thebluewraith | meadowlark inbox

[Wow, you cocky fuck.

Well...it beats sitting around the safehouse all day. It's something to do. Risky, yes, but most things he does to pass the time are risky.]

Fine.

Where?

[SCORE!]

at the arcade

just make a left out of the safehouse, go all the way down the street and make another left at the corner

u cant miss it

[Sadly, he has no idea what an "arcade" is and therefore doesn't actually understand what's going to happen.]

I will arrive shortly.

[While Fenris has no idea what he's looking for Wade is right in that he definitely can't miss it. It's bright — which is saying something considering this entire city. But he gets there, shoeless as always, dressed in blacks despite the heat, carefully watching everyone who goes in and out of the place.]

[It won't take long for Fenris to catch sight of Wade. Dressed in a dark red pullover with black accents, leaning against the side of the building like every bad boy in an 80s movie, Wade grins when he sees Fenris walking up the street towards him.]

Hey! I didn't think you were actually gonna show up. Ready for me to wreck your ass?

[When Fenris spots Wade and makes his way over he still does so with the caution of a stray alley cat. Despite why he's here, there's no reason he shouldn't still be careful. Though, a lot of things are going through his mind now that he hadn't considered, making the logistics of everything much more confusing—]

What? [Pulled out of his thoughts, Fenris' brows furrow and his lips pull back into a rather grouchy frown.] You're assuming an awful lot.

[Wade rolls his shoulder in a good-natured shrug, peeling himself off the wall with all the casual fluidity of a sleepy cat.]

Hey, feel free to prove me wrong in the next hour or so, pal. I'll have a good time either way.

You are up for multiple sessions, right? I tend to go hard and intense-- I know some people are a little put off by that.

[Fenris scoffs — is he taking offense? Maybe just a little. His arms cross over his chest as if to make himself appear larger, like that will somehow make Wade stop underestimating him!]

I assure you, I'll be fine.

[But he has to clarify—]

But yes...provided you're any good at it.

[Now it's Wade's turn to scoff-- but the flash of competitive delight in his eyes undercuts any condescension he might be putting on.]

Ohoho, he's gettin' feisty now. That's good, that's good. You're gonna wanna keep that energy up when we go our fourth or fifth round, believe you me.

[He indicates the entrance of the arcade with his head.]

What say we cut the foreplay and get to it, huh? We're burnin' daylight out here.

[Fourth...or fifth round. He's not sure he'll go that far — not because he can't — but because of an issue he's remembering now that they're getting ready to do this. That awful "empathy bond" as they call it.

He's about ready to interject the bravado and ask how he...gets around that when Wade is gesturing inside the loud, obnoxiously brightly lit building with all the strange colors pulsing and flashing about.

His brows furrow.]

In there?

[Wade quirks an incredulous eyebrow.]

Yeah in there. Kinda the whole point of this little get-together, know what I mean? Unless you're scared you're gonna cry when I spank you in front of all these people.

[The gauntlet thrown down, Wade grins an altogether impishly provoking grin, turns on his heel and disappears into the arcade.]

[Luckily by the time Fenris flushes with indignation Wade is already heading into the arcade. The gall of this fool. He has half a mind to turn on his own heel and leave. And yet he's pissed enough by a sense of damaged pride and offense to follow Wade into the arcade.

When he enters his feet flex, feeling the vibrations of the loud and upbeat music (is that what you even call this noise) and the people all around...mostly...young people. When he catches up with Wade again he's completely baffled.]

Now you listen—

[HE HAS TO DRAW THE LINE SOMEWHERE!]

[What, you don’t like dubstep?

In any case, Wade is not listening. Wade is, in fact, maneuvering around the crowds and corners like a bloodhound that’s just caught the scent, looking strangely at home surrounded by the various machines with flashing lights and the various cacophony of chimes and beeps. It's almost as if he expects Fenris to keep pace behind him.

He eventually slows to a stop as a trio of machines come into view, set at angles against the wall with numbered rings set into the inclines. Wade bends down and reaches into a chamber at the base of one of the machines, bringing out a small spherical object. He grins at Fenris's approach.]

Oh, man... so glad they've still got Skee-Ball in this world, you have no idea.

[He's not listening.

Fenris gears himself up to speak again, being careful to avoid brushing up against anyone and doing a good job of it. While for Wade it's from a sense of familiarity, for Fenris it's from decades of skillfully maneuvering around people to avoid as much physical contact as possible.

Once they make it to the machines Fenris' confusion goes from an angry one to just...regular confusion. He stares at the row of machines and the numbered rings, then the ball in Wade's hands, then back to the machines which appear to have holes in them. Some balls...into some holes....]

Oh.

[Oh.

Fenris' features scrunch up as he glares at Wade, his ears twitching in irritation before flattening in embarrassment.]

You could stand to be more clear next time! I thought—

[—No. No, he's definitely not going to say that.]

...that you were talking about a different game. I haven't a clue what this is.

[For the first time Fenris seems a bit smaller, even if only by a fraction. It doesn't help that his confusion only grows instead of dissipates — did Wade ask him here to play a gods damned game? Why???]

[Fortunately for Fenris, Wade doesn't seem to catch on that he's having a sudden realization of what this little get-together really entails. His grin is as unwavering and cocksure as ever, and he tosses the skee-ball lightly in one hand as he approaches the other man again.]

Don't worry, I'll teach ya the basics. Don't wanna unfairly beat your ass at this, right? It'd be like challenging my grandma to a judo fight. Which I don't recommend by the way-- she utterly wrecked my shit.

[He tosses the ball in the air again, making sure that Fenris's gaze is upon it before he continues.]

Now, you're gonna wanna toss this ball-- [here he points to rings]-- hard enough to make it in one of those little holes in there. The bigger rings are the easiest and give you the least amount of points, the smaller ones are harder to hit but give you the most points. 'Specially that one right there.

[He points to the rings on the top corners with the numbers "100" emblazoned on them.]

You good? That enough of a tutorial for ya?

[It's fortunate for him that people here don't seem that used to elves, so he likely doesn't need to worry so much that his ears are the only thing betraying his embarrassment as they remain flat against his head. Though that doesn't stop him from forcefully willing them back to their previous position, which works well enough.

He doesn't exactly catch every word Wade says as he's still taken aback by confusion and mortification, but he gets the gist of it. Balls in holes, right, he won't be forgetting that one any time soon. And while numbers are absolutely foreign to him the ring formation and Wade's explanation are enough for him to understand.

Well, he's here. And at the end of the day this is still a time waster and he still needs to see if he can remember anything from being around Wade.]

I believe I understand.

[He holds out his hand for the ball — he wants to go first, thank you very much.]

[Eager to show off, is he? Wade grins in response, tossing the ball gently in the air so that Fenris can easily catch it-- he'd always meant for him to go first anyway, as a general courtesy.]

By all means... go right ahead, pal. Show me your stuff.

[He takes a few steps back, watching Fenris with no shortage of glee. Is he gonna play it safe and lob it underhand or try to go for the straight fastball and try to get it into the hole with the most points? Either way, this is gonna be fun to watch.]

[Fenris catches the ball, immediately tosses it up once or twice to get a feel for the weight of it, giving the skeeball a critical stare. Sure, it's a game, but Fenris has a competitive streak and doesn't like to do things half assed.

He doesn't eye the highest scoring hole. He's new to the game so instead, while aiming high, he sets up a line of sight for the forty mark just as he's getting a feel for the game. His fingers curl around the ball, testing how tightly he can hold it before the markings on his palm become too irritated

Maybe he should have considered the fact that he's playing a game, and that maybe he should be careful throwing with the very arms that weird greatswords daily, that hold his entire body up when he's being tossed cliffside, with hands that have squeezed the life out of many. But no, instead he readies himself and throws with the strength of someone throwing for their life. The ball indeed makes it into the forty hole with a loud thump, but in its force it immediately bounces back out, hits the plastic ceiling above, and rooooolls back down the ramp...]

...Is that supposed to happen?

[That better count!]

[Wade figured what Fenris was up to before he even let the ball fly-- the position of his legs and the determination on his face gave him away. Doesn't make it any less funny to see him utterly whip the ball into the hole with all the speed and force of a freight train. Wade's voice is strained in an attempt to hold back his laughter.]

...Might wanna go a little softer next time, Roger Clemens. You're not lookin' to break any world records here-- it's just a game of Skee-Ball. Look, see?

[He points up at the scoreboard, which is still displaying a big fat goose egg.]

I'd say you won points for scarin' the shit outta the machine, but maybe try to get the ball fully in the hole next time, yeah?

My name is Fenris.

[As his brusque correction indicates, he doesn't understand your references, Wade!!

He glares at the scoreboard as if it has the audacity to not give him any points, before he looks up at Wade and gestures to the infernal machine.]

Go.

[Now determined, he wants the other to take his turn so that he can properly study the apparently correct way to throw the stupid ball in the damned hole and apply that to his own game!

He is fully leaning into that competitiveness now.]

Just a joke, pal. You really need to loosen up a little, y'know?

[Wade saunters over to the machine and plucks up the ball, tossing it up in the air a few times.]

Seriously, that's probably why your game is off-- too much tension in the shoulders, or whatever. Probably good for cuttin' heads offa mooks, but not so much with games like these. Y'need a little less strength and a little more finesse, know what I'm sayin'?

[Wade doesn't give any warning, pivoting back on one foot and tossing the ball at the backboard. It sails perfectly into the 100 point hole, the scoreboard lighting up as it registers Wade's throw. Wade shrugs nonchalantly in response, but there's no mistaking the smug quirk of his lips.]

See? It's all in the wrist. Gotta keep that shit supple. Like the song about the deaf, dumb and blind kid bein' a pinball wizard. Forget what it's called.

Edited 2021-03-28 00:03 (UTC)

[Does he have to be so smug about it?

Never mind that, yet again, Fenris understands very little of what Wade is actually saying. The one thing he knows is that he's awfully proud of himself, and confident, and it's now up to him to take Wade down a peg. Yes, that's exactly it.

A good throw to be sure, but Fenris is certain he can follow up just as well. So he reaches for a ball and stares down the machine with the concentration of someone about to shoot an apple off of someone's head with a bow.

Naturally, he has to aim for the 100 point hole because he's not about to be shown up here. But this time he approaches it less...aggressively, once again taking his time to line up the shot but throwing with far less force. For a moment the ball looks as if it's going to bounce right back out, but it ends up settling right back in the hole.]

I hope you didn't expect this to be easy.

[Yes he's allowed to be cocky too now.]

...Ruh-roh.

[It comes out of his mouth almost involuntarily, a strangled sound of surprise, his eyes locked on the 100 point marker where Fenris's shot had disappeared into. A fluke, perhaps? Beginner's luck? Or maybe Fenris is just one hell of a fast learner.

Whatever it is, Wade feels his mouth twist upward in a delighted, savage sort of grin. This night definitely just got more interesting. His eyes flick over to Fenris, and he acknowledges his concession with the slightest of nods, sauntering over to grab another ball from the receptacle.]

Expect? Yes. Hope? Hell no.

[With a trained flick of his wrist, Wade sends the next ball sailing into the 100 marker hole.]

Let the games begin, my friend.

[Fenris allows himself to ride on the high of being smug as fuck, though when he catches a glimpse of that grin on Wade's face his gaze grows a little too intense for a friendly game. As if the other were about to engage him in an actual battle right here in the middle of this "arcade".

He watches the ball go right into the 100 marker and the fire in him only burns brighter. He can't settle for anything less.]

Impressive aim.

[Said in a way that's just impressed enough, but not too much, as he strides over to the receptacle and grabs another ball. His last throw wasn't perfect, and therefore could easily miss, so he changes his strategy a bit. Just a tweak so the ball doesn't bounce out of the hole. Though he makes a fatal error and miscalculates the changed force in his throw, causing the ball to instead end up in the 10 mark ring.]

Kaffas.

[He can't believe he missed!]

Edited 2021-04-08 01:31 (UTC)

[Wade watches the ball clatter into the 10 mark hole and if anything, his grin grows wider.]

I'm guessin' that's your way of sayin' "oopsie"? 'cause that definitely was a flub there, champ. How 'bout you step aside and watch an expert at work, yeah? You might actually learn something here.

[Unfortunately, the irony gods apparently aren't pleased by Wade's blatant showboating. When he winds up for another perfect throw, the ball seems to catch itself on his fingers during the initial launch, sailing awkwardly into the air towards the 5 point marker. Wade's humiliation isn't even finished there. He stands there, frozen in place, unable to look away as the ball then bounces off the rubber ring around the hole and roll flaccidly into the dumping trench at the bottom of the board. Zero points.]

...fuck a duck.

[Oh, the sweet taste of poetic justice. Watching the ball's anticlimactic journey that ultimately ends up not even reaching the 5 point hole mark after such a display of bravado forces a good chuckle out of Fenris, genuine amusement underneath the smug way his lips curl into a smirk.]

And, if I had to guess, I would believe that is your way of saying..."oopsie"?

[See what he did there, fucker?]

Edited 2021-04-14 16:17 (UTC)

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