Second Floor Common Room, Wednesday Afternoon

[puppy_fair]

Now that Zack was officially done with classes for the summer, it was time for a little getting out and about and being social. It was also, Zack decided, the perfect time to get the gerbil that Deadpool had given him out for some exercise.

And that was why, armed with a hamster ball and a bunch of notebooks, Zack was hard at work constructing the most epic gerbil floor-maze the second floor common room had ever seen!

Poor, poor Mr. Winkles.

[Open, as common rooms tend to be!]

Comments

[momslilassassin]

"And then we could set up a really big obstacle course," Ben said gleefully.

[puppy_fair]

"Okay, now you know we have to do this. With barrels and logs and stuff!"

[momslilassassin]

"And things that explode!"

Fifteen year old boy. Sorry.

[puppy_fair]

Pfft. Like it bothered Zack? He was still a month shy of sixteen, himself. Explosions were awesome.

"Lots of things that explode!"

See?

[momslilassassin]

"I'm sure no one will really mind," Ben said. "I mean, people'll only set off the explosions if they veer off course or something right?"

[puppy_fair]

"Oooh, that's right! If we set up maybe a minefield on either side, that'll be sort of a real-life incentive to stay on the track!"

Because cling-wrap or plexiglass were awesome at protecting people in a minefield. Sure.

[momslilassassin]

Little advertised fact about plexiglass, maybe?

"Maybe we should try the obstacle course out on a gerbil-size scale first before we try to get so many explosives," Ben said wisely.

[puppy_fair]

"That might be a good idea. If Mr. Winkles can do it, any of us can!"

Said Zack about the gerbil that he'd gotten from Deadpool. That critter probably knew how to disarm nuclear weapons or something.

[momslilassassin]

It might be the only thing to save that poor, poor creature.

"Exactly," Ben said, nodding. "I'm sure that will reassure Arthur."

[puppy_fair]

"Tried and true," Zack agreed, bouncing a little. Mr. Winkles was decidedly less bouncy about the whole ordeal. "I bet he'll probably have the same attitude he usually has about things, but it would be good for teaching people..."

... Uh...

"Balance! And precision!"

And how to run around in a giant ball!

[momslilassassin]

"And how to run around in a giant ball!" Ben added. "Which might be important at some point."

[puppy_fair]

"I bet it totally has defensive and offensive qualities to it," Zack decided. "I mean, you're pretty save in a giant ball! But I wouldn't want to be run over by one."

...

"We should totally have people try to dodge the people in the ball, too!"

It would be so very meta for Indiana Jones.

[momslilassassin]

"Like a sporting event!" Ben said, laughing.

[puppy_fair]

"The first Fandom Reserves human bowling team! I like it!"

Oh, those poor, poor reserves kids.

[momslilassassin]

"Tahiri likes bowling," Ben said, "so we'll have at least one convert."

Oh, keep dreaming, Ben.

[puppy_fair]

"At least one," Zack agreed. "Man, this sport is going to be so awesome, we'll have people lining up to play!"

They were living the delusion!

[momslilassassin]

"Oooh, and with two people in balls, they could ricochet off each other, too!" Ben said excitedly.

[puppy_fair]

"Oooh! Oooh, human pinball!" Why yes, Zack was bouncing! "We could get people to guard a goal area, and have other people try to push the ones in the balls around, and it would just be awesome chaos everywhere."

[momslilassassin]

"It'll be astral," Ben declared. "Is there anywhere big enough to do this?"

[puppy_fair]

"There should be, at..." Hm. "Um!" Hrm.

This was hard.

"The beach!"

That was big and open, right?

[momslilassassin]

"Good idea!" Ben said. "It's where I go running every day."

[puppy_fair]

"And just so long as we don't go floating away, we're all set!"

Though it would be interesting to be trapped in a giant hamster ball at sea.

[momslilassassin]

"That's what the mine fields would help prevent," Ben said wisely.

Because minefields on a beach was brilliant!

[puppy_fair]

"Brilliant! Man, this is going to be so awesome. Er. Astral."

Awestral? Astrome? Cool?

Doooooom.

[momslilassassin]

"Either one works," Ben said. "Astral's just slang at home."

In his head Jacen began yammering about pointless words with the sole purpose of severing one generation from the older one above it. Ben ignored it.