of her. So instead the redhead has decided to pass the time in the arcade. It's easy to spot her -- she's the girl with the 64 oz. Big Gulp standing right beside the sign that reads 'Absolutely No Outside Food or Drink'. Yeah, she's a rebel baby! Only playing games with just one hand isn't getting her very far. "Mou." Nao sighs as she dies yet again. Nao steps back and blinks in surprise at a boy who'd been watching her play. A few bats of the eyelashes and she gets another quarter deposited into the game for her! Nao smiles sweetly at him before turning away once more. "You can go now." She loves geeks. They're always so eager to please!
The difference between THOSE geeks and Kitty? Is Kitty has a -brain-. Those guys are ... just pathetic. Following Sara's glance, Kitty's eyebrows raise slightly, "Whoaaaah. That is -nice-. Probably breaking all sorts of laws wearing something like that on a public street, am I right?" She grins, leans forward to check the price tag, and visibly winces. "Now -THAT- should be illegal." She grumbles, moving on, and pausing only long enough to whisper, "Too rich for -my- blood." Emma doesn't pay her -that- much.
"Hey, let's check out the arcade for a bit, I hear they're demoing a new system." And lest Sara protest, Kitty reaches to tug her ahead by the wrist! There is no escape! >:E -- ahem.
Meanwhile in the arcade, where Nao has the gamer geeks twined around her little pinky, there seems to be an area being set up in a corner of the room. Four enclosed games, much like those in flight simulators or racing games, are connected to each other. Slightly behind the display is a large screen which has the demo for a game called 'Extraction' currently on the game title. Nao's gaming has caught the attention of one of the men setting up the system, (that or her looks; pedo freak.) and he waves, "OI! Miss! Miss over here!" Despite the fact that he break Nao's concentration!
"The Arcade?" Sara's face pinches up in the requisite protest. "Oh come on, I thought you said you were interested in real mens, not boys playing with their electronic phallic stimuli." she starts to tease just as she's grabbed by her wrist and tugged along. Fortunately, Kitty's not a demon, so the Witchblade doesn't get all defensive on her phasing butt.
Dragged past the food court, Sara looks longingly at the corndog on the stick place - oh she could so go for a footlong right about now. And into the bleeping, blipping Den of Geekery that is the Land of Oz Arcade. "Really, Kate, this is your type?" she asks, arching an eyebrow at her. They so need to have a woman to woman talk if Kate says yes.
Nao sucks on her straw, which results in that annoying 'empty' sound. Sigh. The cup is given a toss towards the nearest trash can when her gaze falls across the man waving in her direction. Hmm. He's older than most of the boys here. Probably married. And yet he's waving at a young girl... Perfect. Nao's expression instantly becomes coy as she glances around before pointing at herself. "Me?" What could he possibly want with little ol' her?
And what could she possibly want with his money once she and Julia have him all tied up in some unlit spot outside the mall? Regardless, the sound of her onscreen death behind her is still slightly annoying. The HiME frowns before strolling in his direction, waiting to hear which line he'll use on her.
Kitty Pryde makes a face and waves a hand. "Oh Good GOD no Sara, give me a -little- credit. The day I find a halfway worthy guy in the arcade is -- is.." Kitty doesn't get to finish what she was going to say, when the cacophany of blips and lights and suchlike gets her attention. For a second, she's perfectly still - and then turns to Sara again, "Anyway, no." Now come along! "This just happens to be the only place they're demoing that system up there," She points where a crowd is already gathering.
As Nao approaches, the businessman leans over with a smile, "You like games eh? I see you're pretty skilled! How would you like to be personally selected to test out our newest system?"
At this, a few people complain, "That's not fair! We've been here since the arcade opened!"
The man naturally ignores them. "It's the first stage in gaming arts; completely realistic, virtual reality where it puts YOU in the game! Whadayasay?"
His assistant is already unhooking the rope, gesturing Nao inside. >:E
"Who else wants in? Wait - you there in the back!" He points at Sara, "This game is good for families too! Why don't you and your sister come on up here?"
"Aw man, this is WEAK dude, we've been here since-"
"Shush!"
"I'm trying to!" Sara teases, "But you're the one dragging me here..." the cop pauses for a moment as she lays her eyes on a police simulator shooter. Oh, she school the whole lot of them on that. But then another Kitty tug gets her moving again.
"Is this what we're looking for?" she asks as she glances towards the setup. "What, in the game?" she asks, frowning a little. Sure, she knows Virtual Reality, it just still sounds creepy coming from a nerd.
Blink. He just asked her over to play a stupid video game?! Nao scowls and is about to tell him what he can do with the demo -- that is until she hears the protests. She got chosen over them? Hmm, maybe she wasn't completely wrong about this guy's intentions after all. "Why not?" She smirks and shrugs her shoulders. Sometimes being a girl really is teh win! And the way he describes it does make it sound a little more interesting. Virtual reality? She arches a brow and looks a little doubtful. But something about this game has people excited or they wouldn't have waited so long to try it out! Nao nods and steps inside but not before glancing back to see who else is being chosen. Two more girls. Score two more for the planet Venus!
Kitty Pryde makes a face, "Humor me, 'Sis'." Kitty laughs. She saw that glance too! She totally did! "Fancy a game? Or hey, I think we can rent a room for laser ta-" and that's when the showman calls out to Sara. Biting her lower lip, Kitty turns to Sara, and clasps her hands together, "Oh Gee golly GOSH, Sis, Can we Can We Can we?" How she's managing not to laugh, no one knows.
Still, she gives a quick affirmative nod. "Yeah. And look, they've got someone else taking part. If nothing else, we can think of it as a social experiment. Three girls in the den of geekery."
As Nao steps inside the area, the elder man, whom we'll call Carl, attempts to sling an arm around the smaller girl's shoulders. Freak. "We have our first challenger! Once those young ladies join us, we'll be able to begin." And oh the -glares- the trio get from the gamer geeks in the room. From the looks of the pictures on the gaming stations, there's a lot of shooting to be done in the game as well! That should make Sara feel better, right? "What's your name little lady?" Carl adds, glancing to Nao.
Sara smirks. "Sure, sis." the cop teases playfully, willing to play along. After all, this would be great at bars and stuff - better to get the practice in now, right? As she starts forward, he pinches Kitty on the side, and smirks.
"No taunting the geeks, sis." she whispers playfully. "You get them too riled up and they may explode where they stand."
Nao glances up at the man as he puts his arms around her shoulders. No matter how 'real' this virtual reality is, nothing could possibly compare to her punishing him for real! She sighs before studying the two other approaching females. If looks could kill they'd all be in their graves right now! She for one loves it. Nao blinks when Carl asks for her name. "Juliet." It's a situation that just warrants an alias. She places her hands on her hips, idly waiting for Sara and Kitty. "What the hell is this thing anyway?" And she hasn't even heard of the game either? Blasphemy! The gamers will probably want to burn her at the stake for that.
Kitty Pryde's giggles end in a small squeaks with a jump at the pinch on her side. Tilting her head to catch the whisper, Kitty mock-pouts, "Awwww, you never let me have any -fun-." She chuckles, "But you have a point."
In any case, Kitty can't help but look a LITTLE smug as she struts (yeah, STRUTS) past the despondent gamer geeks with Sara, up to join Nao. And when her name and Sara's is asked, she beams, "I'm Kate, and this is my sister, Sara," Oh she's getting a -kick- out of this. Illegal levels of fun! Just like ol' Carl- who's going to get punished for his own illegal levels of fun. =.=
"Welcome to the game, Juliet, Kate, and Sara," Carl announces - only to pause and /stare/ at the redhead.
There's a long silence, and then the crowd explodes into panedmonium.
"DUDE! She doesn't even know what the game IS!"
"SO UNFAIR!"
"She doesn't deserve the honor of playing on the VR500!"
"We demand a change!"
"GIRLS DON'T GAME!"
"This is MESSED UP!"
Grumble grumble grumble.
Kitty stares at the grumpy geeks, and asides to Sara, "Mildly put out aren't they?" Understatement. Meanwhile, Carl is ignoring the complaints in favor of explaining the system to Nao, very carefully. He'll even pat her hand a few times, condenscendingly. she is a girl after all.
"This thing, little lady, is the VEE ARR five hundred, the latest in gaming industry. No longer will you have to bother yourself with wireless controllers, or controllers at all! Memory cards will be a thing of the past! The VR Five hundred has the power to reconstruct any game, for any old system, ANYWHERE, and all you need is one of these babies," He points at the seating enclosure behind him. "We're currently working on a prototype helmet to make it more affordable for gamers, but there are still a few bugs we have to work out."
"You think?" Sara says back to Kitty, before offering a reassuring smile to Juliet. If said creepy dude tries to make a move, Sara has a set of handcuffs and is not afraid to use them. Even if in the end.. that really helps Noa.
Glancing at the helmet, Sara glances at Kate. "If this messes up my hair, sis, you are so redoing my braid." The Witchblade seems a little edgy around Noa, but the artifact can't quite figure out why.
Nao arches a brow and starts glancing around uncomfortably. What the...?! Are they gonna start rioting or something! She recoils a little which unfortunately only puts her more firmly in Carl's half-embrace. She catches Sara's smile and studies her curiously as the man rattles on. Hmm, that's an interesting bracelet she's wearing. She approves of the red glow! "Yeah, VEE ARR five hundred, miracle worker. Let's get this started." She turns around, ready to get settled into the thing and give it a test drive.
They just might! And that won't be pretty! "Now now, calm down!" Carl calls to the crowd, "Let's be men about this and let the ladies have some fun." When Nao recoils, Carl takes this as his cue to tighten his arm around her a bit. Don't worry, he'll protect you! (Yeah right.) As for Sara's concern, Carl chuckles, "Ah, you needn't worry about that, little lady! THOSE helmets aren't.. ready yet. We'll be using the seating system," (of the ever changing name because the player can't for the life of her remember what they're called. XD) "Just put these on," These being a clunky looking visor that probably -will- mess up the hair, ".. climb inside and buckle yourself in. The game system will do the rest." That's supposed to be reassuring! And each girl will have a separate station to sit in. The screen at the front is clear, so they'll be able to see each other, but that will quickly become darker to show a screen of the game in question. And also, the 'doors' of each individual seat close, pitching the area into total darkness, save for the 'game screen'. Hope you're not claustrophobic!
Slipping the visor on, Sara can already feel it tugging on her hair. Oh for crying out Pete. As she settles into the seat, she buckles up and is secretly glad she wore her blue jeans. There's no need to give any of these guys a reason to get a panty shot, after all.
"Okay, so I guess we just sit here and look pretty." the Cop comments to the other, before throwing a wave to Kate.. and then is sealed in the little dark cube. "..." She's not scared of the dark. She's more worried about Dork Patrol right outside.
Nao would be willing to crawl into just about anything at this point if it gets her away from Carl. She shrugs his arm off and enters the game first. "Finally." She sighs once she's settles. The visor is eyed before she picks it up. "If this thing is so great, couldn't they make it a little less ugly?" She mumbles to herself before sliding them on and staring at the screen. Now she knows why they chose girls -- to pretty it up! She settles back and has to be reminded to buckle up again before she actually does it. Even Nao jumps a little as the door closes and it's just her in the darkness. The darkness part is fine with her, she just doesn't like the feeling of not being able to escape. "This better be worth it..." Or else she's so demanding her money back! Wait...
Kitty Pryde waves back! And fortunately she's neither afraid of the dark nor claustrophobic. She tosses a wave towards Nao as well, before her little area is sealed off and darkened. Admittedly it makes her a -teeny- bit nervous. Over the speakers installed inside the enclosed seats, Carls voice can be heard, "Now don't be afraid girls, this won't hurt a bit. It might be a little nauseating at first but.." Actually that's so right. The part about them looking pretty and prettying up the clunky helmet. After all, cute women are used to advertise cars all the time!
Nonetheless the screen in front of the girls suddenly bursts into a kaleidoscope of collor, lines stretching outwards with a sense of motion. And each occupant might feel like they're lurching -forward-. And when they blink? One minute they were in the seat, and the next they seem to be in a sterile white room.
A mechanical voice echoes into the atmosphere, "Player 1: Juliet, has arrived. Player 2: Sara, has arrived. Player 3, Kate, has arrived. Welcome to........Extraction. Please set Game Mode." Not very impressive at the start is it?
Outside meanwhile, Carl turns to the crowd, "You see? There they are," on the screen, "But they can't see or hear us without the use of this device right here," he pats the game terminal. Picking up the microphone, he ahems with an air of self importance, "How are you doin' ladies?" :D
"..oh yes, this is impressive." quoth the Sara, who is clearly not impressed. As she folds her arms around her midsection, she looks around. "So, I guess we just stand around here and look pretty." Not that Sara can't pull that off very well, anyway.
Carl's words nauseate her more than anything. Nao knows a pervert when she hears one! But then it's like the game explodes right in front of her eyes and Nao has to slap a hand over her mouth. She almost lost her Big Gulp! And all for a sterile white room? "You'd think with as great as this thing is supposed to be, they could do better than the robot voice." At least give them a real person! Game mode? Hmm. "Expert." Nao shrugs nonchalantly. "Trying not to die of boredom." The redhead responds. Geez, some people really lined up for this? Lamers. She's obviously of the same opinion as Sara -- so far.
Ahem. The fact that the girls aren't very impressed with the game is a bit .. daunting for Carl. They're not supposed to be ho-humming it! They're supposed to be in awe! Grumble. And when Nao sets the mode as -EXPERT-, right when Carl was about to set it to Novice, he almost has a heart attack. "Er - are you sure you want -'
"Setting Game Mode: Expert. COmplete."
"Ah crap." He slaps his head iwth his hand, then leans against the terminal. Right next to where his assistant set his coffee.
The cup tips.. tips.. FALLS over, spilling java love all over the keys. "Oh CRAP!" The board crackles a few times, then goes FFZZZTT with smoke coming up from the terminal."
"AH CRAP!"
And the room the girls are 'in'.. explodes. Literally, it's like someone set off a nuke right beneath their feet. Having not expected -THAT_, Kitty lets out a shout as she's tossed through the air with the greatest of ease, landing smack into another body. "Oof!" The surroundings? Seem to be a mall, with a few people milling about, shuffling along. But something seems a little..strange.
"OOF!" Sara is smacked into by her little 'sister', and the cop's reflexes kick in to hold her steady. "..Kit, you okay?" she asks, looking at her in concern. And then, after a pause - "...you need to lay off the Strawberry Pop-Tarts." Sara teases her.
And then she takes a longer look around the mall, "Whoa, are we back outside?" she asks. When did that happened? The detective frowns. Something doesn't feel exactly right here.
Nao taps her foot impatiently. But that tapping stops at the first 'ah crap' from the outside. That doesn't sound good. And then it repeats and even gets louder. "Okay, that does! Let me out of this thing!" She's got better things to do than waste--
Does she smell smoke?
An alarmed cry tears from Nao when her surroundings explode with such force. And she's flying? But that's impossible! Nao knows she hasn't really gone anywhere, it's just an illusion! But it certainly feels real. She scrambles to her feet when it comes to an end, glancing around the mall before blinking at the other two girls. "Are you for real or a part of the game too?" Nao isn't sure who to trust. But that's nothing new.
"I'm good, I'm great," Kitty answers woozily. "That .. was totally unexpected." Nngf. She gets to her feet again, rubbing her head, "I don't thi-HEY!" Kitty protests the insinuation that she's been eating too many pop tarts! "Wait.. did we get thrown out of the game?" Frown. "I guess we should head back to the arcade to let that guy know we're okay." Spotting Nao, and hearing the question, Kitty is about to respond when her eyes widen and she points. "Behind you!!"
Behind Nao? Are two mall-dwellers, turning to grab onto Nao and bite >:E And not in the lovey dovey way, but more in the I wanna eat your tasty brains!' way. From behind they looked totally normal! But up front, their skin is so decomposed that it's practically melting off their bones. The arrival of the two other girls gets the attention of the rest of the mall denizens, who start to close in with like minded hunger. They MUST be in the game still, because ... well.. their powers aren't working. After all, they don't have such powers in this game. THere aren't any visible weapons either - but! There are hovering little balls juuuuuust out of reach near the broken escalator.
Meanwhile
Braaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiins.
Sara grins innocently at her sister, then blinks at Nao. "Yeah, I think we're real.. are you?" Just in case, she reaches out to poke the redhead, just to make sure. "Okay, so what, they want to watch us go virtually shop? Laaaaame."
That is, until Kitty's cry is heard by the Detective. She blinks, in confusion, because usually, right now - the artifact would be /screaming/ at her. And it's not. And for some reason, Sara finds this very creepy. "Look out!" She snaps, before stepping forward.
And as she gets into range, she snaps out a high kick and then follows it about as she spins on her heel and snaps it out towards the zombie, trying to nail it to the side.
"I'm real!" Nao protests the poking before leaning back. She must be related to Natsuki! But then she's quickly thinking on something Kitty said. Were they really thrown out of the game? Nao blinks at that idea before frowning angrily. If they were then heading back to the arcade sounds like a good idea to her too! "I'm really gonna give him a piece of my mind!" Which is ironic since others are about to be after a piece of her mind. The redhead pauses and lifts both slender brows at Kitty's sudden change in expression. "Are you about to puke?" After that ride she couldn't exactly blame her. But then she shouts her warning, causing the HiME to turn around just as she's being grabbed. "H-hey! What the...!" It's her turn to go wide-eyed as she gets a better look at the two mallrats that just grabbed her. Eww! Allow Nao to introduce them to her friend moisturizer at some point. She screams as one bites into her, as much from alarm as any pain. Nao lifts a hand, planning on slicing through her attacker with the help of her summoned Element. Only there is no Element. A cold chill races through Nao's body. Her confidence lies in her HiME powers but without them she's as helpless as any normal girl. But normal girls still have knees. Nao brings hers up into her attacker's family jewels, ahem "I. Hate. Zombies!" Each word is emphasized by another stanza from the Nutcracker.
Funny Nao should pick that particular piece of music, because that's exactly what happens. CRACK! and .. though the zombie doesn't have family jewels per se, the attack is effective enough that its brittle and decomposing bones cause it to go DOWN. The second zombie is introduced to Sara's heel, sending the creature flying into a conveniently placed weapons rack. The rack falls over, and something shiny drops to the floor.
Oooh, Shiny. GET IT!
Kitty meanwhile, is playing keep away with the zombies, darting through the crowd - more than a little disturbed that she can't access HER power either. But fortunately, Logan's training pays off. A head comes sailing in the direction of the two girls - duck or catch!
"It occurs to me, we probably should have figured out how to play the game before we agreed."
And on those words, a shimmering light appears as a translucent holoman appears in the midst of the crowd. "My my!" Smile smile, "Looks like you're in a pickle! Would you like to go through the tutorial and learn the rules of the game?" SMILE.
The zombie head flies past Sara as she steps backwards, another zombie shambling in towards them. That is until she sees something shiny. Oooh, you always get the shiny stuff. It's treasure or power ups...
...so she dated a gamer geek in college. It was a pre-requisite of dating. Really. SHUT UP. >.>
Then she hears Mister Information show up just as she curls her fingers around the shiny. "Yes, for God's sake yes, give us the tutorial!" the detective calls out quickly as she prepares to defend herself if she has to.
Nao pulls her arm back when the zombie crumbles to the floor. But a quick glance reminds her that they're by no means out of the woods. The other girls are fighting their own fights but they'll all outnumbered. And while Sara was lucky enough to duck the flying head, Nao is just unlucky enough to be the one to catch it. She blinks down at it, momentarily in shock before screaming and dropping it. What's worse...she thinks she went on a date with that guy once! >.<;
Nao's attention is also grabbed by something shiny. That's important, right? Things like that always have a purpose in a game! The redhead is about to rush towards it when the holoman appears to help them. Skip the credits, they need the important stuff!
"Understood!" Beam! "Loading Tutori--tu--tut--tut--tutor--tor-tt-t-t-t-t-tt-t-ttti-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-"
"That doesn't sound good." Kitty remarks unhelpfully, scooting over to the two.
"Beginning Stage 2! :D" The holoman announces. Hey! What about the tutorial!? But the surroundings suddenly go swirly, color bleeding out and then back in - and this time the stage doesn't look to be from the same game at -all-. The mall is replaced by three long platforms with three six foot long slabs of beef on one level, above being a long leaf of lettuce, on the platform above -that- is a long slice of tomato. At the top level is what appears to be a large burger bun. And below the level the girls stand on, it another one.
"I believe I speak for us all when I say, 'What the hell..?'" Kitty takes two steps, "Why does this game seem familiar?" Between each 'level' by the way, there are two sets of ladders!
And just as Sara was grabbing the shiny thing (tm) too! The detective pauses as she hopes the tutorial starts.. but instead, they find themselves in the land of two all beef patties, and the special sauce isn't all that special. "..wh..where?" Sara starts to ask..
That's when from behind Kitty, a Hot Dog carrying a fork starts to sneak up on her. "...Sis, LOOK OUT!" she yells to the young mutant. Sara wanted a footlong, but this is Soviet Mall, apparently, where HOT DOG EAT YOU.
Nao tenses, keeping her eyes on the zombie mass while waiting to hear anything that will help them. But instead all she hears is the mangling of that word. "We didn't ask you to rap about it!" The redhead snaps while scooting closer to the two players. Stage two? She didn't mean for it to skip that far ahead! When things start changing around them she reaches out for whoever's nearest and latches on. "What next?" She mutters under her breath. Whatever she was imagining though, it can't top the reality. Or virtual reality. "...." Kitty can repeat the 'what the hell' on Nao's behalf!
When Sara shouts out her warning to Kitty, Nao's almost afraid to look. But you know she has to! And when she sees a hot dog carrying a fork... "I'm so gonna kill that guy!" Carl. Nao starts running for the nearest ladder to climb up.
(OOC) Kitty Pryde says, "DJ Holoman! :D"
(OOC) Sara Pezzini says, "It's the tutorial remix!~"
(OOC) Kitty Pryde LOL
(OOC) Nao Yuuki laughs. XD
(OOC) Sara Pezzini says, "P-P-Pr-Press Z to target. Press Z, Press Z, Press Z to target. Press Z, HEY LISTEN!"
(OOC) Nao Yuuki would buy the CD!
(OOC) Kitty Pryde HOWLS
Wow! At least they don't have a mall full of zombies to contend with, huh? HA ha ha.. ha ha.. ha haha..ahaa.. "Ahahaa..." Kitty murmurs weakly. And then Sara's call of warning gets Kitty to whirl, blue eyes widening, "Whoah! Oh. okay let's be cool man.. I'm a vegetarian, I swear!" Out of instinct, she looks for something to defend herself with, and comes across.. "Pepper? o.o" Eh, works for her! She hurls it, and the hot dog is stunned for a few seconds, sneezing. "Run for it!" Kitty calls to Sara, quickly darting up the ladder after Nao. And across the screen, here comes an egg! Ohgod!
Oh no, the Egg totally cuts off the Sara from the ladder. She backpedals a few steps, and smiles weakly. "I can't use her excuse, I love you with diced ham, peppers, onions, and cheese." the cop says honestly.
And then she turns and takes off in the other direction, stomping all over the hamburger patty. Ick. The smell is overbearing, and it's all squishy and greasy as she runs by it.
She may not be a vegetarian, but this may turn her into one. DAMN YOU, KATHERINE PRYDE. She likes her meat! >:(
Nao steps back as Kitty comes up the ladder, expecting Sara to follow her. Only she doesn't. She looks back down the ladder and blinks as the woman is being stalked by...an egg. You can insert a pretty big curse word right here. Come on, they're in the middle of a food fight -- literally!
Don't blame HER, blame Carl! -- oh wait, Kitty -did- drag Sara into the arcade didn't she? Nevermind, she totally accepts responsibility! But only as far as bringing Sara to the arcade. The rest is all on Carl. "Sara!" Kitty calls. Onoes! Penned in! As Sara runs one way, the beef patty drops down onto the bun below. Once on the second level, Kitty runs in the other direction, tromping all over a lettuce leaf. It wobbles, and collapses onto the first level, squishing the egg and hot dog flat. This leaves a ladder clear!
"Never in all my years did I ever think I'd have to run from a HOT dog and an egg." She huffs, "Come on up Sara, I think we're clear for now!" There aren't any hot dogs and eggs in sight at least.
Meanwhile Outside the guys are two parts laughing and two parts cheering the progress of the girls. Not that the trio can hear that inside the game. Carl on the other hand, CAN hear their death threats, and he's sweating in the process of trying to fix the problem. He isn't having much luck yet.
The fanboys would probably enjoy this more if Sara could go Witchblade. But she can't. NEENER. As the lettuce leaf forms a bridge, Sara runs across that as well, dropping it down to the next level. And then she heads up the ladder to join the others.
Ewww. "Hamburger with hot dog, egg, pepper, all we need is chili. Gross." Sara comments to Kitty and Nao as she joins them.
Meanwhile, Nao has had her eyes closed /convinced/ that she's asleep and dreaming. The only problem with that is she doesn't really sleep much. o.o; But if she /did/ she'd probably have dreams that were just this insane! She peeks an eye open just as Sara joins them and sighs. Well, at least they're all safe for now. "I'd rather deal with the zombies than this!" Giant hamburgers, being chased around by eggs and hot dogs? Eww! Though she'd better be careful what she wishes for...especially until they manage to get the game fixed.
"Hi there!" Tutorial Man is back and badder than before! .. or not quite. "Congratulations on clearing Level 2!" SMILE SMILE. "Beginning Stage Select, Level Three!"
KItty flails, "Now wait just a damn mi-" is as far as she gets before the surroundings start to blur. Again. There's the sensation of -falling-, and below the ground rises to meet - but fortunately you don't go splat! The first thing to notice though, is that.. the players are no longer human. They're frogs. Frogs with a mission. To cross a VERY BUSY STREET. There are four lines, and then there's a fast moving river with logs and lilypads - and across from that, the safe zone.
"Son of a *Ribbit*." Says Froggy also named Kitty.
Toad!Sara just stares at Kitty. "If it didn't look dirty, I'd so tail whip you, sis." the Witchfrog comments to her as she looks over at Nao, and croaks for a moment. "You okay?" she asks her, before looking at the street. And across the way. And all the way to where they're headed.
If there's a female frog that needs saving - that's all Kitty.
Green is a redhead's best color but this is taking it too far. "*Ribbit*" She answers Sara before sighing. She eyes the traffic and the river on the other side. Dammit, that's gonna take some effort. And then something else dawns on her. "Ne...what happens if we get killed?" In the game, she means. But with virtual reality this /real/... Nah. Nothing bad could -really- happen to them, right? "Guess there's just one way to find out." The HiMEfrog croaks before leaping foreward. No matter what they can't just sit there!
(OOC) Kitty Pryde says, "Time to find out indeed :D +flip a coin and hope you're lucky! :D"
Sara Pezzini flips a coin and gets heads.
You flip a coin and get heads.
Nao Yuuki flips a coin and gets tails.
(OOC) Nao Yuuki c.c;
(OOC) Kitty Pryde says, "...ooh.."
(OOC) Kitty Pryde says, "Sorry Nao."
"And if I wasn't afraid I'd get stuck to you, I'd stick out my tongue." Kittyfrog glances at Naofrog, and frets. "I'm.. not sure. I've played this game; if virtual reality goes as the games do, we get three lives I think. After that..." Well she proably doesn't want to know. Nonetheless, Kitty starts to hop after Nao - only to stop short as a particularly large 16 rig truck comes bearing down on them. "Aah! Watch-"
*BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP*
Splut goes Nao-frog. "....oh god.." Kittyfrog is momentarily frozen in place - in the middle of the road - as she stares at the froggy remains. But! Behind them, back on the safe side of the road, Naofrog reappears, her figure blinking a few times.
... but something that wasn't there before suddenly is. A tall pole with a button four frogs high, and a sign that reads, 'Push Button and Wait to Cross.'
Sara stares in horror as Frogged!Nao is splatted. "Juliet?!" she calls out from the other side of the street, after artfully dodging a few sport cars, and squeaks. "Maybe if one of us finishes, the rest of us can get through?" Sara starts to ask. Then pauses. "No, we all have to. Come on Nao, you can do it!" Don't make them recross the street to get back to you.
Nao hops but is frozen in place at the sound of the big rig's horn. *SPLAT* Fortunately she literally never knew what hit her. Nao blinks a few times as she reappears at the side of the road. "Okay..." So that answers that! In a way. But what happens if she loses all three lives? She's really not very good at video games! But now she's pissed! And nothing's scarier than an angry frog. >.<; She's about to jump again when she notices the pole and what the signs says. "Hey! Maybe if we can reach that button!" That's what it says to do anyway!
There are reasons why one shouldn't stop in the middle of the road! Quickly she retreats lest she become a green smear on the ground as well. "You wait there, Sara! Juliet and I will be right across!" She hopshops over to to the other frog, "Where did that pole come from?" Oh nevermind. "Okay, get on my back - I'll jump, and when I'm at the top of my jump, you jump too.You should be able to make it - but I think you've got only one shot." Maybe it's a special feature? She doesn't think frogger ever had that in the original game though. Too bad. But the minute Juliet hits that button, Kitty's highhopping it across the road to rejoin Sara. >.< At least they're getting a lot of exercise?
And Sara remains on the other side of the street, hopping back and forth nervously. This is her 'little sister'. And as much as she's mad at her about getting them stuck in this nightmare.. she's still worried. Darnit. She's so springing for the alcohol after this.
Well, except for Nao. She's underage. :(
So is Kitty, technically. :D
Sara Pezzini will drink alone, then!
Kitty Pryde and Nao will drink too, dangit! They'll need a drink after this. :D
For once Nao is actually willing to take orders! But Kitty sounds like she knows what she's talking about. So she does exactly as she's told, which results in a mad dash across the highway. o_o; At least Sara won't have to worry for long at that speed! Nao feels her little froggy heart pounding furiously. "Nao." Followed by a ribbit. "My name's Nao." And not Juliet. They've seen each other as frogs so she can probably give them her real name!
And oh yes...Nao will need a drink once it's all said and done.