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[sexyhitchhiker.livejournal.com]

[In search for a distraction, Natsuki has been wandering the castle. Outside seems too cold, the Seasons Room isn't open, the library...hah. As if. She was at the gym earlier, any attempts at cooking are hazardous to everybody in the general vicinity of the kitchen, and....well. She's found herself in the Games Room.

After idly playing a bit of Bac-Man for the hell of it, her attention is drawn by the ostentatious display centered around a 4-arrow pad as the rather annoying announcer keeps asking if she's got what it takes to play some DDR.]

Comments

[sexyhitchhiker.livejournal.com]

[...sigh.

Steps onto the stage and starts adjusting the difficulty.] See? You can try it on Beginner, Light, Standard, or Heavy.

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[takes a very tentative step closer, to see]

...So what's 'normal?'

[sexyhitchhiker.livejournal.com]

Light. I guess they thought it sounded cooler.

[randomly chooses a song. It's probably easier to demonstrate than try to explain.]

So you get the arrow when it reaches the outline at the top, and you're scored for how accurate you are. [stepping almost casually on the squares.]

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

This is stupid.

[but... he's watching. Watching the arrows, watching her feet, slowly getting the idea]

[sexyhitchhiker.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's a game.

[the song ends, and she gets off. Somebody has obviously played this before. A lot.]

Your turn.

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[he was not expecting to be put on the spot yet, and he balks!]

What? Me?

[sexyhitchhiker.livejournal.com]

Who else would I be talking to?

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

I don't know-- [ugh, he doesn't want to do this!]

[sexyhitchhiker.livejournal.com]

[brb taking that to mean that you can't navigate through the songs]

Here, it's easy. [hits X a couple of times, and the song restarts!]

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

...!

[oh shi-- the song starts without him, and he quickly catches onto the the fact that he is supposed to play RIGHT NOW, because he is rapidly losing. Fumbling into place on the little stage, he immediately fights to catch up... looking mostly at his feet]

[sexyhitchhiker.livejournal.com]

Keep your eyes on the screen! [being totally helpful]

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

I am! [he's not. But he's at least trying now. Technically, he's actually pretty good... but his timing is completely off]

[sexyhitchhiker.livejournal.com]

Then why is the game booing at you?

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

I don't know!

[you are the best teacher ever, Natsuki. ...How did you trick him into this again?]

[sexyhitchhiker.livejournal.com]

[man, this advice giving thing is hard]

Maybe we should've started on Beginner.

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[his reply is just a wordless angry noise as he fights to keep up with the game. It's pretty apparent that he's falling into all of the new gamer pitfalls-- trying to make up for ones that he missed by hitting them again, moving too fast and hitting the arrows as soon as they appear instead of waiting, etc...]

[sexyhitchhiker.livejournal.com]

[waiting for the song to end, because yelling out 'be patient' doesn't seem likely to work]

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[she doesn't have to wait long. It ends, proudly proclaiming Zuko's abysmal score! ...leaving him fuming.]

[sexyhitchhiker.livejournal.com]

[sternly reminding herself that it would be counterproductive to laugh]

There are slower songs, if you don't like this one.

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

This thing is broken.

[he's just mad... and mad at the fact that he's mad at something stupid like this. Trying really hard to repress the urge to punch through the screen]

[sexyhitchhiker.livejournal.com]

You were just unready. Try it again. [small smile; totally her fault]

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

[urge rising!]

I don't want to try it again!

[sexyhitchhiker.livejournal.com]

[oh so subtly glances at your score, still displayed in garish colors on the screen]

[honorinflames.livejournal.com]

...

[how did it come to this? He was the prince of the goddamn Fire Nation, for crying out loud. He commanded his own war ship, spent his time hunting the Avatar down across the world...

...and now, here he was, stuck in the basement of a magical castle, struggling to try and beat a stupid game]

...Fine.

[sexyhitchhiker.livejournal.com]

Tap X when you're ready.

[half a smile] Just keep calm this time.