Who knew tech gave dragons stomach problems?

[moderndaydragon]

[So, those in one of the halls are being treated to a sight. Karasu, in annoyance and frustration, crushed half a wall and ate an intercom.

And it's given her a stomachache. So this particular hallway is now being completely blocked by a dragon who only just barely fits, and even then very precariously, as she's already wrecked one foundation and her mere presence has dented the ceiling and other walls.



Alternatively, a bit later on, Karasu in her human form can be found in the arcade, still with somewhat of a stomachache and sitting at one of the machines in a high-legged chair she stole found somewhere.]

Comments

You can't take them from him!

[deckers]

It--...

[ His sharp retort dies on his tongue the moment her words sink in. Intercom in her stomach. Clearly taken aback, he stumbles over his words. ]

... I. Wait, it's... in your stomach?

She's a gamer too! She has just as much right.

[moderndaydragon]

Yes, in my stomach. The lady over them got me angry enough that I shapeshifted and ate the intercom without thinking. So I've been suffering for it all day.

[deckers]

[ His voice goes up an octave. Luckily, it isn't borderline squeaking just yet. ]

Shapeshifting? [ And she ate an intercom. Clearly if she can eat inanimate objects, she can eat people. At least, that's where his brain is going with this. After having a less-than-favorable run in with the local monster wrangler, he'd rather not risk it. ] On second thought, I don't want to know.

[ He isn't even going to comment on how of course she's having problems with it. Nondigestible materials. Instead, he's just going to pull a high-chair over to one of the nondescript side-scrollers and pretend they never had that conversation. ]

I bet this game has hard dip switches. [ Matt crinkles his nose at the thought. ]

[moderndaydragon]

[...She heard that, Matt. Sigh.]

I don't eat people. And I don't hurt them if I can help it, either. So you don't have anything to be afraid of.

[Just putting that out there... as she dies again. Sigh. Continue go!]

I haven't played that one yet, so I couldn't tell you.

[deckers]

That's all well and good but I wasn't afraid.

[ He sniffs audibly, a telltale sign that he's lying, before pulling out a couple of paperclips and a screwdriver from the pack on his leg. Placing the screwdriver in his mouth, Matt unwinds and shapes the clips to his liking before squatting and attempting to pick the coin-lock on the front of the machine. If it's a software menu he'll have to get through, chances are that the reset is in there. Of course, he spares an occasional glance in her direction, just making sure she isn't moving any closer or staring at him. ]

[moderndaydragon]

[Uh-huh. That's why his voice went higher. But she won't call him on that and just let him play tough-guy. She wouldn't even if she felt well, and not feeling well has her lacking the energy to.

She does occasionally glance over herself, raising an eyebrow curiously, but lets him do what he wants. What does she care? This is the Campus, after all.

After about the fourth or fifth glance from them both, she finally speaks:]

Having fun?

[deckers]

[ With a mouth full of screwdriver: ]

No, not particularly.

[ And as if on cue, the lock gives and he lets out a sigh of relief. The small door swings open and he sits back long enough to remove the screwdriver from his mouth. ]

There we are. Now to figure out which button does what.

[ He passes the paperclips over to his left hand and reaches into the cabinet to press at the buttons with his right. The screen flashes and soon multiple options replace the game. He thumbs through them, adding lives and swapping the difficulty, before forcing it into a soft reset to accept the changes. ]

And here I thought I would have to dig around in its guts to change things. It isn't nearly as old as it looks.

[moderndaydragon]

Prefer setting the rules of the game to your own terms?

[Oh yeah, Matt, she was watching the whole thing. And she looks impressed. There's no way she could ever do something quite like that. Seriously, with paperclips and a screwdriver? She'd probably need a whole toolbox just to get it open.]

You're pretty good at that sort of thing.

[deckers]

Why not when I have the power to do so?

[ Ah, yes. Time to gloat. He's been needing a boost of confidence ever since losing to the Saints and arriving on this rock. Finally, there's something familiar that he can mess around with. ]

I am the cyber god, after all.

Dammit Karasu stop feeding the Matt.

[moderndaydragon]

You might ruin it for someone else?

[She's joking, of course. These things probably reset the exact same as everything else in this place.

Matt is rewarded with a skeptical look for that last bit, though she seems more amused than anything.]

I'll admit, I'm not familiar with many gods that walk around in leather with neon glowing designs. At least you're a trendy one: that does look like a pretty cool outfit.

No, no, do continue.

[deckers]

That's part of the fun.

[ Sitting back up in the chair he brought over, he places his away into his leg pack and looks over at Karasu. ]

It's PVC, actually. The piping and designs were made with electroluminescent wires and tape.

I think she just wants to smooze a Decker uniform out of him.

[moderndaydragon]

If you say so!

[She still thinks he's kidding, but at least he has her full attention now as she's looking over his outfit a bit more carefully. She doesn't entirely understand what he's talking about, but she knows enough to get the gist of it. And that's enough to know one important thing.]

That's pretty impressive! Did you make it?

Can't blame the gal.

[deckers]

Modified it, actually.

[ He looks away, lining up his fingers with the arcade buttons and grabbing the joystick between two fingers, thumb resting on top. It's a grip meant for a fighting game but old habits die hard. ]

It's not all that difficult if you know what you're doing.

The Deckers lure everyone in with their awesome fashion sense.

[moderndaydragon]

I'll take your word for it. I wouldn't even know where to begin!

[...Eh. She died again, so she'll turn in her seat to watch Matt play, leaning one arm on the machine and her hand on it.]

Though the bright blue would probably fit my colors.

[deckers]

[ Thank goodness he doesn't have performance anxiety. If anything, he plays the game better with an audience. ]

Perhaps but it wouldn't be the smartest move you could make. They're gang colors. While it isn't likely that you would meet someone from my world, the probability is still there and--.... well, most of everyone is a psychopath. You would be shot at in a matter of seconds.

[ Or have a chair thrown at you. Killbane really likes chairs. ]

[moderndaydragon]

You're in a gang?

[Geeze man you can't be any older than she is. ...But then again, that's honestly not too surprising now that she actually thinks about it. Not the best of news, but not surprising.]

You seem too nice for that.

[Yes, she just called you nice. Deal with it. She rubs her arm at the idea of being shot, grimacing a little. Eck...]

I know I can heal some things other people would die from, but I'm not exactly eager to test it out with bullets... but what about you, then? Why are you still in the colors if it's that dangerous?

[She'd probably dragon and try to throw him out a window if he tried that. Though whether or not she'd succeed or be suplexed would have to be seen.]

[deckers]

In a gang? I'm the leader. [ Pause. ] Rather, I was the leader.

[ He goes quiet for a moment, slapping away at the buttons and frantically moving the joystick. Once the enemy on screen is defeated, he scoffs at her observation. Him? Nice? ... Sure, if you know how to partition a harddrive or happen to fancy Nyte Blayde. ]

I made a peace offering to the rival gang's leader in order to save my skin so I happen to be exempt.

[ And he didn't exactly stick around Steelport long enough to see if the Saints stopped their assault on Decker territory. There was that whole fear of dying thing and all. ]

[moderndaydragon]

I see...

[She doesn't really have a comment to that one. The leader of a gang... he really does seem nice, if a bit cocky. Maybe more than a bit, but he hasn't seemed too bad to her so far.

Still... now she wonders what kind of gang he's from, that'd be this knowledgeable about games and tech and wore stuff like that.]

I'm glad you're okay, at least.

[It's the truth. Even if they just met, he did warn her. And he's been friendly.]

[deckers]

[ A brow arches under his bangs and he spares a quick glance in her direction, confusion evident. It's short-lived since the game draws him back with the entrance of the level's boss. Still, as he's punching away at the buttons, he speaks up: ]

I find that hard to believe. You don't even know me.

[moderndaydragon]

So? I know you enough that you're at least somewhat of a good person. You tried to warn me, after all. And you seem pretty smart and comfortable with these sorts of things.

[She taps the game she's leaning on.]

So that's enough for me to be glad you're all right. Do I really need more of a reason than that?

Sorry about being late, my modem croaked.

[deckers]

Perhaps I just didn't want you wearing my colors. As for the arcade cabinet--

[ He pauses, biting on the corner of his lower lip while the enemy manages to catch him off guard. Matt slaps at the stick and struggles with the opponent before yelling at him: ]

Oh, piss off!

[ And it seems to help. After the small outburst, he manages to knock them out. ]

Right, as I was saying - by adopting that mentality, a man that brutally murdered thousands would be 'good' just because he happens to be a gifted pianist. You're naive to think that my skill has any correlation to my morality. It's how one handles the skill and I can assure you that what I did for fun? Hardly what one would call 'good'.

It happens, no worries~.

[moderndaydragon]

That's very much a possibility.

[She has to hide a laugh at that, putting a hand over her mouth as she listens to him. Hm... she'll admit, that's a good point.]

All right. So let me rephrase that.

Until it's proven to me that someone is that sort of person, then I'll think the same way. ...There's someone here that's not even that good of a person, but I still can't help but want to help them, when it comes down to it.

I have been called naive before. Probably, I really am. But I'm not the type of person who can honestly wish something ill on others. I'm the one who'd rather help them, even if they don't want that sort of help.

So, yes. I'm still glad that you're okay. And you're free to mock me for it, if you feel the need to.

[Her voice is a bit dry, but firm. After everything with the Thief King... well, she can't exactly pretend to be all high and mighty anymore.]

Way too often with Comcast.

[deckers]

[ He isn't quite sure how to respond to that. At least she realizes it may be problematic. Though if you know that and yet you continue to persist, doesn't that fit the definition of an idiot?

... Best not say that though. While she may be stupid for believing the best in people, she does still have an intercom speaker in her stomach. That's a fact that shouldn't be overlooked. ]

I hardly need your permission.

[ But he doesn't go straight for the insults, so that's something. ]

I've only ever heard bad things about Comcast.

[moderndaydragon]

[Idiot could definitely be applied to her, but it may be because of why she has an intercom in her speaker that she can get away with that when others can't. If someone seriously tried to hurt her, they'd find themselves a dragon snack.

Or at least crushed under a giant tail.]

No, I guess not.

[The dry tone's replaced with something more neutral, and she lets the conversation drop, just turning her attention to what he's playing.]

[deckers]

[ The silence is awkward and carries out for at least a minute before Matt even considers breaking it. ]

This machine is rigged so continues are unlimited. So long as you refrain from friendly fire, I don't see any problem with you joining in.

[ And he's playing into her hand by offering her a seat at his arcade cabinet, isn't he? As an after-thought, he adds: ] It looks like you need all the help you can get.