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[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

Characters: Ariadne and Gawain
Date/Time: Starting Friday, August 5.
Location: Lincoln, NE
Rating: TBD
Warnings: Potential weapons-grade cuteness
Summary: Ariadne comes to Lincoln for a weekend visit.

After a long flight, the plane finally touched down in the city. The view below hadn't been much to look at once they had gotten over the mountains, but the city itself seemed bustling enough from what she could tell.

Walking into the airport, Ariadne looked for Gawain among the people milling there, both on the upper levels and looking over to the balcony.

Comments

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

"Nebraska trees are tough, just like the people," he said.

Some time passed. They drove across a highway that cut through the middle of the city, and then he pulled into an elegant strip mall area south of the highway. They finally arrived at a small white building at the foot of a green slope.

As he parked the Taurus in front of the restaurant, he said, "Here we are."

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"How quaint. Doesn't look like the sort of place that would serve Indian food," she remarked.

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

"Oh, believe me, it does," he said as he stepped out of the car. He crossed to the passenger's side and opened the door for her.

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"Aww, thank you," she said, grinning at the gesture. "So, what do you recommend here?"

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

"Either the Malai Kofta, which are cottage cheese dumplings in cream, or the Sabzee Kati Kebab, which is basically a vegetable curry in roti bread," he said. "I'm likely to have one of those two."

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"I see." Ariadne glanced over the menu once they were seated, and eventually settled on a form of curried chicken.

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

After they had ordered, Gawain sat and gazed at Ariadne across the table. She always looked lovely, but tonight she seemed especially regal in her beauty.

"So ... how does it feel to have been an 'Air' head for our fellow guests?"

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

She chuckled.
"As long as it got things solved, I was happy to help," she said, "What about you? Enjoy being a 'Water' boy for the godlings?"

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

"It was an interesting experience," he said. "I had never thought of myself as attached to any one specific Element before, but I seemed to work alright with Water."

He took a sip of said Element from his glass. "Did you get much of a chance to talk to the other godlings?"

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"Mostly with Hades, and a little with Dionysus," she admitted. "How about you?"

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

"I spoke with Hades a little, too," he replied. "Interesting chap. Doesn't seem inclined to take the reins of Olympus."

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"No, but he seems to have a plan for it. He seems very straightforward, but he must have some kind of an angle on things. He seems to have done a good job getting the other Greeks behind him. Even Aphrodite has consented to be at his side," Ariadne mused.

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

"And that takes some talent, undoubtedly," Gawain agreed. "I don't know Aphrodite well, but I get the distinct impression she doesn't side with just anyone."

He ate some spoonfuls of the spicy mulligatawny soup brought before the main meal. "So ... what are your thoughts on this whole competing pantheon business?"

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"Honestly? I think it's a little ridiculous. Mythology has been just that since the Age of Enlightenment. It has no relevance in a world based on reason and science, and for those who put the greater weight in faith... Well, I don't imagine the Religious Right is going to take too kindly to having their cherished beliefs thrown in their faces," Ariadne said.

"Besides, it isn't like being a reborn princess gets me much in the way of perks."

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

"I agree that competing amongst ourselves is counterproductive," Gawain said. "If we are indeed who we think we are, or who Nigel and his colleagues think we are, then we should be striving to evolve beyond our ancient pettiness and do something productive in the world. That includes not proselytizing, which would make us as self-righteous as the Religious Reich ... excuse me, Right!"

He smiled. "Perks, eh? What are your hopes and dreams in this life, milady?"

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"Agreed, but I'm not sure what choice we have. Nigel, or whoever is behind this, made it sound like some zero-sum game. Whoever wins, someone has to lose. Either way, it won't be easy getting people to believe in us again. We'll have to provide proof, but somehow do it in a way that isn't going to have them running off screaming in terror, you know?" she said.

"As for hopes and dreams... I just want to get by in this world. Maybe give a little something back. Solve a big problem of some kind, maybe, if people would get out of their way enough to let it be solved."

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

Suddenly Gawain's eyes lit up. "You've just given me a thought, Ariadne," he said. "We need to provide proof that won't be too shocking, as you say."

He leaned forward. "You're a game maker, and I have had some programming experience. What if the godlings collaborated on a game that helped get our message across? The most realistic mythology game ever?"

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

Ariadne quirked an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Yeah? And, what sort of platform are you thinking? What style?" she asked.

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

"Well, my favorite genre is the PC adventure game that was popular back in the 1990s," he said wistfully. "I remember a fantastic Minotaur sequence in King's Quest VI. Alas, those games aren't as popular anymore, except overseas."

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

She nodded.
"I remember those as well. Still, strategy and RPG games are still selling well, especially if they have a major combat focus. Halo, Dragon Age, Mass Effect... What all did you have in mind for something like that?"

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

He thought about it a moment. "If the combat were less gruesome and more cartoonish, it could be available to a wider age range. I remember playing a Donald Duck sidescroller in which Donald never actually killed his opponents, but instead temporarily disabled them with a plunger gun! It was highly satisfying!"

He leaned back in his chair. "The key would be to make a game that portrays the godlings as humanly sympathetically as possible, so that gamers rallied behind their cause by the end."

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"And what role would the player take in all this? As one of us? A helper to the cause, somehow?" Ariadne tapped a finger to her lips. "A broad range of appeal is good, but we still want to be taken seriously. We don't want to dumb it down, especially if it's to be a realistic myth game."

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

"If I were designing the game, I would say the players should assume the role of helpers to our cause. That way, they can remain themselves but get to know us better as comrades," Gawain replied.

"And the game must make players think about the godlings' role in the universe. Gameplay should not simply be about gaining hit points, magic points, Folsom points, whatever."

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"Interesting. It'll take some work to get something that strikes the right balance," Ariadne said, "Not to mention making it so it's marketable. It could be a tough sell."

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

"Of course it will be tough to create and market," Gawain said. "However, I think several of the godlings, present company included, are up to the challenge."