2020-12-09 - Smash is NOT Innuendo

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : You ever coming by the shop? 👾

(TXT to Abitha) Ravn : ... Congratulations on your shop! I did see it in the Gazette. (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞

(TXT to Abitha) Alexander : Are there elves? If no elves, then yes.

(TXT to Abitha) Ravn : You know, I should. If I move out of this trailer. Get myself a gaming rig of some kind. Probably crack you up with asking about games you played five years ago.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : (￣^￣) has the padawan graduated? So proud.

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : What? I'm confused.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Me too. But that's not new.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : Wait how did I... Dammit, I wasn't paying attention. HI to both of you.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : ¯_(ツ)_/¯

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : Hello. How are you both?

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : You've graduated to asian emojis! （⌒▽⌒）

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : So how is the new shop working out? At least next time I need a laptop I won't have to drive to SEATTLE

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Well, Itzhak yelled at me for using the regular ones.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Obviously I now have to be a dick and use other ones.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : Work Work. I thought I could split focus. Think I'm gonna have to quit the precinct.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : So next time I need somebody to investigate my past affiliations in Denmark and uncover all the embarrassing secrets, it won't be you.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : (＾＾)ｂ

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : Alexander, you use emojis, does Itzhak complain about yours?

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : No? Why would he.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : You're quitting the precinct? But you're a consultant. A real consultant.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : (ಡ艸ಡ) @ Ravn

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : Okay what is that.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : ... That's beyond my reading comprehension. And I have seen some pretty bad student handwriting in my time.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : @Alexander: No, I'm a game shop owner. It's not what I'm cut out to be.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : It's a laughing face. Jeez, geezers.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Nothing wrong with quitting a job that you don't see yourself doing in ten years. I say, just having quit mine.

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : But. 🙁

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : You shouldn't do anything you don't enjoy. That's true. I'm sorry.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Or that you don't think you'll still be enjoying ten years from now.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : I mean, you're too well educated to bareback

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : BARBACK.

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : 😃 😃 😃

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : Uhh... Barback... But yeah same sentiment

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Not even the first person in town to suggest I'm a gigolo either :p

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : https://youtu.be/OyGJmWgYXT0

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : You're only a gigolo if someone's compensating you for it.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : This.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : I can't even

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Why do people think I'm some kind of sex fiend? Also, what the heck is this video, and why do I love it?

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : I don't think anyone thinks you're a sex fiend.

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : This video is strange.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : I played this game

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : ♡＾▽＾♡

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : Stupendium is my favorite

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : I swear, you're five years younger than me and I still feel like a relic when you start talking about games.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Or pop culture.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Or, you know, just talking.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : But seriously, at this point I'm not sure many people believe it. We joke for the lulz

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : I mean, I didn't find gaming til college.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Yes, well, you can personally testify that I'm shit in bed. (⌐■_■)

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : ...

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : This is fascinating.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : (It's actually not half as exciting as it sounds like. She did some research on my background about that whole Swedish chef thing. Someone had a grudge).

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : I have verifiable hearsay evidence...

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : See?

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : At least the chips taught me something...

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : It's okay. We like you anyway.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : Cops... Fuck.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Aw, fanks.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : And yes, I'm sure they do.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : The comments on this video are almost funnier than the video. Demons say "where is the doom slayer?" but they never ask "how is the doom slayer?"

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : It's a valid question. Emotional support is vital.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : https://youtu.be/n6gGE9kxe1M

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : I imagine it's a very stressful situation to be in.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : At least he had plenty of fodder to work through his issues on.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Sometimes I feel very old.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : Hey now... You can at least drop the very. We save that for August.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : August might actually know what game this is. 😆

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : Mmm, I dunno, gaming doesn't seem his thing. Control wasn't too popular

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : I get distracted too quickly to ever get past character creation in most games.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : Sometimes it takes the longest!

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : I bet August would like a farming game.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : I think I disappeared into Sims 2 for about five months when it came out...

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : Heh. I should get him two copies of Don't Starve.

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : He'd probably like that.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : August doesn't really strike me as a gamer type at all.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : Or just Goat Sim

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : He seems so... put together.

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : August is serenity and earth.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : ... I NEED THIS GAME

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : (;﹏;)

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : I doubt you have a rig to run it on.

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : I hope not, in his trailer. It will get gone.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : No -- but if I move out, I may talk to you about one. I am thinking of finding somewhere with a more solid door.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Maybe a room mate.

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : Good. There are cabins. They haven't had anyone die in them yet.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Pretty sure the only thing that died in this one was my dignity.

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : Your dignity is fine, Ravn.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : It's gone to a better place. It's not haunting the trailer, anyhow.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Mac, have you ever thought about hosting game nights at that shop of yours?

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : ...

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : That would be fun.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : Yes?

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : I can't be the only person in this town who doesn't own a game rig but who'd absolutely pay a door price to come hang out and watch people murder virtual things.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : I mean part of the transition was making reservable space to play games.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : You'd know this if you came by

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : Do you want us to come by right now? I'm in the area.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : I can GET to the area?

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : I live here.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : ... Do you think she means for us to drop by, Alexander?

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : I mean, I could walk past a sandwich shop. Or something.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : Dude, I'm already setting up to Smash.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : Brothers...

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : ... I'm going to assume that that means something else in slang than it did last time I heard it.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : Ultimate... Yeah that isn't getting better...

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : All right. On my way. I've never Smashed, but it sounds Ultimate.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : I'll bring some sandwiches, watch you Smash a Brother.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : I've beaten both dunkey and Sky. Smash is a big deal.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Neither of you's kosher, right?

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Or vegetarian, or vegan, or gluten allergic.

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : Catholic. Nominally. And I eat anything that doesn't run away. Except jello. Fuck jello.

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : I consume a sensible amount of calories.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : Better safe than sorry, hate to present someone with a panini only to find out they don't eat chorizo, wheat, or lettuce that isn't free range.

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : This isn't Portland.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : I'm aware. Portland is where I was going when I fell of a truck here. 😉

(TXT to Alexander Ravn) Abitha : This explains so much.

(TXT to Ravn Abitha) Alexander : I just mean, we're most millworkers here. Your more likely complaint is that there's not enough meat, or that it's been cooked too much and should still be bleeding.

(TXT to Alexander Abitha) Ravn : I'm Danish. From the countryside. We printed t-shirts with the immortal words of Dennis O'Leary: Just put the cow on the table, I'll carve off what I want to eat and ride the rest home.

Whenever the others arrive, the shop isn't busy. Brick and mortar game shops seldom are, save for low traffic and evening events. Kyle seems to be sitting at the actual sales volunteer, his books open, studying, but looking up at any new arrivals, ready to handle customers.

Music was on. Abitha could be seen shuffling out of the back room. No, not slowly and scuffling, she was actually dancing, Shuffling seeming her go-to moves. She wasn't without rythym. DDR and VR teaches a certain set of skills. She's dressed comfortably in a big sweater, shorts over stockings, fresh Nike's carrying her form across the shop toward one of the doorways to the offshoot gaming rooms. She carries three bottles.

Alexander arrives, looking like a homeless guy desperate for a handout. His hair is disheveled, his sweater is oversized with a jacket thrown over the top. His face is bruised, and his hand is in a full-hand splint. But he smiles warmly to Abitha when he comes in the shop, and looks around. "Hmm. This looks nice." Kyle is given a suspicious look. Not specifically suspicious, but just generally sort of suspicious. He's got a bag in his good hand. "Since Ravn is bringing sandwiches, I brought dessert."

Ravn wanders in inevitably, carrying a bag of sandwiches of various natures that advertise two facts about him: He doesn't know what people actually like, and he's fixing it by bringing everything. Or maybe he just assumes that gamers are poor hunters and thinks it a human kindness to provide for them for a while. Possibly the sandwich shop had a sale.

Either way, he strolls in, wearing his usual black leather jacket, turtleneck and jeans -- purple scarf, yo! -- and looks around curiously. He's never been here before, and game shops aren't his natural haunt. They're not in the vicinity of his natural haunt. Possibly not even on the same continent.

He holds the bag up. "Sandwiches reporting in."

“Dope.” Abitha grins. She seemed... Jovial? Maybe it was the new shop, being back in a space that made her feel at home, that was hers. Maybe it was the fact the bottle she set down was a good portion gone already. They looked to be ciders from a local ciderworks, Whitewood, by the branding.

“So, when we did some research,” A look is tossed briefly Kyle’s way, possibly encasing the ‘we’, “There were board game cafe’s that were able to get licenses to serve alcohol. It was a little bit of paperwork, but now I’m able to sell bottled stuff!” There’s a triumphant grin as she leads the way into the little room. There are comfortable swiveling chairs spread around a constructed table. It wasn’t professional, but it wasn’t amateur either, a clear plexiglass top covering a tv screen that had been laid flat. It was dark, however, another flatscreen was lit, the one hanging on the wall. A Nintendo Switch was on a shelf nearby, wireless controllers were spread around the table. Mario seemed to be really laying into a Lucario, the computer having cycled to the demo of Smash combat.

Abitha flops into a seat, sets down the bottles and an opener and gets comfy, picking up a green ombré controller, the device seeming to have been painted custom.

"We didn't bring dope," Alexander deadpans. "You have to specifically request that in advance." Then he smiles, a smile which brightens at the sight of the cider. "I like cider." His own contribution that he brings out are hand-churned pints of ice cream - basic vanilla, mint chocolate chip, rocky road, and what appears to be hazelnut praline. He chuckles. "That will definitely bring in customers," he says with a nod towards the bottles. "Might need to hire a bouncer, though. I understand some of those tournaments get fierce." He doesn't sit immediately, but wanders around with a deeply nosy air, poking and prodding various things.

Ravn in turn arranges his portable sandwich shop on any available surface that isn't full of expensive gear that might not benefit from a stray drop of dressing. He too looks around himself curiously, in the fashion of someone who is about as far from his native environment as a goldfish rollerskating across the state of Arizona. "Esports is a thing nowadays, I'm told. There's even university courses in it. Someone I used to tutor is doing a PhD on gaming culture in MMORpgs. It's oddly fascinating," he says, in a tone not unlike a Vulcan science officer. Fascinating.

Abitha takes the ice cream to a nearby cooler where the sodas and alcohol are stocked, keeping it cold enough while they would eat and game, then returning to her seat. There’s a noncommittal shrug, Abitha angling her head up and back angling a cock-eyed look out the door toward Alexander, “I mean, I can only serve like three max per person, per a certain period of time. I don’t see it getting heated. And as for nerd rage? Meh. I’ve handled enough of that shit.”

She kicks her feet up on the edge of the table, giving Ravn the indication that this table was likely constructed for rough and risky use, what with the whole pane of plexi across the top. She’d reach to grab a sandwich soon after. “And thank you for the food.” She says after remembering her manners. The sandwich is unwrapped, inspected, a shrug given and a bite taken out of it. She wipes her hands clean and starts to click through options. “I mean, League last year broke a record for online viewing in the millions. Rick Fox and other pro sports athletes are really pulling for esports to be taken more seriously in the mainstream sphere.” She comments aside to Ravn. Then her voice lifts, but she doesn’t turn her head.

“Kyle, you want in?”

The clerk freezes, looks horrified, a thousand yard stare like a man traumatized coming over his expression. He remains quiet. Abitha seems to take that as an answer without looking, selecting three players and wearing a shit-eating grin. She locks in Princess Peach and cycles to the green dress.

Alexander picks up a random gaming statuette, peers at it, then puts it down before wandering back to the table, and taking a seat. "Yes, thank you for the sandwiches," he says to Ravn. He looks at Abitha's grin. Then at the television. The controller. His right hand in the full-splint. "I might sit this one out, but I'm happy to watch you trounce Ravn." A quick grin in the younger man's direction as he reaches for a sandwich with his good hand. There's a pause when she offers that invitation, and the reaction from Kyle. "...definitely gonna sit this one out. Eat a sandwich, listen to the dying screams of the defeated, that sort of thing."

Ravn in turn sends Alexander a pained look. "Did I mention I never actually played these games? I was hoping to sit out and watch you get murdered."

He flops down in one of the seats though and reaches for a controller, inspecting it like some kind of alien tricorder device. "I never got around to it. I mean, I played a lot of single player PC games as a kid to get the fuck away from my parents but once I moved out, I just sort of lost time and interest. And these things are more fun multi-player anyway, aren't they?"

Again, there’s that devilish grin, “It’s way more fun with more people, this is true. The real fun is that, though it can get super technical? It’s actually a really easy game to understand.”

She holds up the controller, showing the buttons and pointing with her thumbs, “There are four types of attacks. You use two of them regularly Normal and Special. One is just a modifier of Normal, and that’s Smashing. It’s just about timing how you use Normal. Then there’s Grabs, where you can just grab and throw your opponent. That’s this trigger.” She points with her finger. “Every type of attack is them modified by the direction on the control stick. So say, forward normal, I punch. Forward Special, I use a dive attack. There’s no intricate combos special button press combos, you just need to know how to string everything together, it’s really intuitive. You take damage, which makes you fly further every time. You try to stay on the ground, cause getting knocked off means you die.”

She looks around, grins devilishly again, “I can put you two on a team against me?” She offers, waggling her eyebrows.

Alexander rolls his eyes. "Fine. I'll see what I can do." He reaches for the directional controller with his good hand and hefts it thoughtfully. He nudges the other controller towards him, and studies it. "Okay. I think I can manage." For those who can feel such things, there's a stir of power as he sends a couple of very careful electronic impulses to the other controller, slowly selecting Yoshi as his character. "I apologize in advance if I blow your console up."

Then he leans back and eyes the devilish grin. "Hmmm. Yeah, I think we should take that handicap Ravn. She's still gonna kick our asses, but we might actually land a blow on her."

"Are you kidding? We should recruit Kyle as well as the two guys who just walked by in the street outside, too. Maybe there'd be enough of us that we can actually dogpile her long enough for at least two hits." Ravn grins broadly. He doesn't seem very bothered by the fact that he's a complete amateur at this. He warned people, right? It's not his problem now if he turns out to be a no fun challenge at all.

"So how do I pick a character on this thing?" You have been warned indeed.

To be fair, it seemed the game shop owner was a few drinks in, if the way she instantly looks over at Alexander’s use of power, eyes wide like a child opening presents on Christmas. Why hadn’t she thought of that? Anyhow. Maybe she’d be an easier target. She holds up her controller, showing by doing, unlocking her pick, moving the control stick to show off how the selector worked, then clicking the button to lock in on Peach again and reselect her color.

Interestingly enough, besides the fully unlocked character compliment, there was also a Mii fighter made to look like Abitha, which seemed to be carrying a combat knife.

Kyle hears his name and just seems to look at his books harder.

"I'm pretty sure that noobs are like ninja; we're weaker in greater numbers. And she'll just Bruce Lee us all," Alexander murmurs, eyes still fixed on the controllers, especially as Abitha starts walking them through the controls. It's clearly he's not paying attention to the buttons she's pressing so much as what sort of electric impulses it sets off in the device itself. Then slowly copies them until he's satisfied. He rubs at one temple with his good hand, but doesn't seem overly pained.

When he sees the combat Mii, he brightens. "You made a character with a knife! It looks like you. That's pretty awesome. Do you like knives? I should show you my knives one day." Yes, Alexander, that's a perfectly normal thing to offer.

"I want that figure. The one with the knife." Ravn tries to maneuver the selection that way. His attempts are not at all Glimmer-fuelled, and he's probably entirely unaware what the other two are doing, as well. The only reason this man isn't considered a complete dud by the Veil is that somehow, he manages to have just enough sparkle-juice to move small objects and not have his mind wiped every thirty minutes. In terms of game design, he's clearly a misplaced NPC. "I want to be Mac the Knife."

He grins over at Alexander as if indeed, liking knives is perfectly normal. "I wouldn't mind that, actually. I like old weapons -- they've got a history and a lot of stories to tell. But I don't imagine that that really surprises anyone who knows me. Historian gotta historian -- also for contemporary history."

“Who doesn’t?” Abitha asks in a wistful manner, adding a little fluff of her hair and grinning as she starts the game. “I’m actually more a fan of theoretical knives? I just favor melee combat in games. I’ll look, but...” she shrugs. The level loads...

Well, what were people really expecting? This was literally the thing Abitha was best at. It was probably a good thing the game was so cartoonish about violence, else the stage would have been soaked in blood for all the carnage Abitha enacted.

For her part, she did actually give them a chance. She let Ravn practice using moves and attacking, but even when she told him to hit her, she always managed to throw up a shield, deftly sidestep, or frustratingly summon a little Toad character between Peach and her Mii likeness, the little creature enacting immediate retribution for Ravn’s attempted assault.

Counter to what she had told Alexander a few days ago, she seemed to be having fun with it, littering her play with quips like “Excuse me, Alexander, I’m playing through.” As Princess Peach pulled a golf club from hammerspace and sent Yoshi skyward. A few times, she added a theatrical turn of her face, squeezing her eyes shut as if she couldn’t handle seeing the violence on her own likeness, Peach brandishing a frying pan and sending Ravn-Mac to an explosive end.

"I don't have very many special knives," Alexander admits to Ravn. "Not like, historically significant or anything. You can usually get a retired police officer to sell personal case notes or something, but not usually weapons used in a murder or anything interesting. But I have some very sharp knives. I'm happy to show them to you. If you're interested in historical artifacts, though, I have a lot of old case files, autopsy photos, news articles, and things like that." He's very cheery about this; his browser search history probably puts him on half a dozen federal watchlists...or would if he was anywhere but Gray Harbor.

Meanwhile, he's getting Yoshi's adorable green ass kicked up one side of the platform and down the other. He's played fighting games before, but nothing more recent than the original Mortal Kombat, and it shows. That, and the fact that he's playing with the power of his mind means he's sluggish to start out with, hanging back, playing defensively, then unleashing a flurry of blows when he thinks he's got a hang of the combat. It doesn't matter. Abitha is outright better, and he whistles at the end of the match, then laughs. "You're excellent. No wonder people pay to watch you play games."

Ravn on his end looks highly amused when Little Mac the Knife gets brained with a frying pan. His ego certainly doesn't seem to suffer from his ineptude thus being put on display. He's practically laughing out loud when little Mac dies messily and noisily. It is painfully obvious that Ravn's idea of digital combat involves putting two anno 2005 Romance sims with the same love interest in one room and letting the simulation take over.

Holding up the controller in a salute of defeat he grins widely and then nods at Alexander. "You're dangling historical material in front of a historian -- a folklorist at that. What makes you think I won't ask you to adopt me if you keep talking like that? Heaven knowns I've been trying hard enough to find out more about the history of this town. Not just the Veil bits -- the mundane parts as well. I'm not a criminologist, but the historical aspect interests me greatly."

Dominance asserted, sans T-pose, Abitha was giggling most of the way too. At least until Alexander 'compliments' her. She keeps the smile on, but some of the light leaves her eyes. People used to pay to watch her. There's a brief flush and an uncharacteristicly meek 'Thank You'.

She reaches and takes a finishing swig of her cider, making a silent gesture that indicated she needed another and going to retrieve it. It was a poor cover to the dampening of her mood, but she comes back with a grin, choosing to load up Overcooked 2 instead. Maybe some co-op gaming would be a little more fun for the group.

The reason that Alexander is bad with people isn't because he's oblivious to their emotional changes. More the opposite. And he immediately notices the change in her demeanor, and both confusion and a flicker of guilt darken his features. He opens his mouth, then closes it again, and runs a hand through his hair as she excuses herself from the table. The break lets him take a few bites and swallows one handed. He tries to focus on Ravn's words, although his smile is a little tentative. "Then you should come over some day. I have boxes of old records from all over the Pacific Northwest, going back about fifty or sixty years. Uh. Records in Gray Harbor aren't very good. I gather the Addingtons and the Veil have done a lot of tweaking, but I've got some interesting stuff."

When Abitha comes back, he gives her a sidelong look, then relaxes at her smile. "What's this? We're cooking?"

Another person who tends to proclaim himself bad with people is Ravn, and just like Alexander, he is not nearly as oblivious as he often pretends to be, either. Someone who lives two breaths short of an anxiety attack any time they're not alone in a room learns to pick up on social cues very quickly; and in Ravn's case, keep a straight face. He nods as Mac leaves and makes a mental note -- mine field, avoid -- and picks out a ham and cheese sandwich for himself. "I'd love to see them. And probably geek out about them in a most embarrassing fashion. You're not wrong about local records, though -- when the Addingtons aren't rewriting them, the Veil itself seems to be."

Friends in town hall? Why, yes, he does have at least one.

Mac's return nets her a smile that is lightly reassuring but doesn't ask questions. "You trust me with cooking? My idea of cooking involves programming the microwave to not explode. If I do end up finding myself a room mate, house rule number one is going to be, they cook, I do the dishes and the kitchen cleaning."

The struggle of the two men to deal with Abitha’s apparent mood change went mostly unnoticed as the gamer, just as bad with people, busied herself with game setup and getting comfortable again, her black-clad legs extending up on the table again as she leans back. She tosses Ravn a sidelong glance and rolls her eyes, looking to Alexander, “Yes, we’re cooking. You don’t need to know anything about actual cooking, it’s just like... team assembly line? Just with compounding obstacles for hilarity.” She cycles her chef to the turtle-looking character, which was purely a cosmetic choice, and starts to grin again, letting her mood pass with good company, drink, and gaming.

“Plus, I can throw meat at you. It’s gonna be great.” She giggles. “And you can wash dishes too! It’s important in the assembly line. Gotta have clean plates to serve on.”

After a moment, she decides to add on, to lighten the mood, “I mean, I’m sure your eventual ’roomate’ will just love to cook for you.” The word is steeped in innuendo, with an added lift and curl of two fingers on each hand, apparently calling back to Ravn’s Casanova reputation.

Alexander arches an eyebrow at Ravn's mention of going through the local records, but all he says is, "Come by sometime, before you move away from Elm, and we'll have a primary source party. I've got some really interesting things in there regarding labor movements and anti-labor violence, not to mention regular crimes." He seemed to have picked a sandwich at random, and eats it absently, although not without pleasure.

"I can do an assembly line," Alexander claims, possibly without any evidence at all. He picks a character, and quickly says, "Not it," when it comes to dishwashing. "I wash enough dishes in my regular life. Why do it in a video game?" There's a laugh at the teasing towards Ravn, but he adds, "Seriously, look into the cabins. Several people I know live there, and haven't had any trouble. They're small, but nice inside."

"There's a guy I'm thinking about asking," Ravn beams, not even pretending that he's not deliberately being obtuse. Innuendo? What is this innuendo of which you speak? "He cooks. Seems like a decent trade-off since I don't really mind cleaning. Lives in the trailer park too -- his girlfriend went back to England. Getting a room mate would make sense for me since I intend to live on my boat most of the year anyway. Dibs on the dishcloths!"

He scarfs down the last bites of ham and cheese sandwich and secures himself a bottle of cider. "You two play line cooks. I will fight this virtual kitchen and I will win. It sure as hell can't be worse than the gents' room at the Twofer."

Abitha loads them into the first level, which was salads. Tossing vegetables, chopping, plating, serving. Of course a few stray cucumbers find their way into the back of the little Ravn chef. Totally an accident, right? Given Abitha snorted and tried to hold in a giggle every time, it likely wasn’t. Something about the juvenile comedy of that specific vegetable just struck her as funny... Every time.

“Awww,” Abitha sounds jokingly touched by the sentiment, her hand briefly alighting on her chest in the typical place one jokes that their hearts flutter, “So soon? That’s just so sweet. Has he met your parents?” If Ravn was going to play-act at being dense, Abitha was going to go right along with it.

In contrast, Alexander looks a little wary at Ravn's new roommate. "Who?" he asks, not that it is any business of his. He learns the gameplay quickly; the strategy of it seems to suit him. Perhaps too much, because the way his eyes are flicking back and forth across the screen suggests that he's timing things, and occasionally he barks orders and mutters about efficiency. But he plates salads like a beast.

"God, I hope not for his sake, they're four years dead. Probably make for a very awkward family Sunday lunch, that," Ravn says with a bright smile; the man does have a considerable capacity for poker face when he wants to. It's surely accidental that every peach in the area goes flying the other way. Turtle soup involves peaches, right? What, that's sherry? Almost sounds the same. Peach, sherry, no big difference.

"Aidan Kinney," is his response to Alexander's question. "But keep in mind, I haven't actually talked to him about it yet. It just seems like a good idea. We both live on our own in the park, we're both street performers, and we get along pretty well. If his girlfriend does visit, odds are I'll be sleeping on my boat anyway so they can have the place."

The Dane's cell phone peeps. He pauses a moment (sorry, pile of dirty imaginary cutlery) and looks at it. "Oh hell. I'm going to have to take this. Copenhagen doesn't call me at 2am local time if it's not important." He gets up and wanders out, frowning.