004 - [Accidental Video]

[makainoou]

[The video feed opens onto what was once a living room but which at this point is better described as a sty. Discarded food wrappers, game cartridges, and open books litter the floor. If Laharl owned more clothes, there would probably be dirty laundry, too, but thankfully there's just one pair of shoes in there somewhere.

A large television is the primary source of light in the room. Incongruously, a plush rabbit sits atop the TV, looking a little worse for wear.

The center of the room is occupied by an open coffin, where Laharl is sitting cross-legged, a controller in his hands. He looks to be playing an underwater racing game and, of course, growling to himself as he plays.]

Stupid seahorse, get the hell out of my way.

Comments

Action

[replicatedcourage]

Well neither are you 'cause I beat you!

[Ding... ding... ding! And they're off! Sola shoots ahead but immediately gets stuck behind a well placed group of kelp.]

Damnit, no!

Action

[makainoou]

Ha! Eat seaweed!

[Laharl pulls ahead of him, though he's not yet in the lead. But he's not exactly concerned as long as Sola's behind him.]

Action

[replicatedcourage]

[Finally Sola gets unstuck and rockets after Laharl, gritting his teeth as he tries to close the gap with speed boosts and shortcuts.]

Action

[makainoou]

[What Laharl's shark lacks in speed it makes up for in bulk, and each time he closes on one of the fish ahead of him, he rams it out of his way and hopefully into Sola's path.]

Action

[replicatedcourage]

[Sola makes a frustrated noise as he struggles to keep up, only gaining progress by inches and not nearly fast enough to beat Laharl's shark to the finish line, especially not when he keeps getting a face full of CPU racer every other minute.]

You cheated!

Action

[makainoou]

No, I won. It's called using people to your advantage.

Action

[replicatedcourage]

No it's called being mean!

[Argh! Sola shoves his hand in Laharl's face, 3 fingers up.]

Best two out of three! Whoever loses this one has to do chores for the other person for a week!

Action

[makainoou]

That, too.

Hm... Deal.

[Of course he assumes he'll win, but good luck getting him to keep his end of the bargain if he doesn't.]

Action

[replicatedcourage]

[With an even more determined expression than before, Sola chooses the sea turtle again and picks the hardest track in the game; the undesea wreck.

This is no longer a game, this is war.]

Action

[makainoou]

[Laharl, too, switches back to the more maneuverable fish he had before and settles in to win. As soon as that light turns green, he shoots forward, having no intention of sacrificing any speed to make navigating through the wreck easier.]

Action

[replicatedcourage]

[This course Sola knows well and he knows where to break in order not to fall off beams or get hit by decaying masts or the ghost of Davey Jones that haunts the course at random. Even after Laharl's early lead, Sola ends up well ahead by the end, having taken the captain's quarters shortcut through the porthole.

He jumps up triumphantly, holding the controller aloft.]

YES! Take that, Laharl!

Action

[makainoou]

[Laharl takes second place with a good few seconds behind Sola, and this time he does throw the controller at him.]

This doesn't even count! It's just a stupid game!

Action

[replicatedcourage]

[Sola manages to block his face from the controller at the last moment.]

Ow!

It does too count! We made a deal, Laharl!

Action

[makainoou]

A deal I knew you'd honor. Like hell if I'm going to!

Action

[replicatedcourage]

W- That's not fair! It's a deal! I thought demons have to follow deals they make!

[He's been doing some reading, though he doesn't know that demons from different worlds might have different rules.]

Action

[makainoou]

Tch. You expect that out of a spoken deal? It'd take a more powerful magic than you're capable of to bind me to any agreement.

Action

[replicatedcourage]

[In a somewhat ironic burst of anger, Sola promptly beans Laharl in the forehead with his controller and stomps out.]

Don't ever talk to me again, you jerk!

[He is so done with this shit.]

Action

[makainoou]

[Ow!]

W- What the hell was that for!?

[...the sad part is he really doesn't know.]