[PRP] Game Time (Chris/Oliver)

[Grey Dragon]

Oliver hadn't been back on the island long enough to settle into any sort of routine. There were no ongoing projects that needed him in the labs all hours of the day, nor were there too many duties to fill his free time with. He was forced to actually enjoy some idle time while paperwork was processed and new tasks were arranged.

And that meant indulging in more video games than he had in months.

While he often preferred the privacy of his room, this evening he was curled up in an armchair in the common room of the dorms, 3DS in hand. Hunting and fighting giant digital monsters might have been more tame than what he had spent his last couple months doing in Iceland, but the game had lost none of it's fun.

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Chris was enjoying his new room on the first floor. It had a window which was like the jackpot compared to when he was trapped in the basement. Still he always ended up drifting to the common room because, while he was a bit withdrawn, he did like to people watch.

He wandered in today and took a seat nearest the coffee table to he could put his notebook down and write, except while glancing up he noticed Oliver - more importantly he noticed the 3DS.

And stared.

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

If his past couple months hadn't been spent hunting and tracking, and occasionally dealing with large creatures that would eat unwary humans, Oliver might not have noticed the intense focus being pointed in his direction. The arrival of another hunter was noted and accepted, but the prickling sense of wariness persisted the longer Oliver remained buried in his game.

Unable to resist any longer, Oliver surreptitiously glanced up to survey his surroundings and take stock of where everything was around him... and found himself making accidental eye contact with the other hunter.

"Ah, s-sorry!" he squeaked, apologizing for no real reason as he hastily turned back to the game. With his Canadian origins revealed, he hunkered down into the armchair and tried not to think about being watched.

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"I'm sorry!" Chris said in response, diverting his eyes and turning red when he was caught staring. Though, of course, his eyes drifted back again.

Mostly to the 3DS. He could see the small glowy bits that marked it as being runic.

He looked very much like he was going to speak, his mouth going so far as opening and his posture changing, before he sunk back again because now he felt weird.

grey dragon

sorry i had a hectic past few days ;;

 

[Grey Dragon]

Oliver couldn't quite recapture that concentration, he was distracted by the potential for the other hunter to still be watching. Even the thought that he might have an audience made him practically squirm nervously. The freckled youth gave a furtive glance in the other man's direction... and there he was. Slumped slightly, but still watching.

The game was paused, and then Oliver turned again to face the trainee. "D-did you... um... W-want to play for a bit?" He asked, holding up the 3DS. It didn't feel like that long ago when he had no way to play the games that had sustained him before the island.

"It's, uh... Monster Hunter..."

iloveyouDIE

np~ <3 Things got weird on my end too! XD

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"Oh! No no.." Chris waved his hands and turned a shade of red at being caught staring. He didn't do a good job of hiding it, admittedly, but he didn't expect to be called out.

"I just.. hadn't seen anyone playing video games here," He did move closer, not invasive, but into an adjacent sofa seat. "I have my 3ds in my dorm but it's dead."

He peeped slightly at the screen, "Never played Monster Hunter. Is it fun?" Kind funny considering they were.. monster.. hunters..

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

The flustered trainee set off a minor chain reaction, Oliver's cheeks began to turn pink from the second-hand embarrassment.

"I- I usually stay in my room, so I don't uh, bother anyone, but the ventilation sometimes gets messed up and right now it's practically a sauna in there..." Oliver scratched at the scar across his nose. But he was quick to move onto the more important topics at hand.

"Maybe some time we could, uh, play together...? I like Monster Hunter a lot, it's... exciting." The freckled Lifer's expression was hesitant and hopeful, but it hadn't registered that the game was essentially his job condensed into a safe and rewarding game system.

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"Really?" Chris didn't think anyone would want to play a game with him, or even let him touch their (probably expensive) runic device.

"Do you think you could show me how to play? Or maybe show me where I can get my 3DS modded too?" He didn't really know anyone. Not like that.

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Oliver nodded, encouraged by the response he was getting. He straightened up from his slouched video gaming posture and held out the 3DS a little bit farther. The handheld system may have been a treasured gift, but video games were better when they were shared.

"Yeah, the controls are pretty intuitive once you get used to the camera." He smiled brightly, eager for the opportunity to share his favourite activity with someone else. "If you already have a 3DS, or any electronics really, there are lots of people in the labs who can modify it. They... uh, charge for their time since it's like... a side job or something, but I can give you a couple names if you'd like."

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"Do you have to do anything to the games to make them work?" Chris didn't know how modding worked but he was interested. He knew about hacked systems from before the island, and had done it once to an old Wii because he didn't do any online gaming.

Chris leaned with interest, pushing his floppy hair back. It was longer and he hadn't gotten a haircut in a while. It looked like he'd dyed his hair dark brown but there was a healthy growth of blonde roots.

"I don't know if I have enough money but I guess I can talk to them and save.."

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

"Not that I know of," Oliver said, turning the system over to show the normal looking cartridge nestled amidst the runic lights. "The techs who do this kind of thing are really good, if compatibility is a problem they have it handled at the system level, rather than having to alter each game. It's pretty amazing."

It was surprisingly easy for Oliver to talk about video games, his enthusiasm quickly blanketing all the little anxieties he often got hung up on. "It's too bad we can't get them set up for online play, I really miss taking down monsters with other people. Even the bad ones who woke up sleeping monsters while you were trying to set bombs and blow up their face..."

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Chris also seemed to get more comfortable talking about a subject he enjoyed. He settled a bit more into his seat after he'd looked over the runic device.

"You can't get it on the island net at all?" They had enough it seemed to run things on their phones, apps and texts and computer things.

"Multiplayer would be really cool.." He he now seemed a bit more bright at the prospect of being able to fix up his own 3DS. It would be a goal for him. "Do you have any consoles?"

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Oliver shook his head. "Not like... real online stuff, although at some of the off-island bases there are regular computers on the regular internet. I'm not sure if it's practicality, impossibility, or security concerns that keep us isolated to our own network here."

"I kinda like playing with people in the same room though, so I guess it's not too bad..." He smiled brightly. "I don't have any consoles, but there are some people who do! I visit Finn sometimes to play games with him and Ripley, but I think the bar also has a console for patrons. I've been a bit nervous to go myself, even before the island I've never actually been to a bar..."

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Chris nodded in agreement to every little factoid as he filed them away. No real internet but that was fine.

"I don't know Finn..." Chris blinked, "Or Ripley.." Maybe Oliver could introduce him? Not that he would ask for that..

"I'll go with you," He perked, "To the um.. bar thing." Chris shrugged, "For the video games."

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

"R-really?" Oliver chirped, similarly perking up at the idea of company for a bar visit. "I've always wanted to know if they have nachos, but... um..."

A blush lit up on his cheeks while he smiled sheepishly, and left the rest unsaid. Even as a badass monster hunter in real life could still be an embarrassingly shy and awkward gaming nerd.

iloveyouDIE

late tag omg...