03-28-2010, 05:28 PM
Szar stepped out of the portal, a grin of victory once again pasted to his visage. That was twice now he'd emerged the winner in his events, thanks to impressive team cohesion. He doubted how well he'd do if he didn't have allies to work with, but so far that hadn't hampered him much. At the rate he was progressing, he would likely come out of this on top. Now it was a matter of finding something to do until the next event. Scanning the nearby booths for anything of interest, he jumped with surprise when a hand brushed the back of his neck. Wheeling around, he was taken aback by the presence of a beautiful woman. No, beautiful didn't begin to describe her. She was perfect, absolutely flawless. Szar felt uncharacteristically awkward around her. She didn't even mind that he had been staring, mouth agape, at her for several moments. She seemed to enjoy the attention, batting a wave of hair from her face.
"See something you like?" she teased, winking.
Iceman cleared his throat, shifting his gaze to a captivating patch of grass at his feet. She stepped towards him, gripping his chin with a slender hand she brought his gaze to match hers. "I've been watching you. You've been doing pretty well for yourself."
Szar reddened and he stepped back from her, trying to clear his mind of the lewd thoughts she provoked. She didn't seem to like that and she continued to approach, her chest grabbing at his attention and not letting go. "T-thanks, I guess."
"So it must make you pretty angry to know that someone's trying to take what you've earned."
Immediately all thoughts of perversion left him. "What are you talking about? And, while we're at it, who the hell are you?!"
Mixie frowned, biting at her lower lip. "Remember the boy from the last round? The one who tried to block the entry port with his ship?"
Szar thought back. He remembered him well enough, though his name escaped the clutches of Iceman's memory. "Yeah, what about him?"
"Check your badges." Mixie stated simply, pointing to the pouch at his waist.
"Okay...I don't see why I have to..." Szar gripped the bag in his hand, pulling it open. He counted them aloud to himself, "One...two...three..." He stopped suddenly. "Where the hell is my last badge?! I paid for four and I only have three!"
"Now check your pager. The Updates tab, to be precise." Mixie was standing behind him, looking over his shoulder. "No, you go here first. Ugh, let me see it." She held her hand out and Szar handed the device to her. A few clicks and she returned it. "That's what happened to your fourth badge."
Juno purchases a Covet, stealing a badge from current badge leader, Szar! Nice play, how will the Icer respond?[i]
Szar almost crushed the pager right then and there. Mixie stopped him, reminding him that he would need that for the remaining rounds.
"I'm going to kill him. Do you know where he is?" Szar spun to face Mixie, his face almost being buried in her bosom. Cursing his small stature, he stepped back a pace.
"I just might... I'll only tell you if you can beat me at a game!" She cradled her chin in her hand for a moment, lost in thought. Szar wanted to leave, to find Juno and take his badge back. However, the sheer scale of the Carnival made that unlikely unless he knew where to look, and this girl seemed to know where Juno was. Or maybe she didn't, and she was just leading the Changeling on. Either way, he decided to stick around; maybe a game or two with a beautiful girl wouldn't be so bad.
Mixie suddenly broke from her reverie, her eyes widening as she had an epiphany of sorts. "Come on, you'll like this one!" She clamped her hand around his wrist, dragging him towards one of the booths. Szar admired her from behind as she led him, hating that her backside was the only thing on his mind. They stopped in front of a brightly lit booth, and the man behind the counter set down the magazine he'd been reading.
"Hiya, Mixie. Who's your friend?"
She looked down at Szar then back to the worker. "Just one of Gamer's contestants. He has three badges, can you believe it?"
The man looked Iceman over, clearly unimpressed. "Must be beginner's luck, it won't last." Szar stared at the man, his eyes filled with anger. "I...you both playing, then?" he stuttered, changing the subject quickly.
Mixie beamed. "Yep!"
The man nodded, reaching beneath the counter he came back up with two toy rifles. He handed one to Mixie, and the other to Szar. "The goal," the man began, stepping to the side so the Icer could see the back of the booth. "Is to hit the target with your squirt gun. Then, that balloon you see there will fill with water. The first one to burst their balloon wins. Any questions?"
Mixie shook her head. Szar wanted to ask why the balloons looked like brains, but he decided against it. Putting the butt of the rifle against his shoulder Szar took aim, watching Mixie out of the corner of his eye as she did the same. Her form was good, surprisingly good. She didn't have the look of a marksman at all, but Szar was smart enough to not judge her based solely on appearance. The worker looked from Mixie to Szar, then back at the wall.
He casually took a cigarette from behind his ear, placed it in his mouth. Patting down his pockets for his lighter, he cursed frustratedly before finding that he'd left it on the counter. Flicking the Bic to life, he lit his cigarette, taking a long drag.
"You can start now." he said, blowing a big cloud of smoke in Szar's eyes.
While Szar tried to fan away the cancer-smoke, Mixie had already started shooting. She struck the center of the bulls-eye expertly, and her balloon-brain began to inflate. Not wanting to be outdone, Szar took aim and fired. His gun didn't do anything. Pulling the trigger repeatedly did nothing to fix it. Examining the hose that connected the gun to the tank of water beneath the booth, the Icer noticed it was broken. So this guy wanted Szar to lose so badly he would stack the odds in Mixie's favor, huh?
Down but not out, Szar raised his finger, pointing at the target. A thin stream of ki rocketed from the tip of his finger, striking the target dead center. His balloon, Szar was happy to find, began to inflate rapidly. Mixie was too busy concentrating to notice anything that had happened. The man behind the booth was clearly angry that Szar was still in the game, but he knew better than to step in front of the ki. So he just stood to the side, watching the balloons fill, puffing away on his cigarette. The balloons inflated more, Iceman trying his best to ignore that they resembled brains, and that the water they were filling with was blood red.
[i]Pop!
Szar sighed as he saw his victory snatched away from him. Mixie's balloon-brain exploded in a cloud of red mist. Screeching victoriously, she began to jump up and down in celebration. Certain parts of her anatomy bounced with her. Szar was entranced, unable to pull his eyes away.
Up and down. Up and down.
"I did it!" she exclaimed, turning to Szar, she embraced him in a hug. Szar was glad then that his species was asexual, otherwise it would have been rather embarassing. "That was so much fun!"
"Yeah...fun." Szar gasped. "You can...let go now."
Mixie finally relented, and the Changeling wriggled out of her grip. "Let's play another game! You still have to beat me if you want to find Juno!"
Before Szar could protest she was already dragging him through the crowd towards another game. The funny thing was, Szar didn't mind at all.
"See something you like?" she teased, winking.
Iceman cleared his throat, shifting his gaze to a captivating patch of grass at his feet. She stepped towards him, gripping his chin with a slender hand she brought his gaze to match hers. "I've been watching you. You've been doing pretty well for yourself."
Szar reddened and he stepped back from her, trying to clear his mind of the lewd thoughts she provoked. She didn't seem to like that and she continued to approach, her chest grabbing at his attention and not letting go. "T-thanks, I guess."
"So it must make you pretty angry to know that someone's trying to take what you've earned."
Immediately all thoughts of perversion left him. "What are you talking about? And, while we're at it, who the hell are you?!"
Mixie frowned, biting at her lower lip. "Remember the boy from the last round? The one who tried to block the entry port with his ship?"
Szar thought back. He remembered him well enough, though his name escaped the clutches of Iceman's memory. "Yeah, what about him?"
"Check your badges." Mixie stated simply, pointing to the pouch at his waist.
"Okay...I don't see why I have to..." Szar gripped the bag in his hand, pulling it open. He counted them aloud to himself, "One...two...three..." He stopped suddenly. "Where the hell is my last badge?! I paid for four and I only have three!"
"Now check your pager. The Updates tab, to be precise." Mixie was standing behind him, looking over his shoulder. "No, you go here first. Ugh, let me see it." She held her hand out and Szar handed the device to her. A few clicks and she returned it. "That's what happened to your fourth badge."
Juno purchases a Covet, stealing a badge from current badge leader, Szar! Nice play, how will the Icer respond?[i]
Szar almost crushed the pager right then and there. Mixie stopped him, reminding him that he would need that for the remaining rounds.
"I'm going to kill him. Do you know where he is?" Szar spun to face Mixie, his face almost being buried in her bosom. Cursing his small stature, he stepped back a pace.
"I just might... I'll only tell you if you can beat me at a game!" She cradled her chin in her hand for a moment, lost in thought. Szar wanted to leave, to find Juno and take his badge back. However, the sheer scale of the Carnival made that unlikely unless he knew where to look, and this girl seemed to know where Juno was. Or maybe she didn't, and she was just leading the Changeling on. Either way, he decided to stick around; maybe a game or two with a beautiful girl wouldn't be so bad.
Mixie suddenly broke from her reverie, her eyes widening as she had an epiphany of sorts. "Come on, you'll like this one!" She clamped her hand around his wrist, dragging him towards one of the booths. Szar admired her from behind as she led him, hating that her backside was the only thing on his mind. They stopped in front of a brightly lit booth, and the man behind the counter set down the magazine he'd been reading.
"Hiya, Mixie. Who's your friend?"
She looked down at Szar then back to the worker. "Just one of Gamer's contestants. He has three badges, can you believe it?"
The man looked Iceman over, clearly unimpressed. "Must be beginner's luck, it won't last." Szar stared at the man, his eyes filled with anger. "I...you both playing, then?" he stuttered, changing the subject quickly.
Mixie beamed. "Yep!"
The man nodded, reaching beneath the counter he came back up with two toy rifles. He handed one to Mixie, and the other to Szar. "The goal," the man began, stepping to the side so the Icer could see the back of the booth. "Is to hit the target with your squirt gun. Then, that balloon you see there will fill with water. The first one to burst their balloon wins. Any questions?"
Mixie shook her head. Szar wanted to ask why the balloons looked like brains, but he decided against it. Putting the butt of the rifle against his shoulder Szar took aim, watching Mixie out of the corner of his eye as she did the same. Her form was good, surprisingly good. She didn't have the look of a marksman at all, but Szar was smart enough to not judge her based solely on appearance. The worker looked from Mixie to Szar, then back at the wall.
He casually took a cigarette from behind his ear, placed it in his mouth. Patting down his pockets for his lighter, he cursed frustratedly before finding that he'd left it on the counter. Flicking the Bic to life, he lit his cigarette, taking a long drag.
"You can start now." he said, blowing a big cloud of smoke in Szar's eyes.
While Szar tried to fan away the cancer-smoke, Mixie had already started shooting. She struck the center of the bulls-eye expertly, and her balloon-brain began to inflate. Not wanting to be outdone, Szar took aim and fired. His gun didn't do anything. Pulling the trigger repeatedly did nothing to fix it. Examining the hose that connected the gun to the tank of water beneath the booth, the Icer noticed it was broken. So this guy wanted Szar to lose so badly he would stack the odds in Mixie's favor, huh?
Down but not out, Szar raised his finger, pointing at the target. A thin stream of ki rocketed from the tip of his finger, striking the target dead center. His balloon, Szar was happy to find, began to inflate rapidly. Mixie was too busy concentrating to notice anything that had happened. The man behind the booth was clearly angry that Szar was still in the game, but he knew better than to step in front of the ki. So he just stood to the side, watching the balloons fill, puffing away on his cigarette. The balloons inflated more, Iceman trying his best to ignore that they resembled brains, and that the water they were filling with was blood red.
[i]Pop!
Szar sighed as he saw his victory snatched away from him. Mixie's balloon-brain exploded in a cloud of red mist. Screeching victoriously, she began to jump up and down in celebration. Certain parts of her anatomy bounced with her. Szar was entranced, unable to pull his eyes away.
Up and down. Up and down.
"I did it!" she exclaimed, turning to Szar, she embraced him in a hug. Szar was glad then that his species was asexual, otherwise it would have been rather embarassing. "That was so much fun!"
"Yeah...fun." Szar gasped. "You can...let go now."
Mixie finally relented, and the Changeling wriggled out of her grip. "Let's play another game! You still have to beat me if you want to find Juno!"
Before Szar could protest she was already dragging him through the crowd towards another game. The funny thing was, Szar didn't mind at all.