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 Posted: Wed May 04, 2022 12:45 am
It wasn't often that Kirika had time to duck down to a game store in person, between law school and her father's demands of her as an intern. But she'd stolen herself a free hour, and there was nothing quite like browsing for games in person, and it was a small, local store that she wanted to patronize solely because it was good to patronize small, local stores. The staff was friendly, it was a nice place, and Kirika liked being there.
She was almost totally absorbed in browsing the shelf of Switch games, looking for anything that even resembled a fun new otome, when she stepped sideways and felt herself bump into some resistance. She blinked, turned, and blushed furiously red, because the resistance was a person.
"I'm so sorry," she said. "I don't know where my head was, but clearly not paying attention to my surroundings."
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2022 3:54 pm
Smelling strongly of freshly cut wood, Jamie was looking through games himself, hair pulled back into a low ponytail and wearing the classic look of jeans and a t-shirt -- though the fit was somewhat flattering...if also hovered in wood dust in a few places. Often, he was more aware of his surroundings, of who was around and where and how to make sure not to bump into them, but today...today had been a heavy construction day, preparing for the next performance they would have in a month or two, and as he had the night off, he wanted something new to play to help him relax. Hand outstretched to pick up the newest Pokemon game -- those never got old, right? -- he didn't realize that put him directly into someone else's space, hand letting go of the game and both hands fumbling, trying to catch it before it could hit the floor -- and succeeding! -- before turning to give the woman beside him a sheepish smile. "That's alright, no harm done. I ought to apologize myself, I should've been paying attention more myself, instead of zoning in on well." He cleared his throat, cheeks flushing a bit in embarrassment as he took a step to the side, giving her some breathing room at the very least. "Don't typically run into people here, probably why I just... nyoom." Yes, yes he did just make that sound. "I'm Jamie, by the way."
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Posted: Thu May 05, 2022 10:47 pm
Kirika was certainly not generally the tallest person around--she was, in fact, on the shorter side--but it was always an occasion when she had to look quite as far up as she did at the person she had bumped into. She blinked, for a moment, trying to process the difference in their heights.
Goodness. He was big.
At least he also seemed nice, and she gave a polite smile and took a step back, to give herself space for an apologetic quick bow.
"It seems it was a bit of a mutual mistake. I am still sorry for the inconvenience." She straightened, and gave a polite smile. "I'm Kirika. A pleasure to meet you, Jaime." No reason to not be polite, after all, and it was always nice to chat. "Are you looking for anything specific?"
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Posted: Fri May 06, 2022 4:52 pm
He was certainly big, in more than one definition of the word, but if anything he was a gentle giant, still smiling as he watched the woman -- Kirika -- talk, taking in what she had to say with a nod and a smile. "Ah, just had a little bit of time and figured it was time to pick up one of the newer Pokemon games. Don't get as much time to play as I would like, but sometimes a guy needs a bit of a distraction, mm? Everyone does, really. Whether it's games or something else..." Was there a meaning there or just a genuine acknowledgement of what was to come? Maybe both. "And you? I might not get to come by here often, but I know where...some stuff is." He was trying, bless him.
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Posted: Fri May 06, 2022 8:38 pm
Kirika nodded. "A solid pick," she said. "My little sister loves Pokemon--it's not really my thing, I mostly play visual novels." Maybe if she phrased it that way, it wouldn't be embarrassing. Especially since some people could be....interesting about dating simulator games, one way or the other.
"Ah, I was looking for a game called Variable Barricade," she said, and she slid around him, further along the shelf, towards the Vs--generally, things were all organized alphabetically here, which was helpful. "It was released at the end of February, and I haven't had a chance to get my hands on it, but all the reviews on the localization are quite good."
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Posted: Fri May 06, 2022 8:51 pm
"It's not for everyone," Jamie laughed, cheeks just slightly colored as he stepped back, making sure the path forward for Kirika was indeed clear. "It does bridge a sort of generational gap, though, bringing both older and younger players to it day after day. It's part of what makes it a powerhouse, really." He's quiet for a moment before, "Visual novels aren't anything to be ashamed of. Not quite my cup of tea, but I also get sad when I can't play as a guy in the game like the majority of them have. Boys want to get kissed by pretty boys, too, don't you know?"
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Posted: Fri May 06, 2022 9:00 pm
"Oh, very much so," Kirika acknowledged, "but unfortunately, they're also quite long games, and I know myself. I'd let myself get caught up in completionism and it would be an entire thing I don't really have time for." She laughed, quietly. "Alas, law school and an internship don't leave much time to play games, and I've chosen my terrible time sink."
There, on the shelf, was the game she was looking for, and she plucked the Variable Barricade case off the wall. It was always exciting to get her hands on a new game, and the premise of this one was particularly intriguing, so she was quite looking forward to getting to play it.
"Ah, that's all I needed," she said. "I can't stay too long, but it was lovely meeting you!" She gave a brief wave, and turned to head over to the front counter. Lucky her, that this trip had turned out to be worth it for more reasons than just getting her hand son a new game--she'd met someone nice.
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Posted: Fri May 06, 2022 9:17 pm
He couldn't help but chuckle once more, eyes alight as he watched her find her game of choice. "That's the beauty of it, and the thing that takes so much time. But if you chip at it, bit by bit..." She turned to leave and he watched, waiting for a moment before following -- though not necessarily following her, but more...there was only the one register. He gave her a wave as she headed out before getting his own game. Then, it was time to get ready for work. Always something else to do, after all...
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