LtCmdr Jovenan – A friendly game with a friend

[Jovenan]

((Holodeck 1, Deck 2, USS Artemis))

Jovenan felt like she had been transported to another time in a place and culture she didn’t know. The surrounding machines were alien and new to her as she wandered past them down an aisle, marvelling at the colourful displays and blinking lights. What little familiarity she could see in their design had been obscured into something she couldn’t figure out. She wasn’t afraid or put off by the strange setting, though. Instead, her curiosity made her eyes widen as her eyes bounced quickly from side to side while she slowly walked on.

But more than her desire for knowledge, it was Vitor’s enthusiasm that had energized her excitement. He had been showing her around with a passion for the project of his, something that Jovenan adored about him. She turned around to face him again, finding his friendly gaze following her. His smile radiated with warmth that was enough to melt her shyness away. She extended her arms a little, gesturing to the setting he had created.

Jovenan: Vitor, this place is amazing! Do you know how all these games work? Have you played them all?

Vitor nodded to her barrage of questions.

Silveira: Yes. The reason why I still haven’t put up proper walls, and this is all chaotically distributed here is because I ended up playing them all. I even got in the high score tables of most of them. The idea is to have a proper building and enough room for people to play these, and other games. Spend a good time, relax a little.

Jovenan continued walking around the Arcade further. She didn’t mind the disorder, it turned the room into a maze she could explore, dig deeper into Vitor’s past and interests. They were all games, they were all fun and didn’t hesitate to advertise that, but they were all new to her, and she couldn’t begin to understand how some of them worked with the first look. She passed several whimsical machines before stopping in front of one of them, trying to figure out what it did and how it was operated. She turned to Vitor, who took a step closer.

Jovenan: Is this also for someone specific in mind?

He shook his head and opened his arms, walking closer. Jovenan nodded with a few small movements before turning back to the puzzling device.

Silveira: I might not have gotten all of them right. But I gave it a good thought. I think there is always something suited for all.

It was still impressive that he had known so many different games, and that he knew their friends and colleagues well enough to assign some of the games to specific individuals by their preferences. He knew people like that, figured out who they were and how to get close to them, something that a shy and occasionally withdrawn Jovenan admired about him. At least, he always seemed how to make her feel happier and safer.

If so, it didn’t seem likely he had designated games only for the Captain, Ensign Lyara and Commander Salkath. She turned back to Vitor.

Jovenan: Is there a game for me, too?

Silveira: Of course. How could I not think of you… ::Realizing that was likely a little too much he tried to get back on track.:: I think it suits you and…

Suddenly, Vitor stepped closer to her and grasped her hand. Eyes widened and mouth slightly ajar out of surprise, Jovenan looked down to their hands and then back to his eyes. He squeezed the hand softly, but her mind and heart were racing. After keeping her respectful distance to the offworlders, he had been the one who initiated a physical contact. Was she somehow breaching his personal space by allowing her hand to touch his? Had she made him do it? Was he upset or uncomfortable about holding it? What… What did it mean? It felt like her hand was tingling in his strong grasp.

Silveira: Let me show you

His low, cordial voice was enough to soothe her mental chatter and slow down her heartbeat. Warmth radiating from his hand to hers, Jovenan blinked a few times. Her eyes wandered between the corners of his lips to his steel blue eyes. Her cheeks gained a rosy tint to them. The stupid, dumbfounded expression still on her face, she responded with a wavering voice.

Jovenan: Okay.

Vitor began walking elsewhere, pulling her arm. Jovenan didn’t know where they were going, so she was just keeping up with him. Passing a few other game machines, a giggle emerged from Jovenan’s lips. Soon, they stopped, and Vitor raised his free hand towards one of the more old starship console-like devices. The screen, the control sticks and a few buttons didn’t match the configuration of anything that would have come to Jovenan’s mind. It had red, gold and blue swirls around the screen, which made her wonder if it was actually a newer design, though the colour selection could very well be coincidental.

Silveira: This reminds of you.

Jovenan: How so? What is it?

He hadn’t let go off of her hand yet, nor did she try to remove it either. Friends could hold hands among the Edo and many human cultures. Who was she to say his wasn’t one of them? And did it matter?

Silveira: To me this has always been the cutest arcade I ever played. It's a cozy game, nice, endearing and addictive, both the music as the gameplay. It has a story I am still trying to figure out. But it’s unforgiving if you underestimate it. Much stronger than at first looks… ::he tipped his head sideways:: Much like you. ::he opened his mouth but quickly shut it before looking back at the arcade screen.:: Want to try it?

“Cutest arcade I ever played.” “Reminds of you.”

She nodded enthusiastically.

Jovenan: How do I play?

Silveira: Response

So, it was a shooting game… kinda. Not in the similar way as the Duck Hunt was, with its handheld weapon prop, but more like the ship’s phasers. She had some experience using those, for which Vitor had complimented her a long, long time ago, although she doubted it had been in his mind choosing this game. She stepped in front of the console and reluctantly removed her hand from his so that she could take the control stick and place the other hand onto the buttons. The hand felt cold without him holding it.

The game started, and the display was taken over by bubbles and two small creatures that reminded Jovenan of tiny, round Pahkwa-thanh. The music started playing, consisting of short, high notes by an instrument Jovenan couldn’t recognize. Moving the control stick, Jovenan figured out she could change the angle of an arrow at the bottom of the screen.

Jovenan: So I just aim and then press this here to fire?

Silveira: Response?

Jovenan did that, and a red bubble flew off to the direction indicated by the arrow. It landed neatly between a blue bubble and a yellow one.

Silveira: Response

Jovenan: Okay, I got it now.

She tried again. This time, a blue bubble joined two other of the same colour, and they all burst. Jovenan laughed as she released a new bubble towards a set of bubbles at the base of the structure, and it all collapsed. She realised she was already tilting her head along the background music as the next level began. After a few bubbles that had colour that didn’t help her, she learnt that after a certain number of moves, the entire structure came down slightly towards the bottom of the screen and the fat Pahkwa-thanh operating the firing mechanism. Her wasted bubbles advanced it considerably. Burrowing her brow, she understood now why Vitor had characterised the game as “unforgiving”. She needed to consider all her moves if she desired to continue.

The next few levels were easy, but eventually, she ran into trouble. Her aiming had failed her, and the structure was just a few moves away from reaching the bottom. She made an involuntary whimper when she thought of the consequences. Without thinking too much, she moved her right hand off the buttons and reached for his right hand behind her, grasped it and brought it around her body to the control stick, placing it over her left hand. She then tucked his arm under her right arm and put the hand back onto the buttons.

Jovenan: You gotta help me out.

Silveira: Response

TAG/TBC
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Lieutenant Commander Jovenan
Chief Science Officer
USS Artemis-A
E239911J11