>"Ok Anon, we're gonna play Gears of Halo 2: Call of the Electric Battlefield Boogaloo. Since you're our guest, we'll let you pick who you want on your team, the other two will be on the opposite team." >Unthinking Ultramarine waves the game case in front of you, as if you wouldn't believe her what game you were playing. >"And just to add a bit of spice to the game, the losing team has to cook dinner and clean up afterwards." >Of course Cheese Puff would want to make some kind of bet out of it. >Always looking to gain some kind of edge, no matter how trivial. >But you, and apparently the other two, accept the arrangement. >Cooking sucks. >""Deal"" >With that settled you go about thinking who you want on your team. >You play games during your free time. >Which is to say anytime you're not at school. >You could probably beat all three of them alone. >But it's just a friendly game with a friendly wager. >For now. >'Friendly' games don't stay 'friendly' very long. >You miss the friends you had before Mario Party existed. >Good riddance to those sons of bitches. >Enough about that. >Gotta pick the best of the three. >You doubt any of them can cook worth a damn, but just watching them cook for you will be worth it. >So the question is, >Who to pick? >Adagio doesn't seem like the type who plays games, so she's probably terrible. >You could see Aria playing them. >Probably gets off on the anger. >Sonata seems like a total casual, better than Adagio, but worse than Aria. >So its decided. "I choose Aria." >"Awww, I wanted to play with NonNon." >Bumbling Blueberry whines. >She looks a bit dowhearted that you didn't pick her. >Breaks your heart. >It should be a crime for anyone to be that adorable. >Almost makes you wish you chose her to see what her reaction would've been. >"FUCK!" >What? "What?" >"Maybe I should save myself the frustration and just start cooking now." >Maybe you chose poorly. >Is one, or both, of the others really that good? >It's probably Adagio. >She is awfully tricky. >There's a good bit she doesn't tell you about herself. >'Girl has to have some mystery, don't you think?' "Is Adagio that good?" >"Adagio? *pfft* Adagio couldn't play her way out of a game of 52 card pickup." >"Hmph, some of us actually have better things to do than sit around playing games, Aria." >"Yeah, whatever." >The game hasn't even been turned on and already people are miserable. >Sounds about right. >But Sonata good at games? >Maybe the other two just don't play and she's only 'good' by comparison from what they know. >"Come on girls, it's Anon's first night here! Let's just have some fun!" >Azure Airhead does her best to try and lift everyone's mood, but it is clearly not working. >"I-if me playing makes it unfun, I'll just sit out then, and you can have fun together." >Sonata looks like she's on the verge of tears. >No, she is actually crying. >You can feel your heart breaking as she sniffles, wiping the tears from her eyes. >Gotta try and salvage the situation before she unwittingly kills you. "I-it'll be fine! Right girls? We'll just play and have fun together, it'll be great!" >Aria, in typical Pomegranate Pout form, crosses her arms and scoffs. >"Yeah, sure. But you're doing most of the work Anon." "Already giving up Aria? I thought you were better than that?" >You goad her on, trying to get a rise out of her. >Instead she looks at you with a dead expression. >Eyes that have already resigned themselve to an inescapable fate. >"You ever play a game with Sonata?" "No." >"Then shutup till it's over." >Is she really that good? >No offense to Sonata, but you can't imagine her being so good at a game that other people quit before it's even started. >While all this drama was happening Adagio went ahead and started the game up. >If Aria's face expressed her belief that she was gonna lose with certainty, >Adagio wore the opposite. >A victorious smug adorned her face. >That smug grin really suited her, but damn could it be obnoxious sometimes. >"Well girls, now that we've all settled down, no point putting off the inevitable, is there?" >Everyone takes their controller, and the game starts. >Not five minutes in, you see what Aria meant. >Adagio decided to go read a book the second the game started. >Two versus one didn't sound fair, but then you encountered Sonata. >Literally jumping up and down, spinning in circles. >The moment you entered her field of view, she puts one in your skull. >From across the map. >She never stopped spinning. >She smiles and laughs with a big goofy grin on her face. >Ok, so maybe she's got some skill. >This happens several more times to both you and Aria. >Eventually Sonata just starts hopping and spinning around the map. >Attempts to catch her off guard have failed as she shoots you anytime you approach, or she suddenly pops into view and instantly puts you down. >You wanted to try and be 'fair' and not team up against her, but clearly that was a mistake. >So you and Aria try to flank her, both of you emerging from close range at the same time. >It would seem a half instant isn't close enough as Aria pops out of her cover a little faster than you, and is rewared with one through the eye as you ready to blow your load in her ass. >...Not in that way. >At least that's what would have happened if her spinning didn't continue as whe swapped to her sidearm and put three in you. >This is fucking stupid. >She's gotta be cheating, but after the waterworks earlier you don't wanna upset her. >She looks like she's having so much fun. >Not like a griefer has fun, but someone just having a nice game with friends. >Finally the game ends, with Sonata the undefeated and undisputed victor. >"Yay, wasn't that fun guys?" >No, it was the most frustrating game you ever had. >You understand why Aria didn't want to play. >Speak of the Devil >"Yeah, it was a real blast, woohoo. I'm gonna go get started on dinner" >Mad Mauve circles her finger in the air in faux celebration, enough sarcasm dripping from her voice to fill an ocean. >Of course it flies right over Sonata's head. >But >Sonata looks happy, so you'll suck it up this time >She usually gets the short end of the stick, being the naive airhead that she is, so you don't begrudge her her victory. >Every dog has his day. "Yeah, it sure was. We should play something else sometime, though preferably something more along the line of co-op?" >"Sure thing NonNon! And I know a great game we can play to work together and strengthen our friendship!" "Oh, what game is that?" > "League of legends" > Truly the real test of the strength of your friendship was about to begin.