Day 65: Game Room (Third Shift)

[vstheworld]

Fresh off the somewhat-success of the night before and the conversation with Mysterious Boy X, Scott was actually feeling better than he had in days, possibly weeks. His energy was coming back; he had an appetite again; he didn't feel the urge to sink into his mattress and never come out again — all in all, it was a good day.

There was only thing that had him worried: no Ramona.

He had asked his nurse about her. The woman had scolded him for trying to "crowd" Sandra and monopolize her time, and refused to give him any updates. At least that told him there was a chance she was still around. He would have to check her room tonight, if he had time. What was her room number again? ...Maybe he would have to ask someone.

A few minutes later, he was done with the bulletin. Now: game time.

"Oh NES, my secret lover, how unbearable the time we have spent apart has been," Scott practically purred as he glided into the Game Room, taking up his usual spot by the TV. "Have you been missing me?"

No answer.

"..." Scott grinned ear to ear. "Yeeeeee Mario times!" The twenty-four-year-old manchild jammed the cartridge into the console slot with girlish glee and switched everything on.

[Ilia]

Comments

[vstheworld]

"Oh, well you can see, we have an unparalleled selection."

Scott did a grandiose sweep of his arm in the direction of the TV and its two whole consoles.

"We have such classics as the Super Mario Bros...."

He indicated the NES, then the image on the TV.

"...and Donkey Kong Country, for the gamer of more advanced taste in graphics..."

He indicated the SNES and the game cart lying next to it.

"...and of course, who can forget Super Mario Bros? Or the legend that is Donkey Kong Country?"

Rinse and repeat.

Scott grinned, holding up the NES controller. "No seriously, though, if you can't play Mario, you can't play games. It's, like, every kid's first game. Or it should be, anyway. It should be by law," he said, offering it to her. "Wanna try?"

[avengingfists]

Ilia smiled at the sarcasm. She should have known there wouldn't be much, but just two of the same games for each console? Sad.

"I've actually played those before, a little, when I was a kid. Or at least a version of them." She laughed out loud this time, realizing yet another console had been involved during her time with those classics. "I guess quality gaming transcends time."

She did reach for the controller, though. She would be extremely rusty, not to mention new to this system's control, but... "Wanna try a two player, then?"

Before they got too far into gaming, however, Ilia stuffed her brownie in her mouth and took a swig of juice. "By the way," she said around a mouth of confection, "have you seen a girl named Rose around? Blonde? 'bout thirteen years old?"

[vstheworld]

"I can't remember a time in my life when the answer to that question has ever been no." Scott gladly grabbed the second controller and went about setting up two-player mode while Ilia ate.

Just as he was finishing, she asked a question, and Scott shook his head. "Doesn't ring a bell, sorry. Have you asked on the bulletin at all or anything?"

[avengingfists]

"Great!" Ilia preferred playing games with others. It made it more interesting. Though typically she was playing against someone else, working together to accomplish an end game could always be fun.

"I did ask her to meet me later, but she hasn't responded. Not like her." She didn't want to dwell on it. Perhaps the girl was just napping. Ilia had slept in on occasion, and if Rose had fallen ill then she may have needed more bed rest. Or else she was just not in a chatty mood, but that didn't seem likely.

"She might have missed it. I can always check on her later, though." She knew Rose's room number. Worse came to worse, she checked on the girl at the beginning of the night and they traveled together from there.