Open Post: Who invented this calendar anyway?

[futaille]

How unfortunate.

Yes, Grantaire was fully aware that the year being longer at the mansion would logically cause seasons to drift when someone kept track of the old calendar, or at least what had been pinned down as the old calendar for convenience sake, which was almost necessary when people's arrivals weren't necessarily tied to the day they left. He hadn't given it too much thought last year, when his birthday, such that it was, arrived in spring like he was used to.

Dark, though, was unfortunate. Not inappropriate for the next notable anniversary coming up, but for this one, not at all. Of course, it wasn't as if he would have been planning much in the way of an event, Dark or no, but it would have been nice to treat himself to something or other, regardless.

Instead, he has installed himself in the game room, where he is carefully balancing dominoes on their ends to make a domino rally on the billiards table. It's a nice large flat surface, so it should work nicely. Have to keep entertained somehow.

Comments

[futaille]

"If you say so. All right. Let's get to your... instruction."

[vineleaves]

"Of course of course. You'll have to help me get into position. I simply don't know what I'm doing at all here."

[futaille]

Oh, so we're actually doing this. "Of course." He gives Dionysus one quick kiss before taking him by the shoulders and moving him over to in front of the pinball machine.

[vineleaves]

"Ah yes, I can see how standing here would help me be better at the game."

[futaille]

"Exactly." He takes Dionysus's left hand and puts it on the front of the cabinet. "Right here is the button you push to turn on... the machine."

[vineleaves]

"Oh, well I am very good at turning things on by playing with their buttons, maybe there's hope for me yet."

[futaille]

"Prior experience. Excellent. How about playing with little balls?"

[vineleaves]

"Would you believe it, I've actually got a lot of experience with that too."

[futaille]

"That's fortunate! Press the start button and it will queue some up for you."

[vineleaves]

"Oh, a queue," he says with a grin, pressing the start button. "How efficient."

[futaille]

"Very. Not that it doesn't have the potential for chaos later." He then takes Dionysus's hand and puts it on the plunger. "Now that will launch your first ball. All you have to do is pull it back and let it go."

[vineleaves]

"I'm good at that sort of thing too, you know," he says before actually launching the ball.

[futaille]

"Then you should be a natural. Although if you ever want to practice, I'm certainly willing to assist." He moves Dionysus's hands up to the flipper buttons. "Now, you press these to work on keeping the ball going. Don't want it to slide away." He keeps his hands over Dionysus's to 'demonstrate'.

[vineleaves]

"Ah, yes, see, this is the part I have trouble with." You know, the entire actual game.

[futaille]

"All you have to do is pay attention," says Grantaire, as if even he finds paying attention easy most of the time. He keeps his hands over Dionysus's to play the game for the time being.

[vineleaves]

"I do, but it's hard to know exactly when to press the button to make the thingies move. The -- these things," he presses the button to make one of the flippers flip, demonstratively.

[futaille]

"It can be tricky. You get a feel for it after a while, though."

[vineleaves]

"Well, I don't think you've got to worry about me overtaking your high score any time soon," he laughs.

[futaille]

"Oh, you can overtake whatever you'd like. I won't worry."

[vineleaves]

“Oh can I, alright then.” The ball hits… something, that causes a bunch of lights and sound to go off. Dionysus has no clue what caused it or what it means but he assumes it’s probably a good thing. “It seems to agree.”

[futaille]

He laughs. "You're getting the hang of it already, it seems."

[vineleaves]

“The problem is I’m not sure what I did to cause that, or how to ever make it happen again.”

[futaille]

"It really doesn't matter that much. If you keep the ball from falling, good things end up happening and the score goes up."

[vineleaves]

"I like that you're not expecting me to put forth any sort of strategy or planning with this, only," he mashes the flipper buttons in lieu of using words to end that sentence. Of course, this has the unfortunate side effect of resulting in the ball falling down, rolling off the end of a flipper instead of bouncing back up. "Ah, damn..."

[futaille]

"I haven't played this one enough to know what strategy there is anyway."