The Deck; Saturday Afternoon

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

Travis just couldn't stay inside any longer. Even if it was cold outside, the fact that it wasn't snowing or raining ice or something was enough for him. After the vacation (which had left him with a nice tan), coming back to winter had been hard. But, it had to be almost over. Had to be.

He'd gone out skateboarding earlier, working up a good sweat and making him a lot warmer than a heavy coat and gloves ever would. It'd been good, fun. He'd done that until his legs had burned before trudging back to the school and flopping down on the deck. The chairs were cold but his body warmed them pretty quickly and the sun felt warm on his face.

The cold was almost an afterthought. He propped up his feet on his skateboard and sighed. He found himself missing his movie theatre seats that were currently back home. They'd been old and bulky but he loved them. But, Travis guessed that these chairs weren't so bad. Sure, they lacked the whole being inside thing, they lacked the memories that Travis's theatre seats had and they lacked being at home but they were still pretty cool.

Now, if the school would just install a Space Invaders machine here, he'd be all set.

[Public place, open post]

Comments

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy had just come back from her run, but rather than head right up to her room, she thought she'd spend a little more time outside. Seeing Travis on the deck only cemented that decision.

"Hey!" she called, taking a swig from her water bottle and then jogging over to the deck. Normal people would go into the dorms and come back out through the door. Kathy was just going to bounce up from the outside. What? It made no sense to go all the way around. "I'd say it's a nice day out, but I made the mistake of checking the weather on my phone. I can't believe I'm excited about the high 30s."

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"But, it's not snowing or raining ice or cold enough to make you wanna cry," Travis replied, opening his eyes and giving her a wave. "This is almost good enough for me to wanna go to the beach."

That was a slight exaggeration but hey.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I guess for an East Coast winter's day that's as good as we're gonna get," she agreed, giving him an easy smile. "It was nice not having to run around in layers while I tried to neither freeze nor melt."

Unlike that weekend it was so cold that her sweat had started freezing to her. That had been both gross and freaky.

"So, how've you been?" she asked, perching on the railing around the deck. "Have a good break?"

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"It wasn't bad," Travis said, sitting up a little straighter so he could see her better. "Weird but not bad. It was strange to see people dress how my parents probably dressed when they were that age. I can't really tell them what I saw because they'd freak but I'll probably laugh at them silently now."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Oh god, now I'm trying to think about what my parents would have dressed like," Kathy said, laughing. "They were still in Korea in the 70s and I have no idea what those fashions were. I'm willing to bet that they weren't much better, though."

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"No pictures?" Travis wondered. "My parents have -- had -- a few laying around. No idea where they are these days but they did have some at one point. They were terrible."

Terrible in his eyes but he also knew that, to his parents, they'd probably seemed pretty damn cool.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Not many," Kathy said. "I mean, there are some, like, of their wedding and stuff, but most of that stayed over in Korea when they immigrated. They had to pick and choose what to bring along, you know? So pictures stayed with the families." She tilted her head, looking at him. "How long has your family been here? If that's not rude to ask, I mean."

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"For as long as I can remember," he replied after a moment. "For most of my life, we lived in Kansas City. I'm sure they were probably somewhere else before I was born but Kansas City's been it for me."

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy nodded. "Kinda like my grandparents, then," she said. "My dad's side anyway. They've lived in the same small village for generations--I mean, like, literal village, not even really a town. We spent summers there growing up."

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"Was it fun?" Travis asked. "Was there a lot of stuff to do?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Not a lot to do, but different enough from America to make it interesting," Kathy said, holding onto a knee while her other leg swung a bit. "Lots of cousins to hang around with and it was all pretty rural, so there was a pond to swim in and hills to explore and stuff. It was weird watching episodes of Sesame Street dubbed over in Korean, though."

"What about you? What did you do as a kid?" She grinned at him. "Sorry, if it doesn't involve corn, tornadoes, or Oz, I have no idea what to do in Kansas." Her smile turned into a thoughtful frown. "Unless you meant Kansas City, Missouri. But then, I'd still have no idea what there is to do there."

At least she could come up with three things Kansas was known for.

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"Video games," he said almost instantly. "My dad worked at an arcade for awhile so I spent a lot of time there. I ate a lot of corn and I've been in some tornadoes but never went to Oz."

Though, this island was pretty close to rivaling how Oz was to him. Far away, strange and hard to understand. "I hung around with friends, went to school, and bummed around. It wasn't really exciting."

And then he'd gotten sick and things had gotten even worse.

[spin_kick_snap]

"That sounds really cool," Kathy said. "My parents thought arcades were refuges for juvenile delinquents. I got good at DDR, but only because our local YMCA had some pads down in their youth center."

And there was how nice it must have been to have friends to share that all with, but she wasn't gonna mention that.

"I didn't really get into video games that weren't somehow educational until I was old enough to get my own computer. Thank god for abandonware and cracked DOS game sites, you know?"

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"You got any favorites?" he asked curiously. "I was thinking about Space Invaders right before you got here. That's my favorite."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Wow, talk about old school," Kathy said, meaning it as a compliment. "I'd probably say Masters of Magic. Or the old Shandalar game. But I'm a sucker for games like Civ 4 and Age of Mythology, too."

Don't even get her talking about Civ 5, Travis. Just don't. You weren't ready for that rant.

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"I don't know if I've ever played those before," he said since he tended to stick to arcades for his video gaming pleasure. "You still play 'em?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Heck yeah I do," Kathy said. "Sometimes you just need to relax and play something old and kinda simple, you know? Rest your brain. You don't need a sweeping orchestral score or complex storylines and cutscenes where each hair is meticulously generated."

Tucking her hair behind her ear, she added, "Leonard Nimoy did the narration for Civ 4. The day he died, I played a whole game just to hear him. Uhh, I hope that doesn't sound, like, weird or macabre or anything."

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"It sounds sentimental and I mean that in a good way," Travis said, nodding. "It sounds like something a lot of people would do. It's not weird."

He'd heard weirder.

"You should place Space Invaders sometime. It's totally a turn off your brain game for me."

And it gave him panic attacks sometimes. But, shhh.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Do they have that at the arcade in town?" Kathy asked. "Or is there an emulator version you can play on your computer?"

[Sorry! Got ambushed by cold meds!]

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"They have it in town," Travis confirmed with a nod. "I've already spent some time there. I need to go back because I don't have the high score yet."

And that was just a thing with him.

"I could show you."

[No worries! Hope you're feeling better!]

[spin_kick_snap]

"I'd love that!" Kathy said, grinning over at him. "I can show you DDR while we're there, if you haven't played it already, too."

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"I've only heard of it," he told her, "so you'd be the first one to get me to play it. They didn't have it at the arcade back home. Or if they did, I ignored it."

[spin_kick_snap]

"How's your rhythm?" Kathy asked. "And your ability to follow patterns? It's a dancing game, but there are levels of difficulty like in any other video game, so don't worry."

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"Terrible!" Travis said, snickering. "So, that just means I'll make an amusing sight for anyone around the area."

[spin_kick_snap]

"It's the only way I'll be able to get any of my own back after you trounce me at Space Invaders," Kathy laughed. "That's only fair, right?"

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"Hey, you might have some innate talent for Space Invaders that has you trouncing me," Travis replied. "I could be defeated twice!"

[spin_kick_snap]

"We could always move on to Galaga if that's the case," Kathy suggested, beaming at him. "Or one of those games about street fighters or something!"

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"You're not a video game hustler, are you?" Travis wondered. "Someone coaxing me into playing video games just so you can beat me and bring me to my knees. Metaphorically, that is."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Would I do that?" Kathy asked, looking as innocent as she possibly could. "And admit to it, I mean?"

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"I think you'd totally do it but admit it?" He shook his head. "But you'd totally do it."

[spin_kick_snap]

"That just hurts, Travis," Kathy said, sniffling. "Deeply. I am wounded to the quick."

That wasn't a laugh you just heard there. It was a sob. Totes.

"...Is it working? Are you buying this?"

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"I probably would have if you didn't slip a laugh in there," he confessed, snickering. "Now? No, not buying it at all."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Darn it, I knew I should have pretended to cry instead," Kathy said. "Can I get a do-over?"

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"You can but I think I know the game now," he replied with a shrug. "No matter how good an act you put on, I'm not gonna believe you. You gave yourself away."

[spin_kick_snap]

"But what if that's just I want you to think?" Kathy asked. "What if this is all part of my cunning plan?"

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"Is it part of your cunning plan?" Travis asked, curious.

[spin_kick_snap]

"It might be," Kathy sniffed. "I'm not telling."

Because first she'd need to come up with a cunning plan.

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"See, that just tells me it is your cunning plan which means I'm not going to fall for it," Travis decided. "Nope, no falling for it from this guy."

[spin_kick_snap]

"You just keep thinking that till we get to the arcade," Kathy told him. "And then you'll rue the day. Rue it, I tell you."

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"I'll believe it when I see it," Travis decided. "And not one second before that."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Just remember you brought this on yourself," Kathy informed him. "I tried to warn you."

And then she started laughing again. "So, when do we wanna hit up the arcade?"

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"Whenever," Travis answered, shrugging. "My evenings tend to be pretty plan free these days."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Mine too, at least in the earlier evenings."

Later in the evening, she had her patrols. But even those could be pushed back a bit for a good cause.

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

"Thursday?" Travis suggested since he figured it'd be a nice thing to do after his classes. "Work for you?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Sounds awesome!" Kathy said, flashing him a V-sign. "Wear something super-comfortable for the DDR. Loose and breathable, trust me."

[theheadkid.livejournal.com]

Travis gave her a quick salute. "Roger that. I'll wear my best comfortable clothes. That's pretty much my whole wardrobe."

So, he'd have no problem with her request.

[spin_kick_snap]

"It's gotta be great being a guy," Kathy said with a shake of her head. "Comfy clothes and functional pockets. I'm jealous."