19643/Luck! Gone! Wild!

Luck! Gone! Wild!
Date of Scene:	09 December 2024
Location:	The Asteroid Destroyer Gaming Pub
Synopsis:	Roulette and Longshot meet. There's flirting, broken pinball tables, and somehow the universe failed to collapse under the weight of their collective probability manipulation.
Cast of Characters:	Jennifer Stavros, Longshot

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Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jen had bothered to get all dressed up for this? She was going to need to have words with Mary about her stream viewers and the utter lameness of their hobbies and interests. She looked around, drink in hand, and tried really hard to feign interest while her supposed date blathered on about some card game he wasa massively into that apparently involved two players pretending to stand on hilltops and kill one another with fantastic creatures.

Yawnsville.

But at least the Destroyer had a full-service bar and a kitchen so she could grab some chow and drink her way into bad decisions on her date's dime. Jen's attention, however, kept being drawn to one 80s refugee with gorgeous long blond hair and an ass lovingly swathed in tight denim who was doing some serious damage to a pinball table, judging by the rather absurd score he was racking up. But more than that, the guy felt ... infused. Like he was the luckiest sonofabitch around.

Longshot has posed:
The problem with neat gaming locations with good music in the background and cheap enough drinks is that there is not enough of them. Longshot is rapidly running out of locations that he has not yet maxed out the pinball machines and he's had to turn to other games. Skill-based games that involve aim, he's great at! Skill-based games that involve speed, he's okay at. Skill-based games around strength, he's not good at at all, but still scores well. Skill-based games with any element of luck, he's amazing at. This is all well and good, but there is unfortunately still not enough places with games for him to systematically break. Older pinball machines need to be manually reset once they've hit max scores and even some electronic ones go weird. Still until someone informs Longshot that he is the problem, he has continued to indulge in his new hobby with zeal.

It is pure luck that he found Asteroid Destroyer Gaming Club has not one, not two, but Four pinball machines for him to play! All of them already have respectably high scores! Longshot has been playing enough pinball in the past week to know a good score when he sees it now, and is only one ball from surpassing this game's. Pinball is such a lovely mix of all of Longshot's skills. Speed and aim, with some elements of randomness that make the lucky all the more unfit to play it.

As nerd-centric as this pub is, Longshot's game has drawn more than just Jen's eyes, quite a few people are glancing over at the happily singing machine. Longshot himself is humming to himself, entirely engrossed in the dancing of the ball that he doesn't notice when approached by a pretty brunette in green until she touches his shoulder. He flashes her a bright smile one of someone very accustomed to being approached by strangers in bars without a firm idea as to why. Jen might hear the start of a conversation, a compliment at his playing and his cheerful response that this was his newest hobby and he was very fortunate to have found this place.

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jen let her date go play his cardboard crack game - he'd actually brought a deck with him! - with a group of nerdlets, thus leaving her unsupervised and to her own devices. And an unsupervised Roulette was a chaotic Roulette. So she made her way towards the blond man destroying the pinball machine, drink sipped from, navigating in her heels like the pro she was.

Looks like the water was already chummed - some skank in green was moving in and shooting her shot. Jen smirked to herself and a small disc of black psionic energy shot discreetly from the hand not holding her drink to smack the brunette in the ass.

Oh, whoops. Silly bint in green just pratfell onto the pinball machine. Silly girl should have really made sure her shoes were securely fastened.

Longshot has posed:
The pinball game continues to sing and dance, bells and lights increasing in intensity as the prior high score is passed just as the lovely lady in green topples onto it and Longshot looses the ball. It's a fortunate time, honestly for the ball to be lost and give Longshot the opportunity to help the pretty lady back onto her feet.

"Careful! Are you okay?" The concern is genuine, Longshot immediately abandoning the game to help the nice lady to a chair, going back to fetch her malfunctioning shoe, "Hey don't worry about it! It happens, your ankle okay? I can get some ice!" Without a thought, he is down on one knee in front of the woman, helping her return her shoe to it's proper place as directed. The mortified woman is only more flustered by the obvious kindness that comes immediately with no insinuation of anything more, his touch does not linger, his eyes do not wander, his smile is nothing but warm and reassuring. This woman might be in love, Longshot's worry is soothed by her words and he does not retreat for the promised ice. Instead he stands, noting the new company and flashing Jen a bright smile as well, much to the horror of the woman in green.

"So sorry! Just an accident, are we in the way?" Longshot glances back at the pinball machine waiting for the next ball to be shot, " Sorry, did you want to play this one? I can loose my next ball if you wanted a turn?"

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jen took a deep breath, to better display her rather modest-but-clothing-enhanced curves. "Hey." she said, her accent almost pure South Jersey. The woman in green was no longer worth her time and her bad-luck had been burned off with the pratfall so Jen put her out of her mind entirely. "You're fine." she purred. "I'd hate to pull you away from your game, especially when you're doing so well." the blonde Greek-American said with a dazzling smile.

Gentlemen, as her brown-as-dishwater-haired mother used to say, preferred blondes. "Would you mind if I watched?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at Longshot.

Longshot has posed:
Longshot somehow manages to brighten the already bright smile, "Do like pinball? Of course! I don't mind! Just let me finish helping here and I will shoot again!" His attention returns to the woman in green, "Do you need anything? The game can wait!"

"Actually-" The woman in green speaks up with a sweet tentativeness that Jen might recognize as trying to keep Longshot's attention, "I think I'd like to keep watching too, if you don't mind?"

"Not at all" Longshot immediately moves a chair for her to the opposite side of the game than Jen, offering to help her over. This is denied and she walks herself, a swing to her hip and a smug smile to Jen. Longshot doesn't notice and will turn his attention back to the game after a brief check to both of his lovely audience members, the pin is pulled, the ball is shot and the game sings to life again. Longshot hums and the numbers return to their steady climbing.

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jen felt practically smacked in the face. Not by the other woman - she didn't matter - but by how this guy exuded luck like it was nothing to him. The ball hopped and twisted just so to earn him maximum points and Jen couldn't help but be in awe for a moment at that level of unconscious skill. What made it worse is that it didn't feel like the universe minded being tweaked like that _at all_ and that really pissed her off. She did anything and the universe gave her the stinkeye. This guy pushed luck around and the universe shrugged.

So unfair!

So it was time for a little experiment. She made another black disc, the smallest one she could, good for a momentary minor burst of bad luck - and sent it into Longshot's leg.

Only to see her bad-luck get utterly subsumed by the waves of good-luck the guy exuded with every breath. It never got a chance to even start to sway the odds before being utterly consumed by Longshot's good luck. Luckily for what remained of her ego it seemed he coudn't do much consciously with it, or if he could it wasn't like her own luck-transferral ability. That made her feel a little better.

Longshot has posed:
"I'm sorry, I didn't ask your names! I'm Longshot!" Though his attention doesn't waver from the balls in play, he does look around a moment as something touches him. Something small and indescribable, something he doesn't have a word for and has only felt maybe once or twice before in his limited memory. What was that? He looks around again, not worried, just surprised, unsure. He hadn't continuously touched the balances of anything since burning down the casino last week, but it felt like that-the world pushing back? Something different. . . The game seems to give him a break and a bonus ball pops out as he tanks the one he was supposed to be care-taking. "Oops! Distracted, that was silly of me."

"That's not a name!" The woman in green laughs, "I'm Sara, what's your real name?"

"It is a funny name compared to everyone I've met, but it's a good name! Far better than what I was called!" Longshot will laugh as well, not bothered by Sara's words, and dismissing the odd feeling. It was probably nothing, he hadn't been pushing things and had been trying to be careful with himself. Usually he could feel the strain of when he pushed too far and now? There was none of that strain, probably nothing, everything was fine. "Very real, definitely my name!"

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
"And I'm Jen." Jen said by way of an introduction. She finished her drink, relishing the whiskey, and looked around to flag down someone who'd go refresh her drink for her. Nerd was still with the nerdlets so far as she could tell and they were ranting something about Mox Somethings and cheap-ass broken cards and that's when Jen's brain checked out entirely. "Interesting name, Longshot. It suits you." she said, mentally gritting her teeth at the good luck that permeated the guy. The guy ... with three fingers on each hand.

Mutant?

Longshot has posed:
"I think so too!" Longshot beams at Jen before his attention is pulled back to the game, "Sara and Jen! Lovely to meet you both! What brings you here? It's a fine place, but I'm mostly here for the games. The company is a wonderful bonus!" Longshot will grin and offer a wink to Sara, much to her delight. He meant it! They were both lovely! He has earned a large number of bonus balls, so the game still has potential as he loses another ball and laughs with a shake of his head, "Clearly I'm distracted, oh-did you want a refill? What did you have, I can get it for you before I shoot again?"

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jen was a Atlantic City dealer's daughter and before getting sucked into the pageantry world had practically grown up in and around casinos. Thus, she knew how to order a drink. "Whiskey, neat." she said, raising her glass to drain its dregs. "Add it to Phillipe's tab over there." she said, gesturing with her head to the Nerd, who had apparently won the Mox argument and was currently head-down playing someone else. "You're too kind." Jen purred, earning a very dirty look from Sara.

And while Longshot the Possible Mutant was off getting drinks, Jen planned to mess with the pinball table. Not enough to break it, but definitely enough to royally skew the odds of anyone playing it.

Longshot has posed:
"I'm happy to help!!! It's a pub, all should enjoy themselves!" It will not occur to Longshot to question the directions, nor what putting the order on another man's tab might mean. He's just helping facilitate a good time! Accepting the glass will have the barest brush of fingers, the odd shape of Longshot's hands are on clear display briefly before he heads off to the bar with an oddly dazed expression.

Longshot blinks away the assault of garbled nothing that skin contact granted him, trying to sort through what just happened. Brushing against most people gave Longshot the impression of recent events in their lives, usually experienced as a passing awareness of events without intent or meaning. Most people carried imprints like breezes. Usually it was a brief fancy for Longshot in the same way that one might notice someone's cologne or perfume, a brief thought at how nice it was and moved on. He didn't control it, though he couldn't remember trying.

But Jen? There was an immediate result of static, instead of being buffeted by a wind of a person's read, Jen was like walking into a brick wall. Startling to be sure and the first time this has happened to Longshot. It wasn't bad, just alarming and new. Most things are new for Longshot, but for all the pushing of his limited memory, he didn't know if this meant anything. Why would it? New does not mean bad, after all.

Longshot will return with the drink and a smile, this time intentionally focusing on the brief moment of skin contact as he offers the drink back and instantly wincing. Ouch. Ouch, Ouch, Ooowwww. He has learned something! He can intentionally read people. He should not attempt to read Jen. A hand will move to his forehead, blinking at Jen like a startled bird, "Are you okay? Sorry-That was rude of me, I just-um. Are you, um, doing alright?"

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jen, having pumped a mid-sized bad-luck disc into the pinball machine, smiled tiredly. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" she said with a bright smile, earning her another disgusted look from Sara. Whatever Longshot had done it had nothing to do with luck. Maybe he was one of those people with a grab-bag of powers. Jen herself just had the one.

Time for another deep breath. Sara had more curves, sure, but Jen had superior game. And, you know, luck manipulation. But at least she had her drink now and she took a healthy sip from the glass to steady her nerves and revive her somewhat. Pushing that much luck was tiring for her and she impulsively made a resolution to see if she could build up her endurance that way.

As a reward, she could go about re-seducing one of her housemates. Maybe both of them if she felt extra-saucy. But first she had to put the work in.

Longshot has posed:
"Sorry, yeah, I'm glad! Good!" Longshot will continue rubbing his forehead and nod, an apologetic smile is offered. Ouch. That was-Ouch. If the briefest touches was a brick wall and static, focusing on Jen was like a building being dropped on him. Don't read the nice lady, got it.

"Wonderful! Right!" Longshot will mentally and physically shake himself off and reorient. If the lady said she was fine, she was fine! He's attention will return to the pinball machine and and he'll give both ladies a bright smile, "Alright, focusing! No more silly mistakes!"

"You got this!" Sara will give a little clap as Longshot pulls the pin and shoots.

The game is alive again, a second ball added to the first, then a third-with this many balls the bells and whistles dance! Lights! Music! A new set of ramps lift open! Score race and-however implausible somehow all three balls hit the new ramps at the same time from different angles. The smooth silver metal is made to bounce without friction, but now a perfect line of three balls jam themselves into the new passage and halt. The machine can't seem to read what just happened and with no movement, Longshot cannot move anything. Then, horror of horrors, the machine times out the challenge and attempts to lower the ramp. There is a faint hum of gears pushing against the three balls preventing the ramps movement and a soft click of something breaking.

The guilt immediately crashes down on Longshot. Did he do that? Did he just break this amazing, wonderful machine?

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jen could feel her bad-luck sosking into the machine and thus could feel it when it gave up the ghost.

o=Oops!

Oh, damn.

"Things don't look too good for this one." she pointed out sagely. "Might want to give a different machine a try?" she asked. "Looks like that one there is free."

Longshot has posed:
The pinball machine seems to register the damage and the happy whistling will pipe down, the machine turning itself off in an attempt to limit damage. Longshot stares at it mournfully. He was being so careful! He didn't mean to hurt it. He'll pat the machine apologetically and glance over at the next one being pointed out. He had more quarters, but dare he risk murdering another pinball machine?

"It's okay! You can try again! Things happen and it's not your fault!" Sara is so nice! Jen is so nice too! Longshot is so lucky to have such nice people around him all the time.

Longshot will offer her a smile, briefly approaching the new pinball machine and touching it lightly. It didn't look like it was going to break in the future, but neither did the other one. Maybe his powers were broken? Was that possible? The urge to pull out his phone and ask the helpful Alexa if that was possible is squashed, "I hope not, but maybe I better get a drink and sit down, just in case! Sorry, maybe one of you would have better luck?"

Jennifer Stavros has posed:
Jen knew the sound of a straight line when one slapped her in the face. She was about to accept but then her Nerd Date had finally come up for air and was trying to get her attemtion. She had to go deal with that. "Ordinarily I'd love to try my luck..." she said with a wicked look. "But I think my companion's trying to get my attention so I should go and see what he wants. I'm sure Sara'd be happy to keep you company." she said with a bright smile. Sara, for her part, gritted her teeth and did her best winsome at Longshot.

"Maybe I'll get lucky and run into you again, Longshot. I'd love to hear all about your pinball adventures. I'll bet you've got so many stories to tell..." she said, and then like the true party girl she was finished her drink in a heroic swallow.

Time to see what Nerd-Boy wanted. Probably to bore her with tales of his prowess at cardboard fantasy murder.