pslplz | Forget-Me-Nots

[ It was just an innocent friendly gesture, but perhaps one too intimate anyway given the situation. Certainly, it had no right to spark thoughts of being anything beyond that. ]

All right. Ready to pay, then?

[Nagi nods, setting the book aside on the table for just long enough to pick himself up again. He could ask for assistance, but he doesn't, seemingly adamant to be able to walk with his crutches on his own.]

I'm ready if you are.

[ Omi waits dutifully for Nagi to get up on his own. It could be hard to find the right balance between mindfulness of challenges unique to using crutches and respect for autonomy, especially with someone that may not ask for help even when it is needed. But Omi knows if he were in Nagi's shoes he would be the exact same way-- not wanting to be treated any differently because of a physical condition.

Once Nagi has paid for the book and they exit the store, Omi considers where they should go next. ]

Want to try the arcade?

[The arcade...Nagi couldn't even remember that the town had one, much less that it was somewhere he might have wanted to frequent.

Curious, he nods.]

Sure...we can go.

[ Once Nagi approves, Omi leads the way to the arcade. Like the bookstore, it's close to the school in order to be a visible and convenient hangout for kids after the final bell.

Flipping through a favorite manga didn't seem to have helped, but video games were more engaging. Maybe that would be different?

The noise easily carries outside the arcade. Music, sound effects, the clinks of coins into slots and the clacks of air hockey pucks, all over a ceaseless rumbling of ambient chatter with the occasional whoop of victory or cry of defeat. Once inside, it's only louder. Not painfully loud, but certainly enough that raised voices are necessary to be heard. Omi accordingly ups his speaking volume. ]

Do you have coins?

[Hm. Arcades sure are busy...and noisy. But since Nagi's perception of what he might have liked is still a bit muddy, maybe he just needs to immerse himself in this place to really get a feel for it. It could very well jog his memory in some way, especially since that was actually how he and Omi first connected: through games.

Of course, Nagi also isn't the loudest person even when he could remember. So having to raise his voice is a little unusual, but...he will since he has no other choice.]

I do.

[His mother made sure he had enough money on hand to get through anything they'd want to do that day, change included.]

[ Omi grins and flashes a thumbs up sign, then points over to a pair of cabinets in a corner where the noise isn't quite as bad.

Leading the way, he comes to a stop in front of the one further over and digs out his wallet for some coins. The game looks like a action puzzler that involves swapping colored tiles to make matches of three or more and an option for the two cabinets to be linked for two gamers to play against each other in a combat mode. ]

What do you think? Do you want to try it?

[Ooh. This definitely seems like something up Nagi's alley. Even moreso when he immediately adds after nodding-]

We should play against each other.

[ That was exactly the response Omi was hoping for. He beams and readies a coin, feeling a rush of energy and joy from this piece of restored familiarity in their bond. ]

Heh. I hope you're ready to lose...

You seem confident. Have you played this before?

[He asks as he carefully positions himself close to the machine, able to angle himself so he can lean on his crutches primarily with one arm while the other is free to work the controls.]

[ Nagi doesn't remember, of course, all of the PvP battles they've had against each other on this machine, so there's no context for him for that competitive banter. They're pretty evenly matched, in truth, so it's a reliable choice for something fun.

Instead of directly answering Nagi, Omi's smile softens, although he still has a look in his eyes like he's got a secret. ]

Just put your coin in. You'll understand in a minute.

[Nagi certainly has no idea what to be expecting here. He hasn't completely lost everything about himself- there are some things that have been coming back, like his interest in manga or videogames- but he distinctly can't remember ever playing this one, much less with Omi.

One thing that is very hard pressed to leave you even if your memory goes, however, is the memory of your muscles. Just being at the machine is enough to give him a sense of familiarity he hasn't quite felt before as he puts his coin in as instructed, causing the game to throw up a ready check for the two of them.]

[ Omi adds his own coin to the slot and moves his hands into position over the controls. The difficulty selection screen appears. Omi hesitates and watches Nagi's side to match whatever he chooses. ]

[Well hopefully Omi is well prepared, because Nagi doesn't even have a chance to think about what to choose. It's like he does it automatically without any actual input from his mind.

Good luck with the hardest difficulty, Omi.]

[ Wow, right for the top! Omi is so startled that he almost fumbles his own controls in matching the difficulty setting. Already, he feels his heart starting to quicken from the adrenaline.

The game starts up with the tiles nearly to the top of the scrolling screen. It's going to take some fast thinking to clear out enough space to deal with the combo attacks from the opposing player. And that's okay-- Omi is used to that. Like Nagi, he's quite practiced at this game, even if Nagi doesn't remember that part.

Within seconds he's cleared several rows from his window and sent a couple of impediments over to Nagi's side. And he's fast at work to clear out more as well. It was lethal to not take care of that backlog immediately. ]

[If there's one thing that Nagi would be hard pressed to forget, it's that of his muscle memory. Even without remembering playing this game often with Omi necessarily, his body hasn't forgotten. He's probably not as quick or as ruthles as he would have been at 100% (he's still recovering from his injuries so he can't move his hands across the controls as fast as he maybe once did), but he's still a force to be reckoned with.

Even when Omi sends obstacles to his side, Nagi doesn't hesitate or allow himself to become flustered. He just takes them in stride, working to clear it out while sending back just as aggressive as an assault as he'd received.]

[ It's an intense game, but Nagi's incomplete recovery gives Omi an advantage, and in the heat of the battle, he's not thinking about things like whether it was unfair to play at 100% himself. Omi's own muscle memory (and actual memories) are wired to go all-out without hesitation against Nagi or else lose. ]

[It probably feels like the game lasts for a long while, when in reality it's over within the span of just a few minutes. And the winner...

Is Omi, believe it or not. It's pretty close, but in the end Omi had managed to gain ground on Nagi that he just couldn't catch back up. He leans back slightly with surprise when he's shown the loss screen while the winner screen flashes on Omi's machine. He doesn't seem angry or disappointed at having lost, though. Just mildly surprised.]

You won. Good job.

[ It would've been a little embarrassing if he'd lost despite Nagi's handicap, so it's a small relief when he wins. And for all the bluster he showed up front, after securing the victory, when Nagi congratulates him he just has a bashful smile. ]

Thanks. You had me worried for a while!

Worried...why, worried that I would beat you?

[Nagi almost smiles as he says that. Almost.]

[ Omi issues a soft, bashful laugh. ]

Maybe a little. I had fun, though. You?

Yes...it was fun.

[That laugh causes Nagi to duck his head forward, just a little. Even if he can't quite remember, the familiarity rings through strongly.]

I'd like to do it again, sometime.

Yeah. Me too.

[ Oblivious to any impact his laugh had, Omi tips his head towards the rest of the arcade. ]

Is there anything else here you want to try? I don't mind watching, if it's single player.

[Anthing else? Hm...Nagi scans the immediate vicinity, looking over the nearby arcade cabinets waiting for coins to be deposited.

Nagi had always been drawn to the more retro style games, even if many of them tended to be more simplistic, like tetris. It's why when he reaches for his cruches to make his way a few cabinets down, he winds up at a cabinet for Pac-Man that's probably older than both of them combined.]

This one.

Okay.

[ Omi settles himself nearby where he can watch without being in the way of other gamers. This used to be one of Nagi's favorites, too, so it's unsurprising he gravitated towards it again. Even if it doesn't help trigger more memories, he should at least have fun with it. After all Nagi's been through, that's important too. ]

Forget-Me-Nots

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wtf DW didn't send me a notif DX

god its been doing this to me so bad the last few months

HI I'M FINALLY NOT BURIED UNDER RL AGAIN...

HI :>

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/celebrates 100 comments

THROWS CONFETTI

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