genessia | action: Ota! choose your own adventure-style! All options open to all.

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action: Ota! choose your own adventure-style! All options open to all.

Who: Charlie McGee
What: Typical DITL. Charlie can be found in several locations.
When: January 8th, all day.
Where: All over.
Warnings: None at the moment

Cake Town: Attleton in the AM, Fayren in the PM

The first stop of Charlie's day is one of the Cake Town stores. She has schedules to put up, orders to place, customers and people to interact with. It's fine, she'll be fine. This is okay. When she's not busy making food for customers, she can be found seated at one of the chairs, working on the schedule and looking up new recipes to add to the menu. And while she's seated, she's eating. It's a crepe with chocolate and strawberries, one of the ones people can get at Cake Town. She really should have gone for something healthier, but none of her adults are around. This is the decision of a teenager who hasn't had much access to food until recently. She'll eat what she wants.

Axiom Games: Early afternoon - Genessia City

Charlie isn't really sure what brought her to Axiom. Maybe it was the noise and flashing lights and laughter, but she finds herself stepping in, looking around, and buying tokens to play games. Soon enough, she's playing at a First Person Shooter style zombie game, and she's not doing too well. It's kind of hard to aim the gun just right, and these damn things keep popping up before she can even take care of the first ones.

Eventually, she dies, and with a huff of frustration, she steps away from the game. Hands on her waist, a faint scowl on her face that looks more amused than angry. And then more money is put in and she decides to keep trying, mumbling herself in a tone that doesn't sound angry, despite the words.

"...stupid, god-damn exploding...piece of hairy garbage...you're gonna get it." Resting the toy rifle against her shoulder, Charlie decides to try again and does a tiny bit better this time.

Just a tiny bit.

Garden Park: Mid-afternoon - Genessia City

Charlie is taking a break from being inside. She doesn't do well with all that sitting inside a building, so she's happy to catch a much-needed respite from crowds and people. She has Andi and Victor with her, both dogs happy with chew toys and nibbling at the bowls of food Charlie set up for them so she can eat her own sandwich in peace.

She has a book nearby, too. Pinocchio. She's read it a million times over, but there's something about the soft smile on her face that may suggest this book brings her joy. Occasionally, she reaches up to pet Andi or Victor, but for the most part, she's pretty happy with reading about the little wooden boy and the trouble he gets himself into.

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It's been a while since he was at Genessia. Sure, living in Nova City is heaven for him to live out his futuristic video gaming dreams, he does admit that he has to return to reality sometime. And by reality, it means he just going to an old-fashioned arcade.

However, one thing that catches his eye as he arrives is a young woman playing a zombie FPS game and by the looks of it, she's not doing a bang-up job so far. Well, he is here for entertainment and just seeing this woman trying to beat the game is entertaining enough for him to approach her and watch her failings.

"Whoa, just how much did you wasted on this game already? I would guess you're having trouble with the zombies or just your aiming skills."

Yep, those words are enough to ignite a conflict. But Aaron doesn't care. He just wants a challenge and he may get it from that woman.

[OOC: Hi! I have a power permission post, so let me if you like to opt-in or opt-out from Aaron's mind abilities just in case.]

"Just a couple tokens," Charlie replies, calming down after she manages a couple decent headshots. "I'm not really into video games. Honestly, the last system I played on was an Atari. I was eight."

She's just barely sixteen, now, and would probably laugh at the idea that this kid thinks she's old enough to be a woman. Another couple shots, aim improving some now that she's starting to understand game mechanics, and a small smile on Charlie's face.

"This is kinda fun, though." Kinda. Still not one-hundred percent her thing.

So in other words, she's a newbie, huh? That would explain her poor aiming skills. He would try to give her more trouble, but just seeing her smile and her enjoyment to the game might be a bit too early for him to destroy it. Though upon hearing about the last gaming system she played, well...

"Atari? Are you serious? When were you born anyway? The 70's?!" Okay, maybe he just wants to mess with her a bit. "In all seriousness, I'm surprised you're not into video games. I practically lived with them every day."

"Nineteen-eighty," Charlie replies, firing and missing a couple shots. That's fine, though. She's not too terribly bothered by this. The game is fun for what it is, but video games just aren't her thing.

Losing once more, Charlie sighs and reholsters the toy gun. She's had enough.

"Why does it surprise you I'm not into video games?"

"That explains a lot." He muttered as he looks at her poor aiming skills once more before she stores it back to its holster.

"For one thing, you can play and compete with anyone and go into some fantasy and sci-fi worlds with just a joystick controller. Heck, practically anyone I know including some streaming creators is playing video games back in my world. They even made it a real sport! Isn't that the coolest?!"

"Why would I want to do any of that?" Charlie replies, shooting offscreen to reload and then aiming and firing some more. Her aim is getting better, but she still doesn't seem too into this game. So she lets herself die and reholsters the gun, letting Game Over flash on the screen.

"To each their own, but I'd rather read a book."

"Because it's fun. Isn't that the point of video games?" Apparently, Aaron has a one-track mind when it comes to one thing he loves.

However, he frowns when she mentions that she rather read a book. "And what's so fun about reading a book?"

"Not my thing," Charlie replies again, this time holstering the gun and giving Aaron a mildly annoyed look. This one-track mind thing made for a very, very boring conversation and Charlie wasn't a fan of boring conversations.

"Books are, for me, a brief escape from reality. If the book is good, it's like stepping into another world. If it's boring, it gets put away and I find a new book to read. Or, you can read to learn something new."

"Oh, really?"

He was interested in her explanation, but in reality, he's not. To him, books have limits. Unlike in video games, you are just limited in reading the other person's POV and of course, there is no interactive element except when you're reading a CYOA book. "But is it worth it on jumping through book to book just to immerse yourself in their worlds?"

Just hearing this made him mentally blacklisted her thoughts for mind reading. It's just not worth it listening to her thoughts about books all the time.

(OOC: Just giving an IC reason for your opt-out on his powers. You're welcome.)

It was probably unusual to see someone older than others in an arcade, but he needed to clear his mind and relax, so there he was. Prompto hadn't played games in awhile for his memory, but his ability to put PA at the top of the leaderboards in all the shooters hadn't diminished in the slightest. If anything, he was improving in that regard.

At her frustration, he turned and mulled over it a moment before approaching.

"N-Need some help?" He stammered slightly, but he was pretty proud of the progress he'd made during his rest in the dream docks.

Charlie's not going to judge people for coming in and playing. She'll judge them for attitude, how they handle things, how they treat her. But never for coming into an arcade, unless they're creepy about it. When Prompto speaks, Charlie nods and points at the second player controller.

"There's a spare token sitting on the buttons, if you wanna use it."

He held up his hand with a token in it. "Got one."

Prompto took up the second gun and put in the token. "I've got your back." He said, changing his stance. After all, he found, the aim of an arcade gun wasn't too different from a regular one.

"Thank you," Charlie replies, smiling a tiny bit and aiming at the screen again. It's still difficult, but Charlie's not really one for video games, so she's not too bothered that she's taking more hits than dishing out. Still, it's going better with help and they manage to get past the point she died at before.

"Red barrel behind that mini horde. On your side."

"On it." Prompto answered, firing easily.

In fact, everything on his side of the screen is going down, he's not missing any shots at all, but he's giving her the space to do her half. He had experience doing co-op, even when he might be outclassing his partner.

He was used to it, his aim was near perfect for a few reasons, but not the least of them, practice.

"You're good at this." Charlie's comment isn't jealousy, it's an observation and a compliment. Video games may not be her thing, and the kid from earlier may have almost turned her off of video games entirely, but the interaction with Prompto is a lot more fun. It's not an attempt to be competitive, or talk her ear off about games. She's actually enjoying this and on her face is a small, rare smile, one that looks like it doesn't get used too often.

"Thanks!" Prompto offered an enthusiastic smile, eyes flickering from the screen for a moment, and yet he didn't miss his shot.

"I've had a lot of practice. N-" He started, paused a moment and then continued. "Noct and I spent a lot of time playing arcade games in high school. These are what I'm best at. Most of the other ones he wiped the floor with me."

Charlie looks away long away for a second, glancing at Prompto as he speaks. When she turns to look at the screen again, it's just barely in time as something big, angry and wielding a chainsaw comes at her. There's some swearing...

...okay a lot of swearing...

She fires a few times, two shots hitting but most of them missing entirely as she finally loses her last life, Game Over flashing on her side of the screen.

"Well, god damn it." She sighs briefly, digging in her pocket as she tries to decide whether or not she wants to play again.

"The last game system I played on was from the Eighties on my world. Old as heck. You had a joystick, one button and characters made of a handful of pixels."

"I had something like that before I met Noct." Prompto nodded in understanding, letting the game go and end his life, he's not that invested in it. He wasn't really challenging her and proving he was better, he was just helping out.

"So I know what you mean. But games got a lot better, at least in my world they did, until there weren't arcades anymore."

King's Knight had kept them sane for awhile, until it didn't and then games weren't the priority anymore. Prompto mentally took stock of how he was feeling. He was feeling okay, which surprised him, but he'd take it.

"At the arcade they also served this really cheap pizza." He grinned. "That we got every single time. I mostly went to hang out, I wouldn't have gone if I was on my own."

[Ted once read that readers inhabit a larger world than others. That this idea came from a writer did not detract from the truth he saw in it one bit. To find another on the park bench made him smile and bend down to peek at the cover to discover the title. It made him chuckle, for that book had two very different renditions.]

Good morning, miss. Are you enjoying a tragedy, or a comedy?

"Depends on where I am in the book," Charlie replies, grinning up at Ted for a moment as she puts her bookmark in the book and sets it aside. It's immediately used as a bed by one of her dogs. Charlie doesn't seem to mind.

[Thankfully, Charlie was not one of those readers who desire privacy in public. He chuckled a little to see the book so carelessly laid aside.]

And your sense of humor, perhaps. Have you made it to the end? I'd hate to spoil.

"Several times," Charlie replies with an amused smirk. "If this were my copy from home, it'd be falling apart. Held together with tape and hope."

"Oh, goodness. Well, did he become a real boy after all, or was he merely hanged?"

"You're lucky Regina's not around."

Neil's voice comes from Charlie's elbow, where he's standing over her with his thumbs hooked in the belt loops of his jeans with a broad, openly fond smile. He's not worried about Charlie with a business to run--she's strong, she's smart, and she's not alone--but things about it nag at him. Nothing that should nag at a father, but do because he knows things most fathers don't.

The fear that comes from doing something alone. The relief of a safety net, someone close who can help. The healing power of knowing that somewhere, some place, there's one or more people that care enough to be concerned.

So he makes a point of popping up when she's not expecting him, rarely offering advice or asking after her, but always trying out the menu or praising what she's doing right because she's got this--and if the day comes when she doesn't, she knows he's around.

Leaning over, Neil kisses the top of her head and circles the table to pull out the chair across from her and make himself comfortable.

"She'd try to make you eat healthy--but we fire bugs need our calories. Still, protein does last longer if you're metabolism ramps up. Means you can go longer without havin' to stop for a meal break. Say the word and I'll go grab you a burger or somethin'."

Most of the time Charlie can get herself to eat a burger. She's getting better about it, at the very least. The smell isn't as bad, but she still needs other people to cook it, other people to handle how it's made. But the idea of a burger makes her nose wrinkle a tad, a small look of guilt on her face.

But she's going to continue eating the food she made for herself, because it's delicious.

"Can we do burgers for dinner tonight?"

"Burgers, tacos, pizza--lady's choice." he assures her with a lopsided smile, leaning over to cover her hand briefly with his bigger one, giving it an affectionate squeeze. "And you know it ain't gotta be burgers--just kinda one of my defaults. Shit I missed in the Five Realms, y'know?"

His gaze flicks down briefly as he draws back, skimming the paperwork in front of her. He doesn't mean to, but the names come together in his mind's eye, the schedule laying itself out in his head...

"Just a suggestion, but you might wanna flip your Tuesday and Thursday personnel. Top name, and third from the bottom--if they're closin' on Monday, spacing out the late shifts means fresher men." Glancing up, and realizing what he's done, he smiles sheepishly.

"Sorry...job hazard: used to have to schedule guard rotations back home." he explained. "Not butting in, honest. Just forgot myself--pretend I didn't say anything."

Charlie takes his advice immediately, switching shifts around so no one does Closing one night and opening the next day. No one wants that shit. Charlie doesn't want that shit. It's exhausting. She's grateful for his help, shooting him an ear to ear grin as she telekinetically shoves a chair out for him. Sit down, dad. She wants to hang out.

"No, don't apologize. I've never run a business before. I appreciate all the advice I can get. And can we stop for pizza for dinner?"

Things have been a little...different between him and Charlie since Neil got sick. Different, but not bad. It just means that when he sees her and the dogs in the park, it's not by accident. He traced her through the net and came here on purpose to bring her something to eat. Something with protein, instead of the chocolate crepe she'd probably eaten.

She's reading as he comes up to her, but the dogs recognize him before he gets close. "Busted," he says and holds out a hand to them.

Edited 2019-01-13 05:05 (UTC)

She doesn't mind things being different. In fact, she finds it interesting. A little bit scary because it's all new, but it's also all Eli. She's fine, in that case. Still, the smile she gives him as changed. It's still there and still genuine, but it's also not a smile she's given anyone else.

Andi and Victor are quick to head over to him, Andi rolling over onto her back for attention and Victor leaning against the offered hand. His way of saying hello.

"Completely busted. You're really bad at sneaking up, you know." She's teasing. "I could probably help you with that."

Charlie, meanwhile, has had to sneak all her life. She's pretty much too pro at this point.

"Might take you up on that," he answers her, likewise teasing.

He's a lot better at sneaking than he usually lets on. Charlie knows about his powers now, same as he does about hers, but that doesn't mean they've shared everything. He's not keeping it from her or anything, he just doesn't talk about it much, especially the dyslexia.

While he's giving Victor a pat and fondling his ears, he tosses Charlie a paper sack. Inside she'll find a few green chili and cheese corn tamales and one pork, in deference to her issues with meat. "Here. Lunch." He made them, but he doesn't say that. She probably knows.

Once she's got it in her hands, he crouches down to give Andi the belly rub she's begging for.

“Good, I’d hate for you to be in a situation where sneaking was important.” So much affectionate teasing. So little time. Andi is all for those belly rubs, tail kicking up debris from the ground with how hard it was wagging. Charlie looks into the bag, enjoying the scents coming from it but not really sure what she’s looking at.

“These smell amazing, but I have no idea what I’m looking at.”

Victor and Andi joins him, trotting at his side, as he comes over to sit down next to her. For a few seconds, he thinks he might just lean over to kiss her cheek, but he's still not sure where they are with that.

Instead, he focuses on the food. "Tamales. Steamed cornmeal with green chili and cheese, and one with pork in a red sauce. Gran used to make them for the community center. It's a pain in the ass, but they're so worth it."

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action: Ota! choose your own adventure-style! All options open to all.

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Garden Park

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Cake Town - Fayren, PM

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Garden Park

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