Description: Niamh meets Razor at the arcade in Metro City, where he's busy spending his earnings and ignoring the doctor's orders after fighting Gato. The two of them engage in some 16-bit side-scrolling beat-'em-up action while catching up.
At this time of day, on a week day, the towering Metro Arcade is actually relatively quiet, the noise of the machines themselves aside. Only a few parents have their young children here to play the kid games, and it's too early in the morning for even the most delinquent of teenagers to congregate. As a result, the atmosphere is fairly relaxed, and most floors of the building aren't even occupied.
Which is part of the reason why Rex Rodfield is hanging out in this venue right now. He's wearing a faded baseball cap in addition to his usual muscle shirt and cargo pants, and standing at an old machine by himself, playing a side-scrolling beat-'em-up fairly casually. He's got a large stack of tokens sitting behind the buttons to not slide off. And, one might notice, he seems to be a bit thicker around the lower torso than usual.
Niamh had arranged to meet Razor at the Metro Arcade. After their drink together in the Hotel Metro bar, he had given her his phone number and now he was back in the country, she had decided to call it. She had watched his matches in Japan and India and after the botanical gardens bout, she had been surprised he was even out of hospital, never mind up to gaming in an arcade, but apparently he was and he had suggested she come along and join him.
Niamh is dressed in a skater style jersey dress, that has a black skirt and a white top half, with the print of a tiger's face on it and some black hi-tops, with a white soul. She makes her way across the arcade, with relative ease, since is is far from crowded and spots Razor at one of the machines. Moving up beside him, she grabs the cap off his head and plants it on her own, before greeting him "Hiya"
Having his hat pulled off from beside him isn't enough to break Razor's concentration on the game that he's playing, mashing buttons as his pixellated character on the screen knees someone in the face then throws them over their shoulder. Not that the game is overly complicated anyway.
"Heya, Tiger," he answers her, immediately recognizing the accent and flash of magenta hair to his right. His voice is even more gravelly than normal, and he releases the joystick for a moment to stifle a cough. "You wanna play Bimmy? You can take one of my tokens. I've got plenty." Yes, he is living large off of his recent earnings from the Saturday Night Fight circuit. Even though he's supposed to be getting nothing but bedrest right now.
"Sure, I'm up for some Bimmy" she says and grabs a token off the pile. "So how are you feeling?" she eyes eyes him briefly, looking for any signs of injury. "Have you got some padidng under that vest, or did you just have a few too many kormas, after the fight?" she teases and then turns her eyes back to the screen, as the game starts to load. "I hope you know I have never played this game before, so don't laugh at me, if I am crappy. It wouldn't be polite."
"I don't know, I think making fun of me about my weight may have removed any sense of mercy on behalf of your being a newbie and a girl," Razor replies to Niamh, eyeing her challengingly. "Not to mention stealing my favourite cap. It's pretty simple, though. You're the blue guy. You push the buttons to hit people. If you die, you put in another token to come back to life. It's just like the real world. Oh, and if you were wondering..."
He reaches down and lifts the bottom of his muscle shirt a bit so that she can see the bandaging he's wearing. "Couple fractures. Doctor wanted me to stay in bed, but I can walk, so I am. I skipped out on painkillers. So, well... it stings a bit." Both the damage and pain are somewhat understated. "But now I got company, so that makes it better."
"You can have the cap back, when I am done kicking your arse" she says, though she doesn't sound too convinced she is going to. "So blue guy, punch people, die, buy a new life. Think I got it." She adjusts the cap on her head, so it isn't falling in her eyes and blocking her vision. "I saw you on TV by the way, I am surprised you are up and about, but I am not too surprised you don't listen to doctors." She grins at him and eyes his bandages "I'm sure a tough guy like you can handle a lot of pain, though. I think I would have been all too happy to stay in the hospital bed for a bit, but yes, you have company now and I'm glad to be here." She smiles at him, then turns her attention back to the screen. "Okay, here we go!"
"Well, technically we're on the same team, so it sounds like I won't be getting that cap back," Razor says, his tone almost edging on displeased. "Yeah, that was pretty much the worst ass kicking I've ever had by one man. I like to think I at least gave a little back, but I probably would've been dead if I hadn't had that Sakura chick backing me up. I swear that guy was out to kill me. Didn't like me calling him princess, I guess." As Niamh joins he continues to hammer buttons on the machine, his red-vest-clad character now smacking some thug in the face with a bottle. "I wouldn't judge anyone for not wanting to get legally doped up in the state I'm in. Hell, part of me wants to. But there's risks involved, the same as with any other drug."
Niamh looks puzzled "Oh, well now I feel silly for saying I am gonna kick your arse." She giggles a bit, which soon turns into a laugh, then a cough. "Sorry about that, apparently, I find myself incredibly funny." She starts hammering away at the keys, coping his motions. "I am sure you can find some other way to earn the cap back. Don't worry though, I won't suggest a brawl in your current condition." She starts to laugh again, as he mentions calling Gato princess."Yeah, I imagine that wouldn't go down to well" she smirks "I've found that most guys aren't a fan of being called princess, other than this one guy at my university, he seemed to love it." She hammers away some more "Ooh look, I am beating this guy up" she says, sounding thrilled at the prospect."This is kinda cool, but a bit different from The Sims." She lets out a loud cheer, as she beats on another guy, causing a middle aged man and his two kids to stare at her. She doesn't notice though, since she is focused on the game, but she does manage to respond to Razor.
"I've never done any drugs myself, unless you count Ibuprofen, after hard practice sessions. I don't see the point to be honest, I can enjoy myself without them and pain is usually better felt at the time it is happening, in my experience. She pauses to kick a guy coming towards her in the game. "Emotional pain anyway" she adds.
"Oh, so now I have to earn my own cap back, do I?" Razor eyes Niamh sidelong as his character on-screen goes to town with a set of nunchaku on a group of thugs. "Are you supposed to be a tiger or a minx? Actually, I'm not sure if a minx is a kind of cat or not." He shrugs his shoulders a bit when she mentions knowing a guy who liked being called princess. "I guess to each their own. There're worse things a guy could be called."A faint smirk plays on his lips when she cheers, though he furrows his brow a moment later. "What's the Sims?"
He nods slightly when she mentions only taking Ibuprofen. "The problem I have with those kinds of drugs myself is the side effects. I think that you tend to pay for shortcuts, one way or another. I don't even like drinking too much caffeine. But that's just me."
Niamh shrugs her shoulders slightly. "Or you could just take it back, if you like. I think it may look good on me, though". She grins and slams on her joystick so hard, she is at risk of breaking it. "Oh no, quick quick" she shrieks and then sighs, sitting back, as her character dies. "Well,that sucks. Good job, I can pay to rise again." She slots another token in "Or you can pay, I should say. Don't worry, though. I will buy the drinks later, but no coke or coffee, since you aren't a fan of caffeine."
"As for minxes, I always thought they were cats too, though I never really considered what kind. I am a tiger though, for sure. How about you, what would you be, if you were an animal?"She starts working her way through the game again, feeling a little more comfortable with the controls by now. "The Sims is a computer game, I thought everyone had heard of it! You basically run a familys life for them, which sounds a lot moe dull and weird than it actually is."
"Maybe, or maybe you just look good in it," Razor muses as he watches Bimmy get beat up by mooks. Meanwhile, his own red-vested avatar is getting knocked around and is on the verge of getting KO'd himself. "Huh, looks like I may have to spend a second token myself in a sec. I guess that'll make us tied." The music on the arcade machine shifts as the pair of them arrive at a stage boss. Razor charges straight for them and gets knocked right the heck out for his troubles.
"And there we have it," he says as he grabs another token and slips it into the slot. "Me? I guess I'd like to think I'd be something cool, like uh... a t-rex? Do those count?" He starts pressing buttons again as the two of them duke it out with the boss. "Really though, probably more like a stray dog. Maybe a rottweiler, or a pit bull." He reaches around behind her, not being fresh, but instead trying to sneak a hand up to take his cap off of her head - then turn it around backwards and stick it back on her.
"Or maybe both" she suggests, her eyes going wide, as they approach the boss. "This looks tough" she exclaims and starts attacking the boss, without any discussion of strategy "Oops, you are dead" she says, trying to sound sympathetic, but instead starting to laugh. She continues to fight, actually managing to get some good hits in.
"Sure, you can be a T-Rex, those were real once upon a time. You realise that suggests you may be a little outdated though, right?" she teases."Being a rottweiler or a pit bull suggests that you may have a bit of a mean streak too, or at least aggressive. I guess you need that though, to be a streetfighter." She looks thoughtful for a second, then shouts "Heh!" as she thinks he is going to take the cap, then pulls a face, as he puts it back on, the wrong way. "What am I, a nineties rapper?"
"Hey, you didn't have to be a rapper to wear your cap backwards in the nineties. Anyone could do it and you automatically looked twice as cool." Razor returns his hand to the attack buttons and resumes wailing on the boss. It's not too long before the two of them manage to take him down, cuing the stage's victory music. "I wouldn't say I have a mean streak. Well, maybe a little. But not in a bullying kind of way. Besides, I think tigers are usually known for being pretty mean, themselves."
He gives her another look. "You look good like that. Tell you what, you can keep the cap. Call it a souvenir." And while he's busy watching her play the game with the cap on nineties style, he's also failing to notice that the next stage has started and his character is getting thrashed by a couple of ninjas.
"I guess other people wore them like that too, but the image in my head seems to be of Will Smith and he was pretty cool, I suppose" she admits reluctantly. She starts singing the theme tune to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, then stops to yell "Ninjas incoming" a little too late to be of use. "You called me a ninja last time we met, I liked that."
It's not long before she is dead for the second time and has to grab another token. Before she slots it in, she turns to look at him, studying his face and says "No, I don't think you are mean for means sake, only for a reason. I suppose I am like that, too" she admits. She glances down at the tiger on her dress and says "Tigers can be mean too, but they are also magestic and beautiful, so I can handle that.I don't think I have ever met one with a Scottish accent before though, so I'm unique." She looks pleased about this and smiles, as she starts playing the game again. "Thanks for the caps by the way, though I am not sure I want to call it a souvenir. I usually get those to remind me of something, which suggests I may not see you again."
Razor looks back at the game screen just in time to see his character on the ground flash and disappear, the giant 'Continue?' countdown displaying. His expression becomes terse for a moment before he grabs another token and rolls it into the slot. Soon, he is wreaking vengeance on the game's ninja population.
"So, basically you're a unique, majestic and beautiful Scottish ninja." He looks thoughtful, as if weighing the statement in his mind, but he doesn't let on a conclusion. When she thanks him, he replies, "Well, maybe it'll remind you to come back and visit me. Or maybe sometime I'll get a chance to visit you, whereever you happen to be. Not that it matters right now."
"Well it's not like I am bragging or anything" she tells him. "You called me a ninja and I was merely saying what tigers were and that I didn't mind being compared to them as a result." She starts taking some ninjas down herself, too "Okay, the cap can be a reminder, to visit you. That works.What do I give you to remember to visit me, though?" she asks, her smooth brow furrowing a little. "Wherever it is though, you will be welcome, though it could be a bit far to travel, if I am following Caiomhe somewhere."
"So where shall we go for our drink, after this?" she asks. "Know anywhere that is cool to hang out and has good soft drinks? Maybe a juice bar or something" she ponders.
Razor arches one eyebrow at Niamh again. A juice bar? Really? Does he look like the kind of guy who knows where to find a good juice bar? "Sure, most of the classier gyms have one. We could go to one. Get a good workout to make up for all the video games." Not that the two of them have been at the machines for long. "Or we could go to my apartment, if you want." He pauses for a second, "For a drink, I mean. And so you know where I live, in case you want to visit later."
Razor's on-screen character picks up a barrel and hefts it at an enemy, causing it to explode and knock them out. "I love doing that. Anyway, it's up to you if you want to give me a souvenir. I don't think I'll have much trouble remembering you either way."
Now it is Niamh's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Your place huh? Now if you weren't such a trustworthy sort, I may question your motives, but since you are, I will just ask, what do you have to drink back at your place and do you own any good movies?" She pauses to kill some enemies "If you do, I think your place may just win, since I already had some grapefruit juice for breakfast."
If we do go there, you may have to protect me again, your neighbourhood is rather on the scary side. Kind of like Metro City's version of Craigmillar."
"I've got Cherry Coke, Dr Pepper, Mountain Dew, Seven Up, all caffeine free. Also got orange juice, water, the usual," Razor answers as the on-screen mayhem continues, slapping in another token as the continue screen pops up once more and hitting the button to respawn. "I've got the Die Hard series, Lethal Weapon, all of Rocky, pretty much everything by Arnie." He cringes just a little at the idea of grapefruit juice for breakfast.
"Don't worry, of course I'll make sure nobody messes with you. Although with moves like yours, it could probably work the other way around." He pauses for a beat as they get near the end of the second stage. "But, uhh... who's Craig Millar?"
Niamh whistles "Wow, I didn't realise you owned a supermarket! That's an impressive selection Razor!" She takes a sideway glance at him. "A great selection of movies too, I think I am going to go for the original Rocky and a Mountain Dew please, mainly because I have never tasted one of those before." She manages to stay alive in the game, until he dies and then needs another token, too. "I lost my backup" she offers, as an excuse.
"Thanks for the compliment by the way, but I still wouldn't want to risk it around there on my own, I need my backup there, too." She launches a flying kick at the head of one of their opponents. "He totally stole that move off me" she comments, then answers Razor's question. "It's where not, who. It's a place, back where I am from. One of the less desriable parts of Edinburgh."
Razor laughs when Niamh describes his selection as a supermarket, but the laugh quickly turns into a wheezing cough, which he quickly stifles. "Rocky and Mountain Dew sounds good. We can pick up a pizza or something on the way, too, if you want." Razor isn't too straight-edge for pizza. After all, if it's a pepperoni pizza, it has the four basic food groups, which makes it healthy, right? "Ahh, fair enough. I guess most cities have a place like that. But, well, for me, it's home."
The music changes yet again with the arrival of the second stage's boss. "Alright, there're three more stages after this. You up for beating them all before we go?"
"Pizza sounds perfect, though I will skip the pepperoni. I am more of a Pollo Ad Astra girl myself" she tells him. "That's the one with the chicken, sweet peppers and cajun spices. You know in the place I usually get pizza back home, they call the pepperoni one, American Hot." She eyes him and then giggles a bit before saying "Sure, let's give these levels a good old beaten, then back to your place for yummy food, drinks and Stallone. Sounds like a great way to spend the day."
Log created on 11:00:12 07/30/2012 by Razor, and last modified on 12:35:07 08/01/2012.