Round Two Puck

Lights and sounds were bright and dizzying as they exploded throughout the place, the occasional squeals of laughter from parties adding to the din. Energy bounced around the place and held tightly to the fun goers in the arcade, Tikanni right alongside everyone else.

Watching a crazy match going quick back and forth with hockey, he all but jumped at the chance to snag a space once the couple using it was done. But, he needed someone to go against.

”Heya, wanna go,” Tikanni asked loudly over the noise, waving a paddle up to grab the attention of a passerby.

You know, Ethan was actually on his way to go for another five rounds of Galaga, but like.

This guy seemed like he needed a friend! And Ethan wasn't above filling the need. He wasn't lonely, per se. Just preferred to be a pal.

"Oh yeah dude, I'll bite," said the baby vampire, and it wasn't too long before he realized his attention on this guy was for a few reasons.

One: sorta familiar!

Two: a little more than sorta "familiar"!

Luckily, that managed to do it and his face burst into excitement and starry eyes. He could practically hear them make sound effects too! ”Hell yes!”

As he got closer though, Tikanni’s face scrunched up in some comprehension, vampire senses tingling. Wait. Waitwaitwaitwait. WAIT. ”I think I oughtta know you. My name’s Tikanni,” he said, hoping he was right. This had to be another clutchmate right?

Thank goodness someone around here was competent. Now, where had Ethan heard that name before?

Duh- in your contacts.

"Ohhh shit you're Tikanni! Hi! Ethan!" he exuberantly thrust his hand forward to shake. Another chill dude like Samuel, hopefully?!

Understanding was a fun thing to watch slap onto the guy’s face before he repeated his name right back at him.

Laughing, he shrugged with a nod, feet moving him side to side. Hi, yes, that was him! And, oh! ”Nice to meetcha,” he said meaning it to the very extent of the word, hand taking the offered one and shaking cold to cold. ”It’s amaze-balls to finally put a face to your name.”

Amazeballs.

It was amazeballs, Ethan. He had the smiling confusion on his face for a moment, before he reminded himself of something very important.

He was talking to a vampire!

"Amazeballs!" he echoed. "What is that like... 50s? 60s?"

70s? 80s? Surely not 90s. Was it???

Yeah! He nodded, letting the hand go and never dropping his smile.

”Um! I think, the two thousands?” Yeah, that sounded right.

There, that earned another double take. "Whaaaat?? I have never heard that."

Then again, he was pretty young during most of the aughts. Maybe it was more of a high schooler thing.

"Alright. Who's starting?"

That got a light laugh out of him. ”Yeah, man!” Lotsa weird sayings had happened then and he’d jammed with them all.

At the question, he went to his end checking. ”I think the thingamajigger is on your side.”

Oh oh. His go. Okay.

He set it — well, first he made sure the thing was on. Okay, but he set the puck down, felt the vibrational hum of it floating on the aerated surface. Always a fun feeling.

"Okay, ready? Figure we could go like. First to ten."

Anyway, he shot out the puck at an angle, trying to get it into Tikanni's, uh, goal... slot.

---

no goal

His own paddle at the ready, the air flowing up against his hands just slightly, Tikanni nodded. ”Works for me! Ready!”

And bam, right away it was fast.

As it ricocheted over, he countered with an abrupt slide towards it with a nice and successful smack.

---

no goal either

Ah!! He also made a scream that sounded like that. Maybe it was a little girly. Don't be rude about it.

He reacted rough and it flew out of the rink almost, just to land back on Tikanni's side.

---

0-0

A scream was let out and he laughed, genuinely having a great time and super siked that Ethan was just as into it.

Boom and bam and man, the puck flew into the air, spinning before hitting the rink with a satisfying clack.

”That was awesome,” he hooted, waiting for the puck to come closer before hitting it off to the side so it could ricochet successfully hopefully into the goal.

Except… it went back towards him and Tikanni wasn’t able to stop it.

Was it though?! Ethan supposed he could take the compliment and also left again after. Tikanni came at him hard and he jutted his arm side-to-side, trying to catch it in time. He didn't, and instead was rewarded for the incompetence when the puck shot back into Tikanni's own goal.

"Oh shit!" Ethan yelled, hands briefly up in the air in victory. Even if he hadn't done it himself.

All right all right, don't gloat too much. He got the puck on his side again, and went for a shot that was maybe a little too fast. But, he ended up scoring too.

"Oh shit!!!" Ethan yelled a little louder this time, now taking real credit. He was two up from nothing!

---

2-0

”Drat!” He huffed, lips still smiling with a laugh at Ethan’s yell and victory dance.

And they were soon right back at it. Tikanni swung an arm out to stop the puck’s attack but it still fell right into the goal with a satisfying clunk.

”You’re so fast,” he laughed, grabbing the puck and putting it on his side. With a quick sweep, off it went.

---

rolled a 4 so no goal outright

Hah! "Beginner's luck I thi-" he started, then made a dive that went nowhere because the puck flapped off. He grabbed it, set it. Struck — 

It didn't land a goal though, blocked by his opponent.

"Dang!"

---

2-0

Beginner’s luck maybe, but his reflexes were definitely there! Tikanni watched with a laugh as Ethan’s attempt at stopping the puck had it lifting off instead.

Off it went back towards him and this time he was able to stop it without the puck going into his goal.

”Just warming up, I guess.”

Lightly tapping it, the puck would slowly rotate out before he swept out a jab. Only for it to bounce and plunk right into his goal… again! What in the hell?

Shaking his head, he’d reset and snap his wrist, sending the puck off again.

---

5 so into Tika’s own goal, 3 its off somewhere

"qOh NOoOOOO," Ethan could not help but laugh in sympathy as it happened again. Poor Tikanni's luck had not turned yet, it seemed.

The first strike Ethan offered was, again, too boastful. He wanted to get another goal in on the heel of Tikanni's self-strike. But instead what happened was that it ricocheted back at him, and all he could do was strike it again — and miss again.

---

3&4 = twoo misses
score: 3-0 for ethan

Despite the fumble, Ethan was unable to score for himself or Tikanni so it could’ve been worse.

As the puck came back his way, he ricocheted it against a side, hoping it’d go back and forth from side to side fast enough to get into a goal. Onlyyyyy for it to not get there and he could only hit at it again in the best of hopes here. ”I betcha they do tournaments with this.”

---

LOL miss, miss
Tika: 0-3

Now was not the time for conversation! They were getting into some kind of a volley groove, Ethan meeting Tikanni's strikes with his own, neither gaining an edge nor fucking up for at least a few seconds.

But he answered anyway. "Are you saying we should compete??"

---

SAME
I vote we start rolling 3 per post

The puck continued to bounce around as they seemingly got into a groove that was strangely satisfying even if no one was getting points. Something about the clacking and deep concentration, y’know?

He laughed. ”I’m not saying we shouldn’t not compete!” Was that how a sentence worked?

A puck finally made it through Ethan’s defenses and into a goal.

Lifting his hands up in a mini celebration, he was more than ready to volley back it when it came once and then on the second time, Tikanni wasn’t so lucky. The puck clunked through his defenses too. Placing it back in the middle for Ethan he stood at the ready.

---

HECK YEAH, I’m down
Goal, miss, point against self
1-4

Honestly, he could be down!

And here was where the tide began to turn. Tikanni scored on Ethan, and then — well, he was just a really happy scorer, wasn't he. Ethan laughed. His winning was hardly down to his own skill, but he'd take it all the same.

"Whoop!" he clapped his hand to his... whatever it was called. Puck hitter. Except, haha, now it was your turn. He struck too hard, followed it as it hit side to side and then started coming back down the court, but not fast enough for him to catch it. Or, more clearly, he tried to hit, and with the backwards recoil of the move, ended up knocking it with the back of his thumb knuckles into his own goal.

"NO WAY!" he yowled.

Off to more volleying.

---

self goal, miss, miss
4-2 ethan

The puck from Ethan was super duper fast, his eyes feeling like ping pong balls as they bounced after it. There were a few moments, he was ready to push back, but the trajectory was already on the case. And then, bam! One into Ethan’s goal. He’d fallen into the same trap Tikanni had multiple times prior.

”Oh noooo,” he joined in on the sentiment. ”It was going so fast, too.”

With it reset, he was able to hit it back twice and then off the puck volleyed down and to the sides and back, only to follow the same path in different ways in high intensity. The clanking was in a nice rhythm at this point, from the walls to their mallet, but hopefully something could pull through soon.

---

volley, volley, volley
Tika: 2-4

"Too fast!" he groused in solidarity. Honestly, Tikanni could stand to be a little more boasty. Ethan would.

Which was why the universe punished him twice, and he managed to screw up again and score on himself. "COME ON!"

Back at the other vampire, the volley starting once more.

---

SELF GOAL, volley, volley
4-3 ethan
if he self goals again I'm going to do a bloodlust roll >:D

Bang, tap, dachunk, and Tikanni watched as the puck went straight into Ethan’s own goal. ”Aha!” It seemed there was no rhyme or reason, the puck just did what it wanted.

As it got reset, off it went and it kept going and going before finally bursting through Ethan’s defenses. ”Wahoo, okay!” Nothing was more satisfying than a clunk on the opposite side for once.

A quick reset and then off it went into his side despite all efforts. ”It gives and it taketh’s,” he said, shaking his head with a laugh as the board began to light up.

Which, wait! ”Dude, I think? You won!”

---

Volley, Goal!, Self-own

4-5

Haha fuck! He missed and Tikanni scored an actual real life goal. Whaaaat! They were tied now, neck and neck!

The pressure was on. The pressure was gonna get to him. Ethan, keep your —

Clatter. And it wasn't on his side.

A flash of eye color change gone as quick as it had come, and Ethan blinked. "I won?! I WON!"

He beat the big guy! With the help of the big guy, but. Still!

The exuberant response to winning had him elated and he jumped over to him. Tikanni was nothing if not a hype guy. Ethan’s win was just as exciting as his own would be anytime.

”You won!!! You were stupendous! The way you blocked with like pow and then it’d go over to the edge and boom!!!” Tikanni mimicked the motions with his whole body, recreating Ethan’s greatest hits. ”You are a natural, def.”

That was completely ridiculous, and he had to assume that Tikanni was maybe making fun of him a little. Joke's on you, Tikanni, Ethan LOVED laughing at himself!

"Ha, thanks dude. Let's do this again sometime. Wanna go get a-" playfully suggestive look- "drink together?"

Yeah, they absolutely had to do this again. This was the most fun he’d at at air hockey in a while and it was a super big bonus that the guy was another member of the clutch.

The offer to hunt wasn’t missed and while that had him a bit wary as always, he gave a smile. They’d be fine and it’d be a great chance to better get to know someone. ”Yeah, I’m down.”