Gaming Day (D11 LM, Express Entertainment Centre)

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

"I think I'm getting the hang of this!" The redhead shouts excitedly.

Having seen what happens if she doesn't, Catherine manages to cancel the boss out of its next laser beam attack with some precise shooting and proceeds to whittle away at its huge health bar as best she can. "This is gonna be close, Laks!"
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Zombie Land, Level 6 - Small Arms: Pistols [Dexterity] - 7k4: 48

[Lakshmi Kaala]

It's down to the wire. There are cheers from the small crowd as the pair knock the boss into its final form. Near death, it hits Laks and takes her out the fight. The next few seconds are tense yet Cat manages to bring it down with an incredibly quick shot to its exposed brains - the last critical point - just before it can melee her.

Laks and the crowd are full of praise as the end cutscene plays.

"You did it Cat - nice shooting! Well done! I may have beat your overall score, but you won the game on one play through." She claps Cat's back with a big smile. "That was fantastic."

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

"Woohoo~ we did it!"

High on adrenaline and too excited to to hold back, Catherine jumps to give her Captain a victory hug. "Your shooting was extra fantastic, Laks." She cheers in response. "That's why you have the better score and why big stinky-brain targeted you first."

The tomboy calms down enough to take a little step back. "This was fun! What's next?"

[Lakshmi Kaala]

"We really did!" Laks joyfully hugs Cat back, rolling her left and right in the embrace. "You were brilliant too." There are a few more cheers from the crowd and a young boy actually asks a question...

"What are you playing next? My friend and I kind of want to watch."

Laks is grinning. She points to the machine. "Gotta enter our names for the top score first. Give us a moment." She picks up the gun she'd used and shoots in LAK.

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

Catherine giggles, when she is rolled left and right for a moment. Afterwards, the small redhead shoots the asking boy a quick grin and picks up her gun again, to enter her own initials.

*pew pew pew*
CAT

Time for a quick celebratory fist bump with Laks.

She then points at the weapon Laksmi used. "We should let a staffer know that some idiot tried to eat this gun. After that ... super robots and dancing in whatever order." The tomboy is quite excited to keep going.

[Lakshmi Kaala]

Laks eagerly bumps fists with Cat, wearing a big smile.

"Hey, your pick. You finished the boss."

She shoots the question back to Cat as she puts the gun back on its stand. "Give it some thought. I'll let the staffer know." She waves to Cat and walks off toward the main counter.

[GM Yuusha]

For the moment, Cat is left to choose between following her or picking a game and letting the boys know. They were teenagers. Both were just a couple years younger than her.

"H-hey, Cat, yeah? Nice shooting." The more confident of the pair says, trying to make conversation.

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

It shouldn't take Laks more than a few moments to let a staffer know, so Catherine decides to ask the boys for their knowledge of this Arcade.

"I'm Cat and thank you." The small tomboy gives the two a quick smile. "So, what are the better games in this place, guys? We have our eyes on the robot fighting game and the rhythm dancing. I heard there's a Battlemech simulator here too. We absolutely want to try that one for sure!"

[GM Yuusha]

"The sim pods, yeah, they're good. A little complicated, but good." The boy turns to point to where they were. "They're in the righthand corner of the next room. Erm..."

"T-there's a great racing game in there too. It's for, um, up to four players."

"Oh! Yeah!" The first boy shares the name of it. It was a looooong running franchise. Very popular.

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

"I would love to explore the sim pods for sure." Catherine smiles eagerly. If she does not get a round of piloting in, this whole day might as well be counted a loss. The boy calling them complicated is kinda puppy-cute too. The wee little lamb ... taller than her.

"No idea how well I'd do at racing, but it sounds like fun, if Laks is up to it. She is amazing at all sorts of things." The game might be from a long running franchise, but Catherine is not too likely to know that, unless Lakshmi exposed her to it.

The small tomboy grew up with real Battlemechs and Simulators. Most games just do not compare.

[Lakshmi Kaala]

Speaking of, Laks casually strolls back to the group. She pats Cat's shoulder. "Hey, what are we talking about?"

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

Catherine turns to beam a grin a her friend. "Sim pods for us two, or a racing game for four?" She repeats the franchise name, hoping to get it right.

"I'm up for both, so I guess we are just deciding on the order to go."

[Lakshmi Kaala]

"As long as we do the sims too, I don't mind." The pair of mechwarriors had very similar inclinations! "Shall we go for some racing?"

The boys both looked pleased, especially having a girl near their age to play with.

Then one of them asks "So, erm, are you sisters?"

Laks thinks about it and smiles. "Least they don't think I'm your mum. Right, Cat?" That would have been a game changer.

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

"Absolutely no missing the sims!" Catherine confirms with conviction. "Let's do some racing! Most spectacular crash wins?"

Their question catches the redhead by surprise and she gives her Captain a look. "Don't tease me, Laks. I know you'd make me pay, if I called you mum." The tomboy laughs. "Racing sisters sounds neat though, or Sisters of Battle when we are in the sim."

[Lakshmi Kaala]

"Sisters, right. I do like teasing you though..." She stealthily reaches to the side only to give Cat's bottom a quick, playful slap as she turns her attention to the boys. "We're not related. Okay, so, show us the way. I'm Lakshmi."

Energetically stepping alongside them, Laks is all smiles as they introduce themselves and lead the way. Soon she was clambering atop a plastic racing bike and going through the list of different bike options to pick one she liked.

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

Catherine jolts with a squeaked "Hey!" at the slap, but follows it up with a grin and a giggle. "I'm Catherine." She follows suit after Lakshmi and introduces her full given name. "But Cat is much easier to say."

She climbs onto one of the bikes as well, secretly glad these are designed for an adolescent audience and thus a much better fit for her small physique than real bikes are.

The redhead starts flicking through the bike options. "So, what'd be a good bike for me? Does this game have hoverbikes? Or rocketbikes?"

[Lakshmi Kaala]

"Just, uh, ground bikes...?" One of them says.

"Sports bikes and stuff." The other hands... helpfully?

Lakshmi snorts, already sifting through the options. "There we go. Good speed, good manoeuvrability, handling isn't terrible and it doesn't look like crap." She confirms her selection for some sort of Terran styled sports bike. "Pick your bikes and... Cat, you pick the course."

Both boys respond positively without complaint. One picks a dirt bike that had a bonus to off road handling and the other went for the fastest bike possible.

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

"Aww, too bad." Catherine sighs upon hearing about the complete lack of any physics defying bikes.

She cycles quickly through the selection, but knows relatively little about bikes. She chooses one that looks good to her. Sleek but tough. Colour choice: Bright red.

Then she has to pick a course too! Grinning she looks at the showcasing pictures on display. Maybe she can get at least some airtime in after all. Which course has the most ramps and stuff? Oh! This one has a loop de loop! Tap.

"Let's have a fun ride!"

[Lakshmi Kaala]

"That makes me think Sword of Light. Good it's not a mech and this isn't a fighting game." Laks half grumbles and half jokes about Cat's colour choice.

Her enjoyment returns as she looks over the map while the system loads. Both boys are getting ready and concentrating while Laks looks relaxed.

"Yeah, let's do it!"

3...

2...

1...

GO!

[Catherine Maia Hayes]

"Hee~!" Catherine laughs back. "Red is a hot colour and I wanna be showy in this game. Watch me fly!"

That is definitely her goal this game. She'll either win this, or go out in glorious style. Unless she manages to faceplant into a wall twelve seconds in.

Cat spends the loading time reading up on how to actually control this bike. Hopefully this isn't too different from piloting a mech.

Vrrm! Vrrm! Off the redhead goes on her red machine, the moment go is called.