DAY FIVE
![]() Complex Population: ??? It's 8AM, and you wake from that deep, dreamless sleep that enforces curfew as always. There's breakfast avaliable in the cafeteria if you want it, as well as meals from 11AM-12PM and 7PM-8PM, but otherwise? The day is yours. Take your time to explore the complex, relax, and enjoy each others' company, as who knows what the next day has in store? Though as you explore, you may notice that there's a new door unlocked and a new place for you to spend the day. Even better, it's two rooms! You'll find a dated computer lab, but at least you can play classics like Kid Pix and Ski Free. Connected to the lab is also a small movie theater, though the movie selection only goes up to 1940... Also, anyone taking a stroll by the fountain this morning may notice something odd about it. The water is red. This post is for the first day as defined in the schedule. This post is for general mingling and CR buidling, and will not include significant plot interaction. ic rulebook character statuses character profiles private conversations graveyard |
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Sort of? But not really. There's actually a dozen different games you can play with a stick and balls. [ that's what she said?? ] They call it cue sports. But the one I'm playing is the most common. And it's more... process of elimination than a point system.
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Ah... Hm. Then the point is... to get as many of those balls into the side holes?
[Or so he's assuming, based on his brief observations. What a funky game... Though he supposes pingpong isn't much better in terms of "games that actually make sense".]
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[ he's probably going to end up explaining pool to the entire group of people that don't know it by the end of this experiment. if he's alive, anyway. even then, he'll come back as a ghost to finish his job. ]
It's easy once you play a game or two. Elizabeth picked up pretty quickly. But with her wrist the way it is now...
[ a frown. Bigby lost his regular pool partner. :( ]
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It's a wonder that with all of the advanced technology here, they don't have an equally advanced way of treating injuries.
[Though he supposes that would be low on their priority list, considering they're here to set the stage for gladiator battle executions, apparently.]
...Would you mind showing me how to play?
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[ oh. right. Sakyou is a samurai, apparently. this is probably supremely advanced to him. and also a sign as to why he shouldn't even glance at Elizabeth's wrist. please don't hurt the waifu further..... ]
Nevermind. Yeah, I can show you. Grab a stick and I'll set the balls up again.
[ he's already moving to get the rack and pulling all of the balls he had shot in back to the table to set them inside. they're setup neat and proper at the center of the table, with Bigby standing to the side and leaning on his stick. ]
Do you think you know how to shoot with the stick, or―
[ please don't tell him he's going to have to bend over the poor guy and teach him that too. ]
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Thank you.
[He'll put down the cards he'd been rifling through, moving over to pick one of the cues up. He's used to the weight, at least, considering he and Alice had been swinging them around earlier. They're not baseball bats but here we are, in moron town.]
—If I could watch you once more, I think I'll be able to.
[Proper form is something he's good at, at least! Mostly when it comes to swordsmanship, but he's hoping it'll save his ass here too.]
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Alright. So, if you haven't noticed... the solid white one is called a cue ball. That's what you shoot with the pool stick to hit the others. The first turn is called the break. If both stripes and solids go in, that player gets to call either one. If it's just one, that's theirs and the other goes to the second.
―Hope that makes sense.
[ he's going to be really good at teaching this at some point. really.
but Bigby does what is expected by bending over the table and lining up his shot. the tip of the cue stick strikes against the cue ball, sending it careening to the group of balls. they're all sent in separate directions, bouncing against one another with a single stripe being the only one that goes inside a pocket. he stands up and looks over to Sakyou to ensure there was no confusion. ]
Stripes are mine. Solids are yours. Hit from where the cue ball is and aim for solids. Probably best to avoid mine, but... by all means.
[ a weak smile. see, he can be approachable!! ]
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He'll watch carefully while Bigby lays out the basics of the game and lines up his first shot, though! It seems simple enough to understand, much like he card game that he had learned from Elizabeth on their first day in the complex. Fun, relatively easy things seem like the best possible way to pass time here. ...The best (somewhat) stress-free way to do that, anyway. He even smiles a little at Bigby's joke! Good work, squad.]
Alright, I think I understand the basics.
[And then he'll move to line up his own shot, attempting to mimic what he'd seen to the best of his abilities. It's no pro shot by any means, but it's not too sloppy either, at least.
Granted, he doesn't actually sink any balls, but he sure did manage to scatter them pretty hard...]
...Aiming like this is a little more difficult than I had expected.
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and it was, to an extent. he at least avoiding fouling by sinking his cue ball, or worst yet, the eight ball and losing right then and there. Bigby picks up his stick to make his way to where the cue ball currently was. ]
You'll get the hang of it. It's just because you have to get level with the table. Best thing to do is... target a ball you want and visualize where you think it's going to go. All about angles.
[ and Bigby shows an example, sending the cue ball into the cushion and banking it towards a stripe. it falls into the pocket and he looks up with a pursed set that shows he was a little too smug about that. ]
The player keeps going until they don't seek their ball in or fouls. Either you sink in the cue ball or the other player's. If you sink in the cue ball, the other player gets to move it where they want.
[ he aims for his second shot and isn't as lucky. it's a miss, allowing Sakyou to go up next. ]
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Either way, Sakyou seems suitably impressed by Bigby's accurate strike. Considering his own was just a messy scatter, the thought of being able to sink a ball in one go is a pretty dang neat feat.
He lines up for his next shot, but first, curiously:]
How long have you been playing? Your aim is good.
[It reminds him a little of spinning tops, and how long it had taken him to get good at... you know, not letting it spin all over the place and risk taking out some rando's eye.
He also just barely misses sinking a ball this time. It comes close to the pocket, but clips the edge at the last second and sends the ball skirting away.]
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[ a good... hundred years, maybe? give or take? Bigby's still nowhere near the level of professionals participating in tournaments, but then again, it's always been an idle hobby. he didn't have many of those other than doing his job, smoking and drinking. for a guy who's just now shooting with a cue stick for a second time, he's doing pretty good in comparison. ]
Take another shot. We aren't playing for anything, so it's better you get more time in learning how the stick feels in your hands.
[ THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!!! ]
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Is it because you enjoy the sport? I'd never seen anything like it before arriving here. ...Which could be said for near everything else.
[From the lights to the style of clothing to the food... It's a struggle being ye olde in a completely different way from certain oldass people. The phrasing has him curious, though--]
Ah. Is this game also popular for gambling?
[Makes sense, he guesses. Anything could be made into a gambling game if someone tries hard enough... He lines up his next shot in the meantime, experimenting with tucking his elbows in a little more to see if that has any effect.]
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[ kind of funny. the guy that likes to tear apart doors and cause mayhem also enjoys a pseudo form of meditation by watching a bunch of balls bounce against a table. everyone has their quirks, including the Big Bad Wolf.
Bigby studies the way Sakyou attempts to correct himself with his second shot, refraining from saying anything to distract him from learning on his own. at the mentioning of gambling, however, he makes a noise of agreement. ]
Heh. It's mostly why people play it. A lot of players like to hustle. You know, say they're shit at the game, lose a couple times and make the other guy think they're in for easy money. Then they pull the rug out from underneath them. ―I don't gamble, though. Stupid thing to get addicted to.
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I see... I suppose there is something about it that's a little calming. It's nice to have something else to focus on, at least for a short while.
[Worrying about murder 24/7 is a good way to get entirely burnt out, after all... As for all the talk of gambling:]
Mm... Elizabeth said something similar earlier about card games. I've never understood the draw of gambling myself, but it's all illegal where I come from, anyway.