lucetilogs | (no subject)

Who: Anyone who wants to come!
What: Autumn (Equinox) Celebration
When: Today, at 9PM to Midnight (and maybe even after)
Where: Around the Rec Center
Summary: Brigade party! There's food! There's lights! There's music! There's fireworks!
Rating: A for Abacus

There were lights! Autumn-appropriate decorations! There were tables of food (though very little of it is vegetarian friendly)! There was even a stage for music and entertainment! Still waiting was the fireworks to take place at midnight, but otherwise things were set up to more or less respectable Brigade standards. Maybe Haruhi hadn't done it herself, but it was done well enough, thanks to the efforts of being coordinated by Mikage.

The stage was left open for anyone to perform that wanted to. The karaoke machine had been dragged outside for people to sing along to, regardless of talent, or otherwise just to play music when no one was on stage. Naturally inside the Rec Center itself is a variety of pool tables, foosball, air hockey, and a TV with some video games. Just enough to keep things a little fun. If only there was a pool.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Kim takes the sizing up in stride, he's used to people making quiet analysis of him. It comes with the trade, and the habit is to return the favor. His smile never wavers as he gestures to the table with a sweep of his hand.]

I could teach you if you like. It's very easy.

[And the hand is offered up for a handshake.]

Kim Philby.

Right...

[ There's a touch of exasperation there, and she glances down at his hand for an instant too long before reaching out her own- despite what she usually considers polite, she's still wearing her gloves, although they're fingerless and don't really hide the calluses from wielding a heavy weapon... ]

I'm Lightning.

[ Normally she wouldn't even acknowledge that he was trying to shake hands with her at all - especially given how easy it is to guess at why he might be talking to her in the first place - but she is curious about this game.

Specifically, how long it might take her to put being a l'Cie to the test, in learning yet another fine motor skill. From past experience, she doesn't really expect it to be long. ]

Pleasure.

[A few good shakes and he walks around to gather two cue sticks, some chalk and a triangle to gather the balls up in. He begins to speak in very even tones, to go over the fundamentals.]

First are the striped and solid balls, one of each kind goes to the player after you hit the white ball: 'cue ball' with the cue stick at the formation. Whatever ball goes in first, solid or striped, is the kind the first player will use.
With me so far?

[ Lightning doesn't waste any time- she reaches for one of the cues he's picked up, and immediately she's attempting to get a feel for the weight of it in her hand; upon approaching the table, she rolls her fingertips along one of the balls before he has a chance to stack them up. ]

First person to get all of theirs in the holes wins?

[He laughs a little before continuing.]

That's right. Though after all the balls of your type have been knocked into the holes, the black one - called the '8' ball for obvious reasons - [He picks it up and shows it to her before putting it back upon the green table top.] once you do that, the game is yours.

I'll show you how to start out, shall I? We can use a game to practice.

[He goes about racking up the balls and arranging them by number.]

Sure.

[ She inclines her head as she listens and watches, frowning just slightly as she takes it in. Probably not the best student someone could have at the moment, but... she could be ruder if she felt like it-- and probably wouldn't even feel bad about it, to be honest.

She's eager to try, however. All she needs first is a frame of reference. ]

[So Kim takes his cue back and strikes the white ball toward the triangle shape he had formed with the rest. It makes a very satisfying crack and sends the mass to all corners and sides of the table. A red striped ball goes in. Number 11. Kim stepped back and smiled.]

There see? Now that I've had my side decided I can go ahead and take another hit, since I've made one into the pockets.

[And he strikes again at a brown and white, '15'. He misses on purpose to allow Lightning to try her hand. After all this is her first time.
Little does he know.]

And now it is your turn.

[ Little does he know he's dealing with ~~an RPG character~~ a l'Cie, who learn things like this very quickly by design- AKA, the kind of people who think little of not only being able to shoot a fist-sized crystal out of the air, but who can do so while free-falling beneath it.

Her eyes narrow as she watches him- in particular the way he holds the cue stick, and she's mentally calculating without even realizing it, inclining her head as she steps forward. However, she pauses and then does nothing more for several seconds, staring intently at the formation. ]

... There's an uneven number of balls.

[ Seven striped balls, eight solid balls, plus the white cue ball... what gives? Lightning frowns as she lays her hand on the edge of the table, not quite positioning to shoot yet. ]

Yes. The 'eight' ball is the solid black one, just there. [He points at it, hiding behind a striped and solid.]

Only when all seven of yours are in the pockets can you aim for that one. If you knock it in prematurely, you lose.

[ Well, Lightning would have liked to know that beforehand, but... whatever. She's silent as she finally seems to come to a decision, steps aside a foot or two, and then at last bends carefully, placing her hand to the felt surface of the table with deceptive gentleness. It's obvious that it's taking her a few seconds to properly emulate how to hold her hands, but once she's got it--

She straightens just as the crack of the cue ball against blue #2 sends it careening into one of the corner pockets of the table... and then huffs a breath. Success, but for some reason, something about her first shot seems to disappoint her. ]

Very good!

[Kim walks around to the other side, clearly pleased she's picked it up so well.]

And you'll take another shot since you've made one in.

Right.

[ Yeah, she's already thinking about it, pale eyes practically invisible under her long lashes as she considers the arrangement of balls on the table.

One successful shot is one thing, but even if she's clearly taking the easiest and most obvious option, when she bends again and hits a second one in too... that probably presses the concept of "beginner's luck" a little. It wasn't a lie when she said she's never played, but she also said nothing about her inherent skill... ]

You're doing very well.

[It's a compliment, nothing more. He attests her second to beginner's luck, of course. He isn't expecting a third, so he begins to chalk up his cue stick.]

[ It isn't until then that it occurs to Lightning that... she's a beginner at this, so maybe she shouldn't be so good at it? However, of course, then comes the question over whether or not she actually cares about something like that. She watches this 'Kim Philby' a moment more, then scans the room as if looking for someone else. ]

... You're new, to Luceti?

[ Leaning over the table again, abruptly she seems to change her mind about her angle... and switches hands, almost as an afterthought. ]

That I am, that I am.

[He watches her play very carefully.]

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