Liam & Illyana | First Meeting
Sep. 10th, 2023 02:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_magik posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logs(Backdated) Illyana interrupts Liam's nap, and they introduce themselves over gummy bears and video games.
Illyana was muttering at her screen as she poked it with her finger. Noise came from the device, fighting sounds with a classical music backdrop and the occasional punctuations of hero quips. "To betray my customers... I charge extra!" she exclaimed, watching eagerly as her borrowed support smashed through robots like they were tissue paper. Her free hand popped a few gummy bears into her mouth, and she chewed them with determination as she battled through the remaining four rounds.
She was so invested in the game she was playing that she didn't notice the other person in the room.
Liam had found the best couch and dragged it under a window so he could catch the sunbeam and was now lazing in it mostly asleep. The words permeated his sleep addled brain in a way the music didn't and he rolled over, tail shifting and popping up over the back like a periscope before the rest of him did. "Hi?" he asked warily. He'd met a few... prickly people and didn't want to be quite so friendly if this went badly, too.
Illyana was proud of herself for not shouting, just startling in her seat as she looked around. "What." She locked her gaze on the other person. Cat. Catperson? Two of them, so close together? Fascinating. "Hello. I am Illyana."
"I'm Liam," he yawned widely, not entirely covering his mouth and exposing his elongated canines. "What time is it?" He hadn't meant to fall asleep in the sunbeam, it had just happened being comfortable and warm.
"It is..." she switched screens. "Two fifty-three PM. How was nap? Long? Good?" Small talk wasn't her best trait, but it was a necessity for meeting new people.
Hmmm.... not as long as he expected. "Naps are awesome," he replied, clinching over the back of the couch to sit nearby, "What're you playing?"
"Is called Honkai Star Rail. Space battle and magic." Illyana liked to sleep, but she did not generally nap in public spaces. She angled herself and adjusted her phone so Liam could watch. "Run into monsters, see? Do battle, get cool ultimate, beat monsters for rewards. Gummy bear?" The bag had shifted when she had, so she moved it to sit between them. "You cannot eat all of them, but will share."
Sleeping wherever the action was (or was likely to be) was always better than sleeping alone. Boring. Unless his bed was where the sunspot and warmth was. Then maybe. He was fully capable of sleeping in his bed. He just didn't care for it. Shifting so that he could see her screen better, he nodded, "Cool, and yes. Can I get a pineapple one please? What sort of rewards?"
She pushed the bag in Liam's direction as she was ambushed by an ice bird. "Different things. Credits, item for leveling character, gear. Standard reward for game like this, I am told, with option to spend much money if you are not smart. Or if you are very impatient." A spider-shaped circle lit up. "That is Kafka, she is beautiful and full of mystery. Woman with baseball bat is main character that each player names. Mine is Solnyshka. Is Russian transliteration for sunshine, and she has yellow eyes, see?"
Nodding, Liam thought made sense, "It's not one of those match-three games, right? Those are lame." It did have good graphics though.
"Matching game is for very short downtime or direct insult. So boring would rather do puzzle than listen to blah blah blah," Illyana replied with a small grin. "This game more battles, pairing best characters for good team match. Little explore too, things for collecting and checking. Is whole story that unfolds."
"Ooooh," he would need to check it out. Match three games were very boring, definitely. Pulling his phone out, Liam paused, "Is it free?" He was pretty sure his mom wouldn't be okay with him buying a phone game. "Wait, you said it was. Unless you get stuck and need to pay to get through, right?"
"Are always paying options, but can progress story without paying. Miss out on some time-limited things, but that is nature of gacha game. This is first month I am paying for things. Have been playing for three. But have job now, can afford easy. Could afford more, but feels silly to waste." She flipped through to the various things you could buy. "Am paying for monthly pass and nameless glory. Is fifteen dollars total. That is three fancy drinks at Starbucks place." Illyana shrugged and stuck another gummy worm in her mouth, chewing carefully.
"Yeah, but... Starbucks is great," he'd gotten a couple of drinks on his way down to the school as a treat. They didn't have Starbucks in Northern Maine, not even in Bangor. There were some Dunkin's, but those were pretty out of the way, even in Bangor. "I think I'd rather a Starbucks."
Illyana nodded. "Valid thought. Am fond of purple drink and steam apple juice in fall. Then you play free mode. Will take longer to get some things, but effort is still rewarded. Would not keep playing if game had strong pay barriers. Feels predatory. Refuse to give money for bad behavior." She pushed her phone at Liam. "Want to try battle?"
"Mmm..." He pulled his own phone out and searched for the app. "What level are you on? We can play together. But I gotta at least try to catch up," depending on how far she was, that might not be possible.
"Is mostly solo game, but I will send you my ID number. Then you can use silly strong characters for content that allows support. Are... people with ears and stuff like you later on. Not this zone, but next. Fox people, few with antlers. Is not weird sex thing like catgirls on youtube, just different types of people." She flipped back to the character screen. "This is Yukong. She is pilot and very good shot. She is also Foxian, has pretty fox ears and tail. But story focuses on what she does, not ears and tail. Fan things get weird, but that seems to be nature of fan things."
Catgirls? Oh. Oh, no. "Oh," Liam looked dismayed, ears going flat. "That's. Not my thing then."
"Try battle. Design might not be for you, but story is interesting. People with animal features small part of whole, yes? And are competent, good at jobs." Illyana fiddled with her phone for a moment, then thrust it at him. "Here. Do not have fancy deer man yet, but Yukong is fun. Guy in white is Gepard, he is slow, but does shields. Bat is main character everyone plays as. There is better version but like abilities on this. Lady with cape is Kafka. Very clever. Deadly. Strong please step on energy. And last Yukong. She does good damage, but best for making rest of team strong."
Taking the phone, Liam tried to do as she instructed. It was kinda fun. And it wasn't so much that he disliked animal-people so much as he disliked how they were fetishized and weren't even mutants in fiction and stuff. That had been a terrible conversation in middle school that never needed to be repeated again. Except, it had ended up being very important later on. So..... ugh. "Okay, it's not bad," he agreed, pleased that he had survived the level without killing her character.
Illyana gave him a small smile. "Ears went flat but are sharp again. Did good job on battle."
Reaching up, he pushed an embarrassed hand through his hair, including smooshing his ears down and then back up automatically. "They do what they want," he mumbled, which wasn't entirely true. They were a good view into how he was feeling though.
"Hn." The sound of her work ringtone had Illyana screwing her face up in distaste. "Must take this, you may have last of gummy bears." She grabbed a few more and stood, swiping her phone up to listen to the voice on the other end.
Illyana was muttering at her screen as she poked it with her finger. Noise came from the device, fighting sounds with a classical music backdrop and the occasional punctuations of hero quips. "To betray my customers... I charge extra!" she exclaimed, watching eagerly as her borrowed support smashed through robots like they were tissue paper. Her free hand popped a few gummy bears into her mouth, and she chewed them with determination as she battled through the remaining four rounds.
She was so invested in the game she was playing that she didn't notice the other person in the room.
Liam had found the best couch and dragged it under a window so he could catch the sunbeam and was now lazing in it mostly asleep. The words permeated his sleep addled brain in a way the music didn't and he rolled over, tail shifting and popping up over the back like a periscope before the rest of him did. "Hi?" he asked warily. He'd met a few... prickly people and didn't want to be quite so friendly if this went badly, too.
Illyana was proud of herself for not shouting, just startling in her seat as she looked around. "What." She locked her gaze on the other person. Cat. Catperson? Two of them, so close together? Fascinating. "Hello. I am Illyana."
"I'm Liam," he yawned widely, not entirely covering his mouth and exposing his elongated canines. "What time is it?" He hadn't meant to fall asleep in the sunbeam, it had just happened being comfortable and warm.
"It is..." she switched screens. "Two fifty-three PM. How was nap? Long? Good?" Small talk wasn't her best trait, but it was a necessity for meeting new people.
Hmmm.... not as long as he expected. "Naps are awesome," he replied, clinching over the back of the couch to sit nearby, "What're you playing?"
"Is called Honkai Star Rail. Space battle and magic." Illyana liked to sleep, but she did not generally nap in public spaces. She angled herself and adjusted her phone so Liam could watch. "Run into monsters, see? Do battle, get cool ultimate, beat monsters for rewards. Gummy bear?" The bag had shifted when she had, so she moved it to sit between them. "You cannot eat all of them, but will share."
Sleeping wherever the action was (or was likely to be) was always better than sleeping alone. Boring. Unless his bed was where the sunspot and warmth was. Then maybe. He was fully capable of sleeping in his bed. He just didn't care for it. Shifting so that he could see her screen better, he nodded, "Cool, and yes. Can I get a pineapple one please? What sort of rewards?"
She pushed the bag in Liam's direction as she was ambushed by an ice bird. "Different things. Credits, item for leveling character, gear. Standard reward for game like this, I am told, with option to spend much money if you are not smart. Or if you are very impatient." A spider-shaped circle lit up. "That is Kafka, she is beautiful and full of mystery. Woman with baseball bat is main character that each player names. Mine is Solnyshka. Is Russian transliteration for sunshine, and she has yellow eyes, see?"
Nodding, Liam thought made sense, "It's not one of those match-three games, right? Those are lame." It did have good graphics though.
"Matching game is for very short downtime or direct insult. So boring would rather do puzzle than listen to blah blah blah," Illyana replied with a small grin. "This game more battles, pairing best characters for good team match. Little explore too, things for collecting and checking. Is whole story that unfolds."
"Ooooh," he would need to check it out. Match three games were very boring, definitely. Pulling his phone out, Liam paused, "Is it free?" He was pretty sure his mom wouldn't be okay with him buying a phone game. "Wait, you said it was. Unless you get stuck and need to pay to get through, right?"
"Are always paying options, but can progress story without paying. Miss out on some time-limited things, but that is nature of gacha game. This is first month I am paying for things. Have been playing for three. But have job now, can afford easy. Could afford more, but feels silly to waste." She flipped through to the various things you could buy. "Am paying for monthly pass and nameless glory. Is fifteen dollars total. That is three fancy drinks at Starbucks place." Illyana shrugged and stuck another gummy worm in her mouth, chewing carefully.
"Yeah, but... Starbucks is great," he'd gotten a couple of drinks on his way down to the school as a treat. They didn't have Starbucks in Northern Maine, not even in Bangor. There were some Dunkin's, but those were pretty out of the way, even in Bangor. "I think I'd rather a Starbucks."
Illyana nodded. "Valid thought. Am fond of purple drink and steam apple juice in fall. Then you play free mode. Will take longer to get some things, but effort is still rewarded. Would not keep playing if game had strong pay barriers. Feels predatory. Refuse to give money for bad behavior." She pushed her phone at Liam. "Want to try battle?"
"Mmm..." He pulled his own phone out and searched for the app. "What level are you on? We can play together. But I gotta at least try to catch up," depending on how far she was, that might not be possible.
"Is mostly solo game, but I will send you my ID number. Then you can use silly strong characters for content that allows support. Are... people with ears and stuff like you later on. Not this zone, but next. Fox people, few with antlers. Is not weird sex thing like catgirls on youtube, just different types of people." She flipped back to the character screen. "This is Yukong. She is pilot and very good shot. She is also Foxian, has pretty fox ears and tail. But story focuses on what she does, not ears and tail. Fan things get weird, but that seems to be nature of fan things."
Catgirls? Oh. Oh, no. "Oh," Liam looked dismayed, ears going flat. "That's. Not my thing then."
"Try battle. Design might not be for you, but story is interesting. People with animal features small part of whole, yes? And are competent, good at jobs." Illyana fiddled with her phone for a moment, then thrust it at him. "Here. Do not have fancy deer man yet, but Yukong is fun. Guy in white is Gepard, he is slow, but does shields. Bat is main character everyone plays as. There is better version but like abilities on this. Lady with cape is Kafka. Very clever. Deadly. Strong please step on energy. And last Yukong. She does good damage, but best for making rest of team strong."
Taking the phone, Liam tried to do as she instructed. It was kinda fun. And it wasn't so much that he disliked animal-people so much as he disliked how they were fetishized and weren't even mutants in fiction and stuff. That had been a terrible conversation in middle school that never needed to be repeated again. Except, it had ended up being very important later on. So..... ugh. "Okay, it's not bad," he agreed, pleased that he had survived the level without killing her character.
Illyana gave him a small smile. "Ears went flat but are sharp again. Did good job on battle."
Reaching up, he pushed an embarrassed hand through his hair, including smooshing his ears down and then back up automatically. "They do what they want," he mumbled, which wasn't entirely true. They were a good view into how he was feeling though.
"Hn." The sound of her work ringtone had Illyana screwing her face up in distaste. "Must take this, you may have last of gummy bears." She grabbed a few more and stood, swiping her phone up to listen to the voice on the other end.
