(Untitled)

[amazongeneral]

She's spent time thinking--more than enough time, really, and Amazons don't sulk. Work was, as usual, strenuous and interesting. She's going to go snowboarding on her next time off. She'd like to do something fun done before then, though. So now she's sitting half-on the pool table, consulting the instruction booklet thoughtfully left in the corner

Comments

[cf1]

"Good evening." Cait offers a smile and nod. She had never noticed the pool tables before, silly her.

[amazongeneral]

Neither had Philippus. Rumor has it that research into the background of the bar dug up a mention of one occasionally being there. It must have dropped by for a day. So long as it isn't sentient pearwood, all's well, right?

"Hello." Philippus smiles back. "How have you been?"

[cf1]

"Very well, and you?" She wanders over, blinking. "I never noticed a pool table here before."

[amazongeneral]

"I think there was a normal table." Philippus shrugs. "It looks like a game--how does one play it?"

[cf1]

"Well, you use a pool cue to drive the balls into the pockets. The specifics vary, but it is a game of aim and precision."

[amazongeneral]

"Do you have any idea where it originated?" Philippus looks up from a diagram in the manual (she's now in the Spanish section, since it's one of the manuals printed by people who secretly hate the buyer.) "It looks like one of the games that's been carefully developed to the point of standards, if that makes any sense."

[cf1]

"Well, actually... I have no idea. But it is a very popular pastime around the world; strange enough, played a lot in bars, even if alcohol intoxication does not mix well with a game of precision."

[amazongeneral]

She grins. "I've been away for too long." And then shrugs. "You're right--a game played with long sticks and needing total concentration does seem out of place."

[cf1]

"I can teach you a couple of the variations, if you would like?" Cait smiles back to her.

[amazongeneral]

"Please." Something with this many textures and general care put into the design--why do the edges curve in so sharply there?--makes her curious.

Basically, it looks cool. Sure, why not play with it?

[cf1]

Cait smiles, nodding and setting up the table: first, the basics, how to hold the pool cue, how to drive the cue ball, why use chalk (so the cue does not slip when hitting the cue ball), and so on.

After that, and in a calm pace, Cait goes over the rules for eight-ball, straight pool, and finally, the refinement of one-pocket. Its not hard, if one takes a slow pace, wich Cait does.

[amazongeneral]

Philippus follows along in the manner of someone who's spent a long time learning just by listening and watching. "You've spent a while playing this?" It sounds like possible fun-and-shareable personal history. Compare with the amount of angstful history floating around here, and see if we can't get any good stories.

[cf1]

"I learned with my uncle, back when I lived with them in Portland; when I went to college, I stopped playing for a while, since I did not have much time for it, but took it up again with my friends, afterwards." Not much of a story there, but definitely not a sad angsty one. "Bobby says he is better than me at this, but he keeps losing, so..."

[amazongeneral]

Which is good. Philippus is looking for, well, sociable times and talk about families--well, she would if she had one--and similar angst-free activities. "So Bobby is working on not being very observant?

"Where is college? It sounds familiar--oh, that's a university, right?"

[cf1]

"University of Princeton, in New Jersey... that is on the northwest of the United States?" Not sure on how much the amazon knows about U.S. geography.

[amazongeneral]

She nods. "I was in New York once--not that I saw the outside of the room we portalled into. It was a diplomatic function, too, and unfortunately those all look similar."

And everyone is short.

((OOC: sleep eats brains. Time slows for regrowth?))