cartographie | inbox for golden peacock

[Since when does Scott Summers ever turn down an invitation to hang out at the arcade? Never. He's just a little surprised that Nami is the one that invited him! Look, he still remembers their first meeting, where she abruptly slapped him across the face, but... things have gotten better since then. He can admit that. With uh, full confidence. Scott barely stops himself from flushing right out in public as he recalls their last meeting and how all previous misunderstandings and upset feelings disappeared with that. They both made that clear with each other. And on the bed.

But yeah, it's nice. It's like they're starting over and he's on board with that. Plus, arcade.

He's dressed in his usual plain clothes, jeans and a shirt with a jacket, because he honestly isn't thinking that this is anything but just hanging out at an arcade and playing games and winning prizes. It'll be fun and he's looking forward to it, the mutant hanging out in the front of the arcade and tuning out the sounds coming from there as he waits for her.

He's a little early, but it's fine.]

[ Like Scott, Nami doesn't get too dressed up, although for her, it's more out of a conscious want not to look like she fretted over herself too much on his account, a denim skirt and an emerald green tank top with a short black jacket worn over the top, and she's off. She likes him, even if they did get off on a weird foot, but her approach to revealing that fact can be more guarded than anything else, a holdout from the years spent protecting herself and everyone around her by being as distant as she could. Still, she wants more of the sweetness that passed between them over the course of that afternoon spent together in a room she argued her way into. A date is a good place to begin.

Not too early but still a handful of minutes before the time she told him, Nami arrives to find Scott already waiting for her, and has to hang back for a moment to tamp the smile already forming on her face back down to a reasonable level. ]

Been waiting long? [ She speaks up and announces her presence once she's close enough to reach out and briefly touch his arm. ] Hey.

[Scott's own grin seems to brighten when he turns towards her, a certain ease to his form that wasn't there before. It helps that he no longer feels like a complete newbie around here, no longer under the influence of having two activated suits at once and just in general getting more familiar with the casino. Oh, there's still plenty of things that he hates about this place, including the ranking system, and he misses his friends back home, but he's a little more adjusted.

Not as angry. Not as alone.

He's made a couple of friends. People he can trust. Also uh, he actually had sex with a few others, including the extremely attractive girl in front of him. Call him old-fashioned, but it really is hard to forget his first time (at least with a girl). Besides, why would he want to?]

Not at all. [She looks pretty today, but that's nothing new--] So, ready to get your butt kicked?

Shouldn't I be asking you that?

[ The hand on his arm drifts to briefly cover his instead, giving him a gentle tug on her way into the arcade, before she lets go and immediately becomes preoccupied looking to see which of her favorite games have empty machines. ]

If you're so sure of yourself, I'll even let you pick where we start.

[ Nami turns toward Scott again and lets her lips curve into a small, careful grin. In a place like the resort where most encounters tend to tip towards the tawdry, going out on a date – a normal date – is its own kind of thrilling. She's never had the space to get close to people before, even after a year Nami's still getting used to that change, but how sweet and obviously pleased to be here Scott is takes some of the edge of that. ]

[There's a brief moment of disappointment when Nami pulls her hand away, a part of Scott wanting to hold onto her just a little longer as they walk around the arcade. I-it's probably silly of him anyway, they're just hanging out. It's not a date... they're just here as friends. Yeah, it's totally cool. He definitely wants to be here still, have fun with her. Scott's been looking forward to that.

So, his smile is still genuine, warm, as he follows her around. Her own bright grin towards him also helps to alleviate more of those awkward feelings, the mutant slowly regaining his confidence.]

Well, we could start off with a fighting game. [Whatever the closest to Street Fighter they have here.] If you think you can handle that. I don't go easy on anyone.

[He's talking so much shit and it's undeserved.]

[ Whether he knows it or not, Scott's made a lucky pick – at least for himself. Nami tends to avoid the games with the screens, most of them don't pay out as well as things like whack-a-mole, and frankly, the tech is weird. There's television where she comes from, but the level of interactivity will never sit entirely right with her.

Not that any of that is going to make her stop talking just as much shit. ]

If I wasn't interested in finding out if I could handle it, I wouldn't have asked you out on a date. [ It's purposefully lascivious, and punctuated by a playful wink before she's striding ahead towards the row of video game machines waiting for him to lead her to his game of choice, hiding a smug little smirk, fully committed to throwing him off his game. ]

[It takes Scott a full couple of seconds, but when it finally hits him-- there's the familiar painting of a flush forming on his cheeks, still obvious despite the more flashy lights of the arcade they're in. He's just so unfamiliar with such blunt flirtation and it clearly shows, especially since it takes him a moment to even start coming up with a comeback.

Also, wait... his brain is also catching up on something else she just said--]

Wait, we're on a date? [He asks, voice not even trying to hold back its surprise. He somehow still manages to follow her to the row of arcade cabinets in front of them, but his mind is definitely stick on the whole 'date' thing. T-they're really on one and he didn't even know??? Shouldn't he have gotten her something nice or--]

I would've dressed up a little more if I knew. [He blurts out, cheeks still red.]

[ Scott's confusion is met with a surprised blink as Nami pauses, mid-step to glance around them, wordlessly implying that maybe it should have been obvious. She meets his eye and her playful dubiousness melts away, quickly replaced by a small, but markedly unguarded grin. ]

So ask me out again, and give me a reason to get dressed up with you.

[ Is the start of the first date too early to start talking about the second date? The resort has been overly generous with hurling new experiences in Nami's path, and for the most part, none of those were as intricately fun as dating.

Stopping once they reach a cluster of video games, she cocks her head towards the machines and raises her eyebrows expectantly. ]

Go ahead, pick your downfall. [ Dating may be bewildering, but bluffing and false bravado are second nature. ]

[Processing... processing...

Wait, really?? She's already agreed to a second date?? They haven't even played a single game yet-- they've barely started this date and she wants another one? That's like a super good impression, right? This has never happened to him before and Scott can't stop the pleased little smile that forms across his face. Guess they are pretty good together, huh?

Well, having really good sex probably helped with that too.

Either way, it's clear that Scott's mood is extremely positive right now, the mutant lightly tugging Nami to Street Fighter 2 or whatever generic equivalent is. It was tempting to pick something else, but after her last comment, maybe some ass whooping is still in order. That's all part of the date.]

What was the saying again? 'The pride before the fall?' [He laughs again, smile bright as he starts choosing his character. Unfortunately, perhaps, he will not go easy on her. Sometimes goading her, but he never goes too hard on teasing her. He wants to keep this fun after all.]

[ That self-satisfied smile isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and the pleased look that crosses his face after Nami teases him about a second date, all but ensures it. Which is a good thing, because she has no idea what she's doing. After selecting the cute girl with the cool hair character from the fighters, Nami has her character hang back once the match begins, experimentally tapping on the buttons before she decides she'd rather go down swinging and lets her fighter come at Scott's. ]

I bet you're all talk. [ She doesn't, but she's enjoying herself anyway, shifting her stance enough to playfully bump her hip against his while they stand side by side at the machine.

Considering her lack of experience, dragging the fight out for a third round instead of going out in two is something of an accomplishment, and Nami takes her loss in stride, looking over at him as the word victory flashes over his character's head. ]

So you're a ringer. We're gonna have to play some skee-ball so I can recover my pride.

We'll let the game decide that.

[Scott is definitely all talk when it comes to arcade games, but just the fact that he's spent a good time in them means he has some experience and it's enough for him to win at this particular game. But he's really having fun and seeing that Nami is similarly enjoying herself too... it feels good, the mutant lightly bumping back into her even as he does a special move on her character. Maybe just a little bit rude. Scott's sure that she'll get back at him later for that.

He's kind of looking forward to it. Playing like this almost reminds him of when he played arcade games with Jean, which by now, feels so long now. It has been months, huh? He misses her, a lot, but... Scott can't deny he really likes being around some of the people here, especially the girl standing next to him now.

But pushing those thoughts away, Scott smiles at her as the victory screen flashes across. His hands casually cup the back of his head in an easygoing manner, playing up their little 'competition.']

Skee-ball, huh? Only if you want to lose again. [But he pulls one hand forward, offering to walk them there.]

Edited 2025-03-10 15:16 (UTC)

[ When it's not for money, losing doesn't really matter. What does matter, however, is how cute he looks, while smug in the wake of his victory. Of course, that doesn't keep her from rolling her eyes at Scott. ]

Lose? [ Nami scoffs, stepping back from the machine as she reaches a hand out to absently touch his side, wordlessly indicating he should follow before she turns to move towards the skee-ball, still managing to look confident despite the recent defeat. ] After this game you're going to realize you only won on luck just now.

[ He did not, and the grin on her face suggests she's aware of that, but completely uninterested in calling herself out about it. ]

By the way, what's the prize at the end? [ She asks as an afterthought once she comes to a stop in front of a skee-ball lane, and hits the button to start the game. ]

[She really doesn't need to verbally tell him, fully understanding her silent direction. He'd have to be pretty blind to ignore that sign, right? But also... maybe it shows how comfortable they've gotten with each other. It really only takes one night to change everything. Well, uh, one really special night. Scott mentally adds, fighting down the flush whenever he thinks about it.

He'll just cover everything through teasing her. A+ plan.]

There's no luck when it comes to the Summers House, it's all skill. [Someone stop Scott before he says more embarrassing things--]

We could get something to eat after this. Winner chooses the meal. [A dinner after the arcade? And maybe a prize at the claw machine? That's definitely something to do on a date, right? Scott feels something in his chest warm at the thought, even though it also makes him score rather poorly at skee-ball. Hey, he wants a do over!!]

[ Nami turns one of the wooden balls over in her hand, curving her palm over it as though she were making a point to get just the right hold before swinging her arm and sending it arching up the lane to land in a hundred point hole. ]

Better hope your skills are sharp, gorgeous. [ Pointedly trying to distract him, she shoots a sidelong glance in his direction and briefly flashes a wink before getting her head almost instantly back in the game.

One good go follows another, and after her first four balls all hit the same high-scoring spot, Nami finds herself grinning at the peculiar enjoyment that comes from showing off for him. ]

Don't worry, you'll like where I'm going to pick for dinner.

[He is 100% going to blame the fact that she distracted him and thus cheated for his poor throw.

Unlike the way she scores right into the hundred point hole, Scott's ball lands and rolls to the space that designates a '10,' causing him to huff and send her a half-offended glare. Nah, he's not really mad, as evident by the way he's smiling at her, but he absolutely still has to complain.]

Hey, you cheated! Distracting me from my throw...

[And... then she just scores a perfect game and Scott might as well just wave the white flag now. He half-heartedly throws the rest of his balls, not quite caring how they score, before he puts his hands on his hips.] Am I really going to a treat a cheater out to dinner?

[ Smirking, Nami makes a show of tilting her chin up haughtily at the accusation of cheating, her gaze sharpening, and her eyes narrowing as they settle on Scott. ]

Sucks to suck.

[ The snooty veneer dissolves into laughter, as Nami steps closer with her arms outstretched to drape over his shoulders. She's not usually this at ease, but something about Scott always makes it easy to relax, like he's so disarmingly genuine it's infectious.

Nami narrows her eyes, keeping her arms draped around him as she lifts a hand to ruffle through the back of his hair, getting close enough that she could laugh it off as trying to continue to be distracting, rather than giving in to the playful, pleasing urge to get close to him. ] And quit acting like you didn't just beat me at the last game.

[He resists the urge to do something utter childish, like sticking his tongue out at her, and it's a feeling that lessens more and more as she steps closer to him with that warm smile on her. She really is so easy to be around huh? Well, uh, he really figured that one out after their last encounter, but Scott's just glad that they can joke and be stupid like this outside of the bedroom. Yeah, things like this really matter to him.

His own smile is bright, almost disarming, despite his earlier pouting. There's no way that he can stop himself from placing both of his hands on her hips, guiding and pulling her just a little closer as their bodies meet, his smile shifting into a brief smirk as she mentions the fighting game.]

All skill, like I said. [Is he implying that Nami's feat wasn't skill? HE WOULDN'T...] Why don't we play one more game? Then we'll go get dinner.

[The crane game. Mostly because he wants to win her a prize.]

Edited 2025-04-04 15:18 (UTC)

[ The feeling of his hands as they settle on her hips pulls at the already wide smile on her face. Like always, Scott is impossibly good at being completely disarming, and while she's happy to keep teasing him by running her mouth about his gaming talents, she can indulge in an absent display of affection or two, the bridge of her nose bumping against his jawline before she leans back with a playfully skeptical scoff at his talk of skill. ]

All skill? I'm pretty sure you got lucky too.

[ When he suggests a final game before dinner, her arms tense in a brief hug, humming quietly in agreement before she steps away and out of his embrace, one hand on her hip as she glances over the machines.</small] Want to try the claw machines? I get a lot of practice with those, though, so, try not to look too impressed.

Questioning the king of the arcade? [It's time to truly settle this debate though.

He was thinking of picking another fighting game, although, that wouldn't be entirely fair and kind of boring. A shooting game?? But Nami's already making a suggestion and guess they'll decide this thing through... an actual luck game. Are crane games luck games?? They're definitely rigged, at least in Scott's opinion, but he's far too much in a good mood to actually complain about those details. He's just having fun, with her. Feeling like a normal teen just hanging out with a girl he likes.

So sure, he's sold, even if she supposedly has the advantage.]

First person to win a prize from the machine chooses dinner. I'll even give you first try because ladies first.

inbox for golden peacock

sometime in february

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