i_speak_softly | Forty-Ninth Theory [Action/Voice]

Entry tags:

Forty-Ninth Theory [Action/Voice]

[Don has never been to an ocean before, and last time he was at an amusement park he had to electrify the roller coaster to defeat an enraged colony of nanobots.]

[He is determined that this excursion will be one of pleasant discovery.]

[To that end, he takes the teleporter to the beach on Thursday morning, and spends the next two days exploring the park, the waterfront, and as far out into the ocean as his own limbs can take him. (Or farther, if anyone is kind enough to offer him the use of a boat.)]

[At some point during the two days, he opens his journal and leaves the following message:]

Researchers, experimenters, tinkerers, inventors, curious people of all kinds... join the "Scientists, Hypothesizers, and Engineers of Luceti League". I'm starting it right now and everyone is welcome.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

Certainly. [This is lighthearted and not traumatizing, right? Right.] I would love to...

[Plus he can see Don's aim demonstrated, probably! It will be a lot better than his own at any rate.]

[Don heads back towards the midway, not speaking again until they've been strolling between the booths for some minutes.]

Which one should we try?

Hmm... [There is, admittedly, a spectacular array of games here, but Sonic Toss catches Robert's attention - because... is that Robotnik on it?]

... Doctor Robotnik...?

[Cue headtilt as Robert studies the Sonic Toss game.]

[Don looks around, thinking Robert has just spotted someone he knows, but no, Robert is looking at one of the game stalls.]

What?

He is... referenced in this game. [Huh. That is very odd. ~~Then again Robert's already seen Turtles in Time...~~]

... That is not too strange of an occurrence in this park, it seems.

[Robert steps up to the booth, peering at the large golden rings and a very stylized blue organism...]

[Now that guy looks familiar. It's Don's turn to headtilt as he tries to figure out what kind of game "Sonic Toss" is.]

Edited 2011-09-05 21:07 (UTC)

[It is, apparently, a ring toss game, if the rules signboard is any indication.

Fascinated, Robert studies the perimeter of the game.]

... So... one throws the rings at the central stake...

... Seems simple in theory.

[Don looks at the size of the rings, and the distance to the stake, and wonders how anyone could miss.]

Want to try?

[He will be surprised. And by surprised, one means probably embarrassed-by-proxy, at Robert's abysmal failure.]

... I could... attempt. [But even Robert's pretty certain he'll get it wrong.]

[Don gestures for Robert to go ahead. He will watch and be... appalled.]

[Trying it out now... Robert picks up one of the oversized rings, standing there awkwardly for way too long trying to judge it, and then gives it a rather pathetic toss.

... To nobody's surprise, it misses, though it at least hits the stake in question.]

...

There is a reason I do not usually engage in this sort of thing.

[Facepalm time!]

That wasn't bad. [As far as Don is concerned, the ring hit the target - just not at the intended angle.] Throw another one.

[And Robert repeats the throw, trying to adjust for the first - this time, the ring misses on the opposite side of the stake.]

... Agh.

[This is frustrating.]

[Ooh, overshot. There's still one more ring, though.]

[Can he do it? Can he manage to actually get one ring onto that stake?

Moment of truth! Robert attempts to throw the ring again, centring it as best he can on that stake, and...

... Whelp. The oversized ring hits the edge of the stake, hangs for one terrifying moment, and then... falls off.

Robert just sighs.]

... Well.

[Don applauds anyway.]

Play again?

It might be better if you attempted it instead of me...

[Read: "I don't want to fail miserably twice if I can help it."]

[Don picks up a pile of rings, eyeballs the stake, and tosses one... It bounces off the side of the pole just below the top.]

Ha - I'm not used to throwing side-arm.

[Okay, that's kind of reassuring if even his obscenely well-trained boyfriend can't throw it properly in one shot.

But Robert's hardly in any position to chide, and besides, that was more accurate than his attempts. So he's just going to watch like Don just practically performed a miracle.]

[Don adjusts his aim, and the next two rings fall neatly onto the stake. He turns to beam at Robert.]

[Okay, that was impressive. Robert beams right on back.]

Wonderful...

[And Don gets a congratulatory hug!]

[Don doesn't usually get a hug for accurately throwing things at a target: his expectations run more towards a slap on the back or a punch in the arm. Nevertheless, he finds that a hug is a good congratulatory gesture too.]

[The droid working the booth hands him a small stuffed animal, and he accepts it uncertainly.]

[What an adorable stuffed animal. Screw antiquated notions of masculinity, Robert is going to beam at it.]

That was very accurate aiming. I suppose it comes from your training...

[Robert may take it; Don isn't really a stuffed animal kind of guy.]

It's one of the things I practice.

[Even though Robert has only lived with the Hamatos for two weeks, he's surely noticed that Don really does spend hours every day in the back room, engaged in his mysterious training exercises.]

[He's totally taking it then, and cradling it with a reverence not generally intended for stuffed animals.]

Ah... that makes sense.

[How can he not notice? Though Robert is never quite sure what to do when that happens, other than not just barge in without knocking (he remembers that warning quite well).]

... Has... anyone ever expressed any desire for me to do the same?

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action] | I think that's the first time that icon ever got used at Robert

[Action] | Can't be

[Action] | :|a... my memory could be failing sob