Daily Logs 5-22-17

I. Roll for aggravation: Molly and Leslie navigate a maze


I.
Molly: *invites Leslie to the holodeck for some sort of relaxation spa day of swimming pools and manicures because she needs to chill and Leslie probably will enjoy that kind of thing*
Leslie: *fuck yeah friend date* *shows up in a skirted swimsuit under a loose cover dress and a small bag of sundry accessories, including (but not limited to) booze*
Molly: *the holodeck is already engaged and Leslie will find a shady pool area with a few spots of sunlight specifically requested for people not-Molly, while Molly splashes around in a pool*
Leslie: This looks /incredible/. *looking around* *yanks off her dress and tosses her bag to the ground with her dress before sitting at the edge of the pool and dangling her feet in the water* Did you design this?
Molly: I got someone from Engineering to help me modify a base program. *swims to the edge next to her and hangs on to the lip while kicking her feet* Inside there's this spa thing too. I know we have a real massage person now but... in /this/ version if they do your nails you can program it so no one actually touches you.
Leslie: A Molly dream come true.
Molly: I'm going to see if I can dream up a whole series of holodeck programs along this line. I'm sure someone besides me could use them.
Leslie: Probably. Not me, but somebody. *Elspeth would T_T*
Molly: *pushes away from the edge of the pool and floats on her back* Can you believe someone tried to drown me last week? I mean, we weren't there long enough for that to become a danger, but the concept is infuriating. This is one of the /few/ things I enjoy and I would have been pissed if I couldn't anymore. *rambling*
Leslie: Yeah, how are you not freaking out about it? Nature tried to drown me like 20 years ago and I'm still not over it.
Molly: Because you got caught in a flash flood and I got handcuffed to a column in a few inches of water for a couple hours. Big difference.
Leslie: Still traumatic.
Molly: That's one of the reasons I've been swimming all week. I don't want to let it be. *traces a pattern under the water with one hand* I know that's not really how it works, but.. I think it's mostly working?
Leslie: *nods sagely* My dad made me do the same thing with horses. You fall off, you get back on. The only thing that never worked with that was water.
Molly: Anyway, I'm probably fine, but I was tired of using this sim alone and I thought you'd enjoy it. I even reprogrammed some sunlight for you, see?
Leslie: I did see. And I appreciate it.
Molly: And there's a massage therapist inside to whack your muscles into relaxation or something. I never really understood how massages work.
Leslie: Gentle rubbing. It improves blood flow and that helps your muscles relax. I wonder if you'd like it if we programmed a sophisticated robot to do it.
Molly: *wrinkles her nose* Doubt it. Same tactile result even initiated differently.
Leslie: Then you'll just have to drink your tension away.
Molly: *gives her a thumbs up and then dives underneath the water, swimming around under the surface for a bit before surfacing again and pushing her hair out of her eyes*
Leslie: *sliiiiides into the water slowly and holds onto the edge behind her, being sure to keep her head well above the water level* How long were you here before I got here?
Molly: *looks extremely surprised when Leslie climbs into the water* Wait, what are you doing?
Leslie: In all likelihood, being extremely stupid. But the last time I was in a pool, I managed to get fairly deep before I freaked out so I'm testing my limits.
Molly: *swims up and stops about a foot away* Okay... if you freak out let me know and I'll have the computer take the water away.
Leslie: Thanks. In theory, I should be good because I'm holding on to something.
Mod: [As if in immediate response to Leslie's claim, and prompted by Molly's suggestion, the water all rushes to the center of the pool and disappears upwards as if a video of water being poured from a height was reversed and made reality. In the antiquated tone of early-internet pop-ups, a disembodied voice announces: Congratulations, you won!]
Larry: *appears* *giggling*
Molly: *wasn't holding on to the ledge so she goes crashing down to the bottom of the pool, rolling instinctively so she doesn't break anything* *but it knocks the wind out of her for a second and she lies there stunned briefly*
Leslie: *yelps as she falls, hangs briefly, and then loses her one-handed grip and falls further, stumbling and catching herself on all fours* What the hell... Molly, you okay?
Larry: Congratulations! You've been pre-selected for my new little game! Would you like to play? I sure hope so because you don't have a choice. *still giggling, floats around, seated on invisible chair and zooms to hover over the now-empty pool*
Molly: *rolls onto her back painfully and gets up, unsteadily* *didn't bring any weapons into the holodeck, so she puts one hand on the wall of the pool and tries to focus on the zooming figure* The fuck?
Larry: *leers down at them* You'll need these. *waves his hand and two twenty-sided die appear and descend to float right at each character's eye level* Keep them safe, they're veeeeery important.
Leslie: *immediately grabs hers and chucks it at Larry*
Molly: *swats her die out of the way*
Mod: [The die boomerang and return, at double their initial speed, to thonk into their respective player's head.]
Larry: Tsk tsk. That's not very sportsmanlike.
Leslie: *fatality*
Molly: *didn't swat hers very hard so she manages to have the rebound ping off her raised arm before looking over to check to see if Leslie's okay*
Leslie: *got knocked down and takes a moment to get back up, groaning and rubbing her head where she was hit* *cartoon stars circle around her head* Motherfucker.
Larry: There. Now we've got /that/ out of the way...*glides to one side and snaps his fingers* The game can begin!
Mod: [The pool enlarges, and walls matching the material of the pool floor grow up around Molly and Leslie, like the 90's screen saver. They are kept together, but a maze unfolds in front of them, and a floating translucent START button.]
Molly: *grabs her die to keep it from rocketing around again and tilts her head back so she can follow Larry with her gaze* We're not going to play your /game./ *keeping one eye on Leslie to make sure she's not concussed or anything*
Larry: *ignores her* The rules are simple! Follow the maze until you find the ladder out of the pool. Walking and talking are free actions. For anything else, you have to roll your die to determine how well you succeed. Oh, and this game is a prototype, so be ready with constructive criticism when you finish. Please do be honest, but polite; I'm trying to work out the kinks. Ready? Great! Begin!
Leslie: *dazed* Lucky Charms says what now?
Molly: *flips Larry off with her free hand and crouches down next to Leslie, but doesn't touch her* Are you okay?
Leslie: *glances up at Larry, still rubbing her head and groans* Ugh, god he's still here. I thought he was part of some strange concussion dream. *stands* I'm fine. If I start throwing up, tell Pot o' Gold to put the pool in an ambulance.
Larry: I'm not seeing any adventures happening~!
Molly: *lowers her voice* While I'm sure he'll do something terrible to /make/ us start if we don't, I'm still not inclined to do so.
Mod: [The Start button disappears and the floor starts conveyor-belting them into the maze, whether they want to go or not. The wall they're headed for grows spikes, and a course of inaction will lead to impalement.]
Leslie: I'm not inclined to see what my insides look like either.
Molly: I hate it when I'm right.
Mod: [The path in front of them branches off in two opposite directions before it reaches the spike wall. Neither one shows any sort of indication that it's the correct path.]
Leslie: *mutters* Dick. Come on, this way. *grabs her die from the floor and takes the path to the left, stepping off of the conveyor belt*
Molly: *follows her, suddenly glad she wears swim shorts and a shirt in the pool* Is your head really okay?
Leslie: No. It hurts like a bitch and I saw pretty pretty lights when I got hit. All I want to do is take a nap, and it's hard to think straight. I'll be fine as long as I stay awake and don't get hit in the head again. Probably.
Molly: Let me take point then. *walks a little faster to get ahead, heading down the left path and putting Leslie directly behind her* And do me a favor, let's take turns telling this guy exactly what we think of him. *takes a breath and lets out a series of alien expletives*
Leslie: Wow, that sounded intense. I wish I spoke other languages.
Molly: I can teach you some of those when we get out of here.
Leslie: Please do, I like knowing swear words. It sounds so much better telling this guy to eat my entire ass if it's in garbled noises.
Molly: *keeping her eye out on the path ahead to see what's coming* It's really all about the tone, I've found.
Leslie: I used to scare away people I didn't like by angrily reciting song lyrics.
Mod: [The path takes a turn and they come across a solid barrier, much like a door. It's all in one piece, so they can't dismantle it, but it's not part of the walls.]
Molly: *stops at the barrier and touches it cautiously to see what the material is made of*
Larry: Ah! The first chance for you to use your dice! You have to roll to see how well you execute your task! Once you complete a roll, you have to perform the action, whether you like the outcome of the roll or not. I can't /wait/ to see what happens!]
Mod: [The barrier is a hard material. Moderately dense and solid. Much like what wood would be like if someone were asked to create it, only ever having been given descriptions.]
Leslie: How about we turn around and find a way that isn't screwing with us.
Molly: Sounds good to me. *pivots and starts back the way they came*
Larry: Oh, you two are no fun!
Leslie: *follows Molly once she passes her* I hate this game.
Molly: We have to get you to Sickbay as soon as possible, so we have to play along. *reaches the junction and takes a right instead, walking briskly with her die still clutched in one hand*
Mod: [The conveyor belt and spike wall have vanished from the junction, and the passage Molly takes continues on, winding aimlessly with no turn-offs before ending abruptly on the edge of a chasm fifteen feet wide. Vines hang from the ceiling above the pit, spanning the distance between the two sides.]
Molly: *her brisk pace almost takes her to the edge and she she skids to a halt, holding out one hand to stop Leslie from proceeding* Are you kidding me? I don't want to swing across a fucking pit like some sort of ridiculous action hero.
Leslie: There's not even a girl in danger. I wish I had this much time on my hands.
Molly: Ugh. *throws the die on the floor* Roll to swing across the stupid pit or whatever!
Larry: Oh my goodness, your first dice roll! And what a good roll too, congratulations! Now go ahead and complete your action.
Leslie: *throws her own die* Roll to call bullshit. *rolls a 3* *spits out some garbled syllables and bites her own tongue*
Larry: If only your small friend had similar luck. What a pity.
Molly: Shut the fuck up little man. *grabs a vine and gets a running start to swing over the pit successfully, only stumbling a bit when she lets go*
Leslie: Hey asshole, if I die, will this all be over?
Larry: Oh, don't be silly. I wouldn't let my players die. What kind of a monster would I be?
Leslie: Fucker. *rolls her die* Roll to act like Tarzan. *rolls a 4* Motherfucker.
Larry: Oh, you have such horrible luck, you poor thing.
Molly: Try it again with different wording.
Leslie: *tries to re-roll, but the die refuses to do anything*
Larry: Ah-ah! No cheating, gotta complete the action!
Molly: Don't do it! You're going to fall!
Leslie: *beats her chest, her fist landing straight on her boob and lets out a squawk instead of a fearful Tarzan yell*
Larry: How pathetic.
Molly: ....or that.
Leslie: *rolls the die again* Roll to swing on vines and cross that hole. *15* *gets a running start, swings across, and lands awkwardly, ending up on all fours* Molly, my tit hurts and so does my ego.
Molly: Try to word things more carefully. Let's keep going. *continues down the path*
Leslie: *gets to her feet* It won't matter if I still roll a bad number. *follows*
Molly: Well he said we won't die, so I guess we just have to power through.
Leslie: I don't have any power. I'm running on empty.
Molly: Pretend your least favorite ex is at the end and you get to punch them in the face.
Leslie: *perks up a little* That motherfucker is going to get /obliterated/.
Molly: Just as long as it's not Erik.
Leslie: You know it's not Erik.
Molly: Dare I ask who then?
Leslie: Some dickhead in high school. I hooked up with him a couple times before he started going around saying I was easy. I kind of am, but there's no need to advertise it.
Molly: High school is terrible.
Leslie: My brother told me what he'd been saying, so I told everyone that I didn't care what he said about me, but the real reason I stopped seeing him was that he wore a special undershirt to make it look like he had muscles.
Molly: Clever. I like it. I usually just went straight to the punching.
Leslie: I'm bad at punching. I'm good at destroying reputations in seething pits of rumor and teenage intrigue.
Molly: I never quite figured out how to do that. *on the lookout for the next challenge* Punching was always easier.
Leslie: *shrugs* I just learned how to read people. Finding their weakness is always the hardest part.
Molly: Now you just sound like some sort of evil supervillain.
Mod: [A series of electric grids block their way. They're separated by two-foot spaces, and the angles differ on each separate grid. (For example, the first is like a tic-tac-toe board, the second is the board rotated 45 degrees, and so on for five grids.)]
Leslie: Speaking of.
Molly: *wasting no time, flings her die on the ground* Roll to get through all of this bullshit in one try. *lands on a nine* FUCK. What does that mean?
Larry: *popcorn appears in his lap and he munches on it* I can't wait to see how this turns out~
Molly: So what, I just have to go through with it knowing it's not going to work?
Larry: You saw what your small friend did when she rolled a three and a four.
Molly: Stop calling her small you diminutive moron. *jogs in place for a few seconds and then runs at the grid to try and get through it*
Mod: [Molly makes it through each obstacle, but not without grazing herself on every single grid, coming out the other side with minor burns.]
Molly: *stops on the other side and doubles over to catch her breath, hands braced on her knees as the adrenaline fades and the stings of the burns takes its place* Ugh. I'm going to run out of swear words.
Leslie: *rolls the die* Roll to get through the first grid. *20* All riiiight. **takes up her die again and gracefully steps through a hole in the grid, coming out unscathed on the other side*
Molly: *raises her eyebrows* Well then.
Leslie: *does the same for each grid, rolling a 9, 6, 18, and 19, respectively. She steps out on the other side of the barrier looking very smug and holding her shoulder where the 6 burned her*
Molly: *inspects her shoulder with concern* We gotta get out of here. *looks around to find Larry* How much more, asshole?
Larry: That would be cheating!
Leslie: Molly, come on. Let's just keep going. *resigned* Ignore the suited gremlin.
Molly: I'm going to figure out a way to murder him. *starts jogging down the passageway*
Leslie: Fortunately, I have an extensive knowledge of ways to kill a person. *jogs after her*
Molly: Actually... *pauses and looks up at Larry* I'm rolling to reach up and yank you out of the sky and then let Leslie cave your face in. *tries to toss her dice*
Mod: [The die rolls.]
Molly: *lands a five and frowns*
Leslie: You gave it your all.
Molly: *gives a half-hearted swipe of her hand in Larry's direction* Fuck that. I'll try again later.
Mod: [Molly gives Larry's ankle a pat.]
Molly: *shakes her hand out like she just touched something super slimy and gross, making a face*
Larry: Really imaginative, there. I appreciate the effort you're putting into this!
Leslie: I hate everything about you, small man.
Molly: Don't tell him that, he probably loves it. *on the lookout for the next obstacle*
Leslie: You think he likes being called small?
Mod: [A ladder can be seen down a very long passageway, indicating an end to the maze, but blocking the way to it is a minotaur that materializes if they get close.]
Molly: *jogs a little faster towards the ladder but stumbles backwards when the minotaur materializes* Holy fucking shit what the fuck *loses her balance and almost falls, still scrambling backwards*
Leslie: *yelps and steps back quickly to avoid Molly falling on her* Jesus Christ. What? The hell? Is that??? *takes a few more steps back because wHAt*
Mod: [The minotaur growls but does nothing now. They're not approaching, so all is well.]
Molly: *gets a safe distance away and takes a few seconds to think of a plan* I roll to snap my fingers from a safe distance and have that thing disappear entirely. *rolls the dice* YES! Fourteen!
Larry: *gasps and places a hand on his chest like a scandalized southern lady* My stars, what an unforeseen turn of events. I'll have to take this into consideration next round.
Mod: [The minotaur vanishes with a surprised look on its face, having been looking forward to a fight.]
Molly: *flips up both her middle fingers at Larry* Take that you cretin. *jogs towards the ladder again to see if she can climb it*
Mod: [The ladder holds her weight and does nothing unexpected.]
Molly: *scrambles up to the top* Come on, it's fine!
Leslie: *walks to the ladder and climbs it slowly, mumbling to herself about dwarves and imagination and where Larry can put his dice*
Mod: [The second Leslie's feet hit the top rung of the ladder, the maze below disappears, the pool shrinks again, water appears back in its basin, and everything is back as it was.]
Larry: Well now, wasn't that a fun little diversion?
Molly: Come on Leslie, let's go. *heads for the holodeck exit, limping a little as all the adrenaline fades and the bruises and burns become more pronounced*
Leslie: *picks up her dress and bag before following Molly* I'm so mad I didn't get my pedicure.
Molly: Once we get rid of the small horrible man we'll try again.
Larry: Oh, by the way, you can keep the dice! Think of them as a souvenir! *nyooms off through the wall to terrorize other crewmembers*
Leslie: I'm madder I didn't get to bash his face in. *balls up her things and hugs them to her* Everything hurts and it's his fault.
Molly: Just point me towards the right hypo and I'll fix that.
Leslie: Kaani might be able to, but I wouldn't trust me to make toast right now.
Molly: What, you wouldn't let me jab you in the neck? I'm hurt. I thought our friendship was stronger than that. *distracting conversation is distracting*
Leslie: That's not what I meant.
Molly: *and then they went to Sickbay*