Closed Post: The only way to learn is by playing

[futaille]

There has been a seismic shift in the pinball status quo and Grantaire unwittingly brought it just by mentioning the game at the wrong time. Or the right one, really. Watching Magnus play was honestly kind of amazing, but it also was a very fast shift in fortune, especially with tales of Alex even beyond that. And if Grantaire wanted any hope of keeping any Rs at all on the high score list long-term, he needed to refine his game. (Sometimes it's easier to be spurred on by someone clearly ahead of you than someone coming up behind.)

So he is, of course, in the game room one dark (and Dark) evening, working on improving. Of course, as always, his plans are fully subject to change when previous offers come back to the forefront.

Comments

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji, who has no particular metric for what constitutes an impressive game of pinball, merely watches the high scores scroll past, mildly dubious. "It is impossible to win, then? One must play until the inevitable loss."

[futaille]

He shrugs. "Like life, in a way."

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji considers this, serious but unperturbed. Grantaire has a point. Then again, he thinks for the second time of his recent conversation with Claudius in the kitchen. There is an inevitable loss, but then one begins again. With that in mind, he presses start again. "To second chances."

[futaille]

He grins and turns again to watch. "To second chances."

[lightbearinglord]

It most likely comes as no surprise that Lan Wangji performs somewhat more admirably from the beginning this time around. He descends into unimpeachable concentration, perfectly still aside from the flicker of his fingers on the buttons. He manages, regrettably, to accumulate one more tilt warning in his efforts to redirect the ball -- but then, at last, he pulls off an appropriately-calibrated nudge the next time he tries. The machine truly is unreasonably sensitive, but at least now he knows how to coax it without aggravating it.

[futaille]

Grantaire watches with interest, unable to stop smiling. "I am absolutely going to credit this to my unimpeachable coaching."

[lightbearinglord]

"I would have performed much more poorly if I had not observed you before I began," Lan Wangji says. It's essentially an agreement. He has locked two balls now, and although he isn't entirely certain what the outcome will be when he locks a third, the goal is obvious enough that he is pursuing it singlemindedly.

[futaille]

"Exactly." He then notices what Lan Wangji is up to. "Oh, this is going to be good."

[lightbearinglord]

Rather than responding to Grantaire's comment, Lan Wangji returns the entirety of his attention to the game. He catches the ball on a flipper, bounces it at a precise angle such that it returns, and then rockets it directly into the final locking position. There is only the very slightest look of surprise on his face, a minute widening of his eyes, as the multiball begins, largely because there is no time to be surprised when he must contend with the consequences of what he has wrought.

[futaille]

"And behold! Multiball! Unequivocally my favorite part."

[lightbearinglord]

Again, Lan Wangji does not answer. The reason for this should be clear: he is occupied. It would be foolish, at this point, to try and track each ball's movement around the cabinet. That would lead only to distraction. It is like the second siege of the Burial Mounds. When one is beset by an unreasonable number of foes, it is possible only to react to each one as it approaches. He fixes his gaze on the flippers and sends each approaching ball flying crisply away.

[futaille]

"You know, I had a sneaking suspicion you would be good at this when it came up. I'm pleased to know my oracular skills remain unabated."

[lightbearinglord]

"I am not the only cultivator here." The challenge of this multiball is proving enjoyable, actually. Lan Wangji will inevitably begin losing these balls eventually, but not quite yet.

[futaille]

"True," he says easily, "but you're the only one I've seen playing pinball, so clearly it's my gift of prophecy."

[lightbearinglord]

With enough amusement that Grantaire may actually be able to detect it, Lan Wangji says, "You took fate into your own hands." He would absolutely not be touching this machine if not for Grantaire.

[futaille]

He laughs. "Well, that's certainly not an uncommon trait in prophecy."

[lightbearinglord]

"Thank you for the instruction," Lan Wangji says, meaning it. He was sincere when he said that he would have been much worse off without observing most of Grantaire's game when he entered the room. He frowns a little down at the cabinet again, as one of his balls slips down into a gutter before he can stop it.

[futaille]

"Ah, yes, I am a most exacting professor," Grantaire replies, not meaning it in the least. He makes a sympathetic sound, though, at the lost ball. "Hard luck. At least you still have the others."

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji nods, still quite serious. He returns to the game with haste, so that no further balls will be lost.

[futaille]

"It's a little bit like juggling, only with somewhat more erratic timing. Not that I speak from a place of great personal experience when it comes to juggling, but the analogy still seems appropriate enough."

[lightbearinglord]

Indeed, it is as difficult to picture Grantaire juggling as it is to picture him performing a handstand. "This is a paltry number of balls for a juggler," Lan Wangji says. "Xiong Yiliao juggled nine to defeat the Song troops."

[futaille]

He blinks. "How do you defeat troops by juggling? I mean, yes, that is truly a prodigious amount of balls for it, but it doesn't seem like the most martial of hobbies. Had I known that was a possibility, the barricades might have ended very differently."

[lightbearinglord]

"The troops were enthralled by the display. While they were distracted, the Chu army launched a surprise attack." He delivers this with total impassivity as he continues to play.

[futaille]

"Excellent distraction, then. Although I'm not sure it would be broadly applicable, sadly enough."

[lightbearinglord]

"Xiong Yiliao was also a great warrior," Lan Wangji allows. And, perhaps, he would have been better at pinball than either of them, given his juggling prowess. He is down, again, to the single pinball -- although he accumulated a respectable number of points during his time with several in play.