2604/Cheaters Never Win

Cheaters Never Win
Date of Scene:	27 September 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Jubilee, X-Man

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Jubilee has posed:
"Gameworks," Jubilee announces prophetically. "Probably the most fun you will EVER have as an adult." The entrance is structured like an archetypal turn of last-century steam-powered industrialist....who are we kidding? It's totally steampunk. Giant gears, steam whistle, the whole shebang. Jubilee opens the door and gives Nate a flourished welcome as she ushers him inside. There are games ranging from skill, to luck. Skeeball to video games. Large interactive games with multiple levels of height that require virtual reality goggles. And pinball. The sounds are enthralling. Bells and beeps and sirens galore. Just what every grown up kid needs to stay entertained for hours in the quest for a plastic spider ring.

X-Man has posed:
Nate has heard about this 'Gameworks' magical city for a few days now. He had no clue what to make of it, even though Jubes tried to explain it multiple times, and he always nodded as if some of what she said made sense. "That..." Nate replies with a sly grin, "...is a /bold/ statement." He takes in the entry, and chuckles a little at her lively introduction. However, the moment he walks in, he' stunned by the cacophony of sights and sounds just inside the door

He looks around taking in each of the visible entertainments, and just tries to absorb it all. The second piece that hits him hard is the mental noise from everyone, and what they are doing. Usually being in crowds isn't a big deal for him, but this many people at this excitement level is a new experience. Finally, something he hadn't really felt before, but the sheer sense of the machines in this area is incredible. He'd always felt them before, but now this highlights even more the connection that he can build with them.

"Wow..." He mutters, and then asks, "...So, we just... play games... all day?"

Jubilee has posed:
"You betcha!" Jubilee bounces in behind him, thrilled to be in shorts and a tanktop again, for the first time in forever. Nevermind that it's crisp and fall-like outside, and even cooler inside the building. Her eyes, still a glittering gold instead of their usual ominous stormy grey, flit around the room, and she stumbles a little, holding her head in her hands. "Holy shit, too many people..." The last time she was inside Gameworks was well before her change. The thoughts that flood her mind are beyond anything she's ever heard, and she's instantly overwhelmed. "Dude, these people need to watch their mental language!!" It isn't so bad for the people who are winning. But those who are losing are thinking of words that, if repeated, would change the rating of the scene.

X-Man has posed:
Nate chuckles as Jubes follows in behind him, and enjoys the feeling of joy that comes through their mental link. When she stumbles, he frowns, and helps her to start blocking out the excess noise. Mentally he says <Focus on one thing. Just that one thing for a moment. Once you've got that settled, then slowly start to let other pieces in...>

He stands next to her, arm around her waist, and convincing people 'There is Nothing to See Here'. For a moment he ponders closing down the noisemakers himself, but knows that wouldn't be accepted well. So instead he waits, and let's Jubes get it under control on her own. The practice, as Forge would say, is important for times when Nate is not around. He will wait until he can tell that she's blocked out the mental static, and asks her out loud, "So, what's your favorite game?"

Jubilee has posed:
Coming to grips, in Nate's embrace, Jubilee gradually manages to bring one thing into focus. A little boy not more than four is standing on tiptoe at a glass case, pointing through the haze of his breath on the glass at some prize inside, and holding up a fist full of crumpled and sweaty tickets. By degrees, she let other things in, one by one, until she's taken in everything. She takes a deep breath. "Thank you...again. Always." She smiles at Nate, and begins to let go so they can actually explore.

X-Man has posed:
As she starts to exert control over it, Nate gives her a wide smile, "Always Here." is his simple reply. He takes her hand, waiting for her, says "What's the deal with the tickets..." Looking at the same little boy that Jubes was, and then scanning the rest of the crowd, "...some kind of prize for doing well on the games?" He watches as two other kids throw a round orange ball into a metal hoop with a net attached to it. "Some kind of money, or currency?" He shrugs, leading her through the different areas first, and just taking in all the sights.

Jubilee has posed:
"They're tickets you get when you win at the games. The better you do at the game, the more tickets you get. They work as a sort of currency, but only here. If you get a ridiculously large amount of tickets, you can win a crappy little prize. Those big things up there on the wall? I don't think anyone's ever won that many tickets in the history of Gameworks. So it's just all about the fun!" Jubilee pulls Nate along and pulls out two one-hundred dollar bills and plops them onto the counter. "Two cards, please!" she announces, and when she's given two cards, she hands one to Nate. "Now...the hunt begins for our first victim.

X-Man has posed:
"Hrm..." Nate listens and looks up at the things on the wall. "...so why hasn't anyone won them?" he goes over the numbers for the prizes, tickets needed, and seems to consider his own question for a second. "Wait, is it because you don't get many ticket's for winning?" He glances around again at a little girl that plays a game where she hits a button trying to get a moving light at a certain spot on a rail. She doesn't do too bad, and wins three tickets. His eyebrow raises, and he goes, "Ahhh... I see then..." Then a glint shows in both his eyes, "Yep. Let's play some games..." and happily follows behind Jubes.

Jubilee has posed:
"Yeah you could get like a kazillion points and it'd spit out seven tickets. But it's all about the fun. What do y--" And then there's that flicker. She recognizes it instantly. "Naaaaaaate....what're you up tooooooo?"

X-Man has posed:
He raises an eyebrow in Jubes direction, a small smirk showing it's way on his face, because he knows there's no point. There is a sense of mischief, curious excitement, and ... weird... righteousness?! That comes through their shared link. "I'm not goin' to do anythin' wrong. I just want to play some games! I promise when I play against you that it'll all be on the up and up...." He squeezes her hand, "...trust me. Everyone is goin' to have a good time!"

He looks down at the cards, changing topics with expert (no) ability, "What're those for? We need those for the games?"

Jubilee has posed:
"Yep, they have money on them...so the games take whatever they cost out of what's on them already. First, though...Skeeball. Cause I'm the Skeeball queen!" Jubilee grins brightly and pulls him along to the games in question. She inserts her card and pulls it out, charging the game up. "This one's more skill than luck," she explains, picking up a weighty wooden ball. "The trick is to get it into the middle hole. Or one of the top two. But not in the lower curved slots." She draws back her hand with skilled expertise and swings it forward, letting it roll up the alley so that it pops right up into the middle hole. "Just like that!" The machine spits out five tickets.

X-Man has posed:
"Got it... ball goes in the hole..." Nate replies, picking up the ball, and watching as Jubes does her thing. He thinks for a moment, and rolls the ball, not too bad, up the alley. He doesn't make it in the middle ring, but the second one down. "Hmm.. looks like I need more practice..." However, any kid that's playing down the line will have all of their wooden balls hit the middle ring. His eye glimmers ever so slightly, and he asks "Ok, let's try again..."

Needless to say the game is close, but Jubilee does beat him. The other kids all run off with hands full of tickets, and screaming for their parents.

Jubilee has posed:
Jubilee grins knowingly and nudges Nate. "You're such a dork. And such a softie. It's adorable." She gathers tickets and turns back to him. "All right, your choice this time. Anything you wanna play, just lead the way!"

X-Man has posed:
Shrugs his shoulders, "Where I'm from kids don't really cheer like that..." He smiles as he watches them all run around, "...nice to hear it is all. " He moves down the line, watches a few fighting games, and eventually comes across a game with two machine guns attached. He points to that one, "Here, let's try this one..." Looks like a game where you murder as many zombies as possible.

Jubilee has posed:
"Ok, I'm game!" Jubilee sticks her card in the machine and it begins loading. She takes hold of her gun. The first gun she has ever held in her life. It makes her a little uneasy, even if it's not real. She remembers the shots, and the smell of blood, and the orphanage. She shakes it off, and sights in the gun. "Ready??"

X-Man has posed:
There's a pause when Nate can feel the trepidation from Jubilee. He looks over to her, not looking further into her memory, just relying on the link between them, and asks "Are you sure?..." He picks up his gun one handed, and adds "...I can do this one if you just want to watch?" His other hand open to her, and he sends to her <I don't know what's wrong, but I can tell you're uncomfortable. I'm sorry. I wouldn't have asked if I knew.>

Jubilee has posed:
<I'm fine. Promise.> She gives him a reassuring smile and looks back at the screen. "Ready...set..." She shoots at the target to start the game. And misses. She shoots again. And again. Third time's the charm. And in comes the onslaught of zombies from behind crates, buildings and burnt out cars on the screen. Jubilee unleashes sprays of imaginary bullets in the direction of every zombie she can see. At least seven. One falls. The rest keep coming. More bullets. And more. "I hope there's unlimited ammo. I've already got one so far, how many have you got?"

X-Man has posed:
Nate nods once, doesn't say anything, but files the conversation away for another time. One she fires to start the game, Nate turns his focus to the game. His shots are precise, his bursts are professional, and his usage of bullets versus grenades is... eerie. He fires through hordes of enemies, and over the link Jubilee can feel a cold detachment as well as a singular focus. It takes him a moment to register the question, and he seems to come out of his own thoughts. "Huh?..." he says at first, looks at his screen, and says "..uhm, all of them?" Then he notices Jubilee's screen, and starts firing at both screens. Not once does his eye glow...

Jubilee has posed:
"Jesus..." Jubilee breathes the word. She is watching Nate more than her screen now, because she knows he's going to obliterate anything he aims at anyway. "Not your first rodeo..." Of course it isn't. He was trained for this. He is skilled from experience. The thought makes her a little sad for him, but exceedingly proud, too. "You're good....you're REALLY good."

X-Man has posed:
He finishes the level for them, and then the next without any real issues. He realizes Jubilee is not playing, and looks over at her. He blushes a bit at her, "Uhm.. yeah..." He keeps playing, his focus still strong while holding the conversation, "...it's uhm... reflexive memory." By the end, he crushes the score, but not nearly many tickets as he hoped. "Let's try something more fun..." he puts his gun down, and takes Jubilee's. Taking her hand again, he leads her over to a game that four people work together to spear as many fish as possible while avoiding various obstacles; divers, submarines, sharks. With an occasional treasure box in the middle. "Let's try this one!"

Jubilee has posed:
"I can do this!" Jubilee beams, not knowing if she CAN do this or not. But confidence is the most important part of the game, right? Two boys who look about seven years old take their places at the game, as Nate and Jubilee take the other two spots. She inserts her card, then watches two seven-year-olds to figure out what she's supposed to do.

X-Man has posed:
Nate grins, and nods "Yep." and smiles larger as the two little boys come to join. As the game starts, Nate reaches inside it, understanding how the machine and it's code works. His eye glows slightly, and as they start the play through they immediately start getting treasure boxes in the middle. As if destiny itself has made it so, Jubilee and the boys are unstoppable in their pursuit for ALL TEH LEWTZ! Prettty soon there are several people around as the score continues to grow, and the tickets start rolling out. After about 10 minutes the game finally ends, and the bundles of tickets for the group is near obscene... but all within the chances of the game.

Jubilee has posed:
"Holy crap!" Jubilee looks at Nate, wide-eyed. "You--" She stops herself. "Great job guys!!" She grins at Nate and pats the boys on the back. "I think we broke the bank on that one! Must be our lucky day!"

X-Man has posed:
The boys run off looking for their parents with their tickets trailing behind them. As Nate and Jubilee leave the game, other people hurry to take their spot. Nate pulls Jubilee close to him, "Ayup, our lucky day!" He's looking around for some other games, and says "Ok, you pick the next one. This is a lot of fun..." He adds, looking at Jubes, "...thanks for bringing me."

Jubilee has posed:
Grinning, Jubilee gives Nate a squeeze. "Thank you for making it possible to bring you." Before he came along, she couldn't leave her cabin except by the dark of night. Nor would she, even then, for fear of hurting someone. "I haven't had this much fun out in the world in a LONG time."

Before them sits a kayak, with a large video screen in front of it. Rapids roar and swirl on the screen, and there are two seats in the kayak, complete with oars, hydraulically connected to the kayak to simulate the difficulty of paddling in rapids. "LET'S. DO. THIS."

X-Man has posed:
"My pleasure..." Nate replies, his voice and thoughts conveying happiness for the time spent together. "...we'll have to keep it up. I"m sure there are other places you want to take me..." He knows her dark past and concerns, but he also knows it is all in her Past now.

"Ok?" Nate says a little hesitantly, but climbs in anyways in the back seat. He moves the paddles, finds they are stuck until the game starts, and then gets the feel for it. "Ahhh..." He says, and waits for the rapids to start.

Jubilee has posed:
Jubilee takes a few practice paddles once the game's unlocked. Then, there's a countdown on the screen.

3...

2...

1...

PADDLE!

And they're off, the kayak flailing wildly beneath them as the rapids spin them like a helpless paper boat. As the two paddle, they seem to be, at first, fighting one another for control of the boat, which only puts them into a tailspin. Gradually, however, they learn how to work together, and the kayak rights itself just in time for the most severe of the whitewater rapids. "Here we go!!"

X-Man has posed:
Once he's got the hang of how the game works, Nate starts to ease into the teamwork of the game, and laughs as they are tossed around in the mechanical kayak. Once he realizes it is totally based on teamwork, he actually starts sending his thoughts over the link. As he's able to coordinate with Jubilee much faster, he doesn't actually need to communicate with the game, and focuses his communication with her. As they move through the different parts of the game, their building mental link allows them to intuit each other, and flow through the game in concert.

Jubilee has posed:
As they finish the course, the screen lights up with confetti, announcing a "NEW WORLD RECORD!!" Sirens and bells go off, and the machine spits out a modestly embarrassing amount of tickets, piling them on the floor before it's done. Jubilee laughs as Nate exits, then lifts her out of the kayak, setting her down on the floor. "You're the best. This is awesome!"

X-Man has posed:
Continuing to collect tickets, Nate keeps piling them together, and grins as Jubilee is really enjoying herself. Each of the next few sets of games that she picks will have similar results. Whack A Mole.. owned.... Wheel of Tickets.. jackpotted... Center the Lights... ticket's galore. Throughout this whole adventure, most of the kids near them have similar luck, and the entire time Nate has an ever growing smile on his face.

Now that he's carrying a literal Arm Full of tickets, he asks Jubilee, "How's the cards? We still good?"

Jubilee has posed:
"Negative, Ghost Rider. The pattern is full," replies Jubilee. "We're pretty much bust. How many tickets do you reckon...." She looks at the armload he's carrying, and then to the similar load she's got in her arms. "Between us and everybody else, we're gonna wipe them out of prizes." Jubilee laughs and nudges Nate. "Let's go see what we've won, Bob!"

X-Man has posed:
Moving up to the prize area there are a lot of kids with plenty of tickets. Nowhere near the amount that Jubilee and Nate has, but probably more than they've won at any other point in time. He piles up on the tickets in the bowl to weigh them, and the number comes back astronomical. Jubilee can pick any three things she wants, and even the attendant behind the desk is impressed. Nate looks over to her, and says "Ok My Lady, Time to pick your loot."

Jubilee has posed:
"Nope. I pick one. You pick one. And we'll pick one together." She turns back to look over the loot wall, and narrows her eyes, spying a comic book, signed by its creator. "That...I have been eyeing that thing for two years. THAT is what I want." As the attendant takes down the plastic-covered issue, covered in dust from neglect, Jubilee looks to Nate. "You next!"

X-Man has posed:
"Fair enough." Nate replies, and walks back and forth along the desk to see what all is offered. As he's looking he see's things like Hulk Hands... weird. Captain American Shield. A Superman Cape. Nope, nope nope. Then he spots it, and a big grin shows up on his face. He points at the top shelf, "That one..." the attendant comes over, and pulls down a 3D puzzle of the Avenger's Tower. He's not really sure what the Avenger's Tower is, but he has no doubt it'll be fun 'fitting' the pieces together.

Jubilee has posed:
"That's..." She just stops, and grins. "...Definitely going on a shelf under the jigsaw puzzle, on the wall, when it's done." Jubilee turns back to the wall, leaning against Nate, and chews her lip. "Whadda we want last?" She looks back up to him, a little flummoxed by the choices offered.

X-Man has posed:
"Yeah, I think it's goin' to look awesome..." Nate replies, equally pleased with the find, and looking through the rest of the prizes left over. "Hmm, tough one, not really sure we need erasers or swirly straws..." His eyes continue to roam, "...no walkie talkies.. no on DVDs..." His eyes fall on something, "So.. what about these.." He picks up a key ring set... again two puzzle pieces that fight together with one saying "Her Butthead" and the other saying "His Brat". They look to be stainless steel, not fancy, but he does have a grin.

Jubilee has posed:
The prize, overlooked until now, makes Jubilee beam. "That. Is. Perfect." She laughs. "You can put your cabin key on it!" Jubilee hugs Nate, and peers beyond his shoulder, still seeing daylight beyond the windows. And for the first time in ever so long, she isn't afraid. Of anything.