Lazy Saturday [Closed to Wash's apartment and friends]

[unrecovered]

[Wash needed to take his mind off things. Unfortunately, the halfpipe wasn't available as a distraction anymore - it had actually become one of said things he didn't want to think about. So he went wandering instead, through areas both populated and not, and would up at the mall.]

[Surprise number one was that said mall had a pawn shop. Surprise number two was that said pawn shop had an old game system, complete with controllers and a few games. He doesn't have to think about it for long before forking over the cash and heading home with the system.]

[It doesn't take him long to set it up, but hell if he can actually get the hang of any of the games he bought.]

Comments

[diediediediediedie]

Humans come up with so many strange ways to waste their time.

[Peridot was dragged up here, and she did not want to be. She's made it clear with every facet of her being, draped over the back of the couch and watching disinterestedly. Whoever's got the controller right now are piloting tiny sprites of a man in a small vehicle around a virtual track. There's hardly a point, and besides...they aren't very good at it]

Slow up! You'll be hit by that missile in 2.6 frames!

[unrecovered]

If you don't like it, you don't have to-

[Wait what-]

[Wash is none too good at this game to begin with; between the distraction and the human mind not processing things by frames, he's definitely not on top of his game well enough to dodge, and his character gets utterly tanked and blown off the track.]

Great. Thanks.

[diediediediediedie]

[She shrugs.]

If you were utilizing your breaking system optimally, you wouldn't have had that issue.

[unrecovered]

[He rolls his eyes and hands Peridot the controller. Look at all the things he's not going to put up with today.]

Okay, then, you play.

[diediediediediedie]

[what and how]

Huh?! I don't know how to operate this device!

[She lets the controller fall into her hands like she's been handed a dead bug and prods at it. The sprite on screen...jumps a lot and stutters across the track as every other racer blows past it.]

[defactodefector]

[Rose was there, making sure that Peridot didn't try anything- even if, as time passes, it's seeming a bit less likely that she will. She's by no means any less of a chore- still just as abrasive and uncaring about the things around her- but she at least seems to understand that working together is a much better way of doing things.

But still- Rose was there. Just in case Peridot decided to do something very stupid for some reason, or decided to see what happens if she pushes a human off a roof, or whatever else. It's not that she doesn't trust Wash to look after her, just... She wants to be sure.

No reason she can't make smalltalk in the meantime, though, watching with interest as Wash plays his games.]

Hm... I think I've seen people playing with devices like these back home, too! Humans always manage to come up with the most delightful looking games!

[diediediediediedie]

Games?

[Peridot thought they were simulations of some kind, or perhaps reflex testers?! Well, now this has gone from annoying to stupid.]

What's the point of them, then?

[defactodefector]

[Okay- that's a pretty simple question. Rose can handle that.]

Relaxation, mostly. A way for people to pass free time and enjoy themselves.

Not everything needs to have a point, Peridot.

[diediediediediedie]

I don't understand. Creatures as short lived as these have "free" time? How do they designate that?

[For what it's worth, Peridot seems to be genuinely fascinated with the concept. Why would you waste such a finite amount of time on things like...this.]

[defactodefector]

Well, it depends. Some of them do have a schedule, and time they set aside for themselves, while others just do it whenever they need to, or have the opportunity. It all depends on the individual.

Either way, putting all their time towards work with no time to enjoy themselves isn't very good for humans. And it's generally not that good for gems, either.

[Hopefully Peridot will take that little hint. It's been a long time since Rose has seen any Homeworld gems- she'd almost forgotten how tense, stressed, and focused on duty some of them can be.]

[diediediediediedie]

You mean they do this voluntarily? Do nothing important? Don't they worry about wasting time? And how do they find things to do?! I've been bored out of my gem in the time I haven't spent running from you!

[And...doing other things. She hasn't had goal to plot or plan for in a long time. It's starting to drive her crazy.]

[defactodefector]

It's very important to them, Peridot. What's the point of life if you're not enjoying it?

If you need a way to pass the time, you could always ask someone. I'm sure there are other games like this one to be found, as well as multitudes of other activities. You could always try making a friend, too.

[Doing that would be a step towards getting Peridot to stop being so... Homeworld, at least. Of course, Rose doubts it'll be quite that easy.]

[diediediediediedie]

The point of life is accomplishing your tasks optimally!

...But...I suppose when you finish things before you've gotten your next assignment it might be OK.

[That's a hint, Rose. You're her new leader, technically, though you aren't a Diamond.

...Going to pointedly ignore the "friend" comment.]

[letteropener]

[Celestia takes up the couch by herself -- it's simply a fact of being a pony. Still, she has her legs tucked up and her wings folded in tight to take up as little space as possible, and this bothered her not at all.]

So what is the story of this game, anyway?

[unrecovered]

[Wash, as it turns out, is not very good at said game, but that doesn't stop him from trying.]

It's about a plumber trying to save a princess that's been captured by a dragon. Thing.

...It sounds really weird when I put it like that, doesn't it.

[letteropener]

...And the mushrooms and turtles?

['Sounds' really weird? It's really weird.]

[raisethemoon]

[These "controllers" require quite a bit of precision. Pressing the buttons gave her a slight amount of trouble at first, but in general Luna's got enough control of her magic that she can handle it without crushing things. It's a bit of a tight squeeze, but she's seated on the floor between the couch and TV, spreading one wing out where there's room.]

Ha ha! Victory shall be mine!

[unrecovered]

[Wash is pretty amazed that Luna can work the controllers at all, let alone with the level of precision she's managing. He's even more amazed that she's currently kicking his ass at the fighting game he managed to find.]

[Change that to "just kicked his ass." He stares as his character topples over onscreen.]

How did you even- that doesn't seem physically possible!

[raisethemoon]

[Luna laughs in utter delight.]

I pressed the buttons very quickly! That is the most important part, you know.