|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 1:32 pm
Electric Dreams.
How long had it been since he'd stepped even one foot inside the arcade ? Eons ago, it seemed. Maybe since... the middle of his last session before summer ? Or something like that.
Might as well have been years ago, with how much s**t had happened.
He'd come around this block for an errand, really, but there would be no harm done stopping for a game or two...
Right ?
Of course, he was probably still going to be here when the arcade closed. It always happened.
He stepped inside carefully, careful not to smack into anyone or anything, more out of protection of his injury than actual caring for anyone here. The brats were always rowdy, and usually Matthew didn't mind, but he wasn't really in the state to take it.
His favorite machine - space invaders - was right where it always had been, mostly ignored by the younger generation. He stopped in front of it, looking back and forth.
No sign of the main man. Hm.
"Im gonna blast your high score into oblivion, Corey !"
That should summon him.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 2:59 pm
Matthew choose a very good time to come looking for that particular game it turned out.
Only a week or so before that very machine had been on the blink. Every 10 to 15 seconds the screen would blink off for a brief moment. Enough to mess up a game. Enough that Corey had had to wriggle himself up into it and poke around. He'd even had another guy, his new friend Noah, take a look.
It had taken a few days and some soldering but just the day before the machine had finally be fixed. Cleaned and prettied up before being turned back on and let loose on anyone who might want to play it. Really it was almost like new.
Cleaned and rubbed down there were no sticky spots and as of yet no fingerprints on the screen yet. The buttons were cleaned and rotating and pressing better than ever.
The sound of his voice being called did indeed draw out the man in question, the young adult popping his head out from the doorway to the stock room.
The boy that was calling him wasn't a face he'd seen in quite awhile. But luckily Corey had a rolladex of people in his head. That was probably one of his few special talents, remember faces and names.. and usually some small thing about them.
"Matt?" He tested his rusty memory, leaving what he was doing to come and join the boy and the classic machine. He was actually kind of excited to see it get some action after it's little respiffing up.
"Hey bud, haven't seen you around in awhile" His hands slipped into his pants pockets, looking slightly at the machine. It was a silent challenge. He said he was going to blast his highscore. Let's see if the kid could put his quarters were his mouth was.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2011 4:05 pm
He did notice upon closer inspection of the machine, at least the overall cleanliness part of it. Hadn't it been much more... Well, dirty last time he'd dropped by ?
But that had been eons ago.
"Yeah, school ate me. Then I had an accident." He shrugged. It explained his absences from well... Everything nicely. Just school alone didn't do it, thanks to the summer break. Thankfully, even if Corey asked, he had his alibi built up.
It wasn't like monster attacks were rare occurences.
"'m better through." Ah, of course. No one could do such a claim and not be expected to hold up to it. He chuckled as he pulled out his wallet to find some change.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 1:16 pm
Corey gave a pleased nod at the correctness of his memory, hair and head bobbing up and down a few times like a toy before it slowed to a stop. The explanation too made sense, and he didn't question it.
"That's too bad. This city is becoming a real crazy place to live it seems." Before he'd been awakened... he'd been terribly oblivious to it. It was actually pathetic how little attention he'd payed to things like giant city wide comas.. and buildings blown down... but Corey had always been a little one sighted. And that one thing was the arcade.
"Good things kids are made of rubber" He mused playfully, giving Matt a soft slap on the back of his shoulder, oblivious to the injury he was hiding.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 9:54 pm
Good thing Corey hadn't decided to go all out, because as soft as it was, the slap still caused his mending rib to remind Matthew that he was, in fact, still healing.
He wouldn't have minded being made of rubber, really.
"Yeah, it is..." He frowned a bit to himself, shooting aliens as they started to come at him. "I miss how things used to be... Through it doesn't look like it hurt your buissness much ?"
The arcade was just as packed as ever, it seemed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 9:55 pm
His eyes darted across the screen, seemingly as intent in the game as the actual person playing it. His fingers might even have been twitching a little in his pockets as one of the larger enemies flashed on the screen, only to be obliterated by a little 8bit dot.
"It's one of those funny, and wonderful, things..."
"When nothing is going on at all and people are bored they flock here for entertainment. But when things get crazy... When people are burnt out or stressed... they STILL come."
"Mostly to unwind. Or to take comfort in something that is familiar and fun"
Even despite the the fact that Corey was behind him, Matthew could probably 'hear' the smile on his face in the tone of his words. A sense of wonder and gratefulness in the little bit of wisdom.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 12:36 pm
"That makes sense..." Really. People still went in bars, still went out to restaurants in spite of the constant danger. An arcade wasn't that different, right ?
People still needed to unwind. Or perhaps needed to unwind even more, though Matthew now found it hard to relate to them at all. Most of these people, doing nothing, knowing nothing about the threats of the senshi...
Those who would sooner lie down and let them win.
He frowned at the thought, but thankfully it could easily be taken for concentration on the game.
"That's true, people do need to unwind, especially now. There's not much out here than can even be considered safe anymore."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:26 pm
"It's unfortunate" He agreed, the hint of a sigh on his voice, which was actually a little out of character for the usually chipper arcade owner. But then.. up until recently he had few problems, few worries.
He did have hope though and a belief, especially since joining the Knights of Destiny. If they all worked hard.. then maybe they could put an end to it all and finally make Destiny City and safe and peaceful place again.
Not wanting to feel sad, or think about the dangerousness of it all, he cleared his throat a bit, letting his usually jovial tone fill his voice once again.
"So what grade are you in now then? Got yourself a friend of the girlie persuasion?" Good hearted teasing. Heck.. maybe he could even fluster the kid enough to lose a life. Not that Corey was much of a cheater.. but maybe now and then...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:56 pm
If Corey through it would be that easy, then he was wrong - really, this was the kid who could work through an earthquake.
True story.
"Gonna start third year of university. It's still pretty easy." It was easy to think he was younger thanks to his height, and he wondered if the man even remembered that he was 20 and very much not in high school anymore. The machine continued it's electronic beeps as he made short work of alien ships.
"What about you ? I don't see a Miss Boone going about..." He said with a teasing grin.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:54 am
Whoops!
It Corey had REALLY thought about it.. the fact that he didn't recall the boy going through growth spurts or anything in super recent history.. or how long he'd actually be visiting the arcade, it would have dawned on him a little more the actual age of Matthew. In his defense though it had been awhile and he did have a lot of customers. Still.. knowing your customers was important for a good business!
If Matthew had seemed more upset about it Corey would have actually apologized. Instead he backpedaled a bit. "So that's.... 15th? Wow"
He'd never went to college himself, far too focused on his dreams of owning an arcade, and it was fairly common knowledge. "You have plans already for after college?" Corey was big on dreams. The crazier and more massive the better!
The teasing tossed back at him gained a hearty laugh, the young adult rocking mildly back and forth on his shoes. "In case you haven't notice, most of the girls I interact with this day would land me in jail"
"I may or may not have my eye on the mail lady though." He mused after a moment, not wanting to seem like a total lady loser. Which.. he was for the most part.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 3:40 pm
Matthew didn't seem to mind, really. Being mistaken for an high school kid used to bother him, but honestly... It just wasn't worth getting upset about.
There were plenty other things he could be pissed off about.
The game was getting harder now, and it was starting to show - mostly in the greater lapses of silence in between Corey's questions and his answers. "I'll probably freelance. I already do it and it pays pretty well, and I don't have to deal with annoying co-workers."
"Well, surely there is a world outside this arcade." Matthew laughed - he was already in better spirits than he'd been coming in, at least. "Mail lady ? Which one ?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2011 2:26 pm
Freelance. That sounded pretty cool. Very free and flippant.. working on your own terms, never tied down to any one thing. Corey nodded in soft approval even though Matthew had no way of really seeing it.
He leaned in a little when a ship got dangerously close to taking out the player's ship, giving a pleased 'Ha!' when Matthew successfully saved himself at the last minute.
"I'm a workaholic" It wasn't a sigh, rather.. it almost sounded like a badge of honor. To the arcade owner it was really, there were very few things he loved more than being here.
"Her name is Kess, she's been delivering here for a few years now. Short hair, super freckley. A real fun girl." His tone was pretty complimentary, making it all the more clear that he very likely did have a crush on the woman. Awwww.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 5:36 pm
Matthew grinned at the 'ha'. Well, if anything, he had to keep the older man on his toes. It was part of the art, really.
Because shattering high scores on ancient arcane machines was indeed an art. He had no idea if he could even do it - really, he'd just said that in hopes to lure Corey out in order not to be surrounded by high schoolers.
Kess, Kess, Kess... It was only with the description that it clicked. "Oh, she does mail now ?" He commented. "She went to DCU for a bit... Fixed her laptop once. She's pretty easygoing. Not really my type, through." Last thing Corey needed to think was that he was moving on 'his' territory. "Havn't seen her in years, really. She's doing good then ?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 7:31 am
As a social butterfly of the highest level it wasn't hard to lure Corey out to chat. Unless he was super busy with something SUPER important.. and really even then he was pretty good and convincing himself that 'good customer relations' was super important. So talking and playing and shooting the s**t, it was his duty right? Right!
He was pleasantly surprised to hear that Matthew actually knew who he was talking about, nodding vigerously as he described his own interactions with the girl. Even if the other guy had liked her or been interested in her Corey wouldn't have minded. He'd long ago accepted that he wasn't exactly a lady's man. Especially not in any long term way. He had his arcade anyway, he didn't have a whole lot of time to invest in wooing.
"She seems to be doing good. She's been coming here for the past year or more. Always seems bright and happy. Sometimes even hangs around for a game or two."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 4:49 pm
"Nice to hear things are working out for her, then." He'd sometimes wondered where she'd gone, but hadn't known her closely enough to truly worry about it.
In a city like Destiny City, it was easy to worry, but Matthew.... knew more than most did.
Unfortunately, as long as the senshi were here, people would get caught in the crossfire.
THe game was starting to get much harder now, and he was starting to struggle to keep up, a frown on concentration settling on his face.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
