Liriya 2023/11/03(Fri)07:35 No. 1076333 ID: 861d57
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So here I am.

Even though I'm the one that caught them, I feel like I'm the one being punished, having to trail along with them like this.

I suppose they did help with the containment breach, but a few alien mutant whatevers running around is no excuse to be firing off guns in a government facility. That was my job.

Now I have a lot of names to remember, besides the two I know; the big Jorun girl is Annika. The lanky, red-haired Jorun is Jami. The black-furred Lansian is Arvo. The Ettelan with the tan markings is Rikke, the one with the white hair is Fiona and the two Itani are siblings, apparently. Nene and Naoji.

The fact that they're going out with their friends like nothing happened so soon after basically being arrested kind of ticks me off, but having relatives in high places is just a free ticket out of trouble, I've noticed.

"Hey, new girl!" Rikke shouts over the others. "Pick something for us to do. We can't decide if we want to hit up the arcade, see a movie or do some legal and responsible drinking."

Get this group to hit the gym.

At least this way, you'll be training as you watch this group. And because Keimi and Alex put themselves in danger twice by invading the facility, you just know they're gonna do it again. At least this way, they'll see what it takes to be a hunter against the monsters, get burned out, and give up.

Second choice, the bar.

Oh my, you really need a freaking drink right now, but you can't allow them at the bar, that would spell disaster.

Movie would be the best way to keep them all in one place, but that's boring, so let's go for the arcade instead.

These guys are all weak. WEAK.

Hit the gym!

Fitness center might not be a bad idea, because those two you caught were somehow holding their own against a beast the size of a truck. Without flinching. Maybe there's some talent there, or maybe something else. Where did they learn to use those guns? Miss "lead scientist" might have specialized training, but she seems like kind of a nerd. The rest of them are just... some dudes. Gender-nonspecific dudes.

Hang on, don't arcades have those punching challenges and dance machines? Just challenge 'em to that.

You can tire this lot out easy, right?

Don't suppose we could get captions above heads for names? Gym and go full drill sarge, see if they have what it takes to not get killed.

>>1076369
https://talehole.com/kusaba/questdis/res/132627.html#141103

>>1076333
ah to heck with it, you have to have some stuff you wanna do without oversight.
do some arcade to show off and maybe have some fun (or gym, for same reasons)

Liriya 2023/11/05(Sun)07:37 No. 1076486 ID: ca2950
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I don't know if anyone is ready or willing to go to a gym, so the arcade seems like a more reasonable option.

It's kind of sparse. I guess I shouldn't expect much in a crappy little frontier town like this. It's just here to keep the people from going nuts from isolation and boredom.

Oh well. There's enough here to for some entertainment and if that sign is accurate, the games can be made more fun and/or challenging with beer.

Should I:

A: Challenge someone to a shooting game
B: Challenge someone to a driving game
C: Challenge someone to a combat game
D: Challenge someone to air hockey
E: Play pinball
F: Something else

>>1076486

Fighting game, not for any particular reason. I just want to see you standing right behind the guy over there already playing it, staring at him until he gets uncomfortable and leaves.

A. They want to shoot guns so badly, you should at least rank their aiming skills.

Air hockey's pretty cool. Also an excellent spectator sport and one can trade in and out as one loses. Form two teams, make Keimi the captain of the other one and poach her buddy to be on yours.

You are supposed to keep an eye on them both, after all.

>>1076493
This

>>1076493
Seconded!

Shooting game

If Air hockey is chosen, i wonder if Alex will need to pick up and hold the short Keimi so she can reach the paddle

Air hockey is good with a group this size

Air hockey mixes reflexes with perception, see how well your tangent combat training has gotten you.

Liriya 2023/11/05(Sun)17:59 No. 1076564 ID: ca2950
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>air hockey

We split into two teams, but after I beat the first few opponents and put a few goals past Rikke, she seems to get flustered.

"Holy shit, dude. I think we need everybody versus the new girl," she smacking her paddle on the table as the puck into the goal again. "Or at least let me buy you a drink for winning so much..."

Should I:

A: Take on everyone
B: Let others play air hockey against each other
C: Accept Rikke's obvious attempt to get me drunk so I can't play as well
D: Something else

C. Drink up. Have fun. Forget the consequences for once. We've been careful for far too long, time to let loose.

C, your tolerance is far too high from your YEARS of physical training for her to have any effect on your ability.

D: Suggest a rule change - swap-out after three successful goals, effective immediately. Offer to do a take on all comers grudge match once the team game is over - that should let people who ain’t too interested go play other stuff or spectate.

And since you just swapped out, have a cider or something. On Rikke, since she was kind enough to offer.

D - "Everyone, you say?"
Each match, add an extra opponent. The catch is that the radius they can defend their goal with grows a little wider with each new player. But can you do it? Can you literally beat everyone else here?

>>1076564
C, an arcade is always better plastered!

>>1076564
C. One drink should make a fair handicap. Unless you're a lightweight.

D. I don't see why you can't take everyone on AND get drunk.

D: Raise the stakes by making it a strip air hockey

Liriya 2023/11/10(Fri)20:07 No. 1076995 ID: ca2950
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After a bit of consideration and good judgement, we settle on a system where the first to score three goals swaps out and the loser has to buy them a drink, which gives them time to drink and has the bonus effect of evening the playing field for the losers.

I'm still doing fine until I go up against Keimi and she does nothing but weird angle shots that change erratically to use my reflexes against me.

She's all cute and bubbly and cheery, but it feels like every move I make is analyzed, calculated and countered. She also drinks a lot. She's had several drinks between winning drinks.

"Kyaa! Another lucky shot! More drinks for me!"

She's not cheating and using magic is she?
Ah whatever, buy Keimi another drink, drunk Keimi ought to be fun.

>>1076995

You know she's the (cloned?) daughter of the lead scientist at that facility you were hired to clean out, right? Of course she's brilliant at analyzing, and calculating. The interesting thing is her erratic, weird angle shots. She is using your reflexes against you, but she's doing it in a very... spontaneous and creative way. Shows she has a high intuition, makes leaps of logic, and may have problems with coldly methodical persistence. If you used an unfair, dead simple strategy to defeat her repeatedly, she'd probably flip her lid.

The other interesting thing is how many drinks she's had. It's not just that she drinks a lot. She has the smallest body of anyone else in this group. How is she holding her liquor like that? Body size puts a hard limit on your alcohol tolerance, you were pretty sure at any rate.

Call Keimi a clone, see if it throws her off her game.

Accuse her of cheating. Haven't you learned anything about countering magic during your training?

>>1076995
well, be a good sport and tag out but then look to whoever is closest and mouth 'what the hell?'

spend a bit of time spectating

Keimi's liver-to-tiny-body ratio must be insane. Do a quick headmath check on how drunk she ought to be given her size vs number of drinks and alcohol content. She's not too old, so she couldn't have built up some kind of insane tolerance, right?

And lucky your ass! She's just good. Trick shots are a splendid way to score in air hockey. Shame skill-based games get increasingly out as folks get drunker, or you'd challenge her to some other game, like dance dance revolution.

Karaoke is traditionally the next step up in the loosening inhibitions drunk fun ladder, but I don't see any machines for that here. Maybe there's a bar nearby that allows it?

If not, challenge Keimi and Rikke and anyone else who wants to a shooting game-off, just to test how well your actual shooting skills translate. Probably the gang here have all played the few games around before, so should have some home ground advantage.