Arcades and drinks?

[Aurora]

Aurora had heard talk about this place called Coin-Op Game Room, and she had to check it out. Because when was the last time there was a bar with old school arcade style games?! Not to mention they had outdoor Jenga and other similar games that can be played sitting down, or standing, outside! Fun times all around!

It was later in the evening, because she wanted to experience the patio and what it had to offer. The nights were finally getting warmer and she was eager to have some fun! So she went casual with a sheer green flowy top and some jeans.

The drink menu was big, and she had a hard time deciding on her usual, a craft beer, or to try something else. But then something caught her eye, an Off-Road Colada, and it sounded delicious! So of course, she got it and began walking around, looking at the different arcade games. The flower from her drink was tucked behind her ear.

Some were true classics, and she wasn’t sure which to play first! But she had all night and a bunch of quarters!

[Corn]

Corn was lost in his thoughts; the last days have been tough for his wife and for him. When he was alone, thoughts of what could-have-been were intruding in his mind. So he was trying to keep himself distracted as much as possible. Which brought him of course to the place of escape from his thoughts that have been reliably there for much of his adolescence and now adult life: arcades. A colleague had told him about this 'old school' bar, thinking Corn was exactly the type of client they were looking for. Corn... agreed.
Last time he was in an arcade, it was with Trevor and Mandy's boyfriend Bob, and while he held his own, he was aware that he was getting rusty. He had signed off to it, expecting the duties of a new parent to be overwhelming and leave him little time to 'practice'. A new parent... nope, no, no. Not that line of thought.

He was here mostly to scout the place and its games. He paid little attention to the menus and was drawn immediately to the vintage stuff. A balding, overweight man probably pushing 50 was playing angrily next to two preteens. Yeap. That's the stuff!
Aurora ... Corn bit his lips. He didn't want to be resentful towards Aurora. But ... No. I will not go down that road of resentment. It was not her fault. I will respect her reasons. Corn thought as he was fighting the urge to either turn and leave before she spots him or to order three of the strongest drinks they had here.
I cannot avoid Aurora for the rest of my life and I cannot run away from the past.

Approaching Aurora with a (somewhat forced) smile, feeling a bit awkward and sheepish, Corn said, "greetings, is that seat taken?" If she also felt awkward and wanted him to buzz off, she could tell him.

[Aurora]

If you asked her to make a list of the last person she would expect to see here, it would say Corn. But she had to remember that everyone grieves their own way, and maybe this was part of it for him.

She didn’t want awkward tonight, so she vows to make sure things are as ‘fun’ as possible. If that was possible. Who knows, little bit of alcohol, some awesome retro pinball games…sounds like fun.

Right?

A forced smile. She’s had those herself, a shield.

“Hey!” offering a friendly smile, “Not at all! Come join me!” gesturing to the seats. “Any of the pinball games catch your eye? I’m having a huge flash back to my younger years.” Laughing. “But I can’t decide which to start with.” Opening the floor for him to recommend one if he wanted. Turning attention to the arcade around them and not the elephant in the room.

[Corn]

As he was moving to sit, he had gestured to the waiter to bring him something strong, perhaps this was a mistake, perhaps...
and then Aurora gave him an opening. Talking retro games? Yes, he can do that.
A smile, genuine smile spread on his face. "You are a good person, Madison. Did you remember that I love these games or is it a coincidence?" he whispered and then waved to change his whiskey with a beer. No need for strong alcohol, he had take a Aurora in a trip down the memory lane and back to the 80s.

"Allow me to help you decide then." he said with a sage-y look. " But before we move to the pins, I would like to perhaps draw the lady's attention to the classics." he said waving towards the classic games. "You see, Madison, they are classics for a reason. There is an inbuilt simplicity in the blocks of Tetris that belies the complexity of the game. The pressure and tension piles up as you move to faster and faster stages and despite the simple sounds and colors there is something inherently rewarding in the bling-bling sound of 3 or 4 rows being eliminated. The self-pat of a "job well done" if you will.

Speaking of a job well done, we have the Paperboy. Here things escalate as you can have your petty revenge on those that refuse your service by breaking their windows, but watch for those dogs. And as for avoiding critters, one cannot fail to mention Super Mario Bros..."

Corn spends a couple of sentences talking up the 'classics' allowing input from Aurora if she wants to share it. If her heart is set on the pins, then he would go down several from the list. His beer is long forgotten in the cup as he's focused on this, glad to flex his nerdiness.

[Zeromancer]

Zeromancer walked into the arcade, he liked what he saw. He knew from his hometown that places like this were coming back. They were considered Retro, which he didn't mind. He realized then realized he should have invited one of his friends to come join him. And as if his thoughts and reality merged there he spotted, sitting together were his two new favorite people. He decided he would play a joke on them before they spotted him. He went to the bar and ordered a rum and coke and a glass of ice.

He then snuck close to his friends and started to throw ice at them.

[Aurora]

A good person? Nah. Just someone who paid attention and observed. There was an innocent shrug as she sipped her drink.

“Help me decide.” Giving him the floor. She knew a bit about the games, but it had been years since she really thought about them. It would be curious to see what Corn had to say about them. Her eyes follow his as she continues to sip her drink. A nod here and there.

“Now Paperboy sounds like it could be fun! Lets add that one to the list.” Then a sage nod, “Super Mario Bros is one of the classics. But what about Duck Hunt?” laughing, “I used to get soo angry at that damn dog laughing when I missed.” Downright rude.

On pinballs, “I have to say I was always drawn to the most colorful ones with the best sounds. Nothing makes a machine suck more than having annoying or weak sounds. Funhouse was one of favorites, always felt drawn to it. And it could be from I do for work. You have a favorite?” this was fun.

Well, she hadn’t noticed Zero, focusing on her conversation with Corn. But the ice hitting her not only jumped her, cause cold, but got her attention.

“Hey!” standing to her full height, eyes narrowed as she scans the room. Not that she was scary looking, no one was going to be scared of her.

But eyes then widen and narrow playfully, “You.” Eyes settling on Zero as the corner of her mouth pulls up in a smirk, “Not nice.” She teases.

[Corn]

"I would say Double Dragon and Arcanoid. Or its colorful clones. From Pinballs... " he scanned the room.
How do you say, 'the ones with the pretty ladies?' sounding polite? he thought.
"Hmmm, well, back then, I was a young boy so the more attractive the girls on the pin, the more of my allowance went to that machine. Special Force for example had some notable... assets."

The ice missile got Aurora and his attention. Then she spots Zeromancer as Aurora's expression softens.
With a crooked smile he shakes his head. "Not cool Hector, I was about to explain why Super Mario Bros II is objectively better than its predecessor after I finished my lengthy opinion piece on pinball machines, retro games and pretty ladies." He is clearly not annoyed but jesting.

Corn is grieving but a few days have passed. He makes effort to not think about the miscarriage and hide his grief. If Zero makes an empathy check to figure that something is off with Corn... here's two successes to hide it.

2 successes

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2022-05-13 15:23:47	Corn rolls 4 to Man+subt (10 Again)	10, 3, 3, 7, 9	2 successes

[Zeromancer]

Zeromancer shined a smile to Aurora , "It is always nice to see you." He then addresses Corn "Well then I was just in time, we should be playing these classic games not talking about them. By the time we go down that rabbit hole, we will be as old as these games" He chuckled, "Anyways I am happy to run into the both of you. I thought it might be another night alone. I am glad I am in good company."

He really meant what he said, even though he seem extroverted it was hard for him to go out sometimes. At heart he knew he was an introvert who knew how to play the part of extrovert well.

failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2022-05-14 09:49:19	Zeromancer rolls 6 to Perception Check (Wits2 + Composure4) (10 Again)	2, 5, 5, 6, 1, 4	failure

Zero then remembered something "Speaking of which I thought you would be home with your wife and newborn?"

Sorry man the dice really do not like me lately.

[Aurora]

Nodding with excitement, “Double Dragon is amazing!” she was seeing this place as a frequent hangout.

Laughing, “Totally get that. Some of the art work made it very hard to tear your eyes away.” She could admit that the female body was beautiful. No shame.

Sitting back down, she picks up her drink, “It kinda was cool, I mean, technically.” Cause, ice. “But I have to agree, Super Mario Bros was a better game.” It was hard to explain, maybe it was the art or maybe it was the story, but she enjoyed it more than the others.

“We were just deciding which machine to start with. And also out own experiences with them in our younger years.” Another sip taken, “You know, you can always call or text one of us or whoever, if you want company.” Pointing out the obvious, but in a playful way.

And then it happened. She knew it was going to at some point. Corn had been so happy and proud talking about the baby. But it was uncomfortable, and this was not really the place. But was there ever a good place.

A long, deep sip of her drink was taken, eyes moving from Zero to Corn, deciding what she would say.

“So do you have any favorite arcade or pinball games?” not all that smooth, but she never claimed to be. "We were sharing our all time favs." and look at that, she needed another drink. The Shaman excuses herself to go up to the bar and order another.

[Corn]

Corn's expression fell and he seemed like he had been doused with a bucket of ice.
"Well." He took a breath. It was not the first time that he had to reply to that. And it was never easy.
"The child... there were complications late in the pregnancy and he didn't make it. But my wife is safe and healthy. Doctors say we can try again after three to six months. It is hard and we are both looking for distractions. Family and friends show up in the house often, we have a lot of support for which I am honestly grateful. It is not something I would like to discuss further, I hope you understand."
It has been suggested to him by some people that losing pregnancy was not that big of a deal. Well, probably for some people. Not for him, not for his wife.

As Aurora stands up to go for the bar, Corn asks "Madison, could you please tell them to bring me something strong? Whiskey on the rocks perhaps?"
To Zeromancer he says "Can we change the subject? To get back to your earlier statement about another night alone, you don't have to be. Sometimes it is nice. But we're just a text away. And it's not just me and @Madison. If we are not available, you could reach for ... " what was Crystal 's among-sleepers name again?
"... I forget his name. The Christian Dior guy. Or any of the others, from our bookclub our even outside of it. Get to know people. You get a better feel of what they are like in places like this, than in the club meetings."