The funny thing was that she actually did have instant ramen in her cabinets. A multipack, too. But she refused to even admit that, preferring to hide her shame behind a doordash order instead.
[break][break]
Fishing out her phone with one hand and pulling out the hairband from her hair with the other, she came back out of the kitchen and returned to Cian's side.
[break][break]
When she caught a glimpse of the game he was referring to, she smiled, having her own set of memories tied with it.
[break][break]
"Same. Well, not really. It's not my favorite, but I used to play it all the time back when it first came out."
[break][break]
And she was good. Real good.
[break][break]
"I've been meaning to try out the newest dlc character, but shit keeps piling up.  Wait, before anything else, do you have anything in mind for dinner? I'm feeling tacos."
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] CIAN MAHER[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

"yeah? were you any good?"

the challenge behind his words should be clear. if not, the grin he wears should do it as he holds the game box up in a small waving gesture.

"it's been a hot minute since i last played, but let's play."

about food, he nods, never one to be picky.

"as long as they got soft shell tacos, i'm down."

imagine liking hard shell tacos. he simply could not.

PENELOPE LIVY

☉

With a smile, she handed the phone to him, the menu of a nearby specialty taco restaurant consuming its screen.
[break][break]
"Put in your order while I set up and I'll show you how good I am."
[break][break]
The console was pretty simple, so it took no more than a minute to set up completely. Soon a splash of color lit up the screen and displayed the game's title. Excited, Penelope swiped a set of procontrollers from her tv stand before sliding onto the couch beside him.
[break][break]
"Here you go."
[break][break]
She offered him the purple controller and gave herself the orangey-yellow one.
[break][break]
"Add two mac attack tacos to the order, please."
[break][break]
As he finished handling their dinner situation, she refocused on the screen, maneuvering through the various menus with the speed of a long-term veteran. Finally, they hit the character selection screen and without hesitation, she picked herself Wolf.
[break][break]
"Ready?"

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] CIAN MAHER[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

"you got it."

taking her phone, he scrolls through the menu and picks out something relatively light. a few soft shell beef tacos should quell his hunger for the evening.

"anything for you, penny."

and at her request, he adds two mac attack tacos before finishing up their order and hitting send.

swapping out for the purple controller, he's quick to pick his favorite character and main: kirby.

"prepare to be sucked."

PENELOPE LIVY

☉

When that pink blob populated the player 2 hover, she snickered.
[break][break]
"Cute pick," She cooed, snuggling close to his side. This wasn't serious enough for the gamer slouch to come out -- not yet, at least.
[break][break]
When the game finally started, Penelope came in hot and aggressive with, throwing out combos, back-to-back, aiming to leave little time to recover. While it had been a hot minute since she last picked up the controller, she had grown up playing all types of fighting games. Mortal Kombat, Tekken, Street Fighter -- it was the soil which she sprouted from. It was also where her competitive nature came from.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] CIAN MAHER [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

the gamer slouch will come eventually. for now, he enjoys her weight against him and leans into her as well, and while she normally would've been a very easy distraction to give into, this time he chooses to stay focused on the game.

naturally, he's also competitive. it's why he's always stayed on top at the maher household. yeah, that's right, suck it boruta maher caden maher.

"shit. you're good."

but is he better?

PENELOPE LIVY

☉

After a few series of butt clenching back and forths, Penelope was declared victor by a narrow margin.
[Break][break]
"Too easy,"she grinned up at him, playfully. Honestly, he was better than she had originally thought. One misplay would've been all he needed to come out on top. Thankfully, that didn't happen.
[Break][break]
"Wanna go again?"
[Break][break]
From there, the two went back and forth with their victories, and as Cian had already known, the gamer slouch DID come out eventually. By the time the food had arrived, they had just finished their 5th game in a row.
[Break][break]
Penelope set her controller on the coffee table and let out a big yawn, stretching out her arms and legs outward. She enjoyed this-- just gaming on the couch together and ordering food in. It was the exact vibe she thrived in. She stole one last glimspe of Cian before moving towards the front door, a small spark of giddiness wrangling up her insides.
[Break][break]
The door openned, then shut a second later.
[Break][break]
"Put on something," she gestured towards the remote with her free hand as she made her way to the kitchen, "while I get some napkins."
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] CIAN MAHER[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

"shit."

no, he's not better. well, he could be, but in this particular match, he ends up the loser, which shouldn't be all too surprising by now. whether in games or battles, cian maher loses, and he's okay with that.

his loss propels others to greater heights, after all. like his loss against boruta maher in the hoenn star tournament. his brother achieved a top finish because of it.

"again."

back and forth they go before eventually, their food arrives. he comes out of the gamer slouch and leans back into the couch, relieved and content with their evening so far.

their choice for entertainment tonight is a popular anime. it's definitely mainstream but it's really good.

"this show reminds me of hoenn and our avatars."

PENELOPE LIVY

☉

When Penelope turned back around, there was...anime on the screen.
[break][break]
An interesting choice, to say the least.
[break][break]
Carefully, she pushed the pile of game titles to the side with the back of her hand, creating just enough safe to lay out the styrofoam containers in front of them. Only after did she collect the scattered games and set them to the side.
[break][break]
"How so? What's this show about?"
[break][break]
She remembered hearing a thing or two about some superhero show back when she was babysitting her cousin's kid a few months ago, but as she had a dwindling amount of time for leisure, she hadn't found the time to investigate it further. Maybe now was the chance.


[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] CIAN MAHER[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

never say cian isn't comfortable around penny. choosing anime so early on in their relationship is definitely a bold choice. but that's just who he is around her: himself.

"so basically everyone in the world is born with powers. some are really cool powers like fire bending or flying, while some are lame. pretty sure there's a character whose power is just the ability to glow in the dark."

the thought makes him laugh as he reaches for the styrofoam containers. he makes a note not to order from here again because the packaging isn't eco-friendly.

"wait, do you even like anime?"

PENELOPE LIVY

☉

It was Cian's comfortability that made him so charismatic in the first place. From the way they could be so carefree when around each other, to how honest he is about his interests, time spent with him never felt wasted.
[Break][break]
"Uh huh." she nodded along to his explaination all while flicking open the container in front of her. Two Mac and cheese stuff tacos greeted her inside, brimming with a sweet cheesy goodness worth dying over. "Oof. Poor guy," she commented on the glow in the dark guy's power. "What do you think you're power would be then? Super speed?"
[Break][break]
Leaning forward, she went in for a bite of the taco. It was then Cian commented on her opinion on anime. She swallowed the oversized bite then looked over.
[Break][break]
"It's not like I don't like it, I just don't have the time to find out where to start." She shrugged and reached for her drink. "I spend most of my free time gaming or playing tabletop games, but," she took a short sip, then returned the cup to it's place on the table. "I'll give them a shot. Especially if you're the one recommending them."

Because, at the end of the day, she wanted to learn more about him. No matter how dumb or crazy they may be, his interests were interesting for her.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] CIAN MAHER [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

what would his powers be? he thinks on it only to huff a moment later.

"i already have super speed, thank you."

having the ability to open up portals would be really fun. or super strength, or the ability to fly. damn, these are all too cliche to say out loud.

he appreciates the way she's willing to make an effort to understand his interests. it's warm and honest; more than he could ask for.

"well, buckle up because this is one of my favorites. i'm not a huge fan of the protag but the supporting characters are top tier."

one of them looks eerily like his friend @eli.

"also, i'm not sure what my powers would be. give me one."

PENELOPE LIVY

☉

"ah, my bad, forgot I was talking to Barry Allen himself," she chuckled, eyebrows high with amusement.
[Break][break]
What would his powers be, then? Penelope's face puckered in thought and her finger tapped lightly at her chin. She gave him a lookover, then outwardly hmm'd, and gave one last lookover.
[Break][break]
"You'd be a shapeshifter, I think."
[Break][break]
She would never admit how much of that answer came to his resemblance to her green childhood crush from that old children's superhero show she used to watch after school.
[Break][break]
"How about me? Give me a super power."
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] CIAN MAHER [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]