trans_9 | What is Love? [Valentine's Date Event]

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What is Love? [Valentine's Date Event]

It's shaping up to be another average day on the Transmigration 9. Crew members are going about their business as usual and all is (to most appearances, at least) about as "well" as things ever are on the ship.

Some crew members are going to be stopped out of the blue by impact with a force field.

"Attention Crewmen: You have been chosen to participate in an experiment!" GLaDOS's voice informs. They're not alone, someone else that was nearby is also caught within the same narrow radius. "Participation is mandatory. Please try to relax and enjoy the experience, as this will improve the quality of the test results."

Clearly this is going to be a wonderful day for science.

"You and your new scientific partner are now on a date," GLaDOS goes on. "As it would be detrimental to our study of the date experience if you were to be separated, you must remain close to your partner for the duration of the experiment. This will be enforced with the Transmigration 9 Crewman Containment Field. Prolonged exposure to the Transmigration 9 Crewman Containment Field may have unexpected side-effects. While any side-effects encountered will be documented and your desire to offer yourself to science is commendable, it is not a necessary part of this experiment."

"You will be informed when the test has been completed. We would like to thank you in advance for your full cooperation in the experiment and failure to attempt to foil it in any way."

"The experiment has begun, so you may begin dating."

[OOC: The exact details of your characters' confinement are up to players' discretion. Being trapped in a sensorium or other stationary place is a possibility, as is being stuck in a sort of roving invisible force field hamster ball that only affects the two of you. How far partners can move apart is probably subject to whatever's fun but they ideally shouldn't be able to sit on opposite sides of a room ignoring one another the whole time.

ICly the "test" lasts for a few hours and you are free to godmode GLaDOS telling them the experiment is finished.

If you would like a few tags from GLaDOS herself in your thread, ping me on this account or plurk or AIM or whatever is most convenient for you. :)]

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"Not usually, but you can be," Kaya noted. "It's not even a big deal, but it depends no how you see it."

Like how you should have NEVER SAID THAT HOWARD.

"What's wrong with me? I know how to have a good time."

"Do not. Am not. Don't call me awkward." He lifts his stare up to glare at Kaya. "I didn't say there's anything wrong with you. I just don't want to date you. Ever."

He scuffs his shoe against the floor. "Maybe we should go do something." To escape the crippling awkwardness.

If there was any way to start a date frosty, it was like this. Kaya, who had been in relatively good spirits due to seeing her best friend get married, was now looking at Howard with veiled contempt.

Really, who WOULDN'T after being told they would never want to date them?!

"Fine, whatever," Kaya said, sounding brisk. "What do you want to do?"

It's not personal, Kaya! It's just...she's female. And bubbly. And optimistic. And this is a date. And he has zero interest in any of those.

"I don't know. Maybe we can go to the Med Bay and make popsicle stick armies." Med Bay is serious business. "You know. Something really...neutral."

Kaya rolled her eyes. "Howard, that's just dumb. And boring. If we're stuck doing something together it might as well be something fun, ok? There are amusement parks and bathhouses and stuff on Stacey, you know?"

Seriously, popsicle sticks? had he EVER been on a date?

"What? Popsicle stick armies are awesome, and I'd rather do that than get half-naked at the bathhouse." Which sounds about as appealing as sticking his head in a wood chipper. "Does the theme park still work?"

No. No he hadn't.

"Howard, why anyone would think popsicle stick are better than actually relaxing and destressing in a bath house?" she said, shaking her head. "But I guess there's nothing you can do about taste. "The theme part should work, Nokosi and I were there not too long ago."

Howard gives Kaya this Look as if she's totally stupid for not realizing why he, a kid who is incredibly uncomfortable with physical contact and his own body, doesn't want to strip down to a swimsuit at the bathhouse.

"Okay. Theme park it is. Lead the way."

A look returned by her own which plainly states that Howard tends to find himself in stressful situations, and of all people, Kaya would be the least to care about him wearing a swimsuit.

In any case, that idea was out. "Ok. Did you want to maybe get some snacks there too? I know you want to do your best not to enjoy yourself, but since I still consider us friends, it could be just that: two people enjoying themselves with no romantic inclinations whatsoever."

Oh, if Nokosi could only see them now: he would not stop laughing his head off.

Teenage insecurity and awkwardness knows no rationality; it burns like a raging fire and consumes all it touches. Also it just sucks and prevents you from doing fun things like going to the bathhouse, but that's life.

"No. Let's not get food. You know I eat weird. Don't tease me with it." Seriously, it's like self-consciousness conga right here. "And yeah, let's do that. We can enjoy ourselves."

Right.

That was settled, although Kaya did stare longingly at some of the treats there: it didn't help the smells of cotton candy and popcorn and kettlecorn and roasted peanuts were in the air, and that it was something like the fire festival some of the colonies celebrated.

"Ok then, since you've been to an amusement park before, why don't you pick a ride?"

Man, GLADOS had a pretty messed up sense of humor.

"Anything but the tunnel of love," he says quickly, then, on second thought, "you up for the big roller coaster? I mean, I don't know if you get motion sick or not."

"The tunnel of l-" Man, did she sort of want to shake him for that! She had a boyfriend, and he wasn't interested, as far as she knew, in doing anything like that with anyone? Did she have girly girl taped to her back somewhere?

In any case, a roller coaster sounded perfect: all screaming and yelling with safety! "I don't get that stuff, no. A roller coaster sounds perfect! Want one where we stand and hold onto things, or where we're just on some moving carts?"

Kaya had done some research once she saw this place and visited it with Nokosi.

"Well, the big one is moving carts, so we can do that one first. And maybe one of the swingy ones after that." Good. Roller coasters are nice and neutral. And they can go as friends or at least as the friendly-ish acquaintances Howard considers them.

Friendly-ish? Oh come on Howard, that's just hurtful.

"Not a problem!" Kaya said, determined to at least try to make Howard see a date didn't have to be some excruciating hard thing, and that they could have fun.

Hey, she's been airbended. Rollercoasters have NOTHING on that.

He's the one who's friendly-ish! She's just friendly.

Good luck with this, Kaya. Howard is determined not to enjoy himself, because dates are scary, even when they're st up by crazy carbohydrate-obsessed AIs. The whole idea of romance, even pretend romance, is like that monster under his bed that grabs you by your ankles after your parents have told you it's totally safe.

...Roller coasters are fun, though. He gets into the cart and waits for Kaya.

Well, she did her best!

Kaya knew she didn't have a choice in any of this: Zhin's death, Mia and Aang leaving, the tension that was mounting, Danny Phantom being tortured: there was a lot that weighed heavy, and something like this was actually something she needed, if only for a little while.

She joined him a moment later, smiling. "I'm ready!"

The roller coaster starts up the hill. Howard leans back with his arms behind his head in a (totally manufactured) picture of confidence, for once on this date. Because roller coasters are no longer scary.

"Try not to scream too loud, Bubbles," he teases.

Likewise, Kaya had no fear of high places: once you traveled with the Avatar crew on a sky bison with Fire Nation troops in hot pursuit, suddenly roller coasters seemed relatively timid in comparison.

"Wooo!" Kaya screamed as they went down sharply, clearly enjoying herself.

Howard has a good time on this, at least. Roller coasters are good fear. Fun fear. A total opposite from the fear he usually lives in.

When they get off, he stares over at Kaya with a shit-eating grin. "Wanna do it again?"

Kaya got off, grinning. No, she had not ridden on a roller coaster even though she'd seen them, but that had been because she had been too busy with duties and helping out friends. Now that she had though, she wanted to be very clear...that this was loads of fun!

"Yes, definitely! And after we're done, we have to ride something else, like that rising and falling platform thing where you sit down!"

"The Tower of Terror?" Howard makes the appropriate exaggerated fraidy-face.

Ok, so she hadn't meant that, but she ALSO had never heard of a tower of terror! It sounded exciting!

"Excellent! We should so go and see that too!"

"Yeah! I mean...yeah." He's totally not enjoying this date, Kaya, and don't you make the mistake that he is!

Oh, Kaya knew by now that Howard would get into anything so long as they didn't start talking about things that made him uncomfortable. Anyway, it was fun just hanging out with Howard anyway, even if GLADOS had to force them into it.

"Lead the way!"

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I know nothing about the Tower of Terror, so I leave the details to you!