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 Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 3:10 pm
Who: Anita, Alex & Zul
When: High noon
Where: Gambino mall
Weather: A little cool but sunny
"On television?"
"Yes."
"Guitars?"
"Yes."
"Do you even know what a guitar is?"
The demonic Frei gave his woman a scathing look, the appearance of one looking down on the other for such an insipid question. "Yes," he repeated a third time, his voice indignant, "I've seen music videos." Zul's words suggested he was quite worldly in such knowledge, having seen these enigmatic videos. He began to favor them over such long-winded things as movies and television shows; they were, to him, short stories that expressed more in those three minutes than humans often express in a day. It was completely fascinating to him, and only after he started to see reruns frequently did he realize there was actually music attached to these shorts. Thus, his fascination had soared.
The Italian sighed, but wore a good-natured smile. "Okay. We'll see about this thing, but I'm not promising anything Zul. I already bought you a bunch of games." Alex didn't mind the money really - there was no price on seeing her charge euphoric with his triumph over some race of level beaten - but she did want to teach him to be frugal to a degree.
"I beat them," he corrected her with that vaguely smug smile. The Raevan's chest puffed with his pride, patting himself on the back as it were, bone-lined wings idly beating behind him as though to capitalize on his greatness. "Easy," he added nonchalantly. Zul added a toss of his bi-colored hair and a stretch of his bare torso, eating up the shocked reactions of mall-goers as if it were a food source. They were free to admire, and as far as he was concerned, they rightly should.
Alex giggled to herself, stiffling it with her hand. "You're definitely part of my family," she commented with amusement, "we'll see if we can't challenge you a little." She walked amicably with her proud charge floating higher than usual, bright eyes flicking over each store in passing. They were looking for the gaming store, but she was having thoughts on dragging him into the music store too. She couldn't help but wonder if he had a taste in music or was just intruiged with the idea of it.
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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 4:53 pm
Noon.
Lunch time.
Anita's disposition had caused her to eat lunch behind the register, which was what usually happened anyway. The games surrounding her were a lot friendlier than the hustle and bustle of the crowds around the food court and she much preferred it. Interesting conversations often occurred due to it, as well, so all the more incentive.
Her delicious meal comprised of a chilled bottle of Sprite, a couple of cookies and some teriyaki chicken from the Chinese booth at the court. They often gave her free samples and it was usually the only thing she ordered from them so whenever she came around the corner they had most of the order already up by the time she got in line.
At that moment, the store was nearly empty save for another employee at the back, reordering the games that were jostled about and put in the wrong order from kids coming in and apparently not knowing the alphabet--it happened often. Two demos of games were up, both cased in so the consoles couldn't be touched; one was constantly replaying various videos of games that were yet to be released mixed with a few that had only just hit the market. On the opposite end, bit music played, old Mario stuff, it was a montage of all of Nintendo's past achievements.
God, she loved this place and damn the teriyaki was delicious today. She couldn't have expected to see one of those grace her presence at her job, of all places.
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Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:44 pm
Expected or not, the two found themselves waltzing into the quiet game shop. Alex was relieved that she wouldn't have to watch the grubby, curious hands of the children as a 'video game hero' floated by them. She gave an audible sigh of contentment as Zul immediately drifted off to the section he was interested in, eyes alight, expression certainly that of a child in a candy store.
The woman herself slowly meandered through, hooking her thumbs in her belt loops, glancing over to the other woman (!) beyond the register. Her first thought was approval; good for that young woman for living in a boy's world! It was a scary place to be, most times! The second thought was...
"You look familiar," Alex startled herself by stating the words to the young lady, moving just a little closer to the counter. The Italian couldn't tell, but she was almost certain she'd remembered the other in a bikini of some sort. It was an...odd...memory to have of someone she'd never met, but it was the first thing to come to mind.
The Raevan, on his part, was wildly entertained already. Warm fingers trailed over some of the familiar looking boxes, lifting one and scouring over the back; too many chat boxes, not enough movement. He put it back where he found it and moved on - ah, the guitar game! The Frei contentedly looked over the bright, attractive box, turning it over carefully to admire the back. So many songs...one or two he was familiar with, but he would learn them all in time.
Happily, Zul clutched the item to his chest and continued to peruse the games, content to use his eyes when his arms were full.
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Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 10:40 am
Anita uttered a quiet hum as she put a hand over her mouth while speedily finishing a bite of her lunch. Rude to talk with a mouth full and all, if only to customers. Before she had a chance to utter the usual greeting and inquiries, however, her eyes widened.
Another one.
A male one.
This was a first. Back from the first time she had seen a Raevan, which she was still certain were spelled the same as the animal, she had only ever seen females. A brown one with bird wings, an icy blue one, and the most recent was a shadowy figure--the most unique of the bunch, she thought, but all of them were so different it was really unfair to say. Now, this male, he had horns--another feature she hadn't seen before on them-- and she found herself staring at the center most one and its slightly glowing tip.
"You look familiar," the voice broke any concentration and Anita jumped, startled, turning towards the speaker. She may have looked familiar to the woman but Anita couldn't recall, for the life of her, ever having seen or met her and much less her Raevan who seemed to be on a mission. "Sorry?" she sputtered, hand still over her mouth. Realizing it, she shoved it down on the counter, accidentally flipping her white plastic fork right out of the Styrofoam container of chicken. Whoops.
Glancing back towards the Raevan for a second, she tried to remember back to the only time she was in a group setting where she could have easily overlooked someone, anyone. The Summer fundraiser. "Are you... Were you at the Lab fundraiser last Summer?" She was going to simply ask 'are you affiliated with the Lab' but she couldn't remember the number it was designated and it was obvious she was, if she had one of those magnificent creatures under her charge.
A quick head shake and she returned to some form of professionalism; "I'm sorry, how can I help you today?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:04 pm
A light smile formed, giving a small cough to hide her laughter. That fork flipping was more like something she would do, except she'd probably have flipped her food onto the nearest unfortunate person. Alex nodded at the inquiry, looking behind herself at the shop to make sure her charge wasn't getting into trouble. It looked like he was just floating with whatever he had wanted in his arms, making her shake her head and smile fondly. He was such a character sometimes.
Returning her attention back to the woman, she stated out loud, "Yeah." That would explain the line drawn to bikini's, at least. Alex chuckled at the professional question, hooking a thumb over her shoulder at the happily oblivious Zul. "He'd be the one to ask. He just said something about a guitar and a game he'd seen in a commercial, and here we are. I think he found it though."
"Yes," he replied, smokey voice curling over his Guardian's shoulder as he all but appeared behind her, blue eyes amused as the woman jerked to the side a little. His brilliant azure gaze turned to the woman behind the counter, holding up the package in his arms, his smile widening. He was quite pleased with himself, looking like the cat who had its cream. "This is guitar," he offered, "game. With guitar." Yes, he was the observant one of this bunch.
The Italian quirked another amused smile. "I think we got that much hun. You sure that's what you want?" she asked again, idly looking over the price tag. Ouch. If he didn't like this game, she might have to burn his console.
Zul gave Alex a look similar to what a client would give a hassling sales person, a scoff and light bit of dismissal. "Yes. This is good, right?" he turned back to the woman behind the counter, giving her his bright, charming smile. She would know, and she could tell his woman so! Oh, but where were his manners? In all his excitement, he'd forgotten his one tradition upon meeting anyone who would look at him intelligently rather than as a freak of nature. Putting the box down, he extended a fingerless-gloved hand, turning up the watts on that smile. "Zul. Nice to meet you, Miss Game Lady."
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Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 4:10 pm
Anita nodded, though she honestly couldn't recall having seen Alex there. Oh well, there were probably countless others she didn't get to meet or even see but maybe in the future. She did seem to be having that luck, as of late...
A smile of her own formed when she pointed towards the Raevan as he hovered over, large box in tow. He looked exceedingly pleased with himself and it carried to his voice--what a voice. It seemed the Raevans weren't only beautiful to look at but to listen to, as well.
The exchange between the two was very much like a mother and child and Anita found herself watching intently until the dark skinned Raevan turned toward her. A very persuasive smile. "Oh, yes," she agreed, offering Zul a nod of confirmation, "I actually have this game, myself. It's great for parties, just getting everyone together and jamming out." And suddenly, there was an outstretched hand. In the midst of her explanation, she had gone to looking at Alex; a sales tactic since she was the one who would be purchasing the thing.
"Zul. Nice to meet you, Miss Game Lady."
Miss Game Lady. That was a first. An oddly endearing name that she almost felt bad losing through an introduction but it was necessary.
Taking Zul's hand into her own, she gave it a gentle shake and bowed her head, smile growing as his did though it wasn't nearly as charming, "Very nice to meet you, too, Zul. My name's Anita. I'd be glad to help you two with anything, if you need it." When their hands came apart, she realized she had forgotten a suggestion, one that was more genuine than usual with these sales.
"Do you want to get another guitar, so you can play with a friend?" There were a lot more Raevans than just Zul and considering they all came from the same place, it only stood to reason that they all knew each other, at least to some degree. The image of Zul and that rose Raevan rocking out in front of a television came to mind, floating there and mashing buttons.
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 2:09 pm
It occured to Alex it might have been a bit tasteless to mention that party at all on her behalf, since they hadn't actually met. The woman had a keen eye for animals and quite frankly, she remembered the dog a lot better than the keeper - which was probably why her memory was fuzzy of the event to begin with. She really was going a little mad, wasn't she?
Giving a soft bit of laughter, she listened to Anita speak about the game and weighed the options in her mind. Her charge didn't have many 'friends' to speak of, but it might be a good course of action for them to play together. She wasn't a huge fan of verses games and preferred to work together than in opposite; maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.
"Game Lady Anita," he greeted the sales woman warmly; if he had feathers, they no doubt would have been fluffed and prepared to preen. She was officially on his Good List for having agreed with him, even if her statement was one of truth or professionalism. Agreement was agreement. Zul tilted his head thoughtfully at the mention of another guitar, crystalline blue eyes sliding sidelong to his woman. "Alix...?"
The woman in question grinned, shaking her head and tugging on her shirt. "A second one might be a good idea, for co-op or as a secondary, just in case you get too excited." She reached out to ruffle his bi-colored hair, earning an indignant look from the Raevan.
"Accident," he replied petulantly, his gaze momentarily downcast. More than one controller had met a grisly end when the demonic Frei got worked up. He'd be much more careful with his precious guitar game.
Alex smiled with understanding and nodded at her charge, attention again shifting to the game clerk. "Another would be fantastic. Now if only they were made to be heat resistant," she muttered with a good humored wink. Her green eyes lingered thoughtfully, thinking that if Anita was at the festival, then she was at least a little familiar with Raevans. It wouldn't hurt to ask. "Say, can you think of any other games that are suitable?" she inquired, tilting her head slightly towards the Raevan, who was engrossed in looking over the box for the time being. "He um..." She paused, trying to formulate her words; the Frei didn't seem to sleep, so he needed constant distraction. "...is very active, all the time. We try to keep the uh, those movey-games to a minimum," she tapped a flyer on the counter that indicated the console she was referring to, "but I'm wondering if you'd know of anything else, console game or otherwise."
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Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 1:35 pm
First 'Game Lady' then 'Game Lady Anita'; the nickname was beginning to grow on her. The Frei said it with a rather mature voice but the name itself was so childish--catchy, really. If she was 'Game Lady Anita' to him then she would answer to it.
She smiled a bit as the secondary guitar was accepted, readying herself to go to the back and fetch it. The conversation between the Raevan and Owner was short but kept her distracted long enough. Apparently Zul had attempted to be a real rock star and smash the guitar on the floor? The image in her mind of the floating humanoid thrashing it about, whether accurate or not, amused her.
"Another would be fantastic. Now if only they were made to be heat resistant."
So this Frei was fire based? Interesting. She didn't know a great deal about Raevans but she caught on, especially with that blue female she saw, that they had some form of powers and were likely to be related to elements. "If only. They're pretty fragile... I know someone who broke their drum's peddle by slamming their foot down too hard mid-song."
"Say, can you think of any other games that are suitable? He um... ...is very active, all the time. We try to keep the uh, those movey-games to a minimum, but I'm wondering if you'd know of anything else, console game or otherwise."
No movement? Well, that put the Wii out a great deal as well as DDR, but that was negated just by the poor boy's race. The fact that Raevan's would eventually get feet was a mystery to her and she assumed they would always be in this state of ribbony-stature.
"Well, lets see..." Anita sighed, tapping the guitar on the counter with her index finger, "I mentioned the drums earlier... There's another game just like this, except you get a drum set and a microphone so all the parts of the band are covered. Not sure if that would be too movey? Anyway, you can have four people play at once, so that should be good." For a moment, she turned and looked over her shoulder at the cabinet holding all of the newer releases, "But if you don't feel like getting a whole new guitar or anything, there's a similar game out that's still Guitar Hero; it also has the drums and mic. World Tour? Same difference, but my preference is on Rock Band. You get to make your own characters, it's really fun."
She wasn't completely sure how her business tactics were going over so she completely turned and scoured the shelves, running her finger along the spines of each game. "It seems he's more into the party type games?" a glance at the both of them for confirmation, "I was going to suggest Raving Rabbits but that's very 'movey'... Zul," she tilted her head, addressing him specifically, "How do you feel about puzzles?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2009 1:13 pm
Alex laughed lightly, pleased that Anita was taking her seriously. It did make the attempt at entertaining her charge a bit easier. "We have to be careful with games that he gets into, because when he gets excited...we lose controllers or I find marks on my walls that weren't there before." She glanced side-long at the Raevan, who seemed to be pointedly ignoring the statement for the moment, which made her grin.
"Puzzles?" he echoed the inquiry curiously, his attention all for the woman behind the counter. He leaned back, thoughtfully tapping the box in his grip before nodding slowly; that was just figuring things out, right? Zul was fairly certain he could manage that! "Not used to them," he admitted with a bright smile, "but can learn. What puzzles does Game Lady Anita like?" The Frei carefully put his precious box on the counter, momentarily more enthralled with hearing the human's opinion and personal taste than his treasure.
The Italian retained her silence for the time being, lifting a curious brow herself. Puzzles? Why hadn't she thought of that sooner?! If she could get him into something like...like Sudoku, she was almost positive he'd be bent over a book of puzzles all night! Physically smacking her own palm against her brow, Alex shook her head with a wide grin and waited to see what suggestions could be made.
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Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 6:00 pm
It was unlucky that the Raevan really did seem so interested in her suggestion, but she was flattered he was already taking her opinion into account. The game store she worked at didn't sell anything older than current gen hardware or software, so all classic (and therefor good) puzzle games were out, unless she restricted him to things decidedly childish.
"Well," she started, looking over her shoulder a moment at the cabinet--there wasn't anything to look at, she just wanted to appear like she was thinking hard for the Raevan, "There's something called Tetris you might enjoy. It's very challenging." At that moment, she looked over to Alex with a sympathetic expression, "It's also very time consuming," she stressed the last two words for the Raevan's guardian. A not-so-subtle hint.
Time consuming as Tetris was, it was also very frustrating and she wondered if it would be a safe suggestion or purchase for them, given the fate of Zul's last guitar. "It's also for handhelds, so he can take it with him where ever he goes; just outside, road trips, anywhere."
For a moment, she froze. She still didn't have any real way to show them the game and off the top of her head she couldn't think of what newer systems it was on, if any. One glance to the Wii display made her sigh and she grabbed hold of the counter, ducking under the parting door in one swift motion.
"It's not too complicated to figure out, but it can get tricky," she explained to Zul while leading them to the display. Picking up the controller, she navigated to the Wiiware section and managed to find it--an updated version of Tetris known as Tetris Party. It was the same, just higher res. Perfect for the devilish Frei.
At first, she stood at the side and did a few rows, showing Zul what to do with the falling blocks without explaining it--she trusted he would catch on--and after a few rows of color disappeared, she paused and handed the controller to him.
"The goal is to match up a row of colors so it disappears; you want them to disappear because once you touch the top of the screen, you lose. That's all there is to it, really."
Oh she hoped he would get into it, for the Raevan's sake as well as her wallet's. It would already be a lot fatter with their purchases of the Rock Band accessories, but one more couldn't hurt. One sale could persuade them to be regular customers and that was always a good thing.
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 5:13 pm
For all the show Anita was putting on to keep the Frei's interest, it was working like a charm. The demon hung onto the woman's words as though she were to reveal the very secret of life, his blue eyes intently watching her expression, his lips slightly parted in captivation. And there! A game! "Tet-tris," he repeated with interest, all but perking at the mention of a challenge. Zul had yet to find a challenge that could not be beaten - or at least, that he would admit to being beaten.
When the woman moved, so too did the Frei, following behind closely, still yet without a sense of personal space. He floated upright, rather tall for his kind, able to easily look over Anita's shoulder. Keen eyes flicked his attention between her hands and the motion on the screen, figuring out the controls and how it influenced the flow of the game within a few rows of play. "Does it end?" he asked as she pressed the controller into his own hands, floating to her side.
Zul wasn't sure what to make of a game that didn't have any goal other than 'don't lose,' because that as the obvious part to him. Irregardless, he pressed the pause button to resume the game, his fingers moving with familiarity over the controller to move the pieces around the screen with bright eyes of interest.
She had remained silent during the tutorial and the explanation, though once Zul's attention was all for the television screen, she couldn't help but praise the young woman. "I could kick myself for not thinking of that sooner," she admitted in a quiet tone to Anita as the Frei gave a whoop of triumph for clearing a line, "and could just about be your best friend for thinking of it now." Alex laughed softly under her breath, tilting her head to the side to observe her charge playing before nodding. "We'll take it, then. Thanks Anita, you're a sleep saver!"
The Italian grinned at her own crude joke, returning to the counter and putting her hand over the game box that she still intended to purchase for her attention-challenged ward. Green eyes flicked back towards the game that the demon seemed enraptured by for the time being, her smile softening. It did her heart good to see him happy, especially for something to pass the time while she couldn't stay up with him.
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 11:08 am
Her own smile broadened when the Frei took over, completely enthralled. The question he asked was a surprisingly difficult one to answer; so many levels, so many difficulties, but of course it had to end at some point or was the programming so state of the art that it could come up with an infinite supply of scenarios? "Not by itself. It ends when you lose, but I think you can always save and quit to pick it up again later, so there's no worry of losing your progress."
After that, she took a step back and allowed Zul to have his way with the system and randomly shaped blocks falling at a slowly increasing speed. He was doing well, as she thought he would. Anita let out a quiet laugh at Alex's reaction, hands behind her back as she stood tall with a bit of pride. Another chuckle was let out as Zul emitted a cry of triumph. "It's no trouble, really. Anything to keep interest in the older gens, even if it's technically a remake..."
Minutes passed with the both of them watching the Frei fight the good fight, continuing to amass points and keep a good low height for the rows. Unfortunately, it couldn't last much longer. As much as she would love to keep watching Zul beat his way to victory, it was time to wrack up the prices and make sure she wasn't holding up other customers.
"Will that be it for today?" a sudden swoop back to professionalism, though her smile was still genuine from Alex's last joke. The both of them made their way back to the counter, Anita ducking under the wall and returning to her teriyaki chicken covered station--she would need to microwave that-- and started ringing the items up.
It was going to be a pricey night for Alex, but Anita couldn't really blame her. She usually spent a lot on her friends when she had the money to do so, and with Zul being something of a child to Alex, she probably had the inclination to spend more. "Okay, your total is 6000 gold," surprisingly, it turned out to be a good deal since that was the normal price for a single new game these days, "Not too bad. I hope you guys enjoy them." Smirking a bit, she turned to Zul with her hands on her hips, "And you be sure to take care of the guitars. I want to see you in here again to buy new stuff, not replace the old stuff."
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Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 4:49 pm
"You know, I have the old GameBoi somewhere, I should find it someday," she mused out loud, more to herself than the associate. At the question, Alex nodded with a light smile, drawing out her wallet to pick out the correct amount of currency. She paused at the total, giving Anita a slightly startled look - that was it? She supposed, after the headphones and starting game, it didn't seem like much in comparison. Not that she was ungrateful, but for what they were picking up...well. No need to look a gift horse in the mouth, right?
As his woman counted out the amount, Zul had enough presence of mind to pause the game - it didn't end, after all, and he wanted to play at home! - rejoining the two women with a bedazzled smile. He nodded enthusiastically to Anita, a ghost of a grin lighting his features. "Will be careful," he said in a rather solemn voice, despite his amused expression, "so I can come back." Alex had already given him a similar chastising, but from Anita, he seemed more inclined to listen. She was a professional, after all!
"Maybe one day I can play with Game Lady Anita," he commented thoughtfully. The prospect of playing against - or with - an obvious Master of Games was an enthralling prospect! Fingers wrapping up in the bag with the items securely within, he gave his woman a hopeful look, wings rustling in excitement against his back.
Alex gave her charge a slightly surprised and mostly blank look. It was the first time he'd seemed excited over the prospect of interacting with a human, especially on his own turf. She gave Anita a sidelong apologetic glance at Zul's enthusiasm, though she wasn't opposed to the idea. "Tell you what. Next time we're in the mall, we'll come by and see if she's off to maybe go a round or two in the arcade?" The Italian offered the associate a light smile, adding, "My treat." If she could get Zul out more, she wouldn't be against spending a few more bucks.
The demon clutched the oblong bag to his chest, grinning ear to ear in a rather blatant show of his childish enthusiasm. "Until then," he purred, dipping his head to Anita in a friendly farewell.
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