Video Game Challenge (OTA)

[st_arlord]

It was a shame not a lot of people seemed to like renting the various video game consoles the makeshift library had to offer the Madonna Inn. Quill was a frequent visitor to the library, but rather took out a book. Gamora would be annoyed with him, but the video games held more interest to him. A lot of the games were new to him as they had come out after he left Earth. Quill was delighted to explore them.

Multplayer games were much more fun with people. He dragged a TV into the lobby and set up a Super Nintendo. He sat on one of the ostentatious couches and was currently playing Super Mario Kart while he waited for some challengers. On the coffee table there was also a cartridge for Donkey Kong Country and Zombies Ate My Neighbors.

Comments

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_arlord]

The spirit of the game for Quill was to play to enjoy it. He only got competitive when the other person did or because he was trying to impress someone.

"You're starting to get the hang of it," He said encouragingly. This is sort of like watching my mom try to figure out the Gameboy.

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_oneswidow]

"I'm shit and you know it," Curnen shot back, but it was in laughter rather than frustration. She remained pretty firmly in last place, but she'd somehow managed to pick up some kind of power-up.

"Huh. What's the little cartoon lightning do..." she mused as she pushed the button to find out.

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_arlord]

"Dude!" He said, "You got like, one of the best ones right now."

Quill leaned forward while he watched. Even if she wasn't the best, he really liked her spirit. Gamora would have shot the screen by now.

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_oneswidow]

"Yeah, I am a drunk driving god!" Curnen whooped as she managed to flatten one of the CPU characters and at least make it to seventh. It wasn't like this was going to last, she was sure. Not once the power wore off, but it had been deeply amusing.

"So how long you been playing this?" she asked, attempting to manage conversation more now that she sort of had the hang of the controls.

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_arlord]

"uh... A couple of days." He answered. "Okay, well, not all hours of those days. But I discovered this game and it's the best and I'd have totally owned one of my own if I was back on Earth."

He wanted to show Groot and hoped he would get the chance.

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_oneswidow]

That took Curnen a little by surprise. "You know a lot about this for somebody's who ain't even played this for a week."

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_arlord]

"I'm kind of a quick study," he said. "Plus I've logged some hours. Still haven't beaten all the levels, but I'm confident I'll get there soon. Have a friend who'd have beat this already. Groot. He's a tree alien."

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_oneswidow]

It took Curnen some effort to keep her eyes on the screen, this idea honestly more interesting than the game (even though it was cute and entertaining). "No shit, I've met some tree people. What's yours like?"

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_arlord]

"He's great." Quill said fondly. "He's helped save the Galaxy a few times. He's sort of going through puberty right now so is a little stubborn and talks back a lot, but he's the best. Got a big heart, you know?"

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_oneswidow]

Curnen snorted and started to giggle. Good to know that puberty made everyone and everything an asshole. Sentient species weren't as different as they often thought they were. "Sounds more fun than Jessup. But he's old, and he's got a swollen root. When he's a man, it's gout. I'd be cranky, too."

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_arlord]

"wait," he said, looking to Curnen. "Your tree dude can turn into an actual dude?"

He wondered what Groot would look like as a human. It was hard to picture.

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_oneswidow]

Curnen lifted her left hand from the D-pad long enough to waggle in it a 'close enough' gesture. Her steering was already bad, this didn't hurt. "He's like the tree's spirit, I guess you could say. Two parts of the same being."

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_arlord]

"So... More magic than alien." He said. "That's cool. I mean, not as cool as space, but I just met a wizard from Earth before I got here and he can do some neat stuff. Has no sense of humor though."

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_oneswidow]

"Wasn't aware it was a competition," Curnen answered with a smile. He was already winning the game anyway, but that was a foregone conclusion.

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_arlord]

"What wasn't?" He asked.

Quill took most things as a competition.

"Oh, you mean the Groot thing?" He said. "I just felt the need to give my friend an accurate representation, that's all. He'd be a star here."

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_oneswidow]

Surrounded by more forceful personalities and greater talents and, frankly, people who were more important than she was, Curnen tended not to try to compete about anything. "Be glad to meet him, if he ever turns up. Can't say I wish this place on most folk, but all the same."

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_arlord]

"Why not?" He asked, as they entered the last lap. "I mean, okay, fair, not being able to leave is a pain in the ass and there are people I miss, but it's not the worst place I've been stuck in."

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_oneswidow]

There was a dark idea rippling underneath much of what Curnen thought, said, and did, and even now she refused to let it surface. But it was always there. The reality that unless she made herself die, she could potentially be stuck here for eons on her own after she'd watched everybody else die of old age.

But she wouldn't even let herself look at that thought, let alone voice it.

"It ain't that bad for some people. God knows some of us came from some shit. But for me... this place ain't home. And it ain't gonna be."

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_arlord]

"Of course it's not home." He replied. "This is kind of like a way station or vacation. We'll all go back eventually. I'm pretty confident on that one ."

Quill had no reason to be so confident, but he was.

"So I figure while I'm here, I should enjoy it." He said.

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_oneswidow]

Well, optimism wasn't a bad thing. They all had to keep going somehow. Still, sometimes the only right answer was a song, or a piece of one, and Curnen found herself softly singing just two lines.

The cock he crew in the morning, he crew both loud and shrill
I awoke in California, many miles from Spancil Hill

She finished the race in last. "Fuuuuuuuuck." But it still more amused than frustrated.

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_arlord]

Quill grinned to her even if her results weren't a typical victory.

"You kicked some butt on there." He said "I'd say you did awesome for your first time. And you didn't quit. Too many people quit when stuff gets hard "

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_oneswidow]

Curnen's nose wrinkled at the thought. "Those people must not do many things." Everything about learning to play music had been relatively hard for her just because her extra fingers meant she had to do something different from everyone around her.

"Mind if I try again? Or would that be real boring for you?"

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_arlord]

"Nope!" He replied pleasantly. "Be my guest. I bet you'll come in a better place. And sometimes I'm pretty sure the computer cheats, but I haven't been able to prove that yet."

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_oneswidow]

That didn't make a lick of sense to Curnen. "It ain't alive, how can it cheat?" But all the same, she sat up straight and rearranged herself, tucking her legs beneath her. "Nah, never mind, that's ain't important."

Re: Quill & Curnen

[st_arlord]

"So what's your deal?" He said as the game began. "You a super hero or a magic person or alien. Oh! Or maybe some sort of robot?"