Audience - Akihiko

[holyspirits]

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week 0, monday

[holyspirits]

[ Gamaliel is at the arcade in Bikini Bottom! They don't seem to be doing anything in particular, though; they're simply leaning against a convenient counter looking at the games from time to time before going back to whatever it is they could possibly be doing on their phone.

They do nod in acknowledgement when they see Akihiko, but they're not starting conversations without prompting, apparently... ]

[ziosar]

[Akihiko was just exploring. The arcade is kind of nostalgic. He can't help comparing it to Pawlonia Mall's arcade]

Not bad! It's been a while since I spent time in a place like this one.

[He's already looking for the crane games. Nobody goes into Game Parade without giving the crane game at the entrance a try, and Akihiko sure wasn't be the exception to that. No harm in doing the same here!]

I can't have lost my touch at these things yet.

[holyspirits]

[ watches him go to the crane game ... they have their chin leaning on their hand, though it's impossible to tell what their expression is. what with the no face. ]

There's a touch? I always thought these things were just rigged.

[ziosar]

It's a competition between you and the claw. The trick is to take charge and show you're not willing to budge until you get what you want.

[What the hell, Akihiko, what was that? After saying that he really will have to do fantastic or else he'll have some serious egg on his face]

[holyspirits]

. . .

You know the claw is an inanimate object, right?

[ziosar]

You're missing the point.

[After that bullshit, Akihiko gets to work. Time to make the claw submit and give him a prize.

Unfortunately, yeah, this one likely is rigged. This is no jRPG where you actually stand a chance to win a prize from claw machines. Also I rolled a 5, that didn't help either. The claw grabs something, but it slips out because the claw's strength wasn't enough to keep a hold of it]

What--?

[holyspirits]

[ they truly just watch him fail in silence ]

So much for showing the claw who's boss.

[ziosar]

You saw that, the claw randomly dropped it!

[It's true but it also sounds so much like an excuse to cover for his failure, haha]

[holyspirits]

Because it's rigged. [ they are justified!! ] Or because you're not as good as you thought you were.

[ziosar]

So it's rigged.

[Wow, he didn't hesitate to take that justification]

[holyspirits]

That's what I told you from the start!

[ziosar]

[Details, details.

Akihiko leaves the crane games behind, deciding he had enough of that for now. Through the rest of the week he'll come back from time to time to try to win a prize, really. His pride is a little hurt, so he's going to make it his mission to succeed at least once at that.

But for now he's just leaving it behind. While he's looking around, he glances at Gamaliel]

So, this is your kind of place?

[You prefer arcades and the such to hang out?]

[holyspirits]

[ they lean on the counter a little, arms crossed ]

My kind of place? [ a little amused ] When I was a kid, maybe. I don't think they even make these anymore.

[ziosar]

They don't?

[Akihiko, stuck in the era where arcades still existed and didn't do too bad. Ah, 2006 or so, those sure were the times]

[holyspirits]

Not unless you count museums.

[ziosar]

[Well that's such a loss. Where do people have fun if the arcades are gone]

Are karaokes gone too?

[The future doesn't seem very appealing]

[holyspirits]

No, singing along to songs never went out of style the same way.

[ which isn't all karaokes are, but that is what they will summarize them in ]

[ziosar]

I see.

[Akihiko nods]

So this is how a bunch of people here feel, finding out what 'the future' is like. I didn't think I'd experience that myself.

[It's kind of bitter, somehow!]

[holyspirits]

A lot of people also aren't from Earth, so that's part of it, I think. There's so many timelines and worlds around.

[ they tilt their head ]

When are you from?

[ziosar]

Tatsumi Port Island. That's Japan.

[Who knows what part of Japan it is]

It's a port but it isn't nearly as...natural as this place? It's a couple artificial islands just off the coast. No good beaches.

[According to the map there's an industrial zone right by the water. I have no idea what are the pollution restrictions in Japan, but I sure would avoid the water in any city with industrial presence]

[holyspirits]

I've never heard of that one... Japan, sure, but not the port. Maybe it's got a different name.

[ or maybe it's made up. what a mystery. they shake their head ]

Too bad about the beaches, though.