[closed] STRIKE OUT

[horrifictie]

Who ⬤ Harry, Kim, Kamui, Andy
What ⬤ Bowling Match
When ⬤ Early July
Where ⬤ Sutoku Region Bowling Alley
Content Warnings ⬤ N/A




With the blood rain and cursed nightmares gone, there's a promise that must be fulfilled. The bowling match of the century: Harry & Andy vs Kim & Kamui. The prize: the right to brag and sneer over the losers. The most important thing isn't winning, but that your enemies *lose*.

Comments

pre-game huddle: harry and andy

[horrifictie]

[ match is starting up in ten minutes or so. harry has his bowling fit on and bought an extra shirt for andy to wear too. ]

Ok, let's go over tactics. But first: get the shirt on.

GOLD TEAM RULES: kamui and kim

[metafictions]

[This was his idea, after all, but the truth is... he has literally only gone bowling twice in his life. With everyone taking this 500 times more seriously than he is, poor Kamui's nursing some liquid courage at their lane's table-- too bad it's watered-down bowling alley beer, but it'll have to do!!]

Hey, Kim... do you have a plan for this?

[aceslow]

[ Kim, on the other hand, has been studying the bowling lanes with far more intensity than Kamui is accustomed to seeing from him. He can be trusted to stay focused during a crisis, of course, but he is otherwise a quiet, mild presence more apt to staying silent than anything else.

He's still silent now, mind. But there's a certain... focus behind those lenses, as though he's attempting to dissect the cartoon bowling pins dancing around on the monitors in his mind. He adjusts his glasses. ]

Yes. My plan is to win. So... that is your plan too. [ He squints at him. ] You're heavier than you look. So you've got to be, what, 70 kilos?

[metafictions]

[He's noticed. It's... Disconcerting. (Has he imagined it, or has the man's energy shifted slightly?)

Kamui furrows his brow, meeting Kim's scrutinizing gaze:]

Er, yes. Thereabouts. I haven't weighed myself recently. [A slight frown.] How does that factor into the winning?

[killtime]

[ It's an ugly shirt. Andy holds it up, then decides to make it uglier by unceremoniously ripping the sleeves off. Then she puts it on. ]

Okay. [ Dryly: ] Now what? You have some kind of grand master plan, Detective?

[horrifictie]

[ CONCEPTUALIZATION - Damn! Now you won't match as a perfect pair. Should you rip your sleeves too?
COMPOSURE - No, don't. You can't pull it off like she can. ]

I do. [ He smiles, twinkle in his eye. ] Know anything about *psy-ops*?

[killtime]

[ Of course he does. ]

What, like psychological warfare? [ This should be good. ] You want to play bowling mind games?

[horrifictie]

Exactly. It isn't only about how well we do. We need to screw with their heads a little, plant seeds of doubt.

For instance: if we play badly at first, they might get over-confident and start taking things too easy. *Or* we can play really good and psyche them out.

[killtime]

[ Dryly: ]

You want to bet on Kim taking things easy? Seems like bad fucking odds to me. [ Call it a gut feeling, but she’s pretty sure Kim’s coming for blood. ] Maybe we should reconsider my plan. The one where you distract him.

[horrifictie]

Distract him how? [ He raises an eyebrow. ] The guy cannot be distracted, Andy. I've seen how he can get. There's also Kamui too.

[killtime]

[ Wryly: ]

I can handle Kamui. [ Why does she seem so sure of that anyway? ] It's Kim I'm worried about. Don't you have some secret fucking weapon we can use against him? You are his partner.

[horrifictie]

[ SUGGESTION - Yeah, don't worry, she's sure she can handle him. You need to handle the lieutenant.
RHETORIC - You have more than a few tricks up your sleeve. ]

I get it. You want me to be *wacky*, right Andy? [ A knowing nod and a smile. ] Yeah, I can do that.

[aceslow]

The ball, of course. There's no point in playing the game if you're not going to play it right, [ Kim says primly, looking over the line-up of colourful balls by the machine. (It's quite the fascinating machine, admittedly. He had gotten here early and spent precious time that should have been spent getting acquainted with the place getting distracted by watching balls move through it and trying to figure out how it works.) ]

You should pick a ball weight that corresponds to your own weight. The material matters a great deal as well, apparently, but I'm not experienced enough to know the difference. You'll need... this one, I think, [ he says, grabbing a ball with some decent looking grip, weighing in at 7 kilos. Honestly, why didn't Kamui already know about this? He should have at least done some rudimentary research. ]

Mm... maybe we should have talked about this before game day. Oh, well. A quick briefing will have to do.

[killtime]

Is seductive not an option? [ Deadpan: ] Then yeah. Sure. Wacky, I guess.

[metafictions]

[Kim's 'not experienced', but already plotting their bowling strategy down to the weight and material of the ball? What's next, pin trigonometry? Kamui, looking only very slightly befuddled, takes the 7-kilo ball in his hands, getting accustomed to the heft of it. He'd used a lighter bowling ball the last time he'd done this with Harry-- perhaps Kim really is onto something here.]

A... briefing.

[He squints up at Kim.]

I didn't know you were this passionate about bowling, Kim.

[horrifictie]

Obviously seductive isn't an option, Andy. I'm not a homosexual. [ a beat ] Or maybe I am? I don't know. I've been spending a lot of hours on this mind project and have gotten very little progress into it.

[killtime]

[ doubt.jpg ]

...Babe, there is so much to unpack there, but honestly, almost none of it has to do with bowling. [ A sigh, her hands on her hips. ] Are you even any fucking good? Is there a chance of winning based on skill here?

[horrifictie]

[ INTERFACING- You're not *bad* at it.
HAND/EYE COORDINATION - It's less about the force of the throw, and more about the aim.
PHYSICAL INSTRUMENT - Fuck that, it's all about the force. Give it a good strong roll and *wham* - they all come tumbling down. ]

I'm decent. I played with Kamui a couple of times and did ok. You just aim the ball, give it a hard roll and make sure to avoid the gutters.

[killtime]

[ A long, considering pause.

Then finally: ]

We're fucked, aren't we.

[aceslow]

I'm not. Silly game, isn't it? Throw the ball, knock down pins, get points. A child could do it.

[ A child could do it... there's one at the end of the hall, cheerfully bowling their heart out. Kim does not appear to see the irony in his words. ]

However. [ He tilts his head to where Andy and Harry are currently standing, heads together, transparently conspiring against them. ]

Don't tell me you don't want to kick their asses.

[metafictions]

[With the bowling ball still in hand, his eyes drift from Kim and his utterly sober expression to Andy and Harry's equally serious huddle. Thoughtful, he furrows his brow. Bowling's, well... it's bowling. He's no enthusiast, either. Back when they'd all been losing their minds last month, this had been the first thing to come to mind when he'd needed to distract Harry for a bit. But in the silliness of the situation-- all three of his friends getting this into it-- is something that'd been truly worth waiting for.

The sky's not bleeding anymore. No one's in danger. They're in ugly rented shoes in a bowling lane that smells a little weird, and the four of them are together for however long a game or two will take. This normalcy's hard-earned; he's going to savor it. And, yeah. He does kind of want to kick their asses.

There's a wry smile on his face as he replies:] Between the two of us? I almost feel sorry for them.

[HIS HEAD'S IN THE GAME, KIM.]

[aceslow]

[ Kim grins at Kamui, the spirit of machismo otherwise utterly absent from him underneath ordinary circumstances mysteriously awakened by virtue of the base instinct of throwing balls around better than the other fellow, and slaps him on the back, just a little too hard. ]

That's what I like to hear! Now, if I know Harry at all, he's going to try for... shenanigans.

[ Never before has that word been uttered with such conviction. ]

The trick there is just to ignore him and focus on playing the game better than him. [ He considers this. ] It might throw him off his game too. He's not a man who appreciates being ignored. Especially when he's made up his mind to be... you know.

[metafictions]

Oof. [Ouch, Kim. Somehow, though, it's reassuring: even though Kamui jerks forward an inch or two on the impact, he's still wearing a sheepish smile.]

You think so?

[Kamui casts Harry, still huddling off to the side with Andy, a scrutinizing look. Yeah, definitely sounds like Harry. The man's like a bull in a china shop.]

When he's made up his mind on the shenanigans, you mean. [Kamui folds his arms across his chest, straightening back up.] Okay. I can handle that much. But what about Andy? You think she would try that same strategy?

[Andy is dangerous. He can easily see her getting... more distracting, if ignored. That could be a big problem.]

[horrifictie]

[ SUGGESTION - Shit, you're losing her. Quick, convince her!
PHYSICAL INSTRUMENT - Time to bring in the *coaching* ]

No! No, we are *not* fucked. Andy, we are not going into this game with that loser mentality. We are winners and we are going to kick their asses. I need you to be with me on this.

[killtime]

[ She could argue that, objectively, by life's grand standards, they're already more or less losers — but sure, okay. For you, Harry? She'll humor a little unwarranted optimism. ]

Well. [ Dryly: ] We should have the physical advantage. For whatever the fuck that's worth. Maybe that'll be enough.

[ Probably not. But oh well. ]