PC: ACE 💀

[resumed]

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week 0, monday

[selfimmolation]

[ i think this is the last place nico would ever be so i'm forcing you to the arcade so he can see ace look both intrigued and completely overwhelmed by all the flashing lights ]

What's with all this?

[resumed]

[ you're right, considering he was locked in a casino hotel for 70 years. but he's doing due diligence to check out everything which means now he's in the arcade and he can kind of see the gears turning in ace's head. ]

Terrible. [ THANKS. ] I suppose it's this city's way of providing a little entertainment to their citizens.

[selfimmolation]

I've never seen entertainment like this! I think the closest was a casino.

[resumed]

Really? [ like yes, this tracks, and he thinks about someone telling him that they had to explain movies and video games to ace already. ] What kind of stuff did you have for entertainment at sea anyway?

[selfimmolation]

We have regular games, like cards and stuff? Then obviously there's fights with other pirate crews, or the marines, or sea creatures. And we throw a lot of parties.

[ alcoholism ]

[resumed]

[ yes okay this sounds right for what he knows of pirates. ]

We have all of those things, too. I mean I wouldn't exactly count fighting as fun but some of the training games can be. When you're on a winning team.

[ glancing around... ]

Arcades are a lot of stand-alone video games that you pay money to play and your coin lasts until you die enough you get a game over. Some places give you tickets you can exchange for prizes, too.

[selfimmolation]

Training games?

[ he's looking at the games at the arcade like hhhh ]

Prizes... like the ones you'd get at carnival booths?

[resumed]

Yeah. [ he doesn't think ace is confused, so he does not elaborate. ] And yeah, like that. I never really played in many, so I don't know that much about them. I guess...we could look around a little if you want.

[selfimmolation]

Sure, if you don't mind! Sounds interesting enough. [ yay hanging out. but also: ] What were you doing training games for?

[resumed]

We're already here, aren't we? Come on. [ yay hanging out...and he gestures for ace to follow him. it's game time. speaking of games though: ]

It's part of what we do at camp. Usually it's Capture the Flag but we've done three-legged races and stuff like that to keep up with our skills.

[selfimmolation]

[ following!!! he is looking at everything in interest. shiny. ]

What skills do you use in Capture the Flag? I played with my little brother a few times, but mostly I just beat him up and put our flag back up.

[ there is not a lot of strategy in 2 people games. ]

[resumed]

[ shiny...admittedly, nico is also looking around in vague interest because yeah. arcades novelty. ]

Yeah, we sort of beat each other up, too, to try and grab the other team's flag and cross the creek. All weapons, powers, and items are allowed. As long as nobody dies, it's okay. We haven't played for a while though, things have been a little busy.

[selfimmolation]

[ ace is intrigued by the fighting game immediately, because fighting!!! ]

So it's combat training? That's what I was wondering.

[resumed]

Oh, yeah. [ he says, like he is now realizing he wasn't specific. ] Camp is a combat training camp. Our summers are the most active, but we're open year-round for people who need a place to stay.

[selfimmolation]

Huh. I think the only combat training camp I've ever heard of was with the marines. [ with.... garp.... he refuses to think about that anyway ] Are you one of the ones who stays year round?

[resumed]

It's not quite like the marines. If your marines are like ours, that is. [ but...yeah. ] I am, yeah. I have a cabin there and everything so I can stay whenever I want. But I can leave whenever I want, too.

[selfimmolation]

Government dogs? [ be nice, ace. but he hums a little curiously at that ] That's good. So it's more like having a place to come back to if you need it?

[resumed]

We don't deal with them, so I wouldn't really know. [ shrug!

but...he smiles a tiny bit while they're passing a few pinball machines. ]

Yeah. It's home no matter how I look at it, even if I didn't think so for a really long time. But the people I care about are there. I don't plan on permanently leaving again.

[selfimmolation]

[ oh. grins back and also looking at pinball like ??????? he isn't trying to play anything because he's just following nico help ]

Yeah? It doesn't always happen but... Everyone should have a place like that.

[resumed]

[ i'm glad they're gonna go in circles because they're both the same stupid idiot. ]

Yeah. I've been there since I was ten, but I didn't start permanently living there until last summer. I could have, and I always had a place to stay, but I didn't want to. I guess it never felt right until recently. And now...it's another thing I'm not really willing to lose because we have to be in some competition we didn't sign up for.

[selfimmolation]

[ he hums a little as they go in CIRCLES ]

I think I get it. It took me over three months before I accepted to join my crew. I might not care that much about a lot of the rest of my world, but I've got a crew and a little brother to protect.

[ sighs ]

If any of that stuff is even true anyway.

[resumed]

[ there's a nod. ]

We have our camp. And there are other places, too. My sister's a part of a different camp on the other side of the country. We need to keep them safe. And after everything it'd be kind of pathetic for our world to be destroyed just because we lost a contest.

I don't think a person has to care about protecting the whole world. As long as there's one person, or a few people, that's probably enough. [ ...which is to say. ] A few people are playing it safe and taking it as truth. Just in case. Better that way than regretting it later.

[selfimmolation]

Yeah. The threat's vague enough it's hard to believe, but...

[ well, there's nothing he wouldn't do for luffy, including. whatever the fuck this is. ]

None of 'em would ever let me live it down if I told them I played hero, though. [ wry. ]

[resumed]

[ pff. ]

Because pirates aren't the hero type?

[selfimmolation]

Yep. Way too selfish as a rule! [ he says it with a laugh. ] I'm usually on the side of having the wanted poster.