sometimes you gotta fit in to get in

[zuckered]

While the rest of the island wines and dines, dressed as though prepared to walk the red carpet, I'm seated in the third floor lounge of the Compound with a tall stein full of beer to the side and a controller in my hands. In my defense, I tried to stay for the whole of the party. I made a valiant effort. But pleasantries can only go on for so long before they start feeling like a burden. Which defeats the purpose of a party.

I'd much rather be in the company of Elites and Grunts. (I realize that turning away from Frodo Baggins, Natalie Portman, and Batman loses me some of my geek cred. I can't be bothered.)

But for those who would be comforted, at least I can tell you that I was playing on Legendary.


The X-Box in the third floor lounge may not be equipped with the latest games that Mark Zuckerberg's needed to catch up on, but there are times when he simply enjoys a bit of old school, first generation HALO. Huddled on the couch, for a few minutes, the only sound that one can hear aside from the roar of the Covenant on the television is the rapid succession of tapping on his controll. Some people button-mash. Others liberally apply grenades.

Not Mark. He snipes.

The Hunters waiting by the enemy base roar and charge their guns, but to no avail. It takes some clever maneuvering to take one out after the other— the shot of the gun makes his location all too clear to the felled Hunter's partner, and these types aren't exactly keen on waiting around— but eventually Mark manages, a slight curve on his lip as he shoots thrice into the soft orange section of the Hunter's back, felling it with a thud. Quickly, he cracks his knuckles, before settling in for the next stretch.

Comments

[callofkaren]

"Of course," Karen said, accepting the controller with a grin. While Call of Duty was where real talent lay, she'd played enough Halo over the years to jump into any sort of firefight without much trouble.

She'd done a lot of playing with Chuck, sitting on the same couch for hours until their fingers ached and they were both a little delirious from it all. But missing old friends came as easily as breathing now, and Karen swept it aside.

"Did you check out the party?"

[zuckered]

"Cool," Mark replied, grin only widening as he quickly tapped on the buttons to take them back to the main screen— and if he lingered on the main menu for a couple of seconds longer than necessary, well, he was always rather fond of the HALO soundtrack. "I'll put us on campaign. We can switch to free-for-all if someone else stops by, obviously, but I've been a little nostalgic for this storyline, lame as it sounds. I feel like the successive releases of HALO all vaguely strayed from a story that I enjoyed as is. And the soundtrack for ODST just felt kind of weird. Jazzy."

Glancing over after picking out his profile, curious to know if Karen had her own account and, if so, what her username was, Mark nevertheless nodded in response to her question. "I was at the party for a while. Not too big on politics, though. I appreciate that millions weren't poured into any of the campaigns here, but dressing up and congratulating one another just doesn't seem like a good use of my time. I voted, though." His lips quirk. "You were there too, right?"

[callofkaren]

Karen let Mark's babbling wash over her as the controller warmed in her grip as she got comfortable, pulling her legs up onto the couch and letting her dress fall over her knees to cover them up. She was into her thirties, but she always enjoyed the little moments when she felt like a college kid again.

"I figured as a current council member, it was important to at least show up," Karen said, though she couldn't help a smile at the fib. She enjoyed all the island parties, always loved socializing and seeing new faces, but sometimes, she needed a break. "But then I figured a little game before the night was over wouldn't hurt."

[zuckered]

"Yeah, I guess if you're part of an institution that you believe in, it makes sense to show up at the parties," Mark agrees, quickly flipping through to the first of his favorite levels, Truth and Reconciliation, before setting them on Legendary and tapping in. "Although I can't say that I've always done the same back home. Sometimes I opt out of parties and send a check or donation instead, seems like it'd be the more productive choice. Not here, though. Here I'm just... you know."

His lips press thinly.

"Not really a part of the general island populace, I guess. Rather hole up and play video games, more like how it was back home." After a brief glance in her direction, he turns his attention back to the game. "You like it here?"

[callofkaren]

Karen nodded at the question, but their gazes were fixed on the screen and she realized he probably didn't notice. "I do," she answered, fumbling a bit with the buttons as she got used to playing Halo again after so many months of nothing but Call of Duty every now and then, her love of the games having waned over the last year without any real partners. "I had a pretty normal, boring life back home and I miss it sometimes, but I like it here."

She glanced over at Mark briefly. "You don't have to go to all the parties and everything to be part of the populace, you know. Just find what you enjoy doing here and stick to it, things will work out."

[zuckered]

Even though he knew full well that the two women were different, and that Mark probably couldn't have expected Marylin Delpy to sit down next to him, wearing a nice dress, willing to kick back and kill a few Elites, he couldn't help trying to imagine whether or not lawyers ever thought that their jobs were boring. Normal. It seemed like one of those jobs to take up for the sake of job security, for the sake of the day to day never really changing or shifting all that much. In technology, one's job always stretched further ahead, always grew in scope, always more details to consider. Some people might not have liked that much.

"I had an exciting life back home. Exciting from a technological point-of-view, at least, and factoring in the fact that I don't expect to ever get within ten feet of StarkTech," Mark shrugged, glancing over, and feeling his controller vibrate as he was hit by an enemy. "Shit."

Brows furrowing as he snapped back to attention, Mark pressed on. "Anyway, that's what I've been doing. Mostly. I'm pretty sure some people judge me for it."

[callofkaren]

"Yeah," Karen said, momentarily distracted as she dispatched a few grunts. She blinked and glanced over at Mark, finally registering what he'd said. "I mean, yeah, I get it. No judgement from me. I did absolutely nothing for about two years before I started getting involved with the community."

Before the boutique, Karen's main contribution had been working Jay's old still.

[zuckered]

"Seriously?" Mark asked, as soon as the screen faded into a cut scene, the controller momentarily abandoned on his lap as he glanced Karen's way, tilting his head as he tried to imagine how else she would have busied herself. There's not too much that he knows about her, granted. Holding her to the expectation that her skills and motivation in life align well with the island doesn't make sense in the slightest. Still, it comes to him as a surprise. "I kind of assumed that you were the heavily involved type. What'd you do back home?"