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Post by Panda on Apr 3, 2023 17:05:21 GMT
[Initiated by Yves.]
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Post by Joker on Apr 4, 2023 15:56:47 GMT
Nico hums to himself as he rummages through the shelves in the game room.
“Hmm… Maybe not that one…” He said, as he moved aside a game of Monopoly.
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Post by Akkordian on Apr 4, 2023 23:52:31 GMT
There’s a dull thud as Yves walks into one of the tables, near the door, and she stands there awkwardly staring at the back of Nico’s head like a little kid that just got in trouble.
“Um… hi.”
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Post by Joker on Apr 5, 2023 0:49:41 GMT
Nico stops looking through the shelves and turns around to see the source of the noise.
"O-Oh! Hey Yves." He said. "What's up?"
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Post by Akkordian on Apr 5, 2023 1:24:14 GMT
The tall girl waves back awkwardly and smiles like a serial killer trying to not seem like a sociopath.
“Hey, Nico… sorry for, um, scaring you. If I did. Or bothering you, if that’s what the noise did.”
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Post by Joker on Apr 5, 2023 1:32:05 GMT
"No, it's fine!" He smiles back. "I was a bit startled, but it's nothing to apologize for!"
"Were you just passing through, or did you come to find a game too?"
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Post by Akkordian on Apr 5, 2023 2:02:06 GMT
“I was curious about what would be in here, yeah. Try and take my mind off being taken from one… weird place to another.”
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Post by Joker on Apr 5, 2023 3:41:03 GMT
"You can say that again! We just can't seem to catch a break, huh?" He tries to force a laugh, but it quickly turns into a sigh.
"Sorry. Wasn't trying to bum you out or anything. Did you want to play something? I could use a distraction too."
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Post by Akkordian on Apr 5, 2023 4:34:14 GMT
“Uh, sure, if you don’t mind. I’d be glad to…” Yves bows her head, forcing a smile as she shuffles around to the shelf, a few feet away from the boy.
“Got anything in mind?”
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Post by Joker on Apr 5, 2023 5:00:48 GMT
"Nothing in particular!" He admitted. "I'm fine with anything though if you have a preference."
He examines the shelves once again.
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Post by Akkordian on Apr 5, 2023 5:35:59 GMT
Yves doesn't respond verbally, which is super unhelpful since Nico isn't looking at her, nodding and then browsing through the shelves on her own, knocking over and dropping a few things in the process. After a couple minutes of rummaging and mumbling to herself, she speaks up again.
"Do... would you wanna play UNO? Maybe?"
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Post by Joker on Apr 5, 2023 20:38:13 GMT
"Ooh, it's been a while since I've played Uno!" Nico says. "Let's do it!"
"Since you're a Yu-Gi-Oh player, are you any good at shuffling? I'm admittedly not the best at it."
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Post by Akkordian on Apr 6, 2023 16:39:48 GMT
“Nice…!” Yves replies, not looking excited in the least, but, her voice kinda sounds like she is, so, yeah.
“I, um, wouldn’t say I’m that good. At shuffling…” She says that as she settles down at a table, opening the deck of UNO cards, and then immediately shuffling and sliding them between her hands like they were covered in oil.
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Post by Joker on Apr 6, 2023 22:26:49 GMT
"Holy crap!" Nico stares in amazement.
"That was insane! I didn't even know it was possible to shuffle cards like!"
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Post by Akkordian on Apr 7, 2023 2:15:26 GMT
"Oh, um, it's not that impressive- I mean, thank you. For the compliment. I just... have a lot of practice shuffling cards, since, y'know... card game. But, uh. Thanks."
Yves sets the deck on the middle of the table and looks expectantly at Nico, only to a second later shake her head, and divvy them both out a hand of cards.
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Post by Joker on Apr 7, 2023 20:54:49 GMT
"You're welcome!"
Nico takes his hand of cards and careful studies them.
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Post by Akkordian on Apr 7, 2023 21:06:38 GMT
"Alright... good game." Yves offers Nico another small, awkward smile as she holds her hand literally close to her chest, flipping over the top card of the deck and starting the pile with a Blue 7.
"Since I dealt, um, you're up first, right?"
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Post by Joker on Apr 7, 2023 21:51:27 GMT
"That works for me!"
Nico plays a Blue 4 from his hand.
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Post by Akkordian on Apr 7, 2023 21:54:03 GMT
Yves raises her eyebrows like something exciting happened, and without a word places down a Blue Reverse card.
"I- your turn again, since it's just us. Maybe it'd be nice to play with the others, like... Felix. And Faye... and um, our other friends."
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Post by Joker on Apr 7, 2023 22:50:57 GMT
"Uno is better with big groups! But I'm having fun with you!"
He plays a Blue 2. "We should definitely try to get the others to play, though!
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Post by Akkordian on Apr 7, 2023 23:15:46 GMT
"Yeah...! I, um, I've been meaning to find a good time to talk to you, actually, but, I keep forgetting... or missing the opportunity." She slumps her shoulders, drawing from the deck, and then sighing, relieved, playing the Blue 5 she just drew.
"It would be fun to have like... a game night. With everyone. I think."
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Post by Joker on Apr 8, 2023 0:05:07 GMT
"Oh, really?" Nico smiles. "I've been wanting to talk to you as well! I'm glad we're finally getting the chance."
He looks at the remaining cards in his hand and plays a Blue 6. "That's actually why I came here! I was trying to find some games that would be good for everyone to play."
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Post by Akkordian on Apr 8, 2023 0:15:44 GMT
"I've been trying to step out of my comfort zone... making friends with everyone. But, um, I guess I have been mostly trying, more than- more than succeeding."
She looks happy for a second, until the self-deprecative remark, and she lays down a Green 6.
"UNO would be fun... or, um..." Yves is deep in thought, shuffling around the cards in her hand, "I guess I don't actually know what would be good for a lot of people. I've only ever played board games, and stuff, with me and my grandparents."
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Post by Joker on Apr 10, 2023 0:55:57 GMT
"I've been trying to make friends with everyone too! It's a bit easier said than done, though."
Nico looks again at the cards in his hand. Seeing nothing to play he draws two cards, before playing a Red 6.
"The only thing that comes to mind for a large group is Monopoly. But we'd probably be better off avoiding that, given our current situation." He sighs. "Only your grandparents, huh? Did they teach you how to play Yu-Gi-Oh, then?"
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Post by Akkordian on Apr 10, 2023 4:22:46 GMT
"It's good to know I'm not the only one that struggles with making friends..." Yves seems to relax, a fraction, and plays the Red 7 that I'm like 75% sure was in the real hand of cards I drew yesterday like an insane person, to simulate the game that these two were playing.
"Um... sort of. My grandpa taught me, a little. He runs a game store, back home. Sells dice, and books, and a lot of cards, and collectibles, and stuff. I mostly taught myself, but, he tried to play with me a few times when I was little." Her eyes dart around nervously, as she keeps shuffling around the cards in her hand.
"How, uh- what's your family like?" A look of regret flashes on her face after she realizes how much of a bombshell question she just dropped out of nowhere, considering she's in a class of traumatized children in extraordinary circumstances trapped in a hellscape killing game. Too late to take it back, though!
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Post by Joker on Apr 11, 2023 0:34:06 GMT
Nico eyes his hand as I think what card to make him play, since I've been pulling these card ideas out of my ass the whole time. I don't even know how many cards he has left at this point. He plays a Yellow 7? Sure, let's go with that.
"Oh, that's cool!" He said. "Running a game store sounds like fun! I'm sure you'd meet a lot of cool people from it!"
The smile fades from Nico's face at the mention of his family. He nervously chews on the inside of his cheek as he considers how to answer what would normally be a simple question. "My family is... Unique to say the least." He frowns. "I don't really talk to my parents or little brother much anymore."
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Post by Akkordian on Apr 11, 2023 0:39:55 GMT
The regret on Yves's face is mostly replaced by regular sadness, as she empathizes with the boy, and her expression gets even more pathetic at the mention of the customers at their store probably being cool. She plays some card, I dunno, we can just pretend that they keep playing in the background of the actual important shit going on, this was a mistake oh god
"There's... some cool people. Yeah. The rest of them aren't as cool, or, um, accepting."
"That's, um. Sorry, for asking. I probably shouldn't've... But, uh- do you live all on your own, then? Is that how you became a cave explorer?"
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Post by Joker on Apr 11, 2023 1:18:36 GMT
"Oh! Sorry. That was dumb of me to assume. I guess not everyone can be nice." Nico sighed. "Makes sense that you'd run into some stinkers too."
He plays another card or draws or something.
"No, it's alright! You didn't know. No need to apologize." He said, trying to reassure Yves. "I still live with my parents, when I'm not working. I travel a lot thanks to my work, so I don't spend as much time with them anymore. Which is probably for the best since things really haven't been the same since the accident." He looks sadly at his prosthetic hand. "I know I know, it sounds cliché but..." He stops suddenly after he realizes he's starting to spill his tragic backstory to someone he doesn't know all that well and panics. "I uh... I'm not really sure why I just said all that." He admitted. "Um... Please don't think I'm a freak or anything..."
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Post by Akkordian on Apr 11, 2023 1:40:29 GMT
"I-I would never think that you're a freak! I think that your prosthetic is cool! If, um, that's not offensive for me to say, oh gosh- I just, I'd never call someone a freak, after being called that by people for just being myself and playing a children's card game with them..."
Yves is so nervous about botching her first actual conversation with the cool pink-haired lad that she almost knocks over the deck when she draws from it, for a playable card. Or does she have a card in her hand that she can play? I don't fucking know man, the world is going to run out of helium in the next ten years and there's nothing we can do about it. Think of all the little Billies and Timmies and Tabithicas that have big dreams and aspirations about being balloon salespeople when they grow up. Think of how that dream will be CRUSHED like an old piece of shit car in the junkyard right at about the time where they would be adults with balloon-selling licenses, and how awful the rest of their balloonless lives will be after that point. Shit sucks, huh?
"But, um, I kind of get it? Not that I relate to your exact situation... I never knew my parents. That's kind of similar, right?" Oh holy lord she's making it worse-
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Post by Joker on Apr 11, 2023 22:48:54 GMT
"No, it's not offensive!" He said, trying to reassure her again. "And thank you. I was a bit worried I scared you by dropping all of that on you..."
The cards, man. They're there. Do I know what's being done with them? I sure don't. Is one being played? Is Nico drawing endlessly, desperately hoping to find a color or number match? The world may never know.
"O-Oh! I'm sorry to hear that." He apologized again. "Did your grandparents raise you then?" He asks, desperately hoping that's not an offensive question to ask her.
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