Open ♔ I can lead you to perfect victory

[priforprince]

Who: Everyone. Including Hibiki, nominally.
When: September 5
Where: The Near Shore
What: Bowling log? Bowling log. Kiddie lane? KIDDIE LANE.

[ Many gods and goddesses will find themselves receiving an influx of prayers about a certain bowling alley. A bustling place with leagues for all ages, it's recently been beset by mysterious occurrences: balls levitating out of one alley to drop into another, the alleys seeming to warp until the ball drops into the gutter, the kiddie league's bumpers knocking the balls past the pins without hitting any. Tempers are running high. Children are crying.

Won't someone investigate the cause of all this? Or at least play a few rounds?

This afternoon is Open Bowling, where you can reserve a lane with friends for a small fee and rent a ball and shoes for another charge. They only have shoes in incredibly ugly color combinations. Nobody can decide whether this is also part of the string of bad luck or if the shoes have always been that way.

A special set of lanes has been set aside for children, featuring colorful bumpers and helpful ramps.

A food court serves snacks and drinks - mostly Western, all bad for you. Hot dogs and nachos and French fries are the specialties. They even claim to have invented cheese nachos with hot dog pieces on them.

According to a sign on the wall, "Laser Bowling" is scheduled to begin soon - or may have begun already, if you're late. This form of bowling involves dimmed lights, too much neon, and lots of techo over the loudspeakers.

Off to the side of all this hubbub, an entire lane has been reserved for someone who has blocked off each player with the initials HIBI. Sprawled across the vinyl waiting area, one arm propped up on the back cushions and one leg on the seat, is Shikyoin Hibiki, wearing a monogrammed purple-and-gold bowling uniform and pristine (but still unsightly) bowling shoes. A bowling ball engraved with a crown emblem sits waiting, but instead of playing, she's trying to read a movie script.

Every time somebody actually hits pins, she frowns. ]

Such a noisy activity.

[[ OOC: This is an open log for bowling and/or ayakashi shenanigans! An ayakashi has possessed the bumpers of the kiddie lane, but its negative influence is throwing off everyone else's game, too. Smaller ayakashi have been messing with the pins and lanes, too. Feel free to either play out engaging them and freeing the lane....or else just have some fun. That "Laser Bowling" is set to begin soon, after all... ]]

Comments

kiddie lane

[alchemists]

[ Elfnein is at the kiddie lane trying to lift a ball onto the ramp. Even with the extra help with the ramp the ball is a bit heavy and Elfnein is struggling a bit. But it's all part of learning how to bowl, she's never been bowling before and she did research on how to play before coming here. ]

[priforprince]

[ Just as Elfnein is getting that ball towards the top of the ramp, it's going to feel like somebody tries to push it to one side! Will Elfnein be able to balance it in time, or will it fall and make a noise...

The celebrity lane (which is closer to the kiddie lane than it might like) does not look like it would appreciate a noise... ]

[alchemists]

[ The sudden nudge is enough to cause Elfnein to drop the ball, sorry Hibiki for the noise.

At least somehow it manages to fall and roll down the lane just very slowly.]

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki frowns at the commotion, twitching slightly. She looks up to see what...

....one of her idols? Bizarre. ]

They make lighter balls.

[ Not having seen the nudge, she has come to her own conclusion. ]

[alchemists]

I didn't mean for it to drop, I had figured out the best way to get it down the ramp but...

[ The lane is clearly having some ayakashi problem. ]

[priforprince]

But what?

[ Then Hibiki watches a ball in a non-bumper lane literally zigzag down the alley, dropping into a gutter at the last second.

She stands up straighter, staring ahead, processing this. ]

What is going on.....

[ You're, uh. Probably off the hook, yelling-wise. ]

[alchemists]

Is it the spirit that's been following you?

[ Though there isn't tea puddles being left behind. ]

I don't know what this is either....

[talkbirdytome]

[Honestly Hiyoko was just bored and had nothing to do. Barry's watching some sparkly magical girl marathon, the bears are all tuckered out from the morning run she made them go on, and now she's trying to fill her evening. And what better way than to partake in the glorious sport that has killed the time of many a bored middle class family. Bowling.

Okay in all honesty she didn't have high hopes for this being interesting. Until she saw Hibiki. Clearly there is only one thing to do.]

You there! Bowling King!

[Why yes, she is addressing Hibiki.]

I hereby challenge you for control of this domain!

[That ought to liven up the evening.]

[priforprince]

Hm?

[ Hibiki cocks an unimpressed eyebrow, glancing up. Well, that sounds like a bundle of stupid waiting to--- ]

WHAUGH!

[ Dropping the script, Hibiki scrambles up against the back of the seats. It's the barbarian girl with the spear!

Last seen skewering Hibiki's spygoat! ]

[talkbirdytome]

[The scream is unexpected and it throws her off. Maybe she came on a little too strong? She brings both hands up in a gesture of peace.]

Uhh... should I take that as a 'no' on the challenge?

[priforprince]

[ ....Ah, the girl's behaving more or less sanely currently. Breathing again, Hibiki settles down, reaching for...where's her script?

How did it end up on the floor? ]

A king who accepts all challenges has a fragile reign, indeed. True royalty need not prove itself.

[ That's her objection. ]

[talkbirdytome]

Well... I don't think either of us can actually claim lordship over the bowling alley. It probably has an owner already.

[She delivers that in a somewhat apologetic tone. You know, in case Hibiki didn't know that.]

But we can settle the age old question of who is the better bowler!

[That is an age old question.]

[priforprince]

I'm fine.

[ Hibiki picks up her script, shakes it out (ugh), attempts to return to perusing it. Let's see...

Drastic measures may be required for this opponent. ]

[nopixiedust]

[Wendy could try and bowl with everyone else.... But it seems kind of useless when something is clearly ruining the game. So she's hopping from lane to lane, her crappy children's bowling shoes squeaking against the floor. Occasionally, she sends out a borderline or splashes some holy water against something, hoping to drive the ayakashi away.]

[Eventually, however... She pauses, looking at a flyer.]

Uh... What's laser bowling? Does anyone know?

[priforprince]

A despicable commotion.

[ Hibiki is on her way back from the concession stand, which she'd patronized due to having gotten hungry. For a definition of "patronized" that involves reading the menu and suddenly losing her appetite. ]

We'll be long gone.

[ It's due to start in like two minutes. ]

[nopixiedust]

[Wendy looks at the poster.]

[And then at Hibiki.]

[And then at the poster again.]

....That's not what the date says.

[priforprince]

A genius's date and a poster's date are different.

[ Isn't there even a vending machine around here...? Her stomach is queasy. She could use some sparkling water. ]

[nopixiedust]

[That sounds super fake and likely to backfire, but... Well. Wendy isn't going to argue with "genius' date" or whatever. She'll let reality do that for her.]

[So instead he sticks by Hibiki's side, look at the way she's glancing around.]

Did you get anything from that concession stand? I thought you were heading over there earlier.

[priforprince]

To patronize it would be a true concession.

[ She feels ill and the laser show hasn't even started yet. ]

Laser bowling ahoy

[leapingchuu]

He had no idea how he knew how to bowl, but evidently the activity wasn't completely foreign to him. The presence of the ayakashi was throwing off his game, though, and even the neon and techno weren't making him feel too much better. So he was just sort of grumbling as he kept walking back to get his ball and start again (generally after no score at all).

[priforprince]

It was loud in here.

It was loud in here, and Hibiki wanted to leave.

It was loud in here, and Hibiki wanted to leave, but Hibiki couldn't leave because she had a prayer hanging on this. And yet, how was she supposed to focus on eliminating an ayakashi if her head was hurting this much? That was it. She would find Wendy, and they'd depart. Immediatel---OW.

She stumbled on the way over to her lane, having to lean on the ball dispenser after a particularly bad stab to her temples. Since she wasn't looking where she was going, her shoulder was also on a collision course with Viktor's.

Oops?

[leapingchuu]

Viktor recoiled as best he could, which was admittedly fairly quickly for someone who hadn't been training regularly since a lifetime ago.

"Are you all right? I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going!"

Because she didn't exactly look all right...he didn't think he'd hit her with the ball, but it was possible?

[priforprince]

Good reflexes....Hibiki could appreciate that even in her current state, but they didn't rouse the curiosity she might have otherwise felt. Her mood was already ruined too thoroughly for that.

Still, he'd acknowledged his error, and that was something. She rubbed her head. "Roll the ball quietly if you're going to play," she instructed, not revealing how she thought that might be possible in a game whose object involved knocking things over. All that mattered in this moment was that Shikyoin Hibiki was uncomfortable.

That could not be allowed to stand.

[leapingchuu]

"I'll do my best, but perhaps you might like to go home instead of listening to the rest of the noise?"

Hey, he wanted to help with the ayakashi as much as the next shinki, but surely it wasn't worth putting one's health and comfort at risk!

[priforprince]

"...Ah." Hibiki sighs in agreement, closing her eyes. Teleport. Apollo's temple. She tries to picture it in her mind -

Then the song playing changes over and the light show increases in frenzy. Her hand goes back to her head. She's trapped! It's too distracting to teleport!!