Meet-n-Greet

[cityship]

The rest of the crew assembled on the Observation Deck to meet the latest editions to their numbers. After the revelation that their worlds are gone, many of them are even more eager to see people they knew from home.

Several people are set up near the doors to provide the new people with omnicoms and comm rings. New crew-mates might see a tall man in green armor and snake girl among their number. There are also several authoritative-looking figures ready to introduce themselves.

There's a lot to tell the new people. It's going to be a lot to take in.

[ooc: Only new characters and Command Staff can start new threads for introductions, to limit the number of threads. Everyone else, just tag in and have your guys greet the newbies.]

Comments

((Sorry, Convention took more out of me than I expected. o///o))

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

Alex laughs, "I g-guess you c-can c-call high school a trial, t-though it's not that dangerous. Jus' k-kids makin' fun of each other. Nuthin' I'd c-call a c-culling..." He glanced at the wheelchair for a moment, "Th-that's not where y-you got hurt, was it?"

He couldn't imagine not having the use of his legs, though he didn't often think about how many ways he uses them. If Tavros had made it through something dangerous, he probably had the use of his legs at the time, or something that let him compensate.

((no probs, life happens! :D))

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

"Oh, no, not at all," Tavros replies, "the chair is a, umm fairly recent addition, to my life. I could walk, back when I did the trials."

Like with every other bad break, Tavros dusted his shoulders off and adapted to the wheelchair. He'd be lying if he said he didn't want to be able to walk again, but really, it's not so bad. He can still do pretty much everything he wants.

Besides, compared to most of her victims, he's one of the lucky ones.

((It's not often I have a life anyway. XD))

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

Beginning to play with one of the draw-strings of his hood after playing his next card, Alex ventured, "M-m-might I a-ask wh-what happened?"

He didn't make eye-contact as he spoke, concerned that he might be insulting his new friend.

((I hear ya!))

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

Tavros doesn't seem to mind.

"Oh, um, FLARP accident. You know how it is."

He's not being short with Alex, he just seems to think that's a good enough explanation.

"Uh, your move."

((*Sleeps on* Cons are EXHAUSTING*))

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

Alex plays a move as he asked, "F-Flarp? I d-don't k-know how it is."

What a surprise, more culture differences!

((*is slept on* I don't do cons often, but I know what you mean!))

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

Tavros actually does seem a little surprised.

"You... don't? It's really, a popular game, back home. Uh, it's a live-action, sort of thing, and there are real-life consequences, obviously, but it's supposed to be, uh, a really awesome adventure, if it goes right."

He falls silent, looking at the cards on the bed in front of him. Whether by luck or skill, Alex just played him into a corner. After a moment, he tries a somewhat risky counter.

"There's a lot of, of treasure, too, and strong weapons, that is, if you play long enough to get to higher levels. I only played one time, though."

((I go to two every year))

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

"Y-you have a p-popular game that's th-that dangerous back home?" Well, the kid did carry around a whole capatcha of weapons, or whatever his sub-dimensional pockets were called... "I-I'm... I'm so sorry." He couldn't imagine himself not being able to walk, especially not after an accident while playing what he thought would be something fun to do. He wasn't feeling pity, but actual sympathy.

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

"Sorry? Why sorry?"

There aren't many things on Alternia that aren't a life-or-death risk, and FLARP is wildly popular. Mostly for trolls in it for wealth, power, and bragging rights.

"It was a lot of fun, uhh, at least up until everything went to hell. If I hadn't, gotten hurt, I would've kept playing, definitely."

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

"W-well, w-we don' do anythin' like that really often where I c-come from...M-most things o-on Earth a-aren't life-or-death. It's j-just, wh-what you say when someone g-gets hurt, an' y-you feel b-bad about it."

he frowned at the cards in his hands, trying to decide what to play, and finally decided on one that might not have been the best move, but wasn't a terrible one either.

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

"Well, no, I understand, uh... I just meant that, you shouldn't feel bad about it. If I had the chance, um, to do it over, I would. Just... with better players, this time."

Which, given his personality and his tendency to value adventure and somewhat difficult classes over battle skill and powergaming, probably still would have ended badly. He seems blissfully aware of this.

Thinking he's backed Alex into a corner, game-wise, he plays another card.

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

Alex laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, "I-I, w-well, I-I t-tend ta f-feel bad a lot."

Alex frowned at the new card and grumbled a bit.

"T-there's a lot I wish I c-could do over..." Like tell his mother that she should run away. That she should get out of there. To stand up to his father for once. Or even that move he made just now.

He played another card, thinking that it might turn the tables, if Tavros didn't have anything up his sleeve.

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

"Well, um, everyone has stuff they wish they could go and redo, I think. And, I guess, I learned that, it's important to keep going, uh... even if you don't really want to."

Tavros' sympathy doesn't mean he's going to let you have the match though, Alex. His next move, a particularly good trump card, demolishes the opposing monsters. Tavros sits back, hands on lap, grinning a little.

"Uh, your move."

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

"I-I've n-never really wanted ta g-give up... I k-know how suicide a-affects p-people, an' jus' g-givin' up isn' any better. I c-couldn't d-do that ta the p-people I c-care about."

Then Tavros played his move. "Gah!" He looked at the field with dismay and pressed his lips together, using a card to somewhat heal the one monster he had left. He knew it wasn't going to work, but it was all he could try.

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

Tavros nods, understanding. Not that suicide ever really entered his mind, not like that, but he still understands where Alex is coming from.

And then he plays one last card, soundly defeating Alex's last monster. Trolls are awesome friends.

"And, um, match. Good game, though, you, uh, had me on the ropes for a minute there. Are you sure you haven't, played this before?"

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

Alex grins sheepishly and looks away, "W-well, there's g-games in my w-world like this th-that I read a lot about. A-always wanted ta p-play with people, b-but best I e-ever got was a few video g-games that mimicked the c-card game. Th-that's about all." His cheeks blushed a bit pink as he spoke.

Even with all the awkward cultural differences they had, Alex finally felt as if he had found someone he could really talk to on the same level about a lot of his hobbies.

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

"I guess that, most RPGs follow the same, um, basic principle. As far as things like the numbers go. And, if you keep playing, you'll learn the monster types and weaknesses and stuff, and come up with, uh, better strategies. Not that, most of the ones you just came up with were bad, at all."

Cultural differences can be smoothed out and explained as they happen. Nerdy hobbies, however, seem to be multiuniversal.

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

Alex nods, "C-card games are very similar, I g-guess." He strokes Alice's head as she curls up in his lap.

He leans against the wall next to his bed and smiles, "W-we should play again!"