[Round 1]/[Action - Game Central Station]

[freshmanleader]

[Mao is a bit wobbly as he gets off his game's cart. All of his various and sundry injuries from a long day of getting the code kicked out of him have of course healed, but he still feels exhausted and battered and more than a little woozy. All the other characters had gone to Tapsters to celebrate a successful first day plugged in. Mao, somehow, had gotten left behind, and been left to entertain himself until the Arcade opened again.

He lingers by the Geo themed cart for a minute, rolling his shoulders, fidgeting with his coat, adjusting his glasses, overall just working ou the kinks and taking a moment to assess.]

Tch...you'd think those brats had never played a fighting game before.

[Sapphire had proved the most popular choice by far. Sapphire! What kind of skill did you need to beat people into submission with an axe?

But he's free, at least for tonight, and it seems like it might be a good idea to poke around and check out the neighbors. So, Mao can be found wandering about Game Central Station, looking like someone who's both absolutely fascinated and completely lost and trying not to show it. Sometimes, he lingers in front of the other station terminals with a thoughtful look on his face, as though contemplating going in. Sometimes he pauses in front of the informational billboards and commercials playing on the walls and in the walkways, paying attention as only a newly plugged in character can.]

Heh...die outside your game, die for good? I'd like to see 'em try.

[All the same, he doesn't know what games might have monsters to beat up and which games might be the quiz games. Not that Mao isn't confident that he could take anything any of these games could dish out, but he's been fighting all day.

There's a new character in Game Central Station, wandering around and trying to see where everything is. He'll figure it out eventually, but some help might be...if not appreciated, then acknowledged.]

Comments

[swinginreporter]

Hey, it's no joke, you know! Even the toughest guys can go down when they're not in their element~

[Nosy swingin' reporter Ulala, at your service, Mao, and she's got an eyebrow raised. Guys like you are the reason Mr. Sonic needed to make those PSAs in the first place!]

[freshmanleader]

[Mao has never been one to listen to PSAs. If only because, in his game, it's considered respectable behavior to break rules at every turn.

Just one more way he's out of his element and refusing to admit it.]

Oh, yeah? Just what kind of elements are out there, anyway? Are you guys in the habits of killing strangers on sight?

[Because if that's kosher, Mao makes a mental note to get in some tinkering with the stage backgrounds before dawn.]

[swinginreporter]

[Thankfully Ulala's crossover feature has her dealing with all sorts of rebellious types, and she'd crossed more than a couple police lines herself to get a scoop now and then... but here in the arcade where it was so easy to game jump, the stakes were just a teeeensy bit higher.]

Depends on the game, really. Everybody's got something different going for them, and we've got a ton of cabinets here. Like... Bubble Bobble over there? Pretty harmless, puzzle game, yadda yadda. House of the Dead looks scary, but it's just the zombies doing their job, right? They're actually pretty groovy guys when they're not on duty. I'd say... look out for the games where the environment can kill you. Platformers, mostly~

And no, we generally try to not kill people. That'd break games, you know?

[freshmanleader]

[Mao visibly perks up at the mention of "puzzle game", so much so that he misses the name of "House of the Dead" and just catches the bit about the zombies. Zombies are a presence in his game, even if only as background NPCs, and they tend to be more moan than bite.]

Platformers, huh? What are those?

[Mao likes to think he has some jumping skills, but there's never been any danger involved in it - unless you count lost or unreachable treasure as a danger. His game has some environmental hazards, like the Geo Blocks, but the ground beneath your feet is fairly reliable.]